Yes/No Detroit

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Trafalgar Releasing. All opinions expressed here, however, are my own. The Optimist will be in theaters on March 11, and after viewing the trailer, it looks like an interesting movie, albeit sad. About the film: Based on a true story, THE OPTIMIST follows Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller and the unlikely friendship that transforms two lives. At 15, Herbert escaped the Auschwitz-Birkenau death march, carrying the weight of silence for six decades. When he finally breaks that silence, he forms a life-saving bond with Abby, a troubled teenager confronting her own pain. Together, they discover hope, healing, and the transformative power of being truly seen. Directed by Finn Taylor and produced by Jeanine Thomas, THE OPTIMIST stars Stephen Lang and Elsie Fisher in an intimate, intergenerational story about trauma, memory, and healing. Lang delivers a career-defining performance opposite Fisher in a story developed over more than ...

And just like that, it's the end of February—to me, it kind of feels like January went by super slowly, and February went by super fast, for some reason. Sangria at Sedona Taphouse, Novi What I've been up to this week: Getting delivery/eating out . Last Saturday I actually got to go out to eat! Rare nowadays with a baby. I met a friend at Sedona Taphouse, in Novi—I used to go to the Troy one a lot for their happy hour, but have only been to Novi a few times. It's a little bit pricey but everything was good—I had the sangria (pictured above) and chicken marsala, and my friend had a cocktail and their gluten-free flatbread.  I also had a free birthday coupon for Crumbl, so I stopped by and got a S'mores cookie and also bought one of their Nutella ones; I liked both, but the S'mores was better IMO. On Sunday night, we got La Marsa via Dorodash, which is always tasty. On Sunday, we got takeout from Green Lantern, since I had a free cheesy bread coupon; their pizza is al...

This week went by fast, because I was in Dallas from Sunday through Wednesday for work. Not much going on this weekend except I am meeting a friend for lunch, which I'm looking forward to. Sign at the Hyatt Regency DFW, where I stayed What I've been up to this week: Work trip to Dallas . Both the conference and my accommodations were at the Hyatt Regency DFW, so I only got to leave the airport once (more on that below). I originally had an 8:30am flight that Sunday, and I got to the airport around 6:30am ... I was in line around 6:45 waiting to check my bag when I got a text saying the flight was CANCELLED, and they had rebooked me on a 9pm flight, getting in at 11pm. Kind of a problem when my meetings started at 8am the next day. I ended up rebooking and taking a 10:30am flight to Atlanta, then 4pm to DFW (Dallas Fort Worth airport) from there, but because of that I missed the Retail Rodeo, which would have had me going to a few grocery stores in the Dallas area. Thankfully on...

It's Friday the 13th, and I'm working till around 2pm today (I have a doctor appt. at 2:30pm) and then I'm off to Dallas for work on Sunday. Phantom of the Opera, Detroit Opera House What I've been up to this week: Phantom of the Opera  at the Detroit Opera House. Phantom is one of my two favorite musicals (the other being Waitress ) so I was super excited for this one. My friend who was supposed to babysit unfortunately texted me a few days before saying she was sick, but thankfully my parents were able to pinch-hit as babysitters. They've revamped the special effects a bit this time and the musical was REALLY good— it'll be at the Opera House until February 15th , and I highly recommend it. Getting takeout/delivery . We only had a short time window before Phantom on Friday, so I picked up Potbelly for us—after ordering from them the week before, they had given me a free sandwich deal in the app. On Sunday I was supposed to have lunch with a friend but I was fe...

I am SUPER tired today because Baby K decided to get up at 5:20am—Fridays are the one day we can sleep till 6:30am instead of 6:00am, because my husband works from home that day, so I wasn't super pleased. I'm going to rally, though, because I'm seeing Phantom of the Opera later at the Detroit Opera House  (it will be there till Feb. 15), and it's one of my favorite musicals. At The Reserve Steakhouse, Brighton What I've been up to this week: Going out for my birthday dinner . First Baby K was sick, then I think my husband or I had a cold, but finally last weekend we had time to go out for my birthday dinner, with my parents babysitting. I asked my husband to keep the venue a surprise, because I am usually the planner in our relationship and sometimes I like being surprised. We ended up going to The Reserve Steakhouse, in Brighton, which was excellent, except I thought the steak (supposed to be the star of the show!) was just okay. The appetizers and service were ph...

I haven't had time to watch Rental Family yet, but it looks pretty good, and I'm a big fan of Brendan Fraser. One of my lucky readers will win a digital code to own their own copy of the film! See below for details. About the movie Journey to Japan and into the heart of human connection with Searchlight Pictures’ “Rental Family,” which arrived on digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home on January 13. Film synopsis Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. Digital and Blu-ray bonus materials Feat...

January went by super fast and super slow, all at once, somehow, and we are finally near the end. My husband and I took today off work to go to Frankenmuth for Snowfest, but between the cold weather and other things, it didn't happen ... instead we will do some local errands since we have the time.  Monty Python's Spamalot at the Fisher What I've been up to this week: Taking care of a sick child (still).  Last Wednesday, Baby K got sent home from daycare with a fever . We kept her out Thursday and Friday, and by Monday, she was a lot better—however, because of the weather and the snow, daycare decide to close, which left us in a bind since we both work. We ended up both working a half day and switching off childcare. She's a lot better now, though, which is good. Seeing Spamalot at the Fisher Theatre . Last night, a friend and I went to the Fisher to see Monty Python's Spamalot , which will be there for another few days. I am not a huge Monty Python fan but overall...

Cancel everything, because it's like zero degrees outside (windchill feel of -15 ...) today and also, our baby is sick, so we are keeping her home from daycare for a few days. Bunny I saw outside What I've been up to this week: Getting takeout/delivery . A lot this week—we got Mamaeatz via Doordash on Friday night (a place that does Indian sandwiches—and they have a four for $25 deal which is pretty good), some friends brought over Jersey Mike's on Saturday for lunch, and on Saturday for dinner we got Big Dip Burgers via DD. On Sunday, my husband had to go out for an errand so he got us The Great Greek gyros (BOGO deal), and on Monday, he brought back Culver's.  Hanging out with friends . Rare these days! On Saturday, two friends and their 3-year-old daughter came over to meet Baby K for the first time, and they brought Jersey Mike's (as mentioned above), which was tasty. They stayed for a few hours and it was nice to see friends, as I don't get to do as much of...

I was able to see Song Sung Blue at the theater last week, on my birthday, and I cannot say enough good things about it—it's probably one of the best, if not the best, movie I have seen this year (and pre-August aka pre-Baby K I saw quite a bit of movies!). Fun fact, also—I follow the director, Craig Brewer, on Twitter (aka X), ever since his Footloose remake came out, and in the early 2010s he would sometimes respond when I tweeted at him, so I was excited to see he directed this one. Two of my lucky readers will win a digital code for the movie, also! See below for details.  The film is now available on digital platforms to buy or rent, and will be on Blu-ray on February 17. About the movie: Academy Award® nominees Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables, The Greatest Showman) and Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Almost Famous), in her Golden Globe® and Actor Award® nominated role, bring adoration and vulnerability to Focus Features’ inspirational love story SONG SUNG BLUE, arrivi...

Somehow we are already in the midst of January—we've been getting a ton of snow here this week, both expected and unexpected, and I'm not a fan.  Adam's PB Cup Fudge Ripple at Cheesecake Factory What I've been up to this week: Celebrating my birthday . My birthday was on Tuesday and I took the day off work. I saw the 11am showing of Song Sung Blue , at Emagine Novi, which was fabulous— The Greatest Showman is one of my favorite movies, so I wasn't surprised Hugh Jackman did a great job with another movie which required a ton of singing; Kate Hudson was really good too. After that, I met my parents for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, also in Novi, and then I grabbed my free Starbucks drink before picking up Baby K from daycare. All in all, it was a pretty good day.  Watching TV shows . Hijack  is back on AppleTV, but sadly only one episode, and Tell Me Lies released three new episodes on Hulu (my favorite toxic show, lol). I've also been watching Good Cop/Bad Co...

I wasn't able to see Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere in theaters, but I'm excited to see it, especially with Jeremy Allen White (The Bear ) as the musician himself. Two of my lucky readers will win a digital code for the movie!  Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is now on digital and will be available on 4K and Blu-ray on January 20. Film synopsis From 20th Century Studios, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 “Nebraska” album. Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works – a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe.  The musician and songwriter is portrayed with great heart and sound by Jeremy Allen White, who authentically plays guitar and sings in this artful performance t...

The first week of January has flown by, and now we are four days out from my birthday, which is crazy—every year I get surprised by how quickly my birthday comes up, after Christmas and New Year's and festivities, for some reason. Tasty snack from ALDI What I've been up to this week: Eating tasty things . The snack pictured above is one of my most favorite, from ALDI—and this is coming from someone who writes about snacks and candy as my job. It's basically a Golden Grahams-type cereal, with chewy marshmallows, chocolate, and caramel; I think the serving is like two to three clusters which is almost impossible, haha. I saw it again at ALDI last week when I was there buying applesauce and such for my husband, who was sick at the time, and I had to have it ... I asked my parents to look for it too when they went. I think it's an all-year-round product and not a limited-time one, too, which is good.  Cooking, kinda. I miss cooking HelloFresh and the meal kits but unfortuna...

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Hamilton is coming back to Detroit this year, and I'm excited to see it again—I've seen it two or three times live, I believe, plus the Disney+ version, and all were really good. Tickets go on sale on January 16. All photos by Joan Marcus About the show:  Producer Jeffrey Seller and Broadway In Detroit announced that single tickets for HAMILTON will go on sale to the public on Friday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets will be available for performances April 29 – May 17, 2026. Tickets will be available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com . There is a maximum purchase limit of 8 tickets per account for the engagement. There will be a lottery for forty $10 seats for all performances. Details will be announced closer to the engagement. Jeffrey Seller notes, “It's tempting to get tickets any way you can. There are many sites and people who are selling overpri...