Luckylyn

A deep dive into the Bridgerton musical drama I can’t really feel bad for Barlow and Bear in this situation since Netflix repeatedly notified them what lines could and could not be crossed even offering them a license at one point which Bear and Barlow turned down. Netflix allowed free distribution of the songs online. They refused to give official permission for a live charity concert but agreed to look the other way if it was a one time charity event. They made it clear they would not accept anything beyond that. Once Bear and Barlow went the root of doing a for profit concert at the Kennedy Center, sold merchandise, and got a Spotify contract they were in violation of what Netflix said they would tolerate. It’s particularly interesting that Netflix was open to compromise by giving them a license and they said no. I wonder what terms Netflix offered that they considered so bad that they’d rather deal with the expense of a lawsuit. Why didn’t they rework the show as a parody which would have given them some legal protection? Why didn’t they do what EL James did with her Twilight fanfic “Master of the Universe” when she decided to profit from it and changed it into “50 Shades of Grey” to avoid getting sued? Why not just do the Charity concert and use that publicity to get more attention to their original work? Why so blatantly violate the copyright/trademark? Why lie on the program that they had Netflix’s permission? Did the Kennedy Center know the performance was completely unauthorized or were they lied to?

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Is A24’s First Movie to Hit $100 Million Globally

I’ve had the non-fiction Five Days At Memorial by Sheri Fink “to read” list for a couple of years but kept putting it off maybe because I thought reading it would be too upsetting. It details the horrifying events at a hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina where 45 patients were found dead after the evacuation. This was higher than any other hospital in the city. A lot went wrong that lead up to those events. The federal government, local government, the company that owned the hospital, the hospital administrators, and some members of staff all made errors that had terrible consequences. There were failures on multiple levels and after the power went out the situation at the hospital got desperate. I think they were so emersed in the direness of their situation that they lost sight of the consequences of their actions. There was an intense paranoia about their situation and a great deal of suffering. Some doctors and nurses made the decision to euthanize patients that were listed as category 3(last to be rescued because they had DNRs and/or were in critical condition). One patient was only listed as category 3 because he was obese and paralyzed and it was believed carrying him to the rescue helicopter or boat would be too difficult. I can never truly understand the horrors everyone experienced but still believe their choice was wrong. One daughter of a patient stated her mother being DNR meant not reviving her if her heart stopped as a result of her illness. It did not give permission to not be rescued. There are stories of heroism in this event with staff going above and beyond to take care of patients under terrible conditions but also some disturbing in my opinion arrogance of doctors making the decisions without giving patients a choice about their life or death. Telling a patient they are being given medicine to help them that’s actually a lethal dose of medications is a line that should not be crossed. If the patients made a choice that this was what they wanted because they believed they wouldn’t survive the wait for rescue maybe I would feel differently. But they weren’t given a choice.

It really bothered me that it was established that the Avengers weren’t provided for financially, and Sam was basically on his own after the blip. There should be some sort of salary like people in the military, firefighters, and police get. Getting a basic income wouldn’t make them less heroic to me. There should be benefits and a pension. I get that’s not flashy, but it’s a basic courtesy to help superheroes saving the world be able to pay their bills. Basically the Avengers are willing to sacrifice everything and the people they help aren’t willing to do the basic minimum to provide for them. If they are going to stick with the Avengers don’t earn an income thing, I could see Scott feeling the need to leverage his fame to make money.

Angel survived because he wrapped the barbed wire from the fence around himself and Jean Jacket wasn’t able to suck him in.

@starri Jup was willing to feed the horses directly to Jean Jacket and OJ and Em refused to do that. They still risked Lucky’s life to get the shot. They wouldn’t cross certain lines but still endangered Lucky. So there are no clean hands in this story. So I saw this video where someone speculates that OJ is dead and what Em sees is his spirit because he can be seen below the “Out Yonder” sign. My theory is he’s alive. Also the movie ends without telling us if Em, OJ, and Angel get the fame and fortune they were after. Someone said that Em’s picture might be worthless because we saw the news crew there at the end and they probably also got a shot of Jean Jacket. I don’t think the news got a picture or video because the movies established that Jean Jacket disabled electronics when nearby. but if the news crew were at the right distance they may have avoided the power outage and gotten a shot. So maybe they went through all this for nothing. What are the odds that the news van was the perfect distance to retain power but still get a shot of Jean Jacket? Em, OJ, and Angel not getting credit for the discovery would fit with what happened to the Heywood Great Grandfather.

To me the movie is about exploitation. Animals and people get used for profit and are forgotten. People remember who filmed the jockey but not the jockey himself. People are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others for the profit of the spectacle. Jup was willing to monetize the tragedy of Gordy’s rampage despite the trauma he experienced. He also learned the wrong lessons. Because Gordy went for a fist bump instead of killing him Jup mistakenly thought Gordy spared him because they had a bond. But he lived because at a critical moment Jup was staring at a shoe and not making eye contact with Gordy and then when he did make eye contact Gordy couldn’t see it because the table cloth blocked a clear view of Jup’s eyes. As an adult, because he didn’t learn the right lesson Jup thought he could make the alien work for him for profit. Trying to tame animals for profit is risky because animals can have dangerous reactions. It made me think of the documentary “Grizzly Man” and how at one point someone says that he forgot the bears were animals with their own instincts that made them potentially dangerous and that he was treating the bears like humans in a bear suit. You can’t ever forget that you are dealing with an animal. Gordy and Jean Jacket are simply being what they are and following their instinctive nature. Humans trying to manage them for profit endangers everyone around them. OJ, Em, and Angel could have walked away but the opportunity to get the money shot was what they chose to prioritize over safety. Throughout the movie people choose profit over safety. The movie showcases a person’s willingness to monetize anything no matter how hurtful or dangerous. The only difference between the Heywoods and Jup is that OJ tried to understand what they were dealing with, never forget what they are dealing with, and tried respect the predator. Interestingly at the end Em’s focus isn’t checking to see if they got their Oprah shot but on seeing if her brother is okay.

I’m currently reading The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel. Meena was without family after the deaths of her adoptive parents when she’s a teen. Years later she receives an unexpected inheritance from a woman she doesn’t know. Meena’s new apartment brings her in contact with meddling neighbors and a handsome man next door. So far the “Aunties” are getting on my nerves. One scene very early in the book when Meena is criticized for how she pronounced her own last name particularly struck me because I have had that experience of someone making incorrect assumptions about my ethnicity and implying I am saying my name wrong. No one should tell anyone how to say their own name. For Meena that moment is particularly upsetting because when the Auntie asks her about her heritage Meena doesn’t know because she doesn’t know anything about her biological family. I feel like the Aunties keep pointing out how Meena is doing things wrong like objecting to her habit of locking her apartment door when everyone else leaves their door unlocked. They want her to conform to their way and so far don’t give much consideration for her experiences and feelings. There’s a middle ground between them teaching her about their traditions and culture and her wanting her own space sometimes. I feel like I am supposed to want Meena to embrace her neighbors and start thinking of them as family but I am mostly sympathetic to Meena’s difficulty dealing with pushy neighbors. The apartment comes with clues that could help Meena discover the family history she doesn’t know about.

I just finished the historical romance Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare which is part of the Spindle Cove series. Due to a secret heartbreak, Duke Griff is determined never to marry and have children but his mother is very determined to to him married. She drags him to Spindle Cove a town famous for being full of spinsters and insists he pick someone to be his wife. Angry at his mother Griff chooses barmaid Pauline as a challenge. His mother has one week to make a serving girl succeed as a potential Duchess with their society friends and if she fails his mother will stop matchmaking. Secretly Pauline and Griff have their own deal where he’ll give her the money she needs for her and her sister to be independent of their horrible father if she fails spectacularly to become Duchess material. Along the way Pauline and Griff fall in love but his secrets and her concerns about their class differences present obstacles to their happiness. This has been a great series so far.

I didn’t like it but I don’t think it’s not the worst adaptation. My favorite Persuasion adaptation is the only in 1995. Normally a character breaking the 4th wall doesn’t bother me but this movie overdoes it. It came off as lazy as if they wanted to short cut exposition. Their efforts to imitate clever Fleabag just did not work. I am not a purist. I really liked Mansfield Park 1999 despite them completely changing Fanny’s personality. I am still waiting for an adaptation that gets Fanny right. Still on its on Mansfield Park is a movie I enjoy. I also liked Emma 2020. Persuasion 2022 doesn’t work for me. The romance is lacking. The narration style is jarring and overdone. They don’t understand how effective nuance can be. It hits like a hammer and over-explains because it doesn’t trust the audience to comprehend. It doesn’t understand who the characters are or the heart of the story. Modern Gurlz Persuasion Review

I love the Vorkosigan Saga. The characters and the worlds are so compelling. @Starleigh The only Jennifer Weiner I have read is In Her Shoes which I loved. They made a great film adaptation of it staring Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley Mclain. I’m currently reading Scifi novel Mirage by Julie C. Czerneda which is book 2 in her Web shifter’s Library series. This is a sequel series to her Web Shifter Series. I highly recommend both series. There are beings who can become any species and have lived thousands of years as part if different alien cultures. In the first series Esen the youngest of her web breaks the rules befriending a human Paul and revealing the secret of her shifting. Esen and Paul experience great deal of danger and are really good people who want to help others. Their friendship is powerful almost like a marriage except they aren’t romantically involved. They just have this amazing partnership and their circle of allies are great characters. Now the characters have founded a library open to all species to spread knowledge and hopefully prevent conflict between groups due to misunderstandings. In Mirage, a group needing asylum starts off a series of events that endangers their planet.

The movie You’ve Got Mail is a remake of the original film The Shop Around The Corner. The romance novel I was reading was inspired by You’ve Got Mail. There are several movies and probably books that have been inspired by The Shop Around the Corner. There’s a Judy Garland forgettable remake titled In The Good Old Summertime and the lovely Broadway show She Loves Me also adapting the movie The Shop Around the Corner. I know I saw Lifetime and Hallmark movies using the enemies in person and in love by anonymous letters trope.

I agree feature film Ben was miscast. He didn’t have the same vulnerable and sweet vibe that the original Ben had. Emmy’s character in the short film is so briefly there and so expanding her so much for the feature film seemed an odd choice.

I don’t hate You’ve Got Mail but Shop Around the Corner is better. Based on what I have read so far Read Between the Lines does improve on some things I didn’t like in You’ve Got Mail.

I’ve started a contemporary romance inspired by “You’ve Got Mail” titled Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey which is first in her Ms. Right Series. Rosie runs a book store she inherited from her mother and has been having an online flirtation with her favorite romance author Brie. By day, Jane works for her family’s property development company and by night she writes romances under the pen name Brie. Rosie and Jane cross paths in person when Jane’s company evicts Rosie’s book shop to make room for a new condo. Online they are a perfect match, in person they are opponents. One great difference between the book and the movie is that both characters are single. I never understood why they had the characters romantically involved at the start of the story in “You’ve Got Mail” especially since in the movie they were remaking “The Shop Around the Corner” both characters were single. I just got started and am liking the characters so far.

There’s a third one! The Dare Project: A Video Call

I’m halfway through Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey. It’s an engaging read. She’s very open and doesn’t shy away from including things that are difficult or make her look poorly. I really sympathize with the pressure put on her since she was a teen to get a nose job and how harshly judged she was when she finally gave in.

Years ago there was a good short film called Dare It was popular enough that it was turned into a not as good movie. The only character that worked well in the full length film was Johnny. The others were unlikeable. Ben and his friend treated Johnny like a trophy to be won instead of a person. Now a sequel to the short film has been made. I really hope we get a third one someday. Ben and Johnny: The Dare Project

Rider Strong: Boy Meets World Was 'Naive' to Avoid Addressing Interracial Relationship They never addressed race as an issue but they did acknowledge it a couple of times in a casual way. I remember Angela making a joke where no one laughed and her saying she needed more black friends in response. There was a white history joke Angela made. But otherwise race was treated as a non issue. I do remember that Angela was almost removed from the show because angry racist letters but the cast fought to keep her. I do also remembered that the actress playing Angela said that there was some mistreatment behind the scenes from her costars. Being iced out': Trina McGee opens up about racism she experienced on 'Boy Meets World'

I just finished contemporary romance The Bride Test by Helen Hoang which is a sequel to her book The Kiss Quotient. This book focuses on Michael from book 1’s cousin Khai. Because he is autistic Khai has struggled with expressing emotions and has decided he can’t have a romantic relationship. Khai’s mother can’t resist playing matchmaker and finds a woman from their home country Vietnam hoping for a wedding. Esme wants a better life for herself and her family. Plus she wants to learn more about her heritage by finding her American father she never knew. Esme and Khai clash despite Esme’s determination to win him over. Esme really struggles with her self worth and I love how the book makes her journey about her growth and not just falling in love with Khai. And I really felt for Khai who can unintentionally be hurtful because he’s genuinely confused by his own and other people’s feelings. I like a romance where it’s not just love at first sight but the couple fall for each other as the story progresses.

I just finished Anyway the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell which is the final book in the Simon Snow trilogy. What happens when the old chosen one meets someone insisting that they are the actual chosen one? I really enjoyed the whole series and these imperfect but compelling characters. It ended in a way that was satisfying but still left room for more of a story if Rowell wanted to continue. I would love a spin off of Penelope and Shepherd and their magical adventures in America.

Nice White Teachers, Bad Brown Schools: Hollywood’s Pedagogy on Urban Education Great analysis.

There’s also A Little Romance staring little Diane Lane. That one is lovely.

I adore Corinna, Corinna. They had such amazing chemistry. I remember the screen writer who I think also directed it saying she based it on her childhood dealing with her mother’s death. She had wanted her Dad to marry the women he hired to take care of her but she was an elderly woman. So as an adult she made changes to turn the story into a romance. Flipped is an underrated coming of age romance.

The thing is there were prominent black people like Dido Belle and Alexandre Dumas’ father in history and even with money and accomplishments they had to deal with bigotry. I wish film makers who want more diversity in period films would do more research to find out about the real people of color who weren’t all servants lived and use that as a foundation for the stories. I like the increased diversity but want the issues of those periods not to be swept under the rug. But on the other hand for some it’s all about the feel good fantasy and romance. Realism isn’t the point. There is also the issue of only using people of color for suffering storylines. Just letting people regardless of color have some frothy romance free of reality has appeal. I feel like the movie Belle acknowledges the issues of the time and provides the romance factor. The fact that she was more privileged than her cousin because her father left her fortune but she is also less privileged because she’s not allowed to eat with the family when they have guests because of her color shows how the money doesn’t magically fix racism.