It’s Feel Good Friday, and just like that, I’m back.
Really, though, this is an attempt at feeling better, knowing that there’s a whole lot of awful stuff going around today, especially in my personal Facebook feed.
It’s hard to think of a reason to smile, which is why these posts exist. Thanks for sticking around – classes are just about over for me and I’ll probably include a couple of my own pieces in the coming weeks, when I think about it.
Ephemeral as it is, YouTube has a wealth of information. This video’s making the rounds, but there’s only one original and it belongs to Margaret Hutto. (Hint: It’s the link below.) Accept no substitutions.
Yesterday’s parodies of Bohemian Rhapsody have inspired me to post the reason why I think Frozen will take at least one Oscar come Sunday. Let’s face it – there are few songs from movies that achieve such lofty status in such a short period of time. The Disney movie hit screens on November 27, 2013. Since then, there have been (as of this writing) some 213,000 parodies of the song Let It Go, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, performed by Idina Menzel. If that’s not a guarantee of success for Original Song, I don’t know what is.
I already mentioned Let It Go once, but once clearly wasn’t enough. I guess I can’t let it go. And, as I said yesterday, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Here are three parodies for your Feel Good Friday pleasure:
First, there’s the tip of the hat to Batman’s Mr. Freeze. (Vocals not ideal, but then I don’t think of “Ahnold” as a particularly musical actor.)
Then there’s the literal version, which ought to get a lot more exposure than it has, because it is, in fact, awesome. High notes and all.
And finally, Cincinnati WKRC Traffic Man Bob Herzog’s exquisitely performed Traffic Man parody, which leads to the inevitable “I wish winter would end” feeling I’ve got, knowing there’s yet another winter storm on the way.
Yes, yes. Winter Olympics. I know. And I’m pretty sure I could have found something for the winter version, but this hit my feed a month ago and I don’t want to wait any longer.
Remember, with things posted on Friday in particular, if you don’t swallow, you can’t blame me for failing to warn you.
Clowns come in all forms. They’re highly skilled artists. Don’t try this at home. Unless, you know, you’re a clown. And you know what you’re doing.
Here are three clips that show what love looks like, though they’re not what you might think that at first. Oh, sure, there’s chocolates and hearts and stuff, but when the chocolates are gone and the cards disappear, it’s the thought that really counts.
First, a tip of the hat to the Seattle Seahawks for what sounded like a well-deserved rout, comes this fan-tastic clip that shows super fan Sophie Ayers receiving a gift from her favorite running back Thomas Rawls and how connected we are to our favorite people, and how awesome some of them can be in return. [The whole meeting was up on YouTube but is now gone. –BMD]
Second, a clip that shows our hearts can connect across species just as easily, as long as we remember that respect is a gift we can share with everyone, whether on two legs or four.
Finally, yes, there was a Coke commercial in the news. This isn’t it. Not because it’s not appropriate, but because I already featured it elsewhere. This one is more about the levels and depth of love. Yeah, it’s a commercial. That’s not the point.
On February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show, and the world changed.
This “shaky cam” video of the three appearances by the Fab Four over three consecutive Sundays that year shines some light on the craze that became Beatlemania. Fifty years later, radio stations still have all Beatles highlights. That’s the timelessness of their music and the devotion of their fan base, in action.
The Beatles paved the way for The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and other members of the British Invasion over the years that followed.
But how did the shows happen in the first place? Here’s Walter Cronkite to explain.
Did you know Dungeons & Dragons turned 40 this year? Do you know how I know it? Because back when the world was new, before the dark ships came, I played AD&D. (That’s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, for the uninitiated.)
That’s not how I heard about The Gazebo, though. I heard the story when I started playing an RPG (that’s Role Play Game) several years ago. The Dread Gazebo came up in conversation and folks retold the story as if sharing a modern Mystery Play.
But until a friend posted a link to this audio (yes, sometimes YouTube is audio-only, but it’s SOOOO worth the listen), I had no idea anyone had dramatized the story. So now I’m sharing. And this is your spit-take warning because it’s possibly the silliest story you’ll hear all day, if not all week.
So why did I know about this? Because Geek and Gamer Girls are EVERYWHERE!
If you’re paying attention to the news, you know the northeast is in a cold snap the likes of which we haven’t seen in 20 years. Don’t go all “Global Warming, huh?” on me, because I’ll quote you all sorts of reasons why climate change is real. And that’s not the point of this post.
No, you’re getting Let It Go for Feel Good Friday this week, because it’s stuck firmly in my head, thanks to the supreme talents of Idina Menzel and song writing team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Tony Award®-winner Robert Lopez.
Seriously. 52 million views since Disney published the clip on December 6, 2013!
But why three? Well, I could have chosen more – folks are posting their own renditions of the song, mash-ups with Wicked (Defying Gravity chief among them), and more. It appears this one struck a chord in ways I haven’t seen since Beauty and the Beast hit the screens in 1991.
So, here’s the original:
And then the same clip, in 25 languages (perfectly timed):
And finally, in the best Disney parody I’ve heard in a while, [NOT safe for work or younger kids but oh, so funny], a tip of the hat to all of us who wish with all our hearts we *could* hit those high notes the way Ms. Menzel does:
In 1992, the film Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase won five awards for Best Animated Film, including the 1993 Oscar. The piece, animated using the blended clay technique, features highlights from the works of 35 artists, including Munch, Kahlo, Dali, Warhol, Picasso, Magritte and more.
I feel I should add a trigger warning – literal – as the Roy Lichtenstein includes a gun and I know several people on my flist are likely to need the heads up.
Art is on my mind tonight, as are the Academy Awards. It’s interesting how we define works as award-worthy, and how few of us actually receive the recognition we deserve, simply because of exposure. Sometimes it’s about luck. Sometimes it’s about quality. Occasionally, the two merge together and those who create the art get the recognition they deserve. It happens, all too infrequently.
The DAS Film Festival (which published the video) says this about its purpose:
Each month we’ll be webcasting a short film from 2-20 minutes long that relates in some way to Design, Architecture or Sustainability. And I have a feeling we’ll find common ground with art and science as well. In fact, I hope, over time, the films taken together will offer a kind of serendipity that is not always present in the on-line world. The design blog will have a similar spirit of curiosity.
Their goals aren’t that far away from mine. I just prefer a broader canvas on which to paint my portrait of the world.
Yeah, it’s Feel Good Friday, but I’m getting serious, considering the weather we just suffered this week. And yes, you should feel good at the end of the video.
I first saw this hit my Facebook feed on my birthday last year, and it hit me hard when I took the time to watch. So let me tell my own story:
Back when I still had a full-time job, one of my tasks was to provide opportunities for the homeless to see a show. One day, I encountered a woman who wanted to see the show but managed to miss it because she didn’t understand the calendar very well. The shelter was located right in the same building where we were temporarily housed, and I was on my way to work on the show.
I brought the woman with me, and comped her in. Sure, she sat with the other folks who paid for their tickets, but we weren’t sold out and I thought the meaning of the show was important enough to share with her, even though she was unable to cover the cost of the ticket. And when the show was over, I took her back to her shelter, so she could be indoors for the night (it being December and all).
It wasn’t much. I couldn’t provide her with a permanent fix for her situation, but it was something.
We have so very many people, poorest of the poor, in this country. Most of us avoid looking at their faces or wondering about their stories. Perhaps if we spent a little more time understanding how they got where they were and a little less judging their choices, we’d be better off as a whole in the US.
I know it seems overwhelming to try and help everyone but there are success stories out there. The expression on Jim’s face when he sees himself in the mirror at the end of the process says so much more than words ever could about where he’s been and what his life could be.
If you can’t convince yourself to hand over a dollar for someone who needs help, look for places like Dégagé Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI, that give back to those who need it most.
Watch the video. There but for the grace of…whatever you look to for support. If you have family, if you have the proper meds, if you’re in a financial position that makes it possible for you to afford to be generous, be thankful. There are a lot of folks who aren’t or can’t. Many of them are too ill to save themselves.