The 70's: A Musical Era With A Whole Lotta Give

Elton John

The Rolling Stones

The 70's had a lot of music styles to offer from glam rock to funk to disco. It was an era where the flamboyance of Elton John and David Bowie could coincide with rock groups like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. There were various different trends going on at the same time that had great success and the charts prove it. It didn't matter which genera you were into, there was always something out there. And a bonus was that this was a time when groups and single acts would churn out several albums, so you always had something new to listen to from your favorite musicians. I did some searching online and found that our first listed musician had nearly twenty albums during this decade as did David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. If you wanted to listen to something a little more mellow, you could always listen to Bob Dylan or John Lennon.Some of the top 100 artists of all time are on the top twenty of who ruled the charts. The list goes with their popularity of the era on the left and the ranking of top musical artist on the right...

1. Elton John #49
2. The Rolling Stones#4
3. Pink Floyd #51
4. Led Zeppelin #14
5. David Bowie #39
6. Bob Dylan #2
7. The Beatles #1
8. Elvis Presley #3
9. Neil Young #34
10. John Lennon #38 

Each one of these artists had a top song in this era and they go...

Money Pink Floyd

1. Crocodile Rock Elton John (1973)
2. Angie The Rolling Stones (1973)
3. Money Pink Floyd (1973)
4. Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin (1970)
5. Fame David Bowie (1975)
6. Knockin' On Heaven's Door Bob Dylan (1973)
7. Let It Be The Beatles (1970)
8. Way Down Elvis Presley (1977)
9. Heart of Gold Neil Young (1972)
10. Imagine John Lennon (1971)

Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin

What is great about the music of this era is not only the musical variety, but content variety. Some songs, when you listen to the lyrics, you can tell were written purely for fun. Others have a deeper meaning. Crocodile Rock is one of the fun ones. It still tells a bit of a story without being too heavy and is fun to sing to while going on a road trip.

Crocodile Rock Elton John

On the polar opposite end of the spectrum is John Lennon's Imagine. It is a song that highlights the inequalities and flaws in modern society and how, by simply being selfless and kind to each other, much better the world would be. It has purely poetic yet simple lyrics that really touch the tenderness in us all.

Imagine John Lennon

Over all, it was a great time to be listening to music. The 70's was a time of varying styles, sounds, lyrics, and there was a lot to chose from. Now to end my night with some old CD's. 

I do not own any of the pictures or videos. My research is from here and here.

Prince: The Person And The Artist

In memory of Prince.
1958-2016

We are in a typical working-mom SUV driving toward Middle School and that's when we are introduced. The oldies station puts on Kiss. My mom with wide eyes and excitement poring out of all of her: "Oh My GOD! Yes! Turn it up!" The rest of the ride is spent with the windows down, her singing at the top of her voice, and me taking in the lyrics, the music, and my mother's transformation from a 40 something single mom with bills and daughters to care for to a 20-year-old full of life and hope. That is how I was introduced to Prince. After I got home from school that day, I look up some of his other songs to see if they are just as good as the one I heard on the radio. They are and some are even better. On that day, I became a fan. 

What a lot of people like about Prince is, obviously, his music and talent as a musician and with writing lyrics. He was also handsome and knew how to dance and give a real show. What I like about him on top of all of that was his personality, or at least what he presented in interviews. He was always polite and respectful to the hosts, and, surprisingly, he was soft-spoken and quiet. He was calm and level-headed and always came across as being genuine in what he said. I never heard of him getting into trouble with the law or doing anything stupid. Basically, he was a good guy who was in it for the music. In the video below, we see him in an interview with Larry King exhibiting what I just described.

Here, Watchmojo gives an excellent description of what his music is and a brief history of his career.

Prince was the #1 artist of the 80's with When Doves Cry and Batdance being his top hits on the top 100 songs of that era. His top 10 songs were as follows...

When Doves Cry

1. When Doves Cry (1984)
2. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (1994)
3. Batdance (1989)
4. Kiss (1986)
5. Purple Rain (1984)
6. Cream (1991)
7. 1999 (1983)
8. Thieves in the Temple (1990)
9. Let's Go Crazy (1984)
10. Let It Go (1994)

Purple Rain

He has two albums on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of All Time with his top album at #76 and his runner up at #93. His top 10 albums are...

1. Purple Rain (1984) *#76 Top Album

2. Sign 'O' The Times (1987) *#93 Top Album

3. Batman(1989)

4. Lovesexy (1988)

5. 1999 (1982)

6. Around the World in a Day (1985)

7. Parade (1986)

8. Diamonds & Pears (1991)

9. [Love Symbol] (1992)

10. Graffiti Bridge (1990)

We can remember this amazing artist through his music. Who he was as a person is in it. The music he composed reflects his spirit and his lyrics reflects his beliefs and views. After all, that his how he told Oprah he wanted to be remembered.

I do not own any pictures or videos. My decade research is from here, my top album research is from here, and my top artist research is from here.

Modern Films: The Good, The Bad, And The Michael Bay

Do you notice that there are A LOT of series, sequels, reboots...and the occasional original movie thrown in the mix? It's kind of a gamble if you choose to go to a movie theater. Sometimes reboots and series can amaze with their attention to detail and story (as seen on either side). Sometimes you immediately zone out from mindless action and nonsensical plot or fantasize about doing something else. Anything else. Some of my top fantasies have been about reading the source material to see how badly they have messed it up, strangling the director, or hang my head in the oven...to smell the brownies I'm baking. It can be hard to judge what is going to be mind-blowingly amazing or absolutely dreadful because there are so many hits as well as misses. The top hits from IMDb's "GREATEST MOVIES: 2000-2016" are...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

1. The Dark Knight (2008) 9.0 stars
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 8.9 stars
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 8.8 stars
4. Inception (2010) 8.8 stars
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 8.7 stars
6. City of God (2002) 8.7 stars
7. Interstellar (2014) 8.6 stars
8. Black Friday (2004) 8.6 stars
9. Spirited Away (2001) 8.6 stars
10. Philanthropy (2002) 8.6 stars

Spirited Away

The other Chris Nolan directed Batman movies made the top 100 with The Dark Knight Rises at #19 and Batman Begins at #41. Other superhero movies that made the list include Deadpool at #36, V for Vendetta at #58, and The Avengers at #93. Hayao Miyazaki, who directed Spirited Away, had another hit with Howl's Moving Castle reaching #53. Movies in series/continuations that made the list are Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. What these movies have in common is that they are exciting, well written, are intelligent, and ask tough questions. They keep the audience entertained while treating us like we are on the same intellectual playing field as the people making the movie.

At the same time,  some of the worst movies ever are being produced in this time. On IMDb's "Lowest Rated Movies," movies from the 2000's and on take up 50% of the list and they tend to be sequels, spoofs, and reboots. There are others where the idea behind it is just...well, it's bad. I will give you a list of the top 10 so that you know what to avoid, but I won't trash up my blog with their terrible content, just pictures.

1. Code Name: K. O. Z. (2015) 1.5 stars
2. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses (2004) 1.6 stars
3. Saving Christmas (2014) 1.6 stars
4. Daniel der Zauberer (2004) 1.6 stars
5. Pledge This! (2006) 1.7 stars
6. Turks in Space (2006) 1.7 stars
7. Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010) 1.8 stars
8. Titanic: The Legend Goes on... (2000) 1.9 stars
9. Disaster Movie (2008) 1.9 stars
10. Zombie Nation (2005) 1.9 stars

The one director the I CANNOT STAND who has been clogging theaters with garbage is, and I hope you're not surprised, Michael Bay. I can't even begin to explain. I think my brain would melt from trying to process so much stupidity at once. So I'm going to let this dude sum it up. He does it pretty accurately. 

I do not own any pictures or videos. My research is from IMDb: Greatest Movies: 2000 - 2016 and IMDb: Lowest Rated Movies.

Quality Films From the 2000's and On...Do We Have Any?

To the left and right are our winners. They are our top two movies from the 2000's and Gladiator comes in at number three.When we do manage to produce great movies, we knock it out of the ball park. The Lord of the Rings film to the left won 11 Oscars, won 4 BAFTA Awards and was nominated for 10, and won 4 Golden Globes. The Pianist on the right won 3 Oscars and was nominated for 7, won a BAFTA Award and was nominated for 5, and was nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Most else sucks...at least what I see from mainstream, mast-produced films (of course, there are exceptions as with anything). Some of the best films I see from this era are low-budget, indie films or Sundance films (my personal favorite). It seems to me that emphasis is put more on visual effects, extremely general, boring stories, or both and pushing them out as fast as possible. Good storytelling is put on the back burner. I was looking on www.imdb.com and they confirm that every other decade has produced more high-quality films than the 2000's. On their "Top 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (The Ultimate List)" (created December 20,2012 and last updated November 2015), the 70's had 20 movies on their list, the 50's had 19, the 90's and 60's tie with 14, the 40's had 12, the 30's had 10. and the 80's had 8. Every decade since movies were becoming really popular have produced greater quality movies than the 2000's. This era only has the three movies previously mentioned. In their picks for the top 10 movies of all time, IMDb only lists one from this era. The list is...

The Shawshank Redemption

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 9.3 stars
2. The Godfather (1972) 9.2 stars
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974) 9.0 stars
4. 12 Angry Men (1957) 8.9 stars
5. Schindler's List (1993) 8.9 stars
6. Pulp Fiction (1994) 8.9 stars
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 8.9 stars
8. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) 8.9 stars
9. Forrest Gump (1994) 8.8 stars
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 8.7 stars

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

If you look at any one of these movies, you will see that the story was put first which is how it should be. Everything else should come after. Yet, if you walk into any American movie theater, you will see a good number of the movies have tons of visual effects and/or terrible story lines. I think Hollywood has forgotten that flashy effects does equal a good movie. Just look at the movies from the 30's and 40's. They had laughable effects at the time, but they knew how to tell magnificent stories. Let's hope that big producers in the land of film come to their senses and hire more writers than special effects teams.

I do not own any of the pictures or videos. My research is from http://www.imdb.com/list/ls055592025/?start=1&view=detail&sort=user_rating:desc&defaults=1&scb=0.33146274069757653

Being A Little Dramatic: Dramas = Excellence

Band of  Brothers. Ronald Spiers. "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends on it."

Breaking Bad. Walter White. "I have spent my whole life scared, frightened of things that could happen, might happen, might not happen, 50-years I spent like that. Finding myself awake at three in the morning. But you know what? Ever since my diagnosis, I sleep just fine. What I came to realize is that fear, that's the worst of it. That's the real enemy. So, get up, get out in the real world and you kick that bastard as hard you can right in the teeth."

I have often thought it was just my personal taste that drew me to dramas. They have grit. They put the truth of life on film and make people see what they try everyday to ignore. In my own observations I have found that people who like living in a safe bubble avoid or try to manipulate the hard truths. Those who want change put it under a microscope and invite everyone to see it. That is what dramas do and these do it very well:

1. Band of Brothers (2001) *Action, Drama, History 9.5 stars 
2. Breaking Bad (2008) *Crime, Drama, Thriller 9.4 stars
3. Game of Thrones (2011) *Adventure, Drama, Fantasy 9.4 stars
4. The Wire (2002) *Crime, Drama Thriller 9.4 stars
5. The Sopranos (1999) *Crime, Drama 9.2 stars
6. Sherlock (2010) *Crime, Drama, Mystery 9.2 stars
7. True Detectives (2014) *Crime, Drama, Mystery 9.1 stars
8. Firefly (2002) *Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi 9.1 stars 
9. The Decalogue (1989) *Drama 9.1 stars
10. The Twilight Zone (1959) *Drama, Fantasy, Horror 9.0 stars

A Clip From The Decalogue

A Clip From The Twilight Zone

These shows tell the truths of life through amazing storytelling. Each one has their own unique style of writing, film techniques, and design elements combined with great acting. They all work together to bring us to our knees, wrench our hearts, disgust and shock us, and make us say..."Wait. This really happens. Things like this really affect people in the world." People do die, sometimes in horrible ways. People do do horrible things when backed in a corner. But people also hold each other together and build communities. We serve each other in soup lines and cure each other in hospitals. Dramas show us our good and our bad. They show us both options of who we choose to be. And we need to continue to show the hard truths of life so that we never forget that we always have that choice.

I do not own any of the pictures or videos. My research is from www.imdb.com.

Cartoons: The Decline from 90's Standards

"Man! They are trying to suck our brains right out through our foreheads. I swear the government has to be behind it. It is completely numbing! It has to be a form of mind control. They have to be using this in Guantanamo Bay to get information! I can't believe they are subjecting children to this! Children! What is the world coming to? Is there no humanity left? God, are you there? It's me, Kady. (Choking up) Please, Lord...just answer me this one question...Where has all the good television gone?! It's like all the imagination has been sucked into the vacuum of space and we are left with this...horrendously written animation that the poor children of this generation are subjected to. What's really tragic...is that they don't know how horrible it is! They actually think it's good! Most have never seen the magic that is 90's cartoons...unless their parents are intelligent, saintly beings..." That is an excerpt from my monologue Numbing Control written about today's topic: 90's cartoons vs today's. I have to say, as expressed in my monologue, that 90's cartoons are, hands-down the best cartoons, and IMDb agrees that there is some good animation from that era. Although a few leaned to the weird and scary side, they were well written, well thought out, and they knew who they were playing to. They knew who kids were and how to talk to them through these shows. Some of my favorites as a kid have been ranked in the top 50 of the best animation of the 90's and they include...

1. Courage the Cowardly Dog with 8.3 stars
2. Rocko's Modern Life with 8.0 stars
3. Daria with 8.0 stars
4. Dexter's Laboratory with 8.0 stars
5. Pinky and the Brain with 8.0 stars
6. Hey Arnold! with 7.7 stars
7. Doug with 7.6 stars
8. Rugrats with 7.5 stars
9. The Ren and Stimpy Show with 7.5 stars
10. Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy with 7.4 stars

As I got older, I would flip to my favorite cartoon channels hoping to find reruns of my favorites. I didn't find the shows I grew up with, but something rather shocking. Children's shows with terrible writing, equally bad acting, and no active thought put behind them. I found most of the programs to be offensive in that they assumed that children are stupid. They dumbed down everything so much that one would assume that the intended audience was infants instead of 5-12 year-old kids. One thing I have learned from having nieces and nephews, and I am sure most parents would agree, is that children are not at all stupid. They are wildly imaginative and think of things in ways that are so unique and untouched by society that, in some ways, we should be learning from them. They should be provided programming that is just as imaginative and smart as they are. I know there are some new animated shows on cartoon channels that are very popular and well-liked, but I have to point out that the intended audience is for teenagers and young adults and not children. There are good animated shows now, but, as I have said before, the audience, for the most part, isn't children. By user rating, IMDb lists these following shows as the "Highest Rated Animation TV Series/Mini-Series"...

1. Inanimate Insanity with 9.8 stars
2. Planetar with 9.8 stars
3. Diamond Forest Drummers with 9.8 stars
4. Cupid's Chocolates with 9.6 stars
5. Whisker Haven Tales with the Palace Pets with 9.6 stars
6. Rick and Morty with 9.3 stars
7. One Punch Man: Wanpanman with 9.3
8. Kinda Funny: The Animated Series with 9.2 stars
9. Avatar: The Last Airbender with 9.2 stars
10. Ajin with 9.1 stars 

All of the later listed shows that I have see are excellent. The writing, acting, and animation are incredibly imaginative, thoughtful, and the creators clearly had their audience in mind. I wish the same attention was brought to American children's programming instead of being condescending. In the mean time, those with children can always share the cartoons of their childhood until better programs come out.

I do not own any of the photographs or videos. My research is from www.imdb.com.

Get Out Your Armor Because We're Auditioning: Half the Battle

To become a great actor, you first have to pass the audition. As an actor, this is what I personally think of it...

NO!!! JUST CAST ME ALREADY!!! TRUST THAT I'M AMAZING!!!

I am one of those actors who like to have the script for a month, read it two hundred times, analyze everything, rehearse like a madman, then give the most amazing performance of my life. So, as you can imagine, acting on the fly given little time with the script is torture for me, but I am just going to have to get over it. Luckily, I have experience on my side now. I have found that what works, at least for me, is to find a monologue that you can see. If I can see in my mind's eye what is going on in the monologue, it makes it so much easier to perform. Doing character work and development, memorization, physicalization, and vocalization feels more natural. The more natural and at-ease you feel, the better. Here is some helpful advice from backstage...

How can Actors Manage Audition Nerves?

Top Audition Tips for Actors

I have found backstage's articles and videos to be so profoundly helpful with their advice for actors so I am going to share a bit of their wisdom from their article "10 Ways to Find Audition Inspiration" by JV Mercanti.

6 Ways to Work on Your Audition Material

1. "Read it through with an open mind."
2. "Write down your first impressions."
3. "Focus on your character."
4. "Break the scene into beats. Beats are units of action - cause and effect."
5. "Assign an action."
6. "Craft an objective."

3 Ways to "Think outside the box."

1. Use a search engine to search images and themes that popped into your head for further inspiration.
2. Get out of your house and head and see the world around you.
3. Work on your body and rest your mind. Some of the best ideas come when you're not thinking about it.

The Big One: RELAX

The world won't collapse if you don't get the part and you'll always do better if you are collected, calm, and even-minded. You'll make a much better first impression which is key to doing well in an audition. 

Remember these tips and you'll be okay. You may not get the part this time, but keep auditioning no matter what. That is how you will get jobs now and in the future. You may not be right for this part, but the people in the audition room may remember you for something else. Stay positive and keep acting.

I do not own any of the pictures or videos. My research is from http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/10-ways-find-audition-inspiration/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Expert%20Posts.