#I like darker story lines ok sue me

[renegade-diamonds]

I wanna go the extra mile and say Billy's targeting of Robin comes from his own internalized homophobia. He definitely had something going on during season 2 with his seeming obsession with 'King Steve,' so I headcanon that his abusive and harmful actions come from a little bit of self-loathing as well.

That makes him even eviler for what he does, just because Robin has no idea that his motivations come from such a hateful and sad place within his mind. He does to her what he's scared of being done to him in a way, and Robin's unfortunately suffering the consequences of Billy's internalized hatred for himself and others. He's convinced that being LGBT is something of a choice, or a disease. He thinks he fixed himself by focusing only on his attraction to women, and when he discovers that Robin is in a similar situation- he sees an opportunity to 'fix' her as well.

I imagine he has the type of mentality where he thinks he's doing the right thing, a kind of 'ends justify the means' situation. And to him, it's a win-win. Robin's not bad to look at, although he has some ideas about her style. She's not super popular, so he doesn't have to worry about others moving in on 'his' girl, and he thinks he can mold her into the type of woman he wants.

Robin has no choice but to go along with it unless she wants to be outed by him. Billy probably finds out about her preferences due to her accidentally writing Tammy's name in a heart in one of her notebooks, and he accidentally oversees it at school one day when she thinks there's no one around her.

He corners her after that and tells her he can 'help' her, that he's doing this for her own good, that people like her aren't natural and she should be grateful for his willingness to help her 'fix' herself. I don't see him as taking her out on romantic dates, but he'd definitely force her to act like a doting girlfriend in public and at school. Robin plays her role terrifyingly well, and most people simply write her meek and shy behavior off as her being bashful or uninterested in drama. They think she's such a compliant and obedient girlfriend, when the truth is Robin's actually terrified of not doing exactly what Billy wants.

Billy tries to frame it as he's doing her a favor, like how he tried to frame his abusive behavior of Max as 'looking out for her,' but Robin knows what his underlying threat is. He makes her change so much about herself, and Robin hates it. She hates the way he makes her spend the night, the way he convinces her to do 'normal couple-stuff' that makes her feel so disgusting and used afterwards. No one has any idea about what's going on behind closed doors, and Robin's convinced she's going to be stuck here.

Billy shows no interest in 'breaking-up,' and the only time she gets a break is when he flirts with other girls and 'cheats' on her. Robin's never says anything about it, because she's grateful for the time away she gets from him. It's not like he hides it either. People stare at her pitifully or with shaking heads, unsure of why she would stay with a cheater. Robin tries to convince him that it's over, that it'd be better if they just broke up, but Billy likes the convenience of having a 'girlfriend.' He says she 'knows her place,' and that the other girls are just a distraction- a little fun that he has on the side to make up for what she won't give him.

He basically gaslights the shit out of her, and Robin hates it. Eventually, she gets the nerve to start arguing with him. Especially about his treatment of Max; I imagine this happens during season 2, so she's around for a few of the moments we saw where Billy used his power over Max to get his way.

Max finds Robin crying in her shared bathroom with Billy after the first night. She might be young, and she might be a kid, but even she knows that girls aren't supposed to be crying and hiding in a bathroom after doing 'couple-stuff.' This is when Max truly realizes that Robin's not one of Billy's brainless bimbos- she realizes that Billy's using and abusing her just as he does to everyone else in his life. Max starts reaching out, comforting Robin after she fights with Billy, and inviting her to sleep in her room when the so-called couple fights because Billy won't let Robin go home as a form of control over her. Max patches Robin up after Billy dares to raise a hand against her (which he thankfully only does once when he gets absolutely wasted), and begs Robin to tell her why she stays with him. Robin cries and tells Max that she wouldn't understand- that Billy's right about her being a freak and that he's doing her a favor by not telling the whole town about her disease.

This is when it clicks in Max's head. She's heard them arguing before- she's heard the word queer thrown around by her step-brother. Now she realizes that he was referring to Robin in such a derogatory manner.

A few days later, when Max holds Steve's nail-bat over Billy's drugged form on the floor of the Byer's kitchen- Max tells him he's going to leave her friends alone, all her friends, and she makes sure he understands that she's referring to Robin as well. Of course he agrees after Max nearly smashes his little billy, and the next day Max tells Robin that she's free. After that, they become super close. Robin's an only child, she's never had a sibling figure, and Max knows she's not going to get one in Billy. The rest of the Party and older teens don't understand why she'd be friends with her asshole step-brother's ex-girlfriend, but Max just says she's actually really cool and not like Billy at all since she can't exactly tell them the real reason her and Robin are still close.

As for their friendship, Billy doesn't really care that Robin and Max are friends. He probably thinks that him being with Robin is 'fixing' her. He knows Robin's not the predator he threatened to expose her as, and her reliance on his 'little step-sister' for emotional support is just one more avenue of control that he can use against Robin when she 'acts up.'

Obviously this backfires when Max proves to have more fire in her than he does, and he ends up giving both of his 'favorite' victims one more pillar to lean against when it comes time to stand up to him.

I have this AU idea of Billy finding out about Robin's sexuality and blackmailing her into dating him for a bit.

She still works at Scoops Ahoy, but Steve is more hesitant to trust her knowing she used to 'date' Billy Hargrove. Max is the only one who really trusts her at first (and that's cause she would overhear Billy and Robin arguing all the time). Robin and Billy 'break-up' after Max discovers what Billy was doing and she threatens him into leaving Robin alone (let's say she has some dirt on him too).

Nancy's relationship with Jonathan isn't going that great at the time, and she slowly starts to come around to Robin since Max is always dragging her everywhere. Things escalate after flayed!Billy tries to target Robin, and El is able to intervene and save her before he manages to get her into his car. She becomes a part of the Upside Down stuff a lot sooner, and connects with Dustin and Steve during the whole Russian-base thing due to their shared immense dislike of Billy.

The bathroom scene goes a bit differently, and Robin comes out to Steve while explaining what Billy did and how she ended up 'dating him' for a few months. They talk about the trauma she went through, and how Max stepped in and defended her. It's a heart-warming moment, but with a heavy dose of angst.

Nancy, meanwhile, latches onto the first true friend she's had since Barb, and they start to hang out a lot after Jonathan and the Byers move away. Robin's terrified of the crush she's developing on Nancy, because the last time she had one- Billy found out by accident, and she's got some serious PTSD going on because of it.

[diaryofanobsessivefangirl]

3. Oh!! Also Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. There’s a film called Stoker which is loosely based on it too. Ok sorry now I’m done lol

Have I already told you guys I've failed you??? Like I've received this more than THREE YEARS AGO and I'm only answering it now

Both anons: thank you so much for your recommendations. Shadow of a Doubt was a fascinating watch. I've always considered edgy vintage movies like this a finding, really puts you into perspective art and entertainment was provoking even at it's earliest stages and people have always been aware of the darker shades of human experience, even in 50s when entertainment seemed so whimsical.

I think it's even more edgy then today's media because the censorship at the time demanded this secrecy and subtext that makes you feel like you're watching something forbidden and wrong. The more explicit-to-be-shocking movies are, the more normal the taboo themes presented seem to be. I loved Shadow of Doubt way more than Stoker for that reason. Sue me.

As for the ship itself, I don't consider it very shippable because although they always speaking about their connection, there is nothing in their personalities that seen to connect. Stoker tried to fix this by making the main girl a potential killer like her uncle, but it created a whole different problem which was I don't understand the character at all nor consider the ship villain/heroine.

However, things begin to look more shippable when seen through another perspective. What if, because of censorship or just an artistic choice, the serial-killer uncle was simply an allegory for a darker theme: the molester uncle. Instead of murder which results in a major personality difference between him and Charlie and kind of diminishes the presumed connection between them, the creators wanted to tell a different story? One in which the crime that tears them apart is not contradictory to, but rather a direct consequence of their unconventional bond.

Suddenly the main girl having a platonic crush on her uncle before the reveal seems a lot more relevant to the plot. Her uncle manipulating her to keep it a secret by using her mother (his sister) mental health as leverage too. It still makes sense in a serial killer plot, but this way just feels more real, something that could and does happen, when relatives cross the line of fraternal love.

Also read a lovely theory about how the protagonist's mother relationship with uncle Charlie was probably emotional incest when they were young and when Charlie (main girl) is born, her mother unconsciously assign her daughter to be her substitute - to be for him something she could not be. It's canon in my opinion. Makes everything a lot more interesting.

[timeagainreviews]

5 Moments when Doctor Who SUCKED

Imagine, if you will for a moment, that you are a brand new Doctor Who fan. You don’t even know to call yourself a Whovian yet. You get on a few facebook groups, see a few YouTube videos and discover, much to your dismay, that Doctor Who is, in fact, ruined now. Woe is you who set path down a trail leading toward mediocrity, and eventually utter devastation. I ask you to picture yourself in this manner because I want you to realise that only a person new to Doctor Who would believe such drivel. Everyone else saying this seems to have rose tinted glasses. The rest of us all know that Doctor Who is a show that sometimes requires forgiveness.

Am I saying Doctor Who is a bad show? Not hardly. Much like pizza, Doctor Who is still pretty good, even when it sucks. I would venture to say that one of the things I love most about Doctor Who is how campy and silly it can be at times. Why is it then that so many people are turning their backs on a show that’s filled their lives with so much joy? I’m really trying to avoid the "because sexism," argument. But I can’t help but feel like if you were to switch the Doctor to a male, nobody would be calling the show "ruined." Furthermore, how do you even ruin something that has gone through so many changes throughout the years? Oh right, it’s the Doctor Who fandom. Where the only language allowed is hyperbolic.

Perhaps these fake geeks are mad because making the Doctor a woman takes away their ability to call her a Mary Sue. Especially when you consider the same character once burst out of a golden birdcage and floated to the ground in a wave of Jesus energy. That might mean they’d have to retroactively apply the title to every incarnation. Could the Doctor ever escape the distinction? Unnaturally talented, charismatic, good at everything he does, brilliantly smart. Or is it that these attributes only belong to men? We can believe Tom Baker’s Doctor is capable of walking into a burning furnace to save K9, but hell no, a woman can’t be the Doctor.

You have to face it, Doctor Who has had some terrible moments. Yet we continue to tune in because we forgive it. We forgive when Doctor Who is bad because of the moments when Doctor Who is wonderful. Which I know is how you would describe an abusive partner, but I’m gonna let it slide for a television series. Especially this series. Because unlike that dickhead who never texts you back, Doctor Who can change. If you don’t believe me, please peruse this list of five instances when Doctor Who was terrible.

1. The John Nathan-Turner era

My God, how could I not start with this? While there is no denying there are some wonderful moments in JNT's Doctor Who, it's easily my least favourite era of Doctor Who. And as much as I personally love Colin Baker, his Doctor got the lion's share of poor scripts and erroneous costume choices. Never has a man more game for a role, been dealt such a bad hand.

Introducing a Doctor that was cowardly, and even violent toward his companion, was seen as a bridge too far. While I understand the desire to try something new with the character, this wasn't the way to go about it. While the show begins to pick up around the end of McCoy's tenure, it's evident that this is more the influence of studio notes and the hard work of script editor Andrew Cartmel. I can't think of anyone less suited for the job of showrunner.

It seems that for a good nine years, Doctor Who had a madman at the helm, and not in that cute Matt Smith way. Dressing in flamboyant Hawaiian shirts, Nathan-Turner brought that same brash sensibility to the program. From Six's garish costume, to question mark lapels, to Mel's entire timeline, it's a big fat mess with him sitting in the middle. Add to all of this, the allegations of him being a predatory creep toward young male fans, and it's a surprise the show ever survived. Oh wait, it didn't.

2. Racism

Ok, maybe I should have started with this. While Doctor Who has taken efforts to address its racist past, it still happened. They drop a racist slur in "The Celestial Toymaker." Even the term "celestial," is used to mean "Chinese," in describing the titular character played by the very white Michael Gough, fully clad in Oriental silks. This tradition follows into "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," when Li H'sen Chang was played by John Bennett.

It's an uncomfortable miracle that they didn't allow Patrick Troughton to play the role of the Second Doctor in brownface. Not to say his era escaped the odd bit of racism. While Toberman in "Tomb of the Cybermen," gets a few heroic moments, he also gets none of the lines. Cast as mute manservant, we learn nothing about the inner workings of a black man who died so that white people may live.

Later, the show used characters like Ace to talk about racism. She shows disgust with a "No Coloureds," sign hanging in the boarding house she's staying in. When the evil Morgaine had her under mind control, it was calling her friend Ling Tai "yellow," and "slant-eyed," that she was able to snap out of it. Real Ace would never say such things. But even with that groundwork laid, the new series still struggles. From the Doctor being weirdly dismissive toward black people, to it taking nearly 50 years for the first black TV companion, Doctor Who is still grappling with its race issues. Yet you all kept watching.

3. Ace gets molested

This one is a bit of a lesser known infraction as it takes place in the books after the show had already been cancelled. Kicking off the Virgin Media "New Adventures," is 1991's "Timewyrm: Genesys," by John Peel. In it, the Doctor and Ace travel to ancient Mesopotamia, where they meet King Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh wastes no time going full blown creep, groping Ace and pawing at her like he was Joe Biden.

The Doctor's reaction to this is to tell Ace to just go with it, and that it's part of the culture. While I agree that, yes, Gilgamesh may not be the sophisticated modern man that hugs a bro and supports equal pay, the Doctor's reaction is some straight up bullshit. If you're going to go there, maybe try saying something with it other than "Women are men's property." This could have been a great opportunity for the Doctor to puff up and use Gilgamesh's own primitive mindset against him. "How dare you touch my woman!" the very tiny Doctor could say to the very tall man. It would have been a funny visual, mixed with the Doctor utilising male privilege in a way that helps his companion.

This is really an objection I have against most of John Peel's work. He writes women in that "she boobed boobily," manner. Much to my dismay, Peel is one of the sole writers of the Dalek books, so any time you want to enjoy a tale involving our enemies from Skaro, you have to also partake in his brand of women. I'm talking women being described as buxom babes with shoulder length blonde hair, voices like baby goddesses, and legs up to their neck. While on the other hand, we get men described as having a hat and probably some other features. I may be embellishing, but seriously, John Peel, your women suck. Yet it still spawned a rather large book series.

4. Minuet in Hell

Doctor Who has never been known to nail accents. Tegan is vaguely Australian. And Peri must have moved around a lot due to the fact that nothing about her American accent sounds like a regional dialect. That doesn't mean that Robert Jezek's Foghorn Leghorn meets the KFC Colonel performance as " Brigham Elisha Dashwood III," is any less painful. But bad accents aside, the biggest demon in this Big Finish audio is one of Doctor Who's oldest enemies- sexism!

While I understand that Charlotte Pollard may be a fan favourite among many Big Finish listeners, her character will forever be tainted for me, and it's all due to this story. In it, Charlotte, or Charley, gets literally human trafficked. They kidnap her, force her to wear lingerie in a very creepy and misguided attempt to add some sexiness to the story and force her to wait on rich businessmen at a casino.

Now, allow me to clarify, it's not the human trafficking that taints her in my eyes. People who get trafficked are victims, obviously. What bothers me is that neither Gary Russell or Alan W Lear thought to give her a single line of dialogue where she protests. She doesn't even complain a little. Sure, the Doctor often gains intel by getting captured, but this is ridiculous. Add this to the weird disjointed story, and "Minuet in Hell," easily serves as one of the lowest points in not just Big Finish history, but Doctor Who as a whole.

5. Sexism

(Image by Billy Darswed)

It makes the most sense that this is the last one on the list. Because let's be honest, it's a huge problem in the fandom. A lot of early Doctor Who audios and books smack of moments when it feels as though the writers never considered the existence of female fans. Women are often utilised as a means to make the Doctor look better, and for the baddies to look scarier. Mind you, it's not always been a pantheon of swooners and screamers. We got the occasional Sarah Jane, Leela, and Ace.

Even the strong women are long-suffering. Liz Shaw (and her real-life actress Caroline John) left the role of companion over sexism. Beginning her time on Doctor Who as UNIT's top scientific advisor, she was demoted to assistant, holding beakers for the male Doctor who stole her job. The Fourth Doctor acted similarly when telling Romana her qualifications had nothing on real life experience. The same excuse has been used for decades to keep educated women out of the workforce. "Come back when you've got some experience, sweetheart."

While Rose Tyler was a refreshingly real character with a family and life of her own, it doesn't mean that she wasn't horribly mismanaged. In "The Stolen Earth," we see a darker, more serious version of her character. The Rose we used to know is now fully devoted toward one mission and one mission only- getting her man back. It's as though her personality disappears and is fully dependent on having the Doctor in her life. She rises to greatness so that she might bask in his once more. Maybe it's romantic, but maybe it's bad writing.

If you were to ask me who my favourite Doctor Who writers are, I'd have to say Robert Holmes is up there, and he wrote "Talons of Weng-Chiang," a serial full of yellowface. I'd also say Russell T Davies, who wrote the aforementioned "Stolen Earth," and also saw it in his wisdom to turn Shirley Henderson's "Ursula," into a blowjob dispensing garden brick. Or even Steven Moffat who believes the Statue of Liberty could sneak around New York, undetected, and that nobody notices his predilection toward dominatrix women in stiletto heels.

In my review for "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos," I quipped that Chris Chibnall had not yet written a truly great episode of Doctor Who. However, since "Resolution," I can no longer say such a thing. I may even go as far as to say it's one of the best Dalek episodes ever. It would seem then that, given enough time, he could become a great showrunner. And it seems that given enough time, any writer, yourself included, could one day write the latest "worst episode ever."

Every new era has had its stumbles. Not every Doctor gets it correct 100% of the time. Capaldi decided he was the kind of Doctor to exit through the window, a trait we never saw again. The Fifth Doctor decided to sleep his way through his first adventure. The Eighth Doctor was "human on his mother's side." And Ten took so long to regenerate that I'm beginning to think it was old age, and not radiation that did him in. If you can look at all of these stupid, stupid moments and still say you love Doctor Who, then maybe, just maybe, you can get over a bit of spotty writing, like you always have. Or is it still the female Doctor thing? Oh...

[idemandoolong]

When You Can Handle The Lies, Backstabbing, and Unfair Treatment, Then You're Allowed To Be Famous

Most of us have fantasized about what it’d be like to be rich and famous. The paparazzi, the photoshoots, the money, the power, the adoring fans…but what we don’t seem to think about is what famous people tell us ALL THE TIME:

Being famous is unfair, AND it’s every person for himself/herself.

Now, most celebrities don’t flat out say this, but they’ll say it in roundabout ways or with cute little slogans like “Ain’t no friends in the game.”

We romanticize this and think it’s cool and trendy, but that shit would destroy 99% of us. The majority of us can’t handle the negative aspects of fame, and I’m not talking about the rumors and loss of privacy. I’m talking about how you’re essentially forfeiting loyalty and trust–which are things we regular folks take very seriously.

Allow me to explain.

In 2007, during Cycle 9 of “America’s Next Top Model,” Ebony Morgan was in the bottom two with Ambreal Williams. Ambreal was sent home, but Ebony opted to go home instead, thus allowing Ambreal to stay.

Now, five years later, during Cycle 18, Eboni Davis and Alisha White were in the bottom two. Eboni was eliminated, but Alisha opted to forfeit. Same situation, right? Well Eboni was told she’s still going home.

You may explain this away by saying “Well maybe the rules changed.” But THAT’S why you can’t handle fame, silly rabbit. You just don’t get it:

There are no rules in Hollywood.

You’re so used to rules and laws and consistency, but in the fame game, that doesn’t exist. It is solely up to Tyra Banks (and the producers) to decide whom to eliminate. It doesn’t matter if all of America says you’re the best. It doesn’t matter if the “judges” are being hypocrites. Nothing matters. You don’t matter. They don’t care about you, and that’s something most of us can’t deal with.

In fact, the winners of “Top Model” have come out and said they’re not taken seriously in the modeling world, so it’s hard for them to book jobs and gigs. And it’s not like Tyra Banks is using her name to get them jobs. She doesn’t give a damn. Their usefulness is over as far as she’s concerned. Boom. Bye. On to the next wannabe model.

I’ll give you another example.

Janet Hubert portrayed Vivian Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” from 1990-1993. She once told a story how Countess Vaughn (Moesha, The Parkers, Hollywood Divas) once auditioned for a role on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and was given the part. Now, before taping a show, the actors and actresses sit around and do what’s called a table read.

They literally sit at a table together and read the script aloud while the writers and executives and producers are there taking notes to decide what they want to change.

Anyway, Countess is there reading her lines and everyone is laughing. They love her. She’s perfect for the role and she’s excited about taping her episode. She goes home…and they never call her back. She doesn’t know what happened. Some time later, she runs into Janet and asks what happened. Janet explained that Will Smith was afraid she’d upstage him, so he had her dropped.

Nobody fought for Countess. When she got dropped, they just went on with their lives. Nobody even tried to contact her and say “Hey, look…this is what’s happening…”

Now before you say Janet is making up lies and is bitter, Countess alludes to this very story in an episode of Hollywood Divas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04cTELr5Fxc

We regular folks aren’t used to be being treated like that. Imagine if you got a job and were told on your way home from the interview, “Actually we want somebody of a different race.” You’d sue, and win. But you can’t do that in Hollywood.

You can get fired from a movie for being too young (Stuart Townsend from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”).

You can get fired and have your scenes re-done by a replacement (Chloe Grace Moretz in “Bolt”).

You can spend months recording all your lines AS THE MAIN CHARACTER and get fired because the gender of the character changes (Holly Hunter in “Chicken Little”).

It doesn’t even matter. As I said, in Hollywood, you don’t matter. Very few people actually give a damn about you. Now take this a step further and imagine being a person of color in Hollywood. Those three people I just mentioned are all white. If they’ll do that to white folks, imagine what people of color endure.

Even your bandmates who you’ve grown up and were your best friends for ten years will leave you in the dust at the drop of a hat. Remember what happened to Destiny’s Child?

If you don’t, long story short, best friends Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett formed a band known as Destiny’s Child. After two platinum-selling albums, one day in early 2000, their music video “Say My Name” premiered with two new members, Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams in the band, lip-synching over LaTavia’s and LeToya’s vocals.

There was no announcement. No press conference. No nothing. Just boom. LaTavia and LeToya didn’t even know they had been fired until, like everyone else, the video premiered. After a whole bunch of back and forth and “he said, she said,” it later came out LaTavia and LeToya were having disagreements with their manager, Mathew Knowles, the father of Beyoncé. He was the group’s manager AND the manager of the four singers individually.

LaTavia and LeToya fired Mathew as their personal managers due to financial reasons and for the way he was allegedly mistreating them. He responded by hiring two new singers and the show went on until Farrah Franklin quit due to Mathew’s alleged mistreatment five months later. Destiny’s Child told the public for years that Farrah couldn’t “handle” being famous, but the truth is she asked too many questions like why was Solange Knowles (Beyoncé’s younger sister) getting a cut out of the band’s paycheck as a backup dancer when she not once danced….until after Farrah quit. She also didn’t like that she, Michelle, and Kelly had to go to tanning salons to appear darker so Beyoncé would be the lighter one, she became sick overseas and nobody seemed to care, Mathew would literally yell at her and verbally abuse her….she couldn’t take it anymore so she left.

How would you feel if you quit a job due to unfair treatment, but everyone was told it was because you “couldn’t handle” the job?

Still think you could handle it?

Ok, big shot. Try this on for size.

Karan Ashley portrayed Aisha Campbell on “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” from 1993-1995. It’s a bit complicated, but the creator of the show was making millions of dollars from the success of the show, and the actors weren’t paid very much. Keep in mind, “Power Rangers” was one of the most successful shows in the US, and the actors’ likenesses for toys, video games, and all sorts of merchandise was being used…and they didn’t get a dime for it. In fact, Walter Emmanuel Jones portrayed Zack Taylor from 1993-1994 in 81 episodes, and lived with roommates the entire time. That’s how little he was paid.

When 20th Century Fox approached “Power Rangers” to make a movie, the actors were severely lowballed with how much they’d get paid. He, along with co-stars Thuy Trang and Austin St. John asked for more, they were rejected, so they quit. Karan Ashley, Steve Cardenas, and Johnny Yong Bosch (who is half-Korean and was told by producers to use his mother’s maiden name of Yong in his name to seem more Asian…because, I guess, nobody can tell you’re Asian unless your mother says so) were immediately hired as replacements and filmed the movie.

Anyway, in 1995, Karan Ashley wants to be let go from the show. Not only do they film for about 16hrs per day, but again, the pay is low. She’s told her character will be given a ten-episode story that will have her leave the series.

So the actors go on a much needed two-week break after 61 episodes, and when they return, Karan is told “Oh, we don’t need you anymore. You can go.” Just like that. No ten-episode story. No going-away party. No nothing. Boom. Gone. Bye. And the show just went on without her.

I could go on and on with similar stories.

Mo’Nique’s show being cancelled despite being the top-rated show on BET at the time of its cancellation.

Cree Summer being fired from playing Meg on “Family Guy” as she’s on her way to work.

John Amos and Esther Rolle being fired from “Good Times” after complaining the JJ Evans character was stereotypical, but the press being told they were envious of the character’s success.

Jamie Lynn Spears getting pregnant at 16 years old, so all the actors lose their jobs on “Zoey 101.”  

But I’m telling you these stories to say being famous is simply not fair.

You get fired from jobs for reasons that aren’t your fault. Promises are routinely broken. Your friends and co-workers don’t stick up for you. There’s no consistency. People say one thing and do another all the time. You’re lied to all the time. And nobody cares because it’s done to them, too.

Think of all the times you were treated unfairly or lied on or lied to or did a whole bunch of work for nothing…now imagine that happening pretty much every single day.

That, ladies and gents, is what it’s like to be famous.

[rocknutsvibe]

2016: On The Cusp Of A Rock Awakening

OK, so we lost a lot of great musicians in 2016, and world events were unsettling to say the least. But all things considered, it was a pretty good year for music, with some older artists hitting late-inning home runs and some newer acts seemingly approaching greatness. I really get the sense that Rock is in an exciting period of transition, with so many artists both young and old willing to take risks in the search for new sounds and new approaches. I honestly believe that we are on the cusp of a new Rock awakening. Here are my selections for Top 10 Albums of 2016.

  10. The Claypool Lennon Delirium – Monolith Of Phobos

People sometimes forget that Sean Lennon inherited artistic genes from his mother too, one of the most famous avant-garde musicians who ever lived. With this in mind his musical partnership with mad genius Les Claypool seems like such a perfect fit. This album won’t be everyone’s cup of tea — it’s way out there sometimes — but to me it felt fresh and wild and unique. Lennon and Claypool seem to bring out the very best in each other’s oddly twisted personalities, flavoring their distinctly original take on classic proggy sounds with wit and whimsy. Claypool’s jaw-dropping virtuosity on the bass was no surprise, but Lennon’s lambent talents on guitar and vocals certainly were, and I really hope these guys keep making music together.

  9. Rolling Stones – Blue And Lonesome

This is like one of those albums that NASA would put into a Voyager satellite to introduce extraterrestrial civilizations to human culture, except in this case it landed back on Earth in 2016. The album captures — for a new generation on this planet — the electrifying intensity of those early-sixties blues and R&B recordings, recorded live and hot and off the floor. But this ain’t the 1964 Stones cheekily imitating the old bluesmen, this is a band with the chops and the savvy to actually be the old bluesmen. Sometimes Jagger sounds like an old man and sometimes he sounds like he’s 25, but either way he and his mates are as authentic as it gets, and god knows there’s a hunger for authenticity out there.

  8. case / lang / veirs – case / lang / veirs

Take three fiercely independent singer-songwriters who don’t know each other very well, put them in a room and tell them to write songs together, and you’ve got a prescription not only for bruised egos but quite possibly broken bones as well. Unless of course the singer-songwriters are women, in which case you’ve got a much better chance of co-operation and a successful collaboration. k.d. lang admired the work of Neko Case and Laura Veirs and suggested the three get together and create some new songs, not as a three-point harmony trio but more like a real band where each member’s individual strengths are given a chance to shine. The end result is one of the finest collections of songs released this year, where even the production and arrangements are well-conceived and beautifully implemented. See what a little co-operation can accomplish?

  7. Bon Iver – 22, A Million

Up to this point Bon Iver was widely considered a balladeer, a singer-songwriter of deeply personal, atmospheric songs who used electronica mostly as a way to process his distinctive falsetto vocals. Folk electronica, if you will. But on this, his third album, Bon Iver takes folk electronica to new horizons with beats and kinetic energy, a huge and I think welcome departure from his drony balladeer thing. The album contains some beautiful acoustic guitar, piano and horns, but it also includes tracks like “10 (Deathbreast)” which has him spitting out spoken lyrics over a driving cascade of electronic beats, sounding more like Kanye West than a folk artist. In fact, West had sought out Bon Iver’s recording expertise for one of the rapper’s earlier albums, so I guess what goes around comes around. Rock happens when different musical genres come together, and this album sounds like something new being born.

  6. The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect

Alex Turner has talent, charisma, and a willingness to take artistic chances, a great combination for any musician. As swaggering front man for the Arctic Monkeys, Turner gained fame for his wickedly clever power pop, but as a partner in The Last Shadow Puppets he takes that wicked cleverness on a completely different tack. The Rock elements are still there, but the defining sound on this album is a standout orchestra section arranged by the brilliant Canadian violinist and producer Owen Pallett. It gives the album a very Euro feel as the band pays discreet homage to the various pop styles that make use of strings – ‘50s doo-wop, ‘60s soul, ‘70s disco, ‘80s spy movies – as well as some really original arrangements that can easily stand on their own. I don’t understand why this album wasn’t a huge hit.

  5. The Tragically Hip – Man Machine Poem

With this album The Hip completes their transformation from literate, edgy roadhouse Rockers to literate, mature Rock gurus, comfortable in their wisdom yet searching for truth more rigorously than ever. After 30 years together the Hip keeps growing as a band, boldly adding new textures and instrumentation and themes and emotions to their kit bag, while at the same time keeping their kick-ass edge as sharp as it ever was. If, as seems likely, this is to be the band’s last album due to Gord Downie’s serious health issues, then by god what a way to go, and what an inspiring lesson in personal and artistic growth for the rest of us.

  4. Warpaint – Heads Up

There are some pretty sophisticated Rock sensibilities at work here on the L.A. quartet’s third album. Originally an atmospheric/chill type outfit, Warpaint displays a subtle but still striking versatility on this album, skillfully and seamlessly weaving analog and electronic instrumentation together as well as anybody has ever done it. One minute bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg and drummer Stella Mozgawa are laying down big fat beats, the next minute guitarist Theresa Wayman is serving up soaring or spiky licks over an electronic bed. Emily Kokal’s plaintive lead vocals may not be the strongest, but the band’s three-point harmonies are outstanding and lay at the heart of Warpaint’s sonic signature. This is definitely a band to watch.

  3. Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression

So the story goes that Iggy Pop finally had enough of the rat race and wanted to drop out after recording one last album. Ever the showman, Iggy decides that if he’s going out, he’s going out in style, so he turns to Josh Homme for help. How could this not be a recipe for a great album? These are two Rock giants coming together. Homme, one of a handful of artists destined to carry the torch for Rock & Roll deep into the new century, brought his unique gifts of edgy songcraft together with Iggy’s brutally frank street truths, sprinkled it with a little anti-materialist populism, and helped create a bold and original statement, not just for Iggy, but I really think for the ages. Homme deserves a co-credit on the album, but he’s too generous a soul to want it. Meanwhile Iggy keeps dreaming “about getting away to a new life / where there’s not so much fucking knowledge”, and I have to admit that does sound appealing.

  2. Esperanza Spalding – Emily’s D+Evolution

I’ve always subscribed to the theory that the greatest artists are the ones that push the envelope so far until they discover new territory. Well Esperanza Spalding is one brilliant artist and with this album she has found musical ground where nobody has stood before, and that is saying something. Sure, the lithe vocals, explosive bass lines and complicated jazz time signatures are all still there, but this time around she brings thundering and soaring guitars into the mix, making the album sound at times more like prog than jazz. Think Joni Mitchell meets Frank Zappa and Shuggie Otis, or maybe St. Vincent with the angular corners rounded out. On top of all this, Emily’s D+Evolution is a concept album where Spalding’s alter ego wrestles wordily with powerful thoughts on love, gender, race and class in the 21st Century. This is a dense, rich album that delivers increasing rewards with every listen.

  1. David Bowie – Blackstar

There will never be another album like this one, just as sure as there will never be another David Bowie. It’s an album about Bowie’s life and about his death, and it is loaded with riches. I was never all that big on droning medieval melodies, but I now love the five minutes of it on the title track because “at the center of it all” lies the shimmering beauty of the middle section. Kudos to my colleague Jordan for pointing out the “whore” of the raucous second track is quite likely Bowie’s cancer. “Lazarus” still makes me weep sometimes because I can’t get the haunting video out of my head, but it has sure given me some insights into death that were never quite available to me before. “Sue” is cinema verite in modern jazz wrapping, while “Dollar Days” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away” are as beautiful as anything Bowie has ever made. How long will it be before this album starts showing up on greatest of all-time lists?

  Honorable Mentions

Paul Simon – Stranger To Stranger Wilco – Schmilco Charles Bradley – Changes Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate Andrew Bird – Are You Serious Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Denial Anderson Paak – Malibu

Photo- Esperanza Spalding; credit: By JBreeschoten (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://ift.tt/HKkdTz)], via Wikimedia Commons

from Rocknuts http://ift.tt/2hP4HcQ via IFTTT

[cover2covermom]

Happy end of March bookworms!

After my ridiculous reading month in January when I read 11 books, I really thought I had peaked in 2017.  That was until I read 14 books in March.  #NailedIt

My blogging month was also not too shabby.  All around, March was good to me.

Let’s recap shall we?

*Book titles link to Goodreads

What I read in March:

 » A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Summary of feelings: This book.  I thought A Darker Shade of Magic was great, but this book knocked my socks off.  If I am being completely honest, reading these books gave me similar feelings that I had as a child reading Harry Potter.  I know once I finish this series, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

» Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Summary of feelings: I know this is often everyone’s favorite Ann Patchett novel, but it was just ok for me.  I actually enjoyed State of Wonder more.  That being said there were elements that I really liked about this book: the focus on music, the blurring of lines between captives and captors, and the intense ending.  I would have liked the pacing to have been a little more steady throughout the book versus the snails pacing for 95% of the book, then the big rush to the finish for the last 5%.  That ending though!  Patchett foreshadowed throughout the novel, and I was anticipating a crazy finish, but not to that extent.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR

» Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Summary of feelings:  Neil Gaiman.  Why are you so damn brilliant?  I don’t think he could do any wrong in my eyes.  The man writes pure gold.  If you asked me which of his books has been my favorite, I really couldn’t tell you as I’ve loved them all.

» My Father, the Pornographer by Chris Offutt

*3.5 Stars

Summary of feelings: My Father, the Pornographer is more about the author Chris Offutt, then it really is about his father, Andrew J. Offutt (the pornographer).  While many parts of the book were slow going and mundane, I found parts of this book absolutely fascinating.  It definitely was darker than I was anticipating.  If you are interested in psychology at all, you would find parts of this book very appealing.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR – Unfortunaly this author canceled and will not be attending :(

» Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

*4.5 Stars

Summary of feelings:  Echo was a beautiful middle grade book that blended fairytale, history, and music together.  I did not realize when I started this book that it was going to start off as a fairytale, but eventually turn into a WWII historical fiction.  I thought the way the author took multiple story lines and  wove them together was very clever.  I also liked how each story ends on a cliffhanger, but you don’t really find out how they all end until the end of the book.   I cannot stress enough that if you are able, audiobook is definitely the way to go with this one.  Not only is each section of this book narrated by a new narrator, but the music is also played out.  I would recommend this one to any music lovers, and especially any of you that are musicians yourselves.  I think the author really captured the essence of the love that musicians have for creating music.

» Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

*3.5 Stars

Summary of feelings:  Now I don’t typically reach for thrillers, but I do enjoy throwing them into the mix every once in a while.  Behind Closed Doors was selected as my book club’s March book.   If I am being honest, I have yet to read a thriller that has knocked me off my feet.  I don’t know if I am just not reading the right books, or if my reading tastes just do not include thrillers… Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, but would I want to read it again?  Probably not.  I will say this was a very quick read and at least kept me interested until the end.  I think this book could have been much better if the author would have told this in a dual perspective of both Grace and Jack.  I wanted to know more about Jack… his thoughts and motives.  I did really like how everything panned out in the end.

» Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Summary of feelings:  I read this book in one sitting.  This is a middle grade historical fiction, but I would probably say the target audience is on the younger age range of middle grade.  Maybe 7-10 year olds?  This book tackles a topic that we don’t hear about much in school here in the U.S: the relocation and incarceration of Japanese-Americans in the U.S. during WWII.   This would make for a great book to use in a classroom setting (maybe 2nd-3rd grade?) as this book has themes of family, loss, friendship, etc. along with the historical context.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR

» The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

Summary of feelings:  The Shadow Queen was a solid read, but it didn’t blow me away by any means.  The thing I liked the most about this book was how the author spun this retelling of Snow White.  I think she did a good job staying true to the story while giving us some new elements: dragons and more magic.  If you are a fan of YA fantasy and/or fairytale retellings, then I would recommend this book to you!  I think my biggest issue with this book was the characters.  They didn’t feel real to me and were lacking emotion.  I think if the author had slowed the plot down just a tad and focused a little more on character development, this would have helped me to form more of a connection to the characters.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR

» East by Edith Pattou

Summary of feelings:  I loved this book and I can’t really put my finger on why exactly.  It may have just been the right book at the right time.  East is very fast paced read with short chapters and multiple perspectives.  Despite the fact that this book is just over 500 pages, I was immersed in the story from beginning to end.  This book feels very much like a fairy tale because it is based off the Norwegian fairytale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”  I am not familiar with this fairytale, so prior knowledge of it is not a requirement to enjoy East.   This book also gave off an epic journey vibe as well.  So, an epic journey fairytale?  Whatever this book is, I loved it.

*Part of my Ohioana Book Fest TBR

» Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson

Summary of feelings:  Wow.  What a heartbreaking and horrifying story, yet also uplifting and hopeful.  The author weaves Sachiko’s story with historical context throughout the book, which made for an emotional and informative read.  We are given a personal account at what it was really like to survive the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Honestly Sachiko’s account reminded me of pictures and media coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.   It felt many of the same feelings I did as a 14-year-old kid watching the coverage of the terrorist attacks on TV: horror, fear, anger, and sorrow.

This book also questions the decision of the United States to use nuclear weapons before really knowing the effects the bombs would have both short and long term.  Truman rationalized his decision by saying that dropping the atomic bombs saved hundreds of thousands of American lives we would have lost if we would have sent troops to Japan to fight a war in the east.  HOWEVER there were most likely other motives in play here as well.  Was it worth the instant death of 120,000 Japanese people?  How about the countless number of Japanese people who died in the aftermath from injuries, radiation sickness, and years later – cancer?

Sachiko definitely gave me a lot to think about.

» A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Summary of feelings: Another thought-provoking novel.  A Long Walk to Water is about the war torn country of Sudan, a country in northern Africa.  The majority of this book is about one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, Salva.  I must admit, before reading this story, I knew practically nothing about the hostility in Sudan that went on for YEARS (conflicts are still going on today), nor the very real problem that it’s people face: access to clean water.   A Long Walk to Water is also about a girl named Nya, whose job it is to fetch water for her family.  She spends 8 hours EVERY day fetching water for her family.  The book is told in alternating perspectives and timelines, but the connection between these two stories isn’t made clear until the end.  This book really opened my eyes to how privileged I am to be able to walk to my kitchen and turn on a faucet.

» The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

Summary of feelings: No one is more shocked then me that I actually really enjoyed this book.  If you have followed me for a while, you know that thriller novels are not my go-to books, but I kept throwing them into the mix.  Girls in the Garden is one of those books where you learn about “the incident” first, then go back in time leading up to the incident.  I thought the author did a great job of holding my attention the entire time.  I really liked how Jewell introduced all kinds of characters/scenarios to thrown the reader off the trail.  The conclusion wasn’t exactly a huge shocker, BUT it was definitely more involved and complicated then I was anticipating.  Typically I don’t like when the author leaves things un-resolved, but Jewell does leave a few things up in the air.  I think it worked here.

*Full review to come

» The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

Summary of feelings:  I am going to venture to say that The Animators is going to be the biggest surprise of 2017 for me.  This book is so much more than I was anticipating.  I was anticipating a light hearted contemporary novel with friendship being a central theme.  While friendship is a major theme, The Animators is NOT a light hearted read.  It is very gritty and raw… definitely more of a darker novel.

I also thought this book was young adult, and it turns out that this book is very much an adult book.  I think it was because the cover gave off a YA vibe to me?  Anyways, The Animators has a lot of adult content that is not suitable for a young audience.

*Part of my SOKY Book Fest TBR

» Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case by Patricia Hruby Powell (Illustrated by Shadra Strickland)

Summary of feelings:   Loving Vs. Virginia is the Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races.  In this book, we learn about Richard & Mildred Loving, the couple behind this infamous case.  Told in verse, Loving Vs. Virginia is very much the love story of Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred, a biracial woman.   I was anticipating a little more historical content, but overall, this was a very well done YA book.  I must admit, I have never really read a book about interracial marriage before.  The challenges that the Lovings faced was heartbreaking to read about.

I listened to the audiobook version, but I am waiting for a copy from my library to see the illustrations.

*I am definitely interested in reading a book that goes a little deeper into the history of interracial marriage, as well as challenges that interracial couples face in today’s society.  If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.

Challenge Updates:

» Goodreads Challenge 

» Diversity Bingo 2017

Since I am more focused on reading for my upcoming book festivals, I was only able to knock out 1 square for #DiversityBingo2017.  This isn’t to say I am not reading diverse books, just that the ones I read didn’t fit into any of the categories for this month.  I am now a total of 11 squares down.  This month I completed…

• Displaced MC → Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

*Actually a few of the other books I read this month would also fit this category: A Long Walk to Water, Sachiko, and Loving Vs. Virginia all have characters who are displaced.

Here are the squares I’ve completed thus far…

• MC w/ chronic pain → Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo #OwnVoices

• MC w/ an under-represented body → 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

• Diverse non-fiction → Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

• POC on the cover → Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

• Non-western (real world) setting → Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai #OwnVoices

• Immigrant or Refugee MC → Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai #OwnVoices

• Black MC (Own Voices) → Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson #OwnVoices

• MC of Color in SFF → When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin #OwnVoices

• Own Voices → The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim #OwnVoices

• Free Choice → Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (Gender Fluid MC)

*Not sure if this challenge is like traditional BINGO where you only need to get a line to “win,” but I’m going for a cover-all

On the Blog:

Book Reviews:

 Book Review: Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Book Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Kids’ Corner: Diverse Children’s Picture Books in Review (March 2017)

Other Posts:

February 2017 Wrap-Up + Book Haul

March 2017 TBR

Book Event: V.E. Schwab’s A Conjuring of Light Book Tour

Dream Loot Crate: Bookish Crate (Theme: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab)

Blogging Babble: Blogger/Follower Expectations

Top Ten Tuesdays

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2017 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I’ve Met & A Few I’d Like to Meet

Top 5 Wednesdays

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fantasy Books

 March Book Haul:

Follow Cover2CoverMom on Instagram @Cover2CoverMom

» A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab *SIGNED*

*I picked up my copy when I attended V.E. Schwab’s book tour, which you can read about here → Book Event: V.E. Schwab’s A Conjuring of Light Book Tour

» The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

*Won from a giveaway hosted by Crystal @Lost In A Good Book.  Huge thank you to her for hosting this giveaway!

» The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

*Via Blogging for Books

» The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

*I already have a copy of this book, but when I saw a gently used hardback copy at my library for $0.50, I wasn’t about to pass it up.

» The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

*Another used copy I picked up at my library for $0.50.  I really enjoyed Girl With a Pearl Earring by this author, so why not.

How was your March?

Which books did you read?

Did you buy any books? Which ones?

Comment below and let me know :)

I #NailedIt in March by #Reading 14 #Books! See which ones in my #WrapUp. #BookBlogger Happy end of March bookworms! After my ridiculous reading month in January when I read 11 books, I really thought I had peaked in 2017.