#martin and rob are so sweaty

[saltyground]

Midnight Oil - "Armistice Day" live 1982

[millenniallust4death]

A quote from my old dog blog has been revived and I feel so irritated by people's tags. I hate this "improved" Tumblr feature.

I don't know what to tell you, sweaty. Changing the physical manifestation of a dog's genetic temperament is a lot of fucking work and requires serious skill. And you can only nudge the natural temperament a few degrees. Bosco was bred to have high social aggression and high suspicion. He had extensive training so Martin showed him in the conformation ring. But we were also the only people in our rural area who weren't robbed because everyone knew Bosco wouldn't hesitate to kill you if Martin wasn't right there telling him not to. No amount of skilled training or socialization was going to turn Bosco into a dog that loved strangers. He loved exactly one person and that was it.

[ellewritesathing]

You’re My Problem

Summary: What happens when you take unrequited love, throw in some jealousy, and add a dash of impulsivity? You get a recipe for disaster.

Word Count: 2.8k+

A/N: this was requested by @i-write-things-sometimes-x​ a forever ago. thank you for being so patient and i’m so sorry it took so long for me to write this!! 💕

Stiles’ Stilinski was a dumbass. He was impulsive, he was reckless, and he couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Lydia Martin for longer than five minutes. But he was also the one who brought you soup when you were sick, the one who remembered your birthday, and the one you’d been in love with since before you could remember. 

He’d been oblivious to all your attempts of getting him to see you as something other than a friend pretty much for as long as you’d known him. Erica thought it was hilarious, and she never let you live down the mouth-to-mouth debacle after he’d almost drowned with the kanima venom. She’d been nicer about it, though, since Lydia and Stiles had their own moment of panic-induced lip-locking. 

But it wasn’t just Erica that changed - everything was different after their kiss. As dramatic as your reaction seemed when you looked back on it, something inside you snapped that day, and all of your pent-up rage from being powerless in a town of supernaturals bubbled to the surface. You convinced Derek to turn you, and things between you, Stiles, and Scott had never been the same. 

“And here I thought you came to lacrosse practice for me.” Isaac set down his gear with a grin and grabbed your water bottle. The light caught on his eyelashes as he drank, painting delicate ribbons down his cheeks as long as his chin was tilted up to the sky.

Erica didn’t care about how pretty Isaac could be, because she didn’t find him nearly as pretty as the lacrosse players packing up on the field. She rolled her eyes and pushed Isaac to the side, not bothering to adjust her strength in the process. “Move over, lover boy. You’re blocking my view.” 

Armed with an evil grin and the knowledge that Erica couldn’t do anything to him in front of all these people, Isaac moved directly in front of her and tilted his head. “Didn’t Derek tell you to be nicer to people?” 

“Derek also told me not to smother you in your sleep, so-” Erica reached forward, hand extended almost as gently as to move one of his curls out of his face, and shoved him to the ground “-you better watch out.” She drummed her fingers on the bleachers with an evil smile of her own before jumping up to follow one of the lacrosse boys off the field. 

Laughing off Erica’s dramatics and shaking your head, you got up and held a hand out to help Isaac to his feet. “Come on.” You waved your fingers when he didn’t reach out. “You stink and the sooner you shower, the sooner I get lunch.” 

“Yeah?” Isaac reached up for your hand and leaned on his other elbow for support. “That kinda sucks for you.” 

It was your own fault for not noticing the glint of mischief in his eye before he wrapped his hand around yours and pulled you to the ground next to him. Soon enough, the two of you were rolling around the field (you trying to get up and him ruining every attempt) and laughing just like you always did. Your hands were barely intertwined, but it was still enough to feel his pulse racing. 

“Are you two done? Because Coach is gonna turn on the sprinklers in like five minutes.” 

Your heartbeat shot up at the sound of Stiles’ voice. Clumsily, you untangled yourself from Isaac and sat up. It didn’t matter whether you were human or superhuman, facing a cute boy or the monster of the week, nothing made you more nervous than Stiles Stilinski. “Yeah, we were just- uh, just leaving to grab some lunch. You wanna come with?” 

“Thanks, but I kinda lost my appetite.” Stiles waited an awkward moment and then shrugged, rolled his lacrosse stick over in his hand, and started walking away. The faded number 24 bobbed up and down as he walked away from you, like a boat treading very uncertain waters.

You let out a deep breath and hid your head in your hands. It didn’t matter what you did, conversations with Stiles always ended awkwardly or with one of you leaving. At least this way, you couldn’t see the embarrassing aftermath.

“Oh, come on-” Isaac knocked your knee with his, letting out a laugh. You could practically hear him rolling his eyes before you turned to face him. “It wasn’t that bad.” 

“He hates me.” 

“He doesn’t hate you.” 

“Ever since I turned, it’s like he can’t even bear to look at me.” 

“And you are so hard to look at,” Isaac said with a grin. He rolled his eyes again and let out a low laugh. If he was going to say anything else about your massively mortifying crush on Stiles Stilinski, he didn’t get the chance. The sprinklers switched on.

---

You were a real pain in the ass. You were annoyingly right about everything, you always had to get your own way, and you could barely focus on anything that wasn’t Isaac Lahey for longer than five minutes. But you were also the one that watched Star Wars with him when he couldn’t sleep, the one that saved him a seat in English, and the one Stiles had been in love with since before he could remember. 

Even after the world went to hell in a handbasket, Stiles thought he might have had a shot with you. All he had to do was find the right time to talk to you - and it seemed like the perfect time after you saved him from drowning - but he waited too long. Somehow something always came around to ruin his perfect moment. Eventually, you turned and traded him in for the one and only Isaac ‘Pretentious Asshole’ Lahey.

In the understatement of the century, Scott said, “Dude, you should just talk to her,” in that aggravatingly optimistic way of his. 

“Yeah? I should just talk to her, and tell her that I love her, and then maybe we’ll just walk off into the sunset like a Julia Roberts movie?” Stiles was robbed of the satisfaction of his snark by Scott’s dumbstruck face. “Oh my god, what is it now? What’s with the face?” 

Scott scrunched up his face and pulled on the straps of his backpack. He rocked on his heels defensively. “I don’t have a face.”

“You totally have a face, okay?” Stiles waved his hand in front of Scott’s face. “This right here is the face you make when it’s tater tot day.”

Scott shrugged and tried to play it cool. “It’s nothing, just-” He took a deep breath, leaned in, and said, “You just said that you love her. That’s all.” With another trademark Scott McCall shrug and smile, he started walking off to make his English class before the second bell.

“Well…” Stiles said to an empty hallway. He let out a heavy sigh and slammed his locker. “Shit.” 

---

You’d spent your entire life pining over Stiles Stilinski. All those years wasted on a guy who didn’t have feelings for you, when there was a perfectly sweet distraction right next to him. Sure, maybe Isaac didn’t know your favorite movie candy and he didn’t always know the right thing to say when you were having a bad day, but he snuck you out of detention and he didn’t make you so tongue-tied that you couldn’t speak in complete sentences. 

Isaac was fun. He made you feel witty. Maybe he wasn’t perfect, but he was fun.

This night was the closest to perfect you’d had in a long time: Lydia’s epic homecoming party. There were copious amounts of alcohol and scarce supervision, you and Isaac were dancing, and the full moon wasn’t for another week. It was as perfect as you were ever going to get … and yet you couldn’t stop stealing glances at Stiles. 

Outright staring at him would have been preferable, but he had been glowering at you ever since Isaac, Erica, and Boyd showed up. If you didn’t want to see the look of annoyance that was almost permanently on his face when it came to you, then stealing glances would have to be enough. 

It was a shame, though, because there was something so magnetic about him tonight. Maybe it was the effortlessness that made him attractive. He was slightly overdue for a haircut, so he was dragging a hand through it every other minute in that nervous way of his. Even though his plaid was one of the too big ones Noah had bought for Christmas a few years ago, his t-shirt was one from the older collection that he was in the process of outgrowing. Disheveled suited him; he was almost perfect. If the annoyed look on his face would disappear, so would the ‘almost.’

Isaac ducked his head down to speak to you over the blare of the music, lip grazing your ear as he spoke. “You’re doing that thing again.” 

“What thing?” you asked, trying to brighten up when you looked up at him. You should have tried harder, but dancing with Isaac and being witty wasn’t a priority when Stiles was so mad at you. 

The corners of Isaac’s mouth curled up and he tilted his head to the side. You knew that Stiles was the thing, even if he didn’t say it while he twirled you out.

Isaac pulled you in slightly too quickly, so you collapsed into him more than anything else. The two of you were still laughing and cracking jokes about super-healing when you caught a glimpse of Stiles angrily swigging what was left of a beer and disappearing into the house. 

For a moment, all the sweaty teens and bright lights faded away. You untangled yourself from Isaac quickly and clumsily before rushing out an “I gotta go” and pushing your way through the crowd. 

It was easier to breathe when you reached the second floor without so many people around. The only problem was that all the air disappeared the moment you were alone with Stiles. It was the first time in months that you’d spent any time alone together, and the fact that he was more than a little tipsy wasn’t making things any easier. 

Still, you followed him into one of the rooms and closed the door. “Hey, Stiles, are you doing okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, actually, I’m just peachy.” Stiles dropped the necklace he was fiddling with and brushed his nose with his thumb. “Perfect. Nothing to complain about, you know? At least no one’s trying to kill me this week.” 

“Sounds like maybe you should be celebrating,” you said carefully, trying not to spook him as you made your way over. “You know, instead of hanging out up here, going through Lydia’s great aunt’s jewelry.”

Stiles let out a hollow laugh and turned awkwardly to the jewelry box on the dresser. He shrugged and picked up the necklace again. “But it’s so shiny and I’m so awkward,” he whined. 

You took a few steps closer to take the necklace out of his hands before he broke the clasp. “You’re not awkward.” Stiles gave you a sideways look and you laughed. “Okay, maybe you’re a little awkward, but it’s an endearing kind of awkward.” 

Stiles stubbornly refused to give you the necklace without a fight, and the chain was caught in the crossfire. The both of you panicked and scrambled to fix it, but this wasn’t the kind of necklace that two teenagers and a pair of tweezers could fix. 

Stiles gave up struggling over the necklace and let out a heavy sigh, hand curling over one half of the broken chain and the bathroom sink. The necklace had been the only thing keeping the weight of the world off his shoulders - the only thing keeping Stiles tipsy and happy instead of almost drunk and kind of sad. “Just forget it,” he said. His voice was raw. “No amount of trying is gonna fix it.” 

“Don’t say that.” You grabbed Stiles’ half of the chain out of his hand and put it next to the other half on the counter. Willing the chains to fuse back together and decidedly not looking at Stiles, you said, “You can’t just give up like that.” 

“Why not? The necklace is broken and I broke it. I can’t fix it.” 

“You can at least try to fix it.” 

“Maybe it doesn’t wanna be fixed. Maybe it’s happier with the stupid scarf, alright?” 

“Wait, what scarf?” When he didn’t answer, you looked up from the necklace to find him staring guiltily at the floor. “Stiles, please don’t tell me there’s some ruined Hermes scarf up here because Lydia will kill me.” 

Still no answer. 

As gently as you could, you reached out to touch his shoulder. “Stiles-”

“Just forget it!” Stiles snapped, pulling away before you could touch him. He almost crashed into the door in his hurry to get away from you. “Go dance with your scarf, okay? You two deserve one another.” 

Stiles stormed into the bedroom, and you stormed after him. You caught his arm before he even made it halfway across the room. “Okay, man, what the hell is your problem?” 

“My problem?” Stiles echoed. “You wanna know what my problem is?” 

“Yes! You’ve been glaring at me all night, avoiding me for like six months, and- what? Now you’re freaking out over a broken necklace?” You took a step closer to him, pulse racing. “So, what’s your problem?” 

“Okay, you know what? You’re my problem.” Stiles was so close that you didn’t need werewolf superpowers to feel all the emotions coming off him. “We were best friends until you ditched me for Isaac Freaking Lahey, okay? We used to hang out like all the time, and now we barely spend any time together unless someone’s trying to kill us. And you’re impossible to talk to-” 

“I’m impossible to talk to?” you echoed. “Stiles, you cringe every time you see me.” 

“I do not!” he said defensively, scrunching his face slightly. “Okay, maybe I do but that’s because whenever I see you, Isaac’s following you around like a puppy dog.” 

You couldn’t help but scoff at that. The puppy comment was a cheap shot and it wasn’t like Stiles could complain when he made it perfectly clear that he didn’t have feelings for you. “So is your problem actually with me? Because so far all you’ve done is talk about Isaac.” 

“I don’t- it’s both of you, alright?” Stiles let out a shaky breath and looked away. He took a second to run a hand down the side of his face before speaking again. “My problem is that I have feelings for you and you don’t even know I exist anymore.” 

No amount of accelerated werewolf reflexes could have prepared you for that. For a second, you were too surprised to respond. “You … have feelings for me? I thought you were in love with Lydia.” 

Stiles snorted. “Please, she kissed me once and it was terrible for both of us.” He shifted his weight awkwardly, unsure what to say while you adjusted to the information. “Besides,” he said in a much slower, much quieter voice, “it’s not like she’s you.”

“Isaac hates Star Wars,” you said quietly, staring at the bullseye in the middle of Stiles’ shirt instead of meeting his eyes.

“God, I hate that guy,” Stiles mumbled. He looked around the room awkwardly before landing on the tv in the corner. “You wanna, uh, watch something with me? I really don’t want to go back down there.”

You nodded without giving it any thought, looking up at Stiles and giving him the first real smile you’d had all night. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

“Great!” Stiles gave a short laugh before slowing his breathing and looking at you so seriously that you thought your heart would stop. “Just, uh, one more thing?” he asked, voice quiet and delicate again. You started rambling, but the words fell away as soon as Stiles lifted his hands to either side of your face. The whole world slowed for a moment, coming almost to a complete stand-still when he pressed his lips against yours. “There,” Stiles said softly. “I’ve been thinking about that since freshman year.”

Despite all the anxiety racing through your system, or maybe because of it, you laughed. The sound of his heartbeat was deafening as you reached a hand up to the side of Stiles’ neck. Time slowed again as you leaned up on your toes, kissed him again, and realized that maybe this night was perfect after all. 

[deepstheeskimo]

‘The Power of Four’

Right, everyone is picking Lions squads with less than a year to go until the next South Africa tour is meant to happen. Only so much brainpower I want to put into considering the pros and cons of scrummaging abilities though so I’ve gone for the Deeps Cult Lions XV made up of past tourists from of the last 20 or so years.

1. Allan Dell. What better way to start than with a South African born Scottish prop that only got called up as part of the ‘geography six’? In the squad: Andrew Sheridan (built like one of those GM bulls) and Tom Smith (badly underrated player, 

2. Keith Wood. The ragin’ potato. Came to Quins and inspired a character in the first ‘book’ I wrote aged 8. Weird obsession with belly buttons, understandable obsession with trying drop goals from 40 metres. In the squad: Shane Byrne (1- mullet 2- not actually very good) and Andy Titterrell (Pro Rugby Manager 2 legend and extremely small man)

3. Kyle Sinckler. Why? He’s my guy, that’s why. He’s the opposite of that ruddy faced, sweaty tweed rugger culture. He makes me smile.  In the squad: Jason Leonard (The Fun Bus. Non-playing tour captain. Once ruffled my hair - give him all the ale he can drink.) and Adam Jones (The Hair Bear. My sister used to see him all the time in Neath Tesco - give him all the pic n mix he can eat).

4. Martin Johnson. Looks like a character from a Guy Ritchie film, universally loathed by opponents and taped up his fingers(??). Summed up by the saying ‘Last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it’. In the squad: Paul O’Connell (has some weird mythical power about him. Came to Quins with Munster and made south west London echo with ‘fields of Athenry’) and Simon Shaw (his emotional final interview post 2009 third test, aged 37, was pretty special) 

5. Doddie Weir. Could not be anyone else. Farmer strength. Permanently looked 20. Built for Lions tours. Still fighting the good fight. Go on big man. In the squad: Nathan Hines (perma-suspended and a ‘tartan wallaby’) and Maro Itoje (Sometimes it’s not all about drinking and bungee jumping. Itoje’s one of the few that would be able to have an actual conversation) 

6. Peter O’Mahony. One of those players that always grows into a series and ends up being important. Entirely unremarkable player but must be nasty to play against. Can’t actually imagine he’s that nice to be around at all. Big ‘school bully’ vibes. In the squad: Richard Hill (the only one of England’s 2003 RWC forwards that didn’t vote Brexit) and Alan Quinlan (Hit form at the right time, finally being picked in 2009 after a good but near-miss career. Expresses immense pride in selection. Then gouges someone. 12 week ban. If that’s not a cult player then I’m not sure what is).

7. Sean O’Brien. Another one with farmer strength. Thick in the arm, thick in the head but unlike a lot of the others won’t ever let you down. Plus on a tour you need characters and I bet, deep deep deep down he’s actually got a personality. Well, maybe. In the squad: Martyn Williams (a face that belongs in a back office of a mid sized electronics company. Somehow helped to invent modern rucking) and Sam Warburton (picked only so I can annoy people by saying his name as War-burrton’ not ‘Wabatan’ as they seem to say. Also looks like an Easter Island statue)

8. Scott Quinnell. Just rugby league all over. Overweight, comedy accent, illegal use of a plaster cast on his arm, despicable post-career lad culture DVDs and even had a stint on Soccer AM. If you kick him, all the Quinnells walk with a limp. In the squad: Ryan Jones (about the only player to come out of 2005 with credit) and Andy Powell (body of a god, brain of, erm... Great on tour as he’s a six foot five version of that kid in school you could make do anything by saying ‘oh go on!’)

9. Chris Cusiter. Born in Aberdeen which obvs piques my interest. Somehow got called up aged 22 while playing for the ill-fated Border Reivers. Played in Scotland, England, France and Australia and now lives in California running a whiskey retailing business. International. In the squad: Matt Dawson (over the head dummy try) and Austin Healey (absolutely horrible grinding shithouse). The two of these would be encouraged to collaborate on deliberately provocative articles similar to what they wrote in 2001.

10. Jonny Wilkinson. The best player of all time. Note to self, don’t hang around him too much because you’ll look pathetic and probably annoy him. In the squad: Mike Catt (Utility back. My fave) and Finn Russell (Joué Joué 🍷)

11. Ugo Monye. A huge part of my weekends for about 10 years was getting excited every time he touched the ball. Top scorer on his one Lions tour, shock. In the squad: George North (need a scapegoat for when we lose 49-0 to Japan in a warm up game) and Jack Nowell (wouldn’t play a single game, only being taken to let the squad mock him and call him a yokel - bet he’s got a dead short fuse).

12. Rob Henderson. Looked like, acted like, presumably ate like and definitely played like that guy from your local club who played England U16s and let it get to his head. And gut. Crash ball. In the squad: Scott Gibbs (hefty) and Gavin Henson (Insane talent, probably got good stories and even if he’s a prick he’s nicer to look at than some of the other options).

13. Ollie Smith. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Life gave Sir Clive Woodward the entire player pool of Britain and Ireland and somehow he picked Ollie Smith. In my team because he just looks like a nice guy. Defo pro-HS2 and his dad would pick up the bar tab. In the squad: Brian O’Driscoll (meh, guess he gets a place) and Will Greenwood (but only with bleach blonde hair. He genuinely almost died on the pitch playing for the Lions, looks like Shaggy and is a rarity in being a Lions player selected while playing Championship rugby).

14. Dan Luger. Always looked like he’d just come off a 10 hour shift at B&M. Even made skintight shirts look baggy. Played for Perpignan and Toulon before it was cool. Tryscoring machine. Injury prone as fuck.  In the squad: John Bentley (so long as he isn’t a massive sexist like on the 1997 documentary) and Christian Wade (I will never forgive rugby union for wasting his talent).

15. Neil Jenkins. Ol’ dependable. Looks like a man off the street. Can imagine he’s almost always terrified around these peacocking ‘alpha males’. In the squad: Tim Stimpson (remember him?) and Iain Calamity Balshaw (Brendan Laney never played Lions so he’s there to mess everything up instead)

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, April 20

Cover: Kenny Rogers’ body is still on ice -- why his widow won’t bury him 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Sloppy Tyra Banks, Gary Busey grocery shopping in Beverly Hills, Brian Austin Green grabs meals to go 

Page 3: Lisa Marie Presley is living large, puffy-faced Goldie Hawn hikes to her California home, Chris Pratt spring cleaning 

Page 4: Bindi Irwin has another surprise in store after pulling off her secret Australia Zoo wedding to Chandler Powell -- she’s pregnant 

Page 5: A bank has asked the LA Sheriff’s Office to force Tori Spelling to pay a $89,000 credit card debt and her money-bags mom Candy Spelling has once again refused to help, Patrick Stewart secretly married his third wife singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell in a Mexican restaurant in California with Ian McKellen officiating 

Page 6: Catherine Zeta-Jones admits she’s a bitch and being polite to fans pushes her over the edge 

Page 7: Spoiler Alert for Grey’s Anatomy -- Ellen Pompeo who has starred as Dr. Meredith Grey for 15 seasons will be killed off next season in a blockbuster story line

Page 8: Now that he’s moving to California rogue royal Prince Harry plans to turn his years as a stoner into a king’s ransom by launching a huge marijuana business empire -- Harry and wife Meghan Markle are slapping down $9 million for a 286- acre pot farm near Clear Lake in north central California to fuel their flashy new Hollywood lifestyle 

Page 10: Jon Voight tells his daughter Angelina Jolie to back off of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

Page 11: Law & Order vet Elisabeth Rohm has called off her year-long engagement to California judge Jonathan Colby on good terms but the two have different priorities at this time, the handwritten lyrics to Hey Jude by Paul McCartney are set to sell for nearly $200,000 at a massive online Beatles auction 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Conan O’Brien rides a bike through Brentwood, Ellen DeGeneres has been recently blasted as one of the meanest people alive, Amy Poehler is co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood and NYC and the comedy clubs and improv schools laid off most staff without notice or severance or health coverage and only after embarrassing press and online comments trashed the millionaire she finally will provide funds for a one-month extension to healthcare for the full-time benefit eligible staff, Little Big Town singer Kimberly Schlapman says she’s 100% sure her 12-year-old daughter Daisy was a heaven-sent miracle thanks to her deceased first husband Steven Roads, Woody Allen outcreeps himself by spilling in his memoir the details of bedding both sisters of his former muse and live-in girlfriend Diane Keaton, Ramona Singer of RHONYC did away with the housecleaners due to coronavirus and posted a picture of herself mopping in a sexy nightie 

Page 13: Frumpy Kate Hudson, Sean Penn’s silver roots start to show, Maud Adams walks her dog, Kristen Stewart relies on the company of ghosts 

Page 14: Seth Rogen has a new pastime: watching flick flops like Cats while flying high, Demi Lovato’s got something to sing about -- a brand new ripped boyfriend named Max Ehrich who loves showing off his astonishing pecs, Fashion Verdict -- Emily Blunt 5/10, Noomi Rapace 3/10, Christina Aguilera 2/10, Cardi B 4/10 

Page 16: Rihanna vows to have up to four children in ten years with or without a man, Superman never carried an ounce of flab but his alter ego Dean Cain has piled on an unhealthy 50 pounds and is gobbling supersize portions of pizza and fast food to find comfort because of his nose-diving career 

Page 17: Inked-up train wreck Aaron Carter declared himself single in a nude photo after his girlfriend Melanie Martin whose name was just tattooed on his face was collared for felony domestic violence 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Scarlett Johansson, Luann de Lesseps confesses she’s still tippling even after her shameful drunken bust, stuck in lockdown Courteney Cox is binge-watching her sitcom Friends and was shocked to realize she can’t remember most of the series that made her rich and famous 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 23: Former boxing champ Mike Tyson is dropping shocking confessions including having sex with fans, drug binges, psychedelic trips and being pen pals with England’s most vicious gangster 

Page 24: Cover Story -- a furious family feud is exploding over late country great Kenny Rogers whose body is being kept on ice because his widow Wanda Rogers wants to hold a massive send-off that’s now banned by the coronavirus lockdown 

Page 26: Health Report 

Page 29: Eminem gushes that being able to raise kids is one of his greatest accomplishments, former steroids user and New York Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca is raging over how fellow cheater Alex Rodriguez has revived his image as an A-list celeb and is slamming the retired New York Yankees slugger as one of the fakest people out there, Alicia Keys felt manipulated and objectified by a sleazy photographer who made her open her shirt and yank down the top of her jeans when she was only 19 

Page 30: Former teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre who claims she was pimped out to Britain’s Prince Andrew by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is now charging the kinky billionaire and his mistress Ghislaine Maxwell pressured her to carry his child through surrogacy 

Page 31: Steve Carell shockingly quit his hit show The Office at the peak of its popularity because he wasn’t feeling the love from showrunners 

Page 32: Single mom-of-three Kourtney Kardashian is so lonely and desperate for love she’s stopped being set up by Hollywood pals and is casting her fishing net for a man online, a London collector of James Bond guns was robbed of five pistols used in 007 flicks worth a staggering $125,000, a sweaty towel that late NBA star Kobe Bryant tossed over his shoulders as he bid goodbye to basketball has shockingly sold for more than $33,000 

Page 38: Real Life 

Page 40: Daniel Craig is worth about $180 million thanks to playing James Bond but he’s got bad news for his kids -- he’s cutting them off without a cent because he finds inheritance distasteful -- he has a 28-year-old daughter from his first marriage to Fiona Loudon and a two-year-old daughter with current wife Rachel Weisz, busted in the college admissions cheating scandal Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli are accusing the prosecution of strong-arming its key witness to lie that they knew their payments were bribes and not donations to the university 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- newly leaked video is yet more proof that desperate loser Kanye West is a filthy parasite who’s been trying to save his fizzling career by leeching onto superstar songbird Taylor Swift 

Page 45: George Clooney is in hot water now that Nespresso the coffee giant he shills for on TV has admitted buying beans from farms that pay kids pennies for laboring in the fields, dumpy Drew Barrymore is hitting rock bottom again with her weight and is tired of blubbering in her closet over clothes that don’t fit and has vowed to give the extra weight the heave-ho before her new daytime talk show gets going 

Page 47: Hollywood Flashback -- Psycho, Bizarre But True 

[acsversace-news]

FX’s Wednesday-night second installment of the anthology drama series, THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE, deals not only with the well-known event of the title, but of the murder spree that led up to it. Andrew Cunanan, played in the miniseries by Darren Criss, killed at least four other men – Jeffrey Trail, David Madson, Lee Miglin and William Reese – before attacking Versace, who is portrayed by Edgar Ramirez. Based in part on Maureen Orth’s nonfiction book VULGAR FAVORS, argues that law enforcement was slow to track Cunanan due to the homophobia of the times.

AMERICAN CRIME STORY comes from executive producers Ryan Murphy (who also directed a number of episodes), Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Rather than have a writers’ room for THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE, the executive producers opted to have a single writer for all ten episodes, Tom Rob Smith.

Smith, an Englishman who is also an executive producer on this season of AMERICAN CRIME STORY, created and wrote LONDON SPY and CHILD 44. He talks about his research for the project, and what struck him most in what he found.

ASSIGNMENT X: When the producers came to you, did they say, “We’d like you to write all ten episodes?”

TOM ROB SMITH: No. It just evolved from the fact that we were in a room, and it was Brad, Ryan, Nina and myself, and the book just needed a very particular approach. It wasn’t that we sat down and said we were going to tell the story backwards [as the series does, to an extent]. We didn’t have that concept. It was, we were trying to figure out how to do it organically. The thing with a [writers’] room is, if you have a big room, you have to make those decisions and then send everyone off to write their episodes. And we would move forward a fragment, and then decide to change direction. You’re much more nimble if you’re on your own. I think it just happened like that.

AX: How was it decided that this season of AMERICAN CRIME STORY would be ten episodes, as opposed to twelve or eight or whatever?

SMITH: That was again all decided by the story. We look at them and think, “What is the right number?” They’re like books in a weird way. You’re like, “What are the parts that we have?” No one says, “We want ten episodes,” or “We want twelve episodes.” They say, “What is your story?” And you look at it, and think, “This is how much we have. These are the great episodes.” The quality control on this is so high, they would never stretch it to fill a quota. It was always about, each episode has to feel really satisfying in its own right, almost like a story in its own right. So that’s where it comes from.

AX: How aware were you of the murders at the time they occurred in 1997?

SMITH: I was very aware of the Miami murder, but I knew nothing about the build-up. And I think that’s one of the things, that we take that thing that everyone knows, which is the perception of Miami, and we’re unpacking it, so we’re literally pulling those pieces apart. And that to me was a discovery, too. I went on a journey in a sense that viewers kind of go on, which is, I knew the thing on Miami, and now let’s see what was behind it all.

AX: Cunanan’s murder spree stretched across the U.S. What kind of research did you do in the different cities and states?

SMITH: The Minneapolis murders, we got all the police files. One of the big gaps was that, [author Orth] must have read the police files, but obviously, you’re getting her fragments. It’s always interesting to get your own, and the Minneapolis police files, they released them without any problem. I think they were like four hundred pages. I think we got a thousand pages on the FBI, I think we had four hundred from the Chicago [police]. So you have these volumes of information. We’ve got a great researcher on the project. We got all of that. In San Diego, these weren’t released by the San Diego police force, we had to the court records. So we got everything that was possible to get. Minneapolis is where the murders start, and they’re a key part of our story. When we say AMERICAN CRIME STORY, this is an American crime story in a geographic sense. We have L.A., we have San Francisco, we have San Diego, we have Minneapolis, we have Chicago, we have New York, we have New Jersey – all of these towns were part of this enormous story.

AX: How is it for you setting a story in the U.S.? You’re British and your other projects have been set in England and Europe. Was there anything you sort of had to absorb about Americans?

SMITH: I don’t know. I just think, we were telling an American crime story for sure, but I think one of the reasons [the first season of AMERICAN CRIME STORY, THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON] was so successful is, it spoke to everyone around the world. You go for those universal truths. I do think, pushing all of the universal truths to the side, the minutiae is very important, like going to San Diego and going to Andrew Cunanan’s house, seeing where he grew up. Sometimes those things can be overstated, because they didn’t give you an episode, for example. You don’t get an episode from it. But Andrew Cunanan was very sensitive to class and status. And I was like, well, I get that as an idea. And I went to his house, which was in La Bonita, and it’s a nice house. His parents did well to pull him up out of relative poverty in National City. But even on the street he’s on, which has a slight incline, he was on the bottom of that street, and it went on to kind of a wasteland. And as the houses went up the hill, they got steadily more expensive. And I was like, “Even in this one street, there’s this microcosm of the haves and the have-nots.” He went to La Bonita High briefly, and I went there, and it’s a regular high school, and then he was sent to Bishop’s in La Jolla, and I was like, “This is a world apart.” You turn up and it’s this beautiful courtyard with these whitewashed walls. He was taken from this household that was modest, and given everything. And just when you go into the detail and you see it for real, those things really start to speak to you about the character.

AX: Obviously, there’s a lot of visual oomph in Gianni Versace’s world. Was it easier or harder for you to write with knowing that, “Okay, people are going to be taking in the surroundings,” so you need to give them a moment to look at that before you start the drama?

SMITH: Oh, no. I see it all as one. I see the locations and the clothes, all that detail is storytelling. That opening is the contrasting of these two worlds, this world that someone had created that was down to the ashtray, down to the silk robe, down to the slippers. [Versace] built all of that. He built his own homeware, and so that sense of, look at what he’s created, [and then at Cunanan, who is] someone who was literally down to nothing on a beach, who had this terrible abscess on his leg, he had physically broken apart, and who was in shorts he’d probably been wearing for weeks and weeks, and was in this sweaty t-shirt, and this sense of, look at the contrast between these two men. So I always saw the visuals as being a real storytelling engine and not some kind of secondary thing.

The Versace home is – it’s weird going there, because now it’s a hotel, and I felt this energy of, he’s missing from this space. You really feel it. You feel like, this isn’t just a nice house, this was his. This needs him on some level. I could really feel an absence.

AX: What is it like writing someone like Versace who, in a sense, creates his own world?

SMITH: What I found so inspirational about him, and one of the things was, he’d turn up to Milan, this guy from the south of Italy who was looked down on by the [design establishment], and now he’s such a grand figure that we forget that he was this person who was told “no” by everyone. And even different fabrics – he would refuse to accept “no,” he would say, “I’m going to [use] this fabric.” And I found that refusal to accept the constraints and confines that were presented to him very inspirational. That was a key part. I found that he inspired me as I wrote, if that makes sense. I was like, “This man is amazing.”

AX: Do you have any other projects we should know about?

SMITH: I’m doing a show for BBC2, MOTHER, FATHER, SON.

AX: And what would you most like people to know about THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY?

SMITH: I’m fascinated by crime stories, because I think they’re about society. I feel like they soak up something about society, tell a bigger story. And this really does. It tells a story about America at that time and about identities, aspirations, it’s emotional. But I also think this was the largest failed FBI manhunt of all time in Miami. This has enormous scale. And how this kid in La Bonita ends up causing the pandemonium to tip over Miami to me is a very interesting story to tell.

This interview was conducted during FX’s portion of the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour.

[hookysblog]

Festival Les Deferlantes, Perpingnan FESTIVAL LES DÉFERLA

Sorry about the lack of photos, but my phone ran out of memory;( However, here’s two beauties…

A lovely drive though France to this gig. The traffic is horrendous on the last leg and even though the sat-nav says 3.5 hours ….. it actually takes 8, with us driving all over the place when we get there…bloody sat-navs!

This would be a beautiful spot, for any festival. High on a hill set in an old medieval castle. Their set up and organisation, food etc., is fantastic with Chemical Brothers headlining. We play really well and are received very well too, a lovely day out. Nice to see the Chemicals crew members and their Agent Alex Nightingale on the trip. Nice drive home with gorgeous weather.

  The Foundry, Sheffield Students Union.

After two weeks off I am very nervous. It seems like such a long time! We practice very well, and even though as soon as we start practicing, we wonder why we are? Because we know the songs so well;)

Using a new boy today, Rob on monitors. Rob is the bass player from The Cadavers, Part Time Band contestants, and it’s nice to have someone you know doing the fold-back. It makes life a lot easier.;)

Geek Alert: Foldback System – when you see a band perform live, the black speaker boxes facing the musicians at the front of the stage, are called ‘fold back’. Folding the music back to the performers, so each musician can hear what they and the other group members are playing on stage.

(Pottsy actually mis-heard this years ago and thought, until last week???… it was called ‘fallback’…how weird is that!)

We are out of term time so no students, and I wonder what will happen?

I needn’t have worried. It is HOT!  And packed with a very boisterous audience greeting us very, very warmly. The boys play fantastically, it is insanely sweaty and I am delighted to see Queen Vivien of Bedford Boys Club 1981 fame backstage with her beautiful grown up daughter, which makes me feel very old… God doesn’t time fly?;)

Y not Festival, Matlock, Derbyshire

Nice drive to picturesque Matlock, in Derbyshire. It is strange rounding a bend and seeing this huge festival site stretching out before you, in the middle of absolutely bloody nowhere. I go out in the tent to watch the band before us play, PRETTY VICIOUS, and very young and energetic they were too, with a great drummer.

As I’m watching there is one surreal moment when someone reaches over my shoulder and points to the back of the guy in front of me, who is wearing a Festival T-shirt, and points to Peter Hook and The Light on it. I think is he taking the piss? I look round and the guy who’s pointing screams, ‘Fucking Hell!’ he shouts, ‘Peter Fucking Hook!’ I beat a hasty retreat.

The tent is packed, bursting at the seams, and apart from this huge stanchion in the middle of the stage, everything is great. It’s a mixed audience but most are very young.

The gig goes GREAT! Starting with Joy Division, then moving on to New Order. The crowd and mosh-pit getting wilder and wilder. With crowd backing vocals for ALL of the songs. Then about halfway through the set a young lady at the front pulls her top up showing off her lady parts and Jack drops the most monumental bum note I have ever heard…God bless him! We finish with LWTUA and the audience are still singing it 10 minutes after we have finished!!!

A lovely drive home as the sun sets and I feel very happy, tired but happy.

Thank you to all at Y not! Thank you very much;)

Hacienda Classical, Rainbow arena, Birmingham.

A quick trip down to Brum, turns into anything but quick when the motorway turn off is shut on both sides of the M6??? Who’s crazy idea is that???

Make it just in time as today has a 9p.m. curfew. We are playing an Electronic New Order set today all mixed together, just like the Classical in fact. We play well and for a support act are very well received. As we limber up for the main event the Arena fills up nicely. Then were on. The sound at the start is a bit ropey but soon comes together and after about 4 songs is rocking. Everyone plays great and nice to have Daz out of 808 State toasting tonight, as MC Tunes is busy. After we finish we drive to a hotel Gatwick ready for our early flight to Croatia. I have never been and am very excited.

Splitzka Festival, Primosten, Croatia.

Nice flight, thank the lord, and before we know it we are in Croatia. Which on first glance looks a lot like an unspoilt Greece. We have a short drive and unbelievably it is pissing down. The driver says they have had no rain for over 68 days, but we are Mancs…it follows us wherever we go! There is at least two foot of water on the roads now and we are very worried about the Festival. The driver laughs it off and sure enough within two hours everywhere is dry as a bone.

This is a lovely place and we get picked up for dinner later and driven into the hills to a beautiful rustic restaurant on top of a hill overlooking the ocean complete with a beautiful sunset…told you!

As we feast on home made bread, oil and olives, with a 8 hour baked lamb dish that is simply sensational, we are all sat they feeling really fat and realising we do not have long until we play….Oooops! There is nothing worse than playing on an overly full stomach…God we are getting old.  Then back to the Fessie which is gorgeous and before we know it we are off. Great gig and a great crowd, loads of Bootleg Croation Joy Division T-shirts greet me.

A wonderful time, is had by all!

A lovely warm night makes for a lovely warm singer and I am wet through. Then a young lady approaches me asking for a hug,

I say, ‘I’m wet with sweat?’

‘It’s fine.’ She says.

Then as she hugs me she whispers in my ear,

‘I miss him.’  

‘I miss him too.’ say I.

And off she waltzes. Great night. One odd sight backstage is this one bloke just sat on his own in a corner, sniffing away. When I ask who he is, it seems he is the festival drug dealer, offering all the normal stuff and the lads say he has done absolutely no business all day and now all night? That is brilliant. The old me would’ve adopted him but now I am delighted that the old drug thing now seems totally out of fashion. Last week in Magaluf on the strip, I was watching this guy approaching all the kids passing by, me thinking he was promoting a bar or something, and the kids were nice to him with quite a lot of backslapping but none stopped. Then he sauntered over to me, ‘Hey signor…you want cocaine?’ I smiled, if only he knew. You’ve not got enough in that rucksack for me dickhead. Ha Ha! I decline obviously, but am very heartened by all these kid’s reactions. He must have approached about 80 and every single one said no. I am delighted.

JUST KEEP SAYING NO KIDS!

Nice late start makes for a lovely easy morning and is only ruined by my usual legal work that has occupied my life for too long now. In the words of Ian Curtis….’Where will it end?’ Nice trip home surrounded by kids on the plane, which was different. A cool, damp Manchester welcomes us with open arms. And….no queue at Passport Control? Which makes a lovely change;)

Rebellion Festival 40 years of Punk, Blackpool.

Lovely to be asked back and to be celebrating 40 years of punk.

I cannot believe it is 40 years ago I started!!! The crowd here are so nice and friendly it is an absolute pleasure to play. I do a Q and A with John Robb and get to meet Brix Smith after too many years. I love Brix, a great woman and let’s face it we all make mistakes don’t we? Eh Mark;)

The old theatres in here are fantastic, with many old features still in place, including me, Hee Hee. I watch the Anti Nowhere League who are as mad as ever and then get told they are Nazi’s…eh? They are just like us…fat, old blokes singing bollocks. How could anyone take any of us seriously, anyway…back to the gig! We are playing in a 2000 seater and I am delighted to be told later that it was one in one out. We are the first band to fill out a venue in the festival. I don’t feel great tonight but have to admit it goes very well and we take roof off. As I drive home later past many of the places where I used to play as a boy, I sigh. I love Blackpool.

Rewind Festival, Cheshire.

Nice jaunt back to Cheshire with The B.E.F.

This is a great Festival, loads of fancy dress and a real party atmosphere. Older crowd, but I fit in perfectly. Nice to be asked back by Martin and lovely to meet the other featured artists. Mari Wilson (who I had a mad crush on when I was a kid, saw her play loads of times in Manc, loved the beehive!). A lovely relaxed day ensues and some wild people about, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley. I feel quite grungy in comparison. B.E.F are a great group and have another great line up, as we practice backstage in the true punk tradition everything is so relaxed it’s fantastic. Then we are on….Everything goes great and I even spot Sally, my trainer in the crowd at the front, a lovely surprise.

Nice to be home.

Just to finish off a lovely picture of me from 1981.

Thank you everybody, you’ve made an old man very happy.

Love Hooky ’16 xxx

[flauntpage]

The Early Reactions For Gritty Are In

The Flyers introduced their new mascot, Gritty, this morning in front of children at the Please Touch Museum. God bless those souls. I heard from someone who works for the team that it was going to be really ugly. It appears so. No idea what’s going on here.

Twitter reactions are after the jump. 

Really?????????? https://t.co/fuwMSRRSf8

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 24, 2018

this looks like Animal did too much coke pic.twitter.com/3Yh0mN4Cdg

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) September 24, 2018

Was having a nice day until I saw the new Flyers mascot.

— Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/AxbUKlhDja

— David Shapiro (@BlueSeatBlogs) September 24, 2018

INBOX: Congratulations to our new Deputy Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/ECQTGMkOWe

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) September 24, 2018

BE UNAFRAID CHILDREN FOR I AM GRITTY. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND SLEEP FOREVER AS I DEVOUR YOUR SOULS. pic.twitter.com/mjtFv4hgEv

— CogginToboggan (@CogginToboggan) September 24, 2018

Cowardly Lion been smashing Grimace pic.twitter.com/5iqCcSHa3V

— Cory Brown (@CoryBrown3) September 24, 2018

Live look at the kids when they walk into the WFC and see the new mascot pic.twitter.com/LbM1N529LU

— Christopher Deibler (@mrcrockpot) September 24, 2018

Apparently good mascot ideas are as elusive as the 2nd Round of the playoffs or quality goaltending

— Franzke & LA (@FranzkeLA) September 24, 2018

DEAD UPON US ALL, HE WILL HAUNT OUR DREAMS

— ᴶᴬᴷ³ (@jmchvgh) September 24, 2018

#HeyYouGuys #Sloth #Goonies @NHLFlyers pic.twitter.com/nEwUBsAYyW

— Chris Lamers (@24bigslim) September 24, 2018

the orange they have for the 4t shirts is pic.twitter.com/72TL0gNUHz

— Babs the Ghost Shark (@HockeyBabbler) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/mfnrGg0imp

— Chris Devine (@cdevine95) September 24, 2018

Looks like the phanatic and cookie monster had an orange child.

— Alex Unrue (@alex_unrue) September 24, 2018

Children when Gritty shows up to their school. pic.twitter.com/0vYmUdYqeV

— DylanCallaghanCroley (@DylanCCSports) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/stUAddD4Hk

— Nikki (@80sretro215) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/T8iKPqiOUQ

— Arnold (@Arnold921) September 24, 2018

I'm all in on the ZZ Top rebrand https://t.co/LflwYEeBp8

— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) September 24, 2018

every picture i see it gets worse

— evnted (@evnted) September 24, 2018

Gritty is the Phanatic’s cousin from Delco

— Zoo With Roy (@zoowithroy) September 24, 2018

Don't make the Phanatic interact with that evil demon

— Zach (@Zach_Brach) September 24, 2018

You vs the guy she told you not to worry about. @BarstoolJordie @KingOfTheNHL pic.twitter.com/vif54Lw5LD

— Mike Smith (@Real_MikeySmith) September 24, 2018

@dpim13 I feel like I've seen this thing somewhere before. Oh right… pic.twitter.com/0P4ysDr1X7

— Dan Mirsky (@DanMirsky) September 24, 2018

Hopefully a short-lived mistake

— Daniel Brobst (@dbrobst92) September 24, 2018

What in the fuckin heck? https://t.co/VLSLmKBC2G

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/xzfNkqW58p

— #1 Nik Antropov Fan (@hockeylake72) September 24, 2018

New Flyers mascot out here looking like a drunk Irish uncle who passed out on the grill and burned his nose off. pic.twitter.com/yVGFULr3fL

— McKeever (@JohnnyMcKeever) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/jLqXvcupEk

— Herbs (@JonHerbert1412) September 24, 2018

"Has anyone seen Phil E. Moose?" pic.twitter.com/9LaZuH2cPF

— Zoo With Roy (@zoowithroy) September 24, 2018

Grit E. Moose

— Elton Jawn (@FanSince09) September 24, 2018

Shout out to whoever designed the new flyers mascot for really nailing that "jerks-off-while-holding-binoculars" look pic.twitter.com/LJRpGGzBHp

— McKeever (@JohnnyMcKeever) September 24, 2018

Guys, I’m being sincere, this just doesn’t work. Gritty has hidden bodies under floor boards

— Geoff (@geoffmang) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/AxXmexspCr

— Quiet Wolf (@_PositiveBob) September 24, 2018

#Gritty pic.twitter.com/PISZ22cziM

— BuzzFeedPhillySports (@buzzfeedphl) September 24, 2018

"HERE’S GRITTY!" pic.twitter.com/DFIIn1Qlli

— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) September 24, 2018

Maybe we’re overreacting to Gritty, this is fine. pic.twitter.com/Q4PuNIqhoS

— John Barchard (@JohnBarchard) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/am5Hcxudra

— Brian Spasm (@xpenis_cakesx) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/XLSv1utUDp

— ♚ Brendan Page ♚ (@BrendanDrPepper) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/OOOYqBiYxe

— MLB Insider Dinger (@atf13atf) September 24, 2018

If this thing tries to touch me, I’m launching a beer at its head

— TJ Schirmer (@tjschirmer15) September 24, 2018

looks like Jake on LSD

— b h (@beerman86) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/D4dZP9A5xf

— Marc Farzetta (@MarcFarzetta) September 24, 2018

Just showed Oskar Lindblom. “We’ll see how gritty he is.” https://t.co/T4us9aFDCL

— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) September 24, 2018

I mean, the orange beard on the new mascot is indeed ridiculously on-brand for this particular Flyers team.

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) September 24, 2018

@Hartsy43 Scott hartnell really let himself go

— Backwodz (@EWodz2) September 24, 2018

Gritty is the lovechild of Jake Voracek and Scott Hartnell.

— Kyle McNulty (@mcnultyk9) September 24, 2018

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” pic.twitter.com/fEaAsMsHrv

— Actually Jason Kelce (@moviesontherox) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/zazXoChm7a

— Danny (@Dannydelphia) September 24, 2018

@NHLFlyers: Join us in welcoming the newest member of the #Flyers Family, @GrittyNHL!! Fans: pic.twitter.com/wWBRPUtDrX

— Tommy P (@RealTommyPro) September 24, 2018

Great to see Jayson Werth involved in the Philly sports scene once again

— James Stumper Jr. (@JamesStumper) September 24, 2018

lmao noooooooo what is this?! what have you done???? https://t.co/Sk3elelLGt

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) September 24, 2018

Bad call in the playoffs and Gritty's head ends up on the ice.

— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) September 24, 2018

And is blazed out of his gourd

— $20 funds a month of tutoring (@Briligerent) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/KSdXeVSwEY

— Ihavetweets (@JohnSharples850) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/m9lQJYeg7D

— Yves-Martin Henley (@HenleyYves) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/IvitdWfYbl

— bw (@BesWilthon) September 24, 2018

Faces of Meth pic.twitter.com/YNanOtAJ0Y

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) September 24, 2018

*focus group meeting*

“So what are you looking for in a new mascot?”

“What if we took the red monster from that Bugs Bunny episode of Looney Tunes and dipped his face in a vat of acid?”

“Say no more fam” https://t.co/DB8f1H5YLE

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) September 24, 2018

Gritty is the Phanatic’s cousin from Delco

— Zoo With Roy (@zoowithroy) September 24, 2018

Definitely brews his own beer.

— Rob Wesley (@eastwes) September 24, 2018

pic.twitter.com/NoPZRFsoXa

— John (@buddyspitz) September 24, 2018

Most adults were gonna hate this mascot regardless of what it was, so I honestly sorta respect that the Flyers just decided to go full nightmare-inducing with the thing.

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) September 24, 2018

Nah dog that’s orange Grimace with a Port Richmond beard https://t.co/RKGbNSx6Z1

— max (@MaxOnTwitter) September 24, 2018

What grit really looks like @iceburghNHL @penguins @NHLFlyers pic.twitter.com/B47xl62G4n

— Brian Mazurowski (@BMaz1) September 24, 2018

Mark Madden in muppet form https://t.co/OpEdJhhumK

— Ra's al Ghul Douglas (@Southern_Philly) September 24, 2018

@grittynhl are you related to Pepe the King Prawn? pic.twitter.com/fg8RHYWF6S

— eerie kwun (@ericsketch) September 24, 2018

gritty has definitely sent at least 50 unsolicited dick pics with the caption "it me" underneath each single pic. i, for one, am ready to die. https://t.co/VGbVFMujRH

— little lumpia (@emilyexploded) September 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/cschmid10/status/1044261992977117184

you vs. the cursed hellbeast she told you not to worry about pic.twitter.com/mOxu4KdpxQ

— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) September 24, 2018

THE FUCKING EYES https://t.co/8KpjKdVFHG

— Julian (@Jules_R18) September 24, 2018

i am here for this dirtbag mascot https://t.co/NN75blJ105

— Justin Sink (@justinsink) September 24, 2018

Meet the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot, "Flaming Hot Cheetos Soaked In Acid" https://t.co/T1rHAE4OVd pic.twitter.com/jItlnIMyxt

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) September 24, 2018

This guy's brother maybe? pic.twitter.com/UOuLip8zBZ

— Flynnie (@PhlFlynnie) September 24, 2018

I will not trust Gritty around my kids

— Geoff (@geoffmang) September 24, 2018

When the edibles kick in pic.twitter.com/YJ93WWCBni

— Actually Jason Kelce (@moviesontherox) September 24, 2018

Jesus…#NHL #Flyers #Mascot #Mascots #Gritty #Hockey @NHL @GrittyNHL @NHLFlyers @NJDevil00 pic.twitter.com/yKTLIfQivC

— King (@KingOfSkunkDuck) September 24, 2018

Gritty is going to be such a bad influence on the Phanatic.

— Enrico (@The700Level) September 24, 2018

Fold the franchise https://t.co/T0H7MbAFA1

— Brian Coulter (@PhilaBCoulter) September 24, 2018

helphttps://t.co/RrUV8W9kFg

— Becca (@BeccaH_JR) September 24, 2018

Worst ideas in recent Philly sports history:

1. Pushing out Sam Hinkie 2. Giving Chip Kelly full power 3. Gritty

pic.twitter.com/6ff1jhJVEy

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) September 24, 2018

https://t.co/6k2ivBEaNM

— Seth (@SaxNStrikeouts) September 24, 2018

Quick n dirty pic.twitter.com/zD6GzhjD8S

— Chris Covers (@ChrisCoverSongs) September 24, 2018

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on his sweater already, mascot Gritty

— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) September 24, 2018

Whoever came up with this idea should be fired. Whoever approved this idea should be shamed. Mascots don’t belong in hockey. https://t.co/JCjIcuxJi3

— Brendan Tierney (@tierneyb5) September 24, 2018

They said the Eagles winning the Super Bowl would be the greatest day in the history of Philadelphia sports.

THEY WERE WRONG. https://t.co/9cX5GLZBe2

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 24, 2018

lol ok https://t.co/3sSJcbLSfF

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 24, 2018

Sleep with one eye open tonight, bird. pic.twitter.com/wLmGBa0Oyh

— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) September 24, 2018

The city is now officially on a cold streak on introducing new mascots.

Whoever is cursing Philadelphia with these new mascots please stop we don’t deserve this pic.twitter.com/iWamin1PuI

— (@alyssakeiko) September 24, 2018

[interior, Philly Mascot HQ. The Phanatic sits behind his desk]

PHANATIC: You’re my No. 2, Swoop. And, Franklin, you’ve proven your loyalty in such a short time. You all know what to do.

(Swoop & Franklin nod silently)

PHANATIC: We strike tonight. Both of them.

SWOOP: Both? pic.twitter.com/Q1b2cX80zd

— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) September 24, 2018

The post The Early Reactions For Gritty Are In appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The Early Reactions For Gritty Are In published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[maysoper]

The Brad Marchand Rule

The NHL Rule Book doesn't cover every specific situation that can happen on the ice, and there have been players who have found loopholes that they have exploited in order to gain a competitive advantage. The NHL reacts by adopting new, specific rules that target these loopholes, and the result is that a few new rules have been named after players - the "Rob Ray Rule" or the "Sean Avery Rule", for example. Brad Marchand will undoubtedly have a rule named for him after tonight's second licking of the playoffs. After delivering a low hit to Tampa Bay's Ryan Callahan, who decided to address the issue with Marchand at the next stoppage by going nose-to-nose with the Boston superstar-slash-agitator, Marchand responded by licking Ryan Callahan's face as seen above. After licking Toronto's Leo Komarov in the first round and now Callahan here is in this round, I don't know if the NHL is going to address this, but they probably should. First and foremost, there is a significant chance of Brad Marchand contracting a disease from another player. Cold bacteria and flu viruses can be transmitted via sweat from the face thanks to the proximity of his licking near his opponent's nose and mouth, and ingesting one of both of these by use of the tongue after licking a sweaty hockey player - as gross as that sounds - is a real possibility. One of the more serious afflictions that can be transmitted via sweat is the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, better known as a staph infection. The staph bacteria can lead to an Impetigo skin infection as well. Secondly, the cold bacteria/flu virus can go the other way since Marchand's licks comes in close proximity to the faces of his opponent. There is also the possibility of Marchand passing on some rather unsavoury germs such the Epstein-Barr virus (mononucelosis), Herpes simplex (cold sores), strep bacteria, and/or mumps. For the most part, saliva has enzymes that will protect one from most diseases that could be transferred, but those listed above are the most common. The NHL has dealt with a number of mumps outbreaks in recent years, and it can significantly decimate a roster thanks to symptoms not appearing for up to two weeks. Third, and perhaps this is the most superficial reason, licking someone, particularly a sweaty someone, is just gross. It was suggested that the NHL contacted the Bruins and/or Marchand after his lick on Komarov, but Marchand emphatically denied that he had been contacted from anyone at the league offices. It became very clear that hadn't happened after his lick tonight on Callahan, but it might be time for the NHL to nip this trend in the bud. Boston does trail 3-1 in their series with the Lightning, so there may not be another opportunity for Marchand to engage in this activity, but it needs to be addressed just as Sean Avery's antics in front of Martin Brodeur made a mockery of the rules and just as Rob Ray not tying down his jersey to his pants made a mockery of the rules. Ian Fleming wrote in Goldfinger, "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action." Brad Marchand is on the precipice of enemy action with each lick, so let's hope the NHL is proactive on this one not only to prevent the transmission of infections or diseases, but to prevent anything further "enemy action" from boiling over in the playoffs. Or, in other words, just stop being gross. Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice! from Sports News http://hockey-blog-in-canada.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-brad-marchand-rule.html

[nereidakirkwood-blog]

In David Cameron, Britain Has actually Shed A Definitely Terrific Prime Minister.

Ubisoft and Cream color Tower's huge open world auto racing video game, The Team is right now available. I possess belief that brother of my good friend was actually like actually creating money in his free time with his Personal Computer when I looked at the receipt of 6785 bucks. is His aunt's neighbor has actually performed this for only 11 months and also now paid off the funding on their residence and purchased a brand-new Auto. Just like intermittent provider that's testing self-governing lorries in The golden state, Apple needs to send a record on visitor traffic accidents including its own automobiles within 10 service days. It's likewise to A little Mad Studios' credit score for including such a lot of autos on course in addition to such a hefty job method. Where vehicle glass is concerned, a ton of treatment have to be actually taken due to the fact that you are actually taking care of delicate components. 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The best means to accomplish this is by inspecting aesthetically, either by obtaining and also ceasing from the cars and truck, or even monitoring its own representation in the automobile in front or an outlet home window - when that's secured to perform so, naturally. Its own perspective, mentions Otmar Bitsche, supervisor of e-mobility, is for one in 4 of its own vehicles to become all-electric by 2025. Scrubbing out at your cars and truck windows and also windscreen is actually doing much more danger in comparison to excellent. Besides the long-roof, the Optima Sportswagon showcases the very same infomercial unit with Android Automobile support as the sedan. That is actually just the means that is actually. A considerable amount of really good ladies chase rascals, this is actually a very common situation. Yet integrated this's extensive things and also permits the car to construct a thorough image of every thing around this. I underwent this audio manual incredibly quickly, which is actually typically a great indication for me the amount of I just liked one thing. Our team're substantial enthusiasts from the Xiaomi Mi5, but the RedMi Note 3 is a really good pick if you seek something also cheaper.

[saltyground]

Rob Hirst's Overalls in the 1980s

[chefbstrikesagain]

Mid Year Break

The past couple of weeks have been a blast. No routine, accompanied by my closest friends, made for countless memories and little sleep. My holiday technically started on May 24 and lasted until June 11- felt like 3 months but was definitely a busy 2.5 weeks. The trip began on the morning of May 24 where Me, Martin, Joey, and the rest of the Sabah Gang headed to Kota Kinabalu to an early 4th of July party at the U.S. Embassy. We were extremely undressed for the event as we didn't want to pack super formal clothes. I sound ridiculous but dressing nicely would have meant backpacking around with dress shoes and a suit for the remainder of our travels. This resulted in sweaty me changing in a parking 20 minutes before the event into khakis in a button down. Sweaty and wrinkled I began shaking hands with people dressed in tuxes and needed a drink stat. Upon arrival, trusty old Janna had already scoped out the salmon sandwiches and wrangled down a waiter to get us all glasses of red wine from the open bar. After about 8 glasses, a passenger van arrived to take us to the airport for the start of our mid year programming. We landed in KL around 1am and it took another hour to get back to the beloved Dorsett Hotel. The Dorsett is where we spent our 2 weeks when we first got to Malaysia for orientation and holds a special place in everyone's hearts. Other than being extremely hungover everyday of programming, this was my favorite meet up yet. Fulbright let us do most of the talking and voice our specific problems. Mid year felt like a 'choose your own adventure book' which really helped people cope with specific problems they were having. After many icebreakers and a sleepless few nights I shared a grab car to the airport with Eleanor, Lissy, and Katie to make my 6am flight to Hanoi. Arriving in Hanoi meant that I was just 24 hours away from seeing my roommmates from COLLEGE. It has been so long since seeing them, or pretty much anyone from the U.S.. I spent the first day in Hanoi alone sightseeing. However, about an hour into my solo expedition I met a girl on a motorbike named Ming. Ming is from Hanoi, Vietnam and is a University student (or so she told me) in Pharmacology. Because it is her summer, she was looking for work taking around tourists on the back of her bike. She pulls up, offers me a helmet and an unbeatable price (10USD) for 3 hours of bopping around the city. She took me to local places to eat, explained the history of so many temples, and was a good pal to take selfies with. She dropped me back off at my hostel around 4pm and I spent the rest of the evening chit chatting and watching Netflix on the blazing fast wifi. The next morning I woke early, excited and anxious for Jackson, Rob, and Ang to arrive. I grabbed an uber moto to the airbnb which must have been a site. A 6'2 male with a 25 pound hiking backpack jumping on the back of this small Vietnamese man's motorbike. All in all I made it to the airbnb unscathed and had a few hours to kill. I was still pretty tired from all of our going out during mid year but a nap was not in the cards- I was just too excited. I laced up my running shoes and went for a short jog on the treadmill and then laid by the pool for a few hours. In what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard a knock at the door and APT. 6 was finally reunited. They looked, and smelled like hell but I was still so excited to see them. We chatted about the flight and the fact they were across the world for an hour before we decided to grab some local food and settle in for the night. Don't ask Rob about getting some of the local food. He was convinced we were all going to get Hep B the entire time. The next few days in Vietnam were a blur but included Vietnamese massages, local coffee, a trip to the famous Ha Long Bay, and loads of walking/sightseeing. We set off for Siem Reap on the 31st with our luggage in tow and arrived around 8pm. After Ang getting stuck in customs we found ourselves in 2 tuk tuks hauling down the road towards our villa. Tuk Tuks are such a fun way of transportation! We took them everywhere our entire stay in Cambodia mainly because of the price but also because they were everywhere. Our resort was beautiful and full of warm orange and yellow colors, fresh flowers, and statues of Buddha. We were welcomed with a cold cloth compress and fresh squeezed juice at reception. The owner asked us about where we came from and gave some suggestions (a full 4 day itinerary) on what we should do. We agreed that we wanted to do sunrise and before we knew it our alarms were blaring at 4:45am to go meet the tuk tuk driver. The first few hours of the morning were hazy. Our driver spoke almost no english and would just drop us off places and we would cross our fingers we would be able to find him later on. The sunrise was beautiful but a little disappointing to be honest. A lot of online blogs said it was a really spiritual experience, maybe if I had done it again it would have been better but between the photo shoots and the sweat dripping down my legs and forehead, all I wanted was the pool. We were 'templed out' by 2pm and finally made our way back to our villa where we enjoyed drinks and more food by the pool while we rested until going out that night. The night can be summed up in two words by my 3 pals 'puke city' and I'll leave it at that for their sake ;) It was an interesting time to be in Cambodia. They were undergoing elections and parades of people were campaigning in the street blasting music from cars and tuk tuks hoping their candidate would be chosen. Small business owners hoped for the opposition to take power as they promised more distribtion of wealth, while the reigning party kept their pockets lined. According to Uncle Google, Cambodia's government is extremely corrupt.. However, because of these elections, many bars and activities were closed due to people leaving to return to their villages to vote. There was also a city wide alcohol ban on the bars one night which led to us turning in early and catching up on some well deserved sleep. The next day was busy but involved ATVing through the countryside and rice paddies. Jackson found the tour and for 30 USD we spent hours driving through giant puddles and essentially causing havoc. Rob's chain fell off about halfway through his ATV which was unfixable out in the fields so he had to ride on the back of mine until a new ATV could be dropped off about 15 minutes down the path. ATVing might have been the highlight of my time in Cambodia- such an adrenaline rush. Later that night we were able to meet up with some of my Fulbright friends at a restaurant in Cambodia where fortunately, Claire snuck in a bottle of whiskey in her bag big enough for all of us. We spent hours polishing off the bottle between the 8 of us and made our way down the street to some of the clubs. Cambodia was where we spent most of our time but seemed like a blur, before we knew it we were up early (once again) and at the airport where our heavy bags caused some major problems. At the check-in counter Ang and I both got flagged because our bags looked overweight. I was able to talk the guy down from $40 to only a $10 charge by explaining I was a teacher in Malaysia and i've never had a problem traveling with my bag before. Ang, on the other hand, ended up getting a little confrontational with the guy who wouldn't budge. The ole American way of dealing with confrontations seemed to make bad worse. I don't think the AirAsia employee appreciated Ang taking photos of the man and threatening to call his manager. Honestly thought he was going to be kicked out of the airport- but our bags were checked and against all odds we made it through security. This was a low point of the trip for sure. We were all still feeling the night before and tried to remedy our hangovers with some coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Ang got a burger which I think ended up working out well in his favor. An hour later we boarded the most turbulent flight of my life. Jackson, Rob, and I respectively filled row 22 on our AirAsia flight to Phuket. Andrew, was moved up towards the front of the plane by himself which he smugly smiled back at us thinking he was first class- smh. About 45 minutes into the flight the seat belt sign turned on and the plane became turbulent. Before I knew what was happening it felt like we were dropping out of the sky. Jackson, Rob, and I were fighting back vomit as our greasy breakfast sandwiches and hangovers mixed violently in our stomachs. This turbulence was intermittent and just when you though it was over we felt our stomachs move up to our throats as the plane dropped 100 feet. We finally landed safely on the ground but when we got outside the airport we understood how bad the conditions were. As we were waiting for a taxi 4 Thai men and woman were holding a taxi stand down to prevent it from being taken by the monsoon that was only gathering strength. We arrived at our Hostel, Lub D, and made our way up to our room and we all posted up in our beds for a good amount of time still trying to recover from the flight. We grabbed food as the rain finally subsided at a small restaurant just a few blocks away where I enjoyed my first authentic pad thai! With our spirits lifted we made our way back to the hostel and formed a game plan for our short time in Phuket. Over the 3 days 2 night we were there we were able to go to a tiger sanctuary, have a beach day, explore the nightlife, and go to an all day event at an Elephant sanctuary. These were all unique and incredible experiences within themselves and I'll elaborate later but definitely some of my favourite parts of the trip. After what seemed like a week, but was only 2 nights, we made our way back to yes you guessed it, another airport, where we boarded our quick flight to Bangkok. Somehow Angus made it on the flight with 2 bags to our surprise! We checked into our hostel around 12:30am and had a solid sleep until we woke up to explore Bangkok. Claire and Kelsey, two other ETA's, were staying at the same hostel as us so we spent the morning at a coffee shop getting to know each other, and then set off into the city. We were able to see the Royal palace, the Emerald Buddha, the reclining Buddha, a canal tour, and even go out that night. It was such a busy day but the night seemed to last forever. After downing buckets of red bull and rum while listening to an incredible live band, we left for the 2nd best bar, according to trip adviser in Bangkok. Set 64 floors up, SkyBar Bangkok, was insane. Insane because of the views but also because of the 690 Baht drinks, which we seemed to have no problem spending.... Ang ordered a cuban cigar and we were actually living the high life. Our last day was sad and was mostly spent talking about our trip, prepping for their flight home, and we also got measured in case we ever wanted to order custom suits from a tailor in the city. We spent our last few hours in the bean bag lounge in our hostel awaiting the inevitable. After a long 2 weeks it was finally time to say goodbye. With the song yellow by coldplay in the background and the rain pounding the windows we hugged goodbye as the Uber arrived. It was a bittersweet moment but makes me really appreciate how good I have it in terms of friends. These guys flew across the world not only once but twice, to come visit and get a taste of what life was like for me. By the end of the trip I had a feeling that they were ready to go as the sleep deprivation and 2 week bender had finally started to set in for everyone. With runny noses and giant backpacks they set off for the final leg of the trip- the ride home. Having these 3 visit was a huge mental relief for me. Being gone from home for 5 really begins to take a toll on you and don't realize how caught up in life you get while over here. They reminded me of what is important and that I need to finish strong as life is pretty much the same back home - despite my fomo.