#Nikolaj de Music

[reitsportportal]

Morocco Royal Tour 2023 El Jadida: Emanuele Gaudiano siegt im GRAND PRIX DE SA MAJESTÉ LE ROI MOHAMMED VI

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Anne Görner and Nikolaj A. Brucker, The Rooftop: Part II

[sunskate]

IAM Programs 2023-24

Holly Harris/Jason Chan 🇦🇺AUS RD: Madonna, Material Girl, Into the Groove, Express Yourself FD: Colossal Trailer Music, Ocean Lullaby; Christian Reindl, Lucie Paradis, Gefion, Freya; Christian Reindl, Lucie Paradis, Power-Haus, Vale choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil

Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer 🇨🇦CAN RD: AC/DC, Back in Black, Hells Bells, You Shook Me All Night Long FD: keeping FD from last season- Lewis Capaldi: Someone You Loved choreo: Zachary Donohue RD, Marie-France Dubrueil FD

Laurence Fournier-Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen 🇨🇦CAN RD: Top Gun - Harold Faltemeyer, Top Gun Anthem; Kenny Loggins, Playing with the Boys; Berlin, Take My Breath Away; Miami Sound Machine, Hot Summer Nights; Kenny Loggins, Danger Zone FD: Notre Dame de Paris - Mario Pelchat, Danse Mon Esmerelda- Acoustic; Monks of the Abbey of Notre Dame, Final Angelus Bells; Noa, Ave Maria Paien; Cirque du Soleil, Les Sans-Papiers; Garou, Danse Mon Esmerelda choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer, Samuel Chouinard

Sandrine Gauthier/Quentin Thieren 🇨🇦CAN RD: Joan Jett, I Love Rock n Roll; Def Leppard, Pour Some Sugar on Me; Twisted Sister, I Wanna Rock FD: Game of Thrones choreo:

Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha 🇨🇦CAN RD: Michael Jackson, Thriller FD: Jean-Michel Blais, Roses choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer

Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain LeGac 🇨🇦CAN RD: INXS, Need You Tonight, Never Tear Us Apart, Devil Inside FD: Danny Elfman, Corpse Bride choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Sam Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer

Emmy Bronsard/Jacob Richmond 🇨🇦CAN RD: Les Rita Mitsouko, Andy, Marcia Baïla FD: Muse, Exogenesis Symphony part 3 choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil

Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu 🇨🇳CHN RD: Falco, Rock Me Amadeus FD: LP, Forever for Now, The One That You Love choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil

Solene Mazingue/Marjo Jevgeni Gaidajenko 🇪🇪EST RD: Run-DMC, Walk This Way; Salt ‘n Peoa, Push It FD: Tems, No Woman No Cry; Rihanna, Lift Me Up

Evgeniia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud 🇫🇷FRA RD: Myléne Farmer, Sans Contrefaçon, Tristana FD: Rachmaninoff, Elegie in eb minor, Prelude in c# minor choreo: Romain Haguenauer RD, Guillaume Cizeron FD

Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson 🇬🇧GBR RD: Eurhythmics, Sweet Dreams, Here Comes the Rain Again FD: Rocky choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Samuel Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer

Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto 🇯🇵JPN RD: Ghostbusters FD: Loving You (from Passion) Barbara Streisand & Patrick Wilson; Love Grows (from Final Fantasy VIII) Nobuo Uematsu (choreo: Romain Haguenauer) choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer, Sam Chouinard, Eva Airapetian

Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama 🇯🇵JPN RD: Super Mario Bros. FD: Giselle choreo: Romain Haguenauer

Hannah Lim/Ye Quan 🇰🇷KOR RD: Prince, When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy FD: Umbrellas of Cherbourg choreo: Romain Haguenauer RD, Marie-France Dubreuil FD

Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius 🇱🇹LTU RD: Guns n' Roses, Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City FD: Son Lux, Enough of Our Machines; Tokio Myers, Children choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Sam Chouinard

Olivia Smart/Tim Dieck 🇪🇸ESP RD: Blondie, Call Me, Rapture FD: Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra; Elvis Presley, Fever choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer

Kayleigh Macsymek/Felix Desmarais 🇨🇭SUI RD: Beverly Hills Cop - Harold Faltermeyer, Axel F; Corey Hart, Hold On; Glenn Frey, The Heat is On

Mariia Holubtsova & Kyryl Bielobrov 🇺🇦UKR RD: Bonnie Tyler, Holding out for a Hero; Bonnie Tyler, Bryan Adams, Straight From the Heart; Bonnie Tyler, Desmond Child, If I Were a Woman (and You Were a Man) FD: Joe Hisaishi, Merry Go Round of Life, Fragile Dream, A Walk in the Skies (Howl's Moving Castle) choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis, Sam Chouinard

Oona Brown/Gage Brown 🇺🇸USA RD: Elton John, This Town, Satellite, I'm Still Standing FD: Eric Carmen, All By Myself choreo: Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Joel Dear

Madison Chock/Evan Bates 🇺🇸USA RD: Queen, Another One Bites the Dust, Who Wants to Live Forever, I Want it All FD: Pink Floyd, Time, Breathe, Eclipse choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil

Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker 🇺🇸USA RD: U2, With or Without You FD: Fred Again, Kyle (Northern Line); Charles LeClerc, AUS23 (1:1) choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Kaitlin Hawayek, Jean-Luc Baker

Sara Kishimoto/Atsuhiko Tamura 🇯🇵JPN jrs RD: Styx, Mr.Roboto FD: keeping FD from last season - Pulp Fiction choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Sam Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer, Eva Airapetian

Jamie Fournier/Everest Zhu 🇨🇦CAN jrs RD: Soft Cell, Frustration, Seedy Films, Tainted Love FD: Damien Rice, The Blower's Daughter; Melanie Laurent feat. Damien Rice, Uncomfortable choreo: Romain Haguenauer

[brookston]

Holidays 12.6

Holidays

Abolición del Ejército (Costa Rica)

Armed Forces Day (Ukraine)

Christkind (Central & Southern Europe)

Constitution Day (Spain)

Dia de la Constitucion (a.k.a. Constitution Day; Spain)

Encyclopedia Britannica Day

Give a Secret Gift Day

Gramophone Day

Ice Cube Day (Astronomy Club)

International Bad Hair Day

Miner's Day (West Virginia)

Mitten Tree Day

Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies Day (Azerbaijan)

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada)

National Microwave Oven Day

National Miner's Day

Pawnbrokers Day

Put On Your Own Shoes Day

Quito Day (Ecuador)

Sindhi Topi and Ajrak Day (Pakistan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National ‘Cook For Christmas’ Day

National Gazpacho Day

1st Tuesday in December

World Trick Shot Day [1st Tuesday]

Independence Days

Åland Islands (from Russia, 1917)

Bophuthatswana (from South Africa, 1977)

Finland (from Russia, 1917)

Ireland (from the UK, recognized in 1922)

Feast Days

Abraham of Kratia (Christian; Saint)

Aemilianus (Roman Catholic Church)

Akibasan Gongen Hibuse Matsuri (Fire & Water Festival; Japan)

Crossover Doozer (Muppetism)

Denise and companions (Christian; Saint)

Dionysia, Dativa, Aemilianus, Boniface, Leontia, Tertius, and Majoricus (Christian; Martyrs)

Gamera Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Insult a Religious Fanatic Day (Pastafarian)

James Bernouilli (Positivist; Saint)

János Scheffler (Christian; Blessed)

María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras (Christian; Saint)

Nicholas of Myra (Christian; Saint) [brewers]

Peter Paschal (Christian; Saint)

Pirate Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch (Christian; Saint)

Thor's Day (Norse)

Turnover (The Seasons of Earnings begins; Church of the SubGenius)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [35 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [28 of 30]

Very Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [56 of 60]

Premieres

Aeronauts (Film; 2019)

As Good As It Gets (Film; 1997)

Beggar’s Banquet, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1968)

Day Tripper, by The Beatles (Song; 1965)

DuBarry Was A Lady (Broadway Musical; 1939)

Dumb and Dumber (Film; 1994)

Gimme Shelter (Concert Film; 1970)

Going To A Go-Go, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Song; 1965)

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Live at the BBC, by The Beatles (Compilation Album; 1994)

Mary Had a Little Lamb, recorded by Thomas Edison (Song; 1877) [1st Recording of the Human Voice]

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Muppet TV Special; 1995)

19th Nervous Breakdown, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1965)

Red Bank Boogie, recorded by The Count Basie Orchestra (Song; 1944)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

Running on Empty, by Jackson Browne (Live Album; 1977)

Smoke on the Water, recorded by Deep Purple (Song; 1971)

Still Crazy After All These Years, by Paul Simon (Album; 1975)

The Stroll, by The Diamonds (Song; 1957)

Sympathy for the Devil, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Turn! Turn! Turn!, by The Byrds (Album; 1965)

We Can Work It Out, by The Beatles (Song; 1965)

Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin (Song; 1969)

Today’s Name Days

Denise, Henrike, Nikolaus (Austria)

Nikola, Nikolai, Nina (Bulgaria)

Nikica, Niko, Nikola, Nikša, Vladimir (Croatia)

Mikuláš (Czech Republic)

Nikolaus (Denmark)

Klaus, Laas, Laus, Nigul, Nigulas, Niilas, Niilo, Nikolai, Nils (Estonia)

Niila, Niilo, Niki, Niklas, Niko, Nikolai, Nikolas (Finland)

Nicolas (France)

Denise, Henrike, Nikolaus (Germany)

Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos (Greece)

Miklós (Hungary)

Nicola (Italy)

Klāvs, Niklāvs, Nikolajs (Latvia)

Bilmantas, Mikalojus, Norvydė (Lithuania)

Nikolai, Nils (Norway)

Dionizja, Emilian, Jarema, Jarogniew, Mikołaj (Poland)

Mikuláš (Slovakia)

Nicolás (Spain)

Niklas, Nikolaus (Sweden)

Nicholas (Ukraine)

Claus, Ira, Nicholas, Nichole, Nicholet, Nick, Nicklaus, Nickolas, Nico, Nicolas, Nicole, Nicolette, Nikki, Niko, Nikolas (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 340 of 2022; 25 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 49 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 13 (Gui-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 12 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 12 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 10 Zima; Twosday [10 of 30]

Julian: 23 November 2022

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 4 Bichat (12th Month) [James Bernouilli]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 75 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 14 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.6

Holidays

Abolición del Ejército (Costa Rica)

Armed Forces Day (Ukraine)

Christkind (Central & Southern Europe)

Constitution Day (Spain)

Dia de la Constitucion (a.k.a. Constitution Day; Spain)

Encyclopedia Britannica Day

Give a Secret Gift Day

Gramophone Day

Ice Cube Day (Astronomy Club)

International Bad Hair Day

Miner's Day (West Virginia)

Mitten Tree Day

Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies Day (Azerbaijan)

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada)

National Microwave Oven Day

National Miner's Day

Pawnbrokers Day

Put On Your Own Shoes Day

Quito Day (Ecuador)

Sindhi Topi and Ajrak Day (Pakistan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National ‘Cook For Christmas’ Day

National Gazpacho Day

1st Tuesday in December

World Trick Shot Day [1st Tuesday]

Independence Days

Åland Islands (from Russia, 1917)

Bophuthatswana (from South Africa, 1977)

Finland (from Russia, 1917)

Ireland (from the UK, recognized in 1922)

Feast Days

Abraham of Kratia (Christian; Saint)

Aemilianus (Roman Catholic Church)

Akibasan Gongen Hibuse Matsuri (Fire & Water Festival; Japan)

Crossover Doozer (Muppetism)

Denise and companions (Christian; Saint)

Dionysia, Dativa, Aemilianus, Boniface, Leontia, Tertius, and Majoricus (Christian; Martyrs)

Gamera Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Insult a Religious Fanatic Day (Pastafarian)

James Bernouilli (Positivist; Saint)

János Scheffler (Christian; Blessed)

María del Monte Carmelo Sallés y Barangueras (Christian; Saint)

Nicholas of Myra (Christian; Saint) [brewers]

Peter Paschal (Christian; Saint)

Pirate Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch (Christian; Saint)

Thor's Day (Norse)

Turnover (The Seasons of Earnings begins; Church of the SubGenius)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [35 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [28 of 30]

Very Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [56 of 60]

Premieres

Aeronauts (Film; 2019)

As Good As It Gets (Film; 1997)

Beggar’s Banquet, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1968)

Day Tripper, by The Beatles (Song; 1965)

DuBarry Was A Lady (Broadway Musical; 1939)

Dumb and Dumber (Film; 1994)

Gimme Shelter (Concert Film; 1970)

Going To A Go-Go, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Song; 1965)

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1962)

Live at the BBC, by The Beatles (Compilation Album; 1994)

Mary Had a Little Lamb, recorded by Thomas Edison (Song; 1877) [1st Recording of the Human Voice]

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Muppet TV Special; 1995)

19th Nervous Breakdown, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1965)

Red Bank Boogie, recorded by The Count Basie Orchestra (Song; 1944)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

Running on Empty, by Jackson Browne (Live Album; 1977)

Smoke on the Water, recorded by Deep Purple (Song; 1971)

Still Crazy After All These Years, by Paul Simon (Album; 1975)

The Stroll, by The Diamonds (Song; 1957)

Sympathy for the Devil, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Turn! Turn! Turn!, by The Byrds (Album; 1965)

We Can Work It Out, by The Beatles (Song; 1965)

Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin (Song; 1969)

Today’s Name Days

Denise, Henrike, Nikolaus (Austria)

Nikola, Nikolai, Nina (Bulgaria)

Nikica, Niko, Nikola, Nikša, Vladimir (Croatia)

Mikuláš (Czech Republic)

Nikolaus (Denmark)

Klaus, Laas, Laus, Nigul, Nigulas, Niilas, Niilo, Nikolai, Nils (Estonia)

Niila, Niilo, Niki, Niklas, Niko, Nikolai, Nikolas (Finland)

Nicolas (France)

Denise, Henrike, Nikolaus (Germany)

Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos (Greece)

Miklós (Hungary)

Nicola (Italy)

Klāvs, Niklāvs, Nikolajs (Latvia)

Bilmantas, Mikalojus, Norvydė (Lithuania)

Nikolai, Nils (Norway)

Dionizja, Emilian, Jarema, Jarogniew, Mikołaj (Poland)

Mikuláš (Slovakia)

Nicolás (Spain)

Niklas, Nikolaus (Sweden)

Nicholas (Ukraine)

Claus, Ira, Nicholas, Nichole, Nicholet, Nick, Nicklaus, Nickolas, Nico, Nicolas, Nicole, Nicolette, Nikki, Niko, Nikolas (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 340 of 2022; 25 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 49 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 13 (Gui-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 12 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 12 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 10 Zima; Twosday [10 of 30]

Julian: 23 November 2022

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 4 Bichat (12th Month) [James Bernouilli]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 75 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 14 of 30)

[nofatclips]

Unstoppable by Lianne La Havas from the album Blood - Director: Olivier Groulx

[europeanmusicals]

Musical streams are back! We’ve taken 5 weeks off, but now we’re back! Last time we streamed for 39 weeks in on Kosmi, this time I’m streaming them directly in my europeanmusicals Discord server. This change in streaming platform is because Kosmi didn’t accept a lot of video types and so I couldn’t stream certain musicals, but I will be able to stream those musicals through Discord.

Streams take place on Saturdays at 9pm UK time (BST/GMT depending on daylight savings). Some may be postponed by a week if I’m away. Not all have English subtitles so check below. More musicals may be added. Any updates will be posted on Discord. We are watching musicals that we did not watch in the first 30 weeks. If there’s a musical missing you want to see, let me know, we may have already watched it but we’re okay with re-watching musicals. You can take a look at the last shedule to see if there’s anything you like and want to be able to see.

Week 30 : Les 3 Mousquetaires / The 3 Musketeers

2017.06.13 Original Paris (France) Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Olivier Dion (D’Artagnan), Damien Sargue (Aramis), Brahim Zaibat (Athos), David Ban (Porthos), Emji (Milady de Winter), Golan Yosef (Duc de Buckingham), Victoria Sio (La Reine)

Week 31 : The Phantom of the Opera

2006.04.30 Essen Production

German. No English subtitles.

Ethan Freeman (The Phantom), Anne Gorner (Chrisine Daaé), Nikolaj A. Brucker (Raoul de Chagny)

Week 32 : Autant en emporte le vent / Gone with the Wind

2003 Original Paris (France) Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Laura Presgurvic (Scarlett O'Hara), Vincent Niclo (Rhett Butler), Sophie Delmas (Belle Watling), Arié Itah (Gérald O'Hara), Sandra Léane (Mélanie Hamilton), Dominique Magloire (Mama), Cyril Niccolaï (Ashley Wilkes), Joël O'Cangha (Le chef des esclaves)

Week 33 : Der Eierwurf von Halle / The Egg Throw From Halle

2021.11.05 Original German Production Proshot

German. English subtitles.

Mark Seibert, Jan Bohermann, Sebastian Krumbiegel, Angelika Milster, Robin Reitsma, Carolin Worbs, Miguel Robitzky, Sebastian Hotz, Parshad Esmaeili

Week 34 : Les Demoiselles de Rochefort / The Young Ladies of Rochefort

2003 Paris (France) Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Frédérica Sorel (Delphine), Mélanie Cohl (Solange), Florent Neuray (Maxence), Jasmine Roy (Yvonne), Philippe Candelon (Simon Dame), David Bàn (Guillaume Lancien), Édouard Thiébaut (Andy Miller), Katy Varda (Josette), Nuno Resende (Étienne), Pierre Reggiani (Pépé), Michel Francini (Monsieur Tranchant), Sergio Diaz (Bill), Armelle Ferron (Judith), Ebony Harning (Esther) 

Week 35 : Jesus Christ Superstar

2012.04.01/2012.04.07 Vienna Concert Production

English

Drew Sarich (Jesus Christ), Mischa Mang (Judas Iscariot), Ana Milva Gomes (Mary Magdalene)

Week 36 : Don Juan(Félix Gray)

2003/2004 Original Montreal (Canada) Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Jean-François Breau (Don Juan), Marie-Ève Janvier (Maria), Mario Pelchat (Don Carlos), Philippe Berghella (Raphaël), Cindy Daniel (Elvira)

Week 37: Disney’s Der Glöckner von Notre Dame / The Hunchback of Notre Dame 

1999.02.04 Original Berlin (Germany) Production

German. No English subtitles. Songs from the Disney musical but with some of the plot of the original book. The original stage version of what later played in La Jolla Playhouse.

Drew Sarich (Quasimodo), Ruby Rosales (Esmeralda u/s), Norbert Lamla (Frollo), André Bauer (Phoebus u/s), Chris Murray (Clopin)

Week 38 : Dracula: Entre l'amour et la mort / Dracula: Between love and death

2006 Original Quebec (Canada) Production Proshot

French-Canadian. English subtitles.

Bruno Pelletier (Dracula), Andrée Watters (Mina), Sylvain Cossette (Jonathan), Pierre Flynn (Abraham Van Helsing), Gabrielle Destroismaisons (Lucy)

Week 39 : I Am From Austria

2017 Vienna (Austria) Proshot

German . English subtitles.

Iréna Flury (Emma Carter), Lukas Perman (Josi Edler), Elisabeth Engstler (Romy Edler), Andreas Steppan (Wolfgang Edler), Martin Bermoser (Richard Rattinger), Dolores Schmidnger (Elfie Schratt), Matthias Trattner (Felix Moser), Fabio Diso (Pablo Garcia), Martin Berger (Rainer Berger)

Week 40 : Dracula: L'amour plus fort que la mort / Dracula: Love stronger than death

2011 Original Paris (France) Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Golan Yosef (Comte Dracula), Nathalie Fauquette (Mina Murray), Gregory Deck (Sorci), Lola Ces (Poison), Ginie Line (Satine), Julien Loko (Jonathan Harker), Anaïs Delva (Lucy Westenra), Aymeric Ribot (Dr Abraham Van Helsing), Florent Torres (L'Ange), Laurent Levy (Dr Seward)

Week 41 : Romeo et Juliette

2005 Vienna Production

German. English subtitles.

Week 42 : Joan of Arc / Жанна Д'Арк 

Russian Proshot?

Russian. English subtitles.

Week 43 : Luna

2017 German Proshot

German. English subtitles.

Cale Kalay (Ishtar), Rory Six (Alvar), Roberta Valentini (Berit), Katja Berg (Hilla), Ulrike Figgener (Nora), Vincent Bueno (Finn)

Week 44 : The Last Trail / The Last Test / Последние Испытанее 

2016.10.15 Russia Tour Proshot

Russian. English subtitles.

Evgeny Egorov (Raistlin Majere), Elena Minina (Crysania), Andrey Lobashov (Caramon Majere), Vera Zudina (Takhisis), Alexey Tolstorkorov (King-Priest), Irina Kruglova (Tika), Anton Kruglov (Dalamar)

Week 45 : Mozart L’Opéra Rock / Mozart the Rock Opera

2011 Paris Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

Mikelangelo Loconte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Florent Mothe (Antonio Salieri), Diane Dassigny (Constanze Weber), Melissa Mars (Aloysia Weber), Maeva Méline (Nannerl Mozart), Solal (Leopold Mozart), Yamin Dib (Count Rosenberg), Merwan Rim (Innkeeper/Clown), Ariane Pirie (Cäcilia Weber), Estelle Micheau (The Diva), Jocelyne Sand (Anna Maria Mozart), Mathias Jung (Collorego/The Stranger), Patrice Maktav (Lorenzo da Ponte), Jean-Michel Meunier (Fridolin Weber/Joseph II), Marjolaine Piémont (Josepha Weber), Laurie Peret (Sophie Weber), Nuno Resende (Gottlieb Stephanie)

Week 46 : Les Misérables

2013 Magdeburg (Germany) Production

German. No English subtitles.

Thomas Borchert (Jean Valjean), Markus Liske (Javert), Battina Monch (Fantine), Oliver Arno (Marius), Teresa Sedimair (Cosette), Christina Patten (Eponine), Marc Lamberty (Enjolras), Peter Wittig (Thénardier), Gabrielle Stoppel-Bachmann (Madame Thénardier), Sandra Pangl (Gavroche), Veronika Miller (Young Cosette), Pauline Annie Glotzbach (Young Eponine)

Week 47 : Robin des Bois / Robin Hood

2014 Original Paris (France) Production Proshot

French. English subtitles.

M. Pokora (Robin des Bois), Stéphanie Bédard (Marianne), Dumè (Shérif de Nottingham), Caroline Costa (Bédélia), Sacha Tran (Adrien), Nyco Lilliu (Frère Tuck), Marc Antoine (Petit Jean)

Week 48 : Starmania

1994 2nd Revival Paris (France) Proshot

English language version. English subtitles.

Luce Dufault (Marie-Jeanne), Michel Pascal (Zéro Janvier), Bruno Pelletier (Johnny Rockfort), Jasmine Roy (Sadia), Judith Bérard (Cristal), Frank Sherbourne (Ziggy), Patsy Gallant (Stella Spotlight)

Week 49 : Jesus Christ Superstar

2013 Bonn (Germany) Production

English.

Mark Seibert (Jesus Christ), David Jacobs (Judas Iscariot), Patricia Meeden (Mary Magdalene), Mark Weigel (Pontius Pilate/Annas), Alexey Smirnov (Caiaphas), Marc Lamberty (Simon Zealotes), Dirk Weiler (King Herod), Tim Ludwig (Peter)

Week 50 : Jekyll & Hyde

2016 Zwingenberg (Germany) Production Proshot

German. No English subtitiles.

Drew Sarich (Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde), Ann Mandrella (Lucy Harris), Jana Marie Gropp (Emma Carew), Bianca Spiegel (Nelly), Holger Ries (Gabriel John Utterson),Werner Pürling (Sir Danvers Carew), Deborah Feth (Lady Beaconsfield), Benjamin Schuster (Mr. Simon Stride), Sven Wagenhöfer (Bischof von Basingstoke), Heiko Ihrig (Lord Savage), Avelino Casado (General Lord Glossop), Manfred Troll (Sir Archibald Proops), Markus Wäsch (Poole), Klaus Müller-Blask (Bisset)

Week 51 : Les Misérables

1991-1992 Amsterdam (Netherlands) Production Proshot

Dutch. No English subtitles.

Henk Poort (Jean Valjean), Ernst Daniël Smid (Javert), Pia Douwes (Fantine), Marika Lansen (u/s Cosette), Danny de Munk (Marius), Vera Mann (Éponine), Uwe Kröger (Enjolras u/s), Filip Bolluyt (Thénardier u/s), Simone Kleinsma (Madame Thénardier), Maya Hakvoort, Peter de Smet

[yugovinyl]

The Time Machine LP In these difficult times, Discom put an immense effort to bring you some amazing music with a special new release: Beokraft- The Time Machine LP. Beokraft is a true supergroup of Yugoslavian electronic music pioneers Dejan Stanisavljevic (group Beograd), Zoran Jevtic (DATA, Sizike, The Master Scratch Band),  Nikolaj Bezek (Consequential). The Time Machine is their album inspired by Kraftwerk- the fathers of electronic music. The album consists of three parts with each artist creating their own repertoire of three songs. It begins with Nikolaj Bezek and his core Kraftwerk approach: simple musical phrases combined with striking rhythmical patterns and huge analog effects, especially the vocoders. Tracks The Time Machine, Robot Men and Transformator are beautifully rounded, almost like a memory lane to the early Kraftwerk’s world from Autobahn, Radio-Activity and Trans Europe Express. The similar impression continues with Dejan’s Stanisavljevic’s part, but in a broader context. In addition to his composing and arranging skills, Dejan shows exceptional talent to describe contemporary phenomena in Kraftwerk’s language. Tracks Ex Yu Roy At The Control, Quantum Computers and Into The Future, strikingly describe today’s problems with a rather dark message at the end. The album rounds off with Zoran Jevtic’s song set: Man, Women And In-between, Artificial Mind and Ja Sam Tvoj Robot,  brilliantly produced tracks with almost synth-pop tone found in Electric Cafe and Tour De France albums. Rich and colorful production done with good-old “right from the start” sound is something any record collector or a DJ whose tastes go beyond the mainstream, will value. At a time when music and new records are definitely not the mainstream news, we managed to gather the last remaining Yugoslavian electronic music pioneers of Belgrade to record their ultimate LP.  This is an opportunity to do something sublime, to support authentic music  from a neglected area which will soon exists only in our memories. For the sake of music, against all odds, in spite of all the bad news and fears. (у месту Yugovinyl prodavnica gramofonskih ploca Beograd) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpxI0WMWVF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[burlveneer-music]

Matt Choboter: Hypnagogia - Anima Revisited - fascinating, impressionistic “post-jazz” from aptly-named sextet (2 reeds, 2 keys, 2 percussionists)

This six-piece ensemble might be described as a night of restless sleep, ripe with trance like fantasy and transitional states, between the dream world and wakefulness. Disorientation, ambiguity and illusion are created through a delicate balance of post-romantic melody, South Indian rhythm and kaleidoscopic group sound with continuous and shifting improvisation meets composition Recorded in KoncertKirken, Copenhagen, August 2020. All compositions by Matt Choboter Francesco Bigoni – tenor sax, clarinet
 Anders Banke – bass clarinet Matt Choboter – prepared and de-tuned piano
 Luca Sguera – sound design, keyboards Matias Seibæk – balinese gongs, vibraphone, percussion Jan Kadereit – extended drum set, jhangu Recorded by Jakob Makongo Bertelsen and Nikolaj Tornsberg Mixed by Simon Mariegaard Mastered by John Fomsgaard Produced by Matt Choboter, Simon Mariegaard, Jan Kadereit Thanks to Anders, Francesco, Luca, Matias and Jan for their hefty time investment in realizing this music. Thanks to Lars Rex Christensen for facilitating equipment logistics. A special thanks to Jan Kadereit for specifying the drum grooves and dedicating time for counsel and advice from the early rehearsal stages until the end of post-production. A big thanks to Simon Mariegaard for his patience and creativity in realizing the mix and production. Album art by my grandfather, Don Choboter. "Mother and Daughter" www.choboter.com

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Anne Görner and Nikolaj A. Brucker, The Rooftop: Part I

[sunskate]

iam montreal programs 2022-23

Holly Harris/Jason Chan (AUS): RD: Watazu- The Beat; The Latin Drums- Danzon (Cha Cha 25); Fred Perry- Suavemente FD: Euphoria-- Labrinth - I'm Tired (w Zendaya), Forever, Formula (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Hauguenauer, Pascal Denis, Benjamin Brisebois, Josée Piché; choreo: Guillaume Cizeron [FD], Marie-France Dubreuil, Sam Chouinard)

Emmy Bronsard/Jacob Richmond (CAN): RD: Daddy Yankee- Ella Me Levante , Camila Cabello- Havana, Daddy Yankee- Limbo FD: Pink Floyd (coaches: IAM; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil)

Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer (CAN): RD: Latin Formation- Cuba 2012; Orishas & Heater Headley- Represent, Cuba FD: Lewis Capaldi- Someone You Loved (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer; choreo: Romain Haguenauer RD, Marie-France Dubreuil FD)

Laurence Fournier-Beaudry/Nikolaj Sorensen (CAN): RD: Gloria Estefan - Con Los Anos Que Me Quedan, Rhythm is Gonna Get You, Conga FD: Ennio Morricone- Il Mercenario, L'arena, Libertà, The Verdict; Robert Rodriguez- El Mariachi, Guitar Town; Marco de Lahuén- Malagueña de Salarosa; Chingon- Malagueña de Salarosa (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer, Samuel Chouinard)

Sandrine Gauthier/Quentin Thieren (CAN) jrs: RD: Pirates of the Caribbean FD: MIKA- Any Other World, Sound of an Orchestra (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Patrice Lauzon, Pascal Denis; choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil)

Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN): RD: Cha Cha MC - Let's Cha Cha; Bellini - Mas Que Nada; Samba De Janeiro FD: Ilan Eshkeri - Nureyev from White Crow (perf by Lisa Batiashvili) (coaches: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Pascal Denis, Patrice Lauzon, Josee Piche; choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer)

Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain LeGac (CAN): RD: Robin Thicke FD: Pink Panther (choreo: Romain Haguenauer RD; Marie-France Dubreuil FD)

Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu (CHN): RD: Katchi (Ofenbach vs. Nick Waterhouse) Remix, Bananeira (Banana Tree) feat. Mr. Vegas, Batucadas FD: Krutikov Music- The Batman Theme - Something In The Way (The Batman soundtrack); Michael Giacchino- Sonata in Darkness; Sh4d0wStrider- The Batman Trailer Music (The Batman soundtrack) (coaches: Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer)

Solene Mazingue/Marko Jevgeni Gaidajenko (EST): RD: Pink Martini- Amado Mio, Donde Estas Yolande FD: Lucas King, Samuel Kim - Evil Morty (coaches: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Pascal Denis, Josee Piche, Sebastien Soldevila, Emilie Bonnavaud, Eva Airapetian; choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Guillaume Cizeron, Samuel Chouinard, Scott Moir)

Evgeniia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA): RD: Bonga, Paxi Ni Ngongo; Sergio Mendes, Magalenha FD: Edith Piaf, L'Accordéoniste, Mon Dieu (coaches: Roxane Petetin, Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Pascal Dénis; choreo: Guillaume Cizeron, Diana Ribas)

Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR): RD: Marc Anthony- Vivir Mi Vida, No Me Ames (w/ JLo) FD: Lady Gaga- Born This Way, Million Reasons (coaches: Romain Haguenauer, Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil; choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Sam Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer)

Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto (JPN): RD: Shakira- Loca, Hay Amores, La La La (Brazil 2014) FD: Fifth Element--Donizetti- Il dolce suono (Lucia di Lammermoor); Eric Serra- The Diva Dance (coaches: Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Pascal Denis, Josée Piché, Benjamine Brisebois, Rie Arikawa; choreo: Romain Haguenauer, Marie France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer, Samuel Choinard, Eva Airapetian)

Hannah Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) jrs: RD: Piazzolla- Primavera Portena FD: Saint-Saens- Danse Macabre (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Benjamin Brisebois, Pascal Denis, Josée Piché; choreo: Romain Haguenauer(RD), Marie-France Dubreuil(FD))

Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU): RD: Yello - How How, Starlight Scene, On the Run FD: Faithless - Insomnia (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Sam Chouinard, Massimo Scali)

Charlotte Lafond-Fournier/Richard Kang In Kam (NZL): RD: Sean Paul- Temperature; DJ Ice- Attention; Sia, Sean Paul- Cheap Thrills FD: Charlotte Cardin- Main Girl, Meaningless (coaches: Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis, Josée Piché, Benjamin Brisebois; choreo: Samuel Chouinard, Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer)

Mariia Holubtsova/Kyryl Bielobrov (UKR): RD: Amaarae, Ama SerwahGenfi, Molly Ama Montgomery Onaduja Yinka- Sad Girlz Luv Money; Taiya Ferro, Carlos Alberto Martinoli, Carlos Rigual Rodriguez, Mario Rigual Rodriguez- Cuanda Caliente el Sol; Gloria Estefan- Conga FD: Low Roar- I’ll Keep Coming, Bones by Low Roar, Don’t Be So Serious, Without You (coaches: Mariia Tumanovska-Chaika,  IAM coaching team; choreo: Mariia Tumanovska-Chaika)

Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA): RD: David Bowie- Let's Dance (remix by Ben Liebrand) FD: Jorane - Fem III, Tectoniques (2nd version: Orange Blossom, Souffrance; Jorane, Les Techtoniques) (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Gigi Cournoyer, Sam Chouinard)

Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker (USA): RD: Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra, Joe Davis, Oswaldo Farrés- Cuban Pete; Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra- Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Quizas, Quizas, Quias); Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra, Xavier Cugat, Rafael Hernandez - El Cumbanchero FD: Askjell Solstrand - Requiem; Aurora Aksnes, Askjell Solstrand, Vilde Iris Hartveit Kolltveit - Sofia (coaches: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, I.AM Coaching Staff; choreo: Marie-France Dubreuil, Massimo Scali, Kaitlin Hawayek, Jean-Luc Baker)

[demivampirew]

Keep Calm and go to London chapter 18

The story is about Henry, not Geralt (only using this gif because it fits perfectly for this chapter)

Synopsis: This is the story of (y/n), a successful actress,  musician, musical producer and songwriter. After battling depression and  breaking up a long relationship, she seeks for a change of air,  escaping LA for a while going to visit some friends in London and there  she meets Henry. -Disclaimer: some chapters are mostly smut.

Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 (smut)

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 (smut)

Chapter 8 (smut/roleplay)

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12 (smut)

Chapter 13

Chapter 14 (smut)

Chapter 15

Chapter 16 (smut/ s&m) Chapter 17

Triggers:   Smut (I know, too much smut chapters 😁 😂 🤣 , but this chapter needed to have smut, you’ll see why 😜 ); mention of rape, sex trafficking and panic attacks (while talking about a movie; only mention those words, not describing anything them in any way)

Tag list:  Here’s the incredible people who showed me support (thank  you    so  much for that) and people who asked me to tag them too  ☺️   (I    think  I will write a few chapters of this story, if you want me to  tag     you, tell me ☺️   ) @cavillanche @mary-ann84 @henry-owns-these-tatas @yespolkadotkitty @dancingwendigo   constip8merm8     penwieldingdreamer iloveyouyen  littlefreya  wondersofdreaming    alyxkbrl solariumss  sweetybuzz25 @thethirstyarchive @agniavateira   @honeyloverogers @hell1129-blog   @lunedelorient​  @michelle-1185​  

During quarantine, Henry spend lots of time cooking delicious meals, bread and desserts for the two of you. He pretended not to be good, but low key you knew that he wanted compliments because his food was freaking fantastic and you were sure he knew that already. He was in the kitchen preparing cookies for you an afternoon snack. Meanwhile, you entertained him dancing around, there were some real dance moves there, but mostly silly things that you did intend to make him laugh. Lizzo's "Juice", Nicky Minaj's "Anaconda", Rihanna's "Bitch better have my money", Bruno Mars's "24K Magic" were some of the songs you choose to perform for him. You closed your little show with N*Sync's "Bye bye bye" which make him laughed so hard that Kal barked at him. He mentioned that in his youth he made a movie with Joey Fatone and you were green with envy because you used to be a N*Sync fangirl when you were little. - What was he like? - you asked - Oh, he's great! Cool guy. If I ever cross paths with him again, I'll invite him to hang out so you can meet him too. - he replied - Oh yeah, baby. That'd be a childhood dream come true. - Have you ever meet one of your idols? - he questioned curiously - Hmm... yeah, I met Slash, he's now a friend of mine. He gave me guitar lessons. - You learned to play the guitar with Slash from Guns n' Roses? - he repeated your words as a question due to the surprise revelation - No. I was already pretty good. He gave me lessons on how to improve my guitar solos. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I've learnt so much with him and improved drastically my habilities. - you explained - I've also met Duff and he is cool too. I met Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from Game of Thrones, he's one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I met my now friend Annie (Hathaway), which you must already know because we worked together in my first acting role and she is a mentor, she truly helped me a lot to become a good actress. - you paused, thinking and after a few moments continued.- I've met Robert De Niro, he played my dad in the movie that you didn't see - previously you have had a conversation in which he confessed to having seen three on the four movies that you made in your short but successful career as an actress. You advised him not to watch the movie, because you played a woman caught in sex trafficking and there were a lot of rape scenes and you thought he may be affected to see you like that, even you had panic attacks after filming that movie and never watched again after the premiere. You couldn't even see Cillian Murphy anymore, another co-star in that movie, because he was the villain and there was a much graphic scene in which his character raped yours. "Only the twisted mind of Darren Aronofsky could come with a story dark as that one," you told Henry laughing because you liked the director, he was a good man, but with a weird taste for disaster and dark psychology-.  You talked about meeting people that you admire and he mentioned Russell Crowe, Tom Cruise and Guy Ritchie, among others. As you predicted, the cookies were delicious. Your boyfriend was, definitely, the perfect man. Not only he was the sweetest, you two never fought, but he was also an amazing lover - he even made out a rule that you that to tell him if you didn't have an orgasm (or wanted more) so he could take care of that because those moments were made so both of you could have a great time and not just him. And, on top of all of that, he cooked for you amazing dishes and desserts. He was the definition of perfection. - Someday you're going to get tired of cooking for me and that'd be my doom. - you pointed out as you ate the tasteful cookies. - Not at all. I'll never get tired of cooking for the woman I love. - he assured you smiling. You chocked with the cooking you were eating and recover a few seconds later and starred at his face with an expression of full shock in yours. - What did you say? - you demanded him to repeat his words - What? I've said that I love cooking for the woman I love.- he repeated without understanding what was wrong with his words. - "The woman you love"? Do you love me? -you asked astonished - Absolutely.- he admitted with a smile on his face- I've been in love with you practically since the time I asked you to be my girlfriend, I just thought that you were going to think I was crazy and was too soon for saying the L word. - I felt the same way. I wanted you to be the first to say it. -you confessed him. - So, we are in love with eachother.- he confirmed with happiness written on his face; the kind of happiness that a child would experience on Christmas day if he/she received exactly what was expecting. You stood up from the table and run into his arms, as he embraced you for your first kiss after knowing that you were in love. Hours later, Henry was back again in the kitchen. This time he was planning to prepare dinner for him since you told him the cookies made you feel full and you didn't want to eat anything else for the day. He was preparing everything that he needed, when you showed up in the kitchen wearing nothing but translucid bran with pastel green colour and white flowers on it. The bra was delicate and made your breasts look amazing. You also wear a white thong and white stockings and stiletto heels pumps. You left Henry speechless. You got closer to him, put your arms around his neck a started to kiss him. You could feel his hands sliding through your back reaching your ass and grabbing it. That made you laughed and he joined you. You looked at his eyes and suggested him to take things to bed. You indicated that you couldn't wait anymore to properly celebrate the fact that you loved each other. He picked you up, holding you by your thighs and walked to the bedroom. He left you on the bed as he turned to close the door and took his clothes off. He got on the bed and then slowly slid your thong and then throw it away. Grabbing you by your thighs, he began to pleasure you with his mouth. He loved to stroke your clit with his tongue, grabbing it and sucking it as well. He could do that for long periods. You were used to him putting his fingers inside your underwear and make you cum over and over. He'd do that at least three or four times per week -without counting that you had sex every single night and some mornings as well. He always wanted to take you and satisfy his desires but also wanted to make you happy. He couldn't get enough of you, and the feeling was mutual. You could feel him tasting you, after several orgasms, you were dripping wet. He climbed on top of you and kissed you, grabbing your lips with his. He grabbed a condom from the nightstand and after putting it on, he put his member inside of you, making you burned inside. It felt so good. He would go from slow movements to really fast pound. He had both of his hands on the mattress and your's were on his neck. He would separate his mouth from yours from time to time only to be able to kiss your neck and breasts. He knew how much you needed the touch of his sweet lips on yours; to feel his tongue dancing inside your mouth. You put your arms on his back and dug your fingers on his back, followed by your nails scratching his back. That made him insane. He had shaved two days before that moment, but his beard started to grow again. He also left he moustache to grow. It was still on its early stages, but still made you tingle and it felt so amazing, especially when he was with his head between your legs. He made you stood up from the bed and then grabbed you by your thighs once more, as you entwined your arms around his neck and he started to thrust you. Your body was on flames. The fact that he was strong enough to fuck you while holding you amazed you. For moments, you would free one of your hands just to stroke his arm, as his muscles tense. He sat on the edge of the bed and continued to pound you, buried himself inside of you deeper and deeper each time. You pushed his back against the mattress, kissed him with burning passion and then started to ride him, placing your hands on his majestic hairy chest. Then, you enlaced your hands with his while you continue to move up and down his cock. He pulled your hands into his lips, kissing both of them, one at the time. You put your chest against his and whispered on his ear "You're mine, baby. You're mine and I'm yours", he looked into your eyes. Just as he thought he couldn't want you more, you told him everything he wanted to hear, that you were his. He remembered at that moment that if he wasn't for your ex, he'd been the only man you have been with. That thought made him feel both jealous and lucky at the same time. Another man had you before him, but he intended to be the only man you'll be with for the rest of his life. You were his. He wasn't the kind of man that would treat you as an object, as something that could belong to him, but you were his woman, he loved you and would make sure that you'll want him forever over anybody else because he could not stand the idea of losing you. You were his angel and he would love you and protect you and hopefully make you as happy as you made him. Life with you was a paradise. You woke up due to the need to drink some water. You had your head pressed against Henry's chest. You had sex until the sunrise. You felt so tired after that amazing night. You checked your phone to see the time and to your surprise, it was midday. You got up and decided to prepare lunch for the two of you. You starred at him for a moment before leaving the bedroom. Seeing him sleep so peaceful felt like a warm hug. You were so lucky. He was amazing and he loved you as much as you loved him.

[mystery-deer]

thoughts about an AU where kevin and holt adopt jake as a baby? like i love love love struggling new parents holt and kevin and the wholesome family dynamic of serious dads and their rambunctious son

I personally don’t find the concept of Jake being their real actual son to be compelling since he’s written as acting the same as he does as an adult for the most part and I can’t imagine Holt or Kevin wanting a child BUT the way you’re telling this to me, if I understand this correctly, is that they adopt Jake as a BABY which gives me room to fuck around and tweak parts of Jake’s personality which would be affected by being raised by the Cozner-Holt’s and not the Peraltas!!

And I love that, love Jake Cozner Jacob Holt. That’s his name, they didn’t hyphenate they just added more names. Holt’s middle name is also Jacob this is comedy gold I’m awful. His name is Jacob “Jake” Cozner Jacob Holt and he loves his two dads.

Jake instead of watching die-hard and falling in love with that instead falls in love with the Sherlock Holmes stories which Kevin and Holt read to him in their original victorian language and all that because it’s so simple, children can definitely understand this v_v (Jake cannot understand it but he loves it and later reads them back a bunch to be able to)Jake is still kind of hyperactive but less childish?? If he’s reckless he’s more reckless in the Holt way where he gets caught up in something and goes wild and then when the dust settles he’s like “Ohhhh oo ps!!” Comes up with a bunch of overly complicated schemes. Still does that thing where he wants to get all up in the walls.Weird facial expressions. Jake is prone to big expressions in the show and Holt and Kevin are DECIDEDLY not. Jake sometimes talks a lot with his hands while his face isn’t moving a lot, often smiling or happy though. Will lose himself in enthusiasm and act more like show-Jake when he’s like…cracking a big case!Jake: Dad I love the opera~!!!Holt: Good.Jake: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux first published as a serialization in-Holt: (shaking his head, quietly) Nooo.Jake gained a lot of his simultaneous childishness and want to protect other people from being raised by his mother who is very carefree and open and feeling that he needed to protect her from, it seems, a lot of male figures?? Jake in this AU has no such issues but does like to see people laugh and protect people (Holt is still a cop in this au and a captain by the time Jake is his show age, Jake is not a cop, Kevin would die having two cops in the family)Kevin is much less paternal than Holt (which is saying something) and when they first adopt he doesn’t do a great job of bonding due to feeling…nervous? but does do a great job of like…basic needs and safety.Holt: (holding crying Jake) I fed him.Kevin: (deftly takes the baby and burps him before handing him back)Holt: Oh, thank you.(beat of quiet)Holt: You know you can hold him if you’d lik-Kevin: (staring intensely at baby) No.A lot of midnight phone calls DEBBIE WE NEED HELP!!!!! (Debbie is delighted to help)Jake: -crawls into their bed at night-Kevin: -immediately sits up, scaring Jake- Jacob this is not your bed, are you confused?Jake: I had a nightmare!!Kevin: Oh? Jake: -sniffles- I was at a piano recital…but it was just base player after base player…Holt: -gasp, sits up- Rock Music? God. -lets Jake duck under the blankets- How long will that accursed genre torment this family? First Marcus’ BAND and now this.I like au Jake, weird kids are interesting (I love kid Holt and Nikolaj for this reason and also bc hes SO CUTE) and it’s funny thinking about how Jake would be different based on who he’s raised by (different tastes, experiences, changes in how his personality is expressed) and what base Jakeishness is the same!Maybe Jake is a private investigator in this au? Helping people and also ties back into him liking Sherlock Holmes AND gives him connections to the squad.Holt: (pacing) A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR!?? Jacob those are all CADS.Kevin: I cannot believe another one of my family members is going to become a lawman.Jake: I wouldn’t be a cad! And don’t worry dad I wouldn’t be operating inside the law at all!!Kevin & Holt: That’s even worse.Jake uses very old slang or references very specific things that people don’t understand he has to explain but is very indignant about having to explain. Like the Monopoly-Jail joke he might in ep1 of Season 7Jake and his dad investigating a “case” when they’re both bored during a dinner party with Kevin’s friends. Holt made up a mystery to distract Jake but the boy ends up actually being on to something slightly nefarious…This of course goes terribly. But it IS fun.Jake finding a lot of books boring unless Kevin somehow puts a mystery solving angle on it. This leads to a lot of “hunting” for words or phrases. Jake’s reading level is so high…but at what cost? Jake: -flipping through a book very quickly-Amy: Whoa there slow down bucko you can’t just toss books around like that!Jake: What? You can’t speed read?Amy:Amy: (enamored) ohhhmama.

[tabloidtoc]

People, August 31

Cover: Brandy -- what really happened to me 

Page 3: Chatter -- Cardi B on her drive, Orlando Bloom on taking a break from acting to raise his son Flynn, Sterling K. Brown on his son’s reaction to his two 2020 Emmy nominations, Rob Lowe on his two adult sons moving back in with him and his wife during quarantine, Maya Rudolph on Kamala Harris whom she impersonates on SNL running for Vice President, Jamie Lee Curtis on her obsession with acquiring toilet paper early in the pandemic 

Page 4: 5 Things We’re Talking About This Week -- The Crown casts a new Princess Diana, Patrick Star lands his own series, The Fresh Prince scores a reboot, the last Blockbuster becomes an Airbnb, Dennis Quaid adopts a cat named Dennis Quaid 

Page 7: Contents 

Page 8: StarTracks -- stars get back in the game -- Serena Williams at the Top Seed Open in Kentucky, her husband Alexis Ohanian and their daughter Olympia cheer her on at an earlier match 

Page 9: Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady hit the practice field during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp in Florida, Los Angeles Lakers players LeBron James and Anthony Davis celebrated their win over the Denver Nuggets 

Page 10: Black-ish actor Anthony Anderson celebrated his 50th birthday with a socially distanced drive-by party, pregnant Gabby Barrett and husband Cade Foehner, Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall attended a memorial service marking the 75th anniversary of V-J Day 

Page 11: Stars in the Sun -- Andy Cohen and son Benjamin on the beach, Gavin Rossdale went for a shirtless stroll on the beach in Santa Monica, Alessandra Ambrosio plays volleyball, Simon Baker caught some waves while vacationing in Sydney 

Page 12: Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot in Death on the Nile, a bearded Adam Sandler worked up a sweat playing basketball, Kevin Hart with pregnant wife Eniko and kids Kenzo and Heaven and Hendrix 

Page 13: Stars’ Best Friends -- Lenny Kravitz and his dogs Leroy and JoJo Dancer, Patrick Dempsey snuggled with his pup, Reese Witherspoon and her dog Lou, Liev Schreiber and girlfriend Taylor Neisen walk their dogs on the beach in the Hamptons, PLEASE ADOPT, DON’T SHOP 

Page 15: Scoop -- Chrissy Teigen and John Legend surprise baby news 

Page 16: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s new divorce dispute 

Page 18: Heart Monitor -- Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas birthday bliss, Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker new couple?, Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen breakup buzz, Madonna and Ahlamalik Williams going strong 

Page 19: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to Santa Barbara -- celeb neighbors include Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe and Katy Perry 

Page 20: How Miley Cyrus is moving on from her split with Cody Simpson 

Page 21: Bindi Irwin’s pregnancy joy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau life after Game of Thrones 

Page 23: Passages, Why I Care -- Chance the Rapper created an organization to help give back to the youth in his hometown of Chicago 

Page 25: Stories to Make You Smile! 

Page 27: People Picks -- The Vow 

Page 28: Project Power, Love in the Time of Corona, Tim McGraw -- Here on Earth 

Page 29: The One and Only Ivan, Tesla, Pure 

Page 31: Books 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Brandy’s rhythm and blues -- back with new music after nearly eight years the onetime teen sensation opens up about success and struggles and how depression nearly took her life 

Page 38: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris -- this is who we are and this is America -- the Democratic running mates open up about the audacity of their partnership and the modern family ethos they’ll bring to the White House and the 4-letter word they’ve both banned at home 

Page 42: Russell Crowe -- the highs and lows of fame -- 20 years after Gladiator the star reflects on what he’s learned and why he’s happiest on his farm in Australia

Page 46: Matt Mauser -- mourning after a tragic crash -- he lost his wife in the helicopter accident that killed Kobe Bryant and now the musician is raising their three kids and honoring her memory 

Page 50: A Rise in Hate Crimes -- murdered for being transgender -- statistics show an alarming increase in violent deaths among transgender women -- inside 6 of the chilling cases 

Page 54: Gloria Estefan -- what I know now -- the queen of Latin pop reflects on her historic career and her 41-year marriage and the near-death experience that changed her life

Page 58: August Alsina -- All I can do is tell the truth -- eager to move on from his entanglement with Jada Pinkett Smith the R&B singer opens up about healing after loss and addiction 

Page 60: Holland Taylor -- I’ve been really lucky -- the Emmy nominee is busier than ever but all she’s feeling is gratitude for her life and her relationship and her maturity 

Page 64: Joe Manganiello -- this is the real me -- he’s known for his sexy roles but beneath the rugged exterior beats the heart of a Dungeons & Dragons nerd 

Page 66: Raising 10 children with 6 adopted with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders Alicia and Josh Dougherty rely on patience and faith and the healing power of family -- they all bring so much joy 

Page 70: Suze Orman --this was a journey to hell and back -- the personal-finance guru undergoes emergency spinal surgery and learns a powerful lesson about prioritizing her health 

Page 73: Kate Walsh -- what my life’s really like -- her vacation turned into a move to Australia and the Umbrella Academy star shares how she’s staying connected down under 

Page 75: The search for a COVID-19 vaccine -- Dr. Tom Frieden one of the nation’s top infectious-disease experts answers your questions about the race to stop the coronavirus 

Page 77: Beauty -- New Products You’ll Love -- 25 best Fall buys for $25 or less -- Catherine Zeta-Jones 

Page 78: Skin-care essentials -- Rihanna

Page 81: Healthy hair finds -- Tracee Ellis Ross

Page 87: Second Look -- Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett in Lovecraft Country 

Page 88: One Last Thing -- Tim McGraw 

[sweetsmellosuccess]

TIFF 2020: Last Call

Films: 3 Best Film of the Day(s): Another Round

I Am Greta: A 15-year-old girl sits alone in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm with a simple hand-painted sign on a flat piece of wood that says “Skolstrejk For Klimatet” (School Strike for Climate”). A year later, that same girl, now 16, speaks before the general assembly of the UN in New York, and has helped rally millions to the cause of significant climate reform. In between those two poles lies the majority of Nathan Grossman’s fascinating documentary about young Greta Thunberg, and the movement she helped create of young people taking action for their own future. A slightly withdrawn kid with what she calls “a touch” of Asperger’s, Greta’s success, as unexpected and unprepared for as it was, lies partially in the very idea she conveys to another group of world leaders in Europe: “All you care about is popularity,” she growls at them, “I don’t care to be popular.” Because of her lack of personal ego in the process  —  else, you can imagine how going from having a small personal protest to meetings with the UN Attorney General and President of France within a few months; or better yet, in modern teen terms, to being largely ostracized from your school, where other kids “never invited” you to parties or gatherings, to having 10.6 million followers on IG, and the attention of many millions more, might swell your head and put you out of touch with yourself. For Greta, it’s a simple equation: She sees the problem (such that she was so depressed at first she sat out a year of school, and only spoke with her immediate family), and sees what needs to be done, no matter the personal cost. This isn’t to say she’s okay with it: “I miss having a regular life, with routines,” she sighs into her iPhone journal, while sailing across the Atlantic in a small watercraft to attend the UN meeting. “It is such a responsibility. I don’t want to have to do this.” A lament she turns into outrage when she actually does speak in New York, to the assemblage of world leaders: “You’re failing us!” she exhorts, “How dare you?” and ends with a sober warning to those who seek to dismiss her: “The eyes of all future generations are on you.” Naturally, for her effort, she takes potshots from condescending old men (Putin, Trump, Fox News Blowhards, et al.), some of whom trying to make things entirely personal (pundit Michael Knowles sniffed she was “a mentally ill Swedish child,” a statement Fox later apologized for), but none of it seems to matter to her. As before, she uses her “laser focus” on the matter at hand, not interested in rising to the bait of personal conflicts. The film takes us from her first days as a lone but emphatic voice to the de facto leader of a movement now millions strong, though it’s pretty clear in Greta’s mind, the only thing that ultimately matters is what these leaders are actually going to do about the climate catastrophe. At one UN gathering in Europe, she delivers her impassioned speech, only to have to sit and listen to an elderly German politician respond by trying to point out all the “good” they have done. With a look of tired disdain on her face, she pulls off the headphones translating his empty words into English, and sets them down in front of her.

Spring Blossom: Suzanne (Suzanne Lindon), the 16-year-old Parisian heroine in writer/director Lindon’s feature debut, prefers a drink of lemonade and grenadine, the purplish color of which is not-quite red, and not-quite pink. It’s in-between colors you could say, as she is herself, caught between the stifling boredom she feels at her high school with kids her own age, and the more exciting, but scary, possibilities of adulthood personified by Raphael (Arnaud Valois), an actor performing in a local, modernized production concerning Erastes  —  in ancient Greece, an adult in a romance with a child. Raphael, also bored and tired of the production he’s featured in, takes note of Suzanne’s apparent besottlement (in one of the better small details, she watches him eating a breakfast of baguette and strawberry jam at a cafe and requests the same from her mother the next morning), and before long they are a kind of couple, though, we are to understand, not necessarily fully consummated (it’s purposefully left ambiguous). Surprisingly, rather than duck into the well-covered territory of a young innocent ravaged by the rigors of adult love, Suzanne, a prepossessing young woman with a considerable sense of herself, senses both the danger, and her unreadiness, and herself pulls away, even though, as she says flatly “I love him and he loves me” (Raphael, ever gallant, doesn’t challenge her on this, and accepts her feelings). With her elongated neck and slightly crooked teeth, Lindon at first doesn’t appear fully suitable to the character that the script calls for, but soon it becomes apparent how well she precisely embodies the sense of between-worlds. The tone of the project is a marvel, allowing natural realism to intersect with more fanciful adornment  —  the scene when the couple have their first breakfast date, as Raphael puts his headphones on Suzanne so she can hear the genuinely beautiful opera that opens his show, leading them to perform a complex, sitting dance of hand gestures in perfect synchronicity together, is particularly charming  —  and, what’s more, the young writer/director seems to know exactly what she wants from each scene. The film itself isn’t breaking much new ground, but it does herald the rise of another talented young filmmaker.

Another Round: Thomas Vinterberg has a penchant for enigmatic endings. Not so coincidentally, he also tends to make very good films, and his latest, which stars Mads Mikkelsen as a disaffected high school teacher, who along with a small group of male colleagues, decides to try keeping his blood alcohol level at .05% throughout the day as a cure for his malaise, fits the bill. It might not be up to the otherworldly standards of his best work (Celebration or The Hunt  —  which also starred Mikkelsen), but it’s a good snootful of warm bourbon just the same. Mikkelson plays Martin, a history teacher and family man who seems half-alive, encased in a shell of hardened disappointment. He knows he’s lost his way (“Do you find me boring?” he asks his wife, played by Helene Reingaard Neumann, who responds “You’re not the same Martin I first met”), but seems unable to get himself out of his lethargy to do anything about it. When confronted by an angry group of parents and students that he’s not doing enough to prepare them for their all-important final exam, all he can respond with is a meek “Okay.” One night, out with some male colleagues, including psychology teacher Nikolaj (Magnus Millang), music teacher Peter (Lars Ranthe), and lonely gym teacher Tommy (Thomas Bo Larson), Martin breaks his silence and tells his friends about the perilous state of his marriage. Nikolaj cites the work of an obscure philosopher who maintained human beings were born with .05% less alcohol in their system than is ideal, and, on something of a desperate gamble, the group agree to reach that limit throughout the day (in other words, during teaching hours), quitting, as Hemmingway did, at 8 pm. Initially, it seems to work wonders  —  revitalized, Martin brings relish to his teaching again, and he re-engages with his wife and kids in a way he hasn’t felt in years, with the others all sharing the same sorts of success  —  but when the emboldened group attempt to push the envelope, first to .1%, then, much more disastrously, to the absolute limit of their tolerance, things get a good deal more dicey, putting the men, their jobs and their relationships in peril. Typically, Vinterberg avoids simple conclusions  —  and God help us all if this film gets picked up by a U.S. studio and remade with, say, Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, and Chris Rock  —  providing more or less equal examples of the delirious fun drinking with your friends can be (the film opens with a group of high schoolers gleefully doing “lake races” whereby teams compete to drink a case of beer while running around the nearby body of water; and closes with the same teen crew, and some of their teachers, whooping it up in celebrating their graduation); and the horrorshow it can become (one teacher ends up peeing the bed, and on his wife in the process, another wakes up bloodied and out of it in front of his neighbor’s house), leading to very real and horrible consequences. By film’s end, as the delightful Mikkelsen, a professionally trained dancer, performs an impromptu and wildly entertaining series of complicated dance choreographies, it’s clear Vinterberg doesn’t intend to answer definitively either way on the subject: As “The Simpsons” so sagely put it many years ago, alcohol is “the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

In a year of bizarre happenings, and altered realities, TIFF has shifted its gears to a significantly paired down virtual festival. Thus, U.S. film critics are regulated to watching the international offerings from our own living room couches.

[icedanceupstarts]

Skate America 2019 Preview

After what seems both an eternity and no time at all, the season is getting started in earnest now with start of the Grand Prix series. Two of the top teams from last season will be debuting their programs here, and there should be a thrilling battle both for the podium places and among the non medal contenders. In case you haven’t been following the ice dance goings on quite as obsessively as we have, we’ve compiled some basic profiles for all the teams here as a quick refresher before we try to find the answer to the most mysterious question of all: What is score?

Laurence Fournier-Beaudry/ Nikolaj Sorensen CAN

Age: 27/30

Started Skating Together: 2012

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenaeur

Season's Best: 201.00

Rhythm Dance: Bonnie and Clyde

Free Dance: Cry Me a River feat. Buble

Our newest Canadians have been having a great early season and will be looking to continue riding this upward momentum here. We might not know what a score is, but they're one of three teams in this event to have already broken 200, and the only one of those three to have competed already this season, which at least in theory, should give them the advantage. Their rhythm dance is already a fan favorite, drawing a lot of acclaim for their style and power, in addition to their incredibly thematic twizzles. Their free dance is dynamic and energetic, highlighting the strength of their skating and their power across the ice. They're such mature, detailed performers, with a strong connection that adds a sensuality to this dramatic program. They seemed primed for a podium position here, although which medal is a little unclear at the moment. Having had the chance to get feedback and competitive experience with these programs is a bonus for them, but it's hard to know how their potential rivals are looking right now. If Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen can focus on themselves and deliver to the best of their ability, the judges might not care what the others have to offer.

Hong Chen/ Zhuoming Sun CHN

Age: 25/24

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenaeur

Personal Best: 156.89

Rhythm Dance: Swing

Free Dance: It's All Coming Back to Me Now

A fairly new team that has a great opportunity this season, having not one but two grand prix assignments. China has been developing their dance program in recent years, and these two have shown a lot of growth, recently catching a lot of eyes at 4CC last season. For these two, the important thing isn't results or scores, it's just steadily growing and getting the experience they need to develop as a team, while showing off the lightness of their skating.

Marie-Jade Lauriault/ Romain Le Gac FRA

Age: 22/24

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenaeur

Season's Best:182.91

Rhythm Dance: Les Demoiselles de Rochefort

Free Dance: Harmonium Medley

Les Marrieds are always a solid, reliable team, and they've taken this season to explore new directions. While most of the teams have taken this season's RD theme as a chance to ham it up and play to the audience(this is not a complaint), Lauriault/ Le Gac have gone for a more sweeping, grand, romantic feel. While our bias generally runs towards the showier, more fun programs, there is something very fresh about their rhythm dance which is put together quite well. We may have some questions about the tone shift in their free dance, but they skate and perform both sections very well, even if the transition is jarring. Their height difference has always lent itself to some great lifts, and this season is no exception. As a team they’ve stayed very steady but haven’t managed much of breakthrough in the increasingly crowded ice dance mid-tier, but with some new French teams on the rise they could face some real national competition for that number two position soon which could be great motivation for them.

Sofia Shevchenko/ Igor Eremenko RUS

Age: 17/22

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin

Personal Best: 170.66

Rhythm Dance: Burlesque

Free Dance: Give Us A Little Love

The reigning junior grand prix final champs and junior world bronze medallists are making their senior debut here alongside their much more experienced training mates Stepanova/Bukin. For those unfamiliar with this young team, you're in for a real treat. While the choice of music in the rhythm dance does not spark joy for us, their infectious enthusiasm and performance quality makes us forget our mild distaste for Burlesque Finnstep. They have some really amazing and unique lifts, partially from how flexible she is, and their twizzles are consistently some of the toughest, even when they were still juniors. They're developing a really unique, modern style, as exemplified in this free dance that we struggle to describe accurately. It's something that you really need to see for yourself, and it deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Historically Shevchenko/Eremenko have struggled with levels, but last season they won multiple events on the strength of their TES, and hopefully they will be continuing these new, less stressful habits into their senior career.

Alexandra Stepanova/ Ivan Bukin RUS

Age: 24/26

Started Skating Together: 2006

Coach: Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin

Personal Best: 208.52

Rhythm Dance: Sparkling Diamonds

Free Dance: Cry Me A River feat. Timberlake

The reigning European silver medalists haven't had a chance to show their programs yet, much less compete, so we're going to have stick to generalities, such as the fact that somehow two(2) completely different teams picked two(2) completely different songs called Cry Me A River about getting cheated on. The skating hivemind is truly wild sometimes. These two just missed the world podium last season and will be out for vengeance, starting here. Their free dance music choice has sparked plenty of opinions, but historically they're fabulous performers with a lot of chemistry and interesting elements, so we should have that to look forward to. The path to making GPF is going to be harder for everyone this year, and without seeing their programs it's hard to say if they're going to make it or not. But it’s a long season and Stepanova/Bukin with their unique flair will absolutely be contenders.

Tiffany Zagorski/ Jonathan Guerreiro RUS

Age: 25/28

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Svetlana Alexeeva, Elena Kustarova, Olga Riabinina

Personal Best: 184.37 

Rhythm Dance: The Greatest Showman

Free Dance: Survivor

Zagorski/Guerreiro have had something of a rocky career thus far. Last season they earned two GP medals and a berth to GPF, where they placed #notlast, and seemed to be set up for their breakthrough season before disaster struck at Nationals. They've had a lot of time to recover from the unfortunate bootlace incident and lingering injuries, and were able to show their new programs at test skates, although they did not have the opportunity to compete prior to this to set some sort of baseline for their scores if that is even a thing at this point. Their strong basics and long lines are always a treat, and they hit some really interesting positions. Their programs are quite interesting this year, complex and modern and unlike other programs in the field. We do kind of hope that they've gone another round with the music editor since the test skates, but even with the somewhat chaotic edits there's a lot to like about both programs. We were especially intrigued by their free dance, a dark, moody, atmospheric piece that's completely different from last season and yet feels like a natural continuation. They have some really nice lifts, including a nice straightline lift where she jumps over his shoulder to balance on his back. While their chances of making another trip to GPF this season don't seem high, they've got every chance to begin making their case for the world team starting here, and wiping everyone's memory of how last season ended for them.

Olivia Smart/ Adrian Diaz ESP

Age: 22/29

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenaeur

Season's Best: 187.55

Rhythm Dance: Grease

Free Dance: Sad Clowns

It wasn't long ago that the idea of there being a Spanish ice dance battle, much less a thrilling one, was fairly implausible, but that's what we have for what is now the fourth season in a row. Smart/Diaz are no doubt on a quest to win back their National Title and get the lone worlds spot, and having a strong showing at their grand prix assignments is the first step. They're making great use of their strong performance quality this season, especially in their incredibly fun Grease rhythm dance that is just a three minute display of what showmanship means. Their free dance isn't quite hitting the mark for us yet, but again they show their great skills in playing characters, as well as some truly stunning technical upgrades like their lifts, or the cartwheel transition between their first and second set of twizzles. What is score but theirs have been steadily climbing so far this season and this will be their chance to set the Grand Prix bar before Hurtado/Khaliavin compete at Skate Canada. It's going to be a struggle to make the podium but even a top 5 finish is a great result in this field.

Christina Carreira/ Anthony Ponomarenko USA

Age: 19/18

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Carmerlengo

Season's Best: 190.35

Rhythm Dance: Too Darn Hot

Free Dance: Flamenco Medley

These highly talented ice dance teens have already gotten this season off to a strong start and will be looking to continue that here. They're a fast, powerful, dynamic team with a lot of charisma, and their programs both utilize these qualities in different ways. We especially like their rhythm dance-- we only went one season without a fun, upbeat SD/RD/whatever from Carreira/Ponomarenko but it felt like an eternity. Their performance style and skating is just so big, there are few teams that can match their amplitude. Their free dance isn't quite as naturally attuned to their talents as their rhythm dance, but is coming along very nicely, showcasing their power and intensity, one of the hardest twizzle sequences we've seen this season, and a neat cartwheel in the choreographic steps. Having had a couple weeks to rest from their gruelling challenger series schedule and continue to refine their programs, we hope to see even further improvement from them. Between their charm, difficulty, and sheer basic quality, they have every opportunity to place well here, even if the podium might be out of reach.

Caroline Green/ Michael Parsons USA 

Age: 16/24

Started Skating Together: 2019

Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov

Season's Best: 170.53

Rhythm Dance: Cry Baby

Free Dance: Woodkid Medley

Team Birthday Buddies with their first GP as a team, and her first senior Grand prix event at all. While their eight year age gap raised eyebrows and concerns(including, admittedly, ours), from their first outing it became immediately clear just why these two teamed up. Having trained with the same coaches all their lives, their technique, timing, and way of moving were so similar off the bat that they look like they've already been partnered for years. They have great skating skills and the partnering is very natural and smooth. Even Michael taking a dive at the end of their step sequence in the rhythm dance can't detract from that, and their enthusiasm carries this program, particularly hers. Despite her young age, Caroline is a budding diva and Michael matches her energy perfectly, whether it be the goofy high energy of their rhythm dance, or the intensity and drama of their free. With how fast these two are coming together, I'd keep an eye on their results here-- who knows, they might develop fast enough to make the battle at Nationals very exciting.

Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue USA

Age: 28/28

Started Skating Together: 2011

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenaeur

Personal Best: 210.40

Rhythm Dance: My Heart Belongs to Daddy/Let's Be Bad

Free Dance: A Star is Born

Yes, you read that music info correctly, and yes, the song IS as bad as it sounds. Two time and reigning National Champions and world medalists are coming off a somewhat up and down season, winning all their events in the first half of the season only to infamously crash off the podium at 4CC and then rally for the bronze at worlds, majorly editing their programs multiple times along the way. This season they've opted for a later start, aiming to get their programs right from the outset rather than having to constantly make changes throughout the season. The mods remain somewhat uncertain if deciding to skate to the borderline nauseating "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is the best way to achieve this, but perhaps we will better understand the hidden ingenuity of this choice when we actually see the program. A Star is Born should be a good vehicle for them, sweeping and romantic with big, powerful vocals to match their big, powerful skating. Without their actual programs, we can't say much more, but they're an experienced, high level team that brings their innate qualities to the material, even if it's somewhat lackluster as it has been at times in the past. Starting off their season with a win here will go a long way to assuaging doubts about their continued success, as well as more concretely line them up for another trip to GPF to try to defend their title.