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spinningblueball · 6 years ago

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NASA Again Delays Launch of James Webb Telescope: Cost Estimate Rises to $9.7 Billion

In a blow to NASA’s prestige and its budget, America’s next great space telescope has been postponed again.

NASA announced on Wednesday that the James Webb Space Telescope, once scheduled to be launched into orbit around the sun this fall, will take three more years and another billion dollars to complete.

A report delivered to NASA by an independent review board estimated that the cost of the troubled Webb telescope would now be $9.66 billion, and that it would not be ready to launch until March 30, 2021.

The board, headed by Tom Young, a former agency manager and aerospace executive, was appointed last spring after parts fell off the telescope during a shake test at its primary contractor, Northrop Grumman in Los Angeles.

In remarks at a press briefing Wednesday, Mr. Young ticked off some of the factors that had led to the crisis, including human errors, excessive optimism and the complexity of the spacecraft.

He said in a statement that moving ahead with the Webb telescope was important for advancements in astronomy, but added: “Ensuring every element of Webb functions properly before it gets to space is critical to its success.”

The telescope, named after former NASA Administrator James Webb, is the agency’s long-awaited successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency.

More than twice as big as the Hubble, the Webb will be the largest and most powerful telescope ever built for space, but its development has been plagued with headaches and delays.

Eight years ago, amid budget overruns that threatened the solvency of NASA’s other projects and earned Webb the sobriquet “the telescope that ate astronomy” from Nature magazine, Congress almost canceled the program. Instead, lawmakers ordered a strict budget cap of $8 billion to develop the telescope. Delays already added nearly $800 million.

The new report means that NASA will surely need another $837 million and exceed that cap. Congress will have to reauthorize the telescope at a cost yet to be determined to other missions. Among the missions that could be threatened, astronomers say, is an ambitious space telescope called WFirst to study dark energy and hunt exoplanets.

The Webb review comes as the House Science Committee, under Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, has been studying how well NASA estimates costs and manages big projects. The answer is, not so well. Testifying before the committee, NASA’s Inspector General Paul Martin criticized the agency’s culture of optimism, saying that project promise of scientific brilliance made them difficult to rein in. “While a few projects in NASA’s recent past have been canceled because of poor cost and schedule performance, a too-big-to-fail mentality pervades agency thinking when it comes to NASA’s larger and most important missions,” he told the committee in mid-June, according to a news bulletin from the American Institute of Physics.

The Webb telescope mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter, or just over 21 feet, compared with 2.4 meters for the Hubble. That makes it seven times larger than the Hubble in light-gathering ability. The Webb was designed to use that power to see farther out in space and deeper into the past of the universe and the smoky aftermath of the Big Bang.

The goal is to explore a realm of cosmic history about 150 million to one billion years after time began — known as the reionization epoch, when bright and violent new stars and the searing radiation from quasars were burning away a gloomy fog of hydrogen gas that prevailed at the end of the Big Bang.

That ambition requires the Webb to be tuned to a different kind of light than our eyes or the Hubble can see. Because the expansion of the cosmos is rushing those earliest stars and galaxies away from us so fast, their light is “red-shifted” to longer wavelengths the way the siren from an ambulance shifts to a lower register as it passes by.

So blue light from an infant galaxy bursting with bright spanking new stars way back then has been stretched to invisible infrared wavelengths, or heat radiation, by the time it reaches us 13 billion years later.

As a result, the Webb telescope will produce cosmic postcards in colors no eye has ever seen. It also turns out that infrared emanations are the best way to study exoplanets, the worlds beyond our own solar system that have been discovered by the thousands since the Webb telescope was first conceived.

In order to see those infrared colors, however, the telescope has to be very cold — less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit above absolute zero — so that its own heat does not swamp the heat from outer space. Once in space, the telescope will unfold a giant umbrella the size of a tennis court to keep the sun off it. The telescope, marooned in permanent shade a million miles beyond the moon, will experience an infinite cold soak.

The sunshield consists of five thin, kite-shaped layers of a material called Kapton. Way too big to fit into a rocket, the shield, as well as the telescope mirror, will have to launch folded up. It will then be unfolded in space in a series of some 180 maneuvers that look in computer animations like a cross between a parachute opening and a swimming pool cover going into place. Engineers refer to that series of events as “six months of anxiety.” Needless to say, way out there, it will be forever beyond the reach of astronaut repair crews.

NASA had disclosed in March that several problems arose during tests. Among other things, the tennis-court-sized sun shield ripped during a practice deployment. And cables designed to keep the shield taut had too much slack and could have snagged during the real unfurling in space, a million miles from help.

About 70 fasteners that had not been secured during a shake test, came loose. At least two of them have still not been found. The delay is costing NASA about $1 million a day, according to Thomas Zarbuchen, the agency’s associate administrator for space science. But, he added, “Webb is worth it.”

Natalie Batalha of NASA’s Ames Research Center, a member of Webb’s Early Release Science team for exoplanets, agreed. But she said the delays were disappointing and could undermine the country’s appetite for ambitious projects. The delay could cut into plans to coordinate with TESS, a satellite already up looking for planets for the Webb telescope to study. But, she said, “There is no room for error. We must get it right the first time. And so we exercise patience and prudence, mindful of the payoff when the first data come down.”

#james webb telescope #james webb space telescope #nasa #stargazing #astrophoto #astrophotography #galaxy #astronomy #universe #space #nebula #spinningblueball #milky way #milky way galaxy #star

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rebeccaheyman · 4 years ago

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reading + listening 10.20.20

My review is a day late because I allocated some of my weekly reading time to binge-watching ENOLA HOLMES on Netflix (based on a book, so had to check it out). What a charming, beautifully constructed, well-acted show! The closer we get to Election Day, the more easily-consumable content I need, which basically means non-stop Bake Off and/or novel adaptations from here to November 3rd.

Without further ado, my reviews:

All Stirred Up (Brianne Moore), aBook (narr. by Mary Jane Wells). I actually ended up receiving an ARC of this audiobook last week, despite the fact that the release was earlier this month. Not sure exactly how that happened but here we are all the same! My 3-star review from NetGalley:

I confess I chose this title based almost entirely on the fact that it's narrated by Mary Jane Wells, one of my favorite narrators of all time. MJW could narrate the phone book and I'd probably give it a fair listen, but luckily her material in Brianne Moore's ALL STIRRED UP is considerably more dynamic--not to mention a perfect canvas for MJW to flex her range, accents, and humor.

ALL STIRRED UP is pitched as _inspired by_ Austen's Persuasion; it is NOT pitched as a Persuasion retelling, which seems to have escaped several other reviewers. The trendiness of Austen comps has made me wary of contemporary titles that lay claim to a comparison, especially since many of them are so atrocious. I would much rather see Alcove and Dreamscape market this title around more realistic comps: SCHITT'S CREEK meets DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME, with a helping of GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW heaped on for good measure. Like Mhairi McFarlane's work, ALL STIRRED UP features a slow-burn, second-chance romance, and two protagonists who have a number of personal demons to excise before they can get to the business of loving one another. The plot largely relies on external, non-romantic conflict to move forward, but Susan's family drama touched on compelling (if at times heartbreaking) issues that brought the Napier clan to life in brilliant detail.

Make no mistake, the romance itself is not the central conflict here; marketing should stress that this is contemporary fiction and/or women's fiction. While the history between Susan and Chris gives rise to emotional tension throughout the book, their relationship is NOT the central conflict -- and therefore this is not a category romance. I stress this because a good number of reviews seem to dock stars for the fact, but the book delivers on its promises if you actually read the blurb. Again, marketing might have considered a cover that doesn't lean so heavily on romance cues (feature more of the Napier family, feature Susan alone, accentuate the dueling restaurants rather than their owners, etc).

I was mostly charmed by ALL STIRRED UP, despite some emotional blows from parent/grandparent/friend deaths (in the past, not in the action proper), former drug abuse, and depictions of an anxiety disorder/ptsd. Ultimately, I found this novel heartfelt and uplifting, with the added bonus of authentic-feeling foodie content. MJW's narration is absolute perfection, and I hope we get more Moore/Wells collabs in the future.

The Project (Courtney Summers) eBook ARC (pub date: February 2021). Slam-dunk five-star read from my favorite suspense author. My review on NetGalley:

Few writers do suspense as artfully as Courtney Summers; years after reading SADIE, I can still easily recall the tense, aching anxiety I felt while reading it, and my heartfelt sadness at its conclusion. Summers' latest, THE PROJECT, delivers big when it comes to tension, aching anxiety, and heartfelt sadness all -- but it is also a masterclass in dual timeline structure, emotional depth, enigmatic characterization, and subtlety.

Lo's and Bea's relationships to one another, as well as The Unity Project and its mysterious leader, Lev Warren, propel the action of the novel forward. Lo sets out to answer a central question: Where is Bea? And second to that, is The Project a good-works-driven charitable organization, or a cult of personality with a dark underbelly? The more Lo uncovers about The Project, the less clear its purpose becomes -- while at the heart of it all stands Lev Warren, Redeemer and redeemed, lover and beloved.

Summers is one of those very rare authors writing true "crossover" -- fiction that could be as easily assigned to YA as adult audiences. To limit THE PROJECT to either category would be to deny its importance to both. About young readers, Summers recently wrote in a PW article, that they inhabit "a world where the cost of their education could be the bullet that kills their dreams, a world where they’ve witnessed the gross government mishandling of a pandemic, a world where the brutal killings of Black Americans at the hands of police go largely unanswered for, and a world where the flagrant disregard of their future by politically powerful climate change deniers is pulling us ever closer to a global crisis from which there will be no return." Lo's life reflects the complexity of today's young adult experience without dragging the specifics of _now_. The result is nuanced portrait of a young woman living a decidedly adult life, rarely of her own volition, and with the added complication of a traumatic history.

THE PROJECT is an up-all-night, read-til-its-done page-turner that kept me guessing to the end (and I'm hard to surprise!). I'm hopeful that Netflix will pick this up for series development, as it would utterly crush when translated to the screen. Looking ever so forward to more from an author who just gets better with every release.

From Blood and Ash (Jennifer L Armentrout), eBook. Imagine if you would the most reductive, hackneyed mash-up of SJM and Twihard, and you’ll get close to understanding what FROM BLOOD AND ASH is all about. For several days last week, it felt like the readers I follow on social media were obsessing over this book; they praised the OTP romance, dynamic world-building, and nonstop plot. But what I found instead was a poorly developed world rife with all the old familiar tropes, a romance that brings up serious issues of consent and gaslighting, and reliance on poorly reinvented plot lines from better trashy fantasies. Le sigh.

Perhaps it’s my old age, but I’ve lost my taste for books that spend significant time and narrative space developing the in-world cultural, social, political, and religious structures, only to “gotcha” the hero(ine) and reader by revealing it was aLL a LiE. This book does that in last-gasp attempt to salvage some conflict late in Act III, and it’s not okay.

Also not okay is the power imbalance between the heroine and her very-obviously-the-mysterious-baddie-no-one’s-ever-seen counterpart. Review after review praises the hot heat in FBaA, but I couldn’t get past the hate-banging. Men who yell TELL ME YOU WANT THIS while practically inside their partners are not enacting a sexy, heroic, impassioned version of consent; they’re just ticking a box for “not rape” that has nothing to do with actual desire. It’s a hard pass for me.

This was almost as much of a letdown as Serpent & Dove, but both titles can battle it out for Most Derivative Trash Fantasy 2020.

The Bromance Book Club and Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2) (Lyssa Kay Adams), aBook (narr. Andrew Eiden, with Maxwell Caulfield on book 1). I snagged the first of this series from my library’s digital collection when I was looking for some easy listening over the weekend, and I’m so pleased to tell you this is an incredibly charming series. Adams turns some familiar romance tropes upside-down by focusing on a group of men (the titular book club) who read romance novels -- aka manuals -- to better understand their relationships with women. This hunky group of alphas has a collectively soft underbelly; they live by the lessons gleaned from the romances die-hard readers love, such as “always run for a grand gesture” and “back story is everything.” In Bromance #1, we have excerpts from a regency romance interwoven with the primary narrative, which focuses on Gavin and Thea’s almost-totally-broken marriage. Do I wish the major marital conflict had less to do with orgasms? I do. But was it a fun, intriguing, well-narrated listen with a great secondary cast and some bona fide laughs? It was. Positive rep for speech impediments added to the magic. In Undercover Bromance, Mack and Liv work the enemies-to-lovers trope to fairly great effect, though the story touches on some troublingly dark topics (CW for sexual predation, murder, domestic abuse, abandonment, childhood trauma). Still, both Liv and Mack bring some unexpected features to the narrative, and it’s great to see the dynamic secondary cast further developed from book 1. My only real complaint is the forever-dull “dead cell phone” gimmick late in Act III. I can forgive Adams this one hackneyed indulgence, though I hope she doesn’t make a habit of it. Book 3 in this series (Crazy Stupid Bromance) release October 27, and the cat/hunk/romance novel featured on the cover is all the motivation I need to preorder.

#all stirred up #the bromance book club #undercover bromance #from blood and ash #the project #netgalley #book review #romance #fantasy

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circular-time · 7 years ago

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Big Finish Doctor Who on Spotify as of May 2017

In a fit of fancrastination, I’ve compiled for you a linked masterlist of ALL FREE DOCTOR WHO AUDIOS on Spotify with quick notes to help you choose. You’ll need to register a login but can then start listening immediately.

Summary: Main Range 1-50, Lost Stories Season 1, Fourth Doctor S1, Eighth Doctor S1, UNIT: Dominion (essentially Seventh Doctor Adventures S1), Short Trips Vol. 1-2, Companion Chronicles S2, Destiny of the Doctor 50th anniversary anthology, stageplay adaptations, Dalek Empire S1-2, Jago & Litefoot S1-5, Benny S2-5, Iris 2-4, I, Davros, Graceless S1-3, Cyberman

Main Range are 4x25 minute episodes with cliiffhangers; the rest are usually an hour, apart from Short Trips which are 8x15-minute short stories.

Here’s the whole shebang:

Main Range 1-50 [Complete Playlist]

Full cast audio plays which try as closely as possible to capture the style/feel of classic who TV serials, with better writing and a bit more character development. Most Main Range are standalone. Those with arcs I’ve starred (Eight & Charley audios all follow a loose character development arc; * are the ones with essential beats for Charley’s Bigass Plot. “Project: [X]” ** audios are a multi-Doctor arc.) Bold are audios I rated 8/10 or above on my vhswhovian reviews blog.

Sirens of Time - Five, Six, Seven (A bit meh; BF finding their feet)

Phantasmagoria - Fifth Doctor and Turlough (fun but basic historical)

Whispers of Terror - Six, Peri (adequate, guest star Lisa Bowerman)

Land of the Dead - Fifth Doctor and Nyssa (some good bits, some bad)

The Fearmonger - Seventh Doctor, Ace (excellent but dark)

The Marian Conspiracy - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Evelyn’s intro, historical)

The Genocide Machine - Seventh Doctor, Ace (fine, but BF can be better)

Red Dawn - Fifth Doctor, Peri (adequate; guest star: Georgia Moffat!)

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor - Six, Evelyn, BRIGADIER (quite good)

Winter for the Adept - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (so-so; guest star: India Fisher)

The Apocalypse Element - Six, Evelyn, ROMANA (Action! Gallifrey! RTD later referenced this story as an opening salvo of the Time War)

The Fires of Vulcan - Seventh Doctor, Mel (Decent historical, Pompeii)

The Shadow of the Scourge - Seven, Ace, Benny (I liked, but it’s grade B SF / comic book camp)

The Holy Terror - Sixth Doctor, Frobisher (fan favorite, terrifying crackfic)

The Mutant Phase - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (draggy plot, good 5&N character moments)

Storm Warning* - Eight, Charley (A modest beginning but required listening for Charley’s arc; Gust star Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7)!

Sword of Orion - Eight, Charley (Basic Classic Who SF; I enjoyed it)

Stones of Venice - Eight, Charley (Melodramatic retro-future Venice)

Minuet in Hell - Eight, Charley, Brigadier (a trainwreck, one of BF’s few misfires; someone needs to extract the Brigadier Writes Scathing Email To His Superiors scenes from the wreckage.)

Loups-Garoux - Fifth Doctor, Turlough (Melodramatic werewolves)

Dust Breeding - Seventh Doctor, Ace, and a very special guest star (spoilers sweetie) - two, actually, there’s Caroline John (aka Liz Shaw). I was a bit down on this when I rated it, but it’s grown on me.

Bloodtide - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Good but unexceptional historical made better by this team)

Project: Twilight** - Six, Evelyn (Powerful but very dark.)

The Eye of the Scorpion - Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem’s intro! (Rollicking adventure.)

Colditz- Seventh Doctor, Ace, Klein’s intro (guest star David Tennant. Ace in a WWII Nazi prison. Memorable and a bit of a turning point for her.)

Primeval - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (FINALLY a good story for them; guest star Steven Grief (Travis in Blake’s 7. I’m biased but it’s a fave.)

The One Doctor - Sixth Doctor, Mel (A fond spoof of classic Who.)

Invaders from Mars - Eight, Charley (Riff on War of the Worlds Orson Welles broadcast; I don’t like the stereotypical sleazy gay villain)

The Chimes at Midnight* (Eight, Charley) This Christmas horror story and Spare Parts were voted the top two Big Finish audios ever.

Seasons of Fear* (Eight, Charley) I love this one; each part lets them tackle the same problem in a different historical era.

Embrace the Darkness (Eight, Charley) Good SF horror. I like it, but it’s not quite as excellent/essential as its two predecessors for the arc.

The Time of the Daleks* (Eight, Charley) Not my favorite Dalek story, but there’s some important beats for their arc you probably shouldn’t skip.

Neverland* (Eight, Charley, Romana) Payoff/crisis point for Eight and Charley’s arc. Essential listening. I suspect this one influenced Gatiss and RTD in how the new series envisioned Gallifrey.

Spare Parts* (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Guest star Sally Knyvette (Blake’s 7). One of the top two rated Big Finishes ever, basically Genesis of the Cybermen. IF YOU LISTEN TO ONLY ONE... But it’s dark.

...Ish. (Sixth Doctor, Peri) I adore this one, but it’s a little esoteric.

The Rapture (Seventh Doctor, Ace) Bleah. Seven takes Ace to a rave; Ace sulks. Cover art and techno remix of Who theme are best part.

The Sandman (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) Good worldbuilding-SF adventure.

The Church and the Crown (Six, Peri, Erimen) Good historical.

Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Spoof of classic Star Trek. Amusing in spots, but it’s no Galaxy Quest.

Jubilee (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) RTD liked this one so much he asked Rob Shearman to rewrite/adapt it to help kickstart nu Who. Dalek was the result. Very different, but you can see how the story germ (and one of the best scenes) are the same.

Nekromantia (Five, Peri, Erimem) Listen at your own risk; only one I’ve skipped on friends’ recommendations; includes gratuitous sexual assault on companion without dealing with the fallout from it.

The Dark Flame (Seven, Ace, Benny) Disappointingly meh horror.

Doctor Who and the Pirates (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) - fan favorite, Gilbert & Sullivan meet Pirates of the Caribbean, “Gallifreyan Buccaneer” song.

Creatures of Beauty - (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Daring experiment in storytelling, dark, but excellent. Be prepared to be confused for a while; it’s like a jigsaw puzzle with the picture gradually coming together.

Project: Lazarus** - (Six, Seven, Evelyn.) OUCH. Good, but more angst.

Flip Flop (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Clever story which works equally well if you start with CD#1 (Part I) or CD #2 (Part III).

Omega (Fifth Doctor) - leading up to Big Finish’s 50th release in 2003, 5 years after BF began, the Main Range Doctors each got to face off with a classic Who antagonist. All of these are excellent.

Davros (Sixth Doctor) - Guest star Wendy Padbury (aka Zoe Heriot, 2nd Doctor companion playing a different character)

Master (Seventh Doctor) - fan-controversial but excellent story purporting to reveal the Doctor & Master’s childhood.

Zagreus* (Eight, Charley) - fanservice 6-part epic that some fans love, others loathe; I enjoy it but think it’s about one episode too long. Every single classic Who Doctor/companion Big Finish could get their hands on plays someone in this, not necessarily their usual role. It accidentally sets the stage for the Gallifrey political drama when Leela and Romana meet for the first time.

From here on I’ve only heard a handful, so you’re on your own. :)

Lost Stories Season 1 (Six and Peri) [Complete Playlist]

Lost Stories are abandoned classic Who TV scripts, stories that died in development, or stories from lost seasons that were never filmed. Big Finish revised, rewrote, improved and finished them. The first series is Colin Baker’s Revenge: the season that was lost when the show went on hiatus through no fault of his.

The Nightmare Fair

Mission to Magnus

Leviathan

The Hollows of Time

Paradise 5

The Song of Megaptera

The Macros

The Fourth Doctor Boxset - Fourth Doctor & Leela (two stories)

Fourth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Four and Leela)

One-hour adventures. [Complete Playlist]

Destination Nerva

The Renaissance Man

The Wrath of the Iceni (i’ve heard this one; it’s a decent historical with Boudicca)

Energy of the Daleks

Trail of the White Worm

The Osidon Adventure

Eighth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Eight and Lucie “Bleedin’” Miller)

One-hour adventures. The Eighth Doctor moved from the Main Range to his own series after Charley left. [Complete Playlist]

Blood of the Daleks pt 1

Blood of the Daleks pt 2 - yes that IS guest star Hayley Atwell :)

Horror of Glam Rock

Immortal Beloved

Phobos

No More Lies

Human Resources Pt. 1

Human Resources Pt. 2

UNIT: Dominion [Complete Playlist]

The Seventh Doctor, Elizabeth Klein, Raine (a companion that would’ve come aboard after Ace had classic Who not been cancelled), and **SPOILER REDACTED** played by the brilliant Alex MacQueen. This is a series of four one-hour stories. Haven’t heard it, but I’ve heard good things about it.

Short Trips Anthologies Volume One and Two

Unlike most Big Finish ranges, Short Trips are not full-cast radio plays. They’re mini audiobooks, nowadays half an hour, but these anthologies are eight 15-minute short stories read by a single narrator, usually a companion or (for Five and Six) the Doctor himself. I love listening to these while doing chores. Vol I has several of my favorites including Colin Baker’s very own delightful fanfic “Wings of a Butterfly.”

The Companion Chronicles Season 2 [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures. Early on, Big Finish hit upon CCs as a way to tell stories with Doctors who are no longer with us, recollected by their surviving companions. They’re fan favorites because they tend to show the Doctor and the adventure through each companion’s eyes. I’ve heard 2 & 4 and enjoyed them; from what I’ve heard the other two are even better.

Mother Russia - Steven (First Doctor, Dodo)

The Catalyst - Leela (Fourth Doctor)

Helicon Prime - Jamie (Second Doctor)

Old Soldiers - Brigadier (Third Doctor)

Destiny of the Doctor - 50th anniversary special [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures, essentially Companion Chronicles for every Doctor as of 2013, narrated by a companion from that Doctor’s run. (Except Nine, unfortunately; it’s narrated by a monster from that era instead. ;) ) Smoke and Mirrors was good, representative of its TARDIS team; I expect the others are too.

Hunters of Earth - First Doctor, Susan (Carole Ann Ford)

Shadow of Death - Second Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines)

Vengeance of the Stones - Third Doctor, Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)

Babblesphere - Fourth Doctor, Romana II (Lalla Ward)

Smoke and Mirrors - Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, Adric (Janet Fielding)

Trouble in Paradise - Sixth Doctor, Peri (Nicola Bryant)

Shockwave - Seventh Doctor, Ace (Sophie Aldred)

Enemy Aliens - Eighth Doctor, Charley (India Fisher)

Night of the Whisper - Ninth Doctor, Rose, Jack (Nicholas Briggs)

Death’s Deal - Tenth Doctor, Donna (Catherine Tate)

The Time Machine - Eleventh Doctor, Clara (Jenna Coleman)

Doctor Who - The Stageplays [Complete Playlist]

Big Finish adapted/redramatized a few classic Who stories that made it to the stage over the years. I have no idea how good these are but assume Big Finish wouldn’t showcase them on Spotify if they weren’t good advertisements.

The Ultimate Adventure - 1980s stageplay, Sixth Doctor

Seven Keys to Doomsday - 1970s stageplay, an AU Doctor

The Curse of the Daleks - 1960s stageplay with no Doctor at all, starring Michael Praed?!!! (Whatever happened to him anyway?) and of course, Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks on TV and audio.

Dalek Empire [COMPLETE PLAYLIST]

Dalek Empire, Nicholas Briggs’ baby, is one of Big Finish’s earliest spinoffs, and it is... epic, gripping, and heartbreaking. It asks the chilling question: what if the Daleks strike when the Doctor is not around to stop them (since this took place after Zagreus, and he wasn’t around for a while?)

It turned Daleks from an annoying and somewhat silly Who monster I disliked to a terrifying force one truly believes are the most dangerous monsters in the universe. But the humans/humanoids in this story are what make it truly powerful. The memorable Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7) plays Kalendorf, but Sarah Mowat as Susan Mendez is the real star. (David Tennant also starred in series 3 before being cast as the Doctor.)

Individual episodes:

Invasion of the Daleks

The Human Factor

Death to the Daleks!

Project Infinity

Dalek War 1

Dalek War 2

Dalek War 3

Dalek War 4

Writers of Doctor Who like Rob Shearman and Paul Cornell refused to write the second season because they wanted to enjoy it as fans. I’m sure RTD had these Daleks in mind when he envisioned the Time War. I can’t recommend it enough

Jago & Litefoot

35 years ago, my Mom said the guest characters Jago & Litefoot in The Talons of Weng-Chiang were so good they should have their own spinoff. Tragically, she was right, but she’s forgotten all about them, and I can’t get her to listen. Don’t make the same mistake. They’re brilliant: Victorian paranormal investigators, old friends of the Doctor.

Season 1 (4 stories)

Series 2 (4 stories)

Series 3 (4 stories)

Series 4 (4 stories)

Series 5 (4 stories)

Bernice Summerfield Seasons 2-5 [Complete Playlist]

Professor Bernice (Benny) Summerfield is the smart, cynical 26th-century archaeologist-cum-Lara-Croft who really, really needs a drink. Her sometime nemesis Braxiatel may be the Doctor’s own brother. I’ve only caught a few Bennys, but Lisa Bowerman has played her for 20 years— in fact, Big Finish won the license to product audio Who thanks to the calibre of the early Benny range.

I’m going to be lazy and not copy all of them here because I think that playlist has all of them on Spotify: Five seasons, 3 stories per season.

Iris Wildthyme Series 2-4 [Complete Playlist]

I grew up watching Katy Manning as Jo Grant, the Third Doctor’s companion, but in her old age Katy is having an absolute ball playing Time Lady (?) Iris Wildthyme, rocketing around the universe driving her double-decker bus TARDIS and getting into almost as much trouble as she causes. Retired movie star, fashion icon and alcohol connoisseur, Iris is another amazing personality in the Who Expanded Universe.

I, Davros [4 stories]

Terry Molloy returns as Davros, fleshing him out into a 3-dimensional villain who reminds me far too much of some current leaders. Except he’s diabolically smarter.

Graceless Series 1-3

The Tracers of the Key to Time have been personified into a good an evil twin. These are spinoff characters from the Main Range Key to Time trilogy.

Cyberman Series 1 Series 2

Okay, this one I know nothing about.

#spotify #big finish #doctor who #classic who #doctor who eu #big finish for FREEEEEEEE

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hoursofreading · 7 years ago

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@semantictheory tagged me to say five things about me that I like, and since the things I like about me are very much less than five, I’ll just say five things anyway - which sort of defeats the whole point of this exercise but anyway -

yesterday, my brother talked about Space. and by talked, i mean - asked me a lot of questions which I didn’t know the answer to. questions like what happened before the big bang? where were the stars, the sea? how did life form? and i told him the iron in your blood is from the stars, the calcium in your bones, the carbon in your genes. and where you were before you were born (when the pyramids were built, in the 1400s, in 2000, in 2005) - that’s where the stars were before they were born. i don’t think he was satisfied with that answer, but I promised him I ‘ll give him the necessary books, resources etc so he can understand

refrained from talking about gamma ray bursts, which spiraled middle school me into a pseudo existential crisis

where was i? oh yeah - did i tell you about the time where my brain half considered buying an italian castle? it goes like this: a few weeks ago, never mind where, i saw a posting that said that italy was giving away some 100 historical castles and villas for free [”to entrepreneurs who promise to transform the locations into tourist destinations”]. i didn’t read that part. but my mouse hovered over the “contact us if you want more info” link for more time than necessary - partly because the concept of me owning something - a very large something - was foreign and appealing because it was foreign and partly because if someone asked, i could say hey, i don’t have a job, i don’t have a license but i own an italian castle on the outskirts of turin. it’s MINE, isn’t that cool???

two weeks after that incident, i got a job.

it’s so weird now, saying and writing and seeing that sentence. i got a job. i have a job. i am a job haver. i got a job before graduating. and it has nothing to do with my major. i have a job. and it feels distant, almost. i thought i would be jumping with joy - i have a job. 1/3 things required to be an adult!! - but no. just quiet acceptance. i have a job. of course.

it involves writing a lot of python. it’s remote. there’s little to no code review. i report directly to the ceo/cto. but i get introduced as k, she’s the software developer. and that feels weird. i’m a student but i’m also a software developer

there’s a lot of books i want to read. there’s always going to be a lot of books to read. i have this insatiable thirst to learn everything about the world and it’s annoying because sometimes i feel all alone. who wants to know about sun tzu or economic structure of venuezela or how dark matter contributed to the death of dinosaurs. who wants to know that? why can’t i be like everyone else?

you know, those feelings.

but whatever. it seems tumblr is the only place where i can talk.

a fifth thing - data structures + algorithms bootcamp is starting next week. hopefully, this would make me all set to pass whiteboard interviews. the dream job is ofc, google, b/c they have lots of data and they approach everything at scale and i love their learning environment and i could see myself growing there everyday and hopefully i can bring google reader back.

also i love their system of goal setting (okrs) very much.

“Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is a popular technique for setting and communicating goals and results in organizations. Its main goal is to connect company, team and personal objectives to measurable results, making people move together in right direction”

I’m trying to mold OKRs for personal goals, rather than company goals.

Objective: become really good at dsa.

Questions: what does “really good” mean? how do you measure success? how do you retain that knowledge?

Key Results: solve 10 medium leetcode questions in a row without additional resources, 20 min each per question.

so yeah - that’s my life. i feel so 22.

#personal #thank you to semantictheory for getting me talking about everything that's on my mind

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chromeskiesstuff · 5 years ago

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Designated Survivor 60 Days - EP1 recap and review

Designated Survivor 60 days is an adaptation of the US series, Designated Survivor. I became very hooked to this show after EP1 so I will recommended it to everyone including audiences that does not usually enjoy political dramas. Its very well written without being too dark, and most of the characters are very well acted, complex, have their own motivations and their minute interactions are cute, funny and sometimes swoon worthy moments weaved into the main arc.

On a larger scale, we are potentially witnessing the main lead's growth from a novice to a politician due to circumstances, and a mystery looming at large. The cast, the scriptwriter and the director has interweave these themes and arcs in such a way that they are synced with each other.

PLOT

The Plot start out with the male lead, Park Mu Jin (Ji Jin Hee; Misty) who is driving his family to somewhere. He was nervous on the whole journey, but was evidently trying to pick up his courage to confess on something, only to be cowed by his wife's demeanor (Kim Gyu Ri). He seems to be covering up something, which makes his wife even more suspicious, but was stopped by him break suddenly when a car stopping in front of him, only to be bumped by another car.

The road is on a standstill, and everyone was shocked to see smokes coming out of the National Assembly. His wife kneels down. Her daughter who is visiting the Assembly seems to be trapped there as her teacher is not responding to his wife calls. Park Mu Jin runs to the assembly.

He watches firemen and medics rushing him by, and he tries to find his daughter among the chaos. The Assembly crumbles moments later.

The scene is then rewinded literally to one day back, giving us a glimpse of our major characters and what they are doing one day ago.

Commentaries

I find it interesting that instead of a straight line narrative, the first arc goes straight into the climax before the story gives us not one but flashbacks with multiple character narratives, which gives us a glimpse of future major characters' personalities and interactions with people around them.

Plot wise I like that it uses Park Mu Jin nervousness to convey the tension in screen before the bombing plot begins. The plot is full of tension and fast paced in the beginning before it slowed down to provide us insight to the main characters prior the bombing. I have heard a lot of good things about the scriptwriter of Sungkyunkwan Scandal (Kim Tae Hee) but have never watched any of her dramas. She has a good feel on how a plot structure should go, how plot and character arcs should intertwine with each other.

https://twitter.com/Joansallen/status/1152755111359180803

In terms of directing and cinematography, director Yoo Jong Sun (Descendant of the Sun, What's wrong with Secretary Kim) has done it again. He has a very good sense on how to mix the right colours. For example, look at how well done the Intro is, and close up shots on our characters' actions, and without making heavy scenes too dark ( a common mistake among Korean directors).

One of my favourite shots by him are on close up on Park Mu Jin shoes, which conveys his nervousness and his being uncomfortable as a politician

Characters

Park Mu Jin (Ji Jin Hee)

https://twitter.com/Joansallen/status/1152756326503555072

Ji Jin Hee did a very good job to convey his character within 1 Episode. A career academic in a highly successful university is appointed as a politician and one who is not used to his role. Frequently being mute to others and lost in his own thoughts, and seemingly has strong principles of his own. The director has presented multiple close ups of him being uncomfortable in his shoes, preferring sneakers to shoes when he has the opportunity to change it, and crawling under the desk to pick up trash bottles during a meeting. Ji Jin Hee portrays the awkwardness of the character pretty well.

His nervousness is noticeable even when he is fetching his family. He is aware that his son somehow gets into another fight again but was afraid to ask him. He seems to be afraid of his wife. These are not the signs of a fearless leader but rather the opposite. It will be interesting how he will handle a crisis so foreign to his own experience.

After the bombing, Ji Jin Hee display his utter bewilderment on the situation, his worrying about his daughter, the chaos after the bombing, and his realization that he has been elected as acting President, when the nation is in crisis.

Secretary Cha (Son Seok Kuu)

We are given in a glimpse into Secretary Cha (Son Seok Koo; Sense8 and Matrimonial Chaos) , one of the senior aides to the President. One thing I like about his portrayal is that we kept second guessing whether he has ulterior motives, perhaps due to the unusual mix in his character as being both loyal and realistic. He looks like he is about to give his friend a favour by getting the script of the President's speech, but his friend realises that he is fooling him. At the same time there are hints that he is willing to settle the trade with US if its up to him despite it will likely increase fine dust in Korea substantially. Son Seok Koo has shown that he could portray multiple layers of Secretary Cha, of him being serious, intelligent, quick witted professional, and at the same time, hiding a sarcastic, loyal and slightly hot headed personality behind him, while held his head straight post bombing and trying to guiding a clueless acting president around. Its not an easy role to portray, and he passes it with flying colours. I wont spoil more, but his character is one of the highlights in the drama.

We are also given a glimpse to Secretary Jeong (Choi Yoon Young), whom her major interactions are with Park Mu Jin and Secretary Cha. For Park Mu Jin, she has a very good understanding of her boss and seems to admire his honest and upright character and genuinely acts for his well being. She understood his nervousness well and take his side on most issues.

Secretary Han, President Yang

This is an interesting mix. President Yang (Kim Kap Soo; Chief of Staff) seems to be kind and genuinely taking care of his country and people. However, his ratings are falling badly, and yet he has not finished his task of helping his country, which causes him a lot of anxiety. Secretary Han, Chief of Secretary, seems to take a role of soothing him and try to achieving his plans.

However upon the bombing, Secretary Han, like Secretary Cha, is no slouch. Quickly changing plans, arranging remaining staff to be part of the Acting President's new staff. There are things about both of them haven't come to light yet, and both actors has excellent portrayal as villains before this and hence, the audience might need a few more EPs to decide what are they and their motivation.

Secretary Han, President Yang

Other Roles

The opposition and the Police will definitely portray a big role in the future. The anti-terrorism detective, played by Kang Han Na as Han Na Kyung. Not much could be said right now, but the potential mystery/detective line to find out the bomber is intriguing.

SOUNDTRACK and SOUND MIXING

One of the underrated part of this drama is on soundtrack and soundmixing. TVN has a very good track record in doing soundtracks and soundmixing (see Signal and Confession), however I feel that from EP1 this is one hell of a soundtrack. For example pending doom style soundtrack avoids the cliche of booms and bangs but rather choose a variation of a single note.

That's it for now. I hope I could recap all episodes before the broadcast of EP7, and some BTS below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByZ9xhaHmIY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

A similar post is done on wordpress

#DesignatedSurvivor60days #JiJinHee #SonSeokKoo #Designated Survivor: 60 Days

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tuseriesdetv · 7 years ago

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Guía de series: Estrenos y regresos de septiembre 2017

Con septiembre vuelven Narcos, AHS, Doctor Foster, BoJack, Outlander, Better Things, Broad City, You're the Worst y muchas más, pero sin olvidarnos de las novedades. Las cadenas en abierto ya empiezan a traernos, junto a sus series veteranas, los primeros encargos de los Upfronts de mayo. Recordad que las cadenas británicas anuncian sus estrenos con muy poca antelación. La guía irá actualizándose conforme sea necesario.

¡Feliz septiembre!

Leyenda:

Verde: series nuevas.

Rojo: series de las que haremos reviews semanales.

Negro: regresos de otras series.

Naranja: miniseries.

Amarillo: tvmovies, especiales o pilotos.

Morado: season finales.

Morado claro: midseason finales.

Calendario de series

1 de septiembre:

Narcos (3T completa) y Little Evil en Netflix

Diana, 7 Days en NBC

Killjoys (3T finale) en Syfy

3 de septiembre:

Twin Peaks (3T finale) en Showtime

Power (4T finale) en Starz

Strike - The Cuckoo's Calling en BBC One

4 de septiembre: Diana and I en BBC Two

5 de septiembre:

American Horror Story: Cult (7T) en FX

Doctor Foster (2T) en BBC One

The Bold Type (1T finale) en Freeform

Shooter (2T finale) en USA Network

6 de septiembre:

You're the Worst (4T) en FXX

Back (1T) en Channel 4

Snowfall (1T finale) en FX

Blood Drive (1T finale) en Syfy

7 de septiembre:

Tin Star (1T) en Sky Atlantic

Safe House (2T) en ITV

8 de septiembre:

One Mississippi (2T) en Amazon

BoJack Horseman (4T) en Netflix

Cold Feet (7T) en ITV

10 de septiembre:

Outlander (3T) en Starz

The Deuce (1T) en HBO

The Orville (1T) en FOX

Fear The Walking Dead (3bT) en AMC

Strike - The Silkworm en BBC One

Top of the Lake: China Girl (2T) en SundanceTV

The State en Channel 4

11 de septiembre:

Rellik (1T) en BBC One

Liar (1T) en ITV

12 de septiembre:

The Mindy Project (6T y última) en Hulu

Top of the Lake: China Girl (2T finale) en SundanceTV

13 de septiembre:

South Park (21T) y Broad City (4T) en Comedy Central

Stella (6T) en Sky1

Marlon (1T finale) en NBC

Younger (4T finale) en TV Land

Odd Mom Out (3T finale) en Bravo

14 de septiembre: Better Things (2T) en FX

15 de septiembre: American Vandal en Netflix

17 de septiembre:

Vice Principals (2T y última) en HBO

El Chapo (2T) en Univision

Emmys en CBS

The Strain (series finale) en FX

Strike - The Silkworm en BBC One

20 de septiembre:

The Good Place (2T) en NBC

Channel Zero: No-End House (2T) en Syfy

Salvation (1T finale) en CBS

21 de septiembre:

Gotham (4T) y The Orville (cambio de día) en FOX

Zoo (3T finale) en CBS

22 de septiembre:

Transparent (4T) en Amazon

Fuller House (3T) en Netflix

24 de septiembre:

Star Trek: Discovery (1T) en CBS All Access

Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? en FOX

Teen Wolf (series finale) en MTV

Ballers (3T finale) en HBO

25 de septiembre:

Alias Grace en CBC

The Big Bang Theory (11T), Young Sheldon (1T), Kevin Can Wait (2T), Me, Myself & I (1T) y Scorpion (4T) en CBS

The Brave (1T) en NBC

The Good Doctor (1T) en ABC

Star Trek: Discovery (1T) en Netflix

26 de septiembre:

NCIS (15T), Bull (2T) y NCIS: New Orleans (4T) en CBS

This Is Us (2T) y Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders (1T) en NBC

Lethal Weapon (2T), The Mick (2T) y Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5T) en FOX

27 de septiembre:

SEAL Team (1T) y Criminal Minds (13T) en CBS

Law & Order: SVU (19T) y Chicago PD (5T) en NBC

Empire (4T) y Star (2T) en FOX

The Goldbergs (5T), The Blacklist (5T), Speechless (2T), Modern Family (9T), American Housewife (2T) y Designated Survivor (2T) en ABC

Greenleaf (2T finale) en OWN

28 de septiembre:

Superstore (3T), The Good Place (cambio de día), Will & Grace (9T), Great News (2T) y Chicago Fire (6T) en NBC

Grey's Anatomy (14T) y How to Get Away with Murder (4T) en ABC

StartUp (2T) en Crackle

Missions (1T completa) en Shudder

29 de septiembre:

MacGyver (2T), Hawaii Five-0 (8T) y Blue Bloods (8T) en CBS

The Exorcist (2T) en FOX

Marvel's Inhumans (1T) en ABC

Club de Cuervos (3T), Real Rob (2T) y Our Souls at Night en Netflix

Z Nation (4T) en Syfy

Estrenos de series

Back (Channel 4)

El padre de Stephen, leyenda local y dueño de un pub, ha muerto. Stephen (David Mitchell; Peep Show, Upstart Crow), cuyos únicos logros han sido casarse (aunque ahora está divorciado), un intento fallido de trabajar como abogado en Londres y una reforma algo decepcionante, cree que ahora, de vuelta en el pueblo, tiene la oportunidad de brillar... hasta que llega al funeral Andrew (Robert Webb; Peep Show, Fresh Meat), su encantador hermano de acogida. Completan el reparto Louise Brealey (Sherlock, Clique), Geoffrey McGivern (Quacks, Onegin) y Penny Downie (Prisoner, Downton Abbey), que interpretarán a la hermana, el tío y la madre de Stephen. Comedia creada por Simon Blackwell (The Thick Of It, Veep, Peep Show). Seis episodios. Estreno: 6 de septiembre

A favor: Volver a ver juntos a los protagonistas de Peep Show.

En contra: Una trama tan básica.

youtube

Tin Star (Sky Atlantic)

Jim Worth (Tim Roth; Lie to Me, Reservoir Dogs) es un exdetective inglés que se ha mudado junto a su familia a una idílica comunidad rural de las Montañas Rocosas para empezar una nueva vida como jefe de la policía local. Ese pequeño pueblo comienza a ser invadido por trabajadores de una nueva refinería dirigida por Elizabeth Bradshaw (Christina Hendricks; Mad Men, Another Period) y la oleada de drogas, apuestas, prostitución y crimen organizado que les acompaña amenaza con destruirlo todo. Cuando Jim da un paso al frente, misteriosos asesinos responden con actos violentos contra su familia, y la paz de ese pueblo idílico se convierte en una prisión en la que la tranquilidad ha desaparecido. Completan el reparto Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels), Genevieve O'Reilly (Episodes, The Honourable Woman), Abigail Lawrie (The Casual Vacancy), Oliver Coopersmith (Dickensian), Stephen Walters (Outlander), Ian Puleston-Davies (Coronation Street), Roark Critchlow (Pretty Little Liars), Sarah Podemski (Cashing In) y Kevin Hanchard (Orphan Black). Creada por Rowan Joffé (28 Weeks Later, Before I Go to Sleep). Diez episodios. Estreno: 7 de septiembre

A favor: Para los amantes de la violencia injustificada.

En contra: Parece que de personajes andan escasos.

youtube

The Deuce (HBO)

Drama sobre el auge del porno en Nueva York durante los setenta y ochenta desde el punto de vista de los gemelos Martino (James Franco; 11.22.63, Milk), dueños de un club nocturno; la estudiante universitaria Abigail "Abby" Parker (Margarita Levieva; Revenge, The Blacklist), la prostituta de Times Square Eileen Merrell (Maggie Gyllenhaal; The Honourable Woman, The Dark Knight), un chulo llamado Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe; The Following, The Good Wife), el cuñado de los gemelos Martino (Chris Bauer; True Blood, Survivor's Remorse) o un camarero llamado Paul Hendrickson (Chris Coy; Banshee, Treme). Creada por David Simon (The Wire, Treme) y George Pelecanos (The Wire, Treme). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 10 de septiembre

A favor: No trata sobre sexo, sino de humanos que sacan beneficio del sexo.

En contra: James Franco intentando marcarse un Tatiana Maslany. Y no.

youtube

The Orville (FOX)

Comedia sobre una nave espacial no demasiado moderna y sus curiosos tripulantes, humanos y alienígenas, que se enfrentan a los problemas de la galaxia dentro de cuatrocientos años. Creada y protagonizada por Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy). También participan Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Friday Night Lights), Scott Grimes (Band of Brothers, American Dad), Halston Sage (Crisis, Paper Towns), Penny Johnson Jerald (Castle, The Larry Sanders Show), Mark Jackson, Peter Macon, J. Lee, Chad L. Coleman (The Walking Dead, The Wire) y Larry Joe Campbell (According to Jim). Estreno: 10 de septiembre

A favor: Aún podemos confiar en MacFarlane en el tema de la comedia.

En contra: No termina de funcionar la proporción comedia/drama.

youtube

Strike - The Silkworm (BBC One)

Es la segunda miniserie sobre el detective Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke), adaptación de la novela de J.K. Rowling bajo el pseudónimo de Robert Galbraith, en la que investiga la desaparición del novelista Owen Quine (Jeremy Swift, Downton Abbey) a petición de su esposa Leonora (Monica Dolan, W1A). Dos episodios. Estreno: 10 de septiembre

A favor: Grandes audiencias, supera en dos millones a la segunda temporada de Victoria.

En contra: A estas alturas no tiene sentido quejarse de episodios demasiado largos, ¿verdad?

Rellik (BBC One)

En el comienzo de Rellik ('killer' al revés), un criminal es atrapado. La serie cuenta la búsqueda del asesino, empezando por el final, hasta llegar a sus motivaciones. En el centro de la ficción se encuentran el carismático e implacable detective metropolitano Gabriel Markham (Richard Dormer; Game of Thrones, Fortitude), a quien el asesino ha marcado tanto física como mentalmente, y su intensa y brillante compañera Elaine (Jodi Balfour; Quarry, Bomb Girls). Completan el cast Rosalind Eleazar (Harlots, National Treasure), Paterson Joseph (Timeless, The Leftovers), Paul Rhys (Being Human, Da Vinci's Demons), Michael Shaeffer (Black Mirror, Rogue One) y Lærke Winther (Dicte). Creada y escrita por Harry y Jack Williams, los guionistas de The Missing, y dirigida por Sam Miller (Luther, Guerrilla, Fortitude). Seis episodios. Estreno: 11 de septiembre

A favor: Haber encontrado un motivo que justifique jugar así con la historia y la estructura.

En contra: Los personajes han de enganchar o se derrumba la torre.

youtube

Liar (ITV)

Laura Newell (Joanne Froggatt; Downton Abbey, Dark Angel) es una profesora inteligente y entregada que acaba de salir de una relación. Andrew Ellis (Ioan Gruffudd; Forever, Ringer) es un cirujano de renombre cuyo hijo estudia en el colegio de Laura. Se sienten atraídos nada más conocerse y deciden citarse en un restaurante, lo que cambiará sus vidas para siempre. La cita tendrá grandes consecuencias para la pareja, sus amigos y sus familias tras desvelarse secretos y mentiras. Completan el reparto Zoë Tapper, Warren Brown (Luther), Richie Campbell (The Frankenstein Chronicles) y Shelley Conn (The Lottery, Mistresses UK). Este thriller también es de Harry y Jack Williams (The Missing). Seis episodios. Estreno: 11 de septiembre

A favor: Los Williams son expertos en crear enredo y misterio.

En contra: No tanto en crear personajes.

youtube

American Vandal (Netflix)

Una gamberrada muy cara en un instituto (penes pintados en veintisiete coches) lleva a un documentalista de segundo (Tyler Alvarez, Orange Is the New Black) a investigar la controvertida y probablemente injusta expulsión de un estudiante de último curso. Completan el reparto Griffin Gluck (Private Practice, Red Band Society), Jimmy Tatro (22 Jump Street), Camille Hyde, Eduardo Franco (Adam Ruins Everything), Lukas Gage (T@gged), Jessica Juarez, Lou Wilson (The Guest Book), Camille Ramsey, Calum Worthy (Austin & Ally) y G. Hannelius (Dog with a Blog). Sátira creada por Tony Yacenda (Pillow Talking) y Dan Perrault (Honest Trailers) y escrita por Dan Lagana (Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 15 de septiembre

A favor: Quiere aprovechar el tirón de los true crimes.

En contra: En resumen, es un documental sobre grafitis de penes.

youtube

Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)

CBS dio luz verde directa en noviembre de 2015 a una nueva serie de Star Trek para su servicio de streaming. En febrero de 2016, Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal) fue anunciado como showrunner y productor de una historia que seguiría a la nave Discovery, aunque fue apartado del proyecto en octubre debido a los retrasos de producción. Gretchen J. Berg y Aaron Harberts, guionistas de Wonderfalls y Pushing Daisies, son los actuales showrunners y, según los productores Akiva Goldsman (Fringe, Underground) y Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Alias), mantienen la visión de Fuller -por ejemplo, en el maquillaje y las naves de los Klingon- al haber trabajado durante mucho tiempo junto a él. La historia transcurre diez años antes de la serie original y es independiente de la saga cinematográfica actual. Protagonizan Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead, The Good Wife), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The OA), James Frain (Orphan Black, Gotham), Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Memoirs of a Geisha), Rainn Wilson (The Office, Six Feet Under), Doug Jones (The Neighbors, The Strain), Anthony Rapp (Rent, A Beautiful Mind), Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock, Weeds), Terry Serpico (Sneaky Pete, Army Wives), Sam Vartholomeos (The Following), Mary Wiseman, Chris Obi y Mary Chieffo. El primer episodio se emitirá en CBS y estará disponible junto al segundo en CBS All Access inmediatamente después. Netflix estrenará cada episodio semanalmente a partir del 25 de septiembre. Estreno: 24 de septiembre

A favor: Narración serializada. Una en la que los humanos también se enfrentan entre ellos.

En contra: Kurtzman, creador junto a Fuller, cree que los retrasos eran necesarios para un proyecto de esta envergadura en un servicio de pago.

youtube

Alias Grace (CBC)

Miniserie adaptación de la novela de Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale) sobre Grace Marks, la inmigrante irlandesa juzgada por asesinato en Canadá en 1843. Sarah Gadon (11.22.63.) interpretará a Grace, mientras que Kerr Logan (Game of Thrones, Strike) será James McDermott, su cómplice en el asesinato de su patrón Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross; Men with Brooms) y del ama de llaves Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin; True Blood, X-Men). Tanto la novela como la adaptación televisiva han añadido a un personaje ficticio, Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft, Wolf Hall), un joven doctor que se enamora de Grace. Completan el reparto Zachary Levi (Chuck, Heroes Reborn), David Cronenberg (Jason X, Resurrection) y Rebecca Liddiard (Between, Houdini and Doyle). Mary Harron (American Psycho) dirigirá la adaptación de Sarah Polley (Away from Her). Llegará a Netflix el 3 de noviembre, pocos días después de su emisión completa en Canadá. Seis episodios. Estreno: 25 de septiembre

A favor: Podría ser la hermana pequeña de The Handmaid's Tale.

En contra: Nos conformaríamos con que fuera la prima segunda.

youtube

Young Sheldon (CBS)

Es el esperado spin-off, narrado y producido por Jim Parsons, centrado en la infancia del doctor Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage, Big Little Lies) a sus nueve años, lidiando con su religiosa madre en el este de Texas. Curiosamente, Zoe Perry (Scandal, The Family), quien da vida a su madre Mary Cooper, es hija de Laurie Metcalf, Mary Cooper en The Big Bang Theory. Raegan Revort, Montana Jordan y Lance Barber (The Comeback, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) interpretan a la hermana melliza, el hermano mayor y el padre del joven Sheldon. Por supuesto, escribe y produce Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Two and a Half Men, Disjointed). Jon Favreau (Iron Man) dirige el primer episodio. Estreno: 25 de septiembre

A favor: Si es divertida, será por inercia.

En contra: Otra oportunidad para Lorre de repetir chistes.

youtube

Me, Myself & I (CBS)

Comedia en la que seguimos la vida de Alex Riley durante cincuenta años, en tres etapas de su vida en las que ha de arreglárselas para seguir adelante. La primera es en 1991, cuando tenía 14 años y vivía en Chicago hasta que su madre decidió mudarse a Los Ángeles; La segunda es en el presente, cuando su esposa le abandona y amenaza con llevarse a su hija; y la tercera en 2042, donde tiene 65 años y un pequeño infarto le hace replantearse su vida. Escribe Dan Kopelman (Galavant) y produce Aaron Kaplan (Divorce, The Neighbors). Jack Dylan Grazer (It), Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) y John Larroquette (Night Court, The John Larroquette Show) interpretan a Alex. Les acompañan Brian Unger (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Christopher Paul Richards (Billions), Sharon Lawrence (Shameless), Jaleel White (Family Matters), Kelen Coleman (Big Little Lies, The Newsroom), Mandell Maughan (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$), Ed Begley Jr. (Blunt Talk, Better Call Saul), Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister), Skylar Gray (Married) y Reylynn Caster. Estreno: 25 de septiembre

A favor: Ojo, no es multicámara. Con nombres interesantes y sin risas enlatadas.

En contra: Todavía nos suena This Is Us.

The Brave (NBC)

Antes conocida como For God and Country, y escrita por Dean Georgaris (Tristan + Isolde, The Manchurian Candidate), trata sobre militares de élite, que se juegan la vida en cada misión para llevar a cabo operaciones encubiertas tras las líneas enemigas y salvar inocentes, y su apoyo técnico desde Washington. Protagonizada por Mike Vogel (Under the Dome, Bates Motel), Anne Heche (Hung, Aftermath), Sofia Pernas (Jane the Virgin), Tate Ellington (Quantico, Shameless), Demetrius Grosse (Westworld, Banshee), Noah Mills (Sex and the City 2), Natacha Karam y Hadi Tabbal. De los productores de Homeland. Estreno: 25 de septiembre

A favor: Como no sea morir por la patria o algo así...

En contra: Sus protagonistas, totalmente insulsos.

youtube

The Good Doctor (ABC)

Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore; Bates Motel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) es un joven médico con autismo y savantismo que deja su vida en el campo para empezar a trabajar en la unidad de cirugía de un prestigioso hospital. Su extraordinario talento para salvar vidas contrasta con las dificultades que atraviesa para conectar con los demás y el escepticismo que despierta entre sus compañeros. Se trata de la adaptación de un drama surcoreano de 2013 escrita por David Shore (House) y producida por el actor Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-0). Protagonizan también Antonia Thomas (Misfits), Nicholas Gonzalez (Pretty Little Liars), Chuku Modu (Game of Thrones), Beau Garrett (Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce), Hill Harper (CSI: New York, Homeland), Richard Schiff (The West Wing, Ballers) y Tamlyn Tomita (Teen Wolf, Berlin Station). Estreno: 25 de septiembre

A favor: No nos va a dar tiempo a echar de menos a Freddie Highmore.

En contra: Series sobre genios incomprendidos hay muchas. Tiene que salirse del molde.

youtube

Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders (NBC)

Antología que no guarda ninguna relación con la franquicia Law & Order y contará la historia de un juicio real en cada temporada. En la primera, la abogada Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco; The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) defenderá a los adinerados hermanos de Beverly Hills Lyle (Miles Gaston Villanueva) y Erik Menendez (Gus Halper, Goat), que mataron a sus padres en 1989 a la edad de 21 y 18 años. Creada por Dick Wolf (Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire) y escrita por Rene Balcer (Law & Order). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 26 de septiembre

A favor: Una temporada más de American Crime Story.

En contra: Sería conveniente no esperar algo de la misma calidad, aunque a caballo regalado...

youtube

SEAL Team (CBS)

Sigue las vidas de un grupo de Navy SEALs de élite en sus entrenamientos y misiones para ejecutar las peligrosas operaciones que el país necesita. Protagonizan David Boreanaz (Bones, Buffy), Jessica Paré (Mad Men) y Max Thieriot (Bates Motel). Ed Redlich (Without a Trace) es el showrunner. Estreno: 27 de septiembre

A favor: ¿Algo de acción?

En contra: Como Six pero seguramente peor.

youtube

Missions (Shudder)

El servicio de streaming de AMC ofrecerá la primera temporada completa de este drama de ciencia ficción francés y coproducirá una segunda temporada que se emitirá en 2018. Creada por Henri Debeurme (Antigang, Les Grands), Julien Lacombe (Derrière les murs) y Ami Cohen (La La Land, The Hunger Games) y dirigida por Lacombe, Missions nos muestra cómo una expedición a Marte se convierte en una misión de rescate para salvar a la tripulación de una nave de la competencia. Protagonizan Jean-Toussaint Bernard (The Tunnel), Vincent Londez (Ennemi public), Giorgia Sinicorni (I Cesaroni), Arben Bajraktaraj (Harry Potter, Taken), Adrianna Gradziel, Come Levin, Mathias Mlekuz, Clément Aubert y Hélène Viviès. Diez episodios. Estreno: 28 de septiembre

A favor: Aborda el futuro de la humanidad y de nuestro planeta con una inesperada alegoría.

En contra: Nos estamos cargando el planeta.

youtube

Marvel's Inhumans (ABC)

La nueva serie de Marvel está protagonizada por inhumanos, una raza híbrida entre aliens y humanos cuyos miembros adquieren superpoderes tras pasar por un proceso conocido como "terrigénesis". Ya nos presentaron a los inhumanos en Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. y esta serie, que transcurre en la ciudad futurista de Attilan, está protagonizada por la familia real de estos híbridos, que huyen tras un golpe militar. Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Misfits), Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels), Serinda Swan (Graceland), Ken Leung (Lost, The Night Shift), Eme Ikwuakor (Extant), Isabelle Cornish (Puberty Blues), Mike Moh (Empire) y Sonya Balmores (Soul Surfer) serán Maximus, Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Crystal, Triton y Auran. Ocho episodios. Estreno: 29 de septiembre

A favor: Que sean ocho episodios y que los dos primeros se vayan a estrenar en cines IMAX quizá la salve del cutrerío visual que caracteriza a las series de ABC.

En contra: A SHIELD le hicieron falta 15 episodios para volverse interesante y el showrunner de Inhumans viene de Iron Fist...

youtube

#series tv #television

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

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With ''Yung Denzel'', MI Abaga proves that he is human afterall, as he allows his listeners into a theraupetic session of his mind state.

MI Abaga has officially released his ''Yung Denzel'' album and here is our first listen take of the project.

There is so much excitement following the release of MI's eight studio project in the early hours of Friday, August 24. MI is debated as the greatest Nigerian rapper ever, but some argue that he no longer plays at the level he did when he released his first set of projects.

This album which he tags 'A Study on Self Worth' is supposed to be a defining one, one where he sheds his scales and allows his vulnerabilty as a human take center stage.

MI talks a big game and executive producing three projects in three weeks under the LAMB August tag is a move he believes will kickstart another glorious run in the history of Nigerian hip-hop

Yung Denzel boasts of 10 tracks and feature guest acts like Tay Iwar, Cina Soul, Niyola, Odunsi the Engine, Patricxxlee and Lady Donli.

Here is our track-by-track first listen take of the project.

'Do you know who you are'? ft Tay Iwar

The song opens with Tay Iwar's soothing vocals, this is enchanting, the drums are building slowly underneath as he asks where is your worth?

MI is rapping, he is philosophical, the second verse is asking intriguing questions, pointing a finger at the Black man.

A voice is speaking, touching on two major issues; an identity crisis and psychological hopelessness.

''Until we hate racism more than we hate each other, nothing is going to change'', the voice says. This is a therapy session, MI is talking, there is a female voice talking back.

He uses this 4minutes 54 seconds long first track to perfectly lay the template for the direction the project has been geared.

'Last Night I Had A Dream About A Hummingbird'

Next is the shortest song on the project.

Again there is a voice talking, this time touching on comparing yourself, 'I don't have anything to prove to anyone, he says' and that is where MI is at with his career.

MI is in the zone with his rhyming, the instrumentation takes a back seat, as he champions ignoring those who haven't done anything with their lives, then the beat kicks in, but just as you sit back to enjoy more, the song draws to a close. This one really needed the second verse.

The female voice is back.

'Another Thing, Do Not Be A Groupie'

Ok, this sounds interesting, MI is shooting off the blocks, this time he is addressing the industry.

''For Niggas to get ahead, they giving cunning lings''. Already my favourite track, he is not just rapping, this is grown man rap, the beat is also doing something insane behind his voice, damn. I love this.

We get another verse, he is touching on those jumping from labels this time, oh he is boasting about the achievements of Chocolate City in the last ten years, even though I don't agree with some of the years he mentioned, how can you argue with a fire song man?

This is fine form MI, aka 'talk-the-talk MI', aka 'my-team-is-bigger-than-you MI', aka 'I-may-be-4-feet but imma-dunk-on you' MI, aka 'I am running out of akas to give to this fire joint', damn.

'Stop! Never Second Guess Yourself' featuring Cina Soul

This is the trappy MI that surfaced on Rendezvous, this time he is speaking on self-confidence, there is so much here to remind you of Kendrick Lamar, what in the world is Cina Soul doing?

Her vocals are working wonders to my ears. Therapy session continues, I kinda like this session, 'somewhere in your life, you have experienced abandonment'. Apt.

You Are Like Melody, My Heart Skips A Beat ft Lorraine Chia

This is his softer side, the lover boy side to his persona, but Lorraine Chia is the real star of this track.

'+-' featuring Odunsi x Lady Donli

MI teams up with two of the leading crop of new talents in Odunsi and Lady Donli, he had previously worked with the former on his Rendezvous playlist and the outcome definitely deserves an encore.

'Positive, Negative' is a journey from when he started rapping, the delivery is sharp, a few corny lines, but Odunsi is doing his thing especially when he switches to pidgin. The second verse is all about positive vibes as he dares you to skip to the next song if you don't like his flows. Odunsi is back, the hook sure bangs, Donli brings it home.

'I Believe In You, You Should Too, Believe In You'

The bubbly trap flow is back as he encourages you to believe in yourself, he is bragging again, talking about how he has been here for 10 years, the flow is switched up, he is name dropping himself among the greats.

There is aggression to his voice, finality to his words like he is trying to knock the full impact of what he is saying into your thoughts. Another heavy record.

'The Self Evaluation of Yxng Denzel' featuring Niyola

MI teams up with another OG, one who actually has been in the game longer than him in Niyola, as the former Da Trybe affiliate makes a return after a long absence.

The song starts with vocals from MI's mother, issuing words of advice to her son. Then MI follows with his 'dark, twisted, real fantasies' as all he wants to do is, 'drink, f***, smoke, chill, party all day'.

He admits his fanbase cannot afford to know about it, he is talking about depression, and emptiness despite the money and fame.

MI admits to so many things on this song and Niyola provides the right shoulders for him to lean on with her soothing voice.

'Love Never Fails...' featuring Tay Iwar x Patrickxxlee

Patrickxxlee first caught my attention with his impressive project, Disco Utopia released in 2016. He also featured on Ice Prince's C.O.L.D earlier in the year and has been earning his stripes on the scene.

MI allows the youngins flourish on this they talk about someone wanting to kill herself, is that MI singing? Yes MI is bringing the vocals on this one, Tay is killing this, as they bring the whole project to a full circle.

Final Take

MI bragged about it and he successfully delivered an upfront rap album worth its hype.

Yxng Denzel is unguarded music, there is clarity in what he aims to achieve and the mood is compared to something graceful and mind-blowing.

This is a filler-free album as every song earns its place on the project. The project's minor failings come in the form of the stretched dialogues on most of the songs, but if you can look at the project less as your regular album and more as a man allowing you into his world, then it makes it more understandable.

Looking at how MI has grown since his come up, seeing the hunger he exhibited on his first album, ''Talk About It'', his evolving in subsequent projects, and the position he now holds, not just as a matured rapper but an executive, it is fair to say this heartfelt project is arguably his best offering in a long while.

Yxng Denzel is a water tight project, a matured statement of his experiences, and one that is well conceived, thoroughly executed and perfectly served to cater for both his young and old fans.

Rating: 4/5

Ratings

1-Dull 2-Boring 2.5-Average 3-Worth Checking Out 3.5-Hot 4-Smoking Hot 4.5-Amazing 5-Perfection

via Nigerian News ➨☆LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS ☆➨GHANA NEWS➨☆ENTERTAINMENT ☆➨Hot Posts ➨☆World News ☆➨News Sp

#IFTTT #Nigerian News ➨☆LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS ☆➨GHANA NEWS➨☆ENTERTAINMENT ☆➨Hot Posts ➨☆World News ☆➨N

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dispatchdcu · 2 years ago

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Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 Preview

Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 Preview #darkcrisis #bigbang #darkcrisisbigbang #darkcrisis #warzone #darkcrisis #roadtodarkcrisis #DCEU #dccomics #comics #comicbooks #news #dcuuniverse #art #info #NCBD #amazon #previews #reviews #JLA #justiceleague

Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 Preview: After the monumental events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4, Pariah has successfully resurrected the infinite Multiverse…and all of reality is still reeling from the event. Join Doctor Multiverse on a haunting journey through these newly re-formed realities, from The Jurassic League to DC: Mech…from Dark Knights of Steel to Batman ’89 and back again…in a…

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#comic books #comics #Dark Crisis #Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #Dark Crisis: Big Bang #Dark Crisis: Big Bang 1 #Dark Crisis: Big Bang 1 Preview #DC Comics #DC Comics Previews #Justice League #Previews

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

Text

Album Review: ''Yung Denzel'' is MI Abaga's most human and vulnerable project yet

With ''Yung Denzel'', MI Abaga proves that he is human afterall, as he allows his listeners into a theraupetic session of his mind state.

MI Abaga has officially released his ''Yung Denzel'' album and here is our first listen take of the project.

This album which he tags 'A Study on Self Worth' is supposed to be a defining one, one where he sheds his scales and allows his vulnerabilty as a human take center stage.

MI talks a big game and executive producing three projects in three weeks under the LAMB August tag is a move he believes will kickstart another glorious run in the history of Nigerian hip-hop

Yung Denzel boasts of 10 tracks and feature guest acts like Tay Iwar, Cina Soul, Niyola, Odunsi the Engine, Patricxxlee and Lady Donli.

Here is our track-by-track first listen take of the project.

'Do you know who you are'? ft Tay Iwar

The song opens with Tay Iwar's soothing vocals, this is enchanting, the drums are building slowly underneath as he asks where is your worth?

MI is rapping, he is philosophical, the second verse is asking intriguing questions, pointing a finger at the Black man.

A voice is speaking, touching on two major issues; an identity crisis and psychological hopelessness.

''Until we hate racism more than we hate each other, nothing is going to change'', the voice says. This is a therapy session, MI is talking, there is a female voice talking back.

He uses this 4minutes 54 seconds long first track to perfectly lay the template for the direction the project has been geared.

'Last Night I Had A Dream About A Hummingbird'

Next is the shortest song on the project.

Again there is a voice talking, this time touching on comparing yourself, 'I don't have anything to prove to anyone, he says' and that is where MI is at with his career.

The female voice is back.

'Another Thing, Do Not Be A Groupie'

Ok, this sounds interesting, MI is shooting off the blocks, this time he is addressing the industry.

This is fine form MI, aka 'talk-the-talk MI', aka 'my-team-is-bigger-than-you MI', aka 'I-may-be-4-feet but imma-dunk-on you' MI, aka 'I am running out of akas to give to this fire joint', damn.

'Stop! Never Second Guess Yourself' featuring Cina Soul

This is the trappy MI that surfaced on Rendezvous, this time he is speaking on self-confidence, there is so much here to remind you of Kendrick Lamar, what in the world is Cina Soul doing?

Her vocals are working wonders to my ears. Therapy session continues, I kinda like this session, 'somewhere in your life, you have experienced abandonment'. Apt.

You Are Like Melody, My Heart Skips A Beat ft Lorraine Chia

This is his softer side, the lover boy side to his persona, but Lorraine Chia is the real star of this track.

'+-' featuring Odunsi x Lady Donli

MI teams up with two of the leading crop of new talents in Odunsi and Lady Donli, he had previously worked with the former on his Rendezvous playlist and the outcome definitely deserves an encore.

'I Believe In You, You Should Too, Believe In You'

There is aggression to his voice, finality to his words like he is trying to knock the full impact of what he is saying into your thoughts. Another heavy record.

'The Self Evaluation of Yxng Denzel' featuring Niyola

MI teams up with another OG, one who actually has been in the game longer than him in Niyola, as the former Da Trybe affiliate makes a return after a long absence.

He admits his fanbase cannot afford to know about it, he is talking about depression, and emptiness despite the money and fame.

MI admits to so many things on this song and Niyola provides the right shoulders for him to lean on with her soothing voice.

'Love Never Fails...' featuring Tay Iwar x Patrickxxlee

Final Take

MI bragged about it and he successfully delivered an upfront rap album worth its hype.

Yxng Denzel is unguarded music, there is clarity in what he aims to achieve and the mood is compared to something graceful and mind-blowing.

Yxng Denzel is a water tight project, a matured statement of his experiences, and one that is well conceived, thoroughly executed and perfectly served to cater for both his young and old fans.

Rating: 4/5

Ratings

1-Dull 2-Boring 2.5-Average 3-Worth Checking Out 3.5-Hot 4-Smoking Hot 4.5-Amazing 5-Perfection

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/album-review-yung-denzel-is-mi-abagas.html

#News

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