The former I brewed myself.
The latter was a headline cooked up by an AP writer on Yahoo's homepage.
"Kids try to bury big family secret in 'Yosemite'..."
Being, simultaneously, sentimentally attached to many of our national parks and naturally, even morbidly, inclined, along with my fellow mere mortals, to enjoy a modest modicum of murderous mayhem in the morning, I laid into that link and braced myself a little for what I was sure would be a prurient presentation of patricide.
Only to discover that the advertised "kids" "family" and "secret", et al were merely components of a new off-Broadway production entitled....wait for it....
...'Yosemite'.
Okay, having worked in, and around, the creative arts for most of my life, I'm as totally down as down can be with the concept of marketing a piece, be it musical or theatrical and whatever little tricks or gimmicks one might employ to get the attention of the already mentally overloaded mass audience.
And having done what some would offer was way more than my fair share of radio through the years, I'm not only hip to, but, if I do say so myself, pretty damn accomplished at what is colloquially known as "the tease".
So, while I wasn't particularly bunged about having been mistaken about my initial impression of what that headline would reveal, a couple of pickable bones did make an appearance.
First, I really do like a well executed tease as much as the next guy.
The key phrase there is "well executed".
This one seems to have reached just a teeny weeny bit over the line marked "reaching".
And even allowing for the little "wink wink" that provided a clue in the headline, the placing of the word 'Yosemite' in quotation marks indicating that all was not going to be what it was "advertised" to be, I'd still vote for "reaching" when it came to the aforementioned well executed "tease".
Second, I'm not familiar with the writer here, Jennifer Farrar, except that she, obviously, writes for the Associated Press, but having re-read the piece a time or two, my honest impression of her editorial style is that she is either...
a) ...writing her "reviews" while distracted by a phone call, TV program or fire drill.
b) ...writing her "reviews" by typing while she reads right out of a book entitled "1001 Cliche Theatrical Review Phrases".
c) ...the most promising talent to be found in her eighth grade journalism class.
d) ...all of the above
Third, whatever else the advent of the Internet has, or has not, positively contributed, to date, to mankind, one thing is crystal clear.
It ain't done nobody no good no how when it comes to advancing the evolution of social commentary and/or discourse.
Evidence of offered opinion to be found by...
a) reading Farrar's "review"
b) reading the less than erudite "observations" of the majority of those viewing the review.
Not singly but, most succinctly, exampled with the contribution of Sidney from Sacramento, California.
...I was expecting a story about Yosemite. Maybe some nice pictures. What a waste of time...
Aw, come on, Sidney. You got pulled into the old switcheroo.
No harm done. Show a little sense of humor.
Buffy Cary, on the other hand, seems to have gone completely off the deep end.
No quotes on deep end either.
...Kathryn Erbe is SUCH an amazing actress....
"Actress" ?
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