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Hey Arnold Writer Reflects on Making Helga’s Mom an Alcoholic

Hey Arnold! writer Joe Ansolabehere reflected on the decision to make Helga’s (Francesca Marie Smith) mother, Miriam (Kath Soucie), an alcoholic on the show. Hey Arnold! is an American animated comedy show that premiered on Nickelodeon in 1996 and was one of the most mature children’s shows of that time period. The show follows Arnold (Alex D. Linz), a fourth-grade boy with a football-shaped head who lives with his grandparents in a boardinghouse in Hillwood, WA. The show focuses on his and his friends’ various adventures as they navigate the urban lifestyle and deal with the bully Helga, who secretly harbors a huge crush on Arnold.

One of the most unique aspects of Hey Arnold! was that it harbored many mature themes that many children missed at the time, but later came to recognize as adults. In fact, the entire premise was pretty mature and thoughtful, considering it was a rare portrayal of kids from a working-class neighborhood who didn’t have a lot of money. Hey Arnold! also tackled heavy topics such as neglectful parents and the traumatic aftermath of war, as well as challenged the perfect American life and nuclear family ideals that many sitcoms perpetuated at the time. Additionally, the show also tackled alcoholic parents.

Related: Nickelodeon Perfectly Highlights Pride Over 30 Years

In an interview with Slash Film, Hey Arnold! writer Ansolabehere reflected on making Helga’s mom an alcoholic. Initially, Ansolabehere’s writing partner, Steve Viksten, had pitched the idea of having a character in the show who was an older, flirty alcoholic woman. When that idea got tossed out, Viksten had the idea to make Helga’s mother an alcoholic. The studio was originally against it but ended up allowing it to subtly be inserted in the show. Check out his statement below:

We’re never going to see it, but she’ll always have a drink in her hand.

Hey Arnold Nickelodeon

Ansolabehere went on to describe how Helga’s mother’s alcoholism became a legendary component of the show. It became so because it slipped the notice of most children at the time. It was only as kids grew up that they suddenly began to notice the hints that she was, indeed, an alcoholic. The signs were all there – the mother was frequently seen sleeping, waking up disoriented and slurring her words, was constantly making drinks in her blender, and pretty much always had a drink in her hand. While kids might’ve accepted that she was just making “smoothies,” adults could easily put the pieces together.

Miriam’s alcoholism in Hey Arnold! was certainly a surprising component to include in a kid’s animated show at the time. However, it meshed well with the show’s attempt at offering a realistic portrayal of kids from a working-class neighborhood. Just like the show strived to speak to kids who weren’t the wealthiest and didn’t come from the happiest of families, the show tried to speak to the reality of children growing up with alcoholic parents. Additionally, it masterfully showed what alcoholism might look like from a child’s perspective. A child could only vaguely recognize that something was a bit off, but might still explain it away by believing the parent just likes making a lot of smoothies. However, as they grow older, they begin to recognize the signs and understand the gravity of the situation. In making Helga’s mom an alcoholic in Hey Arnold!, the writers managed to make the show more relatable to children who grow up in less-than-ideal home situations.

Next: What The Good Burger Cast Look Like Now & Their Biggest Movies Since

Source: Slash Film

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‘I am officially off the market’: When Margot Robbie revealed she made the ‘conscious’ decision of not dating actors


Margot Robbie revealed her decision to not date actors because of the media scrutiny that came with a public relationship of two high-profile actors
Back in 2015, A-lister Margot Robbie made a declaration that she would not be dating any actors. The actress may have alluded to her fiance Tom Ackerley, who she married the following year in 2016. In an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, she revealed that being in a relationship as an actor herself came with its own set of challenges. She believed that dating someone who was popular would add on to the media scrutiny.

Margot Robbie opened up on why she made a conscious decision to not date actorsTalking to Marie Claire, she claimed, “I am officially off the market.” She then shared the reasoning behind her decision and added, “I made a conscious decision not to date actors.” She continued to explain, “But not because I hate actors. That’s a nasty generalization to make, and that’s not the case. People take such an interest in your love life when you have a profile, it puts a lot of stress on a relationship.”
The Barbie actress continued, “So two people with profiles, I figure it’s just double the amount of scrutiny, and I’d like to avoid that at all costs.” This came after reports of her locking lips with Tarzan co-star Alexander Skarsgard started making rounds. It was reported that she was caught kissing the actor during the Sundance Film Festival.

Margot Robbie revealed she opted for a minimal lifestyle even after becoming an actorIn the interview, Robbie also opened up about how she was adapting to fame. She shared, “I have a normal 24-year-old life. If I were a waitress, I’d probably have the exact same lifestyle. I’d go to the same clubs I go to already, live in the same house with the same housemates, hang out with the same people.”
However, Margot Robbie tied the knot with Tom Ackerley who is an English producer and actor. The duo met on the sets of 2013 movie Suite Francaise where Tom was working as an assistant director. Post marriage, both of them launched their production company LuckyChap Entertainment.

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Monica Bellucci and Tin Burton at lunch in the restaurant in Selci Lama


For All Saints’ Day, the Hollywood star from Tiferno returned to his native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and then visit his parentsOn the occasion of the All Saints’ Day celebrations, the Hollywood star of Tiferno origin, Monica Bellucci, returned to her native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and to visit her father Pasquale and her mother Brunella.Flanked by her current partner Tim Burton, she went to lunch, together with about twenty old friends, at the Osteria del Musicista, which has always been her favorite restaurant, in Selci Lama.Menu dedicated to typical dishes of the area, which includes an appetizer with breadsticks lined with coppa, duck in porchetta and grilled pork livers, polenta with wild boar sauce accompanied by the very typical cappelletti in broth.To conclude, a dessert based on fried “ciaccia” with Nutella and roasted chestnuts.
Having paid the bill and greeted the restaurant owner and lifelong friend, Roberto Polchi, Monica brought home cappelletti and broth for a family dinner.

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‘Rocky’ Was Quite Different In His Original Screenplay, Sylvester Stallone Claims


Sylvester Stallone took his friend’s advice on a rewrite of the original screenplay to Rocky. A few tweaks later, he was on his way to major success.
In the new Netflix documentary Sly, Stallone discussed how he initially conceived of the project, which had a much harder edge. In the early version, Rocky was depicted as a “thuggish” character, inspired by Martin Scorsese’s crime drama, Mean Streets.

But Stallone’s perspective changed when a friend read the script and thought the boxer was too cruel for audiences to actually care about him.
Stallone recalled her crying.

“She goes, ‘I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up.’”
Stallone took it to heart, and asked what he could do to soften the character.

“I said, ‘what if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ ‘That’d be nice,’” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice.’”
$117 million in box office later, a franchise was born.

Stallone also revealed that actor Dolph Lundgren sent him to the hospital during one fight scene in Rocky IV.
“Dolph Lundgren… he pulverized me,” Stallone says in the documentary. “Later that night, my heart started to swell—which happens when the heart hits the chest—and then my blood pressure went up to 260, and they thought I was going to be talking to angels. Next thing I know, I’m in intensive care, where I’m surrounded by nuns, and I thought, ‘OK, that’s curtains.’”
Stallone was in the hospital for nine days following the incident, praying for “one more round.”
“For the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all,” Stallone told Lundgren. The Swedish actor joked in a separate interview that all he did was “obey orders,” explaining, “[Stallone] was the boss. I did what he told me.”
Doctors allegedly told Stallone that he received a blow to the ribs that made his heart rattle around in his ribcage, a condition typically seen in head-on collisions. “I did hit a bus, of sorts,” Stallone joked.

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