#alongside nichole goodnight

[the-magnus-archives-wiki]

Needles got me thinking of her (the perfect woman)

[linuxgamenews]

Discover the Massive Content Update for Slay the Princess

Slay the Princess content update releases free for the horror visual novel game on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the incredible skill of Black Tabby Games, this experience is truly unforgettable. Available on Steam, GOG, and Humble Store with 97% Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. Slay the Princess just rolled out a massive content update, it's something you don't want to miss! Developed by Black Tabby, the same folks who brought us "Scarlet Hollow," this title has really turned heads with its unique blend of surreal horror visual novel and engaging storytelling. Now, it's back with even more to offer. First off, let's talk about the free content update for Slay the Princess. It's a substantial expansion of the endgame content. Imagine more animations that bring the eerie world to life and over 3,000 words of additional dialogue. That means more choices, more depth to your interactions, and a richer experience overall on Linux and Steam Deck. And the icing on the cake? Some epic orchestral tracks recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Trust me, they add a whole new level of intensity to those climactic moments.

Slay the Princess NOW offers a free content update

While the content update release – you can also buy Slay the Princess at a 20% discount during the Steam Midweek Madness sale. If that's not a deal, I don't know what is. And it gets better. The game is also part of the "Cabins in the Woods" bundle on Steam, alongside "Inscryption" and "What Remains of Edith Finch" Proton. All three titles have their unique twist on cabin-themed settings, and you can get them at an additional 10% off. That's a deal that's hard to pass up. Slay the Princess isn't just another typical title with a free content update. It challenges you in unexpected ways. Voiced by Jonathan Sims (yep, the guy from The Magnus Archives) and Nichole Goodnight, the story sucks you right in. The premise seems simple – enter a cabin, pick up a dagger, and confront the Princess. But trust me, it's anything but simple. Each choice you make leads you down new, often startling paths. The Princess isn't just a static character; she evolves with every encounter, making each playthrough unique. The love and support from the community have been Overwhelmingly Positive. Tony Howard-Arias, the lead writer, expressed heartfelt thanks to everyone who's played, shared, and created content around this title. Your enthusiasm is what fuels these updates and expansions. So, if you're looking for something that's a bit off the beaten path, with its content update, offering a blend of horror, mystery, and immersive storytelling, Slay the Princess is a must-try. And there's no better time than now, with the new content and these killer deals. The free content update is live on Steam for Linux, Steam Deck (playable), Mac, and Windows PC, priced at $17.99 USD / £15.29 / 17,99€ (with the 20% discount) until April 8th. Regular price on GOG and Humble Store.

[dweemeister]

The Five Pennies (1959)

Anyone with a passing interest in American music knows about Louis Armstrong, even superficially. The New Orleans-born cornetist/trumpeter/singer was a central figure of jazz music. His influence on the genre gifted him a popularity not afforded any other black artist in a segregated American popular culture. Armstrong’s renown saw him land numerous film roles – typically playing himself or a jazz band leader – such as Cabin in the Sky (1943); New Orleans (1947); and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He appears as himself, too, in The Five Pennies (1959), a film based on the life of a real-life cornet player. But The Five Pennies concerns not Armstrong, but a white contemporary in Red Nichols. Nichols, played by the effervescent Danny Kaye in this film, might not have been as virtuosic as Armstrong or Bix Beiderbecke, but he was a fine cornetist. For a time in the late 1920s and early ‘30s, he was hailed in Europe as the greatest living jazz cornetist – but only because the records of his African-American counterparts were not yet widely distributed across the Atlantic. Once European jazz fans were more exposed to the numerous black jazz greats, they turned on their regard for Nichols as quickly as they had built it up.

We first find Nichols (Kaye) moving to New York City in the 1920s, hoping to break through in the Big Apple’s thriving jazz scene. In what is probably a dramatization by director Melville Shavelson, Nichols receives that break during a Louis Armstrong show he attends. There, he meets and will later marry Willa Stutsman (Barbara Bel Geddes; in this film, Willa is a singer but was in actuality a dancer). The two are deeply supportive of the other, and will have a daughter named Dorothy (Susan Gordon as a child; Tuesday Weld as a teenager). In New York, Nichols will put together a band that may contain some familiar names to jazz aficionados: himself, pianist Arthur Schutt (Bobby Troup), clarinetist/saxophonist Jimmy Dorsey (Ray Anthony), drummer Dave Tough (Shelly Manne), and trombonist Glenn Miller (Ray Daley). They call themselves the Five Pennies in a sly nod to Nichols’ surname (five pennies equals a nickel), and the quintet tours the United States. At the height of the band’s popularity, Dorothy contracts polio. Nichols, unable to balance the demands of touring with the Five Pennies with the attention his daughter requires, has a crucial decision to make.

Danny Kaye’s comedic and musical abilities are the stuff of legend, in addition to his holding the distinction of being the first Ambassador-at-Large for UNICEF. In The Five Pennies, the audience saw glimpses, for the first time, of Kaye in a more dramatic role. This is not to say there aren’t any signature comedic moments by Kaye – far from it. In the film’s second half as a musical life wears down on Red Nichols, Kaye transforms from a dainty, energetic, and outgoing fellow to someone inhabiting weariness and harboring deep conflicts within his soul, disallowing anyone outside his family to look within. Any such transformation necessitates an actor who can believably and naturally transition between the two halves – and Kaye does just that. His expressive face helps to exaggerate emotion when needed; the studied change in his gait from the film’s first to second halves is something I never expected from him. Those only familiar with Kay’s comedic roles are in for a surprise – a pleasant one – in The Five Pennies.

She never really received top billing in her work nor was she primarily an actress in film, but Barbara Bel Geddes provides ample support for Kaye in this movie. The sincere, not showy, relationship between Willa and Red Nichols always feels authentic. Nichols spends most of the film reveling in his musical life; thus, Willa, as played by Bel Geddes, is responsible for much of the work here. Bel Geddes’ understated performance is wonderful complement to Kaye’s, and it only deepens my wish – when also considering her performance in one of my favorite films, I Remember Mama (1948) – that she starred in more movies alongside her accomplished stage career.

So while The Five Pennies might possess great performances, those performances are also what makes the film tolerable. It runs into trouble with an inert screenplay by Jack Rose and director Melville Shavelson (Rose and Shavelson also wrote 1955’s The Seven Little Foys and 1958’s Houseboat) from a story by Robert Smith (1952’s Invasion, U.S.A., 1953’s 99 River Street). Thus, The Five Pennies is a standard biopic about dreams deferred because of familial love, and it fails to distinguish itself when there is no musical performance on-screen. Too often I found myself wanting the film to hurry up its exposition so that Danny Kaye or Louis Armstrong could perform (Kaye’s cornet and trumpet playing was dubbed over by Red Nichols himself, but Kaye spent months learning the cornet so that he could accurately mimic the correct fingering) the next number. But Rose and Shavelson dedicate sufficient time to pore over Willa’s diagnosis of polio and how it irrevocably changes her life and those of her parents. This could easily have been maudlin, yet Rose and Shavelson provide enough space for this development without too much self-pity or undeserved inspiration.

Whether with or without lyrics, original or adapted material, there is music aplenty in The Five Pennies. Familiar songs such as “When the Saints Go Marching In”, “My Blue Heaven”, and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” are all given jazzy renditions – and though it might not be as popular as those aforementioned songs, Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey” at the speakeasy in the film’s concluding minutes is a musical highlight. Armstrong, as always, is a joy to watch while in his element. Despite given relatively little to do in The Five Pennies, Armstrong brings the best with the provided material. The moody lighting often employed during the speakeasy and nightclub scenes adds to the unique ambience of the performances. There are a handful of original songs in the film, all composed by the eminent Sylvia Fine (Kaye’s wife, who always tailored her compositions to suit her husband’s singing abilities and musical style). Kaye’s novelty songs are not to everyone’s tastes (certainly not mine), but they are not prominent in The Five Pennies.

“Lullaby in Ragtime” is not even remotely related to ragtime, but it provides Kaye a tender lullaby, the likes of which he excelled in. It is an easygoing, heartwarming tune that boasts beautiful two-voice counterpoint. The film’s title song appears on a sleepless night for young Dorothy – yet another lullaby! Backed by orchestra, it is short, sweet, lovely. However, it is not the last performance of “The Five Pennies”. Do you recall the two-voice counterpoint mentioned earlier this paragraph? Sylvia Fine composes a third lullaby and combines all three lullabies into an incredible rendition of three-voice counterpoint – “Lullaby in Ragtime” (the best of the three), “The Five Pennies”, and Louis Armstrong with “Goodnight – Sleep Tight”. With amateur musicians, this is a difficult musical feat to pull off. And though they were professional actors, it is a great accomplishment to sing this successfully alongside Louis Armstrong: Kaye could not read music (yet Kaye, through observation and close listening, was masterful at internalizing rhythm and expressing his own musicality) and Susan Gordon was no older than ten when this scene was filmed.

The Five Pennies is one of several jazz musician biopics released during the Hollywood Studio System (see: 1945’s Rhapsody in Blue, 1954’s The Glenn Miller Story, 1956’s The Benny Goodman Story, etc.), but probably one of the least-known. That is almost certainly due to Red Nichols’ obscurity to even casual jazz fans today. Nichols did resume his touring career and revive the Five Pennies – its original members had long departed for their own storied careers – following his service as an industrial worker during World War II. But he never again reached the popular heights that he achieved prior to the mass distribution of jazz records featuring African-Americans performers in Europe. For Louis Armstrong, he remains a highly recognizable, central figure in the genre decades after his passing.

This decent film adaptation of Red Nichols’ life up to that point is perhaps not the best introductory film to Danny Kaye (I would recommend one of his comedies like 1955’s The Court Jester), but it is ideal for his fervent fans and those seeking any depiction of jazz figures in American cinema.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[daviswaldeniv]

'Soul Hunting,' The NoSleep Podcast

When I set out to write 'Soul Hunting,' I wanted to create something that honored the more ancient traditions of Halloween and incorporated queerness into it. The main character of the story is inspired by my love of witchcraft and folklore. (As well as my insanely determined childhood dream to wear one of those really cool witch costumes.)

I was INSANELY excited to be a part of The NoSleep Podcast. I had been listening to this podcast for at least six years and actually used to use it to fall asleep! It was so cool to be alongside writers I love and see a story of mine come to life with a cast and crew whose work I admire.

'Soul Hunting' is about a Halloween party that receives some very unexpected visitors.

Episode Credits

“Butch Cassidy and The Scarecrow Kid” written by S.H. Cooper (Story starts around 00:09:30) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Robbie Dink – Matthew Bradford, Bishop “Butch” Cassidy – Atticus Jackson

“Soul Hunting” written by Davis Walden (Story starts around 00:28:10) Produced by: Jesse Cornett Cast: Conor – Kyle Akers, Mom – Kristen DiMercurio, Grandma – Erin Lillis, Sheet Ghost – Dan Zappulla, Scarecrow – Atticus Jackson, Fairy – Nichole Goodnight, Pumpkin – Danielle McRae, Marcie – Sarah Thomas, Alex – Jeff Clement, Matt – Graham Rowat, Vampire Girl – Mary Murphy, Children – Erika Sanderson, David Ault, Penny Scott-Andrews, Dan Zappulla, Nichole Goodnight, Danielle McRae, Sarah Thomas, Jeff Clement, Graham Rowat, Mary Murphy

“Discount Haunted House” written by Jon Grilz (Story starts around 00:59:20) Produced by: Jeff Clement Cast: Narrator – Dan Zappulla, Jana – Sarah Thomas, Tour Guide – Jeff Clement, Clint – Atticus Jackson, Armless Man – Jesse Cornett, Doctor – Graham Rowat

“The Black Sow” written by Elle Turpitt (Story starts around 01:30:00) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Zoe – Erika Sanderson, Cait – Penny Scott-Andrews, Owen – James Cleveland, Dai – David Ault, Mam – Erin Lillis, Mrs Jones – Mary Murphy, Mr Jones – Andy Cresswell, The White Lady – Kristen DiMercurio

“Thresholds” written by Beth Carpenter (Story starts around 01:52:00) Produced by: Phil Michalski Cast: Narrator – Graham Rowat, Carly – Danielle McRae, Murder Victim – Atticus Jackson, The Kids – Kyle Akers, Jeff Clement, Sarah Thomas, The Girl – Nichole Goodnight, Mr. Foster – David Cummings, Mrs. Durry – Mary Murphy, Middle-aged woman – Erin Lillis, Milo – Jesse Cornett, Jeanie – Wafiyyah White

[queer2019]

Gender and Sexuality Portfolio Post Four: Connection to Popular Culture

           As the title entails, this is most likely written, in some way, about gender and sexuality or it at least includes and enforces ideas that align the topic. This portfolio has focused on the ideas and thoughts on country music and what it entails in terms of stereotypes, sexuality, ideas of gender and whether or not it changes or not. The goal of this assignment, in particular, is to focus on how country music is interpreted in popular culture, which being a popular genre style of music, itself is popular culture. The best way to interpret and analyze my topic is by viewing patterns among various time periods and seeing if what we see as country today is the same as what we saw ten years ago. Looking at the Billboard's top charts where fandom is represented at its highest, popularity is controlled by the viewers and what they feel is considered good during the given year. From previous research and looking at this popularity list, country can be considered going with the binary considering three factors or themes that depicted the top ten favorite songs written from 2008 to present.

           One of the first themes that were considered while looking at these songs was the idea of love and broken hearts. Artists like Taylor Swift (old) and Thomas Rhett are a few examples of many. This stereotype about country love lives on no matter what year we are living in. Taylor Swift, in particular, has been given as an example in terms of expressing this ideology about love and heartbreak. In Gender Stories, Foss, Domenico, and Foss state that “Swift’s musical stories introduce girls to some key components of the binary’s expectations for them as women” (Foss, Domenico, & Foss, 108). Looking at this, we are seeing expectations of roles for both men and women. In Taylor’s Love Story, we can see from her music video as being in a strapless ball gown and waiting for her prince, which interprets like a Romeo and Juliet type of theme. Her lyrics such as “You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess. It’s a love story, baby, just say yes” give you clear roles of what Taylor expects in this setting and even in other songs, she enforces the princess theme as well. Another country artist that has been known for his loveable lyrics is Thomas Rhett. In Thomas Rhett’s newest song, Marry Me, We can see an expectation for marriage towards the end of his song where he claims “she” isn’t going to marry him, but “she gonna get married.” ( While analyzing these two songs, in particular, it is discovered that even going from 2008, when Love Story was released, to now when Marry Me became a hit, we see that even with these expectations not being as prominent, we still see them being enforced on a lighter scale.

           Having the expectations be less enforced, the message of love and the goal of targeting women in particular leads into the next theme, which is this idea about women and their role in the industry as a culture and genre. Country seems to use this idea of prescription, which markets these stereotypes about what the women and men should portray in the industry. Foss et al defines prescription as “depicting masculinity and femininity in ways that conform to the gender binary’s expectation” (Foss et al, 109). Thinking back to Taylor Swift, we can see because she portrayed this theme of being a princess, we saw an expectation to view femininity in a certain way. Other examples are makeup industries and looking at music videos that portray women as sexual objects can clarify what is to be expected. Another example that was given as an example of music is Pitbull’s portrayal of masculinity. He “chooses single women, groups of women, and even women who have other boyfriends” in order to enforce his dominance, which we associate as a characteristic of men and being masculine (Foss et al, 110). In some of the top songs that were being listed for country artists, their music videos, specifically sexualized women and revealed their role in society and that women don’t work or that they work with men, but not above them. One thing that was discovered that surprised the research was the lack of women in the top of the Billboard charts. If there were women, it was after 2012 and they were in a band alongside other men such as Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, and Gloriana. One would expect maybe an artist such as Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert to be up there, which Miranda is, but isn’t until 2014. With this in mind, we can see there is a less representation of women and that they are still founded on older views and morals in country.

           Having seen that there are these old morals, the last theme that was brought to attention was the concept of compatibility. These ideas of different, but similar thinking, country as a whole can be seen as always rooting from other sub-categories of country, but as mentioned in class, country is difficult to define because we base off of old morals and thoughts about what the genre is.  One example of compatible gender stories or themes is the story of Frankie, whose “gender identity contains disparate stories that she integrates, as [being] feminine, while another constructs her as an athlete” (Foss et al, 154). The way that this ties into the idea of the country top ten songs and the way country is evolving, we see bits of old traditional conservative themes such as heterosexual marriage and love and here and there we see women still being portrayed as below men in songs as sexual objects or soulmates. At the same time though, we see artists being more vocal such as the Stand-Up movement that was recently made during the Golden Globes where women are feeling the freedom to speak out through music and using that as an outlet to people all over (Country Music, n.d).

           To recap everything, Country music as explained before does very much enforce the binary and that based on the popularity on various songs in the top charts given to us by the billboards, fans still fall into songs that promote ideals of marriage and binary ideas such as love and heartbreak. We see women continuing to fall into the past of old morals in the industry, but at the same time, we can see compatibility to which this “old country” stereotype is what makes country what it has always been. Doing this analysis has given me more understanding of this genre and it gave me an excuse to listen to country all day and to discover rising artists in the industry to which have yet to be fully discovered. With all of this in mind, would one agree that country is defined as having old and new values? Is that what makes country?

2008-  (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       Just Got Started Lovin’ You –James Otto (Love)

2.       I Saw God Today—George Strait (Christian)

3.       Small Town Southern Man—Alan Jackson (Love)

4.       Don’t Think I Don't Think About It—Darius Rucker (Sad/Love)

5.       Home—Blake Shelton (Sad/Love)

6.       Love is a Beautiful Thing—Phil Vassar (Love)

7.       You’re Gonna Miss This—Trace Adkins (Daughter/Love)

8.       I Still Miss you—Keith Anderson (Sad/Love)

9.       Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)—Rodney Atkins (Daughter/Love)

10.   I’m Still a Guy—Brad Paisley (Just A Man/SEXY)

2010-  (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       Love Like Crazy—Lee Brice  (Love)

2.       Rain Is a Good Thing—Luke Bryan (Just a Man/Respect)

3.       Why Don’t We Just Dance—Josh Turner (Dance)

4.       All Over Me—Josh Turner (SEXY)

5.       The Man I Want To Be—Chris Young (Just a Man)

6.       Roll With It—Easton Corbin (Just a Man/Love)

7.       Gimmie That Girl—Joe Nichols (Love/SEXY)

8.       All About Tonight—Blake Shelton (Just a Man)

9.       Come Back Song—Darius Rucker (Sad/Love)

10.   She Won’t Be Lonely Long—Clay Walker (SEXY/Love)

2012-  (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       Time Is Love—Josh Turner (Love)

2.       You Don’t Know Her Like I Do—Brantley Gilbert (Love)

3.       Why Ya Wanna—Jana Kramer (Sad/Love)

4.       Cowboys and Angels—Dustin Lynch (Love)

5.       (Kiss you) Goodnight—Gloriana (Love)

6.       Better Than I Used To Be—Tim McGraw (Sad/Love/Hopeful)

7.       Even If It Breaks Your Heart—Eli Young Band (Hopeful)

8.       Lovin’ You Is Fun—Easton Corbin (Love)

9.       Springsteen—Eric Church (Love)

10.   Drunk On You—Luke Bryan (Love)

 2014-  (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       This Is How We Roll—Florida Georgia Line/Luke Bryan (Party)

2.       Burnin’ It Down—Jason Aldean (Love)

3.       Dirt—Florida Georgia Line (Love)

4.       Bottoms Up—Brantley Gilbert (SEXY)

5.       Play It Again—Luke Bryan (Love)

6.       American Kids—Kenny Chesney (Just a man/Patriotic)

7.       Bartender—Lady Antebellum (Sad/Love)

8.       Drunk On A Plane—Dierks Bentley (Sad/Love)

9.       Leave The Night On—Sam Hunt (Party)

10.   Somethin’ Bad—Miranda Lambert/Carrie Underwood (Bad)

2016-  (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       H.O.L.Y—Florida Georgia Line (Love)

2.       Die A Happy Man—Thomas Rett (Love)

3.       Humble And Kind—Tim McGraw (Respect)

4.       Somewhere on a Beach—Dierks Bentley (SEXY)

5.       Head Over Boots—Jon Pardi (Love)

6.       You Should Be Here—Cole Swindell (Sad/Loss)

7.       Break Up In a Small Town—Sam Hunt (Sad/Love)

8.       My Church—Maren Morris (Christian)

9.       Came Here to Forget—Blake Shelton (Sad/Love)

10.   Peter Pan—Kelsea Ballerini (Sad/Love)

2018- (Country Music, n.d.)

1.       Meant To Be—Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line (Love)

2.       Marry Me—Thomas Rett (Love)

3.       Yours—Russell Dickerson (Love)

4.       What Ifs—Kane Brown/Lauren Alaina (Love)

5.       Greatest Love Story—LANCO (Love)

6.       Written In The Sand—Old Dominion (Sad/Love)

7.       Losing Sleep—Chris Young (Love/SEXY)

8.       Body Like a Back Road—Sam Hunt (SEXY/Love)

9.       Like I Loved You—Brett Young (Sad/Love)

10.   Five More Minutes—Scotty McCreery (Respect)

Works Cited

Country Music: Top Country Songs Chart. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2018,              from https://www.billboard.com/charts/country-songs

Foss, S., Foss, K., & Domenico, M. (2013). Gender Stories: Negotiating Identity            in a Binary World. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. 

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