#Holiday Radio Variety Show

[kaizenkhaos]

Over the Airwaves: A Harringrove Xmas Fic

Okay so you know how it goes. You see a post reblogged from a fellow Harringrover (if that's the term...hmmm...I'm not sure but hey ho XD) and all of a sudden the mind gremlins go yes....do it. Write a nearly 4K fic inspired by it. Or kinda. It's more adjacent to it. In this case, I saw a post reblogged by @avalonlights about Michael Buble and that sent me down a rabbit hole of Robin and Steve hosting a radio show and a certain someone or someones ringing in with requests. Though it does give me ideas for another fic for later or maybe next year now XD So Merry Christmas everyone! ^^ Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, have fun, stay safe and for those of you who struggle during this time of year, my thoughts are with you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four Days before Christmas Day...

"And that was 'So This is Christmas' by John Lennon. Coming up, we have the much beloved listeners' request section. But now, here's a few words from our sponsors." It was the run up to Christmas and Steve was working. Like every god darn Christmas he could remember since finishing at Hawkins High. Sure, the money wasn't bad and it stopped him from sitting alone in a big house, wishing that he could just chill in the pool and forget about the rest of the world, but….there was just somethin' about this time of year that set his teeth on edge. Maybe it was cos his parents had once again gone away from the holidays, leaving him with a Christmas tree laden with presents but no one to see him open them. Maybe it was the fridge full of food which they'd left for him which he'd stuff in the oven and try and not forget about. Or maybe it was the fact that each and every year, someone had actually asked him over to their place. And he lied about having somewhere already to go. Cos he didn't wanna be a burden, ruin a good time. If he was gonna be miserable, he'd be miserable alone. He was so tired of putting a brave face on things. But maybe what he really needed to do was bite the bullet and say yes. Being alone the past years had sucked.

Four days until the day of the most wonderful time of the year. According to many and that one song which they kept being asked to play most days. Christmas songs were the bread and butter of the airwaves for Radio Hawkins in December, most DJs chosing to play different varieties but some of the songs remained the same. The staple diet of a nation ready for the holidays and to eat and drink more in the name of good old Saint Nic. Steve and Robin had been given the afternoon slot, just before the prime time DJ, and so were kinda the warm up act before the main event. It meant that they could get away with playing some obscurities but overall, it was more the popular stuff, both classic and modern as well as the old curveball to keep them on their toes.

"Line one dingus, you're up to bat." It didn't matter that they were no longer the sailors hauling scoops at Scoops Ahoy, dingus had stuck. But it wasn't in the manner in which he'd been labelled at first. Now it was more affection than insult, just one of the many insider jokes and banter the pair now had.

Nodding, Steve looked over at the producers, giving the good old thumbs up and it was time for his sultry (and apparently sexy according to some listeners) tones to smooth over the airwaves.

"And we're back with more holidays hits right over the air waves at Radio Hawkins. And the section, as Robin said before the break, we all know and love. It's time to hand over to the listeners and the recommendations for your Christmas tunes." Looking at the board, he selected the button nearest to him and with a smile, started with, "Hello there dear listener, who do we have on line 1 today?"

"Hello. Can I request a song for all of the Hawkins Life guards out there? " "Sure thing, and what can we play you today?" Oh wasn't that a oh so familiar voice and a glance over at Robin told him that yep, she'd cottoned onto who it was too. They didn't even have to leave a name and they knew it. Steve wondered how red Robin was gonna get before the song would end, even before the voice continued and sealed the deal. "Could we have 'Santa baby' please Mr DJ." "That we can, thanks for your call." As the line went dead, Steve leaned over to the console to locate the song in question. Now he knew it was one which had been covered a hell of a lot; apparently one of the most covered Christmas songs ever. But no doubt the main DJ of the night would play some up-beat version and what was wrong with a bit of Eartha Kitt? "We're going with the original version?" Pulling her headset off, Robin was getting a raised eyebrow, as if this was something unexpected. She knew his leaning to the classics for these sorts of things but maybe she thought their audience would beg to differ. Although, that did make him think of…. "Yeah 'course. Why, should I have gone for the sexy Michael Buble version?" "No. Steve. Why do you…" Bingo. Deep, deep red is the result to his poking, as he made kissing noises at her and she looked like she'd have thrown a pillow at him if she had one at her disposal. Instead she just leaned over and nearly set him off his chair. An act that had the producers snorting and Steve grinning from ear to ear. Once he was straight and level back on his chair. Last year, Robin may have dragged him onto the stage for karaoke on their second work's night out together. It had been a small town bar, pretty cosy and most locals but they seemed to have known the radio station folk, so there was no hostile staring. Santa Baby had been the song Robin had chosen but not for the reasons he thought at first. Both a bit drunk, he'd just thought it was an updated upbeat version for them to stumble through. Then Robin had done a 180. No longer as shy as before but like a shot of confidence had come over here. Sassy, confident and damn…. If she'd not come out to him a couple of years previous and let her feeling about him known, that would have a time which he had gotten him paying attention. But as it was, he worked out real quickly what had caused the change, or rather who. Turned out a certain life guard had shown up, on their own work's do and yeah. Robin had already scoped her out and the song? It had been for her. It had turned out, as they'd found out later that night, the feelings had been mutual. Steve had slipped away to give them some privacy and the rest….well. They'd been dating for a year now, but every time that version of the song came on, Steve wouldn't let her live it down and Robin didn't let him get away with it.

"You're such a….." The song finished and a smirk is what Robin is faced with as she gives him that face and took over hosting duties. Whilst making it so very very clear that he was gonna pay for this later. Or one day. Who knew when, but she'd seek her revenge and he'd pay his due.

Three days until Christmas Day…

He was surprised they were both not hung over. A night out with Heather and her swim team, and member of his old swim team and many, many drinks later had left both him and Robin going home late and just about getting ready enough to be able to be coherent on the air. It had taken Steve an embarrassingly amount of time to work out their set lists and he swore at times he was getting the shakes for some reason but they were working through it. Him and Robin, the dynamic duo. They'd made the bad days work at Scoops and here, as tight as ever, they'd carry each other through it. Just as they had each other on the way home. "So, we have another caller on line two. What's your name and what can we play for you this afternoon?" They'd admittedly had some banging tunes already this slot. Some golden oldies; some Slade, some Wizard. Some modern ones and some not so Christmassy tunes too. Probably from someone who either didn't like Christmas all that much or just wanted to give others a breather for a moment. After playing a bit of T-Rex and Prince, the songs had morphed back into the season and Steve was now ready to hear what the last request of the session was gonna be. A pause on a line. This happened from time to time. When there was a bad line, a disconnect or when people just didn't know what to say, or how to start. It happened more often than he'd thought when he'd started here three years ago. Nerves on the airwaves, the thought of so many ears hearing your every word. Steve got it. He'd been the same when he'd started. Now it felt as natural as breathing. Steve patiently waited for the caller to say a word or hang up. "Santa's little helpers." Giggling floated over the line and yet another familiar sound reached Steve's ears. A sigh away from the microphone as he rolled his eyes at Robin to just get a grin back. Eyes carrrying as much mischief as the kids on the line. Well, it had only been a matter of time before one of the little shits got through. He was kinda surprised at who it was though. "Hello there Santa's little helpers. Hope you're keeping warm up there in the North Pole. What can we play for you?" "What's the North Pole?"

"Can we have 'Driving Home for Christmas'. Please."

Yep it was them and Steve just smiled, Robin shaking her head but still with that mischief in her eyes. Had she set them up to this? He had no idea if she actually had; he knew she wouldn't reveal her hand yet if she had. Or maybe it was the other who had spoken who'd decided to do it. Those two were thick as thieves after all. Either way, Steve leaned back to his microphone, the song now lined up to play.

"Sure thing. Here's 'Driving Home for Christmas' for Santa's Little Helpers. Thanks for calling."

Two days….. It had been a mistake. Two nights out in a row? He should have been able to handle it. Drink never used to be a problem. But today both him and Robin were definitely paying for it. She called it the hangover from hell but worth it. He was just wondering when the hell he'd turned his headset up. Every sound felt like it was echoing inside of his head. The only saving grace was that some of the staff on the other side of the glass had also been out, what with it being the works do, so they were all collectively on the bus together. Just trying to get through another shift before their beds came a-calling. "Line number three, thanks for calling. What's your name and what can we play for you this afternoon?" This time the voice was clearly using some sort of changer. Subtle but there seemed to be a distortion on the line which felt neither like the phone line or signal and clearly wasn't caused by a human voice. Catching Steve's glance, he hovered his finger over to the line button, just in case it turned out to be some prank caller who they'd have to boot off the air pretty quickly. Wouldn't be the first one, sadly probably wouldn't be the last. "Hi, name's "Christmas Princess" and I'd like "Last Christmas" by Wham please. Love your show, thanks for taking my call." "No problem at all Christmas Princess." He knew Robin was looking over now and he knew how; he didn't have to see it. If it wasn't written all over his face in clear sight, then it was that she knew him and his history well enough that she could feel what he was going through. This song….stung. A lot, and he knew it wasn't aimed at him or anything, but it was…such a shitty Christmas song in his opinion. Full of heartache and sorrow and memories of Christmas past. Memories of her and the special someone he wished he could have given his heart to. And the word Princess….god it remembered him so much of that asshole. Not even in town no more, could be a thousands miles. To Steve, he never was away. He was always there in his head, in his heart and he felt the whole thing stumble.That tell tale of a rip occuring again, and the feel of a soft hand under the table. Steve blinked out of his thoughts and daydreaming, looking over at Robin and the producers who were pointing at the blinking "Live" sign. Smiling at everyone, Steve hoped nothing he'd been thinking had shown on his face. One look at Robin, and he saw that it had. Damn. Him and Robin had spent so much time talking about their crushes that he was so relieved when one of them got lucky. She wanted it for him too, even if she shared his opinion on his crush (being an asshole). She wanted Steve to be happy and he wanted to be finally too.

"And that was Last Christmas. Sorry to all of you trying to avoid Whamhalla. Better luck next time folks. Now who'd we have on line six."

Christmas Eve It was Christmas eve, one last shift until Christmas Day, which turns out this year, he actually wasn't gonna be spending alone after all. He'd not realised until this morning that there were several voice messages for him at home. All of which had come from the Hendersons. Mrs Henderson had happened to bump into his mom in the supermarket or some place, and she'd let on that not only would they be out of town but Steve would be staying behind. Something about work and a boring business meeting his dad had which they didn't wanna drag him along to. So of course, the first phone call had from Mrs Henderson, asking him if he'd like to come over for xmas. The second had been just a check in and polite check in. A "It's okay if you'd rather be alone but if you could let me and Dusty know, that would be appreciated." The final one had been Dustin telling him that if he didn't come around to his on Christmas Day, then his mom was gonna bring them around. Apparently his mom must have had a change of heart; Steve not finding out the why until much later on. Outwardly he'd been annoyed, rung back. Got Henderson on the phone and huffed a "Fine Henderson. Let your mom know we already have a turkey," before putting the phone down. But as Robin started to work out which lines they were gonna to be taking calls from first and he worked through the playlist they'd already arranged for the session, Steve realised that really, now the day was actually nearly here, he was relieved. So god damn relieved that it wouldn't be another meaningless Christmas. He even felt a little bad about his tone on the phone. He should have sounded grateful, not like he was doing them a favour. Something to apologise for when he saw them in person. No more time to dwell on that though as he was on main host duties today and so it was his turn to man the lines. Nodding to Robin, she hit a button and put the caller through. Steve wondering what the next Christmas 'masterpiece' in which they would be asked/forced to play would be. "Over to line four. Hi there, what's your name and what can we play you this Merry Christmas Eve?" "Yeah, hi. This is that guy with the Camaro. I want to request a song for someone special. It's that Mariah Carey song. You know, the popular one." No……no no no. It couldn't be. It had to be….someone else right? But no. He'd know that voice anywhere in the world. The inflexion in his words, his choices, his tone. Of all the god damn people to phone in and all of the times too. And of all of the god damn shitting songs he could pick. Why this one and why this. God Damn. Station. Maybe to be fair he didn't know. He'd been gone since Starcourt. Whisked away as soon as he was well enough. Had gone to catch some sun and never come back. At times Steve wished he would have stayed like Max had done. Maybe he'd have at least had the chance to say he was sorry. Maybe he could have made things right between them. "You there amigo?" The words echoed around in his head, before a little nudge from Robin brought him back around. Concentrate….he had to just treat this as another caller. Them as anyone else who wanted a song. It didn't matter how he felt about it; he had a job to do. "Yes, sorry that guy with the Camaro. All I want for Christmas is you right?" "That's the one."

The sound of a smirk in his voice made Steve want to throw up.Throw down his headset and go cry in the staff room.He'd not felt like this in so long and it was really darn hard for him to keep it together right now.But he had to. ON with the show and then he could let it all hang out when he got home. Away from the peering eyes, away from anyone's expectations of him. Then he'd be fine for when Mrs Henderson picked him up. None the wiser. "Sure man, we'll put that right on for you. Hope that special someone likes it." "Thanks man, I know they'll be listening."

Another gut punch and it was like the Byers House all over again. All he needed was a plate smashing over his head. A squeeze of his hand and Steve takes a deep breath before slipping the headset off again. Robin quickly joining him and gently putting his and hers down on the console. "Steve….." "It's okay Robin. He's probably come back to see Max for Christmas" And this special person of his. A tight lump was gripping his throat. He hated this. All of it. Most of the staff here knew about him and Robin and it didn't bother them. It hadn't stopped them from rising up the ranks, given them their own show. Some people in Hawkins would still be reviled if they knew about the pairs' sexualities but here they were safe. And he was pretty sure some of them knew about the golden haired Cali boy that he held such a torch for. Hell, one of them had even found his mixtape in the car once. Asked him about it and then reassured him that he was okay. That it was fine. He had a friend who was gay and he was going to their wedding. That had been several months back, the first person at work Steve had even told. It still didn't make this any easier. He'd gotten worse at hiding his emotions. The dam was breaking and he was struggling to stop the water now. Luckily though, the caller was gone before the song played out and Steve managed to say a hurried thanks before Robin skillfully took over the air for the last song. Gestured for him to go and take a breather. The producers nodded and let him go, didn't mind the fact he'd had to head off early. He'd wanted to say thank you to all their listeners, to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as they wouldn't be back on the air until after the first, but he just couldn't right now. And they all knew that. Smoking hadn't been on his mind for a while, but now he fished around the bag he brought out from his locker to find the packet, slightly crumpled in a side pocket. God he needed this. God he needed….apparently a lot of things. A hug, a smile, reassuring words. A good turkey dinner and a warm fire, and family and laughter and….. At first, he ignored the buzzing of his phone. Probably just a message or a spam call or somethin'. It rang off fast enough to be either so he just stood there. Leaned against the wall and took the longest drag that he had in a real long time. Before off went his phone again, pulling against his jeans. Maybe it was Mrs Henderson. Maybe there'd been a change of plan or she needed to make sure she had the right gravy. She did like to make a fuss and always made him feel so welcome. The thought of which is what made him pull his phone out eventually. It wasn't right to keep her waiting. He'd already missed her calls and not rang her back, something else he really needed to say sorry for. But it wasn't her name that had flashed up on his screen. It was Max. Okay, that….didn't make the most sense but maybe she just wanted to wish him a Merry Christmas or….shit no, something hadn't happened had it? He'd….he'd better pick up. "Max?" "No need to sound so worried pretty boy. She's fine. Snuck out with Lucas somewhere. Probably the arcade. Dead romantic like that." Holy….shit. He couldn't stop himself from sliding down the wall, only feeling over the back of his jacket once his ass had hurt the floor. Hargrove…what the shit. He really was back in Hawkins and apparently had Max's phone on him. "Also before you lecture me, yes she has my phone. Didn't think you'd pick up if it was a strange number or anything. So, you like the song choices?"

"Song choices?" Wait choices….. Steve's face must have done a whole range of different motions as emotions rode from pillar to post. He'd rang in before. Several times. But when and…. how many times? What had he requested, other than that damn song today. The voice changer….so he'd been the shit requesting freaking Last Christmas. Now another emotion straddled the rest of them. So, was this some kinda sick joke, a wind up, a play to get him on air? He couldn't think straight. He never could around Hargrove but wasn't this typical of him? Wasn't this the usual hair playing behaviour he should have expected? Wasn't this why he liked him? Shit…. This could not be happening.

"Ah come on man? Santa baby, Driving Home for Christmas….George Michael and freaking Mariah Carey. You know how much cred I've lost just requesting that song man." "Ah great. Yeah, it totally makes sense now. You putting others up to ring mine and Robin's show and make me feel like a complete ass" "Woah woah woah amigo. No no no." A snort and then that lower tone that always made him feel like he was about to split in half. "Did you even listen to what I said to you? Listen to the lyrics of any of those songs. And here was me thinking you were a fellow music lover Harrington." Listen to the lyrics? About wanting someone, coming home to them, the whole giving someone their heart and shit and…..but it was for a special someone. All I want for Christmas is…..oh. "Get the hint yet?" His eyes darted upwards as the shadows crept over him. A familiar smile now above him. Shining ocean eyes which he thought he'd never see again. And the sound of an engine in the background and playful chatter. Max and Lucas at the arcade his ass.

"Hi there pretty boy. Look whose come back for Christmas." ……….

[chadfallout76podcast]

Death Shroud 2: Electric Boogaloo

Death Shroud 2: Electric Boogaloo Musings Mind is already spinning up the story we're going to in December to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Originally we were going to do a Fallout 4 parody take on "It's a Wonderful Life", and we may still do that as Nora laments choices she's made and has to make during the main quest, feeling down during the holidays.

BUT…I've decided to do this: Diamond City Radio Holiday Spectacular Set DURING the Main Quest, this would be a 3 hour block of DCR variety programming from commercials, to takes on old school radio shows, to yes, another much shorter Nick Valentine Mystery where he first meets Charlie on a holiday mystery. Paladin Danse's Toys for Orphans drive, some music bits. I love old school variety shows so I think this will be brilliant.

[homomenhommes]

How Much Do You REALLY Know About Thanksgiving?

1. Fact or Fiction: Thanksgiving is held on the final Thursday of November each year.

Fiction. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. However, in 1939, after a request from the National Retail Dry Goods Association, President Franklin Roosevelt decreed that the holiday should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month (and never the occasional fifth, as occurred in 1939) in order to extend the holiday shopping season by a week. The decision sparked great controversy, and was still unresolved two years later, when the House of Representatives passed a resolution making the last Thursday in November a legal national holiday. The Senate amended the resolution, setting the date as the fourth Thursday, and the House eventually agreed.

2. Fact or Fiction: One of America's Founding Fathers thought the turkey should be the national bird of the United States.

Fact. In a letter to his daughter sent in 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the wild turkey would be a more appropriate national symbol for the newly independent United States than the bald eagle (which had earlier been chosen by the Continental Congress). He argued that the turkey was "a much more respectable Bird," "a true original Native of America," and "though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage."

3.Fact or Fiction: In 1863, Abraham Lincoln became the first American president to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving.

Fiction. George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all issued proclamations urging Americans to observe days of thanksgiving, both for general good fortune and for particularly momentous events (the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, in Washington's case; the end of the War of 1812, in Madison's).

4.Fact or Fiction: Macy's was the first American department store to sponsor a parade in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Fiction. The Philadelphia department store Gimbel's had sponsored a parade in 1920, but the Macy's parade, launched four years later, soon became a Thanksgiving tradition and the standard kickoff to the holiday shopping season. The parade became ever more well-known after it featured prominently in the hit film Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which shows actual footage of the 1946 parade. In addition to its famous giant balloons and floats, the Macy's parade features live music and other performances, including by the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and cast members of well-known Broadway shows.

5. Fact or Fiction: Turkeys are slow-moving birds that lack the ability to fly.

Fiction (kind of). Domesticated turkeys (the type eaten on Thanksgiving) cannot fly, and their pace is limited to a slow walk. Female domestic turkeys, which are typically smaller and lighter than males, can move somewhat faster. Wild turkeys, on the other hand, are much smaller and more agile. They can reach speeds of up to 20-25 miles per hour on the ground and fly for short distances at speeds approaching 55 miles per hour. They also have better eyesight and hearing than their domestic counterparts.

6. Fact or Fiction: Native Americans used cranberries, now a staple of many Thanksgiving dinners, for cooking as well as medicinal purposes.

Fact. According to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, one of the country's oldest farmers' organizations, Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, including "pemmican" (a nourishing, high-protein combination of crushed berries, dried deer meat and melted fat). They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow punctures and other wounds and as a dye for fabric. The Pilgrims adopted these uses for the fruit and gave it a name—"craneberry"—because its drooping pink blossoms in the spring reminded them of a crane.

7. Fact or Fiction: The movement of the turkey inspired a ballroom dance.

Fact. The turkey trot, modeled on that bird's characteristic short, jerky steps, was one of a number of popular dance styles that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The two-step, a simple dance that required little to no instruction, was quickly followed by such dances as the one-step, the turkey trot, the fox trot and the bunny hug, which could all be performed to the ragtime and jazz music popular at the time. The popularity of such dances spread like wildfire, helped along by the teachings and performances of exhibition dancers like the famous husband-and-wife team Vernon and Irene Castle.

8. Fact or Fiction: On Thanksgiving Day in 2007, two turkeys earned a trip to Disney World.

Fact. On November 20, 2007, President George W. Bush granted a "pardon" to two turkeys, named May and Flower, at the 60th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation, held in the Rose Garden at the White House. The two turkeys were flown to Orlando, Florida, where they served as honorary grand marshals for the Disney World Thanksgiving Parade. The current tradition of presidential turkey pardons began in 1947, under Harry Truman, but the practice is said to have informally begun with Abraham Lincoln, who granted a pardon to his son Tad's pet turkey.

9. Fact or Fiction: Turkey contains an amino acid that makes you sleepy.

Fact. Turkey does contain the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is a natural sedative, but so do a lot of other foods, including chicken, beef, pork, beans and cheese. Though many people believe turkey's tryptophan content is what makes many people feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal, it is more likely the combination of fats and carbohydrates most people eat with the turkey, as well as the large amount of food (not to mention alcohol, in some cases) consumed, that makes most people feel like following their meal up with a nap.

10. Fact or Fiction: The tradition of playing or watching football on Thanksgiving started with the first National Football League game on the holiday in 1934.

Fiction. The American tradition of college football on Thanksgiving is pretty much as old as the sport itself. The newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game on Thanksgiving Day in 1876. At the time, the sport resembled something between rugby and what we think of as football today. By the 1890s, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football games were taking place on Thanksgiving, and championship match-ups between schools like Princeton and Yale could draw up to 40,000 fans. The NFL took up the tradition in 1934, when the Detroit Lions (recently arrived in the city and renamed) played the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium in front of 26,000 fans. Since then, the Lions game on Thanksgiving has become an annual event, taking place every year except during the World War II years (1939–1944).

Naughty Things You Can Only Say On Thanksgiving....

1. Talk about a huge breast! 2. Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist. 3. It's Cool Whip time! 4. If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst! 5. That's one terrific spread! 6. I'm in the mood for a little dark meat. 7. Are you ready for seconds yet? 8. Its a little dry, do you still want to eat it? 9. Just wait your turn, you'll get some! 10. Don't play with your meat. 11. Just spread the legs open & stuff it in. 12. Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once? 13. I didn't expect everyone to come at once! 14. You still have a little bit on your chin. 15. How long will it take after you stick it in? 16. You'll know it's ready when it pops up!

[g0ttal0ve101]

Valentine’s Day Special

Note: (2/4) caria my bby 😮‍💨 TW: suggestive asf

Valentine’s Day overcasted Woodlyn City rather quickly once the month of February was declared. Heart-shaped chocolates on every shelf, arrangements of pink, red, and white flowers prepared in bouquets, songs of love and pure adoration playing on every radio station, and the endless variety of couples showing their true colors in public. Some held hands, some shared milkshakes, some embraced, some flirted, and there were times where a tender kiss would be shared between the pair. Depending on whose eyes the couple encapsulated, it was fair to say the majority of people found this to be beautiful. Not Mia. Mia thought that shit was irritating.

Holiday after holiday, attempt after attempt, Mia was always bombarded with presents and treats from desperate strangers. However, there was one contestant who stood out amongst the crowd — A certain secret admirer that wrote devoting and elegant poems for her eyes to feast on, left all her favorite candies and flowers, and above all, was the most persistent for years on end. The admirer even wrote to her before she started dating Carl; Although they stood no chance now. No one could take the engraved piece of Carl Alexander Mason from her heart.

And as she did every year, Mia encountered the same dilemma. She marched up to her beat-up locker, dented from the various times she had to kick it when the lock jammed, and ripped it open impatiently. The inside of the door had pictures of her boyfriend taped on it, his appearance deviating depending upon the year it was captured. But no matter how dark his eye bags were or how weak his smile was in the past, it was evidently still him. That’s why she was pissed off to see that the same Valentine admirer dropped off his load of presents.

“What the fuckkk…” Mia groaned, snatching her bag from the hook and stuffing all the belongings she needed to have before going home for the weekend. Nothing educational of course. Only her car keys, wallet, and Carl’s jacket that he couldn’t fit into his own messy locker. After collecting everything of use, she snatched the Valentine’s gift and slammed her door. It became a tradition to show Carl what she received. After all, she didn’t want him to think she was being secretive about it and plant distrust in his mind. (He was already stressed out as is.)

When she exited the school after running down at least two girls for walking too damn slow, she saw her cute boyfriend waiting for her in the parking lot. Slouched against a tree and pretending to text someone on his phone so he didn’t look pathetic, he visibly shivered from the crisp February air. Mia laughed to herself. Who was he trying to convince?

Sneaking up behind him, she prepared herself to utterly destroy that facade he built. She blended in perfectly with the group of people heading toward their cars before stealthily ambushing him from behind, smacking his ass with all her might. As she expected, Carl jumped and yelped like a little girl.

“Hey-hey-heyyyy, freckle-butt!”

“M-Mia!” He instinctively covered his mouth with his hand once he realized how stupid he sounded while whining like that. With rosy cheeks, he snatched his jacket from her arm and threw it on to hide his identity. But by then, it was far too late. Everyone in Woodlyn High knew who Mia Jacob’s boyfriend was. They’d be damned if they didn’t.

Roughly giving him a pat on the back, she laughed hysterically. “Whaaat, you embarrassed? Haha, just like when you c—!”

“Shut the hell up.” Carl shoved her away, scurrying to her car in order to avoid all the eyes they drew in from the scene. He yanked on the door handles repeatedly until they finally sprung open, causing him to topple back a little bit from the sudden release. Then, he hopped in without another word. Mia had to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes from laughing.

When she got into the driver seat, there was a long silence. Carl tucked his arms into his chest and pouted as Mia readied the vehicle, humming to herself proudly. Because at the end of the day, she knew Carl was too much of a wuss to complain about it. He liked it. He wouldn’t admit that, but he definitely did.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, mi amor. Let’s swing by your place to drop all this shit off real quick, ‘kay?” Mia purred, her eyes lingering on his small frame for a moment or two longer than usual.

Carl cocked his eyebrows in surprise. “We’re going somewhere?”

“Mmh, I have a place in mind.”

It was impossible to deny that voice. Blushing heavier than he was before, Carl grinned to himself and looked out the foggy window. He didn’t know what she was planning but telling by her tone, it was going to be good.

Shortly after they sharply turned onto the road in order to beat all the buses from passing first, Mia’s voice arose from the sound of raindrops smashing against her windshield. It wasn’t as playful as it was before, revealing that typical rough side of her again. In a way, Carl found it appealing. “That fucking prick left something in my locker again. Read me what that shit says.”

Carl blinked in disbelief a few times before grabbing the pile of pink and red presents, examining them closely. Taped onto the box of chocolates was a pretty envelope. He peeled it off and tore it open with heat rising on the back of his neck, his fingers trembling as he pulled the little card out. Mia peered over for a second before focusing back onto the traffic in front of her.

“I don’t really wanna…”

“Why not?”

Although her voice had softened slightly, he still tensed up from the sound of it. He didn’t want to disappoint her. He never wanted to disappoint her. But then again, in circumstances like these, he couldn’t help but stall out until he fell into the line of being a complete and utter loser. He stammered and laughed between each stuttered word, afraid to make her upset. But she wasn’t. She couldn’t be.

“It’s okay, baby. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t gotta.” Mia assured him. She felt sort of gross being so sappy toward someone, even if she was hopelessly in love with him. Nevertheless, she held her ground with a compassionate smile.

Carl practically melted. “Okay…”

Then the topic reared off into another conversation during their ten minute journey home. They spoke about their day, flirted with each other a little, and suddenly Carl was rambling about aliens for whatever reason. (Mia couldn’t even remember why at that point. All she knew was that aliens could inhabit their universe in a second if they wanted to and that Carl’s expressions were adorable when he was excited.) When they pulled into the driveway, he calmed down a bit and prepared to make a run for it so he wouldn’t get as wet from the rain, finishing his alien documentary with a dreary sigh.

“People who don’t believe aliens are dumb as hell. Like, how could there not be aliens? Even if they were real small or weak or whatever, there’s no possible way that humans are the only form of intelligent life out there. Y’know? Like, literally how could it just be nothing for universes and universes away?”

Mia tapped her finger on the steering wheel with a firm nod. “Right.”

“And yeah, there’s aliens on Earth. There I said it. That’s why we should have an annual belly button check to see who’s the goddamn aliens, man! It’s that simple! ‘Cause y’know what? Mr. Rich is not fucking passing that test! Not a chance in hell, dude.”

“Right. Yeah. But what if they like…morphed their body into having a belly button so that they could blend in?”

Throwing his hood back on and grabbing the handle, Carl let out a stressed sigh as if his life were in danger right at that moment. “I’ll have to think about that one…but trust me, I’ma get answers.”

With that, he ran through the light rain and up to the front door. Mia observed his every movement with a stupid smile stuck to her face. He was such a loser — But he was her loser. There wasn’t a day that went by without her thanking God for how lucky she was to be with a guy like him. She could listen to him for hours and never get bored. She could play video games that weren’t even down her alley and still be on cloud nine. She could feel his touch or look into his eyes and never get over the addictive sensation. Carl was truly the best aspect of her life. She couldn’t imagine a world without him.

A minute went by, then a few more, and then the door swung open to reveal Carl receiving a tender kiss on the cheek from his mother. She waved at Mia with a bright smile, her ginger curls bouncing energetically from the pure amount of joy she felt when seeing her son so happy. Mia waved back while watching Carl shamefully rushing back to the car with furrowed eyebrows and a red face.

Once Carl hopped in and his mother shut the front door, his rapid panting rang throughout the interior of her vehicle. That blissful sound was familiar. Mia smirked from the thought.

“I told my mom I’d probably be gone for the night,” Carl explained as he fixed his messy hair in the rear view mirror, “so we have as much time as we want.”

“Good, you’ll be gone all night.”

“Uh…why?”

Mia spared him a glance with that same playful smirk glued to her lips, batting her eyelashes a little while pondering on it. “I booked us a hotel suite.”

There was a pause for a moment. Carl examined her facial expression to ensure he wasn’t being played before letting out an airless laugh, his sage eyes glowing with contentment. “Really?! Dude, how—?!”

“I’m Alyssa Bell and you’re Ben Dover, okay?”

Fake ids. While Carl probably should’ve known better than to believe she got it fairly, he was still surprised to hear it. Leaning back in his seat and trying to relax the best he could knowing how hectic that night was going to be, he couldn't help but laugh again.

“Ben Dover? Really?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause that’s what you’re gonna be doing all night.”

“M-Mia!”

████████████████████

The couple arrived and checked into their room at six thirty. It was pretty easy to figure that those four hours were spent on nothing but evaluating every inch of the mattress. By the end of it, Carl had noticed that there was a slight indent in the headboard from the amount of times it previously smashed against the wall, which worsened by the end of it. Although he never saw how much worse it got because after their last session, Mia washed him up and then he was out cold. Every hickey he had began to transition into a purplish-red color as he slept away, his rosy cheeks becoming restored with his pale complexion and dark freckles. His messy curls, however, were strewn across the satin pillows and unable to be positioned properly. Mia had gripped the strands so much that it stuck up a little at the top. (She thought it was the cutest thing ever.)

As he slept off all the excitement he endured, Mia cradled him into her lap and went through the presents he gifted her with. She adored everything, other than the way he continued to apologize for not getting more expensive stuff. Mia could care less about the price tag — Besides that, she knew that his family wasn’t well off. She was honestly surprised that he managed to get what he did.

After examining everything for the fifth time and gushing over it to herself, she set all of it up nicely on the nightstand and planted a kiss on his forehead. It wasn’t until she was going to settle down for the night too that she caught sight of the gifts from her secret admirer. Her face scrunched up from the thought.

“I don’t really wanna…”

Mia hated it whenever he made that face.

Snatching it from the floor and tearing open the red envelope once more, her curiosity swirled into a nasty knot. She wanted to know what it said to make him have such a sour reaction.

Her eyes scanned the words for a moment.

. . .

That moment melted into what felt like forever.

. . .

Her face heated up, a smile sliding onto her lips as she read it over and over again. It was so adorable that she even had to shake Carl up to review it with her.

“Baby…”

“…Mmh?” Carl questioned with a muffled voice, his face buried in her thighs.

Understanding that he was much too exhausted to thoroughly discuss the matter, Mia instead put the card up and repositioned their former placement, letting him lay across her tummy like a teddy bear. He embraced her without hesitation, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

“I love you.” Mia stroked his hair and closed her eyes, pleased with how the day went.

And even though he didn’t reply back, she knew he loved her too. That’s what he said in the card for all these years. Despite being with her, knowing that he could’ve just given those presents to her directly, he didn’t. He was too scared to tell her that the secret admirer was him all along. That he wrote those bad poems about her, that he scribbled down those sentiments and meant every word of it, that he spent every last penny of his allowance buying her expensive chocolates and flowers, and that he loved her so very much. That’s why he didn’t want to read it — Because he didn’t want to admit it to her directly.

He was a loser, but one of a kind.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Kirsty Jackson Young born 23rd November 1968 in East Kilbride.

I first remember Kirsty from her collaboration with Angus Simpson, they had a great chemistry between them.

Kirsty was brought up in Stirling and attended Cambusbarron Primary School and Stirling High School.

Kirsty’s journalistic career began in 1989, when she became a newsreader for BBC Radio Scotland. In 1992, she moved into television to present Scotland Today news programmes mainly with the aforementioned Angus.

She was the launch host of Five News in 1997 During her time as presenter of 5 News Kirsty received the prestigious Sir James Carreras Award for Outstanding New Talent of 1997 at the 46th Variety Club Show Business Awards. A month later, in March 1998, she was named Newscaster of the Year awards.

From January to September 1998,Kirsty co-hosted Talk Radio’s weekday breakfast programme. From 1994-95 she was the host of ‘Kirsty’, a bi-weekly live discussion programme on the week’s hot topics, on STV, also for STV she also presented Late Edition, a live, late-night entertainment and music show. In 1996 Kirsty was a guest presenter of ITV’s The Time, The Place. Her BBC credits include presenting and reporting for Holidays Out, Holiday `96 and Film `96 on BBC1, and presenting BBC2’s consumer affairs show, The Street.

She is a regular guest presenter for BBC2’s Have I Got News For You and was an occasional stand in for Michael Parkinson’s Radio 2 Show and Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 Show.

From 2006 to 2018 she was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and previously presented Crimewatch on BBC One from 2008 to 2015.

In 2019 Kirsty revealed she suffered with fibromyalgia and has since eased back on her working life she is however is president of Unicef UK and still supports many charities.. Last month she did make a welcome return to broadcasting in a series of BBC podcast where she quizzes star guests on their youth, including Jamie Oliver, who admits he was 'really annoying'....what do you mean "was"?

[bizarrequazar]

JunZhe Post-Filming Timeline Space Notes

This was a followup space to one a week before, hosted by Shi’er, JF, and Ltk. This space covered late-September 2020 to the end of January 2021, with discussion based off of fan resources (especially the Vietnam team and the Rainy Night fansite). Further details about many of the events mentioned can be found under the recording.

Word of Honor filming wrapped on September 22nd, the dinner banquet was on the 23rd.

September 24th: Both left Hangzhou.

Gong Jun went to Sanya and probably went to pray at the Guanyin temple he had prayed at prior to filming, then went to Fujou on September 25th, then Yibin in Sichuan where he recorded a variety show. After the variety show recording, Gong Jun went on a vacation with his family in Dandong during the first week of October, which he posted photos from on Weibo.

Zhang Zhehan went Shanghai, then to Kunming, Yunnan province on September 25th. He stayed in Yunnan for a holiday until October 5th when he traveled back to Shenzhen. During this period, he posted photos  on October 2nd, and it’s believed he also went to Shangri-La City, bordering Sichuan.

October 8th: Zhang Zhehan played golf, where he made a hole in one.

October 9th: Zhang Zhehan flew into Beijing, presumably to prepare for his concert. Gong Jun was possibly in Beijing, his exact whereabouts on this day and those preceding it are unknown.

October 10th: Zhang Zhehan had a series of interviews. During a broadcast on Beijing Music Radio (released October 23rd), he mentioned that he had shown Gong Jun his new songs and had asked him to come to his concert. This is also likely the day that the Doraemon photo was taken. Gong Jun flew from Beijing to Shanghai to celebrate the birthday of his co-star from The Love Equations.

October 11th: Zhang Zhehan held a livestream where he said he had invited a personal guest, then blushed bright red and got shy. This was also the official release date for his Another Me single. Gong Jun attended an event for GQ, stayed in the Jing An Shangri-La hotel in Shanghai. He posted the photos from the event on the same day, as well as the douyin of him dancing to Ai de Chacha.

October 12th: Gong Jun flew from Shanghai to Beijing. 

October 13th: Zhang Zhehan had an interview where he mentioned he had a task to produce three songs per year. He also mentioned that during Word of Honor’s filming he had only had one day off where he was able to watch the movie Tenet, tripping over his words with something that sounded like “Gong” before saying he went with his staff. Based on his clothing, this is also most likely the day that he filmed the douyin where he bows in the white suit, as well as the one where he throws the flowers on the stairs; these were likely filmed at the location of his concert rehearsals.

October 14th: Zhang Zhehan did a live interview with MR Radio, where the host asked him to invite Gong Jun and he said he wasn’t sure if Gong Jun was going to come.

October 15th: Zhang Zhehan played golf, annual Sina Pro and Mature Golf Tournament. Gong Jun did a photoshoot for Area magazine at Beijing Sanduanjing studio. 

October 16th: Xiaoyu posted the Doraemon photo, someone kept changing it from private to public and vice versa.  Gong Jun posted the Dandong photos.

October 17th: Zhang Zhehan did the band rehearsal for the concert, posted three photos wearing a white jacket, caption “See you tomorrow.” 

October 18th: Zhang Zhehan’s I Met Me mini-concert at 6pm at the Beijing One Space. After the concert, his studio posted photos; in one he was sitting next to the chair 146. This was the 146th day since they met (either the martial arts training day or the script table read depending on how you count it.) Gong Jun didn’t show up to the concert, but he sent two huge bouquets with a personalized card. There’s a high possibility that Zhang Zhehan took these flowers home, as there’s a photo where something that looks like them was visible in the backseat of his car. Gong Jun filmed a douyin in his friend’s spa clinic close to the concert venue, posted October 20th. This douyin was the first time he was seen wearing the Apple watch. Rumor: He was waiting for Zhang Zhehan to finish his concert. 

October 19th: Zhang Zhehan’s ELLE Men magazine photoshoot. 

October 20th: Zhang Zhehan flew from Beijing to Dongshan Island. Posted a douyin where he was singing with Xiaoyu, most likely filmed on the 17th; there’s a voice in the background that may have been Gong Jun. 

October 21st: Zhang Zhehan had a photoshoot for Condé Nast. Candy: The shirt he was wearing was very similar to the Givenchy shirt Gong Jun wore back during his event in June. 

October 22nd: Gong Jun flew from Beijing to Nanjing, was filmed wearing a red hoodie and an Apple watch. 

October 23rd and 24th: Zhang Zhehan posted a series of photos from the photoshoot and a douyin clip of himself singing Another Me, wearing an Essentials sweater. 

October 26th: Gong Jun posted a video of himself unwrapping gifts on Xiao Hong Shu, wearing the Apple watch. One of the gifts included a set of headphones. Likely filmed on the 15th. Zhang Zhehan’s studio updated his public itinerary to include Nanjing for a pop-up shop event.

October 27th: Zhang Zhehan posted two photos of himself in a recording studio wearing an unpaired Apple watch. He also posted the douyin of him throwing flowers on the stairs. 

October 30th: Gong Jun recorded Tian Ya Ke in Nanjing, photos posted on November 2nd.

October 31st: One Night in Nanjing. Zhang Zhehan flew from Shenzhen to Nanjing for the pop-up shop event and had a photoshoot, white shirt over blue tshirt. (Not the same hotel as Gong Jun’s Fresh photoshoot in November 2021, that candy is fake.) Gong Jun drove from Nanjing to Shanghai to watch an e-sports event and filmed a vlog of this. After that, he drove back to Nanjing, identified by store signs in the background of the vlog. It’s about a four hour drive between the cities. Rumor: The two met in Nanjing.

November 1st: Zhang Zhehan flew back to Beijing to record Tian Ya Ke. He was spotted at the airport with a possible hickey, looking quite tired. Gong Jun did not work this day, he only had a dentist appointment. 

November 2nd: Zhang Zhehan flew to Chongqing to film Retro Detective.  Gong Jun was back in Nanjing to film The Flaming Heart.

November 8th: Official start of filming for both.

November 11th: Zhang Zhehan went to Shanghai for a Fendi event.

November 18th: Release of Zhang Zhehan’s song Don’t Say, posted on Douyin. 

November 29th: Gong Jun’s birthday, livestream of him unwrapping his gifts with his coworkers. One of the gifts was a big Lego set of the Roman Colosseum that he said was from a friend, rumor is that it was from Zhang Zhehan. Sang Ai Ni Wuhu. 

December 4th: Gong Jun posted a photo on Instagram of himself with a neckwarmer.  Zhang Zhehan posted “你好吗” (“are you okay?”) on Weibo. 

December 25th: Gong Jun went to Beijing to promote Unique Lady 2. He had a fanmeet afterwards where when he asked for questions about his characters, someone asked about Zhou Zishu, and he laughingly said “I’m not Zhou Zishu, are you a fan of Zhang Zhehan’s?”

January 1st: Gong Jun did an interview where he said “In the new year ... may your CP be real.”

January 14th: Gong Jun flew from Nanjing (Flaming Heart filming) to Beijing where he recorded a spring festival gala. He filmed part of a vlog of him going to eat hotpot. Rumor: Zhang Zhehan may have been with him at the restaurant, there was definitely someone with him who he kept looking at; there’s no concrete evidence either way.

January 17th: Gong Jun posted hotpot photos on Weibo.  Zhang Zhehan’s studio posted a photo of him from behind with a caption about chasing stars. 

January 23rd: Zhang Zhehan privated then unprivated some photos he had taken in Yunnan of him by a lake. In the photos he was wearing a black hoodie that Gong Jun has in red.

January 31st: Gong Jun posted the hotpot vlog. 

To be continued in a future space. ♥

[breakerwhiskey]

057 - FIFTY-SEVEN

Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit patreon.com/breakerwhiskey.

Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.

[click, static]

Another gas station today, right over the border in Wyoming and they had this tiny little buffalo toy at the counter. He’s sitting on my dashboard now, watching over the road as I drive.

Maybe there’s something perversely ironic about that. The image of a buffalo being forced to watch a paved road pass underneath him when the road’s very existence is part of the reason that he and all of his brethren got decimated in the first place.

Maybe I’m overthinking it. [click, static]

My dad used to get me all these things like this from truck stops along his route, stuff like this little buffalo. Some kind of tchotchke—a keychain, a pen, a magnet. Anything that had the name of a city or the image of a monument on it. I loved all of those souvenirs, would keep them in a row on top of my dresser like some kind of shrine to the great American road trip.

[click, static]

Every trip he always made he brought one of those things back for me. And when he could—when the season was right—he would bring back a jar of homemade jam for my mom. He would never buy it at a store or anything like that—only ever from a roadside stand. So it had to be summer, usually, and he had to happen to pass one. And then...well, I think he’d probably spend twenty minutes picking out exactly which jar he wanted to get her, because he’d only ever bring one back, but he’d tell us all about the farmer who sold it to him and the other types they had.

You know, he’d talk to the farmer for a while, ask them what their speciality was, if there was a jam they liked best, or if they had any fruit

varieties that they’d come up with themselves. The weirder, the better. The more regional, the better. Any time dad came home with a jar of jam it was like a little holiday—we’d spread it over toast for dessert or sometimes we’d just eat it straight from the jar.

[click, static]

God, it all sounds so provincial. Not that that’s...bad, but you’d think I’d grown up at the turn of the century, not the forties. But that was the thing about rural living, I guess. And I think—well, during the war, my parents got used to austerity. So even when it was all over and my dad went back to driving his usual route and not delivering supplies for the military, there was still the sense that every bit of sugar or fresh fruit was a luxury.

Maybe that’s why I’ve never really needed very much to be content. [click, static]

My mom loved jam—would make it herself every late spring from the big blackberry bushes we had behind our house. She’d experiment with different kinds too—the classic sweet blackberry jam, savory, spicy blackberry jams that we’d put on toast with cheese, blackberry jam mixed with vinegar in one of her few completely failed attempts. From late May through all of June, our house would smell like blackberries.

I don’t really like blackberries anymore. Just the smell of them makes something inside me ache. Harry...

[click, static]

Harry stopped growing them in our garden after the first year. I think, somehow, she knew.

[click, static]

[tomboyjessie13-artblog]

Sorry for the radio silence, I spent the last few days working on this, that and there's the holidays and I kept taking naps by accident. Anyways, while I am still proud of the previous fashion chart I made, I wasn't entirely happy with it since I feel like I was missing a few outfits along with lacking variety, so I made some more outfits to make up for this little conundrum.

- First arrival to Egypt: This is what she wore during her first arrival to Egypt after agreeing to join DIO's side, taking place a year before "Stardust Crusaders". I know it looked a little too touristy, but it would make sense since this her first time in Egypt, with the only thing she knew about the country are ancient civilizations, historical monuments, and very hot weather.

- DIO's World: She wears this shortly before and during "DIO's World", the last arc in "Stardust Crusaders", right after she befriended a hospitalized Kakyoin, showing that she's slowly shedding her DIO's slave persona and becoming an unofficial Crusader, the star accessories she wears pretty much shows this. She also wear's Joseph's breathing mask rigged with Hamon to gain the Crusaders' trust, being warned that it will go off if she removes it.

- Wedding dress: The dress that Medea wore for her and Keiji's wedding a few years before "Diamond is Unbreakable" took place. I mean come on, she becomes a wife and mother in Part 4, right? We might as well show off the dress for it... And yes, she wore her glove over her mechanical arm, gotta make your prosthetics look fabulous to. Sorry if it doesn't look fantastical though, that's the best I can come up with. OC belongs to me Base belongs to Rainfall-Bases Blank base here: https://www.deviantart.com/rainfall-bases/art/BASE-272-girl-with-no-boots-498423974

[siglai]

Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.[6][7][8] (born 18 August 1983), known by his stage name Mika (/ˈmiːkə/ MEE-kə, stylised as MIKA), is a Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter.

After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday, Mika was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2007 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2007.[9] Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007, which sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit Award—winning Best British Breakthrough act—and receive a Grammy Award nomination.[10] He topped the UK Singles Chart in January 2007 with "Grace Kelly". He has since gone on to record four more studio albums (most recently My Name is Michael Holbrook released in October 2019), as well as serve as judge/mentor on both the French version of The Voice and the Italian version of X Factor. Mika has also starred in his own television variety show in Italy, Stasera Casa Mika [it], which won the 2017 Rose d'Or Award for Entertainment, and co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Contents

1Life and career

1.11983–2006: Childhood and early career

1.22007–2008: Life in Cartoon Motion

1.32009–2010: The Boy Who Knew Too Much

1.42010–2014: The Origin of Love, X Factor Italy and Songbook Vol.1

1.52015–2018: No Place in Heaven

1.62019–2020: My Name Is Michael Holbrook

1.72021–present

2Personal life

3Discography

4Filmography

5Tours

6Awards and nominations

7References

8External links

Life and career

1983–2006: Childhood and early career

Mika was born in Beirut, the third of five children (three sisters Yasmine, Paloma and Zuleika and one brother Fortuné), to an American-born Lebanese mother and an Israeli-born American father, Mary Joan "Joannie" (née Mouakad, daughter of John Mouakad and Odette Farah) and Michael Holbrook Penniman (son of William Frederick Penniman III and Dorothy Dyar). His father was a banker[7][11] and was born in Jerusalem, where his own father – Mika's paternal grandfather William Frederick Penniman III – was a diplomat.[11][12] Mika's maternal grandfather John Mouakad was Syrian (from Damascus).[13][14]

When Mika was a year old, his family was forced to leave war-torn Lebanon and moved to Paris, France.[12][15] The first piano piece he learned to play was "Les Champs-Élysées", by Joe Dassin.[12] At the age of 7, he wrote his first song, a piano instrumental called "Angry", which he describes as "awful".[7] The family moved to London when he was 9 years old. There, he attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, where he experienced severe bullying. He also had problems with dyslexia. In response to these experiences Mika was home-schooled by his mother at the age of 12, for six to eight months.[7] He then attended St Philip's School in Kensington, where he was the head of the Schola Cantorum (the St. Philip's Choir). Later he attended Westminster School and the Royal College of Music, which he left to record his first album at Casablanca Records.[16] As a child Mika was trained by Alla Ardakov (Ablaberdyeva), a Russian opera professional.

Mika's first single was a limited 7"/download release called "Relax, Take It Easy" (2006). It was play-listed by UK's BBC Radio 1 and was made Record of the Week by DJ Scott Mills. The Dodgy Holiday EP also became available for download. The song "Billy Brown" was available for free download for a week from the iTunes Store. A song titled 'Over-rated', which was recorded in 2004, was "unofficially" released online. His debut radio appearance was on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 show in September 2006.

2007–2008: Life in Cartoon Motion

WHO

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre Skit: Mr. Moto + Other Detectives [RADIO]

What would happen if all the great detectives of fiction worked together on one case?

Peter Lorre appears as Mr. Moto in my stitched-together clip from the comedy-variety show, Texaco Star Theater, October 4, 1939.

This one took me quite awhile to track down. It was listed as "Tomorrow and Tomorrow," but it turns out that Peter is only in the first part of this show, piped in from Hollywood.

The second half of the show (not included here) is piped in from New York and contains the drama "Tomorrow and Tomorrow," with Fredric March.

I love Fredric March (see him in the surreal "Death Takes a Holiday"!) but sorry, Freddy, not today.

All the players, some of whom are with Peter: Irene Ryan, Kenny Baker, David Broekman and His Orchestra, Peter Lorre, Philip Barry (author), Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Larry Elliott (commercial spokesman), Lehman Engel (composer, conductor), Burns Mantle (New York host), Ken Murray (Hollywood host), Frances Langford.

[snowmaniaph]

Snow Man this New Year 2019 -> 2021 playback (part 1/3)

Round-table discussion 2019 highlights!

Snow Man causes excitement on the pages of the TV Guide every year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 - January 3). A playback of the members waiting for their debut in the January ’19 issue to their friendly photos and talk in the ’21 New Year issue! Don’t miss their round-table discussion with reprinted photos too~!

’19 January issue

During Johnny’s Jr. days.  They appeared wearing rat one-piece pajamas to represent the zodiac for ’20. The 9 members’ chu- (play on the sound of a kiss and squeak of a mouse) faces were cute too. From around this time, Raul tightly held onto Meguro. <3

’19 January issue: Raul is refined, Meme is emitting testosterone, Shota is cute

Sakuma: Also, Raul walked at TGC (Tokyo Girls Collection) alone.

Fukazawa: Is that so? So that was in ’19!

Sakuma: That became a connection for everyone’s work. I’m happy.

Meguro: I’m grateful!

Sakuma: Also, you’re in a drama with Non-chan (Kotaki Nozomu) right now! You’re appearing a lot on TV. That’s unthinkable during ’18!

Raul: I can’t imagine it! I want to say just one thing. I became refined!

Watanabe: You’re saying it yourself (laughs).

Meguro: You were waiting for it to be said to you, right?

Raul: Yeah (laughs).

Mukai: It’s true! In terms of appearance, Raul changed the most!

Raul: That’s right! Meme too. He seduced women the most!

Mukai: The “testosterone”!

Sakuma: He was emitting it~ “testosterone”!

Miyadate: It was in the 2nd verse of “Party! Party! Party!”, but when Meguro sang that, the number of women falling for him increased rapidly.

Fukazawa: Thanks for the explanation (laughs).

Raul: And because there’s nothing inside him, he is unexpectedly funny in variety shows.

Watanabe: Fuhahahaha!

Sakuma: What do you mean (laughs)!?

Fukazawa: Are you insulting him? Are you complimenting him?

Meguro: It’s true though. Lately, I’ve been appearing in variety a lot.  

Sakuma: There are a lot of variety shows that are physically challenging.

Abe: It means that you’ve been acknowledged!

Fukazawa: Wasn’t Shota in at least 3 dramas this ’19?

Mukai: That’s amazing! He’s in the drama group!

Raul: You look good in the video!

Watanabe: (making an embarrassed face)

Raul: And, in a serious note, he kindly leads us in terms of singing performance.

Sakuma: He really does!

Raul: Listening to his singing feels good.

Watanabe: (making an embarrassed face once again)

Raul: And he’s cute!

Fukazawa: He suddenly became cute in ’19. We didn’t know he could make that face.

Sakuma: I think that with 9 members there are more and more places for Shota to simply be himself.

Iwamoto: That’s right.

Watanabe: ...enough, enough already (embarrassed). Thank you, everyone!

Sakuma: Should we end it here? Thank you very much!

All members: Thank you very much!

Fukazawa: I’m not done yet!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

’19 New Year issue

They wore cat ears and transformed. The other members were in a big fuss and surrounded the youngest, Rau-cat when he played with a fur ball for this shoot. He looked like a real cat while playing with the yarn. For the talk, the members excitedly discussed what kind of cat they would be!

’19 New Year issue: What kind of cat are the Snow Man members? Fukka-san is a robot cat!

Sakuma: I’m a male Calico cat!!

Fukazawa: He’s the one saying it so I want to respect that. Raul is a Sphinx. This is already final. He’s really cool! Stylish!

Raul: Hee~ that makes me happy.

Watanabe: Somehow it feels like it won’t lose hair...

Fukazawa: On the contrary, it doesn’t grow hair.

Watanabe: Really!?

Iwamoto: I’m fine with being a normal cat. Maybe I’m an Oriental Shorthair?

Mukai: How cool!

Raul: Is this a radio drama?

Sakuma: Are you going to do a hero story?

Iwamoto: (ignores) Next, Date-san.

Sakuma: Something queen-like would be nice.

Iwamoto: Like a Persian cat?

Raul: That’s nice! It’s elegant!

Iwamoto: How about a Russian Blue?

Abe: Hee~ how stylish!

Miyadate: Is it “kanashimi blue” (sad blue)?

Sakuma: (singing) kanashimi ni, kuchibi~ru yo~sete~

Miyadate: (satisfied smile)

Mukai: Meme suits the big cat type.

Meguro: Oh! What kind?

Watanabe: There’s no cat like that!

Sakuma: Then, how about a black panther?

Fukazawa: How about a jaguar? Jaguar.

Sakuma: Well, it belongs to the cat family.

Abe: What would Koji be? How about a Scottish Fold?

Watanabe: Doesn’t it sound like a tissue name?

Raul: Kyahahaha!

Mukai: Then I’m a Su-Scottish... Foldy!

All members: Ahahahaha!

Watanabe: You kept stuttering (laughs).

Fukazawa: Oh gosh, that was cute. If that is so then Shota’s (cat) was better.

Mukai: Why!? (upset) Then I’ll be a stray cat! I’ll go to different houses. A crossbreed stray cat!

Fukazawa: Now that that’s over, Shota will be the Scottish Fold after all!

Watanabe: Then I’ll be the tissue.

Abe: No, it’s not a tissue (laughs).

Sakuma: I’ve already picked Fukka’s. An Iriomote wildcat.

Meguro: Amazing! What is that?

Abe: Is it similar to a masked palm civet?

Sakuma: No, a masked palm civet is different~!

Abe: Sakuma really is knowledgeable! Amazing! That was informative!

Mukai: But there’s already a good one for Fukka-san! A cat-shaped robot!

Source: TV Guide

[dreamy625]

This rockstar life - 3.15 Postcards from Margaritaville

Words: 1121

Content: Basically fluff. I just really want a holiday!

—-----------------------------

I hear the front door slam while I’m staring into the fridge trying to work out if any of its disparate contents could qualify as dinner. Then Steve walks into the kitchen. He looks shifty and is holding something behind his back.

“Hey,” I say in a wary tone. “What are you up to?”

“Um… you know when our picture ended up in ‘Hello!’ and you freaked out?”

“Yeeeees?”

“Well, someone gave me this. It might be… worse.” He puts the copy of ‘People’ down on the table, open to one of the pages of slightly blurry photos of less-newsworthy celebrities, and points to one of the sections. “It’s from the boat trip in Mexico.”

There are two pictures, not great quality but still very clearly us. In one we’re sitting together on a sun lounger, laughing at something in a magazine. In the other, more scandalous, shot we’re kissing; I’m standing on tiptoe with my hands tangled in his hair, Steve has his hand on my lower back, pulling me against him. 

“Oh. How did they even get that? We were way out of the harbour.”

“Telephoto lens, maybe from another boat?”

“Ugh, and there must have been quite a gap between those two moments, so they were watching for ages. That’s so creepy. And what other pictures do they have?”

The accompanying text draws the reader’s attention to the mystery brunette ‘spotted romping with heavy metal guitarist, Steve Clark’ and announces that an insider has revealed her name to be Lucy.

“Why do people always think my name is Lucy? Do I look like a Lucy?” 

Steve, who had been wearing a worried expression up until now, looks somewhat relieved, and shakes his head. “So you’re not upset?”

“I’m just glad we had clothes on! And we look happy. They’d be nice pictures if they weren't being shared with thousands of other people.”

—-----------------------------

After just a few weeks at home to recuperate, management had insisted that Steve go with the rest of the guys on a promotional jaunt to the US and, keen to avoid a repeat of the last time he was stuck somewhere he didn’t want to be, I equally vehemently insisted on accompanying him. The trip started in New York and then a few other places on the east coast, followed by a TV show in one of those square states in the middle somewhere, then finally a bunch of interviews up and down California. By the second week and the, it seemed like, hundred-and-fiftieth radio station, I could see Steve getting increasingly twitchy; quiet and withdrawn in the little free time they were permitted, sleeping even worse than usual, flinching every time a camera was pointed at him. But one positive development over the past couple of months is that he has got better at recognising when he’s getting close to the edge and, quite unprompted, he went to Peter and asked if he could skip the last few appointments and fly back early. The answer was, shall we say, not sympathetic - he was still part of the band and had to fulfil his obligations blah blah blah - but Steve, with new-found bravery, and perhaps desperation, told them to stuff it! He came straight back to the hotel and, reasoning ‘What are they going to do? Fire me?’, told me to start packing. Then we ran away to Mexico! 

After a long cab ride during which we pretended to be bank robbers on the run (to the consternation of the driver who initially wasn’t sure we were joking!), we crossed the border and then found another cab to take us ‘somewhere pretty’, ending up at a kitschy hotel near the beach in Rosarito. And there, after two days where he basically slept the whole time, I discovered that there is another Steve whose existence I was not previously aware of. As well as Musical Genius Steve, Stage Steve, Silly Steve, Devoted Boyfriend Steve, Sleepy Steve, Sulky Steve, Sad Steve, various varieties of Drunk Steve, and all the other Steves I was already familiar with, there is a Holiday Steve. This Steve can be conjured by a careful mix of sunshine (not too much), sex (quite a lot), and frozen margaritas, and what results is a sweet, mellow, slightly dopey boy who will let you pet him like a kitten and tell him he’s pretty. 

We would drag a couple of sun loungers into whatever shade there was - much to the bemusement of the hotel staff who couldn’t understand why these particular pasty English people wouldn’t want to lie baking in the sun like the rest of the patrons - and just laze around all day. Sleeping, reading, Steve would draw and I would write, I painted his toenails and he brushed my hair, some soppy canoodling that was probably pretty nauseating to witness. The other guests, who mostly seemed to be middle-aged couples from San Diego, apparently came to the conclusion we were honeymooners and thus dubbed our PDAs sweet rather than salacious, so we did not disabuse them of this notion. The few photos we took on the trip, with a cheap camera bought in the little shop in the lobby, have a retro 1920’s/1930’s vibe, over-exposed washed out colours, showing us in flowery hotel robes and huge sunglasses against the backdrop of the old building in its now slightly tattered glory.

At sunset, we’d go back to our room, shower, order room service, and then go out, go to a bar, walk along the beach, whatever. We’d get back to the hotel around two-ish, and sit on the balcony drinking whatever was left in the minibar, or lounge in bed watching movies in Spanish that we couldn’t understand. Then back out to the pool and the sun loungers to doze the day away. Like vampires. Vampires with sunscreen. We did no sightseeing, attended no cultural events, and sent no postcards. It was blissful!

It took just over a week for management to find us (I think they tortured Phil until he gave up our location) and phone the hotel, yelling. But by then the promotional trip was finished so there was nothing they could do. Steve’s act of rebellion actually brought about a sea change in the relationship with Q Prime; they had no real hold over him anymore and, while he would do everything possible to avoid letting down the rest of the band, he was able to just say no to a few particularly onerous duties. He was still feeling an immense amount of guilt about the whole situation, but the reduction in demands from on high definitely made the remaining months of recording and tour prep more peaceful than the past year.

[thelenazavaroniarchive]

24th May 2024.

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒. Lena’s second single - Personality was released.

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒. In America there was a full page advert for Lena in Variety.

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒. In America. Lena appeared on the Mike Douglas Show on Channel 2 at 5:00 pm. She sang Ma! He’s Making Eyes At Me.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟗. The Stage reported that Lena would be doing a Sunday concert at the Blackpool Opera House during the summer.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟗. The Stage also carried an advertisement for Carnaby Cavern who made costumes for Lena.

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟎. Music Week listed “Jump Down Jimmy” on the new releases page.

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟎. The Wolverhampton Express published an interview with Lena.

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏. Lena starred in Sunday night At The Blackpool Opera House at 6:10pm and 8:20pm. Singing: Happy Together, La Zavaroni, Over The Rainbow, I don’t want to walk without you, Tribute to the young talent of yesteryear, Roses and Rainbows, Going nowhere, Make your own kind of music, Even now. This was Spring Bank holiday weekend at one of the largest Theatres in the country. She was paid £2000. Copy of her contract courtesy of lenazavaroni.com

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏. Shirley Hill photographed Lena from the wings at The Blackpool Opera house.

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝 - 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏. Over the Spring Bank Holiday, Shirley Hill photographed Lena signing Records in Blackpool Woolworths, The vast majority of record signings were in Woolworths stores, it is almost certain that the Solomons got backhanders from them. The badge says ; BBC 351 Radio Blackburn and her watch looks to say it is 11:55 am.

being interviewed by Radio Blackburn, which was soon to be renamed BBC Radio Lancashire.

backstage at the Opera House, both alone and with Kenny Ball.

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟏. The (Sandwell) Evening Mail reported that Lena’s husband had left her.

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. Broadway World wrote an obituary for Dougie Squires, who choreographed a lot of Lena's shows.

[molsons112000]

I'm the dish the TV show.They should be going through iheartradio. They wanna look or listen to I should say and they can divide it between each of them.Different stations from around the country.. Getting a feel for what's trending. And so they can turn it from voice to text and turn it into a keyword search or Once they turn it into text they can scan for the most common comments....

So they would have all the transcripts of the shows turning toward docs.And then they would scan each of the transcripts to see what comes up the most. They can do a specific search, but this isn't a breakdown. How many times did they mention John Legend during a show? Then they can look at the direct comments of what they said about John Legend. But this will give them all the different trending content...

To count the number of times each word appears in a Word document, you can use the Find and Replace feature.

Open the Find and Replace dialog box.

In the Find what field, enter the word or phrase you want to count.

In the Replace with field, enter a space.

Click the Find All button.

Word will find all instances of the word or phrase and replace them with a space.

The number of instances of the word or phrase will be displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the window.

Here are some additional tips for counting words in a Word document:

You can use the Find and Replace feature to count the number of times a specific word appears in a document, or you can count the number of times all words appear in a document.

To count the number of times all words appear in a document, simply leave the Find what field blank.

You can use the Find and Replace feature to count the number of times a word or phrase appears in a specific section of a document. To do this, select the section of the document you want to count before you open the Find and Replace dialog box.

You can use the Find and Replace feature to count the number of times a word or phrase appears in a specific range of pages in a document. To do this, select the range of pages you want to count before you open the Find and Replace dialog box.

Then they can pay each of their shows directly for the content they use. So they would set up a deal with iheartradio. The reason I mentioned them is they have a 20 something 30, something and teenage. Demographics, that's extremely big. And people in these age groups are more interested in what's trending....

iHeartRadio has over 860 live stations in 160 markets across the United States. Some of the stations include:

Popular stations: Adult contemporary, Christian, classical, comedy, country, dance & electronic, decades & classic hits, hip hop/R&B, holiday, jazz & standards, kids & family, Latino, news/talk/politics, pop, rock/alt, specialty, and sports

Mix and variety stations: Star 101.3, Hot 100, and Mix 106.5

Other stations: 106.7 Lite FM, New York's best variety

Country stations: KFI AM 640, Los Angeles, CA

News and talk stations: ALT 98.7, Los Angeles, CA 



iHeartMedia

iHeartMedia Stations

Z100. New York, NY. Listen Now. Top 40 & Pop. 106.7 Lite FM. New York, NY. Listen Now. Soft Rock. 1043 MYfm. Los Angeles, CA. Listen Now. Mix & Variety. Power 105.1. New York, NY. Listen Now. Hip Hop and R&B. The BIG 98. Nashville, TN. Listen Now. Country. KFI AM 640. Los Angeles, CA. Listen Now. News & Talk. ALT 98.7. Los Angeles, CA. Listen Now. Alternative. WBZ NewsRadio 1030. Boston, MA. Listen Now. News & Talk.



iHeart

All Original Stations | iHeartRadio Originals

Popular Stations. All Stations. Adult Contemporary. Christian. Classical. Comedy. Country. Dance & Electronic. Decades & Classic Hits. Hip Hop/R&B. Holiday. Jazz & Standards. Kids & Family. Latino. News/Talk/Politics. Pop. Rock/Alt. Specialty. Sports.

iHeart

Listen to the Best Live Radio in The United States for ... - iHeart

106.7 Lite FM. New York's Best Variety. KOST 103.5. LA's Feel Good Station & Ellen K. Z100. New York's #1 Hit Music & Elvis Duran. 1035 KTU. The Beat of New York. 1043 MYfm. 90s to Now. 102.7 KIIS-FM Los Angeles. LA's #1 Taylor Swift Station. Sunny 99.1. Houston's Best Variety: 80s, 90s & Today. HOT 97. #1 For Hip Hop in New York. 107.5 WBLS. #1 For R&B in New York. Power 105.1. New York's Hip Hop & The Breakfast Club. Q104.3. New York's Classic Rock. 95.5 KLOS. Southern California's Rock Station. K-LOVE. Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE. Jackson's BIN 98.1. Black Information Network. 93.9 Lite FM. Chicago's Relaxing Favorites. ESPN Radio. ... Fox Sports Radio. ... ALT 98.7.

iHeart

Listen to Mix & Variety Radio Stations for Free - iHeart

Top Mix & Variety Stations ; STAR 101.3. SF's Variety - 90s, 2000s & Today ; Hot 100. Hit Music from the 90s to Now ; Mix 106.5. Today's Best Music: San Jose ; 1043 ...

iheartmedia.com

Atlanta Stations | iHeartMedia Stations

With over 860 live broadcast stations in 160 markets across America, there's an iHeartRadio station where you live. Discover how our stations can deliver your message live and local to your community. · 96.1 The Beat · 94.9 The Bull.

You can listen to iHeartRadio stations online or download the iHeart app. 

In Illinois, you can file a civil lawsuit for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) if your spouse's behavior is outrageous or reckless and intended to cause distress. To win an IIED lawsuit, you must prove:

You experienced actual emotional pain

Your distress is directly connected to your spouse's behavior

Your life has been significantly impacted by your spouse's behavior 



O'Flaherty Law

Illinois Adultery Laws - Does Cheating Impact Alimony ...

Feb 12, 2024 — One legal alternative available in the face of infidelity is filing civil lawsuits for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) when a spouse cheated. An IIED claim can be filed if the spouse's behavior was notably outrageous or reckless and was intended to cause distress. To win an IIED lawsuit, the plaintiff must demonstrate actual emotional pain, prove a direct connection between their distress and the spouse's behavior, and the significant impact it had on their life.

A jury will consider a variety of evidence when determining the amount of damages to award, including:

The plaintiff's mental anguish and emotional distress

The plaintiff's reputation has been injured

The plaintiff has lost support

The plaintiff has lost consortium, or the marital fellowship of the other spouse

The quality of the marriage before the third party's interference 

In general, a jury is likely to award more damages if the evidence shows the spouses had a good relationship before the affair. 

You can also sue for criminal conversation or alienation of affection, which can compensate you for damages, including emotional distress. To win a lawsuit based on alienation of affection, you must prove:

You and your spouse were married and there was underlying affection between you

The love and affection in the marriage was destroyed

The defendant directly caused the affection between the spouses to be destroyed 

You can contact Dish Network customer support at 1-800-333-3474, or 1-833-604-0093. Customer support is available 7 days a week from 8 AM–midnight ET, and technical support is available 24/7. You can also contact Dish Network via email at news@dish.com for media inquiries, voe@dish.com for employment verification, or dishcares@dish.com for corporate citizenship. 

About DISH

Contact Us - About DISH

About DISH - Contact Us. Contact Us. Media Inquiries. news@dish.com. Employment Verification. voe@dish.com. Corporate Citizenship. dishcares@dish.com. General Inquiries. Access your DISH account: my.dish.com. Chat with a representative: my.dish.com/support. Contact us on social: @dish_answers. @slinganswers. @BoostCare. @tingFTW. DISH Careers. careers.dish.com. Navigate the Newsroom. About DISH. Visit Other Company Sites. Air TV. DISH Careers.



MyDISH

Contact Us - MyDISH - Dish Network

Give us a call. ... Customer Support Available: 8:00am - Midnight ET, 7 days a week. Technical Support Available: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. International In-Language Support Available: 9:00am - 8:00pm ET, Monday - Friday (availability varies by language)



Dish Network

Customer Support - Contact DISH | 1-800-333-3474

Contact Us · 1-800-333-3474 · 1-833-604-0093 · DISH Customer Service visit my.dish.com ...

You can also contact Dish Network on social media at @dish_answers, @slinganswers, @BoostCare, or @tingFTW. 

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

UN BATTEUR SOUS-ESTIMÉ, JIMMY COBB

“When I was first starting out I used to hear Kenny Clarke play a certain way. He could play a little splash cymbal and it wouldn’t splash because he had such a good touch on the cymbal. So I just kind of fell into that. I didn’t just play four quarter notes; the little [swung] note was just soft. But I guess people only heard the quarter notes. Now it’s a little different; I dance with it a little bit on the cymbal, but it still has that same feeling.”

- Jimmy Cobb

Né le 20 janvier 1929 à Washington, D.C., Wilbur James Cobb était le fils de Wilbur Cobb, un gardien de sécurité et chauffeur de taxi, et de Katherine Bivens, une domestique. Au milieu des années 1940, Cobb avait développé une grande fascination pour le jazz en écoutant l’émission de radio du disc-jockey Symphony Sid.

À l’âge de treize ans, après avoir travaillé comme plongeur dans un comptoir-lunch, Cobb s’était ramassé suffisamment d’argent pour s’acheter sa première batterie. Cobb précisait: “When I first got my set of drums, I just set them up and played them, without looking at any music. I was trying to get some technique and find out if I liked the drums. When I could play a little bit, then I learned to read.’’

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Même s’il avait étudié brièvement avec le percussionniste de la National Symphony Jack Dennett, Cobb a essentiellement appris à jouer de la batterie en autodidacte.

Après avoir joué de la batterie avec le groupe de son high school, Cobb n’avait pas tardé à obtenir ses premiers contrats de musicien professionnel. Décrivant ses débuts, Cobb avait expliqué: "I figured it was something I'd like to do, and when I learned enough to do it, I figured that would be what I would do for the rest of my life." Au cours d’une autre entrevue, Cobb avait précisé: “It was during World War II, and it was easy for someone just getting started to get a job because many guys had been drafted and gone to war.”

Même s’il avait également été influencé par Kenny Clarke, Cobb considérait Max Roach comme sa principale influence. Il expliquait: “At the time, that was the hippest music going. I also listened to Kenny Clarke, Shadow Wilson, and Big Sid Catlett. Then a little later there was Art Blakey and Philly Joe Jones.”

Cobb n’avait pas encore vingt ans lorsqu’il avait commencé à jouer avec les plus grands musiciens de jazz de l’époque. Après avoir accompagné la chanteuse Billie Holiday lors d’un de ses passages à Washington, Cobb s’était joint au groupe itinérant du disc-jockey Symphony Sid, ce qui lui avait permis de passer une semaine aux côtés de Charlie Parker et Miles Davis.

Cobb avait obtenu son premier contrat majeur dans le cadre d’une collaboration avec le saxophoniste Charlie Rouse. Cobb expliquait:

‘’He was from Washington and had been to New York. Rouse had worked with Dizzy Gillespie and all the bebop musicians, so he knew all the tunes. I had a job with him at the Republic Gardens on U Street in Washington. I was about 18. That’s how I started playing jazz. I wanted to play jazz because I always heard it in the neighborhood. My friends would play Billy Eckstine records—the hard swing, bebop thing. Eckstine’s band had stars like Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker, and Gene Ammons. That’s the kind of music I’ve been listening to all my life.”

Durant son séjour à Washington, Cobb avait également joué avec Leo Parker, Benny Golson, Billie Holiday et Pearl Bailey. En 1950, à l’âge de vingt et un ans, Cobb s’était installé à New York où il avait fait ses débuts sur disque avec le groupe du saxophoniste Earl Bostic, qui comprenait à l’époque de futurs sommités du jazz comme John Coltrane, Benny Golson et Stanley Turrentine. Décrivant cette période de sa vie, Cobb avait commenté:

“During those times the band used to travel to different places. In each city there was a variety theater and the band would have to play the show. We had a sextet and they would add other musicians to make a 13-piece band. I only stayed with Bostic a year. After that I went with Dinah Washington, and the same thing prevailed. You’d have an augmented band and play for other acts. It was good experience. Also, when I was with Diana we did a good record called For Those in Love that had some of Quincy Jones’s first arrangements.”

Par la suite, Cobb avait travaillé durant trois ans et demi avec la chanteuse Dinah Washington, amorçant ainsi une collaboration de vingt ans avec le pianiste Wynton Kelly. Cobb a également participé à plusieurs des enregistrements de la chanteuse, dont le très sous-estimé ‘’For Those In Love’’, pour lequel Quincy Jones avait écrit les arrangements. C’est lors de sa collaboration avec Washington que Cobb avait commencé à saisir le fossé qui existait entre son éducation catholique et les traditions de l’église baptiste. Il précisait: “When I heard that Baptist sound, it took me over. I wasn’t used to hearing that. It would make the hairs stand up on my arms and neck, where people are singing and shouting in church. That struck me right away. She taught me to put the passion into what I was doing.”

Après avoir quitté le groupe de Washington en 1956, Cobb s’était joint au quintet des frères Cannonball et Nat Adderley dont il avait fait partie durant environ un an. Cobb expliquait:

“I met Julian [Cannonball] when I was with Dinah Washington. He was still in Florida, and when we played there, he came to the hotel we were staying in because he wanted to talk to somebody from New York and find out what the scene was because he was thinking about coming up. After Charlie Parker died, I guess he figured he had a shot. So later on when he and Nat came to New York he hired me for their band, and we made an album called Sharpshooters, which was a pretty good album.”

Cobb avait enregistré trois albums avec les frères Adderley: ‘’Sophisticated Swing’’, ‘’Quintet In Chicago’’ et ‘’Takes Charge.’’

Parallèlement à sa collaboration avec les frères Adderley, Cobb avait travaillé avec Stan Getz et Dizzy Gillespie. Il avait également enregistré avec le percussionniste Tito Puente. En 1957, Cannonball Adderley s’était joint au groupe de Miles Davis. Un jour, le batteur Philly Joe Jones n’avait pu se présenter, et Cannonball avait invité Cobb à se joindre à la formation. Cobb précisait:

“So Julian told me to come by when they were playing, and if Joe didn’t show up I could play. So I did that a lot,and then I went to a record date with them one day and Joe didn’t show up, so they pressed me into service, and that record date was for Porgy and Bess. They had already done about half of it with Joe, and I’m on the other half. Sometimes we’re each doing half of the same tune. So I finished the date, and a little while after that Miles asked me to be in the band.’’

Cobb avait déjà travaillé avec Davis auparavant. Cobb expliquait: “When I was with Diana {Dinah Washington}, a disc jockey called Symphony Sid gathered a lot of musicians together and called them Symphony Sid’s All-Stars, and he had Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, and Toots Thielemans, who had just come from Belgium, and Diana’s rhythm section. We played together for a week.”

L’album ‘’Kind of Blue’’ avait été enregistré au printemps 1959 peu après le 30e anniversaire de naissance de Cobb. Faisaient également partie du groupe les saxophonistes John Coltrane et Cannonball Adderley, les pianistes Wynton Kelly et Bill Evans, et le contrebassiste Paul Chambers. Davis, qui faisait énormément confiance à Cobb, lui avait donné une seule instruction: "Jimmy, you know what to do. Just make it sound like it's floating." Enregistré dans une ancienne église de la 30e rue de New York qui avait été transformée en studio pour l’occasion, l’album avait été pratiquement réalisé en une seule prise. Comme Cobb l’avait expliqué lors de la célébration du 50e anniversaire de l’album en 1959, «Miles pensait que le premier coup était toujours le meilleur, sinon c’était du rabâchage». Cobb avait ajouté: «Miles est juste arrivé avec quelques idées sur un bout de papier. On a dû travailler pour construire à partir de ce peu de choses, mais ça a été facile.»

À l’époque, personne ne se doutait que ‘’Kind of Blue’’ deviendrait un des meilleurs disques de jazz de tous les temps. Cobb précisait: “It was just another Miles Davis record date. When we went in, I didn’t have any music. He probably had some lead sheets for the guys. It was an ordinary date, but we were playing some different music that sounded like Bill Evans, Gil Evans, and Miles Davis. It was the modal thing, and that was the first time we had done that.”  

Rémunéré au tarif de base (c’est-à-dire environ 100$ pour l’ensemble des sessions de l’album), Cobb n’avait jamais reçu aucun droit d’auteur pour sa participation à l’album qui s’était écoulé à plus de quatre millions d’exemplaires, devenant ainsi l’album de jazz le plus vendu de tous les temps. Transcendant les limites du jazz, l’album avait été classé au 12e rang des 500 plus grands albums des tous les temps  par le magazine Rolling Stone.

Cobb a également participé à plusieurs autres albums de Davis, dont ‘’Sketches of Spain’’ (1960), ’’Someday My Prince Will Come’’ (1961), ’’Live at the Blackhawk’’, ’’Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall’’ (1961), ’’In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk'' (1961) et ''Complete’’. Cobb a aussi fait de brèves apparitions sur les albums ‘’Porgy and Bess’’ (1959) et ‘’Sorcerer ’’ (1967).

Parallèlement à sa collaboration avec le groupe de Davis, Cobb a aussi enregistré avec plusieurs autres grands noms du jazz, dont Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, et Wynton Kelly (tous des membres du groupe de Davis), ainsi qu’avec Kenny Dorham, Wayne Shorter, Paul Gonsalves, Art Pepper, Bobby Timmons, Donald Byrd et Pepper Adams. Cobb a également fait une apparition sur un album de 1960 intitulé ‘’Son of Drum Suite.’’ L’album faisait suite à un premier album intitulé ‘’The Drum Suite.’’ La pièce ‘’’Son of Drum Suite’’ était une composition en six mouvements écrite et arrangée par le saxophoniste Al Cohn. Outre Cobb, l’album avait été enregistré avec une formation composée de Mel Lewis, Don Lamond, Charli Persip, Louis Hayes, Gus Johnson, Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer et Zoot Sims. À peu près à la même époque, Cobb avait participé à Gretsch Drum Nights, des performances mettant en vedette les batteurs Elvin Jones, Alan Dawson et Art Blakey.

Lorsque Cobb avait quitté le groupe de Davis en 1962, Tony Williams avait assuré sa relève. Cobb expliquait: “I was playing on some records for Riverside at the time, and the day after I left Miles Davis’s band, I recorded Boss Guitar with Wes Montgomery.’’ Peu après, Cobb avait formé un trio avec deux ex-membres du groupe de Davis, Paul Chambers et Wynton Kelly. En plus de jouer et d’enregistrer avec le Wynton Kelly Trio, les trois musiciens étaient partis en tournée avec Montgomery tout en l’accompagnant sur quelques-uns de ses albums, dont ‘’Smokin’ at the Half Note’’ et ‘’Willow Weep for Me.’’ Le trio, qui avait également collaboré avec J.J. Johnson, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Hank Mobley, Art Pepper, Kenny Burrell et Joe Henderson, avait poursuivi ses activités jusqu’à la mort de Chambers en 1969.

De 1970 à 1978, Cobb avait également accompagné la chanteuse Sarah Vaughan. Décrivant sa collaboration avec la chanteuse, Cobb avait commenté: “Since joining Sarah, I’ve been around the world. One year we went to four continents. It’s an education just to be on this job, because we do a lot of things—trio, big-band, and symphony jobs. It’s educational.” Cobb considérait d’ailleurs l’album ‘’Sarah Vaughan: Live in Japan’’ comme un de ses favoris.

Parmi les musiciens que Cobb avait accompagnés dans les années 1970, 1980 et 1990, on remarquait notamment Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Ricky Ford, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, David “Fathead” Newman, David Liebman, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, John Hicks, the Great Jazz Trio, Nancy Wilson, Dave Holland et Warren Bernhardt.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Très appécié comme accompagnateur, Cobb n’avait pas enregistré sous son nom avant le début des années 1980. Publié en 1983, le premier album de Cobb comme leader éait intitulé ‘’So Nobody Else Can Hear.’’ L’un des principaux groupes de Cobb était une formation appelée Jimmy Cobb’s Mob. Le groupe avait publié plusieurs albums, dont ‘’Four Generations of Miles’’ (un hommage à Miles Davis enregisré avec le guitariste Mike Stern, le contrebassiste Ron Carter et le saxophoniste George Coleman), ‘’Yesterdays’’ (enregistré avec Michael Brecker au saxophone ténor, Marion Meadows au saxophone soprano, Roy Hargrove à la trompette et au flugelhorn, et Jon Faddis à la trompette), ‘’New York Time’’ (avec Christian McBride à la contrebasse, Javon Jackson au saxophone ténor et Cedar Walton au piano), ‘’West of 5th’’ (avec Hank Jones au piano et Christian McBride à la contrebasse), et ‘’Cobb’s Corner’’ (avec Roy Hargrove à la trompette, Ronnie Matthews au piano et Peter Washington à la conttrebasse).

Dans les années 1980, Cobb a également travaillé régulièrement avec le trompettiste Nat Adderley. En 1986, Cobb avait enregistré son premier CD (et son premier vidéo) pour le réseau A & E.

Dans les années 1990, Cobb avait continué d’enregistrer et de participer à de nombreuses tournées aux États-Unis et en Europe.

Au début des années 1990, Cobb avait également été en vedette dans un spécial télévisé intitulé "So that Nobody Else Can Hear", dans lequel on le voyait jouer aux côtés  de grands noms du jazz comme Freddie Hubbard, Gregory Hines, Bill Cosby, Dave Leibman et Pee Wee Ellis. L’émission était produite par son épouse Eleana Tee Steinberg Cobb.

Dans les années 1990, Cobb avait commencé à prendre sous son aile plusieurs jeunes musiciens comme les trompettistes Roy Hargrove et Wallace Roney, le guitariste et compositeur Peter Bernstein, le saxophonise ténor Eric Alexander, le contrebassiste Christian McBride, et surtout le pianiste Brad Mehldau, qui avait fait partie de la première édition de son groupe Cobb's Mob à la New School of Music. Saluant les qualités d’enseignant de Cobb, un autre de ses anciens étudiants, le guitariste Peter Bernstein, écrivait dans les notes de pochette de l’album ‘’This I Dig Of You’’: "As a drummer, he makes you feel so comfortable. Like, this is what it's supposed to feel like."

Cobb avait continué de jouer et d’enseigner autour du monde jusqu’à sa mort. La famille de Cobb - Eleana Steinberg Cobb et ses deux filles Serena et Jaime, avaient planifié l’agenda de Cobb à la fin de sa vie. Cobb avait été marié auparavant à Ann Porter, mais celle-ci était décédée en 1987.

Jimmy est mort le 24 mai 2020 à sa résidence de Manhattan York d’un cancer des poumons. Il était âgé de quatre-vingt-onze ans. De nombreux musiciens de jazz avaient souligné le décès de Cobb sur les médias sociaux, dont Todd Barkan, qui avait déclaré: ‘’his is a devastating loss—the death of a beloved musician, but also the end of an era, as we lose the last surviving member of a historic ensemble.’’ Quant à Ralph Peterson, il avait commenté: ‘’Grandmaster Jimmy Cobb has joined the ancestors… Thank you for leaving so much to so many… Rest In Peace Jazz Warrior.’’ Trois mois avant sa mort, une des filles de Cobb, Serena, avait lancé une campagne de financement afin d’aider son père à défrayer les coûts de son hospitalisation qui étaient devenus trop élevés pour ses faibles revenus. Serena avait déclaré dans le communiqué qui accompagnait dans le communiqué qui accompagnait le lancement de la campagne de souscription: “He’s dedicated the last 70 years of his life to the art of jazz, and although there’s nothing he’d rather do than continue to support himself and his family while doing what he loves, it has become far too difficult of a task.”

Considéré comme un des batteurs qui avaient contribué à définir le style post-bop dans les années 1950 et 1960, Cobb a influencé de nombreux batteurs, dont Jack DeJohnette, qui avait déclaré à son sujet:

“The first time I heard Jimmy was on Kind of Blue, and what got my attention was his touch and keen sense of dynamics. You can always count on Jimmy to provide the rightsupport for whatever the music or musicians call for. That’s why Jimmy was always called upon by the greats in jazz and will always be respected by the community. Also, he is a really good human being, and I am happy to know him.”

Malgré le succès de l’album ‘’Kind of Blue’’, Cobb n’était pas aussi bien connu du grand public que certains autres batteurs, sans doute parce qu’il était beaucoup moins charismatique et extraverti que ses contemporains Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones et Roy Haynes. Cobb était par contre très estimé des autres musiciens qui appréciaient son jeu subtil et discret et sa façon de tenir le rythme qui pouvaient ainsi s’intégrer plus facilement dans le son de leurs propres formations. Particulièrement influencé par Kenny Clarke, Cobb avait expliqué:

“When I was first starting out I used to hear Kenny Clarke play a certain way. He could play a little splash cymbal and it wouldn’t splash because he had such a good touch on the cymbal. So I just kind of fell into that. I didn’t just play four quarter notes; the little [swung] note was just soft. But I guess people only heard the quarter notes. Now it’s a little different; I dance with it a little bit on the cymbal, but it still has that same feeling.”

Reconnu internationalement, Cobb s’est produit un peu partout à travers le monde, de Newport à Monte Carlo, en passant par Los Angeles et le Japon. Cobb a également joué devant le président Jimmy Carter, le Shah d’Iran et plusieurs autres personnalités politiques.

La liste des musiciens avec lesquels Cobb a collaborés au cours de sa carrière était un véritable Who’s Who de l’histoire du jazz: Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, les frères Cannonball et Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers, Kenny Burrell, J. J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, David Liebman, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, David ‘’Fathead’’ Newman, Geri Allen, Earl Bostic, Leo Parker, Charlie Rouse, Ernie Royal, Philly Joe Jones, John Hicks, Bobby Timmons, Benny Golson, Walter Booker, Jerome Richardson, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, Keter Betts, Jimmy Cleveland, Sam Jones, Art Pepper, Pepper Adams, Paul Gonsalves, Red Garland, Joe Henderson, Eddie Gomez, Bill Evans, Stefan Karlsson, Donald Byrd, Jeremy Steig, Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley, Richard Wyands, Dave Holland, Kenny Dorham, Peter Bernstein, Richie Cole, Nancy Wilson, Ricky Ford, Sarah Vaughan et David Amram, pour n’en mentionner que quelques-uns.

Cobb, qui était aussi professeur, a donné des classes de maître à la Stanford University Jazz Workshop.  Cobb a égalemen enseigné dans plusieurs autres institutions scolaires, dont The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music de New York, la New School for Social Research, le Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music, la Florida State University, l’Université de Greensboro en Caroline du Nord, et l’International Center for the Arts de la San Francisco State University. Cobb a également enseigné dans des écoles d’été organisées en Europe par l’Université Duke, en Caroline du Nord.

Décrivant son travail de professeur, Cobb avait déclaré: “Most of the drummers I get can already play. The first thing I ask them is, what do they want that they think they can get from me? Most of them want to learn that cymbal beat." Jusqu’à la fin, les étudiants de Cobb n’avaient jamais cessé de lui demander comment il pouvait jouer avec une telle facilité. Cobb répondait le plus souvent qu’il n’y avait aucun secret, avant d’ajouter: "The first thing is they have to love it, and stay with it." Loin de s’enfler la tête avec ses nombreuses réalisations, Cobb avait commenté: "I've been in the right place at the right time a lot of times. [But today] things are more mechanical than human, than they used to be. [Students today] got some advantages, because they have videos and all that, but it's not walking up and shaking the dude's hand and talking about things, or asking him questions."

Jimmy Cobb a remporté de nombreux honneurs au cours de sa carrière. En juin 2008, la Michigan State University avait décerné à Cobb le Don Redman Jazz Heritage Award. Le 17 octobre suivant, Cobb avait fait partie des six musiciens qui avaient obtenu le titre de ‘’Jazz Master’’ attribué par la National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Cobb avait accepté son prix en lisant la déclaration suivante:

"I am humbled to be included among the great musicians in our American history. I express my gratitude to these jazz giants, many of whom were close friends, who shaped this great American art form called jazz and ultimately helped to shape my life as well. I thank the NEA committee for recognizing America's jazz masters and the art of jazz itself and I am honored and privileged to be a part of this legacy."

Interrogé dans le cadre d’un programme d’histoire orale parrainé par le musée Smithsonian après la remise de son prix, Cobb avait attribué une grande partie de sa sensibilité comme batteur au fait d’avoir accompagné des chanteuses comme Dinah Washington et Sarah Vaughan. Il expliquait: "I guess the sensitivity probably comes from having to work with singers, because you have to really be sensitive there. You have to listen and just be a part of what's going on." En 2006, à l’occasion de son 75e anniversaire de naissance, Cobb a également été honoré par Wynton Marsalis dans le cadre de la Marsalis Music Honor Series.

En décembre 2009, la Chambre des Représentants avait honoré Cobb à l’occasion du 50e anniversaire de l’album ‘’Kind of Blue’’. La même année, Cobb, qui était le dernier membre survivant du groupe de Davis, avait dirigé le groupe ‘’So What’’ qui visait à commémorer le 50e anniversaire de la publication de l’album ‘’Kind of Blue.’’ Le groupe, qui comprenait le trompettiste Wallace Roney et les saxophonistes Javon Jackson et Vincent Herring, avait par la suite fait une tournée au Royaume-Uni. En 2000, Cobb a également écrit la préface de l’ouvrage ‘’Kind of Blue: the Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece’’ d’Ashley Kahn. Cobb avait aussi enregistré un album en hommage à Davis intitulé ‘’Remembering Miles.’’ Au cours de la même période, Cobb était également parti en tournée avec son groupe afin de rendre hommage à John Coltrane.

Partisan de l’élection de Cobb au sein du Percussion Arts Society Hall of Fame, le batteur Peter Erskine avait déclaré: “It’s fitting and appropriate that this assembly of percussionists give Jimmy Cobb the greatest honor possible. Simply put, the world’s a better place because of Jimmy Cobb’s drumming, and it’s delightful to know he is being inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame. The PAS is a better place now for this.”

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Kirsty Jackson Young born 23rd November 1968 in East Kilbride.

Kirsty was brought up in Stirling and attended Cambusbarron Primary School and Stirling High School.

Kirsty’s journalistic career began in 1989, when she became a newsreader for BBC Radio Scotland. In 1992, she moved into television to present Scotland Today news programmes. She was the launch host of Five News in 1997 During her time as presenter of 5 News Kirsty received the prestigious Sir James Carreras Award for Outstanding New Talent of 1997 at the 46th Variety Club Show Business Awards. A month later, in March 1998, she was named Newscaster of the Year awards.

From January to September 1998, she co-hosted Talk Radio’s weekday breakfast programme. From 1994-95 she was the host of ‘Kirsty’, a bi-weekly live discussion programme on the week’s hot topics, on STV. For STV she also presented Late Edition, a live, late-night entertainment and music show. In 1996 Kirsty was a guest presenter of ITV’s The Time, The Place. Her BBC credits include presenting and reporting for Holidays Out, Holiday `96 and Film `96 on BBC1, and presenting BBC2’s consumer affairs show, The Street.

She is a regular guest presenter for BBC2’s Have I Got News For You and is occasional stand in for Michael Parkinson’s Radio 2 Show and Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 Show.

Kirsty was also the host of Desert Island Discs from 2006, on 31st August 2018 it was announced that Young would be stepping down from Desert Island Discs "for a number of months" to receive treatment for a form of fibromyalgia, and that Lauren Laverne would deputise during this period but in July 2019, Young announced that she was to stand down as the host of Desert Island Discs, saying: "Having been forced to take some months away from my favourite job because of health problems, I'm happy to say I'm now well on the way to feeling much better. But that enforced absence from the show has altered my perspective on what I should do next and so I've decided it's time to pursue new challenges".

The hard working Kirsty supports several charities including, the Child Bereavement Charity and is president of Unicef UK.

Recently Kirsty and her husband Nick Jones, the founder of Soho House club, a private members' clubs where membership is selective and members are drawn mainly from the media, arts and fashion industries.as well as politicians, have been embroiled in a row after buying the Loch Lomond island of Inchconnachan, also known as 'Wallaby Island' due to its colony of the Australian animals. The couple have plans to make way for the holiday lets, Young and her husband are considering relocating the wallabies though this has seen some opposition. The island is an area of Special Scientific Interest and conservation area.  Young said she is aiming to transform a Loch Lomond island into 'a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy, but with her London based husbands credentials I fear it could become a millionaires playground.