My cousin has an IMDB page

Jake's movie

As I don't have any younger (or older) siblings to awkwardly embarrass/gush over their achievements, I tend to play the proud aunt card with my plethora of cousins, both immediate and distant, both state-side and British Isles-born. The Killian clan is a gifted bunch, and I can't wait to see what some of the young'uns throw into the family vault of talents next. Perhaps cousin Chick will join Michael Flatley on his American Tour of the next installment of The Celtic Tiger? Maybe cousin Meghan will split and contort herself into the hearts of America in the top 10 of So You Think You Can Dance 2019?

In the meantime, two rellies have performed and produced some brag-worthy items. Let me take this moment to unabashedly give props to two of them.

Cousin Jake, age 12 and a half, starred in a movie which recently went to DVD: Always Will. And yes, he totally has a profile on the website I frequent the most for reference. OMG! He filmed it about two years ago. Needless to say, since I haven't seen him since my going away bash, and I picture him as polo shirt-wearing elementary school kiddie like he is in the movie, I was sufficiently freaked out to speak to him over my ichat/isight and hear that his voice has changed. Ahhhhhh, life.

Back to the movie: The director had been working out in Cali for reasonably famous movies i.e. Holes. [SIDEOTE: It's totally freaking me out that Shia LeBeouf is all teenager-y and starring in creepy peeping tom thrillers. He will soooo always be the crazy brother on Even Stevens to me.] Anyway, he always wanted to make his own movie, grassroots style y'all, so he came back to the place of his birth-- Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania (and my birth! repping the DH).

He decided to use a few actors (dunno if they we're SAG card carrying actors or anything) and students from the local school district. Incidentally, Upper Darby is the biggest in the state. Just the other day, cousin Jake's sister told me over my webcam that there are 1200 people in her FRESHMAN class. Anyway, based on the likeness to the already casted main character, and his own dashing good looks and long eyelashes (cousin Jake, you have REALLY great eyelashes), Jake V was chosen.

Jake plays the role of the protagonist at age 7 (flashbacks). Not being a trained thespian, Jake doesn't have many speaking roles (the most famous one which sparked much playful family embarrassment at birthday partties has to do with every 1st grade teacher's worst nightmare: lice), but he is, as they say, "workin' it."

I highly recommend you view the trailer to see how he much he looks like the lead guy and how well he fake cries in the muddy/rain scene.

When I went to the premiere at UDHS over a year and a half ago, the excitement-- which only a locally-made/produced/everything movie could yield-- was palpable. And even though I think the word "palpable" and "excitement" are always used close to each other way too often, it really was.

So good on ya, Jakey. Mama's proud.

wikki wikki uh

Relative number two lives across the pond, in Ireland, but my enthusiasm is as high as if he lived in suburban Philadelphia. Colm, age 24 and three quarters, has always been into soul and hip-hop music, demonstrated when we bonded over Erykah Badu during my 10th grade visit to Cork with the fam, and he has made the natural progression to DJing and mixing his favourite artists. Check it outtttt!

He was the DJ a few years ago in a hip-hop slash electronica band with his mates, and they came out with a CD which did pretty well in their native Ireland (and among the Killian fam stateside. Papa T and Mama K were definitely known to throw on a little trip hop on lazy Saturday mornings). When the band broke up, Colm ventured out on his own to spin the wax, and he's doing pretty well, friends.

We share a common adoration of Lupe (though I have not yet come to realise why a Muslim/teetotaler would call his album Food and Liquor), and a mysterious love of Nas (why did you marry that skanky Kelis, my son?), and basically, well... I'm just happy there's another white person in the family that appreciates the brothas. Well done, Colm.