May 11 (Mother’s Day): 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

Having just completed a class in Time-Based Media, I have a much better idea of how this video was constructed, but the mechanics aren’t the point. Watch how women are represented in art as we slip quickly through five centuries of artistic representation. Notice how often the woman’s eyes are downcast, and notice how shape, color and texture changes.

Art is an idealized form. Even in photography, especially with the tools available through Photoshop and similar editors, truth is often elusive. These are the ideals of the eras, or the truths viewed through the lenses of their artists, most of whom were men.

This Mother’s Day, consider how often we try to reach for the ideal and wonder whose ideal that is. We don’t live in an ideal society. We live in the real world, and our connection to that reality is manipulated all the time.

If you’ve watched this video before, watch it again and consider the filters through which you view your own life.

Happy Mother’s Day.

February 14 (Valentine’s Day): Three clips for today!

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 how connected we are to our favorite people, and how awesome some of them can be in return.

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.

December 31 (New Year’s Eve): Dan Fogelberg ~ Same Auld Lang Syne and Reverse Times Square

And so the year ends. Seems fitting to finish out 2013 with this bittersweet reminder of the past. It hardly seems possible that Dan Fogelberg has been gone six years, but he has.

And I can’t finish without one last flashmob, particularly fitting considering its setting. Dick Clark’s been gone since 2012, and I don’t watch the ball drop anymore.

2013 was the year I returned to college, the year I lost Marty, Nancy, Craig and more (up to 14 so far this year, of the people I knew). It was the year I moved back into an apartment again, giving up on the American Dream and likely my last chance at home ownership. It was the year I went to the Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival and to Pennsic for the first time.

It was the year I got back to Broadway and saw both Pippin and Lucky Guy. And my college advisor in The Producers (which I hadn’t seen on stage before).

It was the year I proved I could pull a reliable 4.0, and that I could stick to a goal. 367 posts after the start of the year, and plans for another year’s worth of posts, at least.

And it proved to me that I do have a solid grasp on both art and writing. It was the year I finally finished a book, and a short screenplay, and now (soon) a short story.

2014 holds more classes, another possible move, another possible visit to Pennsic (and more photos). It might mean losing more friends to cancer or old age, and it might mean making new friends. Last year, I made whole bunches of connections. Who knows what will come of that.

With friends distributed across three continents and all over North America, from Florida to Alaska, California to Maine, in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Japan and more, it’s been a wild year for everyone I know.

I’m celebrating my 50th New Year’s Eve this year, in a year that just hasn’t felt like a reason to celebrate.  Here’s to the end of 2013 and here’s hoping 2014 is a vast improvement.

Happy New Year, one and all! See you on the 1st!

December 30: Frank Sinatra ~ Let It Snow and from Neptune’s Daughter (1949) ~ Baby It’s Cold Outside

Two days left and a Tale of Two Franks.

Moving on just a bit, to more winter and less holiday. Just in time for “New Year’s Eve” Eve.

First up, written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne, Frank Sinatra, sings Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 

Next up, Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams sing this song from Frank Loesser, which made its screen debut in the movie Neptune’s Daughter and won Loesser an Academy Award for Best Song in 1949.

 

December 29: Jeff Dunham ~ Achmed’s “Jingle Bombs”

Welcome to the 365th post!

Totally NSFW & a little bit racist to boot, but still funny! I caught a documentary on Jeff Dunham’s work as a ventriloquist and comedian, and I know exactly what I’m posting here. Hurt myself laughing the first time I watched it.

Language is seriously unsafe for work (and questionable for a Sunday posting), but it’s darn funny.

Three days left to 2013. Far as I’m concerned, the year can’t end fast enough.

December 28: Andy Williams ~ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Still in the countdown to Epiphany, so for a few more days, you’ll have to live with these. Fortunately, December is almost over, which is great because this has been one hell of a year. Not that I think 2014 will be better, because I don’t think comparing one year to another is actually beneficial, but at least it’s a chance at something new and different.

Andy Williams was one of my childhood staples, if you’ve been paying any attention at all to the selections I’ve made over time. So, while we’re still in the season, something optimistic. We lost Andy last year, but this is the 50th anniversary of the song, so it counts as appropriate for that reason alone.

December 27: Tom Lehrer ~ Hanukkah in Santa Monica

Yes, I know. A few weeks late and this is Kwanzaa, not Hanukkah. But…somehow I managed to leave this one out of the routine for Hanukkah and…and…well, Tom Lehrer.

So, here you go. Enjoy the time travel!

December 26 (Kwanzaa/Boxing Day): Frank Kelly ~ Christmas Countdown (12 Days to Christmas)

Launching into the countdown to Epiphany with this classic take on the reality of an actual 12 days of Christmas (in gifts).

Watch and listen at your own risk. And be sure to swallow the eggnog first.

Been a long day, and I’m posting early so I can finally get an actual 8 hours of sleep. Hope you have/had a fabulous Winter Holiday of Your Choice. Enjoy your Boxing Day.

December 25 – Christmas Day: 12 Tracks in ONE post!

I’d do this in real time, except that I have plans for the new year that don’t include overlapping to Epiphany, so here they are, all 12 days in one convenient post!

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!!!

On the first day of Christmas…

On the second day of Christmas…

On the third day of Christmas…

On the fourth day of Christmas…

On the fifth day of Christmas…

On the sixth day of Christmas…

On the seventh day of Christmas…

On the eighth day of Christmas…

On the ninth day of Christmas…

On the tenth day of Christmas…

On the eleventh day of Christmas…

And on the twelfth day of Christmas…

December 24 – Christmas Eve (One Day to Go!): The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

This classic standard from Nat King Cole leads us into the holiday. No idea why I love it so, but I do. Maybe his mellow voice, maybe the sentiment.

I know it by heart.

December 23 (Two Days to Go): Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ Christmas Canon

The last of the TSO clips, and two days left.

Wishing peace to the world, especially during the rough times. And to those caught up in winter’s nasty ice, stay safe and warm.

December 22 (Three Days to Go): Bruce Springsteen ~ Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (2007) and Burl Ives ~ A Holly Jolly Christmas (MCA Records 1965)

Two Christmas classics I usually associate with Rankin and Bass’ classic animated specials. Only, you can replace Fred Astaire with The Boss on the first of these. With Clarence Clemons as Santa. (Ought to put paid to all that recent Fox News silliness of the last few weeks.) I think it’s my favorite version of this carol.

The second, written by Johnny Marks (no relation to speak of, other than that we’re both Jewish by birth) originated two years after I did. Burl Ives is a perennial favorite and this is the only voice that sounds right singing the song. The video’s a compilation of stills for the season, but if I picked a Rankin & Bass version, it’d be down again before next year. I predict this version will have better staying power.

December 21 (Four Days to Go): Defying Gravity as sung by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

And this, my friends, is how a video becomes viral.

Adjusting my original selection for today, because AWESOME.

Consider this your hint. Click the link. It’s a moral imperative.

Don’t know Wicked? Want a comparison? Check it.

December 20 (Five Days to Go): Christmas Flashmob – Teelin Style

“Did she really go there?”

Yes. Yes, I did.

Christmas Flashmob. With PSY’s Gangnam Style. And Irish Stepdancers. Because.

Published not quite one year ago and still fairly far from my definition of a viral video, but really? How can you lose with that kind of footwork?

Okay, so this pushes the envelope of what a musical advent calendar should be, but their hearts were in the right place and it’s the thought that counts, right?

Almost there…

What do you mean, “I haven’t seen the original yet?”

Really? Here. You’re welcome.

December 19 (Six Days to Go): Band Aid ~ Do they Know it’s Christmas (1984)

29 years after the original video made history, this song remains an annual anthem to care for those in need. It also represents some basic assumptions about what we can do as a society to help those less fortunate than we are.

Band Aid wasn’t without its share of controversy. And the video isn’t without copyright issues, either. Annoyingly, YouTube disabled the previous track I’d selected, and it’s likely they’ll do it again when they figure out this one’s been posted, but for every clip they pull, at least one comes up to replace it, so if you try the one I included below and it fails, just search on the name and you’re sure to find it somewhere.

And the moral of that story? No matter how viral the video, someone can still come along and pull it from view. And no matter how many times YouTube disables it, someone will come along to replace the ones that go away.

And while we’re at it, here’s the short documentary that went along with the video. I have the original release on VHS.

December 18 (Seven Days to Go): Straight No Chaser ~ 12 Days (original from 1998)

Saw these guys live last year, thanks to a gift from a friend.

Of all the songs they do, this one, right here, is my absolute favorite. Seriously. As hard as it is to remember the lyrics, this flawed rendition is completely flawless. Timing? Impeccable. Glad they’re still together and making the rounds.

At almost 17 million hits, this undeniably viral video is totally hilarious.

December 17 (Eight Days to Go): ThePianoGuys ~ Carol of the Bells (for 12 cellos)

As I look at the title of this entry, the first of the Piano Guys videos, I realize I am in complete denial. House isn’t decorated, presents starting to accumulate but nothing’s wrapped. I’ve seen How the Grinch Stole Christmas and nothing else. No Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (with the big Santa payoff at the end), no real investment of music time, not a single theatre event.

Usually I’ve watched at least the Muppet Family Christmas by now.

I recognize this behavior. It’s grief, stealing focus. And up till today, I had an extra convenient excuse – full-time classes at college on top of my 20-hour job. But today’s last final put the last nail in the coffin of Fall 2013 and there’s really no way to avoid the next week’s activities. Time to unearth the tree and the ornaments and start assembling them in the house.

Maybe it’s because Christmas falls in the middle of the week this year. I suspect it’s more about missing key people in my life, though, and the isolation of being in a one-woman office most of the time.

So, whatever it is you’re doing to prepare for the holidays (or to hide from them), feel confident that you’re not alone.

As I said earlier today: One day at a time. It’s the best you can do.

Meanwhile, the Piano Guys. A misnomer, since this is really about cello and the occasional piano. Also viral video. This one, for example, is well on the way to 9 million hits in just a teensy bit under two years. Wow. That’s how YouTube works, when it works. If you’re good at what you do and you’re creative about presenting it to the world, watch out!

December 16 (Nine Days to Go): Christmas Flash Mob by Journey of Faith at South Bay Galleria

Flashmob time again, holiday-style.

Over 5 million hits since this one was originally posted, on December 24, 2010.

If only the love that translates at the end of this piece and the reverence for life that brought these people to their knees, were the actual reality of our world and not just a one-off for the holidays.

December 15 (Ten Days to Go): Simon and Garfunkel ~ Seven O’Clock News/Silent Night

There are seven or eight versions of this song running around YouTube, but while this one has fewer hits than the most popular version, this one has the clearest message. It is political commentary at its finest, a folk song as relevant today as it was in 1966, when the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme was originally released.

I dare anyone to listen to the lyrics and not be moved.

How different in our times, when we can exchange Aurora and Sandy Hook for Richard Speck, Cory Monteith and Paul Walker and for Lenny Bruce, Abu Ghraib and Afghanistan for Vietnam and more?

When I say we still have a long way to go, this is precisely what I mean.

Silent Night, indeed.

December 14 (11 Days to Go): Tom Lehrer ~ A Christmas Carol and Dropkick Murphys ~ The Season’s Upon Us

I would be remiss if I failed to include Tom Lehrer’s classic A Christmas Carol in this lead-up to the event. Lehrer’s understated humor is timeless. Sad that he quit the biz so early, but we’re lucky he left us the albums he did.

Not sure it could even BE the season without this happy little tune.

Got one more Tom Lehrer before I leave off this year’s list, but it’s the last during Advent.

Now on the other hand, the second (not at all subtle or particularly happy, but definitely worth watching) video comes from the Dropkick Murphys and I actually debated including it because it’s a fairly angry picture of modern family life.

Then again, the holidays aren’t always happy, which I believe that’s the point of the song. You’ll relate to this clip especially if your family (like mine) isn’t straight out of the JC Penny Catalog. (Do they even print those anymore?!?)

Also? Not quite 200k versus over 2 million hits. Yeah, that’s telling.