#Success Stories Awards Second Edition online

[sarthak2405]

How Rocksteady Studios Ruined the Batman Arkham Series with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Introduced on May 30 1939 Batman has been surrounded by many fans from all over the world (Including me). Thus it’s of no surprise that there have been multiple games ( 51 to be exact) on him but none have been as popular as the Batman Arkham series created by Rocksteady. In 2009 they created they're first Batman game called “Batman: Arkham Asylum”. The game Featured Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman and Mark Hamil as the voice of Joker many may recognise them as the voices of Batman and Joker in the Batman animated series as well as some Justice League movies and shows. This game redefined the combat system of many video games of that time and has been an inspiration to many others , the most popular being Insomniac's “Amazing Spider-Man” series which features similar gameplay mechanics. No wonder this game won Game Of The Year.

The popularity of the first Batman game gave the studio enough confidence to create their second game roughly 2 years later in 2011 called “Batman: Arkham City” This time the game took a different approach. Instead of the linear playthrough of the first game the studio decided to make this game open-world. This change was one of the best changes the studio made as this game has been known to many as “one of the greatest Batman games ever”. Spoiler alert to anyone who hasn’t played the game The Joker dies in this game.

Warner Brothers which is the parent company of DC Entertainment wanting to capitalize on the success of the Batman Arkham series created another game called “Batman: Arkham Origins” This game was meant to act as the beginning point of the Arkham series as this series shows a young batman Just beginning his vigilante career of being the guardian of Gotham city. This time it featured Troy Baker as the voice of Joker and Roger Craig Smith as the voice of young Batman. This game featured one of the best boss fights in the series i.e. against Deathstroke

To close the Batman Arkham universe Rocksteady decided to create their last and final game ( or so we thought) with “Batman: Arkham Knight” in 2015 this game featured a new combat system i.e. we used the bat mobile. This game was the studio version of the Red Hood story by DC Comics. It again featured Kevin Conroy as the voice of the Batman and Troy Baker as the voice of the Red Hood. In my opinion this was another underrated game if it wasn’t for the technical difficulties the game faced.

Roughly 5 years later Rocksteady Studios announced another Batman Arkham game called Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League. The game was meant to be released in the year 2022 but got delayed twice due to complaints by fans, The game finally came out in February of this year and in mine and a lot of people’s opinion ruined the series. This was for two reasons i.e. the Voice actor of Batman Kevin Conroy passed away from Intestinal cancer at the age of 66 therefore this was the last performance of the actor and the way the studio went about handling the death of Batman. The other reason was that the studio decided to make this game a live service. Simply, a player could spend real money to buy cosmetics and overpowered weapons from the game store

The studio could only save themselves by erasing this story, saying that Batman isn't dead, or saying that this game is not part of the Arkham verse. This game does have two popular theories namely the heroes we see dying are clones created either by the Justice League themselves or by Brainiac. and the second is that the game will slowly bring back the dead heroes because of hidden voice recordings found in the game's files. Whatever they do I hope they make Rocksteady make the right choice.

[stcpidcupid]

undefined

⸻    THE  DISCOGRAPHY  OF  :  STUPID  CUPID  2/2  ❞

STUPID  CUPID’s  last  comeback  of  2020  was  with  a  mini  album,  ONLY  CUPID.  the  group  promoted  the  title  track,  SAY  YOU  LOVE  ME,  for  five  weeks,  winning  three  awards  for  this  sweet  and  heart-fluttering  song.  while  SAY  YOU  LOVE  ME  wasn’t  a  hit  with  international  fans,  the  domestic  fans  ate  it  up,  streaming  it  on  all  platforms  until  it  reached  the  top  10  for  the  whole  month  of  promotions.

LOVE  SO  YOUNG  was  the  title  track  of  CLOUD  9,  STUPID  CUPID’s  sixth  mini  album,  released  at  the  beginning  of  2021.  the  song  delivers  a  story  of  unrequited  love,  showing  TOMIE’s  lore  in  the  group,  and  despite  being  very  popular  with  cherubs,  the  song  won  only  one  award  during  its  five-week  promotion.  it  was  trending  on  tiktok  for  a  while,  mostly  on  videos  featuring  aesthetic  diy  products  or  in  k-drama  edits  about  unrequited  love  or  having  a  second  lead  syndrome. CLOUD  9  was  announced  as  the  last  comeback  of  the  HONEYMOON  ENDS  era.

the  first  english  single,  STOLEN  HEART,  was  released  digitally  a  couple  of  months  after  their  sixth  mini  but  was  only  promoted  on  their  tiktok  and  youtube  accounts. international  fans  and  billboard  music  charts  loved  it  because  the  song  debuted  on  billboard’s  hot  100  in  the  first  two  weeks  since  it  was  released.

STUPID  CUPID’s  new  era,  HEARTBREAK  AVENUE,  started  with  BORN  TO  BE  ALONE  from  the  album  MISS  THIS  KISS.  it  was  released  in  mid-2021  with  six  tracks  and  was  promoted  for  seven  weeks.  BTBA  was  an  instant  hit,  winning  eleven  consecutive  music  show  wins  and  selling  almost  two  million  copies,  making  it  one  of  their  most  successful  albums.

CUPID  PARTY  was  the  third  full  album  released  on  february  fourteenth,  the  group’s  fifth  anniversary,  making  it  much  more  special.  THE  NARCISSIST  (I  LOVE  IT)  put  STUPID  CUPID  in  first  place  for  most  of  their  seven-week  promotion  era,  winning  fifteen  awards  and  breaking  the  records  they  previously  held  with  HEART  B-B-BEAT.  the  music  video  received  more  than  twenty  million  views  in  the  first  twenty-four  hours  and  trended  on  all  social  media  platforms  for  longer  than  it  was  promoted.

the  latest  comeback  of  2022  was  with  X’s  &  O’s,  the  eighth  mini  album.  BLOW  A  KISS  surprised  the  fans  due  to  its  different  sounds  and  fresh  perspective.  fans  liked  to  call  it  “attitude-first,  melody-later”  and  trended  the  song  on  tiktok.  unlike  international  cherubs,  the  domestic  ones  complained  online  about  how  BLOW  A  KISS  ruined  their  views  of  the  group  releasing  innocent  and  soft-spoken  songs.

STUPID  CUPID’s  second  english  single,  B.O.Y,  was  released  digitally  in  october.  however,  instead  of  trending  like  their  previous  one,  fans  deemed  it  repetitive  and  boring,  often  comparing  it  to  old  pop  songs  released  in  the  2010s.  the  music  video  received  only  five  million  views,  which  fans  liked  to  call  pity  views.  often,  cherubs  would  pretend  they  had  never  heard  that  song  and  that  the  company  purposely  released  it  just  to  please  the  american  charts.  due  to  this  release,  many  cherubs  returned  to  stream  STOLEN  HEART,  which  managed  to  chart  high  again,  completely  overthrowing  B.O.Y. 

[ghanashowbizonline]

News - Kudus, Inaki Williams, Nora Hauptle lead nominations for 2024 Ghana Football Awards

Hub Ghana – bringing you all trending daily news as it happens. Get daily comprehensive summary of the recent news, sports news & top stories that have rocked the online scene. Check out the news below. Mohammed Kudus is in contention to win a second successive Footballer of the Year Award as he leads the nominees for the 2024 Ghana Football Awards. This year’s edition of the Ghana Football…

[businessviewmagazinesworld]

Top Business Magazines in India : Be Updated With Best Business Magazine

We know that most people spend time on their phone and like to read articles on it, but still many like to read magazines. Like news, magazines are divided into different categories. There are many magazines on the market, but how do we know which ones are good to read? Well, this article explores the list of best business magazines in India.

India is not only known as a developing country, but also as a fast growing economy thanks to booming businesses, government strategies and start-up funds. India's GDP is boosted by many factors. Now is the time to know about the best or most popular magazine/magazines in India.

Here we share the list and detailed information BEST BUSINESS MAGAZINES IN INDIA 2023:

Forbes India

Most of the magazines mentioned above are quite popular among readers, but when it comes to reading, Forbes always comes out on top. It contains information about capitalist tycoons and details about startups established in the Indian business market.

Business Today

This magazine is also listed among the "Best Business Magazines In India". on the list. People can easily find information on various topics such as society, economy and business.

Business India

This magazine mainly deals with business related news. This publication was launched by Rajkumar Advani, Ashok Hotchand Advani and Hirro Advani in 1978. The Advani brothers may be the pioneers of India's best business magazine. Initially, the magazine was published in English, but over time it was published in other regional languages of India.

Fortune India

This is Fortune's second Indian business magazine. This publication is generally known for sharing the "Fortune 500" list. This magazine is useful for people who show their interest in business or startup and easily find new strategies and knowledge to help them start their startup.

Outlook Business

A household name in the world of business magazines. This publication provides useful information about the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This publication won an international award proving why it was ranked among the top 10 business magazines in India.

Inc. India

A prominent business and business related magazine run by 9.9 Media has made it to the list of top and most popular magazines related to business world in India. This publication started in 2009 and is also available in electronic form.

Economic Times Magazine

This magazine is part of India's English language daily newspaper that focuses on new startup insights. In addition, several businessmen and leading entrepreneurs share their business through this magazine.

Entrepreneur India

This is the second edition of American Business magazine. This issue features new stories about trending businesses and entrepreneurship. The success of American Business magazine inspired the publication to publish 10 issues each year in several countries, including Russia, the Philippines, Mexico, South Africa and Hungary.

Business world

This magazine needs no introduction as it is one of the best and most trusted magazines in the business world. This publication contains useful and detailed investment information for those who are not experts or do not know trading techniques.

Business View Magazine

Like other business magazines, this publication is also known for its extensive sharing of knowledge on various topics that help in understanding tactics and promoting other companies through marketing.

Read the detailed article here: https://businessviewmagazine.in/blog/best-online-business-magazines-in-india/

[celebritydecks]

Adria Petty Wiki, Biography, Career, Net Worth, Height and Husband

In the world of film and artistic direction, there are individuals who create magic through the lens, weaving stories that resonate with audiences worldwide. An example of the successful storytelling is Adria Petty, an American filmmaker, editor, art director and artist. This blog article will take you on journey through Adria Petty’s life and career, examining her successes, personal life, and much more.

Adria Petty Wiki / Biography

Adria Petty was born on November 28, 1974, in Los Angeles, California. Her family played a role in her early introduction to the arts and music. She is the child of renowned rock musician Tom Petty and Jane Benyo, his first wife. Growing up in such a creative environment, Adria developed a deep passion for the arts from an early age.

Her educational journey led her to the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where she pursued a graduate program. This academic foundation would become the launching pad for her career in the film industry.

Her education went beyond the classroom as she obtained real-world experience working as a director’s assistant for well-known filmmakers like Penny Marshall, Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme and Jonathan Stack.

She has a wide range of skills in directing, art direction, and editing, and she contributes a distinctive artistic viewpoint to every project she works on. She is a storyteller who use a variety of media to present storylines, demonstrating her capacity to cross artistic borders.

The Artistic Journey

Her artistic partnerships, which have spanned a variety of genres and mediums, have been among the defining features of Adria Petty’s career. One such collaboration involved the artists Anna Gabriel and Howie Statland, whose group project (Low Flame) gave life to a site-specific installation at New York’s renowned PS1, a section of the Museum of Modern Art. The installation described the lonely existence of a garbage man who made friends out of debris.

Direct Music Videos

Adria Petty’s name is synonymous with visually stunning and thought-provoking music videos. Her tremendous work features partnerships with a number of famous artists like Beyoncé, Regina Spektor, Coldplay and Rihanna, Kings of Leon and many more.

She has worked on several notable projects like music videos for Beyoncé’s “Countdown,” Coldplay and Rihanna’s “Princess of China” and Regina Spektor’s “All the Rowboats,” which led to her being nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards in 2012.

Direct TV Commercial

She has broadened her creative skills by stepping out into the field of commercials in addition to music videos. Her advertising campaigns for companies including McDonald’s, Hershey, Target, Clorox, Volkswagen, Converse and Mary Kay as well as her work for charities like CASA and AWE, have demonstrated her talent for combining marketing and storytelling.

Direct Documentaries

She is a skilled storyteller who also excels in the field of documentaries.In 2008, “Paris, Not France,” a movie that had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, marked her acting debut. “Regina Spektor: Live in London,” her second documentary, had a constrained theatrical run in the US in 2010.

In next years 2011, Petty released the short movie NU-6 which was inspired by a hearing test and was shot in a single day.

Personal Life and Family

The happiness of parenting has left its impact on Adria Petty’s personal life. Everly, her daughter who was born on August 21, 2013 with Charley Drayton, makes her a proud mommy. Adria’s decision to honor the legendary musical pair The Everly Brothers with her daughter’s name is a tribute to how much she values music.

Height and Net Worth

She is a tall woman, standing at 5 feet 8 inches (176 cm). She has gained fame and financial success thanks to her contributions to the film, music video and advertising sectors. According to online sources, her estimated net worth is between $1 million and $5 million which is proof to her successful professional and artistic career.

[ear-worthy]

Pod-Alization: BBC Heist Podcast; Future Of Podcasting; A Host By Any Other Name...

BBC’s The Lazarus Heist podcast returns for season two

Yes, Americans, the British do have quite a few ear worthy podcasts. In fact, the BBC World Service has just announced the launch of season two of the internationally-acclaimed true-crime podcast, The Lazarus Heist. The new trailer is now live on BBC Sounds and other podcast platforms. The true-crime podcast tells the story of the theft of billions of dollars around the globe. Investigators claim a secretive ring of elite North Korean hackers is responsible. Nicknamed the Lazarus Group, season two reveals that they are now accused of more bank heists, teaming up with sophisticated dark web criminals. North Korea says it has nothing to do with these cybercrimes, saying the United States is making these allegations to try and tarnish its image. Season two begins at an ATM, possibly near you. Imagine a massive heist on cashpoints, taking place in 28 countries, on the same day, all at the same time. Millions of dollars-worth of bank notes are withdrawn, by criminal minions doing the dirty work of highly skilled hackers. In just over two hours, nearly $15m is stolen - all from the accounts of Cosmos Bank in India. Since season one, the hackers’ tactics have been evolving faster than investigators can keep up. While North Korea is often characterized as a closed, secretive country, The Lazarus Heist Season two will investigate claims that the Lazarus Group has connected with partners in crime around the world. These hackers are not slowing down - they're only getting more ambitious, more audacious, and more successful. Investigators say they've pivoted from robbing banks, to stealing from cryptocurrency businesses - and now they're raking in billions of dollars. The new season is presented by returning hosts - journalist Jean Lee, who opened the first and only U.S. news bureau in North Korea, and Geoff White, an investigative journalist covering tech and organized crime. The second season follows the success of the first, which was nominated for a Peabody award. The first season told the stories of the Lazarus Group's alleged hacks on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Bank of Bangladesh - in which the hackers attempted to steal a billion dollars through fraudulent online bank transfers - and the WannaCry ransomware attack, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world. The Lazarus Heist Season two premieres on March 27 on BBC Sounds and most other podcast platforms. There are nine episodes. It will also be broadcast as a radio series later this year on the BBC World Service. Listen to the Season 2 trailer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f82fmk

On Air Fest 2023: Three Takeaways On The Future of Podcasting

This year's On Air Fest affirmed its role as the most influential event shaping both the culture of audio and the future of podcasting. 

During the festival:

On Being host Krista Tippett and US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy explored the country's loneliness epidemic.

CNN anchor Audie Cornish accepted the Audio Vanguard Award alongside a career-spanning interview with Kara Swisher.

The host and producers of Slow Burn: Roe v Wade dissected the process of creating Apple Podcasts' Show of The Year.

Audible and Higher Ground debuted an early look at Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast.

Following the week spent taking over Brooklyn's Wythe Hotel by On Air Fest's team of producers and curators, here are three takeaways and trends that emerged, further redefining the creative possibilities of sound: 1. Podcasting is transcending: Throughout this year's On Air Fest, the inaugural edition of On Air: The Podcast Experience delivered the first-ever immersive installation devoted entirely to podcasts. Taking over an entire floor of hotel suites, it gave listeners the opportunity to physically step into newly imagined, tactile worlds of shows including On Being, Radiolab, The Heart, Object of Sound and My Favorite Murder. Behind each door there was "a story waiting to be told," as Time Out New York recapped. 2. Fans want their favorite shows to be more than a solitary listening experience: On the debut of On Air: The Podcast Experience, Associated Press added that "listening to a podcast is something one tends to do alone, but a new set of displays has transformed the podcast into a groundbreaking immersive experience." 

Throughout the weekend, both the Main Stage and Podcast Penthouse were packed to capacity for live recordings of La Brega, Mobituaries, NPR's Life Kit, People's Party with Talib Kweli, Sheroes, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, That's How I Remember It with Craig Finn, Vox's Unexplainable and more, highlighting a sense of community and belonging that proves podcasting's place in the broader hierarchy of art, culture, entertainment and commerce. 3. Creators are taking control as the medium shows new power to reinvent itself: In an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at smash hit Normal Gossip, host Kelsey McKinney and producer Alex Sujong Laughlin also took the opportunity to break down their decision to bring the series to Radiotopia and PRX, explaining the importance of retaining both creative and intellectual ownership, and their control of the show. The increased importance of IP and independence that have been mirrored in other media sectors are now becoming more apparent in podcasting, especially as On Air Fest demonstrated how creators can turn existing content into multisensory installations and adapt their audio into new formats. Anchor, the podcast hosting platform, has combined with Spotify for Podcasters Just because the name has changed of a product or service does not mean it's better. After all, a used car is still a used car, even if you call it "pre-owned. 

But in this case of podcast hosting, perhaps the name change includes more than a reconstituted title and includes new features for podcasters.

Let's take a look.

Anchor, the world's largest podcast hosting platform, has combined with Spotify for Podcasters to create an all-new, first-of-its-kind platform with everything you need to create and grow a podcast. 

The announcement was made at Stream On, Spotify’s event highlighting new innovations for creators and fans. This is a breakthrough for all creators, opening up Spotify’s unique, interactive features to all podcasters, no matter where your show is hosted. ‍

In the announcement, Spotify says: "The new Spotify for Podcasters will serve as the foundation for building a more vibrant, more interactive experience around podcasts." ‍For current Anchor and Spotify for Podcasters users, "this means they’ll get more tools than ever just by logging into their existing account. If they’re new to Spotify for Podcasters, they can still sign up easily by using an existing Spotify login."

We'll see. After all, Spotify is to promises what George Santos is to truth.

[thehorrortree]

For this edition of the Spooky Six, I'm having tea with Suzanne Craig-Whytock, and, yes, I've made a whole plate of cookies shaped like bones! Award-winning writer Suzanne Craig-Whytock (she/her) found her passion for writing at an early age and had her first poem published when she was eight years old. She studied English Literature at university and was a high school English teacher for almost 25 years. She is the author of three previous novels, Smile, The Dome, and The Seventh Devil, and one short story collection, Feasting Upon The Bones. She is a member of the Canadian Authors Association and the Writers' Union of Canada. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals, and she regularly publishes essays focused on life’s absurdities under the pen name mydangblog. She's also the editor of DarkWinter Literary Magazine, an independent online publication of poetry and short stories out of Ontario, Canada, which publishes both emerging and established authors. Her second short story collection At The End Of It All is due to be released on February 7, 2023 by Potter's Grove Press, and the sequel to The Seventh Devil is under contract to be released in 2023 by Bookland Press. Most recently, her second novel The Dome (winner of a Canada Book Award) was translated and published in Arabic by Arab Scientific Publishers in Lebanon and has been enjoying success overseas. Suzanne lives in a small town in Ontario, in a large rambling Victorian home with an acre of property that she and her husband have spent a lot of time rejuvenating. Her favourite things are her family, her black Lab Atlas, crows, white wine, antique clocks, and writing. She is a strong advocate and ally for LGBTQ+ people and believes that everyone deserves to be happy and live their own best lives. You can find her on the following social media sites: Mydangblog: www.educationalmentorship.com Facebook: Suzanne Craig-Whytock Instagram: suzannecraigwhytock Twitter: @scraigwhytock DarkWinter Literary Magazine: www.darkwinterlit.com Goodreads: Suzanne Craig-Whytock Her books can be found on most of the Amazons, Chapters Indigo, https://alllitup.ca/, Potter's Grove Press, and numerous other online sellers. Willow Croft: “Hey, look at that derelict Victorian mansion…let’s go explore it!” What’s the most unusual setting you’ve read about in a horror/thriller book, or included in your own creative works? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: Well, I absolutely adore derelict Victorian mansions, and have set at least two stories in one of them. Otherwise, the most unusual setting I’ve used would be futuristic Toronto in the year 2135 for my second novel The Dome. I used the CN Tower, subway tunnels, and I set the climax of the story in The Rogers Centre (which used to be The SkyDome). In terms of other crazy settings that I’ve read about or seen, I would have to say the film The Platform, which takes place in a vertical prison with a platform that descends through each level from the top down and prisoners fight for food. I also really loved the setting for the film Pandorum, as well as The Cabin In The Woods. As you can tell, I love horror movies. The scariest setting I’ve ever read was definitely Stephen King’s The Shining. That hotel and the hedge maze at the end! Willow Croft: “It was a dark and stormy night…” What are your go-to comfort foods, drinks, or other ways to wind down after a long day (or night) of writing? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: Oh, definitely a large glass of white wine along with some bacon-flavoured potato chips, or chocolate, or just bacon. My favourite meal, one we have on special occasions, is steak with a brandy/peppercorn cream sauce, roast potatoes, Caesar salad, and chocolate cheesecake for dessert. I literally write just to get meals like that. Of course, I’ve had to forgo the sauce recently—for some reason, the last three times I’ve made it, I’ve almost set the kitchen on fire when I add the brandy!

Willow Croft: “Did you hear that noise?” Everyone, even us horror writers, have our night terrors. What is it that frightens you the most? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: Something happening to my husband or my daughter. I’m more scared of real-life things than any of the ghosts around here (and I do have a few—my house was built in 1906 and it’s got characters—not ‘character’, but actual characters, who sometimes make their presence known.) Otherwise, I have to say, ever since I was little, I’ve been deathly afraid of dangling my arm off the bed while I’m asleep. I remember reading a story about a woman who did that, and thought her dog was licking her hand. Then she rolled over and her dog was ON THE BED WITH HER. Willow Croft: “I’m sure it was nothing. But I’ll just go outside and check, anyway. Alone. With no weapons.” Have you ever gotten writer’s block? If so, how do you combat it? Do you have certain rituals or practices that help get you into the writing (or creating) mindset? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: I watch a lot of horror movies so I know NEVER to do that. I keep a baseball bat and a hammer in almost every room of the house, so I’m well-armed on any given occasion. I never really get writer’s block. I mean, I do go for periods of time where I’m not working on a novel or short story collection, but I’m always writing something, either my humour blog, or a review, or things like that. For me, it’s mostly about time. I haven’t had a lot of time to write lately, and I was getting down on myself, then I remembered that I wrote two full books this year. If I ever did get writer’s block, I think I’d just pour myself a large glass of wine and see what comes next. Willow Croft: “Don’t go into the basement!” Are you an impulsive pantser or a plotter with outlines galore? What other writing/industry advice would you share with your fellow writers & creators? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: I’m a plotting pantser. In other words, I always start out with a strong outline, then manage to deviate significantly from it about halfway through a book. I don’t think tying myself to one idea and never changing paths is a good thing. The best ideas are sometimes the ones that happen in the moment. The writing or industry advice I can think of is write, write, write, then edit, edit, edit. I know some people HATE editing—I’m one of the few who really enjoy it. I kind of edit as I go, but then I always take several passes at a book or story before I send it anywhere. Tweaking and refining are fun for me. And of course, I’ll keep hammering home that people really need to make sure that their spelling, grammar, punctuation, and so on, are really perfect before they think about submitting anything. As an editor of a literary magazine who happens to be mostly retired, I have the time to work with writers on these things, but a lot of places won’t. Willow Croft: “Ring ring!” It’s the middle of the night and the phone mysteriously rings. Which notable writer, or person from history, would be on the other end of the line? Suzanne Craig-Whytock: Hello, hello, baby You called, I can't hear a thing I have got no service In the club, you see, see… If it wasn’t Lady Gaga, it would be George Orwell. A lot of people only know him from 1984 and Big Brother, or Animal Farm, but he was an incredible journalist and essayist, first and foremost. I’d love to get his take on current events. He was anti-fascist; in fact, he fought in the Spanish Civil War against a fascist uprising even though he was English. I’d also love a call from my favourite poet, T.S. Eliot, or Jane Austen, or from the Southern Gothic American writer Melinda Haynes. People from history? David Bowie, Marsha P. Johnson (who led the Stonewall riots), or my current favourite drag queens, Pangina Heals and Cheddar Gorgeous. (Disclaimer: Please note that the interview responses are the opinion(s) of the interviewee and may not be directly representative of The Horror Tree, its staff, and/or its guest contributors.

)

[heartlikeawildflower]

Be brave and your heart will fix itself. 

Five personal accomplishments that made my heart sing, and 2022 isn't even over yet.

Where do I begin? The year twenty-twenty-two is breathtaking from my view. I have had so many life-changing experiences this past year, but none greater than the fact that I am finding out who I am, and I am finally getting around to doing the things I love. When I turned 60, I decided to quit a dead-end job, and trade it for a life that is all about pursuing dreams. My choice to move to a new city and start college when most people my age are retiring was probably a crazy idea. But I decided that I wanted the whole world or nothing. 

This year feels like what I always dreamed my life should feel like. I came to realize that a small shift in priorities and a lot of bravery will go a long way. I chose small significant goals, one layered on top of another, flowing like a calm river just past a turbulent waterfall. I am on a path that moves to the rhythm of the earth, in perfect harmony with god and nature. I am responsible, my future is in my hands, and I have the power to change. I look forward to each day with a new perspective all because I made the decision to change my destiny. 

1. I joined the student newspaper staff as a videographer.  I wanted to join last year but I was so overwhelmed with everything around me in my new school environment, focusing on my studies, that it was way too much for me. Last year I didn’t know anything about how to make a video on my own, how to operate a camera, or anything about editing, but I was fairly confident that I could tell a story. I had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. In case you didn’t know, the videographer for a student-run newspaper does the following: find the story, write, produce, direct, shoot, edit, mix audio, and narrate. There is no team involved. This year I proudly managed to do it all. 

2. I wrote and directed an award-winning music video.  During the summer of 2021, I decided to do a self-driven music video project to develop my skills further. After finishing my second semester I was pretty beaten down, my confidence was at an all-time low. But I wasn’t going to give up just yet. From the ground up I fueled the entire project, developed my script, and hired a crew to help me execute my project plan. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that I could do it, I was still learning how it all works but I put my heart into it, and I went for it. I had no idea or even dreamed that it would win a national collegiate award. But it did! 

3. I started to make fine art again after a 25-year break.  I wanted this so bad. To make art again. So, I did. I made the decision. That’s what I mean about small actions leading to tangible results. The decision to make art led to the action of making art. Sure It had been a while, most of my success was in my past and at this point, I had doubts I was even an artist. I had been talking about it for years. So finally, I just did it and now I sell my art as quickly as I make it. It’s almost too easy how that worked. 

4. I started my own vintage clothing business to support myself through school. On top of everything else going on in my life, I needed an income. But being in school full-time made it difficult to find a decent part-time job that fit into my schedule, so I started my own business selling vintage clothing online. I love shopping for treasures, and the thrifting in Amarillo is amazing, so one day it clicked that if I found the right platform I could sell my finds for profit. I see it as an extension of my creative side, to be able to cherry-pick the most beautiful dresses and coats and offer them to someone who can truly appreciate their value is a gift, and it keeps me afloat.

5. I adopted a kitten. Talk about my heart singing at the top of its lungs! This kitty is fire. He never stops entertaining and giving me love. He brings me so much joy and happiness. His name is Lou and he's a silly little man in a tuxedo. Heck, I may even love him more than my boyfriend. 

Change isn’t good, it’s great. It’s okay to be afraid, but it's not okay to be boring. 

We are all finding our way through this life. My experiences have been subtle and profound and no different than anyone else's, really, but for the fact that I have unfinished business to attend to. I had to learn how to laugh at my insecurities and not see them as weaknesses. My soul is free, my heart soars madly and I'm feeling good.

[marwahstudios]

Second Edition of Success Stories Awards 2021 Appreciated by All

London: Trident Communications London, a well-known media, entertainment and event management company announced Success Stories Awards on 21st August 2021 in association with ICMEI (International Chamber of Media & Entertainment Industry), Lion Club Delhi Veg & World Humanitarian Foundation to honour some of the prominent international personalities for the contribution to their respective fields.

The founder of Trident Communications Shiv Kakran believes & Mayank Dahiya confirms in the saying that ‘success is not about what you accomplish in your life but it is about what you inspire others to do’.

Trident Communications planned these awards as a virtual ceremony and invited many celebrities along with awardees from different parts of the world. The ceremony started with honouring Lord Rami Ranger CBE as Guest Speaker, Dr. Sandeep Marwah as the Global Cultural Ambassador and renowned Internationally Bollywood playback singer Pankaj Udhas was also honoured with Life Time Achievement Award.

Trident Communications felicitated Pratima Bhoumik Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Govt of India & Faggan Singh Kulaste Union Minister of State for Steel Govt of India as chief Guest of the show. Other guest speakers were Cllr Krupesh Hirani Member for London Assembly, Sasi Suresh Deputy Mayor of Harrow, Dr Roger Gopaul High Commissioner of Trinidad & Tobago, Krishna Pujara, Padam Shree Kalpana Saroj, Gaurav Gupta, Kumar Rakesh, Haridatt Joshi, Rangdatt Joshi and famous singers Osman Mir & Smita Jaykar.

The ceremony was also joined by many Bollywood celebrities like Akshay Oberoi, Tridha Choudhury, Jaya Bhattacharya, Sunny Hinduja, Malvi Malhotra, Nillu Kholi, Gunjun Utreja, Zuber K Khan, Adhvithi Shetty, Jitin Gulati, Navina Bole, renowned fashion designer Rohit Verma, IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhry, Major Gen Vikram Dev Dogra, Vandana Jhingan, Shahid Hussain CEO G Stone International Properties, Asim Yousaf MD FMC Logistics and many more individuals representing various industries from different part of the World.

This special award not only confirms your high level of success but also serves as a lasting tribute to the limitless efforts, dedication, perseverance, and all the great accomplishments expressed by Naveen Dahiya known as backbone of Trident Communications.

Team Trident Communications looks forward to holding a live ceremony of Success Stories Awards Edition-3 in London after the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted over. The event was supported by MSTV and Radio Noida.

[gstqaobc]

CBC THE ROYAL FASCINATOR

Friday, April 09, 2021

Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox.

Janet DavisonRoyal Expert

Prince Philip’s life of duty

(Adrian Dennis/Getty Images)

For so many years, Prince Philip was at Queen Elizabeth’s side — or walking just behind — deeply devoted in his duty as consort to the woman who is now the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

But the Duke of Edinburgh, who died this morning aged 99 at Windsor Castle, was seen by many as having his own role in helping an institution steeped in tradition try to find its way toward the future.

Much of that began nearly 70 years ago, after the former sailor who gave up a successful naval career saw his wife ascend the throne.

“What Prince Philip did was help modernize the monarchy in the 1950s,” Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, said in an interview this morning.

“It was still a very tradition-bound institution…. We can credit Prince Philip, with the Queen’s full support, of course, with modernizing [its] finances, protocols, how Buckingham Palace was run … its outreach to the Commonwealth.”

Philip pushed to have Elizabeth’s coronation televised in 1953, an idea she did not wholeheartedly welcome at first.

“He was the modern person,” John Fraser, author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada’s Affair with Royalty, said in an interview this morning. “He was in touch with real people, non-royal people, and so he always had the instinct to reach out. He understood both the dark side of the media presence as well as the necessity of it.”

Fraser credits Philip’s profoundly unsettled early years, after he was “born in poverty and insecurity,” with how he looked toward the future of the Royal Family, and the monarchy.

“I do think those early years were the single biggest factor in his life and how he approached life,” said Fraser. “I think he never assumed things would last forever because he didn’t make any assumptions like that, and I think he certainly assumed the monarchy wouldn’t survive if it didn’t reach out more to the constituency that it had to serve.”

Fraser met Philip, and recalled him as a man who would revel in asking questions and challenging others.

“He was — charming is not the word I would use — but he was an invigorating person to speak to.”

Jackson, who was Saskatchewan’s chief of protocol from 1980 until 2005, met Philip during four visits to the province — three with the Queen and one on his own — and remembered a man with “a great sense of humour.”

“Sometimes people found him a bit abrasive, a bit abrupt, but that’s the way he was,” said Jackson.

“He was a straight shooter and he complemented the Queen beautifully because the Queen is a very soft-spoken, more laid-back person. Prince Philip really spoke his mind and occasionally made jokes and … put everyone at ease. I found him very refreshing, good to work with.”

With Philip’s death, there is an inevitable sadness for the Queen, and inevitable concern for how she will cope with the passing of her husband of more than 73 years.

Both Fraser and Jackson say the Queen will carry on, with Jackson noting “That’s the way she is. She’s a very strong person” with a deep religious faith that will sustain her.

“She’ll do her duty,” said Fraser. “And I think that’s the big lesson of him. He did his duty.”

For a full obituary of Prince Philip, click here.

For photos from Prince Philip's royal career, click here.

Family dysfunction

When Philip Mountbatten married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, the family he was joining was in marked contrast to the fractured one he had known in his youth. His parents' marriage broke down and offered him nothing like the nuclear family arrangement (mom, dad and two kids) that Elizabeth had known throughout her childhood. "In marrying the Queen, [Philip] gained that sort of stable home life that he didn't have when he was younger," royal author and historian Carolyn Harris has said in an interview. Philip's parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Philip was born a prince of both Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at Mon Repos, a villa that was the summer home for the Greek royals on the island of Corfu. He was the last of five children — his four older siblings were all girls. At the time, he was sixth in line to the Greek throne. But life in Greece didn't last long. His father, a professional soldier, was exiled from Greece in 1922 as his uncle, King Constantine I, was forced to abdicate. Philip's family fled, with the story being that Philip was nestled into an orange box as the family was evacuated from Greece on a Royal Navy ship. They eventually made their way to Paris. Philip's childhood took a "dysfunctional turn," author Sally Bedell Smith wrote in her book, Elizabeth The Queen, when he was sent by his parents at the age of eight to England for boarding school. The family eventually broke down. Philip's mother, who was born deaf, was ill periodically, diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in a sanitarium in Switzerland. His father went off with his mistress to Monte Carlo, where he died in 1944. Philip was left to be brought up in the U.K. by his mother's family, shuffled among various relatives and boarding schools throughout his youth. He didn't see or have any word from his mother between the summer of 1932 and the spring of 1937. "It's simply what happened," Philip said matter-of-factly in an excerpt from a book by Philip Eade, Young Prince Philip, Turbulent Early Years, published in the Telegraph. "The family broke up. My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France. I just had to get on with it. You do. One does." As life went on, there really was no father to guide, consult or do anything else a father can do for his child. Several other close relatives died in his early years, including his favourite sister, Cecile, and her family in a plane crash in 1937. The following year, the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, his uncle and guardian, died of bone cancer. That left the marquess's younger brother, Louis Mountbatten, to bring up Philip. His family ties also extended into Germany. Three of his sisters were married to German princes involved in the Nazi party. Cecile and her husband, Don, had just joined the Nazi party before they died. Those family alliances had a visible repercussion when Philip and Elizabeth were married in 1947. "His sisters were not invited to the wedding as they were married to German princes who had been involved in the Nazi party during World War Two," Harris said. Philip's mother, Princess Alice, however, was at the wedding, and in her later years, came to live at Buckingham Palace. Alice had her own moment in the cultural conscience in 2019, as an episode during the third season of the Netflix drama, The Crown, focused on her. "She's just the most extraordinary character," Crown creator Peter Morgan told Vanity Fair. She set up charities for Greek refugees and later established a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns. During the Second World War, while her son was serving with the Royal Navy and her German sons-in-law fought for the Nazis, she was hiding Jews in Athens. As much as there was the distance between Philip and his mother in his younger years, there was a closeness later. Alice came to live at Buckingham Palace in 1967. Alice died at the palace in 1969 and was interred in the royal crypt at Windsor Castle. In 1988, her remains were transferred, as she had wished, to the church of St. Mary Magdalene in east Jerusalem. In a 1994 visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Philip planted a tree in his mother's honour and visited her gravesite. "I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special," Philip said during his visit. "She was a person with deep religious faith and she would have considered it to be a totally human action to fellow human beings in distress."

No stranger to Canada

(Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Prince Philip's last visit to Canada was a short one in 2013 — on his own, without the Queen — to present a ceremonial flag to the Royal Canadian Regiment's 3rd Battalion. It came as something of a surprise. Philip had experienced a few health scares in the 18 months prior. So overseas travel was not necessarily a given for the Duke of Edinburgh at the time. But given Philip's feisty personality, dedication to his role and some of the interests he showed over the years, his return to Canada — he made more than 70 visits or stopovers between 1950 and 2013 — may not really have been a complete surprise. The 2013 trip was billed as a private working visit and was only a few days long. But while he was here, he was finally able to pick up the insignias he had been awarded as companion of the Order of Canada and commander of the Order of Military Merit from David Johnston, then Canada's governor general.

To read more about Philip’s time in Canada, click here.

Royally quotable

“He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”

— Queen Elizabeth, publicly acknowledging Prince Philip’s importance to her during a speech on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

To read more on what Philip meant to the Queen, click here.

Remembering Prince Philip

Royal Fascinator readers are welcome to share their thoughts on the passing of Prince Philip, and any memories they may have of meeting him over the years. We’ll include some in the next edition of the newsletter.

I’m always happy to hear from you. Send your ideas, comments, feedback and notes to

royalfascinator@cbc.ca

. Problems with the newsletter? Please let me know about any typos, errors or glitches.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[helloyoucreatives]

Queer East Film Festival (15 - 26 September) is delighted to unveil its full programme centred on queer storytelling and activism from East and Southeast Asia. This year’s programme includes a selection of 37 features, short films and artists’ moving image works from 15 countries, ranging from new releases to classic retrospectives, mainstream box office hits to radical independent works, accompanied by pre-screening introductions and filmmaker Q&As. A series of online panel discussions with international guests will run throughout the festival period, covering topics such as women in the film industry, queer film festivals, and the development of Asian LGBTQ+ movements.

Launched in 2020, Queer East is a new film festival that aims to amplify the voices of Asian communities in the UK, who have often been excluded from mainstream discourse, despite Asians being one of the country’s fastest-growing ethnic groups. Queer East seeks to facilitate a better understanding of the richness of queer Asian heritage, and to bridge the cultural distance between the UK public and the region. Featuring works made by international filmmakers and Asian diaspora communities, and looking to foster authentic voices, the festival explores a wide range of perspectives, showcasing stories that intersect with personal experiences, cultural norms, and socio-political transitions.

The second edition of Queer East opens with the UK premiere of Daughters (2020), the directorial debut of Hajime Tsuda from Japan; and will close with the multi award-winning Dear Tenant (2020), directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Yu-Chieh Cheng.

This year, the world’s spotlight shone on Japan as the host country for the Summer Olympics. This drew the programmer’s attention to Japan’s history of iconoclastic, inventive and unapologetic queer filmmaking, and its growing strength in advancing LGBTQ+ rights. To mark this, the festival presents Focus Japan, a ten-film programme that looks back on queer representations in Japanese films from the 1980s until today. It features a double bill from the Japanese maestro Nagisa Oshima; Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) and a rare 35mm presentation of Gohatto (1999); a queer revisiting of the 1995 animation Ghost in the Shell (dir. Mamoru Oshii) and the 20th anniversary screening of Ryosuke Hashiguchi’s Hush! (2001), alongside recent releases like Queer Japan (dir. Graham Kolbeins, 2019) and Close-Knit (dir. Naoko Ogigami, 2017).

Building on the success of last year, the festival’s Focus Taiwan strand continues with Days (2020) by the internationally acclaimed auteur Tsai Ming-Liang, the UK premiere of Teddy-award winning director Zero Chou’s Secrets of 1979 (2021), and a special presentation of The End of the Track (dir. Tun-Fei Mou), a rediscovered classic made in 1970. The series also includes an exciting line-up of short films and experimental works that showcase Taiwan’s vibrant queer culture.

Other highlights include a 20th anniversary screening of Lan Yu (dir. Stanley Kwan, 2001), one of the most iconic gay films in the Mandarin-speaking world, presented here in its newly restored version; South Korea’s award-winning drama Moonlit Winter (dir. Daehyung Lim, 2019); and drag comedy Number 1 (dir. Kuo-Sin Ong, 2020) from Singapore.

Significant progress and landmark rulings have been made across Asia in recent years, from India's decriminalisation of homosexuality to Taiwan’s recognition of same-sex marriage. However, challenges and obstacles remain, and are faced by many people. It is within this context that Queer East explores the various forces that have shaped the current queer landscape in East and Southeast Asia, reflecting on what it means to be Asian and queer today through its curatorial approach.

The pursuit of legal protection for, and recognition of, marriage equality and same-sex families has been one of the focal points in campaigns for LGBTQ+ rights in Asia. Hence, the programme this year has a particular focus on ‘family’, a noun that conveys strong cultural traditions and ideologies.

Yi Wang, Festival Director and Programmer for Queer East, discusses his approach:

“By showcasing films that challenge conventional understandings of family kinship, I hope to provoke a conversation about how we understand and interpret the meaning and formation of family, through an alternative queer lens, even when the films do not include obvious LGBT storylines.”

Wang continues,

“Global events in the past year, from Covid-19-related anti-Asian attacks to the Black Lives Matter movement, have once again reminded us how vital fair and authentic racial and sexual representation is for our society. LGBTQ+ people have had labels, stereotypes and stigmas imposed on them for a long time. For me, queer is a word without consistent meaning, and we should not settle on a one-note definition. I believe that film is one of the most direct and accessible mediums that allows us to address issues and situations that people simply weren’t aware of before. Films enable us to construct a more positive, inclusive and dynamic LGBTQ+ narrative both outside and within the LGBTQ+ communities.”

Queer East Film Festival is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. The Focus Japan programme is organised in partnership with the Japan Foundation, with support from Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and Japan Society. The Focus Taiwan programme is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. This year’s artists' moving image programme is supported by Arts Council England.

Coming soon – in autumn this year, highlights of the Queer East Film Festival will tour to a number of UK cities including Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and more. Full details and dates to be announced.

https://queereast.org.uk/festival-2021/

[recentanimenews]

OPINION: My Favorite Anime of 2020 Are All Music Videos

Image via ZUTOMAYO

  Despite the enormous pressures of COVID-19, 2020 has had its share of anime classics. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a stone-cold classic to the degree it now feels as if it’s always existed. Decadence channeled the creative spirit of 2000s-era Madhouse into an off-kilter riff on dystopian science fiction and Pixar movies. Akudama Drive, now in its second half, continues to translate the bonkers, heartfelt pulp style of Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka to TV anime. There have been big successes in film, as well — Demon Slayer Mugen Train scored the highest opening weekend box office in Japanese history, while folks I follow on Twitter are excited for the new Bones film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish.

  One of my favorite anime projects this year was something completely different. It’s "Gotcha!," a short Pokemon-themed music video directed by Rie Matsumoto and her friends at Bones. A sequence that takes all of Matsumoto’s strengths — her attention to detail, the way she depicts exciting and supernatural things bursting out of the walls of our ordinary world, and her obsession with cramming every layer of the screen with stuff — and turns them with the precision of a laser toward celebrating the series’s near 25-year history. As encyclopedic as a Pokedex despite being only three minutes long, it’s a glorious celebration of a series loved and made by passionate fans. 

  Image via Pokemon Official YouTube Channel

  But "Gotcha!" wasn’t even the only fantastic music video made by former employees from the historic studio Toei. Earlier this year, animator Koudai Watanabe collaborated with the talented Naoki Yoshibe — director of the opening sequences for Gatchaman Crowds — to create a music video for ZUTOMAYO titled “STUDY ME.” It’s a rich purple-and-green media landscape of TV screens, glitches, Undertale references, and desperately reaching hands, packed with enough wild ideas and visual iconography to fuel an entire season of anime. But it wraps up in just under five minutes.  You’re left watching the video over and over again in a daze, trying in vain to catch every little detail.

  The animated music videos being made right now represent the most slept-on creative success in modern anime production among English language fans. (That’s music videos that are animated, not AMVs! You could write an entirely separate article on those.) I need to qualify “slept on,” since hardcore animation nerds like Yuyucow and Catsuka have been stumping for these works over the past several years. There are viral successes like "Gotcha!" and the inevitable crossover that happens when an artist doing the theme song for an anime leads others to check out their back catalog of past videos. But on websites and in magazines, I see stories about Netflix’s aggressive production of new TV series, the renaissance of Japanese anime films after Your Name, and bemused reactions to the shocking popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Talk about the newest music videos online is a lot rarer. Not to mention older videos. "Gotcha!" may have broken out as a celebration of a popular game series, but its predecessor — a Lotte chocolate commercial produced by much of the same staff — is just as good!

  Image via ZUTOMAYO

  "Gotcha!" isn’t 2020’s only spiritual successor to excellent early work, either. In 2013, Yoko Kuno produced the video "Airy Me" as part of a graduate assignment. Set to a song by Cuushe, it’s a hallucinatory epic that’s both starkly horrifying and bittersweet. In the years since, Yoko Kuno’s made a name for herself across several mediums — winning the New Face Award for her manga work at Japan Media Arts Festival, serving as a pinch hitter on Orange’s production of Land of the Lustrous and contributing a memorable sequence to Beastars. She returned this year with filmmaker Tao Tajima to produce another sequence scored to Cuushe’s music, Magic. Riffing on Airy Me's themes of bodily transformation and human ennui, it sets the action against real photographic landscapes. It's another haunting masterwork by one of anime’s most multitalented young artists and has been on repeat for me since it came up on my Twitter feed.  

  Image via FLAU

  Meanwhile, the Japanese vocalist Eve continues to commission new and excellent animated work based on his songs. This May saw the release of "How to Eat Life," a video by indie animator Mariyasu which repurposes Eve’s unique symbology of surly adolescents and freaky puppet monsters into a stylish and spooky carnival of carnivorism. It’s an excellent piece that stands tall among the work collected under Eve’s banner, many of which are stone-cold classics themselves. But "Promise," released at the end of this October, threatens to outdo them all. Directed by Ken Yamamoto and produced at Cloverworks, it plays as another greatest hits compilation of Eve’s works — broken promises, collapsing cityscapes, creatures powered by feeling that shake the earth with their footsteps. There’s a real visceral punch to it that beats out even its excellent predecessors. When the protagonist folds over himself in anguish, you feel it in your gut. When he steps deep into the water and the entire world around him is shredded into pieces, anyone who’s ever been a teenager knows exactly how that feels. When his friend reaches in and pulls him out of that water, that’s real joy rising like bubbles through your veins.

  Image via Eve

  Ken Yamamoto’s a bit more mainstream than Mariyasu — just last year he contributed some face-melting action sequences to Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. But it says something to me that "Promise" — maybe his best work yet — was released as a music video rather than a new TV series. He’s not alone, either.  This August, the animator China (storyboarder for Encouragement of Climb’s third season) together with character designer Mooang (storyboarder for Sarazanmai) produced the music video "Sore wo Ai to Yobu dake." Like the reverse of Yamamoto’s "Promise," it’s the story not of a pair of teenage boys and their separation that devastates a cityscape — but of a pair of teenage girls who reach across time to recover the bond they shared in their high school days. A potent combination of FLCL-style faded nostalgia, careful attention to body language, and pure patented kids-falling-through-the-sky-while-frantically-reaching-for-each-other anime magic, it’s one of the best-animated sequences of this year. I’ve linked it to friends just to plead “Watch this thing!” And it ends in less than four minutes long.

  Image via Mafumafu

  I can’t help but think: Where is China and Moaang’s movie project? Where is Ken Yamamoto’s TV series? Why is it that Rie Matsumoto has produced two excellent music videos over the past two years that commemorate big franchises, but her rumored film project has yet to lift off? Perhaps the truth is that there isn’t room anymore in the TV anime industry for work like this. Many original projects seem to be tied to cellphone games or stage productions. Projects like Decadence are few and far between, and even those that exist play within a space already laid out by past successes. It’s not all bad, of course — Eizouken this year was a great example of an adaptation working in harmony with its source material. And we’ve seen studios like Orange employ weirder anime creators like Yoko Kuno or the stop-motion team dwarf to great effect in their projects. But perhaps animated music videos represent the future for artists like Matsumoto — a medium that pays well, rewards experimentation, and lets strong artists play around without having to dilute their style. A bite-sized format just outside of the soul-draining churn that defines the industry.

  Maybe this is fine, though. Short-form work is just as worthy of admiration as long-form work. I’d love feature-length projects from Ken Yamamoto or China, and I’d love for the world to see another Rie Matsumoto story told on a grand scale. But I can’t deny that Matsumoto rocks at putting together fantastic music videos and that I might even prefer the concise flow of "Gotcha!" to her TV series output. Either way, in this historically difficult year, I’m grateful to these folks for turning in career-best work and giving me hope for the future.

  Do you have a favorite animated music video? At the risk of getting off track, do you have a favorite anime music video? Do you still watch different fan edits of Hatsune Miku and wowaka's "Rolling Girl" on rotation, like I do? Let me know in the comments!

      Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he isn't rewatching his favorite anime OPs over and over, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at: @wendeego

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Adam Wescott

[aion-rsa]

Top New Science Fiction Books in April 2021

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Science fiction has the power to take us away—to escape, to make us reflect back on our own world in challenging ways, to fill us with awe and wonder about the beauties of the universe. There are so many science fiction books out there worth your time, but we only have room to recommend a few. Here are some of the science fiction books we’re most looking forward to in April 2021…

Top New Science Fiction Books in April 2021

The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

Type: Novel Publisher: Harper Voyager Release date: April 20 Den of Geek says: Ever since her groundbreaking A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Chambers has been a powerful voice in science fiction. Colorful, creative aliens inhabit a galaxy sparkling with healing and love, “soft” science fiction in the online sense that is also bursting with ideas and thoughtful characterization.

Publisher’s summary: Return to the sprawling, Hugo Award-winning universe of the Galactic Commons to explore another corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored—in this absorbing entry in the Wayfarers series, which blends heart-warming characters and imaginative adventure. With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.

At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.

Buy The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers.

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Type: Novella Publisher: Tordotcom Release date: April 27

Den of Geek says: Wells’ beloved Murderbot has become one of the most entertaining and must-see characters of today’s science fiction. The android with a reluctant heart is not to be missed. Wells rarely fails to be entertaining.

Publisher’s summary: Having captured the hearts of readers across the globe (Annalee Newitz says it’s “one of the most humane portraits of a nonhuman I’ve ever read”) Murderbot has also established Martha Wells as one of the great SF writers of today.

No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people―who knew?) 

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!

Buy Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.

Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer

Type: Novel Publisher: MCD Release date: April 6

Den of Geek says: This eco-thriller from the author of Annihilation trades the weird setting for a more prosaic but just as mysterious chase.

Publisher’s summary: Security consultant “Jane Smith” receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander. Silvina, the dead woman who left the note, is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist. By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit, Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control. Soon, Jane and her family are in danger, with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril. Is the only way to safety to follow in Silvina’s footsteps? Is it too late to stop? As she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her, time is running out—for her and possibly for the world. Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy. 

Buy Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer.

Top New Science Fiction Books in March 2021

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Type: Novel Publisher: Knopf Release date: March 2 Den of Geek says: Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro is known for his literary fiction like The Remains of the Day and high-brow science fiction like Never Let Me Go. His newest tackles robot sapience in a story sure to be as much about the human heart as about machines.

Publisher’s Summary: Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her.

Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

Buy Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor.com Release date: March 9 Den of Geek says: Any comparison to A Canticle for Leibowitz goes pretty far here. This claustrophobic thriller with post-apocalyptic cult elements sounds intense and inventive. Publisher’s Summary: A Canticle for Leibowitz meets The Hunt for Red October in We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep, a lyrical and page-turning coming-of-age exploration of duty, belief, and the post-apocalypse from breakout newcomer Andrew Kelly Stewart.

Remy is a Chorister, rescued from the surface world and raised to sing in a choir of young boys. Remy is part of a strange crew who control the Leviathan, an aging nuclear submarine, that bears a sacred mission: to trigger the Second Coming when the time is right.

But Remy has a secret too―she’s the submarine’s only girl. Gifted with the missile’s launch key by theLeviathan’s dying caplain, she swears to keep it safe. Safety, however, is not the priority of the new caplain, who has his own ideas about the mission. When a surface-dweller is captured during a raid, Remy’s faith becomes completely overturned. Now, her last judgement may transform the fate of everything.

Buy We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart.

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: March 2 Den of Geek says: Martine’s previous novel brought us to a world of poetry, AI, body-sharing, and high-stakes politics. The nascent rebellion against the Teixcalaanli empire takes a back seat as alien invaders threaten the empire and its colonies in the sequel. Publisher’s Summary: A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to Arkady Martine’s genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.

An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options. 

In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass―still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire―face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity. 

Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction―and allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion. 

Or it might create something far stranger . . .

Buy A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

Top New Science Fiction Books in February 2021

Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor.com Release date: Feb. 23

Den of Geek says: Space mermaids make for an automatically charming concept, as do the twists and turns (an witchy romance?) on the classic story. Publisher’s summary: One woman will travel to the stars and beyond to save her beloved in this lyrical space opera that reimagines The Little Mermaid.

Gene-edited human clans have scattered throughout the galaxy, adapting themselves to environments as severe as the desert and the sea. Atuale, the daughter of a Sea-Clan lord, sparked a war by choosing her land-dwelling love and rejecting her place among her people. Now her husband and his clan are dying of a virulent plague, and Atuale’s sole hope for finding a cure is to travel off-planet. The one person she can turn to for help is the black-market mercenary known as the World Witch―and Atuale’s former lover. Time, politics, bureaucracy, and her own conflicted desires stand between Atuale and the hope for her adopted clan.

Buy Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden.

The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley

Type: Novel Publisher: Titan Books Release date: Feb. 23 Den of Geek says: Science fiction allows us to explore how biology effects culture. Like Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, an absurdist novel that explores a world where humans hibernate, The Loosening Skin takes one biological concept (humans who shed) and wraps a mystery around it. Publisher’s summary: Rose Allington is a bodyguard for celebrities, and she suffers from a rare disease. Her moults come quickly, changing everything about her life, who she is, who she loves, who she trusts.

In a world where people shed their skin, it’s a fact of life that we move on and cast off the attachments of our old life. But those memories of love can be touched – and bought – if you know the right people.

Rose’s former client, superstar actor Max Black, is hooked on Suscutin, a new wonderdrug that prevents the moult. Max knows his skins are priceless, and moulting could cost him his career. 

When one of his skins is stolen, and the theft is an inside job, Max needs the best who ever worked for him – even if she’s not the same person.

The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley.

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor.com Release date: Feb. 2 Den of Geek says: Sylvain Neuvel wowed with the Themis Files series, a fast-paced mech thriller with adventure, heart, and body horror. An alternate look at the space race turns into sharp science fiction in the first book in his new series.

Publisher’s summary: Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a sci-fi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at 1940s rocketry with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence in A History of What Comes Next.

Always run, never fight.  Preserve the knowledge. Survive at all costs. Take them to the stars.

Over 99 identical generations, Mia’s family has shaped human history to push them to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices and sacrificing countless lives. Her turn comes at the dawn of the age of rocketry. Her mission: to lure Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program, and secure the future of the space race. 

But Mia’s family is not the only group pushing the levers of history: an even more ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes.

A darkly satirical first contact thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them…

Buy A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel.

Top New Science Fiction Books in January 2021

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Type: Novel Publisher: Tordotcom Release date: Jan. 19, 2021 Den of Geek says: Award-winning Nnedi Okorafor brings a mix of science fiction and fantasy with this unique take on the Grim Reaper. Publisher’s Summary: The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa­­—a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks—alone, except for her fox companion—searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?

Buy Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor.

Star Wars: Light of the Jedi

Type: Novel Publisher: Del Rey Release date: Jan. 5, 2021

Den of Geek says: One of the first books in the The High Republic series, it introduces the new era with the story of Jedi 200 years before the fall of the Republic. You’ll find no Skywalkers, Solos, or Palpatines here, but rather an ensemble of fun new galactic warrior-monks.

Publisher’s summary: Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace . . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm But the even brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.

When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.

Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi’s heart. Buy Star Wars: Light of the Jedi.

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

Type: Novel Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press Release date: Jan. 5, 2021 Den of Geek says: Roguish space opera serves up escapism with a side of criminal glam. Publisher’s Summary: Hugo award–nominated author Stina Leicht has created a take on space opera for fans of The Mandalorian and Cowboy Bebop in this high-stakes adventure.

Persephone Station, a seemingly backwater planet that has largely been ignored by the United Republic of Worlds becomes the focus for the Serrao-Orlov Corporation as the planet has a few secrets the corporation tenaciously wants to exploit.

Rosie—owner of Monk’s Bar, in the corporate town of West Brynner, caters to wannabe criminals and rich Earther tourists, of a sort, at the front bar. However, exactly two types of people drank at Monk’s back bar: members of a rather exclusive criminal class and those who sought to employ them.

Angel—ex-marine and head of a semi-organized band of beneficent criminals, wayward assassins, and washed up mercenaries with a penchant for doing the honorable thing is asked to perform a job for Rosie. What this job reveals will effect Persephone and put Angel and her squad up against an army. Despite the odds, they are rearing for a fight with the Serrao-Orlov Corporation. For Angel, she knows that once honor is lost, there is no regaining it. That doesn’t mean she can’t damned well try.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Buy Persephone Station by Stina Leicht.

The post Top New Science Fiction Books in April 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3qpd96e

[griffith-ben]

My Linked[In]terview

One of my most proud accomplishments related to social media has nothing to do with learning about posting or using the online platform. In Fall 2020, I entered the internship market determined to make the best of these unprecedented times. To me this meant dedicating hours each week to revising and editing my resume to match the criteria of any internships that were remotely interesting to me. I would say on average I spent about four hours per week dedicated to the job hunt, finding listings on LinkedIn, getting inspiration on company websites, and manually creating alternate versions of my resume to best match different positions between sales, marketing, communication, public relations, you name it.  

Goals individuals place on themselves can only be one of two possibilities: a stretch goal or a comfort goal. When sending out my resume in the middle of a pandemic I adopted a “the worst they can say is no” attitude, which ultimately has led me to some immense success. I had two stretch goals that began to come to fruition in October of 2020. One day I got a LinkedIn notification from an unknown and it ended up being a recruiter for the LinkedIn Global Sales Internship role. Looking at this from my realist perspective I knew that there was some sort of artificial intelligence software in LinkedIn that was able to pull my profile as one with “relevant skills that could translate to a career in sales at LinkedIn.” Either way I felt very excited to explore this possibility.

This is where my journey with LinkedIn began. In this message the recruiter sent a welcome video where she filmed an introduction, and it was refreshing to see someone in a more normal way during this global crisis. During this week I began to reach out to my professors to gain opinions on my resume in order to give myself the best shot in the interview process. After making conversation with the recruiter via LinkedIn messaging, I was able to put in my application with confidence.

About a week later or so I received an e-mail telling me I had made it into the first stage of the process which was a fifteen-minute phone screen. We set-up time which was late for us on the east coast, but worked out nicely for the recruiter because the headquarters and where she lives is in San Francisco. Looking back at this conversation there was not much substance to it, just checking in on how the school year is going and basic questions on my experience listed on my resume. Applying what I know from my Sales Management course I know the content of this talk was not what was being evaluated. It was the soft skills of conversing over the phone which is directly applicable to the sales position being applied for.

After the call was over, I was given a timeline of two weeks to hear if I made it into the first round of interviews. I knew I had chosen a time for the phone screen early in the process so to make sure that I remained in the head of the recruiter I had to take action. Something I did that really made me feel more confident that this position was a right fit for me was reaching out to previous interns from the position. Just on LinkedIn alone I was able to strike up conversation with at least five of the previous interns and ask about their experience. I then formulated a thank you email to the recruiter and I mentioned these interactions which further showed my interest and my ability to work with others input.

This is a mostly happy story after all; I did end up making it to the first round of interviews which was extremely exciting to achieve. This call was scheduled for about half an hour and consisted of a video-chat going over those standard interview questions like “tell me about a time where you failed and how you handled it?” And the more sales role specific questions such as “why are you interested in sales?” In this conversation I prepared to have a more back and forth conversation whereas the phone interview was mostly a one-way talking style. I studied up on here LinkedIn profile to get a sense on what we had in common and was sure to use those commonalities in my answers. For example, I used my transition from the running club to the division one team to show hard work, dedication, but tied it into some she could relate to. Based on her profile we had roots in the Midwest which was a great conversation starter. In my running I highlighted the unpredictability of Midwestern weather and from this I learned she had completed a half marathon and I was clued into knowing she could relate to my experience.

In this first round there was only a week turn-around between knowing if we made it into the second round of interviews. I am usually confident in interviews because people skills are one of my strongest skills but, because of my lack of internship experience I was worried if I would be overlooked. In a confetti started email, I got the congratulations email and made it to the second round. For this round I would be interviewing with someone higher up in the hiring manager level. This interview I was preparing to answer behavioral based questions, so I began going through mental preparations to show my story in the most positive light.

For this interview it was done over a video call and lasted for about forty-five minutes. This new woman I was interacting with was inspiring and strong. She has worked her way up to being a Vice President of Sales in three companies and now works as a sales director of North America for LinkedIn. Interacting with someone so high up in an organization I thought was not going to be possible in college, but it was so cool to see how down to earth someone so successful could be. On the day of, I had to miss class, with permission, in order to attend the call. After sharing with my professor about the opportunity it was great to know how much I felt supported in achieving higher.  

The content of this second round interview with the hiring manager was definitely more nerve racking. I was glad I was dressed up in my full suit because even with the window open to a Michigan November I was still sweating nervously. In our conversation I never showed my nerves though, I was calm confident and collected and made sure to speak at a rate that was understandable and would translate well across the video call. She asked questions on my sales experience and why I think I would succeed with LinkedIn, but the question I always love to get in an interview was brought up giving me the confidence I needed to finish strong across those forty-five minutes. The question was along the lines of: tell me about a time where you were under stress and still performed well.  

My answer to this question in a spark notes version always relates to my Leader Advancement Scholar Program experience where we performed a debate course partnered with the Saginaw Regional Correctional Facility. In this experience we were partnered with men that has sentences between two-years and life, we drove to the prison, went through security, and learned alongside these men debate principles and etiquette. Internally, I was a mess. I was very stressed out about being in a prison, I had never known anyone to go to prison, all my knowledge on the prison system came from the media. Even under this stress I was able to walk away with the second highest speaker’s award for best debate and performed two wins as I stepped in for another student when she was sick on the day of her debate. The response from the LinkedIn interviewer was priceless, she said that in her four years of going through rounds of Intern interviews she had never heard a story like that and overall was very impressed.

I left the interview feeling proud of my work, but this is not to be confused with confident on the position. At this stage in the game it was obvious there were very few candidates left. I wanted to leave an impression of myself on the interviewer and share why I wanted to be apart of the Global Sales program. I was able to ask great questions on what it is like working at LinkedIn, culture differences between this job and previous ones, and growth opportunities. I was also able to share my story in an authentic and memorable way.

While this entire LinkedIn process was going on, I did not put all my eggs in one basket. I was balancing three other companies for interviews and was able to land two other offers. Upon notification of another offer with a deadline I reached out to LinkedIn out of courtesy to let them know I have a new timeline. That next day results came back from the Round Two of interviews and I was not selected to move into final round. Though I had other offers, I was devastated at this news. After spending over a month interacting with recruiters, I began to envision my internship living in San Francisco for the summer, I imagined life meeting new people from all over the country, I envisioned a job offer there after college. The world works in mysterious ways and I know that it must have not been meant to be at that time. Moving forward I have built strong connections with LinkedIn and going into my senior year I feel excited at what could be next for me.

As for the power of social media it is obvious that without its impact, I would have never earned this opportunity. Based on my profile, artificial intelligence was able to select me as a candidate with the characteristics to be successful in their internship role. Specifically, I attribute my profile having this status due to my active posting. With higher frequency of posts the AI was able to have more data points to judge me and therefore more reasons to share my name with the recruiter. Social media is often talked negatively in this day and age but this anecdote about LinkedIn is an obvious example of the great things possible.

[independentartistbuzz]

Good News, Good Music 1.0

Here we are at the end of 2020. We don’t need to tell you that this has been a very hard year. We are feeling beaten down by the bad news and music is the one thing that lifted our spirits again and again and saw us through. We have partnered with our friends at Cyber PR Music to bring you a series of GOOD News from artists who carried on making music in spite of all of the insanity that was happening and continues to grip us.  We have cried listening to some of the tracks, felt deeply inspired and yes we laughed as well.  What we have seen is the Cyber PR artist community is rich and varied - there are artists from all across the USA included as well as Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, France, Sweden, The UK,  Germany and Scotland.

So - we bring you part 1 of our 4 part series GOOD NEWS, GOOD MUSIC.

Please Follow the Spotify Playlist below to hear all of these amazing tracks.

Thanks to all of the artists who shared their music AND their good news.

JVMIE & Lionel Cohen | “We Will Rise Again”

Started A Collaboration From A Quarantine Hotel Room and Got Nominated For A Major Award

We had a crazy year but some great things came out of it! I was forced to leave LA and head back to Australia until things ‘calmed down’ but started a remote collaboration with LA based film composer Lionel Cohen - we received a grant from HOTA (Home Of The Arts Gold Coast) to create an album and we were just nominated for a HMMA Hollywood Music In Media Award :) The whole process of collaborating and talking every day was what helped me keep my sanity throughout this crazy year!

Perle Vybz | “Electric Dancefloor”

Almost Lost Her Partner To COVID And Took The Leap Of Faith To Release Music 

My debut single 'Electric Dancefloor' was released on Dec 8th, against the odds. A few months ago , my partner almost lost his life (to COVID). He was hooked up on a ventilator and had a really rough time. At the same time, I lost my main source of income and so, during the pandemic lockdown I had more time on my hands to focus on my music. So I'm glad that in spite of what was happening around me I was able to take that leap of faith and get my music out there.

Arielle Silver | “What Really Matters”

Became Music Connection's Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists in their year-end issue

As COVID shut everything down in April, I leaned into my commitment to authentic connection and inspiring creative expression with the creation of two weekly livestreams: Tomes & Tunes, a weekly show where I interview songwriters about books, and Arielle's Acoustic Happy Hour, both of which are going strong. In June, I released a new album, A THOUSAND TINY TORCHES, along with two official music videos (one shot entirely during quarantine), which have been featured in American Songwriter, Music Connection, and more.And in September, in the wake of closing studios, my sweetheart and I launched a new online yoga studio, Bhavana Flow Yoga, with online classes, workshops, and retail. 

Alongside my own sorrow at the pandemic, I have been living a year of creative expansion, and was recently featured in Music Connection's year-end issue on both their Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists.

Hannah Judson | “Deep Sea Diver”

Launched The Backwards Record Release Concept  And It Worked!

The 2020 lockdown was an exploration of new ways of doing and connecting. Everything became an experiment as new processes were developed to replace the no longer actionable old ones. I launched the Backwards Record Release for "Stingray," a rock/folk collection of songs. The 8 week campaign started with a socially distanced concert in a chateau courtyard, was fueled by my new podcast the Hannah Judson Beat, conversations with women in music, and concluded with a capstone edition of MUSEfest Online, a music festival I normally produce in major cities that promotes women in music, film, art and culture. I stayed connected with colleagues and fans, envisioned future projects, and maintained momentum and enthusiasm for creative projects, present and future. 

Evan Mazunik | “Comfort and Joy”

Funded, Recorded & Released A New Holiday Album

I’m grateful that I was able to successfully fund, record, release, and sell my new holiday album this year.

Eli Lev | “Anywhere We Can Go”

Released A Touching Global Fan Driven Music Video 

I had a powerful experience this year when my music community from all across the world helped me create the music video for 'Anywhere We Can Go.' I was in happy tears editing it and seeing all these wonderful faces come together and make something truly special. Here it is and I hope it brings some joy to folks.

Jeff Oster | “Five Great Mountains”

Found Solace (And Music) In Mother Nature

I was lucky to spend three months in the fall of 2020 up in Vermont. In the midst of all of the turmoil, Mother Nature just kept on shining. I was able to create this video on my iPhone, in an attempt to capture her beauty.

Beca Dreams | “Calm Before the Storm”

Had A Creative Burst That Resulted In Ad Campaigns & New Singles

It’s been a very challenging year, and yet I’ve somehow managed to have some awesome wins I am super grateful for. 

Partnered with Bounty to write/perform Quicker Picker Upper, currently streaming on all major platforms and has gotten over 7M views on Tik Tok and 150K streams on Spotify so far. Composed/performed song for an ad campaign for fashion designer Asher Levine on launching his new groundbreaking LED outerwear line (who’s recently worked with Doja Cat, Lil Nas, Lady Gaga). I also released 2 singles “Calm Before The Storm” and “Taking Time For Myself” and  most recently was featured on “Dance Party In The Living Room” by UK producer Fritz von Runte, about making the most of the quarantine.

I feel so lucky to be making music and doing what I love, which has been a huge silver lining during these dark times.

AfriCali | “The Struggle”

Turned An Eviction Into A Special Retreat & Healing Place 

Our landlord lost her pilates practice and couldn’t afford her Oakland home so

Our family of four with a baby due any month now had to figure it out and find the humanity in moving out before the lease was up. In the magic of mother earth and without knowing we were blessed with a beautiful place to be away and seven thousand feet above the mountains where we could have this beautiful bundle of joy. Which would turn into a special retreat healing place after our departure this past October.

Akira AK | “Pearl”

Completed His New Release Remotely Over Zoom

My "good news, good music" story is simply how I was able to release 2 major projects this year despite everything that is going on: putting out my second EP and my first music video.  The EP in particular had been in the works for 3 years and was SO CLOSE to being done when everything started to shut down, so with the work of my engineer, we set up remote sessions via zoom that helped put the last song over the line and get the release out there! From there I was able to promote it with it's adjacent merch.

As far as my first music video is concerned; I was able to safely show up in person in NYC and film it with the help of a great videographer. The conceptualizing of the video is very special and I think speaks to the experiences some of us have had about going to that special place inside your head where you feel most powerful/comfortable/fierce to deal with whatever is going on externally. The promo for the video was also a success in terms of being able to schedule it on time and put it out there to hype the video itself. And once it was out it was really (unexpectedly) well received!

Those are just my personal success stories and I'm excited to see others' as well!

Monsterboy | “Ain’t Worth the Dime”

Played 60 Livestreams That Reached 7,000 Households

When my husband and I found ourselves without gigs and our small business closed, we decided to go live with our music and stay in touch with our fans. We cobbled together equipment from our home studio and gigging rig, going live in that first week. We really didn't know what to expect. The messages we got from people were so heartwarming, we built a little community for them night after night, reconnecting with existing fans and finding new.  In total, we did over 60 live streams during the shutdown and reached over 7k households on some streams. Entertaining and interacting with people was our way to do our part for our community. A podcast found us via the streams and started hiring us to produce music for their shows from it.

Artist: Crotona P., Producer: Pablo Brownbeats | “Silk”

Forged An International Collaboration South Africa and the USA via A Chance Facebook Meeting

I'm Pablo Brownbeats, a producer  who has been producing  since my youth and creating music for the last 12 years. I just released my new Ep with Crotona P from Rochester New York featuring Street Da Villain, Dj Shawn Touch, KING Flamez all from Rochester New York and SOLO MAJITA from Free State South Africa. The African Ep is available on digital stores and Bandcamp.  I enjoyed making this project and it will be an honor to share the leading single Titled Silk.

This project was recorded during the  early days of Covid19. Me and Crotona met over Facebook and exchanged some few words and he agreed to do the single (silk) then African EP was born.

Scott Whitfield | “A Bi-Coastal Christmas, Vol. 1, by Scott Whitfield & Friends”

Released A Christmas Album That Features Artists Who Have Passed That Started Recording in 2004.

Despite the challenges, I was able to release a Christmas album on Bandcamp!  It's available as a digital download OR a physical CD.  This is the culmination of MANY years of work (some tracks date back to 2004, and, sadly, a few of the artists who played on them are no longer with us).

John Maksym | “Drinkin’ & Thinkin’”

Worked With 22 Collaborators Spanning 7 Countries and 16 Cities

I kicked off this year as a solo recording artist for the first time in my life and had an ambitious goal of releasing music every 5 weeks. When the pandemic struck, I had just started recording my 4th single in the studio and everything got shut down. Within a couple of weeks I was able to pivot and invest money into building my own little home studio, to continue to create. With every musician in the world stuck at home, I was able to connect with a dream team of collaborators who helped me finish the song that I had started and go on to record 8 more songs through remote session recording from their own home studios. All in all I worked with 22 collaborators, spanning 7 countries and 16 cities, which I would never have thought of doing had the world not been in lockdown. It also allowed me time to revise my original release plan and build a more robust plan to release a number of singles and eventually an album throughout 2021.

Stay tuned ...There’s more Good News Coming!

[nightklok]

51 for chickles for the kiss prompts!

76 Kiss Prompts [Open]

This turned out SO long and I’m sorry-I was able to use an idea I had been wanting to use for such a long time so thanks so much!!!!

51. Public kiss Word Count:  1920

Pickles was a jealous person and he had to admit that if it wasn’t obvious enough. Most of the time, it was over stupid things he’d regret later on when he had a clear head. Though he couldn’t help but feel that this jealousy (or envy?) was justified with the fact Nathan had publicly announced his new girlfriend for possibly the umpteenth time this year alone. His girlfriend of the month was Trindle and while she seemed nice enough,it  most likely wasn’t going to last. 

He wasn’t jealous of Nathan’s relationship at all and in fact, quite glad to not be in that endless loops of dating and breakups to try and find someone. He was purely jealous that he could just announce his relationships so openly without a care in the world. 

He was happy with Charles and had been from the moment he met him to being able to actually date him. He wasn’t as stuck up or cruel like dating other celebrities would be but he had one rule on their relationship; it couldn’t go public.

The reasoning was understandable. Dethklok was just taking off and if they had even announced such a thing, it most likely would mean the end of the band or Charles’ job as their manager. It would appear too much like favoritism, would be too unprofessional, etc, etc. 

But that was at the start of their career and many years, awards, and record breaking sales later, Pickles had to wonder if that rule had become outdated. Surely the reasons they had to keep their relationship private just simply wasn’t necessary anymore.

He ended up asking the question when he was hanging around his office, waiting for him to finish up work for the night. He sat down next to him, laying his head on his shoulder as he watched him type something up on the computer.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Charles asked. He didn’t even need to look at him to tell he had something to say.

Pickles fell silent for a few moments, “When can we go public?”

He didn’t look at him but he did stop typing. His answer came just seconds later after trying to ponder about it, “I’m afraid we can’t anytime soon, Pickles. It’s just...not ideal.” 

“Well, why not?! Nate can announce a girlfriend every damn month and we can’t announce we’ve been dating this whole time?”

“It’d appear more as ah...a conflict of interest to the public if we announce that. Nathan mainly dates celebrities or regular people so it wouldn’t be as controversial compared to us.”

Pickles couldn’t help but grow more frustrated, “But we’re past the point of that, Charlie. We’ve been dating way longer than a month!” 

“I know but even then, this would have to be something carefully planned out. But where did you get this idea all of a sudden?”

Like rolling waves, whatever frustrations he was slowly pouring out calmed over, “I guess I’m just tired of having to say I’m single in every damn interview. We’ve been together for years and it’s not fair I can’t even hold hands with you in public. It just sucks, I guess.” 

“I understand how you must feel but when the time comes, I promise we’ll take that opportunity. We just have to be a bit patient.” He answered. He turned to him and took his hands as he kissed his temple, “I promise it’ll be worth the wait.” 

He couldn’t stay mad at him for long. He knew how to calm him down. He kissed him on the lips this time and used one hand to pull his chair just a bit closer, “It better damn be. Now you should finish up that work now so you can relax tonight.” By relaxing, it meant more along the lines of doing anything but as the word intended but it was more than enough to let the conversation end on a high note and be quickly forgotten about.

                                                         ______

It was months later and while he was a bit disappointed nothing had ended up changing, Pickles was content enough to just be with him. It was Snakes N’ Barrels’ anniversary and magazines were coming out with special editions on the band alone. Familiar photos mixed with new photos that somehow never got released were published in the pages as old and new articles about the band were displayed. There was one particular photo however that ended up getting surfaced and quickly became the hot topic around the band. 

Photos of Pickles (or any of the band members, really) kissing men wasn’t even a noteworthy story anymore and well known at this point. It was one newly discovered photo of him kissing some familiar guy that ended up becoming the discussion.

It was a photo from their earlier days, possibly their first tour. Someone took a behind-the-scenes photo of backstage after a show. Crew members were walking around, a reporter talking to some of the members or another seen with a random chick by their side. It was as normal as it could be but a detailed zoom in revealed the true reveal of it. Pickles’ red hair was easy to see a mile away, off in some corner of the wall where no one was paying attention to him. He had his arms wrapped around another man’s shoulders as he kissed him. The other had his arms wrapped around his waist, seeming to pull him closer.

It didn’t take long to find that man because quite frankly, it was easy thanks to the internet. All it took was online sleuthing and looking at other photographs and the man was revealed not long after the magazine published that photo. They recognized it as none other than Charles Offdensen himself. With the fact Charles’ college yearbook had shown him in the exact hairstyle and jacket in some of the clubs he was on, it was incredibly hard to even deny it.

“So, what do you wanna do?” Pickles asked once the magazine got in their hands and they were staring at the page with the photo in it. 

“I guess a quick press conference would be necessary firstly. To try and answer questions and make sure this doesn’t get as out of hand than it already is.” Charles answered. Even though he did look neutral, it was easy to tell he was just a bit nervous about it. It wasn’t like with the other scandals that could be so easily brushed under the rug. It was a photo, clear as day, and it couldn’t be denied. Any thought, possibility, outcome he had for an excuse on the photos was quickly shut down by his own logic. Telling the truth was the only route.

Pickles knew that most likely Charles was going to give some bullshit speech that it was true but they weren’t together. It hurt but it was something that had to be done and there was no denying it. He knew he was still loved; it was just simply a bad time to be a famous celebrity dating his manager, “Well, we did look cute in that photo.” It was really the only thing he could say. 

                                                                 ____

The press conference was scheduled a few hours later and the room was already packed with reporters from all over the world. 

Honestly, Pickles was prepared to give off some rehearsed speech that whatever they had then didn’t carry over to the present and they had a strictly professional relationship and more words he didn’t really believe in. But Charles didn’t even give him a piece of paper to read off on or tell him to do anything.

He didn’t even had note cards or paper or anything to read off on for himself. He simply kissed him gently, “Just trust me on this.” And that was the only thing Pickles had to do.

He walked alongside him to the stage, reporters quickly flashing cameras and shouting questions that couldn’t be heard. He stood alongside him as Charles stood behind the podium and adjusted the mic. 

“I realize by now my word isn’t even needed anymore but the photo that’s been circulating around recently is authentic.” He began. And just like that, reporters quickly began shouting. He waited for them to fall silent for him to continue, “But I would also like to add we have been in a private relationship for quite a while now. It has never affected how I treat the band and with how successful the band has become over the years, I think that should speak for itself.” 

He at least was decent enough to allow a few questions and once Pickles found his tongue, ended up answering some as well. Mainly about how they met, when they began dating and other trivial questions.

“We’ll be taking in one more question.” Charles said and picked out one person in the back row. 

“This is a question for both of you; How do you two see your future together going forward now that it’s public?” 

It was a simple question but it was one that held a lot of weight.

They doubted their relationship would really change; they had already spent years building to a close relationship. It was simply how they would behave in public around each other.

“Uh, maybe more aquarium dates?” Pickles answered for himself, “I uh don’t think it’d really change much to be honest. Other than it going from like a few people to now millions knowing about us.” 

“We’re past that point about being concerned about how others may perceive us. It’s just simply not necessary to have to keep this relationship a secret like we have for years before. I think we have proven that we’re able to keep this That is all the time we have. Thank you for your time.” 

Charles took Pickles by the hand to pull him close, and kissed him, cameras flashing and people shouting in disbelief. Even Pickles was surprised at first but didn’t protest. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around him as they shared a deep kiss that would end up blasted all over the internet by the time they walked off. 

Eventually they pulled away and walked off backstage without another word to the press. 

Pickles was all sorts of emotions but that didn’t stop him from being to able to articulate a thought, “Dude, what the hell?! You really must’ve ruined your reputation out there!” 

“We’re a part of the world’s largest band. Even if my reputation was affected, I don’t think it’d even cause a dent in our sales or reputation in general. Besides, I think we’re just confirming what everyone else thinks.” He answered, “This is probably the only opportunity we really have to be public, so why not take that chance?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. It felt so unlike him to take such a risk but at the same time, it was possibly a carefully thought out risk, “I thought it was me that had to do that kind of shit.” He had to admit though that it was nice. He finally didn’t need to hide that part of himself anymore. The part that truly loved Charles. For all the hell his past brought him, this had to be one of the few things that wasn’t bad at all. He didn’t want to let this go. He hugged and kissed him, looking up at him, “So about that aquarium date..”