#paul dever

[politicaldilfs]

Massachusetts Governor DILFs

Michael Dukakis, Mitt Romney, Charlie Baker, Bill Weld, Endicott Peabody, Paul Celluci, Francis Sargent, Leverett Saltonstall, Edward J. King, Foster Furcolo, John A. Volpe, Christian Herter, Paul A. Dever, Charles F. Hurley

[runawaywhorses]

Oscars portraits

[in-love-with-movies]

Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

[thishadoscarbuzz]

234 - Dear Evan Hansen

To settle your post-Oscar hangover, we’re cracking open the Class of 2021 films this week and we’ve invited Muppeturgy co-host Adam Grosswirth to join us. Dear Evan Hansen follows a titular teen battling severe social anxiety, who fabricates a friendship with his bully after he dies by suicide, and faces the consequences of his lie when he goes viral. After emerging victorious from the 2017 Tonys with a Best Musical win and cementing star Ben Platt’s performance into theatre legend, the musical was destined for a whole other kind of THOB legend. Once the trailer dropped, skepticism and mockery of the near-30 Platt playing a teen went rampant, and vicious reviews made the film DOA.

This episode, we unpack the many problems inherent to the material and the attempts to soften them on film that only... make more problems. We also discuss the 2017 Tony season, Julianne Moore attempting the risk of a singing role, Amy Adams disappointing recent years, and the origins of the songwriting oeuvre of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Topics also include The Politician, director Stephen Chbosky’s association to multiple failed movie musicals, and orchard confusion.

Links:

The 2021 Oscar nominations

Vulture Movies Fantasy League

Subscribe:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Google Play

Stitcher

[clove-pinks]

A circa 1840 print by Paul Gavarni (Paris Musées) dated 1839-1841, showing two Parisian students in their less than ideal quarters. The caption reads, "Orestes and Pylades would gladly have died for each other, but they would be at odds if they had only had a basin and a water jug."

It's another wonderful look at early/mid 19th century men's underwear, and the long shirt of the man washing his face is reminiscent of this (undated, 19th century) extant garment in the collection of the Musée de la Chemiserie et de l’Elégance Masculine:

I have been trying to date this particular shirt. The relatively plain front and lack of frills makes me think it's not very early 19th century—but Phillis Cunnington and C. Willett Cunnington's book The History of Underclothes has extant shirts that look like this from c. 1795-1800 and 1813. They quote the Beau Monde magazine in 1806 and 1807 promoting shirts without frills. (But some men clearly were wearing shirt frills, if you have ever seen a portrait of a Napoleonic/War of 1812 era officer).

The Story of Men's Underwear by Shaun Cole has some more clues dating this shirt, namely that "after 1850 the bottom of the shirt was curved rather than square cut."

So is this an 1840s shirt? It does look like the student's shirt in the Gavarni cartoon above, and here another Gavarni dated 1840-1841 (also Paris Musées):

(I THINK they just went swimming? The caption is about how they have to hurry up for the dinner bell or their aunt is going to be annoyed).

Finally, the Musée de la Chemiserie is located in an 1860 shirt factory, could this be one of their own creations, despite the straight cut bottom? It's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. While it seems like all 19th century men's shirts are pretty large, compared with their 21st century descendants, they did become more tailored and fitted over time:

Men’s shirts had traditionally been made from a series of rectangles and squares, which resulted in a voluminous garment. By the mid-nineteenth century, a desire for closer fitting garments led to the development of patterns that allowed shirt makers, tailors and the home sewer to produce well fitting garments. In 1845 a scale pattern was featured in the Journal des Demoiselles with complex written instructions that ended with the statement ‘If you succeed, be proud! Because ‘a shirt without a fault is worthy of no less than a long poem’.” By the 1850s, tailors were applying their pattern drafting systems to shirts and tailors and other producers strove to introduce developments that made their shirts closer fitting and more comfortable. Patterns for shirts were included in magazines aimed at men such as Devere’s Gentleman’s Monthly Magazine of Fashion and The West-End Gazette of Gentlemen’s Fashions, as well as trade journals such as The Tailor and Cutter. In 1871, London shirt-maker Brown, Davies & Co. registered a design for “The Figurative Shirt”, which buttoned all the way down the front, removing “the old and objectionable way of putting on the shirt by putting it over the head”

— Shaun Cole, The Story of Men's Underwear

[amphtaminedreams]

Currently Obsessing Over, Debrief No.4: EAT THE RICH (...But, like...After the Met Gala!)

-Anne Hathaway in custom Versace-

-L-R, top row: Olivia Rodrigo, Jenna Ortega, Sora Choi all in Thom Browne, bottom row: Conan Gray in Balmain-

-L-R, top row: Yung Miami in ACT N°1, Rihanna in Valentino Couture, bottom row: Tems in Robert Wun, Cardi B in Chenpeng Studio, Kim Kardashian in Schiaparelli-

-Emily Ratajkowski’s custom Dilara Fındıkoğlu dress, details-

-look, I hate exorbitant displays of wealth as much as the next perennially broke person (whose martyr of a landlord apparently has no choice but to raise the rent astronomically again! does the poor man’s suffering ever end!?)...But in the interest of FASHUN, I like to take a night off, anddd if the purpose of the Met Gala and all its afterparties isn’t to give a voice to the voiceless, i.e the amateur fashion girlies, then that would make this year all about Karl Lagerfeld and it is each and every one of our civilian duties to prevent that from happening! Monday 1st May 2023 was a celebration of three things, 1). Choupette the cat, 2). Anne Hathaway in custom Versace, 3). Emily Ratajkowski in custom Dilara Fındıkoğlu..and all the following fashion moments too-

-L-R, top row: Anok Yai in Atelier Prabal Gurung, Gwendoline Christie in Fendi, bottom row: Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu, Rita Oran in Prabal Gurung, Nicole Kidman in Chanel-

-L-R: Aubrey Plaza in Stella McCartney, Vanessa Hudgens in Michael Kors, Olivia Rodrigo in Chanel, Keke Palmer in Sergio Hudson-

-Michaela Coel in custom Schiaparelli-

-L-R, top row: Margot Robbie in Chanel, Kate and Lila Moss in Fendi, Ashley Graham in Harris Reed, bottom row: Halle Bailey in Gucci, Emily Ratajkowski in Tory Burch, Penélope Cruz in Chanel, Chloe Fineman in Wiederhoeft-

-Anok Yai in 16Arlington-

-L-R, top row: Jeremy Pope in Balmain, Anne Hathaway in Versace, Jennie Kim in Chanel with Maude Apatow in Chloe & Sidney Sweeney, bottom row: Margot Robbie in Chanel, Suki Waterhouse in Fendi, Whitney Peak in Chanel, Lizzo in Paco Rabanne-

-L-R, top row: Gabrielle Union & Dwayne Wade in Prada, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas in Valentino, Amanda Seyfried in Oscar de La Renta, Nicola Peltz in Valentino, bottom row: Yara Shahidi in Jean Paul Gaultier, Paris Hilton in Marc Jacobs, Palomo Essar in Luar, Lily James in Tamara Ralph Couture-

-Anok Yai-

-L-R, top row: Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh in Valentino, bottom row: Phoebe Bridgers in Tory Burch, J-Lo in Ralph Lauren, Olivia Wilde in Chloe-

-L-R, top row: Dua Lipa in Chanel & Rihanna in Chrome Hearts, Chloe Fineman, Kerry Washington in Michael Kors, bottom row: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Jeremy Pope, LaLa Anthony, Lea Michele in Michael Kors-

-Emma Chamberlain in Miu Miu-

-L-R, top row: Cai Xukun, Iman Hammam & Joan Smalls, Emily Ratajowski in Versace, bottom row: Lil Nas, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Thom Browne, Ella Emhoff in Vaquera, Kate Moss in Fendi-

-L-R, top row: Lily James in Versace, Jennie Kim, Olivia Wilde, Paris Hilton, bottom row: Teyana Taylor, Elena Azzaro, Busta Rhymes, Georgia Fowler-

-Ava Max in Christian Siriano-

-L-R, top row: Aurora James in Bode, Whitney Peak, Yara Shahidi, Alia Bhatt in Prabal Gurung, bottom row: Quannah Chasinghorse in Prabal Gurung, Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmayne in Alexander McQueen, Song Hye-kyo in Fendi, Kaitlyn Dever in Michael Kors-

-L-R, top row: Emilia Silberg and Jared Leto, Miranda Kerr in Dior, Kelsey Absille in Prabal Gurung, Adut Akech, bottom row: Kylie Jenner in Haider Ackermann for Jean Paul Gaultier, Cardi B in Richard Quinn, Dua Lipa in Chanel, Phillipa Soo in Richard Quinn-

-L-R: Rita Ora in a mix of vintage Fendi & Chanel, Kylie Jenner in Jean Paul Gaultier, Precious Lee in Fendi-

-Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronlather for Vivienne Westwood, details-

-L-R, top row: Keke Palmer in Sergio Hudson, Imaan Hammam in Standing Ground, Adut Akech in Carolina Herrera, Vitoria Ceretti in Balenciaga, bottom row: Liu Wen in Tory Burch, Irina Shayk in Yohji Yamamoto, Lily Aldridge in Oscar de La Renta-

-L-R: Yara Shahidi in Jean Paul Gaultier, Janelle Monae in Thom Browne, Devon Aoki in Jeremy Scott-

-L-R, top row: Gustav Witzøe in Palomo Spain, Precious Lee in Fendi, bottom row: Brian Tyree Henry in Karl Lagerfeld, Eva Chen in Fendi, Karen Elson in Christian Siriano-

-L-R, top row: Jordan Roth in Schiaparelli, Camila Morrone in Rodarte, Lily Collins in Vera Wang, bottom row: Daisy Edgar-Jones in Gucci, Pasha Harulia in Bevza, Margaret Qualley in Chanel, FKA Twigs in Maison Margiela-

-L-R, top row: Madelyn Cline in Stella McCartney, Alex Newell in Christian Siriano, Conan Gray, Isabelle Boemke in Bode, bottom row: Vanessa Hudgens in Michael Kors, Finneas O’Connell in Vivienne Westwood, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz in Valentino, Liberty Ross in Burberry-

-L-R: Micaela Coel in Schiaparelli, Rita Ora, Ava Max in Christian Siriano-

-L-R, top row: LaLa Anthony in Sergio Hudson, Rihanna, Bad Bunny in Jacquemus, bottom row: Doja Cat in Oscar de La Renta, Ice Spice in archive Emilio Pucci, Cardi B in Miss Sohee-

-middle, far right: Emily Ratajkowski in Versace-

-Gigi Hadid in custom Givenchy, details-

-L-R, top row: Doja Cat in Oscar de La Renta, Alton Mason in Karl Lagerfeld Couture, Devon Aoki in Jeremy Scott, Lizzo in Chanel, bottom row: Michelle Yeoh in Karl Lagerfeld, Jodie Comer in Burberry, Chi Ossé in Advisry, Lea Michele in Michael Kors-

-L-R, top row: Salma Hayek in Gucci, Donatella Versace in Versace, Kylie Jenner, Lil Nas in Dior, bottom row: Aubrey Plaza in Stella McCartney, Mindy Kaling in Simkhai, Naomi Campbell in Chanel, Burna Boy in Burberry-

-Billie Eilish in Simone Rocha, details-

-L-R, top row: Micaela Diamond in Carolina Herrera, Kerry Washington in Michael Kors, Alexa Chung in Róisín Pierce, Anitta in Marc Jacobs, bottom row: Angèle in Chanel, Huma Abedin in Fendi, Julia Garner in Gucci, Svitlana Bevza in Bevza-

-Dua Lipa in Chanel-

-L-R, clockwise: Jenna Ortega in Thom Browne, Nicola Petz, Irina Shayk & Karlie Kloss, Emily Ratajkowski-

I have no time for the accompanying men in bland suits. Sorry bout it.

[o-amor-nao-e-amado]

As Sete Últimas Palavras †

A Primeira palavra:

"Pai, perdoa-lhes, eles não sabem o que fazem”

Encontramos essa palavra em Lucas, 23, 34: “Quando chegaram ao lugar chamado Calvário, ali crucificaram Jesus e os malfeitores, um à sua direita, e outro à sua esquerda. Jesus disse: ‘Pai, perdoa-lhes, eles não sabem o que fazem’”.

A primeira palavra é uma palavra de perdão. É a primeira e, por assim dizer, também a última. É o início e o fim, origem e finalidade. Tudo, na vida de Jesus, do início ao fim, consiste em perdoar o pecado.

Trata-se, primeiramente, de uma oração. Ele não somente ora ao Pai, como sempre fez na vida: ele ora e se torna essa oração. Ele se dirige ao Pai e pede que perdoe os seus inimigos. Ele também vai prometer o Paraíso ao bom ladrão arrependido, e, por fim, irá pedir ao discípulo amado que acolha sua mãe como sua própria mãe.

Jesus rezou pelos inimigos. Jesus rezou pelo pecador arrependido. Jesus ora pelos santos. Essa é a vida de Jesus, é a oração de Jesus: perdoar os inimigos, perdoar o pecador, e cuidar daqueles que o seguem.

O sofrimento da cruz é atroz. Por isso, os soldados esperavam, de Jesus, gritos de dor, de desespero. Era comum que os crucificados proferissem palavras de ódio contra os soldados, que amaldiçoassem os seus algozes e xingassem de maneira descontrolada. Por isso, às vezes, os soldados chegavam a cortar a língua dos crucificados, para não terem que aturar ofensas e xingamentos.

Os soldados, portanto, são surpreendidos pela oração de Jesus. Da boca de Jesus não sai palavra de recriminação, de vingança, maldição ou blasfêmia. Ele faz o que sempre ensinou: “Amai os vossos inimigos e rezai pelos que vos perseguem”. Ele tinha ensinado com palavras, mas agora ensina com a prática.

Jesus não pensa em si. Não pensa em sua dor, na injustiça que lhe fazem. Ele se preocupa com os seus inimigos e os que o perseguem. “Eles não sabem o que fazem”.

Jesus reza para que sejam perdoados os soldados que o pregaram na cruz e repartem entre si as suas vestes. Pede perdão pelo soldado que lhe deu uma bofetada. Por Pilatos, que não cumpriu seu dever de fazer justiça, por Herodes. E Jesus reza, também, por mim, que continuo ofendendo-o com os meus pecados. Jesus pede perdão ao Pai por mim, que prejudico os outros com o meu pecado e meu mau exemplo.

Rezemos por aqueles que nos ofenderam e nos prejudicaram:

Pai nosso…

Ave-Maria…

Glória ao Pai…

✨🌹

🖼️ A Elevação da Santa Cruz, Peter Paul Rubens. 1610-16011.

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Robin Hood

Rating: PG-13

Director: Otto Bathurst

Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, Jamie Dornan, Tim Minchin, Paul Anderson, F. Murray Abraham, Ian Peck, Cornelius Booth, Kane Headley-Cummings, Scot Greenan, Lara Rossi, Kevin Griffiths, Catriona Temple, Björn Bengtsson, Matt Devere, Nicholas Wittman, Yasen Atour, Josh Herdman

Release year: 2018

Genres: action, thriller, adventure

Blurb: A war-hardened crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown.

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

Something I've been wondering since a lot of the older cats tend to get cast younger and younger recently - are there any performers you could plausibly see as "real" younger versions of those characters?

Anon, that is actually a super interesting question (and I hope I'm understanding what you're asking for; apologies if I misunderstood - if you are asking whether there are performers who have not played the role but played others and can get away with playing them, honestly I'm not a big proponent of having all super young swings and understudies, and I've spoken at length about that before), but there *are* actually a handful of performers of past (which means that they *were* young when they initially took the role and looked it) and present that I could feasibly see as younger (and by "younger" I mean like more in the 20s) faceclaims or "versions" of my beloved older cats (and that I often will note back too when I'm trying to picture them in my mind).

From what I have heard and seen of them, they also give off more of a younger vibe, either due to the lack of maturity in their voices, or their general dispositions, that I think works well as these characters but younger. Imagine a different bunch of teenagers and gapped teeth babies running around the Junkyard hollering at one another and whining at their parents before *they* became the parents, ahaha.

I can give you some of my favourites to avoid wasting too much space. I can do a Part 2 with Asparagus/Gus, Old D and Grizabella if you're interested:

Skimbleshanks:

Matthew Gould (on his first go around; he aged into it much better the second go - Ross Finnie could technically also take this spot)

Philip Bertioli (and this is a costume thing but his vest always looked too big for him which just amped up the baby vibe)

Giovanni DiGabriele

Hayden Baum (specifically his first go around - that is a baby)

Tyler Keller (who looks *particularly* old photo like in this shot with the filter and expression - slap a black and white or sepia filter over that and tell me that's not an old photograph)

Taylor Scanlan (also *very* baby and *very* pretty*).

(Others for consideration if these don't tickle your fancy: Sandy Rass, Sean McManus, Shaun Henson, Jon-Paul Christensen, Philip Comley, Dann Dunn, Brian O'Muiri, Billy Mahoney, Jarryd Nurden, Park Seong-ryong, Bryan Mottram

Jellylorum:

Catrin Darnell

Susan Powers

Joanna Beck

Lindsay Dyett

Jeanne Montano

Erin James

Annemarie Rosano

(Others: Liz Izen, Louise Tomkins, Bonnie Simmons, Nina Hennessey, Marcy DeGonge, Jennifer Vaden, Thea MacNeil, Lisa-Marie Parker, Carrie Willis, Megan Arseneau, Taila Halford, and Alice Batt. S/O to Pia Douwes who toed the baby line, and nearly all Jellylorums in the Shiki production and a good chunk of the US Tour 5 who are and were - more often than not - quite young and look it)

Jennyanydots:

Stephanie Johns

Lisbeth Brittain

Laura Darkins

Lucinda Shaw

Erica Leigh Hansen

Ellie Nunan

(Others: Mary Trainor, Renée Knapp, Kati Farkas, Jennifer Cohen, Amanda Bay, Laura McCulloch, Melina Charles, Hanny Aden, Alice Redmond, Abigail Dever, Sarah-Marie Maxwell kinda sorta but tbh I think it's the makeup, Eloise Kropp, Maria Briggs - who is like elementary school Jenny -, Emily Jeanne Phillips, Ayumi Kato, and Megan Carton)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander | When I was interviewing with Capitol Hill Baptist Church before they called me to be their pastor, someone asked me if I had a program or plan to implement for growth. Perhaps to this person’s surprise (and perhaps to yours too!), I responded that I didn’t really have any great plans or programs to implement. I was just armed with four P’s—I would preach, pray, develop personal discipling relationships, and be patient. In other words, preach and pray; love and stay…

[kwebtv]

The Making of the Mob  Chicago -  AMC  -  July 11, 2016 - August 29, 2016

Docuseries (8 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Narrated by  Jeremy Davidson

Stars:

Michael Kotsohilis as Al Capone – The Boss

Paolo Rotondo as Johnny 'The Fox' Torrio – The Mentor

Jason Fitch as Tony Accardo – The Enforcer

Christopher Valente as Paul 'The Waiter' Ricca – The Brains

Emmett Skilton as Sam 'Momo' Giancana – The Wild Card

Recurring

Andrew Robertt as Frankie Yale

Amelia Reynolds as Mae Coughlan

Andre King as Big Jim Colosimo

George H. Xanthis as Frank Capone

Josh Harriman as Ralph 'Bottles' Capone

Stephen Lovatt as Dean 'Dion' O'Banion

Kip Chapman as Earl 'Hymie' Weiss

Jack Barry as George 'Bugs' Moran

Owen Black as Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti

Emmett Skilton as Sam 'Momo' Giancana

Toby Leach as William Dever

Cohen Holloway as Jack 'Machine Gun Jack' McGurn

Ruth Wynne as Anna Torrio

[brainrattlers]

Play It Cool - Tyson Jost (22/n)

Author's Notes: This chapter is all over the place, figuratively and literally. Playoffs are always emotional, this season was no different. All in all, it's definitely a segue to a new chapter in both AJ and Tyson's lives. It's tough to say goodbye, which is why AJ refuses to, rather, says "seeya later." Also random note: I told myself I was going to bed by 1am. It's now nearly 3:30am. I edited it quickly but... yeah I'll re-read in a few hours and probably cringe at something I missed. Love you all for putting up with my late night/early morning typos!

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OFC

Chapter 21: https://brainrattlers.tumblr.com/post/695263081501196288/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-21n

Word Count: 3251

Warnings: Language, and there are some sad feels going on, for sure.

Tyson looked damn fine in his suit leaving the game. And don’t think for a second that Tyson missed AJ biting her lip and quirking an eyebrow up when he came out of the locker room, scanning him up and down with her eyes. The smirk that hit his face when he caught eyes with AJ would have normally been enough to make her blush and look away, but it hit differently this time around.

Instead, she stared intensely back at him, nodding with a grin.

This would have been one of those nights that, had they been back in Denver, would have led to Tyson either pulling AJ in for a long kiss, or otherwise found a dark corner somewhere to make out a bit.

But alas, they weren’t in Denver, and also they weren’t alone with Laura along for the walk back from the arena.

It was AJ’s last night in St. Paul for a bit - she didn’t want to distract Tyson for the playoffs, even though Tyson swore up and down she wouldn’t be an issue. Just like him though, there were a few things she had to deal with in Dever first. But unlike Tyson, she didn’t have money in her pocket so she could just hire folks to box up the rest of her stuff and get it moved. Instead, it was on AJ to make decisions on what was going to make the cut to move to Minnesota eventually.

Thoughts fluttered about AJ’s mind since she had dropped the bomb that she was intending to move, and that Tyson wanted her to pick out their apartment. However, luckily for AJ, Tyson wanted to keep the stress of moving to a minimum and wait until after the Wild’s playoff run had come to an end before really digging into finding a place. She didn’t really want to be burdened with moving right now either, considering she had no idea where they’d be in the coming weeks.

Also… as AJ does, she had one more surprise up her sleeve - she didn’t want to cram everything in before that.

But for now, tonight was all that mattered. Both were shockingly adult about the night, knowing that morning would bring practice for Tyson, and the long road back home for AJ.

Scratch that… not the long road back home, but the long drive back to Denver. Home was now TBA.

Anyway, after making sure things were cool in Tyson’s space for Laura, he beelined it to AJ’s room. He barely made it inside the room, and with the door lock clicking, Tyson found himself pinned against the door with AJ unbuttoning his shirt as he was struggling to get his arms out of the sleeves of his jacket.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Tys, hold still!” AJ was having problems undoing the buttons from their holes.

Tyson couldn’t stop the laughs. “Let me get my arms free first and I can help. You clearly need more practice with this!”

AJ rolled her eyes playfully. “Fine, fine… I’ll practice every day once I move up here.”

Tyson loved the way that sounded. Even though the playoffs should have been number one in his mind, finding a more permanent residence was way up there, especially since it meant less facetime, and more face to face time. With his arms finally free of the confines of his suit jacket which he slung over the breakfast counter that fell onto the sofa just beyond it, Tyson started helping with the shirt buttons AJ eventually gave up on.

The intensity of the moment faded quickly - it occurred to AJ that Tyson had just played an entire game, and even scored a goal earlier that night. The adrenaline of it all was wearing off, and Tyson had a different idea anyway.

Breaking away, he shuffled over to AJ’s backpack on the ottoman in the bedroom area of the studio room, grabbing her tank top and shorts she’d been sleeping in and tossing them to her. She eyed him with curiosity, but complied with his silent request. After getting changed (and honestly a little surprised Tyson didn’t try to sneak a peek), she found him in the tiny kitchenette, only in a pair of boxers. Phone in hand, he scrolled and tapped a bit until music softly started playing from the tiny speaker of his iPhone.

“May I have this dance?” Tyson offered his hand to AJ, who gingerly wrapped her fingers around his as he pulled her in close. 

With a bit of awkwardness figuring out which hand was supposed to be on AJ’s hip, and which should be holding her’s, seeing as Tyson’s a lefty, and AJ’s a righty, Tyson guided AJ around the kitchen in a small circle, keeping beat with the music. He looked down into her eyes, feeling like the luckiest man in the world at this particular moment. Another song came up on the playlist, which caught AJ’s attention instantly. Looking up, she found Tyson still sharing that soft look into her eyes, followed by a kiss on the very tip of her nose. With eyes closed, AJ snuggled her face into the crook of Tyson’s bare neck and shoulder as they swayed with the smooth vocals of Chet Baker. It was fast becoming a favorite of his, almost as much as AJ loved it.

With the conclusion of the song, Tyson kissed AJ softly, but poured his heart into the kiss. Even with no music now playing, he twirled AJ around and pulled her back to his chest, posing a one-word question.

“Bedtime?” 

With a quick detour to brush teeth and get ready for bed, Tyson wrapped himself around AJ under the covers. Even though no naked shenanigans followed, slow dancing in pajamas in the tiny kitchen was the perfect ending to the night. 

In Tyson’s eyes, it was even more perfect when he noticed AJ was scrolling away on her phone as he peeked over her shoulder. She wasn’t even hiding what it was. Twisting her neck a bit to try to look at Tyson, she asked a question.

“Do you want to live closer to the arena and practice facility, or are you thinking elsewhere? Maybe Eden Prairie? Edina?”

Tyson continued to peek over AJ’s shoulder as she scrolled through apartment listings, stopping occasionally to look at floor plans and discuss wants/needs. At some point though, AJ felt the soft snores of Tyson resonating against her shoulder. Realizing she was having to drive 13 hours back in the morning, sleep was decided to probably be a good idea. With her phone on the nightstand, AJ rolled over to face Tyson, where he unconsciously pulled her body in close. It was unbearably warm, so she somehow managed to get herself uncovered and left the blanket on Tyson, drifting off to sleep as well.

The alarm on Tyson’s phone rang out early, as he had every intention to get to the gym for a bit of a workout before practice that Sunday morning. Knowing she’d be back soon enough, he insisted AJ stay in bed and get a couple more hours of sleep before the trek back to Denver. With not having work the next morning, it was perfectly acceptable to get back to Lakewood late. She could sleep in on Monday, she had nowhere really to be, other than watching Game 1 between the Wild and St. Louis that night.

A long kiss and the promise of seeing each other soon followed, along with the typical “text me along the way.”

AJ actually got up a bit later and snagged breakfast with Laura, promising to keep in touch and let her know what plans were as far as, well, moving at this point. It’d probably be a few weeks at least, or at least they hoped. With a final once over of the room, AJ once again had her backpack packed, and she retrieved her car from the valet, and was on the road.

Thankfully the 13 hour drive was uneventful, and AJ rolled into her driveway right around midnight after the time zone difference. A quick text was sent, hopefully not waking Tyson since it was now 1am for him, and he had a game later that night.

AJ: Back at my place. Miss you already. Cuddling with Maple just isn’t the same. Kick some ass tonight at the game. Love you so much

Thankfully the pillow she brought with her on the trip was still ever-so-slightly smelling like Tyson. AJ couldn’t even pin down what it was. A mixture of the hair product he was trying out, a little bit like his aftershave, a bit of deodorant, but mainly, it was just Tyson. AJ held the pillow close to her chest, breathing in what remained of the scent. It lulled her to sleep fast, and hard.

The buzzing of AJ’s watch against her wrist slowly brought her out of a deep, dreamless sleep.

Tyson: Miss you too, and love you more. Slept like crap without you. Glad you’re there safe. 

Tyson: Hey eggo you sleeping still? Just checking in before my pre-game nap.

AJ rubbed her eyes and groggily looked around at the room she was in, realizing the sun was streaming in the windows.

AJ: Oh damn, it’s already noon. I must have been tired. Tagging you in for a little sleep. Sweet dreams babe. Think I’m going to order pizza, see if Jess maybe wants to come over to watch the game.

Tyson: Sounds like a good plan. Text after the game.

The afternoon was actually spent looking through a room full of stuff, and deciding what she could part with, and what was an absolute must have. She was making pretty good progress, losing track of time as Jess knocked on the door and let herself in. With alcoholic beverages in hand (especially as AJ didn’t want to pack bottles to move with, so drinking it seemed to make sense), the two sat on the sofa watching the game and chatting about what all had been going on the past few days. 

AJ actually felt pretty crappy suddenly - and not because they were mixing a lot of alcohol and eating greasy pizza, but more in the fact that she wasn’t going to get to have these nights with her best friend once she moves away. Self-doubt was creeping in on whether this was the right idea, but without a decent job in Denver and the fact that her secret fiance was living in a different time zone, it really did make sense to make the move. Jess was pretty sad about it too, but it was indeed pointed out that summers could be spent traveling a little bit. It wasn’t like now that AJ was tied to the Wild with Tyson, that she wasn’t allowed in Denver. And if Jess had her way, AJ and Tyson would be making their way up to Cole Harbour to see her and Nate at his summer home. Hell, maybe they could even come out to Alberta and all spend a few days there. The options, within reason, were pretty much limitless.

While the thought of traveling and getting to see everyone made her happy, the 4-0 Game 1 loss was tough to swallow. AJ had been cursing the fact the Wild put in Fleury, and questioned where the offense was. Ultimately, it just wasn’t the Wild’s night.

The rest of the week was spent putting a handful of items up on Buy/Sell/Trade sites, and coordinating pickups. With her own place starting to look more empty, the Wild won the next two games, the first at home, the next in St. Louis. A couple of the evenings that week were spent with Jess, watching the Wild, or the Avs, if Jess wasn’t at work or at Ball.

Finally it got to Saturday night, where the Wild were scheduled to play in St. Louis Sunday. AJ’s next plan went into action overnight - catching a red-eye, and catching a ride to the arena thanks to a wonderful Lyft driver.

Breezing by security this time around, AJ didn’t have her normal seat, but did get herself up against the glass, tiny sign pressed up in front of her as the teams took the ice for warmups. A few players nodded in acknowledgment. Deslauriers gently launched himself into the glass in front of AJ not wanting to potentially injure himself. And finally, Tyson saw her there with the small poster. He shook his head, smiling as he read the words plastered against the glass.

I’m JOST WILD about you, Tyson!

Unfortunately, that was going to be the high point of the game for Tyson. Another loss to the Blues, another crowd of fans that were taunting the few Wild fans there. AJ up and left during the recap of the three stars of the game, taking her Blues-jersey-shaped microfiber towel with her. Despite her better judgment, she snapped a photo of it and posted it with a caption of “oh look, a nice dusting rag!” on Instagram.

(To be fair it did get a lot of likes from her Avs fan/player friends, as well as new Wild fan/WAG/player followers. But… it was petty.)

Tyson couldn’t believe AJ was crazy enough to make the trip in less than 24 hours flying back to Denver, but seeing her in the stands wearing his name and number was just about his favorite thing in the world.

Unfortunately, the series went to six games, ending in St. Louis. AJ sat home alone that last game, pretty much in tears that the playoff run was cut so short. She could only imagine what Tyson and really the rest of the team had been feeling. There was so much hype for them, and then it all fell flat.

Not sure how to approach it, AJ sent a simple text to Tyson, letting him really take control of the conversation, if he chose.

AJ: I’ll be up for a while, packing some boxes.

She knew at least the thought of her getting ready to move might cheer him up some… and while it did, obviously it still stung that he was done for the summer.

Tyson: I’ll text you when we land. Need sleep.

Tyson: Love you

AJ: Love you too (heart emoji)

It was nearly 2am by the time the team got home, after a grueling round of media availability. It doesn’t make much sense to rub salt in the extremely fresh wound of the playoff exit, but the journalists still have to write, and without interviews, other than the game recap, there isn’t much to report. AJ had to shut off the post-game wrap as it was absolutely heartbreaking.

After falling asleep on the sofa, AJ’s phone started buzzing with a notification that Tyson was trying to facetime. The face that greeted her was not the typical happy, bubbly Tyson, but instead a very tired Tyson, with puffy, red-rimmed watery eyes. 

The two just stared in silence for a moment, but AJ was the first to break it.

“Tys, I’m so sorry, I…”

He wasn’t usually one to interrupt, but this was one time that Tyson did.

“When can you get here?”

The small voice, and the tears that were threatening to fall over his lashes were absolutely devastating to AJ. He could see her looking around the room, silently taking inventory of something he wasn’t sure of. After a few more moments of quiet deliberation with herself, she brought herself to look back at the camera on her phone. Tyson had dropped everything for her previously when she mentally needed that extra support. This was her chance to return the favor. 

“It’s.. oh, it’s Friday morning already, I didn’t realize I slept that long,” With one more glance around her very empty home, she made another snap decision. “How does Sunday sound?”

With a sniffle, Tyson nodded quickly with a small smile indicating he was going to be okay due to the answer. 

Friday was an absolute blur. The team had a day of debriefing, a rather sobering day of feelings no one really wanted to deal with yet. It really wasn’t anything new for Tyson, the Avs had a 2nd round exit the previous three years. But it never gets easier, it’s just a wound that reopens. The only thing he had going for him at that point was literally counting the hours until AJ would be back in St. Paul.

And on that note, Friday was a blur for AJ as well. Coordinating the last few large item pickups, and packing was most of the day. Seeing as how Nate wouldn’t be playing for a few more days, a final hurrah for AJ, dinner at Nate’s with Jess happened. Lots of tears, happy and sad, mainly from AJ and Jess, but even Nate was a little upset that AJ was leaving. The dynamic of their friendship had evolved so much over the last two years, and even though he had Jess, he was going to miss random texts to play Fort, or to snag lunch after Saturday practices like they used to back in the day. 

“You dork, I’m not dying, and depending on how it plays out… I may actually have more time for Fort!”

There were so many hugs that night, and it took a lot to separate the three at the end of the evening when AJ had to head out, as she had one more day to finish cleaning and getting what few items she was taking with her to Minnesota loaded into the trailer she rented.

Saturday was emotionally tough, finishing the last of the boxes, and handing her extra keys to Jess to get the last few items out when they were sold off. With the last of the “seeya laters” - AJ spent her last night in Denver. She walked to the park behind her home, watching the sun drop behind the backdrop of the mountains. Denver had always been her dream, and she made it there. But that was now a past dream. Her current dream was seeing where life would take her with Tyson. 

One last dinner of In-n-Out, and AJ called it a night, sleeping on the air mattress that Nate had lent her. She was barely able to sleep, as a mixture of anxiety but also excitement overtook her. It also didn’t help that Tyson was nearly texting her every hour with a countdown of the hours until he expected her there. 

Waking up earlier than expected, the last of AJ’s things were collected and thrown into her backpack. She deflated the air mattress and secured it into the little bag it came in, and tossed it by the front door. A photo was snapped of the empty home. And with that, AJ locked the front door, and buckled Maple into the passenger seat next to her. Once in the car as well, the photo from moments earlier was posted to Instagram.

wicketthewarriorThough my time here in Denver was short, it was amazing. I met so many good people, saw so many beautiful sights, and cannot forget all the great food and drink. So many memories made. But it’s time to start a new chapter. Trading the mountains for the land of 10,000 lakes. It’s not goodbye, but “see you later, Colorado.” josty17 - I’ll be home soon.

Chapter 23 is at https://brainrattlers.tumblr.com/post/696530198978576384/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-23n

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 3.9

Beer Birthdays

William Cobbett (1763)

Daniel Curran

Five Favorite Birthdays

Juliette Binoche; actor (1965)

Bobby Fischer; chess player (1943)

Modest Mussorgsky; composer (1839)

Granville Redmond; artist (1871)

Socrates (469 BCE)

Famous Birthdays

Samuel Barber; composer (1910)

Barbie; Mattel doll (1959)

Luis Barragan; Mexican architect (1902)

John Cale; pop singer (1942)

Bert Campaneris; Oakland A's SS (1942)

Ornette Coleman; jazz saxophonist (1930)

Yamila Diaz-Rahi; Argentine model (1976)

Linda Fiorentino; actor (1960)

Eddie Foy Sr.; actor, dancer, entertainer (1856)

Martin Fry; pop singer (1958)

Yuri Gagarin; cosmonaut (1934)

Will Geer; actor (1902)

Charles Gibson; television host (1943)

Mickey Gilley; country singer (1936)

George Granville; English politician (1666)

Brian Green; actor (1962)

Glenda Jackson; actor (1936)

Raul Julia; actor (1940)

Paul Klipsch; engineer (1904)

Emmanuel Lewis; actor (1971)

Jeffrey Osborne; rock musician (1948)

Lloyd Price; songwriter (1933)

Vita Sackville-West; English writer (1892)

Keely Smith; singer (1932)

Mickey Spillane; writer (1918)

Leland Stanford; railroad builder (1824)

Robin Trower; rock musician (1945)

Trish Van Devere; actor (1943)

Amerigo Vespucci; explorer (1454)

[goalhofer]

Top 10 MLB Double Leaders: Week 23

10: Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs (38)

9: Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis (39)

8: Rafael Devers, Boston (39)

7: Ketel Marte, Arizona (39)

6: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis (40)

5: J.D. Martinez, Boston (40)

4: Bo Bichette, Toronto (41)

3: Matt Olson, Atlanta (41)

2: José Ramírez, Cleveland (42)

1: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (45)

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

TICKET TO PARADISE (2022)

Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier, Lucas Bravo, Sean Lynch, Arielle Carver-O'Neill, Ling Cooper Tang, Charles Allen, Francis McMahon, Geneviève Lemon, Romy Poulier, Dorian Djoudi, Ilma Nurfauziah, Agung Pindha, Ifa Barry, Cintya Dharmayanti, Nom Gunadi, Inaya Servais and Ida Pandita Putu Wirata.

Screenplay by  Daniel Pipski.

Directed by Ol Parker.

Distributed by Universal Pictures. 104 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Ticket to Paradise is a fun, sometimes silly rom com filled with some of the most gorgeous views of Bali that you could imagine. The entire film could undoubtedly be turned into an advertisement for the Bali Tourist Bureau to sell a million trips.

The film is directed by British writer and filmmaker Ol Parker, known for his past romantic comedies in exotic locales like Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! and both The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies.

There is an exceptional cast. You really can’t go wrong with stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney because, while they already have built-in chemistry, they are both über talented and charismatic. Also let’s face it, like the scenery, they are also extremely attractive to look at as they continue to age so gracefully.

The story starts when Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) graduates from college. She leaves on a fun vacation to Bali with her crazy, often drunk roommate Wren, (Billie Lourd) before she is due to settle into her cushy law job back in the States. While partying through the vacation, Lily meets and falls in love with handsome seaweed farmer Gede (Maxime Bouttier). Somehow this extended vacation becomes the lead up to their traditional Balian wedding. Lily finds she is willing to give up all of her aspirations for a new one; to live in Bali with the man of her dreams.

When her divorced and always bickering parents – Georgia (Roberts) and David (Clooney) – find out about Lily’s upcoming nuptials, they decide to put their differences aside and work towards a common goal. That goal is breaking up the engagement and bringing their daughter home to live out her dream – or theirs – of being a successful lawyer. When they teamed up, I started enjoying the film more because the constant fighting early on between the two of them was somewhat over the top, in my opinion.

After joining forces, the two parents cause some bumps in the road for the couple but also learn a whole lot about themselves. Georgia’s current boyfriend/pilot Paul (Lucas Bravo) follows her around like a puppy dog and beyond giving David more fodder to throw his ex’s way, doesn’t seem to have much purpose.

The best scene of the film for me is when out at a bar as a group, David and Georgia relive one of their favorite memories from college – playing beer pong. After challenging the soon-to-be bride and groom to a game, with House of Pain’s 1992 hit song “Jump Around” blasting in the background, you are reminded why you love Julia Roberts and George Clooney so much as they dance around, goofing off and just having fun. No dialogue, just fun.

Although you won’t see any of this talented cast up on the Oscar stage for this specific film, it’s okay. It was still a fun, light film that’s easy to watch on a cold night and to fantasize about being in Bali… with Clooney, Roberts and some friends.

Deborah Wagner

Copyright ©2022 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 21, 2022.

[shutupanddeal]

My top movies of 2023

Of 103 new releases I saw this year, these were the best (and, below, the worst and the most befuddling):

10. PERFECT DAYS: Snatching beauty from the mundane is easier said than done, and easier rendered with shlock than sophistication. Wim Wenders pulls it off in this gorgeous story of a Tokyo toilet cleaner who’s attuned to the world with poetry and hard-won wisdom.

9. JOYLAND: One of many luminous shots tracks a backup erotic dancer driving home a giant cardboard cutout of his transgender frontwoman — as close as he’ll come to holding her hand in public. In this vivid Pakistani family drama, social strictures squeeze men, women, and everyone in between.

8. YOU HURT MY FEELINGS: Ordinary human relationships get so complex they make your head spin in Nicole Holofcener’s talky, thorny, funny study of the hard truths and sweet lies that populate every day. “Can you shut up and keep talking?”

7. BEYOND UTOPIA: This pained and profound documentary about North Korean defectors contains some of the most remarkable footage I’ve seen, inside one family’s treacherous attempt at escape. We see so scarcely into the journeys of millions of people fleeing disaster all around the world each year. Here is a beam of light.

6. FOUR DAUGHTERS: In this extraordinary, line-blurring documentary, a lively and haunted formal innovation unspools the story of a Tunisian family, and the moments when playing a role — mother, daughter, wife, citizen, goth, rebel, Satanist, zealot — becomes all too real.

5. BARBIE: I went in skeptical: all this just to sell toys? One of 2023’s lessons is to trust Greta Gerwig no matter what. Too many Barbie partisans damn it with faint praise as simply a fun movie (and it deliriously is). But Gerwig layers in the emotion of innocence lost and the moral rectitude of interrogating our consumerist inheritance: ballast for the fantasia.

4. ALL OF US STRANGERS: Andrew Haigh’s London ghost story has some twists up its sleeve, which makes the forthrightness of its emotion all the more bracing. Death, of course, makes strangers of us all. Love collapses the distance.

3. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: A whole movie told through Robert De Niro’s eyewear: the chessboard reflected in the glasses of the King; the riding goggles that make him look like an owl, portent of death. One of a million details that add up to a masterpiece in Martin Scorsese’s dramatization of the clash between two worlds and two ways of being.

2. OPPENHEIMER: Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds. This is the bomb.

1. PAST LIVES: The brilliance of Celine Song’s play on inyeon is not just the wisdom of its story of love, immigration, and divided selves, but their aching visual illustration in a climactic tracking shot that moves through emotional time. Greta Lee is marvelous. Sometimes I cry just thinking about it.

Honorable mentions: MAY DECEMBER … POOR THINGS

More superlatives:

Least favorite movies: DICKS: THE MUSICAL … WONKA … MEMORY … CAT PERSON … WHAT HAPPENS LATER

Best leading actor performances:

Bradley Cooper, MAESTRO

Paul Giamatti, THE HOLDOVERS

Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER

Petri Poikolainen, THE BLIND MAN WHO DID NOT WANT TO SEE TITANIC

Andrew Scott, ALL OF US STRANGERS

Best leading actress performances:

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, ORIGIN

Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Greta Lee, PAST LIVES

Julianne Moore, MAY DECEMBER

Emma Stone, POOR THINGS

Best supporting actress performances:

Emily Blunt, OPPENHEIMER

Nimra Bucha, POLITE SOCIETY

Claire Foy, ALL OF US STRANGERS

Taraji P. Henson, THE COLOR PURPLE

Rosamund Pike, SALTBURN

Best supporting actor performances:

Robert De Niro, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Robert Downey Jr., OPPENHEIMER

Ryan Gosling, BARBIE

Glenn Howerton, BLACKBERRY

Milo Machado Graner, ANATOMY OF A FALL

Best cameos

Kaitlyn Dever in GOOD GRIEF

Colin Firth in RYE LANE

Audra McDonald in ORIGIN

Margot Robbie in ASTEROID CITY

Gene Simmons in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE

Miscasting couch

Jerrod Carmichael in POOR THINGS

Joaquin Phoenix in NAPOLEON

Margaret Qualley in SANCTUARY

Chris Tucker in AIR

Shailene Woodley in FERRARI

Best musical moments

Unwritten above the Sydney Harbor in ANYONE BUT YOU

I’m Just Ken in BARBIE

Piano rendition of Maneater in NO HARD FEELINGS

Japanese karaoke rendition of House of the Rising Sun in PERFECT DAYS

Murder on the Dancefloor naked ending to SALTBURN

Most unhinged moments

THE BURIAL: Jamie Foxx adds up 13 + 11 to equal 26

M3GAN: Children cheer enthusiastically for roasted chestnuts

PASSAGES: The homework assignment for a class of roughly 10-year-olds is writing like two sentences about what they did that weekend

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE: The president’s son and the prince have a romantic dance-floor stare into each other’s eyes when everybody else drops to the floor during Low

SANCTUARY: Christopher Abbott orders a Belgian waffle with passion fruit jam from room service in Denver

Best character name: Amos Klobuchar in THEATER CAMP

Best dog performance: Messi in ANATOMY OF A FALL

Best mention of Brown (tie): Using a Doritos bag as a condom in FAIR PLAY and roofie-ing the chancellor to get admitted in DICKS: THE MUSICAL

Most distressing depiction of a villainous queer Politico reporter who hangs out at coffee shops in Shaw: RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Best hard-charging student newspaper with a pretentious Latin motto: THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE

Where the movies took me this year: