P.S. to Hollywood

Hey, Hollywood, sorry if I seemed too harsh in that last blog. I’ll forgive you all the mindless blockbusters and constant stream of shoot-‘em-ups and excessive, excessive violence, I’ll forgive you John Wayne and Chuck Norris and the like, because, by God, you gave us Meryl Streep. I just heard her eloquent, courageous and truthful speech at the Golden Globes and looked out at the sea of diverse faces and …well, it gave me hope.

Maybe let’s take a break from the gratuitous violence and sex just to feed the reptilean brain stems of the masses, lay back on the dumb comedies that don’t seem so funny, because real life is exceeding fantasy with the next mass shooter, terrorist attack and casual nuclear threats coming up, with our mean-spirited “leader” making fun of the disabled. Keep leaning toward that noble work of helping us feel the humanity of the “other,” even if it makes less money for you. Consider giving people what they need, a lift up into the higher realms of thinking and feeling, instead of what they think they want, more titillation and sensation and excuses not to think. Give us less special effects and more affective stories that confirm that each of us is special when we meet our humanity head on. Heck, just listen to Meryl and follow her lead.

And don’t forget to include better jazz pianists in the next musical. J