#Showtime Network

[xothemedia]

The Chi 1x1 | Pilot

[hollywoodoutbreak]

There was plenty of rejoicing among Billions fans as Damien Lewis appeared on the first episode of the show's final season. After a year away, Lewis is back as billionaire stock trader Bobby Axelrod, and it appears he's set to play a pivotal role in the show's final story arc. Over the years, we've spoken to Lewis about playing Axelrod, and he gave us some insight into the motivations that go into the character.

Billions airs Sunday nights on Showtime and is currently streaming on Paramount+.

[pebblegalaxy]

Unveiling the Intrigue: A Deep Dive into All Seasons of the Homeland Web Series

“Homeland” is a critically acclaimed American television series that aired from 2011 to 2020. Created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, the show is a psychological thriller and political drama that captivated audiences with its gripping storyline, complex characters, and intense performances. The series follows the journey of Carrie Mathison, a brilliant but troubled CIA officer played by Claire…

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[so-very-small]

“toxic g/t is a sensitive topic and should be handled with care” as a kid i’d turn on the tv every night at 8pm and go to channel 175 to watch a giant cat try to kill a tiny mouse with guns and hammers and like, i turned out somewhat fine. let your OCs be toxic. give them guns and hammers. they want sticks of dynamite soooo bad

[kafkaesqueer]

Laura Lee, Yellowjackets 2x02 // Disturbing Cat, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack 3x04

[demifiendrsa]

Halo The Series has been canceled after two seasons at Paramount+.

“Paramount+ can confirm that ‘Halo’ will not move forward with a third season on the service,” the streamer said in a stataement. “We are extremely proud of this ambitious series and would like to thank our partners at Xbox, 343 Industries and Amblin Television, along with showrunner and executive producer David Wiener, his fellow executive producers, the entire cast led by Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and the amazing crew for all their outstanding work. We wish everyone the best going forward.”

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Xbox, Amblin TV, and 343 Industries will try to shop the series to other outlets.

“We deeply appreciate the millions of fans who propelled the ‘Halo’ series to be a global success and we remain committed to broadening the ‘Halo’ universe in different ways in the future,” 343 Industries said. “We are grateful to Amblin and Paramount for their partnership in bringing our expansive sci-fi universe to viewers around the world.”

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

No Doubt - Just a Girl 1995

"Just a Girl" was released as the lead single to American rockband No Doubt's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). The ska punk, pop-punk, alternative rock, and new wave song with sarcastic lyrics was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont, and produced by Matthew Wilder. Lyrically, "Just a Girl" is about Stefani's perspective of life as a woman and her struggles with having strict parents. "Just a Girl" was the first song Stefani wrote without the assistance of her brother Eric.

"Just a Girl" received positive reviews from music critics, who commended the feminist lyrics and Stefani's vocals. The single is typically regarded as being the breakthrough that popularized No Doubt. It became their first charting single in the US, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and entering the Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, and Mainstream Top 40 component charts. It also reached the top ten in several other countries, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, and the UK. On the 1996 year-end chart in Australia, "Just a Girl" was ranked as the 22nd most-successful song of the year. In New Zealand, "Just a Girl" peaked at number nine and was 1996's 25th best-selling single.

The song was featured in '90s cult hits Clueless (1995) and Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion (1997) — movies that served as power-players for unlikely female heroes. Stefani's aim at a male-centric world ended up being one of the most prominent feminist anthems of the '90s — it's a song that stands out now as the music industry's misogynistic outlook continues on. The song also appears in the film Captain Marvel (2019). In March 2023, the song was covered by Florence and the Machine for Showtime Networks' series Yellowjackets; their version appears in the trailer and soundtrack for the second season.

"Just a Girl" received a total of 84,3% yes votes! Previous No Doubt polls: #265 "Sunday Morning".

[covenofagatha]

Hexed Hearts (Part 1)

Pilot

Agatha Harkness is the ruthless executive producer for the reality dating show Hexed Hearts, where you've been a PA for two years, but you want more

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: none yet

“Alright, people, thirty minutes to showtime! Season thirteen! I need our suitress out front, makeup on, and a smile on her face. I need the limos—where the fuck is limo three?—I need Billy out there, and who the fuck changed the lights in the pool to be green? Do we want it to look like an algae breeding ground? Come on, everyone, this isn’t amateur hour!” Agatha Harkness barks at the production team, sending them scrambling in different directions like a flock of chickens. 

“Um, Agatha,” one of the producers says timidly, visibly wincing when Agatha turns to her, annoyance radiating, “Limo three ran out of gas. I just got off the phone with the driver.” 

Agatha scoffs and you see the vein in her forehead bulge. “Why the fuck are you telling me that? Do you want me to fucking walk to them with a can of gas? Figure it out, Carol!” 

Carol just stares blankly at her and you silently will her to do anything but stand there. Even you could tell her that she should take a company van to go get all the contestants from the limo. Problem solved. 

“Look, Carol,” Agatha sighs and moves her black glasses from her face to resting on the top of her head. You want to look away, knowing what’s coming, but you can’t. “This isn’t going to work if I have to hold your hand. You’ve been here for what? Three years now? I need you to be a producer, not a child who needs a babysitter. Get out. You’re fired.” 

Carol splutters out something in disbelief, but Agatha is already walking away and waving her hand to get your attention. As if you aren’t always watching her.

“Get me a coffee,” she says, tone still laced with some exasperation and you purse your lips before running to get her one. 

Agatha Harkness, the executive producer for the reality dating show, Hexed Hearts, is known for her ruthless and no-nonsense style of leadership. She practically wrote the book on manipulation and knows exactly how to get anyone to do whatever she wants. 

You heard that once on the show, seven of the contestants got into a literal fist fight all because Agatha suggested that the suitor liked women who weren’t afraid to go for what they wanted. 

It’s honestly inspiring. 

You’ve been a personal assistant for the show for two years, going into your third now.

The first season you worked here, it was a total bust. Agatha had thought it would be a good idea to do a Winter Wonderland, except have it set in Greenland where it was actually freezing. It was the first time a season had ever taken place not at the mansion in California, where it would’ve been practical and budget-friendly and fake snow definitely would’ve been better than real snow. 

You still have calluses from all the shoveling you had to do and three of the contestants got hypothermia because Agatha insisted that they take off their parkas and film in bikinis in the below zero temperature. 

“It’s just for like two seconds,” she had said. “Think of the ratings for the hard nipples. People will go wild.” 

Luckily she had the foresight to put in their contracts that they couldn’t sue due to weather-sustained injuries, and the girls were completely fine. The network told her that the show could never be filmed anywhere but the mansion ever again. 

So the next season, Agatha had to get creative—and she did. Season Twelve: Double Trouble.

One suitress. Sixteen sets of twins. 

No one could tell anyone apart. The suitress called her date by his brother’s name more often than not. Brothers got into fights with each other. Some of them leaned more into it than others; you remember one of the producers asking you to go get Frank and finding him fucking the suitress, Lilith, while she gave his twin brother a blowjob. 

Twitter had a field day after that was revealed—once again, a well placed tip to the rest of the men courtesy of Agatha led to a huge blow up on set, and even better, on camera. 

As the season went on, it became clear that Lilith had a favorite, Adam. And no one was more upset about this than Adam’s twin brother, who decided that he would lock Adam in the bedroom closet and impersonate him. 

It took about a week before anyone noticed and that week’s episode had the highest rating in seven years. 

Growing up, you never cared for reality television, always finding it trashy and immature, but behind the scenes, there is so much more to what meets the eye. You were never able to tell how much of it was real or scripted. 

Almost none of it is scripted. But most, if not all, is orchestrated. 

Producers stir the pot, use clips that paint the contestants a certain way, exploit and mold however they want—whatever it takes to get the best ratings for the network. Your end goal is to become one, and you might have the perfect opportunity right now, with Carol fired.

This year, Agatha decided that she wanted to have the first season of reality television that was all queer women. The network had been incredibly reluctant to greenlight the idea, but when Agatha revealed that she had gotten Rio Vidal to sign on to be the suitress, they couldn’t say no. 

Rio Vidal, the heiress to the Vidal Oil Company, is known for her bad-boy reputation and the trail of broken hearts she leaves in her path. She desperately needs to work on her public image before taking over the company, so her parents paid a fortune to get her on the show. Even you had to admit she was easy on the eyes so you figured there would be no problem getting thirty-two women to fall in love with her. 

The problem would be getting her to pick one. You have no doubt that this season is going to be filled with scandal after scandal, which brings in the best ratings. 

Your phone starts to buzz and you swear, setting down the full cup of coffee to pull it out of your pocket. You roll your eyes—it’s your mom. 

“Hey, mom, I can’t really talk right now,” you say, raising it to your ear quickly. “Is something wrong?” 

She sighs heavily. “Just wanted to check in on my only daughter, I didn’t realize that was a crime.” 

Of course she’s pulling that card. “It’s not, mom, it’s just not really a great time, we’re about to start shooting.” 

“Still on that show?” She makes a disapproving sound, even though she knows full-well that you are indeed still working for Hexed Hearts. “When are you going to get a real job? I mean, a personal assistant? Sweetie, you are so much better than that, and so much better than reality TV in general. Why don’t I give my friend at the school a call, see if she can—” 

“Got to go, mom, talk to you later,” you interrupt abruptly before furiously pressing the disconnect button and shoving your phone back into your pocket after putting it on silent. Taking a deep breath, you unclench your fists and pick up the cup of coffee. 

It always goes that way with your mom. It feels like no matter what you do, she’s never satisfied with anything. 

“Has someone rescued limo three yet?” Agatha yells from inside her office and your hand holding her cup jolts, spilling burning liquid on your skin. 

“Fuck,” you mutter, grabbing some napkins and wincing. 

One of the producers, Marie, jogs to Agatha's door to open it slightly. “Hey, yeah, Alice went to go get them. They should be here in about ten minutes. We’ve got Rio outside by the gates with Billy, the other vans are outside, we’re thinking we just go in order of one, two, four, and then hopefully three should be here by then.” 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine, we just need to get all the introductions done by midnight so we can get about six hours of B-roll and interviews before the sun rises,” Agatha says dismissively and you awkwardly hover behind Marie, who’s still blocking the entrance to her office. “Is there something else?” 

Marie shifts and looks down at her feet. “Um, who do you want to take over Carol’s girls? I’m not sure Alice, Lilia, and I can take anymore. I can call Carol though, I don’t even think she’s left—” 

“Oh, fuck that,” Agatha snaps. Each producer gets eight contestants to handle, but usually by the end of the first night, they only have four to six left, given how well they produce their people. “Do not call Carol. I’ll figure it out. Where is my coffee?”

“I have it,” you say, finally pushing past Marie and walking to set it down on her desk. Agatha is dressed in a maroon pantsuit, her hair in a bun held together by two pens. She’s scribbling on a piece of paper while glancing between her open laptop screen and the television on the wall. You pause to look at what she’s watching. 

Agatha’s own TV inside her office are directly connected to the cameras that show Rio getting some last minute touch ups on hair and makeup. She’s wearing an earthy green dress that pairs nicely with her flawless pale skin and dark hair that falls a little past her shoulders. Her lipstick is a muted pink and she has on minimal eyeliner that accentuates her hazel eyes. 

“What do you think?” Agatha asks, watching you carefully. 

You look at her, surprised. It’s not often she asks you for your opinion. “I think she’s good, yeah. Everyone will be all over her.”

Agatha nods, musing on it. “I think you’re right. I’m going to need you to do a bit more around here tonight, with Carol gone. I’m going to have to step in and take over her eight so I need you near me at all times, ready to do whatever I need.” 

“Well, I mean…” you trail off. Are you really about to do this? Agatha raises an eyebrow at you, urging you on, and you swallow roughly. “I could produce.” 

She laughs like she’s actually taken aback. “Honey, are you asking me for a promotion right now? The body isn’t even cold yet—Carol hasn’t even left the building!” She leans back in her chair and her tongue pushes against the inside of her cheek while she regards you with something akin to amusement. “Well, let’s hear your pitch.” 

You take a deep breath. “This is my third year on this show now, and I’ve really learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes and I have ideas for this season. I’ve watched the way you manipulate and create situations and get results, and I know I can do it too. I’m a hard worker, I’m responsible, I know how to work with these people—I know people. I understand what they want, how they think, how to get them to think that they want something. I really want this job, Agatha, and I know I can do it.” 

“Bravo, honey,” she says with a hint of sarcasm and slowly claps. Your stomach squirms under her scrutinizing gaze. “How long have you been practicing that little speech?” 

You shrug and take a sudden interest in your shoes. 

“How badly do you want this?” 

Brows furrowing, you meet her blue eyes again. Is she asking what you would do for it? “I want it really badly, I mean, I’ll get on my knees and—”

“Sleeping your way to the top?” she coos condescendingly and your cheeks heat up, maybe at the implication that she’d think you would do that, but also at the thought of sleeping with her. “That’s so ten years ago of you.”

“—beg. I’d get on my knees and beg,” you finish and wipe your palms on your jeans. This is not going the way you wanted, and now you’re probably going to be fired. You can only imagine what your mom is going to say. 

But Agatha jerks her head to the bulletin boards with thirty-three headshots on it: Rio and the contestants. There’s a few bullet points written under each picture with the most important information about them. You made flashcards out of them once the roster was released so you could memorize them all. 

“You said you have ideas?” Agatha prompts. 

You could go through this in your sleep so you walk over to the boards and point at Rio. “Our suitress is a player, there’s no way around that. So we get her to play. She keeps five, six people on her line at all times, head over heels, but Rio’s telling them all the same thing: ‘Oh, baby, can’t wait to take you home to share my fortune with; whatever you want? It’s yours. You’re so perfect.’ Audiences can’t decide if they love or hate her, because she’s so charming.” 

Agatha doesn’t look impressed. “That’s the whole point of the show.”

It doesn’t even falter you. “Yes, but while Rio is off doing that, we introduce another lead. Someone much more real, someone who isn’t just looking at everyone as toys. Helen Troywick.” You point at the picture of the blonde with warm brown eyes and a crooked smile. “Pretty in an unsuspecting way, works with animals, donates to charity. Only been in one relationship her whole life.” 

“A foil to our bad boy,” Agatha says, nodding like she sees the vision. “You want Helen to—what? Steal the other contestants?” 

“I think a main part of this season could be the rivalry between Rio and Helen. Rio sees how authentic Helen is, and how easily she can win over everyone, so Rio has to change. Or, they get into a big fight. Either way, it’s a win for America.” 

“And what happens if Rio just eliminates her?” 

You shake your head. “She won’t. Because Helen is the one who’s going to win. Think about it. Helen is the perfect girl to help rehash your image, the perfect girl to bring home to mommy and daddy to get their approval. Rio won’t cut her because she knows that she needs her. And if she doesn’t see that, then we just have to make sure we do.” 

Agatha’s eyes narrow. “You know, I’m almost impressed, honey. And villains?” 

Every good season of reality television needs someone to root against. “I’ve picked out a few, but I think Wanda Maximoff could be a good one, or Cassandra Infidelis. Wanda is the token milf with twins, control freak, perfectionist but I sense some anger under all that. Start to take away her control? I bet she goes crazy. And Cassandra has had a lot of issues in her past so I don’t think it would be too hard to get her to the point where she snaps.” 

She chews on her bottom lip and then stands up out of her chair and walks over until she’s a foot in front of you. You’re completely frozen to the ground and you can feel her hot breath on your lips. 

It takes everything in you not to look at her mouth. 

“I can do it,” you whisper. “I know I don’t have any experience, but I want to learn. I want you to teach me—produce me.”

Agatha smirks knowingly and tucks a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “Well done, honey. Looks like you just got yourself a promotion. Now get out there and do everything I say, exactly how I say.” 

“I will, I promise.” Tension crackles between you and electricity pulses under your skin. It feels like you just got everything you wanted while simultaneously selling your soul to the devil. 

Her voice lowers and her eyes rake over your body with a heat in them. “I’ll make something out of you, don’t worry.” 

@lostbutlovely33 @diorrxckstar @whoreforolderfictionalwomen  @katekathry @onemansdreamisanothermansdeath @tayasmellsapples @natashashill @mybraininblood @mysticalmoonlight7  @cactuslover2600 @loveem0mo @readysteddiero-nance @lonelyhalfwitch @lesbiantortilla @crescendoofstars @sol-in-wonderland @ahsfan05 @gbab09 @sasheemo @agathaharness @live-laugh-love-lupone @chiar4anna @fuckedupforkhahn @lowlyjelly @sweetmidnights @n3bula-cats @m1vfs

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

Showtime network, you want to release new Yellowjackets Season 3 promotional content tomorrow soooo bad😵‍💫😵‍💫🌀🌀

[fizzarollitm]

Stuffy affairs were too often on the plate of someone who covered himself in grease paint and made dick jokes on the daily. Mammon had graciously offered up Fizzarolli in his place muttering about brand importance and how much he plain didn't want to go. Within the hour of arriving, it became painfully obvious why the Sin had swapped places with the Jester.

Most of the attendants passed time talking about their soul rates with plans of expansion, and the few times he got pulled into a conversation they had interest only as far as Mammon and Asmodeus but not Fizzarolli himself. He grinned and nodded along muttering statistics about robot sales and ticket attendants before another stiff wanted their time in the light. Every few meetings he dropped a fist full of bussiness cards into the plants around the building knowing neither of the Sins would want them.

He was bored. Social engagements were only as fun as the drama—

Which is why Zestial's top hat appearing out of he crowd had been a buoy in the shitheads. Fizz walked around the edge turning down polite dinner conversation for what he really wanted...and got with Zestial's little smile at his comment. He gave a deep bow with a soft shake of the head to bring out the bells. " I am merely the Jester of the ball speaking truths. " He winked and grinned at him, " How are you handling the crowds, Zestial ? Any admirers ? Or are they too scared to face a real Overlord. "

questioning sentences , vol. 24 / always accepting.

@fizzarollitm ── "How did they manage to get so many snobs in one place?"

zestial's face remains in that ever polite smile of his / plastered across features at events such as these ! * it was a privilege to be in attendance amongst hell's finest , recognized for his position as the oldest reigning overlord in pride. he'd always been adept at navigating parties like this , feeding hell's pride & solidifying where his grip reached within the other rings. it was reassurance & information to be had all in one.

but fizzarolli's words certainly held some truth to them , the majority of those in attendance were preening / looking down their noses at those beneath them. jabs twined into seemingly courteous words , the majority hated each other ! who needs television when there's entertainment like this to be had ?

the overlord's mouth curves at the edges further , hands clasped around the railing he overlooks. he's but a shadow amongst the columns , no one would look twice ! the jester had found him but zestial hardly seems to mind. his head & body tilt to better look at him , eyes crinkling in merriment. " i doth believe the proper term to be royalty. " a jest , " one must suppose like unto like doth call. "

[basedonconjecture]

wip wednesday

thanks for the tags @flowersforthemachines, @mythals-whore, & @beachhotdog it did actually inspire me to get some words down today. peer pressure works, kids 😔✌️ in that spirit, I shall gently tag: @introvertedfangrl, @ofcrowsanddragons, @biowaredisasterbisexual, @thedissonantverses, @skullypettibone annnnd anyone else who hasn’t been tagged yet and wants to

I come offering more modern mafia au. I have no idea who a crime-and-courtroom drama is even for besides me but isn’t that the point of it all? Alas, alack, I do not know, but have Selora, Illario, and some minor media manipulation.

Even expecting it, she nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone vibrated against her leg, a message flashing across it.

Illario Dellamorte: Showtime 😜

Selora loosed a breath, feeling a twinge of annoyance at the message. Viago had given her the man’s number for emergencies. She thought she’d been doing the polite thing in letting him know. Instead, he’d used it to pester her—mostly questions about her job and her bosses—none of them relevant. While she’d amused herself giving him absurdly wrong answers, this text was a semi-important one. If he was going forward with the plan, he must not have heard anything from Viago, either. No news is good news, she told herself. Or, at least, it’s not bad news. Still, her body was tense as she quickly opened up the link he’d sent. It took her to a live feed streaming on a social media page—one dedicated purely to gossip, it seemed.

If the swarm of media around Lucanis had seemed like a feeding frenzy, the mob that followed his cousin outside the gates of his family’s villa was about a hundred times worse. A smaller crowd, by the looks of it, but much more audacious in the way they shoved cameras and microphones in the other Dellamorte’s face. Unlike his cousin, Illario kept his head bent as he moved along the lane outside what appeared to be his family’s villa, struggling against the crush of people, his suit jacket draped casually over an arm. His deep bronze skin somehow looked perfect even under such duress, the camera flashes setting his gold-tinted highlighter sparkling. Every so often, he raised his head to respond to a question or speak to the man at his side, tossing the waterfall of glossy raven hair out of his face like he was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.

Her lips pursed. He’s enjoying this too much.

She recognized the pair of sharp cheekbones and close-cropped platinum hair at his side as Felix Ovidius, a model from Tevinter who’d branched out into making music. Ovid, he’d styled himself. Selora didn’t pay much attention to what was popular, but she knew Felix had recently gained quite a bit of popularity on the indie scene. Personally, she’d found his particular brand of dark electronic pop (with lyrics nearly incoherent for their figurative nature) unappealing, but there was no accounting for taste. Especially when it seemed his physical attractiveness was the primary draw.

What she didn’t know was that he was apparently dating Illario Dellamorte. Though, to be fair, it seemed like a surprise to the media as well, who were currently hounding Illario about this recent development in his love life. It was astounding how easily they could flip between asking serious questions about Lucanis, and his release, to pestering the seemingly new couple for details on their romance with very little in between.

Parasites, she thought, lip curling as one managed to sidle right up to Illario.

Cornered, Illario’s expression was partially obscured by the large sunglasses resting on his face, but the smirk that appeared in every one of the photos she’d seen was plainly visible. “Please,” he held up his hands in surrender. “I’ve already answered so many of your questions today. There is nothing more I can tell you.”

There’d been a press conference scheduled for today. They’d planned for Illario to act as his family’s representative in hopes of tying up the Antivan news networks during the release, splitting the attention while they worked to get Lucanis out of sight of the press. That’s what she’d expected to find Illario doing when he’d texted her. Not whatever this was.

“You must have thoughts on your cousin’s release,” the woman refused to relent, raising her voice above the others. “You’ve never gone on record whether or not you believe in his innocence. In fact, it seems you’ve taken a bit of advantage acting like the only Dellamorte heir. Celebrating in advance, only to have that taken away by what seems to be a mistake in paper work…”

Selora’s brows rose, surprised at the audacity. While questions about Lucanis’ questionable innocence were unavoidable, they had not planned for speculation about Illario to come up. There’d been some speculation—gossip rags and tabloid fodder—but none of the big players had seemed interested much in Illario beyond whatever potential part he’d played in Vyranitum last summer. When he’d been let go after questioning, while Lucanis had been arrested, most people seemed to forget he’d been there at all. She watched the smirk drop from his face in real time, holding her breath as he pulled himself up to his full height.

“My thoughts?” Illario shifted his jacket from one arm to the other. She couldn’t say why, but something in the movement felt dangerous. “My thoughts are that my family has been through enough in the last year of this madness. My cousin most of all.”

He started to turn away, but the woman wouldn’t let him. Selora peered closer at the screen. The journalist, if that’s what she was, had her back to the camera so her face was obscured. Only dark hair secured by a peculiar serpentine hair stick, and the shoulders of what would have been a very practical trench were it not a striking teal color, could be seen from this angle.

“Was it your family you were thinking of in Ventus last month, then?” The woman asked, her voice harder than before. “Had a grand old time there, didn’t you? Rubbing elbows with Tevinter’s wealthiest…and striking up a romance, it would seem.” She paused a beat. “Did you know Titus Ovidius was a member of the Magisterium?”

Illario froze—and so did Selora from hundreds of miles away. Suddenly, where the journalist was leading was clear, but, like watching an explosion in slow motion, all she could do was sit with her horror while it all came burning down. Chance leaned in to peer at her phone, having overheard, and just in time for the kill shot.

“Did you pay your new boyfriend’s father to get your cousin off the hook for Ambrose Forfex’s murder?”

[punk-rockdyke]

i've seen things being like "you guys have to stop hating on yj s3 or else it'll get cancelled"... guys i cannot stress this to you enough showtime will run yellowjackets dryyyy. like you guys don't understand. showtime is a network with VERY FEW successful shows. i definitely see yellowjackets ending up as the next dexter. literally showtime is still making dexter spin offs 20 years later because it was their only hit before yellowjackets!!! yellowjackets is gonna have like at least 6 seasons and 2 spin offs so im not worried about it getting cancelled

[wellcomeoneileen]

Why does Randy Harrison deserve compensation? What happened to him? You can DM me if it's not okay to be public

Hey! No it’s totally okay.

⚠️disclaimer - I am a NEW fan and so I am NOT the most informed at all. Other people like @brian-kinney-apologist like really know shit. I initially found things bc watching S4 made me go oh there is bts shit going on for sure and googled, and then when I got on tumblr I saw a bunch of posts talking about it, too.

Lots of older sources are harder to find now bc they didn’t do a digital preservation or the website is expired, but here is what I’ve found, from heated Advocate articles whilst the show aired and then from more measured reflections from podcasts around 2016.

Randy was young and it was his first TV show - when he started he didn’t even have an agent, and really didn’t know what he was getting into. He had done sex scenes on stage and thought that he was pretty prepared for what was to come.

However, he has stated he ended up feeling pretty objectified, such as hearing “we need more shots of Justin’s ass” regularly or expressing a desire to not to go-go dancing type scenes (King of Babylon upset him) and then even more go-go dancing being added (S2 Sap scenes). He was also told to act less gay by casting directors for the show, and to “try to be more butch because Justin isn’t out of the closet”

The show pre-dates intimacy coordinators and there have been allusions, including from the actresses Thea and Michelle, that the sex scenes could be uncomfortable to film.

There was BTS clashing, with producer Tony Jones !!reportedly!!! Saying that Randy was a bitch to work with and “showrunners” “reportedly” saying they would never work with Randy again. There are two interview clips, one from when the show was airing, and one from 2016, when CowLip say they wanted all actors to be comfortable on set, and in BOTH clips , like 15 years apart, Randy kinda like laugh/roll his eyes and Gale looks at him very bemusedly. They had bigger reactions in the ~2003 clip.

He was openly pretty angry as the show went on. He told the Advocate that he would never be friends with or respect Justin if real. He disapproved of the Britin relationship. He said he had to fight to include the scene of Justin topping Brian, which was very important to him. Leading into season 5 he stated he hoped Justin was killed off by getting hit by a truck (obviously being glib, but like he was mad lol)

He has said that lots of scenes needed to be reshot because he struggled to do them so much, like the Cody sexy gun scene that made him so uncomfortable, and then either he or Gale said S5 sex scenes were reshot a lot because they just couldn’t stop laughing at that point anymore.

Peter and Scott recently have said the only time anyone asked for actors’ opinions was right after season 1 ended, and to ME they sounded kinda cheeky about it, all these years later, so perhaps it was a cast sticking point? Unsure, and it wasn’t even Randy who said that. Fat grain of salt.

He has more recently reflected on this time period and expressed regret he went out the way he did, and he understands things better and honors his craft more (heavy paraphrasing!) bc he was mentally checked out by the end and wishes he had finished strong instead.

Also, the cast didn’t realize when signing on how isolated they would be from The Industry. Randy has spoken about this in an unrelated podcast, as have the actors who play Ted and Emmett. NYC or LA are where you want to be for networking, and then signing on to spend the majority of the year in Toronto negatively impacted their careers, they feel. Randy has said he had to start from scratch after the show ended, and Peter and Scott have said Showtime had no idea how to market the show nor their stars, and so they had to just watch as all the initial hype fizzled and nothing was done with them. They were contracted to work too much to seriously be involved elsewhere, while simultaneously not getting good exposure, which I IMAGINE created a dire sort of mood and morale on set. < personal interpretation and fictionalizing history.

Meaning, Randy probably at the very least FELT like he had spent five years on a show that didn’t respect him and it was largely for nothing. He has since stated he appreciates the opportunity and it is the reason he was finically secure, for which he is deeply grateful.

And then finally the fans! He had stalker(s?) and tons of creepy people and was heavily typecast and people would come up to him frequently, which made him uncomfy, and would furthermore act like he was actually Justin, which made him super uncomfy. He was kinda like Chappell Roan!! He was like hey I’m not Justin I’m a person and y’all are freaks. He has publicially declined to speak on the stalking issues, which given his vocal responses to other issues, indicates to ME that it’s pretty personal and upsetting (I mean it’s stalking it’s obviously horrible but you know what I mean). During the show he had a boyfriend that fans like tormented online and even on posters (that bit comes from Tumblr or another forum, so not like verified info on my part at all) because they shipped “Gandy” so hard. I know I’ve read on tumblr about the insane Gandy people but all I remember is they were intense and insane and negatively impacted Randy’s actual real life. Again, that’s info from fans that I haven’t read in article or heard from out of his mouth. Secondary source lol.

This point is PURE speculation, but early interviews with the whole cast were super excited, and they all talked about how excited they were for something ground breaking. By the end, people were angry or giving fluff responses, or in Peter’s case; calmly stating the show was a soap opera and that’s okay. I FEEL like everyone thought they were signing up for something more real/gritty/positive impact to society and then were like oh I’m here to look hot in this show that only moms watch to get them turned on to have sex with their husband. Cool.

Now, do I agree with that - no. But, the show audience was vastly different than expected, and the artistic direction might have been too, both of which might have really disappointed people. Esp Randy and maybe Gale. Randy was a capital T theatre person, and Gale was too and had lots of experimental work and like performance art. Randy has ALSO expressed displeasure with some theater work he did because he didn’t think it was fresh and the audience was only older wealthy white people, so we do know that this sort of thing does matter to his sense of fulfillment at work.

TLDR; had to shoot scenes he didn’t want to, several times, felt objectified on set, disagreed with his character’s direction, maybe felt like he wasn’t being listened to artistically, was cut off from other work opportunities, didn’t appear to get along with leadership, had bad fans, was young and in deep over his head, and at the very least *started* with no career or social support system.

Again!! Am not the most knowledgeable person !!! I do NOT want to spread misinformation so hopefully I’ve tagged where I’m reading into things vs actual quotes but also people who have actually been around pls feel free to say 🙋um actuallllyyyyy

[contemplatingoutlander]

Jon Stewart returns to ‘The Daily Show’ for 2024 election cycle

Jon Stewart is coming back to “The Daily Show” after nearly a decade. Paramount Global announced Wednesday that Stewart, who hosted the talk show during its most impactful and popular years, will take up hosting duties on Monday nights beginning on Feb. 12 — the Monday after the Super Bowl. Stewart will remain as part-time host throughout the 2024 election cycle, with rotating hosts throughout the rest of the week. He will also as serve as executive producer for every episode through 2025. Stewart was given the Monday slot because Mondays are the most-watched day for the show during the week and a catch-up day for weekend news, according to the network. “Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement. “In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit.”

After Iowa and New Hampshire, we needed some good news!

[jbaileyfansite]

The Awardist Interview with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey (2024)

Yes, Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey's sex scenes in Fellow Travelers consumed social media for a couple months during the limited series' run on Showtime. But the power dynamic on display wasn't just for sensationalism; it served a bigger purpose in the journey of the two closeted men.

They are also scenes that would've been difficult to put on screen just a decade ago, and the characters — Bomer's State Department official Hawk Fuller and Bailey's congressional staffer Tim Laughlin — very likely would've been played by straight men.

"I don't even know if I would have seen the script for it 10 years ago," Bomer says, laughing while seated next to his costar during a chat with EW's Awardist podcast. But the job was made easier, and "so much of my cynicism was obliterated," he says, thanks to the support of the network as well as production company Fremantle. "From the beginning, [they] were giving us notes that weren't constricting at all. They were actually really liberating," the Emmy nominee explains. "They were saying, 'No, go farther. Embarrass yourself. Go too far. Try to scare us. Try to see how far you can push it.' And that kind of permission, I felt, even bled into the acting work on set because it came from the people who were in power who could make those decisions."

Bailey, also Emmy-nominated for his work in the series, is quick to express his gratitude for the "brilliant gay stories" starring straight actors that have come before ��� "I would never for a second wish that I hadn't seen Brokeback Mountain or Gus Van Sant's Milk and Cate Blanchett playing Carol," he says — as well as even having the opportunity to star in Fellow Travelers.

"Had this been made five, 10 years ago, I completely believe that I would have been able to play a straight lead before I would have been able to play gay. And that's kind of wild," acknowledging the changing tides in the industry. But he also notes, "The majority of awards go to straight actors playing gay because there's this sense that that means that they're somehow brave or that they're mixing it up. And there is a bruise that, looking back now, there's a very real — and has been — sense that there aren't out gay men playing their experience," he says. "These characters, of course they're rich, of course they're complicated, of course they're exactly the sort of stories that you'd want to tell because it's so complicated, so much pain, and there's so much suffering, there's much resilience and there's much spirit in it."

That pain is on display throughout much of the series' eight episodes as they contend with McCarthyism and restrictive laws against homosexuality. But in particular for Bomer, it was episode 7, "White Nights," that he admits he was dreading the most. After a family tragedy leaves Hawk devastated, he flees to Fire Island, where his abuse of alcohol and drugs rightfully worries Tim, who travels there to find and hopefully help him.

Bomer says his nerves were routed in the big emotion switch Hawk makes during a sexual escape. "I was gonna have to go from a really drug-fueled kind of bacchanalian love scene that's really dark into the turning point for the character," he explains. "He has this tragic secret that he's trying to bury that is suddenly exposed in front of his face. And as Hawkins is want to do, when it's exposed, he attacks. And then to go from that to being able to rely on my scene partner and fall into the complete vulnerability of the character for the first time — and we didn't film those things separately, it was all one take — I knew that was going to be a scary day."

For everything Bailey experienced in the film, including the fear he had "of playing the last scenes" as Tim dies from complications of AIDS, it was a real-life scenario that reminded the actor of the horrors that queer people still experience. While in Washington D.C. for a Human Rights Campaign event in October 2023 prior to the launch of the series, Bailey, who was wearing an HRC hat, says a man in a coffee shop removed it from his head and threw it to the ground, physically threatening him before leaving when a woman started filming with her cellphone.

"It was really overwhelming and upsetting," Bailey recalls, noting the contrast between the "electric fervor" of the previous night's celebratory event. "I woke up the next day and I honestly felt like I was in a sort of montage of a B-movie because I was like, the sun was out and I was like, this is it, this is it, I get it, I get what this is about, I can see what my platform is and I can see how I can use this. [And I] went into a coffee shop and then someone threatens you and says, 'Get out of my country, you f---ing queer. If you don't do that, I'll shoot you.'"

Within a week, he called Jonathan Anderson, creative director of luxury brand Loewe, to create the Drink Your Milk t-shirt — a line from Fellow Travelers — to raise money for oppressed LGBTQ+ people around the world via Bailey's new foundation, the Shameless Fund.

"It was the most activating thing that possibly could have happened," Bailey says now, as Bomer wipes tears starting to well in his eyes. "There's a love letter I should write to the man from Pennsylvania."

Listen to Bomer and Bailey's full interview in the episode of The Awardist, here.

Source