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backtothestart02 · 4 years ago

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My TV & Movie Ships

(more to be added as I think of them)

TV Ships:

Gossip Girl – Chuck/Blair, Dan/Serena, Nate/Vanessa, Carter/Serena, Jenny/Damien, Rufus/Lily, Ivy/Max

One Tree Hill – Nathan/Haley, Lucas/Peyton, Jake/Peyton, Brooke/Julian

The Vampire Diaries – Damon/Elena, Klaus/Caroline, Stefan/Katherine, Damon/Katherine, Jeremy/Vicki, Jeremy/Bonnie, Stefan/Caroline, Matt/Caroline, Elijah/Katherine

The Originals – Elijah/Hayley, Klaus/Cami, Kol/Davina, Hope/Roman

Legacies – Hope/Landon, Raf/Josie, MG/Lizzie

Once Upon a Time – Snow/Charming, Rumple/Belle, Neal/Emma, Philip/Aurora, Robin/Regina

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland – Will/Ana, Alice/Cyrus

Revenge – Daniel/Emily, Charlotte/Declan

The Secret Circle – Adam/Cassie, Nick/Melissa, Faye/Jake, Faye/Lee

Into the Badlands – Ryder/Jade, MK/Tilda

The Shannara Chronicles – Wil/Eretria, Amberle/Lorin, Bandon/Catania

This is Us – Jack/Rebecca, Randall/Beth, Kate/Toby, Kevin/Sophie, Kevin/Sloane, Kevin/Olivia

Single Parents – Will/Angie, Poppy/Douglas

Manifest – Jared/Mich

The Resident – Conrad/Nic

Riverdale – Betty/Jughead, Archie/Veronica

Mayans M.C. – EZ/Emily, Angel/Adelita

American Gods – Shadow/Laura

God Friended Me – Miles/Cara, Rakesh/Jaya

Roswell, New Mexico – Liz/Max, Michael/Maria

The Flash – Barry/Iris, Ronnie/Caitlin, Wally/Jesse, Cisco/Cynthia, Barry/Patty, Zoom/Black Siren

Legends of Tomorrow – Sara/Leonard, Ray/Nora, Nate/Zari 1.0

Supergirl – James/Kara

Constantine – John/Zed

Smallville – Clark/Lana, Chloe/Oliver

7th Heaven – Lucy/Kevin, Simon/Cecilia

Full House – Jesse/Becky

Stranger Things – Nancy/Steve, Mike/Eleven

The White Queen – Edward/Elizabeth, Richard/Anne

Poldark – Ross/Elizabeth

Great Expectations (2011) – Pip/Estella

And Then There Were None – Vera/Philip

Life Unexpected – Lux/Jones, Lux/Sam

Teen Wolf – Scott/Allison, Stiles/Lydia, Scott/Malia, Liam/Hayden

The 100 – Clarke/Finn, Clarke/Bellamy

90210 – Liam/Annie, Liam/Naomi, Dixon/Silver, Navid/Adrianna, Annie/Ethan, Annie/Jasper, Dixon/Ivy, Max/Naomi, Kelly/Ryan, Naomi/Austin, Ivy/Raj, Annie/Riley

Elementary – Sherlock/Joan

Everwood – Ephram/Amy, Bright/Hannah

Friends – Ross/Rachel, Chandler/Monica, Mike/Phoebe

Reign – Mary/Francis, Kenna/Bash, Greer/Leith, Leith/Claude, Greer/James

Law and Order: SVU – Elliot/Olivia

Scrubs – JD/Elliot, Turk/Carla

Pretty Little Liars - Spencer/Toby

Cloak & Dagger - Ty/Tandy, Ty/Evita

Batwoman - Alice/Ocean

iZombie - Liv/Major, Ravi/Payton, Liv/Lowell

Hart of Dixie - Zoe/Wade, Lemon/Lavon, George/Tansy, Lemon/Peter

Still Star-Crossed - Benvolio/Rosaline, Escalus/Rosaline

Gilmore Girls - Rory/Jess

...

Movie Ships:

Star Wars – Anakin/Padme, Han/Leia

Lord of the Rings – Aragorn/Arwen, Faramir/Eowyn, Sam/Rosie

The Hobbit – Legolas/Tauriel

The Day After Tomorrow – Sam/Laura

Sweet Home Alabama – Melanie/Jake

The Wedding Planner – Mary/Steve

Life As We Know It – Holly/Eric

The Lake House – Alex/Kate

The Village – Ivy/Lucius

Spiderman – Peter/Mary Jane

The Notebook – Noah/Allie

The Ring – Noah/Rachel

Titanic – Rose/Jack

Pompeii – Milo/Cassia

Romeo & Juliet (2013) – Romeo/Juliet

Mirror, Mirror – Snow White/Prince Alcott

A Walk to Remember – Jamie/Landon

Chasing Liberty – Anna/Ben, Alan/Cynthia

It – Bill/Beverly

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Peter/Lara Jean

In the Heart of the Sea – Owen/Peggy

The Host – Jared/Melanie, Ian/Wanda

He’s Just Not That Into You – Gigi/Alex

The Longest Ride – Luke/Sophia, Ira/Ruth

A Beautiful Mind – John/Alicia

The Legend of Tarzan – Tarzan/Jane

Pirates of the Caribbean – Will/Elizabeth

Red Riding Hood – Henry/Valerie

Safe Haven – Katie/Alex

The Woman in Black 2 – Eve/Harry

Woman in Gold – Maria/Fritz

Jurassic World - Owen/Claire

Hitch - Hitch/Sara, Albert/Allegra

The Mummy - Rick/Evie

Age of Adaline - Adaline/William

Far From the Madding Crowd - Gabriel/Bathsheba

Everything, Everything - Maddy/Olly

5th Wave - Cassie/Ben

If I Stay - Mia/Adam

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies - Darcy/Elizabeth

Enola Holmes - Enola/Tewkesbury

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes - Coriolanus/Lucy Gray

#about me #tv ships #movie ships #tbc

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livesets-dj-mixes-edm-podcasts · 4 years ago

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Download Andrew Rayel - Find Your Harmony Radioshow 251 for free now!

Artist: Andrew Rayel Show: Andrew Rayel – Find Your Harmony Radioshow 251 Quality: 320 Kbps 48000 Khz Genre: Trance Source: RSS

Discover more Andrew Rayel live sets & radioshows here | Listen or download more Find Your Harmony Radioshow episodes HERE

Andrew Rayel – Find Your Harmony Radioshow 251 Tracklist

All the way from Moldova, modern day Mozart, Andrei Rata, born on July 21st , 1992 has been making his own marks, and own unique style in the trance scene. Andrei Rata known as Andrew Rayel started at a young age developing the passion that he has towards his musical skills. Studying Orchestral music and producing only at the age 13 , Andrew Rayel is a name known for his piano keys, harmony, euphoric, and and mesmerizing sounds. Tune in to Andrew Rayel – Find Your Harmony Radioshow 251 now!

01. Damon Sharpe and Josh Cumbee – Lost Years (Cubicore Remix) [Armada] 02. Markhese – Dreamin’ (Club Mix) [In My Opinion] 03. Solis & Sean Truby feat. Sue McLaren – Closer To The Earth (Somna Remix) [Infrasonic Gold]

FAVORITE OF THE MOMENT 04. Andrew Rayel – Silver Lining (DubVision Remix) [Armada]

05. Ramsey Westwood – Furiosa [AVA]

LIGHT SIDE TRACK OF THE WEEK 06. Andy Moor – Safe On Both Sides [Enhanced]

07. Dan Lir feat. Lily Elis – Stay [AVA] 08. Bryen – Blaze [Suanda Progressive] 09. DJ Sehba – Mandelbrot Infinity [Interplay] 10. Noise Zoo & Brandon Mignacca – Sunlight [Eliptical Sun] 11. Pulse & Sphere – The Distance [Interstate Recordings] 12. DJ T.H. & Eric Lumiere – Fly With Me [inHarmony Music]

FIND YOUR HARMONY EXCLUSIVE 13. Andrew Rayel – My Harmony [Find Your Harmony]

14. Darren O’Brien & That Girl – Dancing In The Rain [Alter Ego] 15. Jeremy Vancaulart feat. Danyka Nadeau – Hurt (Millennial Remix) [A State Of Trance]

A BREATH OF AETHER 16. Daniel Kandi pres. Timmus – Symphonica [Streamlined]

17. DRYM – Century One [Nocturnal Knights] 18. Air Project & Hidden Tigress – Blanket of Stars [2Rock Recordings] 19. Steve Allen & Manon Polare – Another Song [Amsterdam Trance] 20. ilan Bluestone feat. Ellen Smith – Stranger To Your Love (Stoneblue Remix) [Anjunabeats] 21. DreamLife & Grande Piano with Agata Pasternak – Never Again [Abora Recordings] 22. Spy & Mhammed El Alami – Balance [Flashover] 23. Clay C – Mindset [AVA White] 24. Lewis Duggleby & Jennifer Rene – Whispering Words [Suanda Music] 25. Miroslav Vrlik & Dave Steward – The Pressure [Ablazing Records] 26. MaRLo & Quench – Dreams 2021 [Vicious Black] 27. Richard Durand & Christina Novelli – Save You (Cold Blue Remix) [Magik Muzik] 28. Rene Ablaze feat. Sarah de Warren – The One [Nocturnal Knights] 29. Midway – Amazon (Allen Watts Remix) [Nocturnal Knights]

DARK SIDE TRACK OF THE WEEK 30. Olly James x David Rust – 303 [Damaged]

31. Frank Waanders & Storyteller – Beyond The Light [Regenerate Records] 32. Kenny Palmer – Over To You [Redux Recordings]

CLASSIC SELECTION 33. Paul van Dyk – We Are Alive (Vandit Vocal Mix) [Vandit Records]

The podcast Andrew Rayel – Find Your Harmony RadioShow is embedded on this page from an open RSS feed. All files, descriptions, artwork and other metadata from the RSS-feed is the property of the podcast owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by EDMliveset.com.

#Find Your Harmony Radioshow #Podcasts &amp; Radio Shows

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ebaycurious · 7 years ago

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Vintage MTI (Movie Tie-In) SIGNED by Guy Gabaldon (the Marine war hero and subject of the 1960 film), starring Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic Damone, George Takei, Patricia Owens, Richard Eyer [as young Guy Gabaldon ("The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," "The Invisible Boy," "The Desperate Hours"), John Larch ("Dirty Harry," "The Amityville Horror," "Play Misty For Me"), Bill Williams ("The Adventures of Kit Karson"), Reiko Sato ("Flower Drum Song," "The Ugly American") & Miiko Taka ("Sayonara").

The book also includes a typed press release that was attached by paper clip inside the book, likely by the original owner Ivan Maule, to whom it was signed by Gabaldon.

From Wikipedia: Guy Louis Gabaldon (March 22, 1926 – August 31, 2006) was a United States Marine who, at age 18, captured or persuaded to surrender over two thousand Japanese soldiers and civilians during the battles for Saipan and Tinian islands in 1944 during World War II. Though Gabaldon was recommended for the Medal of Honor, he received the Silver Star, which was upgraded by the Marine Corps to the Navy Cross in 1960.

In 1960, a friend of Gabaldon's with Hollywood connections influenced the industry to make a movie about Gabaldon's version of events on Saipan called Hell to Eternity. He was called 'Gabby' by his friends, and was an outspoken member of right-wing political organizations. In 1964, he unsuccessfully ran for US Congressman in his Southern California district. In 1990, he authored a book entitled, Saipan: Suicide Island.

Gabaldon was born in Los Angeles, California. Gabaldon, who was of Mexican descent, was one of seven children. He was raised in East Los Angeles and, as a ten-year-old, he helped his family by shining shoes on Skid Row. Gabaldon became a member of a multi-ethnic gang known as the "Moe Gang". At age 12, he moved out of his home to live with the Nakano family, which was of Japanese-American heritage and whom he considered his extended family. He attended language school every day with their children and learned to speak Japanese. He also learned about their customs and culture.

The United States considered the possibility of a full scale invasion of the Japanese mainland but later decided that such a feat would be costly, with an estimated one million American casualties. The capture of Saipan was considered essential for the establishment of airfields which would accommodate the B-29 Superfortress bombers to be used for the planned invasion. On June 15, 1944, an armada of 535 ships, carrying 127,570 U.S. military personnel which included Marines from the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions, began the invasion of Saipan. Japanese soldiers seldom surrendered during World War II and, as the American military invasion went badly for the Japanese, they were ordered by their superiors on Saipan to kill seven American Marines or soldiers for every soldier they lost, or commit suicide.

According to Gabaldon, he began taking and bringing in prisoners the night of the first day that he arrived on Saipan.

"The first night I was on Saipan, I went out on my own...I always worked on my own, and brought back two prisoners using my backstreet Japanese."

Gabaldon was reprimanded by his superior officers, and threatened with a court-martial for leaving his post. However, according to him the next night he went out and did it again. He carefully approached a cave, shot the enemy guards outside, moved off to one side of the cave, and yelled in Japanese, "You're surrounded and have no choice but to surrender. Come out, and you will not be killed! I assure you will be well-treated. We do not want to kill you!"

The next morning he says he returned with 50 Japanese prisoners. As a result, Gabaldon was permitted by his commanding officer to act as a "lone wolf" operator.

The next day, on July 8, Gabaldon captured two more enemy guards. He convinced one of them to return to his cave, with an offering of surrender. Shortly thereafter, a Japanese officer showed up. After speaking to Gabaldon, the officer accepted the conditions of surrender—and over eight hundred Japanese soldiers and civilians surrendered to Gabaldon, who turned them over to the U.S. military authorities. For his exploits, according to Gabaldon, he became known as The Pied Piper of Saipan.

Gabaldon continued to capture more Japanese people on Tinian. While back on Saipan fighting Japanese guerrillas still on the island, he was seriously wounded in an enemy machine gun ambush. Gabaldon claimed he was credited with the capture of approximately 1,500 Japanese soldiers and civilians on Saipan and Tinian and was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his commanding officer Captain John Schwabe, who noted that Gabaldon single-handedly captured more than ten times the number of prisoners taken by legendary Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Alvin C. York, in World War I. Despite this recommendation, Gabaldon was awarded a Silver Star Medal.

From IMDB: * The real Guy Gabaldon--unlike Jeffrey Hunter, the tall Anglo actor who played him--was Chicano and only 5'4", 130 pounds. He enlisted in the Marines after Pearl Harbor at age 17. Even though he captured more enemy soldiers single-handedly than anyone else, including WW I hero Sgt. Alvin C. York, he was not awarded the Medal of Honor, as York was.

* Several hundred veterans of the Japanese Imperial Army took part in the re-creation of the Battle of Saipan, which was filmed on Okinawa. In addition, about 500 U.S. Marines from Camp Hansen on the island were used in this film.

* There were initially many objections to the striptease dances done by Famika and Sheila, and both were cut considerably in reaction to those objections.

* The screen rights for Guy Gabaldon's story were initially purchased by Gramercy Pictures the day after he appeared on the This Is Your Life (1952) broadcast of June 19, 1957.

* In the film, Guy Gabaldon's adoptive Japanese-American family the Unes is taken from their home in Los Angeles and sent to an internment camp farther inland for the duration of the war. In reality, actor George Takei--who played George Une--was five yeas old at the beginning of World War II and he and his family were taken out of their home and sent to an internment camp in Arkansas for the duration of the war.

* Opening credits: This is the story of an immortal fighting man of World War II. Many who never even knew Guy Gabaldon are alive at the present time because of him. Though this United States Marine's deeds came into history's sharp focus on the bloodied hills of Saipan, his story starts in the melting pot of East Los Angeles during the great depression of the early Thirties.

Title: Hell to Eternity Author: Edward S. Aarons Publisher: Gold Medal 1023 Cover Illustration: Barye Phillips Paperback Original (PBO) Printing: 1st, August 1960 AVAILABLE FOR A SHORT TIME HERE

#guy gabaldon #chicano #east los angeles #marines #wwii history #hell to eternity #edward s aarons #japanese history #mti #vintage paperbacks #internment #internment camps #saipan #pied piper #silver star #medal of honor #navy cross

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flauntpage · 8 years ago

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Todd Bowles' Smoldering Seat and Other NFL Coaches in Trouble

Welcome to the NFL Underground Mailbag. Ask Chris Harris your question about the NFL, general sports or cultural minutiae at [email protected]. Follow him @HarrisFootball.

Rachel H.: My boyfriend says Todd Bowles is on the hottest seat of any NFL coach this year. I say no way because how can the seat be hot when everybody expects you to go 0-16. Who's right? Which coach has the hottest seat this year?

At the risk of alienating one of the few women who've asked a question for this column—come on! I know you're out there!—I have to agree that Bowles' seat qualifies as "hot." There's a difference between Hue Jackson with the Browns (one terrible season into a rebuild) and Bowles with the Jets (two seasons in, with the rebuild just starting). Jackson doesn't have the stink of a big decline on him, so his front office probably can't use him as a scapegoat without exposing their own necks. Come December, when Jets GM Mike Maccagnan is staring at 1-11, he can (a) tie himself to Bowles and get fired right along with him, or (b) sacrifice Bowles and buy himself an extra season or two.

That said, I agree with Rachel: it feels intellectually dishonest to say Bowles' seat is hottest. It'd be like giving Matt Damon a Razzie for Great Wall. I mean, what else did you expect?

My ascending list of the NFL coaches in the deepest doo-doo for 2017 goes like this:

When your seat is on fire, maybe. Photo by Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

5. Marvin Lewis, Bengals. Last season, after five consecutive playoff appearances, the Bengals went 6-9-1. And remember: Marv has never won a playoff game. That's not why his seat is hot, though. The main reason owner/GM/concessionaire/laundryman Mike Brown never axed Lewis in the past was $$$—the Bengals are the league's most notoriously skinflint organization—but now Lewis is entering the final year of his contract.

4. Bowles. Poor Todd Bowles.

3. Doug Marrone, Jaguars. "Of course Doug Marrone was our first choice!" said nobody ever. The Jags have defensive talent and just drafted Bo Jackson, er, Leonard Fournette, so if they suck, Marrone will get the Chip Kelly treatment. Then cue new organizational czar Tom Coughlin's glorious return to the sidelines, which I will resist cheering because Jacksonville doesn't produce cold enough weather to freeze Coughlin's face.

2. Chuck Pagano, Colts. Former GM Ryan Grigson rightly gets eviscerated for bumbling through Andrew Luck's first five seasons, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Grigson who called this play.

1. John Fox, Bears. Nice of GM Ryan Pace to fill Fox in on his trade up to get Mitch Trubisky a full two hours before the draft! Not exactly in the loop there, Foxy! Fox is a lifer whose facial expression perpetually reads, "I wish I could get these guys to tackle more and listen to the hippety-hop music less." Like Maccagnan, Pace will need a fall guy after a Year 2 Hindenburg.

Taylor H.: How long until Jeff Fisher gets another job and ruins another franchise?

Speaking of lifers! Did you know that 2017 will be just the second season in 37 years that Fisher won't be affiliated with an NFL franchise? (He took 2011 off after the Titans axed him.) He's the panacea of clubby, quotable mediocrity, avoiding the harsh media glare for years by being friendly with reporters and ensconcing himself deep in the halls of power. He's the NFL equivalent of Mitch McConnell.

The mustache seeks a home. Photo by Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Which means of course he'll be back soon! You don't have to squint to see Marvin Lewis going 6-10 this year, Mike Brown finally pulling the plug, and the Bengals' excited interest in Josh McDaniels and Jim Harbaugh slowly transmogrifying into nauseated acceptance of Jeff Fisher's team-friendly new contract. Just imagine that mustache soaked in Skyline chili.

Tore B.: Soccer players act hurt. Football players pretend they're not hurt. Does winning justify faking?

When it comes to soccer, I bemoan the immolation acts of Euroweenies, yet if I inspect my psyche for a reason, I have to admit it comes down to complicated feelings about masculinity and a fascistic fetish for rules. I dare you to come up with a more quintessentially American combo! Somewhere deep in my Neanderthal brain, "being tough" and "playing fair" gets all crisscrossed with "being a man"—plus, look at those soccer hairdos—and before I know it, Ronaldo is flopping all over the place and I'm sashaying across my living room emitting high-pitched "ooh-la-las!"

Of course, soccer players are just gaming their system. They're lying to win. How is that different than Tom Brady telling falsehoods about his concussions? Or Richard Sherman mysteriously being left off injury reports? Or Matt Moore staggering back out under center after Bud Dupree used his jaw for target practice? Sure, these might appeal to my Neanderthal brain's ideas about what a "real man" is, but they're the same: lying in effort to win. (Well, and also let's be honest: there's tons of faking in the NFL, too!)

At base, if the question is "Does winning justify faking?" then the answer is hell, yeah! Two words: Manu. Ginobili.

When you faked a little but the wins were worth it. Photo by Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Larry W.: You're known not to be a LeGarrette Blount fan. Other than Blount, what truly "bad" running back had the best career?

I should preface my remarks by saying: any running back who ever played a single down in the NFL is a good athlete. Yes, yes, hate-tweeters, I'm aware that Player X is a better athlete than I! And no, I don't live in my parents' basement (anymore)!

I'm not giving you some revisionist take like, "Emmitt Smith was secretly terrible!" That said, let's slag some guys!

My criteria for "badness" comes down to: (1) you actually sucked; (2) I saw you suck during a time when I was paying pretty close attention, i.e., not when I was 7; (3) other people tried to tell me you were good, primarily because of stats, but I still knew you sucked. My criteria for "best career" comes down to: you somehow stayed in the league a long time without them putting your sucky self in the toilet. I've got three candidates. Here we go:

Bronze: T.J. Duckett (7 seasons, 717 rush attempts). He was Blount before Blount was Blount: just a big lumbering doof who had four seasons of eight TDs or more, so fantasy football players were convinced of his awesomeness. But all he could do was mash forward. He had the lateral quickness of yarn.

Silver: Darren McFadden (9 seasons, 1,301 rush attempts). We live in a world where Darren McFadden has made $48 million, also known as $1.45 million per touchdown. He was a No. 4 overall draft pick, he was feted year after year in Oakland as the next big thing, and he's somehow still on an NFL roster despite leveraging Marshall Faulk's skill set into Julius Jones's productivity.

Gold: Marion Barber (7 seasons, 1,156 rush attempts). I had to endure many rebukes when I told people Marion the Barbarian was the walking-around embodiment of "Just Another Guy." He scored 14 TDs in his second season—on just 135 carries!—and the world became convinced that Barber was Eddie George.

He wasn't.

Give the dude credit for 59 career scrimmage touchdowns, which puts him in the top 25 of all RBs since the turn of the century. And then remember the game he handed to the Broncos by mysteriously stopping the clock in regulation then fumbling in overtime.

Alex O.: Do you expect someone to rise up from the pool of RBs in Baltimore, or should Ravens fans just wait and covfefe?

Covfefe. Always covfefe.

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Todd Bowles' Smoldering Seat and Other NFL Coaches in Trouble published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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the-hindu-times · 8 years ago

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March 2017 Reviews Roundup

After a Chris Ramsey ‘Work In Progress’ gig at Always Be Comedy in The Tommyfield, Kennington (great comedy club but awful pub), and the start of James Acaster's trilogy at the Soho Theatre, we found ourselves on the first day of March for Sum 41 at The Hippodrome, Kingston, put on by Banquet Records. The night after we were back there again, as Banquet put on Sleaford Mods for their New Slang club night – just a couple of days before I had my own show at West Hampstead’s Improv Theatre.

The subsequent evening, we headed to Shoreditch for a late Sunday night performance from reggae star, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. A short, solo opening spot from ArA HARMONIC was followed by a full band, headline-length set from KIOKO. Beginning their performance in surround sound, with the trumpet players appearing at the back of the room, the show progressed into something that could never be between by tonight’s billed headliner, despite the legacy.

Following on from a Lewis Watson instore at Kingston’s Banquet Records the afternoon after, the next couple of nights were spent at the Soho Theatre for James Acaster's other two shows, with the finale ending in time to catch comedy magician, Pete Firman (with support from German comic, Christian Schulte-Loh, Irish newcomer, Peter Flanagan, and MC, Jason Pattersonat), at the Four Thieves near Clapham Junction for ‘Laugh Train Home’.

We were in for another night of comedy the following evening with RUSSELL HOWARD breaking Frank Sinatra's record of performing the most sold out shows in a row at the Royal Albert Hall. With a rearranged stage idea from his last show, that we saw at Wembley Arena; this time he'd taken a leaf out of Jack Whitehall's book by locating the stage in the centre of the room, allowing for a bigger, surrounding capacity. Whilst providing a better view all round, it was equally unavoidable for the performer to be with his back to you at some point during his straight run through, which, again, differed from the ‘Wonderbox’ tour, which featured an interval. With programmes and merchandise available for purchase, tonight’s dialect was the most important gift that his fans could take away, with the seating plan and tour schedule not being the only meaning or metaphor for the show’s title ‘Round The World’; Despite battling a sore throat, Russell was able to tackle topics where his optimism fitted perfectly hand in hand with the funnies.

Heading straight from The Royal Albert Hall to Kingston, for Little Comets at New Slang, a first time visit to The 229, on Great Portland Street in London, was in order the following evening. THE FAMILY SILVER were topping the bill - a band made up of former Paul Weller band mates: Matt Deighton, Steve White and Damon Minchella. Opposite to Crazy Horse, where the standard meat and potatoes backing band assist masterful songs, this evening’s rhythm section are straight out of top drawer; giving the songwriter’s compositions an extra edge. The tone of the guitar was never going to beat Neil Young's though, nor of opener's, Pat Dam Smyth, who played as part of a duo, with an extra 'Submarine' pick up fitted to his Gibson, guiding the lowest 2 strings through an octave pedal to fill in for an absent bassist.

Having replaced Noel Gallagher in Oasis during their 2000 North American tour, Matt Deighton’s taken on the uninterested, bored expression Noel's known to sport. With Steve White also becoming a touring member of Oasis later on - filling in for his brother, Alan White, behind the kit - tonight's technically brilliant drum solo doesn't impress everyone; with punters having their backs turned to chat at the bar, whilst other show off moments go unnoticed, lost on a Friday night crowd who are beered-up and up for a sing along.

On the Tuesday, we paid our first visit to The Garrick Theatre in the West End to see THE MISER. On paper it was set to be the best show in London; with Griff Rhys Jones (Mr Nice / Twin Town), Lee Mack (Not Going Out / Would I Lie To You?), Matt Horne (Gavin & Stacey / Bad Education), Katy Wix (Not Going Out / Extras) and stand up, Andi Osho, making it a must see. In reality, the cast didn't really seem to gel as it plodded along, with Lee Mack's timing either being off or just unnecessarily unfunny filler, with his scene with Mathew Horne bringing out his best. There were moments of average panto-styled instances to distract from the noise and vibrations of the under passing tubes but more interest was giving to a slamming door and watching a whole party of people getting up to leave during the second half.

The following night, we were at St Pancras Old Church for a sold out RODDY WOOMBLE show. I've supported his band twice as a singer/songwriter and seen them play a number of times on top of that; with the group either choosing to stand or to be seated whilst performing, and only sometimes having a drummer. Famed for being the singer of Idlewild, like their career, the obvious and expected doesn't always happen; not only did they have a drummer with them, guitarist, Sorren Maclean, was playing his electric guitar (as borrowed by support act, Andrew Mitchell, who was now on keys and bass) rather than an acoustic. Instead of taking advantage of the natural, small church reverb to fill the space, the full sound of instruments echoed around the room as they launched into 'A New Day Has Begun'. As well as Roddy and Andrew, one more Idlewild member, Hannah Fisher, was on hand with violin and vocals to complete the line-up that were involved in their latest ‘Everything Ever Written’ LP, which features tonight's second song 'All Things Different'.

Taking his new and old solo material to the extreme, the most recent Roddy Woomble song, new single 'Like Caruso' was directly followed by the first song from his first solo album 'I came In From The Mountain'. On top of his work with Idlewild and his solo stuff, Roddy also made an album with fellow Scottish folk musicians, Kris Drever and John McCusker, tonight favouring ‘Before The Ruin’ opener 'Silver and Gold' over 'Into The Blue' from that record. Followed by the Pee Wee King with Redd Stewart & The Golden West Cowboys cover 'Tennessee Waltz' and Idlewild classic 'Little Discourage', some more new songs, a few more off solo records and another Idlewild number ('American English'), the 16 song set was brought to a close with the title track from Roddy's debut solo masterpiece 'My Secret Is My Silence', which has recently been pressed on vinyl but was unfortunately not on sale at the merchandise stand.

The following evening, LITTLE COMETS were packing out Koko in Mornington Crescent for the third time in their career. No stranger to the area; having headlined Dingwalls, Electric Ballroom (supported by Catfish & The Bottlemen) and the Jazz Cafe (all of which are on the same road as Koko), they've also topped the bill at the Scala, after once supporting Darwin Deez there (a 15 minute walk away from tonight’s venue), making their 3 Shepherds Bush Empire shows (headlining before returning the favour to open for Catfish and The Bottlemen over 2 nights) and their New Slang gigs in Kingston their only London shows outside of the Camden area.

With an additional band member on this tour, Little Comets gave us a new sound from their latest LP and back catalogue the night before before Zara Larson's album realise show for Banquet Records at the Hippodrome in Kingston.

The day after Zara Larson, we attended WEST END MAGIC - an afternoon performance at its permanent home in the Leicester Square Theatre. This family friendly show was opened by illusionist, Oliver Tabor, who was a consistent feature through the event; A magician at the top of his game, his brilliantly put together themes make him one of the most originally clever acts around, putting the big names to shame. If you're a regular magic goer, you may be tired of seeing the same tricks shown again and again… Well, none of these are here as he broadened our minds whilst breaking the boarders.

Ian Marchant - another fantastic act, different to the norm - had no hidden secrets as he transported us back a couple of centuries whilst demonstrating his juggling and balancing skills, often with a touch of error in the trial.

‘Comedy’ magician, Christian Lee, kept the standards high with one of the quickest and slickest opening routines I’d ever seen, before he slowed things down for a bit of fun comparing, saving his best jokes ‘til last – surely wishing he’d used them earlier on to get the audience on side from the off.

Britain's Got Talent winner, Richard Jones, is everything you'd expect from a magician but putting a twist on some mind reading, with an origami final revel, and using a poster of himself rather than a newspaper for the tear and repair standard was a nice touch.

The next day was Adam Hills at Always Be Comedy, Kennington (I can’t say this enough: great comedy club but the Tommyfield [downstairs] is an awful pub - definitely never eat there) followed by Outside The Box in Kingston the night after, where Romesh Rahaganthan replaced James Acaster for the headline slot, with Ellie Turner and Matt Richardson (who we spotted at the Russell Howard aftershow) in support.

The night after we headed down to G Live for THE STRANGLERS in their home town of Guildford where the over middle aged age range was prominent throughout the audience as well as on stage, with the exception of now full time touring drummer, Jim MacAukay, who is no longer sharing the gig with the recently retired original, Jet Black. For a band that have explored so many genres over their 16 albums, they come across as a bland, below average pub-rock act, only achieving recognition from their excellent back catalogue of 23 top 40 hits, which is the sole reason they can still pull a crowd in 2017. The dreadfully out of tune Dionne Warwick cover of 'Walk On By' wasn't helped by the lighting show; blinding the seated audience to the point of causing headaches whilst bald men jumped around in the standing area, in chorus to being mocked by third-in-line lead vocalist, Baz Warne, during 'Peaches'.

The following evening, we were in the new back room at The Grey Horse in Kingston for CRACK COMEDY's Velindre fundraiser night featuring Joel Dommett, John Hastings, Dominic Holland and resident compare and promoter, Erich McElroy. In a similar setting to downstairs at the Soho theatre, the room, perfect for a comedy club, is enhanced by the decor of old Blues records, pictures and guitars on the walls. With a complete change of image since his appearance on 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here', Joel Dommett opened the evening, warming up for his forthcoming tour. Host, Erich McElory, who will be embarking on a trek to Machu Picchu to raise funds for the centre, was also trying out some new material before John Hastings' work in progress for his upstairs at the Soho Theatre show seemed good to go. Local, Kingston comedian, Dominic Holland, topped off the night; Picking up 1993's new comedian award winner in Edinburgh (whilst being managed by Eddie Izzard), the near-50 year old, who’s father to Tom Holland (the new Spider-Man in latest blockbuster 'Spider-Man Homecoming') oozed years of experience with his relaxed approach.

The Wednesday rounded up March for us with ‘LAUGH TILL IT HURTS’ at The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. Raising cash for Baranardo’s, put on by THE AID FUNDRAISER, with Ed Bryne, Terry Alderton, John Moloney and Marlon Davis all donating their time to the cause. Great event organisation was spoiled by the venue’s staff, who’s waiter was clueless to the the menu’s dietary requirements, and persisted to talk loudly during the acts. For the fourth comedy club in a row where we’d gone to see him, James Acaster, once again, had to pull out (this time, along with Arthur Smith). With Ed Bryne being the biggest comedy name on the bill, he also gifted his DVD collection for the raffle winner, whilst Marlon Davis’ new material is his best yet. John Moloney looked set to steal the show, before Terry Alderton literally did; getting the most out of a charity gig by walking off with the mic stand, a table, a chair and a member of the audience, he’d named ‘Tin Tin! On hand to MC the night was Tim Clark, who had the opening spot a week earlier at Outside The Box. Like Maff Brown, who runs that particular Kingston club, closer, Terry Alderton, started his career as a footballer before moving into comedy. Having last seen him welcoming the boos at the Invictus Games closing ceremony, during his time on Eastenders, tonight’s audience were more open minded in accommodating his serial style.

Nic Bennett

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teachanarchy · 8 years ago

Link

To celebrate its 225th anniversary, the US Mint and Treasury last week unveiled plans to issue a 24-carat commemorative coin depicting Lady Liberty as an African-American woman. With full lips and braided hair tied back in a bun, her gold-embossed profile is framed by the words “LIBERTY” above and “In God We Trust” below. “As we as a nation continue to evolve,” said Elisa Basnight, the Mint’s chief of staff, “so does Liberty’s representation.”

Don’t treat Donald Trump as if he’s a normal president. He’s not

Jonathan Freedland Read more

Sadly, the representation is evolving far faster than the nation. The coin is worth $100 (£80); in 2010 the median net wealth for women of colour was calculated at just $5. Black women now earn 65 cents for every $1 made by a white man – the same gap as 20 years ago. So the Treasury has produced a coin in these women’s image that most cannot afford – because the economy is producing low-wage jobs that leave them with liberty without equality.

For the past eight years American liberals have gorged themselves on symbolism. A significant section of the population, including those most likely to support Barack Obama, have felt better about their country even as they have fared worse in it. The young, good-looking, intact, scandal-free black family in the White House embodied a hopeful future for America and beyond. Photogenic, with an understated chic, here were people of colour who looked even better in black and white. With personal stories of progress without privilege, they provided Camelot without the castle: evoking a sense of possibility in a period of economic stagnation, social immobility and political uncertainty.

As Obama passes the keys and the codes to Donald Trump at the end of this week, so many liberals mourn the passing of what has been, remain in a state of disbelief for what has happened, and express deep anxiety about what is to come. It is a steep cliff – politically, rhetorically and aesthetically – from the mocha-complexioned consensual intellectual to the permatanned, “pussy-grabbing” vulgarian.

But there is a connection between the “new normal” and the old that must be understood if resistance in the Trump era is going to amount to more than Twitter memes driven by impotent rage and fuelled by flawed nostalgia. This transition is not simply a matter of sequence – one bad president following a good one – but consequence: one horrendous agenda made possible by the failure of its predecessor.

It is easy for liberals to despise Trump. He is a thin-skinned charlatan, a self-proclaimed sexual harasser, a blusterer and a bigot. One need not exhaust any moral energy in making the case against his agenda. That is precisely what makes it so difficult to understand his appeal. Similarly, it is easy for liberals to love Obama. He’s measured, thoughtful, smart and eloquent – and did some good things despite strong opposition from Republicans. That is precisely what makes it so difficult for liberals to provide a principled and plausible critique of his presidency.

One cannot blame Obama for Trump. It was the Republicans – craven to the mob within their base, which they have always courted but ultimately could not control – that nominated and, for now, indulges him. And yet it would be disingenuous to claim Trump rose from a vacuum that bore no relationship to the previous eight years.

Current Time 0:00/Duration Time 2:40Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%

Some of that relationship is undeniably tied up in who Obama is: a black man, with a lapsed Muslim father from Kenya. That particular constellation of identities was like catnip to an increasingly strident wing of the Republican party in a time of war, migration and racial tumult. Trump did not invent racism. Indeed, race-baiting has been a staple of Republican party strategy for more than 50 years. But as he refused to observe the electoral etiquette of the Nixon strategy (“You have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks,” Richard Nixon told his chief-of-staff, HR Haldeman. “The key is to devise a system that recognises that while not appearing to”), his campaign descended into a litany of brazen racist taunts.

Racism’s role should not be underplayed, but its impact can arguably be overstated. While Trump evidently emboldened existing racists, it’s not obvious that he created new ones. He received the same proportion of the white vote as Mitt Romney in 2012 and George W Bush in 2004. It does not follow that because Trump’s racism was central to his meaning for liberals, it was necessarily central to his appeal for Republicans.

There is a deeper connection, however, between Trump’s rise and what Obama did – or rather didn’t do – economically. He entered the White House at a moment of economic crisis, with Democratic majorities in both Houses and bankers on the back foot. Faced with the choice of preserving the financial industry as it was or embracing far-reaching reforms that would have served the interests of those who voted for him, he chose the former.

Even as we protest about the 'new normal', we should not pretend it is replacing something popular or effective

Just a couple of months into his first term he called a meeting of banking executives. “The president had us at a moment of real vulnerability,” one of them told Ron Suskind in his book Confidence Men. “At that point, he could have ordered us to do just about anything and we would have rolled over. But he didn’t – he mostly wanted to help us out, to quell the mob.” People lost their homes while bankers kept their bonuses and banks kept their profits.

In 2010 Damon Silvers of the independent congressional oversight panel told Treasury officials: “We can either have a rational resolution to the foreclosure crisis, or we can preserve the capital structure of the banks. We can’t do both.” They chose the latter. Not surprisingly, this was not popular. Three years into Obama’s first term 58% of the country – including an overwhelming majority of Democrats and independents – wanted the government to help stop foreclosures. His Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, did the opposite, setting up a programme that would “foam the runway” for the banks.

So when Hillary Clinton stood for Obama’s third term, the problem wasn’t just a lack of imagination: it was that the first two terms had not lived up to their promise.

This time last year, fewer than four in 10 were happy with Obama’s economic policies. When asked last week to assess progress under Obama 56% of Americans said the country had lost ground or stood still on the economy, while 48% said it had lost ground on the gap between the rich and poor – against just 14% who said it gained ground. These were the Obama coalition – black and young and poor – who did not vote in November, making Trump’s victory possible. Those whose hopes are not being met: people more likely to go to the polls because they are inspired about a better future than because they fear a worse one.

Naturally, Trump’s cabinet of billionaires will do no better and will, in all likelihood, do far worse. And even as we protest about the legitimacy of the “new normal”, we should not pretend it is replacing something popular or effective. The old normal was not working. The premature nostalgia for the Obamas in the White House is not a yearning for Obama’s policies.

As any recipient of the new coin will tell you, there’s a difference between things that look different and make you feel good, and things that make a difference and actually do good. Symbols should not be dismissed as insubstantial; but nor should they be mistaken for substance.

#us politics #donald trump #us news #barack obama #race issues #race #racism #trump #politics #government

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

Text

How Barack Obama paved the way for Donald Trump | Gary Younge

Dont blame it all on racism. During the financial crash Obama sided with the bankers, not people losing their homes making Trumps victory possible

To celebrate its 225th anniversary, the US Mint and Treasury last week unveiled plans to issue a 24-carat commemorative coin depicting Lady Liberty as an African-American woman. With full lips and braided hair tied back in a bun, her gold-embossed profile is framed by the words LIBERTY above and In God We Trust below. As we as a nation continue to evolve, said Elisa Basnight, the Mints chief of staff, so does Libertys representation.

Sadly, the representation is evolving far faster than the nation. The coin is worth $100 (80); in 2010 the median net wealth for women of colour was calculated at just $5. Black women now earn 65 cents for every $1 made by a white man the same gap as 20 years ago. So the Treasury has produced a coin in these womens image that most cannot afford because the economy is producing low-wage jobs that leave them with liberty without equality.

As Obama passes the keys and the codes to Donald Trump at the end of this week, so many liberals mourn the passing of what has been, remain in a state of disbelief for what has happened, and express deep anxiety about what is to come. It is a steep cliff politically, rhetorically and aesthetically from the mocha-complexioned consensual intellectual to the permatanned, pussy-grabbing vulgarian.

But there is a connection between the new normal and the old that must be understood if resistance in the Trump era is going to amount to more than Twitter memes driven by impotent rage and fuelled by flawed nostalgia. This transition is not simply a matter of sequence one bad president following a good one but consequence: one horrendous agenda made possible by the failure of its predecessor.

It is easy for liberals to despise Trump. He is a thin-skinned charlatan, a self-proclaimed sexual harasser, a blusterer and a bigot. One need not exhaust any moral energy in making the case against his agenda. That is precisely what makes it so difficult to understand his appeal. Similarly, it is easy for liberals to love Obama. Hes measured, thoughtful, smart and eloquent and did some good things despite strong opposition from Republicans. That is precisely what makes it so difficult for liberals to provide a principled and plausible critique of his presidency.

One cannot blame Obama for Trump. It was the Republicans craven to the mob within their base, which they have always courted but ultimately could not control that nominated and, for now, indulges him. And yet it would be disingenuous to claim Trump rose from a vacuum that bore no relationship to the previous eight years.

Obama was inadequate. But America will miss him

Some of that relationship is undeniably tied up in who Obama is: a black man, with a lapsed Muslim father from Kenya. That particular constellation of identities was like catnip to an increasingly strident wing of the Republican party in a time of war, migration and racial tumult. Trump did not invent racism. Indeed, race-baiting has been a staple of Republican party strategy for more than 50 years. But as he refused to observe the electoral etiquette of the Nixon strategy (You have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks, Richard Nixon told his chief-of-staff, HR Haldeman. The key is to devise a system that recognises that while not appearing to), his campaign descended into a litany of brazen racist taunts.

Racisms role should not be underplayed, but its impact can arguably be overstated. While Trump evidently emboldened existing racists, its not obvious that he created new ones. He received the same proportion of the white vote as Mitt Romney in 2012 and George W Bush in 2004. It does not follow that because Trumps racism was central to his meaning for liberals, it was necessarily central to his appeal for Republicans.

There is a deeper connection, however, between Trumps rise and what Obama did or rather didnt do economically. He entered the White House at a moment of economic crisis, with Democratic majorities in both Houses and bankers on the back foot. Faced with the choice of preserving the financial industry as it was or embracing far-reaching reforms that would have served the interests of those who voted for him, he chose the former.

Just a couple of months into his first term he called a meeting of banking executives. The president had us at a moment of real vulnerability, one of them told Ron Suskind in his book Confidence Men. At that point, he could have ordered us to do just about anything and we would have rolled over. But he didnt he mostly wanted to help us out, to quell the mob. People lost their homes while bankers kept their bonuses and banks kept their profits.

In 2010 Damon Silvers of the independent congressional oversight panel told Treasury officials: We can either have a rational resolution to the foreclosure crisis, or we can preserve the capital structure of the banks. We cant do both. They chose the latter. Not surprisingly, this was not popular. Three years into Obamas first term 58% of the country including an overwhelming majority of Democrats and independents wanted the government to help stop foreclosures. His Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, did the opposite, setting up a programme that would foam the runway for the banks.

So when Hillary Clinton stood for Obamas third term, the problem wasnt just a lack of imagination: it was that the first two terms had not lived up to their promise.

This time last year, fewer than four in 10 were happy with Obamas economic policies. When asked last week to assess progress under Obama 56% of Americans said the country had lost ground or stood still on the economy, while 48% said it had lost ground on the gap between the rich and poor against just 14% who said it gained ground. These were the Obama coalition black and young and poor who did not vote in November, making Trumps victory possible. Those whose hopes are not being met: people more likely to go to the polls because they are inspired about a better future than because they fear a worse one.

Naturally, Trumps cabinet of billionaires will do no better and will, in all likelihood, do far worse. And even as we protest about the legitimacy of the new normal, we should not pretend it is replacing something popular or effective. The old normal was not working. The premature nostalgia for the Obamas in the White House is not a yearning for Obamas policies.

As any recipient of the new coin will tell you, theres a difference between things that look different and make you feel good, and things that make a difference and actually do good. Symbols should not be dismissed as insubstantial; but nor should they be mistaken for substance.