#Remind me that when iconic high Anthony post

[heart-of-the-card]

I knew it was Anthony from the Doritos

[lsdunesarchive]

Travis Stever – L.S. Dunes ‘Past Lives lead to Vast Strives’.

Words by Will Oakeshott Photo by Mark Beemer November 11, 2022

“Rock n’ roll as a genre is different from pop and hip hop: it is about bands, and that for me suggests brotherhood, family, friendship and community.” – Steven Van Zandt.

What the revered Steven Van Zandt has expressed with this statement is a declaration of sincerity. An actor, author, producer, activist, songwriter and musician who has performed with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for nearing five decades, let alone appearing on The Sopranos for numerous seasons among many other accolades; this is a man with an immeasurable knowledge of the music and arts universe. What he describes here is more than aspects of a genre of music, it is about the unifying element of that raw gritty and uncompromising energy in rock music. It is a bond, a family and in certain scenarios, a brotherhood.

L.S. Dunes represent these credentials and so much more. Built from the foundations of iconic post-hardcore, progressive rock and emo groups such as Thursday, Coheed & Cambria, My Chemical Romance, Saosin and Circa Survive – their origination is more than just “sound” tailored, it is bound by a bewildering bond. Each member of these adored outfits have toured together, whether decades ago or even with their future plans. Most have performed around the world side by side in their respective outfits; the connection is so cohesive, it is above the idea of a “reunion”, it is in fact an astonishing affinity. As guitarist (of Coheed & Cambria fame) Travis Stever elaborates:

“It’s interesting now playing in a band with Frank (Iero, guitar, of My Chemical Romance prestige) and seeing My Chemical Romance on these enormous shows that they’re doing. Then, with Anthony (Green, vocals, [Saosin, Circa Survive]) singing, I mean, he is just so powerful.” Travis pauses in almost disbelief about his talented band brothers before continuing – “With Thursday, I remember Full Collapse came out and Claudio (Sanchez, guitar and vocals of C&C) and I would like listen to that going back and forth from the studio or going to rehearse or even in the van doing shows. Then, they took us out on tour and it was the furthest we had gone in the States. I don’t even know if The Second Stage Turbine Blade was out yet; we might just have been travelling with an Equal Vision Records sampler (laughs). Anyway we travelled to Arizona and I remember thinking that this is the furthest we’ve been out in the States on tour, this is amazing! I am so grateful to them for that!” Mr Stever exclaims with unbridled excitement.

“But I mean, all the while all these bands, except for the select few times, I never really listening to them with the outside perspective of that’s who we’re playing with tonight. Playing with all these guys now, it makes me dive back into what they did. I have this whole new respect for it; the My Chemical Romance music and Circa Survive! It is so cool, because we have this real band, but it almost reminds me of when you were in high school and everybody had all these different bands, but you started bands with each other. I feel like at 40, oh, I’m not going to tell you the rest of that. But my birthday is coming up, too haha!”

For context, Vera Wang did not begin designing wedding dresses until she was 40 and the prominent American author W. B. Pitkin’s most famous work is entitled: Life Begins At 40.

“You know, to be in those years, that you’re still able to have that excitement and that kind of experience, like, wow! It’s mind blowing, actually; we have made music together we all really love. And now it’s the full circle.”

Age is only a number, undoubtedly. In discussion about L.S. Dunes’ debut full-length, or better defined as their brilliant benchmark (our review here) – Travis is bursting with elation. Understandably, as he described prior, this LP was crafted with artists he is a fan of and now family with. However, there is more to the story than the five-piece’s Past Lives; in essence, this artwork is a pandemic album. The excellent entanglement between the quintet through history is an immeasurable nexus assuredly, but the creative process wasn’t the conventional method of being in the same room; the outfit literally honed their collective craft from their bedrooms.

“The DNA is there, but it is in a bedroom, because we were stuck in said bedroom. So Tucker (Rule, drums of Thursday distinction) and I had been talking about doing things months earlier, before the pandemic hit. It hits and everybody was staying busy here, but almost like six, seven months into it, momentum was needed. There was plans to do a Thursday Signals showcase (streamed live performance), I was a part of this too, which was an honour to be a part of.” Travis pauses for a moment with a sense of gratitude before continuing – “Everybody got tested and did the whole thing, during that time, there was chatter between some of us. Tim (Payne, bass of Thursday prestige) had been writing a lot with Tucker, then Frank (Iero) was interested – so let’s just try this. There’s no expectation. We agreed that if we sent some stuff back and forth ideas and it didn’t gel, then we could let it go. We already knew that we would gel, as stupid texts back and forth and stupid dialogue – we were doing that like memes and all that stuff.”

Mr Stever laughs in a deafening manner before switching inspirationally – “Then, here comes the music. So I sent something that now became ‘Antibodies’ on our album, I sent that as a loose arrangement of riffs. Tucker played to it right away – I was like: ‘Holy sh*t!’ Tim added bass – wow. Frank added guitar, I was in awe!”

These progressive post-hardcore pioneers had more than ideas floating around to share with one another, there was a foreseen chemistry that exploded with life to a level similar to the big bang theory – in an alternative music sense. Each member latched to the project and as Travis illustrates, this was quickly becoming an infatuation beyond measure.

“Then Frank sent an idea – I added a bunch of guitar and it was like, you know, the addiction. I was also addicted to waiting for the text that went: ‘Oh, man, this is so cool’! I would look at my phone hoping that something was coming through. Before I’d go to sleep, I’d have to turn the phone off. It’s like, that’s all you have.” In a slight change of tone, Mr Stever recalls the earlier reality – “We can’t go out and play live music right now. I can’t go to one of their houses, but we’re sending these texts, speaking sonically to each other through text and email. Eventually we had a handful of song ideas instrumental and Tucker kind of tricked Anthony in the sense that this was a good thing because we didn’t want him to get psyched out either. We also didn’t want him to think that everybody was judging him, so he told him, it was just some friends creating or something like that. He sent him ‘Antibodies’ and maybe one other track, if my memory is right. Then when we got ‘Antibodies’ back – that was it man. It was the missing puzzle piece.”

With this exuberant creative energy, there must have been a requirement to harness it, to make sense of the overflow of ecstasy that would burst through five men who have lived this “sound” for decades?

“Tim (Payne) really played a conductor and engineer from afar. He would say things and organise them. Sometimes he would just send guitars and say: ‘Hey, I just threw a bunch of paint at the wall if you want to cut parts in and out or see if anything works, go for it’. But a majority of the time, like most of the record that was worked on this way, was just everybody’s parts were just left what they were. And then some things were worked out when we finally did get together and be in a room and do what you’d call pre-production.

It was so spotty though, because we’d be together and then something would come up, like a spike in COVID, or whatever. So another pause – once Will Yip (Lauryn Hill, Code Orange) came into play, he did magic from afar too. Frank was able to go do his guitars there which helped, once it came to recording the finals and Tucker did the drums also. But Tim and I still did everything remotely.

“I imagine that without the confines of the pandemic, all of us will probably go back to going into a place when we do the next record; but I was fine with how this one was constructed – I prefer how it evolved when we were all together.”

The culmination of the virtuosos who make up L.S. Dunes have an almost insurmountable magnitude of where their sound trajectory might take them, expertly experimental almost summarises it. In all probability however, even the most perceptive of admirers will be surprised by the slightly left-field closer ‘Sleep Cult’. A salute to ‘In The Still Of The Night’ by Fred Parris And The Satins – this doo-wop number transcends time to a romantic genius where music really is adored regardless of age or genre.

“So that chord progression I could hear Frank playing it from the other room while I was working on a different song. Basically doing the pre-production for what would go to Will Yip -while doing that pre-production, some song ideas came out of it. Interestingly enough, ‘Sleep Cult’ and ‘Permanent Rebellion’ came out of that time. And that was an example of Frank just working on that chord progression and decided to throw this down.”

“I wrote some lap steel guitar to that song and then Anthony just added the ‘do-woop’ bit – it was actually my favourite song on the record for months, but that always changes for me, which to me means it is a good album!”

So will the next film clip be a throwback to 1956?

“Well I guess Anthony, he’s from the Philadelphia area right? I could see a bunch of dudes standing around the garbage can with a fire doing the ‘do-woop’ together, like in the Rocky film!”

Welcome to L.S. Dunes – brothers in charm.

Interview by Will Oakeshott @TeenWolfWill

[wenellyb]

My journey in the MCU fandom on Tumblr: Sharing my thoughts on the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, racism in the MCU fandom and the best and the worse of the fandom

I wasn’t going to write this much but here I am… I don’t even know where I’m going with this but since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just recently came out, I wanted to share some thoughts.

I joined Tumble because of a show I loved but most of you don’t know it “ Hit the Floor”

I stayed on Tumblr for two reasons only, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.

Before the Captain America:Civil War premiere, a friend sent me the link to the Sebastian and Anthony ET interview, and I was hooked. In just one interview. I discovered Anthony Mackie. The guy was hilarious!!! I just couldn’t get enough and I knew I had to know more about him. How could he improvise so many funny lines on the spot? He was just amazing.

I had pretty much watched all the avengers movie but that was it. I was not involved in the fandom. So I knew Sam Wilson’s face, but I couldn’t even remember his name if my life depended on it. That’s how much the MCU treated him as a side character.

I was like how the f*ck don’t I know this guy?

His talent reminded me of Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey or Robin Williams, like yes they can make some emotional or serious movies, but when they want to make you laugh, you will laugh. Whether you want it or not.  I kept wondering how this guy wasn’t more famous.

And the banter with Sebastian Stan? Wow, you could tell their friendship was strong, the way Sebastian lighted up when Anthony was talking, and keep bouncing off his jokes. It was art. the way Sebastian said “ I love you” at the end of the interview. Pure gold.

I then started to watch some of the interviews and boy was that a mistake!!! I literally couldn’t get enough. So I watched all and I say all their interviews, it was the best. We got some gems:

“Why aren’t you looking at me as much”

“Which way is the beach Seabass”

*Them saying nonsense in Spanish and then Sebastian Saying Papi Chulo*

 ¨And so many more, ....

I watched other solo Anthony interviews and he was still HILARIOUS, but you could also tell he felt a little bit more at ease with Sebastian around. I won’t pretend I know him or his personality, but Sebastian seems like a little bit more of an introvert and looks like he doesn’t enjoy the interview experience unless Anthony id around him. Just my thoughts

I watched the interviews before I went to see the movie, I even cosplayed as the Winter Soldier to the movie premiere and I was IN!!! When I saw Captain America Civil War, I became a SamBucky shipper, these two were hilarious and I really so the potential for a great realtionship I love enemy to lovers stories.

I also shipped Stucky because, to me, the trope of the movie was Superhero gives up everything to protect his long term friend” Hollywood movies have some codes and if Bucky were a female character, there is no doubt in my mind that the movie would have been marketed as romance.

Stucky really was an easy ship! But then the MCU fandom of Tumblr fandom messed up everything for me. You see I really liked the CACW and I I liked Stucky, I liked Sambucky, and I loved the introduction of t’Challa’s character, but one of things that affected me the most in the movie was that it was the first blockbuster I watched with 3 black main characters, Rhodey, Sam and T’Challa. That, and the fact that they were planning to realease a Black Panther movie in two years, I was super excited, and that’s the main reason I got involved in the MCU fandom so much, when before, I was just a casual watcher.

If this seem weird to you, then you have no idea how we were only getting crumbs before. For me it was soo huge, I even told all my friends, and they were laughing at me. But usually blockbusters, especially superhero movies get one black character and that’s it, usually the best friend or something and never the leads. So, for me it really was a big deal. How sad is that by the way…

I became more involved in the fandom and, at first, I wasn’t focusing on anything special, Sambucky, Stucky, Stackie, the Black Panther, and even Zemo, whose character I really liked.

But soon I noticed that the CACW tags were always flooded, and I mean flooded with the same two white characters: Steve and Bucky. I told myself, ok that’s fine Steve is the lead after all, but it would be good to see the other characters too.

And then I noticed another interesting trend: Evanstan…. Wait what?

Chris Evans, and Sebastian Stan… did I miss something? Listen, obviously I’m sure they must be friends or something, but you’re going to tell me you watch all MCU the actors and you’re going to focus on Steve and Sebastian? I’m sorry what?

Sebastian and Anthony are right there… Or Chris and Anthony, they even have a secret handshake, only the 2 of them do… what more do you want?

Tell me one iconic Evanstan moment… go ahead tell me… See??? There isn’t.

Because of this and because of how badly some Stuckies were treating Sam and Anthony. I became less and less of a stucky shipper . I mainly focused on SamBucky, Stackie and the Black Panther,

And then the Sebastian Stan stans saw how popular Stackie, Sambucky, were becoming and I started to see some problematic stuff in our fandom too.

I don’t want to generalize, but when you go into the Stackie tag, and you see cropped pictures of Sebastian without Anthony, it’s easy to assume that a Sebastian fan did that. And we know damn well you cropped out Anthony because we watched all Stackie interviews and know exactly which interview your picture was taken from. We know that Anthony was sitting right next to Seb.

You post a picture of Sebastian laughing but you crop out the person who was making him laugh??

“but it has nothing to do with race” How do you know that?

“Sebastian had more screen time” More screen time than Anthony in CATWS or CACW? I don’t think so.

“I have been a fan of Sebastian for longer”, that’s fine but don’t go out cropping Anthony, just post gifs of Seb in his usual, sad, and Anthony-less interviews, not the ones where he’s smiling because his best friend is next to him.

Some of you really are the worst. And just so you know, your fave Sebastian is Anthony’s biggest fan, if he saw pictures where you cropped out Anthony, he would block you on the spot.

When I realized that Anthony Mackie would be the next Captain America I was screaming, no actually, I was crying, Sam Wilson will be Captain America, and Anthony would finally get the recognition he deserves.

You would think that the MCU fandom would focus on Captain America or at least one the two leads, instead of just Sebastian? Right? Right? WRONG.

Anthony is handsome, he’s funny, he’s a great actor, he went to freaking Julliard, he’s at the top, I don’t see what else the man can do??? He should already be a superstar, but no, you will side-line him even to he is the lead of the show.

Even when they are the actual leads, you guys would do anything to bring up the White characters even if it means ignoring the Black characters.

I remember I was having a conversation about Black Panther with my friends and I asked one of my white friends who was his favorite character in BP was and he told me Martin Freeman (don’t even remember his name in the movie) Martin Freaking Freeman, there are half a dozen of great characters and your fave is the only white man??? Ok, ok, that’s great.

Don’t give out automatic reply like “It has nothing to do with race, if you haven’t thought about it first”, because there’s a high probability that it is indeed about race. Stop saying it isn’t, sit down and ask yourself, “Am I biased?” “Why am I reblogging only stuff related to the white characters”.

One of these days you guys are going to make me hate Sebastian with the sh*t you are pulling.

I looove the Stackie friendship and the Sambucky dynamic but after seeing the way some of you treat Anthony and Sam’s character, it make me want to focus on Sam’s character and forget about the rest.

 I remember they were some posts about how Anthony was problematic, and I just lost it. Apparently, there was an old article that resurfaced were Anthony was making a joke about women making sandwiches or something.

If you were offended by the sandwich joke, that is totally ok, and I can understand that.

But if you were offended by the sandwich joke, and saying Anthony is problematic BUT you still stan Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, ScarJo or even Sebastian Stan, just know that there is a high probability you’re racist.

They have all said or done problematic stuff, and people only seem to remember stuff related to Anthony, which was probably just a joke by the way.

Chris Evans and Jeremy called Black widow a wh*re, ScarJo took roles that she maybe shouldn’t have and I didn’t forget Sebastian shady Instagram post, when Kaepernick was kneeling. There are so many more things to be said about Jeremy Renner but google is your friend.

Anthony also got hate for hating on Tom Holland? Like what? Do you guys even hear yourselves? Don’t you have any friends you like to tease? If you hate someone, do you go around talking about him every chance you get? It was obviously friendly banter but some people wanted to turn it into something it was not. Sigh.

I really cannot with this fandom

 The stackie fandom was small at the beginning and the Sambucky fandom even smaller, but we were there and it was amazing. Sebastian and Anthony received the same amount of love from the fandom and I wish we could go back to those days.

Stop pretending the fandom isn’t racist. Stop saying “it isn’t about race” when you haven’t even thought about.

Saying “it has nothing to do with race” only shows that you haven’t thought about anything but don’t want to be called a racist.

There is racism in this fandom and it will always be there, but if you guys want to do anything about it, you have to acknowledge it first.

You can’t be pulling off stuff like “I don’t see colors”, “ it has nothing to do with race”. Stop, sit down, think about it and then we can have a conversation.

If you’ve made it till the end, I apologize for the typos and grammar mistakes, I wasn’t planning on writing this much.

[savemefrommydreams]

*Spoilers* for both the book and the show

Another Bridgerton post because I am still not over it. I absolutely love Kate and Anthony, but many other people have spoken about them better than I could and blessed us with gorgeous gifs, so can we talk about the other characters for a moment?!

I wish Lady Danbury was my aunt, because that woman would call me out if I ever needed it (and let’s be honest, I’d probably need that reality check), she’s supportive, so dang full of sass and wit and poise. She’s such a badass and she is nit afraid to put people in their place, and shes besties with the queen? Can she please adopt me?! I love her relationships with other women, my favourite is her friendship with Lady Bridgerton, and how there’s a bit of a light shed on female friendships of older women who’ve lived life and experienced so much, whether it’s heartbreak, loss, or having to hold their ground and position in respectable society.

Eloise, oh what would I do without her? And I love how in this season, she’s grown into so much more than just joined at the hip with Penelope, because she’s got her own thoughts and it feels more like they’re not sharing a single brain cell anymore, which is fantastic because we get to see them both as individuals, separate from their friendship. I love how she speaks of higher things like Women’s liberation and them being able to make their own choices in society as equal members instead of just gossiping about the ton, and her disdain for rEspEcTabLe society, and I love the feminist icon she is.

I like that the monarch is one, a Queen, and secondly, a woman of colour. She seemed far less silly or power hungry this season, and was just another reminder that women lead this show.

I really loved the moment with Edwina helping the Queen keep her head up high when the King barged in, and soothing his anxieties too. That was probably the moment where I felt the most respect for her, because while she’s great at manners and holding witty conversation and knowing when to do what, and being the perfect little young woman of marriageable age, she came off as a kid until then, the way Kate shields her and protects her, but that was the turning point for me.

I expected better from Penelope though, for such a woman of wit and words, she’s still very much stuck within the confines of society and while Lady Whistledown breaks away a little from this mould, she was reigned in by the very society she criticized and claims to be better than. She lost her power this season, and I hope she gets it back by the next one. That is in no way a judgement of the actress, but the storyline itself.

How I feel towards Lady Featherington is far from pleasant, but I appreciate that in the end everything she did was fueled by her desire to protect her daughters in a society that only saw them as objects with one sole purpose. A far cry from a feminist, or a respectable or honourable woman, but somehow still understandable?

I have to admit though, as much as I enjoyed this season of Bridgerton, as a reader, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by how far removed they were from the original storyline. The whole time I was wondering how they would not cause a scandal after having tread so far away from each other, and to be honest, I did not quite like the way the scandal was “resolved”. The relationship between Kate, her sister and her mother and Kate’s backstory were quite lacking in depth. While I appreciate that not everything can be included in an adaptation, this was so, so important, and was not paid enough attention to. Perhaps what I’m most sad about, though, is that we did not see “capital R rake” Anthony as much as we deserved to 😅 because Kate’s absolute disdain for the man was not petty and she was not just unnecessarily blocking him from courting her sister. And in the book, he was an honest man, he did not lead Edwina to believe he was in love with her, he was straightforward about how his marriage would not be for love because he did not expect to live long like his father and did not want to leave behind a broken woman or family. The build up to his affections towards Kate started out as just pure horniness, before anything more substantial occurred.

Anyway, I feel I would’ve probably enjoyed this season better if I hadn’t read the book first, because I can never stop comparing, but I love reading before because I love imagining the characters and scenes in my own little head before seeing them on screen. The south Asian representation and the above characters definitely helped make up for it to a certain extent.

I’ll probably make another post about the book vs the show another time, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts here and before I knew it, it was a rant/review, so that’s what you get for now!

[betterdaysareatoenailaway]

Sleep Tight For Me...I’m Gone

Lately I’ve been writing these Better Days Are A Toenail Away™�� posts in Microsoft Word, selecting all and changing the font to Garamond, which is so readable and beautiful, and posting the Word docs, paragraphs by paragraph, inside these Tumblr drafts. It makes things look nice, to my old fashioned sensibilities, but fixing errors is a time-consuming and needlessly convoluted four-step process.

First, I have to copy, then delete the paragraph containing the error. Then I open the doc. and paste the error-ridden paragraph back into Word. After I find and fix the error, I need to save it and copy and paste it back into the post. It's time-consuming because I’m not just copying a paragraph. As you can see from more recent post, what I copied looked more like a photograph of the paragraph, not the words themselves written in Tumblr’s default font Arial. For an example of this, see below. I like the way it looks like old newspaper clippings. I posted an article about how my fent dealer John Smith kept getting robbed, and had resorted to putting a machete in front of his front door as a way of preventing this, a lever of sorts, which is plainly visible in the video I posted,

So today I’ve given up on trying to make my posts look like books or zines, and have given into the Tumblr font, which is about as pretty as a horse with his snout shot off.

There are two much longer posts I’m working on right now, one about Nirvana and one about Soundgarden, respectively, and how both bands were very unlike their public perception, but those posts are taking a lot of work so I’m putting them on the backburner because today is some dumbass corporation’s day where it tries to synthesize mental health and profit and the end result is as baldly capitalist and clumsy as you would expect. 

I’m not gonna name the company, or repeat their stupid fucking slogan. As far as I can tell (which isn't very far), talking about my trauma has never made me feel better. And in fact it has sometimes made me feel worse, because in telling you what hurts and scares me, I’ve given a part of myself away that I can’t get back. When you’re like me, and you’ve lost everything multiple times, sometimes the only form of power you have is how you choose, or do not choose, to tell your story. And in a world where everybody wants to tell “their truth,” silence is power. 

You don’t get to know me, sorry. I’m not gonna hand you my life, both my bad and good experiences, and conclude: “Welp, that’s why I’m so fucked up. Case closed.” 

Honestly, I used to be a little confused, or miffed that my former partner (who is an amazing person btw, in every respect) almost never spoke about some of the traumatic things she’d experienced in her past. I took it as a sign that she either didn’t trust me, or she didn’t think I would be a sympathetic listener, or the mere fact of my gender precluded her from sharing because I couldn’t truly understand what it was she had gone through. It’s not like I ever asked her to talk about it, but I did say, once or twice, “hey if you ever wanna talk about that stuff, I’m around.” She never took me up on it, and I let it go. 

But as I watched her, and saw her life unfold, over the years we spent together, I began to realize I wasn’t exactly in any position to be telling her how to live her life or how to be mentally healthy. After all, she has found success in a number of avenues, both creative and occupational, and I’ve found neither. I'm not saying the fact that she didn't talk much about her trauma is the reason for her success. I'm saying that she's forged a better path through life than I have, and maybe I should take a cue from that.

She never told me what to do, per se. It was more like living by example. But because I’m pretty dense, and a severe addict, our time together actually sorta reminds me now of that Cornell lyric from his first record: She’s going to change the world. But she can’t change me.

I have certainly found that talking about how shitty my life is only makes me feel more shitty, not free, or unburdened, or better. If you wanna talk about your problems, and you find it helpful, more power to you. Just don’t wait for a corporation to tell you it’s okay to not be okay. 

When Chris Cornell died I was so shocked. Of all the grunge icons he seemed the most stable, and he'd survived the rise and fall of two major label rock bands. If anyone had survived the media machine that chewed up and spat out Staley, Cobain, and to a lesser extent Andrew Wood and Shannon Hoon, it was Cornell. He would be the last guy to support hashtag activism like #StarbucksMyLifeSucks. Chris Cornell actually loved to fuck with the best laid plans of corporate rats. Molson once had a few promotional concerts in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, called Molson Canadian Rocks Arctic, with both Hole and Soundgarden playing to a crowd of flown-in grunge fans and bemused locals. But the whole anti-corporate thing grunge was known for actually came through when Courtney Love told the crowd she “use[d] Molson Canadian to douche.” Lol. Here’s a photo of Love arriving in Tuktoyatuk.

Cornell told the same people “so we’re here because of some beer company? Labatt’s?” Both artists’ jabs are funny. Cornell’s was a bit more subtle, but that’s what Cornell was like. 

So today’s post is about Chris Cornell’s suicide, more specifically the media’s reaction to it. For whatever reason, when Cornell died, every single news outlet, from CNN to Fox to CBC, posted “Black Hole Sun,” as if it’s the only song he ever fucking wrote, or – and this is far worse – the only song he wrote that’s worth hearing. The problem with this is more than twofold or threefold. It's fucking hydraheaded. 

Not only is “Black Hole Sun” a mediocre piece of music, it’s a complete misrepresentation of Soundgarden’s sound. 

Now, I’m a huge fan of the A.V. Club series HateSong, in which public figures gleefully talk shit about the one song they hate more than any other song in the world. The Max Bemis (Say Anything) one where he talks about Nirvana’s “Rape Me” as a terrible rewrite of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is terrific, but comedian Anthony Jeselnik’s HateSong takes “Black Hole Sun” apart, and I love it. I think the best line is: I think the more I hear it, the worse it gets. AVC: After the song became a huge hit, Chris Cornell said that he’d written it in about 15 minutes. AJ: I totally believe that. I don’t believe that Soundgarden likes that song. Like, I remember Eminem once said that he knew his song “My Name Is” was going to be a huge hit because the first time he heard it he was annoyed. It’s something about an annoying song that just grabs onto people. But I don’t think that anyone likes “Black Hole Sun.” I’ve never heard of anyone who likes it. I don’t understand why it gets played so much. It’s become a summer jam, and it’s not a summer song at all. Jeselnik is right that Soundgarden didn’t think much of the song. Guitarist Kim Thayil wasn’t kidding when he disparagingly called it the “Dream On” of their live show. And Cornell himself, known for a meticulous approach to his songwriting, had admitted that with “Black Hole Sun”was “probably the closest to me just playing with words for words’ sake, of anything I’ve written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you'd begin to take that one literally.” I mean it’s obvious from the opening lines that Cornell is just playing with words and how they sound: in my eyes/indisposed/in disguises no one knows What songs would have been more appropriate for Cornell’s untimely death? Glad you asked! Cuz there’s like…fucking at least ten that would have been better. I’m not tryna be one of those “the deep album cuts are better maaaaaan,” but with Soundgarden, it happens to be true. With some bands, the single are their best work. With other bands, the singles are the hors d’oeuvres for the entrees. So what deep cuts would have celebrated Cornell’s death a bit better? Well, to begin with, Superunknown’s strange and stately closer “Like Suicide” would have worked, for obvious reasons.

“Tighter and Tighter,” a song that is actually about the moment of death and what it might feel like, is one of my all-time fav Soundgarden songs. Not only is it a creepy and prescient prediction of what Cornell’s death by hanging himself may have felt like, it’s opening line is a good description of the personification of death: Shadow face/Blowing smoke and talking wind

Another sample lyric: “A sucking holy wind will take me from this bed tonight/and bloody wits another hits me and I have to say goodbye/sleep tight for me, I’m gone/and I hope it’s  a sweet ride/here for me tonight/cuz I’m feel I’m going/feel I’m slowing down.” 

The morning after Cornell’s death hit the news my buddy and bandmate James told me that en route to work his phone, which was playing music randomly through his car speakers, landed on “Tighter and Tighter” and he had to pull over because he was tearing up. 

“Fell On Black Days” is another song about depression and mortality. Cornell had the following to say about the song: “Fell on Black Days” was like this ongoing fear I’ve had for years ... It's a feeling that everyone gets. You're happy with your life, everything’s going well, things are exciting—when all of a sudden you realize you’re unhappy in the extreme, to the point of being really, really scared. There's no particular event you can pin the feeling down to, it's just that you realize one day that everything in your life is fucked! 

Now, if that’s not a cogent and even-tempered explanation of suicidal thoughts, what is? Why else would Cornell have admitted to being “really really scared” by his depression unless he knew what that depression could ultimately leasd to? Here’s some lyrics to “Fell on Black Days.” Dig the high literary use of “whomsoever” and “whatsoever.” Whatsoever I’ve feared has come to life Whatsoever I fought off became my life Just when every day seemed to greet me with a smile sunspots have faded and now I’m doing time cuz I fell on black days

Whomsoever I’ve cured I’ve sickened now Whomsoever I’ve cradled...I put you down I’m a searchlight soul they say but I can’t see it in the night I’m only faking when I get it right I sure don’t mind a change but I fell on black days how would I know that this could be my fate?

Eagle-eared listeners might think this version different from the album version. They are right. The rendition in the video was recorded live off the floor @ Bad Animals, the Seattle studio owned by Heart, where Soundgarden would record Down on the Upside. 

“Boot Camp” is a scary meditation about loss of agency that for years was tied with Zeppelin’s “I'm Gonna Crawl” for Creepiest Song to Cap a Discography, until Soundgarden reunited and released King Animal.

“Taree” is about ghost light, influencing events after dying and features Cornell’s most exhausted, convincing “yeah” @ 2:57.

“Applebite” is a Matt Cameron-penned ponderous clunker about Adam’s original expulsion from Eden. Doomy and death-laden.

“Let Me Drown” is a song about letting someone die.

“The Day I Tried To Live” is frequently cited as Soundgarden’s finest achievement, its odd time signature somehow sounds straight, thanks to Matt Cameron’s brilliant time keeping.

“4th of July” is a song about a post apocalyptic urban landscape, where the speaker isn’t sure whether he is seeing fireworks or bombs. 

“Limo Wreck” is a cool death song and has an eerie 9-11 prediction. “Building the towers belongs to the sky/when the whole thing comes crashing down don’t ask me why.” 

ANY of the above songs would have been better than that fucking asinine dirge-like major key fuckaround that has somehow not just become Soundgarden's signature song...but their ONLY song. 

Does nobody remember Johnny Cash covering “Rusty Cage?” 

“Outshined?”

“Burden In My Hand?”

“Blow Up The Outside World?”

Did none of these other songs get stuck in the electric head? (The electric head is Rob Zombie’s term for the technologically advanced culture we have found ourselves enmeshed in, or imprisoned by. It was the subtitle for White Zombie’s 1995 hit album Astro-Creep 2000: Songs of Love, Destruction, and other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head.)

For my money (which ain’t much honey), the song that best fits both Cornell’s artistic integrity and the sad circumstances of his suicide is “Tighter and Tighter.” I once wrote a whole article on the way artists use “yeah” as a placeholder or as a way to convey emotion when words themselves aren’t adequate. Dig that tired, world-weary exhausted “yeah” at 5:35 of “Tighter & Tighter.”

Or the creepy line going into the first chorus: remember this...remember everything’s just black or burning sun. Not that I agree with such a bleak worldview. It’s a writer’s line. And Randy Bachman has said, “when you’re a writer, you’d step over your own mother.” That’s the Cornell I want to remember. Not that he would step over his own mother. By all accounts he was a committed family man. I mean, I want to remember the Cornell who created strange atmospheric sonic worlds, who explored the dark side that sadly, eventually won out. His otherworldly beautiful music is what I choose to remember about Chris Cornell, not his estate tastelessly exploiting “Black Hole Sun” by using a line from the song to title a posthumous Cornell album of covers No One Sings Like You Anymore. Sigh.

First Cornell’s widow said this was “Chris’s last album.” Okay. What about the Soundgarden songs he recorded vocals for before he died? Kim Thayil was pretty diplomatic about it when asked recently. Cornell did record vocal tracks for the follow up to King Animal.

Kim Thayil: “Given our love for Chris, I do not see us reconfiguring without him.”

But he makes it clear in this interview that Cornell’s widow Vicky has those tracks and won’t release them to the band. Maybe because she blames the band for Chris dying that night? She’s not wrong to believe that they would have known, and seen, what kind of shape Cornell was in, at least at the venue, maybe not later at the hotel.

Kim Thayil: “It’s entirely possible that a new Soundgarden album will be released. Certainly. All it would need is to take the audio files that are available. I tighten up the guitars. Ben does the bass. We get the producers we want to make it sound like a Soundgarden record.”

Interviewer: “Is there an obstacle stopping that?”

Kim Thayil: “There shouldn’t be. There really isn’t. Other than the fact that we don’t have those files.”

Interviewer: “They’re not under your auspices?”

Kim Thayil: “Right. It would be ridiculous if [the record wasn’t made]. But these are difficult things. Partnerships and...property.”

You’re just gonna keep those wav files? And why title his covers album Volume 1 if it’s his “last album?”

Oh right. $$$

No one does sing like Cornell, but is “Black Hole Sun” really the best thing he ever did? The best song he ever sang? Should an album of covers be the last thing he gives to the world?

The only honest answer is no.

Sleep tight Chris. You’re gone.

[anhed-nia]

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

When my concerned parents faced the early and unpleasant realization that they were raising a ravenous little horror hound, it meant that they had to somehow split the difference between their strict curbing of my potentially mid-warping viewing habits, and their principled encouragement of unfettered reading. That must be how I came into possession of a copy of Thomas Harris' harrowing police procedural The Silence of the Lambs at the tender age of 10, even as the film adaptation was being touted by many viewers as The Scariest Movie of All Time. I carried that book around like the Bible well into my teenage years, reading and re-reading it with even greater fervor after my parents finally decided that the film was sophisticated enough for me to watch without it turning me into some kind of animal-torturing arsonist. (Said screening was chaperoned and accompanied by an academic post-viewing family discussion, of course) The decision seemed to make sense; after all, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS had swept the Oscars the year it was released, scooping up wins for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. This is not to say that my intellectual and art-appreciating family regarded the Academy as the ultimate arbiters of taste and achievement. I mention these accolades more to point out that, as my parents had surely noticed, the film holds a certain power over viewers on both sides of the high-low cultural divide, a spell that has hardly weakened in its twenty-seven years of life.

As a child, I certainly responded to the same things that piqued the general public: Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, his ambiguous romance with purehearted FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and the controversial perversity of serial killer Buffalo Bill. Though the story shares the influence of real-life ghoul Ed Gein with classic shockers like PSYCHO and THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, the impact of SILENCE is more akin to that of DRACULA. Much of the enduring discussion about the film revolves around the tantalizing chemistry between the preternaturally elegant Dr. Lecter and the virginal Starling; the rest is somewhat unfortunately focused on Ted Levine's eccentric performance as the (pseudo-) transsexual murderer at large, which has come under some understandable scrutiny. However, it would be unjust to reduce Jonathan Demme's movie to a gothic romance, or a gory shocker, or a campy cult item with ironic eroticism and a great soundtrack. There simply have to be better reasons for a movie to stick around this long, lingering in the minds of stuffy critics and the hoi polloi alike.

In preparing my statements about what makes THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS stand out, I learned something very shocking: It began its life as the directorial project of Gene Hackman. Hackman eventually dropped out when the script produced by (Oscar-winner) Ted Tally turned out to be too violent. Prospective Starlings like Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan were similarly disgusted, so Demme got stuck with a less likely candidate in (Oscar-winner) Jodie Foster. Personally, I find (Oscar-winner) Demme himself to be an unlikely candidate. The director cut his teeth on exploitation movies under Roger Corman, and by the time of SILENCE, had distinguished himself as a hipster extraordinaire, directing classic performance videos for the Talking Heads and Spaulding Gray, as well as chic comedies speckled with cameos from the likes of John Waters, and underground music firebrands from New York's new wave scene. Time would prove that Demme and his frequent collaborator, cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, were perfect choices for this grim project, which only supports the idea that there is something more happening with SILENCE OF THE LAMBS than its gruesome violence and epic sexual tension.

In light of these more famous elements, one might expect an adaptation of Thomas Harris' grim and seductive novel to be grandiose, expressionistic, swathed in a dense physical and emotional mist, rumbling with its own pomp and circumstance. An orphan from the hills of West Virginia, Clarice Starling is a tragic hero from the start, guarding her broken heart against a world of condescending and hostile men. Her mentor Jack Crawford seems to distinguish himself from the herd by assigning her the ambitious task of interviewing notorious serial killer Hannibal Lecter for the FBI's files--but in fact, Crawford is counting on Starling's feminine charms and naivety, secretly using her to manipulate Lecter into profiling a killer at large, Buffalo Bill. In spite of this nasty revelation, Starling sticks with it, suffering Lecter's high-minded insults and penetrative analysis of her character, and eventually earning his admiration. She proves herself not only brave and determined, but a detective of unparalleled wit and instinct, single-handedly taking down the polymorphously perverse Buffalo Bill in his moth-filled subterranean lair, rescuing a high-profile victim where the entire rest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have failed.

This all seems to portend a bigger, louder movie than what has been committed to film. However, the book has a certain organic grit to it, something honest, downbeat and tragically real, which Demme and Fujimoto grasp instinctively. The film provides a dry, frank view of the life of Clarice Starling: the toil of academia, the drudgery of physical conditioning, the undermining attitudes of her mostly-male peers. Shot in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Starling's world is bleak and desolate, but earnestly so, without the pageantry of the film noir and Universal horror movies with which it is so easily compared. Demme's education under B-movie king Corman shows here, and makes for a much more compelling iteration of the story than we might have from someone less accustomed to economy. While SILENCE has developed a reputation for its brutality, the film is not remotely so gore-drenched as many traumatized viewers would have you believe. That said, it may be the film's generally stark and desicated look, its workaday-ness, and its endless (wonderful) dialogic exchanges that throw into relief its comparatively minimal violence, which usually appears not in scenes of assault, but in crime scene photos or autopsy scenes.

The blanched, dreary look of the film also offsets the emotional plight of Clarice Starling. She is afforded no real romance, external or internal. The petite and clear-eyed orphan is visibly used to, and exhausted by, the constant need to look out for herself, and SILENCE will see her shuffled from one humiliating personal trial to the next. She is led into a perilous situation by a mentor who pretends to respect her abilities, but who really counts on her to fall short of discovering his scam; She is trapped in roomfuls of macho cops who scarcely acknowledge her; She has to negotiate the sexual attention of evidence technicians and bureaucrats; She even has semen flung at her by a particularly rambunctious neighbor of Lecter's. (And how often do you see that in any movie? As gross as it is, it has a way of reinforcing the extreme adult-ness of Demme's often dry, methodical movie) And then of course, there is Lecter himself, who turns Starling's personal vulnerability into a form of currency with which she can buy the scant clues that lead her to her quarry. Instead of eroticizing the anomalous femininity that Starling brings to the traditionally masculine world of law enforcement, Demme constantly reminds you of her fear, her embarrassment, her alienation. One can also imagine the temptation to Ripley-fy the character, presenting her as a fully-formed badass not to be fucked with. Instead, by eschewing both these femme and fatale modes, Demme describes Clarice Starling as three-dimensional human being whose heroism is extremely hard-won. While the character is undeniably one of the great Strong Female Protagonists, Jodie Foster's performance somehow defies the cinematic semiotics of gender altogether, giving us a person whose most important qualities are purely psychological. Tak Fujimoto drives the point home by frequently filling the screen with closeups of her face, focusing us on what she thinks and says, taking the proverbial heat off her body. Even as Lecter probes her for painful biographical information, Starling's sexuality remains entirely private--still a rare thing in any movie with a lady lead.

I don't mean to suggest that THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is principally successful because of its plucky girl detective--that contributes to its greatness, but not in the feminist fashion that I seem to be angling for. I am reviewing this movie presently because I recently found myself looking back on my own history with it, comparing my feelings with those of popular audiences, and thinking, "What is The Silence of the Lambs really about?" It can't be so beloved *only* due to the sexy slow burn between Anthony Hopkins' Count Dracula and Jodie Foster's Mina Harker. It can't be *just* a matter of the exotic insanity of the gender-bending madman sewing together the flesh of his victims and dancing provocatively to "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus (a sadly mysterious musician who Demme certainly knew from his involvement in the New York underground). All of these characters, and their respective dynamics, contribute to the important thrill of this movie, but not in the way that most people seem to think.

Rather like the director's earlier work with iconoclastic punk icons and indie auteurs, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is about authenticity. Hannibal Lecter, the unparalleled genius whose culinary expertise is part of his murderous MO, is a serial killer because he has such refined taste and decorum that he cannot live peaceably among other people. He favors victims whom he perceives as tacky, pretentious and impertinent--Starling knows that he would never harm her because, as she famously remarks, "He would consider it rude." Lecter is fascinated, not by her youthful beauty as Crawford had hoped, but by her sincerity. Starling is brilliantly intelligent in her own right, as she proves through her police work, but she doesn't have an ironic bone in her body. She is the most unpretentious individual alive, and nothing could be more interesting to Lecter, who preys upon people who are untrue to others and to themselves. Meanwhile, we have Buffalo Bill, who is attempting to change his sex by crafting a full-body "woman suit"--but, as Lecter insists, the killer is not a "true transsexual" whose legitimate identity is that of the opposite sex. Buffalo Bill is someone who was reared by his abusive parents to hate himself so much, that he is compelled to escape his natural identity; becoming a woman is less important as a matter of self-actualization, than as a means of becoming an entirely different person, *any* different person. He has been so radically alienated from his own essence by this self-loathing, that he is incapable of authenticity of any kind.

That, I really think, is the secret power of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: the at-once satanic and profoundly innocent declaration, "to thine own self be true". I would really love to get into a deeper dive on this movie at some point, to discuss what I think must have been the very best and very last time that Anthony Hopkins gave us a fearless and unpredictable (and in this case, somewhat hilarious) performance; to insist that Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill and Brooke Smith as his would-be victim actually give the best performances in the whole movie; to talk about the problem of the Ubiquitous Daddy Figure (of whom there are no fewer than THREE in this movie) in so many narratives about powerful women; to simply analyze the movie's sly psychological techniques, like fully humanizing Brooke Smith *just* by showing her singing a few bars of a beloved pop song in closeup, immediately before her fate takes a disastrous turn. (I would probably not take such an opportunity to investigate accusations of homophobia and transphobia, which requires a smarter and more directly experienced voice than my own) There is really a lot to say about why SILENCE is so powerful, without even threatening to address its most famous features. Unfortunately, I don't have the gumption or the madness to commit all that to Letterboxd at the moment, so I'll have to be satisfied with my primary conclusion: That the film's simplicity and gritty naturalism mirror its commitment to spiritual purity, honesty, and self-knowledge at all costs. Even at the high cost of wearing a muzzle, any time they let you out of your cage.

[jghouse-asia-pacific]

New Post has been published on https://www.jg-house.com/2021/06/28/woman-on-third-floor/

The Woman on the 3rd Floor

“What is happening?” Sylvere said in Kikongo, closing the tall wooden door and discovering he had entered a narrow, high-ceilinged space on the ground floor of a musty building. It reminded him of a church in the process of a conversion or re-purposing. With his eyes staring at the rough wood of the dark oak door, now closed to the outside world, Sylvere realized that Serge had appeared out of nowhere one too many times during the space of two hours. “How can it be a coincidence?” he asked, expressing his thoughts in Kikongo once again. He couldn’t think of a reason that Serge would be following him. Still Sylvere couldn’t dismiss the idea that Serge was deliberately monitoring his movements. Why? To report them to someone else? The face of a woman, inexplicably, took shape on the surface of the door.

Sylvere dismissed the image. He knew Serge would do just about anything for money. A new thought occurred to Sylvere at that moment.

“Is Serge monitoring my actions on behalf of Anthony?” Sylvere asked himself, speaking out loud in Kikongo and referring to the notorious businessman Anthony Lukambo, who had a reputation for silencing anyone who interfered with his schemes both in Africa and Europe. “Does Anthony now want to find and kill Ronald’s daughter, Claudette, to prevent her from giving evidence against him?” he continued, but this time he spoke only to himself.

“Would you care for a glass of water or maybe a cup of coffee?” asked a woman’s voice softly in Kikongo.

Sylvere swiveled to his right, turning away from the wooden door and toward the interior of the building. He found himself face to face with a young woman who was African or African European. She was not more than 25 years of age. Sylvere stared. The young woman stared back.

“A glass of water,” Sylvere replied in French. He wasn’t thirsty. But he was off balance. Also, he became aware of a gnawing sensation in his stomach and realized he was afraid.

The woman herself was not threatening, even if her appearance was unexpected.

“Come this way,” the young woman said, switching to French and extending her hand in the direction of a set of stone steps. They led upward, providing access to a second and a third level of a three-story structure. No elevator was visible. The narrow but high-ceilinged space wasn’t a lobby in a traditional sense and revealed nothing of the identity of the building’s occupants. The room was bare, with the exception of a small tree bearing perhaps half a dozen limes and sitting inside a large circular container made of earthenware.

Children

Sylvere began walking up the stairs. “You are here to meet with staff at Le Carrefour?” the woman asked. But she didn’t wait for an answer. “Our offices are on the third floor,” she continued, following Sylvere on the stairs.

Sylvere didn’t reply. He couldn’t think of anything to say. As he slowly walked up the stone steps, he found it difficult to focus his thoughts. He took one step at a time, listening to the sound his shoes made on the pale brown stones.

“I promised you some water,” the young woman said, speaking close to Sylvere’s ear. She passed Sylvere on the stairs, reaching the landing on the second floor and disappearing around a corner. When Sylvere reached the landing and turned the corner, he saw her on the opposite side of a spacious room lit up by sunlight streaming through tall windows set into a red-brick wall. Under one of the tall windows against the recently scrubbed red-brick wall was a series of objects, including a long wooden table, a water cooler, and another large earthenware pot containing another lime tree the same size as the one on the ground floor.

But no desks, chairs, or cabinets were visible. Only the bright sunlight and dust motes swimming in the rays of light filled a cavernous space. The lustrous wood of the floors, recently sanded and coated with a thick wax, awaited the arrival of new inhabitants with their own collection of office furniture and other business icons.

“But who will use the limes?” Sylvere thought. He liked limes and on occasion had encouraged Josephine to add the sour fruits to her usual dishes or add them to new ones, especially ones with seafood. As he approached the center of the room, he saw the young woman fill a tall, dark-green glass with water from the water cooler.

“We recently moved to the third floor,” the woman said in French, approaching Sylvere and extending her left hand with the dark-green glass. “I hope you will start feeling better,” she said, wearing the same expression of friendliness. Sylvere accepted the glass. “We haven’t finished vacating this floor as you can see,” she continued, looking around the room. Sylvere followed her gaze. He noticed a collection of empty dishes next to a tray displaying various types of fruits on top of the wooden table. “Since a new tenant hasn’t arrived yet,” she added, “we’re taking our time.”

Sylvere drank all of the water in the glass. He looked at the young woman. He knew she spoke Kikongo with a peculiar accent. He also recognized she wasn’t a native French speaker.

Palace

“Where are you from?” he asked in French. “When you speak Kikongo, I notice an accent I can’t place. When you speak French, I detect a flat American drawl.”

“Alpharetta, Georgia,” the young woman replied, extending the same hand toward Sylvere. He gave his empty glass back to her. “A suburb of Atlanta, Georgia,” she added, now speaking in English and peering into the face of Sylvere to determine if he understood.

Sylvere nodded. He had a basic knowledge of the geography of the United States. In addition, he had visited the country once twenty years earlier when he had attended a trade show in Chicago. Over the years, he had picked up English by completing training modules created in the United States while working at IBM and by watching nature programs produced in the United Kingdom on television at home.

“You’re American,” Sylvere said, speaking in English also. Then, switching to Kikongo, he added: “But where are your parents from?”

“Kikwit,” the young woman replied, referring to a city 500 kilometers southeast of Kinshasa. Sylvere raised his eyebrows. The city was, by coincidence, where he was born, but he didn’t mention the fact. He wasn’t sure the young woman was telling the truth. He was, perhaps, overly skeptical at times. “Let me bring you some more water,” she added in Kikongo. Then she hesitated for a moment. She glanced at a watch on her wrist before looking at Sylvere. “Go on up to the third floor,” she resumed. “Bénédicte is expecting you.”

He started toward the staircase.

“By the way,” the young woman said. Sylvere stopped and looked at her. “I’m Edwina,” she said, speaking in French. “Until we can bring an end to the impunity which the rich and powerful have enjoyed for so long,” she said, still uttering her words in French, “the violence against the poor and defenseless and those who would help them only will grow.” She turned back to the water cooler. “I’ll join you on the third floor,” she concluded.

Sylvere, watching as Edwina filled the tall glass with cool water one more time, realized he had recovered his strength. He climbed the stairs.

***

#Europe, #France, #LifeCulture #Africa, #Art, #Beauty, #Culture, #Paris

[perfectirishgifts]

Swimming Against The Tide - Helen Williamson & A Career Of ‘Quiet Disruption’

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/swimming-against-the-tide-helen-williamson-a-career-of-quiet-disruption/

Swimming Against The Tide - Helen Williamson & A Career Of ‘Quiet Disruption’

In a career that has spanned years, and helped transform the fortune of brands like Ted Baker and … [] Whistles, Helen Williamson has repeatedly demonstrated that her love for retail and the change she has made within the industry has been a journey of collaboration and partnerships. At the very heart of that sentiment is an unbreakable trust in the belief in the power of people. Finland may have welcomed Williamson with open arms, but it just might be the case that retail’s need for her second act is greater than ever before.

The waters of the Melavesi Lake in Riistavesi, Finland have welcomed a new swimmer of late. Making waves in the two-degrees Celsius aqua is Helen Williamson, who moved to the country for the start of a new chapter just a few months ago.

“My husband is half-Finnish, he has always had the desire to come ‘home’. We bought a house in the middle of the pandemic and didn’t even view it, nor had we even been to the village or nearest city. it just felt right. The house is beautiful, in a calm setting. The lady we bought it off designed it herself and she put all her energy into it.”

The home’s previous owner and creator had put her heart and soul into the property, creating a house that is as aesthetically pleasing to Williamson, as it is practical and easy to live in. Values that Helen herself has delivered through many household retail names over the last three decades. Establishing retail brands with offerings that looked good, felt good and were complemented by purchasing experiences that felt inclusive and enjoyable for consumers has been her mark.

In her last role as MD at fashion brand Whistles, she took a business that was trading to a niche audience – a certain age, size and type of customer – and evolved it into a brand with a much wider reach.

Clothes were created for and modelled by women more representative of the 35 – 55 age group Whistles once attracted, with realistic sizing and flattering shapes introduced for more realistic body shapes and sizes.

“We started with the values under the moniker ‘We are all Whistles’ to bring the idea of collaboration and empowerment throughout the team. I wanted to say we are stronger together, collectively we are more powerful and individually you are empowered to be the face of Whistles. It was a really big thing for me to celebrate all the amazing people within the business.”

Throughout her career to date, Williamson has been a quiet but effective disruptor. There seems to have been no ego to stroke, indeed throughout the interview, she is constant in referring to colleagues that have been part of the journey in all the pivotal points of brand transformations. 

Colleagues like Kate Cannon, Head of Creative at Whistles, whom Williamson worked with on new store concepts and the look and feel of the brand. “Kate is Whistles – she is Whistles through and through. Kate grasped the need to shift the business in a really beautiful way. The softness of the store fit-outs were entirely developed to make the brand feel more welcoming.”

But the journey was not as easy as it seems, in embracing and finding new customers, Williamson knew that she may alienate the existing customer base.

“It was a difficult balance to strike. I knew in commercialising the brand, we risked losing those followers who loved the previous aesthetic. But I knew looking into the data, what the opportunity was for Whistles and by becoming more flattering and feminine, how we could grow. We made the brand more accessible and attainable. We opened up the brand to many people who had wanted to shop there but hadn’t been able to. Anyone coming to the brand could see themselves represented on the website and in the stores.”

There was a mainly female leadership team at Whistles under Williamson and collaboration was important to the way in which she led the change within the organisation. Yet retail has for decades had its share of prominent, characterful leaders, where there has been a clear link between the brand and behaviours of these often ego-centric individuals. 

“Collaboration seems to be more prevalent in, dare I say it, female management teams. Let the brand speak for itself, allow the brand to have its own voice in the way it is presented on social media and interpret the brand according to its values. I have seen so much more collaboration in management leadership recently, particularly in some of the newer brands like Mint Velvet and Hush – both of which have ‘quietly brilliant’ women at the helm. They don’t need to do lots of interviews and profile raising initiatives to get their brand out there. I’m pleased it’s more prevalent now than ever before.”

After starting her career aged 18 with Marks & Spencer on the trainee scheme, where she felt a little, “cloned into the M&S regime,” Willamson with a rebellious spirit, moved onto Schuh and then on to Topshop – which after years of high street domination entered administration last week.

“At Topshop I was part of an amazingly successful team led by Sion Parry and Jo Rose, now husband and wife and with whom I’m still friends”

Ted Baker is where Williamson felt she could where Williamson felt she could consolidate all her industry knowledge, whilst putting in place the ‘nuts and bolts’ to facilitate the changes operationally. 

She cites her partnership with Catherine Scorey (now at All Saints) as pivotal to the changes made at this critical part of the Ted Baker brand transformation. 

“We made a fantastic team. Catherine’s creative direction for the brand and my commercial head allowed us to really understand where the customer wanted to be led and what needed to change in order to make the brand more successful internationally.”

The period that Williamson worked with the Ted Baker brand (2006-2012) was one of hyper-growth on a huge scale. The expansion of womenswear, international development – particularly pan-Asia and the flourish of distinctive creativity allowed this mid-market player to stand up and be counted as an aspirational middle-market player.

“Once we had proven ourselves with a couple of early wins, Ray Kelvin and Lindsey Page gave Catherine and I the space to do what we did. Womenswear and menswear were doing well – and when you are on a roll, not many people want to intervene and try and change your plans. We were able to take the brand and roll with it, and we had the support of the board. We changed the womenswear handwriting from being very British to become more designer inspired – incorporating touches taken from luxury design and making them accessible.” 

“The catalyst for change was the opening of a new womenwear only store in Langley Court, just off Floral Street in London. We enabled it to become the focal point of the women’s collection so we could take our international partners to the store to show them what we were about. Ted Baker was very much a menswear brand up to a certain point. The Langley Court store allowed womenswear to move into the spotlight, showing international buyers something very different.”

Ted Baker finds itself in a changing position today, with recent scandals including the resignation of founder, Ray Kelvin – after a “hugging scandal” in 2019 and Lindsay Page standing down after three profit warnings and a huge accountancy overstatement.

When asked if she feels there is life left in the brand, Williamson says, “It is a great brand. It is sad to have seen the recent demise, but I think it has enough brand heritage in it to go again. But it’s going to need the right energy from a creative perspective. There’s now a lot of pressure on the new Creative Director, Anthony Cuthbertson to bring about the right changes”  

It is clear that throughout a career at some of the iconic brands to grace the high street, Williamson has been a mentor and supporter of many colleagues.

This commitment to help and support others is something that is natural to her, as even now in her new adventure in her Finnish home, she is supporting young people starting their career in retail at a very pivotal point in time. Active on social media, Williamson has offered to support anyone who feels they need guidance, be they someone she has worked with before or someone entirely outside of her well-established network.

Some leaders would have happily signed off and be satisfied they have done their time. In a completely philanthropic effort Helen has run the ‘Covid’ sessions without any charge to help those in retail at this time to have an additional supportive voice and mentor.

“It has been received really well, everyone has been so appreciative of the time and the sentiment of getting out there to help. I have met people that I wouldn’t have ordinarily had the opportunity to meet. In the next phase of my mentoring, I am going out to young adults who may not have had many advantages in their young lives so far and are trying to find their way in retail. It can be very hard for them to find a way in. Many can’t afford to live and work in London on the entry salaries. It has been my experience that often the internships can be granted to those already in the fold, or who can be supported on an unpaid internship by family.”

“There was a session with a young lady the other day – that reminded me of all I loved about working at Whistles – she inspired me – her confidence, her innovation. It is a symbiotic relationship and has given me additional purpose.

 In a career that has spanned years, and helped transform the fortune of brands like Ted Baker and Whistles, Helen Williamson has repeatedly demonstrated that her love for retail and the change she has made within the industry has been a journey of collaboration and partnerships.

At the very heart of that sentiment is an unbreakable trust in the belief in the power of people.

Finland may have welcomed Williamson with open arms, but it just might be the case that retail’s need for her second act is greater than ever before.

From Retail in Perfectirishgifts

[sarahjxcobs]

Y’all I saw  Bandstand last night

Warning this is literally 7 pages worth of writing so long post ahead 

Where do I even begin oh god

Ok so first off the Jacobs theater is absolutely stunning

Like wow

So we were sitting right orchestra like row H or something

We were pretty close to the stage

ThE sTaGe

Oh god it was beautiful

Like the drum kit was so nice

Generally the stage set up was fantastic

Ok so we’re waiting for the show to begin when I hear a group of girls who were sitting behind us freaking out

I couldn’t really hear what they were saying except I heard one of them say something like “Anthony Rapp is here”

I was like holy shit

That ain’t true

Then my friend leans over all excited

She was like “Did you hear them? Anthony Rapp and Lin Manuel Miranda are here!”

I was like HoLy SHIt  

Then a minute for so later I look behind us and there he is

Two rows behind me

Anthony fucking Rapp

Mark Cohen was there

So i’m like freaking the fuck out

Because well

It’s fucking Anthony Rapp

I got into like panic mode

Then all the light go off

Holy shit

Lighting

I’ve said this before but just a reminder

I”M A HOE FOR GOOD LIGHTING

Just like it was before starts off with a bunch of booms and flashes of lights

It’s intense my dude

Donny is yelling at everyone

There's guys running everywhere

Julia is also on stage during this part

She’s looking all cute and happy putting some flowers into a vase

Julia moves the the middle of the stage and one of the guys goes with her

He salutes Julia and she just fucking collapses to the floor

She starts sobbing

It’s completely heartbreaking because you realize that was when she was told about Michael

The Donny moves to the front of the stage when the music changes and the other guys come out in a different uniform and Donny’s like

It’s over

It’s actually over

Then the music changes again and so do all the costumes

My girl Carleigh Bettiol

She’s so beautiful omg

Corey Cott is so cute

All the costumes are so nice like I want one

Donald Novitski

Somebody let this boy sleep

Somebody also give this boy a job

When he yells “GET OUT” it’s really upsetting

Like you don’t really understand it but like he looks so sad

“He’s got a baby face” Yeah so does Corey

Donny tries to get into a fist fight with the club owner who won’t hire him

Donny gets beat up because of this

Don’t beat up Donny please

The PTSD attack Donny has at his piano is so intense

Wow

Corey is such a good actor

I love Donny Novitski

The song

Well also the character

Corey does this little shimmy while singing and it’s really cute

CREAMEEE RISEEEEES

Corey’s little laugh after talking about Frank Sinatra is so pure

The fake

“HE’S SO FLAT UGH”

Donny takes off his button up and is walking around in a white tank top

God that boy looks good

The last rise note

It’s so good

So good

Jimmy aw

Jimmy’s so cute

“I would fire the kid if we wasn’t a player”

Donny runs in

“You can’t be in here. We’re not open yet”

“The back door is”

Donny just tells Jimmy he was friends with Michael and makes Jimmy play a song as he starts playing the piano

I live for playing instruments live on stage

Everyone calls Michael Rubber and it’s funny  

“ He’s better than anyone...when he’s not high…”

“Jesus”

“He’s army too”

“I’ll take my chances!”

“WOAH! He plays at the Rio??”

“No. He drinks there”

Davey is just telling stupid jokes at the bar

So Donny joins in

“ What does an accordion and Hitler have in common”

Oh god Donny

“ One perpetrated years of oppression and humiliation on Polish people and the other one is Hitler”

Davey reads Shakespeare

I love Davey

Nick is a teacher and absolutely hates it

Nick you’re such a bad teacher

Johnny is my favorite

He’s so pure

Ain’t we proud is such a  good song

Donny and Julia finally meet

“Aren’t you a little old for ding dong ditch?”

“Well are you gonna come here or am I gonna have to keep yelling down the street”

Julia invites Donny over for dinner

Every single time Laura starting singing I got chills

Julia’s mom is great

“The paprika shaker lid fell off”

Donny and Julia are going through pictures of Michael and Donny during the war

“We just got off the ship and i’m already ready tan because well, I’m Italian”

“ Michael is Polish so the boys boiling”

Michael was called Rubber because his last name was Trojan HAHA

Julia is a church singer

So ofc Donny shows up to church to hear he sing

She sings like a goddess

Donny is like ‘Holy shit’

So Donny invites Julia to see the Donny Novitski band

While their performing Donny like pressures Julia into singing at the set

First steps first is so slow at first then Donny is like guys speed it up

Davey is like thank god and rocks the bass

“Oh all I could do is teach the children at church”

“Don’t teach”

Donny changes his name to Donny Nova

Julia gets mad at Donny about something he said

He talks to her at her job the next day and fix everything

So Julia joins the band

Breathe is one of my favorite songs

“THEN I’M BREAKING THE RULE WAYNE”

The proud and tall part is my favorite

Donny and Julia are so cute

“Haha Hornagraphy”

I cried at the end of Breathe

You deserve it is such a bop

The dancing is so good

Davey stands on his bass while playing it

Julia gives Donny a book of poems she writes

And he turns one into a song for her to sing

So they sing Love will come and find me for the band competition

They get through and it’s so great

But then are told that the travel and hotel expenses for New York is all gonna have to come from them

That’s a lot of money that the band does not have

Davey gets pisses the fuck off and is rolling up his sleeves and I honestly thought he was gonna fight someone

He did not

But Donny has a really intense PTSD attack

Like the boy completely collapses and is shaking so badly

Yet again a great example as to why Corey Cott is such a good actor

So Julia runs over to him

But everyone freezes and Donny starts singing Right this way

Slowly everyone starts moving again

It’s a really tense moment

So all the boys and Julia get together and decide to book as many gigs as they can because god damnit they are going to New York

Nobody

So good

Back at it again with the amazing dancing

The costumes are so nice

Julia sings upside down at one point and it’s amazing

My queen Laura Osnes is amazing

Johnny’s drumming part was cute

This is such an iconic song

The boys are back

They’re going to new york

Johnny is drumming on Davey’s bass as Davey downs an entire bottle of beer

Wayne’s wife left him so he moves in with Nick

Julia and Donny are at her house and they’re just talking it’s real cute

Julia picks up a ukulele and starts playing I got a theory

Donny joins her and it's cute

God I love these two

They all get so excited when they get offered the extra cash

Johnny the mathematician

“I am not suffering from what some people call alcoholism….I’m LOVING EVERY MOMENT OF IT”

Davey puts his hat on Julia

Julia’s red dress is so cute

Julia gets fired from her job because she wanted to take off to go to New York

Her father left her mom and her

Donny tells Julia everything

Michael and Donny were in a trench when they threw two grenades but Donny dropped his and couldn’t find it in time

Donny got out before it exploded but Michael didn’t

Julia stops coming to gigs and is avoiding the band

Everything happens is such a good song

Julia’s mom loves her so much

Julia talks to Donny and they sort things out

She wrote a poem about the boys during the war

And gives it to Donny

The second she said that she wrote something

I started crying

Because I knew

I knew Welcome Home was starting

I love Welcome Home

It’s my favorite song

So I cried a lot

THe dancing during the instrumental part of welcome home made me cry because it’s so beautiful

ALSO

I DID NOT KNOW WELCOME HOME ROMANTIC WAS IN THE SHOW

I THOUGHT IT WAS A DELETED SONG

BUT THEN SHE WAS SINGING AND SAID HERO INSTEAD OF BOYS

I STARTED CRYING SO HARD

OH MY GOD

When I first heard the romantic version I figured it was about Michael but I seriously think about her writing it to Donny now

Anyway the band ends up not having to pay for New York and it’s great

THE COSTUME CHANGES

I know we always talk about Laura’s but omg Corey’s

He looks so good

Then queen Laura does the spin chance and it's amazing

Johnny looks so good

The train scene is really cool

I love that Julia calls Donny kid

I love how Davey says in my life

Get Davey to a nightclub

Donny loosen up a bit

So Donny walks Julia back to her hotel room

They kiss and honestly it was so pure

I love them

“What a prick”

So the Donny Nova band is performing as the finale of the contest

But the day of the show Jimmy was reading over a paper that the company made Donny sign

It basically says that if they go out there and perform then the company owns their song and can do whatever they want with it

The band gets pissed the fuck off

Like they are mad

But like they still wanna do something

So Donny is like ‘ Julia do you remember every original word to welcome home’

She says yes but if they sing that then they could get blacklisted

They do it anyway

“What I feel for you Julia is true”

Donny and Julia kiss

Welcome home finale

Oh boy

I BAWLED LIKE A BABY

Like I don’t think i’ve ever cried so much in my life

It’s such a powerful song

My parents and friend made fun of me for sobbing

I was a wreck

The epilogue is fantastic

The Donny Nova Band won the competition

They all go to see the movie their song was in

It was a bad movie

Two fans see the band at the end and one girl fucking jumps on Wayne

It’s so funny

God I love this show so much

I cried for another ten minutes after the show because this show deserves so much better

Why the fuck is this closing tomorrow

OK SO AFTER THE SHOW

I got a picture with Anthony Rapp and he is honestly so cute

“Where are you two from?” “New Jersey” “Ohhhhhh”

I was having trouble opening my phone camera and just

Anthony laughs and was like “You gotta get that ready. You gotta be prepared!” 

And “You know you could just slide up and have the camera” “I know but it’s not working” “Oh I see”  

Not much happened at stage door so whatever

Except I tweeted out to Carleigh the other day asking if she could stage door and she liked my tweet

Guess what

My girl pulled through and came out

I love her

So we’re driving home and I check twitter

Lin Manuel Miranda was also at the show

But not only that

My boy

The love of my life

Ben Fankhauser was there too

And I missed him

I’m so upset about that

I literally cried for 30 minutes because I didn’t see him

But anyway Bandstand was amazing and I love it

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/07/28/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-72817/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 7/28/17

One of the best discoveries I’ve made has been the digital subchannel Heroes & Icons. If you’re a cord cutter, then get yourself an antenna and check this thing out. My favorite aspect of it, however, is the fact that it runs a 5-hour Star Trek block six nights a week. Star Trek at 8, Star Trek: The Next Generation at 9, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at 10, Star Trek: Voyager at 11, and Enterprise at 12. Sunday through Friday. And on Sundays they actually kick things off with Star Trek: The Animated Series at 7. I’ve pretty much watched nothing but Star Trek for the past 2 weeks. I’ve been reacquainted with favorite episodes, like TNG‘s “Chain of Command” and DS9‘s “Far Beyond the Stars”. I’ve discovered some hidden gems, like TOS‘s ” The Cloud Minders”. I’ve even discovered that I don’t hate Voyager or Enterprise as much as I thought I did.

I don’t talk about this too much, but the first 12 years or so of my life were comprised of pretty much NOTHING but Star Trek. From 1987-94, my favorite show on television was The Next Generation. When DS9 debuted, I expected it to continue my love affair, but it felt too preachy with its Space Holocaust allegory. It was in the later seasons, once the Dominion War began, that it actually ensconced itself as my favorite iteration of the franchise. By the time Voyager debuted, I had discovered comics, and they became my new mistress. While I watched about 4 hours of TNG a day in high school (Channel 20 REALLY loved playing TNG), my heart didn’t have room in it for a new Trek, so I “No time for love, Dr. Jones”‘ed Captain Janeway and her crew. Enterprise debuted when I was in college, and  I was simply too busy worried about other shit to watch Captain Quantum Leap and his crew. Plus, due to some kind of contractual fallout, Ithaca didn’t get UPN. So, since the finale of DS9, my Trekkerdom lay dormant.

But when I say “I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know”, that’s primarily about Star Trek. I had several editions of the Star Trek Encyclopedia, I had the Technical Manual, the Technical Journal, the Star Trek Chronology. All of it. I’ve got the figures, and the role play toys. I even created my own uniform for Halloween back in the 90s. I was all Trek, 24/7, and you couldn’t tell me shit. Over time, though, that trivia got overwritten by X-Men 1st appearance notations and the names of TNBC actresses. What I’m saying, though, is that Heroes & Icons brought it all rushing back. It’s like I’m 15 again, blowing the evening watching Star Trek episodes I’ve already seen hundreds of times already. It’s also given me new perspectives on things that completely went over my head when I was younger. For example, Sisko is the Bajorans’ Space Jesus, and that’s pretty heavy. Even he doesn’t believe it, but in the end, yup it turns out he’s Space Jesus. I’ve also got thoughts on the current state of the franchise, too.

At SDCC, we got the above trailer for Star Trek: Discovery, which will air in North America on CBS All Access (yes, Dean, I know you’ll say All Anal Access because it sucks that we have to subscribe to another service just to watch this thing). I had no interest in this show because everything I heard about it didn’t sound like Star Trek. Now, though, the more they try to sell it as a bunch of new ideas, the more it just sounds like DS9. It’s gonna be Trek with interpersonal conflict. Great. I can get down with that. Its aesthetic seems more like late-era Stargate than Trek, though – especially those Klingon designs. There are certain things, though, that still feel like they miss the mark.

Take for example the fact that the show will feature the first same-sex couple on a Star Trek series, played by Rent‘s Anthony Rapp and My So Called Life‘s Wilson Cruz. Yeah, I get that representation is important, but it bothers me that this is being done in a prequel series, set before the events of the original Star Trek. With the exception of Enterprise, this is the series that takes place the closest to our timeline, so it’s really not much of a leap to think that same-sex couples exist. Ya know what would’ve meant more to me (as a straight, cis male who really doesn’t have a dog in the race but is still opinionated)? If the show had actually been a post-Dominion War, sequel series to TNG/DS9/Voyager, and it featured a same-sex couple. Science fiction tends to go 2 ways: it’s either dystopian or it’s about HOPE. As it stands, from what we’ve seen, same-sex couples are pretty much nonexistent in the 24th century. Yeah, I’m sure they exist, but we never saw them. It seems like it would be a testament to how enduring they are to see them that far in the future as opposed to just a couple of hundred years from now, when Discovery is set.

I could also be politicizing this for my own agenda, as I really want to know what happened after the war ended. Sure, there are books and stuff, but those things aren’t canon. I feel there are so many stories to tell from that era, and I’d love to see the franchise move forward instead of dance between the raindrops of continuity in the past. It feels like they’re stalling, which is how it felt with Enterprise and even the Kelvin movies. Someone, somewhere out there has got to have a great idea as to how to move the franchise forward and I hope CBS/Paramount finds them sooner rather than later.

SDCC Bullet Points

The bulk of San Diego Comic Con took place over the weekend, and here’s some stuff that debuted:

Michelle Pfeiffer is Hank Pym’s lost wife, Janet Van Dyne, in Ant-Man and The Wasp

The Captain Marvel film will be set in the 90s, and introduce the Skrulls to the MCU. Oh, and Nick Fury will have 2 eyes

We got this trailer for Ready Player One, which was hella polarizing. It seems a lot of folks hated the book on which it’s based. If you ask me, it just looks like a cinematic version of this commercial:

Comic creator Frank Miller, of 300 and Sin City fame, is writing a Superman: Year One story with art from John Romita Jr. Nothing about that sentence makes me want to open my wallet.

We got a new trailer for X-Men spinoff, The Gifted. I’m actually surprised they used established mutants like Polaris and Thunderbird. And is that actually Fenris?! I want to like this, but it just looks so…Fox.

We got a new trailer for The Defenders on Netflix. I get that this is the culmination of all the Marvel Netflix shows, but it didn’t do much for me since I’ve only seen 2 out of 5 seasons so far. There’s no way I’ll get caught up by this premiere date, but I’m sure it’ll mean more to me once I’m up to date. Kinda tired of the hallway fight trope, though.

Legends of Tomorrow is such a fun show. It started kinda dry, but got so much better last year. It reminds me of a syndicated Saturday afternoon show, but in a good way.

This Justice League trailer did very little for me. It’s like, sure, Wonder Woman’s cool, but we JUST saw her. Aquaman seems cool, but he’s not really “Aquaman”. I’ll see it, but I ain’t looking forward to it. No, for me, November belongs to:

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

We’ll have to wait a bit longer for our annual dose of Abbi and Ilana, as Comedy Central has moved the Broad City season 4 premiere from August 23rd to September 13th

A few months ago, it was reported that Amy Schumer would be starring in a Barbie movie. Well, I made fun of that, she blocked me on Twitter, and then eventually dropped out of the role. Now they’re reporting that Anne Hathaway is up for the role, which is somehow more bewildering than the Schumer choice…

Justin Bieber cancelled the rest of his Purpose world tour because he was “committing his life to Christ”. This pissed off his crew, as they were left without jobs. He, then, proceeded to run over a paparazzo with his truck while leaving church. I swear, you can’t make this shit up!

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has replaced Bill Gates as the richest man in the world.

Beginning September 29th, Hulu will begin streaming the Warner Bros shows that comprised ABC’s TGIF lineup, including Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Full House, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, and Step By Step. Meanwhile, Netflix is feverishly developing Perfecter Strangers, Family Still Matters, Chillin’ With Mr. Cooper, and Step By Step By Step.

I haven’t seen a non-country music video in years, but apparently they still make them, as Katy Perry will host the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards

Speaking of the VMAs, following the lead of the MTV Movie Awards, they’re doing away with the gendered categories Best Male/Best Female Artist, to be replaced by Artist of the Year. Also, in a bit of pandering,  they’ve created the Best Fight Against the System, for those artists who have called for folks to #RESIST and all that.

Though I felt its farcical nature wore a bit thin during its first season, TBS’s Angie Tribeca has been renewed for season 4.

Smallville‘s Tom Welling is joining Fox’s Lucifer and *yawn* that’s really all there is to say about that.

Netflix has ordered 20 episodes of the animated series Disenchantment from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. It will features the voices of Nat Faxon, Eric Andre, and Abbi Jacobson. Apparently it’s about elves and trolls and shit. Not really my bag, baby.

Person of Interest‘s Michael Emerson has been cast in a mysterious role for Arrow‘s 6th season. So, he’s probably Deathstroke’s accountant or something.

Because SyFy just doesn’t care anymore, and because they need something to air between Sharknados, Wynonna Earp has been renewed for a 3rd season.

The Wonder Woman sequel has a release date of December 13th, 2019

Apple discontinued the iPod Nano and Shuffle models, as they are the last remaining models that cannot run iOS apps.

Current Superman Henry Cavill grew a mustache for his role in Mission Impossible 37: Mission Harder, which will have to be digitally removed for Justice League reshoots. Ya know, the movie where he’s supposed to be dead, but is actually the worst kept secret in Hollywood.

Lionel Richie and Charlie Puth are in talks to join ABC’s American Idol reboot as judges. Yeah, that’s funny. Unless they’re coaching the contestants on how to get caught cheating while dancing on the ceiling, I’m not sure what Richie’s old ass brings to the table. And Puth is simply too new to be judging anybody.

New James Bond film in 2019. Nobody knows who’s playing him or directing the thing, but it’s coming. Yesiree, Bob!

Since they’re handing out cinematic universes like chicken samples at a food court, the John Wick universe will be expanded by the female-focused film, Ballerina.

Michael Phelps raced a CGI shark and people felt betrayed. He’s the friggin’ son of Poseidon! He can’t race ACTUAL sharks! There would be civil unrest beneath the surface!

With DC being the political capital of the country, it’s hard for a news person to stand out because the place is crawling with them. That wasn’t true, however, for Jim Vance. Everyone knew him and the man was an institution. Coming to NBC4 in 1969, he was one of the first Black anchors in a major news market. He anchored for over 4 decades, ingraining himself into the families of those who watched him.

When I was a toddler, I was really into the local news (I’ve always said I’m regressing as I get older), and I could name every anchor on every local newscast. And this was a golden age of DC news. You had the great Glenn Brenner, you had Maury Povich before he became a talk show host, and you had Vance. There was something about him that made him seem like your aunt’s cool boyfriend. He was an old man with a hoop earring. We used to laugh about it, but secretly I was hating because I knew I’d never be able to pull that off at his age. He rode motorcycles and laughed inappropriately at news stories he found funny. He was a guy who made you glad to watch the news, especially as the cries of Fake News! grew louder.

Back in May, Vance announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and it advanced rather quickly. He passed away last Saturday morning, and the announcement touched all corners of the DC area (no, I’m not calling it the DMV!). It was touching to see all of the tributes to him on the local stations, from those who were colleagues and competitors. Last Saturday night, News4 spent the entire 11 PM news talking about Vance and what he meant to DC. This might sound crazy, but it was so refreshing to watch the news without a single drop of actual news being reported. No Trump b.s., no local murders, not even a weather report. Just 30 minutes about a man who we basically grew up with in our homes. I always kinda took him for granted because you just expected he would be there every evening, but I’ve certainly missed him since he’s gone. I know he won’t mean much to those of you outside the DC viewing area, but believe me when I say that everybody here knew who Jim Vance was, and we’re all going to miss him in one way or another. For that reason, Jim Vance had the West Life Ever.

[thesinglesjukebox]

POST MALONE FT. 21 SAVAGE - ROCKSTAR [4.57] Now holding the distinct honor of being runner-up to "Bodak Yellow" for three weeks in a row!

Crystal Leww: Right as Cardi B was making noise for being the first woman since Iggy Azalea to go #1 with a rap single, Post Malone was quietly holding the Triple Streaming Crown (credit to David Turner for that one) -- #1 on the Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud charts. The dude is very popular, and "Rockstar" reminds me so much of "Studio," the 2014 Schoolboy Q song that was everywhere on rap radio that year. This basically exists in the background without offending, but it also doesn't make much of an impression either. It will be wildly successful, and I will always change the channel when it comes on and I'm driving. [3]

Julian Axelrod: If anyone should be celebrating their unlikely pop stardom, it's these guys: a silky-voiced scumbag who looks like Spring Breakers' Alien getting bar mitzvah'd and a dead-eyed, monotone murderer who makes no concessions toward rap's weirdo vanguard. Both rappers have had a truly bizarre rise to fame, and you can't begrudge them for wanting to bask in their success. But you can definitely begrudge them for doing so in the most boring way imaginable. This sounds like Savage and Malone read Motley Crue's The Dirt, skipped all the interesting parts, then recorded their verses without ever saying a word to each other. The song is hypnotic in its simplicity, to the point where I find myself singing it throughout the day to the tune of, say, a rusty air conditioner. It's not their best work, but it does its job. After all, it's not like these guys became famous for nothing. [5]

Alfred Soto: Self-pity over echo. [3]

Hazel Robinson: I mean, it's got the cover art I'd associate with the early work of a band that became suddenly huge circa nu metal and a bit of the sound -- it's hard to tell if this is deliberately, hypnotically looping or just a bit low on ideas. However, I'm listening to it in the office while working late; if I were hearing this in a club after six white wines, would I be freaking OUT about how good it was to dance to? Heck yes, I would. Drunk me did the scoring. [7]

Stephen Eisermann: This has the makings of a good track, but my god these lyrics are bad. Post Malone comes across as a middle-schooler bragging to his friends about being able to attend a high school party, but less in the endearing way and more in the oh-my-god-stfu kind of way. It's jarring and beneath him, especially considering the track itself is a cool, laid back composition, and his voice has just enough Auto-Tune applied that he actually sounds... well, cool. It's a shame, then, that these terrible lyrics bring down an otherwise interesting production. [4]

Anthony Easton: I have nostalgia when rockstars were supposed to be having fun, and not nearly this misanthropic, ennui dripping boredom, all the pills downers, and all the sex mostly chemical -- it might be political if they were smart enough. [5]

Ryo Miyauchi: Post Malone pours one out for Bon Scott, but spiritually, "Rockstar" should light one more for Kurt Cobain, because there's no glamor to be heard in Malone's antics. He has debts to a few more icons: his hazy party rap scrubs away any thrills in recreational drug use like Future's Dirty Sprite 2; his Auto-Tuned declaration as rock star has nothing against Lil Uzi Vert's. And like those two rappers, the lifestyle just sounds like an exhausting charade of recklessness after the next. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[jillmckenzie1]

Be Excellent To Each Other

Bill & Ted Face the Music is streaming on Prime

Let’s talk about trilogies. Specifically, how unbelievably hard they are to pull off. It’s difficult enough to pull off a good movie, considering you need a strong script, solid direction, and competent actors. To pull off a decent sequel, you need to build on the world you first established and go in a new direction yet one that’s not so new it undoes the first film. To do all of that, and add a third film wrapping up everything? It’s easier to climb up Mount Everest blindfolded and naked.

Even the most prestigious and profitable franchises have trouble with this. Consider that:

  All three Star Wars trilogies have problematic entries. Return of the Jedi is only two-thirds of a good movie, Attack of the Clones is a nightmare, and The Rise of Skywalker stinks up the joint like bad sushi.

The MCU has the hastily tacked together Iron Man 2, along with the barely there Thor: The Dark World.

The Matrix is a flat-out science fiction classic. The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions lurch between ponderous speeches and not quite as cool as they should be action sequences.*

The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II are literally two of the greatest films ever made. The Godfather: Part III isn’t.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins finally makes Bruce Wayne a compelling character, while The Dark Knight gave audiences a terrifying Joker and a hero breaking his own moral code. The Dark Knight Rises, on the other hand, takes big swings and has big misses. Also, a bad guy that sounds like Sean Connery locked in a bathysphere.

  Years of merciless bludgeoning at the hands of greedy, incompetent, or misguided filmmakers has taught us that the third entries of a series usually blows chunks. When a film comes out that defies the odds…well, it can be a little breathtaking. The insane part isn’t just that Bill & Ted Face the Music is a trilogy-capper made with intelligence and deep silliness. No, the insane part is that it’s the end of a trilogy that gets better with every entry. This trilogy never drops in quality.

To bring you up to speed, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure concerns Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter), and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) a pair of high-school himbos living in San Dimas, California. To pass a critical history test, they get their hands on a time-traveling phone booth, gain a futuristic mentor in Rufus (George Carlin) and meet a wide variety of historical personages. A few years pass, and in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the guys are killed by their evil robot duplicates, sent to Hell, befriend Death (William Sadler), and learn their true destiny; to write a song capable of uniting humanity.

So much for that. Years have passed, and the guys have failed to write The Greatest Song In The History of The World. Their fame has flagged, and they’re reduced to playing weddings. Their marriages to the princesses Joanna (Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes) are also in bad shape. An amusing scene in marriage counseling shows us that Ted & Bill** need to be together constantly, even during therapy.

There’s good news and bad news, though. The good news is that, somehow, the guys managed to procreate. They’re the proud papas to Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving). The bad news is that since Bill & Ted’s band Wyld Stallyns failed repeatedly in writing The Song, reality itself is beginning to collapse. Kelly (Kristin Schaal) is the daughter of Rufus, and she arrives from the future to tell them that now would be a good time to get in gear and write The Song.

Only…it’s hard. Really, really hard. So hard that Bill & Ted come up with another idea. They’ll “borrow” the time machine, travel to the future, and “borrow” The Song from their future selves. It should be simple. Only it’s not. There’s the part where they learn that their future selves live increasingly miserable lives. And the part where Billie and Thea “borrow” another time machine to put together a supergroup of the greatest musicians in history to help their dads, but run into a little snag. And the part where the princesses “borrow” a time machine and learn their futures with Bill & Ted might not be most triumphant. And the part where Bill & Ted are being hunted by Dennis Caleb McCoy (Anthony Carrigan), a murderous robot that really just needs friends.

Bill & Ted Face the Music never leans hard into nostalgia. It never feels like a cheap cash grab. Instead, it’s like getting snuggles from a dopey Golden Retriever. The dog might not know his name or what the word “sit” even means, but he’s a sweetheart who’s all about wanting to show you how much he loves you.

Each of the three films in the Bill & Ted trilogy was helmed by a different director.*** Of the three of them, Face the Music’s Dean Parisot has made the most polished installment. As the director of the second-best Star Trek movie of all time, Galaxy Quest, Parisot has the skill to make this kind of tomfoolery look good. While the pacing drags just a little in the first half-hour, once the film gets going, it moves at a breakneck pace.

You have to be very smart to write characters that are this kind of dumb. Screenwriters Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson are, and as the writers of all three films, they know exactly when to go up to the line. Their script is gloriously silly. Multiple characters travel through numerous timelines at the same time, but Matheson and Solomon always make sure we know what’s happening and when. Better yet, the script is infused with infectious optimism. The idea that friendship and a kickass song can save the world never feels cheesy. Instead, it feels right. Along with that blast of hope, there’s a blast of self-awareness in this script. Bill & Ted are two guys told over and over in the first two films that they were special, beautiful and unique snowflakes. In Face the Music, they have to reckon with the fact that their life plan didn’t work out. Instead of doubling down and trying harder, we see their perspective shift. They grow and change. That’s what good writing is all about.

With 29 years between installments, you can be forgiven for wondering if Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves can smoothly step back into these iconic roles. A great deal has changed for them. Reeves has become the greatest action star in American movies, while Winter has made a number of outstanding documentaries. Winter’s return is a little smoother as Bill, and he’s just as goofily charming as ever. Reeves is a bit stiff as Ted, but he’s just as game as ever to get ridiculous. Perhaps my favorite performances were Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Thea and Billie. They go beyond imitating Reeves and Winter and are an effective comic duo in their own right. Speaking of which, William Sadler returns (and very nearly steals the show again) as Death. Sadler has such a willingness to do absolutely anything to make us laugh. He’s so good at comedy that I wish he’d do more of it. Kid Cudi plays himself, and his comic timing is precise and perfect. There’s not a false note in this cast and everyone shows up to play.

As much as I love the film, it’s not perfect. It takes some time to really get into the groove, and it’s hampered by some problematic pacing. Speaking of problematic, let’s talk about the character of Grom. She’s a cavewoman, and she’s played by Patty Anne Miller, a wildly talented drummer who’s worked with Beyoncé and CeeLo Green. Someone with the chops that Miller has should absolutely be celebrated. The film choosing a superband with a majority of POC (Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, Ling Lun, and Mozart, along with Grom.) is cool. But having a Black woman play that particular role, a cavewoman? Eh…not a good look. Swap her out for someone like either Sylvia Robinson or Sister Rosetta Tharp, and you have something excellent.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is more than a skillful way to close out a beloved franchise that doesn’t quite get the respect it deserves. It’s a guitar riff of delightful, positive energy that had me smiling for nearly the entire run time. While there’s a lot to be cranky about these days, Bill & Ted reminds us that we can face the future with a cheerful grin.

    *Though the freeway chase in Reloaded is genuinely cool.

**Isn’t it jarring to read it like that?

***Stephen Herek directed the first film and went on to a long and steady career as a journeyman director. Peter Hewitt directed the second film and immersed himself in family films, for the most part.

The post Be Excellent To Each Other first appeared on The Denver Guide.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/be-excellent-to-each-other/

[jessicakehoe]

TIFF 2019: Let the Oscar Buzz Begin

Last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner was a divisive one. Green Book was largely panned by critics and plagued with problems ranging from a racist screenwriter to the fact that the family of its subject wasn’t consulted in the making of the film. But its running in the Oscar race was all but secured when it won the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award at TIFF. Historically, the award has been a pretty good indicator of which film will go on to nab the biggest award of the year (past Grolsch winners include 12 Years a Slave, The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, which won big at the Oscars just a few months later.)

This year’s winner, Jojo Rabbit, has been similarly divisive but if history’s taught us anything, it’s not to write off a Grolsch winner. As the final film festival on the circuit before awards season kicks off–following Telluride, Venice and Cannes—TIFF is where awards chatter gets cemented and speculation heats up. Read on for a roundup of the films whose buzz we expect to carry them right through to February, when awards season comes to a close with the Oscars.

Jojo Rabbit It’s not often that a Hitler film is described as “whimsical” but the word comes up time and again in reviews of the satirical film, which may have divided critics but earned a standing ovation from audiences. “Everyone in Toronto can agree that, on paper, Jojo Rabbit shouldn’t work. What they have trouble agreeing on is everything else,” notes a Vulture review. The film, about a Nazi-loving young boy whose worldview is shaken when he begins to fall for a Jewish girl his mother is hiding in their attic, currently has a Metacritic score of 52% but as IndieWire reminds us, plenty of films have seen awards season love despite middling reviews from critics, most recently Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book. I expect to see a nom for the film in the Best Picture category and Kiwi director Taika Waititi might just score one too.

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Marriage Story This Netflix film about a couple navigating divorce was the runner-up for the Grolsch award and my personal favourite from the festival this year. There’s no obvious villain, no picking of sides, no one injured party—the grievances are messy, complicated and equally valid on both sides. As the couple whose marriage is ending, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson both deliver tour de force performances, and Laura Dern swoops in with a memorable turn as Johansson’s shrewd lawyer. Expect nods for all of them, as well as for the film’s director and writer Noah Baumbach.

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Parasite All anyone could talk about at Cannes in May was acclaimed Korean director Bong Joon-Ho’s film Parasite, which went on to win the festival’s highest honour, the Palme d’Or. It received similar critical acclaim at TIFF and came in third for the People’s Choice Award. The film follows a family of con artists who overtake an affluent household, and weaves together themes of class and capitalism into a captivating thriller. If it gets the recognition it seems poised to receive, it’ll make history as the first Oscar-nominated film from South Korea.

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Joker Joker’s already been making headlines for its “dangerous” and “scary” messaging and critics have been divided on its actual merits, but they do all seem to agree that an Oscar nom is on the cards for Joaquin Phoenix. The film also won the Golden Lion at Venice, so it might have some Best Picture chances as well.

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Hustlers The wild card entry here is definitely Jennifer Lopez, whose excellent performance as a stripper turned con artist in this film based on a true story got rave reviews at TIFF. Whether the film will sit well with Oscar voters, who tend to be a conservative, older bunch, is yet to be seen, but the buzz attached to her name is undeniable. Writer-director Lorene Scafaria also deserves recognition for distilling a complicated, layered story into a tight, well-crafted narrative with both heart and hustle.

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Harriet In the first and only biopic ever made on American abolitionist Harriet Tubman, Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo (whom audiences may remember from her supporting role in Widows last year) delivers a powerful performance as the titular character who risks her life to get slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Both she and Janelle Monae, who plays a free Black woman providing shelter and support to slaves fleeing the south, could be in the running for nominations in the Lead and Supporting categories respectively.

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood There’s not much Mr Rogers in this Mr Rogers film, which mostly belongs to Matthew Rhys, who plays the Esquire journalist whose article the film is based on. A Supporting Actor nod for Tom Hanks—who is truly the Mr Rogers of our time—is a sure bet, and Matthew Rhys might sneak in with a nod too. Marielle Heller (who was overlooked last year for her excellent Can You Ever Forgive Me?) might well score a nomination for her deft, measured direction as well.

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Ford v Ferrari Two of the best actors of our time, Matt Damon and Christian Bale, co-star in this film about an automotive designer (Damon) and racecar driver (Bale) who try to build a Ford Mustang ahead of the 1966 Le Mans race in France. According to Macleans, “it has all the hallmarks of an Oscar Best Picture nominee—a story powered by high-octane chase scenes, a culture war pitting white-bread America against snotty Europeans, and a pair of blue-chip stars.”

Judy For her portrayal of Hollywood icon Judy Garland in the final months of her life, Renee Zellweger got a three-minute standing ovation and a whole lot of Oscar buzz at the festival. Variety writer Jenelle Riley tweeted, “In 15 years at #TIFF I have never seen a standing ovation like the one for Renee Zellweger at JUDY.” Entertainment Weekly‘s Joey Nolfi also commented on the audience reaction, writing, “Renee Zellweger is crying. I’m crying. Everyone is fucking crying and Judy is a soaring, emotional wallop of a comeback for its star.” So it’s safe to say that come February, the actress will be sitting at the Dolby Theatre with a fourth Oscar nomination to her name.

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Just Mercy As a prisoner on Death Row for a murder he didn’t commit, Jamie Foxx is both cynical and hopeful, and his moving performance may earn him his second Oscar (he won in 2005 for Ray). Brie Larson could earn a Supporting nod too, and Michael B Jordan—as the activist and lawyer who makes it his mission to work with disenfranchised communities in the prison system—might finally score his first Oscar nom.

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The Two Popes The Hollywood Reporter has deemed it “a triumph of writing as well as unostentatious filmmaking.” Starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, the Netflix film imagines a series of meetings between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict at the height of a scandal in the Catholic church. Critics seem to have loved its witty, humorous energy and the bromance at its centre, so nominations for the two veteran actors are likely on the table.

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[dipalmoo]

Homage to all who follow and establish this holy path...

That's a line from the Daily Recollection that's recited at the monastery I'm affiliated with. It reminds us how much we owe to those who have blazed the trail for us, and to those whose company we keep as we make our own way along.

It's hard to remember exactly how and when I got an inkling that there was such a thing as awareness practice. I think it must've come through my high-school boyfriend, Eric, whose mother was a spiritual seeker and had turned him on to books from some of best teachers of the late '60s. From him I first heard of Fritz Perls, and Gurdjieff, and Ouspensky, and Gestalt therapy, and I believe he once loaned me a copy of Alan Watts's The Wisdom of Insecurity. (At least I remember trying to read it at the time, and he was the only person I knew then who could possibly have given it to me.) I found it utterly opaque, and soon put it down. I came across it again last year, and read it easily, and with enjoyment. It was reassuring to find that I actually did understand more at 62 than I did at 16!

Also in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, I discovered Ram Dass, through his iconic book Be Here Now. Once again, I was baffled by what I read...but not quite as baffled as I'd been by the Watts book. Every few pages, I'd come across something that would strike a chord, and that kept me going (the groovy illustrations helped too). I felt as if I'd fallen down the rabbit hole into a world I never knew existed, where the words were the same but meant different things, and the residents had information about truth and reality that I had never encountered. I was intrigued. Even though I found much of what I was reading incomprehensible, I sensed that it was true in a deeper way than any other "true" things I knew. I read BHN over and over. Like all great books, it taught me something new every time I picked it up. I bought and gave away multiple copies, hoping it would have the same magical effect on people I cared about. I hadn't thought about it in years, though, when I recently came across a copy in a used book store. It was like running into a dear old friend. I picked it up and read through most of it in a few minutes, smiling and nodding to myself, even getting a little teary-eyed. The content, once so mysterious, was as familiar and obvious as my grocery list.

Since those early days of seeking, I've benefited from the wisdom of so many teachers and writers that it's impossible to list them all. Some of my favorites: Charlotte Joko Beck, D.T. Suzuki, Philip Kapleau, Thich Nat Hanh, Henri Nouwen, Anthony DeMello, Stephen Mitchell, Stephen Batchelor....

Which brings me, finally, to the real point of this post: homage to the teacher who’s taught me the most. Cheri Huber. Oddly, given how important she’s been in my life, I can’t remember exactly when I first picked up one of her books. I think it might have been in the now-defunct Borders store in Pasadena, CA, probably in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s. I can’t even remember which of her many books it was that I picked up; I want to think it was the grandmother of them all, There is Nothing Wrong with You. Really, it doesn’t matter. Everything she’s ever written has been illuminating for me. I’ve been a follower and supporter of the organizations she founded (the Zen Monastery Peace Center and Living Compassion) for more than two decades now. It is no exaggeration to say that what I’ve learned from her has saved my life. Cheri’s wisdom will be all over this blog (to the point where I will worry about violating fair use), because pretty much every important insight I’ve ever had has come from her guidance. Still, I want to make it clear that whatever I say about her teaching is just my interpretation, and reflects my still-evolving understanding. If anything I attribute to her interests you, I strongly encourage you to go to the source and explore her many practice offerings for yourself. The place to start is living compassion.org. 

[lzteach]

  Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Storylines from the Past Offer Lifelines Too

by Kay Kendall

“I tried so hard to sleep last night, but kept getting up to read more of Kay Kendall’s DESOLATION ROW. It resonates powerfully in these troubled times . . . .”

So begins the newest reader comment on Amazon about one of my mysteries. Of course any laudatory review is a pleasure for an author to read about one of her book babies. However, while I was thrilled to see five stars, I was surprised to see an emotion expressed about reading my fiction that I never expected.

The reviewer concluded a personal email to me by saying, “I realized that the ideas/ideals are as compelling as the plot in your books, just what we need right now.”

I write historical murder mysteries, and my chosen time period is the turbulent era of the 1960s. Back in 2012 when I finished writing DESOLATION ROW and then when it debuted in 2013, I had hoped that setting my first book in a fraught time of extreme unrest would be interesting. I thought it would help readers of the baby boom generation remember their salad days and younger readers might read and learn what it was like. The plot is fiction. The background is not. DESOLATION ROW looks at the consequences of the Vietnam War, the anti-war movement, and personal outcomes from military service. In RAINY DAY WOMEN published in 2015, I explore the hopes for female improvement held by early members of the women’s liberation movement.

One reason I write about that time period is to describe its importance to those who know nothing about it. Reading fiction is an easy way to learn about history.

After both my mysteries were in print, I spoke to classes at a community college in Alabama. Only two in one hundred students knew about Bob Dylan—my book titles come from his songs. Moreover, none of them knew why the United States was drawn into fighting a war in Vietnam. And none of them had ever heard of the “domino theory.”

Another reason I write about the 1960s is to commemorate and revivify a part of American history that has had far reaching effects. Societal upheaval was so intense in the 1960s that the aftershocks still are felt today. Until very recently, that past seemed dead and buried.

Yet only two years since I spoke to those Alabama students and right now, right now the 1960s have gained new relevance. The era is evoked often on television news stations. Old battles are being fought again in the streets of America. And readers are telling me that my books bring them hope.

After all, they say, If we Americans got through such troubled domestic times once, we can do so again. But hang on, dear readers, we may be in for a long and bumpy ride.

~~~~~~~

Read the first 20 pages of Kay Kendall’s second mystery, RANY DAY WOMEN here! http://www.austinstarr.com/  That book won two awards at the Killer Nashville conference in August 2016—for best mystery/crime and also for best book.  Visit Kay at https://www.facebook.com/KayKendallAuthor

                            Posted by kk at 3:30 AM

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Labels: Amazon ratings, Desolation Row mystery, Kay Kendall author, Rainy Day Women mystery

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3 comments:

storytellermaryAugust 16, 2017 at 10:31 AMReply

It does seem that the right book often finds one at just the right time, and a bit of lost sleep is a fair trade for a reminder of hope. Thanks again (and happy to repay in small measure with a review 😉 Good wins — always — if we just keep on working, and our past actions inspire future work. I used to keep my activist past a bit quiet, but students picked up on it anyway, and would sometimes ask strategic questions as they planned or reported on their own actions. One of my favorite students called her friends to counter-demo and outnumber a “Mexicans go home” rally on Cinco de Mayo on Mexico Road — really! I was so proud of her. ❤ I once said, when my sophomores were reading NIGHT, that I would hope I would be brave enough to hide those in danger, but that no one could be sure until faced with the decision and the dangers. A student studied me for a minute, then declared, “Oh, yes . . . YOU would.” I thanked her for having faith in me . . . and hoped never to have to find out.

kkAugust 16, 2017 at 10:40 AMReply

I know you are right, Mary. We think we know what we would do and often criticize people who we think did not act right in the past. But until we are in that situation, we never know what we would do. Sometimes we get to make a choice similar to ones in the past. Reading history gives me courage and perspective. President Truman for example never went to college but he read biographies of great men. So did President Washington. Truman led troops into WWI battles and his men revered him. We don’t have to fight in wars to show that we have courage and can act to protect others from harm.

Linda ZagonAugust 16, 2017 at 10:51 AMReply

—————————————————————————————————————————————– MY REVIEW OF “DESOLATION ROW’ by Kay Kendall I have to blame author Kay Kendall, author of ” DESOLATION ROW’ for the sleepless night I had, so that I could finish reading her novel. I just couldn’t stop reading until I discovered “Who Did It?” so to speak. The genres for “DESOLATION ROW’ are Mystery, Fiction, and in my opinion, Historical Fiction. This novel brought me back to the end of the sixties, and reminded me of so many things. The year is 1968, and you are living in a foreign country that is supposed to be friendly to Americans. Although the times are turbulent and there is a lot of tension. Many American citizens have come to Canada as Draft Resistors for different reasons. Even within the resistors are factions that are split on how to handle the protests. The war in Vietnam is not like any war in history. Then you have a different political agenda, that of older men that fought during World War Two, and were proud to fight for America. Now, can you imagine that your nerdy, kind, gentle husband is arrested on suspicion of murder? You really can’t afford an attorney. You don’t have much of a support system. Your parents are in Texas, and not pleased at all that you left with your husband to go to Canada. Well, meet Austin Starr, a 22 young married student who came to Canada with her husband, who was her college boyfriend. Austin seems to have a major problem. The author describes the characters as complex and complicated. Some characters are angry, unbalanced, jealous, have strong convictions, and some characters have secrets important to protect. There are a number of characters who could be suspect in murdering a Draft Resistor that was not really well liked. What is the motivation and why? Austin turns to her Russian Professor and his daughter for help in finding who the “real killer is. Visiting her husband in the desolate jail spurs her on to look for clues.There are twists and turns and threats and danger. Then there is another murder. I appreciate the way Kay Kendall describes the history, the characters, and the intriguing plot. Having lived during this era, I felt like I was revisiting the past. There is the discussion of corrupt politicians, and the upcoming election, when Richard Nixon was running for president. The author also discusses how any war changes the lives of the people who come home and their families. To quote Kay Kendall,” While the past was set in stone the future was framed by hope and possibility.” The author describes the importance of family, peace love, hope and faith. I really tried to follow the clues, but I was surprised to find who the murderer is. I highly recommend this intriguing and thought-provoking novel for readers who have a passion for life in the sixties and for anyone who loves a mystery with suspense and intrigue. I received a copy for my honest opinion. Share

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Author Kay Kendall “Desolation Row” and “Rainy Day Women” writes an Intriguing Article! Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Storylines from the Past Offer Lifelines Too by Kay Kendall “I tried so hard to sleep last night, but kept getting up to read more of Kay Kendall's DESOLATION ROW.

[furederiko]

As I said a few days ago, I have prepared this Random News Digest ever since I posted the previous one. Thanks to that sudden unexpected situation on my part, this could be the one and only for the month. Of course, nothing is set in stone just yet. But just in case I'm not posting another ones in the following weeks, with this, you should already be aware of the reason why... *sigh*

Transformers

In a rather unexpected and a bit unusual news, Paramount has decided to release "Transformers: The Last Knight" two days earlier next month. The 5th Michael Bay-directed movie that was supposed to be out on June 23rd, will now arrive on June 21st. It's a Wednesday by the way, which is the unusual fact, because big Hollywood movies like this usually aimed a weekend release. I'm honestly not sure what the primary reason behind this shift, but perhaps... Paramount is pushing it to open at the same date internationally? Such personal speculation makes sense though, because movies tend to open on weekdays in many non-American countries. And the "Transformers" franchise is indeed a bigger name in international market, as proven by the 4th movie. This way, just like what "The Fate of the Furious" have recently accomplished, the movie has a bigger chance to break worldwide opening record. At least for the month of June, or that particular weekend. Anyway, I'm sure fans of the franchise would be delighted by this news. I... guess?

DC Films

Speaking of June, "Wonder Woman" is close to be released as well. I haven't been on social media for the past few days (even without visiting one, my data charge is close to running out! Aaaarggghh), so I can't tell if they have held the first screening for the movie or not (likely not, perhaps in the coming weeks or two?). But apparently, Warner Bros just released a new poster for the movie. For a movie set to be released on June 2nd, I do expect the marketing presence to start getting bigger, and promotion to get louder. Strangely, it doesn't feel that way. For some reason, it felt like WB is holding out a bit on this one, which is NOT a good sign. I mean, even if the movie isn't as good, at least they should go all out when promoting the first female-led superhero movie of the modern age. That alone deserves the biggest attention, right? There's a new trailer airing during the MTV Movie Awards 2017 that was held a few hours ago. I haven't seen it (due to lack of interest? Nah... lack of BANDWITH), but perhaps that's a sign that the studio is taking further step forward. Oh well, we'll see what happens in the near future then... but seriously, I don't have a good feeling about it.

Marvel Studios

Filming for "Avengers: Infinity War", which opens less than a year from now, is still taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was said that directors Anthony and Joe Russo have arrived in the location last week. We know that several actors have been spotted there, like Robert Downey Jr., Paul Bettany, and Elizabeth Olsen. It seemed, more actors have arrived to join the production.

Chris Evans has been spotted at a nearby club in George Street, confirming his participation in the city. Anthony Mackie, recently openly tweeted that he's leaving the location (possibly along with Olsen and Bettany), hinting that his part might have been completed there. Soon after, the upcoming headlining duo of "Thor: Ragnarok", Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, were spotted at the Durham Cathedral, England. The ancient Cathedral was shut down from May 4th to 6th, indicating that it will be exclusively used for the production. It seems Scarlett Johansson was seen in the same place as well, aside from other secretive areas like Waverly Station, Cockburn Station, St. Abbs, Inverness, and High Street's St. Giles Cathedral. Quite a reunion for the core Avengers, right?

They were not alone, because turns out actress Tessa Thompson also showed up there, indicating that her Valkyrie might be arriving on Earth alongside Hemsworth's Thor and Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. While this served as confirmation of the actress' inclusion, in a way, it also potentially teased a potential spoiler to the ending of "Ragnarok". There are also hints that Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange will be involved, which once again, might give us a clue to the character's inclusion in "Ragnarok". Adding to the list of cosmic characters, a stand-in model of Rocket Raccoon was also present. Since Rocket is a CG character, obviously he would be inserted in post production. One would only wonder if he's the only Guardians members there, because their actors might have already filmed their parts in Atlanta instead.

Around the same time, other cast members weighed in their thoughts of the movie to the press, giving clearer details to what we can expect in the movie. One of them, the third Chris of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Pratt thought that the movie is going to be timeless and iconic. "It's going to stand the test of time. It's maybe this decade's movie, if not a longer period of time", he said to Toronto Sun. He also revealed to Nerdist that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be supporting casts, but still has a strong presence in the movie. Considering he's the architect to the Cosmic side, and might apparently stay that way until "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3", director James Gunn reiterated the same fact, while admitting that he's "incredibly involved in what happens in Infinity War with the Guardians".

Meanwhile, Downey Jr. once again collaborated with Omaze and openly offered fans for the chance to win an all-access visit to the set. This isn't new, since several other actors have done similar charity projects as well. But the important bit to notice here, is how it pretty much confirmed that the actors will return to Atlanta to shoot more stuff. Since production is wrapping up in just a few months before proceeding to the 2019's "Avengers 4", clearly this set visit will take place very soon. Unless Downey was referencing "Avengers 4". Which reminds me again, we're less than a year away before "Infinity War" hits the global market on May 4th, 2018. That's why the hype is certainly building bigger and bigger everyday!

As for what comes after Avengers 4, there are two confirmed titles so far: sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" that is set to be released on July 2019, and "Vol 3" that will likely take the May 1st, 2020 date. A sequel to "Doctor Strange" has been partially confirmed, but not yet announced officially, since director Scott Derrickson is still busy with other project. Intriguingly, the one that we already started to get a good grasp at, is none other than "Vol. 3". That's because Gunn has already begun planning and working on that sequel. Aside from focusing on some of the bits teased during the mid-credit scenes of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", which had just hit the US market a few days ago to massive revenue, Gunn teased that Zoe Saldana's Gamora is primed to have a significant role. Gunn had indeed said that all three Guardians movies will form one big story, so perhaps we'll be seeing Gamora's past coming back to haunt her? Especially following their little side adventure with the Avengers in "Infinity War" and "Avengers 4" that involves Daddy Thanos? Who knows, perhaps that one massive cosmic character will play a crucial role in it too, considering the being's romantic history with her in the comics. Hmmmm... I guess we'll just have to wait and see! And of course, speculate on!!!

Marvel TV

Hulu and Marvel TV has officially unveiled the official logo and look for the characters of Marvel's "Runaways" last week! Arriving on Twitter in form of a strong nod to a particular omnibus cover, this reveal might have also confirmed the inclusion of fans-beloved character, Old Lace the Deinonychus. Which will be of course, a completely CGed creature. Interestingly, before the image was announced officially, it was already leaked alongside a quick trailer early on. Assuming the link hasn't been taken down, you can probably catch it on Youtube. Said trailer, that hasn't been openly released until now, showcased the characters interacting with each other, and discovering that their parents are... 'evil'. Which is the gist of their story.

To be honest, I'm feeling a bit mixed with that leaked trailer. While the characters looked spot-on like their comics counterparts, the scene came off rather... cheesy? Somewhat in the same level to Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" that had its trailer released last month, it didn't work charm for me. In particular when "The Pride" showed up, which looked more like an occult rather than a group of super-powered villains. Apparently, reactions were mixed as well, as some Marvel fans are admittedly still on the fence with it like yours truly, but the rest of the community were thrilled with what they saw. Of course, we've only seen the trailer in poor quality, so we can't really judge it yet. Here's hoping we'll get a better look of it, when it is officially released. Though probably not in the near future, because well, the show will not arrived until 2018 anyway.

It's still unclear until now, whether this show will take place in the MCU or not. Unlike Freeform, which is still part of ABC (meaning it belongs to Disney... you get the point), Hulu is its own company. It honestly doesn't look like this show exists in the same world to the Avengers and Defenders. Because if it is, the contradicting appearance of Tina Minoru alone is already causing huge continuity issue with the "Doctor Strange" movie. But perhaps, it does take place in the MCU, but in a separate reality/universe? Remember, the keyword here is Multiverse, a concept introduced through "Doctor Strange", hence the possibility exists. Hmmm... I hope we'll get a clear explanation to this issue real soon. Otherwise, that means Jeph Loeb and Marvel TV is messing up BIG TIME.

Speaking of MCU, we do know that there's another show that will surely take place in the same reality: Marvel's "The Inhumans"! And look and behold... Entertainment Weekly has debuted the first official look to the mini series last week. And holy terrigenesis, it was... uhm... eh... MEH?!!! O_O. Fans immediately voiced their mixed feeling about it, because eventhough it had some nods to the comics (like Crystal's hair or Karnak's... face tattoo), other parts were glaringly unappealing. I mean, what's the deal with the HAIR of Serinda Swan's Medusa?!!! It doesn't even look like a natural human hair! Seriously, WHY use such hideous-looking WIG, when she only needs to dye her hair brunette or red. You know, just like... Zoe Saldana's Gamora or Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff? Even Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy still looked better! This one looks like FOX-inspired no matter how you see it! Not just Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor's Gorgon didn't even resemble the massive built of his comic counterpart (where's the hooves?), Anson Mount's Blackbolt seemed to have forgotten his pitchforked mask, and Ken Leung's Karnak totally didn't meet my expectation of a famous martial artist. Which shouldn't even be THAT hard to pull off. Isabelle Cornish's Crystal were among the few who looked wonderful, but the only one I was actually fond of was Iwan Rheon's Maximus. Even if I honestly don't understand why he needed the beard. Certainly not because the actor's British, right?! *coughQuicksilvercoughDaredevilcoughDannyRand*

We also got an official teaser that... uhm... eh... was NOT really helping either. Simply because it showed nothing but the logo, through a possible dialogue from someone I assumed to be Maximus (since he talked about freedom, yada yada), and Daphn... er, Medusa. After all, Blackbolt does NOT speak. Never mind the speaking, where's Mike Moh's Triton? Did his bodypaint look too hedious to be portrayed in the same photo? How about Lockjaw?! Showrunner Scott Buck did help confirm that Triton will NOT be a CG character. And also, that the teleportation mutt exists and is "probably going to end up being the audience’s favorite character. We certainly enjoy working with him. He’s fun to write, he’s fun to shoot. There’s not too much more detail than that that I can give, but he is going to be a standout on the show.". That's nice sentiment, but it still doesn't answer the question to why both of them are conspicuously excluded from the photo. Nor the main reason why the Royal Family needs to be cast out from their magical city of Attilan, and spends more time on Earth. A fact that obviously will make audiences question its position and continuity in the larger MCU universe.

If you were among the many those who were disappointed by how his "Iron Fist" turned out, then well, Buck's follow-up statements about this show and how he got involved in it, won't likely inspire confidence either. One of the more concerning fact, was how Loeb approached him and pitched him the project. NOT the other way around! In a way, this somehow signified that Marvel TV liked his interpretation of "Iron Fist", a show that's now sitting at the lowest approval level for any Marvel and Netflix's releases so far. I don't know about you, but to me, there's also a vague indication that Marvel TV was 'quite desperate' to get this show done no matter what. And obviously, that does NOT sound reassuring. Comparison to how Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios operates is inevitable, as their rigorous process to find a director with passion and fondness for a particular project, has been properly documented ("Captain Marvel" being a great example). This was undeniably one of the key to their box office and critical success, a method that brought people like James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Scott Derrickson, and others to deliver movies that reflected their love for the source material. So learning that it's Loeb who wanted Buck to do this, is enough to make me roll my eyes.

The approach sounded slightly different with Buck too. Instead of fully utilizing the Inhumans' visual super power and otherworldly abilities, embracing their larger-than-life weirdness, he opted to make them... 'grounded'. "We approach these all as real people who just happen to have these abilities, so they’re all very grounded people. We try to write them as real as possible, and then have fun with the powers when we can. We want their powers to seem like a very natural part of their personality.", he said. That was... an interesting choice of words, because I frankly believe 'grounded' has become a thing of the past these days, as proven by movies taking more risk by going the other way. But I seriously felt Buck totally 'dropped the ball' when he diplomatically admitted that he has NO CLUE about the source material. Thanks to that, his approach was... "Obviously if you look at those comics from the early ’60s, they’re a very different tone than what we’re doing. It was fun to see how it all began, but I just continued to leap forward. I have not read all of them, but I continue to look through some of them. There were so many different incarnations of the Inhumans, though, so it was more a matter of figuring out, what’s the story we want to tell? Going back and then reading the whole backstory of them all was very helpful, but from that, we just pretty much moved forward.". You know what? I was left speechless after reading that. Many signs are hinting towards failure, and that's concerning.

Which also gets me thinking. We know that the mini series is set to debut on IMAX theatres. It even has a cast of actors with past experiences in both TV and movies. Then why are Marvel TV treating these first two episodes with the mentality of a TV show? No offense to the director, but I sincerely think they should have regarded it as a movie-level instead. After all, eventhough IMAX is co-producing, it would be such a waste of use of that IMAX cameras, if not utilized properly to its highest potentials. Beside, it really doesn't hurt to consult with Marvel Studios, that has had years of experience in the field, just to get it right... right? In fact, the movie division ARE filming "Infinity War" entirely using the same sets of camera right now, so what a nice coincidence! Unless of course... pride stands in the way, which helps explains why the movie division is NOT involved at all (seriously, they could've just hand over the project to them instead). Buck did say that we can expect something 'a little bit bigger' than normal network shows, eventhough his portofolio thus far (he can't even do Shou-Lau properly!!!!) and other comments are saying otherwise. So let's just wait and see if he's actually true to his words... this time. A friendly suggestion though: Take a deep breath, and start crossing your fingers, pray that he won't mess up all over again. Because I honestly fear he will...

Last but not least, it would be a crime to not talk about the first series that started it all. Yes, Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", what else? It might not have the same ratings, nor the number of audience as before, but we wouldn't be getting these other shows if AoS didn't exist in the first place. As the currently airing 4th season is about to air its final two episodes in the coming weeks, the biggest question to its devoted fans is whether there will be a new season afterwards or not. If Deadline's report is to be believed, looks like a renewal is close to reality. Not quite surprising, because reception for the series DOES show an increase lately due to the stellar storytelling of "The Framework" arc. But what I'm more curious about, is whether this 5th season will serve as the finale or not. Surely, we shouldn't be treated with the kind of Agent Carter's cliffhanger experience all over again, should we? I guess we'll learn about this when ABC announces its lineups in the next few days...

Netflix

Oh hey there, the first full trailer for Marvel's "The Defenders" has arrived! If we were treated with a quick and rather annoying elevator tease before, followed by that equally confusing zombie shot via Twitter, Netflix finally unveiled the big one last week.

There's a lot to take in from this short trailer alone. Both the thrills of seeing the lead actors bouncing off each other's throat, as well as the mystery throughout the shots. Yet I'm also quite surprised to see how... SMALL the scope of this mini-series feels. Upon repeated viewing, it becomes more and more obvious, and in a way, disappointing. Just think about it, the Defenders are taking on The Hand in this one, which naturally should've been an ARMY. So it should've felt bigger, right? Instead, we're getting another hallway fight scene, which is basically the fifth time (excluding Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, who perhaps might get hers in the second season?) already. Why repeat the same formula over and over again? It took such a long time for Marvel TV (and Netflix) to deliver a crossover, so seriously, why not go all out? Also, seeing Mike Colter's Luke Cage and Finn Jones' Danny Rand meeting one another made me grin and frown at the same time. Because dang it, we COULD have gotten a proper "Heroes for Hire" show instead of the somewhat-underwhelming solo for Cage, and sadly-disappointing one for Danny.

Co-showrunner Marco Ramirez talked to Forbes following the release of that teaser, and hinted that we're going to see a change in these characters' mindset. Even if they have had moderate luck in working solo, through the event of this mini-series, they will "realize they have to work together and that they are much stronger together.". Of course, while that's easy to be said in theory, Ramirez admitted that the execution proved to be quite a creative challenge anyway. "It was quite a journey to keep them all very involved and active at every point", he stated, particularly because the last two shows were not yet released during production of "The Defenders". Both he, and Douglas Petrie did successfully brought a strong second season for Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock. So smart money is that they won't have any issue with this one as well. I can only hope that there won't be any continuity issues when it is released. After the poor result of Iron Fist's solo series, I'm pretty sure many eyes have been keeping an eye on Marvel TV closely, to see if they might f-up any further. Hope the best and expect the worse, then! Marvel's "The Defenders" arrives on August 18th, 2017.

Second season for the critically acclaimed "Stranger Things" won't be released until Halloween, but that doesn't mean its audience aren't already excited about it. In fact, some of us probably has been counting the days until that release date. Some of the cast recently talked to Emmy Magazine (via The Playlist) about it, and revealed that we can expect a bit of change in the series. Why? According to Mike Wheeler's actor Finn Wolfhard, the season will be "a lot more dark, a lot more horror-oriented", before adding that audience would probably like it better than the debut season. That certainly an interesting comment, eh? Dustin Henderson's actor Gaten Matarazzo chimed in by revealing an intriguing plot, "They feel a little bad because their best friend is back and he’s not acting like their best friend anymore. He’s changed.". Clearly, he's talking about Noah Schnapp's Will Byers, who DID exhibit some kind of strange supernatural phenomenon as the first season closed its curtain. I have a feeling, whatever it is Will is dealing, would be the driving force of the new season. Seriously, why can't October arrive any sooner!

Meanwhile, the third season of the highly-anticipated comedy "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", will be arriving real soon. Mark your calendar, fans, because it's coming NEXT week on May 19th, 2017. YESSS... Hi-five!!! To celebrate that, Netflix has released the first full trailer for the new season, that comes with a few surprises already. Kimmy is going to college! And the relationships of both Titus and Lillian seems to be in jeopardy. Oh noes!!! Of course, that's definitely one of the major charm of the series. I just love how it continues to progress its characters, taking them in a real life journey both emotionally and psychologically. It's like watching a close friend or family member growing up on screen! Aaaaaw...

Sure, the series might not work for everyone, but to those who were already hooked, it has become addictive in its own weird way. I mean, I've been re-watching the first two seasons in anticipation to the third. And eventhough I've seen these episodes more than I probably should have, dang it... I'm still laughing like a crazy nerd. Honestly, it's not hard to tell whenever a show is simply good or bad. And this one is certainly among the very best of the recent years. At least for me personally. LOL. The writing, the intricate themes hidden within the story, the brilliant and occasionally dumb deadpan humor, the strong comedic timing from most of its cast and guest stars? It definitely has everything that would keep me satisfied for such a long time, it's more than you could ask for! I'm expecting big things for this new season, and I hope it will be as strong or even better than before. Dang it, forget October, even May 19th feels like ages already!!!

Zero Escape

Following the release of "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games" that contains the first two games in the series, fans of the mystery franchise obviously wondered whether its third, "Zero Time Dilemma" would be getting a HD release for a console as well. After all, the game only debuted less than a year ago (precisely in June 2016) for the Nintendo 3DS, and Playstation Vita. Turns out, fans won't need to wait much longer! Aksys Games has announced that a Playstation 4 version is coming really soon. And by soon, on August 18th, 2017. Sure, the company hasn't officially revealed that release date, but Amazon has already listed it as such. Wow, these companies are lacking in synergy, huh? LOL. Just like "The Nonary Games", the graphic will of course be remastered. It shouldn't be an issue though, because a PC version has already been released previously, just not for the bigger consoles. Now I can't help but wonder if the company is preparing a 3-in-1 combo pack in the coming future? That would be more convenient to play with, because you can easily proceed the story in one media.

Pocket Monsters

"Pokemon Go"'s Worldwide Bloom event should be hours away from ending by the time this post goes up. While it certainly didn't feel as big as previous ones, and to certain extent, practically non-existent (no kidding, where are all the promised Grass Pokemon? My area is flooded with WATER ones instead), I have come to realize that there's a reason to this short lived event. What is that? Turns out, Nianti had just held a huge community event in the US on May 7th, 2017 (which is a few hours ago, in their time region), situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. Collaborating with John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, this experimental event closed off car traffic, and promoted various festivities for pedestrians and bicycle users. Basically, a 'Car Free Day' thingy, eh? As a follow up, Niantic will also collaborate with Open Streets 704, to hold similar kinds of celebration in the future.

This is a good sign, because looks like they are moving forward in realizing the promise they've showcased in the App's teaser trailer last year. I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future, Niantic will be holding their first major event that features a Legendary Pokemon, considering those ones have been absent ever since the App was released. Of course, this makes me curious to know, how Niantic will apply the same concept in countries outside of the US. Should they cooperate with local governments? Or perhaps, via business outlets like Starbucks or McDonalds? I can only hope that there won't be any countries being left out in the process. It'll be unfair to its gamers, right?

Assassin's Creed

Before I wrap up this R-N-D, I'm going to talk about one more rumor, namely about the next game in the "Assassin's Creed" franchise. The last core game released by Ubisoft, "Assassin's Creed: Syndicate" took place in a Victorian Era London, featuring twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye. According to WWG, the next game will continue its globe-trotting adventure, by taking place in Ancient Egypt. The title is rumored to be called "Assassin's Creed: Origins", and it is expected to be officially announced at E3 2017 that will be held next month. It is also said to be released on Fall this year. Apparently there will be two main characters of different genders once again. Its gameplay will focus more on exploration, and has a huge scope that might consists of the basics of the franchise, naval combats, as well as travels to countries like Greece. Take this with a grain of salt, but this report feels legit, and sounds like an intriguing idea already. I know I, with my love of "Tomb Raider: Revelations" would be thrilled to give this one a shot, knowing the vast mysteries surrounding the region. Of course, we still have to wait and see whether this is true or not. Ubisoft is expected to deliver their E3 presentation, likely on June 12th, 2017, so fans of the franchise can mark their calendar to anticipate any official announcements during that week...