Gatsby? What Gatsby?

Yeah....I drank the Kool Aid...

I saw The Great Gatsby last week because I simply had to.  I know that the critics weren't too pleased but I am a HUGE fan of the 20s and Baz Luhrmann.  I came out with mixed feelings.  Some parts I
loved, some parts I was feeling a little...meh.

One of the biggest messages of the book is the criticism of the lifestyle lead by the powerful and wealthy.  It is supposed to make us all cringe at their greed.  However, because the movie has been so hyped, glitzed, and glamorized, folks have been throwing all sorts of Gatsby-style parties.  This has made critics and those who have actually read the book wonder, would Mr. Fitzgerald frown at how we missed the point?  And not only did we miss the point, we made it seem like the point was to be a wonderfully fabulous wealthy person with pools and money and champagne? Probably.

When I read the book, I got the message.  But I will be honest, when I walked away from the movie I thought, "Man, those parties looked like a good time."  Perhaps the flashy Baz Luhrmann was the wrong fella for the job if that was the message to be portrayed.  Or maybe he just thought, "This is a good story...but let's make people want the glam too."

Either way, for Dance Friday, here is a video by the one and only Fergie Ferg.  Famous for her membership in the Black Eyed Peas, and maybe even more famous for being Fergalicious, she was one of the musicians featured in the soundtrack for Gatsby.  Her video to go with the song makes me want to throw on a flapper dress and twist around my apartment...which I just might do.

So, for two seconds, let's ignore the message, enjoy the glitz, and remember, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! (And then go back to frowning at gluttony when we have danced like nobody is watching.)