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sukkatherapy · 4 years ago

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💙{SUKKA PLAYLIST}💚

So in my fandom career, one of the first stages of commitment to a ship is dedicating a music playlist to them. As you may have guessed, Sukka is no exception.

Out of all the playlists I've made, Sukka's was definitely the most fun to make, as they are just so aesthetically pleasing. 🤧

I have 11 songs total and I recommend copying the songs and insert them into a playlist on whatever music service you use.

Good Times ~All Time Low

(you can see my post for this song here)

{"I never wanna leave this sunset town, but one day the time may come. And I'll take it at your word, and carry on. I'll hate the goodbye, but I wont forget the good times."}

Reread those lyrics. I dare you to tell me that isn't the fire nation attack scene in "The Warriors of Kyoshi".

Desert Moon ~ Mena Massoud & Naomi Scott

{"'Cause it waits for you there, and if you see it too, I can find my way to you."}

So the graphics I vision for this song are sorta based around Book 3 Sukka. I headcanon that Sokka would look up to Yue for reassurance when feeling lost, such as when Suki was imprisoned and he had no idea where she was. Also, post-Book 3 when they are in their long distance relationship, I know they would miss each other like crazy. Something I see comforting them is the fact that they see the same moon.

White Horse ~ Taylor Swift

{"I was a dreamer before you went and let me down, now its too late for you and your white horse to come around."}

{"And there you are on your knees. Begging for forgiveness, begging for me."}

Now we all know Suki is our resident independent- badass- queen who doesn't need anyone to look out for her, especially a man. I thought that this song was a good parallel to when she was fed up with Sokka's sexist bs in "The Warriors of Kyoshi". Like I can imagine her having to hear this from so many people around her growing up, and to hear it from someone she showed interest in must be disappointing. Not a super happy rec, but a necessary one nonetheless.

Even When/ The Best Part ~ Olivia Rodrigo & Joshua Basset

{"The best part is knowing there's something in my dreams that always makes me smile, its you. The best part is knowing there's someone in my life that makes it all worth while, its you."}

{"Even when you and I are worlds apart, I hold you in my heart. Even when I'm a thousand miles away, I wish that I could stay with you."}

So oddly enough, I actually find enjoyment in 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'. But in the scene, the main couple sang this to each other when they couldn't be together for Valentine's day, and when I first heard it, my head immediately went to Sokka and Suki. Seeing that they had a long distance relationship for a decent amount of time and have many individual responsibilities, they are bound to miss some holidays and events. But even through that, they know they are the most important parts of each others lives.

Like I'm Gonna Lose You ~ Meghan Trainor & John Legend

{"So I'll kiss you longer babe, every chance that I get. I'll make the most of the minutes and love with no regret. Let's take our time to say what we want, use what we got before its all gone. 'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow."}

I really love this song for them because after losing Yue, Sokka came to appreciate time, and didn't want to waste a moment with Suki. He realized that death can be sudden and real, which was why he was so protective of Suki during 'The Serpent's Pass'.

If I Can't Be With You ~ R5

{"I'd rather stay with you, if I had to choose. Baby you're the greatest, and I got everything to lose. And I just wanna be with you. And I can never get enough. Baby, give it all up I'd give it all up, if I cant be with you."}

I thought this song fit really well, and this lyric in particular reminds me of the failed escape attempt in 'The Boiling Rock Pt. 1'. Suki was willing to give up the concept of freedom if it meant staying to wait for Hakoda with Sokka.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Ed Sheeran

{"'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen. And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory. I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. And maybe it's all part of a plan. Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes, hoping that you'll understand.

That, baby, now take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating heart. I'm thinking out loud, and maybe we found love right where we are."}

Another headcanon service. I can just picture them leisurely dancing to this in the living room when they're married.

Stuck With You ~ Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber

{"So, go ahead and drive me insane. Baby, run your mouth, I still wouldn't change being stuck with you, stuck with you, stuck with you."}

I thought this would be a good choice because as we see in the show, Suki will humor Sokka's jokes every once in a while versus just brushing them off. I can also see her being like "Hmm, you're an idiot, but I love it. I'm keeping you."

Gotta Find You ~ Joe Jonas

{"I need to try to get to where you are. Could it be you're not that far? You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, I gotta find you."}

Enough said.👏

Lift Me Up ~ The Afters

{"You know my heart is heavy, and the hurt is deep. But when I feel like giving up, you're reminding me. That we all fall down sometimes, When I hit the ground,

You lift me up when I am weak, your arms wrap around me. Your love catches me, so I'm letting go. You lift me up when I can't see, your heart's all that I need. Your love carries me, so I'm letting go."}

So I really love this song and feel that it could be used for literally any atla ship or even atla as a whole, due to the theme and aesthetic (might mess around and make an edit😏). One of my favorite things about Sukka is how supportive they are of each other, and how easily they make each other happy. They've seen each other at low points, they've been on death row, but through that they were still there cheering each other on.

Lucky ~ Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

{"They don't know how long it takes, waiting for a love like this. Every time we say goodbye, I wish we had one more kiss. I'll wait for you, I promise you, I will."}

I think this pretty much sums up their time together during 'The Serpent's Pass'. They were apart for so long-and with the war, had no reason to really believe they'd see each other again. But then by chance they were brought together again, revealed their feelings, only to have to split up again. But through that, they didn't let the distance bother them, as they stayed committed to each other.

{"Lucky we're in love in every way. Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed. Lucky to be coming home someday."}

Well, we all know they're hopelessly in love, but I feel like this highlights one of the most important aspects of them; no matter how long or far apart they are, they always come running home to each other.

Well that was defiantly a doozy😅. Thanks to those who stuck around this far!

#sukka #sokka x suki #sokka #suki #atla #avatar the last airbender

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myonechicagoworld · 5 years ago

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CHICAGO FIRE – PROFESSIONAL COURTESY (S01E03)

TV: [applause] And now, for my next…

Christopher Herrmann: [chuckles]

[door opens]

Mouch: What the hell just happened?

Christopher Herrmann: [sighs] [buttons on remote clicking]

Ah, damn thing’s fried.

Peter Mills: Two hours left in the shift and no calls yet. That happen

very often?

Christopher Herrmann: He did not just say that.

[alarm blasts, PA buzzes]

(Over PA): Accident. Truck 81, Squad 3.

[sirens wailing]

[horns honking]

Matt Casey: Mills. Pitcher’s got a no-hitter going in the eight inning.

Do you go up to him and say, “looks like you got a

no-hitter going”?

Peter Mills: No, but…

Matt Casey: Don’t do it at the damn firehouse either.

Peter Mills: Yeah, I got it.

[door slams shut]

Matt Casey: Stabilise the van!

Patrol Officer 1: It’s jammed.

[metal creaking]

Christopher Herrmann: Anybody got ejected?

Vargas, see if we got a pulse over there!

Jose Vargas: Got one here!

Justin Voight: I’m okay. I’m alright.

Matt Casey: Ugh! Field test this idiot.

[sniffs] Open containers right there.

Patrol Officer 1: I’ll take care of it.

Firefighter: She’s going! She’s going!

[sirens wailing]

Patrol Officer 1: What happened?

Kelly Severide: Stabilisers!

Matt Casey: Cribbing!

Gabby Dawson: Let’s go.

Kelly Severide: Give us ten more seconds, boys.

Christopher Herrmann: [groans] You got eight.

Kelly Severide: Hey, sir, just sit tight there for me, all right? Don’t

try and unbuckle yourself.

Victim 1/Dad: Is he all right? My son? He’s not saying anything.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, he’s alive, sir.

Victim 1/Dad: Oh, thank God.

Leslie Shay: We’re gonna need a second ambo.

Matt Casey: Two more!

Driver of the first car over there.

I need two backboards.

Kelly Severide: Where’s those jaws?

Unh! [groans]

[jaws buzzing]

[metal clashing]

Gabby Dawson: Too tight?

Victim 1/Dad: Yeah!

Kelly Severide: Ah, we’re gonna go through the windshield and get

me a pick head.

Firefighter: Coming up.

Victim 2/Son: What happened?

Matt Casey: You’re gonna be okay, buddy. Hockey fan, huh?

Victim 1/Dad: We were headed to Evanston for his tournament.

Are you okay, Mikey?

Victim 2/Son (Mikey): [whimpers] Yeah, I think so.

What happened?

[glass smashing]

[saw sputters]

[sirens wailing in the distance]

Firefighter: Vehicle stabilised

Matt Casey: I’ll be right back

Kelly Severide: Sir, you’re coming out first, all right?

Victim 1/Dad: [groans]

[sirens wailing]

Matt Casey: Where’s the driver?

Patrol Officer 1: Uh, some officers took him to the hospital.

Matt Casey: You’re kidding.

Patrol Officer 1: No, he was complaining of leg pain, and you guys

looked swamped over there, so…

Matt Casey: He should’ve been c-collared and transported properly.

Patrol Officer 1: My bad.

Matt Casey: Did you bag the beer cans?

Patrol Officer 1: [sighs] Look, Detective Voight…behind me, the

guy in the jacket…that was his son driving this

car.

[siren wailing in the distance]

[dramatic music]

- Title Screen -

Leslie Shay: Hey, you want some coffee?

Kelly Severide: No, I’m gonna go hit the gym. I’ll see you at the

firehouse.

Leslie Shay: Alright, how’s your arm?

Kelly Severide: It’s good.

It’s fine.

Leslie Shay: Alright. Well, you should get it looked at, you know,

Kelly? It could act up at the wrong time.

Kelly Severide: No, absolutely. I’m…I’m planning on doing that.

Alright, I’ll see you later.

Leslie Shay: Bye.

cutscene

Peter Mills: Here we go

Man 1: Dude, uh, I’m sorry, but I ordered crispy bacon and uh, this

[scoffs]…ain’t crispy.

Man 2: Where’s the hot waitress?

[stammers] Uh, I mean you’re cute and everything.

Man 1 & 2: [laughs]

Peter Mills: I’ll be right back with your bacon…sir.

[plates clanking]

[food sizzling]

Peter Mills: [sighs] E-Elise, I can’t wait for mom. I gotta go.

Elise Mills: Then go!

Peter Mills: Table eight.

[door bell chime]

Ingrid Mills: Where you going?

Peter Mills: [sighs] To work, mom. My real job.

Ingrid Mills: Well, Samantha just called in sick.

Elise Mills: Mom, I’ll cover it. We’ll be fine.

Ingrid Mills: You can switch shifts with somebody at the firehouse.

Peter Mills: Mom! I’m a candidate. You know that they can bounce

me like that. I…I have to go.

Ingrid Mills: Fine. Go.

cutscene

[siren wailing, horn honking]

Mouch: You’re late.

[hammering]

[metal clinking]

Peter Mills: [panting]

Firefighters: Uh hoh.

Christopher Herrmann: Good afternoon, candidate.

Peter Mills: [panting] Sorry.

Otis Zvonecek: First, he blows a no-hitter, now he’s coming in five

minutes late. So much for employee of the week.

Peter Mills: It won’t happen again, [breathless] I promise.

Matt Casey: Get changed out. Let’s go.

Joe Cruz: You know, you were the candidate up until two weeks

ago. Why are you riding him so hard?

Otis Zvonecek: The abused abuse…Cruz.

Matt Casey: Good morning.

Leslie Shay: Uh, oh. We’re either in trouble or he wants something.

Gabby Dawson: [chuckles]

Matt Casey: You got a sec?

Leslie Shay: Later.

Gabby Dawson: What’s up?

Matt Casey: Is your brother still working in Vice?

Gabby Dawson: Yeah.

Matt Casey: Could you see if he can swing by here real quick?

Gabby Dawson: Sure.

All your hookers get locked up last night?

Matt Casey: Yeah, my whole stable.

Gabby Dawson: [giggles]

Matt Casey: I just got a question for him.

Gabby Dawson: Err, yeah, I’ll give him a call.

Matt Casey: Okay.

Gabby Dawson: Everything alright?

Matt Casey: Yeah, yeah.

Gabby Dawson: O…kay.

cutscene

[locker door slams]

Jose Vargas: Hey Lieutenant.

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Jose Vargas: Wanted to let you know that I just completed the last

of my tech course and I reached my squad

certification.

Kelly Severide: That’s great. Good job.

Jose Vargas: Yeah, three years busting my hump, but I got it done.

So I’m putting in a transfer from truck and I wanted

to get your blessing.

Kelly Severide: Why do you wanna come over to squad?

Jose Vargas: With where I wanna end up, squad’s the best place

in terms of a stepping stone to getting promoted.

Kelly Severide: Let me stop you right there, Vargas. If that’s your

reason for coming over…

Jose Vargas: It ain’t! That…that…that came out wrong.

The promotion stuff, that’s down the road.

Kelly Severide: It’s way down the road.

Jose Vargas: Absolutely.

cutscene

Joe Cruz: That ain’t gonna cut it.

Mouch: Sign’s out front. Just a matter of time till a good Samaritan

steps up.

Peter Mills: We can do that?

Mouch: Oh yeah. It’s frowned upon, but it’s not illegal per

standards and procedures.

Last year, we got the new…what was it?

Christopher Hermann: Microwave.

Mouch: Got the new microwave by doing this.

Joe Cruz: It took three months to get the new microwave. The

Bears game is this Sunday.

Matt Casey: What we got in the treasury box?

Christopher Heremann: Dick. We spent it all on the elliptical

machine so Shay could keep her ass

toned.

Leslie Shay: Oh Herrmann, please. Everyone benefits from me

having a toned ass.

Matt Casey: Mills, you’re in charge of a fundraiser for a new TV.

Peter Mills: Instead of cooking?

Matt Casey: In conjunction with cooking.

Otis Zvonecek: I believe it’s called multitasking. And get some

ideas together ASAP.

Gabby Dawson: Casey.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: He in?

Nicki Rutkowski: On the phone. You can leave it with me, though.

Hey, um…tomorrow night, I don’t know if you

have plans but uh, me and some girlfriends are

going to see Kaskade at the Vic if you’re

interested?

Kelly Severide: What’s Kaskade?

Nicki Rutkowski: Oh, He’s a DJ…famous one.

Kelly Severide: Yeah, um…look, I’m not really known for my

self-restraint…

Nicki Rutkowski: [giggles]

Kelly Severide: So I’ll need you to meet me halfway here and

respect Boden and your dad’s wishes.

cutscene

Matt Casey: Who wants to be known as the rat fireman who took

down a cop’s kid?

Antonio Dawson: What’s the cop’s name?

Matt Casey: Detective Voight.

Antonio Dawson: Aye yi.

Gabby Dawson: What’s the problem?

Antonio Dawson: Voight’s been hip-deep in the Gang Unit for 15

years. He’s been investigated for taking bribes

and…Look, he’s a dirty cop – the kind of guy

that gives the rest of us a bad name.

Matt Casey: Okay. Well I saw what I saw.

The question is…did anyone else see it?

Antonio Dawson: I’ll ask around, put some feelers out. Wait to

hear from me. ‘Cause I’m telling you as a friend

of my sister’s, you do not want to mess with this

dude.

Nicki Rutkowski: Lieutenant Casey! Chief wants to see you in his

office.

Matt Casey: Okay, whatever you can do, I’d appreciate it.

Antonio Dawson: How long you been dating this guy?

Gabby Dawson: What [chuckles]…Antonio, what are you…Where

do you come up with this stuff? You’re trippin’.

I’m not…I’m…He’s taken.

Antonio Dawson: Ah.

Gabby Dawson: So…

Antonio Dawson: All right, well, I’ll be in touch.

Dawson siblings: [fistbump]

Gabby Dawson: Hey, you being straight with him?

Antonio Dawson: If anything, I downplayed it. Your boy’s messing

with a stick of dynamite.

Gabby Dawson: Then do your job and help him out.

cutscene

Chief Boden: Incident report from that t-bone last shift. I got

Severide’s. Where’s yours?

Matt Casey: Right, I’ve been buried in paperwork, and…

Chief Boden: [raps on desk] On my desk by the end of this shift.

That gonna be a problem?

Matt Casey: Not at all.

[dramatic music]

cutscene

Peter Mills: A neighbourhood hotdog eating contest.

Mouch: Ah, too tacky.

Leslie Shay: And putting a sign out front begging for a TV is what?

Peter Mills: Okay.

Otis Zvonecek: He’s got a point.

Peter Mills: How about a t-shirt booth in the driveway?

Joe Cruz: We already sell t-shirts.

Peter Mills: Yeah but I mean no one can ever find the key to the

cabinet, Herrmann never has change in the treasury

box.

It’s a pain in the ass, so…we put the shirts out front

and display ‘em properly.

Mouch: I don’t know how that’s gonna generate enough

Peter Mills: And!

Mouch: Money…

Peter Mills: And we get Nicki to man the booth.

Christopher Herrmann: Ding. Done.

Joe Cruz: That is called putting it over the goal line, Peter Mills.

Joe Cruz & Peter Mills: [fistbump]

Leslie Shay: Why don’t you put her in a bikini while you’re at it?

Otis Zvonecek: Before I respond, are you joking or are you serious?

Leslie Shay: About as serious as putting you in a bikini.

Otis Zvonecek: That’s what I thought.

So yes, a bikini would be ridiculous, and we get

the joke.

Joe Cruz: [laughs] Hey, what do you think, Casey, t-shirt stand?

Otis Zvonecek: Or should we have Mills here run a few laps

around the block, think about some

alternatives?

Matt Casey: Everybody on the floor. Gonna do a drill.

Mills, listen up. This is a downed firefighter

assessment. Fellow firefighter’s gonna be on the

floor, full gear with his pass alarm going off. You crawl

in from 10 feet away, deactivate his alarm, check for

air flow, call in a mayday on your radio, and drag the

victim to the extraction point, which will be…

north gate.

Peter Mills: Okay [chuckles].

Matt Casey: But with a blacked-out face mask to simulate zero

visibility.

Otis Zvonecek: [laughs]

Peter Mills: Okay.

Otis Zvonecek: No showing up late to this one, candidate. Ah?

[laughs]

Matt Casey: I got two masks.

[laughter]

Matt Casey: Slowest time has to mop the apparatus floor.

Time him.

Jose Vargas: Let’s go, gentlemen. Gear up.

Matt Casey: Hey, Hal. What’s going on?

Hallie Thomas: Lunch break. You eaten yet?

Matt Casey: No. Come on.

Hallie Thomas: Hey, Gabriela.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, Hallie.

Good seeing you.

Hallie Thomas: You too.

Nicki Rutkowski: Hey, this came in for you earlier.

Kelly Severide: Thanks.

cutscene

[water running]

Gabby Dawson: You look pleased with yourself.

Peter Mills: Uh, downed firefighter assessment. New house record.

Gabby Dawson: Oh yeah? How’s Otis taking it?

Peter Mills: I don’t know. But the floor was looking pretty dirty, so…

Gabby Dawson: Is that a little cockiness I sense there, Peter Mills?

Peter Mills: It ain’t being cocky if you can back it up.

Gabby Dawson: Oh really? Well a lot of candidates with skills get

their day in the sun, but how they handle

themselves the other 364…that’s what keeps

them around.

Peter Mills: I will take that under advisement.

cutscene

Hallie Thomas: What happened to the passengers in the other car?

Matt Casey: I don’t know. They were alert when we got ‘em

backboarded and into the ambos. It was a dad and

his son.

Hallie Thomas: What was the last name?

Matt Casey: Duffy.

Hallie Thomas: The son’s 16? On his way to a hockey tournament?

Matt Casey: Yeah. You heard something?

Hallie Thomas: Baby…

Matt Casey: What? Just…tell me.

Hallie Thomas: It’s a complete L2 fracture. He’s paralysed…waist

down.

Mouch: We just got a TV donated. Flat screen, still in the box. Cop

over at the 35th precinct donated it.

cutscene

Firefighter: Beautiful.

[claps]

All: Yeah!

All: Whoo!

[cheering & applause]

Otis Zvonecek: Oh yeah, baby!

All: Whoo! Beautiful!

Mouch: Oh, ho, hoh! Yeah! [claps]

Matt Casey: Who’s it from?

Delivery guy: Detective Voight. He, uh, saw your sign.

Otis Zvonecek: Is that a 40-inch?

Delivery guy: A 43!

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckling] Oh, ho, God damn.

All: Whoo!

[murmuring & indistinct chatter]

Matt Casey: Take it back.

Delivery guy: Nah, nah, nah. Don’t worry, Voight went through all

the channels; said to donate it to the city, but

specified it come here. So the bureau bitches aren’t

gonna freak out.

Matt Casey: Send it back.

Delivery guy: Sure, you got it.

Chief Boden: Is there something you need to bring me in on?

Matt Casey: Yeah.

[keypad beeping]

[door shuts]

Nicki Rutkowski: E-vites are so impersonal.

Leave it on.

Kelly Severide: Girl, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Nicki Rutkowski: Yeah? Prove it.

[alarm whoops, PA buzzes]

(Over PA): Jumper. Squad 3, Truck 81, Ambulance 61.

cutscene

[sirens wailing]

Gabby Dawson: Still alive?

Patrol Officer 2: Yeah, but if he wanted to be dead before, I

guarantee he wants it now.

Peter Mills: How high?

Patrol Officer 2: Fourth floor.

Leslie Shay: I’ll call ahead to St. Mary’s; Have ‘em prep for spinal

trauma, multiple broken bones.

Patrol Officer 2: It’s not like that. Poor bastard impaled himself.

Victim 3: [breathing heavily] [breathing quivering]

Christopher Herrmann: Holy smokes.

[sirens wailing & horn honking]

[door shuts]

[indistinctive chatter]

Leslie Shay: We got a pulse.

Matt Casey: We need two ladders and a rope bag.

Gabby Dawson: You pull him off; he bleeds out right here, right

now.

Matt Casey: Chief?

Chief Boden: Get the k-12, we’re cutting him down.

[k-12 buzzing]

Chief Boden: Pump some water on that steel so it doesn’t overheat!

Gabby Dawson: He’s gonna arrest.

Kelly Severide: Talk to the saw, not me.

[water spraying]

Peter Mills: You’ll be alright, just try and stand still!

Leslie Shay: He can’t hear you! He’s in shock!

[k-12 buzzing]

Kelly Severide: Hold that.

[k-12 sputters to life]

Kelly Severide: Alright, get ready. He’s coming down.

Jose Vargas: Three, two, one.

Everybody good?

All: Yeah. We’re good.

Leslie Shay: Watch this, watch this.

Firefighter: Got it, got it, got it.

Leslie Shay: Hey, whoa.

Gabby Dawson: He’s going into v-fib. We gotta pull the fence.

Christopher Herrmann: What happened to “we pull it he dies”?

Gabby Dawson: We gotta get his heart back on rhythm but there’s

no way I’m shocking him till we get this iron out

first.

Matt Casey: Severide.

Kelly Severide: Yo.

Unh! [grunts]

[saw whirrs]

Matt Casey: Pull it away.

Go.

Firefighter: Alright, hit it!

Leslie Shay: On me.

Ready, pull!

One, two three!

Gabby Dawson: Pull him out for me.

Okay, here we go.

Shocking at two, stand by.

Clear.

[electrical surge]

Gabby Dawson: Hitting him again at 360. Stand by.

Clear.

[electrical surge]

Gabby Dawson: Rhythm.

He’s got a pulse

Leslie Shay: Okay, get him in!

Gabby Dawson: 40 year old male, suicide attempt. Fell from four

stories, impaled on a fence.

Doctor 1: You removed it on scene?

Gabby Dawson: He went into v-fib. I had to yank. Two shocks on

the monitor brought him back.

Doctor 1: Let’s get him into one.

Leslie Shay: I’ll be right back.

Kendra.

Dr. Kendra: Hey, you.

Leslie Shay: Hi.

Dr. Kendra: Missed you on Saturday.

Leslie Shay: Yeah, I was working. How was it?

Dr. Kendra: The food was good. But I don’t know why Kim’s still

with Kristin. All they do is pick at each other. I mean,

enough already, you know?

Leslie Shay: Yeah. Believe me.

Listen [clears throat] I need a big favour.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: You got any ibuprofen?

Otis Zvonecek: Yes, indeedy. How many you want?

[pills rattling] Kelly Severide: Five.

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles] Here’s two [pills jiggling]

Seriously, too many can do serious damage to

your kidneys, okay?

Don’t come running to me when you’re on dialysis

in five years, okay?

Kelly Severide: Thanks.

Otis Zvonecek: Seriously, look it up. Ibuprofen and kidneys.

[locker door shuts]

Otis Zvonecek: Okay…

cutscene

Antonio Dawson: Buddy of mine who works out of Voight’s

precinct said nothing’s come up in witness

statements.

Chief Boden: So you’re trying to tell me no one else saw his kid

drunk?

Antonio Dawson: Hell yes other people saw his kid drunk. But

they were other cops who aren’t about to go

up against Voight.

Chief Boden: Well, I would rather my guy not be the only one with

his head above the foxhole on this one.

Antonio Dawson: I understand.

Matt Casey: Passenger in the other car isn’t gonna walk again.

Antonio Dawson: I know, I know.

Look, give me till the end of this shift. But if I

come up empty…

Voight’s been pulling his son out of things like

this since the kid was 15. Lot of people had to

turn the other way. And I’m just telling you, if it

was Gabby who was in your shoes, and I’m not

proud to admit this, but I’d tell her to stay out of

it.

cutscene

[door opens]

Elise Mills: Those tomatoes are only good for another day or so.

Peter Mills: Elise, I’m done at the restaurant.

I mean I-I came in late at the beginning of a shift. That

ain’t gonna happen again. Mom has just gotta deal with

it.

Elise Mills: Then tell her.

Peter Mills: Well I’m going to.

But I-I need you to back me up, okay?

Elise Mills: [scoffs] I mean, you know what’s going on here, right?

Peter Mills: Of course! Why do you think I’ve been there on every

day off? You-you think I like slinging hash?

Hey.

Um, Lieutenant Severide, this is my sister, Elise.

Kelly Severide: Nice to meet you.

Elise Mills: You too.

Peter Mills: Mom has just got to realise that dad loved being a

firefighter. And I’m not gonna run from something I

want to do with my life just to make her feel better.

Elise Mills: Then reassure her.

Peter Mills: Well, how?

Elise Mills: I don’t know.

She’s scared. She doesn’t want to lose you too.

cutscene

Joe Cruz: Hey. How the t-shirts going?

Nicki Rutkowski: Pretty good. Couple hundred bucks so far. I’m

almost out of squad t-shirts though.

Otis Zvonecek: Whoa, what about truck shirts?

Nicki Rutkowski: Those are just kinda sitting there. I think it’s

because of the goat emblem. It’s not a big

seller.

Otis Zvonecek: [sighs]

Nicki Rutkowski: Why a goat?

Otis Zvonecek: T-T-That’s what I’m saying. The goats are freakin’

killing us, guys.

Mouch: I wouldn’t mind an explanation from Casey on the flat

screen of it all.

Christopher Herrmann: Drop it.

cutscene

[food sizzling]

Christopher Herrmann: I didn’t know your side job was the

restaurant business, Mills.

Peter Mills: For now. Phasing it out, though.

Christopher Herrmann: I think you’re the only food-related side

job we got in here. ‘Cause let’s see, we

got security guard, construction…

Peter Mills: What about you?

Christopher Herrmann: General entrepreneurship.

I was doing pretty good as a day trader,

you know, until all the trolls jumped

onboard. And…you know, capsized it for

guys like me.

You know, it’s…it’s funny that you bring it

up, Peter Mills, because I’m actually

circling an investment opportunity. It could

be massive, you know and I might…let you

guys get in on it.

Joe Cruz: Well, what is it?

Christopher Herrmann: Nah, you guys are gonna have to wait,

‘cause you know I...

Okay, fine.

Two words: Energy water.

[snorts & laughters]

Jose Vargas: Are you kidding me?

Nicki Rutkowski: Greg Duffy? I guess he was in a car accident the

other day that you guys responded to.

Matt Casey: Yeah, what about him?

Nicki Rutkowski: He’s outside.

Matt Casey: Sir.

Victim 1/father (Greg Duffy): Sorry to barge in on you like this, but

my wife made this for you guys. We

really appreciate what you did. And

we know damn well it could’ve been

worse if the car had tipped over, so…

thank you.

All: Sure.

Yeah.

Absolutely

No problem.

Sure.

[indistinctive murmurings]

Matt Casey: How’s your son?

Victim 1/father (Greg Duffy): Yeah, well…You know.

Mikey’s got a tough road ahead

of him. But…we’re gonna make it.

We’re gonna be alright.

The other reason I came here is…I

don’t know if there’s anything you

guys do in terms of what you saw,

or piece together based on what the

accident scene looked like, but the

police report came back saying I ran

a red light, causing the accident.

And, uh, that’s…that’s not what

happened. And I’m…I’m kind of at a

loss in terms of how to fight it.

cutscene

Matt Casey: Last paragraph.

Chief Boden: Visibly drunk. Smelled alcohol on his breath. Saw

open containers on the passenger seat.

Leaders lead from the front.

[dramatic music]

cutscene

Al Rutkowski: Ah, there he is, that prick.

Chief Boden: Oh, they will just let about anybody in this place.

Al Rutkowski: [chuckles] I got an urgent call from HQ saying you

guys didn’t know your asses from a tripped horse.

They wanted me to come down, show you how it’s

done.

Chief Boden: Well, come on, tell me about all that action you get

out there in the suburbs.

Al Rutkowski: Ah, don’t start now.

Chief Boden & Al Rutkowski: [chuckles]

Al Rutkowski: Hey, uh, so how’s Nicki doing for you there?

Chief Boden: Well, she’s great help. She works hard, no drama,

always got a positive attitude. She fits right in.

Everybody loves her.

Al Rutkowski: Ah, good, good.

Hey, I-I appreciate you doing this for me, buddy.

Chief Boden: Ain’t no thang.

Al Rutkowski: Is she around? I told her I’d pick her up.

cutscene

[kissing sounds & light moans]

Chief Boden: Our rig. It’s got a cylinder on it keeps on crackin’.

13 years old. Can’t get us a new one.

Al Rutkowski: Come out to Naperville. We get a new rig every three

years.

Chief Boden: In the burbs.

Al Rutkowski: [chuckles]

Nicki Rutkowski: [heavy breathing] Leave it on.

Kelly Severide: [heavy breathing]

[kissing sounds & light moaning]

Chief Boden: Any of y’all seen Nicki?

Capp: I haven’t Chief, sorry.

Chief Boden: I’ll check the kitchen. Be right back.

Al Rutkowski: All right, boss.

[door opens]

Nicki Rutkowski: [giggles] Hi, dad!

Al Rutkowski: Hey.

Nicki Rutkowski: You’re here early.

Al Rutkowski: Uh, zero traffic on the ike if you can believe it.

Nicki Rutkowski: Oh [giggles]

Al Rutkowski: [groans] Aw, you ready, kiddo?

Nicki Rutkowski: Yeah, yeah, eh, um…I’m just gonna go grab my

stuff.

Al Rutkowski: All right, sweetheart.

Nicki Rutkowski: Okay.

[door opens & slams shut]

cutscene

Leslie Shay: Hey.

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Leslie Shay: Need to talk to you.

Kelly Severide: That girl is in serious heat, and I’m not Ghandi.

Leslie Shay: What? No, about your arm.

Kelly Severide: Oh.

Leslie Shay: Here.

Kelly Severide: What’s this?

Leslie Shay: Friend of mine. I gave her a heads up.

Kelly Severide: Cool. Thanks.

Leslie Shay: Yeah, your appointment’s after shift.

You said you were gonna get your arm looked at.

Kelly Severide: I know. I am. I will. I’ll…I am.

Leslie Shay: Okay, so I basically feel like you’ve been lying to me

in order to get painkillers, and that’s not really the

quality I look for in a friend and a roommate.

Kelly Severide: [sighs] Part of me doesn’t want to know.

Leslie Shay: I get it. Of course, but the consultation’s off the books.

Just you and I will know and we’ll figure it out.

Kelly Severide: All right.

Leslie Shay: Okay.

cutscene

Jose Vargas: Hey, Casey.

Matt Casey: What’s up?

Jose Vargas: Just wanted to let you know that I reached my squad

certification.

Matt Casey: Okay.

Jose Vargas: And I put in for a transfer. So I just wanted you to

know beforehand.

[sighs]

Matt Casey: Vargas, congratulations man. Seriously. Severide will

be lucky to have you.

Jose Vargas: I appreciate that. Thank you.

Hank Voight: You Casey?

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Hank Voight: I’m Hank Voight.

Got time for a drink?

cutscene

Hank Voight: Lotta cops got dinosaur arms when it comes to

pulling their gun. Not me. You know, I’ve always

been aggressive. It’s the only way to get anything

done in my line of work.

[sighs] The reason I’m telling you this is…I put a lot

of time into my job. I mean, I cared a lot about

protecting the city and the people in it. Maybe too

much, ‘cause… I wasn’t at home a lot, and I took my

eye off my son. That’s on me. But I am telling you

right now I am gonna be up that kid’s ass until he

gets his head on straight. I’m gonna get him in a

program, the whole deal. You got my word on it.

Matt Casey: Good to hear.

Hank Voight: See, the thing is Justin…that’s my son…

[sighs] He’s got some priors. This thing that

happened the other night, if there was alcohol

involved, that’s a felony. He does time…real time.

You ever been to lockup? You been to Statesville?

You been to these places? You don’t want your kid

there, trust me.

Matt Casey: I’m sympathetic, but…that’s got nothing to do with me.

Hank Voight: Sure it does. You filed a report that said my son was

drunk that night.

Matt Casey: He was.

Hank Voight: Well I need you to retract it.

Let me tell you…I will owe you. Big time. I’m a good

guy to have a favour bank with.

Matt Casey: The kid in the other car, did you know he’s paralysed?

Hank Voight: Yeah, and it breaks my heart.

But there is no sense having two tragedies coming

from that night. And putting ten years on my son

would be a tragedy, ‘cause he’s a great guy.

Matt Casey: I’ve been to Statesville. You ever been to a spinal

injury centre?

Family watches their kid drag his feet while gripping

some parallel bars, clinging to the fantasy that he’ll

walk again one day. And the dad quits his job to help

the mom care for him, and take a second mortgage

out on their house to pay for it. And on top of that,

they have to live with the shame that the police and

fire department shoved a lie down their throat that

they caused the accident?

What you’re asking me to do…

Hank Voight: I’m not asking! [slams hands on table]

If you’re not the kind of man to do a cop a favour,

then I can take this to the next level real easy.

It was the end of your shift, you were tired, you got

your paperwork mixed up, you got your calls mixed

up. There’s a million excuses. Pick one. ‘Cause

believe me…You are gonna retract that statement.

‘Cause if you don’t, I swear to God…

Chief Boden: Casey.

Matt Casey: Chief.

Hank Voight: Hey Chief, uh, can you give us a minute? This is kind

of a private conversation.

Chief Boden: Nah, I’m good.

[chair scraping back]

Matt Casey: I’m not changing a word

cutscene

Dr. Kendra: Honestly, I don’t know how you’re walking around

right now let alone working. What happened?

Kelly Severide: Job related. I figured it was just a pinched nerve.

Dr. Kendra: It is. ‘Caused by a fracture in your c5 vertebra.

Right here.

Kelly Severide: Okay.

Dr. Kendra: You’re lucky that you can feel pain at all right now.

But there’s a surgery, which can take pressure off

the nerve…

Kelly Severide: How long would I be off work?

Dr. Kendra: Full rehab, six months to a year.

Kelly Severide: How ‘bout without the surgery?

Dr. Kendra: We’re dealing with motor nerve damage, so there’s

no definitive timetable. But you can expect

weakness of the hands, you can expect muscle

atrophy, and then if it deteriorates…fasciculation

– twitching of the hands, of the knees. After that,

you don’t want to know.

cutscene

[locker door shuts]

Gabby Dawson: My brother called. Asked if you were sure about

what you were doing. I told him, “you don’t know

Casey very well.”

[giggles]

[bag zipping]

Gabby Dawson: You holding up all right?

Matt Casey: Yeah, yeah. I’m good.

[sighs]

What would you have done?

Gabby Dawson: Pssh…

I…y-you know, I went back and forth on this

[sharp intake of breath] Especially with Antonio

in my ear, but…[sighs]

You want to know the honest answer?

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: If I held that information out of the report, I

thought about how I’d feel looking people I

respect in the eye. You know, and…I-I guess

specifically, I thought about how I’d feel looking

you in the eye. And that’s when I know I would’ve

done the right thing.

cutscene

Mouch: 300, 320, 340…344 dollars.

Christopher Herrmann: We found a 32-inch over in Roscoe

Village; the guy says it’s barely been

used.

Matt Casey: I got a better idea.

cutscene

[hammering]

Matt Casey: What’s that?

Otis Zvonecek: You asked for a level.

Matt Casey: That’s a t-square.

Just…

Otis Zvonecek: Oh…

Matt Casey: Go.

Otis Zvonecek: Okay.

cutscene

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Leslie Shay: Hey. So…how’d it go?

Kelly Severide: Good. Nice lady.

I’ve just gotta find a way to manage the pain.

Leslie Shay: Yeah, Kendra said you…you basically have a broken

neck.

Kelly Severide: Well if the two of you already talked, then why are

you asking me?

I get that surgery, there’s follow-up exams. There’s

paperwork involved. The department doesn’t like

how it looks, I go on long-term disability.

Leslie Shay: That’s 75% pay.

Kelly Severide: And then do what, Shay? I fish off Navy pier for the

next 20 years?

Leslie Shay: [sighs]

Kelly Severide: Working Squad is all I wanted. It’s all I have.

If I have to eat the pain, then I will.

[chopping]

[rapping on door]

[knife clanking]

Leslie Shay: Who’s that?

[door opening]

Al Rutkowski: Hey. Remember me?

Kelly Severide: [clears throat] I do.

Al Rutkowski: Nicki is engaged.

Besides, it, uh looks like you’re already having your

fun there.

This conversation need to continue?

Kelly Severide: No, sir, it doesn’t.

Al Rutkowski: Right.

[door shuts]

Kelly Severide: There you have it.

cutscene

Mouch: Bears game starts in an hour. Is there a decent spot

around here to watch it? Not too crowded, not too loud,

and we can get seats?

Peter Mills: Yeah. Yeah, I know a place

cutscene

Christopher Herrmann: Bring it down. We’re going inside some

place. Go easy guys.

Peter Mills: Mom, hey.

[indistinctive chatter]

Christopher Herrmann: This looks like a mom. This looks like a

mom, am I right?

Ingrid Mills: You’re right.

Welcome, welcome.

Christopher Herrmann: Aw, you got a sweet kid.

Peter Mills: Herrmann, mom.

Ingrid Mills: Herrmann, nice to meet you.

Mouch: Hello, mother.

Ingrid Mills: Hello.

Peter Mills: Mouch.

Mouch: Mouch.

Ingrid Mills: Mouch.

Mouch: Mouch.

Ingrid Mills: Nice to meet you.

Mouch: You’ll get used to it.

Ingrid Mills: Otis, nice to meet you.

Otis Zvonecek: Hi, mom. Brian. It’s Brian.

Ingrid Mills: Brian.

Otis Zvonecek: Yes.

Ingrid Mills: Jose, it’s a pleasure.

Welcome.

Jose Vargas: Thanks for having us.

Ingrid Mills: Welcome.

Peter Mills: Um, this is my boss, ma. This is Lieutenant Casey.

Ingrid Mills: Lieutenant Casey, it’s so great to have you guys here.

Matt Casey: Nice to meet you, ma’am.

Peter Mills: And hey, oh this is my sister Elise.

All: Hey, Elise! [cheering]

Elise Mills: Cheers.

Matt Casey: Really? Thank you.

Ingrid Mills: Can I talk to you a minute?

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Ingrid Mills: I don’t sleep at night when he’s on shift.

[indistinctive chatter]

Matt Casey: I’ll look after him. I promise.

Otis Zvonecek: Mouch, c’mon, turn on the TV, let’s go.

All right, cheers, cheers!

Ingrid Mills: Okay you guys, make yourselves at home.

Jose Vargas: All right!

Ingrid Mills: We’ll bring some food out.

Joe Cruz: And food!

[laughter & chattering]

Crowd: Oh, he knows, he knows.

Shall we?

Yes.

Let’s go.

Mouch: Just keeps getting better!

TV: Welcome to soldier field in Chicago…

Christopher Herrmann: I really want my honey bears back.

That’s what I want.

25 years.

- end -

Definitions:

Elliptical machine = Stationary exercise machine used to stair climb, walk, or run without causing excessive pressure to the joins, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries.

L2 fracture = Fracture in the second vertebrae in the lumbar spine. The L2 vertebra makes up the spinal column, which supports the upper half of the human body.

K-12 = Fire/Rescue saw. It can be used for forcible entry, ventilation, USAR (Urban Search and Rescue – technical rescue operation that involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilisation of victims trapped in an urban area, namely structural collapse due to natural disasters, mines and collapsed trenches), RIC (Rapid Intervention Crew - team of two or more firefighters dedicated solely to the search and rescue of other firefighters in distress), and vehicle extrication.

V-fib = Ventricular fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm (rapid, erratic electrical impulses) in which the ventricles of the heart quiver instead of pumping normally. It is due to disorganised electrical activity. V-fib results in cardiac arrest with loss of consciousness and no pulse.

Pinched nerve = Occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve’s function, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness.

C5 vertebra = The C5 is one of seven vertebrae of the cervical spine. It is a significant landmark when determining the likely consequences of trauma to the neck and spinal column. If the spinal cord injury is at or above the C5, the person may be unable to breathe. Even if death by asphyxiation is avoided by emergency measures, the person will likely be left as quadriplegic (paralysis of all four limbs). If the injury is below the C5, the likely outcome is that the person will be a paraplegic (paralysis of the legs and lower body).

Muscle atrophy = Is when muscles waste away. It’s usually caused by a lack of physical activity. When a disease of injury makes it difficult or impossible for you to move an arm or leg, the lack of mobility can result in muscle wasting.

Fasciculation = Or also known as muscle twitch, is a spontaneous, involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation, involving fine muscle fibres. They are common, with as much as 70% of people experiencing them. They can be benign, or associated with more serious conditions.

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

Text

OK, March 29

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Panic at the Palace -- Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William, Duchess Kate Middleton

Page 1: Big Pic -- Kevin Bacon and Juliette Lewis were among the many artists who put on a performance for Linda Perry's Rock 'N' Relief Live Stream Concert Series, benefitting Sean Penn's CORE Response organization

Page 2: Contents

Page 3: Contents

Page 4: Sparks are flying between Sandra Bullock and Brad Pitt on the set of their new action movie Bullet Train and not just when the cameras are rolling -- their chemistry is through the roof and Sandra lights up whenever she's around Brad and some of the cast and crew could swear they've seen him blushing in her presence -- Brad and Sandra have been hanging out more than your typical costars and they have a lot in common and seem to really enjoy each other's company and they'll frequently spend their breaks socializing and they can often be heard laughing over each other's stories and topics of conversations range from mutual friends and house repairs to more personal stuff, like kids

Page 6: Bruce Willis turned 66 on March 19 and as he celebrates the occasion, he has been reflecting on his life and it's been quite the journey but Bruce looks back at it all with that classic smirk

Page 7: Producers of the Gossip Girl reboot have been begging Blake Lively to join the cast of the new show but she's turned up her nose at the idea -- she's not ungrateful, because the original show made her star, but she closed the book on that part of her life a long time ago -- she's blissfully content in her role as a mom to daughters James, Inez and Betty whom she shares with her husband Ryan Reynolds and being a stay-at-home parent and filming an occasional movie sounds way more appealing to her than returning to that hothouse Gossip Girl universe -- she says she had her show and wants the new team to have theirs, but to die-hard fans, it still feels like a major snub

* After calling it quits on her romance with Ben Affleck in January, Ana de Armas is ready to play the field and Hollywood's heartthrob du jour, Rege-Jean Page has caught her eye and she was over the moon when the Bridgerton hunk recently signed on to her new thriller The Gray, which also stars Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans -- of course, Rege is gorgeous, but Ana also likes that he isn't your typical Tinseltown success story and comes from a rich cultural background, just like she does and she's hoping to get to know him better once they start shooting in L.A. -- while Ana has been warned that won't sit well with Rege's live-in girlfriend, Emily Brown, that doesn't seem to bother Ana

* Janet Jackson's life story is set to get the full documentary treatment next year, and no stone will be left unturned when it comes to her famously dysfunctional family -- the family is freaking out, as well they should be -- Janet will be brutally honest about her late father Joe Jackson, who bullied her and made her feel like she was nothing with out him but her siblings say they had it much worse especially when it came to Michael Jackson, who suffered verbal and physical abuse from Joe throughout his childhood -- Janet, who became a mom at 50 with her businessman ex, Wissam Al Mana, is also ready to tell all about their divorce and custody battle -- doing this documentary has been incredibly cathartic for her and she can't wait to shed light on her family's deep, dark secrets

Page 8: Angelina Jolie has been legally single for two years, and now she's finally ready to mingle -- she's been laying low since her 2016 split from Brad Pitt and she's feels it's time to get out there and she's eager to meet some new and interesting men and the mom of six is open to being hooked up by Hollywood pals like Ellen Pompeo, whom she was seen dining with in Beverly Hills and Angie likes the idea of dating a fellow A-lister who can relate to her about living in the spotlight and Ellen's been helping out with suggestions -- Angie is even open to joining an elite dating service and now the hunt is on to find a suitable bunch of candidates -- she wants fun and adventure again and after months of just being Mom, dressing up, putting on some perfume and engaging in stimulating conversation sounds good to Angie

* It's only been six months since Drew Barrymore launched her chirpy daytime talk show, but behind the scenes, she's on the verge of a major meltdown -- the multitasking mom who shares daughters Olive and Frankie with ex-hubby Will Kopelman, has no idea that juggling work and family would be this hard and she's feeling pressure from every side -- she desperately wants to be there for the kids, but she's trying to make her show a hit, and with her production company, she has a million others things on her plate as well -- the stressed-out star has also been chowing down on junk food and drinking too much caffeine so she can't get more than a few hours of sleep a night -- Drew doesn't want to let anyone down, but if she doesn't dial it back, she's going to collapse from exhaustion

* Matthew Perry announced his engagement to his on-off girlfriend Molly Hurwitz in November, but he seems to be having second thoughts -- he's crazy in love, but he's scared of messing up a good thing by making things official and he also worries what kind of husband he'll make given his health woes and battles with addiction -- Molly has faith in Matthew, but she can see wedding planning is stressing him out, even more so now that the Friends reunion is set to start shooting and he's pushing himself to go through with it, but his doubts are gnawing away at him

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars show some skin in dramatic decolletage-baring frocks -- Nicole Richie, Aja Naomi King

Page 11: Kate Hudson, Becky G, Mindy Kaling

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Kat Graham vs. Nicole Kidman in Erdem, Oliva Wilde vs. Bella Hadid in Ralph Lauren

Page 13: Danielle Bradbery vs. Paula Abdul in Hamel

Page 14: News in Photos -- Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox stepped out for dinner in West Hollywood

Page 16: Ariel Winter brightened up her monochromatic look with a pink face mask during a trip to the hair salon in West Hollywood, Justin Theroux went for a walk with his beloved dog Kuma in NYC, Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted on his daily bike ride in L.A.

Page 17: Susan Sarandon stopped to get her caffeine fix while shopping solo in Soho

Page 18: Lea Michele proved to be quite the doting mother while walking with her son in a stroller in Brooklyn, Lucy Hale and her dog Elvis were inseparable during an outing in L.A., Krysten Ritter took her RadRover electric bicycle out for a spin in L.A.

Page 19: John Stamos and his wife Caitlin McHugh stopped by an antique shop where they purchased a bunch of old goodies in Santa Monica

Page 20: This year, instead of a traditional runway show, Moschino released a 12-minute film featuring Karen Elson, Shalom Harlow and Amber Vallera wearing new styles from the Fall/Winter 2021 line

Page 21: Alessandra Ambrosio caught up with a pal while walking dogs in L.A., David Harbour eating a treat while out and about in NYC, Daisy Ridley stopped by The Graham Norton Show in London

Page 22: Amelia Gray Hamlin and boyfriend Scott Disick caught some rays while vacationing in Miami, Katie Holmes and boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. color-coordinated their gray-and-black outfits for a lunch date in NYC, Rebel Wilson taking a walk around the neighborhood in L.A.

Page 24: While on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Rachel Brosnahan shielded herself with a see-through umbrella, a newly brunette Lady Gaga in a white suit as she left her hotel in Rome to film the upcoming Gucci biopic, The Masked Singer panelist Jenny McCarthy gave herself a last-minute touch-up before posing for some promo shots

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Chelsea Handler's sleek setup -- she is checking out of her longtime L.A. home

Page 28: In 2009, LeAnn Rimes made headlines when she was caught hooking up with her costar Eddie Cibrian while they were both married to other people and now, more than a decade later, she is opening up about that time in her life and spilling secrets that she's never shared before -- looking back, LeAnn thinks it's unfair that she got raked over the coals like that and the public shaming caused her to suffer panic attacks and all LeAnn did was fall in love -- of course, there are likely big regrets about the way everything happened, but she and Eddie never meant to hurt anyone and they just had this connection they couldn't walk away from and a few months after their romance was revealed LeAnn parted ways with then-husband Dean Sheremet and Eddie filed for divorce from Brandi Glanville and they wed in 2011 -- while LeAnn has been a great stepmom to Eddie's sons Mason and Jack, she'd love to have a child of her own someday and she and Eddie have tried and tried with no success and now that she's pushing 40, they know time is ticking and they could always go the surrogate route, and they just might do it if it doesn't happen naturally in the next few months

Page 29: Liam Hemsworth has been dating Gabriella Brooks for 15 months, and he's so smitten that he could put a ring on it any day now -- Liam's made it clear that he's ready to walk down the aisle again after calling it quits in longtime love Miley Cyrus in 2019 -- everyone is thrilled because Gabriella is so sweet and easygoing, which is just what Liam needs -- Gabriella has already gotten the stamp of approval from the Hemsworth clan, who had long been skeptical of Miley and when Liam brought Gabriella home, his parents thought, that's more like it -- now that Liam's settled in at his new $5 million spread on Byron Bay, all signs point to him popping the question because he's never been happier

* Shedding post-pregnancy weight is never easy but luckily Katy Perry has a secret weapon to help her get back in shape which is Orlando Bloom -- Katy had already dropped 35 pounds since giving birth to the couple's first child, Daisy Dove, thanks to her fitness-obsessed fiance and Orlando has her eating five small vegan meals a day and he follows the same diet to make it easier for her, and Orlando makes sure she hikes or swims at least five days a week and those are the type for fun activities where he can join her -- Orlando's also her biggest cheerleader: during their recent Hawaiian getaway, Katy was nervous because she felt she hadn't lost enough weight but Orlando told her she was one sexy momma and he really is her biggest supporter

* Despite the pandemic, Nicole Kidman's remained one of the busiest women in Hollywood, which is getting under her stuck-at-home husband's skin -- while Keith Urban was forced to cancel his concert tour last year, Nicole had a whirlwind 2020, shooting her miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers in Australia and her historical thriller The Northman in Northern Ireland back-to-back and it's been incredibly hard on Keith because it drives him crazy not being able to get out there on stage -- Nicole hates seeing him the dumps, but she's told him he's lucky to be able to spend so much time with their daughters Sunday and Faith -- with Nicole set to play comedy legend Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos, which starts filming this spring, that can only put more stress on the marriage but Nicole has no plans to slow down, and she's not making any apologies

Page 30: Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl went from zero to 60 practically overnight, but their turbo-charged romance appears to be slowing down -- ever since Patrick and Linda reconnected last summer, the late-in-life lovebirds have been joined at the hip at Linda's Colorado home, where things have gotten too close for comfort because Patrick's a laid-back guy, but he hasn't had a moment to himself because Linda is always pushing him to get outdoors and do stuff with her and Patrick feels the need for more space and some along time -- spending every moment together and hanging on each other's every word was fun for a while, but they don't want to lose their independence and they realize they need to bring their relationship back down to earth if they actually want to go the distance

* After nearly five blissful years together, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are still going strong, and it looks like a baby could be in their near future -- Sam recently sent tongues wagging when he revealed that he wants to take their relationship to the next step and be a young dad and Britney is totally on board because she has always wanted another child and now with Sam raring to go, she figures it's the perfect time -- growing her family would be a welcome distraction from Britney's bitter battle with her father Jamie Spears over her controversial conservatorship

* Love Bites -- Jenni "JWoww" Farley and Zack Carpinello engaged, Morena Baccarin and husband Ben McKenzie welcomed a son named Arthur, Nicolas Cage and Riko Shibata married

Page 32: Cover Story -- Palace in Crisis -- the Royal Family is in disarray following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell tell-all -- what really offended them was how much Harry and Meghan said they love Queen Elizabeth in one sentence and attacked the institution, everything she stands for and works for, in the next -- it's going to take a miracle for Harry to reconcile with his family after what he and Meghan revealed

Page 36: Celebrity Hall Passes -- stars reveal the Hollywood crushes their partners have granted as freebies -- Eric Decker gets Jessica Alba and his wife Jessie James Decker gets Post Malone

Page 37: Lisa Vanderpump gets George Clooney, Seth Rogen gets Charlize Theron while his wife Lauren Miller gets Brad Pitt, Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa both get Cynthia Bailey

Page 38: Taron Egerton gets Rachel Weisz while his girlfriend Emily Thomas gets Daniel Craig, Kyle Richards wouldn't let her husband Mauricio Umansky near Eva Longoria or Demi Moore but he gets a hall pass for Betty White, Beau Clark gets Bethenny Frankel while wife Stassi Schroeder gets Joaquin Phoenix

Page 40: Interview -- Queen Latifah -- the entertainment icon is having a blast kicking butt in her new TV crime drama The Equalizer

Page 42: The Great Outdoors -- these stars know fresh air and fitness make a killer combo

Page 46: Style Week -- Hailey Bieber has been named global ambassador for Superga's Spring/Summer 2021 season

Page 48: What's Hot Right Now -- lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich just launched chic athleisure pieces to help you look effortlessly cool this season -- Amber Valletta

Page 49: Stylish Shades -- shop Ashley Graham's flattering frames the model's new collection with Quay

Page 50: Chic House Dresses -- trade knits for airy frocks that will make you feel beautiful all through spring -- Whitney Port

Page 52: Girls' Getaway -- planning a safe spring break with a few BFFs? Pack these stylish essentials to easily look fab on the fly -- Rita Ora

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 55: Q&A with Wayne Brady

Page 58: Buzz -- Lady Gaga sent the internet into a frenzy after sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of herself with Adam Driver from the set of their Ridley Scott movie, House of Gucci

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Cardi B on staying away from celebs, Mary Steenburgen on husband Ted Danson, Kate Hudson on her iconic yellow dress from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Page 61: Paul Bettany on his stunt with Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code, Jada Pinkett Smith on not focusing on exterior beauty at age 49, Nikki Bella on being intimate with fiance Artem Chigvintsev, Charlize Theron on homeschooling, Julia Garner on her roles of choice

Page 62: Horoscope -- Aries Jessica Chastain turned 44 on March 24

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Paris Hilton

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 13/02/2021 (Digga D, AJ Tracey, Cardi B)

It’s not as big of a week as it is just a confusing one, so there’s no pre-amble. Olivia Rodrigo spends a fifth week at #1 with “drivers license” and let’s start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

I started writing this a bit later than usual so I just want to rush through most of what’s here. The songs dropping out of the UK Top 75 are either debuts from not long ago like “Notorious” by Bugzy Malone featuring Chip and “Lo Vas A Olvidar” by Billie Eilish and ROSALÍA, or songs that have been here for a while, like “Monster” by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber, “Holy” by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper and “Dynamite” by BTS. We even have some #1 hits dropping out of the Top 75 this week, like “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “WAP” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. In terms of fallers, we have, seemingly, some of the older Winter cuts being replaced, as we see “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix getting a harsh streaming cut down to #30, “Whoopty” by CJ down to #33, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and remixed by DaBaby down to #34 (although this could rebound given the album release), “you broke me first” by Tate McRae at #37, “SO DONE” by The Kid YAOI at #57, “All I Want” by Olivia Rodrigo at #61, “Looking for Me” by Diplo, Paul Woodford and Kareen Lomax at #62, “Train Wreck” by James Arthur at #63, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio at #64, “Take You Dancing” by Jason Derulo at #65, “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish at #68, “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi at #72 and “Golden” by Harry Styles at #73, as well as some more recent debuts, including the entirety of Fredo’s album impact from last week, as “Money Talks” with Dave is at #11, “Ready” with Summer Walker at #31 and “Burner on Deck” with Young Adz and the late Pop Smoke at #32. “Skin” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Apricots” by Bicep aren’t faring that well either, at #51 and #56 respectively. When I said these songs are being replaced, I wasn’t overestimating anything as we have our new crop of hits seemingly all surging, as “Martin & Gina” by Polo G is at #54, “Be the One” by Rudimental, MORGAN, TIKE and Digga D is at #49, “Best Friend” by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat is at #42, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max is at #35, “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka is at #27, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals is at #24, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S is at #23 (it’s honestly starting to grow on me), and “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd is somehow back up to #20. Speaking of the top 20, we also have “Friday” by Riton, Nightcrawlers and Musafa & Hypeman dopamine re-editing itself up to #16, “Save Your Tears” also by the Weeknd at #15, and two new top 10 hits, both songs with basically the same chart run and genre. “Goosebumps” by Travis Scott, remixed by HVME, remixed by Travis Scott is at #10, becoming HVME’s first and Travis’ fourth top 10 hit here in Britain. We also have “The Business” by Tiesto grooving up to #7, becoming Tiesto’s fourth top 10 hit. I honestly feel bad for the still completely uncredited vocalist. We also have a third new top 10 entry but that’s a debut that we can discuss later. I should also note that “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek is back at #74, and a winning Eurovision song, “Arcade”, by Dutch singer Duncan Lawrence is also back at #39 off of the back of some TikTok traction. I think this is the most streamed Eurovision now – I’d watch out for this being a big hit. Welp, time to get into our really, and I mean REALLY, varied and weird crop of new arrivals, starting with...

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Roadtrip” – Dream and PmBata

Produced by Banrisk and Perish Beats

Okay, so this is a song by Minecraft YouTuber Dream, or at least that’s who I think he is. I think there was some kind of scandal related to him, and a couple people got involved and someone got doxed... listen, I don’t care. Not only is this song really not worthy of reviewing on the principle that unlike Wilbur Soot a couple weeks ago, Dream has never been a musician, which is clear from how involved no-name singer PmBata was in this, but I care for my private information not being made public so... What ridiculous excuse do I have to not review this? Okay, 1997 reggae-rock classic “Doin’ Time” by Sublime returns to #75 after Boris Johnson made a TikTok in the Houses of Parliament where he says “Pogchamp, Brexiteers, I just got tested for COVID-19” with the song in the background, and Joe Biden is on a Zoom call with him a few seconds later visibly annoyed because he prefers the New Radicals. Sure, let’s go with that. What was this entry about again?

#71 – “Goodbye” – Imanbek and Goodboys

Produced by Joris Mur, Imanbek and Goodboys

Everyone’s favourite Kazakh house producer Imanbek is finally back on the charts with his collaboration with British pop trio Goodboys, who you may know from their carbon-copy hits made with MEDUZA. After listening to that EP he made with Rita Ora, I’m slightly less impressed with Imanbek’s production, but that EP’s impact, if any, will be seen when the lead single featuring David Guetta and Gunna debuts low next week. Yes, seriously, all four on the same track. Anyway, this song, “Goodbye”, is actually pretty okay, with a generic deep house groove and fake hand-clap effectively saved by the Goodboys’ really intriguing vocal delivery and processing, which ends up in a Travis Scott-like Auto-Tune harmony that’s honestly pretty endearing right before the anti-climactic slap-house drop. The song’s lyrical content probably isn’t worth talking about, but it’s about a generic struggle with a break-up, and how hard it is for one of these good boys to say good bye. The build-up with the pre-chorus before the blue-balls second drop is kind of genius, and that’s probably my favourite part of the song outside of the abrupt vocaloid drop at the end. For what it’s worth, it takes more risks than most of these house-pop songs, most notably by having only a single verse in the middle of the song, and being really short, clocking in at less than two and a half minutes. It’s not as infectious as “Piece of Your Heart”, but this is fine. I’m glad it’s here if it’s going to give Imanbek another non-Rita Ora-assisted hit.

#60 – “Little Bit of Love” – Tom Grennan

Produced by Jamie Scott, LOSTBOY and Daniel Bryer

Tom Grennan is an English singer-songwriter who released their debut record in 2016 and was crowned by the BBC as the “Sound of 2017”, before dropping off the face of the Earth. He was brought to fame by a guest feature on a Chase & Status song that didn’t even do that well and now he’s back with the lead single from his upcoming sophomore effort, and his highest ever charting song. Well, is it any good? I mean, I like OneRepublic too. The rising strings here in the intro and chorus are pretty cool, and I’ll give it to Grennan for having an interesting voice but the odd level of grit in it does not fit well for this plastic production, which quickly devolves into vaguely danceable synth-mess that’s just not interesting. The content is mostly about unconditional love, particularly one that feels not particularly reciprocated, although some of the detail in the second verse feels like it’s going somewhere. I’ll admit, the chorus is catchy, but this mix puts way too much emphasis on a flawed vocal take from Grennan, which really detracts from the pathetic excuse for a bridge. I do enjoy how this feels like a flash-back to the mid-2010s, where happier, synth-based pop was this prominent, and I do love how the strings come back in the outro, but good production can’t do much to save a song that just feels under-cooked and definitely under-written. The OneRepublic comparison feels particularly fitting here too because their stuff tends to be just as stagnant, not to mention the lyrical riffs off of “Counting Stars”. I mean, when you start your first verse – in the first 10 or so seconds of the track – with the most recognisable part of a very recognisable song, I think Ryan Tedder deserves at least some royalties.

#58 – “Astronaut in the Ocean” – Masked Wolf

Produced by Tyron Hapi

Masked Wolf is an Australian singer and this song is actually from June 2019, just gaining enough traction, presumably off of TikTok, to debut on the charts this week. The song got a 2021 reissue and I assume a remix and, well... for God’s sake. The Kid LAROI should not have been an entry point for Australian trap, because outside of a second or two of distortion in the intro, this is far from unique. It has a guitar-based trap instrumental with dark 808s that even Gunna would pass up on, and an Auto-Tuned delivery from Masked Wolf, clearly trying too hard to replicate Drake in the intro and bridge, Kid Cudi in the chorus, G-Eazy in the first verse, Eminem AND Kendrick on the second verse, to the point where he even directly references Kendrick Lamar’s much better music. He suffers from the same problems as all of these artists combined, with lyrics that seem like they’re building up off of something interesting about depression before going into aimless flexing like a mid-tier Kid Cudi track, flows that sound as meandering and checked-out as Drake’s, the failed attempt at some kind of white-boy swagger that G-Eazy hasn’t pulled off successfully since 2016, the substance-less content hidden behind fast flows from Eminem and... oh, my God, this guy’s just like Australian Logic. I don’t like American Logic, why do we need this guy too? Yeah, this is bad, and there’s not much worth nitpicking in this mix or even the lyrics to even point out. I guess the worst bar is when he says he believes in G-O-D but not a T-H-O-T. So he’s a slut-shaming NF now? Jesus Christ, I’d take a full album from The Kid LAROI over this.

So the next two songs are ones I’ll actually need to somewhat lump together, as they are consecutive on the chart and both from the same album, and the same washed-up band.

#53 – “Waiting on a War” – Foo Fighters

Produced by Greg Kurstin

We have two songs from Dave Grohl and friends here from their latest album, Medicine at Midnight, technically three if we count the entire top 100, which means, yes, the UK just had a Foo Fighters album bomb. I’ll focus on the album as a whole with the next song because this is easily the worse track here and the worst track on the album purely out of how misguided it is. Dave Grohl wrote this song because he felt inspired by the current hell-scape of the political climate, reminding him of his own youth when he was surrounded by rising Cold War tensions. His young daughter asked him if there was going to be a war and naturally this song came out of it, reflecting on the fears he and his daughter have and that everyone deserves a future and a lifetime not taken away from them by conflict and fear. This is a good song idea but it absolutely does not work, and that’s partially down to the production. When I first heard this track on the album, I genuinely grimaced at the vocoder-mumble that Grohl takes on against the scratchy acoustic guitars. The whole point of the instrumentation is that it builds tension with rising strings, multi-tracked acoustics and eventually some electric guitars and powerful drums, yet because of how slow-paced the song is, it fails to mirror the rising tension of the prospect of there being a war. Instead, it’s a slog and its pay-off by the end feels unwarranted in the most boring way. Sure, the squeals of the guitars in the back of the mix sound good, but surely a song like this should not end like any of the Foo Fighters’ other pop-rock anthems, especially not as abruptly as it does. Wouldn’t you want a more subdued outro to comfort your daughter’s fears that at least right now, everything’s okay? That would make the most sense to me, but that’s thrown out of the window, with pathetic songwriting, with verses that play word association with the blandest of rhymes, seemingly irrelevant pop-song-generator filer and a chorus that is mind-numbingly repetitive but ultimately fails to build tension because of the content asking us to wait, constantly, even when it gets into its heavier rock tone. We’re supposed to wait for something that is only implied to never come, because there isn’t finality. Sure, that could work as a way of saying that Grohl is just as uncertain and scared as his daughter is about political conflict, but that would imply this song gives off any further emotion than the fact the Foo Fighters felt the need to cut a vaguely political track out of necessity. As a song, and as an album, Dave Grohl is utterly confused, and “Waiting on a War” is way too slow and non-specific to act as a protest song, as well as being way too on-the-nose for it to work as a ballad. Let’s talk about this next single.

#52 – “Making a Fire” – Foo Fighters

Produced by Greg Kurstin

What the hell is Greg Kurstin doing here? This is the first track on the album and is supposed to make some kind of gripping impact but is instead just a snoozefest. The choral female vocals sound bored, but at least it’s not as strained as the struggling Dave Grohl trying and failing to yelp over a stiff groove which has its momentum killed by drumming too slow and mixed too oddly to make this pre-chorus even coherent, not helped by Grohl’s butt-rock delivery and non-descript lyrics. There could be a guitar solo here, to make this track feel memorable, but no, it’s hidden under a pre-chorus with an extended gospel bridge that doesn’t build up effectively to a chorus that just comes crashing in and hence has no effect. Maybe I just can’t listen to arena rock in a quarantine context, but I can’t even imagine this making much of a fuss in a packed stadium without desperately needing tweaks in the songwriting and especially the production, because this just sounds stunted. It’s telling that Grohl made his best tracks as the Foo Fighters on his own and those first two records, alongside a pretty decent 2014 comeback in the form of Sonic Highways, are still great. I’m not denying that Grohl can write a good song, or that the Food Figures can’t play, because they’re all talented guys. This is just one album in many that leaves me with the feeling that these guys just can’t do much more outside of their comfort zone than fail miserably. These songs won’t stick around, and thank God for that.

#50 – “Believe Me” – Navos

Produced by Tom Demac and Navos

Another week, another... okay, but we already had a generic pop-infused deep house track from a couple EDM randos, do we really need another? Okay, well, this one is even less interesting than Imanbek’s effort as it doesn’t even try for a verse, instead going for a deep house groove I’ve heard countless times before, drowned out by some square synths and, yes, you guessed it, 90s piano loops and an uncredited female vocalist repeating basically the same couple lines over and over. This is made for the clubs, but I feel like even regular club-goers would tire of this vocaloid drop and cloudy production two minutes in. There’s nothing worth discussing here, because this probably took as many minutes to make as it did to listen to. I have no idea why Navos debuts a song so high, but I’ve got to assume TikTok’s to blame. Apparently this guy makes tech house, where’d any of that skill or intrigue go here?

#21 – “Up” – Cardi B

Produced by Sean Island, DJ SwanQo and Yung Dza

Anyone else surprised at how such a big name gets production from people I’ve never heard of before? Not that it matters, it’s just odd. Anyways, this is Cardi’s new single, presumably from that ever-elusive second album, debuting around 20 spots lower than it will in the US, and it’s going for a more gangsta-rap content than the hyper-sexual “WAP”, but does she keep the same energy? Well, yes... in fact, after all the mediocrity, I’m glad to have a genuinely great song debut this week. This is a great, bass-heavy beat that gives a Memphis phonk feel in the dark keys as well as the hard-hitting 808s and spacey percs and sound effects that add some needed distortion, even if there’s going to be some brief clipping along the way. Cardi brings some necessary energy from the brilliant opening lyrics and continues with a fast-paced, chanting flow that accentuates some of her funnier lyrics with her charisma that she always brings to a trap track like this. I’d say that this is maybe too repetitive – with very little of the verses to speak of – or even somewhat derivative of her previous song, “Money”, but there’s a lot better lyrical content in this one, not to mention how well she complements a more straight-forward but still killer beat. Oh, yeah, and Cardi’s stacks are Shaq-height as she dismisses haters with an impressive level of swagger and confidence, that carries the refrain, but that’s not to say the lyrics aren’t really great in the verses. There’s genuinely funny and sexy wordplay here, especially in the second verse, and also some great liners: “hoes speakin’ cap-anese”, accusing her haters of having pink-eye and their breath smelling like “horse sex”. This is a short, probably underdeveloped song, but it’s the type of surreal, high-energy trap I kind of really love and I hope this sticks around further in the UK.

#19 – “Latest Trends” – A1 x J1

Produced by ShoBeatz

A1 x J1 are a British rap duo with no other songs. Yeah, something’s fishy here: this is their only song on Spotify that blew up from a 15-second clip on TikTok, and their Spotify bio is trying to decide whether they’re the next D-Block Europe or the Beatles, as well as really emphasising how the song grew “all organically”, even though they’re already signed to Universal... yeah, there’s nothing subtle here, so I won’t buy this TikTok fame schtick, but does it matter when the song is good? Well, not really, and honestly, I’m kind of into this guitar-based drill-R&B fusion in the beat, but it doesn’t really help the fact that J1’s Stormzy impression is janky and unconvincing, especially if he’s going to try for some shallow wordplay, and that A1’s Auto-Tuned croon is just boring, reminding me a lot of A Boogie wit da Hoodie, but with a less recognisable voice and delivery, even if the first verse contains a funny line about a woman making that ass clap “for the NHS”, although he totally took that from Swarmz anyway. Yeah, I’m not a fan of this fake attempt at an organic pop-drill crossover, but unfortunately, I can very much see this working, though I’d be happy if the British public will see through this dishonesty as soon as possible.

#5 – “Bringing it Back” – Digga D and AJ Tracey

Produced by TheElements and AoD

Now for a rap duo that makes more sense to debut this high and are actually, you know, separately successful rappers, therefore they debut in the top five, which is impressive. The whole concept of this song is that Digga D and AJ Tracey are using old flows, those that would be nostalgic to their deeper fan base, to spit bars on a new track called, fittingly “Bringing it Back”. The flow AJ Tracey brings back is from his overlong “Packages” freestyle, a five-minute track from 2016, that works more as a freestyle than it does as a song, where he uses a familiar UK drill flow to go off for a really long time, and, yes, it is pretty impressive but the flow becomes stale too quickly. Digga D uses his flow from his “Next Up?” freestyle from 2017, a similarly badly-mixed UK drill freestyle but with a much more palatable length. Digga D’s flow he uses in that track is arguably slicker but honestly one that I see used a lot in UK drill and by Digga D, so I’m not sure it’s not worth “bringing it back” when you could come up with a new, catchier flow. I’ll admit that “Bringing it Back”, however, is a pretty damn good song, with Digga D’s more technical and fluid flow allowing for a lot more intricate internal rhymes that sound really great over the triumphant, string-heavy drill beat, as he trades bars with AJ Tracey’s slower but more confident, laid-back flow, which allows him to spit some more specific, interesting bars, some of which really hit, like when he says he “locked up the food for the kids like Boris and then I let it go like Rashford”. Hey, I respect it, I haven’t heard a more clever way of intertwining political commentary with cocaine smuggling since Pusha T last released a record. The way AJ Tracey and Digga D play off of each other’s lines is really smooth, and especially how Digga D plays with the beat, as while his lyrics may be less interesting, they mash perfectly with the beat’s frantic fades in and out, especially in his last lines before the first chorus, where he asks for the track to literally be turned off... and it is. So, yeah, I’m pretty damn happy with this debuting so high off the energy alone, even if Digga D is going to pronounce “LOL” like a one-syllable word. I’d say this is actually a really good starting point for people who want to get into more UK drill because it has a lot of the grit and menace of the genre in a more accessible, catchy form, even if it may run a bit too long for my taste.

Conclusion

Wow, what a weird, weird week... and a lot of it was straight garbage. I’m giving Best of the Week to “Up” by Cardi B, with an Honourable Mention to Digga D and AJ Tracey for “Bringing it Back”, though Worst of the Week is pretty much a toss-up. I’ll give it to the Foo Fighters for “Waiting on a War”, with a Dishonourable Mention tied between “Astronaut in the Ocean” by Masked Wolf and “Believe Me” by Navos for just both being worthless. Anyways, here’s our top 10:

The UK Singles Chart is honestly kind of chaotic right now – even more so than usual – and I don’t see that changing. Even if I don’t like all of the songs, it’s at least compelling. Anyways, thank you for reading and you can follow me @cactusinthebank on Twitter if you want. I can’t really make any predictions for next week other than Taylor Swift re-recording her own music and I guess some impact from Rita Ora and Imanbek, or hopefully, slowthai. Regardless of what happens, I’ll see you next week!

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gokinjeespot · 5 years ago

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off the rack #1303

Monday, March 2, 2020

This is a public service announcement. You will be ticketed for parking on the street during a parking ban even though the snow has already been cleared from the roads. We got a ticket parked in front of our house last week because we couldn't get into our driveway after the grader left a big snow bank at the end of it. I hope to spare anyone from being dinged with what I think is an unfair fine.

Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #2 - Mat Johnson (writer) Mack Chater (art pages 1-12) Francesco Mobili (art pages 13-20) Dono Sanchez-Almara, Protobunker & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I can't read the rest of this 5-issue mini. The art really bothered me this issue. It was hard to tell what was going on the first few pages and then seeing Peter Parker in civvies looking almost exactly like the bad guy confused me further. There are interesting mysteries about Spidey's webbing and a Wilson Fisk involvement with an explosion, but this story probably won't matter in the grand scheme of things, so I don't think I'll miss anything if I bail out here.

Punisher Soviet #4 - Garth Ennis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Nolan Woodard (colours) Rob Steen (letters). Frank and Valery go after Konstantin by kidnapping his trophy wife. She's amenable to divorce by Punisher. Thank Garth for improving my mood.

Basketful of Heads #5 - Joe Hill (writer) Leomacs (art) Riccardo La Bella (additional pencils) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Everything leading up to this issue has been circumstantial. Now the villain tells the complete story. I'm rooting for June to survive this mess.

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting & Javier Fernandez (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Heh, it's the Joker who helps Lex beat the Batman Who Laughs. It looks like next issue's pulse pounding conclusion will be Lex and his super villains versus the Batman Who Laughs and his infected super heroes. It's been a while since the Main Man has been in a comic that I've read.

Avengers #31 - Jason Aaron (writer) Gerardo Zaffino, Geraldo Borges, Szymon Kudranski, Oscar Bazaldua, Robert Gill & Mattia De Iulis (art) Rachelle Rosenberg & Mattia De Iulis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I haven't seen Tony Stark in a while so I assumed he was dead. Nope. He was zapped a million years into the past by the master manipulator Mephisto. The devil tries to get Tony's soul. This is a wonderful full issue of Iron Man and if Jason wrote an Iron Man book, I'd read it.

Amethyst #1 - Amy Reeder (story & art) Gabriela Downie (letters). I remember reading the original Amethyst book when it hit the racks in 1983 with the Ernie Colon art. It was fun and weird with a plucky heroine. This new Wonder Comics book has the appeal of having art by Amy Reeder who wowed me with her work on Madame Xanadu and Rocket Girl. Here she is writing as well and the art and story is tight and concise. This is a nice substitute for the dearly departed Naomi book.

Avengers of the Wastelands #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Jonas Scharf (art) Neeraj Menon (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the origin of Captain America of the Wastelands. His name is Grant. I think this is a great way to change tried and true Marvel characters to make them fresh and new. Having them fight an evil Doctor Doom is nice and simple. Four Avengers may become five but they have to contend with a super villain first.

Suicide Squad #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Bruno Redondo (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). The new Squad's first mission under Lok's leadership does not go according to plan. Neither are these super villains what they seem. This is why I read Tom Taylor books. Forget about any new Crises and DCeased and pick up this most excellent comic book for some straight up action and skulduggery.

Kill Lock #3 - Livio Ramondelli (story & art) Tom B. Long (letters). I get why the calligraphy font is used in the Wraith's word balloons but man, is it hard to read. This issue explains why The Kid is innocent and shouldn't be branded. The four droids find the one who can lead them to the Kill Lock's off switch but she betrays them. This universe of sentient robots is pretty cool.

Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #4 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Each issue has started off with Jessica held captive by the bad guy. The end of this issue reveals who that is and how she was killed and resurrected. I am looking forward to the conclusion to see how she defeats the villain.

Batman Superman #7 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave McCaig (colours) John J. Hill (letters). A new story starts here. Part 1 of "The Kandor Compromise" pits the World's Finest duo against Ra's Al Ghul and General Zod. One of the bad guys is working with the good guys. I got bored of the fight between Superman and Rogol Zaar so what happened to the city of Kandor was a surprise to me. I'm interested to see the final fate of the shrunken city.

Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This mostly wordless $4.99 US one-shot will be a quick read but I read it twice just to soak in the beautiful art. The story starts with the discovery Storm's body and ends with a problem after Ororo is resurrected. This leads into a story where Jean, Emma, Logan and Scott will have to save Storm again.

Leviathan Dawn #1- Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Josh Reed (letters). Leviathan succeeded in shutting down every spy agency and the leader has been revealed to be an ex-spy named Mark Shaw. The good guys are still trying to fight back but they're going to need help. Time for Kingsley Jacobs to start up Check Mate again. I like the players he's gathered. I'm looking forward to watching this game unfold.

Finger Guns #1 - Justin Richards (writer) Val Halvorson (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). And now for something completely different. This new urban fantasy introduces two teenagers with a weird power. Wes discovers that when he shoots people with his left hand he can make them angry. Sadie can calm people down when she uses her right finger gun. They meet by accident at the mall and try to get a handle on their newfound powers. It's a cool concept and I wonder where these kids are going to end up.

Fantastic Four: Grimm Noir #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This one's all about Ben's bad dreams. I thought the bad guy was Nightmare but it's another one of those mystical villains that generally mess with Doctor Strange. I expected some sort of Mickey Spillane type story but there's no murder, just a pretty dame needing rescue. It's a nice character study of the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing.

Detective Comics #1020 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Two-Face is back and he's more bipolar than ever. This is what I like to see, an old villain presented in a slightly new way. We still have the scarred coin dictating how Harvey acts but there's a new twist with a cult of fanatics and the Church of the Two Strikes. I love how the first page hints at the return of the Court of Owls too.

Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 - Derek Landy (writer) Federico Vicentini (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This 5-issue team-up starts off with a heavily armed and armoured hit squad attacking Bucky Barnes in his home. The Winter Soldier emerges unscathed and hops his motorcycle to find out who sent the killers. Meanwhile Sam Wilson is searching for a missing vet. The two meet at a government agency office where all the staff are dead. Wanting to know who's doing all the killing has got me interested in reading the rest but when a preppy killer shows up and kicks both of the heroes asses I decided to put this mini on my "must read" list. The kid's name is the Natural. Picture a blonde Damian Wayne in a pair of Chuck Taylors.

The Amazing Spider-Man #40 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello & Ze Carlos (art) Brian Reber & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The fight between Spider-Man and Chance had to do with a bet that Chance could get one of Spidey's web shooters. What bothered me was how easily that was done and Spider-Man's lack of urgency to get it back. There's a couple of foreshadowing scenes that will keep me reading however. One involves the Clairvoyant device and the other is who Norah Winters is working with.

X-Men #7 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue is dedicated to a new Mutant Ritual called the Crucible. It's a lot shorter than calling it the Arena of Death and Rebirth. It shows how mutants who have lost their powers can get them back. But first we have to endure a deep philosophical discussion between Cyclops and Nightcrawler. It's a real snoozer if you're an action fan.

Action Comics #1020 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). I wish they would stop with the deceiving covers. It looks like Superman is trying to come between Lex Luthor and Leviathan but what actually happens inside is Superman fighting Lex and the Legion of Doom. If it weren't for Young Justice helping out I would have found this issue boring.

X-Men/Fantastic Four #2 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Terry Dodson (pencils) Rachel Dodson, Karl Story & Ransom Getty (inks) Laura Martin (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). There's a lot of heroes accusing heroes of shenanigans concerning the disappearance of Franklin and Valeria. They are actually guests of Doctor Doom. Victor wants to reverse what Reed did to his son and I want to know why. With the X-Men converging on Doom Island, good old Doc Doom is prepared for an attack.

X-Force #8 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Bazaldua (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Why did Oscar Bazaldua stop using his first name in the credits? Domino and Colossus attack the flesh factory making assassins using Neena's DNA. The organisation funding the flesh factory has a mysterious benefactor and I'm hanging around to find out who that is. I wish they would change either Sage or Jubilee's costume. I keep getting them confused.

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howlingwind · 6 years ago

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01. what’s your name/alias you go by ??

my name is jeff !! lmfao (i don’t let memes die) it’s not my real name but i’ve gone by cody on tumblr for a long time

02. what’s your age ??

twenty. jfc i’m old. but also apparently a fetus??

03. what’s your zodiac sign ??

aries, which couldn’t feel further from correct lmfao

04. what’s your ethnicity ??

uhh mostly italian & sicilian, but you could probably point to any white place in europe and i’ll have a little bit of that in me. i’m also 1/16th native american but it’s such a small amount and sadly i don’t even know which tribe to learn more about them.

05. what’s your nationality ??

‘murican

06. what’s your favorite band and/or musical artist ??

i’m super indecisive about everything, so it’s difficult for me to pick faves (as you’ll see in a sec) but… mac miller, post malone, johnny cash, eminem, tenacious d, colter wall, kehlani, bruno mars, snoop dogg, elvis presley, justin timberlake, sublime, the rolling stones, etc etc there’s probably a lot i’m forgetting tho. i like most types of music except country. well, modern country anyway.

07. what’s your dream job ??

uh, i don’t have one? i mean yeah, i’d love to be a writer, or game dev, or a narrative director on a game, or direct, write, or act in movies or television, but like…i could live without any of that stuff. i just want to make a decent living, be able to own a house, not completely hate my job. yknow, not a glamorous life but a good one.

08. what’s one place you would love to visit ??

idk there’s a lot of places i’d like to go, but i’d most like to visit alpha centauri, even tho that’ll never happen lol

09. what’s your favorite tv show ??

i can’t pick that! but i love a lot of shows. general hospital, lucifer, the 100, supernatural, stranger things, izombie, south park, legends of tomorrow, once upon a time, arrow (at times), dragon ball, big brother, riverdale, chilling adventures of sabrina, that 70′s show, the ranch, umm… i could probably keep listing forever.

10. what’s your favorite movie ??

hmmmm, again i’ve got a list but… joe dirt, the new guy, why him, the waterboy, 50 first dates, all the spider-man movies, thor ragnarok, man of steel, 21 jump street, 22 jump street ,and a fuckton more lol

11. what’s your favorite song ??

constantly in flux, but the current faves are — creep by radiohead, stay by post malone, no below by speedy ortiz, unshaken by d’angelo, cruel cruel world by willie nelson, wanksta by 50 cent, shooter by lil wayne & robin thicke, stressed out by 21 pilots, self care by mac miller (along with practically everything on his final album), and i will always, un-ironically love only in america by riff raff. he’s not the greatest ever but that song is hilarious and always puts me in a good mood.

12. what’s your favorite sport ??

can i say rocket league? lol

13. what’s your favorite food ??

pizza, unquestionably. cereal is a damn close second tho. or pot stickers. damn, i’m hungry…

14. what’s your favorite face claim to use ??

typically, i’ve always really liked using paul wesley, chris wood, and matt daddario. i’m using lindsey morgan for the first time now though, and i really like her as an fc too.

15. what’s your least favorite face claim ??

to use?? um pretty much any singer or model just bc their resources aren’t too great. i really didn’t enjoy using pete davidson as much as i thought i would, either lol

to see… uh probs emma roberts or andy biersack. emma for obvs reasons but also bc i once had a really bad experience with people using those fcs. idm people using whoever they feel like using tho.

16. what’s your favorite character of yours to play ?? which do you think you’re most like ??

oh man, uhh i really enjoy writing chrissy & theo. they both speak to me. but tbh i’m not much like any of my characters? i’m boring af so i tend not to make any like me lol. i am kinda like theo in the sense that i’m quiet, and really just try to be a good person. other than that i’m most like jason solely based on the fact we’re both human lol

17. what’s your sexuality ??

danversexual. attracted only to fictional danvers women, examples including carol, kara, and alex danvers.

lmfao but nah i’m just a boring straight boy. well, like 99.9% straight. jensen ackles makes me question shit.

18. what’s the last movie you saw in a cinema/theater ??

captain marvel (thanks to dani lol). only two months late but it was worth the experience haha.

19. what’s the worst injury you’ve ever had ??

thankfully i’ve never really hurt myself too terribly except for a broken wrist, but between the ages of 10-17 i’d occasionally hurt my back by sitting weird, usually in an attempt to play video games without the glasses i desperately needed lol. once when i was like 11 i laid belly down on the couch with my elbows up on the arm of it for like three hours, which messed me up for days, then a few other times i hurt myself, but another bad one when i was 17, i had my back curved while sitting and propping my laptop up on my knee, tried to move and literally just cried, crawled on the floor, and laid there all night until i forced myself to move in the morning. lol luckily it hasn’t happened since i lost a little weight.

20. what’s a random or interesting fact about you ??

uhm, nothing? i literally can’t think of one, i’m dull af. i uh.. i replaced my own cpu cooler once? lmfao

21. do you listen to music while you write ??

sometimes. a lot of time i just like the silence or ambient background noise, but if i’ve got a fitting playlist for the vibe of what i’m trying to write, i’ll use it!

22. are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer ??

i’m a never writer, apparently v___v but lol ideally a night writer, my best work is between the hours of 12am & 4am, but my sleeping schedule is so inconsistent, and so is my dad’s who spends literally every waking moment of his telling me different stuff he wants done, so it’s tough to hit that sweet spot. i write whenever i get a chance tho.

23. have you ever roleplayed intoxicated ??

lol nah i’ve never even had a drink. like what teenager doesn’t have a drink at some point?? i told you i’m lame.

24. what language or languages do you speak ??

english, barely. and assassin’s creed 2 taught me some italian swears. and ac: odyssey has had me occasionally dropping “malaka” bombs since the day i first played it haha.

25. how long have you roleplayed ??

officially, about 9 years. i started at 11 on myspace, rping dragon ball z stuff. but basically about 12 years, if you count how from the ages of 8-11 i’d put an anime pic up on my myspace, pretend i was older, and talk to roleplayers i didn’t realize were roleplayers lmfao.

26. favorite roleplay genre ??

i like pretty much anything, tbh. as long as it’s well thought out, has an interesting plot, or whatever. sometimes it doesn’t even need that, it just needs to catch my eye or line up with something i’m looking for. but yeah, supernatural, multi-fandom, sci-fi, romance, town rps, high school/college rps, anime rp (well, pokemon mostly), harry potter… i’ve done it all tbh and don’t particularly have a favorite.

27. one sound you hate & one you love ??

the sound of cotton stretching is the absolute worst thing to me. or scratching cotton. idk, it just sends chills up and down my spine and makes my hands feel weak lmfao. i’m weird. i really love the sound of rain, or fire crackling, or like “ambient” harp or ukulele music.

28. do you believe in ghosts ??

short answer, yes. long answer… i’m pretty sure i was friends with a ghost girl as a kid?? like no joke, even looking back at it through rational “adult” eyes, i’m still convinced. my fam moved into a new apartment, and pretty much right after that i started having dreams about a girl my age at the time (11-12). i’d never seen her before but the dreams would be like just conversations, like i was visiting a friend or something. i don’t remember them much, but i do remember the feeling of someone else in my room all the time, like you know how if someone else is around you just know even if you’re not looking at them? like that. there was even one night i was getting in bed, laid there a minute, and then i could have absolutely sworn somebody came in the room and sat down next to me on the bed because i felt the bed sink a little under their weight, but i looked and no one was there. i had a really vivid conversation/dream/thing that night. then a few nights later, for the first time since moving there i didn’t have one. the next morning my dad was really freaked out and said he fell asleep in the chair, but woke up and couldn’t breathe, and felt cold little hands over his mouth. he rationalized it as just waking up from a nightmare but i didn’t think so, so that night when i went to sleep and saw her i got really upset, yelled at her for it, and woke up right after. then i never saw or heard anything even remotely similar again, like she left or disappeared or something. it’s so weird, and i know how crazy it sounds, but yeah. don’t get me started on the topic of ghosts lmfao. THEN AGAIN, like a year later we had a carbon monoxide scare, but i really doubt the two were related because that would mean there was an entire year that we were breathing it in and the monitor didn’t do anything lol

29. do you believe in aliens ??

no alien story, thankfully, but it just makes no sense not to believe in them to me. like, we probably don’t have them on earth, and we’ve probably never encountered any, but it’s as close as you can get to a mathematical certainty that there’s some other life out there in the universe.

30. do you believe in true love ??

like, people who are just meant for each other, like romantic soulmates? nah not really. but i believe that two people can grow to truly love one another. whether it’s based off an initial attraction/infatuation, or a friendship, or both. i’d actually argue that’s a simple explanation of the biological science behind the feeling of love, but that’s an essay i’m not gonna write lol. but there’s apparently a lot of different types of love, so i guess “true love” is suggestive?

also slightly unrelated but i don’t-quite-believe-in-but-am-open-to-the-idea-of soulmates, not necessarily as two souls who are just meant for each other romantically and always end up together, but more as two or more souls that gravitate toward each other to make up the important people in each other’s lives, like family members, lovers, or close friends. but that’s more of a theoretical idea/possibility than an actual belief of mine.

31. do you hold grudges ??

um, yes. lol i try not to, and i really do want everyone to be their best/happiest selves, but some people man… some people can take a long walk off a short pier lmao

32. do you have any obsessions right now ??

PO KE MON GOTTA CATCH EM ALLLLL. also… life is strange (thanks dani lol). supernatural. stranger things (thanks dani & steph) the 100 / clexa / becho (thanks steph). lucifer. captain marvel (thanks dani). the song “creep” by radiohead and all its covers (tom ellis, haley reinhart, etc). cyberpunk 2077 (thanks dani). as you can see, i’m easily influenced lmfao.

33. do you drive & if so, have you ever been in a crash ??

nope i don’t drive, precisely because i’d definitely end up in a crash lol

34. do you like the smell of gasoline ??

uh that’s a big fat no from me, chief

35. do you prefer writing fluff, angst, or smut ??

i like it all equally, i think. i just really like writing & rp in general. i did run a smut rp once in the past tho. it gets old quick tbh and is the one of the three i can live without lol

36. are you in a relationship ??

bahahahahahahaha no.

37. grab the nearest book to you and turn to page 23, what is the 17the line ??

❝ “and why would that be?” kronos’s golden eyes glittered. ❞

— the last olympian by rick riordan.

38. put your playlist on shuffle and list the first four songs that pop up:

1. season of the witch – donovan 2. riot van – arctic monkeys 3. busta rhymes – qveen herby 4. der kommissar – after the fire

also i gotta cheat because it’s too perfect that the next two are

5. stay – mac miller (one of my favorites ever that i forgot to mention above) 6. only in america – riff raff (i just love this ok. the video is hilarious but tw james franco for those that don’t like him)

#pandemonium: task #// i’m always last 😔 lmfao #// also this is like a mile long idek why so if you actually read this?? you’re a saint lol #→ por queue

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madelainesvault · 6 years ago

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“where do i sit ? can i sit here ? i’ma sit here.”

first of all, we’d like to express our deepest condolences for the loss of your co-star. let’s talk about riverdale, and more specifically, your acting career. do you have your sights set on bigger things ? movies ? where do you see yourself in the next five years in terms of your role as an actress ?

thank you. he.. was an amazing person, i’m blessed to have known him. oh, of course. i put everything on this career and i remember.. getting rejected so much and then my riverdale family came. you know, this is my first reoccurring acting experience and i couldn’t be more blessed. but i am SO excited to move up and i love cheryl, but i’d love to see myself playing other roles. i just recently did a horror movie, so.. i’d love to see myself doing more of that. well, due to the unfortunate loss of a dear friend, riverdale will be on pause so.. i will be taking a bit of a break. but i do think i’d be doing some amazing movies in the future.

you and stranger things actor, joe keery, began first dating before with of you landed your leading roles on your respective shows. how has fame changed the dynamic of your relationship this time around ? are you happy ? do you see yourself still with joe in the future ?

yes, um… we were definitely some pretty unknown actors during the first round and i think the sudden attention shift really killed our world. but once we both experienced other relationships with people of a higher status, we realized.. this is fame. or at least i did. i don’t want to speak for him but.. i think there’s a HUGE sense of trust now and we have such an unbreakable bond. oh, hell yes. can i curse ? shit.. well, i’m very much happy with him. how far into the future ? because.. i can say we will be expecting our first child in a few months.

taking a look at your past dating history, it seems there was a gap between your last ex boyfriend, travis, and your current relationship with joe. what happened there ? any specific reason you took a break from the dating scene ?

um… i just had a tough time getting over travis. it was a different kind of love, one i don’t ever want to replicate. so i was just taking time, you know. what girl doesn’t have a break up like this ? it’s normal. who said i wasn’t dating ? i’m kidding, kidding.. but yeah.. next.

you have a lot of famous friends in your life. ariana grande, justin bieber, barbara palvin — all big names in hollywood. being relatively new to the industry, some of your critics have wondered if you’re using your friends as a stepping ladder to increase your relevancy. what do you have to say to those people who think so lowly of your loyalty ?

i think that’s a bit messed up, don’t you ? i love my friends, especially two very important ones that you didn’t name. dacre montgomery and halston sage, a lot of my sanity goes to them. but as for ariana, justin, and barbara.. they are absolute gems who have done nothing but support and care for me and i’ve done the same. i don’t /need/ them to keep relevant because i don’t want their relevance. i’ve spoken to specifically justin about this, and joe and i can drive without our windows super tinted, and go to sleep without padlocks on the door. and i’ve watched my friends go through some insane shit due to how famous they are, so in no way will i ever use them for anything.

imagine you have a time machine that’ll let you go back in time and change one specific event in your life. keep in mind, any changes in the past will effect your present. would you still make the changes, knowing it could cost you everything you have now ?

no, no. i mean for a while i was very.. sad about things that had happened. specifically my break up with travis, why it happened and how. but, i realized i’ve been given some pretty interesting cards to play and.. i wouldn’t change a thing because i wouldn’t have joe. i wholeheartedly believe he’s my soulmate, so if i had to go through a shit load of pain to get here.. then so be it.

#shq;task #hER PREGNANCY IS PUBLIC NOW WOW

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defensefilms · 3 years ago

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NFL Storylines To Look Out For In 2022/23

1. Trey And The 9ers

I can’t say I have a lot of love for the 49ers.

I will never get that bitter taste out of my mouth, but despite that, I can’t help but be optimistic about Trey Lance.

Now, the fact that they are bringing Jimmy Garapollo back for at least one more season, is not very encouraging, and it very much feels like the 9ers and Shanahan, are trying to hedge their bets, when the fact is that running quarter back like Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson and Trey Lance, need a coach, co-ordinator and management that are fully bought in to the QB-run style of play.

The 9ers, better not mess this up. I’m serious, this is an organization with very little good will going for it as far as I’m concerned.

I need Shanahan to resist his natural inclinations towards hesitancy, and just buy in to Trey Lance. He’s already a year late in doiing this as far as I’m concerned.

The 9ers have one of the more interesting matchups to open their season when they travel to Soldier Field to play another hopeful quarterback in Justin Fields.

2. Baltimore Lamar Thang

There has been a lot of attention given to the fact that Lamar Jackson has added like 15 lbs of muscle this offsseason, and how that will affect his game and namely, his speed.

But that’s on the field. Off the field, the situation as far as Lamar is concerned, is a little more worrying.

Lamar wants a contract extension, and there is a possibility that he could do what Dak Prescott did and try to play without a contract. That’s risky and it did not end well for Prescott, even if he did get his money eventually.

Lamar’s current contract is a joke, and according to Sportrac, his base salary has stayed at around 1 million dollars for the last 4 years.

That’s an embarassment and the Ravens need to pony up an pay, because Lamar will be a free agent in 2023, and given what we just saw Russell Wilson do, it’s not out of the question for Lamar to leave Baltimore.

3. Aaron “Iyausca” Rodgers

I respect Aaron Rodgers a lot, but bro has just been way off the deep end for the last year and a half.

Bro is a meme. No two ways about it, he’s meme-worthy, and the most meme’d guy in the NFL over the last year.

The thing that trips me up, is that he slammed his organization for not signing the players that he pushed for them to sign, but then still comes right back and takes a max contract, a new contract might I add, which meant the Packers couldn’t sign DaVante Adams.

Does that make sense?

No. He’s Aaron Rodgers, nothing about him makes sense anymore.

Look I love Aaron for speaking up for Colin Kaepernick, and that won him some major points in my book, but this edgelord, woke brother, friend of Joe Rogan act has got to stop.

Or he could keep it going and entertain us all while he’s at it. Ya’ll seen that clip of him in a wife beater, looking like Nicolas Cage in Con Air?

Yeah, he’s letting you know early that it’s gonna be a wild 2022, and of course, bro is coming back to the Pat McAffee show for another season of weekly podcast sesssions, so yeah, all is well here?

4. Is This Tom Brady’s Last Season?

So it turned out Adam Schefter was either lying or in on the ruse from the jump, because Tom Brady didn’t retire after all and mainstream sports media is over there just casually becoming more and more suspect, but I digress.

Whether this is Brady’s last season or not, is a question fo incredible pertinence for the Buccanneers given what they’ve had to change as far as coaching is concerned.

The decision to move former head coach, Bruce Arians in to a front office role is one that seemed suspicious and indicated that maybe Tom and Bruce had some friction with as far as how they wanted the offense to operate.

Nonetheless, Brady pulled strings, used leverage and got more power, and presumably, more power with regards to the offense and play-calling.

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5. Russell Wilson Riding In Ya Buildin’

I’m gonna be honest here, I don’t know why Russ chose to join the Broncos.

You would think that, if Russ leaves the Seahawks, he’d go somewhere with a decent offensive line, and to be honest, the Bronco O-lines have been terrible for a long time now.

I can’t possibly think that it’s about money because, he’d be the highest paid guy on any roster he played for, and I don’t know if it’s about winning because, I honestly feel, there are plenty of offfenses that have more talent and juice than the Broncos.

Outside of Courtland Sutton, and maybe Jerry Jeudy, I don’t know what else the Broncos offense has going for it, but I am far from the expert on this.

What I do know is that Russell has an opportunity to exorcise his demons early with a week 1 game in his former stomping grounds of Seattle and with that a chance to send a message to his former coach Pete Carrol.

#sports #nfl #nfl 2022

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taylorfiction · 8 years ago

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Stages of Feeling, Pt 2 -Joe’s POV

I present part two!

here is part one if any of ya missed it: Part one

Pretty sure this is the longest one i’ve ever written so enjoy! Send me feedback and requests if you want :)

Reminder: i have exams for the next two weeks so i can’t guarantee that i will post anything, maybe a short one shot.

13 October 2016 – A Kings of Leon Concert

I didn’t know what was in my drink, Garret had just handed it to me, but it tasted good and I knew it would get me drunk so I was content with not knowing. It was loud, I could feel the vibrations of the music running through me, I loved it, despite the fact I didn’t know any of the lyrics.

My hair was a mess, blonde strands stuck to my forehead, the room filled with bodies, creating a humid, hot atmosphere. I needed to get out, claustrophobia starting to kick in.

I made my way to the bathrooms, to splash some water on my face, to cool down a bit. On my way out of ‘the men’s room’ I heard the distinct sound of her voice, ‘They just won’t leave me alone, will they?’ she said, I knew it was her instantly and smiled as she continued ‘We should’ve just stayed at my apartment’.

I turned the corner, and there she was, her hands expressing her frustration obviously aimed at the people with cameras poised outside. Martha was there laughing at Taylor and her adorable annoyance ‘Can’t they go find Justin Bieber, I’m sure he’s getting drunk tonight, it is a Thursday after all’ she murmured sarcastically to herself which made Martha laugh even more and made me smile.

She turned around and saw me, it took a moment for her to recognise me but when she did she exclaimed ‘Oh My God, Joe! It’s so good to see you, what are you doing here?’ she smiled at me and took a few steps to embrace me with one arm. ‘Yeah, it’s great to see you too, when was the last time we saw each other? I came with my friend Garret, we’re in town for movie shit, I was just getting some fresh air, cause it’s getting really hot in there.’ I laughed.

‘All I know is that it’s been too long, but you’re looking well, which is good.’ she laughed to herself then looked at Martha who briefly introduced herself to me then said she was going to find Lily and drink some more vodka, we all laughed as she walked away.

‘So, how’s the movie business treating you?’ she quizzed, one shoulder leaning against the wall slightly. I ran my hands through my hair which was getting a bit long now and observed her smiling at me, her eyes shining so bright and her smile radiant, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s good, a bit unpredictable, but good’ I smiled back at her and inched ever so slightly closer, leaning into the conversation, I remembered how beautiful she was, I remembered how nervous I was talking to her at the Met, how for the majority of the night I just gazed at her from afar until she had come over and introduced herself properly. I remembered every feeling I had ever felt towards her.

‘Well, welcome to my world. Warning, it’s chaos’ she shrugged her shoulders and giggled ever so slightly, I realised how much worse she must have it, never knowing if a camera will be behind a corner or waiting at one of her favourite spots in town. I looked down, I still had my drink in my hand, I downed what was left in the bottom, then placed it down on the floor so I had two free hands. ‘Your world sounds very scary’ I said to her again moving closer, I was just gazing at her now thinking, I wanted to be in her world, I wanted to give her a better world.

We talked for what felt like a few minutes but turned out to be a whole hour, gazing into eyes, laughing at jokes, casual conversation, that was easy in every way.

We said our goodbyes when her friends dragged her away, continuing their night of adventure and drinking. The smile she left me with making my heart warm and my stomach flip.

Garret decided the after party was where we would go next, the concert had ended, Taylor was long gone and for the rest of the night all we wanted to do was drink. When we entered I felt a warmth engulf me and I could feel the buzz of people around me.

We made our way to the bar, the red leather seats worn with time and people coming and going. Drinks were ordered and as I was sipping mine looking at all the mingling faces, observing Garret trying to flirt, and failing, I laughed to myself.

I suddenly felt a shoulder brush mine and a voice in my ear ‘Well hello again, fancy seeing you here’ I turned to the sound of her and smiled broadly ‘Aah, how lovely it is to see you again, feels like years!’ I exclaimed jokingly, sarcasm obvious in my voice. We both laughed at my attempt at a joke.

Once again, the conversation was easy, and we picked up where we had left off at the club, not needing to worry about awkward pauses or saying the wrong thing.

Time seemed to move exceptionally fast around her, nothing ever stood still, nothing was ever completely stable. Apart from her. She, Taylor, as a person, was a lot more put-together than her life-style led people to believe.

I could read it on her face that she needed to leave, her friends would be wanting to make a move, to go to Lovers of Today, apparently, to indulge in cocktails and fine conversation, to revel in the perfect lighting and photogenic scenery.

‘You need to go, don’t you?’ I looked down at my beer as I said this, but looked back up when she replied ‘Yeah,’ It was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it, but I did.

‘I guess this is good bye then?’ I asked, a smile tugging at my lips, ‘this night has been fun, so thank you,’

She tugged at my hand lightly, ‘Come with us,’

‘What?’ did she mean it? Could I go with her? Should I?

‘Come to Lovers of Today with us, make this night last longer’ she was grasping my hand now, her smile broadening as she spoke.

‘I would love to,’ I stared at our entangled hands as she pulled me to the exit, was this real?

The lighting painted the booths and leather seats in a warm red glow, reflecting light off the shiny, polished tables. We sat, our knees brushing under the table and our shoulders touching slightly. The conversation was flowing across the table, everyone contributing at times, laughing, smiling, the alcohol inducing more open topics.

I gazed at her next to me, laughing at Lily’s commentary, she was incredible, yet I barely knew her, I wanted to know everything though, I could spend hours talking to her, spending time with her. The night had been incredible, I wished It could last forever but we both knew it couldn’t.

As the night went on, and the wee hours of the morning were upon us, we started to say goodbye to a few. They wandered away using sleep as their excuse, but not us. We talked and talked and talked and talked. Eventually it was just me and her, our glasses left on the table, ignored, the conversation much more interesting.

There was a lull in the chatter where I found myself gazing at her, her blue eyes like diamonds and her lips painted with crimson. I couldn’t help but smile.

god, I wanted to kiss her.

‘what?’ she asked acknowledging me just looking at her.

‘Nothing’ I said still smiling, ‘I’m just glad that I saw you tonight’

I moved closer to her and she noticed. She looked down at her feet and smiled, when she looked back up I was there. Gazing at her still, longingly, for a few seconds before the tension between us almost became palpable.

I put my hand on her cheek and I kissed her. Just like that. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The alcohol spurring me on, encouraging me to let my guard down, give into what I wanted most. Her hand was placed on my chest and my other hand moved to her waist as I pulled her closer. I would never forget this night.

We pulled apart slowly, wanting the feeling to last forever, my head spun with adrenaline as we both smiled.

‘Wanna get out of here?’ she whispered into my ear, before clutching my hand and pulling me towards the exit once again.

#taylor and joe fanfiction #taylor and joe #taylor swift and joe alwyn #taylor swift and joe alwyn fanficiton #my friends who normally approve it didn't this time #if there's mistakes blame them #for having lives #tayjoe

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justjessame · 4 years ago

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Takes One To Know One Chapter 11

If it were just me, I thought as I lay in bed that night, then what Negan had told me wouldn’t be such a head scratching shit storm of bullshit to have to contend with. It wasn’t just me, however, I didn’t make decisions JUST for me. Like I’d told John before he became a gruesome mess, I didn’t think with my vagina, even if I’d used cruder terms.

Another night with shitty sleep, I realized as I lay awake contemplating what this new entity had confessed to me about his past. This time it wasn’t due to pent up sexual tension, oh no, this time it had to be all about his possible psychotic tendencies. What else could I consider what he’d described?

A harem of women who were picked because of their partners, men who needed to be kept in line, through use of their women? A few who came along for the ‘perks’, which I gathered were freedom from his points system for supplies and who am I kidding, look at his ass- it wasn’t like having him available for sex would be a hardship if you were willing.

The tributes, as he’d called them, having other communities forced to give his people half of their supplies for so called safety? The fuck? While I knew that the world beyond our gates and boundaries was fucking ridiculous, this was madness. It was absolutely fucking bonkers. We’d had a few stragglers, a few broken and frightened survivors from groups that had fallen to other larger groups- groups like Negan’s Saviors, integrated into our population. We weren’t soldiers, even if we had surplus weapons and trained to use them, a part of the tour that Negan wouldn’t have been given yet. Thank God.

We’d had others, actual feelers or leaders of communities come to make peace or ask for aid. Switzerland, I said, and I meant it. We had what we needed, we gave what we could, but that didn’t include bodies to fight a war that wasn’t ours. Keeping our people safe, keeping our land safe, that was all we would do. Helping others with supplies, without causing undo pain or suffering on ourselves, we would do. Above and beyond that? No. Not while I was in charge. And I had been. For a very long time it felt like.

As for his idea of punishments? I agreed with him that wrongdoing had to have an answer and consequences, but maiming people? Killing people? Not for something as simple as infidelity. Disloyalty? A woman who didn’t want to be with him screwed someone she loved, I would bet money on that being the case, and so that man would bear the proof of it forever? That was a step too far. The doctor being cremated alive? I sighed as I considered John’s death, a death that I’d contemplated even as I’d had sex with the man. Was I any better on that front? Probably not. I wouldn’t even try to pretend otherwise, not even here in my own bed alone.

I drifted off, thoughts of whether Negan and I were alike or different, and how the fuck I was supposed to decide what do do about it.

I was with Ian, having lunch only days into my two week stay, when we heard the screaming. Alert as any physician who did a stint in an emergency room can be, I was on my feet and heading in the direction of the shouts with the ginger giant on my heels before either of us said a word. The chaos that met us was insane. Students couldn’t seem to decide which direction they wanted to go in, and they also couldn’t seem to choose whether running or gawking was the best choice either.

Listening for a beat, I heard the screams rise up louder from the direction of the clinic, a place I’d been shown early on, since it was simpler for the interested students to meet me there or in Ian’s office than anywhere else on campus. Pushing through the bodies of the coeds, I forced my way to the clinic, hoping to see a cause for the screams that was an easy fix, but instead I saw the start of the end of the world as we all knew it.

No one would ever be able to say who was Patient Zero, if it had been the student with the chest cold that had turned viral to the point of pneumonia which then drowned them in their own fluids, or if it had been someone else. All I knew for sure when I opened the door, was that everyone was technically dead, yet strangely animated, and killing the required headshots, which was simpler than anyone might have assumed since they appeared more interested in eating- flesh and people, than actually taking stock of a human about to smack the shit out of their brain matter with a blunt object.

Within hours it had spread, or perhaps it had already been going wild and I’d been busy doing my fucking job, all I knew was that the student population started to dwindle quickly. Apparently trying to convince coeds to self isolate and quarantine goes about as well as telling toddlers to NOT eat crayons that smell like food. The dean and president of the school were making pitiful noises about how their hands were tied, but all I could see and hear was useless nonaction and excuses. Taking control, telling students who had vehicles and knowledge of their families’ whereabouts and safety to head home, while others who had nothing to go on to stay put, we managed to head off the stupidity at the pass.

Soon, I had Michael, Aaron, and Justin helping me along with Mimi. We managed to inventory what we had, corral our student body alongside the educators and people who kept the college running, and we figured shit out. Runs to find supplies, with maps of the areas surrounding us, stockpiling weapons, ammo, along with medication, shelf stable foods, we also ransacked libraries to get more information on how to keep self sustaining and growing.

Our population grew, shrunk, and grew, like any other, I imagined. People still made stupid choices, they left because they thought something better might be beyond our gates or they died because they got stir crazy. We added to our population through births, people showing up and asking to be allowed to join us, or sometimes runners finding stragglers in deserted houses or towns. I kept them as healthy as I could, with Joe and Raine giving me as much aid as they could. I wanted to train more, but again, my time was spent putting out fires when it wasn’t spent staring at walls and wondering when the boredom would kill me dead.

The sunlight woke me, the tension was so heavy in my body that I knew my day would run exactly like the day before, and I also knew that I had no fucking idea what to do about Negan.

On one hand, he was dangerous, that much he admitted to. On the other, I understood why he was, or had been. Every single one of us, once the world went batshit, made choices we might not have made before. I took an oath when I became a doctor, yet I hadn’t blinked when I bashed the brain out of my first walking, moaning, biting corpse. If Negan was still dangerous, in the way he had been, wouldn’t he have shown it by now? Or was he waiting for me to give him the keys to my kingdom to make his move?

#negan x ofc #The Walking Dead #alternate universe

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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2021 NFL Mock Draft: Complete first round

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

A complete first-round Mock Draft following the end of the regular season.

With the regular season in the rear view mirror we now turn our attention to the NFL Draft. There’s still a lot unknown about the format it will take, how the scouting combine will proceed (if at all), or whether the world will be in a place where we can have people attend live. But outside of those unknowns we do know what order non-playoff teams will be drafting, and today we dive into who may be selected.

No. 1: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson — Jacksonville Jaguars

The sweepstakes are over, the dust has settled, and the Jaguars have won the prize. Quarterback definitely isn’t Jacksonville’s biggest need, and Gardner Minshew has played pretty well in 2020, but chances like this don’t come along very often.

Lawrence is the most polished, lock No. 1 QB since Andrew Luck entered the league in 2012. The Clemson passer has proven he can work under pressure, make plays, and be the face of a franchise for years to come. The Jaguars are lucky.

No. 2: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon — New York Jets

There was seemingly no doubt the Jets would end up with Trevor Lawrence for much of the season, but wins took them out of the No. 1 pick conversation. It’s temping to simply shuffle them down a peg and take the next best quarterback, but deep down I think New York know that just taking quarterbacks is like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Penei Sewell is a safe pick, and he’s ludicrously talented too. At the very least it’ll give the offense some support so they can determine if Sam Darnold has a future, or whether it’ll be time to cut bait in 2021.

No. 3: Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama — Miami Dolphins (via Texans)

The Dolphins are in one of the best positions in the NFL with a luxury almost nobody gets: Being a near-playoff team with a Top 3 pick. At this point Miami has its QB of the future, it has a solid base, now it’s time to get weapons.

Adding Devonta Smith is a dream come true. A receiver so good he’s Heisman worthy, with a history of working with Tua Tagovailoa. The handcuff is cute, but the pick makes too much sense. I think this is a piece of the puzzle that can really take the Dolphins to the next level.

No. 4: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State — Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have a lot of needs, especially in the secondary, but it’s important to realize all those comically blown leads also means this team is close as constructed. I don’t think Atlanta is really as bad as their record showed, so the smart move is to solidify the future.

Regime change is on the Falcons’ minds, but it doesn’t need to be immediate. Justin Fields could sit behind Matt Ryan for a year, get used to the NFL and get the development he needs to be ready to take over. It’s a great scenario for everyone involved, and getting a QB of this caliber without needing to trade is too good to pass up.

No. 5: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU — Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals would love to get Sewell or Smith in this spot, but the draft didn’t quite break for them. It’s not like this is a sob story though, because Ja’Marr Chase is a heck of a player who we know has chemistry with Joe Burrow.

Chase totaled 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns with Burrow at LSU in 2019. A.J. Green is getting older (and growing weary of the rebuild), the Bengals need to upgrade their receiving corps, and need to get Burrow more help. This pick fits all those needs.

No. 6: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State — Philadelphia Eagles

Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Philadelphia needs help in a lot of areas, and while wide receiver might be the biggest area that needs improvement, I don’t have the mock breaking in a way where it’s in the team’s best interest.

Pass rushing is a key need for the Eagles as well, and getting Parsons from their own backyard will help in that regard. Arguably the best pure pass rusher in the class, I don’t think him skipping the 2020 season will really hurt. I think it’s a trap to think Parsons can only excel in a 3-4 base defense, with coordinators getting more creative in using weapons. With a player this good you just take him, and work out how to slot him in later.

No. 7: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama — Detroit Lions

Death. Taxes. The Lions taking first round receivers. I’m sure it’s a bummer that Detroit will have to settle for the third best in the class, but Jaylen Waddle fits what the team likes to do on offense.

A smaller, shiftier wide receiver, Waddle is a playmaker who just needs the ball in his hands to make an impact. That makes him a receiver who can fit with any quarterback, whether that’s Matthew Stafford or someone new.

No. 8: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida — Carolina Panthers

I know there’s an allure to giving Carolina a quarterback here, especially with Zach Wilson still on the board, and Teddy Bridgewater looking like he’s not the guy, but ultimately I think Matt Rhule wants to get players he really believes in, and is willing to wait for them.

Years of Panthers success on offense were dictated by the receiving skills of Greg Olsen. Kyle Pitts has a similar skillset and could quickly become a league-defining tight end, among the best in the league. With the Panthers receivers set, I see this being a way to round out their offense, giving Bridgewater more time to prove if he can be the guy or not.

No. 9: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern — Denver Broncos

Denver is a much better team on paper than a lot of people gave them credit for. Drew Lock is really developing into a nice quarterback, they have pieces on both side of the ball to make plays, but it’s the little things this team lacks that’s hurting them.

In a perfect world the Broncos would trade down a little with a team wanting a quarterback jumping up, but for the sake of this exercise I have they staying put and drafting a rangy, reliable offensive tackle to help fix their line. Rashawn Slater is an athletic, excellent tackle who won’t be a sexy pick, but it’ll be the right one.

No. 10: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech — Dallas Cowboys

Dallas wasn’t bad against the pass, in fact, far from it — but this is a need meets BPA pick that can’t be ignored. The Cowboys are facing massive turnover in their secondary this offseason, and are in dire need of help. That help comes in the form of the best defensive back taken.

Caleb Farley has speed, strength, excellent football IQ and an ability to make plays. Virginia Tech were confident enough to give him little help, and still he excelled. The NFC East will be a mess for a while, but Farley is a difference maker who could turn the tide.

No. 11: Kwity Paye, DT, Michigan — New York Giants

This might be the safest, most obvious pick of the first round outside of Trevor Lawrence going to Jacksonville. The Giants need an elite defensive tackle to round out their burgeoning defense, and general manager Dave Gettleman has an endless love of big tackles.

Kwity Paye had the power to hold the middle, and the skills to get into the backfield. He’s not dissimilar to Kawann Short, who Gettleman drafted in Carolina and quickly became of of their best defensive players. Paye has even more upside, and could be an anchor on the line for a long, long time.

No. 12: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU — San Francisco 49ers

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

It’s been so tempting to give Zach Wilson to numerous teams before, but here we are. The 49ers are at a crossroads. They’re a year removed from being one of the best teams in the NFL, and 2020 really derailed everything.

That also means there’s an opportunity here, much like Atlanta, to draft higher than they probably deserve. It’s unclear if Jimmy Garoppolo can stay healthy enough to be a franchise player, but if anyone can unlock Wilson in the NFL it’s Kyle Shanahan. The foundation is in place to make him succeed, now it’s time to execute.

No. 13: Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State — Los Angeles Chargers

This was supposed to be a full rebuilding year for Los Angeles. Very little was expected, and 2020 was mostly about getting Justin Herbert reps, and making him feel comfortable. However, nobody expected Herbert to be as good as he was this season, which pushes the priority completely on protecting Herbert.

Los Angeles really needs a tackle more than a guard, but the talent isn’t quite there. Wyatt Davis is versatile enough to play along the line, and helps solidify the middle. I know this is early for a guard, but Davis is worth it.

No. 14: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Miami — Minnesota Vikings

Goodness, where do we begin on this one? The Vikings need a lot of help on defense. In fact, they need a lot of help everywhere — but with questionable options on the OL I have them addressing the mammoth problems with the secondary.

Minnesota gutted its secondary for seemingly no reason, allowing talented players to walk and hurting the team in the process. Patrick Surtain II has the pedigree, and the talent to start fixing those issues.

No. 15: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama — New England Patriots

I have this being my obligatory draft “shocker.”

I know everyone has Trey Lance ranked higher, but I can’t shake the feeling that a late-career Bill Belichick won’t be that interested in taking on a project QB, especially with someone as reliable as Mac Jones available.

The ceiling is definitely lower, but he’s a safe, proven commodity. The Patriots have no quarterback to speak of at this point, and there’s a scenario here where Jones can start from Day 1. It’s not like the Patriots to take a QB early, but these are weird times.

No. 16: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC — Arizona Cardinals

Similar to the Chargers, the Cardinals would probably rather a tackle be on the board. There’s a good chance they go defense here, but we know Arizona is an offensive team first, and that’s where the priority is.

Alijah Vera-Tucker will hold the middle, protect Kyler Murray, and solidify the base. This team has sizzle, now this is a beef.

No. 17: Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami — Las Vegas Raiders

It’s unheard of to have one of the best pure pass rushers in the draft go this low. That’s not a testament to Gregory Rousseau’s talent, but rather that other teams have bigger fish to fry.

Rousseau has the athleticism and speed we know Jon Gruden craves out of players, and he’s versatile enough to help across the board. A solid addition for a team that ranked 29th in sacks.

No. 18: Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee — Miami Dolphins

I’m a big time believer in Tua Tagovailoa, and don’t fully get why anyone is doubting him. At this point it’s all about putting gas on the fire, and after getting a top-tier receiver, now Miami can turn to helping the line and adding some protection.

This could easily be a tackle, like Christian Darrishaw or Jalen Mayfield, but ultimately I think this big, road-grading guard offers a little more top-end talent, something Miami needs.

No. 19: Christian Darrishaw, OT, Virginia Tech — Washington Football Team

Do you know who’ll quarterback this team in 2021? I sure don’t. Let that be a future problem.

Ron Rivera is a risk-averse head coach (despite his “Riverboat Ron” billing), and to that end I think Washington takes an excellent, unremarkable player who simply makes their team better.

No. 20: Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan — Chicago Bears

I have a hard time really knowing what the future holds for the Bears. Just when you think you have Mitchell Trubisky figured out, he wows you, then lets you down, then wows you again.

For now, I think Chicago banks on him being the guy for just a little longer. Part of that evaluation process involves getting him more protection, and Jalen Mayfield is a guy who can really help.

No. 21: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State — Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams)

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Young quarterbacks need tight ends.

With Trevor Lawrence locked down, Pat Freiermuth seems like an amazing option here. He’s such a talented blocker that it’s easy to confuse him with a sixth offensive lineman, and the dude can catch when needed. That provided a hell of a lot of safety for a rookie QB, and someone who he can grow, and rely on.

No. 22: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue — Indianapolis Colts

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Rondale Moore definitely doesn’t have ideal size, but the Colts are used to working around that with T.Y. Hilton. This pick hinges entirely on whether Indianapolis brings back their top receiver, but even if they do, I think Moore is a solid pick.

A small, shifty receiver — he’s able to find gaps and make big plays, just like Hilton. This is a case where the team match could be all the difference, and I see Indianapolis being able to use him.

No. 23: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri — Cleveland Browns

The Browns are back in the playoffs, and that’s glorious. The one thing this team still lacks is consistency. Sure, there’s a lot of excitement on both sides of the ball, but that tends to wax and wane from game to game.

Nick Bolton is the kind of player who will help solidify the defense, and allow players around him to shine. That’s a characteristic often underrated.

No. 24: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame — Baltimore Ravens

I don’t know where Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will end up in the NFL. Will he be a linebacker? Will he move to safety? It doesn’t really matter in the long run, as long as he goes to a team willing to embrace his talent.

Perhaps nobody is better suited to finding a place for him to play than the Ravens, who are less concerned with archetypes, as they are making plays. Owusu-Koramoah makes plays by the bunches, and I think that will be enough to get him into the first round. Heck, if he had a more solidified size I think he’d go Top 10.

No. 25: Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama — Tennessee Titans

The Titans are the best playoff team without a pass rush. Christian Barmore doesn’t exactly solve that problem, but he makes everyone’s line on the line easier.

Tennessee doesn’t really have a lot of needs outside of the defensive line, so let’s sort this out quickly.

No. 26: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota — New York Jets (via Seahawks)

I’m applying a lot of the same logic here as I did the No. 2 pick. My money is on the Jets taking one more year under a new coach to evaluate Sam Darnold, and to do that effectively, he needs weapons.

Bateman is one of those guys who doesn’t burst off the screen with every play, but you see how many ways he can excel in the NFL. He’s similar to Michael Thomas in that way, and that’s a hell of a compliment.

No. 27: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady won’t last forever. In fact, he might not last another full season, depending on who you ask. There’s no doubt we’ve hit the twilight years of No. 12’s career, which means it’s time to have a plan in place once he’s gone.

Tampa Bay is still firmly in “win now” mode, but that doesn’t mean they should ignore the future. Trey Lance is a little raw, but if he can find his way in the NFL the sky is the limit. Give him a season to sit behind Brady and learn the NFL, and if that turns into a couple of years, you still know the future is secure.

No. 28: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson — Pittsburgh Steelers

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

It’s so bizarre to see a Steelers team in the playoffs without a ground game identity. Pittsburgh has tried, and failed a few different experiments since saying goodbye to Le’Veon Bell, and now it’s time to fix the issue.

Travis Etienne isn’t the classic, bruising Steeler running back we’re used to, but we saw what the team was able to do with DeAngelo Williams as his career winded down. Etienne has elite speed at the position, and an ability to make plays from the backfield. Pittsburgh needs that.

No. 29: Derion Kendrick, CB, Clemson — New Orleans Saints

New Orleans may be living on borrowed time when it comes to quarterback, but this is too low to take a risk and the team is still too good. Getting a cornerback like Derion Kendrick helps keep the Saints competitive in the division, and shut down the next generation of quarterbacks entering the NFC South.

No. 30: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas — Buffalo Bills

At this point Buffalo is simply looking for the last pieces of the puzzle. They have the quarterback, the talent all over the roster, and getting some future protection for Josh Allen has to be the priority.

Samuel Cosmi might not have elite athleticism, but he’s incredibly smart. When you have an athletic quarterback like Allen you don’t need raw power, as much as you need someone who won’t make mistakes.

No. 31: Jevon Holland, S, Oregon — Green Bay Packers

Holland is a little difficult to project at the next level, but what he has can’t be taught: An innate ability to local, and play the ball in the air — paired with a willingness to take part in run defense.

A bit of a Swiss Army Knife player, Holland projects well into the Packers’ defense.

No. 32: Deonte Brown, OG, Alabama — Kansas City Chiefs

I cannot believe I’m having four guards go in the first round, but here we are. This is a talented position in 2021, loaded with good players, and I think the Chiefs have a knack for just getting great picks.

At a listed 6’4, 350, Brown is simply a monster of a man. He’ll eat up a lot of space, and time on the offensive line. When you have players like Patrick Mahomes and Clyde Edwards-Helaire they just need that time to get an edge. I think this is a sound, solid pick by a team already dominating.

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eddycurrents · 8 years ago

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For the week of 18 December 2017

Quick Bits:

Accell #6 concludes Danny’s first confrontation with new villain Midnight Blue and it’s interesting to see him still navigating how to be a hero, in this case ultimately failing. Damion Scott’s art is easily worth the price of admission alone.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Angelic #4 really starts getting into the happenings behind the scenes and the truth of what humans did before disappearing from the face of the Earth. It also shows that both the monks and the mans have been perpetuating their own ideologies and systems of belief to retain their own power structures. Not surprising, but like Orwell’s Animal Farm it’s a good way to show us some of our own failings through analogy.

| Published by Image

Assassinistas #1 isn’t exactly what I was expecting, but this is better. For whatever reason, I was expecting madcap female assassin action a la Kill Bill. That element is present, but this is really an interesting, humorous, and heartfelt look at three women who were assassins, who have moved on with their lives to create families and different situations. It’s about what happens after the usual exploitation movie, and it’s wonderful. Tini Howard has created some believable and interesting characters that are perfectly suited to Gilbert Hernandez bringing them to life.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Backways #1 is off to a good start. Anna’s girlfriend Sylvia goes missing amidst dabbling with magic and the occult, leading to Anna’s quest to find out what happened to her. Justin Jordan and Eleonora Carlini create some interesting characters and setting here, with some great art by Carlini.

| Published by AfterShock

Betty & Veronica: Vixens #2 gets us into the recruitment phase of the gang. I like the two narratives that Jamie Lee Rotante is providing, one of the current day gang and one of their formation. The art from Eva Cabrera fits this story perfectly.

| Published by Archie Comics

Dark Ark #4 gives us the battle between Nex’s vampires and the rest of the ark. It’s not pretty. The art by Juan Doe, though, is glorious.

| Published by AfterShock

Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan #3 manages to make Wade and Logan feel like an old married couple. It’s hilarious.

| Published by Marvel

Evolution #2 makes me sad that this isn’t weekly or released in huge chunks. The story from James Asmus, Joe Keatinge, Christopher Sebela, and Joshua Williamson is great, with each group of characters having their own unique point of view to give a broader picture of the coming epidemic. But the real star remains Joe Infurnari, whose art just pulls the whole thing together and elevates it to what’s looking like a horror masterpiece.

| Published by Image / Skybound

The Family Trade #3 sends Jessa on the run as the intrigue amongst the Family and the Clans begin to reach a boiling point. Morgan Beem’s art again makes this one of the most unique looking books on the shelves, very well done.

| Published by Image

Hellboy: Krampusnacht is a beautiful one-shot illustrated by Adam Hughes showcasing Hellboy vs. Krampus. It’s a fun take on the folklore, changing it up to more suit Hellboy’s world.

| Published by Dark Horse

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Fairies #1 kicks off a new anthology mini series with Matt Smith’s interpretation of the Icelandic fairy tale, “The Elf Queen and the Shepherd”. It’s a good story, with a bit of humour about talkative birds, and Smith’s art is beautiful.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Archaia

Joe Golem: Occult Detective #4: Flesh & Blood #1 starts off a new two-parter with an interesting mystery of either a haunted house or a possessed woman or possibly both. Although the stories by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden are good, the main draw for this series for me has been Patric Reynolds’ depictions of the Drowning City. New York City recast as a derelict Venice just has something inherently right about it and Reynolds continuously nails the visuals.

| Published by Dark Horse

Kong on the Planet of the Apes #2 continues to feel like a seamless fusion between the two properties. The artwork from Carlos Magno is wonderful as expected, and I really like how Ryan Ferrier has incorporated some of the tropes of Kong stories, even briefly in the explorer’s notes as narration at the beginning of this issue.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Made Men #4 makes a bit of a mess of their operation regarding the captain who ordered the hit on Jutte and her squad. There are some great comedy moments again this issue with Hadry continuing to adjust to the changes in society. Month in, month out, Paul Tobin and Arjuna Susini continue to make this one of my favourite books on the shelves.

| Published by Oni Press

Marvel Two-in-One #1 finally gets around to dealing with the aftermath of Secret Wars and the disappearance of Reed and Sue. Chip Zdarsky and Jim Cheung manage to create something mournful and beautiful here.

| Published by Marvel

Optimus Prime #14 closes out the “Dead Come Home” arc with more gorgeous artwork from Livio Ramondelli. It’s also interesting as to how many threads John Barber is weaving from to craft this story. There’s bits from various Spotlight issues, the Dinobots trilogy, the recent Shining Armor mini, the First Strike crossover, and more, yet it never seems confusing or busy.

| Published by IDW

Redlands #5 is probably the darkest issue to date. While it focuses a bit on Bridget’s history, with Zuzu and with darker entities further back in time, it also dives deep into different narratives of abuse, “ownership”, and forced prostitution.

| Published by Image

ROM and the Micronauts #1 spins out of the First Strike crossover, but there’s not much continuity there that isn’t repeated in the first couple of pages. The rest of the book is heavier on the previous ROM series continuity, but it shouldn’t really serve as an impediment. Basically, ROM and the Micronauts team up to take on the combined forces of the Dire Wraiths and Baron Karza, then everything goes to hell. Christos Gage sets up an interesting predicament for the heroes and a compelling reason for them to continue together. Paolo Villanelli again proves adept at just about everything the Hasbroverse can throw at him artistically.

| Published by IDW

Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil #3 is a turning point in Lucy’s investigation, as she searches out the Metal Minotaur and uncovers some of the secrets of Sherlock Frankenstein’s villainous meeting. The twist is interesting and should lead to a good final confrontation. The art again from David Rubín is truly amazing.

| Published by Dark Horse

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #15 begins Aphra’s latest mission for the murder bots. The dialogue for this issue from Si Spurrier is just spot on as it punches up some of the more humorous aspects of the series. Emilio Laiso’s art also gets to shine again, with some of the best depictions of various species throughout the Star Wars universe.

| Published by Marvel

Summit #1, like Noble and KINO, focuses on one of the astronauts who were sent out to stop the asteroid from crashing into Earth. Ostensibly, Valentina Resnick-Baker was the only one to publicly survive, even though we as readers know at least the fates of David Powell and Alistair Meath, which makes Val’s supposed visions of her crew a little more interesting. Amy Chu and Jan Duursema seem to have one of the more central books here to the comics universe’s central plot, with explicit ties to Foresight and following up on the deliberate murders of scientists who knew the truth about the asteroid, so it’s nice to see the story focus on character more than plot. It’s also really nice to see Duursema’s art again.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Tales of Suspense #100 is a great first issue from Matthew Rosenberg and Travel Foreman. Rosenberg’s Hawkeye is very much in the Fraction vein and his interactions throughout the comic are hilarious.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers: Till All Are One Annual 2017 brings both the series and Mairghread Scott’s tenure to a close. This ties up a few loose ends from the series and from the First Strike crossover, while giving Cybertron a new status quo going forward. This change hasn’t been reflected yet in the other Transformers titles yet, but it should be interesting to see a potentially friendlier and more progressive Cybertron. I am hoping that some of the personal revelations about Starscream will be picked up by either Optimus Prime or Lost Light.

| Published by IDW

Unholy Grail #5 brings the series to a close. In order to do so, it jumps over a few things, and pushes forward the timeline, which to me makes it feel a little rushed compared to previous issues. Still, the entire series has been a bleak reinterpretation of the Arthurian myth and that time shift adds to the feeling of emptiness. Wonderful artwork from Mirko Colak.

| Published by AfterShock

Other Highlights: 30 Days of Night #1, America #10, The Beautiful Death #4, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #4, Centipede #5, Champions #15, Curse Words Holiday Special, Dark Fang #2, Defenders #8, Doctor Strange 383, Generation X #85, Genius: Cartel #5, Guardians of the Galaxy #149, The Harcourt Legacy #2, The Hard Place #5, Head Lopper #8, Horizon #17, Incredible Hulk #711, Lazaretto #4, Luke Cage #168, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #22, Mighty Thor #702, Monsters Unleashed #9, Ms. Marvel #25, Ninja-K #2, Old Man Logan #32, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #298, Quantum & Woody! #1, The Realm #4, Rockstars #8, The Shadow #5, Spider-Gwen #27, Star Wars: Poe Dameron #22, TMNT Universe #17, Tomb Raider: Survivor’s Crusade #2, Uncanny Avengers #30, Unholy Grail #5, Vampirella #9, Venom #159, Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse Christmas Special, X-Men: Grand Design #1

Recommended Collections: All New Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 2: Riders in the Sky, Black Hammer - Volume 2: The Event, Cosmic Scoundrels, Deadly Class - Volume 6, Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks, Hawkeye - Volume 2: Masks, Hillbilly - Volume 2, Monsters Unleashed, Secret Weapons, Superb - Volume 1: Life After the Fallout, The Unbelievable Gwenpool - Volume 4: Beyond the Fourth Wall

d. emerson eddy is going to collapse and go to sleep now.

#This Week in Comics

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techcrunchappcom · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on http://techcrunchapp.com/could-the-2011-lockout-give-us-one-hint-why-the-patriots-wanted-cam-newton-sports-illustrated/

Could the 2011 Lockout Give Us One Hint Why The Patriots Wanted Cam Newton? - Sports Illustrated

Camp opens for most teams a month from yesterday. Or at least it’s supposed to. Here’s what we’ve got for you this afternoon. …

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports; George Walker IV / Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC; Bob Leverone-AP

• Someone who has worked in New England made a pretty interesting point to me about the Cam Newton signing, as it relates to Bill Belichick’s brand of logic. He told me that in 2011, Belichick told everyone that the one thing that would kill the team early on, post-lockout, was being out of shape, and giving up big plays as a result of it. This guy then said, regarding Newton, “So what better way to pressure on a tired defense than have Cam back there?” And then there’s this—if the Patriots feel like they needed to be a little simpler to play fast on offense, Newton can facilitate that in allowing New England to build more off its run game. Now, I think the primary reason to sign here is giving yourself multiple shots at getting the quarterback position right, post-Tom Brady, and the signing absolutely fits Belichick’s pattern of buying low on prodigious talents (Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Chad Ochocinco, Albert Haynesworth, etc., etc.) But the stuff specific to 2011 sure is a nice side benefit.

• I also think the contract terms Newton agreed to say more about this offseason than anything else. Spending is always craziest over the first wave of free agency. After that, there were a pretty high number of high-profile quarterbacks available—Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston among them—who were waiting for a market out that never heated back up for them. Guys like Teddy Bridgewater, Nick Foles and even Chase Daniel benefitted from coming off the market early on, while the market was hot. After that, the reality became clear, and that’s that for the first time in forever quarterback supply overwhelmed quarterback demand.

• One addendum to my MMQB take on the Patriots’ penalties for their media crew videotaping the Bengals’ sideline—that third-round pick they lost is significant, and because of more than just the blown draft capital. New England was cooperative and apologetic about the violation, but had hoped it would be assessed as a non-football misstep. The inclusion of the draft-pick penalty is the NFL implicitly holding Patriots football ops accountable.

• With the NFL football ops tweeting out July 28 as the start date for training camp, it’s worth noting that the Chiefs and Texans open earlier—the rule under the new CBA is teams can start 47 days before their opener. Since Houston and Kansas City are playing in the kickoff game, both will start camp on July 25. The Texans are welcoming in their rookies on July 18, and have the quarterbacks coming in on July 20. Chiefs QBs and rookies report on the 22nd.

• I’d love more from Colin Kaepernick on 2015-17 in his new Netflix doc, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to be a part of it. He’s got an executive producer credit in the announcement, which means if he wants to keep that stuff out of there, that stuff will be kept out of there.

• Johnny Manziel told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that, for him, he views football as “in the past.” And that’s too bad. It’s been lost in the mess his life became, but Manziel was electric as a player and competitor, and he’s still just 27 years old. Because he was such a unique player, I always thought Doug Flutie was a good comp for him. It’s a shame we never really saw what he might’ve become over time.

• Bucs LB Shaq Barrett told SiriusXM radio Monday that he plans to sign his franchise tender if he doesn’t get a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline, and that raised an interesting X-factor for the others tagged but still unsigned—Bengals WR A.J. Green, Chiefs DT Chris Jones, Jaguars DE Yannick Ngaukoe and Broncos S Justin Simmons. Given all of the COVID-related issues, would it make sense for those guys to stay away until Week 1 to avoid getting infected, or being around those who come in with the virus? I think it’s a sort of interesting question, given the likelihood that some teams will have a significant number of cases through training.

• While we’re there, I thought Eagles OT Lane Johnson explained what players will be facing next month well: “Ultimately, it’s a risk that we’re all willing to take to go outside your house or whatever you’re doing, going shopping. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of staying in the house, doing my social distancing protocols. Yeah, with everybody it’s going to be a risk that we’re going to have to take and see what happens.” Really, it’s not unlike what many in America are facing (without the risk of having to physically run into your co-workers over and over again, of course).

• Just to update something we’ve been keeping an eye on, five of the NFL’s 32 first-round picks have signed. Last year at this juncture, 26 had signed. And there are veterans who still haven’t actually signed their deals either, because they can’t take physicals yet. Which, as you might imagine, has led some to be very careful about how they’re working out ahead of camp.

• All the best to long-time agent Paul Sheehy and his family. Per long-time Broncos beat man Mike Klis, Sheehy is battling COVID-19 and has been on a ventilator on Friday, which is another reminder of the seriousness of the virus, and the fact that we’re not nearly out of the woods with it yet as a country.

• Question or comment? Email us.

#Uncategorized

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thesportssoundoff · 8 years ago

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“There’s five fucking fights announced, the fuck you people want from me?” A salty TUF Finale Preview

The famed/dreaded/beloved/villanious UFC doubleheader is upon us this week as we've got a TUF Finale on Friday leading into a genuinely loaded and stacked UFC 218 on the back end. The beginning of our focus is on said Finale from Las Vegas, Nevada aaaaaaaaaand I got nothin'. Honestly! I have not much to really say. As of right now, the card has five fights on it. There's two genuinely awesome bantamweight fights (Joe Soto/Brett Johns plus Shawn O'Malley/Terrion Ware), a middleweight fight of middling import (Andew Sanchez/Ryan Janes) and another one that should be amusing if nothing else (Eric Spicely/Gerald Meeschaert). The focus for this show is on the TUF flyweight championships and like the usual TUF affair, we're looking at a lot of this card being filled up with cast members for the show. Going back to the last women's TUF which crowned a champion, we had 8 fights featuring fighters off the show and I'm figuring guessing that the number will be close to the same. You assume a finale fight, the failed semi finalists fighting and then filler will get you to about 7 or 8. It is worth remembering they're trying to start a division here so everyone is gonna get a shot. The lack of fights announced and the general meh of the fights that ARE announced allow me to use the preview space a bit differently. No wacky factoids, no pondersings and no stats to keep (although for record keeping purposes, Sean O'Malley will be remembered for debuts and Terrion Ware for second fights) and instead we can just do some talking about this division and where it stands.

This Ultimate Fighter has not been the record smash success other seasons have been although not entirely of its own fault. They ran up against the World Series with a dated formula that some people are tired of and with two coaches who will make for an amazing fight but not amazing talking television. Compared to TUF 20, this isn't new anymore. WMMA is not a new thing; it's established now and people are either for it or against it with the understanding that they're shouting at a wall. It's empty space, it's noise in a vaccum, it's...it's just nothing. It's yelling at clouds now. A new TUF tournament is cool because it'll get this division going but it's not destination programming. I watch ALASKA FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS and I've seen about three episodes of this TUF. The formula lives on its coaches and the talent involved with it. We've discussed Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje as coaches and they're not engaging talkers. Their fight SHOULD be amazing but I think it speaks to where these two stand that their fight is FOURTH on the main card. It's an amazing fight on paper but neither is going to get you all worked up, it's just another fantastic fight in the shark tank of 155. Not their fault.

And what about the talent at 125 lbs? In a way, this is not anybody's fault either. The best 125ers in the world are basically already in the UFC. They're starving strawweights or bloated up 135ers. They're Valentina Shevchenko, Joanna Challenger, Paige Van Zant, Katlyn Chookagian, Joanne Calderwood and in all likelihood a Claudia Gadelha or Jessica Andrade. Then for a reality show, remove every fighter who doesn't speak English or lives across the planet away from Nevada. From there, the remaining members of the field are all fine fighters in their own right but none of them scream "MUST SIGN!" or superstar. 115 lbs was fresh, new and unique. 125 lbs is just a room with a view at this point. The future of flyweight is bright in time since it'll be like the lightweight of WMMA----but we're aways away from that. One day sure, right now? Not even close. It doesn't help I guess that for people going INTO the show, the best of the best were fighters they've already seen and seen lose. I know there's plenty of people who like Roxanne Modafferi but to UFC fans, she's the woman who lost on TUF then lost to Rocky Pennington way before that became a good thing for your career. Lauren Murphy has lost every UFC fight she's had against someone who remains gainfully employed by the organization. Those are the two biggest names with Barb Honchak trailing way way way way behind in third place and it is of course a fine reminder that Barb went into the show with the reputation of being the most boring female fighter in the history of drab and boring. The rest of the field featured fighters who wouldn't headline an Invicta card or stand out if they were announced on a card. TUF 18 got the best fighters not signed by Strikeforce; a crop that included plenty of elite talent and some surprises who popped out as well. Hell, Tonya Evinger, Val Letourneau and Gina Mazany all didn't make the show which shows their depth. TUF 20 was legitimately just a "Bring me every 115er who can talk english and is over 21" from invicta and other parts of the US which made it stand out. This show is by design/bad luck an amassing of fine fighters who will fill ranks but not seats.

That doesn't mean the division is doomed. Hell it doesn't even mean that this CAST is doomed either. TUF 18 was an attempt to find the next/eventual Ronda Rousey. It didn't do that but it did give us some good fighters who fill ranks across the UFC's multiple women's weight classes. TUF 20 was an attempt to start a new division off with a popular champion and weeks of hype. It wasn't successful but it gave the division some notoriety and 115 lbs is a solid weight class with plenty of name fighters inside of it. The future of this division, it's EVENTUAL star, will not be from this class immediately but who knows? Rose Namajunas went onto TUF at 2-1, got blown out in the finals and then matured and developed into a fighter who dethroned the unbeatable. Felice Herrig has morphed into a whole new woman off TUF. Strange shit happens sometimes in MMA and 125 lbs will almost certainly be no different. TUF is like weed; it's a gateway to some. Rocky Pennington was 3-3 prior to TUF and now she's kind of a big deal at 135 lbs. Some fighters will use the experience and grow, others won't really. I bet you a few years from now, some of us will look back and be shocked at who got off the show and developed and who just stayed where they were. It's the start of a long play for a new weight class which will hopefully give us fighting riches beyond our imaginations as it develops.

The importance of 125 lbs really can't be lost on folks. The UFC does not need another 135 lbs. That division is pretty much dead at this point as Amanda Nunes is the champion nobody cares about facing a dried up pool of contenders. The shelves were never restocked properly after Ronda and Miesha left and the next generation is already thinned. Pena is pregnant which is amazing for her life but not for her weight class. Shevchenko is going to 125 lbs where she'll probably prosper and win plenty of titles. Holly Holm's value seems to be as a fighter who can dance around weight classes depending on the time of year. After that you have fighters with obvious ceilings on their potential (Marion Reneau, Bethe Corriea, Sara McMann), a promising fighter in Ketlein Vieira and the ultimate unknown in Cat Zingano. The landscape is bleak. 115 lbs seems to have a steady supply of newbies filtering in plus a bunch of fresh exciting new fights with Rose as champion. It seems to be doing alright with room to grow as the UFC expands into more markets. 145 lbs is laughable, a mess and a half. You can carry ONE dead division, you're going to see holes with two but three? That's a serious step back for WMMA.

There are zero fights currently announced featuring the cast ALTHOUGH Lauren Murphy is RUMORED (there's that dirty word!) to be facing Priscila Cachoeira so you can cross her out. If I had to guess, something I'm pretty shitty at normally. Here's what I think we MIGHT see:

Roxy/Sijara Eubanks winner vs Nicole Montano " loser vs Barb Honchak Rachael Ostovich vs Maia Stevenson Deanna Bennett vs Emily Whitmire Montana Stewart vs Melinda Fabian Lauren Murphy vs Priscila Cachoeira Maia Stevenson vs Gillian Robertson

Don't be surprised if losers of those fights stick around in the UFC given that this division needs depth behind it as well.

And before I send thee to bed, I want to take a brief second of your time to discuss those two bantamweight fights. We can begin with Joe Soto who finally is starting to make some waves after being "the guy TJ Dillashaw iced back in the day on 24 hours notice." Soto's always been UFC caliber and he's starting to show it, complete with a fucking war and a half vs Rani Yahya. He's not perfect but against Brent Johns, we're going to see a fight that could headline any regional promotion ever. Johns has been a stud although the finishing power still isn't there. He's a guy who has shown an improved skillset and a lot of the problems that plagued him on the regional scene (constantly hurt/struggles with weight) haven't popped back up. The other fight is a really, really interesting clash between a raw as fuck prospect and a proven regional veteran. Terrion Ware has been a good fighter on the regional circuit and the whole "you go places if you beat him" mantra is more true than false. Of his five losses, 3 are in the UFC (Luke Sanders, Cody Stamman and Joe Soto) and 1 is in Bellator (Leandro Higo). He's the guy who basically checks if you're good enough or not. Sean O'Malley is one of the genuine stars of the DWTCS formula. If anything he's THE guy who makes the whole concept work. He was an unknown guy who in one performance had the MMA world (for a night at least) popping for him, Snoop Dogg marking out and shouting his name plus a contract from Dana White. Ware is going to test if he's all flash and bluster or if he's got something more than hype to his name.

#MMA #UFC #TUF

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