#flashbacks to last season when he only allowed like 1 run in all of april

[miketownsends]

LOGAN (WALTER) GILBERT MY BELOVED

[popculturebuffet]

House of Mouse: The Stolen Cartoons Review (Patreon Review)

Hello all you happy people! It’s Patreon Review Time. Since my 5 dollar or higherr patreons get 1 review a month, Kevin my 10 dollar patreon is using one of his to celebrate the 20th anniversary of House of Mouse by having me review a random episode a month. And for this month we’re going all the way back to the start with The Stolen Cartoons!

I already introed house of mouse back when I reviewed “The Three Cablleros” episode but for a refresher: House of Mouse is a 2001 cartoon about Mickey and Co running a club. Mickey is host, Minnie plans the show and runs the books, Donald tends to the VIP”s and co owns the club with Mickey, Goofy is head waiter,  Daisy runs guest services, Horace is technical support, Clarabelle is a gossip monger with no clear actual job, and Max is Valet. The show was used to repackage shorts from the short lived show Mickey mouseworks, using the club setting as a wraparound and said club was attentend by all the various characters from the disney canon. It’s as awesome as it sounds. 

The voice cast, which I didn’t intro thorughly last time, was equally awesome with all the actors for the characters at the time, all legends in the industry. Wayne Allwine as Mickey,who played the character from the late 70′s to his death, Russi Taylor as Minnie and the Triplets, who did the same and was also married to wayne, Tony Anselmo, who should be thorughly familiar to readers of this blog and donald duck fans as his voice since Ducktales, Voice Actress Tress Macneile as Daisy, likewise,  Jason Marsden as Max and Voice Acting Legend Jim Cummings as Pete. All except Allweine i’ve profieled before on this blog in various other series, but Wayne, outisde of a very minor role in black cauldron, only voiced Mickey, and to me is the defntiive voice for the guy, though Chris is getting close. 

The other notable members of the cast i havent’ covered are April Winchell, who while tremendous, I will save for an episode Clarabelle is actually in more, and Bill Farmer. I have a great amount of Love for Bill and like everyone here, he was a vertran of the industry by the time he showed up in this series. His defining roll far and away is goofy, who was, to my delighted surprise his FIRST voice audition, having studided PInto Colving’s voice well to the point you can barely tell the difference between the two, and having inherited the roll around the same time as Russi and Tony. He’s the voice of Goofy I and most kids from the 80′s onward have grown up with and is the best at the roll by far, having chances for depth and nuance Pinto wasn’t allowed with the Goofy Movies and other works. IN general he’s just THE goofy to me. He’s also the voice of horace and pluto, and currently voices Hop Pop in Amphibia which is super noteworthy as looking at his filmography like a lot of the sensational 6′s va’s he’s only voiced goofy or Pluto for most of his career. But hey like Tony, if you only do one charcter might as well be the fucking best at it. He also has a show on Disney Plus with him and dogs I need to watch yesterday. 

So with our cast out of the way, and not much history to go into, join me after the cut and we’ll see how House of Mouse got it’s start and if it was a good one. 

Breaking from my usual format for House of Mouse and doing the shorts as they come up int he main story for two reasons: The first is that the shorts are integral to the plot and the second is that there’s way more main story this time around than usual, likely to properly set things up. 

So we open at the House of Mouse with Mickey Adressing the club and showing off the general premise of this being a club for all of the various heroes and villains of disney to hang out and what not. He also presents the house rules which are no smoking (Fair and should’ve always been a thing), no villianous schemes and no eating the other guests, all helpfully demonstrated as he says them. We also get to see the others in action: Minnie handling the schedule and the crew, Donald welcoming the guests, and Daisy running the desk and getitng brainwashed by Jafar into giving him a table. Max also is providing his job as Valet which surprised me because I genuinely thought he didn’t join the cast till season 2.. despite the fact he’s right there in the credits.. which are the same for ALL THREE SEASONS. 

So things are going well.. so naturally that’s when Pete shows up to try and ruin things. Look he’s having a hard time after the divorce.. several years ago. Okay maybe he’s always just been a dick and that’s why he’s divorced in the first place. Point is he naturally wants to shut the club down, boot them out, and wreck up the place like any natural cartoon villian or real estate scum bag landlord. Pete just happens to be both because he can multitask. .and because it’s basically the same thing you just have to be animated for one of them.  Thankfully whoever the previous Landlord was, i’m going with Shere Kahn given the setting, his roll in tailspin and the fact the obvious candidate, scrooge, would make no sense here given a later episode where he guest stars, wrote into the contract that as long as the show goes on, they can stay in business. Pete stews over this and naturally plans to stop the show while Minnie, in a cute bit, comforts a nervous mickey and just tells him to play some cartoons. So...

Pluto Gets the Paper: Wet Cement and Donald’s Dynamite: Magic Act I”m covering both of these at once. But as I said the animated shorts this time are one big sized one and two of the shorter ones to make more room for the story. Which is fair: this is the first episode, and thus needs to set up the premise. The series isn’t story driven but your first episode should still feel like one, ease you into the world and get you situated and THEN can do the normal format. It’s also in the episode’s favor as the heavier story focus meant a BETTER story than most season 1 episodes, on par with the two season 3 episodes i’ve covered so far. 

The shorts themselves are fine. So far this is the only Pluto Short i’ve liked as it has a neat enough gaga: Pluto has to get the paper in wet cement. Why did the paperboy throw it in wet cement instead of in the driveway, I dunno but given this short is well.. short and just meant to deliver on some quick gags, I’m not going to question it. It’s the first Pluto short i’ve covered without any dog sexual harassment, i’m not looking a gift dog in the mouth. 

The other short short played right after is part of a series where Donald ends up trying to get rid of a round bomb that shows up wherever he is....

It’s pretty damn funny, though being a huge Donald fan i’m obviously biased, but even removing my donald duck brand sunglasses, I will concede this was objectively fun.

But the cartoons stop as, true to the title, they’ve gone missing! Horace is found tied up, the cartoons are gone and Pete is obviously responsible. and hilariously so as the rope has his name on it and he says “I don’t know horace horsecollar” There are a LOT of good gags in this one, i’m leaving a lot out for time’s sake. 

So Mickey and Minnie come up with a plan: Mickey sends the.. Quackstreet Boys.... to stall. Now it may shock you but I actually LIKE the backstreet boys. Not to an extreme amount but I did grow up with them, and even now find their music pretty damn good. No my issue is this parody is weak, mostly running entirely on the title pun. The most I can give them credit for is using the outfits from their second album cover. No I wasn’t kidding I did grow up with them. You saw that everywhere so even if I didn’t enjoy their music then and now, i’d know it. But it just feels really weak, like they had no idea what to DO with the boys and instead just slapped them in a lame parody. It dosen’t help i’m not a fan of the classic version of the boys outside of the comics, as I feel later productions should’ve had them actually be distinct, and it took until 2017 to pull that off with the reboot, something I fear may be undone in future productions. Please.. don’t.. you can have Cristina Vee voice them all, I don’t care about the voice I just want to be able to tell them a apart. So yeah I don’t like it but it dosen’t drag the episode down. Just something I wanted to have a moan about. 

So they split up: Mickey, Minnie and Goofy go to shoot a cartoon while Donald runs the club. Naturally he rebrands.. but what really is telling is everyone boos him when he tries to mc.. just for not being Mickey. While Donald does have a massive inferiority complex here, desperately wanting to one up mickey.. with moments like this it’s hard not to see why> He’s JUST as big a star, just as talented , maybe not as nice but just as likeable. He even co-owns the club. But ironically only Mickey Himself, and Daisy of Course, treat him like an equal. To everyone else it’s Mickey’s world and he’s just the sidekick. It’s no wonder he spend sthe entire show desperately trying to outdo mickey: he doesn’t hate the guy, even if he wouldn’t admit it.. but he just wants to be loved too. Sure it’s part ego.

Mickey does return though with the new cartoon. And our only sizeable one so. 

Hickory Dickory Mickey: This is a REALLY good one with a simple enough premise; Goofy wants Mickey to take him to the airport at 6am tomorrow.. which Mickey balks at. 

Seriously i’ve woken up at 3-4am to go to the airport or on road trips. Waking up at 5:30 is pretty standard. Goofy also has good reason to ask as he once BROKE MICKEY OUT OF JAIL. And as seen up top the flashback is done in black and white AND with their old models. I just.. love everything about this and it had to have taken extra effort to make new models for the old models and thus extra money for a quick joke. So kudos best part of the episode. But with his hands tied Mickey is forced to take him and Goofy leaves him his clock which won’t stop ticking. So we get just.. nonstop good gags as Mickey tries to sleep with standouts being his trying to drown it out only to get the tick station, the tock station on the radio and the clock channel on the tv. He also tries to mail it and naturally it comes back thanks to a kangaroo when he ships it to Australia..a nd then get’s progressively batshit as he mails it to HADES (comes back in a puff of smoke) and to the 1920′s (It comes back in black and white with arms and legs). It’s just.. really damn good and I suggest seeking it out. I have liked other shorts better but this was a good one. 

Pete still gloats as they’ll need more cartoons.. only for one to fall out of his jacket and Mickey to shake the rest out. We then get a fun chase between the two, SO many good jokes, my favorite being him dressing up as a dalmation only for Cruella to take measurements, before being cornered by the three and the elephant from tarzan who throws him out.. right next to pepper-ann and her mom “Don’t touch the villian dear”. Good crossover.. and another show that like House of Mouse is not on disney plus don’t ask me why. 

So our heroes win, we get our usual sponsorship and unusually we see the guests leave, a nice bit I wish they did more. All’s well that ends well. 

Final Thoughts: This episode was fantastic. It introduces the cast well, sets up our villian, our basic premise and while only having one major cartoon, uses that as a plot point and it’s a damn good one. A fantastic start to the series and frankly the best place to start if your curious about the show. I’d like to thank Kev for sponsoring this review. If you’d like your own review you can look at comissoin details on my blog or get one guaranteed every month by becoming a 5 dollar patreon. You get one guaranteed review a month, acess to my discord server for my patreons, and to pick a short when I do birthday specials. And contributing to my patreon gets me closer to my stretch goals, even one dollar helps. Next goal not only gets reviews of the super ducktales mini series, but also a darkwing duck episode EVERY MONTH. And with the plug done, i’ll see you at the next rainbow. 

[agl03]

Why do you think FS is getting married in the 100th when their last interaction was Jemma being uncomfortable with Fitz's change in personality after the framework? Wouldn't you prefer them to work through their issues first?

Hi Anon,

I started out this season very careful when it came to Fitzsimmons.  Last season was rough on me as a shipper and in this role I have in the fandom where I field a lot of asks.  And I didn’t want a repeat of last season.  In that I was and still am very cautious with my predictions and theories.  

Hints for the 100th started popping up towards the end of hiatus and I have been gathering information since then.  It wasn’t until the engagement came in 6 that I really felt the wedding was really possible in the 100th (it’s been on my list all along but it got legs in 6), and even now I’m not sure how that will look.  

Here are the facts that have me leaning towards a Fitzsimmons Wedding in the 100th. 

Marriage was originally set up in Self Control which was written with Mo and directed by Jed.   Robo Fitz could have gone any number of directions in that conversation with Jemma but Jed purposely had it be planting the marriage seed.  He knew where they wanted things to go, especially when I see Seasons 4 and 5 as one massive interconnected story arc.

Back in April of last year EW had a Spoiler Room Tid Bit:   Even though it was LMD Fitz who brought up marriage, will the couple still discuss that on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? — MatthewThat all depends on if and when they actually get out of the Framework, but basically yes. “He was expressing real emotion,” EP Jed Whedon says. “It could happen. If they ever get back together, that’s something that could happen in their future.

Jed/Mo/Jeff the EP’s, showrunners, know exactly where this is all going wrote the 100th as well.  

In November Jed and MO gave and interview to SPX Magazine and when asked about the 100th.  The goal will be the recognition of our own mythology we’ve developed over the past five seasons.  When we first started, people were hoping, or expecting us, it to be something that was directly tied to the movies.  I feel like over the course of the years, we’ve solidly created our own world, with our own characters that have merit.  If anything, the story for our 100th will definitely be a way of celebrating that.While Jeph said:   “Look, this is not going to come as a surprise to anyone that’s ever seen a 100th episode, that there will be a significant event. That’s all I can tell you. They gotta get home from space!”

Clark and Chloe’s TV Guide Interview.  

Clark’s Interview with Screenrant:  “Some big things. A very big thing,” in the 100th episode. Gregg went on to offer a hint at how fans will react to that “big thing” in the show’s milestone episode: “A very big thing that has been hinted at in my episode that will – if you’re like me, it will destroy any long term fans of the show.”

I’ve watched that episode a number of times and the really big things that happened in that Episode was Flint got his powers and Fitzsimmons got engaged.  Flint isn’t back on earth so for me that leaves the engagement turning into a wedding.  

Comicbook.com Article with quotes from Jeph and Clark:  

“Look, this is not going to come as a surprise to anyone that’s ever seen a 100th episode, that there will be a significant event,” Loeb said. That’s all I can tell you. They gotta get home from space!”

Agents of SHIELD star Clark Gregg teased that the episode will live up to fans’ expectations.“Fans who hope that a 100th episode will contain something that will be a cataclysmic event or a gigantically resonate event for their feels after 100 episodes will not be disappointed,“ Gregg said.

Both of them speak specifically to an event, and I take the event as an actual function kind of event.

Henry and Natalia’s interview with CBR:

“For me, it was still shocking. I have to say it was a little shocking,” Simmons recalled. “Little bit, little bit. Look, you’ve got to come strong on the 100th episode, and they did. They really delivered. I’ll put it that way. The writers, they delivered on the 100th episode in terms of anybody who has invested time in the show — even if for one season, whatever it may be — the 100th episode is a payoff for many people.”

“What happens in the 100th episode…? I’m just kidding! Something really special happens in that episode, so I think for me it was more than ‘aw, oh my god!’ It was more like ‘awww’ endearing and happy that the audience is going to get that moment,” Cordova-Buckley added.

One of the other big things that will come out of the 100th will be the terms of Coulson’s deal.  But I think that is the bad feels they are all warning us about.  Us and the team learning of Coulson’s situation and I believe that his time is running out, that this could be his last mission kind of thing is going to hurt like no tomorrow.  And that doesn’t match up with what Henry and Natalia said.  IE Coulson dying isn’t awww endearing or a big payoff for fans.

Clark to EW:  “Fans who hope that a 100th episode will contain something that will be a cataclysmic event or a gigantically resonate event for their feels after 100 episodes will not be disappointed,” Gregg said.

There is the word event again, but I also think that this speaks to both good and bad kinds of feels.  

Jed and Mo TV Line 2/27:  Tancharoen teased, “It’s definitely an emotional game changer.”“I think that nothing will be the same after [Episode 100],” Whedon echoed, “so that I guess is the definition of a game changer.”

What is happening with Coulson and the team learning his fate absolutely changes things and will shake the dynamic of the team a bit.  However this works for a married FItzsimmons too as it ups the stakes for them personally and changes their dynamic with the team as well.  

Iain’s 100th Red Carpet Interview

The way his eyes got wide when she asked about the wedding.  He was surprised when she seemed to talk about it as fact as its the thing they are hiding.  The cast and crew are given talking points of what they can and can’t say.  The orders on the Fitzsimmons Wedding are deflect or the standard “we’ll have to wait and see”

Out of everyone one the cast the two that are the most coy when it comes to a Fitzsimmons wedding are Lil and Iain themselves.  

EW Spoiler Room 3/1:  Okay, so the way everyone was describing the 100th episode has even me worried about our fearless leader. EP Jed Whedon said the landmark hour is an “emotional episode and it was emotional making it.” But Clark Gregg himself says there is also some hope during the 100th, though he wouldn’t reveal if it has to do with him. “There’s been a big scary dagger of fate hanging over Coulson’s head all season and we’re going to find out the nature of that and what it means going forward,” Gregg says, referencing the deal with Ghost Rider. “That in itself would be enough drama for a 100th episode, but on top of that, we have an incredible device the writers have come up with where some characters from the past will appear. There is also a moment that many of us have waited a long time for. I won’t say what ‘ship it has to do with, but somebody’s ‘ship is going to reach a shore.”

I know there has been some debate as to which ship Clark was referring I’ve touched on in a few metas why I think its Fitzsimmons.  

Natalia’s BTS IG Story:  In it Iain clearly has a ring on.  And by my best guess this was about when they would have been filming 16, so the wedding takes place between 12-16.  

Playing my own devils advocate, yes this could be for another flashback/forward scene.  

Story wise I feel this is a good place for it.  They aren’t wasting anymore time nor are they willing to risk being separated again if they can help it.  It offers a bit of hope in a bleak/stressful situation.   As I said above it raises the stakes for Fitzsimmons even more since they are now fighting for their future together, that dream of growing old together.  I also feel that if they are having them get married it plays a part in the story still to come, possibly as early as 14 based on the synopsis.  

I’ve did a couple of metas following 5.10 and “the reaction” HERE and HERE.   Two long metas short, Jemma didn’t see a change in Fitz’s personality, she was taken back by the how.  

I absolutely agree that they need to address both of their trauma that from the Framework, but I also know that the writers don’t always have the time to go into the detail the fans would like.  Married or no FItzsimmons still have the trauma and its not going to change them wanting to get married.  Jemma never wavered in her faith of him in the Framework and she’s not going to start now.  But in the end the story has to move along, there is limited time and the writers only address what they absolutely have too to move the story along.

 I FULLY ADMIT I could be wrong, I have missed before, I’ve gone down with the ship on big misses (AKA “Fitz isn’t an LMD” last season), so i will as always caution to manage expectations.  I’m making the choice to allow myself to get excited about it based on my interpretation of what is out there in interviews and teases, but if it doesn’t happen I won’t be upset either.  Whatever this big “event’ is will be great.   And no matter what I think something awesome will happen with Fitzsimmons in the 100th.  Aside from that I want to know the terms of Coulson’s Deal, how Davis is on two press releases, if my Hydra theory is right, more information on the other monoliths, more Deke hints, old faces returning, and overall more pieces of the puzzle.  

[twistednuns]

April 2018

Rediscovering an old passion of mine: The ice. I went to another ice-hockey match the other day and the atmosphere was fantastic - tense, excited, the players were really going for it. Hannes bought me beer and a hot dog and I enganged in friendly banter with the enemy (I wished him a safe trip home to Karlsruhe after Mannheim had lost and he winked at me). I really hope we'll win the semi-finals. I desperately want to go to the final! Ice-hockey brings back childhood memories for me because I used to join my dad who had season tickets for the LA Cannibals. He was allowed to bring children under 6 for free (I think I must have been 6 until I was about 10 years old...) I also saw the movie I, Tonya about the infamous figure skater Tonya Harding on Easter Sunday, sitting alone in the cinema, enjoying my popcorn. I loved this film. The soundtrack is awesome, the acting and the humour are spot-on. A few days later I actually went ice-skating with Korbian (in the EHC Red Bull rink!) and even though my feet still hurt so much that I have to unfasten the ice skates every twenty minutes it was great fun. Water and ice - I'm in my element.

A small present from a sixth-grader: a sticker of a smiling bowl of ramen noodle soup!

I can see that I'm so much fitter now than a few months ago. I can run up a flight of stairs without being out of breath. Not even a bit.

Sewing together all the granny squares I had lying around. The size is still on baby blanket level so just give me a few more years to finish it...

The first warm days. Planting flowers in front of my window (primrose, forget-me-not, buttercups). Setting up the canvas chair. Hanging up the laundry on the balcony. Eating outside, walking over Viktualienmarkt just before sunset. Great light and amazing smells.

Climbing the hill in Olympiapark. Lying in the grass, making out with K., enjoying a spectacular view over the Alps and the city.

Having painted toe nails for the first time after the winter. I especially like O.P.I's Tickle my France-y (and how every nail polish just looks so much prettier under water).

The Describe Yourself Like a Male Author Would Twitter thread: Her breasts entered the room before her far less interesting face, decidedly maternal hips and rounded thighs. He found her voice unpleasantly audible. As his gaze dropped from her mouth (still talking!) to her cleavage, he wondered why feminists were so angry all the time. (stellar example by Jennifer Weiner)

Watching Gegen die Wand by Fatih Akin for the first time. And Frida - seems like I'm quite into biopics considering how much I liked I, Tonya.

Seeing how the cat reacted to Korbinian. She just rolled into a little ball in his palms and he held her in his hands for quite a while. Seems like she prefers men...

Amira Casar is very pretty.

He said I didn't snore!

Unter Glück hatte ich mir eigentlich was anderes vorgestellt.

A new double-ended eyebrow brush.

Talking about that one illustration in Janosch's Post für den Tiger (mole network!) and Lena knew immediately what I meant.

Walking over the playground with Lena and Alexandra. Trying out the seesaw, a carousel and the swings. Climbing a jungle gym, squeezing through the ropes, sliding down (my ass didn't get stuck!!)

Lying outside in the sun on a deck chair after one hour of swimming. Cold at first, very very nice after I was dry. It's incredible how much power the sun already has.

Sore muscles from ice-skating. Hill-climbing. Swimming.

Talking a walk in the Nymphenburg castle grounds. Taking a photo of Magdalenenklause (as always - I think it's fascinating how you can see the reflection of the trees and the blue sky as well as the interior of the chapel and the windows at the far end). Reading at Königsplatz. Buying food at the Asian market and some candy at Pomeroy & Winterbottom. Meeting Lena and Obi, having avocado toast with fried eggs at Holzkranich in Schwabing. All in all a really nice day even though I wasn't in a great mood to begin with.

Trommeln in der Nacht was the best play I've seen at the Kammerspiele so far. I really liked it. I mean, an Australian guy singing pop songs during a classic Brecht play - what can go wrong?

Swimming freestyle laps for the first time! My technique is probably shit but all that matters is that it gets my heart rate up.

Finding four tiny holo stars on a page in a librabry book.

Deciding to ride my bike down to Großhesselohe - I lay around in the sunshine in my bathing suit. And I needed sunscreen for the first time this year! I love the smell of the Garnier sun oil. Felt like summer! Isarkaribik... I also lay across from a nudist guy with a pretty good ass. Doesn't hurt.

Moser Roth lemon yoghurt chocolate.

Getting a bunch of Alstroemeria flowers at the supermarket. They were so pretty and stayed fresh for weeks.

Scene hunting.

The sound of the woodpeckers in the trees outside my apartment.

Delicious recipes for all kinds of wraps in the latest issue of Schrot und Korn.

Walking barefoot.

Meeting two huge, fat cats on my evening walk over the fields. Seeing the illuminated living rooms, watching people having dinner, wondering if they actually like each other. The smell of the first blossoming trees. The view over the forest after sunset, watching planes rise above the clouds. The sound of last year's leaves in the wind. Still some traces of light left. Seeing a hedgehog behind a garden fence.

How interested the cat was in the little blooming twig I brought home from a walk.

Reading so incredibly much.

Reading, yes, again - reading about Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes in Connie Palmen's Du sagst es. It's a fictional autobiography of Hughes. All these feelings, so much drama and a life for literature.

Another evening walk (I like them best) - lying down in the big nest swing at the playground. Finding a pile of free give-aways on a bench, taking home paper plates (I use them for acrylic paints).

Trauringe have only one letter more than traurige.

Going to work by tram on a sunny morning. A book in my lap, eating fruit salad. Seeing the city in a different light and discovering places I had never seen before because I usually only go there by night (for example the square/monument left of the Isar near Müllersches Volksbad).

The fact that the laundry dries in a matter of hours on the balcony now.

Taking a random library book to read on my way to work. Reading the passage "Es war April, der Monat, der von T.S. Eliot zum grausamsten unter seinesgleichen gekürt wurde, und es war Freitag, der dreizehnte." in April, on Friday the 13th. The likelihood of this happening is approximately 1 in 2500.

Kunstautomaten.

Meeting basically everyone at Muffat-Biergarten. The Fabis, Claudia, Frank, Manu and Susa. Even Lucy the dog-lady was there.

Paying Rasmus a compliment which he was really happy about.

Hanging up some crystals in the trellis on the balcony.

Spending a day at the Northern part of the English Garden with the "family". Playing Kubb, somersaulting spontaneously, so much delicious food (pizza, chocolate fruit, chickpea salad, sushi, cold drip coffee, ...), exploring some old trees at the riverside, climbing, playing with cheeky dogs, reading Lena's graphic novel.

The Destiny's Child reunion at Coachella.

Ferrero is making mother-effin' Kinder Bueno, Milchschnitte and Kinderriegel ice-cream now! Deliiiish.

Going to a workshop about voice and body language. I actually got way more positive feedback than expected. Apparently my voice and articulation are quite nice and I keep eye contact much better than I thought. Also, I asked another girl from the group to join me for lunch. Yay, talking to people! Hello, new extrovert me!

Foldable silicon lunch boxes.

Playing badminton in the park. I want to do that more often!

Getting eight more books from the library even though I still had five at home.

When your book fits exactly into the handle on the seat in front of you and you don't need a bookmark.

Having a monthly ticket for public transport is surprisingly nice. Hop on, hop off.

Visiting some of my students at their work place on Girls'/Boy's Day. We went to Deutsches Museum and a kindergarden, for example. It was great to see how much the kids enjoyed their days.

The playoff final!!! Two goals in 10 seconds, omg. So EHC Red Bull Munich won for the third time in a row. There were gold glitter, beer showers, the players' children on the ice. And I flirted with a dude from Garmisch who kept calling me princess.

Woodworking. I'm currently carving a bowl and a small bird out of limewood.

Carrying a huge pot of flowers all the way home on the train.

That other kind of mango. The type you usually get in Asia. Less sweet, creamier.

Going to the market on Saturdays. Getting fresh bread, vegetables or flowers for the balcony.

Riding my bike through the forest in order to get to the garden centre.

A weird childhood flashback while washing my dirty feet in the sink: the memory of my grandma who wouldn't let us sit on the sofa in the summer if we didn't do that.

Spending a day with a happy-go-lucky woodworker. Playing games at the Starnberger See. Driving around in his Skoda. Eating pizza.

Wearing the &otherstories sunflower necklace with the one I bought in Portland and had always been to tight for me. And wearing the pink-blue checked pyjama pants in combination with a soft grey longsleeve shirt. Another thing that used to be too small.

The balcony!!! Tomatoes, yellow zucchini, pink poppies, multi-coloured petunias, I mean, YES. The light breaking in one of the crystals. Rainbow reflections.

[onceland]

Once Upon a Time Gets Musical: Which Star Was Terrified? Who Belts Just One Line? And Why Is Everyone Singing?!

Whistle while you work….

When you wish upon a star….

Let it go-o-o-o-o-….

Many a Disney fairy tale has been punctuated by memorable tunes, but ABC’s Once Upon a Time has never added music to its mix. That is, not until next Sunday, May 7, when Season 6’s antepenultimate hour, “The Song in Your Heart,” is cued up.

FROM JAZZED TO… JAZZ HANDS? | Since Day 1, nary a Once fan event has gone by where the cast and or creators have not been asked about the possibility of a musical episode. “Whenever they ask us at conventions, I’m always like, ‘Yeah. Let’s do it!’ — and I rile the crowd up even more because I think it’s a f–king brilliant idea,” Rebecca Mader, who plays Zelena, told TVLine during filming of the landmark hour. “So when I found out they were actually doing it I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I knew that the fans were going to go nuts.”

Yet though the idea has oft been bandied about, having it become reality triggered a variety of reactions from the cast who would be asked to croon on camera.

“I said that in theory I was keen,” Ginnifer Goodwin shares, “but the truth is when it became a reality I grew terrified, and asked if I could be a doo-wop girl in the background. Jazz hands and all!” Lana Parrilla meanwhile said that on a scale of 1 to 10, her anxiety level started out at “maybe a 7 — mostly because I haven’t done a musical since I was 19 years old. I love singing in the shower and in the car, and with Rebecca — we’re always singing together [on set] — but I didn’t know what kind of number I would have. I didn’t know who was singing, if it was Regina or the Queen, and that really made a big difference.” (More on that in a bit.)

On the far calmer end of the spectrum were Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue — which is, well, good, seeing as Emma and Hook’s wedding is a focal point of the musical hour! “Colin and I were predisposed,” Morrison says, “because we both came from musical backgrounds, so to us it just sounded like it would be really fun. We’re happy that it finally worked out.”

TV son Jared Gilmore meanwhile knew precisely the extent of the vocal skills he himself would bring to the table. “I have one singing line in the episode,” he reports. “At first I was kind of like, ‘OK. I don’t have a number,’ but then I was like, ‘Oh wait. It’s probably for the best, because I can’t exactly sing.’ I’d probably just embarrass myself. And my family!”

“I, for one, never thought we would do a musical episode,” Josh Dallas shares. “I know there was talk about it, and people would ask, but I just never thought we would ever do one.” But at the end of the day, he says, “Once Upon a Time absolutely lends itself to a musical format.”

MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER | Although at least one cast member assumed that if this day came, Once Upon a Time would recycle famous Disney tunes, that was never the plan. Instead, series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis last summer sat down with songwriters (and Once fans) Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner to hash out the grand plan, which would lead to seven eight original tunes being penned. “After we let the cast know [about the musical episode],” says Horowitz, “they got together with the composers, to tailor all the songs to each actor and their character specifically.”

As a result, “They ended up presenting us with these gorgeous, original and really catchy pieces,” Goodwin raves. “I really can’t see them not being hits.” Morrison, who has a solo, concurs, saying, “They wrote the songs for our voices, because they knew our ranges and where we were comfortable.” As O’Donoghue puts it, “Just as the show takes these characters that everybody knows and makes them fresh and new, in a sense that’s what’s happened [with the music].”

Now, for the million-dollar question asked of every TV series that braves a musical episode: Why is everyone suddenly singing?

Simply said: We learn in flashbacks that Snow White, when pregnant with Emma, inadvertently cast a spell that makes highly emotional people only able to express themselves through song. That allows for musical numbers both in the Enchanted Forest of yesteryear as well in present-day Storybrooke, when the spell resurfaces.

NAME THAT TUNE | As for what you will hear once May 7 rolls around, there are seven songs in total. In addition to Emma’s solo (about “a song that has been living in her heart all along”), viewers can expect a highly entertaining “sing-off” between the Charmings and the Evil Queen (“Our weapons are our song,” Dallas previews), as well as what Mader describes as “a full-on Broadway number” for Zelena the Wicked Witch. “It’s almost like Once Upon a Time‘s reimagined version of [Wicked‘s] ‘Defying Gravity.'”

During TVLine’s set visit, the choreographers revealed that a number set aboard the Jolly Roger features some very fun and fancy footwork, while the Evil Queen has a high-energy, slide-on-her-knees performance of a tune whose message is “down with love, down with hope,” Parrilla explains. “The Queen has moves,” she adds with a wink. “She’s a rock star!”

The song list also includes a duet that swells into a group performance, affording all of the characters on hand a chance for a whirl, a twirl or, in Gilmore’s case, a brief warble (his aforementioned “one line” elicited the sweetest of reactions from the crew, take after take after take after take). The rousing, climactic number “is so perfect for the show,” O’Donoghue observes.

(As for Rumple and Belle, due to spoilery happenings in the April 30 episode, titled “The Black Fairy,” they are “laying low” during the musical episode, says Kitsis, though Rumple will be seen.)

‘IT FELT LIKE THE PILOT AGAIN’ | The cast’s abundant enthusiasm did not go unnoticed when the show bosses arrived on set during production of the musical hour.

“It was really re-energizing,” Kitsis says of the endeavor’s infectious effect on both cast and crew — no small feat this late into the season, and even more impressive this deep into the show’s run. “It was Episode 130 and you really felt like it was the pilot again,” Kitsis says. “Everyone was nervous and giddy and excited….

“It was one of those things we were terrified of as showrunners, but once we saw how excited everyone was to do it, it made us really glad that we attempted to pull it off.”

Will the Once audience in turn respond with a standing O? “They’re going to love it,” Parrilla predicts. “To see these characters that they’ve been watching over the years sing is refreshing. It’s a totally different form of expression. And it makes sense, which I think is critical — that it really works with our storytelling.”

COMING SOON: Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue open up about Emma and Hook’s big day: “It’s all happiness” — except for one looming threat.

x

[cfcunofficialblog]

Chelsea 2 Man City 1 - Wednesday 5 April 2017

Another big match at the bridge, it doesn't take too much to get motivated on nights like this, another one of those 'season defining' games in store.

In team news, big Kurt Zouma was brought into the back three allowing Azpilicueta to take up the right wing back position in place of the injured Moses. Otherwise it was a familiar lineup with Courtois in goal and Luiz and captain Cahill at the back, with Alonso out on the left as usual. Kante and Fabregas made up the midfield partnership with Pedro and Hazard providing the silky skills and the pace to run around and support Costa up front. On bench warming duties were Begovic, JT, Ake, Matic, Loftus-Cheek, Willian and Batshuayi.

A frenetic pace to the start of the game as the ball popped around the midfield with the occasional half chance on goal. But something needs to be said about that outrageous tangerine and purple kit that City were wearing. It was an affront to football as well as to my eyes!

But just 10 minutes in, the breakthrough came. The ball well worked down the right with Azpilicueta and Pedro setting up Hazard, just inside the box, to fire a shot on goal that glanced off the big head of Kompany, so wrong footing Caballero in goal. A brilliant start to hopefully calm any nerves.

No let up with the pace, fast and furious at times, we knew we were in a battle and City were pressing us high up the pitch to put pressure on our goal. It was keep-ball from the Tangoed team, short passing around the outside of our box looking for an opening. But we kept them at bay as our back five kept the back door firmly shut. Their high pressing played into our hands, one false move from them and the counter attack was on, Hazard streaked down the left as Fabregas’s shot on goal looped off Clichy and just skimmed over the top of the crossbar

It was a war of attrition in the middle of the park, the speed of passing saw the ball given away or intercepted on both sides. It was so crowded I wondered if there were twice as many players on the pitch. There was little space to operate and following a passage of forced passing back and forth between Azpilicueta and Zouma, the ball eventually found its way back to Courtois who managed to misplace his kick out, perhaps feeling rushed under pressure from Aguero. But the ball landed straight into the lap of Silva whose eventual shot on goal was blocked by our unfortunate keeper, only for Aguero take advantage of the rebound. Dammit.

Like many I'm sure, I was getting flashbacks of the Palace game and I think City were thinking along the same lines when Sane sprinted toward our goal past Zouma, but thankfully Courtois was there to block any idea of a shot. We needed to be on high alert because the game was being played at such a high tempo.

But perhaps somewhat against the run of play, Fabregas played the ball to Pedro who was just inside the box when he was unceremoniously tripped by Fernandinho. Penalty! And it couldn't have come at a better time as City probably felt they were on top of things. Up stepped Hazard but if at first you don't succeed, blast the ball into the back of the net like he should have done first time! Got out of jail there, Eden, thank goodness!

Fair play to City though, they kept at it and were testing out our defence, half hearted clearances allowing shots on goal that Courtois was forced to make. And make them he did but it was a nerve wracking period of the game as we safely navigated our way towards half time with the score remaining at 2-1.

Second half and unusual to have a change at this point but Zouma was taken off and replaced my Matic. Was Conte concerned that our young defender was being outpaced? City wasted no time in getting to work, as we had to deal with an early free kick on our goal.

We were riding our luck at times and if City had connected to their shots they could have equalised. But we actually cancelled each other out for much of the time, both sides capable, or dare I say guilty, of a wayward pass, but mainly forcing errors under hurried closing down from the opposition. It was really hard to know where the next goal was coming from, and it would be a crucial one wherever it was.

And how many corners did they have? I've not seen the stats but it seemed like a lot, so many chances for City to score from there but we were wise to it, always ready to block and find a counter attacking opportunity when the attack broke down. It was nail biting stuff and the orange ones certainly appeared have the upper hand at this stage. Our boys never looked phased though, Luiz ‘took care’ of Aguero on more than one occasion limiting his threat to very few opportunities, apart from that one lucky goal.

The home fans were in good voice, certainly where I was in the West Lower, but unless they were being drowned out, there was very little noise coming from the away section. Perhaps they only sing when they're winning.

Into the last 20 minutes and City were still knocking on the door. But we had our moments too, the best of which 5 minutes later when passes across the box eventually found Hazard, looking for his hat trick of course, but his shot was fired over the bar. Head in hands, he really should have done better!

Our second change saw Willian come on for Fabregas, some fresh legs welcome with 10 minutes to go. We were getting more of the ball now, threatening to score, but our boys seemed intent on working intricate passes on our way to the goal, when the home fans just wanted them to shooooooot.

The clock was ticking by slowly, but as we approached full time Conte calmed the nerves a bit by making a late change, goal man Hazard replaced by Loftus-Cheek, to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Thankfully we survived a stoppage time scare when Aguero and then Stones each conspired to miss their target, as our main man Conte was fired up in a final gesture of crowd rousing excitement.

At last, the final whistle, thousands of drained Chelsea supporters sighed a deep sigh of relief while celebrating with a rendition of One Step Beyond. What a game, what a night, our boys did a great job limiting a team who clearly set out to score goals. Pedro worked his little socks off, Hazard was Hazard, Kante was Kante, and our defence soaked it all up.

If that doesn’t deserve a nerve calming drink, especially with the District Line up the creek, I don't know what does. Antonio.....Antonio!

[wesonerdy]

While Killian gets some help to make his way back to Storybrooke (and Emma!), Emma tries to get over a broken heart. Get a sneak of tonight’s Once Upon a Time.

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

“Love can save even the darkest souls.”

Yes Oncers, this was the lesson of last week’s Once Upon a Time, and it hit particularly close to home for Regina and Killian.

“Page 23” began with a flashback to Fairy Tale Land. The Evil Queen was hunting Snow White and seemed to trap her in a small village. Before EQ could torture the villagers for information, Tinker Bell intervened. She reminded EQ that when she had a chance to fall in love with the man with the lion tattoo at the pub (Robin!), EQ refused to go inside. Tinker Bell encouraged EQ to still pursue the possibility of love.

The Evil Queen’s father, Henry, admonished her to our show mercy to her people, and eventually she does leave without hurting anyone, claiming to love her people.

Later, Henry approached EQ and promised to help her claim her happiness. He gave her one of Cora’s hidden spell books that held a map that would lead them to a powerful object that would help locate Snow White.

However, Henry had a different plan. He was really leading them to Cupid’s arrow, which would lead her to gaze upon the person she loved most, the man with the lion tattoo. But Regina felt betrayed and, instead, used he mother’s spell book to turn Cupid’s arrow into an object which would allow her to gaze upon the person she hated most. Presumably Snow White…

…but the arrow led her back to her castle and to her mirror, where she saw herself. (SADS!)

In present-day Storybrooke, EQ and Robin made an alliance to get out of Storybrooke. She would send him back to the Wish Realm in exchange for him stealing something for her…the enchanted shears that would allow the Evil Queen to separate herself from Regina. Then EQ would destroy her doppelganger.

Elsewhere, Emma shared the news other engagement (!!!!!!). Snow and Henry were happy; Regina was especially happy for Emma (a beautiful SnowQueen moment!). Emma and Killian had decided to hold off on planning the wedding until Gideon could be handled… but now EQ was on the loose too.

Later on, EQ also stole Henry’s author pen so he wouldn’t use it to “write out” her plan. Henry encouraged EQ by saying she wasn’t the worst parts of Regina, that she could still change and find happiness. EQ then gave a note to Henry to give to Regina and expressed that she did love him, no matter what.

What was the note? It was Page 23, the page with Regina’s supposed HEA with Robin… what did it mean? Regina deduced that EQ had Alt Robin and wanted a showdown. Despite pushback from Emma and Snow, Regina would meet EQ by herself and end things once and for all.

While they waited, Alt Robin tried to talk EQ out of killing Regina. Why couldn’t they both go back to the Wish Realm and have a new start? Maybe that was his purpose for being in Storybrooke, to save EQ. But she disagreed. When Regina came, as planned, EQ separated them with the shears. Then they fought and it looked like EQ would prevail. However, Regina was able to gain the upper hand. Yet, instead of killing EQ and crushing her heart, she chose love over hate. Regina took some of EQs darkness into her heart and gave EQ some of her love. And now they should and could love themselves. It was wonderful!

Regina would also help EQ find a place to make a new start. Zelena and Snow were suspect of EQs intentions, but EQ apologized for the pain she caused and told them what she knew about breaking the sleeping curse. With Henry’s authorial assistance, they wrote EQ a new story. And it took her to Alt Robin in the Wish Realm! This time when she saw Robin with his lion tattoo, sitting in the pub, she went right in. Robin was glad to see her and they shared an ale. Cheers to a fresh start! In the end, we got our OutlawQueen but in an unexpected way…

All the while, Killian was depressed about proposing to Emma without telling the truth about killing David’s father. He reached out to Captain Nemo, who was planning to set sail (with Liam) on the Nautilus. Nemo encouraged Killian to either tell the truth and ask for forgiveness or keep silent and learn to forgive himself.

Later, Killian was gazing on the moment when he killed David’s father in a dream catcher. Before he could toss it in the fireplace and burn his memories, Emma approached and saw everything. She was very upset with Killian, not for killing David’s father, but for hiding the truth. Why didn’t he believe that they could overcome this together and trust one another? Until Killian was ready to be a team, Emma broke the engagement and gave the ring back.

Killian was distraught and ended up going back to Nemo to request to join him on his voyage. He needed a chance to find himself. They would leave at nightfall.

Before Killian could leave that night, Snow found him to tell him that EQ had been redeemed and got her happy ending. “Love can save even the darkest souls.” This meant Killian could get his HEA too, right? Snow shared being happy about their engagement and told Killian to go home to Emma. But would he?

He did! Killian went on the Nautilus to tell Nemo that he was tired of running and would go home to work things out with Emma. But as they said goodbye, the Nautilus started to submerge! But Nemo hadn’t given the order… who did? It was Gideon! He had a plan and wanted Killian far from Storybrooke. (Nooooooooo!)

And now Emma was all alone thinking Killian had abandoned her. *WEEPING*

  In tonight’s episode “A Wondrous Place” (written by Jane Espenson and Jerome Schwartz, directed by Steve Pearlman):

REGINA AND SNOW TEND TO EMMA’S BROKEN HEART WHILE HOOK SCRAMBLES TO FIND HIS WAY BACK TO STORYBROOKE, AND JASMINE TEAMS UP WITH ARIEL AS THE SEARCH FOR AGRABAH CONTINUES—When Hook finds himself trapped in another realm along with the Nautilus and her crew, he races to return to Emma before Gideon can execute the rest of his plan. In Storybrooke, Regina and Snow take Emma out to get her mind off Hook’s disappearance. And in a flashback to Agrabah, Jasmine befriends Ariel, and together they set out to locate Prince Eric as the threat from Jafar intensifies. (via ABC)

Watch these two clips from the upcoming show.

In the first, as expected Emma is hurting from Killian’s seeming betrayal. She gets a call to come break up a bar brawl at Aesop’s Tables; but when she arrives, there’s no fight. Snow and Regina used the ruse to get Emma to the bar so they can cheer her up. GIRL’S NIGHT! And in the second clip, we see the Nautilus is trapped in another realm by Gideon. But Hook is determined to return to Storybrooke to help Emma. Captain Nemo and his crew inform him that the only way back is with Kraken’s blood, which they don’t have. Hook insists they go hunt the beast immediately.

Girls' Night Out? Yes, please!

Posted by Once Upon a Time on Sunday, April 2, 2017

Gentlemen, let's go hunting. #OnceUponaTime pic.twitter.com/ek7oyItnFF

— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) March 30, 2017

  Fake fight, real friends, and drunk Snow! And I love that Killian is willing to do anything to hunt down a Kraken… this is going to be awesome!

Take a look at 10 images from “A Wondrous Place”, and we see that JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Ariel), Karen David (Princess Jasmine), and Deniz Akdeniz (Aladdin) are all back!

Live tweet Once Upon a Time with me at 8pm ET on ABC over at @WeSoNerdy!

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

PREVIEW: ‘Once Upon a Time’ Season 6, Episode 15 “A Wondrous Place” While Killian gets some help to make his way back to Storybrooke (and Emma!), Emma tries to get over a broken heart.