#so I stan Jeremy Jordan and all he does | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

specialized-rexan · 4 months

Text

SCREENSHOTS I GOT FROM THE JEREMY JORDAN LIVESTREAM YESTERDAY. especially love the comments on his duck drawings. he was very proud of some of them since he needed to practice before the stream. he admits he does not draw much lol

and here's Lucifer's signature that Jeremy came up with: a cursive capital L attached to a pentagram!

the stream was SO FUN and literally only felt like 20 minutes even tho it was almost an hour

at one point he mentioned he's making pancakes with olive oil now since he has high cholesterol, and that he LOVES how the pancakes turned out. someone responded:

(later someone joked he should make pancakes with bacon grease and he almost shouted (not angrily) "DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE? I JUST SAID I HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL. I just said. I had high cholesterol. Are you TRYING. To kill me."

anyway back to screenshots lol)

"Take that, depression!" was a popular quote to write on prints, and he said he hoped we're not depressed and it was very sweet

some more quotes written during the stream and other notes:

"I'm gonna be signing these prints of my boy Lucifer, the short king of Hell"

he drank both a cold smoothie and hot tea during the stream. "Doesn't make any goddamn sense, but here we go."

"It's never too late to fuck up--too late to fuck shit up" (a legitimate accidental stammer. but still perfect in its own way)

"Every time I hear the name 'Shay' I think of my daughter's friend at school. My daughter's obsessed with a friend named Shay. 'S all she talks about. 'Shay Shay Shay Shay Shay Shay.' Shay and Madeline. It's like 'You can be your own person. Clara. You are your own HUMAN.' …HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATHERINE."

hopes to go to some conventions for Hazbin Hotel. more likely to go to cons in New York, New Jersey (where he lives), or Philly area

"He's just a li'l cutie. :3 Is he really da bosh? :3" (wondering if Lucifer really is the Big Boss of Hell Himself or if it's just more of a title)

"Hope you're not depressed"

" 'Write something Lucifer would say to cheer someone up.' And I think Lucifer would think that… 'SINGING MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER!' At least when it comes to rebuilding your relationship with your daughter."

"Guess what's in my smoothie. There are six ingredients. Go."

"…said draw a little duck, so I drew the smallest duck I could. (holds print up to camera then says in small high-pitched voice:) It's a little duck!"

MORE QUOTES UNDER THE CUT. THIS POST IS GETTING LONG ASFQJSKSKSKKS

_____

about his smoothie again: "Obviously, I just went to the gym. So I gotta have some kinda supplement in there. ... WHAT'S THE BASE, Y'ALL? YOU GOTTA HAVE A BASE." (someone could use that audio and give a character a bass guitar lol)

(still about people guessing smoothie ingredients:) "WATER? Why would I put water in my smoothie. (mutters:) Water is for losers. ... Kale! -grins and points at camera- That's it! You win. That's my smoothie."

his smoothie was blueberries, bananas, strawberries, protein powder, almond milk, kale

"…with a hUUGE shmiley faysh! :3" (about a little " =) " smile he wrote with an autograph)

"THAT DUCK IS CUTE!"

"We love, we stan Lilith"

AGGRESSIVELY, ABOUT A JOKE HE MADE: "GET IT?"

Some fatherly advice from Lucifer: "Don't fuck up your lives like I did 😎"

HE SANG THE START OF HELL'S GREATEST DAD AND WANTS A MIMZY-LESS VERSION THAT ACTUALLY HAS AN ENDING QSJFKSKKSKS

he's only seen Hazbin Hotel once, and he had "~champagne fountains, caviar mountains, that's just to staaart~" going through his head for the two+ years between recording his lines and the show airing. he wasn't able to tell anyone it because of non-disclosure stuff, and eventually he even forgot what that song line was from. but it still went through his head

"[Person he was signing an autograph for] is a bi girl [bisexual], and that's pretty baller"

"AN INCREDIBLE DUCK YOU SHALL HAVE"

"Take that depression!! Quack"

"Hold please!" (i just liked imagining Lucifer saying almost any small thing)

Jeremy Jordan says Lucifer is short, and not just that all the other characters are tall (i cannot confirm that that is canon even tho that's what i want LOL) "What gives!? There are short people in this world, and they need some love"

someone asked what he thinks about OC x canon ships. he was confused about what OC means and then when the chat explained, he was confused about how "OC x canon" works. but he figured it out after thinking for a moment. "So basically everybody wants to fuck Lucifer. GOT IT."

"Am I going to Hell for this" (about all the pentagrams he's drawing)

"…so i just did a bunch of stars and hearts around Emery's name 💜"

someone asked about his favorite Hazbin Hotel song, and he answered that season 2 has a rock song he really likes 👀 👀

"(a requested phrase for an autograph:) 'Duck lord loves you no matter what.' ...Don't know what that particularly means but…"

#jeremy jordan #hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar #hazbin lucifer #hazbin hotel lucifer #duckies #streamily #IF SOMEONE KNOWS WHO MADE THE 'TAKE THAT DEPRESSION' DUCK STICKER THAT JEREMY WORE AND THE SHIRT LMK.#THE ITEMS WERE BROUGHT UP A FEW TIMES AND I'D LIKE TO POINT FANS TO THEM IN CASE PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED.#IF SOMEONE NOTICES I GOT DETAILS WRONG LMK AND I'LL EDIT THE POST. I MAINLY WAS TAKING RAPID NOTES DURING THE STREAM AND #I MAKE MISTAKES SOMETIMES #also i felt i should say somewhere but didn't know where in the post that i am NOT depressed lol. but i hope my followers and #you other peeps are doing well!!!! <3 <3 #lucifer notable #<- FOR HIS SIGNATURE SQJFKSKSKSKS #AND ALL HIS DUCK DRAWING REFERENCES #OH LOL. I HAVE A MESSAGE OR TWO IN THE SCREENSHOTS. DON'T WORRY I INCLUDED A STREAMILY URL WHEN I FINISHED THAT FIRST COMMENT QSJKFSKSK #someone said they'll get one of the duck drawings tattooed or smth and that's a great idea honestly LOL #will reblog with a link to the saved Insta video since i don't want this post to get hidden in the tags. that happens right?#that's a thing if you link to non-tumblr sites i think. lame and dumb (and even frankly concerning) agh #oH. ALMOST FORGOT:#LUCIFER META AND HEADCANON #<- FOR HIS L + PENTAGRAM SIGNATURE. CANON FOR ME #heart-of-the-morningstar #<- for the video clips i linked

31 notes · View notes

jajanvm-imbi · 8 months

Text

Hazbin Hotel 4 episode premiere review Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2

I got my main criticisms out of the way so now I get to have fun and gush about the stuff I enjoyed and hopefully will continue to enjoy! Because honestly even though I think the writing and pacing are objectively bad, I'm still having fun with this series like I do with Helluva Boss, and its mainly for one reason:

The voice cast is singlehandedly carrying the show.

Viv may not be great at character design or storytelling, but if she's good at one thing she is damn good at casting.

The voice cast is perfect, they all understood the assignment. Like everyone who was saying the new cast was gonna be worse than the pilot cast for the sole reason that they weren't the pilot cast were just flat out wrong. They all ate and are all easily the most enjoyable part of the series.

Erika Henningsen was the perfect choice for Charlie, she fits the role of "Disney Princess in Hell" like a glove. She's bubbly and sweet and excitable and kind! She fits this role way better than she fit the role of Cady in the Mean Girls musical (I said what I said) She sounds so much like Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, another favorite character of mine!

Blake Roman's performance???? As Angel??? Hello sir???? My jaw was on the floor during Angel's scene with Valentino because I was absolutely blown away by his performance. It was heartbreaking and raw and impactful, a stellar performance. I have a good feeling Blake Roman is gonna get the Alex Brightman treatment after this winning combination of his performance as Angel Dust and his Broadway debut in "Harmony: A New Musical". Blake Roman is a STAR

Speaking of Alex Brightman, man do I love his voice. I've been on the Alex Brightman stan train for years now, waaaaaaaaay before Helluva Boss. I've loved Alex Brightman since his performance as Dewy Finn in the School of Rock Musical (which is criminally underrated. There could not have been a better casting decision for Dewy) Hearing Alex Brightman sing a more rock style song for the first time since his School of Rock days was so so wonderful. "Hell is Forever" was the best part of ep 1 there I said it. Not to mention his performance as Sir Pentious is also quite enjoyable. All of his voice work has gotten him so much positive exposure too! I'm so glad he's getting all the love and attention he deserves after being so underrated for so long. Its like the universe is apologizing for kicking Beetlejuice out of the Winter Garden Theater and replacing it with the Music Man and also robbing him of his Tony back in 2019. (Alex Brightman deserved Best Male Lead in a Musical at the 2019 Tony's argue with the wall)

Christian Borle as Vox was such a fun choice! I've also been a Christian Borle stan for many years now, since I listened to the "Legally Blonde" musical for the first time back in 2017 where he played Emmett Forrest. I'm always happy to hear one of my Broadway faves perform in something, and I was thrilled to find out he was going to be part of the cast!

Lili Cooper as Velvette was also a pleasant surprise! She killed it. She's brash and loud and confident and the accent was a nice touch too! Loved her as Sandy in the Spongebob musical, love her as Velvette.

I don't really have much to say about the rest of the main and supporting cast, they all sound great! I can't wait to hear Jeremy Jordan as Lucifer, Leslie Kritzer as Roise and Darren Criss as St. Peter!

And last but not least, Amir Talai as Alastor. Holy shit is he fun! Amir Talai was the voice that inspired Alastor in the first place, so I'm glad they got him in the cast! I kept seeing people say that he wasn't "intimidating enough" as a Alastor and that he was much weaker than Edward Bosco and all I have to say is:

How does it feel to be wrong?

Because Amir Talai ATE THIS UP. He devoured. Not a CRUMB IN SIGHT. I get all giggly when I hear him sing "let's begin", its so playfully sinister and perfect and lovely. Every single line delivery is perfect.

But even with such a spectacularly talented Broadway cast, the decision to make Hazbin a full on musical was.....interesting. Helluva Boss is similar because they have at least one song per episode, but Hazbin has two, and sometimes they're kind of shoehorned in with no buildup. Ep 3 is the biggest offender of this. I enjoyed Lili Cooper singing "Respectless" but the song was unnecessary. Neither one of the songs in ep 3 made any sense and honestly felt like they were there to fill the quota of "two songs per episode". "It Starts With Sorry" in ep 2 was also kinda weird, but not unforgivable.

The best songs so far are easily "Stayed Gone", "Poison" and "Losers, Baby". All three are bangers and everyone slayed. "Happy Day in Hell" is fun, feels like a typical Disney song, and "Hell is Forever" also slaps, but both songs have a lot of unnecessary swearing that throws them off course.

So yep that's pretty much it for my positives about Hazbin! I'll happily keep watching Hazbin just to hear the cast continuing to slay.

#ill do another review when the season is complete but I probably wont do it in 3 parts lol #the cast is what brings the show together #i GARUNTEE you if the cast wasnt as strong as it is Hazbin would be Dead on Arrival #theyre the ones who make it enjoyable #so the story may suck so far but Ill watch the series just to hear this cast bounce off each other #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers

10 notes · View notes

destinyc1020 · 9 months

Note

For 2024 I have a few wishes for the Jacob Elordi fans:

1. Create your OWN blogs. Yall pop into Austin, Z, and Tom focused blogs, say your insults and leave. If you have your own blog focused on JE you can say whatever (inults and all), quite simple tbh.

2. Im aware Jacob and Olivia have a private relationship but the way almost NONE of his fans mention her name (even casualy) and still focus on his past relationships is wild lol he is with her and him being with a woman with her background is very telling to how he is as well.

3. Z doesnt want Jacob now, I REPEAT Z doesnt want that man lol Jacob doesnt want Z either. If they wanted to be together they couldve lasted or got back together by now but havent. They didnt even last a year lol goes back to point #2 where they dont even mention his current gf bt love to ship him with Z. I guess cuz Joey is officially married they feel lik that shipped has sailed and nobody gave af about him/Kaia, but just cuz Z is THE it girl dont mean she gotta b shipped with him. She has her own mind as does he.

4. People dont care for Jacob becuase of some of his cheating "antics" but more about some of the things he said in interviews-he can come across as pretentious, ungrateful and just arrogant. Im aware he is a multideminsional person, like the rest of us, so that may not be what he is like 24/7. Again goes back to #2 where his fans ignore Olivia or just dont get why hes with her- Jacob is probably ALOT more similar to Olivia than his fans think. People can not care for his personality because a lot of the main headlines where his name is included dont paint him out to b the best, due to his own words.

5. There are enough white men in the industry that can succeed at the same time. Like folks been saying Jacob is a colead, and has seemingly been doing well in those roles tbh. But a lot of the actors his fans are comparing him to- Austin, Timmy or Tom- have done more lead roles. It dont even make sense to compare him to them cuz if they were all nominated for something they would be leads and Jacob would be a supporting. Again, dont even make sense for his fans to pit him against them.

ALL of this... 👏🏾

TOTALLY agree w/Point #1. It's a very easy solution honestly.

Can you repeat Point #3 LOUDER for those in the back?? And ewww...I had no idea some people were still shipping Z with JE. 🤢 Umm....he's 2 gfs removed from Z already soooooo..... Like, let's get real.

The fact that she left him and went BACK to her ex is actually very telling.

TOTALLY agree w/Point #4.

And AMEN to Point #5! 👏🏾 JE stans are punching above their weight class right now, trying to compare JE to other actors who've actually done LEAD roles, and have had good box-office films, or have actually been nominated for prestigious awards. Like, seriously.... Maybe one day you all will be able to fairly compare JE to Tom, Timmy, Austin, Barry, Paul, etc... But as of right now?? Ummm....Yea, NO. You can't even compare JE to Michael B. Jordan, Jeremy Allen White, Daniel Kaluuya, or even John Boyega and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

ALL of those other actors have either:

Done lead roles

Been in a huge blockbuster film (in a lead or co-lead role)

Won or been nominated for serious acting awards

Been a box-office draw (as lead)

Right now, JE has done NEITHER of that. So, until he does at least ONE of those aforementioned things, I can't (with a STRAIGHT face) be comparing him to ANY of the actors above.

I'm sure JE will get there one day (he certainly seems hungry enough for it), but that day is not today. 🤷🏾‍♀️ And until then, his stans need to chill....cuz they're looking a little dumb rn.

9 notes · View notes

mindingmyownbusiness · 3 years

Text

Welcome! If you came here looking for adorable fluff then you’re in the right place, it’s sorta my thing. Mostly oneshots, I don’t do angst unless I fix it, and I don’t do NSFW but I will imply quite a bit in most of what I write. Requests are closed but asks are always welcome. <3

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Rescue - Bucky x Reader Soulmate AU (Series in Progress) You’ve always believed your soulmate was out there somewhere, Bucky not so much. What happens when he finally takes a leap of faith and reaches out to you?

20 Seconds - Bucky x Reader Modern AU You walk out of a dressing room asking if the outfit suits you, but it’s not your friend waiting outside the room like you thought!

Woman - Neighbor!Bucky x Plus Size Reader Modern AU Cleaning your apartment is never fun and you’re almost done when a freak accident brings you face to face with your neighbor and your crush, Bucky Barnes. Will you get a happy ending or will your embarrassment end things before they begin?

Come Back to Me - Bucky x Reader What if Bucky was interrupted in the middle of the Winter Soldier’s trigger words? What would happen and would you be able to get the Bucky you know and love back?

American Booty - Bucky x Reader Who knew Bucky had a jealous streak?

Duet - Bucky x Reader You’ve just figured out that the mysterious voice you hear singing through the vents is none other than the Winter Soldier himself. Now the only question is, what do you do with this newfound information?

Spy vs Spy - Bucky x Reader Modern AU Part 1 (by @true-queen-of-mischief) Part 2 (by yours truly) James Buchanan Barnes is your target. Unfortunately, you also happen to be his. Will you be able to complete your mission or will things be more complicated than either of you expected?

Somewhere Other Than the Night - Rancher!Bucky x Reader Modern AU When an unexpected storm ruins Bucky’s plans for another day of hard work on the ranch you welcome the opportunity to rekindle your relationship in a way you both desperately need.

Reckless - Bucky x Reader Just some fun with tropes: features confessing your love for your best friend during a fight, friends to lovers, and accidentally falling asleep then waking up together.

That One’s My Favorite - Bucky x Reader Introducing Bucky to the glory of Girl Scout cookies turns out to be better than you ever imagined.

Slow Burn - Bucky x Reader Could something as simple as a s’more bring you and Bucky closer together?

Rained Out - Bucky x Reader The camping trip you and Bucky had been planning is completely ruined… or is it?

Stay - Bucky x Reader When you are certain no one notices what you’re going through your favorite supersoldier steps in to save the day.

The Five Times You Caught Bucky Blushing - Bucky x Reader (Series COMPLETE) Bucky was never the type to let his emotions show but when it comes to you he just can’t help himself.

Falling for You - Bucky x Reader Modern AU An unexpected injury gives you the perfect excuse to call on your hot neighbor to save the day.

Inked - Tattoo!Bucky x Reader Modern AU You’re dying to get your first tattoo but your anxiety has other plans. Could your new neighbor be the answer to all your problems?

Body Like a Backroad - Cowboy!Bucky x Plus Size Reader Modern AU Your lonely night takes an unexpected turn when a handsome stranger asks you to dance. (potential series fic…)

TJ Hammond x Reader

Just What You Needed - TJ Hammond x Fem!Reader You’ve had the worst day ever and TJ does his best to lift your spirits.

Sebastian Stan x Reader

Dumb Luck - RPF AU (featuring bonus Chris Evans x Reader) Having a panic attack during your flight wasn’t part of the plan. Lucky for you your seatmates are there to save the day.

Right Place, Right Time - RPF AU A mishap at a fan convention lands you in the arms of the Winter Soldier himself

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Out With the Old, In With the New - RPF AU Tom loves Tumblr just as much as the rest of us, especially the anonymous bit. What happens when he finds someone online that he wouldn’t mind letting his walls down for?

Jeremy Jordan x Aaron Tveit x Reader

Karaoke Night - RPF AU Jeremy and Aaron have walked into your bar of all places and you can’t resist having some fun tricking them into a bit of karaoke. Will your plan backfire or will this end up being a night none of you will ever forget?

#masterlist #bucky barnes #tj hammond #sebastian stan

131 notes · View notes

rachelbethhines · 4 years

Text

Tangled Salt Marathon - Queen for a Day Part 2

So this is the continuation of my review for Queen for a Day. My personal favorite episode in the series, but it does have some flaws that needs to be pointed out.

You can find the first part here https://rachelbethhines.tumblr.com/post/622226424477171713/tangled-salt-marathon-queen-for-a-day-part-1

Summary: The King and Queen are stranded in the blizzard and Eugene and the Pub Thugs must rescue them. Meanwhile, Varian rushes to ask for Rapunzel's help freeing his dad, but Rapunzel tells him that she can't help him because of the blizzard, leaving Varian feeling betrayed. Rapunzel orders the evacuation of the island, but then remembers about a legend told earlier by Xavier about an underground machine with the power to change the way of the blizzard.

The Show Tells Us Things that Contradict What We’ve Already Seen

No they didn’t.

If it was up to Frederic you’d all be jailed, hanged, or banished. Don’t try to pretend now that the King is somehow better than any other leader when it’s his crack down on crime is what causes 75% of the conflict in the first season.

Rapunzel gave you a second chance. She’s the one to thank. And she only did that because she befriended you, not because she thought the system unjust.

Look at All This Time Spent On This Very Important Note, No Way the Writers Would Dumb Enough Not Follow Up On This Finely Crafted Set Up.

Why is Season Three So Bad!!!!?????

Evacuation is a Dumb Plan to Begin With

So throughout the episode Rapunzel is being pressured into evacuating the populace off the island. With the idea that, as an island, they’d be cut off from food supplies and whatnot.

Which is beyond dumb because they’re currently inside a castle. Castles are built specifically for withstanding sieges. They should have all the supplies and room that they need right there for weeks if not months.

Everyone is acting like risking exposure is somehow a better option then just staying put, inside the comfy palace.

Also keep in mind no one knows that this is a magic storm. They think it’s just a regular blizzard and it’s not even been one day of snow. You’re telling me that King Frederic is such a poor leader that can’t even keep the kingdom stocked for one day?

You know what. I'd believe that. Corona is a shittly runned country that can’t handle emergencies.

Cass Can Clearly See and Hear What’s Going On

The show will later act as if Cass didn’t know the truth about what happened between Raps and Varian, but that’s a load of bull. She clearly sees and hears Varian talking about the rocks and his dad. In short, Cassandra winds up looking like a horrible person because of poorly thought out framing.

Rapunzel Has More Options Here But She Doesn’t Explore Them

Look Rapunzel being inexperienced and not knowing what to do, leading to her making poor decisions; is a perfectly fine set up for a conflict. And the choices she makes are understandable.

However the show acts like these were the only options available to her; stay and help her people or go with Varian right then, and that’s simply not the case.

Here’s a list of things she actually could have done.

Send someone else with Varian. Cass isn’t doing anything right now. She’s not needed for the evacuation, as evidenced by her going with Raps to the demantius device later (a task that she doesn’t actually help much with) and she already is in on your secret about the rocks and is friends with Varian. Alternatively there are other guards you could have sent with him, but Cass is the best option for the job.

Keep Varian with her until the storm was over with. He could have helped with the demantius device and then you both could have gone to Old Corona afterwards.

Order the evacuation and then actually go with Varian. Once again, Rapunzel isn’t honestly needed for the evacuation, as evidenced by her taking off to find the demantius device later. She also. at the this point, doesn’t know if the demantius device is real nor does she have a plan in place yet to use it. It would have been a worse idea, yes, but it’s still an option that she failed to consider. (Unless they came back to the device after failing to save Quirin, cause it’s fiction and the writers can decide the time frame however they want)

Go check up on Varian after fixing the storm.

None of these options would have saved Quirin, obviously, but any one of them would have given Varian the emotional support that he needed. So while it’s understandable that Rapunzel did what she did, it’s still not excusable.

Therein lies the failure of the show. It tries it damndest to excuse the protagonists at every turn even when they do quite clearly mess up, all while shifting all the blame onto an easy scapegoat. The series then acts like, we the audience, should just blindly accept it’s manipulation as fact.

The Show Implies That the Heroes Just Threw A Child Out Into A Deadly Blizzard

Rapunzel’s ‘orders’ falls on deaf ears and that’s honestly on her. She’s in charge and ergo she needs to keep her guards in line. It’s up to her to give clear and concise orders.

Cause what we see is the garuds dragging away a 14 year old begging for help and next we see him, he’s back out in the snow storm. The snow storm that’s been deemed a national emergency and could potentially kill people stuck out in it.

If the show didn’t intend for us to think that Stan and Pete just chucked the poor kid out the door, than it needed to establish that Varian left of his own accord. But it doesn’t do that. So everyone is Corona just winds up looking like an bunch of asses instead.

Rapunzel Breaking Her Promise isn’t the Point

The show gives way too much focus on Rapunzel’s promise. Because not being able to keep a promise is understandable and something that everyone experiences. No, in truth what Rapunzel does here is much worse than that. She fails at her responsibilities as a leader, as an adult, and as a decent human being.

Her promise to Varian doesn’t actually matter. Her friendship with Varian doesn’t actually matter. Her even knowing him doesn’t matter.

Had Varian came to her as a stranger with this same problem and she failed to help him, she’d still be in the wrong. This is a child in need that she ignores. A subject that she is in charge of and responsible for.

Once again, I’m not hating on Rapunzel here. I’m fine, glad even, for the protagonist to make a mistake. But the show fails to even acknowledge that what she did was a mistake to being with; hence the real problem with the character.

Let’s Talk About ‘Daddy’ and How The Creators are Full of It

OK so there was some debate about whether or not Varian actually said the word ‘daddy’ in this scene. It was confirmed by one of the creators, Chirs, that yes, Jeremy Jordan (Varian’s VA) ad libbed this line and that the writers decided to keep it.

Which, in of itself, is fine. This scene still hurts like hell and is the most powerfully emotionally hitting scene in the show. It’s awesome.

The problem is the Chris’s reasoning for including the line.

According to the creator, Varian saying the word ‘daddy’ means that’s still immature and not ready yet to know whatever secrets Quirin is keeping from him.

OK first off, calling you father ‘daddy’ does not make you immature. What a stupid thing to say. My siblings and I are all in or 20s, 30s, and 40s, and we still call our father ‘daddy’ as well. (We’re quite spread out in ages)

Secondly, what secrets!? We’re never told what Quirin is hiding from his son. Varian never learns the truth of any earth shattering secret that involves him.

We get lots of behind the scenes hints that the writers prematurely cut Varian out of the plot in later seasons, despite his conflict not being resolved and the fact that he was presented as being integral to main plot.

We’re never given a real reason why Varian’s story so poorly was edited out and any excuses that the series creators, Ben and Chris, have given is nothing but that same BS as this line here and I’m going to call them out on it.

Xavier and Monty Should Have Been Streamlined Into One Character

Xavier is given no real introduction and yet he’s suddenly an important part of the main overarching plot. Nor do we ever get any backstory for him or insight into why he does what he does and knows what he knows. He’s just there to give exposition and that’s it.

Meanwhile Monty is given a whole episode worth’s of introduction and insight, but then proceeds to add nothing to the series afterwards.

Just imagine if Monty and Xavier were made into one character. Introduction, insight, plus actual story importance. As an added bonus, it would have forced Raps to deal with someone she doesn’t get along with in order to save the kingdom. Which would counterbalanced the ‘friendship saves the day’ bs of later seasons along with the idea that anyone who doesn’t kiss Rapunzel’s royal arse is a villain.

Once Again, Why Do you Know this Legends and No One Else, Xavier?

It’s lazy writing. You need to either set these things up beforehand or give reason for them later.

Pascal’s Story Makes Far More Sense After This Scene

The consequence of showing things out of order is that context is lost.

I Love the Reprise but it Gives the Game Away too Early

The writing team can’t decide where they want Varian’s fall into villainy to start and where to have it’s ‘twist’. This is suppose to be foreshadowing, but having it then undermines the ‘surprise betrayal’ in The Alchemist Returns. Not to mention that Varian doesn’t actually do anything truly ‘villainous’ until Secret of the Sundrop anyways.

In short this scene winds up being pointless and the insistence of having a shocking reveal later winds up being redundant. Which in turn then becomes a poor excuse for not featuring a episode dedicated to Varian’s side of the story.

Conclusion

I still love this episode, and I’m saddened that most of the series does not live up to this quality nor its own hype. On its own Queen for a Day is 40 mins of wonderful entertainment. As part of the an on going story it’s a bitter reminder of the disappointment to soon follow.

#varian #rapunzel #tangled #anti-tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #tts #rta #queen for a day

137 notes · View notes

marvelvsmarvel · 5 years

Text

WHAT IF Episode Predictions

The picture above shows 25 confirmed MCU cast members who will be reprising their roles for the Disney Plus animated series depicting various what if scenarios throughout the cinematic history.

“What If: Peggy Carter was given the super Soldier Serum?” has already been confirmed. Based on the list given we can assume that Captain America: The First Avenger alums will be Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Stanley Tucci as Dr Erskine, and Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Doogan. There is a comic with this storyline but based on the cast unless Red Skull is the big bad maybe Toby Jones goes full MODOK?

“What If: Killmonger’s uprising was a success and he remained King of Wakanda?” Kinda feels like a glorified YouTube’s How It Should Have Ended... but mainly I believe it’s definitely more like fan service or plain fan fiction as Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter and Michael B Jordan’s Erik Killmonger definitely have strong followings. But here there is a story to tell. Wakanda could succeed in a world take over and would Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa see his side or continue to become a freedom fighter?

“What If: Captain America was never found?” Agents of SHIELD already did a phenomenal “What If: Hydra Succeeded in Captain America: The Winter Soldier” storyline where they were Agents of Hydra and a secret resistance. But if Cap was never un-iced does that mean there’s still no one willing to fight for the price of freedom? Enter Sam Jackson as Nick Fury and Jeremy Renner as Agent Barton, Hawkeye. After Avengers (2012) Barton simply disappeared until Avengers: Age of Ultron. I say that should there have not been a Steve Rogers that Fury would have went to Barton who he obviously trusted enough to allow him a sanctuary home off the records, to help him stop this internal takeover. Sebastian Stan would return as the Winter Soldier and I think Toby Jones returns here as computer Arnim Zola.

“What If: Kurt was Ant-Man instead of Scott Lang?” Hear me out because I find this one kinda interesting. David Dastmalchian’s Kurt is not only a professional heist man himself but he’s also a brainiac like Scott where it was him who hacked and disabled the laser grid. Michael Douglas returning as Hank Pym originally chose Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang because he was brilliant and a crook so skilled yet expendable. But he wasn’t expendable after all! He has a kid that he loves and wants to turn away from crime in order to be with. So he could effectively be the middleman between Hank and Kurt in place for Janet Van Dyne to help whip him into hero shape.

“What If: The Guardians of Galaxy were never a thing?” When a was set into motion originally Karen Gillan’s Nebula not Gamora was assigned to get the orb from Xandar. It could be assumed that Nebula wouldn’t have hesitated to kill Peter Quill in doing so. But this would obviously bring her a whole lot of problems from Michael Rooker’s Yondu Udonta and his Ravagers like Sean Gunn’s Kraglin and... Chris Sullivan’s Taserface? Maybe Nebula might turn on Thanos so then Djimon Hounsou’s Korvath turns on Ronan and then Taserface turns on Yondu forming Queen Nebula and the Boys.

“What If: Jane Foster found Mjolnir before finding Thor?” Again it is HUGE that Natalie Portman is returning to the MCU and of course it’s because the prospect of the damsel but brilliant Jane Foster becoming her own hero. I believe that gets exploited and she becomes Thor earlier in the timeline here wherein her research she finds Mjolnir before Thor and even finds it before SHIELD. Consider that young arrogant Chris Hemsworth as Thor might not have taken too kindly to this blasphemy of his precious Hammer and might even evoke the help of his God of Mischief brother Tom Hiddleston as Loki to help get it back. This actually is less in the vain of a Shakespearean love triangle as much as an odd couple of brothers trying to best an OP chick that one of them or both end up falling for. It could be what Portman’s forgettable Your Highness was trying to be.

“What If: Planet Hulk Remastered” This one excites me the most! Mark Ruffalo may very well never get a solo Hulk film but what about a featured episode? I say simply reboot the old Planet Hulk (2010) animated film but with Ruffalo, Taika Waititi returning as Korg, and Jeff Goldblum returning as himself The Grandmaster. They don’t need no stinkin’ Asgardians for a revolution just enough pamphlets!

“What If: Thanos was truly inevitable?” Josh Brolin to return again as the Mad Titan would need to be for a just reason. He retains the Gauntlet and resets the universe to his own making only to find that any universe he makes might continue to resist him. Maybe greater powers might come to judge him for his playing god. Either way this will be an opportunity for Brolin to really expand this character either to his philosophy or to his madness which I am sure Brolin would love to do.

162 notes · View notes

thehollywoodfameshow · 5 years

Note

Alrighty so we got the pairs...what are your thoughts on them?

Let’s take this one by one, shall we?

Charles Melton and Kendall Jenner: Hot! That chizzled jawline and her model body? It’s official. They need to make a baby out of this date or they’ll disappoint me.

Emma Watson and Winston Duke: Random but if M'Baku doesn’t wine and dine our beloved witchy genius then he should’ve saved his money.

Garrett Hedlund and Margot Robbie: Garret got lucky. Plain and simple. Does this many carry lucky charms in his pocket? Because in my opinion, he won. Not Margot.

James Rodriguez and Nina Dobrev: Nina just did her man dirty! Does anyone know how Paul is taking it? I hate to say it but he’s washed up from his time as the mysterious vampire lover. Move over, Edward Cullen. You’ve got competition.

Jensen Ackles and Taron Egerton: Can you hear the cries of all the ladies that fished out their coin for a date with the supernatural hunter only to be beat out by the new Elton John? Must be disappointing.

Jeremy Jordan and Lily James: I’ve seen more exciting things than this pairing. Least it was for charity.

Jessica Parker Kennedy and Melissa Benoist: Can I get a yes? These two bad ass ladies take my vote for one of the most surprising pairs out of this auction. Hopefully the two of them find out they want to see more of the V where they usually see the P.

Joseph Dempsie and Maisie Williams: Enough with the onscreen lovers. Their characters get freaky in the sheets and now they have to bring it to reality? Predictable.

Kim Jisoo and Priyanka Chopra: Cute. Maybe Priyanka will figure out that she’s more into the ladies and that ring will get a return to sender back to Aaron.

Mark Consuelos and Lisa Manoban: Is it getting hot up in here? Guess this is what happens when you break up with a football player. You move on to more experienced options. We see you, Lisa.

Phoebe Tonkin and Nic Nemeth: We’re going to have to keep an eye on this one. They have potential of being a messy hook up after this date. Do I sense the next Selena G and Bieber?

Rami Malek and Bruno Mars: Just one question. Do you hear that screaming? Don’t worry, that’s just Oscar when he found out the results.

Sam Hunt and Scarlett Johansson: This goes up there with one of the most unpredictable, yet, satisfying results. But be careful now, Sam. If the night goes well she just might hide a kid from you for five years.

Shay Mitchell and Sebastian Stan: Oh Sebastian. What are we going to do with you? Don’t you know that this woman has already been through the ringer with her poor taste in men. At least make the sex great enough for her to take her mind off things.

#Anonymous #CM #KJ #EW #WD #GH #MR #JR #ND #JA #TE #JJ #LJ #JPK #MB #JD #MW #PC #MC #LM #PT #NN #RM #BM #JH #SJ #SM #SS

3 notes · View notes

ducavalentinos · 6 years

Note

What is your opinion about Canal +'s BORGIA? Do you like it or not, why? Which one you prefer, this series about the Borgias or the other one with Jeremy Irons and Holliday Grainger?

Hi anon.My feelings towards Canal’s+ Borgia are…messy? I’ll try to be as clear as possible though. I do like Borgia, I think is a good show. It does give us more on Cesare’s political campaigns, among other things that weren’t showed on The Borgias, either out of personal choice or lack of time. At the same time, I kinda dislike Fontana’s over the top and sadistic writing? Don’t get me wrong, he’s a talented writer and there are many scenes where I loved what he wrote, but I feel he has a thing for drama ( the ridiculous kind, not the fun one) and explicit violence, esp. towards women, that makes me roll my eyes you know? I also feel he has a love/hate relationship towards Cesare, which can be amusing at times, but it’s mostly bothersome. He elevates him sometimes, only to then just throw him into the mud with all the highly inaccurate black legend that surrounds his historical figure, which as a stan of irl!Cesare is not something I can appreciate. It’s just gross and unfair, and it contributes in perpetuating these shitty myths/rumors.So if I have to choose, I’ll always choose The Borgias. Even with Jordan’s own inaccuracies and exploitation of the sensationalistic rumors that surrounds the Borgia family, his style is a lot more to my liking. I love how he created and developed each character and the deepth he gave them, the nuances and complexity of their relationships. And I adore his dialogues, especially between Cesare and Lucrezia, I mean what was that? I never heard such poetic words on a tv show before istg lol. Their dialogues are imprinted in my brain, it’s so beautiful! plus after more reading about the family irl, their characterizations feels a lot closer to home to me than with Borgia without a doubt. Last but not least the casting is perfection?! I think Irons gave us the best Rodrigo Borgia in fiction, and Holliday’s the best Lucrezia, from aesthetics (her long blonde hair kills me so much) to overall personality. I hope that makes sense? I love both shows for different reasons, but The Borgias really is a masterpiece for me.

#ask #ask answered #anon ask #house borgia #the borgias #borgia #my thoughts #sorry for the late reply anon!#i kinda forgot to answer with holidays and all #hah

7 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Marvel’s What If…? Creators Think MCU Fans Are Ready For a Multiverse

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

What If…? was the name of a series from Marvel Comics that kicked off in 1977, with the company eventually producing 13 volumes (the latest in 2018) and a bunch of one-shots and spin-offs.

The basic concept was to take a classic, iconic or pivotal moment in Marvel Comics history and change it, with stories ranging from the very first — “What If Spider-Man Had Joined the Fantastic Four?” — To later mind-benders like “What If the Vision Had Destroyed the Avengers?” and “What If the Venom Symbiote Had Managed to Control Deadpool?”

The concept has managed to stick around more than 40 years, but it was still something of a surprise when Marvel Studios announced a new Disney+ series called What If…? at Comic-Con 2019.

In addition to taking the same concept and applying it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, What If…? is the first animated series produced by Marvel Studios as well as its first anthology — although as with all things Marvel, some episodes will find ways to connect with each other.

As executive producer Brad Winderbaum confirms to Den of Geek, it’s also no coincidence that What If…? debuts right after the previous Marvel series on Disney+, Loki, climaxed with the universe literally exploding into scores of new timelines and realities, turning the MCU into a multiverse — the bedrock of the idea behind What If…? itself.

“I mean, honestly, like many things that happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we kind of stumbled into that smart idea,” laughs Winderbaum. “I don’t know if it’s born of just the collaborative environment that we’re all lucky enough to work in at Marvel or if it was just random. But we were aware of Loki, they were aware of us, we shared scripts just like we would on all the projects, and it just happened to line up perfectly. And multiverse storytelling is in the air, so there’s also that.”

The timing of What If…? coming right after Loki may have been something of a coincidence, though.

“The fact that it got to be the show right on the heels of Loki and the fact that it fits in lockstep…as we developed the shows, as we produced the shows, we realized what happened was as much serendipity and just kind of trusting the MCU as anything else,” Winderbaum says.

Even though Marvel (and to some extent, Sony Pictures) has been laying the groundwork for the introduction of the multiverse — first with the “fake” one in Spider-Man: Far from Home, then the branching realities of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Avengers: Endgame, and now the explicit shattering of the Sacred Timeline in Loki — Winderbaum believes audiences are ready for the idea.

“What we found as we test projects that have a multiverse bend to their story is that the audience actually is really savvy and ready for this kind of parallel-reality type scenario,” he notes. “Luckily, maybe because it’s just in so many places in the culture, it’s actually not as heady a concept as we feared.”

The show, which premieres next Wednesday (August 11), is narrated by Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as the voice of Uatu, a.k.a. the Watcher, one of a Marvel race of superbeings who observe events occurring throughout the cosmos without interfering.

In the first of the initial season’s nine episodes, S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell, last seen briefly as Carter in Avengers: Endgame) takes the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, becoming the powerful Captain Carter.

Head writer AC Bradley says that when it came to selecting the stories for the show — some 30 were initially conceived and pitched, with many of those also earmarked for an already announced second season — it wasn’t just a question of remixing pivotal MCU moments from the movies.

“When it came to creating the first season of What If…?, we didn’t so much look back to the MCU or even the conflicts at times, we just went to the characters themselves,” she explains. “There’s a reason these movies have been so successful — it isn’t just the thrills and the chills, it’s the human connection, it’s watching their losses and triumphs and seeing ourselves in these characters.”

Bradley points to Tony Stark/Iron Man, who “birthed this entire multiverse,” as the template for the kind of character exploration we’ll see on What If…?

“Everyone knows the famous last line [in the first movie], ‘I am Iron Man,’” she says. “But the line right before that is, ‘I’m just not the hero type.’ It’s Tony’s flaws that we’re drawn to. So with each character, it was looking for what makes them human.”

Of course, getting the heart of these characters right is important, but the stories themselves still have to matter.

“The multiverse is perilous because you want to make sure everything has stakes,” says Winderbaum, who echoes Bradley’s comments about What If…? being driven by the characters established in the MCU. “We realized early on that as long as you’re focusing on the characters, it really doesn’t matter if that character exists in a parallel timeline or in the town next door. If you care about them, you’ll follow the story no matter where they live and who they are.”

As for the voices behind those characters, Marvel got many of its live-action stable of actors to get into the sound booth and play their roles in the animated format, a feat that Winderbaum says he might not have thought was possible.

“If you would ask me how much of the original cast I thought we would actually get to return for the show, I would have said we’d be lucky at 50%,” he says. “The fact that we got up to about 85% goes beyond my wildest dreams of what I thought we’d be able to achieve.”

Winderbaum reveals that Marvel co-president Louis D’Esposito was crucial in getting many of the actors on board for the show, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Benicio Del Toro, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Don Cheadle, Evangeline Lilly, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Mark Ruffalo, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Douglas, Natalie Portman, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Hiddleston

There are plenty more MCU actors involved as well — too many to list — although some notable absences include Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Brie Larson, and Scarlet Johansson. “It didn’t work with some of our stars,” Winderbaum admits. “But we made a choice early on to not make the stories reliant on what actors we thought we could get.”

More importantly, What If…? allows fans to see many of the characters in a whole new light, whether it’s T’Challa as Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill, Killmonger as the Black Panther and king of Wakanda, or Iron Man and Captain America as reanimated flesh-eating zombies.

“I hope as the audience, especially veteran MCU fans, watch the show, there are moments that surprises them and hopefully makes them choke on their beer,” says Bradley. “We have an episode coming down later in the season that’s pretty cameo-filled. That was our grab bag of all the characters, which I’m hoping people get a lot of chuckles from.”

Winderbaum, who has been with the MCU since the beginning, says moments like this are similar to when Marvel Studios first united its heroes in 2012’s Avengers.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

“We knew then that, as comic fans, ‘Oh, it’s cool to see these characters come together from various franchises.’ But it was that first Avengers film that kind of let the audience in on how cool that was,” he recalls. “And I think What If…? hopefully does a similar thing with the fun of twisting stories that you know so well and how cathartic and euphoric that can be.”

What If…? premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 11.

The post Marvel’s What If…? Creators Think MCU Fans Are Ready For a Multiverse appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3imirhK

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

vinjaryou · 6 years

Text

I’m gonna go on a hockey ramble/rant here, but I’ll stick it under a cut, so feel free to skip over it.

The tl;dr version though, is this:

So, the suits that run the Chicago Blackhawks (the team henceforth referred to as “we”) decided on Tuesday morning to fire Joel Quenneville after we suffered a five-game losing streak, with our Western Canada trip going 0-3.

Coaches run the team. They have no control over contracts. They have no control over trades. They run the team. They keep them going. They teach them fundamentals of the offensive and defensive plays (there’s a term I want that I’m blanking on, gdi). They get the team to work together.

They have no control over contracts.

They have no control over trades.

Who does have control over those? The owner, president, and general manager of the team.

Q did not give players huge contracts after a single good year; that was Stan Bowman’s (the Blackhawks’ GM) doing - after the 2013 season to Bryan Bickell, and after the 2015 season to Brent Seabrook, for example. They are/were good players yes, but a SINGLE good year does not a giant superstar contract make.

Q did not trade essential players for pennies or to get rid of said ridiculous contracts. Bowman did that, trading Antti Raanta to the Rangers after the 2015 season; trading Bickell along with Teuvo Teravainen (one of our up-and-coming players) to the Hurricanes to rid the books of Bickell’s contract; trading Ryan Hartman to the Predators this past February; trading (in different instances) Niklas Hjalmarsson, Vinnie Hinostroza, Richard Panik, Marian Hossa, and Jordan Osterle to the Coyotes; not re-signing Scott Darling and essentially losing him as well to the Hurricanes; trading Andrew Shaw and Phil Danault to the Canadiens; trading Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets; I could go on, (trading Sharp and Johns to the Stars; not re-signing Byfuglien; re-signing Rozsival...) but I’ll stop there.

The biggest (recent) fuckups in that paragraph are easily:

1. The Hjalmarsson trade (one that infuriated Q so much, he stormed out of a meeting he was in; Hjalmarsson is EASILY a HoF defenseman, an essential part of our defensive strength with Duncan Keith getting on in years and Seabrook slowing down well before anyone thought he’d start to. But with Hjalmarsson and Keith on a line? UNSTOPPABLE. And he is fearless). 2. The Panarin trade (he was a spark of offensive power that we so desperately needed, and lit a fire under Kane’s ass, so much that the two were some of the most feared scorers in the NHL when on the same line [which was almost all the time]; granted, I’m certain he’s glad to be out of Kane’s shadow, and I know people [myself included] are happy to see Brandon Saad in a Hawks jersey again, but in the long run, this... hasn’t been worth it). 3. The Raanta trade (this isn’t just my bias talking; he has grown up into a starting goalie. Learning from both Crawford and Henrik Lundqvist, two definite HoF goalies in their own right, has definitely shown Raanta how to handle the NHL. He’s also in the fearless camp with Hammer - drops into an immediate split to stop pucks, going up to take on an incoming player head-on, and so forth. He also has a fantastic personality, which helps with a team’s cohesion).

Q and Bowman haven’t gotten along in over six years, so there’s essentially been a power struggle between them that is widely known about, if not openly talked about or admitted.

So of course when this team - one that Bowman has done a FANTASTIC JOB of tearing down - goes on a losing streak, who gets to take the fall?

The coach.

It says something when, after a coach is fired, former players (Brent Sopel and Daniel Carcillo are the first two that come to mind) come out questioning the team and saying it isn’t Q’s fault the team is losing.

Props to the journalist that asked McDonough (the Hawks president) if he ever considered firing Bowman along with or instead of Q.

And this isn’t saying that Jeremy Colliton can’t do the job. Shit, he took the Rockford Icehogs to their FIRST Western Conference Final last year; they swept their series against both the Chicago Wolves and the Manitoba Moose. That’s fucking AMAZING for a first-year AHL coach (though he did coach I believe four years in Sweden). He knows the NHL as well, having played for the New York Islanders.

But right now, the team is essentially in a shambles.

Today marks game 7 in our losing streak, a 0-4 shutout to the Flyers. Thursday was a home game against the Hurricanes that we should have won, but fell short 3-4.

So what do Bowman and McDonough plan to do if we’re still losing by December? Fire Colliton or jettison him back down to Rockford? Admitting they were wrong and seeing if he can rehire Q?

Who knows.

But right now, Colliton has the heavy job of trying to get this team back on track, getting them to believe they can trust him, and getting back to the playoffs this year. Even if we get in by the skin of our teeth, it’ll probably be enough for him to keep the gig one more year.

Or maybe not.

Who knows.

ps: I know the team has to shape the fuck up as well, but that’s another rambling rant for another day. Maybe tomorrow. Also, if I’m incorrect on anything in here, feel free to drop me a line.

#don't mind me #*gets off soapbox*

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

Text

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere

Across the final two episodes of Sports Night, Aaron Sorkin's 1998 TV drama about the backstage goings-on of a sports news program of the same name, Felicity Huffman's Dana Whitaker, who executive produces the show, has a series of encounters with a mysterious man (played by Clark Gregg). This stranger is, well, strange, and not just because he seems to have a lot of information about Dana, about Sports Night, and about Continental Corp., which is the parent company of the channel that airs Sports Night, and which is currently for sale.

Over the course of several days, Gregg's character correctly predicts seemingly unpredictable twists and turns in Continental Corp.'s sale. When they run into each other for the third night in a row, they have an exchange about Sports Night's supposed failure, which ends with the mysterious man giving Dana a piece of supposedly helpful advice. "I'm what the world considers to be a phenomenally successful man, and I've failed much more than I've succeeded," he says. "And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, 'Where are we going?' And it starts to get better."

Later, after learning that a mysterious company called Quo Vadimus has indeed bought Continental Corp., Dana asks what Quo Vadimus means. Turns out it's Latin for "Where are we going?" And then the light goes on in her head. Clark Gregg owns Quo Vadimus. Sports Night is safe after all. Everything did get better.

All of this is to say that, toward the end of every off-season, I like to sit down with a list of all 30 NBA teams for a little thought exercise: I put myself in the shoes of each team's lead decision-makers and ask, "Where are we going?"

For a lot of teams this year, the answer is easy. The Warriors are trying to repeat. The Cavs are vying for revenge. The Rockets are attempting to level up. The Sixers are done tanking, the Lakers are biding their time, and the Heat are doubling down. For some teams, though, the answer is not so simple to come by, since they appear to be doing little more than throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.

This is about those teams.

Consider the Orlando Magic. It's now been five whole years since the Magic traded Dwight Howard in its attempt to kickstart a rebuild, and the team does not appear to have made any progress. After selecting in the top five of three straight drafts, trading for another top-ten pick, and making several other deals in an attempt to push toward a playoff berth, Orlando still does not have even one surefire foundational player to show for it.

The two most intriguing talents on the roster—2015 No. 4 overall pick Aaron Gordon and 2017 No. 6 overall pick Jonathan Isaac—probably play the same position, and neither necessarily seems like all that good a fit next to Bismack Biyombo or Nikola Vucevic, the second and third highest-paid players on the team. The Magic have thrown a multi-year deal at a backup point guard in three consecutive off-seasons (C.J. Watson, then D.J. Augustin, then Shelvin Mack) while showing a reluctance to make a full-time commitment to former No. 10 overall pick Elfrid Payton, who is nominally the starter. They paid Evan Fournier and traded Victor Oladipo in a deal for Serge Ibaka, only to turn around and deal Ibaka for Terrence Ross, who plays a lot like a more athletic but lower-usage version of Fournier and is due a new contract after the 2019 season.

All of this has led to win totals of 20, 23, 25, 35, and 29 over the last five seasons, leaving the Magic as the second-losingest team in the league during that time, behind only the tanktastic 76ers. And it's not like they have a ton of future assets or cap flexibility to pave the way forward. They're basically counting on Gordon putting it all together, Isaac becoming everything they hope he can be, and some lucky breaks going their way everywhere else.

Orlando did undergo a regime change this off-season. Maybe new President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond can do better than their predecessors, but the Magic don't really seem equipped to pursue either full-scale rebuilding or true contention anytime in the near future.

When the signals are mixed. Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Or how about the Detroit Pistons? Stan Van Gundy's bunch appeared to have figured something out in 2016, but they took a massive step backwards last season. Now Stan's heading into Year 4 as the head coach and president of basketball operations, and he's still haphazardly swinging from vine to vine.

The Pistons still owe Josh Smith over $5 million in each of the next three seasons after Van Gundy elected to use the stretch provision on him a few years ago. Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, their two highest-paid and purportedly foundational players, did not show much progress last season; both reportedly have been shopped around at one time or another.

This off-season, the Pistons sent out signals that they were willing to match any offer made to restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, only to sign Langston Galloway in the opening days of free agency to a three-year, $21 million contract that hard-capped the team and would leave them unable to match any max offer that might come through for KCP. Instead, Van Gundy sent Marcus Morris to Boston for Avery Bradley, who is a better player than KCP but is also a pending free agent due a hefty raise next summer. The Pistons then renounced their qualifying offer to Caldwell-Pope, allowing him to sign wherever he wants. On Wednesday morning, ESPN reported that Caldwell-Pope has signed with the Lakers on a one-year, $18 million contract, which he would not have been eligible for had the Pistons not pulled their qualifying offer. (Offer sheets to restricted free agents must be for at least two years.)

Upgrading from KCP to Bradley is nice, like I said, but Bradley's acquisition also came after the signing of Galloway, who is also ideally an off-guard, and after drafting Luke Kennard, who plays that position as well. This is also the same franchise that last summer drafted a power forward (Henry Ellenson) when it was already paying one double-digit millions of dollars a year (Tobias Harris, who can also thankfully play on the wing), and then gave another power forward (Jon Leuer) a multi-year, eight-figure deal. They've now brought in combo forward Anthony Tolliver to fill one of the final two spots on their roster.

The Pistons are capped out this year, likely to be capped out next year once they give Bradley a new deal (assuming they didn't trade for him as a rental, which seems like it should be a safe assumption but who knows), and could be capped out the year after that if they decide to bring Harris back for another go. All this for a team that might make the playoffs? It boggles the mind.

Yeesh. Photo by Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, there's the Charlotte Hornets. Michael Jordan's squad leapt from 21 wins to 43 in the first season of the Steve Clifford era (2013-14), then backslid to only 33 the following year. The 2015-16 looked like progress as the Nicolas Batum trade helped propel the team to a 48-victory campaign—the winningest season since the team returned to the league. They couldn't build on that progress, though, and slumped to only 36 wins last year. The team has yet to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the original incarnation of the Hornets moved to New Orleans.

The Hornets traded for Dwight Howard this off-season because the Hawks made them a no-brainer offer: We'll take on two bad contracts and let you move up ten picks in the draft if you please just take Dwight! Clifford used to coach Howard in Orlando, but his fit in Charlotte is somewhat questionable and aside from Kemba Walker, the rest of the roster still lacks definable upside. There are several situationally useful players like Jeremy Lamb, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller on multi-year contracts, but the Buzz are dedicating 45 to 48 percent of their cap space to this group over the next two seasons before Walker is able to become an unrestricted free agent at age 29.

The Hornets' path to becoming serious contenders between now and the expiration of Kemba's sub-market deal seemingly involves Walker leveling up again, Batum rediscovering his 2016 form, Howard rediscovering his 2010 form, Frank Kaminsky and Malik Monk wildly exceeding their draft spots, LeBron James heading West, and the Celtics inexplicably falling apart. Does that sound even vaguely realistic?

This trio of teams is not alone in lacking a consistent vision—they're just the ones farthest down the going-nowhere path. The Pacers are neither rebuilding nor reloading after the Paul George trade. The Pelicans paid Jrue Holiday to stick around so he could help convince Boogie Cousins to stick around so that they can then help convince Anthony Davis to stick around. And the Knicks are still, defiantly, the Knicks.

Some of these teams might figure out something eventually, but it probably won't happen before they settle on a coherent answer to the question: Where are we going? Only then will it start to get better.

Update: This story was published just as news of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing with the Los Angeles Lakers was reported, and it has been updated to include that new information.

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes

gokinjeespot · 8 years

Text

Monday, January 16, 2017

We had a beautiful sunny weekend here in Ottawa and the Rideau Canal Skateway opened for the first time this winter. I went for a walk in the sun and then finished up the first volume of the two volume Strangers in Paradise Omnibus by Terry Moore which my partner Chris let me borrow. I read the story as floppies but it was very nice to re-read the story about the volcanic relationship between Francine and Katchoo again. I highly recommend any comic book that Terry does.

Scarlet Witch #14 - James Robinson (writer) Shawn Crystal (art) Chris Brunner (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Wanda's journey along the Witch's Road finally comes to an end with the expected result of witchcraft being cured. It's neat that Shawn's art pays homage to Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange dimensional vistas but why is Agatha Harkness young looking now?

Unworthy Thor #3 - Jason Aaron (writer) Kim Jacinto & Olivier Coipel (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Collector's hammer is being sought by many. The Odinson wants it and so does Thanos. My money is on U-Thor and his companions getting their hands on it in the end.

Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #3 - Gerry Conway (writer) Ryan Stegman (art) Sonia Oback (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue features Anna May Parker in and out of costume. Gerry must watch a lot of Nickelodeon to make his kids sound so authentic. Annie is young, foolish and hot-headed which makes for some interesting situations. This is a fun book that I think more fans should be reading.

Justice League/Power Rangers #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Stephen Byrne (art & colours) Deron Bennett (letters). I don't read either of these teams' comic books but I like Tom's writing so I picked this up to see what he could do with these characters. I have no clue what the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are about but they seem like a decent bunch. The story is pretty basic with an accidental interdimensional hop including a super villain. If you like the Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle team up you'll enjoy this too.

Moonshine #4 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art & colours) Jared H. Fletcher (letters). If the creature doesn't make you howl then Tempest will by the time you get to the end of this issue. I did not see that coming.

Daredevil #15 - Charles Soule (writer) Goran Sudzuka (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Here's something else I did not see coming. We have the return of one of Daredevil's arch enemies back from the dead. At least I think they died. It's hard to keep track.

Action Comics #971 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Stephen Segovia (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Arif Prianto (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The trial of Lex Luthor takes a surprising turn and he and Superman are still not home free. Meanwhile back home, Lois and Jon are caught in a place where they shouldn't be by Clark Kent. It's going to be fun to see how mom and son explain their trespass.

Groo: Fray of the Gods #4 - Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier (writers) Sergio Aragones (art) Tom Luth (colours) Stan Sakai (letters). It's always distracting whenever the Minstrel appears in a Groo comic book because of the ever changing end of his instrument. This mini ends with much dining and fraying for Groo but the gods don't actually fight throughout this story. Oh well, what do you expect from a Groo comic?

Uncanny Avengers #19 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Pepe Larraz with Rodrigo Zayas (art) Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Looks like the Red Skull has this team in his complete control but there is one hero left to come to the rescue. It's Gerry's homeboy Deadpool. Wade can't do it all alone so it's team up time. I like who he rustles up to help save the day.

Wonder Woman #14 - Greg Rucka (writer) Nicola Scott (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This issue concludes "Year One" with a battle between Diana and Ares the God of War. One must suspend belief that Diana can fly all around the world carry Steve Trevor to stop the poison gas from being deployed. Maybe she got help from Santa Claus. I felt a little let down by Greg with that miracle move, but otherwise this story has been pretty good. Good enough for me to keep reading now that the first two storylines have ended.

Red Sonja #1 - Amy Chu (writer) Carlos Gomez (art) Mohan (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). I hope you read the twenty-five cent #0 or you will be wondering how Sonja ends up in modern Manhattan. Amy solves the problem of Sonja speaking ancient Hyrkanian by introducing a handsome young police officer who sort of understands the language. This is quite similar to the Rebirth Wonder Woman book but different enough that a long time fan like me still finds it worth reading.

Occupy Avengers #3 - David F. Walker (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Sonia Oback with Wil Quintana (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm not a fan of the title. I think comic book buyers have Avengers fatigue and would be more likely to buy this book if it was called Marvel Team-Up starring Hawkeye. I am enjoying it so far and would recommend it. Here we have Hawkeye and Red Wolf getting help from Nighthawk and his sidekick Deadly Nightshade to track down some shady cybernetics in Chicago. There are some surprise appearances at the end of this issue but they do make sense when you consider the evidence that Hawkeye brings to the search. Next issue should have some wahoo fun.

Detective Comics #948 - James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Ben Oliver (art) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). Batwoman Begins part one. This is a good primer to read before Kate's own book hits the racks next month. I hope DC doesn't screw it up again.

Dr. Strange/The Punisher: Magic Bullets #2 - John Barber (writer) Jason Muhr (storyboards) Andrea Broccardo & Dominike "Domo" Stanton (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I like Stephen and Frank and thought that the two of them teaming up would be fun but this story is turning into an unbelievable magical mystery tour with bad art. Shoot me now.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #12 - Robert Venditti (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Green and Yellow Lantern Corps combine to crush the Orange Corp. Larfleeze even helps. Ethan draws the best aliens.

Jessica Jones #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The meeting with Captain Marvel explains a lot and made me decide to stick with this. I really hope Luke and Jessica's marriage doesn't suffer from what Jess has to do.

Totally Awesome Hulk #14 - Greg Pak (writer) German Peralta (art) Jay David Ramos & Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The two part team up with Jeremy Lin ends, thank Thor. This one is great for the kiddies but I found it to be a bit silly.

Ms. Marvel #14 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The World of Battlecraft fight to start off this issue was fun. Now that Bruno's gone (I miss him), Kamala has to figure out stuff on her own. Someone is stalking her but we don't know if he's good or evil. I'm guessing evil since he looks like the Green Goblin.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #13 - Joe Kelly (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales, John Dell & Ed McGuinness (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). It's an adventure in Weirdworld as the two heroes recover from their fight with Itsy Bitsy. I really like Joe's version of Wade with the soupcon of humanity.

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is one long poem featuring everyone's favourite sentient one phrase tree. He is Groot. Some of the verses made my brain cringe however. I hope this isn't the last issue that Brian writes because I would hate to see his run end on a dissatisfying note.

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #4 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Fernando Pasarin (pencils) Matt Ryan (inks) Alex Sinclair with Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Max Lord and his team of super villains break into Belle Reve Penitentiary to get the thing that he needs to take over the world. We haven't seen this artefact since that special cover from 1992. I wish I can remember how they beat that bad guy 25 years ago then I wouldn't have to read the last 2 issues of this mini.

Inhumans vs. X-Men 2 - Jeff Lemire & Charles Soule (writers) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Gerry Alanguilan (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This war of the genetically enhanced seems to be contrived given what the Mutants' objective is in attacking Attilan, the home of the Inhumans. They couldn't just ask? I'm reading this because I love Leinil's art and it's still pretty exciting. Plus you never know what shocking "deaths" will claim the life of some characters.

Mighty Thor #15 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Asgard/Shi'Ar War starts here. Don't know why the Shi'Ar are all up in arms but I'm sure we'll find out. Russell is back drawing the whole issue and that makes me very happy. Judging from the cover the Unworthy Thor could be involved and that makes me excited.

Spider-Man #12 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Gaetano Carlucci (inking assist) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's interdimensional adventure time. Miles goes to another dimension to rescue his dad. There he meets Spider-Gwen as depicted on the cover. The kissy face must come later because this issue is all set up. This story crosses over with Spider-Gwen #16 and I like Miles so much that I will actually read that issue to see what happens next.

All-New Wolverine #16 - Tom Taylor (writer) Nik Virella (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Laura's current predicament in Madripoor seems simple and boring until you get to the last page and BOOM, someone comes out of left field. Things just got less boring.

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

Text

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere

This is about those teams.

When the signals are mixed. Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Yeesh. Photo by Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Update: This story was published just as news of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing with the Los Angeles Lakers was reported, and it has been updated to include that new information.

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

Text

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere

This is about those teams.

When the signals are mixed. Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Yeesh. Photo by Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

These NBA Teams Are on the Road to Nowhere published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes