#HBO RETHINK THIS OR ELSE

[batterseas]

I STILL THINK! that we can do something about this. that they won't actually end it next week . didn't kieran say in that interview that jessie had a few ideas just off the top of his head??? and and. it just. i'm sure there's someone i can talk to about this. it's not. we can. we can work something out Jesse Armstrong. pls. i can't. you can't actually do this to me Jesse Armstrong.

[atopcat]

HBO and House of the Dragon should really take a step back and reconsider the direction they’re taking this show.

It was only nominated for one award in the main Emmys “Outstanding Drama Series”, no offence but that felt like a pity nomination because the cast and crew didn’t get anything else.

It only won one Emmy; “Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes”, it’s not like they had big competition for this one either.

They should rethink the choppy editing, characters whose personalities do a 180 every episode, the focus on shock value rather than story development etc. Game of Thrones’ first season had a much more complicated storyline and a larger range of characters, D&D (cannot believe I’m defending them) were still successful in making the audience be invested in each individual.

House of the Dragon had everything handed to them on a silver platter. Yes they’d have to fill in a few gaps but the foundation was there, they still screwed up.

[sweetrebelpersona]

Thursday 25th January 2024 - A Sweet Rebel’s Guide to Staying Productive and Keep Your Mind Busy Before/Amid Sleeping Prior to Uni

Uni can be tough for early mornings, but you’re afraid that you’re not tired enough and you need something to keep your focus on doing what you love before or in the middle of sleeping. Not all students have the tendency to utilise the early bird mentality before the next uni day because they distract themselves by doing something else instead of counting sheep for the next eight hours of bedtime. In this guide, I will be going through a list of how to stay productive while you keep your brain busy before/while sleeping:

Read a book you’ve owned or rented for at a library - Reading can be tiresome but it can also be therapeutic for the bookworm in you. Simply choose a book you want to read, go through a couple of chapters and put it down for when you’re ready to go to sleep.

Play video games with a soft environment - What it means is playing video games which have an open world feel like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, or Zelda. If you own a portable gaming console and you want to break away from the real world, then this is a great idea for your inner gamer. Don’t play too long as it will give you square eyes.

Stay hydrated with your water - Water is good for your fluids as it will keep you hydrated for longer. While sleeping or when you go to the bathroom, be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. The cause of headaches will get you tired and painful if you don't have enough fluids in your body, so watch out for that.

Do a short exercise routine - Think of it as a gym class for late-night gym buffs who need stretching in the comfort of their home. The estimated time of your exercise routine will be around 15 to 30 minutes if you want to prevent those nightmares from ruining your workout experience e.g. yoga, treadmill, physio…

Listen to soft music to regain your mind - Try listening to some music that is quieter than normal so you don’t want to wake up your parents. The possible recommendations are ambient music, lo-fi, piano music or even classical. Recommended for any music lover who desperately needs it.

Plan a mini study session - Suitable for nerds who can't be bothered to shut their eyes, this one is a good opportunity for when you want to organize a session before sleeping. Be careful if you're studying too hard because you don't want to cram it all before the next uni day.

Go for late-night walks to take your mind off the drama - If you're having problems sleeping before the upcoming uni day, remember to take a late-night walk to regain your composure before sleep time. The more walking you do, the less crabby you'll be after you wake up and feel refreshed.

Have a movie night - A must-do for movie lovers at home - choose a movie you want to watch from either DVD, Blu-ray, or a movie streaming service like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+ or Amazon Fire, and enjoy yourself before you get the chance to sleep.

Write how you're feeling in a journal - This one is important for writers who are feeling down and want to get creative about it. Whether it's online like Tumblr, or in a physical format, record your thoughts and emotions in a journal to explain where you're currently at if you're struggling with sleeping.

Stay true to yourself - When you find it hard to sleep, take the time to rethink your focus and turn it into a more positive one rather than leaning towards the negative. If you have difficulties with self-doubt after sleeping, come the next uni day, your emotional mentality will take a nose dive and think of some negative thoughts that would negatively impact your mental well-being. Try explaining to yourself "You got this, don't let these negative opinions carry you down." Once you master it over time, your compassion, esteem and productivity will be fully replenished following your struggles to sleep.

If you can nail down the ten tips included in the guide at all times, your brain and mentality will be put into shape, ready to take on a productive task you want to do all your life.

"Okay ladies, now let's get in formation!" - Beyonce

[laresearchette]

Saturday, December 16, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: LUMINARE CHRISTMAS! (AXS Canada) 7:30pm THE HOLIDAY PROPOSAL PLAN (CTV Life) 8:00pm SEALED WITH A LIST (W Network) 8:00pm THE CHRISTMAS DETECTIVE (OWN Canada) 9:00pm A CHRISTMAS INTERN (CTV Life) 10:00pm LEO REICH: LITERALLY WHO CARES?! (HBO Canada) 10:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV CANADA’S WALK OF FAME 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH BAKERY FIREMAN SAM (Season 12) A ROYAL CHRISTMAS ON ICE

DISNEY + STAR DOCTOR WHO: THE GIGGLE MAESTRA (Season 1, Premiere Episode) GRAND SLAM OF CURLING (SN/SN1) 11:30am: Masters - Women's Quarterfinals (SN/SN1) 3:30pm: Masters - Men's Quarterfinals (SN1) 7:30pm: Masters - Men’s and Women's Semifinals

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3) 1:00pm: Vikings vs. Bengals (TSN/TSN3) 4:30pm: Steelers vs. Colts (TSN/TSN3) 8:15pm: Broncos vs. Lions

NHL HOCKEY (SNPacific) 2:00pm: Canucks vs. Wild (CBC/SNOntario/SNPacific) 7:00pm: Penguins vs. Leafs (City TV/SNEast) 7:00pm: Islanders vs. Habs (SN360/SNWest) 7:00pm: Avalanche vs. Jets (CBC/SN) 10:00pm: Panthers vs. Oilers (SN360/SNWest) 10:00pm: Lightning vs. Flames

CANADA'S WALK OF FAME 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (CTV) 7:00pm: Canada's Walk of Fame celebrates its 25th year with a history-making event; the star-studded award show will welcome nine new Inductees.

TINY SHOULDERS: RETHINKING BARBIE (Crave) 7:25pm: Examining over 60 years of women through the lens of Barbie, the most popular plastic doll ever created. She's been a fashion icon and a target for feminists.

KIRK FRANKLIN'S THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm: Caught in a blizzard on Christmas Eve, a woman and her estranged daughter find refuge inside a church with a group of parishioners. The spirit of the holiday season soon takes hold as they reconcile their differences through music, faith and love.

AN ECLECTIC CHRISTMAS (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm: When a small-town vintage store owner leaves instructions in her will for inventory to be distributed as Christmas gifts, her out-of-town niece seeks help from a handsome local in identifying recipients from the clues provided.

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 8:30pm: Nets vs. Warriors (TSN4) 9:00pm: Thunder vs. Nuggets

BARBIE (Crave) 9:00pm: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

THERE’S ALWAYS HOPE (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: When an author's marriage starts falling apart, he drives off to a family villa to drown his sorrows in wine. His wife is ready to move on with someone else. However, their daughter Hope does not want to let go without a fight.

NLL LACROSSE (TSN5) 10:00pm: Swarm vs. Warriors

TAKEN (CTV) 12:35am: A former spy (Liam Neeson) puts his extensive training to the test when he must rescue his kidnapped daughter from sex-slave traffickers.

[katieskeep]

[First 100 Merthur fanfictions ✌] WEEK #11 |

01. The Sidewalks of New York by emmbrancsxx0 Summary: New York City, 1925. Jazz, flappers, parties, and violence. In the midst of Prohibition, crime boss Arthur Pendragon and his gang, the Knights of the Round Table, arrive from London to open a speakeasy in Chelsea. Fearing they’ll lose their hold on Manhattan’s West Side, the Black Kings send Merlin Emrys to spy on the Knights. The two gangs quickly become rivals, and there is no place for love in war.

02. The Meat Feast by cornmouse Summary: Merlin is a BNF fanartist for The Roman, a camp HBO gladiator show. He accidentally becomes involved with The Roman's lead actor, Arthur Pendragon, over Skype without realizing it. Many pornographic shenanigans and misunderstandings ensue.

03. Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt by Leandra Summary: Arthur's life is turned upside down when Uther announces his marriage to a woman his children barely know. Enter Hunith and her son, Merlin, who is everything Arthur is not: unapologetically loud-mouthed, rebellious, cocksure and unabashedly queer.

04. School Days by JustCatchMe24 Summary: Merlin is a primary school teacher, and his student's father is the divorced Arthur Pendragon.

05. Of love triangles and other things that make [...] by miss_chevalier Summary: Merlin is excited about finally going to uni, making new friends and living the student life. Unfortunately there are obstacles to overcome before finding your one true love at university (like said love’s girlfriend).

06. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Merman by SlantedKnitting Summary: Merlin lives a fairly simple life underwater. He teaches history, and he teaches magic. The magic teaching isn’t allowed, though, and to test his loyalty, Queen Nimueh sends him on a mission to destroy a nearby ship and drown any and all passengers. When Merlin can’t bring himself to kill the handsome sailor, instead saving his life, Queen Nimueh bans him from the ocean, forcing him to take up a new life on land.

07. Off the deep end by b_b_banana Summary: When they say crazy in love, they mean it literally. Why else would anyone keep coming back?

08. When I Wake Up I Find You're Gone by MarInk Summary: After an accident Merlin is paralysed from the waist down. That leaves Arthur rethinking their relationship and his whole life, and one day he decides to flee as far as he can. Little he knew when he hoped to escape from everything that he had left behind...

09. With Bloodstained Hands by beccadearie Summary: This time Arthur's secret is bigger than Merlin's. No need to let the whole world in on it. At least that's the plan. But plans don't always work out the way you want them to.

10. City Slicker by Polomonkey Summary: Arthur's a city boy, even if he is dating a country bumpkin who grew up on a farm. So why on earth has he agreed to go and help Merlin with lambing season?

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2019 - Best TV Show

Last year, I said that I had become content with knowing that there are far too many streaming service with far too many great TV shows for me to ever watch everything worthwhile. This year, I signed up for a bunch of free trials and canceled immediately before they billed me. I’m not sure where the contentment went, but I do know that I found a bunch of great contenders. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. Evil (Season 1) - CBS

Why, yes, Evil is good. The rare CBS show able to make such a list, the procedural hailing from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King twists the languishing network-TV formula into the devil’s playthings. A spiritual spiritual-successor to The X-Files, Evil blurs the lines between skepticism and belief as its trio of investigators unravel a series of uncanny phenomenon, while asking the viewer if supernatural malice looks any different from human cruelty. The show’s attempts to incorporate modern technology can sometimes be a bit clueless, but overall the show is sold by its ambition. The devil’s not in the details. 

#9. The Good Place (Season 4) - NBC

Why, yes, Good is good as well. The NBC comedy had questionable long-term sustainability when it first premiered, but thanks to nimble inventiveness, it’s tough to imagine saying farewell four seasons later. The Good Place has been a safe haven during uncertain times as an exaltation of the virtues of forgiveness, kindness, and self-improvement. While less structurally ambitious than past seasons, the fourth season was the show’s most thematically ambitious as the creators played god by crafting a whole new afterlife. In this philosophical debate over the concept of justice, the show more than justified its long-term existence.

#8. Arrow (Season 8) - CW

Arrow truly became something else over the course of its run, growing from a gritty Batman Begins-inspired melodrama into a network-dominating superhero universe that just powered-through its most ambitious crossover yet. With a shortened season order and an ominous prophecy of death hanging over its hooded head, Arrow pulled out all the greatest hits from its quiver in a rapid-fire revisitation of settings and reunion of cast members. Bringing Oliver Queen face-to-face with his adult children from the future, the show finally made its litigating of legacy literal. The Green Arrow is gone, but the hero left quite a mark.

#7. When They See Us (Limited Series) - Netflix

Representation matters. The stories we choose to tell and the stories we choose to listen to make a powerful impact on the betterment, or worsening, of equality and justice. When They See Us shows us a failure, and hopes for an uplifting. Director Ava DuVernay’s intimate, authentic recreation of the tragedy of the Exonerated Five, boys wrongfully imprisoned for a violent assault in Central Park, unravels the prejudice, malice, and laziness that upend our justice system and destroy lives. The story’s true-to-life intersection with the currently-in-power, forever impeached President is all the more reason that now is the time to see When They See Us. 

#6. Mr. Robot (Season 4) - USA

The early episodes of Mr. Robot were met with trepidation that it would be little more than an infantile Fight Club rip-off. In its final episodes, creator Sam Esmail codifies that he is no hack. The show’s well-researched technological thievery is as thrilling as ever (Experimental episode formats this season include an entirely dialogue-free heist), but its real endgame boils the conflict down to one of mind and soul. With its final season, the ever-elusive show finally brings all its various string-pullers into the light in gut-wrenching yet deeply-empathetic reveals. Who could have guessed Mr. Robot possessed such humanity? 

#5. Dickinson (Season 1) - Apple TV+

I would not have stopped for Apple TV, but I would gladly stop for thee, Dickinson. Though inspired by the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson, Alena Smith’s comedy mixes the artist’s love of the macabre with a sense of millennial malaise. Throughout its 19th Century-set trials, tribulations, and guest spots from John Mulaney as Henry David Thoreau, the cast behave as modern teenagers and are backed by a contemporary soundtrack. The approach laces the sitcom’s situations with a delightful ironic wit, but, more preciously, forges a sense of camaraderie across eras. In the relatable burdens of past lovers, we find ourselves, and Dickinson find immortality.

#4. Tuca & Bertie (Season 1) - Netflix

While its shared style caused many comparisons to a certain other Netflix series, Tuca & Bertie was in fact a horse of another color. Confident in its voice, and the voices of its stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, from the get-go, the show stretched the wings of its animation with more substantial surrealism than its sister show. While a scintillating showcase of cartoon buffoonery, the series’ content is not just for the birds; Tuca & Bertie find courage in the face of addiction, power in the face of trauma, and persistence in the face of sexist power structures. Coupled with Bertie’s boyfriend Speckle, perhaps my favorite character from all of TV, these birds of a feather have impeccable chemistry and insight. Who knows what heights it could have soared to had it not been cancelled after one season?

#3. Green Eggs and Ham (Season 1) - Netflix

With unusual grandeur for a project its size, Green Eggs is a show that’s one of a kind. It’s hand-drawn animation (Expensive, I’m sure) gives this adaptation a can’t-miss allure. With an all-star cast, cute jokes, and surprising twists too, you’ll want to follow the Chickeraffe’s road-trip escape from the zoo. And don’t forget the very best part! This TV serves up a whole lot of heart! If you want a show whose theme song is a jam, you surely will love Green Eggs and Ham.

#2. Watchmen (Season 1) - HBO

The original graphic novel has long been an essential read for the genre; the new sequel TV show is now a must-watch, man. Respectful of its source material but not beholden to its ideas, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof’s ‘remix’ revitalized Watchmen’s power by substituting Cold-War nuclear anxiety for the insidious threat of entrenched white supremacy. With a harrowing recreation of the Tulsa Massacre and ingenious retcons to a few comic characters, Watchmen provoked complicated questions on race relations. In true Lindelof fashion, it also wisely left many things unanswered. The quality is good enough that the comic’s writer might just have to rethink his stance on adaptations of his work, and good enough that the viewer might want HBO to rethink their decision to end the show after one year. Yet the retroactively limited series ends on a perfect note, and there is no more.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2019 IS...

#1. You’re the Worst (Season 5) - FXX

Evil is good, and The Worst is the best (What a list I have this year!). Of all the series on this list that capped their run in 2019, You’re the Worst has always had the lowest stakes, but its ending by far hit the hardest. In season five, the whirlwind will-they/won’t-they resistant romance between narcissistic writer Jimmy Shive-Overly and self-destructive PR executive Gretchen Cutler reached its decisive culmination. To suggest the show reached an ending, though, would be a disservice to the beautiful decisions made. Such decisions were a perfectly imperfect solution for two imperfect people, striving each day to be better and do well by one another, meeting each other where they are. In the end, the show’s initial billing as an “anti-rom-com” was proven a mismarriage; the laugh-out-loud show had a profound outlook on what it means to love another person. Hilarious and heartful from beginning to end, You’re the Worst will go down in history as one of TV’s greatest.

NEXT UP: THE 2019 AARON FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

[kyemeruthie]

Create new truths

Long overdue review of three series I completed several months back: Altered Carbon (Netflix, 2018), Chernobyl (HBO, 2019), and Kingdom (Netflix, 2019). They have different settings, time periods, and plots; but the central messages are almost the same: we can create new truths out of a web of lies. It’s relevant today as we are in the age of information and also of disinformation-- it’s easier to manipulate the truths we listen to everyday, transform them into something that’s easier for others to digest or to play on somebody’s else’s vested interest. Watching these three series bring a lot of questions to mind: how can we stomach telling lies? But also, how do we tell the truth? On both sides, we offend people; so then, which do we choose? 

***

In Altered Carbon, a Meth like Laurens Bancroft cannot live with his personal guilt but he also cannot accept the fact that he killed himself, and so he spends his money trying to find out how he was “murdered.” The plot is already twisted as it is, it becomes more as the world this fiction inhabits is built on socio-economic inequality, religious tensions, and of course, lies. Amidst is Takeshi Kovacs, an ex-revolutionary, re-sleeved in a different body to solve Bancroft’s predicament. Was he able to solve it? Yes, but to the expense of unraveling a lot of what we observe in reality: the violence inflicted against those who cannot pay for better sleeves, deep-seated corruption and favor for the rich, and the cost of fighting for things we truly believe and have believed in. The story is interesting, the pacing is a bit slow, the characters are believable. It is vivid but the focus is placed too much on the Meths, we forget there are other people who live in their world. The grounders pretty much served as background. A richer contextualization would have packed greater punch for this series. Watch it for Poe the AI. 3.5 over 5 stars.

***

Chernobyl takes the tragic Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster on April 1986 as its plot. It was close to historical accounts, except for some character changes like that of Ulyana Khomyuk, and then of course comments on its faithfulness to portraying life under the Soviet Union. Needless to say, the series struck me: it was bold and provocative; pushed me to rethink the way we treat information coming from state apparatuses. Information here is power-- it was necessary to save lives from the nuclear disaster, but that it can also undermine the government trying to downplay a tragedy and save face. So which do we choose? In the series and in real life, the players chose to the latter, and until today, we have yet to fully unearth the tragedy that was Chernobyl. It was heartbreaking to watch, especially because families do not know the depth of the damage they were about to experience. I was so mad at the scientists who tried to wash off their hands and bring the truth to their graves, and also to government officials who don’t want to take responsibility. Legasov asks “what is the cost of lies?” The cost is of course, our lives, our dignity, and a future we’d always hoped to be better than today. 5 over 5 stars.

***

The Korean dramas we get to know are often on the romantic comedy side. But of course, there are gripping tales we also need to watch. Kingdom is one of them (there are a lot more like Signal and Tunnel for instance, but in a different post maybe). It successfully combines a zombie apocalypse during the Joseon period, and a politically-charged plot to top it off. Crown Prince Yi Chang comes across a village of the dead, only to come alive at night. While warding off the living dead, the prince also has to contend with a political crisis at Hanyang, the nation’s capital. It only has six episodes, so yes, it is “bitin.” We have to wait until 2020, for the next season. What I like about it is its novelty, and also the juxtapositions it tries to bring to the fore. The peasant community are hungry and weak, while the capital teems with resources and jostling for even a snitch of power from the emperor. Famine forced people to eat the dead, and look for other food sources, probably making them zombies (this has yet to be fully explored in the series). Amid all these, no one fully knows what the king is up to, or if indeed he orchestrated the whole disaster-- deceit serves as the foundation of politics in Joseon, and the living dead are almost at the fringes of its capital. If given the chance, I’d let the dead eat the greedy ministers; ahhh, but they can’t discern who to eat or not, can they? Sayang. Anyway, watch it for the gore and share the tedium of waiting for the next set of episodes. 4 over 5 stars dahil bitin haha.

[farawayeyes4]

Let’s Get Physical

First off, RIP Olivia Newton-John, the reference in this title is for you. 

In the wake of this whole HBO Max/Warner Brother’s Discovery fiasco, I just wanted to write a reaction. 

I am well aware that the likelihood that we’re going to see a return to physical copy being the norm rather than an increasing exception is pretty much non-existent. Streaming, cloud services, e-everything is just so damn convenient and so many of us use them/rely on them/turn to them because it’s a lot to buy every book, movie, album, etc that we enjoy or want to see and it takes up so much space. SO MUCH SPACE. And it’s expensive and things are only climbing higher in the cost departments. I get it. Physical copy is dead. Long live physical copy. 

But if there’s one lesson I would like us to take from what happened with HBO Max is that perhaps we should at least rethink some of that. Buy movies on DVD/Blu Ray. Get that book in hardcopy. Buy an album on vinyl or CD. Show them that you value that item that you can hold and look at and call your own rather than just clicking a button on a service that may decide that the purchase of that particular title is no longer yours because it wasn’t yours EVER. You pay for access on these services, not for the actual item you’re accessing. And so, while you may be able to watch your favorite episode of Seinfeld or your favorite Star Wars film for the millionth time or listen to your favorite song or album at will without having to dig it out of your own physical collection to play it or find that book in the pile of TBR on the floor, you just might find that you go to the stupid service and POOF it’s just not there and aww, that’s too bad. The companies don’t care. They don’t. 

The thing of it is, this whole situation subverts the whole notion of the First Sale Doctrine. That means if I buy that book or that CD or that Blu Ray, I get to do whatever I want with it. I can read that book as MANY times as I can stomach. I can burn it. i can give it away. I can resell it (not the copyright in it, no because I do NOT own that, but that’s for another day), hell I can even turn the book into toilet paper if I like (don’t do that because EW and I bet that would be scratchy). Same with my CD or Blu Ray (well maybe not the toilet paper thing). The point is, I buy something, it’s MINE and I get to decide what happens to it at least until I give it to someone else or sell it to them and then THEY get to decide. 

These companies have found a whole way around that now and they really really REALLY REALLY REALLY like it. The more you just pay for the access and don't think about it, the more they’re going to do it. They know that you’ll eventually figure it out, but they’re hoping that it’ll be so entrenched by the time you do that it won’t matter any more. Perhaps it already is. 

It also allows for companies to do what Disney has done since the late 1980s and 1990s. To put everything in the DAMN VAULT. That’s the principle that these companies play by of “If I can’t make any money off of it OR if I can make MORE money off it by making it scarce then NO ONE CAN HAVE IT” will be enacted. With streaming being what it is, guess how easy it is to do JUST that with everything on their platforms? Pretty damn easy and no one can do anything about it. 

Now, this is all doom and gloom so far. I know. 

But there’s hope. I swear. 

Like. Think of it this way. There’s a few things we can do. 

First of all, if you really really really REALLY enjoyed something, please consider buying it. I know that is not always possible or easy or accessible for us, but think about it real long and hard. If It’s something you KNOW you’ll listen to repeatedly, watch over and over, read a bunch or reference all the time, BUY IT. That may remind these companies that sometimes physical copy is preferred and keep these things being made for the sake of posterity. 

Second. If you can’t afford to buy your treasured item, find it at your library or request that THEY purchase it for the collection. This will ensure that it will be some place that will take care of it and provide FREE access to all in the community who may need it. It will also keep us librarians happy and healthy and able to provide the service that communities need. I get it. You can’t collect it all. Neither can a library longterm, BUT if you really like an item, check it out often and it’ll be kept in the collection or replaced once it reaches the end of its life cycle. 

Third. Treasure the physical experience when you do engage with it. Hold those discs for your favorite show. SMELL the pages of that book. Feel the weight of the item as you handle it. It may seem silly, but it’ll remind you that these things exist this way now not because that was the only way for them to do so, but because there is a human quality and value in them existing this way. Think of the most beautiful book you’ve ever seen or held and how it felt reading it in book form rather than on a screen. 

Fourth. Buy from artisans who may take some of the digital creations and turn them into physical. Here I’m not talking the corporate created DVDs or print books. I’m talking fine artisan presses who may be printing and binding people’s treasured fanfiction or meta analysis for whatever show they love. I’m talking art prints for your favorite character. I’m talking those who have elevated fandom into the next realm of arts and crafts and fine art in ways that make fandom so concrete again. I’m talking art for art’s sake, fandom or otherwise. Support those artisans at Etsy, the Ren Fest, your local art market, wherever they find their niche. Collect that and what has meaning.

Remember, these things aren’t just CONTENT to be sold and consumed mindlessly and without purpose because Disney or Paramount or Warner Brothers decides this is what you want to see/experience. Engaging with the physical will also remind us that human creators helped to make these things and while Work for Hire practices are screwing them in the digital streaming realm, we can and will and should celebrate them in the physical so their art will remain grounded in the human condition and the real. 

Go engage with something physical. Read that book. Listen to that album on a player. Dig out whatever physical item you want and just be with it for awhile. 

It doesn’t have to be this streaming, cold digital world. It can be real and vibrant and concrete. Let it be. 

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/babylon-5-rewatch-n/

Babylon 5 (rewatch n)

[5 stars]

TL;DR: If you’ve not rewatched Babylon 5 recently, you should. If you’ve never seen it, make the time. Forgive its faults and revel in its incredibly intricate and intentional plotting that no one other than Dark has even come close to in the intervening years since its release. And gawk at its unexpected relevance 30 years after its original airing.

And, yes, I started this effort before the recent reboot announcement: https://deadline.com/2021/09/babylon-5-series-reboot-j-michael-straczynski-development-cw-1234845022/

There are some genre shows I come back to on a regular basis. No matter how many times I rewatch them, I find new moments or surprises…or simply enjoy certain stories so much I never get bored with them. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek (OS, TNG, DS9)…and Babylon 5 which is probably the least widely appreciated of that list, but which had a most outsized influence on the genre and all that followed.

I am more than willing to admit that some of the writing and directing of B5 is painful at times. But the fact that it remains rewatchable despite that and, more importantly, still relevant and impressive all these years later is a testament to what it was. B5 changed the landscape of genre TV. By creating a pre-planned 5-year arc J. Michael Straczynski (Sense8) was able to thread through clues and foreshadowing with intent rather than retconning them into plots conceived down the road. Not that the latter can’t be done well; Buffy and Angel did it all the time, as did Game of Thrones. But no one has come close to the beautiful construction of B5 through its first four seasons. And no show has purposely evolved in style, focus, and design from season to season the way B5 did. Only The Expanse comes close, and possible Farscape before it.

The simple truth is that if B5 had been birthed in the streaming world it would have been a smash. Its huge gamble was to have an ongoing tale rather than reset, episodic adventures. They kept losing audience and weren’t able to easily pick up new viewers since the earlier shows weren’t available. Joe was ahead of his time…but his influence reshaped entertainment and set a high bar.

But what is amazing to me is how relevant the story remains. Presented in the early 90s, I was glued to the TV every week watching the story reflect the world of politics and society…with a lot of grand adventure, humor, and action to boot. Decades later I was somewhat worried it would have gone threadbare. But no, the mirror still works for today, even with its faults (let’s face it, Joe really didn’t write women well, though he tried).

In fact, the first season or two are disturbingly accurate for today. Politics, in the era of 45, are even closer to the horror story B5 lays out. There are pandemics, which once reflected the AIDS crisis but today are a perfect extrapolation of COVID. Stories of media suppression and control in the age of Fox news and Murdoch. Endless wars and generational hate have moved from the Soviet Union to the Middle and Far East, but still echo in our reality. Honestly, you’d think it was written recently.

Up through most of season 3 and into the start of 4, Babylon is one of the most beautifully, tightly constructed shows ever put to screen. It would have been even better if they weren’t forced into 21 episode seasons; some of the pointless stand-alones could have been dropped. But if you’ve seen it more than once, you start noticing phrases and moments that wouldn’t originally pay off for, literally, years in air-time. The level of conviction and trust involved in that is breathtaking. Because of the history of the show (it wasn’t going to be renewed for broadcast and then had a last minute save for its final season on cable) the fourth season is a bit rushed at the end. And then the fifth season had its own struggles with budget and cast changes…and the fact that Joe did his fans a favor and gave us finale ahead of what he’d planned in case the fifth season never came.

The result is that the fourth season becomes more about falling dominos as the intricate clockwork of the plots spins down. Which isn’t to say that the fourth and fifth season don’t have their moments, but it is more about action and result and less interesting as a modern mirror. But it is still a great ride to the multiple conclusions of threads, revelations about moments we’d been promised and had misinterpreted for years, and harsh and honest commentary on world politics, religion, war, but most of all: humanity.

The real question now, after a recent announcement, is whether the story can be retold better than the original? I wasn’t expecting this when I started my rewatch. Will Joe and the studio allow more writers to be involved and more up-to-date world views (particularly around gender) to have traction? Is the CW really the best home for a show that is this adult? Frankly, I would have looked at streamer like Amazon, HBO Max, or Netflix where the grittier aspects would have been welcome, and where people could have jumped in at any time and started from the beginning. And I’d have pitched it more as an update and rethink than a reboot. But, regardless, I’ll certainly be there to find out if it can fly. If nothing else, perhaps we’ll finally get an HD version of this story since some idiot at Fox deleted all the digital originals to save disk space (no, I’m not kidding).

[aion-rsa]

The Last of Us TV Show Set Photo Finally Reveals the New Joel and Ellie

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

For many fans, Joel and Ellie are characters that defined an entire generation of gaming when The Last of Us hit the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and ushered in a new era of video game storytelling. In many ways, their relationship, and the journey they embark on to cure a deadly virus that’s destroyed the planet, inspired the entire industry to rethink the kind of character work and narratives that could be achieved in the medium. Some critics even (unfairly) argued that Joel and Ellie’s adventure was a clear sign that video games had matured and could now aim for more artistic aspirations. (Video games have always been an art form, like movies, TV, and music, and the rest of the world is finally catching up.) To say that this beloved duo changed the world is no exaggeration.

So as you can imagine, there’s a bit of pressure on HBO to get its live-action adaptation of The Last of Us right. Fortunately, the show has amazing talent behind it. With the help of executive producer Craig Mazin and The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann, who is also writing all of the episodes and directing one, Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) will be the actors charged with bringing Joel and Ellie to life.

While these actors have proved their immense talents on television already, the expectations that come along with popular video game franchises is something else entirely, as Druckmann himself learned when studio Naughty Dog released the controversial sequel, The Last of Us Part II, for PlayStation 4 last year. Pascal and Ramsey’s performances will undoubtedly be heavily scrutinized by fans of the series, down to how well they fit the look of the characters. As far as the latter is concerned, it seems like the HBO show is in very good hands.

Druckmann has released the very image of Joel and Ellie and live-action, and it’s safe to say that the image almost looks like a carbon copy of the video game:

When I first saw them on set in full costume, I was like: "Hooooooly shit! It's Joel & Ellie! 😭!" The @HBO adaptation of @Naughty_Dog's The Last of Us is full steam ahead! Can't wait to show you more (from all of our projects!) Happy #TLoUDay!!! pic.twitter.com/trq9N340FW

— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) September 27, 2021

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From the correct color palette of their costumes to their slightly unkempt hair styles to the packs they’re wearing on their backs, it looks like the show has really nailed the look of these characters. Of course, we’ve not seen their faces, but you can probably assume Pascal is sporting Joel’s facial hair and Ramsey has Ellie’s iconic scar.

It’s clear from this picture that the goal was to stick as close to the video games as possible, but Mazin has said in previous interviews that some things about the story will change.

“I think the one anxiety that fans of something have is when the property gets licensed to someone else, those people don’t really understand it, or are going to change it, or make it stupid,” Mazin told BBC Radio 5 last year. “In this case, I’m doing it with the guy who did it, and so the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance.”

Mazin explained that fans should expect new scenes and storylines that aren’t in the game but that all of the additions will fit into the original narrative. In at least one case, Mazin and Druckmann are even using some stuff that Naughty Dog planned but never used for The Last of Us.

“Neil, at one point, he’s like, ‘You know, there was one thing we were talking about for a while,’ and then he told me what it was. I was like, ‘Well, that’s going in. You couldn’t stop me from doing that.’ So we’re doing that,” Mazin said. “And there’s quite a few things like that where it’s not like, ‘Oh, we just decided, oh, wouldn’t it be cool if there was one episode where Joel and Ellie get on motorcycles and confront a motorcycle gang?’ That’s not what we do. There’s no episodic nonsense here. This is all pretty much curated. The things that are new and enhancing of the storyline we’re doing are connected in organic, serious ways that fans and newcomers alike will appreciate.”

HBO’s The Last of Us is currently filming. No release date has been set at this time.

The post The Last of Us TV Show Set Photo Finally Reveals the New Joel and Ellie appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3oczczb

[serjah]

Lovecraft Country 1x10 "Full Circle"

I've noticed after watching the series finds out that, despite the super scenarios, science fiction and all that remarkable series, responsible for the final "MEEEEHHHHH" is HBO, put the penultimate or antepenultimate chapter in top plan, get to the last and you have left a poker face, you think: "What now?".

I think I believe that after Game of Thrones and now seeing Lovecraft Country, HBO should rethink and improve the final before issuing or else continue to do crap after crap and never find their "GoT" as they say.

Discuss on Trakt.tv

[sleepingfancies]

I read a season 8 leak that said Jon and Dany will have a baby and sit on the Iron Throne together, and that Sansa is going to die via zombie Viserion. I don't even want to watch Season 8 now

I think I have reason to believe some of the more far fetched “leaks” (i.e. Dany and Jon having babies and living happily ever after and every one else dying, totally not in keeping with Martin’s style of writing thus far) are being intentionally leaked by HBO/D&D to throw people off.

Do I think Jon and Dany will have a thing? Temporarily, sure.

Do I think a child is going to come of it? Not likely, no. And if one does, it’s been well established that Dany can’t carry a child to term. So unless Jon’s dick is magical and can cure uterine trauma now, I don’t expect a little baby Jonerys. Nor do I expect either of them to be sitting pretty on the Iron Throne by the end of this whole… fiasco.

What I personally think is going to happen is that Dany is going to have a moment of slightly Mad Queen behavior until someone dear to her (Missandei, Jorah, or otherwise) will utter some magic phrase of “you’re not the queen I swore my loyalty to” or whatever, upon which she’ll realize the best thing she can do to obtain what she really wants - the people’s love and the restoration of a good name for the Targs - is to use her dragons to defeat the Night King. I don’t think grasping at the Iron Throne is what Dany really wants. It’s what Viserys thought they, as Targs, deserved. And Dany never knew any life beyond what her older brother told her was right. So by the time she realizes her own desires are not in line with that of her brother’s, I think the effort to make up for those mistakes will kill her. I’m sorry, I do. I think Dany cannot possibly survive the end of this. She’s the red herring here. Jon said himself, “what’s dead should stay dead.” That goes for the dragons as much as himself. They - and thus, metaphorically, the Targs - were extinct. Bringing them back only spells trouble.

As for the Starks, well, I think they’ll come out okay at the end of this. I wouldn’t be shocked if Jon died, but I wouldn’t be phased if he lived, either. I think he really just wants to retire. But I think Sansa and Arya at least have a firm grip on their survival chances. Sansa seems pretty content staying in Winterfell as their Queen in the North, Arya makes a good assassin. I don’t really care what happens to Bran.

So yeah, that’s what I think is going to happen. Dany and Jon will have a brief tryst wherein Jon will decide “nah” and Dany will be put out - but there won’t be any picking baby names with dragonfire in the background. I think Dany will sacrifice herself (and her dragons) to save Westeros and make people rethink the bad rep of the Targs. I think the Starks are gonna come out on top.

Trust me, I’m scared for Season 8 too. But I think 9/10 times the leaks are faked red herrings by HBO themselves. Peter Jackson did the same thing during filming of the Return of the King - he had like 4 fake scripts just in case someone got ahold of one and tried to spoil the whole movie. It’s strategy I think is working.

[robrob1127]

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Comedy Legend Paula Poundstone Returns to the Sellersville Theater

  By Rob Nagy

  Celebrating 40 years as one of comedy’s most coveted stand up comedians, Paula Poundstone’s diverse talents know no boundaries. A highly regarded author, actress, interviewer, and commentator, Poundstone recalls the challenges at the start of her career.

  “I started out in Boston in 1979,” recalls Poundstone, from her home in Santa Monica, California. “I was an open miker. The premise of an open mic is sort of college for a comic. It’s your training ground. The problem with open mic night is that anyone that wanted to go up could for five minutes. It was such a popular thing at the time that tons of people wanted to go up for five minutes. The crowds would be hot in the early part of the night and get smaller as the night went on. So people were very adamant that you do five minutes. If you went over it always pissed people off. So I always pissed people off because I couldn’t keep track of my five minutes, because I would think of other things while I was standing there.”

  “At the time, I thought it was a self-discipline problem,” adds Poundstone. ”I suppose it still is. But at the time, I’m saying, ‘Isn’t it awful that I’m just saying stuff that I think of. ‘ Sometimes I did it because I couldn’t remember what I meant to say. Other times, I did it because something struck me as funny, so I said it. It took me a year or two to realize that that was the great part.”

  In the early 1980’s, Poundstone traveled across the country by Greyhound bus often taking the stage at open mic nights. Ultimately landing in San Francisco, Poundstone continued to hone her signature improvisational skills. 

  At the urging of comedy legend Robin Williams, who had seen her act Poundstone relocated to Los Angeles, California to be closer to the heart of the entertainment business.

  It didn’t take long for the intellectual and quick-witted Poundstone to get a break. Performing a series of hour-long high profile comedy specials on HBO, Poundstone was on the doorstep of stardom.

  Ultimately offered opportunities in film and TV, Poundstone continues to enjoy a variety of roles as an actress, writer, and animated voice actor. She has had two TV specials, “Paula Poundstone: Cats, Cops, and Stuff” (1990) and “Paula Poundstone: Look What the Cat Dragged In” (2006). She has released 3 comedy CD’s; I Heart Jokes: Paula Tells Them in Boston (2013), North By Northwest (2016), and I Heart Jokes: Paula Tells Them in Maine (2009).

  Additionally, Poundstone is the host of the Maximum Fun podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. She is also a frequent guest panelist on NPR's popular weekly news quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.  In 1989, Poundstone won the American Comedy Award for “Best Female Stand-Up Comic”. The following year, she was the first woman to win a CableACE Award for Best Standup Comedy for her HBO special, “Paula Poundstone: Cats, Cops and Stuff”. In 1993, she won her second CableACE Award for “Best Program Interviewer” for her HBO series.

  In 2017,  Poundstone launched a weekly science comedy radio program on NPR called, Live from the Poundstone Institute. An avid reader, Poundstone has authored two books, There Is Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say (2006), and The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness (2017).

  “I’m happy with where my career is at this point,” says Poundstone. “I get to do the most fun job in the entire world.  It’s a physically and mentally good health promoting kind of a job. I’m sure that I’ve benefited physically from doing comedy.  I get to stand in front of a whole group of people who come out to laugh for the night. It’s the best! I’m really very lucky!”

  “The fans are my best friends,” adds Poundstone. “I love it that there are people who have seen me in more than 1 state and we’re like molecules that keep bumping into each other; it’s really nice. I always hear the people in the theater at the end of the night when I’m done with the meet and greet, and I’m at that level of exhaustion where, really, they could just put me on a two-wheeler and take me back to the hotel. And I say to them, ‘Don’t I always have the very best audiences that you have here.’ And you know what, I don’t know if they say it just to make me go away, but they always say, ‘Yes you do.’

  In spite of her years of success, Poundstone recognizes a major shift in societal attitudes and sensitivities that have forced many comics to rethink the content of their material.

  “I think we’ve lost our sense of humor to some degree,” says Poundstone. “On the other hand, some of it is because maybe for a long time we had whipping boys where it never occurred to us that we may have been doing damage. When I went to San Francisco in the early 1980’s, there were so many gay jokes and no one thought twice about it. No one thought that there’s someone on the receiving end of this joke because everybody laughed. I didn’t solicit it, but I started having this large gay audience. One of the things that occurred to me then when I was a young comic was I didn’t want to make the same mistake. I wanted everyone in the room to have a good time and not at the expense of a group of people. So I think what we’re doing now is we are correcting for some insensitivities made in the past. If I call myself fat I’ll laugh at it. If somebody else calls me fat maybe I don’t like it so much.”

  “I am struck when people come up to me after a show and say, ‘I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time,’ adds Poundstone. “It really is the best thing for you. A roof over your head is perhaps more imporant, but once you’ve taken care of the basics there’s just nothing better than laughing.”

  Paula Poundstone performs at the Sellersville Theater located at 24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, PA, on June 28, 2019 at 8:00 P.M. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 257-5808 or online at www.st94.com.

  To stay up to date with Paula Poundstone visit www.paulapoundstone.com

  https://www.thereporteronline.com/arts_and_entertainment/comedy-legend-paula-poundstone-returns-to-the-sellersville-theater/article_356ef6c8-91c0-11e9-baaa-f3c92679261d.html

[gaygardner]

I’ve been tagged by three different ppl so I’mma put all of them together. Long post ahead. 

answer the following eleven questions, add eleven questions of my own and tag 11 people.

tagged by @jeffersonjaxson cheers meg meg

1. What was the first fandom you remember being a part of?  Pretty sure it was band-dom. Might have been Simple Plan??? I was an embarrassing teenager.

2. Who would your Dream Team of characters be?  Joan Watson, Kate Kane, James Flint, Andrew Minyard, James Kirk

3. What is your opinion on AUs? It depends on the AU tbh. For the most part, I’m a fan. Some, not to so much. 

4. Favourite potential ship. You know the one where one half died or left before they could become a THING, but in your heart they were/should have been. before they become a thing? uhhh, probably timecanary?

5. fave poly ship/ot3s? you know the answer to this - james flint/thomas hamilton/miranda barlow

6. are you the head, heart, or hands? how much do personality tests fit you? the head i think. i pried being logical. also, yeah, most of them fits me for the majority of the time

7. Odd habit or thing you do? lmao i do this thing when my throat hurts that ppl have said sounds like the sound a gecko makes...

8. Favourite Dead Character Miranda Barlow.

9. Fave thing you’ve ever written/giffed/stanned? this jerejean gif, my sidewinder gifs, any of my flint/hamilton gifs. @nickoflahertys and @bcydbeaulieu‘’s header gifs

10. NOTPs goddddddd why meg whyyyy incestuous batfam, any bruce/kids, l/uriver, r/ay p/almer and anyone, v/ne x el/anor i can’t think of anything else right now but there is a list.... 

11. Hollywood Chris’ ranking i. Chris Pine ii. Colourful suit Chris Pine iii.  Sockless Chris Pine iv. the only chris that matters - Chris Pine   v.  Chris Evans

Tagged by @bisexuallaurellance​. Ta Mina xx

1. Put your music on shuffle and give me your favourite lyrics from the first five songs. I’m in the library and i didn’t bring my earphones so i can’t do this )): soz bud

2. how do you feel about kids? I’m indifferent? I’m not a fan but it’s fine. 

3. If you could be one fictional character for a day, who would it be and why? James Flint so that I know what it is like to be loved by both Thomas Hamilton and Miranda Barlow. 

4. If you could have dinner with any celebrity, alive or dead, who would it be? Celebrity? Chris Pine so that I can ask him what he has against socks

5. At a glance, who is your most popular artist in your music collection (i.e. whose songs do you have the most of)? Probably Panic At the Disco - mostly because Pretty. Odd is one of the albums I will always play on repeat

6. What would be your last meal? Idk. I’ve never really given this much thought if I’m honest with you

7. Favourite toy as a kid? My Tamiya toy car

8. What song fits your favourite character the best? Gay or European for James Flint. IDK where it’s from but someone made a fanvid of it and I haven’t stopped yelling about it.  That and Safe Inside by James Arthur for Zane Garrett. B Y E 

9. Ramble about something current affairs related. This is very local and no one outside my country will care but this sudden increase “malay rights” or as i like to call it ‘malay supremacy’. I know it has been happening since the country gained independence and social media has made it even more obvious. But the fact that because the malays are the majority, they think they have the right over everyone else. Like, fuck. you don’t shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down. 

10. what fandom discourse makes you angry? all fandom discourse makes me angry

11. what’s your opinion on smut? I’m alright with it. But I’m not really a fan of Porn Without Plot

Tagged by @eliotswaugh​. Thanks for the tag, Ana! x

1. What’s the otp that haunts you? Like, we all have sunken otps, but what’s the ship that still haunts you and will always lowkey haunt you because they were so amazing that you will never understand how they didn’t end up together? God damn it Ana. I feel like you’re doing this on purpose. Our OTPs are so tragic. But the fact that Dan/Blair ended so badly will haunt me till my dying breath.

2. What show has Completely Disappointed You? Like, started-out-so-good-how-did-we-end-up-here disappointed you? ahem all of DCTV ahem. 

3.  What book has gotten to you? Not necessarily your favorite, but a book that hit you in the feels or made you cry or rethink things in your life or you just genuinely enjoyed? The Man Called Ove by Fedrik Bachmann. It’s not my absolute fave but god the book just got to me. 

4. If you could sink one of your otps so that another one of your otps could sail, which 2 would you pick? And why? I would sink Emma/Killian so that Thomas/Grace could sail. Out of all my proper I-was-so-invested-in-this-ship otps, I feel the least connection to Emma and Killian. I think it’s because the whole keeping things from each other to “save” them got so tiring and I wasn’t as invested in it as I was. And Thomas and Grace deserves to be happy together. 

5. What’s your IMBED alignment type thing? What does it mean? Explain that shit to me like I’m really dumb cause I’ve never understood it. I don’t know what this is?

6. Favorite book to movie or tv adaptation? ALL OF HBO WAR. B Y E 

7. What’s your HP house, who’s your demigod parent and what’s your Game of Thrones house? And do you think this actually says something about your personality? Ravenclaw, uh idk and I can’t remember. Sorry. Not really? I don’t know the Ravenclaw thing, parts of personality fits the house but others not so much. 

8. What’s your comfort show? Like, a show you can watch over and over again? Psych. Forever and always.

9. Favorite Queen song?  Somebody to Love.

10. Do you watch any medical shows (like Grey’s Anatomy or something)? What are your thoughts about it? jksladfhdsjafhjkdsafh NO. I have very, very strong feelings about this - and Emily knows all about them (mostly because she is a massive dick and keeps telling me about it and sending me videos and commentary). In saying that I tried watching Chicago Med and I quite liked it. But then the whole relationship issue got boring real fast and so I stopped. 

11. Who’s your Best Bisexual and your Best Gay character? Bisexual - god. ZANE ZACHARY GARRETT. I would die for him. I was gonna pick James Flint but I think he’s more pansexual Gay - MAX MAX MAX. Oh my god. Max is such as badass. She started as a prostitute and ended up controlling Nassau. And she doesn’t take shit from ANYONE. I love Max. 

My questions: 1. Would you consider watching a show/movie in a language you don’t understand? And have you? If so, what’s your favourite? 2. Three things you’ve bought and regretted.  3. Star Trek or Star Wars. Sherlock or Elementary. If you want, explain why.  4. Who is your favourite 25 and older LGBT+ characters? What book/movie/show are they from and why do you love them? 5. A book that you wish would be turned into a tv show or movie.  6. If we were to move to a different planet because this Earth is dead, would you call it Earth-2? If not, what would you name it?  7. Deep space or the deep sea?  8. Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise? 9. Diversity = representation: thoughts? 10. Why do you think buying things make us feel so happy? 11. Cillian Murphy: real or fake?

Tagging you’re not obligated to answer these questions as usual @nickoflahertys @zanesgarrett @chadwickbose @blackcanarydinah @scottsunmers @chochang @hcourageous @bcydbeaulieu @valjeanmoreaus @ruinsrebuilt @wondertrevz

[marxisforbros]

The Feminist Stigma Why Is It Unusual For a Feminist To Be Happy? Has Feminism Become a New Four-Letter Word? Is Feminism Sexist? Why Are Feminists So Unpleasant To Women? Emma Watson Almost Didn’t Say “Feminism” In Her U.N. Speech Naomie Harris Says She Can Be a Bond Girl and a Feminist Lena Dunham’s Brand of Feminism Is Scarier Than Halloween Singer Paloma Faith is a Feminist with a Lingerie Deal Barbie Is Now Doing Feminism – But Not Everyone’s Convinced Barbie Will Not Become a Feminist Anytime Soon, Don’t Get Your Hopes Up Gloria Steinem Blames Rush Limbaugh for Ruining the Word Feminism Feminists Are Not All Man-Hating Weirdos with Hairy Legs and Fangs Canada’s New Prime Minister Says He Is “Proud To Be A Feminist” Should Miley Cyrus Still Call Herself a Feminist? Meryl Streep Is a Humanist, Not a Feminist When A Feminist Trailblazer Turns To Victim-Blaming, It’s Time to Let Go of a Hero If Feminist Icons Lose Their Way the Movement Continues Without Them Lena Dunham’s New HBO Show is a Comedy about 1960s Feminism On the Tyranny of Wishy-Washy White Liberal Feminism Is Feminism Still Relevant? We Ask Five Melbourne Women Feminism Isn’t Dead, Despite All the Assassination Attempts ‘Suffragette’ Shows Feminism’s Success – And Its Flaws Feminism Matters. And It’s Terrifying For Some People Sweden’s Subtly Radical ‘Feminist’ Foreign Policy is Causing a Stir Why is Britain’s Minister For Women Writing Feminism Out of History? Just Because You Do These 3 Things Doesn’t Make You a Feminist Lena Dunham Explains Feminism with Nipple Tape and Armpit Hair The True Meaning of Feminism Do Your Clothes Pass The Feminist Test? Why I Became a Feminist After Thinking It Was Uncool How Becoming a Feminist Felt Like Falling In Love Why You Shouldn’t Shy Away From Calling Yourself a Feminist Bernie Sanders Says Yes, He’s a Feminist I’m A Feminist, But I’m Not …  ‘I’m Not A Feminist But an Independent Woman’ Why Women Who Love Football Can Also Be Feminists I’m A Feminist with a Football Obsession Why Beyoncé’s Latest ‘Feminist’ Move Was So Problematic Rihanna Has Something to Say to Anyone Who Thought the “BBHMM” Video Was Anti-Feminist See Why Every Celebrity Should Embrace Feminism How Celebrities’ Opinions About Feminism Affect Little Girls Lana Del Rey Rethinks Feminism with James Franco The True Meaning of Feminism This Women’s History Month, I Refuse to Celebrate Your Feminism Emma Watson Is Not a White Feminist 9 Things That Don’t Make You a “Better” Feminist Than Anyone Else Equality Should Not Be the Only Interchangeable Word With Feminism The Overlooked History of Women Against Feminism Feminism Has Lost Its Way Cybersexism? Yet Another Feminist Panic People Who Watch Porn Hold More Feminist Views I’d Rather Be a Feminist Icon Than a Sex Symbol Says The Bridge Star Sofia Helin 6 Reasons To Date A Feminist 8 Things a Feminist Looks For In A Partner, Because Conforming To Gender Roles Is Completely Optional How to Compliment a Feminist 10 Things You Shouldn’t Say To a Latina Feminist 15 Famous Men on Whether or Not They’re Feminists Why I Won’t Date Another ‘Male Feminist’ Turnbull: I Am A Hard Man, A Feminist Why More Gay Men Need To Claim Feminism How To Be a Genderqueer Feminist High Time We Called a Halt To Navel-Gazing Feminism A New Campaign Is Stressing the Importance of Feminist Inclusion Feminism Needs To Stop Isolating Females Modern Feminism Is Silent On the Real Issue of Freedom For Women Feminist Film-Maker Criticised For Making ‘Balanced’ Men’s Rights Documentary Feminists Who Veer From Doctrine Should Not Be Silenced Feminism to Become A School Subject French TV Channel Pulls Sexist Feminist Advert Has Feminism Lost The Plot? New York Times Crossword Puzzle Tried (And Failed) To Make A Feminism Joke Feminism Begins At Your Nearest Big Hotel Surf the New Wave of Surf Feminism: This Time, It’s Big! Fighting School Sexism: Feminist Theory Hits Classrooms Feminist Protesters Storm Red Carpet at London Premiere of Suffragette Trafalgar Square Fountains Dyed Red in Feminist Protest Against Cuts To Domestic Violence Services Plan to Axe Feminism From A-Level Politics Triggers Protest New British Feminist Party Wants To Shake Up Politics, Business, Society Feminist Restaurant Gives Migrants a Starter In Britain Virgin Media Launches New Ultrafast Broadband Brand ‘Vivid’ With Feminist Ad Apple’s Feminism Failure Why the Witch is the Ultimate Feminist Icon Male Feminist Investigates How to Become Male Witch Inside The Weird World of an Islamic ‘Feminist’ Cult The Seven Priorities For Young Feminists Today 7 Things Feminists Wish Non-Feminists Understood Selfies: Modern Feminism’s Answer to Bra Burning I Thought the Feminism Battle Was Won, But It’s Far From Over Of Course I’m A Bloody Feminist

90 news headlines about feminism arranged as a poem, Maryanne Dever & Lisa Adkins

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Link Tank: Best Scary G-Rated Movies For Young Kids

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

For those out there with really young kids, here are some of the best and scariest G-rated movies you can watch this Halloween.

“Halloween is a time for horrors, haunts, and movies with a lot of blood. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the most terrifying films out there are the ones that are considered “safe” for all ages. Here are our picks of the 10 scariest G-rated movies in modern history.”

Read more at Gizmodo.

Armie Hammer joked that he’s open to doing a sequel for The Man From U.N.C.L.E if someone wrote a good enough fanfiction.

“Armie Hammer said that if someone wrote a very good fanfiction for The Man From U.N.C.L.E, he’d make sure Guy Ritchie saw it so they could do a sequel. And GREAT DO YOU WANT RECOMMENDATIONS?”

Read more at The Mary Sue.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

We may be stuck indoors, but that’s not stopping people from dressing up for Halloween. Check out this October’s most searched Halloween costumes.

“If you’re assuming everyone else at your Zoom Halloween party will come up with creative costumes, leaving you to fly under the radar as the only witch in attendance, you might want to rethink your plan. According to Frightgeist, a Google-run seasonal site that analyzes Google Trends data, witch is the most searched Halloween costume this year.”

Read more at Mental Floss.

More people than ever are seeking professional help during COVID-19. Here’s how you can too.

“Mental health is a complicated, intimidating state to navigate. That was true before the novel coronavirus pandemic, and it’s true now. The difference between the past and present is that Covid-19 has both exacerbated pre-existing issues and introduced new stresses. In turn, surveys taken over the summer indicate mental health has worsened during the pandemic.”

Read more at Inverse.

The Justice Department has declared Google an illegal monopoly. Here’s why, and what it all means.

“The US government claims Google has a monopoly over internet search and is tacitly calling on the court to consider breaking the company up. On Tuesday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit in an US district court that alleges Google has been violating antitrust laws in order to cement its hold over the internet search market.”

Read more at PCMag.

The Lovecraft Country season finale last week has left a lot of room to grow. Here are some possible predictions for season 2.

“If you tore through HBO’s Lovecraft Country, were a huge fan of Mark Ruff’s book, or both, you’re probably wondering if there’s more adventure and horror lurking around the corner from the Sons of Adam’s least favorite family. For Atticus, Ruby, and Christina Braithwhite, the journey has ended (or has it??), but for the rest of the Freemans, it appears things are just getting started.”

Read more at Thrillist.

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