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rendezvouz-fling · 12 days

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Celebrities you share placements with Pisces Placements Edition

Pisces rising:

• Whitney Houston

• Michael Jackson

• Gwyneth Paltrow

• Ryan Gosling

• Richard Pryor

• Billie Eilish

• Andrew Garfield

• Ringo Starr

• Tony Hawk

• Kourtney Kardashian

• Ellen DeGeneres

• Zayn Malik

• John Stamos

• Demi Moore

• Antonio Banderas

• Jay-Z

• Brandy Norwood

• Nancy Spungen

• Amanda Bynes

• Phylicia Rashad

Pisces sun:

• Elizabeth Taylor

• Eva Longoria

• Victoria Justice

• Kurt Cobain

• Trever Noah

• Steve Jobs

• Adam Levine

• George Harrison

• Camila Cabello

• Stephen Curry

• Olivia Rodrigo

• Shaq

• Queen Latifah

• Cindy Crawford

• Floyd Mayweather Jr.

• Terrence Howard

• Rebel Wilson

• Dakota Fanning

• Becky G

• Kat Von D

Pisces moon:

• Prince

• Axl Rose

• Lacey Chabert

• Jhene Aiko

• Bad Bunny

• Erykah Badu

• Freddie Prince Sr.

• Shailene Woodley

• Jason Statham

• Dylan O'Brien

• Felicity Jones

• Robert De Niro

• Kidada Jones

• Sarah Michelle Gellar

• Luke Mitchell

• Vanessa Hudgens

• Macaulay Culkin

• Joey King

• Kevin James

• Matt LeBlanc

Pisces mercury:

• Heath Ledger

• Lady Gaga

• Lily Collins

• Reese Witherspoon

• Shay Mitchell

• Ashley Greene

• Jennifer Grey

• Joan Crawford

• Daniel Gillies

• Michael B. Jordan

• Vida Guerra

• Pharrell Williams

• Jenny Slate

• Matthew Lawrence

• Luke Evans

• Vince Neil

• Eddie Murphy

• Jackie Chan

• Jennifer Love Hewitt

• Christina Ricci

Pisces venus:

• Selena Quintanilla

• Brandi Quiñones

• Drew Barrymore

• Orlando Bloom

• Michelle Pfeiffer

• Kristen Stewart

• Barbra Streisand

• John Travolta

• Emma Watson

• Jon Bon Jovi

• Diana Ross

• Iggy Pop

• Alice Cooper

• Victoria Beckham

• Celine Dion

• Justin Bieber

• Michelle Obama

• Samantha Fox

• Dave Grohl

• Dove Cameron

Pisces mars:

• Denzel Washington

• Rowan Atkinson

• Tom Hanks

• Marilyn Monroe

• Shirley Temple

• Tina Turner

• Bob Dylan

• Phil Collins

• Heidi Klum

• Paris Hilton

• Elton John

• Enrique Iglesias

• Eric Clapton

• Ellie Goulding

• Ricky Martin

• Lisa Marie Presley

• Paco Rabanne

• LL Cool J

• Kelly Rowland

• Big Pun

#astro community #astroblr #astro posts #astrology #astro blog #rendezvous-fling #pisces placements #pisces venus #pisces mercury #pisces sun #pisces rising #pisces moon #pisces mars #pisces

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storyofmychoices · 1 year

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Lilah Jessica Rose (Crimes of Passion)

[Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose Masterlist]

What's in a Name? (That which we call a Rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.)

Lilah (lie-lah) has a few meanings depending on the culture and its origin. It can be a derivation of Delilah, Leila, and Lilith. Lilah means delicate, night, and night beauty (Hebrew and Arabic). It can also mean night monster (Hebrew). Lilah also means tulip (Persian).

Jessica (jess-ih-cah) means "God Beholds" or "she will see". Jessica was first used in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Rose (rohz) means a flower, a rose

Nicknames: canon nicknames + Lala (when she was younger), Veronica (as in Mars, when she started playing detective in school)

DOB: August 27 (age 32) Zodiac: Virgo Personality: logical, hardworking, observant, reliable, loyal, kind hearted, stubborn, overly independent, sometimes hypercritical and nit-picky

Love Interest: Trystan Thorne

Hair: Medium to Dark Brown, generally down with waves Eye Color: Brown Alternative Hair/Eye Color: She often wears wigs and colored contacts if she has to go undercover.

Height: 5'7" (1.7m)

FC: Troian Bellisario

Hometown: New York, NY

Parents: James "Jimmy" Rose (father ✝), Evelyn "Eve" Rose (née Mitchell) (mother)

Pets: Marple (boxer, dog)

Education: John Jay College of Criminal Justice: Bachelors in Criminal Justice and a minor in Criminology, summa cum laude ; NYPD Police Academy; Detective Training through the NYPD

Occupations:

Private Investigator (current)

Bartender at the Drunk Tank (current/as needed)

NYPD Homicide Unit (former)

Barista (to pay for college and her coffee addiction) (former, being a barista not the coffee addiction)

Fun Facts / Things to know

Lilah has always been observant and aware of her surroundings, even as a child she could recall details about places she'd been and people she'd met briefly.

Lilah is a coffee connoisseur. She has a deep appreciation for coffee and considers it an essential part of her daily routine. While she has her favorite roasts, bean type, and variety of order, when it comes down to it, she's not picky. Coffee is coffee and bad coffee is better than no coffee.

Lilah does not have a lot of dating experience. Once her father died, she closed herself off for a few years, and then turned her focus on the job. She takes great pride in her work and has never regretted her choice.

Lilah generally enjoys detective shows but she can't figure out if she likes the shows or just critiquing them and pointing out errors or ways the detective could have done something differently.

Lilah loves the show Psych. She thinks its outrageously ridiculous but that some how makes it even better. She doesn't even bother trying to critique it, she just went along for the ride. She does at time ask herself "how many hats are in the room?" or a similarly appropriate question to keep her mind sharp and actively observing her surroundings.

Lilah is allergic to fresh pineapple.

Lilah loves puzzles and mind teasers.

Outfit Alternatives:

Lilah's dress for the Governor's ball (COP1)

Lilah's undercover socialite outfit (COP2)

Lilah's dress for dinner with the Thornes (COP2)

Lilah's coronation dress (COP2)

Asks + Other Things

Summer Character Challenge

Business Card

Favorite TV

Learn more about Lilah through different summer prompts

[original dossier post here]

#Lilah Rose #choices book club #choices cop #cop mc #lovealexhunt #may2023 #trystan thorne x mc

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kowalskiology101 · 1 month

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My MoFy ranking of 6 main adult characters' parents seen and unseen from loved to despised by me

I come and go from this site as I please. These are my personal opinions. The parents of the 6 main adults who were adults from the beginning.

1.Frank Dunphy- Always supportive and comes to things like seeing his granddaugther's boyfriend's band play in an under 21 club with his daughter in law's brother's gay partner. Always wants Phil to follow his own path and dream big. The biggest dreamer in the show.

2. Grace Dunphy- I feel like how she impacted the characters really says a lot about her. And she wanted someone to take care of Frank after she died even if that relationship didn't work out. And she's one of the few adult family members who seemed to understand and relate to Alex.

3. Jay Pritchett- Mostly high up based on his ability to change through the series. Later seasons didn't do season 5 finale Jay justice as much as it should. He still had issues with Joe's toenails being painted or Manny not being 'manly'. But he and Mitch did come to the middle a bit and I love his overall character arc.

4. Pilar Ramirez- Mainly because the next two are unseen and the rest aren't great. She's very protective of her daughter and she does care about family.

5. Fulgencio Ramirez- honestly we don't know much but from how Gloria describes him, he sounds pretty decent. He could be tied or switched with Jay's mom simply because we don't have enough info.

6. Jay's mom- She seems a bit stern as she didn't like Mitch cutting his spaghetti (depending on how old a kid is, I'd cut spaghetti so they don't choke) but definitely stuck up for Jay when he was being berated by a coach when he was a kid.

7. Merle Tucker- He did have an affair in 1977 but that was pre series and resolved off screen. He may have made a cake topper and visited willingly and given presents, he really was still uncomfortable up to the date of the wedding. We only saw him 3 episodes (2 if you count the wedding as one big episode) He couldn't even tell the two dudes that the 'father of the bride' doesn't exist because sons are gay. Granted, Jay didn't either, but Merle seems like a pretty uninvolved parent. Uninvolved to the point of letting Barb do what she wants and not paying attention to how his kids are being raised. We don't know much about Cam's other siblings, but Pam and Cam are a result of bad parenting (I know script says they do this and that and I know it's a sitcom and not that deep, but I'm a writer and this is my current fandom obsession. So it is that deep for the stories)

8. Dede Pritchett- I'll just echo something Mitch said in the crazy train episode and should've remembered "She's a scheming dragon woman hell-bent on destroying everyone around her" (I actually disliked Mitchell the most in Good Grief for dismissing how horrible Dede was to Claire)

9. Jay's dad- While Dede was a living presence, she really impacted one generation. Jay's dad impacted two. His son and grandson by emotional neglect. He's not mentioned that many times but when he is mentioned around Mitch, the redhead is silent (could just be script choice and me reading too much into it-shush, my opinion). Claire does mention him going on a racist rant about Pearl Harbor bc he saw sushi in a store in the seventies. I admit some fanon interpretations have impacted me, but I don't feel like it's a long shot to assume he was in some form mentally/emotionally abusive. There is a mentioned incident of Mitch not being able to stand salt and vinegar chips due to childhood trauma when he was seven and Cam knows since he was more concerned about Lily underperforming in a talent show at that moment and said 'can't relive this with you right now'. It could be a bully who made him eat the chips, I personally headcanon it being Mitch's grandfather forcing him after he tried one and spit it in the trash.

10. Barb Tucker- What could be worse than narcissistic, scheming dragon lady mother or man who spurred generational (at least emotional) trauma? My issues with Barb were initially just her continuous sexual assault of Mitchell (damn writers for just being ok with this) and being cheated on in the past doesn't absolve her of future crimes. What she did to Mitchell was bad enough, but I've been thinking of her impact on Cam and how not only did she baby him and treat him like the golden child, but years after Cam and Mitch were married, Barb seemingly 'still blames herself to this day' for Cam being gay because she once washed his mouth out with soap in the shape of (leaning tower of Pisa or Eiffel tower). So that got me thinking is she trying to scare Mitch away and somehow turn her son straight? Barb will always be the character I dislike most on this show. More than Pam because it's at least partially her fault Pam and Cam are so 'high and mighty' . Yes, even more than Gil Thorpe.

#modern family #cameron tucker #mitchell pritchett #jay pritchett #gloria pritchett #claire dunphy #phil dunphy #pls take with grain of salt or mountain of salt #reviews

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negative-speedforce · 4 months

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Alright, your turn! If YOUR OCs starred in a movie, who would you pick to play them?

(I know you have a ton of OCs, feel free to just do the ones you can come up with a good answer for - I struggled to pick people for this and I have like half the OCs you do lol)

Alright so some of these people aren't actors or anything but they're definitely who I imagine the characters looking like-

Siv: Romy Flores, 100%. She's got the face, the nose, the "don't give a fuck" attitude. All she'd really need is gray contact lenses and either a haircut or a short wig.

Hailey: Lynk Lee isn't 100% perfect for Hailey, since Hailey has a more stocky, muscular build, but in the hypothetical movie, if she were to do some weight training, she could definitely do Hailey justice. Also, she'd need green/blue contacts for Hailey's post-death heterochromatic eyes.

Jay: Cameron Russo is the closest I can get to how I imagine Jay looking, though I would hypothetically want to cast someone who was both transmasc and physically disabled, since Jay is both.

Cassandra: Donye Taylor is absolutely perfect for Cassandra- though if she were to play the role, I'd prefer her hair in braids or natural curls.

Arya: Cayley Spivey, 100%! This, but with elf ears and a shaggy mullet! (fun fact: Spivey was the fancast for Siv's original design)

Esme: Ava Max is my current fancast for her. She's got the bleach blonde hair, the "party girl" vibe and the angular yet cutesy face.

Gina: Lorna Baez would make a pretty good Gina, imo, though she's a little older than the actual Gina was when she died, what movie doesn't have a 20-something playing a teen?

Ember: Marina Summers, a queen who starred in S1 of Drag Race Philippines, is absolutely perfect for Ember!

Cat: Even though she doesn't necessarily look entirely like Cat, I've never been able to imagine anyone but Anna Cathcart as her. I think its just the vibes lol.

Kyle: This random-ass hockey player from Minnesota, Ryan Johnson, has been my faceclaim for Kyle since I first created the character.

Max: Heng Sokvisal makes a pretty good Max, just slap on a pair of glasses and we're good to go!

Khalil: Shameik Moore makes the perfect Khalil imo. No comments, just vibes. (though since Khalil works as a makeup artist I'd definitely give him some gold eyeliner or something)

Reggie: Winnie Harlow's pretty much perfect for Reggie, though she'd need blue contacts because Reggie has xer dad's eyes.

Ameerah: Amandla Stenberg makes an absolutely amazing Ameerah, I'd definitely want her to have the light blonde hair like in the picture, and she'd need pink contacts to match Ameerah's description.

Rania: Denise Bidot, 10000000%. She's been my faceclaim for her for like, FOREVER.

Director Hawke: Julianne Moore, specifically in her "President Coin" look. Director Hawke was loosely based on President Coin, so I've always imagined her looking somewhat like her.

Meredith: Rachel Zegler, but with glasses and lighter brown hair.

Onnie: Same as Siv lol it's her multiversal variant

Jessi: Same as Esme, multiversal variant

Pippa: Veondre Mitchell is the perfect Pippa! She was actually the one who I initially based Pippa's appearance off of.

Hyun-Ki: Park Sung-Hoon is a pretty good Hyun-Ki. From his dramatic looks to his honestly kinda gorgeous voice. I don't doubt he'd make a great Hyun-Ki

Thalia: Teyonah Parris is Thalia, there's no doubt about it. Ever since I watched Wandavision and saw her as Monica Rambeau, I knew that she'd be perfect to play Thalia in her hypothetical movie.

Reyna: K-Pop soloist AleXa is a pretty good fancast for her, though she'd need some pretty good SFX makeup or CGI due to Reyna being a near-human felid species.

Athena: Alaqua Cox (AKA Echo from Hawkeye) is how I imagine Athena looks, but with a white streak in the front of her hair (and a lot more seductive of an aesthetic)

Laila: Youtuber Beth Crowley is my faceclaim for Laila, though as Laila I'd want her to either don a short bob or a short wig, and amber contacts.

Marie: Haruna Ono is a great faceclaim for Marie, though she'd need SFX makeup for Marie's Romulan features and her Borg implants.

Qiara: Due to Qiara's nature as a being of pure energy, she doesn't necessarily take the same form at all times. However, the one she frequents the most could very well be portrayed by Chiquis Rivera.

Liah: Raquel Rodriguez would make a great Liah, she has the right height and build for her, she would just need SFX makeup for Liah's Cardassian features, and hazel contacts.

Samira: Desiree Akhavan would make a pretty good Samira. She definitely fits how I imagine Samira to look, and she's got the right vibe to play her as well.

Sohelia: Golshifteh Farahani is a pretty good faceclaim for Sohelia, though she'd need some light makeup to make her skin more ashy, due to Sohelia being half-vampire.

Vanessa: Skater Erin Jackson is absolutely perfect for Vanessa, though for most of the movie she'd be replaced with either a puppet or CGI double for her monster form.

Dolores: Diane Guerrero is perfect for Dolores. She'd just need some minor makeup in order to look more like a vampire, i.e. ashy skin, red eyes, fangs, etc.

I don't have faceclaims for Eric, Jacob, Antonio, Cory, Soraya, Aldrich, Matt, or Victorie yet.

#ask revan #oc shit #practically-an-x-man

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reddancer1 · 2 months

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Heather Cox Richardson

February 25, 2024 (Sunday)

The last several days have seen a Republican stampede to distance the party from the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision of a week ago, when it ruled that embryos frozen for in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children and that their injury can be treated like injury to a child. That decision has led major healthcare providers in Alabama to stop IVF procedures out of fear of prosecution.

IVF is very popular—about 2% of babies born in the U.S. are the product of IVF—and Republicans recognize that endangering the procedure has the potential to be a dealbreaker in the upcoming election.

The fury at the Alabama decision of those who have spent years and tens of thousands of dollars in their quest to be parents was articulated yesterday in a conversation between Abbey Crain and Stephanie McNeal of Glamour, in which Crain recounted her five-year IVF journey and noted that the Alabama justice who wrote the decision, Jay Mitchell, “who,” as she said, “lives five miles down the road from me, goes to a church that people in my circle go to, and has children in schools in my community, has more of a say in whether and when I get to be a mom than me.”

The Alabama decision is a direct result of the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, decided thanks to the three religious extremists former president Trump nominated to the Supreme Court. That decision referred to fetuses as “unborn human being[s]” when it overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion. The Alabama decision cited the Dobbs case 15 times, relying on it to establish that “the unborn” are “living persons with rights and interests.”

Republicans are now denying they intended to halt IVF with their antiabortion stance and their appointment of religious extremists to the courts. But that position doesn’t square with the fact that since the Dobbs decision, they have pressed for so-called personhood laws, laws that give the full rights of a person to an embryo from the time of conception. Since Dobbs, sixteen state legislatures have introduced personhood laws, and four Republican-dominated states—Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, and Arizona, although Arizona’s has been blocked—have passed them.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans introduced a national personhood bill as soon as they took control in January 2023. The bill, titled “Life at Conception Act,” currently has 124 co-sponsors, including House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). On Friday, Johnson claimed to support IVF, raising the question of what exactly that support for IVF means, considering the process requires discarding certain embryos.

In the U.S. Senate, Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a “Life at Conception Act” on January 28, 2021. It currently has 18 co-sponsors, including Steve Daines (R-MT), who is the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the official campaign organization to elect Republican senators. On Friday the NRSC distributed a memo to candidates telling them to “align with the public’s overwhelming support for IVF and fertility treatments.”

While it is the IVF story that has garnered the most attention this weekend—likely because it has obvious implications for the 2024 election and Republicans have tried to rush away from it—it is simply a different facet of a larger story: the leaders of the Republican Party are working to overthrow democracy.

On February 15, news broke that Alexander Smirnov, the informant who had provided the “evidence” that then–vice president Joe Biden and his son had each taken a $5 million bribe from the Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma, had been indicted by a federal grand jury for lying and “creating a false and fictitious record.” On February 20, Trump-appointed Special Counsel David Weiss of the Justice Department filed a document concluding that Smirnov has “extensive and extremely recent” ties with “Russian intelligence agencies.”

The use of Russian disinformation to destabilize democracy in the U.S. looks much like the information warfare Russia has used to establish Ukrainian leaders that worked for the Kremlin. It was the ouster of one of those leaders, Viktor Yanukovych, in the 2014 Maidan Revolution ten years ago that prompted Russian president Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine later that year. Yanukovych won office with the help of American political consultant Paul Manafort, who advised and, briefly, chaired the Trump campaign in 2016, when it weakened the Republican party’s platform plank that supported arming Ukraine against Putin after his 2014 invasion.

Seeding lies about corruption that came from Russian-linked Ukrainians was central to Trump’s 2019 impeachment: his phone call to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky demanding Zelensky announce an investigation into Burisma and Joe Biden’s son Hunter was part of an attempt to create dirt on the Bidens. That call happened after Trump’s advisor Rudy Giuliani went to Ukraine, where he talked to “an active Russian agent,” according to the FBI. FBI agents warned Giuliani that he was a target of Russian disinformation.

That poison has now spread from Trump’s rogue team in the White House to the Republican Party itself, which has apparently been carrying water for Putin at the very center of our government.

Meanwhile, under pressure from Trump loyalists in the House, Speaker Johnson is refusing to take up a measure to aid Ukraine in its resistance to Russia’s 2022 invasion. Such a measure is popular in the U.S., both among the population in general and among lawmakers. While other countries can provide funds, only the U.S. has enough of the required war matériel Ukraine so desperately needs. Already, Russia has managed to retake the key city of Avdiivka because Ukraine’s troops don’t have enough ammunition, and today Jimmy Rushton, a Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst, quoted a Ukrainian officer’s report that they can’t “medivac our guys from the contact line anymore because we don’t have any artillery ammunition to suppress the Russians. We have to leave them to die.”

The reluctance of House Republicans to support Ukraine has global implications. Putin is trying to tear up the rules-based international order that has protected international boundaries since World War II, while Trump has threatened to destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that holds back Russian aggression. In the Wall Street Journal on Friday, chief foreign affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov noted that European countries are worried that the U.S. will not defend its allies, while Putin has made “a de facto military alliance with the rogue regimes of North Korea and Iran while growing closer and closer to authoritarian China.”

European nations have expanded their own military production and support for Ukraine; Poland and the Baltic states have invested far more in their militaries than NATO’s threshold of 2% of a nation’s gross domestic product. In the Washington Post, Michael Birnbaum reported Friday that some of the nations that border Russia are looking again at land mines, concertina wire, and trenches—the technology of last century’s wars—to protect themselves from a Russian invasion.

Putin and allies like Viktor Orbán of Hungary have been clear they believe democracy is obsolete. Far-right extremists in the United States agree, insisting that democracy’s demand for equal rights before the law undermines society as immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and women’s rights challenge “traditional” values. That ideological justification has led many white evangelical Christians to flock to Trump’s strongman persona.

How religion and authoritarianism have come together in modern America was on display Thursday, when right-wing activist Jack Posobiec opened this weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington, D.C., with the words: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.” He held up a cross necklace and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”

But Saturday’s South Carolina Republican primary suggested that the drive to lay waste to American democracy is not popular. Trump won the state, as expected, by about 60%—lower than predicted. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley won 40% of the vote. This means that Trump will have to continue spending money he doesn’t currently have on his campaign.

More important than that, even, is that it shows that even in a strongly Republican state, 40% of primary voters—the party’s most loyal voters—prefer someone else. As Mike Allen of Axios wrote today: “If America were dominated by old, white, election-denying Christians who didn’t go to college, former President Trump would win the general election in…a landslide.” But, Allen added, “It’s not.”

Which may be precisely why Trump loyalists intend to overthrow democracy.

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offender42085 · 7 months

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Post 1061

Aaron Cody Smith, Alabama inmate 322406, born 1993, incarceration intake May 2022 at age 28, parole consideration April 2024, Minimum release date August 2026, sentenced for 14 years

Manslaughter

In December 2022, the Alabama Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by a former Montgomery police officer to overturn his conviction of manslaughter in the 2016 shooting death of 58-year-old Gregory Gunn.

In January 2020, Aaron Cody Smith was sentenced to 14 years in prison after chasing and tasing Gunn in a west Montgomery neighborhood in the early hours of Feb. 25, 2016, before fatally shooting him.

Smith resigned from MPD following his conviction and until May 2022, he remained free on a $300,000 appeal bond.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals denied Smith’s appeal on two prior occasions, and once a judge ordered him to begin serving his sentence in May 2022, Smith filed his petition with the Alabama Supreme Court for an appeal.

Of the six justices who concurred with the court’s decision several noted that Smith’s case could have grounds for further appeals.

“It is rare to read an appellate-court decision that simultaneously affirms a defendant's conviction while also describing as ‘largely undisputed’ a factual record that seems more consistent with the defendant's innocence than his guilt,” Justice Jay Mitchell wrote. “But the Court of Criminal Appeals' memorandum in this case does just that.”

Justice Tommy Bryan wrote a separate, also concurring, opinion to highlight that Smith’s counsel failed to challenge the “adequacy of specific-intent evidence” at trial, in a post-trial motion, on direct appeal or in his certiorari petition.

“That omission appears to be problematic and perhaps raises a serious question about the effectiveness of Smith's counsel,” Bryan wrote.

In Mitchell’s concurring opinion, he lays out the “undisputed evidence” of events on Feb. 25 according to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals as follows:

Smith was patrolling a neighborhood in west Montgomery around 3 a.m. when he drove past Gunn walking with his hands in his pockets. As Gunn began walking away, Smith got out of his car and stopped him for a pat-down. When Smith felt an object that “he believed could be a gun,” Gunn broke free and a chase ensued, according to court documents.

Smith used his taser and his baton on Gunn before pursuing him onto the front porch of a neighbor’s house. There, Gunn picked up a painter’s pole and lunged at Smith.

According to the opinion, Smith shot and killed Gunn. An autopsy showed seven gunshot wounds, concentrated on and around the arm Smith said Gunn was using to hold the painter’s pole.

When a Dale County jury convened in November of 2019, they found that Smith was guilty of intentionally causing the death of Gunn and that the intent was less culpable because it was caused in the sudden “heat of passion.”

Mitchell noted that the court could not conduct a de novo review, or decide on the case without referencing the decisions of lower courts.

“But if it is true, as the Court of Criminal Appeals stated, that the facts described above are ‘largely undisputed,’ then it is difficult to understand how a reasonable, properly instructed jury could have convicted Smith,” Mitchell wrote.

Moreover, he called Smith's failure to litigate the adequacy of specific-intent evidence “frankly, bizarre.”

#inmate

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months

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women's march for equality 1971

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 25, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

That poison has now spread from Trump’s rogue team in the White House to the Republican Party itself, which has apparently been carrying water for Putin at the very center of our government.

Which may be precisely why Trump loyalists intend to overthrow democracy.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Russian disinformation #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #history #South Carolina Primary #women's rights #human rights #reproductive rights #IVF #religious fundamentalism

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jwood718 · 2 months

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Alabama Supreme Court cites the Bible as it confers personhood on embryos in fertility clinics. Adria R. Walker writes in The Guardian:

"In a first-of-its-kind decision, the Alabama supreme court ruled Friday that frozen embryos are 'children', allowing two wrongful death suits against a Mobile fertility clinic to proceed...

Alabama's Supreme Court building. wikipedia

In 2021, a patient at Mobile’s Center for Reproductive Medicine wandered into the clinic’s cryogenic nursery and removed several embryos...'the subzero temperatures at which the embryos had been stored freeze-burned the patient’s hand, causing the patient to drop the embryos on the floor, killing them'...

Alabama supreme court justice Jay Mitchell wrote that embryos are indeed protected under the state’s existing law: 'The central question presented in these consolidated appeals, which involve the death of embryos kept in a cryogenic nursery, is whether the act contains an unwritten exception to that rule for extrauterine children...Under existing black-letter law, the answer to that question is no: the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.'...

...In 2018, Alabama voters passed a ballot measure granting fetuses full personhood rights, but the measure did not note whether that applied to frozen embryos.

In vitro fertilization. Dallas IVF.

The Alabama supreme court’s ruling repeatedly references God and the sanctity of life, citing the Bible and biblical scholars including Petrus van Mastricht, Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin. Chief Justice Thomas Parker wrote: 'Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself … this is true of unborn human life no less than it is of all other human life – that even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory.' [emphasis added]

Cook, the lone dissenting judge, argued that the decision should have been a legislative one, not a judicial one.

“It is not my role to judge whether ending this medical procedure is good or bad -- but it doubtless will have a huge impact on many Alabamians. And it underscores the need to have the legislature – not this court – address these issues through the legislative process.”

The recent decision will probably elevate the issue of personhood ahead of the 2024 elections.

Full story from The Guardian and audio from NPR's All Things Considered, by Alejandra Marquez Janse, Justine Kenin, and Alisa Chang.

What I wonder is: what happens now to the embryos that are implanted, but fail? In the All Things Consider story, it is highlighted that multiple embryos are the norm in the procedure as just one may not result in pregnancy, so additional embryos are on-hand for a multiple attempts. If that single implementation fails, is the woman seeking to become a mother then liable for that embryo's death? It would be an easy leap for a state government to come to this conclusion, and penalize the patient. Would they cite religious texts to do so, even if the patient wasn't Christian? If that state supreme court has no hesitation in touting itself as unabashedly Christian, there won't be much stopping others doing so.

#these united states #fetal personhood?#Alabama #in vitro fertilization

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theepsteinlist · 7 months

Text

"epstein" client lists

florida/LA:

ring leaders:

epstein and gf

r. kelly

jay-z

michael jackson

michael vick

donald trump

perps/victims: (i.e. their victims who joined the criminal conspiracy)

kelsey mayfield

megan thee stallion

beyonce knowles

targets: pretty runaway rich girls who wanna be ~bad girls~ for a weekend and ~seduce an older man~

epstein was known locally to strippers as mr. brown

nazi blood diamond money laundering:

doc martens

chanel

wal-mart

chick-fil-a

james avery

dr pepper/snapple/green mountain/keurig

walgreens

siemens

mcafee

doordash

uber

ubereats

hobby lobby

mcdonald's

coca-cola

american eagle

nazi pedophile blood money (m)/(b)illionaires:

robert a. eckert

sheila a. penrose

john w. rogers jr

miles d. white

richard childress

jen foyle

truett cathy

david green

meg whitman

john mcafee

alice walton

brian kelley

travis kalanick

mark zuckerberg

tony xu

texas:

new braunfels: ring leaders:

amy allen

sam allen

lori hines

donna simpson

targets: high school kids who just wanna ~have fun~ and ~have a safe environment to drink in~ because "there were adults present so it's safe"

perps:

sergio zamora

bryce parrock

chris allen

travis allen

clayton mott

curtis kostan

travis kostan

calvin hoffman

ashton henderson

hannah jeroswhatever jerosezswki

lisa pickens

rachael lee muschalek

courtney cashion

taylor davis

raelynn haggerty

adam sheldon

devin kelley

zach rhoades

ryan walker

taylor akins

samantha rich

stephanie gawlik

charlie miffleton

chris tysdal

ross johnson

reed edwards

paige beyer

landre nattinger

aubrie iverson

andrew shafer

matt durbin

spencer jergins

clint whitley

tim word

chad laborde

chez council

"victims"? (participants with a wide spectrum of consent that were nonetheless assaulted/exploited)

maggie osborne

esmerelda ??? (zapatos?)

liz perez

autumn reno

angel ??? (bustos?)

destiney sheldon

katie turpin

kiki grossman

lauren laborde

lindsay smith

stephen lupton

landre nattinger

ashton henderson

hannah jerosewzski

kkk:

ring leaders:

david duke

greg abbott

ken paxton

vance lesseig

walton family

taylor swift

david green

perps:

james reno

edwin braun

marisol padilla

chuck kirchhof

tom muschalek

dunno mr. zeitler's name

aforementioned men's wives

oakwood baptist church of new braunfels

community bible church of new braunfels

vance langley

coach schmidt

coach mclean

mrs. lindsay

ms. pradervand

mr. baker

mr. trollinger

mr. ??? (other NBHS short term criminal justice teacher in 2009)

officer broussard

shelby lesseig

rachael lee muschalek

kelsey mayfield

henry desroches

thomas neupert

michael brennan

mark hardiman

dr. hardiman

sam allen

judge and mrs. gray

targets: young teenagers that were ~special~, i.e. identified by the duke talent program

victims:

sam coronado

samantha allen

mitchell ridsdale

aaron criddle

ben turrubiates

akash motani

faizal khan

sterling demasters

zach mares

ethan poulter

jordan thiem

edward stockwell

anthony castilleja

charles tandy

jonathan dockall

emily brandon

lauren knipe

heather brown

josh burlison

the trix family

the piranha family

gavon payne

emma roddy

alison kim

sarah perrilloux

amanda and mary pike

sarah stiponavich

stephen phipps

allie alcala

jeremy priest

jackson faires

alex mott

marco martinez

brandon anderson

scott antoine

amber antoine

star hernandez

jessica atwell

rylee young

jamie hand

suzanne stricker

emily langendorff

olivia langley

taylor francis

ana castro

maria chavez

tanner brewer

katie ha

zach parrish

anthony tran

kylie blair

cullen nisson

ranger wallace

taylor mares

kathryne mares

jayme zigler

evan zigler

gracie payne

ellie payne

manuel deleon

the dione triplets

justin and taylor schwarz

araceli ayala

jamie bell

cassie barrett

jordan d'eri

rachel jones

andrew bryant

michael trombold

stephanie bryant

ashley bryant

daniel schroeder

kirsten schroeder

alexandria ingram

julianna pappalas

kindell hardin

edward yu

alexis lewis

katherine davis

ana ??? (katherine's girlfriend, texas a&m track team 2013)

ajay patel

james lamon

emily lamon

dionne diaz

mirea ayala

katelyn warner

kirby fisher

kyle fisher

tyler rougeux

kyle rougeux

josh chappell

kyle chappell

jaimee chapell

emily chappell

tyler mcdonald

marissa maddon

john maddon

tessa loge

eden bonneville

jack rhodes

andrew romero

lauren laborde

sarah laborde

stephenea sotcheff

sophia sotcheff

david mis

britton ware

will stapleton

canaan hoffman

caitie hoffman

sarah kreuger

ben jacks

ben triesch

gabe ramos

gene jacobson

aj jerosewszki

daniel phipps

daniel schumacher

eric stiebing

stephen rapp

maisha rumman

shradha thakur

vamsi vishnubhotla

michael carl

lindsay smith

lindsey kubena

samantha partida

steven partida

victoria rich

jennifer koepp

jenniffer flores

anne manzano

elizabeth villarreal

denise ortiz

kevin korpi

brad arnold

ed gonazles

david eckert

felicia curtis

trent wenzel

coach woodall

coach kilford

mrs. bock

mrs. lopez

ms. wetz

ms. caldwell

ms. biggs

mrs. thompson

oldest batey girl

oldest gorski girl

any other teenagers in central texas that have died in car crashes since 1980 or so

bharadwadj tanikella

hayley gray

colby callahan

austin milam

heath burley

california:

los angeles:

ring leader: grayson bauer

targets: young runaway artist girls

perps:

harvey weinstein

bill cosby

jack antonoff

dr. luke

jay-z

beyonce knowles

travis scott

drake

janelle monae

megan thee stallion

erykah badu

mark oliver everett

metallica

marina diamandis

breandan urie

lorde

victims: (ranging from financial abuse to outright sex trafficking)

grimes

ellie goulding

rina sawayama

billie eilish

shakira

avril lavigne

amy lee

ky voss

poppy

christine and the queens

cupcakke

K.I.D

la roux

kreayshawn

chloe chaidez

tove styrke

tove lo

bebe rexha

ximena sarinana

angel haze

azaelia banks

ashnikko

colbie caillat

charli xcx

kim petras

kacey musgraves

mia rodriguez

melanie martinez

jazmin bean

ivy levan

iggy azaelia

alice glass

cardi b

nicki minaj

hana

tatu

boa

charlotte sometimes

meiko

lana del rey

borns

sky ferreira

florence and the machine

sarah jaffe

alex winston

jessica hernandez

tegan and sara

caitlin rose

ralph

alice merton

miguel

hailey williams

emily king

rett madison

king mala

leikeli47

princess nokia

post malone

k.flay

sirah

sir babygirl

caroline polachek

yaeji

moses sumney

glasser

king princess

dorian electra

lil nas x

slayyyter

phoebe bridgers

harry styles

alicia keys

lil mariko

carrie underwood

kelly clarkson

mount moriah

zz ward

miranda lambert

the chicks

beyonce

frank ocean

chance the rapper

kesha

MNDR

ariana grande

britney spears

christina aguilera

alessia cara

mac demarco

ghost

juanes

weezer

sam fender

jason isbell

mexican institute of sound

la perla

gera mx

royal blood

st. vincent

white reaper

biffy clyro

the chats

off!

PUP

corey taylor

cage the elephant

vishal dadlani

divine

shor police

diet cig

flatbush zombies

dj scratch

ha*ash

jose madero

moses sumney

j balvin

chase & status

backroad gee

the neptunes

jon pardi

sebastian

portugal. the man

aaron beam

volbeat

the hu

tomi owo

phoebe bridgers

miley cyrus

watt

elton john

yo-yo ma

robert trujillo

chad smith

dave dahan

mickey guyton

dermot kennedy

mon laferte

igor levit

my morning jacket

pg roxette

darius rucker

chris stapleton

tresor

goodnight, texas

idles

imelda may

chery glazerr

izia

kamasi washington

rodrigo y gabriela

kimbra

d'angelo

worked with grayson, benefitted from him, but were not aware anything was going on or did their best to help:

st. lucia

tame impala

the hush sound

straylight run

anamanaguchi

the naked and famous

bastille

blue october

guster

old 97's

frank turner

awolnation

sea wolf

my chemical romance

atreyu

avenged sevenfold

greenday

blink-182

slipknot

blaqk audio

AFI

fall out boy

young the giant

san francisco:

ring leaders:

marc benioff

elon musk

travis kalanick

evan spiegel

steve jobs

jeff bezos

mark zuckerberg

steve chen

bill gates

michael dell

ren zhengfei

eoghan mccabe

secondary: grayson bauer using this circle for remote revenge crypto shills from 20mission and burning man preying on runaways as well

targets: queer tech-inclined teenagers

perps:

zach snow

dan granquist

jeremy whittington

taran patel

jim spagnola

seth tager

walter harley

jose garcia

connor cook

andrew zigler

chris sullivan

"anna lytical" (billy)

kelsey mayfield

caroline rhoades

henry desroches

mark hardiman

ben angel

ian coldwater

"belgium solanas" (michael troy judd)

meagan clawges

nalini prakash

lovi yu

peeyush aggarwal

victims:

matthew allen

samantha allen

janus rose

c boucher

chelsea manning

keffals

ben turrubiates

emily johnston

gavon payne

jamie delton

chris koch

amanda le

naomi wu

tux pacific

sev welker

alison kim

cara mazzi

ruby ??? (caroline's old roommate)

nick ??? (caroline's ex-boyfriend)

rachel forbes

daphne gunawan

trisha day

sidney powell

srijita mori

rebecca ??? (srijita's partner)

scott conger

erin nielsen

qinlin chen (catherine chen)

hank yang

kevin ren

aaron wong

matt hwang

chloe cauley

zane witherspoon

ana garcia

jeremy cruz

john lewis

lida wang

waylon clanton

wyatt clanton

tyler mcdonald

jasmine christiansen

new york/london/vegas && norcal/socal rivalries

ring leaders:

bernie madoff

jack antonoff

joanne rowling

evan spiegel

fox news, et al

new york times, et al

washington post, et al

the guardian, et al

noah pentecost

mark zuckerberg

jp morgan/chase bank/etrade

viacom

verizon

disney

scientologists

perps/profiteers:

lin manuel-miranda

bari weiss

sarah jeong

juliette sieve

ravi gill

will yang

jesse yang

sahil bhumi

???? (their armenian friend from stanford 2012 class)

antonis kartanapis

marko salkovic

erykah badu

oakstop coworking space

wag dogsitting app

kent from youtube & his sri lankan sugar mama

gabriella from wag

stephenie meyer

"e.l. james"

john green

hank green

susan collins

meg cabot

angela santomero

john kricfalusi

tom cruise

george r. r. martin

david benioff

targets: expressive, artistic teenagers envied by big money bankers and "feminist" writers

victims:

tori holland

janus rose

andrew bryant

daniel schroeder

max parks

amanda le

kelsey mayfield

samantha allen

josh burlison

ben turrubiates

henry desroches

nico ??? (from shippo)

sev welker

rachael kauffman

janelle monae

kim petras

scarlett ??? (my friend in the london club scene)

james sampson

james twigg

james sanchez

maria nunez

young asian women, age 18 - 22, going to raves and to vegas (i.e. "asian baby girls")

john lewis

lida wang

katie holmes

stacy london

carrie brownstein

boston

ring leaders:

richard stallman

steven pinker

mark zuckerberg

targets:

queer software engineers

perps:

priscilla chan

victims:

amanda le

samantha allen

josh burlison

jamie delton

jamie hand

katie ha

emily johnston

chris koch

cara mazzi

jasmine christiansen

mark hardiman

chicago && washington dc

ring leaders:

barack obama

rahm emanuel

beyonce knowles

joe biden

targets: pretty, light skinned, liberal teenagers interested in politics

victims:

samantha allen

emily brandon

lauren knipe

andrew zigler

andrew bryant

michael trombold

carissa nietzche

cassie barrett

jordan d'eri

haley gray

ben turrubiates

jose garcia

ana garcia

victoria benson

cj dehart

austin scarborough

stephen lupton

michael morton

michelle moon

jeff stevens

becky pickert

ashton nicole casey

carter freeman

#epstein

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tvobsessed96 · 1 year

Text

2022 TV Recap

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but I wanted to bring back something I used to quite enjoy doing! Reviewing and ranking the best TV I watched in a given year, that is. I kept track of all the new TV I watched last year on Twitter with the intention of picking a top 10 or top 5 episodes at the end. But after giving it some thought, I want to try something a little different. Since the pool is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be and I don’t particularly have the motivation to rank all the episodes anyway, I’ve decided it might be better if I simply recap and review the shows I watched last year and list a few standout episodes at the end! With that explanation out of the way, let’s get into it.

The Shows

This Is Us (Season 6)- One of the most talked about (and cried about) shows of the past decade came to an end in 2022, and I can honestly say it was pretty spectacular! The main focus of this season was how the Pearson family handled Rebecca’s declining health, and it was pretty effective. The performances all around were incredible, but I was especially stunned that Mandy Moore didn’t get her long overdue Emmy win or even a nomination! She’s long deserved it, and it’s a shame the show has ended without her getting that recognition. I know some fans said this season (particularly the finale) lacked some of the flashiness one might expect, especially considering how long they’d been planning this ending. But honestly, I can’t imagine a more perfect way to end this cozy, emotional family drama than what we got. Was it the best season of This Is Us overall? Maybe not. But it was certainly a very good one, and immensely satisfying in a number of different ways.

Ghosts (US) (Seasons 1B and 2A)- I decided to tune into Ghosts when it premiered in the fall of 2021 because it looked like a lot of fun and I’m a big fan of Rose McIver. Having never seen the British version, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’m so glad I tuned in! The beginning of season 1 is a little bit rough around the edges. But as the show has grown into itself and found its own voice, it’s become a true delight! Throughout the second half of season 1 and first half of season 2, the show just kept getting funnier and sweeter! I love all the ghosts, I love Sam and Jay, and I’m excited to see what fun stories the writers come up with now that the B&B has been fully operational for a bit. If you like charming, hilarious stories about a group of people who love each other having wacky adventures, this show might be for you!

Good Trouble (Season 4)- Good Trouble continues to be one of the best shows not enough people are talking about. I know a lot of fans were nervous going into this season when it was announced that Maia Mitchell would be leaving, but I think the writers handled it very well. The Coterie crew still feels like the Coterie crew! One thing that stood out to me the most was the character growth. Everyone feels so grown up and mature compared to when we first met them 4 years ago! Alice standing up for herself and regaining her confidence as a performer! Malika figuring herself out and making smart career moves while also not losing the passion for social justice that makes her who she is! Davia standing up to her mom, setting boundaries in her relationships, and finally having the courage to stop beating around the bush with Dennis! Gael becoming a father!! There’s a lot to look forward to in season 5, including the resolution of that insane cliffhanger, and I can’t wait!

Raven’s Home (Season 5)- I’m actually...not fully caught up on Raven’s Home. Oops! But I have watched enough of the season to be able to say that I’ve really enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel given the huge changes that were made and the absence of some beloved characters. I’m happy to say the show still brings a huge smile to my face! Ivy, Neil, and Alice are my children and they must be protected at all costs! And bringing Alana back as the principal was a brilliant choice!

So You Think You Can Dance (Season 17)- I enjoyed this season of SYTYCD. I did! I really liked the cast and there were some really great routines! Unfortunately, there were some things that disappointed me as well. For one, it was way too short. They’d been doing shorter seasons with smaller casts for a few years, but something about this season felt extra rushed and condensed. It felt like we barely had time to get to know the dancers before we were down to the final few. Additionally, as much as I tried to put a positive spin on it when it was first announced, limiting the voting to just the studio audience was not a great choice. If Fox can’t give SYTYCD the time and freedom it needs to truly live up to the potential of the format, maybe they shouldn’t have brought it back at all. That’s not to say I won’t be tuning in for season 18, which I assume is happening. Let’s hope the network hears the fans out!

Only Murders in the Building (Season 2)- I absolutely LOVED the first season of OMITB, and season 2 was also excellent! Funny, an acceptable amount of suspense, some great twists, and excellent character work! I’m not sure the mystery was quite as well crafted as the first season, but that didn’t make it any less engaging to watch. Really looking forward to season 3!

Reboot (Season 1)- As a TV nerd and a sitcom nerd specifically, there’s pretty much no way I wasn’t going to check this one out! It’s about the cast of a fictional sitcom from the 2000s coming back together to do a reboot. I expected it to be a silly good time, but it’s also surprisingly deep. It’s very funny, that’s for sure, but there’s also some great character work and satire going on, too. I recommend checking it out!

The Standout Episodes

“Kiss Me and Smile for Me” (Good Trouble 4x02)- How do you properly say goodbye to a character that’s been a huge part of your life for the better part of a decade? As a writer, as an actor, or as a fan? That was the task Good Trouble was presented with when Maia Mitchell decided she would be departing the role of Callie Adams Foster, and I think the writers did a very admirable job! The episode did a good job of closing this chapter of Callie’s life while making it clear that she has a very bright future ahead of her. From the goodbyes Callie got to have with each member of the Coterie crew, to the sometimes complicated but always heartwarming bond between the Adams Foster sisters, to the callback to Callie and Mariana’s first party at the Coterie, it was a truly lovely episode from start to finish! Callie Adams Foster will always be a very special character to me and watching her growth from the terrified teenager who didn’t believe she was worthy of love or a family to the confident woman who got on that plane to DC was incredible. I hope we get to see some more guest appearances before the show eventually ends!

“Miguel” and “The Train” (This Is Us 6x15 and 6x17)- Death and grief have always been themes that This Is Us has been pretty skilled at handling, but these two episodes took that to another level. First, we got “Miguel,” an immensely moving portrait of a character that never got the love he deserved from the fandom. I honestly believe Jack would be thrilled that his two best friends eventually ended up together. Miguel was there for Rebecca when she needed him the most and he was there was for her until his final days. And then there’s “The Train.” The fact that the show wasn’t nominated in multiple Emmy categories for this episode alone baffles me. Visually stunning, incredibly well written, and impeccably performed. Truly the sendoff Rebecca Pearson so richly deserved.

“Flipping the Pieces” (Only Murders in the Building 2x07)- It’s kind of hard to pick a favorite episode from OMITB season 2, but I think this one fits the bill. Mabel and Theo make a great duo, both comedically and dramatically! And I absolutely loved the metaphor of the puzzle pieces as it relates the repression of traumatic memories. The one thing I may have changed is the way Mabel kept talking at Theo even after he specifically told her he couldn’t pick up much of what she was saying just by reading her lips. But I get why the writers probably thought it was necessary and seeing her learn a little bit of ASL along the way was very sweet!

There you have it! Looking forward to another year of great TV!

#this is us #ghosts cbs #good trouble #raven's home #so you think you can dance #only murders in the building #reboot on hulu

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lignes2frappe · 1 year

Text

TRUE RELIGION, LA MARQUE DE JEANS QUE PLUS AUCUN RAPPEUR NE PORTE

10 mai 2013. True Religion Apparel Inc. confirme officiellement son rachat par la firme d’investissement TowerBrook Capital Partners pour la somme astronomique de 835 millions de dollars !

À titre de comparaison, quand, en 2007, Jay Z a conclu le plus gros deal l’histoire du rap en revendant sa marque de fringues Rocawear, le montant de la transaction n’était « que » de 204 millions de dollars.

Bien connu du milieu de la mode pour avoir par le passé déjà pris le contrôle de Jimmy Choo, Odlo ou Phase Eight, TowerBrook Capital Partners n’a évidemment pas agi sur un coup de tête. À l’instant T, True Religion n’est en effet pas juste une marque de plus en vogue, c’est LA marque en vogue.

Son logo en forme de Bouddha qui joue de la guitare acoustique et ses fers à cheval brodés sur les poches arrière de ses jeans sont depuis quelques saisons omniprésents dans les garde-robes des célébrités, que ce soit chez les habituées des tabloïds (Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan…), les acteurs et les actrices (Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Willis, toute la distribution de la série Desperate Housewives…), ainsi que l’entièreté du rap mainstream (Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Future, Jim Jones et les Black Eyed Peas l’ont citée dans leurs textes, Chief Keef lui a dédié l’hymne True Religion Fein, 2 Chainz a carrément intitulé l’une de ses mixtapes T.R.U. REALigion et a fait de l’ad lib « TRUUU » sa carte de visite…).

Surfant sur cette hype sans précédent, True Religion a triplé son chiffre d’affaires de 2007 à 2012, allant jusqu’à générer 490 millions de dollars par an.

L’avenir s’annonçait donc des plus radieux, la success story semblant même n’en être qu’à ses prémisses.

Ou pour citer Lynne Koplin, fraîchement nommée présidente directrice générale : « Cet investissement de TowerBrook nous permettra de maintenir notre leadership sur le marché sur le long terme. Le prochain chapitre de notre histoire sera, nous n’en doutons pas, des plus fructueux, tant pour nos employés que pour nos clients et nos actionnaires. »

Sauf que bon, la suite ne s’est pas spécialement déroulée comme prévu. Banqueroutes, fermetures, restructurations… ce fut même tout l’inverse qui s’est produit, et ce, en quelques années à peine.

Comment ? Pourquoi ? Pour tout comprendre sur cet incroyable retournement de situation, reprenons tout depuis le début.

Tomber pour mieux se relever

New York, fin des années 90. Jeffrey Lubell, la quarantaine joyeuse, « mec rock’n’roll » fan des Grateful Dead, des Rolling Stones et de Joni Mitchell, commence à se dire, après avoir passé deux décennies à bosser pour d’autres dans l’industrie de la mode, qu’il serait temps qu’il se mette à son compte.

Il convainc sa femme Kymberly de sauter le pas, et quelques mois plus tard, le couple crée deux marques de jeans, Bella Dahl et Jefri Jeans. Leur relative inexpérience dans l’entreprenariat leur vaut toutefois de connaître de sérieuses difficultés financières, tant et si bien que très vite ils se font racheter par un duo d’investisseurs, Kerry et Steve Jolna.

Pas découragé pour autant, Jeffrey décide de rebondir en 2000 en utilisant une partie des fonds mis à leur disposition pour fonder une nouvelle marque, Hippie Jeans. Les frères Jolna ne l’entendent cependant pas de cette oreille et poursuivent les deux tourtereaux en justice pour rupture de contrat, concurrence illégale et infraction à la propriété intellectuelle.

Kym et Jeffrey contre-attaquent, s’estimant injustement dépossédés de « leurs enfants ». S’ensuivent deux années de procédure judiciaire qui se terminent le 28 janvier 2002 par la victoire des frères Jolna.

Qu’à cela ne tienne, les Lubell en ont encore sous le pied et émigrent en Californie, des rêves plein la tête.

« Avec mes deux précédentes marques, j’ai fait des erreurs » admettra Jeffrey. « En repartant à zéro, je me suis dit que je préférais tout faire moi-même plutôt que de me taper un partenaire qui, parce qu’il a investi de l’argent, se permet d’avoir un avis sur tout. »

Le couple met ainsi sur pied la société de gestion Guru Denim Inc., une structure qui va leur permettre de lancer en décembre 2002 une nouvelle marque qui n’appartient qu’à eux, True Religion.

La religion du jean

Très vite, les différentes pièces du puzzle se mettent en place.

Jeffrey et Kym Lubell déposent leurs valises dans la petite ville de Manhattan Beach (35 000 habitants), recrutent un designer et un chargé de production, et se mettent sans plus attendre à l’ouvrage.

Leur credo ? Des jeans, encore des jeans, toujours des jeans.

« La seule vraie religion dans le monde, ce sont les gens. Et partout dans le monde, les gens portent des jeans. À nous de nous concentrer sur la coupe, la qualité et le style pour qu’hommes et femmes se sentent le mieux possible dedans. »

Pour atteindre cet objectif, True Religion mise d’entrée de jeu sur le premium avec des jeans coûtant entre 170 et 300 dollars – des prix particulièrement élevés pour l’époque, très éloignés de ceux proposés par la concurrence.

Jeffrey Lubell n’en a cure. Ce qui compte pour lui, c’est d’abord la qualité du produit. Le reste ne vient qu’après.

« Si vous voulez acheter du pas cher, allez chez Wal-Mart ou chez Target » s’agace-t-il.

Outre la qualité du tissu vendu comme supérieur, et de surcroît « made in USA », l’idée est que le consommateur bénéficie d’un produit reconnaissable au premier coup d’œil.

Il y a donc ces coutures très épaisses, les fers à cheval, et bien sûr, le fameux Bouddha « World tour » qui apporte une touche new age à l’ensemble.

L’un dans l’autre, True Religion c’est le textile un peu cool, un peu vintage, un peu cowboy, qui s’adresse à tous les imaginaires.

La formule plaît, et en moins de deux ans, les résultats se font spectaculaires.

Le monde chico

Après une année 2003 confidentielle (2,4 millions de dollars de ventes assortis d’un léger déficit), True religion éclot réellement en 2004 (27,6 millions de dollars de ventes, 4,2 millions de bénéfices), avant d’exploser en 2005 grâce à une série de deals à l’international. Distribué au Japon, au Canada, en Italie, en Allemagne, en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande, ses ventes dépassent la barre des 100 millions de dollars, tandis que son bénéfice frôle les 20 millions de dollars !

Adoubé dans la presse spé (Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar…), True Religion débarque dans la cour des grands et commence à vendre ses vêtements dans les chaînes les plus prestigieuses du pays afin de capitaliser sur son côté élitiste (Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales…).

Sa progression ne s’arrête toutefois pas là.

Après l’inauguration d’un premier magasin dans son fief de Manhattan Beach en 2005, fort de ses moyens nouveaux, True Religion inaugure une politique d’expansion des plus agressives : quatre ans plus tard, la marque possède plus de 100 points de ventes répartis aux quatre coins du globe.

Mieux, chacun de ces magasins participe à renforcer son identité avec un décor là encore immédiatement reconnaissable : des boiseries partout, du plancher et une ambiance mi-zen, mi-saloon.

Brillant de mille feux au début des années 10, True Religion se permet non seulement de regarder droit dans les yeux tous les gros noms du denim (G-Star, Diesel, Levis Strauss…), mais peut à terme raisonnablement espérer de tous les dépasser.

« Toute personne sur Terre un brin dans le coup est un client potentiel de True Religion » résume Jeffrey Lubell.

Les premiers nuages, puis la tempête

Si en public l’ambiance est à la fête, en coulisse plusieurs voyants se mettent à clignoter, à commencer par le divorce de Jeffrey et Kym en 2007 après 20 ans de vie commune (le départ de Kym quelques mois plus tard scellera la fin d’une époque), ou en 2009 l’échec de True Religion à pénétrer le marché asiatique malgré des investissements conséquents.

Rien d’extrêmement alarmant en soi, si ce n’est qu’un vent d’inquiétude commence à se faire sentir lorsqu’en 2011, pour la première fois de son histoire, les profits ne progressent pas aussi rapidement que l’année précédente.

Désireux de rester dans une bonne dynamique, investisseurs et actionnaires poussent le président Mike Egeck au départ. C’est malheureusement l’effet inverse qui va se produire.

Résolument opposé à ce licenciement, Jeffrey Lubell rentre en guerre avec ces derniers. Toujours plus branché mode que business, comme avec les frères Jolna, il est défait.

Non reconduit à son poste de directeur de la création en 2012, il quitte la compagnie – en échange cette fois d’un package de six millions de dollars en guise de lot de consolation.

Lynne Koplin est ensuite nommée directrice générale par intérim. Un an plus tard, TowerBrook Capital Partners entre dans la danse.

L’ironie de la chose, et la cause du drame qui s’annonce, c’est qu’en dépit du départ de ses fondateurs et des velléités réformatrices affichées, True Religion s’arrime à la formule qui a fait son succès depuis bientôt une décennie.

Dans un univers de la mode en proie à un changement drastique des tendances et des comportements, cet immobilisme ne pardonne pas.

Concurrencé par le pas cher (la fast fashion) et le confortable (le sportswear), True Religion est en sus attaqué sur son propre terrain, celui des jeans à plusieurs centaines de dollars, par l’avènement des « luxury brands » à la Balenciaga, Fear of God & Co.

Pire, engoncé dans ses veilles pratiques, True Religion néglige complètement le virage du e-commerce avec un site internet et un marketing d’un autre âge – en 2010, les commandes en ligne généraient moins de 3% de son chiffre d’affaires…

Résultat, en quelques années, c’est tout l’édifice qui s’effondre.

Déficitaire à hauteur de 78 millions de dollars rien que sur 2016, True Religion cumule un total de 471 millions de dollars de dettes (!) et n’a d’autre choix que de se déclarer en faillite à l’été 2017.

Le grand huit

Contre toute attente, le move s’avère particulièrement réussi.

Désireux de sauver le navire, TowerBrook revend la quasi-totalité de ses actions pour injecter un maximum de liquidités dans la machine, tandis qu’un nouveau partenaire entre danse, la banque Citizens, qui investit une centaine de millions de dollars.

Réduite à 120 millions de dollars, la dette est rééchelonnée jusqu’en 2022.

Bien que pas encore sorti d’affaire, True Religion évite de mettre la clef sous la porte.

Pas de chance, l’épidémie de Covid-19 stoppe net cette belle dynamique. Le ralentissement global de l’économie lui vaut d’enregistrer 50 nouveaux millions de pertes en 2019. Pour la seconde fois, True Religion connaît les affres de la banqueroute en avril 2020.

Ce coup du sort amorce cependant la vraie renaissance de la marque.

Nommé à la tête de la société en octobre 2019 après avoir servi comme cadre entre 2006 et 2010, Michael Buckle opère cette fois un véritable changement de cap. Conscient que jouer la carte de la nostalgie n’est pas suffisant, il opte pour une baisse drastique des prix et un renouveau des designs.

« Il était impératif pour nous d’écouter ce que nos clients avaient à nous dire. Ce qu’ils voulaient, d’où ils venaient, ce qui les intéressaient. À partir de là, il a fallu nous repositionner. Oui, True Religion est vendu moins cher qu’il y a dix ans, mais la marque n’a pas pour autant perdu sa symbolique. »

C’est d’ailleurs dans cette optique de concilier le présent et le passé que True Religion s’est offert en 2021 une collaboration qui a beaucoup fait parler avec Supreme, puis a célébré cette année en grande pompe son vingtième anniversaire en faisant poser Chief Keef dans ses publicités.

Réchappé in extremis du club des ringards à la Juicy Couture et Ed Hardy, True Religion s’enorgueillit désormais d’un chiffre d’affaires qui flirte avec les 200 millions de dollars.

Certes, chacun pensera ce qu’il voudra des récentes collections que beaucoup qualifient de merguez, certes, les chiffres ne sont pas ceux des années fastes, mais Michael Buckle préfère voir le verre à moitié plein.

« Ce que nous voulons, c’est peser 500 millions par an d’ici à quatre ans. Rien ne nous interdira ensuite de devenir une marque qui pèse un milliard. »

Qui sait, rappeurs et célébrités se laisseront peut-être tenter de renfiler les tonnes de jeans qui dorment dans leurs placards depuis dix ans ?

Publié initialement sur Booska-p.com le 30 décembre 2022.

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