#and none for veep

[frmtheroombelow]

I was just thinking about just how significant 'this place will become your tomb' is as a statement. Like not even in the context of the album itself and the imagery but in the context of love.

A tomb as a physical place of rest where loved ones come to honour the dead and when those folks are gone too, as a place where they're loved by humanity centuries later because humans are wired so deeply to see and know and care and love.

Does your heart not also become a tomb for a beloved? Wherein you carry the memory and essence of that person? Is not the act of carrying someone into the future who cannot experience that future themselves also an act of love?

[spiltsoup]

*when a child starts crying in public*  Richard: *tries to make the child laugh*  Amy: *tries to play a game with the child to make them calm down*  Mike: *gives detailed instructions to the parents*  Gary: *cries with the child*  Dan: *ignores the child*  Selina: *is the reason why the child is crying*

[softnasty]

#wipwednesday with another snippet from chapter 2 of politics au/make no plans and none can be broken. i have a week off work so i'm really hoping to finish it during it.

"Pleasure to meet you, Senator."

Jyn Erso is all smiles and firm handshakes the first time she steps into Mothma's office on Chandrila.

"Jyn Erso, my new intern." Brasso interjects, eager to introduce his new protégée.

"Ah right." Mothma's eyes stay fixated on her phone screen. "Welcome on board." She's ready to turn on her heel, Cassian can see it clear as day. There's a headache, figurative and literal, threatening to break out at the base of his skull — Senator Ackbar has just admitted to being a little reluctant to backing the Outer Rim territories outreach bill and the Alliance really can't lose any support they have at the moment.

[more under the cut]

"I really admired your campaign. There were two mistakes you made, though." Jyn says and Cassian thinks oh, shit. He isn't stupid, he knew the smiles and firm handshakes were only a smoke screen — anyone had them up in politics, some in more complex ways than others.

"Two?" And of course, that would make Mothma tick and look up from her phone.

Cassian and Brasso exchange a look. Cassian tries his best to convey Really great hiring decision, buddy and Brasso replies with a silent Fuck off, I know what I'm doing. Brasso's probably right, Cassian has never seen the man fuck up once or when he's done so, he's always recovered in an impressive fashion. Brasso's the perfect type of coworker to have, Cassian can only hope to be as trustworthy and reliable as he is.

"One, you should have made a stronger case for budget cuts to the New Republic Defense Force. You went too soft, and that cost you votes from some of the strictly anti military voters in Chandrila, especially up north. And I'm not saying you should have gone full demilitarization, but stronger, for sure. And two—"

"Oh, you really had two." Mothma says amusedly. "We did win the election though, didn't we?" She looks up, first to Brasso then to Cassian, even spares a glance for the security detail lingering in the background, as if asking for confirmation from everyone present.

"You did. But that was your second try. Easier to win when you've already failed once. And yet—"

This time, Mothma is only looking at Brasso when she speaks up.

"Good pick, Brasso, she'll fit right in. That's the kind of energy we need."

[wilwheaton]

His act is way tired. It’s now nine years of “Fake news” and “You won’t have a country anymore” and all the rest. In 2015, all those Trumpisms were stupid and disgusting; but at least they were new. I actually laughed when he described Jeb Bush as a “low-energy person.” He was! I could imagine then how, for voters who didn’t hate him, he was interesting and possibly amusing as a species that American politics rarely produces: someone who threw the script in the air and said whatever the hell popped into his mind. That was bound to be something people wanted to watch, for a while. And it was just as bound to be something that became less compelling over time. It’s an act. And this is a key difference between politics and show business that Trump can’t see. In showbiz, and on TV, it’s all about whether the production values can sell the act. In politics, it turns out, the act needs more than slick production. It still needs to show some connection to people’s lives and concerns. Harris is better at that than Trump is. And her act is a lot fresher, too. And Walz’s act versus Vance’s? Not remotely close. Yes—Walz is so compelling, and Vance so repelling, that this is one election where the veep choices may actually make two points’ worth of difference. None of this means Trump is finished. Happy Days lasted several seasons after it literally jumped the shark. But the ratings did start to fall soon enough. No one ever hated Fonzie, like many do Trump. But even fans of the show became a lot less invested in it. My old friend reminded me of the quote by Elie Wiesel: “The opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference.”

Donald Trump Has Totally Jumped the Shark

[zalrb]

Would you be willing/interested in doing an analysis of Dan and Amy from Veep? Specifically how their relationship changed with the new showrunner, the seemingly over the top horrible treatment Dan displayed towards her in season 7, and what Reid said about him not actually feeling romantic love towards Amy? And I searched your tags and saw you thought the writers were just too coward to make them actually happen, could you expand?

OK. So. We have Reid's quote

“I think Dan has a lot of love for Amy, but I think from his part, none of it is romantic. One, it’s just getting his rocks off, And two, I think he really appreciates her. I think he sees that we’re birds of a feather,” he said. “I think Dan is certainly more immoral than she is, but I think he’s like ‘if I can just get her to come down to my level, we operate really well together. Because she’s sharky, she’s cagey, she’s smart, and she’s vicious. I think Dan sees himself a little bit in her. I think that’s where that connection comes. But I don’t think Dan has romantic love for… almost anyone.”

and my main issue with this quote is that he says "But I don't think Dan has romantic love for ... almost anyone" because the 'almost anyone', the exception to this, would be Amy because of everything he said before that.

Because yes, Dan does not put any value on romantic relationships. It is established in the pilot that Dan's primary priority is his career and that he will use romantic relationships to advance it

and he discards these relationships as soon as he feels like they're no longer of value to him

which is something Dan does consistently. He doesn't value interpersonal relationships at all, including potential friendships. He cuts off Jonah when he realizes that he can't use him for information.

But he never does that with Amy. He never sees Amy as valueless to him

Certainly, they'll compete, and it might not stay clean, but he wants her career to advance with his, he wants them to advance together,

when he thinks that she's pregnant, he is genuinely concerned about what that would do for her career

when she leaves to be with Selina, he's flabbergasted because he thinks it's career suicide

He wants to win but he also wants to see her win

That is the highest form of intimacy for a character like Dan, and in the earlier/Iannucci seasons (and sorta season 5), that is present.

Yes, Dan is self-obsessed, yes, he is self-centred, yes, he is narcissistic, yes he is opportunistic and insensitive, but he looks out for Amy

to the point that even though he's bad with "basic empathy", he does do his best to be of comfort to her regarding her dad

and even saves her from her family at the hospital while also allowing himself to be dragged to a family Thanksgiving a few seasons later.

I also find his jealousy of Ed in season 2

interesting because of how he says, "You swore you were only going to date outside of D.C."

because I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Dan would want to be a power couple with Amy and it may not be romantic in the traditional sense of the word but in the context of Veep and in the context of Dan and in the context of Amy, and Dan and Amy, hitching himself to the one person who consistently helps him with jobs and access and who he in turn consistently helps with jobs and access and who have an odd sense of loyalty to each other

there is a type of romance to that.

So the earlier seasons do all of this while also being aware of Amy and Dan actually having chemistry and acknowledging that there is tension there and showcasing that tension in their interactions. In the later seasons --- which I think butcher all of the characters --- it's almost as though Dan and Amy don't have a personal relationship at all. Dan becomes such a caricature of himself that he's almost not a human character anymore and therefore how he treats Amy is absent all of the subtleties and -- Selina's favourite word -- nuances that made their dynamic work and that also made it fun because Dan is written exactly as how the characters facetiously describe him without any other layers, which then impacts the Amy and Dan relationship.

I don't remember when I said the writes were cowards but I think I meant it more like, PUT THEM TOGETHER, YOU COWARDS.

[writingsforwinter]

I am so excited to share some news! Last summer, Michael Barosky, an Emmy-nominated audio engineer known for his work as a sound mixer for the A Quiet Place I and A Quiet Place II movies and the TV shows Master of None, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Veep, Gossip Girl, and Law & Order reached out to me to request permission to create a filmed monologue of my poem "The Morning After I Killed Myself."

The film was recently chosen as an official selection for the 2023 Monologues and Poetry International film festival and will be screened as part of their competition in December.

I am so grateful for Mr. Barosky's endeavor and for the wonderful talent of Lexee McEntee, the actor in the film. <3

[iamnmbr3]

Watching JD Vance trying to cover for Trump in the post-debate CNN interview is painful, he knows how to keep a straight face but sucks at lying and convincing people. It reminds me of what Amy from Veep once said: “don’t even bullshit! Bullshitting takes talent, you have none! You’re just a blah blah blah bitch!”. I’m against Trump so I think that’s great, but as someone that’s into debating tactics and strategy it’s painful to watch this guy trying to be convincing… almost no skill, zero talent and zero charisma. Holy shit he sucks lmao!

JD Vance is what negative charisma looks like. His rancid creepy bigoted vibes cling to him like slime.

[nessa007]

out of all the comedy shows i watch none of them have me laughing out loud as much as veep! the writing on that show is just too fucking good and the cast is just *chefs kiss*

[darkmaga-retard]

By J.B. Shurk

The more I see of Tim Walz, the more I realize he’s just a fatter, whiter version of Kamala.  They both laugh at inappropriate times.  They both say weird things.  They both yearn for a communist America.  They’re both on the wrong side of the IQ bell curve.  If we lived in a society that encouraged talented people to run for political office, Tweedle-Kam and Tweedle-Tim would not be known.  Because our political system excels at promoting mediocre minds attached to lost souls, the Democrat Party gives us a babbling baboon and a cackling hyena for veep and president.

I thought Tweedle-Kam had a monopoly on obnoxious laughing, but I was wrong.  Every time a camera pans over to Tweedle-Tim, his head is thrown back in a chortling fit.  Every subject seems so funny.  Food and fuel costs are a nightmare, Tim.  Ha-ha-ha!  Foreign nationals are killing Americans on neighborhood streets.  Tee-hee-hee!  You misrepresented your military rank and service record.  Hey now, that’s not funny!  You’re right, coward.  None of it is funny at all.

It’s increasingly clear that the Tweedle-twins laugh because they have nothing significant to say.  Or, rather, anything significant they might say, they can’t admit until after the election.  As Nancy Pelosi would tell us, you have to vote the Tweedle-twins into office before you can find out how they plan to screw over America.  Nobody wants to vote for open borders and mass amnesty for foreigners.  Nobody wants to vote for more spending and inflation.  Nobody wants to vote for social credit scores and expanded government regulation.  Because the Tweedle-twins can’t say what they want, they must laugh during all the awkward silence.  It’s just weird.

[tomwambsmilk]

Re: your post about drawing explicit lines to real life events and people on Succession, it has been driving me crazy, especially everyone saying 4.08 was "just 2016". It was harrowing, yes, but there were elements of past elections mixed together, and the WI thing reminded me of 2000...idk why people want things to be so cut and dry, 1 for 1 comparisons, that would be lazy writing!!!!! Like...appreciate the good writing.

I 100% agree - the 2000 election is one of the ones that's been explicitly referenced by writers and consultants for 4.08, even more so than 2016 or 2020. If I had to separate out what may have influenced what, I'd say the situation around WI and ATN calling early is much more reminiscent of the hanging chad situation in Florida in 2000, where some news outlets wrongly called the election for Al Gore rather than Bush. The aftermath, however, feels much more reminiscent of the civil unrest which followed the 2020 election. But even then, none of it is exactly the same, because the succverse is its own world!! It really truly would be incredibly lazy to just thoughtlessly recreate the 2016/2020 elections but with succession characters and orgs, and Succession has almost always been better than that.

And tbh, ambiguity around news network calls is not exclusive to 2000, and civil unrest is not exclusive to 2020. I see a lot of connection between the temptation to read succ like this, and the tendency people had when Veep was airing to say it "predicted the future". It didn't really. What actually happened is that the writers of Veep had an awareness of the political landscape and history of the US, and the stories which 'came true' were usually based on or extrapolated from things that had already happened. Anyone who was paying attention could have 'predicted' that. (Veep usually exaggerated, because it was a satire, but it was a satire rooted in a lot of truth). But most people's political awareness seems to be limited to the last 10-20 years, and recency bias leads people to fixate on what's happened in the last couple of election cycles; hence the fixation on 4.08 as being representative of 2020.

(I saw one critic call the choice to have Mencken win under dubious circumstances and have democrats protesting a "subversion" of what happened in 2020 - because he's a republican, not a democrat - and it struck me as so incredibly stupid, not least of all because it shows how mired in modern partisan party politics many American viewers are, to such an extent that they aren't able to acknowledge the greater systemic critiques shows like Veep and Succession are trying to make. Political showmanship and the media-politician relationship and electoral fraud and political violence are not things the Republican party invented in 2016. They've been around forever, and while one party may have more of a history of these things than the other, to a certain extent they do transcend party lines.)

In terms of the family dynamics, it's similarly frustrating to see people go Roys = Murdochs, PGN = NYT, Mencken = Trump etc. because as soon as you shoehorn the characters into that framework you lose a lot of critique. Mencken is far more of an ideologue than Trump ever was, because the critique being put forward with Mencken is not about Trump the person (which would be shallow and topical and hopefully outdated relatively soon) but about fascism the ideology. The family dynamics of PGN emulate the family dynamics of the NYT trust in order to critique 'old money' news and how it operates - but operationally, aspects of PGN function more like a major outlet such as MSNBC, which allows the show to also critique the broader left-leaning media landscape. Even looking just at Logan Roy - Jesse has cited as influences not just Rupert Murdoch, but Conrad Black, Tiny Rowland, Lord Rothermere, William Randolph Hearst, Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Sumner Redstone. (In one direct quote from the book It's Not TV: "It's just fun to be completely freed from any sense of responsibility to portray real people realistically.") To read Logan only through the lens of Rupert Murdoch misses a lot of what the show is trying to say about the nature of wealth, particularly extreme wealth, in a capitalist system, and the role that the media plays in that system (and how that role has evolved over time).

And again, it's frustrating because I think it's indicative of this idea that the corruption and exploitation of the media landscape is a modern phenomenon and not something that's been present and developing since its inception, and I also think it's indicative of the belief that this sort of corruption and exploitation only occurs on the political right, when in actual fact it's something that wealthy and powerful people of all (professed) political stripes have engaged in.

[frmtheroombelow]

my favourite moment after the sleep token concert was how my partner found new songs that she really enjoyed which 💗💗 she'd listened to most of their disco beforehand but she really loved chokehold and tmbte live my HEART BRO 😩

[1995lahaine]

@nickandros tagged me to post 8 shows to get to know me better which like. i feel like none of this is going to elucidate me any better to you all but I have some time tonight SO! anyways I’m tagging @nicollekidman @shesnake @akajustmerry @derelictship @brownbicon @mossycoat and uhhhh anyone else!!!! Who wants to!!!!

criminal minds to be clear i hate jeff davis but his 2 big shows changed my life this would be my answer to las culch what culture made me say culture is for me it’s the first show I ever understood as being something that was made, I sat down weekly with my parents to watch it, it was huge for me as a 10ish year old. yes i know that’s insane.

teen wolf. truly life changing for me at 13-15 im sorry but isaac lahey Scott mccall and allison argent are characters of all time to me. to MEEE.

the sopranos. didn’t watch the whole thing as a teen but i really so deeply fell in love with it at 21/22ish and has so shaped me the last couple years

riverdale. obviously

yellowjackets. obviously. just one of the only/most woman-focused series ive ever seen and engaged with so deeply it’s so sad that it’s so rare for me.

utopia. It’s utopia. It’s only the best television that’s ever been made idk what else to even say I cannot do it justice. It’s on YouTube. Just watch it!!! Wilson Wilson character development (devolvement) of ALLLLLLLL TIME!!!!

i think you should leave with tim robinson. i was late(ish?) to sketch comedy tbh, never really connected with or found any of it funny but the absurdity of this series was huge for me, such an eye opening thing for what can be accepted and funded as comedy

oh this is tough this is TOUGH!!!! It’s not game of thrones it isn’t bc that doesn’t explain me…. It’s also not black sails weirdly… it’s veep. It’s veep. For better or worse that show has influenced and changed so much of my own sense of humour and my relationship with establishment politics and with tv as a satirical medium. It fell off so much later on but the first few seasons??? fantastic. actually critical. had things to say.

[uncloseted]

Are there any cool restaurants you'd recommend in LA? me and my boyfriend are going there for our anniversary just to hang out and do something fun.

It really depends on what area of the city you're in and what you like, but here are a few that I always enjoy:

Swinger's Diner in Beverly Grove. A pretty standard, Americana-inspired diner that's open pretty much all the time. I'm here a lot and so are a ton of kind-of famous people. Last week I saw the actress who played Sue on Veep.

Perch in Downtown LA. A bar and restaurant with really amazing views of the city.

The Pantry in Downtown LA. Also a diner. Until COVID, they had been open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since 1924. They're still open pretty much always, and their pancakes are excellent. Supposedly Marilyn Monroe and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have both eaten there.

The Apple Pan in West LA. Also also a diner. If you want a burger in LA, this is my favorite.

Saffron & Rose in Westwood. I think this may be in one of my Youtube videos. It's a family owned and operated Persian ice cream shop and the owners are the nicest people ever.

Bottega Louie in Downtown LA or West Hollywood. This is probably the only restaurant on this list where you would actually want to go for an anniversary dinner. It's where I take friends who are visiting. It has a really great vibe, the food is amazing, and the patisserie is great for getting a little take-home treat.

Pho Saigon Pearl near LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits. This is my favorite Vietnamese spot. Their pho is the best and their strawberry lychee tea is addictive. Nina Dobrev was also there the other day.

Ebaes near USC. If for some reason you happen to be in the USC area, Ebaes is my favorite. It's an asian fusion restaurant and I sometimes drive over there just to get the Ebaes ramen and then go straight home.

Honorable mention goes to In-n-Out, which is a fast food place. If you're from somewhere that doesn't have them, they're worth a visit.

I feel like this is kind of a bad list since none of these restaurants are the kind that you would travel to go to, but they're just genuinely where I eat most frequently. For a list of restaurants that are a bit trendier or upscale, try here.

[loptrcoptr]

Boss is in a long meeting with several people about who is going to help with the next seasonal school in Cambridge, and none of them want to go with him and no one they’ve asked wants to go with him, and the veeps aren’t even interested, and I’m just sitting in the next office over like

[lunadove]

I was bored one day, so as a result of that, here’s which Game of Thrones house motto fits each Veep character.

Selina: Ours is the Fury (Alternate: Hear Me Roar)

Amy: None So Fierce

Jonah: Though All Men Do Despise Us

Dan: I Have No Rival

Gary: Work Her Will

Mike: Awake! Awake!

Sue: No Foe May Pass

[buzzdixonwriter]

Movies You Don’t Think Of As Christmas Movies (revised and updated for 2022)

Yeah, yeah, It's A Wonderful White Christmas Carol Story On 34th Street instantly springs to mind whenever somebody says "Christmas Movie" but here are a few you should give thought to as alternative programming for the season.

 L.A. Confidential

 The movie opens with a renegade LA cop going through his naughty list then spreading a little holiday cheer in a liquor store before answering the musical question, “Does the LAPD knows how to throw a Christmas party or what?”

 Die Hard / Lethal Weapon / Gremlins

 Oh, yeah, like you didn’t see these coming…

 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

 The only James Bond movie with a Christmas song.

 Hell’s Heroes

 Hell's Heroes is the first sound version of The Three Godfathers, most famously filmed in 1948 with John Wayne.  Based on the novel by Peter B. Kyne, Three Godfathers has been filmed officially six times (2 silent versions, 3 talkies, 1 TV movie) and unofficially more than can be counted (see below).  Hell's Heroes is my favorite take on the tale, a story of three doomed desperadoes who sacrifice themselves to bring an infant to safety across the trackless desert. 

 Tokyo Godfathers

 So how in the world does a novel set in the American West translate into an animated feature set in 21st century Tokyo?  Very well, thank you.  The time and setting and characters have changed but it remains essentially the same story:  The desperate, the doomed, and the damned prove their humanity by saving an infant on Christmas Eve.  Highly recommended.

 The Junky’s Christmas

 Now, I know what you're thinking: You're thinking "Buzz has finally lost his pea-pickin' mind.  A story about a petty criminal drug addict trying to score a fix is his idea of a Christmas story?!?!?"

As a failed veep candidate would say:  "Hew betcha."  'Cuz The Junky's Christmas is William S. Burrough's meditation on the act of compassion even when it runs contrary to one's own self-interest.  It's the story of a jonesin' user who has the choice of feeding his addiction or helping a total stranger who needs his fix even more than he does.  Read the original short story, then watch the marvelous animated puppet film.

 Christmas On Mars

 No, this is the film where I finally lose my pea-pickin' mind.  Christmas On Mars is an indie sci-fi feature by the Oklahoma alt rock band, The Flaming Lips.  It's a clever, well made, intelligent, thoughtful, and ultimately uplifting tale of human colonists on Mars just trying to get through their daily routines without collapsing into despair and depression.

I recommend Christmas On Mars highly, but if you are among my many friends who are easily offended (and remember, if I think something might be a little iffy you can guess how far on beyond zebra it must be) take heed:  The aliens are modeled on something that's incredibly NSFW.  Santa Claus Conquers The Martiansthis ain't...

 Tangerine

 A story of two transgender Hollywood street hustlers on Christmas Eve, with everything you could want in a holiday film:  Inventively obscene language, rampant prostitution, startling displays of nudity, and horrifying-yet-hilarious street violence.

And compassion.

And loyalty.

And love.

For several characters, their Christmas ends in heartbreaking despair brought about by their own weaknesses and failings, yet in the end Tangerine focuses on the two hustlers mutual support providing them joy and peace that none of the others can know.

 © Buzz Dixon