Malibu celebs head to Palm Springs fes-tival. Malibu Seen, B2

Pepperdine basket-ball off to strong start. Sports, B14

Local tennis pro starts elite academy. People, B2

MHS teams prepare for league play. Sports, B14

Miss Malibu comes in second for Miss California pageant. People, B3

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The Malibu Times | January 9, 2014

‘Twenty Feet From Stardom’Documentary film on backup singers draws full house to Malibu Film Society event.

By Jimy TallalSpecial to The Malibu Times

The documentar y film “Twenty Feet From Stardom,”

which aired Saturday at the Malibu Film Society, begins with some con-troversial lyrics from Lou Reed’s 1972 hit, “Walk on the Wild Side:

“‘...and the colored girls sing do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do dooooooo...’

But rather than being racist, the lyrics were meant to recognize the increasing musical con-tributions of women of

See ‘Twenty Feet From Stardom,’ page B8

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SALEOutdOOr Living

S Av E St O r E W i d ESanta Monica2512 Santa Monica Blvd I 310.264.1046

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Director Morgan Neville and backup singer Tata Vega at the screening of “Twenty Feet From Stardom” documentary.

Jimy T

allal

See Stiffelman, page B4

Local parenting expert Susan Stiffelman to speak about raising ”joyful, resilient kids.”By Melonie MagruderSpecial to The Malibu Times

Susan Stiffelman, local Master of Family Therapy, parent-ing coach and weekly blog-

ger of all things parental on The Huffington Post, will be ruminat-ing on conflict resolution strate-gies in negotiation with teens at Bank of Books on Saturday. She will be reading from her bestsell-ing “Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm and Connected” – a parenting guidebook that has drawn interna-tional accolades.

The Malibu Times spoke with Stiffelman about the question that is as old as Methuselah, but as rel-evant as social networking: What is wrong with my kid? Susan Stiffelman will speak at Bank of Books on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The art of parentingSee Miss Malibu Teen, page B4

Most parents have experienced hair-tearing moments with their children. What’s your angle with communication?

My goal is to help parents fos-ter the kind of connection where you come alongside your kid, rather than at him. Then, parents can position themselves so they are the person their kids want to become—instead of them just fol-lowing peers.

Your book was first published in 2009. Culture moves quickly. Do you have new insights to add?

Oh, absolutely. One thing is that my book has been sold in countries where their cultures are so different, like China. Dragon Moms have read my book! I’ve spoken in Africa, Paris and Tel Aviv. I engage with parents now through Facebook and online classes. It’s only helped me to develop my ideas more fully.

Do certain problems with chil-

From the runway to the boardroomMiss Malibu Teen comes close to California state crown, credits pageants for personal growth. By Melonie MagruderSpecial to The Malibu Times

Unlike Honey Boo Boo, the star of TLC’s reality television hit, Miss Teen Malibu Toneata Martocchio Morgan did not

grow up with dreams of tiaras and proper runway protocol. Her pageant career came from another type of inspiration.

“When I was 15, my mom started looking at college scholarships,” Morgan said. “There are some amazing prize packages with pageants, but I had never done anything like that before.”

A couple years later, the local teenager’s hard work is paying off.

On her third attempt at the crown for Miss Teen California USA, Morgan was honored as third runner-up at the competition, held Saturday in Manhattan Beach.

The 17-year-old flirted with the top honor the past three years—she was second runner-up in 2012 and in the Top 10 in 2013.

“Just to be in the top five is an incredible honor,” Morgan said. “I’m happy with what we accomplished.”

Toneata (pronounced Toneeta) likened her plunge into the pageant world as a sink or swim moment. Before her first crack at Miss Teen California, she had no idea what to expect. She studied YouTube videos to learn how to walk correctly. She looked up questions asked of contestants in onstage interviews from past contests, and boned up on current events. And she worked out at the gym every day to ensure a fetching swimsuit presentation.

In all the preparation, Morgan learned a lot about herself.

“It’s crazy to think how far I’ve come with public speaking and how to present myself pro-fessionally,” Morgan said. “Whatever happens with my pageant career, I’m going to be bet-ter at whatever I do in the future, just because I trained for these competitions.”

Though she had no experience with pag-eants herself, Morgan’s mother, Toni Morgan, a construction defect attorney, has supported her daughter’s attempts for crowns and the accompanying scholarships. Toneata’s father, Joe Morgan, a Purple Heart-decorated Korean War

LVGlamDuoRaised by a single mother after her father passed away, Miss Malibu Teen Toneata Morgan, 17, says she has learned dedication and perseverance through competing in beauty competitions.

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