#why would you cry for no 1 comedy on amazon

[qrmonn]

A single red anemone flower for forsaken love

[hacash]

I posted 9,578 times in 2022

296 posts created (3%)

9,282 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@boasamishipper

@meyerlansky

@exlibrisfangirl

@sweetlyfez

@jammeke

I tagged 9,556 of my posts in 2022

#hee! - 593 posts

#*snert* - 577 posts

#important stuff - 542 posts

#art - 520 posts

#cackling - 504 posts

#fangirl problems - 447 posts

#lotr - 427 posts

#ted lasso - 379 posts

#words of wisdom - 355 posts

#stranger things - 350 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i will be honest…after two years of lockdown cooped up in a tiny flat with a preschooler i would be hustling that kid out first chance i got

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

honestly I’m not trying to insult my American followers when I say that it’s a crying shame that tumblr is so US-centric at times, because so many of you are missing out on comedy gold here right now. our own Car Boot Sale Donald Trump is being slowly but surely cannibalised by his own party and the woman who he replaced as PM turned up to vote him out in a full-on ballgown and glittery heels: not even Trump produced this much petty, vicious drama.

730 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

#4

Best response that I’ve seen on to this situation so far: ‘do you think…people wanted to vote for Ukraine…and just stopped at UK…’

1,369 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

#3

when people talk about writing ‘the next Lord of the Rings’ they think it’s all about the wars and the languages and the histories, and Aragorn brooding in the corner of an inn and the Balrog roaring in Moria and the ruins of Isengard, and that’s how we got Game of Thrones and several dozen cheap fantasy knock-offs every year, not to mention whatever nonsense the Amazon show is going to produce

but Tolkien’s wars and languages and histories stemmed from his love of creating - of words and history and mythos - and that love infuses into everything he writes, and if you miss that then there’s no way in hell you can replicate it

and the people who want to write the next Lord of the Rings because they want to write the next epic don’t get that the story is about the hobbits’ soft and simple lives and Bilbo’s poetry and Sam’s love language being food and Eowyn discovering hope after depression and Gandalf making fireworks for hobbits even if he is a literal angelic being, and Aragorn weeping over Boromir’s body and Theoden’s kindness to Merry, and Beregond betraying his most prized orders to save Faramir, and the unlikely friendship between Gandalf and Pippin, and the even unlikelier friendship between Legolas and Gimli, and Sam and Frodo singing to each other in Mordor, and Boromir sacrificing himself for the hobbits, and Sam’s simple love for Rosie, and the restoration of the Shire, and the friendship of the Fellowship surviving down through the ages, and peace after war and hope in darkness, and the love between a gardener and a gentleman pacifist being literally the only thing that saves Middle Earth

and that is why people who try to recreate Lord of the Rings by starting with war always get it wrong. you have to start with the love, or it’s nothing: just another empty history

13,284 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#2

also there’s no pithy, Tumblr-friendly way of simultaneously saying ‘Rishi Sunak being a man of colour doesn’t let him off the hook for the crappy Tory policies he’ll undoubtedly install’

and ‘the left needs to make sure that their criticism of Rishi Sunak does not veer into racism because directing racism at Tories does not make said racism acceptable’ 

and ‘Britain having its first British Asian PM is a big freaking deal and is going to be significant to Brits of colour across the political spectrum’ 

and 'the fact that Rishi Sunak has not been elected by the general public in such a time of political upheaval is just plain appalling, ‘mandate from the people’ my arse’

but that doesn’t mean it isn’t all true

15,923 notes - Posted October 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

why is this so funny, I’ve been wheezing for half an hour straight now

47,335 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

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that damn goncharov post is the bane of my life; it sets of my damn notes all the hours that god sends and it isn't even mine

[beneaththetangles]

Spy x Family x Random Thoughts

I had the pleasure of reading Spy x Family, vol. 1, thanks to the dynamic duo of VIZ and Twwk.

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At first blush, it’s a normal (?) family: a father, a mother, and a six-year-old girl. But one of them is a spy, one is an assassin, and one is a psychic, and two of the three don’t realize just how complicated their situation is. Spy x Family is a droll genre mashup with a lot of heart. It draws on classic spy thrillers like the James Bond and Mission: Impossible films, mistaken identity comedies, two-people-pretend-to-be-in-a-relationship-but-fall-in-love-for-real romcoms, and reluctant-adult-suddenly-becomes-parent-to-cute-kid-and-family-ensues stories. Volume 1 details the start of this peculiar relationship dynamic.

Twilight is a covert intelligence operative in a world roughly modeled after Cold War-era Europe. He’s assigned to investigate a reclusive politician whose only known public appearances are at events as his son’s school. So Twilight has a week to find a wife and kid and enroll said child at the same elite private academy. This will, theoretically, grant Twilight a chance to get closer to his target. Under the alias Loid Forger, he finds an apartment, then visits a rundown orphanage that’s undoubtedly in violation of multiple laws and adopts a seemingly clever little girl named Anya. Of course, Twilight expects to ditch the girl and send her back to an orphanage as soon as his mission is over.

Anya truly is a gifted child, but not in the way Twilight hopes. Unbeknownst to him, this six-year-old girl escaped from some creepy mad science project after they did something that turned her into telepath, which has utterly hilarious results! For one, Anya easily learns her new papa is a spy, and thinks it’s super cool. Moreover, as a spy, Twilight often doesn’t want to share what he’s thinking…except Anya knows it anyway and often responds unpredictably to words he didn’t actually speak. She quickly gets attached to her cool new spy papa, and determines not to let him go. The next major hurdle arises when the super elite private school’s admissions process requires a family interview…which both of a child’s parents must attend. So Twilight needs to recruit an accomplice a wife within forty-eight hours.

Separate and apart, a clerk at city hall named Yor Briar faces pressure from coworkers and her younger brother to get a boyfriend. She ends up telling her brother she already has one…and quickly winds up in a situation where she’ll need to provide an actual human being to prove it to him. Also, Yor is an assassin known as the Thorn Princess. After she rips her nicest dress while slaughtering a bunch of dudes at a hotel, she goes to a clothing store, and chances upon Twilight and Anya out shopping for nicer clothes to the replace the ones Anya received at the orphanage. Despite their unwitting mutual interest (Twilight needs a shame wife, Yor needs a sham boyfriend), nothing happens…almost.

Fortunately, Anya is a telepath. She quickly learns that Yor is a super cool assassin and decides wants Yor for a mother. Anya also realizes that Yor and Twilight need each other for their respective situations. Thus the six-year-old cleverly plays matchmaker between the spy and the assassin. Initially, Twilight agrees to accompany Yor to a party to uphold her lie to her brother, and Yor agrees to pose as Anya’s mother for the family interview. After a bit of a violent sidequest the same evening as the party, Twilight arrives late, bloody, and battered…and he mixes up his roles, claiming to be Yor’s husband instead of her boyfriend. But Yor is actually on board with this – a marriage will better provide cover for her work as an assassin than remaining single. Stuff happens, as they end up legally married.

The resulting family contains three members, each trying to keep a huge secret to keep from the others, allthough Anya already knows their big secrets because, hey, telepathy. Both Twilight and Yor expect this to be a temporary arrangement in which they use the other to provide cover for their real work. Anya, meanwhile, is doing her best to make them a real family. And there are some cute hints that Twilight and Yor are starting to actually like each other.

Lots of other stuff happens in vol. 1, but that summarizes the main cast and how they wind up together. But you didn’t come here to read my scintillating summary, did you, dear reader? Of course not. Fortunately, while it seems this manga probably won’t be taking itself too terribly seriously, there were a couple of thought-provoking moments on which I shall pontificate further.

The story opens with this declaration: “Everyone has a secret they don’t show to other people.” Certainly secrets are a defining force in the lives of Twilight, Anya, and Yor. Those of us who aren’t spies or assassins don’t tend to find quite so much need for secrecy. Yet even we plebes can have secrets, both trivial and terrible. Secrets sometimes arise for positive reasons, but often they seem to stem from less healthy sources: shame and fear at best, or outright evil motives at worst. Secrets of this sort tend to be burdens. Of course, in the manga, someone does know the secrets of both Twilight and Yor: their adoptive daughter Anya (who knows thanks to her own secret!).

Anya brings to mind the one who knows all our secrets. Or, perhaps, it would be better to say that when it comes to God, we have no secrets. Long before we existed, God already knew everything about us. He knew every sin we’d ever commit. He knew exactly how flawed and broken and foolish and weak we’d be. Knowing all of that didn’t stop him from taking on human form, sacrificing himself for us, and creating us. I find this reminder especially relevant when it comes to prayer. There’s nothing so trivial or embarrassing that we can’t talk to God about it. Indeed, considering how much the Bible says about prayer, it seems God actually very much wants us to talk to him about our lives.

Another interesting moment in the manga was a realization Twilight has. He had remarked earlier about how he can’t stand to be around crying children. Later, he recognizes why: suffering children (like Anya) remind him of his own difficult childhood. Twilight acknowledges that trying to avoid these painful memories was warping his attitude toward children. In this, Twilight illustrates the reality that our childhood experiences have profound, dramatic, and often unexpected effects on us.

When I was a kid, my emotionally abusive dad was always right about everything. His authority was absolute, and anything other than instant compliance with his commands was sinful disobedience. As an adult, I learned that my dad was anything but always right, that parental authority is not absolute, and that my dad wasn’t remotely deserving of the extreme reverence I’d been raised to have for him. This has affected my attitude toward all authorities and is something I still wrestle with. After all, the central authority of my childhood, toward whom I had this warped sense of veneration, turned out to be wrong and untrustworthy in some really big ways. I can’t help but project that experience onto most other human authorities, leaving me leery of giving any of them too much trust, too much respect, too much obedience.

Whether those around Twilight will help him develop a healthy relationship with authority matches my own life: a progression that remains to be seen. Putting aside my own transformation, though, I’m eager to see how Twilight grows throughout the course of Spy x Family, and the same for the rest of his makeshift family. And so, I recommend volume one of Spy x Family—a most oddly cute and romantic comedy-action-spy-manga.

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Spy x Family is updated regularly on VIZ, where the most recent chapters are always free. Volume one can be purchased on Amazon.

[thestudyfeels]

🎨 Graphic made by @indiaisstudying​: India is brilliant my pals, and I recommend checking her out for studyblr/artblr inspiration. My girl tHIRIVES.

The singular takeaway from this post: Do a creative binge. Much productive than a Netflix binge. Period.

Two months ago, I reached my peak when I coined the term ‘bood day’ (a bad to good day, in my article How To Flip A Bad Day By 180°). Today, puppies and kittens, I present to you— a creative binge.

*crickets chirping, that one dude in the audience scratches his nose and turns away* 

…This one actually works but okay, we get it, y'all are bitches. But gonna do my job anyway– if you're a creator reading this, please do a creative binge at least once every two weeks.

I started doing these binges two months ago, and I've seen a VAST improvement in my creative energy. I feel my commercial voice coughing and saying hello to the mic, so before I start listing side-effects for a sponsored pill, let's dive into the basics. 

🍵 Quick PSA — 

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Ever questioned your life, experienced writer's block, painter’s pain or blogger’s… block? (Narrator: aaaand she's back to advertising.) A creative binge helps deal with fixing exactly that.

“A creative binge is based off the equation of quality in = quality out.”

A lot of creators feel that they're supposed to magically create out of their head, and that's just ridiculous. It's ludicrous considering you don't know shit, read shit, do shit and watch shit.

Even to write fiction, my pal, you'll have to expose yourself to the world to know its ways, read great books and take tips (not to mention stock up on coffee, and prepare to cry a lot) before you start cranking out the pages. Everything you create is ultimately inspired by the Ways Of The World. (And that's a fantastic novel title)

So in short, you’ve got to consume content, to make content. And in a creative binge, you conscious choose content that'll help you create. Genius, I know!

Okay, but what if I'm not a creator?

Brilliant question! Wanna become more valuable and leave the people you interact with better? Take a creative binge.

Allow me an elaboration: Take a janitor and a neurosurgeon. The said janitor is paid much less than the neurosurgeon. Why is that? Is the neurosurgeon a better person? That's debatable. Is the janitor less efficient at his work? Again, debatable. The primal reason lies in the neurosurgeon acquiring more valuable skills than the janitor. Society rewards them by paying more since there are less folks who can do what the neurosurgeon does.

To recap: In order to be indispensable in the role you play (whatever it is, a student, calligrapher, CEO of the Janitor Club), you HAVE to become valuable. Grow your curiosity & know more than yo’ buddies (also bring more value than anybody else). And to become valuable, you consume value. Tada!

(And if you still ain't convinced, I'll pull out the Netflix card. You'd really rather watch shows? Or binge YouTube? Than learn a new skill, or develop existing ones? Question your priorities, my friend. Victims love entertainment, victors love learning.)

Cool, you're joining in then! Not that creative binge is NOT an entertainment binge. It's a value providing binge. What you ‘consume’ has to bring you something in return— whether that's creative inspiration, motivation or skills. *Swing arms* yup! We’re one gay, productive household. Someone remind Hallie to buy the groceries though, the Cheerios are going mouldy.

By my dictionary, a creative binge is a slot of time, 1½ to 3 hours I'd say, when you watch/read/listen to some good stuff.  Basically, binge content. 

THE 101 OF A CREATIVE BINGE 

🌿 Basics:

I conduct one every week (usually Wednesday mornings), lasting around 1½ to 2 hours.

I'll also keep a notepad and a pen nearby, to take notes and jot ideas as they come. Again, this is NOT an entertainment binge, even though it's a chill job.

Sometimes I'll get passive things done (like wiping my desk, eating breakfast and taking out textbooks) while watching. We maximize our time. 

🌿 What Do I Watch: 

The stuff I watch falls into 3 categories: creative/humor (for inspiration), business/skills (for skills) & motivation (for, um, motivation). Fair warning though, a lot of the stuff these folks make overlap, but that's alright. This is just a rough demarcation. 

Creative/Humor: some YesTheory, maybe some MacDoesIt, sprinkle in some Ryan Higa, perhaps an episode of a show with an amazing script, some stand-up comedy from my favorites. Or maybe trash that and just watch Sherlock. (Geez, Netflix, I hate you, I love you.)

Skills: Gary Vee, some artist channels, that random video on how to thrift shop even though I don't shop.

Motivation: Be Inspired, Tom Bilyeu, Mel Robbins and random videos which look nice.

🌿 What Do I Listen To: 

Oof, I love music tremendously! If you're a pal, you know it's time to RUN when I come around being like, “soo, I was wondering what's your favourite–”.

Yet, during a creative binge, I'll only listen to stuff that 1) inspires me, or 2) is creative in a way I can't explain. Some recommendations! 

Hype music:

The Score

NF

Imagine Dragons

Creative music:

Billie Eilish

Lana Del Rey

Sleeping At Last

Lorde

Conan Gray

Harry Styles 

🌿 What Do I Read: 

Usually the book that I'm reading at that point if I'm being lazy.

POETRY: It's my belief, but poetry is a writer's most powerful device. There's a novel to be said in a simple sonnet.

FICTION: I dig great fiction. PS, please read (and sob over) Away Childish Things, by @letteredlettered. It changed me as a person, changed my entire perspective about kids. I'm much kinder and softer now, and my pimples are gone. I'll literally never get over drarry too, so thanks lettered, love you.

ARTICLES: Bookmarked psychology, productivity & fitness articles on Medium. Maybe check out James Clear's & Gary Vee’s blog for new posts.

Because I wanna drive this home, here's what I did in my last creative binge as a concrete example —

Care to Note that:

All of the stuff I consume is pre-planned.

I add videos throughout the week to my Creative Binge playlist on YouTube, download albums from Amazon Music and articles for offline reading.

DON'T leave this to the last moment, you'll more likely pick entertainment vs learning then. 

Watched–

Why I'm done trying to be "man enough"

Redecorating my room 2017 (I wanna decorate my room this year so)

How to Squat Properly (I’m trying lmao)

Giving a 9-Year-Old Her Dream Job for 24hrs!! (I stan YesTheory so much)

How To NOT Be A Starving Artist (A mood. I love Sorelle)

Couple more, I could go on & on, but you get me.

Listened–

Every song on YouTube by Bruno Major

Born to die: paradise version (album) by Lana Del Rey 

Read–

Articles from James Clear's blog — (x) (x)

Articles from Gary Vee’s blog — (x) (x)

HIIT workouts for beginners

All of this birthed–

Ideas for future articles, titled: How To Be Great & Solomon Letters #2: Question Your Faith, Not Your Dreams, among others.

A small poem about faith– posted on my IG, check it out!

New content ideas, like value chains (upcoming!)

Bunch of other small rants for everyday posting

Some business and life advice that might be useful later.

Gotta say goodbye now! (literally too... but post about it coming on 12th so wait for it) Try this one out, and let me know how your binge goes (tag it with #team conquer). Mine usually end with a bucketful of philo notes, a recharged left (right? psychology? idk) brain, and a fresh perspective towards the rest of my week. 

This is the #1 strategy I've adopted to sustain creative energy when it's sapped all around by negativity and school & I promise it helps. No side effects, no sponsored pills needed. Thanks for reading!

Related: How To Get Back Into The Creative Process (if you're in a blogger's block or experiencing painter's pain)

Have something to say? I treasure all feedback! If this post inspired you to do something, or you wanna throw some love/constructive criticism at me— hop into my ask box, or reply to this post itself!

Thanks for dropping by! Major articles, like this one, come out every Thursday! Join my taglist by to read them when they do. I also post daily wins, journal entries, rants & photos of my plant babies throughout the week, so follow me if you’re into conquering life. I vow to be the loudest cheerleader. ✧

Sending you love and good energy, talk soon. 

Nandini 💌 (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ 

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[manjuhitorie]

Hitori-Escape Tour 2019, they're at the halfway point, so time to post reports!

消せます！

Disclaimer: These were all pilfered, ransacked, polished and ravished from my JP Twitter mutuals,,,, Who are all such kind souls,, Not only have they used their memory skills to seed Rie's words, but they even bothered to share the concert's happenings with the world wide web, AND they have urged me forward to keep on translating them... So I'll take the liberty to post them organized here... When you pass by any JP Rie fans on twitter, click hearts...💘 Shinoda’s name is shortened to SND, ygarshy’s to yg(a), and Yumao to Yu(ma) throughout...!

1 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/3/2019 at Takutaku in Kyoto! Report! 

Yumao's tweet "Our tour starts today! I have cut my hair too short."

The first show, the first step….

SND looked back at both of the members to say “Let’s do our best guys.” Yg nodded back. Yuma started it up…

●SND played FAST guitar while singing, yg howled out harmonies on [a] chorus. Yu snickered at one of SND's slips.

SND used Leader’s jaguar on a [very very special song].

They did their best…

●SND “Its hoooot... We always came to Takutaku in the winter so now I’m experiencing Takutaku in it's true form.... Can I take a drink break, fwaaaaah, it's hot y'know? I'm even properly hydrated y'know? This water is gonna churn in my stomach, gehh I feel sick....”

SND: "RAISE THE AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!!! I DON’T GIVE A DAMN IF ALL OF THE POWER IN KYOTO GOES OUT!!!!!! GIVE TAKUTAKU ALL THE ELECTRICITY!!!!!!!!!! LIKE IT'S OPERATION YASHIMA!!!! (*In reference to the wonderful Evangelion episode: https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Episode:06).

●Shinoda’s band introduction was “On bass ygarshy, on drums Yumao, and on guitar and vocals is I Shinoda. Music and lyrics brought to you by wowaka.”

●SND “Umm…We have merch…But the towels? T-shirts? They all sold out… No seriously I’m just…. We really did bring a hefty load of stock…Thank you all… Also what else sold out?” Crowd “The cap! Pens! DVD! Pouch!!” Shinoda “‘OK, whatever..... Thank you…’” ←That is exact verbatim, SND spoke in English. All that Netflix watching is showing.

●SND “By the way ygarshy, did you know they’ve stopped selling HimoQ?" yg: ....... >>>*BWOON*<<< *responds with only the sound of his bass* *HimoQ is an old school gummy candy by the brand Meiji, and-

--yg turned away with a smile that couldn’t be concealed. While behind them Yumao was playing his drums while just repeating “HimoQ.... HimoQ..... Why HimoQ...”

●Lastly there were also many reports on people being showered on by SND’s sweat. Stay hydrated please sensei

●Nishimaki Taichi their cameraman’s comment: I was drenched in the sweat of Takutaku’s splintering heat until just a minute ago, yet now that I’m almost back home, this whole day feels like it could’ve been a dream. Lol

This is the start of a fabulous new year.

●Shinoda’s comment My ears are still pulsing,,, Takutaku of Kyoto, thank you so much. I’m glad I was able to come and be a part of your 45th anniversary, I’m happy I was able to see everybody’s faces. The journey begins. We’ll be in Okayama tomorrow, hope to see you there.

●The setlists I won’t repeat, just to avoid spoilers for any possible goers!

2 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/4/2019 at CRAZYMAMA 2nd Room in Okayama! Report!

All members have interactions, I'm relieved..

●SND “Yesterday was so hot I thought I was going to puke, I’d only ever been to Takutaku in the winter not the summer… I came to Crazymama today shaking in fear but… Air conditioning is the BEST! The number one necessity for any venue is!!!! heavy-duty!!!! Air-conditioning!!!!!”

●As soon as SND started talking about yesterday, Yumao dashed up front in a rush to talk. He asked to borrow SND’s mic so he could join in on the MC,

The way they were standing next to each other got them called out for looking like a stand-up comedy duo.

●Yu “Yesterday I mouthed the words ‘Were concerts always this painful?’ to ygarsh 5 whole times and he didn’t understand me,” SND “Well of course not (laughing).” Afterwards when Yu did ask him, ygarsh responded with "They aren’t." Yu thought he was the only one dying, ah sweet relief~, he says.

●Yesterday did Yuma really get exhausted enough to collapse against the wall? Did SND slide atop speakers to then stick the landing, singing with his knees against the floor? It's out there...

●Yu and SND bickered with each other over who watches more Netflix. (They both praised the Netflix show The Naked Director etc. on Twitter recently also).

●SND “By the way ygarshy did you know that cicadas actually live longer than 1 week?”

ygarsh “BWOON♪”

(Cicada’s having only a life span of one week is a common myth in Japan. Also this interaction mimics yesterday, is SND subtly taunting yg in new ways the new staple for the Mannequin intro? Amen.)

●SND tweet: "Thank you Okayama, after doing 2 concerts in row, I see that I really am capable of singing. We'll be back,, until then,,"

●Katou Haruhisa, the founder of LUCK'A Inc. who’s produced Rie’s merch for so many tours, QRTed today's official backstage photo and strutted with pride: "They're all wearing great shirts lol #I made this"

3 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/12/2019 at the five morika in Iwate prefecture! Report!

Yumao's tweet "Tomorrow is Morioka. The next day is Sendai. I hope to see you there!" 

●In a small box with but a platform as the stage and a metal bar between the rockstars and the crowd, what happens if a SND sizzles up and sits down on the bar, gets up and gets down on the floor? FAN SERVICE. LOTS OF FAN SERVICE, THAT'S WHAT. SND was poked by fans, clapped by fan, had his head pet by a fan…. Amazing..

●SND praised the drama "Methanol” he watched on Amazon Prime. ●SND blessed the cool air of Morioka and rebuked the weather up in Tokyo. "I've still been walking around in shorts and sandals." *Looks down and checks himself out* "I ate such a ridiculous amount of grilled meat yesterday, I'm worried about my figure" "We all ate a ridiculous amount"

●SND "By the way ygarshy did you know that honeybees' body temperature can go up to 50 degrees celsius?"

　yg "....*BWOOON*" (goes into bass intro)

(The series...It's certain.. last time it was SND's provocative tidbits about a snack discontinuing.. then long-living cicadas, now..this.)

4 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/13/2019 at Sendai darwin in Miyagi prefecture! Report!

●All the effects smoke made Yumao, in the back of the stage, look like a mirage... Yumao got up and called himself a mirage... Yumirage bamboozle... From there the crowd was riled up into cheering: “Yumao~ Yumao~ You’re so cute Yumao~” 

Yuma kept posing and hugging his hands against his chest* “Thank you...” SND “You pretty boy...” Yuma “I'm snatched everybody... My wig is like snatched...” SND “Snatched, snatched... What are you a Twitter fangirl.”  (*Yumao was using the fujoshi term "尊い".) ●During encore intermission the electric fan next to the stage picked up yga’s shirt and blew it up, exposing yga. Laughter was induced among the crowd, and SND, who missed the whole thing, was left all confused as to why everyone was laughing—. ●SND “By the way ygarshy, it’s Friday the 13th but, did you know that Jason doesn’t actually use a chainsaw?”

　yg “*BWOOOON*” ●Someone dived during the last song... As in, a fan started climbing up on other fans and rolling around up there. Staff handled it, and their love for Rie is blazing but... Etiquette and respect for the show space is the best way to enjoy the best show!! Please... SND’s tweet: “Sendai performance complete. Thank you, thank you, thank you”

5 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/25/2019 at Koube VARIT in Hyougo prefecture! Report!

Yumao's tweet "Today is Koube, tomorrow shall be Hiroshima. I hope to see you there!"

●SND MC speech "Did you guys have fun today? I think there's a lot of mixed emotions right now. If you didn't have fun, know that we're coming back here again. And then if you still don't have fun again, we're still coming back here again." ●Encore intermission! Crowd as they were walking back out "ygarshy! Yumao! Shinoda!" Yumao, pretending to be a person in the crowd in a scheme for instigation: “Yumao~~!” The crowd “Yumao….?” Yumao “Yumao…? Yumao!!!” Crowd “Yumaooo~~~!” SND “You sound like a Pokemon, crying your own name as if you’re a Pikachu.” Yumao “Yumao!" SND "Can neither of you (or yg) talk normal on mic."

Yumao *Goes and sits down at his drums* Crowd "Yumao~" *Plays a drum trick*  “Yumao~~~”  *Plays an even more flavorful trick*  “Yumaoooo~~~”  *EVEN MORE*  “YUMAOOO~~~~”

 SND “He’ll keep doing that if you keep it up, so keep pampering him.”

●SND “Backstage, they have redbull right, so before the show I couldn’t get over how delicious it was and I kept glugging, and so I was ready to burp throughout the whole first song. SND tweet after: I was in danger of deranging into the wet pants monster.  ●Also Shinoda was hopping around playing guitar and he bumped into ygarsh at some point, of who seemed super annoyed—. ●SND “Remember last show, I mentioned Jason, I said there's actually no chainsaw? Well I watched the second movie and, he gets attacked by a chainsaw in that one!” yg *Makes a face as if questioning if that gag was his queue* SND *Nods* yg *>BWWOOON<* (Into the Mannequin intro)

●In the post concert photo Yumao seems to be drinking a Chocola BB, a vitamin B2 supplement to help with acne, mouth sores, and overall exhaustion....

●SND tweet: Koube concert: complete, thank you all. Playing at VARIT is, truly, fantastic,,, I’ll meet y’all in Hiroshima tomorrow. Until then,,,

6 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/26/2019 at Second Crutch in Hiroshima prefecture! Reports! 

●SND “By the way ygarshy-kun, did you know that Mocomichi Hayami started a youtube channel!”

  yga *>BWWOOON<*

(*Mocomichi, dubbed “The olive oil fairy“, is an actor who gained internet fame after his displays on the TV show ‘MOMO’S Kitchen’ where he would dump HUGE AMOUNTS of olive oil over his food, ignore the recipe requested of him, and then praise his cooking like crazy in the end. He was a riot! And he’s truly skilled at cooking! He's won Gourmand cookbook awards, he loves olive oil, he has his own kitchen brand, he was in the Kamen Rider 555 movie where he got killed by monsters halfway through, he loves olive oil- Anyway his channel is here.)

+ SND used wowaka’s red jaguar guitar in today and yesterday's concerts. Introduced (W)HERE with "As Hitorie we only make good songs, we only make God songs. And this is a good one even out of the good ones".

●Crowd “What did you guys eat for lunch!” SND “For lunch I ate soba.” Crowd “Booo! Eat okonomiyaki!” (*Hiroshima is famous for it) “Screw that assholes!!!” “Whyyyy just try it!!!”

THEN YG TALKED

SND “And ygarshy gave Yumao an egg sandwich.” yg “… ...Uhm..”  Crowd “!?!?!? Woooahh!!!” yg “Shut up for a second.” Crowd *Still bustling, not listening* yg “Over something so silly…. why are you all excited….” yg “… So uhm I just wanted to say that…. Yumao likes eggs.”

Post show Yumao tweeted “I like eggs.”

●SND tweet  “The Hiroshima show: done. A rare event occurred today huh. Y’all were lucky… in a way? That aside I had fun. Thank y’all. I’m off to have a drink.”

7 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/26/2019 at Sapporo SPiCE in Hokkaido prefecture! Reports!

Yumao's tweet "Today is Sapporo. I hope to see you there! Ahh the first magnitude stars".

●SND ”Hokkaido, you’re so full of spirit! It’s ‘cause RSR had to cancel the first day, isn’t it!? How many of y’all missed out on seeing Number Girl?” *Hands rising all over* SND “Muahaha!!!! Well I already got to see them!!! Poor you!!!” (*Rocking Sun Festival last month was canceled due to Typhoon 10 hitting Hokkaido).

●Shinoda rued and revered the heat. Said that Sapporo’s been the second sweatiest show after Kyoto.  Crowd “Let’s make it the hottest!” SND “No! You can’t beat it. That was a traumatic experience, I thought I was gonna die. But we can still make the excitement levels the hottest!”

●Encore intermission and the usual outfit change: SND “Aren’t you hot in that?” Yumao “Yeah, this sweatshirt is way too big for me. Oh, because it’s Shinoda’s” It was too hot for SND so he made Yumao wear and promo the official merch. SND opened his mouth to make a comment when the crowd slipped in with “Yumao you’re cute wearing that~~ so cute~~!” cheers. SND “Shut up I’m talking!!” SND “….I’m sorry for yelling!” ‘Apologizes before things go downhill’ Crowd kept the spirit high by asking ygarsh if he wanted to eat pizza, yg nodded his head, then scooted towards the mic as if to say something- but turned back... He tricked everybody!  Rie weren’t going to let him get away with that, they had to pick on him for revenge!

Crowd “Hello! [At yg]” SND “What?! You’re resorting to teaching him the basics of conversation?” (SND and Yu laughing out loud) SND “He’s not an AI y’know??” (Yuma has his hands on his stomach at this point). yg *Still not talking* SND “Ahh what are we gonna do with him” SND “yga~rshy~kun~, have some fun with me~~!”

　yg “*>>>BWOOOOON<<<*

●SND tweet: Sapporo concert: complete!! That was way too fucking hot!! Damn ridiculous! That’s what makes it so good. Thank you.

8 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 10/10/2019 at UMBER in Shizuoka prefecture! Reports!

Yumao's tweet "Today's Shizuoka!"

●A wild cockroach appeared before Yumao and SND backstage during the intermission.

It was a huge one, scurrying across the stage walls throughout the end of the show regardless of its own size.

●yg offered Yuma the rights to his front stage mic for Yuga and SND to be able to talk about it together, so he pulled at his mic in front of him…. Only for the cable to come spiraling out, yanked from the jack, off went the XLR connector, and all. yg's power move left him laughing hysterically. yga laughed!!!!! He laughed as he gave Yumao a powerless mic!!

●With the power move to piston off of, “Professor Yumao” was on the case to give a “lecture” with his cockroach wisdom! He told us about how the ones with the perfect figures come from the outside and live under trees, german cockroaches like to stay inside and come from the inside...

SND “Back when I used to live in a rundown apartment in Nagoya, there was 2 perfect cockroaches always waiting for me in front of my apartment”. Yu “Outside, right!!”

yga *Frozen up and now hiding against the wall*

●Prof. Yumao also gave another lecture about Shampoo from the anime Ranma 1/2, complete with “Ne!” imitations, SND piped in also until he realized something- and then got angry at Yuma because only few will know who he’s talking about....

SND “So tell me, what time is it?” Yu “Time to talk about things everybody will understand!” SND “No it’s encore time!” Yu " :O "

yg *Still hiding against the wall away from the nerds*

●SND “ygarshy! Ygarshy! Get a good look at this!” yg *Nods at him* SND *Proceeds to pose like the Dragon Ball Z Kamehameha* “Hah!” yga “>>>>*BWOOOOOOOOON*<<<” 

●SND tweet: “Shizuoka show: complete, thank you so much. I had a lot of fun. We’ll be back. Nagoya will be tomorrow. Until next time,,,”

9 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 10/11/2019 at SPADE BOX in Aichi prefecture! Reports!

●Hasegawa-san, the drummer of SND’s past past band “Dr. Right” from around 2007 (See video of youngin SND and crew performing: https://nico.ms/sm11604475?ref=share_others_spweb…), he also payed a visit to the show!!!! And took pictures with SND!  >See https://twitter.com/toshiya230/status/1182631585230704640

●First song SND immediately messed up the first note and the music halted, Yu and the crowd had to urge him onward-!

●SND “Hitorie is great. Hitorie’s songs are great. Only badass songs. Before I joined, Leader sent me demo versions and said “I want to do songs like this”… Electricity rushed through my veins, this is gonna be a revolution, am I really going to be a part of this?! I thought.”

●The stage at the venue is one that shook like crazy from everyone’s vigor, Rie seemed to enjoy the ride.

●SND “I left Nagoya, went up to Tokyo, and now I’m back in Nagoya, singing nonetheless... I’m not embarrassed carrying the mic to sing non-guitar songs anymore."

●SND "After 9 shows doin’ this, it's really hit me. Hitorie really make great songs! But even among all of them this one is peachy… Wait no one says that? This one’s at the tippy-top. ….Wait no one says these words in Tokyo, nor Nagoya?? Ah whatever let’s go” (The original words were ドンズバ and ダントツ, both old niche words).

●Encore intermission, Yumao came out in front of the mic then… Clenched his fist up into the air and stood stout! SND “You’re not gonna talk, now, what are you doing?” Yu “Freddie Mercury, is in the house!!”

“This move isn’t in Bohemian Rhapsody, b/c once the scene starts he’s already on the piano but, before the show Freddie does the *poses again*!!! SND “So that’s what you were doing? Even though you play drums? Drums aren’t a piano?” Yu *👌* SND “They are a little bit similar huh hahaha”

●Rie wished everyone safe travels home through Typhoon 19! They even cut the MC short to ensure swift departure- SND “I bet y’all would go off tweeting “Their chitchat was so long I couldn’t get home! Fuck them!” Well we’re fortunate, one day later and it would've been cancelled.."

●Then, the usual Thing.... SND “ygarshy, ygarshy! A fly seems to have sorta, landed on your bass over there!” yg *>BWWON*< (Interrupting SND’s sentence with a rushed note).

●SND tweet "Nagoya concert: complete. SPADEBOX shakes like crazy, it's such fun. Thank you so much. Make it home safe y'all. And let's meet again. Until next time."

🍕~~END~~🍕

((((((Shinoda, constantly: "I have a phobia of bugs" Also Shinoda, constantly: *His ways to provoke ygarsh involved cicadas, bees, cockroaches and flies.* + *Advises people dealing with heartbreak to go watch videos of giant hornets VS Japanese honeybees.* + *Draws super detailed cicadas in his manga Chikyuu Monogatari.*

Shinoda you maso.)))))

Ahhhh also! If you're a member Hitori-Atelier!-- (Which you should be!!! Because not only are Hitorie snazzy and there's the upcoming message campaign, but ALSO because Rie is always seeking more vigor which I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE, I've seen your liberal usage of the almighty exclamation marks and emojis. You can't hide it, so show 'em some more of your energy!!!!!🙌🙌🙌)

--Shinoda has been periodically blogging about backstage tidbits and I've been translating those for fun so, plop: https://privatter.net/u/boat_manju 

[authorscottmckay]

The Novel Writing Process (Indie Publishing Route)

1.) Research the Market

Before you begin, figure out what genre you would like to write in. Horror? Fantasy? Mystery? Romance? Comedy? There are tons of genres, sub-genres, and mixed genres to choose from.

When you have a genre chosen, start reading. Reading is crucial to becoming a good writer. Read what’s hot in your genre right now, study the tropes people like and dislike, and what traits make characters interesting.

By no means am I saying be a copycat. Don’t just write a book about evil spirits rising from an old Native American burial ground because of Pet Semetary’s success and expect fans of horror to enjoy your series. Be original, but take away from your research the “feel” of the books you read. It’s not specifically about what happened in the book, but ask yourself why those events left you craving more and turning the page.

2.) Pre-writing

Depending on who you ask, pre-writing has a specific set of steps and clear paradigms for what is and is not part of this stage. And, as with many steps in the writing process, it is all up to interpretation. To me, pre-writing begins before you jot down a single word. It begins with a spark of inspiration, and is comprised of all the brainstorming, character creation, plot notes, and every other idea you have for your book before you really get down to starting on chapter 1 (or wherever you do begin writing your book; personally, I prefer the ending or somewhere in the middle).

3.) Outlining

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to writing: those who fly by the seat of their pants — aptly nicknamed “Pantsers” — and those who sit down and plot out the entire book in shorthand before they begin — the “Plotters”. I myself am an avid fan of plotting, because I find it greatly decreases the instances of writer’s block, but feel free to skip this step if you’d rather just wing it.

When plotting, simply take the ideas you came up with in the pre-writing stage and organize them from A-Z in your story. This could be a series of bullet points, a death-by-PowerPoint storyboard, or you can shorthand your entire story, then flesh out the details when you go back over it. There are also specific flows to the plot to consider. Find an organizational method that works for you, and ask yourself these questions: Who is the protagonist? Who, or what, is the antagonist? Why does the protagonist want to stop them? What allies do they meet, and what challenges do they face along the way?

For an awesome reference guide, research a concept known as “The Hero’s Journey”.

4.) The First Draft

Now the fun part. Write. Just write. Don’t stop to edit, even if you have a mess of misspellings, punctuation errors, and sentences that come across like a drunk toddler hijacked your keyboard/pen. Just get the words onto the page. Pour your bleeding heart and soul out, have a blast doing it, and understand one simple thing:

The first draft sucks.

The first draft is a heaping pile of manure that should never see the light of day. The first draft would crack mirrors if they had eyes to see it. If you dare to try to publish a first draft, as I have seen impatient indie authors online do, you will invoke my wrath, and I will find you, and I will beat you with a frozen swordfish.

Once you have finished pumping a wordgasm into your Google Docs, Word, Scrivener, or whatever writing program file, sit back, relax, finish your coffee/tea/booze, and cry.

Because now comes the part every writer just loves… So. @&$%ing. Much.

5.) The Self-Edit

“Psh, wait, what? I don’t need to edit my novel. The publishing house will do that for me, or I’ll just hire someone to do it.”

You hear that?

That’s the sound of my swordfish, fresh out of the big ass freezer I purchased just to contain it. And it’s ready for a beat down.

If you were to send a first draft to a publisher, you would be laughed at and rejected immediately. If you’re going the indie route, and an editor you hire needs to spend an enormous amount of time rifling through endless errors, you’ll be digging yourself a massive hole of debt trying to pay them for all that extra work.

Trust me: edit the book to the best of your abilities, and your wallet or publisher will thank you for it later. I would also recommend getting the help of friends and family, if available. These people, reading over your book in the first draft stage (and you better buy them a coffee or something), are what are known as “alpha readers”. We’ll go into depth on the types of readers who help in the editing phase in another post.

There are multiple types of edits to do:

Developmental edit

Read over your story and take note of what makes sense or not, what weak areas could be strengthened, and weed out any continuity errors you find. Just focus on the plot and big scenes. Best to get help with this one in the form of beta readers (see next step).

Copy edit

Go word-by-word checking for typos and spelling errors along with correcting grammar, language, and syntax errors. Also, at this point, deal with any punctuation issues you see. 

Line edit

Focus on the finer aspects of language. Read over each sentence to asses their flow and whether or not they get the idea across. Try to tighten them up and avoid run-on sentences.

Sensitivity edit

A sensitivity edit it highly recommended when writing about other cultures, minorities, LGBTQ+ characters, and social issues you may not be familiar with. You don’t want readers getting pissed and blasting you for being homophobic, misogynistic, racist, and/or ignorant. This may be difficult to do on your own, so I recommend a fresh set of eyes from a friend or family member to help you, particularly if they happen to be a part of the group you are writing about.

 Proofread

This is the final edit. Read through your manuscript one last time to check for any spelling mistakes, grammatical issues, continuity errors, or other glaring problems.

6.) Get Beta Readers

A beta reader is someone who reads your manuscript and gives feedback before it is ready to be published. What defines a beta reader vs. an alpha reader is actually kind of blurry. Personally, I believe beta readers should come after you have done some thorough self-edits. When you get feedback from your betas, apply it to your book, and continue with another round of self-edits.

Whatever you do, get the beta reader feedback BEFORE the professional edit. Obviously, you don’t want to add the feedback into your book after the edits, then have to pay someone to re-edit those parts of the book.

7.) Get a Critique Partner

Got any writer friends? Good. Ask them if they would help you in the self-edit process by reading through your book and giving feedback as a fellow writer, not as a reader. Think of a critique partner as a beta reader who is reading from the author’s perspective. They can have a world of information and writing tips you hadn’t even considered during the first draft.

8.) The Professional Edit

“B-but I already did my own edits!”

Yes! Good job! Here’s a cookie. Chew on it while you send your book off to people who are vastly more experienced than you.

There’s no skipping this step, even if you’re on a tight budget. Your book needs a professional edit in the form of all the edits you just did. Without it, readers will be able to tell it’s an unfinished book, and you’ll come across as an amateur.

I’m not going to lie, if you’re going the indie publishing route, it’s expensive. Get good at saving money from your day job. Some editors charge per hour, some per page, and some per word. A common fee is $0.01 - 0.03 per word. Doesn’t sound intimidating at first glance, but if you’ve just finished 50k words for NaNoWriMo, or you’ve got the next great 120k word urban fantasy that’ll blow the Mortal Instruments out of the water…well, you do the math.

Just, please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t hire some shady “super experienced” all-purpose editor off of Fiverr because you want to save a buck, then wind up getting half-assed work back and need to find a real editor to fix it. Cough… Not that I’d know anyone who did that. <_<

9.) The Book Cover

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is a phrase only to be applied as a metaphor to say “don’t judge people based on their appearance.”

In the book world, we DEFINITELY judge books by their covers.

If you do absolutely no other form of advertising, make sure you have a damn good book cover. The cover is going to count for about 80% of your advertising. You might have a book that’s going to change peoples’ lives and make you a household name along with a buttload of money. But if the cover sucks, no one is going to buy it except for a few family members and friends.

Make sure you research what book cover styles are popular in your genre so it stands out to readers as something they might enjoy. For example: most urban fantasy YA novels feature a model of the main character in the middle, and they might be holding some sort of weapon; the background is neat, perhaps a city scape or a mystical forest; the font of the title and name are custom-made and might have a swirling, curved, or twisted shape to them.

10.) Formatting

This is often a package deal with book cover designers. Get your book formatted for readability on whatever platform you’ll be publishing it to.

11.) Get an ISBN

Submit your book for an ISBN. Easy peasy. Now, if you’re just going to publish on Amazon, they do have their own free ISBN, but if you want to publish to other sources like Kobo and iBooks, you’ll need to get your own.

12.) Publication

This is it. The moment you’ve been waiting for. Once you’ve got your book all together in an awesome package, find which platform you want to publish your book to — Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Blurb, Lulu, Smashwords, etc... — and follow their guidelines for setting up an account, giving them your tax info, and uploading your files.

Congratulations! You’ve just published a book. Is it your first one? Then revel in the fact that you are now officially an author. Go out and celebrate with a steak night and a beer (or whatever is appealing according to your diet), then get back to work.

13.) Extras

Not mentioned in this process are things like building your author platform, marketing, advertising, getting deals with bookstores and libraries, and setting up book tours. These don’t have a set place in the writing process. When it comes to marketing and building your author platform, those are things you need to do even before you begin writing your book, all throughout the process, and long after it’s all finished. Things like planning when to officially launch your book, and whether or not pre-orders will be available, are important considerations as well.

Every writer has their own process. This has been my personal experience with the indie writing and publishing process. Comment down below if there is anything you would add to help aspiring, brand new, and veteran authors achieve their writing goals. Thanks for reading!

[whencallstheheart]

Thanks for sending some questions!  I’ll put them under the cut since it’s a little long.  If anyone is curious about anything else, send me a message and I’ll do another round. 😊

What is your favorite season of WCTH? Mine is by far the first. 

I think it might be season 5 for me.  Season 1 was pretty good too.

Do you have any pets? 

Nope.  I’m not into pets.  I barely want to take care of myself.

If you were going to name a child after a WCTH character what name would you choose? 

Based on name only, probably Clara or Jack.

Favorite animal? 

Wombat

Which of Henry Gowen's hats is your favorite? 

I’m partial to his everyday hat.

What is your favorite book? Favorite school-taught piece of literature (including short stories)? 

As a kid it was The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews.  The Crucible was pretty good.

Do you cry at moving scenes in movies? 

I’m not really a crier when it comes to movies or shows.

How do you feel about the wintertime? 

If it’s like this winter where it’s been not too cold and we’ve only had rain then I’m all for it... otherwise it’s the worst.

And lastly: the telephone plot for s6: do you think that will be in e1 or a longer plotline? 

Probably just one episode but maybe not episode 1.  It should be a longer plot but history shows us that it most likely won’t be.

Do you ever think about how that one backstreet boy was like “am I sexual?” And the other ones were all like “yeah” 

I have always thought that was a strange lyric.

A1 or Heinz 57? 

I only put A1 on steak to make it less gross... so ketchup.

What’s your favorite conspiracy theory? 

Anything with aliens.  I also enjoy ones about celebrities dying and being replaced by look alikes.

Is store bought fine? 

For most things, yeah.

Really? Why does everyone love granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances?! 

Because they’re classy!

WhT do you think England did with their copy of the Declaration of Independence? 

Didn’t even know they had one.

What’s your thoughts on boys with skinny jeans? 

Why do they have such twig legs?  And why do they want to show them off???

Do yo rate and review your amazon purchases?

Never.

What is your favourite genre of tv - romance/drama/sci-Fi/procedural/comedy/historical drama etc? And why? 

Don’t have a fave.  I watch a variety of stuff.  Mostly drama, I guess.

Which fictional tv town would you love to reside in?    

Bluebell, Alabama (Hart of Dixie)

[alexsfictionaddiction]

'It is not enough to be the non-racist. We must be anti-racist.’

I don’t think I need to explain too much about what has prompted this post. There may be readers of it who will feel that my sudden creation of it is performative and that I don’t REALLY care all that much about what’s going on. That I’m simply jumping on a bandwagon and cashing in on some internet clout amidst the horrors of what is happening in the world. Hopefully my regular readers will know that I actively seek out Own Voices books and that I’m constantly reviewing them or recommending them on this very blog. Hopefully my regular readers will know that this post is very much in line with my inclusive, diverse ethos and that I am simply using my white platform to amplify those of the unheard.

It’s true that I’ve never written a recommendation post dedicated to one particular marginalised group. I think this is because I’ve always felt like these are not my areas to sway into. That these posts would be better written by bloggers who have direct experience with what these books talk about. Honestly, I’m shocked and incredibly upset with myself for having long harboured this mentality. Yes, these books will affect readers who can directly relate to the characters in a way that they couldn’t ever affect me but why on Earth should that mean that I can’t give them a platform in the first place?  

Of course, I’ve always known about white privilege and I’ve always used it to take down racists both on and offline. In fact, the events of the past few days have caused arguments within my own all-white British family. There are currently protests happening in central London and Manchester but we are not allowed to use public transport at the moment and we don’t have any local demonstrations, meaning actively protesting just isn’t a feasible option for most Brits right now. It does feel like movements such as Black Lives Matter are ‘an American thing’, despite the huge amount of all types of racism in the UK. 

I had never realised (or perhaps never wanted to realise) the amount of extremely questionable attitudes within my own family until very recently. I have had to explain white privilege to my parents, who have actually always been reasonably liberal in their political views, so I was astonished by exactly how much they didn’t know. There is an essence of ‘things aren’t anywhere near as bad as they used to be’ and ‘the police don’t arrest or kill innocent people’. It’s honestly only in the last few days that I’ve realised and therefore had to address the internal racism within my own family and therefore in my own origins and so I think that, as well as what is happening across the Atlantic, is what has really triggered this post. Despite considering myself an ally, I can do so much better than I have been and chances are, you can too. 

Because it is a global pandemic. It’s not something that is only happening in the US, it’s happening here just without the guns. It’s happening in every country of the world and I (and my fellow white people) should not be leaving it up to the victims to sort it out. We have the power to boost their blatantly unheard voices and there is so much we can do, in order to do that. 

Sign petitions, donate money and help in any way you can right here. Buy from Black-owned businesses, read all you can about the Black experience and above all, call out your friends and family on their racism. Of course, if you don’t want to take the advice of a white person like me, I’d recommend you check out these fantastic Black BookTubers and book bloggers:

LaRonda @ flyingpaperbacks

Madeline @ madelinewilsonojo

Jazmen @ lit-erally black

Nox @ noxthereader

Myonna @ myonna reads

I'mogén @ Peace&Cookies

Ben @ Benreadsbooks

Lauren @ The Novel Lush

Jo @ Jo The Great

Ella @ ella’s novellas

Keeana @ Reading in the Clouds

Francina @ Francina Simone

Lucie @ LucieReads

Jesse @ Bowties & Books

Joel @ fictionalfates

Ane @ Ane Adores

Olivia @ Olivia’s Catastrophe

Cecilia @ thatdisneychik

Taylor @ PageScreenTaylor

Tori @ Medusa Reads

Justin @ Ghost Reader

Seji @ The Artisan Geek

Mina @ Mina Reads

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and I encourage you to please search for and support more wonderful Black bookworms and creators. They will give you more insightful reviews and recommendations than I would ever be able to, so please check them out and show them some love. 

Here are 50 books by Black authors that deserve your attention. While I have read a good chunk of these, I will admit that I have not personally read all of them. This list was compiled following a deep scouring of the internet and reading countless reviews and synopses. I believe I’ve found some incredible hidden gems in here that you will love and pass on to those who need them. Each of them have a link to an online retail outlet that isn’t Amazon, so you can buy these books in quarantine without lining Bezos’ already over-filled pockets. Enjoy! -Love, Alex x

NON-FICTION

1. Stamped From The Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. This history of racism in America seeks to completely rewrite the way we think of racism and encourages change in the every-day assumptive white ally.

2. Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Told in the form of a letter to his young son, Coates attempts to convey what it’s like to be black in America, using history, personal experience and the hope of liberation.

3. Redefining Realness by Janet Mock. An unapologetic powerful memoir from a trans mixed-race working class woman in America that will teach you how to be undeniably real.

4. Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. Possibly the most widely-read non-fiction book on racism in the UK, Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book explores its links to class, white feminism and the black history we were never taught.

5. So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. Highly relevant to the current situation in the US, this book talks about police brutality, BLM and the N word, answering the questions that no one ever dares to ask.

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

6. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. The winner of last year’s Women’s Prize, An American Marriage is the heartbreaking story of newlyweds torn apart by a wrongful rape conviction. Devastating, urgent storytelling.

7. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. Searingly relatable and timely, you will fall madly in love with Queenie. She is flawed, overlooked and underestimated. You will laugh, cry and scream as you spend a year inside her life as a British-Jamaican.

8. Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. When straight-laced nerd Chloe Brown almost dies, she vows to start living in the moment. Enter bad boy Red and you’ve got the perfect ingredients for a sweet, sexy rom-com.

9. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. Joint winner of 2019′s Booker Prize and shortlister for 2020′s Women’s Prize, this is the combination of 12 very different Black-British characters that paints a very real picture of contemporary British life.

10. I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan. When Georgia Young begins to feel dissatisfied with her seemingly perfect life, she decides to shake things up. It’s the perfect reminder that it’s never too late to make big changes and start living your best life.

11. Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim. Showcasing some of America’s best black female writers, this anthology explores the importance of finding yourself in books. Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, an online book club exclusively for black women, which you can check out here.  

12. The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Daré. At 14, Adunni is a wife and commodity within her tiny Nigerian village but she is determined to get her education and her voice. Original, powerful and unbelievably inspirational.

13. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. When Emira Tucker starts dating someone with a direct historical link to her boss, things get more than complicated. This is a very clever contemporary, driven by racial differences, that is completely unputdownable.

LITERARY FICTION

14. The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Winner of the Booker Prize 2016, The Sellout is a black comedy ringing with social satire about one man’s deceit having knock-on effects for an entire community. Controversial and weird but incredibly unique.

15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Morrison’s debut novel focuses on our obsession with conventional beauty, fitting in and being accepted. Wonderfully written, it addresses race, gender and class in a truly captivating way.

16. Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò. Amidst the social and political turmoil of 1980s Nigeria, Yejide's husband takes a second wife when she fails to fall pregnant. It is a heartbreaking portrait of grief, fractured families and motherhood.

17. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. An epic road-trip novel with hints of supernatural and magical realism, this is the story of a young boy’s coming-of-age within a broken family told in a gorgeously lyrical style.

18. Half Of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set during the Nigerian Civil War, three very different characters are entwined in a story about colonialism, class, race and love. You’ll want the tissues for this one!

19. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. This strange unique novel focuses on the split selves of Ada and their gradual rise to power within her. It’s one of the most unique mental health books I’ve ever come across and will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with finding their own inner peace.

SCI-FI AND FANTASY

20. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Dripping in African mythology, the first in the Dark Star trilogy gets off to a gripping start with plenty of unique characters, as hunter Tracker searches for a missing boy. 

21. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. When aspiring writer Dana is pulled from 1976 into 1815, she is assumed to be a slave. After saving a young man’s life, the mystery of their connection kicks off and takes them both on an incredible emotional journey. This is an amazing time travel story that is thoroughly unputdownable.

22. Rosewater by Tade Thompson. Rosewater is a town on the edges of a strange alien biodome which is rumoured to have healing powers but former criminal Kaaro knows the truth and is in no hurry to revisit it. Whilst making subtle digs at contemporary culture, Rosewater offers a fascinating view of the future.

23. Do You Dream Of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh. Ten astronauts leave a dying Earth to find another habitable planet. Set entirely aboard the ship, it’s a coming-of-age story that reaches beyond the sci-fi boundaries and focuses on human relationships and emotions. Brace yourself for tears!

24. Children Of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Inspired by West African mythology, this magical adventure tells the story of Zélie on a quest to restore magic to the kingdom of Orisha. At the end of every chapter something happens that makes you want to keep reading, making it highly addictive.

25. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle. Hidden dark magic in the depths of New York is awakened when hustler Tom attracts its attention. With elements of classic horror and mysticism, this is one for lovers of weird speculative stories.

26. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. This touching story is a searing reminder of systemic racism and the violence that black Americans face at the hands of the law. When Kev finds himself in prison, it’s only the visits from his magically-gifted sister Ella that keeps him sane and gives him hope of revolution.

27. We Cast A Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin. Desperate to protect his son in a profoundly racist America, a man embarks on a mission to get his boy a ‘demelanization’ to make him white. It’s an original and edgy satire full of suspense and heart.

MIDDLE-GRADE

28. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This poetic memoir charts the story of Woodson’s own childhood, growing up as an African-American in 1960s and 1970s. These are truly beautiful poems that sing a young girl’s desire to be heard and to know who she is.

29. Ghost by Jason Reynolds. Ghost is a sprinter but it’s only when Coach sees his talent that he really starts to chase his dream but his dark past is hot on his heels. Full of Reynolds’ signature humour and heart, it’s highly relatable to almost any kid from around the age of 10.

30. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. This creepy magical middle-grade adventure sees fearless Corinne on a dangerous mission to save her home from dark forces. Steeped in Caribbean folklore, The Jumbies is a fantastic gateway into eerie fantasy.

31. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Twins Josh and Jordan are basketball stars, following in their father’s footsteps but hardship tests their brotherly bonds. Merging basketball and rap, this verse novel gives us a stark reminder of what really matters.

32. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Get set for a truly heartbreaking but horrendously timely story. Jerome was shot dead by police at the age of 12 and his ghost wanders the Earth in search of answers as to why he was killed. Not sure I need to say anymore as to why this is a highly important tearjerker.

YA

33. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. When a plane crash brings two sisters on either side of the Atlantic together, family secrets unravel. Exploring sacrifice and identity, this verse novel is a stark reminder that most losses and tragedies are felt only by the families they directly affect.

34. Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence. Marlon has promised his mum that he won’t follow the path of his gang leader brother but when a date leaves him a hunted man, he has some impossible choices to make. Laced with musicality, this pacy urban thriller puts you directly in the shoes of an ordinary boy caught up in very real danger.

35. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. Struggling with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen, it’s only when he starts university that Michael gains his wings through the power of drag. Tackling both racism and homophobia, The Black Flamingo teaches acceptance and self-love.

36. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. Natasha and Daniel meet on the same day that Natasha’s family are about to be deported to Jamaica. Cue an epic quest for love to overthrow the authorities! It’s a sweet romance about fate and taking the future into your own hands.

37. Dear Martin by Nic Stone. When Ivy League-destined Justyce is arrested, he turns to the lessons of Martin Luther King to help figure things out but then shots are fired. Undeniably relevant to today’s America, Dear Martin confronts the blatant racism and injustice within the justice system.

38. On The Come Up by Angie Thomas. Aspiring rapper Bri is desperate to make it to help her family, despite all the odds being against her. Better known for her break-out debut hit The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’ follow-up is an equally hard-hitting story of standing up and speaking out for what’s right. 

HISTORICAL 

39. The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Escaping an extremely violent and abusive past in the 1930s American South, Celie finds the strength to be her true wonderful self. The Color Purple is considered a staple of black literature and considered one of the most mind-opening books in existence.

40. Roots by Alex Haley. Tracing the story of his own ancestors, Alex Haley’s Roots is a highly educational documentation of African American history during the Slave Trade. Published in 1976, it made a massive impact on the world and Kunta’s story is just as urgent and vital today.

41. Freedom by Catherine Johnson. This historical middle-grade story follows Jamaican slave Nat as he makes his way to London, where he has heard that slavery doesn’t exist, which he soon finds to be false. Freedom is a moving, action-packed look at British slavery that is the perfect starting point for educating pre-teens.

42. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. This classic tale follows wrestler Okonkwo, who returns from exile to discover his village has been taken over by colonials. It’s a difficult read that captures powerlessness and pain in a short, impactful burst and will no doubt force white readers to look at their own behaviours.

43. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Exploring bigotry and racism across the US, our protagonist tries his best to play by the rules but continues to be knocked down. Despite being published in 1952, Ellison’s arguments are painfully relevant to today, indicating that not much has changed at all. 

44. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Life as a slave in Georgia is hell for Cora but when new arrival Caesar tells her about the Underground Railroad, escape plans are hatched. Cora’s determination and courage are hugely inspirational and her experience, which mirrors that of many real slaves, should never be forgotten.

45. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. This epic story of two sisters’ very different experiences of 1800s Ghana sprawls across generations, clearly showing how history resonates and the ripples are felt long after the original event. A stunning captivating read.

THRILLERS

46. Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. Highly selective, isolated academy Catherine House sees teenage runaway Ines join its ranks and a strange Gothic mystery unfurls. This subtly unsettling chilly novel is a brand new debut that I devoured earlier on this month and I’m sure you will too!

47. My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Korede is used to clearing up her younger sister Ayoola’s messes -and disposing of the bodies she leaves in her wake! There is a wonderfully dark tongue-in-cheek tone that makes this fast-paced thrilling celebration of sisterhood truly delightful.

48. They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall. Seven strangers find themselves in a mansion on an island with no contact with the outside world and no escape. With strong Agatha Christie vibes, it’s a highly entertaining mystery whose pages you’ll keep turning.

49. Devil In A Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. When a war veteran is pulled into a search for a mysterious woman, murder and lies are uncovered. Set in 1940s LA, Walter Mosley expertly weaves the natural fears of a Black man of the time into the smoky intrigue, making it extremely immersive.

50. Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett. Broke former actress Dayna didn’t mean to solve a hit-and-run but the reward money would definitely come in handy. Once she starts digging, she becomes determined to find the killer. I love cosy mysteries with amateur detectives and this more than fits that bill.

[samdukewieland]

Stuck Inside Media Diary Week 2

New week. New movies I had never seen before. Only one was on the DVR so now it’s just like a glorified streaming guide and for that I apologize. There were three movies this week that I had seen before, but I’ve decided, because rules are important, that I won’t re-watch a movie until I watch a new one. Does this matter? No. But it has made me realize that I might be exposing my ass in the upcoming weeks, because we all lie about saying we’ve seen some movies when we actually haven’t. Not the case for this week, but it’s impending.

Sunday, March 29

Warrior, O’Conner 2011 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

As a person who doesn’t really care about MMA or UFC or boxing or bum fights or bare knuckle brawls I went in under the impression that there’d probably be some kind of barrier in my way of enjoying it, despite knowing its esteemed reputation for being man-weep canon. Any movie that opens and closes with a song by The National is fairly transparent about the type of movie its going to be, despite having an extremely yolked Tom Hardy as one of the main characters. My first cry came at a very unexpected moment, especially because Frank Grillo had a significant role in making that happen (though I will say, I had no idea Frank Grillo was in this movie and about midway through I thought “man, that guy kinda looks like Grillo, but he’s kinda small and has a fashion mullet”). However, I’m a cryer, so I don’t want to set the expectation of you will cry at this you piece of shit! but you might and it’ll come out of a good place, because this movie doesn’t trick you into crying by manipulating you into it (okay, it does at one point, but it involves Moby Dick, so again, it’s kinda unexpected). It opens with “Start A War” and ends with “About Today,” a top 5 sad boy song by The National and I’ll be damned if I didn’t listen to it once a day all last week.

Better Call Saul 

“Sunk Costs”, “Sabrosito”, “Chicanery”, “Off Brand”, “Expanses”

John Getz hive, assemble.

Monday, March 30

Working Girl, Nichols 1988 [as of now this is available on HBO]

Sometime in college, I think in a detective fiction class I took, we talked about knowing a reference to something before knowing what it’s either paying homage to or directly referencing. For example: the first time I read The Long Halloween (which is a Batman comic by Jeph Loeb) I had no idea that basically everything involving Falcone is just ripped from The Godfather, because I had never seen The Godfather at that time in my life; literally the first page of the book is “I believe in Gotham City.” Or in Django Unchained when they go to Mississippi and the title card moves across the screen just like it does in Gone With The Wind (Tarantino movies are generally just long homages and references to other things, so if you need another example, just look to really anything he’s ever worked on). There’s probably a German word for this feeling of recognition and I just don’t have the energy to look to see what it would be, but I felt it while watching Working Girl in two regards. 

The first was that I didn’t realize that School Of Rock is essentially just Working Girl and when you have a realization like this, you feel kinda dumb, because you just assume everyone figured this out before you did. The second was that Joe Swanberg has tried to model his movies after Mike Nichols ones like his life depended on it and he just can’t or rather hasn’t. Also I’m not a person who was alive in the 80s and I’m sure there’s some modern day equivalent (potentially her daughter) who I defend out of some weird sense of contrarian obligation, but what’s uh, what’s going on with Melanie Griffith and her as actor?

Better Call Saul 

“Slip”, “Fall”, “Lantern” [Season 3 finale]

BCS season 3 really stepped up to the heights of Breaking Bad and I think I might like it just a little bit better than it? I haven’t watched Breaking Bad in long time, I find it pretty difficult to re-watch (it’s very fire works factory for me) so I’m sure there are some BB highs that I just don’t remember fully, but that BCS can juggle being three different shows all at the same time and do it excellently really has me taken aback. It’s like watching the Coen Brothers jump from genre to genre and not be worried about the end result.

Tuesday, March 31

Say Anything..., Crowe 1989 [as of now this is available on Hulu]

I’m unabashedly in the can for Cameron Crowe, which is a semi-embarrassing thing to admit, but whatever. I saw Aloha in theatres and watched We Bought A Zoo when it was on FX once (in real time too, so that means with commercials-this was also the only time I’ve seen We Bought A Zoo, but I think I’d do it again); you can’t hurt me. I think I kept my distance from Say Anything... for so long, because it was one of those things that I’d be annoyed at because it’d resonate with me too much, because feeling that is kinda hacky and embarrassing, but if there’s one thing that Cameron Crowe movies put an emphasis on of importance on, it’s being sincere. And I sincerely loved it (hot, HOT take). Thanks to Russillo for recommending it on Simmons’ podcast last week.

Better Call Saul

“Smoke” [Season 4 premiere]

Wednesday, April 1

The Graduate, Nichols 1967 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

Sucks that this movie has been used by a certain type of dude who use it as a blueprint for their life and how they view relationships. Other than that, good job everyone. [I definitely thought it would be clever to watch this after watching Say Anything... because I just assumed Ben Braddock walked so Lloyd Dobbler could run-I was kinda right, whatever]

Hot Rod, Schaffer 2007

While April Fools Day means nothing to me I do try to watch a comedy on the day, because...eh, why not. Hot Rod is maybe a perfect comedy and I think I could spend hours talking about it. I don’t know how there hasn’t been some kind of programming that’s been done around The Lonely Island and their catalog, because it seems very obvious. 

Hot Rod with Digital Shorts played before and after and then Wayne’s World

MacGruber and you play MacGruber shorts before and after and then whatever grotesque 80′s action movie you’d want, maybe Commando

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping with Lonely Island music videos before and after and then This Is Spinal Tap

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience sing-a-long followed by The Lonely Island pilot and  either a collection or the entirety of I Think You Should Leave

maybe this is all a lead-up to Palm Springs, a movie I have’t seen and know very little about other than they produced it and Samberg is in it

Thursday, April 2

The In-Laws, Hiller 1979

I wrote it as my letterboxd. “review” , but this thing’s 1979 funny until they go to South America and then it is actually funny. Falk is just gangbusters.

Better Call Saul 

“Breathe”, “Something Beautiful”

Friday, April 3

You Can Count On Me, Lonergan 2000 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

I say this as a very big fan of his, but! Timothée Chalamet, consider yerself on notice for borrowing heavily from the Mark Ruffalo school of acting. Also, I get it now with Laura Linney, who I’ve liked before, but thought she might kind of be overrated by some people. Also, Matthew Broderick made this after Election (and also Inspector Gadget), so quite the infidelity streak for Brody, probably not a double feature.

Better Call Saul

“Talk”, “Quite A Ride”, “Piñata”

Saturday, April 4

De Palma, Baumbach & Paltrow, 2015 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

The definitive documentaries for the directors of this friend group are basically perfect in their own ways. That this is just De Palma talking about himself and his career and movies, sometimes being incredibly critical of his own work and others. He seems pretty self-aware, probably the most of that group of directors, while still coming across as incredibly cocky. De Palma is perfect for Brian De Palma. However, if anyone wanted to make a 10 hour documentary on Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, De Palma and Lucas in this style or it’s just the 5 of them interviewing each other moderated by like Fincher or someone, man....I could really go for that. (I mean if Michael Jordan can get one, why not these guys?)

The Other Director Documentaries

Spielberg, 2017 (HBO) [Interviews and retrospectives about Spielberg’s career, with personal highlights. It’s essentially Spielberg in a nutshell: big, flashy with a lot of time on particular moments that are more important to him than they are to you]

Empire Of Dreams, 2004 (Disney+) [Ostensively this is about Star Wars, and it’s made by a company-man, it says so much about Lucas, a man who hated how institutions told him what he could do so he unintentionally created one that has copied what he hates]

Heart Of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, 1991 [A truly wild ride, tells you everything you need to know about Coppola]

Italianamerican, 1974 [While a new documentary about Scorsese is probably what I covet most, he’s a pretty open book about his controversies and he’d probably enjoy talking about other people’s work more than his own-catholicism’s a helluva thing]

The Godfather Pt. I & The Godfather Pt. II, Coppola 1972 & 1974

I don’t know if I necessarily endorse watching both of these back-to-back; I guess I’m glad I did it, even if the motivation was mainly to just see if I could. Obviously these movies are important and good and are about so much more than just gangsters and thugs, but a lot of the time it just feels like eating vegetables for me. I did not grow up in a household that emphasized the importance of The Godfather so maybe that’s part of it, but I’m definitely not as dismissive of these as I used to be (though part of that could be the mental Stockholm Syndrome Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey have given me). Once I finished Pt. I, I felt like I could re-watch it; once I finished Pt. II I felt like my eyes were melting out of my head and onto my hands (this could be because I had just watched 377 minutes of a story). I will probably never do it again, unless it’s the weekend after Christmas and AMC is just going for it-at least then I’ll have intermissions every 20 or so minutes telling me to go shop at Target.

[sleepykittypaws]

Best and Worst of 2019

With Christmas content increasing exponentially year over year (e.g. 84 new made-for-TV movies on cable/Netflix in 2018 vs 121 this season), it seems like we’ll never run out of holiday viewing to rate and review.

2019 saw a staggering 171 new movies debut on broadcast, cable, streaming or VOD, with 15-20 more theatrical releases, plus dozens of series and specials. There were so many new movie options this season, I kept a real-time ranking, for the first time ever.

All told, well more than 350 new holiday-themed viewing options aired in 2019, with no end to the escalation in sight. No one could possibly even begin to tackle them all, but of the 50-plus new, or new-to-me, things I watched this season (starting, for the first time, way back in October), here’s what I felt made for the best and worst holiday viewing in 2019…

Best Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2019

This category was basically a dead heat between the well-made, and heart-tugging, Holiday for Heroes on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, the only Hallmark movie this season I can say I really enjoyed, and the Hilarie Burton vehicle A Christmas Wish, on Lifetime. In the end, I had more fun watching the latter, so I’m giving Wish the slight edge, but Heroes, as manipulative and predictable as it was, did make me cry at least three times, so it’s hard to quantify.

The dark horse here is Greyson Family Christmas from Bounce TV, a network I never even knew existed before watching this. Greyson was smart and sweet, and though I know it probably had half the budget of even a Hallmark or Lifetime cheapie, it was very well done, with a great cast. A sequel may be in the works, according to producers, so 🤞.

Lastly, whatever Lifetime does next season, they need to keep Emily Moss Wilson happy, because she produced my two favorite movies on the net, directing and co-writing both Wish and Christmas in Louisiana.

Top 10 made-for-TV Christmas Movies of 2019

A Christmas Wish, Lifetime

Holiday for Heroes, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Greyson Family Christmas, Bounce TV

Christmas in Louisiana, Lifetime

Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas, Freeform

Christmas Belles, BET

Holiday in the Wild, Netflix

Turkey Drop, Freeform

Twas the Chaos Before Christmas, BET

Sweet Mountain Christmas, Lifetime

Between Hallmark and Lifetime I managed to watch 14 of their 70 (!!) movies, 4 of which (3 Lifetime, 1 Hallmark) made my top 10. There was a much better return-on-investment for Freeform and BET, who produced only 3 and 4 new movies, respectively, but both had 2 that I felt ranked in that top group. Bounce only had 2 total, with 1 showing up here. 

All of that to say…Quantity often seems to come at the expense of quality, and I’m not talking about financial investment, since the budget for Bounce and BET movies is probably half that of Hallmark’s average, if not less. But regardless of overall budget, it seems the more movies a network makes, the less attention—in production, editing, script development, etc.—each can receive. I may have liked more on Lifetime (though I also watched more there), but I definitely think the toll of the numbers increase is showing on both Hallmark and Lifetime. 

One area where Lifetime, and every other channel for that matter, absolutely outshines Hallmark, is in diversity, both in front of and behind the camera. 

Best Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2019

The gorgeous 2D animation of the destined-to-be-a-classic Klaus just edges out the big-budget, superhero with holiday heart, action movie Shazam! at the top of my list, but there were more great, theatrical-quality Christmas movies out there to enjoy than ever before.

For instance, the West Viriginia-set indie, Feast of the Seven Fishes, was a made-on-a-shoestring, holiday delight, which will definitely get repeat viewings for us.

Klaus, Shazam! and Fishes were my three favorite, new holiday movies of the year, of any genre.  

Top 5 Theatrical Holiday Movies of 2019

Klaus, theatrical/Netflix

Shazam!, theatrical

Feast of the Seven Fishes, limited theatrical/VOD

Noelle, Disney+

Let It Snow, Netflix

And that list doesn’t even touch on movies that weren’t specifically Christmas-themed, but either prominently featured the holiday in key moments (what I call “stealth” Christmas movies), for example Hustlers, or that weren’t about Christmas, but had a holiday-appropriate, snowy vibe, like Disney+’s extraordinary adventure film Togo, or DreamWorks’ Abominable. All three of which would have ranked quite highly had I considered them.

Best Holiday Special of 2019

One in four Brits watched the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special on Christmas Day. That the latest chapter in the classic series, which last aired a decade ago, felt like such a seamless continuation of the story and characters after so long, is impressive, as was the actors’ ability to recapture that Barry Island vibe without missing a beat.

Though the rest of the series is also available on Hulu and Amazon Prime for Americans, it was Britbox that made this available to U.S. viewers the same day as in the U.K. Watching it inspired me to go back and binge the entire series, and I have to say I think it was even better the second time around. Watching the original series finale and then the 2019 special just minutes apart, I couldn’t help but notice how seamlessly the continuity held up. And, having recently seen the whole thing again, meant I picked up on some inside jokes and Easter Eggs in the special I’d missed the first time ‘round. I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of the Shipman-West and Jenkins-Smith families, but, if is the end, it were “lush,” as Stacey would say.

Honorable mention in this category goes to Netflix’s A Family Reunion Christmas. Wasn’t sure what to expect, having never seen the series it’s based on, but this was a a cute, kid-friendly lark my whole family enjoyed. Not to mention showing off how much more comedy Tia Mowry-Hardrict is capable of than she's allowed to show in her Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies.

A late breaking addition to this category is Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: Two Doors Down. It’s not so much what you’d call “good,” per se, but it is the cheese-y, feel-good, Queer-centric holiday romance featuring Dolly Parton singing Auld Lange Syne I think we all needed. 

Best Holiday Series of 2019

Even though though Fox seemed to have no faith in The Moodys (Christmas), burning it off over three non-consecutive  nights, I really enjoyed this American remake of the Austrian original, A Moody Christmas. (Update: Folks at Fox are at least teasing the idea of renewal.)

Fox marketing for this was so convoluted they couldn’t even seem to settle on a name. Was it The Moodys? Or The Moodys Christmas? Don’t ask the network, because they’re definitely not sure, even just based on their own graphics.

Despite all that, Dennis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins were awesome as the parents, and we laughed a lot at this series that also had plenty of heart. The action did feel rushed in a way the original, set over years, not days, did not, but both series are well worth watching, and you can find both seasons of the Oz original on Acorn.

Best Holiday Reality Series of 2019

Yep, there’s now so much holiday TV, that we have not only a “best series” category, but also a “best reality series” category. It’s bonkers! 

A word that also aptly describes Freeform’s deceptively simple Wrap Battle, a gift-wrapping reality show. Yeah, you not only heard that premise correctly, but it actually ended up being good. Plot twist! 

Fresh, fun and inventive, Wrap Battle had enough snark to be snappy, but not so much that it felt un-festive. Exquisitely cast—why, I ask the universe, isn’t Carson Kressley hosting absolutely everything?—this even inspired my 12-year-old to up his own gift-wrapping game. We were opening pleated and fanned presents all of December 25.

Best New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2019

I didn’t get to Lifetime’s 2018 acquisition, Christmas Perfection, now available on Hulu, last season, but if I had it would have easily challenged for, and likely even won, my best-of-2018. (Coincidentally, my selected favorite, Every Other Holiday, was another movie acquired by Lifetime. Whoever was picking these last year, really deserves a raise.)

Perfection’s story of a Christmas junkie transported into her idyll Christmas village was smartly written and great at poking holiday movie tropes, while still being an absolute delight of a Christmas movie in and of itself. So much more fun than this year’s A Christmas Movie Christmas.

Honorable mention in this category goes to the sweet, gentle 2018 animated feature, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which our entire family enjoyed on Christmas Eve. It’s a very different take than the 1966 special, with the Grinch more misunderstood than truly misanthrope, but it’s one of those sure to grow in popularity in coming seasons.

I also finally watched the 2011, Hallmark favorite-of-many Trading Christmas, and while it won’t enter my personal pantheon of made-for-TV favorites, it certainly highlights how different Hallmark has become in recent years. This G-rated movie actually allowed adults to act like, well, adults, which sounds basic, but is a pretty dramatic difference from what we see on the network today.

Best Holiday Network of 2019

If I could only have access to one content creator for the holiday season—my Desert Island Network—I’d have to pick Netflix, which has a large variety of both originals and classics, and is making some of the most interesting and high quality Christmas content out there. One of things I think is so smart about Netflix’s holiday strategy, is not only are they working to make something to please all types of Christmas fans (cheesy rom-coms, YA, animation, reality, sitcoms and serious foreign fare), but they also continue to release non-holiday stuff throughout November and December. Netflix, unlike others, seems to get that variety really is the spice of life. 

And, the streamer isn’t stopping anytime soon. Netflix already has a full slate of 2020 holiday delights lined up.

An honorable mention goes to Amazon Prime, which has limited original holiday options, but a deep, deep bench of classics, often not available anywhere else, which keep expanding each year. I wish some of these more esoteric options were easier to find on the Prime service, but if you’re willing to dig, there’s more available to watch then you’d find time for in 10 holidays. 

Well, that’s it for the season’s superlatives, now on to my more Grinch-worthy gripes…

Worst Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2019

Rarely have two such talented and sparkly actors, including personal favorite Ashley Williams, come together to make something as dull and nonsensical as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' Holiday Hearts. Even by Hallmark standards this was poorly plotted, badly decorated and with a set-up so stupid even preschoolers were rolling their eyes. Not to mention product placement so glaring, the Balsam Hill boxes were probably higher on the call sheet than poor Paul Campbell.

Not that the awfulness was confined to Hallmark. Netflix produced a real dud with Holiday Rush, made doubly disappointing because everyone involved—Romany Malco, Darlene Love, Deon Cole—are usually very good, plus this was the streamer’s first Black holiday film. Unfortunate failure, to say the least.

Only movies I actually watched all the way through are eligible for this “honor,” so we won’t even discuss the half dozen Hallmark and Lifetime titles I bailed on at the 15 or 20 minute mark, or knew not to even try to watch, but suffice to say it’s clear that the answer to the annual question of if we actually need 121 new Christmas romances a season is a resounding, ‘NO!’

Worst Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2019

If you’d told me in August that I’d be naming Last Christmas as my least-favorite theatrical holiday film of the season, I’d have called you a liar.

As it goes, I didn’t hate this Emilia Clarke-Henry Golding romance, and even  rated theatrical-ish movies Christmas Survival (Released in UK theaters last year as Surviving Christmas with the Relatives) and The Turkey Bowl (day and date limited theatrical and VOD release), well behind Last Christmas, but there was unquestionably no movie I was more disappointed in.

And, while it’s quite possible I could soften on this one with repeat holiday viewings (something that has certainly occurred before), there was no film I was more looking forward to more in 2019, yet I left feeling flat and spent the next few days mentally re-editing Last Christmas to make it all I think it could have been. 

I still adore these actors, particularly Golding and Emma Thompson, as well as director Paul Feig…Just really wish this had been the new holiday classic I’d hoped for, and still feel like it could have been. Last Christmas had all the elements right there, it just didn’t deploy them well. At all. 

Worst Holiday Special of 2019

Sadly, Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot has had more lows than highs, despite big budgets and great casts, but the Christmas-themed episode, A Traveler, released in April, is a shadow of the far-superior The Monsters are Due on Maple Street it attempts to invoke, making it my least favorite of the season.

That is, if you don’t count the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas which is dead boring and utterly unnecessary in every sense—but, since it isn’t yet technically available in the U.S. (though it’s very easy to find, in full, online), I didn’t think it should count. (That’s also why I didn’t officially review it; Though, if I had, it would have received no paws.)

Lastly, if I could have watched more than 10 minutes of the deeply uninteresting, somewhat unsettling and unrelentingly gaudy, Holiday with the Houghs, on NBC, it probably would have danced away with this category. (TL; DR: I disliked it a lot.)

Worst Holiday Series of 2019

I was really looking forward to Netflix’s Merry Happy Whatever. It had a great cast—I’m particularly partial to Dennis Quaid—and I’ve long loved the idea of a holiday-themed sitcom. But, even though it covered much of the same dysfunctional family ground as my favorite this season, The Moodys Christmas, Merry Happy never stopped feeling forced and lifeless. 

A big factor in that was the overwhelming, and never-not-intrusive, laugh track, which ruined whatever slight charm the series might have otherwise offered. The writing also really let down these talented actors, as the jokes were as pained as the canned laughter that followed them.

Worst Holiday Reality Series of 2019

Nickelodon’s Top Elf had the potential to be a holiday-themed Making It for the younger set, but just fell short on every level. Poorly executed and badly cast, this one was a DOA dud.

Speaking of Making It…NBC’s decision to burn off their second season of this charming crafting competition and call it holiday programming really seemed to sell short not only the series as a whole, but the concept, which would have been perfectly poised to pull off a season of holiday-themed challenges, a la ABC’s The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition, now in its 5th season. No idea why NBC can’t make something this delightful a ratings hit, but suspect it’s much more about the network, than the series itself.

Worst New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2019

I actually didn’t endure much awful content from yesteryear this season, perhaps because I didn’t find myself with much time to watch content past, thanks to so much new fare on offer.

But I can’t say I much enjoyed the 2006 BBC three-episode, holiday-themed series, The Worst Week of My Life Christmas (2006)—available, along with the show’s two other, non-holiday seasons, on Acorn. The first episode is kind of fun, but the the main character quickly runs the joke of his horrifically bad luck into the ground. His choices are never-not infuriating, plus he has so few redeeming personal qualities it’s hard to imagine why anyone would put up him for an instant, let alone a lifetime. 

The comedy is broad and slapstick and I quickly grew exhausted with both the character and the premise. Hate that Alison Steadman, so lively and fun on Gavin & Stacey, is stuck being the hapless, uptight matriarch here.

Worst Holiday Network of 2019

What’s the flip side of a Desert Island Network? A Demented Island Network, perhaps? Whatever you call it, the one channel I’d hate to be stuck with for the holiday season is now, hands down, the Hallmark Channel. Not only do I seemingly enjoy their new offerings less each year, the utter sameness of the content would drive me batty if I had to watch it non-stop. 

Every new offering on these channels I once really loved now seems so bland, boring and utterly the same I could easily have missed everything they offered in 2019 and been fine with it. It hasn’t always been this way, as there’s been plenty on Hallmark I’ve loved in the past, but the network’s tastes and mine have been diverging for a while now. And that’s without even discussing the channel’s ever more cringe-worthy and backwards politics. 

So, that wraps it up. Congratulations to us all on surviving another holiday viewing season. It sure doesn’t look like 2020 is likely to slow down when it comes to Christmas content, so we’ll see how much longer I can try to keep up, as I’ve been considering at least taking a few steps back from this hobby that’s somehow morphed into an unpaid side job.

 Whatever the New Year brings, here are cheers to you and yours in 2020.  

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #141 - The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

Spoilers below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: I don’t think it’s ever been shown in theaters, so no.

Format: DVD

1) The opening to this film (Flynn inside the pyramid then it turns out it’s just a class project) creates a nice juxtaposition between expectations and reality going into this film, especially when it comes to the establishment of Flynn Carsen.

Noah Wyle as Flynn is a really interesting character who is in a lot of ways a counter response to your typical male adventure hero. At the time of release (and an argument could be made for today as well) Flynn wasn’t different. He’s not Indiana Jones with brains and brawn to match. He’s not debonaire or smooth. He’s a giant NERD who is painfully awkward in social situations and is afraid of living his life. But he never comes off as pathetic or annoying or gripping, something I think can be attributed to Noah Wyle’s fine performance. This was one of Wyle’s first major efforts in comedy, having starred on “ER” for about ten years at the time of the film’s release. Wyle is able to perfectly capture Flynn’s nerdish and awkward qualities and a likable, fun, and interesting way. He also doesn’t make Flynn feel like a know-it-all jerk like Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t have much of an ego, he doesn’t seek knowledge to show off how smart he is. He truly is just interested in knowledge for the sake of knowledge, a bedrock which creates for a fun and unique character.

2) Wyle has a fun chemistry with Olympia Dukakis.

(GIF originally posted by @j2stwincestiel)

There is a bit of that awkward, “He still lives with his mother,” thing going on but there are nice moments between Wyle and Dukakis very early on which show you that their relationship is not unhealthy. This isn’t some bullshit Howard Wolowitz and his mom relationship from “The Big Bang Theory”. They actually love for each other, care for each other, and Dukakis as Mrs. Carsen is supportive and caring towards her kid. It’s a nice relationship we get a small peek into.

3) The whole idea of the Metropolitan Public Library in New York sending out this letter looking for it’s next Librarian is something I like a lot. It gives the whole world of The Librarian sort of an extra bit of mythology, a Harry Potter vibe if you will.

4) Jane Curtin!

Jane Curtin isn’t in the film much but she is able to create a memorable character from the moment we meet her as Charlene. A bit of a tight wad who takes her job seriously, Curtin is also able to bring some extra X quality to Charlene. Maybe it’s just me, but by watching her you sort of just KNOW there’s this extra warmth hidden under the surface. Curtin does a nice job in the movie.

5) I love this, and not for reasons I usually do.

Charlene: Tell me something you know that nobody else who has walked in here could tell me.

[Beat.]

Flynn: You have mononucleosis. Your marriage broke up two months ago. You broke your nose when you were four, and you live with three cats. Is that what you had in mind? Swollen parajugular lymph nodes and distended eyelids are clearly mono. It takes three months for an indentation on the ring finger to completely disappear. Yours is two-thirds gone. Your plastic surgeon gave you a terminus paralateral scar, which is given to children under the age of six, and I can clearly see three distinct types of cat hair. A white Himalayan, a tortoiseshell, and an orange striped tabby.

Usually when a character whips this out it’s because they want to show off how smart they are, but not Flynn. There’s no ego in his analysis in Charlene, he didn’t sit down and say some bullshit like, “Oh, how’s your divorce going?” just to show off his smarts. No, he only did it when he was asked and clearly isn’t gloating in it. He’s just doing what she asked of him: telling her something he knows no one else could have told her.

6) FYI - just like Flynn - I would lose my mind in The Library!

When I was a kid I was big into myths and conspiracies. Indiana Jones, National Treasure, those things were my bread and butter. The Library would have my going NUTS!

7) Bob Newhart as Judson

Bob Newhart is a comedy legend and I have never once seen him be bad in anything, and The Librarian is no exception. He’s able to play Judson with such subtlety and heart while still making some of the film’s best jokes, it is absolutely wonderful. He would be nominated for playing this role in the third Librarian film, but he’s just as good here. Newhart brings an extra level of heart and humor to the film that helps make it as good as it is.

8) Some of the jokes in this film just have me floored.

(GIFs originally posted by @flynnscarnation)

9) I think the fact that this film decided to personify Excalibur (and in later installments give it even more personality) was a smart decision. It not only give The Library an extra flair of magic but also another unique character to add to its halls in addition to Judson and Charlene.

10) I think the entire idea behind the villain of this film being a former Librarian is a good way to kick off the series. It shows just how corrupting/tempting this power can be (an idea later seen in depth in Return to King Solomon’s Mines) and also what can happen to Flynn if he’s not careful. Contrarily, however, it creates a nice juxtaposition between Kyle MacLachlan’s Wilde (who is very much your typical tough guy/fine-as-hell action hero turned villain) and Wyle’s nerdy Flynn.

11)

Charlene [after the bad guys come and steal something]: “They knew about the fail safe.”

But they DIDN’T know about the security cameras?

12) Honestly if I were ever in an action/adventure movie situation, I’d probably be Flynn.

Flynn: “The fate of the world is in my hands? That is just so...sad”

13) Ugh, femme fatale intros. The moment when a female character walks on screen in slow motion with saxophone music or something playing behind her while the male lead ogles her. A clear indication that this is more of a trope than a character.

14) However I will say, despite that introduction, Nicole Noone ends up being a pretty interesting character. I personally don’t think it makes sense that she sleeps with Flynn after having her heart broken so recently by the (supposed) death (and eventual betrayal) of her last love, but on her own she is fairly well written. Tough as nails, we understand her sense of humor, what makes her tick, her sense of loyalty, what gets her to smile, what gets her to cry, we get a pretty nice peek into who she is as a character. It’s a shame the franchise would lose Sonya Walger (although I do like the female characters in the proceeding films) as she does a pretty great job in this movie, but I’m glad we got her here.

15) While this film does work against some established tropes with action/adventure characters, it unfortunately does fall into, “Super attractive woman falls in love with someone she disdains at first AFTER we make clear just how HOT she is.”

Nicole [to Flynn]: “I’m WAY out of your league. WAY out. If your league were to explode I wouldn’t see it for days.”

It does establish Flynn’s reasoning for calling her egotistical throughout the early parts of their relationship, but still. It would be so refreshing to me - personally - if we had a movie where two characters like this formed a deep friendship instead of a romance. Not that it ruins the film by any means. It just reminds me of tropes I am bored with in cinema in general.

16) I love the running gag of Kelly Hu’s Lana seeing Flynn as this brilliant Librarian and having a massive crush on him.

Rhodes [Wilde’s thug]: “That’s the Librarian?”

Lana: “Don’t underestimate him.”

Lana [after Nicole pushes Flynn out of a plan with no parachute]: “He brilliantly lowers our expectations then dives without a ‘chute! Remarkable!”

Kelly Hu is great in general but this running gag just makes me chuckle every time.

17) The reason I say I’m Flynn is not because of his brains or anything, but because of how he reacts to what’s going on around him.

Flynn [after Nicole pulls out a sword]: “How did you get that on the airplane?”

18) We don’t get much of a peek into the relationship between Flynn and his late father in this film. That’s coming up in the sequel.

Flynn: “My mother said my father was a dreamer...”

19) While I do greatly enjoy this film, I think it misses some opportunities to increase how fun and adventurous is. This is an observation I’ve made mainly through comparison with the film’s two sequels (which were directed be someone else than this film), but still. An example of this is the scene where Flynn and Nicole make their way across the rotted bridge in the Amazon. I personally feel that with some faster pacing in moments and the addition of music it could have been a lot more fun, a lot more adventurous, but that’s just me.

20) Flynn and Nicole do have fun chemistry, more when they’re bantering than anything else. But Flynn is also shown to understand Nicole, despite her claims to the contrary. There’s not only a whole scene where he tells her what he’s noticed about her character, but also fun lines like this:

Flynn: “Why are you smiling? I don’t like it when you smile. It means you’re about to do something dangerous.”

21) I will say, any issues I have with the bridge scene, those issues do NOT apply to the temple waltz scene. The fact that the only way Flynn and Nicole can only get through the booby traps by doing a waltz is just so fun and well paced, while also providing some nice character interaction between the two. I love how Nicole leads in the dance and how she dips Flynn. It’s just a lot of fun, and that’s when this movie is at its best. When it’s having fun!

22) Lana is so turned on by Flynn just speaking a dead language, I love it!

23) Another moment I find sort of weaker in the film is when Flynn falls off the mountain on the way to Shangri La and Nicole has to save him. It sort of just happens, I feel. Its over and done with out of nowhere with little tension. It doesn’t feel real, if that makes sense. But again, maybe that’s just me.

24) Are we not going to address the fact that these supposedly peaceful monks just start fighting out of nowhere? Do they train in fighting? Did they ever have to use their fighting skills before today? I must know!!!!

25) Okay, in this moment I’m Judson.

Flynn [upon learning a former professor is evil]: “I should’ve known he was evil. He gave me an A-.”

Judson:

26) Bob Newhart gets a fight scene! Bob Newhart has a fight scene! Bob Newhart has officially done everything! Well...probably not. But still! Fight scene!

27) I like how Flynn is able to outsmart Wilde into causing the pyramid to crash down on him instead of taking him on in a straight fist fight. It is a perfect illustration as to how Flynn isn’t your typical action/adventure hero.

28) I would love to see the whole “Time Traveling Ninjas going after HG Welles time machine” adventure this film ends on. Maybe not as a full movie, but in some format that’d be fun.

While I do prefer the sequels to the original, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is an exemplary start for the franchise. The unique mythology is established in a fun way, Wyle excels as Flynn Carsen, Newhart and Curtin give A grade performances which will continue throughout the series, and we just are taken on a fun adventure for about 100 minutes. Because that’s what this movie is: fun. If you’re looking for something a little more off the beaten path than Indiana Jones or National Treasure, this film is a worthy substitute.

[savetopnow]

2018-03-13 04 TV now

TV

Cord Cutters

How to stream March Madness live on your Roku devices (2018)

Xfinity offers streaming TV to internet customers in a nod to cord cutters

ATSC 3.0: The Next Generation OTA TV Launches in Late 2018

Do any of the streaming tv services allow for disabling or hide certain channels?

No internet at my new home and trying to get the best OTA set up for TV

Netflix Best Of

[NOR] Annihilation (2018) - a mysterious alien event on earth is investigated by a team of scientists

[US] Batman (1966): Adam West's iconic take on the Caped Crusader takes on the big screen. Takes campy to a whole new level.

[Request] Shows like Outlander on NetflixUSA

[UK] Green Wing (2004) - An offbeat comedy from the team behind 'Smack the Pony', set in a hospital, and is very much character-based, with storylines involving a staff liasion officer who hates people, a humourless consultant who thinks he's funny, and a handful of sexual predators and inadequates

[US] Wind River (2016) - A wildlife tracker and a rookie FBI agent hunt for a teen girl's killer on an Indian reservation in Wyoming - Excellent movie, but very heavy

Reddit Television

The Grand Tour might be cancelled by Amazon after the third season

The Americans - Season 6: Official Trailer | FX

Mueller on The Bachelor. SNL captures true disappointment

Doyle: Netflix’s Jessica Jones is back and it’s still a fierce thriller

Why aren't networks releasing better/longer recaps for past seasons? It would really improve the experience of watching current seasons.

TV & Jelly

The Bachelor Week 5: Glitter

The Bachelor Week 4: I’ll be that voice of reason and voice of reality

The Bachelor: Week 3 WHY AM I DOING THIS

The Bachelor Week 2: My Patience Has Been Trialed

The Bachelor Week 1: Salt and Pepper

TV Guide

Code Black Is Returning Earlier Than Expected

Ellen Pompeo Is Not Here For Grey's Anatomy Fans Slamming the Recent Departures

Netflix's Heartwarming Teen Sitcom Alexa & Katie Will Probably Make You Cry

Chicago Fire Mega Buzz: Is Stellaride Getting Back Together?

Dancing with the Stars All-Athletes Cycle Will See a Major Shake-Up

TV Is My Pacifier

Monday on TV – 3/12/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 3/12/18

Sunday on TV – 3/11/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 3/11/18

This Week on TV – 3/11/18-3/17/18

TV Line

Jane the Virgin: Gina Rodriguez Alludes to the Show Ending With Season 5

TVLine Items: Anna Paquin Is Pop's Flack, BET Casts Whitney and More

Robin Tunney Nabs Lead Role in ABC's Marcia Clark-EP'd Drama Pilot The Fix

Exorcist on the Bubble: Keep or Cut?

Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams Reacts to 2 Big Departures: 'It F---ing Sucks'

The TV Addict

DECEPTION: An Illusionist Fights Crime in ABC’s New Series

On TV Tonight: Sunday, March 11, 2018

Daily Binge: Your Daily Dose of TV News You Need to Know (Friday March 9, 2018)

The CW Teasers: SUPERNATURAL Goes Scooby Doo, Nyssa Al Ghul Returns to ARROW and More

Daily Binge: Your Daily Dose of TV News You Need to Know (Thursday March 8, 2018)

[asfeedin]

Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 05-01-2020

HAPPY FRIDAY and… It’s MAY!!!!! Today’s Friday Finds today provides is another batch of awesome sounding books to choose from  and book news to squee about!!!

NEWS!!! So much awesome news!!!

1.) Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT SOON & maybe it’s about our long awaited “Midnight Sun”? OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember when I was so obsessed with this series (it’s what re-started my love of CONSTANT reading and… my blog!!) And I read what was available of this (loved it so hard) and felt like CRYING when I realized it wasn’t coming out. AND NOW…. it is?!!??!!!!!! P.S. Here’s a blast from my blog past about this: When I first read Twilight… a look into the start of my book obsession (and THIS blog).

OMG IT’S TRUE!!!!!  When you click on “Midnight Sun” on my blog post reading order (that linked to what Stephenie Meyer had up on her website for it) it NOW goes to a countdown!!!!! *thud*

2.) Jewel E Ann news (“Fortuity” Transcend book #3!!) <— OMG YOU GUYS!!!! I THINK this is book #3 in the Transcend duet (coming out in June!!!) YES IT IS & I want to say THANK YOU to the author for this!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG I LOVED THAT DUET like crazy!!!!!!!! Now it’s a trilogy? Our book crew lost our minds over this duet!! And I 5-starred both books!!! P.S. Book #3 “Fortuity”, is going live JUNE 1st 2020 (so do NOT read #3’s synopsis until you’ve read #1 & #2. <—Trust me on this). !!!! So this is now… a trilogy. P.P.S. Book Review – Transcend – 5 stars & Book Review – Epoch (The Transcend Duet Book 2) – 5 stars

3.) M. Robinson “El Diablo” #2!!! <— DARK READ ALERT + BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!! Guess what has just been announced?? Book #2 is up for preorder my friends!!! And each one can be read as a standalone.  P.S. Many in our crew went CRAZY for book #1!!

Samatha: I’m so excited for this!!!! My heart is exploding with happiness!! 

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND FOR THE WEEKEND  !!

And…

Artful Lies (The Hunt Legacy Duology Book 1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas <— LIVE!! JODI ELLEN MALPAS ALERT!! “...When aspiring antiques dealer Eleanor Cole is handed the chance of a lifetime to work for the Hunt Corporation, the renowned antiques dealers, she doesn’t think twice. Only to discover she’ll be working up close and personal with the notorious and insanely irresistible Becker Hunt. He is a man famous for getting what he wants, and Becker wants Eleanor. But as Becker pulls her deeper into his world, she discovers there’s more to him than meets the eye...”

The King and the Quirky by Heather Siegel

#RedTeam Attack: A techno thriller (Darknet series Book 2) by SJ Grey

Truth Game: Ocean Bay #3 by Chloe Walsh

Socially Distanced: A Quarantine Novella by Shay Savage <— LIVE!! QUARANTINE RECENT RELEASE!! “…Locked away in an isolation facility in Atlanta, Sean exists but doesn’t really live in his silent, bleak environment. When Kendra moves into the quarantine pod next door, Sean finds meaning in his life again. Separated by a wall, they can only communicate across a balcony, and she helps him find some creative ways to relieve the tension and monotony. Together, they’ll find a new normal...”

Immortal Divorce Court Volume 1: My Ex-Wife Said Go to Hell by Kirk Zurosky

Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn <— COMEDY ROMANCE!! Laurie LOVED IT!

Laurie: I just finished Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn. Lots of flirty texting with the perfect touch of comedy.

Insta Lovers: A Collection of Steamy Novellas by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman <— LIVE!! FIVE STEAMY INSTA-LOVE NOVELLAS!!! “…If instalove is your jam, then welcome to the party. Five steamy-novellas that will melt your panties and your heart.  Each book contains an alpha hero, a heart-warming heroine and a happily ever after that will leave you deeply satisfied...”

J.L. Beck: Insta Lovers by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman …We would love to do a $25 amazon gift card.

Maryse: YAY!!! So here it is everyone!! They are sponsoring today’s newsletter and celebrating with a giveaway, so don’t forget to check out this latest release and to leave a comment on the giveaway post. It’s open to INTERNATIONAL! ➔ J.L. Beck & C. Hallman’s “Insta Lovers” is LIVE and they’re giving away a $25 gift card!

Becky: I am also obsessed with Alyson Santos. I’m reading Falling North right now. …Love those angsty rocker books.

Kathy: Samantha Christy has a new book out today and it is the start of a rock star series. It is called Reckless Obsession. I loved her Perfect Game Series which was about baseball.

The Devil: A Paranormal Vampire Romance Novel (Devil Series Book 4) by Raven Steele

Dance For Me: Club Avalon Book 1 by Kay Elle Parker

Almost Never by Melissa Toppen <— LIVE!! UNREQUITED LOVE ALERT!! “…Alec didn’t notice me. At least not in the way that I wanted him to. He noticed my best friend instead. I stood by and watched their relationship blossom. An outsider looking in, wishing things were different.  Torn between my loyalty to my best friend and the boy who had unknowingly stolen my heart. Weighted by feelings I could never express out loud, I wrote them all down. Every thought. Every feeling. I poured them all into a letter. A letter he was never meant to read…”

After Sundown by Linda Howard <— Kathy is enjoying this one!!

Kathy: I’m reading Linda Howard’s After Sundown and enjoying it so far. I have never read any of her books. It is about a catastrophic solar storm that takes down the power grid. Fitting right now as the town has to survive with limited resources.

Maryse: Oooooh I love books and movies about stuff like that. Not that I ever want to live that… (but this books always fascinated me). And yes right now, it’s fitting.

Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan <— RECLUSIVE HERO ALERT!! OMG ONE OF MY 5-STAR FAVORITES IS SUPER-BARGAIN priced right now!!!  THIS IS A MUST READ!!

Diana: Ahhh, one of my many favs.

Heather: One of my favorites! I always recommend this one when I’m asked for a book recommendation

Nancy: I loved this book & another I found through your recommendation.

Niki: Read this book already and it was darn good

My Midnight Moonlight Valentine (Vampire’s Romance) by J.J. McAvoy <— LIVE!! J.J. McAVOY ALERT!! VAMPIRE THINKS SHE’S HIS SOULMATE… “…Druella Monroe is a vampire, but she hasn’t been one for long. Ever since her rebirth a year ago, she’s done her best to live a quiet, peaceful life as an art conservator and restorationist at The National Gallery of Art. All she wants is to blend in with the humans. However that all gets thrown out the window one night while hunting in Great Falls Park, where Druella comes across a naked vampire with no memory of how he got there, or the last century for that matter. All he seems to be sure of is that she is his soulmate…and he won’t leave without her…”

Zack (Carolina Cold Fury Hockey #3) by Sawyer Bennett <— HOCKEY STAR ROMANCE & one of Mony’s favorites!

Mony: One of my favourites is part to this series. Zack (Cold Fury Hockey #3) by Sawyer Bennett was fantastic. 5-star read…one of my top sport romances.

Harvest of Sighs (Thornchapel Book 3) by Sierra Simone <— LIVE!! SIERRA SIMONE ALERT!! “…Delphine Dansey carries her heart on the outside of her body; she’s looking for love and chasing dreams. She’s spoiled and selfish, the kind of beautiful that’s made for money and fame. But somehow she’s ended up in my keeping: a pretty submissive I can’t seem to resist, a lover who obsesses and tempts me. I thought I’d locked my heart away a long time ago, along with all my other weaknesses. But some doors won’t stay closed, no matter how hard I fight to keep them shut. She unravels me, just like our friends are unraveling…”

So That Got Weird by Amelia Kingston <— BACK ON THE LIST ’cause Shara loved it too!

Shara: Just finished “So that got weird” by Amelia Kingston. She’s a new author to me and I really enjoyed the book! Completely recommend.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer <— WE LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH so when the big news was hinted at for Stephenie Meyer, many were hoping it might be for more of this! Not that it NEEDS a sequel (it reads well as a standalone but… we loved it so much, how could we not want more?)

Meredith: Don’t get me wrong because I loved Twilight but I would much rather have a sequel to The Host. The first time I read it it, I closed the book, hugged it to my chest and tried to figure out what to do next….which was to immediately start rereading it.  I still get the same feeling every time I read it now, I 100% don’t want it to be over.

Taylor: Meredith, I was literally here to say this. I WANT A HOST SEQUEL

Bonnie: Meredith, by far her best book. There’s so much potential there, even if the sequel was a totally different group in the same universe.

Maryse: OMG I CRIED AND CRIED during the Host. One of my favorite books ever!!!!!!! I even had to stop in the middle – watched a funny movie – and when I picked it back up, I immediately started sobbing again.

Erin: Meredith, saaaame. The Host was great.

Viola: I agree. …I would rather have more of the Host. I have read that book too many times to count. Just love it.

Meredith: Viola, I’ve read it so many times, I own the hardcover (which I actually bought after borrowing it from a friend for my first 2 read through a and needed my own copy), the paperback (which had the extra scene) AND the kindle (because I wanted to read it and didn’t have either physical version on hand).

Viola: Meredith, yep brilliant.

Heather: I love The Twilight Saga but I have yet to read The Host.

Meredith: Heather, OMG GO READ IT!!!! You will not be sorry. Maryse linked her review up above and it’s spot on. It does start slow but it’s like a slow burn love story. Takes a minute to get there but once you are it’s perfection. I remember I had raved about to both my sisters and when they were reading it they both texted being like when does this pick up. I told both to just keep going and when they got to the end they understood why I loved it so much. I promise you won’t be disappointed!!

Jessica: Meredith, yes! I was thinking this as I read the post! I need a Host sequel!!

AUDIOBOOK LVERS!

Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes 1 free audiobook + 2 audible originals)

AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!

➔➔ Audible now has an “Escape” package membership (30 day free trial) – used to be called the “Romance” package <— this one is SO cool, and worth it (unlimited listening for all of the audiobooks in the program, and there are tons – kind of like Kindle Unlimited)!!

and…

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier <— PSYCH-THRILLER & SHIRLEY LOVED IT!!

Shirley: Little Secrets was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! Highly recommend on audio…the narrator was terrific. SO many twists and turns, I could never guess what was going to happen next! This will definitely be one of my fav’s for 2020! Maryse, you have to read/listen to this. 5++++ stars!

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! )

  ➔➔➔  Get Maryse’s Book Blog updates delivered by email (you’ll get one daily email that will have each post from that day consolidated on it).

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Tags: 05012020, Finds, Friday, Reader, RECOMMENDATIONS

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[mattsammonsez]

Free Advice Friday: Book It

Several days ago, I saw a Twitter post from Madison Koekkoek, social media maven for Hockey Canada: 

I responded the best I could with 280 characters. Allow me to expound on my advice inspired by her question... take a look, it’s in a book...

Madison is absolutely correct in that people who work in all forms of sports media (broadcast, social, print, etc.) work odd hours to put it nicely. If you’re in “the business” you already know how it is-- long days, seven days a week, including holidays. At the end of a long day, you still probably are bursting with energy and adrenaline and you have to come down so you get a little sleep. And it’s not just at the end of game night, but even off nights or those rare full days off in between where you just need to unplug from work and in some cases completely from sports. So what do you do?

My suggestion is a simple one, and one I highly recommend-- read a book. And when I say read a book, I mean an honest-to-God physical book that you have to turn the pages on. Nothing against a Kindle or a book on your phone, and nothing against an audio book, but if you truly want to physically and mentally unwind you need the printed word. Studies have shown that usage of electronic devices such as your mobile phone can affect your sleep patterns, so if you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep why mess it up with staring at your phone for an hour reading?

Find a quiet room, dim the lights a little (or use a dark lamp shade on a night table lamp), and just relax. We know how reading stimulates the brain in beneficial ways, but by being in a quiet soft-lit room with no other distractions (TURN OFF THAT TV!) you can unwind and still feed your brain at the same time. If you’re reading before you go to bed, make sure you actually stick to your bed time so you get ample sleep. That’s sometimes easier said than done if you’re reading a really good book, but do your best to not lose sleep because you wanted to read one more chapter. And taking 20 or 30 minutes to read during the day time, during a lunch break or maybe that train or bus ride in to work, can help you disconnect from all the noise around you as well as all of the “noise” you find in social media and online.

Read what really piques your interest, whether that’s fiction or comedy or biographies. If the general topic interests you, if you pick the book up off the shelf and thumb through it, chances are it’ll grab your interest when you read it cover to cover. For me, I like reading books about sports and biographical/autobiographical works. Sometimes they’re sports biographies, but I always do my best to alternate between the sports books and non-sports (often political/historical) just to expand my learning a bit. It’s amazing what you can learn from topics or people you thought you knew, and you can do it too in a relaxing setting.

Here are some quick tips on where to find these books and not drain your bank account, and more importantly what to do with them when you’re done reading them.

Borrow from your local public library: Gee this seems too easy, doesn’t it? Chances are you were checking out books from the library when you were 5 years old. But in a digital and mobile world, we often forget that the library is right there in your neighborhood. And from a practical sense, since your taxes are paying to fund the library, you might as well use it! Of course if you’re borrowing from the library, you need to be reading almost every night since the items do need to come back in 2-3 weeks (without an extension). Or better yet...

BUY from your local public library: Many libraries accept book donations, and turn them around for sale at incredibly reduced prices. Some of the most entertaining books I’ve read have come from my local library, and for the mere cost of a $1 donation. This includes some books that were released 30 or 40 years ago, and many that have since gone out of print.

There’s always a sale at Amazon: Or other online outlets, you can find many popular titles for a low price any time. I recently saw a book about prohibition in a museum gift shop for $21. I took note of the title, searched online, and found a used copy for under $4. It was a practically new book, and it now sits in my queue to read (after the next sports book, of course). And it never hurts to browse the clearance shelves at Barnes & Noble, where titles that have been out for a couple of years are often marked down to $6-$10 a piece, a far cry from the normal $30-$40 you would pay for these books as new releases.

When you’re done reading the book, share it with others: This is a habit I got in to a couple of years ago with my Twitter followers. After reading a book, I take a picture of the cover, and share it on my timeline with my thoughts about it. Sometimes you get some interesting (mostly positive) feedback on the subject from your followers, and you never know when you will inspire someone to pick up the same book. 

The books you’re not keeping, SHARE with others through donations: Keep giving the gift of reading, especially if you’re taking advantage of discount books from library book stores or retail discount shelves. If there’s a book you’ve read that you don’t want to keep on your bookshelf, donate it to your local library so they can sell it back for additional revenue. If you have a free library in your neighborhood, like we do, donate appropriate books to that. And if you have books appropriate for children to read, inquire if you can donate them to a local school or reading program. 

So unwind from your sports job, whether it’s right after the game or during that rare “day off” in between games, and enjoy a good physical turn-the-page book. And more importantly, share what you’ve read either by word of mouth, or by passing along that physical book to someone else.

Visit SammonSez.com for more guidance in your broadcasting or content creation career, including advice on those things away from the sports arena that you need to include in your life.

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

    Suzanne Craig-Whytock

is a writer from Ontario, Canada. Her first two novels, Smile and The Dome are published by Bookland Press (www.booklandpress.com). Her short fiction has appeared in Slippage Lit and is upcoming in XRAY Literary Magazine. She also writes poetry, and funny/weird things on her website mydangblog (http://educationalmentorship.com).

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write?

I’ve been writing in a variety of genres for as long as I can remember. I wrote my first poem at the age of eight and wrote poetry and short stories all through my teen years and twenties. When I was teaching, I ran my school’s Creative Writing Club, and that’s where I wrote the character piece that became the first chapter in my first novel. I’ve been writing Young Adult novels for the last 10 years; my first novel Smile was published in 2017, and my new novel The Dome will be out this coming October. I’ve had a couple of short stories published in the last little while, which is very nice, although I’ve had way more rejection notices than I’ve had acceptances! I also have a blog where I post humorous essays—people who are familiar with my blog are usually surprised at how dark some of my other writing is! Lately, I’ve gone back to poetry, and I’ve submitted a few pieces here and there, so we’ll see what happens.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I don’t remember a lot about poetry until grade 12. For some reason, my English teacher decided to have us study T.S. Eliot, and the second I read “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, I was hooked. I think that was the moment I decided to pursue an English degree and become an English teacher myself. I was lucky enough to be able to introduce Eliot to my own senior International Baccalaureate students, and the first time I read Prufrock to them out loud, I teared up at the end. So I’d have to say it was T.S. Eliot who really introduced me to poetry.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Very. I did my English degree over 35 years ago, and the majority of the courses I took focused on poets before the middle of the 20th century. My particular favourites were the Imagists, although I adored Tennyson and Dickinson. In terms of modern poets, Lorna Crozier, a Canadian writer, is probably my favourite, and I love Pablo Neruda.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I don’t have a ‘daily routine’ since I currently work full-time. I find it hard to squeeze in solid writing time—I’m the kind of writer who needs several free hours in order to focus. I set aside two hours every Saturday morning to write something for my blog, which I post on Sunday morning. Other than that, I usually wait until I have some vacation time, then hammer out several chapters. For my second novel, I had every other Friday off work, so that was my writing day, and I would make notes and capture ideas until I was able to sit down on Friday morning and just write. Unfortunately, I don’t have those days anymore, so I’ll be doing some serious “power-writing” on my August vacation!

5. What motivates you to write?

The sheer joy of doing it. I’ve always loved writing—I sometimes wake up at 3 in the morning with an idea and put it down before I forget it. The creative process is very important to my mental well-being, and when I’m not writing, I’m painting or restoring furniture or doing something ‘craft-y’.

6. What is your work ethic?

I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I really enjoy the editing process. I do a lot of editing in my daily job as well, so it’s become kind of second nature to me to keep going back to my own work until I’m happy with it. But as we all know, you can revisit a piece a hundred times and still see something you want to change, so at a certain point, I have to just let it be.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I read a lot of absurdist literature when I was younger and loved absurd comedy like Monty Python; I think that gets channelled through my humorous writing. As a poet, I’m still influenced by the Imagists and most of my poetry is short and impactful, at least I hope it is. In terms of my novels, the first one is a ‘coming of age’ story that developed out of a love of things like Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and other writers I read when I was young who focused on characters with issues that had to be solved. However, my second novel takes place in a futuristic dystopian Toronto landscape, and it’s more heavily plot-oriented, more influenced by fantasy novels I read as a teenager as well as current issues like climate change. When I was in university, I studied Magic Realism, which had a huge influence on my writing—most of my short stories have that quality to them.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

David Mitchell is one of my favourite authors, along with Neil Gaiman. For short stories, I adore Stephen King, and Annie Proulx’s first short story collection Heartsongs is something I go back to again and again. Basically, I love writers with strange imaginations like mine! For Young Adult fiction, I really admire Pierce Brown—his Red Rising series is incredible.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

Because I love to do it, and a lot of what I write is for other people; for example, I write my blog to make other people laugh. I always say that if I can tap into other people’s emotions and put a smile on someone’s face or make them cry (in a good way, of course!), then I’ve done my job. But in terms of “as opposed to doing anything else”, I think that writing is the creative outlet I need sometimes. Other times it’s doing something else.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

You become a writer by writing. Becoming a good writer—that’s a different matter. I think to be a good writer, you need to read a lot in order to understand the nuances of language. But you also need to be a good self-editor so that what you’re putting out is ‘audience-ready’. As I said, I do a lot of editing in my current work, but I’ve edited for other writers as well as for textbooks and on-line courses, so I know how people feel when it seems the writer hasn’t put much energy into making things clear and understandable. Also, I’m a very visual person (I also have a degree in Film Studies), and I tend to play out scenes in my head over and over, experimenting with the dialogue, facial expressions, plot and setting details first before I put anything down on paper, so I think you need to be able to describe things in a way that engages other people and makes them see and feel it too.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

I’m currently working on my third novel The Seventh Devil— here’s the epigraph:

There’s the devil you know and the devil you don’t, The devil you’ll meet and the devil you won’t, A devil that’s tall and a devil that’s small, And a devil that’s human after all.

It’s about a young woman named Verity Darkwood and her mentor Gareth, who travel across Canada in an old pickup truck and camper van, exorcising ghosts and demons for people who’ve answered their ad in The Echo: An On-line Journal for Lovers of the Macabre, Editor Horace Greeley III. All the while Verity continues the search for her younger sister, who disappeared when Verity was 16, but her biggest challenge is avoiding the mysterious Seventh Devil. I have the whole plot sketched out but I’m only 4 chapters in at this point, and waiting until I’m on vacation to write the next set. My latest novel The Dome will be released on October 15th, although it’s available for pre-order right now at all the major outlets like Amazon and Indigo—I’m looking forward to the book launch and the subsequent promotional work that follows. I’ve been writing poems here and there so I’m working on putting them together in more of a collection. And of course, there’s mydangblog—I’m always working on that!

On Writing Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Suzanne Craig-Whytock Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

[recentnews18-blog]

New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/forever-review-quasi-comedy-is-strange-surprising-and-sometimes-funny/

'Forever' Review: Quasi-comedy Is Strange, Surprising and Sometimes Funny

Amazon’s new series Forever, which debuts Friday, has been as shrouded in mystery as anything in recent Peak TV memory. For a long time, it was simply referred to as “Untitled Fred Armisen/Maya Rudolph comedy series,” and the identities of those stars and co-creators Alan Yang (Master of None) and Matt Hubbard (30 Rock) were about all anyone knew. Even the final title and the trailer gave away little, and when screeners of the whole eight-episode season arrived, they were accompanied by one of the more thorough lists I’ve ever read of things the creators would rather viewers not know ahead of time. I’m talking things that happen in the very first episode, and even the very premise of the show.

If I want to play along with Yang and Hubbard’s request — and the surprise of what’s happening is, in fact, one of the stronger aspects of the series — it makes actually reviewing Forever tricky bordering on impossible. Here is what I can comfortably say:

1. Rudolph and Armisen play a couple who have seemingly been going through the motions forever. The series opens with a lovely montage of how Rudolph’s June and Armisen’s Oscar met and fell in love, scored to Miles Davis’ “It Never Entered My Mind.” Soon, though, all the things that were surprising and delightful about one another become routine, at least for her, and by the time the series proper begins, she is desperate for anything to shake up their marriage.

What happens as a result of that desire takes the show to some very strange places, tonally and geographically. But no matter where we are, the show is always primarily about the question of what happens when you commit to spend your life with another person, and how hard it is to keep finding joy in the incredibly familiar, day after day, year after year.

2. Rudolph is better suited for the material than Armisen. The two stars worked together for years on SNL, and it’s easy early on to buy into their rapport. But where both have plenty of history playing larger-than-life comic figures, she’s also terrific at playing understated real human beings, where that never plays to his strengths. When Armisen is playing a normal guy, there’s always something off and slightly alien in his performance, as if the normality is just the set-up for some surreal Portlandia punchline. He’s almost too convincing as a man whose wife grows tired of being around, and a lot of the story’s later emotional twists and turns require Oscar to feel realer and more sympathetic than Armisen’s performance allows him to be. It’s a problem.

June and Oscar’s relationship toggles back and forth between elaborate banter and awkward small talk, just as Forever itself shifts between kitchen-sink realism and stranger detours. Rudolph’s much better at bridging those seemingly incompatible parts, whereas the Oscar that so easily makes his wife laugh bears very little resemblance to the boring dentist who makes her cry inside.

3. It’s more often a comedy in theory than practice. That spousal banter can be the only humor in the show for long stretches, though things liven up a bit as we start to meet other characters like cranky new neighbor Kase (Catherine Kenner, having a busy week between this and Showtime’s Kidding) and bored teenager Mark (Noah Robbins). This isn’t an inherently bad thing — Master of None is just as wistful or sad a lot of the time — so much as it’s something you should be prepared for, given the creators and stars.

But even with a lot of plot twists, there’s not quite enough story to fill eight episodes. A higher joke quotient might have helped flesh out some of the slow spots.

4. The best episode has almost nothing to do with the main characters. The sixth installment is called “Andre and Sarah,” after two strangers to the story played by Jason Mitchell and Hong Chau. It takes a very long time to explain what these two have to do with June, Oscar, Kase or anyone else we’ve been watching so far. But the characters are so impeccably drawn by the writers and the two guest stars, and the moment that explains why we’ve been watching their story so touching, that it has the dramatic weight the rest of the series aspires to but only sometimes achieves.

5. Maya Rudolph sings “This Is How We Do It.” If you’re still on the fence about watching after reading all of the above, this might tip you over — Rudolph’s an even better singer than she is a comedian or actress, and this jam is right in her wheelhouse. Though the where and why of the performance, of course, are among the many things I’ve been asked not to tell you.

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/forever-review-maya-rudolph-fred-armisen-720753/