#(and controversially i only think one performance this season on that show is awards worthy so far)

[pynkhues]

hellooo, how are you doing? Hope you’re doing alright! I don’t know how much you pay attention to or care about awards but heard Kieran is submitting for lead drama actor for primetime Emmy awards. I don’t know what my Thoughts are, but it IS the last season, so I have seen a lot of people discuss it.

do you have any feelings about awards for succession? To be honest, the biggest Personal burn was Alan Ruck snub over Nicholas Braun, so I just want that nomination for Alan, LOL.

Hi! I'm good, thank you! And ahaha, the timing of this ask is delightful, because I'm currently blowing up my group chat about it. I love awards season and follow it all pretty faithfully, so I was pretty excited to see the news this morning about Kieran submitting for Lead.

It's always hard with big ensemble shows like Succession to pick who should be submitting to what, particularly with a cast as stacked with talent as this one, but I do think Kieran and Sarah both should've been submitting as leads since at least s3 and s2 respectively, if not for the duration of the show's run. With Kieran submitting as lead now though, I do think we'll likely hear Sarah's submitting as lead too in the next few days.

It'll be good to have two Succession actors in as leads again too since Jeremy will certainly submit into that category again as well. Brian won't, I imagine, and I think he'll now be a lock for Guest Actor, which I'm kind of delighted by tbh. He really should've won Best Actor for s1 (but none of the cast was actually nominated for s1 at all which boggles my mind. The show itself was only nominated for three awards - Best Drama Series but lost to S7 of Game of Thrones [devastating], Best Directing for the Pilot which it lost to Ozark, and Best Writing for 1.10, which Jesse Armstrong did at least deservedly win).

I do think it's unfortunately pretty likely that Jeremy and Kieran will split the vote though for Succession, and probably lead to someone else winning (likely either Bob for Better Call Saul or Pedro for The Last of Us), but in my dreamworld they tie and both win, haha.

But yeah! I think the two biggest snubs for me are definitely Brian not even scoring a nom for s1, and Alan Ruck at all, but especially not for s3 when Nicholas Braun was nominated. I don't actually think the show's had a clear vision for Greg since s2, and I don't think Nicholas brings anything to the character that's not either on the page or just like - - him, whereas Alan's delivering such an exciting, empathetic, funny and nuanced performance as Connor. If he doesn't get nommed this year, I'll be really disappointed.

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

Thoughts from planes with Zee (an unhinged and incomplete list) Part 2

Hey friends! I traveled again, which means I wrote down every unhinged thought I had. Part 1 of this post is from August and you can find it here. And if you haven't heard my insane travel story yet, you can find it here.

Some of these are headcanons, some are random thoughts, some are responses to posts I saw while I was travelling. I wouldn't say any of these are particularly controversial, but I can see where people could disagree with me so everyone know that almost everything is a joke and should be taken with a grain of salt. Love you.

Do you think Wille went straight to Felice after the ball and was all giddy and telling her about the kiss? I think about this every day. Did he teenage freak out over it with his best friend? Does Felice know? 

Of all the random shit I put into Screwed about Erik, I think the funniest might be: Erik not being able to say anything other than “he’s pretty” when he meets Simon for the first time, and Erik’s least favorite month ironically being November. 

Wilhelm wears sweatpants on planes so he has pockets and Simon wears pajama pants, making Wilhelm hold everything for him. 

Just saw a post that said “Edvin looks at Omar like he’s in love with him” and after I’ve finished cringing, my response to that is: everyone looks at Omar that way. It’s Omar. 

Simon listens to the Beatles, but he does it in secret. Wilhelm only knows because he found the records in his room. Wilhelm, to this day, is the only person who knows.  

Thinking about how Henry didn’t think to knock on Wilhelm’s door because he probably knew after the locker room interruption just how heartbroken Wille was and therefore assume Wilhelm wouldn’t have anyone in his room. Henry didn't knock because Henry understood everything about Simon without being told.

Stella screams at airline representatives while Fredrika cries about plans being ruined. 

Wilhelm loves the rain 

Concept: season 3 opens with another dream like season 2 did, but this time it’s August and Sara. (Prompted by the song love, or the lack thereof by Isaac Dunbar) 

I truly and utterly appreciate Young Royals for showing what it is actually like for a teenager with anxiety to be forced into therapy. Like you don’t want to be there. For a while you do just sit in silence. But slowly you open up. It isn’t just "lay on the couch and share all your feelings" and then you’re suddenly better. It’s a process. It takes time. ESPECIALLY when you don’t want to be there. Just… god I’m crying about it again. 

Nils gives Tony Award worthy performances in his kitchen with a wooden spoon as a microphone. Change my mind. You can’t. 

Maddie is the first person in their year to get a license, but no one will get in a car with her behind the wheel. 

I feel like Walter is a Billie Eilish fan, but won’t admit it. 

Fredrika can sing every Hanna Ferm song from memory 

Stella sucks on lollipops because people got annoyed with her chewing gum. 

The entire Hillerska student body teases Wilhelm about not knowing Simon’s song was about him. They tease him for years. The administrators catch onto the teasing too and it’s mentioned subtly in their graduation address. None of the parents can understand why the entire student body started laughing at the headmistress’ speech, and they don’t understand why the crown prince is annoyed when he starts his own speech. 

Felice started learning Russian as a joke and now she actually speaks Russian and uses it often even though no one can understand her. 

Somewhat off topic, woke up rn to an Omar song, and was nice. 

Every rumor at Hillerska can be traced back to either Walter or Fredrika. They didn’t mean to, they just literally cannot keep their mouth shut. 

Henry watches ice age when he’s sick 

Moulin Rouge AU 

Thinking about ✨that✨ scene again 

If any of them were going to be a greyhound runaway, it would be Sara 

Follow up to that one^: Would like to see a fic where August is a greyhound runaway. Like canon still happens, but after s2 he just decides to run from his problems. 

Somewhere in Hillerska Erik graffitied his name

Off topic again, but noise canceling earbuds are a god send 

Felice+Adele. Send tweet. 

Want something to fuck you up? Actor for Nils is older than actor for Erik. 

Breaking up with my gf was such a good idea knowing what I know now💀

Madison loves flying. In comparison, Nils would rather die 

Omar songs + sunrise part 2 

I have never been more convinced that Vincent listens to fallout boy unironically 

Simon drinks peppermint Mochas 

Rowing team blamed their loss on “karma” 

Wilhelm has a crippling fear of being forgotten, but more so he has a debilitating fear of Erik being forgotten.  

Things I have now done: had a panic attack at 30,000ft (twice)

Felice makes sure everyone else eats and then forgets to eat 

Nils and night drives 

Carefully by Ben Platt is Wilhelm season 2 

Jag hatar mannen bredvid mig.  han gjorde ingenting.  Jag är bara arg på hela världen.

If Dani and I started a podcast, would people listen to it? 

I hope Henry knows the names of Simon’s fish. Like maybe not right now in the canon story, but at some point. I feel like he’d appreciate the fish having names .

I wrote the beginning of a fic and I think it’s like kinda good but I did write it at 2am so maybe I’m just tired 

Is It Just Me? By Emily Burns is about to become the most painful Wilmon edit. Try me. One like and I’ll do it. 

Sara can’t swim 

Was thinking about a 1950s AU and then realized I have no reason for them to be in the 50s. Like why do they need to be in the 50s? Poodle skirts? That’s literally it. 

Growing Sideways by Noah Kahan is a Hangman Song. This is a top gun thing. Specifically Aftershocks fic by @the-navistar-carol. 

How… how are people gonna watch a show in which Edvin plays a queer character, and makes out with another man, and then accuse him of being homophobic? How do you even-? 

Sometime in the future August gets sober and people more mature than him begin to forgive him. Not because he deserves it, but because they don’t want to put the energy into being angry anymore. 

I want Omar to start yelling at people. Like he has to want to yell at people at this point. I think he should. 

Ayub 100% knows every detail of Wilmon. He is a walking Wilmon dictionary. Simon told him everything. Like he could tell you where Wilhelm’s least favorite freckle was or some shit even though he’s never asked Wilhelm about it, nor has he seen the freckle. 

Vincent’s guilty pleasure movie is Chicago and his ringtone for August is “cell block tango” aka "he had it coming."

Paparazzi catch Wille teary eyed, and it becomes a big “Boys DO Cry” Moment but really he just saw a really cute dog or some shit 

Wilhelm asks “would you still love me if I was a worm” and Simon replies “yes” without hesitation 

And that's every thought I felt like writing down. I hope it was delightfully unhinged. Much love to all of you.

[monstermonstre]

October Spookathon 2020

Like every year, I’m gonna try to watch at least one horror movie (or episodes of shows for lazy times) per day in October.

I will update this post every five entries.

I completed the challenge for the first time ever!

1. In The Mouth of Madness (1994)

Lovecraftian story directed by John Carpenter, written by the guy who wrote Freddy’s Dead (controversial opinion but I really liked that film, OK? it was fun), and with an unhinged Sam Neill? Sign me up! That was a lot of fun and a lot of very cool shots.

2 to 4. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

I decided to rewatch the show over the course of three days to prepare for The Haunting of Bly Manor and because I wasn’t in the mood for movies. This confirmed the season has great rewatch value: knowing all the sequence of events doesn’t spoil the fun at all, it just gives you a different experience. The ending still got to me, I’m glad they decided last minute to give their characters a break.

5. Christine (1983)

Another Carpenter movie and another great one. I really need to watch all of his filmo. Doomed love story with a serial killer, except the serial killer happens to be a car. With a side of homoeroticism I seem to see in every American 80s horror movie. It’s slow and not scary at all but it’s great. File in the category “CisHet Men Are Just Like That”. That “show me” scene lives rent free in my mind.

6. The Craft (1996)

A classic that needs no introduction. I’ve seen this movie regularly since I was a teenager. I find that I was more into the first part of the movie when they’re all having fun before it inevitably turns to shit. Can’t wait for the awful looking remake/reboot.

7. The Cell (2000)

A horror/thriller by the director of the beautiful The Fall. Last time I watched it I was a teenager and I only remembered the aesthetic parts. Turns out that’s all that’s worth remembering. It feels like two wildly different movies wrapped into one and like Tarsem Singh had a movie in mind (the trippy mind palace sequences) and the producers had another (conventional boring American thriller).

8. Night of the Comet (1984)

Realistic zombie apocalypse movie with a character that inspired Buffy the vampire slayer. In the year 2020, the way this post-apocalyptic world becomes the new normal so fast rings very true. It’s a fun movie, it’s very quotable (”You were born with an asshole, Doris, you don’t need Chuck!”), and it has strong female characters.

9 and 10. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

This one was way messier and less consistently good than Hill House. I feel like starting this review with the negatives first since it’s likely you all will have seen mostly rave reviews: There are two full episodes that could have been removed altogether, some of the accents are painfully distracting, and there is often too much telling us again and again what is going on. But there is also a lot of good in it, notably four characters I would die for (won’t mention their names as it could be considered spoilers but those who have seen it probably know who I mean), some award-worthy performances (most notably T’Nia Miller and Rahul Kohli who break my heart with each micro expression), and a lot of tear-jerking moments that I’m a sucker for.

[Rest of the list under the ‘read more’ to avoid clogging dashes]

11. Evil Dead II (1987)

Needs no introduction. This was a rewatch and I found myself very easily distracted. I think it’s the type of movie I can only really enjoy with other people unfortunately.

12. The Fan (1981)

I think I added this because I saw the excellent podcast Attack of the Queerwolf did an episode on it and I wanted to listen to it. In the movie category “gay AND homophobic” with Lauren Bacall and a very young Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, ...). It was...bad. I thought it would be fun bad but past the intro which I really liked it drags on. I was also really surprised (or maybe I shouldn’t have been) that Bacall and others said the movie was so graphic when there’s barely anything (also in this universe, a superficial razor cut around the torso kills instantly).

13. Poltergeist (1982)

First time watching this classic and I really enjoyed it. Spielberg makes fun movies, there’s nothing else to say (yes I know Tobe Hooper technically directed it but it bears Spielberg’s mark more than Hooper’s). I love how the parents smoke weed and go with the haunting at first like, the mother sees objects sliding across the floor on their own and she’s like “fantastic! what else can it do? dance for me, ghost, dance!”. Like you just know if this was set today, she would have a wacky YouTube channel where she reviews weird snacks and dishes on celebrities or something.

14. Lake Mungo (2008)

This review from @beetledrink​ sums it up for me:

15. The Addams Family (1991)

@abigaylhobbs​ had never seen it so I HAD to show it to her (that’s the only reason I rewatched it, I swear it has nothing to do with being shaken by Lake Mungo and needing something light to rewatch and loving the Addams family with all my heart since I was little).

16. Addams Family Values (1993)

See above.

17. Easel Kill Ya (Tales from the Crypt S3E8)

What’s Halloween month without an episode of that show. This episode stars a pre-fame Tim Roth which is why I picked it. His performance is great, the end twist is classic TftC and easy to predict but still fun to watch. The best part is always the cryptkeeper though, I could watch him make macabre puns for hours.

18. Tales from the Hood (1995)

Learned about this movie watching the excellent Horror Noire documentary (which was free to watch on Shudder for a while). An anthology movie of 5 tales of black (specifically African-American) horror. Great watch, every story is solid, the special effects are super fun. Unfortunately, all the themes are still very relevant.

19. American Mary (2012)

Watched for Katharine Isabelle. I didn’t like this as much as other people it seems. Fortunately Katharine’s performance is amazing and she’s in every single shot of this movie so nothing’s wasted and I still had a good time. Felt super male gazey to me but written and directed by two women (but I’m not always the best judge of character, throwback to the hot second when I thought a straight man made Hellraiser, shame on me).

20. Evilspeak (1981)

Described as a “male Carrie but with satanism and computers instead of telekinesis”, I thought I was in for a fun campy time (like that early Buffy episode with the internet demon). Unfortunately I was so bored I gave up after an hour. I could not finish this, I did not care at all, not for the characters and not for the plot.

21. Mom and Dad (2017)

Exactly what it says on the box: One day, every parents are suddenly filled with the violent need to kill their children. Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair play parents. Fun.

22. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Slasher directed by a woman and written by a queer woman. Apparently originally written as a parody of slashers but directed as a straight-forward slasher so the final product is classic slasher but with way more jokes than usual. Fun (and short!). I know the sequel is in the collection of many queer horror fans so I’m looking forward to it.

23. Excision (2012)

One of the best movies I’ve seen this month. Unhinged Teenaged Girl subgenre, up there with Raw and Stoker. Traci Lords and John Waters guest star. Strong recommend.

24. Fear, Itself (Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4E4)

One of my favourite Halloween episodes from this show. I have nothing to say about it, if you watch the show you know and if you don’t nothing I say will make any sense anyway.

25. Rebecca (1940)

Reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre. But with more lesbians.

26. Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

I still love Herbert West so much. This sequel wasn’t as good as the first movie but it was still a good time.

27. Final Destination (2000)

This movie being partly responsible for my fear of flying, I’ve avoided rewatching it for over a decade. But I recently learned the writer is gay + it’s not like I’m gonna take the plane anytime soon. Anyway, it wasn’t as fun as I was hoping (except for the ending, top notch last scene) but if you like really convoluted ways for people to die, go go go.

28. The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (2019)

Super stylish zombie comedy with a lovely side of living/dead romance. Kick a dead man in the balls and he’ll become a friend for life.

29. The Dead Body (R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour S1E4)

I learned about this RL Stine series from a Jenny Nicholson video. Goosebumps but for older kids (I think the target audience is probably mid to late teens), with a nice budget, and a mix of happy/sad endings. Some episodes are genuinely creepy. This episode I watched just because it was the next chronologically since I started watching the show and it was incredible how none of the characters looked straight. The performances were fun and the ending was really mean. The whole show is on YouTube.

30. His House (2020)

Black horror with the great Wunmi Mosaku (In The Flesh, Lovecraft Country). A story of African refugees in the UK. Some genuinely scary moments and strong performances.

31. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

I wanted to end the month with a certified good movie. The movie is still unfortunately relevant. Everyone should watch this, really. Especially horror fans (but not just).

[irankshine]

Best Stand Up Comedians In The World

Top Most Famous Comedian

Stand-up comedy is a flourishing art in all parts of the world. Hence, numerous artists have emerged which are direct, honest and intelligent in the past few years. Therefore, we have come up with a popular stand-up comedian that is known for its scathing humor.

Loius C.K

Louis is an American comedian, actor, producer and writer. His observational comedy about everyday incidents in day to day life makes these incidents look incredibly hilarious. People who have seen him performing live believe that he is going to surpass all the comedians of his time if he continues to present funnier stuff in the future.

George Carlin

Very analytical to the bone and observant, the material of George Carlin is very educative and stimulates logical thinking. His audience believes that he is the only comedian worthy of the title of ‘Philosophical Genius’ since one can live by his words. His jokes may appear funny but he actually means what he is saying.

Robin Williams

An American comedian artist, Robin Mclaurin Williams started as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco in the mid-1970s. Known for his improvisation skills, he switched to his comedy career after a brilliant career in acting. He is known for his comedy renaissance in San Francisco.

Chris Rock

Chris Rock came into prominence as a member of ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the early 1990s. He was also the mastermind behind popular sitcom series ‘Everybody Hates Chris’. He has won a total of four Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. In a poll conducted by Comedy Central, he was voted as the fifth-greatest stand-up comedian.

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld is a prominent name in the field of stand-up comedy. He has surpassed all the comedians in the number of tours, late-night shows and interviews and that too with fresh material almost every time when he performs. Definitely among the top five comedians of the world right now, he is destined to reach the number one spot.

Daniel Tosh

Daniel Dwight Tosh is a Germany born American comedian and actor. He is popularly known for his controversial style of comedy known as a black comedy. His mocking brand of humor is also known as ‘envelope-pushing’ and frequently presents jokes which are racist, sexist or homophobic.

Bill Cosby

Cosby’s debut in stand-up comedy began at the ‘I in San Francisco’ which was followed by his lead role in the 1960s television show ‘I Spy’. He was also a regular in first two seasons of the television series for children ‘The Electric Company’.

Russel Peters

They say in Hollywood that fortune and fame go hand in hand but for Russel Peters, it is not true. He has set global records in various selling-out arenas from Sydney Opera House to Radio City Music Hall. In 2009, he broke all records in London’s O2 arena with 16,000 fans earning $2 million.

Eddie Murphy

By the time Murphy was fifteen, he worked as a stand-up comedian in New York, impressing audiences with his sharp observations on different perspectives of life. His memorable works include shows such as Mr. Robinson, Velvet Jones, and an angry Gumpy.

I hope you liked this blog!

To book comedian online for events, please visit StarClinch

(India’s No. 1 artist and celebrity booking website).

[incendir]

[NOTE]: I used a combination of bbintl and beesubs translations so credit to both of them

I don’t understand the eyes that focus on you I don’t understand the things you hold now, at that age Your passionate fans, the TV programs that allow you to be on them The musicians that form around you

One of the most common hate comments—that they claim they just don’t understand why he’s so successful, they don’t get what the hype about him is, they don’t get why he’s so famous at such a young age, and they say all this with the tone that he can’t possibly deserve any of it. He can’t possibly deserve or have done anything worthy of all the fans he has, the renown artists he’s collaborated with, all the shows he’s been on (I’m assuming the most representative of this is him being a producer on Show Me The Money—when he was first cast on the fourth season there was plenty of debate as to whether he deserved that position when all of his peers in his age group and in terms of years debuted were still competitors themselves).

There’s no real incentive, no reason for my hate But my guilty conscience gets buried by the crowd

As his fan of over six years now, I’ll be the first to say he’s done plenty to warrant criticism—you’d be hard-pressed to find any human, any celebrity, who hasn’t. He’s never committed a crime, he’s never done anything morally, hugely questionable or controversial—I don’t consider dating a scandal, so the only true scandal I believe he’s ever had stems from an immature, and thoughtless mistake that he’s atoned for and apologized for over and over, and still does years after it even happened. There is no reason that I can think of to hate him, and if you read between the lines of the comments of his anti-fans, you’ll realize that there’s no true reason for them to hate him either. Yet, he has hordes and hordes of haters because when spiteful comment after spiteful comment is read by otherwise neutral parties, more hate tends to easily form—if so many people hate him there must be a reason, right? Strength in numbers applies to the negative as well as the positive.

No matter what efforts you made, what suffering you went through Your success gave you the right to be insulted again

He was born with heart and respiratory problems. These health issues made it difficult for him during Block B’s early days when they had taxing choreography and he was always seen gasping for breath after rehearsals and performances. The first company he signed with treated him and his group terribly. There were controversies and they were extremely unpopular—they were horribly managed and in dire financial circumstances. They managed to escape, they managed to claw their way up through blood and sweat to the top despite their new company still being incompetent. He sacrifices sleep and personal time to create music for both himself and his group—he never once considered one without the other. He constantly receives hate and constantly has the general image of a thuggish troublemaker despite being well-spoken, well-read, intelligent, humble, and kind. But it doesn’t matter how much he endured because he’s successful now, isn’t he? None of that matters, none of it needs to be taken into account because now, he’s rich, he lives in an expensive apartment, wears expensive clothes, has an expensive car—so he’s perfectly qualified to be hated on. It doesn’t matter what he had to do to get to this point in his life, the fact of the matter is that he’s here, and that, apparently, gives everyone the right to take a stab at him all over again.

Why did she date such an unrefined delinquent?

Nine times out of ten, when there is a dating scandal, the vast majority of comments will hate on the woman in the relationship, whether she is a celebrity or non-celebrity even. Naturally, even though one of the articles mentioned how he had helped her through her own controversy, how he’d driven to her company and comforted her, this became the one time that I saw more comments hating on the man—that he wasn’t treating her right, that he didn’t deserve her, that he was too ugly for her, that her seen running into his apartment complex was a reflection of him rather than of the paparazzi following them, that he was a player who couldn’t possibly have feelings for her other than for a physical relationship because that just seems like the type of man he is.

I don’t understand how your music became hits The awards you receive every year, your luxurious surroundings

Paralleling the beginning of the first verse, and an elaboration on it as well—again one of the most common hate comments. Through this, you can see the shape and form of the song—the structure of how he’s stacking the different kinds of hate he receives. The beginning of the first two verses both begin with the most basic and transparent attempts—invalidating his success and worth by stating that they themselves don’t see anything special about him, that his music, his entire career, seems pretty unremarkable to them, nothing noteworthy and definitely undeserving of the accolades he has received thus far.

If you evoke some controversy right now, that would be impeccable timing My lips are twitching with abusive words and insults Our needs are simple, you just have to mess up on one sentence The interpretation is entirely up to me and I decide on your ideology as well

As each verse progresses, the hatred progresses as well—at first they are perhaps the type of comments he could shrug off easily because they are so obviously false or ones that are simply about his profession, and he is the type of person that accepts criticism for his music, not the type to ever think his music is flawless. Deeper into the song are the lyrics detailing the comments that are harder to stop reading—that are harder to shrug off and dismiss, that attack the type of person he is or the type of person they think he is and want him to become so that they can be proven right all along. All it would take is one mistake, anything that can be even mildly misconstrued—that would be more than enough to paint him as the brutish, stupid, arrogant, undeserving celebrity they knew he was all along. Clarifications, explanations, elaborations are all excuses—it will never matter what he meant, only what they hear, what they want to hear.

A hundred of your good acts, I’ll carve on sand One mistake, on solid rock

It doesn’t matter how long he atones for one sin—it doesn’t matter how long he goes until his next, inevitable mistake. It doesn’t matter that he’s only human. For all the hundreds of things he does right, for all the years he goes without controversy, they’ll carve them onto sand for the tide to wash away moments later as if they never happened. Any mistake he makes, however, regardless of how small, regardless if resolved or proven false in the end, regardless if apologized and forgiven, that’ll be engraved for all eternity—it’ll be brought back again and again any time his name is mentioned.

Guess whose loss it will be if you become my enemy? The camera lens will become a gun barrel

Above all, faceless IDs on the Internet full of hatred yet basking in their anonymity want to know and feel that they have an actual effect. They want to know that their words shake him and they want him to know that they are what determine his fate, his success or lack thereof—that they are so powerful they determine his self-esteem, his sense of self-worth, his pride or shame at the quality of his music. As long as he steps in front of the camera, it is up to them how he feels about himself and his work—therefore, he should do well to please them, remain on their good side. This will return in fuller force later on in the song.

No matter how shitty things are for you, you need to dance properly

A good proportion of the lyrics are applicable to celebrities in general, most especially idols, and this is one of them. I’m of the personal opinion that professionalism should be maintained—a job is a job, and rain or shine, you have to do your job if you expect to receive your livelihood from it. However, in the end, we’re all humans, and there are days you just can’t contain what is going wrong in your life, sometimes you’re sick, sometimes you just aren’t feeling it, and I’m not, and I don’t believe he is either, referring to those who simply skimp out as if being an idol is a voluntary activity at will rather than a profession—as he’s someone who is extremely professional and rarely, if ever, misses a schedule (he’s been known to endure filmings while vomiting between takes). I believe he’s referring to how the majority of idols and celebrities in general are hard-working, maintain appropriate expressions, perform to their fullest ability nearly all of the time, but they are crucified all the same any one single day or event they don’t seem at the peak of cheerfulness, at the height of their energy and enthusiasm.

I’m not an anti, it’s fan mail Once you rack up those positive comments That means you’re past your prime

This is the first time in the verses he refers to the chorus, and the central motif of the entire song: The opposite of love is not hate—it is indifference. This anti states, and this will be emphasized later on, that Zico should be grateful for this negativity. He should be grateful for the hate. In fact, he should even consider these hate comments fan mail—the reason being, that, receiving positive comments means he is no longer relevant.

Bear this in mind, the moment you make a stage name You have to kill yourself

A chilling, impactful line about the sacrifices that celebrities make physically, emotionally, mentally that non-celebrities will never be able to truly know, and never can truly experience nor understand. He had to sacrifice as much as he gained, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had to kill a part of Woo Jiho to become Zico. It should also be noted that he changes his flow for this verse—so that it almost sounds less like a third verse and more like a bridge. Previously, both his flow and tone were dark and smooth, but now it becomes harsher and choppier, aggressive and angry. The anti is becoming more and more cynical with its words—to the point where there’s hardly any other way to describe it than just, honestly, truly cruel.

The choice is yours to make If you want the public to eat you up (popularity/relevance), then be chewed out first Get on the cutting board

Leading in straight from the previous line, and also referring back to what was mentioned previously about indifference being the true opposite of love, the anti reiterates that the only way to gain fame is to first allow himself to be destroyed. His character, his skills, his appearance—he needs to accept that everything must be put willingly for slaughter and slander before he can gain fame because any attention is supposedly good attention and he has to accept that.

(1) A pro always rips the corners of his mouth widely (2) Professionals always need to smile

I thought this was one of those instances where both the figurative meaning and the literal translation are needed to get the full effect across. The meaning is another elaboration of the previous line regarding how celebrities are expected to “dance” even when they are going through difficult times personally, but the literal translation gives this statement the grotesque, macabre tone it needs to fully convey what he wishes to have the listener realize—it may seem nothing to an audience, to a non-celebrity, to an anonymous anti-fan on the Internet to tell a celebrity they need to perk up and keep smiling for a professional demeanor. After all, the commenter comments once—but there are thousands of commenters commenting once and the celebrity receives all of those thousands telling them to smile, again and again and again throughout their career. After a while, it wouldn’t be surprising if the simple act of smiling when told to feels as if you are ripping the corners of your mouth.

Merchandise don’t have privacy The customer is king around here

Possibly one of my favorite lines of the entire song. Other than the obvious of how this is referring to how entitled many non-celebrities feel they are to the private lives of celebrities, it most likely also references part of a rap he did during the NIKE Unlimited event shortly following the revealing of his relationship last year—

There’s another thing I could never forget That day my house, my car, and my daily life were all exposed

The reception to this was, expectedly, simply more hate—violent indignation that he was defending the invasion of his privacy and most comments ignored how his privacy was invaded at all and rather stated that it wouldn’t matter if his privacy was invaded if he was an upright person with nothing to hide, so clean and moral that even if snapshots were taken wildly out of context, he would still seem moral and upright. Bringing this back to ANTI, with the furious tone and choppy flow he uses for this verse, especially at this part, you can sense the undercurrent of sarcasm. The anti-fan finds it so incredibly absurd and infuriating that a product dares to desire privacy, that a product dares to desire its human rights not to be violated when everyone knows the customer is always right.

Hatred is also interest How long do you think you’ll receive that kind of treatment? So be thankful to me

What was implied in the second verse is now explicitly stated. Zico’s anti-fan is letting him know that fame doesn’t last forever, and that hatred is also considered popularity and attention and, regardless of how much he has been hurt by it—regardless of how many wounds and moments of darkness and doubt it might have caused him, first and foremost, Zico should be grateful to those who’ve hated on him all these years, dragged his, his friends’, his family’s names through the dirt. For, without them, and when they no longer treat him so miserably, he will not be celebrated anymore—he will be no one, once again.

I’ll make you lose your way I hope I can see you around for a long time I’ll end it here

As said before, again, above all the utmost wish and desire of an anti is to know that the subject of hatred has been affected—feels lost and horrible and feels hated, feels like truly all the faults listed about them are true. They want to know they’ve made Zico question whether he even wants to pursue his dream anymore. At the same time, they wouldn’t be an anti-fan if they had no one to hate. They rant on and on about how their hatred is a necessity of the celebrity livelihood, that Zico should be grateful as it is their attention that brings his music popularity and thusly lines his pockets—that he is nothing without them. Yet, they need him—they want him to continue making music for them to dismiss as mediocre and unoriginal, they want him to continue giving interviews so they can dissect his answers and dismiss him as problematic and toxic, they want him to continue being on shows and featured in magazines so they can claim his personality arrogant and his appearance ugly. The tone is sarcastic, cold, and mean. Naturally, the last thing they would ever want to do is let him know that without him they have no choice than to face what it reflects about themselves that they take the time to think up and spit out such degrading things to someone who has committed no crimes in his entire life and no true controversy in years. The very last line of this verse carries more weight than appears—stating that they will stop slandering him now as if they are doing him a favor. They are implying that they are taking pity on him now—he must be so destroyed, must be shaken and reeling, from all the faults he has that they’ve shed light on. So, for his sake, they’ll stop, and they challenge him to continue appearing before them if he can handle it.

I’ll wipe away your make-up And tell the world that it was all an act Why do I hate you? The price you’ll pay will be as large as the success you enjoy That’s all I wanna tell you about

I have the lyrics of the chorus as last because they summarize what the anti is saying throughout all of the different types of comments they leave. There is a reason for why these are the lyrics that G.Soul sings. Zico’s voice is what the anti-fans are actually posting, what they are actually themselves typing out and what they believe they mean. G.Soul is speaking for what is within the anti-fan themselves, what they are feeling and why they do what they do even if they might not acknowledge it themselves. Words differ from one hate comment to the next, but the sentiment behind them will always be the same—the one thing that no anti-fan will ever be seen typing in, the thing that Zico has realized about all of his anti-fans. He said as much in the Dazed Digital interview earlier this year, “Nowadays, there are people and comments trying to bring me down.When I see stuff like that, I find myself laughing about it—I don’t understand it, there’s no point to it. How can someone lack that much confidence about themselves that they try to get me down? I mean I don’t even think I’m that great!”

Anti-fans disguise themselves as concerned fans, as critics, as neutral third parties with an unbiased opinion that is only vitriolic and cruel because the celebrity clearly must deserve it. Despite all the different masks, all the various categories of hate-filled messages, that an anti might wear, Zico has realized that what they want is the same—for whatever reason, they want him to hate himself as much as they hate him. They want to see himself as the trouble-causing, simple-minded, partying, problematic, arrogant, selfish, unworthy, overrated celebrity that they paint him out to be and that they are so focused on getting the world to see him as.

I’m not you ANTI

There are several ways to look at the very last line of the song. Initially, I thought it was most probably just an English error on his part, and he meant it as “I’m not your anti”. In that case, the meaning is simple, and the final line simply reiterates the motif previously elaborated on and reiterated throughout the song about how hatred is still interest. The second way this line could be taken, if there is no error in it, is the anti-fan stating that they are not Zico—simply they do not want to be Zico, they are above him for all of the reasons they state throughout the song, all of his controversies and how problematic his image is according to them. In this interpretation, the repeated “anti” at the end would just be a sort of tie-in to state the song title. The final interpretation I offer, and I personally go back and forth between this and the first one, is that this final line is actually from Zico’s perspective—the only part of the entire song that is not supposedly spoken by the anti-fan. If spoken by Zico, this line then turns into “I’m not you, Anti”. It doesn’t matter how much they hate him, how many times and how intensely they degrade him and his loved ones, how much the rip apart his music and claim it insubstantial and unoriginal at best. He’ll never hate himself the way that they seem to hate themselves.

[tocinephile]

It’s Oscar Night 2019!

I’ve suffered from a lack of enthusiasm for the top contenders this Awards Season, but as with every year, anticipation for the biggest night in film builds up, and as you review your Oscar poll ballot over and over you can’t help but begin to root for certain films and talent. Though I’ve thought myself largely impartial, I was a little taken aback by the Academy nominations that don’t quite align the awards shows preceding it, on top of the most obvious snubs.

Since the SAG Awards, I have watched every film nominated for best picture, though I’m still out of the loop in the documentary and shorts categories. I’ve also not seen some of the foreign film nominees, among them Never Look Away (which is currently playing in my city)

I’d started writing down a few remarks about the nominees but unfortunately never finished, below are dribs and drabs of my notes (both pre-written and what’s been swimming around in my head) followed by an image of my Oscar Ballot, heavily scribbled on, and that I will mark off further as the Awards air.

BEST PICTURE

It would appear that Roma is the front runner this evening, though a case could be made for (and I would accept) Black Panter/BlacKkKlansman/A Star is Born as Best Picture as well. If I had a say, The Favourite would win, Vice would not, and Bohemain Rhapsody wouldn’t even be on the list. Perhaps not even Green Book. I feel like we’re celebrating mediocrity here by touting these as a couple of the best films of the year (controversies aside for the latter)

An article in by Vanity Fair actually makes a fuss that Crazy Rich Asians wasn’t nominated in this category.  This is laughable, I think I would have rolled my eyes in disgust at the state of the Academy if it had nominated Crazy Rich Asians! It’s an entertaining ethnic comedy that did mega good at the box office, it’s a step forward for visible minorities in film and will surely open doors for other projects of its kind in the future. But as a film, it’s fluff and nothing more (stop pretending like it’s got some great meaning, if you grew up Asian you will have listened to your mother or aunts prattle on about family values, sacrifice, and responsibility your entire life, most likely while eating oranges after dinner), it has no place in awards season, so let’s please move on.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Marina de Tavira, "Roma" - I understand Yalitza Aparicio ‘s nomination, but not really Marina deTavira.  Though I’m not a fan of Claire Foy, this spot probably should have gone to her.  I read an article where someone suggested Margot Robbie should have been in the running for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Mary Queen of Scots but I’m not so sure about that.  I didn’t feel that was Margot Robbie’s best role, even though it’s said that portraying Queen Elizabeth often gets you nominated.

Emma Stone & Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite" - all the ladies in The Favourite were fantastic so I’m pleased they all received nominations.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me"  - still who I’m really rooting for even though I didn’t put money on him to win.

Sam Rockwell, "Vice" - I don’t like to speak badly of Sam Rockwell because I just love him, but surely Timothee Chalamet’s performance was more Oscar-worthy.  I don’t want to knock Sam Elliott since he was good in A Star is Born, but Chalamet again was better, also Sam Elliott speaks at a pitch in which I can’t pick up most of his words.  Isn’t that weird?

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

"Capernaum" - I watched this just prior to the Oscar nominations and it was one of my top films of 2018. Is it better than Roma? YES! Should it win best Foreign Film? Possibly? Will it beat Roma? I’m don’t want to get worked up about this all over again.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

This is one category where I heartily agree with Roma’s nomination (and win as well should it take home the award), although you’ll get bigger cheers from me if The Favourite or Cold War wins (the latter I’m not as crazy about as I’d hoped I’d be but it is stunningly shot)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"Free Solo" - this doc freaked me out more than any horror film I’ve seen in the last decade, I don’t know if I could handle seeing it on my own in IMAX.

The snub in this category was Won’t You Be My Neighbor? It feels like a miss for sure, especially given the film’s success and popularity.  I certainly like it. There is the argument that the warm fuzzies don’t automatically qualify you for a Best Picture nod, so why should it get you a documentary nom? But I’m only playing devil’s advocate,  I think it should have been on the list.

ORIGINAL SONG

I can only assume “Shallow” from A Star is Born is going to win it. (I also love that song and can’t wait to see Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform it)

ORIGINAL SCORE

Where was First Man? Believe it shocks me just as much to say that it undisputedly was the best score of 2018.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

I can only assume Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse will win. (I haven’t seen it) 

I’m team “Isle of Dogs” myself though. 

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

"First Reformed"? Another film I had to look up *hangs head in shame*

Green Book got the Golden Globe and I objected to its selection, the film is good but overrated across all categories.

I’d also be irritated if Roma won simply because it excels in many areas, but screenplay would not be the most obvious example.  In fact, screenplay pales against The Favourite (which might be a matter of taste) and Vice (which is good writing.  I question the use of the narration but overall it is terrifically written)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Christian Bale, "Vice" - he should win this one.

Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity's Gate" - One article made such a fuss about how surprising it was that Dafoe got nominated. I would think the opposite, that this nomination was a no-brainer.  He was easily the best thing about At Eternity’s Gate. He carried the film, and his performance has got to be the main reason the film garnered as much attention as it did, because let me tell you it was otherwise full of flaws and not that enjoyable of a watch.

Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody" - He can do better, he’s such an incredible actor.

Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"  - is the best thing about the film (his performance, I won’t comment on the validity of his character), but that doesn’t mean he should win.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

For once I feel like the Best Actress Category is more stacked with talent than the Best Actor Category, and I’m loving it! Despite my lack of love for Roma, I would be ok with ANY of these women winning and I haven’t even seen Lady Gaga’s performance.

I think Glenn Close has a good chance of winning, but on a personal level I really like Olivia Colman’s performance. 

And as promised, here is my marked up Oscar Ballots with my predicted winners highlighted in greed, and hand-written notes about who I think should win and other thoughts.  I’ll be marking this ballot tonight as I watch the awards and take to twitter, please follow my crazy ramblings at https://twitter.com/palindr0me and check back tomorrow for my Morning After blog post!

[lexygreenwell]

Golden Globes 2017 - Predictions and Hopes

The stockings may no longer be hung by the chimney with care, but the smell of Awards season is in the air! It’s time for the Golden Globes!

Admittedly, I haven’t been blogging as much this year. A lot has happened. I moved to California and began my journey through life as an adult, which can be quite scary and takes a little adjusting. But leave it to a new year to get my write-y senses tingling again. I’m hoping to do a lot more this year, in various different aspects of life, because 2017, if you tilt your head and squint your eyes, is a year of potential. Also I will need something to take my mind off of our incoming political administration. But I digress.

Film in 2016 was like a quiet kid at a party who just wants to let loose - he tries a few times, learns a lot about himself and the fragility of the human condition (hey there Manchester by the Sea) but he ultimately figures out how to have fun and brings the party in unexpected ways (La La Land). Meanwhile, I would equate this year in TV to a champion boxer at the top of his/her game - delivering consistent punches with razor sharp accuracy, and nabbing multiple KO’s throughout the season (I’m looking at Stranger Things, Game of Thrones and Westworld).

With the Critics’ Choice Awards behind us and Jimmy Fallon ahead of us, (I’ve got high hopes buddy) here’s who I think campaigned the most… er, I mean, will be taking home some big gold balls this evening. MaesTRO!

Best Motion Picture - Drama

I’m a little behind on my film viewing this year (but don’t worry, all will be rectified come Oscar week) so I’m doing a bit of guesswork here based on the word of friends and family, critics, momentum, and previous awards/festival recognition, if any. Based on these, I would have to say Manchester by the Sea is the favorite in this category, though I would also love to see Moonlight or Lion take top honors. (Just, not Mel Gibson. And spare Andrew Garfield).

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

La La Land has been campaigning HARD, and rightfully so - the cinematography is dazzling, the balance between whimsical and low key is expertly held, and all its contrasting flavors and dancing delights meld together beautifully under the visionary, artful leadership of “Whiplash” director Damien Chazelle. This award going to anyone else would be a major upset. (Gotta give love to Deadpool and Sing Street)!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

A plethora of strong female leads this year, arguably lead by Viola Davis, but you’ll find her (most likely) taking home Supporting Actress. I said a few months ago that Jessica Chastain’s ethically challenging performance in Miss Sloane was not to be overlooked, so I’m glad to see her listed. But I think it’s between stunning newcomer Ruth Negga for Loving and Natalie Portman for Jackie, with the most likely winner being Portman, as her campaign has picked up speed as of late. But the globes have a history of taking kindly to breakout stars, so a first-time win for Negga is also probable. We’ll have to see with this one.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

From what I’ve seen and heard, it’s Casey Affleck’s to lose. This has stirred up a little controversy, since Affleck is still receiving praise while Nate Parker is not for Beasts of No Nation, despite both being accused (and later acquitted, in Parker’s case) of similar crimes. However, the nominees being what they are, an award for Affleck is the most likely scenario. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Yeah, it’s Emma Stone. Unless Cecille B. Demille has something planned for honoree Meryl, but I don’t think they’d do that. Props to Hailee tho.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Oh, The Lobster! I heard such great things about Colin Farrell’s performance. But this category could go a variety of ways based on past behavior: it could go to the best actor in a “this is way more drama than comedy but let’s go with comedy” comedy (Farrell), it could go to best actor in a musical who showed off tons of talent (Gosling), or it could go to the “laugh out loud” funniest (Reynolds). My hunch is, in keeping with the La La Land theme, they’ll go with Gosling here.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

All amazing performances from what I’ve heard (and will soon see). But there’s a reason Queen Viola was placed in this category - she came to dominate. She was a force in Fences.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

Gotta go with the favorite Mahershala Ali. Moonlight deserves a win and if it’s most likely to come anywhere, it’ll be here.

Best Director - Motion Picture

Damien Chazelle was nothing short of both a painter and poet. He’s our guy.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Now this is a little tough, because the screenplay category at the Globes lumps in both original and adapted screenplays. Only Nocturnal Animals is adapted, but the strength of La La Land’s inventiveness and juxtaposing personalities is hard to resist this year. I could also imagine Moonlight or Manchester taking this home as well, given the direct, heavy impact of everything that is said, and unsaid. I’ll stick with La La, but the latter two are worthy spoilers.

Best Motion Picture - Animated

I think My Life As A Zucchini should be given an award for its name alone. I imagine Zootopia and Moana, feminist masterpieces, are the favorites to take the cake. And Sing was adorable (and Tori Kelly #slays). But personally, Kubo is instantly connective, and it appears to be the greater artistic feat among the bunch. I would choose it to win, but would have to go with the former two as worthy contenders.

Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language

Given the strength of the title characters’ performance, I’m going to have to go with Elle.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

I have a lot of thoughts on scores this year (may have to put them in another post). Especially on Johann Johannsson’s work for Arrival (that cello lead emulating a whale that represents ominous contact from another world?! C'mon!) But it has to be the overarching mystic whimsy of Justin Hurwitz’ La La Land.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

When I first heard JT’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” almost a year ago, I thought to myself, “Well, somebody’s winning an Oscar.” It seemed like a sure thing. But then “City of Stars” came along, with its all-at-once haunting yet catchy melody… in minor, I might add. It perfectly captures what we see and feel in the film, the push and pull of falling in and out of love with Los Angeles, being inspired, yet disheartened by pursuing a life as an artist. It takes true mastery to compose a work that melodically and lyrically mirrors the essence of such a complex feeling. So as much as I’d love to see JT or even Lin-Manuel win a Globe, the genius of Justin Hurwitz and La La Land is not to be outdone this year.

TV, quick! What an extraordinary year!

Best Drama

Stranger Things - I think as a whole, it was the best, freshest, and most entertaining package TV had to offer this year.

Best Comedy

Atlanta - Let’s give Transparent, Mozart and Veep a break.

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

It was all about The People vs. O.J. Simpson this year.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

Evan Rachel Wood - the skill and self-control required to switch almost instantaneously from pure hysteria to robotic dread is ridiculous. Acting master class.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

Rami won last year, deservedly. Let’s try Bob for Better Call Saul.

Okay, I’ll leave it here for now, but stay tuned for more blogs and other trinkets and things in the coming year :) Happy Globes!

[skiinggray5-blog]

Rent Live Recap: A Stellar Show Despite Injuries and Pre-Taped Controversy

Rent is one of the most beloved musicals of all time. For us -- TV Guide writers Megan Vick and Lindsay MacDonald -- the 2005 movie was our intro to loving musical theater. We then sought out live theater productions and began a more than decade long love affair with the world of Broadway (we also get why people hate the Rent movie, but that's another story).

So, when Fox announced that Rent would be on its live musical event agenda, we were both excited and terrified that this piece of art could become Twitter fodder instead of a celebration of the show. The casting didn't do much to alleviate those fears with quite a few wildcards in the mix. It wasn't until we saw the dress rehearsal on Saturday, Jan. 26 that we saw what an impressive job Fox, this cast and crew had managed to pull off.

The dress rehearsal was also where star Brennin Hunt rolled his ankle during the final commercial break, forcing production to try and make their way through the closing numbers with Roger remaining stationary on the apartment table. That dress rehearsal ended up being most of what fans saw watching from home on Sunday, so the roadcast wasn't really live, except for the last act where the Fox folks were ultimately joined by the original cast of Rent to close out the show. We, as two die-hard Rentheads, recapped the show below.

We'll Pay Next Year's Rent with Jordan Fisher's Star Power

Lindsay: I appreciate everything that Jordan Fisher does and have since I covered his season of Dancing with the Stars. He can sing. He can dance. He's adorable. Let's put him in everything.

Megan: I heard a rumor that Ben Platt was offered the role of Mark in this production and to be honest, I kind of held it against Jordan that he wasn't Ben. That was a mistake, and I am making a formal apology right now. This kid is going places. Additionally, I'd like to say that I've never been very invested in production design Emmy awards, but if Rent does not win for this immaculate setup, it will be a travesty. This set is SO freakin' cool.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

Hark the Herald Angel... Dances Really Well!

Megan: Okay, the part of Angel requires so much and in 2019 you can't just ask anyone to put on a great outfit and wig and call it a day. I think that Valentina has the right spirit for Angel -- sweet and sassy. I mean, those dance moves are killer and I feel like she's the guardian this group has been looking for. However, vocally...

Lindsay: Vocally she's just not as strong as we'd all hoped. It's hard to out-sing a live audience who knows all the words and is singing along with you, so I can excuse most of it on a combination of nerves and noise. You're right, though, that the spirit of the character (and hell yes, those dance moves) are technically speaking more important to the show than Angel's vocals, so at least Valentina's got that in her corner. Just stand by for, "I'll Cover You."

Tango Maureen Felt More Like a Waltz

Lindsay: You know who did not disappoint here? Jordan Fisher. While Brennin gets my love for recreating a Roger-clone worthy of the original Broadway show, Jordan Fisher has stolen my heart with this totally new and unique version of Mark. His Mark is more whimsical and playful thanks to Jordan's natural charisma, and that charming little grin of his saved a number that would have otherwise been kind of a "meh."

Megan: Jordan is the MVP of this production I think, but there's someone who didn't hold up their end here. I love Kiersey Clemons. She sang her heart out in one of my favorite movies last year, Hearts Beat Loud, but this felt shockingly off-kilter. The thing about Joanne is that she's a powerhouse voice. If she's taking charge of Mark in this scene then she needed to own it, but it felt like she got overcome with nerves. She can do better, I know she can.

Rent Live Actor Brennin Hunt Injured During Rehearsal

Tinashe Can Take Us Out Anytime

Megan: Girl. GIRL! "Out Tonight" is my favorite song in the whole show and it is so much more challenging than people think. You have to have a serious range to hit those high notes and dance like Mimi does. Many have tried and failed to pull this number off, but Tinashe showed that she has some real star power here. It was so amazing in person, but the sound mixing during the broadcast made her sound a little off. This was the moment where she turned me into a fan, though.

Lindsay: Was it sound mixing or just her dancing too hard? I agree that the song is super difficult and she danced her ass off, so I'm willing to forgive a few vocal missteps.

Megan: Fine, but then she kills it during, "Another Day." She sings Brennin under the table.

Lindsay: Look, I'm going to go to my death defending Brennin Hunt and not just because this poor sweet thing broke his foot in the name of art. I have literally never heard someone who sounds so much like Adam Pascal's Roger in my life, and in a show where some other really drastic changes were made, anything that harkens back to the original is appreciated. Plus, he's just got that raspy bad-boy thing DOWN.

I'll Cover You(r Ears)

Lindsay: Music nerds will notice that they appear to have fiddled with the arrangement of this song to give Collins (Brandon Victor Dixon) some of the difficult harmonizing work and Angel the easier to achieve melodies when it really should have been the other way around. It's not something I'm going to get particular about though since the stronger vocalist taking the more challenging notes is just good sense.

Megan: Thank you for this education because all I had was, "Oh wow, this is... not great." There's no amount of sashaying to make a song like this work if you can't hit those notes. I've seen worse, but this is definitely not a "best of" moment of the show.

Over the Moon for Some Hudgens

Megan: When people say they were nervous about this cast, they are actually saying they were nervous about Vanessa Hudgens because of that infamous Hollywood Bowl performance of Rent, in which she played Mimi. It's been years since then, but could she really be weird and powerful enough to pull off Maureen? Yes folks, yes she could. As soon as she hit that extended note in "Over the Moon," my fears about Hudgens being able to rock this vanished. I have never been so glad to be wrong!

Lindsay: The Hollywood Bowl performance still feels too soon to bring up. Naturally, seeing her take on an arguably more difficult part in the same musical was daunting. Living up to Idina Menzel's legacy is a pretty tall freaking order after all. And then she just SHOWED UP! I've also never been so happy to be proven wrong about my own expectations because Vanessa killed every single moment of "Over the Moon" from the vocals to the acting to the mooing. Bow down to your queen, peasants.

La Vie Bo--What?!

Megan: I've had 24 hours to process this and now a clear view of the choreography and I still can't help being offended by this version of "La Vie Boheme." There are two Rent tracks you can't mess with and they are this and "Seasons of Love." I understand some lyrics weren't going to make it due to broadcast standards (like Benny saying puke instead of piss), but there were other changes made that don't make sense. Where was the order sequence? Is it really "La Vie Boheme" if you don't get to yell "WINE AND BEER!"? The theater fans at home had to be so confused during a number we were all looking forward to and I'm not okay.

We Ranked Every TV Musical Event, Because of Course We Did

Seasons of Who Are These People

Lindsay: Aside from Keala Settle hitting that incredible note in the final run, "Seasons of Love" was bullsh--.

Megan: Wow. I said there are only two songs you can't mess with and they did it with both? They gave iconic parts to chorus members. This is the prime sing-a-long part of the musical and I am just so frustrated with how both "Seasons of Love" and "La Vie Boheme" came out. They are too iconic to be treated like this.

Take Me, Take Me, Baby!

Megan: THAT IS THE KIERSEY I CAME TO SEE! I told you that she was capable and that's the kind of electricity I wanted. "Take Me or Leave Me" is my second favorite so I am so glad it came together like that. And I'll say it again, Hudgens is owning every minute she is on the stage.

Contact High?

Lindsay: I'm torn between being glad that they left it in (the movie removed the song completely) and being just confused about why they chose to do... that. I get that they couldn't get away with the usual bump and grind that number calls for but it just didn't totally work for me. Strangely enough, it was the only time I thought Valentina's vocals were on solid ground

Megan: I know there are a lot of Rent purists who were angry that "Contact" was left out of the film, so I give Foxcredit for going there and including it, but I also didn't need it? It's interesting but it just feels like such a disconnect from actually losing Angel, which is a pivotal moment in the entire show. It takes an extra beat to get that sadness. I would have preferred a full "La Vie Boheme" than what they did here.

Just Because You Love Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Doesn't Mean It Needs a Movie

We're Not Crying, You're Crying. Just Kidding, We're All Crying

Megan: Brandon was one of the people I was most looking forward to seeing in this production, knowing that he took over for Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I knew he had to have pipes, but the "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" is by far his shining moment in the show. It's the first time I've been misty-eyed all show. Absolutely breathtaking.

Lindsay: Honestly, I forgive this show everything after that knockout performance. For the most part, Collins was consistently good, but not a showstopper or scene-stealer. That changed real quick when he added in the soul-crushing pain of losing Angel. Mad props to Keala for the assist.

What You Own Is Our Hearts

Lindsay: Guys. GUYS. "What You Own" is totally the turning point for the final act, and I cannot stress how important it is to nail it. And holy cow this one did! This version had all the bells and whistles including crowd surfing, ladders, and possibly one broken foot. Poor Brennin. Never the less, the energy in the room was nearly as pitch perfect as the voices of the two heroes who shall forever be known as Brennin "Do The Damn Thing" Hunt and Jordan "Sweet Baby Angel" Fisher.

We Should Tell You, Brennin's Injury Is Really Unfortunate

Megan: Ugh, this poor guy. Look at that cast! I know it's really sad that this cast didn't get to put on their final show as planned, but I also can't help snort laughing that they kept a close up of Roger yelling, "NO!" when Maureen and Joanne bring Mimi in from the cold... and then he doesn't move to get her. I totally get that Brennin couldn't get up, but oh my god, it's awkward watching him stay on the table instead of doing anything to help bring her in. That being said, he sang for his life in "Your Eyes." Damn, boy.

Lindsay: He'd taken a couples stumbles in the taped show, but I've got to say, he really redeemed himself with this. There were definitely some parts in the middle where he was overacting, but I got back on the bandwagon after that serenade.

2018-2019 TV Scorecard: Which Shows Are Canceled? Which Are Renewed?

OMfghA!R%* THE ORIGINAL CAST. IT'S THE ORIGINAL CAST OF RENT ALL TOGETHER!!!

Megan: Okay, I can't even pretend to be composed enough to come up with a witty section headline for this. We just bore witness to the original cast of Rent reuniting all on one stage and it was absolutely beautiful. I cried when we saw them do it at the dress rehearsal and it's just as magical on screen. Something about that just felt holy. Idina Menzel will forever be queen.

Lindsay: Once the original Broadway cast started posting photos from the set of Rent everyone knew this was coming, but it was still just so magical to watch that wall lift up to reveal the faces and voices we've loved for over 20 years singing that epic final number. The only thing that made it even better was Adam Pascal leaving the herd to go hang out with poor, immobilized Brennin. Thank you for watching that miracle take place with us, and remember to always measure your lives in love.

Source: http://www.tv.com/news/rent-live-recap-a-stellar-show-despite-injuries-and-pre-taped-controversy-15486493590065382/