Luther Vandross’s Never Too Much documentary opens in theaters starting November 1st!
I’ve seen it thrice and walked away with a different insight each time. One of the things I enjoy most is seeing Luther’s discipline, drive, and determination to succeed. It’s easy to think Luther had no trouble getting signed to a record deal, but the opposite is true. He spent his own money, earned from singing jiggles, to finance his demo and was rejected by several labels.
I never met anyone with his convictions. He taught me to believe in myself and my ideas and to invest in them.
The documentary relives the many stunning moments of Luther’s musical career while exploring his personal life, health struggles related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, and a lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserved.
Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Luther tells his story with assistance from his closest friends, ME (!), and musical collaborators, including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson, and Roberta Flack.
It’s strange to see yourself on screen and share such a traumatic experience. I am grateful to everyone who has supported, participated, and partnered with me with my diabetes nonprofit organization, Divabetic.
After Luther’s stroke, I could have left his side and found work supporting another musical artist. Instead, I chose a different path. I educated myself about diabetes (I have a family history of type 1 and type 2 diabetes) and helped educate and empower others so that we could all keep our house a home.
I still believe that’s the best way to honor Luther’s legacy.
My mom and I are watching Acorn TV’s Under The Vines series. It’s an excellent drama-comedy about two city slickers, Daisy Monroe, portrayed by actress Rebecca Gibney and Louis Oakley, portrayed by actor Charles Edwards, who both inherit a failing vineyard in rural New Zealand. The only problems are that neither of them has ever done a hard day’s work- and they initially despise one another.
Both of them are experiencing financial, social, and existential crises. They become interested in the winery’s future but frequently don’t see eye-to-eye. Furthermore, a neighboring vineyard wants to buy their vineyard, Oakley Wines, and isn’t happy that the inexperienced newcomers might stay.
What I like about the show is that the storylines tackle the complexities of modern life with humor. For example, Daisy’s best friend, Griffin ‘Griff’ Galway, is a closeted gay Australian famous international actor who chooses to hide his identity but then has to deal with the consequences.. Griff confronts Daisy about how selfishness has stopped her from finding long-lasting love. We rarely see the depth of friendship between a heterosexual woman and a gay man on screen, and if it is, it’s usually for laughs. This show digs deeper and shows how two chosen family members offer tough love. Daisy and Griff aren’t afraid of being honest with each other about the other’s shortcomings, and they love each other for it. They sleep in the same bed and are comfortable with each other’s awkwardness, inconsistencies, and imperfections.
Struggling with coming to terms with your sexual identity can be challenging for your health. Research shows that LGBTQAI+ people have unique health disparities and worse health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts regarding diabetes care and education. We spotlight LGBTQAI+ people living with, affected by, and at risk of diabetes on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with music from Indigo Girls. Podcast guests include The Flood Girls & The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton, Author Richard Fifield, Mutha Chucka, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. Throughout the podcast, we will feature music from theirIndigo Girlsalbum courtesy of SONY Music.
Watching Under the Vines also piqued my curiosity about winemaking. How couldn’t it? There are so many beautiful panoramic shots of the vineyard and countryside.
How do growers and winemakers know when grapes are ready for harvesting?
Many growers and winemakers still rely on sugar readings to decide when the grapes are ripe.
My friend, who works for a winemaker, said every winemaker is different. Most rely on the grapes’ sugar and acid levels and by taste. The winemaker she works for wants to make high-acid wines, so we pick early. Acid and sugar levels are inverse so the riper and more sugar in the grapes means less acid. Winemakers can fix it by adding acid back into the juice after they have been picked. You can also add sugar in some places (in others, it’s illegal). The winemaker my friend works for makes natural wine, so they don’t add anything, which makes the picking decision even more important!
Additionally, I’ve read that winemakers rely on technology to know when to harvest the grapes. They’ll take a portable refractometer into the vineyard and measure sugar levels. The higher the sugar, the riper the grapes. They’ll look for pH and titratable acid (TA) levels in the lab.
We’re talking about living well with type 1 diabetes, alcohol’s effects on blood sugar levels, and our love for ‘all things Italian’ on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with musical inspiration from Dean Martin.
Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti and was later nicknamed “The King of Cool.” His big break while performing as a duo with comedian Jerry Lewis, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life at 71.
Podcast guests: Fran Carpentier, Mama Rose Marie, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. This podcast will feature music from The Essential Dean Martin album courtesy of SONY Music.
Tonight, on Divabetic’s free monthly podcast we feature music from Teddy Pendergrass‘s second album. Join me and my guests: Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Build Jake’s Place Executive Director Arthur Anston, and Yoga For Diabetes Author and Founder Rachel Zinman starting at 6 PM, EST.
Teddy Pendergrass’s second album, “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” was an artistic, commercial, and creative triumph. It positioned him as a sex symbol and showcased his versatility and robust voice to an even greater range.
Teddy Pendergrass fought to educate people about how to treat people in wheelchairs with respect and raise awareness for the simple fact that disability doesn’t mean inability.
This year, Divabetic is championing compassion. Self-compassion is about turning towards difficult and painful feelings and taking action to ease pain and suffering, rather than ignoring it or judging ourselves.
In 1982 Teddy Pendergrass crashed his Rolls-Royce, suffering a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. His life was transformed in an instant. He went from giving sold-out concerts in Europe one week to lying in a hospital bed. He admitted it was devastating.
However, twenty-five years after the accident, he said in an interview that he was grateful for what happened and what didn’t happen in his life. He founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, which aids people with spinal-cord injuries. He spoke out on the issues facing people with spinal cord injuries with the determination that marked his aggressive, full-throated vocal style.
We believe in YOU and your abilities to live your best life.
