#John Flack

[allekha]

Fun With Jump Arm Variations

When jumping, different skaters put their arms in different places, but generally they are pressed flat against the torso, especially on higher-revolution jumps. This compressed shape increases the skater’s rotational speed, which is important for attempting triples and quads.

But as anyone who has watched much skating has seen, you can jump with your arms in different positions, too. There are two main arm variations you will see in modern skating programs:

One arm above the head - these are nicknamed ‘tanos’ after Brian Boitano, who did not invent but did popularize the variation. Ones where the arm is bent a lot may be derisively nicknamed ‘helicopter tanos’, as some fans don’t like how they look. (Brian Boitano 1988 Olympics SP, Brian Orser 1988 Olympics SP, Petra Burka 1965 FS, Wendy Burge 1976 Olympics FS, Ekaterina Kurakova 2022 Euros FS)

Two arms above the head - these are nicknamed ‘rippons’ after Adam Rippon, who also did not invent them but popularized them when he started doing it on his lutz. (He did tanos on it for a while, but then started using both arms when he trained with Brian Orser, because he felt bad doing ‘tanos’ in front of Orser, who famously took silver behind Boitano at the Olympics.) (Adam Rippon 2016 GP France FS, Midori Ito 1988 Olympics SP, Ting Cui 2018 JGP Ostrava  SP, Sihyeong Lee 2021 Nebelhorn FS)

However, there are also other arm variations. These are all rare nowadays, although if you watch older programs, you are more likely to spot a variation that’s not a tano or rippon. Ones I’ve seen include:

Hands on hips - these used to be much more popular back in the day but have fallen out of fashion. I would guess it’s because they slow down rotational speed too much, as every one I have seen is a double except this one by Michael Chack, but I don’t know for sure. (Jill Trenary 1990 Worlds FS, Michael Chack 1992 USNats FS, Rory Flack 1988 USNats SP, Tonia Kwiatkowski 1988 USNats SP, Midori Ito 1987 Worlds SP, Anna Kondrashova 1988 Olympics SP, Yuzuru Hanyu 2010 JPNats FS)

Helicopter arms - this one has been used as a warm-up by Yuzuru Hanyu, and I’ve spotted it in competitions a couple of times with single and double jumps (Rory Flack 1994 US Open Artistic Program, Yuzuru Hanyu 2012 Finlandia Trophy SP warmup)

Arms behind back - I’ve only seen this one performed by Jason Brown in his Riverdance program, where depending on the event he placed either one or both arms behind his back during the second jump of this combo (2013 SA FS, 2014 Nats FS)

Arm switching midair - I’ve only seen this one in this lovely axel variation by John Curry (1976 Olympic SP)

Hands by the head - I believe I may have seen this used by at least one other skater, but the only example I have at hand is this one by Nancy Kerrigan (1990 Goodwill Games SP)

Beginning in 2009, ‘varied position in the air’ became a positive GOE bullet point for jumps. This was because they are supposed to add to the difficulty of a jump, although I’ve seen arguments back and forth from skaters about how true that is for some arm positions (and even if which arm is raised makes a difference for tanos). Years later, they exploded in popularity, particularly in the women’s competition. The trend had its beginning around 2014 or so; the previous season, junior World medalists Evgenia Medvedeva and Serafima Sakhanovich were given programs constructed to include raised arms on a couple of jumps, which wasn’t too unusual, but in 2014, their programs contained many more of them. Medvedeva would go on to dominate the senior circuit for several years and notably used raised arms on most of her jumps during that time, which started the trend in earnest among other skaters.

This GOE bullet point was removed for the 2018-2019 season. But if arm variations no longer get that bit of GOE, why do we still see them so often? There are probably a few reasons:

Skaters who trained them for GOE a few years ago got used to doing them that way and don’t want to mess with their muscle memory

They can add to a program aesthetically

Skaters and their teams may still hope to impress the judges by using them

Skaters have said that rippons help straighten their jump axis

I’ve also seen speculation that rippons can be used to help muscle jumps using the upper body in some cases

I would also like to shout out arm variations on jump exits that aren’t the standard check-out position. These aren’t as common as mid-air variations nowadays and rarely get talked about as their own thing - probably in part because they were never a GOE bullet - but they can add difficulty to the exit as well as give a nice choreographic touch to a program. You can see a few in the above gifs, but here’s a few more:

(Petra Burka 1965 Worlds FS, Yuzuru Hanyu 2021 “White Nights” EX, Anett Pötzsch 1976 Olympics FS, Hana Mašková 1968 Worlds FS, Claudia Kristofics-Binder 1976 Olympics FS, Brian Boitano 1988 Olympics SP, Vladimir Kovalyov 1976 Olympics SP)

[vintagepromotions]

Poster for 'Every Man Has A Woman', a tribute album to Yoko Ono for her 50th birthday (1984). Artwork by George Corsillo.

[imodekurita]

made a gif out of a self indulgent au meme video bc its technically canon LMAOO

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #24: 1973

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Tony Orlando and Dawn, Jim Croce, Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney and Wings Kris Kristofferson, Elton John, Billy Preston, Carly Simon, Diana Ross. End description]

More information about this blog here

*Turns my chair around so I can sit in it backwards*

So. You were just caught trying to cover up a major break-in into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in order to cement your reelection.

As I alluded to last poll, one major historical event I need to mention is the Watergate scandal. The actual break-in took place the previous year, but the resulting investigations and trials won't start to take place until this year -- after Nixon's reelection. However, there aren't many songs about the incident from this time, or at least not in the charts. Most of the songs protesting Nixon tended to focus on the war.

Speaking of the Vietnam War, 1973 does not mark the end of the war, but it does mark the beginning of the United States' exit. To bring it back to the music, one of the 60's polls included the Monkees' Last Train to Clarksville, a song that wasn't explicitly written about the war, but had the war projected onto it because it's a song about someone leaving home and not knowing when they're coming back. It seems fitting that one of the songs on today's poll is Tony Orlando and Dawn's Tie a Yellow Ribbon[...], a song that wasn't explicitly written about the war, but had the war projected onto it because it's a song about someone coming home and not knowing what his welcome will look like.

Soul music is continuing to have one of its golden ages, with artists like Roberta Flack and Marvin Gaye topping the charts. It's been a while since I talked about Billboard from the business side of things, but the explosion of this genre gives me a good excuse to do so. In 1973, the Billboard chart for R&B songs was changed from "Best Selling Soul Singles" to "Hot Soul Singles". This change may not sound that significant, but it becomes more notable when you see how often this title changes. This article goes more into depth about Billboard's complicated history when it comes to its representation of Black music.

Which reminds me, it's time to start talking about disco. It will reach the polls soon, I promise, but now feels like a good time to set the scene before we get to that point. As I mentioned in a previous poll, the disco scene really came out of soul. Especially Philly Soul, which had lush instrumentation that worked really well with the overall atmosphere of early disco. At this point in history, disco is still an underground subculture, and musically the line between it and soul music isn't that clear. Disco as its own genre of music that could be identified as such by the average listener will come later.

I don't usually talk about the formation of genres until they reach the charts, but I'm going to make an exception here. Because 2023 is the 50th anniversary of this genre, the genre has grown into a dominating musical force across the globe, and it's the only genre I actually studied in college.

In 1973, a Jamaican-American teenager named Clive Campbell (more widely known as DJ Kool Herc) and his sister, Cindy, started hosting parties out of their apartment in The Bronx, New York. These parties would play a lot of funk records, but he wouldn't just play them. Instead, he would play two copies of the same record on a turntable so he could extend the percussion section of the song, also called the break (which is where breakdancing comes from). This would lay the foundation for hip-hop, further expanded by artists like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. All three of these men are still alive and I've linked interviews with some of them.

Hip-hop and rap are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Hip-hop exists both as a subculture and as a style of music. It incorporates art forms such as DJing, breakdancing, graffiti, beatboxing, rapping, and many other elements. That's why I said DJ Kool Herc helped set the foundation of hip-hop. Within early hip-hop culture, the MC was mostly there to bounce off of the DJ and keep the energy up. That isn't to discredit the difficult work of early MCs (trust me, if you were bad at it, the audience would let you know). Rap itself as an art from has a plethora of different artistic roots in Black culture, from scat singing in jazz, to various traditional West African storytelling techniques, to early 20th century gospel groups, to rhyme games, to Black radio DJs. The genre started to get more notice outside of the party scene as wordplay and flows started to expand further, especially as the first hip-hop groups started to form and the MCs became part of the "band". Like disco, hip-hop was still very much an underground subculture, but it would soon take over the nation.

It will be another 17 years before the first rap song reaches number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby). We won't see a rap song featured on these polls until 1995. But it's hip-hop's 50th birthday, and so much of modern American culture doesn't make sense without its involvement.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Audrey Flack

Kennedy Motorcade

1964

[whileiamdying]

Tina Turner Dead at 83: Full Recap

The legendary singer died at her home in Switzerland on Wednesday, May 24

By Zoey Lyttle and  Maria Mercedes Lara Updated on May 24, 2023 07:04PM EDT

Tina Turner, the iconic singer who was dubbed the "Queen of Rock'n Roll," died on Wednesday, May 24, at the age of 83. Her publicist Bernard Doherty confirmed to PEOPLE that she died in her home near Zurich, Switzerland. 

"Tina Turner, the "Queen of Rock'n Roll" has died peacefully today at the age of 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model," Doherty said in a statement. "There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family. Please respect the privacy of her family at this difficult time."

As the front-woman for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Turner's performance prowess made her and her then-husband Ike Turner one of the most electrifying acts of the 1960s, serving up high octane covers of "Proud Mary," "Come Together," and "I Want to Take You Higher." Turner eventually struck out on her own as a solo artist in the '70s and became a star in the MTV age with hits like "What's Love Got to Do with It," "The Best," and "Private Dancer."

We'll be documenting live updates as celebrity tributes flood in and the world remembers the legendary performer.

Cher Remembers Tina Turner

Cher joined MSNBC to speak about her relationship with the late Queen of Rock. The "Believe" singer revealed that she was previously aware of Turner's illness and made an effort to "put in the time" for their friendship in her final years.

"We were perfect friends for each other, truly," Cher added. "I swore like a sailor and she never did."

Bryan Adams Remembers Tina Turner

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Bryan Adams, who toured with Turner several times and recorded the hit duet "It's Only Love" alongside the powerhouse musician, shared a photo of them together via Instagram. "RIP @tinaturner I'll be forever grateful for you bringing me on tour with you, going in the studio together and being your friend," he captioned the post. "Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us the gift of your voice. My condolences to Erwin and Tina's family. It's Only Love...and that's all."

Magic Johnson Remembers Tina Turner

Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson shared a photo of himself with Turner and Elizabeth Taylor to Twitter and wrote, "Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n’ roll Tina Turner. I’ve seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. She always gave you your moneys worth."

Tina Turner's Daughter-in-Law Pays Tribute

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Afida Turner, who's married to Tina's late son Ronnie, posted a photo to Instagram alongside the caption: "I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU 5 MINUTES BEFORE WHEN I ARRIVED IN NICE. HOW MUCH SHE LOVE SOUTH FRANCE : REST IN PEACE MOTHER IN LAW."

Michelle Williams Remembers Tina Turner

Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child shared her thoughts in the comments underneath the Instagram post confirming news of Turner's death. "You’ve meant so much to us!!" Williams wrote. "Your courage, strength, resilience, and uniqueness have been some of the main ingredients of your blueprint!! Rest well!!!"

Rod Stewart Remembers Tina Turner

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"I’m devastated, what a women!" said Stewart in an Instagram tribute. "A friend and mentor - ‘It takes two’ - but there was only one Tina Turner 💛

Bill Clinton Remembers Tina Turner

Bill Clinton tweeted a fond memory of Turner following the news of her death.

"I loved Tina Turner and will never forget meeting her when she came to Little Rock for a concert after releasing Private Dancer in 1984. We met again on her 67th birthday in St. Petersburg, where she and Elton John sang for a charity event," the former president shared. "She still had it--talent, style, energy, and authenticity--a priceless gift to music lovers everywhere. May she rest in peace."

Ringo Starr Remembers Tina Turner

The Beatles drummer shared his condolences on Twitter: "God bless Tina turner, peace and love to all her family," he wrote, signing off, "Ringo, peace and love."

Diana Ross Remembers Tina Turner

Diana Ross responded to the death of her friend on Twitter.

"Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner’s family and loved ones," she wrote.

Ann Wilson Remembers Tina Turner

“Miss Tina lived an amazing life, full of drama and pain and in later years anchored by Buddhism," said singer Ann Wilson in a statement. "She showed what courage was and danced through her life on those mighty legs as an inspiration to us all. Rock on Angel!!”

Angela Bassett Remembers Tina Turner

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Angela Bassett is remembering Tina Turner's legacy.

The actress portrayed the rock 'n' roll icon in the 1993 film What's Love Got to Do with It opposite Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner. After news of Turner's death at 83 on Wednesday, Bassett wrote on Instagram, "How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?"

"Her final words to me — for me — were, 'You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.' I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honored to have known Tina Turner," she said.

Gayle King Remembers Tina Turner

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"Who did not love TINA TURNER?!" King captioned an Instagram photo of her and the late star. "What a honor to get to know her, and love her up close. Simply the best is not cliche when talking about Tina... Time to grieve & celebrate her life...

Priscilla Presley Remembers Tina Turner

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Priscilla Presley shared Turner's meaning in her life and her late husband's.

"Tina Turner was one of Elvis’ favorite performers. When she took the stage, it was pure magic," she said. "I remember how she held an audience with an energy that was undeniably pure Tina! She has left a remarkable legacy and will be sorely missed by all.”

Dionne Warwick Pays Tribute to Tina Turner

"Another long time friend has made her transition. Not only will I miss that eternal ball of energy named Tina Turner, but the entire world will also find this void in their lives," Warwick said in a statement. "My condolences to her husband and other members of her family. Rest in Peace my friend!"

Roberta Flack Remembers Tina Turner

The singer reflected on her memories with Turner in response to the news of her death.

"We went to Ghana together in 1971 for the Soul to Soul Tour. Her meteoric energy on stage was in such contrast to her gentle, kind and quiet demeanor off stage," said Flack. "My friend, Tina, thank you for inspiring us to always be everything we were meant to be–regardless of life’s challenges. A woman without limits. You will always be my hero."

Mariah Carey Remembers Tina Turner

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Mariah Carey posted a photo of Turner on Instagram to celebrate the late legend's life.

"The words legendary, iconic, diva, and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more - an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer," Carey wrote. "To me, she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in Peace, Queen ❤️."

Inside Tina Turner's 37-Year Romance with Erwin Bach

Tina Turner found her king when she met her future second husband Erwin Bach at an airport nearly 40 years ago. The music legend opened up about her romance with Bach, now 67, in her 2021 HBO documentary Tina.

"He was [16 years] younger [than me]. He was 30 years old at the time and had the prettiest face. I mean, you cannot [describe] it. It was like insane. [I thought], 'Where did he come from?' He was really so good-looking. My heart [was beating fast] and it means that a soul has met, and my hands were shaking," Turner recalled in the film.

Inside Tina Turner's Health Struggles

Throughout her longstanding 60-year career, the Queen of Rock was often vocal about her health struggles, which date back to 1978 when she was diagnosed with hypertension.

She detailed the experience in an interview with the European Health Kidney Alliance explaining, "I can’t remember ever getting an explanation about what high blood pressure means or how it affects the body. I considered high blood pressure my normal. Hence, I didn’t really try to control it."

With her condition left untreated, Turner suffered a stroke in 2013 just three weeks after she wed her husband, Erwin Bach. Her health took a turn for the worse again in 2016 when she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

After experiencing unpleasant side effects from her initial treatment, Turner turned to homeopathic remedies, which only worsened her condition and led her to have total kidney failure. She received a largely successful kidney donation operation from Bach in April 2017, though Turner still experienced mild symptoms. 

Martha Stewart Remembers Tina Turner

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Martha Stewart is remembering the good times with Tina Turner, who died on May 24.

Following the news of Turner's death, Stewart shared a sweet shot of the two legends. In the picture, the musical icon and lifestyle expert are tucked under the covers and smiling widely, looking like close friends having a slumber party.

“We loved Tina Turner. Goddess, Performer, Wonder Woman ! We will miss her so much!!!!!!!!!” Stewart wrote in the caption. 

Mick Jagger Remembers Tina Turner

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Mick Jagger mourned the loss of his “wonderful friend” on Instagram, where he shared throwback photos of Turner and himself on stage.

“I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” the Rolling Stones rocker captioned his post. “She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”

Ronnie Wood Remembers Tina Turner

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Jagger’s bandmate Ronnie Wood also shared some words and snapshots in Turner’s honor. 

“God bless you Tina, the Queen Of Rock And Soul and a dear friend to our family. Love and prayers to all of Tina’s family, friends and loved ones,” Wood wrote alongside a carousel of pictures with the late singer. Two of the photos saw Turner with Wood’s twin 6-year-old daughters, Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, during their toddler years.

Tina Turner's Manager, Roger Davies, Pays Tribute

Turner’s longtime manager, Roger Davies, paid tribute to the late Queen of Rock in a statement to PEOPLE. 

“Tina was a unique and remarkable force of nature with her strength, incredible energy and immense talent,” the music producer said. “From the first day I met her in 1980 she believed in herself completely when few others did at that time.” 

He continued: “It was a privilege and an honour to have been a close friend as well as her manager for more than 30 years. I will miss her deeply.”

Elton John Remembers Tina Turner

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"We have lost one of the word’s most exciting and electric performers. A total legend on record and on stage," Elton John wrote on Instagram. "She was untouchable. Condolences to Erwin and her family. The saddest news."

[dizzying-faust]

Since the Owl House fandom is so obsessed with hating on anyone liking problematic characters, they would probably cancel me for simping over Baldhead.

[rabbitcruiser]

Downtown Vancouver (No. 7)

The Dominion Building sits across the street from Victory Square, site of the former provincial courthouse, which was relocated to Georgia Street in 1913. The Dominion Building was at the hub of the city's financial and legal district until that move.

The backside of the building (containing the emergency staircases) and Cambie Street was filmed during the street scenes of The Neverending Story. It can be seen from Water Street.

The Dominion Building can also be seen at the end of Jennifer Lopez's 2023 film,The Mother, as she looks down into Victory Square from the 14th floor, nearing the end of the film.

The Dominion Building, as well as other elements of Victory Square, were filmed for scenes in an abandoned city in Battlestar Galactica.

The initial rooftop chase scene from Blade: Trinity was shot at the Dominion building.

The 2012 TV show Alcatraz also used this as a location in the opening episode, although the program was set in San Francisco, a lot of the location work was done in Vancouver. The Dominion building can also be seen in the background later in the series when a landmine is found in Victory Square.

Can Lit. author Timothy Taylor. maintains a writing office in this building.

Source: Wikipedia

[allekha]

Figure skating in colors: happy orange

Featuring:

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (2021 SCI RD)

Wakaba Higuchi (2017 GPF SP)

Nadjma Mahamoud (2015 Lombardia FS)

Natasha McKay (2021 Finlandia SP)

Laetitia Hubert (1998 Olympics FS)

Keiji Tanaka (2021 JPNats FS)

Rory Flack (1995 Riders Championship Round 3)

John Curry & Peggy Fleming ('Tilt-A-Whirl' EX)

Linda Fratianne (1976 Olympics FS)

[the-whispers-of-death]

So bear with me here as I build upon the Your first date with John Price post, but imagine Price gushing about you. Now this could go either two ways, but either way, he's gushing about you to Kate Laswell (payback for all of the times she gushes about her wife and makes him feel starved for love).

The first way is if we go down the route of you two got set up by a mutual friend for a blind date, then that mutual friend is Kate. His gushing about you is very early on in your relationship for this route, she asks off-handedly how your date went and he goes straight into the details about how amazing you are and he also gives her flack for not telling him you were asthmatic beforehand. You're friends with Kate in this route (obvi) because you're also a federal agent and you've worked with her on several occasions (either you're an NCIS agent who served in the military and then became asthmatic due to the gases you've accidentally inhaled during your time in the military or you're also a CIA agent like Kate and you've been asthmatic your whole life and was a regular law enforcement officer before joining the CIA). This route, Kate's extremely amused about Price's gushing, because she knows you, she knows you're amazing. That's why she set you two up!

The second route if you two met through a dating app. In my head, Kate only gets Price gushing about you later on in the relationship, and it's because she's heard from one of the boys about you after they all met you. She teases Price about not letting her meet you at the same time as the boys and asks him more about you, which starts his gushing. In the midst of his gushing, he shows her a picture of you and if we keep the fact that you're a federal agent too (either NCIS or CIA, you know the whole backstory for either), then she recognizes you. She says so to him and agrees with him that you seem like a good person. She's still extremely amused like she is in the first route, but this time it's because she's happy that John's happy.

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated!

[pricegouge]

very quick companion/prequel piece to this

cw: brief descriptions of sex, power imbalance i guess

Simon's not well enough adjusted for a job like this. 

It had been an easy enough position to lie his way into when he'd been on the lam and desperate for a place to lay low for a while, while still keeping his belly full. Tie a few knots and pen a few docile little creatures who've never even seen the south pasture, and everyone believes you're a trained stable hand. Free meals, free cot. Even a few house maids would warm his bed if he behaved himself long enough to pass as a good christian who'd make honest women out of them. Easy enough when the birds were barely even literate, harder when the employers themselves were the devout sort who took notice of each of the help's comings and goings because they were too proper to suffer a whore under their roof. They watched their flock like hawks, strictly enforcing curfews and dress codes and wing assignments. Simon couldn't even eat in the big house, let alone spend the night. And forget about luring the birds out, the owner of the place sat up in the parlor all night reading verses aloud and denouncing anyone who tried to sneak out for so much as a smoke.

But the young one - the son. He was worse yet.

Blue eyed and well built, covered in the kind of dense stubble that could lend him a sort of roguish charm if he could risk his place in heaven long enough to roll his sleeves up past his wrists, John MacTavish was a maid's fantasy in the flesh - and completely wasting it. Too devout, maybe. Too inexperienced to know when a bird fancies him, more like. Either way, Simon feels himself creeping closer to an edge he knows all too well every time he watches good ol' Johnny denies himself a night of proper relief.

He's two months into the job and one flustered employer incident away from stealing an heirloom rifle from the big house and putting Johnny out of his fucking misery when Simon decides he's had enough of listening to this ungrateful little git put down pretty serving girl after pretty serving girl in favor of a Lord that would never love him. Finding Johnny in one of the field houses berating a hand for sloth of all things, Simon sends the young boy scarpering with a particularly well aimed scowl and corners the little lordling with a subtle shuffle of feet designed to lure him into a sense of dominance until it was too late; until Simon had him on the stall wall, flustered and red and spitting mad.

He's not hard to subdue, all things told. All that Catholic rearing makes him eager to please. Simon calls him Johnny, like the head of the house does. Johnny's big eyes turn pleading when he asks what Simon wants, as if requesting guidance. 

Who is Simon to deny his employer?

"Just like that, Johnny," Simon encourages, cock rammed so far down the lad's throat he's not surprised when his pretty blue eyes start leaking tears. "Just like communion."

It's not, but that doesn't stop Johnny needing it anyway.

He seeks Simon out nearly every day, keeps him from his chores. Simon doesn't give a shit, keeps a bag packed under his cot just waiting on the day the head butler sends him off. He never does, kept in line by Johnny's sway, probably. Simon tests his limits, decides he's above reproach when he spends an entire day lounging on a large rock in a brook past the east gate and catches no flack.

"Cock that good, pup?" He asks Johnny later that night, the younger man bent over a bay of hay in the small barn like a loose little housemaid whore. He whines like one too, his hoarse voice carrying enough to keep even the most intrusive stablehands at bay. No one besides Johnny's ever enjoyed being part of Simon's sins, after all.

"You make me untouchable, did you?" He's referring to his position, how he's starting to believe he could posture himself as head butler come the morning and they'd just let him. But the way Johnny looks back over his shoulder at him is far too intense.

"Anyone else touches you, they'll never work again."

It's good until it's not. Novel, at least. Simon's never been the favorite pet. He entertains it for as long as he can bear, but he's had enough pets of his own to know it's not a position he can manage. Like the job itself, he's not well enough adjusted; and a misbehaving dog is a kept dog all the same.

Getting Johnny properly under his thumb is harder than he expects, the man too well suited for his position in life. Properly groomed for it by his father. The solution is so obvious it nearly draws a proper laugh from him when he sees you fawning over the boy one day through the kitchen window, servile and sweet - eyes lowered in submission. 

If Johnny needs to keep someone, who's Simon to discourage it? The good Lord knew he'd never been swatted on the nose for the same. Better just to give the boy something to chew on other than his own arm.

[hogans-heroes]

Idk how I forgot to tell y’all this but I got to see the MOTA guys on one of their press tour stops at the 92NY in New York and got to watch the first episode in the theater which was INSANE (Hearing the guns and flack so loud it crushes your bones was sobering and really made you feel like they did). Anyway, thoughts:

That really is Austin Butler’s real voice and I was not expecting that

He and Callum Turner were seated next to each other and were always talking to/at each other when answering questions like you see them do in interviews

Callum is HUGE. Way taller than he looks on screen. I was not familiar with any of them before this and was smitten with him the most right away. Was not expecting the hood London accent and I LOVE IT (since John Boyega is my other fav I must have a thing for that specific region)

The theater was mostly full of screaming girls, no surprise there. The guys were all great at engaging the crowd and talking to individuals

Anthony Boyle exudes so much Gentleman Energy, like idk how to describe it. He was also the best at improv and working the crowd it was great

Barry Keoghan is Chaos Personified and instigated most of the banter and jokes. Was always touching Callum.

Nate Mann is just adorable. And so earnest about Rosenthal he really put his all into the role.

Massive amounts of nonverbal communication and inside jokes. These guys obvs spent a ton of time together

All in all it was super fun and I can’t believe I got to see them, even if it was from a distance in the balcony XD

[cazzyf1]

I love music, and I love classic Formula One. And I always wonder about what music drivers liked listening to.

I don't know an awful lot but below is all the information I do know, and if you know what music your favourite drivers liked then I would love to know!

Niki Lauda:

His favourite song was 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman, but he also liked lots of her other songs like 'Talking about a Revolution'. He listened to Bob Marley a lot in the 70s and was a fan (and friend) of George Harrison. He liked the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon. He was also a fan of Bill Withers, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin, and he was also quite the fan of George Ezra and would hit the dance floor if the song 'Budapest' came on.

Roger Williamson:

He loved rock and roll music and would listen to it while working on his car. His favourite band was T-Rex, their song 'Get It On', being one he listened to most. His partner at the time said she now always associates the song 'Killing Me Softly with his song' by Roberta Flack with Roger because they sang it on a road trip not long before he passed away.

Wolfgang von Trips:

He liked classical music because of his mum and upbringing, but he was also introduced to Jazz music when he came in contact with the Americans who took over his house for a bit, which he loved.

Mike Hawthorn:

In one of his Sunday Times car reviews, he mentions listening and singing along to the song 'Hey There' by Rosemary Clooney on the radio.

James Hunt:

I don't know what song or artists he liked, but James Hunt loved listening to music and would carry radios and other transportable music devices to listen to music. I believe he liked classical music but also the current popular music. He and Niki went to a disco with Fat Domino playing, so potentially, they were both fans of his.

François Cevert:

I believe I read somewhere that Jackie Stewart said François Cevert's favourite music was 'Beethoven's Piano Sonata no 8 in c minor' and that he could play it well.

[theunderestimator-2]

Writer/photographer/performer/club promoter and legend of New York's art & club circuits Gerry Visco, here shot by her friend, DJ & photographer Bobby Busnach in a SEX Cowboys t-shirt and leather miniskirt at the Park Royal, NYC, back in 1976.

According to Paul Gorman 's source post on his site: "…We lived at The Park Royal,” says Visco, who later appeared in Woody Allen’s 1980 movie Stardust Memories. “It didn’t have a cool scene. It was a residential hotel in a neighborhood on the Upper West Side which at the time was considered somewhat dangerous, a la Panic In Needle Park, but we lived across from The Dakota, where we often caught glimpses of people like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Mia Farrow, Lauren Bacall, Roberta Flack and other celebrities.” From the turn of the 70s Busnach and Visco socialised in Boston and Manhattan as prominent figures in the gay disco and post-glam/pre-punk crowds. Meantime Busnach’s experiences as a DJ placed him dead centre of the scene out of which hip-hop grew. Visco attended New York’s Fashion Institute Of Technology and wore her own designs. She also sourced clothes from such labels as Fiorucci, Charles Jourdan and Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s SEX, which was sold through Ian’s at East 61st Street and Second Avenue. “Keep in mind that I am an UPTOWN BITCH – always have been and always will be!”exclaims Visco. “Downtown is for POSERS. Ha ha. The Ian’s on the UES was really good – the owner was always there and I bought some great stuff. I also worked in Macy’s briefly in the early 1980s in the cosmetics buying office. “As well as Ian’s I bought a lot of my clothes in vintage shops and at Henri Bendel’s, Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman,” adds Visco, who also visited the UK where she bought McLaren/Westwood designs direct at 430 King’s Road…"

(via)

[theholmwoodfoundation]

THE HOLMWOOD FOUNDATION PILOT EPISODE CAST/CREW - PART ONE

REBECCA ROOT - MADDIE TOWNSEND/MINA HARKER

Rebecca trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for the National Theatre (UK and Ireland tour); Rathmines Road for Fishamble at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin; Trans Scripts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts; The Bear / The Proposal at the Young Vic; and Hamlet at the Gielgud Theatre and Athens International Festival. TV, Film and Video Game credits include Monsieur Spade, This Is Christmas, Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Heartstopper, Annika, The Rising, Sex Education, The Gallery, The Queen’s Gambit, Finding Alice, Creation Stories, Last Christmas, The Sisters Brothers, Colette, The Danish Girl, Flack, The Romanoffs, Moominvalley, Hank Zipzer, Boy Meets Girl, Doctors, Casualty, The Detectives, and Keeping Up Appearances.  Radio credits include Clare In The Community, Life Lines, The Hotel, and 1977 for BBC Radio 4. Guest appearances include Woman’s Hour, Front Row, Loose Ends, Saturday Live, and A Good Read.  She plays Tania Bell in the award-winning Doctor Who: Stranded audio dramas. Rebecca has also recorded numerous documentary narrations, audiobooks, and voice-overs. Rebecca is also a voice and speech coach, holding the MA in Voice Studies from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

SEAN CARLSEN - JEREMY LARKIN/ JONATHAN HARKER

Born in South Wales, Seán trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. He has worked extensively in audio drama, television, theatre and film.  Seán is perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as Narvin in the Doctor Who audio series Gallifrey and has appeared on TV in Doctor Who - The Christmas Invasion and Torchwood. Recent TV credits include Mudtown (BBCiplayer/S4C), Dal y Mellt (Netflix), His Dark Materials (BBC1), All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5), A Mother's Love (Channel 4) and Series 5 of Stella (Sky1).  Films include supporting leads in Boudica - Rise of the Warrior Queen, cult horror The Cleansing,  the lead in Forgotten Journeys and John Sheedy’s forthcoming film ‘Never Never Never’

SAM CLEMENS - ARTHUR JONES

Samuel Clemens trained at the Drama Centre London and is an award-winning director with over twenty years’ experience. Samuel has recently written and directed his debut feature film ‘The Waterhouse’ with Take The Shot Films & Featuristic Films and represented by Raven Banner Entertainment, which is due for release this coming year.  In addition, he has directed fourteen short films, winning awards all over the world including shorts ‘Surgery (multi-award winning), A Bad Day To Propose (Straight 8 winner 2021), Say No & Dress Rehearsal’. Samuel also directs critically acclaimed number one UK stage tours and fringe shows (Rose Theatre Kingston, Swansea Grand, Eastbourne, Yvonne Arnaud, Waterloo East Theatre) and commercials include clients JD Sports, Shell and Space NK. Samuel is also a regular producer and director for Big Finish Productions & Anderson Entertainment. He has cast, directed, produced and post supervised numerous productions of ‘Doctor Who – (BBC), The Avengers (Studio Canal), Thunderbirds, Stingray (Anderson Entertainment), Callan, Missy, Gallifrey’& Shilling & Sixpence Investigate’ and many more. Samuel has directed world class talent such as, Sir Roger Moore, Ben Miles, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Alex Kingston, Frank Skinner, Rita Ora, Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Rufus Hound, David Warner, Celia Imrie, Samuel West, Youssef Kerkour, Sophie Aldred, Ian McNiece, Colin Baker, Olivia Poulet, Stephen Wight, Jade Anouka, Mimi Ndwendi, Michelle Gomez, Peter Davidson, Paul O’Grady and many more. Samuel is one of the founding members and directors at Take The Shot Films Ltd and is Head of Artistic Creation and Direction. Lastly, Samuel is a regular tutor at The London Film Academy, The Giles Foreman Centre for Acting & The Rose Youth Theatre and is a member of The Directors Guild UK. As for upcoming projects, Sam is currently in pre-production on his next feature film “On The Edge of Darkness”, which is based on his dad’s stage play “Strictly Murder”.

ATTILA PUSKAS - DRACULA

Attila Puskás is a native Hungarian Voice Actor born in Transylvania – Romania, so Romanian is in his bag of tricks too, but most of his work is done in English, in a Transatlantic Eastern European Accent, but is quite capable of Hungarian, Romanian and International Eastern European accents, plus Standard American. His voice range is Adult to Middle Aged (30-40+) due to his deep voice. Vocal styles can range from authoritive, brooding to calming and reassuring and much more. He’s most experienced in character work, like Animations and Games, but his skills encompass Commercials to Narration as well. He’s received training through classes and workshops, pushing him to the next level to achieve higher standards. Now on a journey to perfect these skills and put them to good use!

PART TWO: HERE

PART THREE: HERE