#I was inspired by sam tyler from life on mars

[hauntingcryptids]

Breakfast And An Alien Attack

Simm!Doctor x Reader

Summary - A strange man fell into the Reader’s backyard asking for hyperspecific food and help with an upcoming alien attack. What other choice does the Reader have but to help this stranger?

Warnings - none that I think of, canon typical antics

Word Count - 2,149

A/n - Gender Neutral Reader. No use of Y/n. Not Requested. Canon Divergent. Grumpy!Reader x Sunshine!Simm!Doctor. Proofread but not beta read. I hope that you enjoy :)

Also, I have some Tennant!Master x Reader and Tennant!Master x Reader x Simm!Doctor fics that I am working on and I thought that it would be cool to write a solo Simm!Doctor x Reader. I hope that you enjoy :)

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If you had not witnessed what had happened yourself, you would have sworn that the man currently dusting off his trousers in your back garden had just climbed over your fence in an attempt to break into your home. Strangely, though, that is not what you saw. Instead you, after getting some shopping delivered, observed a man in a Victorian-looking outfit fall from the sky and land far too close to the cherry tree your father had planted to lighten up the place when you had moved in. The man then jumped up onto his feet like falling from the sky happened every day. 

You had been observing the man just over the sill of your kitchen window for the past couple of minutes, unsure of what to do. The man fell from the sky and looked completely unharmed, there weren’t any protocols to follow that you were taught in school about how to deal with a situation like this one. 

You ducked under the sill when the stranger looked your way, just in case he was here for ulterior motives. When you peeked back out through your window, the unbelievable man seemed to be talking to a couple of birds that landed on the edge of a water basin. When you were young, the birds would always stop by that basin mid-journey, but since you have moved in, no birds stopped by even though you restored the basin to how it looked in your youth, built birdhouses around your back garden and left piles of bird seed throughout your yard. You couldn’t help but let out a huff of jealousy that this stranger could convince the birds to talk to him, let alone show up, when you have had no luck in that department for months.

The man laughed at whatever the birds had chirped. Then he gestured to you and seemed to tell a joke that had the birds roaring with laughter, if birds could roar with laughter. You stood up to your full height, rolling your shoulder contemptuously, then leaned against your window sill annoyed with the stranger’s easy way with the birds. The man seemed to fully notice you now that you weren’t trying to hide, so he waved a genuine wave in your direction but his smile was sad as if he hated himself for having scared you before. You found yourself waving back but quickly stopped when the man’s smile appeared to lighten. 

The man said farewell to the birds and strode over to the backdoor of your house. He knocked in the “Shave and a Haircut” rhythm before holding his hands behind his back and looking up at your house. He probably meant no harm, you assumed, but there was no way that this man was normal. He literally fell from the sky and he didn’t even have a scratch on him. 

You walked over to your kitchen door, briefly stopping to arm yourself with a newly purchased knife first. Then you opened the door slowly after taking a tentative breath. If the stranger did try something, at least you had a weapon behind your back.

“Hello! I am kind of in a hurry, which is not ideal given the circumstances, but can you help me? I think you are just who I need!” You tightened your grip on the knife.

“Oh! God! Oh god, no. Not in a creepy way! I don’t want to hurt you.” The man held his hands up defensively and laughed awkwardly. 

“I promise.” The man softly uttered the promise. He looked at you with soft, hopeful hazel eyes that seemed hard to hide secrets. You considered him and everything that happened since he fell from the sky for a moment. Then you found yourself caving to the man’s hopeful demeanour.

“What do you need?” The stranger’s face instantly broke into a soft smile.

“Firstly, just something to eat and drink.” The man still held his hands up in a defensive gesture. The man looked apologetic, confused, broken and just lost, definitely not the type to hurt you. So even though it was probably incredibly stupid, you let the unbelievable man into your home. 

After some trial and error, the strange man finally found food that he found acceptable and didn’t make him sick. He made an American-style breakfast, with gigantic waffles, fried eggs(more over medium than sunny side up), and crispy bacon. You don’t know how he made the majority of the food, given the fact that you didn’t own a waffle maker straight out of a continental hotel breakfast bar or any bacon in your kitchen, but you turned your back on the stranger once and he had said items. Finally, once everything was cooked and plated, he drenched his entire plate in soy sauce. You had heard of people dipping their eggs in soy sauce, and in theory, it sounded good. However, this man’s plate practically turned into soup due to the amount of soy sauce he had poured onto his food. The man made you food, as well, while he was making his own but you made sure to make your desired alterations. You weren’t in the mood to eat waffles swimming in soy sauce.

As the man shovelled food into his face like he hadn’t eaten in days, you tentatively placed a corner of your waffle in your mouth. It was buttery and warm, you could almost taste the love put into the dish. You looked at the man again. There was something different about him, but you couldn’t tell what it was, other than the obvious. There was something bigger, deeper, than the obvious, though. Whatever made this stranger different excited you and you hadn’t felt excited in a long time. The exciting man was unexpected, however, and you didn’t know if you were ready for someone as exciting as this man in your life right now. You reassured yourself that the man would only be in your life for this meal and this meal alone, but maybe you could allow yourself to open up to him slightly.

You placed the knife you had been holding behind your back, and in your lap while the stranger was in your home, onto the table. Close enough for you to grab if you needed but you were starting to believe what the man stuffing his face before you was saying. He just needed help and wasn’t going to hurt you.

“Thank you. I promise that you won’t regret that.” He looked up, alerted by the noise of the knife hitting the table, and he smiled his soft at you.

“Don’t mention it.” You mumbled into your food. There was a moment of silence, except for the sounds of eating, until the man cleaned his face with a napkin and spoke up.

“If you don’t mind me asking, whose house is this?” 

“Mine.”

“Well, yes, but …” The man looked around your kitchen and then back to you, trying to politely insinuate that you couldn’t afford your home. ‘Trying’ being the operative word because the man was definitely failing at being polite. You sighed, why not unload your baggage onto a stranger?

“It was my great aunt’s. I spent a lot of time here when I was young and when she passed I inherited it. Given the state of the world right now I’m not going to turn down the opportunity to own a home that I can actually afford.”

“It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, though.” You glared at the man fiercely. He asked and you answered, why did he have to criticise your family and way of living in the process?

“I don’t mean to be rude, I just mean that I can help.” The man quickly tried to correct your interpretation of his statement, but you remained reserved. He was a stranger after all. Best not to get too comfortable.

“I don’t need your help.”

“But -” You cut the man off before he could make another inappropriate comment about the state of your home.

“I don’t know you.”

“But we could get to know each other.” The man leaned forward over the table, he had a hopeful smile ghosting over his lips. You retreated backwards into your seat, though, away from the man’s hopefulness. His personality excited you, yes, but what if you were hurt by him like you were hurt by others in the past? You didn’t want to feel that disappointment again. For some reason, you wanted to be held in high regard by this man but the fear that he was simply using you, like other people had, kept haunting your mind. So, you broke eye contact with the man and peered over to the vintage clock on your wall.

“I thought you said that you were in an emergency?” You mumbled passive-aggressively, but the man didn’t seem to notice or care about the sudden change in your demeanour. He seemed more grateful that you reminded him of his true reason for interrupting your day.

“Right! Do you have the time? My own watch doesn’t seem to be working properly.” The man tapped the face of his watch a couple of times and even from your seat across the table you could hear the small crunch of broken glass and gears. You showed him the time on your phone out of convenience.

“Oh god!” The man exclaimed, but then another thought visibly popped into his brain and took over.

“Why do I keep saying that? ‘Oh god?’ Is that from my future or past? Or is that just me? I don’t think that’s me.” The man looked to you like you might have the answer he was desperate for, but you had no idea what he was talking about. This was just another strange occurrence from the strange man.

“Who are you?” You asked exasperatedly. How could someone like him be real and in your kitchen and want your help? In your mind, he could do so much better than you.

“The Doctor?”

“Doctor Who?” A knowing smile crept across the man’s face. 

“Just The Doctor, love.”

“‘Just The Doctor?’ Who calls themself ‘The Doctor’?” You retorted, mimicking his Manchester accent.

“Me. I’m The Doctor.” His face shifted as if he just realised something. “Hm, apparently I’m confident in this regeneration.” This man was unbelievable.

“How do you exist?” You asked. You were hitting the threshold of where you were beginning to feel out of your depth. 

“Easily. It’s called breathing.” The man smiled at you widely, showing off the roundness of the apples of his cheeks. All you could do was sigh, overwhelmed.

“You are completely ridiculous”

“Ridiculous? Ridiculous. Interesting. Fun! I’m ridiculous!” The man’s face rapidly shifted from offended to curious to ecstatic within moments.

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

“Oh, well, I’m taking it as one.” After taking one final bite of food, the man jumped up from the table and bounded out your door. The man was so much, in a good way, but you weren’t prepared for something like this to happen today. You leaned back into your chair again and sighed deeply with your eyes closed, revelling in the stillness in your kitchen without the stranger in it with you. You frowned. Then you opened your eyes and looked at the aftermath of breakfast. You realised that you missed that man. No, you hadn’t known each other for that long, but ‘The Doctor’ whoever he was brightened your day, even if you wished to deny that fact.

“Well, come on.” The man suddenly popped his head through the door, the expectation that you would simply follow him, and curiosity that you hadn’t done just that, was etched deeply into his face.

“What?” You barked back. The man rolled his eyes and sighed. The act seemed to fit his style. You would have to tell him in future.

“I am freshly regenerated, there is going to be an alien attack in 15 minutes, and I would like your help, again. So, will you help me?” The man confidently strode back into your kitchen as he spoke. Then he held his hand out for you to take, that soft, hopeful smile of his was back and as effervescent as it was before. He was completely ridiculous, but your life had been missing ridiculousness for a long time. Maybe, just maybe, he would be good for you.

“You better not get me killed, you ridiculous man.” You placed your hand into The Doctor’s palm. The Doctor’s smile then grew into a joyous one as he rubbed his thumb against the back of your hand softly.

“I’d never let that happen. I promise. Now let’s get going.” Before you could respond, The Doctor ran out of your kitchen, pulling you out of your chair and along behind him toward an apparent alien attack.

[veraynes-blog]

Fic Writer Review

Tagged by the lovely @1-of-those-things. It’s been a while since I’ve been particularly active on here, so it’s nice to hear from people! 

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Thirteen! There are some more on older sites I might eventually bring over. 

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

396,428 (I only realised the other day it was this high!) 

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Seven, if we’re just counting AO3. Probably a few others if you take into account older works. 

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Unspoken (526) - Doctor Who, Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master. The fic that took over my brain and brought me back to fandom for the first time in years! 

Unbound (443) - Doctor Who, Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master. Part 2 of the Time Lords Victorious series. 

The Secret’s in the Telling [2021 Edit] (388) - Harry Potter, Harry/Draco. This was one of the first big fics I wrote back in 2008, so I decided to give it a polish and update when I brought it over to Ao3. 

False Start (189) - Doctor Who, Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master. This was a lot of fun, inspired by a tumblr conversation in which we were speculating what would happen if the Doctor and the Master woke up from a joint regeneration not remembering which one was which. 

Novelty (169) - Life on Mars, Sam Tyler/Gene Hunt. Part 1 of my Godawful Small Affair series. 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes, absolutely, I always try to. It genuinely means so much to me when people give feedback and responses to my work. Also, being chatty in comments and replies is how I met a lot of friends in fandom, I love when people are willing to hold a conversation with me about a plot point or character interpretation. 

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Honestly, I don’t tend to write angsty endings. Unbound came close to having something of an angsty ending (I won’t spoiler), but even that I ended up changing when I came to actually writing it. 

7. Do you write crossovers?

I did when I was much younger, between some anime shows I used to be interested in. Now, not so much, as I find each fandom has its own distinct feel and style. 

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

Uhhhh, a little. Not so much in the Ao3 comments, but when I wrote Inhale, I remember getting some very dubious/aggressive comments in the tumblr reblogs I wasn’t happy with. It does cover some controversial matters I suppose, but nothing beyond the realms of canon?? 

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, definitely. I generally like it to be contained within a wider story, but I may have indulged in the odd PWP on occasion... 

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, I think there are a few copied versions of The Secret’s in the Telling floating about. It was a popular fic when it was first published, and I remember people would occasionally tell me in the comments they’d found it on such-and-such a site under different authors. I gave up trying to keep track. 

11. Ever had a fic translated?

Yes, there are multiple translations of The Secret’s in the Telling into different languages! 

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Myself and the wonderful @johnsimms wrote a jokey, informal fic together about the Tenth Doctor, Simm!Master and Donna called The Love Island AU that still makes me laugh honestly. That’s the only one, but I always liked the idea of collab. 

13. All time fav ship?

Doctor/Master is right up there, and definitely the one I've produced the most content for. I’m also very fond of Hannibal/Will and wish I had the energy/ideas to produce work that really explored their characters. 

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I actually have about 20k written of the third part of the Time Lord Victorious series, and I’m gutted that I can’t figure out how to finish it or find the right inspiration to go back. Maybe one day... 

15. Writing strengths?

Dialogue is a big one for me, I think. One of my favourite things about writing fanfic is learning the verbal ticks of how characters speak and being able to mimic it in my own writing, I take a lot of satisfaction from that. I think I’m also pretty good at analysing characters and using that to explore their motivations and development in a story. 

16. Writing weaknesses?

Plot??? I feel like I never have a strong plot, I just write extended character analysis and conversations. 

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Honestly, I’ve never tried. It’s not something I’d attempt, I’ve got no talent for other languages. 

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Beyblade, back when I was about 15 or so! 

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

My favourite almost always tends to be my most recent, because I can see how I’ve improved and it’s usually about my latest interest. So for the moment that’s Anything But Temptation - Dragon Age Inquisition, Cullen/Dorian. 

That said, I also have a massive soft spot for Unspoken. 

20. Tag!

Like I said, I haven’t been super active on here for a while so I’ve lost track of a lot of people, sorry. If anyone’s interested please consider this a tag! 

@johnsimms @linz33y @lasersonicked @riathel @countessrivers

[mia-cooper]

Fanfiction Questions

from here

Fandom Questions

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Involved as in ‘frantically read every book I could get my hands on, daydreamed about being part of that universe and wrote stories/made art inspired by the books, if not actual fanfiction’? Mm, probably The Chronicles of Narnia when I was six or seven. The next great obsession was The Silver Brumby when I went through my horse stage around age 12, and then Sweet Valley High when I was 15. Hahaha.

2. What is your latest fandom?

Marvel! I’m not into comics and I’m definitely not interested in consuming every last bit of canon material or memorising the variations of every universe, but I love (most of) the movies and Agents of SHIELD is pretty cool.

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

Star Trek Voyager. No contest. I venture to suggest that the older fandoms, the ones that are all about defunct shows, are a hell of a lot more chilled. Maybe because we’ve come to terms with our shitty canon endings and learned that liking the ship you hate doesn’t make someone problematic, unlike some newer fandoms I could name (Yes I’m talking about you, Game of Thrones fans. What the fuck.)

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms?

I’ve dipped a toe into one or two fandoms for shows or books I’ve really enjoyed and backed the fuck out when the vibe gets weird (oh hey, it’s GoT again), but nope. No regrets.

5. Which fandoms have you written fanfiction for?

All the Star Treks except TOS, and a Trek/MCU crossover. I’d like to write more for MCU someday. Plus I’ve written longhand entire notebooks full of teen romance shit that bore an uncanny similarity to SVH, and my first short story was a fantasy fic that featured a girl whose guardian was a wise talking lion who led her into mystical secret worlds, which is kind of familiar.

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

Wow. I’m going to define ‘involved in’ as ‘cared enough about to have an OTP’, but I’m guaranteed to forget a ton. In no particular order:

Voyager: Janeway x anyone who can get her off

Discovery: Lorca x Cornwell or Pike x Tyler x Burnham (or any combination of)

DS9: Kira x Jadzia Dax

TNG: Picard x Vash, I guess? I don’t really have any TNG ships

ENT: T’Pol x Trip x Hoshi (or any variation therein)

MCU: Cap x Widow

AoS: Coulson x Skye... no May... no Skye... I don’t know

CAOS: Madam Satan x Zelda

Timeless: Garcy

The Good Place: Eleanor x Tahani

The 100 (shut up): toss up between Clarke x Bellamy and Kane x Abby

Veronica Mars: Veronica x Leo (first run), Veronica x Logan (s4)

Orphan Black: Cosima x Delphine

BSG: Apollo x Starbuck

SG1: Sam x Jack

Arrow: Olicity (so over the show now though)

This Life: Milly x Egg

Yeah you know what... I’m drawing a blank. I can’t think of any other shows where I’ve been invested in The Romance that much.

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

I’m too tired to do every fandom, and besides, I can come around to almost any ship if the headcanons (or fics) are convincing enough. I do have a few hard no-gos, but they might be someone else’s OTP so I’ll shut up about them.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom?

Reluctantly. The MCU movies are not something I ever thought I’d enjoy beyond a dull evening’s entertainment. I never expected to get attached to the characters. And yet.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

Voyager is my forever fandom and the only one where I’ve really interacted with other fans. The best things about it? In general, everyone is just cool, accepting, open and basically awesome. And talented. I love my Party Bus people.

10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

Sure. The 100, Veronica Mars and Agents of SHIELD are the ones I’d dip into more frequently. I really enjoy crossovers between Trek and BSG or the Stargate variants, too.

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP?

Janeway x Chakotay.

12. Who is your current OT3?

Janeway x Chakotay x Paris.

13. Any NoTPs?

A few.

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs?

Janeway & Tuvok! Also Torres & Chakotay, and I’d have killed for more Janeway & Torres in canon. (If they kissed sometimes that would be okay too)

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

Yeah. Paris x Seven. There are like two fics in existence, and yet ... the potential! (Sorry, B’Elanna)

16. Are there any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

Nope.

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Janeway x Paris. And they’re still way up there, but not quite at the top.

18. What ship have you written the most about?

84% of my fics feature Janeway x Chakotay as either the primary or secondary pairing... holy shit.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

Paris x Torres. I mean, I feel them. I just don’t generally feel the need to write about them.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Chakotay x Seven. In another universe, it could’ve been beautiful.

Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

Actual story that was clearly fanfic? A farcical drunken romp told in the 24th century equivalent of email format called PADDemonium (see what I did there?)

22. Is there anything you regret writing?

Lol, a few things that should probably have never seen the light of day for various reasons, some of them leola related. But I’ve only deleted two fics that I can recall.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

Relieved. It’s a 30k AU Chakotay moral dilemma backstory that brings in DS9 characters, Section 31 and his longstanding history with AU Janeway. I did so much research for it (way back in the days before memory alpha and chakoteya.net) and I’m really proud of how I wound in canon stuff across series but changed a few key bits and pieces. Only problem is, it’s a sequel to ...

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

... Pressure, which I can’t even read without cringing. My characterisation of Janeway, even Angry Maquis AU Janeway, is way over the top and there are moments that verge on Mills and Boon and give me first, second and third hand embarrassment. God, I’d love to rewrite it. Actually, that’s a lie. I want someone else to rewrite it so I can read it without covering my eyes and moaning.

25. What’s your most popular fanfic?

Desperate Measures, by about 70,000 light years, lol. Although Fragile Things beats it on bookmarks.

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles?

You know what? A fair percentage of the time, I think of the title first and come up with a plot second. Aside from that, I prefer shorter, punchier titles that clearly tie into the story (Flight Risk, Speechless), though sometimes it’s song lyrics (Burn Our Horizons, your body like a searchlight) or a literary quote (Required to Bear, All the Devils are Here) or a turn of phrase from the story itself (The Prisons You Inhabit). Hey that was fun. Thanks for letting me pimp the shit out of my stories.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Ugh, it depends on the day. Summaries are harder, I think. I never want to give away too much of the plot, but there has to be enough there for people to know whether they’ll bother clicking. Funny story: I actually ran the stats on this a few months back. Here they are for your edification:

Fics with a one line plot summary = 54%

With two or three line plot summary = 18%

With a short snippet directly from the fic = 16%

With a snippet + a one line explanation = 3%

With a one line plot summary plus a line to date the fic (eg "set in season 3", “episode tag to Worst Case Scenario") or the fic prompt = 7%

And finally, a quote from something other than the fic = 2% (that's only 3 fics).

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

Ooh. I’ll say the final scene in Explosive.

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

I used to regularly ask @jhelenoftrek​ and @littleobsessions90 to beta for me, and both of them are brilliant at it. Lately I’ve been posting without sending my stuff off for editing. This is partly because I’m impatient to get stuff out there, partly because I don’t have as much time to write/edit, and partly because I’m a little less focused on improving my writing and more on enjoying it for its own sake.

30. What inspires you to write?

Little bits of episode dialogue I haven’t noticed before, other people’s fanfiction, stray conversations, fic prompts, song lyrics, random headcanons, fever dreams, dares ...

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I’ve been really lucky with comments on my fic. The least helpful comment I’ve ever received was on one of my early 30k fics and all it said was “Did you have to take the name of the lord in vain?” Which is kind of funny. The nicest thing anyone’s ever said? I’m very partial to the feedback that starts “I don’t even like this pairing/genre/trope/show but you made me love it”, and particularly “I’ll read anything you write, I don’t care what it’s about.” But all comments are gold. The little heart button is cool too.

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

I’m not someone who can tune out music I love, or leave it in the background to inspire me. If it’s on, I’m fully invested in it. I’m that annoying person in the car who flips radio stations every three seconds until I find something I like and then it’s on 11 and I’m singing along to it. I’m also really picky but extremely eclectic, although there are genres I can’t stand (anything with autotune makes me stabby). That said, sometimes I find a song that I can’t stop listening to for weeks and often that perfect combination of music and lyrics will inspire me to write a fic. For example, I just plotted out an entire J/C story because of this song.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?

All of the above. Although I’m not sure if my longest epic is huuuuuge or just huuuge.

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic?

101,467.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I have two drabble collections. One is all J/C, full of responses to random prompts and I add to it sporadically. The other is episode additions set on Kathryn Janeway’s birthday (May 20) and added to annually.

36. What’s your favourite genre to write?

Angst, definitely. Sometimes it’s smutty angst or fluffy angst or hurt/comfort angst, but often it’s just fucking unrelenting angst. And I’m okay with that.

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

I did the stats on this once, too, haha. Pretty sure I came out fairly even on first and third person with a smattering of second person in there. I’m probably even-ish on present vs past tense, too. I make it a point to mix it up to avoid my writing getting stale or same-y. And sometimes a fic doesn’t really click for me until I try it in a different POV or tense or from a different character’s perspective.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs?

I mostly write for canon characters - the fun is in all the different ways you can interpret and imagine them - but I’ve been known to throw in the odd OC, or focus on a character who only got a brief cameo appearance, or write about someone who only appears in beta canon, or who only rates a mention on screen.

39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Oh, wow. I’m not sure. I guess the thing I value most about my own writing is my willingness to try different styles, characters, pairings and so on. The thing I strive for most is characterisation that feels true, and I really love it when I get comments on that. Exploring a character in a way that rings true with a reader is the best thing ever.

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

Overly long sentences and adverb abuse, haha. No, truthfully, there comes a point in most of my fics, particularly the longer ones, when I really just want to scrap it because in my heart I know it’s dreadful. Usually that passes once I slog through the ‘I don’t wanna’ stage because I’m a bloody-minded bitch, but sometimes fics do get left in the dust half-written. Honestly, though, they’re the ones that probably should stay there.

Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

This is hilarious because I was just talking on discord about my problematic ‘to read’ pile. My unread AO3 subscription emails currently number 29 and my phone browser has 71 tabs open. So here are 5 random picks from that list of exactly 100 fics I should be reading:

Sex on the Beach (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by @traccigaryn​

The Ruby Ring (T, Janeway/Chakotay, Janeway/Tighe) by @trinfinity2001​

Earth is But an Idea (T, Janeway/Chakotay, Carter/O’Neill) by @caladeniablue​

Home (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by Cassatt

Wise Up (E, Janeway/Chakotay) by KimJ

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

Only five? Shit. Okay. In no particular order, these are five of the writers I keep coming back to:

quantumsilver (also here)

northernexposure

LittleObsessions

Helen8462

Cheshire

But there are so many others. My chosen fandom is chock full of amazing talent.

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

All of the authors above for various reasons, but also august because her writing is so spare and delicate and devastating, and runawaymetaphor because she writes the most delicious Janeway/Paris, and @seperis​ because I read In the Space of Seven Days literally 20 years ago and I still haven’t recovered, and I could be here all night raving on this topic but there are still many questions to get through.

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

Janeway x Paris. I’m so happy there’s been a little bit of a resurgence in J/P fics lately. Thanks, @curator-on-ao3​, you’re doing the lord’s work.

I’ll also take Janeway x Johnson content any day of the week.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

What the hell? I can’t pick just one! Ugh!

... but okay, here’s the first one that came to mind when I tried to think about this: if you came this way by tree. I’m not sure I’d call it my favourite, but it’s one I revisit often. Ugh, there are so many other fics I’m thinking of now that I really want to list.

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why?

Oh, that’s hard. I should probably pick an angsty smutty J/C because that’s a fair proportion of what I write and it’s good to let a new reader know what they can expect. But honestly, I think the best fic I’ve written is The Uncharted Sea. (It’s safe for work. Maybe not for makeup.)

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

The Archive, of course. Where else can I find ad-free hosting on a stunningly user-friendly interface with absolutely no moralising content restrictions and the world’s best tagging system? That Hugo award is well deserved.

Tumblr is good for headcanons and meta and gifsets and a few other formats that I’m less likely to post on AO3 because I’d feel like I was pissing off people who subscribe to me by giving them some random garbage.

I also have my own website, but I’m not really sure why. Sometimes I post fic there that doesn’t make it to tumblr or AO3.

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

I try to. Honestly I do. I love it when I get reviews, so I figure paying it forward is the least I can do. I’m less scrupulous about leaving comments when I’m busy or reading on my phone.

49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

I mean, I love it when people reblog, but I certainly don’t expect it. @arcadia1995​ is amazing for reblogging stuff *blows kisses*

Nobody owes fanfic writers shit, but I feel like there’s a tacit agreement that if you like what you just read for free and you’re on a platform that makes it easy to do so, you leave a review or at least a kudos, because I’m not gonna lie, posting a fic you’ve worked super hard on and seeing it get very few kudos or comments is a bit deflating. I’m sure a lot of us have been there.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

During Voyager’s original run I was trawling the internet for Endgame spoilers (I don’t know why; I usually love surprises) and I guess I googled (or whatever the 2001 equivalent of googling was) something like “how does voyager get home” and somehow I stumbled across Revisionist History. At first I had no idea what I was reading - was this a lost story pitch that somehow got leaked? A professional novella commissioned by the showrunners?

Then I started following links and discovered yahoo groups and webrings and Trekiverse and fanfiction.net and all sorts of incredible things I’d never guessed at, including the now defunct ‘archipelago of angst’, a collection of Voyager writers who focused mainly on a darker Janeway than most of the other fic writers I was encountering, and I was hooked. So I wrote a few of my own pieces, and then I lost interest for 15 years. I’m still not sure how I got dragged back in.

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

Honestly, in what other way can I indulge my obsessions, hone my skills and talk about it endlessly with like-minded people? Where else can I instantly find a plethora of fiction about the exact topic I feel like reading about on my mobile device and for free? Fanfiction is fucking amazing and I’m so glad it exists in my life.

[mithrilwren]

Tagged by the lovely @drinkingdeadpeopletea ! I’ll tag in @soullistrations, @fivie, @charliesdayoff, @kookaburrito, and @walkthegale - haven’t got time to come up with a full 10, so anyone else who wants to join in, go for it!

Name ten favorite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people. [Do different Star Trek series count?? Hmm.] I also added special mentions for the top five, since I couldn’t truly choose.

1. Beauregard from Critical Role - I loved Beau from her first words, and that love has only strengthened with time. A person who believes they are not good while trying SO DESPERATELY to be, her reckless disdain at the beginning of the show reminded me of who I used to want to be, and her hard-won trust with her teammates reminded me that there are gentler, more freeing paths to take. Plus, she’s given me an avenue to explore things in fic writing I’ve never been able to before, because I so rarely encounter lesbian characters in fiction, let alone ones who are (soft) butch, with short hair and strength and an absence of apologies to those who don’t deserve them. She inspires me in so many ways.

Special mention: Fjord

2. Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Though he only shows up in a handful of episodes, I think Garak’s introduction is instrumental in setting the tone for DS9 apart from the other series. In many ways, he’s emblematic of the ambiguity of the show, where morals are not so clear cut and every person may be playing two sides without truly being dishonest in either. He’s also just a genuine joy to watch - charismatic, witty, biting, as queer as you were allowed to be on network tv in 1993 (”I need to know that someone forgives me”, goddamn it Garak/Bashir will always be the true OTP of my heart)

Special mention: Kira

3. Fem!Shepard from Mass Effect - We can debate the ending till the cows come home (and god knows I was as unhappy as the rest of you) but Mass Effect took me on a journey, y’all. And most of that journey is filtered through the eyes of Shepard, the intrepid naval commander and saviour of the universe. It’s so incredibly rare that I’ve gotten to play a video game with a female protagonist who actually has such a vibrant personality, all the more so because I got to help shape that personality through my actions. She was one of the few video game protagonists PERIOD I’ve ever came out of the game feeling like I truly understood. When the final goodbyes happened, I felt her pain, because I’d watched and lived her struggle for three games, and felt the gravity of all her actions up till that point, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’. She was a fully-realized creation.

Special mention: Garrus

4. Magnus Burnsides from TAZ - On paper, I would have expected Taako to become my favourite character of THB. And I do still love him dearly, but Magnus’s simple and constant drive to be good, to be better, to be a light of positivity and love in the world captured my heart like no other.

Special mention: Taako

5. Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh! - Oh look, it’s a villain-turned-antihero with an asshole father who swears he doesn’t care about the gang but still manages to  always (reluctantly) put his life on the line when it really matters. All I’m saying is Zuko had a predecessor and he had twice the sass despite being just as dumb - seriously, his 4kids dub dialog is top notch. I was obsessed with this stubborn child-billionaire when I was 10 (and 13, and 17, and 21 and let’s be real, I will be til I die).

Special mention: Ryou Bakura

6. Sam Tyler from Life on Mars (UK) - Never has an actor’s performance on a TV show given me so many heart palpitations as John Simm’s portrayal of Sam Tyler, the time-travelling detective stuck in 1973 Britain after being hit by a car in 2006. His angst over the situation was visceral, despite the relatively silly premise, and his decisions in the final episode landed me in a fog of emotional processing for days after I finished the series. 

7. Bones from Star Trek TOS - (I’m ruling it counts as different shhh). Bones is everything. Probably the first fictional character I remember deciding was my “favourite”, back when I was a kid still watching old Star Trek episodes on VHS. Wry humour mixed with a depth of humanity and just a whole heaping helping of curmudgeonliness, what a great guy.

8. Makise Kurisu from Steins;Gate - MY SCIENCE GIRL. Incredibly smart, both in terms of academics and emotional intelligence and despite her all-too-relatable struggles as a woman not receiving her due respect in academia, she always manages to keep pushing forward, driving the rest of the crew towards the truth in any timeline. Just, the coolest person.

9. Marcus Keane from The Exorcist - Give me all that good queer religious angst! It hurts! It’s relatable! I need more! Marcus is a man who deeply wants to do the right thing with layers upon layers of guilt and pain stacked on top of his shoulders. I want only for him to finally be able to rest.

10. Ani from The Goose Girl - From one of my favourite books of all time, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is a princess with magic that lets her to talk to animals, which I mean, come on. But it’s was her journey that really had a big influence on me when I was a kid. I loved her for the way she was written, as admirable and imperfect and magical without realizing it, strong and self-reliant but only after learning how to be. The amazing prose by Shannon Hale is just the cherry on top.

[redcarpetview]

RECORDING ACADEMY ANNOUNCES 60TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS NOMINEES

    JAY-Z LEADS GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS WITH EIGHT; KENDRICK LAMAR FOLLOWS WITH SEVEN, AND BRUNO MARS WITH SIX  

      SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (NOV. 28, 2017)— The Recording Academy™ welcomes this year's class of GRAMMY® nominees. Already a 21-time GRAMMY winner, JAY-Z leads with eight nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar (7), Bruno Mars (6), Childish Gambino (5), Khalid (5), No I.D. (5), and SZA (5). Selected from more than 22,000 submissions across 84 categories, the nominations showcase some of the most gifted music makers of the past awards year (Oct. 1, 2016–Sept. 30, 2017). As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY is voted on by the Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

      "I'm inspired by this year's nominees and the incredible talent each possesses," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Their recordings are a true testament to how creatively alive and meaningful our music industry has become. Each nominee uses their craft to inspire, uplift, and tell stories of our world through their artistry. They provide a vibrant soundtrack that represents the highest level of excellence and continues to impact and reflect our culture."

    "The beauty of our process begins and ends with the participation of music professionals," said Bill Freimuth, Recording Academy Senior Vice President of Awards. "Our nominations reflect the expertise and passion of Recording Academy voting members."

  The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 7–21, 2017. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards® on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, live from Madison Square Garden in New York and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 7:30–11:00 p.m. ET/4:30–8:00 p.m. PT.

    The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields and 84 categories.

    For a complete nominations list, visit  www.grammy.com .

    Record Of The Year: "Redbone" — Childish Gambino "Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber "The Story Of O.J." — JAY-Z "HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar "24K Magic" — Bruno Mars

  Album Of The Year: "Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino 4:44 — JAY-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Melodrama — Lorde 24K Magic — Bruno Mars

  Song Of The Year: "Despacito" — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber) "4:44" — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z) "Issues" — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels) "1-800-273-8255" — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid) "That's What I Like" — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

  Best New Artist: Alessia Cara Khalid Lil Uzi Vert Julia Michaels SZA

  Best Pop Solo Performance: "Love So Soft" — Kelly Clarkson "Praying" — Kesha "Million Reasons" — Lady Gaga "What About Us" — P!nk "Shape Of You" — Ed Sheeran

  Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Something Just Like This" ­— The Chainsmokers & Coldplay "Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber "Thunder" — Imagine Dragons "Feel It Still" — Portugal. The Man "Stay" — Zedd & Alessia Cara

    Best Dance/Electronic Album: Migration — Bonobo 3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk Mura Masa — Mura Masa A Moment Apart — Odesza What Now — Sylvan Esso

      Best Rock Performance: "You Want It Darker" — Leonard Cohen "The Promise" — Chris Cornell "Run" — Foo Fighters "No Good" — Kaleo "Go To War" — Nothing More

    Best Urban Contemporary Album: Free 6lack — 6lack "Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino American Teen — Khalid Ctrl — SZA Starboy — The Weeknd

      Best Rap Album : 4:44 — JAY-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Culture — Migos Laila's Wisdom — Rapsody Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator

    Best Country Album: Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney Heart Break — Lady Antebellum The Breaker — Little Big Town Life Changes — Thomas Rhett From A Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton       Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Journey — The Baylor Project A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn Bad Ass And Blind — Raul Midón Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King Dreams And Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant

    Best Gospel Album: Crossover — Travis Greene Bigger Than Me — Le'Andria Close — Marvin Sapp Sunday Song — Anita Wilson Let Them Fall In Love — Cece Winans

      Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Rise — Danny Gokey Echoes (Deluxe Edition) —  Matt Maher Lifer — MercyMe Hills And Valleys — Tauren Wells Chain Breaker — Zach Williams  

Best Latin Pop Album: Lo Único Constante —  Alex Cuba Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Cuidad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade El Dorado — Shakira

    Best Americana Album: Southern Blood — Gregg Allman Shine On Rainy Day — Brent Cobb Beast Epic — Iron & Wine The Nashville Sound — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit Brand New Day — The Mavericks

    Best Comedy Album: The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle Cinco — Jim Gaffigan Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman What Now? — Kevin Hart

  Best Song Written For Visual Media: "City Of Stars" — Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone), Track from La La Land "How Far I'll Go" — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli'i Cravalho), Track from Moana: The Songs "I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) — Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (ZAYN & Taylor Swift), Track from Fifty Shades Darker "Never Give Up" — Sia Furler & Gregg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia), Track from Lion "Stand Up For Something" — Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common), Track from Marshall

  Producer Of The Year , Non-Classical: Calvin Harris No I.D. Greg Kurstin Blake Mills The Stereotypes

    ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards—music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

    For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com . For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter , "like" Recording Academy on Facebook , and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram , Tumblr , and YouTube .    

                                                                                                          # # #

[aion-rsa]

J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic Trailer, Release Date, Cast and Everything to Know

https://ift.tt/2EC51ZX

Nicholas Hoult stars in Tolkien, a biopic focusing on the celebrated author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

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Joseph Baxter

Mar 6, 2019

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit

The Lord Of The Rings

Nicholas Hoult

The major works of John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien were adapted in an epic manner in contemporary film by director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, years later, in The Hobbit Trilogy, with grandiose (allegedly exorbitant) television series plans now in the works over at Amazon Studios. Yet, an upcoming biopic will cover another story connected to the influential author, namely his own life story.

While the biopic, titled Tolkien, stayed in the pipeline for a few years, things finally came together with director Dome Karukoski, who helmed this movie about the mind that made Middle-earth, which is headlined by Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins.

Tolkien Trailer

A new trailer has arrived for Tolkien. Check it out below!

Video of TOLKIEN | Trailer 2 | FOX Searchlight

And here's the first trailer:

Video of TOLKIEN | Official Trailer | FOX Searchlight

Tolkien Release Date

Tolkien has ventured there and back again to finally set its release date for May 10.

Tolkien Story

Tolkien explores the circumstances that shaped Tolkien into becoming the author of the world's most famous fantasy novels. The film will show how the marriage of young Tolkien to Edith Bratt was interrupted in 1914 by World War I. After deliberation, Tolkien enlisted, experiencing four years of the world-altering global conflagration. The experiences would become the inspiration for Tolkien’s conception of 1937’s The Hobbit; a mythology he would expand exponentially with 1954-1955’s The Lord of the Rings novel trilogy, along with several supplemental Middle-earth-based stories, many of which would be published posthumously under the editorial stewardship of his son Christopher.

Tolkien certainly has compelling source material to utilize in telling the iconic author's story, which was wrought in not only war, but a quirky romance. Moreover, it will be interesting for fans, both casual and passionate, to witness the events that drove a certain young second lieutenant in the British Army to conjure the magical, ethereal, quasi-medieval world of Middle-earth and weave the intricate details of its sprawling mythology.

Tolkien Cast

Nicholas Hoult took the biopic's title role as one the 20th century's most celebrated authors, J.R.R. Tolkien. While Hoult has become a perennial blockbuster actor, playing Hank McCoy/Beast in the current X-Men films and was a catchphrase-coining standout in 2015’s apocalyptic franchise revival Mad Max: Fury Road, this prospective role in Tolkien won’t even be his first experience playing a famous author, having played the role of the reclusive J.D. Salinger in September’s Rebel in the Rye. While he fielded an uncredited role reprisal as Beast in Deadpool 2 last year, he'll be back properly in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which is set for June.

Lily Collins will play Edith Bratt, the love of Tolkien's life. She was a central figure in his life during the horrors of the First World War and would eventually become his wife, who in turn inspired Tolkien to create the graceful elvin characters of Middle-earth, including Arwen, the character played by Liv Tyler in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Lord of the Rings.

Colm Meaney plays a crucial figure in the life of J.R.R. in Father Francis Xavier Morgan. An overseer of the Birmingham Oratory, Morgan was frequently cited in Tolkien’s memoirs as a profoundly influential figure in his life, specifically when it came to charity and forgiveness amidst the darkest of circumstances; themes that are reflected in his Middle Earth novels.

Meaney, a veteran Irish actor, has seen and done it all on the screen and stage. Yet, he is best known to genre fans from the Star Trek television franchise as (transporter) Chief Miles O’Brien, first recurring on Star Trek: The Next Generation (starting in the pilot,) and later crossing over to the main cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; a role that, astoundingly, lasted 12 years (1987-1999,) uninterrupted. He recently appeared on TNT’s young Shakespeare series, Will, as impresario James Burbage. He also fielded a lengthy, fact-based, 2011-2016 run as the shady, yet enigmatic railroad entrepreneur, Thomas Durant, on AMC's Hell on Wheels.

Craig Roberts plays a character named Sam, a close friend of J.R.R.’s who served with the would-be Middle Earth-maker during the horrific, trench-trapped experiences of World War I. Of course, the name Sam will certainly raise flags for fans of Tolkien’s work, since, by no coincidence, it is the shortened name of Frodo’s unflinchingly loyal companion, Samwise Gamgee, in The Lord of the Rings, a character portrayed in director Peter Jackson's film trilogy to iconic, pathos-packed perfection by Sean Astin.

Roberts, a Welsh actor, is coming off a recently-completed run on the Amazon comedy series Red Oaks, with appearances in films such as The Fundamentals of Caring, 22 Jump Street, Neighbors, Submarine and The First Time. Interestingly, Tolkien will facilitate an onscreen reunion, since Roberts appeared opposite star Nicholas Hoult in the 2015 musical comedy film Kill Your Friends.

Genevieve O'Reilly, Derek Jacobi, Pam Ferris, Tomm Glynn-Carney, Laura Donnelly, Anthony Boyle, and Patrick Gibson also appear in the film. Additionally, Harry Gilby will play young J.R.R.

Tolkien Crew

Dome Karukoski directed Tolkien, working off a script by David Gleeson (The Front Line, Cowboys & Angels) and actor-turned-writer Stephen Beresford (Pride). The Finnish director, Karukoski, is known for films from his home country such as 2017’s Tom of Finland, 2014’s The Grump and 2010’s Lapland Odyssey. With that creative crew set into place, casting for Tolkien is reportedly starting under the auspices of production company Chernin Entertainment at the behest of Fox Searchlight.

Back in 2016, the project – then-titled Middle Earth – tapped James Strong (Broadchurch, Downton Abbey) to direct, working off a script by a burgeoning screenwriter Angus Fletcher. However, the premise of the project in its final form as Tolkien seems to be the same, chronicling the author’s youthful experiences in which friendships, love, and an outcast status at school all lead to the horrors of the trenches in the First World War.

Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.

from Books https://ift.tt/2TlD9TW

[tropicalfete]

New Post has been published on http://tropicalfete.com/2017/11/29/recording-academy-announces-60th-annual-grammy-awards-nominees/

RECORDING ACADEMY ANNOUNCES 60TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS NOMINEES 

JAY-Z LEADS GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS WITH EIGHT; KENDRICK LAMAR FOLLOWS WITH SEVEN, AND BRUNO MARS WITH SIX  

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (NOV. 28, 2017)—The Recording Academy™ welcomes this year’s class of GRAMMY® nominees. Already a 21-time GRAMMY winner, JAY-Z leads with eight nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar (7), Bruno Mars (6), Childish Gambino (5), Khalid (5), No I.D. (5), and SZA (5). Selected from more than 22,000 submissions across 84 categories, the nominations showcase some of the most gifted music makers of the past awards year (Oct. 1, 2016–Sept. 30, 2017). As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY is voted on by the Recording Academy’s membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

“I’m inspired by this year’s nominees and the incredible talent each possesses,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their recordings are a true testament to how creatively alive and meaningful our music industry has become. Each nominee uses their craft to inspire, uplift, and tell stories of our world through their artistry. They provide a vibrant soundtrack that represents the highest level of excellence and continues to impact and reflect our culture.”

“The beauty of our process begins and ends with the participation of music professionals,” said Bill Freimuth, Recording Academy Senior Vice President of Awards. “Our nominations reflect the expertise and passion of Recording Academy voting members.”

The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 7–21, 2017. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards® on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, live from Madison Square Garden in New York and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 7:30–11:00 p.m. ET/4:30–8:00 p.m. PT.

The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards’ 30 Fields and 84 categories.

For a complete nominations list, visit  www.grammy.com.

Record Of The Year: “Redbone” — Childish Gambino “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber “The Story Of O.J.” — JAY-Z “HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

Album Of The Year: “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino 4:44 — JAY-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Melodrama — Lorde 24K Magic — Bruno Mars

Song Of The Year: “Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber) “4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z) “Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels) “1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid) “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best New Artist: Alessia Cara Khalid Lil Uzi Vert Julia Michaels SZA

Best Pop Solo Performance: “Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson “Praying” — Kesha “Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga “What About Us” — P!nk “Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Something Just Like This” ­— The Chainsmokers & Coldplay “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber “Thunder” — Imagine Dragons “Feel It Still” — Portugal. The Man “Stay” — Zedd & Alessia Cara

Best Dance/Electronic Album: Migration — Bonobo 3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk Mura Masa — Mura Masa A Moment Apart — Odesza What Now — Sylvan Esso

Best Rock Performance: “You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen “The Promise” — Chris Cornell “Run” — Foo Fighters “No Good” — Kaleo “Go To War” — Nothing More

Best Urban Contemporary Album: Free 6lack — 6lack “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino American Teen — Khalid Ctrl — SZA Starboy — The Weeknd

Best Rap Album: 4:44 — JAY-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Culture — Migos Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator

Best Country Album: Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney Heart Break — Lady Antebellum The Breaker — Little Big Town Life Changes — Thomas Rhett From A Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton

Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Journey — The Baylor Project A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn Bad Ass And Blind — Raul Midón Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King Dreams And Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant

Best Gospel Album: Crossover — Travis Greene Bigger Than Me — Le’Andria Close — Marvin Sapp Sunday Song — Anita Wilson Let Them Fall In Love — Cece Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Rise — Danny Gokey Echoes (Deluxe Edition) —  Matt Maher Lifer — MercyMe Hills And Valleys — Tauren Wells Chain Breaker — Zach Williams

Best Latin Pop Album: Lo Único Constante —  Alex Cuba Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Cuidad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade El Dorado — Shakira

Best Americana Album: Southern Blood — Gregg Allman Shine On Rainy Day — Brent Cobb Beast Epic — Iron & Wine The Nashville Sound — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit Brand New Day — The Mavericks

Best Comedy Album: The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle Cinco — Jim Gaffigan Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman What Now? — Kevin Hart

Best Song Written For Visual Media: “City Of Stars” — Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone), Track from La La Land “How Far I’ll Go” — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho), Track from Moana: The Songs “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) — Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (ZAYN & Taylor Swift), Track from Fifty Shades Darker “Never Give Up” — Sia Furler & Gregg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia), Track from Lion “Stand Up For Something” — Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common), Track from Marshall

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Calvin Harris No I.D. Greg Kurstin Blake Mills The Stereotypes

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards—music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

[thesnootyushers]

The British public loves a good police show. Here are some of the best!

The TV police procedural has been a stalwart of British television since Dixon of Dock Green first walked the beat in 1955.  The genre has evolved and developed over the years, but the British TV bobby has never been too far from our hearts as we have tuned in en mass to watch their adventures.

With the recent death of Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter, and the highly anticipated 4th series of the amazing Line of Duty starting later today, Snooty Ushers Dave and James have put their heads together to make a list of our favourite British TV cop shows.  The only rule was that it had to be about actual British police (so no Sherlock, Cracker, or any of those amateur sleuth shows). So, in no particular order, let us begin

Just missing out: New Tricks, The Fall, Ripper Street, Between The Lines, Rebus (with Ken Stott, not John Hannah),  Maigret (because it is French!), A Touch of Cloth

Line of Duty (BBC, 2012-)

Dave: What better place to start than with the original inspiration for this list, the brilliant Line of Duty.  The show focuses on AC-12, a special team of elite officers who investigate the police. While this echoes the similarly themed Between The Lines from the 90s, it stands on its own as one of the best British police procedural dramas.  About to enter its 4th season, each series focuses on a different, but interconnected case, fronted by a high profile British actor.  The AC-12 team recur throughout.  It is grounded firmly in reality and it so brilliantly written, intricately plotted and tightly directed that something as simple as 3 people sitting in a room having a conversation can deliver such incredible tension.  The cast to deserve so much credit, the AC-12 officers led by Irish stalwart Adrian Dunbar’s damaged every-man Superintendent, Martin Compston is instantly relatable as the terrier like DS Steve Arnott (although I do take issue with him not using his Scottish accent), but it is Vicky McClure as DC Kate Flemming who is the real star.  The 3 series so far have weaved such a tight web of intrigue and tension that I wouldn’t dare revel any plot points here, I would just implore you all to catch up before the new series starts.  If you need another reason, Keeley Hawes, in Series 2, gives one of the most devastating, intense and down right brilliant performances in recent memory.

James: This is a show that proves that British TV can match anything from around the world. It’s also my favourite ongoing British show of any genre. One mistake seemingly ruins a promising young police officer’s career, and he is shunted to the AC-12 (“Internal Affairs” if we were in America), in an attempt to push him out of the force. But instead, DS Arnott truly finds his niche, as does the show itself. There are loads of police shows with conflicted and morally ambiguous lead characters, but Line Of Duty focuses almost entirely on their feet of clay, yet never falls into witch-hunt territory. Lennie James, Keeley Hawes, and Daniel Mays have given three different performances as heroic cops who come under AC-12’s gaze, and the three series so far have all taken different paths, never covering the same ground. And the interrogation room scenes are the high point of the show as weeks, sometimes years worth of story lines are brought together. A truly great show.

Life on Mars (BBC, 2006-07)

Dave:  If Line of Duty is grounded in reality, this is something different all together.  Sam Tyler (John Simm) is a DCI working in Manchester.  When he is involved in a car accident, he wakes up in 1975.  He is still a cop, but a rank lower and finds himself working for the oafish DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister).  This just worked on every level.  The ambiguity surrounding Sam’s predicament kept us guessing.  Is he dead? crazy? In a coma? Or has he actually traveled back in time?  The world of modern policing contrast with the good old days of the 70s made for some thrilling moments and some genuinely funny moments too, with the chemistry between Simm’s straight laced, lateral thinking, by the book cooper and Glenister’s blunt instrument works a treat.  The ambiguity continued after the conclusion of the series, with the story continuing on the 80s set sequel series Ashes To Ashes, which saw Gene Hunt move to London and paired with a female detective (Keeley Hawes).  While never hitting the heights of Life On Mars, it ran for 3 seasons and gave us a satisfyingly heart-breaking conclusion.  This will be forever remembered for giving us immortal and unforgettable DCI Gene Hunt.

James: Whether it was their intention from the very beginning or not, the makers of Life On Mars got to cherry pick all of the best bits out of 70s cop shows. We got a modern piece of television – Sam Tyler struggling with the nature of his reality and Gene Hunt getting into car chases and punching criminals. And as someone who lived in Manchester it was great to see how they shot around the city to get that Seventies feel.

Also, the third series of Ashes To Ashes also deserves a mention, as Daniel Mays (who featured in Line Of Duty as well) gave a fantastic performance that shepherded the whole saga to a great conclusion.

Snooty Usher TV Trivia Fact #711 – The American version of Life On Mars (with Harvey Keitel as Gene Hunt) ended after one season, and being years away from wrapping their own version, the original writers gave their US counterparts free reign, and they came up with a doozy. Both the “modern day” and 1970’s realities were both just a simulation to keep astronauts minds active on a mission to Mars, and a glitch had causes Sam’s program to jump from one simulation to another.

Snooty Usher TV Trivia Fact #712 – There are currently Czech and Russian versions running in those countries that take their Sam Tyler character back to Soviet-era police, giving another level to the show.

Inspector Morse/Lewis (ITV, 1987-2015)

Dave: Based on the novels of Colin Dexter, Inspector Morse ran for 33 episodes across 13 years, becoming one of the nations favourite detectives.  He was the epitome of the gentleman detective, a middle class bachelor with middle class interests, he drove a classic Jaguar, listens to opera and has a fondness for real ale, this was contrast in his relationship with his partner DS Lewis, a working class family man from the North East.  Set in the beautiful city of Oxford, with the various colleges and classic architecture used as a stunning back drop.  Now, the term national treasure is banded about a little too often for my tastes, but is there a better way to describe John Thaw?  His gruff nature embodies Morse with an every-man quality that masks his vast intellect.  Kevin Whately’s Lewis is perfect foil as his put upon Sergeant.  Their relationship is central to the show’s success and longevity.  The series ended in 2000, when Morse collapse and died of a heart attack, his legacy would live on however when in 2006, when Kevin Whatley’s Lewis would return.

Robbie Lewis is now a Detective Inspector, he is widowed and his kids are grown. Paired with a new DS, James Hathaway played by Lawrence Fox.  Hathaway is a chain-smoking, emotionally detached intellectual. Lewis is Colombo like, in as much as his scruffy appearance and the fact that is not an Oxford man, means he is constantly under estimated by the high brow university community.  While he relies of Hathaway’s classic education at times, he is more than a match for Oxfords criminal element.  Lewis and Hathaway’s chemistry would rival but not quite eclipse that of Morse and Lewis, but was the driving force behind this shows success, it was baffling when after 7 series and a natural conclusion, they brought the show back for 2 more years, changing the dynamic of the leads and for the first time in nearly 30 years, the show began oustay its welcome.

The conclusion of Lewis was not the end for the franchise.  In 2011, ITV turned back the clock with the prequel series Endeavour.  Set in 1965, it focuses on Morse’s early years as a DC.  Shaun Evans does a great job of honouring Thaw and giving us a believable young Morse and Roger Allam adds a touch of class as Morse’s noble DI, Fred Thursday.

James: Morse is a national treasure. It really is the gold standard that all detective shows are aiming for. The character work between Morse and Lewis was brilliant, and they knew when to inject some levity and humour into what was a serious drama. Decades before Sherlock, theses were basically films that were shown on ITV, and we got thirty three of them. Although Lewis is slightly in its predecessors shadow, it featured a nice change of dynamic with the two leads, and in a nice touch of symmetry, there were also thirty three episodes of Lewis.

I would echo Dave to say that Endeavour really does uphold the quality of the shows that came before it. There’s the same sheen of quality, and Shaun Evans portrays Morse’s traits without simply mimicking John Thaw.

Snooty Usher TV Trivia Fact #713 – Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter made a cameo in all but three of the Morse episodes.

Snooty Usher TV Trivia Fact #714 – In the pilot episode of Endeavour, Morse questions a newspaper editor.  The editor asks if they have met, as he seems familiar to her.  The editor is played by John Thaw’s daughter Abigail. She recurs throughout the series

Luther (BBC, 2010-16)

James: Neil Cross wrote for Spooks and Doctor Who before being Luther, and his writing deserves a lot of credit. He has created a conflicted detective haunted by his past, and set him in a harsh, yet real-feeling London. However, in this could be the set up for almost any detective show – Idris Elba makes Luther into a great piece of work. His performance really nails the complex character, making him sympathetic but still hard as nails. He will make a great next Bond… or Doctor Who!

The show also stands out by giving Luther a full-on nemesis. Ruth Wilson play Alice Morgan, a character who comes in and out of the show. Cross has always said Luther is inspired by Sherlock Holmes and Columbo, and by giving the detective his own Moriaty, Luther raises the bar again.

I truly hope that we get more episodes of Luther. The most recent series was only two episodes, and surely it would be possible to squeeze another couple into Elba’s (and Cross’) increasingly busy schedule. Perhaps just even a one-off to finally wrap up the series, although the end of the third series seemed to do that quite well – coat and all – before it was brought back. Maybe Netflx or Amazon Prime could throw enough money at it to get another go around.

Taggart (STV 1983-2010)

Dave:  Now, I am a Scotsman who has lived in England for the better part of 10 years and this show has a lot to answer for.  The amount of times I have been asked to utter the phrase “Thurs bin a murder”, well let’s just say it is more than once.

Set in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Taggart was and remains the UK’s longest running TV police series.  The show survived the death of its title character, when the great Mark McManus died in 1994.

Jim Taggart, was a gruff no nonsense Glaswegian, with little time for sensitivity.  The show was just so brilliantly Glaswegian, the best part of watching this growing up was trying to spot the locations where it was filmed.  The show declined in quality following McManus’s death, relying on the more gruesome elements to attract viewers, (I recall one episode where 6 people were murdered, too much!!).  Those early years though gave us something so intrinsically Scottish that DCI Jim Taggart will forever be one of my all time favourite TV cops.

Heartbeat (ITV, 1992-2010)

James: Trips to Aidenfield were a staple of Sunday nights when I was growing up. It started out with Nick Berry was Nick Rowan, a London police officer who moves to North Yorkshire with his wife , Dr Kate Rowan (Niamh Cusack). The two of them have to deal with small town life, as well as some pretty hard hitting storylines. Bill Maynard’s turn as lovable rogue Greengrass provided the  light relief, and the policing team of Ventress, Bradley, and Blakeston were always welcome.

Later series broadened the focus from a single lead character when Rowan transferred to the Mounties in Canada after Berry decided to leave. Jason Durr came in as Mike Bradley, and it became more of an ensemble show, with the storylines moving into the more usual Sunday night territory that. But those early shows left and indelible mark on this Snooty Usher.

Messiah (BBC, 2001-2008)

Dave:  The first series of Messiah was one of those shows that just blew me away.  It was dark, it was scary, it was gruesome.  Ken Stott is DCI Red Metcalfe, he and his team are faced with series of brutal killings.  As they delve deeper, they find that someone is killing people, mimicking how Jesus’s apostles died. Now, I am a sucker for serial killers with a religious motive and this is one of the finest examples of it.

Red and his team returned for 3 more series and new cast taking over in 2008 for a further 1 series, with Marc Warren taking over from Stott in the lead.  While they were suitably gruesome, it never quite hit the heights of this ground breaking first case.

James: My sister and I used to buy cheap books from charity shops when we went on holiday. One of these books was about a series of gruesome murders that wove religious themes into plot. We talked about how it would make a great film or TV show – and when we got home we found out that it did! Ken Stott was just perfect as the detective trying to get to the bottom of these horrific crimes. He played the role like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, like he constantly had a splitting headache. The supporting characters were excellently cast as well.

A Touch of Frost (ITV, 1992-2010)

Dave: I love Del Boy Trotter as much as anyone, but for me at least, this is David Jason’s finest hour.  The gruff, empathetic Detective Edward ‘Jack’ Frost.  Based on the novels of R.D Wingfield, A Touch of Frost was a firm favourite in the McKee household.  This is set in the fictional town of Denton, in the south midlands and while they are completely different, it is difficult not to compare Frost with ITV other long running Detective series Inspector Morse.

Frost never had an established DS like Lewis, working with a series of different sidekicks which really worked.  The humour in the show came from Frost’s interactions with his boss Superintendent Norman “Horn Rimmed Harry” Mullett.

James: A Touch of Frost was great. David Jason knew just how much comedy business to put into his performance. I think everyone was surprised just how good he was in the more serious role, and I remember trying to find out if Denton FC was a real football team.

Prime Suspect (ITV, 1991-2006)

Dave: While I enjoyed the early episodes of Prime Suspect, I was never a massive fan of it, mainly down to the fact that I don’t really like writer Lynda La Plante’s work.

Having said that, the quality of this show and the performance of Helen Mirren demands attention.  Ground breaking and harrowing at times, this gave us a really believable, flawed female lead. Tennison has been oft imitated and never, to date, bettered.

The Bill (ITV, 1984-2010)

Dave: And finally, no list of police shows would be complete without this long running series.  Set in the fictional Sun Hill Police station, this gave us a load of memorable characters. Remember PC Reg Hollis? WPC June Ackland? DCI Frank Burnside? The list goes on.  It lost something for me when it changed from the 30 minute episode format, but I still hold many fond memories of this show

James: I love shows that are truly episodic. Whether it is the monster of the week episodes of shows like Buffy or The X-Files, or the half an hour episodes of The Bill that were on every Tuesday and Thursday. The ongoing tales from Sun Hill lost something when it went to an hour long, but those early episodes will last a long time in my memory.

Until next time, thanks for reading. Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold, and catch ya later on down the trail.

10 Of The Best British Cop Shows The British public loves a good police show. Here are some of the best!

[dusudaunord]

Things to do in Montréal February 24 to March 2

With the idea of spring in the air, Montréal celebrates with one of the biggest winter festivals in the world, MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, along with more inspiring dance, theatre, art, film and music, plus some top-talent hockey, indie video games and outdoor fun.

Winter city lights

Montréal is no stranger to winter festivities – we’ve been celebrating winter like a a pro for 375 years – while these last 18 winters have been even brighter with the wonderful MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE winter arts, culture and fine dining festival. From Feb. 23 to March 11, the fest shines with an all-new program of performing arts, diverse fine dining options, all-nighter event Nuit blanche on March 4, and the free and family-friendly downtown outdoor site. That’s where you’ll find great local food and drink (sample Québec cheeses, sip Cabral porto, roast marshmallows over open fires), live music and performances such as X-Lumina, and more unique activities: take a ride on the illuminated Ferris wheel, glide down the urban ice slide and zip line, and try your hand at a classic Canadian sport with Curling en lumière. 

Activities for all

Among the many free things to do this winter, try tobogganing or ice skating on the Mountain or visit Mammouth Village at the Olympic Stadium Esplanade, featuring skating, ice slides, activities for little kids. If you’re starting spring break early, begin with a visit to the extremely spring-like Botanical Garden’s Butterflies Go Free event – and explore the tropics at the Biodôme or space at the Planetarium, all part of the many worlds at the Montréal Space for Life. Play board games, video games and more all for free at Festival Montréal Joue, Feb. 25 to March 12, including local indie games at the SAT on Feb. 25 and activities at libraries. Or play a game of cricket, ultimate Frisbee or even quidditch at the Ministry of Cricket (and Other Homeless Sports). If you or your kids love the comic book universe of Astérix, see the characters step off the page at Grévin Montréal wax museum. Watch the Montréal Canadiens as they take on the Blue Jackets on Feb. 28 and the Predators on March 2 at the Bell Centre, or go cheer on Montréal’s CWHL stars Les Canadiennes as they skate hard in the Clarkson Cup Playoffs, Feb. 24-26.

L’Atelier Nespresso: une expérience gastronomique unique offerte dans le cadre de #MTLenLumiere ! Venez voir des chefs de renom montréalais et lyonnais à l’oeuvre les 11 et 12 mars prochain ! Toutes les infos sur PotluckMTL.com #MomentsNespresso

Une publication partagée par MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE (@mtlenlumiere) le 9 Févr. 2017 à 6h28 PST

Food and drink

Along with the MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE festival’s many gastronomic delights – dozens of incredible local and international chefs, multi-course meals, workshops, food-focused tours! – you’re sure to stay warm in winter with a big bowl of pho or Japanese authentic ramen, a cup of tea at Montréal’s tea houses, a signature winter cocktail at one of Montréal’s Hidden Bars, or an evening of decadence next to Montréal’s coziest fireplaces. And for sweet tooths, why not spoil your inner child at Montréal’s candy shops.

Stage and screen

This year’s impressive winter-spring dance program includes Perm Opera Ballet’s rendition of Swan Lake, presented by Les Grands Ballets at Place des Arts Feb. 22-26, while dance meets rock concert in Helen Simard’s Idiot at La Chapelle Feb. 27 to March 3, and the incredible Dana Michel performs her work Mercurial George at Usine C, Feb. 28 to March 3, while Flamenco Vivo presents the fabulous Lo Esencial by Luis de la Carrasca, Feb. 28 at Le Gesù and it’s Flamenca Night on March 1 at Le Balcon Cabaret Music-Hall. In theatre, laugh along with farcical play Noises Off at the Segal Centre or Centaur Theatre’s comedy Bakersfield Mist. In film: watch indie films and step into the Virtual Reality Garden and Not Short on Talent installation at the Phi Centre, see Children of Men at the Canadian Centre for Architecture on March 2, and America Wild 3D at the Montréal Science Centre, while the Massimadi Afro-Caribbean LGBTQ film festival runs Feb. 21 to March 4 at various venues and 360-degree, surround sound film experiments astound at SAT Fest. And test your film knowledge: did you know that these movies were filmed in Montréal?

Ce chef-d’oeuvre est à voir au #MBAM, profitez-en dès maintenant! http://ift.tt/2mpgy3U Commandé avec “La Danse” (1950-1952) pour décorer le foyer du Watergate Theatre de Londres, “Le #Cirque bleu” est une #oeuvre emblématique de #Chagall. This #Masterpiece is on view now at the MMFA, don’t miss it! http://ift.tt/2kBVTsL Commissioned along with “The Dance” (1950-1952) to decorate the new auditorium of the Watergate Theatre in London, “The #Blue #Circus” is an emblematic work in Chagall’s oeuvre. Marc Chagall (1887-1985), “Le Cirque #bleu”, 1950-1952. Nice, Musée national Marc Chagall, dépôt du Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou, Paris. © SODRAC & ADAGP 2017, Chagall ®. © CNAC / MNAM / Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY. Photo Gérard Blot #mbamchagall

Une publication partagée par Musée des beaux-arts Mtl (@mbamtl) le 17 Févr. 2017 à 10h14 PST

Museums and galleries

Among this season’s excellent museum exhibitions, don’t miss the wonderful paintings, costumes and music of CHAGALL: COLOUR AND MUSIC, featuring 340 works by the Russian-French artist at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Part of the 375th programming, kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist Skawennati’s solo exhibition Tomorrow People explores time and identity in analog and digital forms at Oboro. See Scottish artist Graham Fagen’s video and music-based installation The Slave’s Lament at Galerie de l’UQAM. And at the Musée d’art contemporain, moving works by foremost Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, as well as Québec artist Emanuel Licha’s Now Have a Look at This Machine documentary installation – the museum also hosts its music-and-art night event Nocturne on Feb. 24. In Old Montréal, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye provokes at DHC-ART. Never Apart’s winter exhibition celebrates Black heritage, Indigenous women and more, plus film Paris Is Voguing on Feb. 24. Salon des nouvelles musiques video exhibition reflects on the music of tomorrow through past composers’ views of the future at Place des Arts Salle d’exposition. Elsewhere, you’ll find art in the “underground city” pedestrian network and in the city’s most stunning churches and other sacred sites.

Classical concerts

Among the many highlights of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE is music, including dozens of classical concerts at beautiful venues. This week, unwind with I Musici de Montréal at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art’s Bourgie Hall on Feb. 24, Daniel Taylor and Suzie Leblanc at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel on Feb. 25, Ensemble Caprice playing the Complete Bach Cantatas at Bourgie Hall on Feb. 26, Alain Lefèvre‘s Sas Agapo at the Maison symphonique on Feb. 26, a string quartet marathon evening on Feb. 28 at Bourgie Hall, and pianist Jean-Philippe Sylvestre on March 1 at Bourgie Hall. Meanwhile, on Feb. 24, Jean-François Rivest conducts the Orchestre Métropolitain at Place des Arts in a concert inspired by nature, and on Feb. 25 Vasily Petrenko conducts the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and pianist Javier Perianest at Place des Arts, Festival Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques brings Martin Matalon’s Le Scorpion score (for Luis Buñuel’s The Golden Ageto) to Cinquième Salle on Feb. 26, and Pro Musica presents the Hagen Quartet at Place des Arts on Feb. 27.

More live music

On Friday, L.A. rock stars Maroon 5 play the first of two nights at the Bell Centre, Simply Saucer perform psych-rock mayhem at Bar le Ritz P.D.B., while Tchami and Mercer bring off-the-hook electro dance music to New City Gas. On Saturday, British singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich plays his heart out at Café Campus, Sydney-based electro-pop production duo Cosmo’s Midnight go live at Newspeak, the SAT throws its Domesicle party with Music Is My Sanctuary, while NGHTMRE, Peking Duk and Jackal get us dancing at New City Gas. Meanwhile, among this week’s MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE shows: Bobby Bazini at Metropolis on Friday, Champion and his G-Strings electro-symphony at Club Soda on Saturday, French singer Benjamin Biolay on Feb. 26 at Place des Arts, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears at La Sala Rossa on Feb. 27, Danish singer Agnes Obel on Feb. 28 at Place des Arts, and on March 2, The Tea Party wows at Metropolis, Leif Vollebekk shines at La Tulipe, and Milk & Bone’s Camille Poliquin plays solo as KROY at Théatre Fairmount.

At the same time, Black History Month Montréal presents a weekend of music featuring Lee Fields & The Expressions at L’Astral and jazz stand-outs Aaron Diehl, Adam Birnbaum and Cécile McLorin Salvant at Centre Pierre-Péladeau on Friday, followed by a soul, Motown and disco evening with Dawn Tyler Watson at Le Balcon on Saturday, and on Sunday Malian kora master Ballaké Sissoko and French cellist Vincent Segal at Gesù and Khari Wendell McClelland in Searching for the Sound of the Underground Railroad at Le Balcon. Sunday night also brings the sweet electro-pop sounds of Vallis Alps to Bar le Ritz P.D.B. On March 1, join singer-songwriter icons Rickie Lee Jones and Madeleine Peyroux in a stellar double bill at Place des Arts, rock with Billy Talent at the Bell Centre, or get into the serious groove of Thundercat at the SAT. Singer Ariane Moffatt joins the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal for an OSM POP concert at Place des Arts on March 1-2. And Arcade Fire’s Tim Kingsbury is Sam Patch at Bar le Ritz P.D.B. on March 2. For more, check out where to hear live music in Montréal.

Up next:Spring break for families in Montréal

    The post Things to do in Montréal February 24 to March 2 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

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The Teleprompter Interview: Daniel Mays ‘I’d jump at an Ashes to Ashes Return’

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‘He pops up absolutely everywhere doesn’t he?’ says Daniel Mays about his Code 404 co-star Stephen Graham. You could say the same of Mays. A draw on any cast list, between them in the last year alone they’ve appeared in almost 20 major titles – 1917, Good Omens, White Lines (Mays), The Irishman, The Virtues, Line of Duty, Save Me (Graham) to name just a handful.

Why Mays and Graham are in such high and regular demand is no mystery; they’re two of our best. Mays has an instant affability on screen that he’s able to turn to tragedy or comedy or both at once. Graham’s characters are often the reverse, unknowable and dangerous before he lays their vulnerabilities bare.

In sci-fi comedy Code 404, they play detectives with a tangled personal history. Mays is a DI unexpectedly brought back from the dead via some bug-ridden experimental AI tech. Graham is the trusty partner who’s been keeping his colleague’s wife (Anna Maxwell Martin) company during his absence.

Already renewed for a second run, Mays tells Den of Geek it’s the most binge-watched show on Sky in eight years. “We’re all buzzing about doing another series.” As the first is released on DVD, he talks us through his TV memories…

Which TV show inspired you to start your acting career?

Robbie Coltrane in the Jimmy McGovern drama Cracker. I find his stuff heart-breaking at times but it’s astounding social realist television. Any script written by Jimmy is nuanced and powerful. He’s one of this country’s most amazing writers.

More than anything though, it was Robbie Coltrane’s performance. I remember all the incredible performances, Robert Carlyle as the skinhead with those fantastic interrogation scenes, Christopher Eccleston… but Coltrane as this antihero, a gambler and a womaniser and a drinker, a maverick copper, he was amazing.

That and Prime Suspect.I could go further back, but in terms of when I was really getting serious about becoming an actor, those were the two that were compulsive viewing. I’ve subsequently gone on to work with Jimmy McGovern so it feels like it’s gone full circle.

Which TV character did you want to be when you were younger?

As a kid I was really into The A Team and whassisname, David Hasselhoff! Michael Knight from Knight Rider. As a kid I was obsessed with that show. I had all the action figures. That car was so cool wasn’t it? And when he did the turbo boost and jumped over everything!

In The A Team I probably wanted to be Face, but in reality, if I was to be cast as anyone now it wouldn’t be Face [laughs], it would be Murdoch wouldn’t it?

And which TV character would you like to be now?

When I was working, I didn’t really watch much telly at all but obviously that’s all changed now we’re in lockdown. Before, I hadn’t ever delved into The Sopranos, and I love that character, Tony Soprano. If I could pick one TV character I’d like to have a go at now, that’s the one.

Has any TV programme ever given you nightmares?

Oh man, I’m telling you! There was an ITV adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde with Michael Caine. I’m going back years and years, I must have been about 10 or 11. The make-up that they used in this show when he changed from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde, the Hyde make-up was absolutely terrifying, to the point where it really affected me.

I was far too young to watch it and I even had to sleep in between my mum and dad at 10 years old, I was absolutely petrified of that character. Even in preparation for these questions, I went on YouTube and typed it in and there he was again, petrifying, even today!

When did you last laugh out loud watching TV?

The new Alan Partridge when he’s doing the talk show with Susannah Fielding, that particular sketch when he was attempting to use the toilet on the train without using his hands, when he went into that whole routine of opening the door with his knee. Anything with Alan Partridge I find absolutely hysterical.

I’m an absolute sucker for Only Fools and Horses as well. I’m such a die-hard fan of that show and whenever that pops up on UK TV or Gold, if I end up watching five minutes, I have to sit down and watch the whole episode. I’m such a lover of that relationship between David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst, I think it’s absolute gold, all of those characters, John Sullivan’s writing, it’s part of my fabric growing up. It’s probably my favourite ever TV show.

Name an iconic TV moment for your generation

The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics was an amazing moment of television isn’t it? It started out in like a farmyard [laughs] and I remember thinking, ‘what have we got going on here? We’ve got the eyes of the world watching us…!’ But it then proceeded to be the most engaging and emotional extravaganza. In terms of Olympics opening ceremonies, nothing comes close to that, even in Beijing when you had that huge number of people. It was so brilliantly British. I don’t know why I ever doubted Danny Boyle. He hit it out of the park.

What was the last TV show you recommended to someone?

I recommended Save Me, the Lennie James show. I watched the second series of that in lockdown and the second series was even better than the first, and I absolutely adored the first series. I thought that was an absolute breath of fresh air, I think it was really amazing that Lennie had written this piece set on a sink estate and yet it felt vibrant and I loved the characters. It was just a wonderful piece of television. They’ve got to do another series. I definitely recommend that.

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Starring your Code 404 co-star Stephen Graham

Yes! He pops up absolutely everywhere doesn’t he?

Which TV show does everybody keep nagging you to watch that you haven’t yet seen?

Ozark and Succession. They’re two shows I’m yet to delve into really. They’re two on my list I’ve got to tick off, along with everything else!

Which TV show would you like to bring back from the dead?

There’s all this talk that there’s going to be a final instalment of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, which I keep hearing rumours about. From what I’ve read, it’s more based around what happens to John Simm’s character Sam Tyler. I don’t know if it’s going to be a modern-day thing but I always wanted to see Gene Hunt in the 90s. It’s difficult to make that happen because Ashes to Ashes was sewn up brilliantly. I’m sort of hesitant to say it should come back but Gene Hunt is such an iconic character and Phil Glenister was so incredible in that role.

I’ve always gone on record and said that Jim Keats – the character I played, the devil – was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done so if there’s an opportunity to play that role again, I’d jump at that. Is it egotistical of me to pick a show that I’ve been in myself?!

Which show do you wish more people would watch? If you were forced to pick another one of yours?

I did a single drama on BBC Two called Mother’s Day about the Warrington bombing. That’s a really important moment in history and it’s such a heart-felt drama. If anyone’s not seen it, that would be something I would recommend to people to watch. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

Have you ever done fancy dress as a TV character?

[Laughs] I went to an EastEnders fancy dress party dressed up as Frank Butcher! My then-girlfriend went as Pat so we were Pat and Frank. Then when I got there, there was another guy dressed up as Frank Butcher but he was gangster-Frank so he had all the bling on. We had a bit of a Frank Butcher-off.

Tell me you were the Frank Butcher with the spinning bow-tie?!

[Laughs] I didn’t go that far! Actually, scrap the Olympics opening ceremony, do the Frank Butcher bow-tie as the most iconic moment of my generation [laughs].

Which TV theme song do you know all the words to?

I know all the words to Friends and I have to say, Only Fools and Horses again, whenever that comes on I always end up singing all over it.

Which TV character would you like to beat in a fight?

What’s the TV show that The Rock does? It’s set in LA, Russell Brand’s been in it as well. I wouldn’t mind beating up the Rock, because my wife loves a bit of the Rock! So I could beat him up in a TV drama. Who wouldn’t want to beat The Rock up?!

What is the most fun you’ve had making television?

White Lines for Netflix, without a shadow of a doubt. That’s a complete no-brainer. The locations, the character I was playing, the actors I was working with and the scripts were just absolutely brilliant and bonkers. Fingers crossed we get a second series.

If you get a second series, your character Marcus has quite a different role set out for him, doesn’t he?

Yeah! He’s going to become the drug baron of the Calafat family. It’s all to play for isn’t it, especially for Marcus, the whole thing’s been left wide open for him to get into all sorts of mishaps and scrapes.

That character was probably the most enjoyable character I’ve played, him and Jim Keats. I just had such a ball, he was so funny and he had this sort of tragedy to him as well. He’s just so hapless. The thought of Marcus in Colombia or Bolivia or wherever just makes me howl even thinking about it.

And when else do you get to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dog?

That’s true! I forgot I did that scene. That’s mad isn’t it. Though I actually only punched the dog’s chest. At one point I did say ‘Shall I give the dog actual mouth-to-mouth?’ and the director Nick Hamm said ‘I think that’s too much Danny, even for this show.’

Code 404 is out on DVD & digital 6 July.

The post The Teleprompter Interview: Daniel Mays ‘I’d jump at an Ashes to Ashes Return’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

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