I'm a sap for the worst excesses of our technicolor sentimentality: that Folger's commercial where the college kid comes home for Chritmas, the Hallmark Hall of Fame ads in all their mushy movies, any appearance of Sweet Honey in the Rock, and an embarrassingly large number of PBS documentaries (not to mention Bill Moyers' speeches) reduce me to tears. I am able to draw the line at some things (Lifetime made for TV movies, and early morning network news/talk shows), I'm happy to note. Its a tough combination to make work with my deep-seated left-wing cynicism, but, somehow I manage. That balance just got thrown out the window by, of all things, Jay Leno's Tonight Show...
Wycliff Jean just performed an amazing number with a choir of African children, beautiful singing children. A song about Rwanda. I'm a teary mess.
Beautiful childhood faces, beautiful voices in a choir, beautiful dancing and simple words...I'm a sap and it may be manipulative (I can no longer trust my instictints completely on this) but its still amazing what music and real talent/genuine expression can invoke. Too bad its so rare that we mark such a moment with amazement and doubt. Self doubt, of course...
Doesn't happen often with network television, but every once in a while, they manage to pull it off. Who'd a thunk it??
Its a new release, apparently. I'm going to check it out. Any comments/information/insider knowledge about this release are welcomed.
Also any other moments of mass culture blubbering you may want to share, so I don't feel like such an idiot.