If you’re like us, then you have a soft spot for Disney’s 1991 masterpiece Beauty and the Beast and are just a teeny tiny bit excited (read: jumping out of our seats ready) to see the live-action reboot. It’s romantic, beautiful, and enchanting (and quite literally enchanted). Here are six reasons why we can’t wait to be their guest.
1. Emma Watson can really sing. We knew she could act (Hermione 4ever), we knew she could think (hey there, Brown graduate), but did you know that Emma Watson can sing (like really sing)? At first, we were a wee bit concerned about the casting choice when Emma first announced it on Twitter saying, “My six-year-old self is on the ceiling — heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons.” But thanks to her natural talent and the training, she was totally prepared to belt out all those songs we know and love.
2. You’ll forget it’s an all-star cast. There are some major A-listers in this flick, but they’re so disguised in both their voice style and their objects-based bods that it’s hard to tell or even remember that you’re hearing the voices of Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci, and more. Make sure to stay for the credits, and you’ll be reminded of who played who.
3. It’s totally old-school beauty. If you loved the original, then you’ll be soooo into this new version. Director Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters) took elements of the beloved classic and gave it a new voice: Belle’s even brainier, the castle is grander, the town is smaller, and ohhhh, last but not least, the whole thing is in awesomely epic live-action.
4. There’s new music. Those total earworm-worthy tunes by music master Alan Menkin are back (“Belle,” “Gaston,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Something There,” among others), with a few modern tweaks. In this new version, we are gifted with three new tunes by Menkin with the help of The Lion King composer Tim Rice. Plus, there’s an additional version of “Beauty and the Beast” by uber-stars Ariana Grande and John Legend. The new songs might seem, at first, a bit out of context if you know the classic songs by heart, but thankfully, they totally work.
5. There’s a diverse cast. There’s been much ado and pearl grasping about LeFou being gay. But really, if you’ve seen the original, then you already know he had a great big thing for Gaston. There’s nothing new there. What is new is the racially diverse supporting cast, including the ever talented Audra McDonald and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which makes the film even more beautiful.
6. Two hours and nine minutes goes fast. The original animated version clocks in at 83 minutes, whereas this reimagined version takes 129 minutes for the tale to be told. And you know what? We’re not mad. Those two hours plus a few goes fast, really fast. We could have stayed in that enchanted and wonderful world for hours more.
From 1 to 10, how excited are you about the new Beauty and the Beast? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
(Photos via Walt Disney Studios)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures