#and she was overlooked actresses with extreme talent

[2manythoughtz]

Is Barbie A Joke To Critics?

Just a week ago I wrote an article about the Barbie movie and how it was not only misunderstood but also overlooked when it comes to its deep meaning. We’ve had people like Jo Koy mocking the movie and comparing it to Oppenheimer which is a movie inspired by real events of our past, not only that but the winning song was I’m Just Ken, that alone should show just how little critics care to take what the movie teaches us and use it in the real world.

And we’re back at it. As you know, the nominations for the Oscars have been released. You’d be surprised to see that neither Margot Robbie (the main actress who interpreted Barbie) nor Greta Gerwig (the director of Barbie) got nominated in their categories. Speaking of the directors’ category, Greta is not new to being snubbed by the Oscars, it had already happened with Little Women. The only difference is that in 2020 there were no women nominated as best director, this year we have a female director who’s been nominated and that’s Justine Triet with Anatomy of a Fall, which is not bad. What’s laughable is the fact that Barbie has won the Golden Globes Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and yet its director is not taken seriously.

And we’re not even talking about any film, to this day Barbie has made 1.45 billion U.S. dollars worldwide which makes it the best movie debut for a female director. 

Margot Robbie didn’t get nominated as best actress although her performance as Barbie was absolutely iconic, she really brought Barbie to life in a unique way that not many actresses could’ve achieved. If you thought it couldn’t get any worse, let me tell you that Ryan Gosling (the actor who interpreted Ken) got nominated as Best Supporting Actor. That is fair, Ryan did an amazing job at portraying Ken, he really made his character funny and entertaining, he earned his nomination and I’m sure everyone is happy that he was one of the two nominees for Barbie. 

But fans were not the only ones who were disappointed, Ryan Gosling himself commented on the matter and showed his displeasure. Here are his words:

“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought l’d being saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.

But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.

No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.

To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.

Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.

Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

As Ryan said, the only woman who got nominated is America Ferrera who had an impactful role in the movie, her monologue about women and every hardship that they have to face because of society has become viral. Her character represents women, any women, and she did an outstanding job that earned her the nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The only shame is that she’s the only woman who got the privilege of being nominated for a movie that talks about feminism and how women don’t have the same treatment as men.

The Oscars proved Barbie right once again. 

[autumnsoldier13]

Jessica Walter was an extremely talented actress who was overlooked throughout her career in Hollywood, she was on broadway a couple of times and she had a powerhouse of a voice

I’ve liked what I’ve seen of her!

[feltlikea-kiss]

she's my comfort person <3

[drabsyo]

Drabs, I know that you usually draw Fleur with slightly darker blonde hair than Narcissa. Was it a choice so that it’s easier to distinguish them from each other or was your Fleur maybe slightly influenced by the actress from the movie who had darker hair?

In the books Fleur didn’t seem to have much description other than having long silvery hair (waist length?) and having this glow around her. So like with Narcissa, what works have influenced your design of Fleur?

It’s fascinating sometimes to read the artist’s perspective and your previous reply to the anon about Narcissa has been very interesting.

Thank you!!! 🥺

I was actually pretty embarrassed over how enthusiastic I got over the whole hair thing, but I'm glad it made some sense at least 😂 And now that I've been given even more reason to talk about it... (Let's face it, I shouldn't even be allowed on this website to begin with, ya'll have been way too nice to me.)

Only click on keep reading if you want to read Some Nonsense.

I did consider Fleur's actress when I thought about her hair color. Though I pictured it to be something of a mix between movie Fleur and Elsa’s (from Frozen) hair. But the way I drew Fleur's hair, the way it falls across her shoulders, that was more of... well, I imagined Fleur to have effortlessly perfect hair, like she doesn't seem to need to style it so much because it's already whimsical as it is, what with her being part-Veela. There were a lot of fanfictions that helped me to sort of see a better image of Fleur in my head so really, I owe it to all the talented writers out there!

It's also the same with Narcissa's case. Though I decided to give her paler hair, compared to Fleur's, because I wanted to emphasize that air of vulnerability Narcissa has—this image she conjures, like she's this fragile thing made of glass, which typically in fanfiction is what Narcissa uses so that Voldemort would overlook her a lot, hence why she wasn't given any "missions" or "tasks" while Voldemort was in Malfoy Manor. Slytherin preservation. This "fragile" image was something Narcissa capitalized on and maintained perfectly, but in post-war Cissamione fanfictions, she no longer has to put on that façade—she starts living for herself, but the quiet sadness about her never really goes away.

I really did struggle at first, I had to find a way where I could draw them without confusing people and myself.

So, again, I sifted through a lot of canon and non canon material about these two characters which funnily enough made me see some kind of parallel going on between them. I know. Fleur Delacour and Narcissa Black. Parallels?! It's nuts. But again, this is only within Fleurmione and Cissamione fanfiction, and it really helped me to draw them better. (At least in a way that made them distinguishable from one other at first glance, I’d like to think.)

These 'hair scenes' are mostly the bits where Hermione "first" sees Fleur. Hermione is entranced, a little curious, sometimes she feels indifferent, but the general theme is Hermione immediately finds Fleur beautiful—which probably explains why Hermione in fanfiction sometimes thinks Narcissa could be part-Veela like Fleur. And as you can imagine, that's where my struggle began.

You'll see what I mean in a minute. And just like last time, remember that this part comes with spoilers.

🔹 In Fighting is our form of Flirting by InsomniacAndBi in Chapter 2 Hermione sees Fleur for the first time. This is the first Fleurmione fanfiction I've ever read, and also the first time I've encountered Fleur's character. Tall, bright blonde hair, won the genetic lottery, aristocratic features, face held in a scowl, floats into the room with effortless poise, immediately starts demanding things out of people... Sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it. Like some other blonde we know.

"Non!" A voice from the doorway said. "This is not what was agreed."

For a moment, Hermione thought about ignoring it but turned to glance over there if only to quell her curiosity. A girl stepped into the room and Hermione's phone call was forgotten in a moment. She knew that it wasn't nice to stare but Hermione couldn't help but do it because, in all honesty, this was the prettiest girl she had ever seen. She was definitely taller than Hermione was, with bright blonde hair and...clearly she had won the genetic lottery.

Her skin practically glowed and it looked so smooth and soft. It made Hermione wonder if she used those fancy beautification charms or had a very lengthy skincare routine. Or maybe, just maybe, this is what being rich did to people's faces. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that this girl was rich - like extremely rich, like even rich people thought she was rich. That kind of rich. That was the type of rich that this girl was.

Also, only super rich people curled up their lip like this girl was doing.

She breezed into the room like she was floating and Hermione hastily ended her phone call and promised to call back later.

"This is not what was agreed," The girl said again and Hermione felt incredibly small sitting in front of her. Not to mention, the girl's clothes screamed 'I'm rich and I know it' and Hermione's screamed 'I'm so out of place that I might as well be a bull in a China shop'.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione managed to get out when it became apparent that the girl was waiting for her response.

"You are English." The girl looked shock for a moment at Hermione's accent before shaking her head angrily. "This is not what was agreed."

🔹 In Oath of Silver by i_shall_wear_midnight immediately in the first chapter, when Witcher Hermione first meets Fleur, it's something Hermione quickly notices. Vivid sapphire eyes. Silvery blonde hair that shimmered in the torchlight. And once again, right off the bat, Fleur is pushy. She wants things done her way. It’s just so cute how she doesn’t even let the fact that Hermione is a Witcher, an extremely dangerous outcast in society, get in the way of that.

(I'm sorry for this but I just have to gush about Oath of Silver. Hermione as a witcher is just so fitting for her character; she possesses that natural eye for detail that remarkable witchers have, witchers like Geralt and Vesimir (a skill that gets even more honed through the Witcher Trials). Hermione even has Geralt's dry sense of humor, a bit rough around the edges, brilliant, snippy without really meaning to (because she asks a lot of questions and would rather get to the point), but has a good heart.)

The witcher figured that would be the end of her human interactions for the evening, but only a few minutes later, the stunning newcomer from before appeared before her. Upon closer inspection, Hermione couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t be conspicuous in any group of people she happened to find herself immersed in. The woman was looking back at her with vivid sapphire eyes, and silvery blonde hair that shimmered even in torchlight. Her attire was travel-ready, but elegant.

“Bonsoir. You are a witcher, oui? Or perhaps a ‘witcheress’ is more accurate? I am not familiar with all the terms…” She watched the beautiful stranger patiently while she fumbled through Hermione’s professional title. As if the distinctive, amber colored cat-eyes hadn’t given her away, the brunette mused wryly. Eventually, the blonde gave up and sat herself down at Hermione’s table, her medallion twitching faintly as the stranger got settled. Hermione filed that away for later. Her new dinner buddy seemed to be oblivious to the curious and concerned looks now being thrown her way at boldly taking a seat at a mutant’s table.

“I came from Ellander,” she began in a non sequitur. “The temple, and spoke to the priestess Nenneke, who told me about you.” Hermione continued eating her second serving of stew and waited for her to get to the point. “I would like to hire you as an escort as I travel back to Toussaint.” The witcher finally put her spoon down.

“Sounds like you ought to be asking some mercenaries to be your bodyguards,” she responded, eyeing the bow the woman was carrying on her pack meaningfully.

“A pair seems doable, and I’d prefer you.”

“I’m not a bodyguard.”

“Yes, technically, I am aware,” she replied, beginning to show signs of impatience.

“Then why are you soliciting a monster-slayer?”

🔹 Witnessed here in Time and Blood by whistle.the.silver is probably the most interesting one because it uses the concept of Veela hair as a wand core brilliantly. Again, this comes with huge 🛑spoilers🛑. Read the italicized words at your own risk. I can't add the entire clip here, as the topic of Fleur's hair is littered throughout several other chapters. But this story shows us a Fleur who is willing to do anything in order to protect Hermione during the course of the war.

My memory is a bit foggy, I haven't read this story in months, but here's what I remember:

This takes place during the time of Shell Cottage, where Fleur is married to Bill and takes care of Hermione. Fleur didn't expect to fall in love with the young brunette and, as the Golden Trio's time in Shell Cottage comes to an end, she worries over Hermione's safety. Fleur, using magic only known to the Veela tribes, does her best to offer Hermione protection in any way that she can--even going as far as to study what Lily Potter did so Harry could live. At one point, Fleur cuts her own hair with a length now roughly above her shoulders to give Hermione a new wand. But this isn't the only bridge Fleur is willing to cross to make sure Hermione survives the incoming battle. Fleur's grandmother, Ron, and even Bill himself, is a little sceptic over the propriety of Fleur's actions, but Fleur is determined to do whatever it takes to make sure Hermione makes it out of the war safe and alive.

So that was a lot to wade through, I know.

But if you've skipped all those parts for the sake of missing spoilers then let me go ahead and explain why the parallel between Fleur and Narcissa are there. Sure, it's plain to see that they have similar physical characteristics, but they're also similar in other ways.

In Witnessed here in Time and Blood, Fleur is willing to do whatever it takes to protect Hermione during the war: sacrifice the secrets of the Veela, make Hermione a wand, make her marriage and friendship with Bill suffer, be scrutinized by her Veela tribe, etc. And didn't Narcissa do the exact same thing during the war to make sure Draco made it out alive? They both chose to 'betray' everyone else for the sake of this one person. Not to mention, in Extinction by rubikanon Narcissa even makes Hermione a wand. (I’m telling you, there are so many parallels between these two ships and I can probably list more but I'd rather not make this post longer.)

Here, I’m just going to go ahead and say it—it’s almost like Fleur and Narcissa in fanfiction have the same love language.

A glaringly obvious difference between them is their upbringing, and we could argue that this why Fleur tends to be more open with her emotions while Narcissa tends to be more carefully guarded with hers. And I don't know if writers realize these parallels but as someone who's a huge fan of both characters and as someone who makes the occasional fanart of them, it's a pretty difficult detail to ignore. This crazy conspiracy all started because I had to find a way to make both characters look distinct from one another... It's just so interesting that writers from two different ships unknowingly make these parallels with two completely separate characters who are often at the opposite ends of the seesaw.

But again, let's take a look at Extinction by rubikanon. (I know. Extinction?! AGAIN?! Always.)

Spoiler warning!

🔹 Extinction by rubikanon has a marvelous take on this, as it turns out Fleur and Narcissa are actually good friends, and if I remember correctly, occasionally exchange letters (I’m unsure about this bit, I might have read it in a different story). They just get along remarkably well; I imagine they both share a kind of mutual respect for each other, a quiet understanding for the way the other woman carries herself: poised, meticulous, they pride themselves in their work, they both know how to handle an Ocean Of Secrets™, they're both accustomed to being under the spotlight of the public eye, and they’re both dedicated to their loved ones. Needless to say, Fleur and Narcissa are both giddy over the prospect of being with someone they love and adore, and end up meticulously planning numerous (I think it was hinted) double dates (Fleur with Bill, and Narcissa with Hermione) with the same kind of endearing enthusiasm that leave Hermione and Bill with no choice but to agree to the whims of their respective lovers.

(Scene seen in Chapter 23: Build Up Your Defense 2 of 2)

Narcissa and (Hermione) I were sitting together on one of the couches when Bill and Fleur arrived later. They showered Teddy with kisses on his little cheeks. He'd gotten past his clingy phase and adored us all, struggling to walk around the room by bracing himself on everyone's knees.

Suddenly Narcissa reached up and grabbed onto someone's wrist behind her head. "Don't even think about it," she said.

"That's just scary. How did you know I was there?" George stood up from behind the couch, a toy spider dangling from his hand. Teddy shrieked with laughter.

"She has eyes in the back of her head," Draco said.

"Mothers," George grumbled, sitting down close to Angelina. "Dump her, Hermione. I need you to date someone more prankable."

Fleur looked in surprise at the two of us on the couch. "Oh, la vache! How did I not know zees? You are lovers?"

"We're dating," I said mildly, though we really were lovers. In every sense. I glanced at Narcissa and bit my lip as heat spread through me. My imagination started planning a middle-of-the-night rendezvous.

"No wonder she (Narcissa) was so adamant about healing that curse," Bill said thoughtfully.

"Adorable! Simply adorable!" Fleur exclaimed, sitting down on Narcissa's other side. "We must go out for a double date next week, all four of us. We'll dine at L'Escargot!"

Narcissa's eyes lit up.

"Oh, no," I said.

"You won't have to eat snails," Narcissa said. "Please, mon amour?"

"French doesn't work on me."

"Please?" She kissed my cheek again and again. "Please? Please?"

Laughing now, I pulled her in for a kiss on the lips and said, "Yes, alright. But only because I have fond memories of trying new foods with you."

"As do I," she agreed.

Then we realized everyone was staring. Narcissa cleared her throat and straightened up, blushing. Draco made a face. Ginny looked a little more favorable. Harry held in laughter, and Andromeda hid her camera.

"Adorable!" Fleur declared again.

🔹 Also, I just have to add Sugar and Spice by waltzlikeits1698 because Chapter 4: Happy Birthday, Harry is absolutely hysterical. During Harry's birthday party, Hermione sulks in a corner because Fleur has apparently been avoiding her. Ginny decides to do something barking mad, something Hermione typically falls for.

“Ooh, someone’s grouchy,” Ginny teased, retracting her arm and facing Hermione fully. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Hermione insisted, although even she could hear the pout in her voice.

“Sure seems like it,” she snarked, summoning two shots and offering one to Hermione with a waggle of her eyebrows. Hermione pulled a face and Ginny shrugged before downing both, one after the other. (...) “You know, I spotted a tall, blonde drink of water hanging around the stairs.”

“What!?” Hermione exclaimed, whirling around and leaning out of the room to look at the staircase. Sure enough, standing at the bottom and resting a slender hand on the bannister was a tall, blonde witch who made Hermione’s heart stop with her mere presence. She had started forward before she knew it, her heart taking up an even quicker beat as she crossed the few steps and reached out a hand to clasp her elbow. The woman turned, that beautiful blonde hair catching the candlelight as it moved in one long sheet.

Hermione retracted her hand in horror, her eyes widening. “Mrs Malfoy!?”

Narcissa Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the witch who had practically accosted her. “Miss Granger. Can I help?”

What was she even doing here?

“Uh,” Hermione said dumbly, “sorry, I just… need the loo. Can I-?”

She gestured lamely to the staircase. Both women stared at the perfectly reasonable gap that Hermione could easily pass through. The moment stretched on.

Slowly, Narcissa returned her inscrutable gaze to Hermione, who squirmed uncomfortably in response. She then took a small step to the side and gestured for Hermione to pass. She did so and, as she turned the corner of the staircase, sent a deadly glare at Ginny, who was practically pissing herself with laughter.

(...)

Fleur had arrived. Hermione couldn’t explain exactly how she could tell, considering she had been in the duplicated bathroom for the last ten minutes after humiliating herself in front of Narcissa, but she knew it like she knew that it was levi-O-sa.

(...) (Hermione) She tried to avoid eye contact with Narcissa on the way back down and was thoroughly unsuccessful: the witch had physically reached out and laid her own hand over Hermione’s on the bannister, forcing her to stop and look up. Then, with an intention behind her eyes that Hermione had neither the brain capacity nor the energy to delve into, she said “It’s Ms Black now.”

Then she had released Hermione’s hand and turned back to her conversation with Andromeda and two wizards Hermione didn’t recognise.

Come to think of it, there were a lot of people Hermione didn’t recognise.

Anyway, long story short, this is the result of reading both Fleurmione and Cissamione—

But RIGHT. At the end of the day, again, these are just some crazy little things I picked up on and I may or may not be right, no one has to agree with me, everyone can disagree with me. Actually, yes feel free to disagree with me. I need to get out of this damn site and you know, touch grass.

Okay. Well. I'm gonna stop here now. So. Bye. But thank you anon for this lovely ask!! I’m really touched that you wanted to know what inspired the way I drew Fleur 🥺💕💖 But still. So sorry for this massive word vomit!! 😂

[fayewoodss]

I hate the Dear Evan Hansen movie already.

I know we don’t have a lot to go off of, but the casting and several mentioned changes are enough to question the intentions of Pasek and Paul and the other producers, writers, and directors involved.

Of course Pasek and Paul aren’t the main heads of this project, but considering their past successes with La La Land and The Greatest Showman and even an Oscar nod(s), it feels like they’re trying to create a new Oscar worthy blockbuster that fits the norms of mainstream media more than the needs of the audience and the integrity of the story.

So, let’s talk about the cast.

Ben Platt. Too old. I’m sorry, but he’s beyond playing a high schooler and compared to the rest of the cast, he’s just not a convincing teenager. 

Amy Adams. Incredibly talented both in acting and singing. She has a wide array of titles, more recently working in drama and thriller. She is too cool to play Cynthia. She would, however, be great as Heidi.

Amandla Stenberg. The It-Girl. She is amazingly talented, but why does Hollywood result to only ever booking specific young Black actresses? Zendaya and Amandla are always the first to be chosen for a “racially diverse” female character.

Kaitlyn Dever. No thoughts. I haven’t seen Booksmart. Just seems like another It-Girl choice with the success of that movie.

Nik Dodani and Colton Ryan are the only ones I am looking forward to. Nik will be a great Jared and it’s wonderful we have a POC in that role. Colton will be a fantastic Connor and hopefully this will boost his career more as he was just kind of an “understudy” on Broadway and most DEH fans ignored him. (Also, Kleinphy rights, lmao.)

Now, let’s talk about Danny Pino...

I won’t be commenting on him as an actor, rather I will talk about a rather big change to the role of Larry Murphy.

Larry Murphy is now Connor and Zoe’s stepfather.

This may seem small, but it’s a change that entirely changes the dynamic of Larry with the Murphy family, especially Larry and Connor’s relationship.

Larry and Connor’s relationship is often overlooked because a lot of the fandom tends to ignore or vilify Larry. He’s the tired father that doesn’t understand the changes in his life, so he approaches them with anger and frustration. He watches his own son spiral into a severe depression and eventually take his life. The whole time, he was just as lost as Connor, not knowing what to do for his son and only ever using discipline to handle him. He comes off cold and stoic, but eventually breaks from the reality of his loss.

A stepfather can absolutely have this relationship with his stepson, however it automatically changes the dynamic of Larry and Connor. Considering how Hollywood handles mixed families, Larry being Connor’s stepfather is no doubt going to turn into a case of “Ergh! I hate my stepfather!”

On top of that, while Evan and Connor are reflections of each other, their families are supposed to differ in dynamic with the Murphys being a traditional “Nuclear Family” that appear perfect to everyone outside of them, while Evan’s family is broken and estranged. Connor feels isolated because he feel he doesn’t fit the forced perfection of his family. Evan feels isolated because he feels he’s invisible to his own parents. Larry now being the stepfather destroys that contrast and erases the very important difference in Evan and Connor’s lives as highlighted in songs like “To Break in a Glove” and “Words Fail.” Evan wants to be a part of a family that hasn’t been torn apart at one point.

We also need to look into the intention of changing Larry to the stepfather. The article breaking the news boasted of Dear Evan Hansen’s diverse cast. Not a bad thing at all and something I look forward to, but right off the bat it comes across as “we’re rewriting this character for the sake of diversity rather than the integrity of the story.”

Why does Larry need to be rewritten as a stepfather to accommodate a white passing Latino actor when they could have casted Latinx actors for Connor and Zoe and made the Murphy family biracial?

Why are the only POC cast members always the side characters in the plot?

Pasek and Paul do not have the best history of diversity in either their movies or their musicals, so this casting and rewriting of the story just feels like pandering. You can have a diverse cast without having to jump through hoops rewriting the story and the characters.

Yes, this character is Larry Murphy.

But he’s not Larry Murphy.

Changing Larry Murphy to a stepfather automatically changes his character. It changes his agency, his motives, his personality. He will not be the Larry we know from the musical or the book no matter how close they write him because now he just the stepfather. Just as the characters from Be More Chill were changed from the book to the musical, their motives, personalities, identities, looks, and so much more changed with them. Changing one important aspect of the character changes the whole character even if they share the same name.

Overall, this entire cast feels thrown together. All of these actors have differing background and catalogs of work. While it is important to break from typecasting and to branch out with actors and actor dynamics, this lineup feels like a hastily thrown together mix of A-Listers, It-Girls, TV actors, comedians, Broadway stars. You have a modern day Hollywood starlet, a cop show veteran, two recently popular It-Girls, a comedian, an understudy, and a Broadway household name all put together in a Hollywood musical.

The entire thing feels like it’s trying to be more of a teen “Coming of Age” blockbuster rather than a show about mental illness that is heartbreaking, both down to earth and anxiety inducing, and incredibly complex in nature.

I wish the casting directors and producers would have expanded their talent search and rather compiled this project with a softer and more under the radar approach, focusing on revising the story rather than changing it, casting upcoming and not yet established young actors, and not trying to push this seeming narrative of appealing to mainstream and “Academy” audiences.

Giving Dear Evan Hansen an extreme Hollywood A-List makeover only seems to take away from the rawness and the realness of the story.

So, think about it.

Are they going to do what is best for the story, or are they just cashing in on big names and pandering to mainstream audiences who just want another quirky teen movie?

[cinema-tv-etc]

From left: Kathryn Hahn in Transparent, Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Felicity Jones in On the Basis of Sex, and Rachel McAdams in Disobedience.

First Mrs. Maisel, Now Joan Rivers. Why Hollywood's Jewish Women Are Rarely Played by Jewish Actors

When we learned this week that Kathryn Hahn would play Joan Rivers in a series on Showtime called The Comeback Girl, the choice seemed like a no-brainer. Hahn, who recently stole the show as the nosy-neighbor-slash-powerful-witch Agatha in Marvel’s WandaVision, truly has the chops to channel the iconic, sharp-tongued comedy legend.

But something about the casting also landed funny. That’s because of a troubling trend: by playing Rivers, Hahn will swell the ranks of non-Jewish actresses who have portrayed Jewish women, fictional and real, recently. It’s happened with big-budget films like On the Basis of Sex, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic in which the notably Jewish justice was played by (the lovely but not Jewish at all) Felicity Jones, as well as indie breakouts like Shiva Baby, featuring the talented rising star Rachel Sennott (not Jewish either) navigating the most awkward mourning gathering ever. Jones’ casting drew some outcry, while Sennott inhabited her character so successfully that most Jewish fans assumed she was the real deal.

Between those two extremes lie many other examples: all of the Pfefferman children on Transparent were played by non-Jews (as was as a rabbi played by Hahn herself); Mrs. America gave us Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan in the form of Margo Martindale and Tracy Ullman (neither Jewish); the distinctly Rivers-like lead role in Amazon’s hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is played by Rachel Brosnahan (not Jewish); Rachel McAdams (not Jewish) failed in an attempt go undercover as an Orthodox Jewish woman before she played an Orthodox Jewish woman in love with Rachel Weisz (O.K., at least she’s Jewish) in 2017’s Disobedience. Even the actresses in the homebirth drama Pieces of a Woman, whose characters are subtly Jewish, were played by a trio of non-Jews.

As Sarah Silverman said in a vent session to Howard Stern last year discussing this phenomenon: “Is it the biggest injustice in the world? No, but I’m noticing it.” On the one hand, acting is acting—it shouldn’t require perfect alignment with the character you’re playing. On the other hand, the fact that it keeps happening when Hollywood doesn’t exactly suffer from a lack of Jewish actors shows that something is off. It seems that the idea of letting an actual Jewish actress interpret a Jewish role is pushing a cultural boundary we didn’t realize was still there.

The trend certainly raises the question. There’s a long tradition in Hollywood of actors changing their names and getting plastic surgery to flatten their ethnic identities out of existence. Perhaps, even subconsciously, casting directors and decision-makers are replicating that tradition by overlooking Jewish women for Jewish roles. And perhaps internal biases play a role here too—Jewish actresses avoiding roles that could pigeonhole them on one hand, and on the other hand the many Jewish people (especially men) who make decisions in Hollywood falling prey to internalized bias with a whiff of misogyny too. After all, when is the last time you saw a notably Jewish male auteur cast a Jewish woman as the love interest of the nebbishy male lead (looking at you, Woody Allen and Larry David)?

----

When she spoke to Stern, Silverman expressed frustration with the fact that an actress like herself, whose voice and features clearly mark her as Ashkenazi Jewish, had been cast throughout her career in a way that reinforces dated stereotypes about domineering Jewish women: As she put it, an actress who looks and sounds like her ends up playing “either a sassy friend of the main character … or you’re this c-nty girlfriend before the guy realizes what love really can be, or you’re that guy’s book agent.” The flipside of Jewish actresses being reduced to one-dimensional secondary roles, she added, is that they’re also being shut out of juicier Jewish parts, those that are nuanced, vulnerable, strong and fully realized. And if a white actress with a vague ethnic vibe and some sass is enough to read to casting directors and producers as “Jewish” over and over again, we’re not getting a chance to view the real diversity of Jewish women, who come in all shapes, sizes, colors and physical types. (In fact, if you look at three famous Jewish actresses working today–Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, and Tiffany Haddish–they are as different as can be.) This flattening effect also subtly indicates that Jewish women aren’t beautiful or compelling enough to be the center of their own stories. And that hurts.

We keep learning that Hollywood and the entertainment world aren’t nearly as progressive as one might imagine. Whether it’s astonishing new anecdotes about sexism, racism and harassment in the industry that keep surfacing, similar debates over straight actors being continually cast as gay characters or the recent colorism discussion around Latinx characters in In the Heights, we see a broader picture of missed opportunities and subtle exclusion. Even when marginalized groups’ stories make their way onscreen, a kind of whitewashing or sanitizing often sneaks its way in.

https://time.com/6101055/jewish-women-not-cast-in-jewish-roles/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[aion-rsa]

Shadow and Bone: Why Netflix Cast Its Fantasy Adaptation With Relative Unknowns

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

In the film and television industry, the idea of an “unknown” is extremely relative. Just because an actor isn’t one of the Hollywood Chrises doesn’t mean a media-literate viewer hasn’t seen them before. That being said, there is a difference between Chris Evans and an actor from a Doctor Who guest spot, and Netflix’s latest series—Shadow and Bone, an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse books—is mostly banking on the latter. While Ben Barnes, who you will probably recognize as Logan from Westworld or Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia series, will be playing the mysterious and enigmatic General Kirigan in Shadow & Bone, most of the young cast have only a few mainstream credits to their names—and, frankly, I think it’s really working for the fantasy adaptation.

“This is a story about young people who have been overlooked and who’ve never had the chance to show people what they can do, who have all this talent and all of this power,” Leigh Bardugo told Den of Geek, thematically connecting this cast of young actors getting the opportunity to demonstrate their talent with their characters’ own efforts to make their mark on the world. “So it made a lot of sense in terms of the soul of the books for us to have all these incredibly gifted young people that arrived on our doorstep, like a magical gift in the show.”

Particularly when bringing a fantasy world to life, casting relative unknowns can be an excellent strategy for creating a sense of otherworldly newness. When you’ve seen an actor in something before, there is a mental path to be pulled out of the narrative. If you have no prior associations with that actor, it can be a bit easier to believe in the wholeness of this rich fantasy world. That being said, the decision to go with relative unknowns for Shadow and Bone was also a financial one, as actors with fewer or no previous successful screen projects to their name tend to be paid less for their work.

“This is an area where philosophy and practicality merge with me,” showrunner Eric Heisserer told Den of Geek. “On the one hand, I tend to be more enamored with actors who step into a role and they aren’t branded with the fame of a role that I identify with them elsewhere. I don’t see them as so-and-so playing Jesper or Alina or whatever the case may be. And then I discovered that we didn’t have a lot of money. So honestly, this was a modest budget. Hopefully you see every kruge on the screen so it feels it’s a big show, but … it’s trying to make itself as big as possible. With that comes the fact that we got a chance to give some of these performers a break.”

Meet the young and talented cast of Shadow & Bone…

Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov

Netflix cast English actress Jessie Mei Li in Shadow and Bone‘s central role of Alina Starkov, the orphan mapmaker who may hold the power to destroying the Shadow Fold. While you may not know who Li is yet, she’s probably about to become a big star. Though the 25-year-old Chinese-British actress only has a few credits under her belt, they’re impressive ones. Li made her stage debut in 2019’s National Theatre Live production of All About Eve, starring Gillian Anderson and Lily James. Before filming Shadow and Bone, she filmed a supporting role in Edgar Wright’s upcoming Last Night in Soho, in which she will play Lara Chung.

Archie Renaux as Mal Oretsev

Archie Renaux plays Mal, aka Alina’s oldest friend, in Shadow and Bone. The 23-year-old British actor and model had a brief role in Amazon Prime’s Hanna (he played Feliciano in Season 1’s “Friend”) before appearing as Leo Day in 2019’s Gold Digger (alongside Shadow and Bone co-star Ben Barnes). In addition to Shadow and Bone, Renaux has upcoming film roles in Marvel’s Morbius and Neil Burger’s sci-fi film Voyagers.

Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker

Freddy Carter stars as Kaz, one of the main characters from the Six of Crows duology, which is also being adapted as part of the Shadow and Bone Netflix series. Comics fans may recognize Carter from his three-episode turn as Jason Ripper in Pennyworth, but he got far more screen time in his main role in Netflix’s family-friendly horse drama series Free Rein, in which he played stable boy with a secret Pin Hawthorne.

Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa

Inej is played by Amita Suman, a 23-year-old Nepalese-born British actress who you may remember from her turn on Doctor Who. Suman gave a very memorable performance as the young version of Yaz’s grandmother Umbreen in Season 11 standout “Demons of the Punjab.” Suman has also recurred as Naya in Season 2 of The CW’s The Outpost.

Kit Young as Jesper Fahey

Kit Young, who plays sharpshooter Jesper in Shadow and Bone, graduated from RADA in 2017 and has mostly done stage work since then, including a role as Lysander in a 2019 National Theatre Live production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The 26-year-old actor of Scottish and Ugandan descent is set to appear in Netflix’s upcoming film adaptation of The School For Good and Evil, directed by Paul Feig and starring Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, and Michelle Yeoh.

Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik

Irish actress Danielle Galligan plays Heartrender Nina Zenik in Shadow and Bone. The 28-year-old actress has mostly done theater before this, but has snagged guest roles in Irish-based productions Game of Thrones (she played Sarra in Season 8’s “The Last of the Starks”) and Krypton (she played Enaj in two episodes).

Calahan Skogman as Matthias Helvar

Oh hey, an American! Wisconsin native Calahan Skogman plays Drüskelle Matthias in Shadow and Bone. To say that this is Skogman’s first screen role would not literally be true, but… it is basically true.

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Shadow & Bone premieres April 26th on Netflix.

The post Shadow and Bone: Why Netflix Cast Its Fantasy Adaptation With Relative Unknowns appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3r9AZ6d

[mirandalinotto]

That fact that they still are acting at all in an ageist industry should make them accomplished dhsj

I completely agree!! Most actresses are discarded after age 30, meanwhile Miranda Otto and Michelle Gomez are thriving in their middle age. Why? Because they are extremely skilled and talented actresses when it comes to the craft itself, whereas many Hollywood actresses rely solely on their looks or connections to producers to book them their next role. 

Also, I feel like there’s something big that we’re ignoring here: Michelle Gomez has been pretty open about the fact that she was actively struggling against her “type” for most of her career. She’s only recently accepted that she shouldn’t have been auditioning for the romantic lead or the “girl next door” for all of these years, putting herself through rejection after rejection, because casting directors take one look at her and go: “this woman can only play witches and bitches based on bone structure alone.” There’s something to be said for the specific challenges Michelle Gomez has faced in an extremely superficial capitalist industry where talent is often overlooked in favor of appearance.

[nclkafilms]

A master’s lacking homage to a masterpiece 

(Review of ‘Mank’)

*Warning: contains minor spoilers*

In recent years, Netflix have really upped their awards season contributions by giving either huge budgets, total creative freedom or a mix of these to some of Hollywood's biggest directors. In 2018 Alfonso Cuaron gave us his deeply personal and technically impressive 'Roma'. In 2019 we received Martin Scorsese's long and long-awaited epos 'The Irishman'. Both received 10 Oscar nominations, but both also struggled to invite their viewers fully onboard (The Irishman in particular). In 2020, Netflix is back with 'Mank'; this time giving David Fincher a platform to create a black-and-white love letter to screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, the often overlooked writer of 'Citizen Kane'. 'Mank' has also received 10 Oscar nominations, but has Fincher learned from Cuaron and Scorsese by making a more inclusive film experience?

In the story we follow Howard, or simply Mank as he is mostly referred to, as he has been asked to write the screenplay for Orson Welles’ first film for studio RKO. Welles has received full creative control of his films and has head hunted Mank to be his writer. Mank - being trapped to his sickbed due to a car accident - is put under pressure by a strict time limit, his secretary Rita Alexander and Welles’ desire to keep Mank away from alcohol, to which he has succumbed for years. It is, however, through numerous flashbacks to Hollywood in the 30’s that we slowly unravel the true inspiration behind Mank’s now historic screenplay for ‘Citizen Kane’. Hollywood is - as the rest of America - suffering the consequences of the recession and the film studios are under pressure from decreasing ticket sales and the threat of a democrat (or socialist as they denounce him as) running for office in California. As hinted at here, ‘Mank’ tells stories of everything from the film industry and the process of writing a screenplay to politics, media and the blurred lines between these industries while adding some remarks on Hollywood’s male dominance along the way and plenty of easter eggs to ‘Citizen Kane’ itself. We rush back and forth between Mank’s writing process and the ghosts of his past, and it is definitely an advantage to either know quite a bit about this period of time or give the film a second watch to fully understand the details of the story.

As Herman J. Mankiewicz, Gary Oldman gives another transformative performance. Oldman is without a doubt an extremely talented actor, who it is always a pleasure to observe. As Mank he gives it everything he has as the drunken screenwriter who after having fallen from the stars suddenly end up producing his best work. His acting when Mank is at his most drunk, most uncontrollable is balancing just on the edge of feeling overdone, and I am having a hard time relating to him in these scenes. It is, however, in his more subtle scenes as when he realises the potential consequences of a quick remark about the power of the film industry in relation to politics or in his final conversations with people about his screenplay, that Oldman shines the brightest. Is it an Oscar-worthy performance, though? I’m not sure. 

The other Oscar nominated performance is from Amanda Seyfried as the actress, Marion Davies, the mistress of media mogul William Hearst. Seyfried - as Oldman - gives everything and her character ends up being both more relatable and compelling than Oldman’s titular character. What she does is not overly showy, but she manages to create a character who is both seductive, funny and interesting, when it comes to her trying to find her place in the grand political and artistic puzzle that she has been caught in. The scene in which she refuses to help Mank, not necessarily because she disagress with what he’s asking, but simply to save her face, is in particular well-acted and saying for the character.  Sadly, Seyfried is not given that many scenes or material to work with, and as such Davies remains a character that I would have loved to see more of and explore further.

In additional supporting roles, Lily Collins as Rita Alexander, Charles Dance as William Hearst and Arliss Howard as film producer Louis B. Mayer stand out the most. Lily Collins manages to give Oldman some competition in their scenes especially regarding Alexander’s missing husband, Ian. Not unlike Marion Davies, though, Alexander is never explored in depth. We get a much clearer idea of who William Hearst and Louis B. Mayer were. As Hearst, Charles Dance delivers an icy performance as the mighty media mogul, who unknowingly becomes the focus for Mank’s screenplay. Dance is always interesting and his turn as Hearst is no exception. Especially the scene in which he recites the parable of the organ grinder’s monkey is memorable and satisfying to watch. As Louis B. Mayer, Arliss Howard also gives an icy, yet more explosive, performance as a man in power. If I was a film producer who has worked with Fincher, I would probably look in the mirror an extra time after seeing Howard’s performance as Mayer. He - along with Fincher - creates a cynical and often two-faced character, who ultimately follows the money and influence despite preaching about the importance of his MGM family (only to ask them to half their wages in the following scene). As such Hearst and Mayer are used to portray the cynicism and moral corruption caused by money and power; a familiar topic for Fincher, who this time aims his cinematic weapons at his own industry.

Another guarantee from a Fincher film is his impeccable attention to detail and unapologetic perfectionism when it comes to the technical aspects of his films. And ‘Mank’ is no exception; above everything else it is a technical marvel. The vision to create the film as if it was made in the 40’s has been executed close to perfection. The black-and-white cinematography in 2.20:1 aspect ratio (wonder why they went for this rather than 1.33:1) is a feast for the eyes; the addition of reel-change circles as part of the “degrading” post-production of the visuals does feel rather gimmicky, however. I got the “old film” feel without that, but it is without a doubt a detail held dear by Fincher himself. I would have preferred to either not have them or for the film to have been shot on film, though. Especially since the production design is beautiful and manages to create a believable and buzzing Hollywood aesthetic, which didn’t need the additional digital ageing on top.  The sound design works better, adding to the “old film” feel first of all because of the fact that it is in mono, but also due to it being deliberately recorded, mixed and toned to sound “old”. It feels less gimmicky than the visual aspects of the film. To round off the film’s sound is a close to perfect score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who once again proves their versatility by creating a playful score that oozes Hollywood in the 40’s.

Hollywood is also the main focus of the screenplay by David Fincher’s late father; a project close to the hearts of both father and son for years. But despite the endearing narrative of this aspect of the film, I cannot help but feel that the old Fincher’s script is one of the film’s main problems. It simply lacks focus and a structure that aids the story. The film is presented as the story behind the greatest screenplay of all time, but in reality it seems least interested in the screenwriting process. Of course, this holds a meaning too; about the different things influencing a screenplay, but instead it ends up standing on too many legs for it to be well balanced. The flashbacks do tell the overall story of Mank’s screenplay influences, but Fincher’s screenplay seems more interested in the politics, the film industry portrayal and the depiction of Mank’s inner demons. It never fully lands any of these plot lines to absolute satisfaction. The closest is the political story about the sudden invention of post-truth politics or “fake news”, which obviously is a comment to the current political climate. It features interesting thoughts on the ideas behind and consequences of this kind of political work, but it also distances me from the main plot, which is further sidelined by the - obviously deliberate, but questionable - lack of Orson Welles in the story. He is always in the periphery of the story, but never lands as anything but a caricature of the slightly arrogant wonder boy stripping our main hero from proper acknowledgement (for a long time). 

Now, let's return to my opening question: is 'Mank' a more inclusive film experience than other Netflix awards season darlings such as 'Roma' or 'The Irishman'? Well… While 'Mank' has been the most entertaining of the three in my eyes, the regrettable conclusion must be a "no". Looking at the individual parts they are all exquisitely executed, apart from the disjointed screenplay, and the film is an immense pleasure to look at and listen to. Ultimately it is just less than the sum of all its individual parts. It has all the components to become a masterpiece, it just never weaves them into one. It is a party that we are never fully invited to. This does not mean that I do not applaud Fincher for sticking to his visions or Netflix for giving him creative freedom, I simply just wish they did not keep me at an arm's length throughout the 131 minutes.

3,5/5

[undergroundkdrama]

K-Drama Women’s Week: March 15-21st

Unfortunately I’m not good at the gif thing (credit to Kingdom for the screenshot), so you’re stuck with really poor photo-editing. Thankfully all of you out there are way better at this than I am, and I’m excited to see all of the really amazing and creative content you’ll all be putting out there, including gifs and photosets of quality. Please be mindful of respectful practices, like crediting people whose work you use, and having constructive discussions.

Just a reminder that there are not one, but TWO K-Drama Women’s WeekS this year, so you get TWICE the fun!

[Also “women” here is inclusive of non-binary folk, transwomen, etc. Please make an effort to include diversity whenever you can.]

Saturday, March 14th: BONUS-- “Soundtrack of Her Life”

Pick your favorite female-centric drama or character and explain why everyone should be watching it/them. Come up with a playlist that the character(s) might listen to, fits their personalities, and/or goes along with their storylines.

Now you have music while you work on the other prompts :)

Sunday, March 15th:  “Mother-in-Law Dearest” Favorite Mother-in-Law

You love them, you hate them, it’s the mother in law! They probably get the more ire from the average K-Drama viewer than pretty much any other character. Unfortunately, on top of being annoying or perpetuating sexist attitudes, they often aren’t the best people and try to pay-off half of the main couple. Here’s your chance to talk about MiLs you love to watch because they are simply awful, or maybe because they curb the stereotype.

Monday, March 16th: “In Another World, Another Time...”

If you had the chance to have two of your favorite female characters meet in one or both of the drama’s that they’re in, what would it look like? Maybe one character will tell the other to not make that horrible decision? Maybe that poisoning-mediated murder in your favorite sageuk (사극) won’t work? Would the two freak out on sight? Would there be time travel x2? The sky’s the limit here.

Alternative Prompt: A Favorite Scene Passing the Bechdel Test

Tuesday, March 17th: “Sister, Sister” Favorite Sister Character

Sorry for the bad pun (who here watched Sister Sister?), but it’s time to support the sibling characters! Who’s your favorite sister? The one who holds a horrible grudge for something that happened twenty years ago? The one who got fridged (ehem, [spoiler], I’m not over it.)? How about the BFF you have always dreamed of?

Wednesday, March 18th: “That Should Have Happened to Her!”

Here’s your opportunity to raise your grievances about storylines given to male characters that could have easily gone to female characters. Or you just want her to be King for once. Again, sky’s the limit. (Maybe you just  want her to be the side character so her life won’t be as awful.)

Alternative Prompt: Favorite female screenwriter or director

Thursday, March 19th: “Make her a genius” Favorite “Talented” Female Character

There are a dozen-and-a-half male characters that get called “genius” (which apparently gives them an excuse to be a jerk), yet this is less heard of with female characters. Who are your favorite “genius” characters that are recognized or unrecognized? Here’s an opportunity to explore talents that society may tend to downplay.

Alternative Prompt: Favorite Female Actress-- What kind of drama would you like to see them in that they haven’t done?

Friday, March 20th: “Yeah she’s a lady, what about it?” Favorite Use of Stereotype

Part of breaking the stigma of female existence is not just to support the bad*ss, gunslinging, “strong female character,” but to give women the right to be diverse in their self-presentation. This includes embracing traditionally “feminine” qualities! What are your favorite examples of women being feminine in K-Drama, and how does it enhance their character?

Alternative Prompt: Favorite Child Character/Actress

Saturday, March 21th: “She’s Just Misunderstood...I Think?” Least Favorite Female Character

Time to lawyer up and defend the maligned female characters, but not in the way you might think (Day 4 of the next KWW will fix that itch).  You know how people defend that terrible “oppa (오빠)” left and right? Here we are helping our “noonas/unnies (누나듵, 언니듵),” and so you get to talk about a character...you DON’T like. (Be honest!!) Remember that lady who made things extremely difficult for your favorite female character? Or did some very morally reprehensible things? Today is her day. What made you not like her, and does she have redeeming qualities? What might you have overlooked initially? 

Alternative Prompt: Free day!

Please use #kdramawomensweek or #kww2020 to tag your posts. We want to see any and all prompts you use, be it these or the ones for the following week! Feel free to include @undergroundkdrama so we can see and reblog what you come up with easily. 

[3rdgymbros]

𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓘𝓷𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

Name: Noelle Halliday

Nicknames: Ice Princess, Ice Witch

Name meaning: 'Noelle' means christmas. 'Halliday' is a seasonal surname originally given to someone born on a holy day, or a religious festival.

Gender: Female

Birthday: 25 December

Star Sign: Capricorn

Height: 147 cm

Weight: 40 kg

Age: 16

Eye Colour: Red

Hair Colour: White

Homeland: Christmas Town

Family: Mother, father, two older brothers studying at Royal Sword Academy

Quote: “I want to cry, but I can’t seem to shed a single tear . . . Have you ever felt this way before?”

𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓮 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓕𝓲𝓵𝓮

Dorm: Terrorwood ( a fandorm created by @terrors-of-nightraven​ )

School Year: First 

Class: 1-B ; Student no. 19

Occupation: Student

Club: Light Music Club

Best Subject: Potions, alchemy

𝓕𝓾𝓷 𝓕𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓼

Inspired by: Santa Claus from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Dominant hand: Right

Favourite Colours: Red, silver, white

Favourite Food: Milk and cookies, hearty food like stews and turkey

Least Favourite Food: Anything with peppermint

Likes: Cold weather, snow, the smell of winter roses, eating, rain, cute and fluffy animals, receiving affection (don’t be put off by her complaints), head pats

Dislikes: Hot weather, sweating, being forced to talk, being forced to perform in public by her parents, returning home for the holidays, insects, getting dragged into crazy situations, rude behaviour, fancy parties

Hobbies and Talents: Ice skating, ballet, singing, sewing, cooking, creating poisons, gardening, baking

Special Skill: Choosing perfect presents and being able to wrap them perfectly, non-verbal magic

𝓟𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓕𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓼

Appearance: She has long white hair, elbow-length and curled at the ends. Part of her hair is braided, at the crown of her head, and she also wears red rose hairpins. Her bangs are parted to the right. She has red eyes. Many people have commented on how she resembles a porcelain doll. 

Style: Her casual attire is fairly fancy with muted or dark tones, full skirts, lace and frills. Many of her dresses are reminiscent of the gothic lolita style of dressing. Examples can be found here and here.

Makeup: None.

Body type: Slim of waist, and slight of frame, with a small chest.

𝓥𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓼

Songs to describe her: Doll by Lia, Human by Lia, Castle Walls by Christina Aguilera, The Loneliest Girl by Carole and Tuesday, Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez

Voice actress: Aiba Aina (specifically her role as Yukina Minato)

𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪

Personality: Noelle is very conscientious and quiet compared to her louder, and more eccentric dormmates in Terrorwood. She is extremely reserved, and rarely speaks to anyone; though this changes slightly when she joins Terrorwood. She is mostly willing to talk to her dorm mates (or, at the very least, scrawl out notes for them to read if she does not wish to speak at the moment), and has even cracked a smile or two at their antics, watching from the sidelines but deigning to join in. When Noelle becomes focused on something or wants it, she will stop and silently stare intently for minutes until people realize what she wants. In addition, she rarely expresses much emotion, and rarely diverts from a neutral or a stern expression.

However, as she did not have many friends growing up, Noelle is actually a rather lonely individual, which translates into her cold personality, as well as her difficulties understanding how other people may feel. Once she warms up to people, Noelle places a great deal of trust in her friends, and is also very loyal to them; she won’t hesitate to hex people who harbour negative intentions towards her friends. She has kind and generous sides to her as well, as she is perfectly willing to help the people she is close to.

Alignment: Neutral Good

Strengths: Stoic, refined, reserved, industrious, scrupulous, conservative, serious, demure, solemn, generous, kind, well-bred, forbearing, patient

Flaws: Saturnine, impassive, haughty, cold, imperious, proud, anti-social, subdued

𝓟𝓪𝓼𝓽

The youngest daughter of the Halliday family, Noelle has the features of a porcelain doll and is so quiet that she can almost pass for one. Since young, she has had endless tutoring sessions, from etiquette classes to dance and music classes, all with the intention of moulding her into the perfect socialite. Overshadowed by her siblings, Noelle is often overlooked by her parents, who are also occupied with running the family empire. Noelle was often left to her own devices when she was younger, and as a result, grew up to be largely independent. She has two older brothers, both of whom currently attend Royal Sword Academy, though her relationship with them is neutral, and founded on indifference at best. The entire family was disappointed when she announced her decision to attend Night Raven College, but Noelle was determined and refused to back down.

Noelle hates returning home for the holidays. The house is too crowded, filled with relatives and cousins who all force her into making conversation, and she is expected to be on her best behaviour at all times. She knows what will happen if she slips up; in public, her hand will be grabbed and squeezed tight to an uncomfortable degree, behind closed doors, she receives a slap to the cheek and lecture upon lecture for bringing shame to the family name. Her parents may also force her to perform at charity events or for her relatives to exclaim over, which makes her endlessly uncomfortable; if she could, she would choose to remain at school.

𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓼

Noelle mostly uses ice-based magic, which allows the user to generate and manipulate ice and snow. However, if she uses her magic for too long, she can develop symptoms of hypothermia (eg shivering, a weak pulse, slow and shallow breathing, low energy levels ).

Crystal Ice Shield: The user manifests barriers in the form of snowflakes with various shapes and sizes. These barriers are strong enough to withstand incoming attacks.

Snowmen Friends: The user creates multiple snowmen, which can be directed to attack opponents.

Ice Floe: A massive chunk of ice is created and dropped it onto an opponent, crushing them under the weight.

Icy Shrapnel: Giant spikes made of ice are created and directed at a target.

Ice Flowers: The user completely encases the target in ice, which can potentially freeze the target to death unless the spell is cancelled. The countless icicles protruding outwards prevent outside interference.

Phantom Garden of Snow: The user fills an enclosed space with enchanted snow. Those who come into contact with the snow slowly lose their senses and start to move sluggishly until they eventually fall asleep.

Unique Magic: Naughty or Nice. Noelle judges a target as being ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’. If the target is deemed as being ‘nice’, their abilities and performance can temporarily be enhanced (eg their speed, intelligence, healing). If the target is judged as being ‘naughty’, the opposite will occur; that is, the target will find their abilities and performance impaired.

𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪

- After finding out that she could play the guitar, Noelle was forced into the Light Music Club by Lilia, who promised her that she wouldn’t have to speak during the club sessions. She does perform on stage with the other members and has even sung in front of the school on occasion. 

- She used to dance ballet, but stopped her lessons. However, she still dances when her parents pressure her into putting on a show for their relatives during the holidays.

- Noelle is oddly affectionate and clingy when she returns home from school after the holidays. The first thing she does upon reaching the dorm is to run into the arms of the first person she sees; the dorm member will have their arms filled with a pale, sad-eyed girl struggling to hold back her tears.  

- The only other time Noelle is clingy and affectionate is when she overuses her magic and subsequently develops symptoms of hypothermia; wrapped up in blankets and lethargic, Noelle usually ends up clinging to Nyx and falling asleep on his shoulder.

- Out of boredom, Viktor taught her how to play poker, and Noelle turned out to be rather good at the game. She’s not as good as Viktor, but she’s still a champion in her own right.

- Noelle smells like cranberries, and the scent clings to her clothes and belongings as well. 

- She has a small garden. She grows a mixture of plants, ranging from poisonous plants, to herbs and fruits.

- She is in charge of cooking for the dorm, and is a good cook, provided that she does not mix the cooking ingredients with her potion-making ingredients. Her favourite person to cook for is Nyx, who falls upon her cooking with a ravenous kind of hunger.

- She tests her poisons out on herself to see their effects on the body firsthand. Thanks to this, she has built up an immunity to various types of poisons.

- She always has an abundance of money on her, and is perfectly willing to treat her friends to food at the Mostro Lounge.

- Whenever Viktor isn’t around, the duty of stitching up lost limbs usually falls to Noelle, who is good at sewing. Her stitches are neat and tiny and precise; considering that she is unfazed by blood and bodily fluids, this makes her a perfect choice.

[detectiveplease]

[…] Tom Ellis is doing double duty this year as both Lucifer and his nefarious twin brother Michael. From the first episodes, Lucifer has only worked because Ellis was so perfectly cast as the Morningstar, and he proves this season just how great an actor he is. His Michael, complete with hunched shoulder and creepy American accent, oozes smarm and annoyance. Ellis does an amazing job as Lucifer as well, playing tenderness and cockiness with equal verve.

The other two standouts this season are Aimee Garcia as Ella and Lesley-Anne Brandt as Maze. Both characters are fan favorites and both actresses have done well in previous seasons, but this season they both find their rhythm so well and given such juicy stuff to work with. From Maze battling her need for love and humanity, to Ella fighting her own demons, they both do fantastic work and I adored their stories. And those stories both go in extremely surprising and very emotional directions!

[…] Kevin Alejandro does some fantastic work not just as Dan, but as the director of episode eight, which ends with, hands down, the best fight sequence the show has ever done and one of the best fights I’ve seen on television recently, period.

But of course, we need to talk about Lauren German as Chloe and the Deckstar of it all. Without spoiling, I want to assure fans that they will be very, very happy. German, like Ellis, is an incredibly talented actor but I think we can often overlook her talents because Ellis is just so much and tends to dominate any scene he’s in. Yet the show and the Deckstar ship would not work without the vulnerability and natural sincerity that German brings to Chloe, and this season she truly does get to thrive and flex those muscles. […]

[cheryls-blossomed]

I love CP & I think she is an amazing actress and SHOULD have a bright future in Hollywood after the Flash but I’ve also seen plenty of beautiful, amazing talented black actresses careers stall, barely get by, or be delegated to bit parts because this industry would rather book average white actresses in roles instead of far superior black ones. Look how DP got hired. She didn’t earn that role, she didn’t have to work for it, it was given to her. It’s getting better but we are still a far cry from being where we need to be

It’s true. The film and television industry is very racist and so many talented Black actresses are overlooked, while mediocre white actors get roles far more easily. You also have the quintessential Hallmark type films which almost exclusively hire white people, so there are always an abundance of roles available for white people. But for women of color, it’s extremely difficult to find steady work.  

[sulietsexual]

So, I finally saw the new Little Women on the weekend, and I have to say, I was ... really underwhelmed, especially given the extreme over-hype which has surrounded this film for months. 

Little Women is my favourite novel of all time and, yes, I am an avid fan of the 1994 movie. The book always fills me with warmth and emotion and I love the March girls so much, each of them in their own way. I went into this film with muted expectations, so I wasn’t disappointed per se but it definitely left me wanting more.

Let me start with the positives; the film definitely has a certain charm to it. I appreciated that they tried to include a lot of dialogue from the novel. The cinematography was very pretty in places. And I genuinely loved the actresses who portrayed the March sisters. Saoirse Ronan’s Jo was vivacious and fun and she imbued the character with Jo’s clumsiness, lack of propriety (a little too much sometimes, which I will talk about later) and overall likability. I don’t know why everyone’s complaining about Emma Watson, as I found her Meg to be lovely. I thought she perfectly captured Meg’s softness and her gentle stoicism, although I could have done with a little more fire to her character, people tend to forget that Meg has a bit of a feisty side. Florence Pugh was great as older Amy, and bless her, she tried her hardest as young Amy, but I still maintain that Younger Amy needs to be played by a younger actress, otherwise she comes across as far too bitchy, as opposed to just bratty. Eliza Scanlan was fine as Beth, but I wish they’d given her more to do (more on this later). 

As for the rest of the casting ... I was a bit underwhelmed. I was excited for Laura Dern as Marmee, but she disappointed me, which probably has more to do with the writing of the character. She felt far too modern and very under-developed. Timothee Chalamet (sp?) as Laurie was a total miscast, he was far too melancholy and kind of creepy? Laurie is supposed to be a cheeky and vivacious character, with the occasional fits of melancholy, not the other way around. Meryl Streep was wasted as Aunt March, but I knew she would be, given what a minor character Aunt March actually is in the book. None of the other actors made much of an impression on me, tbh.

Unfortunately, for me, the negatives are greater than the positives and one of the biggest complaints I have about this film is that it really seemed to lack soul and heart. Little Women is a novel which makes me cry every time I read it and I didn’t shed a single tear during this film. Scenes which I love from the novel left me cold during the film.

I appreciated that the film tried to include events from the novel which often aren’t portrayed onscreen, such as Meg buying the expensive silk knowing she couldn’t afford it, Beth and Mr Lawrence’s friendship, Amy telling Laurie off for his indolent ways and Marmee’s speech to Jo about how she is angry every day. But a combination of rushed dialogue, the weird back-and-forth jumps between past and present and a script which didn’t slow down to appreciate the emotions of the scenes meant that many of these scenes felt empty, as if everyone was simply going through the motions. The film is accurate to the book and captures many of the events, but it misses so many emotional beats. I want any adaptation of Little Women to fill me with warmth and emotion and this film just ... didn’t. A particularly egregious example is the fact that this movie didn’t film Beth’s death scene, opting instead to have Jo wake up to an empty bed, in a scene which is obviously supposed to mirror the previous scene and drive home how Jo “couldn’t save” Beth this time around, but all it does is undermine the emotion of Beth passing and the grief her family - particularly Jo - feel over watching her pass away.

And while we’re on the subject of Beth, can we talk about what a non-character she was? I know that Beth is the least developed of the sisters in the novel, and as such, adaptations sometimes tend to overlook her, but she was barely a character in this film. Even her illness - arguably the biggest component of her characterisation and arc - was overlooked and under-played. I didn’t feel any fear or trepidation for her when she first fell ill, and her entire sickness was so rushed and downplayed. Eliza Scanlan is an incredibly talented actress (just watch Sharp Objects for proof of this) and yet they gave her so little to do.

Laurie too became almost a non-character, and I feel that this was a result of the constant time jumps. There was no room for him to develop or grow and many of his Big Moments were omitted from the film (such as him sending for Mrs March when Beth is ill, the way he swears to keep their secrets and provides the PO Box for them, going to London to make himself worthy of Amy). Also that disgusting scene from the New Year’s Eve ball when he turns up half-dressed, drunk and with two women hanging off his arms; no where in the novel would Theodore Lawrence ever behave like that, and the fact that this scene was our second introduction to the character soured his entire characterisation. Laurie was such a pale shade of what he is in the novels, and because of this, his relationships with all the sisters is severely undermined and downplayed. You certainly won’t ship Jo/Laurie from this movie, but nor will you feel much semblance of friendship between the two, despite the fact that they’re such kindred spirits in the novel. He shares more scenes with Amy, but they’re devoid of feeling or emotion (and chemistry) and so his eventual marriage to her falls flat.

I think one of the reasons for Laurie’s lack of characterisation is the weird time jumps. I know that a lot of critics are praising this technique, but I hated it. For one, it was often confusing as to whether we were in the past or the present, given how quickly the scenes jumped between the two. Secondly, this style of storytelling severely undermined characterisation and character development, and it juxtaposed scenes in a very weird fashion, negating the original point of the scenes and the lessons the girls were supposed to learn from them. For example, Meg’s misbehaviour at the Moffats being directly juxtaposed with the scene in which she confesses to John that she bought the expensive silk makes Meg look like she hasn’t grown or changed in five years. We missed the beautiful scene where she confesses her “sins” to Marmee and the growth which came from that experience, and instead jumped straight into what looked like an unhappy marriage (and why in god’s name were we introduced to Meg and John’s marriage before they had even spoken to each other in the past? Once again, the development of this relationship was undermined by the fact that we saw their courtship in reverse - we didn’t get the impact of Meg promising to love John despite his poverty only to betray him by buying the expensive silk). And this is just one of many examples of this technique robbing us of the emotion of the scenes.

The film felt so rushed at times and because of this, it has a very modern feel to it which I really didn’t like. If you want to “modernize” the story, fine, but do so by placing it in a modern setting. Having a period setting while using modern dialogue and a modern sense of propriety didn’t work. A scene of Jo hiking her skirts up to her knees with her bloomers on display while in public was awful, as was the scene where she unabashedly started to strip down while Laurie was in the room, and both scenes just undermined the period setting and were extremely jarring. Again, because the film was so rushed and the dialogue so quick and rapid-fire, we lost the emotional impact of many scenes. Period pieces need to be slow, you need time to savour the dialogue and actions, to feel the emotions and take time to appreciate the depth of the events and relationships.

And speaking of relationships, I cannot get over how much this filmed missed the mark when it came to the sisters’ relationships. Such a huge part of the appeal of Little Women is the bonds between the sisters and this film just blew right past them! I didn’t feel any deep connection between the sisters, and this was particularly noticeable with Jo and Beth, who share such a deep bond in the book. I think part of this problem stemmed from the fact that it took five scenes for the sisters to actually share a scene together; our introduction to the girls happens in four separate scenes, with each of the girls by themselves, in their own setting. Compare (because I have to) with the 1994 movie, in which the first four scenes of the film focus on the girls together, only separating once Meg and Jo attend the Gardiners Christmas party. The sisters’ relationship is such a huge component of the novel, but this film spends little time or focus building it and it is definitely a big reason as to why the film feels so empty.

There is so much more I want to say (for example, the horrendous way in which the film somehow made Jo look like she’d regretted turning down Laurie and held onto said regret for five years and how they juxtaposed her sending him the letter saying she would marry him, which WTF, never happened in the novel, with Laurie returning, having married Amy, like, way to pit the two sisters directly against one another, which even the 1994 adaptation had sense enough not to do) but this post has already turned into a freakin’ essay and most of my grievances have been aired.

To end this (very long) rant on a positive note, I want to reiterate that this film was charming in many ways, and while I do have many complaints, it was still a decent adaptation of my favourite novel, which wasn’t so far removed from the source material that I couldn’t enjoy it. It will never match the emotional depth and warmth of the 1994 movie, but I can see myself coming around to it in the future and liking it for what it is. I just wish more care and effort had been put into it and it had concentrated more on the emotion of the novel rather than the events.

[blogulianatish]

Mercury in Pisces is a sensitive medium with a rich imagination

The planet closest to the Sun gives a person the opportunity to realize intellectual self-expression in social ties and contacts. Even a brilliant talent requires embodiment through word and deed, what is quite often the case of holders of mercury in Fish. 

By nature, these people are generously endowed with the deepest and most fantastic intuition among the 12 constellations and are able to create brilliant works of art, to be the conductors of the highest wisdom and love, if they overcome laziness and morbid sensitivity to criticism. 

A child with mercury in Pisces is better to immediately pick up a school for gifted individuals with an individual approach. He will not succeed among strict disciplinary requirements, as he tends to dream and immerse himself in creativity with his head. 

Nativ's speech resembles a seething waterfall, replete with figurative comparisons, transitions from one topic to another. The General meaning is difficult to grasp, so people often prefer to Express thoughts on paper, where it is easy to remove unnecessary and leave the essence. The position of the planet requires constant control and understanding of the nuances of others. 

Features of behavior

The mind of the owner of mercury in Pisces is always in close connection with the emotional state. Depression and stress for a long time knock him out of a rut and push him to rash actions, and a good mood helps to show the brilliance of intelligence so brightly that even close people are amazed at the dramatic transformation of a shy modest man into an artistic polymath. 

For the triumph of the mind of mercury in Pisces, an atmosphere of admiration and spiritual comfort is necessary, even at the level of family or friendly support. 

It is necessary to understand the characteristic features of thinking and behavior created by such a position of the planet: 

the gift of empathy helps to read thoughts and feel the state of the interlocutor, but also destroys the success of public speeches, if the audience is negative or mocking mood; 

psychic abilities, the ability to solve dreams and lines on the hand, to anticipate the reaction to their words or creative works; 

self-doubt, depression at the slightest failure or criticism; 

difficulties with a clear formulation of thought, muttering under his breath, instead of a clear coinage of words; 

difficulties with the study of common foreign languages with easy assimilation of branched and confusing grammar of exotic (for example, Japanese and Chinese), ancient or iconic, like Morse code; 

important information comes from secret sources, others feel the need to share secrets with the native; 

lack of punctuality, existence on the" own " wave; 

painful shyness when necessary to voice their creativity-sing, read poetry, up to physical tightness of the throat. 

Having managed to overcome shyness and vulnerability, Nativ becomes a great musician, actor, poet, writer or politician, but it is necessary to overcome the fear of being misunderstood. Astrologers recommend classes in the theater Studio, on courses of oratory to study the shortcomings of the Union of Neptune and mercury, especially in the presence of negative aspects.

Male and female

The Neptunian girl is a kind and sympathetic Samaritan, completely unable to perform boring routine work. For happiness, she needs to create and see the recognition of results, but to sit down and start systematically writing books, poems or music is almost as difficult as to compile accounting reports. 

The driving force that includes the intellect of a romantic and feminine beauty is the state of falling in love, inspiring bold brilliant results that shock her. The owner of mercury in Pisces often creates under a pseudonym, freeing from the fear of criticism. When choosing a practical profession, she has to transform into an image every day, like a real actress, especially if it is necessary to be a strict and authoritative leader. 

The mind of a man under the influence of Neptune is looking for esoteric explanations of everything that happens on earth, linking the particular with the General, thereby becoming a talented psychologist, priest and researcher. 

He is incredibly romantic, and despite the talent to see through people, wears pink glasses, exaggerating the dignity of the beloved. It is often used by selfish people, because the carrier of mercury in Aquarius is ready to take off the last shirt to help the unfortunate, but the authorities are in no hurry to dump additional work on him, because he is not able to concentrate on a high volume of cases and qualitatively complete them.

Retrograde and important aspects with planets

Mercury in the reverse movement in the Natal chart makes a person sluggish and indecisive, repeating other people's views and thoughts. Easily suggestible and hypochondriac, he often becomes a victim of fraud and unmotivated bad mood, for weeks playing silent with loved ones. 

This is especially compounded by the negative aspects with Neptune, Lilith and the Moon, requiring work with a psychologist. Creative and professional success is facilitated by sextiles and trines with Venus, Chiron, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, helping to remove the vagueness of thinking and concentrate the forces to achieve the dream.

Additional description

In people born with mercury in Pisces, thoughts and manner of communication tend to be idealistic, spiritual, intuitive, creative, responsive, diplomatic, extremely sensitive, compassionate and visionary. On the other hand, you can be lazy, impractical, in the clouds, hypersensitive, slow, indifferent and absent-minded. Perhaps you do not have a strong desire to work and you can not force yourself to do something that takes a lot of effort, organization, patience and responsibility. You'd rather be a poet or a musician than a scientist or an engineer. 

Formal study of books is not your strong point, but you can assimilate knowledge in most remarkable ways if you are interested in the subject area. You are sensitive to the environment, so you have to be attentive to the environment you are in. Your nerves and your mental health require you to periodically rest away from the everyday noise. Take a little time to be alone with yourself and recover, but not for too long as you have a tendency to dive into yourself and your problems. Healing through visualization techniques or healing through the laying on of hands is characteristic of you. 

A person born with mercury under the sign of Pisces has a talent for art, music, drama and poetry. Your imagination can be very well developed. Since you tend to think in terms of mental abstractions, translating your thoughts and impressions into something concrete, everyday language can be difficult for you at times, and as a result you will experience a decrease in intelligence and communication skills. You do not like to be constrained by circumstances, and you will always follow your intuition rather than logic. You are intuitive and able to understand the thoughts and feelings of others before they speak to you. Sometimes Fish are so immersed in their own world of thought and imagination that they overlook things that happen directly in the environment. 

Pisces with mercury in the Natal chart, are extremely open and believe that anything is possible. Intangible spiritual forces seem as real to you as anything concrete in this world and you often form an opinion about a person or situation without much actual knowledge about them, and as a rule your impressions are correct. A positive attitude is very important for you, as the dreaminess sometimes tends to leave you.

[alwaysmarilynmonroe]

Today would be Marilyn’s 93rd Birthday, she has been in my life for almost a decade and I still find it so surreal to think that in theory, she should still be here. Sadly, we all know that is not the case and the reality is that Marilyn left the world over fifty five years ago. It’s sometimes hard to comprehend that Marilyn wasn’t just a Hollywood Star but a human being, just like you and me. However, today is not for dwelling, it is a very important day to millions of fans and myself, as the worlds Brightest Star is ultimately still shining half a century later!

Marilyn photographed by Ed Cronenweth in 1948.

To celebrate Marilyn’s big day, I usually spend it in the best way I know possible, having a Movie Marathon watching my favourite Actress. Unfortunately, so many people see Marilyn as just another silly Blonde Bombshell who didn’t have much talent and was basically playing herself on the screen. However, I can’t emphasize enough that the sweet, lovable, pretty face was so much more than what people perceive. As someone who has watched her films a countless number of times, I actually appreciate her comedic performances over her dramatic ones. This is because people tend to view dramas with more acclaim and respect and the Award Shows further prove this, when in fact comedies should not be overlooked.

In the wise words of Vivien Leigh – an Actress who yes, was more respected critically than Marilyn, but, ultimately was more appreciated more for her looks too,

“Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy – and a much better training, I think. It’s much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh.”

Marilyn photographed on Tobey Beach by Andre de Dienes on July 23rd 1949.

Marilyn was incredibly dedicated to her craft and spent numerous hours educating herself on the Performing Arts and trying to be the best she could possibly be. When you learn about Marilyn you realize how much she suffered mentally and the strength she must have found to deliver such beautiful performances. It hurts to think that she didn’t always feel like the bubbly Blonde Bombshell so many know and love her for, as no one more than Marilyn deserved to be appreciated and loved. She was such a perfectionist and would spend hours analyzing and being critical of her acting abilities and performance in each film.

“We not only want to be good, we have to be. You know, when they talk about nervousness, my teacher, Lee Strasberg, when I said to him, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I’m a little nervous,” he said, “When you’re not, give up, because nervousness indicates sensitivity.” Also, a struggle with shyness is in every actor more than anyone can imagine. There is a censor inside us that says to what degree do we let go, like a child playing. I guess people think we just go out there, and you know, that’s all we do. Just do it. But it’s a real struggle. I’m one of the world’s most self-conscious people. I really have to struggle.”

– Marilyn to Journalist Richard Meryman for LIFE Magazine, published on August 17th 1962.

Marilyn attending a Court Hearing on June 26th 1952.

Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to choose five of Marilyn’s films in which she believed she gave the best performances or received great critical acclaim, to recommend for others to watch. If there is any day that Marilyn should be celebrated (personally, I believe it’s all day every day) than it is on her Birthday.

Whilst looking through reviews of Marilyn’s films that were published during their original releases, it’s shocking to me to read the downright prejudice, sexism and ignorance surrounding her as an Actress. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, in my belief Marilyn was the greatest Actress of all time as it seems that even then, 99% of people believed she was just playing herself. Therefore, in believing their own ignorance, critics could continue their lack of acclaim and respect for ultimately, an extremely talented woman.

Marilyn photographed by Milton Greene in June 1955.

• The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Person to Person television appearance interview on April 8th 1955.

“Marilyn, what’s the best part you ever had in a movie?” – Edward R. Murrow

“Well one of the best parts I’ve ever had was, in The Asphalt Jungle, John Huston’s Picture and then, The Seven Year Itch, Billy Wilder’s Picture.”  – Marilyn

“You think that’s going to be a big one too, don’t you? The Seven Year Itch.” – Edward R. Murrow

“I think it will be a very good Picture and I would like to continue making this type of Picture.” – Marilyn

Dallas Morning News Review by Harold Hefferman published on June 18th 1950.

“Virtually unbilled and unidentified in a current movie, Asphalt Jungle, Marilyn’s breathtaking appearance immediately piques fandom’s curiosity and imagination. Not since the brief introduction of another tempestuous blond, Shelley Winters, three years ago in A Double Life, has a newcomer stirred up so much interest.” 

Marilyn photographed by Earl Leaf at a Press Party held for Bus Stop on March 3rd 1956.

• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

LIFE Magazine Interview with Journalist Richard Meryman published on August 17th 1962.

“I remember when I got the part in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell – she was the brunette in it and I was the blonde. She got $200,000 for it, and I got my $500 a week, but that to me was, you know, considerable. She, by the way, was quite wonderful to me. The only thing was I couldn’t get a dressing room. Finally, I really got to this kind of level and I said, “Look, after all, I am the blonde, and it is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes!” Because still they always kept saying, “Remember, you’re not a star.” I said, “Well, whatever I am, I am the blonde!” – Marilyn

The Los Angeles Times Review by Edwin Schallert on August 1st 1953.

“Miss Monroe sparkles much of the time just as the diamonds do. Her work is insidiously intriguing in this picture, and at the same time almost childlike in its utter lack of guile. Her portrayal demonstrates that much may be maneuvered in her instance in the future to humorous advantage. She discloses a surprising light comedy touch.”

Time Magazine Review on July 27th 1953.

“As Lorelei Lee, who believes that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, Marilyn Monroe does the best job of her short career to date. [She] sings remarkably well, dances, or rather undulates all over, flutters the heaviest eyelids in show business and breathlessly delivers such lines of dialogue as, “Coupons – that’s almost like money,” as if she were in the throes of a grand passion.”

Marilyn photographed by Sam Shaw in the Summer of 1957.

• Bus Stop (1956)

Speaking to reporters upon her arrival back in Hollywood to film Bus Stop, on February 25th 1956.

“Marilyn, are you happy to come back and do this Picture, are you pleased with the Bus- Picture Bus Stop?” – Reporter

“Oh yes, very much, I’m looking forward to working with Josh Logan, doing the Picture and it’s good to be back.” – Marilyn

“Was he in your selection as a Director?” – Reporter

“Twentieth Century Fox selected him and I have Director Approval and they asked if I would approve of him and definitely.” – Marilyn

“So you’re very happy, you think you’re going to make a very good Picture?” – Reporter

“I hope we do make a good picture, yes.” – Marilyn

The New York Times Review by Bosley Crowther published on September 1st 1956.

“HOLD onto your chairs, everybody, and get set for a rattling surprise. Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself an actress in “Bus Stop.” She and the picture are swell!”

Marilyn in Let’s Make Love in 1960.

• Some Like It Hot (1959)

Variety Film Review published on February 24th 1959.

“To coin a phrase, Marilyn has never looked better. Her performance as “Sugar,” the fuzzy blonde who likes saxophone players “and men with glasses” has a deliciously naive quality. She’s a comedienne with that combination of sex appeal and timing that just can’t be beat.”

The New York Times Review by A. H. Weiler published on March 30th 1959.

“As the hand’s somewhat simple singer-ukulele player, Miss Monroe, whose figure simply cannot be overlooked, contributes more assets than the obvious ones to this madcap romp. As a pushover for gin and the tonic effect of saxophone players, she sings a couple of whispery old numbers (“Running Wild” and “I Wanna Be Loved by You”) and also proves to be the epitome of a dumb blonde and a talented comedienne.”

Marilyn photographed by Bert Stern in June 1962.

I hope however you choose to spend this day, you take a moment to think about Marilyn and in her own words, hold a good thought for her as if anyone deserved that, it was she.

“I Love Marilyn” by Sidney Skolsky published in Modern Screen Magazine in October 1953.

“Before the picture flashed on the screen, Marilyn whispered to me in that low, sexy voice that is natural with her: “Hold a good thought for me.” She always says that when embarking on an venture. She feels much better when you tell her you will.”

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Happy 93rd Birthday Marilyn! Today would be Marilyn's 93rd Birthday, she has been in my life for almost a decade and I still find it so surreal to think that in theory, she should still be here.