allupinthekitcheninmyheels

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

I CAN NOT STOP WATCHING. (And yes, UNMUTE)

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

A Letter to the Fannibals

My default emotional state lists toward joy so it doesn’t take much for me to fall face first into fandom. I’m a fanatics fanatic. An enthusiasts enthusiast. I love to love with strangers who then become friends. That said, I’ve seen passionate fandoms sour with a quickness. And that shit is no fucking fun. The bigger they get, the greater the chance that all that love and joy curdles into obsessive possession and jingoism. Trust me on this. I’m a Beyonce fan.

 From a passionate fan’s perspective, I’ve seen the good, the bad, plenty of ugly and most of the in between. But Hannibal is my first time on the other side of the 4th wall. And I gotta tell you guys… I didn’t expect the view from here to be so fucking beautiful.

 I can’t imagine how Bryan feels. I was a temporary prep cook with some decent knife skills and my heart was so full up watching the Fannibal Hug, it physically ached. How Bryan’s hasn’t leapt from his chest and crawled across the floor, I’ll never understand… (Maybe it has. Some one check on Bryan. Loretta?)

 What I heard loud and clear in that video was not just that you guys cherish the show, it’s that you cherish each other. And man, that’s gonna have me intermittently joy crying for a few days at least.

 See, back in college, I spent a substantial amount of time driving around the country with a group of misfits, following the musician Ani Difranco. It started sophomore year when I decided to show up to her free Central Park show at ten in the morning, thinking I’d be first in line and guaranteed a front row spot. I was half right. I was tenth. The other nine fans had been there since before sun up. They did this for almost every show. They would, in short order, welcome me into the traveling circus. It was a stupid amount of fun. But more importantly, it changed my life. 

 Because next to me in line near twenty years back was my soul sister. I don’t remember meeting her. I just remember always being her friend, and her always being mine. Nakama. It’s been nearly twenty years since that day in the park and I rarely listen to Ani any more. But I can’t fathom life with out my friend.

 I am so glad you all found each other.

 Nakama forever…

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

This is really smart and great and I’m stoked to have found this writer....

On True Detective Season 2 & Why Modern Noir Has Atrophied - New Feature on Vulture

For sometime now I have noticed a troubling trend I have only been able to put into words recently: Modern noir has atrophied. Noir is one of the foremost influences on me as a writer and critic. My feature for Vulture uses True Detective Season 2 as a jumping off point to discuss where noir has been, its current failure as a white male power fantasy, and how it can evolve. Excerpt below.

I am really proud of this piece.

Read the full piece at VULTURE. 

When discussing his masterful 1968 neo-noir Le Samourai, writer/director Jean-Pierre Melville said, “I’m not interested in realism. All my films hinge on the fantastic […] A film is first and foremost a dream.” This same philosophy runs through True Detective. But showrunner Nic Pizzolatto overplayed his hand in season two, leading to characters whose emotional landscapes lacked depth, or much of a through line (unless you count daddy issues). True Detective is the clearest example of the emptiest aspects of modern noir: vengeful, self-centered white men; casual racism; violence without grace or purpose; mistaking the cliché strong female character for something meaningful; lack of levity or humor; labyrinthine plotlines without verve. 

Ultimately, it’s a parody lacking the sincerity needed to give its pulpy center meaning. As easy as it would be to hang this on the inflated ego of its creator, True Detective is indicative of a larger problem: Modern noir has atrophied.

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

Michael: Watch out for bridges and hop-ons. You’re going to get some hop-ons.

Key Decisions - 1x04

idea by hylianjean

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

YES FUCKING MAAAAAAM!

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

“I don’t like that question. Everybody always asks me what I want to do when I grow up, but nobody can tell me what they want to do. Anyway, even if I tell you I want to do something, I’m probably not going to want to do it anymore once I try it. Did you want to be a photographer when you were my age? Didn’t think so.”

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

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[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

I don't do too much pimping of Pops stuff round here but... Well, I'm just really fucking proud of and inspired by him and I want everyone to see. This doc is the first thing I've come across that comes close to getting at the heart of his superpower. Sure, he's a great musician, songwriter, arranger, producer. He's good at all the things one would expect from someone with his career, but the thing folks never get to see is what a master of the vibe he is. How he creates safe spaces for artists to take risks. He brings the right people together, shapes the moment, wraps them all in love and joy and warmth and encouragement. Artists sink into this vibe and are suddenly making the best work of their lives. It happens time and time again, this gift he gives. I'm never not in awe of it. While I've talked at length with many of the folks he works with about this, it's something I've rarely heard him talk about (and he is a man who likes to talk about things) -- until this doc.

Ever since I was a little girl, hiding in the control room (they used to kick me out during playback for fear of damaging my ears) I've dreamed of being able to do the same, bring people together who I love and respect and help them build a set of wings that won't melt when they get close to the sun, make sure they know how deeply I believe in their ability to fly. It's the yard stick by which I measure every creative endeavor. So far, I've come up short but I've got time. And I'm determined. We should all be so blessed to have such an example of fearless, open hearted, benevolent, generous and childlike creativity to aspire to. I'm endlessly grateful.

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

I choke up every time this photo series pops up in my feed.

Licia Ronzulli, member of the European Parliament, has been taking her daughter Vittoria to the Parliament sessions for two years now.

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

George Washington wasn’t only the 1st American president. He was biggest land-owner and the richest man on the continent before he became president. After the Civil War, when poor white militias formed, angry at seeing power continually held by the rich 1%, the government conspired to appease their woes by giving them segregation, and “white only” signs. Race was used to pit poor against poor and to keep us & you from fighting for real justice and real issues. What’s happening in the criminal justice system today is an issue that effects everyone. There are more blacks imprisoned in 2014 than were enslaved in 1850 (FACT) and there are more Americans imprisoned than any other nation. Do not let the fight for true justice be side-lined by your own defensiveness and inability to see that when we fight for justice it involves and includes you. Attempt to understand the anger and it’s relation to the ongoing struggle to distinguish hypocrisy from freedom. You may have been fed rhetoric your entire life about how great and powerful your nation is, but no nation is more powerful than the combined voices of it’s poorest citizens. There is no reason for police to not be a peaceful presence in society that acknowledges when they commit wrongs. You can uphold and enforce the law without allowing your ignorance or rage to enter the workplace. Those of elevated authority need to elevate the work they do on themselves. If you are programmed by the powers that be then you believe it’s us against them. If you over-ride the programming you realize it’s just us working against and through a system that could be more supportive & more just. Veterans learn first-hand of the governments hypocrisy when they return home and learn that their care is not a monetized priority. The system you are fighting to protect is flawed and the small changes, concessions, and amendments have always come about through hard fought work against naysayers who stand their ground, not realizing that they are indeed victims too.

Saul Williams (via jessehimself)

"...no nation is more powerful than the combined voices of it’s poorest citizens."

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

Listing of planned responses around the country to the Darren Wilson Grand Jury Announcement CLICK…

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

LOOK AT THIS MAMA!!If I can't be her BFF,  can I at least rob her closet, please?

Solange and her son, Julez, dancing to Rae Sremmurd’s “No Flex Zone” at her wedding reception in New Orleans. (11-16-14) (x)

[allupinthekitcheninmyheels]

So many gang signs!