#he’s like a gueststar now

[stop-saying-tootsie]

[shewolf-sinclair]

OKAY this post is gonna be long, bear with me.

Wednesday s2 is in production. here are my thoughts + what we know so far. -> anything in bold is my personal opinions and annectdotes. regular text is confirmed information. I will color code this by character and list in order of appearance in post. (percy hynes white/xavier addressed in italics. it is its own thing kinda)

Tyler

Bianca

Xavier

Yoko

Addams Family

Ajax - also listed eugene and pugsley (related information)

New Sheriff - Enid - Divina&Kent - Barry Dort - Dr. Fairburn (i am running out of colors so they don’t get one/each only has one mention/not much information.)

Capri

——————————————————————————-

New headmaster - who???

Stalker arc - so excited, is it someone old or new? (see yoko)

New mayor? -> What’s the deal with lucas? I hope to see him return as he became really interesting towards the end, in his interactions with Bianca and suggested past with tyler. His actor is not listed on any casting announcements, he (iman) is however interacting with the announcements on social media.

New Sheriff! Donovan Galpin’s actor is only listed as gueststarring, yet the deputy from last season is listed as recurring and in the cast picture with all the regulars for the season. This suggests donovan is stepping down or something and we will have a new sheriff for Wednesday to butt heads with during her investigation. however donovan isn’t entirely gone, suggesting he still has some part to play in story progression — likely involved with Tylers S2 story.

TYLER!! if you follow my blog for a while you’ll know I’m the tyler apologist ever. I wholeheartedly believe he was innocent (yes he did the crimes but like. mind control. i’ll link the thread here and bottom of post) personally I’m hoping we get a redemption arc. We know that hunter doohan is a season regular and major player based on his spot on the cast list. He broke out last season.. but how/why? I’m excited to see more of tyler. i love him sm you guys. -> thornhill is not coming back, as christina ricci is not listed and is seemingly univolved. the general consensus is thornhill died in her last few minutes of screentime though nothing on that was ever confirmed. I am looking foward to confirmation and what that means for Tyler, not having a master to force him to kill and all (again, ties into my previous point and I have evidence for why this in particular is important) (see bottom of this post)

Moving on: Bianca. Joy Sunday is listed as a series regular and a major player. After last seasons ending, I am excited to (hopefully) see the continuation of her growth and development away from being a bully and also hear more of her backstory with her mom and ‘morning song’.

That being said, nightshades. Percy Hynes White is confirmed to be not returning, neither percy nor netflix has made a statement, and we are unsure if this decision was percy’s or netfix’s. We do not know if Xavier is to be written out or was recast. -> Naomi (yoko) is also not returning. Naomi made a statement on instagram as to why. However, she was in last season’s promotional materials which suggests she was intended to be important. there were many theories she was the stalker. Here’s to hoping for a S3 return!-> the dias-watson twins (divina and kent) are not listed on any casting announcements nor have the twins posted anything regarding the production announcements. However, nothing has been confirmed regarding their return and no statements have been made. -> we don’t know what this means for the nightshades but I hope to see more of them this season, including inducting ajax and enid. maybe pugsley and eugene, who are both set to be series regulars - as is ajax. Personally ajax is one of my favorite characters and I am excited for him to play a bigger part in the story. enjax truthers unite!

Addams family members are also set to return. Morticia and Gomez are now considered series regulars according to the production announcements. Additionally, we will be seeing Grandmamma and Fester (Fred Armisen) as guest starring characters. The 90’s actor of fester is also confirmed to be making an appearance, though no character name has been announced.

STEVE BUSCEMI?! WHAT IS HE DOING HERE HELLO??? (I love him guys he’s so silly) -> Several other new cast members has been announced. Steve Buscemi is confirmed to be playing someone named Barry Dort, we have no further information on the character. Thandiwe Newton is confirmed to be playing someone named Dr. Fairburn, we have no other information on the character. Based on the gueststar status and Dr. in the name, there are many theories that they will be the new therapist, but nothing is confirmed. We also have Billie Piper as Capri. no further official information. I am so excited to meet this capri!! All I can say is that I doubt they will be the new headmaster because what headmaster has only a first name?? However, they also likely won’t be a new student because it’s Billie Piper, who is the same age as the other adult characters’ actors in the show whereas the students’ actors are in their 20’s/early 30’s. I think there’s a good chance they’re a siren as Capri is an tropical island. (please be morning song pleaseeee I’m desperate) -> three members of our new cast have no character names (Evie Templeton, Noah B. Taylor, Owen Painter) There are RUMORS (nothing confirmed) That Taylor or Painter may be Xavier recasts. -> All of these new cast members (besides Newton who is a gueststar I think probably a new therapist to replace kinbott) are listed as reoccurring, with Steve Buscemi listed directly under Jenna Ortega and above Emma Myers on the cast list, suggesting he has a major role. Earlier this year there were rumors or Buscemi’s casting, with people suggesting he may play the new headmaster. THIS IS JUST A RUMOR at this time. There was speculation that Weems (Gwendoline Christie) may still be alive, but with Christie being seemingly uninvolved it is likely to be false speculation. There are more new cast members plying unnamed characters, listed as gueststars.

AND YES, THING IS RETURNING!!!

They will not be filming in Romania again. The majority of the show was not done on soundstage. and was filmed in and around real buildings in romania. This means they have to duplicate everything as a soundstage, possibly limiting some filming capabilities. They are, instead, filming in Ireland.

Lastly, we have the title for Episode 1: Here we woe again.

This is all for now!! Please let me know if you have more CONFIRMED information (i will add it to this post and tag you!) or have questions on anything mentioned. I will be sharing more as things come out.

My sources include: Season 1 references, Netflix’s official instagram, The cast’s official instagrams, and these articles.

if you want my comments on tyler: (be prepared it is literally a thought dump and not organized and composed like this post. i may properly write it out at a later date idk yet)

[armorabs]

johnny knoxville also gueststarred as johnny krill, so this ain’t his first rodeo! as for craig robinson, he voiced shark in the movie the bad guys, which i highly recommend, and since that’s the only work of his i’m even remotely aware of, i think he could make a pretty good randy

yeah i'm familiar with johnny krill! i enjoyed his episode but i'm just kinda questioning the decision for playing sandy's father, honestly? i'm not entirely sure i can buy it, personally. conceptually seems like a weird fit, and i don't think it really fits any of the three designs pa has...

i might check out bad guys sometime, if i remember to. listening to clips of the shark on yt for now though and i have to say you're right, craig robinson could be a REALLY good randy. in fact if they play their cards right he might be exactly how i envisioned randy for years, so excited for that!

[fictionafterlunch]

Very proud of this chapter :D

Our Gueststar Meck is back for more fiction after some really good  lunch. Kei and Claire find out more about Mindy than they liked to know.  Also Mindy finds out more about Mindy than she expected. Jim may or may not be in trouble and now time starts to run out.

Extract from Chapter 14:

Paula was about to storm through the hole when Lisa's father put a hand on her shoulder and held her back again. There was nothing Jim could do. He was no longer her master.

Mindy, on the other hand, was at this point pretty much done with everything. She didn't want to be late for the sleepover party with her friends, so she took a knife she had hidden somewhere in her 5th red dress and threw it at the magical talking octopus which hasn't said a word so far.

-listen to the episode to find out what happens next-

[impalababe-67]

Everything what’s wrong with Supernatural S15

First of all, this is just my very own opinion and how I see things.

No need to get offended. I’m a fan since 15 years and I had enough fandom drama for a lifetime. You’re welcome to state your opinion and everything, but please don’t start a bitch fest.

Also, English isn’t my native language so please be aware of crappy grammar.

So, what’s going on with our beloved show?!

Ratings are on an all-time low....and I say not without a reason.

Let’s be honest, the season sucks, up until this point. Today mid season episode aired. And Jake Able stole the show. He was on point perfect.

But let’s jump to season 11/12, where the downslope started.

Season 11 was refreshing good, and had a great season finale.

Everybody was hyped, and then Season 12 started and.....I don’t know what happened, but it didn’t fit....it was lame. And from that point it spiraled downwards...

Whatever, S12, 13 and 14 came and went, and it wasn’t getting better....I mean Jensen isn’t the only one, who got diarrhea over season 13th finale^^

But why is that? Here a few points I always get agitated about, and especially now in season 15.

Why?? Because it’s the final season!

1. The low budget.

- Seemingly no money to bring good songs anymore.

- Cheap costumes and make up. The Monsters are looking like the result from a DIY class. Blood looks like pink paint.

- The guest actors. Most of them are just not good.

2. The look of the Show

- Don’t we all miss the grainy, more colorless and dirty look. Now it looks like a daytime soap opera^^

- Colors, Camera angles, the whole cinematography, is kinda bland. Nothing special anymore.

- Most of the fights are looking off. The stunts are sometimes so cringeworthy. Example: Epi7 „Last Call“. Sam flies from the bed, at the wall, because Cas investigated the bullet wound. It looked hilarious.

3. Jared & Jensen..yeah yeah I know, I will get hate for the next words.

- I have more and more the felling, they’re only gueststars on their own show anymore. And they’re are only going through their routine, get their paycheck and are off.

For all the big talk Jensen did back in summer, that they have more to say in the final season....hmmmmm wondering what’s behind that.

„Just“ to direct an episode and turn another into some kind of commercial/concert....well I thought their input would be a bit different.

- Am I’m the only one, who wonders why the brothers almost take no physically harm anymore, if they get beat up? „Proverbs“, CainDean gave Sam quite a good beat down...when he stabbed him, did the wound even bleed?!

- They always tell us, how much dedicated they’re, and how much they know their Charas. That it’s all about the brothers, and so on. You know it.

But right now, I don’t feel any of it. And it feels to me, the guys are having more time off, and work more separate then ever before.

But I don’t want to bash down on our 2 lovely boys, so let’s move on....

4. The Story/Plot

- Oh Boy, where to start. I could probably write a novel about that topic. And Season 15 isn’t really giving us some slack.

Honestly if the SPN writers would bring much as energy and skills into the storyline, like they do on their Twitter accounts, the ratings probably wouldn’t drop to around 1 Million.

8 episodes, and I really only enjoyed 2.

Too much separated brothers. I mean in one episode, Sam is saying he needs his brother. And in the next season Dean takes off.

Canon gets kicked with feet. There is no continuity.

They are bringing back one character after the other, without a good story behind it, and when then just to ignore storylines from the past, and call it New Canon....ppppshhh please.

And no, I’m not a fan of Saileen. Sam is stating he still thinks about Jess.

But the writers are bringing back Eileen?! According to the New Canon, she was dragged to hell. Soooo, Jess got killed by a demon....maybe she is also in hell^^

To get to the point, I don’t really see the reason to bring in the final season a love interest for Sam. Jared hated the Amelia Storyline. And Sam stated several times, he’s done with the whole family stuff.

It seems forced and Jay and Shoshannah don’t have a good chemistry. At least I don’t feel it.

Then the whole Dean and Cas thingy. I mean, what the hell. What is even the reason behind all this. It looks like, the writers hadn’t any storyline for Cas, so they needed to bring some fight up, just to have a reason, that he isn’t around?!

The whole plot until now, is really blotchy, and I could rant endlessly....

Yeah, maybe there’s some reason behind aaaallll of that, because of the God Plot.

But my dear boys, you better start to sort this things out, and explain it through a good storyline in the next episode, otherwise this show will come to an end, which makes the GoT finale looks good!

But honestly I think the harm is already done. I don’t think the viewers will come back, just because Chuck yells in one the next episodes: Suckers I played you!!

If there is a plan, behind this crap....it’s horrible executed.

And if there isn’t any bigger meaning behind it......do I really have to finish this thought?!

Well, here you go.

I know there are still so many topics and reasons to tell, but I didn’t want to go into details. Otherwise this entry would be endless.

I have still hope, there will come something good. This show owns my heart, and it saddens me to no end, how the situation is right now.

All the years I was excited for the new episodes....now I dread them 😢

[crabbbage]

warfstache clothing masterpost

alright i said i would make a post w all the egos but just wilford was way too long and this has been sitting in my drafts for a week so i might as well post it. every outfit wilford has ever worn, with screenshots and video links, because sometimes you need outfit refs and don’t wanna rewatch videos from 2014.

warf is the oldest ego and emblematic of the channel as a whole. also, if u follow my blog, u r probably aware i love him. lets get down to business. videos are in chronological order by date posted.

if anything is inaccurate or i missed a video, please let me know!

the fall of slenderman, amnesia gueststar, the warfstache affair & slenderman gueststar:

i grouped these videos together because they’re all very early into warf’s conception as a character so they’re all boring as shit. no pants are shown in the latter three videos, and no shoes in any. still, an american eagle shirt and jeans, two black tshirts, and a white tshirt. the only real notable thing is that in the amnesia letsplay he for some reason has a second, smaller black mustache on top of the first (it’s connected to the glasses).

the slenderman song:

this one is lame too but i can’t say anything against it bc i like this image too much. he has shoes, finally! boring ass black sneakers! jeans again, and repping the merch. also, dog.

the ned affair:

first appearance with formal dress! important! red striped blazer, tie tshirt, jeans, grey sneakers, snubnosed gold pistol, top hat for like 2 seconds. also the first video where he has reality warping powers. vital to his development as a character! anyways,

FNAF interview:

finally some good fucking fashion. the suspenders/bowtie appear here boys. we gottem

light yellow shirt with the sleeves rolled up, khaki pants (finally no jeans!), black sneakers, gray suspenders, pink bowtie. this is THE iconic look.

interview with markiplier:

pink hair warf! this may actually be the same exact suspenders/bowtie as before? hm. off white shirt this time, less yellow.

date with markiplier/MORE?:

very interesting take on wilford as a player behind the scenes, where he’s not controlling anything but knows way more than he should? unfortunately, no clothing is shown, so. 0/10

markiplier tv:

return of the 2 second tophat! 

i tried very hard to find a picture of his shoes and i could not. yellow shirt again, pink bowtie again, pink suspenders this time(!), khaki pants again. very on brand here.

EDIT: the lighting is strange here but coming back, this is the same shirt from wkm and heist; i missed the white collar and white sleeves before. interesting.

who killed markiplier:

black rainboots(?), gray pants, gray trenchcoat.....? army coat? with pins, red scarf, funky glasses and hat. 

red striped old-timey swimsuit, straw hat, no shoes.

i’m just scrubbing through these videos for screencaps i’m not even watching them and this still made me sad. lmao.

return of the yellow shirt! red suspenders this time. the shirt has a white collar & sleeves which is kinda funky.

wilford motherloving warfstache:

white dance shoes? tap shoes? they look like this.

literally fucking iconic look at him. pink satin(?) shirt, yellow flared pants, white belt. doesnt follow the same formula as the other iconic wilford looks but his little bit of something is definitely here.

this video is feeding me. theres so many full body shots. i didnt realise how much mark cuts stuff off at the waist until i tried to make this post. look at this fully outfitted boy. good shot of what the belt looks like here too. also PLEASE go watch this video right now, it’s still my favorite out of all the ego stuff.

heist/Open The Box:

yellow shirt with white collar/cuffs is back from wkm/markiplierTV! brighter pink bowtie, rainbow suspenders, I <3 YOU boxers. i appreciate how uncomfortable suspenders on boxers probably was, and also that wilford canonly. does that. for some reason. rainbow was a good choice though!

verdict on most of wilford’s outfits: he was wearing a yellow shirt as the colonel, and either has the same shirt or one exactly like it all the way up to heist. likes yellow, pink, and white in general, red appears occasionally, almost no other colors except as accents. likes suspenders, likes bowties. we been knew. 

[sky-blue-pantaloons]

Caught in your Flame

(Apparently now I am writing RPF with WYB and XZ and the rest of the characters from CQL?! I just wanted to write about Yibo and Xiao Zhan’s dynamic and have a host of characters to play with)

Xiao Zhan could tell it was Lan Qiren on the other end of the line from the way Yibo’s lips pressed into a tense line. His voice was loud; Xiao Zhan could hear it faintly through the receiver even from across the table where he was sitting. No one else at the table made eye contact with each other or said anything. Their scripts lay momentarily forgotten on the table. Suddenly both Jiang Cheng and Huai Sang found the table lamp and pen holder extremely fascinating. Yibo stood up to move the call out into the hallway. After a few more moments of the three of them distractedly going through the scripts, Yibo popped his head back in and asked, I going to the convenience store to pick some things up. Is that alright? Everyone nodded. Never mind that it was nearly 11pm and the nearest convenience store was a twenty minute walk away.

Outside, it was drizzling steadily. The rain had turned the autumn air from pleasantly crisp to cold. Xiao Zhan finally caught sight of Yibo after jogging along for a few minutes. He was shuffling along ahead with a small umbrella, wearing only a thin sports jacket and jeans. He was using his phone as a makeshift flashlight. Xiao Zhan ran a few more paces and snuck under his umbrella. Yibo turned to look at him, a bit of warmth gathering in his eyes. Xiao Zhan smiled at him; the excuses he prepared about needing to buy something from the convenience store as well quickly forgotten. Xiao Zhan stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket, and for a few minutes they walked side by side in comfortable silence. The rain fell around them. The umbrella was small enough that their shoulders brushed again each other’s.

“I thought you might be scared of ghosts because it’s so dark out,” Xiao Zhan says teasingly after a while.

“Yeah I was. But I’m not now that you’re here.” Yibo replies easily.

Yibo was too honest. Xiao Zhan could feel his cheeks grow warm, which was ridiculous. He was almost thirty years old for god’s sake. Here he was acting like a shy schoolgirl around a 97er.

“Has no one ever accused you of leading them on?”

“Surprisingly, no. Yeah I know, shocking,” Yibo replied wryly. And they both burst into a laughing fit at that. They laughed so hard that they had to stop walking down the alleyway for a second to just focus on catching their breath.

“Maybe I’m just special then,” Xiao Zhan said without thinking when he finally recovered.

Yibo whipped his head around so fast at that, Xiao Zhan almost started laughing again. “Wow,” Yibo said eyebrows raising, seemingly lost for words for once. Xiao Zhan has to smile a little at that; it doesn’t happen often. Briefly, Xiao Zhan wondered about his own intentions - was he still playing their game or was he hoping Yibo would actually say yes.

One of the trending clips on Weibo this week was a clip of a female gueststar on Day Day Up saying ‘it was like a solo holiday’ in response to the host’s question about how it was like to go on a daytrip with Yibo. It was from a episode a few seasons back, but a fan had dug it up and posted it the caption ‘wyb flirting with others vs wyb flirting with xz 💜’ and a gif of Yibo smiling at Xiao Zhan.

** I take some ideas from interviews etc, but some things I make up. I’m writing fiction

[dojae-huh]

Do you think that fame/jaehyun becoming the most popular member (as oppose to being the rookie maknae) has made a difference in their r/s or dynamics ?

1) Jaehyun was always one of the most popular members. From the beginning SM pushed him in front.

- He was introduced as a Rookie second after Taeyong. 

- He was in Rookies predebut dance videos, in EXOs MVs. He was in all promos for Rookies shows. 

- ShowChamp, EnNaNa, guest on many shows.

- Poetic beauty, Try again (he is the focus), he starred in “The Little Match Girl” MV. List of NCT members in MVs of others.

- He was chosen to debut with both NCT-U and NCT-127.

It was Doyoung, who had to climb the popularity ladder. As MC, he was better known outside NCT (ShowChamp, Lipstick Prince, then Inkigayo). However, he was one of the least popular members for a long time, he got hate for joining 127. And look at him now, he is in the top three in brand reputation with Taeyong and Jaehyun, i.e. he is a popular topic on the i-net. His two covers on YT have each 1mln+ views, when few NCT vids get past few hundreds.

Jaehyun gets solo photoshoots, but Doyoung gets duets, he also gueststars in variety shows more often. So far there is no real gap. The situation might change once NCT members become individual faces of brands. 

2) Rookie maknae -> the main visual of NCT 127

Jaehyun growing up did make a difference though. It became harder for Doyoung to deny his physical attraction, pretending he sees Jaehyun only as a younger brother. Jaehyun mentioned once that “I want to quickly become an adult” (not in age, in mind), he is chasing Doyoung. Adult is a person with responsibilities, the one who thinks and takes care of not only himself, but other people, thinks about the future. Although Doyoung behaves often very silly, behind the camera he is that “boring person” who “does everything the right way”. He is not “an old soul” like Mark, but he is not childish and carefree either. Even when he was a kid, adults gave him bags with money and tickets to look after (and he lost it, haha), he was that reliable from the beginning. He was the one who took care of Jaehyun, now Jaehyun also takes care of him. 

[latinalesbi]

Miss your commentary about all things The Fosters ;) Sad it’s all over.. They’re still using the the actors/actresses they felt they no longer needed to promote their new show- it’s shameless imo. ‘Oh but they’ll be guest appearances’ They should get paid every time they are used to promote a show they’ll barely be in!

Ahh, thanks. It’s a big loss.

I think it’s pathetic that no one thinks these 2 can carry a show. They are literally padding the entire season with fosters stars. So it’s like, why did you cancel the fosters again?

Anonymous said:                                                                      Do you think Fform are regretting cancelling the Fosters now? The backlash they received at 1st, the clamour for Stef&Lena to have their own spinoff & now Noah blowing up with his Netflix film. The majority of their original fan base are just going to tune in for the gueststar appearance episodes. I kinda get them wanting to age up the show though the kids going to college, Jude being the only kid at home, Jesus working, and eventually the moms being empty nesters.. so many missed storyline ops.             

I am not sure they regret it yet. When the ratings don’t catch on, when the show doesn’t catch on at all, then they’ll kinda think again. For now, they can all dream of having success. I think the show could have gone on for another year at least, maybe 2. It would have been more satisfying than this.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I honestly think it was Sherri that was most affected by the cancellation. Everyone thinks Teri because of her unfollowing everyone but I think Sherri took it the hardest. I bet she persuaded Teri to appear on the spinoff too. One thing is for sure out of the whole sorry cast they were the two it meant the most too. Just my thoughts! Jx             

I think that Sherri loved being Lena, loved being married to Teri in a way. She loved the show. It’s a big loss for her, and I think being unable to let go is a big reason to appear on the spin off. I relate, since I’ll watch when they are on.

Anonymous said:                                                                      The promo for their new show has just made me mad all over again, lol! The odd guest appearance can’t change that!

Oh, yeah avoid all that shit, at all costs. I am happier not following Brad. If he posts anything for instance, someone tells me.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I’m curious as to what Mariana and Jesus are saying in Season 1 Episode 1.

Mariana says: that girl is strange

Jesus: no me importa

Mariana: dejame

Jesus: callate

Stef: Don’t speak spanish if you’re only doing it to talk about people.

No one here can speak spanish, so it just sounds odd, there’s no rhythm to this conversation. When people tell me gay people should play gay people, I say Spanish speakers should play Spanish speakers. At least this is something that actually makes a difference when you’re watching. #1 Reason that they never spoke Spanish again. Ironic that Courtney and Brandon could actually speak Spanish.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I just got sad all over again because the pic of Stef & Lena that Callie gave them for Mother's Day ? I wonder who took it home ?        

I get the feeling they weren’t allowed to take very much.    

[pesoplumagf]

I saw your tags about cutter not being on the new (old) law and order-- and honestly, I felt the same. It would've been nice to see him around again, even if I had a lowkey fear the writer's would kinda ruin his character like they did when he gueststarred on SUV. :( Are you gonna watch the reboot?

It would’ve been nice if he came back but I guess I’m not too surprised that he’s not. I don’t think his character had much fans. 😐 Lol. I don’t get why people had such a problem with his character. I don’t think I’ll watch the reboot. I would’ve liked it if they just continued with the same cast from season 20. I would’ve loved to see cutter and McCoy again! You’re right though about the writers ruining his character. They probably would’ve done that now that I think about it. Lol.

[pepimeinrad]

The second Hubert und Staller TV movie, ‘Unter Wölfen’ is pretty damn amazing. Lots of great people, utterly hilarious, one great long episode.

The only thing that would have made it even better would have been casting Maximilian Grill as Sebastian Kurz, partner to Melanie Eder, played by Bettina Lamprecht. There were several scenes with Betty, Helmfried, and Robert Schupp (another guest star, the one I originally watched the movie for, before I started watching the show), who were Max’ costars in the three shows he is/was a regular in (Betty’s Diagnose, Der Letzte Bulle, and Schloss Einstein). Having them all be policemen in scenes together would have been the greatest thing.

[tamiyka-blog1]

#WCW...But I just cut for her any day of the week and that's @therealmoworldwide. I'm here quarantined like the rest of us, of course and had a very productive morning of a self tape submission, a virtual meeting with the status of a current contract as a teaching artist and some reading as I prep for my class on Friday. Took a break and made me nourishing food only to receive some real nourishment from the #QueenOfComedy herself when she and her husband, Sydney Hicks, were recent guests on @thedavidbannerpodcast. And as I munch on my cauilflower fries and slurp on my fruit/spinach smoothie, she said a word that spoke to me. And she's been speaking to me for a long time. Now we all know that some of us have had their 2 cents about her and she's been carrying on out in the streets. I even had a friend recently post of her in the opening number the BET Awards on his Facebook page with a caption stating he missed that Mo'nique. I love my friend and no shade, but we can respectfully agree to disagree, if any disagreement at all. But, for me, from The Parkers to Precious to Queens Of Comedy, Baby Boy, Almost Christmas to seeing her at the @improv in Houston.Or, after I bought her a merchandise tshirt of hers as I said some dumb stuff about how much I wish a guy I was seeing at the time could've been there. And the guy wasn't even worth a dime and she looked at me and said to me, 'Why you sweating a man who clearly ain't checking for you?', and gave me a real hug and signed my tshirt, took time to spell my name correctly and signed it with "Dream Big". And I do. I don't punch a clock. And I'm taking my talent and letting it roll however it's gonna roll because you haven't heard from me yet because fear has had me locked me down. But not anymore. We're all afraid to risk it all and especially when you got so much to lose. But even in the fear, it's always been something in me that says I gotta go get it. So thank you Queen. I applaud you for always being you. Like you love us for real. Well, the feeling is mutual. #InSolidarity #WCW #BlackWoman #Love #AnAttitudeOfGratitude #AWord #Actor #LeadingLady #SeriesRegular #RecurringRole #GuestStar #WorldwideName #Star https://www.instagram.com/p/B-LQZgCpxrM/?igshid=76rh93gws0ub

[viruswithsaas]

“Damn” (Kendrick Lamar)

As you can tell from the previous reviews, I am a metalhead. An openminded one, yes, with the record collection to prove it but still. I often say that listen to many genres but I always come back to metal because that is the genre I’m most familiar with, I know best and whose esthetic most appeals to me. That being said, this review is going to be a bit different and out of my comfort zone.

Hip hop and rap have taken over from rock and are now the most popular genres right now on Spotify and the North-American radio stations. A lot has been said about this evolution. Mostly very immature comments about some conspiracy by the record labels to keep “real music” down and how today’s chart toppers are sooo stupid!

I’ve made my contribution as well and stated that mainstream rock sucks, the underground is very much alive and that, if you love a genre, you wouldn’t care if it’s popular or not. Some of my favourite albums never moved a lot of copies. So, big deal. Now, how do I feel about hip hop from 2017? Euh...

It has been a long while since I’ve actively explored the genre and I’ve always had a disdain for mainstream acts like Jay-Z or the very formulaic music that 2Pac always delivered. However since Killah Priest’s “Heavy Mental” from 1996, the Marshall Mather LP’s albums and JJ Doom’s “Bookhead EP” A LOT has changed. The beats have mutated from “a solid, old funk beat” to “rattling machine drum hihats and half time kicks” or “straight up electro”.

One of the things that hasn’t changed a lot is that mainstream hip hop still sucks. Kanye West is doing some dope things and I want to admire him as an artist but Kanye as a person is keeping me from it. Eminem hasn’t released a decent album in god knows how long. Lil’ Uzi Vert is terrible and Lil’ Pump is not even a joke but a meme.

However, one name that interested me was Kendrick Lamar. Critics and audiences have hailed him as one of the greats in the genre and his sales are through the roof, YouTuber The Rap Critic did interesting reviews of his songs “Humble” and “Swimming Pools” and he released a new album in 2017. So obviously I gave in to my curiosity and checked out “Damn”.

First thing that struck me, were the strong hooks and the bouncy production. Instrumentation wise, it is fresh, maybe not all that revolutionary but still solid and more experimental than your average pop banger with original arrangements and unpredicatable song structure. The gueststars are on point. For example I’ve never liked Rihanna’s music or her image but on “Loyalty” she is very, very good. Same for U2. Tolerated their old stuff, felt indifferent about their output of the last 10 years or so but liked them on “XXX”.

Then I listened to it again with the lyrics.

It sort of shocked me to hear how much Lamar raps about loneliness, even abandonment. One of the lines that pops up every now and then over the entire course of the album is “ain’t nobody praying for me”. That sentiment resonates through “Loyalty” and reprimands the others by asking for what they live. To whom have they sworn loyalty? In “Love” Lamar asks his love interest if she would still love him if he wasn’t successful or if she will stick by him while he pursues his ambitions. Sincere sentiments.

Of course, other things that never change about hip hop are the often misogynist lines and bragging. The line “If I gotta go hard on a bitch, I'ma make it look sexy” from “Element” still doesn’t sit right with me and shall we talk about “Humble” and the point where Lamar brags “If I quit this season, I still be the greatest, funk”?

It’s a bit of a shame because otherwise this would have a solid LP that could compete with my favourite albums, now he seems to contradict himself at certain points and I have very little tolerance for that. Especially when he does it in the course of one song, namely “XXX”. Then again in “DNA”, he says that “I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA, I got hustle though, ambition, flow, inside my DNA”. Just to say I might get something wrong.

When Lamar hits with a good track however, he doesn’t miss the mark. “Fear” is a piece that describes how fear gets instated and how it will afterwards dictate the rest of your life. Even after having played it half a dozen times, it still sends chills down my spines.

“Lust” is another great song with a massive message against political apathy, i.e. stop thinking with your genitals and let’s get wise.

But the one track that takes the cake and the b*tch who made it is “Feel”. Not only is Lamar’s flow on fire, I like to think that this is where you hear him at his purest. The thoughts jump out of his head through his mouth, he feels lonely, he feels empty, angry at everybody and nobody, paranoid even. Do you know that feeling where you don’t want to admit that you need somebody but at the same time feel like crashing in somebody’s arms? That anger that serves as a shield, to hide yourself and push everybody around you away? That is “Feel”.

“Damn” might come over as a record with a lot of bravoure and arrogance and for a large part that’s true since bravoure and arrogance are trademarks of hip hop but at the same time, it is also an emotional record where the cockyness partially shrouds emotional voids that no money, fancy cars or casual pussy can hide.

In 2017 hip hop is bigger than ever, Kendrick Lamar has proven to be a huge and important name in that scene but I’m curious to his next record and whether or not he will deliver his pièce de résistance.

Ivo VirusWithShoes

Sorry, Kendrick, we are atheists and don’t pray for anybody. However, we will listen to your music. http://www.kendricklamar.com/music