acting, awards, critics, entertainment, family, oscars, theater

Meet Guest Blogger-Jarmila V. Del Boccio,


CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

I DREAMED A DREAM THAT THEY WON ALL!

AM I ON MY OWN IN THIS?

https://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Hugh-Jackman/dp/B00KKNMGRC

LES MIS SHOULD HAVE WON MORE OSCAR AWARDS!


At first, I was discontented. Well, okay, miserable. Only three awards out of eight possible? C’mon! Couldn’t the judges see the talent, energy, and pathos that went into the production?

Although I don’t usually watch the Oscars, I was curious to see how my favorite film of the year fared against the others.

Best supporting actress? Of course!

Best sound mixing? I agreed.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling? I saw that, too.


But, I wanted them to win all the awards. Then I settled down and realized there are other deserving actors/actresses, especially from other cultures who need a win as well.


Then, I got to thinking about our performance as Christians on the stage of life. Are we winning heavenly awards that will bring glory to God and not ourselves?



For instance (and I’m questioning myself) . . .


Best Leading Actor: Are men taking their roles as leaders seriously? How about church leaders? Or anyone for that matter, in a leading role?

Best Supporting Actress: Are you as a wife taking your God-given role seriously and supporting your man? Or, if you are a young person at home, are you supporting your parents? How about singles? Are you being a good friend, and honoring your boss (no matter what gender you are)? How about pitching in with the gifts God has given you in your local church? Congregations, are you bringing joy and not pain to your church leaders?

Directing: Let’s turn the tables — are you allowing God to direct your life, or are you taking charge?

Best Costume Design: Are you “putting off” the dirty garment of anger, lies, and filthy talk? And “putting on” the fresh, clean garment of kindness, humility and patience? (Colossians 3:3-14) Or, possibly, are you pretending to be someone you are not?

Best musical score: Is your life a symphony of comforting notes and scores that brings joy to those around you?

Visual effects — Does your countenance reflect your heart? Do your deeds reflect your relationship with the Creator?

Writing: Those of us who are authors, are we writing for the glory of God, or for a spot in the limelight?

Sound Editing: How is your tongue? Are you silencing those harsh or untrue words before they hurt others?

Cinematography: if you were to play your life back on the screen in a two-hour movie, how would the audience react at the end? Give it 5-stars? Cry at the tragedies that led to more tragedies without meaning? Laugh uproariously because its so true in your own life, a mirror that reflects your need to change?

I’d love to hear your ideas below in the comments!

So, I leave you with the musical performance of Les Misérables cast at the 2013 Oscars…now that deserved an award of its own! You can find the performance at 1:18

Of course, only God deserves our ultimate praise and worship, but, as we do our best in our work and life, we reflect God’s excellence:

“Praise him (God) for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.” Psalms 150: 2

Jarmila’s historical fiction The Heart Changer 💗 released April 26th.
Find it here: https://amzn.to/2SCcPnx

Author’s website ✍🏻: https://www.jarmdelboccio.com/





broadway, entertainment, family, oscars, theater

And the Oscar Goes To: Part Two or Are You Sure You Really Want To Do This?

When I last wrote I had no idea what our world was going to look like just a few short weeks later. I wish I could go back to a time when our biggest worries were what we were going to have to eat for dinner or which movie we were going to see. But time wasn’t on our side this time and instead our world is in complete chaos. If you aren’t worried about if you are going to get the virus, you are probably worried about your job, or how you are going to survive for the next eight weeks without going stir-crazy.

I wish I could say that I’m not worried, but that would not be true. I know that God holds us in His hands, but my reasoning and anxiety constantly argue with me and I have to continue to purposefully focus on God. In some strange way though, that’s a good thing, I think. We are supposed to keep our hearts and minds on Him and maybe…maybe this is necessary for us to humble ourselves and pray…pray for God to heal our land. Not just from sickness, but from lack of faith and from having other gods that we put before Him. Whatever the case, pray, my friends, and know that our God is faithful and His promises are true. Search for Him and you will find Him.

When we discussed Judy I talked about the real life Judy Garland and the troubled life she lead. I ached for Judy, but then I started to think of others.

Robin Williams, Margot Kidder, Marilyn Monroe, Freddie Prinze, Mark Salling, Kate Spade, Whitney Houston, Prince, Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Believe me, that is barely a drop in the bucket for the names you will find if you start googling this subject of famous people who have chosen sucicide or fought addictions or depression.

Is the rate of suffering from depression, anxiety or substance abuse higher if you are famous?

I have no idea. I haven’t studied this and in no way do I claim to be an expert.

However, these things I do know:

  1. We are more aware what happens to a person of influence because the news and social media keep us informed. Honestly, that might be part of why people who stumble across stardom have anxiety. They can never get away from us…the people who have the need to know every detail about them. The constant reporting can make it seem like the rate is higher than instances in the rest of the world.
  2. Stars and entertainers usually have the means to afford substance abuse more than the average person. We all know that money brings the ability to have many things–this particular ability can ruin and destroy even the innocent. These things are addicting, friends: they can ruin your life, your family, your pocketbook, your future. I am so thankful that I have never had that temptation.
  3. Really talented performers are able to tap into their emotions at a deeper level than most people. That is part of what makes their portrayal so brilliant! They are able to emphasize and pull reality from things they learn about or even have experienced themselves.
  4. They have to be”on” all the time. High stress environment and a demanding schedule seems to be a risk factor for the rest of the population. What about stardom? Pressure. Pressure. Pressure to perform at high levels added to the fact that they can never get away from it. Reporters, photographers, fans. How can they ever just let down, relax and enjoy life? There are many that are just searching for a way to escape! Think of what we enjoy by being able to enjoy places like Disney World? Liz Taylor among others solved that by having to rent Disney Land to herself after the park closed!

I don’t think I realized that the cost of Fame is that it’s open season on every moment of your life. –Julia Roberts

Let’s say that all the factors above don’t really cause addiction or depression. I’m pretty sure they at least make recovery harder.

Why do I say all of this?

I’m afraid. I see more and more people who have their eyes on the “prize of stardom.” I’m just not so sure that it’s the prize we sometimes think it is.

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you! Please take a moment to like or share or follow me!

Until next time!