I finally cut the cable and - sorry, not sorry!!  I have a bunch of paid streaming services, but also watch plenty of great programs on the free streaming apps.  All you need is a Roku or Amazon Fire stick, and you'll instantly have free programming that comes with it.  Additional apps that provide lots of entertainment include Tubi, Fawsome, Pluto TV, YouTube, Weather Nation, Haystack News (local news!), Very Local (local news!), Plex, Film Rise (includes a separate app for British TV), Cineplex, and even apps that are more specific like Culinary School.

If you do want to spend a little money, I found the best programming bangs for your bucks to be Peacock and Paramount Plus, and Netflix (with ads).

I am spending so much less for so much more entertainment these days!  I used to have basic cable, which I used primarily to watch local news.  I also had several streaming apps that I accessed. That all got pretty pricey over time, especially due to the frequent increases in cable costs. But now that I can get local news on an app - snip, snip!  I acquired more streaming apps and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment that I can watch any time, day or night.  

Back in the good ol' days, before X-box, Netflix, tablets, smart phones or even television, the word "wireless" meant something totally different than it does today.  Families would sit around their wireless every evening after dinner to hear the next installment of a thrilling murder mystery, the antics of their favorite comedians, the drama of their favorite soap opera, and the feats of superheroes.  In those days, the wireless, or the early radio, was the center of entertainment in the home.

Whether you're stuck in bed, or you're a nostalgia buff, these vintage radio shows will keep you entertained for hours.  And they're free.  Just visit http://www.openculture.com/2014/11/classic-radio-dramas-from-cbs-radio-workshop-1956-57.html to enjoy classic radio dramas, or browse the Open Culture site for free e-books, audio books, language and academic courses, movies and more.

I just downloaded a bunch of music onto my Kindle.  I had initially thought that Pandora was all I needed on there.  But I realized the other day that sometimes I need to hear a certain song to lift my spirits.  From all the music I downloaded, I put together a particularly uplifting playlist.  I played it this morning after waking up, and I can vouch that it is a wonderful way to start the day!

You don't have to have a Kindle to create your playlist.  These songs are also available on YouTube.  Here are their links:

Happy by Pharrell Williams  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

Anything Goes by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg1meK-IgOM

Best Day of My Life by American Authors  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY

Let It Go by Idina Menzel  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

You Only Get What You Give (You've Got The Music In You) by New Radicals  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE

ENJOY!

If you're bored with the same ol' same ol', then check out Open Culture. With a database of 1150 free movies, including classics, indies, film noir, and documentaries, it will soon become your entertainment go-to!

There's a special collection of Charlie Chaplain movies, many Hitchcock favorites, lots of John Wayne Westerns, a special collection of Oscar winners and even animated movies. 
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To connect to Open Culture for movies, click here. Once you find the movie you want, just click on it and you'll be redirected to the host site.  

You'll also find free ebooks, online text books, online classes and audio books through Open Culture!

There was nothing much on TV last night, so I took my Kindle to bed and browsed Netflix to find some light comedy.  Having seen numerous clay animation comedies before, such as Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, I figured that Mary & Max (2009, NR) would be a good bet.  Brainchild of Australian writer and director, Adam Elliot, Mary & Max had won a barrel-full of international awards, and an all-star cast including the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Bana, and Barry Humphries (of Dame Edna fame).

Little did I realize that this was no children's film.  Mary & Max is a film for adults, taking on such sensitive topics as alcoholism, bullying, homosexuality, Asperger's Syndrome, suicide and where babies come from.  Every raw moment is treated with sweet sensitivity.  Not an easy thing to do.  While this may sound like a most tragic storyline for a movie, and yes, there is much tragedy, but the humor and sweetness that arises from the tragic made me glow brighter than my Kindle's screen.

The engrossing story focuses on an unlikely friendship between Mary, a lonely Australian child of emotionally-absent parents (the mother being an alcoholic) who starts writing letters to Max, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, whose name and address she selected randomly in a New York phone directory at her local post office.  The ensuing correspondence continues for years, as they, and we, learn more and more about what makes each tick.  They become each others' best, and only, friend. The result is a film that speaks of the human condition so astutely that it may draw a tear, that delights you to the point of laughing out loud, and leaves you feeling like you want to tell everyone about it (and so I am) and watch it over and over again (and so I will).

The clay figures and set, as well as the animation, are created with incredible attention to detail.  You'll love the wonderfully kooky characters, right down to Henry the Goldfish.  Their quirks and expressions make them seem real, as well as surreal.  And the music soundtrack couldn't be more fitting.  This film is total entertainment.

I had never heard about this movie before, but am so, so glad I found it.  I highly recommend you view Mary & Max on Netflix or Google Play, or purchase it from Amazon.com.  It gets both of my thumbs up (both of my big toes, too)!  Let me know what you think in the Comments!  

(Updated 7/4/19) Books offer an escape to foreign lands, an introduction to new friends, adventure, romance, information, inspiration.  With the new generation of e-readers, we can access free and discount e-books online and borrow from our local library without leaving the house.  If we are sight impaired, traveling or incapacitated in some way, we can even listen to audio books on our devices. 

Having developed arthritis in my hands, I've found that it is much easier for me to read e-books on my Kindle Fire.  But you don't need a Kindle to read free Amazon books on your phone, tablet or computer. You can download the Amazon Kindle app here -http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl/178-1420621-0855060?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Free e-books are available from a number of apps, including Kindle Buffet which offers free and discount e-books, including popular titles (website http://www.weberbooks.com/kindle/), and websites like  www.feedbooks.com/books (classics and new authors).

Free audio books are available at https://scribl.com/info/podiobooks-now-scribl

As with most websites, be aware that there are a lot of ads mixed in with the other material on these sites, so be sure to looks closely before clicking.

Click and enjoy free, full-length feel-good movies here!

(Updated 7/4/19)


LIFE IN A DAY Life In A Day is a historic film capturing for future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.  Executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.
Released: 2011 Running time: 1:34:57 Rated: PG-13 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaFVr_cJJIY&feature=c4-videos

PLUS Lots of free movies and tv shows as well as viral vids at 
http://www.popcornflix.com and www.sonycrackle.com

FUN-FILLED:   Oz the Great and Powerful

My favorite way to watch a movie is to know nothing about it beforehand.  All I knew about Oz the Great and Powerful was that it had something to do with the Wizard of Oz. And for some reason I thought it starred Johnny Depp (who, by the way, would have made a great Wizard).  Instead, James Franco plays the cheesy, misogynistic con-man, Oscar Diggs, aka Oz, in a visually stunning production that provides the back story to the classic tale of the Wizard of Oz.

Also starring Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams as the three witches, this mixture of animation and cinematography takes you on a phantasmagorical journey from a Kansas circus to the Emerald City.  In this exciting adventure, Oz gets caught in the midst of a power struggle between three witches: one good, one inherently evil, and one who loses her heart to transform into the Wicked Witch of the West.  Along the way you'll meet Munchkins, hideous flying baboons, a dainty china doll, and an emotional winged monkey dressed like a bell hop.  

Like the original classic, this movie begins in black and white, transitioning to full color when Oz arrives in Oz. Unlike the original, this is not a musical.  Sam Raimi provides his usual touch of mastery and excellence with his direction, including his trademark dizzying point-of-view shots (also a trademark of the Coen brothers who worked with Raimi early in their careers).

Oz the Great and Powerful is a fun-filled visual treat that is sure to distract you from a dreary, yucky day.  I found it to be a nice surprise.

FEEL-GOOD FILM:  Trouble With The Curve

Any film that stars Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake can't be anything but good.  Couple the cast with a script that centers around the game of baseball, and you've guaranteed it to be great in my book!  But you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy it.  

Eastwood plays an aging baseball scout who is losing his sight.  He is a stubborn curmudgeon, refusing to accept gracefully the changes in his body and in his career. Adams, his workaholic daughter, is caught between her aspirations to become a partner at her law firm, and becoming more and more responsible for her father's well-being.  (I can soooo relate to some of the dynamics in this father-daughter relationship!)  Justin Timberlake plays a former baseball player whose presence bolsters the pair as they come to terms with their life transitions.

There are some lessons in this movie that are truly applicable to what we, with chronic illness, experience in our life transitions, and more specifically, the struggles we face as life throws us curves:  in relationships as lives start to shift, our dashed aspirations when life doesn't go as planned, and how, through facing trouble and disappointment head on, we triumph in discovering our Joyful Work. 

Trouble With the Curve is gentle and soulful in its greatness; a true feel-good film that will stick with you for a long time.  Enjoy!

Whether your tastes in documentaries run from weird to wow to wonderful, you'll find a great selection on this website - http://www.diygenius.com/mind-expanding-documentaries/
Topics include:  ancient civilizations, current events, psychology and the brain, science, environment, health, art and literature, consciousness, religion, sports, politics, creativity and design, and more!  Expand your mind!

What could possibly move you, transport you, bring you to tears or take you to new heights of joy faster than music?  Here's a compilation of tunes to help you get your wiggle on and feel good, inside and out!  If you can get up and dance, then DANCE like there's no one watching!  If you can't dance, try to wiggle to the beat.  If you can't wiggle on the outside, then wiggle and giggle on the inside!  Get the heart pumping and the blood and good chemicals in your body flowing!  Wiggle, jiggle, laugh, get silly and play!  It's fun AND good for you!!

Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYIqxDfg2bQ

Ain't Too Proud to Beg by Temptations  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNJfjskXkY

Your Love is Lifting Me Higher by Jackie Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzDVaKRApcg

Shout by The Isley Brothers 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwabj-fq-4A

Respect by Aretha Franklin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0
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Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qfIZyadKP8

You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JoZS6LgqYI

One Way or Another by Blondie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXewIR7Y7cc

The Locomotion by Kylie Minogue (this video is sooo 1980's - hilarious!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddVaiE-J3Q