#Marc McCutcheon

[isupportzaynxliamxziam]

Friday, 6 December 2019 / part II

Liam releases his debut album LP1 through Capitol Records. It's hip hop and R&B-oriëntated, drawing influence from Usher and Justin Timberlake. A number of singles were released ahead of the album including Strip That Down, Get Low, Bedroom Floor and Familiar. For You, Polaroid and the Christmas track All I Want (For Christmas) are also included as bonus tracks. Stack It Up was released as the lead single from the album. Live Forever is also released simultaneously alongside the album

The opener of the album is Stack It Up featuring A Boogie wit a Hoodie, written by Ed Sheeran, Steve McCutcheon, Frederik Gibson and Artist Dubose better known as A Boogie wit a Hoodie. The production's in de hands of Steve Mac

Remember is written by James Abrahart, Jonathan Price, Stefan and Jordan Johnson, as well as Marcus Lomax aka Marc Lo and Oliver Peterhof aka German. The production is done by The Monsters & Strangerz (= production and songwriting team of Alexander "Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Oliver "German" Peterhof, Stefan and Jordan Johnson) , Jonny Price and Gian Stone

Heart Meet Break is written by Jake Torrey, Michael Matosic and Joseph Spargur, also known as Joe London, who also did the production of the song

Hips Don't Lie is written by Stefan and Jordan Johnson, as well as by Marcus Lomax, Alexander Izquierdo and Oliver Peterhof. The Monsters & Strangerz and Ben Chang aka Bengineer

Tell Your Friends is written by David Brown, Dylan Bauld and Sam Watters. The two last also produced the song

Say It All is the first song on the album Liam co-wrote. Other songwriters on it are Ryan Tedder, Sandy Wilhelm, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. Ryan Tedder produced the song with Stargate (= producing and songwriting team of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen)

Rude Hours is written by James Duval, Rudolph Huggins and Daniel Schofield, who also produced the song as DannyBoyStyles

Live Forever featuring Cheat Codes is written by Samuel Preston, Evan Kidd Bogart and Sylvester "Sly" Sivertsen, while the song's produced by Trevor Dahl and Sly

Weekend is a song written by Liam, with Aaron Zuckerman, Simon Wilcox, Nolan Lambroza and Shaun Frank. Both Aaron Z and sir Bilan produced the song

Both Ways is written by Liam, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Stephenie Jones, Ian Franzino and Andrew Haas. Afterhrs hàndeld the production

Strip That Down featuring Quavo is written by Liam, Ed Sheeran, Steve McCutcheon and a lot of others, while the production is done by Steve Mac

For You featuring Rita Ora, from Fifty Shades Freed is written by Alexandra Tamposi, Ali Payami and Andrew Wotman. The two last produced the song with Peter Karlsson

Familiar featuring J Balvin is written by Gamal Lewis, Sean Douglas, J Balvin and Michael Sabath, wil also handled the production

Polaroid featuring Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella is written by John Paul Cooper, Samuel Romans, Edward Drewett and Jonas Blue, who also handled the production

Get Low featuring Zedd is written by Charles Hinwhaw Jr, Tristan Landymorr, Fabienne Holloway and Anton Zaslavski als Zedd, wil also did the production

Bedroom Floor is written by Charlie Puth, Jacob Kasher Jr, Steve McCutcheon, Ammar Malik, Noel Zancanella and Aaron Jennings. The production's handled by Steve Mac and Ben Rice

The last song the album is All I Want (For Christmas), written by James Newman, Samuel Preston and Phil Cook. The latter also produced the song

[dartumbles]

NaNo Word Count--Kate

NaNo Word Count–Kate

After a full day of playing with a random number generator to pick characteristics from my favorite NaNoWriMo book Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon

I have now build Kate into a character that is nearly breathing. I put the characteristics into Google and this is who they thought matched.

Babs or Cher, much younger. Kate is 25. And a bit chunkier though nowhere near fat. It is…

[puzzlenation]

A Handful of Puzzly Resources for Constructors!

In today's blog post, we share some of our favorite puzzly resources!

The internet has really grown the crossword community by leaps and bounds. Puzzlers can share favorite puzzles, reviews, opinions, and feedback with fellow solvers, constructors, editors, and publishers at the touch of a button. With downloadable puzzles, online solving, and puzzle apps (like Daily POP Crosswords!), access to puzzles has never been easier.

Entire forums dedicated to solving and…

[stretchjournalemerson]

The Lost and the Holy People: Worship of Musicians as a Religious Behavior and Possible Substitute for Religion

By Chloe Callahan - 

I was last in line for The Struts VIP experience. In the small, dark space that was the Paradise Rock Club, I stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the stage. I was starting to get bored; I had been standing in line for three hours. My then-boyfriend and I had been at a Red Sox game earlier in the day and we were exhausted, but I had been dreaming of this day for so long I resolved to push through the discomfort.

The VIP manager, who had disappeared nearly half an hour earlier, came back into the stage area and announced that “the boys” were coming.

Suddenly the whole line was energized. I watched hungrily as The Struts came from underneath the stairs opposite me, one by one. Luke Spiller, Adam Slack, Jed Elliott, and Gethin Davies. My heroes. A scream went up from the VIP line. There were only about twenty-five of us, but we filled the club with our excitement.

My eyes locked onto Luke, all but forgetting my poor boyfriend behind me.

“He’s even prettier in real life,” I sighed.

However, as I waited my turn to meet the band I had been worshipping for four years, I noticed something: they were wearing their street clothes. Luke Spiller, known for flaunting fabulous ensembles worthy of Freddie Mercury, was wearing a Jurassic Park t-shirt, a sherpa-lined jacket, and Keds. Looking down at him from the top of the stairs in the dim lighting, he looked human.

A little part of me sunk in disappointment. I wanted to feel the hot pink silk of his famous angel kimono; I wanted to be dwarfed by him in his glittery, high-heeled boots. The man standing before me was a mere two inches taller than me, and we were practically wearing the same outfit.

When I reached the front of the line, Luke was the first to hug me. He was solid, yet I felt I had been touched by a divine being. I hugged the rest of the band, and they asked me questions, joked around with me, and told me maybe I could drum with them one day. They really were human, I saw, just real people I was having a conversation with. The fact would be lost slightly when they emerged later in their heavenly stage ensembles, but for now they were just chatting with me like we were old friends.

It was a conversation worth the three hundred dollars I paid for it.

***

Celebrity Worship Syndrome is a psychological condition that has been heavily studied in recent years. Defined as “an abnormal phenomenon whereby individuals become virtually obsessed with one or more celebrities,” it affects a wide range of people who may or may not realize that they are affected (“Extreme” Maltby et al. 247). There are three levels of Celebrity Worship Syndrome (CWS), which are often measured using the Celebrity Attitude Scale created by Dr. Lynn E. McCutcheon, one of the leading researchers in the field of celebrity worship. The first dimension is entertainment-social, which is a healthy interest in the works and career of a certain celebrity, and the desire to share such interest with friends and family. The second dimension is intense-personal, which includes “intense and compulsive feelings towards one’s favorite celebrity.” This dimension is associated with some psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, neuroticism, body-image issues, and poor relationships. The final dimension is the borderline-pathological dimension, which is associated with extreme dedication and “maladaptive forms of admiration” that push individuals towards “criminal behaviors and addiction.” (Zsila et al. 654)

Several studies have linked religious behaviors to celebrity worship syndrome, though not a lot of research has been done on whether certain religious behaviors fall into certain dimensions of CWS. Therefore, this essay will not focus on extreme degrees of behavior; rather it will focus on how CWS affects the average person. More specifically, it will focus on the music fan.

Rock stars have long been the standard for fame. Particularly in the latter half of the twentieth century, to achieve rock star status would be to achieve the ultimate level of success. In recent years, as the popularity of rock music has faded, the pop or rap star has risen as the new standard. However, this essay will be primarily focusing on rock musicians, as rock and religious behaviors were intertwined for so long.

This essay will explore how people who worship musicians may substitute music for religion, what behaviors come of this, and why this behavior might occur.

***

Music and religious worshippers have long shared similar behaviors. The most important of these is the ritual of the concert. The rituals differ between each band or musician, just as rituals differ between each faith of branch of a religion. However, one thing that is universal is the presence of some form of preacher spreading their message to an eager audience.

Rupert Till is the Associate Dean International in the School of Music, Humanities, and Media at the University of Huddersfield (“Rupert Till”). In his essay “The Personality Cult of Prince: Purple Rain, Sex and the Sacred, and the Implicit Religion,” Till notes the way in which Prince overtly played on religion in and conducted his concerts as if they were sermons. In particular, his film Let’s Go Crazy begins with the phrase “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” which “places [Prince] in the position of Christ or deity, marrying, possessing, and becoming one with his worshippers…” (Till 148). This kind of intimacy between musician and fan mimics the connection to God religious worshippers seek when attending church services.

In addition to connecting with their idol, the concert is also one of the best ways for fans to connect with each other. I created a survey with Google Forms to gather information about people’s associations between their favorite musicians and religion, as well as their level of celebrity worship through the use of the Celebrity Attitude Scale. The survey was posted in a Facebook group for Struts fans called “Strutters - The Struts original authorized fan group.” At the time of this writing, the group contained 4,996 members. Of the fifty-three respondents to this survey, thirty-two said they enjoyed listening to their favorite musician while with a large group of people (Callahan). The feeling of being part of something larger than oneself is clearly appealing to both religious and musical worshippers. Till mentions how Prince has his audience “mimic his hand movements,” which allows the audience to feel connected to Prince and to each other (Till 148). The connection between all these separate souls could very well be seen as a spiritual experience. One respondent to my survey wrote, “The front row of a Struts concert is very much like a religious experience. I liken it to Rapture- a total euphoria of the senses that at the same time controls you and heightens your emotions while moving your entire being…” (Callahan). Both concertgoers and churchgoers can exalt in this sensation of losing themselves among their faith during their respective rituals.

Some music worshippers invest so much of themselves in these rituals that they make pilgrimages. Author Kevin McCarron traveled to five major rock and roll attractions in England. While two of them “official” tours and museums were made for tourists, the other three “unofficial experiences” held a sense of sanctity (McCarron 169). Strawberry Fields, where John Lennon’s ashes were scattered, the house where Freddie Mercury died, and the site of Marc Bolan’s car crash have all been converted into shrines to those artists. There are no “official” tours to these sites, so individual travelers have to make their own way there to leave offerings such as flowers and messages on nearby walls. (McCarron 169) At the site of Mercury’s death, among countless messages, one in particular perfectly summarizes the theme of the comments: “Freddie you are a God” (McCarron 170). These pilgrims, as McCarron refers to them, clearly had deep, intense personal connections to their favorite artists. They were willing to travel from great distances to pay their respects, just as religious pilgrims might. In Islam, making the pilgrimage to Mecca is a form of dedication to Allah. It is a long journey to prove one’s devotion to their religion. A pilgrimage to Strawberry Fields or Mercury’s house suggests a similar level of dedication.

***

Why do people form these intense religious bonds with their favorite musicians? There are several reasons one might be drawn to these behaviors and allow music to fill the role of religion in their lives.

The relationship between religion and CWS was studied by Dr. John Maltby, another lead researcher in the field of celebrity worship. He found that the tendency to worship celebrities decreases as religiosity increases (“Thou” Maltby et al. 1157). This might suggest that those who worship celebrities in similar ways to how one might worship a god are using celebrity worship as a substitute for organized religion. This aligns with celebrity mental health expert Donna Rockwell’s theory that celebrity worshippers are looking for guidance and a sense of identity that they cannot find within themselves (Rockwell). Those who subscribe to recognized religions often worship their gods for a similar reason. They are asking for help and guidance from their god.

In agreeance with Rockwell’s theory, Till argues that music fans feel that something is missing from themselves, so they turn to musicians to fill that part of their identity (Till 143). He describes in detail how similar this is to religious practices:

“This is preceded by katharsis or purification, the emptying out of self, addressing the void, stillness, and space, so that the “divine” popular icon can indwell the empty vessel. The process is also similar to the concept of theosis in Christian theology, the transformation of believers into the likeness of God, including transforming the mind, character, and self, as well as the imitation of, or union with, God (Finlan and Kharlamov 2006). . . . As members of the audience imagine themselves being or possessing a pop star, they are then embodied as larger than life characters, godlike beings, possessing the star as they consume them and becoming possessed themselves by the character of the star” (Till 144).

This is the greatest appeal of worshipping a musician: the power that comes with admiring such a powerful being. When I asked the Strutters what they found most appealing about their musician, the large majority said stage presence, personality, or lifestyle (Callahan). People are drawn to the exciting life that comes with being a rock star, and they wish they had that form of power. Therefore, they look to musicians to fill that hole in their identity.

There are several things that make the rock star lifestyle so attractive. Maltby found in his study that respondents tended to choose their favorite celebrity based on entertainment value (“Thou” Maltby et al. 1168). This correlates to the answers from my study, particularly for the twelve respondents who named stage presence or some variation thereof (energy, live shows, interactions with crowds, etc.) as the most appealing factor of their musician (Callahan). The excitement of watching someone with such lively energy tends to create a desire to mimic that energy.        

In fact, the love of a performer’s energy might stem from a fan’s desire for sensation. Patrick Litle and Marvin Zuckerman of the University of Delaware found that “high sensation seekers,” or people who have a higher desire for stimulation and thrills, prefer to listen to rock music and dislike religious music (Litle and Zuckerman 576). This is consistent with Maltby’s negative relationship between celebrity worship and religiosity. Those who worship musicians, particularly rock musicians, are craving a higher sense of excitement than traditional religion can provide.

In a similar vein, Maltby also found that there was a large overlap between “intense personal feelings” towards a celebrity and the celebrity’s sex appeal (“Thou” Maltby et al. 1169). The arousal caused by a musician’s stage presence certainly lends to a fan’s attraction to them. Till noted how Prince used his androgynous, homoerotic sexuality to set himself apart from other musicians (Till 144). This played into his “mediapheme,” or his persona as a cultural icon, and was a major contributor to his success (143). Most stars today incorporate their sex appeal into their personas to attract the kind of attention Prince had. Three respondents in my survey claimed sex appeal or appearance as the most appealing quality of their favorite musician (Callahan). While this may not seem at first to have any relation to religion, Till writes that a widely recognized definition of religion is “that relating to the sacred and profane” (Till 142). Many people view overt sexuality as “profane” or offensive to their religion. By playing off of this and emphasising their sexuality, then combining this with the sermon-like nature of their concerts, musicians create a perfect blend of the sacred and the profane.

***

Another strong appeal for music fans is community that comes from other fans. Maltby claims that religious individuals seek “protection or comfort” and “participation in a powerful in-group” from their religion (“Thou” Maltby et al. 1159). A religious group finds strength among its numbers; members of churches tend to form special bonds between each other and their god. They hold church events, such as potlucks, extra prayer services, drama productions, and fundraisers. They form an exclusive community for those who think the same way they do.

Music fans seek the same community. For most of music history, concerts were the way to find that community. Now with the advent of social media, community does not have to stop at concerts. It can be found in Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and Tumblr blogs. In my survey, thirty-seven of the fifty-three respondents agreed that they love to talk to other people who admire their favorite band or rock star. In addition, forty respondents said they enjoy just being around others who like their favorite musician. (Callahan) These fans find comfort in being part of an “in-group” as Maltby phrases it. When asked what they find most appealing about their favorite band, several people mentioned the community of fans surrounding the band. One respondent said “They have a great fan community, and I’ve met people who I consider lifetime friends now. Karl, who is like a member of the band gets us into venues early when he’s able and the fanclub, takes great care of us” (Callahan). Members of these fan groups help each other out, just as a church group might help a member.

Considering that people who worship celebrities tend to be less religious, it is likely that people seek out the community of a music fandom when they feel alienated from other religions. The youth audience, in particular, tends to turn away from religions that might alienate them for various reasons. They may be LGBT, struggling with issues that cause them to feel abandoned by their family’s god, or disillusioned with the church’s teachings. For many of these individuals, music fills the void in a more relatable way. Indeed, in my survey, 54% of respondents between eighteen and twenty-nine said they might associate religion with their favorite musician and 54% said they definitely would associate their musician with worship. This was a larger positive response than any other age group. (Callahan) People in this age group are, at the youngest, just moving into college, and at the oldest, usually still figuring themselves out. Their newfound freedom might help facilitate a break from their family’s beliefs and lead them towards musical worship.

My Chemical Romance, one of the hallmark bands of the emo genre, appealed most heavily to people around this age, particularly if they came of age post-9/11. According to Sia Michel’s article for the New York Times, “...the hit single ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ became a rallying cry for a growing base of alienated kids weaned on war, school shootings, and constant terrorism threats” (Michel). Religious institutions might be hesitant to approach these issues beyond offering “thoughts and prayers,” but bands like My Chemical Romance address them openly, offering comfort and hope.

Similarly, Hayley Kiyoko rose to stardom through the worship of young people. Her first hit single “Girls Like Girls” was an anthem of sapphic love, and Kiyoko gained so much popularity that people started referring to her as “Lesbian Jesus” (Pollard). The LGBT community has been historically alienated from most religious communities, so it appears that young LGBT people have sought out their religion in a musician who sings about feelings and sensations that they can relate to.

***

Most people would argue that they are not celebrity worshippers. They may not realize how much CWS affects their life. Maltby found that “many religious persons either ignore [the Christian teaching to worship no other Gods] or, due to compartmentalisation, they fail to perceive that celebrity worship is actually a violation of that teaching” (“Thou” Maltby et al. 1170). This implies that people who exhibit any of the aforementioned behaviors may not actually realize that they are acting religiously. In other cases, they may realize they are doing so, but be hesitant to admit it. One respondent to my survey wrote, “My intellectual side knows better than to ‘worship,’ but it’s such a ‘special’ thing when you love the music and message of an artist and that feeling can sometimes be so strong it borders on worship!” (Callahan). Whether one is willing to admit it or not, there are clear connections between the worship of musicians and religious behavior. It may not be a recognized religion, but music has the potential to fill that role in someone’s life, particularly if they are looking for community or identity.

***

I never got the name of the woman standing in front of me at the Struts concert, but if Luke Spiller is the Jesus of rock and roll, then she was an apostle. She was older, probably in her late forties, and her 80s-style perm was starting to gray. She held a handmade sign that read “Pittsburgh to Boston, 17 shows.” This pilgrim had been following The Struts around the country for two months, and she had been at every show since the Body Talks Tour began.

This was my first Struts show, and the woman welcomed me into the community. She let me hang my bag on the front row barrier with hers so I wouldn’t keep tripping on it, and when someone in the back threw a beer at my boyfriend, she pushed us in front of her protectively. I was delighted to learn that the Strutter community was just as friendly and welcoming in real life as they were online. Among fellow fans, with the woman’s maternal protection, I was free to enjoy the religious experience that was front row spots at my favorite band’s concert.

I wish I had asked that woman her name, and more than anything, I wish I had her life. I would have loved to become a pilgrim like her, travelling around the country to hear the words of my rock gods, surrounded by fans who felt the same as I did.

Unfortunately, the concert ended and I was beckoned back into the real world. However, from that moment on, the Paradise Rock Club became a sacred place for me, a place where I had felt for the first time like I truly belonged to a religion, singing and dancing along to the messages from the band that meant so much to me.

Notes

The title of this essay, “The Lost and the Holy People” comes from the song “People” by The Struts.

The survey “Rock Idols Survey” was posted in  “Strutters - The Struts original authorized fan group,” which contains 4,996 members at the time of writing, on March 30, 2019. The survey contained two parts. The first part gathered general information. Questions included age, gender, level of dedication to traditional religion, number of times the respondent has seen their favorite musician live, how far they would be willing to travel, how much money they would be willing to spend on tickets and merchandise, their experience meeting their favorite musician, and if they would ever associate the words “religion” or “worship” with their favorite musician. Part two contained the Celebrity Attitude Scale, created by Dr. John Maltby. The scale is comprised of 34 statements and asks respondents to choose a number between 1 (Strongly Disagree) and 5 (Strongly Agree) to indicate how strongly they relate to the statement. 53 people responded to the survey.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Luke Spiller, Gethin Davies, Adam Slack, and Jed Elliott for providing me a religion. Thank you to Professor Mary Kovaleski-Byrnes for her insights, as well as my Research Writing classmates for their excellent workshopping skills. In particular, thank you to Eitan Miller, Matthew Pifko, and Rachel Lamarre for their in-depth peer reviews. Thank you to the 53 Strutters who took my survey, and finally, thank you to the nameless Strutter woman who made my first Struts concert a magical experience.

Works Cited

Callahan, Chloe. “Rock Idols Survey.” Survey. 30 Mar. 2019.

Litle, Patrick, and Marvin Zuckerman. "Sensation Seeking and Music Preferences." Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 7, no. 4, 1986, pp. 575-87. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/0191-8869(86)90136-4. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Maltby, John. "Celebrity Attitude Scale." University of Leicester, www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/people/jm148/scales/celebrity-attitude-scale/view. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Maltby, John, et al. "Extreme Celebrity Worship, Fantasy Proneness and Dissociation: Developing the Measurement and Understanding of Celebrity Worship within a Clinical Personality Context." Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 40, no. 2, Jan. 2006, pp. 273-83. ScienceDirect, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886905002552. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

"Thou Shalt Worship No Other Gods — Unless They Are Celebrities: The Relationship between Celebrity Worship and Religious Orientation." Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 32, no. 7, May 2002, pp. 1157-72. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00059-9. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.

McCarron, Kevin. "Pilgrims or Tourists?: Rock Music and 'Shrines' in England." Critical Survey, vol. 7, no. 2, 1995, pp. 165–171. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41555911.

Michel, Sia. "Fresh From the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner." The New York Times, New York Times Company, 22 Oct. 2006, www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/arts/music/22mich.html. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Pollard, Alexandra. "How Hayley Kiyoko Became Pop's 'Lesbian Jesus.'" The Guardian, Guardian News & Media, 22 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/22/hayley-kiyoko-on-her-lesbian-pop-this-is-bigger-than-i-thought-it-was. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Rockwell, Donna. "Celebrity Worship and the American Mind." Huffington Post, Verizon Media, 9 Jan. 2018, www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-rockwell-psyd/celebrity-worship-and-the_b_13794782.html. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.

"Rupert Till." University of Huddersfield, pure.hud.ac.uk/en/persons/professor-chill. Accessed 9 Apr. 2019.

Spiller, Luke. “People.” YOUNG&DANGEROUS, Interscope Records, 2018, track 6. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/2UX7vJSvl4fVHaFoHY9meL?si=hhVvza3xTCuq_RdIj8ZZNQ.

Till, Rupert. "The Personality Cult of Prince: Purple Rain, Sex and the Sacred, and the Implicit Religion Surrounding a Popular Icon." Implicit Religion, vol. 13, no. 2, 2010, pp. 141-59.

[rocksbackpages]

New for RBP subscribers this week

“What futurism means to me is an Italian movement with fascist leanings. I don’t understand why people called it that...”

— Marc Almond to Paul Morley (NME, 1981)

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• Sonny & Cher (1965) • Otis Redding et al. (1966) • "Underground" NYC (1967) • Ringo Starr (1968) • The Manson family (1969) • Sly & Family Stone live (1970) • Bob Johnston (1971) • Van Morrison's Preview (1972) • Ashford & Simpson (1973) • Roxy Music live in NYC (1974) • KIϟϟ (1975) • The Outlaws' Lady (1976) • The Damned (1977) • Queen @ Empire Pool (1978) • Kirsty MacColl (1979) • Jermaine Jackson's Serious (1980) • Derek Bailey et al. live (1982) • Rockers Revenge (1983) • Van Halen's 1984 (1984) • Movie soundtracks (1985) • Liza Minnelli live (1986) • Jim Kerr (1987) • James' Strip-Mine (1988) • Beastie Boys in L.A. (1989) • Prince in Rotterdam (1990) • Cath Carroll (1991) • Cowboy Junkies (1992) • Gloria Estefan (1993) • Fun-Da-Mental in Bath (1994) • Bowie & Eno (1995) • Smog's Doctor (1996) • The Verve (1997) • Martine McCutcheon live (1998) • Leftfield (1999) • Imperial Teen's Seasick (2000) • Steve Malkmus (2001) • Chemicals' Come With Us (2002) • Jane's Addiction (2003) • Brian Wilson's Smile live (2004) • Shakira Q&A (2005) • Terri Walker's I Am (2006) • Young Marble Giants (2007) • Roger Waters @ O2 (2008) • Ned Doheny (2009) • Nick Cave's Prey et al. (2010) • The Vaccines (2011) • Seal live (2012) • Mud Morganfield (2013) • Tanya Donnelly live (2014) • Reggae on film (2015) • Lukas Graham (2016) • Lou Reed's 'Wild Side' (2017) • Florence & the Machine (2018) • Race and rock'n'roll (2019) • Khruangbin/Bananagun (2020)

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[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Good Witch Season 6 Press Releases - Spoilers

THE MAGIC IS BACK ON SUNDAYS!

CASSIE’S NEW GREY HOUSE GUEST HAS LESSONS TO LEARN IN ‘GOOD WITCH’ 

PREMIERING MAY 17, ON HALLMARK CHANNEL

STUDIO CITY, CA – April 22, 2020 – Cassie (Catherine Bell, “Army Wives,” “JAG”) and Abigail (Sarah Power, “Killjoys”) accompany Joy (Katherine Barrell, “Wynonna Earp”) to an estate sale as she begins renovating Martha’s (Catherine Disher, “Abby Hatcher”) mayor’s mansion on “Good Witch,” but Cassie soon discovers her newest Grey House guest has some lessons to learn in “The Clock,” premiering Sunday, May 17 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Channel. Martha works on her memoirs but finds her exciting life doesn’t translate to a page- turning book. Sam (James Denton, “Devious Maids,” “Desperate Housewives”) discovers the benefits of a therapy dog when helping one of his patients. Stephanie (Kylee Evans, “The Strain”) receives an unexpected visit from her ex-husband Wes (Sandy Jobin-Bevans, “Bajillionaires”), sparking some jealousy in Adam (Scott Cavalheiro, “The Wedding Planners”). Abigail helps Donovan (Marc Bendavid, “Murdoch Mysteries”) write a speech and struggles to remember their song. George (Peter MacNeill, “This Life”) reunites with an old army friend and makes him an extraordinary and lifesaving offer. Meanwhile, a gift from Cassie brings new meaning to a serendipitous reunion between two of Sam’s patients.

“Good Witch,” is a Whizbang Films production in association with ITV Studios America. Darin Goldberg, Orly Adelson, Jonathan Eskenas, Craig Pryce and Frank Siracusa are executive producers. Catherine Bell is co-executive producer. Janina Barrett is supervising producer. Colin Brunton serves as producer. Don McCutcheon directed from a script by Erinne Dobson. “Good Witch” is distributed internationally by ITV Studios. 

LINK 

THE MAGIC IS BACK ON SUNDAYS!

TENSIONS RISE AT CASSIE’S PROGRESSIVE DINNER AS COUPLES CONFRONT DIFFICULT DECISIONS ON ‘GOOD WITCH’

PREMIERING MAY 24, ON HALLMARK CHANNEL

STUDIO CITY, CA –May 11, 2020 – A progressive dinner brings some of Middleton’s favorite couples together on “Good Witch,” but underlying tensions between partners bubble to the surface in “The Dinner,” premiering Sunday, May 24 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Channel. Cassie (Catherine Bell, “Army Wives,” “JAG”) contemplates her next adventure as an empty nester, and hopes that the dinner is a chance for her friends to get to know Joy (Katherine Barrell, “Wynonna Earp”). Martha (Catherine Disher. “Abby Hatcher”) tries her hand as a columnist and investigates the identity of an anonymous advice seeker. Donovan (Marc Bendavid, “Murdoch Mysteries”) worries that he and Abigail (Sarah Power, “Killjoys”) are on different paths when she tells him about her dream to live abroad. Stephanie’s (Kylee Evans, “The Strain”) friendly relationship with her ex-husband (Sandy Jobin-Bevans, “Bajillionaires”) causes trouble for her relationship with Adam (Scott Cavalheiro, “The Wedding Planners”). Joy butts heads with a carpenter, but when he quits it puts their shared project in jeopardy. Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond, “Heartland”) visits for the weekend, worried about sharing his academic struggles with Sam (James Denton, “Devious Maids,” “Desperate Housewives”). When a health crisis arises at the dinner party, the fate of one Middleton resident becomes uncertain.

“Good Witch,” is a Whizbang Films production in association with ITV Studios America. Darin Goldberg, Orly Adelson, Jonathan Eskenas, Craig Pryce and Frank Siracusa are executive producers. Catherine Bell is co-executive producer. Janina Barrett is supervising producer. Colin Brunton serves as producer. Don McCutcheon directed from a script by Cole Bastedo. “Good Witch” is distributed internationally by ITV Studios. 

LINK

[melodrama-in-anti-suffragette]

2. Works Cited (Literature Review)

Bousquet, Marc. "10. Harry Potter, the War against Evil, and the Melodramatization of Public Culture." Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. Ed. Elizabeth E. Heilman. 2nd ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 177-95. Web.

Landy, Marcia, ed. Imitations of Life: A Reader on Film & Television Melodrama. Detroit, MI: Wayne State U, 1991. PDF.

Oneill, Therese. "12 Cruel Anti-suffragette Cartoons." The Week - All You Need to Know about Everything That Matters. The Week, 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Rogers, Jaqueline McLeod. "Geopolitics in the Anti-Suffrage Cartoons of American John Tinney McCutcheon and Canadian Newton McConnell: Stopping Trans-Atlantic Flow." Peitho 17.1 (2014): 31-45. Web.

Tickner, Lisa. The Spectacle of Women: Imagery of the Suffrage Campaign 1907-14. 1st ed. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1988. Print.

Williams, Linda. Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Tom to O.J. Simpson. Princeton: Princeton U, 2002. Print.

[weshipyourride]

2017 BikeFlights.com Brand Ambassadors Announced

BikeFlights.com is pleased to announce its Brand Ambassadors for the 2017 season, including 38 individuals and eight teams.

“The BikeFlights.com Ambassador Program has proven hugely popular, and we’re excited to continue to expand it,” said Sue George, Director of Communications at BikeFlights.com, a bicycle shipping service for cyclists. “We’re proud to support our Ambassadors and help them get their bikes to wherever they need to go.”

BikeFlights.com Ambassadors range from grassroots riders to Olympians and include roadies, trackies, mountain bikers, cyclocross racers, BMXers and triathletes.

BikeFlights.com’s Brand Ambassador Program is celebrating its third year.

Elite Team Ambassadors

LA Sweat (including Anna Grace Christiansen, Becca Schepps, Brenna Wrye-Simpson, Christa Ghent, Erin Goodall, Kelli Samuelson, Melanie Beale and Tiffany Pezzulo)

Maverick Multisport Pro Team (including Clayton Fettell, Dan Wilson, Jon Shearon, Lesley Smith and Rudy von Berg)

Stan's NoTubes-Kenda Women's Team (Alexis Skarda, Jenny Smith, Nina Baum and Sarah Kaufmann and Vicki Barclay)

Stan's-Pivot Pro Team (including Chloe Woodruff and Rose Grant)

National and Regional Teams, Clubs and Organizations

Green Line Velo

Ladies AllRide

Maverick Multisport Amateur Team

Napleton Elite Cycling Team

Individuals

Adam Ward (Wicked Wash) - Fairfax, VA

Allie Dragoo (Cervelo Bigla) - Grand Rapids, MI

Allison Linnell (Team Sirius) - Miami, FL

Amber Pierce (Team Colavita-Bianchi) - Mansfield Center, CT

Andrew Rizzi (HRRT) - Niskayuna, NY

Anna Janas (Razzle Dazzle Racing) - Palo Alto, CA

Beth Ann Orton (Hagens Berman-Supermint (road) & Sellwood Cycle Repair p/b Kona (cross) - Portland, OR

Beth Hernandez (Jakroo Track) - Oakland, CA

Blake Anton (Herbalife p/b Marc Pro - Nature's Bakery Elite Cycling Team) - Arroyo Grande, CA

Cecilia Davis-Hayes (Blue Ribbon Cycling Team) - New York, NY

Christina Birch - Los Angeles, CA

Cody Kaiser (LangeTwins / Specialized) - Sacramento, CA

Daniel Holloway (Texas Road House) - Boulder, CO

Douglas Torres (University of New Mexico-High Desert Bicycles) - Albuquerque, NM

Emily Shields (Ken's Bike Shop) - Advance, NC

Eric Oberg (Team Rev3) - Eliot, ME

Heather Leiggi - Milton, DE

Ivy Audrain (Hagens Berman-Supermint) - Bellingham, WA

Jon Hyde & Kimberly Sultze - Colchester, VT

Justin Lindine (Apex-NBX-Trek) - Ogden, UT

Justin Mauch (Herbalife- Nature's Bakery) - Sterling, VA

Katie Araujo (Castelli US) - San Marcos, CA

Kayley Burdine (Eastern Shore Cycles) - Mobile, AL

Kerry Werner (Kona Endurance Team) - Advance, NC

Kyle Trudeau (CZ Racing) - Tucson, AZ

Lesley Paterson (Scott USA/Braveheart Racing) - San Diego, CA

Lia Westermann (Summit-Competitive Cyclist) - Salt Lake City, UT

Lindsay Bayer (Hagens Berman-Supermint) - Chantilly, VA

Liza Rachetto (Hagens Berman-Supermint and Liza Coaching, LLC) - Boise, ID

Matt Gittings (Marian University Cycling) - Indianapolis, IN

Mike King (Felt Bicycles-Glukos Energy-Turbine-Vittoria) - Fort Mill, SC

Mindy McCutcheon (Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling (road) & DNA-Cotton Sox (cross) - Salt Lake City, UT

Nicole Mertz (NoCoast Racing powered by Intelligentsia) - Columbia Heights, MN

Payson McElveen (RideBiker) - Durango, CO

Rebecca Rusch (Niner-Red Bull) - Ketchum, ID

Robert Mayfield (Holtey Law p/b Peak Condition) - Saint Louis, MO

Sebastian Colon (NorthwestBMX & Jakroo Track) - Fort Mill, SC

The BikeFlights.com Brand Ambassador program is full for 2017. The application period for 2018 Brand Ambassadors will open in the fall after Interbike.

For more information about BikeFlights.com’s 2017 Brand Ambassadors, visit Bikeflights.com/ambassadors.

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/02/17/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-21717/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 2/17/17

On the movie front I finally got around to watching Central Intelligence. I’ve been wanting to see it since it was in theaters, as I love Kevin Hart movies, but I didn’t get to see it until it hit HBO. And I’m glad I waited. In the film, Hart plays a middle-aged accountant whose best days were in high school, when he was the most popular kid in school. Meanwhile, The Rock was the fat kid that all the other kids made fun of. Hart’s life is thrown into high gear when The Rock comes back into his life and turns out to work for the CIA. Hart gets wrapped up in murder, intrigue, and secret files. Yeah…On paper, this probably sounded like a great idea. The trailers looked hilarious. Surprisingly co-written by actor Ike Barinholtz (MadTV, The Mindy Project), it’s got a great cast, but they’re not necessarily bringing their A game. It was kinda weird to see Hart essentially playing the straight man, while The Rock had this weird goofiness to him. I know he’s trying to make the audience wonder if he can be trusted or not, but I don’t feel he sells it well. I almost bought this on Black Friday, and I’m glad I put it back on the shelf, as I don’t need to see it again.

In movie news, it’s rumored that Mel Gibson is being courted to direct Suicide Squad 2. Now, this is pretty interesting. I mean, who better to direct a movie about deranged criminals than a deranged actor/director? Seriously, that dude couldn’t be poked with an 8 foot pole a year ago, but since Hacksaw Ridge, it’s like all has been forgiven. I mean, he told his girlfriend he hoped she was “raped by a pack of niggers”! And let’s not forget all the antisemitic stuff. Anyway, I guess everyone deserves a second chance or whatever, but I don’t even see why he’d take the job. Even with all the controversy, a comic book film seems…beneath him, even if it would be great PR to restore his image in the public eye.

In other controversial movie news, A Cure For Wellness took a page out of the “fake news” playbook for its marketing campaign. 20th Century Fox partnered with fake news sites to run false stories alongside ads for the movie. Considering how the concept of fake news is upsetting a lot of people on both sides of the political aisle lately, this was considered to be in poor taste. A Fox spokesperson tried to explain that the film is about a fake cure that actually makes people sicker, so they thought the campaign was fitting. Fox has since apologized for the move, but I’ll bet it’s not the last time someone does this.

In TV news, ABC announced that the next season of The Bachelorette would star Rachel Lindsay as the first Black Bachelorette. This is important for a few reasons. First off, ABC is essentially torpedoing the notion that the current season of The Bachelor even matters anymore. After all, Lindsay is still in the running as one of the remaining finalists of the current cycle of the show. By doing this, ABC is spoiling the fact that she doesn’t win, before the finale has even aired. I’ve never watched the show prior to this season (What? It’s on at the gym!), but I’ve read that this is a particularly disappointing season. The current Bachelor, Nick Viall, is pretty boring, and is also on his fourth go-round with the franchise, having previously been a contestant on seasons 10 and 11 of The Bachelorette, as well as season 3 of Bachelor In Paradise. I mean, if he hasn’t found love by now, then he’d might as well just pack it in! The odd part to me, though, is the choice of Lindsay. I mean, I’ve been watching TV for a LONG time, and it used to be that the most outlandish cast member is the one who gets the spin-off. This season, that honor goes to Corinne, a 24 year old businesswoman who has a nanny for HERSELF, and has repeatedly tried to fuck Nick into choosing her, only to be rebuffed every time. She’s always shocked that someone could reject someone as hot as she is, but that shock never stops her from trying again. If you want good television, you make Corinne the next Bachelorette. Plus, Lindsay isn’t even that interesting. In all the episodes I’ve seen, I can’t really understand why she’s still around unless the plan was always for her to be the next Bachelorette. I mean, after 33 cycles of all three shows combined, it’s time for some diversity, and it’ll definitely make things interesting – ESPECIALLY when they do the home visits. But right now, I’m just not seeing any reason for the choice of Lindsay other than the fact that she’s Black. And she’s not even the best Black chick they had this season. Nah, they sent those chicks home already.

There was an interesting interview over on TV Line with Arrow‘s co-showrunner Marc Guggenheim, where he basically revealed that those previously-announced DCTV contracts don’t really mean that much. If you remember, over the summer it was announced that Wentworth Miller, John Barrowman, and Katie Cassidy had signed DCTV exclusive deals, which would allow them to pop up in any of the Berlantiverse shows. While the details of the deal were unknown, it certainly seemed like they’d be doing more with them than they are. Sure, Miller has popped up as a hallucination on Legends, and Barrowman’s also on Legends, but Cassidy hasn’t really been used outside of Arrow this season (that I know of. I’m still behind on The Flash). When asked if Cassidy would be popping up before Arrow‘s season is over, Guggenheim replied:

“We have an idea for how to see [Katie] again, but we haven’t made a deal with her,” Guggenheim shared. “She’s not a series regular anymore, so we have to make a contract with her, and she’s got to be available. We haven’t had those conversations. But… we know exactly what we do want to do.

They have to make a contract with her? Then what was the point of last summer’s announcement? I realize it’s pilot season, so she’s got to look out for herself since she’s no longer a series regular, but the contract seemed to ensure she’d have work, and be available for it should it arise. It’s starting to be clear that these “exclusive” contracts are just as useless as comic exclusive contracts, which basically just mean you can’t work for Marvel if you’re working for DC and vice versa. You can still work for Image and nobody bats an eye.

In a surprising announcement, we’re getting a Love Actually sequel, but it’s not what you think it is. See, in the UK, they have this charity event called Red Nose Day, where they air a TV special to raise money for Comic Relief, which helps people in need in Africa and The UK. In its 30 year history, the event has raise over £1 billion. In the UK, Red Nose Day culminates in a telethon where all sorts of specials and reunions occur. The idea was brought to the US back in 2015, with Walgreens selling the red noses for charity. Well, this year, a bunch of members of the original cast of the film are getting back together for a 10-minute special that will show us where they all are today. Right now, the special is expected to include Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Martine McCutcheon (YAY!), Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson (really? He wasn’t even that important), Andrew Lincoln, Lucia Moniz, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Olivia Olson. It’ll be really interesting to see where these characters are, 14 years later. It’s a shame we’re only getting ten minutes, but I’ll take what I can get. The special will air March 24th in the UK and May 25th in America. Yup, two months later. So, look for it on YouTube March 25th.

Rejoice, fellow titty enthusiasts! After a year of trying to “go legit”, Playboy has announced that nudity is returning to its pages as of its next issue. The decision to remove nudity didn’t really help sales much, which was somewhat surprising to me. See, I figured the lack of nudity would mean you’d see it in grocery stores and pharmacies, right next to Maxim and GQ. But that never happened. I guess it’s because the Playboy brand is known for nudity, even when the magazine itself decides to eschew it. But you bushwackers are gonna be disappointed, as the returning nudity will only feature breasts and butts for the time being.

This week, I had the pleasure of joining my pal, Classick, on the newest episode of Classick Team-Up. We discussed 24 Legacy, Turkish Airlines, and Trump’s America. Trust me, it all makes sense. Anyway, if you’re looking for some podcastin’ fo’ yo’ ears, check check check it out!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Adele “robbed” Beyoncé of the Album of the Year Grammy at this year’s awards ceremony. Whatever…

Country newcomer Maren Morris pulled off a major upset by winning Best Country Solo Performance Grammy over established award darlings Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Miranda Lambert

With recent successful revivals of old shows, Fox is finally keen to revive sci fi cult fave Firefly – the only catch is that show creator Joss Whedon has to come back, and they figure he’s too busy right now. I hope he doesn’t call their bluff. That show bored the shit out of me.

Speaking of Fox, they blew my mind by renewing Lucifer this week for a 3rd season. I didn’t think it would make it through season 1!

ABC renewed their TGIT lineup comprised of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder for next season.

NBC renewed the wonderful Superstore for a 3rd season.

Cloverfield director Matt Reeves is in talks to replace Ben Affleck as director of The Batman. Meanwhile, the rumor is that Affleck is trying to walk away from the film completely.

Poor Alanis Morissette! I recently wrote about how her former manager stole around $5 million from her, and this week over $2 million in jewelry was stolen from her home.

In the Remakes Nobody Wanted department, Frank Grillo will star in an American version of modern-day action classic The Raid

In what I’ve heard was a dreadfully unfunny stand up special, Nick Cannon said that NBC was keeping him from being himself as host of America’s Got Talent. As a result, he’s said he’s leaving the show.

Man, before Sunday night we had no idea who or what “Gnarley Davidson” was. Now, I can’t understand how we ever lived without him. At the Grammys, Cee Lo Green debuted his new solid gold persona, bewildering millions. And the meme machine got crankin’. He was photoshopped into pictures of Donald Trump’s house.

He was photoshopped into pictures of the Power Rangers.

The best part, however, wasn’t even a meme, but actual video of his departure from the awards. After all, he didn’t win anything, so why stick around?

That, folks, is how a true West Week Ever recipient leaves an awards ceremony. So, it should go without saying at this point, but Cee Lo Green/Gnarly Davidson had the West Week Ever.

[hotpiinkholiday]

Hard at work doing some research for my new play exploring the woman's role, set in 1944! I AM OVERLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLAY IT'S NOT EVEN THAT GOOD.

[dartumbles]

Meaningful Monday

Anyone else getting ready for NaNoWriMo?  Yeah. Me, too! There have been very few years since I heard about it that I haven’t tried. And most of the ones I attempted I finished (won) I believe what has helped me most is the Sprints/Sprompts that you find on Twitter or Facebook, and the numerous Virtual Write-Ins on YouTube. The first one for this year will be October 30, 2019, for a prep.

[youtub…

[lyalljbcw027-blog]

Make Money in 7 Days

Make Money in 7 Days Sell your book the easy way --- sell a proposalYou can get paid to write a book. It's easily possible to make a fast $10,000, or even a six figure amount. You could even make seven figures --- over a million dollars for twenty pages of text. It sounds incredible, but a fast seven figures is certainly possible if you have a HOT, hot idea or have had an experience that hundreds of thousands of people want to read about. In his 2001 book about writing non-fiction, Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?, author Marc McCutcheon says that it's not hard to make a good income: "you can learn the trade and begin making a respectable income much faster than most people think possible".The good part is that you don't need to write your book before you get some money. You write a proposal, and a publisher will give you an advance, which you can live on while you write the book. Writing a proposal is the smart way to write a book. It's the way professional writers sell non-fiction. Selling a book on a proposal is much easier than selling a book that you've already written. A book proposal is a complete description of your book. It contains the title, an explanation of what the book's about, an outline of chapters, a market and competition survey, and a sample chapter. A book proposal functions in the same way as any business proposal does: you're making an offer to someone you hope to do business with. It will be treated by publishers in the same way that any business treats a proposal. A publisher will read your proposal, assess its feasibility, cost it, and if it looks as if the publisher will make money, the publisher will pay you to write the book. When you've sold your proposed book to a publisher, your role doesn’t end with writing your book. You’re in partnership with your publisher to ensure the book's success. If you do your part, both you and your publisher will make money. Hаve thìs 0nе аt 0nce!ɡ. Yoǖ αrё ωorth It.