#unit 15 performing scripted plays

[ladybugmania]

A Statement on Religion, False Faiths, and the Hollow Belief System of Modern Hypocrites.

Religion was meant to be a bridge between the divine and the soul, a language of the spirit, not a performance for the crowd. Spirituality is the feeling of God within, the deep inner resonance that moves you to truth, compassion, and awakening. But what has religion become? Especially in places like the southern United States, it has mutated into a loud, empty echo chamber, a club of conformity, a cult of fear masquerading as faith.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” — 2 Timothy 3:5

These so-called Christians, particularly the Republican base, the loudest in the Bible Belt, are often the furthest from Christ. They worship prosperity, judge the poor, cheer for war, and exalt profit over people. They follow false prophets like Paula White, who claimed to have divine visions to secure Trump’s presidency, or Kenneth Copeland, who collects jets while widows eat from food banks. These wolves in sheep's clothing exploit the weak with slick smiles and snake-oil sermons, all while flying in private jets bought with your donations.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” — Matthew 7:15

Jesus would weep if he returned to see this mess. He flipped tables in the temple for less. Today, he’d walk into these mega-churches and burn them to the ground, not in hate, but in sacred rage. He’d look at these televangelists and say, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23)

If you believe in God only because you're afraid of hell, or because you need a team to belong to, or because it's a Sunday habit handed down to you, then what you have is not faith, it's fear in disguise. You are not a believer. You are an actor in a morality play you never read the script for.

And let's be honest, most of you haven't even read past Genesis. Yet you're quick to quote Leviticus when it suits your politics and silence when it challenges your comfort. You stand on pulpits condemning the "other" while ignoring the very essence of the message: Love your neighbor as yourself. Feed the poor. Turn the other cheek.

Jesus was a radical, an enemy of Empire, a friend to the sinner, the outcast, the forgotten. He didn't ride jets. He didn’t take tithes from the starving. He walked among the lepers, the prostitutes, the criminals—and saw God in them. Can you?

To the hollow-hearted who pretend to know Christ: you are spiritually dead. You seek inclusion in a cult, not connection to God. And when the day of reckoning comes, don’t expect salvation from the one whose name you used in vain. You will be embraced not by God, but by the one who watched as you turned faith into a tool of power and fear.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones.” — Matthew 23:27

The kingdom of God is within you, not in your political tribe, not in your bumper stickers, not in your pastor’s bank account. And until you understand that, you are not saved. You are sold.

“Beware the televangelist who sells salvation, they fatten their pockets while you empty yours. True faith needs no price tag, and God is not a product to be bought.”

Dedicated to all the Televangelists and Fauls Profits.

Love

Moth Hawk

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Remembering David McCallum- Scottish actor and musician.

David McCallum, who became a heartthrob in the hit series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,’ Dies at 90 💔 So sad a fine actor a great talent and a true gentleman.

An experienced character actor, he found fame in the 1960s as the enigmatic Illya Kuryakin. The British actor who played the mysterious secret agent Illya Kuryakin alongside Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo in the 1960s hit spy drama The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a secret international counterespionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement). The series premiered on September 22, 1964, and completed its run on January 15, 1968. The role turned the actor into a global sex symbol.

The success of the James Bond books and films had set off a chain reaction, with secret agents proliferating on both large and small screens. Indeed, Bond creator Ian Fleming contributed some ideas when the series was being developed, according to Jon Heitland’s book, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of a Television Classic (special introduction by Robert Vaughn)

David McCallum took his place among one of the most iconic casts Hollywood ever assembled, nothing in the film’s title, The Great Escape, He was playing naval officer Eric Ashley-Pitt in the 1963 Second World War epic about the mass escape of British and Commonwealth POWs from German Stalag Luft III camp, through another POW turn in Colditz (1972-1974).

David McCallum with Steve McQueen on the set of the WWII epic. The Great Escape brought him to a US audiences. (Image: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

In 1975, he had the title role in a short-lived science fiction series, “The Invisible Man,” and from 1979 to 1982 he played Steel in a British sci-if chiller “Sapphire and Steel” (1979-1982). Over the years, he also appeared in guest shots in many TV shows, including “Murder, She Wrote” and “Sex and the City, a romantic comedy-drama television series filmed in New York.

Later, in the 2000s as an eccentric medical examiner on “N.C.I.S.” he reached a new audience as Dr Donald "Ducky" Mallard, the medical examiner in US TV drama NCIS. McCallum was known for playing a pathologist on the hit CBS TV programme NCIS, which went on to generate several spinoff series, for twenty years. NCIS is the third-longest-running scripted, non-animated primetime television series in the U.S that is currently on air.

He was a true Renaissance man — he was fascinated by science and culture and would turn those passions into knowledge. For example, he was capable of conducting a symphony orchestra and (if needed) could perform an autopsy, based on his decades-long studies for his role on NCIS.

The Scottish-born actor died in New York on Monday 25th September 2023. He lived in Manhattan. David Keith McCallum was born on 19th September 1933 in the Maryhill (Scots: Maryhull - Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc Màiri) area of Glasgow, to a father who was the first violinist for the London Philharmonic and a mother who was a cellist.

David won a scholarship to the University College School in north London and took up the oboe with a view to a classical music career. Thus he originally pursued a career in music, training on the oboe and studying for a time at the Royal Academy of Music, though he soon left and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After RADA he started performing with repertory theatre companies.

David McCallum was drafted into the British military in 1951 and served two years, including 10 months in what was a small-arms expert. Not long after his discharge, he signed with the Rank Organization, a British production company, and began acting both in movies and on television.

David McCallum a classically trained musician, created arrangements of popular songs of the day alongside a few original pieces and made four albums with forward-thinking producer and composer David Axelrod. Those groovy productions have been sampled a lot by trip-hop artists and more. In particular, “The Edge” from 1967’s

“The Edge” from 1967’s Music: For those who might have heard this song sampled elsewhere, you could have heard it in various places. From Masta Ace (“No Regrets”) to John Legend (“Actions”) his original was used in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, the 2017 film starring Ansel Elgort.

Check out the video below and listen for that familiar intro:

David McCallum - From The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to NCIS, and all performances in between, he was a multifaceted talent during 7 decades and 100 films and TV shows a True Legend.

R.I.P David 💔

1933-2023

#DavidMcCallum #Scottishactor #Britishactor #U.N.C.L.E. #IllyaKuryakin #TheGreatEscape #navalofficer #EricAshley #NCIS #secretagent #Edge #music #Ducky #DoctorMallard #actor #talent #gentleman #Legend #ripdavidmccallum

[icenews]

Best Indian Leaders in IND vs ENG Test History

The India vs England rivalry in Test cricket is one of the oldest and most celebrated in the sport’s history. It has witnessed legendary performances, dramatic series, and the evolution of Indian cricket through generations. Central to this narrative have been the captains—leaders who shaped the Indian team’s identity and strategy against one of its most respected opponents. From tactical brilliance to inspirational man-management, the best Indian leaders in IND vs ENG Test history have left a lasting legacy.

In this blog, we explore the captains who stood out the most in this iconic rivalry and changed the course of India’s battles against England.

1. Ajit Wadekar – The Pioneer of Overseas Glory

Captaincy Highlight: First Indian captain to win a Test series in England (1971)

Series Result: India won 1-0 in England

Ajit Wadekar will always be remembered as a trailblazer in Indian cricket. Under his captaincy, India recorded their first-ever Test series win in England in 1971. This victory at The Oval not only marked a turning point in India’s cricketing journey but also showcased Wadekar’s calm and astute leadership.

With players like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Sardesai, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar under him, Wadekar gave Indian cricket a new direction. His ability to back his team’s strengths, especially spin bowling, was crucial in scripting this historic triumph. Without a doubt, Wadekar deserves his place among the best Indian leaders in IND vs ENG Test history.

2. Sourav Ganguly – The Fearless Reformer

Captaincy Highlight: First Indian captain to draw a Test series in England after 15 years (2002)

Series Result: 1-1 drawn in England

Known for instilling aggression and belief in the Indian team, Sourav Ganguly’s leadership was a game-changer. In the 2002 tour of England, Ganguly led from the front with bold decisions, youthful energy, and a willingness to challenge the opposition on their own turf.

Under him, India drew the four-Test series 1-1, highlighted by the famous Headingley victory where India scored 628/8 declared. Ganguly’s captaincy gave rise to India’s new-age cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh, who would later dominate world cricket.

Ganguly’s fearless style and ability to uplift team morale make him one of the top Indian captains in India vs England Test history.

3. Virat Kohli – Passion, Fire, and Home Dominance

Captaincy Highlight: 4-0 series win at home (2016) & 3-1 win in 2021

Home Series Record vs ENG: Unbeaten

Virat Kohli, one of India’s most successful Test captains, brought intensity and professionalism to new heights. Against England, his leadership was especially sharp in home conditions. In 2016, India thrashed England 4-0 in a five-match series, showcasing absolute dominance with both bat and ball.

Kohli continued this form in the 2021 series, winning 3-1 after losing the first Test. His aggressive body language, fitness-first culture, and backing of young players like Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel helped shape a modern Indian Test unit.

With significant success against England, Kohli firmly stands among the best Indian leaders in IND vs ENG Test history.

4. Rahul Dravid – The Gentleman Leader

Captaincy Highlight: Series win in England after 21 years (2007)

Series Result: India won 1-0 in England

Rahul Dravid, often called “The Wall,” showcased his leadership class in the 2007 England tour. India won the series 1-0, their first series win in England since 1986. Dravid’s calm demeanor, tactical discipline, and trust in his bowlers like Zaheer Khan and RP Singh played a major role in the victory.

While Dravid is often more celebrated for his batting heroics, his stint as a Test captain deserves appreciation. His ability to stay composed in pressure situations made him one of the most respected Indian captains against England in Test cricket.

Know More:- Top 3 Best India Vs England Tests In England

5. MS Dhoni – Captain Cool with a Memorable Home Series

Captaincy Highlight: 2-1 win at home (2008-09), emotional post-26/11 series

Series Result: India won 2-1

MS Dhoni’s leadership style was cool, calculated, and tactically sound. In the 2008-09 Test series against England, Dhoni took over after the terror attacks in Mumbai. India bounced back to win the Chennai Test in one of the most emotional matches in Indian cricket history, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar’s heartfelt century.

Dhoni’s focus on team unity and mental strength stood out. Under his leadership, India also regained the No. 1 Test ranking, and his record at home was outstanding. His steady hand during a difficult time makes him one of the finest Indian leaders in IND vs ENG Test history.

6. Sunil Gavaskar – Leading with Grit and Class

Captaincy Highlight: 1-0 series win in 1981-82

Key Players: Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Gundappa Viswanath

Sunil Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest openers, also proved his mettle as a captain. In the 1981-82 home series, Gavaskar led India to a gritty 1-0 win over England in a six-Test series. It was a tough contest dominated by draws, but Gavaskar’s focus on consistency and building partnerships helped India maintain control.

He brought in a sense of professionalism and tactical sharpness to Indian captaincy. His contribution, both with the bat and as a leader, secures him a well-deserved place in the list of top Indian Test captains vs England.

Why Leadership Matters in the IND vs ENG Rivalry

Captaining in Test cricket, especially in a high-pressure series like India vs England, is no easy task. It requires not just cricketing knowledge, but also the ability to manage players, adapt to conditions, and respond to setbacks. The best Indian leaders in IND vs ENG Test history understood these nuances and led with conviction.

Whether it was setting aggressive fields, trusting a young debutant, or simply inspiring belief in the dressing room, these captains helped shape India’s rich Test legacy.

Final Thoughts

The India vs England Test rivalry has evolved over decades, with each series writing a new chapter. But behind every great win or fightback, there’s a captain who led with courage and clarity. From Wadekar’s pioneering triumph to Kohli’s modern-day dominance, these Indian captains have done more than just call the toss—they’ve defined eras.

As the rivalry continues to heat up with each passing series, fans will always look back at these names with pride and gratitude for their role in making India a true Test cricket powerhouse.

Know More:- Sachin Tendulkar Career Stats

[ravicricopinion]

“WTC Final 2025: Australia vs South Africa — Ultimate Test Cricket Showdown at Lord’s”

WTC Final 2025: An Epic Showdown Between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s

The stage is set for a truly monumental clash in the world of Test cricket. Australia and South Africa are gearing up to battle for the highly coveted ICC World Test Championship mace in the 2025 final. This much-anticipated final will be hosted at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, England. The five-day epic is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, June 11, to Sunday, June 15, 2025.

This final brings together two of the most formidable Test-playing nations, promising a riveting contest for cricket enthusiasts worldwide. For Australia, it represents an opportunity to assert their dominance and create a legacy of back-to-back WTC titles. South Africa, on the other hand, will be scripting a new chapter, aiming to clinch their maiden World Test Championship in what is expected to be a classic encounter.

The Road to the Final: Dominance Meets Resilience

Both Australia and South Africa have navigated a challenging yet successful path to secure their spots in this prestigious final.

•

Australia: The reigning champions have been a model of consistency throughout the 2023–2025 WTC cycle. Their campaign has been built on a foundation of a powerful batting lineup, a relentless pace attack, and the wily spin of Nathan Lyon. Key series victories, both at home and away, have underscored their status as the team to beat.

•

South Africa: The Proteas have emerged as a resurgent force in Test cricket. Their journey to the final is marked by a potent bowling attack that has dismantled opposition lineups and a batting order demonstrating grit and determination. Their ability to win crucial moments in key matches has been instrumental in their qualification.

Key Players to Watch

The final is set to feature a galaxy of cricketing stars, with individual battles likely shaping the destiny of the match.

For Australia:

•Pat Cummins: The inspirational captain and a world-class fast bowler, Cummins will be crucial with both ball and leadership.

•Steve Smith: The modern-day batting maestro will be the lynchpin of the Australian batting order.

•Mitchell Starc: His ability to generate express pace and swing could be a deciding factor.

•Nathan Lyon: The veteran off-spinner’s battle against the South African left-handers will be a fascinating subplot.

For South Africa:

•Kagiso Rabada: The leader of the Proteas’ fearsome pace battery, Rabada’s performance will be pivotal.

•Temba Bavuma: The captain’s calm demeanor and solid batting will be vital under pressure.

•Aiden Markram: An elegant top-order batsman, Markram will be tasked with providing strong starts.

•Anrich Nortje: His raw pace and aggression add another dimension to the South African attack.

A Rivalry Steeped in History

The rivalry between Australia and South Africa in Test cricket is one of the most storied in the sport. They have produced numerous memorable contests filled with drama and high-quality cricket. Historically, Australia has generally held the upper hand, but South Africa has often challenged them, particularly on home soil. This final at a neutral venue like Lord’s adds a new and exciting chapter to their rivalry, with the ultimate prize in Test cricket on the line.

Match Prediction: A Battle of Attrition

Predicting a winner between these two evenly matched sides is a formidable task. Australia’s deep and experienced batting lineup might give them a slight edge, especially in English conditions. However, South Africa’s formidable pace attack has the capability to run through any batting order on their day. The outcome could well be decided by which team’s batting unit can better withstand the relentless pressure from the opposition’s bowlers. Expect a gritty, hard-fought contest that could potentially go down to the final day.

The Historic Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground

The iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, often referred to as the ‘Home of Cricket’, provides a fitting backdrop for the ultimate Test. The knowledgeable English crowds and the unique challenges of the Lord’s slope will add to the drama and intrigue of the contest. The weather in London in June is typically conducive to cricket, though English conditions can always spring a surprise, making the toss and the initial sessions of play even more critical.

Conclusion: A Final for the Ages

As the cricketing world turns its eyes to London, the WTC Final 2025 promises everything a Test match purist could hope for: two exceptional teams, a historic venue, and the ultimate prize at stake. It is a contest that pits Australia’s sustained excellence against South Africa’s fiery resurgence. Will Pat Cummins’ men cement their dynasty with another mace, or will the Proteas rise to the occasion to claim their maiden title? Whatever the result, fans can anticipate a gripping, high-stakes battle that will be remembered as a classic for years to come. The stage is truly set for a test of champions.

[animeking114]

Gachiakuta Anime to Premiere on July 6, Advanced Screenings Announced in 15 Countries

Crunchyroll is pulling out all the stops for the highly anticipated Gachiakuta anime adaptation, announcing an ambitious global premiere strategy that spans 15 countries before the series' worldwide streaming debut on July 6, 2025. This "Gachiakuta World Takeover" event represents one of the most extensive international anime premiere campaigns in recent memory.

Global Premiere Event Schedule

CountryLocationDate & TimeUnited StatesAnime Expo (Los Angeles)July 4, 10:00 AM PDTFranceJapan Expo (Paris)July 4, 11:45 AM CESTGermanyAstor Film Lounge (Berlin)July 5, 6:00 PM CESTItalyThe Space Moderno (Rome)July 4, 6:30 PM CESTIndiaPVR Icon (Mumbai)July 4, TBDMexicoAntara Shopping Mall (Mexico City)July 4, TBDBrazilAnime Friends (São Paulo)Date TBD Additional countries and screening details will be announced by Crunchyroll in the coming weeks, with the promise of expanding this international premiere experience even further. https://youtu.be/yeRvDchyo44

Theme Songs and New Cast Announcements

The latest promotional video has revealed the musical lineup that will define Gachiakuta's audio landscape. Paledusk will perform the opening theme song "HUGs," while DUSTCELL handles the ending theme "Tomoshibi." Both artists bring distinct musical styles that should complement the series' gritty urban fantasy setting. The voice cast continues to expand with two significant additions: Toshiyuki Morikawa joins as Regto

Toshiyuki Morikawa joins as Regto Yūki Shin voices Jabber

Yūki Shin voices Jabber These veteran voice actors add considerable depth to the already impressive cast roster.

Main Voice Cast and Characters

The core cast features some of anime's most recognizable voices: Aoi Ichikawa leads as Rudo, the wrongfully exiled protagonist who must survive in the dangerous wasteland below the floating city. Katsuyuki Konishi voices Enjin, while Yoshitsugu Matsuoka takes on Zanka, and Yumiri Hanamori plays Riyo. This combination of established talent and newer voices creates an interesting dynamic that should serve the series' blend of action and character development.

Streaming and Broadcast Details

Gachiakuta premieres in Japan on July 6th across CBC, TBS, and 26 additional television channels, ensuring comprehensive domestic coverage. Crunchyroll will simultaneously stream the series globally starting the same day. The international streaming territories include North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS countries (excluding Russia and Belarus), and the Indian subcontinent. This extensive coverage makes Gachiakuta one of the most widely available anime series of the summer 2025 season.

Production Team and Studio Excellence

BONES studio takes on animation duties, bringing their renowned action animation expertise to this urban fantasy adventure. Fumihiko Suganuma, known for his work as unit director on The First Slam Dunk and chief episode director on Train to the End of the World, directs the series. The script writing comes from Hiroshi Seko, whose impressive portfolio includes Chainsaw Man, Vinland Saga, and Mob Psycho 100. This collaboration suggests that Gachiakuta will maintain strong narrative coherence alongside spectacular action sequences. https://youtu.be/mQQF81ubINM The anime's staff also revealed a behind-the-scenes video featuring Urana and Ando. Satoshi Ishino handles character design and serves as chief animation director, bringing experience from Date A Live, Captain Earth, and Release the Spyce. The musical score comes from Taku Iwasaki, composer for Bungo Stray Dogs and Shin Kamen Rider.

The Story: Urban Fantasy Meets Social Commentary

Gachiakuta presents a unique premise that combines post-apocalyptic survival with sharp social commentary. Kodansha USA Publishing describes the central concept: "Rudo lives in the slums of a floating town, where the poor scrape by under the shadow of the rich who live a sumptuous life, simply casting their garbage off the side, into the abyss." The story takes a dramatic turn when Rudo faces false murder accusations, leading to his exile into the wasteland below. This punishment reveals a harsh world where discarded waste has created dangerous monsters, and survival requires joining the Cleaners - a group that battles these trash beasts while seeking truth and justice. The series explores themes of social inequality, environmental destruction, and the resilience of those society has abandoned. These relevant social issues provide depth beyond the action and adventure elements.

Special Anime Expo Experience

The Anime Expo premiere in Los Angeles offers the most comprehensive experience, screening the first two episodes with appearances by creators Kei Urana and Hideyoshi Ando, alongside producer Naoki Amano. This creator presence adds significant value for fans attending this special event. The staff has also prepared behind-the-scenes content featuring Urana and Ando, giving fans insight into the creative process behind bringing this manga to animated life.

Source Material Success

The original Gachiakuta manga launched in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in February 2022, created by Kei Urana with graffiti design credits to Hideyoshi Ando. The series has been consistently successful, with Kodansha publishing the 14th volume on March 17, 2025. Kodansha USA Publishing handles the English release, making the source material accessible to international audiences who want to explore the story beyond the anime adaptation.

Why This Global Strategy Matters

The Gachiakuta World Takeover represents a significant shift in how anime series launch internationally. Rather than the traditional Japan-first approach followed by delayed international release, this simultaneous global premiere strategy acknowledges the international anime audience as equally important. Crunchyroll's investment in this extensive premiere campaign suggests high confidence in the series' potential for global success. The combination of BONES animation quality, strong source material, and experienced creative team creates substantial potential for Gachiakuta to become a standout series. The timing with major anime conventions like Anime Expo and Japan Expo maximizes exposure to dedicated fan communities, while cinema screenings in major cities reach broader audiences.

Looking Ahead to July 6th

As the July 6th global premiere approaches, Gachiakuta has positioned itself as one of the most anticipated anime series of summer 2025. The combination of social commentary, action sequences, and international accessibility creates broad appeal for diverse audiences. The global premiere strategy, combined with the creative team's proven track record, suggests that Gachiakuta could establish new standards for international anime launches while delivering compelling storytelling that resonates with viewers worldwide. Sources: Press release, Gachiakuta anime's website, Comic Natalie Read the full article

[worldcuphospitalitytickets]

FIFA World Cup: FIFA Plans First Super Bowl-Style Performance for FIFA 2026

FIFA World Cup Tickets: FIFA to crowd its first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show in. Football World Cup 2026, demonstrated after the Super Bowl. Coldplay’s Chris Martin will help choice the execution performers. Bad Bunny is 2/1 favourite, fast of Drake and Shakira. As discovered back in March, the FIFA World Cup Final will eye a. Halftime presentation for the foremost time ever, transporting a Super Bowl-style sight to the worldwide stage.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino established that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. And band director Phil Harvey will curate a list of doers for the 15-minute show. The move scripts a important step in the direction of combining worldwide. Football with pop culture, and betting markets are already responding to the short list of possible stars.

Paddy Power have located Bad Bunny as the 2/1 favourite in the market. To frontpage the Halftime Show at the FIFA World Cup Final. With a worldwide fan base, stadium credentials, and Latin American heritage, Bad Bunny is a usual excellent to headline. He pleas to a enormous demographic crossways all three host countries of FIFA World Cup 2026.

World Cup Tickets: Speculation Around Halftime Show Performers and Anthem Artists

Drake is a pop titan with deep Canadian roots, which could play healthy with the. FIFA 2026 North American dishonorable. His profitable power and global spread make him a robust candidate. Having featured previous World Cup psalms like. Waka Waka and La La La, Shakira transports football homesickness and. Worldwide plea and is no outsider to a high-profile halftime slit.

Football World Cup 2026 Dates starting from June 11 and ends on July 19 with a grand. FIFA World Cup Final in Metlife stadium Presented crossways 16 cities in USA, Canada, and Mexico. FIFA World Cup Final venue will be the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Prolonged 48-team format makes this the main World Cup in history. Marketplaces like FIFA World Cup Final halftime show odds, crowd city specials. And anthem forecasts are often register by highest UK betting sites, counting Paddy Power.

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will crowd the FIFA World Cup Final on 19 July. While Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will phase the inaugural group game on 11 June. Mexico is one of three countries co-hosting the prolonged 48-team tournament. Lengthways with USA and Canada which will last a record 39 days.

Football World Cup 2026 Tickets: FIFA World Cup 2026 A 48-Team, 39-Day Global Football Spectacle Across North America

They have presented two World Cups in 1970 and 1986, while the US presented in 1994. Canada are first-time hosts and their inaugural game is in Toronto on 12 June. The United States will play their inaugural match at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles also on 12 June in this highly anticipated Football World Cup 2026.

The Azteca was the venue for Argentina striker Diego Maradona’s well-known ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 2-1 win in contradiction of England in the 1986 quarter-finals and has a volume of 83,000. MetLife Stadium, home to American football teams the New York Giants and New York Jets, is found in New Jersey’s East Rutherford and can grip 82,500 fans.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, together with comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian, proclaimed the plans and also exposed the third-place play-off match will take place in Miami. The quarter-finals forwards will be detain in US cities, with Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston holding last-eight matches, while the semi-finals will be in Dallas and Atlanta. Dallas will host a best nine matches in FIFA World Cup 2026.

FIFA 2026 Tickets: Vast Distances Pose Travel Challenges for FIFA 2026 Teams

The draw for the FIFA 2026 is predictable to take place towards the conclusion of 2025. The tournament will last 10 more days than the FIFA World Cup 2022 edition in Qatar. In entire, 16 cities have been choose counting Monterrey and Guadalajara in Mexico, and Vancouver in Canada. Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco are the additional US host cities.

Only one city, Guadalajara, will not crowd a knockout game. Teams are probable to face a large amount of travel among games. The shortest distance amid a quarter-final and a semi-final venue is just over 500 miles from Kansas City to Dallas while the lengthiest among Los Angeles and Atlanta is just below 2,200 miles.

Tickets for World Cup: FIFA Collaborates with Coaches and Stakeholders for Smarter Scheduling

Infantino supposed players and admirers have been at the core of our wide planning for this game-changing tournament and it will be a tournament that will not only usual new records but also leave an ineffaceable bequest. Fifa supposed the schedule was drawn up in consultation with stakeholders counting national team coaches and practical managements.

The governing body speaks teams will have three days of rest for 103 of the tournament’s best 104 matches. The tournament’s ground-breaking match schedule will help to minimise travel for teams and admirers alike, while the number of rest days among fixtures will be maximised, the governing body supposed.

FIFA World Cup Tickets: North America Gears Up for Football’s Greatest Spectacle

The last five World Cups were detained in one country, with the newest tournament of 2022 taking place in Qatar. The FIFA 2026 event will be the primary held in manifold countries since Japan and South Korea in 2002. It will also be the primary World Cup prolonged to comprise 48 teams, and the longest tournament ever played at 39 days.

One of the utmost shows in sport is now just over a year away, with the men’s World Cup finals taking place in three countries in the summer of 2026. After the last five tournaments were held by a single country Germany South Africa, Brazil , Russia and Qatar this is the primary time a World Cup has been detained in manifold countries since Japan and South Korea in 2002.

For fans eager to attend FIFA 2026 matches, a wide array of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets is available at eticketing.co. Our platform partners exclusively with reputable sellers on the secondary market, ensuring access to top-notch ticket listings from across the web. Explore our Football World Cup 2026 selection to find the best deals available today A trustable platform available for all of you don’t miss to buy Tickets for World Cup and be a part of it with us!

[j2memories]

EW Article (April 13th 2022)

Jensen Ackles on directing Walker and finally getting to work with the band Kansas

Plus: Check out exclusive photos of Ackles and Jared Padalecki with the group.

By Samantha Highfill | April 13, 2022 at 10:38 AM EDT

The Supernatural family lives on... in more ways than one.

Not only did Jensen Ackles reunite with his onscreen brother of 15 years, Jared Padalecki, to direct this week's episode of Walker, but when he spoke to EW, he was in the middle of another big moment: seeing the pilot of The Winchesters get made.

"I'm sitting in a car on set watching takes from the front seat," Ackles says with a laugh. "We just did a huge stunt." (For a Supernatural show, that sounds about right.)

This week's Walker will also feature a number of Supernatural Easter eggs — most notably, a performance by the band Kansas, whose "Carry on Wayward Son" became the unofficial theme of the show over the course of its 15 seasons. As fans know, Kansas was originally supposed to perform in the Supernatural series finale before COVID restrictions forced a rewrite. Now, Padalecki and Ackles have finally been able to make that happen.

Read what Ackles had to say about it and check out exclusive photos below.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You've directed on Supernatural, but what was it like for you to walk onto a new set and take on that role?

JENSEN ACKLES: Well, look, it was still a friendly set. [Laughs] Jared had laid the groundwork of like, "This is my brother. I'm here because of what he and I built together." He gave a great speech to the whole crew, saying, "We wouldn't be here without the work that this guy did with me." I was vouched for by the commander-in-chief, so although I was a guest in someone else's house, it was a house that felt very welcoming.

You've obviously seen Jared play a number of characters on Supernatural, but what was it like to see him in such a different setting, playing a character he's said is more of a Dean than a Sam?

Funny enough, I feel like Walker is probably more like Jared than Sam was, not necessarily in actual character development, but just in mannerisms and reactionary things, the nuances of what Jared's doing. I think this feels a little closer to him, which is great because who knows him better than him? It was fun to get back into the shorthand with him with performance notes, with technical notes. I can even use a reference to a movie and he knows that I'm actually giving him a note. There's nobody else I can do that with. He and I have that, and we'll always have that. That's not something that fades away.

How did the Kansas performance come about? Did they just call you up one day and say, "P.S. We have Kansas"?

Basically, yeah. They were like, "We're writing that script right now, but we just found out Kansas is actually going to be in Austin playing one night and it happens to be three days before you start working." So I was in prep and basically they broke the main unit early on the previous episode so that they could do a full company move over to the Moody Theater in downtown Austin and we could set up and shoot, essentially, a rock concert. So I shot that while in prep, and then a couple days later we started rolling on principal photography for me.

How did you prepare?

I basically went back and watched a bunch of rock concerts to see how they were directed and then got with my DP, Peter Kowalski, who, funny enough, was the A camera operator from Dawson's Creek. I was like, "PK?!" And he was like, "Jensen?!" [Laughs] I think the first time I ever stood on a surfboard was his in North Carolina. So that was a great reunion, and he and I worked really well together. We spent half a day in the Moody Theater shooting a rock concert with Kansas as our subject. And they were awesome. They were like, "How many times do you want us to do it?" We were like, "Three times max," and they said, "We can do it three, we can do it five, whatever you need." They were so accommodating and so cool, as I knew they would be.

Did it feel like a full-circle moment knowing you almost had them in the Supernatural finale?

Yeah, and they were also really excited that they were getting to scratch an itch that didn't get scratched. I didn't know this, but they were literally at the airport and some of them were getting on a plane to come to Vancouver when they got called and told, "Sorry, COVID, we're shutting down." So that's how close we were to having that experience with them. The fact that we got to do that in any capacity felt like we got to scratch an itch that needed to be scratched.

This episode has a couple of Supernatural Easter eggs. Were those written in the script or was that more of a collaborative effort?

A little of both, but here's why: Katherine Alyse, who wrote the episode, knows Supernatural very well and essentially wrote a lot of Easter eggs. I was either like, "Oh, I can absolutely do that" or, "I can level that up." We definitely tried to pepper in the Easter eggs when we could.

Walker airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CW.

Link to the Article

[notebooknebula]

Best Performing Type of List for Cold Calling | JP Kilduff & Jay Conner

https://www.jayconner.com/best-performing-type-of-list-for-cold-calling-jp-kilduff-jay-conner/

Best Performing Type of List for Cold Calling

Cold calling is a technique in which a salesperson contacts individuals who have not previously expressed in the offered products or services, in this instance it’s real estate.

This is the most common form of marketing for selling or buying a property and sometimes it’s quite hard to do cold calling especially when you don’t have the best performing type of list of people to call.

This is what JP Kilduff & Jay Conner will talk about in this short video. Don’t miss it. Watch this video now!

John Paul Kilduff is a serial entrepreneur with a very successful Wholesaling, Rehabbing, and Rental business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

In just 5 years he has completed more than 100 transactions including building a rental portfolio with over 40+ units. In 2020 John Paul founded a Social Media Management and Skip Tracing business that helps busy Real Estate Entrepreneurs drive more leads into their business.

John Paul has been a Real Estate and Marketing coach for a national real estate education company where has personally coached 1000+ real estate investors.

He has done all of this while serving as a Drill Instructor and Cyber Security Officer in the United States Coast Guard and has recently retired to Williamsburg, Virginia.

For more valuable information click on this link and watch the complete episode: https://youtu.be/iZau4DWToBg- “100+ deals plus 40+ rentals – Get Inspired with JP Kilduff – Real Estate Investing With Jay Conner”

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————–

Jay Conner:

What are your best performing list to text an outbound call? And just so everybody knows what we’re talking about, there’s all kinds of lists you can get, you can get owners, you can get high equity, you can get low equity, you can get pre-foreclosure, you can get a zombie listings and the list goes on and on. What’s your favorite best performing type of list?

John Paul Kilduff:

I actually do this thing where I actually put myself in the shoes situationally and through like all the different little milestones in life. And one of the best things that we ever discovered was taking, what people, when do they normally buy houses? When do they normally sell houses throughout their life? And so typically that’s when they get married, how long do people normally stay married on average seven years? And then they have to sell a house and if they stay together and they have kids, when did they typically sell a house like 20 years when the kids graduate and the house is too big. And so we use that as markers of like and we work our way backwards. And we basically say at what time would somebody be in this specific situation?

And so our favorite list right now that we’re seeing the most leads come back are absentee owners. So people who have bought a house that no longer live in that house that they bought between 2008 and 2012, because that was the lowest point in the market. So in 2008 and 2012, if they bought a house during that time, there’s a couple of things that we know about this. One great time to buy a house, too. They have owned the house for long enough where on average tenants last about three years in our property, and then it turns over. And so if they’ve owned it since then, there’s a chance that they’ve gone through at least three cycles of renters. And at this point they may be like, so fed up with turning properties over on top of what’s currently going on with COVID and eviction moratorium. And also on top of that, the appreciation that’s happening in the market. So the combination of all three of those, they bought low, they can sell high, and there’s a potential that they’re having non-performing tenants, those are the ones that we’re having the best luck with right now.

[southeastasianists]

In late July, sitting in my sister-in-law’s home in St. Louis, Missouri, I waited in the “lobby” area of Cloud Theatre for Zoom Parah to begin. Itself a creation born of the pandemic, Cloud Theatre is an online platform which strives to offer a seamless digital theatre experience to global audiences. Their “lobby” is a simple but smart artificial space: a live chat box, available to attendees as they login for a show, is positioned next to the image of a theatre stage, framed by red curtains. The waiting room attempts to replicate the experience of audience members mingling and chatting before a performance begins. Joining others in this virtual space, I was excited to see another Malaysian, also based in the United States, mention that they were from Petaling Jaya—my hometown. I excitedly typed back, “I’m from PJ, too!” The spark of recognition flashing across the chat box was akin to overhearing a conversation between strangers, and interjecting to share a mutual connection. Months into social distancing protocols, the Cloud Theatre lobby reminded me that there was something inherently sociable about joining hundreds of people from around the world to watch this production together—albeit, online.

“We had people who’d never seen theatre before experience it for the first time using Zoom.” Malaysian theatre director, actor and writer Jo Kukathas stressed this point repeatedly when discussing Zoom Parah, the online adaptation of the critically acclaimed play, Parah. This digital theatre performance, and the new viewing experiences it made possible, is just one of many examples of innovative work being produced by Southeast Asian directors, producers, and actors since the pandemic. In the early days and weeks of Covid-19, theatre makers from this region—like so many others around the world—watched in despair as stages went dark and theatres shut their doors. Despite the dire conditions, they rallied—with little to no funding and even less governmental support—to reimagine theatre in the time of COVID. They created innovative forms of theatre designed for Zoom, streamed recordings of award-winning plays that had not previously been available online, and held numerous talk-back sessions to reflect on the creative process. The digital turn in Southeast Asian theatre has provided unprecedented access to experimental and critically acclaimed work from the region. These productions have connected audiences and diasporic communities around the world, focusing often on urgent questions of race, identity, and belonging. These developments offer models not only for the professional theatre world, but also for teachers and students of the performing arts who are navigating online education.

In their articles for Offstage and The Business Times, Akanksha Raja and Helmi Yusof discuss half a dozen new Singaporean and Southeast Asian theatre projects which have embraced the digital turn. These include: Murder at Mandai Camp and The Future Stage from Sight Lines Entertainment; Long Distance Affair from Juggerknot Theatre and PopUP Theatrics; Fat Kids Are Harder to Kidnap from How Drama; and Who’s There? from The Transit Ensemble and New Ohio Theatre. While these are just a few of the productions that have emerged since the pandemic began, they are impressive in scale, quantity, and range of forms. These performances have taken advantage of every feature offered by Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms. They’ve incorporated chat boxes, polls, and even collaborative detective work on the part of the audience. In addition to Zoom Parah (by Instant Café Theatre), I’ve had the opportunity to watch Who’s There?, as well as a recording of WILD RICE theatre’s celebrated play, Merdeka, written by Singaporean playwrights Alfian Sa’at and Neo Hai Bin. Of these three, Zoom Parah and Who’s There? illuminate the technological and socio-political interventions of Southeast Asian digital theatre, as well as the ways in which COVID-19 has redefined performance and spectatorship.

In addition to the virtual lobby and chat function, Zoom Parah employed live English translation in a separate text box, making the production accessible to those not fluent in Malay. Who’s There? like Zoom Parah, also made the most of the chat function, along with approximately a dozen polls which punctuated the performance. Each poll gauged audience reactions to the complex issues the play addressed and reflected the responses back to the viewers. This feature required audience members to pause, reflect on a particular scene and its context, and assess the perspectives through which they were viewing the performance. In effect, the polls created a dynamic feedback loop between the cast, crew, and viewers, offering an alternative to the in-person audience response that is so crucial to live performances. Augmenting their efforts to keep audience members plugged in, the play experimented with layering lighting, sound, and mixed media to produce different visual and sound effects within the Zoom frame.

Alongside their adaptation of online technologies, both plays are also noteworthy for their socio-political interventions. Parah, the critically acclaimed play on which Zoom Parah is based, was written in 2011 by award-winning Singaporean writer and resident playwright at WILD RICE theatre, Alfian Sa’at. It follow a group of 11th grade students of different races (Malay, Chinese, and Indian) as they navigate reading the controversial Malaysian novel, Interlok, which sparked national debates surrounding racial stereotypes. The classmates, who share a deep friendship, challenge each other’s views of the novel by reflecting on their lived experiences. Zoom Parah retained the original plot and script, bringing the play’s pressing questions into a national landscape marked by pandemic lockdowns and political upheaval, and shadowed by new iterations of Malay supremacy. At a volatile time for the country, Zoom Parah questions what it means to be Malaysian, making visible the forms of belonging and exclusion that continue to shape national identities.

Who’s There? was also invested in broaching difficult discussions of contemporary issues. A transnational collaboration between artists from the US, Singapore, and Malaysia, the play was part of the New Ohio Theatre’s summer festival, which moved online due to the pandemic. Who’s There? aimed to tackle some of the most contentious racial topics of 2020: the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests; the use of black and brownface in Malaysia; and the relationship between DNA testing and cultural identity. The production was structured as a series of linked vignettes, featuring different sets of characters wrestling with interconnected racial and national contexts.

Both Parah and Who’s There speak to the arts’ inherent capacity to not merely experiment with form and aesthetics in the digital realm, but to also engage the complexity of history, politics, and contemporary culture. As Kukathas recently reflected, “The act of making theatre to me is always about trying to connect to the society that I live in; that could be local, that could be global . . . people want to hear stories, and to connect through stories.” By taking on the dual challenge of experimenting with digital technologies and responding to what’s happening in the public square, Southeast Asian digital theatre joins work such as the Public Theatre’s all-Black production of Much Ado About Nothing to offer new frames through which to view race, rights, and identity—even and especially in the midst of a global pandemic.

Kukathas’ comments on the inherently social motivations of her work were shared during a Facebook Live discussion entitled “Who’s Afraid of Digital Theater?”. The conversation aired on 20 August, hosted by WILD RICE theatre and moderated by Alfian. Focusing on “the possibilities and pitfalls of digital theatre,” the discussion featured reflections from artists who have helped launch this new era of Southeast Asian theatre. The panelists included Kukathas, Kwin Bhichitkul from Thailand (director, In Own Space) and Sim Yan Ying “YY” from Singapore (co-director and actor, Who’s There?). Approximately 100 people tuned in for the discussion, and the recording has accrued over 8,000 views on Facebook. During the conversation, the theatre makers shared rationales for their creative choices, as well as strategies for navigating the challenges of developing online performances. Their insights offer potential pathways for other theatre professionals, as well as teachers and students of theatre who are continuing to work online.

Bhichitkul, Kukathas, and Sim’s approaches to digital theatre diverged significantly from one another. They each played with different technologies and were guided by distinct motivations. Bhichitkul was focussed on the isolation created by the pandemic and, responding to this fragmentation, he asked 15 artists to create short, 2-minute video performances. Bhichitkul explained that this project also had an improvisational twist: “Every artist need[ed] to be inspired by the message of the [artist’s] video before them. They couldn’t think beforehand, they needed to wait until the day [they received the video]” before creating their own. The creative process was thus limited to just a 24-hour window for each artist. The entire project spanned 15 days, with Bhichitkul stitching the videos together on the final day.

On the other hand, Kukathas felt strongly that her foray into digital theatre required a deep connection to a live, staged performance. Therefore, she chose Parah—a play she directed for six re-stagings between 2011-2013—as the production she would adapt to Zoom. Kukathas explained, “If I was going to start experimenting with doing digital theatre . . . it needed to be a play that I was very familiar with, and a play that the actors were very familiar with. I wanted the actors to really inhabit their bodies, so that the energy of the actor’s body was very present even through the screen . . . I [needed] actors who have a kinetic memory in their body of that performance being 360 degrees.” Unlike Kukathas, Sim was “interested in doing something as far away from live theatre as possible” and did not want to be “beholden” to its conventions. She views digital theatre as “a new art form in itself; not an extension of live theatre, not a replacement, but something that straddles the line between theatre and film.”

The directors’ reflections on their respective productions illustrate the range of forms, techniques, and points of view with which theatre makers are experimenting. They also suggest that digital theatre has the potential to accommodate a surprisingly wide variety of directorial visions and investments.

And while their approaches might vary, these theatre makers all agreed about the benefits and opportunities of digital theatre. They returned repeatedly to the advantages of greater accessibility and transnational reach without the costs of international travel. Kukathas and Sim cited accessibility and the pay-what-you-can model as being particular priorities for them. Kukathas was especially proud of the fact that “we could reach the play to people who would ordinarily not be able to go to the theatre. And we made our tickets really cheap: our cheapest ticket was RM5 (US $1). We did that deliberately so that people who don’t usually even go to the theatre would get a chance to watch it. So we had people who’d never seen theatre before experience it for the first time using Zoom.”

The directors also view the digital turn as one which opens up new avenues for creativity and collaboration. Sim recalls, “We still spent 3-4 hours per rehearsal, 4 times a week, on this space together. We developed a closeness and a relationship with each other even though we never met live. And we still shared a lot of cross-cultural exchanges.” Kukathas views the shift to online technologies and platforms as one which prompts us to ask big questions about theatre and to re-evaluate the rules of spectatorship. Filming theatre at home, sharing it online, and watching it at home creates, according to Kukathas, a merging of “strangeness and ordinariness” that shrinks the spaces between public and private. The ensuing disorientation poses, for Kukathas, a number of pivotal questions: “What is theatre? What are the impulses that drive us to make a piece of theatre? What is it to watch theatre? How free are you now when you’re watching? . . . I think this could be a good chance to question why we have certain rules [in theatre] and whether those rules are really necessary.”

While we are used to hearing laments about the digital as the enemy of “the real,” the digital turn in Southeast Asian theatre suggests an opening and an expansion; a chance to reimagine the performing arts, develop new forms of collaboration, and reach wider and more diverse audiences. As Akanksha Raja notes in Offstage, “performance-makers have been recognising that the way they choose to embrace technology can not only enhance but possibly birth new forms of theatre.”

However, it’s crucial not to romanticise the very real challenges of alternative forms and platforms. Alfian noted that, “In a traditional theatre, you are a captive audience . . . you’re not allowed to be distracted, not allowed to look at your phone. On the one hand, we’re seeing there’s the freedom to not be so disciplined when watching a show. But at the same time, is the freedom necessarily a good thing? You’re actually quite distracted and you’re not giving your 100 percent [attention] to the work.”

Sim and Kukathas agreed to an extent, but pointed out alternative advantages: group chats and texts in a “watch party” format build a sense of connection among audience members and provide real-time audience reactions and feedback. Kukathas recalled how attendees used the chat box (along with text messages and DMs) to alert Kukathas and her producer to a sound issue that they were not aware of. Kukathas laughingly reflected, “I really appreciated how invested people were. They were like, ‘Fix this right now!’ and then we had to rush to try to fix it. It made me feel how alive we were—the audience was shouting at us!”

The digital turn in Southeast Asian theatre is bringing a wide range of productions to global audiences. The literary and cultural traditions of this region are incredibly rich and have always been shaped by complex histories of migration, exchange, and adaptation. Digital theatre is borne of new practices of migration, exchange, and adaptation—and of necessity. While there have been controversial debates in countries like Singapore and Malaysia about the value of the arts during this pandemic, the creatives featured here are turning to the digital in order to keep art alive and to keep their companies and projects afloat. They are extending an invitation to audiences and to collaborators to embrace play and experimentation, to find opportunities in the challenges of online theatre, and to recognise that art is essential, now more than ever.

[raimispiderman]

From the booklet which comes with the Spider-Man Trilogy Limited Edition Collection blu-ray!

This talks about the making of Spider-Man 3, here’s the bit about the first Spider-Man movie and here’s the bit about Spider-Man 2.

Click for a transcript:

OLD FRIENDS… AND NEW FACES

“The heart of the Spider-Man films has always been the depth of the characters and their interconnected lives. Peter’s love of Mary Jane Watson and his friendship with Harry Osborn have always been the richest parts of our stories,” said director Sam Raimi.

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker faces his biggest challenge to date – and the greatest battle of all is the battle within himself.

“We wanted to explore the darker side of Peter’s character,” said producer Laura Ziskin. “When his suit turns black, it enhances and emphasizes characteristics that are already in the host. In this case, it makes him stronger and quicker, but also more prideful and aggressive.”

“When I read the script I was really excited about the different direction we were going with Peter Parker and the other characters and storylines,” said Tobey Maguire, who returned to the role of Peter Parker. “We are covering a lot of new ground here, with a fresh take on the story while maintaining the continuity of the characters from the previous two films.”

In Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man takes on two classic villains: Sandman, who first made his appearance in the fourth issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Venom, one of the comic book’s most memorable villains.

“Marvel comic books – and especially the Spider-Man books – have always had a great bunch of villains to choose from,” noted Raimi. “So many great Marvel artists and writers developed these characters. It was a very easy task to pick up these wonderful tales and images and develop our story from them.”

Thomas Haden Church played Flint Marko, a man haunted by the mistakes of his past, who is caught in a physics experiment gone wrong. “I consider it an honor, really,” said Church, an Academy Award nominee for his role in Sideway, on joining the franchise. “The Spider-Man films stand tall in the pantheon of superhero movies. Many are called, few are chosen, and I’m proud to be one of the few.”

“Flint Marko becomes Sandman when he stumbles into a radioactive test site where they’re performing a molecular fusion experiment and he accidentally becomes fused with sand,” Church added. “As a result, he can change his shape and adapt to his environment. He can be 10, 30, 80 feet tall. He can form giant sand fists, hammers, a mace. He can shift into a sand tornado, or sift into sand. He is as malevolent and menacing as any villain can be.”

Church spent over a year preparing for the role, with a physical training and diet regimen which led to his gaining about 20 pounds of muscle before shooting began. “In the comic book, Sandman was a bulky-muscled guy – he looked like a guy out of the WWF,” said the actor, “For the movie, we decided on a leaner look – street hardened, like Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.”

Topher Grace joined the cast as Eddie Brock, a character in some ways similar to Peter Parker, who transforms into Venom – Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis. “When I was first talking about the movie, Sam asked me if I knew what ‘arch-nemesis’ meant. I thought it meant a huge villain, but Sam pointed out that it really means a villain who has the same powers and abilities as the hero, but uses them for evil,” said Grace. “Sam has gone to great lengths to make this character Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. You might say that Eddie is the guy that Peter would have been if he didn’t have the good fortune of having Aunt May and Uncle Ben to bring him up.”

Grace, a self-described “skinny guy,” put on about 15 to 20 pounds for the role, working out during the several months before shooting began. During pre-production, Grace was subjected to body scans and motion capture data analysis for use by the costume and visual effects departments.

“They were doing a scan of my body, and someone mentioned that the scan would be really helpful for making my action figure. My action figure!” recalled Grace. “It hadn’t even occurred to me that I would become an action figure! It was very exciting.”

“The Spider-Man books have probably the greatest rogues’ gallery of any superhero comic – there are so many memorable villains throughout the books,” said executive producer and Marvel’s president of production Kevin Feige. “With the villains in Spider-Man 3, we wanted to continue the tradition – following the Green Goblin and Doc Ock – of presenting villains that not only provide spectacle and a physical challenge to Spider-Man’s abilities, but characters that are multi-layered and conflicted.”

“At the beginning of Spider-Man 3, we find Peter Parker pretty much where we left him at the end of the second Spider-Man story,” said director Sam Raimi. “He is coming to terms with what it means to be a hero and the sacrifices he has to make to do the right thing. Peter has never had anyone look up to him as someone they admire. Certainly, he’s never had anyone cheer for him before. This has an unexpected effect on Peter: it stirs up his prideful self. This is the beginning of a movement toward his dark side in this film.”

That dark side is brought to the forefront when he comes into contact with a black substance that attaches itself to Peter’s Spider-Man suit. When the substance turns his suit black, he finds he has greater strength and agility than ever before… but also the substance brings out his pride and his vengefulness. “In the climax, Peter has to put aside his prideful self. He must put aside his desire for vengeance,” Raimi continues. “He has to learn that we are all sinners and that none of us can hold ourselves above another. In this story, he has to learn forgiveness.”

Another fan favorite, Gwen Stacy, made her film debut in Spider-Man 3. Well known to fans of the comic books, Gwen made her first appearance in December 1965 “The Amazing Spider-Man #31” and quickly became Peter Parker’s first love. Bryce Dallas Howard took on the role. Despite the differences between the comic book and screen versions of her character, Howard was able to use the comic book as inspiration in bringing Gwen Stacy to life. “There was a very deep relationship built into the comic books – that became my foundation,” said the actress. “This a person who, had things been different, could have been a good mate for him. Because her father is a police captain, she’s accustomed to someone leaving and putting his life in jeopardy every day and loving him unconditionally. I was able to build on that, to play the character that was written in the comic book.”

“It’s wonderful to bring new actors into the series because, although you have an existing set of rules and storylines you want to adhere to, at the same time you need to shake it up, bringing new voices and energies to the film that we haven’t experiences before, “noted Raimi. “It gives the audience a new experience, with the characters they love, but with a new energy dynamic, with those new faces on screen with them.”

“In terms of logistics and scope, Spider-Man 3 is by far the largest of the three films,” said Ziskin. “Sam has really upped the ante for this film, in terms of action sequences and visual effects involving Sandman and Venom, so it is a gigantic endeavor, with over 1,000 people working towards that goal.”

During production, Raimi relied on key members of his filmmaking team to bring to life before the cameras as much of Peter Parker’s story as possible. “Whenever it’s safe and practical, I like to capture the action in camera,” said Raimi. “Visual effects are an amazing tool for action that human beings can’t do – but if a human being can do it, let’s do it.”

The talented team of stuntmen was ready, but so was the cast. Bryce Dallas Howard, especially, surprised the filmmakers by being game for anything they could throw at her. At one point, the actress found herself hanging from a harness.

After performing several portions of the sequence on soundstages in Los Angeles, Howard was eager to get in the harness again to fly with Spider-Man over Sixth Avenue. “What’s so great about movies is you get to really experience these crazy, crazy stunts, things that you would never emerge from alive in real life,” says Howard. “I knew I would be 100% safe because Sam and the stunt team really protect the actors. So I tried to do as many things as possible, because it’s really fun and a great adrenaline rush!”

Thomas Haden Church was also up to the challenge – in fact, even more so. Whether it was being yanked five feet in the air so he could do a face-plant in the mud, or being chased (and caught) by dogs, or dangling off the side of a set, or falling onto train tracks, or having his face smashed into a pane of Plexiglas, the actor found himself bruised and battered repeatedly, but was ready for anything. According to producer Grant Curtis, “It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed sometimes like if any actor was required to get beat up in any way, Thomas was always drawing that short straw.”

Two members of the production team that played key roles in ensuring that these action sequences were both as safe and as spectacular as possible were special effects supervisor John R. Frazier (who previously served in the same capacity on the first two Spider-Man films) and second unit director Dan Bradley (a veteran of Spider-Man 2). “Working with Sam is like going back to school,” said Frazier. “You have that moment where you say, ‘Oh, this is going to be really, really hard, but a lot of fun.’ It’s  not unusual for me to be on a movie like Spider-Man 3 for nine months, from the beginning planning stages through production.”

One scene that highlights their work is the Subway Drain portion of an elaborate fight sequence between Spider-Man and Sandman. Raimi worked closely with Frazier, Bradley and visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk on the sequence, in which Sandman is blasted by the force of a burst water pipe and, quite literally, goes down the drain. Sam wanted Sandman to melt away, in essence, during this sequence.

“This is the largest water gag for one shot I’ve ever done for a film,” recalled Frazier, who had previously supervised the special effects for Poseidon. “We used 50,000 gallons of water, shooting out of a pipe which blasted the rear of the set fifty feet away. When you see this sequence, the water appears to be a six-foot-thick column of water; however, we made the center of the pipe hollow, and used a restrictor plate to control the size of the column of water. The water is recirculated using pumps, which are able to pump 3,000 gallons a minute. We can fill both tanks in about five minutes, so that we are ready for another take.”

The sequence was covered using eight cameras, according to Stokdyk. “This sequence is where Spider-Man discovers Sandman’s weakness – water. We had to put a CG Sandman in here because the velocity of the water is too great to have Thomas Haden Church or a stuntman perform portions of the sequence. Water is a huge challenge for visual effects, especially on a large scale, so our goal here was to seamlessly integrate the elements for the sequence between practical and CG.”

Bradley and Frazier’s work is also on display in an action sequence during a bank heist, in which a security guard (played by none other than producer Grant Curtis) falls victim to Sandman’s wreath. “As a producer, Grant is uniquely qualified for guarding money,” laughed Bradley, “so Sam typecast him and invited him to spend a lot of time on set being buried underneath tons of sand as one of the armored car guards.”

Apprehensive as he might have been about performing the stunt, Curtis says that it would have been pointless to argue. “I’ve worked with Sam for ten years, so I know that once a decision’s been made, he’s going to get his way,” he said.

The sequence begins spectacularly, when Sandman smashes into the top of the armored call with his fist – which, in reality, Frazier’s team made of polyurethane foam. It was eight feet tall, six feet wide, and weighed over 500 pounds. Then, debris – sand – came flying at Curtis. “On the first take, I anticipated the crash and reacted too early,” he remembered. After an adjustment, he nailed the second take.

At the end of the sequence, the guard is buried in sand. To film the scene, the armored car was lifted and tilted at a 50-degree angle so that the sand could be dumped in and fill the car but with a fraction of the pressure on Curtis. The producer soon found himself beneath 4,000 pounds of ground corncob – the filmmakers’ ingenious substitute for sand.

The idea of using ground corncob as a double for sand did not come immediately to the filmmakers. The first man charged with investigating what kind of sand would make Sandman or solving any number of other costuming challenges, Acheson’s motto was: when in doubt, go back to the original text. “We derive our inspiration, as always, from the comic,” he said. “Sandman is one of those remarkable characters who can change shape, dissolve, disappear, grow, or become mud or concrete. We designed various stages and different scales of Sandman’s evolution, working with wonderful sculptors to create maquettes, small statues of Sandman in his various appearances.”

As much as Sandman required each of the departments to step up their game, so, too, did Venom – Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. Acheson and his team created various stages of Venom’s look, working with Raimi to create a tension in the sculpting of the suit. “It was important to Sam and to James that we keep the suit really sharp and aggressive, as with the tendrils that crawl across Venom’s face at points,” said head specialty costumer Shownee Smith, whose company Frontline Design worked under Acheson’s direction to manufacture the specialty costumes for the film.

For scenes where Brock transitions into Venom, Grace spent an hour being placed into the suit, which added between 120 and 140 pounds to his weight. The actor then spent an additional four and a half hours in makeup for the addition of appliances, including special sets of teeth worn by Grace to give the character the illusion of a larger, more menacing mouth. The filmmakers also attached monofilament to the skin on Grace’s face so that they could pull and distort the character as he makes his transformation.

“At one point while shooting the transition scenes, I thought, ‘What have I signed up for?!’” Grace laughed. “I had black goo poured all over me, wires attached to my face that people with fishing poles were pulling up, and other people below me were pulling down… When you see my character in pain, well, there wasn’t a whole lot of acting required.”

Also interacting with each of the departments was production designer J. Michael Riva, the member of the team responsible for bringing Raimi’s stylish vision to life. Riva was especially proud of his work in cresting the construction site that serves as the arena for the film’s final battle. “Making a construction site doesn’t sound very difficult, but if you have only eight weeks to design and build, it’s practically impossible,” he said. “We used over 20 tons of steel, 100 welders, and 200 carpenters working around the clock, seven days a week to get it done! But we all did it.”

The set took six weeks to complete, using tons of steel from a cancelled building project. A construction elevator, complete with operator, transported cast and crew to the various levels of the elaborate set. For the extensive lighting and electrical needs required for the sequence, a labyrinth of connections was designed and installed 80 feet above the stage floor, using over four miles of electrical cable. By the time the set was ready for shooting, Stage 27 was outfitted with approximately 21,000 amps, enough power to service over 200 homes.

“The great thing about a construction site is that it’s a very dangerous place. First, besides the implied height of the set, you have a lot of steel and rebar lying around at such a site. You can always rely on Sam to see opportunities and come up with an effective way to use these set elements to enhance the danger in a scene,” said Riva. “Second, it was an open structure, pretending to be 50 stories high, open on all sides. It offered Sam a jungle gym of possibilities to web up and down, to do a chase all over the face of the steel structure. The higher they go fighting their way up the building, the more the danger and tensions increase. It’s a long way to fall if you’re not Spider-Man!”

For visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk – the man charged with bringing the visual effects to the screen – those words were the beginning of a two-year process to develop the technology that would make Spider-Man 3 the most visually stunning film in the series so far. “When we began the pre-production process, the computer programs had not yet been developed which could achieve the look of Sandman and his capabilities that Sam wanted to see,” recalled producer Grant Curtis. “However, Scott Stokdyk and his team created new technology to manipulate every piece of sand on our character. The existing technology allowed management of thousands of particles at once – but to animate Sandman the way Sam wanted to, we would have to be able to render billions of particles. In the end, the new software they wrote required ten man-years to code.”

Stokdyk says that he and his team prepared for the challenge by first observing how sand moves in the real world. “One of the first things we did was to organize a sand shoot with Sam and Bill Pope, the difrector ofg photographer,” Stokdyk continued. “We shot footage of sand every way we would need it – thrown up, thrown against blue screen, over black screen. John Frazier, the special effects supervisor, shot it out of an aero can at a stuntman. Anything we could imagine sand doing in the film, we shot.”

“There’s a character the, emoting, but it’s just a pile of sand,” said Stotdyk. “If we’ve pulled together enough grains of sand to make feel something, then we’ve pulled it off.”

In the end, the artists were all extremely proud of their creation. “Sony Pictures Imageworks delivered on Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, but for Spider-Man 3 it changed the industry standard,” said Curtis.

Sandman, of course, was not the only character that posed a considerable challenge for Spencer Cook; animating the black-suited Spider-Man required subtle changed to reflect the character’s more aggressive personality, “He’ll move a little quicker here and there, hunch his shoulders a little more, put his elbows up a little higher when he’s stuck to a wall. We tried to find poses that the classic Spider-Man would not do – where the red-suited Spider-Man was graceful and elegant in his motions, black-suited Spider-Man is more blunt, rough, and reckless.”

In creating Venom, Stokdyk notes that the character has at least three different stages. First, of course, is the initial transformation, in which Topher Grace’s skin is pulled away from his body and tendrils of goo cross his face until they completely envelop him. “As he gets angrier, he turns into more of a monster, more of a beast,” Stokdyk noted. First, he becomes a kind of double for Spider-Man, played by Grace. By the very end of the film, he becomes an entirely CG character – the classic Venom from the comic books, with a menacing, unhinged jaw and a full mouth of very sharp teeth. “Everything is alive on ‘comic-book Venom,’” Stokdyk continued. “The challenge was to make a character that was monsterous, very detailed, very kinetic – but not delicate. Despite all the detail, he’s still menacing.

Stokdyk was also determined to break new ground in terms of live-action integration with the visual effects. The supervisor was on hand during production so that he could be ready to take the ball as soon as the scenes were filmed. “It was important to Sam and me to incorporate as much live-action into the CG as possible,” he said. “The typical reason a shot is animated is because a person can’t do all of it. We wanted to find a way to have an actor or stunt person do part of the action, and synthesize the rest. The goal was to find a balance between keeping the shot real and making it exciting and cinematic.”

One dramatic example of this idea comes early in the film, as Peter Parker finds himself ambushed by the New Goblin – his friend, Harry Osborn. “It was Sam’s idea to show Peter fighting as Peter not as Spider-Man,” said producer Avi Arad. “It’s a terrific amount, because it brings home what a personal battle this is for Peter when you can see his face.”

Tobey Maguire and James Franco completed much of the aerial stunt sequence themselves, doing wire work suspended high above the stage floor. “Tobey is really handy with stunt situations, and he picks it up really quickly,” said stunt coordinator Scott Rogers. “James is also terrific – he’s got a great attitude. Both actors are used to the type of physicality required for their roles, and they excelled.”

For Stokdyk, achieving such great heights would not have been possible without the contribution from his team at Sony Pictures Imageworks, assembling, in the end, between 200 and 250 people to complete more than 900 effects shots. “You live and die by your team,” said Stokdyk. “They were always ready to respond, always on their toes. That’s bit of the process of working with Sam, you have to be flexible and ready to deliver.”

“When developing this third installment, we asked ourselves, ‘What does this young man still have to learn?’” said director Sam Raimi. “We placed him in situations where he’d be forced to confront his absences of character – obstacles that, in previous stories, he might not have been able to surmount. In this way, he would either be defeated or grow into the heroic person who might be capable of overcoming these obstacles. As the depth of our characters grow, they become richer human beings and can achieve more than in the previous films.”

[buzzdixonwriter]

The Purple Monster Strikes

Recently in an online discussion of 1950s sci-fi films, the old Republic serial The Purple Monster Strikes came up.

Why is came up I’ll mention later, but first let’s note it: 

was made in 1945 

was the last 15 chapter Republic serial

is awful

Not eyeball gouging / brain melting / soul scorching awful the way The Lost City or Gene Autry And The Phantom Empire or Captain Video are awful, but awful enough…

…yet at the same time, worthy of comment (as we’ll soon note).

1945 is a crucial year.  Despite the Nazis last ditch Battle of the Bulge, WWII is clearly winding down to an Allied victory in both Europe and the Pacific. 

American audiences feel tired of the war wand want something else in their entertainment, even low brow / low rent entertainment like movie serials.

Republic produced three serials that year:  Federal Operator 99 proved surprisingly good, Manhunt Of Mystery Island (their next to last 15 chapter serial) tried some new ideas that while interesting didn’t prove interesting enough to be tried again, and The Purple Monster Strikes brought interplanetary thrills back to the theaters, only this time instead of visiting Mars, Mars (at least two of ‘em) came to Earth.

As noted in my overview of Federal Operator 99, Republic serials of that year looked…inexpensive.* 

This is especially true of The Purple Monster Strikes which really needed a bigger budget, a better script, and adequate production time for the type of story it was trying to tell.

That story?

In a nutshell:   The Purple Monster is a one-Martian invasion come to steal the secret of the “jet plane” (the script uses the term interchangeably with “rocketship”) from Earth and take it to Mars where it can be mass produced and used to attack our world (Why?  WTF knows or cares?).  To achieve this The Purple Monster bumps off the scientist in charge of the project, physically possesses his corpse by turning into a ghost-like entity, and tries to kill a nosy investigator and the late scientist’s niece.  In the end The Purple Monster tries to escape Earth only to get blowed up real good (Did I mention this is silly, stooped, and trite?  I did?  Good).

So why am I interested in The Purple Monster Strikes?  Well, for two reasons, the second and more important one we’ll save for the end, the first is that when watched with fully informed eyes, it’s a testament to the single greatest contribution the serials made to filmmaking:  The production board.

Lemme ‘splain what that is.

In the old days of movie making it was a folder with slots for narrow strips of colored cardboard to be slid in.  The strips were color coded for interior or exterior scenes, night or day, specific locations, second unit or special effects, etc.

These strips were grouped together on the production board so all the exterior day shots at one location could be filmed back-to-back, followed by all the night shots there before moving on to a new location.

The colored carboard strips were further broken down to match production numbers in the shooting script (“Scene 37:  The bandits take the town”), key props and costumes, stunt work, but most importantly actors / characters in the scene.

You want all your most important / expensive / difficult stuff grouped together…but you also need to figure out what you didn’t need so you could pare down your budget.

For example, if you need someone to play a policeman in Scene 1 and in Scene 12 but those scenes are shot two seeks apart, maybe it’s cheaper to have two different actors playing two different policemen for one day each than keep one actor on call for two weeks.

Likewise, if you’ve got an actor in a key supporting role, put all his scenes together.

This necessitates shooting out of sequence, but shooting out of sequence is now pretty much the industry norm for any filmed or taped production.

The serials invented the production board and the rest of the industry speedily glommed onto it.

Once you know what to look for in The Purple Monster Strikes, you can pretty much break down which scenes were shot when.

Case in point: Masked heroes and villains aside, serial characters rarely change costume except to match stock footage from earlier productions.  It’s not especially notable for male characters but females typically wear The Same Damn Dress in Every Damn Scene.

So when heroine Linda Sterling gets dunked in a water tank midway through The Purple Monster Strikes, you can bet that was her last day of filming since they were no longer worried about ruining her costume.

Likewise when a female reinforcement from Mars arrives, the exact same location right down to the same car parked in the same spot are used even though the female Martian doesn’t arrive until 2/3rds of the way into the story.

You wouldn’t notice this week to week in a movie theater, but they’re painfully obvious when bingewatching.

Case in point: There are never more than four characters onscreen at any time; this was all the production could afford on any given day.  If a fifth character showed up, one of the others needed to be knocked unconscious (if they were lucky) shot and fall off camera (if they were unlucky), or disintegrated (if they were really unlucky).

For example, the hero and heroine could be talking to a scientist (day 1 / shot 1) when three baddies show up at the door (day 2 / shot 1).  The first baddie shoots the scientist, who falls off camera then enters the frame and knocks out the heroine, who conveniently falls behind a counter (day 1 / shot 2).  The other two baddies enter and a huge brawl erupts (day 2 / shot 2).  The heroine revives (day 1 / shot 3) and shouts a warning at the hero.  The hero blasts a minor baddie who falls off camera as the other two baddies flee the scene (day 2 / shot 3), then the heroine rejoins the hero (day 1 / shot 4).

Binge watching also reveals a lot of sets and props reused again and again.  The same footstool is used as a weapon more than once, a prop valve in one chapter serves an entirely different function in another, and while serials frequently reused stock special effects shots, The Purple Monster Strikes doesn’t just use the same exploding car shot twice in the same serial, not just twice in the same chapter, but twice in the same car chase!

(Speaking of which, whenever they get in Linda Sterling’s car you know the odds are 50-50 it’s going off a cliff in a big flaming fireball.  The Purple Monster Strikes has her going through so many identical make automobiles you’d think she owned stock in a car dealership.)

Anybody familiar with Republic serials is going to find a lot of reused sets and props here.  Having seen Manhunt Of Mystery Island recently, I immediately recognized their ubiquitous warehouse set, the Republic Studios loading dock doubles as two different factory exteriors, and having lived in Chatsworth several years I can practically name each and every rock in the exterior scenes.**

On the plus side, bonus points for some impressive looking props, including a rocket test engine that provides the explosive cliffhanger for the first chapter, a double-barrel disintegrator that looks like a giant set of binoculars (I wonder if it was originally a military surplus training aid), and a spaceship seen under construction for most of the serial that proves to be the most striking design the redoubtable Lydecker brothers ever created (a pity it’s glimpsed only briefly before being blown up in the last chapter; Republic should have reused it for their later sci-fi serials instead of the dull unimaginative designs they went with).

Fun factoid: Mi amigo Donald F. Glut, filmmaker / NYTimes bestselling author / film historian, knew The Purple Monster hizzownsef, Roy Barcroft, and reports Barcroft had the wardrobe department sew a secret pocket in his costume for his cigarettes! 

Speaking of Barcroft, he’s the best thing in this serial and he ain’t that good.  A perennial bad guy in serials and B-Westerns, he normally turned in a satisfying performance, but the script for The Purple Monster Strikes gives him nothing to work with.

I mentioned previously how Federal Operator 99’s script works more often than not and gives its characters something the actors can work with, but The Purple Monster Strikes?  Nada.

Every line is a clunky flat declarative sentence exposition dump of the “I’ll take this strange medallion we discovered to Harvey the metallurgist to analyze” variety.

Even Linda Sterling can’t do anything with this though she tries to find an appropriate facial expression for whatever scene she’s thrown in.

As for nominal star Dennis Moore, I won’t say he’s wooden but in one of the innumerable fight scenes Barcroft hurls a coatrack at him and for that brief moment the coatrack delivers a far more memorable performance.

Sidebar on the fight scenes: They are choreographed expertly, among some of the best Republic ever staged, but directors Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred C. Brannon -- both serial veterans who could do much, much better -- really dropped the ball in shooting them.  They’re shot almost entirely in wide angle longshots using slightly sped up photography instead of intercutting to keep the pacing fast.

The rest of the cast consists mostly of stuntmen carefully enunciating their one line before the fists start flying, or older male actors who deliver surprisingly good performances compared to everyone else.

But that script -- oh, lordie, that script!  This was made in 1945 and they’ve got a damn organ grinder in it!  Organ grinders vanished from the public sphere with the damn of movies; by the 1940s they were found only in comic books and animated cartoons; in other words, kid stuff.***

It’s clear the writers on The Purple Monster Strikes (Royal Cole, Albert DeMond, Basil Dickey, Lynn Perkins, Joseph Poland, and Barney Sarecky) considered this mere juvenile pablum, not worthy of even the smattering of sophistication they sprinkled on Federal Operator 99.

An adult can watch Federal Operator 99 and at least feel the story makes some kind of sense and the characters, however imperfectly enacted, at least offer adult motives and behaviors, but The Purple Monster Strikes is just insulting to the intelligence (I mean, they call the female Martian invader Marsha.  Seriously?).

Okay, so why do I think this is worth writing about?

Because The Purple Monster Strikes is the bridge between WWII and the Cold War.

Most of the major tropes of 1950s sci-fi are reactions to Cold War anxieties, and those anxieties are transplanted WWII anxieties.

Before WWII, American moneyed interests waged a relentless PR campaign against communism, socialism, and labor unions (sound familiar?).

Forced to make peace with the Soviets during WWII, these moneyed interests -- now heavily invested in what Dwight D. Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex -- bit their lips as US pop culture portrayed the Russians as gallant allies against fascism (and they were; credit where credit is due).

As soon as the war ended, however, and in fact, even a little before the end (see The Best Years Of Our Lives; great movie), they were already recasting the Russians as treacherous authoritarian atheists out to conquer the world.

As noted earlier, American audiences felt weary of a relentless diet of war related entertainment and in the waning days of the war turned eagerly to non-war related stories. 

Likewise studios, not wanting to get caught with rapidly dating WWII related material nobody wanted to see began actively developing different kinds of stories.

After four years of intense anxiety, the country needed to come down but couldn’t go cold turkey.  Science fiction (and hardboiled mysteries and spy thrillers) provided safe decompression.

1945 marks a significant sea change in Republic serial production.  Sci-fi would become a more predominant theme, infiltrating other genres such as the ever popular masked mastermind (viz. The Crimson Ghost).

Federal Operator 99 would be the last highwater mark for more plausible serial stories, but crime and undercover espionage remained serial staples to the bitter end.

Only Manhunt Of Mystery Island seemed a misfire and even in that case it only meant the masked mastermind returned to more traditional origins instead of the inventive backstory created for Captain Mephisto.  

What The Purple Monster Strikes did was take a very familiar set of WWII cliches and stereotypes then recast them in a (relatively) safe science fictional context.

The closest prototype to The Purple Monster Strikes is Republic’s G-Men Vs. The Black Dragon, as racially offensive as you could hope to imagine, and turn the inscrutable “yellow” villains into malevolent purple ones (later green when colorization was added).

By making the literally other worldly alien the “other”, 1950s sci-fi sidestepped the worst implications of their own themes:  

Invasion 

Subversion 

Fifth columns 

Loss of soul / identity / individuality (personified in bodily possession by alien intellects)

Paranoia

The Purple Monster Strikes lacks the wit and wherewithal to fully exploit these ideas, but it sure could hold them up for everyone to get a quick glimpse.

As childish and as inane as the plot may be, by the end when hero and heroine realize there is literally no one they can trust, The Purple Monster Strikes dropped a depth charge into preteen psyches fated to go off six years later with the arrival of The Thing From Another World and countless other sci-fi films and TV episodes afterwards.

Did The Purple Monster Strikes create this trend?  No, of course not – but as Stephen King pointed out in Danse Macabre regarding the incredibly inane The Horror Of Party Beach’s selection of nuclear waste dumping as their raison d'être for their monsters:

“I’m sure it was one of the least important points in their preproduction discussions and for that reason it becomes very important.”

King’s point is by not giving the matter much thought, The Horror Of Party Beach’s producers simply tapped into a subconscious gestalt already running through the culture and said, “Yeah, nuclear waste, wuddup widdat?”

Likewise, The Purple Monster Strikes’ producers / directors / writers didn’t sit themselves down to analyze Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four but rather picked up on the forever war current already moving through the American body politic.

War without end, war without ceasing.

And if we can’t define an enemy by name or place, so much the better!  The war on crime, the war on poverty, the war on drugs…

The war on terror.

The forever war thrives on the faceless unknowable enemy with the unknown but clearly malevolent anti-American agenda.

“Them”…against…U.S.

As an artistic achievement, The Purple Monster Strikes is sadly lacking in nearly all aspects, but as a cultural artifact, it’s still a clear warning.

Only not about “them” but about…us.

  © Buzz Dixon 

  *  read “cheap”

** Republic’s low budget backed them into an overlapping series of sci-fi serials, loosely referred to as the Rocket Man / Martian invasion serials by fans.  The Purple Monster Strikes’ costume was reused for Flying Disc Man From Mars (which featured a semi-circular flying wing already featured in Spy Smasher and King Of The Mounties) and again for Zombies Of The Stratosphere, but between those two serials the wholly unrelated King Of The Rocket Men was released.  Zombies… is a sequel to both Flying Disc Man… and King Of The Rocket Men but Radar Men From The Moon introduces a new character -- Commando Cody -- who wears the same rocket pack as the heroes of King… and Zombies… but faces a lunar, not Martian menace then he spins off to become Commando Cody:  Sky Marshall Of The Universe in a quasi-serial (i.e., no cliff-hangers, each chapter a complete adventure) fighting a third alien invasion!

***  Or the works of Bertolt Brecht, but that ain’t what Republic’s going for here.

[gigslist]

46 Online Roles and Open Casting Calls - Work From Home - Paid

Company Video Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Brooklyn SolarWorks Francesca Ricotta, Digital Marketing Manager

1.5-2 minute audio recording. 450-word script. Looking for a welcoming, neighborly tone for a voiceover. We serve a Brooklyn audience, so hoping for someone with a little New York flair. This will be used for an internal video that will be shared with customers who have recently gone solar. The voiceover will outline what to expect during the solar process.

Voice Actor (Voiceover): All Genders, 30-58 voice actor for short informational voiceoverLanguages:

English

Accents:

Standard American

New York

Voice Styles:

Neighborly

Trustworthy

Cool

Friendly

Talent must have access to their own recording space and equipment and submit the final recording as WAV audio file. Ideal completion by Friday, September 10th.

Professional Pay: $70 - $200audio to be used as voiceover for an educational video

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention FRANCESCA RICOTTA - info@brooklynsolarworks.com

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

====================

Event Sizzle Reel, Bold Inspiring Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Flightless Bird Creative Stephen Kipp, casting dir.

Casting a sizzle reel for a business event. Production states: "The event is focused on the theme of being 'bold.' To match that energy, we're looking for a bold voiceover read for this video. Kanye West is a good reference for the energy-level and style of delivery."

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 21-35 WORK FROM HOME

Records Sept. 9 remotely.

Professional Pay: $100 - $150Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention: Stephen Kipp, casting dir. https://flightlessbird.tv/about-us/

Flightless Bird Creative

=============

Razor and Shave Care Product Promo

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

TubeScience

Hilal Narin, talent prod.

Casting outgoing Australian and British men and women willing to shave on camera, for demos and testimonials with a razor and shave care product. "The product is a popular razor and shave care products that are delivered right to your door. This is an on going project. We shoot a lot of these projects."

Roles

British or Australian Male Willing To Shave With Shirt Off Near Or In The Shower (Lead): Male, 18-54WORK FROM HOMEproduction states: "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; male talent will be shaving on camera; we will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your beard, your head, your chest, or just cleaning up your beard."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

British or Australian Female Willing To Shave In A Bathing Suit In A Bathroom Or Shower Setting (Lead): Female, 18-40WORK FROM HOME "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; female talent will be shaving on camera. We will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your legs, armpits, head, or toes; whatever you normally shave or feel comfortable shaving."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

Talent shoots remotely.

Professional Pay: $250/DailyPays $250 for day/all media buyout/non union.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

casting@tubescience.com

============

Open Call

ACTOR / TALENT

Please submit via this link 

https://airtable.com/shrwe67h1SstvX8mV

if you would like to be cast in a commercial.

For any other questions about casting, you may email us at casting@tubescience.com

==================

DTC T-Shirt Brand Casting for series of UGC videos - Remote Production

Open Call

Common Thread Co. Ari Hayes, Lead Creative Producer

Casting a series of UGC videos for a high-growth T-Shirt brand in the DTC ecosystem. Looking for “everyday guys” - who are on the taller side (6’2”+). Ideal talent is someone who fits in both a regular and a tall tee.

 Preferably someone who "skinny-fit" who can express high energy and raw / honest testimonials about their experience with the products. Historically, UGC content from the client has performed best outdoors in good looking environments because the shirts feel grounded in reality and not just a studio or upscale apartment setting. So, if possible - please try to shoot outdoors in an appealing setting with good light that brings out the value propositions of the shirts and doesn’t hide or distort them with harsh light or shadows. iPhone 8 or Newer will be required for this shoot (for camera / audio purposes). Ring Light or Personal Lighting is required for this shoot. This will be a remote production to be shot at talents home or nearby exterior area (park, backyard, etc.) Looking to shoot ASAP based on talent availability!

Male Talent (Day Player): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME"Everyday Guy" Average guy who is "skinny-fit" or as close to that description as can.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/PhotoApply

Remote Production - Shoots Nationwide Must submit before 9/17

Professional Pay: $200/DailyPays $200 / day minus any pickups due to technical or human error. Paperwork will be completed through Wrapbook.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihayes

https://www.linkedin.com/company/common-thread-collective

https://commonthreadco.com/

==========================

'Talking It Out,' Virtual Arts Festival

THEATER: PLAYS

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Piccione Arts A. Piccione, coord.

Casting roles in the Nov. 20 performance of "Talking It Out," a virtual play festival in support of mental health awareness.

Roles

Jane (Lead): Female, 25-45from the short play "Something Stupid." Young woman in her 30s being treated for cervical cancer.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Brie (Lead): Female, 25-45 from the short play "Something Stupid." Jane's close friend.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Thomas Brown (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." An Iraq-war veteran in his 30s, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Dr. Gozlin (Lead): Female, 30-50WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." A Veterans’ Hospital doctor, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from her own time in the military.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Matt (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Proud of his wrestling achievements.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Piper (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Loves to be comforted every moment.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Geraldo (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Killer (Lead): Male, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Police Officer (Lead): All Genders, 25-70WORK FROM HOME

Hope (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Dr. Morgan (Lead): Female, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Dad (Lead): Male, 30-60WORK FROM HOME

Protestor(s) (Lead): All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOME

Mister (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME

Jude (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Ruthie (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Vera (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Ellis D. (Lead): Female, Trans Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Rehearsal dates subject to actor and director availability. Tech rehearsals from Nov. 15-19 (each day from 6 p.m. EST onward0. Performance Nov. 20 (7 p.m. EST).

StipendStipend TBD. Production states: "Half of all donations go toward the National Alliance on Mental Illness, while the other half will be distributed evenly among the participating artists."

Seeking talent: Worldwide

piccionearts@gmail.com

https://anthonyjpiccione.com/

======================

Hiring Actors to Play Customers in Chicago

Open Call

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

The Center for Civil Rights/NCRC

Jake Lilien, Compliance Program Manager

Seeking actors to go "undercover" to determine whether businesses in the Chicago metro area are observing civil rights laws, as part of a civil rights enforcement program. This work will all be remote, and can be done from home. Company states: "To give an example of our work, we'll hire a white actor to contact a bank about a loan, then hire an actor of color to contact the same bank about the same type of loan, to see if the bank treats them the same way. We file complaints against businesses that show patterns of discrimination." "Assignments typically require about an hour of work, and participants will be paid $45 for each completed assignment. Hours are very flexible, but the work must be done during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) "This is a great opportunity for actors looking for some extra income, and participants will have a direct impact on increasing fair and equal access to housing throughout the nation."

Roles

Civil Rights Tester: All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOMEActors of all races and genders needed to serve as civil rights "testers." Actors must be 18 or older to participate. Company states: "Because of grant restrictions, we are unable to work with anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony, or any crime of dishonesty (such as perjury, fraud, or writing bad checks). We are also unable to work with anyone who has worked for a bank or a real estate agency within the past 12 months."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesApply

Mandatory training session on Sept. 13 (6:00 PM -9:00 PM CST) via Zoom.

Stipend: $45Pays $75 for completing the three-hour training session, then $45 per assignment. Each assignment requires about an hour of work.

jlilien@ncrc.org

https://ncrc.org/

===================

Home Depot Design Center VO

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Trade School Ben Tischler, sr. prod.

Casting voiceover for video showcasing the Home Depot Design Center.

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 25-40WORK FROM HOMEFemale voice, clear, conversational, refined, positive/energized tone and attitude.Apply

Recording date TBD in the Old Fourth Ward area.

Professional Pay: $1,000One year - Broadcast, BTS, Social , Internet, New Media, OTT, Industrial, Historical for PR purposes

Seeking talent from: Atlanta, GA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-tischler-0319829

============================

'By Mouth' Podplay

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

By Mouth -Martin Garrison, prod.-dramatist

Casting podplay "By Mouth," a podplay based on a classic novel. Production states: "Before auditioning, please listen to selections of our first two podplays at: bymouth.org/podplays."

Roles

Kira (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME20, British RP light, feminine with rare indomitable will more often found in a man. Doesn’t care what others think—tunnel-visioned—in her own world--certain about what she wants. Kind but not nice or phony. Sister to Lydia and daughter to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Andrei (Voiceover): Male, 25-40WORK FROM HOME 20’s, British or Scottish/Irish lower-class light, controlled intensity, highly intelligent, masculine. In love with Kira. Accents: Scottish

Uncle Vasili (Voiceover): Male, 45-60WORK FROM HOMEcountry British sialect, 45-60, from where folks in 1800’s hunted, fished and trapped animals. Self-made furrier to former czar. Salt of the earth type. No artifice. Up from bootstrap’s authority/confidence. Revolution has made him bitter but is naturally optimistic and still vital when excited. Father to Victor and Irina and husband to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Timo (Voiceover): Male, 45-60Scottish or Country British. Gruff, booming-voiced Scottish or Irish sea dog—a Blutto with a heart of gold. Accents: Scottish

Karp (Voiceover): Male, 45-6040-50’s, heavy British cockney, short, fat, ugly, pushed up pig nose, obsequious, ingratiating. Accents: English - Cockney

Kira's Mother (Voiceover): Female, 45-60WORK FROM HOME Accents:British

Required Media: Voice Reel

Irina (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Victor (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sonia (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Marisha (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Lydia (Voiceover): Female, 25-35WORK FROM HOME

Kira's Aunt (Voiceover): Female, 40-55WORK FROM HOME

Tonia (Voiceover): All Genders, 35-55WORK FROM HOME

Vava (Voiceover): Female, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sasha (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Talent records voice-over remotely at home studio.

Stipend: $125 - $1,000Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Additional Materials

Website:http://www.bymouth.org/podplays

CHARACTER LIST_By Mouth podplay.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/69a0e328-26c3-43ed-9b52-0a7b38161c7d.pdf

KIRA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f4026011-df2b-4d5f-9aeb-102c58f06daf.pdf

ANDREI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6dfbb1f4-534b-4839-b3ac-6b2072f2b5b2.pdf

UNCLE VASILI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9dd1f37b-8e09-4220-bc05-1417f50d77ea.pdf

TIMO_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/79f43f5a-782f-4334-b765-f3cc478aa5fc.pdf

KARP_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/518a744a-5066-43c5-9f7c-f30188fcd81e.pdf

KIRA’S MOTHER_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f77be1a1-5afb-4497-81a3-df38fbf2b65b.pdf

IRINA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f0cbae30-426c-4493-abc2-82ab26df1e73.pdf

VICTOR_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6b50c51f-a069-4603-8c05-27d281150a10.pdf

SONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/05d21440-6fa4-40e3-ab19-3094b6102837.pdf

MARISHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/fb422d34-a9dd-4bce-97ec-92232d802f74.pdf

LYDIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/1ffa4b29-c822-4bc6-a974-8506f452f126.pdf

KIRA’S AUNT_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/4a493ce0-d001-432a-9234-4b3c8cbde213.pdf

TONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/c08abaa1-0956-456e-905b-6ccaf98652bc.pdf

VAVA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9b8b5927-0ab3-4e25-9204-70f9aa00c892.pdf

SASHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/d29ddfe8-ce97-4710-9387-b48d163d1096.pdf

https://bymouth.org/contact

=================

Covet Fashion, Models

MediaNug.com Matt, producer

Casting seven females to model fashion outfits to create digital ads. The company is not a clothing brand, but a fashion app called Covet Fashion. Models will select three-five outfits from your wardrobe to showcase.

REMOTE UGC - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING (Lead): Female, 18-30Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

ON LOCATION (LOS ANGELES) - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING: Female, 18-30

Ethnicity: All Ethnicities

Required Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

Some roles are remote UGC, others will be on location in Los Angeles., CA.

Professional Pay: $400 - $500/DailyRate: $400-$500 (depending on role)

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.medianug.com/contact

==========

[subspace]

ARMY OF THE DEAD

After becoming largely burned out on the sub-genre, Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” helped revitalize my enjoyment of zombie-related entertainment. 

I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising that Zack Snyder delivered a cracking zombie movie. After all, his first (and some might argue still best) feature film was the superb remake of George Romero’s genre-defining classic, “Dawn of the Dead.” “Army of the Dead” (which is not related at all to Romero’s original or its sequels) takes what had become a shambling corpse of an idea and infuses it with a sense of fun that, to me at least, had long since been missing from the zombie movie sub-genre. 

Snyder, who birthed the story idea and co-wrote the script alongside Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, accomplishes this by playing every inch of this incredibly goofy concept with a level of conviction that most straight dramas aim for. The result is a film that is often flagrantly absurd on its surface, but is so assured in its stone-faced seriousness you can’t help but go along for the ride. 

It also helps that the core concept feels fresh, or at least significantly underused within zombie movies. A zombie infection has nearly consumed a walled-off Las Vegas. In a few days, the President of the United States is set to launch a tactical nuke to (hopefully) eradicate the sea of undead trapped inside the makeshift quarantine zone. A looming nuclear strike, of course, makes for a perfect opportunity for a team of mercenaries to sneak inside, crack open a casino vault and bring back hundreds of millions of dollars for a mysterious businessman who promises them a cut of the payload. 

Oh and they have to do it while maneuvering through a literal kingdom of super-powered, smart (they communicate!), feral zombies who are ruled by a government-experiment-gone-awry “alpha male” who can at-will turn any living thing into one of his super-powered subjects. 

As one would expect, very little goes exactly according to plan and our intrepid team of mercs soon find themselves getting more than even they knowingly bargained for. 

It’s a fun premise, though I must admit that for a heist movie it focuses very little on the actual heisting, which is often the best part of these types of films. And for a movie that runs well north of two hours (it could stand to be at least 15 minutes shorter) there’s a surprising overall lack of action in the first two-thirds. Which isn’t to say it’s bereft of action, just less than one might expect for a zombie flick, much less a Zack Snyder zombie flick. 

No, what really makes this work is the characters, which might be the first time I’ve ever said that about this director’s work. He’s a superb visual stylist and skilled purveyor of often thrilling bombast, but “character artist” isn’t even among his top five skills. Still, I found myself genuinely rooting for this motley crew, even the ones I expected to get on my nerves with how broadly cartoonish they seemed at first. Everyone gets at least one big moment to shine, whether it’s Tig Notaro’s Peters piloting a chopper like an absolute champ, Raul Castillo’s Guzman going on an absolute rampage on the casino floor or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Dieter getting his Götterdämmerung moment, every character is memorable in their own way. 

And it’s in these character moments that I became thankful, for once, that Snyder plays everything so seriously. Even as a staunch defender of his “Man of Steel,” it’s not hard to see why some feel that the resolutely po-faced approach to Superman borders on feeling downright dour. Ditto for his version of “Justice League.” The circumstances and multitude of characters presented in “Army of the Dead” are no less ridiculous than any of his comic book movies, but here Snyder seems to have finally found the perfect note to strike when taking inherently silly elements and playing them completely straight. 

Holding it all together is Dave Bautista in the lead as Scott Ward, a former special ops soldier who was forced to kill his zombified wife and is now merely trying to survive flipping burgers at a rundown greasy spoon diner. Performers like John Cena or Dwayne Johnson may be more immediately charming actors, but Bautista has shown that he’s got the better acting chops of any recent wrestler-turned-actor. His work in “Army of the Dead” is no exception. His particular brand of quiet charisma lends a gravitas to Ward that provides a nice window into a character that might otherwise feel a bit rote on the page. It’s a nice contrast to the outrageousness that otherwise fills so much of the screen. 

If there’s significant criticism to be leveled here it’s that this in no way needed to be a two-and-a-half hour movie. While the movie never particularly drags, this could be an absolute firecracker of a two hour romp if it were tightened in more than a few places. And while Snyder remains a superb visual stylist, his choice to perpetually frame every extreme close-up with the background completely out of focus. This would be fine if it were used for emphasis on occasion or for significant character moments. But he uses it near-constantly to the detriment of the film’s aesthetic. 

Those complaints aside, “Army of the Dead” may well be Snyder’s best movie. I realize that may not be high praise depending on how you feel about his body of work (I’ll personally defend about 50 percent of it), but this certainly feels like Peak Snyder for better or worse. 

*”Army of the Dead” is now playing in theaters and debuts on Netflix on Friday, May 21. 

[stewblog]

ARMY OF THE DEAD

After becoming largely burned out on the sub-genre, Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” helped revitalize my enjoyment of zombie-related entertainment.

I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising that Zack Snyder delivered a cracking zombie movie. After all, his first (and some might argue still best) feature film was the superb remake of George Romero’s genre-defining classic, “Dawn of the Dead.” “Army of the Dead” (which is not related at all to Romero’s original or its sequels) takes what had become a shambling corpse of an idea and infuses it with a sense of fun that, to me at least, had long since been missing from the zombie movie sub-genre.

Snyder, who birthed the story idea and co-wrote the script alongside Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, accomplishes this by playing every inch of this incredibly goofy concept with a level of conviction that most straight dramas aim for. The result is a film that is often flagrantly absurd on its surface, but is so assured in its stone-faced seriousness you can’t help but go along for the ride.

It also helps that the core concept feels fresh, or at least significantly underused within zombie movies. A zombie infection has nearly consumed a walled-off Las Vegas. In a few days, the President of the United States is set to launch a tactical nuke to (hopefully) eradicate the sea of undead trapped inside the makeshift quarantine zone. A looming nuclear strike, of course, makes for a perfect opportunity for a team of mercenaries to sneak inside, crack open a casino vault and bring back hundreds of millions of dollars for a mysterious businessman who promises them a cut of the payload.

Oh and they have to do it while maneuvering through a literal kingdom of super-powered, smart (they communicate!), feral zombies who are ruled by a government-experiment-gone-awry “alpha male” who can at-will turn any living thing into one of his super-powered subjects.

As one would expect, very little goes exactly according to plan and our intrepid team of mercs soon find themselves getting more than even they knowingly bargained for.

It’s a fun premise, though I must admit that for a heist movie it focuses very little on the actual heisting, which is often the best part of these types of films. And for a movie that runs well north of two hours (it could stand to be at least 15 minutes shorter) there’s a surprising overall lack of action in the first two-thirds. Which isn’t to say it’s bereft of action, just less than one might expect for a zombie flick, much less a Zack Snyder zombie flick.

No, what really makes this work is the characters, which might be the first time I’ve ever said that about this director’s work. He’s a superb visual stylist and skilled purveyor of often thrilling bombast, but “character artist” isn’t even among his top five skills. Still, I found myself genuinely rooting for this motley crew, even the ones I expected to get on my nerves with how broadly cartoonish they seemed at first. Everyone gets at least one big moment to shine, whether it’s Tig Notaro’s Peters piloting a chopper like an absolute champ, Raul Castillo’s Guzman going on an absolute rampage on the casino floor or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Dieter getting his Götterdämmerung moment, every character is memorable in their own way.

And it’s in these character moments that I became thankful, for once, that Snyder plays everything so seriously. Even as a staunch defender of his “Man of Steel,” it’s not hard to see why some feel that the resolutely po-faced approach to Superman borders on feeling downright dour. Ditto for his version of “Justice League.” The circumstances and multitude of characters presented in “Army of the Dead” are no less ridiculous than any of his comic book movies, but here Snyder seems to have finally found the perfect note to strike when taking inherently silly elements and playing them completely straight.

Holding it all together is Dave Bautista in the lead as Scott Ward, a former special ops soldier who was forced to kill his zombified wife and is now merely trying to survive flipping burgers at a rundown greasy spoon diner. Performers like John Cena or Dwayne Johnson may be more immediately charming actors, but Bautista has shown that he’s got the better acting chops of any recent wrestler-turned-actor. His work in “Army of the Dead” is no exception. His particular brand of quiet charisma lends a gravitas to Ward that provides a nice window into a character that might otherwise feel a bit rote on the page. It’s a nice contrast to the outrageousness that otherwise fills so much of the screen.

If there’s significant criticism to be leveled here it’s that this in no way needed to be a two-and-a-half hour movie. While the movie never particularly drags, this could be an absolute firecracker of a two hour romp if it were tightened in more than a few places. And while Snyder remains a superb visual stylist, his choice to perpetually frame every extreme close-up with the background completely out of focus. This would be fine if it were used for emphasis on occasion or for significant character moments. But he uses it near-constantly to the detriment of the film’s aesthetic.

Those complaints aside, “Army of the Dead” may well be Snyder’s best movie. I realize that may not be high praise depending on how you feel about his body of work (I’ll personally defend about 50 percent of it), but this certainly feels like Peak Snyder for better or worse.

*”Army of the Dead” is now playing in theaters and debuts on Netflix on Friday, May 21.

[timeless-hollywood-classics]

Richard Cromwell (born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh, also known as Roy Radabaugh; January 8, 1910 – October 11, 1960) was an American actor. His career was at its pinnacle with his work in Jezebel (1938) with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda and again with Fonda in John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Cromwell's fame was perhaps first assured in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), sharing top billing with Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone.

That film was the first major effort directed by Henry Hathaway and it was based upon the popular novel by Francis Yeats-Brown. The Lives of a Bengal Lancer earned Paramount Studios a nomination for Best Picture in 1935, though Mutiny on the Bounty instead took the top award at the Academy Awards that year.

Leslie Halliwell in The Filmgoer's Companion, summed up Cromwell's enduring appeal when he described him as "a leading man, [the] gentle hero of early sound films."

Cromwell was born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh in Long Beach, California, the second of five children, to his mother Fay B. (Stocking) and his father, Ralph R. Radabaugh, who was an inventor. Among Ralph's patented creations was the amusement-park swing ride called the "Monoflyer", a variation of which is still in use at many carnivals today. In 1918, when young "Roy" was still in grade school, his father died suddenly, one of the millions of people who perished during the "Spanish flu" pandemic.

Later, while enrolled as a teenager in the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles on a scholarship, young Roy helped to support his family with odd jobs. The school was the precursor of the California Institute of the Arts, and it was there where he met fellow classmate Edith Posener. Posener, later known as Edith Head, would become one of the leading costume designers in American film history.

Cromwell ran a shop in Hollywood where he sold pictures, made lampshades, and designed colour schemes for houses. As Cromwell developed his talents for lifelike mask-making and oil painting, he formed friendships in the late 1920s with various film starlets who posed for him and collected his works, including Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Claire Dubrey and Ann Sothern. Actress and future Academy Award-winner Marie Dressler was also a friend; the two would later share top-billing in the early talkie film Emma.

Still known as "Roy Radabaugh", he had just two days in film extra work on the side, and can be seen in King of Jazz (1930), along with the film's star, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. On a whim, friends encouraged Roy to audition in 1930 for the remake of the Richard Barthelmess silent: Tol'able David (1930). Radabaugh won the role over thousands of hopefuls, and in storybook fashion, Harry Cohn gave him his screen name and launched his career. Cromwell earned $75 per week for his work on Tol'able David. Noah Beery Sr. and John Carradine co-starred in the film. Later, Cohn signed Cromwell to a multi-year contract based on the strength of his performance and success in his first venture at the box-office. Amidst the flurry of publicity during this period, Cromwell toured the country, even meeting President Herbert Hoover in Washington, D.C.

Cromwell by then had maintained a deep friendship with Marie Dressler, which continued until her death from cancer in 1934. Dressler was nominated for a second Best Actress award for her 1932 portrayal of the title role in Emma.

With that film, Dressler demonstrated her profound generosity to other performers: Dressler personally insisted that her studio bosses cast Cromwell on a loan-out in the lead opposite her — it was another break that helped sustain his rising status in Hollywood. Emma also starred Myrna Loy in one of her earlier screen performances. After production on Emma was completed, Director Clarence Brown tested Cromwell for the male lead in his next feature: The Son-Daughter, which was set to star Helen Hayes. However, the part of the oriental prince ultimately went to Ramón Novarro, and Cromwell never again worked at MGM.

Cromwell's next role in 1932 was on loan to RKO and was as Mike in Gregory La Cava's, The Age of Consent, co-starring Eric Linden and Dorothy Wilson. Cromwell is also remembered during this period in Hoop-La (1933), where he is seduced by Clara Bow. This film is considered the swan song of Bow's career. Next, the much in demand Cromwell starred in Tom Brown of Culver that year, as well.

Around this period in his career in the early to mid-30s, Cromwell also did some print ads and promotional work for Lucky Strike brand cigarettes. According to his niece, Joan Radabaugh, Cromwell was a very heavy smoker. Nevertheless, at his home he was always the gracious host, as his niece related, and as such he took great care to empty the ashtrays regularly, almost to the point of obsession.

Next up, was an early standout performance by Cromwell in the role as the leader of the youth gang in Cecil B. DeMille's now cult-favorite, This Day and Age (1933). To ensure that Cromwell's character used current slang, DeMille asked high school student Horace Hahn to read the script and comment (at the time, Hahn was senior class president at Los Angeles High School). While again on loan from Columbia, Cromwell's by then salary of $200 per week was paid by Paramount Pictures, DeMille's studio. Diana Serra Cary, in her biography of Jackie Coogan, relates an episode on the set wherein Cromwell came to the aid of actress Judith Allen:

I watched as he (DeMille) systematically reduced ingenue ... Allen to screaming hysterics by calling her every insulting name in the book in front of company and crew simply to bring on tears ... Cromwell was the only man on the set who dared confront the tyrannical DeMille. White with rage, Cromwell stopped the scene and threatened to deck him if he didn't let up on the devastated girl. He (Cromwell) then drove her home himself. After that courageous act the chivalric Cromwell was unanimously praised as a veritable dragon slayer by everyone who had witnessed that scene.

After a promising start, Cromwell's many early pictures at Columbia Pictures and elsewhere were mostly inconsequential and are largely forgotten today. Cromwell starred with Will Rogers in Life Begins at 40 for Fox Film Corporation in 1935, it was one of Rogers' last roles and Poppy for Paramount in 1936 wherein Cromwell played the suitor of W.C. Fields' daughter, Rochelle Hudson. In 1937, he was the young bank-robber in love with Helen Mack and on the lam from Lionel Atwill in The Wrong Road for RKO.

In 1936, Cromwell took a detour in his career to Broadway for the chance to star as an evil cadet in an original play by Joseph Viertel, So Proudly We Hail!. The military drama was directed by future film director Charles Walters, co-starred Edward Andrews and Eddie Bracken, and opened to much fanfare. The reviews of the play at the time called Cromwell's acting "a striking portrayal" (New York Herald Tribune) and his performance an "astonishing characterization" (New York World Telegram). The New York Times said that in the play, Cromwell "ran the gamut of emotions". However, the play closed after only 14 performances at the 46th Street Theater.

By now, Cromwell had shed his restrictive Columbia contract, with its handsome $500 per week salary, and pursued acting work as a freelancer in other media as well. On July 15, 1937, Cromwell guest-starred on The Royal Gelatin Hour hosted by Rudy Vallee, in a dramatic skit opposite Fay Wray. Enjoying the experience, Cromwell had his agent secure for him an audition for the role of Kit Marshall, on the soap opera Those We Love, first on NBC Radio and then CBS Radio. As a regular on the Monday night program which ran from 1938 until 1942, Cromwell played opposite Nan Grey who played Kit's twin sister Kathy. Cromwell as Kit was later replaced by Bill Henry. Rounding out the cast were Robert Cummings and Gale Gordon.

In the late 1930s, Cromwell appeared in Storm Over Bengal, for Republic Pictures, in order to capitalize on the success of The Lives of a Bengal Lancer. Aside from the aforementioned standout roles in Jezebel and The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Cromwell did another notable turn as defendant Matt Clay to Henry Fonda's title-performance in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939).

During this period, Cromwell was continuing to enjoy the various invitations coming his way as a member of the A-list Hollywood social circuit. According to Bob Thomas, in his biography of Joan Crawford, Cromwell was a regular at the Saturday Night dinner parties of his former co-star Franchot Tone and then-wife Crawford. Other guests whom Cromwell dined with there included Barbara Stanwyck and then-husband Frank Fay, and William Haines and his partner Jimmie Shields. During the freewheeling heyday of West L.A. nightlife in the late 30s, Cromwell is said by author Charles Higham to have carried on a sometime, though obviously very discreet, affair with aviator and businessman Howard Hughes.

In 1939, Cromwell again tried his luck on the stage in a regional production of Sutton Vane's play Outward Bound featuring Dorothy Jordan as his co-star. The cast of the production at the Los Angeles Biltmore Theater also included Cora Witherspoon and Reginald Denny

Cromwell served during the last two years of World War II with the United States Coast Guard, along with fellow actor and enlistee Cesar Romero. Actor Gig Young was also a member of this branch of the service during the war. During this period, Cole Porter rented Cromwell's home in the Hollywood Hills, where Porter worked at length on Panama Hattie. Director James Whale was a personal friend, for whom Cromwell had starred in The Road Back (1937), the ill-fated sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front. With the war's end, and upon returning to California from the Pacific after nearly three years of service with the Coast Guard, Cromwell acted in local theater productions. He also signed on for live performances in summer stock in the East during this period.

When in town, Cromwell was a fixture within the Hollywood social scene. According to the book Cut! Hollywood Murders, Accidents and Other Tragedies, Cromwell was a regular at George Cukor's "boys nights".

Back in California for good, Cromwell was married once, briefly (1945–1946), to actress Angela Lansbury, when she was 19 and Cromwell was 35. Cromwell and Lansbury eloped and were married in a small civil ceremony on September 27, 1945, in Independence, California. In her authorized biography, Balancing Act, Lansbury recounts her life with Cromwell, as well as the couple's close friendship with Zachary Scott and his first wife, Elaine. Lansbury and Cromwell have stars within walking distance of each other on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cromwell made just one statement to the press regarding his wife of nine months and one of her habits: "All over the house, tea bags. In the middle of the night she'd get up and start drinking tea. It nearly drove me crazy."

According to the biography: Angela Lansbury, A Life on Stage and Screen, Lansbury stated in a 1966 interview that her first marriage, "was a mistake" and that she learned from it. She stated, "I wouldn't have not done it", and, "I was too young at 19. [The marriage] shouldn't have happened." Articles based on interviews with Lansbury have stated that Cromwell was gay. Cromwell and Lansbury remained friends until his death in 1960.

Before World War II, in the early 1940s, Universal Pictures released Enemy Agent starring Cromwell as a draftsman who thwarts the Nazis. In 1942 he then went on to appear in marginal but still watchable fare such as Baby Face Morgan, which co-starred Mary Carlisle and was produced by Producers Releasing Corporation, one of the "Poverty Row" studios.

Cromwell enjoyed a career boost, if not a critically acclaimed performance, in the film adaptation of the hit radio serial: Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher (1943), opposite Gale Storm. Next up at Monogram Pictures he was cast as a doctor working covertly for the police department to catch the mobsters in the very forgettable, though endearing Riot Squad, wherein his "fiancée", Rita Quigley, breaks their engagement. Cromwell's break from films due to his stint in the Service meant that he was not much in demand after the War's end, and he retired from films after his comeback fizzled. His last role was in a noir flick of 1948, Bungalow 13. All told, Cromwell's film career spanned 39 films.

In the 1950s, Cromwell went back to artistic roots and studied ceramics. He built a pottery studio at his home. The home still stands today and is located in the hills above Sunset Boulevard on North Miller Drive. There, he successfully designed coveted decorative tiles for himself and for his industry friends, which, according to his niece, Joan Radabaugh, he marketed under his stage name.

Around this time, Baby Peggy Montgomery (a.k.a. Diana Serra Cary), who had appeared in This Day and Age with Cromwell many years earlier, recalled visiting Cromwell at his home along with her late husband during this period to see his "beautiful ceramic screen which had won him a prize at the L.A. County Fair." His original tiles as well as his large decorative art deco-style wall paintings of Adam and Eve can still be seen today in the mezzanine off the balcony of the restored Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, which is today considered a noted architectural landmark.

Under the name Radabaugh, Cromwell wrote extensively, producing several published stories and an unfinished novel in the 1950s. After years of heavy drinking with a social circle of friends that included the likes of Christopher Isherwood, Cromwell ultimately changed his ways and became an early participant and supporter of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Los Angeles Area.

In July 1960, Cromwell signed with producer Maury Dexter for 20th Century Fox's planned production of The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, co-starring Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Dix (son of Richard Dix), and Neil Hamilton who replaced Cromwell in the film. Cromwell became ill and died on October 11, 1960 in Hollywood of liver cancer, at the age of 50. He is interred at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California.

Cromwell's legacy is preserved today by his nephew Dan Putnam, and his cousin Bill Keane IV, both of the Conejo Valley in Southern California, as well as the family of his late niece, Joan Radabaugh, of the Central Coast. In 2005, Keane donated materials relating to Cromwell's radio performances to the Thousand Oaks Library's Special Collection, "The American Radio Archive". In 2007, Keane donated memorabilia relating to Cromwell's film career and ceramics work to the AMPAS Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills.

Cromwell was mentioned in Gore Vidal's satirical novel Myra Breckinridge (1968) as "the late Richard Cromwell, so satisfyingly tortured in Lives of a Bengal Lancer".

[beliamh-its-me]

Performance overview & Research

The overarching theme of My Country is inspired by the question, ‘How united is the United Kingdom?’. The idea behind the theme derived from the contrasting verbatim scripted opinions surrounding Brexit. Through acknowledging the vast amount of opinions and stories, we compared each region to the referendum results. Not only did this support our theme, it helped to structure the fictional manifestations of regional characters. For example, Caledonia’s persona has been based off the Scottish remain vote totalling 62.0% (BBC, 2016). So, in order to amplify this, Caledonia is extremely defensive and angry in a way to foreshadow the verbatim lines. Brexit links to the exploitation of corruption within the UK’s patriotism, something amplified in the script. A poignant line, to support the theme comes from Theresa May, ‘...a vision that works not for the privileged few’. The message shows the government promoting the UK as a satisfied minority, proposing changes are needed. This idea finishes the play, leaving the audience questioning the current political climate. We aspire to start a conversation, about politics and its importance. May, quickly became the Conservative party leader. Offering an idea that Brexit was a distant idea, until it was not, accompanied with unsettling optimism. Another issue that arises is the name ‘Brexit’. Broken-down it means ‘Britain’ and ‘Exit’. This means Northern Ireland is excluded from the branding, linking to a long history of division within the UK, and is played on in the script. The major element, being the lack of spoken lines from NI through verbatim, to create the sense of lesser respect for NI’s opinions. The theme of delight breaks tension in the performance. During the fictional scenes, there is shared food, facts and laughter! This is important in remaining partial, but mostly to celebrate the UK for individuality. The constant return of the characters throughout the verbatim sections, create a sense of familiarity. The creative vision is synonymous with the medium, Zoom. The Guardian (2019) reported that Farage’s party accounted for 51% of all shared content on Facebook and Twitter during the campaign. Meaning that Brexit was a social media operation. We used this to incorporate the fictional characters. This is shown through using Facebook inspired videos that indicate joining a ‘Pub Chat’ group call. This implies the characters oversee the verbatim characters, and join the audience in watching the performance. Further, creating a sense of realism as the audience form a relationship with the fictional characters. Both parties are learning about the Brexit repercussions, however the voices of the nation’s get drunk instead resolving the issues within the discussion. This imitates life, as Brexit was unclear.

The creative vision started with explicit use of the Facebook page however, due to complications of practicality, we decided to use the page as an implied structure, through ‘Pub chat’ videos. This was determined after wanting to use a link to the page, to display images alongside monologues. The page distracted the words being spoken, so we refrained. Click here for rehearsal footage

In two ways we have portrayed to the audience the right atmosphere. First, creating a sense of urgency through breaking up scenes with movement and digital influence. This mirrors the masses of campaigning prevalent at the time, and allows information to form in an unbiased way. The second aspect is placing the audience vote before the ‘vote’ scene. This immerses the audience and clarifies a timeline of the performance.

We discussed other avenues to separate the fictional characters from verbatim. Through development of the first scene, we determined that costume would support our intentions. All fictional scenes have Union Jack hats and tops. This is so we can physically change our aesthetic to make transitions easier for the audience. Click here for rehearsal footage.

Research:

My Country- a work in progress, is a verbatim play created by Carol Ann Duffy and Rufus Norris (2017). Duffy is an award-winning writer for her work writing raw and expressive poetry and plays. Duffy’s work includes Take My Husband (1982) and Standing Female Nude (1985). Rufus Norris has acted, written and directed numerous plays/operas such as, Market Boy (2006), Cabaret(2007) (BBC, 2013). Together these playwrights have been able to create an enticing piece surrounding the Brexit debate, with views from numerous angles of the leave/remain spectrum. Verbatim interviews promise direct access to actual lived experiences and make them authentic (Fisher, 2011). To convey Brexit and the volume of controversy surrounding it, verbatim is one of the best ways to express the UK’s concerns fairly. The final vote was 51.9% Leave, 48.1% remain (BBC, 2016). This shows that it is almost impossible to depict the UK’s opinions without using both sides, especially when looking at regions such as Northern Ireland and Scotland who have a troubled history with England. Summerskill (2021) see’s verbatim as ‘Documenting aspects of historical material which tend to be missing from other sources relating to lived experience (p. 24). With the combination of media, technology can thicken participant’s experience, through building different versions of reality, or spaces (Burnett, 2019). This supports our intentions to blend education with theatrics. It also justifies our ideas to improve audience connection. Our audience, typically, were under the voting age during the referendum. This means that, although the effects of Brexit will deeply govern their lives, they had no say in the matter. With the use of verbatim we can transfer the thoughts, feelings and facts from the UK to give the audience an education. Although Brexit has happened, the British Youth Council (2020) are still fighting for young people to be ‘stakeholders in [their] future’. Through reminding them of the past we could motivate them to work on their future in this country. The challenges of creating a political performance entail removing any bias, to allow a genuine response from audience members. If it is done correctly, the abstract creation of political theatre can initiate enquiry and evaluation instead of negative confrontation (Kritzer, 2008).

When looking at companies to influence ideas throughout the creative process, I wanted to draw on two avenues:

The first, being movement to enhance the digital platform. As the creator of the ‘Feast’ and ‘Europe’ sequences, I wanted to make sure that we were utilising the ability to make smaller gestures, whilst still adding abstract and full-bodied movement. I drew inspiration from DV8, a physical theatre company. DV8’s published work of Can We Talk About This?, depict a woman talking in verbatim whilst holding a tea cup. The movement around her is abstract and exciting. The idea to have a focus whilst also conveying deeper dramaturgical control is powerful and I wanted it to be seen within the above-mentioned scenes.

The second, the incorporation of portraying political information. I have drawn on a slightly abstract perspective for this influence. This American Life (2020) by Ross Gay explores delight, which is one of our themes, in this there is a podcast of a boy getting the bus for the first time. Although he is surrounded by the excitement of childhood, he still speaks of death and anxiety. This is something echoed in our piece, a lot of the audience members have been treated like children in the eye of Brexit, but are being given the platform to learn it as they maybe should have at the time. We use our polls to give the audience the chance to express this.

The link below will take you to a specific research document for this performance, containing sources for performance material and references.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5ibI5xWIoWm3bK9W6aAgplQtarR-Hq5gq8m9uGf1u4/edit

The link below will take you to the social media page:

https://www.facebook.com/RuleBritannia1922

Bibliography

Afflick, R.  (2020). ‘British Youth Council urge Government to consult young people on Brexit’. British Youth Council, 31 January. Available at: https://www.byc.org.uk/news/2020/british-youth-council-urge-government-to-consult-young-people-on-brexit (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

‌BBC (2015). ‘EU Referendum Results’. BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results (Accessed: 2 March 2021).

Burnett, C. et al. (2019) ‘Conceptualising Digital Technology Integration in Participatory Theatre from a Sociomaterialist Perspective: Ways Forward for Research’, Research Papers in Education, 34(6), pp. 680–700. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1229827&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/media-portal (Accessed: 8 May 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/projects/can-we-talk-about-this/foreword-by-lloyd-newson (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Fisher, A. (2011) ‘Trauma, Authenticity and the Limits of Verbatim’, Performance Research, 16(1), pp. 112–122. doi: 10.1080/13528165.2011.561683

Gay, R.. (2020). The Show of Delights - This American Life. Available at: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Kritzer, A. (2008) Political Theatre in Post-Thatcher Britain: New Writing, 1995-2005.  Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

My Country: A Work In Progress by C.A. Duffy (2017)

Savage, M. (2019). ‘How Brexit party won Euro elections on social media – simple, negative messages to older voters’. The Guardian, 29 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/29/how-brexit-party-won-euro-elections-on-social-media (Accessed: 26 April 2021).

Smith, N. (2013). ‘Rufus Norris: Who is the new National Theatre director?’ BBC News, 15 October.  Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24532470 (Accessed: 10 March 2021).

Summerskill, C. (2021) Creating verbatim theatre from oral histories. Routledge: New York.