Let’s get right into it (click on titles for links)…

Documentaries:

Leaving Neverland

Like most children of the 80’s, I was a big Michael Jackson fan.  Up until recently, hearing his music on the radio sparked joy, even knowing there were rumblings about his predilections and strange behavior. All of that didn’t really affect how I felt about his songs.  WHY NOT??  I think we were all so innocent and naïve that it overshadows everything from that period – we excuse it by saying it was a simpler time.  It was a simpler time because we didn’t live in a world where we knew of all the bad things that could and were happening.

Yesterday, a song of his came on and I immediately turned the station.  Obviously, I don’t know for sure what, if anything, he did to all those young boys he slept alongside for all those years.  But really, it can’t be good, right? People counter the authenticity of this doc with “why now?”  If these two men are telling the truth, per them, they just couldn’t bury it any more.

This two part (two hour each part) documentary is very persuasive, very thorough and very, very disturbing.

 

Surviving R. Kelly

HOW IS THIS MAN NOT IN JAIL????  I don’t really know what else to say.  In this case, how can there be doubt?  Here are dozens of women speaking their truth, they are identified as survivors, which they are.  This man is a pedophile, a misogynist and a monster.  And still, his fan support is unwavering. One of the psychologists interviewed explains this phenomenon by saying artists are attached to our memories and our love of music.  We don’t want to let go of this love so we minimize what we don’t want to know.  It’s easier to believe that it’s not true.

This six part (one hour each part) documentary series left me flabbergasted, appalled and so angry for these girls/women.

 

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

Let me begin by saying that I didn’t really love this documentary.  I do try to only talk about things I love and recommend those but I’m mentioning this because I think the topic is fascinating.

Elizabeth Holmes became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire (19!) by coming up with an invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing.  She had the support and funding from men even I’ve heard of, secured a deal with Walgreens (which put Theranos in their stores) and even got FDA approval.  But guess what – her product NEVER worked!!

I would like to have learned more about her; how she grew up, what her friends and family thought she was like, how she became who she is, but that’s not covered here.  A friend was reading the book on her, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou – maybe that’s the way to go?  Or you can wait for the just announced Hulu limited series starring SNL’s Kate McKinnon.  Or the possible feature film supposedly starring Jennifer Lawrence.  So many options.

 

Podcast:

The Daily

I am very new to podcasts but a friend of a friend suggested this one and I am hooked.  Every weekday morning, Michael Barbaro informs on a different topic for about 20 minutes.  He speaks with a knowledgeable guest on that topic, usually a New York Times journalist, and they go in depth enough that I actually understand current events.  Subjects have recently included a possible cure to HIV, a Russian assassin’s story, explaining the Boeing crashes, the family that built its fortune on OxyContin, the Mueller Report, etc. I find it fascinating and helpful, and am now often able to hold my own in social dinner conversations!

 

Books:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

This book I did not read, but rather listened to on audio book.  I have realized that this is not my preferred method in completing a book but I chose to listen in this case because Michelle Obama is the one reading.

No matter your political stance, this is a great book and she is truly an admirable person.  It is not a political book; it is a recounting of her life – as a child/daughter/student/lawyer/girlfriend/wife/mother and ultimately First Lady.   She tried to do actual good while in the White House – focusing on children’s nutrition and bringing that to the public consciousness.  It is inspiring and well written. I feel like I know her, and I like her a lot.

 

Commercial

Another example of someone who has done good things in real life is Dwyane Wade.  Watch this commercial from Budweiser and make sure to have a tissue handy.

 

Game of Thrones

This blog post was focussed on real life not fantasy, but I must acknowledge the coming of Winter. If you haven’t watched every episode of Game of Thrones, I just heard it would take about 2 days and 15 hours plus.  If you need a little refresh and don’t have the time to re-watch all 67 episodes, click here because Entertainment Weekly has recapped them all for you.

 

Song of the Blog:

My 15 year old loves Billie Eillish.  I’m not totally sold but I do like the song “ocean eyes.”  She is 17 and is the first artist born in the 2000s to hit No. 1, with the release of her debut album so Mazels to her.  If you’d like to read a little about her click on her name above.  If you’d like to hear the song, click here.

 

Thanks for reading!