#and at that point there was a entire episode where they interviewed sex workers and

[only-one-brain-cell]

The fact that we saw a entire arc of Spencer in prison but not one full episode of him teaching is a crime.

[mad-as-a-box-of-frogs]

what is the deal with jess mason?

Okay, I’m gonna try to keep this short and sweet, because there’s just so many ways Jess has pissed people off over the years (some bordering on the absurd) that I could never possibly cover it all in one short post. I’m sure many people could add their own personal encounters with her. The paragraphs below have sources in the underlined text. 

Long story short, Jess was a Big Name Fan for many years, predominantly went by ibelieveinthelittletreetopper here on tumblr, got popular mostly because she wrote for the fan site The Mary Sue and would periodically interview cast and writers (like at SDCC), and more or less imploded that popularity somewhere around s14 (personally, I dropped her after she made a 10x21 post explaining why Charlie’s death Wasn’t Bad Actually, so that should give you some idea of what she’s like). I can’t remember exactly the order of events, but it can essentially be boiled down to her badmouthing the fans that saw destiel as something that was being intentionally written in the show (and hey, we were right!). For most, though, the final straw is when her post-SPN Finale article dropped, where she compared fandom finale conspiracies and people trying to make sense of it all to right wing nutjobs Qanon. Pissed quite a few people off with that one. And yet, as much as Jess constantly shits on spn fandom and seems to have nothing but disdain for us, that hasn’t stopped her from trying to make a quick buck at out us whenever possible (see her typo-riddled book and now the upcoming podcast).

Jess has kicked up quite the reputation for herself outside of SPN fandom as well. She wrote an entire ass article wherein she complained about lesbian stairway sex on an episode of Wynonna Earp being unrealistic, prompting thee showrunner of Wynonna Earp Emily Andras to fire back with  “ If you have plausibility issues with sex on stairs I have some sad news about immortal cowboy demons.” Jess tried to defend herself, ending up bemoaning the fact that a “straight woman [had] come in and devalued criticism from a queer woman” except, whoops, Emily Andras is bi. (tweet from an earlier date). Emily Andras would later quote a tweet asking to start a fight with five words or less with “Reunion stair sex: implausible, uncomfortable.” I apologize for going on and on about this, I just think it’s the funniest thing to ever happen on the bird app. This isn’t even touching the people she pissed off by defending The Magicians after Quentin’s death or whatever squabble she got into with the Good omens fandom. 

Now with all that being said, I need to make it clear that Jess’s bullshit goes beyond bad fandom opinions and internet squabbles and people finding her annoying. She wrote an article on sex workers using plagiarized research where she used tweets of real sex workers that ending up getting doxed, has been called out by her former coworkers at the Mary Sue for her antiblackness and her tone policing on racism, argued against a black female James Bond, and as Stichmediamix pointed out in this great rebuttal article to Jess’s ‘Fandom Conspiracies are just as dangeous as any other” article, has a disingenuous response to fans in SPN fandom as opposed to her compassionate attitude towards fandoms that have a well documented history of harassing Black Actors. There’s definitely a pattern of troubling behavior here, and I don’t bring any of this up to make light of it or treat it the same as fandom squabbling, but to impress upon you that many individuals have real reasons to be way of her. 

So there you have it, anon. TLDR: Jess Mason is annoying and racist and has pissed off most of spn fandom at one time or another. 

Thank you to Mel @lets-steal-an-archive for all of these sources. Her archiving skills are unmatched, and I’m eternally grateful, especially since I have a mind like a sieve. 

[wecantseeyou]

a note on color - how line of duty series 6 uses wardrobe to frame narrative (pt 1)

author’s note: this began as a personal observation on the use of cool tones for AC-12 and warm tones in opposition to AC-12, and evolved into a spreadsheet tracking most every outfit 3 of the 4 leads wear in every episode (through 6). 

Why Jo, Kate, and Steve? 

Jo: This is ultimately a rumination on Jo and her character, and the non-textual ways the show indicates Jo’s feelings, actions, and allegiances.

Kate: Jo’s major emotional connection in the series. Kate’s wardrobe often mirrors Jo’s in both style and color, and Kate’s wardrobe also gives hints to Jo’s true identity, while also reminding the audience of her allegiance with AC-12 (in both principles and action)

Steve: As the face of AC-12 in many ways (especially in this season, whereas past seasons that would’ve been Kate), Steve’s wardrobe is the control. He is firmly planted as an anti-corruption officer, is an ally of Kate, and he acts as Jo’s foil.

Why not Hastings?: Lord knows I love Ted, but the man really only ever wears his uniform (which is an entirely different essay about his views of the police force, ‘bent coppers’, and the ‘bad apples’ view of addressing police misconduct)

Some of the colors folks wear are difficult to quantify - I note circumstances where a shirt or sweater could be interpreted as multiple colors, and some instances where I believe that open interpretation is intentional. To be incredibly simplistic for how I coded the colors, cool tones are the good guys, and warm tones are the bad guys. Where possible, I have included reference images for the outfits I’m discussing (low quality screencaps ahead). 

It took me some time to choose the organization of this essay, but ultimately there’s only one way to really do it - scene to scene. So buckle in, cause this is a doozy. I’m posting just episode 1 today, and then plan to post analyses breaking down the other episodes through Saturday. Essay under the cut.

DISCLAIMER: I’m American, so there’s likely something about the UK that I miss here. Alas, we’ll persevere. I barely edited this because I’m no longer a student and don’t have that kind of time. Also, I already wrote one dissertation and I refused to admit I wrote another one. 

METHODOLOGY

To kick off, I went through and looked at every outfit worn by Jo Davidson and Kate Fleming, and most worn by Steve Arnott, in series 6. Steve acts as my control because he begins and ends my sample as a working member of AC-12, which for the purposes of this narrative represents police who are not corrupt. He is exclusively shown in cool tones in every scene I discuss here. Kate serves to bridge that gap in analysis between Jo and Steve - she is anti-corruption through and through, but she is no longer a member of AC-12, and she also has a close relationship with Jo, which is clearly romantic in tone. Kate often wears cool tones and white, but the occasional brown, orange, and green pop up (hold that thought on green). Jo is my main focus of my analysis, because I believe her wardrobe is most clearly impacted by the struggle between internal desires and external pressures. She wears a range of colors, but most frequently it is a combination of warm and cool tones. For the purpose of this analysis, black is considered a warm tone, white is both cool and absent allegiance, and grey is considered a cool tone.

THESIS

Since the first episode of series 6, Line of Duty has used color to indicate that Jo Davidson is not bent by aligning her with the tone of AC-12 as a whole and Kate Fleming specifically. TL;DR: The show has used wardrobe to tell us that Jo is not (intentionally) bent from the beginning.

Jo isn’t ‘bent’ in that she doesn’t want to be corrupt, but she’s forced to be. Surrounded on all sides by the OCG because of her uncle/father, Tommy Hunter, Jo therefore has no choice but to follow OCG orders for fear for her life. The show works to show us this visually in a few ways. Cool tones, representing ‘justice’ through AC-12, are seen throughout her screen time, but they are often peppered with warm tones, representing corruption and the OCG. This is true of her wardrobe overall, but is perhaps most succinctly demonstrated in her apartment. Keep these thoughts in mind as I break down each outfit. 

EPISODE 1

There are points where the wardrobe informs us of things that the text directly contradicts. For instance, in the opening scene of episode 1, Jo arrives at the Hill wearing a black coat over a dark grey turtleneck, and is shown talking to Lomax about a new lead in the Gail Vella murder investigation. She is then shown talking to Buckells about this lead, an unknown CHIS who claims to have spoken with a man named Ross Turner who claimed to have killed Gail. The interaction seems innocuous, and Buckells denies permission for a raid on Turner’s home, but look more carefully at the dialogue here. Jo is manipulating Buckells by presenting him with information about the source, including that he was a sex worker and speculating on his potential drug use. These two factors are what makes Buckells hesitate, and he ultimately stops the raid from being carried out that night. 

While Jo in this scene seems to push Buckells to give permission for the operation, Jo’s dark wardrobe is telling the audience that something else is happening on another level here. We learn later that Jo would take advantage of Buckells baser instincts and desire for upward advancement in order to manipulate him, which is what she does in this scene. She specifically mentions the CHIS’s sex work and the potential drug use because she knows Buckells will worry about the reliability of the witness and want more to go off of, hence cancelling the operation. Jo’s dark clothes hint at her manipulation of Buckells while the audience is not yet clued in.

The next time we see Jo during the team briefing about Ross Turner is also the first time we get a hint at the fliration between her and Kate. Jo’s “dirty stop-out” line and Kate’s “glass houses, boss” response, coupled with Jo’s smile that she hides by looking down show a clear shift in tone. The black jacket is removed, and she’s wearing a grey turtleneck. Jo is slightly more at ease here, enjoying the easy banter. Meanwhile, Kate is wearing a cream/light brown sweater, our first visual clue of her separation from AC-12 and her connection to Jo. 

Note here that Jo’s black jacket was on top of her grey turtleneck, and could be removed. The turtleneck, a very modest and in some ways restrictive top, also serves as an armor Jo wears to brace herself against her own actions. 

When the operation to arrest Ross Turner is approved, Jo again dons a black jacket under her body armor, while Kate wears a green coat under her body armor. Jo putting on the black jacket is symbolic of how she is about to waylay the team with the staged armed robbery at the bookie, allowing time for the OCG to replace Owen Banks with Terry Boyle. Kate’s green coat is symbolic of her mixed allegiances between AC-12’s blue and Jo’s yellow.

Later, when debriefing the operation with Lomax and discussing the importance of learning the CHIS’s identity, Jo and Kate are back to the grey and cream sweaters they were wearing earlier. Their banter is also back with Kate’s “great minds” line, demonstrating their comfort and also telling the audience these two women are in sync with one another. 

Immediately after this series of scenes, we see Steve for the first time. His first scene is at AC-12, wearing a grey suit, white shirt, and red tie, when he is notified that Farida Jatri is there to see him. We learn in the next scene, where Steve is in a blue suit with a blue shirt and blue tie, that Farida brought her concerns about Jo to AC-12, particularly about the odd armed robbery that Jo spotted. He asks Hastings for permission to look into it further, which is granted. The all blue outfit on Steve represents his desire to root out potential corruption in this complaint. He continues to wear this outfit for most of the episode when dealing with the investigation and MIT.

(Note: there’s an interlude scene here of the MIT crew in crime scene suits at Terry’s, but I’m not including that here.)

We next see Jo with Lomax, interrogating a frightened Terry Boyle, while Kate watches the video feed of the interview. Jo is wearing another grey turtleneck, but this time is wearing a grey jacket, while Kate watches on with a cream oversized sweater. The interview with Terry goes nowhere for the most part, as he refuses to comment, which seems to be to Jo’s relief. Kate, however, clearly isn’t done.

Donned in a green mockneck and navy suit, Kate visits the crime scene at Terry’s apartment again. This green top still aligns her with both AC-12 and Jo, but the navy suit serves as a reminder that she doesn’t think the MIT has the full story on Terry Boyle. 

Later, we see Kate in the same outfit debriefing Jo on the new information at the crime scene, namely that there is no new information because it’s been wiped clean. Jo is wearing a grey suit jacket, brown sweater, and a white shirt. Both agree that Terry isn’t a solid suspect, and want the ID of the CHIS in order to confirm that he’s the man identified as Ross Turner. Jo’s layering here is interesting - cool tone, warm tone, cool tone. She agrees with Kate externally, she knows Terry is in the frame for Vella’s murder, and she doesn’t feel comfortable pursuing Terry as a suspect she knows is innocent.

They then visit the CHIS’s handler, who refuses to give up his informant’s ID, but reveals to Kate that he is concerned about the CHIS’s welfare. Kate is wearing a long navy coat, while Jo is wearing a long grey coat with a blue and orange scarf. Kate wants to know the CHIS’s ID to genuinely pursue justice, hence the blue, while Jo wants the CHIS’s ID for ostensibly the same reason, but for her, pursuing justice with the CHIS would also clear Terry’s name. Jo doesn’t want Terry to be punished because he’s innocent, but she also knows a negative ID on Terry will lead to trouble for her with the OCG.

We see Jo in the same outfit minus outerwear in the next few scenes - when she is called into Buckell’s office and convinces him to put pressure on for the CHIS’s ID (while Kate watches), and later when Kate informs her that there was a surveillance gap on Terry Boyle’s flat due to the wrong authority being sought. Jo pushes Buckells and manipulates him to reveal the CHIS’s ID, and also blames him for the gap that she’s responsible for, hence the warm coloring of her sweater. Kate, meanwhile, is showing her allegiance to Jo by telling her about the gaffe, the green of her shirt being the visual representation of that act. 

Next we have a scene of Steve looking at CCTV of the armed robbery, and their suspicions are raised about the speed the convoy was traveling and the likelihood that Jo could have actually spotted it. Again, Steve is in an all blue outfit. 

Back to our favorite murder investigators, Lomax, Jo, and Kate arrive on the scene of a murder victim which turns out to be their missing CHIS. Jo is dressed in a long grey coat, green sweater, and light blue shirt, while Kate is rocking a long navy coat, navy suit, and an orange and navy striped turtleneck. Later at MIT, Kate and Jo discuss the CHIS further, lamenting the loss of the only witness who could ID Terry as Ross Turner. Throughout this scene, Jatri is watching the two of them interact. Jatri then calls Steve, in a grey suit with a blue tie, and tells him she can no longer be an informant. 

Round two of interviewing sweet Terry begins, with Jo in the same outfit and Kate watching on video, again in the same striped turtleneck. They all seem to think Terry is hiding something, but Kate seems taken aback at some of Jo’s lines of questioning (Vicky McClure, expert reactor) but is mostly saddened by Terry. Later, Steve meets with Kate outside of Hillside and they discuss his inquiry into Jo. She refuses to help, but gives him the name Carl Banks as someone to look into. 

We then see Jo arrive at Farida’s house with a suitcase, moving out her final belongings after their breakup, where they have a row over Jo’s refusal to introduce Farida to her nonexistent family. After, Jo returns to her own apartment with its 18 dead bolts. Nearly the entire place is blue - the walls, the furniture, even the refrigerator. However, those warm tones pop up throughout - lemons on the counter, golden pillows in the living room, gold lights framing the picture of her mother. Jo at her heart is good and believes in justice, but she has been groomed and manipulated by the OCG into acting against her nature in the name of self-preservation. She is blue, but the pops of gold and yellow of the OCG catch the eye. 

The following scene shows Jo getting chewed out by Buckells in the briefing room in full view of the rest of MIT, again in the green sweater and blue shirt. Kate looks on in concern, still wearing the orange and navy striped sweater. Buckells storms out, and Jo rushes into the hallway. Kate follows quickly behind, asking after Jo, who vents her frustrations with the pressure to charge Terry with murder because she knows it isn’t right and wants to find real justice for Gail. The color choices in this scene are clear. Kate is wearing orange and navy, highlighting both her connection to Jo and her pursuit of justice. Jo is wearing green, combining the blue of her heart and the pollution of OCG yellow, with a light blue shirt, again highlighting her true self and alignment with Kate.

This also highlights something we don’t learn until episode 6 - Jo wanted Kate on her team to keep her in check and be a barrier to the things the OCG was asking her to do. This includes the arrest of Terry Boyle. Jo specifically identifies several odd things about the recent evidence - and tells Kate that something doesn’t add up, essentially encouraging the DI to look into these inconsistencies further. This is her way of looking for help when she still feels trapped in many ways. 

Of course, no analysis of this scene would be complete without mentioning the hand grab and subsequent hold. They’re gay, kids!

The final scene shows Jo watching as Terry Boyle is released and remanded to police bail, a look of relief on her face. Because yeah, she’s done a lot of bent things, but Jo isn’t bent.

And that’s where the episode wraps.

Stay tuned for more wardrobe analysis tomorrow!

[betterthedevilyouknowuk]

“Michelle Remembers”: The story of the literary hoax that started a tragic moral panic

Written by Sean Munger 

If you were a child in America in the 80s, especially the early 80s, you probably remember Satanic Ritual Abuse. This was a fear, especially prevalent among white middle-class suburbanites, that groups of Satanic cultists were going around kidnapping children for the purpose of abusing them in the course of bizarre and evil rituals. It sounds incredibly far-fetched–and it is–but millions of otherwise rational parents were terrified that their kids might be targeted by pedophilic Satan worshipers who supposedly had some kind of organized network in North America.

SRA fears were so prevalent that they were the subject of various mainstream media reports on shows like 20/20 and Oprah Winfrey. There are few starker examples of a “moral panic” in modern history.

The entire SRA scare can be traced to a single source: a book called Michelle Remembers, written by Lawrence Pazder and published in November 1980, billed as a true story. In the book, Pazder, a psychiatrist from Victoria, BC, Canada, documented his therapy with an adult patient named Michelle Smith, who while under his care recovered repressed memories of horrifying sexual abuse in her childhood in Victoria in the 1950s. Under hypnosis Michelle recalled strange rituals, many occurring in a basement room and in a cemetery, involving knives, masochism, rape and murder. At one point Michelle said she was bundled into a car with the corpse of a dead victim of the Satanists, and the car was purposely crashed. She also claimed she endured 81 straight days of abuse in a marathon mega-ritual in which the cultists summoned Satan himself. Michelle fingered her mother as one of the instigators of this abuse. The mother, Victoria Proby, died in 1964.

Michelle Remembers made a huge splash when it appeared on the literary scene in 1980. By now Pazder was married to Michelle Smith, and the husband-and-wife team went on a publicity tour to promote the book which was very successful, garnering articles in mass media publications like the National Enquirer. The allegations of an organized network of Satanists throughout North America, who abducted kids and did these horrible things to them, were too explosive to tamp down. Pazder began consulting on other cases where people came forward and claimed to remember sex abuse from their childhoods. Suddenly it seemed there was a wealth of corroborating evidence to prove that indeed organized rings of Satanists had been running around the U.S. and Canada for decades and committing horrible acts with children.

Ross Bay Cemetery, in Victoria, BC, was identified in Michelle Remembers as one of the places where the abuse took place. However, the descriptions of what happened there make no sense in light of the real place, which is shown here on Google Earth.

At the same time, however, a second story was developing. Even before the book came out an investigative reporter in Canada went to Victoria to interview Michelle’s surviving family and friends and investigate the now 25-year-old allegations. Michelle’s father, who was still alive, refuted every allegation made against his late wife. Curiously the book contained no reference to Michelle’s siblings; why weren’t they also targets of the cult? There was very little corroborating evidence for the abuse and no witnesses directly supported her story. Some news outfits were squeamish at reporting the Michelle Remembers claims as truth.

Many, however, did–and with tragic consequences. By 1983 the country was awash in SRA allegations. The most awful of them came from a preschool in southern California, the family-run McMartin Preschool. One woman claimed, upon pretty flimsy evidence, that her young son was abused by the woman’s ex-husband, a teacher at McMartin. The woman was later found to have been insane at the time she made the allegation. Authorities investigated and called in social workers to interview the school’s students. Ultimately 360 of them claimed they had been abused. However, the investigators’ methods were quite sketchy; the claims seem to have been coaxed out of very young children through extremely leading questions and spurious interpretations of sometimes incoherent testimony. One child identified a photograph of actor Chuck Norris as one of his abusers; Norris never had any conceivable connection with the case. Other children talked about underground tunnels under the school and watching the teachers fly around the room–obviously impossible. Clearly something was wrong, but the prosecution forged ahead anyway.

Seven people associated with McMartin Preschool were charged with child abuse. An excruciatingly long investigation period led up to the trial; during this period one district attorney called the state’s case “incredibly weak” and dropped charges against five of the seven defendants. The case against the remaining two went ahead. Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith were consultants to the accusing children’s parents. By the time the incredibly long and expensive trial ended in 1990 the number of victims whose claims were asserted had dwindled to only 48. The jury acquitted one of the defendants, Peggy McMartin Buckey, and was unable to reach a verdict regarding the other, Ray Buckey; eleven of thirteen jurors voted to acquit him but two were intransigent. The media focused on these two jurors. Eventually the state gave up trying to convict Buckey who had already spent five years in prison despite not being convicted of anything. The trial cost $15 million–still the most expensive state criminal trial ever–and ruined countless lives. In the years after the trial, the children accusers grew up and many stated plainly that their testimony had been coerced, that they knew it was wrong at the time but wanted to please their parents and the investigators.

Shockingly, even as the trial was nearing its end, the news media was still treating Michelle Remembers as fact. Oprah Winfrey had Pazder and Smith on her show in 1989 and repeated the allegations uncritically. (Oprah would later get burned by another fake memoir, James Frey’s infamous A Million Little Pieces). In 1990, as the McMartin disaster was ending, another round of press investigations probed into the book, demolishing its claims. The car crash Michelle claimed to have been involved in was never recorded by the papers or the police of Victoria. Furthermore, someone pulled Michelle’s school records from 1955 and found she was attending school during the period of the alleged 81-day ritual marathon. No evidence has ever come to light suggesting the existence of a vast Satanic conspiracy to abuse children. Lawrence Pazder responded to these revelations by saying that whatever really happened was less important than what Michelle Smith believedhappened–not a very ringing defense of what was supposed to be a memoir. He died in 2004.

Some incidents of mass hysteria, such as the great windshield-pitting epidemic of Seattle in 1954, are relatively harmless, even amusing. Satanic Ritual Abuse, by contrast, is an episode of mass hysteria that was horribly damaging. A few people out there still believe in SRA, though their numbers are small; most of the world recognizes it as having been discredited long ago. But the whole sad saga of Michelle Remembers demonstrates the old adage that a lie can circle the world while the truth is still putting its shoes on.

[vvlin91]

The Making of Sanaich

How 19-year-old Sana Hiroki transformed himself into an 80s yaoi icon

Maraich is special to the Patalliro! series even before author Maya Mineo realized it. He confessed to planning to kill him off after a few chapters but saw the character had a life of its own and therefore he felt compelled to let him live. I wonder if this happened before or after Maraich was assigned to be 18 years of age, because Maya Mineo fell in love with his wife at first sight when he was 27, which is Bancoran’s age, and his wife 18. In the manga Maya-sensei also jokingly stated that Bancoran’s cheating was in no way a reflection of his own behaviors. And the fact that Maya-sensei’s now-mangaka daughter saw Patalliro as a sibling growing up kind of indirectly shows how Bancoran and Maraich’s relationship is in certain ways a representation of Maya-sensei’s own marriage. 

Maya-sensei is delightfully weird, as you would expect from the man who created Patalliro! in the first place. So a lot of the decisions he has made about his story and characters don’t fit into boxes. He said he wasn’t good at drawing women so he made all his characters gay even though the pretty boys he draws are all indistinguishable from women. 

And even though Maraich was one of the most important characters of the story, he never bound himself or anyone else to any set ways of portraying the character. Maraich was famously voiced by female voice actor Fujita Toshiko, and Maya-sensei had characterized Maraich as “a girl with a boy’s body”, despite the fact that Maraich throughout the series has used “boku”, which is the male first-person pronoun and on several occasions made it clear that he is a male and has no problem staying that way. So the whole thing is a very fluid situation and Maya-sensei is almost always just free-ranging.

When Stage Patalliro! became a thing but the cast has not been determined, Maya-sensei called his daughter Marie to ask about whether Maraich should be played by a man or a woman. Little did he realize that because Marie was raised on all the BL manga he had gathered over the years in his household, there was only one possible answer from a hardcore fujoshi.

The conversation was first revealed in Marie’s own comic series:

“100% MALE!” was Marie’s instant reply. So we might have her to thank for Sanaich.

“For real?” was Sana’s initial response after being cast as Maraich. He didn’t know Patalliro! prior to the play and there was little in common between he and his character. Maraich looks like a woman, and was voiced by a woman, moreover Maya-sensei sees Maraich as a girl at heart and even wants a female to play the role, everything was mounting on Sana who has so far made his name by playing a serious character.

A known hard-worker, Sana did not dwell on the pressure and dived into the series. He read the entire manga(which was 90+ volumes and counting) and watch the anime on DVD(49 episodes not counting the movie). It was then when he saw that Maraich always uses “boku” when referring to himself. 

“So there is still a part of him that is a boy.”

He expressed his thoughts to Maya-sensei when they sat down for an interview for the first time. And Maya-sensei, being his free-ranging self and all, essentially advised him to approach the character his own way. That is to say, he doesn’t have to feel confined by the anime’s female voice(which would be impossible for him to mimic anyway) or even Maya-sensei’s own characterizations. They have cast a boy, so Maraich now is a boy and there is nothing wrong with playing him as one.

“I often see (Maraich) being called ‘the one in a million pretty boy’ so I thought, ‘Ah, he’s a boy after all.’”

“My voice is so deep.”

“My shoulders are a little too wide.”

The photoshoot was just one of the places for such concerns, where Sana had to come up with very feminine and even erotic poses. Luckily he got advice from the staff and he also observed the women around him. He ultimately settled for a “worried” face, expressing the inner thought of “What do I even do...”

(Aoki Tsunenori, who plays Bancoran, said, “I didn’t receive any special instructions for the photoshoot.”)

The result was stunning.  

Tsune: I don’t dislike girls with wide shoulders at all. It’d definitely score a pass for me.

Sana: I’m so glad ♪ (A/N: the music note was printed in the actual interview)

(Despite that, Sana carried the same concerns with him even long after the show was over. In these two clips(1/2) where he watched himself as Maraich on stage, you can still see him feeling uneasy about his voice and any sign of masculinity, despite his fellow actors' repeated reassurance that he was adorable and his style was really good. )

To look like the character is one thing, to give him life on stage is another.

Even though they have established the fact that Maraich is a boy, he is still a feminine one. A lot of ideas flew around from the director and others on how Maraich would behave under different circumstances(80s female idols were an important point of reference). Once the directives were in his head, Sana realized he had indeed started acting more “girlish” even without realizing. He started to obsess over make-up, buying fashion magazines targeted at women, and unconsciously dancing in a very feminine manner... At one point he wondered if he had gone a little too far and really became a girl, but he was also having so much fun so he just laughed it off. 

However, there was another elephant in the room: Maraich and Bancoran’s same-sex relationship, which was something new to both actors.

Sana: (while staring at Tsune) I want to convey the ultimate love story that even the audience would envy. Tsune: I never injected love to a boy this way though~ Sana: I have never fallen in love with a man before so...please take care of me! Tsune: Well, me neither. (LOL)  (A/N: the bracket notes are also printed in the actual interview)

Since both actors considered themselves to be straight(haha), Maya-sensei advised Sana to think of himself as a boy with a girl's heart to help him approach same-sex romance for the first time. Tsune then declared, “Sana I’m going to treat you like a girl now” which Sana happily agreed to. They indeed grew to enjoy each other’s company, sometimes caught by fellow actors sharing a private moment together and both spoke very fondly of the experience even long after the show was over.

And there’s the fanfiction-like story of how they managed to kiss without feeling embarrassed.

Here’s a video you have probably watched 200 times because I reblogged it 2000 times.

They were determined to get this right. Tsune said in a later interview that he didn’t want people to think they were faking the kiss so a simple brush on the lips was out of the question. Kato Ryo(Patalliro), who somehow always gets asked about the kiss even though he personally was not involved, also said they both really went for it with all they had.

And there is also the love-making. Neither spoke much about it unfortunately but we know this position was coined by Kato Ryo and there was a lot of trial and error happening under everyone’s watchful eyes. So we at least know they had to rehearse in the middle of the room with everyone watching.

Alas, Maraich is more than just a pretty face.

Maraich is a trained assassin and literal killing machine. Check out Sana’s epic high kicks in this action sequence with Tsune.

Maraich is also a sentimental lover. His solo "That Man" is an expression of his rawest emotions, and a very subtle tribute to the fact that Maraich was one of the earliest manga characters to be shown engaging in masturbation.

Remember how Sana was concerned about his deep, manly voice? In Maraich and Bancoran’s duet "Snipers of Love", you can clearly hear that Tsune's voice is a lot higher than his but that did not keep this song from being one of the most brainwashing tracks coming from any stageplay. 

And there’s also this moment of truly seamless acting:

Maya-sensei's daughter and mangaka Yamada Marie grew up with BanMara. Yet even she, after watching the stageplay, found herself shipping BanMara even harder and started to actively use the term "Sanaich", combining the actor and character's names.

Kato Ryo, who was the determining factor that made the play even remotely plausible, mentioned how having Sana as Maraich and Tsune as Bancoran helped him relieve a lot of the pressure. Patalliro, Bancoran and Mariach are the pillars of the original story, and it is not surprising that the stageplay could only work out when there are three competent and talented actors to fill those roles. In fact, in many group and solo interviews the three of them did before and after the play, they brought up how watching each other get into character gave them confidence and even more faith that this play - long considered an impossible project - will work out just fine.

In the end, Sana probably found that he and Maraich had more in common than he first thought. Sana is a very talented and hardworking actor. His subsequent performances as Sesshomaru in Stage Inuyasha and Bedivere in Stage FGO were also highly praised, but I still feel Maraich is his most outstanding performance to date. There's just something about Sanaich that feels so natural, something close to perfection came out of that flawless addition of unabashed boyishness and Maraich's sentimentalism.

After the final performance, Sana wrote on his blog,

"I am so happy to be able to play Maraich. So happy that I might have got pregnant...LOL"

And here’s a gif of him having fun.

Well, he's just not pregnant...yet.

[aion-rsa]

Framing Britney Spears Review: FX Doc Is a Pop Horror Story

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The FX docuseries The New York Times Presents takes a celebrity turn on the installment “Framing Britney.” But this is no tabloid exposé, even as the gossip rags and paparazzi become inadvertently complicit. The series provides consistently dedicated longform journalism as a matter of course. Their beat is varied. It’s covered front line workers, booted a hacking network, and chased a killer.

“Framing Britney” doesn’t present a homicide case, though legal minds might argue a life has been taken away. It is a true crime documentary, but the truth hasn’t been determined, and the crime is hard to define. There is a fiduciary element, and questionable mental health is a contributory factor. It is also a missing person’s case where the exact location of the victim-at-large is known. Well known and splashed across newsfeeds at a moment’s notice if there’s even a hint of a move. That’s part of the problem.

“Framing Britney” does a very good job of breaking down the incredibly confusing legal details. Since what has been called a very public breakdown in 2008, Spears has been under her father Jamie Spears’ conservatorship. This is also known as a guardianship and it is normally limited to people with diminished capacity who might not be capable of making decisions. Spears entered the conservatorship at age 26. She acknowledged it was necessary when it began, but at 39, wants the conditions changed.

The court documents call Britney a “high-functioning conservatee” who is still raking in the bucks. James Spears’ conservatorship may have been legally dubious, but it has been profitable, bringing the star from the depths of a bottomless spending spree to a net worth of well over $60 million. The conservatorship has done so well, even James’ initial co-guardian, the aptly named Andrew Wallet, wants a raise, and The New York Times Presents wants to know why. Britney’s attorney Samuel D. Ingham III tries to explain as much as he can, but he’s only privy to so much information. The documentary makes it seem Spears’ case is too profitable to get resolved. It’s not about health, but money. Even the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge is named Brenda Penny.

The subtext of the documentary has even saturated Spears’ song titles. “Work Bitch,” “I’m a Slave 4U,” “Overprotected,” all describe the neverland Britney inhabits, and “Framing Britney” lets you know it without stating it explicitly. Baby, she’s been hit more than one too many times. And it drives her crazy. It drives her fans mad as well. They’re only angry but they’ve been labeled insane by the opposition. Britney’s father dismisses them as “conspiracy theorists.” Some members of the #FreeBritney movement say they feel so gaslighted they sometimes doubt what they know. But they know, and are very good at getting the inside scoop.

One sequence recounts an anonymous voicemail message to the fan-produced podcast “Britney’s Gram.” It is obviously big news, and the fans who produce it do the right thing. They make all the right disclaimers. They do their due diligence, vetting as much as possible, cross-checking as much information as they can get. The self-appointed Britney-fan-journalists are organized, intelligent, and so well-informed Britney herself thanks them on record highlighting the word. They go to the hearings, take minutes and share them via google doc, insiders confess to them. They are a serious media concern, and this writer hopes when they achieve this goal, they don’t give up on their network and what it can do.

The fan/journalists dig through every conservatorship document available to the public. This may be part of a New York Times series, but they are star stringers, and director Samantha Stark is absolutely justified in treating them this way, albeit with tight editorial restrictions.

This may be the most innovative aspect of the episode. New York Times journalists Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick, and Stephanie Preiss teamed with Left/Right’s Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, and Mary Robertson on this project. They enthusiastically analyze and incorporate the information they get from the grassroots fan-based press which sparked The Free Britney movement. Over the past few years, cellphone-recorded incidents and social media feeds have been changing the way news is gathered, providing first-hand accounts of harassment, protests and aggravated law enforcement tactics. The New York Times Presents produces one of the best mixes of the evolving media landscape. It is a transitional program, adhering to traditional journalistic values while vetting the upstart alternative media.

“Framing Britney” watches Spears’ followers as they scrutinize the star’s Instagram posts. Since disappearing from public view, these are the only glimpses into the megastar’s life, and she appears to be packing as much into the short clips as she can. Almost every post artfully weaves a mysterious clue, but even the fans admit, anyone can read anything into all of them. Spears’ lyrics have come under similar microscopes leading to vast and dark conspiracies. Britney could be singing about watching The Sixth Sense in “Girl in the Mirror.” The lyrics to “911” could be interpreted as a plea from a monarch-programmed sex-kitten. She never even officially released her response to a famous ex-boyfriend’s teary-eyed breakup song.

The documentary includes insightful interviews, especially with Felicia Culotta, who was with Spears from the very beginning of her career. She is to Britney what Mal Evans was to the Beatles, the one who did the day to day work. She was hand-picked by Britney’s mother and James Spears’ ex-wife Lynne Spears. Culotta stood with Britney for Times Square selfies on the first trip to New York. An early talent manager talks about how dedicated Britney was to her musical and performance studies, and the documentary shows stills of the singer on different instruments. We see the rise of a female pop phenomenon in the age of the boy band.

This is where “Framing Britney” earns its title. The directors indirectly infer not only has Spears been set up for some kind of blame, the entire picture is off-center. Sure, the #FreeBritney movement has become a cause célèbre, and the documentary shows Cher, Miley Cyrus, and others hoisting flags during concerts. But when Britney shaved her head and told people to stop touching her, she was a late-night talk show joke regurgitated on daytime game shows.

The documentary highlights how, from the moment Britney took off Mouseketeer ears and got ground through the American pop-star machine, she was a target and an easy score. “Her rise was a global phenomenon,” the FX advance press promised. “Her downfall was a cruel national sport.” One segment of the documentary shows a chorus line of well-known names making sport of Spears. The series shows Justin Timberlake treating radio interviews like locker rooms, and Us Weekly heading the cheerleading squad.

The piece sheds a completely different light on Spears’ public breakdown in 2007 and 2008. While an interview with former MTV VJ Dave Holmes reveals how professional, friendly and focused she was on set, one the paparazzi squad talks about ducking the famous umbrella attack. Even in retrospect, he doesn’t get it. He still doesn’t think his actions, chasing the pop singer around in a car while she tended intricate family business, had anything to do with her beating on his car door with an umbrella in the middle of the night. He acknowledges Britney had told him to lay off, but the cameraman assumed the requests applied to specific moments, not forever. It makes it seem Britney had to advise the paparazzi on a case-by-case photo op basis. Who does that?

One of the highlights of the documentary comes at a big announcement of her second Las Vegas residency in early 2019. Britney, who did her share of comedy acting on Saturday Night Live, does a perfectly broad impression of a Mel Brooks late-night Tonight Show appearance. She walks onto the stage and keeps walking. It is art. It is a major statement from the fabricated pop star.

One of the sad truths the documentary inadvertently points out is a series of artistic “what might have been” scenarios. Known only as a singer and dancer, we’ve never gotten to know the singer as a musician, because everyone cared about the gossip. People dismiss Britney as a dance pop artist without thinking that dance pop is an art. In spite of its intentionally static rhythms, it is often more intricate musically than rock. Britney, the artist, never stopped looking to expand the sounds. She was one of the pioneers of dubstep, taking it from the London club scene to the tops of all international charts. The documentary shows a series of unrelentingly harrowing questions about dating, boys, and the dangers of her young feminine sexuality. At one point Britney has to respond on camera to the news that some mother in the Bible Belt wants to shoot her dead. “I’m nobody’s babysitter,” the singer mouths, ad-libbing like the young professional she is, before cameras linger a little too long.

Ultimately, The New York Times Presents gives us a horror documentary, as scary and unfathomable as The Blair Witch Project, only more chilling because it is not fiction. Even Stephen King veers from this kind of harrowing suspense. It’s a pop-up, and you have to wait for it. They don’t reveal it until the end credits, though we’ve known it from the beginning. As the producers are thanking their contributors, they mention they reached out to Britney Spears herself. She never responded. They don’t even know if she got the message. This is dramatic brilliance. It is subtle, effective, and as the final visual burning in the mind’s eye, provocatively expansive.

“Framing Britney” is worth watching for the details, the history it tells, and the history it captures inadvertently by virtue of its hybrid journalistic filmmaking. This is Millennial Media and it is fitting the subject is Britney Spears, the most iconic figure of that generation. The full-length documentary, without ever expressly proclaiming it, shows how the star is being saved by her peers. An entire community, linked with nothing but love for their favorite singer, comes together to do right by her. It’s their prerogative. K-Pop fans showed the power of their stans as political weapons. “Framing Britney” presents entirely new possibilities.

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

The New York Times Presents “Framing Britney Spears” debuts Feb. 5 on FX and FX on Hulu.

The post Framing Britney Spears Review: FX Doc Is a Pop Horror Story appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3rjH2W4

[exxar1]

Episode 6: My Resolutions

12/31/2020

Resolution.

It’s an interesting word. It denotes both “end” and “beginning”. On this, the last day of the year, I’m sitting in my parents’ living room, glass of iced tea close by, MacBook open in my lap, reflecting on 2020. But…I think we all have done enough reflecting of this dumpster fire of a year, so I’m just gonna skip that part. Let’s look ahead to 2021.

Seriously, though, as I’ve said in previous posts, 2020 was a year of monumental personal change for me. So, with that in mind, here’s my resolutions for 2021:

1.     I want to be a better Christian. There’s a lot packed into this resolution, but, basically, I want to have a better relationship with God. For the last few months I’ve been using work as an excuse for not having enough time each day to do personal devotions and prayer. And while I have been super busy with two full time jobs, I have had a few minutes here and there where I could have spent some time reading in the Bible app on my phone. I surfed social media instead. I also have had some time at the end of the day before bed when I could have done a devotional and some praying, but, again, I either surfed social media or watched a half hour of something on Hulu or Netflix.

So, for 2021, I am resolving to read my Bible more, pray more, and build up my relationship with my Lord and Savior. A month ago, on black Friday, I purchased a couple different study Bibles that were on sale for the app on my phone and iPad. One of them is a men’s study Bible that is designed and set up as a one year, daily devotional Bible. Each night, before bed, I will use that half hour to read and pray.

2.    In that same vein, I am resolving to join a church in 2021. I’ve been doing a little research of local churches online, and I found a Lutheran church here in Vegas that appears to be gay friendly while, at the same time, doctrinally sound. By that I mean that it appears to be close to the same doctrinal beliefs as the Baptist church that I grew up in. My religious beliefs/convictions are very much Baptist, with the exception of their view on homosexuality. However, I don’t want that to be the only criteria for my selection of a church, obviously. And this will be predicated on whether or not life as we know it goes completely back to normal this coming year. That means no statewide lockdowns and no mask and social distancing mandates. Soooooo…yeah, this might be one resolution that doesn’t get fulfilled until much later in the year, or maybe even in 2022. Ugh! (But still keeping my fingers crossed.)

Also, my secret hope is that by completing this resolution, I will also be well on the way to completing Resolution #5.

3.    I resolve to explore further the issue of homosexuality and Christianity. Due to my hectic work schedule I haven’t been able to devote anywhere near the time necessary to the study and research that this issue requires. But, in 2021, I will be devoting more time to this project. I’m thinking that the more time I devote to Resolution #1, I will also be making progress on this resolution. Stay tuned for updates on here…

4.    As part of Resolution #1, I am resolving to be more compassionate and understanding with everyone around me and those I meet in my daily life. For the last week or so, as I’ve been up in Idaho on vacation, I’ve had more time to think and reflect on this past year. Looking back through my posts on social media, especially on Facebook, I realized that I have been VERY judgmental of people – both on my friends list as well as the various politicians and leaders who have been involved in the many social and political issues that have plagued our nation in 2020. I allowed myself to get caught up in the political storm, and I did more than my fair share of yelling, screaming, and smug finger-pointing that I have often despised in others over the last few years.

One of my favorite albums by Amy Grant is her 1988 Lead Me On. If memory serves, I first bought that CD around 1990 or 91, and, as with everything else in her library since 1985’s Unguarded, I had the entire Lead Me On LP memorized by the end of junior high. Later, as an adult, when I burned or downloaded all her albums in iTunes, I would “dust off” those songs every once in awhile over the last couple decades, revisiting old, familiar lyrics and memories while commuting to work or at the gym. One of the songs on Lead Me On is called What About The Love. The narrator spends most of that track pointing a finger at others and judging them for not showing the love, compassion or mercy of Christ. Then, in the last verse, the narrator looks in the mirror and realizes that he/she has been guilty of the very sin that he/she has been judging others for committing.

That’s how I’ve been feeling for the last couple weeks. I have stood on my pedestal, looking down upon the world, judging and smugly condemning everyone around me on social media for being ignorant, or uninformed, or just downright stupid simply because they believed differently than I on this or that issue. I have shaken my fist at the sky, ranting and raving about COVID-19, the national election, BLM, and many of the other social and political issues that tossed and turned our nation inside out these last 9 months.

For 2021, I resolve to be less judgmental, less angry, and more compassionate and understanding. That doesn’t mean I’m going to no longer stand up for my beliefs or convictions, and I will continue to speak my mind, but I will not do as much angry yelling as I’ve done in 2020. One of the major changes for me, personally, in 2020 was that I woke up from my 20-year complacency. Before this year, I never cared much about who was sitting in the White House, or what laws congress passed. But now, I care very much about those things, and I believe it’s important now, more than ever, for ALL American citizens to care as well. For this coming year – and from now on – I promise to be less confrontational and judgmental in my social media posts. Instead, I’m going to be more professional, calmer and understanding while stating my opinion. I’m also going to pause and ask myself the following before posting something: is this just to poke the hornet’s nest, or do I honestly have something to say and/or contribute to this or that debate?

Along those same lines, I resolve to be more sympathetic and understanding with the people I meet in my daily life. One of my biggest weaknesses is my impatience and judgment of others, especially my customers. Nothing infuriates or exasperates me more than trying to help an elderly man/woman who has no idea how to go about accessing their bank statement online. Or when people ask what I consider to be dumb or redundant questions. Or people who insist on splitting up what should be a simple, 2-minute transaction into a 10-minute, 5-part transaction. Or people who –

You get the idea. For 2021, I resolve to stop silently cursing and judging those people. Instead, I will take a deep breath, smile, and be more sympathetic and understanding. I have always had to remind myself that not everyone is as adept as me at current technology, or maybe they don’t know as much about the products they’re purchasing as I do. I’ve been selling money for 8 ½ years now. I’ve used the same script for explaining a payday loan every day, multiple times a day, for 8 ½ years. I sometimes forget that new customers are not as versed as I am, and I need to be more patient and understanding with them.

I also need to be more kind and patient with my co-workers for the same reason, especially the new people. Another of my weaknesses has been my impatience with those to whom I’m tasked to teach new things. (This is the main reason I had to quit my job as a computer assistant at an elementary school in 2012. I made too many young children cry. Literally. I’m not kidding.) For 2021, I resolve to be more patient and understanding with my co-workers. I will keep my frustration and exasperation to myself. Instead, I will pause, take a breath, and try to see the situation from their point of view. There’s a meme I’ve seen a lot on Facebook recently that says something to the effect of, “Treat everyone you meet today with kindness and love. Everyone is going through something in their life, and you don’t know what it is. So be nice.” I promise to take that advice to heart every day from now on.

5.    I want to find a man. And not just any man. I have a specific set of criteria, both physical and characteristic, that I want in my future husband. To me, dating is no different than applying for a job. I have a position that I’m seeking to fill, and all prospective applicants need to meet a certain set of standards and qualifications. (And let’s be honest: is there really much of a difference between dates and job interviews? Other than the fact that some dates might end with sex?)

But, seriously, folks, I want someone to love. I’m honestly not sure why this has become such a hunger for me these last few months, but I’ve been longing for some time now to share my life with someone special. The funny thing is, I’ve never cared about this before. I was perfectly happy just doing my own thing, but, lately, I’ve had a very strong yearning for all that clichéd relationship crap, or, as I saw in a social media meme awhile back, “…that special someone you want to annoy for the rest of your life.”

I could write a whole blog post about this (and maybe I will at some point), but I think I’ve officially discovered the 10th circle of hell: online dating. I’m sure Dante wrote a whole ‘nother book about it, but his publisher at the time thought it too frightening for the 13th century common man, so it was left out of The Divine Comedy. I’m honestly not sure that anyone in real life has ever found their soul mate – or even a normal, well-adjusted person – on eHarmony, Tinder, Plenty of Fish, or Match.com. I’ve even resorted to using Facebook’s dating section, which I didn’t know about until a month ago when a co-worker mentioned it. So far, no luck. The main problem I have with most of the major dating apps out there is that you have to plunk down anywhere from $30 - $150 just to be able to respond to ads and/or private messages. I gave Tinder, POF, and Match.com a single month’s subscription trial, but I didn’t meet anyone worth more than a few words in DM, let alone anyone who came close to meeting even the basic of my standards and criteria.

I’m scared that my only chance for “true love” is to meet someone in real life, and that’s not good. I work for a payday loan company and Walmart. I can tell you with absolute assuredness that those meet-cutes in every stupid Hollywood rom-com NEVER happen in real life. Never! Ever! Never ever! And I dare any of you to challenge me on this. The customers and co-workers that I interact with every day are not eligible soul mates, and since I have never been anything close to a social butterfly (even before 2020 when anything social and extra-curricular was shut down), my chances of meeting that special guy face to face are pretty slim.

But, as part of Resolution #1, I’ve decided to put this resolution in the hands of God. If it is His will that I meet that special guy, He’ll find a way to bring him across my path. I just hope that I’ll be ready. In the meantime, I have decided to be patient and just live my life as normal. If the absolute craziness of 2020 has taught me anything, it’s patience. Life is unpredictable, and you never know what each day might bring.

So there they are: my New Year’s resolutions. I can tell you right now that I will fail at some point throughout the year with each one of these (except maybe #2). But the point of resolutions is to commit to the struggle, even – and especially – when we fail. I’ll keep you posted on here on my progress, and I hope this encourages all of you to commit to your own resolutions.

After all, a struggle – like fine wine – is best shared with friends.

[i-may-have-a-point]

Review of 14x01 “Break Down the House” and 14x02 “Get Off on the Pain “

“The painful irony for doctors is that we often have to make you sicker in order to heal you.”

There are a few things we can count on with Grey’s Anatomy.  One, the voiceovers are meaningful.  The words that begin and end each episode are intentional.  Two, most seasons (13 was a glaring exception) are written with the end in mind.  Where our characters start is rarely where they finish.  However, where they start is still important.   Three, when the show promises a lighter, happier season, we will always get the exact opposite.  With that said, once I heard the opening voiceover, I knew we should expect pain and lots of it.  And in true Grey’s fashion, they delivered.

Let’s start somewhere easy.  

Ben/Bailey-  Benley spent most of the two hours snacking on the stairs of the main lobby, overanalyzing the construction workers, and discussing shoes. When I heard Ben would be going to the spin-off I wondered what their story would be this season. Season 12 brought us rebellious Ben who sliced people open with clipboards and waited for his wife to chastise him.  Season 13 brought us doormat Bailey who let Catherine Avery intimidate her into thinking she didn’t know how to run a hospital, which of course, led to the terribleness that was the Eliza storyline. So for season 14, I could do with a little less Benley. I adore both of them, but honestly, I would be okay with them staying on the stairs.  

Megan/Nathan/Meredith - Megan’s return is something we have all been waiting for since we heard she was only” presumed dead.”  It could possibly be the least shocking return from the dead in the history of television.  Predictability aside, I appreciate that while this feels like a different version of Addison showing up in her fur coat, Mer and Megan stayed mature in an awkward situation.  They are setting up Mer and Nathan’s relationship much better than last season as well.  In season 13, we collectively cringed each time Nathan asked Meredith out because after fifteen rejections, you’ve got to take a hint, man.  By the time they ended up on the plane together it felt so forced that it was hard to root for them.  Having Nathan show that he is torn between the two is warming me up to Griggs more, though.  And that proposal scene has so much secondhand awkwardness that I literally threw my blanket over my head so I didn’t have to watch.  My guess is that in the end, Megan will choose her son over Nathan and return to Iraq, and Nathan and Mer will find their way back to each other after an entire season of pining from afar.  

Amelia/Owen/Teddy - I thought Teddy was such a nice addition to these two episodes.  She was absolutely correct that Mer operating on Megan is a conflict of interest, and I think Teddy and Owen have great chemistry.  Just like Megan’s return, Amelia’s brain tumor also feels like a new version of an old story - Izzie’s brain tumor.  Are we going to see her freeze her eggs as well?  Because all Owen Hunt has wanted for the last 74 years is a baby, and he clearly has no problem finding a new woman if he needs to.  Staying faithful is not his strong point.  As much as I like Owen and Teddy’s chemistry, I felt that having Owen cheat on his wife who wouldn’t give him a baby yet again, really put a dent in his character.  Giving Amelia a tumor should make for some great dramatic scenes with Owen, Amelia, Mer, etc., but it also pushes the “Owen finally gets a baby” story back another season.  And really, unless Caterina leaves, which I don’t think she will, Amelia will be fine.  Krista said in an interview that she wanted to explain Amelia’s ooc actions (a nice way of saying bad writing) so she decided to give her a tumor.  That’s how bad things got in season 13.  They can only be explained by a brain tumor.  Nice.

Jo/Alex/Deluca - Looks like they quickly kicked Deluca out of the picture, and made it pretty clear this will not be a triangle.  Every time Alex or Jo started talking to each other I so badly wanted one of them to say, “Why I haven’t I seen you in eight weeks?”  Last season they could barely look at each other without getting teary-eyed and mopey, and this season they act like most of s13 didn’t happen.  I guess that is another way Krista is trying to fix the writing.  Just act like it didn’t happen.  I wish we had that luxury.  I am a Jolex fan.  I think they belong together, and I want to see them get rid of Paul and live happily ever after.  Unfortunately, happily ever after usually lasts about five episodes on this show, so the fact that they are so happy in the premiere makes me nervous for where their story will go from here.  Also, I know Jo sleeping with the intern was supposed to be shocking and funny, but it made me cringe.  For a woman who has been with multiple abusive men in the past, Jo going home with a man who is essentially a stranger seemed ooc.  Also, she snuck out of his room in the morning and then had sex with Alex hours later in the Resident’s Lounge.  I hope she showered in between.

Arizona/Carina - Carina is already better than Eliza, but I am not completely sold on this story.  This was also incredibly predictable.  Once she was announced as joining the show, most of the fans called that she was joining for Arizona.  How did we know?  Because that seems to be the only story Arizona can have.  I am all for her finding someone and finding happiness, but I would like to see Arizona, the doctor, again as well.  

April/Jackson/Maggie - Before I say anything else, I have to say that Sarah Drew is incredible.  Her heartbreak was so real and so tangible that it made an unbearable scene beautiful.  

I see this from two angles.  One perspective is the show (Krista? Shonda?) wants to end Japril and has decided to put Jackson with Maggie because (like Arizona) hooking her up with someone seems to be the ultimate goal, while her abilities as a doctor and her character development are ignored.  There were some hints that this may happen.  I think Jackson and Maggie may have been trying to have some moments, but it is so hard to tell.  I have to rewatch their scenes and analyze are they being intentionally awkward or is the awkwardness a result of their lack of chemistry?  Is that a confused look or a thinking look? Was that a smile or a grimace?  With Japril and Maggie/Nathan and Maggie/Deluca their feelings were always clear.  Now whatever they are doing is making their already painful scenes more difficult to watch.  If Jackson and Maggie is something they pursue, they will have a hard time getting the audience on board.  The majority is adamantly against it, and they will never come out from Japril’s shadow.  Japril’s story cannot be matched or recreated, so Jackson/Maggie would eventually become a side couple who just happen to be on a show that people are watching for Griggs or Jolex. As viewers we feel so disrespected that there is no saving that ship in our eyes. From this perspective it was difficult to watch Jackson sit there and not respond.  Or to accept the idea that he would think sex to April could ever be casual.  It was heartbreaking.

Another perspective I see is that Japril may not be completely dead.  I am not at all trying to give out false hope.  I saw what you saw.  But as painful as it was, I am happy that April said what she was feeling and that Jackson was clearly bothered by knowing he had hurt her.  And as much as I wanted him to fight for her, to say something, anything, watching them sit in silence, holding hands made me think about how through everything, the love and respect has remained.  They may be the only couple in the history of the show who have stayed faithful to each other no matter what.  The writers could have destroyed them completely.  We easily could have seen a Jackson/Maggie hook-up that would have broken them in a different way.  Instead, we saw April tell Jackson what she needed to say and Jackson listened.  Writing the scene that way leaves that trust, respect, and love in tact so that it can be revived.  The episode had a couple of other moments made me wonder if they were hints as well.  Maggie’s relationship with Deluca was brought up for the first time in forever, and Maggie seemed pretty excited that he called her beautiful.  Granted, Maggie would get excited about a man offering her a tissue when she sneezes, but again, Grey’s does not write random lines.  Plus, Deluca is officially out of Jolex’s relationship, I believe.  So that is something to keep an eye on.  Also, Maggie and Webber had a clear father/daughter scene where he talked about hoping she got her talent from him.  So, for anyone arguing he isn’t her dad, the show seems to say otherwise.  I thought it was interesting they put that scene in if they have any thoughts of Jackson and Maggie happening.  Krista says April has a complicated journey this season.  I would argue that she has had a complicated journey every season, but for them to openly say it has my wheels turning with ideas.  And of course, these things on top of Jesse and Sarah’s open support and love for Japril leaves me with a flicker of hope.  

They left hope for a reason.  If we are to believe the words that opened and closed the show, then this season will be about breaking things down to build them up better the second time.  

We’ve seen how they are going to break things.  Now let’s see how they fix it.

“The painful irony for doctors is that we often have to make you sicker in order to heal you. If a bone is healed unevenly, we have to re-break it. If a scar is too thick, we have to scrape it off and create a new wound. We break you down to rebuild you. We go to medical school because we want to learn how to fix what’s broken, but we quickly learn that we often have to make things worse before we can make them better. It’s risky, and it’s frightening for surgeons and for patients, but usually, it’s worth it. You get a second chance at life, and we get to be the architects of your second chance. It’s win-win, when it works.”

[constantviewings]

The TV Show Trials - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Based out of the New York City Police Department’s 16th precinct in Manhattan, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit, investigate and prosecute various sexually-oriented crimes.

This is the second part of this month’s TV Show Trials – Double Feature. If you would like to read the first part, where I reviewed Law and Order, you can find it here. As stated in the first part of this review, Special Victims Unit is my favourite of the two. As always with anthology series, I will give my opinions on each episode individually before summarising my thoughts on the series at the end.

American Tragedy

A celebrity Southern chef shoots and kills a teenage African-American boy that she thought was a serial rapist. But was her life in danger, or was she just an over-reactive racist?

 This episode is based off of both the shooting of Trayven Martin and several racist remarks made by Paula Deen. This is a good episode overall, the perpetrator is very easy to hate due to her ignorance and blatant racism.

Funny Valentine

Can SVU convince an up-and-coming singer to break away from her abusive hip-hop singer boyfriend before it is too late?

 The parallels between this episode and the incident between Chris Brown and Rihanna are loud a clear, so much so that they name drop the real-life inspiration in the episode. Once again, the perpetrator is very easy to hate, and though I tried my hardest I couldn’t help but blame the victim slightly for what happened to her in the end.

American Disgrace

A basketball legend is accused of raping multiple women, but exactly what role did the powerful CEO of the sports apparel company who had a contract with him play in the situation?

 The immediate ties between this episode and its real life counterpart are harder to spot due to the fact that it mixes together elements of multiple cases. This is most likely the reason that I found this episode less enjoyable than most others.

Pornstars Requiem

Two college students are accused of raping a classmate who had appeared in a series of violent online pornographic videos.

 All this episode left me thinking is: can’t people just treat sex workers like they’re normal people (because they are). Just because someone works in the adult entertainment industry does not mean you can assume what rights they do or don’t have. This episode did bring another main element forward, it was this episode that finally gave me a favourite character, Rafael Barba.

Influence

Rock star Derek Lord goes on a national talk show and lectures about the abuse of psychiatric drugs. Meanwhile, an unstable young woman loses her virginity, goes off her prescribed medication, gets behind the wheel of a car, and mows down 10 people. As these events are played out in a highly charged way, the argument about prescribed “meds” is challenged.

 God, this episode pulled some very strong opinions and feelings from me. I don’t think I can support Tom Cruise, as an individual, after learning of his blatant disregard for the psychiatric profession. Apart from the Tom Cruise inspired elements, this episode is an original concept separated from famous events and it raises a serious debate about whether you can convict someone who is affected by mental illness that inhibits their reasoning abilities.

Sick

Two children claim that they were molested by a billionaire.

 Before this episode, I had no clue that there where paedophilic allegations towards Michael Jackson; call me ignorant all you want. I won’t present my personal views on the real-life situation here; but I might in a full review of Leaving Neverland. But, I can say for certain that this episode left me feeling sick.

Blood Brothers

A pregnant 13 year old girl from Washington Heights claims that the son of an ambassador raped her, but the accused goes missing before SVU can question him.

 I never thought I would watch something where the main premise is that of a child killing another child, but here I am. This episode drew inspiration from the Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal from 2011, where he cheated on his wife with a housekeeper who then becomes pregnant with his child and has him play the mother for child support. All these elements are used in this episodes, with an extra sprinkling of child murder to spice things up a bit.

Personal Fouls

SVU investigates an accusation that a revered high school basketball coach sexually abused his players, but they ultimately may need the cooperation of a reluctant pro superstar to make case.

 This episode brought with it some ups and downs, it contained my first recognisable celebrity cameo with Aaron Tviet and the main disappointment that there were no court scenes; which are easily my favourite parts of the show.

Selfish

An immature, irresponsible young mother is assumed to have killed her child, but it turns out to be part of a measles outbreak. A.D.A. Cabot then goes after the mother of the child who started the outbreak, who refuses to immunise him.

 This episode features another easily recognisable celebrity cameo, Hillary Duff. This episode combines the polarising anti-vaccination community and irresponsible mother Casey Anthony; who killed her daughter so she could have a social life. This episode is packed with drama and entertainment value as we encounter twists and turns with this case.

Game

The squad is at a loss on what to do with a violent homicide when Stabler’s son points out that the event is straight out a video game. Interviewing the game’s creators leads them to a former employee, who then leads them (with a few other steps along the way) to a teenage couple who claim to be unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.

 This was probably the least entertaining episode of those I watched. This episode doesn’t revolve around a specific crime, but the topic of violent video games; specifically the Grand Theft Auto franchise. I wasn’t very engaged throughout this episode, as it lacks a clear through-line to keep my attention over the course of it.

Monogamy

The case involves the beating of a seven-months-pregnant woman, whose unborn child has been torn from her body via a primitive caesarean section. Among the many witnesses questioned is the woman’s husband, a psychiatrist with several devastating secrets and knows more about his wife’s beating than he’s willing to admit.

 This episode has, hands down, the best ending out of all the episodes I watched; and is maybe my favourite episode from SVU.

Babes

The grisly murder of a homeless man leads detectives to four high school girls with a pregnancy pact. But after their pact is revealed, somebody drives the girls’ ringleader to an apparent suicide.

 The only note I made about this episode was the boyfriend of the ringleader acted well, so this episode must have been pretty average for me to not write anything else.

Imprisoned Lives

The case of an abandoned seven-year-old boy in Times Square leads to the shocking discovery of two women locked in a basement cage by their abductors for nearly a decade.

 The obvious inspiration for this episode was Ariel Castro. I somewhat enjoyed this episode, but while watching it I couldn’t help but think of Room.

Scavenger

The entire SVU squad races against the clock to solve the puzzles and uncover clues scattered throughout NYC by a serial killer who is taunting then to find him and the next victims on his list.

 This is a really good episode that kept me on my toes the entire time. I don’t have much else to say other than this was the best episode I watched; hands down.

Head

A coprophillic Cyber-Peeping Tom catches a child abuse case on video.

 This is a mildly interesting episode based on the Mary Kay Letourneau case, who raped and was impregnated by their 13-year-old student. Though, the episode incorporates a brain tumour that caused the perpetrator to have paedophilic urges, which is extremely interesting.

Overall, I like SVU more than it’s predecessor and I am quite likely to continue watching it; but casually, as compared to full-time.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #156 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) So there is this longstanding opinion that of the first nine Star Trek films, the odd numbered ones are weaker than the even numbered ones. And of the trilogy made up by Star Trek II, III, and IV, this is definitely the weakest. BUT it is also the strongest of the odd numbered ones with the original cast and not a bad movie at all.

2) Leonardo Nimoy made his theatrical directing debut with this film, making him the first Star Trek actor to direct anything Star Trek. This would be a pattern later seen in feature film directors William Shatner and Jonathan Frakes, while a number of other cast members would direct TV episode of their respective series. According to IMDb:

Paramount studio chief Michael Eisner resisted the idea of Leonard Nimoy directing, because he mistakenly thought that the reason for Spock's death stemmed from a hatred that Nimoy had about Star Trek. (He believed that it was written in Nimoy's contract that Spock had to die in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)). Nimoy told him that the contract is "in a file in the basement of the building you're sitting in" and suggested that he "get someone to pull it" for him.

Nimoy does a fine job as director and went on to do an even finer job in the sequel Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But more on that later.

3) There is a gap in the opening credits of the cast where Leonardo Nimoy’s name would go. Although he is in this film, it is largely at the very end while other actors play younger versions of Spock until then. I like that they left that gap. It signifies the hole left in the crew by Spock’s death.

4) One thing I think this film does better than Wrath of Khan (and which The Voyage Home will do better than this film even) is flesh out the original crew members who are not Kirk, Bones, or Spock. An early example of this can be found in this exchange:

Kirk: “Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?”

Scotty: “Certainly sir. How else would I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?”

5) Christopher Lloyd as Kruge.

I love Christopher Lloyd, okay? Back to the Future is my favorite film of all time and Christopher Lloyd is freaking amazing in it. So the Back to the Future fanboy in me is more than happy to watch him in this film. And while he is no Khan, Kurge is a very admirable villain. Nimoy casted Lloyd because of his ability to be operatic, something which can be seen very well. Lloyd plays Kurge’s unhinged nature very well and even makes him a physically intimidating bad guy. Again, while he’s no Khan, that does not make him a bad villain. In fact I think he’s the best part of this film. He injects every scene he’s in with such life and energy that you can’t help but be drawn to him. Lloyd even said in an interview that this was one of his favorite roles to have played.

6) Bones’ having Spock’s mind in him is a perfect example of both this film’s greatest strength and flaw: great characters, not as great plot.

Bones having Spock’s mind in him creates for some great internal conflict and characterization. DeForrest Kelley gets to have a lot of fun in the part and it is a treat seeing Bones outside of his comfort zone and finding the middle ground between him and Spock. Unfortunately outside of one brief bar scene it doesn’t lead to much action in the plot. And by action I don’t mean blowing stuff up as much as doing something. What if Bones did something he thought was logical because he had Spock’s brain, but screwed up immensely because he’s not thinking like himself or like Spock but like the someone who wants to be one or the other. I’m a sucker for character development and studies, which this film provides in mass so I’m grateful for that. But unfortunately some of the fun and energy of other Star Trek films is lost in the process. It’s not a fatal flaw, the film is still good, but I do think it is its biggest weakness.

7) It bothers me so much that they just dropped Carol Marcus (Kirk’s ex and David’s mother, as well as lead scientist on the Genesis project) in this film and its sequels. Like seriously? There was no room in the script for even a namedrop? Why isn’t she studying the Genesis planet? Why are you dropping this awesome new female character? Why!?!?!?

8) Oh Bones...

Bones [after learning about the mind meld]: “It’s his revenge for all those arguments he lost!”

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

9) Nichelle Nichols was originally upset at her minimal amount of screen time in the film, but was pleased when she saw what she got to do with that screen time.

10) The fact that this captain is so casual and relaxed when he’s dealing with the theft of a ship concerns me.

11) While this film does do great with it’s characters, I feel like David and Saavik sort of suffer in this film. I think Robin Curtis does a good job in the part, but (in part of the writing and direction I imagine) she loses some of the energy and rashness Kirstie Alley brought to the part. She is a bit more of a stereotypical Vulcan, which is a shame because Alley’s strong headed nature was in part what made the part so interesting in the first place. David meanwhile is seen mostly as a scientist who made brash decisions in the past but (except for one notable FINAL decision on his part) largely does what is expected of him in the situation he finds himself in during the film. I would’ve been interested in seeing them push these characters and challenge them a bit more, but maybe that’s just me.

12) Remember how I said Kurge was the best part of this film?

Kurge [after his Klingon crew member blows up a federation ship]: “I wanted prisoners!”

Klingon: “A lucky shot!”

[Kurge murders Klingon]

Kurge: “Animal.”

13) I will say that the potential relationship (platonic or otherwise) between David and Saavik is interesting, but I would have personally preferred a focus on the relationship between David and Kirk as father and son respectively. That’s not to say the film is bad because it doesn’t feature it (you should only ever judge a film based on what it is, not what it isn’t), it is just a personal preference I have.

14) So Spock - while regenerating from a boy into a man - has to go through pon farr. Pon farr is the process where every seven years Vulcans (male and female I believe) become aroused. They get blood fever, become violent, and eventually die I think (my knowledge of deeper Trek lore is defined largely by Wikipedia) unless they mate. So Saavik helps Spock but all we see is...well...

Was that sex? Did they have hand sex or something? Or did we just cut away before they had sex? I know there’s a deleted scene in Star Trek IV where Saavik is pregnant with Spock’s baby, but since it’s deleted I don’t know if it’s canon. I just don’t really know what happened.

15) Hey, that’s John Larroquette!

You probably wouldn’t see that if you weren’t looking for him, but still.

16) The death of David unfortunately doesn’t have much of an impact on me. I like the decision to kill him off in theory and I like that it is done in defense of Saavik and Spock (therefore making his character more active in the plot), but I am not invested in him enough as a character for it to effect me. The worst part of it is how it effects Kirk, which I will admit is greatly effective seeing the famous captain break down (even if only for a brief moment) because of the death of his son who he barely knew.

17) I think the decision to destroy the Enterprise is the best plot point in this film. It is the last thing you would expect and a great portrayal of just what the stakes are. This ship was as much a character in the 18 years since the original series as Kirk or Spock and we witness it’s destruction.

Kirk: “My god Bones, what have I done?”

Bones: “What you had to do What you’ve always done. Turned death into a fighting chance.”

18) Have I mentioned I really like Skurge as a villain?

Skurge [after being told the planet is killing itself]: “Yes. Exhilirating isn’t it?”

I don’t find his final fight with Kirk to be very effective though. Like David’s death, it just sort of happens and then is over for me. This might just be my own take on the scene though.

19) Yes. This. A developing relationship between Bones and Spock.

Bones [to a comatose Spock]: “But it seems I’ve missed you. I don’t know if I can stand to lose you again.”

More of this please.

20) I LOVE the entire ending scene on Vulcan.

It is interesting, compelling, and very well done. The entire Enterprise crew sacrificing their careers and futures to save their friend moves me. Bones literally risking his life for an ancient procedure all at the chance that Spock can live again is great and speak not only to his character but to their relationship. But the best part is the very final scene, where an absent minded and slightly amnesiac Spock speaks with Kirk and we see just how great their friendship is.

Spock: “Why would you do this?”

Kirk: “Because the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.”

[Beat.]

Spock: “I have been and always shall be your friend.”

While weaker than the film which precedes and follows it, Star Trek III is still a worthy inclusion to the Star Trek canon. Its plot may be a bit weaker, but the analysis of the characters and their loyalty to each other (specifically to Spock) is the beating heart. There is some nice humor, great acting, and solid directing from Nimoy. All in all if you’re a fan of Star Trek or you liked Wrath of Khan, you should definitely give The Search for Spock a watch.

[oltnews]

legend Elizabeth Olsen talked about her favorite Indiana Jones movie. source Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images; Lucasfilm, Ltd. Even if Netflix has a huge collection of movies to stream, deciding what to watch can be a daunting task. Personal recommendations from people who have watched the movies are helpful, but by this point you may have gone through your family and friends' favorites. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Taylor Swift and Jonah Hill have their own favorite titles that are currently airing on Netflix, so we've compiled them into a list. From the cult classic "Rosemary’s Baby" to the empowering comedy by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson "Someone Great", here are 17 celebrity-controlled movies that you can stream on Netflix. Note: Many Netflix titles drop out of the service each month, so the availability of the titles below may change. Insider has many lists of movies and TV shows to keep you occupied. You can read them all here. Bradley Cooper said he "liked" the 2018 film "Roma". legend Bradley Cooper said "Roma" was one of his favorite films in 2018. The actor "A Star Is Born" told Variety that the 2018 drama, written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was "great". Description of Netflix: Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón delivers a vivid and moving portrait of a domestic worker's journey through the domestic and political unrest of the 1970s in Mexico. Leonardo DiCaprio said "Taxi Driver" is the "greatest independent film ever made". legend Leonardo DiCaprio is full of praise for the 1976 film. "The one who moved me the most was" Taxi Driver "," Titanic actor told film director Martin Scorsese during an episode of "Charlie Rose". He continued, "I remember watching him at 15 and being pierced by Travis Bickle because I was locked in this character, and I felt incredible empathy for him." DiCaprio continued to praise the film, calling "Taxi Driver" the "greatest independent film ever made". Description of Netflix: Enraged by the moral decay and urban decay of New York, an unleashed taxi driver goes crazy, plotting an assassination and saving a teenage sex worker. Jennifer Lawrence has listed "Step Brothers" as one of her favorite movies. legend Jennifer Lawrence has included the 2008 comedy in her list of must-see movies. The "Hunger Games" actress included the 2008 comedy, which stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, on her list of favorite movies, according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Description of Netflix: Brennan and Dale may be adult men, but that doesn't stop a childish sibling rivalry from breaking out after Brennan’s mother married Dale’s father. Troye Sivan applauded the “alternative ending” in Quentin Tarantino's “Inglourious Basterds”. legend Troy Sivan said "Inglourious Basterds" is one of his favorite movies. source Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine; Universal "To me, it's a classic, and every time I sort of live a fantasy - it sounds awful - but Nazis who get what they deserve, I agree," said the singer of "Dance to This" at Rotten Tomatoes. . Sivan continued, "This is just one of those films that I feel like I can watch and enjoy at any time. And it's weird too, because I'm Jewish and very sensitive to a lot of Holocaust material and stuff from World War II, and so I'm trying to get away from those movies. But I think maybe because it's pretty fantastic and because of the alternate ending, this movie has always been good for me to watch and I don't mind too much. " Description of Netflix: A Jewish cinema owner in occupied Paris is forced to host a first Nazi, where a group of American soldiers called the Basterds is planning a confrontation. Jonah Hill and Robe Lowe said "GoodFellas" was one of their all time favorites. legend Jonah Hill and Robe Lowe recognized "GoodFellas" as one of the best movies, in their opinion. The "Superbad" actor and the "Wayne’s World" actor named the 1990 crime dama as one of their favorite movies. Hill told the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that he "must have this" on his list, and Lowe tweeted that the movie Scorsese was included in his review of his seven all-time favorite movies. Description of Netflix: Former gangster Henry Hill recounts his colorful but violent rise and fall in a New York criminal family - a high-speed dream turned into a paranoid nightmare. Hill also said that "Moonlight" is a "masterpiece". legend Jonah Hill said he likes "Moonlight". Hill included "Moonlight" on a list of 20 movie recommendations he gave GQ. He said, "Barry Jenkins has been literally the sickest director to go out in decades. He's a great genius. If you look at the circumstances in which this film was shot, the amount of money they had and the stress it was under, it's just a masterpiece. " Description of Netflix: In this acclaimed drama of adulthood, a young man who grows poor, black and gay in a rough neighborhood of Miami tries to find his place in the world. Josh Gad said "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" was one of his favorites. legend Josh Gad pointed out that the 1981 film was his favorite in the franchise. The actor "Frozen" tweeted that the 1981 adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg is one of his all time favorites. Gad, who has two daughters, even jokingly asked if 7 is too young so her kids can watch the movie. Description of Netflix: When Indiana Jones is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself facing the entire Nazi regime. Elizabeth Olsen explained why she thinks "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Fate" is the best film in the Indiana Jones trilogy. legend Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images; Lucasfilm, Ltd. The Marvel star said she was a fan of all Indiana Jones movies, but said "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Fate" was her favorite. "" Indiana Jones, "this trilogy that I just saw on a plane from a vacation I just took. I watched all three and" Temple of Doom "continues to convince me," Olsen told Rotten Tomatoes. She continued, “I know; generally people like "The Last Crusade", and there is a lot of love for "Raiders" because it's the original. But ‘Temple of Doom’ is just, to me, so funny and entertaining and fun. And the kid from "Goonies" - Hot Shot? Short turn. He's so funny, and I grew up with Goonies, but I prefer him over Indiana Jones. " Description of Netflix: Indiana Jones, her young sidekick and a spoiled songbird get more than they bargained for when they go to India in search of a missing magic stone. She also said that "First Wives Club" was a particularly important film throughout her life. legend Elizabeth Olsen said that she loved "First Wives Club" since she was a child. “I watched this movie on VHS every night before bed for maybe two years. I have always felt a very close relationship with middle-aged women. When I was in elementary school, I felt like I understood it. I don't know why, "she told Rotten Tomatoes. Olsen added: "It's three great, three great actresses, and the final song and the dance at the end, 'You Don't Own Me', was something Sarah Paulson and I recreated several times, filming 'Martha Marcy May Marlene. "It had a new meaning, all of a sudden." Description of Netflix: Following the suicide of a friend after her husband abandoned her for a younger model, three women plot against their exes twice. Olivia Munn shared that she watched "Groundhog Day" so often that it was "as if it were Groundhog Day". legend Olivia Munn said that she regularly watches the film. The Love Wedding Repeat actress said the 1993 film, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, was one of her all-time favorites in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes. “I watch this film as if it were Groundhog Day. I watch it all the time. It's so good. It's one of the best movies of all time, and it's so smart. Whenever I look at it, I just find different little things or think of something different. I mean, it was a film that, as we see on paper, can be difficult to make, but [Murray] is just such a brilliant actor and he's so adorable without being boring, and Andie MacDowell was so great in it, "said Munn. Description of Netflix: Sent to cover the annual groundhog ritual Punxsutawney Phil, a self-absorbed meteorologist on television mysteriously begins to live the same day again and again. Julianne Moore said that "Rosemary’s Baby" has the power to "take you cinematographically elsewhere." legend Julianne Moore spoke of her admiration for the 1968 film in the New York Times. “I think this is the most incredible example of female paranoia that exists. I mean, here is a woman who is trapped in a situation in which every figure of authority she turns to, every avenue she explores, turns against her. She finds her power not to overcome the horror of her situation but, in a way, to accept it, "said the actress" Still Alice "to the New York Times. She continued: “The work of the camera is extraordinary; the action is superb. It’s a cinema film. And this is just one of those films which, I don't know, take you cinematographically elsewhere. It's the kind of movies I like. " Description of Netflix: A woman is delighted to learn that she is pregnant. But as her belly grows, the more confident she becomes that her unborn child is in great danger. As for Joe Manganiello, the actor chose "The Shawshank Redemption". legend Joe Manganiello listed "The Shawshank Redemption" as one of his favorite movies. The actor from "Magic Mike" shared that the 1994 film, which starred Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman and Bob Gunton, had entered his top seven list. Description of Netflix: Supervised for murder, honest banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at Shawshank Prison and gradually forms a close bond with the older Red inmate. Taylor Swift revealed that the Netflix movie "Someone Great" inspired her song "Death by a Thousand Cuts". legend Taylor Swift explained the impact of the film on the song. When asked in May 2019 what his favorite movie was during a series of "hot questions" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", Swift chose "Someone Great" from Netflix. The answer turned out to be an Easter egg for "Death by a Thousand Cuts", which is featured on the singer's seventh album "Lover". After the album was released, Swift said the 2019 comedy helped her write the breakup song. The director of the film, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, then shared this 1989 album by Swift "which inspired me and" Someone Great "." After learning Robinson's appreciation for his album, Swift told Elvis Duran: "I just wrote a song based on something she did, she did while listening to something I done, which is the most meta thing that ever happened to me. Description of Netflix: In the aftermath of a blind break, music journalist Jenny is preparing for a new start - and a final adventure with her closest friends. Rian Johnson said that "Raging Bulls" is one of the movies that defines him. legend Rian Johnson has included "Raging Bulls" in his list of films that have influenced him. The director of "Knives Out" included the 1980 film, with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, on his list of four films that define him on Twitter. "Wait however, if these defined me, I would be a pretty messed up person, can we use another word?" Johnson joked, referring to his choices of "Brazil", "Ghostbusters" and "8 1/2". Description of Netflix: This grainy biopic of brutal boxer Jake LaMotta depicts a tormented soul rising to the top of his sport, only to be defeated by his demons. Gabrielle Union listed “Bad Boys II” as one of her favorite movies. legend Gabrielle Union tweeted about the 2003 movies. For her list of four films that define her, the actress of "Bring It On" chose the 2003 film, which stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Description of Netflix: Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett return to investigate a Cuban cartel as ecstasy enters Florida in the midst of a mob war and internal strife. Ross Lynch explained that "the theory of everything" made him "enjoy life". legend Ross Lynch said that "The Theory of Everything" made his list of favorite movies. “It was also a film that struck me quite hard. "The theory of everything." I like what she says about life, "he told Rotten Tomatoes. Lynch added, "It made me appreciate life, about everything. In the end, I think these are some of my favorite movies, where you leave the theater, you sit back and you want to be a better person, or you want to enjoy life more. " Description of Netflix: As his self-esteem grows in the physical world, Stephen Hawking's body is ravaged by ALS, forcing his growing dependence on his devoted wife, Jane. He also said he liked "About Time" and called it "uplifting film." legend The singer also said he liked "About Time". "I'm still debating whether or not I want this on my list, but have you ever seen 'About Time' with Domhnall Gleeson? Same thing. An uplifting film," said the singer during a interview with Rotten Tomatoes. Lynch continued, "Makes you appreciate the time you have." Description of Netflix: When Tim learns that the men in his family can travel back in time and change their own lives, he decides to return and win the woman of his dreams. https://oltnews.com/17-celebrity-recommended-movies-to-watch-on-netflix-business-insider?_unique_id=5ea0e86c45352

[shirlleycoyle]

A Dominatrix Reviews ‘Bonding,’ Netflix’s Show About a Dominatrix

On April 24, the day Netflix released its original series Bonding, my dad texted me.

“GOD DAMN IT. There’s a new Netflix comedy about a dominatrix,” he said. “I told you to write it.” I had already heard it was bad, but as a dominatrix who is invested in how my profession is portrayed by the media, who was I not to binge watch it and cringe?

Having worked as a dominatrix for over nine years, I have watched as BDSM has entered the mainstream. From 50 Shades of Grey’s fetishization of an abusive relationship, to the sensationalized and simplistic portrayal of a professional dominatrix in Netflix’s Bonding, it’s all bad. Even the title, which looks like it tried really hard to make a pun.

Writer and producer Rightor Doyle said that the show is based on his experiences as a dominatrix’s assistant: “The important thing about the show for me is we are exploring this world, but not exploiting it,” Doyle said in an interview with the NY Post.

But what is exploitation if not taking someone else’s story, boiling it down to stereotypes and telling it for them? The show purports to unpack the stereotypes of life as a dominatrix, but really just reinforces them at every turn. The main character is reduced to an archetype of an angry, traumatized woman who aggressively yells at men and is a control freak. Like most mainstream portrayal of BDSM, a nuanced understanding of power dynamics, consent and negotiation are utterly missing.

There is a movement and desire for by-and-for story telling (storytelling by the people portrayed, written for the people portrayed). The kink, sex worker, and queer communities are hungry for real stories that don’t sensationalize our lives. More and more sex workers are coming out of the closet and sharing stories about their lived experiences, such as the sex-worker-written web series Mercy Mistress.

Yet, rather than tell a nuanced and complex story that reflects the realities of a sex worker’s life, Netflix decided to release a sitcom about a sex worker, written by a gay man who doesn’t (openly) identify as a sex worker. A man who is just dipping his toe into his friend’s life.

In the first episode, Tiff (Zoe Levin), the dominatrix and main character, says, “Everyone thinks dom work is just about sex work. It’s really just liberation from shame.” While some people might find BDSM liberating or empowering, for most BDSM professional’s, the work that they do is exactly that: Work. Passing judgment values on different types of sex work contributes to stigma, violence and the classist upholding of the whorearchy.

One of the beauties of a professional BDSM session is the thought that goes into negotiation, and consent as an active process. Nowhere in this series is that present. In fact, it seems that Bonding operates in a world where consent is not only an afterthought, but something that doesn’t exist. Power is abused and consent is violated, and Bonding, like most other mainstream representations of BDSM, presents this as an accurate portrayal of kink community.

I was unable to suspend my disbelief as Tiff clearly has no understanding of bondage, BDSM or power dynamics. The bondage throughout the show was laughable and at times dangerous. Her whip looked like the one my dad bought for me from Hot Topic when I dressed as “catwoman” for Halloween when I was 15. She’s referred to as a “top NYC dominatrix,” but works out of a commercial dungeon with carpeted floors, wears a collar to sessions and has only has one pair of boots. To top it off, she has literally no understanding of negotiation and consent. A number of times throughout the series Tiff coerces Pete (Brendan Scannell), her assistant, into interacting sexually with clients regardless of him saying no. I doubt that Bonding had a BDSM or sex work consultant, and if they did, they didn’t listen to them, and if they did listen to them, they shouldn’t have. (Ed. note: Motherboard has reached out to Netflix for comment on whether the show had a sex work consultant, and will update if we hear back.)

There are some tender moments throughout the show, like when Pete is romancing his roommate’s foot before sticking his finger in his butt (but what about LUBE, man?) and when Pete and Tiff are laying in bed in latex masks to facilitate talking about their feelings.

But mostly, Bonding tries to be something that it’s not: An interesting, complicated, and nuanced portrayal of power dynamics in and out of the dungeon. The series is occasionally entertaining, but in a “schadenfreude for the filmmaker” kind of way.

LA-based dominatrix An-Li told me in a text, “People could argue that it’s a comedy and that it’s not entirely true to the point, it’s supposed to be zany, but you can have smart comedy that is based on reality and not just superficial stereotypes. Not doing research is just lazy.”

While some BDSM professionals say that all representation works to destigmatize our labor, most prodommes are in agreement, Bonding is a mediocre story where kink is the punchline. Coming out almost exactly a year after FOSTA-SESTA, legislation that worked to erase sex workers from the internet, was signed into law, seeing a mainstream platform profit off of our criminalized labor rubs salt in the wound. As our websites are disappearing, our accounts are being shadowbanned and our social media and fintech accounts are being deleted at alarming rates and whorephobic TOS are on the rise, who is allowed to be visible and tell their stories becomes an increasingly important issue.

(These policies also prevent community visibility in opposing policies that affect us and critiquing poor media representation of us. Upstate New York Dominatrix, Mistress Couple, recently had her Instagram live review of Bonding deleted from Instagram.)

In the second to last episode, there’s a scene that serves as a tight microcosm of this show. Brendan Scannell’s character, without his own story to tell, gets on stage at a stand up comedy club, in a gimp mask, and appropriates the story of his sex worker friend. Completely by accident, this is where Bonding is the most honest: a man utilizing his proximity to sex work for the story, rather than sharing his privilege and making room on stage for a sex worker to share their story.

Danielle Blunt is a NYC-based Dominatrix, a full-spectrum doula and sex worker rights activist. She studies power dynamics and researches the intersection of public health, sex work and equitable access to tech. Currently she is getting her Masters in public health. She enjoys watching her community thrive and making men cry.

A Dominatrix Reviews ‘Bonding,’ Netflix’s Show About a Dominatrix syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[richmegavideo]

Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It

We know Kris Jenner can build a brand, but how do you build a Kris Jenner? With just a high school degree to her name, Kris Jenner has become the Mother of Billionaires and the face of memes praising her for being a harder worker than Satan himself. In about a decade, she’s managed to snatch the title of “Employee of the Century” from the ruler of Hell who’s held the title for over 6,000 years. And, somehow, that’s a compliment. If not that, it’s a hat tip to her ability to create drama for her family to serve storylines for their show, as well as her ability to make their more heinous behavior disappear.

Take the upcoming season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the show’s 16th. When news dropped a few weeks ago that Kris’s daughter Khloe’s estranged baby daddy Tristan Thompson had allegedly cheated on her with Kris’s other daughter Kylie’s best friend Jordyn, the immediate reaction was part instantaneous belief that the known cheater would do such a thing, and part “was this drama entirely concocted by Kris?” Such is the power that Kris has, or at least, has been given to her by an audience well aware of the credit she consistently takes for her family’s empire. Perhaps had the Devil birthed enough offspring to occupy the whole of a Calabasas gated community, he would have had more continued success. Without living, breathing paychecks, the Devil has resigned himself to a life of mundanity, wreaking havoc in our daily lives. And, no, he can’t blame it on old age, since in just two short years Kris Jenner will legally be considered a Senior Citizen in the United States of America.

With zero offense to anyone that’s ever had the desire to get a full and restful night of sleep, you must know that Kris’s desire for a peaceful slumber may be why she’s so successful. “I used to go to bed at night and lay down and put my head on the pillow and think, That day was so satisfying,” Kris has said. “I just got so much joy that I was able to feed my kids and send them to the school they had been going to and be able to get them what they wanted.”

The rise of Kris Jenner is a fascinating one. As she’s designed it, everyone knows the basics: She married OJ Simpson’s future lawyer, Robert Kardashian, when she was young, had four children (Kourtney, Kimberly, Khloe, and Robert Kardashian), cheated on her husband with Khloe’s alleged “real father,” Todd Waterman, divorced Robert, and shortly thereafter married a former Olympian who went by the name of Bruce Jenner at the time. It didn’t take long before the two had Kendall and Kylie Jenner. At this point, Kris and Bruce were simply a blended family, living the life of the moderately elite in the suburbs of Los Angeles. This union for Kris was a gamble. In 1991, she and Bruce had eight kids between them, and Bruce had just $200 in the bank. Before the 2007 premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kris was primarily a stay-at-home mom, without the “-ager” attached to the end of it. Though she arguably cut her teeth in the momager game with Bruce, now Caitlyn Jenner.

In Kris’s words: “I told my assistant, Lisa, ‘OK, listen. We have the greatest guy here. [Bruce] really knows his craft. He is really good at what he does, but he doesn’t have anybody doing anything for him. He doesn’t have a lot going on. He has $200 in the bank. What are we going to do?’ Because the kids have to eat. We have to get it together.”

Kris realized that Bruce had enormous potential as a motivational speaker. “He didn’t have a business card,” she recalled in a Lenny Letter interview with Janet Mock. “He didn’t have a bio. He didn’t have press, nothing. There was no internet that I used or knew about. I mean, I had a cell phone the size of a brick and a typewriter and an old-fashioned Rolodex thing on a spindle…I had a friend take photos, and I had another woman I know make a sizzle reel that we could use as an intro to his speech.”

Kris explained that she (with the help of her assistant that she could somehow still afford to pay) “spent my last dime…making these beautiful, glossy press-kit folders…We put together 7,000 press kits, and we mailed them to every speakers bureau in the United States. Then we sat back, and we waited for the phone to ring.” And it did.

She did all this while working overtime for her kids as well. “When I had kids, I took them to Mommy & Me, and I had classes at my house,” she told the New York Times in an extensive profile of her from 2015. “I was the soccer coach, the Brownie leader, the room mother, and the carpool driver. I volunteered for everything.”

She took that same diehard dedication to the hustle and to her children’s happiness and success well into their adulthood, zeroing in her laser sharp focus on giving them everything they’re hearts desired.

“My job is to take my family’s 15 minutes of fame and turn it into 30,” Kris told More magazine in 2011. “I work hard. It’s a very rewarding feeling when I go to sleep every night knowing I did the best I could for my family.” And sometimes extending that 15 minutes of fame to an infinity number of minutes takes hard, and sometimes questionable, work.

I don’t remember a time where the Kardashians and Jenners weren’t a mental mainstay of mine, but when I look at the numbers, I most likely have lived at least half of my life with them in the fold. Back in 2007, when I was blissfully unaware of the emotional tether one white family in Calabasas would have one me, Kris Jenner was hunched over with a digital camera taking photos her then relatively unknown daughter, Kim Kardashian, as she posed nude for Playboy. To her daughter, covered in strategically placed pearls, she says in an encouraging voice, “You’re doing amazing, sweetie.” Something you’d love a mother to say in almost any scenario but this one.

This scene, which aired on the inaugural season of KUWTK, has become part of the internet lexicon, and is arguably the moment in which Kris’s wily ways became public knowledge. But since then, Kim has reflected differently on that moment. “I’m sorry I did Playboy. I was uncomfortable,” Kim told Harper’s Bazaar in 2010, before explaining that she did it because her mother wanted her to: “They might never ask you again,” Kris apparently told Kim. “Our show isn’t on the air yet. No one knows who you are. Do it and you’ll have these beautiful pictures to look at when you’re my age.”

Like Kris told Kim, very few knew who they were yet. However, the child with the leaked sex tape could change all that. Unlike Paris Hilton, who has said she went into hiding for months after the leak of her sex tape, Kim and Kris doubled down on the sex symbol ideal, and came out guns (and buns) blazing.

The night before KUWTK premiered in 2007, Gina Bellefante wrote about Kim’s sex tape and the premiere of the show in The New York Times. ��The surfacing of this tape — in which Ms. Kardashian appears, not debating economic sanctions against Iran, with a former boyfriend, the hip-hop artist Ray J — was a mixed bag for her mother…” Bellefante argued. “As a parent, Ms. Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner, was concerned for her daughter. But as her manager, she thought, well, hot-diggity.”

Kris herself has been almost surprisingly open about how she operates as a businesswoman. In her 2011 memoir Kris Jenner…And All Things Kardashian, she explains, “I started to look at our careers like pieces on a chessboard…Every day, I woke up and walked into my office and asked myself, ‘What move do you need to make today?’ It was very calculated. My business decisions and strategies were very intentional, definite and planned to the nth degree.”

This strategy and work ethic has no doubt been passed down to her children. “Every single one of my girls gets up at the crack of dawn and works really hard. They work all day long until they fall down,” Kris told More. Shade to her son aside, whose work ethic has been lacking despite a degree from USC’s Marshall School of Business, that level of dedication to the hustle is already being directed at her grandchildren, too. One look at Instagram and you know for a fact that Kris loves her grandchildren. But along with having a special place in her heart, they have a special place in her bank account. In an interview with Oprah, Kris admitted that she thought the show was on its last leg in earlier seasons. But, she became more optimistic when “my children started having children.” While she’s never said this herself, it’s clear that more bodies equals more stories equals more seasons equals more money.

As the show’s success, and that of the family, has grown, Kris has had to learn how to adapt to a social media heavy, and tabloid trenched world. Instead of filling episodes with over-the-top fights between Kourtney and her douchey boyfriend-turned ex-turned co-parent, Scott Disick, or showing Kris try to care for a pet monkey, they became hour long exclusives into the family’s never ending dramas. The world may loudly whisper about the Kardashians every controversial move, but you won’t hear a substantial word from any of them until it means ratings. If someone’s pregnant, you’ll hear rumors, but no confirmations until the new episode airs. It’s a model they’ve used for Kourtney’s pregnancies with Mason and Penelope, Kylie’s lip fillers, Kendall’s embarrassing Pepsi commercial, Khloe’s break-up and subsequent support of her ex-husband Lamar Odom when he nearly died, the epic Kimye proposal, Kim’s frightening robbery in Paris, and countless other moments.

What’s also by design, though, is Kris’s calculated effort to maintain her and her family’s own private life. She might be blatantly obvious about her hustle, but she’ll also be blatantly obvious about how much more they could reveal. “Though the Kardashians expose much of their own dirty laundry in public themselves on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kris insists that their actual private lives are strategically kept private — and that sometimes that means firing members of their teams,” Page Six wrote in 2018 following an interview she’d done with HuffPost about how the family hires assistants. Recently, Kris’s home was featured in Architectural Digest, but it’s not the black and white tiled home that’s visually synonymous with the Kardashian name. It was her real home where she actually lives, but doesn’t film in.

For privacy reasons, the show has used a fake facade when showcasing the outside of Kris’s home, but now she’s taken that a step further. Architectural Digest writes that her new home is, “a dramatic departure from the dynamo’s previous home, which she still uses to tape KUWTK.” It’s her safe haven; when she’s working on KUWTK, she reports to set — her old house — and leaves when the day is done. Kylie’s pregnancy was also kept completely secret until she finally appeared in brief on the finale of Season 14, full baby bump in sight and released a video of her nine months away from the cameras.

Kris is so focused on privacy that if you violate it she will not hesitate to sue the hell out of you. “I don’t care how much money somebody might have―if they have nothing,” she warned in the HuffPost interview. “Some people think, ‘Oh, I don’t have any money, and they’re not going to sue me.’ Well, we’ll take payments. We’ll garner those wages for, you know, the next 10 years. But I just think that people don’t think. It’s a foolish thing to do.” Ruthless, almost stunningly honest, but it works, both for the family and for her reputation as a mastermind.

What’s particularly special about Kris as both a mother and a businesswoman is that she’s completely tuned into the public’s perception of her. Her own children have accused her of using her their earning potential as a way to judge who the current favorite is. When the Kardashian sisters were on Watch What Happens Live! in January, host Andy Cohen asked who Kris’s current favorite was. (Disclaimer: I’m a former WWHL employee.) The answer was easy. “Kimberly 10 years ago,” said Khloe, but “Kylie now,” said all three sisters at the same time. The change? The youngest is now a billionaire and the eldest…not.

Proud of her meme’d moniker, Kris also tips her hat to another woman who can go toe to toe with the Devil when it comes to business: Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada fame. In a Season 14 episode of KUWTK, Kris dressed up as an even more sinisterly glam Miranda for a lunch with her daughters. Swapping her infamous black cropped hair for a short blonde ‘do, she draped herself across Kourtney’s couch, in fur and sipping a martini, telling her children, “that’s all.” She was finally showing the world the woman she sees in the mirror each day.

Indeed, making sure that every single member of your family tree is rich, famous, and successful takes grit, and as we’ve seen with Kris, a good night’s sleep. Which may be why she has the energy to work harder than Lucifer, and be well-known for it, considering the Devil never sleeps. Kris Jenner, you’re doing amazing, sweetie.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Mariah Smith on Twitter.

The post Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It appeared first on .

The post Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It appeared first on .

from WordPress http://www.richmegavideo.com/kris-jenner-is-frequently-compared-to-the-devil-and-the-kardashian-matriarch-seems-to-like-it/

[richmeganews]

Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It

We know Kris Jenner can build a brand, but how do you build a Kris Jenner? With just a high school degree to her name, Kris Jenner has become the Mother of Billionaires and the face of memes praising her for being a harder worker than Satan himself. In about a decade, she’s managed to snatch the title of “Employee of the Century” from the ruler of Hell who’s held the title for over 6,000 years. And, somehow, that’s a compliment. If not that, it’s a hat tip to her ability to create drama for her family to serve storylines for their show, as well as her ability to make their more heinous behavior disappear.

Take the upcoming season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the show’s 16th. When news dropped a few weeks ago that Kris’s daughter Khloe’s estranged baby daddy Tristan Thompson had allegedly cheated on her with Kris’s other daughter Kylie’s best friend Jordyn, the immediate reaction was part instantaneous belief that the known cheater would do such a thing, and part “was this drama entirely concocted by Kris?” Such is the power that Kris has, or at least, has been given to her by an audience well aware of the credit she consistently takes for her family’s empire. Perhaps had the Devil birthed enough offspring to occupy the whole of a Calabasas gated community, he would have had more continued success. Without living, breathing paychecks, the Devil has resigned himself to a life of mundanity, wreaking havoc in our daily lives. And, no, he can’t blame it on old age, since in just two short years Kris Jenner will legally be considered a Senior Citizen in the United States of America.

With zero offense to anyone that’s ever had the desire to get a full and restful night of sleep, you must know that Kris’s desire for a peaceful slumber may be why she’s so successful. “I used to go to bed at night and lay down and put my head on the pillow and think, That day was so satisfying,” Kris has said. “I just got so much joy that I was able to feed my kids and send them to the school they had been going to and be able to get them what they wanted.”

The rise of Kris Jenner is a fascinating one. As she’s designed it, everyone knows the basics: She married OJ Simpson’s future lawyer, Robert Kardashian, when she was young, had four children (Kourtney, Kimberly, Khloe, and Robert Kardashian), cheated on her husband with Khloe’s alleged “real father,” Todd Waterman, divorced Robert, and shortly thereafter married a former Olympian who went by the name of Bruce Jenner at the time. It didn’t take long before the two had Kendall and Kylie Jenner. At this point, Kris and Bruce were simply a blended family, living the life of the moderately elite in the suburbs of Los Angeles. This union for Kris was a gamble. In 1991, she and Bruce had eight kids between them, and Bruce had just $200 in the bank. Before the 2007 premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kris was primarily a stay-at-home mom, without the “-ager” attached to the end of it. Though she arguably cut her teeth in the momager game with Bruce, now Caitlyn Jenner.

In Kris’s words: “I told my assistant, Lisa, ‘OK, listen. We have the greatest guy here. [Bruce] really knows his craft. He is really good at what he does, but he doesn’t have anybody doing anything for him. He doesn’t have a lot going on. He has $200 in the bank. What are we going to do?’ Because the kids have to eat. We have to get it together.”

Kris realized that Bruce had enormous potential as a motivational speaker. “He didn’t have a business card,” she recalled in a Lenny Letter interview with Janet Mock. “He didn’t have a bio. He didn’t have press, nothing. There was no internet that I used or knew about. I mean, I had a cell phone the size of a brick and a typewriter and an old-fashioned Rolodex thing on a spindle…I had a friend take photos, and I had another woman I know make a sizzle reel that we could use as an intro to his speech.”

Kris explained that she (with the help of her assistant that she could somehow still afford to pay) “spent my last dime…making these beautiful, glossy press-kit folders…We put together 7,000 press kits, and we mailed them to every speakers bureau in the United States. Then we sat back, and we waited for the phone to ring.” And it did.

She did all this while working overtime for her kids as well. “When I had kids, I took them to Mommy & Me, and I had classes at my house,” she told the New York Times in an extensive profile of her from 2015. “I was the soccer coach, the Brownie leader, the room mother, and the carpool driver. I volunteered for everything.”

She took that same diehard dedication to the hustle and to her children’s happiness and success well into their adulthood, zeroing in her laser sharp focus on giving them everything they’re hearts desired.

“My job is to take my family’s 15 minutes of fame and turn it into 30,” Kris told More magazine in 2011. “I work hard. It’s a very rewarding feeling when I go to sleep every night knowing I did the best I could for my family.” And sometimes extending that 15 minutes of fame to an infinity number of minutes takes hard, and sometimes questionable, work.

I don’t remember a time where the Kardashians and Jenners weren’t a mental mainstay of mine, but when I look at the numbers, I most likely have lived at least half of my life with them in the fold. Back in 2007, when I was blissfully unaware of the emotional tether one white family in Calabasas would have one me, Kris Jenner was hunched over with a digital camera taking photos her then relatively unknown daughter, Kim Kardashian, as she posed nude for Playboy. To her daughter, covered in strategically placed pearls, she says in an encouraging voice, “You’re doing amazing, sweetie.” Something you’d love a mother to say in almost any scenario but this one.

This scene, which aired on the inaugural season of KUWTK, has become part of the internet lexicon, and is arguably the moment in which Kris’s wily ways became public knowledge. But since then, Kim has reflected differently on that moment. “I’m sorry I did Playboy. I was uncomfortable,” Kim told Harper’s Bazaar in 2010, before explaining that she did it because her mother wanted her to: “They might never ask you again,” Kris apparently told Kim. “Our show isn’t on the air yet. No one knows who you are. Do it and you’ll have these beautiful pictures to look at when you’re my age.”

Like Kris told Kim, very few knew who they were yet. However, the child with the leaked sex tape could change all that. Unlike Paris Hilton, who has said she went into hiding for months after the leak of her sex tape, Kim and Kris doubled down on the sex symbol ideal, and came out guns (and buns) blazing.

The night before KUWTK premiered in 2007, Gina Bellefante wrote about Kim’s sex tape and the premiere of the show in The New York Times. “The surfacing of this tape — in which Ms. Kardashian appears, not debating economic sanctions against Iran, with a former boyfriend, the hip-hop artist Ray J — was a mixed bag for her mother…” Bellefante argued. “As a parent, Ms. Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner, was concerned for her daughter. But as her manager, she thought, well, hot-diggity.”

Kris herself has been almost surprisingly open about how she operates as a businesswoman. In her 2011 memoir Kris Jenner…And All Things Kardashian, she explains, “I started to look at our careers like pieces on a chessboard…Every day, I woke up and walked into my office and asked myself, ‘What move do you need to make today?’ It was very calculated. My business decisions and strategies were very intentional, definite and planned to the nth degree.”

This strategy and work ethic has no doubt been passed down to her children. “Every single one of my girls gets up at the crack of dawn and works really hard. They work all day long until they fall down,” Kris told More. Shade to her son aside, whose work ethic has been lacking despite a degree from USC’s Marshall School of Business, that level of dedication to the hustle is already being directed at her grandchildren, too. One look at Instagram and you know for a fact that Kris loves her grandchildren. But along with having a special place in her heart, they have a special place in her bank account. In an interview with Oprah, Kris admitted that she thought the show was on its last leg in earlier seasons. But, she became more optimistic when “my children started having children.” While she’s never said this herself, it’s clear that more bodies equals more stories equals more seasons equals more money.

As the show’s success, and that of the family, has grown, Kris has had to learn how to adapt to a social media heavy, and tabloid trenched world. Instead of filling episodes with over-the-top fights between Kourtney and her douchey boyfriend-turned ex-turned co-parent, Scott Disick, or showing Kris try to care for a pet monkey, they became hour long exclusives into the family’s never ending dramas. The world may loudly whisper about the Kardashians every controversial move, but you won’t hear a substantial word from any of them until it means ratings. If someone’s pregnant, you’ll hear rumors, but no confirmations until the new episode airs. It’s a model they’ve used for Kourtney’s pregnancies with Mason and Penelope, Kylie’s lip fillers, Kendall’s embarrassing Pepsi commercial, Khloe’s break-up and subsequent support of her ex-husband Lamar Odom when he nearly died, the epic Kimye proposal, Kim’s frightening robbery in Paris, and countless other moments.

What’s also by design, though, is Kris’s calculated effort to maintain her and her family’s own private life. She might be blatantly obvious about her hustle, but she’ll also be blatantly obvious about how much more they could reveal. “Though the Kardashians expose much of their own dirty laundry in public themselves on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kris insists that their actual private lives are strategically kept private — and that sometimes that means firing members of their teams,” Page Six wrote in 2018 following an interview she’d done with HuffPost about how the family hires assistants. Recently, Kris’s home was featured in Architectural Digest, but it’s not the black and white tiled home that’s visually synonymous with the Kardashian name. It was her real home where she actually lives, but doesn’t film in.

For privacy reasons, the show has used a fake facade when showcasing the outside of Kris’s home, but now she’s taken that a step further. Architectural Digest writes that her new home is, “a dramatic departure from the dynamo’s previous home, which she still uses to tape KUWTK.” It’s her safe haven; when she’s working on KUWTK, she reports to set — her old house — and leaves when the day is done. Kylie’s pregnancy was also kept completely secret until she finally appeared in brief on the finale of Season 14, full baby bump in sight and released a video of her nine months away from the cameras.

Kris is so focused on privacy that if you violate it she will not hesitate to sue the hell out of you. “I don’t care how much money somebody might have―if they have nothing,” she warned in the HuffPost interview. “Some people think, ‘Oh, I don’t have any money, and they’re not going to sue me.’ Well, we’ll take payments. We’ll garner those wages for, you know, the next 10 years. But I just think that people don’t think. It’s a foolish thing to do.” Ruthless, almost stunningly honest, but it works, both for the family and for her reputation as a mastermind.

What’s particularly special about Kris as both a mother and a businesswoman is that she’s completely tuned into the public’s perception of her. Her own children have accused her of using her their earning potential as a way to judge who the current favorite is. When the Kardashian sisters were on Watch What Happens Live! in January, host Andy Cohen asked who Kris’s current favorite was. (Disclaimer: I’m a former WWHL employee.) The answer was easy. “Kimberly 10 years ago,” said Khloe, but “Kylie now,” said all three sisters at the same time. The change? The youngest is now a billionaire and the eldest…not.

Proud of her meme’d moniker, Kris also tips her hat to another woman who can go toe to toe with the Devil when it comes to business: Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada fame. In a Season 14 episode of KUWTK, Kris dressed up as an even more sinisterly glam Miranda for a lunch with her daughters. Swapping her infamous black cropped hair for a short blonde ‘do, she draped herself across Kourtney’s couch, in fur and sipping a martini, telling her children, “that’s all.” She was finally showing the world the woman she sees in the mirror each day.

Indeed, making sure that every single member of your family tree is rich, famous, and successful takes grit, and as we’ve seen with Kris, a good night’s sleep. Which may be why she has the energy to work harder than Lucifer, and be well-known for it, considering the Devil never sleeps. Kris Jenner, you’re doing amazing, sweetie.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Mariah Smith on Twitter.

The post Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It appeared first on .

The post Kris Jenner Is Frequently Compared to the Devil, and the Kardashian Matriarch Seems to Like It appeared first on .

from WordPress http://www.richmeganews.com/kris-jenner-is-frequently-compared-to-the-devil-and-the-kardashian-matriarch-seems-to-like-it/

[jaclynjia-blog]

FINAL

Jaclyn Jia

A movie review ‘Westworld season 1 episode 1’

The ‘Westworld’ is a television series that was written by Lisa joy and Jonathan Nolan. They designed the film with the assistance of Michael Crichton, a known director, and writer of the 1973 film. At first episode, we are introduced to an amusing park where the main characters of the film are located. Westworld can be regarded as the fictional film that attempts to explain about the western fantasy of creating artificial human beings. In fact, characters in the film are humans and fictional (androids) robot-like beings. In the amusement park, androids act as hosts, and we are introduced to new people visiting the place. They have no idea that their hosts are not real creatures but scientific models. At first, it becomes difficult for a viewer to differentiate between humans and androids since they have everything in common right from speech to skin. To contemplate on what the film is about, we are introduced to Teddy, who arrives in town with a train and meets a beautiful lady by the name Dolores. The two decides to surprise Dolore’s parents but finds them being murdered by Rebus and Bandits Walter. Teddy shoots them but their leader, man in black, remains unharmed by bullets. This is where a viewer will understand that some characters are not real.

In my opinion, it is an excellent start although a viewer feels as if he or she is being thrown into a deep end. The episode introduces as to impressive performers (Delos, Dolores, Ford, the man in black and teddy among others) as well as a visually attractive environment. It is acted on the landscape and rural settings that entirely creates curiosity. Seemingly, one feels as if he or she is a tourist exploring the mountainous areas and forest zones. There is no doubt that the first episode of this film creates many imaginations to most viewers. You commence relating its background view with others that have a similar acting environment. An excellent example of a series one would confuse with is ‘Game of Thrones,’ a popular film in the last five years. On the other hand, the music background is very overwhelming. It impacts emotions and curiosity, especially in situations where androids and human beings collide. The episode is characterized by orchestral and piano interpretations of ‘black Hole Sun’ and ‘Ain’t No Grave’ that is frequently played at the end credits. The incredible thing about the melodies is that they are known; hence one can interpret their message and link it to scenes within the series.

The episode is very descriptive about cultural posturing. It is explicit from the film that some human character traits are acquired. This means that one tends to learn specific behavior depending on the environment he or she is brought up in. In the film, Dr. Ford and other scientists aimed at establishing creatures (androids) that are perfect and better regarding performance than human beings. According to their perception, forming these creatures would build a culture where immoralities and impunities would not exist. At first, androids/hosts were very loyal and ethical as they welcomed people to the amusement park. The atmosphere was so peaceful that the viewer less expected any form of violence.

An excellent example of a character is Teddy who appears innocent and harmless. He is seen as a young and handsome man wearing a hat always and doesn’t have any idea that he is a cowboy. This is contrary to historical information about the cowboy in Mexico and other nations, who are immoral and ruthless. However, these androids meet a hostile environment where human beings become cruel to them. Some of the androids underwent violence as they observed other forms of immoralities people engage in. Consequently, they mimic the same behavior and acts similar to humankind. Despite Teddy being ethical, he turns to an immoral character that suits typical cowboys. Also, the episode introduces as to Dolores, who is not a real human being. She is a good girl and very welcoming to visitors. However, her character remains constant in spite of interacting with humankind. This is because her memory kept on being reset by scientists and could not remember any strange behavior she had observed. Ultimately, this signifies that human beings learn through the brain.

There is no doubt that the episode is subject to critics. Apparently, it utilizes the man in black character to describe immoralities, which can be very misleading to children. Some actions include sex, violence, and killings among others. The man in black is a villain and alleged of spending most of his time playing violent video games. He is seen visiting the park and terrorize hosts, raping and killing them as well. At one point in the episode, he is seen beating a sex worker to death. Upon being interviewed by human beings, he claims that has been like that for the last 30 years. It becomes hectic to understand whether the character is natural or just practicing what he does with the video games. This ultimately connects with the critic about the harm the episode can impact to children in reality. In fact, most violence and bully behavior in schools is associated with films and video games.

Work Cited Nolan, Jonathan, Lisa Joy, Evan R. Wood, Thandie Newton, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Michael Crichton. Westworld: Season One, Disc 2. , 2017.

[critical-practice-rosetta]

WESTWORLD - episode 1

The ‘Westworld’ is a television series that was written by Lisa joy and Jonathan Nolan. They designed the film with the assistance of Michael Crichton, a known director, and writer of the 1973 film. At first episode, we are introduced to an amusing park where the main characters of the film are located. Westworld can be regarded as the fictional film that attempts to explain about the western fantasy of creating artificial human beings. In fact, characters in the film are humans and fictional (androids) robot-like beings.

In the amusement park, androids act as hosts, and we are introduced to new people visiting the place. They have no idea that their hosts are not real creatures but scientific models. At first, it becomes difficult for a viewer to differentiate between humans and androids since they have everything in common right from speech to skin. To contemplate on what the film is about, we are introduced to Teddy, who arrives in town with a train and meets a beautiful lady by the name Dolores. The two decides to surprise Dolore’s parents but finds them being murdered by Rebus and Bandits Walter. Teddy shoots them but their leader, man in black, remains unharmed by bullets. This is where a viewer will understand that some characters are not real.

In my opinion, it is an excellent start although a viewer feels as if he or she is being thrown into a deep end. The episode introduces to impressive performers (Delos, Dolores, Ford, the man in black and teddy among others) as well as a visually attractive environment. It is acted on the landscape and rural settings that entirely creates curiosity. Seemingly, one feels as if he or she is a tourist exploring the mountainous areas and forest zones. There is no doubt that the first episode of this film creates many imaginations for most viewers. You commence relating its background view with others that have a similar acting environment. An excellent example of a series one would confuse with is ‘Game of Thrones,’ a popular film in the last five years. On the other hand, the music background is very overwhelming. It impacts emotions and curiosity, especially in situations where androids and human beings collide. The episode is characterized by orchestral and piano interpretations of ‘black Hole Sun’ and ‘Ain’t No Grave’ that is frequently played at the end credits. The incredible thing about the melodies is that they are known; hence one can interpret their message and link it to scenes within the series.

The episode is very descriptive about cultural posturing. It is explicit from the film that some human character traits are acquired. This means that one tends to learn specific behavior depending on the environment he or she is brought up in. In the film, Dr. Ford and other scientists aimed at establishing creatures (androids) that are perfect and better regarding performance than human beings. According to their perception, forming these creatures would build a culture where immoralities and impunities would not exist. At first, androids/hosts were very loyal and ethical as they welcomed people to the amusement park. The atmosphere was so peaceful that the viewer less expected any form of violence.

An excellent example of a character is Teddy who appears innocent and harmless. He is seen as a young and handsome man wearing a hat always and doesn’t have any idea that he is a cowboy. This is contrary to historical information about the cowboy in Mexico and other nations, who are immoral and ruthless. However, these androids meet a hostile environment where human beings become cruel to them. Some of the androids underwent violence as they observed other forms of immoralities people engage in. Consequently, they mimic the same behavior and acts similar to humankind. Despite Teddy being ethical, he turns to an immoral character that suits typical cowboys. Also, the episode introduces as to Dolores, who is not a real human being. She is a good girl and very welcoming to visitors. However, her character remains constant in spite of interacting with humankind. This is because her memory kept on being reset by scientists and could not remember any strange behavior she had observed. Ultimately, this signifies that human beings learn through the brain.

There is no doubt that the episode is subject to critics. Apparently, it utilizes the man in black character to describe immoralities, which can be very misleading to children. Some actions include sex, violence, and killings among others. The man in black is a villain and alleged of spending most of his time playing violent video games. He is seen visiting the park and terrorize hosts, raping and killing them as well. At one point in the episode, he is seen beating a sex worker to death. Upon being interviewed by human beings, he claims that has been like that for the last 30 years. It becomes hectic to understand whether the character is natural or just practicing what he does with the video games. This ultimately connects with the critic about the harm the episode can impact to children in reality. In fact, most violence and bully behavior in schools is associated with films and video games.