Hi, I’m Henry, and I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to social media. Many of us are, but I differ in the sense that it’s an addiction that I’m quite proud of. But I digress.
My journey into Katy Perry fandom all began with a tweet promoted by Paramount Pictures.
“ParamountPics – Jul 02, 2:56pm via Twitter Ads – MIAMI! Be the FIRST to watch “Katy Perry: Part of Me” in 3D TODAY! Get tickets for the exclusive sneaks: KatyPerryPartofMe.com/Sneaks #KP3D”
This came up at the top of my Twitter feed on HootSuite and I thought to myself, “Wow. Interesting. Let me check out that link…”
I always thought that Katy was stunningly gorgeous and that she did have great singing voice. I was just tired of hearing her music on the radio all the time and tired of people killing the songs. But something inside of me told that I should probably check this movie out. And I’m glad I listened.
I followed the link and I immediately bought my ticket to the 7:00 PM showing at Regal Kendall Village Stadium 16. It was a bit of a drive for me, and Kendall traffic is absolutely fantastic to hit at 6:00 PM. It’s about as entertaining as watching the paint dry on two walls simultaneously.
I arrived early and immediately proceeded to enter the theater. I handed my printed Fandango ticket to the usher and walked over to where the movie was being shown. There were two girls representing the local advertising/promotions/marketing agency that works Paramount Pictures handing out exclusive sneak preview Part Of Me posters and pink and blue collectible keepsake 3D glasses. I immediately saw a few girls rocking their blue wigs and Katy Perry t-shirts.
As I walk inside, I am surprised to see that there are more guys than I expected there to be. One guy actually commented this to me as he made his way upstairs: “You got suckered into this, too, huh?” I laughed out loud. I was there to enjoy the movie. Nobody suckers me into anything. I’m naturally drawn to music.
The movie begins with Katy’s fans explaining why they love her so much. People from all walks of life are just spilling their hearts out on the screen. And there’s one common theme: She never gave up following her dream. That’s what they admire most about her. Katy’s dream was to be on stage in front of many people and bring them happiness through her music and entertainment. And boy did she achieve this. But she went through a lot of rejection, heartbreak, and pain to get there. And this movie does an excellent job of showing us all of this.
Katy grew up in an extremely religious home, so a lot of her early music was religion-themed. It wasn’t until she decided to break away from that at the age of 17 and venture out on her own and play shows on the road that she was finally able to play the music that she wanted to play. Katy never stopped writing music and performing it. She never stopped believing in her dream. She moved to Los Angeles to achieve the dream and connected with producer Glenn Ballard (Alanis Morrissette, etc). After several bouts with record labels and a lot of disappointment, she got her big break in 2007 when she was signed to Capitol Music Group, the merger between Virgin and Capitol. This deal lead to her 2008 debut album, One of the Boys, which contains the hot hits “I Kissed A Girl” and “Hot ‘n’ Cold.” Those were the first two songs of hers I heard, and I always liked them. I knew she had the potential to be a huge star.
What I loved most about this movie was seeing her connection to her family (blood and musical), friends, and fans. Her sister Angela Hudson works closely with her in everything, and her brother David, mother Mary, and father Keith are extremely supportive of everything that she does. The scene where she’s shown with her grandmother is priceless. You also see how her best friend, Shannon Woodward of Fox’s “Raising Hope,” is there with her through thick and thin. Katy is extremely loved, and I’ll say that from what I saw, she is easily lovable. She is bright, goofy, down-to-earth, random (she yells out, “I want a hot dog!” during one scene), and full of energy and life.
You also see the beginning of her romance with goofball actor Russell Brand. “I met someone,” she says at one point in the movie. They met on the set of “Get Him to the Greek,” and she says that the she knew there and then that she had found “the one.” They fell in love immediately and were married not too long after. There are several scenes where you see them together and
While you do see a lot of positivity in the movie, you also see a darker side of her life. You’re shown her exhaustion as she works non-stop throughout the largest tour of her life. And of course, you’re shown her emotional breakdown after her and Russell filed for divorce. She admits to trying to balance her career and her marriage and failing. But she gets back up on her feet again and just keeps the rhythm going.
All in all, “Part Of Me” shows you that Katy Perry is an extremely talented musician, a trooper, a genuinely nice person, a force to be reckoned with, and a pop star with no plans of slowing down anytime soon. And this guy right here is now an official fan after having watched this movie. I walked away inspired to achieve my dreams and never stop believing in myself.
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