
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but man….so many people are putting so much great stuff online that I’m not getting done all the things I thought I would get done during my stay-at-home time because I’m watching so much great stuff! A privileged problem, I know…
Seriously, I truly appreciate how many people are putting out free content to keep us engaged, entertained, educated, and uplifted while we are staying socially distant. This blog is my attempt to contribute to that global effort, in its own small way. But others who have bigger content, for which they could earn a lot of money, are putting a lot online for free to help us get through these difficult times.
So a few of our free choices this Friday include:
As I’ve written about before, Andrew Lloyd Webber is releasing one of his musicals each weekend for us to watch for free. This weekend, it is not exactly a musical; it is a performance for his 50th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a compilation of his greatest hits (up until 1998, at least) performed by stars such as Antonio Banderas (looking very HOT), Sarah Brightman, Glenn Close, Elaine Page, Michael Ball, Donny Osmond, Kiri Te Kanawa…the list goes on and on. Watch the trailer below
Here on the US East Coast, if you want to listen to two hours of Sir Andrew’s music, it is available from 2:00 PM Eastern time Friday, May 1 until 2:00 PM Sunday, May 3 for FREE. However, they do invite you to donate to these worthy causes:
Donate to NHS Charities COVID19 Appeal: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/… Donate to these worthwhile arts causes: UK: http://actingforothers.co.uk/ US: https://broadwaycares.org/ Australia: https://www.actorsbenevolentfund.org.au/
You can access it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqKH-gLoDbQ.
Another video opportunity that is available all weekend (albeit not for free) is The New York Times film critics who are hosting a virtual viewing party to revisit Spike Lee’s masterful 1989 film, Do the Right Thing. They are inviting everyone to watch Lee’s ground-breaking (at the time) portrayal of racial tensions and violence in a Brooklyn neighborhood and send in comments about how it has held up after 30 years.
Here is the trailer for the movie:
You can find where you can stream the movie (charges may apply) at: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/do-the-right-thing
Then you have until 6:00 PM Eastern Time to post your comments at:
I know a lot of people are looking for a bit more escapist fare that a movie about race riots and police harassment. In that case, might you prefer this movie?
This 2016 MULTIPLE award winning (although not unfortunately the Academy Award’s Best Picture prize, although it was erroneously announced as such on air) romantic musical film is this week’s pick for Lionsgate Film’s FREE movie streaming event in it’s Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies series. Hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis and guests, while there is no charge for the movie, Lionsgate invites viewers to support the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation in providing financial assistance to theater employees furloughed by the COVID-19 crisis. To support this effort, text DONATE to 91099 or visit http://www.lionsgate.live/donate
La La Land will begin at 6 PM Pacific Time/9 PM Eastern Time. You can access it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45q1HEbI3bE
Here in Raleigh, we are having another Virtual First Friday, starting with a Dance Party at 5:30pm at www.FirstFridayRaleigh.com with DJ Amha broadcasting a LIVE set from his home studio, followed by multiple videos of musicians, artists, wine tastings, virtual gallery tours, and suggested art activities. So you can get your own dance moves in before settling in to watch Ryan and Emma get their groove on.
In between, you might want to pick up food at your local Mexican restaurant and enter a contest to have Jose Cuervo pick up the tab (details are containing in yesterday’s post, which you can see here).
Enjoy your weekend!