Photo LinkLove

The show on E!

It’s sad watching this couple  and thinking about their situation.  Beth has been a loyal follower of the program for some time and I have watched it with her once in awhile.  It seemed like a fairly harmless documentary kind of program about a family dealing with some explosive growth in the size of  their family.

As in one day they had two children and the next day they had eight!  Multiple births gone wild.  How in the world is this possible?  I’m just in awe really when you consider that a human being was able to carry around all these kids for months.

Amazing.  And then they decided to go along with the television exec’s and have a television show.  So the fame and fortune started to roll in and now their relationship has broken down and is need of major repair.

So what should happen now?   Well the cameras should go away for awhile while John and Kate try to remember what it was like to have a relationship with each other that didn’t involve scripts, books, makeup artists, talk show hosts, book tours and ratings.

And why do they need to continue with the book tour now?  Everybody knows about the book.   The buzz turned into a major shock wave about a week ago and engulfed the nation.   So maybe the couple can spend some time together without the cameras for awhile and get to know each other again.  Or have some therapy.  In private.

Except, of course, if there are contracts they signed that prevent them from doing this?  Is that possible?   I don’t know.  Maybe there are contracts that include agreements that say they can’t even talk about the contracts.   So, in fact, they are being held hostage by the television execs while their lives disintegrate around them.

Maybe.

Kate’s sister seems to be saying that the children are being exploited by the television executives.  Because it’s clear that they didn’t sign anything agreeing to be on television and watching their parents dissolve in tears and disputes while they watch.  She seems to be asking for someone in the government to step in and help them deal with the people who have done this.  Good luck!  The government is busy trying to save the nation from financial collapse right now.  GM just went bankrupt.  A couple with eight young children is not going to get much time in such a  global environment.

So the young couple is pretty much on their own in this regard.   And I don’t want to watch them deal with the pain of their marriage breaking up (if it happens).   It’s such an awful pain.  It’s like watching someone ball up in agony after their calf muscle bunched up.  Why would anybody want to watch that?

What would I do in a situation like this?  Well I would probably clam up just like John.  You want to make a show?  Fine.  Here’s my contribution. . .

Crickets in the woods.  I would try to kill the show somehow.   It’s an invader.  It’s a monster and it threatens my young.  Sorry if it looks like I’m being rude to my wife but sometimes you have to gird up and go to war.  So I would give the show the major silent treatment.  And I would destroy all the happy delusions that make it such a hit in living rooms across the nation every week.

See our happy family going to the shopping mall?  See me with a proverbial blow torch ruining that lovely scenario.   And that may be what he is  doing.  Of course everybody is going to watch for awhile.   The explosion will draw a lot of viewers.  But in a month or two there really is not going to be much to see.  Most of the stuff we have been watching for years now will be gone.  Changed forever.   Is their a market for a show about  two single parents with eight kids?  I tend to doubt it.   It’s too painful to watch.

Dad will have put it out of business.  Contracts notwithstanding.

Men!  We can be violent beasts sometimes can’t we?   We just don’t want to go along with the program when it’s hurting the ones we love.

Sue and her husband, David, are traveling around the country in a small RV and taking photos while documenting some of their experiences.  It’s fascinating to follow their progress.   Sue is a photographer and David is a painter.

They are free spirits  and they are putting ideas in my aging chrome domium about doing this sort of thing.   I’ve been working on Beth and finding some receptive territory to explore.

Here’s the location to follow along.   I wish them well and hope all their travels are safe.   Sue comments here from time to time and she is someone you should get to know.

http://sues-daily-photos.blogspot.com/

Here are Andrea Bocelli and David Foster messing around a little bit on stage.   Andrea does a couple of popular songs in English and jokes around.  It’s a different perspective on this amazing artist and wonderful person.

He’s one of my heroes.  No doubt or surprise  there.

I thought some of you who have not seen and heard it would enjoy spending a few moments with this video.

And here is a video of Andrea singing Music of the Night.   I have been looking for a good copy of him singing this for a long time.   Thanks to whoever arranged for it to finally appear on YouTube.     If  it only works in a disjointed way  I suggest clicking on it and going to the YouTube site.  It seems to work there much better.

These things often go away on YouTube so I would be grateful if you let me know if this one (or any video) no longer performs so I can remedy the situation.

Update:   It’s such a shame but someone does want to fight over Andrea’s music and this video is now no longer available.  However I did find another copy of it.   This one includes several of the songs he has done in English including the one previously seen in this post.

In my mind it is worth listening to them again and adding to the experience with several others including Music of the Night.  Hopefully a recording of the entire song will become available in the future.

What a week!  Life can be so challenging sometimes.  Not in a way that involves crises or shock or pain.  But just in ways that jangle the nerves.

I was in the dentist’s chair again two days ago and my favorite dental assistant Tracy who I have known for probably twenty years now had to listen as I croaked out “I need a vacation”.  That’s not a pretty sight when you have the laughing gas gizmo strapped to your face.   I have had a soft spot in my heart for Tracy for many years now and can’t really imagine anyone else being there when I take these little trips to laughing gas heaven.

And then the weather was a challenge this week.  In one day it went from freezing pavement and trees weighted down with ice to a pretty nice day and then to premature darkness, wind and cold rain.   I was out and about doing things in all this mess.  Although retired I have activities that keep me from spending the time with photography that I would like to spend.

But all that will change this summer.  And then we will see how far I can take my photography yearnings and talents.   I would have loved to have spent yesterday taking photos of the changing conditions.  Ice mixed with fog.  Trees bent over in flashing moments of glory.
But more mundane concerns prevented me from doing it. This will soon change.

And finally my lovely wife Beth has emerged online.  It’s all part of the Facebook thing and the growing group of family and friends who have been brought together by it.    I’m loving Facebook  because I’m learning things about people I love and feeling closer to them.   It’s a tribal meeting place and the fire is in our hearts.   The flames flicker at night as my monitor paces through its screen savers.  And this. . .

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see Beth in the midst of this.   She and her parents have put together a video for a music contest sponsored by CBS.  I asked her if it would be alright if I shared it with my readers and she said “Yes”!

She actually wrote and arranged this song.   If you enjoy it please consider giving it a positive response.   In the past week it has risen from  over 100 to 18th place based on the number of favorites it has captured.

http://www.cbseyemobile.com/users/gibson2play/channel/item/49208

My dear friend Robin Easton has been making videos lately.   And there are no copyright issues where she is concerned.  Ninety percent of Youtube may disappear tomorrow but Robin can sleep soundly (as I’m sure she does) knowing that she is totally responsible for her original and  delightful videos and music.

This one is just plain fun.   What can I say about it?  Here is a wonderful woman who is intelligent, charming and full of laughter.   And here is a child who is having more fun than many children on this snow filled day.

If my stats flatline tomorrow and never are revived I will always consider blogging to have been a great adventure and success because Robin showed up one day.

Webster’s needs to have a photo of her under the definition of  joy.

Actually I have a granddaughter whose name is Joy.  When she is older and learns to read I will definitely share this video with her and also the email of Robin Easton.

Children love Robin.  I can’t begin to imagine why!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiDVBynAKxc