Twenty- five Seven

Birdman – Beyond the Masked Crusader

March 4, 2015
Yesterday, after almost six months, Jo and I went to a movie. It was a late evening show of “Birdman” playing at Inox, a multiplex in a multistoried building that literally has you going up in circles to park your car. Frankly, this narrow winding route to the top gives me the shivers but since this movie won the Oscar for the Best Picture (2015), I thought it worth risking the palpitations I’d have to face while making the dizzying, downward, spiral journey on the way back.

I’m probably the last person on this planet watching this movie so perhaps a recap of the story is irrelevant. However, for those who like me, this movie traces the angst of a down and out Hollywood actor Riggen Thomson, who is now making a comeback via a Broadway production of a story by Raymond Carver whose handwritten note praising Riggen’s performance in a High School production had a deep on Riggen’s choice of career.

Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Riggen is nothing short of brilliant as are the other actors. Billed as a dark comedy, I didn’t really find anything remotely funny despite some very clever lines, jibes at the virtual world and the “walk in the underpants” scene that Riggan has to go through in order to re-enter the theatre after he accidentally locks himself out, but I was disturbed by the constant badgering by Riggen’s alter-ego the Birdman to give up his Broadway dream and go back to Hollywood where he really belongs. The film has some stunning special effects but the story is pretty much stereotypical : a fading star making a last stab at stardom, a faithful friend, an estranged wife, a daughter who is back from rehab, an acerbic theatre critic and other actors with their insecurities and neuroses.

The narrative is slick and engaging despite the violent outbursts of temper that Riggen is prone to, and, of course, the language which can get too foul to handle. Frankly the end (which was hardly surprising considering Riggen’s paranoia) came as a relief.

I’m linking this post to WriteTribe ProBlogger Challenge
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Best Picture ‘Birdman’ Flying Back to 1,000 Theaters (Exclusive)(thewrap.com)
Will linking up strengthen your presence in the blogosphere?

March 3, 2015
Blogging, blogging every day and still a mark to make?

If you are an accidental blogger like me, one who has been plodding despite a meagre following of 35 and a paltry figure of 100 hits per month, you must extremely optimistic ( like me) or foolish ( again like me) to think that one day your blog will make a difference and you continue to blog regardless.

If like me you one day realise the futility of writing in the virtual world despite several reassurances from Rhonda Byrnes that the Universe will one day listen to you, you must have also gone through several tutorials about how to increase the traffic to your blog, how to engage more visitors to your blog, how to monetize your blog and hundreds of other ideas on how to make blogging more worthwhile and lucrative.

Birds of a feather flock together

One of the popular ways of increasing traffic is to get on a blog hop – the idea being an expansion of the adage “Birds of a Feather Flock together” and posting your blog on a site that is hosting other blogs of a similar vein will automatically drive more traffic to your site. Now that seems like a magic formula , the last straw to clutch after you’ve discovered that your “general” blog doesn’t have as much appeal (because let’s face it you are a faceless, nobody) as a “niche” blog (because you’re not that much of an expert either!) you find that despite all the rules you’ve been following, you are just not generating much traffic. So what is the next best option? To link up with others of the same genre. That way, if nothing, you will at least make blogging a fun, interactive activity rather than something that often leaves you disappointed and disheartened.

Look before you leap

But linking up in itself is not without its pitfalls. Very often, bloggers rush into link-ups without realising that there are rules that you have to follow. Be warned that linking up your blog on a blog post that invites others requires you to visit other blogs, comment on them and show them the courtesy that you would expect from them.

Image source

I would advise all bloggers who think they are ready to join up a platform of like-minded bloggers to first read

#MicroblogMondays 27 – Linkup Etiquette 101

by LAUREL REGAN on MARCH 2

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Awfully awesome and terribly terrific

March 2, 2015

I was walking out of the house feeling ten feet tall – quite a feat for someone like me who barely stretches out five feet from head to toe. No, I wasn’t walking on stilts but in my new heels, this time slightly higher than the three-inch stilettos I normally love wearing and red, redder than red to grab your eyeballs. Yes they were my spanking new heels that I’d been eyeing for a while that I finally managed to get in my size. To celebrate my new shoes, I teamed them up with a new dress that I was particularly proud of because it was my first ever creation as a fashion designer. I’m not exactly a fashion designer, I’m actually just an ordinary person who imagines she’s a chef one day and comes up with a chocolate cake to die for, photographer the next with a photograph that would put Raghu Rai to shame, an artist who would give Ara a complex and on some days an assistant to Versace.

So this was my green chiffon bustier that flowed into a skirt, just skimming the top of my ankles to reveal those ever so gorgeous shoes! My hair bounced in curls around my shoulder, and with my slim, cross body handbag kissing my hips, I knew I was too overdressed for a walk around the colony. But this was not an ordinary walk, It was a trial run to see what effect my new look had on the world.

No sooner did I step out than the pesky dogs from next door began to bark. Not a good response I thought but didn’t let their yaps bother me. A few steps later a Maruti zoomed past and then a head came out turning around to see the vision it had just passed. Encouraged by this open response to my new look I marched on ahead, confident that I’d be turning more heads than just the one.

Old Mr.Pande who was watering his roses in the front suddenly put down the gardening hose and came up to the gate. ” Looking awful beta,” he said grinning and I was shocked. This was far from the compliment I was looking forward to! Seeing my bewildered expression, he fumbled and said, ” Sorry, I mean to say you are looking terrible!”

Now more shocked than ever, I was about to turn back in a huff when I heard his daughter say,”Papa you mean awesome isn’t’ it? And terrific ?”

“Yes, yes, indeed,” said the old man and looked gratefully at his daughter for covering up his gaffe.

I am linking this post to Write Tribe ProBlogger challenge

and World Compliment Day