#Advance Publications

[msclaritea]

"Movie lovers were supposed to breathe a sigh of relief last week when Warner Bros. Discovery announced the un-firing of Turner Classic Movies head programmer, Charles Tabesh. This move was in response to a deafening howl of outrage from a passionate community that, increasingly devoid of quality options at the multiplexes, cherishes the long-running cable channel as a vital outlet for intelligent, well-crafted adult fare from a time when cinema ruled the entertainment roost. It kinda did the trick. Knowing Tabesh, one of the most respected film programmers in the world, would still be around to complement beloved classics with the deepest of cinema cuts meant TCM wouldn't become the "Casablanca"-every-other-day channel.

WB Discovery also continued to hype the programming/curation input of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson — which is a terrific PR win for embattled CEO David Zaslav but does little to move the needle outside of the industry. It's actually more heartening to know that creative oversight of TCM has shifted from Discovery veteran Kathleen Finch to Warner Bros. Pictures honchos Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. You'd much rather have the genuine film buff who greenlit "Seven," "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" co-leading TCM than a reality-show-driven exec who lists "90 Day Fiancé" as one of her proudest artistic achievements.

But De Luca and Abdy are movie people tasked with restoring Warner Bros. Pictures to its former glory by making movies. They don't have time to manage TCM, nor does the Spielberg/Scorsese/PTA triumvirate. So if this group is genuinely committed to the survival of the cable network, and venerating the studio's vast, varied library, they've got one screamingly obvious option that'll allow cinephiles the world over to exhale.

A wolf in a movie buff's clothing

Warner Bros

If Zaslav is the classic film fan he repeatedly claims to be, he should be familiar with the observation, "It's no trick to make a lot of money, if all you want to do is make a lot of money." This saying applies to saving money as well.

Zaslav, who inherited a debt-ridden WarnerMedia when the company merged with his thriving Discovery, is currently in slash-and-burn mode to please shareholders and, perhaps, make the studio flippable somewhere in the near-ish future. Per his company's own PR, he's personally due nine-figure compensation if he more than doubles the company's stock price. So he's doing the easy part first: firing as many people as possible, and selling off assets (like half of its music, film and television catalogue).

It's filthy business, but Zaslav has his Hamptons reputation to worry about. Still, as ruthless as he promised to be when he seized control of WarnerMedia, he assured movie lovers that he was one of us. He valued WB's history. He fell in love with movies as a regular, middle-class kid growing up in Brooklyn, and dreamed of running a studio. He works from Jack Warner's desk in his office, where TCM is always playing in the background. He spoke at last April's TCM Classic Film Festival (alongside Spielberg and PTA), and assured the audience the channel's future was secure.

Prioritizing vanity projects

Warner Bros.

His first greenlight after the merger was to blow the dust off of Hamptons lunch-buddy Nicholas Pileggi's "Wise Guys," a gangster project that had been kicking around the studios since the early 1970s; attaching Barry Levinson as director (who hasn't made a commercially successful film since 1997's "Wag the Dog") puzzled several industry insiders with whom I've spoken. It was old Hollywood chumminess that reeked of rich white-guy back-slapping, and this was before Zaslav erased Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's already finished "Batgirl" movie. Shot on an apparent $50 million budget, the film is in post-production, and has a slated release date of February 2, 2024, although that could always change.

So when Zaslav cleaned house in June by firing five of TCM's top execs, while slashing the staff from somewhere around 90 to around 20, cinephiles were furious. You don't need an MBA to know that a personnel cut that deep is meant to hobble, not sustain. Zaslav didn't care; however, his Hamptons buddy, Steven Spielberg, didn't appreciate being used as a rubber stamp at the TCM Fest. A Zoom call was arranged, which resulted in an empty press release assuring viewers that the three aforementioned filmmakers would mind the short-staffed store. When absolutely no one bought this, Tabesh was reinstalled as head programmer.

Zaslav must make TCM whole again

Warner Bros

Though I'm amused that Zaslav has turned Tabesh into a rock star amongst movie lovers, he is but one man. Tabesh can't do what he's done so brilliantly alone. He needs a team steeped in every facet of film history to help him track down and license those obscure titles that nourish our desire for, ironically, discovery. Basically, he needs everyone Finch and Zaslav axed.

On a practical, strictly corporate level, this should not happen. TCM is currently only available on cable (streaming-wise, no one associated with the channel has anything to do with that embarrassingly shallow hub on Max), and cable is speeding toward total obsolescence. Its 70% profit margin is evidently meaningless to Warner Bros Discovery. If Zaslav hadn't so shamelessly dampened Spielberg's backside over the years, TCM could've easily been shuttered last year.

According to a recent Hollywood Reporter article by Kim Masters, Zaslav underestimated the widespread industry love for TCM (even Ryan Reynolds leaped into the fray). But what jumped out to me in that piece is that he was most miffed that outsiders "were telling him how to run his business," which is not the sentiment of a chastened man. Indeed, that he's still holding firm on the decimation of TCM's staff — which, to give you a sense of the petty scope of this brouhaha, was hastened by a $3 million cut in the channel's budget — suggests that he's still determined to win this battle. And if that's all he wants, TCM is living on borrowed time.

You bought it, you honor it

Warner Bros

What's his endgame? My most charitable read is that he'd like to have a boutique outlet that flaunts his prestigious industry connections, e.g. Scorsese presents "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." This is where the directors he supposedly worships need, as gently as possible, to remind him that in acquiring WB, he became a steward of Hollywood history. Name-dropping a handful of black-and-white movies as evidence of his love for classic cinema won't get it done. Sitting at Jack Warner's desk is the emptiest of gestures if you're disinterested in sharing his studio's output with the public.

TCM is small potatoes financially, but, as a reflection of the company's dedication to the art that made it what it is today, it's invaluable. You re-staff, eat that $3 million, and declare the channel off-limits. You run it at a (presumably minuscule) loss if need be. If Zaslav does this one, culturally good thing, and once he pays his writers what they're worth, his legacy might not be a disaster in the long term (though I know the short term is where his CEO ilk lives). He also might actually earn the love he seeks from the directors he purports to adore (which will make it so much easier for De Luca and Abdy to lure Christopher Nolan back into the fold, not to mention build out the studio's stable of top-tier filmmakers).

This isn't easy in our fiercely risk-averse age. Because while it's no trick to make a lot of money, it takes vision and fearlessness to make a lot of good movies. It is, however, financially feasible to show a lot of great movies 24/7 on TCM. 

Probably costs less than a summer of fine dining in the Hamptons — and, uh, which card are we using out there, David? Because that's an easy snip..."

Zaslav & Crew are deliberately killing 1000s of Hollywood jobs to hurt the economy and Zaslav gets rewarded with an Academy of Motion Pictures membership.

Academy officers[69]

President – Janet Yang

Vice president – Teri E. Dorman

Vice president / Secretary – Donna Gigliotti

Vice president – Lynette Howell Taylor

Vice president – Larry Karaszewski

Vice president / Treasurer – David Linde

Vice president – Isis Mussenden

Vice president – Kim Taylor-Coleman

Vice president – Wynn P. Thomas

Chief executive officer – Bill Kramer

Governors[69]

Actors Branch – Whoopi Goldberg, Marlee Matlin, Rita Wilson

Casting Directors Branch – Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Debra Zane

Cinematographers Branch – Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron, Mandy Walker

Costume Designers Branch – Ruth E. Carter, Eduardo Castro, Isis Mussenden

Directors Branch – Susanne Bier, Ava DuVernay, Jason Reitman

Documentary Branch – Kate Amend, Chris Hegedus, Jean Tsien

Executives Branch – Pam Abdy, Donna Gigliotti, David Linde

Film Editors Branch – Nancy Richardson, Stephen E. Rivkin, Terilyn A. Shropshire

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch – Howard Berger, Bill Corso, Linda Flowers

Marketing and Public Relations Branch – Megan Colligan, Laura Kim, Christina Kounelias

Music Branch – Lesley Barber, Charles Bernstein, Charles Fox

Producers Branch – Jason Blum, Lynette Howell Taylor, Jennifer Todd

Production Design Branch – Tom Duffield, Missy Parker, Wynn P. Thomas

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch – Bonnie Arnold, Jon Bloom, Marlon West

Sound Branch – Gary C. Bourgeois, Peter J. Devlin, Teri E. Dorman

Visual Effects Branch – Rob Bredow, Brooke Breton, Paul Debevec

Writers Branch – Larry Karaszewski, Howard A. Rodman, Eric Roth

Governors-at-large[29] (nominated by the President and elected by the board) – DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García, Janet Yang

[merrysithmas]

just putting it out there that im mad at these beatles movies for being revisionist and not gay enough 3 years in advance btw, calling dibs

[lemememeringue]

there's a popular post going round dunking on homeschooling (fair) but I can never get 100% behind abolishing homeschooling bc like, , the whole reason we were homeschooled was bc the racism was so bad my older sister had to be pulled out of kindergarten.

[galmiahthepigeon]

Massive protest in Buenos Aires against severe budget cuts for free public universities. People sing "And now you see, and now you see, those who don't jump voted for Milei".

[ravensmadreads]

Ok so hear me out…what if there was a gym au with all the boys…🤔

You meet Joel in the weights section. He helps you with your form and then helps you with your aches afterwards 🤭

Javi P is a cardio king, he’s gotta be able to run after all. You meet him at the treadmills but he has a better suggestion for some cardio you can do together 🫠

Dieter is in a dance or aerobics class. He’s good with a rhythm, and it always boosts his serotonin. He takes you out dancing afterwards and we know where that leads 😌

Ezra is doing yoga. He loves the stretch. He helps you perfect your downward facing dog form 😏

I can’t think of any other boys rn but…what if…what if I’ve been thinking too much about this…what if I opened a new doc…

GIDEON?!?!?!?!

*raven.exe has stopped working*

I'M DEAD???

Me @ this:

Okokok so hold on lemme catch up with your big beautiful brain!!

Joel is DEFINITELY weights. He's hovering behind you, acting as your spotter, and then he puts his gigantic warm hands all over you: "correcting your form darlin' ". he chats a mile a dozen about his girls as he distracts you while you wheeze your way through the last set! he blushes all the way to the tips of his ears trying to ask you out before he absolutely destroys your 🐈 in the car???

Omg YOU DID NOT JUST BRING SWEATY JAVI P INTO THIS IM CRYINGGGGGGGGG. I WILL DO CARDIO WITH HIM ANY DAY !! (Idk if i can keep up but i bet he can make me 😉😉) ok but he gets on the elliptical with that tight butt and he definitely catches you staring SHAMELESSLY.

Oooooh but you're so right about Dieter?? You know those Zumba or pole dancing classes??? YEP THAT'S WHERE DIETER IS. the man can move his hips!! He will absolutely one hundred percent give u a lap dance. Idec that im so far off your idea rn i just want his sweaty curls on top of me.

I haven't really dipped my toe in the Ezra fandom yet, but that blonde streak of hair is very distracting. And that voice 🥵🥵🥵 yes please bend me in a pretzel sir 🫠🫠🫠

What if you opened the google doc... what if i wrapped u in a blanket burrito and made out with you (with consent ofc)... what if i fed u snacks... what if i proposed marriage..

[liquidstar]

I have abs not from working out but from coughing so much all the time for like a decade that I might as well have been doing crunches

[bunnieswithknives]

As an avid D&D player and DM, I love this magic system you've created so much- bc it means that necromancy exists like it does in D&D, but because David is David (TM), he just goes "yeah, but yk what would make this better? Puppets." and just is flying by the seat of his pants trying to create a fusion of DIY crafts and reanimation. he even could be inadvertendly creating an entirely new form of magic while messing around with the Book and his puppetry, but no one will ever know bc he just wants to play around with his little flesh puppets instead of, idk, sitting down and writing an actual grimoire/codex on it and i love him so much for that <3

Really tho!! This is the closest anyone has ever come come to actual reanimation in this universe, not just souless zombies or possessed lamps, real breathing creatures with the souls of people and working innards to back it up! And he's not even writing it down!

[melontoyo]

fav Onmyoji character and why?🤔

*cracks knuckles* Alright, you got me with this ask.

1. Asura Objectively, the number one favorite. You cannot separate his character or his story from Taishakuten, but in the end I guess it's natural to become very attached to the hero of a specific story, (a double hero story of a hero and an anti-hero, who switch roles halfway through), especially if they're so, so wonderfully fucked up. Asura (and when I speak of him, it applies to Taishakuten too, since neither character would be who they are without the other) is the deepest, most fleshed-out, most complicated and unique character in the entire game. His story and characterization and the accompanying media is so incredibly well produced, it can easily compete (and beat) other highly acclaimed stories out there. To think this was made, as essentially promo material, for a free-to-play mainland Chinese gacha game is absolutely NUTS. Yes I will praise this story and its production level to the stars because it irreversibly changed me. To me, this is the problematic, dramatic, queer love story. You know how Asura tells Taishakuten how meeting him was as if finally finding the thing he had been searching for all his life. This is me with this story, and this character. What I love is how he's so deeply complicated and inherently flawed, that even with the "good end" he chose for himself, his internal conflict is never resolved. He's someone who fights for genuine justice, someone who is genuinely caring, someone who's deep down insecure about himself, about opening himself up, trusting others, someone who wants to live a simple life and enjoy the little things. But he also genuinely enjoys committing mass murder, sadistic torture, he's rash and impulsive, he's someone who naturally chooses cruel means to an end. He swore to never kill again, to go against the very core of him, lock himself up and seal his own powers. And yet the first thing he does upon returning to the world of peace he made possible... is to murder without a second thought. And it's not a plot hole, it's a feature. Even when he's sane, he "learned" to deal with his own trauma in a completely unhealthy way, possibly as self punishment. This is obvious by how he's so loving and caring when dealing with Taishakuten's trauma.... Also I just want to add one thing. I'm glad I'm somehow able to gleefully ignore the fandom at large because, sorry, they don't get it. I'm tired of seeing nothing but fans taking everything interesting away from this story and washing it down to "uwu cute domestic boyfriends". Like heck no, these characters are so good because they are made to be incredibly fucked up.

2. Orochi Tough choice... but it's Orochi, the reason why I started playing this game. Again, a character who's absolutely delicious to rotate around in my brain like a rotisserie chicken because he's so complicated and so inherently flawed, and yet so right at the same time. Imho, he's an amazing antagonist and again, I very much distance myself from the fandom wo won't shut up about "snake eating books". Because both due to the nature of the game and its subsequent production approach, and because of its target audience, which is very much young adults despite the 8+ rating, where I don't even understand how they achieved this rating with all the outright graphic violence, drug abuse, and 900 dollar "micro" transactions etc, the story won't be explained and presented to you on a silver plate. You're supposed to come up with your own interpretation for certain parts, and it's exactly why stories for adult audiences are so enjoyable, for me anyway. Something that is a major contributing factor to me loving Orochi so much is Miyano Mamoru's voice acting which is absolutely insane. Not sure how the director instructed him, or how much they pay him, but basically he sounds like on the verge of an orgasm the entire goddamn time with the way how he deeply savors each word on his tongue before speaking it, and it's so incredibly fitting. Maybe Miyano Mamoru understands Orochi better than the writers themselves, who knows... Regardless, the way how Orochi's character and personality is so perfectly portrayed through the voice acting is heavenly. His voice is like sickly sweet, thick, honey, innocent and nonchalant, yet dominating and bewitching. I mean. You can just hear for yourself. (Note, it's best if you can understand Japanese because the official English translations unfortunately suck.)

3. Suzuka Wait, an actually good-aligned character??? Anyway, Suzuka is a wonderful take on the "big sister" archetype. She is big-hearted, kind, accepting, strong, determined, and has a great sense of responsibility. But she ends up being too trusting in others, in the way that she believes others are just as strong as her to fend for themselves, which ends up literally devastating her entire found family and the place they called home, literally killing her most important person in body and mind, her found brother. And yet, she's so strong to be able to not give up, to accept all the pain, to heal and to rebuild what they have lost. Also, as someone with the best big sister in the world, her character just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. She's wonderful.

And as a bonus, here's a selection of other favs in no particular order, because hell, in the end it's a waifu collection game and there's bound to be a lot of favs for varying reasons.

Enma, because I'm not immune to bewitching milfs, and her design is one of the absolute best in the entire game.

Tsukuyomi, because they're so sad and wonderfully questionable, also actually canon non-binary.

Onikiri. Groomed to be fucked up, and yet after regaining his free will, he willingly steps back into that path, because it's what he inherently craves. So delicious.

Garuda, my favorite disaster bi bird and Asura's pet dog. Probably one of the "normalest" and ironically most likeable characters. He's a bit conceited, strong and actually.... smart. And smart in the way that he knows his place, knows his limits and won't try things out of his league. And yet he can't help his smugness and want to test the waters... but he's a survivor still : ^)

And honorary mention to my fav hairy braindead bimbo slut, Kamikui. Yep I love them very dearly, and they're also carried by incredible voice acting.

[tomaspriestley]

THE LEIRY CONSPIRACY AUGUST 2024, Vol 9, Iss 3.

[merpisi]

my opinion that nobody asked for, tldr at end:

the bit was absolutely fuckin hilarious. for like the first 30 minutes. then the major wtf dude like this is funny and all but i was told that it was gonna be hlvrai2. and like. wtf dude. kinda like dick move there but its whatever.

another thing, i saw a bunch of fictives and shit in chat pre-stream and i was like “WOOOOO YAY !!!! HYPE !!MY FELLOW BENRYS!!!!” and gir (at least i think it was gir i dont remember shit man) made a joke saying like “delaying stream cause i saw the word fictive.” and i was kinda like what the FUCK dude????? like obv a joke and shit but what the fuck????? sorry for existing idfk????? i did not get so damn traumatized for that shit man.

dont be a dick to gir btw. (im pretty damn sure it was him but i didnt get a screenshot) honestly hosty boy was more upset about it than me lol. and i don’t expect people to understand fictives. and having some rando being all like “ya no i AM this character you created actually” sounds pretty fuckin weird!!!! but like that in combination with the bate and switch was like, “holy shit they do not give too shits about us” kinda feels yk? prtty irrational and entitled feels ik, but that what feeling are dipshit it came free with your fuckin consciousness bro

tldr; bbvrai was a great joke with bad execution, not mad bout dat rlly. but also gir was accidentally ableist (emphasis on accidentally, dont be a dick)

VERY IMPORTANT EDIT THE MOST IMPORTANT EDIT EVER: it was baaulp not gir i fucked up reblog this version PLEASE

[sincerely-sofie]

I'm currently figuring out all the logistics of taking commissions... This stuff is INTENSE y'all.

I'm mainly considering making sets of Discord emotes, piecing together headshots / profile pics, designing stickers, or drawing singular Pokemon OCs with simple backgrounds right now. Nothing very intensive, and I definitely wouldn't have many commission slots open at a time, but OHHHH man is it intimidating. Speaking of...

It’s poll time, babey!!!!!

Some examples of my artwork:

[rabarbarzcukrem]

The most unrealistic thing about Jeeves and Wooster is that Jeeves is apparently in a romantic relationship with a woman

[sibyl-of-space]

IT'S READY!!!!!

This is the trailer for the game I have been solo developing, the demo of which will be out at the end of this month! It is greatly inspired by the visual novel Umineko When They Cry and the Professor Layton series. It will go live on itch: arcanaxix.itch.io

I have made this game with a lot of help and assistance from others, but it is by and large a game by me. I drew all of the art assets, wrote and produced all of the music, scripted all of the mechanics, and implemented everything. I'm so proud of how it's coming and really excited to share it with the world.

After the demo is live I will continue working on Amadeus and building toward a full game to be released episodically on Steam. For now, though... please look forward to this! And if you play it, tell me what you think! (And use the hashtag #AmadeusGame on whatever social media so I can see that you did!)

Thanks to Jay Lee (marimba) and Lucas Bere (clarinet) for performing parts used in my score for this game.

[lemonlightt]

HELLO CJ TUMBLR

have my awful drawing of mind .

to me he is a greying old man with shitty patchy facial hair and terrible posture and so much depression. it is fitting, i think

ignore the pose btw. i don't know what to do with hands or arms. ever. in my life. especially the right one! references DO NOT HELP. unfortunately.

please enjoy :P i did my best.

NOBODY LAUGH AT ME. ILL CRY. SERIOUSLY. HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPP okay. dont get cancelled dont get cancelled dont get cancelled. HELP

PERHAPS I WILL COLOUR AND UPLOAD A COLOURED VERSION? IF I DO NOT GET MOBBED OFF TUMBLR?!?!?!?!

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts Math Suite: Creature Roundup - [Full Gameplay] ||PBS Kids Ga...

A web-server has been created in which PBS Kids flash games from 2015 can be playable on one's computer. The link to install that server is in the description of the video.

Through this, I have been able to play the Wild Kratts Math Suite, Creature Roundup. Albeit incomplete due to some assets currently being lost media (i.e. Flower Flyer), but I was able to finish the game for the first time since 2017. And now, on the weekend of Chris Kratt's birthday, I've uploaded a gameplay of it with my customized Avatar and Creature Power Disc's.

Enjoy!

[jhsharman]

Smack Smack

They do fix the color for Betty's sleeve in the second panel. I guess.

At least we now know it is not just a one sleeve shirt in that panel. And this second one. One is shorter than the other, though.