#• edward morrison → FEATURING •

[intellectures]

Das Funkeln der Schatten

Teju Cole führt in seinen Essays von Caravaggios Kunst zum Black Empowerment und beleuchtet das Dunkel der Welt. Für die Schattenwelten des Daseins findet er Worte, die diese in ihren Kontexten verständlich machen. Continue reading Untitled

[carmenhearst]

Sorbonne — it comes from his lips so easily, without thought, without hesitation. It seemed that in all their similarities, he was still different from Carmen, a person who couldn't begin to know who they were and what they wanted. Was it worse? To not know you were? To know only what was chosen for you? Or was it more grievous to know who you were and not get to be that person? The answer comes as quickly as the questions had to her mind; she'd rather remain as she was. At least this way there was no pain, no longing, no dream for the life that could have been when she hadn't allowed herself to imagine it. It makes his next words feel more like a physical strike than a mere question, prodding for the very answers she didn't have even for herself.

"Yes." It's answered with the same ease as his own but not the same tone, flatness in the face of his sorrow. It wasn't a lie, because it was all there had ever been. Carmen enjoyed school, enjoyed learning — and she'd always enjoyed people and wanted to help them. Her parents path for her made sense, it hadn't been questioned, hadn't been over analyzed. She wanted what they wanted, simple as. "Ogden was always...I mean, it's my dad's alma mater and it's such a good school. It was always Ogden."

There's a breath of laughter at the compliment, a dismissal of sorts, always the worst at taking them. "I'm sure you know how it goes with some of those teachers. I'm pretty sure we spent one entire class with her just making me repeat yaourt over and over again until I got the pronunciation just right." It was somehow different when it was an adult, one of her parents friends doting on her and offering kind words merely in hope to get on her good side, as if she had a bad one, and in turn, her father's good side. People her age? Carmen seemed to have her blinders on, seemed to believe in the genuineness of people, that they said the things they did because they meant them and not thanks to some hidden agenda, seemingly unaware that she could be used outside the capacity of her parents. "It must be nice...—to keep that piece of the family alive." A luxury she hadn't been afforded in her own life. "Although, I somehow find it hard to imagine that French was the only thing you learned." Not if his parents were anything like her own, which was seeming more and more to be the case.

It's hard to fight the smile that blossoms across her own lips at the remark, at the thought of Cara and how she could be. She truly was a stark contrast from Eddie, a stark contrast from her. Yet, where some people saw a negative, Carmen merely saw something to be admired. She was strong, fearless, not backing down from who she was or what she wanted despite what anyone thought of her — a freedom to who she was that so few ever had the courage to embrace. "I think she means well...in her own way." Or perhaps that was, once again, just the blind trust she had in people.

As they speak, she's been flipping through the pages — taking the time to absorb each one through careful analysis, somehow able to immerse herself in the world of his art and their conversation with equal appreciation. Yet, for the first time, her lips twist with discomfort, one that she only hopes is hidden by her downcast face and the dark curls that had fallen around it. It'd always been easier; to put herself down, to discount herself, the insistence from her mother upon perfection having burned into her the feeling that it was never enough, that she was never enough. Eddie's words were kind and even though she believed that he believed in the truth of them, her mind had also convinced her that he was merely seeing her in a more generous light than he should be. It was as instinctual as so many other things in her life that she waltzes by it even now, refuses to acknowledge the call to it, instead forcing a cheeky grin back into place and flashing it his way. "Baratineur."

"Of course." A tone that almost implies offence, given the way she's currently enamored with his own work — and though it's joking, there's truth to her answer that he won't know the depth of, that even she dismissed the depth of. "Theater, literature, music, art..." Particularly the last one, collections of sketchbooks resembling Eddie's own stashed away in her dorm room. "I adore them all."

The answer to her question is at the tip of his tongue – where it has lived for over five years. “Sorbonne.”, he says thoughtlessly. And when he does, it is with a subtle grieving melancholy that sounds like he is talking about something that once belonged to him but was abruptly taken away. But there is also a hint of certainty in the immediacy of his response as if he knows he would have been accepted if he applied. Well, he would have. He really would. He had the perfect grades, the resume, and the fluency in French – all three requirements of the ideal Sorbonne application. What he didn’t have was his parents’ permission… Maybe, if he were more like Cara – if he questioned his parents’ actions and rebelled against their impositions, he might have been in France today. Away from all the madness of Ogden College… Perhaps he would be happy, sharing an unnecessarily large apartment with Océane and Lucas and living his best life 3,000 miles away from everyone who ever knew him. But she doesn’t need to know that. She doesn’t need to hear how he didn’t have the guts to stand up to his father or to disobey his mother. Or that, at night, he is haunted by this past he did nothing to change and by this alternate version of the present that he would never have. He appreciates that she asked, though. No one ever had. "Was Ogden your dream school?"

Madame Severin had done an incredible job, he thinks, as she recounts the story of how she came to learn French. It sounds familiar. A rich kid whose parents decide they should pick up a new language because they enjoy how it sounds, so they hire a private teacher that offers them the best education money can buy. And there you have it, a child that sounds like a native in any foreign language. Much like his own history with foreign languages, except, in his case, his Madam Severin was a man he called Herr Schulz, who their parents often referred to as a nasty communist but was a hell of a German teacher. “That explains it. Your French sounds very natural.” Again, he avoids complimenting her directly. But still, he feels he cannot let that information go unmentioned. “Before. My mother is French. So, I learned it growing up.” Not with Cherise Morrison’s help, obviously, but his grandparents had been fantastic teachers.

Her remark about the nature of his interest in macabre themes is met with the light-hearted chuckle of someone who knows she has a point. Dr. Helena Reichman, Ph.D. – his therapist, who sometimes dabbled in Freudianism – also seemed to agree with her. The one – and only – time Edward showed her one of his sketches – a depiction of Prince Hamlet holding his father’s decapitated head (instead of the usual skull) in his hands – she wouldn't shut up about how the brutality in his drawing of a father-and-son relationship also reflected on his own relationship with his father, and blah, blah, blah… Whatever. What does she know, anyway? But somehow, when a somewhat similar comment comes from Carmen, he takes it lightly instead of hostilely.

“Oh, well… You know her…” He shakes his head dismissively, a smirk on his lips as Carmen mentions his sister. The memory is still vivid in his head – the day he came home from soccer practice, and Greer had told his parents and Cara that he had been taking theater classes in school without them knowing (their school had a sort of all-you-can-eat regimen, where students could take as many electives as they pleased). His parents were scandalized for a hot minute, thinking their son was doomed to waste his brilliance on something as useless as art and become a frustrated, drugged-up, failing actor. Cara, on the other hand, just called him a nerd and ran back to her room before their father could throw his tantrum. Come to think of it, she had been much more supportive – or rather, less discouraging – than any other relative…

“No, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have come up with anything good. You saved my comic book.” He fires back. His words are overly dramatic, but his voice carries a humorous undertone. There it is again – her unquenching modesty. Personally, he finds it endearing, but he cannot help but wonder if it reflects something about her character. Like an unflattering self-perspective or a feeling that she doesn’t deserve praise for her intellect. “Stop being modest.” He teases, “Promise it’ll just be a discrete acknowledgment at the end, like, ‘And thanks to Carmen Hearst for revealing new words to me.” Though he isn’t familiar enough with graphic novels to know whether they have acknowledgments at the end… “I think it’s something I’ve been doing for a while... It started as more of a hobby…What about you? Anything besides theater you’re interested in?”

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌙 What to Read After Watching Agatha All Along 🌙

❓ Who is your favorite fictional witch?

🦇 Enjoying Agatha All Along on Disney? Check out these books featuring witches, covens, chaotic queers, & everything in between, perfect for fans of Agatha All Along! List below!

✨🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑✨

✨ Payback's a Witch - Lana Harper 🌑 How to Get a Girlfriend (When You're a Terrifying Monster) - Marie Cardno 🌒 These Witches Don't Burn - Isabel Sterling 🌓 This Spells Disaster - Tori Martin 🌔 The Scapegracers - H. A. Clarke 🌕 Beetle & the Hollowbones - Aliza Layne 🌕 The Twice-Sold Soul - Katie Hallahan 🌖 In Charm's Way - Lana Harper 🌗 Brewed with Love - Shelly Page 🌘 Carry On - Rainbow Rowell 🌑 So This Is Ever After - F. T. Lukens ✨ Spells to Forget Us - Aislinn Brophy

✨ Basics of Spellcraft - L.C. Mawson 🌑 How To Succeed in Witchcraft - Aislinn Brophy 🌒 Sweet & Bitter Magic - Adrienne Tooley 🌓 The Midnight Girls - Alicia Jasinska 🌔 Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Córdova 🌕 The Shattered Lands - Brenna Nation 🌕 Otherworldly - F. T. Lukens 🌖 Coven - Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton 🌗 The Dark Tide - Alicia Jasinska 🌘 Queen B - Juno Dawson 🌑 Her Majesty's Royal Coven - Juno Dawson ✨ Wild and Wicked Things - Francesca May

✨ Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas 🌑 The Last Sun - K. D. Edwards 🌒 The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri 🌓 The Sun and the Star - Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro 🌔 The Witch and His Crow - Ben Alderson 🌕 Lord of Eternal Night - Ben Alderson 🌕 The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter 🌖 Tonight, I Burn - Katharine J. Adams 🌗 Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer 🌘 The Severed Thread - Leslie Vedder 🌑 Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist - Ali K. Mulford and K. Elle Morrison ✨ Love and Other Wicked Things -Philline Harms

✨ Off With Their Heads - Zoe Hana Mikuta 🌑 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 🌒 Two Broke Witches - Kate Starling 🌓 Bitterthorn - Kat Dunn 🌔 The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields 🌕 The Witch and the Vampire - Francesca Flores 🌕 Spell on Wheels - Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise 🌖 The Witchery - S. Isabelle 🌗 The Hummingbird Coven - Augusta Owens 🌘 Children of the Night - Cara Malone 🌑 The Hex Next Door - Lou Wilham ✨ Malice - Heather Walter

✨ Mortal Follies - Alexis Hall 🌑 The Balance of Fates - Raquel Raelynn 🌒 Edie in Between - Laura Sibson 🌓 Doughnuts and Doom - Balazs Lorinczi 🌔 A Spell for Heartsickness - Alistair Reeve 🌕 Evocation - S.T. Gibson 🌕 The Spells We Cast - Jason June 🌖 An Education in Malice - S. T. Gibson 🌗 Rise and Divine - Lana Harper 🌘 Not Good for Maidens - Tori Bovalino 🌑 A Dark and Starless Forest - Sarah Hollowell ✨ Netherford Hall - Natania Barron

✨ The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 🌑 This Poison Heart - Kalynn Bayron 🌒 Over My Dead Body - Boo Sweeney 🌓 Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust 🌔 The Bewitching Hour - Ashley Poston 🌕 Pushing Daisy - Isla Winter 🌕 Daughter of the Bone Forest - Jasmine Skye 🌖 Keep Your Witches Close - Colette Rivera 🌗 Mooncakes - Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu 🌘 Snapdragon - Kat Leyh 🌑 Runaways - Rainbow Rowell & Kris Anka ✨ Witchlings - Claribel A. Ortega

✨🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑✨

[laughingmagi]

Anyway, heard the new DC movie and TV announcements. The only thing that stirred anything in me was Swamp Thing, a mix of excitement and dread. Because...because...what if John shows up? I know the idea should thrill me but frankly, they've been dropping that ball for years. Most of his comics have been shit, Justice League Dark is shit, the TV show is abysmal, and no, I don't like Matt Ryan in the role, I don't care if he "looks the part". That always sounded like a dog whistle anyway, harkening back to the point that John was played by a biracial man in the movie. And God forbid. Look, the movie isn't perfect, but at least it got the right feel down. It's a very serviceable Hellblazer au and I will die on that hill.

Regarding DC and their attempt to be cohesive and compete with the MCU, man it's too fuckin late. It's a mess. Just focus on the movies being good. It worked with WonderWoman, BoP, Gunn's SuSquad, and I guess The Batman (I didn't like it, sorry I'm still pouting in the corner over the edgelord Riddler, like we could have had a Moriarty vibe, but no, we get some ham-fisted social commentary in the shape of Edward Nigma reimagined as some accelerationist reactionary. Fuck off. Absolutely do not @ me). Also, baffling choices all around. It just all too convoluted. If they want to reboot and try again, fine, but that means you have to build consistency. It does not mean planning a sequel to The Batman while also another Batman movie without Rob and also Damian without even featuring another Robin like fucking seriously where is Dick? Jason? Tim? Not to mention they're basing that story off the Grant Morrison comic that has aged poorly in many people's eyes. What made the MCU so strong is allowing it to be its own thing. Yes, it references and draws inspiration from comics, but in a transformative way, like fanfic. Sometimes it doesn't always work, but at least it's consistent. I feel like DC has had a complicated relationship with the fan base since Man of Steel. I'll be frank, though I genuinely like Zack Snyder as a director, even if I think a lot of the takeaways from his movies are...bleak, at best, I don't think he was the right fit for those characters. I think DC is drawing from the comics in perhaps a more authentic way, but also in a very alienating way. Like, it's not good for the casual superhero movie enjoyer. For example, I hear when it comes to The Batman and Joker sequels existing outside the universe they're planning are going to be considered Elseworld stories which...fine, cool even, but who the fuck but nerds even knows what that means?

Anyway, I just wanted to get some tangentially related thoughts down. I just need DC to leave my son alone or give me all the money to write him.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 169 - What is a Book? (Part 2)

This episode we’re continuing our conversation from last year and talking about What is a Book? We talk about hypertext, instruction manuals, visual novels, campfire stories, and more!

You can download the podcast  directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Media We Mentioned

DC Pride 2022 #1

Tic Tac Tome: The Autonomous Tic Tac Toe Playing Book by Willy Yonkers

Homestuck (Wikipedia)

Doki Doki Literature Club! (Wikipedia)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (Wikipedia)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Wikipedia)

Lasers & Feelings

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 144 - What is a Book?

I read all 337 books in Skyrim so you don't have to 

Episode 108 - Visual Novels

Choose Your Own Adventure (Wikipedia)

Demian's Gamebook Web Page

KineticNovel (Wikipedia)

Hypertext fiction (Wikipedia)

HyperCard (Wikipedia)

Flip Book (Wikipedia)

Desert Bus for Hope

Microform (Wikipedia)

Rice writing (Wikipedia)

Matthew was just wrong about this

Changes to new editions of Roald Dahl books have readers up in arms

Jaffa Cakes: Legal Status (Wikipedia)

That time the X-Men’s humanity was put on trial in a real court of law

Fountain (Duchamp) (Wikipedia)

20 Books Adapted into Film/TV by BIPOC Authors (and 7 Being Adapted Soon)

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker | The Color Purple (1985)

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor | The Women of Brewster Place (1989 mini-series)

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, translated by Carol & Thomas Christensen | Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan | The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Beloved by Toni Morrison | Beloved (1998)

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie | Smoke Signals (1998)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi | Persepolis (2007)

Q&A by Vikras Swarup | Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Push by Sapphire | Precious (2009)

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup | 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly | Hidden Figures (2016)

Silence by Shūsaku Endō, translated by William Johnston | Silence (2016)

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese | Indian Horse (2017)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan | Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas | The Hate U Give (2018)

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han | To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Chararipotra | Tiny Pretty Things (2020 TV series)

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga | The White Tiger (2021)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee | Pachinko (2022 TV series)

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang | American Born Chinese (2023 TV series)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker | The Color Purple (2023)

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid | Exit West (2023)

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Leave the World Behind (2023)

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu | The Three-Body Problem (2023 TV series)

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon | Blackout (forthcoming film & TV series)

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris | The Other Black Girl (forthcoming TV series)

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, March 7th we’ll be discussing the genre of Gender Theory/Studies! 

Then on Tuesday, March 21st we’ll be talking about Moving and Management of Books!

[decomarc]

In 1941 a new comedic revue had this funny lyric that said, "Let's talk of Lamarr, that Hedy so fair is it true that Joan Bennett wears all her old hair?" Image was everything back during Hollywood's Golden Era and if there is one actress who completely changed her image from being seen as a conventional blonde to a raven-haired femme fatale that would be Joan Bennett. By changing your image you also can reinvent your self but back in the late 1930's it wasn't called reinventing yourself it was just a hair color change. The actress in question is Joan Bennett. Impeccable breeding and solid gold entrees into the theater and motion-picture arenas might be heavenly delights for some people. However, for Joan Bennett, who only wanted to be a normal, upper-class American flapper, it was a devastating burden. Everyone expected her to follow her two older, more famous sisters, Constance and Barbara, into one phase or another of show business. And somehow, when martial disharmony suddenly required her as a young mother to fend for herself, Joan found acting the easiest means of a livelihood. Rarely has an actress's screen career been so clearly defined by her hair coloring. During her blonde period Joan was a pert, poised, vapid ingenue who made the transfer from bit roles in silent films to leading lady roles in talkies with relative ease. After all, was not her father the well-dictioned matinee idol Richard Bennett, and her mother the captivating Broadway actress Adrienne Morrison?

Bennett fostered a relationship with movie producer Walter Wanger, who not only guided her film career but became her husband and the father of their two children. It was because of Wanger that Joan entered her brunette period. He had cast MGM's Hedy Lamarr in Algiers (United Artists, 1938), and when that picture made her such a popular figure, Wanger decided that Joan might absorb some excessive attention directed at her look-alike Hedy Lamarr. In Trade Winds (United Artists, 1938), the plot had Joan switch hair color mid-reel. The coloring change did more than accentuate Joan's naturally good facial-bone structure. Combined with her sultry eyes and husky voice, Bennett's new brunette look gave her an earthier, more arresting persona. She won praise for her performances as Brenda Bentley in the crime/drama The House Across the Bay (United Artists, 1940), also featuring George Raft, and as Carol Hoffman in the anti-Nazi drama The Man I Married, a film in which Francis Lederer also starred. She then appeared in a sequence of highly regarded film noir thrillers directed by Fritz Lang, with whom she and Wanger formed their own production company. Bennett appeared in four films under Lang's direction, the first film was the anti-Nazi thriller Man Hunt (1941, 20th Century-Fox) playing a convincing Cockney tart opposite Walter Pidgeon. In 1944 Land cast Bennett as the mysterious model Alice Reed in The Woman in the Window (RKO, 1944) who becomes entangled with Professor Edward G. Robinson. How gulity is she? Director Fritz Lang presents us with a rather ambiguous character portrayed by Bennett. We can’t really know what to think of her. Is she a true film noir femme fatal who will lead the Robinson to his doom. She can’t really denounce him to the police as she is a partner in crime, but she can always “leave him alone with his problem”… The complexity of this character makes the film even more thrilling than it already is. After two more films the first was the Technicolor period piece Nob Hill (1945) where she tries to entice George Raft from saloon singer Vivien Blaine the second film was Colonel Effingham's Raid costarring character actor Charles Colburn. Bennett was reunited with Lang, Robinson and Dan Duryea for Scarlet Street (1945, Universal ) which cemented her femme fatale image as the vulgar and heartless blackmailing vixen Katharine "Kitty" March. Bennett embodies a perfectly mean spirited woman in this film. She seduces and manipulates all for money. Bennett was perfectly cast again as the shrewish, cuckolding wife, Margaret Macomber, in Zoltan Korda's The Macomber Affair (United Artists, 1947) that was Based on Ernst Hemingway's short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Preston. Bennett's next role was in Jean Renoir's The Woman on the Beach (1947, RKO) where she decives Charles Bickford with Robert Ryan. Bennett and Lang filmed their fourth and final film The Secret Beyond The Door (1948, Universal) a film that was misunderstood at the time and a complete disaster for everyone. After starring in Hollow Triumph aka The Scar (1948, Eagle-Lion) The next year Bennett starred in director Max Ophuls The Reckless Moment (1949, Cloumbia) as the tormented mother and blackmail victim Lucia Harper which was undoubtedly the best and most rounded role she ever had in a career that lasted almost 60 years. Bennett's performance was one of her best as a fashionable modern woman forced to engage in a cold-blooded crime to save her spoiled daughter Bea (Geraldine Brooks).

Joan Bennett 1944

[razxdigital-year2-semestersb]

Julie Dash -  Redefine how African-American women are seen on the screen

Julie Dash is a filmmaker known for her ground-breaking work in breaking racial and gender boundaries in cinema. In 1991, she made history as the first African American woman to receive a wide theatrical release of her feature film, Daughters of the Dust. The film went on to receive the Best Cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival, and both Daughters of the Dust and her UCLA MFA senior thesis Illusions were placed in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, joining a select group of American films preserved and protected as national treasures. Inspired by her award-winning film, Julie Dash penned a rich and magical new novel set in the 1920s in the Sea Islands off the Carolina coast. Daughters of the Dust tells the story of a family of complex and independent African American women, the Peazants, who trace their origins to the Ibo people enslaved and brought to the islands more than a hundred years before. The Gullah people have preserved much of their African heritage and language on these islands, providing a unique backdrop for the novel's events. Daughters of the Dust is a fictionalized telling of Dash's father's Gullah family who lived off the coast of the South-eastern United States. The film features black women's stories, striking visuals shot on location, and a non-linear narrative.

Dash was born on October 22, 1952, in Queens, New York, to Rhudine Henderson and Charles Edward Dash. She graduated from Jamaica High School and went on to receive a B.A. in film production from the City College of New York in 1974. She was raised in the Queensbridge Housing Project in Long Island City, Queens, and studied in 1969 at the Studio Museum of Harlem. During film school, Dash was influenced by avant-garde, Latin American, African, and Russian cinema. Her film work began to take on a new direction after film school. Inspired by the works of Toni Morrison, Toni Cade Bambara, and Alice Walker, she stopped making documentaries and started directing dramatic films. Dash's 1975 short film, Four Women, is based on the ballad “Four Women” by Nina Simone. The film portrays four women overcoming racial and gender-specific forms of oppression.

 Dash began making films around the time of the L.A. Rebellion at UCLA, a period that trained many young black filmmakers with their own aesthetic visions. They were all determined to reimagine the media production process while sharing authentically black stories that could serve both as entertainment and education. Dash's work showcased the lives of black women and the struggles unique to them, and she aimed to say things that needed to be said in a different way. Her personal mission statement was to redefine how African-American women are seen on the screen.

HR - ( Anon, (n.d.). Julie Dash – Director/Writer/Producer. [online] Available at: https://juliedash.com/)

HR - ( The HistoryMakers. (n.d.). Julie Dash’s Biography. [online] Available at: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/julie-dash-41)

HR - ( Ebiri, B. (2016). The ‘Daughter’ Returns: Julie Dash Speaks About Her Triumphant Revival — And Where She’s Been. [online] The Village Voice. Available at: https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/11/17/the-daughter-returns-julie-dash-speaks-about-her-triumphant-revival-and-where-shes-been/)

[trascapades]

🎨👣#ArtIsAWeapon There are some spectacular art exhibitions in #NYC this Spring. Here are a few highlights from my May 6 #artcrawl. Plan an hour or a day of #galleryhopping to gaze at these incredible works by some truly gifted artists:

🖼"Bisa Butler: The World Is Yours" -

Jeffrey Deitch Gallery through June 30, 2023 📍18 Wooster Street

@bisabutler @jeffreydeitchgallery

🖼"Kehinde Wiley: Havana" - Sean Kelly Gallery through June 17, 2023

📍475 10th Avenue

@kehindewiley @seankellygallery

🖼"Wardell Milan: Bluets & Years of Magical Thinking" - Sikkema Jenkins & Co through June 3, 2023.

📍530 W 22nd Street

@wardell_milan @sikkemajenkins

🖼"Mark Bradford. You Don’t Have to Tell Me Twice" - Hauser & Wirth Gallery through July 28, 2023.

📍542 W. 22nd Street

@hauserwirth

🖼 "It Is What It Is" group exhibition featuring work by artists Xavier Daniels, Lynthia Edwards, Marcus Jansen, Frank Morrison, Dappo Reo, Terron Sorrells, Phyllis Stephens and Michael Vasquez - Richard Beavers Gallery, SoHo through June 10, 2023

📍14 Wooster Street @richardbeaversgallery

#TraScapades #BlackGirlArtGeeks #BlackArt #BlackArtists #BlackJoy #ArtAndTheCity

[bookclub4m]

Episode 175 - Revisiting Genres

This episode we’re talking about the very many genres we’ve read for the podcast…and which ones we’d read again! We discuss Jeff VanderMeer’s Zorro, Boat Fiction, We Have Always Hosted The Podcast, Bubble Gum Fiction, Cheese-based Erotica, whether the 1980s count as Historical Fiction, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Old Episodes

Episode 090 - Adventure Fiction

Episode 106 - Alternative/Alternate History

Episode 086 - American Gothic

Episode 143 - Amish Romance

Episode 160 - Biographical Fiction & Fictional Biographies

Episode 069 - Bizarro Fiction

Episode 094 - Chick Lit Romance

Episode 151 - Classics

Episode 053 - Comedic Science Fiction & Fantasy

Episode 110 - Comedic/Humorous Fiction

Episode 021 - Coming of Age

Episode 147 - Contemporary Fantasy

Episode 007 - Cozy Mysteries

Episode 127 - Crime Fiction

Episode 131 - Cyberpunk

Episode 025 - Detective Fiction

Episode 172 - Domestic Thrillers

Episode 041 - Dystopian Fiction

Episode 070 - Erotic Romance

Episode 135 - Erotica

Episode 037 - Experimental Fiction

Episode 045 - Family Sagas

Episode 002 - Gothic Literature

Episode 014 - Historical Fantasy

Episode 098 - Historical Fiction

Episode 001 - Historical Romance

Other Media We Mentioned

Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha (Here’s a time stamped link to the finals performance in a half hour video of the top 10 songs this year. I can’t link solely to the performance due to region locking, booooo.)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Wikipedia)

Marvel Snap (Wikipedia)

Far Cry (Wikipedia)

Tomb Raider (Wikipedia)

Horizon Zero Dawn (Wikipedia)

The Sandman (comic book) (Wikipedia)

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

My Macaroni And Cheese Is A Lesbian Also She Is My Lawyer by Chuck Tingle

Inheritance: A pick-the-path experience by Darrell Dennis, Daniel Arnold & Medina Hahn

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante || Talking Simulator (stream Matthew watched)

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Links, Articles, and Things

Hark! The Holiday Music Podcast

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 (Wikipedia)

World Goth Day (Wikipedia)

Just Plain Wrong

Bubblegum music  (Wikipedia)

Episode 028 - Accidental Romance

Dairying and Cheese Erotica

12 Southern Gothic books by Authors of Colour

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due

The House of Erzulie by Kirsten Imani Kasai

A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Cane by Jean Toomer

Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong

Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward

We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White

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Join us again on Tuesday, June 6th we’ll be discussing the genre of Fantasy! 

Then on Tuesday, June 20th we’re talking about how we’re bad at scheduling!

[morrisxn02]

Edward’s eyes rolled playfully as a corny smirk flickered in his features in contrast to Ambrose’s polite protest – the sort of secret gesture that very few people witnessed. The sort that wordlessly communicated something he would never say; something along the lines of ‘Of course I was going to get you something. I’m proud of you and I love you, and I’m really happy that you are here.’ And he was glad to hear that his cousin liked it. It wasn’t the type of thing to wear everywhere he went – well, unless he wanted to, of course – but the sort of thing to be worn occasionally at sporting events or (as Ambrose himself had suggested) on a cheesy picture meant exclusively for Ambrose’s dad or their grandfather’s enjoyment. It was more about the gesture of giving and the meaning behind the gift than about the actual, physical object. And, to him, that was the good thing about gift-giving. Sure, Rolexes and Louboutin’s were nice – especially to people like Rufus Morrison, a capitalist of no emotional complexity who only cared about the material dimension of things – but, the most special gifts were the ones that had a meaning, the ones that had been thought through and that, somehow, resonated with their receiver. Things that said ‘I care about you’ without the need for words. “Of course, I have one.” He chuckled, tacitly accepting Ambrose’s invitation to be in pictures for his uncle.

It was one of those stories that someone only fully understood if they knew how the Morrison family dynamics worked.  “My mom got it for me, actually.” Which didn’t make much sense, considering it should’ve been his father – their mutual grandfather’s son – to take the initiative. But Rufus Morrison had never been known as someone particularly considerate, much less a gift-giver, so Cherise Morrison would often step in and get creative. “When she and my dad met, Grandpa would wear a sweater just like this everywhere.” Family albums were not short of pictures of good old George sporting his beloved Ogden merch. “And she loved it. So, she went and got it custom-made for me because they didn’t make these anymore.” Which was where he had gotten the idea from. Plus, he knew their grandfather would love to see his grandsons sporting their own versions of his favorite sweater.

“Yeah, they will. Before you know it, you’ll be counting the days until the leaves turn brown, and you can start posting pictures of you in your sweater with your pumpkin spice latte.” He nudged Ambrose playfully, laughing at the impossible yet undeniably funny mental image of his cousin stepping into the whole just-girly-things Pinterest fall aesthetics. “So, tell me, how has Ogden been treating you so far?”

"Don't worry about it," Ambrose said, shaking his head, "I should probably take a break before my long term retention starts failing me, anyway." Was Ambrose going to get right back to it when he was done here with his cousin? Probably. For the moment, however, he slid up off of the bench and stood to greet Edward as he approached -- a sign of respect for his older cousin, of course.

He graciously took the box that was offered to him, placing it on top of the piano, and carefully flipping the lid open. "You really didn't have to get me anything," he said, because that was the sort of thing you were supposed to say when someone gave you something. Despite the fact that everyone liked when someone thought of them enough to find something they thought they would like. Right? Who didn't like receiving gifts? He pulled the sweater from the garment box, eyes looking over the shirt that couldn't have just been ordered from the school's online store. "Thank you so much," he said, a genuine smile sent in Edward's direction, "I love it. Truly." He lowered it back into the box with a small laugh, "I can already hear my dad demanding I send him about fifty pictures of me in it for him to put on the wall in his studio." He rolled his eyes, but only in a falsely annoyed way an eighteen year old boy would. His parents had more than enough photos of him, but he couldn't really complain about that sort of thing. "Tell me you have one too, and I'll rope you into joining me."

Ambrose gave a small hum under his breath, tilting his head to the side. "Oh, I'm looking forward to it. These cute little things you have over here that you call 'seasons'," he teased. It was no mystery that Ambrose preferred warm weather, but the thought of falling leaves, and snow was quaint to him. Give it a few months and he may be feeling differently, but at the moment he liked the idea of living in a more temperate climate. "They'll look aesthetic on my Instagram."

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[thenordroom]

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[odk-2]

                                     Oh, It's a Happy Day!!!

The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day (1967) Edwin Hawkins, Based on an 18th Century Hymn (Edward Francis Rimbault) from: "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord" LP

Gospel

JukehostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

featuring Dorothy Combs Morrison as Lead Vocalist

Arranged by Edwin Hawkins Produced by Edwin Hawkins

Recorded: @ Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California USA during 1967

Released in April of 1969

"Oh Happy Day" Won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1970.

[morrisxn02]

“Not that I think you’re a fascist for running, though.” He pointed out, aware that there was no need for such clarifications, but just for the sake of making a joke that seemed comically timely. “I know you don’t control the railways or the flow of commerce.” Which, he knew, wasn’t exactly what made a government, or a person. fascist. But that was just supposed to be a little Barbie movie reference, not profound political critique. “Anyways, you can see why homecoming court isn’t my cup of tea.” He took the liberty of guiding them away from the voting area – the frenzy in his peripheral vision was making him annoyed. "Plus, I'm not sure I know what a homecoming king is even supposed to do." Did they have any power? Because, if not, then, honestly, what was the point?

“Oh yeah? I didn’t know that ever happened.” There was a slight hint of joy on his face, a lightness to his features at her account of a childhood memory. Not too long ago, he had begun to notice he was a bit of a sucker for these nostalgic moments. He sometimes wondered what that would mean for a 50-year-old Edward Morrison – if that would make him a normal person who enjoyed reminiscing in the past from time to time, or a steadfast conservative who clung to the good old days as a form of rejecting modernity. With him, both – and neither – possibilities could happen, but there really was no way to foresee how things would turn out. “But I can totally see why.” Especially when they were kids. The six of them together had certainly been thought to be cousins by strangers more often than they could imagine. “Speaking of, I haven’t seen Finn or Andrew the whole summer.” It was more his fault than theirs, of course – Edward had only been in the Hamptons for a week and a half in total over the summer, mostly on weekends, and Parker’s brothers certainly had busy lives too. “Are they all right?” He asked, voice carrying an affection that was barely noticeable, but she that she had probably picked up on.

it was easy to play along with eddie's reasoning, offering a playful smile, an amused ah and chuckle throughout. though, part of her immediately figured that this wasn't merely some off-the-cuff bit he was playing, but something he'd actually thought through before. which, really, wouldn't be all that surprising. parker was sure he'd been asked the same question several times tonight, alone. the people loved a pretty, charismatic king. it was that straightforward.

"oof," parker huffed, lips pulling into a downturned frown that seemed to communicate, yikes. as big a game of thrones viewer as she'd been—house of the dragon watch parties a staple in her dorm room—that wasn't something she could root for. she supposed, if she'd experienced the same with one of her brothers, it would've also put her off running alongside them for life. and, well, even though greer wasn't there physically, she was undoubtedly there in spirit.

parker was about to comment on that—or maybe chicken out and say something about paris—when eddie took it upon himself to change the topic. still, the other young woman must've lingered in her thoughts, because she made it into parker's response. "yeah," she spoke with renewed joy, "people used to assume greer and i were sisters. we'd be, like, running up and down the beach and some adult would be like, don't lose your sister! where are your parents?"

[trevorbarre]

So, Do You Remember the 80s ‘Jazz Revival’?

Prodded by my memories of Rip, Rig & Panic, (the group, not the Roland Kirk number), I’m taken back to the UK ‘Jazz Revival’ of (roughly) the 1985-1990 vintage. For a brief period, in London at least, jazz music experienced its very own Retromania, and seemed to as cool/hot and hip/hep as it imagined itself to have been back in the ur-bebop and hard bop days. Much has been written about the ultimately conservative nature of this revival, with its memorialising of ‘sharp men in even smarter Italian suits’ (anyone remember The Tommy Chase Quartet?) and the Blue Note, ‘instant classic’ photo artistry of Francis Wolff, but which ultimately served to the disadvantage of the more experimental and ‘risky’. (It’s easy to lay the blame at the feet of Wynton Marsalis, but the seeds were always there for absolutism, from the very start, with influential USA critics like Albert Murray and Stanley Crouch, early neo-cons who increasingly decried the avant garde and post-Free Jazz experimentalism.) For me, this era coincided with my own reintroduction to jazz music, a process which began around 1981, and represented a return, this time permanent, to a music that I had first explored in the early/mid-70s, but which had been sidelined by punk and post-punk from 1976-1981. Bands like Rip, Rig & Panic served as a gateway back to jazz (and beyond), and the New Musical Express (NME) helped me in this, through such writers as Richard Cook, Andy Gill and Graham Lock. So this ‘revival’ was at once both personally-experienced and externally-informed.

There are a few literary signifiers that help to sum up these times, times which, in retrospect, seem to have been somewhat of a triumph of style over substance? (The 80s also arguably marked a significant lessening in quality in rock and reggae music, and we still await a definitive account of this entire troubled decade.) Have a look at the development of The Wire typography, once it became a monthly rather than a quarterly publication (i.e.from 1984 onward): The Face pointed the way forward, an alternative to the ‘inkies’ of the NME, Melody Maker and Sounds, and The Wire in turn fully bought into the aim of  more stylish presentational values, with the increased involvement of designers and ‘creatives’, as what clothes the musicians wore seemed to become as important as what they played. The Wire remained both a pleasure to read (featuring, despite everything, mostly more ‘left field’ jazz players, with even free improvisers also in evidence), and also to look at (the front covers were events in themselves, as they still remain). The bubble, however, had burst by 1990, and the covers began to feature the likes of Michael Jackson, Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, a reflection of the decreasing influence of ‘pure’ jazz, and an inexorable move towards what ‘hip’ young people were actually listening to, once they found out that Art Blakey and Max Roach were not, in actual fact, “great to dance to”. Electronic dance music soon became the default option of the tragically hip, an option which The Wire was soon to take up, especially after Drum and Bass / ’Jungle’ upped the avant stakes. (Main’s Hydra-Calm, from what I remember, won its 1992 ‘Album of the Year’, for an example of the magazine’s ‘new direction’).

In 1986, three of the older older NME writer ‘purists’, Roy Carr, Brian Case and Fred Dellar, put out ‘The Hip: Hipsters, Jazz and The Beat Generation’, which was a self-explanatory coffee table book, and exactly suited the whole ‘jazz revival’ shtick, “Hip has shifted more shades than any other philosophy throughout history”, proclaimed the back cover, rather vaguely, but which at least demonstrated that the authors didn’t take it all entirely seriously, unlike Robin Tomens. The latter published (only one printing, I must assume, in 2000?) his ‘Points of Departure: Essays on Modern Jazz’, a rather ambitious title for what was essentially a collection of what would now be called blogs, trying to demonstrate how hip and jazz-anointed he was (he doesn’t cover free improv, however). Although the book is often cringeworthy, in its attempts to glorify its author’s second-hand insights into various examples of the post-WW2 jazz modernists (mostly American), I have always had a sneaking fondness for it, as it in many ways mirrors my own tentative paths of discovery in the same time-period (1982-1988), alluding to a shared gaucheness, as we both tried to negotiate the various entries into the music, at points at which it all seemed insurmountable. His accounts of shopping in Ray’s Jazz Shop and Mole Jazz are priceless, and his reflections are basically those of a fan first, writer second, a position to which I can completely relate.

I’m no-one to talk: I sent in my own list to The Wire of ‘10 albums that I am currently listening to’, a regular spot in the magazine at the time (to show off my listening tastes, basically and embarrassingly, in retrospect), and which appeared in a 1986 edition of the magazine, from what I can recall (it soon, very correctly, ditched the whole daft concept). It seems that I wanted my own ‘brilliant corner’, however tiny and naff (to use a very 80s word), in the ‘revival’! What put me off, eventually, was the almost inevitably cosy, ‘closed shop’ mentality that most cliques and ‘scenes’ tend to engender (and which Tomens, for one, appeared to love), but which quickly prove to be so transient and gone-so-soon. 

We can now, thankfully, postulate another ‘revival’, one centered on Cafe Oto since its opening in 2008/9, one that appears not to seek validation in places like The Wag Club. (Oto’s various presentations usually transcend ‘jazz’, or, at the very least, transmutes it, and transmutation should be something that jazz has always welcomed?) With more musicians of colour and more female improvisers, this updated ‘scene with no name’ seemed built to last, at least until Covid-19 put it all on hold (at least in the area of live, in-person performance). One of the positives of the 80s scene was the clearly increased involvement of women and black musicians: this was undoubtedly an incremental and undoubted fact by 2020, exemplified, for me at least, in the line-up, at Oto in 2018, of a group led by Louis Moholo, and featuring Jason Yarde, Shabaka Hutchings, Alexander Hawkins and John Edwards. No women in this band though...Doh!! ( If I remember correctly,I think they called themselves ‘Five Blokes’!)

[mysticalhearth]

F

Fack ju Göhte – Das Musical - Munich, Germany - July 14, 2018 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Max Hemmersdorfer (Zeki Müller), Johanna Spantzel (Lisi Schnabelstedt), Elisabeth Ebner (Frau Gerstner), Lukas Sandmann (Danger), Rebekka Corcodel (Chantal), Silvio Römer (Burak), Susi Studentkowski (Zeynep), Robin Cadet (Jerome), Sandra Leitner (Laura), Jennifer Siemann (Charlie) Falsettos - Broadway - January-February, 1993 FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Mandy Patinkin (Marvin), Stephen Bogardus (Whizzer), Barbara Walsh (Trina), Chip Zien (Mendel), Andrew Harrison Leeds (alt Jason), Heather MacRae (Dr. Charlotte), Maureen Moore (Cordelia) Falsettos - Broadway Revival - October 28, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Christian Borle (Marvin), Andrew Rannells (Whizzer), Stephanie J Block (Trina), Brandon Uranowitz (Mendel), Anthony Rosenthal (Jason), Tracie Thoms (Dr. Charlotte), Betsy Wolfe (Cordelia) NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of the Revival following opening night. Such a talented cast and the chemistry amongst them is incredible. Beautifully executed and not to be missed! A Falsettos - Broadway Revival - December 30, 2016 (Matinee) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Christian Borle (Marvin), Andrew Rannells (Whizzer), Stephanie J Block (Trina), Brandon Uranowitz (Mendel), Anthony Rosenthal (Jason), Tracie Thoms (Dr. Charlotte), Betsy Wolfe (Cordelia) Falsettos - Broadway Revival - January, 2017 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Christian Borle (Marvin), Andrew Rannells (Whizzer), Stephanie J Block (Trina), Brandon Uranowitz (Mendel), Anthony Rosenthal (Jason), Tracie Thoms (Dr. Charlotte), Betsy Wolfe (Cordelia) NOTES: Filmed in January 2017 and aired on PBS on October 27, 2017. Can be found on BroadwayHD to stream. Falsettos - Hartford Stage (March Of The Falsettos & Falsettoland) - September-November, 1991 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Evan Pappas (Marvin), Roger Bart (Whizzer), Barbara Walsh (Trina), Adam Heller (Mendel), Josh Ofrane (Jason), Andrea Frierson (Dr. Charlotte), Joanne Baum (Cordelia) NOTES: Good for its age Falsettos - Off-West End - September, 2019 (hitmewithyourbethshot's master) FORMAT:  MTS CAST: Daniel Boys (Marvin), Oliver Savile (Whizzer), Natasha O'Brien (s/b Trina), Joel Montague (Mendel), Albert Atack (Jason), James Williams (Jason), Gemma Knight-Jones (Dr. Charlotte), Natasha Barnes (Cordelia) NOTES: View partially obstructed throughout, James takes over as Jason mid-act 2 Falsettos - Second National Tour - April-July, 1994 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Michael Rupert (Marvin), Stephen Bogardus (Whizzer), Barbara Walsh (Trina), Chip Zien (Mendel), Sivan Costel (Jason), Heather MacRae (Dr. Charlotte), Carolee Carmello (Cordelia) NOTES: The same video that has been titled 1993 Los Angeles. Dates confirmed via contemporary reviews (ie: Variety) April 28-July 3, 1994 Falsettos - Third National Tour - February 16, 2019 (Highlights) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Max von Essen (Marvin), Nick Adams (Whizzer), Eden Espinosa (Trina), Nick Blaemire (Mendel), Jim Kaplan (Jason), Bryonha Marie Parham (Dr. Charlotte), Audrey Cardwell (Cordelia) NOTES: Highlight running almost five minutes long, includes What Would I Do? only. Filmed from the rear orchestra, there's a decent amount of washout and obstructions, but very clear audio. 1080p YouTube rip, gifted upon request. Falsettos - Third National Tour - April 13, 2019 (Highlights) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Max von Essen (Marvin), Nick Adams (Whizzer), Eden Espinosa (Trina), Darick Pead (u/s Mendel), Jonah Mussolino (Jason), Bryonha Marie Parham (Dr. Charlotte), Audrey Cardwell (Cordelia) NOTES: 1080p YouTube rip. 4 clips lasting approx 13 mins. Bar partially obstructs stage Falsettos - Third National Tour - April 19, 2019 (thehouseonsunset's master) FORMAT:  MOV (SD) CAST: Max von Essen (Marvin), Nick Adams (Whizzer), Eden Espinosa (Trina), Nick Blaemire (Mendel), Thatcher Jacobs (Jason), Bryonha Marie Parham (Dr. Charlotte), Audrey Cardwell (Cordelia) NOTES: Pretty much the full show. Missing the last 15 mins of Act Two. Ends at the Bar Mitzvah Scene. Occasional head blocking the right of the stage. Fame - 8th UK Tour (30th Anniversary Tour) - October, 2019 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Stephanie Rojas (Carmen), Jamal Crawford (Tyrone), Molly McGuire (Serena), Keith Jack (Nick), Albey Brookes (Joe), Hayley Johnston (Mabel), Jorgie Porter (Iris), Simon Anthony (Schlomo), Alexander Zane (Goody), Louisa Beadel (Lambchops), Mica Paris (Miss Sherman), Katie Warsop (Miss Bell), Duncan Smith (Mr Scheinkopf), Spencer Lee Osborne (Mr Myers), Courtney George, Daisy Edwards, Lauren Crooks, Morgan Jackson, Ryan Kayode, Serina Mathew, Tom Mussell NOTES: ProShot released on BroadwayHD Fame - First National Tour - January 27, 1999 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Natasha Rennalls (Carmen), Jenn Gambatese (Serena), Gavin Creel (Nick), Jose Restrepo (Joe), Dioni Michelle Collins (Mabel), Amy Ehrlich (Lambchops) Fame - Madrid - 2009 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: - Fame - Netherlands - 1999 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Nurlaila Karim (Carmen), Gino Emnes (Tyrone), Eva Poppink (Serena), Albert Klein Kranenburg (Nick), Jim de Groot (Joe) NOTES: little generation loss. Fiddler on the Roof - Broadway (2004 Revival) - December 4, 2005 FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Harvey Fierstein (Tevye), Rosie O’Donnell (Golde), Rita Harvey (u/s Hodel), Jacob Fishel (Motel), Paul Anthony Stewart (Perchik), Sally Murphy (Tzeitel), Nancy Opel (Yente), Tricia Paoluccio (Chava) NOTES: Direct from the master, includes NY1 segments. Fiddler on the Roof - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (Pre-West End) - January, 2007 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Henry Goodman (Tevye), Beverly Klein (Golde), Alexandra Silber (Hodel), Gareth Kennerley (Motel), Damian Humbley (Perchik), Frances Thorburn (Tzeitel), Julie Legrand (Yente), Victor McGuire (Lazar Wolf), Natasha Broomfield (Chava), Michael Conway (Fyedka), Steve Fortune (Constable), Vincent Pirillo (Rabbi), Adrien Mastrosimone (Fiddler), Juliet Alderdice (Fruma Sarah), Tomm Coles (Mordcha) Fiddler on the Roof - Sixth Broadway Revival - December 29, 2015 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Danny Burstein (Tevye), Jessica Hecht (Golde), Samantha Massell (Hodel), Adam Kantor (Motel), Alexandra Silber (Tzeitel), Alix Korey (Yente), Adam Dannheisser (Lazar Wolf), Melanie Moore (Chava) NOTES: First couple minutes of Act Two are blacked out, but the show is otherwise complete; a few scenes are very dark, but the actors' faces can be seen; slight washout in the brighter scenes. Excellent picture otherwise and clear sound; good video. Finding Neverland - Broadway - April 30, 2015 (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Matthew Morrison (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Kelsey Grammer (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Teal Wicks (Mary Barrie), Carolee Carmello (Mrs. du Maurier), Aidan Gemme (Peter Llewelyn Davies), Alex Dreier (Michael Llewelyn Davies), Christopher Paul Richards (Jack Llewelyn Davies), Sawyer Nunes (George Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Video filmed from center mezzanine with very clear picture and nice close-ups Finding Neverland - Broadway - July 22, 2015 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Kevin Kern (u/s J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Anthony Warlow (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Teal Wicks (Mary Barrie), Carolee Carmello (Mrs. du Maurier), Christopher Paul Richards (Peter Llewelyn Davies), Alex Dreier (Michael Llewelyn Davies), Eli Tokash (Jack Llewelyn Davies), Casey Butler (George Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of Kevin Kern in the role of Barrie. Also features Anthony taking over the role of Charles and a different set of the Davies children. A Finding Neverland - Broadway - February 28, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Tony Yazbeck (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Paul Slade Smith (u/s Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Dana Costello (u/s Mary Barrie), Kristy Cates (u/s Mrs. du Maurier), Christopher Paul Richards (Peter Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of Tony joining the cast with no obstructions. He gave a wonderful performance as did the understudies who were performing. A Finding Neverland - Broadway - March 31, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Alfie Boe (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Kelsey Grammer (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Teal Wicks (Mary Barrie), Sally Ann Triplett (Mrs. du Maurier), Christopher Paul Richards (Peter Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Beautiful capture of Alfie and Sally joining the cast. Alfie commanded the score and sang the hell out of it. So many beautiful moments and such chemistry with Laura. A Finding Neverland - Pre-Broadway / Cambridge - August 17, 2014 (Matinee) (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Jeremy Jordan (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Michael McGrath (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Jeanna de Waal (Mary Barrie), Carolee Carmello (Mrs. du Maurier), Aidan Gemme (Peter Llewelyn Davies), Alex Dreier (Michael Llewelyn Davies), Hayden Signoretti (Jack Llewelyn Davies), Sawyer Nunes (George Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Fantastic capture from start to finish with just a couple quick dropouts in act one; clear video with no washout or obstruction; filmed in 16:9, with a mix of wides, mediums, and close-ups. Finding Neverland - Pre-Broadway / Cambridge - September 3, 2014 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Jeremy Jordan (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Michael McGrath (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Jeanna de Waal (Mary Barrie), Carolee Carmello (Mrs. du Maurier), Aidan Gemme (Peter Llewelyn Davies), Alex Dreier (Michael Llewelyn Davies), Hayden Signoretti (Jack Llewelyn Davies), Sawyer Nunes (George Llewelyn Davies) NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of this sensational new show headed to Broadway. The performances, actors, music, book, the comedy are all divine. I think this will take 2015 Tony and also awards for Jeremy and Laura, it was that stunning! A+ First Date - Broadway - July 13, 2013 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Zachary Levi (Aaron), Krysta Rodriguez (Casey), Sara Chase (Woman #1 (Grandma Ida/Lauren/Aaron's Mother)), Bryce Ryness (Man #1 (Gabe/Edgy British Guy)), Kate Loprest (Woman #2 (Allison/Google)), Kristoffer Cusick (Man #2 (Reggie/Aaron's Future Son/Edgy Rocker Guy)), Blake Hammond (Man #3 (Waiter/Casey's Father/Friendly Therapist)) NOTES: Excellent HD capture of this charming and fun show. Both Zachary and Krysta are adorable in the roles, as is the supporting cast! A First Date - London (Crazy Coqs) - October, 2020 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Simon Lipkin (Aaron), Samantha Barks (Casey), Danielle Steers, Nicholas McLean, Oscar Conlon Morrey, Rufus Kampa NOTES: Livestreamed virtual performance Fleabag - West End - September 12, 2019 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  M4A (untracked) CAST: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) NOTES: Proshot - National Theater Live Flower Drum Song - Broadway Revival - February 26, 2003 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Allen Liu (Harvard), Alvin Ing (Chin), Hoon Lee (Chao), Jodi Long (Madam Liang), Jose Llana (Ta), Lea Salonga (Mei-Li), Randall Duk Kim (Wang), Sandra Allen (Linda Low), Ericka Hunter NOTES: Broadway debuts for Allen Liu, Hoon Lee, Rich Ceraulo, Marcus Choi, Telly Leung, Daniel May, and Ericka Hunter Yang Flowers For Mrs Harris - Chichester Festival Theatre - September 29, 2018 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Clare Burt (Ada Harris), Joanna Riding (Lady Dant), Joanna Riding (Madame Colbert), Gary Wilmot (Major), Gary Wilmot (Monsieur Armande), Luke Latchman (Terry), Claire Machin (Violet), Louis Maskell (Bob), Louis Maskell (Andre), Rhona McGregor (Flower Girl), Rhona McGregor (Dressmaker), Mark Meadows (Mr Harris), Mark Meadows (Marquis), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Pamela), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Natasha), Nicola Sloane (Countess), Nicola Sloane (Sybel Sullivan) NOTES: Multi-camera setup, soundboard, professionally done. Follies - Madrid - June 14, 2012 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Muntsa Rius (Sally Durant Plummer), Vicky Peña (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Pep Molina (Buddy Plummer) NOTES: Recorded for Archival purposes. Follies - National Theatre - November 16, 2017 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  Other video (see notes) CAST: Imelda Staunton (Sally Durant Plummer), Janie Dee (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Peter Forbes (Buddy Plummer), Philip Quast (Benjamin Stone), Tracie Bennett (Carlotta Campion), Di Botcher (Hattie Walker), Josephine Barstow (Heidi Schiller), Dawn Hope (Stella Deems), Adrian Grove (Sam Deems), Geraldine Fitzgerald (Solange LaFitte), Norma Atallah (Emily Whitman), Liz Izen (Dee Dee West), Gemma Page (Sandra Crane), Julie Armstrong (Christine Donovan), Gary Raymond (Dimitri Weismann), Billy Boyle (Theodore Whitman), Bruce Graham (Roscoe), Zizi Strallen (Young Phyllis), Fred Haig (Young Buddy), Adam Rhys-Charles (Young Benjamin), Emily Langham (Young Carlotta), Aimee Hodnett (Young Hattie), Alison Langer (Young Heidi), Leisha Mollyneaux (Young Stella), Sarah-Marie Maxwell (Young Solange), Kate Parr (Young Sandra), Barnaby Thompson, Edwin Ray, Emily Goodenough, Jeremy Batt, Jordan Shaw, Liz Ewing NOTES: London’s National Theatre production, broadcast live to cinemas around the world. The National Theatre revival is the first fully staged major London production of Follies to present the original Broadway version of the show. Sondheim and Goldman revised large parts of the show’s script and score for its 1987 London premiere, toning down the underlying bleakness of the Broadway original, and offering a more hopeful finale for its central characters. Director Dominic Cooke revisited early drafts of Goldman’s script, restoring original dialogue and moments that have not been seen in the production since its 1971 Broadway run. Follies - Paper Mill Playhouse - 1998 FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Donna McKechnie (Sally Durant Plummer), Dee Hoty (Phyllis Rogers Stone), Tony Roberts (Buddy Plummer), Laurence Guittard (Benjamin Stone), Ann Miller (Carlotta Campion), Kaye Ballard (Hattie Walker), Carol Skarimbas (Heidi Schiller), Phyllis Newman (Stella Deems), Liliane Montevecchi (Solange LaFitte), Natalie Mosco (Emily Whitman), Billie Thrash (Dee Dee West), Laura Kenyon (Sandra Donovan), Ann Cunningham (Christine Crane), Eddie Bracken (Dimitri Weismann), Donald Saddler (Theodore Whitman), Danette Holden (Young Sally), Meredith Patterson (Young Phyllis), Billy Hartung (Young Buddy), Michael Gruber (Young Benjamin), Jillana Urbina (Young Carlotta), Krista Lepore (Young Hattie), Carol Skarimbas (Young Heidi), Pamela Jordan (Young Stella), Jean Marie (Young Solange), Julie Connors (Young Sandra), Pascale Faye (Young Emily), Temple Kane (Young Christine), Karen Lifshey (Young Dee Dee), Arte Phillips (Young Theodore), Peter Davenport (Young Roscoe) NOTES: Different recording than the PRO SHOT Footloose - North Shore Music Theatre - August, 2011 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: John Jeffrey Martin (Ren McCormack), Chelsea Morgan Stock (Ariel Moore), Matthew Dorsey (Willard Hewitt), George Dvorsky (Reverend Shaw Moore), Maureen Brennan (Vi Moore), Gwen Hollander (Rusty), Marissa Rosen (Wendy Jo), Sean Watkins (Chuck Cranston), Marci Reid (Ethel McCormack), Stephen Berger (Principal Clarke), Gary Lynch (Uncle Wes) Footloose - The Netherlands - March 15, 2009 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: William Spaaij (Ren McCormack), Kim-Lian Meij van der (Ariel Moore), Roy Kullick (Willard Hewitt), Jeroen Phaff (Reverend Shaw Moore), Marleen van der Loo (Vi Moore), Talita Angwarmasse (Rusty), Nicky van der Kuyp (Wendy Jo), Nadine Nijman (Urleen), Richard Rodermond (Chuck Cranston), Joyce Stevens (Ethel McCormack), Vincent de Lusenet (Travis/Cowboy Bob), Evert Jan Korving (Lyle), Michel Sorbach (Uncle Wes), Britt Lenting (Eleanor), Britt Lenting (Irene/Betty Blast) NOTES: Official DVD version Footloose - West End - 2006 (House-Cam's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Derek Hough (Ren McCormack), Lorna Want (Ariel Moore), Stephen McGann (Reverend Shaw Moore) NOTES: Recorded through the house camera, so it's a stationary full-stage shot with sound patched in directly from the soundboard Fosse - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 2002 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Simone Kleinsma (Ann Reinking), Stanley Burleson (Performer), Pia Douwes (Dancer & Singer) NOTES: Sung in English. Missing the first few minutes. Frankenstein (play by Nick Dear) - National Theatre - March 17, 2011 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MKV (HD) CAST: Jonny Lee Miller (Victor Frankenstein), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Creature), Ella Smith (Gretel/Clarice), John Killoran (Gustav/Constable), Steven Elliott (Klaus), Karl Johnson (De Lacey), Daniel Millar (Felix de Lacey), Lizzie Winkler (Agatha de Lacey), Andreea Padurariu (The Female Creature), William Nye (William Frankenstein), George Harris (M. Frankenstein), Naomie Harris (Elizabeth Lavenza), John Stahl (Ewan), Mark Armstrong (Rab) NOTES: Proshot for National Theatre Live. Frankenstein (play by Nick Dear) - National Theatre - March 24, 2011 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MKV (HD) CAST: Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor Frankenstein), Jonny Lee Miller (The Creature), Ella Smith (Gretel/Clarice), John Killoran (Gustav/Constable), Steven Elliott (Klaus), Karl Johnson (De Lacey), Daniel Millar (Felix de Lacey), Lizzie Winkler (Agatha de Lacey), Andreea Padurariu (The Female Creature), William Nye (William Frankenstein), George Harris (M. Frankenstein), Naomie Harris (Elizabeth Lavenza), John Stahl (Ewan), Mark Armstrong (Rab) NOTES: 24 March: Jonny Lee Miller (Creature), Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor) Frankenstein - A New Musical - Union City, New Jersey - 2001 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Shuler Hensley (The Creature), Ivan Rutherford (Dr. Frankenstein), Rita Harvey (Elisabeth), JC Hoyt NOTES: Innovative Demo Video In 2001, the team undertook a bold step to try to launch the show’s professional future: a full-length video demo that was produced and directed by Jeff Jackson and titled Frankenstein, The Musical. Staged over a four-day shoot in a rented Union City, NJ theater, the production starred Tony Award®-winning actor Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma) as The Creature and featured Broadway veterans Ivan Rutherford (Les Miserables) as Victor Frankenstein and Rita Harvey (Phantom of the Opera) as Elizabeth. The production was a hybrid of a film and a live show. Shot cinematically out-of-sequence with multiple cameras and without an audience, the show was nonetheless filmed on a single stage with traditional theatrical lighting. The final product was published on DVD in 2002, but only screened privately for potential backers of future productions. - wikipedia Freaky Friday - First National Tour - May 2, 2017 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine Blake), Emma Hunton (Ellie Blake), David Jennings (Mike Harper), Chris Ramirez (Adam), Jake Heston Miller (Fletcher Blake), Jessie Hooker-Bailey (Savannah), Jeannette Bayardelle (Journalist/Ms. Meyers/Officer Sitz/Ensemble) NOTES: Excellent HD capture of the new musical on tour, based on the Disney film. Such a fun show with great music and cast. Heidi is at the top of her game and a rare master comedic actress with matching voice! She really knocked the role outta the park, as did Emma! Frozen - Broadway - May 3, 2018 (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Greg Hildreth (Olaf), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), John Riddle (Hans), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie), Olivia Phillip (Bulda), Ann Sanders (Queen Iduna) NOTES: Great capture from the Broadway transfer and a few minor changes from the Denver run. Nicely captured from the balcony. Frozen - Broadway - February, 2020 (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Ciara Renée (Elsa), McKenzie Kurtz (Anna), Anna Rae Haller (Young Elsa), Charlie Tassone (Young Anna), Ryann Redmond (Olaf), Noah J Ricketts (Kristoff), Adam Jepsen (Sven), Ryan McCartan (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Donald Jones Jr (Pabbie), Tracee Beazer (Bulda), Tyrone L Robinson (King Agnarr), Ann Sanders (Queen Iduna), Robin Masella (Head Handmaiden), Jacob Smith (Bishop), Anthony Sagaria, Austin Lesch, Bronwyn Tarboton, Cajai Fellows Johnson, Charissa Hogeland, Charlie Williams, Claire Camp, Ellen Marlow, Harris M Turner, Jacob Smith, Jake David Smith, Julius Anthony Rubio, Kate Bailey, Keely Beirne, Michael Fatica, Nina Lafarga, Spencer Clark Frozen - Broadway - January, 2020 (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Alyssa Fox (s/b Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Suri Marrero (Young Elsa), Fiona Morgan Quinn (Young Anna), Chad Burris (t/r Olaf), Harris M Turner (u/s Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), Joe Carroll (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Jeff Pew (u/s Pabbie), Keely Beirne (Bulda), Tyrone L Robinson (King Agnarr), Alicia Albright (u/s Queen Iduna), Robin Masella (Head Handmaiden), Brian Steven Shaw (s/w Bishop) NOTES: Stunning HD capture of Alyssa as Elsa, Chad’s temporary residence in the company and one of Harris’s first shows as Kristoff. Filmed from the left orchestra with a mix of wides, mediums, and many closeups. Frozen - Broadway - March, 2019 (mynewfavoriteday's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) |  TRADER'S NOTES: Act 1 only CAST: Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Jenna Weir (Young Elsa), Leila Rose Gross (Young Anna), Ryann Redmond (Olaf), Noah J Ricketts (Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), Joe Carroll (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Zach Hess (Pabbie), Olivia Phillip (Bulda), Nicholas Ward (King Agnarr), Alicia Albright (u/s Queen Iduna) NOTES: HD capture of the new replacement cast members. Filmed from center mezzanine, Act One is blind shot until "Reindeer(s) are Better than People," and Act Two is fully aimed and filmed. There are great closeups and wide shots, but there can be a bit of spotlight washout at times. Frozen - Broadway - October, 2019 (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Charissa Hogeland (u/s Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Winter Donnelly (Young Elsa), Fiona Morgan Quinn (Young Anna), Ryann Redmond (Olaf), Noah J Ricketts (Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), Joe Carroll (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Donald Jones Jr (Pabbie), Tracee Beazer (Bulda), Nicholas Ward (King Agnarr), MaryAnn Hu (Queen Iduna), Robin Masella (u/s Head Handmaiden), Jacob Smith (Bishop), Adam Perry, Anthony Sagaria, Austin Lesch, Cajai Fellows Johnson, Claire Camp, Jake David Smith, Jeremy Davis, Joe Beauregard, Kate Bailey, Keely Beirne, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Nicholas Edwards, Nina Lafarga NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of Maryann's last show, filmed from the right orchestra. Act One starts with Patti Murin singing at the door right before Charissa Hogeland’s entrance. Act Two starts during Hygge. Please do not post screenshots of this video on Twitter ever. Gifs on Tumblr are okay after the NFT date, but don't go linking things to actors and shows. Frozen - First National Tour - November, 2019 (Highlights) (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), Alyssa Kim (Young Elsa), Stella R Cobb (Young Anna), F Michael Haynie (Olaf), Mason Reeves (Kristoff), Evan Strand (Sven), Austin Colby (Hans), Michael Milkanin (Oaken), Jeremy Morse (Weselton), Tyler Jimenez (Pabbie), Brit West (Bulda), Kyle Lamar Mitchell (King Agnarr), Marina Kondo (Queen Iduna), Caelan Creaser (Head Handmaiden), Michael Milkanin (Bishop), Berklea Going, CK Edwards, Daniel Switzer, Hannah Jewel Kohn, Kelly Methven, Kyle Lamar Mitchell, Michael Allan Haggerty, Michael Everett, Naomi Rodgers, Zach Trimmer NOTES: Stunning HD capture of the First National Tour of the hit Disney stage show. The video is Act One only and starts with “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” between little Elsa and Anna. Caroline Bowman and Caroline Innerbichler both fill the lead roles very well. Please do not post screenshots of this video on Twitter ever. Gifs on Tumblr are okay after the NFT date, but don't go linking things to actors and shows. Frozen - Pre-Broadway/Denver - August 17, 2017 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Ayla Schwartz (Young Elsa), Audrey Bennett (Young Anna), Greg Hildreth (Olaf), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), John Riddle (Hans), Kevin Del Aguila (Oaken), Robert Creighton (Weselton), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie), Olivia Phillip (Bulda), James Brown III (King Agnarr), Ann Sanders (Queen Iduna) NOTES: First Preview! The set malfunctions about 10 minutes into Act 1. Thomas Schumacher comes out to give a speech to pass the time. Act 1 then resumes. No set problems with Act 2. Audience is extremely receptive and the cast is absolutely spectacular. Frozen - Pre-Broadway/Denver - September 30, 2017 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Greg Hildreth (Olaf), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), Andrew Pirozzi (Sven), John Riddle (Hans), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie) NOTES: Second to the last day. Sometimes the rail can get in the way of the shot Frozen - Pre-Broadway/Denver - October 1, 2017 (Closing Night) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Caissie Levy (Elsa), Patti Murin (Anna), Greg Hildreth (Olaf), Jelani Alladin (Kristoff), John Riddle (Hans), Timothy Hughes (Pabbie) NOTES: Beautiful capture of the Final Performance in the Pre-Broadway Denver Tryout. Some wonderful powerful vocal variations by Caissie. There are a few blackouts, and a few parts in Act 1 has something blocking the right side. But other than that, zooms and quality is perfect! Fully Committed - Broadway - May 14, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Sam and others) NOTES: Jesse Tyler Ferguson stars in this one man comedy where he works a red-hot reservation line at one of New York’s trendiest restaurants. Excellent HD capture with no obstructions and so much fun! A Fun Home - Broadway - March 29, 2015 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Beth Malone (Alison), Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Sydney Lucas (Small Alison), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Oscar Williams (Christian), Joel Perez (Roy), Zell Steele Morrow (John) NOTES: Great HD capture of the Broadway Transfer. Performed mostly in the round, the actors are all over the stage. Judy's performances are so layered and beautiful, as is the entire cast! A- Fun Home - Broadway - April 12, 2015 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Beth Malone (Alison), Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Sydney Lucas (Small Alison), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Oscar Williams (Christian), Joel Perez (Roy), Zell Steele Morrow (John) NOTES: An okay HD capture of Original Broadway cast. There are around seven minutes of blackouts total and it is filmed around heads as best as possible. Still some great footage for fans of the show. Fun Home - Broadway - June 23, 2016 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Beth Malone (Alison), Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Gabriella Pizzolo (Small Alison), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Joel Perez (Roy) NOTES: Great capture of the performance. Instead of where Sunset recorded, SJ recorded it from the other side of the stage. Fun Home - Broadway - June 23, 2016 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Beth Malone (Alison), Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Gabriella Pizzolo (Small Alison), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Joel Perez (Roy) NOTES: Great capture of the performance. Instead of where Sunset recorded, SJ recorded it from the other side of the stage.  

Fun Home - Broadway - July 20, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Beth Malone (Alison), Emily Skeggs (Medium Alison), Gabriella Pizzolo (Small Alison), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Cole Grey (Christian), Joel Perez (Roy), Zell Steele Morrow (John) NOTES: Excellent HD capture of the shows final weeks before closing. Garbriella does a terrific job taking over the role of Alison, while the whole cast is still perfection. A Fun Home - First National Tour - November 3, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kate Shindle (Alison), Abby Corrigan (Medium Alison), Alessandra Baldacchino (Small Alison), Robert Petkoff (Bruce), Susan Moniz (Helen), Karen Eilbacher (Joan), Pierson Salvador (Christian), Robert Hager (Roy) NOTES: Great HD capture of the newly launched tour. Some really beautiful performances from the entire cast. Staged differently from the Broadway production to fit touring theaters. A Fun Home - First National Tour - November 4, 2016 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kate Shindle (Alison), Abby Corrigan (Medium Alison), Carly Gold (alt Small Alison), Robert Petkoff (Bruce), Susan Moniz (Helen), Karen Eilbacher (Joan), Pierson Salvador (Christian), Robert Hager (Roy), Lennon Nate Hammond (John) NOTES: Terrific HD capture of the tour with the alternate actress playing Small Alison. Terrific work from the whole cast. Kate really is stunning in the role and doing amazing work! A   Fun Home - First National Tour - March 1, 2017 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kate Shindle (Alison), Abby Corrigan (Medium Alison), Alessandra Baldacchino (Small Alison), Robert Petkoff (Bruce), Susan Moniz (Helen), Karen Eilbacher (Joan), Pierson Salvador (Christian), Robert Hager (Roy) NOTES: This is one of the recordings of the tour cast with really nice closeups. Filmed in 16:9 and includes playbill scans. This is one of the last recordings of SJ before she stopped. Fun Home - Victory Gardens, Chicago - September 21, 2017 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Danni Smith (Alison), Hannah Starr (Medium Alison), Sage Elliot Harper (Small Alison), Rob Lindley (Bruce), McKinley Carter (Helen), Danielle Davis (Joan), Leo Gonzolez (Christian), Joe Lino (Roy), Preetish Chakraborty (John) NOTES: includes introduction by Janine Tesori and Lisa Kron. Exists as 1.5 GB file (720p) and 6.25 GB (1080p) Funny Girl - Manchester - August, 2017 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Sheridan Smith (Fanny Brice), Chris Peluso (Nick Arnstein), Rachel Izen (Mrs. Brice), Joshua Lay (Eddie Ryan), Zoe Ann Brown (Mrs. Meeker), Myra Sands (Mrs. Strakosh), Nigel Barber (Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.), Jennifer Harding (Emma), Abigayle Honeywell, Alexandra Waite-Roberts, Alexandra Wright, Bronte Lavine, David McIntosh, Flora Dawson, Gillian Parkhouse, Joseph Dockree, Kit Benjamin, Lloyd Davies, Nova Skipp, Peter Nash, Rhianne Alleyne, Sam Wingfield, Tom Partridge NOTES: Professionally filmed live at the Manchester Palace Theatre. There's two common copies of this being traded, one is lower quality and windowboxed (see 1st screenshot), the other is 1080p (file is 10GB)