Too much, Too Little

I’ve recently read an article about James Franco, which posed the question, “What, Exactly, Is James Franco Doing?” In the article, it talks about his many works in the arts, such as acting, teaching classes, he’s in a band, writes short stories, but because of all his ambitious endeavors, it has left him with a “lack of definition.” He’s done so much, that you wonder just exactly who he is and what he is doing.

I like James Franco. This article made me think about him and his achievements, yet I never really thought about ‘lack of definition’. His movies range from blockbusters to artsy, independent films. He reaches to great lengths to stretch out and embrace his likes. But really, who is James Franco? What mold does he fit into? Would we be surprised with anything else he attempts to do? For me, I’d have to say I wouldn’t be amazed. James Franco hasn’t defined himself as an actor, band member, writer, teacher, so I somewhat lost interest in his continued new attempts in the arts.

Too much, too little. It made me think about writers and genres. If a writer spreads s/he wings and ventures out into several writing styles, do they lack definition? Will readers find it difficult to connect with the author, therefore discouraging interest in their writings?

In some cases, spreading yourself too thin can cause an over-the-top reaction—an undefined overachiever. With writers, I think attempting new styles of writing, such as screenwriting, poetry, and short stories, only enhances their achievements and makes us wonder about other possibilities. It’s a great thing for a writer to move outside their comfort zone and try new genres. Sometimes writing within one genre style can become one-dimensional. Then again, some writers want to be genre-defined. I think other styles of writing help spark the muse, and bring the writer to new levels. A writer showing diversity demonstrates to readers that they are not afraid to experiment, and experiment alone heightens interest because of the unknown—shifting away from the cliché and mundane writing styles of so many.

What do you think? Is too much, too little for writers, or does diversity spark more interest?

Too much and Definition,
Bea

Childhood Transformations

Early, early this morning (Chicago’s morning), my mom and I were talking on Yahoo Messenger and she happened to tell me that an old neighbor of ours had a picture taken on the red carpet with Scarlett Johansson at the Oscars. Since I don’t watch those award shows, I did a search and lo and behold, there he was arm-in-arm with her. The site also had a link to Jane Fonda’s blog and his picture was there too.

And you know what? It made me feel old. Looking at the picture of Joe Machota, or Jo Jo as we use to call him, which he hated, doesn’t even look like the Joe I remember. When he was young, he resembled Danny Pintauro from “Who’s the Boss?” but Joe was cuter. I remember squeezing his cheeks because he was so adorable…on his face, people! Who would have thought blond hair Jo Jo would now be a Hollywood agent? It got me thinking about childhood and children in general. When you look at children, they’re just children and the future isn’t visible—grown up jobs or fame for that matter. Now I look at Joe’s picture and think about the years that have passed since childhood.  There are a few people from high school I knew who are successful in Hollywood, but Joe was young and lived across the street from us. I was the same age as his sister, Jolie. In time, they moved and our lives went their separate ways. Now I’ll be watching my niece and nephews and little cousins closely to try and see what grown up job lives inside them.

But I miss childhood. We lived on a dead-end street, so the park was right next door and there was a huge field to play softball, baseball, etc. Back then, we actually played outside, getting dirty for hours. As we got older, my mom had us try out for a play in the summer, where I was usually in the chorus. It kept us occupied and out of trouble. I was horrible at acting and I hated it, but my mom put us in plays in grammar school and then made me do something in high school. She said I wasn’t going to just sit around and do nothing. So I joined the plays in high school until my *ahem* attitude got in the way. In my second year, the theater director pulled me out of class and told me that if they let me in the play, it will be a test on my attitude, and if I’m not, don’t bother trying out again. Oh yeah, good times.

Thinking back on childhood, even though at the time I didn’t know it, I actually had a great time. No worries. No toys to get in the way. No keep up with the Joneses. It was pure fun and adventure—kids running up and down the streets, or riding bikes, or playing in front yards.

What do you miss most about childhood?

P.S. And cereal. I really loved eating cereal...but not in the same room with my brother. He always sounded like a train. Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries was my favorite.