A STAR IS BORN
If you don’t know the name Madison Tevlin yet, get ready for your most touching pleasant surprise of the week.
The 13-year-old Toronto native, who was born with Down syndrome, is an overnight superstar courtesy of her moving performance of the John Legend song All of Me.
Since being uploaded to YouTube on Jan. 20, the video showing Madison’s heartfelt performance of the song has earned more than four-million views and that number keeps growing by the hour.
No doubt some of the video’s accelerated growth rate can be credited to a social-media push from Ashton Kutcher, of all people.
Last week, the Two And a Half Men star and new dad, who has 16.6-million Twitter followers, posted a link to Madison’s video along with a tweet stating, “Only Few People With Down Syndrome Are Able To Sing. Little Madison Defies All Odds With Her New Song…”
And Kutcher was speaking the truth. In a separate interview with CTV News, Madison’s vocal coach, Marla Joy, said that individuals with Down syndrome are normally afflicted with serious tonal issues.
“Down syndrome children should have low monotone gruff voices,” said Joy. “They have problems with hearing and shouldn’t be able to memorize as easily.”
According to the U.S. support group National Down Syndrome Society, children and grownups with the condition often face serious communication challenges, including forming sentences.
But not so with the adorable Madison, who in the same interview expressed unabashed delight at the sudden media attention.
“It’s really cool,” said Madison. “I love to sing.”
And while Madison’s appears slightly nervous in the video and her rendition of All of Me isn’t pitch perfect, she recorded the song to inspire other kids with Down syndrome.
“I want them to know they can do it,” she said.
Madison Tevlin, you are an inspiration to all of us.
FAMILY FEUD
The widow of the late Robin Williams and his three children are in a bitter legal dispute over his estate. A Time magazine report claims that court documents from the past two months reveal several disputes over money, property and personal belongings of Williams, who took his own life last summer at the age of 63. On one side of the battle is Williams’ third wife, Susan Schneider; on the other side are Williams’ three grown children – Zak, Zelda and Cody – from his two previous marriages. One document filed by the children claims that Schneider has “acted against his wishes by challenging the plans he so carefully made for his estate.”
Source: Time
EATING RIGHT
Beyoncé has launched her own vegan home-delivery meal service. In consort with her personal trainer, Marco Borges, the Grammy-winning singer recently became a vegan along with her famous husband, Jay Z. The new service will feature organic, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free meals to New York subscribers, with prices ranging from $9.76 to $16.50 (U.S.) per meal. In the statement announcing the new service’s launch, Beyoncé gives all the credit for her lifestyle change to Borges. “He came up with a great program to get people motivated to make better nutritional choices,” she said. “All you have to do is try. If I can do it, anyone can.”
Source: People