So, lately I've been reading articles posted on the internet that have been about a variety of topics. I was doing this to get some idea of what might be acceptable writing practices if ever I wanted to try to submit something to a website. All I can say is...sheesh! Some of what I've read - no, make that MOST of what I've read has been just so much fluff with little to no researched background. For example, I just read something that was on MSN about the "10 Worst Wedding Mishaps". Now, when I saw that title I thought this was going to be actually about personal stories of things that have happened to real people. Instead, it was a made up list of only slightly embarrassing events that might happen at some time. For example, #5 was "The best man breaks down during his speech and refuses to give up the mic." Really? Is this something that is common? The entire list read as though it was made up 5 minutes before it was due to the editor.
Over on Yahoo I read about the top ten ways being frugal can hurt your health. Okay, sounded interesting. Let's see, first up...buying cheap snacks from a vending machine. The article goes on to inform me that the snacks aren't healthy and over time the cost adds up. REALLY? Who knew!!? Oh, and then it says, buying in bulk can be unhealthy too. Why? Because you buy too much of things that can be bad for you. NO WAY!! REALLY??
I'm astounded that this crap is passing as publishable articles. Even by internet standards these are shoddy, quickly written garbage.
So, I've also been watching. I have two or three TV shows I'm pretty dedicated to but what I've been watching are the amazing documentaries that are streaming on Netflix. This weekend I watched:
Young at Heart - This was a great, cheerful, heartfelt documentary about a choir director and his group of senior citizens who perform some very unlikely music. They're not singing "You are my Sunshine" here. No, they are performing James Brown, Sonic Youth, Coldplay and Radiohead. The film shows the dedication these oldsters have to their music, each other and their lives. They lose two members during the filming of this. A point not lost on the group who's average age is at least 85. And there is a version of Coldplay's "Fix You" performed that will leave you in tears. Loved this film. So very much.
The Loss of Nameless Things - Back in the early 80's there was a hot shot playwright named Oakley Hall III who was being hailed as the person who was going to revive the American theatre. At a time when Broadway was failing, he and his group of uber-talented actors were doing exciting and innovative theatre in a barn in upstate New York. They caught the attention of the New York Council for the Arts which came to see a performance of "Frankenstein" and immediately offered them a bundle of money in arts council funding. Of course, this troupe, led by the radiant genius Oakley Hall, lived together at the farm, commune style, with all the free sexuality and drugs that lifestyle had to offer. Then there was a mysterious tragedy. Oakley Hall fell off a bridge or might have been thrown off a bridge, no one know, and sustained a serious head injury which took his face, his memory, his IQ and his talent. He became a shell of his former self and was no longer able to write. He wandered on the fringe of artistic society in a vain attempt to remember what it was he used to be and do. It wasn't until many years later that he came to terms with his injury and the irreparable damage to his brain, his ego and his self esteem. He survives triumphant with a new production of his most lauded play and, even though he is never the same, he is content with who he has become. Amazing piece of work.
If you have Netflix you can stream both of these films and I highly recommend you do. I am never disappointed in a good documentary! Enjoy!
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