#REALLY proud of odd todd david

[caseyhughes]

jake, rachel, tobias, marco, cassie, david do you guys like my au

[somedayonbroadway]

So, since you said you used to watch Phineas and Ferb growing up, have you ever thought of a Phineas and Ferb au? 👀

This one was actually harder for me to come up with than the Gravity Falls one. I think it was just easier for me to fit angst in that one. This one, it was a bit harder but I still love it even though I kept it pretty brief.

Guys, I love Phineas and Ferb. It’s so. Freaking. Funny. I still watch it with my family and we still die laughing. Brilliant show.

Phineas and Ferb AU

Characters

Racetrack Higgins — Phineas Flynn

Crutchie Morris — Ferb Fletcher

Jack Kelly — Candace Flynn

David Jacobs — Stacy Hirano

Katherine Plumber — Jeremy Johnson

Albert DaSilva — Isabella García-Shapiro

Specs — Baljeet Tjinder

Spot Conlon — Buford van Stomm

Medda Larkin — Linda Flynn-Fletcher

Bryan Denton — Lawrence Fletcher

Todd Kloppman — Major Monogram

Tommy Boy — Carl the Intern

Obadiah Weisel — Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Oscar Delancey — Vanessa Doofenshmirts

Morris Delancey — Norm

Henry — Monty Monogram

Racetrack Higgins

An aspiring businessman and engineer

At only eleven years old, he builds and creates extraordinary things with his step brother, Crutchie

His is part of a blended family and is the youngest kid in said family

He lives his life to try and make his family and everyone else around him happy, especially his big brother, his only blood relative, Jack

Tyler James Kelly was adopted with his big brother when he was just a baby. He doesn’t remember any of it and is very happy where he ended up, never really having a desire to trace back where he came from or why he’d been adopted.

Is very popular and well liked by everyone he knows

Has a puppy that he found on the streets and named Hammer

Crutchie Morris

Very quiet, only talks about once per day and doesn’t really like speaking at all

Uses sign language and body language to communicate for the most part, but does like to sing and make music

Helps his step brother, Race, build odd, amazing contraptions everyday and wants to become a contractor

Is popular through his brother who has a lot of friends

Has a crippled leg that he was born with and uses a crutch to get around

Is silently brilliant, a prodigy, like his step brother

Crutchie and his dad had always been on their own until his dad met Medda and he was a part of a family

Before Race, Crutchie had never had any friends his own age

Jack Kelly

The oldest of the blended family children

An artist who likes to keep to himself and is too nervous to talk to the girl he really likes because of his own insecurities

Constantly tries to get his mother to see the obscure inventions that his little brothers build, but they always magically disappear before she can see them

Just wants to protect his family and make his mom and stepdad proud of him

Is seventeen and is terrified to learn to how to drive

Was adopted at six years old and does wonder about why he was given up in the first place

Is extremely protective of his baby brother before everyone else but still tries to get him and his step brother in trouble, like brothers do

If you guys want to see or hear more about this AU, just let me know! For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[thecollegefootballguy]

2017 PAC-12 Coaching Power Rankings

There was a lot of upheaval in the PAC-12 last year. Many coaches who had been rolling for a while saw their programs falter. A few who had been waiting in the wings pounced. Mark Helfrich was fired after overseeing Oregon’s first losing season since 2004 and was replaced by up and coming Willie Taggart. Sonny Dykes and Cal agreed to part ways after an uncomfortable final two seasons. He will be replaced by Justin Wilcox, a relative unknown. This power ranking will try to balance the recent season with the overall body of work that each coach has accrued along with the recent success or failures of the past few seasons.

-

12. Justin Wilcox

First Time Head Coach

Movement: N/A

Good luck to Justin Wilcox. Cal plays in a crowded division and a crowded state. The right man can win there but it will take time and effort. Wilcox was an assistant under Jeff Tedford in the glory days as well as a coach under Chris Petersen in Boise State’s own glory days. It’s a good sign.

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11. Willie Taggart

Overall Record: 40-45

Movement: N/A

Don’t let the sub .500 record fool you, Willie Taggart has had a history of success in his short career. He engineered successful rebuilds at two different programs. First he turned Western Kentucky, his alma mater, into a viable Sun Belt (now C-USA) program. Then he turned around a floundering South Florida back into a mid-major power. He comes to Oregon, where the demands are sky high and the fan base is now used to success. Let’s hope he doesn’t take too long to turn things around in Eugene.

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10. Gary Andersen

Record at Oregon State: 6-18 Overall Record: 55-56

Movement: Up 1 spot

Another rebuild guru, Gary Andersen saw major improvement at Oregon State in 2016. The Beavers won three more conference games than they did in his first year and they beat their archrivals for the first time since 2007. They should be even better next year.

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9. Clay Helton

Record at USC: 16-7 Division Championships: 1 (2015)

Movement: Up 3 spots

USC had a terrible September, but the Trojans might have ended the season as the best team in the PAC-12. SC finished the season 3rd in the AP Poll, one spot above conference champion Washington. The Trojans will likely be preseason favorites to win the league.

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8. Mike MacIntyre

Record at Colorado: 20-31 Overall Record: 35-52 Division Championships: 1 (2016)

Movement: Up 2 spots

The breakthrough season! After years and years of futility, Colorado finally had a season to be proud of. The Buffaloes won 10 games for the first time since 2001 and they won their first PAC-12 South title. I’m curious how much staying power they’ll have in an unstable division, but MacIntyre is clearly up to the job.

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7. Mike Leach

Record at Washington State: 29-34 Overall Record: 113-77

Movement: Up 1 spot

Washington State won seven conference games for the first time since 2002. The Cougars continue to be a volatile team that can take anybody down or implode against worse competition. Mike Leach has rebuilt Wazzu into a contender against all odds and they may improve even more if they can win more consistently.

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6. Rich Rodriguez

Record at Arizona: 36-29 Overall Record: 156-113-2 Division Championships: 1 (2014)

Movement: Up 1 spot

I think Rich Rodriguez is losing his touch in Tucson. Arizona has been getting worse in the past few years and they finally cratered last season. The only reason he moved up on this list is because Mark Helfrich got fired and couldn’t occupy a higher spot. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt because his overall body of work is still impressive, but he definitely can’t repeat this next year and stay high on this list. Also he’ll probably get fired.

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5. Todd Graham

Record at Arizona State: 39-26 Overall Record: 88-55 Division Championships: 1 (2013)

Movement: Up 1 spot

Much like his counterpart at Arizona, Todd Graham probably wants to forget 2016. Unlike Rich Rod, Graham had the Sun Devils in position to save face and go bowling, but instead they faceplanted against their rivals and ended the year 5-7. I’ve definitely got more faith in Graham, as ASU’s slide hasn’t been as pronounced, but nonetheless they’ve clearly gotten worse in the past few seasons. They were one of the better PAC-12 teams in 2013 and ‘14, so let’s see how the redemption year goes before passing too much judgement.

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4. Jim Mora

Record at UCLA: 41-24 Division Championships: 1 (2012)

Movement: Up 1 spot

Boy, it was really an all or nothing year for coaches in the South Division. Jim Mora, one of the most exciting head men in the conference since he started at UCLA, had a pretty dire 4-8 campaign. The Bruins were a bit better than their record suggested, but they had one of the worst rushing attacks in the FBS which is pretty hard to explain. I have no idea what’s going to happen now, because aside from last year he’s done a lot of good in Westwood. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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3. Kyle Whittingham

Record at Utah: 104-50 Division Championships: 1 (2015) Conference Championships: 1 (2008)

Movement: Up 1 spot

The longest tenured coach in the PAC-12 continues to prove his worth. Utah won nine or more games for the third year in a row despite the furious competition in the division they reside in. They didn’t approach the same heights they reached in 2015, but they nearly cracked the top 10 in November. Whittingham is doing a great job, there’s not much else to say.

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2. David Shaw

Record at Stanford: 64-17 Division Championships: 4 (2011-13, 2015) Conference Championships: 3 (2012-13, 2015)

Movement: Same

David Shaw had the second-worst year in his career, and Stanford won 10 games. Shaw continues to develop a very good program at a school where long-term winning was thought to be impossible. They’re division contenders every year.

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1. Chris Petersen

Record at Washington: 27-14 Division Championships: 1 (2016) Conference Championships: 1 (2016)

Movement: Same

Proof of concept. Take one of the best mid-major coaches from recent memory and transplant him into a dormant powerhouse school in the region he is familiar with. It works 100% of the time when you’re using Chris Petersen as your test case. Petersen finally had his long anticipated breakthrough at Washington. The Huskies dominated for most of the season. They won the conference for the first time since 2000 and they only lost to top 5 teams. It might take another year or so to recoup the talent lost from the 2016 team, but winning football is back in Seattle.

[recentnews18-blog]

New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/i-always-felt-like-i-was-the-funny-friend-of-girls-that-i-fancied-chris-odowd-reflects-his-teen-years/

'I always felt like I was the funny friend of girls that I fancied' - Chris O'Dowd reflects his teen years

Dawn O’Porter and Chris O’Dowd attend the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Patron of the Artists Awards 2017 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on November 9, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation ) Dawn O’Porter (L) and husband Chris O’Dowd attend the red carpet premiere of EPIX original series “Get Shorty” at Pacfic Design Center on August 10, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images) Presenter Dawn Porter and fiance Actor Chris O’Dowd attend Fashion Kicks in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Beechwood Cancer Care Centre Stockport and the Chefs Adopt a School Project at Lancashire County Cricket Club on May 1, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage) Actor Chris O’Dowd and wife Dawn Porter attend “The Sapphires” after party during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at The Brandt House on September 9, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Todd Oren/Getty Images for Weinstein) Chris O’Dowd and Dawn Porter attend the Elle Style Awards at The Savoy Hotel on February 11, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) Chris O’Dowd attends the “Juliet, Naked” New York Premiere at Metrograph on August 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images) Chris O’Dowd in Get Shorty Actors Chris O’Dowd, Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke attend the “Juliet, Naked” New York Premiere at Metrograph on August 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images) Chris O’Dowd with his wife Dawn O’Porter Chris O’Dowd and Dawn O’Porter attend the launch party for The Pool, a unique multi-media platform for busy women co-founded by renowned editor and journalist Sam Baker and broadcaster Lauren Laverne, on April 23, 2015 in London, England. www.the-pool.com (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for The Pool)

‘I always felt like I was the funny friend of girls that I fancied’ – Chris O’Dowd reflects his teen years

Independent.ie

Chris O’Dowd ambles into a café to meet me a week before he turns 39.

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/i-always-felt-like-i-was-the-funny-friend-of-girls-that-i-fancied-chris-odowd-reflects-his-teen-years-37518598.html

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Chris O’Dowd ambles into a café to meet me a week before he turns 39.

But by his own biological calendar, that birthday is long gone. In O’Dowd years, he’s already 52. “It’s like, ‘Am I not f**king 40 yet?’ I turned 39 when I was about 26. I feel like I’ve been very old for a very long time,” he says, squinting his close-set eyes. “I was the youngest and last kid [of five], left at home as my parents were breaking up. As a 15-year-old, I took on the behaviour of the man of the house. I was a child-man. That’s why I’ve played a lot of man-children.”

His overgrown boys have included tech slacker Roy Trenneman, his breakout role in Channel 4’s cult comedy The IT Crowd, record label jerk Ronnie in Judd Apatow’s This Is 40, and an assortment of oafs (not least a bad boyfriend in Girls). But since his turn in Bridesmaids in 2011, O’Dowd has become a regular in Apatow’s Hollywood gang of everymen. It was Apatow who suggested O’Dowd for the role of his latest emotionally stunted male: Duncan, a narcissistic music nerd in the film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s Juliet, Naked.

This is the first of two projects with Hornby. “I’m starting to feel like his muse,” he says chuckling, but he’s keen to dis-identify with the Hornby-esque male. “I don’t have the arrested development of his characters,” he insists. “I was brought up in a matriarchal household. My mother is a therapist, so we had mature conversations about behaviour and identity. Hornby characters believe, ‘You are what you like’. That’s increasingly part of the male psyche as we are clutching for an identity. We were told for centuries that our identity was tied up with machismo and now we are seeing that machismo has a lot of drawbacks.”

O’Dowd’s public image as the affable Irish slacker who merely stumbled into breaking America does not exactly tally with his dynamic CV. But he’s still conscious that “today’s cockerel is tomorrow’s feather duster”. On his writing desk at home in LA he keeps a photo of a “spit bucket” full of 30 half-masticated burgers for an ad he once did, to remind himself that his success is “not just a given”. He admits to suffering less from impostor syndrome than “an Irish inferiority complex. The British can be a bit snooty about Irish people, even now. They’ve seen the danger of the Irish that the Americans haven’t. Americans just see the Irish as jesters.”

It doesn’t bother him, he says, that he’s still seen as a comic actor despite a raft of dramas over the last five years. But some things do. In fact he can get quite riled, for starters, on the subject of Catholicism. In 2014, in John McDonagh’s Calvary, he played a wife-beating butcher wreaking vengeance on the church for being sexually abused by a priest as a boy. O’Dowd didn’t track down historical Irish victims for his research, he tells me, partly because he already knew so many. “They are not that uncommon. I know many people who priests have exposed themselves to.” He is a vehement atheist, and says the “small turn-out” for Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland in August is “the shape of things to come. For hundreds of years, the Catholic Church provided an identity for Ireland at a time that we were suppressed. The need is no longer there. So if they are going to keep f**king kids, they are in trouble.”

Dawn O’Porter (L) and husband Chris O’Dowd attend the red carpet premiere of EPIX original series “Get Shorty” at Pacfic Design Center on August 10, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Read more: Review: Chris O’Dowd is pricelessly funny from start to finish in ‘Juliet, Naked’

The state of oratory is another one of his bugbears: he once wanted to be a political speechwriter. “Theresa May is such a terrible speaker. There’s so much verbosity and such a lack of creativity. Obviously in America, it’s become so juvenile. Taking ideology out of it, the conversation is dumbing because it’s so poor in its execution.” And Brexit: “Increasingly I’m like, ‘F**k the People. F**k you, if you didn’t get that they were lying to you’. It’s like a clown told me a story and I chose to believe it… It’s such a low ebb of human civilisation, a really dangerous time for Anglo-Irish relations. Boris Johnson wants a bridge to Ireland? What’s that going to solve?” Suddenly he stops, worried about moaning.

O’Dowd was born in Boyle, Co Roscommon, to Sean, a graphic designer, and psychotherapist Denise. He was left to the tyranny of his three sisters at 11, after his older brother left home. They amused themselves by painting make-up on their sleeping brother before sending him to school. As a survival mechanism O’Dowd developed a “big personality” in tandem with his fast-growing body. “I was 6ft tall by the time I was 11. I was a looming, towering figure of ridicule”. He played Gaelic football for the county. But, he says, he was never a “Jack the lad”.

By 13, he was already helping raise his 17-year-old sister’s baby. “I always felt like I was the funny friend of girls that I fancied. I found a position of comfort in that.”

By his own account, O’Dowd stumbled into acting after he accompanied a friend to an audition at University College Dublin, where he was studying politics and sociology. He paid his way through drama school with hod-carrying: “It was a very odd time: I’d get up at 5am to work on a building site, then go to a flamenco f**king class.”

There followed breaks in theatre, Vera Drake (2004) and a three-year stint on Irish drama The Clinic. But it was his role in The Festival in 2005 that brought him to the attention of Graham Linehan, who was casting for The IT Crowd.

Since the series began in 2006, the image of “techies” has gone from basement to virtual rock stars. “Our perception of what IT guys are has changed from Bill Gates to Elon Musk.” He’s not entirely sorry that Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have been “getting their comeuppance” recently. “I just think that it’s odd that people who seem so socially stunted have got so much control over our lives.” In 2009 he took a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, where he stumbled upon the “naturalistic” comedy creator Judd Apatow backstage at a Louis CK gig. “I said, ‘F**k me, that’s Judd Apatow. I think he’s the reason I came over here.”

Read more: Dawn O’Porter says she was too proud to come home after her US series was dropped

Chris O’Dowd in Get Shorty

The other life-altering encounter in Los Angeles was with Scottish TV presenter and writer Dawn Porter; she changed her name to O’Porter when they married in 2012. There were only brief bachelor days before then, with co-star Jason Segel as his wingman. They once tried to pull the same girl with “verbatim the same text. It said, ‘Why don’t you swing over and we’ll pop open a bottle of vino on the deck’. We’d been hanging out and drinking a lot, so we must have started sharing a vernacular.”

Segel is godfather to O’Dowd’s first son Art, three, brother of one-year-old Valentine, and is a regular at the O’Porter’s weekly Sunday roasts for 20 in West Hollywood. O’Dowd has little tolerance for British cliches about LA. “People think that everyone in LA lives in Beverly Hills and has surgery. It’s the same as when Americans talk about the British as if everybody knows the Queen.”

He’s currently in pre-production for Hornby’s State of the Union, a TV series co-starring Rosamund Pike, following a couple in marriage counselling.

He was reminded of the salad days of his own marriage while unpacking boxes at their new London home. “We found some tea towels printed with a picture of us dressed as bridezillas for Halloween, and Paul Newman’s saying, ‘Keep the arguments clean and the sex dirty’. Now everything else is dirty.” Perhaps, despite two kids, Hollywood stardom and twinkling charm, O’Dowd is discovering you can’t have everything.

Juliet, Naked is currently showing

Chris O’Dowd attends the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival After Party For Love After Love At Up And Down at Up&Down on April 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for 2017 Tribeca Film Festival)

Indo Review

Source: https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/i-always-felt-like-i-was-the-funny-friend-of-girls-that-i-fancied-chris-odowd-reflects-his-teen-years-37518598.html

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

Valentine's Day Sweethearts: The Cutest Celeb Couples Who Can't Get Enough of Each Other

Valentine's Day is officially here and we can't help ourselves from obsessing over all the love in Hollywood!

Whether you're single and spending the day with your gal-pals, or looking forward to a romantic date night with your significant other once the workday is done, we think it's safe to say we all have one thing in common -- we can't get enough of cute, celebrity couples.

In honor of the holiday, ET's rounded up the famous pairs who haven't been able to stop gushing over each other this year.

Meghan Markle & Prince Harry

Alexi Lubomirski

This is an extra special holiday for the royal and his fiancée, as it marks their first Valentine's Day as an engaged couple. During an interview with BBC News last November, the two were all smiles while recalling how they first met, and how Prince Harry ultimately popped the question.

"I'd never watched Suits, I'd never heard of Meghan before, and I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her [for the first time]," he said of their first meeting, which was a blind date set up by one of their mutual friends. "I was like, 'Wow, OK. I'm going to have to up my game here. I'm going to sit down and make sure I got a good chat.'"

"The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned and everything was just perfect," he continued. "We are a fantastic team, we know that we are, and we want to, over time, have as much impact for all of the things that we care about as much as possible."

As for how Harry proposed, Meghan described the moment as "so sweet, natural and very romantic."

"[It was] just a cozy night," she said, adding that they were "trying" to roast a chicken. "It was just an amazing surprise. He got on one knee."

George & Amal Clooney

Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage

For George, life changed for the better the moment he met Amal, whom he married in 2014. In a sweet clip from his revealing interview on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman, streaming now on Netflix, the 56-year-old actor opened up about finding the new, "very odd" purpose to his life. "I have to say, before I had the twins, I felt that about her," George says of his wife, who gave birth to their twins, Alexander and Ella, last June. "I felt that I met someone who, you know, I would absolutely trade my life for. I'd met someone that, her life meant more to me than my life, and I had never had that experience before."

David & Victoria Beckham

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Ken Paves Salon

Proving they're still going strong as one of Hollywood's hottest power couples, the lovebirds, who tied the knot in 1999, weren't shy about packing on the PDA earlier this month during New York Fashion Week. The former Spice Girl planted a giant smooch on her husband, who sat front row at her fashion show with three of their four kids. "Show day... proud of mummy," David later wrote on Instagram.

In an interview with Today last March, Victoria couldn't help herself from marveling over her "great" partner in crime. "I'm lucky that David is the most fantastic father and husband," she shared. "We're very equal at home, and we're a really, really good team."

"I think he's my soulmate," she added. "We complement each other. He's the most incredible husband, fantastic father. He inspires me every day. Not just seeing him with the children and how he treats me. It just works. We're lucky to have each other."

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen

James Devaney/GC Images

Through good times and bad.

After a devastating Super Bowl LII loss earlier this month, we have a feeling the New England Patriots quarterback may be the one receiving the chocolates this Valentine's Day! But all jokes aside, the athlete couldn't be happier about having the greatest support system by his side, 24/7.

"My love, we are incredibly proud of you because we are able to see every day all the commitment, sacrifice and hard work that you have devoted to become the best in what you do," Gisele shared on behalf of her and their children following the NFL championship game. "We love you!"

Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez

Kevin Mazur/One Voice: Somos Live!/Getty Images

Speaking of the Super Bowl, the game was a much happier one for these two lovebirds, who celebrated their one-year anniversary together at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When ET caught up with J.Lo the night before the game, she had nothing but amazing things to say about the former MLB star.

"What was I doing one year ago today? I was with Alex," she exclaimed. "We had just met and, you know, it was good. It was a good night."

"It's crazy. We both are so happy about our lives right now and where we're at professionally, as well as personally," she continued. "Things seem to be flowing in a really beautiful way. We both have a lot of support for each other and a lot of love for each other. ... We're just really happy. It's a good time."

Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel

Getty Images

What better way to show your love for your significant other than by dedicating an entire album to them? That's exactly what Justin did for Jessica and their 2-year-old son, Silas, on Man of the Woods. He also included his wife in the music video for the title track, in which he croons, "I brag about you to anyone outside. I'm a man of the woods, it's my pride."

Last month, the lovebirds made the Golden Globes their date night, adorably gushing over each other ahead of the awards show. "DAMN, my wife is hot!" Justin marveled in a sweet Instagram post.

Chrissy Teigen & John Legend

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS

Always keeping us entertained, this happy pair was a definite on our list! Chrissy, who is currently pregnant with their second child, a baby boy, has been together with John since 2007 (they tied the knot in September 2013), but they seem to have no problem keeping the romance alive.

ET caught up with the "All of Me" singer late last month, where he opened up about expanding their little family. The two are already parents to a 1-year-old daughter, Luna. "I'm very much in love with my wife and my daughter," he shared. "So, if the next baby has any of their characteristics, I'll be very happy."

Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban

Todd Williamson/Getty Images

Last but definitely not least, a couple that's kept their love alive for over a decade! Nicole and Keith are never shy about packing on the PDA, always looking head-over-heels in love whether they're just casually out in public or all dressed up and posing for pictures on the red carpet. 

But behind the scenes, their bond is even stronger. "Keith always says to me, 'You stay raw and sensitive, and I'll buffer things for you,' which is a beautiful offering," the Oscar winner recently explained in her Glamour magazine interview. "He is always told, 'You're so tough,' and he says, 'That’s not what I want for you, Nicole. You don't need to get a thick skin.'"

"I think for me, it's about having a place that's safe to nurture you, where the tears can be shed," she added. "That way I can actually go back open and curious and willing. And at times scarred and a little damaged."

RELATED CONTENT:

7 Celebrity Couples Who Prove Love Is Real

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[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1145

Monday, January 2, 2017

 I'm a day late and a dollar short but Happy New Year everybody. I am hoping and wishing for the best to one and all. So far so good. We started off the year with friends and some lovely surprises that made the evening special. No big resolutions except to try to be a better person than I was last year. Do more things that I'm proud of rather than the opposite.

 Archie #15 - Mark Waid (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I have one question: where did they get the money to pay for all the stuff for Archie's parents' anniversary party? The feud in Switzerland between Veronica and Cheryl will now move to Riverdale. There's a lot more nastiness in these new Archie comics then there used to be.

 Briggs Land #5 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). One look at this issue's cover and you can see that this book doesn't shy away from controversy. Yes those are skinhead brown shirts with Nazi armbands. The menace and violence is not explicitly shown but it's palpable. It's sad to see that some readers have dropped this title, because I think it's a very gripping story.

 Doctor Strange #15 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo & Jorge Fornes (pencils) John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Victor Olazaba & Jorge Fornes (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Chapter 4 of "Blood in the Aether" finds Stephen being driven around in a cab by the Orb. It's really quite a trip. This all boils down to a bunch of super villains wanting to kill Doctor Strange. I hope Wong and Zelma can come to the rescue in time. I thought that the changing art styles between Chris and Jorge's pages would be annoying but they meshed very well.

 Avengers #2.1 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Jordan Boyd (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). One of the oddest super villains from the old days appears this issue.  I never really got what the Stranger wanted way back when but he sure was powerful. Having this foursome of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch making up the Avengers is quite humbling. I loved the scene on public transit.

 Amazing Spider-Man #22 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Now that the identity of the person behind the jackal mask has been revealed it's time to lay out that person's plans for all us fans. Will Peter succumb for his loved ones? The answer may be in Dead No More #4.

 Invincible Iron Man #2 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Half of this issue is Riri fighting a bunch of Iron Mans while AI Tony tries to train her and the other half are flashbacks to expand on her past so we get a better understanding of why she wants to be a super hero. This is the reason Bendis books do it for me. He takes time to show us the human side of super humans.

 Thanos #2 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Mike Deodato (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Thanos's son Thane is assembling a team to kill his dad, who has a terminal disease. The Titan is dying anyways and according to his father the scientist, Thanos doesn't have long to live. There is no cure. Thanos even destroyed another whole civilisation to find one. I love Jeff's writing and Mike's art but here's what I see happening. Thanos will be cured by fighting Thane. Villains like Doc Ock, Victor Von Doom, Wilson Fisk and Thanos will never die.

 Occupy Avengers #2 - David F. Walker (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Sonia Oback (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). The two do gooders, Hawkeye and Red Wolf, team up to do some good. I think this book is going to be light reading even though they may tackle lofty ideals like trying to save a fresh water supply from greedy corporations. Remember the old Hulk TV show that had Bill Bixby wandering around the country as Bruce Banner and then Lou Ferrigno helping people as the Hulk? This might be just like that but with Clint Barton making things right as Hawkeye. I do like Hawkeye and David may not be Matt Fraction but his writing is acceptable so I will check out subsequent issues to see if I might read them.

 Moonshine #3 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art) Eduardo Risso & Cristian Rossi (colours) Jared H. Fletcher (letters). This was a bloody fine issue from the cover to the last page. This story has more fluids flowing than just the homebrew hooch.

 Action Comics #970 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Patrick Zircher (art) Ulises Arreola (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's the Trial of Lex Luthor. Yes it's for crimes he's yet to commit and the only one defending him is Superman. The verdict is no surprise to anyone. Now we see if the sentence will be administered.

 Saga #41 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art) Fonografiks (letters). Many lives are on the line and someone does die. You have to read this issue to find out who.

 Hulk #1 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). They dropped the She prefix so I wouldn't blame She-Hulk fans for passing this by. Please don't do that because this is a really good reintroduction of Jennifer Walters to the rack. Jen may have recovered physically from her near death while fighting Thanos in Civil War II but she is still suffering psychological damage. Doc Samson hasn't shown up yet but somebody needs to help the lady lawyer cope with what happened to her. I like the way Nico draws Jen but there were some panels where she looked part Asian. That's a whole different take on the character than previously depicted. Jen doesn't Hulk out this issue but she is on the verge. I will be interested to see how much control Mariko gives Jen when she's green.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #11 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Larfleeze is my least favourite character in this whole colour scheme. He's just a hoarder and the colour is a mix of red and yellow. He's not even a good villain because his avarice makes him stupid. I find the orange corps to be a bore.

 Mighty Thor #14 - Jason Aaron (writer) Steve Epting (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Yumpin yimminy that was another great issue. The League of Realms fights bravely against overwhelming odds as Malekith continues his campaign against the Ten Realms. He's just laid waste to Niffleheim so which one is next? If you like Steve's art in this book you should check out Velvet.

 Batgirl #6 - Hope Larson (writer) Rafael Albuquerque (art) Dave McCaig (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Batgirl flies home after her Asian adventures and meets up with a surprise passenger. The guy being picked up at the airport was a surprise to me too. I'm sure he's going to make life interesting for Barbara Gordon.

 Uncanny Avengers #18 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kevin Libranda (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Avengers Mansion is now a Marvel super hero theme hotel? Get outta town. Well, aside from that bit of hoohaw I really liked this issue even though Gerry stonged me with a Rick Astley song brought on by the title to this issue. The Red Skull with Charles Xavier's powers is playing a lot of head games and I am looking forward to seeing how the good guys beat him. Kevin Libranda is a fine fill in for Pepe Larraz.

 Detective Comics #947 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). The finale to the Victim Syndicate story ends with a back stabbing betrayal by one of the good guys. They couldn't be more obvious with one of the covers. It's understandable given the grief that character was going through. Speaking of Red Robin, who's the hooded guy in the last panel? This Batfan wants to know.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool #12 - Nick Giovannetti & Paul Scheer (writers) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This would be a great way for kids to learn how Christmas evolved from the ancient Roman celebration of Saturnalia honouring the god Saturn but it's got way too much adult content for them to be casting their beady little eyes on. For us more mature readers it was a fun time.

 Wonder Woman #13 - Greg Rucka (writer) Renato Guedes (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This issue spotlights Steve Trevor, looking a lot like Oliver Queen, as he tries to keep a mind altered Diana from being captured by bad guys. I'm not a fan of Steve calling Diana Angel. It's too saccharine. Whatever happened to make Diana mentally handicapped still needs to be determined and a way to get her back to normal still needs to be found. Those mysteries will keep me reading.

 Civil War II #8 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's over at last but not really. This story is merely a launching pad for changes in the Marvel U. Some have already hit the racks like the new Incredible Iron Man starring Riri Williams. Many are poised to start off 2017 with a plethora of new exciting (we hope) stories. There are a bunch of full page possible futures featured and I got to play my favourite game of "who's drew that?". Well, these folks did: Adam Kubert, Leinil Francis Yu, Daniel Acuna, Alan Davis & Mark Farmer, Marco Rudy, Mark Bagley & John Dell, and Esad Ribic. It was fun guessing.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #2 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Sandu Florea (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This answers the question of which team would win in a fight. The answer will surprise you. Meanwhile, the third team is about to embark on a mission in preparation for taking over the world. Once this super villain team is discovered I'm sure the Justice League and the Suicide Squad will team up to stop them.

 Black Widow #9 - Chris Samnee & Mark Waid (writers) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha teams up with Bucky to fight her mysterious stalker. I finally saw Captain America: Winter Soldier recently. That was a pretty good movie. Meanwhile back on the racks, we have the Weeping Lion plotting something nasty against the Black Widow to look forward to.

 Infamous Iron Man #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I know this book isn't going to last but I am thoroughly enjoying it while it's on the stands. This issue explains what changed Victor Von Doom from being the super villain Doctor Doom to the super hero Iron Man. It's tied into Secret Wars where Doctor Doom was the god of all those universes smooshed together. I figger Victor will suffer another disfiguring accident and he'll revert to being a bad guy again. In the meantime, meet Mrs. Von Doom.

 Spider-Woman #14 - Dennis Hopeless (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). My favourite thing about this book are the friendships that Jessica has. She is going to need a lot of help to get through this grieving period after the death of the Porcupine. But wait, who's this in the back of the book?

 Spider-Man #11 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Gaetano Carlucci (ink assist) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is all about Jefferson Davis, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't mind that Miles is barely in this because it's so well written and I get to see Sara draw the Black Cat, even though I hate chunky soles on pumps. Just ignore the impractical footwear folks. The cover shows Spider-Man disintegrating but that just means that he's not going to be the major focus of this new story, his dad is.

 Star Wars #26 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) Chris Eliopoulos (letters). He's Penny's favourite Star Wars hero. Luke may be prominently featured on the cover but the real star of this issue is Master Yoda. Still can't stand his inverted speech pattern though.

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