Finding a little bit of inner peace may feel impossible after President Trump declared a national state of emergency amidst the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. With social distancing and quarantines being all but requirements now, a thick layer of anxiety has seemed to spread over the general population as the uncertainty of the situation seeps in. However, even during these dark days, one thing still connects us all and brings a little bit of light to such a situation: Art. If you’ve seen the videos circulating the internet about the neighbors in Italy singing across the streets to each other while quarantined, you’ll know that it’s true. Art connects us all.
All across the internet, stars, singers, musicians and even Broadway stars are sharing their art to offer a little calm to everybody. From musicians like Lizzo to Frozen 2’s Josh Gad, let’s take a look into how Hollywood is using its talents to try and soothe those around the world.
Meditating with Lizzo
Grammy-award winning musician Lizzo lead a 30-minute meditation to “promote healing during this global crisis,” as she stated in her Instagram caption. During the video meditation, she states, “It’s a scary time for a lot of people and even I was experiencing some fear.” Lizzo goes on to reveal that she wants to find ways to help the children who will no longer be able to partake in the lunch programs at schools and in hospitals due to this pandemic. First, she says she wanted to reach out and help people control their fear at the situation.
“I think that fear can spread so much hatred and fear can spread so much negative energy and fear can spread the disease even quicker than the disease can. When I got back to LA, I noticed that the fear was heightened here. So, I wanted to empower everybody, and I wanted to let you guys know that we have power, you have power. You have power to eliminate fear.”
Bedtime Stories by Josh Gad
Whether you know him as Olaf from Frozen or as LeFou from Beauty and the Beast (2017), there is no denying that Josh Gad knows how to entertain children. However, if you’re sick of listening to those Disney songs a million times in a row, he has something a little new for you: bedtime stories.
“Since we’re all stuck at home right now, I figured we would have a little fun together,” Gad said in a livestream released on his Twitter account. “I decided I’m going to read to you and your children, or just you, depending on what you prefer. I’m not going to pass judgment right now since the world is a little bit of a hot mess. But I thought tonight we would read one of my favorite books….”
The book of choice was titled Olivia Goes to Venice, which he read with the animated voices. This was the first of what he described as a “little experiment,” and since then he has regularly gone live on his Twitter account to read us bedtime stories. Children seem to find it comforting to hear Olaf reading a bedtime story to them, as one fan tweeted, “After hearing [Josh Gad] read us a bedtime story, [my daughter] declared before bed: ‘It will be okay and it is okay.’”
Actors Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner have been doing something very similar on their Instagram accounts, using the platform to raise money to help feed and support children affected by this crisis.
The Tonight Show: Home Edition
Jimmy Fallon, in an attempt to practice social distancing and self-quarantine, has been releasing mini, at-home episodes of his famous The Tonight Show from home with the help of his family. Each episode highlights a different charity you can support, including Feeding America. In the episodes, you can also see Fallon in his home, but also get to witness his daughters interrupt their dad as he tries to get through his monologue without flubbing.
Jimmy Fallon and his first guest, Lin-Manuel Miranda, discussed the challenges of becoming a teacher overnight, as many parents have had to do as schools close down. You can watch the episodes here.
These are only three ways that artists are trying to help spread a little bit of calm around the world. This doesn’t include the many other ways: artists like John Legend, Yo-Yo Ma and Coldplay are hosting free mini-concerts for their fans; Miley Cyrus started a talk show on Instagram live; Ryan Reynolds’ cell phone company is giving free unlimited service to customers for the next month; Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon started a podcast for charity; and so many others.
In this time of anxiety, everybody is coming out to try and provide even a little bit of calm amongst the storm.
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