This should be easy, right? I mean who knows more about what I like the best than me? So, I sat down to answer a FPQ post with my own response. But favorites I find to be a little hard. Bear with me and I will try to narrow down my likes to just a few for this list. Fandango asks…
Let’s have some fun this week. Or what I hope you’ll think is fun. My question is simple. It’s all about favorites. If you were asked to name your absolute favorite in each of the following categories, what would they be:
Song
Musical artist or group
Book
Author
Movie
Television show
Movie or TV actor (male & female)
Stage play or musical
Live concert
Remember, I’m looking for your all-time favorite in each of these categories.
I have to say, even though the marriage ended “You Made It Beautiful” by The Oak Ridge Boys was our first dance song and holds a special place in my heart. But there are two others. I wrote some lyrics a friend put music to and sang. That CD is so special. My all-time favorite though, for more than thirty-five years, is a song by a regional band who I would go see play in my late teens and twenties. The song is “Too Old To Cry” and sadly it does bring tears on occasion. The writer and lead singer has lost a fight with cancer so I will never hear the song performed in an auditorium like I have always dreamed. But Tasty Nickel will never die in my heart!
No band can ever knock Queen out of my number one place in my list… I don’t think anyway.
So many good books out there. The first one that really had a physical reaction from was No Language But A Cry about a girl horribly abused by her father who could not speak for many years. I cried too. The Xanth series is just good fun. But the one book I really remember being drawn into and hard to put down lately was Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. And a friend or two have had books published… those are very special too.
Consistently the author that draws me in and keeps me entertained and on the edge of my seat would be Dean Koontz.
Here again there are so many. Short and sweet answer… The Color Purple.
I have a few series collections on DVD and watch them from time to time. I would have to say though the one that had the best laughs, drama and powerful messages was M*A*S*H.
I don’t have to think too hard for the actor… Robin Williams. He could do comedy so well, but also did some great dramas… his One Hour Photo character gave me the shivers. As for the actress, this one is harder. It is kind of a toss up between a half dozen women. I will just randomly pick… Sally Field. Once again, a comedy and drama range. I will never forget her Norma Rae performance.
I have had to pleasure to see a few shows live – Wicked, Cats, Rent, Hamilton… if I have to pick just one it would be Wicked – costumes, music and performances were all top rate.
Who can narrow down live concerts to just one favorite? I have the concert I went up on stage during, the once in a lifetime Farm Aid all day concert, seeing a Beatle live – Paul McCartney. If I have to be honest, the one that stands out the most is the one where we saw the Oak Ridge Boys from the front row, and I spent half the show “flirting” with the guitarist Steve… he handed me his stage towel after the show. That was a lot of fun!
If you made it to the end of my rambling and are still here thanks for reading! Sorry this is late posting for the prompt, but as usual I am behind on my reading. Thanks for the fun and challenging questions Fandango!
*****
Written for Fandango’s Provocative Question (FPQ) #188
I think this is a first for me. I have answered Fandango’s Provocative Question in the comments before, but this week there was just too much to the question(s) to put in the comments so lets just into it.
This week Fandango asks:
For this week’s provocative question, I’m going to ask you about your TV viewing habits. My questions are below if you care to answer, either in the comments or on your own post. Ready?
What country do you live in?
How many televisions do you have in your home?
On average, how many hours a day do you watch TV?
What kinds of programs do you typically watch (e.g., news, sports, movies, dramas, sitcoms, reality shows)?
Do you watch programs as they are aired or do you record them and watch them at other times?
Do you mostly watch “network” TV? Premium cable channels (e.g., HBO, Showtime)? Streaming channels (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple+)?
How often, if at all, do you use other devices than television (e.g., computers, smartphones) to watch programs?
First of all I am in the middle of the United States with only one TV in my house. From here the questions get a little grey. Used to be I would have the TV on 24/7, but barely watched it. It was “company” in an empty house.
I am in the process of changing things a little. I am slowly getting into streaming what I want to watch as opposed to what is on cable. I have been listening to Amazon Music during the days at my computer and doing things around the house as pain allows me to. But usually I watch the local ten o’clock news and then it is more like background noise again until morning as I find it hard to sleep in a quiet house… although through the years I have learned no home is ever truly quiet, especially with three cats. So, as the set may be on about 10 to 12 hours depending on how late I am up (I am a night owl) I maybe only watch 2 to 4 hours.
I watch the local news and a mix of old shows I loved (Quantum Leap and The Carol Duvall show this week) and new discoveries (Squid Game and Downton Abbey) and the occasional movie I have on my to watch list (the original War of the Worlds and Forbidden Planet). So, I watch a mix of “live” and on demand shows. I rarely record anything.
As for the last two questions… all of the above. Local news (TV), movies (Starz, HBO, Disney) and streaming channels I am starting to discover more and more. However almost all of these are watched on the TV, with an occasional viewing on my computer. The phone screen is just too small. But music still reigns number one in my house – computer, tv music channels or the good old fashioned radio. How do you view?
The days of the silver screen may be over. People have been getting by with Netflix and Apple TV, Hulu and Prime Video. There may not be Blockbusters left, but there are Redbox machines if you want to risk the germs from the last person who had that DVD. To try to survive this Corona Virus shutdown the local theater is popping up bags of popcorn on the weekend and will sell you candy as well. There really is nothing quite as good as movie theater popcorn… except the popcorn my Dad used to make on the stove years ago.
Now back when I was able to work there were people who would watch movies and TV shows on their phones in the breakroom. I am afraid there are a lot of movies with great cinematography that will not come through on such a small screen.
If people get comfortable in their homes watching the first run movies, will theaters be able to survive? Personally, I love a movie on the big screen, just not too happy about the prices. There is no way of knowing until this pandemic runs its course and we can maybe get used to a new normal. Time will tell.
Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – screen
This is a prompt I can really enjoy. As a matter of fact, I love musicals. I remember as a kid seeing some of the lavish musical productions in movies that my mom would watch. I always thought the ones with the synchronized swimmers were amazing. I am blanking right now on who the star from those musicals was. I keep thinking Esther…. We’ll come back to that.
Then about 5th or 6th grade Grease came out. I LOVED that movie. Saved up money and went to see it six times in the theaters! My friend across the street had the soundtrack and we used to always sing along with it and wish we were Olivia Newton John. My obsession just went on from there.
I even passed it on to my daughter, watching musicals with her growing up. Of course, all the wonderful music in the Disney movies was how it started. When she was maybe 3 or 4, we got the stage production of Cats and she loved to dance and sing with it. So, logically when the touring company came to town my husband and I took her to see it live. She loved it.
We went on to Chicago, Rent, and Across the Universe. We had high hopes the genre may be back when La La Land came out. It did okay but was not a big hit. Unfortunately, we also went to see the new film production of Cats. I won’t say I hated it, but it was so much different from the stage production. There was a nice addition of a tap dance number that wasn’t in the stage production, but it will probably not make it to my DVD shelves.
Now I have a couple of new DVDs from Christmas that are musicals. I think I need to start adding some of those classic ones to my list. Now I must go listen to “The Tango Maureen” – bonus points if you know what musical that song is from. Oh, and yes, it was Esther. Esther Williams, I believe was the star of a lot of the swimming musicals. ♫♪
Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – musical
November brings a chill in the air and the start of the holiday gatherings of family and friends. I can’t believe I am down to the last two month of my challenge to find happiness and feel gratitude every day. I hope you join with me in the comments or your own blog in this challenge. No matter how small there is always a little good in even the worst day.
I am beat… had a better day today. Still not great, but better. I went with my daughter to a yearly event. It was a craft fair. It is always good to see the latest crafting trends and a few old standards. I was disappointed by one vendor who was missing that I always buy from… but I guess I save money that way. I was grateful my daughter had the time off from work to be able to go with me. She found a couple of Christmas gifts for her friends too. Me, I bought banana bread from a long time vendor who always has delicious stuff to eat.
I was happy to then spend a quiet evening with my boyfriend watching a couple of movies. After the walking I did putting my feet up was what I needed. The movies were from the local library and were ok, but not great. We watched Krampus and The Wall (not the Pink Floyd version) and all I can say is I am glad I didn’t pay to watch them.
I am ready to close my eyes. I hope you remember to find your happiness and feel your gratitude. Have a wonderful night/day!
The month of October is upon us. Fall is in full swing with the leaves gathering on the lawn… maybe a pile or two to run through even. The evenings are getting dark earlier as the days grow shorter. And a few of us look forward to a good scare with Halloween coming this month. Everyday has at least some small portion of good in it. I am looking for that good with this challenge to find my happiness and gratitude every day. Join in with the challenge by commenting or writing your own blog… let’s find some goodness today.
Today was another perfect fall like day. Sat with the window open beside me listening to the birds sing and the kids play. I have to shake my head at least a dozen times when there are a few of the neighbor kids out there. If I had talked like that at their age I would have been in so much trouble. And we have new upstairs neighbors who will yell at their mom from the playground… and the way they talk or back talk to her is astonishing! Times have sure changed.
Today my boyfriend and I went to the grocery store and restocked the refrigerator. It took almost an hour at the store… I am paying for it tonight with leg cramps. My back is also not very happy with me for all the lifting and bending putting stuff away. But I am grateful I am done with shopping for us for the week.
My happy moment… not so many today. Feeling pretty down tonight. My boyfriend and I watched a couple of movies tonight and I don’t recall laughing at all. One was an action drama and the other was a “horror” film. Nothing great, just something to pass the time. No messages or texts from friends. No answered emails. No change in my Dad’s pain levels. I did hear from my daughter this morning but it was a one message post and run. Let’s just say I am happy to have seen another day from start to finish.
I am going to let my nighttime meds do what they are supposed to now and hopefully sleep. Remember to find your happiness (no matter how small) and feel your gratitude. Have a good night/day!
Music is a big part of my life. There are not many days that I don’t listen to some kind of music at some point in time. So it is no surprise then that I love movie musicals or movies with great soundtracks.
Today after my boyfriend and I watched a show we had recorded on our DVR I checked the channel guide to see what was on and I caught a movie just starting that I have watched many times and know the soundtrack well. It is the movie The Rose with Bette Midler. I love the music and although sad it is a very good movie. Bette puts so much emotion in all her songs you really feel them. It really draws me into the movie every time.
So now I am thinking tomorrow it is time to bring out some DVDs to watch – Chicago, Rent, The Big Chill…just to name a few. Even the soundtrack to Star Wars and the Harry Potter films are really great to listen to. What are some of your favorite movie musical/soundtracks?
Leigha Robbins 