#Blitz the Ambassador

[bkenber]

'The Color Purple' (2023) Movie and 4K Review

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella. It wasn’t that long ago when I had the pleasure of reviewing 1985’s “The Color Purple” on this very website, and I absolutely adored the film.  When I heard there was going to be another adaptation, I was eager to see how it was going to turn out, especially because it was going to be a musical.  Musicals are…

[bdzonthareel]

The Color Purple (2023)

So I’m a theater kid not just any type of theater kid though, I am the least favorite of the general public… I am a musical geek!

I am all in on this medium, whether on stage or as an audience member; so I often get super trepidatious over movie musicals, especially adaptations. So the prospect of a remake of one of the most prolific stories in Black Culture terrified me.

I can say this was definitely an experience, so let’s get into it.

The Color Purple is the tale of Celie as she navigates the 1920s as a constantly disrespected woman of color. After being separated from her beloved sister Nettie, she has to learn how to love and stand up for herself.

Something to keep in mind is that this is more of a reimagining than a full-on remake, and your mileage may vary on that statement.

The casting is a mixed bag, my favorites were Danielle Brooks as fan favorite character, Sophia; who I feel killed it. And Fantastia Barrino reprises the role of Celie from her stent on Broadway, It’s a role near and dear to her heart and you can feel the passion in her overall performance. And H.E.R. in the role of “squeak” was delightful, she convinced me of her acting chops long before this role though. Colman Domingo brought his own level of malevolence to the role of Mister and I was impressed.

And some of the casting that made me scratch my head a bit were the likes of Corey Hawkins and Taraji P. Hanson. Neither was bad by any means, but they’re just safe choices, polished and conventionally attractive.

Speaking of head scratching, I have a lot of feelings on most of the dance choreography; it doesn’t fit the era. In a time when there were dances like the Charleston and ragtime, choreographer Fatima Robinson made the questionable choice to do contemporary dance. It breaks the immersion and I could do without it.

Director Blitz the Ambassador, who also worked on Beyonce’s “Black is King” is a master at visual storyteller, I found myself astounded by set pieces and the camerawork. I would be saddened if it didn’t receive some sort of award.

Composer Kris Bowers created some amazing music for the score, more befitting of the era than the dancing. However, the movie tries too hard to fit as many songs from the show in as possible and this works to the film's detriment at certain points. Songs like “God is trying to tell you something,” are whittled down for the sake of more elaborate numbers.

The movie is a mixed bag, I enjoyed certain aspects but a lot of it falls flat. The acting and vocal performances are solid and I couldn’t get enough of either, but I stand my view of the film’s negatives.

When it comes to musical theater to movie reimagminings , less is more and this movie added a little bit too much to the plate.

I give the Color Purple a 3 out of 5.

[badnewswhatsleft]

critical damage

[dailyflicks]

We are at the center of the universe.

THE COLOR PURPLE (2023) dir. Blitz the Ambassador

[rodeoblitz]

Summer. It was finally here. After finishing her first year at college, River was back home. Sure she had a dangerous quest to go on about her being an ambassador to literally hell. But that wouldn't begin until tomorrow.

"It's nice to finally be hom- Blitz?!" She shouted as she opened the door to her cabin. Suprised to see that the imp was inside it. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Blitz was sitting in one of the chairs, snacking on something, looking extremely rough. Bags under his eyes and everything as he tried to force a grin.

"Sup? I was sent to watch you...so, here I fucking am. Whoopie doooo~" He sounded so jaded about....something.

[girlactionfigure]

🔵THURSDAY morning - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

🔸MORE DEAL NEWS..

.. ALIVE?  Israel estimates only 33 hostages remain alive, although this is said only quietly.

.. HERE’S WHAT THE US IS TRYING TO CONVINCE ISRAEL.. American officials:  Israel achieved everything it could on a military level in Gaza.  (Therefore no choice but to do a deal, right?)

.. THIS IS NEW.. The US, German and British ambassadors in a joint statement:  "Our first priority is to find a solution to free the abductees and do it now.” (First time hearing that, until now it has all been about humanitarianism for Gazans.)

.. ANALYSIS.. (The Arab Desk) A blitz of fakes mixed with an American pressure press on Israel to influence the talks. The USA is putting pressure on Israel from all directions. All the  pressure from home and from outside are aimed at one person, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.  You can literally see in the Arab channels as if they received an instruction sheet.

.. IRAN OR NOT?  The Iranians officially announced yesterday that they are not involved in the talks.  An Arab source reveals, the Iranians are involved behind the scenes.

.. OPPOSITION MK SA’AR ATTACKS IDF CHIEF HALEVI.. on Halevi’s public statement on the (IDF staying in control of the) Philadelphi corridor (Egypt border) which is contrary to the Israeli position that should remain on the axis - "stupidity and lawlessness for its own sake.”

.. RUSSIA AND TURKEY? Senior Hamas official in an interview: We asked to add Russia and Turkey as mediators - but Israel refused.

🔹US MEDIATOR LEBANON.. A Lebanese official who attended the meeting with Amos Hochstein says: “To be honest, we didn't understand what he brought, since he didn't have a clear answer about the progress of the negotiations, and he didn't have any information about the latest announcements that came out. He acted like someone who came to have a PR party."

▪️DID THE US RELEASE NAMES OF MOSSAD AGENTS TO IRAN?  Jerusalem Post: The US revealed to Iran the names of Mossad agents who were involved in the elimination of Hamas leader Haniye, in an attempt to calm tensions.

▪️HUMANITARIANISM.. Today Israel facilitated the transfer of 11 Gazan children to Jordan for medical treatment.

▪️EL AL.. reports that the company's revenues in the second quarter of 2024 amounted to approximately $839 million, net profit amounted to $147 million dollars.

♦��COUNTER-TERROR - BALATA.. Shechem, DRONE STRIKE!  Terrorist killed in the drone strike was released from Israeli prison for the hostage return in November.  2nd one attacking Israel and killed in the past week.

⭕5 rounds of HEZBOLLAH ROCKETS and SUICIDE DRONES at northern towns overnight and this morning, including 1 BARRAGE.

⭕2 rounds of a HAMAS ROCKET at Kissufim, near Gaza.

[cartermagazine]

Celebrating 25 Years… Les Nubians.

1999 Lady of Soul Train Award Winner - New Group or Duo

2000 Two NCAA Image Awards Nominee

2004 Grammy Awards Nominee

2012 African Diaspora Award Winner - Musician of The Year

Collaborations with: The Roots, Black Eye Peas, Yasiin Bey, Talib Kweli, Towa Tei, Yerba Buena, Morgan Heritage, Beres Hammond, Manu Dibango, Richard Bona, Ray Lema, Mario Canoge, Benjamin Biolay, Kery James, Henri Salvador, Jean-Louis Aubert, Neptunes, Guru, Jazzmatazz, Eric Roberson, Blitz The Ambassador, Boddhi Stva, Spinna…

Shout out @madamehelmiebellini for providing the inspiration.

CARTER™️ Magazine carter-mag.com #wherehistoryandhiphopmeet #historyandhiphop365 #cartermagazine #carter #lesnubians #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #history #staywoke

[messinwitheddie]

Have any tutorials of how you draw your tallest? (Or irkens in general?)

If Cini could wear any human casual clothing, what would he wear that is comfortable?

If he had it his way, would Cini change the life of Irken society?( you know with the whole tall and short thing.) or change everything with the empire expansion. We know their people must have many enemies with other alien races but if there was an alternative to that and not concur or go to war with them, would Cini be that one Tallest to break that cycles? I mean he looked tired of being tallest.

I'm not the best teacher. My drawings are pretty inconsistent. The best I can explain my process is, make a mark, erase a mark, rinse, repeat until it looks like a figure.

These were drawn super quick. Not sure how much help they'll be, but I tried to leave in as many reference lines in as possible.

These are some sketches on how I approach drawing a tallest with the typical JV bone-skinny body frame

The torso is where I struggle the most. I probably draw them too tall, but that's how it comes out.

It's fun to experiment with different body types;

From left to right; Tallest Spittle, Greezee and Blitz

From left to right: Tallest Miyuki, Dava and Kii

I have a tendency to draw women tallests with big hips (because that's fun for me), but Irkens really don't have gender dimorphism, and their fashion/ clothing styles are all unisex, so there's no need to follow that rule when you design your own ocs.

I would have to look through my blog to find any posts about how I draw smaller Irkens. Mostly same advice.

As far as Cini's choice in comfortable human clothing; his robes are very uncomfortable, so anything would feel comfy by comparison.

But I imagine he would immediately gravitate towards those flimsy tie dye sun dresses you see in those little hippie boutiques at the mall. Tie dye is something he would never have seen in the empire plus so many swirls and colors!

He would have a field day dress shopping. Most human male clothes would be too lacking in flair.

And to address the third question; Irkens are brainwashed at birth into believing their height based hierarchy is the natural and correct way for their society to operate and have been brainwashed into believing this for MILLIONS and millions of years.

I'm not sure if it's within the limits of his imagination to conceive a reality where Irkens did not serve a tallest who carried out the will and executed the design of the control brains.

BUT Cini wished from the moment he was measured someone, ANYONE else had been measured taller than him. His favorite partabout being tallest was lounging and smoking record breaking amounts of pipe amber.

His passion was his trapeze act and watching performances at the civilian theater. No "important" occupation really appealed to him when he was a cadet; too boring, not enough fun music and visuals. He only served in the military because all Irkens are required to go through basic training. His stats were a joke as far as his height bracket went. He stayed the same rank for almost 200 years.

Cini tried as hard as he could to be a good tallest, as much as his imposter syndrome made it for him. MOST of his reign was actually spent improving infrastructure within the empire's existing territories. He was a generous patron of the arts and sciences (beyond military research). Service drones legally received more off time and better medical benefits. Cini avoided brute force unless absolutely necessary. He loved to play ambassador. The Vortians, the Space Bees, the Inquisitorians, ect all became official allies of the Irken Armada during Cini's rule. He genuinely took the time and effort to listen to their concerns and compromise.

Cini was wise enough to know it's better to make friends than enemies in the long game, especially unnecessarily. The empire wasn't perfect, but Irkens and alien citizens alike enjoyed a higher quality of living under Cini's leadership methods.

It wasn't until the very end of his reign did he declare a war. He did so because of pressure forced down on him by the control brains, who were intimidated by the corrupting freedoms the lesser drones seemed to be enjoying and deeply concerned by the lack of new conquests that have been made over the centuries.

The Irken/ Planet Jacker war was bloody from the very beginning.

Cini would not live down the shame of his decision. Too many casualties on his conscience.

Every drone is worthy of dignity; Cini believed that. He would change A LOT about Irken society if he could. He tried. He wish he had tried harder.

[helluva-hotel-ask-blog]

(OC RP, no RP blog for her tho lol, but assume that when you see @lifea16 you're talking to Valentina ^v^)

"So, for the record, this is only part time." Valentina practically glared at Charlie, she knows that Charlie needs all the help she can get, doesn't mean she isn't grumpy about having to go all the way back to Pride. "I'm honestly not even sure I'm qualified, but I guess.. you know best. And I was able to help Blitz so I think I'll be fine. My apologies if I was being rather harsh 5 seconds ago" Her demeanor softened, if only slightly.

(Valentina is a somewhat popular therapist who lives in Sloth, who is now a part time therapist of the Hazbin Hotel. She's a Baphomet / Candlehead and Succubus hybrid.)

Charlie - *Nervous chuckle* That's alright! I'm sure the trek from Sloth was long and tiring, so I understand any frustrations you might have!

Just know that you're welcome to stay as long as you like, and that we're VERY grateful for you offering your services to us! *she glances at the others* Because we sure as heck know we need it...

Anyways, allow me to introduce you to our staff and residents!

Charlie - First we have Alastor, our gracious host and co-owner of the hotel, and my girlfriend, Vaggie, our manager and head of security

Alastor - Pleasure to be meeting you, quite the pleasure.

Vaggie - *nods*

Charlie - Husk is our bartender, Niffty's our housekeeper, and Sir Pentious is our heavenly ambassador Husk - *just grunts in greeting, suspicious of her*

Pentious - *Attempting to wrangle Niffty as she runs around, so they can try to look at least somewhat professional*

Charlie - Then we have our residents, Angel Dust, Vidette, Emberlynn, and uh-

Adam - Still not associating with you people.

Charlie - Adam's kind of here, too...

[transgenderer]

The modern concept of town twinning has its roots in the Second World War. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing of Coventry on 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz.[3] First conceived by the then Mayor of Coventry, Alfred Robert Grindlay,[5] culminating in his renowned telegram to the people of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in 1942,[6][7][8] the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events.[9] The comradeship between the two cities continued, when again in response to the Battle of Stalingrad, 830 women in Coventry – led by the subsequent Mayor Emily Smith – had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than big sympathy" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad.[4][10] The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalised in 1944 [11] and, after the end of the war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation,[2][12] with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities: Kiel as early as in 1947 and Dresden in 1956.[3] In 1957, Coventry was officially twinned with Belgrade, however, the link actually dates back to 1953 when the Yugoslav Ambassador visited Coventry and offered a gift of timber from his native country for use in the new Civic Theatre, which when finished was named The Belgrade Theatre.[13]

The purpose of twinnings then got expanded to encourage trade and tourism[1] or to reflect other links, such as towns sharing the same name or migration links.[14] By the 2000s, town twinning became increasingly used to form strategic international business links among member cities,[15][16] and may include localities of any scope such as villages, prefectures, or countries.

kind of sad, to see something kind of real become something for tourism. but yknow. so it goes

[itswashington17]

The ambassador of Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble did an hour livestream showcasing Online co-op Adventure mode in Worlds 1, 4 and 6, as well as a bit of Battle Mode. Here's some details I've found.

- Individual character stats are back with YanYan once again being the one for speedruns with her highest speed. Sadly, MeeMee has the worst speed (sorry MeeMee mains).

- You can save up to 8 customisation setups for each monkey. Easy for anyone looking to find a setup they can use, especially local co-op.

- In the Backpacks section of the customisation, there's backpacks that resembles the one AiAi wears in his Banana Blitz design.

- Remember when I said that I think there's an option to change the colour palette of the monkeys' defaut outfits? Well it's actually a thing that you can do.

- Certain costumes can also have their colour palette changed, but others are only available in separate colours.

- There's costumes where you can actually make your monkey shirtless (like shorts for boxing or swim shorts).

- There's a chat system during any Online modes.

- The main menu has different backgrounds with the monkeys changing position after each play session.

- There are red dash pads as shown in 4-1 - Dash & Dash. Don't know what they do, but maybe they're more powerful than regular dash pads.

- For Online Co-Op, the same rules apply like local Co-Op.

- The stages in this game feel very varied. There's the more traditional obstacle course style stages, but there's also some mazes (like Wonder Maze in World 2 and Elevator Maze in World 6) and some puzzle oriented ones similar to some stages from SMB2 such as having to activate switches from moving platforms to open up the goal in the middle in Spinning Switch or hitting balls that are in your way in Rolling Balls in World 4.

- While the monkeys have new voices in this game (although it's likely that it's the Banana Fritters reprising their roles, but with a different voice direction), they do say the same lines from Banana Mania, as well as a few new lines.

- Online modes allow for private lobbies which you use a code to share with other players if they want to join your lobby.

- Battle Mode has a progression system similar to other online modes in modern games which I assume by playing and winning matches, you gain XP and level up, possibly to unlock rewards.

- In Race Mode of Battle Mode, the stages start out hard, but as time progress, additional platforms and guard rails will appear to allow struggling players to finish the race.

- There are much bigger Bumpers in this game. Whether they're exclusive to Race Mode or that they also appear in Adventure Mode remains unknown.

- In Banana Hunt, there's a Fever mode that activates 30 seconds before the match ends where more bananas appear for you to grab.

- The music played in the Battle Mode portion of the Nintendo Direct trailer is the theme for Banana Hunt while the music for the official JP SMB account's short video on Banana Hunt plays during Fever mode.

- Two more modes for Battle Mode can be seen as they move to Robot Smash. Don't know what they exactly are.

- In Robot Smash, if you can quickly destroy a couple of robots, you can activate a bonus mode for your team that nets you bonus points for a limited time.

I will update this whenever I find additional details.

[acciokaidanalenko]

Taking on the Universe: Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve: The Presidium

Summary: Natasha arrives at the ambassador's office, where she finally meets the Human Ambassador face to face. The Normandy crew's meeting is interrupted by C-Sec.

CW/TW: None.

Preview of chapter below the cut. AO3 link: here.

"And the bad news?" [Natasha] prompted, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"No one else saw what happened out on that dock. So it's your word versus a Spectre," Garrus explained shortly, though the undertones of his voice betrayed his concern.

"And Spectres are above the law," Natasha replied, quoting what Saren had said to her on the dock. Garrus nodded his head somberly, his expression serious as he drummed his talons on the cold metal table. "And what about the surveillance? There's absolutely no trace of him on Eden Prime?"

"All the systems were scrambled. Any backups were lost in the fires. I'm sorry to inform you that most of Paradise burned before the Alliance was able to put out the fires."

Natasha's heart sank. At least after the Blitz the colony had been left standing. If only Paradise had been so lucky.

"Staff Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams's reports say that you were-" Garrus raised his arm and activated his omni-tool. He began reading from the holo screen that appeared with a single flick of his talon. "To quote their reports, "pulled into the aura of the Prothean beacon and lifted into the air". Can you tell me more about that?"

Natasha sighed heavily. She'd been afraid that someone would ask about this.

"That's basically the whole of it, Officer Vakarian," she answered. It wasn't a lie, per se. But she wasn't about to go around telling everyone about the strange visions she'd seen, mixed up with her memories from the Blitz. She'd hoped she'd be able to keep those details between herself, Captain Anderson, and Dr. Chakwas.

The Turians mandibles twitched slightly, as if what she'd said had angered him. He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Commander, please don't call me that. Officer Vakarian is my father. Just call me Garrus."

Natasha smirked at the officer and nodded her head. Having followed both of her parents into the Alliance, she understood the sentiment. "Seems a bit informal, Garrus, but if you insist." Garrus nodded his approval and sat back up.

[a-tale-never-told]

History of Novoselic (Part 3)

So the 1930s rolled in, and the question of who would succeed Josip was in debate. Zoya had most of the qualities to lead but did not have military experience. Paul, by comparison, had a few issues with ruling as a king, but was exceptionable in military tactics, specializing in air warfare and guerilla tactics, and had a keen eye for talent within the youth. But the debate raged on untill eventually, a solution was found: They would vote on it at the Rastek.

It was tough, but everyone in the Rastek and the public decided to vote for who would be the new monarch. After some complications and sorting out a bit, in March of 1932, the first queen of Novoselic, Zoya Nevermind was elected as the new Monarch, by a vote of 143 to 139 in the Ustek, or electoral college. As for Paul, he was appointed as the Novoselic ambassador to Great Britain.

Zoya right off the bat, started to show some strange behavior, such as exhibiting near-dictatorial power, banning free elections and the press, and cracking down on those who spoke up. Created a secret police, called the Auslejc, who proceeded to patrol the streets and arrest people on the accusations of them being "Communist" and "Stalinist sympathizers" Hundreds, even thousands of people were arrested and were purged from the start of her regin untill the end of the war. Propaganda was used extensively to promote Zoya's regime as a golden era and she would like to star in films a lot, often ones that were really bad. It was so bad, that she starred in more movies rather than leading the country, which was in the hands of her ministers.

Back home in Britain, Paul was horrified by the news, but he couldn't go back. Zoya had postponed his flight back to Novoselic indefinitely, no doubt in an attempt to hold onto power. And so Paul stayed, already trying to mend deteriorating relations with Britain and France as Zoya courted Fascist Italy, and now Nazi Germany too. Zoya had taken a liking to Hitler, supporting his policies, especially against the Soviet Union and Communism, even calling for a genocide of ethnic Russians. Paul, on the other hand, was making friends with people like Winston Churchill of all people, who was a key figure in getting Paul back to Novoselic.

As the 30s progressed, Paul was becoming more friendly with the British, though was frustrated at Parliament for hesitating against Fascist aggression in Africa and Europe, like the incidents over Ethiopia and Czechoslovakia. He demanded they stop trying to appease the Germans, claiming that starting a war was what they wanted, and it was already happening, saying that they wouldn't just stop at the German lands. And he was right. On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, starting WW2.

Paul knew this would happen and so talked to Churchill, by now the prime minister, about the possibility of sending him back to Novoselic to lead an insurgent movement against Zoya. Churchill was a little hesitant at first because Paul would have to go through Greece, which was neutral at the time. However, in 1941, the Germans invaded the Balkans in support of Italy, who were getting their ass destroyed by Greece and Yugoslavia. With aid from Novoselic, the Germans invaded and conquered Greece. Since Greece was now part of the conflict, Churchill finally agreed to send Paul back to lead the resistance against the Germans, Italians, and Zoya.

Paul's plan was to fly a plane to occupied Greece in the middle of nowhere, and then drive several miles through tough terrain to head to Novoselic, where he would meet Novoselic partisans fighting the Axis and be their leader. Accompanying him were a few British commandos in disguise, sent by the British as bodyguards to protect him on the way. And so on July 8th, 1941, Paul flew to North Africa and then from there took off to Greece. Once in Greece, Paul wasted no time finding transport, eventually seizing an Opel Blitz that had been left abandoned by the Germans, and drove to Novoselic. The journey was tough, they had to stop for food, water, and gas frequently and were almost detained by the SS, but eventually, he made it to the town of Cara, where the British intelligence said the rebels were there.

Upon arrival, Paul wasted zero time taking charge of the rest of the group and broadcasted his voice to other rebel groups in the country, telling them to unite under him in a coordinated effort to bring down the Axis. Eventually, he untied the rest of the Novoselic groups around his cause by 1942 and went on a guerilla campaign against the Axis. What made Paul special, was that he was great at fighting and leading a rebellion even more than his own father. He would sabotage the tanks and select where to fight, either in the dense forests or the high mountains and hills. He also started the first command pose, which was to show authority in the line of duty.

By 1943, Paul had expelled the Italians out of the mainland, by capturing their field commander during the battle of Ostos. With Italy suing for peace soon after, Paul was left to combat the Germans and Zoya alone. By the middle of 1944, the rebels had taken most of the South of the country and were advancing North. The Germans, by this time, were fighting on all fronts, the Eastern Front had fallen apart and they had to pour resources into fighting everywhere, and fighting Yugoslavian partisans didn't help matters either. Eventually, the German commander in charge decided to give up, and by late 1944, issued a withdrawal into Czechoslovakia.

Zoya, pretty much alone at this point, tried to escape with them, but was found by the partisans. She was captured, tortured, and then executed on Paul's orders. Paul felt guilty at having to order the death of his sister, but it was either her or the nation, and the nation mattered far more to him than his sister, who betrayed the people to the fascists. The following year, British forces coming from Greece arrived in Novoselic, already having self-liberated itself. With Zoya's death, most of the generals surrendered or went into hiding. And so, Novoselic became united again, with them electing Paul as king shortly afterward, and proceeded to do away with Zoya's rules.

But now, Paul had to lead the nation into a new era, against a familiar rival and in a world more spilt the last...

[mariacallous]

Barring another extension, The Phantom of the Opera will close in April and the torch will pass to Chicago as the longest-running show currently on Broadway. The bare-bones revival of this musical of murder and infamy (lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, and book by Ebb and original director Bob Fosse) has played continuously since 1996 — decades longer than the 1975 original production. One might reasonably expect the show to have entered tourist-trap territory by now, with phoned-in performances for half-awake viewers who picked up their discount tickets at the TKTS booth an hour before curtain. But it's one of the great delights of Broadway in 2023 that the cast and crew of Chicago are still performing like it's opening night.

Maybe it's because the story of Chicago has only appreciated in value in the age of social media, "reality" television, George Santos, and any number of fraudulent celebrities who now occupy prime real estate in our national attention. It's about Roxy Hart (Charlotte d'Amboise), an aging flapper who cheats on her husband (an appropriately pathetic Evan Harrington) with a furniture salesman (Brian O'Brien) and then shoots the bastard when he tries to walk out on her. She hires the unscrupulous lawyer Billy Flynn (James T. Lane) to represent her, and he immediately launches a media blitz designed to throw her case to the court of public opinion. If Roxie plays her cards right, she might even leverage her scandal into a career in vaudeville. But she'll have to contend with his other client, Velma Kelly (Amra-Faye Wright), as well as any murderess-turned-tabloid-celebrity coming into the clink after her.

For a show that is so much about the power of novelty in a fickle culture, Chicago benefits most from the seasoned performances of Wright and d'Amboise, both of whom have appeared regularly in this show since the turn of the century. Hopping with mousy, quirky energy, d'Amboise portrays a Roxy who is not a natural stage presence: She's breathy and excitable, and it seems as though any missed step or dropped line will send her rushing for the inhaler. That makes her sudden fame feel even more like a precious commodity she cannot afford to lose. She plays off the audience during "Roxie" like she's giving a one-night-only concert, and seems to particularly delight in antagonizing Velma, the Cristal Connors to her Nomi Malone. Wright plays the part of old pro well, delivering line readings that are as sharp as her dance moves.

Lane has appeared in several roles in Chicago before assuming the role of Billy Flynn. His rich intonation and disingenuous smile conjure the image of velvet smeared with Kerrygold butter — a combination simultaneously decadent and revolting. One never questions his command of the press, particularly the credulous Mary Sunshine. Ryan Lowe, who has played this part for over a decade, still soars into the rafters with his magnificent countertenor. Additionally, he seems to have been lifting hard since I last saw this production, making his second act reveal even more delightfully subversive.

If the veteran performers are the backbone of Chicago, the celebrity replacements (often derided as "stunt casting") are the lifeblood. Chicago has featured Jerry Springer, Pamela Anderson, Wendy Williams, and no fewer than four Real Housewives. These people bring fresh perspectives (and, crucially, new ticket-buyers) to the Ambassador Theatre. It's smart business and good dramaturgy in a musical that is all about the fleeting enchantment of public attention.

The newest addition to Chicago is Jinkx Monsoon, a double winner of RuPaul's Drag Race and the first drag performer (with apologies to NeNe Leakes) to assume the role of Matron "Mama" Morton. From the wild entrance applause she received during a recent Saturday matinee, it's clear that she's holding up her end of the bargain — and she justifies their enthusiasm with a goosebump-producing rendition of "When You're Good to Mama." One of the great belters presently working on the American stage, Monsoon's voice only seems to have grown since her annual holiday show with BenDeLaCreme. While her exaggerated dialect is more Canarsie than Chicago, Monsoon justifies the choice with a fully realized portrayal of Mama as a grotesque inhabitant of this world of smoke and mirrors, in which the most opportunistic always find a way to profit from tragedy. We easily fill in the backstory.

The excellent ensemble does the rest, creating memorable moments within director Walter Bobbie's staging and the late Ann Reinking's precise Fosse-inspired choreography. Rachel Schur's hilariously novel interpretation of Annie (the inmate charged with poisoning her Mormon husband) suggests a frazzled PTA mom. Christine Cornish's heartfelt turn as Hunyak, the Polish immigrant who professes her innocence, injects gravity into an otherwise frivolous spectacle. And Michael Scirrotto's tour de force as every member of the jury practically steals the scene. All these performances pop within a design scheme (atypically spare set by John Lee Beatty, harshly theatrical lighting by Ken Billington, sexy sheer costumes by William Ivey Long) that establishes the essential mood of the piece with brilliant economy. These are the best tricks of experimental theater applied to a big Broadway musical.

I am typically of the opinion that no show has any business occupying a Broadway house for more than a decade: Theater is ephemeral, and the magic tends to wear off as the years pass and performances become stale. Chicago makes this a difficult position to maintain. Ten thousand performances later, it's still dazzling.

[rodeoblitz]

The ambassador mission to hell had been going off without out a hitch. River had already been to the hazbin hotel and talked to Charlie. Now, all they had to do was meet with Lucifer. However, on the way there. The two were attcked by some sinners.

As the two were being fired at, River grab blitz and covered him with her wings as she pulled the two to safety behind cover. However, in the process, a bullet hit River in the wing. Causing excruciating pain to exploed from her wing. She let the imp go but stayed laying on the ground. Trying to stop herself from going into shock.

Blitz wasn't expecting the protection, that was for sure. No one ever protected him. He always was the one doing the defending, at least from his viewpoint. Once in awhile someone would save him.

He got a few good hits on their targets before they got away, he dragged River into a safe spot to try to wrap her up with first aid.

[theparanoid]

Blitz The Ambassador - Diasporadical

(2016 album)

Youtube Playlist | Bandcamp | Spotify

[Hip Hop, Afrobeat]