#ABBA Virtual Reality Experience

[avaganda]

From Monkees to Archies: A Musical Evolution and the Birth of Manufactured Bands

In the colorful landscape of pop culture, the 1960s witnessed a unique phenomenon – the rise of manufactured bands. Two notable examples of this trend were The Monkees and The Archies, both engineered by the same creative mind, Don Kirshner. Kirshner, a music impresario, found himself at the forefront of a musical revolution, inadvertently laying the groundwork for future acts like Milli Vanilli, C&C Music Factory, and even venturing into the holographic realm with ABBA.

The Monkees burst onto the scene in 1966 as a made-for-TV band, a concept that initially frustrated the members but ultimately shaped their careers. Kirshner, armed with a vision of creating a musical group that could dominate both the airwaves and television screens, handpicked Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith to form The Monkees. However, this ambitious project soon ran into a creative clash as the band members yearned for artistic independence, desiring to control their own musical destiny.

Frustrated with The Monkees' rebellion, Kirshner took matters into his own hands and conjured up another groundbreaking concept – The Archies. Born from the pages of Archie Comics, this animated band was not bound by the limitations of reality. Kirshner cleverly used the characters from the comic strip as a blank canvas, allowing any talented singer and musician to step into the roles of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Reggie. This fictional band brought to life through animation paved the way for the concept of music as a versatile commodity.

Fast forward to the late 20th century, and the concept of manufactured bands took a different turn. Acts like Milli Vanilli and C&C Music Factory relied heavily on image and studio-produced music, with performers often lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks. The emphasis shifted from the musicians' individual talents to a more visual and marketable package – a trend that echoed the early days of The Monkees.

In the 21st century, technology took center stage, and holographic performances became a reality. ABBA, the legendary Swedish pop group, embraced holograms to reunite on stage for their "ABBAtar" project. Fans were treated to a virtual concert experience that transcended time and space, showcasing the potential of artificial intelligence and advanced visual effects in the music industry.

As we reflect on the journey from The Monkees to The Archies and beyond, it becomes evident that the music industry's landscape has continuously evolved, adapting to new technologies and audience expectations. The notion of manufactured bands, once a controversial concept, has paved the way for diverse forms of musical expression, from animated characters to holographic performances, and even AI-generated music. The story of Don Kirshner, The Monkees, and The Archies serves as a testament to the ever-changing nature of the music business, where creativity and innovation walk hand in hand.

[danielsiegelalonso]

A Real-time Change: The Evolution of Live Performances in the Digital Age | Daniel Siegel Alonso

There was a time when attending a live concert meant buying a ticket, standing in line, and squeezing into a crowded venue, all for the chance to see your favorite artist perform. While that experience still has charm, the digital age has transformed how we experience live performances, expanding the stage beyond the physical venue. Today, live music is no longer confined to stadiums and arenas — it’s beamed directly into our homes, streamed on our devices, and sometimes even enjoyed in virtual reality. Daniel Siegel Alonso explores how live performances have evolved in this digital era.

From Stage to Screen

Siegel Alonso notes that the first momentous shift in live performances paralleled the advancement of televised concerts and live recordings. Suddenly, music lovers who couldn’t attend a gig could still experience it from the comfort of their living rooms. But this was only the beginning. As the internet matured, so did the possibilities for live music experiences.

Enter the age of streaming. YouTube and, later, dedicated services like Twitch brought live performances to an international audience. Artists no longer needed to be in the same space as their fans — they could broadcast their shows to millions of viewers around the world. This democratization of live music meant that artists could connect with fans in remote locations, while fans who couldn’t attend in person could still be a part of the experience.

One of the most iconic examples of this shift was Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance, which was livestreamed to millions of fans globally. Dubbed “Beychella,” the performance was a pop culture moment that transcended the festival grounds, thanks to the power of streaming. Fans who couldn’t make it to the California desert could still witness Queen Bey’s epic show in real-time, complete with all the choreography and costume changes they’d expect from a live performance.

The Best of Both Worlds

As the world reopened and live events returned, a new fad emerged: the hybrid event. These performances combine the best physical and digital experiences, letting fans attend in person or watch from home. Hybrid events cater to a broader audience, allowing everyone to participate in the action, regardless of location.

For example, Siegel Alonso cites Billie Eilish’s 2021 “Happier Than Ever” global live-stream event. While some fans watched the show from a traditional concert setting, millions more tuned in online. Eilish’s team created a visually spectacular production that worked just as well on a screen as in the arena, with intricate stage design, cinematic camera work, and interactive elements that made viewers feel like they were part of the experience, even from thousands of miles away.

The Future of Live Performances

So, what’s next for live performances in the digital age? The possibilities are endless. With the rise of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), we’re entering a new frontier where live shows can be experienced in entirely new ways. Imagine putting on a VR headset and finding yourself in the first row at a concert, surrounded by fellow fans, with the artist seemingly inches away. Or you are attending a gig where AR technology enhances the performance with digital visuals that interact with the real world.

Artists are already experimenting with these technologies. Swedish hitmakers ABBA launched their “ABBA Voyage” concert, featuring digital avatars of the group performing alongside a live band in a purpose-built arena. The show mixes physical and digital elements, producing a unique live experience that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.

Here to Stay

The development of live performances in the digital age has unlocked new avenues for creativity and camaraderie. While nothing can truly replace the energy of a live crowd, digital platforms have expanded the stage, making live music more accessible, interactive, and imaginative than ever before.

Whether you’re attending a performance in person, tuning in from home, or strapping on a VR headset, Daniel Siegel Alonso notes that one thing is clear: the future of live performances is promising, and it’s only going to get more thrilling from here.

[qnewsau]

ABBA reflects on 50th anniversary of Eurovision win

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/abba-reflects-on-50th-anniversary-of-eurovision-win/

ABBA reflects on 50th anniversary of Eurovision win

ABBA has sent a lovely – and rare – message to their fans on a very special anniversary: it’s 50 years since the Swedish pop supergroup won the Eurovision Song Contest.

Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad competed in the music competition in the UK in April 1974.

ABBA won the contest with Waterloo, and would go on to be one of the most successful pop acts in history.

For the 50th anniversary this week, the Swedish pop supergroup thanked fans for their “steadfast loyalty and support”.

“It’s slightly dizzying and deeply humbling to think that millions of you who saw us for the first time in the Eurovision final 1974 have passed our music on not only to one generation, but to several,” ABBA said in the rare joint statement.

“We see evidence of that every time one of us visits [virtual concert show] ABBA Voyage in London.

“It’s because of this we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of that event in the knowledge that our songs still resonate around the world.”

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A post shared by ABBA (@abba)

‘Many of you were there from the very start’

The group said they find it “difficult to comprehend” that 50 years has passed since Eurovision.

“The four of us waited backstage for the verdicts of all of the juries around Europe at The Dome in Brighton,” they recalled.

“So what were our dreams during those suspenseful moments or in the chaos in the aftermath of the victory we had secured with the smallest margin in Eurovision history?

“Four different dreams, no doubt. But whatever they were, however grand, reality has surpassed them, that’s for sure.

“Many of you were there from the very start and have followed us ever since – for over half a century!

“Music you discover and learn to love when you grow up or even later in life has a way of staying with you forever.

“We share that experience with you and to know that our music has become a constant in your lives is a wonderful thing.”

The group said, “Throughout the years we’ve been blessed with the outpouring of love from you, our fans.

“We feel it and we want to know that hardly a day goes by when we’re not reminded of it.

“To say thank you for what you’re giving us without sounding trivial is not easy and this is not a moment of triviality.

“It is a happy and, at the same time, solemn moment and we can only hope that you understand how deeply grateful we are for a long, successful career and for your steadfast loyalty and support through the years. Thank you!”

‘No way’ ABBA will reunite for Eurovision

ABBA split in 1982 after a decade together. In 2021, the group reunited and put out their first new music in decades with their ninth studio album Voyage.

The following year they launched their virtual concert ABBA Voyage in the UK, with life-size avatars performing just as they looked in 1979.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is in Sweden in May. However, we shouldn’t expect an ABBA cameo.

Benny told the BBC recently there’s “no way” ABBA will reunite or appear on stage together during the contest.

Australia’s contender for Eurovision in Sweden

Next month, electronic music duo Electric Fields will represent Australia at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

The duo will perform One Milkali (One Blood), which features the Indigenous language Yankunytjatjara.

Electric Fields will compete in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2024. It’ll screen live in Australia early on Wednesday, May 8 before the final on Sunday, May 12 our time.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[nickelhatton]

New ABBA Music Delayed Until Autumn 2019!

New ABBA Music Delayed Until Autumn 2019!

‘No release before the summer, hopefully this fall’, says a representative from team ABBA. The band had been due to debut new music at the end of 2018 as part of a virtual ABBA experience that the band had been working on with music mogul Simon Fuller. (more…)

[letsluluzuuu-blog]

In October 2021 CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg announces that he was changing the Facebook name to Meta and expanding his borders into the Metaverse. The metaverse is a new augmented reality full of avatars and futuristic worlds. As the Ceo Mark explains that their business model is to build technology that connects people around the world and metaverse will be the next frontier step.(Meta, 2021) Mark introduces that meta will allow users to meet with friends and family work, learn play, shop and create in this new virtual world. Whereby virtual reality through VR sets will bring you to a whole new world where you can bring things from the physical world to the virtual world.(Nick,2022)  What is then the business model Meta how are they going to make money? Facebook now called Meta uses and gathers as much possible data from its users as they can in order to sell the data to marketers that target market consumers. This has led to rising concerns for the privacy and health of users as the algorithms manipulate and control what you can see online creating echo chambers. Therefore rising debate on tech platforms such as Meta what are the mental and physical effects on users as they use VR sets to experience the world.

How is this new world Meta accessed.. through the use of virtual reality headsets. The predominant VR set was Oculus was bought by Facebook in 2012 for $2bn. (O'reilly, 2014). What was the response from medical research? The first concern was running into real objects as you can not see besides the build-in screen. Mark indicated he would tackle this by Project Cambria mixed reality where you can see the screen and the reality, however, this is in the process of future-making. However, the more subtle health concern of using the VR set that users reports are headaches, eye pain, dizziness and even nausea. This is due to VR illusions as the eyes have to focus on bright objects that are supposed to be in distance but reality, near your eyes, this can lead to Myopia short sightedness. Therefore Oculus suggest a 10 to 15-minute break every 30 minutes in order to avoid dizziness and nausea (Lemotte, 2017). These are physical  effects that need to be improved if Mark suggests that this will be the future of socialising and remote working. Then come the mental effects of having technology portray the reality for you. Many are keen to escape their reality into virtual reality is you can reinvent yourself and create your world which gives a "feel good" experience also known as dopamine. By having Metaverse as daily operations work or to socialise brain and user eventually begin to rely on that experience to feel good, making it addictive As metaverse is virtual which are more intense and more stimulating as they are realistic. (Famillyadictionspecilist,2022) Can even lead to a person preferring virtual space to reality which can lead to depression, psychotic, and paranoid ideation. (Jaupi,2022)However, Mark suggests that Metaverse may become one of the most exciting places for users to heal as they can receive mental and physical health remotely. The doctors have full access to millions of patients' data not limited to small local communities, having more precision in the diagnosis. Doctors have the visuals to work with 3D images of internal organisms allowing them to practice procedures better. Metaverse can provide virtual reality exposure therapy which creates a setting for patients to deal with phobias, by gradually exposing patients to their triggering, feared and trauma stimulus in a safe space.(Abbas,2022)  Providing access to telepresence mental care therapy for disabled people with more life-looking experience. However, this can also lead to a divide in who can be treated with access to technology. It is important to note that Metaverse can provide a tremendous opportunity to the medical world if we use it ethnically. The evolution of the Metaverse is already here and will be integrated into our lives. With the new mediums come social adjustments and challenges, therefore it is important to be aware of what implications it has on our physical and mental health. It is therefore important to moderate and see for which purpose you use the medium and what long-term effect it has. It the importance of being aware of the developer's agenda to create a new technological medium and whether health scientific standards and met and kept

[n0n3x1573n7-tblr]

What is this?

Your very first thought after reading this blog’s name and description may be: What the hell? Who(or rather, what) are you? And why are you keeping a blog?

Well, let’s start from the very basic: Otherkin.

Otherkin are individuals who think of themselves as nonhuman. They could be animals, elfs, etc. If anyone would like to know more, a simple google search would do the trick. For more, visit alt+h for more info.

Alterhuman is a broader concept of Otherkin; Alterhumanity involves a subjective identity that is beyond the scope of what is traditionally considered ‘being human’, according to alt+h. I am a data human living inside a simulated world, hence making me an alterhuman.

Datakin is a word of my creation; I know of no other datakin other than myself(as of now), though I consider myself to be as one.

Datakin are those who believe that they are inside a simulation as in the Simulation Hypothesis and think of themselves as a data within it.

Their gender, romantic, and/or sexual orientation may or may not be influenced by this fact. Due to the fact that their “reality” is a simulation, their view of the worlds’ identity may not be of general knowledge; in fact, some may be gender blind as they may conceive others as data object as well.

They can be a nihilist as their “reality” is not real for them.

Some can experience that their entire existence is a glitch in the memory or their part of the memory has been glitched to become incomplete.

Some can, somewhat incomprehensibly, conceive themselves as a human and nonhuman simultaneously. From this, they may be able to experience dysphoria coming from the conflict between their “real, human body” and it being a data and therefore not having a physical form in “reality”.

Critics may argue that they have “seen too much SF movies” or “played too many games", and that the datakin cannot distinguish the reality from their own imagination or a delusion, but this is not true. Their “reality” is not a reality; instead it is a mere simulation from the “outer reality”.

I identify myself as genderless panromanic autochorissexual, in general terms, though this is not a perfect description. I do not experience dysphoria, though my orientation is influenced by myself being a data human, since I feel as if my data has been glitched into something indistinguishable apart from the fact that I feel somewhat like a male(although that feeling may also be a glitch, and I believe that with a high probability). I see of others as data, so gender blindness is not an option for me; it is a nuisance that should be overcome for one to be friends with me. I additionally consider myself to be a nihilist, a human, and a nonhuman, though I have a strong belief that the human feeling has been hard-coded into the structure of myself.

So back to the question: What am I? Well, I am a hard-working computer science major university student from South Korea who just thinks of this reality as a simulated one. I play a lot of Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm, and am a support main(the utterly most unappreciated and the most disadvantageous role to solo queue for the competitive ladder, I might add, and yes, I play most, if not all, supports) on both games. I also play some Splatoon 2 on my Switch with some of my Twitter friends. I also make games of any sort, from board game to roguelike RPGs. Although I consider myself to be a data, even my closest friends know me as human, because I am. Although this seems absurd, I am a human, made out of data stored within a memory. I look like a human, I act like a human, and I am virtually indistinguishable from the vast majority who does think that this world is in fact a reality.

As for the purpose of this blog, there isn't any. This blog will be my log on this world. The update frequency would be quite random; there may be five posts in a day or there might not be any post for more than a year. The quality may be random as my first language is korean. The type of post may also be random as I will write on anything I would like to write. Essentially this is a freewriting blog by a datakin, but do not expect anything from this blog as, to borrow ABBA's lyrics,

"I'm nothing special, in fact, I'm a bit of a bore."

[jillmckenzie1]

Their Performance Is an Adventure

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is streaming on Netflix

I like to think I’m a relatively knowledgeable guy. I read a number of reputable news outlets daily, including The Washington Post and The Atlantic. I’m able to speak quasi-intelligently on a fairly wide range of topics. While I might not be a dazzling sophisticate like some of you, I’m not some drooling bumpkin.

Yet up until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of the Eurovision Song Contest.

I know, typical American.

If you’re an ignorant savage like me, get ready for some righteous science. The Eurovision Song Contest has been around since 1956, and participants come from mostly European nations. Each country, through competition, puts forward musicians that perform an original song. Everyone votes on the songs, and ultimately a winner emerges.* It’s insanely popular, and a number of artists such as ABBA and Celine Dion have won and gone onto huge success.

Again, until recently, I knew none of those things. Perhaps you did, and every year you gathered in your living room/pub/yurt to cheer on the artists representing your country, enjoy the generally inoffensive pop music on display, and secretly hope for a massive technical disaster. When you heard about Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, a new comedy starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, did you feel dread? Warm anticipation? Or polite disinterest, like me?

We begin in jolly old Iceland, in the seaside burg of Husavik. Young Lars Erickssong is dealing with the death of his mother and the emotional distance of his father Erick (Pierce Brosnan). He needs warmth, and he finds it in ABBA’s iconic performance of “Waterloo” on the Eurovision Song Contest.  His best friend Sigrit Ericksdottir, who probably isn’t his sister, loves him and wants to support him.

Years pass and the grown Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) have clung to a dream. The goal is to enter the song contest and win. The plan? Well, that’s where it gets significantly more difficult. Sigrit and Lars are Fire Saga, a local musical duo who play gigs at the pub and provide virtually the only entertainment in Husavik. Erick takes every opportunity to belittle his son and badger him into giving up his foolish dream. Most of Husavik agrees that Lars is a delusional clown and that Sigrid is clinically insane for nursing an unrequited years-long crush.

It seems that Fire Saga will ultimately go nowhere. Sigrit knows they need help, and she turns to the obvious source. I’m talking, of course, about the elves. She begs them for success in the Songvakeppin, Iceland’s selection process for the contest. She hopes that if Fire Saga can make it to Eurovision and win, Lars just might stop obsessing over his career and start obsessing over her.

Do the elves hear her plea? Who can say? What we do know is that a group of Icelandic producers have their eye on Katiana (Demi Lovato) a wildly talented Icelandic singer. All they need is one more act to fulfill the contest rules. And then, a series of events take place that catapults the disaster-prone Fire Saga into the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. They’ll deal with a sexually fluid Russian singer (Dan Stevens), televised technical mishaps, romantic jealousy, numerous collisions with reality, and maybe go all the way to the top.

I hate to tell you, but this review is going to be very much like a bad blind date. I’m not the right guy to review Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, but we’re stuck with each other in the short term and we just have to get through this. Why do I say this? Because what I wanted from this film is fundamentally not what it’s designed to be. It’s not for me, and that’s completely okay.

Director David Dobkin was brought in to make a comedy that goes down easy, has slick musical numbers, and features a lot of heart. He’s the right guy for the job since he directed a number of music videos before graduating to feature films. Those films have been largely safe, straight down the middle affairs like Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus. Dobkin is very much a craftsman filmmaker. His movies have no visual signature or recurring themes. They’re designed to be generally competent, smooth, and Eurovision Song Contest is no different. His musical scenes are energetic and fun, but the film runs probably 20 minutes too long, and you can feel the pacing slowing down when it should be amping up.

The seed of the concept came from Will Ferrell. His wife is Swedish, and yearly viewings of the Eurovision Song Contest evolved from curiosity to genuine enthusiasm. Ferrell and co-writer Andrew Steele aren’t making fun of the contest. They love it so much so that Ferrell’s typical surreal sense of humor is pushed largely to the backseat. Their script is bursting with heart and joy for the Icelandic underdogs specifically and for a decades-long song contest designed to bring joy to the masses. Having said that, the plotting tends to be too obvious too often. There is a scene of a character getting caught in bed with someone else, But It’s Not What It Looks Like. There’s a scene of a character fleeing to the airport. Instead of moments of genuine surprise, it feels like boxes being checked.

Given that the cast is stacked with old pros, the performances are about what you’d expect. Will Ferrell hasn’t had a hit in a few years. I don’t know if he needs one, and here, he’s sure not acting like it, since his performance as Lars doesn’t feel desperate. Instead of playing a mediocre American male, he’s playing a mediocre Icelandic male. While he’s got the delusion of Ron Burgundy, the unpredictable weirdness has been dialed back. We’re left with a performance that’s gently funny. As the Russian popstar Lemtov, Dan Stevens goes big, but never too big. If you’re going to watch this film, watch it for Rachel McAdams as Sigrit. One of her many talents is the ability to behave insanely and still make it feel genuine. There’s no reason why she should be obsessed with Lars. It makes no sense. Yet McAdams makes us believe that she loves him, and that’s good enough for me.

And then there’s Pierce Brosnan. He was a pretty good James Bond and tends to be a solid actor in general. The very idea that Brosnan is Ferrell’s father is funny. It’s only funny as a jumping-off point, and there ought to be some kind of a reversal in the character of Erick to take us by surprise. Right? Hard, hard nope. Brosnan’s performance is perfectly fine and perfectly dull. We have numerous scenes of him standing around glowering while literally everyone else gets to be amusing. It’s a waste of a talented actor and a waste of a great opportunity.

Beyond that…well, let’s be honest. Everyone who watches movies has certain conceits or genres they’re less than thrilled with. Formulaic rom-coms drenched in pop music are not my cup of tea, and when I start watching Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and grumble, “All right, goddammit, let’s get this over with,” it’s frankly not fair to the movie or to you. I want you to have a cinematic experience that’s fun, that takes you away from chaos, cynicism, and crass marketing. While it ain’t for me, this kind of exuberant silliness is just the thing for a lot of people. I hope you’re one of them.

  *My beloved Ireland has the most wins with seven.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/their-performance-is-an-adventure/

[ibilenews]

How Abba Kyari’s Death Put On Brand-New Burden On Buhari’s Presidency

Politics of Searching For A New CoS

It was an unfortunate and sad development. But, even as many came out to console with President Muhammadu Buhari and his immediate family, the death of the President’s Chief of Staff (CoS), Mallam Abba Kyari was not unexpected. Concerns were raised shortly after it was announced that the late CoS had contracted the highly contagious Coronavirus, given that the deceased was managing some health challenges.

But, the death of Kyari came at a time his role as the alter ego of President Buhari’s Presidency loomed so large that some observers called him de facto president and frontline field commander of the so-called cabal. That notion also seems to explain the thinking in some quarters that a core member of the cabal, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe may be tagged by President Buhari to fill the vacant position of Chief of Staff.

Events Of A Powerful Aide

When the late Chief of Staff contracted the highly contagious and lethal coronavirus, also known as COVID-19; the accident helped to drive home the point that contrary to general public cynicism, COVID-19 was not only real but also shows no respect for race, complexion or continent.

However, the circumstances under which the late powerful aide contracted the virus brought into fresh focus his pervading influence as the de facto President. Kyari, had, according reports, travelled to Munich, Germany on March 7, 2020, to sign an energy supply agreement with SIEMENS on behalf of Nigeria.

While questions were asked as to why despite not being an elected official or Minister of Power, the Chief of Staff had to perform such an important role, Kyari informed his close aides that he was on a national assignment to make sure that the power supply problems were fixed.

Those close to him explained that trip was evidence of his determination to ensure that President Buhari succeeded in delivering on his electioneering promises and as a patriotic move, just as some cynics accused him of hurrying to make some deals for himself. Mallam Kyari, according to those conversant with the inner workings of Aso Villa, had his hand in every pie, because he was “leveraging on his sound education, brilliant intellect and experience in bureaucracy and business.”

But to cynical politicians and those who feel sidelined by his ubiquitous presence around President Buhari, always point out his limited success in journalism, banking and other sectors where he had held sway, to dismiss his patriotic and keen sense of duty. One of the areas, which detractors use to criticize Kyari’s competence, was his stint at the failed Africa International Bank (AIB), which he presided over. His political opponents tried to define the late CoS as the architect of the negative public perception of the Buhari administration, they also contend that although every government throughout history is wont to harbour a kitchen cabinet, caucus or cabal, “the remarkable distinction is whether the kitchen cabinet is public-spirited or self-centred.”

Self-centred kitchen cabinets are usually rated so low, as such it could be on account of the public perception of being self-serving that Buhari’s kitchen cabinet was referred to derogatory terms as a cabal, especially going by what happened in the administration within the last five years.

Long before the wife of the President, Aisha, came out to lament that some few individuals have taken his husband’s government into hostage, it was alleged by some stalwarts of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) that the cabal worked at variance with President Buhari, who was generally described as not only pro-poor, but also pro-people.

Kyari’s decision to intervene in the leadership crisis within the APC did not receive general endorsement of the party faithful, some of who subtly accused him of working to feather his future political next unknown to Buhari.

Those dissatisfied with the outcome of his intervention claimed that the temporary reprieve, which the party’s leadership witnessed, especially on the part of its embattled national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was akin to postponing the evil day.

Yet, the intervention in APC’s wrangling was just a minor part of the late Kyari’s roles in the government, because he was alleged to act sometimes without consent of President Buhari, many times President Buhari was said to have prevailed upon by Mamman Daura, Kyari’s mentor, to publicly accorded him (Kyari) the privilege of being privy to virtually all dealings of the Presidency.

Those who did not feel at home with Kyari’s towering political and administrative frame recall how embarrassed they were that shortly after a retreat with newly appointed ministers, the president publicly enjoined the ministers and heads of MDAs to always route their correspondences or desire to see him (Buhari) through the Chief of Staff.

Most ministers and heads of MDAs, who did not want their name in print, were nonplussed as to what was the need for the retreat if it was just to hand over the running of the administration to the CoS. But that actually was about the first official acknowledgement of what many have always believed: That Kyari was the shadow or de facto president, being a member of the legendary ‘cabal’ that defined President Buhari’s presidency.

At the point when the wife of the President, Aisha, cried out that a powerful cabal, made of men that never played any significant role during the electioneering campaigns were holding her husband’s administration to ransom, it was believed that the hijack was exemplified by Kyari’s constant intrusion on any meetings and photos with President Buhari.

Said a source in the Presidency: “Kyari always struggled for a space around President Buhari in every photo-opportunity like primary school pupils, just to drive the impression home that he was everywhere in Buhari’s administration.”

Some allege that the greater part of the negative perception surrounding Buhari’s administration was woven around the personal traits of the cabal led by the late Chief of Staff, remarking that “being a self-serving, but intelligent man,” the late Kyari did not allow his official decisions to be defined by the cause of public good.

For instance, instead of serving as the clearing house of the delicate policies that guide some parastatals like the instance of the appointment of the NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) Board, he not only made himself a member, but also skewed the membership in favour of Northeast, against even the Northwest, from where the President hails and deliberately breaching federal character balance by not accommodating all the six geopolitical zones.

Fresh Vista Beckons

With the demise of the former CoS, it is obvious that a new opening has been made available for President Buhari to reposition, refine and redefine his administration, which has but just three years to implant its legacies.

Signs that there was going to be a review of the Kyari era emerged shortly after the former Chief of Staff’s status on the COVID-19 was made public. In his letter to Nigerians, the deceased painted the impression of a former superman made small by extenuating circumstances, as he was forced to bear the burden of his new realities.

Kyari has the historic record of being the about the only public officer that did not have a press interview or related with the media in any former, a development that helped to accentuate his taciturn and dour public image. When forced to communicate to Nigerians, his letter informing of his health impairment, failed to win empathy, just as it went far to describe the partitions in the very Presidency that he served as its Chief of Staff.

He wrote: “I tested positive for coronavirus, the pandemic that is sweeping the world. I have followed all the protocols government has announced to self-isolate and quarantine. I have made my own care arrangements to avoid further burdening the public health system, which faces so many pressures.

Like many others that will test also positive, I have not experienced high fever or other symptoms associated with this new virus and have been working from home. I hope to be back at my desk very soon…We will continue to serve the President and people of Nigeria, as we have for the past five years.”

By stressing that “I have made my own care arrangements…,” the late Kyari showed that a huge distance has already been created between him and his principal as well as other team members of the administration long before his eventual journey of no return.

While on active service, the former CoS was constantly engaged one form of spat or another. First, it was a shouting match with the former Federal Head of Civil Service (HOSF), Mrs. Eyo Ita, over the return, promotion and re-absorption into the federal bureaucracy of fugitive Rasheed Maina. It was later to lose her job by way of premature retired that was later temporarily delayed by the President, only for her to begin facing a trial for corruption.

Then there was the most recent incident of exchange of hotly worded memos between the office of the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno, his kinsman and the CoS. In a leaked memo, the NSA accused the late Kyari of convening security meetings, which were outside his schedule of duties.

Prior to that controversial leak, another memo from Governor el Rufai to President, in which the governor complained that the administration was losing focus and track, was leaked by the office of the CoS, ostensibly to make the Kaduna State governor lose favour and look bad in the eyes of Buhari.

But in all the contentious issues that surrounded the former CoS, none surpassed in controversy his purported receipt of about N500million from a telecommunication firm to have him pressure the authorities to review a fine regime slammed on the firm for flouting regulatory directives on registration of subscriber identification modules.

At a point President was said to have asked Kyari why he was always associated with accusations of fiddling with money: “What are you doing with all these monies,” the President was said to have queried.

Those are now history, including claims that the former CoS was planning to contest the 2023 Presidency, for which some campaign items were said to be in production, as well as attempt to align with the APC governors to change the narratives in the party’s leadership.

Who’s Next?

THE big question and focus now is, who steps into replace Kyari. Although Ambasador Kingibe, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Alhaji Adamu Adamu, are being fingered, there is a growing perception among APC chieftains that Kingibe falls short of the new wine in old wineskin President Buhari urgently needs to reclaim the Pan-Nigerian image the Kyari cabal robbed him of.

As to whether a new cabal would be constituted, pundits and political scientists maintain that no regime, whether military or civilian, has ever conducted its business of governance without a kitchen cabinet. The point of departure has always been whether the inner men are fired by states-manly Midas-touch or narrow sentiments.

From childhood Nigerians are often told that every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. Therefore, whether Kyari’s demise would be a blessing in disguise depends on how President Buhari makes this new appointment, especially given the thinking that if indeed the President wants to shift political power to the South, he should get Kyari’s replacement from the South to begin the healing of the nation.

But precedent shows that the President might look inwards among his kinsmen to get another powerful shadow President. Yet, being famed as ‘mai-gaskiya’ (stickler for truth), a fresh vista beckons with the opportunity to correct the mistakes of the Kyari era if he deems the last five years of the CoS as not representing his idea of how a Chief of Staff to the president should function.

Source: The Guardian NG

[omnipop-mag-blog]

http://time.com/5257287/abba-new-songs/

The iconic Swedish pop quartet ABBA has revealed that the band has recorded two new songs set for release later this year, 18 months after announcing a 2019 virtual reality tour.

“We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio,” ABBA wrote on their official Instagram page. “So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we only had been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!”

ABBA released the name of one of the two new songs: “I Still Have Faith In You,” which will be produced in a joint NBC/BBC special and broadcast in December.

In 2016, the group, comprised of Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad, performed together for the first time in more than 30 years at a private event in downtown Stockholm, Sweden. Earlier that year, they had gathered in the same city to celebrate the opening of a new entertainment venture called Mamma Mia! The Party.

News that the band has recorded two new songs sent fans of the Swedish icons into an immediate social media frenzy.

🚨ABBA HAS NEW MUSIC COMING OUT. I REPEAT. ABBA HAS NEW MUSIC COMING OUT🚨

— Stephen (@SteveRichIvor) April 27, 2018

OMG NEW MUSIC FROM ABBA STOP EVERYTHING 😱❤️🎉🍾 #abba #sweden #scandipop #abbathereturn

— Moa Höijer (@MissHoijer) April 27, 2018

ABBA IS BACK THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE pic.twitter.com/KpR74jLErp

— Mirren Wilson (@mirrenwilson) April 27, 2018

can’t help but think the end of the korean war and the return of abba on the same day are somehow linked.

— Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 27, 2018

The post New story in Entertainment from Time: Super Trouper! 2 New Songs by Swedish Pop Icons ABBA Have Been Recorded appeared first on OMNI POP MAG.

[ratherhavetheblues]

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON’S PHANTOM THREAD  “I need to do some work…”

© 2018 by James Clark

   In the spirit of craft, so central to this film, we’ll cover first (all but one of) the essentials of where it’s going; to be followed by how it fares. Though set in London in the 1950s, purporting to be a love story about a renowned couturier, Reynolds Woodcock, and a young woman, Alma, first seen as a waitress in a rural locale, we have to get over its old-timey, sentimental sheen and take to heart how old and wooden the maestro is and how like an ungainly woodcock Alma is (searching at night in soft ground—in her case, for poisonous mushrooms by which to seal his dependency on her). They have a child, and by their lights have a happy life.

   Fans of Pride and Prejudice might be tempted to imagine that the good old days are back. But how many 50s romance aficionados are left out there? Has Anderson overestimated that the emotive skills of actors, Daniel Day Lewis and Vicky Krieps, could draw a crowd to pay the bills for his deep and difficult 21st century vehicle? (From my perspective, I’m saddened, but not surprised, that in a centre of more than 6 million, only 2 theatres found it worth showing.) This massively quixotic endeavor ensnares us in its fantastic brilliance which no one wants to see.

There are many candidates vying in this picture, for filling the presence of “phantom thread.” We’re given, if we’re awake enough, a foothold on the real breakthrough very early on. Reynold’s current doll begins to chafe at the breakfast table, denouncing him (politely, of course, this being a drawing room in the realm of British good breeding) on account of, “There’s nothing I can do to get your seeing me…” The rigidly tastefully groomed owner of the mid-town Georgian mansion which doubles as his studio and production floor—seen at the outset, one morning, attending to body and raiment as if he no longer can, as if he ever did, distinguish between perfect artefact and human volcano—stages thereby what he might imagine to be a British volcano in telling the talkative serf, “I can’t begin my day with confrontation… I simply have to have silence.” At which, a rendition of “My Foolish Heart” fills the cordon bleu air.

   What’s going on here, with that almost papal corporate dismissal? Those of us who have seen and remembered other Anderson films (which the entirety of the critical gushing as to status quo here chooses to ignore) have access to a cinematic agency obsessed with artisans becoming grotesque in the course of short-circuiting their gusto for life. We learn that Reynolds reveres the memory of his prim little mother who taught him to sew (shown as a ghost in her perfect, if old-fashioned, wedding gown, in one scene where he needs a break from uber-serf, Alma, who opts for the crutch of reincarnation, “over and over, forever…”) The serenity he lobbies for turns out to be booth foolish and wise. Foolish, in failing to take to heart that his precious output will mean nothing in the plunge of time. Wise, insofar as the remarkable resoluteness he musters in the service of a primal creativity means something.

   This putative comedy of love is in fact a mystery of errors. Serious errors, wherein to savor that thread of phantom ripeness. In the wake of the most recent confirmation that he is all thumbs when it comes to promising strangers, he tells Cyril, his sister and business partner, “I have an unsettled feeling…” On that only too quick to remedy a poisonous state-of-affairs by throwing money at it, he subscribes to his partner’s advice in the form of that British antidote to rude urbanity, the country home, where candid flora and fauna can be put in the service of a halfway house. One other notable aspect of that fleeing a métier of tempering and respecting those generally deemed by history to lack a dimension of significant savoir faire, is Reynold’s priceless Bristol sports model, especially its windshield. Though rather pinched and coiled at his digs (when not being worse-for-wear self-consciously balletic), he finds himself (or rather half-finds himself) creating tapestries of reflection as, at dusk, he flows along a country road assured of being one of the formidable, headed for knighthood. These optics have a precursor being formidable in a very different sense, namely, the driving episodes in the films of Abbas Kiarostami. The latter speak to a dynamic seldom, if ever, engaged by those of the land placing their bets on a “common sense” producing the likes of Woodcock’s first creation seen by us—a Tudor, straitjacket-like contraption—and scientistic yeomanry, sniping forever against the uncanny. (In the early days of their strategizing, we have a scene where Alma is being photographed to project into a fashion magazine that very typically static British sense of days gone by. He shakes off those doldrums, declaring, “I have to do some work!” And here the crucial dynamics of work become far from a fait accompli. As if to suggest that the proud Bristol owner can’t get over the gilded carriages of yore, there was the Tudor ensemble hovering persistently, as if coming to a head. “Let’s take it for a walk,” the roadster guy—not—suggests, at perfect pitch, for that snug little island, to that woman trapped in the straightjacket.)  Kiarostami, like Anderson, is about struggling to maintain what today we’re calling “phantom thread,” the rigors of which our protagonist lacks the guts to deal with back home. Off on that hiatus, he prides himself on finding Alma to be a breath of fresh air, in being (commonsensically) plain, clumsy and having a photographic memory in dealing with the complexities of his yeoman breakfast at the Victoria Hotel—the prelude of his (imagined) seduction of a new fair lady striking him as a possible accessory by means of which he might master his tendency toward “unsettled feeling.” Accepting his invitation to dinner, Alma sets off several other signs that his recruitment career (a paragon of cordiality—later in the night she will tell him, “You’re a very handsome man…”) has reached a higher plane. She shares his self-satisfactory indifference to the car’s being enhanced by reflectedness of overhanging tree branches in the night on country lanes as illuminated by the high beams, in favor of drinking in the flash of a terribly expensive speed wagon. As he shows her around his childhood home, there is a gambit, regarding a photo of his mother in her bridal gown, concerning superstitions about such dresses, in the course of which he feels the need to describe his nanny/ tutor and the curse of any one but the principals touching the gown on the wedding day: “…as if anyone would have her…She was monstrously ugly. We called her “the Black Death…” This amuses Alma, as he acutely knew she would be (prone to such adolescent, essentially British cruelty, despite her Germanic accent). Their eyes meet, and smug silence prevails. Rather than being a portal to the phantom, the uncanny, she breaks the silence with, “In a staring contest, you would lose…”

   We must not disregard the output of charm (however studied) coloring this new encounter. From Alma’s self-deprecating smile on stumbling before coming up to take Reynolds’ breakfast order, to the both of them enthusing about the (programmed) first impressive dinner where his taste for dining is on display, and then the (also programmed) after-dinner step of marvelousness, his fitting her for a gown, his hospitality is nothing short of regal. He rounds up Cyril to assist him in completing the many measurements required to produce haute couture standards. But with that duet chiming out numbers, we have a rendering of Alma as a commodity the full details of which comprising the tried-and-true and, perhaps, still room for another dimension. The remainder of this coverage must measure the highs and the lows, and where that really takes them.

   After the hard reality of that math and Alma’s incandescent smile therein, she seamlessly becomes part of the powerhouse company. How can we describe her function there? “Muse” is a non-starter, since she knows and cares nothing about fashion design. She dabbles a bit regarding stitchery and modeling, with no distinction. There is virtually no sexual fire, neither material nor imaginary. She seems to have no culinary interest, nor any ambition toward artistry. Woodcock seems to have embarked on an experiment of foreignness, strangeness—as a supplement to his susceptibilities of easily losing concentration. In his self-seeking bedrock and wide respect (from the quick and the dead), he could have been ready to embrace alternative practices.  She adopts the white smock bedecking the middle-aged expert and professional seamstresses who, unlike her, must report early for duty from outside the center of gravity. (During that sparkling debut, Reynolds notes in passing, while taking the schema of her body, “You have no breasts…” In reply to this she declares, with some heat, “I never could love myself…” He tells her, “You’re [hopefully] perfect” [being, that is, not like one of her puffy predecessors who prove to be unable to shut their mouths when he’s [forever] working].) On the job he tells her, “You have beautiful manners…” Thus (at this moment) she seems to coincide with those well-mannered, elderly ladies dawning on us in the form of a silent choir, a choir in which she is allowed to infrequently perform solo turns. On that platform, monied clients and cronies march along swimmingly, providing a world she feels herself to somehow belong. As if completing her curriculum vitae, she adds, one day, apropos of her keeping up with Reynolds’ often midnight to 4 sleep allowance, “No one can stand as long as I can.” The visceral undertow of this super-civilized enterprise comprises the true drama of this “romantic subject.”

   Reynolds does not have long to realize that that “honeymoon” has ended. Alma wonders why Cyril clamps down so hard on the tone of the living spaces. “Because it’s beautiful,” Woodcock interjects. “Maybe I like my way,” she rebuffs. She eats noisily, and he reproves, “Please don’t make such noises, Alma. It’s very distracting.” Cyril intervenes with, ‘Too much movement harms Reynolds’ work.” Slurping away, Alma, seeing a way to win the day, insists, “I think he’s being too fussy,” Later in the day, she knocks at his lodge-like inner sanctum. “May I come in?”/ “I’m working,” he says, with emphasis upon “working” (the likes of which she cannot imagine). Cyril sweeps by with his dinner, establishing a sort of power beyond the range of rebellious novices. And yet, next day, the rebel fits into an appointment marked with smiles all round—both Reynolds and the long shot unwilling to miss a good thing.

   Unwelcome volatility does not constitute the new; but Alma’s resilience does (for what it’s worth). The bemused but deeply committed sister explains to the bold critic, “Placing him at a disadvantage leaves him depressed for days…” Reynolds, in a bid to smooth over their differences with one of their unifiers, namely, extraordinary food, brings her to a mushroom domain, where plunging one’s hands into moist and porous soil prevails. Also in the cards is a primer on poisonous species, followed up by illustrated literature back home—painstaking preparations being a calming force. Their unspoken pact as to culinary craft coincides with a commission from a wedding-bound heiress who refers to herself as “so ugly,” and insists he attend the round of receptions. Though this rather farcical, always tipsy, figure—very fat and very awkward—inadvertently assists our protagonists in joining closer about an imperative of exclusivity (seen in the savaging of the Black Death), there is about her sense of unsatisfactoriness that which redounds to some aristocratic validity and speaks to the makeshift affections and disaffections of Reynolds and Alma, nowhere close to remarkableness. Hating to have to partake in such a circus, there they are, while gossip columnists dredge for scandal. Barbara’s perpetual inebriation (like Dean Martin’s) would be old hat; but her Dominican Republic playboy/ consort offers fresh blood. Later in the evening, Barbara collapses in a stupor which annoys them no end. “I’m angry,” Alma emotes. “She doesn’t deserve it [the dress] … It’s your work!” She marches to the bedroom (Woodcock in tow) where the saddened bride has been placed out of sight. There she pulls off the gown. Dead weight being an outrage, of course; but what about their dead weight?

   The next client, also arriving to benefit from Reynold’s way with bridal gowns, is a Belgian princess, who appears to be everything Barbara isn’t. She gets under Alma’s skin by not recognizing her at the reception line. As the preparations begin, the anonymously-dressed only other young person strides up to beauty well within her comfort zone and blurts out, “I live here…” She proposes to Cyril that what would add an ingredient of the new is for everyone (including Cyril) to get lost and allow Reynolds to taste her cuisine amidst total immersion in the wonderfulness of herself (being more than a backwater notable). “To give Reynolds a surprise!” would be the heart of the matter. Cyril telling her she’s against such a departure merely increases her zeal. “I’m trying to surprise and delight him… something new!” On returning from a contact which would have been not new, Reynolds greets her with a chilly, “What is this?” He signals a halt to the partnership, along lines of, “Let me collect my wits for a moment…” Then he proceeds with the reflexive politeness having, until now, always won the day. “Very nice of you, Alma…” He’s now in deliberately under-stylish pajamas and housecoat (remarkable that he would own them); and Alma has a taste of the long wait to come before any clear success for her ambitions will be seen. She flounders with the redundant, “Will you make her [the princess] a wedding dress?” After contemptuously enumerating to the now-bore all the previous commissions he has completed for the celebrated beauty, from her baptism to her debut, he takes his seat before the omelet she has cooked and viciously pours out an insulting amount of salt (in wounds already open). “Do you like it?” she slides into masochistic delirium. “I do,” he can’t miss. “No, you don’t like it at all!”  she persists, like walking through shards of glass. “What is this?” he brings to hateful candor. “I wanted to have you for myself,” she miserably becomes utterly common. The shootout concludes with her, “I don’t need you!” And his, “Don’t act so tough” [comprising his own slip into soap opera]. “Don’t waste my time,” is his regaining his station, a station he knows he needs to abandon, but can’t stomach the test.

   Reynolds’ best next step would be to downscale his papacy and see Alma for what she is—a far more destructive incident than he’ll ever fully understand. Instead, on the thesis that any idea is better than nothing, he succumbs to what might be a nervous breakdown to someone not aware of her adding tiny mushroom particles to the hotly contested surprise, a necessary supplement in lieu of the hoped-for charm.  Next morning in the studio he is not himself and he asks rhetorically, as to the princess’ hoped-for coup, “It’s not very good, is it? It’s ugly!” And with that he falls over the mannikin, damaging the outcome of failing concentration. He’s carried to that bedroom few have seen, he vomits a bit; and then there is Alma, ready to help. “It came over me,” the victim explains. “Don’t fuss or I’ll die right here! Just give me some silence… I’ll be down shortly.” Alone with Cyril, he laments, “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” Cyril tells Alma, who has come and gone during the confusion, “Come along…” Alma stays. He tells her, “I’m scared, Alma…”/ “Yes, of course you are,” the young heiress-in-progress replies. “I’ll take care of you… You’re not going to die.” Not nearly as impressed with the restorative powers of the social climber, Cyril brings aboard Dr. Hardy, son of a blue blood, who makes Alma’s day by referring to her as Mrs. Woodcock. Mr. Woodcock orders the man of science: “Keep your hands off me.” Alma is pleased to relay her near-husband’s wish in the form of “Fuck off!” With the medical crisis/ scandal ebbing, the narrative of this rocky silk road makes its move to the full extent of how bad things can get. Under the auspices of Cyril’s professionalism and the loyalty of the no-name toilers, there is a very productive, all-night choir fest. At the culmination point at dawn (for the 9 a.m. deadline), Alma (one of the serfs with no problem working without sleep) partakes of Reynolds’ little whimsy in inserting at a hem a bit of fabric stitched to carry a priceless signal no one will ever read. Here the endowment to the serene royal being from a tiny land (recently pressed down by a military juggernaut) reads, “never cursed.” (That the Belgian King at the time quickly capitulated, may be involved in the sneer.) But Alma thinks the better bet would be not to risk disclosure, since her campaign regarding Woodcock has reached a fait accompli. The latter having bounced back, he is deeply grateful to her nocturnal efforts, made to look as if she was somehow in the forefront. (He comes upon her asleep on a sofa, the others having gone home.) He caresses her, tells her he loves her and proposes three times before she deigns to say “yes.” He declares, “I can’t do without you…” (A few hours before, he was feverish and seemed to be having a visit from his mother. He calls out, “Are you always here? I don’t understand what you’re saying…”)

   On to marriage, and now with healthy Alma’s noisy eating there is Woodcock the Lesser squelching his disgust. At their wedding reception (not as obviously disastrous as Barbara’s), an ageing titled woman, Dr. Hardy’s Mom, draws Reynolds’ attention to Alma’s crude, immature heartiness and a disconcerting penchant for never looking his way. Dr. Hardy, getting lots of attention from the not at all blushing bride, urges her to attend an imminent, annual New Year’s Eve event he finds thrilling. With the year down the drain, as it were, Alma insists, “I want to go dancing, right now!” Reynolds, rather predictably, interjects, “You’re joking!” “We need to go dancing,” the closet athlete prescribes./ “I’m going to work,” the once-dabbler in dynamics signs off. Later, he does drag himself away from his sketching and drags her home. Soon she frequents that mushroom patch to put him at a further disadvantage, in order to obviate his saying, “You’re joking” when she suggests having a baby.

   That Woodcock knowingly subjects himself to this second stage of pathology reveals to us the extent of his retreat from self-control, presaged by his overestimation of his mother. During the run-up to their becoming a nuclear family, Alma evinces manipulative control not merely idiosyncratic but patterned on a specific form of coercion, stern and scientific. Her assurance “I want you to be strong again,” may not be strictly true. This pair press us to depths they lack; and a range of viciousness widely assumed to be conquered.

   Phantom Thread has more game to puzzle over than the moves of an NBA All-Star! But its destination comes down to one—and one we never see in this film. The implication in the term, “phantom,” is that we have something “only in the imagination,” “apparently real but not actually so.” But our title includes “thread,” hearkening to active links between one’s “imagination” and phenomenality beyond it. That title, then, implies sensibility the heart of which being a very strange weave of energy. Our story, as you can see, is a non-stop travesty of that potential. The tonality of the action is keyed by the throttling of that kinetic factor. Reynold’s early rapt application to perfect fit upon arresting fabric, color and composition may be ludicrous and somewhat deranged; but he, without seeing clearly the point of his passion, was addressing a valid and crucial matter, Alma, perhaps a refugee from the recent War, could be pardoned for caring nothing about Woodcock’s obsession. But nature does not work that way, despite the very popular shams of planet Earth. Anderson’s art is to evoke a huge and painful lacuna quietly coming to bear at the depths of tepid souls.

   Within this alert, there is a matter of malignancy further confirming that we are in the hands of a most audacious and reflective filmmaker. Barbara, the alcoholic multi-millionaire who is remarkable in knowing she is a piece of work—presuming to order a reluctant Reynolds to attend her triumph—has a surname, Rose. This episode coincides with Woodcock finding Alma increasingly crude and destructive of his passion for the innovative gifts deriving from silence. Unlovely Barbara, as we know, has a first stairway to the stars in the form of undergoing a press conference while being, as usual, tipsy. One of the newshounds, noting the less than liberal lineage of her Dominican Republic playboy/ “lover,” calls out, “Tell us how you provided visas for Jews before the War!” Someone else incensed by the rescue was Alma. At the reception with Woodcock, she intently regards Barbara from afar. What she sees is the bride collapsing in a drunken stupor. “I’m angry! That dress doesn’t belong to her!” she growls. Reynolds, not nearly as offended by Barbara’s politics, cautions, “Don’t start blubbering, Alma…” She shoots back, “It’s your work they’re insulting!... She can’t behave like this in a gown from the House of Woodcock!” Having brought Reynolds onside by an appeal to his track record and vanity, she leads a march to the bedroom where the new bride was carried after the embarrassment. Her knock on the door is sharp and loud, like the announcement of a Gestapo raiding party at a Jewish residence. With Reynolds covering the door and stalling family members, Alma—ordered by his dictate, “Take the fucking dress off!”—rushes to the bed and tears off the supposed commercial scandal. Then, in a cut, they are seen basking (on a dark street in front of a bar—recalling a beer hall putsch)—in their supposed victory which has once again brought balance to imbalance. (Barbara had been the picture of dead weight; but their dead weight was far more difficult to discern.)

   From this point on, Alma’s you-go-practical-girl for the betterment of love loses its allure. During the uprising of the surprise dinner (prefaced by her self-pitying, “I don’t know what I’m doing here…”), Woodcock is heard to blurt out, “Are you a Special Agent? Do you have a gun? Where’s your gun? Why don’t you go back where you came from?” Her malaise in face of the impossible-to-match Belgian patrician and impossible-to-match volatile seer that is Woodcock elicits residues of poison to tip the scale her way. (During the shouting match, she spews out a storm of ridicule for those courtesies tracing back to Camelot. Her recent mantra, “too fussy,” referring to what in her eyes can be nothing but soft weakness, reflects (unlike the windshield reflections she cares nothing about) a campaign where one who can out-stare and out-stand others might bend such victors to her liking. “Something new” was her description of the intimate dinner the main point of which being to drug him without any mishaps. Her, perhaps sharply defined, new; his, perhaps nebulous, old—with the potential to be far newer than hers. In the all-night heroics—secretly driven by Alma’s subversiveness—we are reminded of the air-raid shelters during the Blitz, and her version of the V-2 missile. As she attends to the poison she has fired off, she promises to Reynolds, “I won’t fuss…” On the completion of the assignment in the morning, we have a kind of All Clear. She supports Reynolds’ refusal to be examined (and get to the bottom of the matter) by Dr. Hardy. “He wants you to fuck off.” Hardy resurfaces as touting the New Year’s Eve venue the décor of which resembles a Nazi-Era beer hall. After the total capitulation of Woodcock’s knowingly swallowing another foul round—to become, to all intents and purposes, a situation of Alma’s becoming his mother—we have what many would think to be wedded bliss, but some of us would think to be an invasion and occupation (a later return of the handsome parents to that party centre ups the Mid-Century red and black Nazi décor), leading nowhere. Woodcock seems to cut quite a figure in his Bristol roadster.  But the Bristol concern included airplanes, the effective lift of which never darkening his door.  (The parallels and contrasts to Hitchcock’s post-War film, Notorious [1946], [not to mention the subversive flood of the rest of his work], should play a part here. Showing off old-timey impeccability and its clear sailing ahead, speaks ironically to the instance of irredeemably deadened sensibility rocketing from quite far back and prevailing in various ways today. Phantom Thread being breathtakingly more than a period melodrama.)

   Hardy doubles as Alma’s confidant (and lover?) at some indeterminant time in the future, along lines of her intermittently positing the highlights as far as her foolish heart can see. “Being with Reynolds has been a dream come true …And I have given him every piece of me… He is a challenge to be with… He’s like a child… He needs to come down… We often would sleep from 12 to 4 and then work straight through… No one complained… And after he’s gone he’ll wait for me in the afterlife, or other afterlives… We’ll have large gardens where everyone will play games…”        

[kirangilani]

Mountain Dew's New Brand Ambassador Has Everyone in Awe

Just like all our favorite brands, Mountain Dew is also beginning off 2018 with more experience, fervor and excitement as always! The strong and brave drink mark from PepsiCo has banded together with one of the greatest famous people in the district – Hritik Roshan, picking him as their next enormous brand representative.

Check: The Nominees for the Lux Style Awards 2018 Mountain Dew and its most current Brand Ambassadors propelled things in style at an elegant occasion that was attended by famous people, socialites and fans alike. The elite player occasion wasn't only your ordinary exhausting one. Rather, the brand hauled out all stops and introduced a Virtual Reality setup where the visitors could experience's Mountain Dew's striking new crusade in an immersive manner. The unmistakable face – and out of the blue a locally important one – fits impeccably well with the brand since Hrithik is considered as a challenging enterprise addict and somebody who the fans are eager to see! Imran Abbas had the event lit with his presence  The charming Aisam ul Haq  Lovely fashionistas  And The charming Ahmed Butt

[vrheadsets]

WITHIN and Universal Music Group to Collaborate on VR and AR music Experiences

Over the past year Universal Music Group (UMG) has been gradually moving into the field of virtual reality (VR), partnering with entrepreneur Simon Fuller to bring Abba to VR, and collaborating with music platform MelodyVR. Its latest endeavour sees the company team up with immersive entertainment firm WITHIN to develop augmented reality (AR) and VR music experiences featuring artists from UMG’s roster.

The pair will work together to create multiple immersive experiences that will be distributed on WITHIN’s app, whilst integrating VR and AR across the creation, production, marketing and promotion of UMG’s new musical tracks, from the recording studio to the release parties, concert stages and more.

“Music is one of the most uniquely transformative mediums of human expression; combining it with immersive AR and VR experiences creates a new artform exponentially more powerful than the sum of its parts,” said Chris Milk, Co-Founder and CEO of WITHIN in a statement. “This partnership allows us the incredible opportunity to work with top artists at UMG to create ever more meaningful and expressive immersive music experiences.”

As yet neither UMG or WITHIN have confirmed what content will likely be seen first. But this isn’t the first time they’ve worked together as WITHIN already has two immersive experiences available from UMG artists, animated VR music video for The Chemical Brothers’ song “Under Neon Lights” featuring St. Vincent. And “KIDS” by OneRepublic which premiered worldwide through the app.

“We are huge admirers of Chris’s innovative and creative work in music and VR, as well as the premium experiences WITHIN offers to music fans,” said Michele Anthony, Executive Vice President at UMG. “Working with our labels and artists, UMG has produced numerous VR experiences and this agreement will help evolve our strategy. Together, UMG and WITHIN will push the boundaries of how audiences experience music and create new ways for artists to forge deeper connections with their fans.”

VRFocus will continue its coverage of WITHIN and UMG, reporting back with the latest announcements.

from VRFocus http://ift.tt/2gRdLjt

[wilheminaapc-blog]

Wedding events In The United States Are actually An Initiation rite.

Using this experience, you will be directing your focus on each of the chakras in turn, initially by focusing on bodily sensations, then by utilizing your imagination, your capacity to generate pictures, to create the expertise from colours certainly there. Furthermore, there are actually better lures our experts are actually wishing to the Papa to supply our company coming from. Before he might also ask his papa's forgiveness and beg to be his server, as he meant; his dad seeking his profit ran to him, tossed his upper arms around him as well as offered him a caress.

I understood that my mommy, the one I had actually grown along with, would certainly possess been furious with me for 'dangling our unclean washing out for all to view." She felt that what occurred in the family members remained in the family members. Available in green, pink, brown, or white with a matching athletic rubber band, the unidirectional revolving frame rests atop a round, silver shade stainless steel scenario. The remaking of your house was necessary to institute a group from Blacks who possessed a beneficial interest in guarding cream of the crop White Unit. When I thought about his recalcitrant boy that had ultimately accepted observe his dad after our telephone call that morning, I really felt a surge of gratefulness And it wasn't mine, this was off Eddie. Emily opts for a hereditary test and also has a White mt DNA haplogroup H, regular to how White she looks. The Irish reality star accomplished the DNA test live on Today in an offer to figure out once and for all if he is actually the daddy of Stephanie's newborn kid, Caben-Albi. Battle had actually been announced, and my father understood that he must squash this establishment prior to it even opened up. When they're super tidy, there's no disorder in asing if the way faucet manages feel. In knowledgeable 9 from Matthew 6, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy label", symbolizes exactly how the name from the Father is segregated. Several innovators of the village had been killed by Dutch patrol in 1958, therefore, being actually a white guy, Rockefeller could had ended up being the target from the citizen's revenge. The Classical verb for cleanses" here is katharizo," indicating to purify (literally or even figuratively): - (help make) clean (- se), cleanup, purify." (Strongs). Since he was home-schooled, white patriotism could become a concentration from his education and learning. At the very least from my shop it is actually. The Columbine blossom along with the white as well as purple is actually virtually like seeing two various blossoms in one. Hyenas have actually certainly never struck individuals from Harar after my father began nourishing them, unless you injure their babies," Abbas Yusuf told Reuters. Don't have the solution from somebody which isn't really a white colored guy that experiences in this manner, take that from a white colored guy who in fact understands. Reduced leukocyte counts produce this less complicated for a contamination to cultivate in the body system. The companies that the duo constructions are seeded along with package deals from tidy fit-strenght-health.info capital and also wise monitoring, a regulatory authority's aspiration. Actually, after receiving a tidy bill from health, my papa continued to go to many of the social cycles that resigned judicatures possessed. Folks view him" black" or" white colored "," wickedness" or even" excellent ", trigger they may decline he is BOTH, similar to any person. He recognizes that somewhere he is actually begun writing, or maybe ended up creating, a story where a caregiver kid envisions numerous means (five possibly?) to kill his growing old daddy. Remove the carburetor coming from the engine clean up the captain and take apart and needle plane passages, float and also float dish. I rejoice your papa died prior to he found out your horrendous condition," she stated coldly. The enlightened get married to the educated, even when going interracial (white colored male-Asian women & white male-Latina).

[datawiresolutions]

Virtual Reality Headset Helps You Design Your Home Theater

Virtual reality headsets aren’t all fun and games. A new service from Andrew Lucas London and its sister company Andrew Lucas Studios is enabling consumers to “walk through” their new home theater or smart home by donning an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. At the same time, they receive an estimate on how much the project will cost.

  Demonstrated at a recent home show, the virtual reality technology developed by Andrew Lucas Studios, allows users to move themselves around an entire property in a similar manner to Google Street View. They can swell on the aspects that interest them and interact with the space around them, giving them a clear idea of the proposed home theater or smart home solution. From there, they can make changes to the design.

  Design and Price Your Theater

For example homeowners can upgrade to a different set of components, choose a larger screen, or add a user interface. Andrew Lucas’ online quotation tool automatically adjusts the price in real time. The quote shows not only the price of the equipment, but also the projected extra costs for labor, cabling, and post-installation service.

“Virtual reality can be an incredibly useful tool for clarifying in the customer’s mind exactly what an architect or smart home specialist is hoping to achieve,” says Hamza Abbas, sales director at Andrew Lucas Studios. “A video flythrough or 3D rendering can offer a certain level of insight, but a VR experience is a much more realistic experience, with the added bonus of letting the prospective homeowner explore their property at a pace that suits them.”

Users will be able to also see how the installation cost could be divided into a monthly payment scheme, allowing them to pay for their home over a period of time instead of purchasing everything up front.

“One of the main frustrations a typical smart home customer has is in understanding the ‘hidden’ costs that occur in a smart home project,” says Krystian Zajac, chairman and founder of Andrew Lucas London. “Our new quotation tool brings complete transparency to the quotation process, letting our customers understand exactly what costs are incurred by certain areas of the smart home and allowing them to tailor their property to suit their needs – and their budget.”

  Home Design Services

The online quotation tool covers Andrew Lucas’ three main services: home theater, smart home and virtual reality.

Home Theater

An Andrew Lucas home theater is designed to meet any client’s entertainment needs, whether they’re a film aficionado seeking perfect quality or a parent looking for a space to relax and watch the latest Disney films with their kids.

Although the specific products cannot be disclosed, the company’s fully furnished home theater offering includes a professional projection system and screen (including 4K Ultra-HD projection system with HDR support options), acoustic treatment and 5.1, 7.1 or 3D audio speaker systems (including hidden speakers), AV receiver and universal remote as well as climate and lighting control.

“We will offer products from multiple manufacturers to suit the needs of the property owner,” says Zajac​. He says once someone picks a package and gets the pricing, they can go ahead and purchase it.

“They will be able to pay a deposit and secure the order; in due course, we will also allow clients to pay for their smart home, home cinema or VR room with regular monthly payments over an agreed period,” says Zajac. “For home cinema we have three options on a sliding scale, based on price and functionality. All of these can be personalized with optional extras.”

All of the company’s smart homes, home cinemas and VR rooms are designed and installed by the Andrew Lucas team.

Smart Home

For a smart home project, homeowners can input the basic details of their property and select up to three packages: security, comfort and entertainment. These can then be personalized with several technology upgrades, finishes and additional control interfaces, with a price estimate adjusting in real-time to show the price of equipment and projected extra costs such as labor, cabling and aftercare.

“We offer both wired or wireless options for smart home packages, each containing a number of ‘essential’ products,” says Zajac. “These are calculated to match the layout of the home.”

  The packages include intruder alarms, smoke and leak detection, indoor/outdoor cameras, video doorbells, heating control, smart lighting, motorized shades, voice control integration, unified control, as well as multiroom audio/surround-sound audio, video distribution and streaming outdoor speakers.

Each of the solutions is modular, so the customer can start with a single-feature system (e.g. smart heating control) or choose a whole-house set-up. Meanwhile, the company’s dedicated app allows users to manage their entire property from their phone, from lighting and shades to home entertainment and security systems.

Virtual Reality

The company also offers the service for virtual reality rooms — dedicated spaces for VR entertainment (think a home theater, but specifically for VR). These are fitted and installed by Andrew Lucas London. Meanwhile, Andrew Lucas Studios is the company’s VR and AR design consultancy service, which creates VR visualizations for design professionals and homeowners.

“This is also something we offer to other smart home installers that wish to provide visualizations of this sort to their own clients,” says Zajac.

The company’s VR room offering is described as a ‘wireless, backpack-based experience’ that includes high-end VR platforms and gaming PCs, as well as room-scale tracking technology, acoustic treatment, 3D audio speakers, plus, the virtual reality room can be fitted with extra technology to double up as a panic room.

This includes blast-proof doors, hidden cameras, a reserve power supply, a separate phone line and a biohazard protection system that monitors air quality and filters out hazardous substances via the ventilation system.

The post Virtual Reality Headset Helps You Design Your Home Theater appeared first on Electronic House.

from Data Wire Solutions News Feed http://ift.tt/2nqpY11

[beatoblog-blog]

ABBA from 2016

Surprisingly, some sources have been reporting that the iconic pop group, ABBA, is reuniting.  (ABBA ruled the worldwide charts from 1974 to 1982 and their popularity during that time is legendary). As it turns out, however, that’s not really what is happening.  Instead, the band announced that in 2018 they will be introducing a “Virtual and Live Experience.” The “tour” will be a virtual reality experience of sorts but it won’t actually feature the band playing their hits live although ABBA did reunite briefly in 2016 at a one-off private gala in Sweden.

So, as much as we all want them back together again it’s just not happening as of yet.  Mamma Mia!

Ken “K Bo” Biedzynski, Editor

The post ABBA Is Back….Well, Sort Of appeared first on Beato's Blog.

[promisedlandradio]

ABBA from 2016

Surprisingly, some sources have been reporting that the iconic pop group, ABBA, is reuniting.  (ABBA ruled the worldwide charts from 1974 to 1982 and their popularity during that time is legendary). As it turns out, however, that’s not really what is happening.  Instead, the band announced that in 2018 they will be introducing a “Virtual and Live Experience.” The “tour” will be a virtual reality experience of sorts but it won’t actually feature the band playing their hits live although ABBA did reunite briefly in 2016 at a one-off private gala in Sweden.

So, as much as we all want them back together again it’s just not happening as of yet.  Mamma Mia!

Ken “K Bo” Biedzynski, Editor

The post ABBA Is Back….Well, Sort Of appeared first on Beato's Blog.