#2000 american girl library

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

OH MY FUCKING GOD I CANT BELIEVE IT HOW DID I FORGET

I just found this (and bought it, only $5.38!) and I don't know what to do with myself right now i am that excited!!!! This was one of my favorite AG books, how did I forget I had this?? It may be in my parents attic but for $5 I wasn't gonna pass this up in case I don't have my copy. I was 11 when I got this and taking horse riding lessons/volunteering at the horse stables/going to horse camp.

American Girl Library Girls and Their Horses: True Tales from American Girl

2000

Found on ebay, user Booksrun

[trashycherubx]

background from @liminal-suburbia

[iiannabxth]

class of 09 girls + their aesthetics bc i’m tired of people not getting them.

(minor tw for sh & ed):

jecka: she’s literally a preppy, trendy 2000s teen. she wears lacoste/abercrombie polo shirts, hollister skinny jeans, american eagle, bebe jackets, and juicy couture. a lot of her clothes come from her mom’s job, as apparently her mom gets them for free.

she is a “pharma-princess” and openly idolizes paris hilton. she smokes cigarettes and casually abuses painkillers. she may be a little trashy, but she dresses like any other fashionable girl from that era.

nicole: for starters, shes lower middle class. her mom buys the cheapest internet and cable packages, as well as having nicole on the assisted lunch plan. with that being said, she’s not buying a ton of miss me jeans, bb belts, or affliction shirts. shes a hot topic/spencers fiend bc she can steal it. her outfits are usually a hoodie, tank top, or t-shirt with ripped skinny jeans- which is to say they aren’t very complicated. i think people get confused and try and dress her in the modern “y2k” fashion, but it doesn’t really work for her.

shes severely depressed and winning the idagf war, which is shown in her makeup and nails. i think her makeup routine is very messy and smudged, but thats lowkey the look.

emily: shes rich, but she doesn’t care or acknowledge it. she can buy whatever she wants, but chooses to go for the grungey/emo look. even though she’s the most “scene” character, she still follows a few trends- ex: the lifeguard hoodie. her hair is definitely damaged by the box bleach she uses and the excessive use of her straightener. i also think she 100% has raccoon eyes (in the avril lavigne-way.)

she parties with her sketchy boyfriends, day drinks, and does almost any drug she can get her hands on. she’s suicidal and highkey crazy, which results in her tattoos and scars. (the excessive SH-culture is completely on brand for the 2000s.)

ari: borderline manic pixie dream girl going through a sexuality crisis. she’s almost emo, but not quite. she wears winged eyeliner and red lipgloss. her wardrobe consists of mostly graphic tee shirts and skinny + bootcut jeans. she dyes her hair because “no one understands her,” but she still has a decent relationship with her parents.

she used to be a girl scout, so she definitely cuts her own hair and thinks it’s rebellious. i think her favorite shoe would be black high top converse.

kelly: is the definition of a trendy, trashy, 2000s girl. kelly is also rich (as stated by jecka.) she’s popular with the boys because she’s pretty, has big boobs, and dtf. she wears a lot of hollister, wet seal, juicy couture, and victoria secret. i think she would wear a full face of makeup to school. her hair is dyed blonde but she keeps the roots grown out just a little.

megan: 2000s THEATRE KID!! she’s ARTSY, not EMO. she’s apparently pretty, but not pretty enough to be constantly hit on. she wears a lot of media/pop culture clothing and jeans. her hair color is her natural hair color and her nail polish is always chipped.

jecka & hunter say she’s a christian girlie, so most of her outfits are more modest and toned down compared to some of the other girls. she probably wears minimal makeup unless she’s doing a show.

karen: she’s dorky and nerdy to the extreme. she looks very mousy and homely. she likes twilight and harry potter + she works at a library (and is strict about the rules.) karen likes and is good at school. she probably only wears mascara and medicated chapstick, as well as her glasses. she has a messy bob that she never styles.

she’s also insecure about her body, as jecka and nicole make her relapse on her ED, so she wears baggier clothing than any of the other characters.

i think she would wear sketchers and jeggings.

anywho, i like this game and im also super into the genuine 2000s fashion, so a part of me dies whenever i see someone say “nicole listens to ayesha erotica!!” or “jecka wears affliction and bb belts!” girl bffr.

[redgoldsparks]

Transcript below the cut.

instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

Panel 1: For the second year in a row, Gender Queer was the most challenged book in the US, reported the American Library Association.

Panel 2: It’s been a weird two years. Number of unique titles challenged in the US by year. 2000: 378 titles. 2005: 259 titles. 2010: 262 titles. 2015: 190 titles. 2020: 223 titles. 2021: 1858 titles. 2022: 2571 titles.

Panel 3: It’s been a hard two years. The ACLU is tracking 469 anti-LGBTQ bills in the US.

Panel 4: Usually I prefer to wait until something is over before I write about it, so I have time to reflect. But this experience has not ended.

Panel 5: It has only gotten louder. (A series of screen shoots of news headlines about Gender Queer, book challenges and an obscenity lawsuit against the book being dismissed in the state of Virginia).

Panel 6: I’m constantly wondering, “When should I speak and when should I let the book speak for itself?”

Panel 7: I remember when I realized that the previous most challenged book spent five years in the top five.

2020- Melissa by Alex Gino at #1 2019- Melissa by Alex Gino at #1 2018- Melissa by Alex Gino at #1 2017- Melissa by Alex Gino at #5 2016- Melissa by Alex Gino at #3

Panel 8: Oh, I think I can take my time figuring out how to respond. I think I’m in this for the long haul...

Panel 9: Ways to support libraries and challenged authors: Check out and read challenged books. Vote for and attend library board and school board meetings. Report censorship to the ALA and PEN America. Vote to fund libraries. Speak up against legislation limiting the teaching of queer history, sex ed, abortion and the history of racism in the US.

Panel 10: Most challenged books of 2022:

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M Johnson

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

4. Flamer by Mike Curato

5. (tie) Looking For Alaska by John Green

5. (tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

10. (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

10. (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

10. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

10. (tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

[sillysiluriforme]

I'm so in love with your teams' ideas and your artstyle!! Have you studied art somewhere? What are your inspirations for the style? (i sense a bit of total drama here)

aw thank you !!

i just started studying for my art degree last week !! but before that i spent a lot of time teaching myself art basics through the internet and library books :3

I'm definitely using a lot of 2000s-2010s western cartoons as inspo so not that far off ! american dragon, the powerpuff girls, Daria, ect... right now im really into lascars ? i love the wonky backgrounds and the unsexy character designs.

[shiyonasan]

The Dragon Ball Z episode of JBVO, which aired on May 7, 2000 on Cartoon Network. It is Episode 6 of JBVO.

The full episode was considered lost media until May 14, 2023 when it was uploaded to the Internet Archive by a user named SandersPlanet.

In the episode, a fan request letter was sent by a girl named Jennifer from Sterling, Colorado to air her favorite episode of Dragon Ball Z: Episode 105 (Episode 90 in the American episode order). Johnny explains that due to time constraints the Dragon Ball Z episode can't be aired unless fast-forwarded (both JBVO and DBZ have half-hour long episodes). As the Dragon Ball Z episode is shown, Johnny commentates over the episode with the American dub audio vaguely being heard in the background.

The Dragon Ball Z segment begins at 13:12 and ends at 14:53 in the episode.

The episode also features a crossover episode of Scooby-Doo with Johnny Bravo, and the Rhapsody Rabbit episode of Merrie Melodies featuring Bugs Bunny.

JBVO, also known as JBVO: Your All Request Cartoon Show, was a programming block that aired Sundays on Cartoon Network starting from April 2, 2000 and ended sometime in the middle of 2001. JBVO allowed callers to write into the show to request a cartoon from Cartoon Network's cartoon library to be aired as long the cartoon wasn't a half-hour long or longer. It was hosted by Johnny Bravo and sometimes had guests such as Chicken from Cow and Chicken.

[iiikaruz]

New CH episodes have made me officially decide to stop caring about the actual cast of the show </3 (/hj but i wish it was /j)

Anyway would you like to share some of your headcanons/scenarios for the side/minor characters ? It always makes my day 💚💖(/nf)

dude i feel you on these new episodes. wtf is going on over there. anyways, i’ll gladly dump this 10 ton stack of headcanons on you that i wrote down!! Marie Antoinette: 

loves hyperpop and 90s house music. she’s so slay (i have a playlist lol)

into european weirdo cinema like Gaspar Noe’s but she also likes chick flicks (her fave films are Climax (2018), Daisies (1966), and But I’m A Cheerleader (1999).)

frequents on lolita forums and goes to really shady places just to get cute lolita items.

has absolutely mastered voguing. super into ballroom culture.

has a pet borzoi (those groovy long-nosed dogs.) her name is “Vanille” and Marie loves her dearly.

wants to study fashion. she especially loves Vivienne Westwood and Moschino.

Jesús Cristo:

is a juggalo, and he indoctrinated Van Gogh into it as well.

says “it is what it is” at any minor inconvenience.

had a mental crisis at 13 as a product to the stress of living up to his clone father. similar to joan’s breakdown in s1e3 but 10x worse. he tries to ignore it when people bring it up.

designated driver on any road trip. for some reason.

into bands like The Cure whilst also bopping to Cypress Hill.

his fave video game is Parappa the Rapper.

accidentally punching holes/nails into his hand is a common occurrence. seems like it just keeps happening, so he’s learned to just roll with it. he’s also a pretty good nurse bc of it.

Marilyn Monroe:

is always down for the school play. BUT she usually just does script-writing and tech. 

into conspiracy theories and video essays. (all gorgeous gorgeous girls love video essays).

is a dedicated Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani stan.

SO “COQUETTE LIZZY GRANT DIOR RETRO” in her fashion choice.

she also gives “elle woods from legally blonde” vibes. straight A student right here.

CERTIFIED GIRLBOSS <3

Thomas Edison:

is obsessed with American Psycho (2000). he has a poster in his room and he’s weirdly obsessed with Christian Bale (very 🍎🍉🍊 of him, but he always excuses it with “oh no, i just idolize and worship him. there’s absolutely nothing gay ab it.” he’s lying.)

also he’s SUCH a pretentious film bro. he has a whole library of stupid film facts shoved in the back of his mind (im totally not projecting).

he only listens to: 80s new-wave stuff like New Order, Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, & Talking Heads OR Lana del Rey. There is no in between.

he worked (past-tense bc that shit is GONE in 2023) at a blockbuster video store next to the mall and he liked being a total bitch to people about it (example: “you really rented this shit? this movie sucks, dude”)

after getting unfreezed, he was ECSTATIC over how easy pirating movies is nowadays.

Napoleon Bonaparte:

member of the speech/debate club and he is THE WORST TO BE PAIRED WITH. he’s foaming at the mouth the moment someone gives a rebuttal he didn’t think of. some meetings end in him trying to beat up someone. 

into 80s rock like Metallica and Black Sabbath. he has an electric guitar. he also FUCKING LOVES ABBA AND JAMIROQUAI. like… too much.

unlawfully good at Just Dance. he absolutely fucks it up on the dance floor.

adores fantasy films like Conan (1982) and The Never-Ending Story(1984). he’s so lame/ pos.

he bakes really well. that’s all he’s got going for him.

he either found his napoleonic military uniform at party city or at a thrift store with Marie Antoinette; his story changes depending on who he’s talking to.

he cut his own hair when he was 14. the following conversation after he did so was with caesar, and it was just the haircut scene from fleabag . he then continued to keep his stupid haircut to what it is now.

is a hopeless romantic. he can make up entire love poems & sonnets in his head about a girl he’s crushing on, but literally cannot talk to people without sounding like a douchebag unless he’s super comfortable w/ them.

Ivan the Terrible:

is an avid deftones, sewerslvt, & duster listener (i, unfortunately, ALSO have a playlist.)

spends his nights scrolling on 4chan and arguing w/ people. him & topher have accidentally argued w/ each other AT LEAST 5 times.

literally refuses to take off his ushanka in any weather. it doesn’t matter to him if it’s 90 degrees, that thing is staying ON.

kins Travis Bickle and Shinji Ikari. i mean, just look at this dude and how he presents himself. average NGE & Taxi Driver enjoyer/ hj.

fave video games are Postal 2 and osu!. he plays osu! phenomenally, to the point where it’s impressive. (pls put that energy into a job or something).

and yea that’s all the energy i have to write this down :]

[florenceisfalling]

Contrasting the filth of the street with the sanctity of the home, the judge argued in his plea for a strengthened obscenity law: “The moral worth of every community rests with the family. . . . It is there that the youth are taught [that] honesty and virtue are above price. It is there that the girls in the innocence and purity of their youth, are nurtured and guarded against the wiles and intrigues of the wicked and the seducer. If they may be approached and insulted on the streets with impunity by the vile and depraved, or if the same class may, ... through the public mails, by letters sent to them which teach, or attempt to teach, them that voluptuousness is more to be desired than true womanhood, and that virtue better be exchanged for sexual dissipation, then indeed, there is a crying necessity for further legislation.” Protecting the private bourgeois home typically has been reformers’ first line of defense in times of moral panic. Comstock inaugurated the official beginning of national obscenity campaigns, and led the way for a long line of smut hunters who would similarly mobilize the language of “child protection.” He urged the nation to secure its homes and protect its children. In the pages of the NYSSV first annual report, he railed: ‘If we had the ear of all the teachers, parents, and guardians in our land we would plead with them, “Guard with ceaseless vigilance your libraries, your closets, your children’s and wards’ correspondence and companionships, lest the contagion reach and blight the sweetness and purity of your homes.”” This national panic over bodies moving through the mail, and through the air, continues. New technologies are met with new Comstockery: politicians have brought us the “V chip,” which filters television programming so that parents can protect their children from unwanted images. Many Americans worry that child molesters will infiltrate their homes via the Internet, materializing from America Online chat rooms into children’s bedrooms. But, in a convergence that may better capture its nineteenth-century analog, we again find Americans in dimly lit rooms, this time alone with a flickering computer screen, communing with other spirits and bodies. This “public sex” occurs, as did the “singular touches” of materialization séances, in private, suggesting that the real dangers have been at home all along.

Molly McGarry, "Spectral Sexualities: Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, Moral Panics, and the Making of U.S. Obscenity Law" from the Journal of Women's History, vol. 12, no. 2, Summer 2000 https://doi.org/10.1353/jowh.2000.0042

[mediaevalmusereads]

Sitting Pretty: the View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body. By Rebekah Taussig. Harper Collins, 2020.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: memoir

Series: N/A

Summary: A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.

Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.

Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.

Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: ableism

While I have some grasp on the basics of disability advocacy, I thought it would be beneficial to learn more during disability pride month. This book was available at the library, so I figured it would be a good place to start.

Taussig's memoir is a very good introduction to the basics of understanding broad disability studies concepts while also narrating vulnerable moments of the author's life. I really liked how the focus wasn't so much on Taussig's body (though it was a huge part of the story), but on how society is organized around ableism. We don't so much get scene after scene of Taussig struggling, but we do get very clear and evocative memories of Taussig watching films, dreaming of jobs, and navigating health insurance which are all designed to exclude disabled people. It's also a good critique of a number of related things such as American work culture, beauty and advertising, the concept of womanhood, etc. In that, this book is an excellent example about how to talk about disability and ableism without exclusively focusing on the body.

That's not to say the body is unimportant. Taussig has plenty of stories about managing pain, rolling down stairs or grassy hills, etc. But Taussig is also very careful to demonstrate that it's not the body that needs fixing - it's our imagination about how the world should work. Because after all, most (if not all) of us will become disabled at some point - that's just a consequence of having a body, and society benefits if we can care for everyone.

There are some limitations to this book, however, which Taussig (to her credit) points out. Taussig is disabled, but she is also cis, straight, middle class, and white, which means she has access to certain types of privilege and her stories will likely resonate with a specific audience. But I think I'd rather have an author be honest about their privilege and tell their own story (as opposed to trying to represent all disabled people) than try to have them position themselves on an intersectional identity that isn't theirs.

There's also a lot of humor in here that will read ad Millenial, but fortunately, it's not overwhelming. Toussig is very sincere, and even if the humor isn't to your taste, it doesn't take over the book.

TL;DR: Sitting Pretty is a brilliant memoir and introduction to the concepts behind disabled studies, placing focus on how society is structured around ableism while also advocating for change that will benefit all.

[bikinikillhanna]

Kathleen Hanna Roleplay Account Introduction

Scenario: Kathleen heard all her other music friends talk about blogging on Tumblr and she wanted to try it out for herself💕

Please be 15 or Older to Look at this account, Riot GRRL is a very Mature and adult movement but for the kiddy winks who are interested go watch Moxie on Netflix.

If you don't like the account then block it, simple as that but don't go harassing me or any other rock roleplay accounts because of your hatred.

This Account is all Parody, I do not know Kathleen Hanna own the rights to any bikini kill/Le Tigre/Julie Ruin songs and am only a harmless fan.

Bands

BIKINI KILL

LE TIGRE

Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group originally consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the riot grrrl movement, with feminist lyrics and fiery performances. Their music is characteristically abrasive and hardcore-influenced. After two full-length albums, several EPs and two compilations, they disbanded in 1997. The band reunited for tours in 2019 and 2022, with Erica Dawn Lyle on guitar in place of Karren.

Le Tigre (/lə ˈtiːɡrə/, French pronunciation: [lə tiɡʁ]; French for "The Tiger") is an American electronic rock and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. They mixed punk's directness and politics with playful samples, eclectic pop, and lo-fi electronics. Like with many bands in and from the riot grrrl movement, many of the lyrics addressed feminist themes and ideas. The group also added multimedia and performance art elements to their live shows, which often featured support from like-minded acts such as the Need.

Bio on Kathleen

Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968) is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s, she was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill,and then fronted the electronic rock band Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2010, she has recorded as The Julie Ruin.

In 2009, Hanna made her zines, art pieces, photography, video, music, journals, and other material which focus on the early formation of the Riot Grrrl movement available at the Fales Library at New York University. A documentary film about Hanna was released in 2013 by director Sini Anderson, titled The Punk Singer, detailing Hanna's life and career, as well as revealing her years-long battle with Lyme disease. Hanna is married to Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys.

1968–1988: Early life and feminism

Hanna was born November 12, 1968, in Portland, Oregon.

At age three, her family moved to Calverton, Maryland; as Hanna's father changed occupations, the family moved several more times.Hanna first became interested in feminism around the age of nine, after her mother took her to a rally in Washington, D.C. where feminist icon Gloria Steinem spoke.

In a 2000 interview with BUST magazine, Hanna recalled: "My mom was a housewife and wasn't somebody that people would think of as a feminist, and when Ms. magazine came out we were incredibly inspired by it.

I used to cut pictures out of it and make posters that said 'Girls can do anything', and stuff like that, and my mom was inspired to work at a basement of a church doing anti-domestic violence work. Then she took me to the Solidarity Day thing, and it was the first time I had ever been in a big crowd of women yelling, and it really made me want to do it forever."

Hanna's interest grew when her mother checked out a copy of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique from the library.

Their involvement in the women's rights movement was done quietly during Hanna's childhood, due to her father's disapproval.

Upon her parents' divorce, Hanna returned to Portland and attended Lincoln High School and Grant High School.

After high school, she relocated from Portland to Olympia, Washington, to attend The Evergreen State College in the late 1980s.

During this time she worked as a stripper to pay her tuition.

"My parents didn't go to college. I felt lucky [to attend]." While at Evergreen, with fellow student and photographer Aaron Baush-Greene, she set up a photo exhibit featuring the pair's photography, which dealt with sexism, violence against women, and AIDS – issues that were heightened for Hanna when she volunteered for SafePlace, a domestic violence organization.

However, the school administrators took the photos down before they had the chance to be viewed, an act of censorship that prompted what Hanna refers to as her "first foray into activism": the creation of Reko Muse, an independent feminist art gallery, with friends Heidi Arbogast and Tammy Rae Carland.

Hanna began doing spoken word performances that addressed sexism and violence against women. Eventually, she abandoned spoken word in favor of music after a conversation with one of her favorite writers, countercultural icon Kathy Acker. Hanna recalled,

Acker asked me why writing was important to me, and I said, 'Because I felt like I'd never been listened to and I had a lot to say,' and she said, 'Then why are you doing spoken word—no one goes to spoken word shows! You should get in a band.'

Hanna then formed a band with Arbogast and Carland, called Amy Carter, which put on shows before the art exhibitions.

1989–1999: Bikini Kill

Later, Hanna started another band called Viva Knievel that toured the United States for two months before disbanding.

Upon returning to Olympia in 1990, Hanna began collaborating with Evergreen student, drummer and punk zinester Tobi Vail after seeing a performance of the Go Team (a band made up of Vail, Billy Karren, and Calvin Johnson) and recognizing Vail as the mastermind behind the fanzine Jigsaw that Hanna greatly admired and loved.

In October 1990, Hanna and Vail joined with Karren and bassist Kathi Wilcox to form Bikini Kill, which soon became part of the seminal early-1990s Olympia, Washington music scene. One goal of the band was to inspire more women to join the male-dominated punk scene.

While Bikini Kill were in Washington, D.C. during summer 1991, Kathleen recorded with two side projects, featured on the compilation cassette A Wonderful Treat: Suture (with Sharon Cheslow and Dug E. Bird), and Wondertwins (with Tim Green of Nation of Ulysses). Bikini Kill, Suture, and Wondertwins all performed at the International Pop Underground Convention in August 1991.

Bikini Kill's first release for the Kill Rock Stars label was a self-titled EP produced by Ian MacKaye of Fugazi.

Bikini Kill then toured the UK, recording a split LP with UK band Huggy Bear. This tour was filmed and the band was interviewed by Lucy Thane for her documentary, It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill in the UK. Upon returning to the U.S.

the band began working with Joan Jett, who produced their single "New Radio/Rebel Girl". After the single's release, Hanna began co-writing songs with Jett for her new album.

At the same time, Hanna recorded her spoken-word "Rockstar", released on a 7-inch single in the Kill Rock Stars "Wordcore" series; and "I Wish I Was Him", which appears on the KRS compilation Rock Stars Kill. The song, written by Ben Lee about alternative rock heartthrob Evan Dando,was originally recorded by Lee's band Noise Addict.

The first two Bikini Kill EPs were released on CD as The C.D. Version of the First Two Records in 1993.

The band released two more full-length albums, Pussy Whipped in 1994 and Reject All American in 1996, and in 1998, Kill Rock Stars released Bikini Kill: The Singles, a collection of the group's seven-inch and compilation tracks. Bikini Kill amicably disbanded in mid-1998.

2000–present: Le Tigre and the Julie Ruin

After Bikini Kill's breakup, Hanna began working on a solo project called Julie Ruin. The project was created entirely in Hanna's bedroom using a $40 drum machine. One self-titled album was released under the Julie Ruin pseudonym, and was partially inspired by the work of feminist theorist Julia Kristeva.

Hanna said of the project:

Girls' bedrooms sometimes can be this space of real creativity. The problem is that these bedrooms are all cut off from each other. I wanted the Julie Ruin record to sound like a girl from her bedroom made this record but then didn't just throw it away or it wasn't just in her diary but she took it out and shared it with people.

While in Portland, Oregon, Hanna began working with friend and then-zine editor Johanna Fateman on a live show for Julie Ruin. The collaboration resulted in the two briefly forming a band called the Troublemakers, named after a G. B. Jones film, which ended when Fateman relocated to New York City to attend art school.

Hanna soon moved to New York City, and with the addition of filmmaker Sadie Benning, they started another band called Le Tigre based upon a more electronic style of music, similar to the sampler-driven sound Hanna had begun to explore with Julie Ruin. (She later revealed to Bust magazine that she was "totally broke" at this time and ate oatmeal daily.)

Hanna refers to it as part of a "Punk Feminist Electronic genre".

The band recorded for the Mr. Lady Records label, its first recording being an eponymous album which included the singles "Hot Topic" and "Deceptacon." Benning then left the band and was replaced by JD Samson for their second album, Feminist Sweepstakes.

Mr. Lady Records folded, and the group switched to Universal Records for the 2004 release of This Island. Hanna left the band in 2005 due to illness; she was later diagnosed with late-stage Lyme disease.

According to the Le Tigre website, during her time off from the band, Hanna volunteered as a band coach for the Willie Mae Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. She also taught an art class at NYU's grad school in the Fall 2007 semester and attended interior design classes.

In 2010, Hanna DJed at the Museum of Modern Art, later joining the Raincoats on stage to cover the Slits' Vindictive.

Also in 2010, Hanna announced she was rebuilding her 1997 act Julie Ruin, turning it into a full band called the Julie Ruin with Kenny Mellman and Kathi Wilcox, and that they would be creating a new record.

The band played their first show at Knitting Factory in New York City which included songs from Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and one new composition.

 From 2010 to 2013, director Sini Anderson worked on a documentary on Kathleen Hanna titled The Punk Singer, documenting her works from Bikini Kill to the Julie Ruin.

It premiered at SXSW in 2013.

 In June 2013, Julie Ruin released its first single, "Oh Come On". An album, Run Fast was released in September 2013 with the band going on tour.

The band cancelled the tour planned for May to September 2014 due to Hanna's Lyme disease condition deteriorating.

DISCOGRAPHY

 She has since recovered and begun performing again. The Julie Ruin's second album, Hit Reset, was published in July 2016 by Hardly Art.

Bikini Kill

Revolution Girl Style Now! self-released cassette (1991)

Bikini Kill  EP, Kill Rock Stars (1991)

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah split LP with Huggy Bear, Catcall Records (UK), Kill Rock Stars (US) (1993)

Pussy Whipped, Kill Rock Stars (1993)

The C.D. Version of the First Two Records (compilation of the Bikini Kill EP and their half of the Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah split LP), Kill Rock Stars (1994)

Reject All American, Kill Rock Stars (1996)

The Singles, Kill Rock Stars (1998)

Julie Ruin/The Julie Ruin

Julie Ruin, Kill Rock Stars (1998)

Run Fast, TJR Records (2013)

Hit Reset, Hardly Art (2016)

Le Tigre

Le Tigre, Mr. Lady (1999)

Feminist Sweepstakes, Mr. Lady (2001)

This Island, Universal (2004)

(Other RP Accounts)

@gardengrampa

@theeverglades

@gwenstefoubt

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

American Girl Library Girls and Their Horses: True Tales from American Girls (author is listed as American Girl Library)

Published January 1, 2000 (my birthday is January 2!!! I turned 11 this year)

My personal picture of my collection

I loved this book as a kid and I love it now as an adult. I probably have my original book in my parents attic, but I found this for $5 so I got it because I love it so much. and now I find out we're both Capricorns?? I'm honored to share a zodiac sign with this book, this is truly so cool to me.

[lesser-mook]

A female knockoff done right, whom i wish was canon or got her own movie by now (Spider-girl) Mayday Parker

Grew up on some of her stories, usually at the Library when i was bored, so i forgot some fine details. Need to dive into em again.

Given she’s born of the 90′s era of comics she was technically Ultimate Spider-man 2000 before Ultimate Spider-man was even a thing by Bendis. 

As far as Female knockoffs go, Mayday is top 3 spinoffs i actually like, easily.

Number one reason she’s logically the successor because she is the daughter of Spider-man. Not some obscure Cousin that comes outta fuckin nowhere.

She’s not Peter by virtue of her powers being integral to her since birth.

Not something that happens to her by accident, she is a mutant by definition of being born with powers in The Marvel Universe, so that alone is setting her apart from Peter. She’s not clique specific, she hangs with nerd and jocks. 

Which is how you do a knockoff properly- differentiation. 

Closest thing of her i can remember in recent memory in media for her was Ultimate Spiderman XD had “a” Spider-girl but it wasn’t Mayday just a genderbent Peter.

She was lame.

I wanted Mayday.

Funny how Miles’ ended up in his own feature movie before her and Spider-man 2099 put tgoether but they’re graced the light of day in the sequel, lmfao.

Token Black Spiderman gets to skip in front of everybody, no respect.

This was the cover that got my attention to her back in the day:

My first thought was, “wait- That’s not Peter..?”

Curiosity peaked, opened the issue- rest is history.

Then i read a little bit of A-NEXT, fell in love with American Dream, Stinger, Mayday’s various cameros & role on the team. Good ol days.

She (May) could easily carry her own show, and a game. Easily.

Last game i played with “Spider-girl” was Marvel Ultimate Alliance, i MAINED tf outta that Spider-girl skin.

10 Episode Season, a small scale game that focuses on urban storytelling, or a miniseries on Youtube exploring her #0

Something like The Maxx the animated run

Instead of shoving Captain Marvel in our face cause you want a Superman or a Wonder Woman, do something with a character that deserves attention, Marvel.

Imagine if they teased her in No Way Home or had Tobey’s Spider-man allude to her being canon in Raimiverse, I would lose my actual shit.

[msclaritea]

Cate Blanchett named son after convicted child sex offender Roman Polanski | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/cate-blanchett-named-son-after-convicted-child-sex-offender-roman-polanski/news-story/7643a75ab10a08d35b781b1f07043c59#:~:text=Blanchett%20said%20Roman%20was%20named,famous%20American%20novelist)%20Dashiell%20Hammett.

https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/98319492.html

Blanchett said Roman was named after the disgraced director, who fled the United States in 1978 before he was due to be sentenced for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

“You run out of ideas by the time you get to number three,” she joked.

“Dashiell came from (famous American novelist) Dashiell Hammett.

“Roman, I don’t know... Polanski. But it’s also the French word for book.”

Polanski has been living in exile in France since 1978, despite multiple attempts by the United States to extradite him.

Blanchett previously came under fire in 2014 after starring in Woody Allen’s film Blue Jasmine.

Allen’s daughter Dylan Farrow wrote an open letter to Blanchett, criticising her for working with the director despite her claims of child sexual abuse.

Tough love ... Cate won an Oscar for Blue Jasmine despite being criticised for working with Woody Allen. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Tough love ... Cate won an Oscar for Blue Jasmine despite being criticised for working with Woody Allen. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“What if it had been your child, Cate Blanchett? Louis CK? Alec Baldwin? What if it had been you, Emma Stone? Or you, Scarlett Johansson? You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten me?” she wrote.

In response, Blanchett said it had “obviously been a long and painful situation for the family and I hope they find some resolution and peace”.

Roman Polanski

Ignatius, Captain Underpants

"According to the American Library Association, the Captain Underpants books were reported as some of the most banned and challenged books in the United States between 2000 and 2009 as well as between 2010 and 2019. The books were named one of the top ten most banned and challenged books in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2018.

The Captain Underpants series was explicitly banned in some schools for "insensitivity, offensive language, encouraging disruptive behavior, LGBTQIA+ issues, violence, being unsuited to the age group, sexually explicit content, anti-family content, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority."

Dashiell Hammett....

Hammett devoted much of his life to left-wing activism. He was a strong antifascist throughout the 1930s, and in 1937 joined the Communist Party. On May 1, 1935, Hammett joined the League of American Writers (1935–1943), whose members included Lillian Hellman, Alexander Trachtenberg of International Publishers, Frank Folsom, Louis Untermeyer, I. F. Stone, Myra Page, Millen Brand, Clifford Odets, and Arthur Miller. (Members were largely either Communist Party members or fellow travelers. He suspended his anti-fascist activities when, as a member (and in 1941 president) of the League of American Writers, he served on its Keep America Out of War Committee in January 1940 during the period of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

Especially in Red Harvest, literary scholars have seen a Marxist critique of the social system. One Hammett biographer, Richard Layman, calls such interpretations "imaginative", but he nonetheless objects to them, since, among other reasons, no "masses of politically dispossessed people" are in this novel. Herbert Ruhm found that contemporary left-wing media already viewed Hammett's writing with skepticism, "perhaps because his work suggests no solution: no mass-action... no individual salvation... no Emersonian reconciliation and transcendence".

In a letter of November 25, 1937, to his daughter Mary, Hammett referred to himself and others as "we reds". He confirmed, "in a democracy all men are supposed to have an equal say in their government", but added that "their equality need not go beyond that." He also found, "under socialism there is not necessarily... any leveling of incomes."

Hellman wrote that Hammett was "most certainly" a Marxist, though a "very critical Marxist" who was "often contemptuous of the Soviet Union" and "bitingly sharp about the American Communist Party", to which he was nevertheless loyal. 

At the beginning of 1942, he wrote the screenplay of Watch on the Rhine, based on Hellman's successful play, which received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). But that year the Oscar went to Casablanca. In early 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hammett again enlisted in the United States Army. Because he was 48 years old, had tuberculosis, and was a Communist, Hammett later stated he had "a hell of a time" being inducted into the Army. However, biographer Diane Johnson suggests that confusion over Hammett's forename was the reason he was able to re-enlist. He served as an enlisted man in the Aleutian Islands and initially worked on cryptanalysis on the island of Umnak. For fear of his radical tendencies, he was transferred to the Headquarters Company where he edited an Army newspaper entitled The Adakian. In 1943, while still a member of the military, he co-authored The Battle of the Aleutians with Cpl. Robert Colodny, under the direction of an infantry intelligence officer, Major Henry W. Hall. While in the Aleutians, he developed emphysema.

After the war, Hammett returned to political activism, "but he played that role with less fervour than before". He was elected president of the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) on June 5, 1946, at a meeting held at the Hotel Diplomat in New York City, and "devoted the largest portion of his working time to CRC activities".

In 1946, a bail fund was created by the CRC "to be used at the discretion of three trustees to gain the release of defendants arrested for political reasons." The trustees were Hammett, who was chairman, Robert W. Dunn, and Frederick Vanderbilt Field.

The CRC was designated a Communist front group by the US Attorney General. Hammett endorsed Henry A. Wallace in the 1948 United States presidential election..."

'Blanchett and Stewart joined fellow Cannes jury members, Ava DuVernay, Khadja Nin, and Léa Seydoux, in the South of France for the start of this year's festival earlier this week. Not only did we see both Blanchett and Stewart donning spring-inspired pantsuits we now need in our lives, but we were, more importantly, blessed with photos of Stewart staring tenderly at Blanchett. What a time to be alive."

[popculturelib]

Haunted States of America: Arizona

Arizona Twilight Tales: Good Ghosts, Evil Spirits & Blue Ladies (2000) by Jane Eppinga

From disturbing phantom appearances along Route 666 to thrilling sightings of military ghosts that appear at dusk, Arizona Twilight Tales will spellbind readers. Perhaps folk tales from Hispanic culture, Native American Legends, and chilling stories about old mining towns are actually true? It was a dark and stormy night. Nothing very remarkable about that, except that such a night is a rarity on the southern Arizona desert. When these nights arrive with their gully washers roaring across the land, water overflows the banks of the typically dry Santa Cruz River. On such nights, strange and frightening ghosts such as La Llorona prowl the land.... Some see her as a beautiful young woman with long raven tresses, enshrouded in a white cloak, while others meet a crippled old woman with long white hair cloaked in a black cape. Her fingernails glisten like knives in the starlight, and her eternal cries for her lost children pierce the night. There are also accounts of spirits, who are a blessing to see. Our Lady of Guadalupe has been sited in unexpected places around the world, and on her feast day, December 12, faithful devotees throughout Arizona and the Southwest serenade her, visit her special altars, and throw parties for girls named after her. The miracles that happen in her presence will astound you.

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[bizarrelovesquare]

Have you ever collected any American Girl dolls? I never did, but I used to get the catalogue. Their furniture is so cool and well made and it FASCINATES MEEEEEE

ignore that I'm answering this way late and after I already posted one of my dolls

I just started collecting them over the past few months! I'd been interested in them for a long time though. It's kind of a long story. I used to get the catalogs from 2002 to 2014(? somewhere around there? it was definitely a long time and I was legally an adult when they finally stopped coming) and I would look through it cover to cover multiple times, imagining what I would do if I had every doll, outfit, accessory, and furniture piece that I wanted. The names of particular items are still ingrained in my mind to this day (makes ebay searching very easy, lol). In elementary school, I read nearly all of the AG historical books from the library. I finally got a doll in 2007, Julie when she was first released, because I've always loved the 1970s.

However, even though I loved the doll, she initially didn't ignite that "spark" for me that I get with favorite toys, and I still don't know why. I loved her style, loved her story, still loved looking at the catalogs, but I just didn't know how to bond with her. My theory is that I was just at an awkward age (I was almost 12) and was transitioning from playing with dolls in a kiddie way to playing with them in older collector ways, but since I wasn't used to having an AG doll, it wasn't as simple as my never-faltering career as a Barbie collector since age two. I did try making more clothes for her a few times, and they were good for my age at the time, but I made mistakes and that frustrated me. She kinda just sat there and I eventually stored her away.

Fast forward to August 2022!! I go to an annual doll expo near me, and this is the first year they were able to have it since 2019, so I was stoked to be back and explore what was for sale. One table had some AG clothes for sale that I recognized, and seeing them in person instead of on a page was surreal, getting to see the actual size and quality, and I was like "...Okay...I could totally get into this...actually I DEFINITELY want something American Girl before I leave this place today." I walked around a bit more, and on another table stood my lookalike doll, Just Like You #23, one of the first AG dolls I ever wanted (along with Molly and Samantha). I stopped in my tracks and said "I've wanted this doll since I was a kid," and the lady behind the table says, "Well now's your chance!" I'm debating at this point, because the tag says $55 and I wasn't planning on spending that much on a singular item, but this is a piece of Evie history and I'm so drawn towards this doll, how can I not get her, and the lady must have read my mind, because she goes, "How much is she...55, no that's not right, you can have her for $30!" and now I'm about to start crying, and I'm like YES I'LL TAKE HER!

So I got my Just Like You doll, brought her home and curled her hair to match mine (AG why u no curly hair in the 2000s???), and I was instantly OBSESSED. The thing about me is that I can't love a thing without becoming a collector, so I had an urge to find even more. I discovered that they can go for pretty decent prices on the secondhand market, and I made a whole mental list of dolls/outfits/etc that I eventually want to find.

About a month ago was when I got the idea to make my custom Marinette doll; since she's such an adorable character, I thought she'd translate well to an AG doll. I spent weeks searching resell sites for the perfect doll, and I finally came across a Just Like You #30 that had had her eyes swapped to blue ones, and I knew she was the one. A few days before she arrived in the mail, I dug in our storage boxes for my Julie doll, and I brought her back into my room. This time, I felt the connection. Maybe all these years, I just needed some friends for her <3

I have three American Girl dolls sitting in front my bed now, and they're perfect for me. I'm looking forward to many future adventures, making custom clothes for them with my adult sewing skills, and adding even more of them to the family. So, that's been my journey into AG collecting!

[whorrorgrl]

What I Watched in July

What didn't I watch this month?

I was going to do my usual thing of just listing off every, single movie I watched within the month. They're usually short of ten, which is good since I'm only able to upload ten pictures at a time on here. But I had a very, very long leave. 31 days exactly. I was bored out of my mind, broke so there's not much I can do, and a natural homebody anyway. I watched a total of 20 movies, and that's only counting new ones. I watched all eleven seasons of Modern Family and then circled back halfway. I watched The Bear, which was pretty good! I'm a sucker for corny sitcoms so I polished off American Housewife. Rewatched some episodes of iZombie. Rewatched a few comfort movies, and decided to go down the horrors of the 80's.

I had a rule and that rule was to watch as many new movies as I could. I'm so prone to sticking to my comfort zones in many sectors of my life. It's why I'm a home-body, it's why I have three good friends, and it's also why hitting failure in the gym's a challenge - my 10-12 reps of moderate weights that only begin to challenge me on the last three is enough.

Anyway!

My favorite era of horror is the 2000's for two good reasons. It gave us gems like Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw (2006), Triangle, The Ring, Shutter, Dead Silence, etc. There's a style in storylines, tropes, camera angles, and just general ambiance that bookmarks it as the 2000's. Final girls running through the woods in a classic white tank and blue daisy shorts; A roofless Jeep barreling down a detoured road with teenagers/YA; an entity terrifying a protagonist and the library scene of them researching connections to their harrowing situations. The second reason is, of course, nostalgia. Kind of hard to beat. I grew up on these movies. They're so comforting. I've managed to stick to mostly 2000's and 2010's movies, but I know there are gems I'm missing out on. Few I'm already acquainted with are Misery, Death Becomes Her, The Craft, the Scream franchise, the Sixth Sense, etc. However, these movies are only a few years to a decade shy of the 2000's, which obviously took its influence from its predecessors. But two generations away? The 80's seemed far fetched. I convinced myself that I wouldn't like it or maybe I was too used to other horrors to find the syrupy, gooey looking blood and corny jumpscares scary enough, much less enjoyable. Granted, I did watch Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play, and Halloween, but I was only afraid of Child's Play because I watched it as a literal child. Nightmare and Halloween I'd watched a lot older and I don't like them at all. They're actually overrated to me.

So that was the goal this month. Watch some old shit. And that I did.

1. Shrooms (2007, Paddy Breathnach)

A group of American teenagers head to Ireland to get high in the woods. With the help of a local tour guide, the group sets up camp for a trip of a lifetime. However, things take a turn when a deadly mushroom gives Tara the ability to see which of her friends will be killed off, as a mysterious murderer lurks close by.

I had to start with a new 2000's just to grease my way in.

This movie is not one to take seriously. It's a horror movie involving shrooms where there's a scene of a talking cow, so calm the think pieces on this one. It gives you a decent storyline and there are psychological aspects as one would guess, but nothing much different from any other YA slasher. It honestly requires nostalgia for me to love above a normal degree. Since I don't have that, it's a nice one and done watch. For some reason, though, I still bought the DVD. Maybe I'll watch it on my own trip.

One surprise is the hillbillies the teens run into that remind me of Tucker and Dale. They have absolutely nothing to do with the mess going on outside but are the easier targets to blame. Random, but it's so funny seeing hill billies outside of America. Growing up in another country where you watch all these American movies, you get these stereotypes in your head of what it all is. School lockers, Disney World, and Hillbillies in some state like West Virginia or Kentucky. Seeing an Aussie in the sticks is so funny to me.

The movie encompasses all that I like: dumb teens being killed off but in another country. Indigenous (2014), Hostel (2005), The Green Inferno (2013), As Above So Below (2014), and Turistas (2006) aren't shaking in their boots though. I for some reason don't want to talk about the ending. It's good. I just feel like this review is getting too long for how I really feel about this movie. A decent 5/10

2. Frankenhooker (1990, Frank Henenlotter)

After a horrific accident butchers his wife Elizabeth, a pseudo-scientist Jeffrey gauges up a plan to rebuild his wife and bring her back to life piece by piece.

I found this one on Amazon Prime....which I thought I unsubscribed from. Not that this connects, but they are currently being sued for a few class action lawsuits, one being making it difficult to unsubscribe from their membership. But anyway, I had Prime. While simultaneously going through my bank statements, I was checking out their horror options. The ones that were free were obscure. Frankenhooker was among them.

The accident that murdered his wife Elizabeth was a lawnmower that Jeffrey himself created. It ran her over and tore her to bits. Aside from her head, a hand, and some miscellaneous limbs, he didn't get much from his dearly departed before her other parts were cleaned up. He concocts a plan to revive her with the upcoming lightning storm that should help reanimate her back into one piece. Only, he needs parts. So he shops for hookers downtown.

I outright laughed with this movie because it's so ridiculous. The scene of the hookers blowing up was so campy. When you can see the split second they replaced the actress with a dummy, oh my god. So goofy, but I actually respected. When you can see the amount of time that went into something so silly, it's actually fun. Practical effects show effort. I was imagining them making head molds out of the actresses and spending hours getting them right just to blow them up. Or painting those limbs; a dislocated foot, an arm, an entire thigh. It was all so much. The burbling purple liquid...so odd.

I would watch this one drunk with a group of friends. It's just camp, that's all I can say. That scene of the reanimated left over body parts? The ending?! The ridiculousness of it all. 9/10. I don't care. I just skimmed the director's other works and I'm adding them all to my lift if they're even close to Frankenhooker. A fun watch.

3. Christine (1983, dir. John Carpenter)

17-year old, Arnie, buys and restores a rusty 1958 Nlumouyh Fury automobile. Unbeknownst to him, the car is possessed by a murderous entity.

I ain't even gon' hold you. I thought this movie would be stupid. In my head, it's only so thin the line can be to tread with a villain like this. A car....

But!

I was wrong. I am completely surprised by this and I understand why it is a classic. I even bought the DVD. We're officially in 80's territory, bordering on the 70's so the characters and their mannerisms were very uncanny valley for me but not too bad. This is my second John Carpenter movie alongside Halloween (1978). I've only watched The Fog (2005), but I've added 1980's to my list. I actually tried to start it but fell asleep and gave up. Not sure why, but anything other than Freaky Friday that has Jamie Lee Curtis as the final girl makes me sleepy.

I liked how there's no backstory as to why there's an entity in this car. From the day it was made, my girl Christine was killing. Didn't crawl out of hell and run into a conveyer belt, no Charles Lee Ray business; just made bad. She's regenerative, vengeful, and even jealous when Arnie, her new owner, gets a girlfriend. Arnie isn't the most popular guy in school and is constantly bullied, even with the help of his friend. Christine makes it her mission to rid Arnie of those who harm him. Later, she'll rid him of those who try to get between them. It was just such a good plot that was executed perfectly. I thought this was going to be some mess, but 10/10

4. Psycho II (1983, dir. Richard Franklin)

After the murders in his hotel, Norman Bates is back in town on a clean slate. He goes back to Bates Motel where mother awaits.

In Scream 4, Kirby Reed made a comment about Psycho II being underrated. It stuck in my head for a while until I finally decided to watch it. I can 100% agree. Listen I'll find any reason to hate on Alfred Hitchcock like I would any abusive, misogynistic director in Hollywood, but Psycho II is better than its predecessor. Anthony Perkins reprises his role two decades later as the movie follows the same time frame. Norman has been hospitalized, diagnosed with BPD, and is released 20 years later following the incidents. Not all are on board, especially a persistent Lila Crane, but Emma Spool vouches for him so that he can get a job at a diner. He meets Mary Loomis (with apparent relations to Billy Loomis) and a new set of killing starts.

Before I even start, there are two Tillys? I was casually stalking the actors and realized that the actress for Mary is Jennifer Tilly's sister, Meg Tilly. I couldn't believe how small a'world we live in. Now I have to watch Body Snatchers (1993) and anything else Meg is in.

I loved the plot twist of this movie and how it all ended. Norman is really an unwell character so you find yourself sympathizing with the man. He's awful, but you watch as this man fails to discern reality from his own madness and how mother is incorporated into it. She is a mysterious woman. We don't see much of her, sort of like The Woman in Black. She is this big entity in the movie even though you know she isn't real. This movie is the peak of mommy issues. The ending where a real, flesh and blood option is open to Norman to have a mother but he's only interested in the twisted, evil version that haunts his head is fantastic. 10/10

5. Psycho III (1986)

Bates Motel is still in business, and Norman is still free. He's fallen in love once more, this time to a fallen nun. But will his past be behind him, or will it all unravel in this third addition to the world of Norman Bates.

It only made sense to watch the third installment. You see more of the look of the 80's that it's so known for, especially slashers. This is where the infamous scene from Scream (1996) comes in when Billy Loomis says, "We all go a little mad sometimes."

The parts I liked were of course mother. She continues to be this looming, bigger than life figure tormenting those around Norman. I liked the slasher-like scene of the young partygoers dying at the hands of "mother." Maureen replaces Mary as a potential love interest as Norman provides her shelter in his motel. They fall in love, despite her knowing his past. The ice machine scene, the bathroom scene, even the showdown in room 12. Again, you really begin to feel sorry for Norman and the cards he was dealt. Not that a serial killing, mentally unwell white man needs it, but mother is really a prison of his own making. The scene of the cop sucking on that bloody ice cube turned by stomach more than my laxative pills ever could. 8/10

6. Psycho IV (1990)

Released again, Norman Bates calls in on a radio show to retell his life as a young boy. Much to everyone's horror, when the show ends he has one last murder to commit to end it all.

I'm conflicted with this movie.

It's not bad...but 90% unnecessary. Aside from the ending where he finally burns down the house where it all started, I kind of didn't like that we got to meet mother. I've watched and loved Bates Motel (2013), so I'm aware that Norman and Norma always have incest - more so on Norman's part than Norma. In Bates Motel, Norma was creeped out but ignored it or tried to gently transition from Norman's weird attachment. In Psych IV, Norma punishes him harshly. She's severely abusive, negligent, and just awful. She blames Norman for everything, including his existence.

While it's interesting to watch his origin story and how he came to be, I kind of liked not really meeting Norma. I liked her being a decayed, fried out corpse in a chair. I liked meeting her only through Norman's unreliable retelling and untreated borderline personality. She was an entity..smoke and mirrors. Now that I've met her...I wanna kiss her.

She's hot.

Why would they make her hot? Plus she was a hypocrite. She would shame and abuse these women for being whores and sluts while she paraded around in no panties with a man she wasn't betroth to. I always pictured her as this uber-anal, only-have-sex-to-reproduce, stiff, old hag. When you build up a character that's existence is reliant on a character's retelling or the audience to fill in the blanks, it's so easy to ruin them by making them flesh and blood.

I want to pretend this movie doesn't exist.

Aside from the disappointment in meeting my hero, I liked the movie. The ending was solid. It's hopeful...and opens the door for more movies for Norman's spawn. 6/10. I really liked the movie. It can't be 100% a stand alone but it'd be a 8/10 if it was. I'd watch it as one and pretend it didn't ruin three other movies for me.

7. Black Christmas (2006)

A murdering sociopath escapes prison and returns to his childhood home. However, he finds out that his house has been converted into a sorority house and begins killing the students living there.

The casting is amazing, for one. They pulled Lacey Chabert fresh off the set of Mean Girls. May Elizabeth Winstead had just wrapped up making history with Final Destination 3 (2006), lugging Crystal Lowe on set with her. Katie Cassidy had just finished getting slaughtered on When A Stranger Calls (2006). We practically grew up with Michelle Trachtenberg. It's like Do Revenge: drag the pop girls and boys from popular shows/movies and you'll have a cast people will be excited to see before even considering the plot.

Because this story sucked.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the problem. This has everything I ever asked for in a 2000's movie. What else could I need? Am I ungrateful?

I have tried countless times to get into this movie. I'll cut the shit, like three times. And every time I have zoned out. I'm burnt out with this movie. It takes too much effort to be fully engaged and I don't know why. I love Sorority Row (2009), which has a similar premise, and Scream 2 with that sorority scene was amazing. I eat it up every time I watch it. Slashers with predominantly women casted is one of my bread and butters. But Black Xmas is just....I don't know. I don't know! I can't get into her. 3/10

8. The Thing (2011)

Kate Lloyed, a paleontologist, is recruited to Antartica by a team of scientists when they discover an alien buried in the ice. However, when the alien escapes, the team fights to figure out who they can trust as the alien could be any one of them, mimicking their dead crew.

This is such a good movie to watch when it's grey, raining, or ice cold. I love Mary Elizabeth Winstead and she is one of my favorite horror girls. Plus I get to see Kristofer Hivju, who I drooled over in Game of Thrones. This creature feature has a good creature reveal that doesn't completely ruin it. If anything, it enhances it. That one scene of the alien merging too people together and then crawling around on all fours was amazing. They don't make it an easy alien movie where you can pinpoint the creature. It can turn itself into one of the crew members, mimicking everything except inorganic materials like teeth. You get this claustrophobic feeling since there's limited places to run. They're stuck in the cold, unforgiving land of Antartica with a town miles away. The ending was a nice addition. I immediately bought the DVD and it is now added to my collection. It would've been better to watch the original John Carpenter movie, but this one popped up on my Netflix header and I immediately clicked on it. 9/10

9. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

When her parents go out of town, high school senior Trish decides to throw a slumber party. But things go downhill when an escaped killer wielding a power drill is loose in the neighborhood.

This movie seems derivative of Black Christmas (1974) and also came out the same year as the original The House on Sorority Row. Escaped convicts hacking up young girls were just on trend.

This one is kind of like Black Christmas (2006) for me. No matter how many times I watched it, it's like I never did. This is a rewatch, but not really because I didn't pay much attention the first time. It really brings nothing new for me. A movie doesn't necessarily need to be groundbreaking and fresh plot wise for me to like it, but it sure does need allure...some type of glue that keeps me watching. The Slumber Party Massacre didn't really have that for me. I watched it and immediately forget all that I just finished watching. As I watch these 80's movies, you really realize how nude obsessed this generation was. Pluto in Scorpio, sure, but these movies are just filled with boobs and bush, bush, bush. 5/10

PART TWO COMING SOON!