A blog of the great "TV", an international man of mystery and distinguished gentleman. Adventures in education, useless trivia, spiritual observations, the life of a struggling actor, and rants on movies and books are just a minute sampling of the day-to-day experiences in the life of TV. Come, read about it, and enjoy the ride.
I should have mentioned this earlier, but if you are anywhere close near the Highland, IL area this weekend or next, you should come out and see 9 TO 5. It's a musical stage version of the famous 1980 movie that starred Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. Dolly wrote all the music and lyrics for the show. I play five different characters in the show. The shows are always great shows and often the quality is just as good as some of the professional theatres in St. Louis. Plus, the theatre is air conditioned, so it's a great way to beat the heat. If you purchase your tickets online you can save a couple bucks than if you buy them at the door.
The trailer is magnificent: the best trailer of the year behind the one for TREE OF LIFE. Beyond that, this trailer has introduced me to a band I didn't know anything about before (30 Seconds to Mars) as well as a book (THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET) I might never have looked into reading before. I think the movie will be superb: it's a Scorsese film, albeit in a genre and style he's never tackled before. Other than THE DEPARTED, Scorsese's movie's have taken a slightly more upbeat tone the past few years (and even THE DEPARTED had evil loosing). Perhaps his Catholic roots and upbringing are finally having their say.
I would have to see the film, but if the film is like the trailer, this is the type of movie I want to make.
A friend of mine introduced me to this video. It's an amazing video. The words are a bit difficult to understand at times, so I've listed them below the video. I hope anyone who sees this will be as touched by it as I am. Take this wooden heart of mine, Lord Jesus, and make it alive.
"Wooden Heart" by Listener
We're all born to broken people on their most honest day of living
And since that first breath... we'll need grace that we've never given
I've been haunted by standard red devils and white ghosts
And it's not only when these eyes are closed
These lies are ropes that i tie down in my stomach
But they hold this ship together tossed like leaves in this weather
And my dreams are sails that i point towards my true north
Stretched thin over my rib bones and pray that it gets better
But it won't won't at least i don't believe it will...
So i've built a wooden heart inside this iron ship
To sail these blood red seas and find your coasts.
Don't let these waves wash away your hopes
This war-ship is sinking and i still believe in anchors
Pulling fist fulls of rotten wood from my heart i still believe in saviors
But i know that we are all made out of shipwrecks every single board
Washed and bound like crooked teeth on these rocky shores
So come on and let's wash each other with tears of joy and tears of grief
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach
Come on and sew us together tattered rags stained forever
We only have what we remember
I am the barely living son of a woman and man who barely made it
But we're making it taped together on borrowed crutches and new starts
We all have the same holes in our hearts...
Everything falls apart at the exact same time
That it all comes together perfectly for the next step
But my fear is this prison... that i keep locked below the main deck
I keep a key under my pillow it's quiet and it's hidden
And my hopes are weapons that i'm still learning how to use right
But they're heavy and i'm awkward...always running out of fight
So i've carved a wooden heart put it in this sinking ship
Hoping it would help me float for just a few more weeks
Because i am made out of shipwrecks every twisted beam
Lost and found like you and me scattered out on the sea
So come on let's wash each other with tears of joy and tears of grief
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach
Come on and sew us together just some tattered rags stained forever
We only have what we remember
My throat it still tastes like house fire and salt water
I wear this tide like loose skin rock me to sea
If we hold on tight we'll hold each other together
And not just be some fools rushing to die in our sleep
All these machines will rust i promise but we'll still be electric
Shocking each other back to life
Your hand in mine my fingers in your veins connected
Our bones grown together inside
Our hands entwined your fingers in my veins braided
Our spines grown stronger in time
Because our church is made out of shipwrecks
From every hull these rocks have claimed
But we pick ourselves up and try and grow better through the change
So come on ya'll and let's wash each other with tears of joy and tears of grief
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach
Come on and sew us together were just tattered rags stained forever
We only have what we remember
Just for fun. I found this video highly entertaining. Even a yeti likes the song.
If "Friday" is as terrible as many people say, why does it have over 82,000,000 hits on YouTube and why are Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Taylor Hicks singing the song? The lyrics are lame, but they really are not that much different than other songs in pop music.
I came across this video the day before March 14 (3/14) which in school rooms around the country has now become known as "Pi" day. I've seen other videos similar to this, but this one does the best job at explaining how the composition came about.
They other day I was driving home. The past few months have been incredibly stressful for me. The whole "unable to find a job" thing has been eating away at me like a cancerous worm. I don't want to unnecessarily burden anyone with my struggles, so unless you ask, you'd never know. I'm a pro at putting up a good front, but the past few weeks I've had this cloud hanging over me that I just can't seem to escape. I was also stressed about this show I was in and then I started thinking about my Dad and wishing he was around so I could get some advice and I was in tears. In order to refocus, I turned on a Christian radio station. There were a few good songs that uplifted my spirit. Then I started thinking about the song that was playing just then and I became agitated.
The song was catchy and one that I had heard before. The refrain the singers kept singing over and over at the end was "There is no God like Jehovah." It might seem harmless, but as I thought about it I thought, "That's not true." If you believe in Jehovah, there is no God except Jehovah. When you say there is no God like Jehovah, what you are saying is that there are other Gods besides Jehovah, but none that are like him.
I have since learned that the song is called "Days of Elijah". It's a song that has become really popular in the past 5-10 years in Australia and North America. Some of the phrases from the stanzas include, "These are the days of Elijah", "And these are days of his servant, Moses", "And these are the days of Ezekiel, the dry bones becoming as flesh", and "these are the days of his servant, David Building the temple of praise."
Really? I understand part of the comparison to Elijah because in the days of Elijah the people of Israel were worshiping Baal, a false deity that required acts of child sacrifice (akin to abortion today) and sexual promiscuity (akin to way the "hook-up" culture of today). However, what about the days of Moses? In the context of the song I believe it's referring to when the Israelites were wondering in the desert for forty years, but it's not clear so it could be in reference to before the Israelites left Egypt and were still slaves. If it's in reference to the later, I don't get it because though Christians in America might be attacked, none of us are slaves. If it's a reference to the former, then it doesn't make sense either because as soon as the Israelites left Egypt they started complaining and whining and other than Moses, Caleb, and Joshua there wasn't much crying for righteousness to be restored.
And what about Ezekiel? He was a prophet that God had lie on his side on the ground for over a year and had to cook his food over a pile of animal dung. He prophesied about the coming take over and fall of Jerusalem and exile. He also saw visions about a valley of dry bones coming to life which could be a reference to the future Great resurrection, the new life offered through Jesus, the return of Israel after the Diaspora, or a combination of the three. In the context of the song it seems like they are referring to the new life offered through Jesus. If that's the case, then these are not the days of Ezekiel.
Lastly, as for the days of David, David wanted to build a temple, but he didn't. It was his son Solomon who built a temple to God. God told David that he couldn't build a temple. I know David was a man of praise, but the temple reference suggests that David actually built a temple.
I realize that some believe that I'm over analyzing things. I don't think so. In the past 25 years or so, the Church in America has become incredibly lazy. We write praise songs to God that are supposed to be an offering of worship to him, but in reality all they are really is nothing more than fuzzy, feel good poems that offer God very little, but make us feel much better about ourselves. The theology behind many of them is so bad that a five year-old who has attended Sunday School her whole life has a deeper understanding of God. People usually don't think about such things, but if you really want to worship God you should. Worship is a lifestyle that isn't just about the body, but is about the mind, too.
"Days of Elijah" lyrics These are the days of Elijah Declaring the Word of the Lord, yes And these are the days of his servant, Moses Righteousness being restored And these are the days of great trial Of famine and darkness and sword So we are the voice in the desert crying Prepare ye the way of the Lord
CHORUS: Behold he comes Riding on a cloud Shining like the sun At the trumpet's call Lift your voice It's the year of jubilee And out of Zion's hill salvation comes
And these are the days of Ezekiel With dry bones becoming as flesh And these are the days of his servant, David Building the temple of praise, yes And these are the days of the harvest The fields are all white in the world And we are the laborers that are in your vineyard declaring the word of the Lord
CHORUS 2X Behold he comes Riding on a cloud Shining like the sun At the trumpet's call Lift your voice It's the year of jubilee And out of Zion's hill salvation comes
There's no God like Jehovah (x8--modulate) There's no God like Jehovah (x8--modulate) There's no God like Jehovah (x7)
Here's an entertaining and catchy dance song from DJ Pogo. All of the lyrics in his music are taken from a particular movie. He did this with some Disney songs and the Disney legal machine went into maximum overdrive. To avoid a lawsuit, DJ Pogo worked under contract for a year for Disney. During that time, his versions of all of his Disney stuff were unavailable except on Disney's sites. His contract recently came to an end and a lot of his stuff is now back up, but it can only be embedded from the official Disney locations. The Mouse just doesn't know when to stop does it? Anyway, here's his video "Upular" inspired by UP.
The David Crowder Band has written and produced some powerful worship songs. Unlike many contemporary worship songs, Crowder's songs usually are musically intricate, consisting of more than just a chorus and a few words. They also are also usually built upon sound doctrine instead of just the syrupy pseudo-spirituality of many Christian-pop tunes. Thanks to Jack Hager for directing me to this video by posting it on his blog. It's all about hope and most of it's done using Lite Brite animation.
It's amazing what you'll come across on the Internet. I came across this video yesterday because I'm a sucker for the Muppets, particularly Kermit the Frog. The video appears to be a homeless man performing to earn a little money.
In actuality, the "homeless man" is an actor and puppeteer who filmed the video with a filmmaker friend to raise awareness and money for homeless people. You can find an interview with the two men on the CNN website that gives the inside scoop. It's a great little video and it's easy to see why it's gone viral.
"Stand By Me" is my favorite song of all time. I'm also a huge fan of the Muppets. I came across this video today and loved it. It's hilarious. The Muppets are back and it's good to see.
My friend, Joel Hager, made a movie not long ago. It's a documentary about some very talented people recording an album in an old grain silo. The film is fairly short (a little over an hour) and looks gorgeous, so even if you don't enjoy watching documentaries you might actually enjoy this because it is short and the visual images are so beautiful. I think everyone should check it out. Also, if you like the movie you should buy the album.
I recently was introduced to the band OK Go by my youngest brother. I like the music, but I like their music videos even better. Below are two different music videos they've made for the same song. The first version has the band as a part of a massive marching band. The second is a giant Rube Goldberg device that was filmed without any cutting or editing in one shot. Simply amazing.
It's been over a year in development, but THE SILO PROJECT (the film and the album) are finally here. Two of the artists will be in St. Louis next weekend. Information listed below. If you're in the area, come on out!
