Hollywood

WILL YOU, OR DID YOU WATCH?  Watch what, you ask. Oh, the red carpet event this Sunday evening.  AKA the "Oscars". Some of you will. Some of us won't.  When I was a young man, even a little older man, I used to enjoy going to the movies.  They were good stories that you could watch and enjoy and maybe even remember, if it was a particularly impressive movie. 
Even the "night" scenes were filmed with a filter over the lens or with enough light that you could see what was happening. Now, they seem to be filmed in the dark, even the day light scenes.  At least the TV shows are and the movie trailers that are shown on TV.  I guess they are so bad, they don't want you to know what is going on.  And most of the TV shows are so vulgar and suggestive, and the movie trailers are the same, that I don't even want to see them any way.  Dark or not. So, whoever wins the Oscar's this weekend, I just have to wonder if they even know what they won for, or was they told in the light before filming in the dark. I'm just glad I won't be around long enough to see the final chapter of this earth's demise, and I fear for those of you who might be. I can only hope that all those in the media who foster the celebrity of those who are in the entertaining arts or the sports figures who are held up as Hero's some day come to realize that the bulk of these people have a very low moral code.  And I hope that those of us who idealize them come to realize that also, before we become numb to the real values and think that their values are OK, thus leading the country further down the immoral path that it now seems to be on.  And THAT'S THE RANT FROM THE DITCH BANK.

Dancing?

WHY WOULD YOU EVEN WANT TO?  Dance?  No, most of all of us like to dance.  But why would  you want to do the "new dance craze of the week?"  Or the month? or whatever the time frame may be.  The latest craze is a take off of the gangnam style called the Harlem Shuffle.  I looked up gangnam style and it has a couple of different spellings, so if you disagree with the one I used, bear with me.  Regardless of the spelling, why would any one want to do either one of these dances and say they were dancers. Well, OK, apparently there are many who would, and do. As I, in my waning years look back on the dances that I have known, and those I have known about, I will take a few lines and comment about a few of them, according to my limited knowledge of them.   One dance that comes to mind is the Can Can.  Never did it, but I saw it performed in a movie or two.  Back when they made movies in the daylight. But that's a different blog. Of course, the can can was banned is many places and called a vulgar dance.  And then there is the waltz.  The Waltz, you say.  Yes, when it came about it was also banned in some circles. No touching your partner, or something.  I like waltz tunes and the waltz dance, even though I was never a smooth waltz dancer.  And the jitter bug.  It wasn't an accepted dance when it came about either.  I like the jitter bug and enjoyed many hours of dancing this dance over the years.  Decades, even. Don't remember that the country western two step received any unfavorable press, and it is still a popular dance in the western venue.  And then in the 50's, the 1950's that is, there came the bop.  Never learned how to do the bop very good, either.  While it was a popular dance, there was a dirty version, called, appropriately, the Dirty Bop, that I never learned at all.  And it was a scandalous dance for that time.  Heck it might even be a scandalous dance even today.  Naw, probably not.  Of course, there is the clog and square dances, which I like very much and did a lot of in my younger life. Now there are line dances, and a return of ballroom dancing.  And I won't even mention the polka, and a lot of the dances that are on the show  Dancing with the Stars.  Much of what I don't call dancing, but just moping the floor with the woman.  Now, back to my opening. All this having been said, I still can't see much use in either of the dances mentioned in the opening statement.  What's wrong with taking your partner in your arms and dancing.  As in the waltz, or the two step, or even the "Put your little foot" for crying our loud.  If you want to get on a floor and shake every thing out of your pockets or put your back out of shape, go to a gym.  And THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK.