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Monday, January 9, 2017

#MicroblogMondays: The fools who dream

My newsfeed was abuzz this morning with Meryl Streep's speech at last night's Golden Globe awards. Political commentary aside, I was struck by how she emphasized the value of the actor's job -- the artist's job: "to enter the lives of people who are different from us, and let you feel what that feels like...  we have to remind each other of the privilege and the responsibility of the act of empathy."

She also said, at the very end, "As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once, take your broken heart, make it into art." 

In her most recent blog post, Pamela made the obvious connection that also came to my mind:  "Not surprisingly, when I heard that expression our stories, our blogs came to mind.  Many originated from broken hearts. Each, I believe, is a form of art — a beautiful expression of the human experience. Story-telling from one person and one generation to another is one of the oldest, most powerful forms of shared communication."

One reason I didn't watch the Golden Globes is that SIL & I went to see "La La Land" together yesterday  (neither of our husbands being big fans of movie musicals -- silly boys ;)  ).  It's an old-fashioned movie musical (dancing among the stars, anyone?) with some very modern twists and a decidedly modern ending. It also stars the wonderful Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. I thought they were fabulous in "Crazy Stupid Love" a few years back, and was delighted to see them teamed up again. Their photos should be in the dictionary alongside the entry for "chemistry."  :)

There's a song that Emma Stone sings (filmed live, all in one take!) at a big audition near the end of the movie that ties in nicely with Streep's words -- and with what so many of our blogs are all about:

Here's to the ones who dream
Foolish, as they may seem
Here's to the hearts that ache
Here's to the mess we make

It's a song about pursuing your dreams.

It's also about the cost of those dreams, the toll that pursuit can take.

We know all about both, don't we?  Here's to us, then...!

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

14 comments:

  1. Agreeing with Mali. A tribute to following your heart.

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  2. Love this post! And the quote regarding our own blogs... So powerful.

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  3. Yes we certainly all know about that! Great post

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  4. I've seen the trailers for La La Land and wasn't sure whether it looked like total cheese or something heart-warming (I felt the same about The Artist, and then LOVED it). I'm not a fan of Ryan Gosling (how is he a sex symbol? = mystery to me). I'm tempted to see it, though, to bring some colour to a disgusting grey Irish January.
    Yes I love that quote "take your broken heart, make it into art" - own your adversity, use it, create with it, and you might end up turning it into something else entirely.

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    1. Hilarious...I don't find Ryan Gosling attractive at all, either, but man he has a lovely voice. It's the perfect antidote to a disgusting grey Irish January (it was a great pick me up from a gross gray Rochester NY day where I felt fairly trampled).

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    2. Have you seen "Crazy Stupid Love"? He's in it with Emma Stone too. I didn't really know who he was before that, but I thought they were just SO cute & funny together -- & I thought "OK, I can see why the fuss," lol. (Although I also felt/feel like a bit of a cradle robber, since I am pretty much old enough to be his mother (gulp).) Besides, he's Canadian. ;)

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  5. I loved Meryl's speech, especially because I feel like empathy is in short supply in the world right now.

    Will they be performing a song from La La Land at the Oscars?

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    1. I'm sure that's very likely (nominations won't be announced for another few weeks)... most of the songs performed were original & therefore eligible for nomination. It would be great if Ryan &/or Emma performed them too. :)

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  6. Beautiful! I loved her speech, and was so touched as she hit on so many important topics. I always appreciate when people in positions of power use their power to spread love, not hate, and empathy, not judgement.

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  7. I'm looking forward to seeing this movie and the soundtrack sounds amazing, can't wait.
    And Meryl can do no wrong.

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  8. Oh, yes yes yes! I loved most of Meryl's speech, and the idea of making art and beauty from broken hearts. I just saw LaLaLand after a particularly broken-hearted day, a friend whisked me away, and that song immediately made me think of everything related to infertility and adoption. I LOVED the movie, so like "An American in Paris." I also loved the ending, but don't want to ruin it for anyone, but hopefully you'll get what I mean? So cryptic, sorry about that.

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