It's a Tale of Two Oscars Thing

Dear America,

Once Upon a Time at the Oscars

this morning, how about we "hold the powerful accountable," right, Mark Ruffalo?  ...just an actor who happened to have portrayed somebody of principle -- and a journalist, of all things, but not so much the main thing on the day...

So let's not dither while second guessing either the lighting, the staging, the approach, or the tone.

The thing is, Hollywood is good at story telling. It's what they do.

And second, Hollywood is pretty powerful, with pretty people to boot.  Oh my, to the heights of influence, of persuasion, of indoctrination, of power we go.  It's Oscar worthy, the level of polish, of sanctimony, of corruption against pure unadulterated substance.

Indeed.

Hollywood is good at story telling --- just not always the whole story (with some exceptions, of course).

Oh look, here's an exception now:  A Girl in the River....Every year, more than 1,000 girls and women are the victims of religiously motivated honor killings in Pakistan, especially in rural areas. Eighteen-year-old Saba, who fell in love and eloped, was targeted by her father and uncle but survived to tell her story.

It's a US/Pakistan collaboration, with HBO carrying the water, so to speak.   When Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was accepting her Oscar last night, she made note that the Pakistani government was in the midst of writing into law new protections against such honor killings, and to that end, we must honor the means and applaud such courageous activism through film. (Honorable Mention goes to Tina Brown, too)

It's a mad mad mad mad mad mad Mad Max World.

But let's get back to Spotlight guy, Mark Ruffalo...

The point was made, more than once, that on behalf of the greater good, staunch global investigative journalism is not dead, and deserves accolades for continuing to bring justice to the disenfranchised of all sorts.  SO how about we do that right now.

First take: this thing called sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, perpetrated by priests worldwide, and the entire story back behind SPOTLIGHT...  Here's another part of the story, not mentioned:

Here are some statistics that should be familiar to us all, but aren't, either because they're too mind-boggling to be absorbed easily, or because they're not publicized enough. One in three-to-four girls, and one in five-to-seven boys are sexually abused before they turn 18, an overwhelming incidence of which happens within the family. These statistics are well known among industry professionals, who are often quick to add, "and this is a notoriously underreported crime."

This is a piece of America Has an Incest Problem, from the Atlantic, two years ago.  Stunning is the reality that nearly 30% of our entire population is affected by incest. The Atlantic goes on to include how this translates into well-documented consequences.  (Please, don't be afraid -- read the entire post, and click the links.)  

Sure, Spotlight did cast a laser beam on the horrific occurrences of abuse within what is considered the definition of sacred space -- church; and what about the intergalactic, celestial harmony of family?  What could be more sacred than creating a safe space at home?   What about this generation of abused children giving birth to another generation of abused children in some way, shape, or form? We suddenly realize we are no longer under a spotlight at all.  In reality, it exposes a blind-spot.

How can the United States possibly realize its full potential when close to a third of the population has experienced psychic and/or physical trauma during the years they're developing neurologically and emotionally—forming their very identity, beliefs, and social patterns? Incest is a national nightmare, yet it doesn't have people outraged, horrified, and mobilized as they were following Katrina, Columbine, or 9/11.

Indeed.

shhhhshhhhshhhhshhhh

hush pretty baby

Second take; moving on to the first time Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, taking Best Actor for The Revenant, and his acceptance speech....

"Climate Change is Real...It is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world... who speak for all of humanity...[blah blah blah] politics of greed."

Let's take the Ryan Gosling stance against Russell Crowe, shall we?  Let's agree to disagree.

Yes, it is happening right now; it's been happening since the beginning of time, you dim wit.

BUT, if you want to go there, let's discuss the reality of carbon footprints, in the general,  and the movie industry, in the particular.  Here's where we begin the story, at a place called Capitalism Magazine:

But first, it should be pointed out that movies and the entertainment industry in general are a recent phenomena. They are a by-product of the enormous wealth created by capitalism. Specifically, movies are an American creation. Not only is the technology and ingenuity of movie making distinctly American, but the concept of the “Hollywood ending” could only have been created in a benevolent and optimistic culture which in turn depends on the prosperity, wealth, and freedom of a capitalist culture. Twentieth century socialism gave the world Mao, Hitler, and Stalin. Capitalism and Hollywood gave the world Fred Astaire, Lucy and Mickey Mouse.Could anyone even one hundred years ago imagine that we would have a society with so much wealth that it could afford an entire “entertainment” industry? Would they have imagined that actors and musicians considered by most at that time to be rogues (I guess not much has changed) could make enormous fortunes plying their seemingly insignificant trades? You would think that those who make their living in the entertainment industry today would have the most profound gratitude for capitalism, technology, industrial civilization and those who make that civilization possible: the scientists and businessmen. Wouldn’t they understand that their profession could only exist in the most advanced, most sophisticated and wealthiest of societies? 

isn't this fascinating!

It goes on, saying..."Imagine how much energy is used in the making of a film?"

And you know what, how about we edit ourselves right here and now.  This girl isn't going to copy any more for you; read about Hollywood's Carbon Footprint, here, and everywhere [See also Emission Impossible], and make up your own mind....no doubt your conclusions will be similar to mine, for you people who read G are not just a pretty face, now are you....

The hypocrisy runs rich in Hollywood. Watching the Oscars was like watching a walking, prancing, singing and dancing, dolled up forum of award winning contradictions.

It's On US.org 

to know the truth.

EVERY truth

and 

the whole truth

[love Gaga..Till It Happens to You]

Lady Gaga's performance was the highlight of the entire night.  No doubt.

And yet, all of a sudden the truth about incest in America creeps into my head, making me wonder when will we discuss sexual abuse in all places -- church, no problem, let's talk about it -- college, no problem, let's sing a song about it...and what about home?

It just leads me to believe, Hollywood only loves you as long as you sit, stand, applause for THEIR agenda, THEIR ideology, THEIR side of the story, THEIR propaganda. and so on and so on, much the same way as liberalism, in general, performs.

Third take: this, from Caitlyn Jenner, a republican -- who says SHE gets more flack from being conservative than being transgender.

And now for an explanation, go here, @The Daily Signal, for Kim Holmes take, The Rise of Intolerant Liberals.

Here's a good part --

Finally, liberalism has become hostile to open inquiry. Liberal intellectuals used to love open-ended debates because they thought they could win people over with their intelligence and wit. No more. Today’s liberal intellectuals are much more interested in stifling debates than having them. After all, who needs debates when all the big questions have been answered by their ideology? 

Indeed.
and also, along these lines...here's a shocker.  PLEASE Read THIS WHOLE POST and THIS, both from The Patriot Post.  [These are two must reads as we run up against Super Tuesday.]

And now, in my final bow...

Fourth take:  to this thing called racism in Hollywood.

The truth is, people of color are represented in close proportion to the 12.6% of the entire population in America; and not only that, once people of color are nominated -- a higher percentage, a whole 15%, goes on to win...go here for How Racially Skewed are the Oscars?

But really, given the data -- Hispanics and Asians prove to be the real demographics sight unseen. Where's the spotlight on that?

One of my favorite parts of the night was when Chris Rock was opining upon why the Oscars even split the categories of men and women...he's like...what?  why do we do that, it's acting...it's not like track and field...and then runs with it...leaving what we thought was pure logic in a heap of dust with a laugh on top.  He's got a point, does he not?  Where are the feminists in Hollywood kicking and screaming for total equality? Equal pay, equal chances of award, the whole shebang.

Oh this thing called perspective, story, the big picture.  It's highly entertaining, to say the least.

Sometimes it's all a masquerade -- as in last night's production, as in SOME of the truth IS well hidden.

And sometimes, sometimes this masquerade lights a fire under us to effect change, and speak up for the disenfranchised...

like me...

...just a girl who is, often times, the target, the minority in the Hollywood audience, who has to sit and watch such a spectacle of sanctimonious dribble when properly placed in direct view with the whole truth, with reality.

And on that note, one more day is in the can.  boom.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Day After to Celebrate Fantine Thing

Dear America,

and the Oscar goes to....

President Obama.

...for a stunning performance once again -- and expecting nothing less always and forever -- building up Sequester Hysteria; as this link steers you to a powerfully convincing argument bringing this disastrous drama to life.   Kudos to Arnold Ahlert for this:

"Such threats are completely unsurprising. Behind the facade of hope and change this administration and its media cheerleaders promote lives the extortionist "never let a crisis go to waste" mentality that truly animates those for whom such thuggish, "Chicago-style" tactics are considered business as usual. After four years and two victorious elections, Barack Obama remains, at heart, not a president, but a community organizer completely comfortable with the politics of demonization, division and fear.

Again, as Americans contemplate the "devastation" that will supposedly befall us, the Wall Street Journal reminds us that perspective is everything. 'Fear not,' they write. 'As always in Washington when there is talk of cutting spending, most of the hysteria is baseless....In Mr. Obama's first two years, while private businesses and households were spending less and deleveraging, federal domestic discretionary spending soared by 84% with some agencies doubling and tripling their budgets' (italic mine).

One last thing. More Americans need to become familiar with the concept of baseline budgeting. In simple terms, if an agency's budget is $100, and they are expecting an increase of $10.00 next year, but they only get $8.00, politicians characterize that as a $2.00 cut in spending. Concerning the entire $1.2 trillion in "cuts" engendered by the sequester, it must be understood that they are not really cuts at all. They are really a lowering of the projected increase in federal spending going forward. The CBO cuts through the fog. 'For the 2014-2023 period, deficits in CBO's baseline projections total $7.0 trillion. With such deficits, federal debt would remain above 73 percent of GDP -- far higher than the 39 percent average seen over the past four decades,' it reports."

Read Ahlert's entire piece, if you will; it's really good.

Isn't it interesting in the Oscar commentary, we always get the guys and dolls who make some kind of humanitarian statement against violence in one form or another.  I can't really recall who it was this time (forgotten on purpose, I'm sure), but it was a line that extended his one true wish, that 'our battles' would one day be resolved through more peaceful means...says the honorary spokesman of the hour for the industry making entertainment out of it.

Sure, we get it Hollywood.

However, Mr. I-don't-remember-your-name, do you not see the hypocrisy? Hollywood makes billions off of violence.

Either literally, with the cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, and the bevy of films on every battle from here to eternity and kingdom come --  to the more 'subtle' messages  (if we can even call them that) depicting 120 minutes of non-stop violence against women, children, traditional family, family values,  even religion. 

Considering the Oscar's were dedicated to musicals this time around, let's find some perspective, long gone is the era of Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby and Judy Garland and Julie Andrews.

Hollywood makes bank off of unimaginable brutality and sordid story, brought expressly to the silver screen, in every possible context and rendition.

While even little miss princess diary had to chime in,  as Anne Hathaway had to take two seconds at the end of her acceptance speech to say something like, ooh maybe one day,  "Here's hoping that in the not-to-distant future the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories."  ooh, but wait...[long melodramatic pause]without the story of Fantine, I would still be a lady-in-waiting off the spoils of a princess meets Prada...Who's really using Fantine now, huh, Anne?  hmmm me thinks thou protest in jest, oui?

AND SERIOUSLY?

Michelle Obama?

I would bet my life everybody was thinking Lincoln would take home best picture; there is just no other way to think about that strange programming interruption.  She's like, "ARGO." yay.

But speaking of which, just love love love how Daniel Day-Lewis accepted his Oscar; a Brit playing one of the most admired and respected presidents ever in American history and being just as much in awe of the man as any American... Something kinda funny about that, but maybe it's just me.

Let me also do a shout out to Ang Lee, getting the Oscar for directing Life of Pi.  How adorable is he?   Very happy it wasn't just automatically handed over to the icon in the room (Spielberg).

I am honestly surprised I made it all the way through the night.  The first fifteen minutes were awkward, weird, stupid and sophomoric...little old g was so close to turning it all off.  But like a frequently heard community service announcement in between sit-coms, "it gets better" -- it got better.  Happy to say I made it through the spectacle -- the brutal attack upon human intelligence that it was -- if only to have the opportunity to talk about it this morning, right?  Without last night's extravagances of ego, Hollywood wealth, and designer gowns and baubles...just what slant, narrative, opinion, would this day's diary, soon to be a documentary, hold?   [just kidding, people.  relax.  I recognize the small fish that I am.   And I am what I am.  No docu-drama is forthcoming.]

It's just a day like any other; G is just taking cues from the president.

But be sure to read the post from The Patriot Post, by Arnold Ahlert, Sequester Hysteria, and linked just for you, above.  That pretty much says it all.  Too bad there isn't an award for it.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

so this morning, I've been dragging my feet at getting at it; yesterday, something threw this little mama for a loop.


and even though there may be plenty of reasons for this to occur on its own, on a minute by minute basis, from the political front lines and beyond...this was personal...and hardly something I could just compartmentalize and put away, to deal with on another day.


so this morning, picture getting a phone call from the principle letting you know your baby girl has had a "seizure."       and then going on to define it...exhibiting convulsions, rolling her eyes back, and then blacking out entirely...

...what?

...I'm sorry, what?

so yesterday, that's how this girl interrupted met the middle of her day -- hightailing it to the nurse's office, not knowing how the rest of the day would unfold, and hardly concerned about the rest of my life; for in that moment, life stops.

She is okay -- otherwise, how in the world could I be tapping my life away right now, right?

so this morning, switching gears a wee bit -- in consideration of where we left off just yesterday, perhaps we should begin the conversation of the things we value, and the things we don't, beginning with our children; and in particular, take a moment to bring attention to a class of boys and girls in a class of their own.

Talk about this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...what a beautiful story that comes to us via the Oscar's, via YouTube, via the Stanton Island Public School system...PS 22.

and just in case you live under a rock, picture this...

...picture being a kid who attends just a regular public school in Stanton Island, NY who lives life from the motto, "don't think it, FEEL it!"  then, picture a room full of shining happy faces swaying to the music, humming from the inside out, singing to their own beat, and loving every minute of it -- alongside a teacher, simply known around school as Mr. B,  who stands at the piano, waves his arms between  notes, and wears a smile so wide, even your own heart skips to the beat.

...then picture, having so much fun with it, you upload a few videos on YouTube...you know,  just for kicks and giggles -- and low and behold....as time goes by...and millions and gazillions of hits later, you wake up to meet up with a brand new day...

...then picture this day, joining with some of your very best friends, along with Mr. B, and going on the Best Field Trip ever!  With the help of United Airlines, the Academy Awards, Renaissance Hotels, sprinkled with a whole lot of pixie dust from Oprah -- and oh yeah, with Disneyland thrown in just because the kids are too cool for school  -- you win a trip to California  -- to sing at the Oscars...Somewhere Over the Rainbow, no less --  in front of millions in the televised audience -- in front of thousands of Hollywood Elite at the Kodak Theater --  and then waking up the day after only to get to sing FIREWORK on stage for a private Oprah showing...and only to have that moment interrupted -- by Katy Perry herself! --  live, and in person, now with you and now singing with you on stage!

Is that not the best thing you ever heard... ever?  Or at the very least, all things considered, the best thing over the course of the last few days?  OH MY GOODNESS  oh my goodness  oh        my       goodness.

Only in America.

And so sweet the exchange between Katy and Oprah immediately following the song:  Katy -- who flew overnight just to be there for the day, this moment, this five minutes in time -- said to Oprah, "I had to be here...because you called!"  It is good to be Oprah,  isn't it?  Now G has long loved the O; and now, Katy, is quickly working her way into my heart as we speak -- but can you just imagine the impression these two girls have left upon the hearts and minds on the chorus of PS22? 

...and just when you thought the day was done...picture now the customary gift bag; to top off already too many good things to count, every member of the chorus got to take home a Samsung Galaxy, courtesy of Sprint; and can we just take a moment to take note of how many corporate sponsors made this thing happen?  Unlike my ordinary gift to gab and get a little long winded, I choose not to expand on that idea for today... just not up to it, you know... but let me just finish the thought with a cheer, if I may:

RUN corporate america RUN!

so this morning, our children are special, aren't they?

How I truly wish this kind of  experience, for PS22, could be had for all of our children -- wouldn't that be a wonderful, wonderful world?

But this I do know, and spinning this from something Katy told the kids -- everything "starts with a spark"  the rest is "up to you", to turn it into something bigger; now, I'm willing to bet, giving a lesson resting on the laurels of self-reliance was more than likely far from Katy's immediate thought process -- but in that moment, she connected a rich tool for life all of us can take away from in equal portion.

And I feel quite certain, Mr. B, believing his heart to be in the right place, didn't set out to light a spark under his choral class expecting all these things to happen in return -- he just gave to them his very best, everyday -- he just allowed them to express themselves, fully, in every way --

and then, one morning, he simply rewarded all their efforts with an introduction...an opportunity to shine in front of the whole wide world...then they talked to friends, and then they talked to friends...and so on...and so on...

...and soon enough, PS22 became a household name, personifying, once again, another true blue American success story, reaching new heights through the likes of google, youtube and the world wide web -- pullin' a Beiber, and becoming an overnight sensation...and making it all look so easy.  How I would love it if someone followed this class all the way into adulthood...

The thing is, this morning, even though there are no guarantees what the day may bring, our children need a whole lot of good things going in in order to have a whole lot of good things come back out. This I know -- and cherish --  today, and always.

Make it a Good Day, G

so this morning,  is dedicated to PS22, to Mr. B., and to my baby girl (oh yeah, and Oprah, too)