The Little Mermaid Live Action Review and The Importance Of Black Mythology

By now most of us have been under the sea already to witness the greatness that is the ‘Little Mermaid Live Action’ Disney remake of the animated classic released in 1989, from the Disney Renaissance Era. The movie stars the talented Halle Bailey as Ariel, a role that was predominately portrayed by a white actress which causes a lot of racist controversy online, and exposed how hidden racism still exist in our country, and the World. I could never understand why there was so much hate, for a talented black girl so beautiful like ‘Halle Bailey’ whose voice, and performance gave me chills in the theater. On my second visit to the ‘Fathoms Below’ where “the Seaweed is always greener,” I left feeling empowered to be black, and Queer, and was also reminded of the importance of black mythology in African American Culture. I got to hang out with a very talented local artist in Tulsa, and new friend named Branjae who is taking Tulsa by Storm and inspiring me. Let’s talk about it!

‘The Little Mermaid Live Action’ in my opinion is the best Disney remake thus far. Full of colorful vibrant visuals under the sea, and sea creatures galore, and a magical underwater Kingdom known as Atlantis where King Triton, and his daughters who rule the seven seas, are also multi racial giving the movie a brand new fresh diverse take from the original animated classic. The actors who play Sebastian the talking crab, flounder the fish, and Scuttle a Sea Gull, also give the characters a new breath of air, but Nostalgic familiarity to the original. Halle’s vocals for ‘Part Of World’ are chilling, and gave me goosebumps. I felt the Disney magic through the screen. Songs like ‘Fathoms Below’ really made me feel nostalgic, and where a surprising enjoyment. I also loved how diverse the cast was and it reminded me of the Cinderella live action movie in the 90’s that stared Brandy and Whitney Houston. I loved that Prince Eric’s parents were multiracial, and Mellisa McCarthy did an excellent job as Ursula, so much that I felt she was actually scary in some scenes.

The first time I went to see the movie I went to my favorite movie theater in Oklahoma which is the Regal Warren Broken Arrow that has a 21+ auditorium for alcoholic beverages, and food that feels almost like VIP. I went to the early premiere, where I also saw Black Panther for the first time in its early release in theaters. Both films remind me of the importance of Black Mythology in not only Hollywood, so that children, and even grown adults can see themselves in their favorite super hero, or fantasy character, but also I feel their is a lack of black mythology, and black lead actors in Hollywood which I am a fan of such as franchises like ‘Harry Potter’ or genres such as sci-fi, and horror. Jordan Peele is a filmmaker who I’m very inspired by who has been pushing the boundaries of these narratives with films like ‘Get Out,’ US, N.O.P.E, and casting black lead actors in Horror, Sci-Fi, and fantasy roles where we have been left out of the genre. ‘Lovecraft Country’ is also another one of my favorites which is a HBO TV series produced by Misha Green, inspired by the original novel by white author Matt Ruff. This is why I think that ‘The Little Mermaid’ live action was so captivating to watch, and I enjoyed every minute of it, and want to be Siren now!

The second time I went to see ‘The Little Mermaid’ I wanted to do some cosplay as a black Mermaid King, and I purchased a light up Triton toy that I brought to the movie which really made me feel all the Disney Nostalgia, and magic. I met up with a new friend named Branjae, a rising r&b/soul singer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With us both being local artist, and vocalist, we both left the theater inspired, and star struck at the stellar performances from the actors, and are jaws dropped from the CGI, and underwater animation. Some movie critics were not happy with flounders character design, and others Ariel’s skin complexion. But honestly Halle Bailey truly captured the perfect spirit of Ariel in my opinion. And the music was truly Disney classics such as ‘Under The Sea’ and some new songs that I enjoyed in the soundtrack like ‘The Scuttlebutt’ and ‘For The First Time.’ This live action is destined to go down a classic, and I have fallen in love with Disney again, since being a fan since a little kid in the 90’s. Which reminds me of my song ‘Life In The 90’s’ from my debut mixtape ‘Days In The Midwest.’

So let’s talk about the fashion in the movie. It was definitely giving a Caribbean, and Island theme vibe with lots of linen fabrics, and bright colors, as well as lots of fedora’s, and brim hats. I decided to channel the style of this movie with this look I purchased from Banana Republic which gives me Summer Prince Eric vibes.

Top: Short Sleeve Linen Button Up (Banana Republic)

Pants: Horse Riding Pants (Banana Republic)

Here are a couple of other deeper messages I pulled from the movie! First lets talk about the fact that Halle rocked her natural BLACK hair, dreads and all! Which I think sends a big message of representation to the Black Community. Her hair progressively started with less dreads, to fully dreaded hair in the very last scene when Ariel, and Prince Eric get married which I thought was very powerful. Even more powerful was the tool used to style Ariel’s hair which was a fork, although ‘Scuttle’ called it a ‘Dingle Hopper’ and said humans use it for their hair.

But even more deeper, the ‘Dingle Hopper’ looks almost identical to not only the three pronged ‘Triton’ but also to a ‘crochet needle’ for hair uses in the Black Community.

An Easter egg that a lot of people might have catched, or didn’t catch was the original actress ‘Jodie Benson’ who played animated original Ariel, giving the live action Ariel a fork, aka ‘Dingle Hopper’, aka a ‘crochet needle’ which she used throughout the film to dread her hair. I’ve been growing my hair out for about three years now, and I feel special that my hair is at the length it’s at just in time for the cultural impact, and reset of this movie. Notice how everyone is taking about the Ocean right now: Frank Ocean, Ocean Gate, USO’s, Avatar, Black Panther, sea creatures washing up, and now ‘The Little Mermaid’ live action but only conscious people will connect the dots. I’ll save that for another blog post.

The ‘On A Journey’🐫 mixtape will be officially released Saturday August 26th 2023 on Soundcloud, Youtube, Datpiff, LiveMixtapes and various other mixtape websites.

Announcing My Brand Ambassadorship With Lakeside Dispensary

I’m excited to announce that I am now a brand ambassador for Lakeside Dispensary I hosted my first event ‘Pride Night’ a meet and greet with me ‘Quentin Marcellis’ on June 21st 6/8 pm.

There was refreshments, giveaway, corn hole, music, and 15% off everything! Located at 715 Will Rogers BLVD, Skiatook, Oklahoma Call (918•578•5038) for more information on future events!

Congratulations to ‘Carmen White Janak’ for being a black business owner, Reverend, and leader in the cannabis community. She will be the next special guest on my podcast ‘Carefree Queer Podcast’ available exclusively on Spotify and YouTube. We will be discussing her dispensary shop being a dedication to her father who served in the Vietnam War, and address some taboo topics such as ways using THC can aid on your creative , and spiritual journey!

I also signed copies of the now limited edition ‘Blazing Tulsan’ newspaper with my articles ‘‘Exploring Tulsa’s LGBTQ+ Canna Scene with The CarefreeBlackBoy’ and the first event for my new non profit initiative ‘Gals, Gays, & They’s Galentines: Celebrating Love 💕 In All It’s Forms. I left some copies for you to pick up at the dispensary.

Happy Pride Month!

“Go where your celebrated, and not where your tolerated!” - David Bridgeforth

https://www.lakesidedispo.com

The Blazing Tulsan Newspaper: Article 'The Carefree Black Boy’

I’m excited to announce my new collaboration as a writer with “The Blazing Tulsan Newspaper’ for the Month of March. Its a publication created by Justin Cohen, and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ‘The Blazing Tulsan’ Newspaper was intended to be a Newspaper supporting the Cannabis Community but is now expanding its topics to LGBQT+, and local music artist. I have two articles this month ‘The Carefree Black Boy’ and an article discussing my first event for my new non profit CarefreeQueer ‘Gal’s Gays & They’s Galentine’s: Celebrating Love In All Its Forms. I have wrote for publications such as DBQ Magazine, and ‘The Dream Incentive’ so this opportunity is such an awesome opportunity to add more journalism under my belt. The newspaper is now available in local newspaper stands, and dispensaries in Tulsa, and surrounding areas in Oklahoma. Here is my full article below ‘The Carefree Black Boy’ introducing myself.

‘The Blazing Times’ article by Quentin Marcellis  

‘The Carefree BlackBoy’

What’s up Tulsa, it's Quentin Marcellis, and some of you may also know me by my nickname Que. It's an honor to announce my partnership as contributing writer, and journalist for the ‘The Blazing Times.’ I feel so very aligned with the opportunity to write for the ‘Blazing Times’ at this time in my life for numerous reasons. First let's start with my Marjuanna journey since this platform is largely Cannabis influenced. My Marjuanna journey started when I lived in D.C, and New York City between 2013-2015 as an aspiring fashion model, and Human Rights activist largely working for LGBTQ+ Non Profits such as ‘Hetrick Martin Institute’ “GMHC’, and ‘Us Helping Us. I was also contributing writer at the time for a local magazine called ‘DBQ’ (David Bridgeforth Quarterly Magazine) a seasonal Black Queer magazine owned by my Godfather David Bridgeforth based in New York City. Marjuanna at times was my therapy, and a cheap vacation away from a long day of pounding the pavement pursuing my dreams in the Big Apple. When I lived D.C I witnessed my favorite artist Frank Ocean, and Beyonce perform live and it planted a seed in my heart to pursue music. My modeling dream’s became realized when I got the opportunity to walk in New York Fashion Week for a designer named Ken Shep, and meet my idol, the first black male supermodel ‘Tyson Beckford’ at a movie premiere for a Black Queer film in Harlem hosted by my Godfather. I also worked for a celebrity stylist named Harrison Crite on music videos, and photoshoots. I relocated back to Tulsa in 2016 to start working on my music career in a more affordable environment and continued to write for my Godfathers magazine. I also developed my own personal blog site titled ‘Queology.net’ an online journal of my life as an aspiring artist in Tulsa. Soon after that I wrote and released my first song ‘Carefree Black Boy’ on my Birthday December 9th 2016 on all streaming platforms. The song was a declaration of independence in an environment like Tulsa where I have oftentimes felt like an outcast, or underdog for being black and Queer. In 2017 I released my critically acclaimed mixtape ‘Days In The Midwest.’ August 26th 2017 which produced four singles ‘Four Wings’, ‘11:11’,’Days In The Midwest’ and ‘Black Wall Street.’ I also achieved my dream in Tulsa of signing my first modeling contract with the ‘Linda Layman Agency’ which afforded me opportunities to be in my first TV commercial for a bank, a stand in for Actor Ricky Whittle in the show American Gods, and a bodyguard in the film ‘Jurassic Games.’ Present day I am pursuing my music career after a successful 2022 of performing shows including a sold out show at the 'Philbrook Museum’ with a partnership with non profit organization ‘Tulsa Creative Engine’ where i received a 5,000.00 grant. I’m also still actively modeling in runway shows all over Tulsa. One very unique fashion show this past December, 'Kushmas Fashion Show & Dinner’ sponsored by ‘The Tulsa Underground Collective’ and Cannabis Dispensaries, is how I crossed paths with the owner of ‘The Blazing Times.’ It was through my involvement with Tulsa’s next big Urban, and Underground collective ‘Tulsa Underground Collective’ and befriending the founder ‘Savvy Kray’ that I crossed paths with this dope creative, and innovative soul Justin Cohen. It's ironic that we crossed paths at this stage in my life. I feel like I'm blazing with passion, and have a strong desire to leave a trail in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma in a variety of ways. I’m looking forward to giving you guys a sneak peak into what my new non profit organization ‘Carefree Queer’ (intended to serve Tulsa LGBTQ+ community) and my team are up to in my next article covering our first event of 2023 for Valentines Day ‘Gals, Gays, & They’s Galentine’s Celebrating Love In All Its Forms.’ Also Happy Black History Month to my neighborhood downtown Greenwood, the history and Legacy of Black Wall Street, and North Tulsa that raised me. 

The Journey to 'Carefree Queer' & Galentine’s Celebrating Love In All It’s Forms’

The Journey to manifesting ‘Carefree Queer’ an initiative and aspiring non-profit that I created with the intention of amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ artist, and creatives, as well as creating a safe space for Queer arts, culture, wellness, and advocacy in Tulsa Oklahoma, has certainly been a bumpy one. But all of my efforts were realized into full manifestation at my first event I hosted, and performed at with the collaboration with Adina Amaris, and partnering with the ‘Underground Collective’ called ‘Gals, Gays, & They’s Galentine’s: Celebrating Love In All Its Forms.

So lets talk about the Journey itself. My passion for the LGBTQ+ Community started when I came out at 21 years old on Facebook, after moving to D.C in 2012. I also was a big fan of Frank Ocean at the time, and still am till this day, and when he came out in 2012 before the release of his album Channel Orange it inspired me so much! I got a chance to see him perform live for only 25$ at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C which really sealed the deal for not only my love for a queer artist, but my confidence to be a black Queer artist myself. I also discovered Frank Ocean through the music collective Odd Future, and I appreciated how different, quirky, and unique they were. I also at the time was working for my Queer Godfathers magazine titled ‘D.B.Q Magazine’ (a magazine which caters to the Black Queer Community) in which I first discoverd in Oklahoma online, before finaly meeting in D.C. I remember just being amazed that even a black Queer magazine even existed, and that a space did exist for me beyond Oklahoma. These were some of the elements that inspired my passion to be an openly black Queer creative, activist, and work in LGBTQ+ non profits.

When I lived in New York City , I had the opportunity to intern at one particular Queer non profit called ‘The Hetrick Martin Institute’ (an LGBTQ youth non profit and Highschool) which changed my life, and full confidence, and acceptance in myself in so many different ways. I also had the opportunity to go the Hampton’s in the Summer 2015 and speak on behalf of the organization at an event called ‘Schools Out 2015’ Benefiting LGBTQ+ youth in the backyard of one of the sponsors mansions. It was a moment as a young LGBTQ+ Activist that I will never forget, and the reason I started ‘Carefree Queer’ because of my passion for my community, and the places it would take me.

‘Gals, Gays, & They’s Galentine’s: Celebrating Love In All Its Forms was an event intended to celebrate Tulsa’s LGBTQ+ Community, and celebrate Valentines Day, and the month of love. The event was a vibe as soon as you walked through the black barn gates leading into a concrete modern patio, with a canvas painter creating live art, transparent Igloo tents, with inside cushion seating, hanging mistletoe roses, and flowers draped from its plastic ceiling. On the tables were Valentine's Day related games, and Ice breaker activities for the guests, lovers, and friends to enjoy. The stage overlooked a lush green lawn full of lounge, and patio chairs for the guest to network, and relax. Vendors were outside on full display selling food, jewelry, and art. I performed my songs ‘Carefree Black Boy’, ‘Life In The 90’s, and Black Wall Street’ available on ITunes, TIDAL, Spotify and all streaming platforms!

‘Carefree Black Boy Remix’ Is Available On All Streaming Platforms✨

Queology.net ✨I recorded by first debut single ‘Carefree Black Boy’ back in 2016 with producer ‘Sol Ray’. It’s the first song I’ve ever wrote as an indie artist. When I walked in the studio 🎹 I didn’t have anything written down, or pre recorded. My producer played me a bunch of beats to choose from, and I chose this beat because it reminded me of 90’s r&b.

I got in the booth, meditated on the sonics 🎶, and sounds, and it’s as if the lyrics came from me from a deeper place like my spirit, or the Universe.

The Evolution of my first single ‘Carefree Black Boy’ has certainly been an interesting one! Which single cover is your favorite?

1. ‘Downtown’ Black Boy 🎧

2. ‘Comic Book’ Black Boy✍🏾

3. ‘Greenwood’ Black Boy ⛪️

4. ‘Renaissance’ Black Boy 🎷

The inspiration behind the ‘Carefree Black Boy Remix’ reminds me of memories of amazing Summers celebrating Juneteenth 🎺at Tulsa Block parties. Jazz, and saxophone🎷 sounds from Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, and HBCU high school marching bands. 🥁 The photoshoot is inspired by ‘BlackWallStreet’ and the ‘HarlemRenaissance’ era. The Carefree Black Boy Remix🎷 feat Clutch Barz, produced by SolRay, & Tre Eaton, is available now on iTunes, TIDAL, Spotify, and ALL streaming platforms!✨