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braveclementine · 3 months

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Part 4

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. Also, all of Severus and Elizabeths' childrens names are mine and mine alone. I also do not condone any copying of this.

SNAPE HOUSEHOLD- ELIZABETHS' LAB

🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶

Elizabeth scanned the paper in front of her, which listed out the ingredients and concentrations for said ingredients for her werewolf potion in front of her. As she had finally told Hermione that she would be releasing the potion to the public, she was hopping to get rid of the vomiting side effect and finally reach perfection.

Nineteen years she had been working on the potion. So many failures, so many milestones reached. And now, she had finally reached the goal she had set for herself when she was eight years old.

But her mind would not settle on the potion at all. Instead, she was thinking about the vision she had seen, back on the platform. It hadn't been important really, in fact it was really a nothingness scene. Just Albus and Scorpius sitting on the train together, eating Peppermint Imps.

Her question was, 'Why'? Was Dr. Gates messing with her again? Was this a book from the other world? Why was she receiving another 'vision' after nineteen years of nothingness.

And yet, she hoped for more. She hadn't even realized that she had missed receiving visions until now, when she had received one after so much time had passed. She missed having them, it was like greeting a long lost friend. It was like a part of her that she had found again.

Not a boom-bap rapper, I'm not stuck in 1990 I like Wu-Tang, but that vibe is kinda old and grimy Not a conscious rapper, all those rappers sound like SJ dubs Not a gangster rapper, cool enough without being a thug I'm not country rap, I don't play guitar, I don't drive a truck I don't chew tobacco, get the Chevy stuck ten feet of mud I'm not horror-core, I don't paint my face I don't trip, I can only be myself, and I am Tom Macdonald, bitch

The radio played the song, one by Tom Macdonald. Just as Dr. Gates had explained, she had grown to love the Canadian rapper and all of his music. When she had difficulty with anything, she would put it on and just listen to it. To be completely honest, she had a hard time listening to anything else.

The door opened, quiet footsteps on the stairs as Severus approached her from behind. She closed her eyes for a moment, before glancing over her shoulder to acknowledge him.

Pumping Eminem, don't mean that all you boomers really rhyme

"Hey." Severus said, glancing over at the radio. He did not share her taste in music at all.

"Hey." She said softly, tapping her fingers on the paper. It was like a subtle gap was between the two of them, one that hadn't been there this morning. She quirked her eyebrows quickly. "Uh, so I'm releasing the werewolf potion to the public. Just was going over this to see if I could get rid of the vomit side effect."

"Yeah. . ." Severus murmured. "You'll figure it out. And I'll help if you need me to."

To polite. They were being to polite.

"Look, Elizabeth. . . what did you see?" Severus asked, taking a seat on the stool across from her. Potions bubbled around the lab, different ones that the both of them were working on. New creations and old, common ones and uncommon. The bubbling was all that could be heard for a moment.

"Nothing." Elizabeth said softly with a shrug. "It was nothing."

I ain't emo rap, I ain't shedding tears, I don't cut myself I don't romanticize suicide or poor mental health I ain't backpack rap, that's my grandad's rap Please, don't take this as a diss, I'm just Tom Macdonald, bitch

Severus glared at the radio and couldn't help but let out a frustrated sound. "Nothing. Right, like the same nothing you say when I ask about your nightmares? The ones where you say Cedrics' name out loud?"

She flinched. She could still feel the cold hands choking her, Cedrics cold, dead, blue eyes staring into hers.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." She whispered, focusing solely on the paper in front of her now.

I hate Hip Hop It's full of liars and actors, these little rappers about as real as they names

"Maybe if you just let me in." Severus said desperately, reaching for her hand, which she dropped into her lap. Severus touched the paper where they had been, glancing at her. "You just need to let me into your world Elizabeth."

Elizabeth stood up, striding across the lab. She wrenched open the door and then paused in the doorway.

'Cause all these rappers are putting kids in their graves I hate Hip Hop The whole culture is cancer They'll kill their momma for some clout and a chain

"Believe me, Severus." She whispered softly. "You don't want to be in my world." She let the door close behind her. She didn't slam it, but the finality of the door clicking frustrated Severus and saddened him at the same time.

Hip Hop hates me, and I hate it too, it's been this way forever I don't move like them, I'll nev-

Severus waved his hand at the radio, which shut off. He picked up the werewolf sheet, scanning the ingredients as a way to get the fight off his mind. Immediately, he saw why vomiting would be a side-effect: she was using 30 ml of Hyacinth extract.

He looked through her past notes and then wrote a note next to the Hyacinth.

ᑕOᑌᑎTTEᖇᗩᑕT ᗯITᕼ 20 ᗰᒪ GIᑎGEᖇ

Severus sighed, setting the quill aside and stood up, slowing treading to the door of the lab. He paused then, turning back to the radio, and waved his hand at it once more to turn it back on.

Welcome to the world, baby girl, I'll paint you pink if that's okay We'll encourage self-destruction through the music that you play. . .

Severus opened the door, leaving the lab to go make dinner.

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brn1029 · 2 years

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Time for your Rock Report

The City of St. Catharines, Ontario, will honor Neil Peart by installing a pair of bronze statues of the late Rush drummer at Lakeside Park. The city's Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force has selected artist Morgan MacDonald of The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry to create the memorial alongside the Neil Peart Pavilion in Lakeside Park - a place that inspired the lyrics for the famous 1975 Rush single of the same name.

"Our monument and site design concepts are the results of an extensive personality interpretation and expression exercise that ensures meaningful relevance to people, place and legacy," said MacDonald, the sculptor. The larger-than-life-sized bronze sculptures will be connected by a pathway offering experiential and interpretive features providing insight into Peart's personal and professional legacies, including his time with the band.

Bruce Springsteen, who is set to appear as a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on NBC on Monday (November 14), will take over the show for four nights. The singer will promote his 21st studio album Only the Strong Survive on the show, debuting four songs between November 14 through November 16, and then stepping in again on the show's Thanksgiving episode on November 24. Springsteen has appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" twice before, including in 2020.

On the 20th anniversary of an all-star concert played in honor of George Harrison, The Concert For George will be screened in select theaters worldwide on November 29.

The Beatles legend was honored with the concert at Royal Albert Hall in London on November 29, 2002, on the first anniversary of his death. It featured performances by The Beatles' Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar, Gary Brooker, Joe Brown, Jools Holland, Jeff Lynne, Billy Preston and George's son Dhani Harrison.

"20 years ago, I stood on stage beside my father's dearest friends and celebrated his life and music," said Dhani Harrison. "It was one of the most beautiful things we could've done on that day to mark his passing."

"There was a lot of love involved in that show, which has been preserved in this Concert For George film. I hope you dig it," added The Beatles guitarist's son.

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scotianostra · 4 years

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Happy 78th Birthday Billy Connolly.

The comedian and actor we know as The Big Yin was born on November 24th 1942 in Glasgow, into a poor and not altogether stable family; he left school at age 15 and served as (among other jobs) a shipyard worker, a paratrooper in the Territorial Army, and a welder, the latter including a stint building an oil rig in Nigeria.

Shortly after his return, Connolly quit working and, supporting himself with the money he'd saved, concentrated on learning to play folk music on the banjo and guitar. He became a regular on the Glasgow folk scene, instantly recognizable with his wild hair and beard; he drifted in and out of several bands before forming the Humblebums with guitarist Tam Harvey in 1965. Gerry Rafferty (later of Stealers Wheel and "Baker Street" fame) joined sometime later, and the group built a following with their live performances, which spotlighted Connolly's humorous between-song bits.

As Rafferty's songs became the Humblebums' primary musical focus, tensions among the members escalated; Harvey departed, and Connolly and Rafferty recorded two albums in 1969 and 1970 before disagreements over Connolly's concert comedy split them up in 1971.

Billy soon began performing around Scotland and northern England, concentrating more on comedy but still mixing occasional folk songs into his act. 1972 saw the release of his first album, Live, and also the debut of The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a musical play Connolly co-authored with poet Tom Buchan based on his experiences in the shipyards of Glasgow. The show was a hit in Edinburgh and London, and Polydor signed Connolly to a recording contract.

In 1974, his Solo Concert album sparked protests from the Christian community over a rowdy routine in which Connolly described the Last Supper as if it had taken place in Glasgow; all the publicity only helped his career, and he was quickly becoming one of Scotland's favourite entertainers. His 1974 follow-up album, Cop Yer Whack for This, became his biggest hit yet, going gold in the U.K., and his comic take on Tammy Wynette's "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became a surprise number one hit single in 1975. That same year also saw Connolly put in star-making appearances on Michael Parkinson's chat show and at the London Palladium. He consolidated his success with a rigorous touring schedule over the next few years continuing to release comedy recordings on a regular basis into the '80s, the best known of which were In The Brownies and the theme to Supergran.

During the late '70s, Connolly had began taking on acting roles in television and film productions, and tried his hand at playwriting, with somewhat less success. His first marriage dissolved in 1981 amidst an affair with comedienne Pamela Stephenson (whom he would later marry in 1989, the same year he first shaved off his trademark shaggy beard). Taking up residence in London with Stephenson, Connolly continued his comedy career while taking on more theatrical and television roles. Toward the late '80s, his appearances on American television became more frequent, which -- along with an unsold pilot for a Dead Poets Society series -- helped Connolly land a gig replacing Howard Hesseman on the high school honour-student comedy Head of the Class in 1990.

His highest-profile American exposure was short-lived, however, as the series was cancelled after just one season; however, Connolly was back on American airwaves in early 1992, starring in the sitcom Billy. It too was cancelled after a short run, after an appearance in the film Indecent Proposal, Connolly returned home, (though he still officially resided in the Hollywood Hills).

In 1994, Billy hosted the acclaimed series World Tour of Scotland, which explored the flavour of contemporary Scottish culture. It proved so successful that Connolly hosted two further exploration-themed BBC series: 1995's A Scot in the Arctic, in which he spent a week on a remote northern Canadian island, and 1996's World Tour of Australia, lent a new respectability to Connolly 1997 Ssaw The Big Yin appear in the historical dramas Deacon Brodie and Mrs. Brown, the latter of which also featured Judi Dench and was released worldwide to much acclaim.

In 2012, Connolly provided the voice of King Fergus in Pixar's Scotland-set animated film Brave, alongside fellow Scottish actors Kelly Macdonald, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, and Kevin McKidd. Connolly appeared as Wilf in Quartet, a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play Quartet by Ronald Harwood, directed by Dustin Hoffman. In 2014, he appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Dáin II Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin II Oakenshield. Sir Peter Jackson stated that "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield."

In September 2013, Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. The announcement also stated that he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Connolly had acknowledged earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances, adding later he was also finding it hard to remember how to play his banjo.

On his 75th birthday Glasgow bestowed upon Billy three giant murals to add to the many murals in the city.

In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. He once again topped the list on Channel 5's Greatest Stand-Up Comedians, broadcast on New Year's Eve 2013. Billy's last big screen role was in 2016 in Wild Oats, which had Hollywood Stars Shirley MacLaine, Demi Moore and Jessica Lange.

In recent years he has established himself as an artist. In 2020, he stated "My art is about revealing myself" as he unveiled the fifth release of his Born on a Rainy Day collection in London.

Billy was on our small screen last year in Great American Trail, wfollowed him as he replicated the route taken by Scottish immigrants who came to America in the early 18th century. He also brought out a new book, called Tall Tales and Wee Stories, to launch it Billy's face was projected on to buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In November 2019, The Evening Times named Connolly as The Greatest Glaswegian as determined by a public poll.

Connolly is a patron of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability. His first sculpture, which is inspired by his past as a welder, was released in March 2020. as seen in the pic, the sculpture shows God welding the world together

#Scotland #scottish #comedian #actor #writer #singersongwriter #birthday #national treasure

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mushi-shield · 4 years

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Tom MacDonald - "Fake Woke"

I think it's crazy I'm the one who they labeled as controversial And Cardi B is the role model for twelve year old girls There's rappers pushing Xanax at the top of the Billboard But if I mention race in a song I'm scared I'll get killed for it It's backwards, it's getting exponentially dumb It's more difficult to get a job than purchase a gun Eminem used to gay bash and murder his mom And now he doesn't want fans if they voted for Trump We're ashamed to be American, you should probably love it 'Cause you have the right to say it and not get strung up in public As children we were taught how to walk and talk But the system wants adults to sit down and shut up Cancel culture runs the world now, the planet went crazy Label everything we say as homophobic or racist If you're white then you're privileged, guilty by association All our childhood heroes got MeToo'd or they're rapists They never freed the slaves They realized that they don't need to change They gave us tiny screens, we think we free 'cause we can't see the cage They knew that race war would be the game they'd need to play For people to pick teams, they use the media to feed the flame They so fake woke, facts don't care about feelings They know they won't tell me what to believe in They so fake woke, same old, safe zones They so fake woke, facts don't care about your feelings I think it's crazy how these people screaming "facts" but they fake woke Hate their neighbor 'cause he wears a mask or he stays home Has a daughter but his favorite artist said he slays hoes Picks her up from school, music slaps on the way home Censorship's an issue 'cause they choose what they erase There's a difference between hate speech and speech that you hate I think Black Lives Matter was the stupidest name When the system's screwing everyone exactly the same I just wanna spend Thanksgiving Day with food and my family Without being accused of celebrating native casualties We got so divided as black and white and political Republicans are bigots, libtards if you're liberal There's riots in our streets and it's just getting worse Y'all screaming defund the police, y'all are genius for sure They're underfunded already, they're way too busy to work Order food and call the cops, see what reaches you first Segregation ended, that's a lie in itself That was a strategy to make us think that we're trying to help They knew that racism was hot if they designed it to sell We buy up every single box and divide us ourselves They so fake woke, facts don't care about feelings They know they won't tell me what to believe in They so fake woke, same old, safe zones They so fake woke, facts don't care about your feelings Use violence to get peace and wonder why it isn't working That's like sleeping with a football team to try and be a virgin Politicians are for sale and someone always makes the purchase But you and I cannot afford it, our democracy is worthless If a man has mental illness call him crazy, say it silently When countries going crazy we accept it as society Get sick and take a pill when the side effects get you high You get addicted like these rappers dying fighting with sobriety Censoring the facts turns our children into idiots They claim it's for our safety, I'll tell you what it really is Removing information that empowers all the citizens The truth doesn't damage points of view that are legitimate They're tryna amen to a-men-and-women How'd we let them make praying a microaggression? Instead of asking God for the strength to keep winning We cheat to get ahead and then we ask 'em for forgiveness Feminism used to be the most righteous of fights But these days it feels like they secretly hate guys I don't trust anyone who bleeds for a week and don't die I'm just kidding, but everything else that I said is right They so fake woke, facts don't care about feelings They know they won't tell me what to believe in They so fake woke, same old, safe zones They so fake woke, facts don't care about your feelings

#Tom MacDonald #youtube

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lifestylebuz · 3 years

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Tom MacDonald Net Worth and His Biography

Tom MacDonald Net Worth: $100 Thousand Tom MacDonald is a Canadian rapper and online media character who has a net worth of $100 thousand. He has the larger section 1,000,000 YouTube endorsers and more than 100 thousand Instagram allies. Tom MacDonald conveyed the music video for his song “Helluvit” in 2018 after he posted his first YouTube video named “Tom MacDonald – Wannabe” in 2014. Tom…

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#2nd Rodeo #biggest independent rapper #Brainwashed #Canadian rapper #Emily tattoo #Fake Woke #Floralee #Ghostories #Hang over Gang #How did Tom MacDonald get famous?#musician #Nova Rockafeller #Snowflakes #vocalist #Wannabe #Where is Tom MacDonald living now?#Whiteboy

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stephenjaymorrisblog · 3 years

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It’s the Music, Not the Musician

(The Left Wing of the Bald Eagle)

July 7, 2021

Stephen Jay Morris

©Scientific Morality

I was going to write a hit piece on a country singer. Then I thought, screw it. I’ll write an analytical article on the question: Why is country music so God damned reactionary? There is an answer.

A lot of people feel that music and politics do not mix. German writer, Thomas Mann said, in 1924, “Everything is political.” Song lyrics can express love lost, love found, sentimentality, dancing, and anger about…? And…? Uh...Political opinions?

Well, Christian music is both accepted and ignored. Hare Krishna, mother fucker! Jesus Saves at Walmart! Nobody has a problem with religious songs, but insert politics? Unless they agree with the sentiment inferred, most people will fight or fly to those kinds of lyrics. Now, if you are super rich and want to brainwash the White working class, how do you send a message to them? You could have slogans emblazoned on baseball caps or Tee-shirts. It worked with ex-prez Trump. However, the majority of these people don’t care about politics. So what do you do to get through to them? You could take the culture route. You remember “Freedom Fries?” Food is one way, but it’s not nearly as effective as music—particularly the Country and Western variety.

If you want to garner support for your imperialist, petropolitical war in the Mid East, you throw around jingoistic cliches, like soldiers dying for your freedom, patriotism, love it or leave it, ad nauseam! Well, the music has nothing to do with any of those things.

I’ve always held great disdain for anyone who exploits the ignorance of the masses for their own objectives. A primary objective was to sell records to your fan base. Merle Haggard did it with “The Fighting Side of Me.” Toby Keith did it, in choleric fashion, with his pro-war song “The Angry American,” the objective being to sell a war to the unwashed masses. Thank you, Toby Keith! Note: the CIA try to sell their terrorism by planting stories in the New York Times. Anybody who thinks the New York Times is left wing should be tarred and feathered!

The latest Right wing propaganda vehicle is a ballad by a not-so-nice Jewish boy, Aaron Lewis, called “Am I the Only One?” Now, compare that with Steve Earl’s, “Christmas in Washington.” Both are great country tunes musically—soulful and bluesy. But their sentiments are completely opposite. I’d never heard of Mr. Lewis, so I recently read some of his bio. Holy shit house! He used to be in a Nu-Metal band! For those of you who don’t know, that’s “Heavy Metal Rap” music. Superficially, he looks like any other southern, White trash male. He’s got the tattoos going all over his body. BTW: in Jewish law, no tats are allowed. He certainly is no Ben Shapiro! I’ll bet he doesn’t even know who Ben Shapiro is, though they both share the same political views—but morality? Dope, sex, and Rock and Roll? Hell, no! They’re millions of miles apart! Aaron Lewis, like many Jews who migrated to the USA over the decades, wants to assimilate into the American life style. He wants to be accepted by WASP Americans. He has “Good Old Boy” envy; “Just hide your people’s history and religion.” Can you be a proud Jew while substituting it for being a proud American? Is America the greatest country or is Israel? Remember, there are no Jewish Americans, only Americans.

Then, there’s the song’s hypocrisy! Lewis’ lyrics proclaim he is willing to die for his country. Sure, you are. Leave your wife and three kids behind because you love America more than your family! Nobody is impressed. Long ago, I reached the conclusion that Nationalism and populism sucks shit! Aaron Lewis’ song is evidence of that.

Country music is not the only genre that exploits politics, either. We’ve got Rap music. Some white trash Canadian named Tom MacDonald released two songs, “Snowflake” and “Fake Woke.” He wants to get Trump supporters to buy his music. Well, they’re not.

So, what have I done for America? I pick up my trash and I don’t dump toxic waste. What have I done for the White Ruling class? Nothing!

“Come back, Woody Guthrie!” Please.

#Culture warfare #Country & Western music #poets on tumblr #Antifa #Stephenjaymorris #antiflag

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claudia1829things · 4 years

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"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" (1967) Review

"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" (1998) Review To my knowledge, there have been five adaptations of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel, "Far From the Madding Crowd". One of them is even a modern day adaptation. I have not seen this modern version of Hardy's novel. But I have seen at least three adaptations, including the 1967 version directed by John Schlesinger.

"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" - at least the 1967 version - has been highly regarded by critics, moviegoers and fans of Hardy's novel for nearly five decades. It is the adaptation that other ones have been measured against . . . much to their detriment. "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" was a different direction for Schlesinger. It would prove to be the first of five period productions directed by him. Schlesinger and screenwriter Frederic Raphael stuck as closely to Hardy's novel as they possibly could. The movie was not a hundred percent adaptation of Hardy's novel, but it was pretty close. Anyone familiar with Hardy's novel know the tale. It begins with a young 19th century Englishwoman named Bathsheba Everdene, living on a farm with her aunt, Mrs. Hurst. She meets Gabriel Oak, a former shepherd who has leased and stocked a sheep farm. Gabriel falls in love with Bathsheba and eventually proposes marriage. Although she likes Gabriel, Bathsheba values her independence too much and rejects his marriage proposal. Gabriel's fortunes take a worse for turn, when his inexperienced sheep dog drives his flock of sheep over a cliff, bankrupting him. Bathsheba, on the other hand, inherits her uncle's prosperous estate. Their paths crosses again, and she ends up hiring Gabriel as her new shepherd. Bathsheba has also become acquainted with her new neighbor, the wealthy farmer John Boldwood, who becomes romantically obsessed with her after she sends him a Valentine's Day card as a joke. He sets about wooing her in a persistent manner that she finds difficult to ignore. But just as Bathsheba is about to consider Mr. Boldwood as a potential husband, Sergeant Frank Troy enters her life and she becomes infatuated with him. Frank was set to marry one of Bathsheba's former servants, a young woman named Fanny Robin. Unfortunately, the latter showed up at the wrong church for the wedding and an angry and humiliated Frank called off the wedding. Bathsheba finds herself in the middle of a rather unpleasant love triangle between Boldwood and Frank, while Gabriel can only watch helplessly as the situation develops into tragedy. "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" is a beautiful movie to behold . . . visually. One can credit the movie's sweeping and colorful look to its iconic cinematographer Nicolas Roeg. Thanks to the latter, the English counties of Wiltshire and Dorset never looked lovelier. Not surprisingly, Roeg earned a BAFTA nomination for his work. The movie also benefited from Richard Macdonald's production designs, which did an excellent job in recreating rural England in the mid 19th century. This was especially apparent in those scenes that featured Gabriel's arrival at Shottwood, and his attempts to get hired as a bailiff or a shepherd at a hiring fair; the harvest meal at the Everdene farm; Bathsheba's meeting with Frank in Bath; the rural fair attended by Bathsheba and Mr. Boldwood; and the Christmas party held by Mr. Boldwood. I will not pretend that I found Richard Rodney Bennett's score particularly memorable. But I must admit that it blended well with the movie's plot and Schlesinger's direction. I also noticed that Bennett added traditional English folk songs in various scenes throughout the movie. I have seen at least two movie versions and one television adaptation of Hardy's novel. And it occurred to me that the main reason why I ended up enjoying all three adaptations so much is that I really liked Hardy's tale. I really do. More importantly, all three adaptations, including this 1967 movie, did an excellent job in capturing the novel's spirit. With a running time of 169 minutes, "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" took its time in conveying Hardy's story . . . with a few little shortcuts. And thanks to Schlesinger's direction and Raphael's screenplay, the movie not only recaptured both the idyllic nature of 19th century rural England, but also its harsh realities. More importantly, the movie brought alive to the screen, Hardy's complex characters and romances. Hollywood once made a movie about a woman torn between three men in 1941's "TOM, DICK, AND HARRY" with Ginger Rogers. But the complexity between the one woman and the three men was nothing in compare to this tale. Especially, when the leading lady is such a complex and ambiguous character like Bathsheba Everdene. Another aspect of "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" that I enjoyed were the interactions between the movie's leads and the supporting cast who portrayed Bathsheba's employees. Like her relationships with Gabriel, Frank and Mr. Boldwood; the leading lady's relationships with her employees - especially the women who worked inside her home - proved to be very interesting. There was a good deal of controversy when Julie Christie was announced as the actress to portray Bathsheba Everdene. Apparently, the media did not consider her capable of portraying the tumultuous mid-Victorian maiden . . . or any other period character. Well, she proved them wrong. Christie gave a very skillful and nuanced performance as the ambiguous Bathsheba, capturing the character's passion, vanity and at times, insecurity. Terence Stamp was another actor more associated with the Swinging Sixties scene in London, but unlike Christie, his casting did not generate any controversy. I might as well place my cards on the table. I think Stamp proved to be the best Frank Troy I have seen on screen, despite the first-rate performances of the other two actors I have seen in role. He really did an excellent job in re-creating Frank's charm, roguishness and unstable nature. Thanks to Stamp's performance, I can see why Schlesinger became so fascinated with the character. Despite Christie and Stamp's popularity with moviegoers, the two actors who walked away with nominations and an award were Peter Finch and Alan Bates. No matter how interesting all of the other characters were, I personally found the William Boldwood character to be the most fascinating one in Hardy's tale. And Peter Finch, who won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor did a superb job in bringing the character to life. Finch beautifully re-captured the nuances of a character that I not only found sympathetic, but also a bit frightening at times. Alan Bates earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the stalwart Gabriel Oak, which I believe he fully deserved. I think portraying such a minimalist character like Gabriel must be quite difficult for any actor. He is a character that required real skill and subtlety. Bates certainly did the job. The actor managed to convey the passion that Gabriel harbored for Bathsheba without any theatrical acting and at the same time, convey the character's introverted and sensible nature. The movie also benefited from some skillful and solid work from its supporting cast that included Golden Globe nominee Prunella Ransome, who portrayed the tragic Fanny Robin; Fiona Walker (from 1972's "EMMA"); Alison Leggatt; John Barrett; and iconic character actor, Freddie Jones. As much as I enjoyed "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD", there were some aspects of the production that I found troublesome. Earlier, I had pointed out that Schlesinger had seemed so fascinated by the Frank Troy character. And while this contributed to Terence Stamp's presence in the movie, Schlesinger's handling of the character threatened to overshadow the entire movie. Quite frankly, he seemed a bit too obsessed with Frank for my tastes. This heavy emphasis on Frank - especially in two-thirds of the movie - also seemed to overshadow Bathsheba's relationship with Gabriel Oak. At one point, I found myself wondering what happened to the character. Worse, the chemistry between Julie Christie and Alan Bates had somewhat dissipated by the movie's last act to the point that it barely seemed to exist by the end of the movie. And Schlesinger allowed the "ghost" of Frank Troy to hover over Bathsheba and Gabriel's future relationship by ending the movie with a shot of a toy soldier inside the Everdeen-Oak household. No wonder Stamp was credited as the male lead in this film. There were other aspects of "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" that either troubled me or failed to impress me. I am at a loss on how Prunella Ransome earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Fanny Robin. Mind you, she gave a very good performance. But she was on the screen for such a small amount of time that there seemed to be no opportunity for the narrative to delve into her character. Ransome's Fanny came off as a plot device and a part of me cannot help but blame Hardy's original novel for this failure. Although I cannot deny that Nicholas Roeg's cinematography was visually beautiful to me; I also found myself annoyed by his and Schlesinger's overuse of far shots. It reminded me of how director William Wyler and cinematographer Franz F. Planer nearly went overboard in their use of far shots in the 1958 western, "THE BIG COUNTRY". I read somewhere that Alan Barrett had earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Costume Designs for this film. I do not mean to be cruel, but how in the hell did that happened? I have to be frank. I was not impressed with the costumes featured in this film. Although I managed to spot a few costumes that struck me as a well-done re-creation of fashion in the mid-to-late 1860s, most of the other costumes looked as if they had been rented from a warehouse in Hollywood or London. Not impressed at all. Aside from my complaints, I enjoyed "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" very much. A good deal of delight in the film originated with Thomas Hardy's original tale. But if I must be honest, a good deal of filmmakers have screwed up a potential adaptation with either bad writing, bad direction or both. Thankfully, I cannot say the same about "FAR FROM MADDING CROWD". Thanks to the first-rate artistry of the film's crew, a well-written screenplay by Frederic Raphael, a very talented cast led by Julie Christie; director John Schlesinger did an excellent in bringing Hardy's tale to the screen.

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sagehaleyofficial · 5 years

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HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (11.6-11.12.19):

NEW MUSIC:

· With Confidence premiered their cover and music video of Train’s iconic track “Drops of Jupiter.” The band, along with many others, are contributors to the second volume of Songs That Saved My Life by Hopeless Records and their nonprofit organization, Sub City.

· Poppy premiered her brand new track “BLOODMONEY,” alongside a video that finds her kicking ass and taking names. This comes after wrapping up a run on the Threesome Tour with Bring Me the Horizon and Sleeping with Sirens.

· Originally slated to be released last Friday, All Time Low livestreamed their tribute Nothing Personal documentary a day early on Twitch. Speaking with Alternative Press, frontman Alex Gaskarth revealed the reasoning behind the band’s decision to rerecord the album.

· Bring Me the Horizon debuted their fiery new track “Ludens” from the forthcoming soundtrack Death Stranding: Timefall (Original Music from the World of Death Stranding). Yesterday, the band shared their new action-packed music video for the song.

· The Blink-182 live album, The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!), is finally available to stream again in certain regions on Spotify. Recorded in 1999, the album includes material from the trio’s first three albums: Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State.

· Motionless in White released a new music video for their song “Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride.” They also added more dates to their co-headlining tour with Beartooth and revealed Stick to Your Guns will be joining them on the full 2020 run.

· You, Me and Everyone We Know teased fans on their social media accounts and also posted a video of an acoustic track on their website, marking their first new song since 2016. Back in 2016, the band revealed in a Tumblr post explaining their reasoning for calling it quits.

· Fireworks released a brand new track last Thursday titled “Demitassem,” making the song the first new music by the band since 2014. They also tweeted a link to a website that offers a survey and then takes you to the song.

· After the announcement that their new album You’re Welcome would be released November 15, A Day to Remember took to Instagram last Friday to delay it. The album is now slated to be released in early 2020.

· As It Is’ latest EP in their reimagined versions series, Acceptance: Reimagined, was released and features reimagined versions of “The Haunting,” “The Hurt, The Hope” and “The End.” Starting this past March, the band have been reworking The Great Depression into different styles.

· Waterparks felt like taking control of their old music and released a medley of sorts of some songs from their second album, Entertainment. While the 7:43 song features elements from the entire album, it showcases “Tantrum”, “Crybaby” and “Peach (Lobotomy).”

· Billie Eilish took to Twitter to announce her new single “Everything I Wanted.” The song will be Eilish’s first new music since her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, was released in March of this year.

· Silverstein announced plans to release an album of concert recordings, LIVE: When Broken is Easily Fixed. Slated for release November 19th, the record is compiled from various recordings from their 2018-2019 tour centered on their debut album of the same name.

· Weezer snagged Adam DeVine and Barak Hardley, who appear in the upcoming comic thriller Spell, for the strangest therapy session in their “California Snow” video. The band dropped their Black Album earlier this year.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

· Falling in Reverse canceled their forthcoming Episode IV Tour with Crown the Empire and Tom MacDonald, set to kick off last Thursday, November 7th. The cancellation comes with the tragic news of guitarist Derek Jones’ fiancé suffering complications from her metastatic cancer.

· Angels & Airwaves announced the addition of a second leg for their upcoming winter tour, which will kick off in January 2020. The news comes on the heels of the release for AVA’s “Kiss & Tell” music video.

· Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and AWOLNATION are teaming up for the Lightning Riders Tour next summer. The run kicks off in late May in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and wraps up in Troutdale, Oregon, in June.

· My Chemical Romance added another show for their reunion run at Download Japan 2020. Billboard also confirmed former touring drummer Jarrod Alexander would join them for the reunion shows, and the band revealed Thursday would be their opener.

· Billie Eilish headed to White’s label studio in Nashville last Wednesday with brother and collaborator FINNEAS. She is also partnering with Global Citizen to offer fans a chance to work their way into the shows on her tour.

· Ed Sheeran joined ONE OK ROCK onstage at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on the latter’s Eye of the Storm Japan Tour. ONE OK ROCK supported Sheeran on the Asia leg of his Divide World Tour in April and May earlier this year.

· Fall Out Boy played a “special show” with iHeartRadio in Seattle yesterday and offered locals the chance to attend at no cost. The band are preparing to release another greatest hits record and live-streamed the entire gig, also doing a Q&A and chat about their upcoming tour.

· In This Moment announced that they are bringing along Black Veil Brides, DED and Raven Black for a spring tour. The In Between Tour kicks off March 24th at the Orlando House of Blues and wraps up May 17th in Morrison, Colorado, at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

OTHER NEWS:

· Green Day fans were quick to spot Lou Taylor Pucci, the actor who portrayed St. Jimmy in the band’s “Jesus of Suburbia” music video, in an episode of American Horror Story: 1984. The video followed the teen’s heartbreak and struggles opposite Whatsername, portrayed by Kelli Garner.

· My Chemical Romance frontman, Gerard Way, announced that Doom Patrol is receiving a special stand-alone issue in the series written by DC imprint Young Animal’s Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad. He announced the new comic on his Instagram account last Wednesday.

· Circa Survive and Saosin vocalist, Anthony Green, revealed via Twitter he has relapsed in his addiction. Many of Green’s fans and fellow artists responded in support for the musician, and he previously penned an essay for Spotify about his journey with substance abuse.

· The Black Parade has officially re-entered the Billboard 200 chart. According to Chart Data, which tracks various Billboard charts and collects data on the most popular albums and EPs, this is My Chemical Romance’s first entry in over two years.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Rome: The Long Road of the Original HBO Epic

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It was the biggest show ever produced when it premiered on HBO. Filming in exotic international locations and on sets that went on for blocks, it was an epic spectacle that many whispered couldn’t be done on television. Not with its hundreds of extras in lavish costumes, and not with its cast of more than a dozen major characters. Yet HBO gambled big with a budget that exceeded $100 million on its first season.

These details might be mistaken by many as the genesis of Game of Thrones. But before HBO’s song of ice and fire, this was also the origin of the first actual modern TV epic. It was the story of Rome.

In its debut, Rome was even more gargantuan in scale and opulent in design than Thrones’ first few years. Filmed at the legendary facilities of Cinecittà Studios in the actual Rome, HBO and showrunner Bruno Heller oversaw a vast recreation of antiquity during the life and times of Julius Caesar. From the austere grandeur of the pre-imperial Roman Forum to the eventual seediness of the gangs on the Aventine Hill, the final days of the Roman republic were reimagined in sweaty, shocking, and spectacularly expensive detail.

“We used the most modern scholarship, which suggests that all the sculptures were painted,” Heller says over Zoom as we reminisce about Rome and its Cinecittà extravagance 15 years after the series’ 2005 premiere. Every morning Heller would be up at 4am, arriving early on set and getting lost in the art direction’s colors. “Walking out there at dawn into the Forum and seeing this world created, it was just magical. It gives me goosebumps now thinking about it, seeing a hundred [Gaul] tribesmen on horseback with great furry helmets charging down a hillside yelling, that sort of thing. No one makes things like that anymore. Even something like Game of Thrones would use CGI for the kind of things that we were doing for real.”

Actor Kevin McKidd, who played one half of Rome’s soul, the honorable to a fault Lucius Vorenus, expresses similar awe when he thinks back at what they accomplished.

“I mean listen, none of these budgets were small, but I think Game of Thrones ended up being smaller than ours,” McKidd correctly points out. Whereas Rome was budgeted at $100 million when it premiered, Game of Thrones debuted with a more reasonable starting price tag of $60 million. Says McKidd, “Ours, it was the first time anybody had tried this, so we just had to spend the money. And I think they figured out, it seems, ways to do it smarter or for less… because our show came out of the gate just huge and bawdy and big, and unapologetic.”

Heller is even more succinct in describing Rome’s making.

“Most films, and even TV, is planning for battle,” Heller says. “Planning for a big TV series like [Rome] is like planning for war, for a campaign. It’s invading Russia.” He pauses, “You have to think about the retreat, as well.”

This was Rome’s war: brief, bloody, and beautiful.

‘Very Unlikely to Be Made’

When HBO first hired Heller to take a crack at a Rome treatment, he didn’t think for a minute it would get made. In the early 2000s, HBO was a different place than it is now. The Sopranos and Sex and the City of course turned the premium cable network into the leader of the prestige cable revolution—or harbinger of peak TV as it would later be called—and the network had its eye on bigger and more dazzling projects. In 2001 HBO even released the most expensive miniseries ever up to that point with Band of Brothers. But that World War II-set series also had the names Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks attached as producers. The network still relied on bankability.

So when Heller took a meeting about Rome, he was acutely aware he’d be unable to lend that same prestige to a sword and sandals epic. He’d written some scripts before at HBO and admired the vision of then-HBO chairman Chris Albrecht and Carolyn Strauss, then-president of HBO’s entertainment division. But he was being called in to discuss a show based on a preexisting miniseries pitch by John Milius and William J. MacDonald—a pitch the network was already wary toward.

“It’s one of those projects that’s really going for broke and very unlikely to be made, [given] the budget that was required,” Heller recalls of HBO’s attitude toward Milius and his vision. “They were paying me to write a script to take it at least to a respectable point at which time they can say, ‘Okay, thank you.’”

Citing himself as “cheap” at the time, Heller recognized it was easier to pay a young writer for a treatment than a whole production crew for a pilot. So he used the opportunity as an excuse to immerse himself in Roman history and lore. This began via conversations with his co-creators Milius and MacDonald. Their central conceit already had in place the three characters of young Octavian, the boy who would be Augustus, first Emperor of Rome, as well as Roman centurions Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.

In history, as with the series, Pullo and Vorenus were the only Roman soldiers who Julius Caesar mentioned by name in his journals. But other than being Roman centurions in the 13th Legion, not much else is known of the men. And Heller took his first major liberty when he lit on the idea of changing Pullo from a centurion to a coarse, insubordinate soldier beneath Vorenus’ command.

It was a savvy move that mapped the heart of the Rome series. Whereas most other fictions about this oft-dramatized era in history focused on the lives of the legendary patricians—be it Caesar and Octavian, or Marc Antony and Cleopatra—Rome would maintain all those characters and the lower tiers in daily Roman life. Through the introduction of Pullo and Vorenus, and their contentious friendship, the fall of the Roman republic suddenly becomes an upstairs/downstairs dramedy.

Says Heller, “The model that first sparked me on ‘oh, this is how to play it’ was [Tom Stoppard’s] Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, because the larger story is so well known, like Hamlet, that it’s hard to tell that story. The downstairs story has to be more compelling than the upstairs story, because the upstairs story, a little like Batman, is a given. It’s a myth. Everyone knows what happens.”

It also allowed Heller to dive into modern research.

“There was a lot of very recent scholarship at that time that transformed people’s sense of what Roman [history] was,” Heller explains. “There was much more about the everyday life of Roman people, about how people would have lived in apartment blocks in the insular working class life, and looking at it from that modern perspective.”

Reflecting on the dirtiness and filth that would be in the Roman Forum, the showrunner adds, “It’s lucky that practically every previous representation of Rome on any scale kind of went for the grand imperial late Edward Gibbon velvet drapes and marble columns. Even Gladiator went for that. Whereas, in fact, it looked much more like Calcutta or Bombay, and smelled like that.”

This also provided the writer the chance to explore Roman culture and custom with a greater push for authenticity than many Hollywood films of yore. For example, Heller attempted to learn how to read Latin at least as well as the uneducated Pullo—though he says he only got about as far as being able to recognize “oh that’s a pub” if he were walking the streets. More successfully he came to understand his vision of the Pagan working class mentality when he wrote a scene of Pullo praying to Portunus, the Roman god of locks and keys.

It all informed an extravagant treatment for a series he’d end up writing half the episodes of (and he tells us all 22 installments of the show passed through his typewriter before shooting). Yet, at least per the co-creator, what got Rome greenlit was as much his innovations as the developments of an entirely different epic series at HBO.

“[Chris Albrecht] was looking for something that had to be big and that they had to put money behind,” Heller says. “I think it was going to be Mel Gibson doing Alexander.” Indeed, at the same time HBO was developing Rome, the network was also working with the then-beloved Oscar winning director behind Braveheart for a 10-part series on Macedonian conquest.

“Then it turned out that Mel Gibson was going to do Alexander but he wouldn’t be Alexander,” Heller says. “[But] they didn’t want to be in business with Mel Gibson as a director-producer without Mel Gibson as [the star].”

As Gibson’s project imploded, Rome’s prospects would rise, sans any stars. Clearly things in the entertainment industry were about to change.

A Bottle of Tequila in the Roman Forum

When speaking with McKidd over Zoom, the actor’s affection for Rome is profound. Not 20 feet from his screen rests Lucius Vorenus’ sword, which he safely keeps in his own home. Similarly, within the actor’s mind resides nothing but warm memories. He reminisces about seeing his children spend summers growing up around the actual ruins of the Roman Forum and Colosseum during production; and he savors still the long nights at Cinecittà with British theater legends like Kenneth Cranham, a fellow Scotsman who played Pompey Magnus.

“It was an incredibly social time,” says McKidd. “It was almost like summer camp for British actors. We all got to live there; we went out for long dinners every night and we’d speak to Kenneth and all the older actors, who told us such amazing stories about all their time in the theater.”

But one relationship, perhaps the most significant of the entire series, was that shared by McKidd and his co-star Ray Stevenson, aka Titus Pullo. While there were of course other vital parts to the series, from worldly Ciarián Hinds as Caesar to Tobias Menzies’ despairingly well-intentioned Brutus—and one must never overlook Polly Walker’s Machiavellian Atia of the Julii (Heller’s favorite character)—the heart and soul of the series belongs to Pullo and Vorenus, the odd couple of 48 BCE.

Off-screen McKidd and Stevenson had known each other for years through mutual friends, but it wasn’t until they were in the final round of chemistry auditions in a Covent Garden hotel that they began a significant lifelong friendship. But then, it was a late epiphany to cast the red-haired and fiery McKidd as the straight-laced Vorenus.

For the actor, the process began early when he bumped into Heller, as well as executive producer Anne Thomopoulos and director Michael Apted, while in Romania. At the time, McKidd was there filming the TV movie Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004), as it was cheaper to shoot a period piece about 16th century Scottish court intrigue in eastern Europe than actual Scotland. The Rome team was entertaining a similar idea.

“I’m strutting around in my thigh-high leather boots and period costume, and we’re riding horses and swinging swords, and all that stuff and having a great old time,” says McKidd. “And I hear these American voices in the corridor, so I come out, and here is this guy called Bruno Heller.” They immediately got to chatting about the Danny Boyle movie McKidd did, Trainspotting (1996), and about this new TV series focused on ancient Rome. McKidd quickly prepared with his current director a film reel of himself riding horses.

Yet when HBO finally sent him a script, the producers didn’t want him for the Vorenus role; they saw him as Pullo.

HBO’s Rome Ending Was Originally Very Different

By David Crow

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On the casting process, McKidd remembers, “I said to them, ‘I’d love to come in and read, but I would really much rather read for the part of Lucius Vorenus.’ And they were like, ‘No, we really see you as maybe Pullo, can you read for Pullo?’ So I said, ‘Okay.’ So I came in and I read for Pullo. And they’re like, ‘Okay.’ Then a week goes by, and they call and they say, ‘We really love you, but maybe can you come in and read for Marc Antony?’”

So it continued until McKidd begged to get a screen test for Vorenus. It even took so long he initially considered turning the series down in favor of indie projects he was already committing to. That was at least a thought he had on the set of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005) until word got around at the pub to co-star Liam Neeson.

“I came down to the bar and Liam was pointing his finger at me and he was like, ‘You, I need to have a word with you outside,’�� McKidd says. “And I was like, ‘Ah shit.’” Out in a snow-covered Spanish countryside, Neeson commanded, “Go to a phone booth, find a phone right now. Call your agent and hope and pray they haven’t offered that part to somebody else.”

They had not, and soon enough McKidd was flying alongside Stevenson to the actual city of Rome.

“I remember me and Ray going to Rome in the spring… with Michael Apted, walking around this back lot at Cinecittà, and it was all just scaffolding at that time, there was no frontage. I remember Michael turned to me and Ray and said, basically, we can’t fuck this up, because it was so huge. It was so beyond anything that any of us had ever seen.”

With red paint chipping across weathered doors, and mules grazing in the squares, a Roman Forum unlike any other came alive in the same space where Martin Scorsese just filmed Gangs of New York. The sense of size and scale was overwhelming, as was the pressure on Stevenson and McKidd to anchor it. Fifteen years later, McKidd is candid about how that tension shaped each man and, in the actor’s mind, the series.

During the last day of production on the first season, after shooting had wrapped and festivities began, McKidd and Stevenson found themselves sharing a quiet set of stairs leading up to their Roman senate. Between them was a bottle of tequila. Off in the distance, the faint sound of wrap party debauchery was rising to a muffled roar, yet the central stars of Rome were keeping their own company and having a long overdue conversation.

“I don’t think Ray would be mad at me for telling this story because we’re still close friends and I love him dearly,” McKidd says with a measured tone. “Initially, he and I clashed. We just had very different styles. Ray’s this big larger than life personality, and as Bruno would say, I’m much more this ‘Presbyterian,’ or you could say a little more controlling… and we ended up at loggerheads a lot, and fighting, and being difficult in the first season.”

Yet as McKidd is quick to point out, this translated to perfect chemistry on the screen, as Pullo and Vorenus were often “at loggerheads” during the first season, which culminated with Vorenus’ life imploding on the same day as Caesar’s assassination. Meanwhile Pullo found some semblance of peace. But here in the twilight of a recreated Roman Forum, the season was getting a much needed post-script.

“The wrap party is going on somewhere, and we can hear the music,” McKidd says, “and he and I just sat out there sharing the bottle of tequila. And we had it out, you know? Because we both had been holding stuff in for the season about things that annoyed each other… We got all of it off our chest and we ended up just having a huge hug, and we threw this bottle, this [now] empty bottle of tequila, into the middle of the Forum. We made a pact with each other that from that point on we were going to be the closest of friends, and we still are.”

In many ways, it mirrored the coming dynamic between Pullo and Vorenus in season 2, which McKidd likewise recognizes.

“Our bond was unbreakable in the second season,” he says. “You see that chemistry shift and move, and morph throughout the two seasons, and it pretty much tracks Ray and my relationship.” And it would prove indispensable that second year, especially as both characters, like their actors, were forced to close ranks and face that the end was nigh.

The Cost of Doing Business Like the Romans Do

Founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini, the international renown of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios has long superseded its less than auspicious beginnings. Celebrated as the home to a highly skilled community of filmmaking artisans, Cinecittà’s name is inseparable with legendary filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, and Sergio Leone. And it’s been the site of landmark Hollywood productions, such as Roman Holiday (1953), Ben-Hur (1959), and even the notorious Cleopatra (1963). Yet as Heller points out, no American production has been back to Cinecittà since Rome.

Says the creator, “It’s Italy, I love it, and it’s part of the culture, but you were there to be picked over and for them to, in completely formal and legitimately legal ways, take as much money out of the production as possible.” He pauses to smile and choose his next words carefully about the difference between shooting a movie and TV series in that environment.

“With a series, you’re making long-term relationships,” he continues. “It’s like a marriage. A movie is a one-night stand. You can be a bastard to everyone on a movie and you’re never going to see them again. So the result is more important than the relationships. In a TV series, the relationships are more important, in the end. It’s pointless having a successful first season of a show and then you can’t do the second season because no one will work together.”

This is not to say the only reason Rome was prematurely cancelled had to do with frustrations over the cost of doing business in Rome—McKidd also cites, for example, Rome eating up too much of HBO’s production budget from other projects in 2006. Nonetheless, reports of high-finance rigamarole even reached the cast.

Says McKidd, “I heard enough to know [about] the scaffolding. I don’t know how many tons of scaffolding was used to build that set, but I remember one of the earlier conversations was, ‘We need to buy this much scaffolding.’ And the people at Cinecittà were like, ‘You can’t buy that much scaffolding, but you can rent it from my brother.’”

Both Heller and McKidd insist there was no criminality or dishonesty about this, and it was simply the way things are done. But for the creator, word was executives high above his pay grade were disturbed by the Byzantine labyrinth of Italian politics. So much so it became contagious throughout Hollywood.

“At one stage, the Italian government issued arrest warrants or provisional arrest warrants for all the fiduciary producers of the show,” Heller recalls. “And that’s a sort of a standard Italian business practice, but when buttoned-down straight-laced lawyers from New York are flying out to Rome and discovering that this is [how business is done], people were spooked.”

It was also just a contributing factor to Rome’s untimely cancellation, which occurred during the pre-production process of season 2—and before the series’ popularity would explode with the international DVD sales and second season launch.

Heller was so far into writing the second season that they were in prep, gearing up to film the second season premiere, when he got the call it was over. The havoc this wreaked on Rome’s remaining 10 episodes, with one of them ready to shoot, was immediate.

When the first season concluded, Gaius Julius Caesar was dead, Vorenus had lost the love of his life, and Rome was headed toward civil war. The second season was always meant to be the fallout of that war, with a study in the brief and doomed alliance of Marc Antony (James Purefoy) and young Octavian (Max Pirkis), as well as the woman between them, Octavian’s mother and Antony’s lover, Atia. All of that, plus the death of Brutus and the other conspirators, would still occur in season 2… but so would Antony’s flight to Egypt and the eventual civil war between a now adult Octavian (Simon Woods) and Antony and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal).

“I had to reconceive the second season basically from scratch,” Heller says with lingering exasperation. “Because when you take out that much history, the jump between the death of Caesar and Marc Antony taking over, and his death in Egypt, it was a huge amount of quite obscure but great, scandalous, fascinating, eventful history.” Most of it had to be jettisoned, too, between Brutus’ death and Antony declaring in his will that Caesar and Cleopatra’s son is Caesar’s true heir.

Some critics and fans were disappointed with the visibly breakneck pace of the second season. Others found it an exciting retelling of that period. One of Rome’s stars seems to be in the middle.

“I think the second season was successful in some ways, but it also feels, in my mind, a little rushed,” McKidd confesses. “And I think Bruno would say that too. Just because so much story was crushed and sort of concentrated down into season 2. I love [it], but I definitely felt like it was a lot condensed in.”

And yet, McKidd and Heller both seem to lean more toward a satisfaction with it. In fact, the producer even suggests the ending with the ascension of Octavian to imperial status (he takes the title “First Citizen”) was the perfect grace note. While it’s well known among fans the series had a five-season bible with Cleopatra and Antony’s deaths originally marking the end of season 4, and season 5 following Vorenus and Pullo going to Palestine in time for the birth of Christ, that was never Heller’s favorite part.

“That was one of the elements that Milius was fascinated by that I had no interest in whatsoever, frankly, trying to tie it in to the birth of Christ. Because, at the time, it meant nothing. It would have to be a completely different story. Put it another way, no Romans were worried or thinking about the coming of the Messiah.”

It was a Christmas story Heller didn’t want to tell. Even so, he had some interesting ideas already in place, including a vision of the ancient Holy Lands being closer to Monty Python’s Life of Brian than Ben-Hur.

“Palestine was in ferment at the time, and messiahs were popping up all over the place,” Heller says. “Judaism, at that point, was in a moment very much like Islam at the moment, full of passion and ferment and faith, and dreams of martyrdom.”

Like much else with Rome, it feels like a fascinating opportunity left unfulfilled, but one that the creator is glad to leave unexplored.

All Roads Lead to Rome’s Legacy

Rome shined briefly but brightly on premium cable. Premiering in the fall of 2005, it was gone by spring ’07. But even shortly after its cancellation, there were some small whispers of regret because of the show’s DVD sales; whispers that continue to be heard by stars of the series. McKidd says if you asked HBO in 2020, some would likely wince again at cancelling it, as he heard they did by the time season 2 aired. But “they couldn’t go back on that, or felt they couldn’t.”

But if it burned off like a Roman candle—with fire and thunder in its wake—the show still provided a roadmap for how to produce a massive spectacle as a television series.

“I think a lot of the producers that aren’t the ones that you hear about mostly, like Frank Doelger… were all pivotal on Rome and went directly into Game of Thrones,” McKidd says. “Frank Doelger was one of the main producers, and he very much was the guy who whipped our show into shape and we learned a lot of lessons. So yeah, I think very directly, those people went into Game of Thrones and had learned a lot about how to do this kind of level [of production.]”

Heller likewise marvels at how HBO learned from Rome’s problems with its initially more affordable and tighter fantasy epic.

“The way they divided crews up in Game of Thrones, it was clever because there was always a general staff of central command, but they had more than one general, and they didn’t lose control of the generals,” Heller says.

And just as Rome carved a path for the modern era of epic television shows, Game of Thrones has now created a space for more diverse TV epics like Netflix’s The Witcher and Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series.

“[We were] ahead of the curve in the sense that it was too early,” Heller says. “But it’s not so much the audience [changed], as it is the appetite and the ability of networks and studios to make things of that size and to promote them and to market them, and to have faith and the courage to back them up.”

This series walked so that Peak TV could run. It’s a formidable legacy, and one that proves all roads in blockbuster television really do lead back to Rome.

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valmos · 4 years

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New Scooby-Doo Mysteries 11-13 + End Thoughts

Episode 11: Sherlock Doo

Monster: Ghost of Sherlock Holmes

Interests: Fred is driving the Mystery Machine. In London for some Sherlock Mystery thing. (No Velma... which is odd since she was a big Sherlock fan.) Another weirdness where Sherlock is being treated as a real person, though so far this episode doesn’t present him as also fictional, just previous episodes. Scooby gets some fish and chips, Shaggy and Scooby eat em all. “Dog? Where?” Daphne tricks a guard into breaking them out of jail. Fred, Daphne, and Scrappy lock up their guard. They then go and break Scooby and Shaggy out of jail. Gang breaks into a wax museum. Gang breaks into Buckingham Palace. Daphne, Fred, and Scrappy get caught, but Shaggy and Scooby manage to get away.

Episode 12(a): A Scarey Duel with a Cartoon Ghoul

Monster: Monster Mutt

Interests: Going to see where they make Scrappy’s favorite cartoon, “Hero Hound”. Monster Mutt looks like a buffed bipedal DynoMutt. Ralph The Guard’s prototype appears in the character Dimwittie. (Frank Welker gave them the same voice) Scrappy makes a crappy cartoon during this episode.

(Okay so I normally look at a wiki after watching a series to see if there is any interesting behind the scenes stuff or just stuff I missed. And well I thought I was just joking about Ralph The Guard, but apparently I wasn’t? Dimwittie was originally going to be called Ralph, but after the voice Frank Welker gave him his name was changed. Tom Rugger wrote this episode and he based Ralph The Guard on Dimwittie and Welker’s performance. So Welker didn’t so much give them same voice as he was told to do the same voice haha)

Episode 12(b): E*I*E*I*O

Monster: 30 Foot Tall Mouse

Interests: Old MacDonalds’s E.I.E.I.O. Experimental Institute for Evolutionary Improvement of Organisms. Scooby starts singing the song. Old MacDonald: ”I’m the director here at E.I.E.I.O. and on this farm we have a big mystery” Scooby eats a PB&J that grew on a tree. Milking woman singing Old MacDonald. Scooby saves the mouse and it turns on who was controlling it. Giant mouse is returned to normal and joins faux-gang 2.0 (never to be seen again *Unsolved Mysteries theme plays*)

Episode 13: The Nutcracker Scoob

Monster: Ghost of Christmas Never

Interests: Fred is here. Christmas is here. Deck the Hall is song, but with members of the gang included: “Daphne dress likes Kris Kringle” “Freddie sings a yule time jingle” “Scrappy-Doo will juggle for us” “Shaggy puts the stage together” :Scooby-doo enjoys the weather”. Fred brought the gang to this orphanage. (While the episode title suggests nutcracker, it seems we are christmas carol) A cat that sounds very much like M.A.D. Cat is with the Scrooge like character, even looks like a solid grey version of M.A.D. Cat (... actually I think Frank Welker voiced M.A.D. Cat, and he probably voices this one too). I think I remember this episode too, like cartoon network used to have Christmas cartoon marathons. Gang is putting on a play of .. Christmas Carol, but Scrappy is dressed like a sugarplum fairy? Gang runs out of the orphanage, leaving the kids? or did the kids already leave? Shaggy and the dogs sing Santa Clause is coming to town. Sleigh that has the same color scheme as the Mystery Machine. The cook for the Scrooge-type speaks like Julia Child. Okay, so they are putting on both the Nutcracker Suite and Christmas Carol... or well they are putting on a condensed version of The Nutcracker. Cat’s name is Snowball. Scrooge-like has been super heartless, but truly cares about his cat when it is in danger. One of the kids saves Snowball and Scrooge-like starts melting, and finds the Christmas spirit.

End Thoughts: This series was... a little wild. Most episodes were good or decent, a couple not so much. A few episodes were good but also super WTF in what was going on, like the ghost alien one that felt like a D&D game. All in all an enjoyable series. It was cool to have Velma and Fred back, but wish they were around for the whole thing instead of three episodes, and then a solo Velma and two solo Fred.

Actually vaguely remembered one episode and remembered a good chunk of another, feels like it has been so long since I remembered something more than an intro.

#valmos watches scooby-doo #I saw the first episode of 13 ghosts so many times and other episodes a good amount but never the end #So I am excited!

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Bill Withers

William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. He recorded several major hits, including "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Use Me" (1972), "Lean on Me" (1972), "Lovely Day" (1977), and "Just the Two of Us" (1980). Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for four more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early life

Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia on July 4, 1938. He was born with a stutter and has said he had a hard time fitting in. Raised in nearby Beckley, he was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17, and served for nine years, during which time he overcame his stutter and became interested in singing and writing songs.

He left the Navy in 1965 and he relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a musical career. Withers worked as an assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping them around and performing in clubs at night. When he debuted with the song "Ain't No Sunshine", he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry.

Career

Sussex records

During early 1970, Withers's demonstration tape was auditioned favorably by Clarence Avant, owner of Sussex Records. Avant signed Withers to a record deal and assigned former Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones to produce Withers' first album. Four three-hour recording sessions were planned for the album, but funding caused the album to be recorded in three sessions with a six-month break between the second and final sessions. Just as I Am was released in 1971 with the tracks, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands" as singles. The album features Stephen Stills playing lead guitar. On the cover of the album, Withers is pictured at his job at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California, holding his lunch box.

The album was a success, and Withers began touring with a band assembled from members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Withers won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "Ain't No Sunshine" at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972. The track had already sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in September 1971.

During a hiatus from touring, Withers recorded his second album, Still Bill. The single, "Lean on Me" went to number one the week of July 8, 1972. It was Withers’s second gold single with confirmed sales in excess of three million. His follow-up, "Use Me" released in August 1972, became his third million seller, with the R.I.A.A. gold disc award taking place on October 12, 1972. His performance at Carnegie Hall on October 6, 1972, was recorded, and released as the live album Bill Withers, Live at Carnegie Hall on November 30, 1972. In 1974, Withers recorded the album +'Justments. Due to a legal dispute with the Sussex company, Withers was unable to record for some time thereafter.

During this time, he wrote and produced two songs on the Gladys Knight & the Pips record I Feel a Song, and in October 1974 performed in concert together with James Brown, Etta James, and B.B. King in Zaire four weeks prior to the historic Rumble in the Jungle fight between Foreman and Ali. Footage of his performance was included in the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, and he is heard on the accompanying soundtrack. Other footage of his performance is included in the 2008 documentary film Soul Power, which is based on archival footage of the 1974 Zaire concert.

Columbia Records

After Sussex Records folded, Withers signed with Columbia Records in 1975. His first album release with the label, Making Music, included the single "She's Lonely", which was featured in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar along with "She Wants to (Get on Down)". During the next three years he released an album each year with Naked & Warm (1976), Menagerie (1977; containing the successful "Lovely Day"), and 'Bout Love (1978).

Due to problems with Columbia and being unable to get songs approved for his album, he concentrated on joint projects from 1977 to 1985, including "Just the Two of Us", with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., which was released during June 1980. It won a Grammy on February 24, 1982. Withers next did "Soul Shadows" with the Crusaders, and "In the Name of Love" with Ralph MacDonald, the latter being nominated for a Grammy for vocal performance.

In 1982, Withers was a featured vocalist on the album, "Dreams in Stone" by French singer Michel Berger. This record included one composition co-written and sung by Withers, an upbeat disco song about New York City entitled "Apple Pie." The album was not released in North America, although it contains several songs about America.

In 1985 came Watching You Watching Me, which featured the Top 40-rated R&B single "Oh Yeah", and ended Withers’s business association with Columbia Records. Withers stated in interviews that a lot of the songs approved for the album, in particular, two of the first three singles released, were the same songs which were rejected in 1982, hence contributing significantly to the eight-year hiatus between albums. Withers also stated it was frustrating seeing his record label release an album for Mr. T, an actor, when they were preventing him, an actual singer, from releasing his own. He toured with Jennifer Holliday in 1985 to promote what would be his final studio album.

His disdain for Columbia's A&R executives or "blaxperts", as he termed them, trying to exert control over how he should sound if he wanted to sell more albums, played a part in his decision to not record or re-sign to a record label after 1985, effectively ending his performing career, even though remixes of his previously recorded music were released well after his 'retirement'. Finding musical success later in life than most, at 32, he has said he was socialized as a 'regular guy' who had a life before the music, so he did not feel an inherent need to keep recording once he fell out of love with the industry. He has also stated that he does not miss touring and performing live and does not regret leaving music behind. He seemingly no longer suffers from the speech impediment of stuttering that affected him during his recording career.

Post-Columbia career

In 1988, a new version of "Lovely Day" from the 1977 Menagerie album, entitled "Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)" and remixed by Ben Liebrand, reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, leading to Withers' performance on the long-running Top of the Pops that year. The original release had reached #7 in the UK in early 1978, and the re-release climbed higher to #4.

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Withers won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Song as songwriter for the re-recording of "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau. This was Withers' third Grammy and ninth nomination.

Withers contributed two songs to Jimmy Buffett's 2004 release License to Chill. Following the reissues of Still Bill on January 28, 2003, and Just As I Am on March 8, 2005, there was speculation of previously unreleased material being issued as a new album. In 2006, Sony gave back to Withers his previously unreleased tapes.

In 2007, "Lean on Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex & Columbia Albums Collection, a nine-disc set featuring Withers's eight studio albums, as well as his live album Live at Carnegie Hall, received the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album (sharing the award with The Rolling Stones' "Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965.") The award was presented to Leo Sacks, who produced the collection, and the mastering engineers Mark Wilder, Joseph M. Palmaccio and Tom Ruff.

In 2005, Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In April 2015, Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder. He described the honor as "an award of attrition" and said: "What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain't a genre that somebody didn't record them in. I'm not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don't think I've done bad for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia." Later that year, a tribute concert in his honor was held at Carnegie Hall, featuring Aloe Blacc, Ed Sheeran, Dr. John, Michael McDonald and Anthony Hamilton recreating his 1973 concert album, Live at Carnegie Hall, along with other Withers material. Withers was in attendance and spoke briefly onstage.

In February 2017, he made an appearance on MSNBC on Joy Reid's show to talk about the refugee crisis, as well as the political climate in America.

Personal life

Withers married actress Denise Nicholas in 1973, during her stint on the sitcom Room 222. The couple made headlines following reports of domestic violence. They divorced in 1974.

In 1976, Withers married Marcia Johnson, and they had two children, Todd and Kori. Marcia eventually assumed the direct management of his Beverly Hills–based publishing companies, in which his children also became involved as they became adults.

Withers died in Los Angeles on March 30, 2020, from heart complications.

Discography

Studio albumsLive albumsCompilation albumsSinglesOther appearances

A The original version of "Ain't No Sunshine" did not chart on the UK Singles Chart until 2009, 38 years after its release.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are bestowed by the The Recording Academy. Withers has won three Grammys from nine nominations.

Honors

1972: NAACP Image Awards: Male Singer of the Year

2002: Honorary doctorate from Mountain State University

2005: Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee

2006: ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage award

2007: Inducted into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame

2015: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2017: Honorary degree from West Virginia University.

#07/04 #03/30

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brn1029 · 2 years

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On this date in music history. I would say Rock and Roll history, but I don’t have any story about Dolly Parton…🙄🙄🙄😳😳😳😴😴😴

May 5th

1956 - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley scored his first US No.1 single and album when 'Heartbreak Hotel' went to the top of the charts. 'Heartbreak Hotel' became his first million-seller, and was the best-selling single of 1956. The lyrics were based on a newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window.

1962 - West Side Story

The soundtrack to West Side Story went to No.1 on the US album chart. It went on to spend a total of 54 weeks at the No.1 position.

1963 - George Harrison

On a recommendation by George Harrison Dick Rowe Head of A&R at Decca records, (and the man who turned down The Beatles) went to see The Rolling Stones play at Crawdaddy Club, London. The band were signed to the label within a week.

1966 - Manfred Mann

Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pretty Flamingo'. The recording features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance, singer Paul Jones performed whilst standing on one leg.

1967 - The Kinks

The Kinks released 'Waterloo Sunset' as a single which went on to peak at No.2 on the UK chart. Songwriter and Kinks singer Ray Davies later stated that the song was originally entitled 'Liverpool Sunset', after his love for Liverpool and Merseybeat.

1968 - Stephen Stills

Buffalo Springfield split up. Richie Furay formed Poco and Stephen Stills teamed up with David Crosby and Graham Nash in Crosby Stills & Nash.

1969 - The Beatles

The Beatles single 'Get Back' was released in the US. John Lennon claimed in 1980 that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there", claiming that Paul McCartney looked at Yoko Ono in the studio every time he sang "Get back to where you once belonged."

1972 - Dr John

The first day of the three day Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England, with Grateful Dead, Dr John, Donovan, The Kinks, Captain Beefheart, Hawkwind, America, Family, Country Joe MacDonald, Wishbone Ash, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Brinsley Schwarz and the Flamin Groovies.

1973 - David Bowie

David Bowie scored his first UK No.1 album when 'Aladdin Sane' started a five-week run at the top, featuring the single 'Drive In Saturday'. The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, the name of the album is a pun on "A Lad Insane".

1990 - John Lennon

The John Lennon tribute concert was held at the Pier Head Arena in Merseyside, featuring Lenny Kravitz, Al Green, Joe Cocker, The Christians, Kylie Minogue, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Deacon Blue, Lou Reed, Joe Walsh and Wet Wet Wet.

1995 - Steven Adler

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler was arrested on a felony count of possession of heroin, as well as two misdemeanour drug charges.

1996 - Dolores O'Riordan

Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan received both a public apology and a donation of £7,500 ($12,750) to the Warchild charity from The Sport newspaper after they ran a story claiming she had performed a gig in Hamburg without wearing any underwear.

2000 - Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart had a one-hour throat operation at Cedar Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles to remove a growth on his thyroid. The growth turns out to be benign.

2002 - Ted Nugent

Two disc jockeys from Denver's KRFX-FM, Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, stopped a live radio interview with Detroit rocker Ted Nugent after he used derogatory racial terms for Asians and Blacks. The station received dozens of complaints.

2013 - Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant obtained a temporary restraining order against an overzealous female fan he alleged was a threat to his safety. Plant said that the woman had been harassing him for over three years and believed that they were in a relationship, even though Plant insisted the pair has never met.

2015 - Craig Gruber

American rock bassist Craig Gruber died of prostate cancer in Florida aged 63. He is best known as the original bassist in Rainbow and also played in Elf with vocalist Ronnie James Dio and worked with guitarist Gary Moore

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fmhiphop · 2 years

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Eb&Flow Releases The Full Version To His Latest Single "Rap Grifters"

Two verses of Eb&Flow's "Rap Grifters" single have already been released. However, the full version is now available! The Cincinnati rapper released his latest single on November 1. With the release of his latest single, Eb&Flow has already generated some controversy, claiming that the song is a response to "right-wing grifters appropriating hip-hop." Produced by Eb&Flow, the track was mixed and mastered by Cincinnati cultural icon Devin Burgess. Those who have not heard the single should prepare themselves for an incredible performance. The controversy surrounding the song has involved several names, including Tom MacDonald, Kanye West, Royce Da 5'9", MadChild, and others. Eb's View On Tom MacDonald's Lack Of Honesty Recently, Eb&Flow alleged in a recent interview with HoodCriticMagazine that MadChild, a Canadian rapper, had ghostwritten the latest track by Tom MacDonald. Some individuals are highly detail-oriented. Observers will likely detect dishonesty if they uncover the individual's claims are not credible after conducting a thorough investigation. During his interview, Eb&Flow made numerous claims regarding rappers, including Ye and Tom MacDonald. According to the "Ladies & Gentleman," rapper Tom MacDonald does not write his music. Adding insult to injury, Eb&Flow challenged MacDonald to swear to his fans that MadChild did not write his most recent song. MadChild is an underground rap artist who has collaborated with MacDonald on multiple occasions. Both artists are native Canadians, though MacDonald has gained prominence rapping about American politics. Rappers' Anti-Rap Agenda Is Exposed In EB&Flow's "Rap Grifters" According to Eb&Flow's "Rap Grifters," the connection between Lil Pump, Lil Wayne, and Cube, who are working to revitalize the extremist and former president Donald Trump, runs directly to the white boy clique. It appears that this reference pertains to the storming of the capitol by supporters of Trump to regain order and remove rap music. In this song, Eb&Flow draws an analogy between what he considers to be right-wing propaganda in Hip Hop culture and the tactics of the far right-wing Republican Party. He raps the following about troubled Hip-Hop superstar West: “Crying on Tv about abortion/ while running in the hopes that Trump wins/ Roe vs Wade still overturned on the front-end/ thats a win for him and Miss Owens.” Using an urgent tone accompanied by a dark instrumental with beautifully placed guitars and pianos, Eb urges the listener to stay alert against a new breed of politically motivated Hip Hop imitators known as "Rap Grifters." The Single Was Inspired By What Concept? One of the points Flow discusses in the interview is how the concept for this single came about. The title and idea were conceived by him almost two years ago. He started noticing patterns in right-wing ideology in rap culture and in the Alt-Right's winks and dog whistles. As hip-hop culture lacks knowledge of politics and history, he realized right-wing propaganda thrives there. Based on this knowledge, Eb&Flow started talking about dudes like Tom MacDonald, among others. Tom is "a rapper who’s become very popular over the past couple of years," he said. "Basically repeating the same talking points as every Fox News and right-wing pundit." Further, MacDonald contributes to the network of right-wing falsehoods and extremism facilitated by rap music. Initially, the "Asimov.Wav" rapper was not interested in making a song about MacDonald's stance as he did not want to draw attention to him. However, his thinking has changed, and MacDonald has become twice as large, if not more. "I feel that a character like this might not go away completely, but by taking a firm stance," Eb&Flow said in the interview. "I believe we can push people like him and their fans further away from claiming Hip-Hop in any sense. That’s basically my goal." Eb&Flow's "Rap Grifters" Mention Kanye West's Liberal Views Regarding Kanye West, Flow decided to dedicate the second verse to him. Flow believed that the right-wing argument West employed was convincing enough to indicate that this was who he was. The thought of mentioning West, one of Eb&Flow's inspirations, in the same breath as a person such as Tom MacDonald seemed strange to him. "That was 2 months ago. Since then, Ye has done nothing, if not, prove me correct," Flow asserted. Moreover, Eb explains that he finds it challenging to take on these messages since they are highly emotional and complex, and these celebrities have far more fans than he does. Nonetheless, if he can start the process in the right direction, it is worth the effort, if nothing else. One does not have to have a large following to deliver a message. In the end, it is more important that some individuals receive the message than none. "Rap Grifters" is available on all streaming platforms. Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube For more information on Eb&Flow, follow his social media and contact him via email at [email protected]. Twitter | Instagram | TikTok Written by Nikiya Biggs | Twitter: @BiggsNikiya | Instagram: @competent_journalist Stay updated on the latest news by visiting FMHipHop's retrospective articles. Read the full article

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scotianostra · 5 years

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Happy 77th Birthday to The Big Yin.

The comedian and actor Billy Connolly was born on November 24th 1942 in Glasgow, into a poor and not altogether stable family; he left school at age 15 and served as (among other jobs) a shipyard worker, a paratrooper in the Territorial Army, and a welder, the latter including a stint building an oil rig in Nigeria. Shortly after his return, Connolly quit working and, supporting himself with the money he'd saved, concentrated on learning to play folk music on the banjo and guitar. He became a regular on the Glasgow folk scene, instantly recognisable with his wild hair and beard; he drifted in and out of several bands before forming the Humblebums with guitarist Tam Harvey in 1965. Gerry Rafferty (later of Stealers Wheel and "Baker Street" fame) joined sometime later, and the group built a following with their live performances, which spotlighted Connolly's humorous between-song bits.

Connolly soon began performing around Scotland and northern England, concentrating more on comedy but still mixing occasional folk songs into his act. 1972 saw the release of Connolly's first album, Live, and also the debut of The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a musical play Connolly co-authored with poet Tom Buchan based on his experiences in the shipyards of Glasgow. The show was a hit in Edinburgh and London, and Polydor signed Connolly to a recording contract. In 1974, his Solo Concert album sparked protests from the Christian community over a rowdy routine in which Connolly described the Last Supper as if it had taken place in Glasgow; all the publicity only helped his career, and he was quickly becoming one of Scotland's favourite entertainers.

His 1974 follow-up album, Cop Yer Whack for This, became his biggest hit yet, going gold in the U.K., and the comic take on Tammy Wynette's "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became a surprise number one hit single in 1975. That same year also saw Connolly put in star-making appearances on Michael Parkinson's chat show and at the London Palladium. He consolidated his success with a rigorous touring schedule over the next few years (including the massive Extravaganza tour of the U.K. in 1977), and continued to release comedy recordings on a regular basis into the '80s.

During the late '70s, Connolly began taking on acting roles in television and film productions, and tried his hand at playwriting, with somewhat less success. His first marriage dissolved in 1981 amidst an affair with comedienne Pamela Stephenson (whom he would later marry in 1989, the same year he shaved off his trademark shaggy beard). Taking up residence in London with Stephenson, Connolly continued his comedy career while taking on more theatrical and television roles.

Toward the late '80s, his appearances on American television became more frequent, which -- along with an unsold pilot for a Dead Poets Society series -- helped Connolly land a gig replacing Howard Hesseman on the high school honour-student comedy Head of the Class in 1990. His highest-profile American exposure was short-lived, however, as the series was cancelled after just one season; however, Connolly was back on American airwaves in early 1992, starring in the sitcom Billy. It too was cancelled after a short run, and after appearing in the film Indecent Proposal, Connolly returned to the U.K. (though he still officially resided in the Hollywood Hills).

In 1994, he hosted the acclaimed series World Tour of Scotland, which explored the flavor of contemporary Scottish culture. It proved so successful that Connolly hosted two further exploration-themed BBC series: 1995's A Scot in the Arctic, in which he spent a week on a remote northern Canadian island, and 1996's World Tour of Australia. Lent a new respectability, Connolly appeared in BBC Scotland's historical dramas Deacon Brodie and Mrs. Brown, the latter of which also featured Judi Dench and was released worldwide to much acclaim. n 2012, Connolly provided the voice of King Fergus in Pixar's Scotland-set animated film Brave, alongside fellow Scottish actors Kelly Macdonald, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, and Kevin McKidd. Connolly appeared as Wilf in Quartet, a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play Quartet by Ronald Harwood, directed by Dustin Hoffman. In 2014, Connolly appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Dáin II Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin II Oakenshield. Sir Peter Jackson stated that "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield."

In September 2013, Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. The announcement also stated that he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Connolly had acknowledged earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances, adding later he was finding it hard to remember how to play his banjo.

In 2017for his 75th birthday Glasgow bestowed upon Billy three 50 foot murals , to add to the many murals in the city, in 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. He once again topped the list on Channel 5's Greatest Stand-Up Comedians, broadcast on New Year's Eve 2013.

Recently Billy has spoken about his Parkinson's saying that he now walks "unsteadily" and that his "hearing is going". He admits he would love to go back on stage but that "I don't know if I can do it with the state my mind is in." he appeared on Radio 2's Chris Evans show and told him "I don't think the way I used to," he went on..."....and steadily more symptoms come and it's incurable. It's not going to end. As a matter of fact, I had a Russian doctor in New York who said, 'You realise this is an incurable disease?'"And I said, 'You got to get a grip of yourself, stop calling it an incurable disease, say we have yet to find the cure. Give the guy a light in the tunnel.'"

Billy retired from his stage shows oficially last year, but he has kept himself busy, he hit our screens with a new series of his Great American Trail, which will follow him as he replicates the route taken by Scottish immigrants who came to America in the early 18th century. He also brought out a new book, called Tall Tales and Wee Stories, to launch it Billy's face was projected on to buildings in Galsgow and Edinburgh, as seen in the pics. The other pic is The Big Yins own art projected onto MacLellan's Castle in support of World Parkinson’s Day 2019. In November 2019, The Evening Times named Connolly as The Greatest Glaswegian as determined by a public poll.

In the independence referendum held in September 2014, Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Connolly has previously expressed support for the union, this was no surprise to many, he has been friends with the Royal family for some years. However he said recently....

"Politically, [Scotland] is in extraordinary shape, It's beginning to stand alone, and they won't take crap anymore. They don't want to settle for whoever England votes for. Asked directly if he would support Scottish independence in the event of a second referendum, he replied: "I don't know. If Scotland would like it, I would like it."

I'll leave these poignant words of Billy's to end this post...Billy said he viewed old age as an adventure that was preparing him and "It doesn't frighten me - it's an adventure and it's quite interesting to see myself slipping away, as bits slip off and leave me, talents leave and attributes leave. "It's as if I'm being prepared for something, some other adventure, which is over the hill. I've got all this stuff to lose first, and then I'll be at the shadowy side of the hill doing the next episode in the spirit world."

#scotland #scottish #glaswegian #actor #comedian #writer #singer #musician

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