Rolling Stone's Greatest Songwriters of All Time

 

I'm posting this because it is worth reading when you have time. While the rankings are highly debatable, the case is made for each one, and it is a very interesting article. 

100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time

rollingstone.com • 2 min read

My Novel 'Unicorn: A Love Story' is Now In a Goodreads Giveaway

 

My new novel Unicorn: A Love Story is now in a Goodreads Giveaway. 

The story focuses on three people and the love affair that happens between them. Edmund, the son of wealthy New York businessman, his wife Zoe, and a 19-year-old girl named Karina whom Edmund brings home to satisfy his wife’s request to explore a different kind of relationship. When Edmund tells his friend Jeff about it, Jeff says that Edmund has found a unicorn – a bisexual girl who wishes to have a sexual relationship with a man and a woman. Karina lays out the “rules” of the relationship that she expects Edmund and Zoe to follow. “First rule – there are no strings. I am here to please you both but not to love either of you. Rule number two – I don’t play favorites. I’m not going to become your mistress or Zoe’s bestie. Rule three – when I want out, I’m out, and you won’t see me ever again after that. Final rule – until then I sleep exclusively with the two of you and no one else.” Complications arise when both Zoe and Edmund don’t follow the rules.

We are giving away 20 copies of the book during the month of April. Please click the link below and get into the contest to get your free copy today. 

Goodreads Giveaway for Unicorn: A Love Story

My Author Interview on Pretty Hot

 Hello. Great news! My interview about my new book Unicorn: A Love Story and my other works is now available on Pretty Hot (Your Home for the Hottest Books). Please check it out at:

 https://pretty-hot.com/victor-lana/

Can You Be Too Old to Enjoy ‘Harry Potter’ Books and Films?

 

 Can you be too old to enjoy something? For a long time now, I have been hearing people say that Harry Potter books and films – the amazingly magical world created by JK Rowling – are only for young people. Yes, these wonderful stories do draw the attention of young people because of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and company being young students in a special school for wizards; however, there is more to this world than just young people growing up and experiencing the pangs of adolescence while coming into their magical powers.

Get Over It?

What got me starting to think about this more closely was when I read an article about actress Miriam Margolyes – who played Professor Sprout in the films – saying that adult fans should “grow up” and get “over it.” She was reacting to people having Harry Potter themed parties and weddings.

For a person who had a relatively small role in the films, it seems possible that her feelings come for not being the first person anyone thinks about when someone says, “Harry Potter.” I am not certain why she would want people who loved the books when they were younger not to continue loving them as adults, but obviously they have no intentions about getting over it.

Growing Up with Harry

I for one strongly disagree because I have seen my children grow up with the books and the films, and they still love them. For my older nieces and nephews (now in their mid-twenties to early thirties) they literally grew up with the characters. I recall them standing in long lines outside of Barnes and Noble waiting to buy the latest book to be released. It was an experience that stoked their love of literature, and they spent their days reading and not looking at their devices.

As for me, I read the books as my kids read them and then watched the films with them. Over the years we have had binge watches of the movies – usually during Christmas vacations. Each viewing of the series brings greater respect for the actors and directors who loving brought Rowlings’ creation to life. There is at the core of the stories a heart that is bigger than Hogwarts and love that is so enduring that it brings a glow that radiates happiness.

Adults Can Relate

We adults have plenty of characters we can relate to in the books and films. I, for one, enjoyed Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman in the films) and appreciated his fatherly approach to helping Harry (Daniel Radcliffe). I could understand how emotional he felt and protective of the Boy Who Lived, and was very sad about what happened to him.

Adults can find themselves in some form or other in Professors Dumbledore, Slughorn, McGonagall, Lupin, and Ron's parents Arthur and Molly Weasley as well as others who are loving or kind. We see shades of ourselves in them and recognize the ones who treat the younger characters the way they should be treated.

We love to hate Snape (until he redeems himself), Lestrange, Malfoy, Pettigrew, and most of all Voldemort. This gives us a rich base of characters that act in very adult ways, but they also give children a window into human nature and a better understanding about adults – in the wizarding world and in daily life.  

Enduring Themes

I will always be a Harry Potter fan – and I dare say so will my children and hopefully their children. Harry Potter’s enduring themes are about living life well and treating others well; it is also a story of good versus evil, doing what is right and not wrong, and how love is at the core of all that is happens in our lives.

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that they are too old for Harry Potter. They are leaving behind something that delights all ages and brings a spark from a magic wand that illuminates what is meaningful in life.  

 Take a look at the cast revealing moments they love and hate in the films.

    

Does It Matter if One of the World's Most Iconic Images Was Staged?

 

Does it matter if one of the world's most iconic images was staged? Think of the American Marines planting the flag after taking the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in 1945. The first time was unrehearsed, but Marine Corps Lt. Col. Chandler Johnson thought that the flag should be a bigger one. Thus, a second snap of the men putting the larger flag in the soil on Mount Surbachi was taken. All these years later, the image remains iconic without most people knowing or caring about the details. 

Or what about the famous Times Square photo of a Navy sailor planting a kiss on a nurse on V-J Day?  The snap is the stuff that dreams are made of. George Mendonsa (on leave from serving in the Pacific) was overwhelmingly thrilled that the war was over. To celebrate, he took hold of Greta Zimmerman-Friedman (a dental assistant from Queens and not a nurse as has been long assumed) and gave a her a smooch that would go down in history. Photographer Alfred Eisenstadt confirmed that this was totally impromptu and not staged. 

We appreciate the Marines in a somewhat orchestrated second photo and the sailor and the dental assistant in a verified candid image in a very public place. They remind people of moments from history that were important and worth celebrating. People who love these images aren't concerned with whether they were staged or not but more with how the images make them feel.

But there is another iconic image that is not what it seems to be. "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" is an enduringly iconic picture that I have seen in bars, restaurants, stores, doctors' offices, and even in places overseas. It is easily one of the most famous images in photographic history; however, it was not taken by chance by a daring photographer above New York City – it was staged. It and other images of the same men were taken for publicity..

The men were real ironworkers who agreed to take the photos. These guys were really having lunch, but not necessarily doing their daily routine on a beam on top of what would become 30 Rockefeller Center high above the street courting death. They agreed to do it, and the photo was published in the Herald Tribune in October 1932 at the height of the Depression. 

The image seemed to strike a chord with those who were laborers and those who wished they had a job in that struggling economy. It rings of hope for something bigger than ourselves, something lasting and significant. Those 11 men did not know that their faces would become famous and, sadly, none of the men in the picture or the photographer who took it are known to history.  

It matters little now if the picture was staged or not. Its legacy is that it has stood the test of time and has indelibly captured the essence of bravery and endurance, just as the second image of the Marines planting the flag means more about courage and good defeating evil, so the details matter little now. And the sailor and nurse's kiss in the Crossroads of the World, while impromptu, reaffirms the concepts of romance and hopefulness at the end of a terrible war. 

So, let's enjoy these images for what they are instead of what they are not. They are memorable because they strike a chord of humanity in a world that oftentimes seems inhumane.       

 

Best Moment of the Oscars: Ryan Gosling Sings "I'm Just Ken"

 

It was the 96th Oscars or Academy Awards or whatever they are called. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the show was like it is every year: too long. 

The truth for me is that I haven't seen most of the movies that are nominated except Barbie, Society of the Snow, and Wonka. Honestly, I watch this show because I have always watched it, but mostly because something might happen like the streaker running behind David Niven. They gave us John Cena naked but with essential coverage that was slightly better than a fig leaf.

I enjoyed Billie Eilish's (an older brother Finneas) performance of "What I was Made For" from the Barbie movie. I thought, "Okay, the highpoint of the night."

Then along comes Barbie's sometimes significant other Ken, or should I say Ryan Gosling playing his role from the film and singing "I'm Just Ken." It was one of those moments that become legendary and you know it as it is happening. Throw in a solo from Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie's son), and this was a powerfully entertaining performance. It is probably the best Oscar moment in many years.

Who won? Just like last year's Super Bowl, I really don't remember, and I don't feel bad about that. 

So, take a few minutes and watch the video. Like popcorn, it is very addictive. I bet you watch more than once! Enjoy.  

"The Road to Nowhere" : My New Story in Contest on Reedsy Prompts

My new short story, "The Road to Nowhere," is now in the weekly contest on Reedsy Prompts. Each week new prompts are given to generate ideas for writers. It's a great premise that I have participated in before. And the prize is $250 for the winning story!

Please check out my story now, and if you are so inclined please like it.

Thanks and happy reading!