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The idea that Varric is trying so hard to stop Solas because he didn't try to stop Anders is making me so feral. He didn't try. He just watched as Anders spiraled further and further until it was too late. His attempts were jokes, lighthearted things that didn't reach how far Anders already was

He can't do nothing again.

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andor | rix road

and you always come through

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Andor - S01E07 Announcement

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For those who find it hard to distinguish…and for those who simply like to hear the rhythm in his voice. 

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A compilation of the times Solas speaks in the poetic rhythm of the song Hallelujah (including the times he does it in Trespasser, so there are major spoilers). There’s one time where the Inquisitor joins in to complete the pattern, so I included it too. Grouping them together like this will hopefully make it easier to hear.

My favorite part of hearing them all together is getting to really hear the difference in how he sounds in Trespasser vs. the main game - if you let this repeat, you can really hear how jarring he sounds.

I’ve journeyed deep into the Fade - (I’ve heard there was a secret chord) In ancient ruins and battlefields - (that David played and it pleased the Lord) To see the dreams of lost civilizations - (but you don’t really care for music, do you?)

I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clashed - (it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth) To re-enact the bloody past - (the minor fall, the major lift) In ancient wars both famous and forgotten - (the baffled king composing hallelujah)

Every great war has its heroes - (hallelujah, hallelujah) I’m just curious what kind you’ll be - (hallelujah, hallelujah)

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Anecdote from Billy Stanley about the respect that Elvis had for his fans.

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Hands down, one of my favourite scenes in the film (and there are a lot!). I love everything about it; the frantic energy as Elvis navigates through the crowd, BB calling out to him, the Heartbreak Hotel throwing in a remix. I mean, I could go on and on.

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Elvis (2022), dir. Baz Luhrmann

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And Action

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bazluhrmann: Here’s an outtake from rehearsals of Austin singing a-cappella. To celebrate Elvis Week, get out this weekend and see Austin’s performance as Elvis on the big screen. You can also rent or buy it to watch at home. This weekend is the weekend for EP. Love to you all! - Baz #tcb #elvismovie #elvisweek

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My favourite part's of Baz Luhrman's Elvis 2022:

1. The trippy ass opening sequence that felt like it should be part of a 3d rollercoaster ride with the billboards and zooms round Las Vegas.

2. Just the way Tom Parker says "He's white" is fucking hilarious. And really says it all.

3. The buildup of the Elvis reveal with the fly fly away flashbacks before he goes on for the first time, that build up hella pays off.

4. The moment he transforms into Elvis like Clark Kent becoming Superman in his pink suit, the burst of electric guitar and the shots bouncing round on the beats is incredible.

5. Him dissapearing into the curtains with sheer disbelief on his face after the crowd went wild.

6. The radio presenter introducing Beale street, make's me laugh everytime.

7. The fairground scene where Parker being a creepy ass villain talks to Elvis in the Mirror Hall, him popping into frame is genuinely terrifying.

8. The way Elvis says and just the way the looks into the distance as he describes the Rock of Eternity.

9. The tension and sheer manipulation at play when Elvis parent's sign a deal with devil.. Parker I mean.. That zoom in on Elvis pressing his mom's hand down is magnifique.

10. Tutti. Fricken. Fruitti.

11. B.B. King telling some hard truths about how Elvis is safe cause he's a white boy people are making money off.

12. The cuts to the rally just before Elvis' preformance and the look he gets in his eye just as he thinks "fuck. that".

13. Wiggling. The. Finger.

14. Trouble. The whole song and scene.

15. Parkers utter bafflement in the line "He didn't listen to me." Truly not grasping how his puppet could possibly disobey.

16. The shot of him in the car looking up at fireworks, looking so so lost is haunting and beautiful.

17. The modern cover of Can't help falling in Love is perfecto.

18. The first shot of the Viva Las Vegas montage where during the freeze frame Butler genuinely looked the spit of Elvis.

19. The spinning shot of Elvis as we go into the trippy mess of Edge Of Reality and the look on his face with the water dripping as it all takes it's toll is so real.

20. The Hollywood sign scene. The way he sit's staring out, the shades, his boot propped up. Hell even the brief mention of the sign as a reflection of his career could easily be cheesey but he sounds so goddamn honest.

21. The way he laughs hearing his careers in the toilet completely self aware.

22. Rebellion uno 2, him not giving a damn what the Colonel thinks!!

23. Everytime Parker says Here Comes Goddamn Santy Clause. Tom Hanks has always been a comedic actor in leading man disguise.

24. The leather suit. The guitar he wears for no discernable reason as he doesn't play it at frist and then hands it off to somone but who cares!

25. The bloody look on Parkers face when the Whorehouse dancers and Kung Fu comes in.

26. The huh huh huh noise made as the song builds.

27. Bobby Kennedy getting shot and the frustration and pain as he says "It has everything to do with us."

28. When Parker threatens he'll have to leave him should he disobey and the absolutely glorious, "Hmm." .... "Um Hm." The man didn't even have to use actual works and spoke sooo much with those sounds and look alone.

29. Honestly the haunting way he plays "Here Comes Santa Clause" alone is hella beautiful.

30. That spin of the camera as we see the hugh red Elvis sign and his beautiful white suit.

31. The sheer emotion in the original song and Butler's preformance during "If I Can Dream" is a Goddamn masterpiece.

32. The headlines proclaiming his comeback!

33. Parker trying to claim credit as the special was his idea is just so narcissistic and sooo him I just can't even.

34. The score of the whole thing but during the hospital scene where Elvis tries to leave Parker a creepy slot machine type writer background song plays and just chills.

35. The utter horror I feel when told about the International Elvis says "The Snowman strikes again" and I scream internally every. Single. Time. NOOOOO

36. FUCK ME. My favourite scene in the entire film is him redoing That's Alright Mama Vegas style. The Ba ba Buuum "Raise the octave". BA BA BUUUUM. The silk shirt. The belt. The exhilaration in his eye's and acting. The drum part when he's just "Hah hah hah hah". Fuckkkkk.

37. The journey of song told as he preforms it and the three way cut shot of how it lead to this moment!

38. The punch in the gut of Suspicious minds, the lyrical metaphor and his entrapment plays out real time. The way the Colnel says "Now how are going to pay me." With a horrifying giggle. The fast cuts as the writing gets laid out. 5 Years.

39. The Vegas style I Will Always Love You. The best version of that song👌

40. Backstage as everyone rejoices completely oblivious to what has happened and the way the Colonely llaughs then cries as he witnesses Elvis joy. Is he actually a touch remorseful? Is it just relief his debts are cleared? A mix of both? Who knows but my God it's awful.

41. The montage of the tours, the icnoic outfits, Hunk a burning love one of my fave Elvis songs and those bloody capes, my God it was helluva look!

42. The callback to the beginning as Elvis collapses hearing from Jerry and the utter repulsion on his face as he stares at the Colonel as he's covered with water, says it all. His face acting is genuinely incredible in this movie.

43. The Apollo 11 style split screen and music as he gets injected just one of those touches that makes me think you creative guy you Baz!

44. The way he says and preforms the whole angry scene on stage, the way he says Colonel's an alien, the way his anger escalates, the screaming of fired and the quiet final "You're fired." Before LITERAL mic drop and walk away.

45. The heartbreak we feel as we see him about to leave the hotel only for Parker to be sat waiting for him sinking his fangs back into him again.

46. The insults Elvis throws at Parker is so raw and real and clearly he's so so tired and he is just trapped.

47. The way the Colonel says "The thing about the rock of Eternity my boy is that it's forever just beyond our reach." And that fucking hurts.

48. The face acting of Austin in that scene as he reacts to what the Colonel says is beyond words. The lighting is fabulous.

49. The chilling instrumental as Elvis gives in closing his blinds and telling his dad to send up Doctor Nick and the utter helplessness as he leans on the couch.

50. The way Elvis sits in the car in his jumpsuit with Priscilla the exhaustion in his body language and voice as he says he's out of dreams. How he never made anything lasting. How he thinks no one will remember him. And how horrifying it is the Elvis probably really didn't know how huge and lasting hims impact would actually be.

51. Him mouthing I will always love you.

52. The shot of him looking up as the plane flys and quiet subdued story of the bird that would die if it stopped flying.

53. Parker saying how it wasn't his heart or the pills or himself that killed Elvis but love. Because in a twisted way that's one of truest things he's said in the entire movie.

54. How Parker recalls he saw his last peformance, that he could barely walk but when he sang that song..

55. "Unchained melody from the album Unchained melody.. makes sense.." God Elvis could be funny.

56. The real Elvis during Unchained melody. That voice reverberates with so much feeling and strength despite him being weeks away from his death. He sang with his entire soul and he had a loootta soul.

57. The flatlining noise as Parker fades from the shot and we're left with the back of Elvis spreading his cape like wings reminded of how he couldn't fly away but left the only other way he could.

58. Elvis has left the building.

59. The plain white font for the lines about Parker and Elvis having his in glorious, glorious gold.

60. The credits starting with the utterly bedazzled BAZ LUHRMAN. And I say thank you to that man! Thank you so so much. I love. This. Movie.

I know it's pretty much the whole movie buuut what can I say 🤷‍♀️

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By the way, since I've heard it said, no, Elvis did not steal Hound Dog from African American singer Big Mama Thornton. The song was actually written by two Jewish men (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) who gave the song to several other artists as well. Thornton tried to claim credit for the song, saying she wrote it because of the spin she put on it, which isn't standard practice for crediting but she did get her name on some versions. Allegedly, Leiber and Stoller also gave Thornton a lot of direction on the song and how it should be sung, though this has been disputed. The other version she recorded is noted for its Latin influences. None of this is to take away from her performance, as it's a flawless track, but to act like it was a 100% black song that was stolen by a famous white man is inaccurate.

And there's more. Although Elvis was well-versed on black American music and was familiar with the Thornton track, the version he was directly inspired by was performed by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, a white group whose version was extremely different from Thornton's. Thornton's version reportedly had little to do with the Elvis version and personally I think it shows on the track.

Elvis absolutely sang black music, he talked about it frequently and it was extremely well known (and criticized by racists) at the time. But I see this argument circulate whenever he's discussed as a reason to cancel him posthumously, tear down statues, etc and I think simplifying the song's history down to "famous white guy steals a black song" does a disservice to the authors and erases a lot of complexities in the music industry at the time. I could go on for a while about how racist and exploitative the industry was, but for now, I'll leave it at saying that the authors themselves should be more widely known. I think any anger directed towards Elvis as a person would be better put to work a) supporting Leiber and Stoller's place in Jewish American and rock and roll history, b) studying the different approaches between the Thornton and Elvis versions and how they fit into rock history individually as two separate tracks, and c) condemning the racist, exploitative, capitalistic system that required black music to have a white man's face on it in the first place.

Here's a couple of the sources I used to fact check my recollections:

Elvis inspired by the Bellboys

A bit about the Thornton version

The Wikipedia page for the song, which gives a great summary and contains several other links

And here's a photo of Leiber and Stoller, who went on to write a lot of other famous rock songs as well:

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Elvis (2022) vs. Elvis Presley Stage Show - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1956) Tupelo’s Own Concert (1956) Live Concert (1957) Milton Berle Show - Hound Dog (1956) (part 1)

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ELVIS (2022) Dir. Baz Luhrmann

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Elvis (2022) vs. Elvis Presley Stage Show - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1956) Tupelo’s Own Concert (1956) Live Concert (1957) Milton Berle Show - Hound Dog (1956) (part 1)