#Bryan K. Adams

[supercalifragipopculturevomit]

WHO'D YOU RATHER?: 100 MALE ACTORS EDITION

A game I often spring on friends who are as obsessed with pop culture as I am is Who'd You Rather?. The terms are loose and we usually do it as a progression (so your last choice is often pitted against a new one). It's light fun but my diabolical goal is usually to torture someone with a choice of nearly equal weight (like I did to myself with the first two selections).

Sharing this here in case anyone would like to join in 😊 My own picks are in bold. If anyone has a round or two for me, feel free to add it in the comment section.

Daniel Brühl vs Benedict Cumberbatch

Cillian Murphy vs Rami Malek

Gael García Bernal vs Diego Luna

Pedro Pascal vs Oscar Isaac

Riz Ahmed vs Dev Patel

John Cusack vs Ethan Hawke

Hugh Grant vs Jude Law

James McAvoy vs Tom Hiddleston

Michael Fassbender vs Tom Hardy

Matthew Goode vs Dan Stevens

Edward Norton vs Sam Rockwell

Brad Pitt vs Colin Farrell

Keanu Reeves vs David Tennant

Matt Smith vs Hugh Dancy

Adam Driver vs Jake Gyllenhaal

Robert Pattinson vs Jamie Dornan

Regé-Jean Page vs Jonathan Bailey

Michael Cera vs Jesse Eisenberg

Andrew Garfield vs Nicholas Hoult

Matt Bomer vs Andrew Scott

Bill Hader vs Paul Rudd

John Mulaney vs Ramy Yousef

Jason Sudeikis vs John Krasinski

Zachery Levi vs Adam Brody

Paul Dano vs Barry Keoghan

Steven Yeun vs Henry Golding

Domhnall Gleeson vs Ben Whishaw

Elijah Wood vs Daniel Radcliffe

Ryan Gosling vs Ryan Reynolds

Hugh Jackman vs Ewan McGregor

Timothée Chalamet vs Tom Holland

Paul Mescal vs Josh O'Connor

Jeremy Allen White vs Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Shia LaBeouf vs Miles Teller

Mike Faist vs Dane DeHaan

Kingsley Ben-Adir vs Daryl McCormack

Mads Mikkelsen vs James Spader

Robert Downey Jr. vs Tom Cruise

Matt Damon vs Mark Ruffalo

Idris Elba vs Michael B. Jordan

Jeremy Renner vs Bradley Cooper

Henry Cavill vs Chris Hemsworth

Chris Evans vs Sebastian Stan

Alexander Skarsgård vs Bill Skarsgård

Austin Butler vs Jacob Elordi

Mahershala Ali vs Sterling K. Brown

Mark Strong vs Stanley Tucci

Steve Carell vs Bob Odenkirk

Michael Shannon vs Bryan Cranston

Joaquin Phoenix vs Christian Bale

[kpchrs]

Thanks, Lenore! @lenorelovesmax

Rule: you must pick a song for each letter in your username

k - Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Guns N' Roses

p - Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2

c - Crawling by Linkin Park

h - Heaven by Bryan Adams

r - Rooster by Alice in Chains

s - Seize the Day by Avenged Sevenfold

im tagging people who have long usernames: @megala-theia-praxidike, @burntblueberrywaffles, @its-tea-time-darling, @lorcandidlucienwill

[psychicequalizer]

tagged by @fasteddiesstrat to spell out my URL with song titles

J - johnny silvers by dogs d'amour U - unpunishable by ethel cain N - neon eyes by morgan wallen K- king of oklahoma by jason isbell & the 400 unit Y - yesterday by lil peep A - adam & eve by lost hearts R - radio by giuffria D - down payment blues by ac/dc R - rebel to rebel by .38 special O - old farm drive by gavin adcock M - me and mine by zach bryan E - east bound and down by jerry reed O - one in a million by guns n roses

tagging @lonelyplanetfag @slavet0thegrind and @jwowwsboobs

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New Video: Joel Grey and Eddie Redmayne Talk CABARET and The 'Emcee' Legacy

Last night, the company and audience of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

By: A.A. CristiApr. 12, 2024, Broadway World.

Last night, the company of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club wilkommened some very special guests to their immersive nightclub home!

Eddie Redmayne currently in previews as the ‘Emcee’ in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

In the video Grey, who won Tony and Academy Awards for originating the role of the Emcee, reacts to the immersive new production now in previews on Broadway and its star Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne described the feeling of performing for Grey and the show's composer, John Kander as "extraordinary, horrendously intimidating, as well, but joyful," and revealed a special moment he shared with the star during the performance.

Grey, who originated the role of the ‘Emcee’ on Broadway in 1966 and went on to star in the beloved film of Cabaret, took the stage as the entire cast, band, and creative team sang “Happy Birthday” while a custom cake, shaped like a giant pineapple, emerged from the stage.

During his speech honoring Grey, Eddie Redmayne said, “Tonight is an extraordinarily special night for us because we are in the presence of an extraordinary human being without whom none of us would be here.” After thunderous applause, Redmayne continued “Your performance in this part changed my life and it was one of the things that made me want to be an actor.”

The cast and Grey were also joined on stage by Cabaret composer John Kander.

Alongside Joel’s daughter Jennifer Grey and Kander, a star-studded crowd came out to fete the theater icon including Anderson Cooper, Candice Bergen, Jackie Hoffman, Jane Krakowski, Lin-Manuel Miranda, David Rockwell, and more. They were joined by numerous alum of Cabaret spanning the decades including Maude Apatow (Sally Bowles in London, 2023), Madeline Brewer (Sally Bowles in London, 2022), Joely Fisher (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2000), Gina Gershon (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001), Mason Alexander Park (Emcee in London, 2023), Adam Pascal (Emcee on Broadway, 2003), Molly Ringwald (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2002), Jake Shears (Emcee in London, 2023), and Brooke Shields (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001).

About CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is now in previews on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). The production, directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall and designed by Tony Award nominee and Evening Standard Award® winner Tom Scutt, will have decadent twin opening night gala celebrations starting Saturday, April 20 and continuing into the following night, with the official press opening on Sunday, April 21. Tickets are on sale now at www.kitkat.club or via Seat Geek HERE.

In addition to Redmayne, Cabaret also stars Gayle Rankin as the toast of Mayfair ‘Sally Bowles, two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth as ‘Fraulein Schneider,’ Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as ‘Clifford Bradshaw,’ Obie Award winner and Drama Desk Award® nominee Steven Skybell as ‘Herr Schultz,’ Henry Gottfried as ‘Ernst Ludwig,’ and three-time Helen Hayes Award winner Natascia Diaz as ‘Fritzie/Kost.’

The cast of Cabaret includes Gabi Campo as ‘Frenchie,’ Ayla Ciccone-Burton as ‘Helga,’ Colin Cunliffe as ‘Hans,’ Marty Lauter as ‘Victor,’ Loren Lester as‘Herman/Max,’ David Merino as ‘Lulu,’ Julian Ramos as ‘Bobby,’ MiMi Scardulla as ‘Texas,’ and Paige Smallwood as ‘Rosie.’ Swings include Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Karl Skyler Urban.

The Prologue Company, the dancers and musicians that welcome audiences to the club, feature dancers Alaïa, Iron Bryan, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair and swings Ida Saki and Spencer James Weidie. The musicians of the Prologue are Brian Russell Carey (piano & bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Maeve Stier (accordion), and Michael Winograd (clarinet).

For this production of Cabaret, the creative team have transformed the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with an in-the-round auditorium and custom spaces which guests will be invited to explore during the Prologue, the production’s pre-show entertainment. After purchasing tickets, guests will receive a “club entry time��� to allow them to take in the world of the club before the show starts.

Patrons can upgrade their experience at the Kit Kat Club with exclusive dining or drinks packages that allow them to soak up the pre-show atmosphere. These various upgrades offer unparalleled service and unique experiences in the heart of the Kit Kat Club. Drinks can be enjoyed before and during the show, while food will be cleared shortly before the performance begins, ensuring uninterrupted and unmissable views of Cabaret. For a complete menu and more information on the upgrade packages, please visit www.kitkat.club/upgrade.

[lightsonparkave]

The past is where we come from. The past shapes who we are today. The past is both immutable and malleable; it is set in stone and what we make of it.

The theme for Lights on Park Ave Round 50 is the past. As a reminder, each round will now be two months long, at least for the time being.

Here are the prompts:

Theodore reflecting on his relationship with Catherine in Spike Jonze's Her

A quote about being on good terms with your past selves from Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

"I Am Running into a New Year" - Lucille Clifton

Haesung asking his married childhood sweetheart Nayoung who she thinks they are to each other in the next life in Celine Song's Past Lives

A gifset of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park

Dialogue from Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express about wishing memories could be stored without expiration

Photos of male couples from Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s–1950s collected by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell

A prompt about choosing three things to remember about your current life if you get to start your life over

bell hooks's explanation that you're only able to love and be loved after coming to terms with your past love

Amelia K.'s analysis of Lot's wife's decision to look back in “I: Vision - Eurydice, Mangan’s Sister, & Lot’s Wife”

Rita and William going over the steps that she took in previous time loops to get through the invasion and Rita getting killed each time in Edge of Tomorrow

A photo of Penn Station in 1926 by Drahomir Josef Ružicka

"Yesterday" - The Beatles

Tony instructing Scott to give his alt 2012 self a heart attack in Endgame

Dialogue about not knowing how much of your idea of a past relationship is real from Jonás Trueba's La virgen de agosto

Heedo and Yijin letting each other go by expressing gratitude for each other as friends and first loves and the way they helped each other grow as people in Twenty-Five Twenty-One

A quote from The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid about loving her father only after his death

A manual on dining and wining in 1934 New York

"Summer of '69" - Bryan Adams

Meta about Succession's title sequence and what it says about the construction and mystery of the past and how it haunts the present

Roman's refusal to think about his relationship with his father growing up and Shiv's denial about her father's abuse in Succession

Round 50 will end on December 31, 11:59 PM ET (what time is that for me?).

As always, you’re free to jump in whenever you’d like during the round, a wide variety of work types is accepted, and there are no minimum work requirements. Unfinished works and works for other fandom events are allowed. You can find more information about Lights on Park Ave and the participation guidelines here.

[book4air]

Social Media: https://linktr.ee/book4air

Showrunners: Ryoma Ishizuka Lucía Lobosvilla Based on "The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story" by David Roman & Alison Wilgus Published by Del Rey Manga Illustrated by Nina Matsumoto Additional Art Taylor Sameyah Kamen Randall Additional Writing Lucía Lobosvilla Voice Directors: Lucía Lobosvilla Anthony Rodriguez Composers: James A. Reilly Aneesh Kashalikar Ty Porter Head Audio Engineer/Mixing Engineer: Ryoma Ishizuka Assistant Head Audio Engineer: Sam Gabriel Line Placement: Grant Corvin Sam Gabriel Xuan Vinh Huynh Valravn Mixing Engineers: Luca Nando The TVBunny Mastering: Kim Morton Video Editors: TheRealizer367 (Walter Vitola) Astrid EV Curtis Creates Stuff Hazco Fox Ryoma Ishizuka Special Thanks: Book 4 Restoration Project Team Dark Horse Comics Nickelodeon Gene Luen Yang Gurihiru Aaron Ehasz Bryan Konietzko Michael Dante DiMartino Dave Roman Kevin Coppa Baby Lion Turtle Subscribers and you! Voice Cast Zuko - Cade Watts Iroh - D. Tyler Fultz Azula - Lucia Lobosvilla Ozai - Jakob Dillon Fire Sage Shyuu - Justin Cabanting Head Fire Sage - Christian Sekhanan Extras (Walla) Howie K Mike Medina Brianna B Lucia Lobosvilla Jakob Dillon Maia Harlap Sam Gabriel Iris V Nate Roberts Carmilla Jo Jazzy Oliver Francisco Hernanadez Kauthar Harrak-Sharif James A. Reilly Adam New Sirach Deen

[ultra-nohai]

TRANCE VORTEX 11

The eleventh installment of the Trance Vortex series is finally out on YouTube! Featuring Roxvix, Barcode Brothers, Tokyo Ghetto Pussy, Ben Nicky, and Love, Inc.

TRACK LISTING:

CD1

——————————— 01 STARSPLASH Free 02 ALICE DEEJAY Celebrate Our Love 03 LOVE, INC. You're A Superstar (City Of Love Radio Mix) 04 SCAN The Sound Of The Earth 05 LADY VIOLET Inside To Outside 06 BARCODE BROTHERS Flute 07 THREE 'N ONE Sin City 08 BEN NICKY Adagio for Strings 09 AVACANDA Go! 10 S.P.Q.R. ft. LEA HEART Hypnotic State 11 ROXVIX Reality Check 12 RICHI M One Life to Live 13 RED 5 Da Bass 14 DJ JURGEN One Step Away 15 FUTURE BREEZE How Much Can You Take? 16 DJ QUICKSILVER Ameno 17 FLOORFILLA Anthem #5 (Enter the Arena) 18 DJ DEAN Kick Off

CD2

——————————— 01 TOKYO GHETTO PUSSY You Make Me Feel (Kai Tracid Mix) 02 THE TAMPERER ft MAYA Feel It 03 PLAYAHITTY The Summer Is Magic 04 IAN VAN DAHL I Can't Let You Go 05 CAMISRA Let Me Show You 06 KENNY "DOPE" presents THE BUCKETHEADS The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind) 07 REEL 2 REAL I Like to Move It 08 ARMAND VAN HELDEN You Don't Know Me 09 STRIKE U Sure Do '99 (Jono's Big Mix Edit) 10 PAUL OAKENFOLD Southern Sun (DJ Tiësto Edit) 11 KEY4050 & PLUMB I Love You 12 APOLLO BROTHERS One Of Us 13 SUNBEAM Outside World 14 REFLEKT ft. DELLINE BASS Need To Feel Loved (Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix) 15 DJ SAMMY The Boys of Summer 16 BRYAN KEARNEY & PLUMB All Over Again 17 LAMBDA Live Together 18 ATB ft. YORK The Fields of Love

[frozenmemories1987]

Another tag game @kallisto-k tagged me in

Rules: pick a song for each letter of your url and tag that many people

Free Falling - Tom Petty

Rescue Me - Bell Book and Candle

Ophelia - Fisher

Zombie - The Cranberries

Everything I do - Bryan Adams

Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinéad O'Connor

My Immortal - Evanescence

Everybody - Backstreet Boys

Mercy Street - Peter Gabriel

Occhi Profondi - Emma Marrone

Russian Roulette - Jack Savoretti

In the Arms of the Angel - Sara MacLachlan

Everywhere - Michelle Branch

Swan Dive - Sister Hazel

tagging @guggi04, @frostysfrenzy, @stormkpr, @telltaleclerk, @obscureenthusiast

@jencsi, @ilkkawhat, @lovingautumn, @chippdhearts

and everyone who wants to do it :D

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/07/2024 (Jimin, JADE, Eminem)

Once again, Sabrina Carpenter is at #1 - it’s the fourth non-consecutive week for “Please Please Please”. Otherwise, it’s a pretty fun, short week - possibly the first of quite a few this Summer - so welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, references to disability and bigotry towards wheelchair users

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, songs exiting the top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid farewell to not just all the football songs from last week bar “Dancing in the Dark”, all of which I feel like I don’t need to mention because they’re basically seasonal, but also a small selection of “Renaissance” by Eminem, “us.” by Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift and “CHIHIRO” by Billie Eilish. Where the chaos really shows up on this chart, however, is what actually stuck around.

So, occasionally, weeks happen on the UK Singles Chart where songs up above drop out or freefall thanks to their “chart ratio” changing to accelerated, which essentially crunches their real streaming numbers and can lead to the chart having a lot of movement in that week when they all coincidentally fall into this period. However, there’s not exactly an influx of new songs waiting for this to happen, and those bubbling under the top 75 haven’t gotten that much traction, so instead we have a bit of a bizarre week where new songs debut higher than they probably should and we have tons of notable gains and returns. As for the re-entries, this includes “Pick Up the Phone” by PAWSA featuring the late Nate Dogg at #74, “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay at #73, “Addicted” by Zerb, The Chainsmokers and Ink at #70, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Luke Combs at #68, “places to be” by Fred again.., Anderson .Paak and CHIKA at #54 and “the boy is mine” by Ariana Grande at #53. On the other hand, there are tons of boosts for a mixed bag that includes “Alibi” by Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult at #60, “I Love You, I’m Sorry” by Gracie Abrams at #58, “You & Me” by Disclosure featuring Eliza Doolittle at #57, “6 in the Morning” by Flex featuring the late Nate Dogg at #56, “Miles on It” by Kane Brown and Marshmello at #55, “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #52, “These Words” by Badger and Natasha Bedingfield at #51, “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan at #43, “Set My Heart on Fire” by Majestic, The Jammin Kid and Céline Dion at #40, “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan at #39, “Birds ij the Sky” by NewEra at #35, “misses” by Dominic Fike at #34, “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv and Malachiii at #25, “Happier” by The Blessed Madonna featuring Clementine Douglas at #24, “Red Wine Supernova” and “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan at #39 and #19, “Apple”and “360” by Charli xcx at #23 and #18, and finally, “Kisses” by BL3SS and CamrinWatson featuring bbyclose at #13. Phew.

The top five should look somewhat refreshed thanks to some ACR hits and some relatively newer hits rolling in. Firstly, we have Myles Smith at #5 with “Stargazing”, but a much more obviously new track is at #4, as Jimin debuts high with the track “Who”, which for those who don’t follow the charts as religiously or aren’t in the K-pop bubble are probably asking. He’s from BTS, we’ll have more on him later. At #3, which a lot of people will be very happy about, is Chappell Roan with “Good Luck, Babe!” whilst trailing behind Sabrina at #2 we get the similarly sapphic “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish. Of course, Sabrina’s still at the top, so let’s look at what ended up below to see if any of these new tracks are worth sticking around, though most of these have already planted themselves in the top 40 so it seems more than likely. As for what has yet to get there…

New Entries

#50 - “WILDFLOWER” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

The only debut we have for this episode that landed outside of the top 40 is actually a late entry for an album cut from Billie Eilish’s latest record, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which I admittedly don’t revisit very often despite really liking it on release. “WILDFLOWER” is around the middle of the album and hits especially hard after “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. In “WILDFLOWER”, Eilish comforts a woman she had seen experience a rough breakup but eventually forms a relationship with said ex-partner, though the morality of that is up to question and Eilish feels somewhat guilty about having those feelings. That line in the first verse, “I wasn’t there but I know”, is so essential because it frames Eilish as an outsider, who only really saw one part of that relationship during that period, and is now getting to experience what she would have when she was with this person. That extended closeness and vulnerability with her friend not only strengthened her bond with Eilish but also, in a twisted way, Eilish’s relationship with the ex-partner, and I think it actually seems up to interpretation whether this song is directly addressed to her partner who broke her friend’s heart or whether it may actually change perspectives, I think you could do a great deal of analysis there, and the constant use of changing pronouns, whilst clearly necessary for a personal song, make those feelings of guilt feel multiplied and caving in on Eilish. I love the distant indie folk guitars being at a dissonance with the clean, echoing vocals Eilish is known for, and that chorus is heartbreaking. Both the first and second verse start with common post-breakup platitudes that make it appear as if Eilish is attempting to float these feelings off as meaningless, but that image of her is implanted whenever Eilish spends time with her new partner, even adding details about her clothing that make this feel incredibly real. That whispering bridge wherein she pits the love they now feel and how this partner has no intent to hurt her with the knowledge that they very much did hurt someone who is incredibly close to her at a vulnerable moment is honestly both a rough listen and read, it’s a resoundingly effective track about complex subject matter that should feel wordy and difficult to put into song but the Eilish siblings have made so loose and concise by evoking the most instinctual thoughts and feelings as the most constant, giving it a really overwhelming feel. This is the first of two absolutely fantastic songs debuting this week, and is definitely the more respectable opinion I have as, surprisingly enough, those two songs are consecutive. Oh, dear.

#38 - “Brand New Dance” - Eminem

Produced by Eminem and Luis Resto

Sigh, this won’t earn me any friends in the disabled community. Okay, so I’ve been vocal - especially recently - about my love for the silly, obnoxious and frankly confusing 2004 album from Eminem, Encore, and 20 years later, Em has released an album that not only resembles that album but features a song intended for release on it. The Death of Slim Shady, which I have discussed in-depth for the past two weeks here, uses some older vocal recordings to help it feel like Slim Shady, the one Em fans grew up with, is still rapping, and they use a lot of filtering and layering between the two voices to not just make the mix sound grainy and confused - which could be intentional or not, I have no idea - but also emphasise the album’s concept that Em and Slim are competing for room in Marshall’s head and will flash in and out of rapping in one personality or the other. “Brand New Dance” is a Slim Shady-led song that features basically no involvement from a sane Marshall, and is pre-empted by the track “Trouble”, where you hear the two struggling and insulting each other for 40 seconds, as Slim forces Em to down some pills and start making fun of quadriplegics, specifically one that any Eminem fan will be very familiar with: Christopher Reeve, or “Reeves” as Shady often says for the sake of the rhyme. Throughout his wilder moments, Reeve, an actor who played Superman before moving to activism as the result of being involved in an equestrian accident that leaves him in a wheelchair, is mentioned by Eminem, and this is especially true for Encore, including my favourite ever track from him, “Rain Man”, which basically has an entire verse explaining Shady’s love for Superman being torn away when he saw that he was disabled, and he feels guilty about it. Early tracklists for Encore including a song called “Christopher Reeves”, which was then taken off due to the actor’s passing that same year. 20 years later, here it is.

Under the possession of Slim Shady, a largely unaltered recording from 2004 plays, newly entitled “Brand New Dance”, which uses horse neighing and clopping in the beat and functions as a diss track to Reeve, by way of creating a dance fad that involves re-enacting the accident and pretending to be disabled, instructing his audience to “do the Christopher Reeves”. Jesus Christ. When I frame it like that, it seems awful, and given the fact that he’s been dead for nearly two decades now, it still is awful but there’s something so interesting to fixating on Reeve, much like the way he fixates on Caitlyn Jenner for the rest of the album. They’re irrelevant figures known arguably for things outside of their control rather than their careers, becoming easy targets for Slim Shady and demonstrating just how washed the guy is, and hence why he needs to die. In album context, hearing this bizarre beat that mixes the horse sounds with similarly flittery percussive sounds to those used in “My 1st Single” and obnoxious synth buzz, alongside some choral vocals, after a few tracks of semi-serious horror-themed production, does a great job at separating Shady from Em but also takes you by surprise. I know on first listen that I was basically dumbfounded to why and how this was included, and didn’t really understand fully until he literally explains half the album later on “Guilty Conscience 2” that it was recorded back in 2004, with this song and basically all of the album acting as a set-up for the useless, nonsensical and still remarkably offensive punchline that Christopher Reeve ruined the song for Em by dying so he had to take it off. That idea becomes even more egregious when Em talks more solemnly about his death and how it will affect his daughters just a few tracks later, and it may exemplify what I like most about this mixed bag of an album: it commits to the bit, not fully, but chaotically and almost improvisationally, just coming up with ways to one-up the recurring theme of Slim Shady being this shell of a man who echoes Fox News talking points.

As for the song itself, well, it’s incredibly offensive but the weird beat is hilarious and actually very catchy, and Em’s drug-addled, slurring delivery from the early 2000s is my favourite kind of vocal performance from him, making a lot of his multisyllabic rhymes end up a lot smoother to the ear as well as covering up some of the less discretely strange lines. I love how Eminem hasn’t just replaced outdated references with a new vocal take that somehow sounds even worse than 2004, but he’s re-recorded both entire lines and small fragments of bars for seemingly no reason, just to show that the “sane” Em is still in there somewhere. The back and forth between a multi-tracked cartoon voice and a frail sing-songy delivery that almost sounds like AI on the chorus is an inspired idea that places it firmly in the dance fad song canon, and in the second verse, he somehow rhymes several syllables of a line with a bunch of garbled onomatopoeia (more on that in a second). I love the “grand mal seizure” / “grandma, tease her” scheme, and the conceit of those lines is even funnier - next time you see grandma, surprise her and make her feel at home by doing the Christopher Reeves and showing up in a wheelchair. The bridge, where a new melodic vocal from Em is slotted, has been in my head for weeks, and is just the cherry on top of an unnecessarily hateful cake. He comes back, 20 years later, to record a new bridge for an already terribly offensive song, and in that bridge, he basically dedicates the song to Reeve as if this is granting his family any solace, whilst also dissing the guy for literally being deceased, like he’s somehow in control of that. “This is my Chris anthem, I’m giving Chris Reeves his chrysanthemums”. What did he ever do to you, Em?!

The new outro the song closes off with is mostly just him waking up from the Slim Shady nightmare as well as him bringing back the electrolarynx voice from Encore which I just have to be appreciate, even if he’s going to use it to sound vaguely like Stephen Hawking and speak from the perspective of Reeve which is just ridiculous levels of hating. I almost wish he took it back to when he used it not to diss Michael Jackson but complain about what surgery supposedly did to him - he doesn’t hate Michael, but he hates plastic surgeons and hopes they all fucking die. In this song, he’s only annoyed that Christopher Reeve(s) died because it hurts his own product he’s set to release, and ultimately put this out as a sarcastic “tribute” which is just sick, man. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like his family has been quoted to have been offended or anything of the sort but there’s a certain audacity to this song that simultaneously makes me shake my head in denial and also force myself to recognise that this is a throwback to my absolute favourite era of Eminem, with absolutely all the tropes I love about it. It’s one of my favourite top 40 hits of the entire year and God, I wish it wasn’t.

#30 - “Chk Chk Boom” - Stray Kids

Produced by BANG CHAN, DallasK, Chae Kang Hae and RESTART

So Stray Kids are a K-pop boy band that I reviewed once before and somehow enjoyed despite all the chaos and confusion that their previous hit, “LALALALA”, led me down, but now we have a similarly monosyllabic and this time, onomatopoeic song that grants them their first ever top 40 entry, primarily because a lot of what’s above it somewhat crumbled. I have no idea what to expect from K-pop when it comes from less commercialised and Americanised acts (the BTS guys and BLACKPINK girls come to mind), as what they often end up releasing is an amalgamation of western trends in a bilingual mess that places cringeworthy lyrics in the mouths of a wide variety of singers all bundled in the same group, and this is the case even within BTS, though they’ve been smoother with it as long as they’ve been charting in the UK. As for whether my assumptions were correct, this is utter madness encapsulated into two and a half minutes because not even K-pop, which already likes to switch the production up several times within one song, is going to allow for a song to reach three minutes nowadays. We start with this chiptune-like synth that is already flubbery and gross before the boys invade with their explosion sound effects and a rap that honestly is not terrible flow-wise, and they sound much more comfortable in their own language. The industrial drums are honestly kind of sick, especially with that vocal fragment hidden in the percussion, and I wish the pre-chorus didn’t completely override that with a reggaeton rhythm and overproduced swell because it takes some of the impact away, especially when the chorus is so stilted and staccato. One of the track’s producers is actually the oldest band member, BANG CHAN, and he sounds the most confident on the mic, especially in English, I kind of want to hear the foundation of this beat with him delivering some verses. Otherwise, I’m somewhat disappointed this doesn’t go for something utterly insane like a drum and bass bridge, metalcore breakdown or phonk cowbells being introduced in the final chprus for no reason, but it still has the endearing madness of a lot of non-BTS K-pop, which I can always appreciate as a character trait despite it rarely ever being all too listenable.

#7 - “Angel of My Dreams” - JADE

Produced by Mike Sabath

Finally, we have the full round of all four Little Mix solo debuts, and it’s genuinely been pretty interesting, and a lot of the time, assuring, to see how the former quartet has sought to define themselves as singers. Sadly, not much has lasted from these acts in general, which is a shame since I’ve loved material from Leigh-Anne and Perrie, but here, we have Jade Thirlwall’s solo effort, and it makes complete sense that she would end up collaborating with one of RAYE’s producers, Mike Sabath, as this honestly has a similar dynamic, theatrical approach written all over it. That’s not to say that it’s a rip-off or that the sonic palate is all that similar, but the flipping of a sample on its head, the disparate beat switches, the commentary on the popular music industry and the heavy focus on impressive vocal layering, all contributes to a song that RAYE could have been involved in, and to be completely honest, Thirlwall fails to develop much of a unique personality, at least in this one song, instead acting as what sounds like a fusion of a multitude of pop stars, which actually makes perfect sense for the content. The sample in the beginning of the track is a lovelorn snippet from “Puppet on a String”, which Sandie Shaw not only took to #1 but made the first of five wins for the UK at Eurovision all the way back in 1967 in Vienna. The usage of this sample, according to JADE herself, is to play on the trope of the pop singer as a puppet and to demonstrate how that can be simultaneously true and untrue, with the rest of the track and its driving electro synths pouncing on the tension that exists between an act, fame and the fans in particular, to who JADE has a love-hate relationship with, and this is where the Madonna-like vocal inflections start to make sense thematically too considering her surprisingly meta output over the years. I do wish the song did a bit more with the sample to play into the theme more, or actually made that cyclical structure feel like it mattered: the overwhelming bass thrust of the mid-section is clearly supposed to play a contrast against the slower freedom of the R&B-inspired intro and outro, but lyrically, the song remains in the same tone and narrative place for its entire runtime, so it doesn’t feel nearly as cathartic to have that book-end as much as it should.

Regardless, I still think the song is maybe not the most impressive of the Little Mix solo debuts, or at least the one not closest to my taste, but definitely the clearest and most cinematic statement of them, whilst Perrie and Leigh-Anne played it slightly safe, and Jesy… well, we don’t need to talk about that. In regards to how this will stick around, or if Thirlwall will see more solo success, I actually think both the dynamics of this sonically and the more thought-through, daring presentation of how the song is written, grant her a lot more potential than the others, who mostly just stuck to what their strengths always were. She may have taken the longest but she may be the one from Little Mix to make it the furthest or the longest if she keeps up the quality and intrigue this consistently, even if I’m not as over the Moon about this as I want to be. I can tell she has the ability to make something I really love, and the fact that she didn’t come out with it nearly immediately like the other two actually gives me some hope that she’ll have more longevity.

#4 - “Who” - Jimin

Produced by Jon Bellion, Pete Nappi, Tenroc, Pdogg and GHSTLOOP

Man, I wish I could enjoy BTS output more, but a few solo releases ago, outside of those kept more to hip hop and R&B like RM and j-hope, what ends up charting from these guys ends up being the most sugary and watered-down simulation of western pop possible. The fact that we see a lot of the typical gang involved here - Pdogg and GHSTLOOP - as well as pop songwriters such as Nappi and the admittedly very talented Jon Bellion, who I tend to like on a songwriting level a lot more than most due to his unique voice and distinct synthpop pastiche you can always hear even in songs he doesn’t perform himself, does not necessarily give me high hopes that this will do any better of a job than “Like Crazy” at showing me who Jimin really is. In fact, the largely derided “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” probably did a pretty good job at endearing me to Jimin based on lovestruck corniness alone. At least I like the cover art, so that could be a good sign… and well, firstly, the cover art does not fit the song at all but, secondly, I thought Jung Kook was going to be the 2000s R&B and dance-pop throwback guy from BTS, is there really such a need for trend-hopping that we’re going to fuse two distinct acts both on the same roster for the sake of a guaranteed hit? The mix on the guitars feels oddly muddy for this kind of throwback too, probably because of the cloudier 2010s tropical house elements they shower the mix with for no real reason other than shoving whatever can make a “pop hit” in there. Despite that cynical production, the same one that made me really not like “Like Crazy”, I’m actually really fond of this. In fact, I think it’s great.

You can hear Bellion’s voice both in that anthemic and mind-numbingly catchy chorus and the twinkly synth that plays a role best compared to a drum fill, it’s a cute little detail that worse songwriters would not have felt the need to include. I don’t like the mix at all, but it still hits with a solid groove, especially with how percussive other elements are - like that staccato Latin guitar acting as both a background aspect and a distorted one-off in each measure, or, similar to the Stray Kids track, using vocal clips as part of the drums, adding a uniquely hopping texture to it all. Most importantly, the hooks Jimin is delivery are perfect for this kind of youthful R&B-pop, and even if the lyrics are generic, that’ll probably just ingrain them further in my head. It plays to a lot of familiar tropes and in a very obvious way, but through what seems like Jon Bellion just understanding how bland it would have been without his finishing touches, or just the core greatness of that chorus combined with Jimin’s endlessly passionate delivery, it ends up feeling like it’s been there forever. To my surprise, I really do love this in spite of, well, myself, and I can honestly see it sticking around: they may have again hit that sweet spot between their unique character as a K-pop group and the algorithmic coating of Spotify pop that they hit around 2019-2020 as a group. I know that the fans are hiking the streaming and sales up so it won’t last too long or too high, but I can hope that this eventually simmers a return as a sleeper hit because it is pretty excellent.

Conclusion

Well, there’s not much to discuss here, but what is here is frankly on a really solid, way above average level pretty consistently. It was tough between my two ultimate favourites, but Best of the Week goes to Billie Eilish for “WILDFLOWER” as Eminem regretfully takes the Honourable Mention for “Brand New Dance”. Jimin wasn’t particularly close but that doesn’t make his song any worse. As for what takes the bottom spot, I suppose Stray Kids have the Worst of the Week for “Chk Chk Boom” but the song’s fine. As for what’s on the horizon, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding are back with a new song together, Halsey’s hopped on the sample train and unfortunately, there’s a new Ice Spice album. For now, though, thank you for reading, rest in peace to… sigh, Christopher Reeve, and I’ll see you next week.

[louisupdates]

BMG reports fastest growth and largest investment in music in the company's history

MUSICWEEK

by Andre Paine | March 30th 2023 at 12:31PM

BMG has reported its fastest growth in the history of the company, which launched almost 15 years ago.

It’s a strong set of results for CEO Hartwig Masuch, as he prepares to hand over to Thomas Coesfeld next year.

The BMG financial performance in 2022 was published within the results of parent company Bertelsmann.

BMG increased revenues by 30.6% year-on-year (more than €200m) to €866m - the fastest growth ever recorded. Organic growth contributed 22.8%.

The recordings business grew by 38%, while publishing was up by 26%. Sync revenue across both was up 34%.

Streaming was key to the strong growth at BMG. Digital publishing revenue increased by 43%, while digital recorded revenue increased by 48%.

In a joint message to staff, Hartwig Masuch and Thomas Coesfeld wrote: "It was a historic year for BMG in which we grew our scale significantly, but just as importantly improved our capabilities, delivering more money more quickly than ever before to artists and songwriters with better service, underpinned by our core values of fairness and transparency.

"2022 proved once again that we are successful not in spite of those distinctively BMG values, but precisely because of them."

The UK was the second biggest territory by revenue (12.2%) after the US (53.9%). BMG’s home market of Germany was responsible for 12% of revenue.

During 2022, BMG also made its largest annual investment in music content to date, totalling more than half a billion euros.

BMG invested a record €50m in the acquisition of music catalogues and artist signings in 2022. In the financial year, BMG made 45 acquisitions in the catalogue sector alone, including the catalogues and licensing rights of artists such as Peter Frampton, Jean-Michel Jarre, Fools Garden, Harry Nilsson, Simple Minds, Primal Scream and Chris Rea.

In the recorded business, BMG concluded new contracts or extended existing ones with artists including Rita Ora, Logic, Julian Lennon, Marteria, Stefflon Don, Nickelback and Jason Aldean.

"Importantly, we are not just a passive financial investor in these prized catalogues," wrote Masuch and Coesfeld. "We are a music company committing to breathing new life into these artists’ legacies... These transactions reflect not just our belief in the future of music, but the belief of artists and songwriters that we will deliver for them and the belief of our parent, Bertelsmann, in our ability to execute on our strategy."

Top-selling albums in 2022 included releases by Jason Aldean, Louis Tomlinson, Mötley Crüe, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Backstreet Boys, Buena Vista Social Club, Kylie Minogue, and Bryan Adams.

In the publishing business, the catalogues of Bruno Mars, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Juice Wrld, Kurt Cobain and Roger Waters generated high revenues, noted BMG.

The year’s top-selling new releases for publishing came from artists including DJ Khaled, Kontra K, George Ezra, Carly Pearce, Maxwell, Riccardo Zanotti, Peter Fox, RAF Camora, Kraftklub, Max Giesinger and Johannes Oerding.

New contracts or contract extensions/renewals were signed with Halsey, Elvis Costello, Robin Kadir, Bazzazian, Slowthai, Jessie Reyez, Afrojack, Montez and Lucry.

Moonage Daydream, the film about David Bowie released by BMG, became the most successful documentary of 2022, with worldwide revenues of €12.2m.

BMG’s EBITDA was up more than €50m to €195m.

[mariacallous]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal judge on Thursday halted a key piece of the “Stop-WOKE” Act touted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, blocking state officials from enforcing what he called a “positively dystopian” policy restricting how lessons on race and gender can be taught in colleges and universities.

The 138-page order from Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker is being heralded as a major win for campus free speech by the groups who challenged the state.

The temporary injunction granted by Walker over the anti-woke law has significant implications for policies in Florida, including a pending university tenure review rule that requires professors to abide by it.

“’It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,’ and the powers in charge of Florida’s public university system have declared the State has unfettered authority to muzzle its professors in the name of ‘freedom,’” Walker wrote, citing George Orwell’s novel “1984.” Walker was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama.

Florida’s Republican-led Legislature approved the “anti-woke” legislation, FL HB 7 (22R), or the Individual Freedom Act, earlier this year. The law, directly inspired by DeSantis, expands Florida’s anti-discrimination laws to prohibit schools and companies from leveling guilt or blame to students and employees based on race or sex, takes aim at lessons over issues like “white privilege” by creating new protections for students and workers, including that a person should not be instructed to “feel guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” due to their race, color, sex or national origin.

Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for the governor, said the administration will appeal.

“We strongly disagree with Judge Walker’s preliminary injunction orders on the enforcement of the Stop W.O.K.E. Act and will continue to fight,” he said in a statement.

In his ruling Thursday, Walker determined those policies violate First Amendment free speech protections along with due-process rights in the 14th Amendment on college campuses.

“The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints,” wrote Walker. “Defendants argue that, under this Act, professors enjoy ‘academic freedom’ so long as they express only those viewpoints of which the State approves. This is positively dystopian.”

Thursday’s court ruling stems from two separate challenges to the Stop-WOKE Act that were heard together since they both fought how the law applies to higher education. Other legal challenges target K-12 schools and the workplace.

One of the lawsuits was filed by Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a college free speech group, on behalf of a University of South Florida professor, student, and student group. It alleged that the legislation pushed by DeSantis violates their freedom of speech, evidenced by how it could restrict lessons on critical topics such as Jackie Robinson, who broke professional baseball’s color barrier.

“Faculty members are hired to offer opinions from their academic expertise — not toe the party line,” Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney for FIRE, said in a statement. “Florida’s argument that faculty members have no First Amendment rights would have imperiled faculty members across the political spectrum.”

In the other lawsuit, the ACLU, ACLU of Florida and Legal Defense Fund sued the state over the “anti-woke” legislation on behalf of students and educators. They claim it is a “discriminatory classroom censorship law that severely restricts” how race and gender can be taught and talked about in schools.

“This is a huge victory for everyone who values academic freedom and recognizes the value of inclusive education,” Emerson Sykes, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a statement. “The First Amendment broadly protects our right to share information and ideas, and this includes educators’ and students’ right to learn, discuss, and debate systemic racism and sexism.”

The state university system Board of Governors, one of the central defendants in the case, declined to comment on the ruling. Officials with the Florida Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a motion seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, attorneys for the state contended that the legislation prohibits teachers and professors from endorsing concepts spelled out in the anti-woke law, not “descriptive, historical discussion of racism in the past.”

“If, for example, a professor instructs students that in some period in history, individuals’ status as either privileged or oppressed was necessarily determined by race, that instruction does not violate the Act,” attorneys for the state wrote. “The professor has merely described historical factual circumstances, not personally endorsed the view that an individual’s status today is necessarily determined by race.”

Florida university leaders earlier this month granted initial approval to a new rule outlining reviews for tenured faculty members across the state, guidelines that require schools to probe university professors for any violations of the “Stop-WOKE” law, as well as unapproved absences, substantiated student complaints and other metrics.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (19-25 Feb 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Or Be Nice (charlottemadison) - 151K, Good Omens human AU, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers/boyfrenemies; love the characterizations and the dialogue/banter is A+++

🥰👂‍ The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #2) (J.R.R. Tolkien, author; Andy Serkis, narrator)

🥰👂‍ Lavender House (Lev AC Rosen, author; Vikas Adam, narrator) - '50s set historical mystery with noir vibes but hella queer. I quite enjoyed this; I liked the characters and the melodramatic noir-ness, and would happily read another of Evander Mills' adventures if any are forthcoming.

😊 Cinderfella (GoldenTruth813) - 43K, Sheith AU, Keith has a crush on YT'er Shiro, then there's a chance meeting, attraction, angst and finally getting together

💖💖 +195K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The Ghost of You (min_T) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 15K - solidly good ghost/monsterfucking fic

(After)life (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 4K - reread; my fave ghostfucking fic!

thats what i want series 1-3 (BelmotteTower) - Ted Lasso: Roy/Keeley/Jamie, 44K - fantastic TLot3 series

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Interview with Sarah Gailey (discussing American Hippo) [Romancing The Gothic]

Queering Heyer (My Poor Devil Panel with Rose Lerner, Olivia Waite, Cat Sebastian & KJ Charles) [Romancing The Gothic]

Queering Jane Eyre: Author Visit with Rose Lerner [Romancing The Gothic]

Hot Ones - Anna Kendrick

Hot Ones - Bryan Cranston

Hot Ones - Lenny Kravitz

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Vibe Check - Welcome to the Deep End

⭐ ICYMI Plus - Tumblr Revived the Welcome to Night Vale Fandom

Ologies with Alie Ward - Environmental Toxicology (POISONS + TRAIN DERAILMENT) with Kimberly K. Garrett

Switched on Pop - Five years later, the legacy of Nipsey Hussle's "Victory Lap"

99% Invisible #526 - Orange Alternative

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Gankutsu Hotel

Shedunnit - The Death Of The Country House

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Jadeite Cabbage

Lost Women of Science - Of Chestnuts, Cherry Trees, and Mushroom Catsup: Flora Patterson, the Woman who Kept Devastating Blights from U.S. Shores

⭐ Into It - The Wave Returns to the Ocean (Plus: What Are Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos Into?)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Thomas Merton's Hermitage

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Golden

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Newtown Creek Nature Walk

You Must Remember This - 1986: 9 ½ Weeks, Mickey Rourke & Zalman King (Erotic 80s Part 9)

Endless Thread - Aftershocks Online

Hit Parade Plus - The Bridge: Losing Hootie’s Religion

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'80s Rock Ballads

Tapestry: '70s Queens

Yacht Rock Classics

[sketchy-galaxy]

URL Songs!

Pick a song for each letter of your URL, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL! This is just a combination of songs I like and have been listening to lately!

I was tagged by both @hexusproductions and @chimerakisses for this!!!

S - Surrender To Me by FireCityFunk K - Killing Me Softly by Fugees E - Everybody Wants To Rule The World by The Arcadian Wilds T - Tonight You Are Mine by The Technicolors C - Cassiopeia by Bears in Trees H - Hey, Runner! by The Arcadian Wilds Y - You Can't Take Me by Bryan Adams | G - Girl Anachronism by Dresden Dolls A - Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths L - Little Brother by The Blue Stones A - All The Time In The World by Kiltro X - (X) Y - Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy

Thanks for tagging me! I'll tag..... @samsloves @goldenworldsabound @shippin-in-the-rain and whoever else would like to do this!

[unlikelywrestlingfan]

Elle's Forbidden Door Predictions and Wishes

✨Preshow✨

Athena vs. Billie Starkz (Women's Owen Heart Tourney Match): Want: I hope they both have fun!!! - Athena deserves the world and I want her on my tv, but it would also be cool to see Billie advance. Let's go women! Prediction: Athena - but I won't be surprised to be wrong.

United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher, and TJP) vs. LIJ (Shingo Takagi, Bushi, and Hiromu Takahashi): Want: LIJ - LET'S GOOO LIJJJJJ BOIIIIS Prediction: LIJ - Honestly, this could go either way? But LIJ shall be my guess.

Stu Grayson vs. El Phantasmo: Want: Stu - STUUUUUUU Prediction: ELP - Idk????? He hasn't won in a while.

Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun) vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta) & El Desperado: Want: Roppongi Vice & Despe - ALWAYS LOVE A ROPPONGI VICE REUNION. DESPE STILL SCARES ME BUT HE'S COOL. Prediction: Roppongi Vice - idk, this is just a guess

✨Main Card✨

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay (IWGP US Heavyweight Title Match): Want: Kenny - MUST I EXPLAIN? Prediction: Ospreay - he lost it to Kenny at WK, now he's on the hunt for revenge and retribution, and he'll do it in Kenny's home country.

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada: Want: Okada - KILL HIM OKADA HEHEHEEEEEE - I love Bryan, I do, but I would like him to join the line of corpses that litter the path of Okada's legacy. Prediction: Bryan - Honestly? I'm not sure. But I feel like it might be Bryan. So I'll go with that.

Sanada vs. Jungle Boy Jack Perry (IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match): Want: Sanada - K I love JB, but like. I don't want Sanada to randomly drop to him. Sorry JB. Prediction: Sanada - I just cannot see Nooj giving JB the Heavyweight title on an open challenge randomly in Canada. So yeah Sanada takes this.

MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (AEW Men's World Title Match): Want: Tana - LET'S GO TANAAAAAAA TEACH THAT BOI A LESSON Prediction: MJF - MJF is not going to suddenly lose the title to Tana. As much as it would be fab, it would also be very counterproductive to the story he's on.

Le Suzuki Gods (it hurt me to type that - Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Minoru Suzuki) vs. Sting, Darby Allin, & Tetsuya Naito: Want: Sting, Darby, and Naito - I love Murder Gramps, but STING STING STING Prediction: Sting, Darby, and Naito - I'M GOING BACK AND FORTH ON THIS ONE TBH

BCC & Friends (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino, and Konosuke Takeshita) vs. Elite & Friends Contentious Allies (Hangman Adam Page, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson, Eddie Kingston, and Tomohiro Ishii): Want: Elite and Co - I. Like I'm leaning Elite Plus Eddie and Ishii, but like. I love them all? I want Elite and Co to win. Prediction: Elite and Co - I feel like, since BCC took the big win at Double or Nothing, Elite and Co take it here. It will be very chaotic.

CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima (Men's Owen Hart Tourney Match): Want: Kojima - Uh. I don't really know Kojima, but I'm not very fond of Punk atm so. Kojima. Prediction: Punk - Punk is definitely winning this.

Orange Cassidy vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW International Title Match): Want: OC - This is a match full of so much amazing awesome ahhhhh but I want OC to retain. Prediction: OC - OC?

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW Women's World Title Match): Want: Willow - THAT'S MY GIRILE!!! Toni is fab, don't get me wrong, but I am all about the Girl With the Power Prediction: Toni - her title is on the line, and I don't expect her to drop it yet. Especially when there's a chance Hayter could recover in time to win it back at All In.

[normcore-tertiary-character]

8 Shows to get to know me!

Thank you for tagging me @luckshiptoshore and @someguywife!

1) Star Trek

All Star Trek is lumped under one point on this list, just to leave room for anything else, lol. I watched Voyager with my mom as a kid and the first TV crush I remember having was on Naomi Wildman. Enterprise was the first Trek I watched of my own volition and I do still love the theme song. When I was ~18-19 I binged TOS and it built itself a place deep in my heart. K/S is my forever OTP. I am comfortable with the fact that I will lose fondness for someone who is adamant about having a wrong opinion about Kirk, including William Shatner. I also genuinely think DS9 is the best and most skillfully made Trek and I love it very much.

2) Xena: Warrior Princess

I was really into Xena as a kid. I wanted to be Gabrielle. My earliest memory of using a computer is favoriting a picture of Xena on my mom's work laptop. I rewatched it as an adult and fell even more in love with it. It's campy, is gay, it's goofy, it tackles serious topics, there's soulmates and reincarnation and so many doppelgangers and alternate universes. If someone accidentally says something I can relate to Xena I have to physically bite my tongue to distract myself from starting on it because I will not stop.

3) Teen Wolf

Something fundamental was broken within me because of Teen Wolf. It shaped me. Sterek4lyfe.

4) Our Flag Means Death

The show that brought me back to tumblr after a long absence and gave me something sweet and funny to obsess over after a pretty terrible break up I went through last year. This show has made steps to fixing what Teen Wolf broke in me, just having a show that is a gay romcom where all the romantic coding pays off.

5) Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me is just one of my favorite shows. It introduced me to Bryan Fuller as a producer and writer and I just really love the creative story as well as all the characters. I wish it had been able to run longer and really build out the characters and world more.

6) Farscape

Farscape absolutely fucks. Farscape is this shining beacon of amazing TV in my head. It's incredibly bizarre in ways I really like and manages to make that bizarreness a critical part of the storytelling. I will always campaign that more people should watch Farscape, it's so damn good.

7) The Simpsons

I didn't have cable as a kid and The Simpsons was a show that played two episodes every day, twice a day. I have seen every single episode of The Simpsons that aired before September of 2009 at least twice, and most of them many, many more times than that. I have several hundred episodes effectively memorized. I know so much 80s and 90s pop culture exclusively because of The Simpsons.

8) New Girl

New Girl is my go-to comfort show. I love sitcoms and low stake antics with lovable characters is peak sitcom vibes for me. I also think everyone has seen New Girl as much as I have and I will reference it like it's common knowledge. When someone acknowledges the reference with more than passing familiarity I will get weird about it.

[surrowndedbylights]

🎶✨️when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish,then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️

I answered this but I'll do it again.

You give love a bad name - Bon Jovi

Special k - Placebo

The show - Niall Horan

Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams

Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Also thank you for the kind words🫶