this is… The Neighborhood

The 2013 Season-Ending Show: bridges and Thepublicblogger Awards

from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania……Ivy Soul

The Season-Ending Show: bridges

Imagine you are driving along a rain slicked highway in the dark of night, making visibility near zero. In the distance, you notice the bright blinking lights of the overhead sign and you assume it will read DRIVE SLOW, or perhaps it is an alert of the weather conditions, of which you already know.  But on the approach, the message becomes clear, your heart skips a beat and with eyes wide open, you say a little prayer AMBER ALERT. Child abductions are parents’ worst nightmare.  The safety of our children is paramount and even the thought of a helpless child in the hands of a dangerous stranger is enough to bring us to tears.

On July 22, 2002, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a 7-year-old girl by the name of Erica Pratt was abducted while playing on a neighborhood street. That year, high-profile kidnappings had swept the land leaving the nation on high alert, so the search for little Erica was immediate and intense. Blind-folded, bound and gagged and left in the basement of a vacant building, seven-year-old Erica Pratt refused to become a victim and decided to build her own bridge. Gnawing through the duct tape, freeing her tiny hands from their constraints, and using all her strength, she smashed out the basement window, screamed for help, and ultimately…..saved herself.

The 2013 Nominees Best Self-Help Blog or Post
{click icon below for winner}

Wordless Wednesdays, Our Unified Schools
Difficulties, What2believe The truth of life
Recipes, Spatula Goddess
What gets measured GETS DONE, Todays Manager
Gratitude, Darkat Sports
7 Ways to Stay Focused, The Butler Journal

Even as a young man, it was clear Desmond Howard was meant to be a star.  An All-American tailback hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, he had record breaking seasons for St. Joseph High and lettered in 3 varsity sports. As a collegiate at the University of Michigan, he would win college football’s highest honor, The Heisman. His professional career had its ups and downs, and while he never became the superstar we expected, he would design his own bridge to the spotlight, and on the world’s biggest stage, he executed the performance of a lifetime. He became the only special teams player in the history of the National Football League to be named Most Valuable Player…. of a Super Bowl.

An underground artist in a raw, exclusive performance….from Baltimore, Maryland – A.U.T.O. parental discretion is advised

The 2013 Nominees Best Short/Long Story {fiction or nonfiction}
{click icon below for winner}

I’m a fucking HERO, Crazy Life
Jane loved Dick, By Ryan
Go Home You Black Bitch, gohomeubb life in Oz
Humiliation, My Travels with Depression A Tale to Tragic To Tell
The Woman in the Red Dress, Malcolm’s Blog
I am Angry and Alone, My Time with You
A Difference of Opinion, My Other Voices

In 1987, Robert Downey Jr. rocketed to stardom with his riveting portrayal of a desperate drug addicted youngster. In the major motion picture, Less Than Zero, we took the title for granted for Tinseltown loves the happy ending. Some say the director was sadistic when after lifelong friends zoomed in for the rescue, Robert’s character would die at the end. But in a literal depiction of life imitating art, that realistic ending may have saved Robert Downey Jr. in real life. His fall from grace was nearly complete. Drug binges in hotel rooms, hallucinating on public streets, failed ventures in rehab; death was all there was left. But the people in his life who loved him refused to give up and somewhere deep inside, Robert Downey Jr. knew his life was worth something. He would walk across a bridge supported by many others, enabling him to turn his life around. In 2008, he would star in Iron Man, a Hollywood blockbuster of epic proportions, reclaiming his fame, and perhaps, saving the life of others.

From 2007, an instant classic….Aidan Gibbons’ animated short The Piano music by Yann Tiersen

The 2013 Nominees Best Humor/Comedy blog or post
{click icon below after presentation}

The 2013 Nominees Best Visual Art Piece
{click icon below for winner}

Topanga Canyon, landscapes and waterscapes Young Kwak
Don’t Leave, Secr3t Design, Digital Art
Unnamed Mask, The Bending Moment, Venezia Biennale, Plazza San Marco
When I say Jump You say How High, Barefoot in Paris
Thinking Cap, Charlie Goff-Deakins
Straw Art in Niigata, Japan de Konichiwa

from Berkeley, California….Crystalkay Fairrington music by Fiyaman

The 2013 Nominees Best Poetry/Spiritual Healing
{click icon below for winner}

gets U through the first round of chemo: Here’s my list, pink lemons and rainbows
Walls, shift
No one starts with the Sistine Chapel, Todays Manager
‘Being Her’ is drowning, Being Her (the other woman)
Tupac Amaru Shakur, Naija House of Dreams
Untitled II by Read Brainwaves, Brainwaves life inspired poetry
Introduction, Gotta Find a Home the plight of the homeless

The 2013 Nominees for Best Performance
{click icon below for winner}

Art-Ka-Son, Silent Ambiance
a walk through the ancient porta, A Love Letter from Rome
The Art of Being Alone, Diary of a Crazy Awesome Person
Fragments, Hawthorne Haiku
Me, The Last Zombie
Komiza Every Day, Svakodnevne Fotografije iz Komize
Remember Me? Screw that!, Crazy Life

2013 has been quite a year for The Neighborhood. We have put on nearly 100 shows and could not be more thrilled with the love, kindness and interest that each of you have shown. We have built bridges around the world and are most proud of the relationships established and look forward to building more in the upcoming year.

We hope you have enjoyed The 2013 Season-Ending Show and the first ever online bloggers Awards Show. As an online art house collaborative, we are dedicated to working with recording, visual, performing and written-word artists, in continuing to provide excellence in the arts. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much for coming and have a Happy New Year. See you in 2014.

If you would like to support The Neighborhood and the arts, please contact Marguerite Sanders at thepublicblogger@yahoo.com or call 650.490.0502. Your support is valued and appreciated.

– Kendall F. Person, thepublicblogger

thepublicblogger.com. Where writing is a performance art and every post is a show. 

credits

Thepublicblogger Awards produced by Kendall F. Person, thepublicblogger
The 2013 Season-Ending Show: bridges – created, written & edited by Kendall F. Person, thepublicblogger
set design by Brian Spence Photography
A very special Thank You to guests performers Ivy Soul, A.U.T.O and Crystalkay Fairrington
A very special Thank You to all of the judges
A very special Thank You to presenters Fiyaman Productions (best soundman in the business) and The Chris Brake Show
A very special Thank You to Andrea Harris, Marguerite Sanders-Rodriquez, Silas Miers, David P. Jones and Alan Schell
A very special Thank You to The Neighborhood and the neighbors all over the world
A very special Thank You to my mother and to God

Introducing….The Neighborhood