#wonder why the live footage is only available on DVD?

[putschki1969]

Wakana 3rd Album Details Revealed & New Artist Visual

Following the little teasers from yesterday, we finally have some concrete news today.

Wakana’s 3rd original album 『そのさきへ』 ("Sono saki e") will be released physically/digitally on May 31st. The first new album in over 3 years welcomes Satoshi Takebe as producer and is comprised of a total of 10 tracks including the songs "標 (Shirushi)" composed by singer-songwriter Yoshiko Hanzaki, “明日を夢見て歌う(Asu wo Yume Mite Utau)” composed/arranged by Satoshi Takebe with lyrics written by Wakana as well as "Flag", a character theme song for the mobile app “Memento Mori”. Other songs will be announced at a later date. Please look forward to it.

[Comment from Wakana] This 3rd album "Sono Saki e (Beyond this point)" will be the first album in 3 years and 3 months since my previous work "magic moment". The title of this album came from the desire to “walk towards the future together”. We are all living in the same world, living in the same time. As long as we are alive, we are always moving forward. No matter how sad or painful things are, time won't stop or wait for us, we can't stand still. If there are people who feel loneliness in such a time, I want them to remember that they are not alone. I want to make the kind of music that always stays by someone's side. It's not an exaggeration but if my music can make you smile, it makes me happier than anything else. With the help of Satoshi Takebe and many other people, I was able to bring my thoughts and feelings to life. While waiting impatiently for the day we can finally release it, we will carefully work on the final details of the album. Please look forward to the finished result! ***Wakana***

【Original 3rd Album『そのさきへ』Product Specification】

[Title]　 そのさきへ [Release date]　2023/05/31 　 Cover images from left to right (Type A, Type B, Regular)

◆First Press Limited Edition Type A（CD+DVD）：VIZL-2189、6,600円 Bonus Content： ●Live DVD「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」（~86min） ＜Setlist＞  01.約束の夜明け, 02.442, 03.オレンジ, 04.夕焼け, 05.myself, 06.時には昔の話を, 07.愛にできることはまだあるかい, 08.君の銀の庭, 09.標, 10.明日を夢見て歌う, 11. Flag, 12. Happy Hello Day, 13.記憶の人, 14. magic moment ※The Christmas songs (Winter Wonderland & Silent Night) are not included

◆First Press Limited Edition Type B（2CD＋Photo booklet＋Poster、LP Sized Package）：VIZL-2190、6,050円 Bonus content： ●LP Sized Package ●LP Sized Photo booklet ●Poster（B2 size) ●LIVE CD with audio tracks of「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」（~86min）※same setlist as the DVD

◆Regular Edition（CD）：VICL-65821、3,300円

Tower Records In-Store Release Events

In commemoration of the release of the new album "Sono Saki e", two in-store events will be held for the first time in a while at CD shops in Tokyo and Osaka. ◆ [Tokyo] June 10, 19:00- Tower Records Shibuya  ◆ [Osaka] June 17, 14:00- Tower Records Umeda

At both venues, a mini-live and a present handover event will be held. The present will be a signed clear file (A4 size). The mini-live at Tower Records Shibuya on June 10th can be viewed online via teket by all those who purchased at Tower Records nationwide and Tower Records Online. If you can't watch it in real time, there is also a one-week archive period. ※Starting from May 30, those who purchase a copy of the target product in the target stores will receive a ticket voucher which can be exchanged for a numbered admission ticket to the in-store events (tickets are limited!) ※In addition to the above mentioned benefits, customers will also receive the store specific tokuten postcard

Victor Online Sign Events

To celebrate the release of the new album "Sono Saki e", two online sign events will be held for those who purchase the album in the Victor Online Store. ◆【1st】 4/16 13h～　BUY HERE　(Pre-order deadline: 4/15)　 ◆【2nd】5/13 17h～　BUY HERE   (Pre-order deadline: 5/12)

As a purchase privilege, you will receive an alternate version of the "Sono Saki e" cover with a different visual depending on the day. This cover image will be signed by Wakana and include a personal reference with your chosen nickname. Both events will be broadcast on YouTube and archived until April 23, May 20 respectively. ※The store specific tokuten postcard will NOT be included

Store Specific Tokuten

In addition, there will be a first-come-first-served purchase privilege for the new album "Sono Saki e" in nationwide store. Those who purchase the album at "Animate",  "Gamers", "Tower Records", "HMV", "TSUTAYA RECORDS", "Rakuten Books", "Seven Net Shopping" or "Victor Online Store" will receive a "Wakana Visual Postcard" as present. Those who purchase at "Amazon.co.jp" will receive a “Mega Jacket/Cover”.

Fan Club Exclusive Tokuten

For members of Wakana's official fan club "Botanical Land", there will be special presents for those who order a specified copy. Fan club members will receive a CD with a live audio track of "Nagareboshi" which was performed during the fan club exclusive ending section of 「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」 as well as a photo card (A5 size) with an autograph. Preorder period: 2023/3/15～4/14. More details HERE. ※Specified copies are sold in the Victor Online Store ※The store specific tokuten postcard will be included

Photoshoot Offshots

Wakana Instagram post

[majingojira]

Brief Review of Every Dinosaur/Prehistoric Documentary/Educational Short I’ve ever seen (1923-1996).

And thanks to a certain project, I’ve seen a LOT! 

Evolution (1923) - This is the oldest of the bunch, a silent film.  Mostly it uses modern animals to represent ancient forms, with a few statues and brief animated bits to fill things out. The only real highlight?  Seeing where some of the “film real” segment from Gigantis the Fire Monster comes from! 

Monsters from the Past (1923) - A short documentary with original stop motion (this was pre-The Lost World, so that’s to be expected).  Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, and Brontosaurus are the key creatures. Included as an extra on the second DVD release of The Lost World. 

Prehistoric Animals (1938) - Reuses footage from The Lost World (1925) for its prehistoric segments. This will not be the last time it happens. 

Prehistoric Times: The World Before Man (1952) - This thing is so quintessentially 1950s, it’s highly riff-able.  It uses a mix of paintings, sculptures and some live animals to represent prehistoric life.  

A World Is Born (1955) - Ya know what Fantasia needed?  Overbearing Narration! That’s it.  That’s what this documentary is.  I saw this thing rebroadcast in the 90s on the Disney Channel, believe it or not. 

The Animal World (1956) - Ray Harryhausen.  Willis O’Brian. Their stop motion segment is the ONLY notable part of this documentary.  This is also the only part that has seen some release in modern times, as a bonus feature on the DVD of The Black Scorpion.  

Prehistoric Animals of the Tar Pits (1956) - Black and white, but also quintessentially 50s and riff-able.  Aside from the bones, it shows some wooden models to represent the animals. 

Journey into Time (1960) - Fantasia this is not, but it TRIES to be.  Lord it tries.  Or, rather, there’s a Fantasia-adjacent thing elsewhere which does the same thing.  Has some unique choices for animals to represent, including showing Permian forms like Scutusaurus and Inostrancevia. 

Dem Dry Bones: Archaeology, Paleontology, Identification, and Preservation (1966) - This was a lucky find, it was on Youtube for half a second.  And not worth digging out, really.  Stuffy, dry, and mildly condescending.  It was still interesting looking at the dinosaur hall of the Smithsonian back in the 1950s. 

Dinosaurs - The Terrible Lizard (1970) - The stop motion here is pretty neat, if slow and plodding, it’s refreshing after all this crap. The puppets for many of these would later be re-used for The Land of the Lost.  Including Grumpy, Alice, and Spot. 

NOVA: The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs (1977) - Robert Bakker’s first appearance in a documentary.  HE HAS SUCH LONG HAIR!  Not bad, a little dry, with National Geographic titles.  It reminds me of 1990s documentaries, just so show how long it’s taken for various ideas to filter down.  Currently, it’s available on Archive.org. 

Dinosaurs: A First Film (1978) - The art style for this half-animated 70s abomination makes identifying various prehistoric animals almost impossible.  Almost painful to sit through. Stops with the Dinosaurs. 

Dinosaurs: The Age of the Terrible Lizards (1978) - Similar to the above, but available from Rifftrax, so much more watchable.  Also, it’s actually animated!

Dinosaur (1980) - Wil Vinton Claymation with Dinosaurs.  A few edits of this exist, the latter works a bit better, but the original is interesting to track down. Most of the edits are audio only, so you aren’t missing anything.  The dinosaur sin this are top notch for color and design.  They even have Corythosaurus and Tyrannosaurus not dragging their tails! 

Cosmos (1980) - the animated segment covering Evolution is still wonderful if only for the narration from Carl Sagan. 

The Age of Mammals (1981) - A follow up of sorts to Dinosaurs: The Age of Reptiles.  Decent stop motion if a little slow.  Decent variety for the time. 

64,000,000 Years Ago (1981) - A solid stop motion short film.  Still worth checking out for stop motion fans.  Available on Youtube legally! 

Dinosaurs: Fun, Facts, and Fantasy (1981) - Nostalgic for some, but aimed at a rather young audience.  Some interesting stop motion bits in here too... if awkward in that way British stop motion can be outside Aardman Studios. 

Reading Rainbow “Digging up Dinosaurs” (1983) - Definitely nostalgic for me.  Besides, it’s Reading Rainbow!  And opens with a clip from One Million Years B.C.!  What’s not to love?

Prehistoric Beast (1984) - One of the best stop motion shorts on this list.  Included because it INSPIRED a documentary from it.  Phil Tippett firing on all cylinders.  Well worth watching.  And he uploaded it on Youtube himself! 

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (1985), More Dinosaurs (1985), Son of Dinosaur (1988),  Prehistoric World (1993) - Gary Owens and Eric Boardman have a series of documentaries on dinosaurs and prehistoric life.  The presenters are what really make these work. Colorful, fun, and yes, silly, these still hold a nostalgic gleam for people like me.  The last one has Dougal Dixon talk about his After Man speculations.  Fun times. 

Dinosaur! (1985) - Hosted by Christopher Reeve, this is one of the best documentaries of its time.  Reeves loved dinosaurs and was happy to work on this project with Phil Tippet behind the animation.  Covers a lot in its hour long format, and well worth watching.  Do you know how good this special was?  When Reeve died in 2004, the Discovery Channel (or similar station) re-aired this thing as a tribute.  It holds up that well! 

Tell Me Why: Pre-Historic Animals, Reptiles and Amphibians (1986) - This is something I had when I was a little kid.  Dry, straight forward, a “Video Babysitter” at it’s best. It consists of a narrator while looking at pictures of the Invicta Dinosaur Toys that were also on the poster. 

Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time (1987) - Wil Vinton’s Dinosaurs! tied with a short setup/framing device with the kid from the Wonder Years involving a low-animation music video (this was the MTV age) and a guide through art from various dinosaur books from the 1950s through the 1980s.  Rather meh, but Wil Vinton is why we are here.  This was the only way to get Wil Vinton’s short back in the day, and is the version of the short shown in Museums like The Academy of Natural Sciences.  

Digging Dinosaurs (PBS-WHYY) (1988) - Something I managed to record of TV back in the day, though not much of it, about the uncovering and preparation of Avaceratops. Bone Dry. 

Maia: A Dinosaur Grows Up (1988) - A VHS version of the picture book, with narration and the whole spiel.  Actually not to bad for what it is, but it is what it is.  The art for that book is rather wonderful. 

Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives (1988) - David.  Attenburrough. Need I say more?  Not one of his best, but still wonderful. Hard to track down.  

Dinosaurs (1989) - From the Smithsonian Institute, one of the video followups sold in various museums (I have one from the Royal Tyrell, but haven’t been able to track it down).  Not great, but I’ve seen worse. 

Infinite Voyage: The Great Dinosaur Hunt (1989) - A rather dry documentary, but one I find extremely relaxing and calming.  Very nostalgic for me.  But still dry. 

Vestie Video Sitter: Dinosaurs (1989) - This is for babies. It hurt to watch. 

In November, 1990, Jurassic Park (novel) was released, and thus began the great shift. 

In Search of the Dragon: The Great Dinosaur Hunt of the Century (1991) - a.k.a. The Dinosaur Project, The Great Dinosaur Hunt, The Hunt for China’s Dinosaurs.  Edited into a 1 hour NOVA special from a nearly two hour documentary, all about the joint Canadian/Chinese Gobi Desert Expedition in the 1980s that gave us Mamenchisaurus among many other species.  With another stop in the Arctic for good measure.  Some good stop motion and pencil animation for Troodon round this one out. 

A&E’s Dinosuar! (1991) - There’s so many things named “Dinosaur” that I have to specify.  Hosted by Walter Cronkite, this is rather dry, but still entertaining documentary series has some nightmare-fuel puppet-work.  The ‘sad’ music gets caught in my head sometimes when I think about it.  It is 4 episodes long.  “The Tale of a Tooth”, “The Tale of a Bone”, “The Tale of an Egg”, and “The Tale of a Feather”

T. Rex: Exposed (1991) - a Nova Documentary on T. Rex.  Not too bad overall, focusing on the Wrankle Rex unearthing. Parts of it are available on Youtube, but not all of it.  

The Case of the Flying Dinosaur (1991) - the third in the “NOVA” 91 trilogy, this covers the bird-dinosaur connection as it was still contentious at the time. 

PBS’ The Dinosaurs! (1992) - A gold standard for documentaries on dinosaurs. The hand drawn animation with colored pencil style still hold up today. The narrator has a bit of an accent and pronounces “Dinosaur” oddly, but that is the only complaint I can really give. It has 4 episodes: “The Monsters Emerge”, “Flesh on the Bones”, “The Nature of the Beast”, “Death of the Dinosaurs.”

Muttaburrasaurus: Life in Gondwana (1993) - A half-hour short about dinosuars and mesozoic life in Australia. Solid stop motion animation. Australian Accents makes it fun to listen too.

NOVA: The Real Jurassic Park (1993) - Jeff Goldblum narrates this bit of scientists going on about “But what if we really did it?” Quite fun, lotta fun details the movies and even the books didn’t get into. My favorite bit had Robert Bakker talking to a game keeper at the Rockefeller Refuge in a Louisiana Cypress Swamp about what could happen if they kept a few dinosaur there (Edmontosaurus, Triceratops, and T. Rex).  Namely, he talks about housing ‘about a thousand” Edmontosaurs on the 86K acre facility, with 2 or 3 mated pairs of Rexes.  It’s fun getting numbers like that. 

Bill Nye the Science Guy “Dinosaurs” (1993) - BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!  Not a bad kids entry for documentaries. Available from Netflix. 

Paleoworld (1994-1997) - Running originally for 4 years, and being revamps once along the way, this rather dry, “Zoom in on paleoart” style of documentary was a good holdover for bigger things, and covered some pretty niche topics.  Much of the later version has been uploaded to youtube. 

Dinosaur Digs: A Fossil Finders Tour (1994), Dinosaurs: Next Exit (1994) - These films hurt me.  They hurt me so much.  I’ve seen some painful things, but these are hour long tour advertisements for road trips with annoyingly earworms.  Available on youtube, but I ain’t linking anything! 

Eyewitness: Dinosaur (1994) - Not a bad documentary, but I still hold a grudge on it for replacing Wil Vinton’s work at my local museum! Still, it is narrated by Martin Sheen. The clip selection is wide and varied, but we’re still getting The Lost World (1925) footage. 

Planet of Life (1995) - This documentary series is rather dry, but boasts some interesting coverage of topics.  Though some of it’s conclusions regarding dinosaurs are... not great.  Still, the episode “Ancient Oceans” is a favorite of mine. 

Once Upon Australia (1995) - The bests stop motion documentary on Australia’s prehistory. Has some humor to is, and Australian fauna that it does cover is solid.  Though finding out how one of the animals is spelled, ( Ngapakaldia) drove me nuts for literally decades. 

Dinosaurs: Myths and Reality (1995) - Like a little more polished episode of Paleoworld, with a lighter-voiced narration, this covers common myths about dinosaurs. Overall, a Meh.  But it has a LOT of movie clips. Which makes sense given it was funded by the Disney Channel! 

The Ultimate Guide: T. Rex (1995) - The Ultimate Guide series of docs were overall rather solid, as was the Tyrannosaurus one.  Stop Motion animation along with puppets and some minor CG help round out the normal talking heads and skeleton mounts.  Along with a solid narrator, it has a real mood to it.  

The Magic School Bus “The Busasaurus” (1995) - The original Magic School Bus was a solid series, and their episode on Dinosaurs bucks trends even the reboot didn’t cover.  The core thrust here wasn’t just dinosaur information, but the idea that Dinosaurs were not Monsters, but animals.  And they conveyed it in a unique way.  

I may do more of these mini-reviews, but there are a LOT of documentaries post The Lost World: Jurassic Park that don’t have as much easy access.  Like, I’ve seen them, but digging out links/citing places to watch them is a lot harder. 

[bluejaypirate]

a tale of banal disappointment but its past midnight so it reads like a cracked out odyssey of perfectly mundane experiences being told in an extremely dramatic manner.

about a month or two ago i was doing a late-night target run with my mom for some soap or whatever. Our usual target strategy generally involves her doing all the *actual* shopping, while I get to wander around in the section selling recently released books, movies, video games, music, and show collections. It’s rare that i find anything I’d actually consider buying or even anything worth pirating later, but it beats pretty much every other section if the store, so if i have to be at target, I’ll be there. I don’t own any of the latest video game systems, so that section was a no-go, and the music section was beyond pitiful at that time of day, so it was books or TV. All the show collections they had were either schlock or stupidly expensive, and the only book that looked interesting was a biography of Ida B Wells. I picked it up to show to my mom for approval, and turned toward the movie section, knowing 2020 had not been a good year for the film industry, but giving the shelf a glance just in case. As my eyes traveled downward, any hope i had of finding something halfway watchable diminishing... I saw it. At the very back of the bottom row, there it was:

SpongeBob: The Musical

Now, you have to understand that i am, in a few words, a Giant Fucking Theatre Nerd. I wouldn’t have given this musical even half a chance, had i not been hearing some pretty damn good things about it for the past, what, 4 years?? and this was from my community of online AND irl theatre friends. I knew that a high quality version had aired on Nickelodeon as a special, but I didn’t realize that it was available in dvd! I figured it would be a fun thing to have at least, because i had no real expectations, and while it’s not exactly like i’ve been starving for content over quarantine, finding a new musical to obsess over while having access to high quality footage from it? It felt like Kind of a godsend in that moment, so of course i almost immediately picked it up. I knew my mom wouldn’t exactly want to pay for it, but i had a bit of my own money with me so i figured i’d just buy it for myself. However, while initially very hesitant, she actually did offer to buy it for me if i was so dead set on owning the damn thing (which at that point i very much was), so it was win all around!

or so i thought.

I got home, but I wasn’t sure i wanted to watch it immediately. I have a bit of a problem with getting ahold of media i want to consume, and then sitting on it forever. I remembered it just a week or two ago, and immediately set about watching it. I may have had to kick my sibling out of the basement living room, but they were getting ready to go to sleep anyways¯\_(ツ)_/¯. So i take the box out of the plastic packaging, started watching it, and i was amazed. I had heard good things about it, but nothing in the world could have prepared me for how stupidly well-put-together it was! The costumes i think were what really stuck out to me upon first blush, especially Squidward’s. seriously, those legs are one of the coolest costume pieces i have ever seen. And then came Pearl’s big number, and holy SHIT she did not have to go that hard, but she fucking did and the world is a better damn place for it. Needless to say, my watching experience was going great.

then Super Seastar Savior happened, and the world came crashing down around me.

I have interjected my own story multiple times here, simply because i fancy myself a kind enough person to not put a wall of unbroken text on whichever poor soul’s dash this monstrosity happens to appear, and also i’m an overly dramatic little shithead (if you couldn’t already tell at this point). However, this interruption actually means something, because as long as i type this stupid bullshit to you, i don’t have to think about what comes next, and believe you me, it is not fun. Allow me to remind you, wonderful individual who has made it this far, that i got this dvd brand fucking new. I took the plastic off, and there was no signs of tampering with the packaging when i looked at it later, but just before Patrick’s big number, something happened.

the footage fucking corrupted. The corruption spreads from before Super Seastar Savior all the way through Tomorrow Is and the whole act one finale, let me tell you when i stumbled upon this my blood fucking boiled. I had been sold a defective product! In that moment I did feel the wrath of the very worst of humanity. Why if I had more of a spine (and a driver’s license) i would have gone straight to target then and there; I would have become that which i hate most: a KAREN. 

It’s probably a good thing my parents were already asleep, but DAMMIT i’m still angry about it.The second act is mostly salvageable, but the disc is almost worthless, but i managed to get REALLY attached to the musical already, and i’m extremely salty about it >:( 

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

‘It's the Heart that Really Matters in the End’ Chapter 2: Emotional Context

In this installment, Molly gets the context of the phone call in full. I re-watched the ILY scene many times over today, and there’s a lot of dialogue from it featured in this chapter, interspersed with Molly’s thoughts.

.

.

“How does he always know?” John asked in surprise when he opened his door to find Molly outside of it.

“How does who always know? Sherlock?” Molly asked, hearing her voice strain as she said his name.

“Well, him too, but this time it was Mycroft. Sorry, come in, Molls.” John gestured for her to follow him.

“Mycroft knew I’d be coming over here today?” Molly questioned. She watched as John picked up a disc, and put it in the DVD player.

“Yes, and he gave this to me temporarily, because he felt you should see it for yourself,” John explained. “It’s the, uh, footage from a criminal institution called Sherrinford; it’s where we were yesterday, playing into a bunch of mind games. Well, they were games made for Sherlock to rip him apart mentally and emotionally. Anyways, you might want to sit down for this.”

Molly knew she was about to gain a lot more information on the previous night, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready, but she needed to be. It made her furious to know that Sherlock had been tortured, despite the fact she had once thought he was torturing her. There were three camera angles on the screen. One was facing the doorway from above and another faced a television screen, and one that was set about Sherlock’s height, face-forward. There was a coffin in the dimly lit room, and the lid was leaning against the back wall. Sherlock, John, and Mycroft were already standing in the room.

“Coffin. Problem: someone is about to die. It will be—as I understand it—a tragedy. So many days not lived, so many words unsaid, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera—” a cold voice rang out.

“Yes, yes, yes, and this—I presume—will be their coffin,” Sherlock interrupted, exasperated.

Molly stared open-mouthed as she saw Meena’s face, only it wasn’t. Meena was never really Meena. Her voice was colder; devoid of any emotion. It sent chills up her spine. An overwhelming feeling of betrayal ran through her. This whole time, and—Molly felt so stupid. Sherlock was right. She did have an uncanny ability of attracting unstable people.

“Whose coffin, Sherlock?” she taunted. “Please, start your deductions. I will apply some context in a moment.”

Sherlock audibly sighed as he turned back towards the coffin. “Well, allowing for the entirely pointless courtesy of headroom, I’d say this coffin is intended for someone of about five foot four. Makes it more likely to be a woman.”

“Not a child?” John asked.

“A child’s coffin would be more expensive. This is in the lower price range, although still best available in that bracket,” Sherlock rattled off.

“A lonely night on Google,” John quipped.

Despite the dire situation, and knowing that this coffin has been made for her, Molly couldn’t help but snicker at John’s joke.

“This is a practical and informed choice. Balance of probability suggests that this is for an unmarried woman, distant from her close relatives. That much is suggested by the economy of choice.”

Mycroft propped the coffin’s lid against the wall, flipping it over to see the epitaph on the outside, frowning at it.

“…Acquainted with the process of death, but unsentimental about the necessity of disposal. Also, the lining of the coffin—“

Interrupting his brother, Mycroft said, “Yes, very good, Sherlock, or we could just look at the name on the lid.”

Molly watched the scene play out. Sherlock approached the lid, and sighed dejectedly when he read it.

“Only it isn’t a name,” Mycroft stated.

John paused the footage, and turned to Molly. “In case you were wondering, the epitaph said, ‘I love you.’” She only nodded, unable to form any coherent words. The footage continued on, only to break her heart.

“So, it’s for somebody who loves somebody,” John pointed out.

“It’s for somebody who loves Sherlock,” Mycroft corrected, looking at his brother. “This is all about you. Everything here.”

Sherlock gently gripped the head end of the coffin with his hands, his face showing nothing but pure terror.

Molly’s heart ached watching this, especially after realising the most important thing. The dead didn’t write their own epitaphs, the living did. If this whole thing was about her and Sherlock, the only logical conclusion is that the coffin is for someone that Sherlock loved…in this case, it was her.

“So,” Mycroft continued, “who loves you? I’m assuming it’s not a long list.”

Sherlock’s gaze bore into the coffin as if he were willing it to crumble beneath his touch.

“Irene Adler,” John suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous, look at the coffin,” Sherlock countered. “Unmarried, practical about death, alone.” Sherlock’s face was twisted into a painful expression. This was already killing him slowly.

“Molly.” John’s eyes widened.

“Molly Hooper,” Sherlock confirmed.

“She’s perfectly safe, for the moment.”

Molly was jarred by hearing Meena’s voice again, having forgotten all about her involvement. The television angle showed the screen changing to show three camera angles of her kitchen. A countdown of three minutes appeared in the top, right-hand corner.

The woman continued to drone on. “Her flat is rigged to explode in approximately three minutes, unless I hear the release code from her lips. I’m calling her on your phone, Sherlock. Make her say it.”

               “Say what?” John asked.

               Sherlock only pursed his lips in a firm line, his eyes shut in anguish.

               “Obvious, surely?”

               John, still seeing but not observing, replied, “No.”

               “Yes.” It was Sherlock. He turned to look at the epitaph on the lid, and the others followed suit.

               “Oh, one important restriction: you’re not allowed to mention in any way at all that her life is in danger. You may not—at any point—suggest that there is any form of crisis. If you do, I will end this session and her life. Are we clear?”

               Molly now realised why Sherlock had been trying so hard to not cause alarm, but she couldn’t forget the panicked tone of voice he had whilst talking to her. All the clues were there. He had told her just to listen—to really pay close attention. She felt so stupid having not caught it at the time, allowing her emotions to cancel out the logic.

               She jumped slightly upon hearing Moriarty’s voice tick-tocking away. Watching Sherlock’s increasing panic as she didn’t pick up the phone, and refused to do what he asked made Molly’s heart beat rapidly. John and Mycroft looked as if the building tension would make them combust. Reliving the situation like this was giving every bit of context, and though it hurt like hell, it put her mind at ease.

“Leave me alone,” Molly demanded.

               “Molly, no, please, no don’t hang up!” Sherlock shouted, gesturing wildly. “Do not hang up!”

Molly watched on as she battled with him with the added addition of Meena’s cold reminders, and Moriarty’s incessant tick-tocks. It was almost too much to bear; she couldn’t even begin to imagine how Sherlock must have been feeling. She heard her own voice crying at him that it’s always been true, her deepest secret ripped from her heart. Sherlock blinked in confusion when she demanded that he say it first. Molly felt chills rise on her arms at her own cold tone of voice. Mycroft looked as if it was already too late.

“I—“ Sherlock was clearly struggling with the words. “I love you.” It was unsure, clumsy, but then a look of clarity softened his tightened features. “I love you.” The words flowed from him, smooth as whisky, full of emotion.

Tears dropped one-by-one from her eyes as she watched the realisation dawn on Sherlock, which, in return, had her realise that he meant each word. He loved her. His words weren’t empty—God, what he must have felt upon reading her words in that letter. Her heart felt as if it was being ripped open, shred by shred. She wanted to see him so badly; to comfort him, and tell him everything would be alright.

When the phone call ended, Molly saw everyone exhale in relief, the thick tension lifting from the room. Sherlock buried his head in his hands, knowing he had been close to losing her.

“Sherlock, however hard that was—“ Mycroft began.

“Eurus, I won. I won.” Sherlock waited for Eurus’s response. ”Come on, play fair. The girl on the plane; I need to talk to her.” Eurus’s face scrunched with feigned emotion. “I won. I saved Molly Hooper.”

“Saved her? From what? Oh, do be sensible. There were no explosives in her little house. Why would I be so clumsy? You didn’t win. You lost.” Eurus showed her hand, satisfied with Sherlock’s reaction. “Look what you did to her. Look what you did to yourself. All those complicated little emotions, I lost count. Emotional context, Sherlock, it destroys you every time.”

Molly watched as Sherlock struggled to come to terms with the ramifications of what had happened. Whilst Mycroft and John had visibly calmed down, Sherlock was nearly boiling with every negative emotion imaginable. She gasped loudly when Sherlock began busting the coffin apart with his bare hands in a frenzy of rage and pain, her hand covering her mouth to stifle her sobs. Molly only heard him shout those three words in his distress before the screen went to white noise.

“Molly?” John asked softly. “I wasn’t sure if it’d be a good idea to show you, but Mycroft insisted.” He waited patiently for her response, but she was cut off before any words could come out of her mouth.

“Damn it, Mycroft!”

John and Molly’s heads whipped around to see Sherlock standing in the doorway. He looked irritated whilst he looked at the telly, but his face softened at the sight of Molly’s tear-stained face. Sherlock walked towards her, ignoring John, and sat between them on the sofa, taking her hands in his. “Are you alright?”

She smiled sadly at him. “I don’t know,” she croaked, her throat feeling raw. “Are you?”

Sherlock laughed as if it were a preposterous question. “You’re the one who’s had to relive that torturous moment, and you’re asking me if I’m alright?” He laughed in disbelief once more. “You really are a perplexing woman, Molly Hooper.” It was then that he pressed a soft kiss to her temple, then spoke softly in her ear. “Shall I take you home?”

Molly gave a small nod, allowing him to take the lead on this.

“If you two need to talk privately, I can sit in with Rosie whilst she sleeps,” John offered. “She probably needs her nappy changed soon.”

“Thank you, John, but that won’t be necessary,” Sherlock replied. “I think Molly may need the fresh air.”

John watched as they left, Sherlock's hand hovering protectively at the small of Molly's back.

.

.

FFN | Ao3 | Buy Me a Coffee?

[hobies]

hi! hope you don't mind me sending asks abt burn the stage, i saw you talking to some other anons earlier n was hoping to jump in and ask whether the movie is a bunch of the same footage from the yt series? because knowing one way or the other would make me feel a lot better about putting money down on a ticket. i know the trailer said "including never before seen footage!" i'm just worried it might be like an hour of things we've seen before with ten minutes of new content for my $20 ticket

sure it’s okay! i’ll try not to spoil it dnjsfnjd yes it was different footage for the most part and edited really nicely, but from the same events that we’ve already seen through the youtube series, wings tour/final dvd, bombs/episodes, etc.... so i feel you, i was sus too and wasn’t planning on seeing it... but i still liked it!

Anonymous said: if u don’t mind me asking, was your showing in a major theater like amc or regal? Or was it an independent one? Bc I live in NYC and there’s TONS of showings but the ones being shown in smaller theaters have so many seats available but now seeing your experience, I’m wondering if they’ll have the subs ahsjsk

yeah i went to amc so i don’t really know what happened lol!

Anonymous said: Sorry to hear about your experience!! I do know some theaters are not subbing it, so your theater might have been one of them. You can check on the Fandango app, some mentioned “subtitles” and others don’t :(

oh! ?? it didn’t say that anywhere when i bought my ticket, and subtitles were there just not all the time..... that kinda sucks they would play an international movie without subtitles... i dunno! i only paid $10 so im not too mad about it :’)

Anonymous said: I asked u wat city u were in and why it was empty but im also from ny bich its been snowing since 1pm!!!!!! But Burn the stage was great :) i had a showing at 7 in bklyn and it wasnt sold out which surprised me :)

oh yikes! i hope you liked it & got home safe! i’m sorry i don’t feel comfortable disclosing exactly where i was but i went to a 4pm showing in the middle of the snowstorm so i’d understand if people prioritized their safety and stayed home today over watching burn the stage ;;;

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.42 /  independent film-maker Sharon Woodward with Mark Watkins.

MW:  Sharon, why is promoting awareness of Ataxia-telangiectasia important?

SW: I am very lucky to be able to work in this film-making world that I love, Mark. I also feel I have some responsibility within that to explore areas and issues that are not given mainstream airtime.

With regards to this subject particularly, I wasn’t at the time aware of A-T (Ataxia-telangiectasia). I was commissioned by the CEO William Davis. He contacted me a couple of years ago with this idea about giving a voice to the individuals with the condition rather than it coming from a medical perspective. I ended up making two short films both around 4 minutes each. With a third film being a longer 10 minute project.

The 10 minute film has been shown at the FERFILM International Film Festival (Open Air Cinema). It was broadcast in November 2016 on a number of Freeview Channels via the wonderful Community Channel. Also shown at the 23rd International Independent Film Festival, PUBLICYSTYKA, in Poland.

The social work course and the health and well-being course at Northampton University are also using the film as a resource for discussion and debate.

The condition and the manner in which it manifests is varied and only hit me at the beginning of the year. Rupert, one of the main characters interviewed in the film, speaks candidly and at length about having Ataxia-telangiectasia. Sadly he died aged 31 in January 2017. I didn't really know him : we met during filming.

Yet, when editing an interview over a long period of time you listen and watch what people say and how they say it. You start to feel like you know and understand them.  I didn’t know him and I can’t possibly comprehend what it must be like to have this condition, but all these people opened my eyes and made me aware of it. I hope I never stop learning.

MW: How reflective are you as a creative person? How does this trait manifest itself when producing film projects?

SW: I think this is hard to answer. I do feel I have a responsibility as I indicated before. I do think about the world, the way we live, how we treat each other. Perhaps at times I overthink and would be wise to let go.

Growing up, I never felt in my wildest dreams I would ever be given the opportunity to make films. It was a pretty dreadful environment and I was damaged greatly by it and the experiences I had. My saving grace was going into care. I later met some wonderful people - kind, caring - and, I also received help and support.  So when the film-making presented itself to me I ran at it. This was a fantastic thing to have happen and I want to at least try and make a difference by using these skills.

I am clear that I have a belief system and trust it attracts like-minded people and organizations.

If it is only about money, then quite frankly, unless you make the big time you are more likely to make a profit and earn more doing something else.

MW: What was your involvement at Tyne Tees TV?

SW: This was an incredibly long time ago now (1988/89). I had been training at the BBC in Wales (cutting rooms) outside Cardiff. This was before, and after, I graduated from Newport Film School.

It was just another Trainee/2nd Assistant Editing job. Most of us (graduates at the time) realized that we were no longer going to be offered places in the industry. Permanent jobs were giving way to short term contracts : we were all going to be freelance. I was offered a feature film (I knew the director as she  was a mentor for me). The film ‘Women In Tropical Places’ was funded by the BFI (British Film Institute), Film 4 and Tyne Tees who were offering facilities and housing the production. I was taken on as a freelancer for the production. During this time I also assisted the 1st Assistant Editor in the cutting rooms with a Tyne Tees documentary.

This was not a glamorous job as you were at the bottom of the pile. I was running around after people, sharpening Chinagraph pencils, getting coffee and Twix. I did a lot of what they called rubber numbering which you had to do on film. So when you cut the clapperboard off you could keep the film in sync until it went to the Neg Cutters. So logging footage : labelling up film cans. It was a low-level position but it was fantastic for learning about putting a film together. I always say to students try and get some work experience with an editor because the learning covers everything.

MW: How did you get your first big break with Channel 4, Sharon?

SW: This was by accident, Mark. I’d been a drummer in a punk band ‘Limited Relief’ and a youth performer in a drama group ‘Teenage Zits’. All this resulted in some of us from the drama group making a video called 'Not A Girl Anymore'. Maybe now this isn't so unusual, and perhaps seen as a natural progression for youth groups? However, back then, you had three TV Channels until Channel 4 came along. Video was not the accessible technology it is today. We raised funds via The Prince’s Trust.

Back then, in the early 1980s, we had no idea. I didn't even know about editing. Just thought that you set the camera up and everything just happened including the music and credits. Very naive by today's standards. If Google had been around it would have been a case of looking it up on-line.

The film had already been shot when commissioning editor Rod Stoneman decided to take it on for the youth series.

It was filmed in 1983 ; first broadcast in 1984/85 ; and again in 1986/87 as part of the Channel 4's youth series 'Turn It Up'. The production standards are not high and Channel 4 didn't have the same set up and criteria it does today. However, I was bitten by the film-making bug and from that point on I wanted to know more.

MW: How did you come to collaborate with ska band Symarip on your new film project?

SW: I first made contact with Monty Neysmith and Roy Ellis back in 2008 when I used a song 'Skinhead Girl’ by the Symarip in a documentary I was making called ‘Thank You Skinhead Girl’. It was about teenage identity and the song was just right as the theme.

I had the idea about the Symarip story then, but put it on hold at that time. Eventually, after a number of failed attempts at interviewing anybody from the band, I revisited the idea once more in 2012 (after a brief conversation with Roy Ellis prior to a gig he was doing in the UK). The filming began at Club Ska (100 Club) in London. We recorded Roy performing with The Moonstompers. This turned out to be an amazing night, much more than I had expected as Neville Staples showed up and we captured them on stage together.

I was very fortunate to interview four of the original Symarip band members, that’s Roy Ellis and Frank Pitter (face-to-face) and Monty Neysmith and Mike Thomas (via Skype).

I also have a number of other artists as well as fans and also interviewed the late Graeme (Goody) Goodall who sadly passed away in 2014, Co-founder of Island Records & Doctor Bird. 

So a wonderful documentation of history - both social and economic - as well as a film for the fans.

MW: Tell me your overall plans for 'Ska'd by the Music'... including funding / promoting...

SW: Well it is near completion. I’ve been working on it for five years and I’m aiming to finish around July/August 2017.  I had no financial backing. It was a difficult project to get funding for, and therefore I’ve been making it around my commissioned film work. This means what available time I’ve had has been spent on this production. All those involved: musicians, promoters, the narrator, researchers - everybody who helped me - they all put time in because they wanted to contribute. I’m extremely grateful to all of them for supporting this project.

The technical side has been another matter i.e filming, logging, uploading, editing etc. not to mention negotiating with music publishers. This is all time consuming and labour intensive and still ongoing (by myself). So has taken over my life quite a bit. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to take this story out to a wider audience. However, as I have already said it will be nice to have my life back.

Obviously there are somethings I have to fundraise for. I can’t clear the publishing rights of the music or get DVD duplications processed without money. So I will be crowdfunding. This will enable me to raise funding to complete the project. Those that contribute and also meet certain criteria will receive a copy of the film (those interested should look out for the crowdfunding page all information and criteria will be clearly explained on the page).

The plan overall is to complete the film, first and foremost. This will be achieved by fundraising, clearing publishing rights, sorting paper work etc. The absolute date is still to be confirmed. However, I would say the end of this year at the latest. On release of the film copies will be sent to the funders/donators to the crowdfunding page, they will receive a limited edition of the DVD.

I will set up a Facebook page for ‘Ska’d by the music’, so that those interested can follow what is happening. The film will be entered into film festivals so dates of screenings will be posted so interested audiences will be aware of when and where it is being shown.

Distributors - Concord Media (they distribute other work of mine) are an educational ‘Not for Profit’ organisation, so I’m expecting that they will be interested in distribution. The Community Channel is also interested so a possible UK broadcast as well.

Synopsis: Ska’d by the music (Symarip story)

The creators of the ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’ album. The Jamaican band that engaged a generation of working class teenagers.

They were known as The Bees, Seven Letters, the Pyramids and Zubaba. In 1969 they would head straight into the British music charts with a Ska anthem to be remembered.

Not the first group of black musicians to appeal to a predominantly white audience. But this was different; Symarip were appealing to council estate kids.  

Following the Nationality Act in 1948, many Jamaicans migrated to Britain in the hope of finding work. The outcome is well documented and not all found the country as welcoming as they had been led to believe.

However, leading into the mid to late 1960s, through working alongside each other in factories and visiting the same dance halls and clubs, white working class teenagers saw their own alienation and lack of opportunities, echoed in the young Jamaican counterparts.

MW: What sorts of ska / two-tone treasures can be found in your own record collection?

SW: Originally a lot of my records were on vinyl and like many of my generation I have the ‘One Step Beyond’… and The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Beat as well as ‘The Dance Craze – The Best of British Ska...Live!’ album. Much of this has also been purchased on CD and downloads as well.

You will also find Prince Buster, Dandy Livingstone, Desmond Dekker, The Pioneers and of course, Symarip. I do love the originals and many of the covers. What a brilliant first album UB40 created with ‘Signing Off’. However, you can’t compete with Tony Tribe singing ‘Red Red Wine’.That first guitar string, like the strings of your heart. Always sends shivers down my spine.

MW: What's the best thing you've ( a ) read ( b ) watched and ( c ) listened to recently?

SW:

A)  Read – I’ve found with the ongoing and non-escaping political scene at the moment I have been sent further into the world of fantasy. I do love vampire novels and science fiction. I am now on the final book of the Deborah Harkness All Souls Trilogy ‘The Book Of Life’. I got hooked on ‘A Discovery Of Witches’ because I know many of the buildings in Oxford that she writes about in the book. The idea of this history professor being a witch amused and appealed to me. So I’m on the last book in the trilogy, but haven’t been able to read as much as I would like.

B)  Watched – I’m into boxsets. I have just finished watching the final of series six ‘The Walking Dead’ and found it very disturbing. Having said that, Andrew Lincoln is truly fantastic and I also love the strong female roles such as Danai Gurira’s stunning sword swirling Michonne. If you speak of fantasy often people just think you’re a nerd. Which of course I am, but wasn’t sure about this series in the beginning, it has grown on me. My husband had originally been very keen on watching it and zombies have never been my thing. However, what has engaged me is the concept of how society, humanity could, and let’s face it, would, probably break down. I find all the characters very believable, complex and scary as hell.  

The other boxset recently watched was volume three of ‘House of Cards’. Amazing performances by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in this tale of corruption in the political arena. You begin to wonder about art imitating life, or visa versa.

Films I watched quite recently ‘Europa, Europa’ directed by Agnieszka Holland. Based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel (he also appears in it right at the end) it’s the story of a German-Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but as an elite "Nazi" German. It is very intense at times, but also has dark humour. One dreamlike sequence shows Stalin and Hitler dancing together.

C)  Listened to – Occasionally I listen to ‘The Craig Charles Funk And Soul Show’ on BBC Radio 6 Music and ‘Elaine Paige on Sunday’ on BBC Radio 2. Otherwise, it’s Classic FM in the car but I don’t listen to much radio. I admit though that I started tuning in to ‘The Archers’ on BBC Radio 4 when they had the Helen and Rob storyline going, but I often forget!

MW: How do you see the future of film making for independent production companies such as yours?

SW: I’m a freelance individual not a Limited Production company.  So fortunately I don’t have to worry about employees.

The nature of funding has changed, smaller film agencies getting moved to bigger under one roof organisations. This signals regional film-makers missing out more and more on funding. Many film-makers are moving towards crowdfunding and other ways of finding support for their projects. Also technology is constantly changing, so I think how we watch films will also impact on the film-makers themselves.

MW: Aside from 'Symarip', any other film making projects in the pipeline?

SW: I am still pushing to get ‘Ska’d by the music’ completed so will be a while before I think about another personal project. However, I’m always looking for commissioned work and have a keen interest in history so we’ll have to see what the future holds.

MW: Where can we find out more on Woodward Media?

SW:

http://sharonfilmblo1.blogspot.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/SharonWoodward

https://www.facebook.com/woodwardmediacom/

© Mark Watkins / March 2017

[micaramel]

Artist: Brian Belott, Rhoda Kellogg

Venue: San Francisco City Hall

Exhibition Title: Brian Belott’s RHODASCOPE: Scribbles, Smears, and the Universal Language of Children According to Rhoda Kellogg

Date: June 6, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Curated By: Jordan Stein, Lindsey White

Click here to view slideshow

Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump.

Images:

Images courtesy of the artists and the Rhoda Kellogg International Child Art Collection of the Golden Fate Kindergarten Association / Phoebe Hearst Preschool

Press Release:

Brian Belott, the Brooklyn-based artist and child art enthusiast, came across Rhoda Kellogg’s name again and again in the course of his open-ended research. How could one person, he wondered, be so central to a field of study and yet relatively under-recognized? Kellogg (1898–1987) was an early childhood scholar, educator, author, and activist who was in a near-continual state of processing child art for six decades, most significantly as the designer and director of the Phoebe A. Hearst Preschool, which still operates in San Francisco. Belott’s curiosity eventually led him to a Connecticut storage facility holding over two million drawings by children–the largest survey of scribbles and finger paintings ever conducted. He was knocked out, and since then has been a champion and steward of the collection, ringing the bell for Kellogg and her inspiring efforts, often alongside his own creations.

A pioneer in the analysis of child art, Kellogg believed in the fundamental role visual language plays in the emergence of consciousness. Her studies yielded numerous books on the subject, elegant classification systems for the early stages of artistic development, and demonstrable evidence that children follow a predictable continuum of graphic development–from scribbles to finger paintings to certain basic forms–universally and across cultures. “Scribbles are the building blocks of children’s art,” Kellogg noted. “From the moment the child discovers what it looks like and feels like to put these lines down on paper, they have found something they will never lose, they have found art.”

RHODASCOPE brings together approximately 200 artworks from the Rhoda Kellogg International Child Art Collection selected by Belott; Belott’s own child art “forgery” paintings; and several of Kellogg’s original artworks, produced during her final years and never before seen in San Francisco. The exhibition marks a homecoming for the visionary Bay Area figure and her extraordinarily vast, yet profoundly singular collection.

Like Kellogg, Belott processes overwhelming amounts of information through handling, copying, and organizing, simultaneously documenting and reappraising source material most often destined for the trash heap. His works on canvas are handmade copies of drawings and paintings originally made by children. Eccentric and uncanny, the series finds an adult artist striving for the impossibility of total freedom from self-consciousness. They are, in effect, his tribute to childhood.

Kellogg’s cut-paper collages and mixed-media drawings were produced in her 70s and 80s and only recently shown for the first time in New York. Evocative of mandalas, cellular diagrams, and experiments in minimalism, they embody coherence without pretension, questions without answers, and a mind in constant motion.

RHODASCOPE is a play on words that conjures the rotoscope, a device from the early days of cinema used by animators to trace live action footage projected frame-by-frame onto paper. Belott was thrilled to discover that Kellogg copied children’s drawings herself, just as he’d done. We invite you to imagine the artworks in this unique installation as individual frames from a great and impossible film about creativity, perception, value, and collaboration.

  Rhoda Kellogg (b. 1898, Bruce, WI, d. 1987, San Francisco, CA) was an early childhood scholar, theorist, educator, author and activist. She amassed an extensive and wide-ranging collection of child art—numbering over a million pieces—through her travels in 30 countries around the world and through her work with children at various preschools including the Phoebe A. Hearst Preschool (part of the Golden Gate Kindergarten Association) from 1966-1986. Kellogg earned an international reputation for her pioneering research in children’s art through lecturing, teaching, and publications, notably in her books What Children Scribble and Why (1955), The Psychology of Children’s Art (1967), Analyzing Children’s Art (1969) and Children’s Drawings, Children’s Minds (1979). Over the course of her career, she developed a classification system that describes the development of graphic expression in young children. Her research demonstrated that children follow a predictable continuum of graphic development, from scribbles through certain basic forms, and that this development is universal, across cultures. She created new metrics by which to view and interpret child art and advocated for a “whole child” approach to learning long before that was the widely held practice it is today.

Brian Belott (b.1973, East Orange, NJ) is an artist, curator, performer, and publisher based in Brooklyn, NY. He is the lead archivist of the Rhoda Kellogg International Child Art Collection. A lifelong collector of child art, he has studied the work of Rhoda Kellogg for over ten years. He sees the early developmental stages as the most unique aspect of the collection, as they are the richest in scribbling and finger painting. Brian Belott’s first book, Wipe That Clock Off Your Face (2007, PictureBox) includes a selection of his practices, including comic drawings, painting, collage, collage books, and a DVD with found sound and photography. Belott is represented by Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, and his work has been exhibited at Canada Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is a featured artist in the 2019 Whitney Biennial.

Link: Brian Belott, Rhoda Kellogg at San Francisco City Hall

Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today.

from Contemporary Art Daily http://bit.ly/2QtsjID

[leave-it-by-the-door]

Marvel Studios Spider-Man: Far From Home DVD, Blu-Ray & 4K Ultra HD [PRICES UPDATED] - best prices, special features and compilation list of ALL retailer exclusives and deals!

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the twenty-third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has been released over the past eleven years, Acting as an epilogue to the climactic events of "Avengers: Endgame" while also being a sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" from 2017, we find out what happened to Peter Parker and his friends during and after the events of "Endgame". The world is forever changed as a result and new heroes are needed. Into this brave new world comes Mysterio. He's teaming up with Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Peter Parker to save the world from elemental creatures bent on destroying the planet! But Peter just wants to spend time on his summer vacation with his crush MJ as their school goes on a tour of Europe. But not all is what it seems to be and Peter Parker once again must put his life on the line to stop a dangerous foe. With the expectations of the world upon him, will he rise up and be the protector for not just the neighborhood, but for the Earth itself? This movie juggles several different plot threads. We have Peter just trying to live the normal teenage life while also struggling with an identity crisis in the wake of the events of "Endgame". We have a charismatic new ally in the form of Mysterio, an almost indestructible enemy and a world yearning for a new hero to fill the void and save them. Happy Hogan also has plenty to do here in a supporting role and acting as a mentor to young Peter Parker. It takes on all these different roles that also effectively brings Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close while also hinting at the future to come. There are some deep connections to previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films in the series in here as well as a truly masterful twist partway through. Excellent special effects, some great character beats for all your favorites from Homecoming, heartfelt emotions, hysterical jokes, teenage misunderstandings and a mid-credits scene that will make you wonder how the next movie will handle its revelations, this movie has it all. Directed by Jon Watts, who also directed "Spider-Man: Homecoming", it opened in theaters on July 2, 2019, and over the course of its theatrical run, earned over 389 million dollars domestically and over seven-hundred forty million internationally. In total, it earned over 1.130 billion dollars, making it the fifth highest-grossing movie of 2019. Critics gave it a 90% rating on RottenTomatoes.com, while audiences gave it a 95% score. In August 2019, word leaked that Disney, owner of Marvel Studios, and Sony, owner of the rights to make Spider-Man movies, were negotiating for Spider-Man to appear in more Marvel Studios films. Negotiations reportedly broke down and fans were distraught that Spider-Man might not appear in any more Marvel movies. But, just in time for the movie's release on Blu-ray and DVD, it was reported on Sept. 27th that Disney and Sony worked out a new deal. Marvel, in conjunction with Sony, will make a new Spider-Man movie to come out on July 16, 2021, that will be a sequel to "Far From Home", and that Spider-Man will also appear in one more Marvel Studios movie after that. News here: https://variety.com/2019/film/new...203351489/ Phase Four of the Marvel movie franchise starts with Black Widow on May 1st, 2020, The Eternals on November 6th, 2020 and a bunch of new TV series on Disney Plus, a Netflix-like streaming platform launching on Nov. 12th, 2019. This movie drops on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD on Tuesday, October 1st. There are three retailer exclusives for this movie as well, so let's find out the details. _______________________________________________________________________ DVD/Blu-Ray Editions: There are three editions: 1.) The DVD only set (1 Disc total) 2.) The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition (2 Discs total) 3.) The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition (2 Discs total) A note about the digital code, it will be a code you can redeem on the Movies Anywhere website, which you can then link with your different digital movie accounts on Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, FandangoNow, Microsoft Movies & TV and Vudu. When you link your accounts from those digital retailers, the films from your Movies Anywhere library are imported into all of those other digital movie sites. So, no matter which digital movie platform you use, you should be able to view the movie on the device of your choice. DVD & Blu-Ray Special Features: 1.) The DVD only set (1 Disc total) The movie on DVD. No known additional features. Click image for larger version Name: spider-man-far-from-home-dvd.jpg Views: 30 Size: 193.4 KB ID: 8424754 2.) The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition (2 Discs total) This edition includes over eleven featurettes, deleted, alternate and extended scenes and much more. Here is a breakdown of what that includes: • New Original Short, Peter's To–Do List: Peter has a few errands to run before he can leave on his class trip. • Teachers' Travel Tips: Mr. Harrington & Mr. Dell present a few tips on how to traverse the European continent. • Stepping Up: Explore how Spider-Man was introduced in the MCU, the ways Tom Holland transformed the character of Peter Parker, and what the future holds for Spider-Man. • Suit Up: The suit doesn't make the hero – but it does play a big role in who they are and who they can become. This piece examines all of Peter's different suits in the movie, and with behind the scenes footage, we see why some suits are better than others. • Far, FAR, Far from Home: The film's illustrious locations serve story points and establish tone, but they're also amazing to travel to! Hear from the cast on their experiences filming on-location. • It Takes Two: A special look at the chemistry between Jon Watts and Tom Holland. • Fury & Hill: MCU stalwarts Cobie Smulders and Samuel L. Jackson are back as Agent Maria Hill & Nick Fury! • The Ginter-Riva Effect: A look at the villain sub-plot and how William Ginter-Riva ties Spider-Man: Far From Home all the way back to the beginning of the MCU. • Thank You, Mrs. Parker: A look at Marisa Tomei's reimagining of Aunt May, from Homecoming to Far From Home. • The Brother's Trust: A quick look into some of the amazing work Tom Holland and his brothers have done through their charity, The Brothers Trust. • The Jump Off: Interviews with the cast & crew take us through all of the amazing stunts of Far From Home. • Now You See Me: We examine the evolution of Mysterio and why Jake Gyllenhaal was the perfect fit for the role. • Stealthy Easter Eggs: Allow E.D.I.T.H. to reveal some of the hidden Easter Eggs you may have missed! • Select Scene Pre – Vis: A side by side comparison of the Pre-Vis with the film • Gag Reel & Outakes • Never-Before-Seen Alternate & Extended Scenes Click image for larger version Name: spider-man-far-from-home-blu-ray.jpg Views: 47 Size: 254.2 KB ID: 8424757 3.) The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition (2 Discs total) All of the bonus features from the Blu-ray + Digital Code "Multi-Screen edition", with a 4K Ultra HD version of the movie included. Click image for larger version Name: spider-man-far-from-home-4k-uhd.jpg Views: 84 Size: 285.6 KB ID: 8424760 _______________________________________________________________________ Best Prices: I did a price comparison on both the internet and this week's circulars with Amazon.com, Best Buy, BestBuy.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Costco.com (no listings for some reason), DeepDiscount.com, Frys.com, FYE, FYE.com, Kmart.com/Sears.com, Overstock.com, Target, Target.com and Walmart.com. Unless otherwise noted or known by me, the prices are the same in-store and online at their respective websites. I noted shipping in the price rankings because of the competition between stores, but I will only be comparing base prices of the movie. Shipping costs will not factor into the price rankings as a result. Please note that with these price rankings, these prices are as current as I am aware of. Walmart's in-store prices don't always match its website prices, for example. As a result, these prices are as accurate as I can verify from the internet and flyers from the newspaper, I don't put prices in the rankings that I cannot verify. I fully expect there to be further price changes on Tuesday when the movie is released to stores. This is especially true with Amazon's prices, which are online this time. This is probably because this is a movie that is jointly produced by Marvel and Sony. I'll be updating this thread again on Tuesday and double-checking all the prices. For example, in the past, Kmart.com/Sears.com will presumably sell all versions of a movie, but there are no listings for it online but only in Kmart's circular. So I can only rank the price at the store and not the price on the website. I also know from experience that FYE's B&M store prices are the same as those on their website, so I made one listing for both. In other words, these stores reserve the right to change their prices and I might not know about it. Smilie That's where the SD community can help each other out and if new or different prices are verified, I will edit my post accordingly. When I checked online, I found no listings for this movie on Costco.com, Kmart (no sales circular), Overstock.com, Sears (no sales circular) or Walmart (no sales circular). A note about Walmart's prices, they have proven to be notoriously regional in the past and they rarely have a weekly circular available online. When it is available online, the circular prices in it are national or mostly national. Hopefully, the prices online will be national, with little price variation. Wink I'm making a slight adjustment to my price rankings, as I will now only include the top five prices in this thread. Basically, if a retailer's price stinks, it doesn't get to be a part of this compilation list. Big Grin I will still do a full price comparison to all the stores I listed above, but only the best prices will be included here. So if you don't see a particular store on the list, it means their price wasn't good enough to be included. It also means that if their price isn't included here, you should go to a retailer whose price WAS included on this list and try to get the other retailer to price match it, if possible. Here are the conclusions: ******************************************************************************************************** The DVD only set (1 Disc total): Here are the complete price rankings: First, BEST Price: Amazon.com - $17.99 (plus shipping costs or free shipping over $25 or free with Prime) First, BEST Price: DeepDiscount.com - $17.99 (plus shipping costs or free shipping on orders over $25) First, BEST Price: Target store/Target.com - $17.99 (free shipping on orders over $35 or use your REDcard to get free 2-day shipping on the website or free in-store pickup) 2nd: Walmart/Walmart.com - $19.96 (free 2-day shipping or free in-store pickup) 3rd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $19.99 ($3.99 shipping for orders on website, free shipping on orders over $35 or free in-store pickup) 4th: Barnes and Noble/BarnesandNoble.com - $21.69 ($2.98 for shipping or free shipping on orders over $35) 5th: FYE/FYE.com - $22.99 (free shipping on orders over $40 or free in-store pickup) ************************************************************************************************************ 2.) The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition (2 Discs total): Complete price rankings: First, BEST Price: Amazon.com - $22.96 (plus shipping costs or free shipping over $25 or free with Prime) First, BEST Price: Walmart/Walmart.com - $22.96 (free 2-day shipping or free in-store pickup) 2nd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $22.99 ($3.99 shipping for orders on website, free shipping on orders over $35 or free in-store pickup 2nd: Target store/Target.com - $22.99 (free shipping on orders over $35 or use your REDcard to get free 2-day shipping on the website or free in-store pickup) 3rd: Target store/Target.com - $24.99 (free shipping on orders over $35 or use your REDcard to get free 2-day shipping on the website or free in-store pickup) – Target exclusive with 48 page mini-book 4th Walmart/Walmart.com - $27.96 (free 2-day shipping or free in-store pickup) – Walmart exclusive with retro action figure 5th: Barnes and Noble/BarnesandNoble.com - $27.29 ($2.98 for shipping or free shipping on orders over $35) 6th: DeepDiscount.com - $27.99 (plus shipping costs or free shipping on orders over $25) ******************************************************************************************************** 3.) The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition (2 Discs total): Complete price rankings: First, BEST Price: Amazon.com - $27.96 (free shipping for non-Prime members and free with Prime) First, BEST Price: Walmart/Walmart.com - $27.96 (free 2-day shipping or free in-store pickup) 2nd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $27.99 ($3.99 shipping for orders on website, free shipping on orders over $35 or free in-store pickup 2nd: Target store/Target.com - $27.99 (free shipping on orders over $35 or use your REDcard to get free 2-day shipping on the website or free in-store pickup) 2nd: DeepDiscount.com - $27.99 (free shipping) 3rd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $32.99 ($3.99 shipping for orders on website, free shipping on orders over $35 or free in-store pickup – Best Buy SteelBook exclusive 3rd: FYE/FYE.com - $32.99 (free shipping on orders over $40 or free in-store pickup) 4th: Barnes and Noble/BarnesandNoble.com - $38.17 (free shipping) __________________________________________________________________________ Don't forget that you can price match any edition of this DVD or Blu-Ray to the store of your choice, if they have a price matching policy. There might also be some store-specific coupons or online coupon codes floating around that could help bring some of these prices down further. Given the price competition for this movie, there are some great price-matching opportunities, especially due to the aggressive price matching policies stores like Best Buy and Target continue to utilize. _______________________________________________________________________ Deals & Exclusives: There are three retailer exclusives for this release. Which, if any, will you get? Best Buy/BestBuy.com: Best Buy and its website have a limited edition SteelBook exclusive of the 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition. It features a collectible steel case and the cover on this edition is different than the cover on the standard, non-exclusive editions. Priced at $32.99 with $3.99 shipping on its website or free in-store pickup: http://bit.ly/2oegDhm Name: best-buy-steelbook-spider-man-far-from-home.jpg Views: 32 Size: 141.6 KB ID: 8424763 Target/Target.com: Target has one exclusive bundle for the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition (2 Discs total). It comes with a 48 page mini-book called "Peter Parker's Travel Journal". Priced at $24.99, with free shipping on orders over $35 or use your REDcard to get free 2-day shipping on the website or free in-store pickup: http://bit.ly/2oXyZDt Click image for larger version Name: target-exclusive-spider-man-far-from-home.jpg Views: 23 Size: 229.6 KB ID: 8424766 Walmart/Walmart.com: Walmart has the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital + Retro Action Figure edition. This exclusive includes a retro action figurine in Tom Holland's signature Night Monkey suit, which reportedly also features a suction cup grappler. Priced at $27.96: http://bit.ly/2ocQW0G Click image for larger version Name: walmart-exclusive-spider-man-far-from-home-blu-ray.jpg Views: 33 Size: 148.5 KB ID: 8424772 You can certainly purchase this movie digitally at the online retailer of your choice. However, when you buy the Blu-Ray or the 4K editions of this movie, it comes with a digital code, so you don't have to do so unless that is your preference. nod __________________________________________________________________________ I included as much pertinent information on this new release that I could find so everyone can make a more educated decision on whether to purchase this movie or not, as well as which edition they prefer. For those of you who read these threads start to finish, there is plenty of detail for everyone. I've noticed that a lot of the questions people put in these threads could be answered if they read the OP carefully. I would heartily encourage you to do so, as it might answer the question(s) you have before you even have to ask. Wink And that is the end of this compilation, my second New Release Thread for the year 2019. Only three retailer exclusives for physical media this time around, thankfully. It should make it easier to decide what edition and which exclusive you might want. Remember, when you get a call from Nick Fury, DON'T ghost him and send him to voicemail. Otherwise, he will track you down and find you if you do. He'll also tranquilize your friends when he does. RELEASE DAY - INFORMATION & PRICES UPDATED ON OCT 1 @ 7:24 am EST. 1.) Almost ALL retailers (except one - BarnesAndNoble. com) kept their prices the same. 2.) BarnesAndNoble. com lowered their prices a little bit, moving around the bottom of the rankings. The DVD moved from 5th to 4th place in the rankings. The Blu Ray moved from 6th to 5th place in the rankings and the 4K Ultra HD stayed at 4th place in the rankings. 3.) The exclusive Target bundle of the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital edition (2 Discs total) with the48 page mini-book is now available to order online and for in-store pickup. All of the price rankings have now been updated and all the new information listed above has been added accordingly. Happy hunting!

[kyreniacommentator]

By Tina King…

After such a hectic couple of weeks I wondered what I could contribute to CyprusScene readers  and thought why not introduce you all to the world of Scuba Diving?

Like many of you, I have always done a lot of snorkelling during my holidays and thoroughly enjoyed all the differing species of fish and fauna to be found in various parts of the world.  Every resort I went to has a PADI diving school and on many occasions I  thought about trying scuba diving, but I always had the usual reasons not to do it, too busy sightseeing, didn’t want to spend my well earned holiday in a classroom.

In May 2017 I was chatting to some friends, Nick and John who are very experienced scuba divers, and they encouraged me to consider taking a ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ course. Having thought about it I contacted Cyprus Underwater Explorers based at Manolya Hotel in Lapta, to ask about a course and what it entailed.

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I will always remember 28th May 2017, as the day I fell in love with scuba diving.  I was very nervous and not sure what to expect, but was made to feel at ease instantly by Ed Sezener and Carol Hall-Smith on arriving at the diving centre.  I had the morning’s plans discussed with me and was made a cup of coffee and invited to watch short DVD introducing scuba diving.

First and foremost is safety, your personal diving assessment, personal fitness and health, every element was covered in depth prior to introducing me to my diving gear.   All looked a bit scary, felt even more scary when suited and booted as they say!  No need to worry as all your training is in the swimming pool, and whilst I felt very cumbersome walking towards the pool, once in and quite oddly to me, it all sort of felt very light and comfortable. I don’t quite know what I expected. 

All training is conducted in the shallow end so if at any time you’re not sure of anything you can just stand up, talk things through especially if you didn’t understand or got a bit scared.  It took me quite a few goes to get the hang of clearing my mask, and Ed was really patient and helped me get it right.

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I was with a small team of 4 and both Carol and Ed coached us through the introduction to breathing through our regulator, our diving kit, and swimming underwater safely.

Once you have successfully completed your introduction to diving, and only when you all feel confident enough, you are all set to try your first dive in the sea. 

I have never looked back from that first day.  On the 30th August 2017 I started my Open Water Course and passed on the 1st September 2017.  Then I started to actually learn to dive with my L plates….

I had hoped to progress with my diving but I suffered an injury to my leg that put me out of action for a while, but through 2018 I started back diving and on the 5th of June 2019  started on my ‘Advanced Open Water Diver’ course.

In actual fact it was a bit of a blessing that I had a leg injury as now having a few dives under my belt I felt scared but very excited and very ready to embrace the challenge of completing deeper dives.

Tina, Aimee and Harriet starting their PADI advanced open water course.

What an experience, on passing the course with Amie and Harriet, we made a 28 meter dive and were blessed on this day with so many amazing fish, they must have known we were celebrating!  Unbeknown to us we had an even bigger reason to remember our day’s adventure.  On returning to the boat, we spotted a fin darting around the boat and quite quickly realised it was a dolphin, it has to be the most amazing experience watching this beautiful creature dart in and around the boat with us for some time.

The key factor that drove me to complete my Advanced accreditation is that I have always wanted to see the Zenobia, a wreck that is considered to be the 10th best wreck dive in the world and it’s here in Larnaca. Amie and Harriet who I passed with both wanted to celebrate passing their Advanced as well by going to the Zenobia so a group of 7 of us was planned.

Zenobia_2003_1 Picture courtesy of Jetlife2 on Wikopedia

The day was so well organised by Ed, we all met at the Manolya Hotel  PADI dive centre for 06:00am, all kit packed and ready to go.  On arriving in Larnaca, we joined our boat and got all our equipment ready.  I got a bit nervous at the dive site, but we had all had our briefing and I knew I was with 4 extremely qualified and experienced divers, Ed was very aware and gave all 3 of us newbies every confidence and we started our descent.  It was a bit murky on the way down but soon this amazing wreck started to show herself and it has to be the best experience.

Take a look at the Zenobia on line there are many photos available,  we had two dives and to be honest I need another two dives as there is so much to see!

If you live here in TRNC, or are coming over for a holiday and want to take the plunge and discover diving, contact Ed or Carol for an informal chat.

There’s a whole new world to explore, meet new people and join a really great community, I’ve made some really lovely new friends through diving.  Be brave and give it a try!

To see footage of our encounter with the dolphin and other events go to Facebook, Cyprus Underwater Explorers.  You can contact Ed or Carol directly on cyprusunderwaterexplorers@hotmail.com or phone +90 548 820 4715

Go Scuba Diving with Cyprus Underwater Explorers By Tina King... After such a hectic couple of weeks I wondered what I could contribute to CyprusScene readers  and thought why not introduce you all to the world of Scuba Diving?

[prnanayarquah]

EOWTP confirms the first artiste, Freddie McGregor, for JAGHA Fest 2019

http://yarquah1on1online.com/tourism-culture/eowtp-confirms-the-first-artiste-freddie-mcgregor-for-jagha-fest-2019/

EOWTP confirms the first artiste, Freddie McGregor, for JAGHA Fest 2019

JaGha (pronounced as ‘jaggah’) is a word coined from two countries “Jamaica” and “Ghana” – the 2 countries picked to represent the Caribbean and Africa connect.

Set for March 9, 2019 and March 10, 2019, JaGhana promises to be a yearly event to boost tourism and repatriation, thus strengthening the strong bond between Jamaica and Ghana, the leading faces of the project.

  JaGha 2019 has ALREADY CONFIRMED 6 top-notch Jamaican Musicians for the project with Grammy Nominee cum Veteran Singer, Freddie McGregor, as the lead face of the maiden edition of the project.

It will be a 2-day event in Accra and Cape Coast; it will feature a fine list of performers from both countries, Jamaica and Ghana, who would be announced PROGRESSIVELY in phases leading to main concert. The festival will feature a ‘Jamaica House – a display of Jamaica Arts.

  With support from the Government of Ghana; Ghana Tourist Authority; Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Creative Culture (Ghana); Government of Jamaica, Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (Jamaica); Jamaica Tourist Board and a list of others.

This initiative is powered by Edge Of The World Production (EOTWP). More scintillating updates leading to main concert will be made available in the subsequent days leading to concert.

  Mr. Akwasi Agyemang, CEO of Ghana Tourist Authority says, “JAGHA 2019 is an endorsed program of the ‘Year of Return, Ghana 2019’ project which is a year long birthright and spiritual journey being coordinated by the Ghana Tourism Authority in partnership with the Office of Diaspora Affairs at the Presidency, Panafest Foundation and the Adinkra Group.”

  Freddie McGregor – Brief Biography

Internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated singer, Freddie McGregor, O.D., has not only made significant contributions to Reggae music since inception, but, has also helped to shape it with his conscious lyrics and Philly-Soul style for over 50 years. Equally adept as a romantic crooner or as an emissary of strong cultural messaging, his undeniable vocal ability boasts hits like Push Come to Shove, Africa Here I Come, I Was Born A Winner, Guantanamera,his signature Big Ship, Lock Dem’ Down and Bangarang (both chart topping hits from album “Comin’ in Tough”) and American soul classics like, Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely (by Main Ingredient) and Can I Change My Mind (by Tyrone Davis). Freddie also celebrated the release of his latest single True to My Roots with his album entitled “True to My Roots”

  With profound natural talent Freddie was influenced by legendsStevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Bob Andy and many others. Finessing his craft with early tracks like Why Did You Do It and Do Good and Good Will Follow You and developing his brand through the mid-sixties, he teamed up with Ernest “Fitzroy” Wilson to form the duo Freddie and Fitzroy that later evolved into The Clarendonians recording for Coxone Dodd’s Studio One label. In 1975, Freddie’s musical and lyrical content changed with a strong slant towards social consciousness with tunes like Mark of the Beast, I Am A Rasta and reggae classic Bobby Babylon. He released his long awaited album “Mr. McGregor” in 1977, which contained reggae mainstays such as Zion Chant, Rastaman Chant and Walls of Jericho marking a major milestone in his stellar career and paving the way for his 1981 single Big Ship, one of reggae’s biggest hits.

  In 1989, Freddie launched his own label entitled, Big Ship, featuring “Jamaica Classics: Volume One” as the first major release, which included popular tunes like Little Roy’s Prophecy and The Loser (by Derrick Harriot). Today, Big Ship is the most recognized Reggae label in Japan handling its own production, manufacturing, distribution and promotions while having produced several reggae artists including General Degree, Cutty Ranks, Mikey Spice, Benjy Myaz and Freddie’s daughter, Yeshemabeth. His album entitled Anything For You featuring the songs Uncle Sam, I See It In You and Anything for You, was nominated for a Grammy in 2002. Video productions include the historic Super Stars Extravaganza DVD, highlighting rare concert footage from the 1989 Denbigh Show Ground with live performances by such greats like Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Cocoa Tea, Barrington Levy, Frankie Paul, Carlene Davis and the legendary Tamlins.

  Source:

Elorm Beenie,

Publicist – Team EOWTP

[hawaiiirl]

Kalihi man finds joy in pulling the past into the present

It’s a good thing AJ McWhorter is organized. When this collector of old videos told me he had a library of more than 5,000 tapes and DVDs, all stored in his compact Kalihi home, I had to wonder where he stored it all.

This is not his vocation. This is his avocation. “Preserving television is something I enjoy doing and have been doing for most of my life,” he laughs, when I ask why he dedicates so much of his energy towards this.

McWhorter proudly points to more than a dozen custom-made cabinets lined wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling, in his dining room and hallway. He flings open some of the doors to show me his tape library. The collection reads like the history of television, with analog tapes from every generation of newsrooms: VHS, Beta, U-Matic, and 2-inch Quad tapes.

He lets me peek into his master bedroom, where there are more tapes and tape decks. Then he brings me under the house, where dozens of plastic storage bins and a couple of storage sheds guard even more of the precious bits of history.

He is an obsessive documentarian, an old soul in a younger man’s body. “I’ve always been interested in history, especially eras I just missed, or was in but was too young to understand what was going on,” he says of his fascination with the past.

Now 46-years-old, McWhorter began this hobby when he was still in grade school in Chicago. He started recording shows he liked, so most of it was the local news. “I love the ability to go back in time and watch something that I’ve never seen before, or relive something I want to see again,” explains McWhorter.

When McWhorter was 12, he and his mother moved to Arizona, where he completed his high school and college education. He continued taping local shows.

In 1995, while still enrolled in Northern Arizona University, he got an unexpected call from producers at PBS Chicago. Segment producers heard about his tape collection through a mutual friend and requested footage for a show they were creating.

“I was floored to hear from them because they were the PBS station I grew up watching as a kid, so to help them out- that was great. That kick started things for me in terms of people and places reaching out to me for footage they no longer have,” McWhorter says.

After college, McWhorter moved to the Pacific Northwest to work for Oregon Coast Magazine. A couple of years later, in 1999, he relocated to Hawaii to be with his girlfriend, Lisa. Of course, the tapes and viewing decks came along.

McWhorter was now working remotely, but still for Oregon Coast Magazine. In his spare time, he immersed himself in – what else? – local TV history.

“That meant countless hours at the library reading newspapers and old TV guides. I then started collecting Hawaiiana-related local TV footage, like Aloha Festivals parades. Some fell into my lap, including a chance to buy [actor] Jack Lord’s old Hawaii 5-O videotapes,” relates McWhorter.

He then contacted the people in the videos – like newscasters or local celebrities – to see if they wanted a copy. That grew McWhorter’s network – and his resources. “They started to share things with me and would ask me to archive and dub their collections,” he says.

There’s a little money in this, but it was never consistent enough to make a living from- especially in today’s digital era, which McWhorter concedes has rendered him as obsolete as the tapes he’s saving.

Mostly, he finds joy in reconnecting people to a special moment from their past. “I enjoy sharing with others. Some people did not have machines to record things back then, so I was their only link.

“Many people still contact me looking for an old commercial or show they, their kids, or their grandkids were in. Recently, I posted old Tire Warehouse commercials on YouTube, and the man’s (Malcolm Love) granddaughter wrote me to say the family enjoyed seeing it for the first time in decades,” McWhorter says.

He estimates he has “probably thousands of hours of the old Phil Donahue Show on Beta, along with all the other old talk shows – Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Larry King, Oprah. I might have one of the largest national talk show collections there is.”

McWhorter’s reputation grew as “go to” guy for archival footage. Star-Bulletin columnist Burl Burlingame featured McWhorter in a 2007 article (http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/06/04/features/story01.html), and that’s when the demand for his services took off. McWhorter says newscasters like Lynne Waters and Emme Tomimbang

called him for help.

That’s also when McWhorter became a name in his own right, securing a space in the same newspaper. “After Burl’s story in the Star-Bulletin came out, I suggested they do a column on media personalities or places. They suggested I just write it,” says McWhorter.

Invitation accepted: in 2008, Flashback debuted in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin with McWhorter’s byline. The column name eventually changed to Looking Back, and the media outlet changed in 2010 when Oahu’s two daily newspapers merged to become the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

He describes his column as a vehicle “for older generations who wanted to relive their hanabatta days, or younger generations curious about the old days.”

McWhorter was invested in his assignments. He sometimes flew, at his own expense, to meet his subjects or their family. He traveled all over the country in the name of research, “just so I could get the best perspective of writing about my subjects and taking photographs of them.

“Sadly, some people I profiled have passed away, such as Les Keiter, John Kernell, Bob Sevey, Jack Kellner and many others I admired and was honored to get to know. Other highlights include sitting in the WINS-AM broadcast booth in New York City while Paul Guanzon anchored his shift; not too many years later I went on to work with his brother Bob (Guanzon) and sister-in-law Paula (Akana) at KITV4.”

The paper discontinued Looking Back in 2016, but McWhorter still had so many ideas for stories, so he compiled a book on the history of local television. Published in December 2017, Honolulu Television is available at Amazon.com, Arcadia Publishing, Barnes & Noble, and Costco.

At the same time McWhorter was writing for the newspaper, he also dabbled in television. McWhorter says his friend, news producer David Patterson, suggested they do something with some of McWhorter’s footage of the University of Hawaii’s Fabulous Five basketball team from the 1970s- a team so spectacular, they played in the NCAA and NIT basketball tournaments.

In 2007, the two helped produce a half-hour special, The Fabulous Five that aired on OC16 (now Spectrum Cable), and sold as a DVD in stores. The foray into television proved interesting to McWhorter, and it grew his name in the local media community.

In 2014, KITV4 (ABC) hired McWhorter to co-produce a half hour 60th anniversary special. One thing led to another, and that project led to a few years’ work as a KITV4’s weekend assignments manager. Now, McWhorter was no longer just an observer of media history, but had a hand in creating it.

In 2017, he left KITV4 when KHON (FOX) tapped him to co-create its 60th anniversary special. “It was an honor and joy to produce these local station retrospective specials with my mentor, Pamela Young,” said McWhorter.

McWhorter’s love for the past keeps manifesting in his present and future. He outlines a few ambitious goals: he’d like to produce a documentary about history of local television that spans news, talk shows, and sporting events.

He says somewhere in his piles of tapes, he has many shows from the 1960s through 1980s, “like Frank Valenti’s ‘Sports Editor’ on KGMB; Bruce Carter and Hari Kojima’s ‘Let’s Go Fishing’ on KHON; Betty Smyser’s ‘Conversation’ on KITV; countless old newscasts and commercials; UH sports games in the 1970s; Hawaii Islanders baseball games; and more. Want to see Bob Sevey helping call a basketball game that Rick Pitino is coaching in 1976? The Exchange Orange commercials, Castle Park, Ponderosa Pines? You name it, I probably have it.”

Another goal is to create a website combining all his forms of expression: “an avenue for people to read stories and view video from the old days.”

It may take a while; aside from his full-time state job, he is a very involved father to three children. But collecting TV is his passion, and he is motivated to help others remember the past “because we can all hopefully learn from it.” In short, when McWhorter looks back, what he sees is his future.

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[thejustinmarshall]

From 10,000 light Years to Live From Birmingham John Lodge is Still a Moody Blue

Interview by Danny Coleman

“You can’t just sit down and say I’m going to write a song. You’ve got to be in a creative mood,” says John Lodge, legendary bassist of the Moody Blues as he discussed his latest solo release, “Live From Birmingham,” his current tour and two upcoming area shows; October 15 at The Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA and The City Winery in New York City on October 17.

Still riding a wave of success from 2015’s, “10,000 Light Years Ago,” Lodge has now released a live product encompassing his music and concert experiences bothauditory and visually. The album was recorded at a storied venue which holds very fond memories for him and one which had a profound impact on his career.

“I’m promoting a release, “Live From Birmingham” it is a live album recorded in Birmingham Town Hall in England which is a very special iconic venue for anybody in Birmingham,” he explained in reflective tones. “Growing up as teenagers to get a gig there was unbelievable because they used to do a thing called, “All-nighters” and on a Saturday night into Sunday, all of the bands from Birmingham used to try and get a booking there because you played all night. They also had all of the great British and American rockers there; Buddy Holly was my absolute hero. He showed me the way to write songs and everything else; he was just brilliant. I managed to see him, I had tickets in the front row of Birmingham Town Hall and I said to my agent that when I finished my tour, I wanted to record the concert, release it on 180 Gram and vinyl as a double album sleeve and I wanted to release it as a DVD. So it completed the circle for me because there’s a young Johnny Lodge looking down at Buddy Holly and hopefully there’s a new young musician perhaps looking at me and carrying the music on.”

The night this footage was shot turned out to be more than just a concert for Lodge as not only was he was deeply touched by the reception but also by the attendance of some old friends as well; members of his first band. “When I was learning to play guitar I met Ray Thomas,”  he started  with reverence in his voice.  “Ray had a good voice but he didn’t play any instruments but we formed a band anyway called, “El Riot and The Rebels” and we used to wear Mexican outfits; can you believe that? It was a great time, we were together for four years; Mike Pinder had joined us for a short period of time as well, so yeah it was a great time. When I did the Birmingham Town Hall concert the whole band turned up. The two guitarists turned up, the drummer would’ve been there but unfortunately he had passed away but his family came along. So the whole band was there and that was really, really cool and Ray Thomas was there even though he wasn’t well; special moments indeed.”

With the album already released, Lodge continues to hit the road and has also dropped a single which is available as a free download.

“We released the, “Get Me Out of Here” single from the live album because I really like it; it’s got a lot of energy on the track. We released it as a free download so people can actually download it, listen to it and see if they like what John Lodge is up to these days and we’ve had a really good strong response to it so I’m really pleased. Besides, it’s a free download so if you haven’t got the money because you’ve got other things going on in your life; just check it out.” 

Joining him on tour is a very talented supporting cast, one of which he has worked with before and others he’s come to know as the group worked months in advance to put it all together.

“Alan Hewitt who I’ve known for years, is with me; he used to write the songs for a band called Warrant and I’ve known him since the ’80’s. We’ve got Billy the drummer, a guitarist called Duffy out of Detroit and a cellist and slide guitar player who are also out of Detroit. I’ve got a very American band and we rehearsed through the summer and of course we did some rehearsing in Nashville before the tour started.” 

Today’s recording technology often causes conflict from bar room discussions of analog versus digital to the methods which artists use to capture their prized songs. Lodge feels that he has found a way to use technology yet keep things just old school style enough to meet his needs and tastes; keeping his music warm and inviting as opposed to some of the more,“Sterile” sounds of today.

“I found a way of recording that I really like, it takes the mundane out of recording. Recording itself is brilliant, I love it but the waiting time and the travel time and everything else just takes the energy out of it. My album, I realized that all of the people that I wanted to work with all owned their own studios. So I just put it together by files; I put the basic track down, sent it to my keyboard player Alan and he worked his magic by putting the basic keyboards on it and then I sent it to my drummer and he went into his studio when he was ready and put the drums on. So then we went backward and forward listening to the drums, checking it and changing it and then we eventually sent it to Chris Spedding my guitarist and I asked him when he wasn’t touring if he would put the tracks on in his studio, which he did and then all of the files came to me, I booked a studio for 24 hours and put all of the final bass parts, vocals and acoustic guitars on and sort of put it together through analog machines to get what I think was the right sound for the album.” 

How about the Moody Blues? Will there be any new recordings in the future with any of the remaining members? Lodge says that the band leaves that door ajar but that there is nothing in the works at the moment.

“I’m not too sure whether that will really happen because as you know the record industry has changed so much. You really need a mentor, you need a music man who really wants you to go make a record. We’ve always had great music men that we could play our music for. The original guy was Sir Edward Lewis who started the Decca Record Company throughout the world but in America there’s a wonderful man out of New York called Walt Maguire and for 25 years he was the person that we went to all the while; listen we’ve got this new song, listen to this. David Blonde, Bob Dylan’s manager, he was a great record man as well and so if you find a record man who comes and says I wish the Moody Blues would make another album, we’ll think about it I’m sure.” 

When one attends a John Lodge concert, there’s an expectation to hear some Moody Blues. Readily agreeing that he loves playing the Moody’s stuff, he also admits that he will feature some of the band’s deeper tracks and a few, “Special” offerings too.

“I’m going to be doing some Moody’s songs as well, songs that I have always wanted to play like, “Singer in a Rock ‘N’ Roll Band” and “Isn’t life Strange” but it also gives me the opportunity to do some Moody Blues songs that we don’t do on stage; things like,“Candle of Life” and songs from, “Blue Jays” like,”Saved By The Music” where I can get some audience participation. On this tour I’m going to do something special because we lost Ray this year and he and I have been friends and working together since I was 15. So I want to play a song as a tribute to Ray on this tour because we’ll never play it as the Moody Blues but I’m also going to play it because Ray was an integral part of my life. I’m also going to play a song of Mike’s because he was an integral part of my life as well; we were all Moody Blues together and I don’t want those songs not to be heard again live on stage so that’s why I’ll be doing those.”

Besides touring and recording, the future holds some fun for this bass master as he will be taking to the high seas but not on a Moody Blues Cruise this time.“I’m joining Yes on Cruise To the Edge and heading down to Cozumel in Mexico, so anybody who has not been on a cruise come along and join me and join Yes and all of the other prog rock bands, it’s a great time.”

To obtain tickets for either area show, or discover more about John Lodge; please go to www.johnlodge.com.

Danny Coleman (Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled “Rock On Radio” airing Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.)

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