Hot Seat: Media Monday Black Balloon Day, Kindful Art, and Oscar Wrap up 3-2-25
This episode of Hot Seat: Media Monday features entertainment correspondent Nabil Khan, who analyzes and wraps up the 97th annual Academy Awards. Katie Rodriguez from the Center for Family Life and Recovery discusses Black Balloon Day. Allison Ryan from Kindful Art talks about how she has turned her love for flowers and art into a successful business.
Anora swept the Oscars Sunday night with four wins, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director. Nabil Khan discussed the movie’s success as a validation for authentic storytelling and immersive research in portraying marginalized communities. Also discussed was the impact award recognition will have on performers Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson, who had been considered “popcorn actresses” until their critical successes in The Substance and The Last Showgirl. Nabil Khan is online at Letterboxd.com/1andonlynabk/and Instagram.com/instanab.k/.
Next, Katie Rodriguez talked about the work the Center for Family Life and Recovery does to help people struggling with addiction, mental health, and behavioral issues. In Oneida County in 2024, there were 267 nonfatal and 58 fatal overdoses, with a 17% decrease in fatal overdoses from 2023, highlighted by 17 purple balloons at the Center for Family Life and Recovery’s event, Black Balloon Day, which will be held this Thursday, March 6th at the Rome Life Center.
The Center for Family Life and Recovery offers comprehensive support, including one-on-one coaching, Narcan training, walk-in support, and the Erin’s Light initiative for individuals at various stages of recovery. Rodriguez describes recovery as harder than addiction, requiring deep healing, but offering the opportunity to be one’s true self and save lives. They’ll be hosting a reception for “Black Balloon Day” this Thursday (March 6th) at 5 pm at the Rome Life Center. The Center for Family Life and Recovery is online at Center for Family Life and Recovery, Facebook.com/WhenTheresHelpTheresHope/, CFLR, Inc (@centerforfamilylifeandrecovery) • Instagram photos and videos, and Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. – YouTube.
Then, Allison Ryan talked about how she has succeeded in creating a “fusion between flowers and art” and building it into a business called Kindful Art, which is “a hobby that’s grown into a passion.” She describes Kindful Art as blending kindness and mindfulness, combining creativity and intention to help people present their best selves daily. Her process involves charcoal sketching, flower drying techniques (traditional and microwave), and meticulous assembly using X-Acto knives and low pH glues like Mod Podge. Resin work preserves bridal bouquets and funeral flowers in 3D forms or flat pieces, using silica gel beads to maintain shape while removing moisture. Hydrangeas are recommended as the easiest flowers for beginners in kindful art due to their leaf-like flowers that dry well and are simple to grow. Ryan explained how meaningful flowers can be to a person’s life and how preserving them or using them to create art makes the memory last.
Kindful Art is online at kindful art, Facebook.com, and Kindful Art (@kindful_art) • Instagram photos and videos.
Photo Gallery by Jim Hale
Nabil Khan is the entertainment correspondent for Hot Seat: Media Monday. Nabil is online at Letterboxd.com/1andonlynabk/and Instagram.com/instanab.k/.
Jonathan Brooks/ DJ J-Easy is online at Facebook.com/easyatm315, Instagram.com/j_easy315/, and https://on.soundcloud.com/XGKd3e4AZeNtrD2X9
Ron Klopfanstein is an award-winning multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for the Utica Phoenix digital platform and 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He hosts Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Bsky.app/profile/ronklopfanstein.bsky.social, Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein. NOW on Spotify
