#I need it to be known that I drew this with Man or Muppet on repeat the entire time

[yourlocalabomination]

“The spankoffski bros are played by the same actor, they both can’t be on stage at the same time!”

Wrong. Joey has two hands.

May I present the superior solution:

[joelalorian]

Tides of Desire - Chapter Twelve: Turn the Corner

*mood board by the lovely @janaispunk. divider by the equally lovely @saradika-graphics

Pairing: Yacht Captain!Joel Miller x f!reader

Series Summary: TLOU no outbreak AU. Joel Miller is a luxury yacht captain running charters in the Caribbean. You join the crew as a deckhand and unexpectedly complicate Joel's peaceful existence. Basically the TLOU bunch on a Below Deck yacht.

Chapter warnings: 18+ MDNI. Angst, cursing, some deep conversations, forgiveness, fluff, and a lil bit of smut. Smallish age gap (reader is 32 or so, Joel is 40). No use of y/n, though reader is of British descent and has the nickname Brit (occasionally used). Chapter names are nautical phrases.

a/n: So, I thought there'd be a couple more chapters, but Joel said no. He wanted the tale to end here, so it does. What can I say, that man gets what he wants. There will be an epilogue, though. He's not the total boss of me. Hope you enjoy!

Series masterlist

Days after the fall, you felt a lot better. Physically, at least.

Emotionally? That was an entirely different story. You didn’t know how you felt, torn between two dueling desires – one for self-respect along with the respect you are due from Joel and the other a life with Joel. Was it too much to hope for both at the same time?

You and Joel still hadn’t talked about that morning, each of you dancing in circles around the topic but never coming right out to discuss it. There was no getting around it, you knew that, but still you hesitated. Why was it so hard?

Joel, being a man of action, showed you he was trying every minute after you were hurt. He took exceptional care of you, making sure you wanted for nothing as you recovered. His efforts bordered on too much after a few days, leaving you wanting a bit of space to think. Despite the care he took of you, you couldn’t get past the hurt in your heart once the pain in your head eased.

The anguish in his big, brown eyes when you told him you needed space haunted you, but you stood strong in your convictions. The return to your cabin was surreal after the luxury of Joel’s quarters and spacious bed, but it was necessary to decompress and sort through all the jumbled thoughts bouncing around in your muddled mind.

“Ah, the prodigal bunk mate returns!” Tess teased as you sauntered into the cabin the morning before the next charter started. “Finally gracing us mere peasants with your presence, are you?”

“Oh, shove off, ya muppet,” you snarked, plopping down on your bunk. Holy hell, Joel’s bed was a lot more comfortable that this lumpy pile of cotton and springs, you thought.

“How are you feeling?” Tess jumped down from her bed to perch herself at the end of yours.

You shrugged. “Physically, I’m fine.”

A single eyebrow arced upwards, reading between the lines as always. “And emotionally?”

Again, you shrugged, tears tickling the back of your eyes at the soft, sympathetic look on Tess’s face. The pair of you leant back against opposite bulkheads of your bunk and Tess stretched her legs, softly bumping her knee against yours.

“Let it off your chest, Brit,” Tess encouraged. “Better out than in, as they say.”

A snort escaped before you could stop it. “I think ‘they’ were referring to vomit, Tess.”

“Whatever, the sentiment is still the same. You need to vent and I’m here for it.” Tess smiled, a little mischief glinting in her eyes. “Plus, I’ve known Joel a long time. I’m well aware of what an emotionally constipated fuckwit he can be sometimes.”

That drew a laugh from you, which you realized was her goal. “He really can be, yeah?”

“You have no idea,” Tess agreed with a chuckle. “He’s gotten a lot better with age, but he’s still a man, so of course he’s as dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to emotional intelligence and expressing himself properly.”

The two of you spent the morning chatting as you recounted your view of things between you and Joel and Tess shared some insights into Joel’s mindset and how he’s tripping all over himself to make things right again. It was an enjoyable morning, especially once the conversation moved away from Joel and more onto Tess’s life and what she like to do during off season.

As you chatted, you briefly thought back to the initial days on the yacht, how you thought she and Joel were an item, and how much that bummed you out. Knowing the both of them as you now did, the idea of them as a couple was laughable. Tess would run circles around him until inevitably driving him crazy.

Around mid-day, Sarah joined you both, bearing leftover sandwiches that Tess made yesterday. She squeezed in between the two of you, her back against the bulkhead wall. It was a tight fit with three grown women and the low ceiling of the top bunk looming overhead, but you all made it work.

The addition of Sarah raised your spirits further. She was such a spitfire, caring and witty, and always ready and willing to throw her father under the bus for one thing or another.

“My dad’s an idiot,” she blurted around a mouthful of food as you lamented once again on not knowing how to proceed. “But he’s an idiot in love, anyone can see that.”

That stopped you in your tracks.

Eyes wide and unbelieving, you stared at Sarah. “You think he’s in love with me?”

Meeting your gaze head on, Sarah nodded, dark brown eyes speaking volumes. “Oh, I know he’s in love with you. He told me yesterday. It’s why he’s so distraught over everything and why he wouldn’t let you out of his sight until now.”

“Geez, kid, you don’t think he’d want to be the one to tell her something like that?” Tess chimed in with a chuckle, shaking her head at the younger woman.

Still stunned, you just sat there staring between the two of them. Joel was in love with you. He was in love with you.

“I’m in love with him, too.” You didn’t even realize you spoke the words aloud until you noticed Sarah and Tess staring at you with bright, knowing smiles on their faces.

“Duh,” Sarah teased, patting your leg. “We already knew that.”

Nodding, Tess added, “Maybe it’s time for the two of you to sit down and have a very serious conversation. Get it out of the way before this next charter starts.”

An hour and a shower later, you found yourself making your way to the bridge in search of Joel. The girls were right, this would all weigh on your mind until Joel and you sat down and had a serious chat. But what would you say? How do you even start a conversation like the one you needed to have?

You practiced some openers on your way up the decks, mumbling them to yourself with each step. Joel, you great knob head… No, no, that wouldn’t work. Joel, you bloody prat… Why was everything your brain came up with some variation of a British insult? You did not want to sling insults at the man, just let him know how very hurt you were.

Before you knew it – and well before you thought of the right words to say – you found yourself at the door to the bridge. It was now or never. You opened the door with a shaky hand, stepping through only to find Frank manning the helm. Your face dropped before you could stop it, but your lips quickly tilted upwards into a smile, oddly relieved.

“Hey doll, what are you up to?” Frank’s warm smile immediately calmed your frayed nerves. “Looking for Joel?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I thought it due time to talk.”

Frank smiled encouragingly. “Yeah, it’s definitely that. You two have a lot to figure out. He’s in his quarters.” Gesturing around the corner with a supportive nod, he added, “Good luck, not that you need it. Joel might, though.”

Flashing Frank a grateful half smile, you edged towards Joel’s room, knuckles rapping on the door twice after a deep breath. Maybe you should have asked Frank for pointers on how to start the conversation. Too late now. You’d just have to go with whatever came out of your mouth and hope for the best.

The door opened to reveal Joel, dark curls awry and thick glasses framing his red-rimmed eyes. In a word, he was a mess. You wondered if he even left his quarters since you returned to yours. Glancing around, it didn’t look like it. That made you feel better. He was as wrecked about things as you.

“Hey,” he greeted, eyes apprehensive and distressed. “Everythin’ alright? Is your headache back?”

Even a mess, his broad frame taking up the entire doorway was a sight to behold. God, he was too handsome for words. And his obvious worry over you only made him more so. Clearing your throat, you reminded yourself why you were standing in his doorway mere hours after insisting you needed space.

“Can we talk?”

His brows darted up in surprise. “Uh, sure, yeah, of course.” Joel eyed you for a few moments, clearly uncertain about what to do or say, before adding, “Do you, uh, want to talk here or go somewhere less…”

Your lips tilted up as he trailed off, knowing his brain was working a mile a minute to find his words. “Here’s fine. It will give us privacy.” Your response visibly stunned him. He obviously wasn’t expecting that response from you.

Stepping back after another long moment, Joel ushered you into his private space. The bed still unmade from when you left first thing that morning, you opted to sit in the chair at the desk along the bulkhead, leaving Joel to take a seat on a corner of the bed. You stared at each other for a while, neither knowing how to start, until you couldn’t take the silence anymore.

After a few false starts, you were finally able to find your words.

“Joel, I’m in love with you, but you hurt me. Like really hurt me. And I don’t know how to come back from that.” You watched the expression on his face vacillate from awed and hopeful to wounded and regretful.

“Sweetheart –” he started, his dark eyes round and wet and not quite meeting yours, but you cut him off.

“I know that morning was hard for you, that you were hesitant to start anything with me during season to begin with, but you made the conscious choice to take things further. You did that and still you made it out to be my fault the moment something didn’t go right. You made me the fall guy. That… that really hurt. And it wasn’t fair.”

You paused, already feeling a heavy weight lifted from your chest at having spoken your peace, giving Joel the opportunity to respond. His beautiful brown eyes were large and glassy, lips in a pout as he searched for words to justify his actions, but there were none, you both knew. He was silent so long, dejectedly staring at you that you opened your mouth to say more when he finally found his words.

“I’m an utter asshole, sweetheart. I told you the other day, I won’t do you the disrespect of giving you poor excuses. I was completely in the wrong. I know it, you know it, everyone on this damn boat knows it – believe me, I’ve heard it from nearly every one of them. And I’m glad they feel comfortable enough in this environment and with me to defend you and put me in my place.”

Your lips quirked at that, causing his own to tilt upwards slightly. “We have great people on this crew,” you admitted fondly. Joel’s smile widened ever so slightly.

“I never meant to hurt you – never intended to treat you like I did. I’m ashamed, plain and simple.” Joel cleared his throat, hands running up and down his thighs in a nervous tick. “I can only promise to do better because I love you, sweetheart, and I never want to be the cause of your pain.”

Your eyes leaked fat droplets of saltwater down your cheeks. “You love me?” Even though Sarah basically told you already, it was completely different hearing those words directly from Joel’s lips, the rough timber in his voice matching the sincerity in his gaze.

He nodded, flashing you a watery smile. “I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before. I don’t even know how it happened so quickly, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Even if you don’t forgive me, I’ll never regret falling in love with you.”

“Joel…” you drew out his name in a long sigh. “I love you, too, but you can’t ever treat me like that again. It’s perfectly fine to be nervous or scared, but we need to communicate rather than snap and push each other away. Okay?”

Joel stood, nodding solemnly as he moved to kneel before you. “I understand. I promise to never treat you like that again. I promise to work on my communication skills. I promise to spend every day proving that I’m worthy of your love.”

His hands clutched your waist by the time he finished speaking. You ran your fingers through his thick curls, mussing them further as you pulled him in for a kiss. The press of his lips against yours soft and sweet, it almost felt like the first time again.

Your heart still hurt, but the pain ebbed away with every soft touch and loving word from Joel. Everything in you told you to forgive him but not let your guard down fully, still wary of getting hurt further. As if he could sense your hesitation, Joel held you close, asking you to stay the night in his quarters. You couldn’t deny him, wanting to connect physically to ease the residual emotional ache.

Joel spread you out on his bed, his mouth tasting every inch of your dewy skin with reverence, as if he needed to sear the taste and feel of you into his memory. He worshiped your body from head to toe, no spot left unexplored. You longed to return each kiss, each tender touch, but Joel insisted this evening was all about you. There would be plenty of time to explore him later.

“I adore you,” he whispered into the soft skin behind your knee.

“I ache for you,” he murmured against your belly.

“I. Love. You,” he said with finality before his lips connected once more with yours.

Shooting stars flashed across your closed eyelids when Joel slipped his cock inside you. Rocking with the gentle flex of his hips, he moved inside you, cock caressing that spongey spot that set you ablaze with each thrust. His mouth alternated between fervent kisses to nibbling on your earlobes and whispering lovely, naughty things in your ears.

It was so different from the other times you had sex together. It was softer, sweeter, and somehow more intimate and meaningful than the other times combined. This… this was making love, you thought. Something you’d never experienced before, and you wondered how you ever lived without it.

You came hard at the realization, giving into every feeling Joel drew from you with his movements and words, the fluttering of your walls around him nearly choking his cock. He came shortly after, stilling as he spilled inside you with a drawn-out cry of your name.

You stayed just as you were, your body beneath Joel’s, his cock still sheathed inside you, staring into each other’s eyes and seeing right into the very essence of each other. This was love. The caring, the forgiving, the open vulnerability… the cracking wide open of your souls to admit that you were hurt or scared and finding the strength to admit flaws and love in spite of them, or because of them.

Life and love were imperfect, and there was beauty in those imperfections.

“I love you, Joel Miller,” you whispered into the night, falling asleep with your head tucked into the curve of his neck, his warm skin blanketing you better than the warmest down comforter ever could.

The echo of your name sounded far away as Joel whispered the words back to you.

This. This was love.

The final weeks of the charter season passed in a blur with long days of work and longer nights of pleasure. The two of you could not get enough of each other, not caring about the exhaustion from limited sleep. You never returned to your cabin for sleeping after that night full of confessions and new beginnings with Joel. It was no surprise to any of the crew, really. There were no secrets on the yacht, nor any talk of impropriety or special treatment. Every person on that boat could see the love practically floating in the air between the two of you as if it was a tangible thing you could hold in your hands.

To demonstrate their approval of the two of you together, the crew placed bets on how soon you’d move to Austin, how soon you’d get engaged, how soon you’d get married. Those little buggers bet on everything when it came to you and Joel. They didn’t bother to hide it either, flaunting the board in your faces with Tommy proudly taking the lead as bookmaker. You couldn’t even be mad about it. They were all just so damn happy for you both, it was infectious.

Once the final round of charter guests departed, Joel took the yacht back out to sea for one last day and the crew celebrated with a party on the sundeck. Tommy and Jake emptied the lazarette of all the water toys for the crew to enjoy. Tess cooked up some delicious tapas on the barbecue. Sammy played DJ with the massive collection of songs on his phone And Sarah, sweet Sarah, made sure the sundeck bar was fully stocked with everyone’s favorite alcohol.

After racing around on a jet ski with Joel, the pair of you settled into the hot tub, sharing a bottle of wine as you watched Tommy, Ellie, Tess, and the interior crew dance around the deck in cheap, fake grass skirts they dug up from who knows where. Frank and Bill sat on the loungers sharing their own bottle of wine, Bill scowling away at the raucous behavior of the others. You would miss every single one of these people who became friends who were more like family to you in a few short months.

You marveled at that. Everything moved faster on the yacht, but what was time, really, when you forged such connections that would last a lifetime?

[latesthollywoodnews]

All The SHOCKING Confessions Kim Kardashian REVEALED Alec Baldwin Interview

All The SHOCKING Confessions Kim Kardashian REVEALED Alec Baldwin Interview

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

All The SHOCKING Confessions Kim Kardashian REVEALED Alec Baldwin Interview, List Of 2017 Hollywood Films.

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Hollywood Celebrities Recut Latest Story Celebrity News For Kids famous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe that is centered on a series of superhero films, independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise has expanded to include comic books, short films, television series, and digital series. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Phil Coulson, portrayed by Clark Gregg, is an original character to the MCU and the only character to appear across all the different media of the MCU.

What Hollywood Celebrity has both parents alive?

Mulan, Sleeping beauty, Lady and the Tramp, The Incredibles,One Hundred and One Dalmatians,Peter Pan, Brave, The Lion King 2 and Frozen, but their parents die.

How old was Walt Hollywood when he started Hollywood?

Walter Elias “Walt” Hollywood was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois. He and his brother Roy co-founded Walt Hollywood Productions, which became one of the best-known motion-picture production companies in the world.

Who runs Hollywood World?

Robert A. Iger is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Hollywood Company. As Chairman and CEO, Mr. Iger is the steward of one of the world’s largest media companies and some of the most respected and beloved brands around the globe.

More Celebrity News ►►

Recently, Kim Kardashian stopped Alec Baldwin’s new talk show to talk about, well, all things her.

On the show, Kim opened up about many things in her life like how the crazy Paris robbery that left her feeling afraid for a very long time changed her life, the first time she walked in on Caitlyn dressed as a woman, and why she believes Kanye’s support for Trump played a big part in Alice Marie Johnson’s release. Now, I know these are all some VERY big topics, but we’re gonna go through all of them together so just bear with me here. On the subject matter of her Paris robbery, Kim told Alec that she’s actually grateful for the experience because it totally changed herself and her outlook on life for the better.

Right after the incident, Kim revealed that she wasn’t necessarily depressed, but she lacked the motivation to QUOTE, “…get up and work like I used to.” Kim went on to admit that she felt somewhat responsible for the robbery. She said QUOTE, “I’m totally a realist. So, I know, you post on social media your locations, your jewelry, your bags, what you’re doing, where you’re going, your cars, and your stuff. I would always talk about my stuff. There was a lot of me that measured who I was by how much I had. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m worth so much.’ So that changed in me. And, that needed to change in me, so I’m grateful for the experience.”

Since we’re on the topic of past experiences, Kim also recalled the moment she walked in on Caitlyn dressed up as a woman while Kris was out of town and much like the Paris robbery, this was one of the moments in Kim’s life that shook her to her core. Kim revealed after seeing Caitlyn all dressed up, she immediately ran into her mom’s house, quickly packed a bag and spent that weekend at Kourtney’s. After that weekend, Caitlyn asked Kim to not mention the incident to anyone and Kim respected her wishes saying QUOTE, “I thought, ‘Okay, if I tell her I’m going to break up their marriage and my little sisters aren’t going to have their dad around, so I better keep my mouth shut.’ I didn’t say a word.” During the interview Kim also opened up about working on Alice Marie Johnson’s case and believes the outcome of Alice’s situation would have been completely different had it not been for Kanye. Kim said QUOTE, “I do believe she would still be in prison. We’ve [spoken] about this a few times. Alice always says if it wasn’t for Kanye speaking up in support of Trump, then she would still be in jail.” Speaking of Kanye, unless you’ve been living under a rock this entire time, we all know that Yay is not necessarily everyone’s favorite person at the moment. Especially since he’s SO outspoken about his support for Trump. So naturally, since Kim was chatting with the man who pretty much makes fun of Donald Trump on the regular, they talked about Kanye’s views and how Kim deals with it all. Kim said QUOTE, “I let him [Kanye] be who he wants to be. I let him have his own views and opinions, even if they’re different than mine. I grew up in a household where…we would always talk about it and be open about it and it was really OK to have different views. For me, I think it’s just about having an open mind.” But, at the end of the day, no matter how much Kim and Kanye disagree on a social issue, Kim said she’ll continue to use her huge platform to speak out on issues that she’s passionate about.

Alright, I know that was a doozy, but what did you think of Kim’s interview? Were you surprised to find out that Kim is actually grateful for the robbery experience? And what are your thoughts on how Kim and Kanye deal with their different views? Let me know in the comment section below. Then click over to the right to watch another new video and don’t forget to subscribe to our channels! Thanks for hanging with me, I’m your girl Drew Dorsey and I’ll see ya next time!

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[hottytoddynews]

Delta Magazine has compiled a list of influencers — the history makers, the tastemakers and the movers and shakers out in the world as we know it shaping the way we think, what we see and what we talk about collectively as a nation. Take note: the breadth of these influences and the everlasting effects will blow your mind.

By Melissa Townsend, Addy McDaniel and Noel Workman with Luther Brown, Roger Stolle and Mark H. Stowers 

This story was republished with permission of Delta Magazine

1. Robert Johnson (1911-1938) The Man, The Myth

Elta Haze Corporation All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

Has there ever been a bluesman more controversial and inspiring than Robert Leroy Johnson of Hazelhurst, Mississippi? The questions keep his name in the headlines. Did he really sell his soul to the Devil at The Crossroads? If so, where? And how did he die? (His running-buddy Honeyboy Edwards claimed it was a jealous man and some poisoned whiskey. The back of the death certificate theorized disease. And the latest book on the subject suggests bad moonshine.) In which of three possible cemeteries is his body buried? How many images exist of the enigmatic musician? And why have so many claimed to have “real” photos? Seventy-eight years, three headstones and multiple crossroads later, his legend still draws tourists to the Mississippi Delta from around the world every day—not to mention rock stars from Robert Plant to Ozzie Osbourne. Still, none of the controversies would matter if his musical talent and legacy didn’t back it all up. Simply put, Johnson was the Jimi Hendrix of his generation. He took what came before, made it something new, and we’re still trying to figure it out. For music fans and musicians in search of both story and inspiration, stops at his “graves” near Greenwood (especially the third, most likely, site that includes an official Mississippi Blues Trail marker) and the ceremonial (though definitely not definitive) “Crossroads” marker in Clarksdale are essential stops. – Roger Stolle

2. Jim Henson (1936-1990) Creator of the World’s Most Famous Frog

If you’re under 50, it’s probably hard to imagine television and movies before the Muppets. Many are still surprised that the inspiration for this life-shaping collection of puppets came from the Mississippi Delta. Greenville born Jim Henson spent his childhood on the banks of Deer Creek near his Stoneville home. Kermit, the original Muppet, sprang from Henson’s childhood and memories of playing along nearby Deer Creek with childhood friend T. K. (Theodore Kermit) Scott, the inspiration for the frog’s name. He first garnered fame in the 1970s when he joined Sesame Street, and helped develop characters for the series. He also appeared in the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Henson won fame for his creations, particularly Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Rowlf the Dog, and Ernie, and was involved with Sesame Street for more than 20 years. Puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, songwriter, musician, actor, film director, and producer who changed the way children learned and created some of the most unforgettable characters in pop culture. – Noel Workman

3. Archie Manning America’s Football Family

“People ask me if I knew all this would happen…The short answer would be, Of course not. As proud as I am, I didn’t know. And I wouldn’t have dared to dream it. But I do know this. It wasn’t a fluke.” – Archie Manning, Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy

The flat land of Drew’s athletic fields forged a living legend in Archie Manning. The three-sport phenom would go onto Rebel glory, marry the homecoming queen and produce three SEC football scholarshipped sons. Two would take their dad’s DNA and upbringing and spin NFL Super Bowl gold while a third would make his mark in the financial and entertainment world. His NFL days with the New Orleans Saints were marred with losing records and plenty of blooper reel material. But the humble Rebel kept taking snaps—and hits—and represented his home state (Mississippi) and adopted state (Louisiana) to the best of his ability. The hometown hero never got a ring, but his passion for the game and desire to be the best husband and dad gave him immeasurable rewards to reap off the field. Sons Cooper, Peyton and Eli as well as their mom, Olivia, know they’ve got an MVP and Hall of Famer that they wouldn’t trade for anything. In the business world, Manning has put his stamp on successful companies and he’s even helped provide stable success at his alma mater, vetting and recruiting coaches. Super Bowl success may now run in the family, but it’s all rooted in the Mississippi Delta. One would be hard-pressed to find a sports fan who doesn’t know of the Manning legacy. – Mark H. Stowers

4. B.B. King (1925-2015) Ambassador of The Blues

Barry Brecheisen Photography/Courtesy Of B.B. King Museum

Simply put, Riley “B.B.” King was the last universally-known bluesman the world will ever know. B.B. King or simply “B.B.”—no blues name will ever be as instantly recognized by kids and grandmas, kings and queens, presidents and rock stars. Period. He was born just east of Indianola, Mississippi, because he really couldn’t have come from anywhere other than the Delta and sounded like he did. Even after his blues went uptown—adding horns and enough band members to fill a bus—his music still “felt” like his native land. It was still connected to the cotton fields, church houses and juke joints he grew up in as a young man. It was fitting, then, that 89 years after his arrival on planet earth, his final request brought him back home to a small plot next to the world-class museum that bears his name, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola. In case there is any doubt of his influence on rockers, after King’s passing last year, Rolling Stone magazine headlined an article: “10 Legendary Acts that Wouldn’t Exist without B.B. King.” The list included Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Santana, Allman Brothers…It’s a list that could go on and on, and probably will. Forever. – Roger Stolle

Getty Images

5. Joseph Biedenharn (1864-1952) Brilliant Bottler of Americana

Sooner or later, Coca-Cola would have been the world-wide symbol of classic Americana, but Vicksburg’s Joseph Biedenharn sure gave it a jump start. Like all other soda fountain sellers in the 1890s, he created the fountain drink with a squirt of Coke’s super-secret syrup plus a lot of carbonated water, a system used for rose, claret, grape, peach, orgeat, sasaparilla and peppermint. Biedenharn’s primary job was running a Vicksburg candy company, but wanted to supply out-of-town customers. In 1894 he sent one of the first cases of “bottled” Coca-Cola to Asa Candler in Atlanta, who at that time had complete control of Coca-Cola. Candler commented, “it was fine.” From that, the Biedenharn family’s interest in Coca-Cola grew to hold the bottling rights in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Thanks to Joseph, the premier symbol of American culture was available to everyone who had a nickel—plus a two-cent deposit on the bottle. – Noel Workman

6. Holt Collier (1846-1952) The Legendary Bear Hunter and his Boon

Willa Johnson

What do Winnie the Pooh, political satire and the Mississippi Delta have in common? Holt Collier, of course, the famous Delta bear hunter whose legendary hunt with President Theodore Roosevelt resulted in the beginning of an industry that has produced untold numbers of soft bear toys. The name teddy bears originated from the 1902 Delta hunting trip to which Roosevelt was invited. Most of his fellow hunters had already killed an animal when Collier, the Delta’s legendary bear hunter, cornered, clubbed, and tied a bear to a tree for the President to shoot. The President refused to shoot the bear, deeming it unsportsmanlike. His decision famously became the topic of a Washington Post political cartoon. The President may have hated the nickname Teddy, but he permitted a toy maker to use his name. “Teddy’s bears” were an immediate success and forever became an iconic children’s toy. – Noel Workman

7. Morgan Freeman The Voice, The Face, the Living Legend

When Hollywood needed to put a voice and face on God, they came to Charleston, Mississippi, and asked for Morgan Freeman. Certainly his talent is on loan from the Big Man himself and his body of work has certainly been of biblical proportions. In the 1970s he taught us how to read on “Electric Company�� on PBS and eventually found his way to the big screen where his talent showered the world with dramatic roles, though he also nailed characters that instantly tickled our funny bone with his comedic skills. His working buddies have included Paul Newman, Batman and Miss Daisy as every role he takes seems to spring from his Delta upbringing. His trophy collection includes a Golden Globe an Oscar and he’s continually nominated for each. Even with all of that Hollywood power and glory, the man stays grounded in the fertile Delta soil and even creates much of the digital voice over work from a North Mississippi studio built just for that. His “Lucius Fox” character creates Batman “toys” on the big screen but in real life, Freeman has used his Rock River Foundation to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims and much more. He’s partnered with Clarksdale mayor and friend Bill Luckett to bring needed revitalization to the North Delta community through his Ground Zero Blues Club. His car wreck in Mississippi made international headlines a few years back, but it hasn’t slowed him down too much. His mocking narration of a Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” garnered millions of YouTube hits, originally published by Vanity Fair, his ubiquitous voice still heard in Visa commercials and other narrations. However controversial, when Morgan Freeman speaks, we hear about it. But “Red” learned long before he found success in life and before Dufresne put so aptly in words that he should “get busy living, or get busy dying.” – Mark H. Stowers

8. Craig Claiborne (1920-2000) King of the Culinary Arts

“Foodies now have more celebrity chefs to worship than spatulas, yet even the chefs themselves probably do not realize the debt they owe to Craig Claiborne (1920-2000),” his niece Marion Barnwell wrote in Delta Magazine’s 2009 tribute. “In his time he caused a food revolution.” Introducing the star-rating system, The New York Times restaurant critic could make or break a restaurant, and became a favorite figure in the New Yorker cartoons. The New York Times published 20 of his cookbooks, the first selling more than three million copies. When the Sunflower-born, Indianola reared Claiborne was asked by a Chicago reporter to name the best cook in the South, he famously answered, “My mother.” A two- page spread followed in a 1948 issue of Liberty magazine of Miss Kathleen “holding court” in her boarding house, where servants doted on the young Claiborne and he had his first taste of culinary artistry. Later, his own lavish dinners would make headlines and he would become an American culinary icon. – Delta Magazine

9. Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) That Baby Doll Man and Broadway

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Summer and Smoke didn’t just happen. They were Tennessee Williams’ up close, painful observations of life growing up in the Mississippi Delta. Set on a plantation, Cat examined the relationships between Big Daddy, his son Brick and Maggie, the “Cat,” All were thinly veiled Deltans, revealed to the world through the playwright’s amazing and tortured theatrical skills. And his Summer and Smoke includes references to Moon Lake Casino, a far cry from today’s gamblers’ magnets. As a boy Williams was dazzled by the lavish entertainments of Clarksdale’s Blanche and J.W. Cutrer. The playwright even used the Cutrer name in The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. Williams may have been born in Columbus, but spent his early years the rectory of Clarksdale’s St. George Episcopal Church in Clarksdale, home of his grandfather. Those years helped shape the most influential American playwright of the 20th century. – Noel Workman

10. Muddy Waters (1913 or 1915-1983) Still Got His Mojo Working’

Waters: Delta Haze Corporation All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

On one of the two markers that sits out on Stovall Plantation where McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield grew up, no less than god (lowercase “g”) speaks volumes in one sentence. At the former home site on the outskirts of Clarksdale, British blues-rocker Eric Clapton declares, “Muddy Waters’ music changed my life, and whether you know it or not, and like it or not, it probably changed yours, too.” The Rolling Stones (the band) and Rolling Stone (the magazine) apparently agree. Both named themselves after one of his songs. Beyond the Muddy Waters importance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and GRAMMY set, there is also the bluesman’s amazing and lasting influence on blues music itself. From the 1950s onward, he was a household name in blues circles with a veritable who’s who of “Chicago blues” greats flowing through this band, including Jimmie Rodgers, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Big Walter Horton, Pinetop Perkins and others—also born in Mississippi. More than three decades after his death, his hits are still played weekly at blues bars and rock clubs around the globe. Next time you hear the ubiquitous “Got My Mojo Workin’,” tip your hat to Mr. Muddy and the Great State of Mississippi. – Roger Stolle

“When I first heard The Best of Muddy Waters, it was the most powerful music I’d ever heard, the most expressive. I’d listed to Mozart, I’d listened to Beethoven. This is on par with the best music in the world.” – Keith Richards, “Keith Richards: Under the Influence”

11, 12 Larry Gordon & Chuck Gordon Hollywood Heavyweights

“If you build it, he will come.” – “Field of Dreams”

Larry and Chuck. Chuck and Larry. Belzonians love their native son brothers, the Gordon brothers, whose executive and producer credits in Hollywood (Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon) include blockbusters such as 1987’s “Predator,” 1988’s “Die Hard” and 1989’s “Field of Dreams.” Larry was president of 20th Century Fox and later formed his own entertainment company with his brother, Chuck. Their filmographies take moviegoers through decades of memorable flicks. When these two Californians need to get a fill of home, however (or rather of Winkie Allen’s caramel cake), Larry especially may jet into town without much notice or fanfare for a slice of both. Chuck once challenged me as DELTA Magazine editor to track down the recipe for the old Pig Stand barbecue, in hopes of surprising his brother with pulled pork sandwiches and ribs. “He’d think he’d died and gone to heaven!” In that exchange, Chuck shared, “I have so many fond memories of Belzoni and constantly give it and its lore and colorful characters credit for whatever success I’ve had in this business. Larry and I are so lucky to have grown up there.” – Melissa Townsend

13. William Alexander Percy (1885-1942) The Greenville Galvanizer

William Alexander Percy, a Greenville native who was seldom seen outside of Tralake plantation, provided the hothouse that produced a number of authors who writings helped explained the Delta to the world. Lanterns on the Levee, his 1941 bestselling autobiography, helped explain the Mississippi Delta of a century ago to the world. His leadership helped bring Hodding Carter, who created the Delta Democrat-Times, and helped Carter explain the Delta to a changing Mid-century America. Percy’s nephew Walker Percy explained the vagaries of the human heart to the world through his fiction. Walker’s childhood friend Shelby Foote helped explain the Civil War to Americans no longer interested in that conflict. And Will Percy’s sponsorship encouraged Greenville’s every growing collection of published authors: Hodding Carter III, his son W. Hodding Carter, Ellen Douglas, Bern Keating, Charles Bell, Gayden Metcalfe, Julia Reed. A generation ago, Greenville was famous for having “more published authors per capita than any other city in the nation.” Will Percy was the example and made writing an honorable, attainable job. – Noel Workman

14. Willie Morris (1934-1999) The Giver of Literary Gifts

We all loved Willie Morris, our beloved Mississippi author. He started shaping our imagination in the fifth grade, when teachers read Good Ole Boy: A Delta Boyhood aloud in classrooms. What child growing up in the Mississippi Delta would ever forget tales of the infamous Witch of Yazoo—and didn’t shiver every time the family traveled old 49 to and from Jackson at the sight of hills and kudzu? The ‘good ole boy’ from wrote about friendships, but the one he shared with his dog Skip would make the Mississippian a part of American film history, too. Willie died (too young) just before the major motion picture “My Dog Skip” debuted, starring Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson and Kevin Bacon. As a nation in the theatres, we laughed and we cried. Back home in Mississippi, we still read Willie stories and we still tell Willie stories. Conversations with Willie at a country club party, his practical jokes, the index cards to which he jotted down ideas and memories, his drink of choice at The Gin in Oxford, his love of Doe’s Eat Place, his booth and dish of choice at Lusco’s. Of course, we quote Willie too—in our own writings, on Twitter and instagram posts and, as it turns out, in that now ubiquitous Faulkner “quote.” The source of “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi,” as best as any researcher can find, is Willie paraphrasing Faulkner in a 1996 New York Times book review. Yep, Willie’s mark on our culture and society will never wane. He touches our souls. As his epitaph reads, “even across the divide of death, friendship remains an echo forever in the heart.” – Melissa Townsend

15. Charlie Conerly (1921-1996) The Father of Football

A man’s man football player. The original Marlboro Man wore number 42 and Ole Miss red and blue during his college years. He would don the same colors and number for the fabled New York Giants. The tough quarterback made plenty of Southerners pay allegiance to the team above that played its home games in Yankee Stadium. With his cleats hung up after the 1961 season, he came home to Clarksdale, called an option and sold shoes across the Mississippi Delta through stores that bore his name. Conerly is a member of The College Hall of Fame and Ole Miss Team of the Century and his wife Perian supported him throughout his career while carving her own swath as an author (Backseat Quarterback), columnist and TV appearance on “What’s My Line?” His number has been retired and he held plenty of Giants records and he is reviled in his home state, Conerly may never be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame but in the Delta, there’s Charlie and there’s Archie—and that’s one heck of a Delta Hall of Fame. He may have left us in 1996, but the quarterback’s influence cuts deep in the Delta. – Mark H. Stowers

16. Charlaine Harris Bloody Good Writer

Vampires, from the Delta? Few could have predicted that Tunica native Charlaine Harris would dominate television’s “True Blood,” a dark fantasy series, based on her Southern vampire mystery novels set in a fictional small town in northwestern Louisiana. “True Blood” premiered on HBO in 2008 and its 80 episodes ran for seven seasons. NBC just picked up the supernatural drama “Midnight, Texas,” based on her three-book series, centering around a remote Texas town where “no one is who they seem.” From werewolves and witches to psychics and hit men, writer Charlaine horrifies us—and we’re so proud. – Noel Workman

17. Hoda Kotb The Princess of Pop Culture

Who doesn’t love Hoda? Americans are on a first-name basis with NBC’s “The Today Show” co-host Hoda Kotb, and guess where she got her big break? Greenville, Mississippi. To this day, Hoda Kotb still credits Stan Sandroni (her “game changer”), WXVT-TV and the Mississippi Delta for literally changing her life and steering her career. Noel Workman interviewed Hoda for DELTA Magazine many years ago and she couldn’t have been kinder or more grateful to the people of the Delta. One of her quotes from that interview about Delta storytellers would end up in The Delta: Landscapes, Legends and Legacies of Mississippi’s Storied Region. We’ll always claim her! Now Hoda has millions of viewers curled up on the couch with coffee, while Hoda and Kathie Lee sip their wine—in their pajamas—on national television. Of course we love her! With the off-the-wall stunts she and Kathie Lee pull, she just may have the coolest job in America. I mean, we go to work humming a new Meghan Trainor song none of your friends have even heard yet because Hoda said it was her fave. Next thing you know, it’s a hit! And how much fun has it been watching Delta girl Elizabeth Heiskell in the NBC kitchen enlightening Americans on Delta hospitality and holding court with Hoda on air? Hoda simply makes mornings, and life, more fun. Cheers! – Melissa Townsend

18. Bobbie Gentry The Mississippi Mystery Girl

The questions surrounding the mysteries behind the lyrics in Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” the singer’s real name, its spelling, the aloofness and all but disappearance of the musician herself, still linger after all these years—since 1967 to be exact, when her single knocked “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles off the top of the charts. Every third of June, nostalgic music fans feel compelled to post a photo of some barren landscape or cotton field and quote the opening line in the song, “It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day…” This year, we finally declared it: June 3rd, National Bobbie Gentry Day! Journalists still try to track her down, but if you want the answers to many of the aforementioned questions, we gave them to you in the cover story by Bill Ellis in the 12th anniversary collector’s edition of DELTA Magazine, the July/August 2015 issue. Oh, yeah, and the bridge! The Tallahatchie Bridge! Which one? Where is it? We addressed that too, yet there’s still debate. As to Bobbie Gentry’s whereabouts, well, we came mighty close on that one, and at press time, decided to respect her life as a private citizen. Her ties to Greenwood have not all been broken, however, which allows us to believe that she read it all, your letters that followed included. To Bobby Lee Streeter, we will always love your music as much as the thrill of the chase. – Delta Magazine

19. Newell Turner The Eyes of American Design

The last time Newell Turner graced the pages of DELTA Magazine, he was editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, a lofty position in the worlds of media and interior design. Now the Belzoni native oversees three shelter magazines for Hearst Design Group: Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Veranda and Metropolitan Home magazines. As one who brands content for the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S., it’s Newell behind the cool collaborations with designers and posed questions on paint colors and next-big things. Designer and friend Charlotte Moss adds more. “Beyond design what makes Newell the ultimate influencer is his intelligence, his curiosity and his enthusiasm for all the layers in our business, making him a rare bird,” Charlotte says. “He’s also just a heck of a lot of fun to be around!” Newell’s father Tom Turner was mayor of Belzoni for more than two decades, his mother Rose Marie an English teacher. We also asked designer Bunny Williams about Newell’s national impact in the interior design industry. “There is no one who has a better pulse on the interior design community than Newell,” Bunny tells us. “He sees that we are all exposed to the most creative talent in our industry. And no one does it with more charm and style—a product I am sure, of his Delta upbringing!” – Melissa Townsend

20. Mary Wilson Supremely a Motown Mama

“Stop! In the name of love/before you break my heart…” Need we even cue a chorus by The Supremes, from any one of their 12 number-one Motown hits? Diana Ross didn’t do it alone; she had a Mississippi Delta girl, Mary Wilson, by her side. As biographies go, Wilson wasn’t just born in Greenville, but her family migrated north while she was still a toddler, leaving behind relatives she would return to visit time and time again. Playing on the levee as a child to picking up Delta hot tamales on the way back to the airport would be memories she would later recall as vividly as her life as a “Dreamgirl” in subsequent autobiographies. “We became famous at a time when black was not beautiful,” Wilson told Delta Magazine in a 2007 interview. “We were part of that social change.” To have a first hit record at age 19 or 20, and in 1964, was life changing for this performer, but for millions of Americans then as now, Mary Wilson set the stage that talent, beauty and grace know no boundaries. And when there’s a Motown band playing, we’ll never stop singing and snapping in sync on the dance floor. “Think it o’ oh’ vah…” – Delta Magazine

21. Thomas Harris Hannibal the Cannibal

“I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner.” The year was 1991 when the nation met one of cinema’s most terrifying creations on the big screen. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalizing serial killer as famously portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, was created by suspense writer Thomas Harris. The film adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs was one of that year’s most buzzed-about movies, and an Oscar sweep followed, but Harris’s 1988 novel also won its share of accolades for fiction and horror writing. Rarely has Harris granted interviews, even when his own mother, still living and residing in Cleveland at the time, gave Delta Magazine his home phone number. (He politely rejected our request many years ago. Where’s agent Clarice Starling when you need her?) Although his writing is “a kind of torment,” in Stephen King’s words, his literary agent has described Harris as having “a courtliness you associate with the South.” Shiver you may, but the work of this Southern gent in the psychological horror and thriller genres made an indelible, chilling mark on literary and film history. – Melissa Townsend

22. Muriel Wilkins (1936-1990) The Spiritual Presence

The legacy of Muriel Wilkins would have been limited to the hearts of Tunica County residents and those of us lucky enough to have heard her play piano at the old Hollywood Cafe, private parties or in her church. Just four years before she died, however, her fate in music history was sealed the night she met Marc Cohn visiting from New York at the Robinsonville restaurant. The angelic Delta gospel singer invited Marc to sit with her and echo her singing “Amazing Grace,” whispering words of wisdom to the torn and hindered songwriter. The lyrics to Marc Cohn’s hit song “Walking in Memphis” tell the rest of the incredible, spiritual story. Meeting Muriel in the Mississippi Delta made Cohn, winner of the 1991 Grammy for Best New Artist, a household name. She gave Cohn the most beautiful inspiration for one of the most unforgettable, uplifting pop songs in history. It’s on many a playlist, still reverberating throughout our culture—a song that still makes us choke every time we hear and sing it. – Delta Magazine

23. Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) The Advocate

The Delta produced many great Civil Rights activists who worked tirelessly as “foot soldiers for freedom,” seeking the right to vote and improve their families’ lives. Among giants like Amzie Moore, Aaron Henry, Charles McLaurin, Sam Block, and many others, one name personifies the honesty, charisma, eloquence and selfless dedication of a true leader: Fannie Lou Hamer. Mrs. Hamer lived her adult life in Ruleville, Mississippi. She did not know that she could register to vote until she was 37, and when she tried to register and was refused, she lost her job as a sharecropper’s wife and was forced to leave her home. Instead of being intimidated she was empowered and dedicated her life to the oppressed. Her deep Christian faith sustained her through threats and a serious beating. She helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1963 and emotionally addressed the Democratic Convention in 1964. She ran for the Second Congressional District in the same year. Later in life, she turned her attention to human rights and founded Freedom Farm to aid the hungry. She is remembered for her impromptu speeches and her strong singing voice. She is memorialized with a life-sized bronze statue and a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker at her gravesite in Ruleville, on the grounds of the old Freedom Farm. Her headstone bears her signature phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” – Luther Brown

24. Julia Reed The Delta Storyteller

Southern cuisine has been a national food trend, as seen in magazines such as Food & Wine and Bon Appétit for years, and on restaurant menus from California to Kalamazoo. Quite frankly, the Yankees, with their less than colorful cultures, are jealous. Luckily we have writer Julia Reed to enlighten Americans (explain?) on Southern food and Southern taste, which includes, of course, Mississippi Delta-style entertaining. Her underlying goal? To show non-Southerners how and “why we do have so much more superior fun.” Her words. Julia is a modern day storyteller, a Delta character to be sure. She’s telling our outlandish Delta stories to a national audience through magazine articles, essays, books and cookbooks. While her web of chefs and designers and writers from New York to New Orleans is wide, her entertaining style always leads her back to the Mississippi Delta. (Who could forget the spread in Vogue of her closet and designer shoe collection, and that was more than 15 years ago!) With her new Southern cookbook (see Food) published by a major New York publishing house, she’s doing just what she told us at a recent book signing. “I’m sharing the great blessing of having grown up in the Delta with people in and outside the place.” – Melissa Townsend

Pop Culture Catalysts: 3 Unsung Heros

25. Boo’s Literary Coup

“Thanks to Coach Ferriss,” a young John Grisham hung up his baseball cap and dreams of becoming a professional baseball player when he was cut from the team, and started a new career path. Grisham’s The Firm spent 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and he’s been batting a thousand ever since. More than 300 million John Grisham books are in print; nine titles have been turned into films. And to think we can owe it all to our beloved Delta State University baseball coach Boo Ferriss, who advised Grisham to “stick to the books.”

26. Frankly, My Dear…

It’s the work of writer Willie Morris that generations of DELTA Magazine readers will always remember, but another Yazoo City boy before Willie’s time can be credited as the impetus for the popularity of one of the most well-known pieces of Southern fiction. Herschel Brickell (1889-1952) was one of the country’s best-known book reviewers and is often credited with launching Margaret Mitchell’s career with his glowing review of Gone with the Wind. Mitchell won a Pulitzer for her only novel and quotes from the 1939 film adaptation are two of the most memorable of all time.

27. Ben and His Editing Pen

The Brodsky Collection

Believing he had written “the damnest best book you’ll look at this year,” William Faulkner’s manuscript of Flags in the Dust was rejected. Shocked and angered, he asked his Greenville friend Ben Wasson, a New York literary agent, to recommend it to his publishers. Eventually, Harcourt accepted it on the condition that Wasson himself cut it at least by a quarter. Wasson labored, Faulkner continued writing, and it was finally published as Sartoris, the first of Faulkner’s tales set in Yoknapatawpha County. According to Myself and the World (University Press of Mississippi), Faulkner had “discovered what would become a signature trademark of his later fiction: the interrelationship of the present with the past.”

Scott Coopwood, publisher of Delta Magazine.

Delta Magazine is considered one of the most unique regional lifestyle publications, which some even call “the most southern magazine on earth.” The Mississippi Delta is known for its literary, musical and culinary heritage, as well as for its legendary entertaining style and social traditions. The bi-monthly Delta Magazine embodies every aspect of the Mississippi Delta with its fresh content, cutting-edge photography and devoted readership. Learn more by visiting deltamagazine.com.

For questions or comments, email hottytoddynews@gmail.com.

The post Delta Magazine: 25+ Most Influential Deltans in American Pop Culture appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

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The 10 Best Stand-up Comedy Specials of 2017 (So Far)

When I started compiling Paste’s list of the best stand-up specials of 2017 so far, I didn’t think we’d make it to 10. I mean, we’re not even halfway through April; have there really been 10 specials worth watching? I couldn’t think of many off the top of my head, but when I actually looked at the facts (so cold, so hard) I realized it’s been a good year for comedy already. A good quarter-year for comedy. A tight three months. Not only are there ten hits on this list, but there are good ones that I had to leave off, is what I’m saying. A surfeit of snickers. So hey, if you’re the laughing sort, a comedy fan, here’s what’s good so far this year.

10. Roy Wood Jr: Father Figure Comedy Central

[Wood] is somewhat tempered by the strictures of the short form pieces that he does for The Daily Show, which is why it is especially great to see him stretch out within the borders of his first hour-long standup special. Father Figure features the same pointed social commentary and interest in racial politics but with the threads wound more tightly around observations from his own experience. It’s such a tightly-constructed hour that it feels strange to point out that it is his first stand-up special and to hear that Wood feels like he found his comedic voice in 2006, almost a decade after he started.—Robert Ham

9. Louis C.K.: 2017 Netflix  

[On 2017] C.K. skirts closer to the edge without tumbling over and losing everyone’s trust in the process. While he’s there, he enjoys the weird ironies of loud party girl cheers in response to his defense of legal abortion, the palpable flutters of unease that he sets loose by jokingly calling his mom a whore. He’s been doing this long enough to know when to push the audience and when to pull them gently along with him. He’s smart enough to not risk the goodwill and cultural currency he’s earned over the past decade.—Robert Ham

8./7. Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin; Deep in the Heart of Texas(tie) Netflix  

Chappelle is still at the top of his class, wholly at ease onstage and mischievous as ever. His winding stories have the same unscripted, manic feel as his classic material, perfectly crafted without seeming crafted at all. [Chappelle has] a tireless drive to play out his tiniest impulses to their most absurd conclusions.—Seth Simons

6. Kurt Braunohler: Trust Me Comedy Cenral

Braunohler’s sudden turn to overtly political territory takes us off-guard completely, in a way that’s both refreshing and satisfying. His astonished appraisal of his own lucky circumstance as a tall, white man takes the form of very real, very specific and very disturbing statistics about police brutality towards black men. “The street I walk down is a fundamentally different one than a black man walks down, and a woman walks down,” says Braunohler, before launching into a series of absurd statements designed—in his words—to “undermine the authority given white speech.” Not to pat white men on the back for saying some basic human decency stuff, but this is a Comedy Central special, and I have to applaud Braunohler for using this particular platform so aggressively and responsibly, while never sacrificing the comic tone it’s in his best interest to cultivate.—Graham Techler

5. Jerrod Carmichael: 8 HBO  

Jerrod Carmichael comes off as contrarian on his latest HBO stand-up special. It’s a tack he frequently takes on his great NBC sitcom: present a social or political issue, and then almost play devil’s advocate against the position you’d expect him to have. On 8 that means basically coming out against animal rights and climate awareness, not out of malice, but out of simple apathy and self-obsession. His strongest material focuses on the moral failings of our grandfather’s generation, with hints of Bill Cosby. What links all of this together is Carmichael’s patient delivery—he speaks softly, slowly, drawing the audience into a conversation that’s consistently funny without having much in the way of jokes.—Garrett Martin

4. Jim Gaffigan: Cinco Netflix  

Gaffigan remains pervasively aware of his jokes. As he says moments after walking onstage, “Lower your expectations.” His self-deprecation forms an integral part of his comedy, shielding him from whatever potential criticism might come his way. By whispering in his well known falsetto-like rasp, as if he were a member of his own audience, he calls attention to his failures and turns the joke around on himself. Where his topics might feel like retreads at times, Gaffigan’s voice work serves his comedy well and keep things moving. Leave the heckling to the man onstage because he’s well aware how he’s doing. It’s a path he’s walked many times before.—Amanda Wicks

3. Neal Brennan: 3 Mics Netflix  

In 3 Mics Brennan boils stand-up comedy down to its three major components: one-liners, “emotional stuff” and traditional stand-up, each corresponding to one of the three mics on his stage. Brennan begins by sharing one-liner after one-liner, each written on an index card, before the screen fades to black and he reappears on the opposite end of the stage in front of the “stand-up” mic. There, he dives headfirst into terrorism, religion, guns, sports scandals, student loans, slavery and more.

Brennan’s deconstruction has a clever ring to it, but one that could easily grow tired without some greater point. After all, stripping down any cultural medium to its constituent parts hopefully reveals some greater truth about it. That truth comes about when Brennan steps before the “emotional stuff” mic located at center stage and veers away from more expected fare, both in terms of subject matter and delivery.—Amanda Wicks

2. Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin’ Netflix  

Kirkman balances the style and point of view that drew [audiences] to her comedy in the first place: It’s a conversational 70 minutes brimming with biting honesty. Take, for instance, her reckoning with the term “ma’am.” She’s more than happy when someone lobs it her way since it only means she’s had a “rich and storied life.” As she pointedly says, donning a kind of verbal armor by way of outlook, “I don’t want to look like I have four roommates and shitty towels.” Preach.—Amanda Wicks

1. Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes Netflix  

[Birbiglia’s] as funny here as he’s ever been. We generally think of comic timing as a matter of degrees of speed, but Birbiglia understands that the real measure of timing is in the ratio of speed to agonizing slowness. He is excellent at breaking down a moment to its smallest components and walking us through it, as in anecdotes featuring Jared Leto, the Muppets and the hilariously mundane elements of Birbiglia’s marriage. But what makes this hour truly special is his ultimate point: Jokes are not always good or always bad, but they do bring us closer. This sounds more saccharine than it is. Birbiglia avoids the “we need jokes because people need laughter” cliché. He’s more interested in jokes literally as an act of strange intimacy between the person telling it, the person it’s about and the people observing—and how messy that gets when all three camps are in the same room.