#I first noticed him as an actor about 2004

[commander----shepard]

Oded Fehr in Covert Affairs.😍😍😍😍 😍😍😍😍

That’s all.

[ravenya003]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Out of Mind, Out of Sight; E01E11

I dig this episode! In the grand scheme of things it’s fairly negligible, with a Monster of the Week who never reappears (even though she should have) and a fairly oddball premise (once again “mystical Hellmouth energy” is the real villain) but which also happens to be our first Cordelia-centric episode (demonstrating she has more depth than we’ve so far given her credit for) and guest stars none other than Clea DuVall.

It becomes even more bemusing when you take into account the fact that this is season one’s penultimate episode, for aside from a tiny subplot that sets up the finale and introduces Angel to the Scoobies for the first time, Buffy spends most of it trying to hunt down an invisible girl.

The more I think about this episode, the quirkier it becomes.

To start with, there’s some debate about what this episode is actually called. In some regions it’s referred to as “Invisible Girl,” and in others “Out of Mind, Out of Sight.” I'm not sure why, but I don’t think anyone could disagree that the latter is an infinitely better title than the former – not only is “Invisible Girl” a massive spoiler, but it also clashes with the next episode title: “Prophecy Girl.” Two girls in a row? That doesn’t flow very well.

On the other hand, “out of mind, out of sight” is not only a famous idiom, but also a very literate description of what happens to Marcie Ross in this episode. Everyone ignores her, and so she disappears. Plus, this is the title that appears on my DVD menu, so as far as I’m concerned, that’s the official name of the episode.

The episode kicks off, and Harmony is back! The first of the Cordettes to make a return appearance. She and Cordelia are jabbering in the hallway about the upcoming school dance, and Buffy overhears wistfully, no doubt recalling her days when she was popular. Now she’s a clumsy weirdo, scorned by the girls who would have otherwise been her friends.

It’s a rather heavy-handed scene, though an important component is that Harmony points out that: “she’s always hanging out with that creepy librarian in that creepy library.” Again, the other students might be spurning Buffy, but they are noticing what she’s getting up to. It all contributes to the subtle lead-up to the events of the Prom in season three.

In English class they’re discussing The Merchant of Venice, which is funny because I just watched the 2004 version last month. Amusingly, Cordelia has no sympathy whatsoever for Shylock, but it’s worth noting that she has an argument to make and demonstrates that she understands the material. Cordelia might be awful, but she’s clearly not unintelligent.

Also, we’re introduced to another member of the Sunnydale High faculty: Ms Miller, who is also the show’s third (?) featured Black person. I really should have been keeping count of these rare sightings of melanin skin in what is meant to be a Southern Californian town.

We cut to Mitch in the locker room, who is making a lewd comment to his friends about Cordelia. We actually met him a couple of scenes ago as Cordelia’s latest squeeze, and a fun fact is that he’s played by Ryan Bittle, who was the original Todd Wilkins in the Sweet Valley High series. Why is this relevant? Because the second actor to play Todd Wilkins was Jeremy Vincent Garrett, who also features on this show, in season two’s “Go Fish.” I enjoy these little coincidences.

He’s getting dressed after his shower when a levitating baseball, swiftly following on the heels of a malicious giggle, starts to beat the shit out of him. I can’t say it’s not a little satisfying (let’s be real – that gross comment he made about Cordy was to give us permission to enjoy this beatdown).

Just to really drive home the fact that Buffy is feeling lonely and left out, Xander and Willow start laughing about an in-joke that remains incomprehensible – something about a field trip, some antlers, and a hat. It never gets explained and it never gets brought up again. And to further hammer home the point, just in case you’re not getting it, Buffy divulges that she was once the May Queen at her old school. (Cordelia is campaigning and refuses to give her a cupcake).

The news breaks that Mitch has been attacked in the locker room and Snyder appears out of nowhere to announce that: “no one’s dead... this week.” Heh. Mitch is wheeled out on a gurney and manages to tell the assorted crowd what happened, and when Buffy goes to investigate, the Slayerettes very handily distract Snyder with talk about how the school is going to be sued. That’s teamwork.

There’s not much to see in the changing room, only the word “look” graffitied on the lockers. I’m also compelled to point out that there are no cops on the scene. I mean, they call an ambulance but not the police? (And yes, I do understand why the writers were loathe to involve the police force on a regular basis; it’s a discussion point I’m working my way up to).

In the cafeteria, the Scoobies and Giles are discussing their options and draw the obvious conclusion that it’s poltergeist activity. Buffy doesn’t think the attack was random, and Giles promises to draw up a list of students that’ve gone missing recently. In a slightly weird moment, Giles tries to recruit Xander into do some research, though in hindsight it’s just setup for a joke in which Buffy suggests he interview Cordelia instead, and he leaps at the chance to hit the books.

Harmony is commiserating with Cordelia about Mitch, though she’s mostly concerned about how awful he’s going to look in the Prom pictures. This segues into an interesting creative decision: we suddenly switch to a black-and-white flashback that depicts Cordelia and Harmony being approached by an unseen girl (it’s shot from her point-of-view) who is scornfully dismissed.

I’m not entirely sure if this was the best way to reveal Marcie (though technically, we don’t actually see her at this point) but this is nothing if not an oddball episode.

Back in the present day, Harmony is abruptly yanked off her feet and thrown down a flight of stairs. Yikes, it’s actually very wince-inducing, so well done to the stunt double. Buffy is on hand to help, and Snyder pops up to say: “don’t sue.” Heh heh.

Someone brushes past Buffy that she can’t see, though she hears a malevolent little giggle. She follows it into the band room, but fails to notice a hatch opening in the roof.

As the students leave at the end of the day, there’s a quick panning shot away from two distinctive-looking men in black suits and sunglasses (don’t worry, we’ll get back to them) and Buffy tells Giles that their ghost theory no longer holds water: she felt someone bump into her, which isn’t a typical trait of ghosts.

Their next option is simply a girl who is invisible, though Willow gets a cute moment when she says: “is she a witch? Because we can fight a witch.” (Continuity!) And yet whoever this girl is, her motive is clear, since the common denominator in both attacks was each victim’s proximity to Cordelia. Man, I really miss these detective-based episodes in later seasons.

There’s also a rather sad moment when Willow and Xander depart, and you can hear him ask: “do you wanna come to our place tonight for dinner? Mom's making her famous phone call to the Chinese place.” We learn so little about Xander and Willow’s families, and yet every glimpse we get is pretty dire. It’s a shame in a way that the show never delved into their backgrounds, because it would make sense on a psychological level that their absolute commitment to Buffy and her cause is based on not getting any love or validation at home.

Buffy decides to keep a watch on Cordelia, who for some reason is preparing her May Queen dress with her friends in a classroom after school hours (is there a reason she’s not doing this at home??) But I’m taking a moment to express my fondness for the fuzzy aesthetic of season one: the grainy quality of the footage, the slightly sluggish pacing, the rather unwieldy blocking – it’s such a far cry from the snappy editing and glossy visuals we get these days, and I love it.

Also, I feel that none of the girls in this classroom scene were given much direction, as there are some very awkward ad-libs (“how does the, um, hem go?”) and blocking (what on earth is the girl with the paper decorations doing?) going on. It’s charming in a very excruciating way.

Buffy peers at them through the window in the door, looking wistful, and are you getting it? I’m worried it’s too subtle. Buffy feels isolated and ignored, people! This might be thematically relevant later on!

Buffy draws away from the door when she hears flute music, but cannot find its source. In a nice segue, Giles looks up from his research in the library, also hearing the flute. He starts to investigate, and... okay, I love this scene. Giles meets Angel for the first time, and it’s nothing like I would have expected. (I actually started watching Buffy at the start of season three, and so season one always felt a bit like a prequel – and like I said, this meeting was not what I had anticipated for these two).

First of all, Giles gets a fright because he sees his reflection in a glass bookcase which demonstrates he’s alone – only to turn and realize Angel is standing right beside him. He looks back, and sure enough, vampires cast no reflection. That part is nicely done, and is solid setup for later in the episode when Angel’s vampiric abilities allows him to enter the gas-filled boiler room (heck, it even creates a neat comparison to Marcie’s invisibility, even though those two characters have nothing whatsoever to do with each other).

Giles recognizes him instantly, and Angel reassures him that he’s in no danger. Also, that he’s been trying to stay away since it hurts to be around Buffy. Um, sure. You’ve interacted with her, like what – seven times? And you’re in excruciating emotional pain when she’s around? I get that vampires score high on the melodrama scale, but honestly. Maybe he’s talking about literal pain since the last time we saw him Buffy accidentally seared a crucifix into his chest.

It doesn’t matter, because the most fascinating thing about this scene is that Giles doesn’t automatically enter Dad Mode. In fact, he seems a little awestruck with the idea of a vampire being in love with a Slayer, calling it “poetic.” I love that they made this choice for him; that you’d fully expect him to be disapproving of what Angel is doing, and instead finding it romantic.

We then get to the plot-relevant part of the scene, which plays out like a sneaky little alleyway thoroughfare to the events of the finale. Angel has approached Giles because he knows he’s researching the Master, and Giles laments the fact that so many texts of prophecy have gone missing.

I am POWERFULLY interested in the fact that there are apparently volumes of Slayer prophecies that detail what her role is in the “end years.” So many questions. Who wrote these books? That Aurelius guy? Are they just about the Master or do they involve all the other apocalypses that Buffy has to face? How does Angel know how to get hold of them? Who are his contacts?

Sorry, I just love the whole concept of prophecies, even though in this case, it’s clearly just basic table-setting for the unfolding plot. We’re not meant to be interested in anything beyond the fact that they exist, even though I would TOTALLY sit down to read an ancient tome that detailed prophecies concerning the Slayer line. That would actually be a total delight. Damn, I’m excited just thinking about it...

Okay, so the POINT of this entire exchange is that Angel promises to bring Giles something called the Pergamum Codex, which the latter believed had been lost in the fifteenth century. It has the most complete prophecies about what to expect from Buffy’s upcoming conflict with the Master, and it’s cute how Giles geeks out a little about getting his hands on it.

We are prepping for the next episode here, but the scene ends on an even more overt parallel between Angel and Marcie when Giles informs Angel they’re researching an invisible girl. It’s kinda funny actually, since he’s essentially saying “I know the end of the world is imminent, but first we gotta take care of this invisible teenager.” He remarks that being invisible would be a heady experience, and Angel advocates for the enjoyment of seeing one’s reflection in the mirror each morning.

Which segues us into... another flashback, this time one that shows us Marcie’s face as she’s – sure enough – looking at her reflection in a restroom mirror. Again, it’s a somewhat interesting way to reveal the identity and visage of this character, as all this context is still very much a mystery to Buffy and her cohorts (it’s rare that the audience gets clued-in before the protagonists) but it depicts her once again getting the brush-off by Cordelia and Harmony.

Back in the present day, Principal Snyder announces Cordelia as the May Queen, and promptly disappears from the rest of the episode (Snyder, not Cordelia). She begins her acceptance speech, while Buffy looks on from the walkway.

The suit-and-sunglasses men are noticeably loitering nearby, and Willow mistakes them for Cordy’s bodyguards before presenting Buffy with a list of missing students. The latest is a girl called Marcie Ross, who went missing six months ago. Hmm, if these episodes are evenly spaced over the course of a school year, that means she went missing sometime during the events of “The Pack” or “Angel.”

Willow and Xander claims they’ve never heard of her, but according to the list, Marcie’s only extra-curricular activity was playing the flute. The flute!

Buffy investigates the band room, and this time notices the hatch in the ceiling. She climbs up into the crawlspace and discovers where Marcie has been living – it’s a bit sad, since there’s a teddy and her flute, as well as a yearbook that confirms it’s indeed Marcie Ross who has been terrorizing the school.

Unbeknownst to Buffy, Marcie is in the room with her, and a knife starts levitating in midair as she searches her belongings. However, for whatever reason Marcie opts to not attack, and Buffy climbs back down into the classroom with her yearbook in hand, none the wiser.

In a quick scene, Ms Miller is alone in her classroom when Marcie whips a plastic bag over her head and leaves her for dead. Luckily, Cordelia arrives just in time to save her, and the pair of them turn to see a bit of chalk write “listen” on the blackboard behind them.

Buffy has brought her evidence to Willow and Xander in the library, and they’re perturbed when they realize they signed her yearbook (and attended classes with her) without ever registering her existence.

Giles comes up with the theory that this phenomenon isn’t magical in nature at all, but rather scientific – that because nobody noticed Marcie’s presence, she literally became invisible. Nah dude, it’s not physics, it’s just funky Hellmouth energy doing its thing.

We’re treated to one last flashback in which Marcie is sitting in Ms Miller’s class, being completely ignored by students and teacher alike. As she raises her hand in vain, she watches as it disappears before her very eyes.

Back in the present, Cordelia marches into the library in search of help. Again, this is a nice bit of lead-up to the Prom, since a. she knows where to find Buffy, and b. feels like she can call upon her for assistance when things get weird. It’s becoming public knowledge on campus that this is what Buffy does. Cordelia has also realized she’s the common element in these attacks – confirmed by the photo of her in Marcie’s yearbook that’s been rather viciously scribbled on.

Cordelia refuses to skip the May Queen celebrations that night, and Buffy backs her up: using Cordelia as bait could be a perfect way to draw Marcie out of hiding. Giles aims to work on a cure for her invisibility, while Willow and Xander will keep researching.

But the problem with invisible assailants is that they could be anywhere – like say, in the library stacks, listening to everything being said.

Buffy escorts Cordelia to a janitor’s closest where she can change into her dress, and the two exchange some nice dialogue about the nature of popularity. Cordelia expresses empathy for what Marcie’s going through, and divulges that she too knows what it feels like to be lonely. According to her, you can be surrounded by other people and still feel alone, and Buffy presumably realizes what the viewer has known this whole time – that she has the better deal when it comes to her friends. She might not be as popular as she was in L.A., but Willow and Xander are worth a thousand vapid Cordettes. And deep down, Cordelia knows this too.

Speaking of Willow and Xander (and Giles), they overhear the sound of a flute in the hall and start following it... naturally it’s a trap, and the three of them are locked in the boiler room with a tape recording and an open gas valve while Marcie drags Cordelia out of the janitor’s closet through a hatch in the ceiling. God knows where she got the upper body strength to pull THAT off.

Not realizing her friends are in danger, Buffy goes after Cordelia. The rest of the Scoobies try to escape the boiler room, but the door is locked and trying to break it open might cause a spark that could trigger an explosion (hey, I wonder if this episode is what inspired the idea of eventually blowing up the entire school at the end of season three).

Buffy reaches the crawlspace in the ceiling, only to fall back through the roof and get injected with something contained in a floating syringe – next to her is Cordelia, already unconscious.

When she wakes up, she’s at the Bronze. Again, how did Marcie manage to pull this off? She and Cordelia are tied to fancy chairs, and the word “learn” is written in glitter on a nearby curtain. Marcie makes herself known, waving a scalpel around and declaring that she’s going to pull a To The Pain on Cordelia’s face. Clearly she’s a fan of The Princess Bride.

Buffy tries to talk her out of her vengeance, while the Scoobies desperately try to escape the boiler room before succumbing to the gas. Luckily for them, Angel turns up with the promised Codex for Giles and drags them to safety, while Buffy yanks herself free of her bonds, closes her eyes, and uses her super-hearing (another Slayer ability?) to pinpoint Marcie’s location.

At just the right moment, she tackles Marcie into the curtain, exposing her whereabouts. It’s at that moment the FBI agents burst through the door and take Marcie into custody. It’s played for laughs a little, what with Buffy calling them creepy and the agents wishing her a nice day, but she does manage to establish that this sort of thing has happened before, and that Marcie will be “rehabilitated.” She’s taken away by the agents, while Buffy unties Cordelia.

So another episode ends with no deaths! For some bizarre reason, the Scoobies keep the fact that Angel rescued them from her (it really annoys me when they do this, and it’s not even clear why they do so) and Cordelia approaches in order to give them heartfelt thanks... at least until Mitch turns up and asks why she’s talking to these losers.

She snaps back to her usual self – though there’s been some progress there, and we the audience know that there are hidden depths at work.

Finally, Marcie is ushered into a seemingly classroom where nobody but the teacher can be seen. Still, the place is clearly filled with people, as a chorus of voices greet her as she takes her seat (but how’d she know what desk to sit down at if everyone is invisible?) She opens her textbook to a chapter called “Assassination and Infiltration” and laughs to herself.

A classic mid-tier episode, but also an oddball one in several respects. I guess I’m chuffed over the fact that the second-to-last episode of this season is a fairly throwaway story about an invisible girl, which also includes a tiny narrative thread that involves things like Angel meeting Giles and delivering an important Plot Coupon for the finale.

At a time where television shows are essentially big movies split into eight or so episodes, it’s an amusing reminder that writers once had to give consideration to the way their stories were structured. And that could lead to some quirky creative decisions. So yes, it bemuses me that this episode gives Angel a little sliver of a subplot that sets up the finale while Buffy is fighting an invisible girl who will never be seen again.

That said, Marcie is referenced again – though not by name, if I recall. Xander asks Buffy if she’s been felling ignored when she gets turned invisible in season six, and there’s a throwaway gag in season seven in which Buffy spots a girl turning invisible at the rebuilt Sunnydale High and tries to assure her that she’s “seen.”

But Marcie was perfectly primed to return at some point – more so than (for example) the Mantis eggs at the end of “Teachers Pet.” Hindsight is 20/20, and yet it’s impossible not to feel a little disappointed that the show didn’t take the opportunity to seed the existence of the Initiative with this episode. How easy would it have been to recon the agents of this episode into Initiative recruits in season four, and for Marcie to return in some capacity during that season? That final scene demanded a Sequel Episode.

But having deliberately drawn a connection between Buffy and Marcie and setting them up as foils, what with both of them feeling ignored and out of place, it was odd that the episode ends with Buffy simply dismissing Marcie out of hand. That she went from “we did this to her” to “you’re a raging looney” just didn’t feel right. That Buffy is empathetic is a pretty crucial component to her character.

So it’s a bit different to discern the final message here. Perhaps it was “there but for the grace of my friends go I,” since Buffy is grounded by her friendship with Willow and Xander, and clearly isn’t going down a bitter or resentful path when it comes to the way Cordelia treats her. That's the most crucial difference between herself and Marcie, and ironically, this episode marks the beginning of a friendship with Cordelia.

Miscellaneous Observations:

I’d like to think that Marcie’s “lesson” stayed with Cordelia. She shrugs it off by the end of the episode, but she does improve from here on out, and I’d like to think that she’s realized that the way she treats people matters.

I like the little detail that Angel offers to go back into the boiler room to turn off the gas since “it’s not like I need the air.” It demonstrates that vampirism does have some specific advantages (which will also turn up in the very last Angel episode) and kind of feels like foreshadowing for the next episode, in which he’s unable to perform CPR on Buffy.

During my high school years, I recall having to study a play called “After All We’ve Done” in which a boy is constantly discussed by his family and peers, but never actually seen on-stage. They’re constantly talking over him, micro-managing his life, making unreasonable demands of him, and eventually crying “after all we’ve done!” when he snaps and destroys an art exhibition at school. But like I said – he’s never actually seen on-stage. The point of the story is that he’s entirely acted upon, and I think of it every time I watch this episode.

Also, this YouTube prank of a guy convincing his younger brother that he’s become invisible.

Speaking of high school, among my friend-group the phrase “have a nice summer” became something of an in-joke thanks to this episode. We all wrote it in each other’s yearbook just to wind each other up.

After all that talk of ghosts, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t one. But technically, isn’t Sunnydale High already haunted by the spirits of that student and teacher who were having a love affair back in the fifties? It’s amusing to think they’re haunting a completely different part of the school while Buffy was trying to hunt down Marcie.

I still think it’s weird that Angel appears in this episode and not “Nightmares,” which could have showcased his character in an interesting way. Still, there’s got to be a fun story about how exactly he got his hands on the Codex.

It was fun to see Clea DuVall, and yes, this was one of her earliest projects. I know her best from The Faculty and the first season of Heroes, but she’s been working regularly over the years, most recently in The Handmaid’s Tale and American Horror Story.

As fond as I am of this episode, there are some lingering questions. Like where on earth were Marcie’s parents? Did they ignore her too? Is there a reason she chose to hunker down in a nest at the school instead of just being invisible at home?

I mentioned in the summary that perhaps the threat of the boiler room blowing up was the inspiration for the entire school going kaboom at the end of season three. On a similar note, the fact that Buffy blames the student body for Marcie’s invisibility complex also reminded me of Jonathan. Like Marcie, he’s aggressively ignored by everyone – though in his case, it’s also the audience who partakes in the “not noticing” his presence. I wouldn't be surprised if the idea of his character stemmed from this episode.

All that in mind, I’m deeming this one an Innocuously Important Episode. It’s very indicative of season one, in which the writers were still playing around with the rules of the premise, and not for the first time building their plot around a metaphor (much like “Nightmares,” the real villain is the way perception can affect reality – this angle largely disappeared after season one).

Best Line: Giles: “The loneliness, the constant exile, she's gone quite mad!” Xander: “Yah think?” Okay, it’s not that clever, but Nicholas Brendan slathers it in so much sarcasm that I have to give it props.

Best Scene: When Cordelia reveals some hidden depths and bonds with Buffy through the door of the janitor’s closest. It’s been eleven episodes, and she’s finally humanized a little.

Biggest Unanswered Question: How did the FBI know that Marcie had turned invisible? It suggests some sort of inside man who can report on the strange goings-on at the school, but this thread is never picked up on. Again, it’s a shame that the show never tied them in with the Initiative.

Death Toll: For the second episode in a row, no fatalities! That leaves us with:

Grand Total: Fifteen civilians, fifteen villains, one ally.

[astrronomemes]

A CINDERELLA STORY: STARTERS

a collection of quotes, phrases, and sayings from the 2004 film, A Cinderella Story. change & alter as needed.

"Do fairy tales come true, [name]?"

"Where do princesses go to college?"

"You know, fairy tales aren't just about finding handsome princes. They're about fulfilling your dreams, and about standing up for what you believe in."

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

"You know, it costs them a fortune to fly this stuff all the way from Norwegia."

"What are you doing just standing there? Get to work."

"People go to school to get smarter, so that they can get a job. You already have a job. So it's like skipping a step."

"Droughts are for poor people!"

"[Name], I am a method actor, okay? This is part of my training."

"I've talked to her, okay? In my mind. And let me tell you, in my mind, she wants me so bad."

"And you thought they didn't know you exist."

"Sometimes fantasy is better than reality, [name]."

"I can be surrounded by a sea of people, and still feel all alone."

"It's two AM. We've been at this for five hours."

"What's with all those college brochures in your bedroom?"

"What are you, the Dirt Police? Like, 'excuse me, miss, do you know how fast your dirt was going'?"

"Sweetheart, now that you're old enough, there's something I've always wanted to tell you, and I think you're finally ready to hear it."

"Keep it up, [name], and I'm gonna find a place to put my six-dollar pedicure."

"[Name], if I wanted to look like a clown, I'd join the circus."

"I am a very appealing person!"

"Fortunately for you, I'm going to overlook this mental breakdown of yours."

"If a man is taking his time to write down his feelings for you, it's a love note."

"She's gonna have to go through me to hurt you."

"You're always studying, always working... Take some time for yourself!"

"I was saving this dress for my next attempt down the aisle. ...Long story."

"I cannot believe I put you in charge of costumes."

"Any guy would have to be completely insane not to like you, all right?"

"I knew this was too good to be true."

"I guess my costume doesn't do a very good job at hiding who I am."

"I live in a world full of people pretending to be something they're not. But when I talk to you... I'm the guy I want to be. Give me a chance to be that guy."

"If I ask you to dance, does that count as a question?"

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"And do you, [full name], ever want to see me again after tonight?"

"I was right in the middle of a power jam! You totally harshed my mellow!"

"I'll be doing him a favor if I just disappear."

"I can't show emotion for another hour and a half."

"I know you want to take care of this car, but can you step on it?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm already going thirty-eight in a thirty-five-mile zone, [name]!"

"What am I supposed to do with a dead fish?!"

"Isn't it better to cling to what might have been instead of ruining everything with reality?"

"Let's go back to our usual lives, where we only mingle when I copy off you in Algebra II, okay?"

"Look, you're beautiful, okay? But I'm not your prince. You'll meet him someday, but it's not me."

"Look what you did! See?! You always ruin everything!"

"Do you ever feel like if you show someone who you really are, they won't accept you?"

"I want you to know who I am. But I'm scared. I'm scared that you'll reject me."

"I can't believe I actually thought I had a chance."

"We have faith in you. And you've got to have faith in yourself."

"I had no idea you were that tough."

"I never pretended to be somebody else. It's been me all along."

"I know what it feels like to be afraid to show who you are. I was. But I'm not anymore."

"[Name] told me where you might be. I thought you could use a friend."

"[Name], I thought that I could handle this, but I really can't. I'm gonna go."

"You've got to love high school."

"Anything is possible if you just believe."

"Hey, I'm only a freshman!"

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Obscure Performances: His Involvement with Read Not Dead (pt 4) - The Insatiate Countess

And here, my friends, is the fulfillment of my promise - the last of the four threads about David Tennant and his involvement with the Read Not Dead (heretofore called RND) project at Shakespeare's Globe. This will concern the second of the two unattributed plays David did for RND and is the last of the two never-before-talked-about-in-the-fandom plays he did with them. If you feel like you need to catch up on the first three parts and understand a little bit of the history behind the Read Not Dead project before continuing with this one, go here for the first part about Edward III, here for the second part about The Fleer, and here for the third part about What You Will. Then come on back!

With all those links out of the way, we can continue with the last of the four plays - and the second one which I believe new to the David Tennant fandom.

When we last left our intrepid Scots thespian David T., he'd just wrapped up a staged reading of John Marston's What You Will for the RND. He had managed to fit the reading in between the April-May 2002 and the July-August 2002 runs of his then-current hit play, Lobby Hero.

Between then and November of 2002 (the next time he stepped on the Bear Gardens stage to do another RND staged reading) David had been seen on a number of other projects. In 2002 alone he'd been featured on an episode of Foyle's War and in the short film Nine And 1/2 Minutes by Josh Appignanesi. Lobby Hero had got him noticed; his star was on the rise. He was getting busier (and he'd get busier still when his next two plays, 2003's The Pillowman and 2005's Look Back In Anger, as well as his seminal role as Peter Carlisle in 2004's Blackpool, would catapult him into the public consciousness.) And - of course! - Doctor Who was also barreling down the pipe. But all that was still in his future.

David Tennant in (clockwise from top left): Foyle's War, Nine And 1/2 Minutes, The Pillowman, and Look Back in Anger

No, for right now it is Sunday, 10 November 2002, and we're along for the ride as David arrives at the Globe for the morning's balls to the wall rehearsal of the Tony Bell-directed John Marston play, The Insatiate Countess, before getting on stage at the Bear Gardens Theatre. We don't know whether David signed up for this one (or any of them, for that matter)! If so, he received his script a few days before, but if he was drafted at the last minute he would've received his script only hours before taking the stage that afternoon! Either way, he was surely up for it.

In the previous thread on What You Will I spoke about playwright John Marston. But this play - The Insatiate Countess - is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Marston started writing the tragicomedy in 1608 and had the first act and part of the second written before - oops! - he was thrown in jail. Following Marston's imprisonment, the play languished for a while, and when Marston was released and took holy orders he wanted NO part of finishing it. Two other writers took it upon themselves to finish the draft: actor William Barksted, and Lewis Machin. This multi-authored approach caused significant issues - the other authors juggled the names of the characters, for one - and suffice to say, it really isn't a "finished" play in the way we'd envision the meaning of the term. It finally got published in 1613.

Scholars have had a lot to say about the play's provenance, and there are many different editions of it. It's also widely studied because it's been acknowledged as highly unusual for its time - since it shows female characters driven explicitly by sexual desire.

According to UK Theatre Web, The Insatiate Countess is "a play dripping with innuendo from its very first lines [as] sexual obsession leads to murder as Isabella, widowed Countess of Swevia, wastes little time in remarrying before running off with another man. And then another. And yet another." And, as is usual for plays of this period, there is also a second comic plot going on. "Meanwhile, two new brides coolly frustrate their husbands' wife-swapping attempts at revenge."

So...if the uniqueness of The Insatiate Countess has intrigued you and you'd like to read (one version of) a full text of the play, you can find it here:

That link will take you to the version of the play used during the RND performance reading.

But back to that staged reading. When RND staged it in November 2002, they stated "it was the first performance of the complete play - tragic and comic plots together - since the 17th Century." David played the role of Rogero, Count of Arsena and Massino, later Isabella’s lover. The actors all donated their time to the project for free.

And here (again thanks to the Globe Archives) is the cast list from the digitized programme for the 10 November 2002 performance:

In February 2020, the Shakespeare Institute Players (their student theatre company out of Stratford) performed The Insatiate Countess, by William Barkstead and Lewis Machin, from a draft by John Marston." There appears to be no full version available online, but here is a short snippet of it if you'd like to take a listen:

And with that, my patient listeners, we wrap up the history of David's four interactions with the Shakespeare's Globe Read Not Dead project, which brings dead plays to life. While David did only four plays, the Read Not Dead project continues to this day.

One last postscript: the performance of The Insatiate Countess was recorded - as were all four of David's staged readings with RND - though I haven't listened to it (and sadly, the archive notes the start of the audio is cut off.) You can listen to the recording of the performance and others from the series, as the recordings are archived in the Globe Archive and Library in London. Access to the archive is available by appointment only for professionals and academics affiliated with institutions of higher education.

I've listened to Edward III and The Fleer, but have yet to hear What You Will or The Insatiate Countess. On my next trip to London, I'll be sure to make time to listen to both - even though some of the audio is missing on both of those, that's all right. I'll listen to them anyway!

I hope you all have enjoyed traipsing with me down the memory lane of David Tennant's works at the RND. 'Til next time!

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish actor Richard Wilson.

Born Ian Colquhoun Wilson,July 9th 1936 in Greenock, he went on to study science there before completing his National Service in Singapore with the Royal Medical Army Corps. Wilson was a late convert to acting as he worked as a research scientist in Glasgow until the age of 27. He then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. Before his most famous role as Victor Meldrew, he participated in theatre productions in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. He also directed several plays.

After several bit parts in TV shows including The Sweeney and Some Mothers Do Have 'Em' in 1978, he portrayed a regular character in the show A Sharp Intake of Breath'with David Jason between 1977 and 1980. This was followed by lead roles in the show High and Dry in 1985, and Hot Metal in 1988. It was in between these two series that I first noticed Richar Wilson in the fantastic BBC Scotland series Tutti Frutti with a host of other Scots, including Robbie Coltrane, Maurice Roëves and Katy Murphy, Richard was Eddie Clockerty, the group's devious and exploitative manager, I remember fondly the scenes he shared with Kate Murphy as his lippy secretary Miss Toner.

Wilson then won his most famous role as Victor Meldrew, although he initially turned down the part as he was younger than the character, in the sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The line 'I Don't Believe It' became the character's catchphrase, the show ran for ten years before they finally bumped him off

After One Foot in the Grave, Wilson enjoyed roles in 'High Stakes' and Life As We Know It' in 2001. Between 2002 and 2004, he appeared in several TV movies including Jeffrey Archer: The Truth and King of Fridges

Wilson returned to a recurring TV show in the form of Born and Bred' between 2004 and 2005 and has since made the transition from a grumpy old man to a wise, old apothecary in Merlin, which debuted in 2008 and finished in 2012. Since then he has been picky with his roles and not appeared in too many shows, however a wee look at Indb tells me he has two projects on the go just now, Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men also stars Alan Cummings and How Sweetly it turns.

Richard has devoted his time to working for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall he is also a patron for the Scottish Youth Theatre and has been a long-term supporter of the charity Sense.

Wilson was planning to reprise the iconic character of Victor Meldrew for one night only at The Edinburgh Fringe a few years back but in the run-up to the event the actor suddenly fell ill and had to pull out.

It was later revealed he suffered a heart attack but remembers nothing of it. He told BBC Radio 2′s Graham Norton:

“I had a heart attack and fell off a balcony. I don’t remember a thing about it.The great thing about the accident – I’m going to mention because I’d love to know who it was – the great thing about the accident is that there was a doctor walking by, and if he hadn’t been walking by, I wouldn’t be talking to you now"

The veteran actor is still working, latest roles have been in Around the World in 80 Days in 2021, A new film, Sweetly It Turns is next for Wilson.

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

William Hurt's Stunt Double Saved Charlie Cox From Drowning On The Set Of Moby Dick

By Witney Seibold  Dec.12, 2022 (X)

In Herman Melville's original 1851 novel "Moby-Dick," not much was known about the vengeful Capt. Ahab beyond his obsession with finding the story's titular whale. In Mike Barker's 2011 miniseries, Ahab (William Hurt) interacts with his on-screen wife Elizabeth (Gillian Anderson). Ethan Hawke plays Starbuck, Raoul Trujillo plays Queequeg, and Charlie Cox plays the stalwart narrator Ishmael. Cox has recently been getting a great deal of attention from Marvel fans for his performance as the superhero Daredevil in his own show, and for guest spots on "She Hulk: Attorney at Law" and in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." This author first noticed Cox for his performance as Lorenzo in Michael Radford's 2004 adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice." His appearance in "Moby Dick" would immediately be followed by 23 episode of the hit show "Boardwalk Empire," putting the actor on the map.

Filming on "Moby Dick" took place in Malta in 2009. As its story demands, the miniseries features many scenes at sea. There are many moments when multiple characters are gathered in small rowboats. Then — again, as the story demands — many characters are thrown out of said rowboats and into the ocean. In the December 2022 issue of Total Film Magazine, Cox was interviewed about his worst on-screen experience, and he revealed that filming "Moby Dick" included a moment that might have killed him. Those cursed rowboats, it seems, almost offered Cox the same fate as many members of the Pequod.

Luckily, William Hurt's unnamed stunt double — unnamed, but most likely uncredited industry veteran Tomas Ereminas — was there to rescue Cox.

Thwarting death

Charlie Cox was lucky when the day came to shoot the rowboat scene. William Hurt, it seems, did not want to get into the rowboat with his co-stars. Cox cited Hurt's age at the reason for refusing — Hurt was 61 at the time — although it could be just as likely that the star sensed danger that day. Or he simply wasn't in the mood. Regardless, one of Hurt's stunt doubles stepped in. When asked what his worst day of shooting was, Cox recalled:

"I had a stunt go wrong on the TV show 'Moby Dick.' Nobody's fault. I was meant to be on the rowboat with William Hurt but he had said he didn't want to do it. In his place was a stunt double. Anyway, we got pulled, the boat flipped, and my leg was stuck underneath one of the benches. This stunt guy got me out. With all due respect to the late, great Bill Hurt, being the age he was and not being a stuntman, I don't think he would have thought to do that. So this stunt guy potentially saved my life."

The benches Cox referred to are called, in nautical lingo, thwarts. They are ordinarily removable, but in this case, seemed to be locked firm.

The 2011 "Moby Dick" miniseries aired on August 1 and 2 of that same year, and was met with positive reviews, despite its notable changes to the novel's story. Herman Melville's novel, incidentally, has been adapted to film and TV multiple times since its first cinematic iteration in 1926. The 2011 version was the most recent direct filmed adaptation, but both the 2014 miniseries "The Whale" and Ron Howard's 2015 film "In the Heart of the Sea" adapted real-life events that served as inspiration for "Moby-Dick."

~*~

[angelexlife]

Taylor Alison Swift (13/10/2023)

Taylor Alison Swift was born December 13 1989 to Andra and Scott Swift. On March 11th, 1992, Taylors' younger brother Austin Swift was born. He became an actor and helps his sister with some of her music-related things. Taylor and her brother were born in Reading Pennsylvania. When Taylor was 14 she and her family moved to Nashville Tennessee and Taylor went to pursue her career in country music. In November of 2004, Taylor signed to the, at the time nonexistent, record label Big Machine Records owned by Scott Borchette. Taylor made a few demo CDs that she would give to people to promote herself and her music to people.

In June of 2006 Taylor debuted her first single Tim McGraw, she wrote the song as an ode to a lover who would be leaving town. The song served as an introduction to her self-titled debut album. Taylor Swift, otherwise known as Debut or Self-Titled, was released on October 24th, 2006, and contained the singles Teardrops on My Guitar, Our Song, Picture To Burn, and Should’ve Said No. The album became the longest-charting album of the 2000s, spreading 227 weeks on the Billboard 100. Taylor wrote or co-wrote every song from the album during her freshman year of high school.

In 2006 and later re-released in 2009 Taylor released a holiday collection. The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection EP was the first and only Christmas collection that Taylor has released. The collection includes four country-pop-styled covers of the songs Last Christmas, Santa Baby, Silent Night and White Christmas. Along with two of her previously unreleased tracks Christmases When You Were Mine and Christmas Must Be Something More.

Between the release of her Debut and her sophomore album Taylor released an EP titled Beutiful Eyes which had Teardrops on My Guitar Acoustic Version, Should’ve Said No Alternative Version, and two previously unreleased tracks titled Beutiful Eyes, and I Heart ? It was never released on streaming and the CDs are now considered rare.

On November 11, 2008, Fearless was released as her sophomore album, which had the singles Fifteen, Love Story, White Horse, and You Belong With Me. Taylor considered this album to be her breakthrough moment as Fearless was her first number-one and became the most-awarded country album. Taylor Swift, who was 20 at the time, was the youngest person to have won Album of The Year until 2020 when Billie won.

During the 2009 VMAs when Taylor was accepting an award for Fearless rapper Kanye West climbed on stage and rudely interrupted her. Swift looked noticeably deflated by West's comments with ‘Boos” erupting from the ground. Fun Fact: Taylor used to be a Kanye fan. When Taylor later recounted on the events, she said she was really excited because she had just won the award, and then excited because Kanye was on stage and then she just wasn't excited anymore. Taylor's mom apparently yelled at him for doing this to Taylor. Kanye, following the incident, apologized on his blog and to Taylor. Taylor released a song called Innocent on her third album forgiving him for the 2009 VMAs incident but let's put a pin in this for now.

In 2009 Taylor appeared on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investication. She played as Haley Jones in Turn, Turn, Turn.

Following the success of Fearless people had doubts about Taylor's songwriting ability. Taylor wrote her third album Speak Now alone to prove these people wrong. Speak Now was released on October 25, 2010. It contained the singles Mine, Back To December, Mean, The Story Of Us, and Ours. Speak Now won many awards including a Grammy for Best Country Album.

In 2010 Taylor also played a role in Valentine's Day in which she played as Felicia Miller. She also contributed to the soundtrack with Today Was A Fairytale and Jump Than Fall.

On October 22nd, 2012, Taylor released her fourth album Red. While at the same time, she went through a dramatic visual change as she straightened her curly hair and had started her shift towards pop music with the album containing a mix of pop and country. Red had songs such as I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, and Everything Has Changed were Billboard charting singles at the time they released. Red was nominated for a Grammy for Album Of The Year. Rolling Stones named All Too Well the best song of the 2010s.

In 2012 The Lorax came out. bit weird to be mentioning The Lorax in a Taylor Swift essay huh? But did you know Taylor had a role in The Lorax? In 2012 Taylor Swift was the voice for Audrey. Bit of a fun fact for you.

Also in 2012, Taylor worked on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games. She and The Civals Wars produced Safe And Sound for the movie.

In 2013 Taylor was in an episode of New Girl, where she played as Elaine.

Taylor's fifth album, 1989, named after her birthyear, was released on October 27th, 2014, and was her official switch into pop music. 1989 has her biggest hits to this day titled Blank Space, Style, Out Of The Woods, Shake It Off, Bad Blood, and Wildest Dreams. 1989 was the only album in 2014 to sell a million copies in its first week. 1989 won a Grammy for Album of The Year making Taylor the first woman to win Album of The Year twice for two different genres.

Also in 2014, Taylor played Rosemary in the movie adaptation of The Giver.

Around the time of Taylors' Grammy win she became entangled in a heavily publicized feud with Kanye West (remember the pin, it getting taken out now) Following the incident back in 2009 at the VMAs the two had seemed to have moved on and were even seen together at multiple events, nice right? It was until 2016 when Kanye released a song called Famous in which he calls her a “bitch” and claims he made her famous, not to mention an incredibly disgusting music video. Taylor responded to the song by claiming that she never said he could call her that. She never signed off on the line. But then Kanye and his then-wife Kim Kardashian leaked an edited version of the phone call that made it seem as if Taylor was lying. Taylor was canceled, called a liar, a snake, and had people making fun of her “downfall”. Taylor removed herself from social media and the public eye following the backlash. Later the full phone call was leaked proving that Taylor did in fact not sign off on the line.

During the time of the drama Taylor went on a hiatus, breaking her cycle of releasing an album every two years. During this time she worked on songs such as This is What You Came For with her at the time boyfriend Calvin Harris under a pseudonym (the song of which she has just recently gotten credit for), a country song (outtake from Red) called Better Man that she sold and featured on to Little Big Town, and I Don’t Want To Live Forever With ZAYN that featured in the film Fifty Shades Darker.

On August 18th, 2017, Taylor wiped her social media accounts to tease the release of Look What You Made Me Do, which was released at the end of the month. Her sixth studio album Reputation came out on November 10th of the same year featuring the singles …Ready For It?, End Game, and Delicate. The record was her biggest sale at the time, selling over 1.2 million copies in the USA during its first week. Reputation also became the best-selling album of 2018.

Reputation was Taylors' last album with Big Machine Records before signing with Republic Records. Following her new contract, Scott Borcettha sold her albums masters to Scooter Braun, her first six albums that she wanted to own the masters for. Swift described her disappointment on social media but vowed to re-record her stolen albums so that she could own them. Apparently, Scooter didn't think that she would be album to do this successfully but at almost four re-records down (pin that for a second) you can see who's winning that.

Taylor was dedicated to artistic ownership and it became a large focus point of her 2019 album, released on August 23, Lover. She co-produced most of the tracks on the album, as well as directing or co-directing each of the music videos. The album featured the initial singles ME!, Lover, The Man, and You Need To Calm Down. Cruel Summer was later released as a single in the summer of 2023. In November of 2019 the American Music Awards named Taylor Artist of the decade. Taylor also, in the same night, beat Micheal Jacksons' record to become the artist with the most AMA awards in history, this one being her 29th award. The next month Billboards named Taylor the Artist of The Decade.

Fun fact in 2019 Taylor was in the infamous movie Cats. She played the cat Bombaurina. In the movie, she sings Macavity.

In January of 2020, Taylor released a documentary called Miss Americana that showed fans a glimpse of Taylor's life and decision to speak up on politics. The documentary featured a song called Only The Young that Taylor wrote while she was recording Lover.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic Taylor yet again switched in genres. On July Taylors'Taylors' 8th album Folklore was released after being surprise announced just the day before. The only single from the album was Cardigan. Folklore has a more alternative sound and instead of being autobiographical, like Taylors' work normally was, it was focused on telling other people's stories. The album included the Folklore Love Triangle which is three songs. Cardigan, Betty, and August, each told the perspective of three different people who as the name suggests, is about a love triangle. Betty (Cardigan) was dating James (Betty), but then James cheated on her with a girl named Augustine (August). James ends up choosing Betty in the end.

She later released Folklore: The Long Pond Studios Sessions on Disney+ where she performed the whole album live for the first time. Folklore won Album of The Year in March 2021 making Taylor the first woman and fourth artist to win Album of The Year three times.

Another surprise project, a follow-up album titled Evermore was released on December 11th, 2020, two days before Taylors' birthday. Evermore expanded on the stories told in its sister album Folklore. The only single from the album being Willow.

In 2021 Taylor refocused on regaining her ownership over her work and to make the re-records more exciting and different she included From The Vault tracks which were songs that had been scrapped from albums and were unreleased.

She kicked off the first re-record era by releasing Love Story (Taylors Version) in February right before making Fearless (Taylors Version) her first re-recording. The vault track Mr. Perfectly Fine was also released as a single for the record.

Taylor's second re-recording was for her fourth album Red which came out November 12th, 2021. It featured the singles I Bet You Think About Me and All Too Well (Ten Minute Version). All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) became a short film that stared Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brian.

Breaking up the re-recordings Taylor released her tenth album Midnights was released on October 21st, 2022. Midnights tells the stories of many sleepless nights scattered across her life. The singles from the album were Bejeweled, Anti-Hero, and Lavender Haze. Midnights success gave Taylor the record of being the first person to occupy the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Taylor the record for the most streamed album on Spotify in one day.

In 2022 Taylor played in Amsterdam, she played the role of Liz Meekins.

On March 17th of 2023, to celebrate the start of the Eras tour, she released The More Lover Chapter which contained the songs Cruel Summer, Lover, The Man, The Archer, and the previously unreleased song All Of The Girls You Loved Before. She also released The More Red (Taylors’ Version) Chapter which contained the songs I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylors’ Version), 22 (Taylors’ Version), We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylors’ Version), All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylors’ Version) [From The Vault], and two new Taylors Versions, Safe And Sound (Taylors’ Version) and Eyes Open (Taylors’ Version). Finally, she had also released The More Fearless (Taylors’ Version) Chapter which included Fearless (Taylors’ Version), Love Story (Taylors’ Version), White Horse (Taylors’ Version), You Belong With Me (Taylors’ Version)and a track that originally was on the deluxe edition of Speak Now, If This Was A Movie (Taylors’ Version).

Taylor then got back to the re-recordings and on July 7th, 2023, she released Speak Now (Taylors Version). Its only single was the “From The Vault” track I Can See You which had a music video featuring Taylor Lautner and Joey King. Joey King had also been in the music video for Mean thirteen years before.

Taylor's most recent re-recording as of today will be 1989 (Taylors Version) and it is expected to be released on October 27th, 2023, the exact date as the original was released 9 years prior. The re-record will contain 5 vault tracks and Taylor considers this her favorite re-recording. She had already released two singles from this re-record before Red (Taylors' Version) was released, Wildest Dreams (Taylors' Version) and This Love (Taylors' Version). The five vault tracks are called “Slut!”, Now That We Don’t Talk, Say Don’t Go, Suburban Legends, and Is It Over Now?.

As of right now the last two re-recordings are Reputation (Taylors Version) and Taylor Swift (Taylors Version).

[paarthurnax59]

"Searching For Eden"

Pairings: Hugh Jackman x Reader (future), Chris Evans x Ex-wife!Reader

Warnings: major angst, cheating, Chris being a horrible husband, divorce, heartbreak, sad reader, slow burn romance, Hugh being a sweetheart, romance, talks of smut and sexual tension.

Notes: I don’t think Chris act like this and this not to portray anything in a bad light. Don’t like it, then please do not engage.

Introduction: Back in 2004, you married Chris Evans, the love of your life. You both went to the same school sense you were five, grew up together and dated in high school. You two tied the knot after you graduated from college and started your acting career along with him.  You two had been married for two years, until Chris started becoming more distant and bitter towards you and you two began fighting more. Things grew worse until one day he admitted to cheating with younger woman. You told him it was over and wanted a divorce. One day when you were getting ready for packing your bags, he comes to you with a contract saying that you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that you would never be able reveal Chris’s infidelity to the media. He told you that you would never work in Hollywood again. After Chris got you to sign the contract and the divorce, head back home to your parents. Never in your life had you felt more betrayed. You vowed you would never open your heart again to another man.

     Six months later in 2007, you got role on a new movie being filmed called “Searching for Eden”. A story about a biblical, post-apocalyptic world where a loving wife and husband fight for survival together in a hellish world taken over by demons. As you get on the movie set, you meet the actor to play your husband. Hugh Jackman, the Australian heart throb, and your life-long celebrity crush. As the movie production moves forward, the two of you grew closer. You were starting to feel happy and whole again after developing a deep, profound friendship with the talented aussie. When filming was done, you head home to Massachusetts, but kept in touch.  You asked and talk to one another whenever you could. During Thanksgiving, your younger sisters show you the news of Chris, your ex-husband, was now engaged to the woman who cheated on you with. You break down and run out of the house in extreme distress and heartbreak.

   Hugh, hearing this news, called you to see if you were okay. You start to open to him more about your divorce and told him about how he cheated and forced a disclosure contract to keep his public persona intact. Hugh decided that you should come to Australia for a while after Christmas. You arrive and Hugh insisted on you staying at his home. Over the next few months, you and Hugh grow even closer to one another. He tells you more about his home life and opened about his own childhood and his broken marriage. Eventually, your schoolgirl crush develops into something that runs deeper than what you never thought possible since your divorce. 

Love.

  Whether they are reciprocated? You could not say. The man is almost 13 years older than you. He was far out of your league with him so kind, intelligent, hardworking, funny and one of the most successful actors in Hollywood.  No way on this planet he would really want someone like you. A woman who’s first husband cheated on her and shattered her trust in love all together. A person who believed would never be good enough for someone who was so perfect as the X-men star. You feared it would ruin his reputation and image by making him look like a creep for spending time and falling for a much younger woman. So you buried them, hoping that the feeling would go away.

    What you didn’t know was that Hugh felt, from the very moment he met you. If it weren’t for your own grief and sorrow, you would have noticed on how Hugh always looked at you. Like you were God’s gift to the world. Never had he met a more beautiful, caring, genuine, intelligent woman in his thirty-nine years of life.

   How could that idiot yank cast aside such a perfect human being like that? For another girl that was not nearly as amazing as you? He would think to himself on more than one occasion in regarding to Chris Evans. If he were him, he would be a complete fool to take a woman like you for granted. He would give anything for you to never feel that pain again.

Can You get over your broken marriage and trust for the chance to fall for another and start a new?

[jadevine]

Late night duel-watching!

Normally fight/battle scenes in movies are shitty due to the problem of "the actors have not ACTUALLY trained for years in weaponry" or "we don't want TOO MANY hospital bills," but a Viking reenactment site (http://www.vikingsofbjornstad.com/VikingMovies.shtm#Vikings1958) named the 2004 "Troy" film's duel between Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana) as an excellent example of preindustrial single combat, and they're right! Reviews of the rest of the movie seem to be mixed, but when you're doing a war movie, you do as much as you can for the fight scenes. Except for the duel between Paris and Menelaus, which is an intentional aversion. See, Paris is a wimp and after like two hits from the forty-eight-year-old king who wants to kill him for running off with his young and sexy wife, Paris panics and runs/crawls crying to his brother Hector. Near the end of the film, we see WHY Paris hid behind Big Bro. First off, Achilles and Hector use their spears like actual spears, not like pointy staves or broomsticks! Example: I love The Mandalorian, but sometimes Din swings his beskar spear like he's clearing a path through the jungle. I noticed that at some points, Hector is visibly having trouble juggling his spear and shield while trying to tank all of Achilles' hits, which seems to be due to the small but REALLY important differences between shields--Hector's got a plain circular shield, and Achilles' shield has notched sides that clearly let him aim his spear better. In the Iliad poem, Achilles got a new set of armor crafted by the smith-god Hephaestus, so that obviously gave him a BIG advantage over poor, mortal Hector with his mortal weapons. Once they both break the other's spear and have to switch to swords, Achilles loses his advantage and neither of them can keep a distance anymore, so they're constantly in each other's faces and shoving at each other. These two put the CLOSE in close-combat, and I love it! A lot of times, the actors in duels (or "duel-like showdowns" in modern movies) are obviously staying far apart or barely making contact for 1) insurance purposes, or 2) doing flashy moves to show off, but not Achilles and Hector. Achilles does seem to be toying with Hector because he is just so damn fast, but I love that when these two make contact, you can FEEL it. Leading to something I noticed, in how it DIDN'T show up: A lot of camera crews don't know/care how to shoot fighting or dance scenes where the whole body is involved, so you often get the camera crew zooming in so much on the actors' pretty faces that we can't see the rest of them DANCE/FIGHT, but this crew does not make that mistake! Especially notable since it's Eric Bana versus Brad Pitt, two extremely pretty men! No, we get a couple of nice portrait shots for their pre-fight talk, and then as Pharaoh Atem from Yu-Gi-Oh says: "IT'S TIME TO DUEL." We get some really great shots of their fights at a distance as well as close-up, and it's almost shot like the moving version of comic-book panels. A+ for both the realism and the great way of shooting it! Apparently Brad Pitt and Eric Bana didn't use stunt doubles and also had a running bet on how many accidental hits they'd land on each other. Brad accidentally hit Eric A LOT. The different combat styles are well-shown: There's a sense of HEAVINESS with Hector, who knows he's going to die in front of his people, but cannot avoid it, but he will fight anyway to buy his people a little bit more time. This contrasts Achilles' seething rage, his need for vengeance/glory, and his lightning-fast footwork. Especially since he's literally described with the epithet of "swift-footed" in the Iliad! If the writers and director knew about this, A+ for reading your source material! I really like how they use shots of the sandy field in front of Troy's wall to give the sense that these two are EXPOSED, especially since they've taken off their helmets for physical "exposure." You're forced to look at them. Normally I want people to wear their damn helmets, and taking them off is a dumb move to show the actor's face, but given the context where Hector mistakenly fought Patroclus in Achilles' armor and Achilles went "LOOK, IT'S ME THIS TIME! LET'S GO!", to which Hector takes his own helmet off as a show of honor, this is a great exception. It also gives the sense of inevitability. Again, Hector is going to die--he doesn't need a helmet anymore. The realistic close combat also has the effect of making Achilles' speed and his superhero vault-stab move look terrifying and otherworldly. The Trojan royal family's reactions were a more polite version of my horrified face. Fucking hell, if I was a camp-follower on the ground and saw Achilles literally roll UP to stab Hector, I would absolutely think that Achilles is a demigod. At bare minimum, I'd think he borrowed Hermes' sandals, but Hermes is friends with everyone, so I don't know if that counts. Folks have said Achilles looks like an Assassin's Creed character. People also note that the vault-stab is usually Achilles' FINISHING move, but the fact that he uses it right out of the gate against Hector says just how much he wants this dude to die. A+ duel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ62frK74u0

[screensquared]

The Machinist (2004)

Dir. Brad Anderson

Spoiler free:

This movie is like the lovechild between Memento and Fight Club, if not as good as either. The best part is the suspension and Christian Bale's acting. Trevor is such a ghost of a person that his presence is barely felt, something even more impressive when you remember Nolan's Batman Begins comes out a year later.

(spoilers for both Fight Club and Memento ahead)

Spoilers:

I think what sets Fight Club and Memento a step above is the rewatchability. I had Tyler Durden's twist spoiled for me before I even started the film, but even so, I notice something new every time I watch it. With Memento, I knew everything wasn't as it seemed, but I didn't guess that Leonard had solved the murder. However, the first scene (which I immediately guessed wasn't in medias res as it appeared, but a flash forward) sets Trevor up to be a murderer, so when we played hangman on the fridge I guessed "killer" while he was still spelling "mother". The only part that made it hard to accurately predict was not knowing what was sleep deprived hallucinations or reality, but I guess that Trevor and Ivan were one and the same from the fishing picture. I don't see myself rewatching this one, and honestly, if it wasn't for Christian Bale's drastic physical transformation, I don't think this movie would get any recognition at all.

Synopsis:

Trevor Reznik is an emaciated warehouse worker plagued by guilt. As his condition worsens and his grip on reality slips, more is revealed about a past he has hidden from everyone including himself.

Highlights:

The music absolutely killed it. Picture elevator music if the elevator was haunted. The movie is pretty slow, but it kept my attention for the entire runtime. I really cared for Trevor, and found myself urging him to make things right and improve his life. I completely bought into his charming nature, the way he disarmed women while being so simultaneously unstable (although maybe this is just how he wishes to appear). I think after turning himself in, if he gets the help he needs (fuck the current state of criminal justice and criminal reformation) he could have a happy future.

Lowlights:

Did we really need him that skinny? Was it good for anything, other than shock value? Couldn't he have been 140 pounds, sticky notes dropping to 135 and still been just as compelling? I discovered that Anderson intended for the actor portraying Reznik to achieve the look with makeup and baggy clothes, but it was Bale's decision to lose so much weight. He's gone on to say "Could I fulfil how I imagined the part Trevor should be played? [...] And test myself?" And that it wasn't the smartest thing to do. But he won an Oscar in 2011 for his dedication to acting, so who am I to say.

Rating:

🤘🤘🤘

3/5 missing fingers

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I’ve posted this video a lot of times since I first discovered it last summer. At that time I named it The Greatest Video on All of YouTube, and I still believe that to be true. YouTube may well end the world via radicalization and misinformation, but its existence would still be worth it even if the only good thing it had ever done was this video. This one video can balance out the end of the world.

Incidentally, I’ve read that there are two or three other videos along these lines, the were once on YouTube but are now gone, and I would name my first cat after anyone who could provide me with those. Actually, it would have to be my second. Last year I made a post in which I promised to name my first cat after Stuart Goldsmith if he could get David O’Doherty to tell me what the name “Chocolate Milk Gang” meant, a promise I made when I’d given up on that actually happening. But then it did happen, and a promise is a promise, so my first cat will have to be gold coloured and named Stuart. I will name my second cat after anyone who can provide me with the other videos of comedians playing soccer in the early 00s.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve shared The Greatest Video on All of YouTube, so I thought I’d do it again. The main update since last time I shared this is I’ve figured out another name. When I first found this video, I identified the obvious people: Andy Zaltzman, Russell Howard, Lee Mack, Alun Cochrane, and John Oliver are all obvious. I sort of know who Ben Norris is, he’s a comdian who didn’t get as famous as the other ones. Steve Williams is a guy who writes on Russell Howard’s TV shows. And Gavin, of course, is Gavin Osborn.

This leaves only “Bill” and “Crosby” unidentified. I’d said before that of course I’d thought of Matthew Crosby, but I was pretty sure it’s not him. The YouTube description says this video is from 2000 or 2001, and I actually think that may be wrong, it’s more likely to be closer to 2004. I think that for a few reasons, mainly this article that says Gavin Osborn started playing in the comedians’ football games, at the invitation of his school friend John Oliver, in 2004. However, even by 2004, I think Matthew Crosby was too new to comedy to be in that game.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve thought before, but it doesn’t matter now because I’ve just realized the answer was always there. At the beginning, the narrator says, “Steves Crosby and Williams”. I didn’t catch that until just now - on previous viewings, I hadn’t noticed the word “Steves” in there, and I’d thought he was just identifying the players as “Crosby” and “Williams”. I only knew that “Williams” was Steve Williams because he’s referred to by that name later on.

So the other guy is Steve Crosby. I still don’t know who that is. A Google of “Steve Crosby” with other words like “British comedian” tells me about a character named Steve Crosby, in a 2000-2002 sitcom called Time Gentlemen Please, written by Richard Herring and Al Murray. It stars Al Murray as his Pub Landlord character, and it also stars Rebecca Front, and it looks like it might actually be pretty good and I might try to track it down and watch it. But I only know it exists because it takes over the search results when I try to Google Steve Crosby. That’s not the right answer, though, because Steve Crosby is the name of a fictional character on that show, not the name of a writer or an actor. I still don’t know the identity of Steve Crosby, the real person who played in this football game. And I have no idea who “Bill” is.

Anyway, that’s my update about my efforts to unravel the mysteries of The Greatest Video on All of YouTube. I’ll let you all know if I discover anything else.

[batri-jopa]

Ten Characters, Ten Fandoms, Ten Tags

Thanks for tagging @chrisoels ! At first I thought I don't have that many fandoms but then I found out that I actually have way too many😅 (why do I always have to overthink stuff like this?) So as there's no clear rules given here - I split it into the list of 10 characters and the list of 10 fandoms because why not:

TEN CHARACTERS - lets start with something normal...

John "Jack" Robinson (from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries series) - for making all the most minimalistic reactions feel sooo intense with his voice, his face, his appearence and the way he can blink... He's the coolest quiet guy!❤

Amelie (from Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, 2001, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) - nice, quiet girl who is not best at socialising and doesn't enjoy sex (greysexual?) yet loves to make other people happy. Doing good things without being noticed makes her feel powerful and make her feel like Zorro. I love that she eventually gets some kind of reward for all that and the kissing scene in the end is sooo very sweet❤

Pollyanna (from Pollyanna, 1913 novel written by Eleanor H. Porter) [books counts too I guess?] - for looking at the positive side of every situation, what's more to say? Best way to live your life when you're too empathetic👍

Benton Fraser (from Due South series) - a guy from other realm: elegant, polite and humble, obeying all the rules and still be the smartest and most effective police officer around. Not to mention how handsome and cute he is! (take it for ace version of "hot") and scenes like when he falls into the snow in end credits I could watch forever❤ (so bad his asexual smart-ass potential has been wasted by producers in every next season...)

Young Bilbo Baggins (from The Hobbit, or There and Back Again written by J.R.R. Tolkien) - the book character once more: the guy, who starts up as the classical loser, the smallest in the group, knowing nothing, understanding nothing and being scared of his own shadow - when given a chance proves his potential for the greatest deeds, smartest solving problems and bravest of actions💪And the talking to the dragon on the top of that, OMG!!!🤯 (sorry, but Peter Jackson version packed with CGI and unnecessary stuff for me was emotionally flat as a pancake😩)

Zorro (from Zorro, 1957 Walt Disney series) - ZORRO!!! if that's not self-explanatory I don't know what to say😂

Z (from Ant Z , 1998dir. Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson) - for: "Why does everybody have to dance the same way?"

Sherlock Holmes (from Sherlock BBC series) and Gregory House (from House M.D. series) - well it is technically the same character (like Doctor Who or like James Bond - played by multiple actors): brilliant antisocial detective no matter if he is played by Benedict Cumberbatch or Hugh Laurie. And if not for his stunning personality (you may love him, you may hate him but you can't stay indifferent) - all the undefined interactions, dialogs and puns between Sherlock and John or between Greg House and Lisa Cuddy are just pure gold❤️‍🔥

Howard Brackett (from In & Out, 1997 dir. Frank Oz) - sooo sweet, I consider him my favorite ace movie character💜💚 (the 1990's movie tells him to be "gay" but I'd say it's an obvious misrecognition and I'd need another post to tell more about that guy...😋)

Jareth the Goblin King (from Labyrinth 1986, dir. Jim Henson) - well... that's another guy that I sooo much need another post to talk about😆 Starred by David Bowie, nuff said😎

.

TEN FANDOMS (don't worry, this part is much shorter):

Labyrinth (1986, dir. Jim Henson) and its fancomic Girls Next Door (I love that in the fancomic Jareth gets muuuch more good time teasing and flirting Sarah!😋) - what to say? Everything is magical and fancy here but never too naive

X-men - a talent that makes you special also makes you an outcast (which is not any different from the real world actually...) Also cool looking action scenes and young Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine.

Collateral (2004, dir. Michael Mann) - I watched it for the first time in 2021 and it became my biggest obsession, hyperfixation and life perspective changing experience❤️‍🔥 (again - most definitely some other post to talk about it) But apart from my madness it's also is just a very good action movie with nice soundtrack. And ppl saying they hate Tom Cruise but loved Collateral says a lot about it!👍

Terminator 2: The Judgement Day. It's like Zorro to me - obssesed since my childhood and never get over it

Fiddler on The Roof - pure perfection

M.A.S.H. series - classic

House M.D. - apart from everything else it was also a great help during medical studies - nice thing when you can memorise weird disease symptoms with an episode😉

Toy Story - fascinating thing to watch every next movie growing up with you - from your childhood problems to middle age issues...

Matrix - hyperfixation of 13 years old me (but the first movie I choose to treat as a whole story)

Garfield - 😁

Oh, that was kind of refreshing. Turns out I actually needed that.

Now I'm afraid I do not know enough people to tag but lets try it: @the-malfunctioning-somnambulist , @vampiiriic , @blackhoodedfigur , @lireb-librarian , @voidofsky , @sharp-lines-in-charcoal , @dragodina , @sbmranger , @tamisdava2 , @notasapleasure

Have fun if you feel like it or just have a good day anyway!❤

[hagnanimous]

The Matthew Lillard Extended Universe (A Working Theory)

You know how some actors are so distinctive, it feels like they’re playing a similar character in every movie? Well, I think Matthew Lillard has played the SAME character in every movie he’s been in. So here is a rundown of the MLEU (with spoilers for all the movies I’m gonna mention):

Shaggy Rogers in Scooby Doo (2002 and 2004)

Even though this movie was made after some of the other entries, it comes first in the development of the character played by Matthew Lillard. For the purposes of the timeline, the events of the movies take place in the mid 90s, and the Mystery Bunch is in high school. Shaggy is carefree, comedic, and a bit dumb, but he enjoys solving spooky mysteries with his friends. However, after the end of the second movie, the Mystery Bunch splits up again. Shaggy has always felt a bit resentful towards the rest of the Mystery Bunch for them always getting the credit. Shaggy wants to be known on his own. He decides to drop out of school, move to LA, and try his luck in a different world…

Brock Hudson in She’s All That (1999)

Obviously, Shaggy has to change his name to something catchier to make it big. He starts going by Brock Hudson, and people in LA quickly take notice of his larger-than-life demeanor. When he was with the Mystery Bunch, Brock was never the center of attention. But now, people aren’t looking at Fred or Daphne or even Scooby. They’re looking at him, and it feels good. Really good. And all the things that the Mystery Bunch didn’t like about him - goofing around, making rude jokes, blowing off important moments - are exactly what make people in LA keep looking at him. So when Brock gets the call to be on The Real World, that’s the personality that he brings with him: loud, self-absorbed, crass, and proud of it.

For a while, it works out. He’s on TV, people are always talking about him (good or bad things, it doesn’t matter), and he steals the girlfriend of a guy who looks oddly like his old enemy Fred. But eventually, his attitude and impulsive behavior get on the nerves of one too many people, and he gets dropped from the show. Other networks aren’t taking his calls. His agent already hates him for the time he blew a live interview by showing up an hour late and starting a fight with the host, so his agent is more than happy to release him from his contract. Things aren’t looking good for Brock. He’s out of a job, he’s burned all his bridges, and he never even finished high school. Brock is feeling like he should just start all over again. Another place, another name, and another chance.

Stu Macher in Scream (1996)

Woodsboro is a small town. People are more concerned about what’s going on down the street than who’s on TV in LA. So when Stu Macher moves to town in 1999 (don’t think too hard about these dates), people don’t notice that he looks a lot like Brock Hudson, failed reality TV star. And as for why he chose to pose as a high schooler - Shaggy/Brock/Stu is nothing if not juvenile. His puerile jokes and insensitivity got him on the bad side of the Mystery Bunch and kicked off the Real World, but they blend right in at Woodsboro High.

But Stu isn’t a regular high schooler. He’s bitter about his past failures, and he blames everyone but himself. The Mystery Bunch never appreciated him enough. Flaring out in LA? That wasn’t him being reckless and insensitive, it was the jealousy of everyone else that brought him down. To Stu, nothing was ever his fault, and his fame was stolen from him. He’s desperate to feel that glow of attention again, and he’ll do anything to get it. So, when his friend Billy has an idea, he’s all game.

For the sake of the timeline, we’ll say Stu miraculously survives the events of Scream. While this doesn’t make a lot of sense, neither does… any of the rest of this. So on we go!

Obviously, Stu has to lay low for a while. So he moves inland, where he starts working at a diner to make ends meet. While there, he gets an idea for one last plan that might finally bring him the glory he somehow thinks he deserves…

William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

Disregarding when this movie actually takes place, we’ll say this is 15-20 years after Stu Macher makes his escape and starts his new life as William Afton. I won’t explain any of his story here because of just… everything about the FNAF timeline. But character wise, this is the final step of Shaggy/Brock/Stu/William’s descent into villainy. He began as a carefree, fun-loving guy who solved mysteries with his friends. But after years of failures and crushed dreams (which were all caused by his own faults and cruel actions), he’s a twisted, evil man with no trace of his past self.

So that’s the Matthew Lillard Extended Universe, my very serious and sensical theory. If anyone actually made it to the end, feel free to suggest movies that should be added!

[cynsualc829]

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born October 5, 1957, in Chicago, IL. This Comedy Titan rocked the world in the 90's and 2000's, breaking down doors leaving his mark on the entertainment world forever. Tracing back the roots of Bernie Mac goes back to the South side of Chicago where Mac grew up. When Bernie was a child, he made a promise to himself to become a comedian, so his mother would never have to cry again. Bernie had to grow up fast with his mother passing away in his sophomore year of high school.

Bernie then began performing in the 1980's at the Cotton Club in Chicago and even on the L Train in between stops. Bernie even took odd jobs to make ends meet such as, delivering bread, bus driver, janitor, and working at Docks Fish. One day after a hard day of work, Bernie just had enough and told his wife he can't go on doing this type of work. And in that pivotal moment she gave Bernie her blessing to pursue his dream full-time.

Bernie’s first shot at the big time was him winning the Miller Lite Comedy Search in 1990. This opened up the door in a huge way for a spot on HBO Def Comedy Jam. Bernie Mac tore the house down both times he performed, leaving America saying, “I Ain't Scared Of You!” Momentum was picking up for Mac with roles in movies such as Who's The Man, House Party 3, Friday, How To Be A Player and The Players Club. Things were going so well that HBO gave Bernie his own show in 1995 entitled Midnight Mac.

Before the decade was about to close, Bernie would give his best stand up performance yet with the Kings Of Comedy Tour. This saw Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer and D.L. Hughley go on one of the highest grossing comedy tours ever. They broke box office records and made the tour into a concert film directed by Spike Lee. Bernie attacked the stage like a tiger and put Hollywood on notice about building a show around his comedy and family life. Soon after, Bernie’s prayers were answered with the Bernie Mac show. The Bernie Mac Show would go on to run a total of 5 seasons and receive multiple awards and nominations including a Peabody Award, The Humanitas Prize, a Primetime Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor In A Comedy Series, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006. Sadly, when Bernie seemed to be on top of the world his health was failing. After wrapping up his final film Soul Man, Bernie Mac passed away in the hospital from complications of pneumonia. He was 50 years old.

Even though Bernie is no longer with us, his legacy still stands with the city of Chicago proclaiming November 14th Bernie Mac Day. The Rolling Stone magazine named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 best Stand-Up Comics of All Time!

[sols-dreigroschen-blog]

i just watched a recording of the 2004 St. Pauli Theater staging of Threepenny Opera and I LOVED it!

it made me squeal with joy on several occasions, because it was so chaotic in that special way only live theatre can be, and it made me notice how much i miss being on stage...

i really loved the casting for Mackie, he was very charming and fun - maybe a little too lovable? idk i feel like he lacked a tad bit of edge, he was just charming and fun without that certain barely hidden dangerousness, but overall i really enjoyed his performance

Polly was pretty good too, it was a very bold and assertive Polly, but in a very charming way, we stan

i didn't like the look of the Jonathan in this either, and i am not sure how i like the interpretation of the character yet, he was very brash and also pretty violent, and it definitely worked in that staging, but i imagine him very different - more of a soft-spoken, sly, sleazy type rather than rough. the actor really killed it tho

(also what is it with nothing i watch ever getting the Jonathan right? i have yet to see an adaption where i like the way the Jonathan looks)

Celia was absolutely flawless, i loved every second of her on stage, especially those with Jonathan, she was SASSY she was FUN she was DRAMATIC truly a delight

i'm not sure yet what i feel about the Jenny, she was very desolate and miserable, which... i understand where they went with that portrayal, and the actress did a great job, but i like the more feisty and bold Jenny a lot more

Brown was fine, a little boring maybe; Filch was cool but had very little stage time; Lucy was kind of eh to me

Mackie's men were absolutely the best! they were cast in a very funny way where they were of descending heights (kind of like the Daltons?), also one of them had a pretty thick Swabian accent for NO reason and i was howling with laughter every time he spoke, they were also very chaotic and had a lot of slapstick-y scenes which looked SO fun to play!

the stage was extremely minimalist, which i personally LOVE and also think worked really well here, the costumes were kind of bland? like not much going on there, vaguely first half of the 20th century, rather ordinary clothes, they didn't exactly bring anything to the play but they also didn't distract from it, not that memorable overall

it was an unusally straight laced staging of a Brecht play in my opinion, with surprisingly little Brechtian Verfremdungs-shenanigans - it had the songs, and the scene instructions, but overall it was a rather immersive musical comedy experience, at least for me. and i liked that! sometimes i just want to enjoy the story, sorry Bertolt

some of my favourite details included the Swabian accent of the guy in Mackie's gang, Celia just vibing while Jonathan sings the Anstatt-Dass-Song, Mackie having some glitter left over from Ballade vom angenehmen Leben and just throwing it in the air when he escapes from jail, the Liebeslied being accompanied by Mac and Polly AGGRESSIVELY stripping, the running gag of Matt(?) getting his nose hurt, Polly and Lucy just wordlessly screaming in Eifersuchtsduett, the adorable way Mac and Polly couldn't leave their hands off each other, Polly imitating the Swabian accent at one point, Jonathan threatening to fall off the stage when he demonstrates the blind beggar to Filch, Jakob having a paper fish stuck to his face during a part of the wedding scene and Mackie playing the accordion on stage while he sings the first stanza of Zuhälterballade

also the stage curtain said Bloody Bertie's Dreigroschenoper which MWAH