#thank you so much to Nicole Rudolph

[starsandauras]

Prompt 2: Bolt

FFXIV 30 Day Writing Challenge Prompt 2: Bolt Streamer AU is back! Yay!

“What’s this one?” Alisaie asked, sliding a scrap of fabric over to Brigid, who automatically reached out for it without looking, focused more on the design taking form under her pencil.

It was an iridescent purple, but otherwise wasn’t particularly shiny. She crumpled it under her hand, and it looked and sounded all the world like crumpling loose leaf paper. “Silk taffeta,” she said distractedly, sliding it back over to Alisaie.

Alphinaud slid another swatch over to her, this one a soft blue color, and light and flowy. “This one?” he asked, his carbuncle chirping seemingly in encouragement from Alphinaud’s lap.

She grasped at it, rubbing the fabric between her fingers to test the texture. “Ugh,” she groaned, flicking it away from her. The twins watched as it floated back down to the table. “Chiffon,” she practically spat out, like it was a curse. “Evil fabric, nay worth the bother of workin’ with.”

“You can identify it only through touch?” Alphinaud asked, head tilted as he poked at the rejected swatch, wondering what was so terrible about this chiffon.

“If ‘tis bein’ made proper like, aye,” she murmured, again distracted by her design. “If Alisaie was handin’ me a shantung, I’d be tellin’ it from the bits woven in. Taffeta’s nay havin’ it, and chiffon is being lighter.” She spat the word again, making Alphinaud raise an eyebrow at his sister, she just shrugged, equally confused.

Instead she slid another swatch over, a deep crimson and incredibly shiny, practically puddling on the table, the wrong side matte. “And this?”

Once again, Brigid picked it up without actually looking at it, moving it about in her hand. “Charmeuse,” she settled on, before finally looking up at them. “Were you two diggin’ through me silk stash?” she asked, smiling softly as the two looked away from her and towards each other, shifting nervously.

“It’s a good texture,” Alphinaud finally spoke up, but his voice was quiet, and his carbuncle curled up against his chest.

“Well, not the taffeta,” Alisaie added, moving to look over Brigid’s shoulder. “Is that one going on the stream?” she asked, clearly changing the subject.

Brigid hummed, more than happy to move on if they wanted. “Nay, ‘tis a private commission, havenae cleared it for the stream yet, nay sure if I’m goin’ to ask.”

Alphinaud also peeked over, blinking at it for a moment. “This isn’t the dress Mother commissioned,” he eventually said, looking up at Brigid.

“Mm, still waitin’ on the fabric she was wantin’ for it. Dinnae keep damask in the stash.”

“What’s this one for then?” Alisaie asked, only looking up at Brigid when the other woman was quiet for a long moment. “No,” she practically gasped. “Is this for the opera house?!”

“You said you’d never do work for him again after the time their in-house cutter and draper walked out!”

“Wait, was the cutter-draper? I thought it was the assistant designer.”

Brigid groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Hyth was askin’,” she mumbled. “Was callin’ in a favor.”

The twins (and carbuncle) stared at each other before staring back at Brigid. “What’s he paying you?” Alisaie finally asked.

“Thousand gil and ten yalms of emerald green watered silk,” Brigid answered, face still in her hands.

“The fabric that looks like the waves in Ala Mhigan steel?” Alphinaud asked, and Brigid nodded. Alisaie whistled low, under her breath.

“That’s fair then.”

[helpersofindie]

Hello lovely helpers!! <3 May I please ask for some POC female faceclaims? Between 21-40? Who have those bad bitch vibes, strong and alluring, please? Thank you so much for your kindness <3 :)

under the cut, you can find 165 woc faceclaims who i think fit the vibe! i hope this helps!

maitreyi ramakrishnan (21)

josie totah (21) — josie is a trans woman!

miah madden (21)

rowan blanchard (21)

halle bailey (22)

yara shahidi (22)

chandler kinney (22)

dara renee (22)

anna lambe (22)

tarayummy (22)

daniella perkins (22)

sofia bryant (23)

megan suri (23)

alycia pascual pena (23)

braydee cardinal (23)

imani lewis (23)

china anne mcclain (24)

chloe bailey (24)

madison bailey (24)

diamond white (24)

shina novalinga (24)

paris berelc (24)

brianne tju (24)

madison pettis (24)

antonia gentry (25)

coco jones (25)

lana condor (25)

alisha boe (25)

sydney park (25)

alyah chanelle scott (25)

becky g (25)

banita sandhu (25)

amber midthunder (25)

kiana lede (25)

rosé (25)

normani (26)

zendaya (26)

samantha logan (26)

joy sunday (26)

chase sui wonders (26)

madeleine madden (26)

anya chalotra (26)

brittany o’grady (26)

fernanda ly (26)

imaan hammam (26)

leah lewis (26)

park soobin (26)

pia mia (26)

snitcherty (26)

bree kish (26)

cierra ramirez (27)

courtney eaton (27)

tati gabrielle (27)

haskiri velazquez (27)

jennie kim (27)

megan thee stallion (27)

aslihan malbora (27)

im nayeon (27)

zion moreno (27) — zion is a trans woman!

adeline rudolph (27)

christina nadin (27)

camila mendes (28)

ryan destiny (28)

natasha liu bordizzo (28)

khadijha red thunder (28)

kim jisoo (28)

eva reign (28) — eva is a trans woman!

midori francis (28)

hoyeon jung (28)

sofia carson (29)

keke palmer (29)

aisha dee (29)

devery jacobs (29)

yasmine al bustami (29)

nadine lustre (29)

tinashe (29)

yalitza aparicio (29)

olivia liang (29)

saweetie (29)

yvette monreal (30)

kiana madeira (30)

ziwe fumudoh (30)

triana browne (30)

vanessa morgan (30)

chloe bennet (30)

nyma tang (31)

kiki layne (31)

malese jow (31)

grace dove (31)

chelsea tavares (31)

laci mosley (31)

michaela jae rodriguez (32) — michaela jae is a trans woman!

stephanie hsu (32)

keisha castle hughes (32)

la’tecia thomas (32)

lindsey morgan (32)

mitski (32)

patti harrison (32) — patti is a trans woman!

tristin mays (32)

alexa demie (32)

danielle brooks (33)

sza (33)

rachel colwell (33)

logan browning (33)

precious lee (33)

kat graham (33)

aimee carrero (34)

lizzo (34)

candice patton (34)

anna diop (34)

brenda song (34)

janel parrish (34)

melissa o’neil (34)

ashleigh murray (35)

michaela coel (35)

samira wiley (35)

shay mitchell (35)

naomi watanabe (35)

alina serban (35)

javicia leslie (35)

diane guerrero (36)

nicole byer (36)

da’vine joy randolph (36)

meaghan rath (36)

cynthia erivo (36)

amber riley (36)

lilan bowden (37)

karla souza (37)

jessica matten (37)

natalie morales (37)

meagan tandy (37)

nathalie kelley (37)

vella lovell (37)

brandee evans (37)

arden cho (37)

aubrey plaza (38)

america ferrera (38)

tala ashe (38)

issa rae (38)

aja naomi king (38)

jessica parker kennedy (38)

dewanda wise (38)

lupita nyong’o (39)

tessa thompson (39)

jamie chung (39)

janet mock (39) — janet is a trans woman!

gabourey sibide (39)

levy tran (39)

dascha polanco (40)

constance wu (40)

gemma chan (40)

dichen lachman (40)

tiya sircar (40)

ali wong (40)

cara gee (40)

melissa fumero (40)

kimrie lewis (40)

hannah simone (42)

jessica alba (41)

nasim pedrad (41)      

stephanie beatriz (41)

tika sumpter (42)

vanessa lachey (42)

freema agyeman (43)

shannon dang (unknown age)

[d-criss-news]

thehijabibounder: TRULY ENCHANTING What an incredible movie! It’s everything my 90s Disney heart wanted with the upgrade of modern story telling and visual effects! This cast is everything: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, music by Alan Menken, Yvette Nicole Brown, the original Morgan from Enchanted, Jayma Mays, new Morgan - Gabriella, and Idina Menzel! And Darren Criss was there to support! I was sad that Maya Rudolph, whose character Malvina I cosplayed as, did not meet anyone. But still so grateful! Loved taking my bestie Janna to experience this red carpet premiere at Hollywood’s El Capitan theater! What a beautiful and emotional ride! Disenchanted is now steaming on @ Disney+ . #fy #fyp #disenchantedpremiere #disenchantedredcarpet #patrickdempsey #amyadams #idinamenzel #disneytiktok #hijabicreator #disneycreator #hijabicosplayer #evilqueencosplay #patrickdempsey

thehijabibounder: ✨ENCHANTING MEMORIES✨

We spend our lives hustling. Take time to stop and reflect. To capture the moments. To make memories. So, that you can relive them later and return to the magic. It’ll be the boost you need to keep going. Remember the strength from before and use it to wield your power for the future.

@ disneyenchanted is the sequel we all need! A 90s Disney heart with modern story telling and visual wonder that gave me all the feels! Congrats to the team of this movie. Truly a triumph!

Had the immense joy experiencing this red carpet event with my bestie @ janniebananieee! We got to meet the incredible people who made this movie and enjoy it at the @elcapitanthtre. Thank you so much @ disneystudios for the invite.

@james_marsden is a true King and @ amyadams is a gracious Queen! @ patrickdempsey is seriously McDreamy and @ idinamenzel is grace a beauty! @ yvettenicolebrown is inspiration as is @jaymasmays. @gabbybaldacchino is a revelation, what a voice! @ princesstagram wasn’t able to meet anyone in the fan area but she was really fun in the movie. I wish I met her because I cosplayed as her character Malvina. The incredible @alanmenken stuns as usual with an epic soundtrack. I am so grateful for this experience!

Disenchanted is now steaming only on @ disneyplus .

#thedisneybound #disneyboundchallenge #disneybounddaily #disneybounder #thehijabibounder #disneystyle #disneybounding #disney #bounding #styleandfashion #cosplay #cosplayer #hijabicosplayer #disneycreator #redcarpet #disenchanted #disenchantedpremiere #patrickdempsey #amyadams #idinamenzel #jamesmarsden #mayarudolph #disneyplus #evilqueencosplay

*Darren Edit

[dear-indies]

hi cat & mouse! 💓 i was wondering if you had any suggestions for a female fc (preferably younger 20's but it's okay if she's a bit older, of any ethnicity) who could play a roguish feline character? for context, the oc is going to be an alien, though i don't really need sci-fi resources for the character, just someone who could fit that vibe! thank you so much for all you do ^_^

Adeline Rudolph (1995) Korean / German.

Tati Gabrielle (1996) African-American / Korean.

Joy Sunday (1996) Nigerian.

Antonia Gentry (1997) Afro-Jamaican / English.

Sisi Stringer (1997) African Australian, some websites says that she’s mixed.

Nicole Maines (1997) - is trans.

Daniela Nieves (1997) Venezuelan.

Elizabeth Cullen (1997)

Jaylen Barron (1997) African-American / Mexican.

Anjali Sivaraman (1997) Indian.

Sierra McCormick (1997)

Amita Suman (1997) Indian.

Ally Ioannides (1998)

Lauren Tsai (1998) Taiwanese / Polish, Italian, English, German, Irish.

Alva Bratt (1998)

Annalise Basso (1998)

Brianne Tju (1998) Indonesian / Chinese.

Cailee Spaeny (1998)

Carla Díaz (1998)

Erin Kellyman (1998) Afro-Jamaican / Irish - is a lesbian.

Lily-Rose Depp (1999)

Imani Lewis (1999) African-American.

Begoña Vargas (1999)

Kiernan Shipka (1999)

Rabia Soyturk (1999) Turkish.

Lisette Olivera (1999) Mexican.

Mikey Madison (1999) ¾ Ashkenazi Jewish ¼ mix of English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, along with Dutch, German, Welsh, and Scottish.

Camren Bicondova (1999)

Odessa A’zion (2000) Ashkenazi Jewish, English, some Irish, Northern Irish, and Welsh / German.

Meg Donnelly (2000)

Here you go! Thank you for being so kind, anon!

[inkofamethyst]

October 21, 2023

Finished Young Justice :) While the budget for S4 was clearly reduced (based on the animation and number of still image scenes), I did enjoy it. Again, no truly jaw-dropping twists, no breath-holding episodes (that one in s2 with all the people on Manta's ship?? crazyyyy), but the storyline convergence was enjoyable. A true shame that there are still so many loose ends. If we're lucky enough to get a s5, I would really hope they close them all. I don't mind having an antagonist through-line with the Light, but the whole ethos of the superhero genre (at least, post-9/11) is that good overcomes evil, justice overcomes oppression. I think it would be interesting if there was a strained team-up between the Light and the League to take down Apokalypse (or however you spell his name). Alas, that's wishful thinking, seeing as s5 is probably not happening (though, perhaps not entirely out of the cards, seeing as a s3 came after idk maybe five years of nothing).

Since I still had hair to braid, I started watching Scavenger's Reign because I'm a sucker for some scifi, and it's pretty good. I guess I know what I'll be tuning into on Fridays after class (or maybe before class hehe). In the meantime I started Justice League: Unlimited (I know I said I'd go back to Midsommer but ehhhh) and the style is strangely nostalgic, even though I'd never watched it before. J'onn's voice isn't as hot as it was in YJ though :(

(side note: I remember one of the pre-Endgame meme "predictions" was that Ant-Man would beat Thanos by shrinking, entering the antagonist's rear, then growing to full size, and while I still giggle at the thought, an alternative as demonstrated in JLU would be Ant-Man squeezing an artery to give Thanos a heart attack. Not as funny, but perhaps even more creative (and, again, far less convoluted than time-travelling). It does open up the door of Ant-Man being a biological weapon though, and, based on my recollection which could be leaky, bio-based weapons tend not to be used by heroes as much compared to strength-based tactics. The examples that come to mind are often discouraged in-universe (Rogue's powers, Katara's blood-bending, Percy Jackson's blood-bending (iirc)...). I.. I wonder why? A curious question about the morals we promote in fiction.)

The CR C3 animated intro is fantastic. I am really loving the current exploration into Ashton's background and think that he was portrayed in such a cool way!! Imogen and Laudna's scenes were also very very cool. And I love their voices all singing together!!!

I recently watched Nicole Rudolph's video on her fantasy photo retreat and aaaaaa maybe the fall has me in an imaginative mood because I would really love to do something like that too one day. Dress up like a fairy or a pirate and prance around across some rocks or in the woods with a bunch of similarly dressed people and get some lovely photos out of it. I think what I need is to go to a renn faire haha.

Today I'm thankful that I had a good lunch with one of my puzzle-friend's friends from college :) Would definitely love to hang out with her again. (also the noodle place we got lunch at was really yummy!! soooo many noodle places around here)

[badassindistress]

Thoughts on silk

I have so many thoughts on silk

the first one is shiny soft smooth, for the types of silk that i first got to feel. I had a silk headkerchief when i was a kid and it was so lovely

then i discovered raw silk and i thought i didn't like that because it didn't feel all satiny but now i really really do

working with silk tafetta for ballgowns is something i aspire to, it's just the most gorgeous and opulent and princessy

i did not know much about silk (except that i wanted some) before nicole' rudolphs video on silk, very helpful. also now im thinking of that post explaining silk is the fibre, satin is the fabric/weaving method

my roommate was writing a romance and her main character ran out in the rain in a silk shirt so I ran some of my silk satin under the tap to show her how extremely thin and translucent it can be. She was very pleased and it became a very good scene.

My sister gave me bright red butterfly silk to make a waistcoat out of and I've been saving it for years until I'm good enough and as I'm typing this I'm realising that I'm actually getting to the measure of accuracy required to not waste such lovely fabric (for the two patterns i've refined and refined over the past two years so I can be reasonably sure they fit)

Also, since I saw Bridgerton season two I want to make purple silk bloomers and since I have a little silk from my 30s bias gown left and I did take half a course on lingerie making I could make that happen

Okay, last impromptu thought about silk is that my life has infinitely improved since i started wearing silk underdresses. No scratchy seams! On days my skin can't stand anything, I wear my bra over the silk and it's so much better. No fear of buttons popping open or skirts blowing up because underlayer. I can be so much warmer now! And in much heat like this when I'm not going out i can just wear a silk underdress and not be so hot. I've only made 2 so far, and I've run out of the dyed silk practice bits i got from the silk dyer lady, but i desperately want more.

Thank you Marguerite, this was fun! Wait no, last one! In Jim Henson's the storyteller there's a troll who's gifted with silks and she calls them "My silknesses" and "so me-able, so agreeable" and I refer to my silks and ribbons in this way constantly.

[tentacledtherapist]

Lisa,

Per our last letter: I am so impressed! Physics is fascinating but I do not have the brain for it. I love when my friends who love math and physics tell me about it though, they make it make sense, you know? My last roommate kept a whiteboard in her room and just FILLED it with mathematics and would dissect math problems in conversations with us in order to solve them. It was fun. Pity about the Men In STEM type of Personality though, I'm sure you're a delight to chat with minus the golf. Funny, I get zapped myself.... not irregularly? I like the way it makes my fingertips buzz.

As for essayists and Youtubers I also quite like Jacob Geller and watch Bernadette Banner, Bernadette is an inspiration to me. I'm very familiar with both nightmind and Defunctland, I also share a theme park fascination. I love videos of urban exploration in places like that, as well as the technology behind them. My specific fascination is dark rides, but I also enjoy just watching rollercoaster videos too just cuz they're neat. I started in the theme park side of youtube when I started watching Haunted House runthrough videos, looking at the effects and costumes, then it moved on to the dark rides and went from there.

I also watch Morgan Donner, Nicole Rudolph, Karolina Zebrowska, Sew Rena and Rebecca Maksy who are in the same vein of creator as Bernadette. I also enjoy doll creators in the background like Dollightful and Hextian, etellan and Poppen Atelier. Essayists I like, or content creators in general, Athena P is deeply funny, Strange Aeons and Izzyzz are very popular, Kaz Rowe is my BELOVED for a LGBT perspective on history, Li Speaks and Dream Jelly for nostalgia essays, CZWorld and Dead Meat are great for horror, Caitlin Doughty for some really good insight on death work and death culture though she is by no means the last and only creator i follow on that, and hazelyt with their AMAZING creepypasta retrospective I cannot recommend more. If you like horror, but not necessarily campy horror, check out the yt channel nana825763. They made the famous username666 but made this absolutely insane short film called "my house walkthrough" that is a must see for those who like horror that allows you to dissect it moment to moment but isn't very long. Entirely practical effects, I cannot stress how much this formed a huge portion of my standards for scary stuff that doesn't rely on jumpscares, but pure artistry. They literally destroyed this house over time to get each take for the movie so it is WILD to imagine how they did it (the behind the scenes is also amazing).

- Creature

P.s.: I'm so glad you liked Frankenhooker! Definitely one of those sleeper hits that you can tell inspired some of LF, along with things like Re-Animator and Weird Science, Death Becomes Her too (which has some WILD old effects). But I also see the Heathers and Edward Scissorhands comparisons. Not sure if you're a Heathers fan?

i do like heathers quite a bit! and i love edward scissorhands! all the movies you mentioned there i’ve seen more than once and i like ‘em a lot! there’s a thing i’ve seen around more than once about how if lisa frankenstein the movie was actually made in the 80’s, we’d be played by johnny depp and winona ryder, which i do kinda agree with-

thank you for the recommendations too!!!! i cannot wait to check out “my house walkthrough”! it sounds so so so cool, omg. for your little description, it reminds me of, like, wham city comedy’s projects “unedited footage of a bear” and “this house has people in it”? both of which i absolutely LOVED

plus i’m a sucker for good practical effects? i love when you can watch an effect and see viscerally how real it is, because something is actually happening on set? even if it isn’t “perfect,” at least it’s real, ya know?

it’s the same principle as my fascination with theme park engineering? cause a lot of those places have to conceal the actual inner workings of things to maintain illusion, but they’re all real and practical and i think it’s so fun to try and figure out every bit of engineering that went into how the effects work? it’s like a puzzle, i guess

real, physical special effects are just so so cool

- Lisa

[willow124]

Thanks to youtube, I learned today that men used to have so many pockets they didn't know what to put in all them and would often forget what they put where. They even had pockets in the tails of their fancy coats. (Thank you Nicole Rudolph for the video, it was amazing and a little hilarious.) Knowing this, and knowing that fashion in Harry Potter is stuck in the 1800s (seemingly), does this mean that wizards have pockets all over their robes? How much stuff could a wizard carry in a robe covered in pockets? Especially if those pockets had a variety of spells on them to decrease their weight or their size.

[barbiegirldream]

ok so these are just my favourites but there are a lot of channels on youtube about fashion history and sewing especially

pretty much purely sewing content there is

Sewstine : lots of movie and painting inspired clothing

Angela Clayton : historical fashion with her own colourful style

then people who in addition to sewing also do some other content

Abby Cox : literally all kinds of videos about fashion history

SnappyDragon : talks about fashion history from a Jewish perspective

Nicole Rudolph : talks about her research a lot while making clothes and also makes 19th century shoes

NotYourMommasHistory : history from a Black woman's perspective

Lee-am : mostly sewing content but also vlogs about events she goes to

Karolina Żebrowska : does a lot of meme content and some short films and talk about fashion history, very funny

Rachel Maksy : more so retro and vintage inspired stuff but she's also very funny

well that was quite a few so maybe you'd like some of them. still honestly I might have forgotten some

-zinna

i will check them out thank you!

[antlerqueer]

Hey, Megan! I was wondering if you could help me get some fcs for three sisters - the oldest is the head of the business and stern, a harsh love type of lady, the second is very extroverted, bubbly and sweet, and the third is their half-sister with an Asian mother who's a creative mind with a determined personality. Thank you so much!

Absolutely! Here are some options, I’ve put them in different categories based on race so they’re accurately cast. Based on the research I did, I found most Asian fcs that were mixed race were either mixed with White, Black, or other Asian ethnicities so I have 3 options for oldest & middle sisters, and then two categories for youngest.

If you’re open to the older sisters also being Asian, I can set up recs for those as well!

Oldest Sisters:

Black & White:

Antonia Thomas (1986)

Ashley Madekwe (1983)

Gugu Mbatha Raw (1983)

Angel Coulby (1980)

Black:

Aja Naomi King (1985)

Wakeema Hollis (1984)

Gabourey Sidibe (1983)

Angelica Ross (1980)

White:

Crystal Reed (1985)

Cobie Smulders (1982)

Krysten Ritter (1981)

Christina Ricci (1980)

Lauren German (1978)

Middle Sisters

Black & White:

Greta Onieogou (1991)

Samantha Logan (1989)

Vella Lovell (1985)

Jurnee Smollet (1984)

Black:

Nyma Tang (1991)

Anna Diop (1988)

Ashleigh Murray (1988)

Kirby Howell Baptiste (1987)

Samira Wiley (1987)

Nicole Byer (1986)

White:

Jessica Barden (1992)

Aly Michalka (1989)

Brianne Howey (1989)

Ana de Armas (1988)

Esther Povitsky (1988)

Kat Dennings (1986)

Youngest Sisters

Black & Asian (various Asian ethnicities, since you didnt specify):

FKA Twigs (1988)

Karrueche Tran (1988)

Michelle Lee (1991)

Moko (1991)

Tati Gabrielle (1996)

Zhong Fei Fei (1996)

Sydney Park (1997)

White & Asian (various Asian ethnicities, since you didnt specify):

Shay Mitchell (1987)

Cassie Steele (1989)

Davika Hoorne (1992)

Naomi Scott (1993)

Natasha Liu Bordizzo (1994)

Adeline Rudolph (1995)

Geraldine Viswanathan (1995)

Lulu Antariska (1995)

Anya Chalotra (1996)

Fivel Stewart (1996)

Reina Hardesty (1996)

Lauren Tsai (1998)

[mksc77]

For the winter/Christmas prompt list, 73 please. Thank you 💜

Thanks so much for the ask, @ila9182! I’m sorry for the early morning (for you) notification!

73–“Hey, you were the one who insisted on throwing a Christmas party, even when I told you it’d be a nightmare to plan!”

Nicole’s stepsons are younger here than suggested by canon, and I aged Marie and gave Emily another child for this one :)

On the Friday before Christmas, Sharon cleaned and started getting the house ready for the Christmas party they were hosting the following night. It was mostly pointless, as they were keeping Emily’s five-year-old and eighteen-month old, who could wreak havoc on a clean house in a matter of seconds. Emily’s ballet studio had a performance of The Nutcracker, and Emmett was out of town for work until the day before Christmas Eve, so Sharon and Andy had grandparent duty.

Sharon looked up as Andy came in with Liam in his arms and holding Marie’s hand. Liam immediately pointed to the freezer, knowing there were popsicles there. Andy, being Andy, was quick to oblige and went ahead and got out two, knowing Marie would be demanding one when she saw Liam’s. Liam then pointed to the drawer that held the scissors. “You’re getting too smart.” Andy retrieved the scissors and cut both popsicles.

“You guys haven’t even eaten lunch yet, and it is December,” Sharon pointed out.

Andy rolled his eyes. “Says the woman who bought more popsicles yesterday.”

“Says the man who asks ‘what color do you want’ the second one of them even looks in the general direction of the freezer,” Sharon shot back.

Popsicle in hand, Liam grinned and reached for her, and she happily took him before kneeling to give Marie a hug. “Hi, my darlings.” They had watched The Polar Express at St. Joseph’s that morning, so they were both in pajamas. Andy had only worked a half-day, so he’d picked them up early. After passing the baby to Sharon, he went back to the car to bring in the lunch he’d brought home for her and the kids.

Marie was bouncing around, hyped up from hot chocolate at preschool and being excited about Christmas. Liam just tapped at Sharon’s face and grinned at her before lying on her shoulder and rubbing his eyes. Sharon kissed the top of his head, inhaling his sweet baby smell. “I think you’re probably overdue for a nap.”

After lunch, Sharon sat in the recliner with a drowsy Liam to put him down for a nap. By the time she laid him down in the pack’n play and was back in the living room, Marie was almost asleep in Andy’s lap, watching the Christmas Disney Sing Along video that had been a hit when Emily and Ricky were small. Well, she’d upgraded the worn-out VHS to a newer DVD when Marie was old enough to enjoy it, but the familiar scenes were the same.

Sharon got a blanket from the back of the couch and kissed Marie’s forehead before draping it over her and tucking it around her shoulders. “I don’t need a nap,” she drowsily protested.

“Nobody said you have to take a nap, honey,” Sharon answered, knowing she’d be asleep in just a few minutes.

Andy rocked Marie for a few minutes after she fell asleep before laying her on the couch and tucking her in. He looked around the kitchen after helping Sharon clean up from lunch. “How are we going to keep the house party-ready with these two tornadoes?”

Sharon shrugged. “We’ll just have to pick up after them and not let them do anything that makes too big of a mess, as much as I know how you hate to say no. The hard cleaning part is done.” She went to the kitchen to start getting food ready for the next day. “Put the balls up, please,” she said referring to the decorative Christmas balls in a bowl on an end table in the living room that Liam loved to play with.

Andy stuck his head back into the kitchen. “You’re gonna have to be more specific. I could take that so many ways.”

“The Christmas ones on the table that Liam will destroy if they’re in his reach.”

Andy sighed, looking dejected. “My interpretation was better.”

A few hours of naps, movies, and messes later, Sharon changed Liam’s diaper and carried him back to the living room. “Gammy,” Marie whined, reaching for her from Andy’s lap.

Sharon switched places and kids with Andy and sat with her in the recliner. “My goodness, you’re clingy today! Are you feeling okay?” She brushed Marie’s hair to one side and put her hand under her chin. Her eyes looked a little weak, but she wasn’t feverish. Marie shrugged and buried her face into Sharon’s side. “Let’s try to eat a little bit of dinner, and then we’ll find another movie to watch,” Sharon suggested, thinking she might just be a little homesick. She cradled Marie in her arms and watched Liam fiddle around while Andy finished getting dinner ready.

A little while later, Marie just stared at her plate and pushed her food around for a few minutes before turning to Sharon. “Gammy, I don’t feel good.”

Sharon pushed her chair back and held her arms out. “Come here, let Gammy see.” Marie slowly walked around the table and climbed into her lap. Sharon ran her fingers through her hair before resting her hand on her forehead. “Hmm, you feel a little warm. Where does it hurt?”

“My tummy,” Marie sniffled.

Please don’t be a stomach virus, please don’t be a stomach virus—Sharon’s silent pleading came to an abrupt halt when Marie started gagging. Trying not to recoil or gag herself, she calmly reached for her plate and repositioned it in front of the little girl’s face. “Rag, Andy, please,” she requested, rubbing Marie’s back and pulling her hair back from her face. “It’s all right, baby.” She rolled her eyes when Andy appeared at her side with a rag straight from the kitchen drawer. “A wet rag.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Andy dampened the cloth and brought it back.

Sharon wiped Marie’s cheeks and patted her back until she was finished, then brushed the cloth over her mouth. “Here, sweetheart.” She held her glass of water to her mouth and let her take a couple of sips. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Sharon’s heart was breaking for her.

“I feel yucky,” Marie pouted, pressing her face into Sharon’s shoulder.

“I know you do. Let’s take a quick bath and put your pjs on, and then we’ll watch Rudolph.” Abandoning her own dinner, Sharon carried Marie to their bathroom and started the bathwater before getting her undressed. She was learning to bathe herself, but Sharon did it for her this time, then dried her off and helped her into clean panties and a nightgown.

“How’s your tummy feeling?” Sharon asked as they settled in the recliner. Marie shrugged and lay on her shoulder, not paying the movie any attention. She was starting to drift off not long after that, so Sharon helped her get ready for bed and tucked her in. “Night-night, honey. Get Papa or me up if you wake up tonight and still feel yucky or need anything. We’ll be right here with you.” She kissed her forehead and lay down with her, running her fingers along her back until she was asleep.

After a long night of being up and down with Marie, they were both finally sleeping well when Sharon heard Liam cooing through the monitor. The pack’n play was usually in Sharon’s and Andy’s room, but they’d set it up in the guest room the night before to keep him away from Marie. Andy was snoring without a care in the world, as he’d done all night, and Sharon was exhausted and just wanted to scream. She impatiently nudged Andy until he finally opened his eyes. “What?” He mumbled.

“Please go get Liam. I’ve been up with Marie all night.”

Andy looked surprised. “You have?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Yes, and she’s finally feeling a little better.”

“Sorry, but you could’ve woken me up to help.” Andy kissed her before going to get Liam up.

Sharon woke up again a couple of hours later and realized Emily was there, so she went ahead and got up. She could hear her and Andy talking, and she shook her head when she heard Andy say “we were up all night with her.”

“Um, we?” She gave Andy an incredulous look as she entered the kitchen.

“Shit, I didn’t know you were awake,” Andy muttered.

For the next few hours, the adults took turns entertaining the kids and getting the house party-ready. Marie had woken up feeling much better and was a ball of energy. Sharon was starting to panic by 3:00, afraid they weren’t going to be ready. Andy had just ignored her the first few times she snapped at him, but she finally did it one too many times. “Hey, you were the one who insisted on throwing a Christmas party, even when I told you it’d be a nightmare to plan!” He sputtered.

“I know,” Sharon admitted, “but I like having all of our friends in one place. That doesn’t happen unless we have a party for something.”

They managed to pull it together, and the party was in full swing a few hours later. With several children being in attendance, Andy had rented a Santa suit, and they slipped away from the party so Sharon could help him into it.

“So, uh, when do you have to take this back?” Sharon asked suggestively.

Andy grinned. “You have a thing for Santa? I never would’ve guessed that.”

Sharon clasped her hands behind his neck and gently pulled him toward her so she could kiss him. It was intended to just be a peck, but they quickly got carried away. She reluctantly pulled away from him a few minutes later. “All right, we should get back to the party before Santa gets too jolly.”

On Sunday morning, Sharon looked up from her coffee when Emily came in with Liam and Marie. They’d spent the night after the party. “Morning, darlings.” She kissed each of them on the forehead, but Marie stepped back immediately after and wiped her skin where Sharon had kissed her. “Don’t kiss me,” she said irritably.

“Okay, excuse me,” Sharon responded good-naturedly. “What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes?”

“I’m not speaking to you, Gammy,” Marie announced.

“Marie Catherine Baker!” Emily nudged her toward the guest room. “Go sit in our room until you’re ready to speak to Gammy and apologize.”

Sharon started to follow her, but Emily stopped her. “No, she’ll come back when she’s hungry enough. Or when she has to eat so we’ll have time to get dressed for mass.”

“It’s okay, Em, maybe she’s still not feeling well.”

Emily shook her head. “She’s fine, and that’s still no excuse for her to be rude. She’s been a pill since last night. I resorted to threatening her with Santa, but she said she didn’t want him to come.”

Sharon refilled her coffee, stopping to look at Emily’s and Emmett’s Christmas card from the year before. She’d put every card since Marie was a baby on the refrigerator when she decorated for Christmas. In the card that caught her eye, Marie and Liam were sitting in Santa’s lap, both screaming and reaching for Emily and Emmett off-camera. Emily had thought it was hilarious and used it for their Christmas cards, captioned with ‘You better not cry, you better not pout I’m telling you why.’

“Do you think she’s afraid of Santa again?” Sharon asked. “Now that I think about it, she wouldn’t go near Andy last night when he was in the costume,” she added in a low voice.

Emily shrugged. “Even if she is, that doesn’t explain why she’s in such an ill mood.”

A few minutes later, Andy couldn’t stand it anymore and sneaked back to the bedroom where Marie had been banished. He sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” Marie shook her head. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you and Gammy to get a divorce,” she answered seriously.

Andy was taken aback, not expecting anything like that. “We won’t, honey, just tell me what’s wrong.”

“You promise?”

Andy offered his pinky finger. “Pinky swear.”

Marie’s eyes widened. That was serious. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “I saw Gammy kissing somebody else last night.”

Andy smiled. “Gammy kissed several people on the cheek—“

“No, it wasn’t, like, a cheek kiss. I saw her put her tongue in his mouth, and his hands were on her hiney,” she insisted. “Yuck.”

Andy didn’t think about the possibility of Marie seeing them, but he knew she was somehow mistaken. “Are you sure it wasn’t someone who looks like Gammy? Mrs. Caroline kind of looks like her from behind.” Marie shook her head. “Do you know who it was?” Andy asked, still knowing it wasn’t true, but trying to figure out what she had seen so he could explain it.

Marie nodded gravely. “She was kissing Santa.”

“What?…Oh.” Andy’s mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation. Not wanting to give anything away, he decided to consult with Sharon and Emily first. “I’ll be right back, okay?” He went back to the kitchen and relayed the conversation. Sharon laughed until tears were streaming down her cheeks, but Emily looked disgusted. “Ugh, Rusty and Ricky are so lucky they’re still asleep,” she muttered. After explaining that Gammy wasn’t kissing the real Santa and that Andy had just been playing and dressing up like him, all was forgiven.

The following Tuesday evening, Sharon and Andy cooked Christmas Eve dinner for three of their five collective children. Emily and Emmett were with Emmett’s parents, and Nicole, Dean, and their boys were a last-minute addition with Sandra and her husband having the flu. Drew was with his girlfriend’s family. Nicole and Dean usually stayed the night with Sandra on Christmas Eve and had accepted Sharon’s and Andy’s invitation to do so with them since their plans had changed, and they were thrilled with the prospect of having kids in the house on Christmas morning. Once the boys were in bed, Sharon and Andy helped them set up “Santa” before retiring, themselves.

Sharon was just drifting off when Andy poked her. “You asleep yet?”

“I was,” Sharon mumbled.

“I’m too excited to sleep,” Andy whined. “The boys are going to be so excited in the morning, I can’t wait!”

Andy did manage to fall asleep, but he was poking Sharon again before dawn on Christmas morning. “What?” Sharon sleepily demanded.

“It’s morning! Let’s get the kids up.”

Sharon struggled to open her eyes and looked at the clock on her nightstand. “Andy, it’s 5:00!”

“I can’t go back to sleep. Please?!”

“Oh, all right.” Sharon stumbled out of bed and tied her robe around her nightgown. Yawning widely and cussing Andy under her breath, she went straight to the coffee pot. “I don’t advise waking them up if the coffee’s not ready,” she warned.

Andy impatiently waited for the pot to start filling up, then bolted to the boys’ room. Sharon rolled her eyes when she heard little feet patter into the guest room as Andy returned to the kitchen, the picture of innocence. She plugged in the Christmas tree lights and switched on the gas logs, almost as eager as Andy now for the boys to come in.

“Stay here until you hear Christmas music,” Nicole’s sleepy reminder to the boys sounded from the hall. She and Dean were both confused to find Sharon and Andy awake and the coffee already prepared, but they were too drowsy to connect the dots or bother asking questions. “What’s gotten into them? They’ve never gotten up this early before,” Nicole muttered as she gratefully accepted a mug of coffee from Sharon.

Sharon figured that the truth behind the early wake-up time would be revealed soon enough, so she didn’t rat Andy out just yet. “I’ll start the music when you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Nicole sipped her coffee and got her phone set to video. “Okay, go ahead.”

Sharon started her Christmas playlist on Google Home, and the boys stampeded down the hall as soon as they heard the first chords of Baby, It’s Cold Outside. At six and four, their bouncing excitement was contagious and a joy to watch. Sharon curled up on the couch with Andy, happily watching the boys exclaim over everything. It had been a long time since she’d had kids in the house small enough to wake up so early on Christmas, and she was enjoying the coziness of the early morning and Christmas music.

It wasn’t long before Ricky and Rusty trudged in, wearing their matching pajama pants and rubbing their eyes. “They couldn’t have waited a couple more hours?” Ricky grumbled.

Rusty rolled his eyes. “It was probably Andy that couldn’t wait. He’s the biggest child in this room.”

The guilty expression on Andy’s face gave him away. “Ugh, really, Dad?” Nicole moaned. “I should’ve known.”

Ricky looked down at the pajama pants he and Rusty had unwrapped the night before. “When will we be too old for matching Christmas pajamas?”

Sharon shook her head. “Never.”

By 8:00, breakfast was over and cleaned up, and the boys wanted to take their toys outside to play. Sharon and Nicole shared the swing, sipping mimosas and wrapped up in blankets, while Andy played in the yard with the kids. He was having as much fun with their toys as they were. They had to drag them inside a few hours later for lunch, but they went right back outside after eating.

Emily and Emmett arrived soon after lunch, after doing Christmas morning and eating an early lunch with Emmett’s parents. Marie ran into the yard to play, but Liam was whimpering and rubbing his eyes. “I think someone’s ready for a nap,” Sharon commented, holding her hands out to Liam. He reached for her and lay on her shoulder after she took him from Emmett. After a couple of minutes of swinging, he was out.

Emily looked out in the yard, where the kids were playing with one toy and Andy was playing with another. “Why is Andy playing with that by himself—never mind, that sounds about right.”

After dinner and opening gifts from one another that night, Emily, Emmett, Ricky, and Rusty sat on the porch while Sharon and Andy put Marie and Liam to bed and finished cleaning up the living room. Christmas to Christmas started playing as Sharon stuffed the last scrap of wrapping paper in a trash bag. Andy took the trash bag from her hands and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head as they swayed along with the music.

Seems like only yesterday

We put our Christmas things away

Now here’s another Christmas day with you

When you’re in love, how time does fly

And this year that’s just flown by

Has been one happy holiday for two

Christmas to Christmas

Wrapped in your arms

Love’s always in season

And always so warm

Till my days on earth are through

I will spend Christmas to Christmas lovin’ you

Sharon lay on Andy’s shoulder, exhausted from the long day. While tiring, the day full of grandchildren and laughter had been perfect. “I know I say this a lot, but I’m so happy,” she murmured.

Andy put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. “That makes two of us.”

[newagesispage]

                                                                AUGUST    2021

THE RIB  PAGE

Fran Drescher is running for National SAG-AFTRA President with Anthony Rapp as secretary treasurer for Unite for Strength!!! Matthew Modine is running under Membership first with Joely Fisher for Secretary Treasurer. Running in local elections are, among others, Yvette Nicole Brown, Shari Belafonte, Rosie O’Donnell, Jeff Garlin, Ezra Knight, Dule Hill, Camryn Manheim, Sara Rue, Mindy Cohn and Ever Carradine. Sept. 2 is the day!** Frances Fisher filed a suit against SAG-AFTRA over the health care plan but a judge rejected it.

*****

Sha’Carri Richardson’s problem is all our problem. No more drug testing for Mary Jane in this country!

*****

Chuck Schumer finally unveiled the Cannabis administration opportunity act to end Federal prohibition of marijuana.

*****

Dolly Parton used the $10 mil + in royalties from the Whitney Houston version of her song to invest in a black neighborhood in Nashville.

*****

Bob Balaban and Henry Winkler play brothers in The French Dispatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for October 22!!!!!!!!!!!!** The next Wes Anderson film will star Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody and Tom Hanks. No other details are out there yet.

*****

Trees save lives in heat waves.

*****

TBS will bring us n updated Stupid Pet Tricks with Sarah Silverman.

*****

So much organized religion is based on forgeries, fakes and plundering. Virtually none of it is based on any sort of truth, spiritual or even historical. Just lies to fulfill an agenda and control the masses. And so far it has worked. –Larry Charles

*****

Scarlett Johansen has sued Disney cuz her contract guaranteed a theatrical release only.

*****

An expert on the circus industry recently reached out to me and urged me to not compare Trump and his comeback tour to clowns and the circus, as that is an insult to clowns. –Jim Acosta

*****

Eric Adams has won the Dem primary for Mayor in NY.

*****

Have you seen High on the Hog?? It’s awesome!!

*****

Jeff Flake will be ambassador to Turkey.

*****

Cornell West resigned from Harvard with a scathing letter accusing the school of “intellectual and spirited bankruptcy of deep depths.”

*****

Biden gave a hell of a speech in Philly. He needed to go on more about the filibuster but he was passionate about the For the People act and the John Lewis voting rights advancement act.  He roared, “Peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country.”

*****

Will Celebrity Dating Game continue? I am sure they think romance expert, Michael Bolton is a cute and quirky thing to do but not so much. If it stays, I hope they change the music, at least those final notes. And why are half of the questions, “Who am I?” The show could be cute but they need a little work!!

*****

Jeff Bezos donated $200 mil to the Smithsonian air and space museum.**Feminists everywhere winced when Gayle King was interviewing the Bezos space team.  Bezos commented about the 18 year old going with them into space and that he was just worried about the prom at 18. Gayle said “And I was just hoping for a date to the prom.”** But we have to love Wally Funk, the oldest woman to go into space.**Bezos thanked the Amazon employees and customers for paying for his trip. Yikes!**  Saw a great sign: Pay fair taxes, end hunger, help people, end poverty, save Earth or fly to space.

*****

Antonio Banderas and Harrison Ford will star in Indiana Jones 5.

*****

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ashes were laid to rest 5 years after her death.

*****

The Britney conservatorship mess is still going thru the courts, and now topless?

*****

Pope Francis underwent colon surgery which caused him to comment on the need for good health care for all.

*****

Questlove brings us Summer of Soul!!!

*****

Reports show that about 150 people were killed by guns in more than 400 shootings during the 4th.

*****

Has anybody ever built a show around the Tex Watson tapes?? The LAPD apparently liked to deny them but there was a book.

*****

Henry Hall is out with his debut album, Neato, along with a tour.

*****

Do all male law enforcement officers have to be bald now?

*****

Idaho has begun an eradication campaign that could slash the number of gray wolves living in the state by 90%.

*****

Hooray for the monthly child tax credit!!

*****

Release Me 2 from Barbra Streisand is due out August 6.

*****

The look into the Jan. 6 insurrection has begun. Kinzinger and Cheney are in. **Tucker Carlson attacked Harry Dunn, a Capitol officer on air. The man protected Carlson’s son, a House staffer.** On Jan. 5, the Steve Bannon podcast went like this: All Hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Just understand this. It’s gonna be moving. It’s gonna be quick.** Why is mainstream media putting nearly all eggs in the Covid and Olympic baskets and only a few on the insurrection hearing?

*****

Why do so many that call America , “great” seem to hate it?? How can one love this country and not want majority rule, not want democracy??

*****

The Emmy noms are out: Lovecraft Country was nominated even though it has been cancelled.  Also hooray for Pose, The Flight attendant and for Conan!! Lead actor is a tough category with Matthew Rhys, Billy Porter and Rege-Jean Page. Aidy Bryant and Jean Smart got lead and supporting noms. I have to route for Ewan McGregor and Anya Taylor-Joy. I am excited for Paul Reiser, Bowen Yang, Evan Peters, Carl Weathers, Renee Elise Golsberry, Dave Chappelle, Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Levy. There is love for Yvette Nicole Brown, Issa Rae and Maya Rudolph. The Masked Singer got a few noms. The doc category included Tina, Allen V. Farrow and The Bee Gees. Friends: The reunion got 4.

*****

“Voting is not supposed to be easy. That’s what our men died for.”- Jack Finger

*****

Giant Pandas are no longer endangered.

*****

Zalia Avante- Garde is the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ.** I’m more impressed by the girl who won the Spelling Bee than the billionaire who went to space. –Mike Jollett.

*****

Why do they have to run erectile dysfunction ads during true crime rape episodes? ** And why do people still say things like, “this just don’t happen here” or “dumped like a piece of trash? “ There have to be other things to say.

*****

Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee for Trump was arrested for foreign lobbying shenanigans. America first, right?** Wilbur Ross lied to congress about the census and the Trump administration declined to prosecute.** Stephen Calk, bank exec was found guilty of trying to get a WH position by giving Manafort millions in loans.

*****

Jake Ellzey won the Texas special election run off for congress, beating out Trump’s girl Susan Wright.

*****

Every city should have a Peacemobile!!!!!

*****

The Chinese government has been called out for malicious cyber -attacks.  Four officials have been indicted in California.

*****

Miracle Workers’ Simon Rich was there when FB was invented and was so creeped out by people using it to stalk women.

*****

There was a story in Rolling Stone about how Eric Clapton threatened to cancel shows if the venue required proof of vaccines. Valerie Bertinelli tweeted: Once a dick, always a dick.

*****

Every Fox news host is vaccinated. –Mikel Jollett

*****

Toyota has dropped out of Olympic ads.  Contenders are starting to drop out due to positive Covid tests.

*****

Actor Isaiah Stokes has been indicted for murder.

*****

Lionsgate has bought the rights to Clerks 3.

*****

Ready or not, here come the Olympics.- Harry Shearer

*****

The Cleveland Indians will now be the Cleveland Guardians.

*****

A bust of KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest was taken out of the Tennessee capitol.

*****

American Housewife was sold into syndication.

*****

The poorest zip codes include Erie, Pennsylvania, Decatur and the south end of Peoria, il, Canton, Oh, Waterbury, Ct., Bonsecour, Al. and Elpaso, Tx.

*****

Issa Rae married Louis Diame.

*****

The court of appeals disqualified Judge John W. Ouderkirk from the Jolie- Pitt divorce because of a business relationship with Pitt’s attorney.

*****

Joe Manchin owns a coal company.

*****

The Hollywood walk of fame has welcomed Jimmy Smits, Kathie Lee Gifford and 90 year old Marla Gibbs. Terry Crews is next!

*****

Generation after generation of women love the bad boy.  Do they never learn? I will never understand, please explain.

*****

Pelosi rejected 2 of the noms to serve on the special committee looking into Jan. 6. Kevin McCarthy withdrew his 5 noms.

*****

The gun that killed Billy the Kid is for sale.

*****

I think you should leave with Tim Robinson on Netflix is hilarious if U get thru the gross. U can’t miss the episode with Clifton Davis and Fred Willard!!

*****

Joaquin Phoenix is trying to get some bears from a traveling show moved to an accredited sanctuary. The Bearadise Ranch in Florida has been cited for, “violating state wildlife laws.”

*****

Go employees Go!! Frito Lay is on strike, Coal miners are on strike and Ride Share drivers are on strike. A good portion of this country should be on strike. The top of the corporate ladder needs to learn! Let those that treat us fair rise to the top.

*****

Who owns Brett Kavanaugh?

*****

A Bishop seeking to deny Biden communion was caught on Grindr.

*****

Gabriel Jagger married Anouk Winzenried.** I don’t know why the Rolling Stones bass player doesn’t just change his name to “not pictured.” –Michael Mckean

*****

Frank Fritz will not be back on American Pickers.

*****

For the first time, astronomers have seen behind a black hole. Einstein predicted the gravitational pull of black holes is so enormous that they warp the very fabric of space. He was right. Scientists have now spotted light which was being emitted by the far side of the black hole.

*****

Look for Heels on Starz.

*****

What is this new screen for Amazon? It sucks.

*****

Biden has signed an executive order to protect infrastructure from cyber- attacks.

*****

Arthur was canceled.

*****

The Kennedy Center has revealed the latest honorees. The 44th class is Justin Diaz, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell and will be held on Dec. 5.

*****

Get well Bob Odenkirk!!!! The fabulous Odenkirk collapsed on the set of Better call Saul from a minor heart attack.

*****

Days alert: We have lost Days of Our Lives first director, Joseph Behar.  He will be missed.** Marla Ginns is joining the cast as Paulina’s Mother. ** Is EJ throwing Sami out? Will AJ McLean join the cast? **Rex is back.**Peacock is bringing us a limited series, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem that will send many couples on romantic vacations and lead to intrigue. Lisa Rinna will star.** Arianna Zucker (Nicole) is set to marry Shawn Christian (former Daniel).  He popped the question on Father’s Day.

*****

R.I.P. President Jovenel Moise, Philece Sampler, Robert Downey Sr., Richard Donner, flood victims of Belgium and Germany,  Robby Steinhardt, Covid victims, Joseph Behar, Robert Moses, Jackie Mason, Dusty Hill, joey Jordison, Priscilla McMillan, Ron Popeil, Carl Levin, Saginaw Grant and Charles Robinson.

[backhomehq]

anonymous asked: this looks so cute! mwf please?

omg thank you so, so much! some of our most wanted females include: madison bailey, sydney sweeney, madelaine petsch, samantha logan, zendaya, josefine frida pettersen, amita suman, abigail cowen, eliot salt, josephine langford, greta onieogou, hunter schafer, jessica sula, nicole maines, adeline rudolph and sofia carson! feel free to shoot us another ask, if you need more suggestions!

[dear-indies]

Hi Cat and Mouse! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far! <3 May I please ask for some (preferably white) female faceclaims with acting resources between 21-30 who could play the part of a character who’s part sea goddess on her mother’s side, and has the personality that is kind, feisty, creative, independent, and intelligent, please? Thank you so much for everything you both do <3 :)

Eve Hewson (1991)

Sofia Black-D'Elia (1991) Ashkenazi Jewish / Italian.

Poppy Drayton (1991)

Katie Stevens (1992)

Hari Nef (1992) Ashkenazi Jewish - is trans.

Lily Mae Harrington (1993)

Hunter McGrady (1993)

Maia Mitchell (1993)

Jesse James Keitel (1993) - is trans.

Erin Moriarty (1994)

Simona Tabasco (1994)

Katherine McNamara (1995)

Haley Lu Richardson (1995)

Benedetta Gargari (1995)

Anya Taylor-Joy (1995)

Emma Pasarow (1996)

Luise Befort (1996)

Kennedy McMann (1996) - has OCD.

Josefine Frida Pettersen (1996)

Annalisa Cochrane (1996)

Tilly Keeper (1997)

Olivia Holt (1997)

Kathryn Newton (1997)

Kiera Allen (1997) - is paraplegic.

Nicole Maines (1997) - is trans.

Chloé Hayden (1997) - is autistic, has ADHD, and is chronically ill.

Danielle Rose Russell (1999)

Jessica Alexander (1999) - is bisexual.

also for people looking for the same vibe but wanting people of colour:

Medallion Rahimi (1992) Iranian, Mizrahi Jewish.

Mina El Hammani (1993) Moroccan.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo (1994) Chinese / Italian.

Adeline Rudolph (1995) Korean / German.

Yumi Nu (1996) Japanese / Dutch.

Brittany O'Grady (1996) Louisiana Creole [African, French] / English, Irish, as well as Swiss-German, German, Welsh, and Dutch.

Alina Khan (1998) Pakistani - is trans.

Melisa Döngel (1999) Turkish / Russian.

Lee Rodriguez (1999) Mexican / African-American - is queer.

Kayla Maisonet (1999) Puerto Rican / Ashkenazi Jewish.

Auli'i Cravalho (2000) Puerto Rican, Kānaka Maoli, Portuguese, Chinese, Irish - is bisexual.

Halle Bailey (2000) African-American.

Quannah Chasinghorse (2002) Hän, Gwich’in, Sicangu Oyate Lakota Sioux, and Oglala Lakota Sioux.

Please let me know if you want something more specific for example hair colour!

[tuckinpodcast-blog]

EPISODE 0: PROBLEMATIC HOLLYWOOD

LISTEN:  SOUNDCLOUD

SOURCES: listed at end of transcript

NOTES: We’re waiting on validation from the iTunes store and Stitcher is down, but everything will be available on other platforms soon!

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, I’m Jack, and this is the first episode of “Tuck In: We’re Rolling: Queer Hollywood Stories”. Kind of. It’s more of an Episode Zero. I wanted to have a little bit of a conversation, if you will, about why I decided to make this podcast and and, you know, some other important tidbits and facts.

So, I decided to make this podcast a couple of weeks ago after I had finished reading a book called The Whole Equation by an author named David Thomson. It’s a really good book, but it kinda became apparent about halfway through reading reading it that the author kind of has a low opinion of stars that had been been rumored to be gay or lesbians, and even really just women in general. 

So I was reading this book and, you know, I feel like he -- he crossed a line with me, at least, when he went on to say something about Monty Clift, and sort of disparaging Montgomery Clift. And, so, I -- I had a few drinks and I logged onto my tumblr -- my personal tumblr -- and I went on a rant. I went on a rant, and it started with my talking about Cary Grant. And I had been listening to You Must Remember This, a podcast by Karina Longworth which is an absolutely amazing podcast and I definitely suggest you should read it -- listen to it, I mean. So it’s kind of a widely agreed upon fact from several biographers that Cary Grant was gay. And I had never known that. You know, I’ve loved Cary Grant for a really solid portion of my life, um, you know, I wanted to be Cary Grant when I saw Arsenic and Old Lace, only slightly less than I wanted to be Marlon Brando when I saw Streetcar Named Desire. So I started off by talking about how angry I was that no one knew this. Or if they did, it wasn’t really widely known and I felt like it was sort of queer erasure in Hollywood. And you know, my rant went on and on and I talked about Marlon Brando and I talked a little bit  about Monty Clift and I invoked the great names of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn. Um -- but, you know, after all was said and done, uh, somebody kinda popular reblogged it and I got a reply from someone and they said, “Well, Cary Grant wasn’t gay. Cary Grant was bisexual.”

Okay, Cary Grant was bisexual. Or was he gay? Well, we -- we really don’t have any way of knowing. Because, and this is the important part here, a lot of queer history in Hollywood has been erased. And a lot of the people I’m gonna talk about, at least in the first half of the season, uh, we don’t know. They’re dead, and maybe, you know, things happened after they had died and someone came forward and said, “No, I had a relationship with this person” or there were rumors or it -- it -- you know, things like that. So there’s really no way of knowing, and the stories that I’m going to bringing to you are a lot of secondhand rumors and a lot of heresay. You know, you type in ‘gay Hollywood’ in Google, and at least three articles come up, you know, listicles come up that say, “Well, this peson was gay, and this person was gay, and this person was gay.“

So, you know, getting back to Marlon Brando, I just finished a biography of him called Brando’s Smile*, uh, I can’t remember the name of the author right now, uh, and it, uh, you know -- it’s mostly about her talking about his work and his good deeds and his life, um, a little about his personal life about his son’s murder trial and things like that. Um, and it, it mentions that he met James Dean. And James Dean just had stars in his eyes, and just, was so excited to meet him, and after he had passed away, Brando said it was such a shame. And, on one of these listicles that I, of course, clicked on, because I’m -- of course, I’m gonna click on clickbait, the very first entry was about Marlon Brando and James Dean having an affair. And again, there’s really no way of knowing, but in my journeys of researching this podcast, I did come across at least one time that Marlon Brando said, “Yeah, I’ve hooked up with a guy, it’s not a big deal. Everybody does it.”**

So, this gets to my second point, which is [that] a lot of Hollywood history has been erased simply by people who don’t want to admit it. People who are just really loyal fans and they’re like, “No, there’s no way that they were gay, there’s no way that they were a lesbian, you know, they were -- they were married, they had kids, they did all this stuff.” And you know, it’s true, Marlon Brando had six kids, at least six kids biologically, and he adopted another six and you know, he -- he was -- he had a lot of lovers, as it were. Um, but he did admit, that one time. “I totally made it with a dude”. So what I’m trying to say here is that’s really no indicator of sexuality. People even today, gay people, get married to people of the opposite sex and they have kids and, you know, they do all these things. So I wanna address that, and then, kind of, push it to the side.

A lot of the other reasons that gay Hollywood history has been erased -- it comes down to, you know, Hollywood fixers. If someone is caught hooking up with someone of the same sex, you know, the old studios hired people to to come in and grease some palms and make it all go away, and that did happen quite a bit. And sometimes it backfired like with Billy Haines, when he was outed by the police and the newspapers and then subsequently booted out of Hollywood. And we’ll talk a little bit about him later in the season. And, you know, it also happened because maybe some people were out openly in Hollywood but not necessarily public about their relationships. So, what it comes down to is, this information is lost, which kind of gets back to my second point.

Hollywood has -- Hollywood has a really history of sort of nurturing this weird, queer, artistic vibe, but then denying these same queer people their right to exist in history. So this season, we’re gonna kind of go ahead and start digging through all of the wreckage of queer Hollywood history. Uh -- I’m gonna start back in the silent era, with a little bit about Rudolph Valentino, who wasn’t gay, but we’ll get to that, and I’m gonna go all the way through the 60′s, with the Civil Rights movement, and with people starting to market towards a gay audience, and we’re gonna come all the way up to present day with  a little episode about American Gods and its awesome sex scene and great diversity. We’re gonna do some collaborative episodes, some roundtable episodes, with my roommates and creative collaborators who are also working on their own podcast and hopefully that’ll be out soon. Um, it’s gonna be a really great season and I hope you’re here for the entire ride.

Uh, but before I leave you, uh, I wanted to mention a little bit of uh, kind of a disclaimer about gendered language. I’m gonna try and use non-gendered language as much as possible, but uh, obviously it’s a pretty well-agreed upon fact that uh, unless I’m talking about a transgender person, that most of the old Hollywood stars were cisgender. Um, I’m also going to be referring to the LGBT community as ‘queer people’ as a collective. I think it’s just a little bit easier to say than ‘LGBT community’ every ten seconds. Uh, and I’m also going to probably be referring to groups of actors and actresses as ‘actors’, not to disparage actresses and all the shit they that they had to put up with, but it’s just once again a little bit easier in a spoken word format.

So, thank you for listening to the very first episode Tuck In, We’re Rolling: Queer Hollywood Stories. This episode was recorded and edited by me, Jack Segreto. You can find a trasncript of this episode, along with our sources and some other fun facts and photos on our tumblr, tuckinpodcast.tumblr.com. You can also give us a like on Facebook at facebook.com/tuckinpodcast. Our ask box is open on tumblr for comments and suggestions, and you can also message us on Fcaebook. And uh, special thanks today for -- to my roommates Vanessa and Anissa for dealing with talking about this podcast for forever and forcing them to sit through a ton of old black and white movies that they’re not really sure if they like. Also special thanks to my friends Nicole and CJ all the way out in L.A. for giving me the name of the -- this series. Um, special thanks to my friends for listening to me, uh, talk about all this stuff. Shoutout to Kale for calling Lauren Bacall’s eyebrows ahead of their time. So thank you for listening! We’ll see you next time.

*Brando’s Smile, written by Susan L. Mizruchi (2014) **Full quote: “Homosexuality is so much in fashion that it no longer makes news. Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences and I am not ashamed.” (Celebrities in Hell, written by Warren Allen Smith)

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The Masked Singer introduced six new costumed performers on Wednesday — and while they might be the second group to show off their vocal chops this season, they’re gunning for first place.

Last week, Kangaroo, Turtle and White Tiger secured their spots in the Super 9, and on Wednesday night’s episode, Banana, Elephant, Frog, Kitty, Mouse and Taco kicked off the battle to see who would be joining them. After each contestant took the stage, host Nick Cannon asked them about their experience under the mask so far. Then, panelists Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke offered their guesses as to which celebrity might be under the masks.

At the end of the night, the judges and studio audience voted on their favorite performance, leaving the disguised singer with the least amount of votes to head home and have their identity revealed. This week’s vote sent Elephant packing.

RELATED: The Masked Singer: Who’s Been Revealed So Far?

Cannon assisted the futuristic-looking mammal with removing their mask — and the audience and judges alike freaked out when they saw Tony Hawk underneath.

“I appreciated your support,” the skateboarder, 51, said after being eliminated. “This was a totally new experience for me. I had one more song in me, but I didn’t want to go much further, so thank you for releasing me.”

Hawk explained that he started off with a song from The Cure because he and his wife had also selected a Cure track as their wedding song. Continue on for more info about Group B’s first performances.

Frog

Clues: an old microphone; a brown paper bag of leftovers; a newspaper with the headline “Tadpole Plucked From Larger Creek”; $106; a poster for the 1996 Games; “My metamorphosis has been anything but typical.”; “I left the stardom as fast as a lightning bolt.”; “Never had a chance to evolve my image and do things my way.”; “I was slithering with the big frogs from jump jump.”; “Now I can write my own masterpiece.” Song: “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer Panelists’ guesses: Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Ray JHow they feel under the mask: “I feel free, baby. I came here to win it all baby, that’s what I came here to do, win it all.”

Elephant

Clues: drumming; bicycle poster; an ice cream cart; a store called Jessica’s; “Here’s the story of how I became the biggest animal in the kingdom.”; “I was a calf when I found my calling.”; “a one-man show”; “I went from canvassing park benches to leading the charge of a massive movement.”; “parading through white houses”; “Now I’m ramping up to a new calling.” Song: “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure Panelists’ guesses: Lance Armstrong, Travis Barker, Tommy Lee, Beto O’RourkeHow they feel under the mask: “I do not do dance choreography at all but this costume and this mask gives me the confidence to go for it.”

Kitty

Clues: a glass of milk; a telescope; pirates; a broken rose; “I feel at home among the weird and the wonderful.”; “a little bit of heaven where I can wipe the slate clean”; “Sometimes it feels lonely because people don’t think of me as the person I’ve become but the person I once was.” Song: “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande Panelists’ guesses: Paris Hilton, Julianne Hough, Nicole RichieHow they feel under the mask: “I am being somebody that nobody has ever seen before and has always been inside of me, so it’s great.”

RELATED VIDEO: ‘The Masked Singer’ Fans Think Jordyn Woods Is the Kangaroo: ‘I’ll Put Money on It’

Taco

Clues: a Rubik’s cube; VHS tapes; an anchor; a trolley car; “I’ve been a comforting part of your life for decades.”; “I’ve got plenty of seasoning and I’m in a new place.”; “My routine can get a bit mild.”; “To enchiladas and beyond.” Song: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra Panelists’ guesses: Regis Philbin, Bob Saget, Martin ShortHow being under the mask differs from daily life: “This is how I dress normally. The weirdest thing about this experience is being ignored by everyone because they don’t know who I am. For the first time, I feel invisible.”

Mouse

Clues: 1979; a football field; Warriors football team; a football play called Bang Bang Formation; “Don’t let my size fool you because my presence is larger than life.”; “I’ve always been a leader in my field.”; “As much as I love calling the shots and showing everyone who’s the boss, I also love having a walk-on role to play.”; “I never expect anything less than gold.” Song: “Get Here” by Oleta Adams Panelists’ guesses: Darlene Love, Maya Rudolph, Dionne WarwickHow being under the mask differs from daily life: “Not being able to talk. Yeah, you know, I’m a chatterbox and I love talking. I can’t say anything to anybody.”

RELATED: The Masked Singer Announces 45-City Live Tour — Featuring Local Celebrities!

Banana

Clues: a blue collar; a cowboy hat; a blowfish; partying on a school bus; “You’d think this was my first rodeo.”; “I’m the banana because I’m tough on the outside but a total smoothie on the inside and a total hoot to have at parties.”; “I just want to see you smile.” Song: “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley Panelists’ guesses: Bill Engvall, Ed Helms, Darius Rucker If they always wanted to be the banana: “Technically no. My kid, I’m getting ready to work out, she hands me a banana and it’s a sign, so here I am, the banana. And I’m peelin’ it! I’m peeling the music!”

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on Fox.

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