#quite possibly the most important win in Murphy's life

[doortotomorrow]

memori in every episode » perverse instantiation part two

[agentnico]

Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade (2010′s)

Now that we have entered the 2020s, it’s time to look back on a decade of movie magic. To emphasise the importance of each year, I’ll balance things out by including two films from each year for my Top 20 list. I’ve tried to pick films that both defined this decade as well as appealed to me personally, so my list will of course, as always, be different from yours, but hopefully, I won’t totally irritate you with my humble choice, which I deem worthy to post online for the public eye to witness.

2010:

INCEPTION - “You’re waiting for a train...” Christopher Nolan unarguably is the most exciting and original directors working today. Each time he releases a movie, its an event. A literal must-see at the cinema. Which is why this isn’t the only film of his you will find on this list. With Inception, Nolan gives us a movie that is both enjoyable and imaginative, rewarding the audience for the attention that it demands. Filled with so much detail that if you miss certain shots, you will completely get lost in confusion of the narrative (as confusing as it already is). It’s intense and complex, with great performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, this movie will leave you lingering for more even after that mysterious ending.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -  “You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!” Once again, another exciting director on this list (oh there are so so many!). Ever since Edgar Wright emerged from the British isles, he’s given us some of the funniest films of the past decade and onwards. His Cornetto Trilogy is a blast, Baby Driver is a blast, Ant-Man was going to be even more of a blast if Marvel allowed Wright to do his magical shenanigans his way, and the upcoming Last Night in Soho will surely be a blast also. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Wright creates a meta-clever universe taking inspiration from comic books and video games and filled to the brink with wink-wink-nudge-nudge humour, this is an exciting and very sarcastic over the top endeavor. Also, Brie Larson in this movie.....phew!! And unsurprisingly, its all a blast!

2011:

DRIVE - “I just wanted you to know, just getting to be around you, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Drive is more of an elegant exercise in style, and its emotions may be hidden but they run deep. A shamelessly disreputable, stylish, stoic, ultra-violent thriller with amazing stunt work, one of the best opening sequences of any movie this decade and a neon-pumped soundtrack that’s a must-own for all vinyl users, if you still haven’t seen Drive, there’s only one thing you can do. Clue: it’s to go watch Drive.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - “Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” Tom Cruise’s deal with the devil allows him to do some literally impossible stuff, and though I don’t condone his Scientology ways, the man’s stunt work and efforts in his area of expertise are worth all the praise and respect. To be honest, I’m commemorating all three of the Mission Impossible flicks that graced our screen this year (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout). This franchise is like a game of dodgeball, except that Tom Cruise is the dodgeBALL, being thrown and thrust left and right like nobody cares. Also, with me being Russian, the fact that a movie manages to destroy the Kremlin and then have me not hate the film in the aftermath shows that this film is way too fun to hate.

2012:

DJANGO UNCHAINED - “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors working today. And Django Unchained happens to be my favourite film of his. The writing for this film is orgasmic (I went there!). The way the actors deliver the lines and the lines of dialogue themselves sound almost poetic to my ears. I can quote so many lines from this darn thing. The cinematography is immaculate. The soundtrack choice is great. The performances, my goodness, the PERFORMANCES!! Jamie Foxx does arguably his career-best work here, but also we have Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio both chewing up the scenery, and I’m sure everyone has heard the story involving DiCaprio and the broken glass. Django Unchained is an easy choice on this list for me, and possibly in my Top 10 of all time.

LES MISERABLES - “Do you hear the people sing?” The film that is based on a musical that is based on a book that is based on certain true events. Tom Hooper did an interesting choice of having actors sing live in front of the camera during filming rather than pre-record their voices, and it works to grand effect, though Russell Crowe should have probably been given more singing lessons. The movie is one hell of a way to adapt such a popular stage musical. With an opening shot that emphasises the scale of this picture with a zoom-in towards this big ship during a storm being pulled by these poor prisoners, we are plunged into the despair and conflicts of various characters with adroit narrative thrust so that not a moment feels wasted or redundant. You’d think that a film with hardly any dialogue and an overall reliance on singing wouldn’t be so emotional. Yet, somehow, it works. Also props to Anne Hathaway for winning an Academy Award for being in a film for only 5 MINUTES!!

2013:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - “Sell me this pen.” Martin Scorsese’s mad look into Wall Street life is a bombastic caper and running at nearly 3 hours, Scorsese and his editing team manage to keep an astoundingly intoxicating pace that keeps you enthralled and engaged throughout. This one is definitely not for the families, as this R-rated fest is filled with drugs, money, sex and everything you can possibly imagine and paints quite the picture of the rich folks of Wall Street. And the middle of it all a bravura performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. Someone needs to give DiCaprio’s agent a raise, this is Leo’s third appearance on this list and we’re only in 2013!

THE WAY WAY BACK - “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're having way too much fun, it's making everyone uncomfortable.” Sometimes a little indie flick is enough to lift a human spirit. Real, fun, uplifting and innocent, The Way Way Back dedicated to anyone who felt awkward or out of place at some point in their life, which, let’s be honest, counts all of us. I’m not afraid to admit that. So stop being a b*** and reveal your sensitive side too! Yes, you, the person reading this. Who else could I possibly be talking to? Myself? Maybe. The Way Way Back though is one of the best feel-good indie films of this decade, with the loveable Steve Carell acting very unloveable and Sam Rockwell Rockwelling himself to charm city! If you’ve missed this one, treat yo’self and check it out.

2014:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - “And?? Where is it? What's it all about dammit don't keep us in suspense this has been a complete f***ing nightmare! Just tell us what the f*** is going on!!!” Easily Wes Anderson’s best in my opinion (I have a friend who would argue Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums has the better hand but I think my opinion is more valid because it's me), this movie is a glossy, colorful, whimsical deadpan affair with an energetic turn from Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge M. Gustave H. as he and his lobby boy run into various Wes Anderson regulars and deal with murderers, stolen paintings, love affairs, prison breaks, and all kinds of crazy shindigs, but all shown in such a casual Wes Anderson way. This movie is like a slice of cherry pie - damn fine!

INTERSTELLAR - “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” As promised, Christopher Nolan makes another appearance on this list, now with his space time-traveling epic Interstellar, where he takes inspiration from the likes of Kubrick and Tarkovsky to give us, as always, a tad bit confusing adventure with great visuals and an interesting narrative (though it does sometimes get lost in its own way), however, the key thing holding this piece together is the father-daughter relationship with Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy (and Jessica Chastain) managing to bring so much raw emotion to their respective roles that you can’t help but want to shed a tear. I mean, I haven’t cried for over 14 years, but I remember when I first watched this film, the audience around me was sobbing quite a few times during the duration of this movie. Give it to Nolan to give us the emotional moments!

2015:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!” Easily the best action movie of this decade. Sorry John Wick, neither you or Tom Cruise could defeat this beast. The sheer, limitless invention behind this movie's exhilarating, preposterous chase scenes highlights action filmmaking at its finest. With big monster trucks and a random guitarist rocking-it in the middle of all the action, it’s like a nihilistic version of a Cirque du Soleil show! And it makes Tom Hardy the calmest person on-screen; no idea how it managed that.

STEVE JOBS - “I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.” If there is anyone who can make formulaic, mathematical or technological sound fun and exciting, its Aaron Sorkin. The man has a talent for writing screenplays about difficult and complicated topics yet turning them approachable for the casual moviegoer. Pair him with director Danny Boyle, and the result is Steve Jobs, a look at the man behind the phone. Narratively set during three important product launches of Jobs’, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of his relationships with his colleagues and family members, and this character study is one that could have easily fallen into generic biopic tropes, but it holds it’s own right till the credits roll. Also props for showing that Seth Rogen can actually do a serious role. Who would’ve thought that pot-smoking fella had dramatic chops in him?

2016:

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - “Susan, enjoy the absurdity of our world. It’s a lot less painful. Believe me, our world is a lot less painful than the real world.” Fashion designer Tom Ford does sew his suits well. Apparently, he can also make great films too, with 2009′s A Single Man and with said Nocturnal Animals. This movie is truly incredible and I remember it taking me and my friend by surprise when we first watched it at the cinema. It’s shocking. Horrifying. Depressing. Upsetting. Altogether exhilarating. Being of a fashion background, Tom Ford directs the hell out of this movie, with gorgeous shots and great use of colour as well as managing to masterfully create tension and suspense when necessary. Honestly, I know Tom Ford is probably busy at a department store somewhere, but the guy needs to make another movie. The man has a talent.

LA LA LAND - “Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache; here’s to the mess we make.” Oh, La La Land. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to the also excellent Whiplash. People who know me well know how much I love this movie. An old-school tour-de-force musical that’s a love letter to jazz and the golden age of Hollywood. The city of stars never looked so good. Featuring catchy original songs, excellent dance choreography (the sequence to the song “Lovely Night” is especially memorable) and a romance tale ten times better than the forsaken The Notebook, La La Land is one special movie. I know many are put off by the film’s not so happy ending, however for me it was the only way this narrative could have ended. 

2017:

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - “We’re all just looking out for something real.” Similarly to Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is proving to be one of the most exciting directors working today. He’s the man behind such films as *deep breath* Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. And those have all been done within the last decade. The man constantly makes quality movies of various genres, though lately, he has been leaning more towards science fiction, which is a-okay in my books, since as Blade Runner 2049 proves, he can turn science into fiction like butter on bread. A sequel made 30 years after Ridley Scott’s classic, this visually breathtaking piece is arguably even better than its predecessor with many moments giving you the “wow wow wow wow wow WOW!” factor, and when Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford are both on-screen they are dynamite. Forget the new Star Wars film (that’s right, I'm throwing shade there), Blade Runner is where it’s at!

PHANTOM THREAD - “The tea is going out. The interruption is staying right here with me.” The supposed last Daniel Day-Lewis film, as he has now apparently retired from acting, but let’s be honest, nothing stops him from simply unretiring at any point. Exhibit A - Joe Pesci. However, like Pesci, if he comes back I’ll only be happy. He’s one of acting greats of our time, and his collaborations will director Paul Thomas Anderson bring out some of his best roles. Phantom Thread is a marvel of a movie. No, I don’t mean that’s its part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I mean as in it can fill one with wonder and astonishment. Phantom Thread is PTA’s Gothic dark fairy-tale romance film, which expertly planned shots and scenes where every word of the dialogue counts. There is no wasted moment. And as the film transpires to its dark and unsettling climax, one begins to realize that this, THIS, is what filmmaking is about. Telling an engrossing story in an interesting way with crisp-clear shots and off-the-chart acting at play, with great costume design on display, although the latter is unsurprising due to a major aspect of the movie revolving around fashion.

2018:

MANDY -  “You ripped ma shirt!! You ripped maaa shiirrt!!” An acquired taste for sure, however, Mandy is indeed something truly special. From first glance, this film might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, especially from the point of view of the plot. Its the usual revenge flick. However director Panos Cosmatos’ vision and how he presents it is so much more unique. And what’s not love in this film? There’s something for everyone! It’s artsy and slow enough for the critics, hip and metal for the nonchalant, gory and violent for the hardcore genre fanatics and of course the Nic-Cage-rage factor is present for the fans of the actor. Alright, it may not be a family film, but this one is worth a watch. The whole thing is bound together by this psychedelic otherworldly environment, with the whole movie conceived in this dark, unsettlingly beautiful yet horror-filled aura that might stray people away, as it might be just too different for them, however, if you are looking for something different to watch, take mandy. I mean, watch Mandy!

A STAR IS BORN - “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” The film that began all the rumours surrounding Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s affair. People, heads up, they are actors! They were putting on a performance! Jeez. That being said, I totally ship them. Nuff’ said. The film though? Yes, it’s good. Some country-style music, romance blooming, Gaga can apparently act, people sing about shallows for some reason...all together works for a pretty decent motion picture. Also, the fact that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, produced and starred in this gives me so much respect for the guy. He poured his heart and soul into this. And Lady Gaga absolutely shines!

2019:

PAIN & GLORY -  “Writing is like drawing but with letters.” Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption. This movie is a thing of beauty.

PARASITE - “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Parasite is easily the most original and surprising films of 2019, and possibly the decade, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. This movie comes to us from Bong Joon-Ho, a South Korean director behind such films as The Host, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Snowpiercer. It’s nice to see the awards ceremonies giving him the proper recognition finally. He deserves it.

That sums up my Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade list. Of course, there are so many other great films that came out in these 10 years, such as Whiplash, When Marnie Was There, Paterson, Silence, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys...I can go on forever. Cinema is a constant ever-growing medium, and it is fascinating to see how it changes through the years, in some ways improving and in some parts not so much. In any case, I look forward towards a new decade of, hopefully, great movies, however, let’s be honest, for all these great films there’s always a Norm of the North, a Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse or frickin’ Cats. But let’s hope those will be kept to a minimum. In any case, bring on the 2020s!

[lilyhandmaiden]

The Things That Have Gotten Me Through 2020

In the last few minutes of 2020, I thought I would share some of the little things that have brought me joy and comfort and, when both of those were in short supply, have dragged me forward through this year.

12 Monkeys (TV series)

I started watching the 2015-2018 SyFy series 12 Monkeys, which revolves around time travel being invented to stop a humanity-ending pandemic, in February or so, right before it became clear that the current pandemic was going to have a big impact on all our lives. It was... weird timing. Nevertheless, in the early days of lockdown, etc., all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and escape by watching this ragtag group of idiots save the world and, eventually, Time Itself. They were, overall, very bad at it, always getting in their own way, but they won anyway, and that felt strangely encouraging. The show is not unproblematic at times, but its overall message is that, while endings are inevitable, the relationships we form and the choices we make matter. That was something I needed to hear and take to heart. Plus, the series introduced me to Jennifer Goines, one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. As played by Emily Hampshire (Stevie from Schitt’s Creek in a role as unlike Stevie as it is possible to be, at least in terms of self-expression), Jennifer is “brave, impulsive, irrationally rational,” and a force of radical love and compassion for her friends and, ultimately, for herself—even if her brain never works the way she wants it to. May we all try to live in the happily ever now.

 Schitt’s Creek winning all the Emmys

Schitt’s Creek was my big discovery of last year, and its amazing character development in a story about finding oneself and forming connections in the process of starting all over was hugely important to me upon entering into post-academic life. This year, I’ve loved seeing this show’s snowballing popularity, which culminated in its sweep of the Emmy comedy category. Watching the ceremony at home with my cat, I screamed as those wins piled on (not as loudly as Sarah Levy up in Canada, but still). Legends Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy with their first acting Emmys! Dan Levy for writing and directing and acting on his first series doing any of those in a major capacity! Annie Murphy, for her hilarious and heartbreaking and inspiring and masterful portrayal of Alexis Rose, after she was told she couldn’t do comedy without comedy lessons and almost quit acting! The COSTUMES. No cast and crew have ever been more deserving. Love that journey for them! And the fan celebrations afterward were such an expression of communal joy at a time when joy and community were not so easy to come by.

 Folklore and Evermore and Taylor Swift

           It took me about a month to get around to listening to Taylor Swift’s first surprise pandemic album, folklore. Once I did, though, I couldn’t seem to stop. There were stretches of weeks when I only listened to folklore. It was for working and driving and writing and cleaning and thinking. It’s sonically soothing and lyrically gorgeous, pulling from literature, history, memory, isolation. I’ve never listened to an album where I can pick out so many favorite individual lines before. I’ve always admired Swift most for her storytelling, so it’s no huge surprise that I love this album, where she embraces the storyteller role. Still, I’d only really paid attention 1989 and her singles before—and not really even to her singles over the past few years. After about a month of only listening to folklore, all the time, like it had me hypnotized, I decided it might be worth listening through the entire Taylor Swift discography.

           I fell in love with folklore as an album for its bittersweet, nostalgic feel that spoke so perfectly to this moment in time, but the exact moment I fell for Taylor Swift as an artist might have been when my jaw dropped at the cutting specificity of, “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young to be played by your dark, twisted game?” in “Dear John.” And then when I cackled as she wrapped up the song with, “The girl in the dress wrote you a song. You should’ve known.” That was when I started to appreciate Taylor Swift for the way she has, from a very young age, understood her power as a storyteller, and specifically as the teller of her own story. “I was there. I remember it,” she emphasizes over and over in song after song, seizing the authority she might otherwise be denied as a young woman (“when you are young, they assume you know nothing”). Plus, her use of imagery is unparalleled. folklore spoke to this moment in time, but there is a Taylor Swift song for every possible moment and mood, and that became a comfort and escape of its own.

           So, by the time evermore came out, I was able to appreciate it as an event. And that, in these times, is no small thing. evermore is the wilder and sadder of the twin albums, and its songs revolve around endings and, on the other side, improbable hope. Here’s to this pain not being for evermore. Take a nap, Taylor. You’ve earned it.

 Writing

At the end of grad school, I felt like I might never write creatively again. I was afraid that creative part of me had withered up and died. But last year, slowly, it started to come back, and this year it’s been one of my main sources of joy. I’ve written thousands of words, and I’m actually enjoying the process of doing it and proud of the outcome. I know and understand why a lot of people have struggled to be creative this year, but for me, writing my way into another world where I am actually in control of what happens has been my favorite way of escaping this one. It’s all I want to do all day while I’m sitting at work, doing official correspondence. I’m even writing original fiction for the first time in ages, and you know what? It’s not nearly as scary or difficult as I was afraid it would be. Plus, I love talking about writing, sharing enthusiasm and working through problems, with friends. I’m not a fast writer, but I hope to do more of it, and find a way to do it more consistently, in 2021.

 Texting with friends

I haven’t been perfect at it, but I made the decision at the beginning of 2020, before All This even really got started, to do a better job at keeping in touch with my friends. In a year when we’ve had to reconfigure so many things we care about, I can wholeheartedly recommend a weekly text with friends as a way of keeping those relationships and those people prominent in your life. Throughout the year, reaching out on a regular basis to the people I love—when I need them, when they need me, just to say hi—has deepened relationships I care about and has been a constant source of comfort, stability, and fun. So much emotional and physical good has come out of it for me and, I hope, for others as well. This is a part of the year I’m really proud of, and I intend to continue, expand, and refine this program in 2021.

 Learning to cook things

At the beginning of the year, I set the modest goal of learning to cook one simple thing each month of the year. When so many other goals and aspirations got blown up, this is one I was able to keep to for the most part. The holidays got in the way at the very end, but I did learn to cook 10 new things this year. For a person who could cook almost nothing before, this is big progress. It worked so well that this is another program I intend to carry on into 2021.

 My nephew

Last year, I was looking forward to the day when this kid would be able to recognize me. Last weekend, he came running to be picked up with a big smile when I came through the door and hugged me when I left. It’s possible that he thinks Aunt Erin With a Mask and Aunt Erin Without a Mask (the latter of whom appears only rarely) are two different people, but he loves both of us, and we love him. I can’t wait to see what he’s learned by this time next year. I hope the world is a friendlier place for him by then.

Happy New Year!

[migleefulmoments]

how entertainment media works

People Magazine exists to make money. Period. They make money by selling ads. In the print magazine that means literal print ads. They sell subscriptions because each subscription is a guarantee to their advertisers that X number of people will see their ad. The more people subscribed -the more money they can charge. With the website, the ads are clickable links but even if you don’t click the ad, they want to keep you clicking on People stories as long as possible because you see more ads.

 Ok, so now we know what motivates them when they are writing stories-MONEY. They need to produce content to make money and they need to produce content that people are interested in aka the hottest stars and hottest shows, stars and their families, the most screwed up stars and reality stars, murder, death, and feel good stories compromise People’s formula. 

Hollywood is a no-brainer for them to cover because Patti LuPone, Ryan Murphy, Jeremy Jordan, Darren Criss, Rob Reiner, and lots of beautiful people. So they do a cute story with Darren. The world is in quarantine so shows aren’t being made and nobody is walking red carpets or attending galas and celebs are staying home. They can’t do photoshoots and they aren’t hearing about big breakups because people aren’t out and about. They have very little to cover right now and everyone is looking for feel good stories. Darren’s first anniversary just passed, everything Darren has said publicly since his wedding has been about how happy he is being married and how much he loved the wedding. IDK whether it came up in the conversation or Darren was asked about his marriage, but they got some good quotes that make a great happy story and they got another page of content during the Covid shutdown. Most fans love seeing stories about celeb’s personal lives (even if their significant other has “No claim to fame”)  so the story will be popular which all together make the story a no-brainer.

The clickable links to old stories are to keep you clicking. The more Darren stories they can put in front of your eyes the longer they may keep you on People’s website looking at those ads. 

Darren’s team isn’t planting the Mia stories and the old recommended stories- anyone suggesting that sounds like a complete loon- in fact, they sound like the “‘Merica Freedom” people protesting the lockdown by congregating at the state Capitol- INSANE. The crisscolfer storyline is not backed up by any credible evidence- not one shred of evidence just like the protesters who scream “This is a hoax” or better yet “the Democrats did this”. If you are going to stand up and be an asshole over something you now nothing about, at least try to sound educated. Understand of what you speak instead of making it up in your head to be whatever it is you need it to be. ”It will miraculously go away” “I hear that bleach kills the virus, are we looking into that as a treatment? You can look into that?” Just like Donald, your sycophants will never tell you how crazy you sound but you both sound like fools. 

BTW- Darren and Chris are Also listed as “audience members” on IMBD for Dancing with the Stars so please let that go.  

Anonymous asked: Well she hijacked his H/wood press. His dad’s death. And got her fake wedding published in a major magazine along with an article about her fake life. Life goal achieved. Can he be free now? It boggles the brain that his team was able to get an absolute nobody so much attention and steal his moment. Again. I challenge her fans to ask themselves why this was published. She’s a nobody and not interesting. I was feeling so positive about his press. And then his team attacked.

Cassie Nonnie, it disgusts me on SO many levels. But hey, she got what she ultimately wanted. The same magazine as LM, only 14 months too late. Even if those articles were scheduled to print, when his dad passed, they should have been postponed. Instead, one was literally linked to the article that said he was mourning the loss of his father. Why the hell did they think anyone wanted to read about a person that has no claim to fame outside being a beard for a celebrity?

The article about her fabulous made up career is just sad. How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you quit every job you’ve ever had handed to you, or they simply take it from you because you suck so much at it? Or when you have an IMBD page that lists you as an audience member for a reality dance competition show? Her whole existence is a bad joke. Which would be fine, if she was even a halfway decent person. She’s not. She’s like a negative postal worker. Nothing stops them, not snow, not wind, nor sleet, nor hail, nor a deadly virus. In her case, nothing stops her narcissism, not a fake resume, not a “husband” that refuses to willingly touch her, or makes his feelings of disgust clear, not a “mother in law” that expresses a desire to attend an awards show with her famous son, not even the death of her “father in law.” Her complete lack of compassion is incomprehensible. Even most of her paid friends posted messages of love and respect for his dad. What did she do? Made sure, once again, that it’s all about HER. She couldn’t have HER red carpet moments to be an utter embarrassment for HW, so she settled for pap walks and making his father dying about her and her awful party, finding a way to make herself the victim that sacrificed everything to stand by D’s side when he was chasing his dream and ignoring her, oh, and as an added bonus, they changed the fucking timeline AGAIN.

Was this harsh? Yes. Do I give a fuck? No. It’s inconceivable to me that you could take one of the worst things to happen to someone and make it about you.

chrisdarebashfulsmiles If a pandemic is not enough to make us think we are in a very absurd time, we have p/eople, in the most wrong time publishing articles ( work ethic for the love of God...it's possible to postpone something if the time is wrong) that instead of talking about works, makes the wedding like a life goal more important than everything else. I saw a scanned page, I refuse to give a visit to them.

I would like to say to team shit that this is the wrong way to work on the reputation of a client. Because, D is your client, not the wife.

Technically speaking, about her they are doing good, if we put aside the timeline. We are the problem, because we care only about him.

Source: chrisdarebashfulsmiles

Anonymous asked: But honestly it's been a year! A YEAR! How many more times are they gona mention he's married.. they even went back to the en/cagement thays was two years ago! This is the entertainment news .. this sorta news becomes old within a month.. I would this is ridiculous but it's been ridiculous for some time now

Cassie: Nonnie, technically, it’s been a little more than 14 months, and as it’s the only thing she has right now, that’s why we’re seeing this push. She wanted her pictures in that particular magazine and she finally made it happen. Congratulations PBB, you win the most pathetic existence award.

Anonymous asked: I find it appalling that some news articles acknowledging the passing of Bill Criss, a respected family man, devote so much space to promote the marriage and career of his daughter in law. A shameful grab for publicity at such a sad time

Cassie: Nonnie, it’s deplorable. Anything written right now should be about his new project dropping tomorrow or a condolence piece about his dad, who accomplished so much and no one has a single thing to say about the man that isn’t a glowing endorsement of how wonderful he was. Yet we get article after article, no doubt approved and encouraged by his shit team, about a lazy nobody with a work ethic that can only be measured in negative numbers. This is not the time. 

[tisthenightofthewitch]

THE NEXT CHAPTER: TOBIAS FORGE AND THE FUTURE OF GHOST

Their Kerrang! Award-winning fourth album Prequelle took Ghost from cult concern to global superstars. But the arena-filling congregation of fans is growing restless for clues as to what’s next for Cardinal Copia, Papa Nihil and the ministry. Let Tobias Forge, then, take you behind the mask and into the making of – and future plans for – a band like no other…

The WaMu Theater, Thursday 19 September. Last night this venue – attached to the side of CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team – played host to the ‘Groover from Vancouver’ himself, Bryan Adams. Tomorrow it’s the turn of the Pacific Northwest city’s beloved sons, grunge legends Alice In Chains, for their last show in support of their sixth album, Rainier Fog. Tonight, though, Seattle gets the latest ritual on Ghost’s extensive Ultimate Tour Named Death.

Despite this morbid moniker, the scene inside the building is one of lively activity, with techs rushing around to finish the show’s elaborate staging. The house lights illuminate the stained glass window backdrop, while the seating, flat on the floor and sweeping upwards towards the back, furthers the illusion we’re in a vast church. Just then, Tobias Forge, the man whose job it is to address tonight’s 5,000-strong congregation appears. Kerrang! doesn’t notice him at first given the ninja-like silence of his approach, but there’s an intensity to his presence in these make-or-break moments of preparation.

“I’m interested in tour production, so I get to know a lot of these things,” he offers matter-of-factly. “I’m sure I only get to know about 40 per cent of it, but I notice if things aren’t in place.”

As a nine-year-old child, Tobias used to watch the documentary 25x5: The Continuing Adventures Of The Rolling Stones on repeat. The film charts the rock legends’ genesis in 1962 and their steep, heady ascent to becoming the biggest band in the world, circa their 1989 album Steel Wheels. Tobias considers their subsequent Bridges To Babylon Tour (1997-1998), which made more than $274 million and became the second-highest grosser of all time, to be the greatest ever piece of rock staging, and he was evidently taking notes even then. As a result of the level of professionalism he aspires to, you get the distinct impression he’s not a man who suffers fools gladly in this setting – an idea he doesn’t go to great pains to dispel.

“I want to know who’s in the shit today,” he explains. “Who has been put in the situation where his or her job is compromised, because I don’t want to start yelling if it’s a case of, ‘Oh my truck didn’t arrive in time today,’ because then I’ll know what the problem is. If you want to be a good boss, it’s very important you keep things on your radar.

“I’ve definitely got into trouble over the years by being too nice to people and giving them too much slack,” he continues, surveying the operation. “When you do that it’s like with dogs: if you don’t tell them what the rules are, they start making up their own. That sounds horrible, but there are 40 people on this tour, so there has to be a line and a curriculum. I’m adamant about getting my vision through, especially now we’re in this transitional phase between theatres and arenas.”

This increase in scale reflects the continued upswing in Ghost’s popularity, which has seen them go from misunderstood cult band to metal superstar status in the space of less than a decade. Despite this success, Tobias clearly isn’t taking anything for granted. Ghost haven’t played Seattle for three years, but this time around they’re doing two shows in Washington State, the other being the one they played at the Toyota Center in Kennewick two days ago, which has a capacity of 6,000 – almost eight per cent of the city’s 80,000 population.

Tobias may or may not be referring to that show when he discusses his unbridled joy at recently playing in an unnamed city that doesn’t get a lot of large-scale entertainment coming through town, save for appearances from KISS, singer-songwriter Pat Benatar and a touring production of the musical Wicked in recent years.

“None of us had ever heard of this place, and I’m pretty good at geography,” he explains. “But I loved being the singular moment somewhere, instead of the seventh show they’d had there on that particular week.”

And while Tobias describes the resulting night as “phenomenal”, earlier in the day there was an “unforeseen curveball” when the company who were meant to be selling merch at the show pulled out at the last minute, citing Ghost’s satanic image for their decision. This was, of course, a throwback to earlier shows, such as one in the Texan city of Odessa in 2018, when a minister attempted to dissuade people from attending because of the band’s threat to the morals of good God-fearing people. Unsurprisingly, this outburst resulted in an increase in ticket sales.

Despite this more recent – and, these days, more unusual – blip, Tobias’ desire to cover as much ground as possible on tour this time around is inspired by his heroes in Iron Maiden and Metallica, who have long provided him with the blueprints for achieving and navigating monumental success. In this case, the lesson he’s putting into practice is that every location Ghost visit, without exception, should be treated the same.

“The most important thing to me on this tour is that we bring the same production to everyone,” he says. “They all get the full-fucking-monty, whether they’re in Sioux Falls [South Dakota] or New York.”

The walls backstage at the WaMu Theater are lined with Seahawks jerseys, personalised with the names of acts that have performed here, including The 1975, Bastille and Nas, and the rockier contingent featuring twenty one pilots, Halestorm and Dropkick Murphys. Various rooms lead off from these labyrinthine corridors, providing sizeable production offices for the band’s tour management and crew, all of who wear dapper black shirts, trousers and braces affixed with silver broaches of Ghost’s upside down cross insignia. They affectionately address Cardinal Copia as ‘Cardi C’ when he appears later for a fan meet-and-greet. Here, too, are the dressing rooms for the headliners and the opening act for this tour, San Antonio rockers Nothing More.

On all of the doors is a distinct A4 page, the day sheet for this show, which not only details what’s happening, where and when, but also includes a different tongue-in-cheek quote for the occasion. Today, for example, in recognition of the touring party travelling overnight to Vancouver for tomorrow’s show at the city’s Pacific Coliseum, we get this gem courtesy of Britney Spears: ‘The cool thing about being famous is travelling. I have always wanted to travel across seas, like to Canada and stuff.’

Tobias, of course, has actually travelled over oceans to be here. Nowadays he lives in Stockholm, the capital of his native Sweden, with his wife and their 11-year-old twins, but he was born in Linköping, the country’s seventh largest city, where the steeple of its 13th century cathedral dominated the skyline. That’s not what the young Tobias was fixating on, though. Instead, aged five, when he already knew he wanted to transform into another person, he’d stand outside his childhood home and gaze down the street. The sun always seemed to be hovering between the buildings at the end, like a fixed but intangible hand beckoning him to get on a plane and go somewhere else and be someone else.

“The days and options seemed limitless,” he recalls today. ���For some reason I always thought of the world as being there for the taking, even though I didn’t have any access to that world.”

In spite of this, he felt a deep affinity with his heroes, like the Rolling Stones and Queen, who also came from places you didn’t automatically associate with being breeding grounds for rock gods.

“I felt similar to them, even if they grew up in Dartford [Rolling Stones] or an island off the coast of Africa [Zanzibar, the birthplace of Freddie Mercury]. I, too, felt out of touch with my surroundings, and knew I had a higher calling.”

Twenty-three years later, in 2009, Tobias realised he hadn’t made much headway in heeding this call. He’d been in bands from a young age, from death metallers Repugnant to alt-rockers Magna Carta Cartel. The latter featured Martin Persner and Simon Söderberg, who’d later appear as Nameless Ghouls in the first incarnation of Ghost. Söderberg, along with some other ex-ghouls, is now embroiled in an on-going lawsuit with Tobias over what they suggest are the rightful shares of profits they’re owed from their time in the band. Tobias doesn’t volunteer any information on this topic today, which is perhaps understandable given the considerable column inches already dedicated to it.

Regardless, none of those early bands provided Tobias with the success he needed to, say, quit the day job. He had then been working in a call centre, aiding people having trouble with their mobile phones. Despite spending his childhood endlessly sketching elaborate stage designs and lighting rigs, he still has little interest in technology, particularly mobile phones. Back in 2009 his personal life was happy and satisfying, having welcomed children with his then-girlfriend – now wife – though this potent reminder of the finite time we have drew his attention to the area of his life he recognised as falling short.

“I had an epiphany,” he explains, raising his hands as if sizing up an imaginary canvas. “I found myself very far from the path, so decided in the limited time I have to invest everything in the one thing out of all my [professional] options I believed most in, which was Ghost. I understood wholeheartedly what it was, the music and the image, and felt I could do it without my vanity coming in, because I didn’t like how I looked in pictures or the sound of my own voice. But this would be fiction, so that was fucking cool. So I took all of my eggs and put them in one basket and was back on track. For the first time in my fucking life I was really focused.”

For evidence of the dividends this paid, you need only look at the fact that just a year later, with the release of their 2010 debut album Opus Eponymous, Ghost exploded on to the scene, taking the first step to becoming metal’s hottest new hope.

Further proof of this focus comes today from interviewing Tobias somewhere there’s a screen showing news channel CNN. We’re in the band’s pre-show warm-up space, which is decked out with guitars, keyboards and an electric drum kit he removes the stool from to sit in the centre of the room. He admits if he were in a hotel room now, he could easily watch CNN for 24 hours straight. He doesn’t so much as turn his head to look at it now, though, giving his full attention to the interview at hand.

Even at 38, an age he says his kids consider “as old as shit”, he remains remarkably boyish looking. His dark and piercing eyes, however, belong to an older soul – and it may be Kerrang!’s imagination – but they appear to moisten at several points during this hour-long chat, particularly when connecting the dots between his past ambition and what he’s achieved today.

“I’m trying to recreate a lot of things that aren’t necessarily real,” he says mysteriously. “In my head they’re real, and I’ve been given this fantastic carte blanche where I don’t have to sit in a fucking call centre anymore and am applauded for getting to be someone else. It’s perfect for someone like me who has a fundamental problem with functioning normally in society. If it wasn’t for the fact I was doing this, I would be completely useless.”

When Ghost signed with their American record label, their mythology wasn’t the deep well of fascination it is today. In fact, there was nothing to it at all. They had a unique aesthetic and a sound that didn’t necessarily go with that look, something that would wrong-foot new listeners in the early days, but Tobias didn’t have an answer to why Ghost were the way they were.

“They said the music was great but asked, ‘What’s the story? What’s the biography?’” recalls Tobias. “I said there was no biography because there was no story to tell. I wanted people to throw themselves into the vision and make up their own. But in the end I had to come up with one, which is second nature to me now. Even [Norwegian black metallers] Mayhem had a story. In the early ‘90s, before the internet, there was something that compelled us to want to find out more and listen to their music.”

This mythology Tobias has developed over the years was furthered with the release of Ghost’s fourth album, last year’s GRAMMY-nominated Prequelle, which introduced Tobias’ latest incarnation, Cardinal Copia, a character fans have come to love if the number of $40 plush toys sold at the merch desk tonight is any indication. More recently, a web series on YouTube has added to the intrigue, with the latest episode harking back to 1969, when a young Cardinal Nihil was fronting Ghost at the launch of their EP, Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic. That just so happens to be the band’s latest release in 2019, which will also be available as part of Prequelle Exalted, a limited collector’s edition of the album. Meanwhile, The Ultimate Tour Named Death has introduced the EP’s two new songs, Mary On A Cross and Kiss The Go-Goat, to its set list.

While Ghost’s music has always tipped its papal tiara to the ‘60s, particularly its psychedelic leanings, the latter song in particular sees them take this interest a step further. How much can we glean from them, then, with regards to where Ghost goes next? Not too much, as it turns out, according to Tobias, who suggests, as with the YouTube series, it’s a way to deepen the story of Ghost spanning from the ’40s to the present day, without necessarily providing clues to the sound of album number five.

“It’s just there for shits and giggles,” he laughs, before revealing that Kiss The Go-Goat, a song that’s been knocking around for some time, actually had the working title ‘The Throwback Single’. “I grew up listening to ‘60s music like the Rolling Stones and The Doors, as well as metal. People shouldn’t read too much into this direction, though. The next album is going to be something completely different from that.”

Can Tobias perhaps give two words to describe where, musically or thematically, album number five is heading?

“I’d choose the words ‘fifth’ and ‘album’,” he replies with a wry smile, before justifying what seems like a diversionary tactic. “I look at many fifth albums as a guide as to the urgency for what that record will need to be, with [Iron Maiden’s] Powerslave being a great example. By the fifth album you’re at a point in your career where you have this momentum built up, and you have the expectancy of people depending on you, so you have to put something special in those many spotlights. You need to step up and make a record that’s worth it and justifies all of these things.”

Who, then, can we expect to see fronting these rituals in future?

“I just know that person will have the name Papa Emeritus IV. It will be the fourth Papa Emeritus. But who that is, we don’t know yet.”

We’re not sure we believe him, so push for more. Might we see Cardinal Copia graduating to Papa status? The latest episode of the web series seems to indicate the ‘Sister Imperator’ character and Papa Nihil conceived a child. Wouldn’t that make him part of the papal bloodline?

“I think that what you will get over the next year are a lot of answers to a lot of questions,” offers Tobias, keeping things vague.

Like the question of whether Sister is pregnant? (In the latest ‘chapter’ of the web series, Sister attacks a woman at a Ghost show for smoking next to her).

“We don’t know that yet. It would blow my mind if she was now,” he says, clearly referring to the elderly Sister in the present day. This suggests she could well be with child back in 1969, though.

Has Tobias sketched what this new Papa will look like?

“Have you ever seen The Big Lebowski?” he asks by way of an answer, referencing the scene in the Coen brothers’ classic where Jeff Bridges’ character, The Dude, spots someone drawing on a notepad. When the man leaves the room with the piece of paper, The Dude rushes to scribble on to the page below to reveal the outline of what’s been drawn, only to discover it’s a doodle of a cock and balls. “It’s something along those lines.”

Sensing Tobias is in full evasion mode by this point, we change tack. Perhaps understanding his ambitions, and whether there’s a summit to them, can shed some light on the future – especially as he seems more focused on what Ghost’s next album will do rather than what it will sound like.

“I wouldn’t necessarily compare [my ambitions] to what the Rolling Stones have done, because that was a completely different time under completely different circumstances. For the last 40 years they have sold tickets because of nostalgic reasons, and maybe 40 years in the future there would be a nostalgia element for Ghost, but I can’t count on that.”

“I regard Metallica as colleagues and friends now, but they’re still Metallica,” he says of the thrash legends Ghost supported on their European stadium tour this summer. “I am an ambassador and they are presidents. But when I look to Metallica for influence, I’m looking at what they did in 1988. We’re on our fourth album, as they were on the Damaged Justice Tour, so the next stop is the Black Album.”

Spotting Kerrang!’s obvious joy at this admission, Tobias is quick to clarify exactly what he means by this.

“You have to make a responsible record,” he adds emphatically. “That doesn’t mean to expect riffs. It’s two different things – what the record sounds like and knowing to put yourself in the right spot at the right time. When I had nothing, and lived in a small apartment that cost very little because the ceiling leaked, the dream was to be able to live off making music. When I had kids that became even more important. Now it’s about something else. I’m responsible for showing my wife and my kids that all these years of waiting for me have been worth it. And that goes beyond money, because at the end of the day that’s just seasoning. One day my kids will be grown-up and I have to be able to show them that all this time playing rock shows had a real purpose.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Tobias loves touring.

“I’m like a sailor,” he says. “I just love being on the ocean. I’ve not always been on tour, but I’ve always been a transient person. And the road to achieving all this is endless, just like the road I looked down when I was five seemed to me at the time.”

Kerrang

[eldritchrisingarchive]

ON THIS EPISODE OF THINGS NO ONE ASKED FOR : A CATEGORICAL SORTING OF ALLOF MY MUSES INTO THEIR POTENTIAL ROLES IN A GENERALIZED RPG SETTING PART ONE. aka what role would they play in a video game setting.

#1- 5  lex foster, col. amanda schaffer, charlotte mitchell, claudia york, deb murphy

no one asked for this but this but here we are. will i make this into a hatchetfield rpg type thing ? only time will tell. probably at least a timeline

storylines :  tgwdlm  *  post  canon  dlc  /  black  friday player type :  tank  /  dps  /  healer grey touched :  yes  /  no

ALEXANDRA  ‘ LEX ’  FOSTER

class :  shaman locations :  lakeside mall, lakeview trailer park, hatchetfield high first  encounter  (  black  friday  ) : an employee at toy zone, lex can be found lingering outside of toy zone prior to her shift. she cannot be recruited during the first encounter. she has a job to do. when the riots begin, lex can be saved from wiggly’s devotees and becomes a companion if the player agrees to search for hannah and ethan. if the player refuses after saving her, they will cross paths with her at later points in the game in which she is pursuing her own storyline where she is the protagonist, searching both for her sister and ethan, and a way to stop wiggly and his followers. the first of these remains her top priority. roles :  potential protagonist, companion  ( dps ) brief  description :  lex foster is primarily driven during the game by her drive to find her sister, she is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to surviving the game, and if not recruited, the game becomes significantly harder but not impossible to win. as dps goes, she is not the most effective in the game, but is often one of the most perceptive members of the party, and upon accessing her connection to the black and white, becomes invaluable as a guiding force for the party. strengths : strong sense of survival instinct and loyalty, hand to hand combat experience, aware of a number of routes unknown to the player if she isn’t in the party. weaknesses :  driven almost entirely by her pursuit of finding hannah and ethan, is not an experienced killer and is at times hesitant to make the final blow, in the event of ethan’s death if the player chooses to tell her she will be temporarily incapacitated by the news. interesting  facts : if lex is rescued during the beginning of the riots, she retains the box cutter, meaning linda does not have it later on. this does not save frank’s life, but it does result in linda using different threats if hannah is eventually caught by wiggly’s followers. if ethan dies and the protagonist keeps this information from her and she finds out lex will immediately leave the party and will be openly antagonistic to the player, to the point of impeding their progress whenever it does not impede her own.

COL. AMANDA SCHAFFER

class : paladin (  oath of the watchers ) location :  downtown first  encounter  (  tgwdlm dlc  ) : amanda is the woman in charge of the clivesdale civilian base, and has been immunized to the apotheosis by the government. she is not available as a constant companion, only for specific side missions. she takes her position quite seriously and is the deciding factor on whether someone is admitted into the civilian base, requiring at least three clean blood tests during a 48 hour isolation period. first  encounter  (  black  friday  ) :  amanda is boots on the ground reinforcements against wiggly’s followers during the hatchetfield riots. rather than being in the mall, she is roaming the downtown district, destroying dolls whenever possible and taking down violent rioters with lethal force as necessary, and restraining those able to be restrained. the current makeshift prison is the local animal shelter. they have been disarmed and are incapacitated. amanda can be found in near the animal shelter or hardware store if not recruited as a companion. roles :  npc or companion (  primary dps / secondary tank  ) brief  description :  amanda is loyal first and foremost to peip and the well being of the united states of america, receiving her orders directly from general john mcnamara and acting under his authority as he pursues a separate but equally important task regarding the leader of the free world. she can be recruited by the player if amanda truly believes the player capable of helping to defeat wiggly at the source. proving this requires the collection of five destroyed wiggly dolls to show devotion to the cause. strengths :  impervious to wiggly  (  peip training ), dislikes musicals, extensive military training, emergency medical training, immunized to the apotheosis weaknesses :   prioritization of her assigned task over the player, can be demanding, will not stray from her training, used to being in charge interesting  facts :   amanda’s radio is one of the most useful tools for retaining up to date information in both tgwdlm and black friday’s storylines, following the death of general john mcnamara late in the black friday storyline amanda is forcibly removed from the party as she is the de facto leader of peip and must return to headquarters but will authorize the player to use her firearm the most powerful gun in the game.

CHARLOTTE MITCHELL

class :  feral druid location :  ccrp technical, lakeside mall, willow park apartments first  encounter  (  tgwdlm  ) :  charlotte can be found hiding not far from the ccrp technical building, having lost the group she was with, and speaking with her triggers an escort mission automatically. she knows where the other survivors were heading and will take the most direct path to get there, and while this escort mission leads to a safehouse with a number of supplies, it is a notoriously difficult mission as it runs directly through downtown. first  encounter  (  black friday  ) :  charlotte is one of the first wiggly followers to be encountered, but is not the most devout. her minor fight is able to be averted with the pre-fight conversation. if averted, charlotte will flee the mall and may be found by the entrance of the willow park apartments. if not averted, when defeated, all potential benefits of her escort missions and fetch quests are lost. role :  npc with escort missions and fetch quests, potential minor antagonist. brief  description : strengths :  provides solid bonuses upon completion of quests, can turn into a large feral cat during escort missions to assist in fighting. weaknesses :  not the most intelligent, will run headfirst into danger, easily distracted by cats and love interesting  facts : items can be found in charlotte and sam’s apartment during her tgwdlm fetch quests that can be beneficial in interactions with sam and ted later in the game. they are not necessary to complete the game. if you agree to collect charlotte’s cats but instead choose to let them loose, you will later have to face charlotte in her druid form. it’s not an exceptionally difficult boss fight but can be annoying as it tends to occur at inconvenient times.

CLAUDIA YORK

class : seer location :  varies first  encounter :  claudia is only found by those who read the graffiti and notes scattered through the game. interactions can be unlocked approximately one-third of the way into the game in both storylines. roles : npc with lore heavy quest line brief  description : claudia can be a significant wealth of cryptic information on events both past and present, and if approached at different points throughout the game will provide answers and clues as to the strengths and weaknesses of enemies as well as clues of where to go next to continue the story. strengths :  visionary abilities, directly in tune with the black and white weaknesses :  incredibly cryptic, susceptible to sneak attacks interesting  facts :  if amanda has been recruited in the black friday storyline and is in the player’s party when speaking with claudia she can be gifted a radio that allows for communication with the player until amanda’s departure from the party, similarly an escort mission opens in tgwdlm dlc in which if you speak to amanda at the civilian base she will offer to join your party to escort claudia to the civilian base. if this mission is completed then claudia will supply messages to the party over schaffer’s radio from the base.

DEBORAH  ‘ DEB ’  MURPHY

class : monk ( way of mercy ) location : hatchetfield high, lakeside mall, downtown, the bus station first  encounter  (  tgwdlm ) :  deb can be found on their way to the bus station, checking their phone regularly for texts from their girlfriend. they cannot be recruited as a companion until meeting them for the second time, but they can give interesting first-hand information about the destruction of the starlight theatre the night before. first  encounter  (  black friday ) :  deb is in the downtown area, attempting to help those injured in the riots. they’ve managed to stockpile a small amount of medical supplies, and can be recruited through a fetch quest for supplies to help someone with more extensive wounds. roles :  npc, potential minor antagonist, potential companion  ( healer  ) brief  description : an artist and passionate person, deb is a somewhat unlikely survivor of both wiggly and the apotheosis, but there is hope for them yet if they are restrained rather than executed following the infected!alice boss fight. an option that is always presented to the player, but at times has dire consequences. if restrained, and not executed by peip, deb will revert to her human self within 36 hours provided that infected!alice was also restrained and not killed. strengths :  skilled healer, creative thinking, first-hand knowledge of the apotheosis from the night before. witness to early infections. weaknesses :  susceptible to the apotheosis, wants to help as many as they can even when it’s impractical, sometimes a bit too creative with their solutions interesting  facts :  if recruited before infected, deb can be a useful ally in the fight against infected!alice, when paired with bill despite their bickering they can help the real alice break through the infection proving for the first time in the game that someone can survive infection, when paired with elaine further backstory about both deb and elaine can be discovered but productivity decreases immensely as they distract each other and others with their constant bickering.

[d-criss-news]

In a brilliant moment of serendipity, Darren Criss discovered he had been Emmy-nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for The Assassination of Gianni Versace at an airport branch of Planet Hollywood. “We were sitting there looking at the most Hollywood thing we could. That just tickled me to no end,” regales the former Glee star, who played Kurt Hummel’s love interest, Blaine Anderson, in the musical comedy television show.

At the time, Darren was on his way to a gig in Aspen, Colorado. “The Emmy nominations were coming out at 8.30am and the flight was leaving at 9.45am and we – me, my fiancée, my manager, publicist, basically the work family – all wanted to go and watch it together, somewhere I would be close enough so that when it was announced I could run over to the gate.”

The punchline came while sitting there waiting for the nominations to be revealed: his Glee version of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” also started to play on the speakers. Looking around to see if perhaps one of the servers had clocked him and was being “cute”, because it was quite a bizarre coincidence, he realised that nope, “this is 8.30am in the international terminal and nobody gives a shit about my version of ‘Teenage Dream’,” he laughs. “But we just couldn’t fucking believe it, like what a crazy auspicious moment! But it was a nice little story.”

By now, it’s one that will have its ending fully wrapped up: the Emmys took place on September 17 in LA, which is where Darren is now on the other end of the phone. For context, it’s one of those intensely hot end-of-July days that everyone in London is complaining about. For Darren it’s a day of playing “Mr Octopus” as he puts it. “Today is insane. When you have ‘free time’, it’s actually more hectic because in the absence of stuff that you’re obligated to do you immediately see everything you’ve neglected a lot more clearly.”

In his perky twang, he gives me “the shorthand” of this: Elsie Fest to organise for autumn, the New York show-tune themed festival he founded; music to work on for Computer Games, the band he started with his brother; marketing for the new piano bar he and his fiancée, Mia Swier, have opened; projects he can’t talk about but is excited about; a wedding to plan “at some point” next year; work on the house; and that general life admin that creeps up on all of us. “Hey, we all got stuff,” he chimes.

And among all of this, he casually slips in: “I’m also reading scripts and trying to get another acting job if I can get one.” Which can’t help but make me laugh. If he can get one? Because, let’s be honest, regardless of the Emmys outcome (a big congratulations if you bagged it and if not, you were robbed!), his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan, as well as a stellar career to date (he replaced Daniel Radcliffe in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway to great success, is the mind behind A Very Potter Musicaland has starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch), shouldn’t make that too hard. But it’s “cute” – as he would say – to know he doesn’t rest on his laurels.

Darren was terrifying and intriguing in his role as Cunanan, the serial killer who murdered four men before ending his violent spree with fashion designer Gianni Versace in FX’s American Crime Story retelling of the real-life event in Miami in 1997. When it aired earlier this year, I didn’t know anyone who wasn’t watching it. If you weren’t binge-streaming it, you were glued to BBC2 desperate for next week’s instalment to watch the unfolding plot of a story that in many ways is little known, certainly on the Cunanan front.

“A lot of it is pretty shrouded in mystery. There are two groups of people who have been particularly aware of the Cunanan story. Filipinos in my life all know someone who knew him,” says Darren, who, hailing from San Francisco, is also half Filipino, as was Cunanan. “And true crime addicts.” “The story itself, which is endlessly fascinating, is not only interesting but has significant social weight and things to be discussed and topics that I think are important. It goes on and on and on,” he enthuses. “The role is incredibly nuanced and varied and complex, which is something that actors wake up in the morning for.”

Where the first series spotlights The People v. OJ Simpson, a trial that arguably most people in the world – certainly in the US – are familiar with, the Versace murder, while shocking and awful (the designer himself being a significant cultural icon and his death a huge loss to the fashion industry) lent itself to more questions than answers. Which from Darren’s point of view gave him a certain amount of free rein. “You’re not stacked against people’s expectations of an impersonation of somebody. I think that helped audiences; it really gave me and our story a blank slate.”

It’s true. As a viewer, I couldn’t help but find my feelings and point of view change as the narrative revealed Cunanan’s own backstory. “That, to me, is the most heartening thing; that’s the most encouraging thing you could say – that’s the goal.”

His performance has been described as career-defining but it’s not the first time he’s had such an accolade aimed in his direction. Yet you can’t help but think that this one, Emmy nomination aside, might just be the one to carry a little more weight, such was the grit and darkness that came with it and played out by someone we’re more used to associating with the tween spark of Glee.

It seems, therefore, an apt time to ask what his fantasy role would be. “Oh man. I have a pretty wild imagination but I’d like to think that my brain isn’t good enough to imagine the part I’d want,” he says. “And, also, fantasies evolve throughout your life based on whatever situation you find yourself in.” American Crime Story, certainly, he says is the kind of role he’d been working and waiting his whole life to play – which is not to say he dreamt of being a serial killer! “Let’s keep turning left, turning hard rights and hard lefts as much as possible, as long as the story is good. The name of the game for me is variety and versatility. If every time I do a role we have people say that’s a real departure from the last thing that would be awesome.”

Darren got the acting bug – or “storytelling” bug as he prefers to call it – at a young age. He was a child at the heart of the Disney Renaissance era and Robin Williams lived locally in his native San Francisco. One day, when seeing Aladdin at the cinema (“I can’t even tell you how many times I went to go see it,”) and realising that the Genie was voiced by Williams, his eureka moment came.

“You know when you’re a kid and you have dreams of being something and they seem kind of far off from you unless there’s somebody you can see do it?” he offers. “I remember very distinctly watching this Genie bring so much joy to the people around me… and I wanted in on that, I wanted to be the Genie. But once you realise you can’t necessarily do that and I found out the voice of the genie was Robin Williams, I was like that’s the guy, that’s the famous guy that lives in our city! I can do that and so he was really a massive inspiration for me.”

So, too, was Peter Coyote, another San Francisco-based actor, whom Darren in fact cold-called to find out what he should do to be an actor. He subsequently enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory Programme before studying drama at college. A keen violinist, music and acting had always worked in constant tandem. “So that’s why it’s so hilarious to me that by the time I got Glee I’d already been doing this my whole life,” he says.

At the time of the Gianni Versace murder, Darren was 10 years old. “I did [remember it] in a sort of vague sense of pop cultural event. Obviously, Versace is a massive international figure so I was aware that he was murdered.” It wasn’t until much later in 2011, when his Hollywood lifestyle led him to the world of high fashion, that the dots joined.

“We were on tour for Glee and I popped down to Milan to go to this Versace fashion show, which was an amazing event and you’re there with Donatella and there in the house, the estate of the Versace family.” On a tour of it, Darren recalls seeing beautiful home pieces and fashion works. “There were a lot of things from his personal collection and [the steward] of course was saying ‘Well this was made after Gianni’s murder in 1997.’ It codified in my brain. He was taken away a little too early.”

For ACS producer Ryan Murphy, it was Darren who codified in the brain. The Glee co-creator had long had him in mind for the part. “People like Ryan have had their eye on the Cunanan story for a long time and we had worked closely in a few capacities.” Darren just had to play the waiting game. “I honestly said just let me know when you want to do this because obviously it would be a huge opportunity for me and I think it would be an incredible story but I don’t really have the keys for that car, man. You’re the driver, let me know when you want to pick me up!” Three years later and that proverbial beep came.

In real life, Darren has to be one of the most modest and upbeat people, armed with an always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life attitude. You imagine he’s not all that good at sitting still, hence his potentially self-inflicted to-do list, which you also get the feeling is built from passion not pain. “I just feel so grateful at every turn of my career; if you’re able to do anything and that there’s any definition at all is a huge win so I’ll take it where I can get it,” he says referring to the praise he’s received in playing Cunanan, one he’s also quick to bring back down to earth with a very grounding analogy. “Every moment of your life is defining. The fact that I decided to have granola this morning defines the rest of the way my digestive system works…” he laughs. He has quite the way with words.

This too is helpful in a Hollywood landscape right now that, post-Weinstein and post-Trump, has found itself in troubling times. “What a big, big topic,” he begins. “It’s the Wild West right now, truly, there are so many things that I think it’s not necessarily Hollywood figuring itself out, it’s our whole society figuring it out as represented by Hollywood. It kind of gets the brunt of it because of its exposure and its influence,” he explains. “There are a lot of good things happening in it for people who have been marginalised and we’re setting new standards for ourselves that we should have set a long time ago, and in that sense it’s really good. But there are unfortunately other things that are happening where it’s hard to draw the line of what’s right and wrong and a lot of questions are being asked that we’ve never asked ourselves before about what’s appropriate.”

Social media, too, he thinks plays a significant role, moving faster than we are able to keep up with. “There’s a lot of things that are falling by the wayside as a result of that. I’m making very vague comments but yeah it’s very tricky,” he concludes before diplomatically topic-shifting to his own lack of social media usage. Firstly, because he’s a private person. And secondly, unlike so many people, he does realise the responsibility that comes with publishing a post. “Even when Twitter started and people would post joke-stuff and I would say ‘Woah, woah, that’s out there forever, are you sure? I think you think only I’m seeing this,’.” He says he’s always been uneasy with the idea of this kind of ‘stuff’ existing in perpetuity.

Which means that the answer to the next question requires some serious thought. Who would make for his fantasy dinner party guests? British comedian Eddie Izzard (because Darren is a big Anglophile); if we could roll back time, Sammy Davis Jr, “who the world knows as a great entertainer but he was also an insane dancer and musician”; Nat King Cole for the same reasons; and, his number one choice, Howard Ashman, the lyricist and dramaturge behind the previously mentioned Disney renaissance (aka Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast). “I’ve always admired his craftsmanship and he’s someone I’ve always thought, if I had a dinner, I’d really like to have a chat with. All of my heroes are the people who were hyphenates,” says Darren, which makes sense because he’s just the same. One small suggestion: hold the fantasy dinner party at Planet Hollywood. That would make a nice story.

[head-and-heart]

The 100 Highlights - “Sleeping Giants” (5x03)

Hey, guys! It’s Kate back this week to recap the latest episode of The 100, “A Dad Story”, by listing some of my personal highlights of the episode. I have to say, every single episode of Season 5 so far has been super solid and this episode is no exception to that. Can’t wait to dive into this one!

Can I just start off by saying that I love how tastefully they have been implementing music into the show this season so far? I absolutely love Tree Adam’s score and its honestly weird sometimes to think that we had an entire two seasons without his genius, but I also think there’s power in not using any music at all for certain scenes. It creates a different vibe (and it becomes more effective when music is used). My one beef with the score in previous seasons has been that there were certain scenes I felt music wasn’t required, and that scenes would actually be more powerful without it (such as in the scene where Bellamy finds out Octavia is “dead” in Season 4 - I felt the music was detracting from his cries of grief). But I have noticed this season that they have quite a few scenes, compared to usual, where the music is used extremely liberally if not at all! And it gives a different vibe to the show - reminds me of TWD a bit at times. I love it.

Hi there. Charmaine Diyoza is joining Niylah, Luna, and Jaha on the list of characters who have the most soothing/pleasant voices to listen to on this show. It’s hypnotic. Honestly. God.

I’d like to take this moment to say that Emori and Raven’s friendship and trainee/mentor relationship is EVERYTHING!

The dramatic irony of Bellamy and the others listening over the radio and thinking the woman they are talking about is Octavia ... it’s A Lot

“She’s a feisty one. Pretty too.” Yasss that is my QUEEN

I have to say that the new characters we’re getting this season are possibly the best new characters we’ve ever been introduced to. Kara Cooper was amazing. Charmaine is a chilling, smart, yet reasonable antagonist and every line she says is fascinating. Madi has so much character potential, and McCreary is just the right kind of sociopath that can fuck our heroes up and ensure the show is always interesting (and also the kind of villain I feel JR has been so hesitant to incorporate into the show in the past, with the whole “there are no good guys” everything-must-be-morally-grey stance). Not to mention Zeke, who is just like ... everything I could ever want guys. THE NEW CHARACTERS ARE JUST SO GOOD. And the acting has been REALLY strong.

CHARMAINE DIYOZA IS SO FUCKING COOL AND RUTHLESS AND BADASS AND I ALREADY LOVE THIS NEW ANTAGONIST. She manages to be both authoritative and intimidating without ever having to raise her voice or pull out a weapon. That’s power. 

Seriously fam, I can’t get over how awesome these new characters are. We really hit the jackpot this season. They’ve opened up so much room for future story by introducing all these new people.

I really love how they have managed to show just how close the members of the ring are with each other while also demonstrating the tension between everyone, and all the ways that they can push each others buttons. There are so many layers to all the dynamics up in space and I am pleasantly surprised by it because, with how the season has been described, it sounded like the factions were going to be spacekru as a unit vs the bunker vs Clarke/Madi vs Eligius. But by showing all the conflict within these small groups, it creates potential for allegiances to shift around more than I was expecting. The bunker is built upon internal chaos, Eligius is far from being a unit (with a handful of loose canons and Zeke thrown into the mix to switch things up), Spacekru has some conflicting opinions/beliefs, and even Madi and Clarke are not completely on the same page about how to deal with the new threat. It’s really exciting all the different things the writers might do with that.

The scene where they find the cryo chamber felt like it could have come straight out of a scene from the mummy, where one character walks past a coffin and disturbs one of the dead. And when Kodiak’s eyes popped open, it was like a mummy awakening from the crypt. There was just something so eery about the vibe in there. The suspense was glorious.

“Murder ... murder ... arson resulting in murder ... armed robbery ... resulting in murder” I love one (1) comedian

Great-great-grandpappy Blake had four pHD’s. Bellamy is descended from a family of nerds: confirmed. I love winning.

The debate between Bellamy, Raven, Murphy and Echo over what to do with the sleeping army was just so tense and SO GOOD. Every single one of them had a good point. This is The 100 handling moral dilemmas at their finest.

“Clarke didn’t die just so we could go back to the ground and make the same mistakes.” THIS IS BELLAMY AT HIS BEST - THIS IS WHAT HIS ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC HAS BEEN LEADING TO. THIS MOMENT. He finally got to face that sleeping army of 300 once again and had the opportunity to choose differently this time. And he did. isaythatsmybabyandimreallyproud.gif

ZEKE SHAW IS AN ANGEL I FREAKING LOVE HIM. “Believe it or not, this is the best conversation I’ve had in over a hundred years.” HIS SMILE IS THE CUTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN Y’ALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANT TO JUST HUG THIS KID

But seriously, let’s talk about Zeke Shaw. Hearing someone take about life before the apocalypse is just ... wow??? I didn’t know how good it would feel to find a character that we can actually relate to, that understands our time. Hearing him talk about being an altar-boy just outside Detroit, being a fun-loving adventure-seeking kid with a Harley Davidson, made my heart warm.

“God, I miss that bike. More than most of the people.” First of all, relatable. Second of all, my heart hurts. When you think about it, Zeke’s story is pretty tragic. Leaving his whole life behind only to wake up a hundred years later to discover that everyone he once loved is dead and the world is irreparably changed. Imagine how fucking jarring that would be? Even if he doesn’t show his sadness much, I’m sure he must be feeling it, if his reminiscing is anything to go by.

HIS SMILE IS SO BRIGHT. WHEN DO WE EVER GET GENUINE SMILES LIKE THIS. LIKE, GOD, I MIGHT BE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS GUY

I’m never going to be over how awesome these new characters are fam. They’re so well-rounded already I’m shaking

“Start with how the world ended.” “Which time.” MOTHERFUCKER I’VE GOT CHILLS. HOW TO BE A BADASS WITH TWO WORDS: A GUIDE BY CLARKE GRIFFIN

“I left Clarke behind to die and I can’t - I’m not doing that again.” MY BOY GOT CHOKED UP IT’S BEEN SIX YEARS AND HE’S STILL SO AFFECTED BY HER LIKE F UCK

But real talk, that BR scene was beautiful. Their relationship has been chronically strained in the past but it really feels like they’ve built a true partnership up in space and I’m super here for it. They’re a good team, and they have a bond that kind of reminds me of a sibling-like bond (one that’s not as fucked up and dysfunctional as what the Blakes have). I really loved it.

“There wasn’t an escape pod.” “...Wut” Congrats, you PLAYED yourself. What a classic Murphy move dam

“You know what, you’re right: dying alone would have sucked.” I LIVE FOR THESE SEASON 2 PARALLELS

Real talk though: I may not ship them romantically but Lindsey and Richard have hella good chemistry and Raven and Murphy’s scenes together always pop so this is a GREAT sign for 5x04

“Just breathe” Bellamy Blake is the daddest dad to ever dad you heard it here first

BELLAMY AND EMORI BELLAMY AND EMORI BELLAMY AND EMORI 

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SMILE MORE BRIGHT

“She’s just a kid.” Bellamy, this is the most on brand thing you have ever said.

“Bellamy. Clarke knew you would come.” CUE MY SCREAMING AND FLAILING HOLY F UCK I KNEW I WAS GOING TO DIE WHEN MADI AND BELLAMY MET BUT THE FACT THAT SHE RECOGNIZED HIM ENOUGH FROM CLARKE’S DRAWINGS (and JUST him) OH MY GOD. This is the fanfic meeting of my dreams. 

Madi: *grabs Bellamy’s hand* Me: *dies*

“Madi ... no.” “Madi, no.” I LOVE TWO SOULMATES

“I won’t let anything happen to Clarke. I promise.” Even after all this time he’s always looking out for her. And Madi just trusts him. So easily. Ugh my heart.

BELLAMY STEPPING OUT OF THE HEADLIGHTS LIKE AN ANGEL. BELLAMY HOLDING UP THE BEST DAD IN THE UNIVERSE MUG. BELLAMY BARGAINING FOR CLARKE’S LIFE. BELLAMY HOLDING CHARMAINE’S ARMY AGAINST HER. BELLAMY PERFECTLY BALANCING THE HEAD AND THE HEART. BELLAMY. 

i’m turned on

Let’s be honest though that “Best Dad in the Universe Mug” is the MVP of the show for sure. That mug has singlehandedly carried the whole season. Riley who? Nothing but respect for my new fav character.

No offense but Clarke immediately dissolving into tears on the floor at the sight of Bellamy is highkey relatable. Me too bitch the fuck

SHE.

IS.

BOOM OUT MOTHERFUCKER

okay okay okay I gotta backtrack though because when Bellamy says those words he is literally JUST staring at Clarke, right into her eyes. Because those words were not for Charmaine, they were for Clarke. So she would know just how important she is to him. So she knows that, even though they have aged, their connection has not. I mean, fuck. 

THIS EPISODE WAS SO FREAKING EPIC GUYS. IT WAS POSSIBLY EVEN BETTER ON REWATCH. IT WAS JUST SO GOOD. 

And 5x04 is gonna kill us all so expect some WORDS from me next week. Byeeeeeeee

[justalittlebluetiefling]

5x04 - Pandora’s Box

So, I did a thing again and I was tempted to not publish it, but why would I write almost 4000 words and then just let it sit on my OneDrive forever? (Oh wait, you mean like all those WIPs sitting there???)

Here’s what I cover this time. Trigger warnings are addressed in the tags.

Random Things I Think Are Important Eligius III The Dark Year

Wonkru Kane and Abby Bunker Excavation Octavia

Eligius Miles Ezekiel Shaw Pirate Mechanic

Spacekru and Clarke Raven and Murphy The Big Reveal Bellamy and Clarke

Other Drawn Lines Death Watch

Random Things I Think Are Important

Eligius III

The blockage of the information on Eligius III is going to come back. It feels a little too obvious to have Shannon Kook’s new surprise character be someone returning from the Eligius III mission, but it has the potential to be super cool. It is obviously important enough to bring up, so it will show up again.

Could they really bring in space travel for season 6? Jason did say that the ending of this season opens up the possibility for more seasons. They talk about long-haul interstellar missions a lot. They’ve already talked about Hythylodium as a long-range fuel twice this season. I’m hoping that my man Zeke can help my gal Raven unlock those files on Eligius III and we can get a little more information so that the true speculation can begin.

The Dark Year

Alright, I know that no one really wants the cannibalism theory to be true. I sure as heck don’t. It makes me queasy just thinking about it. However, Abby brought up The Blight in episode two. “They won’t have to fight the temptation to eat their friends. You’re third generation farm station. You must have heard the rumors about the blight. It’s why we started floating our dead.” It’s why they started floating their dead. They’re not going to bring something like that up if it’s not going to relate to the current story. Most of the information they offer up early in the season is useful and foreshadows something. Maybe they’re not partaking anymore. I sure as hell hope they never did, because gross. This is still something that needs to be watched out for.

Wonkru

In some weird perversion of grounder culture and the justice system on the ark, it almost sounds like they’ve created a new religion. Octavia seems to be less a queen and more a religious figurehead. It would not be unprecedented. The mythos of the Commander also felt religious. Wonkru seems to have developed into an Imperial Cult.

An imperial cult is a form of state religion where the leader is worshiped as a demigod or deity. “The cult may be one of personality, or one of national identity or supranational identity in the case of a multi-ethnic state. A divine king is a monarch who is held in a special religious significance by his subjects and serves as both head of state and a deity or head religious figure.” 

Quite a few ancient civilizations were run this way. Ancient Egypt, China, Rome, Japan, etc. Pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of Horus and generally acted as a go-between for the gods and the people. Quite a few Roman emperors were declared gods by the Roman Senate, but typically after their death.

In the beginning of the episode, Gaia says, “As always, as we invite death into this hall, we honor it.” They bow their heads and say as one, “All of me for all of us.” It feels like a religious ceremony, but they’re not worshiping any god. They’re worshiping Blodreina and her justice. It’s the point where Blodreina doesn’t have to be Octavia. It could be anyone. Is this where the initiates will come in?

Still, I don’t know if they’re scared of her or what, but when Charmaine tells them to round up their things, no one moves until Octavia nods.  

It should be said, though, that I’m sure not everyone agrees with this system. Kane clearly doesn’t. Abby doesn’t. Jackson and Miller both seem hesitant. Indra doesn’t seem comfortable, but she and Miller are protecting Octavia, although probably for different reasons. There is definitely the potential for an uprising.

Kane and Abby

Everyone was right in guessing that Kane was in the ring, because he “stole” medicine for Abby. However, instead of it being about saving her life, it was covering for her addiction. I’m trying to withhold judgement until it’s delved into a little more thoroughly, because it’s not really my cup of tea. A story about overcoming addiction can be a powerful thing, but I don’t understand why Abby needed the pills in the first place. The most likely option were that she was taking pain pills for headaches and got hooked, but yeah. We’ll see.

The addiction could be one of the reasons she was so willing to leave Clarke with Octavia and Wonkru. I don’t think that Abby would have left her behind in the past. I know she sees that Clarke has been self-sustaining, but Clarke and co. were arguably self-sustaining after they were sent to the ground and Abby had an incredibly hard time letting go then. It seems more likely to me that there were two benefits to her going with Eligius: an easy way to save Marcus from Wonkru and the ability to avoid Clarke finding out about the pills.

I have a few family members who suffered with addiction, so I am only speaking from my experiences. I could be completely wrong and we could have different experiences. There’s a point in your life as a parent where you accept that your child has grown up. Abby has mourned for Clarke’s death like Spacekru did, as well. I’m sure there are a lot of things that informed her decision.

It’s fantastic seeing this character development in Kane. In the pilot, he was just… well, he was a dick. He did always have humanity’s best interests at heart, though. He’s evolved from believing that the ends justify the means to considering the impact that his actions have on other people. Unfortunately, this also opens him up to being a martyr. We already saw that he was willing to go that far this episode. 

Bunker Excavation

This has been talked to death, so I’ll try to stay brief here. It’s been a very long time since I last took a mythology class. I had to look up Pandora’s Box again. When Pandora opens up the box (or jar, in older stories), she lets out: greed, envy, hatred, paid, disease, hunger, poverty, war, and death. And hope is left inside.

I’ve seen some different interpretations on this, but what if there’s someone or something left in the bunker that is going to help everyone. Not help them win this war with Eligius, but possibly to help expand the survivable area? I mean, terraforming hasn’t been mentioned at all in this show that I recall, so maybe that’s reaching, but the crux of the story is that hope was trapped inside the box. They sure aren’t trying hard to convince us that hope isn’t a theme on this show. I know that survival is the primary theme, but still. It’s a major part of the story of Pandora and in Ovid.

Anyway, let’s just put terraforming on the list of things that I can’t believe I’m considering as a possibility for this show and move on.

Octavia

Okay, why am I doing this? Skip past this part if you don’t like Octavia. This isn’t defending her, but it also isn’t persecuting her.

Baby Blake was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The system that she helped build is barbaric, but if she hadn’t formed this system, everyone in the bunker would probably be dead by now. All of Skaikru would be dead. There might be a few warring factions left at this point, but they would be starving, because they didn’t know how to operate the systems. The bunker could have opened up to something MUCH worse.

So, bear with me here, but our judgmental babes Clarke and Bellamy don’t have a lot of room to judge. Do I ultimately agree with them? Yes. But I don’t know what either of them could have done better. As Octavia says, six years is a long time. There had to be some kind of justice system implemented. Population apparently needed to be reduced (have I mentioned how much I hate that plot device and find it unnecessary?). Did it need to be a gladiator ring? No. But Octavia did win the right to the bunker in battle. If she had allowed all of Skaikru to stay in and had the other clans split the rest of the space equally, there may have been more of a chance for a more peaceful solution. If Clarke had made it in, everyone could have become Nightbloods, but would there have been enough food in the valley initially to support people? We don’t know if the farm could have helped supplement their diet for long. They would have had to ration. Rationing typically leads to rioting. I don’t know. I just don’t know.

Regardless, Octavia will say something about doing what was necessary to survive at some point this season. Clarke and Bellamy will be horrified. This episode started off being about reunions, but by the end, the lines started to be drawn for the upcoming conflict.

Eligius

Oooh the dynamics here are becoming more and more interesting every episode. I thought Charmaine seemed a lot like Dante at first, but this episode corrected me. They’re more like the Grounders than the Delinquents from season one: pretending to make deals while intending to kill the people we care about. 

Also, McCreary has been planning to overthrow Diyoza for a while. I can’t wait to see Murphy’s reaction to this guy (1x12 anyone?). If it’s not the fake episode title, I think that conflict will be the one that comes to a head in ‘Sic Semper Tyarnnis.’ I thought that might apply to Octavia, and it’s possible it still does, but knowing the underlying motives here changed my mind. If anything, this will be the point that Diyoza will officially ally with Clarke, Bellamy, and co. in order to save her own life. Or die before she has the chance.

We know Charmaine was a decorated war hero and that she became a terrorist. They’re going to explain why. I don’t even know how to speculate on this, though. My big fear is that if 5x9 is a story about McCreary overthrowing her, that it’ll be closer to 2x8 and the backstory we got for Finn right before his death. Jroth does like killing people, but she’s too interesting for me to want her to die, even though she’s currently an antagonist.

Okay, but how about some more imminent issues dealing with Eligius. ALIEN STOMACH SNAKES. This has to be what they want the doctor for, right? We don’t have enough information to speculate, but is it an alien parasite? Do they have to kill it with fire? Is it contagious? Is it a result of cryosleep? Is McCreary sick with them? Is someone that he loves infested with them? Did they pick it up while they were mining? Is it the thing that made Zeke feel guilty enough to help the prisoners overthrow the ship? Oooh, were they being experimented on? Could they form a symbiotic relationship with their host? Are they like yeerks in Animorphs? I DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING.

Miles Ezekiel Shaw

Oh man, this guy. This guy. I don’t even know where to start. So far, over the course of this season, we’ve learned that he was a guard on the ship and helped the prisoners with their mutiny, because he didn’t agree with what was being done to them. He is the one who suggested that they orbit the planet for a bit. He’s their pilot. He can code. He pushes for a peaceful solution instead of war. He was an altar boy, an adrenaline junkie, but he’s logical. He’s sarcastic and witty and fucking ballsy. Alright, this is getting away from me. 

We are already seeing proof that Zeke is going to turn on Eligius and come over to the “good” side.

First, they make a point of showing that he’s listening to the exchange between Diyoza and McCreary when they talk about grabbing the doctor and killing the hostage taker and his girlfriend. Zeke is not on board with this plan. Their behavior since they’ve landed is making him question his choices. 

I’ll admit that my second point is a little shaky, but we all seem to be in agreement on him pretending that he couldn’t launch the missiles. Lot’s of things back it up. Raven was focused on keeping them out of the systems in space and there was no explicit mention of her hacking into their ship on the ground. Thanks to Occam’s Razor (or wishful thinking), Zeke flubbing the codes and pretending it was Raven after he’d hyped up her awesomeness all episode seems pretty likely. 

Finally, we’ve got the ‘our people’ vs ‘your people’ moment. It starts around the 33-minute mark. Diyoza starts laying it on a little thick and mentions “our people” twice. She uses it to guilt him into opening the docking bay doors to kill Raven and Murphy. But he doesn’t want to do this. He knows very little about them. He knows Raven’s hacking skills, he knows his opinion on Clarke, I think he respects Bellamy for working toward a peaceful solution, and he overheard their reunion via Lasercom. Would you want to kill these people?

“Wait.” “What is it, Shaw? Talk to me.” “They’re waking up.” “They opened the pods.” “Colonel, if we don’t close the doors right now, your people are gonna die, too.” “You mean our people, don’t you, Lieutenant?” “What are your orders?” “Close the doors.”

Zeke is relieved here, because he doesn’t have innocent blood on his hands. Charmaine is also impressed by these tactics. It’s a ballsy move, but it doesn’t matter.

“Either way, we’re back in control. Your friend may be smart, but she’s a coward.” “Live coward.”

Here’s where I wonder if Zeke can empathize with making a choice to save yourself. I do believe that he thinks he had the moral high ground siding with the prisoners, but there’s a good chance that it was a survivor’s move, too. Also, the implication that he’s their only pilot was a little surprising to me. Piloting a ship across the solar system seems like it might be a little exhausting. They’re trying to make me believe that he’s indispensable and lull me into a false sense of security. They’re going to ruin my life by taking him away. I HAVE BEEN BURNED BEFORE. 

Anyway, Jordan is giving us QUITE a performance as Lieutenant Shaw and I’m loving it. His delivery of “It’s done” after he opens the docking bay doors is heartbreaking and I just want to hug him. It seems fairly obvious at this point that he’s going to help Raven and Murphy escape, because the poor guy is reaching the end of his rope.

Pirate Mechanic

This seems as appropriate a place as any to talk about Zeke and Raven. This is a specific variation of Meet-Cute, but I can’t remember the specific kind. I wanted to say Love At First Punch with a heavy dose of Defeat Means Friendship, but there are a ton of possibilities.

Regardless, he seems incredibly annoyed and impressed by this girl at the same time. “I told you, this girl is some kind of genius. Everything I thought of, she thought of first. She even had time to flip me the bird.” When you’re the smartest one around, it’s really frustrating to encounter someone quicker. But he’s intrigued already.

And finally, we have Charmaine calling out a relationship that isn’t established yet as at least something when she refers to Raven as his friend. I’m sure she’s not going to be surprised when Zeke turns on them to save these people. It’s the most unfortunate thing about him, after all. He seems like an all-around decent dude, but he makes no effort to keep his emotions hidden. It will probably get him into trouble.

My guy has no idea what he’s walking into next episode. I mean, he already respects her for her mind. He heard her emotional reunion with Clarke and I’m sure that hit a few buttons. But when he sees her? Shoot. I have palpitations whenever she’s on screen. I can’t imagine what he’s going to go through.

Really, I think this ship has a ton of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop it!

Spacekru and Clarke

I need to come up with a better name for this entire group. The Griffin-Blakes & Co.? I could just keep calling them The Delinquents. It seems apt for now, but it’ll depend on where lines end up being drawn. 

Raven and Murphy

I want to talk about Raven before I get into anything else. Lindsay Morgan always blows my mind, but she ascended to a new level this episode. So did Murphy, for that matter.

Raven doubts herself a lot for being such a badass. And this episode showed a new layer of her self-doubt. She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to pull the plug on the prisoners like Clarke or Bellamy would be able to. She knows that they’re murderers, but she’s hesitating over taking their lives. I’m sure it won’t be addressed, but my theory here is that leaving Clarke behind on earth really fucked her up. Raven was the one who said that they had to go, she knew that Clarke would want them to go, but ultimately, she thought she left her friend to die. She might have a hard time staying pragmatic this season for that reason.

Now, Murphy.

“Everybody was so surprised when I stayed behind, I mean, most of all me. Thought maybe I was doing it to impress Emori, but the more I think about it… I mean, why do you always have to be the one to sacrifice? Anyway, if it comes down to it, I got this.”

The fact that it’s Murphy up here to support Raven is cool. I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t entirely forgiven him for shooting Raven, even though he did it accidentally. But he’s grown and changed. Shit, this episode really solidified his redemption arc. He knows that Raven is afraid she won’t be able to pull the plug. He is going to pull it for her. “I mean, why do you always have to be the one to sacrifice?” He acknowledges her losses. She lost full use of her leg, she lost Finn, she’s been tortured, chipped, he watched her deal with the aftermath of using the EMP to get the chip out of her head. Murphy feels genuine guilt and admiration for her, now. Raven has forgiven him, so I should probably make my way that direction, too.

I know that next episode is not going to be pretty for them. Raven and Murphy are friends now. They want to protect each other. Eligius is going to use that against them and it is going to suck for us 

The Big Reveal

There’s no way around it. I lost it when Raven said Clarke’s name last night. I was full on sobbing in my seat. I’m getting tears in my eyes thinking about it right now. I can’t watch this scene without breaking down. And Murphy’s reaction was even more than I could have hoped for. I forget sometimes how grateful he probably is to her. I mean, she saved everyone, but she very saved Emori two other times (the nightblood experiment and the helmet tear).

I legitimately can’t wait to see them meet up in person. And to see Monty and Harper and Emori and Echo react to her being alive. (I’m not touching on the way this impacts B.echo right now, because that’s a hot minefield and I love and respect people who ship it, casually or not.)

Bellamy and Clarke

We finally got their official reunion and hoo boy, it was worth it. I loved all 78 seconds of it.

There’s so much good about this scene. Bellamy hesitates in the doorway and he RUNS to Clarke. When he gets to her, his hand runs from her ankle to her knee, because he seriously couldn’t not touch her for one more second. It’s a caress to reassure himself that she’s really there. Like, look at this fucking screenshot.

It’s romantic as fuck is what it is. 

Then the romance keeps coming. She’s so relieved that he’s there and they stare at each other’s faces before she jumps on him for a hug. There’s that slooooow pull back where there faces are sooooo close to each other before they finally talk for a second. The real killer is, “And now you’re home.” Bellamy is about to cry as he’s nodding, because shit you guys. He thought she was dead. I wanted to talk more about their potential turbulence, but this is a mindblowing moment and I got distracted. He gets to hold Clarke again for the first time in six years. She was his best friend. They relied on each other and trusted each other. They went through hell together and she was willing to die to make sure that he (and their friends) could live.

When they go in for the second hug, we get Clarke’s patented lip press to his shoulder, and for the first time in our lives, we see him reciprocate. BUT IT’S BETTER. Because his lips are pressing to her bare skin, his fingers are digging into her back. He’s taking her in, and lovelies? You don’t smell your friends. (Like this sounds weird, but I promise it’s sexy, you guys.) The piece of him that felt lost while he was up in space is back. NOT TO MENTION THAT HALLWAY SHOT! 

I mean, wtf was that? It shows how he basically pulled her into his lap. Even when they separate again, their hands are still on each other. They don’t separate much. His hand is on her hip and hers is on his waist. We wanted Bellarke constantly touching each other to reassure themselves that the other was actually there and well, we’ve got it. We wanted more proof that everyone except them “sees” it? We got Charmaine Diyoza EXPLICITY CALLING HER HIS GIRLFRIEND. We’re getting canon romance this season, babes. It’s coming.

They fall into sync again immediately. They’re communicating wordlessly across crowds again. Bellamy is already factoring her back into his life, even though it’s going to make his own life confusing as hell. He is going to make her protection a priority. I’m sure they’re going to argue about the best way to approach things, but that’s a minor obstacle. They have always argued, but they can empathize with each other. It’s part of what makes them a great team.

Other

Drawn Lines

Octavia is more focused on protecting Wonkru, Abby is more focused on protecting Kane. Wonkru is not going to be welcoming of Bellamy and Spacekru. They’re not going to welcome Clarke. Eligius is obviously welcoming none of them, barring their theft of a doctor.

So, we have Wonkru and we have Eligius.

I think the following will end up working with Spacekru:

Clarke Madi Miller Jackson Indra (I’m iffy on her, but she doesn’t seem entirely on board with the system O and Gaia built) Kane and probably Abby Zeke

It’s a small group, but I’m sure we’ll see alliance form and fail a few times before the season is over.

Death Watch

Not in order, but these are currently the people that I’m most convinced are going to die this season:

Octavia Kane Abby Charmaine Indra Monty OR Harper Murphy OR Emori McCreary

The End. Thank you for reading my rambling once again. Hit me up in my inbox or DMs if you want to chat about any of this as long as it stays respectful!

[roidespd-blog]

Chapter Thirteen : PARIS IS BURNING

Who hasn’t seen Paris is Burning ? Apparently, a lot of people.

Presented at the Toronto Film Festival in 1990 and made available to the general public the next year, Paris is Burning is a documentary feature film which chronicles the life of African-American, Latino gay and transgender communities through their love of the ball scene subculture. Wait. What is the ball scene ? — Give me a minute, fool.

The movie was conceived and directed by Jennie Livingston, a Yale student who after studying photography and painting started getting an interest in film while living in New York City. They came across two young men in Washington Square Park voguing and… Wait. What is voguing ? — Don’t you have any patience ? IN. A. MINUTE. She then went to her first ball (wait, what is… — shut up. Just shut up and listen) and filmed what was going on for a class assignment. That’s when she met Venus Xtravaganza.

Wait. Who is Venus Xtravaganza ? Well, great question at the right time. Venus was a transgender performer whose life became of the main emotional and narrative arcs of the movie. When arriving in New York after being basically kicked out of her New Jersey family home, she joined the House of Xtravaganza — and before you start asking anymore question, a House is a collective groups of performers serving a surrogate family structure that also compete in the ball scene in order to win trophies, prestige and respect. At the time of filming, Venus was an aspiring model. She joined the scene in 1983. Unfortunately, she was murdered on christmas day 1988, while the movie was still undergoing sessions of shooting. Her killer was never found.

Venus is just one example of the incredible gallery of characters Paris is Burning offers us for 78 terrific minutes.

Angie Xtravaganza : founding member, Mother of house Xtravaganza and mentor or Venus, this extraordinary transgender performer was an active member of the ball culture. She too died just a few years after the release of the documentary, at the age of 28.

Pepper LaBeija : from House LaBeija, who took over from Crystal as the head of the house, a titled she kept for over 30 years. A drag queen and fashion designer, she won close to 250 trophies during her time in the ball scene.

Dorian Corey : Drag queen. Fashion Designer. She does most of the explanations about the cultural key expressions of the queer and ball lives. She was the founder of House of Corey. She died the same year as Angie Xtravaganza, also due tocomplications from Aids.

Octavia St. Laurent : An activist trans woman and ball performer who went on to become an Aids educator and LGBT Icon.

Willi Ninja : now known as the godfather of voguing, a gay dancer and choreographer. His moves were the principal “inspirations” of the 1990 Vogue movement of the mainstream pop music scene.

Paris Dupree : a drag performer, founding member and mother of the now legendary house of Dupree. The movie takes its name from one of Paris Dupree’s annual ball theme.

There’s also Sol Pendavis, Freddie Pendavis, Junior Labeija… So many incredible personalities and vibrant human beings immortalized on screen.

To go back to Livingston’s journey, she used the images and audio recordings she got to make a teaser/trailer for a potential movie she could film on the ball scene. That gave her enough funds to start following those people around. It took seven years to complete the movie, as the funds were coming from at least 10 separate sources, shooting in 16mm was expensive and some additional material were important to capture after the death of Venus.

At its core, the movie explores the elaborately-structured ball competitions in which contestants, adhering to a very specific category, must “walk” the non-runway. They were judged on their dance talent, quality of clothing and realness of their drag. Most of the editing alternates between footage of balls and interviews with the main “cast”. Through those interviews, we get a glimpse of the subgayculture the general public is missing : the idea of gender roles, the meaning behind every ball, the character’s personal stories that reflected the dreadfulness of their societal situations. Obviously, the film also explores delicate subjects matters such as Aids (a rarely evoked subject back then), racism, poverty, violence, homophobia and also the lives of sex workers in the mid-80s. For the first time on a big screen, people got to really talk about what it’s like to go through a sex reassignment surgery and the difference between being a drag perform, a transvestite and a transgender person.

It is incredibly touching to see those kids, most of them no more than 25, talking about their dreams of fame and fortune, desperately trying to get a glimpse of that through the ball scene, going as far as stealing clothes in store to have something to wear and compete for the honor your their families. As the queer community was still unrecognized by society — especially in the 80s when the Reagan administration were letting people die on the street — , those people were trying to earn a status they called “legendary”. At a time when they didn’t know for how long they’ll be before being taken away by the AIDS virus, their strength of spirit is heartwarming.

It is interesting to note though that the primary result of Paris is Burning’s release was not actually shading a light on those who are dying, but to give mainstream media a new obsession : Voguing.

Now, time for one of your fucking stupid question. Wait. What is Voguing ? Well, legends say that Paris Dupree, mother of the Legendary House Dupree, attended an after hours nightclub called Footsteps and there, two Gay Black men were throwing shade (shade : a backhanded compliment) at each other. Paris had a copy of Vogue magazine in her bag. She took it out and started dancing then suddenly stopped, posing to the beat of the music imitating the models’s poses. That “provocation” was returned in kind by the two Gay Black Men, which turned into a friendly competition. The word voguing was taken from the magazine that started it all. Though disputed, this theory is incredibly compelling. Less disputing is the fact that Paris Dupree was the inventor of the competition categories since it was her who introduced them in her House’s first ball in 1981.

Anyway, one of the dance’s inspirations is also the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs. You take pose and stretch your body into the most wonderful positions possible. Everybody knows what Voguing is, even if you are Vanessa Hudgens and you’ve just been introduced to it recently ‘I’m sooo into Voguing right now!” They are currently three distinct styles of voguing at the moment : the OLD WAY (a formation of lines, symmetry and precision in graceful, fluid-like actions. Historically performed as a duel between two rivals) the NEW WAY (more rigid movements couples with limb contortions at the joints and “arms control” such a tutting and locking. It has been described as a modified form of mime and was created to display the dancer’s dexterity) the VOGUE FEM (extreme exaggerated feminine movements influences by the old, the new and also ballet, jazz and modern dance. It can be dramatic or soft, and has 5 main subcategories — Duckwalk, Catwalk, hands, Floorwork and Spins & Dips).

The term “Vogue” and subsequent dance moves were put into the mainstream zeitghest on March 27, 1990 when Madonna released her new single, inspired by the gay underground scene. The song was created as part of the soundtrack for Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy and went quickly to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three consecutive weeks. Madonna was praised for bringing the subculture ball scene in the fore front of music, but don’t ever think for a second that she invented anything. At best, it’s a great song that serves as an homage. At worst, it’s a complete steal and culture appropriation that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Ironically, Voguing was invented by people striving to look like Vogue Models while in the end, the general public (and Madonna herself) were trying to look more like them. Beautiful, if you take a second to think about it.

Upon its release, Paris is Burning received incredible reviews from critics and won several big awards, including a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It was named one of 1991’s best films by The Los Angeles Times, The Washington post and Time Magazine, among others.

Unsurprisingly, the movie failed to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. The country was just getting over their Reagan-influenced ideals and the subject matter of AIDS and homosexuality would not hit the Oscars until a couple of years later, when Jonathan Demme, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Bruce Springsteen teamed up to make an unforgettable oscar-worthy movie called Philadelphia.

A question you didn’t ask is : What is the legacy of Paris is Burning ? Well you see, other than an incredible movie by itself, Paris is Burning is also a tool for queer youth to explore and use when necessary. For the scholars and students of this period of time, it is an extremely rare and precise examination of race, class and gender. For queer people, it’s a way to meet their ancestors, since most of them died within a few years after production wrapped.

Paris is Burning’s legacy also lives on with Ryan Murphy’s new tv show, Pose, which debuted on FX in June 3rd, 2018. Quite revolutionary on its own merit as it employs actual transgender people to play transgender people on screen. It is the biggest LGBTQ+ ensemble cast and crew in the History of television, with Janet Mock becoming the first transgender woman of color to write and direct an television episode. Pose follows the lives of transgender women and gay men in the New York ballroom scene of 1987, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic was growing stronger and deadlier. Truth be told, employing transgender women to be transgender women is a liberating thing for the viewer, very much in the tradition of Paris is Burning. You forgive the first couple of episode where the acting is not always as good as it should be but if you’re patient, your eyes will tear up, your face will crack and your hips will move. Season 2 started this week. An essential show.

Paris is Burning gave us life, gave us pose, gave us everything. It’s a piece of work so precious it will live on until life on earth ceases to exist. And for those ballroom performers who appeared in the film, whether they’re still here with us or departed, they truly deserve the status of “legendary”.

[acsversace-news]

Overview

The second season of true-crime anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, "follows the real manhunt of serial killer Andrew Cunanan after he murdered five people, including the titular Italian fashion designer. While the season is not a documentary, and is formatted and dramatized in regular biographical television fashion, the real Versace family spoke out against the series.

In early January of 2018, less than two weeks before premiering on television, the family broke their silence by stating, "The Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace." In the same statement, they concluded, "Since Versace did not authorize the book on which it is partly based nor has it taken part in the writing of the screenplay, [The Assassination of Gianni Versace] should only be considered a work of fiction."

A few days after releasing their first statement, they proceeded to release a follow-up, in which they seemed to fixate particularly on the season's source material, Maureen Orth's Vulgar Favors. "Of all the possible portrayals of [Gianni Versace]'s life and legacy, it is sad and reprehensible that the producers have chosen to present the distorted and bogus version created by Maureen Orth."

Executive producer Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) responded to the family's statements in defense of the series's sophomore entry, saying that Orth's biographical novel is "not a work of fiction" because it has been "discussed and dissected and vetted for close to 20 years." The FX network also sided with Orth, calling her work a "carefully reported and extensively-sourced work of investigative journalism by an award-winning journalist with impeccable credentials."

Regarding the inaccuracies that the Versace family avouched to be present in the depiction, Murphy responded, "It's a work of non-fiction obviously with docudrama elements. We're not making a documentary."

Before the windup of the tension between American Crime Story and the Versace family, Antonio D'Amico, Gianni Versace's longtime partner before his death, expressed his objections toward the season as well. "The picture of Ricky Martin holding the body [of Gianni] in his arms is ridiculous," D'Amico said in an interview with The Observer. "Maybe it's the director's poetic license, but that is not how I reacted."

My Thoughts

Depicting events, especially those which involve the deaths of people, is a slippery slope all on its own. Finding the most reliable sources to give an explicit depiction of true events can be hazardous, and can easily take a wrong turn if not executed properly.

The familiar Versace surname in The Assassination of Gianni Versace's title was bound to draw the attention of the real-life Versace family members. Quite frankly, I am not opposed to their initial wariness about the season, especially if they allegedly did not have any authorization whatsoever in its production; relying solely on the information provided by a nonfictional report. But is Orth's Vulgar Favors as unreliable as the family made it out to be?

Let us consider the writer first: Maureen Orth is an author, journalist, and a special correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. She began writing for the magazine in 1988, and has been a Special Correspondent since 1993. Orth's most famous works in her journalism career include reports on Woody Allen and Michael Jackson's child molestation cases, and interviews with political figures such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Orth received a National Magazine Award for her group coverage of the arts in 1973, and then her article on Michael and Arianna Huffington in 1994. It was not until 1990, however, that she would go on to write her bestselling true-crime novel, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U. S. History.

From this information, one can draw that Orth has indeed established herself as a renowned journalist and reporter. Some of her pieces have garnered negative attention and controversy, such as the ones revolving around Michael Jackson in which she insults his appearance repeatedly. In spite of this, Orth has nearly spotless credentials––but the reception of her novel on the manhunt for Cunanan back in 1997 is what truly determines whether or not she was a valid source for the series to use in its second season.

Orth's 1999 novel has encompassed an overwhelming amount of praise. In a review for New York Times, Frank Bruni wrote, "[Orth] seems to recognize this intrinsic drawback, and she uses the book's prologue to invest her narrative with a significance beyond the outrageous and occasionally poignant details she has assembled." Furthermore, as Murphy claims, her writings about the manhunt have been appraised for almost twenty years, and the rest of the crew chose her reports with precision.

A person outside of the Versace or Cunanan family is not going to seize every last detail in the case, but with Orth's background and career thus far, we can presume that she only reported the details that she perceived as facts––and it is the closest we may ever get to a scrupulous telling.

The Versace family's statements are valid, and I agree that they should have been consulted before production began. It is important to be sensitive to those who have relations to the victims, particularly familial, and not conjure unwanted memories without their accord. In the season's defense, on the contrary, it never claimed to precisely align with the true events, nor did it claim to have documentary-style reality in it; simply, it is an illustration of a real serial killer who took the lives of five innocent people and, no matter how embellished the inside details are, it is the outline that the public is familiar with. They branched out from the framework and created a story that stems from both evaluated information and their imaginations, portraying it in a sympathetic and respectful manner toward the victims.

[solsarin]

how many percentage of brain did einstein use

how many percentage of brain did einstein use

Hello, welcome to solsarin site. We’re glad you chose our site for the information you’ve been looking at. Our goal is to educate and answer your questions in this post we want to find out” ow many percentage of brain did einstein useh” Stay with us📷

Where does the myth originate?

No-one knows for sure. A popular theory has it that the journalist Lowell Thomas helped spread the myth in his preface to Dale Carnegie’s block-buster self-help book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Thomas misquoted the brilliant American psychologist William James as saying that the average person specifically “develops only 10 percent of his latent mental ability.” In fact James had referred more vaguely to our “latent mental energy.” Others have claimed that Einstein attributed his intellectual giftedness to being able to use more than 10 percent of his brain, but this is itself a myth. Another possible source of the 10 percent myth is neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield’s discovery in the 1930s of “silent cortex” – brain areas that appeared to have no function when he stimulated them with electricity. We know today that these areas are functional.

Is Lucy the first movie to use the 10 percent myth as a premise?

No, the 2011 movie Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper was based on the same idea, except the precise figure was placed at 20 percent. Cooper’s character takes a pill that lets him access the full 100 percent. Both the 1991 film Defending Your Life (thanks to A Voice in The Wilderness for flagging this up in the comments) and Flight of the Navigator (1986) include claims that most of us use a fraction of our brains. The myth is also invoked in the TV series Heroes, to explain why some people have special powers.

Does anyone really believe this myth anymore?

Apparently so. For example, in 2012, a survey of school teachers in Britain and The Netherlands found that 48 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively, endorsed the myth. Last year, a US survey by the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research found that 65 percent of people believed in the myth.

Is there any truth to the myth?

Certainly there is no truth to the idea that we only use 10 percent of our neural matter. Modern brain scans show activity coursing through the entire organ, even when we’re resting. Minor brain damage can have devastating effects – not what you’d expect if we had 90 percent spare capacity. Also, consider the situation when neural tissue representing a limb is rendered redundant by the loss of that limb. Very quickly, neighbouring areas recruit that tissue into new functions, for example to represent other body regions. This shows how readily the brain utilises all available neural tissue.

So why does the myth persist?

For many people, the 10 percent myth sounds both feasible and appealing because they see it in terms of human potential. Many of us believe that we could achieve so much more – learning languages, musical instruments, sporting skills – if only we applied ourselves. It’s easy to see how this morphs into the shorthand idea that we use just 10 percent of our brain’s capacity or potential.

Does it matter that films like Lucy spread the 10 percent myth?

It certainly bothers a lot of neuroscientists. There are so many widely held misunderstandings about the brain that scientists find it extremely unhelpful to have more nonsense spread to millions of movie goers. Other people I’ve spoken to are more optimistic and think that audiences will realize that the claims are not meant to be taken seriously. I have to admit, I enjoyed Limitless despite the daft premise.

📷how many percentage of brain did einstein use

What Became of Albert Einstein’s Brain?

The Man

📷 On April 18, 1955, the great mathematician and physicist Albert Einstein died. He was 76 years old. Although Einstein’s body was cremated, his brain was saved. Dr. Thomas S. Harvey, a pathologist at Princeton Hospital, removed Einstein’s brain on the morning of Einstein’s death. What happened to the brain for years after this is somewhat of a mystery.

The Search

📷 In the mid 1970s, Steven Levy, a reporter for the New Jersey Monthly, hopped into his car and set out to find Einstein’s brain. Mr. Levy published his story in 1978. Mr. Levy discovered that Einstein’s brain was still with Dr. Harvey who was now in Wichita, Kansas. The brain was in two mason jars in a cardboard box that was marked with the words “Costa Cider.” Most of the brain, except for the cerebellum and parts of the cerebral cortex, had been sectioned (sliced).

The Paper

📷 There are several published scientific studies that have examined Einstein’s brain. One of the first papers, titled “On the Brain of a Scientist: Albert Einstein” was published in 1985 in the journal Experimental Neurology (vol. 88, pages 198-204, 1985) and written by Marian C. Diamond, Arnold B. Scheibel, Greer M. Murphy and …Thomas Harvey!

These scientists counted the number of neurons (nerve cells) and glial cells in four areas of Einstein’s brain: area 9 of the cerebral cortex on the right and left hemisphere and area 39 of the cerebral cortex on the right and left hemisphere. Area 9 is located in the frontal lobe (prefrontal cortex) and is thought to be important for planning behavior, attention and memory. Area 39 is located in the parietal lobe and is part of the “association cortex.” Area 39 is thought to be involved with language and several other complex functions. The ratios of neurons to glial cells in Einstein’s brain were compared to those from the brains of 11 men who died at the average age of 64.

📷

how many percentage of brain did einstein use

The Data

📷 The ratios of neurons to glial cells in Einstein’s brain, as compared to those in the 11 normal brains, were smaller in all four areas studied. However, when the numbers were examined more closely with statistics, only one area showed a significant difference – the ratio in the left area 39. In the left area 39, therefore, Einstein’s brain had fewer neurons to glial cells than the normal brains. In other words, there were more glial cells for every neuron in Einstein’s brain.

📷 The Conclusion

The authors concluded that the greater number of glial cells per neuron might indicate the neurons in Einstein’s brain had an increased “metabolic need” – they needed and used more energy. More recently, other researchers have noticed differences in glial cells (e.g., larger astrocytic process) in Einstein’s brain. In this way, perhaps Einstein had better thinking abilities and conceptual skills.

The Problems

📷 Scientists are trained to read published papers carefully and to evaluate the methods, results and conclusions of experiments. Although it is intriguing to use the results of this paper as an indication that Einstein’s genius was related to a particular brain region, it is perhaps a bit too early for such a statement.

First, the “normal” brains that were compared to Einstein’s may not have been the best group for comparison. The average age of these brains was 12 years younger than Einstein’s brain. In fact, the youngest brain in this group was only 47 years old. It is possible that the neuron to glial ratio seen in Einstein’s brain was quite normal for his age and that the younger comparison group just did not show these changes yet. Also, the paper did not describe the background of the comparison group. What was their intelligence and cause of death? Would these factors have anything to do with the observed brain differences?

Second, the “experimental group” had only one subject…Einstein! Additional studies are needed to see if these anatomical differences are found in other people with conceptual and mathematical skills like Einstein.

Third, it appears that only a very small portion of the four areas of each brain was studied. The paper states that “Four to six sections were cut from each block, Einstein’s and the controls?.” However, after staining, only ONE section from each block was studied! There is no indication that this single thin section was obtained from similar regions of area 39 and area 9 from the different brains. It is even unclear how much of each section was counted. Moreover, only the ratio of neurons to glial cells was published. The total number of cells that were counted is not given in the paper. This is important to get an idea of how the experimenters came to their conclusions.

It is important to remember that the areas 9 and 39 make important connections with many other areas of the brain. To assign a particular behavior or personality to a single brain area is too simple. Parts of the brain do not act by themselves. Rather, complex behavior is the result of many areas acting together.

A Second Paper

📷 A second paper (Neuroscience Letters, 1996) describing Einstein’s brain was published in 1996. Einstein’s brain weighed only 1,230 grams, which is less than the average adult male brain (about 1,400 grams). The authors also reported that the thickness of Einstein’s cerebral cortex (area 9) was thinner than that of five control brains. However, the DENSITY of neurons in Einstein’s brain was greater. In other words, Einstein was able to pack more neurons in a given area of cortex.

More Papers and The Future

Another study concerning Einstein’s brain was published in the British medical journal The Lancet (vol. 353, pages 2149-2153) on June 19, 1999. In this paper, the external surface characteristics of Einstein’s brain were compared to those from the brains of 35 men (average age, 57 years old) . Unlike the brain of these 35 men, Einstein’s brain had an unusual pattern of grooves (called sulci) on both right and left parietal lobes. This particular area of the parietal lobe is thought to be important for mathematical abilities and spatial reasoning. Einstein’s brain had a much shorter lateral sulcus that was partially missing. His brain was also 15% wider than the other brains. The researchers think that these unique brain characteristics may have allowed better connections between neurons important for math and spatial reasoning.

In 2012, photographs of the external surface of Einstein’s brain were analzyed and published in the journal Brain. Scientists who studied these photographs noted that compared to other brains, Einstein’s brain had a larger prefrontal cortex and expanded primary somatosensory and motor cortices especially in the face and tongue areas on the left hemisphere. In 2013, photographs through the middle (midsagittal section) of Einstein’s brain were used to compared the size of Einstein’s corpus callosum to that of right-handed, age-matched men and to a younger group of right-handed men. In this study, Einstein’s corpus callosum was found to be thicker in most areas compared to the corpus callosum of age-matched men and thicker in a few areas compared to the corpus callosum in younger men.

Although these results are interesting, it must be remembered that this study had only ONE brain in the experimental group…Albert Einstein’s brain. It remains to be seen if other mathematical geniuses also show these distinguishing brain characteristics. Moreover, the study did not investigate the brain at a microscopic level. In other words, the study says nothing about how neurons in these brains were connected and of course, could not tell if there were differences in the way the neurons functioned.

The importance of these differences is still unknown. There are still many questions about how the brain constructs personality, builds intelligence and forms creativity. Further research using modern brain imaging techniques (MRI/PET) that look at the anatomy and function of the brain in living geniuses may reveal what makes these people such giants.

📷how many percentage of brain did einstein use

Was Einstein’s brain different?

We’re used to talking about neurons when referring to the brain, but we also have what are called glial cells. In Greek, glia means “glue.” Glial cells were given their name because we thought they did little more than just hold the brain together. One kind of glial cell is the star-shaped astrocyte.

In 1985, Diamond’s findings were almost disappointing. Einstein’s brain did not contain more neurons overall than the average person’s.It did, however, contain more astrocytes, in the left inferior parietal area of the brain, a region associated with mathematical thinking.

Since intelligence was assigned to neurons and astrocytes were thought to be little more than “glue,” this finding did not make headline news and was largely ignored.

What did Einstein’s brain actually reveal?

If you insert human astrocytes into the brains of newborn mice, they grow up to be more intelligent. Their learning and memory are significantly sharper. It’s only in the past few years that we’ve come to understand the extraordinary reason why.

We have always assumed that a synapse, the point where two brain cells join to carry information, is made up of two brain cells. We were wrong. A synapse is made of two brain cells — and an astrocyte.

Astrocytes nurture synapses. Not only are they key in synaptic plasticity, but they are plastic themselves. They grow and change. One astrocyte can be in contact with two million synapses, coordinating their activity and plasticity across vast realms of the human brain – – and contributing to our intelligence.

How do astrocytes figure in artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence researchers from the University of A Coruña in Spain recently improved neural network performance by using an algorithm that included artificial astrocytes. When a neuron’s activity reached a maximum, the astrocyte was activated. It increased the weight of the neuron’s connections with the neurons of the adjacent layer by 25 percent, simulating what might happen in real life.

How do you increase astrocytes?

If Einstein was a genius because of his astrocytes, can we increase our astrocyte numbers and become geniuses too?

As early as 1966, Diamond and her team demonstrated that putting young rats in a stimulating environment rich with challenge and new experiences increased glial cells.

We now know that this even happens in elderly mice. Putting aged mice in an “enriched environment” increases astrocyte numbers and complexity, which correlates with better cognitive performance.

If you’re wondering, the effect is also seen in humans.

A study published this year followed production workers at a factory in Germany for 17 years. The volume of brain regions associated with executive function and motivation was larger in those who had been exposed to recurrent novelty in their work.This was associated with better cognitive performance at middle age.

📷how many percentage of brain did einstein use

Albert Einstein’s brain

The brain of Albert Einstein has been a subject of much research and speculation. Albert Einstein’s brain was removed within seven and a half hours of his death. His apparent regularities or irregularities in the brain have been used to support various ideas about. correlations in neuroanatomy with general or mathematical intelligence. Studies have suggested an increased number of glial cells in Einstein’s brain.[

[leodottavioleandrodottavio-blog]

Leo Dottavio | Leandro Dottavio | Coming To Be a Leading Star

You might currently have a list of ideas and also methods for a great acting profession in Hollywood. You might have excellent headshots, an outstanding return to, and a reel that you're proud of. You're ready to blow your prospective agent away, you're prepared for any kind of audition that could come your method, and also you just know the audiences will enjoy you. Fantastic! But there's another thing. Exactly how do you obtain popular? You recognize that you've got ta be in interesting blockbusters and delight the trousers off of the public, yet just how do you get involved in them in the first place? You have actually become aware of actors being so high up the motion picture food cycle that they just obtain used duties, as well as of course, it's due to the flicks that they were in prior to that. However just how did they get involved in those movies that came first?

 Income - $0.

 To start from the start, you're mosting likely to have to function scrub tasks with all the other aspirants. Before you also get an agent, you'll possibly be dealing with student films, doing little independent projects, or perhaps even making your own stuff for experience as well as for your trial reel.

Leo Dottavio

Wage - $500 - $1,000.

 As soon as you're ready to take the following action, you need to obtain a representative. This won't be any type of cakewalk, but it's not like attempting to win the lottery. When you have actually pleased them enough, your brand-new representative will do numerous things for you. Initially, they will certainly obtain break downs from casting directors as well as producers seeking particular types (appearances) of actors. At this point, you will not have any kind of say in the movies you do, so just be prepared to pay your fees and start developing some actual credit scores. If your kind matches what they're trying to find, your representative will certainly send your headshot in, and also if they're interested in seeing you, your agent will set up a tryout. Your job is to just kill your tryout, as well as when you're recording, attract attention a little bit to make sure that people will certainly observe you. You'll intend to exercise creativity as well as humor to do this, or else you'll simply be another prop like all the various other bit part gamers.

 Income - $2,000 - $5,000.

 As soon as you graduate from these (and your representative, excited by your growing success, starts investing much more energy in your job), you'll start improving auditions. Several of these might be in the form of leads in small, little movies, as well as some of them may be semi-supporting functions in bigger films. Once more you'll need to keep eliminating your auditions, and wooing all who watch you when you jump on cam. Remember, a lot of the people who see you on the big screen will certainly be other agents, casting directors, manufacturers, supervisors, writers, as well as others who might be impressed by your performances, so provide it your all. In the event that another agent takes rate of interest in you, they might get you out from your smaller sized agent, and you'll literally move into a position with even more bargaining power.

Leandro Dottavio

The Following Level.

 Larger representatives have much more sway over industry professionals, since they've currently supported effective celebrities of their very own. With these credentials, they can open up several, lots of doors for you. On the occasion that another person is thrilled by your job, they might invite you to work on something specific sans audition, as well as you've got to continue to produce the magic.(( Greater than likely, though, your work thus far will simply help open up a lot more doors. Your agent will be able to mention your work, as well as at the minimum, they will certainly be able to open extra audition doors for you. Those supporting roles that you were wondering about that placed today's leading guys and girls where they are currently are these ones. And also the important things is, you can not also get involved in these tryouts without a little authority currently.

 Wage - $50,000 - $200,000.

 At this level, you will either be welcomed to audition or your agent will have the ability to work a little extra magic many thanks to your success, and also you'll have accessibility to bigger duties that you couldn't get a couple of years beforehand. These are the functions that can open those shiny new doors to starring components. When you reach this level, you've got to delight like you have actually never ever amused prior to. This is the last action you should accomplish (possibly a couple of times) before you make your very first starring role in a significant movie.

 Salary - $500,000 - $5,000,000.

 Now comes the huge show ... potentially. If you have actually done your work right up to below, a person is either mosting likely to desire you for their motion picture or your agent will certainly have the ability to obtain you auditions for those starring duties. This is your chance to actually radiate. This is when you intend to begin getting a little extra fussy regarding the flicks that you remain in.(( Once you obtain your starring function, you'll want your flick to eliminate at package workplace. Think about films like Juno, 10 Things I Dislike Regarding You, and also Risky Business. Alongside those 3 possible new star-makers, though, are 60 others with various other prospective celebrities that never got off the ground. So when you're choosing scripts to audition for, remember why you started this trip to begin with. There are other write-ups on the CelebSystem site that can teach you which motion pictures make the most money, so you must know how to select them when the moment comes. As well as thinking you select well, you can locate on your own in one of two locations. Your flick is either a hit or a mega-blockbuster.

 Movie Star Condition.

 If you score a blockbuster, it's like obtaining a power-up increase to your career for a year. Skip-the-audition deals will roll in, your wage will start to get to the high hundred thousands or perhaps even the low millions, as well as for the first time in your life, wide varieties of unfamiliar people will recognize you.(( There's simply one caveat: don't allow it go to your head. Every year, some new starlet or rather kid ends up being the following it person in Hollywood, allowed's the VIP treatment go to their head, starts acquiring up pricey vehicles as well as developer apparel like it'll never finish, and also they quit working.

 Some take place getaway for months at a time (while all the deals slowly dry up), some blow via all their cash, some determine that they can start acting in little independent movies, and some also quit, choosing they're set for life. Do not allow this become you. Maintain your head on your shoulders, and maintain functioning. You're not an actual celebrity yet. Fame from a solitary smash hit only lasts so long prior to individuals begin to ignore you. It only takes regarding a year before you come to be yesterday's news, and also you're back at the end of the load. So what do you do? Discover one more smash hit, as well as lay into it till you hit the majorly: a mega-blockbuster.

 Mega-Blockbusters.

 These are the impressive movies that produce Hollywood super stars that reign for decades. This is when you become a real film titan, and also everybody desires you for everything. Everything will certainly alter at this point in your life. Incomes for subsequent motion pictures begin to get to $10 to $20 million, you'll start to see true long-lasting popularity, as well as you'll experience all the connected VIP luxuries. So what's the distinction in between a smash hit as well as a mega-blockbuster? About 15 million tickets sold. Every motion picture star had at least one that made them who they are today. Keanu Reeves - Speed. Julia Roberts - Pretty Female. Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic. Cameron Diaz - The Mask. Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Police Officer. Nicole Kidman - Batman Forever. Nicolas Cage - The Rock. Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs. Russell Crowe - Gladiator. Meg Ryan - Leading Gun. Harrison Ford - Star Wars. Will Smith - Independence Day. Every one of these motion pictures were launched right prior to these super star actors as well as starlets ended up being the hugely preferred film stars that they are today. They're not difficult to discover neither forecast. They mostly follow the exact same guidelines that I've given all along for smash hits. Popular topic, an amusing plot, and it assists to have a huge spending plan.

 Selecting Blockbusters.

 There are some wonder hits that come out of no place with shoestring spending plans, like The Blair Witch Job and also My Huge Fat Greek Wedding Event. But if you desire proven success, try to find flicks that have significant spending plans that studios are mosting likely to spend a whole lot more emphasis into.

 If Detector Bros. sinks $80 million right into a flick, unless the ended up product is outright garbage, you can be sure that they're mosting likely to toss a huge marketing project at it also to ensure it reaches smash hit status. They will certainly deal with you as well as make you well-known.

[megabrocklesner1world-blog]

Why Coccinelle Handbags Produce First Class Impressions

A fashionable woman understands how to make a favorable and lasting impression. It takes focus on aspect, presenting your style in an subtle yet visible, elegant manner. A stylish designer purse is a important element when you really need to dress to impress.

A manner conscious woman may căn hộ sala  invest enough time and deliberation picking the ideal handbag. Bags have already been a style choice for years and the majority of women have higher than a pair in her collection. A number of purses certainly are a good asset to any woman who needs to produce a fascinating impression, whether in her social or skilled life. Accessorizing with various purses can transform the design of any clothing to higher fit the occasion.

For instance, an everyday clothing can look like anything more simply by holding a classy clutch purse. A stylish purse can provide just the touch required to assist you present the picture of a professional woman who energy meals with the best. Knowing which purse to select for a certain occasion can really change the way others understand you. A designer purse collection causes it to be better to dress for success.

There are numerous models of reliable designer purses obtainable in the marketplace. Choosing which title matches your style requires consideration of the style record you wish to make about yourself. You should consider avoiding a designer who's nothing more than a stylish flash in the skillet whose solution will end up next season's joke.

Coccinelle has withstood the test of time with a distinct services and products that are regularly updated but nonetheless remain both contemporary and enduring. Coccinelle Bags do not walk out season and have already been valued in Western style for decades. Launched in 1978 at Sala Baganza, Parma, Italy, the Coccinelle point achieved immediate acceptance in the style world and has become a well-known major design in the Chinese and Western marketplace. The mixture of minimalism and classically trendy curves display a elegance and style that's eye-catching in addition to timeless. Every purse is hand-crafted with an emphasis on applying only the best possible resources available.

Coccinelle Bags are an icon of Chinese design and elegance. They quickly separate you from the audience and collection you apart as a female who's cultured and superior, confident and in get a grip on, trendy and chic. The Coccinelle point has plenty of revolutionary types with outstanding craftsmanship available to accomplish your collection and develop your range of one's stylistic impressions.

In Time utilizes a fascinating idea that also causes it to be inherently difficult to digest. The indisputable fact that time itself is the only real currency is not the difficult part to know - it's the way that individuals deliver it amongst themselves that improves questions. The picture foregoes most reason, which probably helps you to blanket the doubtful events, but in addition allows the critical viewer to choose apart a lot more than they could have inked otherwise. At least the suspenseful experience that the picture prioritizes presents solid amusement and heightened immediacy - just as long as the film's working time doesn't outlast your suspension of disbelief.

In a advanced world where time is the most valuable commodity, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) sees himself the person of a astonishing sum from a "wealthy" stranger who no further values his overabundance of time - his obvious immortality. With harmful thieves that principle the ghettos intention on obtaining his new inheritance, and a "Timekeeper" officer (Cillian Murphy) hot on his trail, Will kidnaps Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), the child of a strong financing magnate, to aid in his plan to revive harmony to a corrupt system and their tyrannical hold over human life. The nouveau riche embarks on high-stakes games of opportunity and routes from the authorities, intention on residing each second to the highest and redistributing the unbalanced societal wealth.

The picture has a premise that's just too silly for its own great (which incidentally increased a plagiarism lawsuit by writer Harlan Ellison, saying that the plot is based on his award-winning 1965 small story, "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman). Although the story could have been approached with higher sincerity, writer/director Claire Niccol wasn't excessively concerned with recreating the black, contemplative, credible science-fiction tone of his more excellent, early in the day work Gattaca (1997). This part is too polished, brilliant, bloodless, predicament-free and motivated with Hollywood stars and glamor to begin a really dystopian/totalitarian potential, governed by Matrix-like police and the youthful top crust. Resultantly, the unintended jokes occur quite frequently, although comic reduction is intentionally placed and time-is-money puns and cracks exist (Wilde is a mom, espresso expenses four minutes, 59 years... plus duty for a wonderful journey, the corner making is a 99 Second store).

[theconservativebrief]

Will Republicans continue to have sole control of the federal government next year, or will Democrats win a house of Congress — and gain the ability to check President Trump’s power?

And will Republicans continue to have a massive advantage in state governments in 2019, or will Democrats make major gains — including in offices that will be crucial for the next redistricting?

The big-picture consequences of the midterms can be difficult to wrap your mind around. There are 435 House seats, 35 Senate races, 36 governorships, 6,066 or so state legislative seats, dozens of referenda, and many more state and local offices on the ballot this November. And between federal and state races, the potential ramifications are quite different.

Federally, it’s all about whether a house of Congress will flip — or whether President Trump and Republicans will continue to have total control over legislation, investigations, and nominations.

Few matters are more important to a presidency than which party controls Congress. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all began their first term with their allies controlling both houses. But they all eventually lost both, and their presidencies were enormously constrained afterward — as would be the case for Trump.

In a divided Congress, a president’s party can no longer pass new laws with their votes alone. The opposition to the president gains subpoena power, which they can use for rigorous investigations. And should the Senate in particular flip, Trump would be enormously constrained in whom he can get confirmed for the Supreme Court, lower courts, his Cabinet, and other offices.

Meanwhile, in many states, Democrats have the chance to gain the power to actually implement their own affirmative agendas. To the extent that the “blue wave” materializes, the balance of power in American politics will shift in concrete ways — the consequences of which will ripple outward, in potential new policies, laws, and cultural shifts. If Republicans manage to mostly hold on, though, the current status quo will remain.

If Democrats win back either house of Congress, unified Republican control of Washington will end, with major ramifications.

1) Legislation: Currently, Republicans can use the special budget reconciliation process to send sweeping new legislation to President Trump’s desk with only GOP votes. (This is in contrast to most bills, which need 60 votes to beat a Senate filibuster.)

Trump’s GOP successfully passed a major tax cut bill with budget reconciliation and tried hard to repeal Obamacare with it too (though they ended up failing). And if Republicans hold on to Congress, they could well make another similar play in 2019 — either for Obamacare repeal, more tax cuts, or major cuts to Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, or welfare (as some conservatives have proposed).

But if Democrats win either the House or the Senate, this will come to an end: The conservative legislative agenda will be dead. Instead of a friendly Congress working to pass Republican bills, Trump will have to spar with Democratic majorities. The result will likely be gridlock (though unusual bipartisan compromises are possible, depending on the issue).

2) Investigations: Winning control of the House or Senate wouldn’t just give Democrats veto power over new bills. It would also give them subpoena power — which would let them investigate the Trump administration far more aggressively.

House and Senate committees can send subpoenas for documents and can compel witnesses to come in and testify. However, those committees are controlled by the majority party. So over the past two years, Republicans have been calling the shots — deciding when to investigate closely, and when to look the other way. (Some key GOP committee chairs have used their power to try to cover for Trump on the Russia scandal.)

Democrats, meanwhile, would be eager to investigate a whole host of things should they regain subpoena power. There’s the Russia scandal, but there’s also Trump’s businesses, a host of questionable administration policies and scandals, or even the sexual assault allegations against Trump. (And remember — Hillary Clinton’s email use first came under scrutiny because of House Republicans’ investigation into the Benghazi attacks.)

3) Nominations: Finally, should Democrats retake the Senate, President Trump would immediately become seriously constrained with regards to getting nominees confirmed.

Currently, Senate Republicans can confirm any Trump appointee with a simple majority, and they don’t need any Democratic votes. So they’ve been working closely with the White House on this project — particularly when it comes to confirming judicial appointees who will serve for life.

All that would change under a Democratic Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would decide on the calendar for considering and confirming nominees — which would let him bury many of Trump’s picks indefinitely. This would be most important should a new vacancy arise in the Supreme Court (or should Anthony Kennedy’s seat remain vacant). Democrats would also be able to stop Trump from appointing sycophants to key federal law enforcement posts or other powerful Cabinet positions.

But for Democrats to actually get the power to affirmatively do something of their own — rather than to just block or gain negotiating leverage over President Trump — they have to look to the states.

1) Control of state governments: The Democratic Party’s performance in state elections under Barack Obama was positively dismal. Currently, the GOP controls 33 out of 50 governorships and 67 out of 99 state legislative chambers. And Democrats have full control of just right out of 50 state governments (compared to the GOP’s 26, with the remaining ones being split between the parties).

But most of these state offices are on the ballot in 2018 — giving Democrats an opportunity to either gain full control of or make inroads in states that have been dominated by Republicans for years.

Full control would give Democrats the chance to pass a host of new liberal policies into law. Take New Jersey. Democrat Phil Murphy replaced Republican Chris Christie as governor this January, which finally gave the party full control of state government. Since then, Democrats have passed equal pay and paid sick leave legislation, raised taxes on people making more than $5 million a year, passed an automatic voter registration law, set new renewable energy requirements (that also subsidized nuclear power), restricted gun magazine capacity to 10 rounds, and reworked school funding to steer more toward needier districts.

And even gaining partial control of a Republican-dominated state — the governorship, the state House, or state Senate — would have a similar effect, for Democrats, of winning a house of Congress. It would bring the conservative legislative agenda to a halt.

2) Ballot initiatives: Then in some states, major, important changes won’t even have to wait for a new government to be sworn in — because voters will get to directly approve or reject them on the November ballot.

Daniel Nichanian has a great roundup of this year’s key referenda, which include Medicaid expansion in three red states, potential restoration of voting rights to felons in Florida, redistricting reform in Michigan, automatic voter registration in Nevada, minimum wage increases in Arkansas and Missouri, and marijuana legalization in Michigan, among others.

3) Control of redistricting: Finally, the once-a-decade redistricting process is scheduled to kick off in 2021 — but many of the politicians who will actually be involved in redrawing state lines will be elected next month. (These are mainly governors and state legislators.)

I’ve written on this at more length here, but it’s one of the most neglected stakes of the 2018 midterms. Republicans utterly dominated the redistricting process last time around, and as a result, the House of Representatives map gives them a major built-in advantage, as do several state legislature maps.

The best chance Democrats have of turning this around is by winning key governor and state legislative races so they’ll get to draw the lines — or at least ensure themselves a seat at the table with Republicans — in 2021. Conversely, if Democrats fumble this opportunity, Republicans will get the chance to lock in, and even perhaps increase, their built-in advantages in maps across the country. It’s not just the future of the Trump administration on the line this fall — it’s the next decade of American politics.

Original Source -> The midterm elections are about whether Republican power will be checked

via The Conservative Brief

[365footballorg-blog]

Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 18 MLS slate

June 29, 201812:54PM EDT

The World Cup group stage is over and there are, as we speak, a cadre of MLS players winging back home. None of them will play this weekend, but most will play again soon.

Let’s dive into Week 18:

Friday Forecast

Minnesota United FC vs. FC Dallas

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Let’s forget the Loons for a second because we know all about them at this point (they’ll play a 4-2-3-1, they’ll be soft at central midfield, they’ll be disorganized at the back and Darwin Quintero can ball). There’s just not much left to explore.

There’s a bit more to unpack about FC Dallas, who could be on the verge of entering the post-Mauro Diaz era. The Magic Little Unicorn™ is, according to reports from multiple outlets, on his way out, with his landing spot said to be Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC in Dubai. It seems credible and it seems very close to final, and that means Dallas are going to have to find a new way to define themselves as an attacking club.

Because since his arrival in 2013, that was Diaz’s job (when he was healthy, which was not often enough). He was/is/has been a throwback No. 10, built in the Valderrama mode – find the ball at midfield, avoid a challenge, then release a throughball to put the Dallas wingers into space, or to put a forward through on goal. When he was on the field Dallas pretty much always had the answer to “How do we move the ball into the attacking third and get dangerous?” and, because of that skillset, it was worth adjusting the rest of the team to account for Diaz’s individual weaknesses.

To put a point on it: He was literally the best player for the best team in FC Dallas history (the 2016 Supporters’ Shield/U.S. Open Cup double winners), and was their best player so far this season as well.

When he’s not been on the field the last five years, Dallas have struggled. There were times when “sit deep and counter through Fabian Castillo” worked pretty well and, early last year, “Let Kellyn Acosta spray to the flanks” had its moments. But Castillo’s long gone and Acosta’s not the guy he was 12 months ago, and there’s a reasonable concern that this team could suddenly be short of ideas.

There are, at this point, three possibilities as direct replacements for Diaz on the roster:

Roland Lamah: The Belgian veteran has low-key had a nice season (6g/4a in 1000 minutes), and was part of one of the most interesting tactical wrinkles of the season from Dallas when Oscar Pareja moved him off the flank and into a No. 10 role, while Diaz was shifted wide to the left. It was bizarre and I thought it wouldn’t work, but it did – really, really well. Lamah doesn’t have the passing vision of a pure playmaker, but if Dallas want to go pure counterattack, using him underneath the center forward would be a very reasonable choice in large part because his movement and speed would disrupt opposing defensive midfielders (they’d have to drop deeper just to track him, which would cause dislocation in their own shape).

Santiago Mosquera: The Colombian, acquired this offseason, hasn’t been great (1g/3a in 700 minutes), but has shown flashes of the talent that made Dallas decide to go out and get him in the first place. His movement isn’t as sophisticated as Lamah’s, but his vision’s better and he’s a more natural central player. He’s also arguably more of a modern No. 10 than Diaz, in that he absolutely will push up into the 18 and get his fair share of looks. At the same time he’s nowhere near the same kind of through-ball artist – who is, really?

Mosquera has been rehabbing, but he did travel this weekend. And long-term, he’s probably the best bet to take this spot.

Paxton Pomykal: The 18-year-old has been dominant in his age group, but has had too many injuries and too few minutes to become an effective pro as of yet. If he’d been getting minutes for a USL team the past two years, perhaps he’d be more ready to take on a larger role, but FCD have yet to make the investment in their own affiliate (though – good news, everybody – Dallas TD Fernando Clavijo once again confirmed they’d have their own USL club starting next year).

Pomykal might not be a No. 10, anyway. He’s often looked more comfortable on the flank, and sometimes as a No. 8. And as a passer he’s looked more of a zone-mover rather than a chance creator. Who he really is as a pro is a very open-ended question.

And that’s true of FC Dallas as a team at this point. Up until last week they’d lost just twice all season across all competitions. Now they’ve lost twice in a week, shipping six goals and scoring just twice, and lost their best player. I absolutely understand why they’ll sell Diaz – this is a business for one, and for two they learned to their detriment last year that holding on to players for too long can/will have long-term fatal consequences on a their season.

But they’ve got some problems to solve now. There’s hope that the answers can come from within, but nothing in this life’s guaranteed.

Saturday Slate

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers

4:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Portland took care of the home/easy part of their schedule, and over the past two games have edged into the more difficult run of games. A scoreless home draw against Sporting was fine; a 1-1 draw at Atlanta United last weekend was better than that. Another result would run their unbeaten streak to 10 games (12 in all competitions), and it’s because of their defense.

I can’t sum it up better than this:

Gio’s Timbers have shown themselves to be a really effective reactive team. They’ve limited and countered ATL, NYFC, and LAFC — some of the best attacks in MLS this year.

They haven’t shown they can impose themselves on an opponent and dominate, though. #RCTID

— Chris Rifer (@ChrisRifer) June 24, 2018

Are the Sounders a team they want to try to impose themselves upon, on the road? I doubt it. Seattle’s too inviting a target to counter against given their lack of mobility in central defense and the way they throw their fullbacks way upfield. Expect more of the same from Portland (though with Sebastian Blanco coming off a knock, it’s an open question as to whether or not their three-man attack will be as effective as it was through April and May).

Atlanta United vs. Orlando City SC

7 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Atlanta United are going to miss Darlington Nagbe. Our Ben Baer broke down what the US international has brought to the Five Stripes this year, and it’s not been insignificant. His ability to hold onto the ball has remained elite, and Tata Martino has turned that into a weapon.

My guess is they compensate by moving Julian Gressel into the No. 8 role, shifting back to the 4-2-3-1 Martino prefers, and finally getting Tito Villalba into the XI.

For Orlando City… I don’t know. They’ve played two games under interim head coach Bobby Murphy and both times it’s been a back five rather than the back four everybody’s gotten used to. I’m not sure how much he could or should change, and to be honest I’m nowhere near convinced that the formation has been the problem. Bottom line is that no matter who’s been on the field for the Purple Lions, and where, it’s felt, looked and played like a series of individuals rather than a collective.

Notice how Sané slows down. He needs to be sprinting to his spot so he can open his body toward the field. He doesn’t & he doesn’t and you see what happens. It’s so poor technically and, quite frankly, just lazy and lets his team down. pic.twitter.com/KDI8f69TDH

— Bobby Warshaw (@bwarshaw14) June 24, 2018

Murphy’s not going to be able to fix that on an interim basis. They need a new, permanent head coach within the next week.

EDIT: As I wrote that, Paul Tenorio reported that they’re closing in on Louisville City’s head coach James O’Connor as the new boss. I haven’t watched a ton of Lou City this year, but the smart USL-watchers I speak with always name O’Connor first when I ask for their list of the best USL coaches, and as Portland’s Gio Savarese has proved this season, if you’re good at your job you can make the jump from the lower divisions into MLS pretty seamlessly.

Montreal Impact vs. Sporting KC

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Impact have won three of four, and credit to them for that. But as with Orlando City’s good run a few months back, it’s important to pay attention to who they’re actually beating. In Montreal’s case it was the Dynamo reserves at the start of the month, and then a pair of wins over the death-spiraling Lions.

So enjoy the wins, but don’t get too far ahead of yourselves, my Quebecois friends.

Meanwhile, Daniel Salloi is developing into a star:

If the season ended today, Daniel Salloi would have the highest G+A per 90 among 21-yr old forwards of the past 11 seasons. Here he is next to the other 3 who finished above .7 over a whole season pic.twitter.com/DLkiJE9Ejd

— Kevin Minkus (@kevinminkus) June 28, 2018

Since Week 2 Sporting are 11-1-5 across all competitions with a +20 goal differential. If the Impact win this won, then we’ll start to talk.

Columbus Crew SC vs. Real Salt Lake

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Wil Trapp drops deep and splits the defenders. The fullbacks push up. Artur and Federico Higuain present second- and third-line passing options. Trapp sprays. And the machine hums.

That’s the rough sketch of the Columbus Crew SC system, which has propelled them up to fourth in the Eastern Conference. It’s been running smooth as ever from the back, but so far it’s been breaking down in the attacking third because their finishing has just not been good enough. Other than Gyasi Zardes, nobody on this team has more than a single open play goal.

As per Opt,a Columbus have generated 30.67 expected goals, and that’s translated to just 22 goals total. That means they’re underperforming by 8.67 goals, and only Seattle are in the neighborhood (11 goals on 17.05 expected) in terms of front-of-net profligacy. Nobody else in the league has underperformed by even half as much as Columbus.

Fortunately for Zardes et al, RSL’s 33.49 expected goals against is worst in the league, and that they’ve allowed 30 goals off of that, and that they have been particularly bad on the road (1-6-1, -15 GD).

Crew SC are winless in five, and are actually just 4-5-5 in their last 14 games. This will be their 11th home game of the season, and while I still like the way they’re playing and their defense has been rock solid… this is a must-win game for them, especially with five of the next seven on the road. They have to get three points.

New England Revolution vs. D.C. United

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Revs are a lot like Columbus: They got off to a hot start in March and have been sort of scuffling along ever since. They’re 3-3-5 in their last 11 – 3-4-5 in all competitions – and the press that caused so much discomfort for so many at the start of the season has suddenly been at least a little bit gappy.

A month back, Columbus simply played over the press. In New England’s last outing, San Jose just played through it:

D.C. have the ability to do that, though they haven’t shown it much because they haven’t been able to comfortably push either fullback up the pitch (both sides of have been an issue, to put it mildly).

This is the start of a three-game homestand for New England, before they play five of six on the road. For D.C. we’re entering the very end of their unbalanced schedule, as this is the second-to-last road game before they open Audi Field in the middle of July.

United have some pretty big tactical fish to fry coming up, by the way.

Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Since Dax McCarty and Luis Solignac got healthy a month back, Veljko Paunovic has mostly dropped the game-by-game adjustment cha-cha and have consistently played in a 4-3-3. Brandt Bronico has won a job beside McCarty and Bastian Schweinsteiger in central midfield, playing as a ground-eating, ball-moving No. 8 who does a bunch of unselfish running. Schweinsteiger’s been more of a pure playmaker than at any point in his recent career.

Here’s their network passing map, courtesy of Opta, from two games ago against Colorado:

Solignac (No. 9) has a different job than his opposite-side winger, Aleksandar Katai (No. 10). Katai stays high and is a pure attacker, while Chicago use Solignac’s non-stop engine to run endline-to-endline, drop into the middle to help defensively, and generally raise hell. His work allows the central midfield trio to stay compact.

The Fire have one win and three draws since making the switch, and have generally carried play against their opponents. NYCFC, even without the injured David Villa, is a very worthwhile measuring stick.

LAFC vs. Philadelphia Union

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

I wrote a ton about the Union after last weekend’s impressive showing, and with Haris Medunjanin suspended, all of that stands. I’m planning to write a ton about LAFC this weekend, so let’s not dive in too deep here.

I’ll just leave it at this: Earlier in the year LAFC were getting goals based upon their ability to create space and chances via flowing, back-to-front moves in transition. That’s what happens when you have Carlos Vela and Marco Ureña on hand.

Without those guys, and with the additions of Lee Nguyen and Adama Diomande, they’ve become much more of a “quick combinations in the final third” type of team. So in part they’ve flipped their identity from “center forward creates space for the attacking midfielder and wingers against a stretched defense” to “attacking midfielder and wingers create chances for the center forward against a back-foot defense.”

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy

10 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Mikael Stahre has continued to tinker as he’s tried to figure out a workable formula for his Quakes. In recent weeks he’s stayed with some version of a 4-4-2, though at times it’s been closer to a 4-4-2 diamond and at other times it’s been a 4-1-3-2 and at other times it’s been an almost perfectly flat midfield four.

Always with the two up front, though, because Danny Hoesen is quietly having an All-Star caliber season, and while Chris Wondolowski isn’t (4g/3a in 1133 minutes), it’s not like anybody on the roster is making a compelling case to take his playing time away.

Amazingly, this is just LA’s fifth game against a team below the playoff line this season. So far they’re 3-1-0, which includes a 1-0 win over these Quakes a month back. And last time out, they dominated an RSL team that had been on a good run of form entering the game.

This was my favorite sequence of play from the Galaxy in that one:

LA’s midfielders have slowly figured out how to make dangerous, complementary runs off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hold-up play, and there’s been genuine chemistry at times both on and off the ball. They’re 3-1-1 in their last five.

Sunday Doubleheader

Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls

4:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

This one’s simple: RBNY are the highest, hardest-pressing team in MLS (and I’d say they’re the highest, hardest-pressing team in MLS history). They live off of turnovers, winning 50/50 balls all over the field and wearing teams out until they make a fatal mistake.

Toronto FC have been the sloppiest team in the league playing out of their own end, and have been one of the league’s worst defensive teams over the final 15 minutes of games. They looked and played exhausted in the second half last weekend against NYCFC, and if you do that against the Red Bulls you lose by 50.

Also remember that the last time these two teams met, in last year’s playoffs, Jesse Marsch entirely pulled off a bit of trickery by playing a 4-4-2 diamond with Tyler Adams at the point. The object wasn’t to have him be the playmaker, but for him to make Michael Bradley’s life a living hell and prevent any sort of meaningful distribution from the TFC lynchpin.

It worked. RBNY won the game and should’ve won the series. Only some poor finishing kept them from advancing.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids

7 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Rapids got their first win since April 14 last weekend, dominating 10-man MNUFC in the closing stages before Tommy Smith’s headed winner off a corner kick in stoppage time. It was a cathartic moment for a team that has not been good thus far in 2018.

“Cathartic” does not mean “corrective,” though. The issues that have plagued Colorado all season were still on display against the injured and short-handed Loons, and the one that’s been most decisive has been their inability to defend in space:

Darwin Quintero 1v1 against just about anyone is a mismatch. Quintero 1v1 against a retreating center back?

I don’t know why the Rapids aren’t more compact, and why their big CBs are asked, week after week, to make plays in the open field. These are plays they can’t make.

And so enter the Whitecaps, a team that can and will eviscerate you if you let them get into the open field. Last time these two teams met, at the start of the month… yup. And yup. And yup. And honestly it just keeps going.

The ‘Caps need to be patient and sharper than they were last weekend against Philly. As long as that happens, they’ll find chances.

One More Thing to Ponder

Happy weekending, everybody.

Series: 

Topics: 

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download:  App Store  |  Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 18 MLS slate was originally published on 365 Football