#it looks like it’ll debut mid december

[jugheadthelesbian]

my zombie apocalypse au lily evans is the most 1989 girly ever(even tho 1989 would not exist in that universe but shhh 😭)

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

With INSIDE OUT 2 releasing within days, it’s pretty clear that we won’t be getting a teaser for ELIO. Or, more specifically, the dramatically revised version of the movie. The teaser that ran in front of ELEMENTAL a full year ago will go down as a Pixar rarity, a teaser for a film that was pushed a country mile down the road and a preview that likely doesn’t represent what it’ll become. And not like the classic Pixar teasers, composed of small skits not meant for the finished movie…

So I wanted to cobble together a list of the Pixars, and what their teaser-to-release date timespans are. Some are actually very long, which may surprise some folks, but... Having lived it, that was kind of the norm in some way! I'll also add in the films these trailers were attached to in theaters, or likely accompaniments. Sometimes, the release of a new Disney film of any sorts would mean a teaser for something would be attached...

TOY STORY - I don't have any firm data on when TOY STORY's teaser first debuted. Some wiki stuff, which is unreliable, claims the teaser showed up in June 1995 - likely on prints of POCAHONTAS, ahead of the movie's November 1995 release.

That teaser refers to the release as "This Holiday Season", so that shows that it was put together sometime in early-to-mid 1995, not the year prior. If it did come out in June, that would be an approx. 5 month wait.

I also want to emphasize that this list will be for theatrical teasers. Sometimes, work-in-progress sneak peeks got out earlier on VHS releases. For example, in May 1995, the live-action JUNGLE BOOK came out and it had an early look at TOY STORY on it featuring lots of unfinished footage. Not dissimilar to the October 1993 VHS of ALADDIN having the first-available footage of THE LION KING, before its November 1993 teaser debuted theatrically. I don't count that, either. I count what's in the format of a teaser trailer, not a sneak peek.

So, with that said, let's move on...

A BUG’S LIFE - This is the first of Pixar's special teasers, composed of footage not meant for the finished film. As with TOY STORY, I don't have any firm data on when the teaser for A BUG'S LIFE dropped. Some various wiki stuff, which is unreliable, claims the teaser dropped November 1997 ahead of the re-release of THE LITTLE MERMAID and then-new release FLUBBER.

The teaser has the text "November 1998", implying that it was put together before the year's end. If so, since the movie did indeed came out in November 1998, that would be an approx. 1 year wait.

TOY STORY 2 - This is the last of the Pixar movies where I don't have firm data on when the teaser dropped. Again, only claims on wikis and such, which state the teaser for this dropped in June 1999 - when Disney released TARZAN. If so, that would've been an approx. 5 month wait. The teaser simply ends with "Thanksgiving", meaning it was made within that year.

MONSTERS, INC. - Teaser released October 2000 online and on the home video release of TOY STORY 2, movie released in November 2001. Approx. 1 year and a month.

FINDING NEMO - Teaser released September 2002 on the home video release of MONSTERS, INC., movie released in May 2003. Approx. 8 months.

THE INCREDIBLES - Teaser released May 2003 in front of FINDING NEMO, movie released in November 2004. Approx. 1 year, 6 months.

CARS - Teaser released November 2004 in front of THE INCREDIBLES, but the film was aiming for a November 2005 release back then. It also features an early version of Lightning McQueen, likely test footage repurposed for this teaser. The planned release date made for an approx. 1 year wait... Then in December 2004, merely a month later, the film was delayed to June 2006, thus it was an approx. 1 year, 7 month wait.

RATATOUILLE - Teaser released June 2006 in front of CARS, movie released in June 2007. Approx. 1 year.

WALL-E - Teaser released June 2007 in front of RATATOUILLE, movie released in June 2008. Approx. 1 year.

UP - Teaser released online in July 2008 during that year's San Diego Comic-Con, movie released in May 2009. Approx. 10 months.

TOY STORY 3 - Teaser released May 2009 in front of UP, movie released June 2010. Approx. 1 year, 1 month.

CARS 2 - Teaser released October 2010 online, movie released June 2011. Approx. 8 months.

BRAVE - Teaser released June 2011 in front of CARS 2, movie released June 2012. Approx. 1 year.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY - Teaser released June 2012 in front of BRAVE, movie released June 2013. Approx. 1 year.

INSIDE OUT - Teaser released October 2014, likely accompanying Disney's newest release at the time, ALEXANDER AND TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. The movie was released June 2015. Approx. 8 months.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR - Teaser released June 2015 in front of INSIDE OUT, movie released November 2015. Approx. 5 months. This would be Pixar's return to making a teaser that actually has scenes from the film in it, as opposed to being only custom-made footage.

FINDING DORY - Teaser released November 2015 in front of THE GOOD DINOSAUR, movie released June 2016. Approx. 7 months.

CARS 3 - Teaser released November 2016 in front of MOANA, movie released June 2017. Approx. 7 months.

COCO - Teaser released March 2017 in time for the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST remake, movie released November 2017. Approx. 8 months.

INCREDIBLES 2 - Teaser released November 2017 in front of COCO, movie released June 2018. Approx. 7 months.

TOY STORY 4 - Two teasers - one featuring Forky, the other featuring Ducky & Bunny - released November 2018, in time to accompany RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, movie released June 2019. Approx. 7 months.

ONWARD - Teaser released June 2019 in front of TOY STORY 4, movie released March 2020. Approx. 9 months.

SOUL - Teaser released November 2019, likely to accompany FROZEN II, but the film was aiming for a June 2020 release at the time, so that would’ve been an approx. 7 month wait. It was delayed to December 2020, making for an approx. 1 year, 1 month wait.

LUCA - Teaser released February 2021 movie released in June 2021. Approx. 4 months. The shortest for a Pixar film. This was before it was re-routed to being a Disney+ only release, so I guess this trailer accompanied screenings of RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON.

TURNING RED - Teaser released July 2021, movie released March 2022. Approx. 8 months. This was also originally going to be a theatrical release, as we all know, so it must've ran before whatever family movies were out at the time. I.e. BOSS BABY 2, SPACE JAM 2, etc.

LIGHTYEAR - Teaser released October 2021, movie released June 2022. Approx. 8 months.

ELEMENTAL - Teaser released November 2022, likely to accompany STRANGE WORLD, movie released June 2023. Approx. 7 months.

INSIDE OUT 2 - Teaser released November 2023, likely to accompany WISH, movie released in June 2024. Approx. 7 months.

ELIO - Teaser released June 2023 in front of ELEMENTAL, when the movie was supposed to come out in March 2024, an approx. 9 month wait. Now opening June 2025, that will be an approx. 2 year wait. The longest for a Pixar film. The official upload of the original teaser still has the March 2024 date in the description, and calls it the studio's 28th film when it will in fact be their 29th film now.

If I were to guess when the trailer for the currently-undetermined March 2026 Pixar movie comes out, then... Probably with ELIO, given the more recent marketing patterns for this studio's movies.

TOY STORY 5’s teaser probably drops October/November of that year, in time for the release of ZOOTOPIA 2. Usually a teaser drop aligns with the release of a fellow Disney animated release, sometimes their live-action family films too.

[ggukkiedae]

❝𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕦𝕡❞

𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

⇢ seri gets good news, and some people don’t take it well

⇢ set in mid december 2017

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜:

⇢ bullies, condescending comments

𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜:

⇢ requests and feedback are highly appreciated!

“Congratulations to the six of you, our new group-to-be: Tomorrow by Together.”

Seri exchanged a look with the five boys sitting with her on the opposite end of their CEO. Bang PD gave them a warm smile before taking his leave. The six trainees stood up and bowed to him as he left. As soon as he was gone, they burst into cheers. 

“It’s finally happening,” Yeonjun was practically gaping like a fish. “After three years, I’m finally going to debut for sure!”

“Not if you keep your face looking like that,” Taehyun quipped. His usual sarcastic expression was gone, replaced with a large grin from finding out the good news. The five members laughed while Yeonjun playfully smacked Taehyun.

“This is going to be amazing!” Kai clapped. “We get to debut together! We’re gonna have our own official songs and actually go on stage and perform in front of other people who know us for us!”

“We’re gonna have to be perfect from now on.” The resolve in Beomgyu’s voice and determination in his eyes automatically made everyone agree. 

Seri laughed. “You’re going to have to teach me how to dance better, then. Oh god, the six of us? I feel so bad for our future leader. I vote Soobin oppa since he’s the tallest!”

“What? That makes no sense!” Soobin’s confused expression only got red as the other four boys started agreeing with Seri’s statement of him being their leader. 

“You really want Yeonjun hyung to be our leader?” Taehyun raised his eyebrow in question.

“Exactly,” Yeonjun nodded before doing a double-take, “wait, what was that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!”

Seri laughed. She was already loving the dynamic that was settling within the group. She felt someone take her hand and look down to see Beomgyu had intertwined their fingers. She grinned and swung their joint hands around.

“Whatever,” Yeonjun shrugged before gathering Seri into his arms and tucking her head under his chin, a challenge due to her holding Beomgyu’s hand. “As long as I have my daughter with me, then I'm good with anything.”

“Since when did I become your daughter?”

“Since now. I declare we all have a family dynamic!”

“You’re going to be part of Tomorrow by Together.” “You’re in the group.” “You're debuting.”

The words resonated around Seri’s head like the lasting chimes of church bells. The smile on her face could only grow every time she thought about it. Not only was she going to be in the debut lineup, but she’d be there with the same five people who have made her feel completely welcome, one of them being her best friend. 

The six members have been rushed off to their own dorms to pack up their things in preparation to move into their new shared dorm by the next day. Her stuff was already mostly in luggage bags since she’d usually go home on her free days, so she had a lot of time to spare. 

After checking if everything was fixed, she decided to go head to the company. A little vocal session seemed to be something she needed just to help calm her excitement and get her thoughts clear. She arrived in front of the vocal practice rooms and nearly ran into a few of the other trainees there. Her eyes widened, and she bowed.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, “I didn’t see you there.”

The three boys stared down at her, and she felt like she was shrinking. Why were they looking at her so intensely, and why were they so angry.

“Oh,” one of them narrowed their eyes at her, “it’s you.”

She was taken back by the hostility. “Yes, it’s me. Seri. I believe we have dance class together?”

“Not anymore,” one of the other boys practically spat out. “It looks like you get to run around and have fun preparing for debut while we’re left here to struggle.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy, though,” she began but was cut off by the third guy.

“Then why are you debuting?” he stepped closer to her, backing her into the door of one of the small rooms. “Why are you taking the position, huh?”

“I-”

“She isn’t even that good,” the boy in the middle scoffed. 

“Right? Bighit just wanted another girl just like Miya sunbaenim. This kid is nowhere near her level.”

“I don’t even understand how Miya sunbaenim befriended her,” one shook his head then focused on Seri once again. “You’re just using Miya sunbae, aren’t you?”

“I am not!” Seri wanted to defend herself, but the three boys in front of her are making it hard for her. "She doesn't even know yet!"

“You’re such a fake,” one of the boys rolled his eyes. “You can’t even dance. If it weren’t for the fact that you were a girl and friends with Miya sunbae, you wouldn’t even be considered for the debut lineup.”

The door behind her swung open, and she found herself being caught by whoever it was who was in the room. 

“What about you three stop being jealous and actually start practicing so you can debut as well?” the voice behind her asked while helping her stand. He sounded irritated.

“Come on, Heeseung,” one of the boys laughed. “You can’t possibly tell me this untalented little girl has a shot in the real world.”

Heeseung? Another 01 liner that she greets politely and is close with her friends. She never really spoke to him much, though. She wondered why he was defending her.

“Have you not heard her voice?” Heeseung asked the other three. “She can sing effortlessly and still sound more than perfect. She improved her dancing way faster than all three of you combined, and she can rap better than any of you. Now stop being jealous and actually start working for your debut like Seri is.”

With that, Heeseung slammed the door shut and turned to her. She gave him a grateful look.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “You really didn’t have to, I’m sure you were busy.”

“We 01 liners have to stick together, right?” he asked her with a small smile. “I hope you’re okay. They’re just being petty because they didn’t make the final lineup.”

“Looks like I owe you one, then,” she lightly bumped his shoulder with hers. “I can’t believe they accused me of using Yoonmi to get into the lineup.”

“If that were the case, then I would have gotten in as well.”

“You’re close with Yoonmi?”

Heeseung laughed. “She drops by here sometimes when I practice alone. We talk and stuff. I’m actually surprised at how much time she spends in the company after midnight.”

“Tell me about it,” Seri sighed and looked out the little glass window. She was shocked to see a familiar face instead of the three boys from earlier. The door swung open.

“Seri? What are you doing with Heeseung?”

“He saved me just now,” she laughed. “Back at you, Gyu.”

“We were going to practice a song together.”

Seri smiled and settled herself on the floor in the corner of the room. The two boys looked at her curiously.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what you mean by Heeseung saving you?” Beomgyu asked her.

“Later,” she smiled, “now, sing! I want to hear you guys sing! Or rap!

[yeaahishowedupatyourparty]

Zara  Calloway.

➥ BASIC INFORMATION 

Full name: Zara Anneliese Calloway  Nickname(s): None Gender: Female, she/her Age: Twenty Birthday: December 5th, Sagittarius  City or town of birth: London, England Currently lives: in The Calloway, London but spends more time in her dorm   Languages spoken: English

➥ SEXUALITY 

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  Relationship Status: Single (???)

➥ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE 

Height: 5′3 Tattoos: A tiny tattoo of Venus behind her ear   Piercings: Just her ears Scars/distinguishing marks: None Preferred style of clothing: I feel like her critics would definitely describe her as dressing to “the male gaze” and that’s definitely true. She thrives on affection and attention and caters most of what she does and how she presents herself to feed that.  Frequently worn jewellery/accessories: A locket with no real meaning 

➥ PERSONALITY 

Personality: Whatever the happy middle between a hopeless and desperate romantic is. She craves being loved and cared for, but also doesn’t like the idea of having to be vulnerable. She’s highly susceptible to her emotions and tends to act on impulse. Her feelings drive her and while she often bends over backwards in bids to try and please those around her, her loyalty can easily be bent if she feels it’ll win more affection than she’s currently getting in her current situation.  Fears/phobias: The dark and being alone  Favourite colour: Lilac   Taste in music: Holly LOL She was definitely born and raised on Taylor Swift’s discography and is a Red & Folklore girl through and through. Mirrorball read her like a book. 

➥ CAREER (TW: Sexual Harassment) 

Zara was the lesser half of the duo that was Lacey & Zara. The twins were in the spotlight before they could even talk properly; at first, doing pageants and modelling for big brand names like Burberry and Chanel and later, making their debuts on the big screen. Think Mary-Kate and Ashely. They were a package deal and Hollywood Sweethearts. Obviously, at the age of seven or eight they weren’t exactly taken seriously but  their careers looked promising. Zara grew up in film studios, often standing in for Lacey when she refused to cooperate, but rarely the main star.                   She’s had a lot of tension with her career and has had a love/hate relationship with the blessings she’s been handed, but St Judes has seen her come into her own. She’s much more comfortable being behind the camera and most of her favourite roles are the ones she’s written for herself. She feels more comfortable when she’s in control of the entire production but will happily work with directors who make her feel at ease. 

➥ BACKSTORY 

Zara is the very youngest daughter of Anthea and Gerald Calloway, meaning everybody knew who she was before she’d even got a chance to find herself. Her parent’s are giants in their respective fields of work; Gerald being the owner of the famous Calloway Hotel in affluent Belgravia and Anthea owning Enchanté, a high-end bridal and evening gown line. Alongside her early rise to fame, Zara grew up in and out of the hotel, always around random adults and being left with her older sisters to entertain themselves.                Being the fast-paced family they were, sentimental moments were at absolute bare minimums. Bedtime stories and sit down meals were a myth and getting quality time with her Mum and Dad was rare. That’d all been used up on her other sisters. For most of her childhood, Zara lived in the shadows of everybody else; quietly getting lost in daydreams or watching films that let her get lost in a different reality - more often than not, for reasons she believe might run deeper than she originally thought - films like Tangled & Sleeping Beauty. Self-soothing became a survival skill & making herself as small as possible became her speciality. There were already enough big personalities in the family.                 However, that all changed when Zara hit her mid-teens. Suddenly, there weren’t any shadows to hide in. Everywhere she went; whether that was publicly or in her own home; she’d be met with gawking eyes. Her father’s clients came for the luxury of their hotel and stayed for Zara; not that she EVER considered sleeping with them, but wasn’t oblivious enough to not notice the wandering eyes and skin-crawling smirks when she passed through meeting rooms. It didn’t change at work either; especially when Lacey “disappeared.”               Zara wasn’t as appealing as her funnier, wittier, more charismatic twin which meant her mother encouraged - or forced - her to change audition tactics. Gone were self-tapes and in their place, discrete meetings in their mansions or within suites of Los Angeles hotels, guarded by a million and one NDA’s. Zara was officially dropped by her agent when she was eighteen. She’d never follow through on the “dates” her mother would send her to and that only blacklisted her more. Without Lacey or the want to sleep with fifty year old men, apparently she was doomed. However, getting into St Judes has been her lifeline and she’s slowly started to reinvent herself and gain confidence she thought she’d lost forever, falling in love with the art nobody else really wanted to see. 

[atlasfms]

                                                                                                                                                       𝐆𝐐   𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖   𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗   .

                     By   Jonathon   Heaf                      ➥   3   December   2019

The   now   twenty   -   four   year   old   talks   about   his   rise   to   fame   ,   his   family   and   just   about   everything   in   between   .   .   .

Honorable   Mentions   :   @alanncs​   ,   @nsfwviolets​   ,   @veraffs​   &   @viclents​   .

           It’s   been   a   year   and   a   half   since   I   last   had   the   pleasure   of   catching   up   with   the   Golden   Boy   that’s   known   as   Atlas   Deniro   ,   but   in   that   seemingly   short   space   of   time   a   lot   has   changed   in   his   life   and   there’s   so   much   to   catch   up   on   .   At   the   beginning   of   2018   ,   he   was   most   known   for   being   the   son   of   a   billionaire   and   fluttering   hearts   by   his   steaming   Instagram   posts   ,   as   well   as   sauntering   down   runways   in   clothes   designed   by   some   of   our   favourite   names   ,   but   things   didn’t   really   get   started   for   him   until   mid   -   June   .

        After   his   debut   as   being   the   main   face   and   male   Ambassador   of   Paco   Rabbane’s   iconic   1   Million   fragrance   ,   Deniro’s   popularity   sky   -   rocketed   and   it   wasn’t   that   long   after   that   he   released   his   first   song   .   Since   then   ,   the   heartthrob   has   been   the   most   sought   for   male   face   for   most   of   our   favourite   brands   ,   even   having   his   own   clothing   line   collaboration   with   Calvin   Klein   and   winning   the   Fashion   Award’s   Model   of   the   Year   2018   ,   and   only   growing   in   success   after   dropping   his   debut   album   ‘   Damage �� Control   ’   which   solidified   it’s   place   at   the   top   of   the   charts   for   months   ,   he   rang   the   new   year   in   with   a   bang   ,   but   2019   was   a   little   more   of   roller   coaster   .

           After   returning   home   from   Italy   once   his   family’s   annual   holiday   get   -   together   was   over   ,   Deniro   and   his   friends   took   Dubai   ,   UEA   by   storm   and   gave   us   something   to   remember   them   by   when   they   aired   a   one   -   hour   documentary   on   Netflix   revealing   what   they   got   up   to   .   If   that   wasn’t   exciting   enough   ,   then   maybe   his   Thailand   Arrest   story   will   ring   a   bell   .   But   that’s   all   been   and   gone   ,   and   after   that   the   now   twenty   -   four   year   old   kicked   himself   into   shape   once   his   Debut   World   Tour   dates   were   released   .   However   ,   we’re   all   aware   of   the   days   that   led   to   Deniro’s   3   day   coma   ,   which   resulted   in   him   having   to   cancel   his   tour   in   favour   of   taking   some   time   to   recover   .

          Since   then   ,   the   model   -   slash   -   singer   has   had   a   relatively   quiet   few   months   ,   and   after   coming   back   to   Instagram   a   few   weeks   back   and   reminiscing   about   his   time   with   long   -   time   girlfriend   Violet   Lennox   ,   GQ’s   International   Male   Model   of   the   Year   2019   is   here   in   celebration   of   his   turning   twenty   -   four   ,   the   struggled   of   growing   up   in   the   spotlight   and   just   about   everything   in   -   between   .   So   ,   how   about   we   get   started   ?   He’s   wearing   a   cozy   looking   black   rib   roll   neck   sweater   paired   with   a   washed   grey   set   of   jeans   decorated   with   his   iconic   silver   chain   .   Sitting   across   from   me   ,  he   looks   as   collected   as   ever   .

𝐆𝐐   :   𝐒𝐨   𝐡𝐨𝐰   𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬   𝐢𝐭   𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥   𝐭𝐨   𝐛𝐞   𝐆𝐐’𝐒   𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥   𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐞   𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥   𝐨𝐟   𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫   ?

Atlas   Deniro   :   Honestly   it   feels   kind   of  surreal   .   There   are   so   many   talents   out   there   that   deserve   it   just   as   much   as   I   do   ,  so   I   was   surprised   to   even   be   nominated   for   it   .  Winning   is   crazy   ,   though   .   I   remember   when   I   won   the   Fashion   Awards   last   year   and   was   like   ‘   this   is   it   ,   this   is   the   highlight   ’   .   I   never   even   dreamed   I’d   win   a   prestigious   award   like   this   ,   especially   so   early   in   my   career   so   thank   you   .

𝐃𝐢𝐝   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭   𝐭𝐨   𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞   𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬   𝐟𝐚𝐫   𝐢𝐧   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫   𝐬𝐨   𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧   ?

Definitely   not   .   Up   until   my   (   Paco   Rabanne   )   promotion   I   was   pretty   much   just   getting   booked   into   whatever   gigs   my   agent   could   find   and   working   my   way   through   college   .   It   was   kind   of   weird   ,   because   one   day   I   was   mostly   just   walking   on   runways   and   building   up   my   name   ,   but   the   next   my   face   was   all   over   and   it   was   like   ,   wow   ,   I   did   this   .   I   actually   did   this   .

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐝𝐢𝐝   𝐢𝐭   𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥   𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞   𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭   𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞   𝐨𝐧𝐞   𝐨𝐟   𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝’𝐬   𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬   ?

Crazy   because   the   1   Million   fragrance   is   my   absolute   favourite   and   I’d   never   dream   I’d   get   to   be   the   face   representing   it   .   Weird   because   Jordan   Barrett   is   one   of   my   buds   and   replacing   him   on   the   commercial   was   strange   .   But   he   was   cool   with   it   ,   though   ,   so   I   guess   it   all   worked   out   .

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞   𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐢𝐭   𝐰𝐚𝐬   𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞   𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭   𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠   .

It’s   impossible   to   describe   because   no   word   can   explain   the   amount   of   pride   and   happiness   you   feel   when   it’s   out   there   .   Like   ,   that’s   your   baby   .   You’re   letting   it   out   to   be   judged   by   the   world   and   that’s   ,   like   ,   your   pride   and   joy   .   But   honestly   the   feedback   was   surreal   :   people   always   have   reservations   when   models   turn   into   musicians   as   well   ,   and   I   must   have   said   ‘   music   coming   soon   ’   so   many   times   before   choosing   the   track   to   drop   that   would   put   me   in   the   same   race   as   everyone   else   took   longer   than   actually   creating   an   entire   album   .

𝐇𝐨𝐰   𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠   𝐝𝐢𝐝   𝐢𝐭   𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞   𝐭𝐨   𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭   𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐦   ?

Between   college   and   modeling   gigs   ?   Years   ,   probably   .   Writing   the   songs   didn’t   take   two   seconds   ,   but   actually   recording   them   and   putting   everything   together   takes   the   longest   time   .   Like   ,   you’re   creating   something   that   you   want   to   take   people   to   another   place   ,   and   making   the   perfect   song  to   do   that   is   difficult   .   There   was   a   lot   of   switching   and   shuffling   around   ,   too   many   songs   scrapped   because   they   weren’t   good   enough   .   It’s   a   long   process   ,   but   definitely   worth   it   .

𝐀𝐫𝐞   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠   𝐨𝐧   𝐚𝐧𝐲   𝐧𝐞𝐰   𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜   𝐚𝐭   𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭   ?

I’m   working   on   new   music   everyday   ,   it’s   just   a   little   difficult   because   everything   is   so   personal   and   depends   on   what   happens   during   that   day   .   I think   people   don’t   understand   that   a   musician’s   album   is   literally   their   most   private   and   secret   thoughts   put   into   one   place   .   It’s   like   a   journal   ,   and   that’s   why   not   only   creating   these   songs   ,   but   performing   them   is   so   hard   to   describe   .

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐰𝐚𝐬   𝐢𝐭   𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞   𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐡𝐚𝐝   𝐭𝐨   𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫   ?

Absolutely   heartbreaking   .   I   made   so   many   promises   to   my   fans   and   the   dream   of   being   able   to   travel   the   world   ,   playing   my   own   music   is   something   I’ve   wanted   all   my   life   .   Hands   down   ,   it   was   the   hardest   decision   I   ever   had   to   make   .   But   I   needed   to   do   it   ,   and   I’m   feeling   so   much   better   now   .

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬   𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧   𝐰𝐞   𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝   𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭   𝐧𝐞𝐰   𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬   𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧   ?

I   may   have   something   up   my   sleeve   for   after   the   New   Year   .   It’s   kind   of   an   apology   mixed   with   another   surprise   I’m   not   going   to   ruin   ,   but   it’s   good   .   Trust   me   .   You   won’t   be   disappointed   .

𝐈’𝐦   𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞   𝐰𝐞   𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭   .   𝐃𝐨   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞   𝐚𝐧𝐲   𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫   𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬   𝐟𝐨𝐫   𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞   ?

For   now   I’m   just   continuing   with   my   music   ,   my   modeling   ,   and   spending   some   time   with   my   beautiful   girlfriend   .   We’re   going   to   Italy   to   spend   the   holidays   with   my   family   soon   ,   so   it’ll   be   nice   to   get   away   from   New   York   for   a   little   while   and   be   able   to   spend   time   with   the   people   I   care   about   the   most   .

𝐘𝐨𝐮   𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞   𝐚   𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞   𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 �� ;   𝐡𝐨𝐰   𝐝𝐨   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥   𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡   𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭   ?

With   extreme   difficulty   [   laughs   ]   .   You   should   try   having   to   remember   all   the   names   of   your   Aunts   and   Uncles   ,   as   well   as   your   cousins   and   their   children   .   It’s   hard   ,   but   the   thing   about   my   family   is   that   even   though   there’s   so   many   of   us   ,   we’re   close   .   We   always   have   been   .

𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞   𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧   𝐭𝐨   𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲   𝐚   𝐥𝐨𝐭   ,   𝐛𝐮𝐭   𝐚𝐫𝐞   𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞   𝐚𝐧𝐲   𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫   𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞   𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠   𝐭𝐨   ?

Bali   ,   for   sure   .   It   holds   a   special   place   in   my   heart   ,   not   to   mention   it’s   so   remote   and   beautiful   that   it’s   hard   to   not   fall   in   love   with   the   place   as   soon   as   you   get   there   .   It’s   a   little   far   from   home   ,   though   ,   so   I   don’t   get   to   go   often   but   every   time   I   do   ,   I   always   have   the   best   time   .

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞   𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲   𝐢𝐧   𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐢   ?

Definitely   when   I   went   for   the   first   time   a   few   years   back   .   It   was   with   Violet   ,   of   course   ,   although   Alanna   and   Amara   insisted   they   would   come   and   didn’t   talk   to   me   for   a   week   straight   when   I   told   them   no   .   But   one   day   ,   we   decided   to   just   stay   on   the   beach   .   We   stayed   there   all   day   until   the   sun   set   ,   and   I’m   pretty   sure   we   left   being   as   red   as   lobsters   ,   but   it   was   the   most   relaxed   we’ve   ever   been   .

𝐘𝐨𝐮   𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞   𝐚   𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝   𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩   𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬   ,   𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭   𝐲𝐨𝐮   ?

The   best   ,   which   I   probably   should   be   grateful   for   since   there    are   a   lot   of   people   out   there   who   can’t   really   say   the   same   ,   but   they’re   my   best   friends   .   I   think   us   all   growing   up   with   the   same   problem   of   having   no   privacy   made   us   closer   ,   and   also   made   us   realise   we   can   trust   each   other   with   anything   .

𝐈𝐬   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲'𝐬   𝐓𝐕   𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰   𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥   𝐢𝐧   𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬   ?

Yeah   ,   for   sure   .   But   there’s   only   a   certain   amount   of   content   our   producers   can   use   ,   and   given   the   amount   of   episodes   they   need   to   film   to   create   an   entire   season   it’s   taking   a   while   ,   but   it   will   be   finished   soon   .   Maybe   even   sooner   than   you   think   .

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐚𝐫𝐞   𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫   𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬   𝐨𝐧   𝐭𝐡𝐞   #𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭   ?

Couldn’t   be   happier   for   them   ,   and   people   need   to   lay   off   with   the   judging   .   If   they’re   happy   ,   they’re   happy   ,   so   why   don’t   they   just   leave   it   at   that   ?   Now   we   just   have   to   wait   for   the   wedding   .   .   .

𝐇𝐨𝐰   𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝   𝐚𝐫𝐞   𝐲𝐨𝐮   𝐭𝐨   𝐛𝐞   𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠   𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲   -   𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫   ?

I   think   exciting   is   the   wrong   word   for   it   ;   who   even   enjoys   getting   older   ?   But   birthdays   mean   lots   of   presents   and   partying   ,   so   I’m   looking   forward   to   it   !

[starmakerdotcom]

summary : lai accidentally lets something slip he shouldn’t have at a fan meeting.

characters : hwang jaebeom, cho songmin (his manager), two random teenage girls named yewon and jiyoo, kim ahreum, min eunji

genre : man is awkward a genre bc this is it

warnings : none really?? lai bein stoopid mostly

words : 0.8k

[ december 6th, 2019, lai’s first fan meeting ]

“eek, there’s still so many people!” jaebeom whispered to his manager, who had come over to him to check how the meeting was going. it had already been an hour, and it seemed like the line wasn’t getting any shorter.

his manager, cho songmin, gave jaebeom an encouraging grin and thumbs-up, “they’re all here to see you!”

jaebeom looked at songmin with a nervous smile, “they’ve all been so nice so far, let’s hope it’ll stay that way!”

“you’ll do great!” songmin reassured the younger boy. jaebeom and his manager had grown a close brotherly bond ever since they met. they’ve only known each other for a while, but songmin always treated jaebeom like a little brother of his own, and jaebeom saw him as an older brother. songmin always provides encouraging words for jaebeom.

“there’s someone waiting! go!” jaebeom lightly pushed songmin back, who laughed and returned back to his seat. as he did that, a girl, probably in her mid-teens came and sat in front of jaebeom.

“hi!” she said with a nervous grin on her face.

“hi!” jaebeom said back, an equally nervous grin on his face, “what’s your name?”

“kang yewon,” she said, still looking nervous, “sorry, i’m just kind of nervous.”

“don’t worry, i’m probably more nervous than you,” jaebeom replied, “but the people have been super nice so far and i hope it’ll stay that way.”

“i hope they’re nice to you too, you deserve it.” yewon smiled, “by the way, can you sign this?” she pushed a pen and a copy of his album across the table towards him.

“of course!” he grabbed the pen and signed the corner, and wrote a small message as well, it said ‘have a nice day!’.

“why did you write have a nice day on it?” yewon asked.

“whenever you look at it, it’ll remind you to have a nice day!” jaebeom explained, smiling.

yewon smiled back, “ah, that makes sense. do you want to say hi to my friend? she’s the next in line,” she said, pointing back to another girl who looked about the same age as yewon, “this is im jiyoo!”

jiyoo smiled widely and waved, “hello jaebeom-oppa!”

“she’s a lot less shy than me, as you can probably tell.” yewon laughed.

“i can see that,” jaebeom replied.

“jaebeom-oppa! how are you and areum-unnie doing?” jiyoo exclaimed, still standing in line.

“oh, we’re doing good- wait- how do you know that?”

jiyoo and yewon started squealing, and jaebeom knew he messed up. he looked back at songmin, who was trying to suppress his laughter.

he motioned jiyoo over, and he whispered to both of the girls, “this stays between us, okay? you can’t tell anyone about this.”

yewon, with a huge grin still on her face, nodded.

jaebeom sighed, “anyways, jiyoo, do you want me to sign your album?”

“so, how did your fan meeting go today?” ahreum asked. after the meeting, jaebeom decided to go to the fruit basket dorm for a while to say hi. him and ahreum were in the living room, eunji was in her room, watching shows on her phone, and hyeonmi and suyeong has gone out to order food for them all.

“it went good for the most part.” jaebeom said shortly.

ahreum paused, “what do you mean for the most part?”

jaebeom inhaled sharply, “there were these two girls, yewon and jiyoo, they weren’t rude or anything, but they asked me some thing and i accidentally let something slip.”

“and what was that.”

“jiyoo asked how we were doing, and i said good before i realized that they weren’t supposed to know about that.”

ahreum stayed silent for a few seconds, and then laughed, “of course. you can’t keep secrets, can you?” she said in english. whenever she had a more serious conversation with jaebeom, they usually spoke in english, because it was more comfortable for them.

“it’s not that i couldn’t keep the secret! i forgot and it just accidentally slipped!”

“yeah. it’s not that big of a deal anyway, i’m not on a dating ban, neither are you.”

“having a scandal barely a week into your debut probably isn’t great, though.”

“it’s not a scandal if we’re actually together. i understand if you don’t want people to know though.”

“i told them to keep it between us, but i don’t know how well teenage girls listen.”

“look,” ahreum moved closer to jaebeom on the couch, “we can keep it a secret, but it’ll eventually come out, i know that, i’ve seen that happen to a lot of idols.”

jaebeom sighed, “i know, i’m just stressed. if it does come out, hopefully no one makes a huge deal out of it.”

ahreum set her hand on jaebeom’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. she always did this when she was comforting him.

just then, eunji emerged from the hallway, she looked like she had just gotten up from a nap, “yah, what’s going on in here?”

“jaebeom accidentally let some stuff slip at the fan meeting.” ahreum explained.

eunji laughed, “you done messed up jaebeom!”

ahreum laughed with her, while jaebeom groaned, his head down looking at his knees.

[thesportssoundoff]

“A very weird card for a very weird month” UFC Fight Night: Weidman vs Reyes Preview

Joey

October 14th, 2019

It's Octobr and the UFC's scheduling usually goes like this in my estimation:

Jan- New year, we're all excited, folks get injured, overpacked shows in December hurt the new year but we deal with it.

Feb- Injuries/cold means makeshift cards, people get mad.

March- Shows are a bit fatter, big title fights are coming around, people are excited.

April- The "set up" for the summer months, usually really good fight cards on paper with little to no name value.

May- Normally the "bad" PPV month, free events are good.

June- The last month before things get wild and wooly. PPV's tend to be damn good, free cards tend to be pretty balanced.

July- Everything has to be BIG so you get BIG PPV and then an event or two after the PPV that drag down the blocks average.

August- The end of the summer, injuries get heavy because of the seasonal change, focus is on prepping for November and December.

September- OH MY GOD EVERYBODY IS HURT! EVERYTHING IS REALLY WEIRD! THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON!

October- The down month where they're scrapping and salvaging just to get to MSG. Shows are pretty much whatever they can put together without working too hard. Usually where they do some kind of weird Canadian card. The cards tend to bounce between "This is surprisingly good" and "I don't have the time or the energy for this".

November- IT'S MSG! IT'S LOADED! What about the rest of the month? Ah, okay then. Carry on.

December- The end of the year where they try to end with a bang. Normally a lot of drama, prep for 2020. We get fights announced for next year that usually top what we're being offered this year. Big PPV to end things on the right note.

This card is pretty much 100% October. You have a kind of weird but kinda good main event at the top of the bill, a really good yet weird co-main event under it, a really weird but kinda good HW fight and then a bunch of Northeast projects and prospects. If you remove the top three fights, finding the next good fight that is objectively good might depend on how you feel about Gillian Robertson vs Maycee Barber. Me personally I think you can do far, far worse than Barber vs Robertson and actually quite like the fight as a good test for Maycee Barber. After that? You have some highly touted prospects coming off losses (Manny Bermudez, Randy Costa, Boston Salmon), some guys off the Contenders Series trying to find their niche (Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Jonathan Pearce)  and a bunch of filler. It's kinda not bad filler though? Everything about this card is just weird, folks. Bare with.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Tanner Boser, Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Sean Brady, Diana Belbiţă, Ben Sosoli, Jonathan Pearce

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: (Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Calvin Kattar CANCELLED/Eric Spicely OUT, Kevin Holland IN vs Brendan Allen)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 5 (Greg Hardy, Jeremy Stephens, Yair Rodriguez, Chris Weidman, Joe Lauzon)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 1 (Joe Lauzon)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Dominick Reyes, Chris Weidman, Greg Hardy, Gillian Robertson, Maycee Barber, Kevin Holland)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 24-15

Chris Weidman- 1-2 Dominick Reyes- 5-0 Jeremy Stephens- 3-3 (1 NC) Yair Rodriguez- 2-1 (1 NC) Greg Hardy- 2-1 Ben Sosoli- 0-0 Joe Lauzon- 1-3 Jonathan Pearce- 0-0 Gillian Robertson- 4-1 Maycee Barber- 2-0 Deron Winn- 1-0 Darren Stewart- 3-4

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Featherweight- 3 (52) Women’s Flyweight- 2 (31) Middleweight-  2 (40) Heavyweight- 2 (31) Welterweight- 1 (62) Light Heavyweight- 1 (39) Bantamweight- 1 (53)

Lightweight- (66) Women’s Strawweight- (26) Flyweight-  (15) Women’s Featherweight- (8) Women’s Bantamweight-  (18)

2019 Number Tracker

Debuting Fighters (33-55-1)- Tanner Boser, Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Sean Brady, Diana Belbiţă, Ben Sosoli, Jonathan Pearce

Short Notice Fighters (28-35)- Kevin Holland

Second Fight (52-34)- Randy Costa, Boston Salmon, Deron Winn

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (20-37-1)- Charles Rosa, Joe Lauzon, Daniel Spitz

Undefeated Fighters (35-37-2)- Dominick Reyes, Sean Woodson, Maycee Barber

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (11-8)-

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (29-20)- Chris Weidman, Manny Bermudez

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Why is a New York vs New York fight taking place in Boston? I know that might not matter from a lot of folks but as the guy who grew up with boxers headlining in their home markets, this irks me.

2- I feel like this main event almost depends entirely on how you view Volkan Oezdemir as a fighter. The last time we saw Dom Reyes, he was given a really hard tough fight against Volkan Oezdemir in London. I don't think "robbery" is fair but I do think if you scored it for Volkan then you have a justifiable grumble about him losing that decision. What has gone under the radar is that Reyes did a tremendous job to adjust to what wasn't working and mix in more work to the body to keep it close and then the general rule of "win the third round, win the fight" wins out. I think there's no shame in a young prospect getting tested on his way up the ranks and managing to get by. You'd rather see warts now than in the middle of the first round of a title fight. Also Volkan Oezdemir is proving to be a pretty good quality 205er who even in his losses has moments of success. As such, I'm left to wonder if folks are a bit too harsh on a dude who iced Jared Cannonier, had no issues with OSP and remains the most exciting LONG TERM prospect at 205 lbs.

3- Is it too late for Chris Weidman? Despite the calls of folks to move up in weight, Weidman held off until seemingly all options were exhausted at 185 lbs. The fact of the matter and the unbearable truth is that Chris Weidman's style was based all on his durability and versatility simply fell apart when he needed it the most. He couldn't withstand the wars he was putting himself in at 185 lbs and his wrestling isn't as advertised anymore. At the same time, he still subbed Kelvin Gastelum, has a Hall of Fame worthy resume and enters a division where mid tier MWs are having breakout runs to title shots. Weidman can still crack, has a variety of offensive tools in his backpocket and in SPURTS he's still a good wrestler. Weidman's biggest problem for me as a wrestler has always been his lack of control once fights hit the turf but maybe cutting less weight will help. Then again Luke Rockhold didn't get much help in that regard either.

4- Here's how I'm beginning to feel about guys from 185 lbs going up to 205 lbs. If you're an athlete (Thiago Santos, even Anthony Smith to some degree) then it can work because the athletic barometer at 205 is better than HW but lowert han any other weight class. Guys who are fast at 185 lbs will remain fast at 205 lbs because that travels. They're also likely to hit a lot harder given the increase in weight. That said, if you're slow or clunky, no amount of weight cutting is going to fix that. Luke Rockhold simply looks and perhaps may just be a slow and clunky guy. Against Jan Blachowicz, he LOOKED like a heavier version of his usual self. What makes me worried about Chris Weidman and his chances at 205 lbs is that he's slow, clunky and kind of sort of broken. I don't think his body and his (lack of) speed will travel much at 205 lbs.

5- So who is hurt more by having to cut weight again for this fight, Yair or Jeremy Stephens? I kind of think it'll be Yair but I also saw him show up on two weeks notice to fist fight the Korean Zombie.

6- I really hope there's a chance, honestly and truthfully, that Joe Lauzon calls it quits win or lose. Lauzon feels like one of those guys who would be better suited in his personal life giving up the ghost and embracing the next phase.

7- This feels like the first real card to roll out the Contenders Series for season 3 so I'll break down who is whom and how they got here:

HW Ben Sosoli faces Greg Hardy- Sosoli is an Aussie kickboxer who made the MMA transition, fought on TUF and emerged on the DWCS in season 3. He had a "no contest" but was on his way to winning the fight before an eye poke (by him) ended the fight. Sosoli is being brought in to have a slugfest with Hardy.

LW Jon Pearce has a pretty crazy story. He was in a coma after getting jumped by somebody at his gym after hours. He recovered and fights like every southeastern dude who has ever fought in the UFC; basically scrapping when he wants to and wrestling out of trouble when he has to. I would say "He's the kind of guy who can give Joe Lauzon trouble" but I think at this point anybody with a working pulse gives him trouble.

FW Sean Woodson is REAL interesting. He took on a super prospect in his DWCS fight and struggled with the consistent wrestling----then he hit one of the cooler flying knees ever and scored a walk off second round KO. Dana even admitted that his finish was TOO good to not get signed despite the concerns he had about his wrestling.

MW Brendan Allen is your yearly "LFA has a middleweight champ and we gotta sign him" guy. He's accomplished-ish at 12-3 with some losses to good competition (Anthony Hernandez and Eryk Anders are both having solid runs). He's a violent kinda dude but I think he's a step below Ian Heinisch and Anthony Hernandez IE: he's kinda sketchy.

8- Boston Salmon was a really hyped L(R)FA prospect, the kind of guy who the UFC normally signs before he's ready and rushes out there. Salmon won on the DWCS in Season One and disappeared, re-emerging this year before losing in ugly fashion in his first fight with the organization. We've detailed here how badly debuting fighters struggle but also how much better they do in their second go around. Of course the same could be said for his opponent Boston Salmon. I guess win or lose, I think Salmon's going to look worlds better than he did in his debut. It couldn't in theory have looked much worse?

9- I wish I knew about Molly McCann's opponent so I could somewhat excited about her fight upcoming. Diana Belbita lost to Ariana Lipski who Molly McCann beat so....I dunno dudes.

10- I wonder how many fighters people would know off of this main card. 4 or 5 tops? Manny Bermudez, Molly McCann, Kevin Holland  and then?

11- So let's talk about Kevin Holland briefly, shall we? Holland's UFC run has been weird to say the least. Holland debuted on short notice against THIAGO SANTOS (!), took all of Santos' best offense and somehow lived to tell the tale about it. In large part, Holland's ability to just talk copious amounts of shit no matter the circumstance endeared him to UFC fans and supporters. In the end, Holland got his best opportunity and since then the UFC has taken it slow and steady with him. Holland has wins over John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert and most recently a close decision win over Alessio Di Chirico. Holland's rep as an action fighter is overstated (as is most of his game) but to go 3-1 in the UFC under any circumstances is pretty solid. He's the sort of guy who doesn't like to work too hard theoretically but lacks the middle ground to carry himself beyond that point. Yet he's so gifted, long and determined that he tends to be able to get by doing the bare minimum. Brendan Allen is probably going to give him plenty of opportunities to be offensive if he wants to be but that's entirely up to Holland and his mentality.

12- The last time we saw him, Deron Winn was having a FOTN style war with Eric Spicely on short notice. Winn has a lot of "poor man's DC" about him which is a really unfair comparison but I can't think of a guy that short in a weight class who prioritizes the same arsenal of strikes that he does other than DC. He gets a kind of risky step up in competition with Darren "The Dentist" Stewart. Stewart has a bit of a funky UFC record, he started his run 0-3 and then hit a stride of sorts since then, going 3-1 with the sole loss being a super close split decision to MW prospect Edmen Shahbazyan. Stewart hits really hard and has found some tremendously timely resolve with his takedown defense, creating a sort of fight that should be closer on paper than some folk might realize.

[thegirlwhocouldntsitdown-blog]

12 months - I have lived in Los Angeles for A WHOLE YEAR?! (16.08.2018)

One year. Wow.

A year ago today, I left my family and 3 of my best friends at the airport and said goodbye, not knowing how long it would be until I saw them again.

I am incredibly lucky to have seen some of them in the time that I’ve been here - I can’t believe I have such incredible people in my life who love me enough to come all the way here and give me some cuddles. Those people truly don’t know how much that has impacted my time here. In certain moments, it’s been so goddamn difficult to be away from Melbourne. The food is better, the air is cleaner, the healthcare is FREE and GOOD, we have TRAMS AND TRAINS EVERYWHERE(!!!), my house has a BACK YARD, I lived 30 minutes from EVERYTHING. I never understood how lucky I was to grow up in the worlds most liveable city (apparently we were overthrown this week - not happy, Jan).

Honestly, I get when people from the U.S ask me “Why would you move here?! Australia is so much better!” They’re right. But, I cannot thank the people I’ve met here enough either. It turns out, being in a place doesn’t matter - it’s the people you meet there. I think I knew that to an extent, but knowing the amazing human beings I know is the best thing about my life. Both in LA and in Melbourne, I have communities of such immensely supportive, determined, understanding, encouraging, KIND KIND KIND friends and family. Lots of people tell me they could never move away from home like I have, and I absolutely get that. I really don’t think I could have if not for my loved ones - because I am who they’ve made me.

If not for their strength and guidance, I would have no one to tell me to keep trying. If not for their positivity and resilience, I would probably be hiding in bed. If not for their perseverance and diligence, I would probably break down every 10 minutes. Granted, I have done all of those things at certain times in my life - both in Melbourne and LA - but my family and friends are the reason I haven’t let those moments solidify me in a state of bitterness and stillness. They keep me moving, trying/failing/getting up again, believing in myself.

In the last month, I have had not a great time. I still haven’t found a job to keep me here and grant me an E3 visa. I have found out some pretty troubling information about my health (explained in the “Pain” section). I have found myself forgetting who I am and why I’m here. But these people - my friends at home who I haven’t seen in a whole year, my family who I talk to every day, my community of new and old pals here in LA - have reminded me that I am capable, I am smart and I am kind. These are three things that cannot be said about everyone, and holding on to them has made me feel a lot better about whatever may come in the future.

So, over the past month I’ve had a lot of lovely moments amidst the scary ones.

The Spy Who Dumped Me came out in cinemas. My name was on the screen in the credits and it was a big moment. I was so lucky to have my beautiful pals Kelsey, Shannon, Savannah and Nathalie with me to share that moment. Below is the cake from the release party, and me dressed as an “Australian tourist” in the movie (go see it to undertand.

Disneyland boi.

Kelsey has been such an incredible friend to me for the last five years and this month has been especially challenging for me, and she has been so goddamn wonderful and kind. I love her a lot and this is her with a bloody OSCAR and then us having some bevs.

BEACH DAY WITH PALS! Molly and Josh are here, I LOVE MY IMPROV PALS!!!

I never go clubbing anymore, but my pals Jordy and Kristen asked us to come out with them to a 90′s night in Silverlake at a place called The Satellite and it was THE MOST I’VE EVER DANCED OR SWEATED EVER AND IT WAS THE MOST FUN I’VE EVER HAD IN A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE!

HANSON WAS PLAYING WHEN WE WALKED IN AND I SCREAMED AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. ALSO THEY HAD “SO FETCH” BALLOONS AND I STOLE ONE AND DANCED WITH IT ALL NIGHT, HEHE.

My sweet Joeboy McGee turned 24 and I feel so grateful to have spent the second birthday in 3 years with him (on his 22nd birthday we saw stand up in NYC and got fancy pasta, it was beautiful). I love you so much, Joey. Thank the universe (and your amazing parents) for bringing you to life.

Sweet angel Tiana joined Molly and I in LA for a few days and it was like a mini Heralayan Salt Lamps reunion. They’re both hilarious and intelligent goddesses and I’m so glad I know them.

And right now, you ask? Well, today is just a normal day. I went to the gym and am about to go do a shift at Massage Envy. I can’t believe it’s been a year, and I’m so grateful to be able to say I’m living in Los Angeles.

TRAVEL: 5/10

While I’ve been winding down from having so many people visiting, I’m also really anxious about the whole “when am I coming home?” thing. Basically, I can’t know when I come home until I do or don’t get a job. 

My visa ends at the end of September, so if by this time next month, I still don’t have a job, I’ll be coming home for 3-4 weeks to visit, then returning to LA until I run out of money/my lease is up (mid December). If that happens, then I’ll be back home until I can figure out a way to come back and continue working in film and television. If I DO find a job in the next month, however, I will have to come home for 2 weeks to get my visa reinstated, in which case I’ll be back to LA as soon as I can be, and then return home for Christmas/New Years/Elyse’s wedding in late December/early January.

Apart from that, I’ve been going to the beach a lot and trying to just enjoy being here. I have a nice tan!

PAIN: 2/10

At the eye appointment with my parents, after 6 hours of weird tests and scary waiting periods, I was asked to come back to do another scary test - nay, the SCARIEST test. I had to have an ERG (info here), which is basically a test to see if there’s something wrong with my retina. After that, it determined my eyes were aye okay (yay!) but something weird has still been happening. I am currently awaiting an MRI of the brain, because the specialist believes I have “pseudotumor cerebri” (info here) . Basically, they think there’s excess fluid on my brain which causes pressure on your optic nerve, causing your vision to change and excess headaches. I genuinely thought everyone got headaches every day and that my sinuses were just weird (which is true, they’re weird), but there may be something more serious going on. It’s not a life threatening condition, but if it’s severe enough, there can some times be draining of the brain needed and even sometimes surgery. My vision isn’t changing too much, the only reason I noticed the changes was because I was on the look out for them since starting my arthritis drug, Plaquenil - I stopped taking it in April because I noticed these vision changes from February.

I’m really scared because if the MRI doesn’t give us enough info, the doctor will have to order a spinal tap (no, not the mockumentary - although this news DID turn my anxiety “up to 11″). Now, I’ve had multiple epidurals and minor back surgery, so I’m not too afraid of a spinal tap, but I AM afraid of the fact that my insurance here runs out on the 30th of September. This may be a reason I have to come home and stay home, and that terrifies me beyond anything else. I don’t want to have my body turn on me again like it has with my arthritis and my back pain. I do so much to keep myself healthy and to give my body the rest it needs, but if I have to put my future on hold for my health, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to handle that fact without becoming a miserable wreck. All I can do for now is hope it’s nothing too serious and I can get it sorted out soon. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

COMEDY: 7/10

This weekend Joey, Jordy and I will debut our threeprov improv team on a goddamn PARTY BUS for the LA Indie Improv Festival. I haven’t been writing at all for a very long time and that has been a big part of my recent slump, but in the last few days I’ve had a wave of ideas and energy come back to me and I really feel so excited to dig into something. I love making stuff.

On the downside, I have been extremely anxious about if I will be able to continue working here. I know that if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen, but for a while I’ve felt so so pessimistic and afraid of going home and not being able to continue towards my goals. All I’ve ever wanted to do since I knew what a joke was was be in comedy and work in TV - there’s nothing I love more (except my family, I know, I know). Yesterday, I had a meeting with a woman a friend set me up with. Both the woman and my friend who introduced us are both incredibly successful, kind, funny and passionate women. One of them said to me a few years ago:

“All you need to do to be a writer is two things: 1. Keep writing, don’t give up. 2. Don’t be a dick.”

Yesterday, in my conversation with her friend, she told me two things: “1. Stop worrying. 2. Be nice to people 3. Work fucking hard. 4. STOP. WORRYING”

It was the most relieving thing to be told by two different women, who are slightly older and wiser than me, who have been exactly where I am now, that I will be okay. They both believe in my ability and my personality and my work ethic, and that proves more than they realise it does. I have this incredible network of strong, generous, talented women around me - both here and in LA - who believe in me. So if these highly skilled and experienced people do, why shouldn’t I?

I’ll get there, even if a fucking visa or a few thousand health issues get in my way. It’s what I was born to do.

A year has passed and I’m a bit different, but I’m pretty much the same. The only difference may be that I know what I’m worth now. Oh, and I know how to grow string beans!

[passtheseppie]

C, if Louis has a one and done album deal with Syco, why do you think he hasn't rushed to get it out, so the contract with them would be over sooner?

Hey, friend! Thanks for the message.

Before I start, we have no way of 100% knowing the exact terms of the deal. I hesitate to comment on this too much for that reason. I’ll share a few thoughts, though.

Number one, it frustrates me that some people still assume a debut solo album isn’t a big deal for Louis. It’ll be one of the most important events of his solo career; we need to step back from 1D days, where we were used to the unbelievably draining “one album a year” routine. That kind of turnaround is not normal. I’d be really sad to know that some people think of him as the kind of artist to rush such an important milestone, Syco circumstances aside. 

We know how important his music is to him, and we know how seriously he takes these kinds of things - this will be a debut to the world, not just to the fans. So many people are going to be listening to it and evaluating him as an artist based on that one body of work - of course he’s going to spend a lot of time on it, even if he does have a “one and done” deal. 

That said - sure, there absolutely could be other influencing factors, but before I get into those, I want to reiterate: Louis isn’t the kind of artist to rush out a debut solo album, regardless of circumstances. This fact is obvious based on his work ethic and devotion to his craft alone.

Moving on! 

Album Release Date Speculation 

Does anyone remember back when he first started talking about the album during the summer, and how he initially mentioned it could be out in late 2017?

In an interview with MTV UK during the summer, he said:

“In my head, I’m like 80% done with the album […] In an ideal world, it’s [out at] the end of the year.” 

That quickly changed into “probably next year”, and then “early 2018″, and now maybe toward the end of the first quarter of 2018. Again, these kinds of delays are totally normal and could 10000% be due to the creative process alone. 

Lots of news outlets used quotes from that same MTV UK interview all through the summer and fall as the release date moved out further - this next quote in particular when it started to look like the album wouldn’t be out until 2018:

“I’m very much a perfectionist. But I am nervous about it, because I want it to be as good as it can be, obviously. […] I’ve got an idea, and a vision, and a message; what to get across. It’s a difficult thing actually doing that across a body of work [on] an album. I’m nervous, but also really excited for the fans to hear it.”

Example from People’s Choice, September 2017:

As you’ll notice, he’s been evasive with putting an exact date or even month on it. I think that that’s, of course, at least partly due to the perfectionism aspect. Wouldn’t you want your debut solo album to be 1000% perfect, especially with the pressure he must be under? 

Also: as I mentioned earlier, we can only touch the surface of how hard it must have been to record and tour simultaneously in 1D. Putting out an album a year must’ve been unbelievably difficult & draining. I think all of the guys are absolutely entitled to having more time to focus on the creative process, yet I only see people criticizing that when it comes to Louis. Sigh. 

Other Possible Influencing Factors

I do think there could be (at least minor) influencing factors. There’s plenty of reasons why a record company might push back an album release date.

More on that under the cut.

Comparison #1: Liam

Let’s take a brief pause and look at Liam. He’s doing the same thing as Louis - taking time to work on his debut album. I know he’s signed to a different label altogether, but let’s generally compare. 

Via a Universal press release in mid-November, his album release date was initially announced to be January 12th, 2018. 

While this wasn’t officially confirmed, it’s safe to say that a press release is far more reliable than, say, an update account assuming a date.

On the 3rd of December, however, Liam told a reporter at the Jingle Ball that he had a finished album, and he only wanted to change “one or two songs” because of some producers he’d met. 

Side note: two days later, it was announced that Camila Cabello’s debut album would be out on January 12, taking that spot from Liam. As I’ve said before, I don’t have a lot of knowledge about Liam’s promo, but he seems to do (at least recently) some cross-promo for Camila in interviews and the like. This may be related to them both being on the Jingle Bell Ball circuit, or possibly because she’s still a Syco artist.

Usually, Syco/Sony doesn’t shy away from having multiple drops on one day, but they seem to be really pushing solo Camila. If we’re looking at alternative reasons for an album date being pushed besides perfecting the sound – Perhaps Sony/Syco wanted the overlapping fans from Liam’s fanbase and her fanbase to focus only on her debut album. 

I just found it interesting that his album got pushed back right before hers was announced, especially after his was announced via press release. It’s certainly possible that it’s just a coincidence, of course - they’re not labelmates, but as I mentioned, there are a few ties connecting them.

A week later on the 10th, Liam had more comments about the release date of his album:

“I wish I knew. It was almost done and then I decided I wanted to do something a bit different and push the boundaries. I’ve met some new producers that I really like, and I have a ballad-y kind of thing coming out with somebody, so that’ll be really cool.”

I noticed that a few of the Liam blogs I follow were wondering about that rationale, but again - I don’t want to comment too much on his stuff because I’m far less well-versed in his babygate and PR circumstances.

So, to summarize -

His album could’ve been pushed to accommodate Camila’s release, maybe due to both of their ties to Syco (hers current, his past) and competition between their similar fanbases. It also could’ve been pushed by the release of “For You” if he was a late add to the soundtrack, though that came out on the 5th, so it seems odd that that would be the reason. It also, of course, could’ve been pushed because he simply wanted to work more on it, even though it was finished at one point.

It could’ve been none of these reasons, and it could be a similar situation to this next comparison - who knows for sure! 

Comparison #2: Sky Ferreira

Here’s a similar example from Sky Ferreira, who had a finished album that was then pushed back after it was complete:

Pic quality is grainy, sorry - basically, the actual album wasn’t released until late 2013, though it was planned for 2011. Sky was signed to Capitol - Liam’s label - so this is more relevant as a comparison to Liam than Louis, but it’s a similar situation. 

In 2014, she had this to say about Capitol:

But it almost wasn’t to be. According to Ferreira, Capitol Records intended to release a different album this fall made up of songs she’d worked on with various collaborators. “It was okay,” the singer said, “but I wasn’t really proud of it.” (Lance Turner, who handles marketing at Capitol, said, “We’ve always supported Sky’s creative vision.”)

At the last minute, Ferreira persuaded the label to allow her to make her own record — provided she could work fast enough to meet a predetermined release date. So she recruited a pair of L.A.-based producers, Justin Raisen and Ariel Rechtshaid, and together they banged out “Night Time, My Time” in a 21/2-week burst of writing and recording.

“I felt like I was on a cocaine binge the whole time,” Raisen said. “We just got into this state of mind and went for it. There was no second-guessing.”

That sounds extremely familiar to Liam’s situation, doesn’t it? The album changed at the last second, added new producers, and Capitol is involved. Not making any claims, just drawing parallels here. 

For context, Sky had a complicated relationship with her label, and there was friction behind the scenes over creative differences.

She said, “I do a lot of stuff behind their back. I have to because nobody ever listens to me! I do have supporters at the label, but I still have to deal with a lot of people who are like: ‘Er, I don’t want to spend that money on her.’" 

Additionally, Capitol ended up recalling the finished album altogether - allegedly because of the cover. This blog compared the recall of Sky’s cover to a nearly-identical album cover made by Blind Faith in the 70s: 

So, why is it that an album cover that was certainly controversial, but allowed to exist in the marketplace for 50 years, is suddenly deemed too racy and pulled from circulation?  If one didn’t know better, one would almost think that it never existed in the first place.Sadly, the same fate awaits Sky Ferreira’s new album, which has just been recalled by Capitol Records due to the subject matter of the album cover.  Keep in mind that the label had no problem releasing the album a mere two months ago with the original cover art.

As a result of the album being pulled, it sold far less than expected and Sky was dropped from Capitol.

Okay, so now we’ve made a few comparisons:

 Liam’s on a similar timeline, and there’s curiosity surrounding his delay as well. (I use “delay” for lack of a better term because, again, this turnaround time wouldn’t be unusual to other artists.)

Sky Ferreira’s album was delayed because of friction with her label, demonstrating that albums can indeed be delayed for that reason.

Back to Lou:

1) Louis is a self-proclaimed perfectionist when it comes to his craft. An album a year is not the norm for most artists, so him taking the time to perfect his debut solo album shouldn’t be all that unusual. 

2) That said, there’s a possibility that there are other influencing factors at play. 

Influence 1: More general mismanagement. 

Quote from below about JoJo’s mismanagement, which rendered her unable to release new material. One of her albums was rewritten and rerecorded three times over, but not released for years after the fact.

“One of those extreme situations where you have [a label exec] who is one of those guys who would just go to war and say, 'No, I’m not doing it,’” says David Byrnes, a partner at Ziffren Brittenham, whose firm has represented clients like Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, and Fleetwood Mac. 

Influence 2: “Starving out” dedicated fans by limiting the flow of content.

@theyrereallyawful made a great post about the content starvation occurring, so check that out if you haven’t yet! Especially compared to the other guys, Louis’ team severely lacks in delivering content that is consistent, shareable, and easy to find. This has been happening for a long time, and (if they are intentionally pushing the album back) that could be another example of content starvation. 

Liam’s digital content agency, WMA, has spoken about this very topic:

“One of the key learnings is that, for an audience like Liam’s, there is never too much content or too much you can do.” 

So, overall: 

To answer anon’s original question - Louis isn’t the type of artist to rush through an album release just to get it out there, especially not his debut solo album. 

I don’t think there’s much of a delay in its release in the first place - or at least not one that would be unusual compared to other artists. I think Louis is definitely a perfectionist, and he’s certainly under a lot of pressure from a lot of people to deliver a good solo debut. If he takes a little extra time perfecting his album, so be it. 

However:

I do concede - based on his team’s shitty, shitty history - that there could be other influencing factors at play. Namely, pushing the album back when it’s already finished could serve to starve out fans and/or could be an example of more general mismanagement. 

The thing that makes me curious about that option is Louis’ wording in the first MTV UK interview –

“In an ideal world, it’s [out] at the end of [2017].”

All I know is that it will be out when it’s out, and I can’t wait to support and promote the fuck out of that masterpiece.😎

Beyond that, all we can really do is guess.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Must-See Movies in 2021

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It’s 2021. Finally. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve hopefully gotten through the wreckage of last year unscathed and are ready for a brighter future. And if you’re also a movie lover, this certainly includes a trip (or 20) back to the cinemas.

Sure, theaters were technically open in some places last fall, but the moviegoing season has largely remained dormant since March 2020. Yet given good news about vaccines starting to become available, and an absolutely stacked 2021 movie release calendar, we have reasons to be cautiously optimistic.

Indeed, 2021 promises many of the most anticipated films from last year, plus new surprises. From the superhero variety like Black Widow to the art house with Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, 2021 could be a much needed respite. So below is just a sampling of what to expect from the year to come…

The Little Things

January 29

One of the year’s earliest high profile releases is also the first of WB’s film slate on HBO Max. The Little Things is a serial killer thriller in the old school mold. It also boasts a brutally talented cast that includes Denzel Washington and Rami Malek as the detectives, and Jared Leto as the killer. As the latest movie from John Lee Hancock (The Founder, The Alamo), this looks like the type of star-led seediness that used to dominate the multiplex.

Maclolm and Marie

February 5

Assassination Nation writer-director Sam Levinson returns for a decidedly stripped down and intimate character study about two people on the threshold of their lives changing–and perhaps splitting apart. With Zendaya and John David Washington in roles unlike anything we’ve seen the pair in before, they play a couple returning home after the premiere of Malcolm’s (Washington) first movie. He’s on the cusp of life-changing success as a director, but when confronted by Marie about past secrets and hard truths… the night takes a turn.

Judas and the Black Messiah

February 12

It’s kind of hard to wrap one’s head around the annual “Oscar race” in a year when little trophies don’t seem so damn important, but Warner Bros. feels strongly enough about this movie that it’s getting it into theaters and on HBO Max right in the thick of the pandemic-delayed awards season. And judging by the marketing, it’s bringing heat with it.

Shaka King directs and co-writes the story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who became the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and was murdered in cold blood by police in 1969. LaKeith Stanfield plays William O’Neal, a petty criminal who agreed to help the FBI take Hampton down. This promises to be incendiary, relevant material — and it’s almost here.

Minari

February 12

Lee Isaac Chung directs Steven Yeun–now fully shaking off his years as Glenn on The Walking Dead–in this semi-autobiographical film about a South Korean family struggling to settle down in rural America in the 1980s. Premiering nearly a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, Minari had a quick one-week virtual release in December, with a number of critics placing it on their Top 10 lists for 2020.

Its story of immigration and assimilation currently has a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics lauding its heart, grace, and sensitivity. A few of ours also considered it among 2020’s best.

Nomadland

February 19

Utilizing both actors and real people, director Chloé Zhao (The Rider, Marvel’s upcoming Eternals) chronicles the lives of America’s “forgotten people” as they travel the West searching for work, companionship and community. A brilliant Frances McDormand stars as Fern, a woman in her mid-60s who lost her husband, her house, and her entire previous existence when her town literally vanished following the closure of its sole factory.

Zhao’s film quietly flows from despair to optimism and back to despair again, the hardscrabble lives of its itinerant cast (many of them actual nomads) foregrounded against often stunning–if lonely–vistas of the vast, empty American countryside.

I Care a Lot

February 19

A solid cast, led by Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Chris Messina, and Dianne Wiest, star in this satirical crime drama from director J. Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed). Pike plays Marla, a con artist whose scam is getting herself named legal guardian of her elderly marks and then draining their assets while sticking them in nursing homes. She’s ruthless and efficient at it, until she meets a woman (Wiest) whose ties to a crime boss (Dinklage) may prove too much of a challenge for the wily Marla. It was one of our favorites out of Toronto last year.

The Father

February 26

Anthony Hopkins gives a mesmerizing, and deeply tragic, performance as Anthony, an elderly British man whose descent into dementia is reflected by the film itself, which plays with time, setting, and continuity until both Anthony and the viewer can no longer tell what is real and what is not. Olivia Colman is equally moving as his daughter, who wants to get on with her own life even as she watches her father’s disintegrate in front of her.

We saw The Father last year at the AFI Fest and it ended up being a favorite of 2020; Hopkins is unforgettable in this bracing, heartbreaking work, which is stunningly adapted by first-time director Florian Zeller from his own award-winning play.

Chaos Walking

March 5

This constantly postponed sci-fi project has become one of those “we’ll believe it when we see it” films until it actually comes out. Shot nearly three and a half years ago by director Doug Liman, Chaos Walking has undergone extensive reshoots and was at one point reportedly deemed unreleasable.

Based on the book The Knife of Letting Go, it places Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Daisy Ridley (The Rise of Skywalker) on a distant planet where Ridley, the only woman, can hear the thoughts of all the men due to a mysterious force called the Noise.

Raya and the Last Dragon

March 5

Longtime Walt Disney Animation Studios head of story, Paul Briggs (Frozen), will make his directorial debut on this original Disney animated fantasy, which draws upon Eastern traditions to tell the tale of a young warrior who goes searching for the world’s last dragon in the mysterious land of Kumandra. Cassie Steele will voice Raya while Awkwafina (The Farewell) will portray Sisu the dragon.

Disney Animation has been nearly invincible in recent years with other hits like Moana and Zootopia, so watch for this one to be another major hit for the Mouse.

Coming 2 America

March 5

The notion of whether nostalgia-based properties are still viable has cropped up repeatedly in the last few years. However, streaming, which is where Coming 2 America finds itself headed post-COVID, makes golden oldies much safer. This sequel—based on a 32-year-old comedy that was one of Eddie Murphy’s most financially successful hits—sees Murphy back as Prince Akeem, of course, along with Arsenio Hall returning as his loyal friend Semmi.

The plot revolves around Akeem’s discovery, just as he is about to be crowned king, that he has a long-lost son living in the States (we’re not sure how that happened, but let’s just go with it). That, of course, necessitates another visit to our shores—that is, if Akeem and Semmi presumably don’t get stopped at the border. The film reunites Murphy with Dolemite is My Name director Craig Brewer, so perhaps they can make some cutting-edge social comedy out of this?

The King’s Man

March 12

This might be a weird thing to say: but has World War I ever seemed so stylish? It is with Matthew Vaughn at the helm.

An origin story of sorts for the organization that gave us Colin Firth and the umbrella, The King’s Man is a father and son yarn where Ralph Fiennes’ Duke of Oxford is reluctant about his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) joining the war effort. But they’ll both be up to it as the Duke launches an intelligence gathering agency independent from any government. It also includes Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as charter members.

Oh, and did we mention they fight Rasputin?

Godzilla vs. Kong

March 26

Here we are, at last at the big punch up between Godzilla and King Kong. They both wear a crown, but in the film that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have been building toward since 2014, only one can walk away with the title of the king of all the monsters.

Admittedly, not everyone loved the last American Godzilla movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but we sure did. Still, Godzilla vs. Kong should be a different animal with Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) taking over directorial duties. It also has a stacked cast with some familiar faces (Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, and Ziyi Zhang) and plenty of new ones (Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Danai Gurira, Lance Reddick, and more).

It’ll probably be better than the original, right? And hey with its HBO Max rollout, questions of a poor box office run sure are conveniently mooted!

No Time to Die

April 2

Nothing lasts forever, and the Daniel Craig era of James Bond is coming to an end… hopefully in 2021. In fact, delays notwithstanding, it’s a bit of a surprise Craig is getting an official swan song with this movie after the star said he’d rather “slash his wrists” before doing another one. Well, we’re glad he didn’t, just as we’re hopeful for his final installment in the tuxedo.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is a newcomer to the franchise, but that might be a good thing after how tired Spectre felt, and Fukunaga has done sterling work in the past on True Detective and Maniac. He also looks to bring the curtain down on the whole Craig oeuvre by picking up on the last movie’s lingering threads, such as 007 driving off into the sunset with Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann, while introducing new ones that include Rami Malek as Bond villain Safin and Ana de Armas as new Bond girl Paloma. Yay for the Knives Out reunion!

Mortal Kombat

April 16

Not to be deterred by the relative failure of Sony’s Monster Hunter in theaters at the tail end of 2020, Warner Bros. is giving this venerable video game franchise another shot at live-action cinematic glory after two previous tries in the 1990s. Director Simon McQuoid makes his feature debut while the script comes from Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and the cast includes a number of actors you’ve seen in other films but can’t quite place.

The plot? Who knows! But we’re guessing it will feature gods, demons, and warriors battling for control of the 18 realms in various fighting tournaments. What else do you want?

A Quiet Place Part II

April 23

The sequel to one of 2018’s biggest surprises, A Quiet Place Part II comes with major expectations. And few may hold it to a higher standard than writer-director John Krasinski. Despite (spoiler) the death of his character in the first film, Krasinski returns behind the camera for the sequel after saying he wouldn’t. The story he came up with apparently was too good to pass up.

The film again stars Emily Blunt as the often silenced mother of a vulnerable family, which includes son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds). However, now that they know how to kill the eagle-eared alien monsters who’ve taken over their planet, the cast has grown to include Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. While the film has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, trust us that it’ll be worth the wait. Is it finally time for… resistance?

Last Night in Soho

April 23

Fresh off the success of 2017’s Baby Driver (his biggest commercial hit to date), iconoclastic British director Edgar Wright returns with what is described as a psychological and possibly time-bending horror thriller set in London. Whether this features Wright’s trademark self-aware humor remains to be seen, but since the film is said to be inspired by dread-inducing genre classics like Repulsion and Don’t Look Now, he might be going for a different effect this time.

The cast, of course, is outstanding: upstarts Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit) and Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) will face off with Matt Smith (Doctor Who), and British legends Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp. And the truth is we’re never going to miss one of Wright’s movies. Taylor-Joy talked to us here about finding her 1960s lounge singer voice for the film.

Black Widow

May 7

Some would charitably say it arrives a decade late, but Black Widow is finally getting her own movie. This is fairly remarkable considering she became street pizza in Avengers: Endgame, but this movie fits snugly between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It also promises to be the most pared down Marvel Studios movie since 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and that’s a good thing.

In the film, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is on the run after burning her bridges with the U.S. government and UN. This brings her back to the spy games she thought she’d escaped from her youth, and back in the orbit of her “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh). Old wounds are ripped open, old Soviet foes, including David Harbour as the Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Nat and Yelena’s girlhood instructor, are revealed, and many a fight sequence with minimal CGI will be executed.

How’s that for a real start to Phase 4? Of course that’s still assuming this comes out before The Eternals after it was delayed, again, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spiral

May 21

Chris Rock has co-written the story for a new take on the Saw franchise. Never thought we’d write those words! The fact that it also stars Rock, as well as Samuel L. Jackson, is likewise head-turning. It looks like they’re going for legitimate horror with Darren Lynn Bousman attached to direct after helming three of the Saw sequels, and its grisly pre-COVID trailer from last year.

Hopefully this will be better than most of the franchise that came before, and given the heavily David Fincher-influenced tone of the first trailer, we’re willing to cross our fingers and play this game.

Free Guy

May 21

What would you do if you discovered that you were just a background character in an open world video game—and that the game was soon about to go offline? That’s the premise of this existential sci-fi comedy from director Shawn Levy, best known for the Night at the Museum series and as an executive producer and director on Stranger Things. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a bank teller who discovers that his life is not what he thought it was, and in fact isn’t even real—or is it? We’ve seen a preview of footage, so we’d suggest you think Truman Show, if Truman was trapped in Grand Theft Auto.

F9

May 28

Just when you thought this never-say-die franchise had shown us everything it could possibly dream up, it ups the stakes one more time: the ninth entry in the Fast and Furious saga (excluding 2019’s Hobbs and Shaw) will reportedly take Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his cohorts into space as they battle Dom’s long-lost brother Jakob (John Cena, making a long-overdue debut in this series). Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron all also return, as does director Justin Lin, who took a two-film break from his signature series. Expect to see the required physics-defying stunts, logic-defying action and even more talk about “family” than usual.

Cruella

May 28

Since Disney has already made an animated 101 Dalmatians in 1961 and a live-action remake in 1996, it is apparently time to tell the story again Maleficent-style. Hence we now focus on the viewpoint of iconic villainess Cruella de Vil, played this time by Emma Stone. She’s joined in the movie by Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Mark Strong, with direction handled by Craig Gillespie (sort of a step down from 2017’s I, Tonya, if you ask us).

The story has been updated to the 1970s, but Cruella–now a fashion designer–still covets the fur of dogs for her creations. This is a Mouse House joint, so don’t expect it to get too dark, and don’t be completely surprised if it ends up as a premium on Disney+ in lieu of its already delayed theatrical release.

Infinite

May 28

This sci-fi yarn from director Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) stars Mark Wahlberg as a man experiencing what he thinks are hallucinations, but which turn out to be memories from past lives. He soon learns that there is a secret society of people just like him, except that they have total recall of their past identities and have acted to change the course of history throughout the centuries.

Based on the novel The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz, this was originally a post-Marvel vehicle for Chris Evans. He dropped out, and the combination of Fuqua and Wahlberg hints at something more action-oriented than the rather cerebral premise suggests. The film also stars Sophie Cookson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Dylan O’Brien.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

June 4

James Wan is already directing a new horror film this year so he’s stepping away from the directorial duties on the third film based on the paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). That task has fallen to Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona), so expect plenty of the same Wan Universe touches: heavy atmosphere, superb use of sound, and shocking, eerie visuals.

Details are scarce, but the plot—like the other two Conjuring films—is taken from the true-life case of a man who went on trial for murder and said as his defense that he was possessed by a demon when he committed his crimes. That’s all we know for now, except that, intriguingly, Mitchell Hoog and Megan Ashley Brown have been cast as younger versions of the Warrens.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

June 11

With the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot criticized (fairly) for its lack of imagination and castigated (unfairly as hell) for its all-female ghost-hunting crew, director Jason Reitman–finally cashing in on the family name by returning to the brand his dad Ivan directed to glory in 1984–has crafted a direct sequel to the original films.

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Books

Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Who is Ivo Shandor?

By Gavin Jasper

Movies

The Greatest Movie Sequels Never Made

By Jack Beresford

Set 30 years later, Afterlife follows a family who move to a small town only to discover that they have a long-secret connection to the OG Ghostbusters. Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) star alongside charter cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and, yes, Bill Murray.

In the Heights

June 18

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway hit musical gets the big screen treatment (by way of HBO Max) from director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Set in Washington Heights over the course of a three-day heat wave, the plot and ensemble cast carry echoes of both Rent and Do the Right Thing. While a success on the stage—if not quite the cultural phenomenon that Miranda’s next show, Hamilton—it remains to be seen whether In the Heights can strike a chord with streaming audiences.

Luca

June 18

Continuing its current run of all-new, non-sequel original films started in 2020 with Onward and Soul, Pixar will unveil Luca this summer. Directed by Enrico Casarosa–making his feature debut after 18 years with the animation powerhouse–the film tells the story of a friendship between a human being and a sea monster (disguised as another human child) on the Italian Riviera. That’s about all we have on it for now, except that the cast includes Drake Bell and John Ratzenberger.

Pixar’s recent track record has included masterpieces like Inside Out, solid sequels like Toy Story 4, and shakier propositions like The Incredibles 2, but we don’t have any indication yet of what to expect from Luca.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

June 25

Can anyone honestly say that 2018’s Venom was a “good” movie? A batshit insane movie, yes, and perhaps even an entertaining one in its own nutty way, but good or not, it made nearly a billion bucks at the box office so here we are.

Tom Hardy will return to peel more scenery down with his teeth as both Eddie Brock and his fanged, towering alien symbiote while Woody Harrelson will fulfill his destiny and play Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage, the perfected hybrid of psychopathic serial killer and red pile of vicious alien goo. Let the carnage begin!

Top Gun: Maverick

July 2

It’s been 34 years since Tom Cruise first soared through the skies as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, and he’ll take to the air once more in a sequel that also features Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, and more. The flying and action sequences from director Joseph Kosinski (who worked with Cruise on Oblivion) will undoubtedly be first-rate, but the studio (Paramount) has to be nervous after seeing one nostalgia-based franchise after another (Blade Runner, Charlie’s Angels, Terminator, The Shining) crash and burn recently.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

July 10

With Shang-Chi, Marvel Studios hopes to do for Asian culture what the company did with the groundbreaking Black Panther nearly three years ago: create another superhero epic with a non-white lead and a mythology steeped in a non-Western culture. Simu Liu stars in the title role as the “master of kung fu,” who must do battle with the nefarious Ten Rings organization and its leader, the Mandarin (the “real” one, not the imposter from Iron Man 3, played here by the legendary Tony Leung). Director Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) will open up a whole new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this story and character, whose origins stretch back to 1973.

The Forever Purge

July 9

One day nearly eight years ago, you went to see a low-budget dystopian sci-fi/horror flick called The Purge, and the next thing you know, it’s 2021 and you’re getting ready to see the fifth and allegedly final entry in the series (which has also spawned a TV show). Written by creator James DeMonaco and directed by Everardo Gout, the film will once again focus on the title event, an annual 12-hour national bacchanal in which all crime, even murder, is legal. How this ends the story, and where and when it falls into the context of the rest of the films, remains a secret for now. Filming was completed back in February 2020, with the film’s release delayed from last summer by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

July 16

There are two types of folks when it comes to the original Space Jam of 1996: those who were between the ages of three and 11 when it came out, and everyone else. In one camp it is an unsightly relic of ‘90s cross-promotional cheese; in the other, it’s a sports movie classic. Luckily for kids today, NBA star LeBron James was 11 for most of ’96, and he’s bringing back the hoops and the Looney Tunes in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

The film will be among the many Warner Bros. pics premieres on HBO Max and in theaters this year, and it will see King James share above-the-title credits with Bugs Bunny. All is as it should be.

Uncharted

July 16

An Uncharted movie has been a long time coming. How long you might ask? Well, when the idea of an Uncharted movie first started getting bandied around Hollywood, the earliest game in the series just launched to rave reviews in the PlayStation 3’s first year. We’re now on PlayStation 5(!), and Mark Wahlberg has gone from angling to play young hero Nathan Drake to starring his wisecracking sidekick, Victor “Sully” Sullivan.

Still, we’re here with an Uncharted movie finally in the can. Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Venom), the video game movie stars everyone’s favorite web-head, Tom Holland, as Drake, a pseudo-modern day Indiana Jones. Whether it lives up to that older franchise’s storied legacy remains to be seen (especially given its gaming roots), but one thing’s for sure, Holland will get to show off more gymnast skill thanks to Uncharted’s famous parkour iconography.

The Tomorrow War

July 23

An original IP attempting to be a summer blockbuster? As we live and breathe. The Tomorrow War marks director Chris McKay’s first foray into live-action after helming The Lego Batman Movie. The film stars Chris Pratt as a soldier from the past who’s been “drafted by scientists” to the present in order to fight off an alien invasion overwhelming our future’s military. One might ask why said scientists didn’t use their fancy-schmancy time traveling shenanigans to warn about the impending aliens, but here we are.

Jungle Cruise

July 30

Disney dips into its theme park rides again as a source for a movie, hoping that the Pirates of the Caribbean lightning will strike once more. This time it’s the famous Adventureland riverboat ride, which is free enough of a real narrative that one has to wonder why some five screenwriters (at least) worked on the movie’s script.

Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows) directs stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt down this particular river, as they battle wild animals and a competing expedition in their search for a tree with miraculous healing powers. The comic chemistry between Johnson and Blunt is key here, especially if they really can mimic Bogie and Hepburn in the similarly plotted The African Queen. If they can sell that, Disney might just have a new water-based franchise to replace their sinking Pirates ship.

The Green Knight

July 30

David Lowery, the singular director behind A Ghost Story and The Old Man & the Gun, helmed a fantasy adaptation of the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And his take on the material was apparently strong enough to entice A24 to produce it. Not much else is yet known about the film other than its cast, which includes Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Ralph Ineson, and Kate Dickie–and that it’s another casualty of COVID, with its 2020 release date being delayed last year. So this is one we’re definitely going to keep an eye on.

The Suicide Squad

August 6

Arguably the most high-profile of the WB films being transitioned to HBO Max, The Suicide Squad is James Gunn’s soft-reboot of the previous one-film franchise. It’s kind of funny WB went in that direction when the first movie generated more than $740 million, but when the reviews and word of mouth were that toxic… well, you get the guy who did Guardians of the Galaxy to fix things.

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TV

Peacemaker: Suicide Squad Spinoff With John Cena Coming to HBO Max

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Movies

The Suicide Squad Trailer Promises James Gunn’s “1970s War Movie”

By David Crow

Elements from the original movie are still here, most notably Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, but the film promises to be weirder, meaner, and also sillier. The first points are proven by its expected R-rating, and the latter is underscored by its giant talking Great White Shark. Okay, we’ll bite.

Deep Water

August 13

Seedy erotic thrillers and neo noirs bathed in shadows and sex are largely considered a thing of the past—specifically 1980s and ‘90s Hollywood cinema. Maybe that’s why Deep Water hooked Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal) to direct. The throwback is based on a 1957 novel by the legendary Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), and it pits a disenchanted married couple against each other, with the bored pair playing mind games that leave friends and acquaintances dead. That the couple in question is played by Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, who’ve since become a real life item, will probably get plenty of attention close to release.

Respect

August 13

Respect is the long-awaited biopic of the legendary Aretha Franklin, with the Queen of Soul herself involved in its development for years until her death in August 2018. Authorized biopics always make one wonder how accurate the film will be, but then again, Aretha had nothing to be ashamed of. Hers was a life well-lived, her voice almost beyond human comprehension, and the only thing now is to see whether star Jennifer Hudson (Franklin’s personal choice) and director Liesl Tommy (making her feature debut) can do the Queen justice.

Candyman

August 27

In some ways it’s surprising that it’s taken this long—28 years, notwithstanding a couple of sequels—to seriously revisit the original Candyman. Director Bernard Rose’s original adaptation of the Clive Baker story, “The Forbidden,” is still relevant and effective today. Back then, the film touched on urban legends, poverty, and segregation: themes that are still ripe for exploration through a genre touchstone today.

After her breathtaking feature directorial debut, Little Woods, Nia DaCosta helmed this bloody reboot while working from a screenplay co-written by Jordan Peele (Get Out). That’s a powerful combination, even before news came down DaCosta was helming Captain Marvel 2. And with an actor on-the-cusp of mega-stardom, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, picking up Tony Todd’s gnarly hook, this is one to watch out for.

The Beatles: Get Back

August 27

Peter Jackson seems to enjoy making films about what inspired him in his youth: The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, his grandfather’s World War I service informing They Shall Not Grow Old. So perhaps it was inevitable he’d make a film about the greatest youth icon of his generation, the Beatles. In truth, The Beatles: Get Back is a challenge to a previous documentary named Let It Be, and the general pop culture image it painted.

That 1970 doc by Michael Lindsay-Hogg zeroed in on the band’s final released album, Let It Be (although it was recorded before Abbey Road). Now, using previously unseen footage, Jackson seeks to challenge the narrative that the album was created entirely from a place of animosity among the bandmates, or that the Beatles had long lost their camaraderie by the end of road. Embracing the original title of the album, “Get Back,” Jackson wants to get back to where he thinks the band’s image once belonged.

Death on the Nile

September 17

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) became a surprise hit for director and star Kenneth Branagh. Who knew that audiences would still be interested in an 83-year-old mystery novel about an eccentric Belgian detective with one hell of a mustache? Luckily, Agatha Christie featured Poirot in some 32 other novels, of which Death on the Nile is one of the most famous, so here we are.

Branagh once again directs and stars as Poirot, this time investigating a murder aboard a steamer sailing down Egypt’s famous river. The cast includes Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Tom Bateman, Ali Fazal, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, and Russell Brand. Expect more lavish locales, scandalous revelations, the firing of a pistol or two, and, yes, more shots of that stunning Poirot facial hair.

The Many Saints of Newark

September 24

The idea of a prequel to anything always fills us with trepidation, and re-opening a nearly perfect property like The Sopranos makes the prospect even less appetizing. But Sopranos creator David Chase has apparently wanted to explore the back history of his iconic crime family for some time, and there certainly seems to be a rich tapestry of characters and events that have only been hinted at in the series.

Directed by series veteran Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World), The Many Saints of Newark stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti (Christopher’s father), along with Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Ray Liotta, and others. But the most fascinating casting is that of Michael Gandolfini—James’ son—as the younger version of the character with which his late dad made pop culture history. For that alone, we’ll be there on opening night… even if that just means HBO Max!

Dune

October 1

Could third time be the charm for Frank Herbert’s complex novel of the far future, long acknowledged as one of the greatest—if most difficult to read—milestones in all of science fiction? David Lynch’s 1984 version was, to be charitable, an honorable mess, while the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries was decent and faithful, but limited in scope. Now director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) is pulling out all the stops—even breaking the story into two movies to give the proper space.

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Movies

Dune Trailer Breakdown and Analysis

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

What Alejandro Jodorowsky Thinks of the New Dune Trailer

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

On the surface, the plot is simple: as galactic powers vie for control of the only planet that produces a substance capable of allowing interstellar flight, a young messiah emerges to lead that planet’s people to freedom. But this tale is dense with multiple layers of politics, metaphysics, mysticism, and hard science.

Villeneuve has assembled a jaw-dropping cast, including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem, and if he pulls this off, just hand him every sci-fi novel ever written. Particularly, if relations between the director and WB remain strained…

Morbius

October 8

Following the monstrous (pun intended) success of Venom, Sony Pictures is making its second attempt to mine Spider-Man’s universe of villains with the dark tale of Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), whose efforts to cure himself of a fatal blood disease turn him instead into a blood-drinking anti-hero. Morbius has been lurking around the Marvel Comics canon since 1971, often either sparring or teaming with Spidey, and it remains uncertain whether he’s got the cache to carry a movie on his own. In addition, can Leto wash away the bad taste left behind by his tattooed and grilled Joker in Suicide Squad?

Halloween Kills

October 15

2018’s outstanding reboot of the long-running horror franchise—which saw David Gordon Green (Stronger) direct Jamie Lee Curtis in a reprise of her most famous role—was a tremendous hit. So in classic Halloween fashion, two more sequels were put into production (the second, Halloween Ends, will be out in 2022… hopefully).

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Movies

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By David Crow

Movies

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By Rosie Fletcher

Curtis is back as Laurie Strode, along with Judy Greer as her daughter, Andi Matichak as her granddaughter, and Nick Castle sharing Michael Myers duties with James Jude Courtney. Kyle Richards and Charles Cyphers, meanwhile, will reprise their roles as Lindsey Wallace and former sheriff Leigh Brackett from the original 1978 Halloween (Anthony Michael Hall will play the adult version of Tommy Doyle). The plot remains a mystery, but we’re pretty sure it will involve yet another confrontation between Laurie and a rampaging Myers.

The Last Duel

October 15

What was once among the most anticipated films of 2020, The Last Duel is the historical epic prestige project marked by reunions: Ridley Scott returns to his passion for period drama and violence; Matt Damon and Ben Affleck work together for the first time in ages as both actors and writers; and the film also unites each with themes that were just as potent in the medieval world as today: One knight (Damon) in King Charles VI’s court accuses another who’s his best friend (Adam Driver) of raping his wife (Jodie Comer). Oh, and Affleck plays the King of France.

With obviously harrowing—and uncomfortable—themes that resonate today, The Last Duel is based on an actual trial by combat from the 14th century, and is a film Affleck and Damon co-wrote with Nicole Holofcener (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). It’s strong material, and could prove to be one of the year’s most riveting or misjudged films. Until then, it has our full attention.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

October 22

While the idea of a Hasbro Movie Universe seems to be kind of idling at the moment, corners of that hypothetical cinematic empire remain active. One such brand is G.I. Joe, which will launch its first spin-off in this origin story of one of the team’s most popular characters. Much of his early background remains mysterious, so there’s room to create a fairly original story while incorporating lore and characters already established in the G.I. Joe mythos.

Neither of the previous G.I. Joe features (The Rise of Cobra and Retaliation) have been much good, so we can probably expect the same level of quality from this one. Director Robert Schwentke (the last two Divergent movies) doesn’t inspire much excitement either. On the other hand, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) will star in the title role, and having Iko Uwais (The Raid) and Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) on board isn’t too bad either.

Eternals

November 5

Based on a Marvel Comics series by the legendary Jack Kirby, the now long-forthcoming Eternals centers around an ancient race of powerful beings who must protect the Earth against their destructive counterparts (and genetic cousins), the Deviants. Director Chloe Zhao (fresh off the awards season buzzy Nomadland) takes her first swing at epic studio filmmaking, working with a cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, and more.

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Movies

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

Movies

The Incredible Hulk’s Diminished Legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

By Gavin Jasper

In many ways, Eternals represents another huge creative risk for Marvel Studios: It’s a big, cosmic ensemble film introducing an ensemble that the vast majority of the public has never heard of. But then, it’s sort of in the same position as Guardians of the Galaxy from way back in 2014, and we all know what happened there.

Elvis

November 5

Obviously we’ve all seen musical biopics before—too many after Walk Hard broke the formula down—but Elvis promises to be something different. A new passion project from Baz Luhrmann, the filmmaker behind Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby, Elvis is expected to be a radically stylized account of Elvis Presley’s rise to all shook up fame. With an impressive cast that includes Tom Hanks as manager “Colonel” Tom Parker and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King, and with up-and-comer Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll himself, it should be a hell of a show.

King Richard

November 19

Will Smith’s King Richard promises to be a different kind of biographical film coming down the pipe. Rather than being told from the vantage of professional tennis playing stars Venus and Serena Williams, King Richard centers on their father and coach, Richard Williams. It’s an interesting choice to focus on the male father instead of the game-changing Black daughters, but we’ll see if there’s a strong creative reason for the approach soon enough. The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men, Joe Bell).

Mission: Impossible 7

November 19

Once upon a time, the appeal of the Mission: Impossible movies was to see different directors offer their own take on Tom Cruise running through death-defying stunts. But then Christopher McQuarrie had to come along and make the best one in franchise history (twice). First there was Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and then Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Now McQuarrie and company have set up their own separate quartet of films with recurring original characters like new franchise MVP Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) across four films.

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Movies

Audio Surfaces of Tom Cruise Raging on the Set of Mission: Impossible 7

By Kirsten Howard

Movies

Mission: Impossible 7 – What’s Next for the Franchise?

By David Crow

Thus enters M:I7, the third McQuarrie joint in the series and first half of a pair of incoming sequels filmed together. The first-half of this two-parter sees the whole crew back together, including Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, Ilsa, Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and CIA Director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett). They’re also being joined by Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff, but really we’re all just eager to see what kind of insane stunts they can do to top the HALO jump in the last one.

West Side Story

December 10

Steven Spielberg has just two remakes on his directorial resume: Always (1989) and War of the Worlds (2005). While the former is mostly forgotten and the latter was an adaptation of a story that has been filmed many times, his upcoming reimagining of West Side Story will undoubtedly be directly compared to Robert Wise’s iconic 1961 screen version of this classic musical.

A few numbers in previous films aside, Spielberg has never directed a full-blown musical before, let alone one associated with such powerhouse songs and dance numbers. His version, with a script by Tony Kushner, is said to stay closer to the original Broadway show than the 1961 film—but with its themes of love struggling to cross divides created by hate and bigotry, don’t be surprised if it’s just as hard-hitting in 2021. Certainly would’ve devastated last year….

Spider-Man 3

December 17

Sony has finally gotten to a “Spider-Man 3” again in their oft-rebooted franchise crown jewel (technically though this film is still untitled). That proved to be a stumbling block the first time it occurred with Tobey Maguire in the red and blues, but the company seems undaunted since Tom Holland’s third outing is expected to bring Maguire back—him and just about everyone else too.

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Movies

Spider-Man 3: Charlie Cox Daredevil Return Would Redeem the Marvel Netflix Universe

By Joseph Baxter

Movies

Spider-Man 3 Adds Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange

By Joseph Baxter

With a multiverse plot ripped straight from the arguably best Spidey movie ever, 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse, Holland’s third outing is bringing back Maguire, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx as Electro (eh), and probably more. It’s a Spidey crossover extravaganza that’s only missing a Spider-Ham. But just you wait…

The Matrix 4

December 22

Rebooting or continuing The Matrix series has always been a tough proposition. While the original Matrix film is one of the landmark achievements in science fiction and early digital effects filmmaking in the 1990s, its sequels were… less celebrated. In fact, directors Lily and Lana Wachowski were publicly wary about the idea of ever going back to the series. And yet, here we are with Lana (alone) helming a project that’s been a longtime priority for Warner Bros.

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Movies

The Matrix 4: Laurence Fishburne “Wasn’t Invited” to Reprise Morpheus Role

By John Saavedra

Movies

The Matrix 4 Already Happened: Revisiting The Matrix Online

By John Saavedra

The Matrix 4 also brings back Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith. This is curious since Reeves and Moss’ characters died at the end of the Matrix trilogy—and also because Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus did not, yet he wasn’t asked back. We cannot say we’re thrilled about the prospect of more adventures in Zion after the disappointment of the first two sequels, but we’d be lying if we didn’t admit we’re still curious to see the story that brought Lana back to this future.

The French Dispatch

TBA

Wes Anderson has a new film coming out. Better still, it is another live-action film. While Anderson’s use of animation is singular, it’s been seven years since The Grand Budapest Hotel, which we maintain is one of the best movies of the last decade. Anderson  is working with Timothée Chalamet and Cristoph Waltz for the first time with this film, as well as several familiar faces including Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and, of course, Bill Murray.

The French Dispatch is set deep in the 20th century during the peak of modern journalism, it brings to life a series of fictional stories in a fictional magazine, published in a fictional French city. We suspect though, if Anderson’s last two live-action movies are any indication, it’ll have more than fiction on its mind–especially since it’s inspired by actual New Yorker stories, and the journalists who wrote them! We missed it in 2020, so here’s hoping it really does go to print in 2021!

Other interesting movies that may come out in 2021 but do not yet have release dates: Next Goal Wins, Don’t Worry Darling, Nightmare Alley, Antlers, Blonde, The Northman, Resident Evil, Red Notice, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Army of the Dead.

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In the Spotlight: 50 Bands You Need to Hear in 2018

Last year we brought back, and re-branded, one of my favorite features from the AbsolutePunk days: the “Absolute 100.” And as we enter May and the weather finally starts to turn around a little bit, it’s the perfect time to once again team up with our contributors to bring you a whole bunch of new music to check out. Just like years past we’ve compiled a list of 50 artists we think are worth your time. Some of the artists recently released their debut albums and some have been around for a while now but have flown under the radar. However, the one thing they all have in common is that we think they should be in the spotlight and are worthy of your ears. You’ll find the first group of 25, along with blurbs, recommended songs, and sounds like comparisons, below. Liis by Anna Acosta Up-and-coming dark-pop duo Liis may have started with busking and acoustic coffee shops, but the end creation between dual vocalist/guitarists Lisa Haagen and Dana Cargioli is anything but simplistic – or even acoustic. The independent release duo’s debut EP Put It On; Show It Off (to be released May 12, 2018) is a beautiful tapestry of haunting melodies and wistful, starkly honest lyrics that manage to never once lose their poetic feel. Sleep on this group at your own risk – they’ve got nowhere to go but up. Recommended Track: “Thief” RIYL: Daughter, Julien Baker, Lydia Florrie by Jason Tate I can’t think of a single artist I’m more excited to finally get a full-length album from than Florrie. She’s released a variety of EPs and single songs since around 2010, with the last coming a couple years ago. However, it looks like this is the year we’re getting more music and that rockets my anticipation up to a whole new level. Florrie’s music takes a few different forms but it’s almost always catchy and perfect for a summer day. I see sparks of Charlie XCX, Little Boots, and even a little Carly Rae Jepsen in there, but it’s the energy and creative diversity in her work that makes me think she has something really special in her. Recommended Track: “Real Love” RIYL: Little Boots, Dragonette, Foxes Ruston Kelly by Craig Manning Ruston Kelly is probably best known at this moment-in-time as Kacey Musgraves’ husband. 2018 feels destined to be Kelly’s year, though, so don’t be surprised if you’re reading a lot about him by December. Kelly has already racked up songwriting credits for country artists like Tim McGraw and Josh Abbott Band, and he recently scored some rock ‘n’ roll cred by opening for Brian Fallon on the Sleepwalkers tour. The time is ripe for Kelly to release his proper debut album, which should be out later this year on his new label, Rounder Records. Expect the album to build upon the foundations Kelly established on 2016’s Halloween, a stellar EP that sounded like a lost document from Ryan Adams’ ultra-prolific mid-2000s period. Just like Adams, Kelly is the kind of artist that could comfortably be classified as country, rock, or folk. In other words, he’s got the kind of universal appeal that not a lot of his Nashville contemporaries can’t match. That factor should set him up for big success whenever his new record does hit the streets. Recommended Track: “Black Magic” RIYL: Ryan Adams, Brian Fallon, Afraid of Ghosts-era Butch Walker Cecil Frena by Mary Varvaris A few months ago, I stumbled upon my favorite song of 2018 so far. That song is called “All Of My Heroes”, from the stunning, eclectic album The Gridlock by Edmonton artist Cecil Frena (previously known under the monikers Gobble Gobble and Born Gold). “All Of My Heroes” is the ultimate pop-rock song – it’s anthemic, and Frena utilizes cool distorted guitar, synths, and most importantly: his fantastic voice. Throughout The Gridlock’s 43 minutes, Cecil Frena never takes himself too seriously. There’s a distinct element of dark humor framing self-deprecating lyrics, but the melodies mostly remain upbeat. There’s a range of styles on display throughout this album, it’s almost too difficult to keep up. Take the raucous punk track “Unknow Yourself” where Frena is furious, and his words are scathing. Later, there’s the tongue-in-cheek “I Believe In Dancing”. “I Believe In Dancing” is the only acoustic-led track on The Gridlock, and it’s gorgeous and fantastic. Then, see him try balladry with the lovely piano-led “Hyphen”. But, The Gridlock doesn’t end on an optimistic note. Album closer “Human Math” is a dynamic, shattering song to end the record with. “Human Math” begins so gently, with quiet and mournful keys, and Frena’s hushed vocals before an urgent climax brought by intense, rollicking guitars; which complement crushing words that deal with an impending personal loss (“and it’s not your fault the coffin waits”). Cecil Frena doesn’t take the easy way out, and isn’t afraid to make music that asks questions without answers or happy endings. It’s real. It’s human. It’s also one of the coolest albums I’ve heard in a long time. The Gridlock might be the best, but also the most overlooked album by the end of the year. I desperately hope this isn’t the case, because Cecil Frena can and should be one of the biggest stars in indie rock. Recommended Track: “All Of My Heroes” RIYL: Born Gold, Quiet Friend, Long Neck The Penske File by Jason Tate Over the past few years my ears haven’t been as perked up by the gravely voiced singer over loud guitars thing. Yet, I find there to be something captivating by The Penske File’s recently released album, Salvation. It’s not really that they’re doing anything new, but their spin on this sound calls to me anyway. There’s some really good stuff in here. Recommended Track: “Spin My History” RIYL: Spanish Love Songs, Youth Decay, Red City Radio No Thank You by Drew Beringer Philly is the scene that just keeps on giving. The latest and greatest to emerge from the City of Brotherly Love is the incredible trio No Thank You. While the band’s debut Jump Ship was a solid albeit brief introduction to their brand of emo-tinged rock and roll, 2018’s All It Takes To Ruin It All is one of the genre’s better sophomore releases in recent memory. The record ultimately revolves around the passing of singer Kaytee Della Monica’s father and how she’s navigating through this loss. The band sounds more confident on record two – ping-ponging sonically from the likes of Rilo Kiley to The Get Up Kids – while Della Monica struggles to find the balance within the freshly introduced pain and grief into her world. All It Takes To Ruin It All is a brisk yet heavy record that’ll wring your emotions through the gauntlet, cementing No Thank You as one of the bands you absolutely cannot miss out on in 2018. Recommended Track: “New England Patriots” SeeYouSpaceCowboy by Zac Djamoos You could listen to SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s entire fifteen-song discography in just about as many minutes, and it’ll still be the fifteen most exhilarating minutes of your day. The band features members of screamo and grindcore heavyweights Flowers Taped to Pens and Letters to Catalonia, and it shows. Their grindy Fashion Statements of the Socially Aware EP is some of the most punishing metalcore I’ve heard in a long time – I fell out with metalcore years ago when Risecore became the dominant style. But if there’s any band I believe can revitalize the genre, it’s SeeYouSpaceCowboy. Recommended Track: “Jimmy Buffet Doesn’t Even Surf” RIYL: Daughters, Blood Brothers, Botch Caroline Rose by Aaron Mook Caroline Rose is the kind of eclectic songwriter that only comes along once or twice a year, and Loner is the unexpected debut that very well may end up on everyone’s EOTY lists. Her personality is on full display in her music, which hops from genre to genre over the span of a mere 11 tracks and 34 minutes. One moment, she’s mimicking the dream-like textures of Beach House and the next, she’s recreating Haim’s vintage vocal melodies – sometimes, all within the same song (“Getting To Me”). From the Phoenix-inspired synth-pop of “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” to the Modest Mouse guitar work of “To Die Today,” Loner is irresistible, that rare record that truly has something for everyone. In her own words, she’s got soul. Recommended Track: “To Die Today” Mammoth Grinder by Jake Jenkins When multi-instrumentalist Chris Ulsh isn’t busy behind the kit with modern day thrash metal titans Power Trip, he’s taking the helm in Mammoth Grinder, an old school death metal band that also features members of Iron Reagan. Like Power Trip, Mammoth Grinder’s particular brand of metal pulses with hints of hardcore punk, staying true to the raw and primal roots of the genre. On their latest full length, this year’s Cosmic Crypt, Ulsh has moved from guitars to bass, but the band’s guttural and intense bursts of death metal are still fully intact. Clocking in at just under half an hour, Cosmic Crypt is a quick, brutal assault that should please both new school and old school fans of death metal. Recommended Track: “Blazing Burst” RIYL: Power Trip, Genocide Pact Paperwhite by Jason Tate I’ve been a sucker for groovy-synthy pop-music over the past few years and Paperwhite have that in spades. So far this Brooklyn duo have released a couple EPs and a few singles and should have a new EP out later this year. Their pulsating tracks sparkle behind Katie Marshall’s vocals and they have an undeniable ability to shine in the uptempo and somber dream-pop. Recommended Track: “Unstoppable” RIYL: Great Good Fine OK, Say Lou Lou, Ryn Weaver Holy Fawn by Trevor Graham Holy Fawn may have emerged from the desert, but their brand of spacey post rock is nothing short of otherworldly. Crafting dreamy, oceanic atmospheres with each track, this Arizona-based quartet blends influences from the finest in experimental rock and shoegaze with an undeniably palpable energy that’ll leave you emotionally winded. 2015 saw the release of their debut EP, REALMS — a vehicle for introducing their broad dynamic range, deliberately set to satisfy head-trippers and head-bangers alike. Their visceral knack for layering sound shines brightly through a familiar formula that Holy Fawn have mastered the art of frequently concocting: start quiet, then get loud. Like, really, really, tremendously loud. I hate to use the word “epic” here, but… this band brings the capital E. Amidst their stormlike compositions, vocalist Ryan Osterman pours velvet falsetto whispers, hushed and reverberated just enough to somehow both stand out and blend in at once. Their latest single, “Arrows”, features a dizzying array of shimmering, cavernous guitar loops, eventually delivering the listener to the group’s fiercest display of cacophony yet. It comes from their forthcoming Whelmed Records debut, which the band aims to release in late 2018. Recommended Track: “Arrows” RIYL: Gates, O’Brother, Sigur Ros American Aquarium by Craig Manning In the Americana world, American Aquarium tends to be a pretty well-known and well-respected enterprise. If you don’t venture down that musical avenue much, though, then I’d wager you’ve never heard of these boys from North Carolina. Ever since 2006, this band has been quietly cultivating one of the most solid discographies in roots music. In 2012, they brought in Jason Isbell to produce their LP Burn. Flicker. Die., a record they intended to be their swansong. Six years later, they’re still trucking—though frontman BJ Barham recently had to reboot the band with new players. No matter: the band’s newest record—the forthcoming Things Change—is arguably their most fully realized to date. Starting with a song about the day Trump got elected president (the fittingly titled “The World Is on Fire”), Things Change is in turns political and deeply personal. The wistful “When We Were Younger Men,” for instance, charts the pains of growing up and the fluctuations of friendships to the sound of Tom Petty hits. The record as a whole is a reminder of what makes these guys special: they can be introspective, incendiary, personal, or political. Recommended Track: “The World Is on Fire” RIYL: Drive-By Truckers, Whiskeytown, Jason Isbell Pale Houses by Deanna Chapman The latest music from Pale Houses landed in my inbox and in typical fashion, it took me a while to get to it. Once I did, though, I was thoroughly impressed with the band’s sound. If you’re looking for new indie pop to listen to, these are your guys. Song of the Isolation is their new EP and all six songs keep you engaged with the music. I’ll be keeping an eye on this band going forward because they’re one of the pleasant surprises of 2018 for me. Recommended Track: “Tenderfoot” RIYL: Death Cab For Cutie, Bon Iver, Bleachers Wild Pink by Drew Beringer It’s only been a little over a year since Wild Pink released their criminally underrated Tiny Engines self-titled debut but that didn’t stop the New York City trio from expanding their introspective yet sensitive indie-rock sound on their upcoming second album, Yolk In The Fur, this July. The first single, “Lake Eerie,” leans even further into the spacious soundscapes created by lead person John Ross. Clocking in just over five minutes, it’s just a taste of the leap the band has made from album one into their sophomore effort. Let’s just all promise each other that Wild Pink dominates our speakers all summer into the fall. Recommended Track: “Lake Eerie” Spielbergs by Jason Tate Spielbergs released their debut EP, Distant Star, last week (April 27, 2018) and it is full of sing-a-long choruses that just beg to be shouted in sweaty nightclubs. They are a band and sound that feels almost instantly recognizable and familiar, but when performed with such gusto are still undeniably addicting. Recommended Track: “We Are All Going to Die” RIYL: The Japandroids, Latterman Nora Rothman by Anna Acosta It’s said that the simplest things in life can be the sweetest, and that ethos has never been embodied the way it is in singer-songwriter Nora Rothman. Embodied by a certain ethereal quality that’s difficult to fabricate, there is very little outside from a sweet, lilting vocal and a lightly plucked ukulele to distract from Rothman’s straightforward, heartfelt storytelling. And there’s nothing like taking one’s craft and applying it to a cause: this spring Rothman’s self-titled EP (released summer 2017) was remixed by five separate female producers (Birch, Ah-Mer-Ah-Su, QRTR, Suzi Analogue, and Libra Rising, respectively) and re-released via Electric Bird Records as a fundraising initiative for Planned Parenthood. Recommended Track: “Strange” RIYL: Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, Sarah McLachlan Middle Kids by Adam Grundy Middle Kids are not your average indie rock band. Typically a band with this type of following would have been expected to have played multiple shows before being noticed for a record contract. Not the case here, as this Australian 3-piece band released their first single in 2016 without having played a single show. Singer/songwriter Hannah Joy found limited success by self-releasing songs via Bandcamp, but she finally got her big break when Elton John endorsed Middle Kids. Their music can be best described as upbeat, classic sounding, pop-rock built for audiences as close knit as the club scene yet polished enough for arenas. Check out their debut LP Lost Friends on May 4th via Domino Records. Recommended Track: “Mistake” RIYL: Fleetwood Mac, Smallpools, Gang of Youths Hop Along by Mary Varvaris Hop Along is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, PA. Their latest album Bark Your Head Off, Dog can be effectively summed up in its album opener “How Simple”. When I watch the music video, I’m unsure if Frances Quinlan is poking fun at herself while reflecting on the unpleasant things about falling in love: “how simple my heart can be frightens me” or if she mourns for relationships that don’t end up working: “don’t worry, we will both find out / just not together”. Quinlan’s lyrics are straightforward in their honesty here, but elsewhere, her lyrics fall in the abstract with religious imagery and references to World War I (see: “One That Suits Me”). Frances Quinlan’s voice is indescribable. She howls, croons, screams, and yelps, her voice cracks – she gives everything when she sings. Bark Your Head Off, Dog is full of wacky, memorable instrumentation – “Somewhere A Judge” is groovy, and Quinlan briefly uses a vocoder towards the end of the song. “The Fox In Motion” is full of unforgettable indie rock riffs. “Prior Things” is lead by optimistic, beautiful strings. There’s a harp and strings in the outstanding “Not Abel”. “Not Abel” starts as a fascinating little folk ballad, combining gentle picking on the acoustic guitar with a harp. “Not Abel” feels like a revelation. Quinlan references the story of Cain and Abel, and for the last minute and 36 seconds, “Not Abel” becomes an anthem. Before then, though, she channels her anger at the men who affected her self worth and confidence, contemplating how it’s “strange to be shaped by such strange men”. Bark Your Head Off, Dog is a refined and cohesive effort, taking all the elements of Hop Along’s previous album Painted Shut, and expands on them. Hop Along give every song room to breathe, and develop a warm, spacious atmosphere. The instrumentation is creative and experimental. Bark Your Head Off, Dog will end up being one of the best, most ambitious indie rock albums of the year. Recommended Track “How Simple” RIYL: Modest Mouse, Joanna Newsom Soccer Mommy by Jason Tate You can choose to get caught up on the band name if you want, but if you do, you’ll be missing out on one of the more exciting voices in music right now. Soccer Mommy is the brainchild of Sophie Allison and her latest studio album, Clean, was released earlier this year. The music has a breezy angst to it that walks between this folksy-grunge sound and soft acoustic ballads. It seems perfectly tailored to be performed in a bedroom alone, sung to a few empty beer cans and tired eyes, or belted on stage to a room that will soon be learning every word. Recommended Track: “Your Dog” RIYL: Alvvays, Anna Burch, Liz Phair Travis Meadows by Craig Manning Invoking the spirit of the great Bruce Springsteen has become an increasingly trendy thing for songwriters to do in the past decade. In songs by The Gaslight Anthem, Titus Andronicus, Eric Church, and more, Bruce has been elevated to the status of rock ‘n’ roll’s patron saint. Still, there might not be a song that captures what it’s like to hear a Springsteen song in the car on a weekend summer night better than “Pray for Jungleland.” The song, a core cut from Travis Meadows’ 2017 album First Cigarette, is a wistful look back at the days before iPods or Spotify (or car CD players, for that matter) where your only option was to wait around to hear your favorite song on the radio. Meadows takes that idea and turns it into a song that feels as alive and full of possibility as any summer evening you’ve ever witnessed. Elsewhere on the record, he takes you to the deepest depths of human regret and hopelessness, purging his own struggles with alcoholism in songs that hurt like bruises. Suffice to say there’s a lot of darkness in Meadows’ music. Songs like “Sideways” and “First Cigarette” feel like they exist on a brink, one step away from giving up or giving in. But it’s songs like “Pray for Jungleland” or “Pontiac” that make First Cigarette a masterpiece, because they shine a light through the darkness and make it shine. Recommended Track: “Pray for Jungleland” RIYL: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Eric Church We Were Sharks by Adam Grundy Victory Records’ latest prized possession is We Were Sharks, whose crunchy guitar riffs and New Found Glory-esque pop hooks have certainly gained listeners’ attention. This 6-piece post hardcore band from Ottawa, Canada are poised for a big 2018 with the release of Lost Touch (February 23, 2018), which happens to be their second album, and was produced by Silverstein guitarist, Paul Marc Rousseau. Recommended Track: “Hotel Beds” RIYL: A Day To Remember, Silverstein, Four Year Strong Author by Trevor Graham These Minnesota natives released a debut full length in 2015 that straight up stole my heart. Channelling the wintery ambience of indie darlings like Copeland, Of Brighter Days was the sound of a band exerting themselves on all fronts. The sense of melody, rhythm, instrumentation, lyricism — it was all there. Three years later, the band has released their new album, IIFOIIC — an acronym for the enthralling title track, “Is It Far Or Is It Close?”. The song, like many others in their discography, features haunting falsettos and soaring harmonies, glitchy electronic flourishes, trippy delayed guitar leads, and a powerhouse rhythm section. Their ability to bounce energy off of one another is unmatched in this scene, as they work like tiny parts of a well-oiled machine to push each other to the next level. At other points in the record, Author kick up the tempo to show off some of their most kaleidoscopic arrangements to date (looking at you, “Want”), where you may have trouble deciding whether to air drum or air guitar. Pro-tip: you’ll have time for the one you didn’t pick when you hit replay — you’ll want to hear that vocal hook again anyway. This is most certainly music made to soundtrack the leaves changing color, but don’t let that allow you to sleep on this fantastic band. Recommended Track: “Is It Far or Is It Close” RIYL: Copeland, From Indian Lakes, Valise, Mutemath The Night Game by Jason Tate Martin Johnson is an annoying good songwriter. Look, you can have your qualms with Boys Like Girls, but there’s no denying the earworms this asshole can write. His latest project has only released a handful of songs, but already they’ve run the gamut from 80’s nostalgia (“The Outfield”) to destined for pop radio (“Bad Girls Don’t Cry”). It’s nice to see Martin flex his songwriting chops and as he aims for a summer release with this project, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him once again with songs on the tips of everyone’s tongue. Recommended Track: “The Outfield” RIYL: The 1975, LANY I Don’t Know How but They Found Me by Adam Grundy This dynamic duo is comprised of ex-Panic! at the Disco bassist, Dallon Weekes and ex-Falling in Reverse drummer Ryan Seaman. These recent “cast offs” shouldn’t be written off yet as they plan to release an album filled with synth pop reminiscent of the 80’s. Recommended Track: “Choke” RIYL: Tears For Fears, Elvis Costello, Orgy Caitlyn Smith by Craig Manning If there were any justice, Caitlyn Smith would be the biggest star in modern country music. I don’t care whether you listen to country music or not: Smith’s debut album, this year’s Starfire, will knock you on your ass. The first time I heard her sing, it reminded me of the first time I heard Chris Stapleton. They both have these big, epic voices—voices so good you can’t believe they stayed secret for so long. It’s the kind of voice that can send shivers down your spine with a climactic key change (“Tacoma”) or leave your jaw on the floor with a theatrical torch song (“East Side Restaurant”). But Caitlyn Smith isn’t just The Voice-style good. On the contrary, she’s also a dynamite writer, someone who can silence a room with the sharpness of her pen just as much as she can with the hugeness of her voice. On “Scenes from a Corner Booth at Closing Time on a Tuesday,” she turns vignettes about nameless characters into a tongue-in-cheek treatise on modern loneliness, and on “This Town Is Killing Me,” she poignantly illustrates just how much it costs to chase a dream. If you listen to my recommendation once ever, make it this one. Recommended Track: “Tacoma” RIYL: Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Taylor Swift Part Two will be released tomorrow and a playlist of all the recommended songs will be coming on Friday. If you missed it last year, you can check out 2017’s feature here. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/in-the-spotlight-50-bands-you-need-to-hear-in-2018-part-one/

[stephaniemarlowftw]

BLACK WING (DAN BARRETT / HAVE A NICE LIFE) PREMIERES “CHOIR OF ASSHOLES”

Listen to the anthemic new track alongside a Q&A with Dan Barrett. // No Moon will be released December 11th on The Flenser.

Dan Barrett— the man behind Have A Nice Life, Giles Corey, and Enemies List Home Recordings— is preparing for the release of his sophomore album as the electronic project Black Wing.  Due out December 11th on The Flenser, No Moon is a gorgeous chillwave/post-punk record with nine new bleak yet blissful songs. 

Listen to “Choir Of Assholes / You Think It’ll Make You Happy But It Won’t” and read a new interview with Dan today via FLOOD Magazine (or share from YouTube). 

Written over the course of the last few years, with about half of the songs penned over the last six months (mostly due to pandemic “free time”), No Moon is a heart-wrenchingly honest outpour of emotion.  Throughout the writing process, Barrett was having recurring dreams and felt a strange sense of timelessness — that, combined with quarantine is what he simply describes as “a weird experience.”  Barrett explains, “Quarantine was profoundly isolating.  With writing this record, more than anything I just wanted to prove to myself that I could make something out of it.  That ended up being a lot of songs about feeling isolated, a lot of ‘trapped in my own head’ moments.  I think that was a lot of people’s experience as well.”

Barrett formed Black Wing in the mid-2010’s as an opposite to his project Giles Corey; where Giles started as ‘only acoustic instruments allowed,’ Black Wing started with only digital instruments.  In 2015, Black Wing released its first proper full length, …Is Doomed, which arose after some heart problems that Barrett discovered he had.  But this time around, Barrett was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which led to "...incredibly disrupted sleep (and potentially some of the semi-lucid dreaming I experienced)," he says.  

Much like ...Is Doomed, No Moon bubbles with electronica and indie-pop with earworm melodies and affecting lyrics.  But No Moon is a transitional change from Black Wing’s debut; the songs here are a bit more experimental and there’s a significantly wider emotional range to them.   The lyrics are haunting and personal and resonate deeply with the listener, and the imagery in the album's artwork is from a recurring series of dreams that Barrett had when the pandemic started (same with the writing inside the packaging). 

Look for No Moon to be available on December 11th from The Flenser and pre-order the album here.  

No Moon, track listing:

1.  Bollywood Apologetics

2.  Ominous 80’s

3.  Always a Last Time

4.  Is This Real Life, Jesus Christ

5.  Always Hurt

6.  Vulnerable

7.  Sleep Apneac

8.  Choir of Assholes

9.  Twinkling

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/macbook-pro-16-inch-review-the-ultimate-apple-laptop/

MacBook Pro 16-Inch Review: The Ultimate Apple Laptop

It’s built for power, and it shows.

December 18, 2019 9 min read

This story originally appeared on Engadget

Talk to any true Apple fan and they’ll tell you the last great MacBook Pro was the 15-inch model from mid-2015. It had a wide array of ports, a great keyboard and an SD card slot. There was no butterfly keyboard or Touch Bar to deal with. As the former Tumblr developer Marco Arment put it, “It’s designed for us, rather than asking us to adapt ourselves to it.”

Pros

Powerful Intel CPU and AMD GPU

Excellent new keyboard

Gorgeous 16-inch Retina Display

Best-in-class speakers and mic

Relatively low starting price

Cons

Still only four USB-C ports

No SD card reader

Upgrades can get expensive quickly

Summary

Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is basically every creative’s dream machine, with a ton of power and a vastly improved keyboard. The larger screen makes it more useful than the 15-inch model it replaces, and it even has decent battery life for a workstation.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the closest Apple has come to recreating the glory of that machine. It’s incredibly powerful, and the company finally listened to complaints about its shallow butterfly keyboards and equipped this model with more-traditional scissor-switch keys. While it doesn’t address every pro-user issue — you’re still limited to four USB-C ports and there are no card slots — it’s hands down the best MacBook Pro available today for creatives.

Let’s get the obvious differences out of the way first: Its 16-inch screen is noticeably larger. Like many PC makers, Apple managed to fit a larger display into a similarly sized case by shaving down the bezels around the sides and top. The result is a gloriously immersive, 500-nit Retina Display that can finally compete with Dell’s Infinity Edge screens. It’s a legitimate step up from the previous model, and a reminder of the glory days of Apple’s 17-inch notebooks.

Look at those taller keys.

Image credit: Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Then there’s the new Magic Keyboard — which feels more like a miracle keyboard. Mac users have been complaining about the flat Butterfly keyboards ever since they debuted. While Apple eventually fixed some sound and reliability issues, they never felt great to type on. It always felt like pretend typing on a pane of glass — it’s not satisfying and barely functional. The Magic Keyboard fixes that issue by going back to the scissor mechanism Apple has been using in its desktop keyboards for years. There’s a millimeter of key travel now, and they aren’t wobbly like they used to be on older MacBook Pros. In comparison, the Butterfly keyboards had a mere half millimeter of travel, and Dell’s XPS 15 offers a slightly deeper 1.3 millimeters.

I’ve almost forgotten what it was like to enjoy typing on a MacBook Pro, but this new keyboard brought me back to my early days of writing on a second-gen MacBook Air. There’s a responsiveness that makes the keyboard feel inviting, like it’s a world-class instrument waiting to be played. That millimeter of feedback practically makes the notebook feel like an extension of my body instead of a tool that annoys me every time I touch it. Even butterfly keyboard defenders will have a hard time denying that the Magic Keyboard simply feels better, and it can’t reach other MacBooks soon enough.

Apple even compromised a bit with the Touch Bar: The physical Escape key is back! And there’s a separate TouchID and power button, which makes it easier to find without looking. I’m still not completely sold on the Touch Bar’s usefulness, but at least it feels like less of a hindrance to my workflow.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is a bit taller and wider than the 15-inch model by a few millimeters, and it’s marginally thicker at .64 inches instead of 0.61. It’s heftier too at 4.3 pounds instead of around four. It definitely weighed down my backpack more, and its slightly larger dimensions make it a bit of a chore to fit on cramped coffee shop tables. But I think the trade-offs are worth it for the sheer power Apple managed to stuff into this machine. It would have been nice to see more of a design refresh, but Apple’s unibody aluminum case looks as sleek as ever, so I can’t complain much.

Under the hood, you have Intel’s latest six- and eight-core i7 and i9 processors, the latter of which can reach boost speeds up to 5GHz. You can also choose between AMD’s Radeon Pro 5300M and 5500M GPUs with 4GB of VRAM. That more-powerful GPU can even be configured with eight gigabytes of VRAM for heavy-duty 3D-rendering work. Apple claims the 5,300M graphics are 2.1 times faster than the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s, and that makes sense since it’s powered by AMD’s new rDNA architecture.

Apple is breaking new ground for memory and storage in the MacBook Pro as well, with support for up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and eight terabytes of fast SSD storage. Notably, Apple says this is the largest SSD ever in a notebook, and we haven’t found any evidence out there to prove otherwise. These are fantastic high-end specs for programmers and artists alike. It used to be that you had to settle with a small SSD in a modern laptop and carry around a portable drive for larger files. The 16-inch MacBook Pro gives you the sort of storage flexibility you’d expect from a desktop workstation.

Of course, you’ll pay dearly for maxing out those specs. Bumping up to 64GB of RAM is an additional $800 while the 8TB of storage is an eye-watering $2,200 extra. These aren’t upgrades meant for average users, but I’d bet huge VFX firms wouldn’t think twice about spending $5,899 for a decked-out MacBook Pro to speed up their workflows.

Our review unit, which featured an eight-core i9 CPU and AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics, tore through whatever I put in front of it. It’s clearly more than I needed for my typical workflow, which mostly involves juggling a ton of browsers, light image editing, Evernote, Slack and Spotify. When I gave it a serious job, like transcoding a 4K movie clip, it leaped into action. HandBrake handled a two-minute clip in just 52 seconds, whereas it took the new 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 a full minute longer. In the Geekbench 4 Compute benchmark, the new Radeon Pro GPU also scored twice as much as the last-gen AMD hardware. Simply put, this thing screams.

As I was benchmarking the 16-inch MacBook Pro, it never felt hot to the touch, and while the fans were noticeable when they spun it, they weren’t annoyingly loud. As part of the notebook’s revamped cooling setup, the fans can now push out 28 percent more air than before, and the heat sink covers 35 percent more internal space. All of those improvements and the slightly larger case mean the new MacBook Pro should be able to withstand heat better than any of Apple’s previous notebooks.

Apple also made a slew of other compelling upgrades to the 16-inch MacBook Pro. A new six-speaker setup makes music and movies sound great. It’s no replacement for dedicated speakers, but it’s impressive for something coming out of a very thin laptop. There’s also a three-microphone array that Apple is putting against standalone mics like the Blue Yeti. That’s definitely going a bit too far, but recordings I’ve made sound good… for a laptop mic at least. And there’s very little background hiss. It’s more useful for video chats and shouting at Siri, since pro users tend to be pretty religious about their preferred mics.

Unfortunately, you’re still stuck with four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports for connectivity. It’d be nice to see Apple bring back an SD card reader, but unlike the keyboard, that’s one area where the company is refusing to back down. At least USB-C dongles and accessories are cheaper and better these days, but I’ve talked to plenty of pro Apple users who still pine for the flexibility of that 2015 MacBook pro.

The new 100-watt-per-hour battery also lived up to Apple’s marketing hype. The company claims it’ll last up to 11 hours — during our battery test it survived for 11 hours and 20 minutes. Of course, we were just looping an HD video, so you can expect it to drain faster under heavy-duty workloads. Apple includes a new 96-watt USB-C power adapter in the box — the beefiest we’ve ever seen on a MacBook Pro. It’s only a bit larger than the 15-inch notebook’s adapter.

Surprisingly, Apple is keeping the 16-inch MacBook Pro at the same $2,399 starting price. That’s a pretty great deal for all the upgrades you get. Shell out $2,799 and you can step up to the Core i9 model with the best Radeon Pro graphics. That’s not too pricey for this category, though you can get that same processor and decent NVIDIA graphics on the XPS 15 for $2,350. It’s no surprise that a Windows PC is cheaper — what’s important is that Apple once again has a compelling high-end notebook to keep frustrated Mac users from jumping over to Windows.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the closest Apple has come to crafting the ultimate notebook. It’s exactly the upgrade Mac fans have been waiting for, even though it might not have all the ports they want. It’s so fast that I don’t think the Mac faithful will mind carrying around an SD card reader.

[m-onstax]

2017 MONSTA X YEAR PLAN

SHOWNU

JAN: Study Japanese FEB: Practice how to take a selca MAR: Pick a member to test makeup on (Mission) APR: Read a book in spring MAY: Write a report about the book I read in April JUN: Diet in summer JUL: How much weight did I manage to lose? … Continue working hard AUG: Should I do a song cover? SEP: Do a Vlive alone while singing (Mission) OCT: Talk a lot by myself for more than one hour on V App (Mission) NOV: Prepare for winter DEC: Prepare for a good year-end stage and end (the year) nicely!

WONHO

JAN: The start of V App solo broadcast! To visit Brother Su and compose something and to eat chicken during January FEB: To work hard and to work out it will be busy! Until the closed doors to my heart opens~ MAR: To hang the national flag on Independence Day / To frequently go drink my mom’s coffee because I feel sorry I can’t see her often. APR: Should I sing one song together with Hyunwoo? MAY: Because the weather will be nice so to ride bicycles with Kihyun and talk about the past as well as constructive things and to upload a proof picture as a present. JUN: To coordinate the members from head to toe (T/N: outfits) and upload a picture together Because of you I can’t breathe properly. It seems like you are the whole universe. In all of those stars I’ll find you. Me~ (Mission) JUL: To do a whole day V App with Monbebe (Mission) AUG: Am I doing V App well up until now? Did I neglect it? Did I show more of myself to Monbebes? SEP: To record in my way all the new memories made and to show you guys OCT: To take care of our body (T/N: health) NOV: I don’t know until where my voice will reach but it’s okay even if it doesn’t reach far. Even if it’s just you listening beside me I’ll keep singing DEC: It’s cold but December is shining brightly. I’ll give that beauty to my fans who always look at me and love me

MINHYUK

JAN: To do my best for everything to have a great start for a new year / To celebrate Kyunnie and Mr. Chae birthdays FEB: To start my project to gain weight MAR: To continue my weight gaining project favourably / To celebrate Ho hyung’s birthday APR: Yellow ribbon MAY: To contact my family frequently and tell them that I love them It’s our debut anniversary hug the monsters JUN: To celebrate Bear hyung’s birthday JUL: To think of high school for the entire day AUG: To upload many selcas SEP: To celebrate Monbebe’s birthday because you’re 2 years old call me oppa~ OCT: To take photos of the fireworks festival to show Monbebes / To celebrate Honey’s birthday NOV: To receive congratulatory messages on my birthday / And celebrate Kihyun’s birthday next To take pictures of the maple festival to show Monbebes DEC: To meet eyes with Monbebes

KIHYUN

JAN: To work hard to become a pretty-skin boy that I almost became last year but failed FEB: To make my very own photo album MAR: To cover a song and give it to Monbebes as a present APR: To release 20 selcas MAY: To watch and review 10 movies JUN: To take a photo tour (T/N: travelling) JUL: To do a V App while going as far as I can on a bicycle AUG: To upload a picture of me playing a prank on Monbebes’ favourite members while they’re asleep SEP: If Kihyun’s Self Cook Cook is still on-going then I’ll cook! OCT: Making a new dish that is named after Monbebes NOV: It’s my birthday I’ll take photos and upload it together with a letter as a present to Monbebes DEC: Kihyun who takes pictures! Monsta X’s Season Greetings that’s taken by Kihyun! (Mission)

HYUNGWON

JAN: Goal for the entire year is to gain weight. Eat sushi FEB: Do a lying-down broadcast MAR: To show Monbebes through a video how I look like playing billiards APR: Doing a eating V App broadcast alone (Mission) MAY: To wake up early and upload a video of me waking up the other members (Mission) JUN: To do a mid-check for my weight gaining project JUL: To frequently upload selcas on the Fancafe (Mission) AUG: Since it’s summer, to eat bibim-noodles! To show Monbebes! SEP: To ask Kihyun to make chilli prawns OCT: To get a recommended menu list from Monbebes and eat the dishes NOV: To write a poem DEC: To confirm that I gained weight

JOOHEON

JAN: Think about how this year is going to go by while thinking of Monbebes FEB: To compose MAR: Write a song that suits spring APR: Rap classroom (Mission) MAY: Monsta X’s birthday. Anticipate! JUN: To practice singing and show Monbebes JUL: To show new aegyo AUG: To compose a congratulatory song for Monbebes’ birthday. Really want to do this ㅠㅠ (Mission) SEP: To let Monbebes hear the Monbebes’ birthday congratulatory song OCT: My birthday! Monbebes, congratulate me NOV: Honeyplayer attack!!! DEC: To spend a warm Christmas with Monbebes

I.M

JAN: To make a new plan for 2017 FEB: I feel like I’ll be busy preparing for something MAR: I want to see many flowers with Monbebes APR: It’s April (T/N: Sa-wol in Korean) so I’ll tell the people around me that I love them (SA-ranghae) MAY: 14th May our debut day! To gather Monsta X members and play happily~ JUN: It’s already half of this year so should I release a song? JUL: To have a game battle with Minhyuk hyung (Mission) AUG: Summer is here Monsta X will become hotter SEP: 9th September 99 (T/N: Gugu in Korean) I want to become a pigeon gugugu OCT: It’s Thanksgiving~!! This time I’ll be a magpie NOV: 11th November I like pepero day too but there’s also chopsticks day As a way to preserve the culture should I go to Samcheongdong? DEC: I think it’ll be busy preparing for year-end. Another year went by already

trans credit: kinghyungwon

[kristablogs]

Twenty features you didn’t know Android and iOS stole from each other

If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo. (Daniel Romero / Unsplash /)

Steve Jobs famously said that he wasn’t averse to stealing a great idea or two, and with the launch of iOS 14 on the horizon, people have started talking about Apple getting some ideas from Google’s Android.

But the swiping goes both ways—Android and iOS have taken plenty of ideas from each other over the years, which has resulted in two operating systems that are much more similar in features and functionality than they used to be.

Dig back a little and you’ll find plenty of examples—though we should say up-front this history is slightly edited. For example, one or two of these features appeared on the iPad before the iPhone, or in versions of Android from Samsung and LG before they appeared in the stock version.

1. Home screen widgets

For years, widgets were one of Android’s main advantages over iOS. This feature has enabled users to break the regimented rows and columns of app icons with media players, calendars, weather forecasts, mini maps and more, and has been present in Google’s operating system from its early stages. It took a while, but Apple has clearly taken note: After adding widgets to its Today view on iOS, they’re now coming to the iPhone home screen with iOS 14.

2. Gesture navigation

In 2017, the iPhone X got rid of the Home button and introduced a whole new way of getting around a smartphone—swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold to see recent apps, and so on. The team at Google must have liked the new navigation style, because Android adopted a similar set of gestures for both Android 9 and Android 10.

3. The app drawer

Historically, every app you’d install on an iOS device lived on your home screen, and the only way to keep it hidden was to bury it in a folder. Android users have been able to maintain decluttered home screens by hiding apps away in the app drawer (one tap away from the home screen), which Apple has now decided is a good idea. The hub will debut in the upcoming iOS 14, and it’ll be called App Library.

4. Notification badges

Some people find them more distracting than useful, but others couldn’t live without them. The small, simple notification badges on app icons debuted in iOS, showing users how many unread emails, messages, or other alerts awaited them. Android belatedly decided to add the same feature to its own interface with the launch of Android 8 in 2017.

5. Swipe to type

Android users had been enjoying the ability to swipe-and-type for years before iOS 13 added it as a native option in 2019. If you’re not familiar with this feature, get acquainted, because it’s a supercharged productivity aid—just swipe over the keyboard letters you want to input, without lifting your finger from the screen.

6. Granular privacy controls

Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location. ( Maksim Tarasov / Unspla/)

For a long time, Apple has been giving users a great deal of control over how apps handle your data, so they can only access information such as your location while they’re running. It’s such a good way to manage permissions that Google decided to add a close copy to its own OS with Android 10 in 2019.

7. A back button

Android is moving away from on-screen buttons these days, but for many years it had something iOS didn’t—a system-level “go back” button that took you to the previous screen, regardless of whether that was a different app or a different page. Eventually, Apple decided to add a back button of its own, up in the top left-hand corner, with the launch of iOS 9 in 2015.

8. Blue light filter

Before everyone got so obsessed over dark mode (and we’re still not sure why they are), there was night mode, which reduced blue light and turned the screen amber before bed. Apple introduced the feature with Night Shift in iOS 9.3 in March 2016, before Android followed suit with Night Mode in Android 8.0 Oreo almost a year and a half later.

9. Picture-in-picture mode

Another feature coming to the iPhone with iOS 14 is picture-in-picture, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you’re watching a video, you can keep it on screen in minimized form while you check out other apps on your handset. As the engineers at Apple are no doubt fully aware, picture-in-picture functionality has been available on Android since 2017.

10. Do Not Disturb

How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature? (Major Tom Agency / Unsplash/)

The Do Not Disturb mode is a staple of modern-day phones, giving you a brief respite from the flood of notifications that normally have your handset vibrating non-stop. This was a feature Apple added first to iOS 6 in 2012. Google took its time and added it to its OS in 2014 with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. (That was back when Android versions still had cute snack names.)

11. Over the air updates

Cast your mind back to 2011, when Apple released iOS 5, the first version of its OS that could be updated over Wi-Fi without requiring you to plug your phone into a computer and sync it with iTunes. This was a great feat back then, since Wi-Fi wasn’t quite as fast as it is now. But it wasn’t such a big whoop after all—Android users had already been updating their devices over the air for several years.

12. Digital assistants

Apple originally beat Google to the digital assistant punch—they bought Siri and integrated it into the iPhone 4S in 2011. Nine months later, Google launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which included the Google Now feature that eventually morphed into the Google Assistant we have today.

13. The notification drawer

You think notifications are bad today? Let me remind you that back when the iPhone ran iOS 4, notifications interrupted whatever you were doing with a pop-up on your screen. Luckily, Apple realized how annoying this was, so iOS 5 introduced the notification drawer that allowed users to access all their updates by swiping down from the top of the screen. This wasn’t an original design though, since it was already a standard fixture on Android devices.

14. Screenshot annotations

With the arrival of iOS 11 in 2017, screenshots got a little different—users were able to tap on a screengrab right after capturing it to bring up a special annotation menu for adding doodles or applying a crop. Google added something similar to Android, but not until Android 9.0 Pie, which didn’t arrive on phones until mid-2018.

15. A native mapping app

Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010. (Apple/)

Strange though it might seem now, the iPhone launched with Google Maps as its default mapping app, and it wasn’t until 2012 that Apple Maps appeared on the scene with iOS 6. Since then it’s continued to play catch-up with Google Maps, including the recent introduction of its Look Around (aka Street View) road-level photography feature.

16. Selfie camera

This was a close one, but Apple just got there first—the iPhone 4 from June 2010 was the first with a front-facing camera, but Android phones didn't get official support for a selfie cam until Android 2.3 Gingerbread, launched in December of the same year. We've only been snapping selfies properly for a decade, yet somehow it feels like it's been much longer.

17. Set default apps

Considering Apple hasn’t really promoted this new iOS 14 feature, it’s likely they’re adding it reluctantly. When the software update arrives, it’ll be the first time iPhone users will be able to set default apps for their email and web browsing that aren’t Apple Mail or Safari—a feature Android users have been making the most of for quite a while.

18. Record the screen

The ability to make a video recording of whatever’s happening on screen has been available to iPhone users for a long, long time now. It’s still not available in Android, but it looks as though Google is readying this very feature for the launch of Android 11 later this year (currently in beta).

19. Low battery mode

For some years, iOS lagged behind Android in not having a specialized low-battery mode. Apple loyalists would say iPhones didn’t really need one, but the feature was eventually added to Apple’s mobile devices in iOS 9, cutting down on the number of background processes running at once and reducing CPU performance.

20. Emergency contact information

Did you know you can add emergency contact information to your phone? This can be accessed directly from your device’s lock screen so other people can get to it in case something happens to you. Today, both Android and iOS have this feature in their settings, but Apple devices were the first to introduce the option. Android added it to its Nougat (7.0) update in 2016.

[scootoaster]

Twenty features you didn’t know Android and iOS stole from each other

If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo. (Daniel Romero / Unsplash /)

Steve Jobs famously said that he wasn’t averse to stealing a great idea or two, and with the launch of iOS 14 on the horizon, people have started talking about Apple getting some ideas from Google’s Android.

But the swiping goes both ways—Android and iOS have taken plenty of ideas from each other over the years, which has resulted in two operating systems that are much more similar in features and functionality than they used to be.

Dig back a little and you’ll find plenty of examples—though we should say up-front this history is slightly edited. For example, one or two of these features appeared on the iPad before the iPhone, or in versions of Android from Samsung and LG before they appeared in the stock version.

1. Home screen widgets

For years, widgets were one of Android’s main advantages over iOS. This feature has enabled users to break the regimented rows and columns of app icons with media players, calendars, weather forecasts, mini maps and more, and has been present in Google’s operating system from its early stages. It took a while, but Apple has clearly taken note: After adding widgets to its Today view on iOS, they’re now coming to the iPhone home screen with iOS 14.

2. Gesture navigation

In 2017, the iPhone X got rid of the Home button and introduced a whole new way of getting around a smartphone—swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold to see recent apps, and so on. The team at Google must have liked the new navigation style, because Android adopted a similar set of gestures for both Android 9 and Android 10.

3. The app drawer

Historically, every app you’d install on an iOS device lived on your home screen, and the only way to keep it hidden was to bury it in a folder. Android users have been able to maintain decluttered home screens by hiding apps away in the app drawer (one tap away from the home screen), which Apple has now decided is a good idea. The hub will debut in the upcoming iOS 14, and it’ll be called App Library.

4. Notification badges

Some people find them more distracting than useful, but others couldn’t live without them. The small, simple notification badges on app icons debuted in iOS, showing users how many unread emails, messages, or other alerts awaited them. Android belatedly decided to add the same feature to its own interface with the launch of Android 8 in 2017.

5. Swipe to type

Android users had been enjoying the ability to swipe-and-type for years before iOS 13 added it as a native option in 2019. If you’re not familiar with this feature, get acquainted, because it’s a supercharged productivity aid—just swipe over the keyboard letters you want to input, without lifting your finger from the screen.

6. Granular privacy controls

Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location. ( Maksim Tarasov / Unspla/)

For a long time, Apple has been giving users a great deal of control over how apps handle your data, so they can only access information such as your location while they’re running. It’s such a good way to manage permissions that Google decided to add a close copy to its own OS with Android 10 in 2019.

7. A back button

Android is moving away from on-screen buttons these days, but for many years it had something iOS didn’t—a system-level “go back” button that took you to the previous screen, regardless of whether that was a different app or a different page. Eventually, Apple decided to add a back button of its own, up in the top left-hand corner, with the launch of iOS 9 in 2015.

8. Blue light filter

Before everyone got so obsessed over dark mode (and we’re still not sure why they are), there was night mode, which reduced blue light and turned the screen amber before bed. Apple introduced the feature with Night Shift in iOS 9.3 in March 2016, before Android followed suit with Night Mode in Android 8.0 Oreo almost a year and a half later.

9. Picture-in-picture mode

Another feature coming to the iPhone with iOS 14 is picture-in-picture, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you’re watching a video, you can keep it on screen in minimized form while you check out other apps on your handset. As the engineers at Apple are no doubt fully aware, picture-in-picture functionality has been available on Android since 2017.

10. Do Not Disturb

How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature? (Major Tom Agency / Unsplash/)

The Do Not Disturb mode is a staple of modern-day phones, giving you a brief respite from the flood of notifications that normally have your handset vibrating non-stop. This was a feature Apple added first to iOS 6 in 2012. Google took its time and added it to its OS in 2014 with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. (That was back when Android versions still had cute snack names.)

11. Over the air updates

Cast your mind back to 2011, when Apple released iOS 5, the first version of its OS that could be updated over Wi-Fi without requiring you to plug your phone into a computer and sync it with iTunes. This was a great feat back then, since Wi-Fi wasn’t quite as fast as it is now. But it wasn’t such a big whoop after all—Android users had already been updating their devices over the air for several years.

12. Digital assistants

Apple originally beat Google to the digital assistant punch—they bought Siri and integrated it into the iPhone 4S in 2011. Nine months later, Google launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which included the Google Now feature that eventually morphed into the Google Assistant we have today.

13. The notification drawer

You think notifications are bad today? Let me remind you that back when the iPhone ran iOS 4, notifications interrupted whatever you were doing with a pop-up on your screen. Luckily, Apple realized how annoying this was, so iOS 5 introduced the notification drawer that allowed users to access all their updates by swiping down from the top of the screen. This wasn’t an original design though, since it was already a standard fixture on Android devices.

14. Screenshot annotations

With the arrival of iOS 11 in 2017, screenshots got a little different—users were able to tap on a screengrab right after capturing it to bring up a special annotation menu for adding doodles or applying a crop. Google added something similar to Android, but not until Android 9.0 Pie, which didn’t arrive on phones until mid-2018.

15. A native mapping app

Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010. (Apple/)

Strange though it might seem now, the iPhone launched with Google Maps as its default mapping app, and it wasn’t until 2012 that Apple Maps appeared on the scene with iOS 6. Since then it’s continued to play catch-up with Google Maps, including the recent introduction of its Look Around (aka Street View) road-level photography feature.

16. Selfie camera

This was a close one, but Apple just got there first—the iPhone 4 from June 2010 was the first with a front-facing camera, but Android phones didn't get official support for a selfie cam until Android 2.3 Gingerbread, launched in December of the same year. We've only been snapping selfies properly for a decade, yet somehow it feels like it's been much longer.

17. Set default apps

Considering Apple hasn’t really promoted this new iOS 14 feature, it’s likely they’re adding it reluctantly. When the software update arrives, it’ll be the first time iPhone users will be able to set default apps for their email and web browsing that aren’t Apple Mail or Safari—a feature Android users have been making the most of for quite a while.

18. Record the screen

The ability to make a video recording of whatever’s happening on screen has been available to iPhone users for a long, long time now. It’s still not available in Android, but it looks as though Google is readying this very feature for the launch of Android 11 later this year (currently in beta).

19. Low battery mode

For some years, iOS lagged behind Android in not having a specialized low-battery mode. Apple loyalists would say iPhones didn’t really need one, but the feature was eventually added to Apple’s mobile devices in iOS 9, cutting down on the number of background processes running at once and reducing CPU performance.

20. Emergency contact information

Did you know you can add emergency contact information to your phone? This can be accessed directly from your device’s lock screen so other people can get to it in case something happens to you. Today, both Android and iOS have this feature in their settings, but Apple devices were the first to introduce the option. Android added it to its Nougat (7.0) update in 2016.