#2017 ross awards

[stylestream]

Tracee Ellis Ross | Zuhair Murad Resort 2017 dress • Christian Louboutin accessories | Critics’ Choice Awards | 2017

[turn-to-me]

I rewatched The Social Network for its 13th anniversary. One of my favorite films of all time, and one that convinced me of Armie's extraordinary acting skills. The film is a masterpiece on every level, one of the greatest biopics of the 21st century. In my opinion also David Fincher's magnum opus, together with Se7en, if one could have more than 1. With an inimitable performance of the KILLER soundtrack.

And Armie Hammer was in it!!!

A few review quotes about Armie's performance:

* Hammer and Garfield make the glue that hold it together.

* Although the stand out award I'd like to give to Mr. Armie Hammer. His role is just Tailor fit, literally as his jacket. From his statuesque as a rower all through out as a dapper at Harvard, he is just believable in that field. He is after after all the Winklevoss BrotherS.

* Armie hammer is a best combination of grace and conceit how he played wealthy twins.

* David Fincher's cool, stylish direction and great performances by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer make The Social Network a worthwhile watch.

* Now that some of the dust has settled, there’s one name that keeps coming up as a comic scene-stealer and awards dark horse: Armie Hammer, who plays entitled twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. In the movie, a Winklevoss twin declares, “I’m six-foot-five, 220 pounds, and there’s two of me,” but since there’s only one of Hammer, that meant the actor was often acting opposite a body double whose face he’d be digitally grafted onto in postproduction (and when you consider the notorious amount of takes that an exacting director like David Fincher requires, Hammer’s nimble pair of performances is all the more impressive). 

* My favorite description of the twins in the film comes from Alison Willmore's review, in which she writes, "Hammer is infinitely amusing in his dual role, exuding privilege and looking like something grown in a vat of J. Crew catalogs and Aryan race propaganda."

* No one could have played Sean Parker like Justin Timberlake, and Armie Hammer playing the Winklevoss twins is fantastic too.

* The quasi-pair of performances generated Hammer Oscar buzz at the time, and he has been a marquee mainstay ever since, appearing in films like J. Edgar (2011), The Lone Ranger (2013), The Birth of a Nation (2016), Call Me By Your Name (2017), Cars 3 (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), and On the Basis of Sex (2018).

* What makes Armie Hammer’s  acting performance outstanding is his use of specific body language with each of the two characters.

The different  way he moves, his vocal cadences , and facial expressions makes it so easy to believe that these were two different people on the screen. 

When Armie played Cameron Winklevoss, he played him more uptight and more formal. The formality also came out  in his dialogue. His diction was more precise.

When he played Tyler  Winklevoss,  he leaned back and was more laid back. His speech pattern was more fluid and he even used curse words as Tyler’s character.

I think that Armie’s performance was so great that I would easily see him being a contender for best supporting actor at the next Academy Awards ceremony.

This scene is epic! Great visual metaphor emphasised by this music piece.

#'In The Hall of the Mountain King' #Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross #Henley rowing scene

[maxverstappensflatbrim]

Show Me Yours | Matty Healy [37]

chapter thirty-seven, act five: the ballad of me and my brain

masterlist

February 22nd 2017

Tommie leaves the bathroom, her dress for the event is on. It’s a long dress that reaches her ankles, reflecting each of the guys outfits. It’s a black colour like Ross suit, with ruffles and lace like Matty’s, some of the lace is the same pattern and colour of George’s outfit and her shoes are made from the same material as Adam’s baby blue suit he’s wearing later on that night.

She has an outfit change for their performance, dress pants and a green and black button up.

Caleb looks up from where he’s sitting in his plain black suit and puts his phone away.

“Ready to go?”

He doesn't notice shoulders deflate at the lack of compliments, she thought she looked pretty good as she’d finished off her hair.

“Yeah, all ready.”

She’d skipped the carpet, letting the guys do it alone as she went on inside to find her seats, forcing Ross to sit beside Caleb as she sat beside Gabby and Carly instead.

“Are you nervous?”

“For the performance more than the award,” She admits quietly to Carly who’s hand is rubbing across her back in comforting circles, “I mean, fucking Radiohead are supposed to be here tonight.”

“They’re not, one less anxiety.” Gabby whispers and she nods leaning back.

She tugs at the neckline of the dress, trying to lift it up to cover her cleavage as she leans back uncomfortably.

Ross is tapping her shoulder harshly and nodding for her to move, “I can’t take it any longer, please.”

Rolling her eyes she says goodbye to Carly and Gabby, promising they’ll get drunk at the afterparty.

Settling back beside Caleb and taking her awkward sitting position again he raises his brows, “You alright?” He ducks his head, whispering as someone accepts their award on stage.

“This material is uncomfortable.”

He brings her drink towards her, “Drink to forget, right?”

She shakes her head, “It’s too tight, I need it off.”

“Few more minutes.” He promises, “Few more minutes and it’s off.”

She nods, shifting again as it scratches her uncomfortably.

Their performance goes by quickly, she’s glad to be out of the dress for a few moments but then she’s being shoved into a dressing room, women picking at the shirt. She requests to keep this outfit, it's more comfortable and loose.

The women laugh at her quiet voice and tell her, “A woman of your beauty should be showing everyone not hiding it behind shirts.”

“I like my shirts.”

The one woman, who she’d learned was called Nikki, shakes her head, “Show off your body, darling, just for the night. Make your boyfriend go crazy for you.”

She nods, giving in too easily and letting them dress her up again like some kind of doll.

Then she’s sitting  at the table, ignoring Matty and George’s giggles as they smoke under the table, ignoring Caleb’s reassuring whispers that she’ll be able to take the dress off soon and focuses on the artists going and coming to the stage.

Until the entire table is silent, watching as Maisie Williams reads from the card.

“The 1975!”

Tommie’s eyes widen, she sits still as their table erupts, Matty hugging Jamie and kissing his girlfriend, Ross moving around the table and Adam and Carly embracing.

Louis is the one to bring her out of it, yelling at her that they won as he hugs her.

She giggles, standing and hugs Louis back swaying him from side to side, she’s about to turn to Caleb who’s tapping Adam on the back when George is grabbing her hand and the pair of them are running ahead of the rest of the band to get to the stage first, both giggling madly like children.

They pause at the bottom of the steps, Adam and Ross kisses Tommie’s cheek as they pass her and when Matty finally gets to her they share a small smile.

Then he’s bringing her into him for a hug as the other three go on up on stage, he lowers his head towards her, whispering in her ear, “We made it yet?”

She hums with a shrug, “Let’s see.”

He pulls back, holding her at arm's length to look her up and down in her dress. Then he’s tugging her closer to kiss her temple, “You look beautiful.”

“I hate this dress.” She whispers back. “I don’t feel comfortable in it.”

He guides her up the steps with a hand on the small of her back, shedding his suit jacket before he takes the mic.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ

“Hey, you seen Matty anywhere?” George leans around Louis’ chair to shout over to Tommie and she’s about to turn to Caleb to question him on the singer’s whereabouts but realises he’s missing too.

She looks around and spots them both at the bar a few tables away, seemingly in a heated debate.

“I’m going to get a drink.” She tells the table, pulling a face at George that says ‘I’m actually going to make sure those two don’t end up doing anything they’ll regret’.

When she approaches Matty has the widest smirk she’s ever seen, he leans away from Caleb whose fist is holding his collar of the ruffled shirt close to him.

Her brows furrow and she hits at Caleb’s hand, looking around at all the famous faces and cameras that could’ve seen the moment.

“What are you doing?” She questions through gritted teeth.

Caleb’s anger seems to redirect to her then, his fiery gaze looking her up and down.

She’s still in the dress, but has Matty’s jacket on to cover herself up. The moment he had noticed her discomfort in the dress he’d passed it over without a word.

“Could ask you the same thing.. You…” He lowers his head to meet her eyes directly, “You fucking lied to me, Tommie.”

She raises a brow then grabs his wrist casting a glance back at Matty. Who’s smirk has vanished as he watches them both carefully, as if suddenly realising the weight of his words.

She tugs him into the hallways beyond the main venue, raising her brows and crossing her arms. “What are you talking about?”

“You slept with him?”

She pauses, arms tightening their hold around herself, “Did you cheat on me? With- with him?”

“No!” She shakes her head quickly, hands holding onto his arm, the one that's lifted to rub across his face, “It was years ago, before we started dating.”

“Before you met me?”

She pauses, and then shakes her head slowly, “When, Tommie?”

“Just after the first album came out, when we were on tour. After Texas, before Vegas, doesn’t matter… it didn’t… I met you.”

She doesn't say what he wants to hear. That it didn't mean anything, because it did.

“Did it mean anything to you?”

Her shoulders deflate and he presses on, asking her again as he steps closer. Her eyes stare at the ground as she assesses her different options, lie again and later let the truth come out or just tell him the truth now.

“He took my virginity, Caleb, it had to mean something.”

“How could you-” He pauses to step away, “You lied to me. You told me nothing happened with any of them.”

She rubs her hands across her face, “Because I knew you’d react like this. You’d freak out and-”

“I’d freak out? I’m not freaking out, Tommie, I’m fucking annoyed.”

She bows her head, like a child being told off and rubs at her arms hidden by Matty’s suit jacket.

“We haven’t since,” She finds herself telling him, “Nothing, not even a kiss.”

“Is that why you let him treat you like shit? Let him walk all over you? For a chance to be there when he needs another good fuck?”

Her posture changes from defensive to offensive in a single second, head snapping up, downcast eyes staring through him. “Are you kidding?”

“No.”

She shakes her head, “Caleb, it was years ago, I chose you. I choose you.”

“But you didn’t,” He shakes his head, lips in a pout, “Not really, whenever he calls you’re there. You drop anything for him, you forgive him no matter what shit he does. Quite frankly, Tommie, it’s pretty fucking pathetic. It’s like you’re in love with hi-”

He pauses, his entire demeanour fades away, the anger replaced with sadness as he looks at the guilty look on her face, “You’re in love with him.”

It’s not a question. It’s a realisation.

She doesn't even try to deny it, to shake her head, to come to terms with it, because until this moment, she didn’t realise she was still in love with him either.

The doors behind them open, Gabby raises her brows as she looks between them, but her gaze settles on Tommie in the end, “You okay?”

She nods quickly forcing a smile as she lifts her shoulders, “We’ll be back in now in a minu-”

Then a door further down the hallway opens, and out comes the topic of discussion, “Here we go.” Caleb says, rolling his eyes.

“Everything alright?”

“Matty, just- leave. You’ve done enough.” Tommie says without looking at him.

He raises his eyebrows, now noticing Gabby and moving to stand beside her. His arm settles on her hip, tugging her into his side as she keeps her eyes on the situation. Her mind goes back to that day in London where she’d found her alone and bruised. She questions if the story of her father was the truth for a few seconds.

Matty looks between them all, making himself look taller as he moves to grab Tommie’s arm guiding her away from Caleb, “The guys are waiting for us.”

“Don’t touch her, man.”

“Cale-” Tommie sighs and shakes her head but Matty pushes her behind him.

“As far as I’m concerned you don’t speak for her.”

“Matt-”

“Just answer me this, Tommie…”

Caleb moves around Matty to look pleadingly at her, brows drawn together, chin wrinkled. The desperation on him is clear, he reeks of it, he also reeks of the cheap alcohol he’d been buying from the second bar out the back that all the fans had to get from.

“Do you love me?”

Gabby shakes her head, “I’m sorry, what’s going on here?”

She stands beside Tommie, hand on her back comfortingly and Caleb scoffs nodding, waving a hand drunkenly around, “Does she know?”

He turns to Matty, the one who’d told him the information- no, the one who’d boasted that he had Tommie before him.

“Does your girlfriend know you’re in love with her?”

Matty scoffs, “I hope so, tell her all the time.”

Caleb stumbles and shoves him back, “You know what I mean.”

“Caleb, you’re drunk, let’s go home, come on.” Tommie says moving to grab his hand but he rips it away and pushes her back from him.

“I’m not going home with you, not right now.”

“Then leave alone, mate.” Matty tells him, puffing out his chest and smirking at Caleb.

“Matty, can you just leave, please?” Tommie begs turning to him and raising her brows.

He stands a little taller looking down at her, “Why? So he can beat you in pe-”

Tommie’s hand moves quickly, smacking Matty across the face, brows furrowed. Not in that playful way she usually does, or in the way she does when she’s laughing too hard and needs something to ground herself with, tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes squinted and that smile he adores. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Matty’s brows quickly unfurrow and he steps towards her, his face morphs from realisation to guilt, hand softly rubbing the red hand print forming on his cheek“Tommie, I’m so-”

She shakes her head, “Why would you insulate something like that? What’s wrong with you?”

“Baby, I didn’t mean it I was just-”

“Baby.” Comes the loud American scoff they all ignore.

“Just causing more problems because you can’t stand the fact that someone is happy and you’re not the root cause of it-”

Gabby’s stepping between the two bandmates now, “Guys, come on-”

“No, Tommie, I’m doing it because the two of you are fucking miserable together. And neither of you have the balls to leave. Him because he needs you to make it in the industry and you because you’re so fucking desperate to feel loved, to please people. You need to be a perfectionist, you need people to like you so much you’ll stay in this shitty relationship just to feel it. You’re so afraid of being alone that you’ll suck anyone’s dick to-”

Matty’s head is falling to the side, Caleb’s standing above him, everything is happening, two different arguments, two different people.

She pushes Caleb back, letting Gabby fuss over the barely sober Matty.

“What the fuck?”

“He just called you a whore!”

Tommie’s muttering to herself looking around, chest rising and falling as she tries to decide what to do.

There’s a distant ringing in her ears, muffled by her own racing thoughts.

“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Caleb tells Gabby, “He’ll be fine. He’ll be boasting about sleeping with Tommie again in the next few minutes.”

Tommie pauses looking around at the three of them, “What?” Gabby’s voice is small and fragile. So unlike the young woman Tommie has come to love the past few years.

“You slept together?”

“It was years ago?”

“And get this,” Caleb adds, “She’s in love with him.”

Matty’s stumbling, looking over at her, “You’re in love with me?” His one hand is holding him up on the wall, the other is holding his bleeding nose.

“I-I never- I didn’t-”

“Tommie.”

She breathes in deeply, looking between the three of them slowly.

Gabby shakes her head and sets off towards the exit out into the alleyway, “No, Gabs, wait-” Caleb shakes his head and goes towards the bar then it's just her and Matty alone.

“You’re in love with me?”

He stares at her, waiting for her to say something, anything. His jaw clenches, unclunches, her mouth opens then closes.

He scoffs, shakes his head and walks backs into the hall.

She looks at the three different directions, focusing on the door in front of her the one Matty had just gone through.

Then she makes her decisions and moves quickly, bending down half way through her run to take off her heels and abandon them somewhere.

Sacking the door open, her feet hit the cold wet floor and she looks around.

“Gabby!”

The Australian pauses, but then carries on and Tommie finds herself picking up the pace, “Please, Gabs will you just let me-”

“Let you what, Tommie?” Gabby asks, turning to face her, it’s now Tommie sees the dark tracks of mascara down her cheeks, “Explain that you’re in love with my boyfriend? What was-” She pauses to sniffle and wipe her eyes, “Was our whole friendship just a li-”

“Please don't say that.” Tommie says desperately, hands falling to catch hers, moving to wipe her tears, “You’re my best friend, I love you.”

“Yeah, and you love, Matty too.”

“Of course I do.” Tommie gasps out, “I always have loved him, but I don’t- I’m not in love with him.” She tells her “Not anymore.”

She gulps before explaining, “I used to be, for a long long time, then I realised that… he deserves someone who can love him as much as you do. I can’t, I won’t….”

Gabby shakes her head, “What am I supposed to think, Tommie? Our whole friendship? The whole past two years, were they based on lies? You didn’t tell me-”

“Please.” Tommie’s desperate, she's desperate for Gabby to believe.

“You’re my best friend, you’re like, my only friend, please, Gabs-”

Gabby shakes her hand off of her arm and shakes her head as she walks towards the street, “I-”

“I stopped loving him because- I realised he’d never be able to love me,” She decides honesty will be the best way to get her out of this, to salvage any relationship out of this she can. “He used to bring back the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. I’d be forced to watch them do things we’d never be able to do, normal relationship things, stupid silly childish things that no one really cares about.

They were always so gorgeous, usually models or actress… I used to be so jealous. And then- well, then he brought you along to that stupid New Year’s Party, and- You’re fucking amazing, Gabs. You’re beautiful, fucking stunning, kind, so down to earth, and you love him. You genuinely do love him despite the fact he’s an arsehole and that you get hate, that’s when I realised deep down subconsciously that Matty and I could never be together-”

“Stop… just stop talking… Please.”

Gabby looks up towards the sky, not a single star in sight. “I just- I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Are you-” Tommie pauses hands playing with the sleeves of the jacket she wears, “Are you angry with me?”

Her voice is small, like a child’s and her eyes refuse to make any eye contact at all.

Gabby shakes her head, “No.” It’s one word, muttered softly. So softly that the wind carries it away.

The tears in Tommie’s eyes fall, drifting down her cheek as she watches Gabby walk away from her without another word.

“Tom?”

She turns quickly, chest stuttering and falls into his awaiting arms.

“Hey? What’s happened?”

“I fucked it, Ross,” She tells him as she sobs into his shirt, “I fucked everything so bad. I-I’m sorry.”

Ross’ brows furrow as he looks up at Gabby’s figure at the end of the alley, the Australian has turned back for a single moment before crossing the road to the awaiting taxi cab.

“Fucked what?”

“Everything.”

taglist

@thereisaplaceintheheart, @indierockgirrl, @sofaritsalrightt, @julezs-bl0g, @eaglestar31, @sophinthealpss, @noacfemcel, @if-my-heart-bleeds, @befrwime, @fallingforel, @sexorchocolateorpillowsorclouds, @3terna15unshin3, @1975sophie1975, @thesocraticjunkiewannabe, @littlesoldierelleora, @procrastinatinglikeapro

-let me know if you want to be added :)

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The 1# Legendary Japanese 🇯🇵 Actor & Martial Artist 🥋Of Cinema 🎥 Before & Today

Born in Tokyo, he was scouted by an entertainer while playing with the son of the actor Kokichi Takada who lived in the same condominium, and after working as a model for a magazine for young children, he joined the Himawari Theatre Group at the age of five. He made his film debut in 1966 in the ninkyo yakuza film Game of Chance (浪曲子守唄) starring Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba, reprising his role as Chiba's character's son in two sequels released the following year.

He is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He began his career in the mid-1960's at the age of six, and gained prominence for his roles in Japanese and Hong Kong action films, later establishing himself as a dramatic actor.

He made his first major Hollywood appearance portraying Ujio in The Last Samurai (2003), later appearing in such films as Sunshine (2007), Speed Racer (2008), The Wolverine, 47 Ronin (both 2013), Minions (2015), Life (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Army of the Dead (2021), Bullet Train (2022), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). He also had a recurring role on the HBO series Westworld (2018–2020).

He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Ryuji Takayama in Ring (1998), Seibei Iguchi in The Twilight Samurai (2002), Ujio in The Last Samurai (2003), Kenji in Rush Hour 3 (2007), and Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion in Mortal Kombat (2021).

His role as 'The Fool' in the Shakespeare play King Lear also gave him notable theatrical notice in the United Kingdom.He has received numerous accolades, including two Japan Academy Film Prizes, three Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor, four Kinema Junpo Awards, and honors from the Yokohama Film Festival.

In 2018, he received the Medals of Honor with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese government for his "artistic developments, improvements and accomplishments."

Please Wish This Legendary & Incredible Japanese 🇯🇵 Actor & Martial Artist 🥋Of Years Of Outstanding Cinema 🎥 & Also Shares The Same Birthday with, The Legendary Aussie Actor, Hugh Jackman. Who has starred a movie in with, A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIS MOVIES. YOU WILL

IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HIM. ITS OKAY YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOW.

THE 1 & THE ONLY

MR. HIROYUKI SANADA 🇯🇵 AKA SCORPION 🦂 OF THE 2021 REBOOT, MORTAL KOMBAT🥋 👊

GET OVER HERE 🦂

#HiroyukiSanada #TheWolverine #47Ronin #Extant #MortalKombat #Shogun #Scorpion #YoshiiTornaga

[toasttt11]

brinley matthews

Brinley Amelia Matthews

Number: 11

Season: Seventh

Position: D

Height: 5”11

Hometown: Arizona

S/C: R

NHL: MTL

Prev Team: USNTDP

NHL

• Selected First overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Draft.

International

Team USA

•2017 World Championship- Gold, 8 G, 10 A, 7 GP

•2017 World Junior Championship- Gold, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Junior Championship-Gold, 6 G, 11 A, 7 GP

•2015 World U-18 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 6 G, 10 A, 7 GP

•2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 5 G, 11 A, 6 GP

Seventh Season (2023-2024)

Montreal Canadians

50 G, 102 A, 152 P, 80 GP

Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Sixith Season (2022-2023)

Montreal Canadians

35 G, 91 A, 126 P, 68 GP

Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Fifth Season (2021-2022)

Montreal Canadians

30 G, 90 A, 120 P, 72 GP

Captain.

Received Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.

Fourth Season (2020-2021)

Montreal Canadians

33 G, 99 A, 132 P, 87 GP

Alternative Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Third Season (2019-2020)

Montreal Canadians

15 G, 42 A, 57 P, 40 GP

Alternative Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Signed a Contract for 72 Million dollars for Seven years and a 5 million dollar signing bonus.

Second Season (2018-2019)

Montreal Canadians

21 G, 80 A, 101 P, 79 GP

Alternative Captain.

Rookie Season (2017-2018)

Montreal Canadians

19 G, 80 A, 99 P, 84 GP

Received the Rookie of the Year award.

Signed a Contract for 9 Million dollars for two years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.

Before the NHL

Played two seasons with the USNTDP.

Totaled 220 points (80-160--240) in 125 games with the USNTDP, the most assists ever in USNTDP history and the most points ever scored by a defensive player.

Scored points (40-80--120) in 63 games in 2015-2016, played with the U-17 and U-18 Teams.

Scored points (40-80--120) in 62 games with the U18 team in 2016-2017.

Personal

Born January 2, 1999

Daughter Brian and Ema Matthew

Has three siblings Alexandria, Auston, Breyana

[bobby-r2d2-floyd]

behind the glass part one | (tgm x nhl)

note: i've finally sat down long enough to actually write this and im so excited that it's finally here!

warnings: a few swear words, nothing too bad. not a lot of dialogue, mostly background stuff, time jumping, mentions of the covid-19 pandemic

beta'd by the lovely @sarahsmi13s

word count: 4.2k

------------

The first time your parents took you to a hockey game, it was 2008 and you were 13 years old. You remember it was glass seats, home-shoots-twice side right off to the left of the net for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Mellon Arena, affectionately named The Igloo for the white domed top and it being home to the Penguins. 

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins Two Headed Monster, had a combined 68 goals and 148 assists that season. They both racked up career 100 goals with Crosby earning his 200th career assist and 300th career point. Malkin earned the Art Ross trophy as well as the Conn Smythe trophy with a nod to the Hart Memorial trophy, whereas Crosby only received a nod for the Mark Messier Leadership Award. 

The Penguins had a decent regular season that year as a team. 45 wins to their 37 losses (28 in regulation and 9 in overtime) but they went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers, then the Washington Capitals, then the Hurricanes over in Raleigh before finally beating the Detroit Red Wings for the Stanley Cup at the Joe Louis Arena.

Your dad used to joke that you didn’t blink the entire time that you were there, not even during the intermissions between periods. From that moment forward, you were hooked. Hockey consumed your life, you begged your parents for the chance to go again, and again, and again. You went to every home game that took place on weekends. The glass seats were a gift as a back to school surprise, but you never minded sitting further back if it meant you had a better view of the ice. 

Over the next 12 years you must have attended nearly 500 games (professional and college), and when you weren't at the games, you were watching them on TV. You, with the help of your parents and grandparents, cultivated your childhood around the sport. Games, practices, meet-the-players events… you attended as much as you could; you even played on a rec team for a bit. 

In high school you convinced the head of the newspaper to let you write all four years instead of just your junior and senior years. You specialized in sports, aside from hockey, you were well educated with baseball and football. You graduated high school with a full ride to Penn State University where you double majored in digital journalism and telecommunications and received a certificate in sports journalism. 

You thanked whatever god there was above that you managed to bag a position with the Penguins as an assistant photographer for the team. You became a permanent fixture on your favorite team during year one of their back-to-back Stanley Cups, one away at San Jose (2016) and the second one at Nashville (2017) and you were just as over the moon as the players were as you watched Sidney lift the cup for the third time in the last decade. 

As you made your way onto the ice, you threw some of the Predators players condolences and “good game [insert player here]” as they worked their way off the ice. 

You had developed a close bond with the Russian half of the Monster, and with his wife at home with their newborn son, you made sure to facetime her as Geno skated up to you with the cup, cheering to her in their native tongue. You leave him to talk to his wife while you go off and take pictures of the rest of the players and staff that made it out to Nashville while they’re still celebrating on the ice before moving into the locker room. 

The summer of 2017 was a whirlwind event. 

Between attending cup celebrations for the friends you made on the team and then almost immediately getting right back to it with pre-season at the Penguins practice facility, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, in Cranberry. 

On a rare day off, you and fellow Penguins photographer Leland Hawkins were at PNC Park watching the Pirates play the Cubs when the news came through.

“Jesus Christ.” you mumble as you look at your phone screen.

“What?” Leland asks, eyes not leaving the field as she shovels popcorn into her mouth.

“San Diego just announced that they were approved for their own NHL team and they broke ground on an arena that’s expected to be complete prior to the start of the 2020-21 season,” you paraphrase aloud as you scan the article. “We just went through a draft with Vegas and now we need to go through it again?” 

“You’re joking, right? We just lost Fleury and now we’re about to lose ANOTHER person? Unbelievable…” Lee mutters before taking your phone from you and reading the article for yourself. 

You watch as Rizzo hits a line drive to left field to take first base and you smile a bit, he was your favorite player after all, but the Pirates were the home team. Either way you would be happy with the outcome. 

Expansion drafts were never fun for anyone. You remember the hot coal feeling in your stomach as you watched Marc-Andre say his goodbyes to Sid, Geno, and Kris. Players he had known for his entire career to go somewhere completely new. 

“I hope I never get asked to go somewhere new. I don’t think I could ever leave this view,” you say as you kick your feet up on the seat in front of you, stealing Leland’s popcorn as you look out past the outfield to the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh Skyline. For it being Father’s Day, the park wasn’t that packed considering the weather was absolutely beautiful. 

“Yeah I think I could. Isn’t there a Navy base in San Diego? All the hot seamen.” 

“Is there even a market for another team there? There’s already three teams in California, two of them are not even three hours away.” you say before cheering as Rizzo crosses home plate, bringing the score to 3-0, Cubs. 

“New York has two basically next door to each other and then there’s the New Jersey team, ALSO right there.” Leland tries to rationalize and you shake your head.

“Madison Square Garden is in Manhattan and the Barclays Center is in Brooklyn, there’s a forty-ish minute difference and the Prudential Center is an hour away from Madison,” you correct her before standing. “Want anything from concession?” 

“Get me a beer please? And why do you know all that?”

“I make it my job to know!” you yell back as you walk away from her. 

While in line, you scan through the article again. The old Pechanga Arena will be demolished and then rebuilt to become a new top of the line facility, not too much different from the newer Little Ceasar’s Arena in Detroit, and will only be a 15 minute highway drive from Petco Park. 

You shake your head and slip your phone back into your pocket before ordering two beers and a couple of pretzels before pressing the thought of another expansion team to the back of your mind. 

The rest of the game flies by and the Pirates lost the series 7-1 which you weren’t surprised by. Tthe Cubs are a good team who’re just coming off the tail end of winning the World Series only eight months prior. 

The news of another expansion was the talk of the locker room the next time you were at the Sports Complex. You were sitting in the hallway leading up to the locker room taking pictures when a little blond boy came running up to you.

“Lens!” You hear and you have barely enough time to set your camera down before you’re being knocked over by Nikita Malkin.

“Nik! What are you doing here?” you laugh as you wrap your arms around him.

“Gonna skate with daddy,” he says, his English is good but you know that Anna and Geno speak Russian primarily at home. 

“That’ll be fun, gonna score some goals on Muzz?” He nods and you smile, “Good, score one for me.” you say before he bounces off and you manage to get a few photos of him and Geno walking down the hallway. 

During the first half of the 2017-18 season the Pens were 19-21 and 28-14 in the back half. They managed to take second in the metropolitan division and head into the playoffs, where, unfortunately they had a second round exit after losing to the Capitals in game six. 

As sad as you were for the team to go early, you were thankful for the opportunity to take a bit of a break. You and Leland were able to travel around Europe for a few months before reporting back to Pennsylvania before the players were due to return. 

You were taking some pictures of new players’ jerseys that were hanging up when you heard the door open. You look over and see the captain standing there and you give him a small smile. 

“Hey Sid. Ready to be back?” you ask as you move over to the next stall.

“Oh yeah, hopefully we’ll make it past round two this year,” he says and he takes a seat and starts pulling stuff out of his duffle that he had slung around his shoulder. 

“Well, you never know. I’m just glad Ovechkin can finally shut up now about not having a cup,” you say and he laughs. His rivalry with the Russian has always been a big thing on the ice, but off you knew that the two were friends. 

“Right, happy for him though,” he says before looking over at you. “What happened to Leland? Doesn’t she usually do this?” 

“She actually moved to Denver. So it’s just me now. Well, at least until my assistant gets here.” you say and he laughs.

“A promotion? Good for you. You always deserved it.” He hesitates, “No offense to Lee.” 

You smile and nod, “I’m sure she wouldn’t take any offense, Sid. How was your off season?”

“It was good, Nate and I did a lot around Cole Harbour. Spent a lot of time relaxing at home, played a bit with Taylor while she was in town. What about you?”

“Went to a lot of Pirates games, helped Lee move, spent a lot of time outside with my younger siblings, hung out with some of the WAGs that stayed in town..” you say before taking a seat next to him. “Did you read that on top of the San Diego expansion, Seattle is getting a team now too? Making the even 32 teams and odd 33? Wonder who will be next.”

“Yeah I heard… It’s weird though, that Bettman has allowed so many expansions.”

“It’s Bettman, are you surprised? Why does he do half the shit he does?” You roll your eyes, your disdain for the NHL Commissioner very evident on your face. 

“Don’t say that too loud, he might hear you,” he bumps your shoulder and you laugh.

“Right, the last thing I need is to be fired, or worse… transferred.”

“Hey, you work for Mario and he loves you. He won’t let you leave.” Sidney tells you and you can tell he’s being honest. Crosby may be many things, but a liar? Never.

You notice the proximity between the two of you and you take a deep breath, his cologne filling your senses before you clear your throat and stand up. “I uh.. I’ll leave you to change. See you on the ice, Cap.” 

You shake the thought of being so close to him off, he’s Sidney Crosby and you’re just a photographer for the team. 

You wait for Sid to take the ice before moving down to the bench so you can get pictures of him without the glass being in the way. 

You remember the day that he got drafted to the Penguins in 2005, you remember all the things that everyone had said about him, “he was going to save the Penguins”. All the injuries he had, all the concussions, the year of missed games… He was one of the best skaters in the game after some of the legends. Watching him skate is the reason that you took up skating yourself, he was your on ice hero but you would never tell him that. 

After taking some pictures of him skating, you make your way out from behind the bench so you can head up to your office and get started on picking what pictures to send to the digital media team. 

Before you know it, the season is already ending with a first round exit, swept by the Islanders despite winning 44 games in the regular season. 

By the time March of 2020 rolled around, the Penguins had 40 wins and 29 losses, a comeback that they needed. 

Until everything came to a standstill. 

Commissioner Bettman paused the season due to the threat of Covid-19. All non-essential positions were suspended due to the virus. 

For the next four months you didn’t leave your home. All groceries were ordered from people who were brave enough to do Shipt, you taught yourself how to actually cook, spent a lot of time talking to your parents over Zoom, you started to write more, making mock articles to get back into the swing of the journalism aspect of your job again. 

By the time that July had come around there were two hub cities named for the play-offs, Toronto and Edmonton. You traveled with the Penguins to Toronto for the modified tournament but left after the Canadiens knocked out the Penguins after three games.

September 28, 2020 the Lightning were crowned Stanley Cup Champions, and the 20-21 season began officially on January 13, 2021. Only 56 games would be played before the Cup would be returned to the Lightning again only a few short months later. 

The San Diego expansion draft took place just after Stamkos raised the cup for the second time. 

You watched as players got drafted to the San Diego Tomcats, shocked as some teams traded away some of their best skaters, knowing that they didn’t go lightly. Just like what happened with Vegas when Fleury left, you felt a sinking feeling in your chest. 

You watched as the last six players were drafted: first was Bradley Bradshaw, center from the Capitals; Reuben Fitch, left defense from the Predators; Mickey Garcia, left wing from the Rangers; Jake Seresin, right wing from the Stars [you rolled your eyes at his name, good luck Tomcats]; Javy Machado, right defense from the Bruins; and the fortieth man drafted was Robert Floyd, goalie from the Blues. 

Floyd and Bradshaw were the two you recognized the most between the six of them. Both were on cup winning teams in the last five years so you were surprised to see them there, but then again they weren’t the only Cup winners on the team, some guy named Brigham Lennox from the Lightning was also there. He was going to be a cocky asshole. 

You were driving into PPG Paints the next morning when you got the phone call, it was a number you didn’t recognize so you were hesitant when you finally did answer.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Y/N Champaign?” a deep voice asked from the other side and you sucked in a breath before answering.

“This is.”

“My name is Beau Simpson, I’m calling to inform you that you’re being relocated to San Diego. You’ll need to be here when players report for training.” he says and you pull over to the side of the road.

“Sir I’m employed directly with the Penguins, not the NHL-”

“Oh I know. You’re being sent over by recommendation of Mario Lemieux.”

“Oh.” 

“I know you’re comfortable with the Penguins, I know that you’re from Pittsburgh so it’ll be hard leaving home. But I’ve seen your work both on the ice and off, as well as behind the glass. You’re talented and as a new team, we could use some talent everywhere it counts.” he says, and you throw your head back against your seat.

“Of course, sir. I’ll be on a plane before the afternoon.” you tell him and you can hear the relief in his voice.

“Wonderful. Bradley Bradshaw will meet you at the gate, he was the first one here so he can get you to the facility.”

“I’m assuming this is an office phone, so I’ll email you the details of my flight.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mario already has them. I’ll pass your number along to Bradshaw.” he says before the line goes dead and you look at your phone as the line disconnects. 

You pull back into the road and continue your drive, the last one to PPG Paints as a home team member. 

Mario is in his office when you make your way upstairs. A gentle knock on the glass alerts him to your presence and he gives you a smile, “come in.”

“Beau Simpson called me while I was on my way over.” you tell him as you sit down across from him.

“Yeah, he called me last night. I’m sorry I didn’t-”

You hold your hand up and stop him, “don’t worry about it. It’s… okay. It’ll suck leaving the team and everyone behind but new opportunities, right? Plus it’ll be nice seeing the sun for longer than three out of twelve months.” you joke and he cracks a smile and laughs with you.

“You’ll be missed.”

“I know.” 

He passes you an envelope and it has your last check as well as a flight itinerary and contract for the Tomcats for you to read through on the plane. “Well, I’m sure you have some owner stuff to do so I’m gonna go say bye to the team.” 

He stands and pulls you in for a hug, you were close with everyone, players and staff, so it wasn’t surprising when he pulled you in gently. “I’m gonna miss you, kid.” 

You pull away and give him a gentle squeeze on his arm before walking out of the office and down to the ice, stopping along the way to say goodbye to familiar faces in the hallways. 

You take a look out to the ice, you watch as the team laughs and smiles, passing the pucks to each other as they all run their own drills. Coach Sullivan is the first person to notice you, skating over and leaning against the boards. 

“No camera today?”

“No.. not today… or tomorrow… or next week.” you say and his smile drops. 

“No, where to?”

“San Diego.” 

“Well, they just got a great person added to their team, it sucks it comes at our loss.” he says before blowing his whistle, getting the attention of all the players. Sidney is the first to skate over to you, slowing down before hitting the boards.

“What’s going on?” 

“I’m being relocated. So I just wanted to come by and say goodbye to the team.” you tell him with a sad smile. He opens the gate for you and you set down your paper work on the bench before taking his hand and stepping onto the ice. 

One by one, all players new and old (mostly old) pull you in for a tight hug, ignoring the sting of the hard pads digging into you at odd angles. You laugh as Geno hauls you into the air before setting you back down on the ice, only slipping a little bit but he’s quick to steady you. 

After wrapping up your goodbyes, you head back to your apartment and pack up just the necessities before meeting your mom downstairs. 

“You ready sweetheart?” she asks, helping you with your camera bags and you sigh.

“As ready as I’ll ever be to move away from the two homes I’ve ever known.” you tell her and she gives you a small smile. 

“You’re going to be just fine over there.” 

“I know, it's just… this city means so much to me. It’ll suck only being back for a few games a season.”

“And holidays.” she says and you laugh.

“And holidays.” you confirm and she smiles.

The drive to the airport went too quick for your liking and before you knew it, you were in the air above the steel city, watching as the skyline and the yellow bridges fade into the distance. 

Six hours later you were landing in Fightertown, USA. Stiff from the flight, you do your best to work out all the kinks and cracks that your body goes through as you walk over to baggage claim. It’s easy to find your gear bags due to the giant Penguins logo on the sides, and the small bright yellow suitcase came shortly after. 

You turned your phone back on and the first notification that you get is from an unknown number and a text that reads

Waiting for you at the Starbucks in term. 2. See you soon! -Rooster

“Rooster? Who the fuck is that?” you mumble before making your way to the Starbucks. You do a quick scan of the area, you know what Bradley looks like, so you know that none of the people around you are him. 

15 minutes go by when an out of breath, lanky brunette walks up to you.

“I am so sorry I’m late, I was here but then I had to go to the bathroom and then there was some kids that recognized me and-”

“Take a breath, I’m not mad.”

“Okay, give me a minute,” he takes a few deep breaths before holding out his hand, “I’m Bradley Bradshaw, or Rooster, if you want.”

“Rooster?” you ask, his palm large and warm against your own as you introduce yourself as well and you take the moment to take him in, his brown hair is already sun bleached at the front and he dons a pornstache that he somehow manages to pull off.

“Yeah, Ovi started calling me that when I joined the Caps so..” 

“Oh trust me, I am well versed with Ovi nicknames. He used to call me chicken because my family had chickens a few years ago.. He’s the one who started calling me Lens, actually.” you say as you stand up and pull the handle up on your suitcase.

Bradley is taking the strap of your gear bag when you grab it from him and he looks at you wide eyed.

“Sorry it's just.. There’s a lot of expensive equipment and-”

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it. Would you rather carry it or…?” 

“Yeah, sorry I know it's weird and I know everything is packed really well, but I know it was probably thrown around during loading and unloading.” you say and he gives you a small smile. 

“Well, then I’m taking this.” he says as he takes the handle of your suitcase from you. “Welcome to San Diego, Lens.” he says as you make your way to the front where his Bronco is waiting for you. 

You two make idle small talk as he makes the short drive from the airport to where the new Pechanga Arena is located.

“It’s going to be weird not seeing you in the Caps uniform anymore.” you say as you climb out of the car and he laughs. 

“Yeah, but it’ll be nice to see you everyday now.” he says and you notice the flirty smile on his face and you roll your eyes. 

“Just remember to smile for the camera, Bradshaw.” you chirp back to him as he opens the door for you. 

Standing in the vestibule of the arena, you take everything in. The Navy timeline that wraps around the wall, the Top Gun memorabilia that's displayed behind glass. Bronze statues of the old San Diego Gulls members standing proudly. Bradley gives you a gentle nudge before looking up and you do the same, a replica F-14 Tomcat is hanging, wings in, right above your head. 

“Wow… I’ve been to Little Caesars many times over the years, for various reasons, so I knew a little bit of what to expect but this is… Amazing.” 

The two of you wander down into the bowl seating and you watch as the ice gets painted, the steel blue and slate gray of the logo is being carefully brushed onto the stark white ice. You follow him around the rest of the arena, a small tour of the locker room where there’s various players in a state of undress after a voluntary workout before going to the offices. 

Your office was a bit bigger than the one at PPG, the only difference was the F-14 that was painted on the wall instead of the Penguin from the 90’s that you loved so much. 

“Simpson, Coach Kazansky and the rest of the coaching staff are going to be waiting in the review room whenever you’re ready. It’s down the hall to the left, and then it's the third door on the right.” Bradley says before leaving you to settle in.

You pull out your phone and send a quick text to your mom that you landed just fine and were already settling into your new office before you put your hands on your hips and let out a sigh as you looked around, it’ll be a long road of making your office comfortable like it was back home, but you honestly couldn’t wait to see what this new city would bring you. 

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[uwmspeccoll]

It's Fine Press Friday!

Our fine press book this week is MASKS around the world by John Ross (1921-2017). Ross was an esteemed and prolific printmaker as well as a teacher, SAGA president, and recipient of numerous accolades and awards including five MacDowell Colony Fellowships between 1977-1983. In 1991 he created The High Tide Press with wife Clare Romano and went on to produce 19 volumes of his own artist books, including MASKS around the world. 

Ross is credited with helping to develop collagraph plates, a type of printing plate created through collaging materials to a rigid substrate. The collagraphs used to print MASKS around the world were made in Venice, Italy in the summer of 1998. They were created of mat board, fabric, sand and carborundom grits glued together with acrylic polymer gesso. One plate is included with each of the 15 copies of the book. Four of the masks within the book utilize pop up elements to add dimension and whimsy to the depictions and an introduction by Miriam Schapiro reminds readers of the inspiration and power inherent in mask wearing.  

The binding of the book was done by James DiMarcantonio of Hope Bindery in Providence, Rhode Island and features a delightful resin casting. Perhaps unsurprisingly to regular readers, MASKS around the world is from our dear friend Dennis Bayuzick’s extraordinary collection of fine press publications. Special Collections holds number 14 of this limited edition which is signed by the artist. 

The collagraph plates included with our book were used to print the Wasp Mask of the KW AKIUTL from the Northwest Coast of America.

View other books from the collection of Dennis Bayuzick. 

View more Fine Press Friday Posts. 

– Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

[lboogie1906]

Estelle Fanta Swaray (January 18, 1980) is a British singer and actress. She is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip-hop, and dance. She has collaborated with artists including John Legend, Robin Thicke, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, will. i.am, Kanye West, Pete Rock, David Guetta, and Tyler, The Creator.

After signing with V2 Records, she released her debut album The 18th Day (2004), which reached number 35 on the UK Albums Chart. Her next album, Shine (2008), which was released through the Atlantic Record Label, charted internationally and helped her significant mainstream success. The album included the single “American Boy” featuring West, which reached #1 in the UK and earned her several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Her last album released with the Atlantic label would be All of Me (2012); the single “Thank You” received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance.

She has provided both the speaking and singing voice for the fictional character Garnet in the animated series Steven Universe (2013–19), a role which she reprised in Steven Universe: The Movie (2019) and Steven Universe Future (2019–20). She made cameo appearances in the films Beyond the Lights (2014) and Girls Trip (2017) and appeared as Linda in Fatal Affair (2020). She hosts and presents her show called The Estelle Show on Apple Music and has done over 500 episodes.

She was born and raised in Hammersmith, London, England. Her mother’s family came from Dakar, Senegal, and her father is West Indian. She was the second born of nine children.

She spent her childhood listening to her parents’ reggae records and her aunt’s soul collection before discovering hip hop. “I got into hip hop from my uncle; he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane; he was a bad boy and my mum wasn’t really happy that I was hanging out with him”. By the time she was in her early 20s, she had decided on a music career. She used to be a nanny before she began her music career. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[scotianostra]

Scottish writer, Sheila Burnford was born on May 11th 1918.

Sheila was born and educated in Edinburgh then Harrogate College in Yorkshire, England.

She was one of the first women in Scotland to receive her Aviation Certificate. During the Second World War she worked as an ambulance attendant and driver. Sheila married David Burnford, a surgeon in the Royal Navy, and in 1948 the Burnford family emigrated to Canada, settling at Port Arthur in western Ontario.

Sheila loved the great outdoors, particularly walking and hunting. She became friends with local artist Susan Ross. The two shared an interest in the lives of indigenous people and they inspired each other in creative endeavours.

Both Sheila and Susan were members of the Port Arthur Puppetry Club. It was during her time with the Club that Sheila began writing – scripts at first and then articles describing life in Northwestern Ontario for English magazines and newspapers such as Punch and the Glasgow Herald.

Sheila was a great animal lover, although she always said she had a practical view of them. After the death of her Bullterrier, Bill (who had kept her company during the Blitz in the Second World War), she decided to write a book, in part to memorialize him.

That book became The Incredible Journey.

The animals in the book were based on the personalities of her own animals. In addition to Bill, she had a Siamese cat (Simon) and a Golden Labrador (Raimie). She researched incidents similar to the ones in the book and used the area around her home and cottage (Loon Lake) to describe the terrain.

The book was an international bestseller and was eventually translated into more than 17 languages. It would win a number of awards, including the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children.

In 1963 the Walt Disney adaptation of the film was released. The premiere of the film was held in Port Arthur with over 10,000 people lining the streets for the parade preceding the showing. Actors from the film and the film’s director, Fletcher Markle, attended the premiere. Although the book was based in Northwestern Ontario, it was actually filmed in the Toronto area.

In 1964, Sheila published her second book, The Fields of Noon, a collection of essays on life in Northwestern Ontario. It included a number of essays that had previously been published in English periodicals.

In the late 1960s, Sheila and Susan Ross spent a great deal of time visiting native reserves in Northwestern Ontario. Both women had long held interest in native life and found the opportunity to actually learn about native life to be irresistible. While there, Susan Ross drew sketches of the people and Sheila observed. As a result of these visits, Sheila published Without Reserve, using some of Susan Ross’s drawings as illustrations.

Sheila and Susan next travelled up to Pond Inlet and experienced the life of the Inuit, including travelling by dog sled to see the narwhal. From this experience came One Woman’s Arctic. This book also included illustrations by Susan Ross.

The Incredible Journey was acclaimed as a children’s book, even though Sheila herself did not think of it as a children’s book. In 1973, she published an actual children’s book, Mr. Noah and the Second Flood. The story focused on the impact of consumerism and waste on the planet.

Sheila’s last book, Bel Ria: Dog of War, was the story of a little dog caught up in the horrors of the Second World War. In writing the book, she drew upon her own experiences in the Blitz and used research to maintain authenticity.

In 1984 Sheila Burnford died of lung cancer. She had moved back to the UK to live with her second husband, Dr. J.D. Loughborough.

In 2017, a documentary of her life, Long Walk Home: The Incredible Journey of Sheila Burnford, was released by Sheba Films.

[hani-at-cu]

Michael Jackson: A Life in Ten Pictures (ESSAY)

Michael Jackson’s rise to becoming the world’s most recognisable pop idol began at the humble age of eight, when Jackson was set to be the lead vocalist of a familial band of brothers known as the Jackson 5. This band compromised of the five brothers after being musically coached by their father Joe Jackson and became a popular band amongst locals performing at children’s shows and Roosevelt High School, to later to be recognised for their accomplishments with awards and their first press. Most of their revenue came about performing within nightclubs. They begin to ease into the profession as the scale of their performances grew, and they were finally recognised to audition for Berry Gordy for their signage into Motown Records. (LLC, 2023)

Michael Jackson’s first solo release is often described as his way of identifying himself as a professional male vocalist; “Got To Be There”, it’s release in 1972 gave an opportunity for Jackson to separate himself from his five brothers as a musician (Intosh, 2022). There was a sense of intentional musical direction from Jackson with the overseeing and nourishment of his mother and father. The track list had confident covers like Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and Carole King’s ‘You Got a Friend in Me’ as well are originals inspired by Diana Ross. His song ‘Maria (You Are the Only One)’ is on the topic of an old man seeking for his past lover, embellishing some of Jackson’s sadness and showing his maturity for his music to come. (Intosh, 2022)

'Off the Wall’ subsequently is often referred to as Jackson’s first solo album despite being his fifth studio release, as he signed to Epic Records in 1975, becoming his first rendition of his song writing and collaboration with his chosen producer being Quincy Jones. Jackson had expressed a distaste for the Vegas style shows and costumes while working within Jackson 5, Motown records and under his father unwavering discipline, ‘Off the Wall’ is recognised to be the liberation of Michael Jackson. (Dombal, 2016) With this album he expressed to the world that his goal was exceptionalism, ‘I will be magic. I will be a perfectionist.’ (Dombal, 2016) This album captured his desire to defy expectations in a natural and posed manner.

Upon its release in 1982, ‘Thriller’ is the album that formed Jackson’s position as an icon in the global world. It remains as the most successful album of all time, selling over one hundred million certified copies worldwide. (Ewing, 2008) Continuing his collaboration with Quincy Jones, they collectively produced an album that broke through even racial tensions. Jackson had created an album that could be enjoyed by all and carefully formulated the choreography and visuals with his album to be equally as significant. Due to its pleasing nature, ‘Thriller’ as an album has many troughs and ploughs with a lack of overall climax. (Ewing, 2008)

Another one of Jackson’s most iconic moments in history is his popularisation of the moonwalk, a dance originated from breakdancing and hip-hop techniques known as ‘popping and locking’ from the late 70s. (Childs, 2021) Jackson’s meticulous nature ensured that his performance was one to remember and last the decades to follow, in which it continued to inspire other young artists. The origins of the dance itself had variations found in prior decades, for example 50s tap dancing and 30s being called ‘the buzz’ or the ‘backslide’. There have also been instances of these variations being performed by other musicians such as James Brown. (Childs, 2021) It’s been thought that Jackson was taught these variations, where Jackson later formed his own rendition of the moonwalk alongside the pop-and-lock style.

Jackson received many awards in his career; his largest achievement where he became the first artist to win eight GRAMMY Awards in one year (GRAMMYs, 2017). Jackson was also awarded by President Ronald Reagan for the philanthropic efforts to dispel drunk driving across the United States, by campaigning with one of his highest-ranking songs, ‘Beat it’ towards the teenagers of America. This event sparked attention of President Reagan: ‘Jackson was at the height of his popularity, and the Reagan administration was engaged in its War on Drugs.’ (Ahner, 2022) The public and the administration assumption of the substance free lifestyle Jackson proposed would continue to become more questionable into the late 80s (Ahner, 2022).

In 1991, Jackson released one of his most controversial songs, “Black or White”. The song was features on Jackson’s eight studio album ‘Dangerous’ and quickly topped the charts over 20 countries (Valencia, 2023). The song addresses important issues surrounding race and racial identity, promotes unity, and encourages embracing our shared humanity. The song’s innovative music video featured ground-breaking visual effects and an all-star cast, and became an instant classic, which helped to establish Jackson as a true pioneer in the world of music (Valencia, 2023). Despite its release being more than thirty years ago, the song’s message of unity and acceptance still holds relevance – making it one of the most important pop songs of all time.

In 1993, Jackson’s agreed to appear on his most televised and controversial interview yet with show-host Oprah, in which he shared his reflection of his childhood trauma from being introduced into the industry so early on (Winfrey, 2009). The stark honesty and candid nature of the interview lead the conversation to the rumours around the whitening of his skin, in which he debunked any claims of skin bleaching with the medical condition vitiligo and covered any blotches with makeup. People have refuted his claim without any evidence from Jackson himself (Davis, 2014). ‘…He had absolutely no pigmentation in his skin – you are looking at his veins...’ a testimony from Oprah in her own reflection of her interview with Jackson (Winfrey, 2009).

Thirteen years ago, ‘Jackson sparked outrage when he appeared to dangle his baby son ‘Blanket’ over his hotel balcony in front of photographers in 2002…’ (Pocklington, 2015) At the time of the incident, his son was only nine months old. Jackson later apologised for the occurrence: ‘I offer no excuses for what happened. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment.’ In his interview with Oprah a few years prior, he had claimed his lack of childhood impact his outward work in amusement parks and few believe this incident came because of his previous trauma. (Winfrey, 2009)

In the afternoon of June 25th, 2009, Michael Jackson had died of apparent cardiac arrest in Los Angeles at the age of 50 (Grad, 2019). The Los Angeles County coroner’s office completes an autopsy on Jackson’s body and found the anaesthetic propofol and sedatives in Jackson’s system, creating a lethal mix. Jackson’s dead is ruled a homicide. Despite the worst kinds of allegations against him, his extravagances and his perceived narcissism (Grad, 2019) – the world still respected Michael Jackson for the music he made for more than four decades.

Bibliography

Ahner, L. (2022, June 17). Presidents and Celebrities: Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson. Retrieved from Presidential Geeks Journal: https://potus-geeks.livejournal.com/1452721.html

Childs, J. (2021, September 23). The First Time Michael Jackson Moonwalked On Stage, The World Lost Its Mind. Retrieved from Ranker: https://www.ranker.com/list/the-first-time-michael-jackson-did-the-moonwalk/jesse-childs

Davis, L. (2014, June 25). VIDEO: Michael Jackson & Oprah Interview Outtakes (1993). Retrieved from SampleFace: https://sampleface.co.uk/michael-jackson-oprah-interview-outtakes-1993/

Dombal, R. (2016, February 24). Off the Wall. Retrieved from Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21548-off-the-wall/

Ewing, T. (2008, February 15). Thriller: 25th Anniversary Edition. Retrieved from Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11163-thriller-25th-anniversary-edition/

Grad, S. (2019, June 25). Michael Jackson's Final Day: A sleepless night, dangerous drugs and a death that shook the world. Retrieved from Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-michael-jackson-death-anniversary-20190625-story.html

GRAMMYs, T. (2017, May 15). Remembering Michael Jackson's Record-Setting Music Career. Retrieved from GRAMMY Awards: https://www.grammy.com/news/michael-jackson-a-record-setter

Intosh, D. (2022, January 22). Michael Jackson’s Debut Solo Album ‘Got To Be There’ Turns 50 | Anniversary Retrospective. Retrieved from Albumism: https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-50-years-of-michael-jackson-debut-solo-album-got-to-be-there

LLC, J. E. (2023, January 1). History 60-60 of The Jacksons. Retrieved from thejacksons.com: https://www.thejacksons.com/history/the-jacksons-5-60-68/

Pocklington, R. (2015, June 10). Michael Jackson's son Blanket all grown up: See famous baby the singer dangled over balcony now. Retrieved from The Mirror : https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-jacksons-son-blanket-grown-5859090

Valencia, M. (2023, October 12). The Meaning Behind The Song: Black Or White by Michael Jackson. Retrieved from OldTimeMusic: https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-black-or-white-by-michael-jackson/

Winfrey, O. (2009, September 16). The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects . Retrieved from Oprah.com: https://www.oprah.com/entertainment/oprah-reflects-on-her-interview-with-michael-jackson/all

[pastamansta]

The Casting of Dahmer Films

"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" (2022) is perhaps best-remembered for casting Evan Peters in the titular role; a casting choice that, while Peters was obviously primed for with his early work in "An American Crime" (2007) and award-winning appearances in "American Horror Story" (2011-), many thought of as out of character, with most only remembering him as Quicksilver in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014) and its subsequent sequels. However, this isn't the first time that an actor that portrayed Jeffery Dahmer went on to play a Marvel superhero! While Jeremy Renner, who most know as Hawkeye from the MCU, had been in a handful of films prior, it was only once he starred in "Dahmer" (2002) that he'd quit having to work as a makeup artist just to make ends meet! Quite a coincidence, but still not as strange as casting Ross Lynch, Austin of "Austin & Ally" (2011-2016) and Brady of the Teen Beach Movie duology, as the titular character of "My Friend Dahmer" (2017), an adaptation of the graphic novel memoir of the same name. As of this posting, Jeremy Renner's portrayal is free on Tubi, Ross Lynch's portrayal is free on Tubi, but Evan Peter's portrayal in the Netflix series will still require a subscription... unless you know where to go!

Another find!

[hyejungkook]

Tomorrow I read with the fabulous Jenny Molberg and Anna V.Q. Ross for A Common Sense Reading Series! Thank you, Jordan Stempleman, for hosting us.

Details:

Saturday, October 14th at 7 PM at KCAI Gallery: Center for Contemporary Practice, 4415 Warwick Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64111

Link to register: https://www.jordanstempleman.com/events/hyejung-kook-jenny-molberg-anna-vq-ross

Hyejung Kook’s poetry has appeared in POETRY Magazine, Denver Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Pleiades, Verse Daily, and elsewhere. Other works include essays in Poetry as Spellcasting and The Critical Flame and a chamber opera libretto. Born in Seoul, Hyejung now lives in Kansas with her husband and their two children. She is a Fulbright grantee and Kundiman Fellow. Find her online at hyejungkook.tumblr.com.

Jenny Molberg is the author of Marvels of the Invisible (winner of the Berkshire Prize, Tupelo Press, 2017), Refusal(LSU Press, 2020), and The Court of No Record (LSU Press, 2023). Her poems and essays have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, The Cincinnati Review, VIDA, The Missouri Review, The Rumpus, The Adroit Journal, Oprah Quarterly, and other publications. She has received fellowships and scholarships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sewanee Writers Conference, Vermont Studio Center, and the Longleaf Writers Conference. She is Associate Professor and Chair of Creative Writing at the University of Central Missouri, where she edits Pleiades: Literature in Context. Find her online at jennymolberg.com.

Anna V. Q. Ross’s most recent book, Flutter, Kick, won the 2020 Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award from Red Hen Press and the 2023 Julia Ward Howe Award in Poetry. Her other books include If a Storm (winner of the Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize) and the chapbooks Figuring and Hawk Weather. A Fulbright Scholar, Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow, and poetry editor for Salamander, her work appears in The Kenyon Review, Harvard Review, The Missouri Review, The Nation, and elsewhere. Anna teaches at Tufts University and through the Emerson Prison Initiative and lives with her family in Dorchester, MA, where she raises chickens. Find her at annaVQross.com.

Jordan Stempleman (host) is the author of nine collections of poetry including Cover Songs (the Blue Turn), Wallop, and No, Not Today (Magic Helicopter Press). Stempleman is the co-editor of The Continental Review, editor for Windfall Room, faculty advisor for the literary arts magazine Sprung Formal, and curator of A Common Sense Reading Series.

[butterflyintochains]

Telepathy AU: Awards Tally

Just a little off-day rundown of the awards won by the Flightless Five in this story, some remain unchanged, some are different, one is an idea for much, much later in the story. Discounting international.

Sidney Crosby, #87, Captain, Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup - 2009, 2016, 2017

Conn Smythe - 2016, 2017

Art Ross - 2007, 2014

Hart - 2007, 2014

Ted Lindsay - 2007, 2013, 2014

Messier - 2007, 2010

Rocket - 2010, 2017

Evgeni Malkin, #71, Alternate Captain, Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup - 2009, 2016, 2017

Conn Smythe - 2009

Calder - 2007

Art Ross - 2009, 2012

Hart - 2012

Ted Lindsay - 2012

Kris Letang, #58, Alternate Captain, Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup - 2009, 2016, 2017

Norris - 2019

Masterton - 2023

Erik Karlsson, #65, Former Captain, Ottawa Senators/Alternate Captain, Pittsburgh Penguins

Norris - 2012, 2015, 2023

Marc-Andre Fleury, #29, Primary Goalie, Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup - 2009, 2016, 2017

Vezina - 2021

I don't know how to work in another Stanley Cup, if I ever do. Either I steal one from another team, or give them the 2025 or 2026 cup. I'm thinking that's gonna need to be endgame for the story, since that's how it began.

The quintet are also all getting their numbers retired at some point, Erik by Ottawa, the original four by Pittsburgh.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Film Score Day

Melodies weaving emotions, enhancing cinematic narratives—immersing listeners in the unseen, a symphony that tells untold tales.

Recognize and show appreciation for the musical masterpieces that have accompanied some of the most amazing stories on film by celebrating National Film Score Day! 

History of National Film Score Day

Film scores are the music behind the film that doesn’t include any vocals. This musical accompaniment ushers the viewers into the story, usually before the dialogue even begins, setting the tone for the moment and then moving the story into the scenes that are to come. This is a special type of musical composition that requires a great deal of talent and incomparable skill.

Founded by Jeffrey D. Kern with the purpose of National Film Score Day is to highlight the talent and skill of the amazing composers who write scores for films. The date was set as a nod to the release of the film, The Jungle Book, on April 3, 1942. A year later the score, written by legendary composer Miklós Rózsa, became the first ever score from a non-musical film to be released as a commercially recorded soundtrack.

National Film Score Day brings to the forefront the composers of this incredible music, celebrating and honoring their notable contributions in people’s hearts and in the industry at large.

How to Celebrate National Film Score Day

Show some love and appreciation for those who create seamless transitions in films through the music they compose. Enjoy celebrating National Film Score Day with some of these ideas:

Watch a Film with an Incredible Score

One of the best ways to give heed to National Film Score Day is to begin by paying more attention to the musical compositions that accompany movies. While they contribute so much to moving the story along, they often go unnoticed. In honor of this day, however, it’s time to notice those film scores!

Consider watching one (or many) of these films from recent years with excellent scores in honor of this day:

The Social Network (2010) with composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This film score was a first try for these band members of Nine Inch Nails and turned out to be a huge success, winning the 2011 Oscar for Best Original Score.

The Shape of Water (2017) by French Composer Alexandre Desplat. With a score that was intentionally created to create the sense of immersion and floating, this one won the 2018 Academy Award for the Best Original Score.

Titanic (1997) from composer James Horner. Reaching into the backgrounds of the story’s characters, this score brought a unique composition to the theme of this tragic story.

The Lord of the Rings (2002) by composer Howard Shore. Epic in just about all of the ways, this fantasy film is a feast for the eyes and the ears with its triple Oscar-winning score that features at least eighty different themes and motifs. [look at my pics]

Research Some Film Score Composers

Most film score composers spend a great deal of time behind the scenes. But National Film Score Day offers an ideal opportunity to bring them into the limelight. In celebration of this day, perhaps it would be fun to do a little research about a favorite film composer and then share the findings with friends or on social media.

Source

[moontyger]

For the top 10 bestselling female authors (who include Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood, as well as Danielle Steel and Jojo Moyes), only 19% of their readers are men and 81%, women. But for the top 10 bestselling male authors (who include Charles Dickens and JRR Tolkien, as well as Lee Child and Stephen King), the split is much more even: 55% men and 45% women.

In other words, women are prepared to read books by men, but many fewer men are prepared to read books by women. And the female author in the top 10 who had the biggest male readership – the thriller writer LJ Ross – uses her initials, so it’s possible the guys thought she was one of them. What does this tell us about how reluctant men are to accord equal authority – intellectual, artistic, cultural – to women and men?

Margaret Atwood, a writer who should be on the bookshelves of anyone who cares about literary fiction, has a readership that is only 21% male. Male fellow Booker prize winners Julian Barnes and Yann Martel have nearly twice as many (39% and 40%). It’s not as if women are less good at writing literary fiction. All five of the top five bestselling literary novels in 2017 were by women, and nine of the top 10. And it’s not as if men don’t enjoy reading books by women when they do open them; in fact, they marginally prefer them. The average rating men give to books by women on Goodreads is 3.9 out of 5; for books by men, it’s 3.8.

Turning to nonfiction, which is read by slightly more men than women, the pattern is similar, though not quite so striking. Men still read male authors much more than female ones, but the discrepancy isn’t so large because women tend to do the same in favour of female authors. But there is still quite a difference. Women are 65% more likely to read a nonfiction book by the opposite sex than men are. All this suggests that men, consciously or unconsciously, don’t accord female authors as much authority as male ones. Or they make the lazy assumption that women’s books aren’t for them without trying them out to see whether this is true.

Why does this matter? For a start, it narrows men’s experiences of the world. “I’ve known this for a very long time, that men just aren’t interested in reading our literature,” the Booker prize-winning novelist Bernardine Evaristo told me in an interview for The Authority Gap. “Our literature is one of the ways in which we explore narrative, we explore our ideas, we develop our intellect, our imagination. If we’re writing women’s stories, we’re talking about the experiences of women. We also talk about male experiences from a female perspective. And so if they’re not interested in that, I think that it’s very damning and it’s extremely worrying.”

If men don’t read books by and about women, they will fail to understand our psyches and our lived experience. They will continue to see the world through an almost entirely male lens, with the male experience as the default. And this narrow focus will affect our relationships with them, as colleagues, as friends and as partners. But it also impoverishes female writers, whose work is seen as niche rather than mainstream if it is consumed mainly by other women. They will earn less respect, less status and less money.

The novelist Kamila Shamsie has sat on a number of prize judging panels and has witnessed exactly this asymmetry. “The women judges are putting forward books by both men and women,” she told me. “And the male judges are largely putting forward books by other men.”

Dolly Alderton is a highly successful writer, whose memoir Everything I Know about Love won the 2018 National Book Award for best autobiography. Yet in Britain, at least, it had almost no interest from men. Every newspaper and magazine journalist sent to interview her was a woman and it was, as she told me, “marketed and perceived and received as something incredibly niche by dint of my gender. Yet a female experience is not a niche experience; it’s a universal common interest.”

Yet, when she went on a publicity tour to Denmark, it was quite different. She told the male journalist who had been sent to interview her that he was the first ever. “He couldn’t believe how weird that was. He was in his 20s and said he and his friends read memoirs or fiction by women just as much as those by men.” Things can be different. And it’s a very easy problem for men to fix. All they have to do is actively seek out books by female authors.

[toasttt11]

august crosby

August Catherine Crosby

Number: 7

Season: Eighth

Position: C

Height: 5”6

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

S/C: R

NHL: VGK

Prev Team: PIT

NHL

• Selected First overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 NHL Draft.

• Traded to the Vegas Knights for the 2017-2018 season.

International

Team Canada

•2023 World Championship- Gold Medal, 9 G, 8 A, 10 GP.

•2021 World Championship- Gold Medal, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Championship- Gold, 10 G, 8 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Junior Championship- Gold, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2015 World Junior Championship-Gold, 8 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2014 World U-18 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 7 G, 7 A, 7 GP

•2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 9 G, 8 A, 6 GP

Eighth Season (2023-2024)

Vegas Knights

42 G, 40 A, 82 P, 50 GP

Signed a 75 million dollar contract for 8 years and five million dollar signing bonus.

Captain.

Seventh Season (2022-2023)

Vegas Knights

58 G, 80 A, 135 P, 81 GP

Received King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Conn Smythe Trophy.

Stanley Cup.

Captain.

Sixth Season (2021-2022)

Vegas Knights

52 G, 77 A, 127 P, 80 GP

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Captain

Fifth Season (2020-2021)

Vegas Knights

50 G, 75 A, 125 P, 75 GP

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Alternative Captain

Fourth Season (2019-2020)

Vegas Knights

25 G, 30 A, 55 P, 40 GP

Received NHL Plus-Minus Trophy

Captain

Third Season (2018-2019)

Vegas Knights

48 G, 66 A, 113 P, 79 GP

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Received Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Signed a six year contract for 50 million and three million signing bonus.

Captian.

Second Season (2017-2018)

Vegas Knights

42 G, 65 A, 107 P, 78 GP

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

Alternate Captain.

Rookie Season (2016-2017)

Pittsburgh Penguins

39 G, 63 A, 102 P, 75 GP

Received the Rookie of the Year award.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Received Conn Smythe Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Signed a Contract for 9 Million dollars for two years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.

Won a Stanley cup.

OHL

Third Season 2015-2016

85 G, 120 A, 205 P, 75 Gp

Captain.

Won OHL Championship.

Draft Year.

Second Season 2014-2015

70 G, 107 A, 177 P, 68 GP

Alternative Captain.

Rookie Season (2013-2014)

56 G, 110 A, 166 P, 68 GP

First player to ever get exceptional Status and joined a year earlier.

Personal

Born September 14, 1998

Daughter of Troy and Tina Crosby

Has two siblings Sidney and Taylor