#Spring Central Time Series Preview

[twins2994]

Minnesota Twins-St. Louis Cardinals Series Preview

3.27.25-Pablo Lopez RHP (0-4) 6.62 ERA Vs. Sonny Gray RHP (0-3) 12.56 ERA

3.29.25-Joe Ryan RHP (2-1) 5.54 ERA Vs. Erick Fedde RHP (1-2) 3.72 ERA

3.30.25-Bailey Ober RHP (3-0) 1.77 ERA Vs. Andre Pallante (2-0) 6.92 ERA

The Twins At A Glance- The Twins had a disappointing end to their 2024 season. They missed the playoffs and watched three teams from the American League Central play in the postseason. The team didn't add much in the offseason. They added Ty France, Harrison Bader, and Danny Coulombe and are hoping on the health of guys like Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. The team got a little banged up in the spring as Royce Lewis suffered a hamstring injury and Brooks Lee with a back injury. Brock Stewart (hamstring) and Michael Tonkin (right shoulder strain) will start the year on the injured list. Ty France looked good this spring with a .467 average, two homers, and nine RBI's. Matt Wallner crushed six homers and knocked in fourteen runs this spring. Louie Varland had a good spring with 11 1/3 shutout innings and seven strikeouts. The Twins strength should be the bullpen. Jhoan Duran should see most save situations with Griffin Jax in the eighth. Brock Stewart will settle into a late inning role and Cole Sands had a career year. Jorge Alcala and Justin Topa round out a nice bullpen.

The Cardinals At A Glance- Nobody knows what to make of the 2025 Cardinals season. They are a team in the start of a rare rebuild for the franchise. Paul Goldschmidt left in free agency to the Yankees. Willson Contreras is moving to first base to fill his shoes. Matt Carpenter didn't catch on with a team this spring and the team was trying to trade Nolan Arenado. Kyle Gibson signed with the Orioles again and Lance Lynn is still a free agent. Lots of young guys will see time for the Cardinals. Sonny Gray heads a solid rotation. Ryan Helsley will close a decent bullpen. Phil Maton and JoJo Romero should see some high leverage roles as well.

What To Watch For- The Cardinals took two of three games from the Twins back in August of last year. The Twins took two of three in the last series in St. Louis in 2023. The Twins are (24-22) all-time against the Cardinals. Pablo Lopez is (2-3) with a 2.33 ERA in six starts against the Cardinals. Sonny Gray is (2-5) with a 5.36 ERA in nine starts against the Twins. Trevor Larnach has two career homers off Sonny Gray. Joe Ryan gave up seven runs over four innings in his lone start against the Cardinals. Erick Fedde is (1-0) with a 1.06 ERA in three starts versus the Twins. Bailey Ober gave up a run over four innings in his lone start against St. Louis. Andre Pallante has allowed one run over eight innings against the Twins. This should be a fun weekend as the Twins open up against a historic Cardinals team.

-Chris Kreibich-

[embarcaderotec]

Welcome to the preview of TCoffee and code beverage and here is my of piffy work related TCoffee mug if you don’t want to join with that but I do want to invite you to our series of coffee shop conversation. With developers around topics of interest to developers like your self one thing about these coffee shop conversation is the idea is you join us live and ask question it’s not so much about us presenting things to you about getting answers to question but work kicking it off with a developer’s guide to security. More details with this video please click Here

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[sidewalkchemistry]

F/W 2022 Catalogue of @SidewalkChemistry Patreon Posts

All that has been posted in the fall/winter 2022 season thus far. (Everything could not fit in one post. Find the full post on Patreon). If you would prefer the tier-organized inventory, see here.

For the spring/summer 2022 inventory, see here.

Emotional Healing Intensive Program: a 32-day inner work experience to help you come into a new perspective of your emotions, overcome traumas, and learn about the abilities of emotional alchemy Emotional Healing Program Introduction Emotional Healing Prep Guide The Sidewalk Chemistry Guide to: Herbs for Emotional Support Day 1: Deep Listening for Emotional Healing

Day 2: The Labyrinths of Imagination

Day 3: The Body Keeps the Score, All the Answers are Inside You, and The Portal to the Higher Self Day 4: E-nergetic MOTIONS of Individual Energetic Beings

Day 5: Inspiration & Joy (Infinite Intelligence = Inner Voice & How to Meditate)

... Days 30 & 31: Your Mental World is a Universe Meditation To Find An Herbal Ally Day 32: Now That the 32 Days Are Completed SAD Diet Transformation Series: the SAD diet is a poor but ever-popular manner of eating; discover how to increase the nourishment, sensory delight, cultural heirloom, and medicinal factors of your food for your bliss Installment no. 5: Why Eat Nutritiously? Installment no. 6: So, What are Powerful Meals Made Of? Installment no. 7: Why It Doesn't Mean Sacrificing Flavor (pt. 1) Investments 101 Series: become a student in investments deeper than conceptual/monetary wealth in order to enrich your life and health Behind the 'That Girl' Allure Lesson 0.5 What is Health Insurance Really? (Lesson 0.75) Understanding Abundance via Imagery Understanding Abundance via Imagery pt. 2 I Know Nothing - What Can I Share (or How to Remain Confident in Your Visions) How to Design Your Holistic Leveling-Up Journey (Preview) Earthly Wellness Comprehension: a journey of the elemental and alchemical perspectives of all things; a meaningful foundation in herbalism and understanding your personal health, alchemy, biomes, earth-consciousness and scientific discovery Calming, Captivating, and Consuming: First Encounters with the Water Element Body Literacy Series: critical self-healing teachings for recognizing, attuning, and realigning imbalances in the body; the central series for tier 3; centers around learning the body... Body Scanning & Meditation 

Developing Intuitive Intelligence 

Chakra System 

Notes from an Amateur Gastronomist: gastronomical tidbits to increase your experiences of eating, preparing, and enjoying food; with previews from my upcoming gastronomically-informed whole food plant based cookbook Seed Saving Gastronomy Cookbook/Journal Sneak Peek: Kitchen Prompts Create the Rainbow and Eat It Too 

...

Expand Your Horizons (Greens Edition) Umami: Uncovering Nutrition Bliss Activations: a set of DIYs and self-care routines for seasonal living and holistic well-being Autumn Hair Perfume Formula Bear Medicine Sound Healing  How to Avoid Seasonal Depression This F/W Season

2023 Alchemical Reset & Recalibration 

Herbal Winter Skin Care Routine 

Recipes: whole food plant-based and nutritionally dense dishes that don't neglect your taste buds Soft Herbed "Cheese" Spread Sweet Breakfast Noodles My All-Time Favorite Smoothie I Finally Found It...A Thoroughly Nourishing Wine Recipe Hemp Tahini Citrus Salad Dressing + Jeweled Winter Rainbow Noodle Salad Umami Nettles-Boosted Pasta (Whole Food Plant Based) Stress-Balancing Green Smoothie 

Sticky, Sweet, and Spicy Noodle Sauce 

Shadow Work Archetype Series: the winter inner work series for uncovering the archetypes within us to gain deeper depths of self-knowledge, act as a tool for growth for sticking to our own desires, and attune our mind/goals towards beauty (internally, externally, and universally) Following Your Own Path | Shadow Work Archetype Challenge Introduction Inner Angel (Description) How to Begin: Shadow Work Inner Angel Archetype Codes Inner Seductress/Seducer (Description) 

Inner Magpie (Description) 

Herbal Arts Series: exposes readers to all 8 different aspects of herbalism to integrate and practice herbalism as a lifestyle All You Need to Know About Herbal Formulations and Applications What is Food-Centric Herbalism and Why Is It My Favorite? Build-Your-Own 'Sick and Tired' Care Package + Protocol for Infection Recovery What Is An Herbal Ally A Gallery Glimpse: Herbal Allies for Spiritual Growth Conscious Relationships via Herbs (Law of Love Preview) January's Herb of the Month (Preview) Mindfulness: learn how to create a meditation practice for your mental hygiene, as it were, and make mindfulness a way of being Herbal Allies for Your Meditation Journey (Abridged Version) New Year's Resolutions (Easy, Intermediate, or Challenge), Even If You Dislike Them How to Begin Talking to Trees Law of Love Series: learn to live the courageous heart-centered lifestyle to active your heart center, follow your heart, and find unconditional love within Don't Let Anyone Be Your Guru (Preview) The Foundations of Self-Care (or How to Never Experience Bad Days - for real!) Why Do We Have a Higher Self + How To Connect to Yours Dealing with People (Love Everyone but Don't Like Everyone) Tea Time Series: chatty series focused on herbal wellness and learning to establish self-care as a daily means of recalibration Series Introduction

Tea Time (Video 1): How to Create a Tea Time

Tea Time (Video 2): Herbs & Altered States of Consciousness

Tea Time (Glowy Skin, Raw Vegan, Cozy, Winter Edition) Chamomile Wisdom Tea Time Chat on Ancestral Herbalism Sun-Aligned Herbs & Heliocentric Theory 

How to Have Unshakeable Confidence & Why I Never Struggled with Body Image 

Anatomy Reconsidered: snippets and previews from the upcoming booklet on how to conceptualize the mind/body/soul to restore health in whichever area of trouble

10 Ways to Improve Your Microbiomes in 2023 ✨ 

Misconceptions About the Human Being (Preview)

Overview for Addressing Hormonal Issues (Preview) The Stress Reduction Plan for Hormonal Imbalances 

HSP Guide: assistance for aligning your internal worlds and realities with your lifestyle, especially useful for highly sensitive individuals Revised Traits of a Highly Sensitive Person Miscellaneous: everything else The Significance of Holistic Healing Journeys All Our Upcoming Projects My Holistic Health Journey ...

[sweetsmellosuccess]

Sundance 2020: Preview

Earlier in the month, as I frantically made my selections for the limited public tickets Sundance generously makes available for the press, I was struck by just how much of a crapshoot the whole process was. That’s the thing about this particular festival, virtually no one outside of the filmmakers and Sundance programmers have seen the films yet. It’s a great unknown (and, yes, Cannes is also similar in this way, but whereas Sundance is selecting primarily indie films, the festival on the French Riviera gets to choose anything they damn well please, from big Hollywood studio fare, to auteur International work), which leads to lots of hunch choices, based on gut feeling as much as anything else.

As you might imagine, one’s hit rate on such matters is volatile. I looked back to previous years’ selections, and found, on rough average, choosing solid (or better) films at about a 45% clip. That is to say, of the films I deemed most worthy of my attention, about half of them were less  —  or even far less  —  than I hoped. To be fair, randomly watching regular studio films opening from week to week at home in Philly, I would imagine that percentage would be a good bit lower, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with Sundance’s percentages.

Still, it does speak to the embracing-of-the-unknown ethos that this festival instills in you. We pays our money, we takes our chances, etc. Having said all that  —  and perhaps having chiseled down the enormous boulder of salt with which to read this piece  —  here are our best guesses for what looks like (on paper, at least) some of the more interesting films in this year’s fest. We’ll see how it turns out.

Downhill: The U.S. remake of Ruben Östlund’s 2014 Swedish film about a family on a skiing trip in the Alps, who experience serious disruption when a controlled avalanche terrifies the father of the clan to ditch his family in order to save himself. Normally, I would steer far clear of American remakes, but this indie remains intriguing, even if it is directed by a pair of actors (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash). Casting Will Ferrell and Julia Louis Dreyfus together as the parents is also a draw. We can only hope the film retains the razor-sharp acerbity of the original.  

Falling: Viggo Mortensen, best known for all time as Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings triad, has many talents  —  he speaks French fluently, writes poetry, and paints with some apparent aplomb  —  but we’ll see how he handles writing and directing for the first time with this film, in which he plays a gay man living with his family in L.A., whose arch-conservative farmer father (Lance Hendrickson) comes to live with him. The set up sounds on the definite hokey side, but any film that casts David Cronenberg as a proctologist has got something going for it.

Horse Girl: An awkward loner of a woman (played by Allison Brie), with a predilection for crafts, crime shows, and, yes, horses, endures a series of lucid dreams that infiltrate her day-to-day existence. Sounding just so perfectly Sundanecian, Jeff Baena’s film nevertheless holds some attraction, especially because the director (whose previous film was the well-received The Little Hours) has a solid track record. He co-wrote this effort with Brie, a collaboration that might well lead to something more compelling than its initial description.

Kajillionaire: I guess you could call writer/director/actress Miranda July something of an acquired taste. Her previous films, including Me and You and Everyone We Know, and The Future are filled with a kind of creative whimsy, along with intense character insight. Her new film is about a pair of grifter parents (Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) who throw together a big heist at the last second, convincing a newcomer (Gina Rodriguez) to join them, only for the newbie to disrupt their relationship with their daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), whom they have been training her entire life.

The Last Thing He Wanted: Working from a novel by the resplendent Joan Didion, Dee Rees follows up her 2017 Sundance rave Mudbound with another literary adaptation. Anne Hathaway plays a journalist obsessed with the Contras in Central America, whose father (Willem DaFoe) unexpectedly bestows her with proof of illegal arms deals in the region. Suddenly, a player in a much more complicated game, she connects with a U.S. official (Ben Affleck), in order to make it out alive. It’s a particularly well-heeled cast, which at Sundance doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing, but Rees has proven herself more than up to the challenge.

Lost Girls: At this point, I will literally watch Amy Ryan in anything  —  her exquisite bitchiness absolutely stole last year’s Late Night  —  so Liz Garbus’ film would have already been on my radar, but here, with Ryan playing a Long Island mother whose daughter goes missing, my interest is sorely piqued. Based on a true-crime novel by Robert Kolker, Ryan’s character discovers her daughter was part of an online sex ring, and goes through heaven and earth to draw attention to her plight, taking on the local authorities in the process.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always: Eliza Hittman has a way of adding lustre and temporal beauty to the otherwise roughneck scenes of the teens she depicts. Her latest film is about a pair of young women living in rural Pennsylvania, who find the means to escape their repressive town after one of them becomes unexpectedly pregnant, making their way to New York City. With a storyline eerily reminiscent of Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, Hittman, as is her want, has cast two relative unknowns (Talia Ryder and Sidney Flanigan) as the leads.

Palm Springs: Lightening things up a smidge, Max Barbakow’s off-beat comedy stars Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg as reluctant wedding guests, who somehow find each other at the same time as some kind of surrealistic episode leads them to recognize that nothing really matters in the first place, allowing them to lay havoc upon the proceedings for their own amusement. Barbakow’s debut feature is stockpiled with strong castmembers, including J.K. Simmons and Peter Gallagher, and it’s always a treat to watch the continuing evolution of Samberg from mop-haired SNL performer to certified big-screen actor.  

Promising Young Woman: The #metoo movement begets this revenge thriller about a once-victimized woman (Carey Mulligan) who works by day as quiet barista, but spends her nights seducing men in order to punish the living hell out of them for trying to take advantage of her. When she runs into a seemingly sweet old classmate (Bo Burnham), it would appear as if salvation is at hand, but apparently it’s not quite that simple. Filmmaker Emerald Fennell, whose outstanding work on the series “Killing Eve,” earned her a pair of Emmy nominations, makes her feature debut with a film that sounds appropriately searing.

Shirley: There were those critics at the 2018 festival who found Josephine Decker’s Madeline’s Madeline one of the best films of the year. While I wasn’t among them, there was still much to appreciate with the writer/director’s improvisational visions. Her entry into this year’s Sundance promises to be at least somewhat more grounded, if not still effervescent. It concerns famed author Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss), writer of “The Lottery,” whose literary inspiration is stirred after she and her husband (Michael Stuhlbarg) take in a young couple to liven up their household.

[alteredphoenix]

First Impressions Chapter 50: The Stables Incident (WIP)(Heroes of the Storm)

A/N: So, some context in a nutshell: First Impressions is an out-of-order anthology series that has Sylvanas as the MC in a more Looney Tunes-style Nexus, a central hub where all universes converge and diverge at a singular point due to the Powers That Be that may or may not have summoned them here for purposes that are unknown to them. Except anyone that is brought to the Nexus is infected with a condition called the transition, aka the in-universe term for Out of Character; even the native-born Nexians are not exempt from this, and those that are pulled from their timeline never age, and if they should die they are very shortly brought back aka respawn.

I haven’t touched First Impressions in a long while, mainly because of work, doing WoW fics, and a lot of family drama IRL from 2018 onwards that nearly made me quit writing altogether. But I have felt the itch to get back at it again, even though Heroes of the Storm got its e-sports sector gutted and is running in a slow, lumbering maintenance mode. I’m not really sure if HotS still maintans some semblance of popularity as it did in the past year; I’ve been out of the loop for a while, although I’m sure the minor leagues and community-driven events are still ongoing.

Regardless, I��m posting this preview for archival purposes. I’m also posting it because this marks the start of the legendary Stables Incident, an event in which Sylvanas is accused of slaughtering innocent farm animals (at a place where people store their mounts for matches) out of nowhere. This chapter, however, shows what really happened (spoiler alert: Sylvanas didn’t do it, it was actually an accident, Hammer pressed the button on her tank by mistake during a squabble and, as a result, caused an intergalactic news circus over it).

I’m also posting this because: I love writing smartass-give-no-fucks!Sylvanas, and there must be more of it in the fandom.

-

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!”

The music kicked up in a roar so loud it threw Sylvanas off the bench onto the ground as though an invisible hand scooped up her from underneath and bowled her over. She awoke with a painful groan, twisting round onto her stomach to sit up on her elbows. Her ears twitched and swiveled, searching for the source of the music.

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!”

They flattened down against the sides of her head, shaking more from the vibrations that were causing the ground to quake, the bench to jump, and the squirrels and birds on their respective tree branches to bounce off in chattering, chirping squeaks and squawks than the force driving a jackhammer into her brain. Sylvanas looked behind her, in the direction of the auto body shop with its garage doors opened all the way.

A large, single-barreled cannon was poking its head out, connected to a red plated chassis on massive treads.

Sylvanas snarled, pushed to her feet, and stormed toward the garage.

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!”

“HAMMER!” Sylvanas yelled, but she could only hear the word in her head; it was like walking into a nightclub on full blast while the mother of all earthquakes, the Even Bigger One (bigger than San Andreas!), was bringing about The End Of The World As They Knew It. The tools on the walls racks and on the benches were rattling. The overhead fluorescent lights and spotlights were flickering and swinging back and forth. Darkness, even the fuel tanks way in the back were shaking in their cages! And Hammer…

Hammer was standing up out of the manhole, swaying and bumping and grinding like a turkey on antihistamines.

“HAMMER!” Sylvanas yelled again, feeling her throat work to outdo the noise. But Hammer still kept on dancing, oblivious to the world. The Banshee Queen glanced around the area. She saw a boombox from the Twenty-First Renaissance Era (which looked like a pyramidal A-track player) on a workbench...but no, nothing was coming out of it. She’d seen and heard it play before; whatever was running at the time would sound like it was being phoned in from a tin can in another municipal district from across an ocean. Then her eyes flicked behind the tank where, some distance away, were the ‘administrative’ offices that were reserved for quiet paperwork, faxing, phone calls, Internet, and maybe a few Jet Briggs’ beer and Easy Green joints were drunk and rolled in private enlightenment (that definition seemed to wax and wane over the years, apparently, but it usually ranged from a blissful stoner’s high to confusion and then to an agoraphobic fear of unseen, probably imaginative eldritch horrors that ranged between pink elephants, hyperrealistic eyes on the walls, and crab people with the heads of famous celebrities dead, alive, and not yet born crawling all over the place). Her eyes went to the ceiling where the speakers were located...but they shook as well, and offered no indication to her addled ears that the music was coming from them.

That left only one other place. “HAMMER, TURN THAT DOWN!”

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!” were the words Sylvanas could read from Hammer’s lips. “WHAT! WHAT! Doo doo-doo doo doo! Nuh-nuh-nuh! Doo doo-doo doo doo, doo-doo-doo--”

“TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!”

Sylvanas clenched her fists, her body shaking in time with the music. She mimicked taking a breath, reared back, and, calling upon the dark magic inside her, focused the font of power to nestle in her lungs and up her throat. Then she leaned forward and screamed. “HAAAAAMEEEERRRRR! TURN THAT THING OFF!”

The last syllable finally knocked Hammer out of her dance-induced stupor, blowing her back (and, Sylvanas thought morosely, not ass over tea kettle off the tank) from the amplified force. She caught herself, looked around, and saw the Banshee Queen glaring death and mayhem below her. “AW SNAP! SORRY, SORRY! EH, UH, G-GIVE ME ONE SEC! HOLD ON! WHERE’S THAT DAMN...AHA!” She doubled over, rooting around for the stereo, and when she found it turned it off.

Sylvanas had never found complete, total silence to be such an aether-given blessing until today. Like nirvana for mind, body, and soul. The quintessential out-of-body experience where one became attuned to nature and all that is not industrial.

Until I leave and she starts up again, she concluded. “You’re welcome,” Sylvanas drawled sardonically.

“Girl, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even know you were down there!” said Hammer. “Y-You weren’t waitin’ long, were ya?”

“I was waiting for an hour.”

Hammer clapped her hands to her cheeks. “Holy shit! Damn, girl, I’m really sorry--”

“Yeah, you should be. I actually just got here.”

“Eh? What? Really?”

“Yes, really!” Sylvanas said. “I was having a nice, simple rest on the bench outside and your stupid music woke me up! I swear to Darkness, woman, are you trying to move the Anchors out of position? Do you want to get us all killed?”

“N-Nah, girl, not at all! It’s just”--and Hammer flailed--”It’s such a nice day out, ya know? And it’s Sunday, which means all the auto shops are closed. An’ that also means I can work to mah heart’s content! No disruptions! No phone calls! No Kaijo suddenly tearing through the fabric of the space-time continuum! I can actually get stuff on time now, and at my own pace!”

“So I guess if I brought a motorcycle in, I’ll be expecting it by next spring as a belated Winter Veil present.”

“What? No! Girl, I ain’t that slow!”

“A tortoise, a snail, and a sloth could compete against you and they’d still win the race.”

“Hell no they wouldn’t! I have a tank, they don’t. I would just run ‘em over!”

Sylvanas rolled her eyes. “You are such a humanitarian it makes my heart bleed.”

“Well that’s what they’d get for messin’ with a siege tank!”

“You do realize there’s a noise ordnance of seventy-five feet, right?”

Hammer grinned wolfishly. “Ain’t no such thing as a noise ordnance if there’s no one around to complain about it.”

“Except for me,” said Sylvanas.

“Are ya really gonna tell on me?”

“No, but I’ll have ten reasons to tell you where to go if you do that again.”

“Ten reasons?” Hammer quirked a brow.. “What are they?”

“I punch you in the face with my left fist and then punch you with my right fist. If I add onto that, I’ll have ninety-nine reasons and a headbutt to make you quiet. Let’s also not forget I can just kick when you’re down, and by that point I’ll have lost count.”

“That’s a helluva lot of reasons to have...and money! Lots of money to pay for medical bills!”

“I can think of ways to accrue the cash and avoid jail time. You think this lackadaisical government can stop me?”

“Well,” Hammer said, digging a pinkie finger into her ear, “they are a little slow on the uptake. They ain’t exactly unnatural like we are. They’re more...what’s the word...normal.”

“You’re far from normal,” Sylvanas muttered.

“Eh? What?” Hammer asked.

“I said, what the hell are you working on that’s made you put the music on full blast?” Sylvanas lied smoothly. “What about it is so important you haven’t had the cops called on you yet?”

Hammer laughed uproariously. “This? This! My good friend! Is the latest in Jeetilopolis technological warfare!”

Sylvanas appraised it with a slow, long sweep of her eyes. “A single shot cannon?”

“Not just any single shot cannon! It’s a single shot cannon bought straight from the auction block all the way in Jeetilopolis! I spent just about my entire checking account on getting this thing, and spent almost the entirety of my savings on shipping and handling!”

“You can’t be that stupid.”

“What people think is stupid is actually smart! Besides, how’s a woman gonna get by in life if she can’t dip a little?”

“Hammer, spending every copper, silver, and gold on a cannon that is more than likely going to be faulty is not dipping a little. That’s jumping headfirst out of a plane without a parachute and hoping you time your angle just right so you can land in a lake that’ll be deep enough to sustain your impact and not kill you on the spot.”

“And when I hit rock bottom, will it be filled with gold?”

“Whatever it is, I won’t be joining you to find out.”

Hammer made an annoyed sound by blowing her lips. “Aw, c’mon! It’ll be fun!”

“Maybe for you, but I have no intentions of going into bankruptcy.”

“That ain’t gonna happen! You know why?”

“No,” Sylvanas drawled dryly. “Tell me why.”

“Because there was one other thing I got while I was in Jeetilopolis. One little thing that’ll give this baby here one helluva big wallop that’ll scare the bejeesus out o’ people! You wanna know what that is?”

“Not really.”

“Guess!”

Sylvanas sighed. “Do I have to--”

“Yeah! Come on! Take a guess!”

“Fine. Let me think.” Sylvanas feigned contemplation, making a show of looking away and tapping her chin. Then she snapped her fingers. “I got it. A brain.”

“Nuh-uh! Already have one,” said Hammer, and rapped her fists on her helmet for emphasis.

“Two brains.”

“No!”

“Three.”

“Now what am I supposed ta do with that many brains, eh? Play tsukkome and bokke with one while the other plays the straight man...brain...thing? Actually, on second thought,” Hammer added, thoughtfully, “I could probably palaver with them and get some pretty neat ideas for the tank. Yeah.” She nodded approval. “Yeah, that ain’t such a bad idea! But, uh, that ain’t what’s in this thing! It’s somethin’ better than a brain!”

“And that would be…?”

“Aether,” Hammer breathed. “I got me some gods be damned aether in a bottle for fifteen thousand gold! That’s cheap!”

Sylvanas gave her a blank stare, then nodded complete and total understanding. “Okay. So you get blitzed off the life-energy of the universe. It all makes sense now.”

“Did you just call me stupid?”

“No.” Sylvanas shook her head slowly, and drawled dryly, “No. Why would I ever say that?”

“’Cause this ain’t just the life energy of the universe!” Hammer slapped a hand down hard on the base of the manhole. “This is the answer to all my problems! This baby right here can store so much oomph in here...why, I think I might have just become a god!”

“Aether-based weaponry is banned from the League.”

Hammer grinned wickedly. “Not if they don’t find out! All’s I have to do is get the energy output tuned to its usual optimized settings and those old bats and goats in the Houses will be none the wiser! Ahahahahahaha! I’m a genius, Sylvanas!” she cried, throwing her arms up in the air. “A bonafide, grade-A genius!”

“Joy to the world, God is good,” Sylvanas grumbled, shaking her head.

“Hey, I’m thinkin’ of taking the tank out for a test firin’ out in the Shadowskirts in a bit; don’t want the authorities to catch wind of this! You wanna check ‘er out before I go?” 

Sylvanas shrugged. “Why not. Not like I have anything better to do.”

[kiradurbin]

Super Short Reviews:  Spring / Summer TV part 3

Super Short Reviews Spring / Summer TV part 3:

Undercover (Netflix) – Inspired by true events.  When you think of beautiful Belgium, do you think … Ecstasy ?  Probably not.  But thats where most of it comes from, and these nice detective folks are in it for the loooooooooong haul.  And I do mean long, cuz the pacing in the first episode tuned me out. Gentleman Jack (HBO) – British and period enough to attract any Anglophile, but the subject matter is acutally more LGBTQ.  Based on the coded diaries of Anne Lister, who kept detailed accounts of her affairs with other women, and her attempts to run her family home.  Good good good.   Abyss (Netflix) – Korea.  Super cute, and I even laughed a few times (which is saying a lot for a foreign language show since your eyes are always split between the faces and the action and the subtitles.)   

  Perpetual Grace Ltd. (Epix) –  This is so unique and bizarre it also gets a “show of the summer” award.  The cast list alone should make you want to watch: Ben Kingsley, Jacki Weaver, and Luis Guzman.  It’s a con game that goes oh so so SO wrong and you really have no idea who to root for but who cares, because you really  just want to know what strange thing or character is going to appear next. 

  The Society (Netflix) – Schadenfreude!!!   I hope I have time to go back and watch the rest of all these spoiled teenagers get their due.  I don’t even care if they figure out which twilight zone episode they are in.  On a side note, can someone explain to me how tv show high schools have football teams when there are never enough people to actually play???   Florida Girls (Pop) – Redneck tv at its finest.  You’re definitely laughing AT these gals.  Already got a second season. Pandora (CW) –  This is fun!  Its like Star Trek / Gate University for YA viewers. Thumbs up for that age group. I Hear You (Netflix) – China.  I think this is supposed to be a comedy?  Or at least, the situation is ridiculous and the characters act like children or cartoons. Very YA – even more PG than a Hallmark romance. Years and Years (HBO) – UK. And you thought Black Mirror was disturbing?   This is honest and crazy and real and still British humour funny. Watch it if you still have HBO. Trinkets (Netflix) – This is like If the Breakfast Club girls had met in a shoplifters support group.  Brianna Hildebrand, Kiana Madeira, and Quintessa Swindell are all fantastically likable.  Huge YA thumbs up. Pearson (USA) – Gina Torres leaves NY corporate law (SUITS) to spin off to the dark ugly brown Chicago Mayor’s Office.  Fun!!  The story lines are good, but I lost patience for Ms. Pearson’s attitude rather quickly.  Smug Smug Smug UGH.   Good Omens (Amazon) – BINGE ALERT. Michael Sheen and David Tennant literally sparkle with glee as they bring Neil Gaiman’s world to television life. And is there anyone better suited than Frances McDormand to play “God” ?  I loved every second of it.   What / If (Netflix) – I adored Jane Levy in SUBURGATORY and im glad to see her get a chance to show off her dramatic chops.  But Renee Zellweger smirking, squinting her eyes, and crossing her super skinny legs does not a PLOT make.  This is trying really hard to make something slightly interesting into super dramatic.  People cheat.  So WHAT?  Maybe I would have watched more IF I cared.   South Side (Comedy Central) – I dont’ know if this will be as funny to anyone who’s not from Chicago but I thought it was hilarious.   One of two Bashir Salahuddin comedy creations this summer.   BH901210 (Fox) – Hopefully you were smarter than me in realising this was going nowhere fast since it didnt get renewed.   Why they did this instead of just even 6 episodes of a real show I will never know. NOT REVIEWED:  

LA’s Finest (Spectrum) – Spun off the BAD BOYS movies – Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba are LAPD detectives.  Totally realistic im sure.   It’s Bruno (Netflix) – Comedy. Even the first 20 seconds of the preview annoyed me.  The dog is super cute though.   Curfew (Spectrum) – UK.  Sean Bean! Billy Zane! Miranda Richardson!  Street Racing!  (what?!?) Crime Diaries (Netflix) – Columbia. Murder Mystery inspired by true events. Side Games (Spectrum) – Spain.  The Mafia gets into second division football (soccer.) Malibu Rescue (Netflix) –  Looks like if Malibu Skipper had her own show.  Then again, if you are the right age to watch this, you have no idea who Malibu Skipper is.   Euphoria (HBO) – so bored in the first ten minutes I realised I would rather be cleaning my bathroom. So I did.   How To Sell Drugs Online (Netflix) – Germany.  No thanks.   Los Espookys – I heard this was hilarious, but my HBO went away for the same reason you all made your HBO go away.   Armistead Maupin Tales of the City (Netflix) –  This was a mini-series I think in the late 90s?  then there was a movie? now there is this? I was too confused  to try and sort it out.   Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO) – assuming it is what the title says.  

[nytcap]

Alicja Kwade - ParaPivot" Press Preview by j- No Via Flickr: The Roof Garden @ the Metropolitan Museum of Art Manhattan NYC April 15, 2019

Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade has created a site-specific installation for The Met's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, entitled "ParaPivot." The Roof Garden Commission: Alicja Kwade, ParaPivot will be on view from April 16 through October 27, 2019.

"The Met's Roof Garden Commission is a catalyst for bold artistic intervention and the continuous rethinking of a unique space, and it's with great anticipation that we look forward to unveiling Alicja Kwade's project this spring," said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. "The setting—perched atop the Museum's vast collection and set against New York City's iconic skyline and Central Park—presents a compelling site for Kwade, whose works offer an expansive view of the history of art and science."

Born in 1979, Alicja Kwade lives and works in Berlin. Raised by a cultural scientist mother and a conservator and art historian father, she grew up in Poland and, later, Germany. In 1999, Kwade entered the Universität der Künste in Berlin to study sculpture, and three years later she began showing in solo and group exhibitions, achieving a remarkable degree of critical success in a relatively short period of time. Although Kwade has also made videos and sound art, she is best known for her sculptures and installations, most of which are designed with specific spaces in mind. With equal parts poetry and critical acumen, her work not only reflects on the nature of time and perception; it also investigates the structures and theories we have adopted to understand the physical universe in which we reside. The resulting works are elegant, astute, and highly experiential.

Kwade's work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, including Out of Ousia, at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen (2018); Medium Median, at Whitechapel Gallery in London (2016); and The Void of the Moment in Motion, at Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt (2015). Her work has also been featured in such prestigious exhibitions as the 57th Venice Biennale, Viva Arte Viva (2016), and the 2016 Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Forming in the Pupil of an Eye. This is the artist's first solo exhibition at a museum in the United States.

The Roof Garden Commission: Alicja Kwade, ParaPivot was conceived by the artist in consultation with Sheena Wagstaff, Leonard A. Lauder Chairman of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Kelly Baum, Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky Curator of Contemporary Art, both of The Met's Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. It is the seventh in a series of site-specific commissions for the outdoor space.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a book published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press.

The Roof Garden Commission: Alicja Kwade, ParaPivot will be featured on The Met's website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #CantorRoof.

[kalico-to-the-letter]

RWBY | VOLUME 6 | PREVIEW: WHAT IS TEAM RWBY?

AND WHO IS RUBY ROSE?

“Don’t let anyone else die.”

Those words, spoken by Ruby Rose, are the final words of the trailer for the upcoming sixth season of RWBY.

The briefing for Volume 6 is that the newly-reunited Team RWBY (and associates) are on their way to Atlas to secure another relic before Salem’s crew gets there first. Cinder is gone, Raven is the Spring Maiden, and Salem and Adam, the two principal villains, took a pretty substantial L at the end of Volume 5. So if this conflict escalates, then you know why.

This show has been on something of a roll, quality-wise, for the past few years, a run consolidated most recently by last year’s Volume 5. Roosterteeth have made “decent” the baseline for this series, and have churned out some real gems in the process. The recovery arcs of Volume 4, the reunion stories of Volume 5, most everything about the back half of Volume 3. All great, in my opinion.

So this is a different lead-up to a new season, for me. In my preview for Volume 4, I didn’t doubt that the stories would be good, and I predicted it to be somber. My big concern going into that year revolved around how other people would go into a season knowing it would be like nothing else the show had done before, especially in the wake of the tone shift the year prior. Going into Volume 5, I had a lot of questions for how the show would reconcile all the individual storylines, what mood it would set as a through-line, and if it would properly pay off the idea of these characters coming back from their lowest points.

This time, I only have one question: After spending so long apart, what is Team RWBY now that the girls have been reunited?

This question is multifaceted. First, what does their reunion mean for the format of the show’s storytelling? The structure that the show has taken the past couple of years has served its purpose. Each episode in Volumes 4 and 5 took the guise of Game of Thrones-style compilation stories, regularly featuring episodes which, for example, would omit one girl’s storyline while pushing forward the other three as individuals. Beyond some select episodes, this storytelling structure has largely worked out. But unless the girls are to split up again, the writers need to have found a new way to put their episodes together.

Secondly, it’s also not as if the girls have stopped their growth just by coming back together. How does reuniting affect these four characters as individuals?

The truth is that we’ve already seen a hint of this in Volume 5, two sides of the same coin. Last season was Yang’s season – her overarching story was the strongest and most prominent – so even after she and Weiss found their way back to Ruby, the show still had a great deal of time for her as an individual. On the other hand, Weiss’s Volume 5 story ended very early in the season, and was quickly subsumed as part of Yang’s. While she had a raft of great moments, she was a bit player for the rest of the season, which was weird to see after she was so good in Volume 4 and kicking off Volume 5.

It’s no secret of writing that focusing on a character in isolation is a good way to draw out their potential, and characters like Yang and Weiss have been major beneficiaries of having their own stories. The show tried the same with Blake, but the problems with her storyline were centred more on how it progressed and worked with the world around her.

And consider Ruby, who hasn’t actually had much of a storyline since Volume 3. Her story is Team RNJR’s story, and that story was one of the weaker ones of last season. It was the plot of the season, pushing the larger-world narrative and the story of the relics, but for some reason, the show just has not been able to effectively marry Ruby’s deeper characterisation in tandem with the larger narrative. The result is that we have a central, titular hero who, in my opinion, has been the least interesting member and has had the least interesting stories for two years now, while her partners have all come into their own as fully-rounded characters.

In my wrap of Volume 5, I noted that it was time, going forward, for Ruby to assume her mantle as the hero she should be. That comment wasn’t just in the sense of the larger narrative of the show, but also in reference to her character. It’s time for her to get off the periphery and put the full body of her journey on show. Or to at least have a prominent character journey this season.

But what does that look like, now that the band is back together? Weiss, Yang, and Blake have become the heart and soul of the show, such are the stories and dramatic investment they have been given the past few years. Is it still possible to give Ruby the reins of the overarching narrative and reposition her as the anchor of the story without sacrificing the others? We shall see.

– Kallie

What are your predictions of the upcoming season? What are your thoughts on Ruby as a hero? And what do you think of the Team RWBY dynamic being reintroduced to the series?

My Volume 6 Reviews will publish Saturdays after every episode, 7.00 PM (US Eastern).

RWBY VOLUME 6 PREMIERES SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27.

[oselatra]

2018 fall Arkansas music preview

From Salty Dogs to Squirrel Nut Zippers

"Middlemarch" author George Eliot claimed once that if he were a bird, he'd fly around the world "seeking the successive autumns." It's a lovely idea, but then, George Eliot was not a bird. Nor was he George Eliot or even a he, for that matter, but that's a story for another day. What's really important for you this crisp season, music lover, is to spread your wings into the sleeves of your snuggliest sweater and seize the only autumn you've got right in front of you — this one. It's the one in which the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires and a drag queen named Trixie Mattel land in Pulaski County within a fortnight's span. It's the one where a 6-foot-8 clown with a supple voice interprets David Bowie and R.E.M. on the stage of a technical college in North Little Rock. It's the one where hometown heroes like The Salty Dogs and Mulehead and Akeem Kemp share calendar space with Buddy Guy, the Moscow Ballet, Toby Keith, Gucci Mane and The Drive-By Truckers. See our calendar wrap beginning on page 15 for a statewide guide; meanwhile, here's a quick rundown of some of that aural inspiration, well worth seeking.

The ever-intense Malcolm Holcombe is returning to the legendary White Water Tavern, where he'll officially release his latest, "Come Hell or High Water," at the venerable joint Sept. 20. That same day, Buddy Guy, 82-year-old Chess Records house guitarist and Checkerboard Lounge owner-turned-blues legend, performs at the University of Central Arkansas's Reynolds Performance Hall in Conway.

Touring in support of their album, "Arkansas," John Oates (of Hall & Oates) and the Good Road Band come to Oaklawn's Finish Line Theater in Hot Springs Sept. 21. On the same night, tremolo lovers in Little Rock can probably catch organist Kimberly Marshall's free concert at St. Luke's Episcopal Church and still make it to the Rev Room's "Fabulous Freddie Mercury Tribute" featuring Randall Shreve at 10 p.m.

On Sept. 22, jump back to the '90s with the Toadies at the Rev Room, catch Royal Thunder and Headcold with Or at the White Water Tavern, or drink in Claude Bourbon at Hibernia Irish Tavern's hosting of an installment from the Little Rock Folk Club series. The Stardust Big Band floats into the Arlington Hotel's Crystal Ballroom in Hot Springs Sept. 23. Jazz and parks are two great tastes that taste great together, with a free Jazz in the Park concert from the Rodney Block Collective Sept. 26 at Riverfront Park's History Pavilion. That night, Sunflower Beam rises at Stickyz.

Amythyst Kiah shines at South on Main's Oxford American Concert Series Sept. 27, while the Randy Rogers Band rides high at the Rev Room. And, if you're ready for some Southern-style storytelling, it won't get much better than West Monroe, La., native musician/poet Kevin Gordon's appearance at The Joint's Potluck and Poison Ivy, also Sept. 27. (If the casserole has leaves of three, let it be.)

No wave scenester and actor/singer/poet Lydia Lunch (nee Lydia Koch) comes to Four Quarter Bar Sept. 28. Lunch is performing with composer Weasel Walter, bassist Tim Dahl and original Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert; Mouton and Listen Sister open. Over at the White Water Tavern, Danville sage William Blackart releases his latest record, "Return," with support from Colour Design and Fiscal Spliff. Also that evening is a concert from Pine Bluff native Mark Edgar Stuart at South on Main, as well as "Gershwin: Remembrance and Discovery," an Arkansas Sounds-presented concert from Richard Glazier, who'll interpret the work of the second-generation Jewish American who crystallized the American songbook.

Then, get the bucket brigade ready for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's interpretation of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" Sept. 29-30 at Robinson Center Performance Hall. Should you find yourself in the Spa City, check out May the Peace of the Sea Be With You, Mouton and Fiscal Spliff at Maxine's Sept. 29. Zipped back up again, Squirrel Nut Zippers (with Arkansas son-in-law Jimbo Mathus at the helm) visit the Rev Room Oct. 3.

The always-anticipated Hot Water Hills Music & Arts Festival goes up at Hill Wheatley Plaza in Hot Springs Oct. 5-6, with headliners Larkin Poe, Broncho, J.D. Wilkes and more. And, if you missed J.D. Wilkes at Hot Water Hills, catch him at the White Water Tavern Oct. 6 — that is, if you're not at the Rev Room the same night conducting some soul re-examination to the tune of Amasa Hines.

Lagniappe performs for Arkansas Times' "R&B: Rhythm & Blues, Ribs & Butts" at Argenta Plaza Oct. 7. RuPaul's Drag Race champion Trixie Mattel struts her stuff at Robinson Center Performance Hall Oct. 9. On Oct. 11, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires burn down the house — and the racist patriarchal establishment, for that matter — at the White Water Tavern. Kings Live Music in Conway hosts a show from Arkansas Times staff faves The Rios Oct. 13. Guitarist Brooke Miller, hailed as an heir apparent to fellow Canadian songstress Joni Mitchell, plays at The Joint Theater & Coffeehouse as a guest of the Argenta Acoustic Music Series on Oct. 18. Also that evening, the Oxford American Concert Series hosts a show from Bernice, La., soul singer Robert Finley, recently and rightfully returned to the stage's limelight.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is the tip of the multigenerational NOLA iceberg at UA Pulaski Tech's Center for Humanities and Arts for "Take Me to the River" Oct. 22. Also: Hey youuu guys! It's the electric 86-year-old national treasure Rita Moreno at UCA's Reynolds Performance Hall Oct. 23! Thankfully not a Rolling Stones tribute band of the era, but a Virginia-based string band from the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Steel Wheels, rolls into South on Main Oct. 28. Frankie Valli trots out the hits — and the falsetto — at Verizon Arena Nov. 9, and later that weekend, the ASO takes on the work of a beloved English composer with "Elgar's Enigma," Nov. 10-11. Stuart Baer brings his capable keyboard work to Sherwood's Amy Sanders Library as part of CALS's "Sounds in the Stacks" series Nov. 13. Mountain Sprout gets rowdy at Kings Live Music Nov. 17.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is showing its true colors this fall with a series of November events at its Anthony Chapel: Tom Christopher's tribute to Elvis Presley on the 19th; a holiday concert from Sharon Turrentine on Nov. 25; and a choral concert from Voices Rising on Nov. 28.

This pity party requires audience participation! Puddles Pity Party, the sad clown with the golden voice, croons classic rock covers with a twist to UA Pulaski Tech's CHARTS on Dec. 1. If you need to skip the sorrow and head to straight to the Five Finger Death Punch, you'll find it that very same night with Breaking Benjamin at Verizon Arena.

Finally, and maybe it's much too early in the game, but what are you doing New Year's Eve? The Squarshers and Jamie Lou and the Hullabaloo are holding down the countdown fort at Kings Live Music in Conway.

2018 fall Arkansas music preview

[sonofdu]

Fall Movie Preview

The fall movie season is a bit of an oddity these days. Ever since the movie studios found out they could make billions off of superheroes and Star Wars, first the spring movie season started filling up with movies that would feel more at home during the summer, then the winter season as well. But the fall season has been relatively untouched with these kinds of movies as that was always the time of year that films were released with higher expectations than making wheelbarrows full of money, these were Oscar hopeful movies. While there are still a lot of movies due out that have Academy Awards on their minds this fall, there’s quite a few as well that feel more like summer blockbusters than award winners.

The Predator – September, 14

The Predator

What was originally due out this summer before being pushed to the fall, the third film in the Predator franchise, unless you count those awful Aliens vs Predator movies of a few years ago and who wants to do that!? The Predator marks the return of Shane Black (Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) to the sci-fi genera. Black co-starred as Hawkins and did some on-set rewriting on the first film. The Predator looks to move the action from the jungles of Central America in Predator and Los Angeles in Predator 2 to a rain-soaked little town where the only thing standing between the population and total destruction are a rag-tag team of special forces soldiers being carted off to prison.

Venom – October, 5

Venom

There’s some confusion with this one. Starring Tom Hardy, technically Venom takes place in the same film universe as the fan-favorite Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, except if reports are to be believed out of the San Diego Comic-Con your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man won’t be making an appearance in this one. And it almost seems as if Sony is positioning Venom, who’s been the nemesis of Spider-Man in the comics for 30 years now and even appeared in Spider-Man 3, to be more an anti-hero than a villain. Think Punisher rather than Ultron and that sounds more in-line with this new movie version of the character.

Halloween – October, 19

Halloween (2018)

This latest version of Halloween will be the TENTH sequel to the original film and will bring back Jamie Lee Curtis in the Laurie Strode role she originated in the first film and has reprised on and off the last 40 years. This new Halloween reportedly ignores everything after Halloween II (1981) — though how can anyone ignore that ear-worm of a song “ten more days ’til Halloween” from Halloween III: Season of the Witch?

The Girl in the Spider’s Web – November, 9

The 2011 film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was supposed to be the first of a series of movies taken from the novels of Stieg Larsson directed by David Fincher and starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. But for whatever reason it was decided to cast aside that creative team and start anew this time with director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) and co-stars Claire Foy and Sverrir Gudnason in the Mara/Daniel roles respectively.

Maybe Fincher’s vision for the Dragon Tattoo sequels was too intense since the movie did decently enough at the box office for something not starring super-heroes?

Alita: Battle Angel trailer

TV

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks

Recently, I caught a documentary about the TV series Freaks and Geeks and had some memories of my own to share of this gem of a show.

I remember when Freaks and Geeks premiered it was difficult to see new episodes. NBC seemed to either air a lot of repeats or they moved the show around a lot to different timeslots.

I remember that the episode “Kim Kelly is My Friend” was controversial for its time and didn’t run in my area during the series original run.

In fact, I didn’t see all of the episodes of Freaks and Geeks until Fox Family reran the series in 2000 as there were a few episodes including “Kim Kelly is My Friend” that never aired on NBC.

When Fox Family began rerunning Freaks and Geeks and premiering unaired episodes I started recording the show on my EyeTV which was a device that allowed you to record a cable signal to your computer and save shows as MPGs. While I’m pretty sure I recorded the entire run this way, I’m also pretty sure I never watched them other than maybe the one time since the files it produced them were small and SD cable grainy too.

In 2003 or 2004 Shout! Factory promoted a DVD set of the entire series, urging people to preorder the set since this might be their only chance to own this, then, forgotten series on home media. Of course I ponied up something like $120 for the set.

The Reading & Watch List

Atomic Bomb Effects on an Aircraft in Flight

Big tech warns of ‘Japan’s millennium bug’ ahead of Akihito’s abdication

Cool Movie & TV Posters of the Week

Mission Impossible: Fallout

Nightflyers

Direct Beam Comms #138 Fall Movie Preview The fall movie season is a bit of an oddity these days. Ever since the movie studios found out they could make billions off of superheroes and…

[twins2994]

Minnesota Twins-Kansas City Royals Series Preview

3.28.24-Pablo Lopez RHP (0-2) 7.07 ERA Vs. Cole Ragans LHP (0-2) 6.75 ERA

3.30.24-Joe Ryan RHP (2-1) 3.79 ERA Vs. Seth Lugo RHP (2-1) 7.50 ERA

3.31.24-Bailey Ober RHP (1-1) 4.50 ERA Vs. Brady Singer RHP (1-1) 7.31 ERA

The Twins At A Glance- The Twins didn't have the best of Spring Training camps. They struggled to hit at times, the pitching wasn't great, and the bullpen sustained a few injuries. Ryan Jeffers had a good spring with a .346 average along with four home runs to lead the team. Matt Wallner had five hits in the spring, but three of those were home runs. Byron Buxton hit .314 and looks healthy for the first time in years. He was running the bases and playing center field like his old self in camp. There were hardly any jobs to be won on the position player side. Three starting rotation spots remain the same (Lopez, Ryan, Ober), but Louie Varland and Chris Paddack will round it out. The bullpen had too many injuries in camp. Jhoan Duran suffered an oblique injury and his timetable is uncertain. It doesn't appear to be long-term though. Caleb Thielbar dealt with a hamstring injury and is healing from that. Justin Topa has a knee issue and will be out. Griffin Jax will likely be the closer to start the year. Brock Stewart should see high leverage innings. Jay Jackson, Steven Okert, Kody Funderburk, and Jorge Alcala shoudl all see time when the team has a lead. The team is waiting to see how Josh Staumont is with a knee injury. Daniel Duarte will make the team if he cannot pitch.

The Royals At A Glance- The Royals were the most active team in the Central Division this winter. They acquired Michael Wacha, Chris Stratton, Will Smith, Nick Anderson, Garrett Hampson, and Hunter Renfroe. Maybe the biggest signing was extended Bobby Witt Jr. to an eleven-year, $288 million contract. He had a good spring with a .375 average, three homers and seven RBI. The Royals went .500 in spring training. Nick Pratto had a good camp with a .412 average, three homers, and ten knocked in. Michael Massey has been hampered by a back injury as of late and will start the year on the injured list. Michael Wacha should be ready to start the season after injuring his right middle finger on a line drive. Josh Taylor has a left biceps injury, Carlos Hernandez has a sore shoulder, and Jake Brentz is out with a hamstring strain. The bulllpen should be better with the additions of Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and Nick Anderson.

What To Watch For- The Twins went (9-4) against the Royals in 2023. Minnesota swept Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium to start the year then got swept by them in late-July. Pablo Lopez is (3-1) with a 2.70 ERA in four starts against the Royals. Cole Ragans has only faced the Twins once. He threw four shutout innings for the win on August 22, 2022. Joe Ryan is (5-0) with a 1.50 ERA in six career starts against Kansas City. Seth Lugo has a 2.57 ERA in four games against the Twins. Bailey Ober is (0-2) with a 5.23 ERA in seven outings versus the Royals. Brady Singer is (2-6) with a 5.90 ERA in eleven starts against Minnesota. Byron Buxton and Max Kepler each have two career homers off Singer. Baseball is officially back on Thursday. Hopefully the Twins have the same success as they had last year in Kansas City to start the season.

-Chris Kreibich-

[pucks-deep]

2020 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

Playoff hockey is finally upon us, and it’s returning in a big way with an all-new 24 team format. Here are my series predictions:

(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens

This series is one of the more intriguing in the play-in round, despite being one of the most lopsided on paper. The Canadiens simply cannot match the high-end talent of the Penguins roster, which will be boosted by a healthy Jake Guentzel. The Canadiens must slow down the Penguins top players and grind them down over the course of the series, much like the Islanders did when they swept the Penguins last spring. The biggest X-factor of the series is goalie Carey Price, as he has the ability to steal high pressure games. Having Max Domi in the lineup would also greatly benefit the Habs.

Prediction: Penguins in four

(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (11) New York Rangers

This could be one of the more tightly contested match-ups in the play-in round, as neither club holds the distinct edge. Starting with offence, the Rangers have plenty of it, spearheaded by MVP nominee Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. The back end is also very involved, featuring rookie Adam Fox. The Hurricanes take more of a scoring by committee approach, as the offence is well spread through the lines, although this isn’t to discount the threat of their top line of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. When taking a look on defence, this is where the Hurricanes pull ahead of the Rangers. The Hurricanes back end is the deepest in the entire east, even after parting with Justin Faulk. They are a tough group that doesn’t give an inch to opponents. The Rangers, on the other hand, aren’t nearly as defensively sound, but they are effective puck movers that can contribute offensively. Goaltending is an interesting question for the Rangers, as they have the choice of putting longtime goalie Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes, or hand the crease over to newcomer Igor Shesterkin, who posted vastly superior numbers over a short span. In Carolina, Petr Mrazek is the man, and the Canes are hoping Mrazek can shake off his mediocre season and return to his 2019 playoff form, where his play helped the Canes to a Conference Final berth. Overall, the edge has to go to Carolina, as they have the fresh experience of last postseason, while the Rangers are new to the game with a relatively young team.

Prediction: Hurricanes in five

(7) New York Islanders vs. (10) Florida Panthers

The Islanders meet the Panthers in what might be the least regarded series of the playoffs. This may be attributed to the general consensus that the Islanders aren’t a very exciting team to watch. They are a defence-first club that doesn’t score many goals and doesn’t feature any game breakers other than Matthew Barzal and even he has experienced a decline in points due to the style of play under coach Barry Trotz. However, this is a team that is very tough to play against, especially in playoff hockey, capable of shutting down star-studded teams (see 2019 Pittsburgh Penguins). Thus, it will be interesting to see if the Panthers array of offensive weapons can penetrate the Islanders armour, as well as the stellar combo of Thomas Greiss and Semyon Varlamov. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov have yet to prove their playoff mettle, so it will be challenging facing the Islanders shutdown style. The Panthers do hold a secret trick up their sleeve in Sergei Bobrovsky, who will likely dictate the direction this Panthers team goes in this series. As he has shown last year, he can go lights out and when he does, he is the best goaltender in the world. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case for the majority of the past season. Bobrovsky holds the keys to the Panthers fortunes. 

Prediction: Islanders in four

(8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets

Explosive offence meets shut-down defence. This has been the common narrative being written for this series between the Leafs and Jackets. Will the Leafs young guns overwhelm the Jackets, or will the disciplined Columbus defence stymie the Leafs? The Leafs have the better team on paper, possessing elite scoring power. The firepower of their top six is unmatched league-wide. Obviously, their struggles are on the back-end where they are famous for making plenty of mistakes in front of Frederik Andersen, who endured his worst season as a Leaf. He has to return much better than he was, especially if the Leafs defence isn’t any better. The Leafs must fully commit to the game and play cohesive team hockey, matching their skill with will. This is the Blue Jackets bread and butter, as they make up for their offensive shortcomings by rarely making mistakes and capitalising on other teams mistakes, a perfect style to play against the Leafs. The Leafs must adopt some of the grit and determination from the Jackets if they are to survive. Another strength for the Jackets is in the crease, where Joonas Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins have come together to form one of the most unlikely success stories of the year. Columbus can feel confident in these two options, and the upside of Merzlikins is huge, as he can get very hot. With the right attitude and tweaks to their defensive game, the Leafs should overpower the Jackets, but keep in mind what happened last spring with Columbus. 

Prediction: Leafs in five

(5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago Blackhawks

The Oilers enter these playoffs boasting the top two offensive forces in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, automatically making them the heavy favourites in this series against an aging Blackhawks team who clearly did not expect to be in a playoff position. On paper, the Oilers are better and deeper at every position. The Oilers have no problem scoring, further evidenced by the top power play conversion rate in the NHL. Their defence isn’t spectacular but functional, surely better than the Hawks blueline that bleeds chances in front of Corey Crawford, who has been marred by injuries and inconsistency. Crawford must provide excellent goaltending for the Blackhawks to move on, a big ask at this point. At the other end, Mikko Koskinen must merely be average for the Oilers, who do a fine job protecting him from opposing teams. Koskinen does have plenty of KHL playoff experience. The largest X-factor for the Hawks is the playoff experience of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who have done it all to this point. These are clutch performers who can easily change the tide of games, but the help from below is lacking, with a lack of scoring punch. It’s the Oilers series to lose, but don’t be shocked if the Hawks topple them on the strength of their core leaders.

Prediction: Oilers in four

(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes

One of the major storylines heading into this series is goaltending. Jusse Saros finally overthrew Pekka Rinne as top dog in the Nashville crease, lifting the Preds from the Central division basement. The Coyotes are no slouch in the goaltending department, boasting arguably the best tandem in the NHL in Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta. The Coyotes success begins and ends with their goalies. Should Kuemper go down, the Coyotes are comfortable with their luxury 1B backup. Coincidentally, both of these teams struggle to score, with a lack of star power in Nashville, while the Coyotes star names have taken on more defensive responsibility at the cost of offensive production. The Coyotes still have the edge though, thanks to the proven playoff prowess of Phil Kessel, in addition to Hart winner Taylor Hall, who is capable of dominating games. The Preds need Matt Duchene to contribute more like a first-line center if they are to go deep in these playoffs. At this stage however, the Coyotes possess more upside on offence.

Prediction: Coyotes in five

(7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota Wild

This is a match up between two teams in very different places, as the Canucks are nearing the completion of a rebuild, while the Wild have exited their prime playoff years.The Wild hold the edge defensively, especially when considering the two-way buy-in of the forward group. This is a veteran team that can lock down defensively to protect a lead. The offence, on the other hand, enters the play-in round as one of the weakest. Breakout star Kevin Fiala was the only Wild player remotely close to a point-per-game pace. This is where the Canucks will look to flex their muscles, as they boast a deep offence capable of scoring in bunches, led by young star Elias Pettersson. It will be interesting to see if the inexperience of this young core is a factor in the series. Goaltending is also a strength, as goalie Jacob Markstrom is coming off a phenomenal season that earned him consideration for the Vezina. The Wild crease is less certain, as Devan Dubnyk turned in a disappointing year, perhaps opening the door for a less experienced netminder to take the reins for the playoffs. Despite the uncertainty, the Wild net should be well insulated. 

Prediction: Wild in five

(8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg Jets

The Jets and Flames enter this postseason much farther down the standings than last spring, thanks to lackluster seasons. Both teams could benefit from the long pause and turn the tables come playoff time. It wasn’t long ago that the Jets were a perennial cup contender and they still have the same core intact, minus Dustin Byfuglien. Also, Connor Hellebuyck was just nominated for the Vezina and if he continues his play, there is no limit for this team. They have an elite offence with names like Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler and while they aren’t spectacular defensively, they are serviceable. The Flames also have good forward depth, but there is concern regarding Johnny Gaudreau and his ability to perform in the playoffs where physicality is more of a factor. The Flames need their top players to step up. Another cause for concern is in the crease, which featured David Rittich and Cam Talbot. Rittich struggled mightily, while Talbot posted a .919 save percentage in 26 appearances. The Flames won’t have much time to waste figuring out who their man is before they find themselves knocked out. 

Prediction: Jets in four

[foryourart]

Lina Bo Bardi, Bardi House (Casa de vidro), São Paulo, Brazil, 1949-1952, view from the northeast, photograph by Nelson Kon, 2002, Courtesy Nelson Kon. Image courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum. 

Thursday, October 19

LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS IN THE MARCIANO COLLECTION, Marciano Art Foundation (Mid-Wilshire), 11am–5pm. 

CULTURE FIX: HEATHER SHIREY ON THE BAIANA AND AFRO-BRAZILIAN IDENTITY, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 12–1pm.

Paul Brach Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Dorit Cypis, CalArts (Valencia), 12pm.

Psychedelic Cello by Justin Lepard, CalArts (Valencia), 12–1pm.

Chicana Photographers L.A., WEINGART GALLERY (Westchester), 5–8pm.

Albert Frey and Lina Bo Bardi: Environments for Life, Palm Springs Art Museum (Palm Springs), 5pm.

Architects for Animals® Giving Shelter, HermanMiller Showroom (Culver City), 5:30–9:30pm. $50–500.

Artist and scholar walkthroughs: Micol Hebron, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 6pm.

THE CUT | EL CORTE: A Fitness Class & Papel Picado Workshop, Craft and Folk Art Museum (Miracle Mile), 6–8pm. $20.

Alan Gutierrez: INTRO, Artist Curated Projects (Echo Park), 6–8pm.

San Pedro House History Workshop, Angels Gate Cultural Center (San Pedro), 6pm.

Climate Change and the Shaping of Asia, Getty Center (Brentwood), 7pm.

Bayard & Me Documentary Screening followed by a shorts program and Q&A, Vista Theater (Los Feliz), 7pm.

Adriana Varejao: Transbarrocco, Lloyd Wright Sowden House (Los Feliz), 7–9pm. Through October 21. RSVP here.

Dis Miss: Performing Gender, USC (Downtown), 7pm.

Film Night: Seven Cities of Gold, Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach), 7pm.

Rodrigo Valenzuela Lecture, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 7:30pm.

Film: Free Screening | 11/8/16, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 7:30pm.

Film Night: Seven Cities of Gold, Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach), 7:30pm.

Oscar David Alvarez, PØST (Downtown), 8pm.

Modernism week fall preview weekend, various locations (Palm Springs), various times. Through October 22.

Friday, October 20

Symposium – Art from Guatemala 1960 - Present, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara), 10am. $15.

International Orchid Show & Sale, The Huntington (San Marino), 10am–5pm. Through October 22.

School of Music Visiting Artist Series: Pascale Criton with Silvia Tarozzi and Deborah Walker, CalArts (Valencia), 10am–12pm.

STORY TIME AT THE FOWLER, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 11:30am–12:30pm.

Charles Phoenix: Addicted to Americana Live Comedy Slide Show Performance, Palm Springs Art Museum (Palm Springs), 3–5pm. $40.

Christopher Michlig and Jan Tumlir in Conversation, 1301PE (Miracle Mile), 5pm.

Inès Longevial: Sous Le Soleil, HVW8 Gallery (Fairfax), 6–9pm. 

Stepping into the Radiant Future, LAST Projects (Lincoln Heights), 7–11pm.

Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (Beverly Hills), 7:30pm. $45–125. Through October 29. 

Latin Rhythms: Cha Cha Cha Dance Class, Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), 7–9pm.

Mark Edward Rhodes & Jeanete Clough, Beyond Baroque (Venice), 8pm.

Book Launch: PLAYING MONSTER :: SEICHE by Diana Arterian, Human Resources (Chinatown), 8pm.

Princess Diana in Auschwitz, CalArts (Valencia), 8pm. Through October 24.

WHAP! Lecture Series: 'in/ibid./form', West Hollywood Public Library (West Hollywood), 7:30pm.

PST: LA/LA Santa Barbara Weekend, various locations (Santa Barbara), various times. Through October 22. 

Saturday, October 21

UCLA ART HISTORY GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 9am–5pm.

12th annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, USC (Downtown), 9am–5pm.

An Ephemeral History of High Desert Test Sites: 2002-2015, High Desert Test Sites (Joshua Tree), 9am. Continues October 22.

Family Festival, Getty Center (Brentwood), 10am–6pm.

The Beverly Hills Art Show, Beverly Gardens Park (Beverly Hills), 10am–5pm. Also October 22.

Frederick Hammersley: To Paint without Thinking, The Huntington (San Marino), 10am–5pm. 

Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection, The San Diego Museum of Art (San Diego), 10am–5pm.

A Generative Workshop: Gathering Imagery from the Internal Well with Holaday Mason, Beyond Baroque (Venice), 11am–3pm.

Fall Yoga Series, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 10:30am–11:30am. $12–15.

Fall 2017 Brewery Artwalk, the Brewery (Downtown), 11am–6pm. Continues October 22.

Print making with recycled materials, Side Street Projects (Pasadena), 11am–1pm.

Strike a Pose: Improv Comedy in the Portrait Gallery, The Huntington (San Marino), 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30pm.

Festival For All Skid Row Artists, Gladys Park (Downtown), 1–5pm. Continues October 22.

The 3rd Space: Political Action Workshop, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 1–4pm. $5–10.

EXHIBITION TALK & TOUR: Eva J. Friedberg, Daria Halprin & Edward Cella, Edward Cella Art+Architecture (Culver City), 1:30pm.

ARTIST TALK: KAJAHL: Unearthed Entities, Richard Heller Gallery (Santa Monica), 3–5pm.

Alison Blickle: Supermoon, Five Car Garage (Santa Monica), 3–5pm. RSVP to info@emmagrayhq.com. 

The 2017 Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation, REDCAT (Downtown), 3, 5, and 8pm.

Jeffrey Schultz & F. Douglas Brown, Beyond Baroque Foundation (Venice), 4pm.

Jaime Guerrero & Bradley Hankey Artist Talks, Skidmore Contemporary Art (Santa Monica), 4pm.

Film: Mapa Teatro’s Project 24, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 4pm.

Los Angeles Filmforum presents Three screenings with Argentinian filmmaker Claudio Caldini, USC (Downtown), 4pm.

When Ice Burns: New works by Diane Best, Porch Gallery (Ojai), 5–7pm; artist talk, 4pm.

Astrid Preston: Upside Down World and Rose-Lynn Fisher: The Topography of Tears, Craig Krull Gallery (Santa Monica), 5–7pm.

VICTOR ESTRADA (IN CONJUNCTION WITH PACIFIC STANDARD TIME), MARTEL SPACE: RICHARD HAWKINS, MARTEL WINDOW PROJECT: MALISA HUMPHREY, Richard Telles Fine Art (Fairfax), 5–8pm.

ARCHAEOLOGY REINVENTED, R.B. Stevenson Gallery (La Jolla), 5–8pm.

The Xenomorph's Egg, Patrick Painter Gallery (Santa Monica), 6–8pm.

The Unconfirmed Makeshift Museum, Klowden Mann (Culver City), 6–8pm.

Personal Vacation and 3 Solo Shows, Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825 (West Hollywood), 6–9pm.

FRAY: Art and Textile Politics, Craft and Folk Art Museum (Miracle Mile), 6–8pm. $20.

Mike Kelley: Kandors, Hauser & Wirth (Downtown), 6–9pm.

Homeward Bound, Nicodim Gallery (Downtown), 6–8pm.

Kelly McLane: PECKERWOODS and Augusta Wood: PARTING AND RETURNING, DENK Gallery (Downtown), 6–8pm.

In Order of Appearance and Luke Butler: MMXVII, Charlie James Gallery (Chinatown), 6–9pm.

Jennifer Precious Finch (L7) & KRK Dominguez, Red Pipe Gallery (Chinatown), 6–10pm.

Open Studios, Keystone Art Space (Lincoln Heights), 6–10pm.

The Very Best of OMA Artist Alliance 2017, L Street Fine Art (San Diego), 6–8pm.

Dany Naierman: PORT CAPA, Angels Gate Cultural Center (San Pedro), 6pm.

Arco Iris, Giant Robot Store + GR2 Gallery (Sawtelle), 6:30–10pm.

South of the Border, The Loft at Liz’s (Mid-City), 7–10pm.

Killer Bees at MAR-A-LAGO, Tieken Gallery LA (Chinatown), 7–10pm.

Art Moura, The Good Luck Gallery (Chinatown), 7–10pm.

Rafael Cardenas - From The Holocene, Exhale Unlimited (Chinatown), 7–10pm.

Story Tellers: a DIA de los MUERTOS, Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), 7–11pm.

Yare: One More Dance by Cristobal Valecillos, Timothy Yarger Fine Art (Downtown), 7:30–10pm.

Laurel Atwell and Jessica Cook: Debris, Pieter (Lincoln Heights), 8–10pm. $15. 

Sunday, October 22

Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (Downtown), 11am–5pm. 

Healthy Urban Living Team Building, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 11am–1pm.

Origin Stories Workshop with Nicole Rademacher & Jerri Allyn, Self-Help Graphics & Art (Downtown), 12–3pm.

2017 A.G.Geiger Art Book Fair, 502 Chung King Plaza (Chinatown), 1–7pm.

Community Celebration, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara), 1–4pm.

Talk: Conversation & Book Signing: Michael Govan and Walter Isaacson on Leonardo da Vinci, Lacma (Miracle Mile), 2pm.

Nature Deficit Disorder Workshop, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 2–6pm. $60–75.

BORDERS and NEIGHBORS screening and panel discussion, Los Angeles Central Library (Downtown), 2pm.

Lecture: Jens Hoffman, Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara), 2:30–4pm.

PUBLIC WALKING TOURS: Lawrence Halprin: Reconnecting the Heart of Los Angeles, various locations, 2:30pm. Also November 5 and 19 and December 17.

Constellations and Connections: A Panel Discussion on Axis Mundo, West Hollywood Council Chambers (West Hollywood), 3pm.

Neighborhood Walk and Draw, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 4–5:30pm.

Akio Suzuki and Aki Onda, Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (Culver City), 4pm.

For Us By Us, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 6:30–10:30pm. $5 donation.

GALLERY TALK | Peter Frank with Robert Standish, KM Fine Arts (West Hollywood), 5–7pm.

FALL IN LOVE WITH FREY, Palm Springs Art Museum (Palm Springs), 6–9pm. $125–175.

Claudio Caldini, Echo Park Film Center (Echo Park), 7:30pm. $5.

Monday, October 23

Yare: One More Dance by Cristobal Valecillos, Timothy Yarger Fine Art (Beverly Hills), 10am–6pm. 

Kellie Jones, Art + Practice (Leimert Park), 7pm.

Fantasmas Cromáticos: 8mm Visions of Claudio Caldini, REDCAT (Downtown), 8:30pm. $6–12.

Tuesday, October 24

The Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, 101/EXHIBIT (West Hollywood), 10am–6pm.

Movement and Landscape: Celebrating the Halprin Legacy, Central Library (Downtown), 12pm.

PUBLIC DANCE PERFORMANCE: Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, Central Library (Downtown), 12pm.

Film: The Invisible Man, LACMA (Miracle Mile), 1pm.

The Music of Latin America in Los Angeles, The Artform Studio (Highland Park), 6:30–9pm.

FLAVORS OF MEXICO, Skirball Cultural Center (Brentwood), 7:30–9pm. Also November 14 and December 12.

No Mas Bebes, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 7:30pm.

El Automóvil Gris, Skirball Cultural Center (Brentwood), 8pm.

Sounding Limits: The Music of Pascale Criton, REDCAT (Downtown), 8:30pm. $12–20.

Wednesday, October 25

FOWLER OUT LOUD: SAMANTHA BLAKE GOODMAN, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 6–7pm.

LAND's 2017 Gala, Carondelet House (MacArthur Park), 6–11pm. 

Screening and Conversation with Filmmakers Ben Caldwell, Barbara McCullough, and Curator Erin Christovale, Fowler Museum (Westwood), 7–9pm.

We Wanted a Revolution, Black Radical Women 1965–85 curatorial walkthrough, Lezley Saar: Salon des Refusés, California African American Museum (Downtown), 7–9pm.

Making Athens Great (Again?): Modern Lessons from the Age of Pericles, Getty Villa (Pacific Palisades), 7:30pm.

Kellie Jones: South of Pico, Hammer Museum (Westwood), 7:30pm.

Soundbath With Chakra Crystal Singing Bowls Series, Women’s Center for Creative Work (Frogtown), 7:30–8:30pm. $16–20.

Performance: Live/Work, Honor Fraser Gallery (Culver City).

[kansascityhappenings]

A team-by-team breakdown of the AL Central clubs at the start of spring training

A team-by-team look at the American League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:

Hunter Dozier #17 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with Jorge Soler #12 after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 11, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Kansas City Royals

Manager: Mike Matheny (first season).

2019: 59-103, fourth place.

Training Town: Surprise, Arizona.

Park: Surprise Stadium.

First Workout: Feb. 12/17.

He’s Here: Manager Mike Matheny, RHP Trevor Rosenthal, RHP Braden Shipley, RHP Greg Holland, 3B Maikel Franco.

He’s Outta Here: Manager Ned Yost, INF Cheslor Cuthbert, RHP Trevor Oaks, RF Jorge Bonifacio.

Going campin’: The biggest moves for the Royals this season came away from the field.

Longtime owner David Glass, who died last month after a long illness, sold the franchise to a group led by Kansas City businessman John Sherman in a deal worth about $1 billion.

News of the sale became public about the time Yost announced his retirement and the Royals hired Matheny, who had been serving in an advisory role with the organization. It will be up to Matheny to continue a massive rebuilding effort that began shortly after the club’s 2015 championship season.

Young players such as SS Adalberto Mondesi, 2B Nicky Lopez, RF Hunter Dozier and OF Bubba Starling have already arrived and gained valuable experience last season, and a wave of pitching prospects could arrive late this year.

Success in 2020 will be measured less by wins than by the progress those players make as they position themselves to contend in 2021 and beyond.

Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins turns a double play against the New York Yankees to end the seventh inning in game three of the American League Division Series at Target Field on October 07, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Minnesota Twins

Manager: Rocco Baldelli (second season).

2019: 101-61, first place, lost to Yankees in Division Series.

Training Town: Fort Myers, Florida.

Park: Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Sports Complex.

First Workout: Feb. 12/17.

He’s Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, RHP Kenta Maeda, RHP Homer Bailey, RHP Tyler Clippard, C Alex Avila, LHP Rich Hill, RHP Matt Wisler, RHP Jhoulys Chacin, LHP Blaine Hardy.

He’s Outta Here: RHP Brusdar Graterol, RHP Kyle Gibson, 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Jonathan Schoop, C Jason Castro, LHP Martín Pérez, RHP Ryne Harper, RHP Trevor Hildenberger, RHP Sam Dyson.

Going campin’: The high-priced addition of the big-swinging, slick-fielding Donaldson boosted an already deep lineup that produced a major league record 307 home runs last season.

Then came the agreement this week on the pending blockbuster trade with the Red Sox and Dodgers to land Maeda for the middle of the rotation, with Graterol, a 21-year-old flame-thrower, going out in a signal the front office is all in on 2020 on the heels of a breakthrough season.

Maeda or not, spring training will be an important time for starting pitching prospects Randy Dobnak, Devin Smeltzer and Lewis Thorpe, all of whom made their major league debuts last year.

With Michael Pineda serving the remainder of his suspension for taking a banned diuretic until mid-May and Hill recovering from elbow surgery until probably mid-summer, innings will need to be logged by some of the youngsters. Chacin, in camp on a minor league contract, is another candidate.

The position players are all but set, with Miguel Sanó needing to get in a groove with the glove at first base after Donaldson’s arrival pushed him off the opposite corner.

The spotlight will also be on center fielder Byron Buxton and his latest attempt to get healthy following shoulder surgery last September.

There will also be new coaches on Baldelli’s staff for players to get accustomed to, with Mike Bell the new bench coach and Edgar Varela the new hitting coach. Bell replaced Derek Shelton, who became manager of the Pirates. Varela replaced James Rowson, who became the bench coach for the Marlins.

Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians runs out a double during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 19, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Cleveland Indians

Manager: Terry Francona (seventh season).

2019: 93-69, second place in AL Central.

Training Town: Goodyear, Arizona.

Park: Goodyear Ballpark.

First Workout: Feb. 13/17.

He’s Here: 2B Cesar Hernandez, OF Delino DeShields, RHP Emmanuel Clase, C Sandy Leon.

He’s Outta Here: RHP Corey Kluber, 2B Jason Kipnis, OF Yasiel Puig, RHP Tyler Clippard, INF Mike Freeman, OF Leonys Martin, LHP Tyler Olson, RHP Dan Otero, C Kevin Plawecki, RHP Danny Salazar, RHP Nick Goody.

Going campin’: The Indians missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 last season as Minnesota dethroned Cleveland as division champion.

The team’s decision to trade Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, in December to Texas has signaled a major shift for the organization, which will count on young starters like All-Star Game MVP Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger to fill a huge void at the front of the rotation.

Third baseman Jose Ramirez’s prolonged slump hurt the offense for much of last season, and just when he found his groove, a wrist injury sabotaged his season along with the Indians’ chances of catching the Twins.

Hernandez takes over at second, where Kipnis was a mainstay for nine seasons. The outfield remains unsettled, with Oscar Mercado, who batted .269 in 115 games as a rookie, the only one guaranteed a starting spot. Slugger Franmil Reyes is an option in right, but he’s not exactly a Gold Glover.

All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor’s future hangs over the team, and his situation will only become more of a distraction as he moves closer to possible free agency after 2021.

Cleveland’s first-half success could determine whether the team rides out the year with him or deals Lindor at the deadline.

Yoan Moncada #10 of the Chicago White Sox, James McCann #33, and Jose Abreu #79 celebrate at the end of their team’s 8-0 win over the Cleveland Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Chicago White Sox

Manager: Rick Renteria (fourth season).

2019: 72-89, third place.

Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.

Park: Camelback Ranch.

First Workout: Feb. 12/17.

He’s Here: C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Dallas Keuchel, LHP Gio González, 1B-DH Edwin Encarnación, RF Nomar Mazara, RHP Steve Cishek, LF Cheslor Cuthbert.

He’s Outta Here: INF Yolmer Sánchez, C Welington Castillo, RHP Iván Nova.

Going campin’: The White Sox are coming off seven consecutive losing seasons. They haven’t made the playoffs since they lost to Tampa Bay in the 2008 AL Division Series.

But there is reason for optimism heading into spring training.

Free-agent deals for Grandal, Keuchel, González, Encarnación and Cishek strengthened the lineup, rotation and bullpen. Tim Anderson, Yoán Moncada, Eloy Jiménez and José Abreu anchor a deep batting order, and slugging center fielder Luis Robert is one of the favorites for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

If Chicago can sort out the back end of its rotation — Reynaldo López is coming off an inconsistent season, and touted prospects Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease have their own question marks — it could contend for the AL Central title.

Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after hitting a home run with teammate Miguel Cabrera #24 during the first inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park on August 11, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Detroit Tigers

Manager: Ron Gardenhire (third season).

2019: 47-114, fifth place.

Training Town: Lakeland, Florida.

Park: Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.

First Workout: Feb. 12/17.

He’s Here: 2B Jonathan Schoop, RHP Ivan Nova, 1B C.J. Cron, C Austin Romine, C Eric Haase, RHP Zack Godley.

He’s Outta Here: SS Ronny Rodriguez, RHP Drew VerHagen, LHP Blaine Hardy, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Tyson Ross, SS Gordon Beckham, LHP Matt Moore, C John Hicks, LHP Daniel Stumpf, RHP Victor Alcantara, RHP Zac Reininger, LHP Matt Hall.

Going campin’: The Tigers hope the worst is behind them in their rebuild.

Casey Mize — the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft — headlines a highly regarded group of pitching prospects. Although the expectation is that Mize and fellow right-hander Matt Manning will start the season at Triple-A, they’ll both be at spring training as non-roster invitees along with left-hander Tarik Skubal.

So fans in Lakeland will get a preview of what they hope will be some significant rotation help down the road.

Detroit’s leader in home runs last year was Brandon Dixon, who hit only 15 and is now a non-roster invitee. In an effort to boost their anemic offense, the Tigers added Schoop and Cron, who could become mainstays on the right side of the infield.

Shortstop seems like the most likely spot for utility-man Niko Goodrum, while Jeimer Candelario and Dawel Lugo are in the mix at third base. Catching prospect Jake Rogers hit just .125 in 112 at-bats in his big league debut last year. Romine gives Detroit more experience behind the plate.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2020/02/07/a-team-by-team-breakdown-of-the-al-central-clubs-at-the-start-of-spring-training/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/a-team-by-team-breakdown-of-the-al-central-clubs-at-the-start-of-spring-training/

[twins2994]

Minnesota Twins-Milwaukee Brewers Series Preview

4.1.21-Kenta Maeda RHP (6-1) 2.70 ERA Vs. Brandon Woodruff RHP (3-5) 3.05 ERA

4.3.21-Jose Berrios RHP (5-4) 4.00 ERA Vs. Corbin Burnes RHP (4-1) 2.11 ERA

4.4.21- Michael Pineda RHP (2-0) 3.38 ERA Vs. Adrian Houser RHP (1-6) 5.30 ERA

The Twins At A Glance- The Minnesota Twins start their campaign for their third straight American League Championship on Thursday. The Twins added some good players in Andrelton Simmons, Kyle Garlick, JA Happ, Matt Shoemaker, Hansel Robles, and Alex Colome over the offseason. The Twins went (11-15-2) in March and the offense wasn’t that strong. Kyle Garlick impressed a ton this spring with a .293 average, five homers, and thirteen RBI’s. He will likely start against lefties in a platoon situation with Jake Cave. Willians Astudillo had a great spring with a .375 average, four homers, and ten RBI’s. The lineup should produce a ton of power and runs this year. Kenta Maeda had a great spring with a 0.49 ERA in 18 1/3 innings pitched. He was the Cy Young Award runner-up and will get the nod on Opening Day for Rocco Baldelli. Jose Berrios had eighteen strikeouts in eighteen spring innings and will get the start in the second game. It will be interesting to see how the Twins use the bullpen. Alex Colome will be the closer, but I don’t think Rocco Baldelli officially made that announcement. Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, and Hansel Robles will be late inning relievers as well. Jorge Alcala, Cody Stashak, and Caleb Thielbar will be used in the earlier innings of games, while Randy Dobnak is the long man to start the year. 

The Brewers At A Glance- The Brewers barely snuck in as the eight seed last year in the National League postseason. The Giants lost the last two games and they were able to get into the dance. The Dodgers swept them in a pair of games and the Brewers are back in a fairly wide open National League Central race. Everyone appears to be chasing the Cardinals for the top spot. The Brewers were not a very good hitting team last year and tried to shore that up with the additions of Kolten Wong and Jackie Bradley Jr. Keston Hiura will move to first base and split time with Dan Vogelbach. Kolten Wong will take over second base full time. The outfield is loaded for the Brew Crew. They will have Christian Yelich in left, Lorenzo Cain in center, and Jackie Bradley Jr. in right. Avisail Garcia is the fourth outfielder on the team and he’d be starting on a bunch of teams right now. The team has moved on from Ryan Braun and he is leaning towards retirement. Brandon Woodruff gets the nod on Opening Day, which is his second straight start to open the year. The Milwaukee bullpen has some arms in Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Eric Yardley. 

What To Watch For- The Twins went (4-2) against the Brewers last year. They took two out of three games in Milwaukee and in Minneapolis. Kenta Maeda is (3-2) with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts against the Brewers. Christian Yelich is 5-for-13 all-time against Maeda. Brandon Woodruff is (0-2) with a 3.38 ERA in two starts against the Twins. Jose Berrios had a 2.08 ERA in two career starts versus Milwaukee. Corbin Burnes has allowed just one run over six innings all-time against Minnesota. Michael Pineda has one career start against the Brewers. He went six innings and allowed three runs. Lorenzo Cain is 1-for-20 all-time against Pineda. Adrian Houser has given up four runs in six career inning versus the Twins. Both teams should be able to hit, but the Twins have better pitching. The off day hurts the Twins because the Brewers can bring back Josh Hader or Devin Williams for two games in this series. The Milwaukee bullpen isn’t as deep and the day off will help. Anyway, it will be good to have meaningful baseball again. I’ll be at Miller Park for the whole series and cannot wait! Let’s play ball. 

-Chris Kreibich-

[skerbango-blog]

THE NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW YOU DIDN’T WANT OR ASK FOR AND SEEMS TO GO ON FOREVER, NOT UNLIKE THE PLAYOFFS THEMSELVES, HEEYOOOOHHH!

-taken from YouTube, using that stupid bracket idea to rope non-hockey watchers…do they think this will actually work?  “Hey Ma, I like that bracket idea for the basketball, let’s do it for this rubber disc ice-wrestling game!”

THE NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW YOU DIDN’T WANT OR ASK FOR AND SEEMS TO GO ON FOREVER, NOT UNLIKE THE PLAYOFFS THEMSELVES, HEEYOOOOHHH!

By TTT

So, let’s take a look at the teams out West, where the Spring weather makes everyone naturally think about dancing around on frozen water.  As was done yesterday, home teams are in bold (-editor, no they weren’t, the blog didn’t save your work like that, and they don’t get paid enough to fix such small errors.)

WESTERN CONFERENCE -

Colorado Avalanche (Wildcard 2) verses Calgary Flames (Pacific 1):

It’s pretty amazing that the Flames are the best team in the West.  Just a couple of years ago, there were no Canadian-based teams in the playoffs at all, I’m sure you could all hear the hand-wringing up here when that happened!  Colorado, on the other hand, had to work quite hard to get that last spot in the bracket (I can play, too!) but won’t have the goaltending or the defensive chops to hang with Calgary’s talented offense (they literally have a guy on the team named Johnny Hockey!).  As much as it pains me to do so, as local hero and Tim Horton’s Spokesperson Nathan MacKinnon is an Avalanche (sounds weird to say that), the Flames will prevail in 5.

-his last name really isn’t hockey…do you know what it is?

-sadly, Nathan will be back to his summer job shortly…

Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 3) verses San Jose Sharks (Pacific 2):

Both of these teams had successful campaigns this year, but if the NHL wants to be taken seriously as a league, they need the team from Las Vegas to win (Rocket Richard just rolled over in his grave, probably to punch Gordie Howe in his grave).  Oh, and am I the only one that finds it weird that they are the Vegas Golden Knights and not the Las Vegas Golden Knights? Why lose the Las? I don’t get it. Anyway, I digress…the Sharks have a great offense, led by Brett Burns, Logan Couture and Thomas “Can I Buy a Vowel” Hertl.  The X factor for the series, however, is the excellent goaltending of Marc-André Fleury. Well that, and the thought of Vegas doing their over-the-top pre-game schtick that will have Don Cherry rolling over in his fancy grave whenever he decides to pass away…not for awhile. I was going to post a video of one of these ceremonies, but you really need to see it for yourself.  So instead, here is a cool highlight video of Fleury (oh, and I think Vegas wins in 6):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5OKbmMqfhw

Dallas Stars (Wildcard 1) verses Nashville Predators (Central 1):

When doing the copious amounts of research for this blog (requiring not 1 but 2 tabs open to Google stuff!!), I actually said this following thing out loud to myself in my office:

“Dallas is in the playoffs?  I thought they sucked!”

Now, they won’t be putting that on their playoff shirts to be sure, but there are some good players for the Stars, like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.  Their best dude is this Russian crazy man, Alexander Radulov, who looks like what a person who doesn’t watch hockey pictures a hockey player to look like (-editor, I just rewrote this sentence 5 different ways, I hope the reader gets it):

Ultimately, the Preds have too much talent on their side.  Nashville has made itself into quite the hockey town, their crowds are intense and knowledgeable.  I do wish they got rid of the worst helmets in the league:

-Yuck (me).

Take the Mustard Hats in 6.

St. Louis Blues (Central 3) verses Winnipeg Jets (Central 2):

This has the makings of being the best first round series in the West.  St. Louis had one of the worst records in hockey at Christmastime, then went on an unbelievable run to finish the season into the playoffs (their player to watch is also an excellent Russian named Vladimir [of course] Tarasenko).  The Jets were one of the best teams in hockey all season, but injuries and key losses down the stretch moved them to this position. In my humble view, they are darkhorse favourites to win the Cup, so I am taking Winnipeg in 6.  Their player to watch is not a Russian (I swear it’s like Putin is messing with this post as well as other things!) but their beast of a defensemen, Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced BUFF-lin…I kid you not).  He is a 6’ 4”, 265 lb monster who will destroy you.  I’m not kidding, here is one of my all-time favourite hockey clips, dude takes 2 players at once!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI5aOQVVgfk

So there it is…your playoff hockey preview!  I will be back for Round 2 predictions….no, no I won’t, I have already subjected you all to enough hockey.  Once the NBA playoffs begin you will have forgotten all about this. But if you are channel surfing on a night where nothing good is on, give one of these playoff games a chance, you may surprise yourself and end up liking it.  Or not, it’s a free country.