Month: March 2012

{A Letter to “Reality” TV}

by

March 30, 2012

3:30 pm

7 Comments on {A Letter to “Reality” TV}

Fantasy Letters I Will Never Send

Dear – no, wait. You’re not at all dear. You’re an annoyance that keeps on giving. But, I digress.

Reality TV:

How I loathe the fact that even sans television, I cannot escape you.

Thank you to everyone who forwarded the clip of Jonathan Antoine and his almost nameless female partner (she has a name, Charlotte Jaconelli, but people are choosing to ignore it, and mostly ignore her), every blog that posted it, ever news outlet which regurgitated the story over and over and over again: “OMG, big people can, like, do things! Squee!” Granted, that wasn’t the reason some of you sent it. Admittedly, it is with a warm feeling of frank admiration that people are passing this on – the image of a sweet-faced kid who would rather shrug than answer questions, whose hands shake as they grip the mic, whose hair reminds us of Weird Al’s before age and hair products thinned it from its former springy glory. When he opens his mouth, none of those things matter; he sounds like a youthful Pavarotti. Viewers are entranced, charmed, humbled, tearful.

Dear Reality TV: how is it that you are still enamored with this?

What, because the kid’s overweight, he couldn’t possibly have a good voice? Because that evil numpty, Simon Cowell expresses doubt and dismay aloud – “Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse,” – we’re meant to have silently agreed? It amazes me how you can just keep trotting this storyline over and over again. It’s manipulative and weird and troubling, and …people eat it up. I just keep thinking, “Really? Does anyone still think that just because you’re heavy, or older-middle-aged, or dressed in less-than-stylish clothing, or not perfect looking, or not mainstream conventional somehow, therefore you can’t _____ ” Sing, dance, walk and chew gum, whatever? I mean, seriously, Reality Shows?

Were I being generous, I would say that these talent shows are like the cattle calls they have for Broadway and stuff – you go, you audition, you take your chances. But I am not generous, I am blunt. The set up on this show — the build up to the kid going on stage in this disheveled rock star T-shirt – when he’s performed on Youtube in suits – the obvious sneers from the judges, the camera panning picks up anxious, doubtful, twisted faces in the crowd… to GLORY! And AMAZEMENT! And WONDER! And he’s AWESOME! The crowd finds its feet and ROARS!

Doesn’t ANYONE else feel just the tiniest bit… manipulated?

Dear Reality Show Allegedly Praising Talent, YOU ARE NOT ABOUT TALENT, YOU ARE ABOUT SPECTACLE. You are all about the freakshow, the circus, the shallow, quickly passing distraction. You value success, but only for a given value of said. “Hey, look, we found Loser A, B, and C here. You want to stare at them. You want to be mesmerized by their very freakishness. Look! Stare! Listen to Cyanide Cowell say what you hadn’t thought of saying, but now pretend you had! And then, INSERT DRAMATIC TWIST HERE: Watch How We Turn Your Opinion Around!!! It’s the familiar trope of sow’s ear into silk purse, the diamond in the coal bin, the rags-to-riches, prince-from-pauper. It’s JUST SHOCKING that someone not conventional looking COULD HAVE THE LEAST LITTLE BIT OF TALENT, WORTH, OR SUCCESS. Please, quick – let’s shout it from the heavens, and put it alllll over Teh Internets!

Same old story, the least nourishing fodder ever, and still everyone opens wide and gulps it down — a little teary, sobbing that now they have proof that dreams do come true.

Oh, puh-lease.

I realize I sound like a cynical witchling. Listen, though. I have nothing against Jon Antoine. I have nothing against people who audition for things. I have nothing against dreams. I have something major against lies and manipulation. I just hate the idea that at some point this will cease to entertain the Capitol, and you’ll drag another poorly armed District pledge into the arena and break out the cornucopia. This guy braves the freak show to get a quick celebrity boost, and then — ? And God help him if he’s at all emotionally fragile or truly shy — think about it. Where is Susan Boyle? Still recording? Now that she’s more together-looking no longer interesting to the cameras? How long does Jonathan Antoine have? The clock on his fifteen minutes of fame is tick-tick-ticking – what lengths will he go to to stay on the stage? How many other people will he mow down? How long will you keep looking?

Bread and circuses, Reality TV. Panem et circenses.

With no love for you, and a deep desire that you would just die and burn to ashes,

Me.

{this pastor is pretty awesome}

by

March 29, 2012

4:16 pm

Leave a comment on {this pastor is pretty awesome}

Musings on Extemporanea

Last of all, the experience of writing and the experience of prayer are both, to me, forms of communion, in which the self is abandoned in favor of participation in something more spacious and wiser. After years now of parish ministry, I can attest that actual people are just as strange and beautiful, and occasionally wicked and heartbreakingly generous, as anything a novelist can conjure.

A.) I want to read this book, because it sounds like it’s funny-crazy-ironic, and B.) How proud of this guy is his Mom? VERY. She’s a friend in my Logophiles Circle, and I think he is amazingly articulate and intelligent and I’d visit his church any day.

{it’s katniss with the parts they overlooked}

by

March 21, 2012

9:01 am

3 Comments on {it’s katniss with the parts they overlooked}

Essay Musings, Musings on Extemporanea

To my surprise, last week, my friend Axel dropped by for a visit. We talked about what he’s been reading, which is The Hunger Games, because his girlfriend – oh, oops, wife, now – just raced through them and cried for two days because she missed the characters. I was surprised to see A. reading THG, because he’s a twenty-eight year old male, but A. is all things intelligent and good, and I won’t dismiss his uniqueness by generalizing – but I will say the film looks good and action-y, which might have helped draw him.

Despite all of the hoopla of The Hunger Games film, I’m not looking forward to it. Not for my usual reasons, which include EGADS could we be more over=saturated with misguided pro-Capitol PR hype for it, and I don’t generally like films made of YA novels, though those are perfectly good reasons. (I’ve been trying to get over the latter, since people are working hard to bring MARE to the big screen.)

The reason I am not as thrilled with all of the big celebrities and the beautiful people (awfully good looking, well dressed and healthy looking for living in Districts, filmmakers. Oh, when will you understand true dystopia?) and the gold eyeliner – although that is singularly awesome on Cinna – is because I do not think that the filmmakers will “get” it. I mean, not like this. Laura Bogart’s way of understanding the story is a lot like the way I comprehended it, with Katniss as an unpleasant, prickly, cold, calculating, scary-vicious survivor. I’ve had to put my head into that game before, the one that says, life – my life – before all others, and “Hollowwood” (that was actually a typo at first; I let it stand) doesn’t usually play to reality like that. Already, Prim is raised up as some pure and perfect specimen, worth all sacrifices; already Katniss is deified, because she never resents her, never resents the cost of that kind of love, oh, no, because She Is Good.

No, she’s not. She’s real. She’s so angry that the Girl on Fire could burn down the world to molten rocks. But, I very much doubt the filmmakers could even see that, much less the actors, although several claim to have read the books.

Just my two cents. Link via Bondgirl. Other equally supportable opinions on the book at Adrienne’s, although I think Tammy is being unsupportably mean. I mean, c’mon. A dress. Fire. A crowded theater. What could go wrong?

{national history day project: go, C, J, and the Singapore American School!}

by

March 13, 2012

9:39 am

5 Comments on {national history day project: go, C, J, and the Singapore American School!}

General Coolness, Happenings, Musings on Extemporanea

I’ve been consulting since last October with two students from the Singapore American School on their National History Day project. First, they politely approached me with a request for an interview, then they loaded on the questions, and finally they showed me their nearly completed presentation. Here, I’ll share it with you:

National History Day is a highly regarded academic study for students 6-12th grade. It gives the half a million participants a chance to research history deeply, reading it from new angles, and with a commitment to thinking critically and digging out all the details that they can. Each year the NHD team comes up with a broad theme to help guide the focused studies. This year’s theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. I very much think my guys from Singapore American School are getting it — the history of African American women in the military is all about revolution – out of the kitchens and back rooms and into the world – reaction – some men didn’t trust it and didn’t like it, but America needed everyone – and reform – the president, at the close of the war, deciding that enough was enough with a segregated military.

They’re through the regionals, and their project is going forward to the nationals, to be reviewed by actual historians and college professors! C & J from Singapore American School, I wish you the very, very best as you learn and represent your school! Woot! Go, history!

{potpourri}

by

March 4, 2012

11:03 am

5 Comments on {potpourri}

Musings on Extemporanea

In the field next door, the curly-horned sheep are meandering about on the grass, noshing. Here we have a weekend morning for leisurely grazing, so a happy bundle of links for you:

  • PINK: it is all in your mind. No, not the singer, the color. Pink is apparently soon no longer going to exist… Rather like Pluto, which brings to mind David Elzey’s impassioned poem arguing for its return.
  • Meanwhile, mental_floss reveals seven children’s books written in response to others – I had NO idea that there was a book called The Trueax. You can read it. Also had no idea that the bedtime book listed in the end had a non-sarcastic counterpart…
  • Mo Willems has raised Gerald & Piggie’s conversations to a level of stunning depth. In, WE’RE IN A BOOK! the conversation turns to death. Because, all books end…

    • Stirling 219

  • I have been impressed with fellow writer/blogger Mitali reading through forty days of YA/children’s books for Lent this year. She’s stretching her brain in all kinds of new directions. Recently she read G. Neri’s book, YUMMY and linked to the incredibly sad and violent life of Robert “Yummy” Sandifer in the TIME magazine. He was eleven – and both lived and died by the sword. Which brought to mind…
  • Atlantic senior editor Ta-Nehisi Coates’ brilliant and focused piece of journalism on the life and death of Andrew Breitbart. This doesn’t come under the heading of children’s literature EXCEPT in that I believe strongly that there is an early reader novel in the life of Shirley Sherrod. Coates’ last sentence pounds a self-reflective nail right into my head – boom.
  • And, last one: I’m a bit flabbergasted that fellow blogger Doret (THE HAPPY NAPPY BOOKSELLER, COLOR ONLINE) has asked to interview me for the next Blog Blast Tour! I have been interviewed twice by by bestie, Jules, and SEVEN IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST, and by my darling “James” at JAMA RATTIGAN’S ALPHABET SOUP, and by numerous sixth graders, but never has anyone asked for my participation in a blog blast tour, except as interviewer. Kewl. Although, I am now suffering a teensy bit of panic, brought on by Mark Twain’s unpublished interview he did for McCall’s – which he retracted and refused to approve, because he feared he sounded better talking in his sleep. Oy.

The young miss in the photograph is a random young woman of Stirlingshire, out enjoying the above-fifty degree temperatures of early Spring, and airing out her fuzzy furry boa. She begged for her picture to be taken, so as one might say here in Scotland, “Right, then, enjoy your five minutes of fame, hen.”

{update and seasonal errata}

by

March 1, 2012

4:48 pm

5 Comments on {update and seasonal errata}

Musings on Extemporanea

Charing Cross 313

Sowing Clover

by Wendell Berry (in Selected Poems of Wendell Berry)

February 2, 1968
In the dark of the moon, in flying
snow, in the dead of winter,
war spreading, families dying, the
world in danger,

I walk the rocky hillside, sowing
clover.

No one ever seems to have to sow the crocuses, and yet, they blessedly appear. Sweet relief from the browns and the blahs and the endless gray. To seek sanity from the world, to put a little something down to grab hold of the earth and anchor us – how hopeful to plant a little something. Seeds of peace, of faith. Or, simple things, like sweetpeas and lupin or clover…

~ from Henry David Thoreau’s Faith in a Seed:

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.

I got CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from Ashley in Paris! *happy dance*

My mysterious novel was finished yesterday! *happier dance*

I WOKE UP AT 3 A.M. AND FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL WHICH HAS BEEN REJECTED NINE TIMES!!! *happiest dance*

And from a great distance, sunrise glows…

There is a suggestion of daffodils; tall green shoots chinning up from the damp compacted soil. Light, at the end of a tunnel; reward, at the end of a winter of work. If this is how we kick off, March might turn out to be a pretty decent month. It might not be landing in a particularly lamblike fashion in your neck of the woods, but it is welcome indeed to roar. There are cobwebs which need to be shaken from my head.

Glasgow Uni 367

“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” ~ Barbara Cooney reminds us in MISS RUMPHIUS. Tell your seeds like prayer beads, and go forth and grow.