#for real i love tom scott his videos are so good and he has SO MUCH FUN MAKING THEM it's hard to find ppl like this on youtube

[coulsonlives]

This video is so wholesome

[cleoenfaserum]

COMA (1978) and the 13th WARRIOR (1999) Michael Crichton series.

What do these two movies have in common? The short answer, nothing. The real answer, Michael Crichton. I have been following Michael Crichton's movies for some time and will continue to do so until I have posted all his movies as a director, movies based on his novels or scripts he has written or participated in based on IMdB list. That is my intention.

The two movies mentioned in the title of the blog are special to me. COMA was a novel I read many years ago by Robin Cook and saw the movie later on. Curiously enough, Robin Cook is also a medical doctor, who I followed and a fan of his, having read many of his long list of books.

Now the 13th Warrior is new to me. But one thing I have in common with the film is the nationality of the main character who appears on the poster, Antonio Banderas, being a Spaniard as I am, sort of makes me proud. Your right, that is not reason enough, but he is a good actor.

Before we get into the story, perhaps it would be wise to have some notion of what is a coma, if you haven't guessed, but in any case, here is a description: GO TO: Coma - Wikipedia

So, let's get to it.

Coma is a 1978 American mystery thriller film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Robin Cook. The film rights were acquired by director Michael Crichton.

The cast includes Geneviève Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Richard Widmark, and Rip Torn. Among the actors in smaller roles are Tom Selleck, Lois Chiles, and Ed Harris.

Confessedly, I have a passion for thoroughness. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, exceeds any statue of limitations sometimes, making my blog unbearably long. The story was adapted again into a two-part television miniseries broadcast in September 2012, but I cannot help myself to look into it and if possible, post it. Coma (1978 film) - Wikipedia

IMdB: 6'9 DRAMA-MYSTERY-THRILLER DURATION: 1h 53m

When a young female doctor notices an unnatural amount of comas occurring in her hospital she uncovers a horrible conspiracy.

918-1 https://ok.ru/video/1918797351551

Coma is a 2012 American television miniseries based on the 1977 novel Coma by Robin Cook and the subsequent 1978 film Coma. It is a four-hour medical thriller released in September, 2012.

The series was directed by Mikael Salomon and produced by Ridley Scott and his brother Tony Scott, the same team that adapted The Andromeda Strain into the 2008 miniseries on A&E. The film is dedicated to Tony Scott, who died in August 2012, only weeks before its broadcast premiere. Coma (American miniseries) - Wikipedia

IMdB: 5'8 DRAMA-MYSTERY-SCI-FI DURATION: 4 hrs.

A young medical student discovers that something sinister is going on in her hospital after routine procedures send more than a few seemingly healthy patients into comas on the operating table.

918-2 https://ok.ru/video/363998808717

918-3 https://ok.ru/video/90663815898

The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead, which is a loose adaptation of the tale of Beowulf combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of the Volga Vikings.

It stars Antonio Banderas as ibn Fadlan, as well as Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan; Crichton directed some uncredited reshoots. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna, James Biggam and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.

Production and marketing costs reputedly reached $160 million, but it grossed $61 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the biggest box office bomb of 1999, with losses of up to $129 million. The 13th Warrior - Wikipedia

IMdB 6'6 ACTION -ADVENTURE- HISTORY DURATION: 1h 42m

A man, having fallen in love with the wrong woman, is sent by the sultan himself on a diplomatic mission to a distant land as an ambassador. Stopping at a Viking village port to restock on supplies, he finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a quest to banish a mysterious threat in a distant Viking land.

918-4 https://ok.ru/video/3625901099575

[thevindicativevordan]

Why isn't Nightwing a bigger deal? He has all of Batman's skills and Superman's faith in humanity and is arguably the most beloved hero in the DCU, but most people seem to know him either as the leader of the N̶o̶t̶ ̶J̶L̶ Teen Ttians or just Robin.

Thank you for asking me about Nightwing, I've been wanting to write a piece about him for a while now. The short version is that everyone who claims Dick becoming Nightwing was him "moving out of Batman's shadow and becoming his own man" is completely wrong.

Dick Grayson is a fantastic character, someone who saved Bruce Wayne in-universe both by forcing Batman to grow up a bit, and the countless times he saved Batman's life as his partner whether as Robin or Nightwing. Dick saved Batman in the real world as well, hard to believe but Batman was actually in danger of being cancelled due to poor sales early on. Enter Robin, a young daredevil audience stand in the creators hoped would get kids interested in reading Batman. And it worked! Sales on Batman doubled once Robin showed up which is crazy to think about, but Dick Grayson has always been a popular character. Cartoons like Teen Titans, Batman: The Animated Series, and The Batman only helped grow his audience.

Character-wise, Dick Grayson really does fill a number of crucial roles in the DCU. For Batman, Dick is proof that Batman is a positive force. Meeting Batman helped change Dick for the better, helped him heal after his parents died. With Dick, Batman can take comfort in knowing that yes, he has made a difference in the world for at least one orphan boy, which is all he wanted when he lost his parents himself. To the wider DCU, Dick is a friendly face who convinces others that Batman is competent and not a complete asshole. He took this kid in, trained him to be one of the best heroes the DCU has seen, and did it all out of the kindness of his heart. That someone like Dick can confront the evils of Gotham and not break means there's still hope for that city. As Robin, Dick has led the Titans and is an icon in his own right as The Sidekick, the original, the one every other Robin is built around copying or contrasting. The one all other superhero sidekicks are drawing on as a basis. As Robin Dick Grayson is very much on Batman's level.

Just not as Nightwing. As Nightwing, Dick has been a second rate Daredevil which means he's a third rate Batman (fully prepared to get hate for this but I've read and enjoyed the Miller and Bendis DD runs so I feel entitled to my opinion). A typical Nightwing run tends to go like this: Moving to Bludhaven (which is Gotham... but WORSE!), Dick Grayson usually enrolls in a pointless job we don't care about in order to provide some meaningless soap opera drama that doesn't go anywhere. Patrolling the city as Nightwing, he fights a variety of bad guys who are usually rather lame and unthreatening, with his big bad being a Kingpin knockoff called Blockbuster. Villains are fought, long running plotlines are set up, then everything is abandoned because it's Batfamily event time, and Dick has to run back to Gotham in order to play sidekick again. Usually his involvement is completely superfluous and it would've been better if the writer had gotten to opt out. By the time we finally get back to Nightwing's solo plotlines, the audience has usually ceased to care and the run gets cut short.

That's how Nightwing has been since the New 52 at least. Anyone who thinks that's "becoming their own man" is out of their mind. Dick is so thoroughly in Batman's shadow that he got shot in the head and spent a longer time as "Ric" which everyone fucking hated and sold like shit, than he did as Agent Grayson which was extremely well-received. Reiterating: Ric went on longer than Grayson because of a fucking Batman plotpoint Tom King wanted where Bruce was sad and cut off from the Batfamily because of Dick getting shot. Not just calling out King either, how many times was Kyle Higgins Nightwing run derailed because of Scott Snyder's crossovers? Or how about that entire run getting dumped to the side because Johns wanted to out Dick during Forever Evil, a Justice League/Lex Luthor story? DC has repeatedly made their contempt for Nightwing clear, he's Batman's sidekick still in their eyes, and he serves whatever story role the Batman writer wants.

Hell his best stories tend to have been the ones where he's not Nightwing. He was Robin in a good chunk of the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans run. Morrison really showcased his depth as a character when they wrote him as Batman, their time with Dick under the cowl was actually one of the first Batman runs I ever read, and no Nightwing run has ever matched it in terms of quality in my humble opinion. Scott Snyder's work with DickBats also was a high point for the character, showing Dick as competent and examining his relationship with Gotham and the Gordons. King and Seeley gave him one of the best comic runs with Grayson, a series where he wasn't even a "superhero" technically! When it comes to actual pre-New 52 Nightwing runs that are highly recommended where he *is* Nightwing, there's Chuck Dixon and uhhhhhhh... Tomasi's brief run before Dick became Batman? It's not exactly an overwhelming list.

Look there has been good work done with Nightwing, I'm not claiming there hasn't been. Tim Seeley wrote a great run with Nightwing Rebirth. Seeley fleshed out Dick's Rogues Gallery with cool new ones like Raptor, he brought back old foes like Dr. Hurt (why oh why couldn't you have brought back Flamingo too?), he gave Dick's world some character it solely needed. Bludhaven under Seeley is pretty much the only time I've really felt like it lived up to being Dick's city.

The problem with fictional cities is you have to put in the work to give them the character of real cities. You have to make the cities feel like characters in their own right. Gotham is the best example of this, it's a character all it's own, one that tells you a lot about Batman and his cast. In contrast Bludhaven is usually one of the worst. Any place that wants to claim to be worse than the city that is built over the gate to hell and gets wrecked every other month by the Arkham freaks has to really put in the work to compete. Simply put, Bludhaven typically fails utterly. There's nothing about it that makes you really buy it's worse than Gotham, I mean does anyone really think Nightwing's Rogues wouldn't get their lunches eaten by Batman's? No, no one genuinely buys that. When Bludhaven claims to be worse, it just comes across as tryhard, an attribute that does end up telling you about Nightwing in unintentional ways.

So Seeley didn't do that. Instead he created a city built for a hero like Dick Grayson. Someone who is bright and flashy, but does have an element of darkness to him. Someone who loves the spotlight, but often uses it to obscure. Seeley turned Bludhaven into Las Vegas, and that was the fucking best concept for Bludhaven I have ever seen, it makes so much sense. Las Vegas is the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and isn't that the perfect city for a hero who got their start working in the circus? Isn't the aesthetics of the gleaming casinos, the glamorous sex appeal of the performers, and the spectacle of the shows, all being used to cover up the seediness of mob bosses meeting backstage perfect for Nightwing? It's so utterly unlike New York City, yet Las Vegas is still dangerous, it's got a crime culture all it's own. Seeley used it to great effect, as did Humphries during his brief run, and I will always be pissed that DC didn't continue to use it. That should have stuck around and been the definitive look for Bludhaven.

How Seeley's take on Bludhaven was treated feels like a small scale version of how Nightwing in general gets treated. Whenever creators pitched ideas for him, if editorial thought there was potential to break big, they asked for those ideas to be repurposed for Batman instead. Anything big or good gets repurposed for Batman or tossed to the side so Nightwing can go back to his default: having irrelevant adventures in a city that is supposedly worse than Gotham but can't live up to it. Just like how Nightwing is supposedly better than Batman but never gets to show it. Goddamn it's so frustrating seeing his potential get wasted like that.

The Nightwing book should be one of DC's most ambitious books in terms of storytelling. You can go from traditional superhero stories, to romantic soap opera, to spy stories, to crime noir, to horror, to cosmic adventures, and ALL of them would fit because Nightwing is someone who has a foot in both Gotham and Metropolis. He's got friends everywhere on every team, and has been a hero longer than most Leaguers have at this point. No reason DC should still be afraid to let him loose and insisting on hewing close to what Dixon established almost over 30 years ago is only holding him back. At the very least get him some better Rogues, why the hell didn't he get to keep Professor Pyg? That's Dick's villain not Bruce's! Bullshit that they didn't let Dick keep him. Hopefully Flamingo comes back, with a slight revamp I think he'd make a great reoccurring Nightwing Rogue.

Luckily it does look somewhat like Nightwing fans have reason to be optimistic. While Taylor isn't to my taste, DC clearly views him as a "big" writer, and that they put him on Nightwing says a lot. Taylor has been selling well so far, so hopefully he gets to tell his story, hilarious that even he lampshaded having to write Dick running over to Gotham for another tie-in after Taylor's big opening arc was all about Dick committing himself and his money to Bludhaven. Scott Snyder is apparently working on a Black Label Nightwing book which will explore how he's a different detective than Bruce. The Gotham Knights video game has him as one of the main stars, and while Titans is... controversial, it's one of the most popular streaming shows and Dick is the main character. There's a lot of content coming that features him in the starring role, and that will only help his star rise further.

For the first time in, well, ever it feels like DC may be serious about elevating him. Time will tell if it pays off, but I for one choose to be optimistic that the 2020s will be a turning point for Dick Grayson where Nightwing becomes hugely popular in his own right. Not just as Batman's sidekick.

[smiledog15578]

OK BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE... who the real villain is in wkm?

I think we all know who it is it’s pretty obvious it’s the house but I honestly think we don’t talk about it often? Literally that’s the mf who’s the real bastard here. ITS THEORY TIME 😼

While actor Mark is an asshole and technically a villain he wasn’t like like that before. Hell he was a generous man helping his friends and was a loved man. When Celine left his ass he was venerable af and the entity was like “TIME TO MANIPULATE THIS MAN FOR MY OWN GAIN” and made him the asshole the way that he is now. I think actor Mark thinks that he’s in control oh shit because he might of been told that but really the house is pulling the strings and making him believe that. He’s literally just about chess piece to use for this evil game of chess (lol analogy)

I’d also like to point out that Celine might of left actor because the house told her to. At the time actor wasn’t vulnerable especially with having a good life with his wife and having an outstanding career and the house probably didn’t like that. So in order to make him weak it took the only thing that he lived at the time, Celine. Another reason she left was because of bad vibes. That house is just infested with bad juju and Celine being a seer noticed that over time but back then since it was kinda discouraged to divorce especially for a women to do it luckily William knew and took her in. William has lived in the same house actor lived so I’m guessing he’s aware of the evil it contains since when he gets turned into Wilford hell even during wkm he isn’t weirded out by the things happening to the house and other weird shit. He was trying to protect Celine. Now again I just wanna say the adultery doesn’t excuse it still a shitty thing to do and William is still a stubborn a hole just as much as actor.

HOWEVER this situation is like novel: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925). (Btw if you don’t want spoilers skip this) in the book, daisy cheats with Gatsby behind Tom’s (daisy’s husband) back because like I said either during those times it was shunned for women to divorce their husbands and during those days women weren’t really independent back then. They were VERY pressured to get married and have children etc etc. Tom was an asshole to daisy and was even cheating on her but of course men and women back then had double standards where women couldn’t or should do this and same went for men. and I’m not saying that Celine didn’t love actor cause I’m sure they did love each other so much but it kinda explains why she left him other than just because. I also don’t think Celine was necessarily abusive nor do I think actor was at the time. Things got heated and the only scapegoat was to leave him and never return to that house again.

Another thing on my tiny pea sized brain is about the houses world. I have a theory that the house has created a universe inside it while Everything out side it is the original universe (or just our reality idk). This is why George (the groundskeeper) doesn’t appear in any of the new videos is because he wasn’t in the house during all this mess (in the character world idk if the actor for George just didn’t wanna be in the series but then you have to wonder why his portrait isn’t up in the hallway dark made in AHWM). You can think of the house as if it’s a movie set or a green screen. To us and the actors we see these worlds and weird shit when in reality there’s nothing there. Nobody actually dies in this universe because like movies no one actually dies they’re just not on the set. Even the side characters don’t really die cause us as the viewers revive them be just rewatching the video. Wilford knows people won’t die because 1. He’s seen his friend get up and walk around after being dead and 2. He knows that when people “die” they just come back by the help of your Or the entity. He acknowledges that in AHWM where he states that we can PAUSE the video. Almost none of the characters except Wilford has acknowledged that which makes me think he’s a lot smarter the we think or just has more common sense. Wilford is forgetful sure but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid he was a colonel for crying out loud one of the highest ranks in the US army lol. I’d like to also point out that Wilford uses this set ordeal to his advantage most importantly. In WKM we see William do it too by appearing one place then teleporting to another place. Kinda think of the house as the 3rd dimension. Wilford “escapes” that dimension to a new plane and can come back when in reality he’s just leaving what the house is previewing to everyone in the house. Everyone else In this universe except maybe actor, Wilford, and dark know that you don’t have to play along. These people in the houses universe are programmed to believe that they can’t escape have HAVE to play a character.

(Spoilers for wandavision) when I watched wandavision not that long ago it made me think about the MCU (not marvel cinematic universe😏✨ MARKIPLIER cinematic universe) and how it’s kinda like that. Wanda in the show creates this force field out of grief where everything inhabits it is turned into her liking of what fits the narrative. People are being held hostage to just play a part in Wandas sick tv show SHES made for her and her husband. People outside the forcefield are just normal people but once they put a person, object, etc it gets turned into what WANDA wants. I think that fits into the mcu because the house is EXACTLY like that. These mfs haven’t aged at all because time isn’t existing for their universe. Abe thinks that he’s been tracing down William for years but Mark said that “he thinks that but really wmlw is right after wkm” (that’s paraphrasing go watch the wmlw to get a better explanation LMAO) but like I said the house makes you feel like it’s been only years or days but it’s not even close to that.

With that all being said I don’t think anyone here is the real villain here or the hero. Like Mark said They’re all human which they have bad and good traits the only thing that’s the real asshole is the house. It’s like it’s a living breathing purgatory that creates chaos

BUT THATS JUST A THEORY

A GAME- or a youtube .. YouTube theory? YEA A YOUTUBE THEORY!

now mind you I’m not the best at writing so I’m sorry that none of this made sense feel free to correct me or chime in with your theories but I just wanted to share my theories and ideas :) and if you made it those far I’m sorry I wasted ur time HSJSJDJJSJD

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 26: Everything’s Fine (originally posted on September 20, 2021)

AN: Welcome back to the jungle readers. When last we left Steven, his mind was going further down the toilet after shattering Jasper and the voice in his head continues trying to take control, which led to him lashing out against White Diamond & Spinel. Can he possibly keep his personal Nega-Scott under control while trying to tell the Gems that everything is totally okay? All this and more in this gripping chapter of Alternate Future!

Synopsis: Despite Steven constantly saying otherwise, everything isn't fine.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven, Topiary Stevens, Cactus Stevens

Estelle as Garnet

Micheala Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Ron Perlman as Steven's Inner Voice

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Cherry Quartz

Michelle Maryk as Larimar

Ian Jones-Quartey as Snowflake Obsidian, Bixbite

Tara Platt as Heaven and Earth Cubic Zirconias

Martha Higerada as Topaz

Auli'I Cravalho as Orange Spodumene

Aparna Nancherla as Nephrite

Kimiko Glenn as Blue Chalcedony

Phillipa Soo as Chrysocolla

Anika Noni Rose as Watermelon Tourmaline

Tara Strong as Grossular Diopside

Aimee Carrero as Moonstone

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite

Susan Egan as Rose Quartz

--

As soon as Steven returned to his earthly home via Warp Pad and checked up on the bathroom, he returned to his room to flop down on his bed. Steven thought the Diamonds would be of help to him, but instead, they didn't understand what he was going through, and his evil voice kept making things worse for him.

"Why did you make me do that?" Steven lugubriously asked his inner self. "Why did you make me nearly kill White Diamond, and punch Spinel?"

"They hurt you, so I thought it was about time you gave them their just desserts." The evil voice within Steven answered. "Yet the real you insisted that everything was fine. That's your biggest problem, you're way too forgiving of others no matter how much they want you dead."

"No, I know when others don't deserve to be accepted." Steven argued. "Like Black Rutile for example. If she's going to be proud of how irredeemable she is, I'll just let her do her thing."

"Ah yes, do her thing." The negative side of Steven mused. "Like threaten your life and make repeated attempts on your psyche. Yeah, if you could change that pervert, then maybe you can change the sociopath too."

Suddenly, Steven's phone began to ring. "One second Negative Me, I have to take this." Steven said while picking it up and hearing a relieving familiar voice on the other end. "Hey Connie, what's up?"

"Steven!" Connie cried in delight. "Good, you finally picked up. I can't believe we haven't talked to each other since the hospital visit, how are you?"

"I'm great!" Steven fibbed while gazing at how he was still pink. "Never been better!"

"Really?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you haven't had any more swelling or turning pink problems?"

"Uh, nope?" Steven replied. "Okay, maybe, but how are you doing? How's prepping for college going?"

"It's going fine Steven." Connie answered nervously. "But what you mean when you said maybe?"

"Look, there's nothing to worry about." Steven kept on lying. "Everything's fine."

"I doubt it." Steven's dark side interrupted.

"Look, I'll call you later," Steven said. "I don't wanna wake up the Gems."

"But they don't even sleep!" Connie exclaimed before Steven quickly hung up and gazed at his hands before the TV turned on.

"-it's because I'M A UNIVERSE!" Steven began seeing visions of the past on the TV, starting with his argument with Greg before it went to static. Then it began showing Steven holding the shattered remains of Jasper's gem in his hand. More static, followed by the near-death of White Diamond, then Steven punching Spinel for singing to him. Just as Steven got up to try and turn the TV off, he got one last devastating surprise.

"Steven, we can't both exist." Rose Quartz announced to Steven in the video she made before giving birth to him, the very sight of her warm face making him twitch angrily where he stood. "I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you."

"No, I never loved myself," Steven growled furiously. "I've always hated being you. Everything I've suffered, and everything you ever put everyone through," He balled up his fist and pointed it straight at the TV screen. "IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Before Rose could finish, Steven broke the screen with a single punch and prematurely ended the video. However, Steven then let out a gasp as he gazed into his reflection on the shattered remains of the screen, noticing that his irises were now diamond-shaped and realizing what he had become.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Steven trembled and dropped to the ground in horror. "Th-this can't be happening, I didn't think about shattering White, I didn't shatter Jasper, punch Spinel, or nearly kill Dad!" His panicking soon turned to mad chuckling as Steven tried to cheer himself up. "I'm Steven Universe!" Steven then turned to Vidalia's painting of him and Garnet. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he loudly repeated to himself, causing the glass of his bedroom door to break. "I'm totally fine!"

"Steven, is that you?!" The loudness of Steven's fibbing caused Pearl to cry out as she, Amethyst, and Garnet raced upstairs to Steven's room and gasped at his current appearance.

"What happened?" Amethyst asked Steven. "When did you get so big?"

"Is everything alright?" Pearl added just as nervously.

"I'm fine." Steven smiled and waved at the Gems. "Going to the Diamonds was just a waste of time since they had no idea what I was going through. I thought I needed to figure myself out, but I already know who I am! I'm Steven Universe; and I help, not hurt!"

"Yeah, then I suppose you tried to help the TV there?" Amethyst said while pointing a thumb at the damaged TV. "Seriously, we have got to upgrade someday. But seriously dude, what's going on? You look way different!"

"Pfft, I'm still your lovable old Steven!" Steven denied in response.

"Steven, we're worried," Garnet stated, taking off her glasses to emphasize how concerned she was for her ward. "You haven't been acting like your usual self lately, and we think you should get some rest before this gets dangerous."

"I'm okay, really!" Steven continued lying to the Gems, who glanced concernedly at each other before turning back to him.

"We'll take your word for it." Garnet said resignedly.

"You know, everything's gone downhill ever since I quit Little Homeschool!" Steven declared cheerfully. "I should head on over and see if I can make myself useful there! See you guys later!"

With that, Steven used his newfound super speed to race out of the house to Little Homeworld. To the Gems, it was like he was gone in an instant.

"I get that Steven wants us to know he's fine, but that was a little unsettling." Pearl stated fearfully. "We should just follow him to Little Homeworld so we can keep an eye on him."

"Agreed." Garnet nodded while putting her glasses back on.

"Yeah, that boy ain't right!" Amethyst declared before the trio left Steven's bedroom. But what they or even Steven didn't know was that a black-colored drone was watching them carefully.

--

"Excellent, he's just about at his breaking point." Black Rutile declared triumphantly while examining the footage her drone has gathered with White Topaz by her side. "Oh, I haven't felt this much of a rush since the Strawberry Battlefields!"

"But will Steven get any better?" White Topaz asked nervously, inciting her master to give her a furious glare.

"No, that's my intention!" Black Rutile stated. "I broke him, I broke his spirit! If I physically harmed him, the damage would just go away. But mental torture, the wounds shall only grow and fester! I have officially broken Steven Universe, and all that's left is for everyone to reject that monster."

"Oh master, we're back from training." Bluebird Azurite declared as she flew back to the Rutile's cavern hideaway.

"Oh hey guys, how you getting along?" White Topaz asked the fusion cheerfully.

"We're getting along splendidly thanks to Steven's advice." Bluebird answered before un-fusing into Aquamarine and Eyeball.

"Now we're even stronger than ever!" Aquamarine exclaimed joyfully.

"Look what we can do now!" Eyeball added before pulling out her chisel and shaking it to turn the blade into a beam of fire while Aquamarine launched bubbles from her wings.

"Ah, so glad you two are reaching your full potential, potential that Steven has suppressed for too long." Black Rutile smiled warmly at the tiny twosome. "But know this, you may be afraid of what could be to come, but remember that fear is but the precursor to valor! And to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a warrior. Don't think, become."

"I fail to see how that could inspire us, but okay." Aquamarine muttered before peeking behind Black Rutile to see the drone footage. "Now what's all this?"

"It's video evidence that I've driven Steven to madness." Black Rutile answered with a proud grin before gesturing to each screen. "Here, we see Steven going ballistic on a human television when his mother appeared on the monitor." She said pointing to the first one. "On this one, the accursed Crystal Gems show concern for him for once, but he denies that anything is wrong with him." Then Black Rutile moved on to the third one. "And finally, Steven is just gone like a light."

"How can he do that?" White Topaz asked as she looked at the third viewscreen.

"Research shows that this comes from his Diamond heritage interfering with his human biology." Black Rutile analyzed the footage. "I should know, I was often tasked with watching over Pink Diamond whenever her usual caretakers were unavailable. And let me just say, it was unbelievably hectic."

"Yeah, like remember our attempted occupation of Zembilla?" White Topaz added. "Pink really grew attached to those little orange natives and didn't want them all dead."

"Don't remind me to the point of making me have a flashback." Black Rutile groaned while stroking her temples. "This shall be our time to rise up. We shall strike the first moment we get when Steven is at his lowest, so I suggest you better prepare." The Rutile then turned to her Topaz muscle. "Topaz, I need you to preside over Aquamarine and Ruby's training for the time being."

"Oh, of course, I'll do as you say!" White Topaz frantically declared. "That's me, White Topaz, always at your service!"

"Just…..go." Black Rutile's eye began to twitch at White Topaz's brownnosing. As soon as her three subordinates left, the mastermind turned back to her screens and paused the first one at Steven punching the TV screen. "Soon, my boy. Your god complex will finally crumble, just like your so-called happily ever after."

--

"Ah Little Homeworld, long time no see!" Steven declared happily as he reached Little Homeworld and landed on the Warp Pad. "Time to find someone who needs my help."

As Steven ran around the village in search of people to help, Gems and humans were taken a little aback by his new appearance and tried to stay away from him, though Steven didn't know why.

"Look, we're just saying Emerald, there are more ways reptiles are connected to birds than you think." Demantoid argued with Emerald as the two played chess together.

"Name one!" Emerald declared while moving her rook to knock out Demantoid's pawn. "Are there any lizards that have feathers, hm?!"

"Hey, guys, any arguments that need settling?" Steven butted into the green Gems' debate with a wide smile, taking the two by surprise. "Something about birds?"

"What is wrong with you?!" Emerald exclaimed. "This is why Black Rutile hates you, you think everything has to revolve around you and how you think you can fix everything! But even so, you look creepily happier than usual. Something is definitely up."

"Oh, everything's fine." Steven declared, his eye twitching ever so slightly at Emerald's accusation. "I think I'll just let you guys get back to your conversation." And so, Steven set off for someone else to try and help, leaving the green ex-subordinates of Black Rutile aghast before they decided to change the topic while getting back to their game.

"So, I've heard rumors that Steven is suffering from some problems lately." Demantoid said as her rook moved to take out the opposing knight. "Something about post-traumatic stress disorder?"

"Are you sure?" Emerald replied. "Because I've read about the symptoms, and something tells me he might have a borderline personality disorder."

"Maybe somewhere in the middle?" Demantoid deduced.

--

"Now the key to giving a plant proper sunlight is finding a spot that's just right." Peridot exposited to her class of Pyrope, Orange Spodumene, Blue Chalcedony, Cherry Quartz, and Squaridot while pointing to a chrysanthemum. "And it also varies on what kind of plant you're growing."

"I see." Squaridot muttered in awe.

Just then, Steven barged into the greenhouse and grinned at Peridot's class. "Hi Peridot, do any of you need some help?"

"No, I do believe we're perfectly fine." Pyrope answered dryly.

"So what brings you back here?" Peridot asked. "Didn't you leave a few months back?"

"Just your friendly neighborhood Crystal Gem just here to help!" Steven declared. "And I think your students have a few struggling saplings here. Let me give you a hand." Chuckling at his pun, Steven licked his hands and reached out to Pyrope's pot before Peridot stopped him.

"Not so fast!" Peridot scolded Steven. "Amethyst told me you're on a No Plant Friends policy after what happened with the Cactus Stevens."

"We're right here you know." A Cactus Steven said while helping a nearby Sapphire.

"Besides, I don't want your germs all over my prized flower!" Pyrope added, protectively hiding her pot from Steven.

"Oh come on you guys, I just want to give them a little nudge!" Steven laughed. To further prove his point, a leaf fell off Blue Chalcedony's plant.

"That has been bothering me lately." Blue Chalcedony stated, holding her pot out to Steven. "Go ahead, just a smidge though."

"I got a bad feeling about this." Cherry Quartz said warily.

"Oh don't worry, I got this!" Steven said as he licked his finger and tapped on the spot where the leaf fell off.

Moments later, the greenhouse began literally bursting with plant life, and not in a good way. Living topiaries in the shape of Steven broke through the greenhouse walls chanting "Steven's here to help!" while Peridot's class ran away screaming.

"Nice going Chal, now look what's happened!" Pyrope yelled at Blue Chalcedony.

"Hey, lay off her Pyrope!" Orange Spodumene exclaimed. "But still, something is not right with Steven!"

On the topic of Steven, he followed the class out of the greenhouse and seemed oblivious to the damage he had caused. "Look at that, life! It's everywhere, it always finds a way!"

"Much like how you find a way to drive people away." Steven's evil voice muttered sardonically, but Steven paid it no mind as he continued his search for people to help.

--

"Now, tell me how that makes you feel." Garnet said to a human couple she was giving counseling to when she heard Peridot scream, causing the humans to stand up as they gasped. "See you next week."

As soon as the couple ran away in fright, three Topiary Stevens surrounded Garnet, still chanting "Steven's here to help!" while the real Steven ran into the fusion.

"Oh Garnet, I see you're making some new friends!" Steven exclaimed joyfully, continuing to be unaware of his surroundings. "Then I guess this was a net win. Welp, gotta run and find someone else to help! It's what I do!"

"Then help me stop them!" Garnet yelled while the Topiary Stevens repeated "Steven's here to help!", which began to get on her nerves. "The others have to know about this."

--

"Being a lifeguard was far easier than I thought." Laz declared while relaxing in a lifeguard chair above the Gems in the now completed swimming pool. "Just gotta sit around and wait for something to happen. Besides, Gems can't drown anyways!"

"Yeah, but they still need to learn some basic rules." Lapis said to her old friend turned enemy turned friend again before blowing her whistle. "Hey, no running so fast! You might slip and fall!"

"Sorry, Lapis." Teal Zircon apologized before diving in and landing on top of Watermelon Tourmaline. "This is living, eh Melon?"

"You said it, Teal." Watermelon Tourmaline said as she floated around the pool with the Zircon relaxing on her stomach. "Ain't nothing could go wrong today."

Just then, Steven came a-knocking as he opened the gate to the pool to check out what was going on. "Hey Lapises, how's everything going?" he asked. "Anyone need any saving right now?"

"Actually, I think we're running a pretty tight ship as is," Lapis answered Steven while Zuli emerged from the pool after a swim. "Right guys?"

"Yeah, we don't need any extra help right now." Zuli stated. "But if you want, we could hold tryouts sometime."

"Oh no need, I'll just do it myself." Steven beamed before he began looking out for someone who might need his assistance when he spotted Teal Zircon resting on Watermelon Tourmaline's stomach. "Hey TZ, you could slip and fall!"

"What?" Teal asked before Steven grabbed her by the hand. "I'm doing pretty fine over here." Suddenly, as Steven tried to pull the Zircon from the pool, he accidentally pulled a little too hard and threw her up in the air. "OKAY, NOW I'M NOT DOING FINE!" TZ screamed as she flew away from the pool. "WITNESS ME!"

Teal Zircon didn't stay in the air for long, and soon dropped from the sky into another part of Little Homeworld. "I'm okay!"

"What's the big idea, Steven?" Watermelon Tourmaline asked. "We were all having fun before you came in and threw Teal Zircon to who knows where!"

"I'm sure TZ's fine, she said so herself." Steven laughed. "Well, gotta run! Have a nice day everybody!"

As soon as Steven ran off, more Topiary Stevens came bursting through the chain-link fence as they wrestled with the Cactus Stevens, prompting the other Gems present to slowly back away.

"Can this day get any weirder?" Laz scoffed. "I was trying to relax here!"

"Hey, did anyone else notice that Steven was all pink and such?" Lapis asked her fellow water-manipulating lifeguards.

"Yeah, it's kinda freaking me out." Zuli replied. "And are we sure he's totally fine?"

"I'm asking that question too." Lapis pondered while Peridot came charging through the broken fence to break up the battle of the plant Stevens.

--

When Steven left the pool, the first thing he saw was Bismuth's forge. "That's right, it must be shop o'clock!" he declared while skidding to a stop. "Bismuth's shop class, that is. Time to get my shop on."

"You good bud, you talking to yourself or something?" Amethyst, dressed in a coach uniform, asked Steven as he entered the forge.

"Now, the detailing requires a light touch." Bismuth explained to Blue Pearl, Bixbite & Snowflake Obsidian while standing between Pearl wearing a smithing apron and Yellow Pearl in a suit of armor. "Pay attention now everybody, cause this is critical to getting it right."

"Uh, hey howdy hey!" Steven greeted the shop class while leaning against the entrance.

"Oh, hey Steven!" Bixbite cheerfully greeted Steven.

"Did you get taller?" Blue Pearl asked with a tilt of her head and a finger to her lips.

"Whoa-ho-ho, lookin' good Steven!" Bismuth complimented Steven's change in appearance.

"I don't think that look is a positive change for him." Pearl whispered to Bismuth. "We think something might be wrong with him."

"Fancy seeing you drop by." Yellow Pearl grinned, unaware of what the teachers were conversing about. "How do you like my armor?"

"You look great Yellow Pearl!" Steven answered. "So Bismuth, in need of a teaching assistant?"

"Actually, Pearl's my TA today," Bismuth replied with a hand on Pearl's shoulder before presenting Yellow Pearl's armor-clad arm. "but I could use a wedding expert for my wedding armor demonstration. How 'bout it?"

"Of course, I'll help!" Steven declared. "That's what I love doing, just helping everyone!"

"Okay, let's get some materials warmed up for you." Bismuth then walked over to a pot of coals that she plucked a cooling steel bar from and flattened one end of it on the anvil with her hammer hand. "I think that's good enough." She stated. "Hey Steven, mind helping me with a pauldron or two?"

"I got this." Steven cheered as he walked over to the anvil and prepared to punch the metal.

"Hold up there boulder-brain." Bismuth stopped Steven before he could punch. "It's just some detail work, no need for a big mallet when you could use a little hammer." She handed a tiny hammer to Steven. "Plus, you could burn yourself that way."

"Oh, whoopsy-daisy, thanks Bismuth." Steven exclaimed and lightly tapped on the metal with the hammer. Instead of the detail work he thought he could do, Steven instead cracked the anvil into pieces with a single tap.

"Someone's stronger than we thought." Snowflake laughed nervously while Pearl & Bismuth gazed at the broken anvil.

"Look at that, now you have two anvils!" Steven laughed while Bismuth mourned the destruction of her anvil.

"NOOOOO!" Bismuth dropped to her knees in despair. "My anvil! My beautiful anvil!"

"Oh, grow up will you?" Steven's inner voice grumbled. "It's an anvil, you can make another."

"Seems like my work here is done." The real Steven laughed as he prepared to leave. "Well, toodles!"

"You see what I mean, Steven's not himself lately." Pearl said as she comforted Bismuth. "First he nearly got Greg killed, then Jasper started calling him her Diamond, and now this."

"Can I be the first to say that he needs help?" Yellow Pearl asked sardonically as more Topiary Stevens continued their rampage outside the forge.

--

As Steven exited the forge, he ran towards a baseball game that Amethyst was holding. Nephrite was on the Warp Pad throwing a ball to Doc, Amethyst stood by with Onion next to her, Topaz stood with a pair of humans on the bases, Larimar was in the outfield, and Chrysocolla, Grossular Diopside & Moonstone were waiting to play.

As soon as Amethyst noticed Steven, she blew her whistle and turned to talk to him. "Hey dude," she greeted him. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you needed any more players." Steven offered. "I'm ready to have a ball!"

"I think we could squeeze you in, we do need a new outfielder," Amethyst concluded and pointed to Larimar. "Oy, Larimar! Hit the showers, Steven's taking your place!"

"Good luck there Steven." Larimar said while she got up and left while Steven took her place on the playing field.

"Yeah, good hustle there Lil Larimar." Steven complimented the ice Gem. "I'm honored to be joining such a great game, I mean, everyone here has been outstanding!"

"You just got here, how do you know that?" Nephrite raised her brow.

"That's just me, I know what everyone is doing and feel the need to help all the time!" Steven declared, creeping everyone out.

"Enough chit-chat, batter up!" Amethyst cried out, cuing Onion to pick up a bat and walk up to home base, ready to play. Nephrite threw the ball towards the silent boy and he hit it with the bat, although unfortunately, it was heading straight for a nearby house.

"Oh no, in danger again?!" the Heaven Cubic Zirconia complained as the ball sailed towards the window of her and Earth Cubic Zirconia's house while they were having tea.

"I swear, is it because we're small?" Earth Cubic Zirconia wondered. Thankfully, Steven caught the ball just in time, much to their relief.

"I did it." Steven declared and the other players cheered.

"Three cheers for Steven!" Topaz declared.

"That's our boy." Chrysocolla smiled.

"I did it, and I didn't ruin anything!" Steven boomed happily. "YEAH!" However, the complete opposite of what he just said quickly happened. His excited yell caused a windstorm powerful enough to knock people off their feet, break glass everywhere, and cause the Zirconias' house to fall apart.

"Whoa, take it easy Steven!" Moonstone cried as she held onto a bench while the windstorm continued.

"Someone help me!" Grossular Diopside yelled while she got blown away with Larimar. Thankfully, the windstorm died down after a few seconds but still left a ton of destruction in its wake, and all eyes were on Steven.

"Oops, sorry everyone." Steven blushed at the chaos he caused. "T-t-that was an accident. But what are accidents and mistakes but opportunities to learn and improve, right?" He looked down at the Zirconias, who weren't very happy about the destruction of their home.

"It was a mistake for us to be put in danger again, especially because of you!" Earth yelled accusingly.

"Earthy, shush!" Heaven shushed her partner.

"I mean, we all make mistakes, and as long as we keep improving, everything will be fine!" Steven declared while picking up a log. "Alright, let's get to it!"

"It was a mistake for you to come here in this state." The voice in Steven's head declared. "Black Rutile and I were right, you will drive everyone away."

"Listen, I am done with you for today." Steven's own thoughts argued with the voice. "Just pipe down and don't ever think about feeding me bad thoughts ever again, got it?"

"How about never?" the voice said smarmily while the Topiary Stevens got to work on helping Steven by picking up Onion, Larimar, and Grossular Diopside.

"WE'RE HELPING!" one of the Plant Stevens yelled.

--

High above the destroyed makeshift baseball field, Black Rutile's satellite continued watching everything and sending footage back to its creator, who was all too happy to see what her hard work has amounted to.

"This is just priceless!" Black Rutile laughed joyously. "First, he makes plants come to life and fight those cactus beasts, then he throws that annoying Zircon into the air, broke an anvil, and caused a scene during one of those human games. I'm sure he's going to make such a scene about all these little accidents."

"All the more tools to humiliate the boy." Aquamarine added just as sneakily. "Soon, he will have nothing but himself and his thoughts controlling him."

"Unless his friends were to come out and tell him everything will be alright." White Topaz objected. "I'm just saying, those Gems will stick by his side through thick and thin."

"Hey, no more objections!" Eyeball yelled while pulling out her flame knife. "Want me to test this on you?!"

While Eyeball began chasing White Topaz around the woods with her knife, Black Rutile just groaned and turned back to her screens. "Tell me Aquamarine, why do all great geniuses surround themselves with idiots?"

"Your guess is as good as mine my Rutile." Aquamarine shook her head while watching the screens focused on the beach house with bated breath.

--

As soon as Steven was done helping fix what he had broke, he returned to the beach house with a dourer expression than the big smile he kept wearing throughout the day. On the other side of the room, Connie was in the living room while Greg and the Gems sat down on the couch.

"Steven!" Connie cried. "I was right all along, you're still swelling! I tried calling you all day, but I kept getting this weird meme." She held up her phone, which now depicted Steven bouncing up and down while chanting "Steven's here to help!" just like the Topiary Stevens. "Please, what is going on? We're all worried for you."

"Go on boy, play dumb." Steven's inner voice commanded.

"I sometimes broadcast my subconscious these days." Steven answered. "It's really no big deal."

"NOT THAT DUMB!" the voice groaned in irritation.

"I can tell something is bothering you." Connie continued. "There are even times where the meme sometimes turns into this."

"Steven's here to help, Steven's here to help!" Steven kept chanting on Connie's phone before it began to glitch. "Steven help, help Steven!"

"Ah, I don't know what you're talking about!" Steven declared, his stress continuing to unnerve others. "Besides, you all saw I was doing just fine this morning. I'm fine, awesome even!"

"Steven, if being as helpful as you always are, even if it's a bit obnoxious & creepy, is what you want, we'll support you 100%." Greg comforted. "But if you're not really happy, if something's wrong-"

"He's onto us!" the voice exclaimed. "Should've gone a little further with the crash, I say."

"Nothing's wrong!" Steven rebuked his father's worries. "Besides, you all don't have to worry."

"We ARE worried!" Connie replied worryingly. "Besides, Pink Diamond's Pearl told the Gems over the communicator in your greenhouse that you punched Spinel while you were at Homeworld."

"Listen, you can tell us anything." Greg added.

"Look at these worms, ganging up on us." The inner voice kept snarling. "Run, run while you still can! No one may help us now! Except, of course, for a certain Rutile."

"It's not that easy." Steven muttered as he hung his head in shame. "You know what? I don't want to deal with all this." However, when Steven tried to leave, Garnet blocked his way to the Warp Pad while the rest kept him from leaving through the door. "Seriously guys, I don't want to deal with this!"

"No, we don't wanna deal with all this." Amethyst put her foot down at Steven's behavior.

"Please, you have to stop running." Garnet begged in addition when suddenly, Steven's body began to swell yet again and his face stretched out.

"Maybe we should get you back to my mom at the hospital." Connie suggested.

"HOSPITAL?!" Amethyst shrieked.

"Is that what you were doing while we were at the trial?!" Pearl yelled.

"You mean you didn't tell them?!" Connie cried out in shock, while Steven's body kept on distorting and his breath quickened.

"It wasn't that important, just my first ever doctor's visit." Steven smiled awkwardly. "You're making a big deal out of nothing! Sure, I messed up the house and broke a few things, but what teenager hasn't?"

"You spent years forcing secrets out of the Gems, and now you're the one keeping secrets?" Steven's darker half growled at his other half's hypocrisy. "You truly have become your mother."

"And sure, Dad and I had a little fight, but it was practically a rite of passage!" Steven continued fibbing and shrugged.

Connie and the Gems turned their gaze to Greg, who just scratched his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"I mean, wouldn't it be weird if we didn't?!" Steven kept on ranting. "And sure, I've had Black Rutile feed me some not so nice thoughts while you were at Los Diego that took the form of an inner voice that forced me to punch Spinel, or try and shatter White Diamond, but it's not like I actually went through with it! I did really shatter Jasper after all!"

"WHAT?!" Amethyst screamed at the thought of Steven, this sweet young man who would rather hang out with a fly than hurt it, doing such a thing, especially to a Gem he had tried many times to help see the light.

Although barely anyone could hear, Jasper let out a light moan from the bathroom.

"You're-you're joking right?!" Connie gasped with Greg while Garnet's jaw dropped and Pearl's eyes widened.

"Oh don't worry, I fixed Jasper! I can fix anything!" Steven's temper began to reach its boiling point. "I can just keep fixing and fixing things forever, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again!"

"Except worrying about how you're deliberately pushing people away while begging them to stay." Steven's inner voice concluded while metaphorically looking around at the shocked reactions of Steven's human & Gem loved ones. "Just look at them all, how do you think they'd ever forgive you for such a horrendous act?"

"Steven." Garnet tried to lend an assuring hand on the boy's shoulder, but she was quickly shoved away.

"How messed up is that?!" Steven gasped as he felt something change in his body. His teeth began getting sharper, his skin became pinker & leatherier, his hands slowly turned into claws, and his pupils started turning pink. "That I've gotten away with all this for so long, forcing my views down the throats of others, tearing apart Gem society to the point where they'll eventually be invaded, actually murdering someone! Black Rutile was right, I am just an awful person! A sociopath even!"

No one could comprehend what Steven was thinking right now. Greg began to tear up at all these horrible things Steven was saying about himself, Connie gripped the father's arm tightly, and Pearl & Amethyst began fearfully hugging Garnet, whose face was completely frozen in horror.

"You think I'm so great, I'm so mature, that I always know what to do, BUT I'M NOT!" Steven began roaring in a more beastly tone. "I haven't learned a thing from my problems, and I never will! They all kept making me worse, YOU all keep making me worse! Are you even sure any of you ever loved or cared about me?! If it weren't for Pink Diamond ruining everything for everyone, I could've been just a normal kid!"

"That's right, just let everything out." The inner voice purred comfortingly. "Me on the other hand, I think I shall take my leave and prepare something more normal for you." With that, the inner voice seemingly vanished from Steven's mind.

"You all think of me as a perfect angel who's too pure for this world, but I'm not a little kid anymore!" Steven boomed before he dropped to the ground with his head between his hands. "I'm just like my mom. A fraud." He began to tremble where he crouched as something began bubbling on his back. "I'm a monster!"

Suddenly, a massive pillar of light pink scales erupted from Steven's back like a volcano as everyone reacted quickly. Garnet stuck her arms out to protect Amethyst & Pearl and Connie jumped back, but Greg was just plain terrified.

--

"I'm a monster!" Steven's final words before his transformation were rewound by Black Rutile as she eagerly replayed the phrase again and again on more of her satellite footage. "I'm a monster! I'm a monster! I'm a monster!"

With an evil grin, Black Rutile paused the video and shut off her screens. "And I have finally won!" she declared triumphantly and let out a booming evil laugh that echoed throughout the cave and scared off the nearby animals. Aquamarine & Eyeball grinned in delight, while White Topaz turned away from her cohorts in shame of what she had participated in. As quickly as Black Rutile finished her victorious cackle, she had another wonderful, awful idea in mind. "Now, onto Phase 2."

--

….holy shit. Uh, see you all for I am My Monster, I guess. And by the way, I did repurpose Steven accidentally playing Rose's message for the Rose trio in Rose Buds for the opening.

[lisabrown-mjfan]

In January 2nd, 1983. #MichaelJackson released "Billie Jean" as the second single from his sixth studio album, Thriller. It was written and composed by Michael Jackson and produced by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones.

For the story, Michael Jackson said he felt "Billie Jean" would be a success as he was writing it and stated "A musician knows hit material. Everything has to feel in place. It fulfills you and it makes you feel good. That's how I felt about 'Billie Jean'. I knew it was going to be big when I was writing it." He explained that, hearing it in his head while in his car, he was so absorbed that he did not realize his car had caught fire until a passing motorcyclist informed him.

While recording at Westlake Studios, Michael Jackson disagreed with the producer, Quincy Jones, about the song. According to some reports, Jones felt it was too weak to be included on Thriller, but Jones has denied this. Quincy Jones disliked the demo and did not care for the bassline, and wanted to cut Michael Jackson's 29-second introduction. Michael Jackson, however, insisted that it be kept. According to Quincy Jones, he conceded when Michael Jackson said it made him want to dance: "And when Michael Jackson tells you, 'That's what makes me want to dance', well, the rest of us just have to shut up."

Quincy Jones also wanted to change the title to "Not My Lover", as he believed that people would think the song referred the tennis player Billie Jean King. Michael Jackson refused to change the title and asked Quincy Jones to give him co-producing credits for the track, as he felt that the finished product sounded close to his demo. In addition, Michael Jackson wanted extra royalties. Quincy Jones granted him neither and the two fell out for several days.

Quincy Jones had Michael Jackson sing his vocal overdubs through a six-foot cardboard tube. Michael Jackson's lead vocal was performed in one take and he had received vocal training every morning throughout the production of the song. Jazz saxophonist Tom Scott played the lyricon, an electronic wind instrument. Bassist Louis Johnson played his part on every bass guitar he owned, before Michael Jackson settled for a Yamaha bass.

Engineer Bruce Swedien mixed the song 91 times ! Unusual for Swedien, who usually mixed a song just once. Instructed by Quincy Jones to create a drum sound with "sonic personality" that no one had heard before, Quincy Jones constructed a platform for the drum kit with special elements including a flat piece of wood between the snare and hi-hat. He said: "There aren't many pieces of music where you can hear the first three or four notes of the drums, and immediately tell what the piece of music is. But I think that is the case with 'Billie Jean', and that I attribute to sonic personality."

The "Billie Jean" music video debuted on March 10, 1983 on MTV. It was one of the first videos by a black artist to be aired regularly by the channel, as the network's executives felt black music was not "rock" enough ! ( What a shame ). Directed by Steve Barron.

Walter Yetnikoff, the president of Michael Jackson's record company CBS Records, approached MTV about playing the "Billie Jean" video, which MTV had not ever played in spite of Michael Jackson's success as a musical artist. Yetnikoff became enraged ( Ah, good time when Michael's record compagny had his back ! ) when MTV refused to play the video, and he threatened to go public with MTV's stance on racial discrimination. "I said to MTV, 'I'm pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I'm not going to give you any more videos. And I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy.'

MTV relented and played the "Billie Jean" video in heavy rotation. After the video was aired, Thriller went on to sell an additional 10 million copies !

But the best yet to come...Michael Jackson performed "Billie Jean" on the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, broadcast on May 15, 1983. The performance is considered a watershed moment in popular culture history. The special was recorded on March 25 as a celebration of Motown Records' twenty-fifth anniversary (Motown was launched in 1959). The event featured many popular Motown acts, past and present. Michael Jackson initially refused an invitation to reunite with the Jackson 5 for a performance, but reconsidered after a visit from Motown founder Berry Gordy, whom Michael Jackson respected and then Michael asked to also perform "Billie Jean", to which Gordy agreed !

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was watched by 50 million people and Michael Jackson's routine earned him an Emmy nomination. With the performance, Jackson reached a new audience and increased the sales of Thriller, which eventually became the best-selling album of all-time !

"Billie Jean" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart within three weeks, and became Michael Jackson's fastest-rising number one single since "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" in 1970, all of which he recorded as a member of the Jackson 5. It remained at number one for nine weeks on the chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1983. "Billie Jean" is certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The song has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also a number one hit in the UK, France, Switzerland and Belgium for example, and reached the top ten in many other countries. "Billie Jean" was one of the best-selling singles of 1983, helping Thriller become the best-selling album of all time, and became Jackson's best-selling solo single.

"There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true." Michael Jackson. #michaeljackson #Kingofpop #mjforever 👑🌟🙏🏾✌🌻💖

[agentnico]

Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade (2010′s)

Now that we have entered the 2020s, it’s time to look back on a decade of movie magic. To emphasise the importance of each year, I’ll balance things out by including two films from each year for my Top 20 list. I’ve tried to pick films that both defined this decade as well as appealed to me personally, so my list will of course, as always, be different from yours, but hopefully, I won’t totally irritate you with my humble choice, which I deem worthy to post online for the public eye to witness.

2010:

INCEPTION - “You’re waiting for a train...” Christopher Nolan unarguably is the most exciting and original directors working today. Each time he releases a movie, its an event. A literal must-see at the cinema. Which is why this isn’t the only film of his you will find on this list. With Inception, Nolan gives us a movie that is both enjoyable and imaginative, rewarding the audience for the attention that it demands. Filled with so much detail that if you miss certain shots, you will completely get lost in confusion of the narrative (as confusing as it already is). It’s intense and complex, with great performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, this movie will leave you lingering for more even after that mysterious ending.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -  “You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!” Once again, another exciting director on this list (oh there are so so many!). Ever since Edgar Wright emerged from the British isles, he’s given us some of the funniest films of the past decade and onwards. His Cornetto Trilogy is a blast, Baby Driver is a blast, Ant-Man was going to be even more of a blast if Marvel allowed Wright to do his magical shenanigans his way, and the upcoming Last Night in Soho will surely be a blast also. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Wright creates a meta-clever universe taking inspiration from comic books and video games and filled to the brink with wink-wink-nudge-nudge humour, this is an exciting and very sarcastic over the top endeavor. Also, Brie Larson in this movie.....phew!! And unsurprisingly, its all a blast!

2011:

DRIVE - “I just wanted you to know, just getting to be around you, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Drive is more of an elegant exercise in style, and its emotions may be hidden but they run deep. A shamelessly disreputable, stylish, stoic, ultra-violent thriller with amazing stunt work, one of the best opening sequences of any movie this decade and a neon-pumped soundtrack that’s a must-own for all vinyl users, if you still haven’t seen Drive, there’s only one thing you can do. Clue: it’s to go watch Drive.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - “Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” Tom Cruise’s deal with the devil allows him to do some literally impossible stuff, and though I don’t condone his Scientology ways, the man’s stunt work and efforts in his area of expertise are worth all the praise and respect. To be honest, I’m commemorating all three of the Mission Impossible flicks that graced our screen this year (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout). This franchise is like a game of dodgeball, except that Tom Cruise is the dodgeBALL, being thrown and thrust left and right like nobody cares. Also, with me being Russian, the fact that a movie manages to destroy the Kremlin and then have me not hate the film in the aftermath shows that this film is way too fun to hate.

2012:

DJANGO UNCHAINED - “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors working today. And Django Unchained happens to be my favourite film of his. The writing for this film is orgasmic (I went there!). The way the actors deliver the lines and the lines of dialogue themselves sound almost poetic to my ears. I can quote so many lines from this darn thing. The cinematography is immaculate. The soundtrack choice is great. The performances, my goodness, the PERFORMANCES!! Jamie Foxx does arguably his career-best work here, but also we have Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio both chewing up the scenery, and I’m sure everyone has heard the story involving DiCaprio and the broken glass. Django Unchained is an easy choice on this list for me, and possibly in my Top 10 of all time.

LES MISERABLES - “Do you hear the people sing?” The film that is based on a musical that is based on a book that is based on certain true events. Tom Hooper did an interesting choice of having actors sing live in front of the camera during filming rather than pre-record their voices, and it works to grand effect, though Russell Crowe should have probably been given more singing lessons. The movie is one hell of a way to adapt such a popular stage musical. With an opening shot that emphasises the scale of this picture with a zoom-in towards this big ship during a storm being pulled by these poor prisoners, we are plunged into the despair and conflicts of various characters with adroit narrative thrust so that not a moment feels wasted or redundant. You’d think that a film with hardly any dialogue and an overall reliance on singing wouldn’t be so emotional. Yet, somehow, it works. Also props to Anne Hathaway for winning an Academy Award for being in a film for only 5 MINUTES!!

2013:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - “Sell me this pen.” Martin Scorsese’s mad look into Wall Street life is a bombastic caper and running at nearly 3 hours, Scorsese and his editing team manage to keep an astoundingly intoxicating pace that keeps you enthralled and engaged throughout. This one is definitely not for the families, as this R-rated fest is filled with drugs, money, sex and everything you can possibly imagine and paints quite the picture of the rich folks of Wall Street. And the middle of it all a bravura performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. Someone needs to give DiCaprio’s agent a raise, this is Leo’s third appearance on this list and we’re only in 2013!

THE WAY WAY BACK - “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're having way too much fun, it's making everyone uncomfortable.” Sometimes a little indie flick is enough to lift a human spirit. Real, fun, uplifting and innocent, The Way Way Back dedicated to anyone who felt awkward or out of place at some point in their life, which, let’s be honest, counts all of us. I’m not afraid to admit that. So stop being a b*** and reveal your sensitive side too! Yes, you, the person reading this. Who else could I possibly be talking to? Myself? Maybe. The Way Way Back though is one of the best feel-good indie films of this decade, with the loveable Steve Carell acting very unloveable and Sam Rockwell Rockwelling himself to charm city! If you’ve missed this one, treat yo’self and check it out.

2014:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - “And?? Where is it? What's it all about dammit don't keep us in suspense this has been a complete f***ing nightmare! Just tell us what the f*** is going on!!!” Easily Wes Anderson’s best in my opinion (I have a friend who would argue Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums has the better hand but I think my opinion is more valid because it's me), this movie is a glossy, colorful, whimsical deadpan affair with an energetic turn from Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge M. Gustave H. as he and his lobby boy run into various Wes Anderson regulars and deal with murderers, stolen paintings, love affairs, prison breaks, and all kinds of crazy shindigs, but all shown in such a casual Wes Anderson way. This movie is like a slice of cherry pie - damn fine!

INTERSTELLAR - “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” As promised, Christopher Nolan makes another appearance on this list, now with his space time-traveling epic Interstellar, where he takes inspiration from the likes of Kubrick and Tarkovsky to give us, as always, a tad bit confusing adventure with great visuals and an interesting narrative (though it does sometimes get lost in its own way), however, the key thing holding this piece together is the father-daughter relationship with Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy (and Jessica Chastain) managing to bring so much raw emotion to their respective roles that you can’t help but want to shed a tear. I mean, I haven’t cried for over 14 years, but I remember when I first watched this film, the audience around me was sobbing quite a few times during the duration of this movie. Give it to Nolan to give us the emotional moments!

2015:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!” Easily the best action movie of this decade. Sorry John Wick, neither you or Tom Cruise could defeat this beast. The sheer, limitless invention behind this movie's exhilarating, preposterous chase scenes highlights action filmmaking at its finest. With big monster trucks and a random guitarist rocking-it in the middle of all the action, it’s like a nihilistic version of a Cirque du Soleil show! And it makes Tom Hardy the calmest person on-screen; no idea how it managed that.

STEVE JOBS - “I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.” If there is anyone who can make formulaic, mathematical or technological sound fun and exciting, its Aaron Sorkin. The man has a talent for writing screenplays about difficult and complicated topics yet turning them approachable for the casual moviegoer. Pair him with director Danny Boyle, and the result is Steve Jobs, a look at the man behind the phone. Narratively set during three important product launches of Jobs’, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of his relationships with his colleagues and family members, and this character study is one that could have easily fallen into generic biopic tropes, but it holds it’s own right till the credits roll. Also props for showing that Seth Rogen can actually do a serious role. Who would’ve thought that pot-smoking fella had dramatic chops in him?

2016:

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - “Susan, enjoy the absurdity of our world. It’s a lot less painful. Believe me, our world is a lot less painful than the real world.” Fashion designer Tom Ford does sew his suits well. Apparently, he can also make great films too, with 2009′s A Single Man and with said Nocturnal Animals. This movie is truly incredible and I remember it taking me and my friend by surprise when we first watched it at the cinema. It’s shocking. Horrifying. Depressing. Upsetting. Altogether exhilarating. Being of a fashion background, Tom Ford directs the hell out of this movie, with gorgeous shots and great use of colour as well as managing to masterfully create tension and suspense when necessary. Honestly, I know Tom Ford is probably busy at a department store somewhere, but the guy needs to make another movie. The man has a talent.

LA LA LAND - “Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache; here’s to the mess we make.” Oh, La La Land. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to the also excellent Whiplash. People who know me well know how much I love this movie. An old-school tour-de-force musical that’s a love letter to jazz and the golden age of Hollywood. The city of stars never looked so good. Featuring catchy original songs, excellent dance choreography (the sequence to the song “Lovely Night” is especially memorable) and a romance tale ten times better than the forsaken The Notebook, La La Land is one special movie. I know many are put off by the film’s not so happy ending, however for me it was the only way this narrative could have ended. 

2017:

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - “We’re all just looking out for something real.” Similarly to Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is proving to be one of the most exciting directors working today. He’s the man behind such films as *deep breath* Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. And those have all been done within the last decade. The man constantly makes quality movies of various genres, though lately, he has been leaning more towards science fiction, which is a-okay in my books, since as Blade Runner 2049 proves, he can turn science into fiction like butter on bread. A sequel made 30 years after Ridley Scott’s classic, this visually breathtaking piece is arguably even better than its predecessor with many moments giving you the “wow wow wow wow wow WOW!” factor, and when Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford are both on-screen they are dynamite. Forget the new Star Wars film (that’s right, I'm throwing shade there), Blade Runner is where it’s at!

PHANTOM THREAD - “The tea is going out. The interruption is staying right here with me.” The supposed last Daniel Day-Lewis film, as he has now apparently retired from acting, but let’s be honest, nothing stops him from simply unretiring at any point. Exhibit A - Joe Pesci. However, like Pesci, if he comes back I’ll only be happy. He’s one of acting greats of our time, and his collaborations will director Paul Thomas Anderson bring out some of his best roles. Phantom Thread is a marvel of a movie. No, I don’t mean that’s its part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I mean as in it can fill one with wonder and astonishment. Phantom Thread is PTA’s Gothic dark fairy-tale romance film, which expertly planned shots and scenes where every word of the dialogue counts. There is no wasted moment. And as the film transpires to its dark and unsettling climax, one begins to realize that this, THIS, is what filmmaking is about. Telling an engrossing story in an interesting way with crisp-clear shots and off-the-chart acting at play, with great costume design on display, although the latter is unsurprising due to a major aspect of the movie revolving around fashion.

2018:

MANDY -  “You ripped ma shirt!! You ripped maaa shiirrt!!” An acquired taste for sure, however, Mandy is indeed something truly special. From first glance, this film might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, especially from the point of view of the plot. Its the usual revenge flick. However director Panos Cosmatos’ vision and how he presents it is so much more unique. And what’s not love in this film? There’s something for everyone! It’s artsy and slow enough for the critics, hip and metal for the nonchalant, gory and violent for the hardcore genre fanatics and of course the Nic-Cage-rage factor is present for the fans of the actor. Alright, it may not be a family film, but this one is worth a watch. The whole thing is bound together by this psychedelic otherworldly environment, with the whole movie conceived in this dark, unsettlingly beautiful yet horror-filled aura that might stray people away, as it might be just too different for them, however, if you are looking for something different to watch, take mandy. I mean, watch Mandy!

A STAR IS BORN - “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” The film that began all the rumours surrounding Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s affair. People, heads up, they are actors! They were putting on a performance! Jeez. That being said, I totally ship them. Nuff’ said. The film though? Yes, it’s good. Some country-style music, romance blooming, Gaga can apparently act, people sing about shallows for some reason...all together works for a pretty decent motion picture. Also, the fact that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, produced and starred in this gives me so much respect for the guy. He poured his heart and soul into this. And Lady Gaga absolutely shines!

2019:

PAIN & GLORY -  “Writing is like drawing but with letters.” Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption. This movie is a thing of beauty.

PARASITE - “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Parasite is easily the most original and surprising films of 2019, and possibly the decade, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. This movie comes to us from Bong Joon-Ho, a South Korean director behind such films as The Host, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Snowpiercer. It’s nice to see the awards ceremonies giving him the proper recognition finally. He deserves it.

That sums up my Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade list. Of course, there are so many other great films that came out in these 10 years, such as Whiplash, When Marnie Was There, Paterson, Silence, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys...I can go on forever. Cinema is a constant ever-growing medium, and it is fascinating to see how it changes through the years, in some ways improving and in some parts not so much. In any case, I look forward towards a new decade of, hopefully, great movies, however, let’s be honest, for all these great films there’s always a Norm of the North, a Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse or frickin’ Cats. But let’s hope those will be kept to a minimum. In any case, bring on the 2020s!

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 03/04/2021 (Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO”, Mimi Webb, Russ Millions & Tion Wayne)

So, we have a #1 debut, and that’s pretty much the only story here in the UK Top 75 as we get a filler week before Demi Lovato, Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Tjay run in and cause havoc. As for now, “Wellerman” is replaced at the top by Lil Nas X’s controversial “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)”, spending its first week at #1 after making pretty sudden gains assisted by the video and alternate versions – the mid-week projection had this at #15. Elsewhere, we just see the fall-out from Bieber. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

It’s a quiet week – only seven new entries, and none from Rod Wave, 24kGoldn or AJR as I had predicted. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some stuff to talk about within the chart, or particularly off of the chart, as we have a fair few drop-outs switching their places with returning entries. In particular, we have Justin Bieber’s “As I Am” featuring Khalid being swapped out for “Anyone” at #25, as well as drop-outs for “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence – slightly premature, I’d think – and all of Lana Del Rey’s songs from last week. We also “Anxious” by AJ Tracey, “Heat” by Paul Woodford and Amber Mark and “Toxic” by Digga D exit the chart, but the only real notable loss was “34+35” by Ariana Grande ending its 21-week run on the chart. Returning to the Top 75 in its place – which I cover – we have “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers of course at #73, as well as “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus at #72, “You’ve Done Enough” by Gorgon City and DRAMA at #70 (really hope this one becomes a hit) and “Don’t You Worry About Me” by Bad Boy Chiller Crew at #66. In terms of climbers and fallers, we do have some notable gains and losses. For songs travelling down the chart, we have “Patience” by KSI featuring YUNGBLUD and Polo G tanking a sharp drop in its third week to #18, “Streets” by Doja Cat shaking off the video gains at #22, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo continuing to collapse at #27, another sharp drop for HVME’s remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” down to #34 probably due to ACR, which was probably the fate for “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #46. The same probably can’t be said for Drake’s losses, as “What’s Next” is at #40, “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” featuring Rick Ross is at #41 and “Wants and Needs” featuring Lil Baby stalls at #55. We also see falls for “Money Talks” by Fredo and Dave at #50, “Bringing it Back” by Digga D and AJ Tracey at #51, “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix on its way out at #57, “Headshot” by Lil Tjay featuring Polo G and Fivio Foreign down to #61 off the debut (although it’ll rebound thanks to the album as soon as the next week rolls around), “Ready” by Fredo featuring Summer Walker at #62, “You’re Mines Still” by Yung Bleu featuring Drake at #63 and “Day in the Life” by Central Cee at #69. Where it gets interesting are our gains, such as outside the top 40 with “What Other People Say” by Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer which could very well get even higher next week thanks to the album. We also have “Track Star” by Mooski at #53 off of the debut and a couple of tracks entering the top 40 for the first time, those being “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon at #39 and Majestic’s remix of “Rasputin” by Boney M. at #38. Elsewhere in the top 40, we have “Let’s Go Home Together” by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan at #13 and two songs marking their first week in the top 10, those being “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #10, a song continuing to sour on me, and “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S, an EDM song at #8 that I initially mocked for its soulless repackaging but has honestly got me pretty hooked since. I’m excited to see how this one does. For now, however, let’s get on with our new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#64 – “Cloud 9” – Beach Bunny

Produced by Joe Reinhart

Beach Bunny is a power pop band who last year released their album Honeymoon on Mom+Pop and it’s basically a modern r/indieheads staple in that it’s an accessible, airy pop-rock record fronted by a woman. It’s not anything unique, really, or different if you look further into it but that’s fine because there’s a lot of vaguely “indie” or music snob releases pushed out every year that miss the charts entirely. It’s a different story, however, when a year later, it gets viral on TikTok and streams its way onto the chart. In that case, we have “Cloud 9” by Beach Bunny, a pretty simple but sweet love song about a guy who just makes her feel a lot better about herself in times where she can’t pick herself up from the rut she’s in. Again, it’s a simple track but enhanced by the wonderful and unique vocal performance from front-woman Lili Trifilo and some pretty great production making sure no guitar lick is missed in this mix, especially in that chorus which is such an ethereal blend of the electric guitar dubs. I would argue that this actually should end at that second chorus even if it ends feeling abrupt as the transition to the final chorus feels a lot less cathartic than it does awkward, especially if the bridge is going to be a simplistic, quirky instrumental meander that doesn’t go far enough to be a guitar solo and hence feels kind of like a worthless addition. As is, this is a pretty great song still, just not the most fully realised once it loses that initial tight surf groove, though I’ll let it pass if we’re going to get rock this good on the charts again. I know this won’t really get more traction for Beach Bunny – or power pop for that matter – but more of this, please.

#52 – “You All Over Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) (Remix) (feat. DaBaby) (Part 2) (Radio Edit) – Taylor Swift featuring Maren Morris

Produced by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner

Sadly, this does not feature DaBaby and is not the remix, radio edit or sequel to any previously released song. Jokes aside, I guess brackets are the next big comeback for pop music, which goes hand-in-hands with remixes and re-releases, hence why Taylor Swift is dusting off this leaked Fearless-era cut for a new recording with country singer Maren Morris, who you probably know from her contributions to Zedd’s “The Middle”. Now whilst Swift is a great songwriter, I do often find myself frustrated by how she treads common ground all too frequently without establishing much different with how a song is structured or how it emotionally connects. This is true not just lyrically but especially sonically as of recent, as despite being written in 2008, it has too much in common with the less interesting cuts off of folklore for me to really care that much. That’s especially if Taylor’s going to undercut the clean acoustic guitars with flourishes of harmonica and crow sound effects, showing some genuine intrigue here before refusing to let any of that develop past a couple stray melodies or notes further back in the mix. I’m trying really hard to be compelled by these re-recordings and re-releases of her back catalogue as I do consider myself a fan, but it’s tough to pay attention when any new compositions we get sound like folklore leftovers with Maren Morris only put to use as decoration, much like HAIM on “no body, no crime” – and we already got an album full of folklore leftovers. I’m not a fan of this, sorry – I can see the appeal, and I do think this has enough of a country tinge to it to make it at least somewhat interesting – but this goes in one ear and immediately out of the other.

#48 – “Tonight” – Ghost Killer Track featuring OBOY and D-Block Europe

Produced by Ghost Killer Track and Kenzy

Screw the formalities and screw the analysis because D-Block Europe are back to add another D-Block to their EU collection – and since they’re Londoners, their only – and that’s Paris, and contrary to the British nature, we’ve let French rap chart in the top 50 out of the fact that they collaborated with two of the most comical rappers in British history. They’ve also linked up with producer Ghost Killer Track, also from France, as this is ostensibly his song even if he intends not to prove himself with this dull piano-based beat and oddly-mastered bass and percussion, which are really just DBE staples. Unfortunately, past the initial comedy of that first line in the chorus, neither Young Adz or Dirtbike LB deliver any stupid lyrics or funny inflections, instead just resorting to being as boring as they can in their constant flexing as possible. I guess the French guy here, OBOY, commands a higher energy in his verse if only through his comical “no, no, no” ad-libs, but he’s the only French speaker in an otherwise basic British trap song that I just cannot see the appeal in when we’ve had song after song from these guys for three years now. This won’t be the last we see of cookie-cutter UK rap this week though so brace yourselves for that.

#47 – “Last Time” – Becky Hill

Produced by LOSTBOY

It’s almost as if the charts are trying to send me off to sleep as here we have Becky Hill, a singer hedging the line between a non-presence and mildly annoying, which is arguably more frustrating than downright infuriating as her slightly smokier voice does not sound bad, just lacking in texture in every way, especially if the multi-tracking is going to be this minimal on a royalty-free deep-house beat produced by Getty Images with a pretty worthless drop, a generic and simple melody of piano stabs for major chords, and a whole bunch of reverb on the vocal take... but it still ends up feeling dry as there’s nothing here to quench that thirst for a tighter, bass-heavy house banger or even a more ethereal, dreamy trance track, deciding to stick to a healthy medium of boring and utter garbage. Yes, that was a singular sentence. I’m not awake enough to form a cohesive sentence less than 40 words long, and this new Becky Hill track is just worsening that if anything. Speaking of...

#21 – “Body” – Russ Millions and Tion Wayne

Produced by Gotcha Bxtch

Who’s Russ Millions? He’s Russ. No, not that Russ. British Russ – or Russ Splash, stylised as Russ splash on Spotify and nowhere else. This confusingly-named fellow appeared on the charts a couple times and possibly most famously with “Keisha & Becky”, a song also featuring Tion Wayne that is referenced on this very track. Sigh, I usually like Tion Wayne but even he can’t be bothered to delivery his usual brand of suave charm or sinister menace, instead opting for a more growling but ultimately completely monotone cadence that doesn’t flatter him or Russ, who one of my friends described as sounding like one of the aliens from Toy Story. This is a pretty by-the-numbers drill beat too, and it’s pretty safe to say that neither Russ or Tion Wayne here are going to bother with wordplay, even when they start pretty smoothly trading bars and Tion Wayne goes for a more unique chopper flow in the second verse. This is just not of any note. Once again, speaking of...

#17 – “Good Without” – Mimi Webb                        

Produced by Freedo

I assumed Mimi Webb debuted this high because of a talent show she won or something because I’d never heard her name but instead, she just happened to have a major label deal before her unreleased song just happened to go viral on TikTok and just happened to be supported by one of the women who just happened to be the biggest creator on the platform. Yeah, and this song just happened to be garbage, suffering from every possible millennial pop trope and then some, from the mix dressed rather too overtly in reverb, the ugly guitar pluck, a generic indie-girl voice that you swear you’ve heard before in one of those dreadful piano covers of popular songs they use in adverts, as well as this ballad being undercut by badly-programmed trap percussion. I can tell this label is trying to create somewhat of an Olivia Rodrigo phenomenon from this and I for one am terrified of the Poundland knock-offs to come. Screw this.

#1 – “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” – Lil Nas X

Produced by Roy Lenzo, Omar Fedi and Take a Daytrip

At least Lil Nas X will bring some passion into this chart week? Well, not really, as when I hear this I recall that Pitchfork review of his EP, a much-maligned critique that featured the ever-so pretentious questioning if Lil Nas X really enjoyed making and listening to music. It reminds me because I think I now fully get it – at least when Lil Nas X was making slap-dash pop rock with Travis Barker or meme-worthy country rap with Billy Ray Cyrus for less than two minutes apiece, there was something invigorating in the execution or at least in concept. That 7 EP is still not a bad debut at all, but this new single “MONTERO”, a long-anticipated record that went from constantly-teased demo to Super Bowl commercial to Satanic-panicked videos of Lil Nas giving Satan a lap-dance to own the conservatives, has the same remote dreariness to it as “HOLIDAY” did late last year. The acoustic, Latin-flavoured guitar loop reminds me of his much better track “Rodeo” from that aforementioned EP that used its energy for similarly lighthearted subject matter but with some genuine energy, a Cardi B feature and a lot less subtle moombahton creeping in. With that said, I can’t say Lil Nas X didn’t try, as his vocal performance, whilst largely insufferable and strained, gives some energy to an otherwise aggravatingly stunted beat, and makes it a lot more infectious than it has any right to be. Content-wise, the song is essentially about a full circle where Lil Nas X becomes increasingly desperate for a man who starts off lonely and in a bad place, and the irony is that Lil Nas gets more explicitly sexual and crazed due to a combination of the LA life-style surrounding him and the fact that he’s simply, for lack of a better term, “down bad”, despite the fact that this guy doesn’t seem particularly desirable. Lil Nas knows this, though, and acknowledges it in the pre-chorus where he outright says that this guy is living the cocaine-addled celebrity life, but not living it right without Mr. Bullriding and Boobies in his life. I’m happy about the video and the outrage it seems to cause not just within conservative spaces but also amongst the hip-hop community, particularly Joyner Lucas, and I’m pretty happy with how out and proud Lil Nas X is about his sexuality, even if it leads to lines like “Shoot a child in your mouth while I’m ridin’”. I’m just really not a fan of this song past its content, which could really be interesting but falls flat with this plucking production that wastes time in barely two minutes with humming interludes. It’s not bad at all, just not for me.

Conclusion

And that concludes our week, and wow, what a bad week this was for new arrivals. Admittedly, it’s a filler week so only “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” will probably last – or at least we can hope as even if I don’t like the song, I still have to give out an Honourable Mention to someone, and it may as well be Lil Nas X trying to put the effort in. Best of the Week easily goes to Beach Bunny for “Cloud 9”, far and away the only good song here, with Worst of the Week also going out pretty easily to Mimi Webb’s “Good Without”, which is the type of soulless, unmemorable garbage that makes pop music look uninspired, and as a person who writes about the charts constantly, it’s a misconception I don’t want proven or revisited. Dishonourable Mention is a toss-up but I guess I’ll give it to Russ Millions and Tion Wayne for that sprinkle of drill disappointment that is “Body”, and that’ll be it for this week. I predict some impact from Demi Lovato, Lil Tjay and especially Olivia Rodrigo next week, but for now, here’s our top 10:

Thank you for reading – sorry for the grouchiness on this one – and I’ll see you next week!

[365days365movies]

March 16, 2021: Legend (1985) (Part Two)

Tom Cruise is terrible in this movie. Spoiler alert.

It’s not like I can claim that Cruise is one of my favorite actors working today, since he’s been in some real stinkers. But, like...he definitely got better over the years, seriously. Dude was not amazing in Top Gun, but he was WAAAAAY better than this performance.

All I know is that the dude...the dude’s been better, that’s all I’m saying. So has Mia Sara, while we’re at it. I mean, I didn’t even realize until looking her up that she was in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! And here, she’s...whoof, OK? Also not her best role, is all I’m saying...again.

And Tim Curry...is another story entirely, holy shit. But I’ll get to him more later. The only other thing I want to say before going on is...goddamn, this movie is good looking. I’m not one of those ���practical effects are better than CGI garbage” people, but GODDAMN, these are good makeup effects! Who did them, anyway? Rob Bottin? OH SHIT THIS GUY?

The makeup artist from fucking The Thing did the effects for this movie? HOLY FUCK! Dude also did RoboCop and Total Recall, so no wonder this film looks fantastic! Dude’s a Legend, dir. Ridley Scott.

Speaking of, let’s get back to it, huh? I’ll have more to say in the Review later, for sure. First part of the Recap is right here!

Recap (2/2)

As our little band escapes from the prison, they split up, with Jack, Gump, and Oona on one team, and Screwball and Tom on the other. Meanwhile, in his private throne room, Darkness speaks with his Father this time, whoever that is. He notes that he’s so close to making this world his own...but damn, that Lily girl is HAWT.

And unlike his mother, Darkness’ Father responds, nothing that she’s attractive to Darkness because she is so pure. Darkness must woo her, and corrupt her to the darkside. And somewhere, as Darkness speaks romantic words about Lily, a Goth baby is born, and a Goth fairy gets her vanta black wings. Yeah, Goth fairies are born from Tim Curry’s voice; that’s just biology, really.

Oona finds her way to the chamber where Lily is, and peers into it as Lily peers likewise into the fireplace there. Meanwhile, Jack and Gump are still searching, only to be set upon by...I don’t know goblin-witch-things? The mythology here isn’t very clear, gonna be honest. They run off, which Screwball and Tom find their way to the chamber where the Unicorn is.

Meanwhile, Lily ain’t doin’ too hot, and she’s lured in by, to be honest, shiny things. Yeah, she’s hanging out by the fire as Darkness’ father whispers to Darkness that she must be seduced. She’s distracted by pearls and diamonds, and finds a beautiful diamond necklace, which entices her. This is where I put a “women, amirite” joke, right?

Well, at that moment, a cherub statue on the piano comes to life, as does an onyx gown, which dances in front of her. And I gotta say, the effect is enticing, both to me and to Lily. Lily can’t resist dancing with the empty gown, and then becomes one with it, and, well...it’s a nice aesthetic.

But just as this outfit is revealed...so is somebody else.

GODDAMN. That is a gorgeous fucking creature, and I TOTALLY GET IT PEOPLE. The GF is only semi-watching, and she and I agree that if the actual Devil was that hot, there would be WAY more Satanists in the world. And here’s the thing, I’d love to put a billion GIFs here...but it can’t capture this performance accurately without a video, because GODDAMN THIS IS A GOOD PERFORMANCE

And to be clear, this isn’t the best movie. It’s actually pretty goddamn bad to be honest, but it’s SAVED ENTIRELY BY TIM CURRY I ONCE AGAIN CANNOT STRESS THAT SHIT ENOUGH

But we have to cut away from the best performance in the film (I guess), and we rejoin Jack’s group, who have also watched this performance through the door. Jack almost goes in, but Gump’s like, “Nah, dude, he is WAY too hot, you don’t have a goddamn CHANCE”, and they overhear Darkness say that his weakness is daylight. Jack and co. reconvene with Screwball and Tom to enact a plan. They rescue Blunder, who was almost cooked, then they fight and kill a few ogres and steal some giant metal pans.

Meanwhile, Darkness invites Lily to sit and talk with him. And again, GODDAMN IT I GET IT. He’s literally the ultimate bad boy, AND he’s a fucking romantic? Man, I swear that I’m straight, but FUCK ME I DO UNDERSTAND. After more wooing and sweet nothing, he offers her a rose, which makes me wonder why the fuck NOBODY’S tried this move on The Bachelorette! Just rolling up in a full Darkness costume, giving his various limes? That’d work on somebody, I know it would.

Lily’s constant defiance of his will enrages him, but she does agree to marry him, IF she’s allowed to kill the Unicorn herself. And that excites Darkness so much that there is NO WAY he doesn’t need to change his pants. Gross, I know, but I swear that I just saw him climax at that suggestion, seriously. Blame Tim Curry, not me!

As the ceremony is set to begin, and as the sun rises above the forest, Jack’s group uses the plates to set up a classic mirror trick, and uses them to reflect light from the outside directly onto Darkness. As they’re enacting this plan, Darkness is all set up to sacrifice the Unicorn, with Lily’s help. Or so he thinks.

Darkness is all set to extinguish light forever, and tells Lily to make the final killing blow. She seems set to do it, and Gump tells Jack to kill her. Instead, he fires the arrow at Darkness, and Lily frees the Unicorn, which runs away. Darkness, enraged, knocks Lily out, and when Jack goes after him, he also kicks his ass quickly. Even with Gump’s assistance from above, Jack is obviously completely screwed. 

It’s even worse, because Screwball passed out in trying to set up one of the plates for the reflection. But Oona comes to wake him up, and they set up the last plate just as Darkness is REALLY kicking Jack’s ass. Jack grabs the Alicorn at the last second, and uses it to stab Darkness, just as the light of day hits him. He calls out to his father for protection, but to no avail, as the light begins to destroy him.

But he points out something important: there is no light without dark, and he can never truly be defeated as a result. And then...yeah, uh, Jack just defeats him. Literally, he gets swallowed into the eternity of space somehow. Fuckin’...I dunno.

Gump tells Jack that, to revive Lily, he must fulfill his promise to...get her ring back. Um. Sure? As he does that, Gump takes the Alicorn and returns it to the dead Unicorn, bringing it back to life as the sun rises. And the Unicorns reunite at the same time that Jack and Lily reunite in love. And it’s...kinda gross? Like, goddamn, I’ve heard of happy endings, but this is RIDICULOUS.

As the denizens of the forest and the Unicorns wave goodbye to the lovers as they run away together, though, we also see Darkness one last time, laughing. I mean, yeah, no light without dark. They way they choose to edit it is a little weird, but whatever.

And that was The Last Unicorn! I mean...that was Legend! And, uh...yeah, see you in the Review, because I really only have one universally good thing to say about this movie. You know what/who it is.

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

All my thoughts surrounding the Evermore album so far

For the first time in forever, I went into an album refusing to write down any notes or whatever about how I felt upon the first listen and really just let it sink in. Even when ranking the songs, I did it by gut feeling and refused to elaborate. But being over 24 hours and a dozen listens in and basically having the same opinions and thoughts, I felt it was time to put out everything I feel so far.

Basically this post is going to go over not only my thoughts on and relationship to the songs of Evermore, but how I feel about it as an album and specifically a sister album to Folklore. So I hope you enjoy it.

What I think of Evermore as a whole/it’s relationship with Folklore:

Truth be told Evermore is currently quite low on my Taylor album rankings. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it and definitely is not me saying I didn’t like any of the songs. But the environment of an album and ability to get something out of listening to the songs all together and in order that you could not otherwise get is important to me to the point it’s my favourite thing about listening to albums. And right now? Outside of Tis The Damn Season and Dorothea, it’s just not there for me. In many ways, that has made Evermore very similar to Speak Now and Lover vibe wise to me in that it feels like an array of great songs as opposed to a perfect album experience like RED, Reputation and even Fearless feels to me. So while I could absolutely see myself listening to most of the songs on this album for years to come, I’ve already found myself listening to the album itself out of order and focusing on my favourite tracks more.

I would also argue that the only reason Evermore is a ‘sister album’ to Folklore is because it’s by Taylor Swift. And that may sound weird, but hear me out. The fact of the matter is that the only ways in which this album and Folklore are more ‘sisterly’ towards each other than other albums is because they are similar production wise and both are at least partially based on the stories of others. I could name you an array of artists whose albums share these same qualities yet are not seen as sibling albums. And honestly, right now it feels like the only reason these two albums are being seen as sisters is because they have come from someone who has been expected to change sounds, vibes and everything else every ‘era’ because she has admitted in the past that she has a fear of people getting sick of her. In my honest opinion, Reputation and Lover feel more like sister albums to me than Folklore and Evermore. This is not to say that Evermore is a lesser album for not being a sister project to Folklore, it’s just not something a connection I’m feeling right now.

What I’m about to say next may sound like it contradicts with what I just said but as it is a personal connection and not objective, I feel like it doesn’t. For me personally, Folklore was predominately an album that opened up and described my trauma relating to losing my whole family while Evermore feels more like a recovery album. So on a personal level, they are other sides of the same coin and while that makes them sister albums to an extent, to me it was not the extent Taylor meant because obviously these songs were not written with me and my personal issues in mind.

With that in mind, if we’re going to compare Folklore and Evermore like many people have, I feel as if Folklore is the stronger album but Evermore has stronger songs. Basically as a full experience I prefer Folklore, but the songs I like off of Evermore I love more than the ones I like off of Folklore. At this point, I will also say I think I love the production of Evermore more than Folklore, but I can also see that being a mood based thing.

What I think of each individual song:

Willow: I’m going to be honest, I do not see the hype for this song. Like objectively it’s not a bad song, but there’s just not really anything drawing me back to it. While clever, the 90s line also threw me off a bit and feels kinda out of place with the rest of the song giving ancient/mythical vibes to be honest. It seems to be a hot take at the moment, but I also found myself bored with the music video and didn’t seem to love the fact that it is a continuation of Cardigan as much as everyone else. I did however appreciate the love interest being from an Asian background during a time when they are on the receiving end of racial villification. I will say I think the first chorus is the strongest part of the song.

Champagne Problems: I feel like this is going to be the song that is most consistently among my favourites for this album. While most of my other favourites are the deep cuts or bops that I need to be in the right mood for, Champagne Problems feels like a good mix that I can listen to any time. It’s also kinda been a blessing for me because the man I love told me upon listening to it that my fear of marriage and actions around that lately have made him worry that we’re going to end up like that which has really made me reflect today on the fact that my fear of not being good enough to keep him isn’t going to be fixed by holding him at arm’s length, it can only be fixed by working to be the better person I think he deserves. In terms of Taylor, I’ve heard some of you think that Tom proposed while they were together and that the ring in the LWYMMD video is actually reference to him and I’mma be real, if that’s the case, damn right she should have said no because they were together what, 2 or so months??? In saying that, as a general sister piece to Getaway Car in that they’re both about realising you don’t love the person you’re with as much as they love you, it’s a nice comparison and I could see it.

Gold Rush: Taylor girl, please go to therapy about not feeling good enough for your man and insecurities that he’s gonna leave you for someone else. You are absolutely good enough. Honestly, all up I feel like this song is the definition of good. It’s not something I’d seek out to listen to but it’s not something I’d skip if it came on. The production is definitely the highlight of the song for me.

Tis The Damn Season: This song really hits hard for someone still living in her childhood house in her hometown huh? I’ve seen a lot of people relate this song back to The 1, and to be honest, they both remind me of the same platonic relationship I once had and things I wish we had said to each other, so I can see that. Look in all honesty, this is just one of those songs where I cannot pinpoint what makes it so good because it’s everything. The production, the lyrics, the emotion; it all works together to make it an amazing song. When considering the album as a whole, I think Tis The Damn Season and Dorothea are the strongest sign of creating an environment and emotion given that they are songs about the same relationship.

Tolerate It: I get why this is track five, and much like Mirrorball off of Folklore, had it come out in 2018 or beforehand, it would have owned my soul and been my favourite song off of this album forever. But nearly everyone who has ever made me feel this way was purged out of my life no later than 2018 so I feel so far removed from it. While I understand the artistic choice for the second half of the song to be wordy and faster paced to the point of feeling offbeat because that’s how it comes off when you’re thinking of all the ways you can defend yourself and/or leave, I personally prefer the first half of the song far more than the second half due to its flow. Had I enjoyed the second half as much as the first, I think this would have been a tied favourite from the album. I’ve seen Swifties say this is a Tayvin and/or John/Taylor song and yeah to be honest, I feel that. I also love the intepretations surrounding it being a queer person and a queerphobic family member.

No Body No Crime: Upon first listen, this was an automatic tied favourite of mine. But, while I’ll still say it is, listening to it on repeat today made me feel like it’s something I need to listen to sparingly or it’ll get overplayed fast, much like Betty did on Folklore for me personally. This is another song I really don’t have much to say about because I love it all and it’s a bop. As a more general note, I will say that I agree with people that I wish Taylor’s vocal collaborations with women included them actually having a verse rather than feeling like backup singers for Taylor. But for what we got, I think Haim added a lot to this song with their ‘He did it’ sounding like Este’s ghost reassuring Taylor he killed her and Danielle’s ‘she was with me dude’ adding a lot of atmosphere to the song. In my mind, Este’s husband wasn’t planning to leave/kill her or move his mistress in but accidentally killed Este as she tried to leave him. Either way though, it’s a great song and I can definitely see why it’s a fan favourite.

Happiness: This was my other tied favourite upon my first listen. When thinking of Taylor, I tend to agree with people that this song is probably about Scott and recoving from leaving Big Machine. When considering what it means to me... well it’s complicated. Truly, I want to reach a point where this is what I think of my family. I hope someday I can get there. But for now, it is another self love song; as if I am talking to my pre and/or newly traumatised teenaged self at age 25. This probably sounds weird but I also love that it’s my favourite while being the longest track (so far, obviously we don’t know about bonus tracks) of the album because there’s something so special to me about Taylor’s longer tracks.

Dorothea: A cute song. That’s really all I can say. Again, I love it’s connection with Tis The Damn Season and it makes me smile thinking about that platonic relationship these songs remind me of. Really just in general this song makes me happy and is probably the one I could see myself randomly singing around the house the most.

Coney Island: Honestly I like the idea/message behind this song more than I like the song itself. Like the idea of not appreciating something until its too late reasonates with me and again, is something I wish the ex friend Dorothea reminds me of would tell me they feel, but obviously I cannot change that. I’ve seen posts about how the bridge of this song was inspired by John, Jake, Harry and Calvin, but to be honest, in general this song feels very purely Tayvin to me, but like from Calvin’s (or at least what Taylor hopes is his) point of view. All up, I think the production of this song is its strong point and the reason that while it’s still not one of my favourites, it’s somewhat grown on me.

Ivy: Another hot take? This is another song that I just haven’t been able to get into. Like I like the idea that it’s the ‘tough’ parts of Invisible String where you have to take the leaps not knowing where you’ll end up, but yeah, I don’t know, it just wasn’t something that has caught my attention yet.

Cowboy Like Me: This song is a vibe. Like it’s the type of song I could see myself putting on while just wanting to chill or do something else at the same time, but I don’t feel like it’s something I’m going to opt to listen to on its own that much. Basically it’s as middle of the road track for me as they come. I will say however that ‘Now you hang off my lips like the gardens of Babylon’ has lived in my mind rent free all day.

Long Story Short: This song is so fun. I love that barring Folklore, I could see it being on any of Taylor’s albums since Fearless. It also reminds me of another non-Taylor song, but I can’t think of what and that has been bugging me all day. I saw a lot of people saying that they’re over Taylor talking about 2016, and personally while it’s not my favourite topic either, she’s free to write about whatever she wants and honestly? I feel like her more upbeat, funner sounding songs like this one have boded better with me when she first releases them ever since Lover so I’m glad she released it. Anyway, like I said, it’s another cute fun song that I can see myself dancing to in my room for a while yet and that makes me so happy.

Majorie: I’m gonna be honest, I feel like this is a song you have to relate to to love, and I do not relate to it. Like I think had my family shit not gone down, I would have cried to this thinking of my recently deceased grandfather because I felt the closest to him out of any family member as a kid, but yeah, that’s not how things are now and so I don’t have the emotional attachment to this song. I can however see myself getting it when my mother dies to be honest. But for now, it’s a sweet song and I get why people love it.

Closure: Remember how I said Happiness is how I wish I felt about my family? Closure is how I actually feel about them. To be honest, the fact that everyone seems to have this as their least favourite song from the album shocks me because I think it’s one of the most relatable. I’m also surprised so many of you feel like this is about Karlie given the sounds at the beginning and end sound like (Big) Machines and the second verse and bridge scream Scott to me. All up, I genuinely really like this song and feel like it’s the one with the most experimentation that works for the track despite the lyrical simplicity to be honest.

Evermore: Lyrically, this is my favourite track from the album. Production wise? ... well Taylor’s part is amazing. This is another song where artistically I appreciate how jaggered Justin’s voice makes the song because it works contextually at that part, but it’s a bit much for me in terms of wanting to have the song on repeat. Though it wouldn’t have had the same jaggered hence artistic feel, I do wish Justin had used his lower register because I feel like it would have suited the replayability of the song more. Regardless, it is another self recovery/reflection song for me and definitely one of my favourite (and perhaps the most socially relevant given how 2020 was for most people) closers from Taylor... though she always knocks those out of the park.

Final Thoughts:

Though not being my favourite overall album from Taylor, Evermore is a solid album with amazing songs. It is also an album I can see being a grower and/or mood based album. So with two songs still coming, I’m not about to rule it out as being something I won’t love more in the future. This is especially the when I know that even if I don’t get the environment I usually love from it, Evermore has so many amazing songs I can see myself listening to for years to come.

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #5: Will Slater.

Talking mullets and other manes with the man behind the internet’s definitive ‘exploding helicopters in movies’ catalog.

“Man cannot live on helicopter explosions alone. Even I need some occasional intellectual nourishment.”

A London-based PR man by day, by night Will Slater has a thing (and a podcast, blog and Twitter account) for movies that feature exploding helicopters. According to his Letterboxd bio, it’s “the world’s only podcast and blog dedicated to celebrating the art of exploding helicopters in films… as well as shaming those directors who dishonor the helicopter explosion genre”. As Will tells Jack Moulton, he also loves film noir, Wakaliwood, masala movies and much more. Just don’t get him started on the one action movie cliché that never fails to disappoint.

Sylvester Stallone takes aim in ‘Rambo III’ (1988).

First things first, have you ever had a ride in a helicopter? Will Slater: What, do you think I’m mad? Of course I’ve never flown in a helicopter! If I’ve learned anything from watching hundreds of films where helicopters spectacularly explode, it’s that they are a singularly dangerous form of transport. You never know when Sylvester Stallone is going to pop up with an explosive-tipped arrow and blow you out of the sky.

I’m going to say the words ‘the definitive action hero/heroine’. Who pops into your head first? No runners-up. Go. Snake Plissken, no question, for a number of good reasons. First, there’s the look: that eye-patch, the beaten-to-hell leather jacket and Kurt Russell’s lustrous mane of hair. Second, there’s the attitude: his contempt for authority, the drawled sarcasm and all-round bad-assery. And I also like that he doesn’t have any special abilities. Action heroes generally tend to be either musclebound slabs of beef—Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone—or martial arts specialists—Jean-Claude van Damme, Jackie Chan—Plissken is just a pissed-off, angry dude who’s trying to stay alive. He’s very relatable. Plus, I’d argue he pretty much invented the whole anti-hero formula that rules our screens today.

Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s ‘Escape from New York’ (1981).

When did you start your podcast and which film got you into looking deeper into the topic? It was while watching the cheesily bad Cyborg Cop that I first had an epiphany about the weird and wonderful ways in which helicopters seemed to continually explode in movies. But the film that convinced me to start documenting the phenomenon was Stone Cold. If you’re not familiar with the film, it was an attempt to turn former gridiron star and mullet-king Brian Bosworth into the next big action star. It goes without saying that Stone Cold did not transform ‘The Boz’ into the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the film wasn’t a total failure as it features a helicopter explosion that is as brilliant as it is gloriously stupid.

And that was the prompt to start the Exploding Helicopter. I launched the website in 2009, and the podcast followed 2015. Since we started, our aim has been a simple one: to celebrate the strange and inventive ways that helicopters explode in films.

Motorcycle crashes into helicopter in mid-air, ‘Stone Cold’ (1991).

When did you join Letterboxd? What are your favorite features here? I’ve been around since 2013. As for the features, the stats are very cool. When you dig into your viewing history, you can learn some very revealing things about yourself. For example, I generally like to think I have a commendably broad taste in film, and watch only the most important and influential works from every decade, genre and country. But then you look at the data and find you’ve watched Thunderball nine times in the last five years, so maybe you’re not as cool as you thought.

We noticed that your profile faves are low-key and explosion-free, given your theme of choice. Why these four and not Die Hard four times? Man cannot live on helicopter explosions alone. Even I need some occasional intellectual nourishment, between watching whirlybird conflagrations. There’s a little bit of nostalgia tied up in The Ipcress File. I first saw it as a kid, and it made a big impression on me. It’s very stylishly directed, has a great John Barry score and a star-making turn from Michael Caine. I’m a big film noir fan and Sweet Smell Of Success is a beautifully sour tale of cynicism and manipulation. To borrow the words of Burt Lancaster in the film, it’s a “cookie full of arsenic”.

Jean-Pierre Melville is my favorite director and Le Samouraï was the first of his films that I saw. What Melville does so masterfully in this, and his other crime films, is distil the elements of film noir. Basically, he takes the genre’s iconography—the gun, the trenchcoat, the fedora—and familiar plot tropes—the betrayed assassin, the heist gone wrong, the criminal doing one last job—then elevates them above cliché into something almost mythic. And what do I really need to say about Taxi Driver, other than it’s a masterpiece?

Now you say you shame directors who dishonor the art of helicopter explosions? Which directors did you dirty? Well, one of the biggest names in our hall of shame is Tony Scott. For a man who specialized in hyper-stylized, pyrotechnic-filled action movies, he flunked every helicopter explosion he filmed. In our eyes, one of the most egregious offences you can commit is failing to show the helicopter explosion. And in both Spy Game and Domino, old Tony cheats the viewer by having the chopper fly out of sight before it explodes. Now, I can accept such visual chicanery in a low-budget film, where they presumably don’t have the money to stage the scene, but what’s Tony’s excuse? If you look at his filmography, at one time or another he’s wrecked trains, planes and automobiles in spectacular fashion. But for some reason, he repeatedly couldn’t be bothered to give us a satisfying chopper conflagration. At a certain point, it starts to feel like a personal slight. Tony, what did I ever do to you?

In your immortal words, “a film is always improved by a helicopter explosion.” When has this been especially true? When you see lists of worst-ever directors, Uwe Boll is a name that always seems to turn up. And, according to the internet, one of his worst-ever films is the video game adaptation, Far Cry. Now, I’m not going to try [to] convince you that the film is a neglected classic, but it does have a very imaginatively staged exploding helicopter scene. It’s too convoluted to explain here, but take my word that it wouldn’t be out of place in a Fast and Furious movie.

What about the unsung heroes; the stunt artists, the pilots, the pyrotechnicians, the VFX wizards who have worked on numerous iconic action moments, all of whom deserve a shoutout? Personally, I don’t understand why the Academy doesn’t have a stunts category. But if they did, I’d be lobbying hard for Spiro Razatos to get the first award. These days, he works as a stunt coordinator on the Fast and Furious and Marvel films, but I’d like to draw people’s attention to some of his early work. Back in the nineties, he did a lot of work with PM Entertainment films, an independent company that made low-budget action films for the home video market.

They might not have had much money, but they put every cent on the screen with glorious, raucously inventive set pieces that were often more spectacular than big-budget Hollywood offerings. And remember: this was in pre-CGI times, so every death-defying detail was absolutely ‘real’. Go back and watch films like The Sweeper or Rage, and you’ll can see why Super Spiro has now graduated to these more prestigious gigs.

Narrow this list down for us: which is the ultimate most spine-tingly epic “we got company” movie moment? As you may have gathered, I do like an action movie cliché. When you encounter one in a film, it’s like meeting an old friend. And one of my favorites is when someone uses this classic line of dialog to signal that a car chase or a gun battle is about to start. I’ve heard people deliver the line in all sorts of ways–funny, scared, angrily and often just badly. But if you want spine-tingly, then you can’t beat Harrison Ford in Star Wars. He drops the line during the detention-block scene after failing to bluff an imperial officer. As soon as he says it, John Williams’ iconic score kicks in. It gives you the ‘feels’ every time.

“Boring conversation anyway.” Han Solo and Chewbacca in ‘Star Wars’ (1977).

And which action movie cliché can you simply not stand? Stop it: my hackles are raising just thinking about it. For me, the trope that never fails to disappoint is the ‘reluctant’ hero being convinced to take up arms and join the fight. You know the scene. Invariably, the hero has hung up their spurs and is living a bucolic existence ‘off the grid’, when a gruff buddy shows up asking them to risk almost certain death by taking on ‘one last job’. Now, dialog is rarely an action film’s greatest strength, and these beefcake actors generally are not cast for their dramatic chops. Which means we get subjected to the same perfunctory and uninteresting scene over and over again: “I told you, I’m out the game”, “Goddamnit, we need you”, “OK, I’ll do it”. These scenes just never work and are never less than painful to watch.

Which up-and-coming action director are you most excited about? In terms of up-and-coming action talent, I’d pick the director Stefano Sollima. I first noticed his work on a couple of TV series: the fantastic Italian crime dramas, Romanzo Criminale and Gomorrah. The way he composed shots really stood out, and it was clear he had a very cinematic eye. He rather reminds me of Michael Mann. He’s now on Hollywood’s radar and got to direct Sicario: Day of the Soldado the other year. And he’s lined up to make a Tom Clancy adaptation with Michael B. Jordan. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

Have you witnessed the glory that is Wakaliwood—Ugandan DIY action filmmaking—three of which make Letterboxd’s official top ten films by black directors? Which international films do you feel out-match Hollywood? I love the Wakaliwood films I’ve seen. It’s fascinating to watch action films from around the world and see their different styles and flavors. Recently, I’ve been trying to investigate Indian cinema and, in particular, what are known as ‘masala movies’. These mix action, comedy, drama, romance and dance numbers into one big, crazy, entertaining mess. They’re a unique experience. If you want to check one out, I’d suggest Dhoom 2. It’s bananas.

Can you believe there are only two female directors represented in your exploding helicopter list? Do you believe that’s due to systemic or thematic reasons? You have to say it’s systemic. Men have dominated filmmaking for more than a century. Until women have the same opportunities to direct and make films as men, it’s impossible to know what their interest may or may not be in blowing up helicopters. [Will has previously written about the search for “true gender equality in the world of exploding helicopters”.]

To address the elephant in the room, how has Kobe Bryant’s unfortunate death earlier this year changed the way you look at these scenes? Obviously, I appreciate that Kobe Bryant’s death was very shocking and a tragedy for his family and fans. But basketball really is not a thing on these grim shores, so it didn’t register with us unenlightened Brits other than [as] a sad headline about a US sports star.

What was your most anticipated movie event of 2020 before Covid-19 pushed every tentpole back? That’s easy: No Time To Die. I’m a huge Bond fan and as soon as tickets were available, I booked myself in to see it on opening day at an IMAX. But if the Daniel Craig era is synonymous with anything, it’s lengthy delays between films.

Freerunner Sébastien Foucan in the opening scene from ‘Casino Royale’ (2006).

What’s a fond memory you have in theaters related to the Bond franchise? I remember going to see Casino Royale. I was excited, but also nervous to see it. The Brosnan era had ended with the risible Die Another Day: invisible cars, kitesurfing and, worst of all, John Cleese’s awful Q. Since that had come out, we’d had Mission: Impossible, Bourne and the Triple X films, so it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Bond might be finished. Then the first ten minutes of Casino Royale happened. And while that outstanding parkour-inspired chase was terrifically exciting, it also hit me like cinematic Valium. I suddenly realised I could sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that 007 was going to be just fine.

Are you planning on returning to theaters as soon as you can? When would you feel comfortable? I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. I’d love to see films back on the big screen again, but I want to know more about how cinemas are going to maintain social distancing inside.

Finally, what three Letterboxd accounts should we all be following? Why not give Todd Gaines, Jayson Kennedy or Fred Andersson a follow? If you’re interested in genre films that are a little off the beaten trail, they’ll likely all steer you towards some hidden gems.

[safflowerseason]

some dan x amy musings

In response to a question from @wecouldstillbegreat...what is Dan and Amy’s relationship to physical touch/physical intimacy?

This is such a good question…although it was kind of hard to answer, because it’s so easy to blur the boundary between the show and fanfiction!

It’s an especially interesting question too, in light of the fact that Veep is not a particularly “touchy-feely” kind of show, and physical touch and physical intimacy are so often manipulated or twisted by the various characters. Selina and Tom’s relationship is a good example of this…both of them attempt to use their physical attraction to ruin one another. Or Selina and Andrew…Andrew constantly takes advantage of Selina by sleeping with her, and even Selina herself is somewhat aware that her physical attraction to Andrew is constantly getting her into trouble.

Dan and Amy’s relationship stands out on Veep because when they touch one another (or when they aren’t touching but want to), the physical dimension of their relationship is generally framed to emphasize the “purity” of their emotional connection, if that makes sense. Dan and Amy are terrible people, but they are two terrible people who have a genuine emotional connection to one another that the show isn’t interested in twisting (at least during the Iannucci years). Whether or not Dan and Amy are aware of it, touch for them is a fundamentally good thing. 

In S1, Dan touches Amy in a very “unconscious boyfriend” kind of a way—a hand on her back, an arm over her shoulder, etc. This is also the season where their relationship is played the most “romantically.” I’m assuming the acting choices for both Reid Scott and Anna Chlumsky derived from this tonal approach.

(Sidenote: in spite of my earlier statement that touch is broadly framed as a “good” thing for Dan and Amy…I have to include a caveat here. The frequency with which Dan touches Amy in S1 is quite startling, considering they are not dating and Amy is especially distrustful of Dan during this period of their relationship. As an audience, we’ve been generally socialized to accept his behavior because their relationship has been coded as romantic…Dan and Amy are attracted to one another and thus it’s “fine” for Dan to always be touching her in these small ways…but it’s really not cool. (It makes you wonder if RS would have made the same acting choices in a post Me-Too world.) Of course, for what it’s worth, Anna Chlumsky also never plays Amy in S1 as physically uncomfortable when Dan is touching her in this way, a choice which broadly shapes the audience’s reaction to Dan as well. The fact that they are in a “romance” excuses a lot of behavior that we might not look at so indulgently now.)

In S2-S4, this dimension of their relationship drops off—they are close, constantly in one another’s space, arms brushing, etc, but Dan’s not draping his arm around her on the couch after he’s gotten her to agree to a suicide pact. It’s impossible to know what the actors and the writers discussed, but subconsciously or otherwise, this change seems to reflect the broader tonal shift from S1 to the more subtle “Machiavellian work spouses” dynamic of the later Iannucci seasons.

During S2 and S4, Dan mostly touches Amy when she’s extremely emotionally fired up. The two big moments that come to mind is in 2.08 during Selina’s interview and 4.08, when she’s so desperate to deliver Pierce to Selina she’s about to blow their cover. This speaks to their intimacy in a different way, I think—that Dan feels enough of an emotional connection to Amy to reach for her when she’s furious, but also that Amy finds his touch emotionally soothing (whether or not she realizes it). In 2.08, Amy would be perfectly justified at flinging Dan’s hand off of her, of jerking her body away from him—he’s incredibly smug and condescending to her—but she doesn’t. That’s significant. 

Even in S3, when Dan and Amy are basically in an episodes-long fight over Dan’s promotion as campaign manager…Amy is the one who Dan leans on when he has his panic attack, and she willing assists him out of the room, minutes after she’s sabotaged him. (We barely see this happen, though, and I can see why they might not have wanted to show it, because the imagery would be beyond unsubtle and probably felt a bit serious for the moment…it’s funnier and lighter to have Dan freaking out in the cab and thoughtlessly running a hand down her face.) 

There are not very many of these moments, but analyzed collectively, they obviously emphasize that Dan and Amy’s relationship is, well, different than Amy’s with Mike or Dan’s with Selina. They certainly stand out in a show that’s about how cutthroat and corrupt politics can be. And not to get all fluffy about it, but it makes me think of when Reid Scott called Anna Chlumksy “partner” in that behind the scenes video. They are partners, and the fact that Dan feels comfortable enough with Amy to literally grab her when she’s about to charge into the West Wing matters very much.

Then of course, 5.02 happens and Dan and Amy are emotionally estranged for the rest of the series, basically. They don’t touch at all onscreen in S5 or S6…and I’m not going to analyze S7 because it depresses me, and because I’ve already pointed out similarities between Ep. 7.03 and Ep. 2.08 in how Dan deals with Amy. 

It’s also worth pointing out that the significance of the moments in which Dan and Amy are specifically not touching one another but clearly want to, and the lack of touch between the brings their physical chemistry into intense focus. The bar scene in 4.04, for example…or the other bar scene in 5.02, not mention the scene in the hotel corridor. In those moments, Dan and Amy are at the very edge of giving in to their physical desire for one another—they’re not touching because if they did, they might not stop. And even though we don’t see them hook up in 6.09, their reactions to that night clearly indicate that they both had a fantastic time. Turns out touching in all the ways is just as much as fun as bantering in dive bars. (Even Dan’s “yeah, yeah, we had a lot of drinks that night…” response to Amy at the very end of 6.10 has a kind of…coy intrigue to it. He knows that it was a good night, and he clearly wants to repeat the experience, while also, obviously, not wanting to come right out and say so. If it sucked, he just would have been like “Ugh, don’t remind me” à la S7 Dan.)

Anyway, so what does all this actually mean? On a super basic level, we can generally infer that Dan seems to be a pretty touchy-feely kind of guy (or at least Amy brings it out in him). That doesn’t mean he’s super cuddly or into PDAs, but touch is an important emotional conduit for him (his love language, for lack of a better word, although both Dan and Amy would hate that phrase). And Amy, who broadly does not like being touched by other people and has never been in a satisfying sexual relationship, likes it when Dan touches her (this is largely tied, I think, to the fact that Dan is the only person in the show around whom Amy can act like herself). And when they do finally give into their desire for one another, it is a very heady experience for both of them that they’re eager to repeat. At the very least, I would argue that canon takes us that far. 

As for what these characteristics look like in a real relationship…well, the show never takes us there, so it’s up to one’s own interpretation of Dan and Amy’s relationship. Obviously, fanfic writers (including myself) have broadly extrapolated all this into stories that explore such a relationship and where physical touch becomes a somewhat central feature of their relationship. Often in these fics, sex and other forms of physical intimacy represent a way for Dan and Amy to communicate their feelings without actually having to express them verbally (their least favorite thing). We never see it in the show, but it’s nice to imagine—and most fanfic writers have—that in a real relationship, Amy does things like lean her head against Dan’s shoulder or kisses him just because she wants to. In fanfiction, these kinds of small moments illustrate to the reader that Amy fully trusts Dan (or is trying to). 

Just to pull an example from my own work…in BMTL, Dan and Amy have been “together” for roughly four years, and they’ve had a kid together for five and a half years. One way I’ve tried to demonstrate the (relative) longevity of their relationship is through physical touch. They play-wrestle, she falls asleep with her head in his lap, Dan is so tired in Chapter 3 he almost falls asleep in Amy’s lap while she runs her fingers through his hair…these moments just felt, to me, really natural to write in a fic where Dan and Amy are an established couple, not to mention how frequently Dan has held Amy in his arms, in the moments where she’s actively grieving her dad (and he’s not making it about him). 

Well, answering ask somehow turned into a novel, so I’ll stop here! Needless to say, it’s a very rich topic! 

[northoftheroad]

My mixed feelings about Nightwing # 2 by Dan Jurgens, art Travis Moore.

Points to the Court of Owls for managing to influence Dick's memories right under the nose of Batman! With the help of an expert that he picked, no less. :-)

The art is, mostly, gorgeous. I really like Travis Moore’s art but I think some panels are a bit off.

Nice with some family feels! That’s exactly what I was hoping for a year ago, when the Ric arc was beginning.

But...

I'm confused by Dick claiming that his parents were shot. Please tell me it is a false memory and not a sudden retcon. (Or, as dark-heir-apparent suggested, since he also remembers them performing in the Grayson outfit from Frank Miller's All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, that it is some kind of memory from another reality that he could pick up because of the wound inflicted by Nth metal back in Nightwing vol 4 # 17 and which caused him to see visions of alternate realities.)

Another thing. Bruce preserving the Nightwing suit with bloodstains, sweeping down from the Batcave to shock Dick's memory back, and thinking it's a good idea to show Dick video footage from when he was shot... One can understand why Dick wants to keep a distance, after that.

That the Grayson ”relatives” were part of the Court came as no surprise, in the end. But on the whole, it's a decent attempt to salvage and make sense of the last year. It should have suited much, much better right in the beginning of the arc. But that was unfortunately not in the cards; it seems to me that no one knew what to do with Dick up until his Talon great-grandfather was ready to make an appearance during ”Year of the villain”.

The whole headshot thing happened because Tom King needed to make Bruce (more) miserable, and someone at DC decided not to go with his idea to either cure Dick straight away (from what I’ve read on the suggestion of Scott Lobdell who got to write a few issues) or let Tim stand in as Nightwing while he recovered. And then the current writer’s (Benjamin Percy) idea to give Dick vertigo, which could have been interesting just for a character such as Dick, for some reason wasn’t approvede. So what has happened to Nightwing the last year has not been the result of someone wanting to explore or develop his character, but a result of someone else’s story. And it’s been treading water pretty much since the word go. Thankfully, the end is getting near since we’ve been promised the return of the real Dick Grayson next year.

It seems a lot of fans are angry at ”Ric” (as if he were a real person who decided his actions for himself, rather than a character that has been written in different ways by a lot of writers... but I digress).

I don't really mind Dick feeling crowded by a family he doesn't remember, and that he is upset that they see him as someone he doesn't feel he is. I've got a favourite de-ageing fanfiction that uses that theme: Exactly how this grace thing works.

The problem is that DC hasn't worked with that. How Dick and the family and his friends have to work and fight to find a new relationship. (Instead of them letting him go and be delivered into the hands of the Court of Owls.) I could definitely have loved a story arc with that.

[fortheheavenssake]

💟💟 PG MM Anon(II) 💟💟 Interpretation Collection -10

64. July 15

MM ANON …… Now a “married”abomination ………… girlfriends!! …………… HMTQ,will she , won’t she…………… Kate’s amazing ascension ……………… the feeding machine ………… a future Queen in all but name. …………… “ Yes!! A homogeneous bubble” …………… a sterile palace ………black Colorado ……… sir Tom?? …………… a hush hush holiday. …………… awoke to a scathing review.

Entertainment purposes

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈Thank you MM Anon🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜

July 15/2020. RIDDLE #64

💜💜💜💜JD wanted to test DNA bm on sheet to determine their origin and complained ‘my wife left a whooper poo on my bed’ before telling AH he wanted a divorce on conference call with assistant. I had to add this because I was only joking about this the other day in the riddle that they would do DNA and here they are, so obviously he saved the BM is that not special eh? Most people save dried rose petals , cards , concert tickets , pictures of their relationship , but not with these kids, they save bm wowza! Wowza!🥺🥺🥺🥺🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢💜💜💜💜💜💜

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to finally see some content involving our royal family it’s been quite fun where I’ve just been spewing the daily news back at you kids so this is great!!!

Now a “married”abomination

GM is secretly married but refuses to name her mystery spouse, US prosecutors revealed. Can you believe this garbage? What on earth would be the point of her being secretly married? There must have been some legal benefit to it. I know in some of the United States you do not have to testify against your spouse. I don’t know if that’s going to come into play here but who would marry her?? MONEY DUH?! Or blackmail!? Oh my stars and garters! The shocking news came during her plea of not guilty via video link to charges related to his sex trafficking ring on Tuesday. The marriage was disclosed by US Attorney Alison Moe at the detention hearing. She did not say who she believed the spouse was or give any indication as to how long they had been married. The only other mention of her being married is when Moe said her client had toured a home with a man, both giving their last names as Marshall - his first name Scott. Last summer she was at in Manchester-by-the-Sea, living at a $2 million home owned by her tech CEO lover Scott Borgerson. She is accused of grooming girls as young as 14 for JE to abuse between 1994 and 1997, a period when she was his girlfriend. She pleaded not guilty via video link but was denied bail at the hearing in New York!! Thank goodness she was denied bail!!

………… girlfriends!! ……………

I don’t know if this romantic picture of the ‘ young lovely couple’ taking a stroll will show up but I’ll try and submit it separately. Well this girl plays for both teams wow she’s an all-around user abuser narcissist oh that’s sickening!! Not her being bisexual, I’m talking about her narcissistic and picking on all targets!

AH indulged in some retail therapy after spending another day giving evidence against her estranged husband in court. Yeah I think this is what most people do after a traumatic day in court after day after day after day in court they walk around the street with their lover shopping looking for the for the photo opportunity my Lord in heaven she is an evil woman oh sick! The actress and her partner BB strolled hand-in-hand through London accompanied by her sister Whitney and personal assistant. Today, the group are back in court as it gets set to hear from JD’s ex-fiancée WR.

HMTQ,will she , won’t she……………

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜She will never add the cake ever.🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂She’ll never advocate inertial never abdicate she will advocate but she won’t abdicate. I decided to leave that sentence in there because it just is so true she’ll never add the cake she’ll never advocate inertial she will never advocate she will never make a cake it’s almost like Dr. Seuss yes I am Sam I am oh. That was just to give you a feel of how it is for me to use the audio software it hears things the way I pronounce them and it’s not always correct but I just wanted to share that with you because it’s kind of funny and good night shows we all need to laugh. What I want to show you just how difficult it is to do a riddle it may look easy as you’re reading through it and it’s all Lottie doll funny and whatever but it’s a lot of work.💜💜💜💜💜💜💜OK all seriousness now this yammering on and on and on about will her Majesty abdicate or won’t she she will never abdicate, FULL STOP NEVER!!! I have no doubt that there are plans in place to make things workable. They will have to be creative but yes, maybe the days of the walkabouts are over , in the public contact , but look at all the positives that come out of a zoom meeting with like yesterday? I think she’s got a lot to contribute yet and to count her out now would be a fools errand!

Kate’s amazing ascension ……………… the feeding machine ………… a future Queen in all but name. ……………

For the millionth time I’m going to say are Catherine has come into her own since about 2015 and especially since Madam has arrived on the scene! She’s so multi talented she’s raising three children she’s she’s a patron of Wimbledon, of the photography right now , she’s working on the Tiny Happy People initiative, Heads Together and she’s working on that so Hold Still Covid19, the photographic campaign!! That is only a tiny bit that I know that she’s working on. Her confidence level is through the roof and that’s so evident in any of her public speaking before COVID-19 and any of the zoom zoom meetings her just she’s just so so excellent I just cannot say enough how great she is! she is an excellent partner for William in every way and she conducts herself above reproach all times. She is well groomed for her future role when their time comes to be king and queen like it if they could not be a better individual suited to be Williams partner! I harken back to last year‘s Christmas special with Mary Berry, how sweet that was and yes there were the note negative Nellys criticizing this and that or the moment when she chose to change her seating position on the fireplace was the time when he wanted to put his arm around her shoulder and all the sugars screamed divorce thing they’re divorcing they’re divorcing people went nuts.

I know this is a right answer but this is the third time in a row this week that I have said this. Catherine was interviewed by the BBC earlier this week and she talked about what hollow legs, well, she didn’t use the phrase hollow legs, that’s my phrase , she said what eating machines her children are and she feels like she’s just a feeding machine there to continuously feed these growing children how wonderful is that! They’re healthy they’re happy they’re well adjusted they’re well taken care of their loved their emotional status is attended to and they’ve got good healthy food that’s so awesome!

“ Yes!! A homogeneous bubble” …………… a sterile palace ………

Here’s what I have been thinking might be the plan. They have been working been working on is yesterday the clue is Ken.palace bubble and I think they’re working on having the palace be bubbles so Kensington Palace will be the bubble for the Cambridge family.Somehow, can they make Buckingham palace, with this construction going, on I don’t know if that’s feasible, but somehow they’re going to make a palace bubble for her Majesty where she can continue to do her work out of. They have had another team actively working on that and they have been I have no doubt! That will entail sterilizing the whole place , ongoing thorough cleaning , it will entail staff being quarantined for several weeks before they go in, the whole shebang!! But you know! HMTQ is not abdicating they’re going to have to make this work. I have full confidence in that! I look forward to hearing all the details that we will be privy to naturally we will not be privy to everything, but I’m looking forward to this and I’m glad to see it in the clues! I’m glad to see once again that we’re talking about our beloved royal family which is why were all here in the first place!!! So thank you for that MM Anon!!! We can all read the daily mail on our own time , I mean no disrespect, but that makes a real easy to do but this is why we are here , praying and fighting for!!!

black Colorado ………

A report has found, yuck , who has this job? Wowza! Squirrels are testing positive for the bubonic plague in Colorado amid fears Black Death will jump to humans. Are you kidding me?? I do know rats and mice can carry it and do carry it. I also know they can and they do carry the Hanta virus too, so we shouldn’t think these things are gone just because you know they’re not in the front page of the news. A squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague thought to be the first case of plague in Jefferson County 18 miles southwest of Denver. There was yet another case was previously found in Broomfield county northwest of the city. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and pets, mainly through flea bites. The Bubonic plague is known as the ‘Black Death’ that killed millions in 14th century. An outbreak, remember that film ??was also confirmed in Inner Mongolia region of China last weekend.

Boy it seems all roads lead to China!

sir Tom?? ……………

Captain Sir Tom Moore is to receive his knighthood from the Queen in his own personal ceremony. The story of Captain Tom is no doubt the best story to come out of COVID-19 hands-down! The event to honour the 100-year-old, who raised more than £32m for NHS charities, will take place at Windsor Castle on Friday.

In May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, nominated him for Knighthood! Captain Sir Tom said he “could never have imagined this would happen” and that it would be “the most special of days”.

Royal investitures were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic with those scheduled to take place at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in June and July postponed.

However, HMTQ, the Queen, who has been staying at Windsor Castle during the lockdown, will carry out the official engagement in person.

People have been asked not to go to Windsor and there will be no viewpoint available to watch the ceremony. How I wish this would be televised this would be something to see! And for him to receive it in person from her Majesty oh my heart is just so overflowing right now it’s just so amazing!

a hush hush holiday. ……………

There have been a few hints in the riddles over the last couple of weeks about a family holiday and the Cambridge family needs a holiday, they usually take one. I have a strong suspicion they’ll take their little private plane and be out and home before we even know about it or where they’ve been. They are likely to take along her parents and Pippa and her family and James and his fiancée have a whole family time of it. I also have a feeling they might be taking Harry along because I don’t think, that at this point in the game , I said this before, but I just truly do not think they would be going anywhere unless the eyes are dotted and the tees are crossed on that divorce/annulment and all the settlements and so it could very well be that Harry will accompany them but not be wonderful!!

awoke to a scathing review.

Can you imagine how angry the head bosses of the tube must be when they found out this morning oh my goodness! cleaning staff removed Banksys ‘art’ unaware of graffiti being “art” by BANKSY worth as much as £7.5 million😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮! Are you serious are you really serious? Thinking It was graffiti and needed to be cleaned and needing removed, he did his job and cleaned and removed it. Now the bigwigs are pleading with Banksy to redo it again oh my oh that’s a double positive for me not redo it again to do it again. How can you do art again I mean to copy then I don’t know I don’t know how graffiti is art anyways but that’s a whole other thing! I feel soooooo sorry for that staff person, l am sure his boss gave him a very hard talking to, l hope he keeps his job. I describe the piece in yesterday’s riddle if you want to go back and read that you can also see pictures of it online very easily found.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————

65. July 16

💜RIDDLE#65 Technically this is history, LIVING HISTORY!!💜

💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻PG HONOUR TO DO THIS , MM ANON INTERPRETATION 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜

MM ANON …… HMTQ ……… The engagement …… The courtship …… The wedding …… The commonwealth tour……THE CORONATION …… The dalliances of Philip ……Her stoicism……… The children …… The 50/60/70/80/90…………PC/… W&K…… OUR MAGNIFICENT MONARCHY ……… The future legacy. ……… GBHMTQAOGC 🇬🇧

Entertainment purposes

💜💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊😊😊😊😊Thank you MM Anon. It will be a great honour to tell the great story.😊😊😊😊😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜of notes I have never seen the Crown television program I don’t have Netflix just so you know.

RIDDLE#65 Technically this is history, LIVING HISTORY!!

July 15/2020 FIVE HOURS PLUS, I DID THIS WITH LOVE AND REVERENCE TO HMTQ.💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻PG🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜

👑 HMTQ ………

The history begins long before her Majesty or even before she was expected to become the Reigning Monarch and to be known as her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll. 🍼 Elizabeth was born at 02:40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather,King George V. Her father, the Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, the Duchess of York was the youngest daughter of 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish aristocrat the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. I think it is essential here to note that the ‘York’ title. Prince Andrew is the current Duke of York and one cannot help but feel the pain, for HMTQ. I will not say anymore about that but we know our royal family has been attacked and that is just added pain inflicted for her Majesty which I had not put together until now. She was delivered by Caesarean section surgery, at her maternal grandfather’s house in Mayfair(London). The exact address being 17 Bruton Street, in Mayfair. She was baptized by the Anglican Archbishop of York, as her father was the Duke of York. The Archbishop was Cosmo Gordon Lang. It took place in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on the 29th of May, 1926. She was given the name Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. The Elizabeth was after her mother, the name Alexandra was named after George V’s mother who had passed six months prior and the name Mary was after her paternal grandmother. She has the sweet nickname “Lilibet" by her close family,based on what she called herself. She was cherished by her grandfather George V, and during his serious illness in 1929 her regular visits were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his health.

Princess Margaret 🍼 was born in 1930, and was her only sibling. As was custom at that time, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and Governess Marion Crawford. Varieties of their studies were concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. A major breach of trust occurred when the Governess went public, yes even then they had this sort of trust breaking. She published a ‘tell all’ as it would be called today. The book all about the girls was entitled The Little Princesses published in 1950. This resulted in a great deal of upset. I wonder if they had NDA’s back then? In the book while describing Princess Elizabeth mentions her love of horses, dogs, her organization, being a very responsible young woman and that fits very well with how we know her Majesty to be now doesn’t it? Sir Winston Churchill commented, when she was two years old that she was “a character and she has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant.“

During her grandfather’s reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne behind her uncle Edward and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father. Later that year, The whole Wallace Simpson fiasco occurred which resulted in Edward eventually abdicating the throne and her father becoming King. Thusly, she became the heir apparent!

If you have not seen the movie the king speech I think it’s essential that you do. He struggled valiantly with a speech impediment and stuttering and a marked lack of confidence and bless the Queen mum, she found someone to help him to get over this and to work through it. What came out of that was the horrendous abuse that he had suffered at the hands of his governesses who were meant to protect him but who were very abusive. You must see that movie.

If her parents had had a later son, he would have been heir apparent. and above her in the line of succession, which was determined by male primogeniture.

Elizabeth received private tuition in constitutional history from Vice Provost from Eton College. She learned French from a succession of French governesses. A Girl Guide she was too!! A company, entitled the 1st Buckingham Palace Company was formed! specifically so she could socialise with girls her own age.

This was not a child and young woman that was idle, laying around with fancy clothes and hair and that sort of thing oh no no no no she was she was into everything and learning and constantly constantly learning.

During the second world war they were encouraged to have the princesses evacuated can to Canada to avoid the air raids that were occurring regularly in London. However the queen mother absolutely refused that just like she refused to leave her husband and refused to leave the city she felt it was important that they remain there to be there for their people. as the queen mother famously said “The children won’t go without me. I won’t leave without the King. And the King will never leave.” The princesses Stayed at Balmoral Castle in Scotland until the Christmas in the year of 1939 when they moved to Sandringham House in Norfolk. From February to May 1940, they lived at Royal Lodge, Windsor, until moving to Windsor Castle where they lived for most of the next five years.At Windsor, the princesses, Per English tradition, staged pantos at Christmas in aid of the Queen’s Wool Fund, which bought yarn to knit into military garments. In 1940, the 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the BBC children’s hour addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities.She stated: “We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well.” I know I’ve heard that a number of times and I can still hear her young voice saying those words.

In 1943, Elizabeth undertook her first solo public appearance on a visit to the Grenadier guards, of which she had been appointed colonel the previous year. As she approached her 18th birthday, parliament changed the law so she could act as one of five Counsellors of the State in the event of her father’s incapacity or absence abroad, such as his visit to Italy in July 1944.In February 1945, she was appointed as an honorary second subaltern in Auxiliary Territorial Service. with the number of 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was given the rank of honorary junior commander (female equivalent of Captain at the time) five months later. We all love seeing the pictures of her in uniform and her working on the jeep engine, just amazing ! totally amazing young woman! I think it was just a mere foreshadowing of what the future held for her.

May 8, 1945 was VE day and the royal family along with the Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham palace as the maybe millions of citizens were in the streets just celebrating the end of the war. Both Elizabeth and Margaret snuck out into the crowds and were anonymously celebrating amongst all the citizens and she later said they had asked their parents but they were still terrified of being recognized amongst the crowd. Before they knew it, they were swept along with a bunch of people cheering and dancing and going down the street in joy, just pure joy marvellous that she had that opportunity , the both of them did just marvellous!

The engagement 💍

She met prince Philip in 1934 and then again in 1937. He was known then as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. There actually is a family connection between the two of them, they are second cousins once removed, through a king in Denmark and also third cousins through ,who else, her Majesty Queen Victoria! They met again at the Royal Navy college in Dartmouth in July 20, 1939. Princess Elizabeth was only 13 years old at the time but she said she had fallen in love with Philip and they began to exchange letters. During the course of writing these letters Philip declared his love for her. Prince Philip was born June 10, 1921. So if I do the math correctly he was 18 and she was 13 when she fell in love with him. Oh my oh young love. She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.

Nothing is ever simple in this life and their engagement was certainly not without a controversy. Philip had no financial standing, Was foreign born the British subject with served in the Navy, and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links. There was a lot of chatter amongst the aristocracy probably the most regular folks to have about that he wasn’t good enough for her and he was just kind of love a suave kind of guy. Well no one’s gonna argue that he wasn’t an absolutely handsome man and put that together with a navy uniform and a 13-year-old girls hormones boom you got love right there! No joke! Even back then the British papers were ruthless and I think he was dragged through whatever else everyone else has been dragged through since, Diana, and Catherine Sophie etc. Later biographies reported Elizabeth’s mother had reservations about the union initially, and teased Philip as “The Hun”. In later life, however, the Queen Mother told a biographer that Philip was “an English gentleman”. Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, officially converted to the Anglican and adopted the style Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, He took The surname of his mothers British family.Just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style His Royal Highness.

The courtship 🖊 📝 🚢

A diary made reference to the future marriage of Elizabeth and Philip was made as early as 1941, “He is to be our Prince Consort, and that is why he is serving in our Navy.” The couple became secretly engaged in 1946, when Philip asked King George VI for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The King granted his request providing any formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth’s 21st birthday the following April. Their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.Philip proposed to Elizabeth with a 3-carat round diamond ring consisting of “a centre stone flanked by 10 smaller pave diamonds.” The diamonds were taken from a tiara that belonged to Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg and were also used to create a quatrefoil bracelet for Elizabeth. According to Philip Eade, the author of Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early life, the young man wrote: “To have been spared in the war and seen victory, to have been given the chance to rest and to re-adjust myself, to have fallen in love completely and unreservedly, makes all one’s personal and even the world’s troubles seem small” Prince Philip designed the square-cut diamond engagement ring with jewellers Philip Antrobus Ltd.The ring is a platinum ring set with eleven diamonds, a 3 carat round solitaire and five smaller stones set on each shoulder. Even though Prince Philip was born a Greek prince, his family were not extremely wealthy. His then-girlfriend was heir to the British throne, so using these diamonds may have been a way to save money as well as a sentimental gesture. According to current money, the ring is likely to be worth around £207,082.

The wedding 👰🏽 🤵 🥂

Oh what a glorious day! The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten took place on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince Philip had been made the Duke of Edinburgh, the Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich on the morning of the wedding.

Princess Elizabeth had eight bridesmaids women who were very close to her princesses ladies and I remember reading somewhere they were all giddy and ready to go and they were all giggling and she looked around as she said OK girls are you ready let’s go. So I’m not sure if that’s true or not but I think it might. The bridesmaids wore wreaths “in their hair of miniature white sheaves, Lilies and London Pride, modelled in white satin and silver lame”, while the pages wore Royal Stewart tartan kilts.

The best man was the Marquess of Milford Haven, the groom’s maternal first cousin.

For her wedding dress, Elizabeth still required to ration couponsto buy the material for her dress, designed by Norman Hartnell.The dress was “a duchesse satin bridal gown with motifs of star lilies and orange blossoms.“ Elizabeth’s wedding shoes were made out of satin and were trimmed with silver and seed pearl. She ( like Catherine) did her own makeup for the wedding. Her wedding bouquet was prepared by the florist M. H. Longman, and consisted of "white orchids with a sprig of myrtle”. The myrtle was taken from “the bush grown from the original myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet.

On the morning of her wedding, as Princess Elizabeth was dressing at Buckingham Palace before leaving for Westminster Abbey, her tiara snapped DISASTER! The court jeweller, who was standing by in case of emergency, was rushed to his work room by a police escort. The Queen mum reassured her daughter that it would be fixed in time, and it was.Elizabeth’s father gave her A pair of pearl necklaces which had Belongs to Queen Anne and Queen Caroline,as a wedding present. On her wedding day, Elizabeth realised that she had left her pearls at St James’s palace.Her private secretary was asked to go and retrieve them. He was able to get the pearls to the princess in time for her portrait in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.

The royal parties were brought in large carriage processions, the first with the Queen and Princess Margaret and later a procession with Queen Mary. Philip left Kensington Palacewith his best man, the Marquess of Milford Haven. Princess Elizabeth arrived at the Abbey with her father, the King, in the Irish State Coach.

The ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, and the Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett. The ceremony was recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio to 200 million people around the world. Like her mother’s, Princess Elizabeth’s wedding band was made of Welsh gold. The ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David’s mine, near Dolgellau;( 💜💜💜💜lhave a gold ring made by Clogau, Celtic design l absolutely love it, it’s gorgeous💜💜💜💜💜💜)this nugget had been given to the then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen mum, and used to make her wedding ring and subsequently the wedding rings of both of her daughters. The same nugget was later used to create the wedding rings of Princess Anne and Lady Diana Spencer.

William Neil McKie, music 🎼 🎶 the Australian 🇦🇺organist and Master of the Choristers at the abbey, was the director of music for the wedding, a role he again filled at Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.McKie also wrote a motet for the occasion, "We wait for thy loving kindness, O God”. Psalm 67, “God be merciful unto us and bless us”, was sung to a setting by Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow. The anthem was “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” by Samuel Sebastian Wesley; the hymns were “Praise, my soul, the king of heaven”, and “The Lord’s my Shepherd” to the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish tune “Crimond” attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine, which was largely unknown in the Church of England at the time. A descant to “Crimond” had been taught to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret by a lady-in-waiting, Lady Margaret Egerton; the music for the descant could not be found two days before the wedding, so the princesses and Lady Margaret sang it to Sir William McKie, who wrote it down in 🖊📝 shorthand.The service started with a specially composed fanfare and finished with Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March”. The abbey choir was joined by the choirs of the Chapel Royal and St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

After the ceremony, Elizabeth and Philip then proceeded to Buckingham palace where the couple waved to the crowds from the balcony.Their wedding breakfast was held in the Ball-Supper Room of the Palace. The menu included Filet de Sole Mountbatten, Perdreau en Casserole, and Bombe Glacee Princess Elizabeth.Music was played by the string band of the The Grenadier Guards.

The official wedding cake 🎂 was baked by London bakery McVitie&Price. A fruitcakemade of four tiers, it stood nine feet high,and weighed about 500 lbs. It was made with 80 oranges, 660 eggs, and over three gallons of Navy Rum. As World War II had ended a mere two years earlier and certain things were still subject to rationing, some of the ingredients used to make the cake were shipped to Britain from around the world; this led to the cake being given the nickname “The 10,000 Mile Cake.Decorations included the coats of arms of both the bride’s and the groom’s families, as well as the bride and groom’s individual monograms, and sugar-iced figures depicting regimental and naval badges, as well as the couple’s favorite activities.The couple cut the cake with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Mountbatten sword, which had been a wedding gift from his father-in-law, the King.

The couple received over 2,500 wedding presents 🎁 from around the world and around 10,000 telegrams of congratulations.The gifts were put on public display at Saint James‘s palace made available for public viewing.The day after the wedding the wedding bouquet was returned to Westminster Abbey and placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a tradition that began with the Queen mum.The flowers in the bouquet were supplied by the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and were arranged by florist MH Longman.

The commonwealth tour 🚢

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign commenced with her longest ever tour of Commonwealth nations.

Between November 1953 and May 1954, the Royal Family visited 13 countries in the West Indies, Australasia, Asia, and Africa, covering more than 40,000 miles by land, air and sea.

Commonwealth Tours: 1953-1954

On this tour the Queen visited…

Bermuda: 24-25 November

Jamaica: 25-27 November

Fiji: 17-19 December

Tonga: 19-20 December

New Zealand: 23 December-30 January

Australia: 3 February-1 April

Cocos Islands: 5 April

Ceylon: 10-21 April

Aden: 27 April

Uganda: 28-30 April

Malta: 3-7 May

Gibraltar: 10 May

On britishpathe.com there are endless videos one can watch of the various places they visited on this extensive tour.

They have been so many visits to so many parts of the Commonwealth. I remember the last time HMTQ and Prince Philip were in my area and they were opening a bridge and it was summertime and it was 35°C I think and it was probably 40-42C with the humidex.He was in his suit and tie and she was in her hat and her gloves and her day dress with the coat over and they stood there for a good hour. Well they had to walk across the, they drove across part of the bridge and then they got out and walked the rest of the way. But then they had to stand and listen to different politicians pontificate about this beautiful bridge. Then she had to say her little speech and like I could I just kept waiting for one of them to fade they neither of them or even sweating it and then she pulled a little drawstring and then the curtain opened so you can see the plaque of the bridge and name of the bridge or whatever I forget, the day it doesn’t matter what the name of the bridge was but the whole thing it was like well over an hour and then they got walked back to the vehicle and got in and then they went and they drove to a park that was nearby and they are thank God they had seats for them under some shade but then they proceeded to have to listen to I don’t know how many musicians and performers in and they are they and like I tell you I did not I am just I just couldn’t believe it I just could not believe it and everybody was sitting on picnic blankets and stuff and drinking cold water water and sweating and dressed in tank tops and shorts and sandals and like just sweating away and they are the two of them were looking just right as rain as if it was just a regular day it was just astounding to me absolutely astounding!

Kids I realize this is one big run-on sentence and I’m not doing any of the same paragraphs but I’m I’m not doing this for a book or for an editor I am doing this to do honour to her majesty so love me or leave me I’m doing my best here OK.

The Coronation 👑

During 1951, George VI’s health declined, and Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. When she toured Canada and visited President Harry S. Truman in Washington, D.C., in October 1951, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while she was on tour. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of Kenya. On 6 February 1952, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after a night spent at Treetops Hotel, when word arrived of the death of the King and consequently Elizabeth’s immediate accession to the throne. Philip broke the news to the new queen. Martin Charteris asked her to choose a regnal name; she chose to remain Elizabeth, "of course”. She was proclaimed queen throughout her realms and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom. She and the Duke of Edinburgh moved into Buckingham Palace.

With Elizabeth’s accession, it seemed probable the royal house would bear the Duke of Edinburgh’s name, in line with the custom of a wife taking her husband’s surname on marriage. The Duke’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten, advocated the name House of Mountbatten. Philip suggested House of Edinburgh, after his ducal title.The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary, favoured the retention of the House of Windsor, and so on 9 April 1952 Elizabeth issued a declaration that Windsor would continue to be the name of the royal house. The Duke complained, “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children."In 1960, after the death of Queen Mary in 1953 and the resignation of Churchill in 1955, the surname Mountbatten-Windsorwas adopted for Philip and Elizabeth’s male-line descendants who do not carry royal titles.

Amid preparations for the coronation, Princess Margaret told her sister she wished to marry Peter Townsend, a divorcé‚ 16 years Margaret’s senior, with two sons from his previous marriage. The Queen asked them to wait for a year; in the words of Charteris, "the Queen was naturally sympathetic towards the Princess, but I think she thought—she hoped—given time, the affair would peter out."Senior politicians were against the match and the Church of England did not permit remarriage after divorce. If Margaret had contracted a civil marriage, she would have been expected to renounce her right of succession. Eventually, she decided to abandon her plans with Townsend.In 1960, she married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was created Earl of Snowdon the following year. They divorced in 1978; she did not remarry.

Despite the death of Queen Mary on 24 March, the coronation on 2 June 1953 went ahead as planned, as Mary had asked before she died. The ceremony in Westminster Abbey, with the exception of the anointing and communion, was televised for the first time. Elizabeth’s coronation gown was embroidered on her instructions with the floral emblems of Commonwealth countries:English Tudor rose; Scots thistle; Welsh leek; Irish shamrock; Australian wattle; Canadian maple leaf; New Zealand silver fern; South African protea; lotus flowers for India and Ceylon; and Pakistan’s wheat, cotton, and jute.

The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey, London.She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation was held more than one year later because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies before holding such festivals. It also gave the planning committees adequate time to make preparations for the ceremony. During the service, Elizabeth took an oath, was anointed with holy oil, invested with robes and regalia, and crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued. It was the first British coronation to be fully televised; television cameras had not been allowed inside the abbey during her father’s coronation in 1937. Elizabeth’s was the fourth and last British coronation of the 20th century. It was estimated to have cost £1.57 million (c. £43,427,400 in 2019).

The dalliances of Philip ……😳😤🤭🤫🤔🤭🤭🤭🤭

There is extensive information online about this and it’s very easy to find. I have thought long and hard about this I love Her Majesty, The Queen. The last thing I would ever want to do is cause her an ounce of pain. She has been through enough! Therefore MM Anon, respectfully, I am not going to share any information under this clue. I hope you can understand I have a moral code. That moral code is calling me right now and I I just, I cannot, l will not do this clue.

Her stoicism……… 🤔🙏🏻

Queen Elizabeth has been a steady, stoic leader for some 63 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. There must have been vulnerabilities , a young bride, children, the loss of her beloved father, which all were warranted considering she ascended the throne at 25, as she was already navigating two new roles as wife and mother. And while, in this ominous stage of life, HMTQ struggled to strike a power balance with the far elder, far more experienced prime minister Winston Churchill, she similarly, according to the series, clashed with her husband. Philip quickly found himself forfeiting his naval career to support his wife—an uncomfortably advanced spousal dynamic, especially for a headstrong officer in the 1950s.

If having to walk several paces behind his bride was not emasculating enough, HMTQ also rejected his request to give their children his surname on advice from Churchill. “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children,” Philip said, according to a biography of Elizabeth by Sally Bedell Smith, I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba.”HMTQ did her best to give Philip responsibilities—making him the chairman of her coronation committee, for instance. But at every turn, Philip is regularly reminded of his unique limitations. However he was integral in absolutely insisting that the entire coronation be televised. At that time that was absolutely groundbreaking. We take it for granted now that royal weddings and events are televised but at that time nothing like that has ever happened before. And we have Prince Philip to thank for that because he fought for that literally. She also convinced governing bodies to let Philip learn to fly, but only after he agreed to take some risk-minimizing measures.

She has dealt with I believe 12 Prime Ministers, second world war, various terrorists issues, the Falkland Islands war, A man breaking into her bedroom at night, A man attempting to kidnap her daughter, family issues, the divorce of three of her children and the most difficult in terms of the public is when Diana was killed. They were up at Balmoral with the boys when this accident happened and they felt that was the best thing is to keep the boys away, from far from the madding crowd so to speak, but the public drumbeat louder and louder and louder and Prime Minister at the time Tony Blair insisted that she makes some sort of statement or something because the people were very upset. Well now we know what ended up happening they came outside to see first of all their flowers at Balmoral and they went out to look at them with the boys. Then they came back to London and they all, her Majesty, Prince Philip and the boys went out to look at the flowers and in front of the palace Buckingham palace. Do you remember all the flowers in front of Kensington Palace?? It was unbelievable. And the ultimate stoicism is her when she nodded as Diana’s coffin rode by her, that was unprecedented for a reigning monarch bow their head to anybody. We’ve seen subsequently so many things. I think the last four years with Madam in the picture I know she talked about the annus horribilis with the divorce is years ago, but there’s nothing like what’s been happening like the attack on the monarchy in the last four years! Keep calm and carry-on, she’s done that every single day! One would never know she was under any stress, she always looks beautiful , she’s well put together! One never would know that she had a sleepless night. I , just my whole life,she has been there , as a symbol, a profile in courage , strength , family , safety, country, duty, honour, valour, love, compassion, welcoming. I could go on and on and on she is she is someone to be admired above and beyond she is I believe should be the most admired woman on the planet.

The children …… 🍼 🍼 🍼🍼

HMTQ and Prince Philip were blessed with four children. What the Queen was like as a mum to their children.The Queen treated Prince Charles and Prince Edward very differently.HMTQ became a mother more than 70 years ago, when she welcomed her first son Prince Charles in 1948. Prince Charles🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼

Charles, Prince of Wales, was born Charles Philip Arthur George on November 14, 1948. Charles was born in Buckingham Palace. According to biographer Sally Bedell Smith, while Elizabeth was "delighted” by her first baby, she was often absent when Charles was an infant, instead traveling to be with Prince Philip in Malta where he’d been posted for Royal Navy duty. Smith claims “Prince Philip scarcely knew his son for the first two years of the boy’s life, though on his return from overseas duty he did take the time to teach Charles to shoot and fish, and to swim in the Buckingham Palace pool."Prince Charles was four years old at the time of his mother’s 1953 coronation, and her royal commitments, including a six month Commonwealth tour, took her and Philip around the globe while Charles and his sister stayed at home with their caretakers. Historian Robert Lacy, who has served as an advisor for the Queen “had been brought up in that style herself, after all, with her parents leaving her at home and entrusting her entire schooling to a governess and home tutors.” Prince Charles is the longest-serving heir apparent to the English throne in British history. When asked by a journalist when he first realized he was meant to be king one day, Charles said, “I think it’s something that dawns on you with the most ghastly inexorable sense. I didn’t wake up in my pram and say: ‘Yippie, I…’ But I think it just dawns on you slowly that people are interested in one, and slowly you get the idea that you have a certain duty and responsibility."🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼Princess Anne, Elizabeth’s only daughter Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born on August 15, 1950, at London royal residence Clarence House where Elizabeth and Philip lived until 1953. She currently holds the title of Anne, Princess Royal, and at the time of her birth she was second in line for the throne after Charles. Since then, subsequent royal births have moved Anne to fourteenth in the line of succession.

Anne was a tot when her mother and father began leaving her and Charles at home for royal obligations, often for extended amounts of time. But she’s publicly dismissed any narrative that paints Queen Elizabeth as emotionally distant.

"We as children may have not been too demanding in the sense that we understand what the limitations were in time and the responsibilities placed on her as monarch in the things she had to do and the travels she had to make,” Anne told the BBC in 2002. “But I don’t believe any of us for a second thought she didn’t care for us in exactly the same way as any other mother did."Like every British royal, Princess Anne’s public image is largely formed by how the U.K. media infers her every move. In Anne’s case, certain members of the press gave her the (very harsh) nickname Her Royal Rudeness, though accounts of her supposedly rude behavior suggest a possibly sexist discomfort with her forthright manner. She explained her longtime dislike for the custom of royal walkabouts. "I mean it gets easier but, can you imagine? I mean how many people enjoy walking into a room full of people that you’ve never met before?” she said. “And then try a street. I don’t think many youngsters would actually volunteer to do that.”

Anne’s reputation as a gutsy, no-nonsense lady was bolstered by her reaction to a failed kidnapping attempt against the princess in 1974. At his demand for a hefty ransom, she reportedly responded, “Not bloody likely."Princess Anne, like her brother Charles, has been married twice. She married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, with whom she shares children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. Shortly after their 1992 divorce, she remarried to Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, her current husband.

🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼Prince Andrew.Elizabeth didn’t have another child for an entire decade after welcoming Princess Anne (being the Queen of England is a pretty time-consuming gig). Her Majesty gave birth to Andrew Albert Christian Edward—or as we know him, Prince Andrew, Duke of York—at Buckingham Palace on February 19, 1960. He is currently eighth in line to the throne and the first baby born to a reigning British sovereign in 103 years was cause for a lot of excitement. While custom and circumstance kept the Queen away from her first two kids in their early years, the queen took upwards of 18 months to "produce and enjoy” Andrew and Edward, biographer Lacy claimed. Home-schooled until age 8, after prep school he went on to Gordonstoun, the same Scotland boarding school his father and older brother both attended. Prince Andrew married Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson in 1986, had daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, and divorced in 1996. However, Fergie reportedly still lives with Prince Andrew in the Royal Lodge in Berkshire, England, and she’s called them "the happiest divorced couple in the world.“Prince Andrew has more recently been at the center of another tabloid scandal: He’s accused of taking part in the sex trafficking ring of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—allegations both the prince and the Palace deny. The Prince’s denials, which he attempted to elaborate upon in a high-profile interview on BBC’s Newsnight, were followed by a November 20 announcement that the Duke of York will "step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.”

🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest child!Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis’s birth was a major break from tradition: He was the first of Elizabeth’s children to be born with Prince Philip in the delivery room. As the Independent notes, royal biographer Ingrid Seward wrote that “The Duke of Edinburgh was actually holding his wife’s hand as their youngest was born on March 10, 1964."The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there,” Seward claims in her book My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage. “She’d been keenly reading women’s magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea. In 1968, when Edward was four, the royal family allowed a production crew into their home in an attempt to give viewers a look at how (supposedly) normal they actually were. The documentary—and the public’s mixed reaction. Edward has stayed out of the spotlight (and tabloid headlines) more than his brothers have, and the baby of the royal family is rumored to be the Queen and Prince Philip’s favorite child. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 and the couple have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn.

While he previously worked in television, his production company, Ardent, was dissolved in 2012, he’s currently a full-time royal. As Prince Philip retired from public service in 2019, Prince Edward is reportedly taking over many of his responsibilities.

The 50/60/70/80/90………… 🕰 ⏰ 🕰 ⏰ 🕰

By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was already established.In 1953, the Queen and her husband embarked on a seven-month round-the-world tour, visiting 13 countries and covering more than 40,000 miles by land, sea and air.She became the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand to visit those nations.

In 1956, the British and French prime ministers, Sir Anthony Eden and Guy Mollet, discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth. The proposal was never accepted and the following year France signed the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union. In November 1956, Britain and France invaded Egypt in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to capture the Suez Canal. Lord Mountbatten claimed the Queen was opposed to the invasion, though Eden denied it. Eden resigned two months later.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and Commonwealth leaders met at the 1960 Commonwealth Conference.

The absence of a formal mechanism within the Conservative Party for choosing a leader meant that, following Eden’s resignation, it fell to the Queen to decide whom to commission to form a government. Eden recommended she consult Lord Salisbury, the Lord President of the Council. Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir, the Lord Chancellor, consulted the British Cabinet, Churchill, and the Chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, resulting in the Queen appointing their recommended candidate: Harold Macmillan.

The Suez crisis and the choice of Eden’s successor led, in 1957, to the first major personal criticism of the Queen.

In 1957 she made a state visit to the United States, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth. On the same tour, she opened the 23rd Canadian Parliament, becoming the first monarch of Canada to open a parliamentary session.Two years later, solely in her capacity as Queen of Canada, she revisited the United States and toured Canada.In 1961 she toured Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran.On a visit to Ghana the same year, she dismissed fears for her safety, even though her host, President Kwame Nkrumah, who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for assassins.Harold Macmillan wrote, "The Queen has been absolutely determined all through … She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as … a film star … She has indeed ’the heart and stomach of a man‘ … She loves her duty and means to be a Queen."Before her tour through parts of Quebec in 1964, the press reported extremists within the Quebec separatist movement were plotting Elizabeth’s assassination.No attempt was made, but a riot did break out while she was in Montreal; the Queen’s "calmness and courage in the face of the violence” was noted.

Elizabeth’s pregnancies with Princes Andrew and Edward, in 1959 and 1963, mark the only times she has not performed the State Opening of the British parliament during her reign.In addition to performing traditional ceremonies, she also instituted new practices. Her first royal walkabout, meeting ordinary members of the public, took place during a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970.

In Queensland, Australia, 1970

The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean. Over 20 countries gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, in opposition to moves towards majority rule, unilaterally declared independence while expressing “loyalty and devotion” to Elizabeth. Although the Queen formally dismissed him, and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, his regime survived for over a decade.As Britain’s ties to its former empire weakened, the British government sought entry to the European Community, a goal it achieved in 1973.

During the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony, six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, six shots were fired at the Queen from close range as she rode down The Mall, London, on her horse, Burmese. Police later discovered the shots were blanks. The 17-year-old assailant, Marcus Sarjeant, was sentenced to five years in prison and released after three.The Queen’s composure and skill in controlling her mount were widely praised.

Months later, in October, the Queen was the subject of another attack while on a visit to Dunedin, New Zealand. New Zealand Security Intelligence Service documents, declassified in 2018, revealed that 17-year-old Christopher John Lewis fired a shot with a .22 rifle from the fifth floor of a building overlooking the parade, but missed.Lewis was arrested, but never charged with attempted murder or treason, and sentenced to three years in jail for unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm. Two years into his sentence, he attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital in order to assassinate Charles, who was visiting the country with Dianaand their son Prince William.

From April to September 1982, the Queen was anxious but proud of her son, Prince Andrew, who was serving with British forces during the Falklands War.On 9 July, she awoke in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find an intruder, Michael Fagan, in the room with her. In a serious lapse of security, assistance only arrived after two calls to the Palace police switchboard.After hosting US President Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visiting his California ranch in 1983, the Queen was angered when his administration ordered the invasion of Grenada, one of her Caribbean realms, without informing her.

Elizabeth riding Burmese at the 1986 Trooping the Colour ceremony. Intense media interest in the opinions and private lives of the royal family during the 1980s led to a series of sensational stories in the press, not all of which were entirely true.As Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun, told his staff: “Give me a Sunday for Monday splash on the Royals. Don’t worry if it’s not true—so long as there’s not too much of a fuss about it afterwards."Newspaper editor Donald Trelford wrote in The Observer of 21 September 1986: "The royal soap opera has now reached such a pitch of public interest that the boundary between fact and fiction has been lost sight of … it is not just that some papers don’t check their facts or accept denials: they don’t care if the stories are true or not.” It was reported, most notably in The Sunday Times of 20 July 1986, that the Queen was worried that Margaret Thatcher's economic policies fostered social divisions and was alarmed by high unemployment, a series of riots, the violence of a miners’ strike, and Thatcher’s refusal to apply sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa. The sources of the rumours included royal aide Michael Shea and Commonwealth Secretary-General Shridath Ramphal, but Shea claimed his remarks were taken out of context and embellished by speculation.Thatcher reputedly said the Queen would vote for the Social Democratic Party—Thatcher’s political opponents.Thatcher’s biographer, John Campbell, claimed “the report was a piece of journalistic mischief-making”.Belying reports of acrimony between them, Thatcher later conveyed her personal admiration for the Queen,and the Queen gave two honours in her personal gift—membership in the Order of Merit and the Order of the Garter—to Thatcher after her replacement as prime minister by John Major. Brian Mulroney Canadian prime minister between 1984 and 1993, said Elizabeth was a “behind the scenes force” in ending apartheid.

By the end of the 1980s, the Queen had become the target of satire.The involvement of younger members of the royal family in the charity game show It’s a Royal Knockout in 1987 was ridiculed.In Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically divisive constitutional amendments, prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau.The same year, the elected Fijian government was deposed in a military coup. As monarch of Fiji, Elizabeth supported the attempts of Governor-GeneralRatu Sir Penaia Ganilau to assert executive power and negotiate a settlement. Coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka deposed Ganilau and declared Fiji a republic.

In 1991, in the wake of coalition victory in the Gulf War, the Queen became the first British monarch to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.

Philip and Elizabeth in Germany, October 1992

In a speech on 24 November 1992, to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession, Elizabeth called 1992 her annus horribilis (horrible year).Republican feeling in Britain had risen because of press estimates of the Queen’s private wealth—which were contradicted by the Palace—and reports of affairs and strained marriages among her extended family.In March, her second son, Prince Andrew, and his wife, Sarah, separated; in April, her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain Mark Phillips;during a state visit to Germany in October, angry demonstrators in Dresden threw eggs at her;and, in November, a large fire broke out at Windsor Castle, one of her official residences. The monarchy came under increased criticism and public scrutiny.In an unusually personal speech, the Queen said that any institution must expect criticism, but suggested it be done with “a touch of humour, gentleness and understanding”.Two days later, Prime Minister John Major announced reforms to the royal finances planned since the previous year, including the Queen paying income tax from 1993 onwards, and a reduction in the civil list.In December, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, formally separated.The year ended with a lawsuit, as the Queen sued The Sun newspaper for breach of copyright when it published the text of her annual Christmas message two days before it was broadcast. The newspaper was forced to pay her legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity. In the years to follow, public revelations on the state of Charles and Diana’s marriage continued.Even though support for republicanism in Britain seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republicanism was still a minority viewpoint, and the Queen herself had high approval ratings.Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself and the Queen’s wider family rather than her own behaviour and actionsIn consultation with her husband and the Prime Minister, John Major, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and her private secretary, Robert Fellowes, she wrote to Charles and Diana at the end of December 1995, saying a divorce was desirable.

In August 1997, a year after the divorce, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. The Queen was on holiday with her extended family at Balmoral. Diana’s two sons by Charles—Princes William and Harry—wanted to attend church and so the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh took them that morning.Afterwards, for five days the Queen and the Duke shielded their grandsons from the intense press interest by keeping them at Balmoral where they could grieve in private,but the royal family’s seclusion and the failure to fly a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace caused public dismay.Pressured by the hostile reaction, the Queen agreed to return to London and do a live television broadcast on 5 September, the day before Diana’s funeral.In the broadcast, she expressed admiration for Diana and her feelings “as a grandmother” for the two princes.As a result, much of the public hostility evaporated.

In November 1997, the Queen and her husband held a reception at Banqueting House to mark their golden wedding anniversary.She made a speech and praised Philip for his role as a consort, referring to him as “my strength and stay”.

PC/…

Prince Charles he is the prince of Wales and the heir to the throne. He was married to Lady Diana Spencer.They had two sons we all know is William Arthur Philip Louis and Henry Charles Albert David otherwise Harry! He married Lady Diana Spencer on July 31, 1981 and they had a very rocky marriage and the long and short it ended very messy and finally HMTQ had to step in and tell them to divorce. It ended in divorce and we all know what happened with dear Diana and the subsequent effects on the boys and the family. Charles eventually did marry the love of his life in a civil ceremony HMTQ did not attend that because they’re they’re both divorced. They are now the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla has done a lot of work very quietly and slowly to build a rapport with the people. I think she’s done a really good job of it and them together are very sweet, just a very sweet couple. When Charles ascends the Throne it’s well-known that his goal is to shorten or cut the budget. I guess to streamline things. He is very forward thinking that way. I think his agendas will be very much as they have been, very focussed on sustainability and environmental issues, that sort of thing. He she was environmentally aware before anybody. I remember when I was a kid, the press and others, they were laughing and made fun of him for talking to his plants and being out in the garden, all these kind of things and how awful look at that you know that we shouldn’t be doing that.I’ll look at it’s a thing to do sustainability and farm to table and he was way ahead of the curve on that one. That’s also way ahead of the curve in terms of architecture in his opinions on that he’s been criticized for but he did did become quite vocal about how with with the classic buildings that are centuries old and in these new modern buildings being built right next to it it just doesn’t fit somehow.

I don’t know for certain and I have never read it anywhere but I do believe he has some sort of auto immune disease because his face is so red so often and his hands are so red and they look so swollen and it in it just looks like it must be so painful. I don’t know what he has but I sure hope they’re giving him some I’m sure they’re giving him something for comfort and all that but I don’t know lupus I don’t know but he certainly has certainly his hands look so sore I just feel every time I see those swollen red hands I just saw my heart goes out.

W&K…… 💜💜🍼🍼🍼💜💜

Prince William was born June 21, 1982. Loved to see him squirming in the blanket as they walked out of the Lindo Wing, Charles all proud and Diana’s face flushed, dressed in the green and white polkadot dress with the bright red flat shoes oh my that was exciting how we waited for that little baby my goodness that was that was a great day!

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, KG, KT, PC, ADC (William Arthur Philip Louis;[fn 1] born 21 June 1982) is a member of the British royal family. He is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Since birth, he has been second in the line of succession to the British throne.

William was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and studied for a degree at the University of St Andrews. During a gap year, he spent time in Chile, Belize, and Africa. In December 2006, he completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet and was commissioned in the Blues and Royals regiment. In April 2008, William completed pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell, then underwent helicopter flight training and became a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. His service with the British Armed Forces ended in September 2013.He then trained for a civil pilot’s licence and spent over two years working as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The greatest tragedy of William life with losing his mother Diana in a car accident when he was young and the greatest thing to happen to William ever was Catherine Middleton coming into his life! She was patient and the media or routes to her that you called her all sorts of names but she was patient. She loved him and he was not ready to commit and she waited and he was worth the wait and look look at the results now! A power couple that truly fit to get the name power couple and three beautiful amazing children.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, GCVO (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982), popularly known as Kate Middleton,but prefers to be called by her proper name , and has NOT been Middleton since her marriage to William!Catherine is a member of the British royal family. Her husband, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is expected to become king of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, making Catherine a likely future queen consort.

She grew up in the village of Chapel Row, part of Bucklebury near Newbury, in the Englishcounty of Berkshire.She studied art history in Scotland at the University of St Andrews, where she met William in 2001. Their engagement was announced in November 2010. They married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The couple’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis of Cambridge, are third, fourth, and fifth in the line of succession to the British throne, respectively.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s charity works focus mainly on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art. To encourage people to open up about their mental health issues, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry (now the Duke of Sussex) initiated the mental health awareness campaign “Heads Together” in April 2016.The media have called Catherine’s impact on British and American fashion the “Kate Middleton effect”.In 2012 and 2013, Time magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

In 2011, Prince William was made Duke of Cambridge and marriedCatherine Middleton. The couple have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

OUR MAGNIFICENT MONARCHY ……… 👑💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Couple years ago I think it was ITV did add a series Victoria based on Queen Victoria’s life and that really brought things out again made people interested and watching that. I have read a bunch of books about Queen Victoria she lived a fascinating life. She was open to anything any culture any she was so wise at such a young age and an ash as her rain progressed and different things happen so she was open to things and yet close to some other things. She had her Beautiful relationship with Prince Alberts. He was instrumental in so much of modernizing the UK the train rail the Parliament buildings and on and on the Royal Victoria and Albert Hall and on and on and on. Her brain was legendary! She wrote a journal she wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and as she aged her daughter I can’t recall her name just now but she destroyed some of it and we wrote it in her own handwriting because she thought her mother wouldn’t want people to read certain things. Even with her having done that, there are still just tomes and tomes of writings in Queen Victoria’s hand and it’s all available, I forget the website, but they put it all online. The national treasure Dr. Lucy Wursley has done awesome documentaries on the monarchy, just she’s outstanding! She is a national actually has an international treasure a commonwealth treasure!

Architecture music gardening scripture design it’s just an endless traditions recipes different dialects it’s just on and on and on and on that exists within the monarchy.

I love the traditions, Trooping the Colour, opening of parliament, the banging on the door the door slamming on the balcony with the fly past.I love the royal wedding. I love when they go to church at Christmas and then they walk out and I just love all of that stuff.I love seeing her Majesty every Sunday in the car looking to see what pin she’s wearing. I love brooches. I have, from Buckingham palace, to the official copy of the Mapleleaf brooch! My sister got that for me one year when she was in London and she went to Buckingham palace specifically to get me that brooch because I collect brooches so I proudly on that.and I am all I have a book that was published in 1987 again the author part part of my brain is not working 100% right now but I got it for my birthday from my sister and it’s a vintage book from 1987 and it’s the Queen’s jewelleryCollection which I absolutely love and I also have Angela Kelly’s new book which my sister got me for Christmas so. You wouldn’t even want to know how much royalty stuff I have collected and I inherited them from my mother and I wouldn’t get rid of any of it I still have the newspapers from July 31, 1981 that we had to city newspapers at that time and so I have Charles and Diana’s wedding on on both of those and that was from my mom my mom say that so after my mom passed away no one else wanted that and of course I went out I took it faster than the end the year of the queens Jubilee Canada posted a whole Book of stamps special stamps and my sister got that for me and they were released each book of stamps and then at the very end then they release the book that way you can put your stamp in so I have that. And I ordered from the royal mail one last year when they did the Queen Victoria stamps I think it was 100 years since her death I think that’s what it was but it oh that’s awesome and I have a big board in my spare room where I keep all the stamps I have William and Catherine their engagement I have William and Catherine their wedding and I have her majesty and that you believe that these are all Canada post and I have that one from the royal mail I just wanna have postcards in there at all I just have so much stop and I love it all!

The future legacy. ……… 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊😊😊😊🔮

How bright is the future of our monarchy! Despite outside influences, attacks , invading, riots in the street, whatever put all that aside put all that aside right now. We have a Queen who continues to reign. It does not matter if it is in Windsor Castle or Balmoral or Buckingham palace, she is cogent!! and she is in charge!! make no mistake about that!!!! Put all that abdication garbage aside!! She will not ever abdicate her duties ever! She saw what was done to her father when, someone didn’t take their duties seriously, she would never ever do that! Besides, she is just a woman of a high moral code and public service she will never abdicate! So we have her continuing reigning at this time. When the time comes we have prince Charles and by his side a woman he loves very much, which which the public has come to accept and quite admire. I think he will do well. He will downsize the numbers on the balcony, there will not be full of 13 generations he will definitely downsize.He is definitely very intelligent and very educated with regard to climate change with regards to farming gardening all the things that are essential in food production. He has such a gentle manner about him and I think he is elegant. They are such an elegant couple. And wow coming up William and Catherine we have nothing to fear what a powerhouse those two are amazing loving, intelligent, well balanced, centred, strong ,motivated, loving, the endless energy, endless ideas, things could not bode better for the future and it’s all down to Her Majesty! She has set the tone and they have learned from her in conversation and observation and experience and I just think the monarchy could not be in any better hands. And then we have George Charlotte and Louis I mean they’re being raised to be such healthy, wise, mentally balanced, physically active, community awareness, they’re being raised by two of the best so there’s we can’t lose!! We can’t lose, it is all amazing I think I see the future is so bright! And soon we will have our Harry back and all of this other stuff will be put away and dealt with and then we can have our Harry and he can he can start start fresh and rebuild! Harry, l believe in you, I pray for you, I love you dearly since you were just a baby and there’s many many many many many more like me that are supporting you all the way and we know that you are doing the right thing you’re doing the things that you have to do to deal with the situation and we all know that and we’re out we’ve all gotten back and whenever time comes for you to come back to us you will find open arms and lots of love!!

GBHMTQAOGC 🇬🇧🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

I say GSTQAOBC mine means, a God save the Queen and our beloved Commonwealth. Her Majesty is the head of the church of England a woman of faith a woman of moral code. My mother was a woman of faith very strong faith and she loved her Majesty. I think we need to be very protective of our faith because it is under attack right now it has been for a number of years but it’s become much more overt and I think we all need to speak out and supported and those of us who love and support the monarchy we need to continue to raise our voice and continue to work on our blogs to show. There are people who have faith who love the monarchy who love the queen who want it to continue! And the more of us there are the better. Nothing to use this audio software I don’t do upper case anymore because I speak and it types as I speak so but I am up till now if you kids know I have always done upper case so those of us who are commonwealth members we know how valuable it is. The Commonwealth games in our own little Olympics sort of thing. It’s just we feel part of your community and connection and I mean I’ve had royalty every day of my life! HMTQ was it at at the front in school there’s a picture of her every at the end of every school day we sang God save the Queen , she’s on our money , our lawyers are the crown prosecutors a court of Queens bench everything here where I live it is there’s some part of the monarchy involves and I love it and I wanted to continue. And I want to conclude this by saying how very much I love and admire you your Majesty I just I do that’s a sincere serious as I can be.

THIS WAS DONE WITH 119% LOVE. FIVE HOURS!!

💜💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊😊😊😊PG😊😊😊😊😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

—————-

66. July 17

I wish you could all hear that heard me read the riddle as I typed it because I did it in her voice and then his voice as I was doing it and it was actually pretty funny!🥂🥂🥂🥂PG😊😊😊😊

MM ANON …… Bea-discreet …………… “ give them a wave Philip, its a wedding “…………… “ I’m looking forward to congratulating the happy couple and sharing a few jokes “ ………… “ No Philip”…………… “ don’t be silly, I won’t say anything ……… “ NO PHILIP!! “ …………” what’s this Philip” ……… “ just a few notes” …………… “ you can’t say this!! ……… “ OK… bloody hell , it’s a joke” …………… “ if you said this , Italy would declare war!!” ……… “ bloody hell !!”

Thank you. What a wonderful surprise this wedding has been.😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

Entertainment Purposes

JULY 17/2020. RIDDLE #66

🥂🥂🥂🥂THANK YOU MM ANON🥂🥂🥂🥂

🥂🥂🥂🥂CONGRATULATIONS🥂🥂🥂🥂TO PRINCESS BEATRICE AND EDO

Bea-discreet ……………

Oh ahead of them and I asked that we deleted it again. I must say a hearty big congratulations to the happy couple! How wonderful that they were able to pull this off discreetly and it sure explains a big smile prince and your head on a picture of him that I saw in the paper the other day. He look like the cat that ate the canary and now we know why big big big special day wonderful! Congratulations to the two of them they’ve been patient through more than I think any young couple has publicly and now they’re finally together as a married couple and if they can get through this they can get through anything!! Congratulations🥂🥂🥂🥂 The other thing that tells me is Harry is safe and Harry probably was at the wedding!!!

“ give them a wave Philip, its a wedding “…………… “ I’m looking forward to congratulating the happy couple and sharing a few jokes “ ………… “ No Philip”…………… “ don’t be silly, I won’t say anything ……… “ NO PHILIP!! “ …………” what’s this Philip” ……… “ just a few notes” …………… “ you can’t say this!! ……… “ OK… bloody hell , it’s a joke” …………… “ if you said this , Italy would declare war!!” ……… “ bloody hell !!”

This paragraph it’s funny it’s a salute to her majesty and prince Philip but much less formal than the extensive tome I did yesterday. Her Majesty is encouraging prince Philip to get the married couple a wave! He replies to her I am looking forward to congratulating the happy couple sharing a few jokes wink wink nod why nod nod😄😄😁😁😁😁😁!! Her Majesty knowing full well what kind of jokes he likes she just says in capital letters no Philip! he’s ruffling with some thing and then she notices a paper in his hand and so what’s this and he’s kind of trying to avoid her seeing it and I was just just some notes just some notes all just some notes. She gets a hold of it and she was aghast you can’t say this Italy will declare war! I wish you could hear my intonation my voice because I’m doing it as if it’s her and it’s him it’s actually quite funny to me at almost 4 in the morning! OK you says OK it’s just a bloody joke can’t you not hear him say that oh! Oh my and then of course he hast to get one more one more of his favourite words in there before the end of this beautiful paragraph!

💜💜💜💜😁😁😁😊😊😊MM ANON🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧😊😊😊😊💜💜💜💜

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————

67. July 20

MM ANON ………… honeymoon Italia…… “hello my old China “…………… more engagements ………… Balmoral cottages ………… secret snaps ( eyes only) ………………”once upon a time “…………T. R. Ah. …………… the green eyed trasher ………… close the beaches …………… a coach full …………… Bea-frugal ……… unknown posie.

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜Thank you MM Anon💜💜💜💜💜😊😊😊😊🌈🌈🌈🌈

July 20/2020. RIDDLE#67

honeymoon Italia……

Despite a world, okay not the entire world due to COVID-19, they have several options, all romantic, but l do believe our happy couple is honeymooning in Italy! Totally makes sense as were Edo is from, it is where they got engaged and I’m sure he knows all the most romantic spots to take her to. i’m also sure he knows some out-of-the-way places where they will not be bothered by any paparazzi. Villa Mapelli Mozzi, in the north of Italy, is the groom’s family estate. be another convenient destination which is less than an hour away from Milan. The 13-bedroom residence is surrounded by parkland, where tall trees are housed in an English garden. There is also an outdoor swimming pool and stable house. This would be the most private option I think for them.

They got engaged on the Amalfi coast in Italy that might be another option that would be more public that would mean staying in the hotel where they stayed when they got engaged which would be quite romantic. The Sirenuse Hotel is nestled within the pastel-coloured houses that make up Positano village, the hotel is perched on a mountain boasting breathtaking views over the bay. Oh doesn’t it all just sounds divinely romantic? Love sweet love!🥰🥰🥰

“hello my old China “

In the UK there is so much slang, different manners of speech and local colloquiums. In Cockney, rhyming slang, when referring to a friend/ mate they would say China plate. I have no idea why, they just do.

This is very sarcastic because then the UK has just refuse Huawei the access to 5G network in the UK. And now that’s added to Canada and America that have also refused them and in fact as I said a number of times we have incarcerated currently the head of wild with a daughter she’s also high up in the company. All repairs in case people don’t know she was in Canada I think for business and she was so picked up on a warrant which is an American warrant but because Canada and the United States have a reciprocal relationship like that the Canadian law enforcement arrested her took her into custody based on that American war inch. She applied for bail which the judge denied. She very much assumed that she would just be released an allowed to leave to go back to China. So all that issue is money right money and also Huawei has been widely speculated for hacking and stealing intellectual property and technology by many countries.Of course they strongly deny this. The other huge huge huge massive issue is Hong Kong. They was the agreement in which China took possession of Hong Kong was it was based on the original agreement between them and the UK. That agreement included a clause called one country two governments which allowed Hong Kong to remain free or capital enterprise. However that has not happened and a slippery slope has occurred with many arrests and riots and this resulted in China removing the entire The entire constitution, outlawing free-speech and invading and instituting martial law.

Mike Pompeo the United States secretary of state is in London today meeting with Boris Johnson the Prime Minister. I’m sure they have many mutual issues to discuss the top of the list likely is China. I do believe on that list also might include some issues regarded to our Madam situation.

The family of Harry Dunn, the young chap who was killed on the on his motorbike by the wife of a US a spy driving on the wrong side of the road. She and her family fled the country and there is an outstanding warrants for her in the U.K. The United States is not inclined to extra extradite her to the UK. His family is pleading with Boris Johnson to make that a priority on the meeting today with Mike Pompeo. I think there are huge world issues to discuss and how do I put this , I’m not sure that they will get to that I’m not sure that that extradition will ever happen.

more engagements …………

With all the wedding talk still in the air, I think peoples first thoughts would go to thinking who else is engaged? who else is engaged! However I do not think that is what this clue is about.

I have noticed of late and I saw it again today on the daily mail that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall are doing yet another engagements. I truly think Camilla has truly come into her own as well in her role. And people have grown to be really quite fond of her and deservedly so. Today they were in Cornwall seeing a new bridge called the Tintagel bridge. Everything in the UK has cute names. I’d like to know where they all come from.🤔😊.Today it was a start of their annual visit or tour of Devon and Cornwall where they will have three days visit. They both appeared chipper while meeting paramedics and unveiling a new air ambulance named in her honour.

The naming ceremony for the new £7.5million chopper for Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust was briefly interrupted by an alarm sounding alerting paramedics to an emergency call-out, with the Duchess saying she was keeping her ‘fingers crossed’ for the injured patient. Can you imagine having a helicopter air ambulance named after you how awesome would that be wow!

Balmoral cottages …………

Her Majesty, the Queen and Prince Philip will be going up to Balmoral next week I think, shortly anyways. Family will be visiting and I don’t know which family because Buckingham Palace has said in response to that question, family time and vacation is private and they will not give out that information. Nonetheless whoever goes to visit will not be allowed to stay in Balmoral proper because of COVID-19. However the estate does have many cottages and places on the state itself where they can stay which I think they will be very comfortable in. They will be able to visit outside, ride horses, fish picnic etc do all the things that they usually do but most of it will be outside. Which actually is not going to be all that different than their usual time up there with the exception they probably will not be the Ghillies ball. It is just too bad but this is better than nothing and they will greatly enjoy the time together. I just could not believe how excellent her Majesty and Prince Philip looked at the wedding in those photos in the photo I saw oh my goodness! His shoes were shined within an inch of their life EXCELLENT JOB SYDNEY!!!

secret snaps ( eyes only) ………………

The first thing I want to say is the press keeps going on and on about why are there no pictures of Prince Andrew at the wedding. Why on earth would they give the press pictures of him? All they would do was rip them apart in words and criticize even more than they already have.I doubt that they are ever going to see the light of day. Those photos will be for families eyes only family and close friends. There will be no way that pictures of him will be made public!Nor should they!

The other possibility is some that there are some intelligence photos that have been taken, that prove a myriad of things. It may be regarding prove oh what China has been up to, Russia been up to. It might be regarding the Covid. It might be regarding intelligence stealing it regarding a hacking regarding oh some of the websites that have been brought down recently.

When I see it in brackets 😮😮😮😮😮(eyes only)🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔, that makes me think immediately of five eyes, of the five eyes of intelligence.Those being 🇬🇧 UK, the 🇺🇸 the United States, Canada 🇨🇦, Australia 🇦🇺, and New Zealand🇳🇿.We all know that there is an international investigation into JE behaviours and business. GM is now in custody. I never knew she was an American citizen they always talk about her as a British socialite I thought she was British. But I was reading and apparently in 2002 she moved to the United States and became a naturalized citizen. So that’s why she wasn’t in whatever country because they have it extradition treaty with America and that’s probably why she was hiding in America. Maybe you kids all knew that she was an American, but I didn’t. I thought she still had her British citizenship. They are big names big big big big big names at play here, that I don’t know. Frankly I don’t know any of them but I do know this is investigation has been going on for years. We all know this is the reason for the attack on our royal family which was planned years ago, even down to the point where there wasn’t supposed to be a wedding but there was. It has been planned that these riots occur to regarding racial tension to disrupt the United States and the UK from within. They can’t attack them and destroy the outside so they burrowed in and they’re going to try and destroy it from within. We have seen it happening in real time, right before our eyes. Could you ever have imagined even two years ago that the world would be in the state that it is now? And when I say the world, l mean the free countries like America and the UK. Lack of respect, rioting, fires, violence, anarchy, statues being pulled down, revisionist history I don’t know what this new generation is called post millennial whatever but a sense of entitlement beyond beyond the pale oh my I can’t even think of anymore words right now.We cannot let them we just cannot let that happen!

“once upon a time “…………

Beatrice and Edo have known each other since they were children. Their parents have been acquainted and travelled in the same circles for forever. So this is not a sudden, meet me in the bar, move in together and get married kind of thing. It truly is the stuff of romance stories! Once upon a time a handsome Italian Count meets a beautiful English princess. True love blossoms real true love blossoms. And as most stories go they have tremendous odds stacked against the. As this young couple did. It was between the press issues and COVID-19 they had everything going against them. The press was hounding about the wedding. And they managed to pull off the most beautiful private wedding and the best absolutely important thing was that her Majesty and Prince Philip were there which was what Beatrice desperately wanted and wanted so badly! I truly think this will be a story that ends happily ever after!! I’m still swooning and it is days now since the wedding.! 👰🏽🤵 🥂

T. R. Ah. ……………

Tiara! The absolutely gorgeous Fringe a Tiara worn by her Majesty on her wedding day, worn by the Queen mum on her wedding day and worn by Queen Mary on her wedding day. Now it was worn by Princess Beatrice, living history!! The ah is me and many others sighing aaaaahhhhhhhh☺️☺️☺️☺️ at the sight of beautiful fairytale Princess in gown and that tiara🥰🥰🥰🥰!

the green eyed trasher …………

Well Madam wanted that emerald Tiara in the worst way and she ended up having to wear a fake $30 tiara from the dollar store sorry not sorry! HMTQ wore it to the state dinner! That was so great, that is so great. I could only imagine the trash is the right word she is trashy in her behaviours. I cannot imagine rather, I would love rather to been a fly on the wall when she found out about this wedding and saw the pictures, seeing that gown and tiara. Oh my oh I can only imagine. Her life is imploding. I don’t even know what her mental state would be now but now with this whole thing about the investigation of the charities and Harry putting out that statement and in none of it! in none of it! Nowhere was her name mentioned? So a notice has been filed to investigate where the money went. They are of looking into where the moneys gone too. And she’s in a world of trouble. I had not realized until reading today, that she had delayed filing taxes this year. When I read that today, that is the first I have heard that anyone has mentioned a fact about her taxes. Evidently somewhere somebody must have learned that she had filed for an extension to delay filing taxes this year. I guess people were given that opportunity especially due to COVID-19. So she is only delaying the inevitable really she really is but that’s OK we just sit back and watch. We have our royal family back and now we can just sit back and watch her reality show. She wanted to be in the public eye, well she’s going to be more in the public eye than she ever ever thought she could be. Once all everything comes out publicly and I don’t even know if everything will but oh yeah wow l would not want to be her! I am only talking about the stuff with the royal family the money in the marching in the all the carrying on and the full pregnancy and everything like that. I am not talking about anything that happened in the last year‘s or prior to 2016 if there’s a whole decade or more stuff that there’s lots of rumours about online. Friends, SoHo, connections, behaviours,yachting, hobbies,. I think she can pretty much write off any money that she thought she of making from that book by Scooby Doo and that Durand lady. It has been marked down on Amazon so yeah I don’t think that book is going to be selling that well.

close the beaches ……………

I could not believe how crowded the beaches were in the UK on the weekend the pictures that I saw were unbelievable! Until the rains came in the temperature got called in and everything everybody ran off home. No social or physical distancing was evident at all, nor possible with that many people!

I could not believe how crowded the beaches were in the UK on the weekend the pictures that I saw were unbelievable! Until the rains came in the temperature got called in and everything everybody ran off home. No social or physical distancing was evident at all, nor possible with that many people!

“Sunbathers fled to safety today when an inferno erupted inside a Bournemouth beach hut and ripped across the heath-covered cliff above the sands. The was started by a gas stove being used inside one of the wooden huts along the busy promenade just 400 yards from the four-star Highcliff Marriott Hotel. A man rushed out of the timber cabin shouting for people to get back as there was a gas canister inside that could explode. Beachgoers abandoned their possessions and fled as the hut became engulfed in flames and a loud ‘popping’ sound was heard from within. The flames spread to two adjacent huts and onto the grassy cliff face behind. Due to the gorse being tinder-dry and a strong southerly breeze fanning the flames, a huge 100ft long strip of the sloping cliff was set alight. Eight fire crews raced to scene at 3.50pm and put out the fire in the beach huts and set about tackling the fire on the cliffs. “DM

a coach full ……………

Her Majesty the Queen has her own train. And they’re gonna be heading up to Balmoral Castle and Aberdeenshire Scotland’s. Are usually spend 12 weeks there a nice long summer holiday. I am not certain how long they will be staying this time. But they will create a Balmoral bubble. They’ve heard about bubble here bubbles there bubbles at Windsor Castle bubbles at Belmorrow bubbles in the airplane bubble you know you know what a bubble by now. So obviously they are going to need some stuff to go with them. I was reading yesterday the list of stuff that is going with them and I was mad they looking for that now I know I found it in the daily mail so this is all who’s going with them. They include Vice-Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the household; Sir Edward Young, the Queen’s private secretary, and Paul Whybrew and William Henderson, her pages.

Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, her equerry; Terry Pendry, her head groom; Angela Kelly, the Queen’s personal assistant and her senior dresser; Jackie Newbold, Kelly’s PA; and three assistant dressers will also join. Just as an aside I think that her equerry wasn’t that the man that Madam made that snooty face at in the one picture I could be wrong.

Well with all of the clothes and personal items for the royal couple plus for all the staff and all the incidentals this is going to be one full train coach I am sure wow! physical distancing still applying. I am sure although they have all been like quarantined however l am sure they will still physical distance.

I hope they have a wonderful vacation filled with good Scottish air. Time to just relax and be away from everything! Have a wonderful time with family and make up for all the stress of the last four years.

Bea-frugal ………

Princess Beatrice is being lauded for not having an over the top , multi million dollar wedding in this age of where the world is at now. Unlike some Madam who wasn’t even wanting to be a family member.There was a nasty headline and I am not going to repeat it. I think it was in Sunday’s paper about her parents, which was so needless because actually the article was quite lovely. But a small private wedding only the most important people there! Oh that Norman Hartnell vintage dress and the Fringe Tiara 👑 that has so much history and meaning to it. It also happens to be my very favourite Tiara! 😁So she’s being commended for being frugal and their batting that word around. I think she wanted just a private wedding anyways there has been so much going on in the press. They just wanted to have a private wedding away from all the nonsense and I’m so glad she got it! I’m so glad nobody got wind of this. I mean many people had to know and they all kept it secret marvellous! And like I said yesterday in my post, I feel like we have a royal family back I feel like things are right the way they have always been out everything that happened that day it just felt so good!!

unknown posie.

As per tradition starting with her Majesty the Queen mum, Princess Beatrice’s wedding bouquet was laid on the tomb of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey. There’s a nice video the showing it. The bouquet was brought straight to Westminster Abbey after the nuptials and placed on the tomb by Reverend Anthony Ball, Canon of Westminster. He was showing a young boy and I’m not sure what the purpose was that he was a guest or what but he included the young boy in the actual laying of the flowers on the tomb it was quite moving.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————-

68. July 22

MM ANON ………7 into 99…………The “wishing well”……… “ I can hear a canary singing “ …………… “ good news MM ANON, it’s not c***er🙏🏻………… By-polar …………… “ what , not the nurses” …………Biker Justice …………… Cor,i bin apologising …………… “ I wish her hell”……………… LA to stay away ……………… kiss and MAKE UP ………………Colonel Cam. ………… scouse rouse.

July 22/2030. RIDDLE #68

💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈THANK YOU MM ANON🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜FANTASTIC NEWS🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

7 into 99…………

What a magnificent day! Our dear prince George turns seven and aren’t the photos gorgeous!! Oh it’s such a wonderful age I hope he’s had a wonderful birthday! Keeping them laughing as he goes! Sprightly Prince Philip, 99, proves retirement hasn’t dulled his legendary wit as he cracks joke about Army bugler’s weight during rare public engagement at Windsor Castle to hand over historic military title to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall! If that doesn’t show you how highly she is regarded nothing well it’s marvelous! The Duke of Edinburgh transferred role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to the Duchess of Cornwall today.Prince Philip, who retired in 2017, was nearly 100 miles apart from Camilla, as they both carried out ceremonies. Prince Philip, 99, was at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, while the duchess was at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. The Duke was pictured with Queen to mark his 99th birthday last month - and at Beatrice’s wedding last.

The “wishing well”

A small ornamental garden wishing well, with coins to wish for

A wishing well is a term from European folksy to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed had been placed there as a gift from the God. This practice is thought to have arisen because water is a source of life and was often a scarce commodity. We still have Wishing wells today. We also use fountains where you walk past it and you throw a coin over your shoulder for good luck and you make a wish, or just like when you see a falling star make a wish as quick as you can or blow out all your birthday candles and make your wish and your wish will come true! So who is throwing money into the well for a wish? We know that Madam’s PR is getting more and more bizarre as the days go on it could be her. It might be GM singing a song telling them what they want to know I’m trying to wheel and deal. She’s got a husband on the outside and 15 bank accounts. If she says she has 15 bank account then she’s probably got 50. And I’m sure she’s probably got a number of fake passports as well. If she ever gets bail she’ll be gone. So I think she’s hoping to have her wish is granted by complying and giving information as much as she can that’s what I think this means. I could be wrong I’ve been wrong before and I will be wrong again.

21 Jul2020

“I wish her well,” @realDonaldTrump says of Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. There is a ton of talk on this online wondering if he was actually meaning to say H***instead of well. Who knows I don’t know but there’s chatter about it anyways.

“ I can hear a canary singing “ ……………

Years ago when they were mining for coal and in the north of England and places, have you ever seen the movie 🎥 a green was my valley 🎥that’s an excellent movie! Anyhow I’m sure your fruit heard the phrase a canary in the coal mine? Used to be they kept the canary in the coal mine and as long as he was the bird was chirping and happy they knew that there was enough oxygen for the men to keep working but once the canary died they had to rush and get out of there pronto! So who is hearing the canary thinking on it’s a “”? The UK, perhaps more than any other country in the world, was built on coal.The first successful steam engine was invented to pump water out of British coal mines. Coal powered the railroads and ships that built the British empire. It helped the country survive two world wars, and at its height between those wars, coal mines employed 1.2 million people. So this winter, when the UK announced its plan to stop burning coal for electricity by 2025, the shift was seismic.The announcement signaled the dethroning of King Coal in a country where it had reigned for more than a century, and where just six years prior it provided more than 40 percent of the nation’s energy. How did this happen in the UK at a time when leaders in the US were moving in the opposite direction by promising to end the “war on coal”?The answer lies not in technological innovation, but in a profound cultural shift that began decades ago in coal field communities across the UK.

Having blathering on and on and on about this I do believe we are talking about GM here. She is in custody in New York as you all know and there are rumours upon rumours of how she’s being watched now she’s being moved around how she’s being looked after her etc. There’s also rumours that she’s got videotapes, she’s got a diary a little black book all those details. And also there are rumours that she is looking to make a deal. She is afraid for her life and rightly so in jail or out of jail makes no matter she is she is she is rightly afraid for her life given the people she’s been in contact with any information she possesses. So she’s looking to make a deal and when someone startsTalking to law-enforcement and spilling their guts and sharing information about other people on the rocket they’re running that often is referred to as a canary singing so sounds like she may be singing her little heart out. She can sing and sing and sing as long as she wants to what’s done is done. And the people that are involved have long memories and I wouldn’t want to be here her for all the money in the world! Ghislaine Maxwell paid $25K to fake news purveyor Jacob Wohl to ‘smear Epstein victims and to get prosecutor Geoffrey Berman fired in attempt to stall sex trafficking investigation against her’. Ghislaine Maxwell hired Jacob Wohl to smear alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein and her, a former friend told the DM in an exclusive interview.As part of a $25k deal, Wohl and his lobbyist colleague Jack Burkman also allegedly pushed to get former New York US Attorney Geoffrey Berman fired.Wohl and Burkman are far-right lobbyists who have become a laughing stock in DC after several failed attempts to smear top political figures. Maryland paralegal Kristin Spealman claims she was initially contacted by the duo to use her in a smear campaign against Nancy Pelosi and Ted Cruz. Spealman told DailyMail.com they bragged to her they had been hired in early June for $25,000 to dig up dirt on Maxwell’s alleged sex trafficking victims. Federal documents filed this month show a company linked to Maxwell had hired Wohl and Burkman to lobby on ‘issues relating to US DOJ, Senate Judiciary, House Judiciary.Berman’s removal was intended to stall or stop the criminal investigation into Maxwell, Spealman said. Berman was ultimately pushed out by Barr in June, but two weeks later Maxwell was charged as part of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

“ good news 💐💐💐💐💐MM ANON💐💐💐💐💐,it’s not c***er🙏🏻…………

💜💜💜💜💜💜THIS IS MARVELLOUS NEWS, JUST A GIFT FROM GOD💜💜💜💜💜!!💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻PG🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜. 💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

By-polar ……………

I think this could have two meetings possibly the first one being actual bipolar disorder the Axis l psychiatric diagnosis.. Kanye West has been all over the place in the last week or a bit more giving speeches and just saying if you run for president and then changing his mind and you will see what you have all seen the media.. He’s being made a laughing stock! He is being laughed at and joked about when it is so obvious obvious to me, because I’ve worked in mental health, but I think it would be obvious to anyone, that he is not well and needs to be formed or that’s what we call it formed if he doesn’t agree to go into hospital for treatment. This is so sad to watch somebody just implode like this it is it’s just it’s heartbreaking!

The other option might be actually true bipolar from the northpole and the south pole. We’ve seen COVID-19 spread from China across if you can on this track it like a weather storm and if you look at the cases now from South America the United States is almost all covered in red it is truly affecting the whole world! With flu season coming up in the fall and the symptoms being similar it’s going to be very difficult.. I am already stocking up on toilet paper and like non-perishables I don’t want to be caught up in another lockdown situation where we can’t get the things that we need. So they’re working hard on a vaccine and that can come sooner the better. But I highly recommend everybody over 50 or if you had chronic medical conditions to get the flu vaccine this year. I’ve taken the flu vaccine every year since I was 18 when I started nursing school. I’ve had lots of head cold and sinus infections but I’ve never actually really had the exact flu. That’s just my encouragement to you. I’ve been lucky the last five or seven however many years more than that that the public health nurse comes right into my home to do my flu vaccine. And when I had my appointment with the doctor via phone last week he said that would happen again this year so I was very relieved to hear that.

“ what , not the nurses” …………

Consistently when statistics are collated nursing remains in the top five most high risk , violence encountered on the job. The field that I worked in, Psychiatry, was especially so! Also nurses working in long-term patients with Alzheimer’s geriatric patients. Every shift I worked, hardly a shift went by for me, or my co-workers, that I or someone, didn’t get sworn at, called every name under the book, spit at, stuff thrown at including bodily products, punched and I’ve had a couple serious assaults. I won’t go into that, but some it’s a very dangerous profession and it’s not one for the faint of heart that’s for sure. in addition to double shifts, mandated overtime, staff shortages, critically ill patients, life and death, arrogant doctors. But it’s a calling, l did in service of my faith.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Tv news viewers and those who witnessed are left horrified after NHS nurse is bitten and punched while trying to treat a patient under arrest in 24 Hours in A&E. Getting better and is the worst. I knew a nurse that worked in long-term care and she was bitten on the thumb and she ended up losing whole function her arm she developed an infection and went all the way up her arm and she wasn’t able to work she was so so so so sick for so long and yeah it’s no joke! Staff nurse Graeme, from UK, was bitten and punched by a patient under arrest. The team tried to restrain patient while continuing to give him the care he needed.This Appeared on last night’s episode of Channel 4’s 24 Hours in A&E. I hope that nurse is OK physically and she’s being looked after mentally with debriefing and the support from her management team that’s critically important.

Biker Justice ……………

Poor lad Harry Dunn. He las killed last year by the wife of an American spy, driving the wrong side of the road. She and her family immediately fled the U.K. returning home to America. His family has been very actively seeking justice. There is an active warrant for her arrest valid in the U.K. Until now the U.S. has refused to extradite her back to the U.K. The mother of the teenage motorcyclist who was killed in a collision with a US diplomat’s wife accused Dominic Raab of being a “lost child in an adult’s world” as he greeted the US secretary of state on Tuesday.Charlotte Charles was at the gates of Downing Street to watch the arrival of Mike Pompeo, the U.S Secretary of State. said that “words are not enough anymore”.A Downing Street spokeswoman said the prime minister emphasised the need for justice for a Harry Dunn and his surviving family! “He said there was a strong feeling among the people of the UK that justice must be delivered,” she said. Charles, who was accompanied by her partner, Bruce, and lawyer, Radd Seiger, said that she had come “to show Mr Pompeo and Mr Raab and Mr (Boris) Johnson that I’m not just going to stick on my TV and watch them at home.This far , Justice remains elusive. When they went to America, the driver was waiting to meet with them but they refused unless she returned to the U.K. Well as we know, she has failed to do that. Her conscience must be eating her up, she has young children. Sad from all sides, tragic!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Parts from the DM.

Cor,i bin apologising ……………

Typical British and Oz slang Cor, for Christ. Jeremy Corbin, former as of April 2020, Keir Starmer is the leader now.Labour Party Leader is furious. Jeremy Corbyn facing legal action by Labour anti-Semitism whistleblowers and journalist after he attacked Keir Starmer’s ‘disappointing’ apology and £500,000 libel payout to them over Panorama investigation into the party under his leadership.Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party made formal apology to whistleblowers today at the High Court in London. The move came as part of a settlement that seeks ot make a clean break with policy under Jeremy Corbyn.Whistleblowers sued party for defamation over its response to a BBC Panorama investigation last year. DM

“ I wish her hell”………………

21 Jul2020 “I wish her well,” ‪@realDonaldTrump‬ says of Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. I’ll put this here as well because I think their part and parcel of the same the Wishingwell and I wish her that that word that’s there. So President Trump was tweeting with regards to GM and he tweeted in the previous crew there it said wishing the ““Wishingwell“ and so here it is more the chatter online about what he really should have said or wanted to say maybe. It’s odd it’s on my copy can you resubmit it again OK

LA to stay away ………………

Poor poor Rachel, my hearts bleeds for you NOT!! ‘Cooped up’ Meghan wants to leave (her ? Since when is it hers?.??). The $18M sprawling mega-mansion, that belongs to Tyler Perry NOT HER!! , to celebrate her August birthday - and will make guests get tested for Covid-19 beforehand. I still don’t believe she was there not for one single solitary seconds! If she was there she would be posting pictures of her sitting on the marble counters and on the huge bet there would be pictures from here to Hells half Acre of her all over that place! Her PR is saying her and Prince Harry are feeling cooped up. Well he is not with her. so I don’t think she knows if he’s cooped up!🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. I believe that she is cooped up because she is probably in a one bedroom bachelor apartment of some sort certainly not an $18 million mansion! The 38-year-old’s birthday is around the corner on August 4. Oh please don’t tell me I share my birthday month with that SEAHAG!😳😳😳😳😳😳. The friend, now which friend might this be interesting?explained madam thinks a change of scenery. Madam thinks it would be nice in Montecito, outside of Santa Barbara, where friend OW lives!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂! Now SHES using her PR screaming to OW for help. Madam would require anyone who attends her soiree to get a fast-tracked Covid-19 test, but stressed the guest list would only be her closest friends.Soiree? She doesn’t even know that word she’s never heard of it before soirée how very 1940s love you Madam. The mysterious friend chimed in again ‘Meghan said it will be low-key. She said she doesn’t want to come across as being careless and irresponsible. After all we’ve seen and heard she doesn’t want to come across as careless and irresponsible oh my goodness!😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

kiss and MAKE UP ………………. Puh-leeze🥱🥱🥱🥴🥴🥴🤢🤢🤢.In court in the Daily saga of JD and AH we have learned from her truthful, sane, reliable, honest, sincere testimony, we learned this. Last year sometime, l don’t know the date, ow l do, December 16/2015, she appeared on a show called James Corden Late Late Show. I have never heard of him or the show. Anyways, she alleges, she had to cover her face with makeup because JD tried to smother her with a pillow. Wow she must have sharp pillows eh? It was almost like this court case was planned an ordained to be occurring at this time because the behaviours so much similar to Madam just a eerie! how come she wears so much make up every other day then? How does she account for that? Have you get scratched like that an injured with a pillow like my pillows or soft pillowcases or soft???

Colonel Cam. ………… The Duke and Duchess of a Cambridge on Tuesday released two new photos of their eldest child Prince George for of his seventh birthday on Wednesday, including one of him wearing a camouflage print T-shirt, or camp as the kids here call it. His choice of clothes is remarkably similar to those worn by his father In his childhood. As a young boy, William loved to dress up in army uniforms with his younger brother Harry. He was also pictured playing in the garden of Highgrove 1986, aged four, wearing the parachute regiment uniform, including a maroon beret. The Prince of Wales was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977 and completed the regiment’s course the following year, where he had to take two parachute jumps in one day. Our George is really growing up isn’t he?💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊😊💜💜💜💜Too fast, George slow down please.😊

scouse rouse.

Anyone from Liverpool knows that’s a local slang word for somebody real scouse! Scouse or scousers users formally known as Liverpool English or Merseyside English) is an accent and dialect of English originating in the northwest county of Merseyside. The Scouse accent is highly distinctive and has little in common with those of the neighbouring regions.Wiki

Scousers had a massive street party! Thousands of Liverpool fans feel the streets as a premier league trophy was lifted for the first time.! Social distancing was ignored and please demands to go home or ignored so they and they were also setting off fireworks in smoke farms. Another words doing whatever the other group of fans does when their team wins the championship!DM. GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[withallthingslove]

avengers endgame spoiler-filled review

below the cut bc spoilers obviously

even after two viewings this movie is super overwhelming so I’m just gonna jump right in

- clint’s family disappearing was so haunting and traumatic omg

- i didn’t like the music choice over the marvel opening crawl

- nebula was so adorably intense when tony playing footbal with her

- carol is such a bad bitch she just carried an entire fucking ship through space

- steve running up to tony and holding on to him... that was content I didn’t know I needed

- the pepperony hug ughhh I’m not a huge gwenyth paltrow fan but she was so good as pepper in this

- honestly I get tony has been through a lot but he was such a dick back at the avengers compound. I’ve always preferred steve to tony and that scene really displayed why. Yes tony was right something bigger was coming, but his way of going about preventing it was proven wrong both times. I don’t consider ultron to be super canon because joss whedon sucks but tony’s first idea to try and solve it failed, and then the accords also failed and even rhodey regretted it. Infinity war was basically “hey yeah the accords was dumb af and steve was right and now the avengers are scattered.” Both tony and steve were selfish and made mistakes in civil war but the fact that it had been over three years and tony was still soooo angry with steve and holding a grudge just rubbed me the wrong way.

- I really felt for thor when they went to get thanos. Chris hemsworth’s acting in that scene was so good when he realized they had failed

- again who on earth put steve in charge of a support group. And while yes its nice to have some lgbtq representation marvel is way behind on that so to me it did not feel like enough

- paul rudd did so well in this movie and scott is such a good dad ugh

- 10/10 would die for morgan stark. She is soooo cute and it was hilarious when she was like “mom told me to come rescue you”

- i know a lot of people are mad at tony dying bc he could have “retired” but that scene with his daughter before steve, nat, and scott show up shows he could not. He still had a garage where he built iron man suits and suits for pepper. That’s not what someone does when they are out of a fight. That’s why he fell back into it so fast because he never left it. He was still tinkering and preparing and even when he retired he was still fully ready to go back

- i like professor hulk but at the same time i miss bruce

- tony and steve love each other so much it made me so happy when tony showed up at the compound. they’ve had their differences but there is real love there

- speaking of real love I will still never forgive joss whedon for taking clintasha away from us like yes their platonic friendship is great but UGH. They love each other SOOOOOOO much 

- tom hiddleston as loki always steals the show and i miss him so much. I was convinced he wasnt dead so I’m sad that he was still dead in the current timeline. But maybe since there is now an alternate dimension with loki and the tesseract he will show up again

- him impersonating steve, his side eye, just... *chefs kiss*

- the america’s ass comment... amazing, iconic, beautiful. And then steve’s “yeah I know” comment to his 2012 self. I’m so glad the russos let steve be funny

- I love how much winter soldier played into this one especially since it was the russo’s first mcu movie. The elevator scene... steve outsmarting the hydra agents. Secretary pierce showing up... and then steve fighting his past self was just *chefs kiss* again. The fact that he knows his own weakness is bucky and uses it against himself 

- not excited to see tilda swinton’s character because its just a reminder of marvel’s whitewashing but I appreciated it trying to explain the timeline/dimension stuff

- i also loved that at the army compound tony was able to get closure with his dad, something he deserved for a long time. I think that was another hint he was going to die because his arc was completing while steve’s.... the look on steve’s face when he saw peggy just broke me. absolutely broke me. Steggy was my first ship in the mcu and so steve and peggy hold a special place in my heart. The fact she still keeps the picture of tiny steve after all these years (a reference to agent carter)... they both moved on enough to enjoy life but never truly moved on enough to leave the other behind. And so while tony was getting closure, steve was being reminded of what he wanted most and couldn’t have. I also loved the tie in with agent carter and showing Jarvis this movie was truly a fan service to us all

- okay so rhodey/nebula: so ive never been a huge nebula person but i really liked her in this movie. I loved rhodey’s line about “you work with what you got” as far as their disabilities. I felt so bad for new nebula because old nebula SUCKKSSS and I hate she had to face her. I loved that in this movie thanos was wearing his armor because 2014 thanos was not as strong or secure with himself. His energy was SO different compared to the thanos we saw in infinity war so props to josh brolin

- natasha/clint: Well go ahead and rip my heart out. The audience knows only one of them is coming back but they have no idea. And they love each other SO FUCKING MUCH they both tried to sacrifice themselves to save the other person. That is true love. Jeremy renner is such an underrated actor and his reaction to natasha dying just killed me. But so did scarlett johansson’s acting as much as I hate to admit it because I’ve really stopped liking her as much due to her recent acting choices but she played that scene so well. And I will miss natasha romanoff forever. She deserved so much more and paved the way for all the other female superheroes in the mcu

- everyone crying over nat and especially steve broke me. They had such a special friendship, almost as strong as her and clint and I feel so many people forget that because of how natural they were together. And her last words to him were that she would see him in a minute and then she didn’t come back..

- i just realized i havent talked about thor and thats honestly because my brain blocked it out. I like that they explored his depression but dont like that he was made the joke of the avengers and I don’t think it was handled well. I did enjoy his conversation with frigga and by that I mean it made me cry. (also loki deserves a conversation like that too don’t @ me)

- STEVE WIELDS MJOLNIR!!! IT WAS SO BADASS AND MY DREAM COME TRUE I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE EXCITED IN A MOVIE. To me that was the absolute highlight of the movie

- And then sam says “on your left” and all the characters come and the music... poetic cinema

- thanos is a weak little bitch and as soon as wanda was beating him he was fine with his own troops dying just so he could get away

- TONY AND PETER REUNITING CURED MY DEPRESSION AND THEN GAVE IT RIGHT BACK

- CAROL IS SO POWERFUL MY LESBIAN QUEEN

- sebastian stan has no business looking this good my god

- I forgot how much I missed peter parker

- I didn’t notice mbaku until my second viewing and honestly the wakandan characters were shafted like poor shuri we didn’t even know she was dusted until a few weeks before the movie

- I know everyone loves the scene of all the women characters carrying the gauntlet but honestly marvel has a long way to go before they reach equality and it honestly wasn’t enough for me

- side note pepper fighting back to back with tony was awesome

- ugh tony’s face when he realizes what he has to do and he looks at strange for confirmation... give rdj an oscar like my god. He knows that the past few years have led up to this moment and he is absolutely terrified and determined and I am tearing up while writing this because I am remembering it so vividly

- peter parkers goodbye had me crying why is tom holland such a good actor

- pepper’s goodbye BROKE ME... “you can rest now” I think that is the epitome of tony’s arc. For his entire storyline he has been trying to right his wrongs and save his friends and the world and that is so much for one man to carry on his shoulders and everyone knew it would be the death of him. I know tony stans are pissed off that he died, but I don’t see him just being able to retire. Obviously I didn’t want him to die, but his whole storyline has been leading up to this. He truly got a hero’s sendoff and was solidified as THE hero of the mcu. This era started with him and it ended with him. It was a beautiful sendoff for the character that started it all. And I don’t think rdj would go along with it if he didn’t approve

- Steve’s ending.... so I knew from spoilers what would happen and while it was something I wanted in theory I was pissed when I first found out. But it somehow worked. If you look at steve’s arc, he has always been a man out of time. For everyone getting mad he was hung up on a girl he kissed once, it’s pretty much confirmed in agent carter that he and peggy were on the DL for 3 years. she wasnt just a crush he knew for a few months. They loved each other and fought side by side for three years and time took him too soon. In age of ultron the only part I liked was steve’s vision where he gets a dance with peggy. As much as he moved on in the present, the possibility he missed with her always haunted him. You can tell in peggy’s video in the winter solider that even though she married and had kids, the thought of steve still gets her choked up. When she sees him as an old woman she immediately crumbles. They both have referred to each other as the loves of their lives. 

- So with that said, I don’t think it’s weird or out of the blue that he would suddenly decide to try and go back to peggy. They won, bucky is back and safe, sam is back and safe, he can finally rest, and he has the tools to go back in time. The way I interpreted it, Bucky 100% knew what he was going to do. The look on his face, the tone of his voice. He knew Steve was not coming back, and he also knew he deserved to have that happy ending. So while sam and bruce thought it would only be 5 seconds, bucky turned away from the machine, knowing steve wouldn’t show up there. I ship stucky too because I just want steve happy so while at first I was like “how could he leave bucky??” watching it on screen it made sense. Bucky approved of his choice, and while he was saddened by it, he understood it. 

- In my interpretation, I don’t think steve stayed in the main timeline. I think him going back created an alternate timeline where he married peggy, dissolved hydra earlier, and freed bucky earlier. At some point, those two timelines merged, and he wandered over to where he knew they would be. OR after peggy died, he used the technology to travel back to that timeline when he was old. Or my friend suggested he could have met tony stark in his alternate timeline and asked for his help. Who knows. He literally came back with a shield, meaning he was at one point captain america again in that timeline. I don’t think there is anyway he could just stay quiet for 70 years about bucky being tortured and peggy running shield that was secretly hydra. I refuse to believe that. If the russos come out and say that’s what he did, then I’ll backtrack and say I don’t approve of steve’s ending. But as of right now I’m okay with it. 

[superrichlads]

“I always work off the motto of, ‘if you think you’re working hard, there’s always someone else who’s working harder’… there is nothing easy about the sport or music industries, and you have to work so hard to be successful.” - Niall Horan

On The Loose: released official fourth single from Flicker, including a radio edit, lyric video (rip), official video, behind the scenes video, Basic Tape remix, Slenderbodies remix, acoustic version, acoustic video, and vertical video So Long: performed unreleased song on piano throughout Flicker World Tour dates Mirrors EP: released on vinyl for Record Store Day 2018 Seeing Blind: released acoustic video, live video, and radio single in Australia Finally Free: released song for Smallfoot soundtrack and live video recorded at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles Flicker (song): released as a radio single in the Netherlands Flicker featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra: released live album in Ireland, featuring nine songs including an official live version of previously unreleased song So Long

81 tour dates: across Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, playing arenas, amphitheatres, state/regional fairs, and large theatres Featured opening acts & special guests: including Wild Youth (Killarney), Julia Michaels (Europe), RuthAnne (Dublin), Lewis Capaldi (Glasgow), Hailee Steinfeld (London), Maren Morris (NZ, Australia, the Americas), Jayda (Manila), Ming Bridges (Singapore), Sugar Me (Tokyo) Setlist: featured 14-15 original songs and 3-4 covers Regular covers: Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen), Crying in the Club (Camila Cabello), Drag Me Down and Fool’s Gold (One Direction) Covers for select tour dates: Dancing in the Moonlight (Thin Lizzy - Dublin night 1), Where the Street’s Have No Name (U2 - Dublin night 2), Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty - Greek Theatre LA, Red Rocks & others), New York State of Mind (Billy Joel - Jones Beach Theater, Long Island), Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles - final September tour dates) Filmed Red Rocks show: for potential future release Top 50 worldwide tours of 2018: selling more than 445,000 tickets

BBC Biggest Weekend: played a six-song set on the second day of the festival in Swansea Reputation Tour: special guest for Taylor Swift’s first night at Wembley Stadium, performing Slow Hands together RTÉ Concert Orchestra special: performed nine songs from the Flicker album for broadcast in Ireland, later broadcast in France & South Africa Sounds Like Friday Night: performed acoustic version of On The Loose & interview  New York State Fair: played the headline show on the final day of the fair Official livestream: of Flicker World Tour Amsterdam show, in partnership with Live Nation, for a global streaming audience Late Late Show: performed Slow Hands on London episode Virtual reality concert: made London Flicker Sessions show available on MelodyVR platform

Sounds Like Friday Night: interview on BBC RTE: interview with Eoghan McDermott, as part of RTE Concert Orchestra Special The Project: interview on Australian TV The Voice Australia: guest mentor with Delta Goodrem Today Show: interview on Australian TV Sunrise: interview on Australian TV Studio 10: interview on Australian TV Late Late Show: guest on London show, brief appearance on show in October

TalkSport: co-hosted breakfast radio show in January & September Dubai Desert Classic: played in Pro-Am with Rory McIlroy and a competition winner, and participated in a golf clinic, helping two of his Modest! Golf clients gain entry to the pro event US Golf Masters: ambassador for Drive, Chip & Putt competition Ladies golf: signed Maguire sisters to Modest! Golf, announced Ladies event for NI Open in 2019 Ryder Cup: played in celebrity match & Team Europe ambassador BMW PGA Championship: played in Pro-Am with the winner of a BBC Children in Need charity auction Sky Sports British Masters: played in Pro-Am Interviews: ESPN, SkySports, BBC Radio 5, Golf Channel, Bunkered, Ladies European Tour, The Irish Times, Golf Magic, among others LUFC: provoked an infamous Twitter clapback from Leeds United Modest! Golf: supported four players who have secured tour cards for 2019

Irish referendum: supported the yes vote to legalise abortion March for Our Lives: supported cousin’s participation in march for gun control US politics: publicly denounced Trump (again) US mid-term elections: urged US citizens to vote

Horan & Rose: hosted the second edition of the charity gala & golf event, upping the total money raised for charity to £1.5 million to date Charity t-shirt: released second charity t-shirt raising funds for Cancer Research UK and the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation Rays of Sunshine: hosted teens at Flicker World Tour London soundcheck & show, donated Jingle Bell Ball Santa shirt for charity raffle Charity auctions: donated items for multiple fundraisers, including a signed guitar & VIP concert experience for a Grammy auction raising $4,500 for Musicares Foundation; signed boots to a Small Steps charity auction, raising £1,130; signed artwork; signed guitar to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation auction, raising €4,000 Anti-bullying Week: supported efforts to stop cyber-bullying on Twitter Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr: supported Brazilian football superstar’s work providing education for kids in Praia Grande, Brazil World Cancer Day: supported Cancer Research UK’s Unity Band initiative LauraLynn Hospice: spent time with kids in hospice care before Flicker World Tour Dublin show

BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw: how real are these Niall Horan ‘facts’?, can Niall Horan remember his own lyrics? BBC Radio 1 Biggest Weekend: when Niall Horan met Shawn Mendes BBC Radio 1 Biggest Weekend with Matt & Mollie: Niall Horan answers questions he’s never been asked before EW: Niall Horan listens to Dua Lipa, Springsteen and more on tour - check out his exclusive playlist Billboard Pop Shop podcast: Niall Horan on new song 'Finally Free,' 'disappearing' after tour to work on next album & 8 Years of One Direction MORE FM: Niall Horan talks about his “intimate” connection with NZ The Edge afternoons with Jono, Ben & Sharon: Niall Horan talks about being mates with Dan Carter The Edge 30: Niall Horan says NZ is his favourite country to perform in Nova 969 Smallzy’s Surgery: could new Niall Horan music be on the way? Nova 969 Smallzy's Surgery: Smallzy’s backstage tour with Niall Horan Nova 969 Fitzy & Wippa: exclusive chat On Air with Ryan Seacrest: Niall Horan recalls best Flicker World Tour moments so far FUN 107 The Michael Rock Show: Niall Horan surprising secret to great hair Walk 97.5 Christina Kay: interview Coup de Main: interview - Niall Horan on his upcoming NZ show, recording live, and honesty in writing ‘Flicker’  Coup de Main cover story: interview - eye to eye with Niall Horan GQ Italia cover story: Niall Horan: my life after One Direction George Ezra & Friends the podcast: Series 2, Episode 1 Zeit Leo: "I get restless very quickly." Singer Niall Horan has a slight obsessive-compulsive disorder. How music helps him, he tells here.

GQ Italia: Music Issue cover shoot Paul Smith: guest at Paris fashion show and spent time with the designer in his studio Revista GQ: Niall Horan is, right now, the only person who knows how to wear a shirt with undershirt as it’s done in 2018 Fashion Bean: best-dressed men of the week

US RIAA certifications: Slow Hands 3 x platinum, This Town 2 x platinum UK Official Charts certifications: Flicker x gold Australia ARIA certifications: Slow Hands 5 x platinum, Flicker x gold Canada Gold/Platinum certifications: Slow Hands 5 x platinum, Too Much To Ask x platinum Chile certification: Flicker x platinum Songwriting awards: BMI London Pop Awards Song for Slow Hands, BMI Los Angeles Award Winning Songs for Slow Hands & This Town  Spotify milestone: Flicker surpassed 1 billion streams in June 2018 Billboard #1s: achieved his 9th solo Billboard chart number 1, with Too Much To Ask reaching #1 on the Dance Club Songs Chart Billboard Year-End 2018: achieved album, song, radio, social and artist entries on the year-end charts US radio: On the Loose became Niall's fourth Top 20 single on Hot AC radio, and fourth single to chart on Mainstream Pop, Hot AC & AC radio formats, reaching #22 on pop radio Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Finally Free nominated for Original Song - Animated Film RTE Choice Music Prize: Slow Hands nominated for Irish Song of the Year iHeartRadio Awards 2018: winner of Best New Pop Artist & Best Lyrics (Slow Hands)

April: using soundchecks to come up with ideas October: wrote a tune on the piano November: ‘3 days into making tunes and it’s feeling good !!!!!’, ‘exciting watching ideas come to life in the studio’, in the studio with Julian Bunetta & John Ryan in Los Angeles I / II / III / IV, RuthAnne Cunningham tells CelebMix she will be writing with Niall for NH2 December: ‘exciting week of writing’, writing session with Jamie Scott, Mike Needle & Dan Bryer in London, ‘very much in writing mode’

Everyone loved Niall: and Niall loved everyone, but especially Hailee Steinfeld, whom he quietly dated while avoiding the media circus which often surrounds celeb relationships.

Soundcheck Q&A and Meet & Greets: made fan engagement a central part of his Flicker World Tour experience Golf events: made time for fans who came out to see him play at pro-am events Maintained boundaries: called out fans for taking creep shots & obnoxious behaviour Calmed audiences: and looked out for the wellbeing of fans at his shows, especially in Latin America Twitter & Instagram: read and responded to fan tweets and questions with a mixture of sincerity, gratitude, brutal honesty, and humour Jade: made one young fan’s night (/life) by inviting her up on stage to dance at the Allentown Fair show

Baby Marit: melted hearts everywhere offering reassurance to two new dads