I went to my first Weird Al Yankovic concert a few weeks ago and his latest CD is “Mandatory Fun” This is a picture of the video screen that he used to provide clips of his career where he was having fun and to inspire his audience to have fun too.
Status Update
Sometimes I wonder if what I’m saying makes sense or is kind as it leaves my mouth? My foot finds itself in my mouth on occasion.
My Spoiler-Free Review of “Pete’s Dragon” (2016 Edition)
Pete’s Dragon is one of those classic Disney films that holds a special place in the hearts of many. It’s musical, heart-felt, loaded with old school animation. Most people my age remember seeing it in the theater and were happily entertained.
The new Pete’s Dragon doesn’t follow that blueprint. This is a reimagining. It deviates dramatically but tells the story of Elliot and his fire-breathing friend in a new way with soul, conflict and some social commentary. It has a great story set in what I think is the 1980’s, making it vintage much in the way the original did when it took us back to the early 1900’s.
Casting can make and break a movie and this film has superb talent such as Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban and the legendary Robert Redford. But the main focus is on newcomers Oakes Fegley who plays Pete and Oona Laurence who won a Tony Award for Matilda.
It is a movie I can recommend without reservation. Just a reminder this is not your dad’s “Pete’s Dragon” so go into it with an open mind, you will be rewarded for it.
In The Headlines, Beware of Clickbait
On Facebook we all have friends who post news clips and other posts from dodgy sources. A website with a strange name that just looks made up, more times than not those sites are clickbait that feature content of a sensational headlines. Usually they are meant to generate online advertising revenue. We have all fallen for those headlines that make us want to find out more because of an article that we find interesting. However, it can be frustrating when you visit those sites only to be disappointed by the content and also the massive amount of ads and further clickbait articles that takes you down a deeper hole. Be careful about where you click.
My philosophy is simple when posting news and other articles on my blog and on Facebook. If its a brand name like CBS, CNN, ABC, BBC, ITV, Huffington Post, The Independent, Buzz Feed, USA Today and the like I will share it. Anything that sounds just made up then you won’t see it from me. I will share articles from satire sites like The Onion or The Babylon Bee (a Christian satire site similar to the Onion). My site will feature shared links, video, embedded Tweets and other media. It’s important to vary the type of content I share.
In a world where we are so inundated with information you have to be careful. Reliable sources with a heritage of sharing accurate information is what you will find here. I owe it to you my fellow bloggers that if I am sharing the news and current events of the day that you can believe it. Clickbait is a nuisance and it can lead to someone being grossly misinformed. Use sites like Snopes and do a Google search to see if what you are looking at is indeed a true story.
Before you share an article, check its source. Some things are too good to be true and you might be padding someone’s advertising budget.
Congratulations Michael Phelps, The Greatest Of All Time
Farewell Tumblr Blogs 2011-2015. #tumblr #wordpress
Today I deleted two Tumblr blogs where I chronicled and curated the things in my life that are important to me. I was there from 2011 to 2015 and I created thousands of posts there. I am a sentimental person so this was a bittersweet thing for me. Sure I could have kept them around but it felt like the right thing to do. The smaller your digital footprint the better according to experts. Importing them to WordPress made the process an easier one. The more I use WordPress.com the more I like it. Friends I am glad to be among you and thank you for accepting me in this incredibly creative community.
You can check out those posts @ The Tumblr Years of Tony Burgess where you can learn more about my blogging past.
The Tony Burgess Blog 