#alexander sasha brand

[lilysnzfet]

Alexander "Alex/Sasha" / 22 years old / have the kink / have a massive crush on Hugo his childhood best friend / outgoing dude who's always making jokes to lightening the mood except he's own / sneeze rarely but when he do it's kitten sneezes / in my fic it is said he have a big nose and can also have very powerful sneezes he's too shy and self conscious about his kink poor thing (IA generated pic of Alexander)

[ncisfranchise-source]

Ahead of the NCIS franchise’s actual 1,000th episode (airing next Monday at 9/8c), CBS this Monday night served up the Entertainment Tonight special NCISverse: The First 1,000.

Hosted by ET‘s Kevin Frazier, The First 1,000 featured some new/new-ish interviews with past and present franchise cast members, a few archival Q&As and clips galore from NCIS and its assorted offshoots.

Closing out the retrospective was acknowledgment of cast members who are no longer with us (including NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Miguel Ferrer and NCIS‘ David McCallum), plus some hype for the franchise’s two upcoming offshoots: NCIS: Origins (aka the Young Gibbs prequel series starring Austin Stowell) and the yet-to-be-titled, Europe-set Tony/Ziva series starring Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo.

For hardcore NCIS megafans, brand-new reveals were probably hard to come by. But for the slightly more casual fan such as myself, there were fun facts to be found. Such as….

1. Spun off of a JAG two-parter, NCIS was at first envisioned as following the Law & Order format — half investigation, half courtroom — but viewer affinity for the agents’ clue-gathering and Mark Harmon’s character led to a change in the formula.

2. We’ve heard most of these before, but always fun to ponder: Other actors whose names were bandied about for the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs included Harrison Ford, Kevin Bacon, Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy, Alec Baldwin and Patrick Swayze, while a post-Friends Jennifer Aniston was eyed to play the replacement for Tony’s original partner, Viv Blackadder (Robyn Lively),

3. Michael Weatherly recalled that when filming his first scenes as DiNozzo, NCIS co-creator Donald P. Bellisario came up to him on-set and grumbled, “What are you doing, modeling?” Weatherly then resolved to entertain at the very least himself with a more animated performance.

4. In the Season 2 episode “Twilight,” in which Caitlin Todd (played by Sasha Alexander) is shot dead by a sniper, Michael Weatherly can be seen wincing a half-second too soon, before the “blood” squib actually explodes. (See photo above.)

5. Actual NCIS agents had never worn stitched logo caps — until TV’s NCIS came along and sparked interest, and the real-life LEOs requested official ones.

6. Diona Reasonover, who plays Kasie, had no idea that Cote de Pablo was secretly returning as Ziva in the Season 16 finale — until she watched the episode that night!

7. Though not a series regular as McGee until Season 2, Sean Murray holds the record for appearing in the most NCIS episodes: 450 (out of 464). Fun fact within a fact: Murray was originally hired as a one-off guest star, but a subsequent episode came in three minutes short and it was decided to bring the McGee character back to fill time.

8. It would take almost 30 days to watch all 1,000 NCIS franchise episodes. Without bathroom breaks!

9. For its headquarters scenes, NCIS: Sydney shoots inside an actual, old restaurant space at the Walsh Bay Wharves along Sydney Harbour.

[are-they-z]

Supporters of Creative Community For Peace Open Letter (Support of Israel) - Part 1/2

The letter condemns the Supernova Music Festival attack on Oct 7, but fails to mention Palestinian civilians, then states:

"As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran."

see full letter (x)

Supporters:

Ari Ingel, Executive Director, Creative Community For Peace

Aaron Bay-Schuck, CEO/Co-Chairman, Warner Records

Brad Ableson, Animation Director, Illumination

Natalie Abrams, Co-EP

Deeba Abrishamchi, Senior Manager, A&R, Universal Music Publishing Group

Jason Adelman, VP, Brand Innovators Labs

Orly Adelson, Former President of ITV Studios, America

Marty Adelstein, CEO, Tomorrow Studios

Ali Adler, Producer

Ben Adler, Musician

Rachel Adler, Agent, CAA

Dan Ahdoot, Comedian

Jason Alexander, Actor/Director

Sasha Alexander-Ponti, Actress/ Director, The Ponti Company

Karen Allen, Actor/Director, Blue Willow Productions Inc.

Dan Aloni, Partner, WME

Kayla Alpert, Writer

Cindy Ambers, Co-Owner, Art/Work Entertainment

Leon Angel, Joint Head of Football, CAA Base Limited

Dennis Arfa, Chairman, IAG Music, Independent Artist Group

Jarred Arfa, EVP and Head of Music, Independent Artist Group

Taryn Ariel, Agent

Antonina Armato, Founder, Heroine Music Group

Jeff Astrof, Showrunner, Warner Brothers

Liz Astrof, Writer/Producer, 20th Century/Disney

Eve Attermann, Literary Agent, WME

Michael Auerbach, Partner, Jackoway Austen

Nate Auerbach, Partner, Versus Creative

Karl Austen, Attorney, Jackoway Austen

Meredith Averill, TV Writer/Showrunner,

Shahar Avnet, Creative Director & Founder, SHAHAR AVNET

Asi Azar, TV Host, Keshet

Irving Azoff, Chairman, Full Stop Management

Ivor Baddiel, Scriptwriter and Author

Gary Barber, CEO, Spyglass Media

Moshe Barkat, CEO, ColorTime, LLC.

Eve Barlow, Music Journalist

Jonathan Barnett, Chairman, CAA Stellar

Romi Barta, Writer

Jonathan Baruch, Partner, Rain

Richard Baskind, Partner & Head of Music, Simons Muirhead & Burton

Lance Bass, Music Artist

Neal Batra, President, Tradition Pictures

Brian Baumgartner, Actor

Jaime Becker, Writer/producer

M. Becker

Matt Earl Beesley, Director/Producer, This Much Films

Idan Ben abou, Football Agent, ISCOUT LTD

Karyn Ben-Gal, A&R Coordinator, Disney Music Publishing

Aton Ben-Horin, VP of Global A&R, Atlantic Records Group

Rachel Bendavid, Head of Scripted Programming, BBC Studios/Lionsgate Partnership

Pablo Bendersky, Producer/Artist

Steven Bensusan, President, Blue Note Entertainment Group

Ram Bergman, Producer, T-Street

Adam Berkowitz, Founder and President, Lenore Entertainment Group

Jim Berkus, Chairman of the Board of Directors, UTA

Jordan Berkus, Talent Agent, UTA

Greg Berlanti, Writer/Director/Producer, Berlanti Productions

Gail Berman, CEO, The Jackal Group

Luc Bernard, Director, Voices of the Forgotten

TJ Bernardy, Talent Agent, WME

Carolyn Bernstein, Exec VP, National Geographic

Jeff Bernstein, Partner & Board Member, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Heather Besignano, CEO & Founder, ICON PR

Mayim Bialik, Actor/Host/Author

Sharon Bialy, Co-Owner of Bialy/Thomas Casting, Bialy/Thomas & Associates

Matthew Bierman, Producer

Allison Binder, Partner, Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher

Joshua P. Binder, Partner, Rotherberg, Mohr, and Binder LLP

Neil Blair, Partner, The Blair Partnership

Rachel Bloom, Writer

Doug Blu, Commercial Dept, Eris Talent Agency

Robyn Bluestone, Talent Manager, Robyn Bluestone Management

Steven Blume, COO, Content Partners LLC

Sawyer Bock, Coordinator, Elevate Entertainment

Evan Bogart, Songwriter & CEO, Seeker Music

Laura Bonner, Partner, WME

Michael Borkow, Writer/Producer, Tinder Hill Productions, Inc.

Betsy Borns, Television Writer/Producer

David Bradley, Partner, WME

Alan Braun, Agent, CAA

Dan Brecher, Principal/Owner, Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston

Chris Bremner, Screenwriter, Unknown Quantity

Tor Breon, Music Agent, WME

Theodore Bressman, Screenwriter

Josh Brill, Writer/Producer

Karen Brodkin Watson, EVP, Endeavor

Aline Brosh McKenna, Writer/Director/Producer

Brantley Brown, Talent Representative, Authentic Talent and Literary Management

Amy Brownstein, Founder, PRStudio

Ashley Brucks, President of Screen Gems, Sony

AJ Buckley, Artist

Mitch Bukhar, Talent Agent, CAA

Danny Burstein, Actor

Joannie Burstein Besser, Owner/Manager, Burstein Company

David Byrnes, Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP

Omri Caaspi, Former Professional Basketball Player

Ryan Cabrera, Musician

Trey Callaway, Television Showrunner

Bryan Carmel, Independent Producer, The Very Specific Corporation

Tia Carrere, Actress

Madeline Carver, Account Service Representative, Vevo

Markell Casey, Music Executive

Nir Caspi, Partner, Non-Scripted TV, WME

Daniela Cassorla, Associate, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, PC

Jennifer Cecil, Writer/Producer

Jared Ceizler, Talent Manager, MGMT Entertainment

Brian Celler, Founder, Bravo Charlie Management

Pamela Charbit, A&R Manager, Atlantic Records

Olivier Chastan, Founder & CEO, Iconoclast

Cliff Chenfeld, Co-Founder, Razor & Tie

Ted Chervin, Agent, CAA

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Actor

Jeffrey Ciabattari, Talent Manager

Patrick Clifton, Writer, Promise & Potential

Andrew Cohan, Co-Founder/C.E.O., ACI Licensing LLC

Ayala Cohen, Talent Agent, CAA

Etan Cohen, Writer/Director

Joe Cohen, Agent, CAA

Alex Cole, President, Elevate Entertainment

Lindsay Conner, Partner, O’Melveny & Myers

Henrietta Conrad, CEO, The Optimism Company

Lionel Conway, SVP, BMG

Adam Cooper, Partner, Jackoway Austen, et al.

Leanne Coronel, President, The Coronel Group

Raye Cosbert, Managing Director, Metropolis Music

Ben Cosgrove, CEO, Leviathan Productions

Cassidy Crosby, Associate Manager of Marketing, Vevo

Jamie Lee Curtis, Actress

R.J. Cutler, Filmmaker, This Machine

Avi Dahan, Attorney, Boyarski Fritz LLP

Ian Daly, Head of Brand Strategy, Live Nation

Hannah Damico, Junior Designer, Vevo

Greg Daniels, Writer

Dani Darling, Entertainment Attorney, LaPolt Law

Ben Davis, Partner, Co-Head of Digital, WME

Doug Davis, The Davis Firm

Mitch Davis, Concert Promoter, The Artist Partnership

Taylor Dayne, Artist

Danielle Del, Partner, D2 Management

Jamie Denbo, Co-EP Grey’s Anatomy, ABC/Disney

David DeSantos, CEO, Cottonwood Productions

Meredith DeSantos, Writer/Producer

Josh Deutsch, Chairman/CEO, Premier Music Group

Ken Deutsch, Global Co-Chair, Entertainment and Media Group, Paul Hastings LLP

Vikram Dhawer, Partner, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

Avi Diamond, Director, Film & TV Licensing, Warner Music Canada

Michael Diamond, Talent Manager/Partner, MGMT Entertainment

Jessica DiBiase, Talent Agent, CAA

Lucy Dickins, Global Head of Music and Touring, WME

David DiGilio, Showrunner/Executive Producer, THE TERMINAL LIST – Amazon Prime

Kosha Dillz, Artist, Rapper

Matt Dines, Producer

Lee Dinstman, Partner, IAG

Brian Dobbins, Co-CEO, Artists First

Efrat Dor, Actor

Joella Dorenbaum, Talent Agent, CAA

Craig Dorfman, Partner/Manager, Three Six Zero

Rick Dorfman, Partner/Head of Comedy & Development, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

Michael Douglas, Actor/Producer

David Draiman, Frontman of the band Disturbed

Bill Duffy, Head of Basketball, WME Sports

Alex Edelman, Comedian/Writer

Julian Edelman, Co-Founder, Coast Productions

Scott Edelman, Senior Partner, Gibson Dunn

Lisa Edelstein, Actor

Jason Egenberg, CEO/Producer, Tiny Riot Entertainment

Jon Ehrlich, Founder/Composer, Qwire

Matthew Einstein, CEO, Tradition Pictures

Jessica Elbaum, Producer, Gloria Sanchez productions

Natasha Elie, Marketing Assistant, Atlantic Records

Talya Elitzer, Co-Founder, Godmode Music

Andy Elkin, Agent, CAA

Craig Emanuel, Partner, Entertainment & Media, Paul Hastings

Robert Emmer, Founding Partner, Shout! Factory

Alexandra Emmerman, Agent, CAA

Hannah Epstein, Agent, CAA

Dan Erlij, Partner, Co-Head of TV Lit, UTA

Ingrid Escajeda, Showrunner/EP

Henry Eshelman, Managing Director, PMG: Platform Media Group

Nancy Etz, Agent, CAA

Ikenna Ezeh, Partner, WME

Ron Fair, Record Producer & CEO, Faircraft Inc.

Veronica Falcón, Actor

Donny Farber, Dan Farber

Sharon Farber, Composer, Soaring Taurus, LLC

James Farrell, Agent, WME

Daniel Federman, Owner, Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Oded Fehr, Actor

Erik Feig, Founder/CEO, PICTURESTART

Jaime Feld, Talent Agent, CAA

James Feldman, Partner, Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler Feldman & Clark

Josh Feldman, Head of Film and Television, Altar Rock Pictures

Katie Feldman, Publicist

Ryan Feldman, Partner, WME

Patti Felker, Partner, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP

Jacob Fenton, Partner, UTA

Ken Fermaglich, Partner, UTA

Hannah Fidell, Filmmaker

Tommy Finkelstein, Head of Business Affairs, General Counsel, Independent Artist Group

Dylan First, Agent, WME

Bradley Fischer, Producer

Alexis Fisher, CEO, Timeline Management

Scott Fisher, Select Management Group

Seth Fisher, Showrunner

David Fishof, Producer and Music Executive

Wayne Fitterman, Talent Agent, WME

Carlos Fleming, Partner, WME

Josh Fluxgold, Founder and President, ONEWAY.

Beau Flynn, Producer, FlynnPictureCo

Erica Forster, Entertainment Attorney

Gary Foster, Principal, Krasnoff Foster Productions

Lauren Fox, TV Literary Agent, CAA

Sarah Francus, Manager, Roc Nation

Etan Frankel, Writer

Ashley Franklin, Partner/Talent Manager, Thruline Entertainment

Jordan Frazes, Founder, Frazes Creative

Bryan Freedman, Founding Partner, Freedman, Taitelman + Cooley

Jeffrey Freedman

Jessica Freedman, Singer, SAG-AFTRA

Jay Jay French, French Management, Twisted Sister

Geordie Frey, Owner, GEF Entertainment

Michael Fricklas

Stuart Fried, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks

Jody Friedericks, Executive Creative Director, 160over90

Adam Friedman, Executive, CAA

Adina Friedman, President, Friends at Work Management

Daryl Friedman, Former Chief Advocacy & Industry Relations Officer, The Recording Academy

Stephen Fry, Actor/Writer

Antoine Fuqua, Producer/Director

Bryan Furst, Producer

Sean Furst, Producer, Global Position Studios

Gal Gadot, Actress, Producer, Pilot Wave

Alex Gansa, Writer/Producer, Gansa Films Inc.

Siri Garber, CEO & Founder, Platform Public Relations

Andy Garcia, Actor

Risa Bramon Garcia, Casting Director, Teacher, Director, The BGB Studio

David Gardner, President, Artists First

Jeremy Garelick, Founder / Owner, American High

Bruce Garfield, Executive Director, Columbus Music Commission

Spencer Garrett, Actor

Nancy Gates, Partner, UTA

Willie Gault, Retired NFL Player

Andrew Genger, Manager, Red Light Management

Paul George, Manager, Podwall Entertainment

David Gersh, Co-President Gersh Agency, Gersh Agency

Gary Gersh, President, Global Touring, A.E.G.

Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group

Risa Gertner, Agent, CAA

Pete Giberga, President, AWAL

Jill Gillett, Agent, WME

Gary Ginsberg, Senior VP, SoftBank Group Corp.

Joyce Giraud, Actress/Model

Fran Glasenberg, Foundation Executive, CAA

Nikki Glaser, Comedian

Patricia L. Glaser, Partner, Glaser Wei Fink Howard Jordan & Shapiro

Daniel Glass, Founder/ CEO, Glassnote Records

Karen Glauber, President, HITS Magazine

David Glick, Founder & CEO, Edge Group

Joshua Glick, Manager

Jonathan Glickman, Founder, Panoramic Media Company

Jordan Glickson, VP, Music & Talent, Vevo

Mark Goffman, Executive Producer, Off The Cliff Entertainment

Ross Golan, Songwriter, Unknown Music Publishing

Elon Gold, Comedian/Actor

Hannah Gold, VP Marketing, Interscope Records

Judy Gold, Comedian, Actor, Writer

Andrew Goldberg, Writer/Producer

Dana Goldberg, Chief Creative Officer, Skydance

Saul Goldberg, Agent, CAA

Tracey Goldblum, VP commercials, KMR

Tony Goldring, Agent, WME

Alistair Goldsmith, President, Chosen Music

Lindy Goldstein, Producer, Lindy Goldstein Productions

Michal Goldstein, Co-President, Basset Hound Distribution

Michael Goldwasser, President/Co-Founder, Easy Star Records

Nichole Gomez, Agent, Eris Talent Agency

Adrianne Gonzalez, Owner, BYAGINC

Alissa Goodman, Manager, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

Brandon Goodman, Co-Founder / Co-Owner, Best Friends Music

Howard Gordon, Writer/EP

Jonathan Gordon, CEO, 1916 Enterprises LLC

Michael Gordon, Partner, CAA

Jeff Gorin, Partner/Talent Agent, WME

Hildy Gottlieb, Agent in MP Talent, CAA

Karen Gottlieb, Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.

Andrew Gould, Music Executive

David Graber, SVP, Content Licensing, Warner Brothers Discovery

Jessica Graboff, Agent, CAA

Marc Graboff, Consultant

Nicholas Grad, President, FX Entertainment

Cary Granat, Co-Founder and Partner, Destiny Media, EMH Media

Jack Dylan Grazer, Actor, JDG Creative Services

Michael Green, Writer

Roger Green, Partner, WME

Trudy Green, Trudy Green Management/HK

Alison Greenberg, Author and screenwriter,

Scott Greenberg, Partner, LBI

Stacy Greenberg, Head of Scripted, US, Merman

Steve Greenberg, Founder and President, S-Curve Records

Ava Greenfield, Scripted TV Agent, CAA

Josh Greenstein, President Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group

Dan Gregor, Writer

Adam Griffin, Manager, Vault Entertainment

Iris Grossman, Partner, Echo Lake Entertainment

Jonathan Grossman, Coordinator, Elevate Entertainment

Lynn Grossman, CEO, Secret Road

Jeremy Gruber, Friends at Work, Head of Artist Marketing

Tony Guanci, Chairman, EDGEOUT

Marc Guggenheim, Writer/Producer

Gary Gulman, Comedian/Writer

Julie Gurovitsch, Music Producer, The Tonight Show

Paul Haas, Partner, WME

Michael Hackman, CEO, Hackman Capital Partners

Amanda Hacohen, Agent, WME

Amir Haddad, Singer Songwriter, Warner Music France

Shirley Halperin, Editor-in-Chief, Los Angeles Magazine

Marilou Hamill

Mark Hamill, Actor

Alicia Hannah-Kim, Actor

Amy B. Harris, Writer/Producer

Lynn Harris, Producer/Partner, 6th & Idaho

Ronnie Harris, Partner, Harris & Trotter LLP

Ashley Harrison, Agent, CAA

Jo Hart, Founder, Hart Media

Becky Hartman Edwards, Writer/Producer, Two in A Tub Productions

Ryan Hayden, Partner, UTA

Josh Heald, Writer/Producer

Patricia Heaton, Actress/Producer, FourBoysEntertainment

Julianne Heitzer, Attorney, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Scott Henderson, Partner, WME

Karen Hermelin, EVP, Marketing, Strategy & Insights, Paramount Pictures

Peter Hess, Co-Head, CAA Commercials Endorsements

Stephen Hill, Actor

Avi Hirshbein, A&R Coordinator, Electric Feel Ent.

Beth Holden-Garland, Manager, Authentic

Shawn Holiday, Full Stop Management

Laura Holstein, Producer

Billy Hopkins, Casting Director, Hopkins Ingram Casting

Matthew Horowitz, Agent, CAA

Samuel Horowitz, Television/Film Writer

Chris Horsman, Talent Agent, CAA

Allison Howard, Talent Agent, WME

Andrew Howard, Attorney, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Linda Edell Howard, Attorney, Novick Law

Lindsay Howard Parker, EVP, Head of Scripted Literary, Independent Artist Group

David Hunt, Founder, FourBoys Entertainment

Michelle Hurd, Actor and Activist

Jon Hurwitz, Showrunner

Richard “BournRich” Ingram, Artist/Creative Director

Susana Ivanir, Executive, CAA

Basil Iwanyk, Producer, Thunder Road Films

Chukwudi Iwuji, Actor

Levi Jackson, Agent, WME

Mara Jacobs, Producer

Neil Jacobson, Founder of Hallwood Media

Chris Jacquemin, Partner, WME

Jonathan Jakubowicz, Writer & Director, Epicentral Studios

Tim James, Co-Founder, Rock Mafia

Maxwell Jenkins, Actor

Raymond Jimenez, Talent Manager, Zero Gravity Management

Brandt Joel, Agent, WME

Douglas Johnson, Agent, CAA

Jasmine Joseph-Danielpour, Manager

Nancy Josephson, Partner, WME

Al Joyner, Former Olympian

Brooke Jung, Talent Agent, WME

Heather Kadin, President, Scripted TV Range Studios, Range Media Partners

Rachel Kalban, Children’s Television Producer

Rachel Kaplan, Producer, Absecon Entertainment

Marisa Kapust, Attorney, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Dorian Karchmar, Agent and Partner, WME

Mike Karz, Partner, Gulfstream Pictures

Zach Katz, President and COO, FaZe Clan

Ryan Kavanaugh, Founder, Proxima

Stephen Kay, General Counsel, Roku, Inc.

Jonathan Kellerman, Novelist

Cari Kenny, Talent Agent, Eris Talent Agency

Lee Kern, Writer

Craig Kestel, Partner, WME

Ilan Kidron, Artist & Musician

April King, Talent Agent, WME

Russell King, Director, King Law Firm

Melanie Kirschbaum, Writer/Co-EP

David Kissinger, CEO, DK Media

Dana Klein, Writer/Creator, Can’t Get Five Productions

Jenny Klein, Writer

Lance Klein, Partner, WME

Barbie Kligman, Writer/Producer

Scott Kluge, President, Tremendous Entertainment

Zachary Knighton, Actor, Independent

Amanda Kogan, Agent, The Gersh Agency

Keetgi Kogan Steinberg, Writer/Producer

Blair Kohan, Board Member/Partner, UTA

Jenji Kohan, Writer/Producer/Showrunner, Tilted Productions

Ben Kohn, CEO, Playboy

Courtney Kohn

Marc Korman, Agent, WME

Barry Kotler, Agent, CAA

Steve Kram, CEO, Content Partners LLC

Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc.

Rick Krim, CEO, Krim Music + Media

Erik Kritzer, Owner/Partner, Link Entertainment

Josh Kurfirst, Music Agent, WME

Andrew Kurland, Talent Agent, CAA

Michelle Kydd, Chief Innovation Officer, CAA

Stephanie LaFera, Head of Electronic, WME

Angela LaFever, Management, Independent

Ricki Lake, Television Host/Actress

Evan Lamberg, President, North America, Universal Music Publishing

Amy Landecker, Actress

John Landgraf, CEO, FX Networks

Gabz Landman, VP, A&R, Warner Records

Sherry Lansing, Former CEO, Paramount Pictures/Founder, The Sherry Lansing Foundation

Dina LaPolt, Entertainment Attorney, LaPolt Law, PC

Estelle Lasher, President, Lasher Group

Sanaz Lavaedian, SVP of Music, MOCEAN

Inbar Lavi, President, Tuna Productions

Dennis Lavinthal, Owner, Hits magazine

Adam Leber, Founder, REBEL

Jared LeBoff, Producer, Marc Platt Productions

Sara Leeb, Agent, CAA

Michelle Leibel, Writer/Producer, One Trick Pony Productions

Doron Leidner, Football Player, Olympiacos

Carol Leifer, Comedian/Writer

Jeffrey Lenkov, Attorney

Peter Lenkov, Writer

Eli Leonard, Comedian/Writer/Actor

Gerri Leonard, Partner, Leonard Business Management, Inc.

Greg Lessans, Weed Road Pictures

Colin Lester OBE, Founder/Chairman, JEM Music Group

David Leventhal, Business Manager, Citrin Cooperman

Arielle Lever, Agent, CAA

Zachary Levi, Actor

Ben Levine, Partner, Link Entertainment

Michael Levine, Co-head, CAA Sports, Creative Artist Agency

Ashley Levinson, Producer

Steve Levitan, Writer/EP

Alexandra Levy, Writer

David Levy, Partner, WME Entertainment

David Levy, Founder and CEO, Back Nine Ventures

Marcus Levy, Agent, WME

Richard B. Levy, Managing Director, Executive Talent Management, P.C.

Michelle Lewis, Executive Director/Songwriter, SONA

Micha Liberman, President, Mind Meld Arts

Chuck Liddell, UFC Hall of Famer

Marc Lieberman, President, Above Average Productions

Sean Liebowitz, Agent, CAA

Sydney Lipsitz, Chief of Staff, CAA

Cory Litwin, Managing Partner, Music, Range Media Partners

Steve Lobel, CEO, LMG

Jonathan Lomma, Lawyer, WME

Alexandria Longo, Director of PR/Publicist, Blended Strategy Group

David Lonner, CEO, The David Lonner Co.

Jonathan Lonner, Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.

George Lopez, Comedian/Actor

Amy Lord, CEO, Eris Talent Agency

Dean Lorey, Showrunner

Bryan Lourd, CEO, CAA

Richard Lovett, Co-Chairman, CAA

Doug Lucterhand, Agent

Kris Lythgoe, TV Producer

Nigel Lythgoe, President, Nigel Lythgoe Productions

Meghan Mackenzie, Agent, WME

Ben Maddahi, SVP A&R, Columbia Records + President, Unrestricted Publishing & Mgmt

Allysa Mahler, Partner, WME

Melissa Malkin, Literary Manager, BEP

Howie Mandel, Comedian

Jamie Mandelbaum, Co-President, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Chris Mann, Singer/Actor

Gabriel Mann, Composer/Producer

Daniel March, Managing Partner, Dynamic Television

Vanessa Marcil, Actress

Deborah Marcus, Executive, CAA

Ashlee Margolis, Founder, The A List

Susan Markheim, Full Stop Mgt., The Azoff Company

Rob Markus, Talent Agent, WME

Orly Marley, President, Tuff Gong Worldwide

Ziggy Marley, Musician

Rebecca Marlis, VP, Publicity, Interscope Records

Ori Marmur, VP, Original Studio Film, Netflix

Chris Marrs, Writer / Producer

Sarah Martin, Senior Legal Counsel EMEA, WME

John Mass, President, Content Partners, LLC

Nancy Matalon, VP of A&R, Spirit Music Group

Andrew Mathes, Partner, WME

Austin Matloff, Coordinator, Broadway Video

Arielle Matza, Associate Attorney, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.

Haim Mazar, President, Haim Mazar Music, LLC

David Mazouz, Actor

Rebecca Mazouz, Assistant, Plan C Productions

Michel J. Mazouz MD, Physician

Paul McCrane, Actor

Judith McCreary, Executive Producer, Griot, Inc

Allison McGregor, Agent, CAA

Deborah McIntosh, Agent, WME

Michael McKean, Actor

AJ McLean, Music Artist, Backstreet Boys

David McMillan, TV writer/producer

Barry McPherson, Partner/Executive VP of Talent, IAG

Brian Medavoy, Partner, More Medavoy Management

William Mercer, Partner, Thruline Entertainment

Debra Messing, Actor

Tom Miceli, Agent, WME

Adam Milch, Writer/Producer

Daniel Miller, President, Ironbound Films, Inc.

Rina Mimoun, Warner Brothers

Arika Mittman, Showrunner/Executive Producer

Mike Mizanin, WWE Personality

Alfred Molina, Actor

Jordana Mollick, President and Co-Founder, Semi-Formal Productions

Carolyn Moneta, Partner, WME

Tony Morales, Composer

Erwin More, Founding Partner, More/Medavoy Management

Jessica Morgulis, Talent Manager, Authentic

Marcy Morris, Attorney, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Rob Morrow, Actor

Meg Mortimer, Partner and Manager, Authentic Talent and Literary Management

Michele Mulrooney, Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Ryan Murphy, Writer/Director/Producer

Talia Myers, Agent, UTA

DJ Nash, Creator/Executive Producer, A Million Little Things

Chen Neeman, Songwriter, Chen Neeman Music

Brie Neimand, SVP Current, Cable and Streaming, CBS Studios

Noah Nelson, Writer, Gumballs and Stickers

Paul Nelson, Manager, Mosaic

Lauren Neustadter, President, Film & TV, Hello Sunshine

Eric Newman, Film and TV Producer

Robert Newman, Agent, WME

Alan Nierob, Chairman, Entertainment, RCPMK

Amaury Nolasco, Actor

Sharona Nomder, Morse Artists

Howard Nuchow, Co-Head, CAA Sports

Lisa Nupoff, Manager, IMIN Music

Annette O’Toole, Actress,

Mike O’Malley, Actor/Writer

Tracy-Ann Oberman, Actress

Julie Oh, Film Producer, OhCo

Michael Ohoven, Producer, CEO, Infinity Media

Peter Oillataguerre, Head of Production

Jim Osborne, CEO, Independent Artist Group

Sharon Osbourne

Claudia Oshry, Comedian and Podcast Host

Scott Packman, Founder and Managing Member, SSP Partners LLC

Jaime Paglia, Writer/Producer/Director, Two Joes Entertainment

Richard Palmese, President, Palmese Entertsinment

Lucienne Papon, EVP, Creative Affairs, ITV Studios

Renee Pappas, Consultant, Heritage Auctions

Joshua Pasch, Manager, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

Jared Paul, Founder, Faculty

Josh Peck, Actor

Shauna Perlman, Talent Agent, CAA

Numa Perrier, Filmmaker

Sara Pervil, Business Affairs Executive, CAA

Jack Peterson, Assistant, 3 Arts Entertainment

Andrea Pett, Talent Manager, BEP

Mekhi Phifer, Actor

Brian Pianko, Head Of Creative Advertising, Paramount Pictures

Chris Pine, Actor

Naomi Pitt, Front Office Coordinator

Jeremy Piven, Comedian/Actor

Jonah Platt, Actor/Jewish Advocate

Wendy Plaut, SVP, Paramount

Eric Podwall, President, Podwall Entertainment

Margrit Polak, President, Anne Frank LA/President Margrit Polak Management

Daria Polatin, Showrunner/Executive Producer, 1001 Pictures

Alissa Pollack, EVP, Global Music Marketing, iHeartMedia

Billy Porter, Artist, INCOGNEGRO

Cami Potter, TV Talent, CAA

Dani Potter, TV Scripted Partner, WME

Ava Poulson, London Mailroom, WME

Monique Powell, Sole Owner, Lead Entertainer, Save Ferris

Mike Praw, Entertainment Executive

Dawn Prestwich, Writer/Showrunner

Rhonda Price, Manager Partner, The Gersh Agency

Bryan Rabin, President/Founder, Bryan Rabin Inc

Sylvie Rabineau, Co-Head, Book to Film/TV, WME

Gideon Raff, Writer Director

Jazmin Rangel, Director of VO, Eris Talent Agency

Ross Raphael, Partner, WME

Ellen Rapoport, Writer/Producer/Director

Ron Rappaport, Writer/Executive Producer, That’s A Rapp Productions

Ron Rauch, VFX Editor, HBO Max

Adam Reed, Actor

Dani Reis, Manager, Friends at Work Nashville

Remedy, Artist

David Renzer, Chairman & Co-Founder of CCFP & Former Chairman/CEO, Universal Music Publishing

Peter Riegert, Actor

Seth Robbins, Actor

Sebastian Roché, Actor

Hanna Rochelle, Founder, Purple Productions LLC

Rich Rogers

Samantha Ronson, DJ/Songwriter

Dan Rosen, President, Warner Music Australasia

Rick Rosen, Co-Founder, Endeavor

Michael Rosenbaum, Actor

Erez Rosenberg, Partner, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Julie Rosenberg, Account Manager, Vevo

Melissa Rosenfield, Founder, IFP Communications

Shep Rosenman, Lawyer, RLG LLP

Philip Rosenthal, Writer/Producer

Shani Rosenzweig, Partner & Talent Agent, UTA

Claudia Rosha, Marketing Manager, Atlantic Records

Jeffrey Ross, Comedian/Actor

Sydney Ross, Script Coordinator, Hulu

Michael Rotenberg, Partner, 3 Arts Entertainment

Eli Roth, Director

Harrison Rothman, Manager, Elevate Entertainment

Robert Rothman, Managing Partner, Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston

Kate Rothschild, Artist Manager, Roc Nation

Amanda Rovitz, Manager, 1916 Management

Autumn Rowe, Singer/Songwriter

Mike Royce, TV Writer/Producer, Snowpants Productions

Olivia Rudensky, CEO, fanmade

Josh Rudnick, Talent Manager/Producer, Mosaic

Danny Rukasin, Co-Founder/Manager, Best Friends Music

Stacy Rukeyser, TV Writer and Showrunner

Olesya Rulina, Actor, Rain Management

Jason Ryterband, Music Editor, Ryterband Music

Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group

Eric Sacks, Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks

Kirk Saduski, Producer

Carin Sage, EVP Feature Film, Skydance

Rebecca Sahim, Head of Publishing, Salxco

Rochel Saks, Manager, SAKS&

Ira Sallen, Executive Advisor

Doron Salomon, Head of Football Operations, CAA Base

Peter Sample, Partner, Jackoway Austen

Nancy Sanders, Partner, Thruline Entertainment

Scott Sanders, Producer, SGS Pictures

Ashlie Sapiro, Director of Drama Development, HBOMax

Mark Satlof, Sr Vice President, Shore Fire Media

Jacqueline Saturn, President, Virgin Music

Ben Savage, Actor

Fred Savage, Director

Malina Saval, Editor-in-Chief, Pasadena Magazine/Contributing Editor, Variety

Murray Sawchuk, Itz Gone Productions

Jeff Schaffer, Writer/Director/EP

Leslie Schapira, Writer/Producer

Brad Schenck, Agent, CAA

Thomas Scherer, President, BMG

Elyse Scherz, Agent/Partner

Ayelet Schiffman, SVP Head of Promotions, Island Records

Hayden Schlossberg, Filmmaker/Showrunner

Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive & Music President, Electronic Arts

Liev Schreiber, Actor

Amy Schumer, Comedian/Actress

Jordan Schur, CEO and Chairman, Mimran Schur Pictures and Suretone Entertainment

Joseph Schwartz, Agent, UTA

Robert Schwartz, Attorney, Quinn Emanuel

Sam Schwartz, Co-Principal, Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency

Sherrie Schwartz, CHRO, CAA

Susan Schwarz, Partner, SDB Partners

Sarah Scott, Managing Partner, LaPolt Law

Scott Seidel, Talent Agent, Endeavor

Jerry Seinfeld, Actor/Comedian

Barrett Sellers, Agent, WME

Camila Seta, Executive, Brand Consulting

Stefi Shabashev, Songwriter

Jason Shapiro, Creative Director, Collab

Peter Shapiro, Founder, Dayglo Presents

Rebecca Shapiro, Senior VP, Shore Fire Media

Keto Shimizu, Writer/Producer

Rona Lee Shimon, Actor

Larry Shire, Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, P.C.

Kevin Shivers, Agent, WME

Iliza Shlesinger, Comedian

David Shore, Writer /Executive Producer, Sony/The Good Doctor

Noah “Westside Gravy” Shufutinsky, Artist

Ally Shuster, Agent, CAA

Alan Siegel, President, Alan Siegel Entertainment & G-BASE

Mark Siegel, Agent, CAA

Chris Silbermann, Agent, CAA

Jeremy Silver, Producer/Songwriter

Ben Silverman, Chairman and Co-CEO, Propagate Content

Laura Silverman, Actress

Craig Silverstein, Writer/Producer

Gail Simmons, President/Host/Producer, GMS Media Inc

Drew Simon, President, Infrared Pictures

Ralph Simon, Chairman & CEO, Mobilium Global Limited

Tamar Simon, Owner, Mean Streets Management

Marty Singer, Attorney, Lavely and Singer

Robert Singer, Writer/Producer, Dec.3rd Productions

Bedi Singh, Board Director

Dilprit Singh, Accounting Manager, Mosaic

Brad Slater, Partner, Agent, WME

Gregory Slewett, Partner, Johnson Shapiro Slewtt Kole

Robert Smigel, Writer/EP

Michael Jonathan Smith, Showrunner, Sony Pictures Television

Dee Snider, Music Artist, Twisted Sister

Nicole Snyder, Writer & Producer

Aliza Sokolow, Author

Jeff Sosnow, EVP A&R, Warner Bros. Records

John David Souther, Songwriter/Musician/Artist

Fred Specktor, Agent, CAA

Dana Spector, Agent, CAA

Donna Spievak, VP of Strategic Marketing, Interscope Records

Sheldon Sroloff, CAA

Michelle Stafford, Actress

Ira Stahlberger, Partner, WME

Halle Stanford, President of Television, The Jim Henson Company

Daniel Stanton, President, Coallier Entertainment

Noelle Stehman, Showrunner

Hank Steinberg, President, Channel Road Productions

KJ Steinberg, Writer/Producer

Bradie Steinlauf, Talent Agent, CAA

Jonathan Steinsapir, Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir

Sandra Stern, Vice Chairman, Television Group, Lionsgate

Gary Stiffelman, Founder, GSS Law

Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Co-Founder/Chair, Black Music Action Coalition

Brittany Stone, CEO, Stone Talent Agency

Wendy Straker Hauser, Showrunner and Executive Producer

Rachel Strassberger, Manager, Grassroots Music

Noa Sturgeon, Agent Assistant, WME

Geoff Suddleson, Partner, UTA

Margaux Susi, Director/Actor

Assaf Swissa, Co-Founder, Coast Productions

Aaron Symonds, Film Composer

Fernando Szew, CEO, MarVista Entertainment and Fox Entertainment Global

Traci Szymanski, President, Co-Star Entertainment

Nina Tassler, President, Tassler, Inc.

Adam Taylor, President, APM Music

Irit TenHengel, Producer, Yodan LTD.

Scott Tenley, CEO, MRC

Mitch Tenzer, Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP

Dannielle Thomas, Vice President, Untitled Entertainment

Jessica Thomas, Talent Agent, WM Agency

Michael Thorn, President, Scripted Programming, Fox Entertainment

Bella Thorne, Actress

Noa Tishby, Author, Producer, former Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism

Niv Toar

Fred Toczek, Partner, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP

Bianca Tomash, Strategic Advisor, BJEA

Shaun Toub, Actor

Sam Trammell, Actor

Stacy Traub, Writer/Producer

Jonathan Tropper, Showrunner, N/A

Eric Tuchman, Writer, Producer + President, Goldensoul Inc.

Montana Tucker, Music Artist

Brad Turell, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Independent Artist Group

Dor Turgeman, Football player, Maccabi tel aviv

Oded Turgeman, President, The Operating Room

Ronli Tzour, VP, Marketing & Artist Management, FAE GRP

Jonny Umansky, Writer / Producer

Eleanor Vainshtok, Sr Director, Music

Berni Vann, Agent

Marsha Vlasic, Vice-Chairman, IAG Music, Independent Artist Group

Alex Voihanski, President, Paramount Business Group

Debbie Von Arx, Attorney, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein

Jeremy Vuernick, President of A&R, Capitol Music Group

Darah Wagner Boaz, Producer

Matt Walden, Producer, Walden Entertainment

Cymbre Walk Sklar, VP, Casting, Feature Animation at Netflix

Don Walker, President, Harry Walker Agency LLC

Diane Warren, Songwriter, Producer

Joshua Washington, Artist/Producer

Nina Wass, Producer

Michael H. Weber, Screenwriter

Steven Weber, Actor

Jon Weinbach, President, Skydance Sports

Alex Weingarten, Managing Partner, Los Angeles, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Nola Weinstein, Entertainment Executive

Marc Weinstock, President of Worldwide Distribution and Marketing, Paramount Pictures

Allison Weintraub, Writer

Andrea Weintraub, Agent, CAA

Evan Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO, Streaming Ink Media

Greg Weiss, Manager/Producer, Wonder Street

Matthew Weiss, Assistant

Gina Welch, Writer and Producer

Titus Welliver, Actor

Ilana Wernick, Writer/Producer

Alan Wertheimer, Attorney

Jonathan West, Attorney

Ron West, Partner, Thruline Entertainment

Lee White, Agent, WME

Modi Wiczyk, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, MRC

Joanne Wiles, Partner/Producer, Black Bear Pictures

Deborah Williams, Associate Director, Freelance

Sabrina Wind, Executive Producer, WPM

Evan Winiker, Managing Partner, Range Media

Yale Wolman, Agent, CAA

Don Wongprapan, Partner, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

Anne Woodward, Partner/Manager, Authentic Talent + Literary

Adrian Woolfe, CEO, Studio 1

Melissa Worth, Wonder, Artistic License

Alexandra Wright, Actor

Michael Yanover, Head of Business Development, CAA

Sharon Tal Yguado, Founder & CEO, Astrid Entertainment

Kevin Yorn, Founder & Managing Partner, Yorn Levine Entertainment Law Firm

Rick Yorn, Co-Founder, LBI Entertainment

Mark Young, CEO, The Orion Stars Group

Jonathan Yunger, Film/TV Producer

Stefanie Yunger, Actor/Comedian/Writer

Chris Zaccaria, Sr. Director, Sales Analytics

Laurie Zaks, Executive Producer, Rosewood Television

Alex Zamm, Director/Screenwriter, Zammgate Ent.

Derek Zasky, Department Head/Agent, WME

David Zedeck, Global Co-Head of Music, UTA

Jennifer Zeller, VP, Promotion, Interscope Records

Ian Ziering, Actor

Josh Zilberberg, Influencer

Melissa Zukerman, Managing Partner, Principal Communications Group

Jessica Zysberg, Manager, Marketing Solutions, Vevo

Music Artists Coalition (MAC)

Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC)

Songwriters of N America (SONA)

Additional Signers:

Mark Schiff, Comedian

Adam Biren, TV Agent, CAA

Paul Craig, Founder, Nostromo

Vanessa Livingston, Agent, RBEL Agency

Tom Rothman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Greg Grunberg, Actor

Guy Nattiv, Filmmaker

Bruce Resnikov, President and CEO, Universal Music Enterprises

John Fogerty, Musician

Julie Fogerty

Asher Angel, Actor

Gary Goetzman, Producer

Cedric Kyles, Actor/Producer

Samantha Levenshus, Writer/Producer

Richard Trank, Documentary Filmmaker, Moriah Films

Jeremy Norkin, President, Exile Music

Carly Rosenberg, Business Affairs Executive, CAA

Oded Raz, Director/Filmmaker, Raz Production

[aureatescars]

@petrokhelidon sent: an abrupt, heated kiss during the middle of a fight . for leon. heu heu

He should have simply punched him again.

Or better yet, he should have put a gun to his head and spared himself the trouble of having to do so later. Well ... At the very least this spares him another lecture on how foolish his plan is and he also doesn't have to feel the sting of his hand colliding with the man's jaw again. No, this time it's not the fist that meets the American's face that shuts him up, but rather Alexander's lips crashing into his own.

He doesn't even remember how they got here exactly. One moment the other man was trying to hold him back by the arm, once again failing to convince him to lay down his arms and abandon all he's fought for, and the next Sasha is shoving into his space to shut him up. It's working, too. So far at least.

Pleased he finds that the kiss at least serves to completely wipe that cocksure expression off the other man's face in a way Sasha's previous attempts did not. Well, good to know that while a knife to his throat or a fist to his jaw do nothing to have the man waver in his attitude, it's as simple as shoving his tongue down his throat to actually get an honest reaction out of him.

Sasha blames him doing this on the adrenaline, on the sleep-deprivation, the grief, on the fact he hasn't known another human's touch in months and his body is too tightly wound to discern sexual tension from any other kind of tension. But given that the American is yet to even try and shove him off, he'd say he is not alone in his dilemma.

It doesn't matter.

It's rough. He feels the man tense under his touch, but Sasha pays that no mind, only makes sure to fist a hand into long strands of hair to force him to meet him at a better angle. And meet him he does after that and Alexander hums, appreciative.

Clearly, he has completely lost his mind.

It's no surprise either. War has broken stronger men than him, has shattered the minds of wiser men. Sasha never considered himself to be particularly wise or strong in the first place. He has kept going not because he truly believes in the cause, but because he has to cling to that which kept him from fracturing entirely. His need for justice, his need for revenge. It's what keeps him moving, what keeps him fighting, what keeps him from falling apart and somehow it's also what has kept him alive until now.

Somewhere inbetween losing his fiancée and joining the freedom fighters Alexander's sanity must have dissolved like salt in hot water. Sleep deprivation, next to no food and water and the constant ebb and flow of adrenaline during the last few days especially have finally taken their toll. It's no surprise at all he thinks, that he was on edge enough for this to be his only possible outlet. He'd been barking orders left and right for days now, had been irritable, snapping at people who were simply trying to look out for him.

They're all dead now.

He makes a small choked of noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between a sob and a moan when the other man sinks deeper into the kiss as well. He silences his thoughts and his own needy noises by crowding the American back until his lower back hits something solid and Sasha can feel a leg nudge between his own.

He blinks his eyes back open, pupils blown wide, gaze dark. He pulls back long enough to remember where they are, the church, chosen as a base of operations for the sheer comfort it brings those that believe and even those that do not, and yet he can't find it in himself to care about the blasphemy of pushing another man up against the altar as his entire being is overcome by lust.

He's long since made peace with the fact that he is going to hell, branded as a murderer as he is, but then what is another sin in light of every bad decision he has ever made? His hands grab the American's hips, pulling them flush against his own, both of them letting out twin sounds of need as their arousals press together, sensations bright and overwhelming even through several layers of fabric.

One hand finds it's way back into the other man's hair, grasping the back of his neck as he pulls his head back enough to fit his lips to his throat, each of his movements motivated by instinct rather than rational thought, or any thought for that matter.

It's that same instinct that has him suck a mark into the side of the man's neck, that has him hook a hand under his thigh to pull him closer, only to let out another pleased groan when the American parts his legs wider and he's able to step between them.

Alexander has made avariety of bad decisions over the last month alone and none of them have made him feel this good. He finds the other man's lips again, hand moving again to hook them beneath his thighs, pulling him up on the altar in one swift motion, shivering with pleasure when fingers wind into his hair to return the favor of pulling him deeper into the kiss. He can feel the man's strong legs hook around his middle, fingers fisting in his hair, keeping him close, movements of his lips and teeth equally demanding as his own, if not more.

One of them bites the other's lip. Alexander tastes blood and hisses. He pulls away, his thoughts trying to catch up with his actions at last, but when he takes in the flush on the other's face, the darkness in those blue eyes, lips slightly parted, a bit of blood painting the lower one. It's nothing compared to what Alexander should do, now that he knows for sure that the man would stand against him in battle rather than with him, and yet there is an apology on the tip of his tongue, ridiculous as it is. He even starts to pull away, shame and guilt tightening his throat.

But the words never make it past his teeth, for the next moment he finds his lips occupied again, the other's hold turning more insistent and Alexander, despite every attempt at proving the opposite is weak and angles his head into the kiss again, goes where he his guided and moans into it when the other rolls his hips, gratefully accepting the way it wipes his mind of anything other than want.

This man is going to be the death of him and yet he can't find it in himself to care.

[acedmagazine]

Sasha Neboga

Sasha Neboga

Ukrainian model-turned-actress Sasha Neboga has appeared in NBC’s Chicago Fire, FOX’s New Girl, and CBS’ Blue Bloods. After being accepted into the School of American Ballet, she moved to Greece, where she was scouted as a model for brands that included Gucci, Versace, Maxmara, and Alexander McQueen. In KNOX GOES AWAY,  Sasha plays Ludmilla, who is married to Xavier […]

https://acedmagazine.com/sasha-neboga/

[retainermcga]

Submit to Sasha - The Steel Blue Ring of Power - Text about the song Master of Puppets by Metallica

October 16, 2022

In Star Wars Episode IX as our female hero settles her way into the movies final lines "Rey, Rey Skywalker" still dressed in rags on a discarded sheet of metal she slides down a pile of sand into Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's former farming residence in the desert. This explains the Star Wars branding communication about the Jedi Order with a return to minimalism. Rey certainly could have developed as an intergalactic leader and dominated the evil empire for the betterment of the people instead she buries her weapons and chooses isolation. She achieved victory in battle but is certainly complacent allowing the enemy to return until once again she has no choice other than to combat the evil that abuses the citizens of the galaxy.

The openning lines of Master of Puppets: End of passion play crumbling away / I'm your source of self-destruction / Veins that pump with fear / sucking darkest clear / Leading on your death's construction / Taste me you will see / More is all you need / Dedicated to How I'm killing you / Come crawling faster

/ Obey your master / Your life burns faster Obey your master, master

As Sasha advanced beyond the industries of passion she became focused on deconstructing Alexander William Erickson (me). Forcing me to experience fear in the darkness of isolation. Allowing me to build my empire and taste the emotions of success only to reveal an enemy that could manipulate my communications and destroy twenty six twitter accounts. Overtime I would arrive back to Sasha faster with more commitment until my New Jersey Hustle shell games evolved into authentic save the world economic innovations. Obey your Master, master.

Remember the stories of Roman Gladiators that chose names such as Rose to intimidate their opponents with an illusion of weakness within their own name? is this Alexander? No, this is Patrick, Patrick Tiffany Dice. I gave the jeweler Tiffany's a big hug and told them how much I loved them. In 2019, I had recently moved to Virginia and Tesla called me for a Model X test drive, on my way in I stopped at ROLEX and then Tiffany's where I told the store manager about a knighthood education program I want to found. This idea has evolved into something else entirely. My point being, in the spring of 2022 when I was writing courtship to Sasha Grey I called Tiffany's and confirmed my own personal budget for a diamond ring for her. She is the only woman that has received that formal offer.

Of course our favorite Uncle posted a You Tube video that week or the week before where some toolshed proposed to her on the street to whit "Marriage sucks" was her response and I am telling you I was filled with confidence as I had only tweeted to her about a ring. Obey your Master, master.

[random-movie-ideas]

And finally, we have our characters that really don't have to be included at all. However, if they did show up, they'd definitely get a thumbs up.

Thomas Wayne AKA Flashpoint Batman

Luke Fox AKA Batwing

David Zavimbe AKA Batwing

Mayor Hamilton Hill

Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb

Sasha Bordeaux

Nora Fries

Holly Robinson

Helena Bertinelli AKA The Huntress

John Constantine

Rex Mason AKA Metamorpho

Jason Blood AKA Etrigan the Demon

Boston Brand AKA Deadman

The Outsiders

Jerome Valeska

Jeremiah Valeska

Duela Dent AKA Joker's Daughter, etc.

Alexis Kaye AKA Punchline

LexCorp

Drury Walker AKA Killer Moth

Julian Gregory Day AKA Calendar Man

William Tockman AKA Clock King

Delbert Billings AKA Spellbinder

Peter Merkel Jr. AKA Rag Doll

Edgar Heed AKA Egghead

Noah Kuttler AKA The Calculator

Dr. Karl Helfern AKA Doctor Death

Alexander Sartorius AKA Doctor Phosphorus

Lazlo Valentin AKA Professor Pyg

Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot

Elliot Caldwell AKA Wrath

Judson Caspian AKA The Reaper

Matthew Thorne AKA The Crime Doctor

Tony Zucco

The Terrible Trio

The Royal Flush Gang

The Suicide Squad

Nyssa Raatko

David Cain

Sandra Wu-San AKA Lady Shiva

Simon Hurt

The Mutants

Essential Characters to Include in a Batman Series

Next up, we have a list of characters that, if you really want to make a full in-depth Batman series, really ought to be included somehow:

Bruce Wayne AKA Batman

Dick Grayson AKA Robin/Nightwing

Jason Todd AKA Robin/Red Hood

Tim Drake AKA Robin/Red Robin

Damian Wayne AKA Robin

Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl/Oracle

Stephanie Brown AKA Spoiler/Robin/Batgirl

Cassandra Cain AKA Batgirl

Kate Kane AKA Batwoman

Terry McGinnis AKA Batman Beyond

Alfred Pennyworth

Commissioner Jim Gordon

Harvey Bullock

Renee Montoya

Vicki Vale

Julie Madison

Lucius Fox

Leslie Thompkins

Thomas Wayne

Martha Wayne

Clark Kent AKA Superman

Princess Diana AKA Wonder Woman

The Justice League

The Joker

Harleen Quinzel AKA Harley Quinn

Lex Luthor

Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman

Oswald Cobblepot AKA Penguin

Harvey Dent AKA Two-Face

Edward Nygma AKA The Riddler

Jonathan Crane AKA Scarecrow

Jervis Tetch AKA Mad Hatter

Pamela Isley AKA Poison Ivy

Victor Fries AKA Mr. Freeze

Kirk Langstrom AKA Man-Bat

Basil Karlo AKA Clayface

Roman Sionis AKA Black Mask

Carmine Falcone

Ra's al Ghul

Talia al Ghul

Bane

[csykora]

hey i was reading your post about evgeny kusnetsov and alexander semin (the friendship necklace one) and i got into hockey somewhat recently but i've heard/read some things about sasha and i was wondering if you could give me a rundown/what your perspective is? you mentioned cultural assimilation, but also social class, ethnic identity, ability, neurodiversity, and trauma and i was really curious what exactly you were talking about??

First, that’s cool you’re getting into hockey! How’s that going? I hope you’re having fun. Second…thanks for making me reread my old writing as we come up on the New Year ;)

That was one of my very first posts, and I think it reads like it—I definitely wasn’t much of a sports writer back then, and (I don’t think) I tell stories quite the same way now.

I don’t think some of those words I used mean much, except that I was angry. So I’d like to spell out what made, makes, me angry. The first half of this is stuff I’ve said before, more organized, with jokes. The second half is not fun, but it’s also something I think NHL fans have a duty to think about. So I want to try to talk about Lokomotiv.

Sasha Semin is the star and captain of a quite good, more fun KHL team. Today he was named to the All-Star team, actually. KHL All-Stars is a magical place where the players sing acoustic covers and routinely set things on fire, so hopefully they’ll let him bring his sword.

(I love the KHL)

Before that, he was the cool big brother of a generation of Russian stars. In the early 2000s the first post-Soviet young players were coming of age and working out what post-Soviet, now-Russian style hockey was going to be. In that moment we got two spectacular players: Sasha from Siberia, and Sasha from Moscow.

The Soviet style of play was supposed to be egalitarian—players skated the opposition sick and pass-pass-passed, always giving it to a teammate instead of taking chances, until whoever happened to have it had a sure shot. The Alexanders grew up in that style, and they grew up fuck-off strong. They started feeding off all their teammates’ passes and beginning to gun down goalies with one of two shots: Alex Ovechkin had the one-timer, and Alex Semin had the best wristshot in the game.

Did you watch Vegas’ magic season? Pull some clips of Wild Bill Karlsson. Imagine if he had upper body strength but was just as light on his feet. That’s how inexplicably electric young Semin was.

His and then Ovi’s performances at World Juniors were so explosive they convinced American businesses to risk money on something new. Semin was oldest, and the Capitals kind of sucked, so they got him first. Then a few years later they still sucked, so they got Ovi too. Then the two of them got Nicklas Backstrom and matching line promise necklaces and played really good hockey together for a number of years.

(If anyone would like 3,000 more nicer words about the above subjects, @ me)

A couple things shaped what happened after that:

▪ Semin’s unique wrister, twisted to be almost as hard as a slapper, is like spending every night downing jägerbombs with a shot of carpal tunnel. He seems to have chronic wrist and hand problems from inflammation, with apparent flare-ups that sometimes got rest and sometimes didn’t. So that’s a factor—not the only, but a—in why he had periods of poor shooting.

▪ Either because he never really went to school or just because he’s wired that way, Semin seems to suck at math.

▪ Ovi’s hot stick and the Sid Incident (Sidcident?): 

In their first interview together, Ovi described him and Sid as “partners”, and Sid asked for Ovi’s shirt. But over the first few years the League swung from branding them as buddies to making money off a rivalry, and Don Cherry started a string of bitter conflicts with Ovi.

Local journalists who knew him wrote about seeing Ovi flinch in interviews. They described him starting to hesitate, pale, tired, doubling back over answers to make sure they were watertight. We now know from Tatyana Ovechina that he was spending a lot of nights on the phone back home with her, asking if he was letting everybody down.

Sasha, who’s basically that guy on twitter who found kittens in his sock drawer and adopted them all, but with little brothers, got protective. He told Russian media that he thought Sid was a good player, but not his favorite, and said that the way the League was pushing media attention could make someone a ‘star’ even if they weren’t that good. The phrase he used means “dead wood”, or boring, useless person. The grammar he used means something like “even if he were (ie, he isn’t)”.

I think this was objectively very funny. And I still hold that anyone saying the level of exposure Sid endured was good for him or anyone sounds like the stage parents on Toddlers & Tiaras.)

But people get protective of their person, and most won’t stop for a grammar lesson before deciding what they think something meant. There was a media blitz, mostly accusing Sasha of wanting the attention Sid got, which made sense, if you didn’t know Russian or two things about him—that he’s best friends with Alex Ovechkin, and that he’d only just started to practice English with local reporters after several years. If he were an egomaniac, he was bad at it.

From his reaction it seems like he hadn’t thought his comment was that wild, and wasn’t prepared for the backlash. Next time he talked to local reporters, he brought the translator back. Asked routine questions he’d been getting for a couple years, he flinched and turned to them to rehearse every word of his answer. Asked what was up with the translator, he said “I just don’t want to say the wrong thing.”

Although teammates like Mike Knuble, Jeff Schultz, Backstrom and Ovechkin kept talking about his personable, joking side, and we’d see it plenty in practice, he started insisting to reporters that he didn’t know English and that he was boring anyway, claiming “I’m just an ordinary person, just like everybody else. The only difference is I’m out there on the ice and that’s it. I’d just rather talk about hockey.”

–> Without math or English, Semin’s career depended on his agent, Mark Gandler.

Try not to depend on Mark Gandler.

As the Globe and Mail put it, “to many Canadian hockey fans, Mark Gandler is nothing less than the Prince of Darkness.”

Mark Gandler’s business was based on presenting himself as a friendly face to young Russian athletes, and pissing of NHL franchises. I’m pro-pissing off the NHL in general; my problem with Gandler is that if he was sincerely trying to get the best deal for him clients, he was bad at it..

When anyone talks about something Semin decided, they’re talking about what Gandler decided for him. Semin was honest with the media that he had no fucking clue what Gandler was asking for in negotiations. The Caps and Gandler couldn’t agree on anything, so while Ovechkin was locked down for life, Semin was only ever signed to one and two year bridge contracts, constantly up, his performance a constant subject of discussion and every wobble obvious.

Note: the following is the bit where I got angry and A. asked why the hell I was looking at photos of this and told me to go lie on the floor and do my butterfly exercises for a while.

One year Semin’s game really sucked. It didn’t help that Ovechkin was sucking too—they both got benched, Coach got fired, and still the Capitals just kind of sucked. Around the league, Russian stars were mostly fizzling. That was the 2011-2012 season. 

On September 7, 2011, the airplane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, coaching staff, and four youth players had overrun the runway, struck a signal tower, crashed, and caught fire moments after takeoff. Every member of the team onboard was killed.

I can’t understand, so certainly can’t explain, how that day changed the community. I’m not trying to speculate too much on anyone’s personal situation, but to point out how much more profound it was than just some other league’s trivia.

I don’t think there’s a mainstream North American parallel for the hockey community in Eastern Europe. Players are raised in a small number of hockey schools, often at that time in dormitories like the one where Semin lived in Chelyabinsk. While young North Americans are quite strictly separated by age, the Russians are growing up with older and younger kids from the same school all around them. Older teens are encouraged to mentor younger ones—Kuznetsov’s attachment to Semin is endearing, but not really so weird. Stanislav Yarushin is several years older than Sasha, and he befriended him, and then down to Kuz. In a community like that, any one person is intimately connected to the others.

From the coaches to the rookies, someone from three generations across nine nations was killed in the disaster. Each of them was connected not only to their peers, but to players older and younger than them, and to the city that raised them. Every Russian, Czech, and Slovak in the NHL lost at least one person they knew deeply.

Just that spring, Kuznetsov won gold at World Juniors with a little clique of friends. Vladimir Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin, and Dmitry Orlov are stars now, and two of the others are dead.

Kuznetsov is the one draped in the flag. #14, with the awesome hair, smiling, is Danylo Sobchenko. #12, reaching up towards the cup, is Yuri Urychev. Urychev had been injured, and supposed to stay home the day of the disaster, but he asked to be allowed to fly with them, so he could cheer for his friends.

Tarasenko himself was born in Yaroslavl, and his father played for Lokomotiv; he knew even more of the team, and if he’d taken a hometown offer instead of signing with Sibir, he would have died that day too.

The thing about a loss like this is that it keeps budding with new losses. It hadn’t been a problem with the plane, or a freak accident. Over the following month a miserable investigation revealed that the airline had fudged documents, and the pilots just didn’t know what they were doing. So as well as losing friends, the younger players lost any trust that people in authority were going to keep them safe in the future.

After the disaster, Ovechkin, Semin, and Malkin had to hold their phones waiting while Alexander Galimov (a friend from nationals) was found with burns over 80% of his body, stabilized, transported, placed in a medically-induced coma and ventilated. He finally died five days later. The day he died Tarasenko and Kuznetsov and all the others got back on their own planes and kept playing, so the NHLers just had to keeping waiting up for them, too. Now Tarasenko and Kuznetsov have little brothers on those planes. They’re better fucking planes now, because the disaster changed Russian law, but they’re still not great.

In a grim way, Semin and Ovechkin were lucky, because they had each other. At the time almost no NHL team had as many Eastern Europeans as the Caps, meaning almost all the others were alone.

Of course it just wasn’t possible for the North American public to grieve with them the way that Europe did, but how quickly it was boxed away and forgotten as a factor in players’ lives just…sucks.

You don’t just grieve somebody when you lose them; people who aren’t sure what to say will say it fades with time, but what it really does is rise and fall in waves. You grieve them when you lose them, and again when you’re as old as they were and realize how insufficient it really was, and again, when you’re older than they’ll ever be, when you’re old enough to see children their age. Like injuring your wrist, you can get back to work, but never back to exactly what you were before. 

Five years later, when Tarasenko scored his 100th goal, he dedicated it to Sobchenko and Urychev. 

Most of a decade later, Alex Ovechkin wears the Lokomotiv crest on his chest protector, over his heart.

So if we know all that, we can start to imagine why they sucked at hockey.

Actually, after a slow start to the season, Sasha sucked the least of all the Capitals. Always a stronger possession player than Ovechkin, Sasha actually recovered after the Caps brought in Dale Hunter, who ripped up the Goals First, Goals Always game plan and tried to make Ovi play defense. Sasha ended the season with the best possession metrics on the team (yes, including Nicke Backstrom). 

His goal-scoring didn’t recover, but that was because Coach Dale was basically treating him like Ovi’s security blanket, putting him on the second line with Mojo so Ovi couldn’t cuddle him until Ovi backchecked. Mojo (this is a Science fact) is not Nicke Backstrom.

The reason the Capitals traded Semin is they desperately needed to trade someone to make up for the team’s collective failures that year, he could be traded due to his shitty contracts, and he was worth trading. 

I’m not actually angry the Caps traded Semin. It made sense. I am mad the Habs did, because it was one of many decisions made by Marc Bergevin coughing up a heavily-gelled hairball on a depth chart, but hey.

Sports is hard. I don’t mean that teams should keep players who aren’t playing the way that team needs them to out of sympathy. I mean that it’s possible to say that Semin or Ovechkin sometimes play badly without saying they don’t care. It’s possible to name a practical problem without making it a moral one.

Because when we see someone not doing what we want, and we make it moral, we say, “well gosh, I can’t imagine a reason why they aren’t jazzed to do what I want right now, so there can’t be a reason, they just suck,” we’re always wrong, because we miss shit!

In 2011, the common complaint that Russian players “don’t seem to care” went from boring to breathtakingly cruel. 

It’s a collective failure of empathy, where a lot of us didn’t even know that empathy’s needed. How many NHL fans don’t know Lokomotiv existed? If we don’t even know what weight another person’s carrying, we can’t possibly judge them rightly! 

The athletes we’re watching aren’t just cartoon characters for American consumption, who always act and react in easily-readable ways. They’re people with beliefs, behaviors, and problems which might be meaningfully different from what we’re personally familiar with and really hard to sympathize with.  

But when we see someone struggling to do what we want them to, we have to wonder why, and look around to learn more about moments like this, and then offer empathy. I believe that if we have information, most people use it to be kind. So we really fucking need historical information.

I’m back on the floor and don’t have a closer, so here’s a picture of a cat with big mitts like Sasha. His name is Peppers.

[placetobenation]

When it comes to this year’s Survivor Series, things look great at the top.

We’re all excited to see just how The Undertaker will give his Final Farewell and just how will the WWE present it to us. It’s rumored that we could have guests like Kurt Angle, The Godfather to be joined by Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The Phenom deserves a proper send=off! 

Outside of the traditional 5-on-5 matches, it’s champion vs. champion across the board. Roman Reigns vs. new RAW champion Drew McIntyre has that big fight feel. Asuka vs. Sasha Banks, although we’ve seen it before on multiple times, is still very good no matter the venue. Plus, The New Day and The Street Profits looks really good on paper and actually has some history lately with Big E supporting his teammates from across the show on SmackDown. I wonder if we get a heel turn for TSP and they end up beating up Big E at some point. Not really feeling the Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley match as there’s no real consequence and no real heat between the two.

As for those elimination matches, both have done nothing in the build-up to their respective matches. It’s been all about how Team RAW hates each other. What a difference a year makes as one year ago, we were all excited about how Team NXT would fare across the board against RAW and SmackdDown. This year, do we really care which side wins? Not me folks. All of the bickering has left me disinterested as I’m sure the WWE will try to force some kind of Lana survives angle only to be dropped through a table again.

We’ll have predictions later, but for now, here’s the updated card:

The Undertaker’s Final Farewell

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns

RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks

RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits

United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn

5-on-5 Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match (RAW – Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce, Lana vs. Ruby Riott, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Bayley, Natalya)

5-on-5 Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match (Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, AJ Styles, Riddle vs. Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, Otis)

Dual Brand Battle Royale (Kick-off Show)

"I'm nobody's joke."

#WWENXT @LEONRUFF_ @RealKingRegal @ArcherOfInfamy pic.twitter.com/oD0UqkJRe7

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2020

Star of the Week:

Leon Ruff – Why not?! In the past two weeks, Ruff’s won two matches over Johnny Gargano and the North American Championship to boot! He’s stood up to Damian Priest and shown he’s more than just a jobber. Well done Leon!

RAW

RESULTS

Asuska, Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose defeated Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax & Lana

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day defeated Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin to retain titles

RETRIBUTION defeated Braun Strowman, Riddle, Sheamus & Keith Lee

Bray Wyatt defeated The Miz

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton to win title

HE DID IT!!!!!@DMcIntyreWWE is once again #WWEChampion! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/XtVtVSGeZG

— WWE (@WWE) November 17, 2020

Monday Night RAW was all about the main event folks. Putting the title back on Drew McIntyre, as we’ve said before, is a good move. Randy Orton earned his win at Hell in the Cell, but Orton vs. Reigns had no feel for it. In just 5 seconds last Friday night, McIntyre and Reigns already felt like a heavyweight fight. They have history in the Royal Rumble. And they have the look of two big behemoths battling for one night and one night only (for now). I ilke it. I love it. I want some more of it. Good move for Survivor Series and for Monday nights beyond. Now, where does this leave Orton for Survivor Series? Also, I am digging the McIntyre/Sheamus vibe with their backstage vignettes. I wonder if Sheamus is lulling his old friend to sleep only to turn on him for a title show?

WHAT A MATCH!#WWERaw #TagTitles @TrueKofi @AustinCreedWins pic.twitter.com/zAeN1DdFxb

— WWE (@WWE) November 17, 2020

Now, outside of The New Day’s title defense of the RAW Tag Team Titles, the rest of RAW wasn’t really that good.

RETRIBUTION vs. Team RAW was just a waste of time and I’ll be ecstatic that we don’t have to hear about captains and who doesn’t like each other between Keith Lee, Sheamus, Riddle, AJ Styles and Braun Strowman any more. I have no rooting interest in any of it. The same can be said on the women’s side of Team RAW as well. Enough of Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler against Lana. YAWN! And now they drop Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose for Lacey Evans & Peyton Royce. Does nothing for me either way, although Evans is an upgrade, not that they’ll do anything with it, though.

.@LaceyEvansWWE and @PeytonRoyceWWE have been added to #TeamRaw at #SurvivorSeries.https://t.co/2FCVGuwtUM

— WWE (@WWE) November 17, 2020

Another Angel Garza vignette. Why?! Ditto for Jeff Hardy and Elias dredging up the whole car angle again. It wasn’t believable then. It’s not believable now. Move on!

NIGHT NIGHT!#WWERaw @WWEBrayWyatt @mikethemiz pic.twitter.com/WhpvW2D5UR

— WWE (@WWE) November 17, 2020

Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz was kind of just there. How quickly we forget that The Miz hated Wyatt/The Fiend for being in his daughter’s room, right? If nothing else, we got a really cool Alexa Bliss flip over John Morrison. Speaking of Bliss, I guess we finally have the kick-off of the Bliss/Nikki Cross feud.

NXT

RESULTS

NXT North American Championship Match: Leon Ruff defeated Johnny Gargano by DQ to retain title

Blindfold Match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes went to no-contest

Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro

KUSHIDA defeated Arturo Ruas

Ember Moon & Toni Storm defeated Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

Timothy Thatcher defeated August Grey

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai defeated Rhea Ripley

Ladies Night. War Games. OMG! NXT worked on every level this week.

W A R G A M E S !

#WWENXT #NXTTakeOver #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/dZE1HXpAo1

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 19, 2020

THIS IS AWESOME

,

,

x INFINITY #WWENXT #NXTWomensTitle @shirai_io @RheaRipley_WWE pic.twitter.com/ktlfcwFtIj

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2020

Wednesday night was on fire at Capitol Wrestling Center. Kudos to the women’s division that stole the night! Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley absolutely ripped it apart in the main event in another NXT classic championship match where both ladies come out strong and Shirai looks unstoppable at the top. Adding to that, we got the announcement from Shotzi Blackheart that War Games is coming December 6th. It looks like we’ll get Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai against Blackheart, Ember Moon, Toni Storm and TBD in what is shaping up to be an amazing match. BTW: Moon and Storm are everything Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose whould be on RAW. I can see them being future tag champs if the WWE wanted to go down that route. They are that damn good! Another good showing too for Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro. Losing to LeRae & Hartwell is nothing to be ashamed of as they’re getting better each week.

Toni Storm & @WWEEmberMoon working together. We love to see it.

#WWENXT @RaquelWWE pic.twitter.com/Scf4U1gYw9

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2020

The cat, @FinnBalor, is BACK… and LOOK who he dragged in with him. BOOM.

#WWENXT @AdamColePro @theBobbyFish @KORcombat @roderickstrong pic.twitter.com/wRMsEMBpsC

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2020

On the men’s side of War Games, NXT Champion Finn Balor returned to close the show. But, when Baor was challenged to bow down his title to Pat McAfee and his new crew – The Kings of NXT, Balor brought out the returning Adam Cole and the rest of The Undisputed Era. Chaos closes the show as McAfee takes a wicked stiff shot to the face from Cole to end the night. TUE are veterans of War Games and it should be interesting to see how McAfee, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch and Pete Dunn fare in their debut in the cages! It’ll also be interesting to see if McAfee actually gets into the match or if there’s a fourth member coming to join The Kings of NXT.

Elsewhere, good for Leon Ruff! Good to see him standing up to both Johnny Gargano and Damien Priest as he hangs on to this title when Priest clocks him to give him the DQ win, a DQ finish that actually works for the storyline, unlike so many of the DQ finishes on RAW and SmackDown.

We all could’ve done without the Blindfold Match between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes. But then again, we told you that was coming last week and we’re glad it’s over!

KUSHIDA still rocks. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher will be a physical beating for both men.

Finally, who is the “she” that is coming according to BOA?

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

The New Day & The Street Profits defeated Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode

Last chance Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya defeated Tamina

Murphy defeated Seth Rollins

Daniel Bryan defeated Jey Uso

Good to see The New Day and The Street Profits playing nice before their Survivor Series match. No shortage of bravado on either side, but they put it aside for an opening 8-man tag team victory over Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Good match to kick things off, but they continue to misfire with Big E. Otis gets the nod to join Team SmackDown. Meh. Would’ve rather seen Big E get the nod. Looks like he’ll be limited to have some type of invovlement in the tag team match.

#TeamSmackDown is STACKED!#SmackDown #SurvivorSeries @itsBayleyWWE @RubyRiottWWE @YaOnlyLivvOnce @NatbyNature @BiancaBelairWWE pic.twitter.com/KeETofOmM0

— WWE (@WWE) November 21, 2020

Nice to see Bayley trying to unite the SmackDown Survivor Series women’s team now that it’s complete with herself and Natalya being added Friday night. I agree with Corey Graves. The SmackDown team looks stacked in comparison to Team RAW. Natalya’s match with Tamina was a snoozer though.

"@DMcIntyreWWE you will always be my favorite #2."@WWERomanReigns has been on

tonight.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/qE2cIFdcvn

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) November 21, 2020

Less continues to be more when it comes to Roman Reigns. Perfect placement of course with Roman at the head of the contract table. Even when faced with a challenge from another show, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, it’s still the same message. Reigns is THE CHAMPION and your tribal chief – the head of the table. All the arrogance continues to flow with a line of love. “You will always be my favorite #2” will live in WWE history as a great line from Reigns to McIntyre. It’s going to be a war come Sunday night between these two! Now, that’s good business for everyone.

Murphy vs. Seth Rollins put forth a good final chapter as Buddy finally gets the better of his former mentor, the Messiah. Murphy’s Law says Rollins is in for some time off after Survivor Series to welcome the birth of his child with Becky Lynch. It’s a good time for a break and to see what’s next for Murphy, Aalyan and the rest of the Mysterio family. I did think the celebration was cut short, maybe due to time constraints.

"I told you to watch your back, Banks! I just checked, and Boss Time is OVER." – @CarmellaWWE

@WWEAsuka isn't the only Superstar @SashaBanksWWE should be worried about. #SmackDown #SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/0kXjNFKkl4

— WWE (@WWE) November 21, 2020

SmackDown had a little too much talking this week, but it did get all of the main stars together from both shows to hype the PPV, which, at the end of the day, is the main job of the go-home show – give me a reason to want to watch the PPV. In that vein, it worked. It was kind of odd having Asuka just watch as Carmella beat Banks down in front of her though. Doesn’t help Asuka to help her and it moves forward Carmella’s story to take Banks out for a title shot after Survivor Series. So, for that reason, it worked on both fronts.

Jey @WWEUsos sends @WWEDanielBryan through the announce table!! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/YVpMrjOwzH

— WWE (@WWE) November 21, 2020

Daniel Bryan is a national treasure! Returning to face Jey Uso in a hard-hitting main event, Bryan again saw himself going through a table. Uso tried to make Bryan see there was nothing personal, but of course it’s all personal with family business. But, in true babyface form, Bryan gets his revenge with a sweet rollup for the victory. Could we get Bryan vs. Reigns up next for the title when Uso couldn’t get the job done? Sign me up!

Parting Shots:

So, will we really get The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at the Main Event of WrestleMania 37? The only way it happens is 1)it has to fit into The Rock’s schedule 2)there has to be fans. We would all love to see the fight for who’s truly at the head of the tribal table and just watching to see Reigns believe he is on The Rock’s level would be interesting. But, no fans = no match. No need to waste it with no in-person reaction.

It’ll be interesting to see how the WWE changes the look of ThunderDome when it moves from the Amway Center in Orlando to the spacious Tropicana Dome in Tampa. Going from a 20,000 arena to a indoor stadium will create different opportunities visual and could lead to letting in fans if the COVID-19 pandemic allows.

Survivor Series Predictions:

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns has a funky finish. Either it goes to a no-contest or Reigns wins via DQ with Randy Orton and The Fiend involved.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defeats RAW Women’s Champion Asuka

RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day defeat SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits

United States Champion Bobby Lashley defeats Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn

5-on-5 Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match – Team Smackdown (Ruby Riott, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Bayley, Natalya) defeats Team RAW (RAW – Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce, Lana) with Bianca Belair surviving

5-on-5 Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match –  Team Raw (Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, AJ Styles, Riddle) defeats Team SmackDown (Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, Otis)

Coming up this week:

RAW: Survivor Series fallout

NXT: The Road to WarGames continues Kevin Owens guest commentator

SmackDown: Survivor Series fallout

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[spycamp]

Tribal Precision Letter Number Six @FBI @vaticannews Hail to the Swiss Guards, The best wishes to you and your own Families during this harsh era of the evil pandemic known as the coronavirus. May this be an era of steadfast devotion to your long held guiding principals. May your historical record bring you confidence during these confusing days. I write to you today May 12, 2020 to dialog about guarding women. Wild women are a complex breed of willful cunning that seems to mostly brush off quality guard relationships.

Understand my perspective this is about guarding the trio-of-Alex. Guarding Alexis Texas. Guarding Sasha Grey. And guarding me Alexander Erickson. Guarding me does not come with the moral challenges that guarding these two women requires. Both of these women have careers steeped in vice and sexual deviance. These two women may appear to be ready to be helped along however it’s my estimation that we are not really guarding Alexis and Sasha. My estimation is that those two women have for the most part learned to guard themselves. What we are guarding is their submissive tribes of similarly looking similar dna formatted people that live life on the edge and we need some of these people to live differently and adhere to safe living practices so as to be able to advance beaming technology. Beaming technology from my estimation will challenge the faithful observance of every basic moral practice given to us by church and history. We will find ourselves in a place where good versus evil ceases to be the correct debate and scientific progress becomes the singular priority. No doubt this is a complex request and one that challenges us to find a new brand of faithfulness to God and consideration for woman-kind. A life of virtue that values human skin and person to person contact differently than the ethical provisions of the Church.

As best as I can write about it, Always, Alexander

#AlexanderWilliamErickson

[dcpbaghead]

Doll Collecting - How To Get Started

Dolls can be children or high style models, sweet young ladies or vampish alarms. There are nearly the same number of sort of dolls as there are authorities, so whether you wind up waiting among the pink boxes of the Toys 'R' Us doll division or looking at the magazine photographs of exact Ashton-Drake infant dolls, in case you're perusing this article you're presumably thinking you'd prefer to begin a doll collection.

Where to begin?

Most importantly, gathering dolls can be a costly leisure activity, so be certain you know where your "dolly dollars" are going to originate from. Many doll gatherers bolster their leisure activity by sewing, weaving, or knitting doll garments to sell, either on ebay, a Website, or at create fairs. Dolls can resemble potato chips - it's difficult to simply have one - so know about your spending limit and space limitations. You probably won't need dolls assuming control over your home!

Second, consider what sort of dolls you're pulled in to. A few gatherers are mixed and like to claim a wide range of sorts of dolls. Others want to have practical experience in one principle type, for example, child dolls or design dolls, while still other decide to focus on one brand or line. So while one authority may possess a few Barbies, a Ginny, a Madame Alexander doll, a couple of antique porcelain dolls, and a renewed infant doll, another may claim Barbies, Genes, Kitty Colliers, and even a couple Bratz, but then another gatherer may decide to possess just Sasha dolls. To put it plainly, no two doll authorities - or collections - are indistinguishable, and each doll collection is a one of a kind articulation of its proprietor's preferences.

In case you're curious about all the various sorts and lines of dolls out there, the best activity is a ton of research. The Internet has truly changed doll gathering and is an apparently perpetual wellspring of data on the leisure activity. Numerous physical doll shops are additionally on the web, yet numerous shops are Internet-as it were. Peruse, read, read - pore over the doll magazines and look over authorities manuals. Take a gander at heaps of photographs and read bunches of depictions to perceive what intrigues you. It's significant, on the off chance that you can, to go to a doll show or visit a doll shop to see dolls face to face - seeing dolls "in the substance" is altogether different from seeing them in photographs, and you may wind up astounded to be pulled toward a doll at a show that you hadn't took a gander at twice on the web.

A doll show will open you to a wide assortment of dolls. You'll see, obviously, the famous vinyl design dolls like Robert Tonner's Kitty Collier, Tyler Wentworth, and Betsy McCall, however you'll additionally observe vintage Barbie and Ken dolls, just as dolls by the admired more seasoned organizations like Effanbee and Madame Alexander. You'll see classical French and German dolls, play dolls, American Girl dolls, Bleuette, and even paper dolls. Take it all in - this is your instruction.

When you're prepared to begin buying dolls, the doll appear and the physical doll shop are extraordinary spots to start, however the Internet has grabbed hold as a superb asset for doll gatherers. Peruse eBay for bargains, yet relying on the dolls you need to possess, you might need to incline toward online shops. Building an association with a doll seller can function admirably for an authority, as once the vendor finds a good pace and your gathering advantages, she can tell you when something comes in that she realizes you need.

[jonmoxleygivesmelife]

Taylor’s Clash of Champions Predictions

Bayley (c) vs Charlotte Flair - Bayley to retain. I hope they do a full heel turn with her tonight and let her relentlessly beat the shit outta Charlotte circa Charlotte vs Rousey style. Her heel turn so far has been less than believable and she needs to wreck havoc to salvage it. I would be very disappointed if Sasha gets involved in this match because Bayley needs to be a strong competitor on her own. 

Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman (c) vs Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler - I really don’t even care, I don’t have a pony in this race. Where the FUCK are the actual tag teams for the tag team titles. Give me The War Raiders. Give me The Usos. Give me The OC. Give me The Revival. Give me The Ascension. Not this bullshit.

Seth Rollins (c) vs Braun Strowman - Are we finally getting a Braun heel turn that he and we have been needing for like a year??? God I hope so. I’m tired of Face Braun, he needs to go back to being the Monster. I think Seth will retain via DQ from Braun turning Heel with an interference from The Fiend and possibly rejoining Bray Wyatt’s faction again.

Kofi Kingston (c) vs Randy Orton - I’m really excited for this match. We saw Kofi standing tall on Tuesday over Randall, and that makes me very nervous that they are going to do a title change tonight. However, I think they’re going to find a way to continue this feud to Hell In A Cell and this is going to be a Kofi redemption arc over Randy. I honestly can’t predict how this one will go and it makes me very uneasy. 

Drew Gulak (c) vs Humberto Carrillo vs Lince Dorado - Drew Gulak to retain

The New Day (c) vs The Revival - My only issue with The Revival potentially winning is that they are in fact on the RAW roster, so I can’t really see them winning the titles here. Although, with the move to Fox taking place in 2 weeks, we’re going to start seeing superstars getting jumbled and this could be The Revival moving brands. My only hope is that whatever the outcome, we are getting set up to have Heavy Machinery enter the title picture. 

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs The Miz - I really, really want Shinsuke to retain. They’ve barely done anything with him lately and I enjoy seeing him on my screen every week with Sami Zayn, please keep it going. I don’t want another Miz IC reign right now. 

Becky Lynch (c) vs Sasha Banks - Okay, so, THIS is gonna steal the mo’fuckin show. I think somehow someone is going to be disqualified and they are gonna keep this feud going thru Hell In A Cell. These two are just starting their feud, and they can’t end it now when it’s just beginning to flourish. Becky will retain and the feud will keep on keeping on. However, I have to note that Becky is advertised for the Fox move and if she IS indeed going to Smackdown, Sasha will win because the RAW champ can’t just brands.

Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan (No DQs) - After last week, I’m VERY excited for this match. I wonder how many fans Rowan is gonna yeet at Roman and what kind of carnage is going to take place. I honestly think that Rowan should win this match to keep his heel momentum going. I like what they’re doing with him and I think having Roman win would slow that momentum and trash what they’ve been building to. Could we possibly see another Fiend interference and having Rowan join Braun and Bray again?

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) vs Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville - Alexa and Nikki will retain, although I’m still patiently waiting for Nikki to heel turn on Alexa or an Alexa turn on Nikki when they lose the titles. I love that Mandy and Sonya are getting a title shot that they more than deserve, but I hate the Mandy/Nikki story line and want our beautiful Nikki to kick the shit out of Mandy.

AJ Styles (c) vs Cedric Alexander - I think if there will be a title change tonight, this is where it will happen. I’ve heard rumors that Cedric is about to get a huge push and I’m so hyped for it. He has more than earned this opportunity and deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor for once. This will be a show stopping match and I’m so excited for it! This will be match of the night. 

Baron Corbin vs Chad Gable (King of the Ring tournament final) - I know this has been moved to RAW tomorrow night instead of having it conclude tonight (i hate it) but whatever. I really want to see Chad Gable win! He’s earned this. I know in my heart Corbin would be a great king of the ring with just the way his character is, but I want the underdog story to conclude here. I want to see Gable get the push he deserves. 

[mellarisofficial]

BLOG POST: Part Three Of Fashion In Film And TV 📺🎥

The Final Part...

In the office we often talk about the TV shows, films or books that we have been reading recently or can’t wait to start. This week is the final part of our discussion about fashion in some of our favorite series or films.

RuPaul’s drag race:

Becoming more popular as each new season comes out, RuPaul’s Drag Race is a great show for all things fashion. My favourite part in each of the episodes is the runway because you get to see some amazing things from the Drag Queens participating in the show. There is the chance for these Queens to show off their sewing and construction skills and present some looks that look like they’ve come off an actual brands runway. I feel like some Queens, over the years, have really pushed the boat out with their designs and presented things that are totally new and out of the box.

The image below shows four different outfits from four of my favourite Drag Queens (Manila Luzon, Violet Chachki, Sasha Velour & Kim Chi) that have been on the show. These are some of the looks that I also love the most because of how incredible they are and you can see the designer references in them. For example, on the right, Kim Chi is wearing a look that is directly inspired by Galliano but it also reminds me of a dress by Alexander McQueen from 2008. I also love the second dress that is being worn by Violet Chachki because of how mesmerising she looks and you can see an example of how she is famous for the way she cinches her waist in drag.

Dynasty:

One of the shows that Amy and I have been watching is Dynasty which is on Netflix and currently on its second season. The show is a reboot of the original version of Dynasty which aired during 1981-1989. The topic of reboot’s in TV and Film is pretty popular at the moment as all kinds of shows and movies have been given a makeover and more updated version of their original selves. I have never watched the original Dynasty but I was so intrigued by the cast of the show I couldn’t help but check the latest version out.

It has now become one of my favourite shows ever as I have come to love and root for the characters, plot and of course most importantly, the fashion. I absolutely love the fashion and styling that is used for the Carrington and Colby families and when a new episode airs, I always look forward to spotting the designer clothes. One of my favourite characters is Fallon Carrington who is played by Pamela Sue Martin in the original version and Elizabeth Gilies in the current version. She is one of the protagonists and also one of the most stylish too.

When I was researching the outfits in order to compare the two different versions of Fallon, I actually found that their outfits were quite similar, you can see how Liz’s version wears outfits that are definitely inspired by Pamela’s Fallon but of course with more modern twists. There is also references to 80’s fashion in the reboot too. Some brands that have been used in the current version of Dynasty are: Emilia Wickstead, Gucci, Balmain, Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Preen, Stella McCartney, Isabel Marant and many more.

[wrestlingisfake]

WWE Fake Rankings, 9/30

Men’s heavyweight singles division - babyfaces

Seth Rollins (WWE universal champion)

Roman Reigns

Kofi Kingston (WWE world heavyweight champion)

Daniel Bryan

Braun Strowman

Ricochet

Aleister Black

The Miz

Ali

Chad Gable

Men’s heavyweight singles division - heels

AJ Styles (WWE United States champion)

Erick Rowan

Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE intercontinental champion)

Baron Corbin

Samoa Joe

Andrade

Cesaro

Unranked: Cedric Alexander, Drake Maverick, EC3, Mike Kanellis, R-Truth, Rusev, Shelton Benjamin

The top men’s feuds in WWE right now are Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt, Reigns & Bryan vs. Rowan & Luke Harper, Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar, and Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon.  But you wouldn’t know it looking at this list, since Wyatt, Owens, and Harper haven’t wrestled in over a month, and Lesnar and Shane are part-timers.

The names to watch this fall are Ricochet, Ali, Gable, and Corbin, since it’s clear those are the guys they’re really trying to build up.  It remains to be seen, though, whether those pushes get hamstrung by haphazard booking or the pressure to sacrifice them for a ratings stunt.  If/when Wyatt and Lesnar win the top titles, I don’t foresee any of those guys rising through the ranks to be the Next Big Thing that topples them.

Men’s heavyweight tag team division - babyfaces

Xavier Woods & Big E

The Viking Raiders - Ivar & Erik

Heavy Machinery - Otis & Tucker

Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

Lucha House Party - Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado

Men’s heavyweight tag team division - heels

Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (Raw tag team champions)

The Revival - Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (Smackdown tag team champion)

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

The B-Team - Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel

The Usos have been MIA for a couple of months and Lucha House Party is barely teaming on Raw anymore, so we’ve basically got eight teams.  So when they split the rosters again in a couple of weeks, Raw and Smackdown will each get one championship team, one top-ranked contender team, and one team that never wins in big matches, and one joke team.  That’s the problem with the brand split--dividing the rosters exposes how few real stars they can make.

Women’s singles division - babyfaces

Becky Lynch (Raw women’s champion)

Charlotte Flair

Natalya

Carmella (WWE 24/7 champion)

Ember Moon

Dana Brooke

Women’s singles division - heels

Sasha Banks

Bayley (Smackdown women’s champion)

Lacey Evans

Women’s tag team divison - babyfaces

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (WWE women’s tag team champions)

Kabuki Warriors - Asuka & Kairi Sane

Women’s tag team division - heels

Fire & Desire - Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville

At this point I think literally every babyface in the women’s roster except Ember, Asuka, and Kairi is just a heel that started getting cheered because they were fighting a bigger asshole.  Like, I frequently have to remind myself Becky, Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley aren’t all on the same side, because they’re all basically doing the same “chip on my shoulder because I have to take what I deserve” bit.

There are a bunch of women on the bench right now and I don’t know why.  I’d rather see them used as jobbers to put over the women listed above than not use them at all.  I’ll give them credit for booking the top women’s feuds more like men’s storylines than, say, five years ago.  But to elevate the whole division you need to flesh out the midcard.  All the big US groups want their top women to be headliners but still treat the women’s divisions as a small sideshow, like WWE’s cruiserweights.  The first national-level promotion to aggressively deepen their women’s roster to achieve parity with the men is going to have a major advantage heading into the 2020s.  WWE has a massive head start on this but is just letting that go to waste.

No TV or PPV matches in 30 days: Aiden English, Akam, Apollo Crews, Billie Kay, Bray Wyatt, Buddy Murphy, Epico Colon, Eric Young, Heath Slater, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Kalisto, Kevin Owens, Konnor, Lana, Liv Morgan, Luke Harper, Matt Hardy, Mojo Rawley, Naomi, No Way Jose, Peyton Royce, Primo Colon, Rezar, Sami Zayn, Sarah Logan, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Tamina, Titus O’Neil, Viktor, Zelina Vega 

It’s getting to the point that you could almost start a decent major-league promotion just using the talent on WWE’s bench.  Some of these folks are undoubtedly being held in reserve for big splashy returns this fall, and it’ll be interesting to see which ones.  As for the others...I'd feel real bad for ‘em, but I have to assume they’re getting paid pretty damn well to sit in catering, so more power to ‘em I guess.

Part-timers: Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Shane McMahon

Semi-retired: Goldberg, Kane, Triple H, the Undertaker

These are the guys you can count on to at least come in for Wrestlemania and the Saudi shows.  I finally had to pull Big Show and John Cena from these lists, because if Show’s absence from big Saudi paydays indicates that he’s essentially retired, and the shooting schedule of the Suicide Squad sequel is probably going to keep Cena out of the ring for a long time.

Inactive

Alicia Fox (”indefinite leave”)

Bobby Lashley (elbow - bone spurs)

Drew McIntyre (unspecified injury)

Elias (ankle - fracture)

Finn Balor (personal leave)

Jason Jordan (hand - nerve damage)

Jeff Hardy (knee - PCL tear)

Jinder Mahal (right knee - patellar tendon tear)

Lars Sullivan (knee - unspecified injury)

Maryse (maternity leave)

Mickie James (knee - ACL tear)

Nia Jax (both knees - ACL tear)

Ronda Rousey (personal leave)

Ruby Riott (both shoulders - unspecified injuries)

I haven’t kept up on these injury reports, so I’m not sure who can be expected back anytime soon.  The only difference-makers here, though, are Lashley, Balor, Jeff Hardy, Rousey, and maybe Sullivan.

[kateua]

Here is a new interview with Fabian Bourzat made by Ukrainian “Segodnya” (you can find a version in Russian here: https://www.segodnya.ua/…/francuzskaya-zvezda-figurnogo-kat…)!

Fabian Bourzat: “I don’t like sad people, they make me sad”

The French figure skating star talks about going solo in coaching, working with Ukrainians Nazarova and Nikitin, a possible collaboration with Nathalie Pechalat, and meeting Jean Dujardin, remembering Denis Ten, learning to let go, and also about his shoes and favourite programs and costumes.

– How did you decide to come to Ukraine with Sasha and Maxim? – We’ve worked together in Detroit for like three years. It’s a very interesting team, I love working with them. Their quality matches my vision of skating. They’re creative and original. They have a lot of flaws, but they want to bring something different to skating. And that’s what I love about them. So, when I quit my job in the US, they told me that they were moving back to Ukraine and they needed someone to get them ready for the season. I was on vacation at that time and said, “Why not”. And here I am.

– Do you want to go solo from now on? – I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do next year yet. But I don’t want to work with somebody else anymore. I think it’s time for me to choose my own path and not follow somebody else’s. I’ve done that for almost four years. It was interesting for me to work with Igor Shpilband, I’ve learned a lot, and I thank him for that. But right now I need to express myself way more through my teaching. So, I’m going to come back to France and try to develop what I can over there.

– Do you want to open your own school? – Yeah, that would be ideal. It’s difficult to find a full-time ice rink in France. Most people there work as freelancers, they work in camps and go back and forth between different places. If I can find an ice rink, yes, I will build a school. Right now I’m working with Sasha and Maxim. I don’t know what will happen in the next few months. But I would welcome them on my team. I also want to bring young skaters and help them grow, to make skating in France more competitive. We have a good history of ice dance in Europe. Right now it’s moving a little more to USA and Canada, and I want to bring it back to Europe.

– You’ve been to different countries. What difference do you see in the perception of skating? – In the US, it’s more competitive from the young age, and it’s something we don’t have in Europe. Here we’re trying to go to school first and then think about sports. And I want to try to balance that.

– You’ve worked with Shpilband both as a student and as a coaching partner. What have you learned from him? – When I was still skating, I loved the way he worked, because he gave me the opportunity to enjoy figure skating again. At some point of your career you start thinking only about competition, performing and results and you’re not enjoying yourself anymore. That’s what he brought me as a coach. As a partner, he has a strong work ethic, he is good at scheduling everything and handling a massive amount of work outside of skating. The structure, as well as the techniques, was really helpful for me. As a skater, I used to work with Alexander Zhulin in Russia, Muriel Zazoui in France, Anjelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo in the US. They’ve all given me so much, and I was able to decide what I wanted to take from them and what I did not, depending on which kind of skater I wanted to be and which skills I needed for that. I think growing around so many coaches helped me to develop a different way of skating, and that’s what I want to give back to the kids right now.

– Is it your first time in Ukraine? What are your impressions? – Yes, it’s actually my first time. It’s really hot! Sasha and Maxim took me to so many different places, but I haven’t seen much of the city. For me, seeing different countries and the way people live is always a different way of approaching life... I love the food here. We had pelmeni, khachapuri, which is Georgian actually, we ate shashlik, cornichons. Borsch? I’m not a big fan of that. But there is a summer soup that Maxim wants me to try. We’ve also got pâté from my mom. The country is welcoming. It’s also because the guys make me feel welcome.

– How about our figure skating? Anything unusual? – There are lots of kids on the ice. I’m actually surprised there are so many boys. It’s difficult to find boys in figure skating. The more people you have to train, the easier it will be to develop something.

– Do you remember the first time you saw Sasha and Maxim? – It was at the 2015 Junior Worlds, the year they were third. I remember that I told Igor Shpilband then that this couple was really interesting, that they were trying to bring something more creative, which is difficult at the young age. They kind of matched the same way I did with my partner at the time, so I was really impressed of their work.

– You said they have flaws. Which exactly? – Well, they need to work a little more on the connection and the feel of the motion. They are powerful skaters with a lot of strength. They are able to get a lift of any kind of difficulty done. I’m here to teach them a different approach of skating, and I think it’s starting to grow into them. They are hard workers, they listen, they follow exactly what I say. I know it’s not easy, but they are committed and they want to succeed. How do we polish their twizzles? That’s my secret.

– What’s the most difficult part of coaching? – I think it’s managing different types of people. You can have young kids, teenagers or adults. And you need to be able to push them without breaking them. Managing and planning is still brand new for me, I need to keep learning.

– The Olympic season was quite rocky for Sasha and Maxim. You had some painful moments in your career yourself. How do you teach them to overcome those difficulties, to let it go? – That’s the exact process. They need to let it go and move forward. Because it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what’s important is the way you’re going to come back on the ice and step up after that. They have really good skills and they need to be proud of it. Every big champion has made mistakes in their life. Some more than the others. You just need to swallow it, get your shit together and move on.

– How much time did it take for you to move on? For example, from the 2014, which was quite intense. – I don’t know, I don’t know… You just need to completely switch your head and keep going. It doesn’t matter, it’s not going to change. You can’t talk about the past forever, you just need to learn and forget.

– Do you get in touch with your former partner Nathalie now? – Yeah. She’s actually working in France. The fact that I’m going back there makes us get more and more in touch. I was talking to her like yesterday. We’ve never got along as good as now. I’d like her to come and work with me. I know her skills and what she’s able to do. I don’t think she’s ready to work full-time and I’m not sure I’m ready to work full-time with her, but it would be nice to have her input from time to time.

– What was the last time you met her? – At her wedding in May. It was nice, not too many people. It was emotional. She was crying, of course.

– Everyone’s probably asking you about her husband, the Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin. How is he like in real life? – He’s actually a really nice guy. I’ve met him a couple of times. And the more you see him, the less you see the actor and more, the person. I cannot say we bonded as friends, but I definitely understand what she sees in him. If he makes her happy, that makes me happy.

– Do you have a favourite program from your competitive career? – There were so many of them! The Circus program was really nice, also Cats, which was a long-long time ago, the flamenco program that we did with Antonio Najarro, Four Seasons. Mostly because we met and bonded with different people who choreographed for us. The Little Prince? It was not our masterpiece, more like a patchwork of what we did before. A part of Circus and Chaplin in the emotions, a part of Cats because of the storyline. It was a reminder of everything that we did throughout our career.

– Do you miss skating? – No. Why? I’m way older now. Skating is difficult on the body. The run-throughs, that’s what I don’t miss. I feel comfortable as a coach. I was listening to others for so many years, and I think giving is so much easier. Shows? We didn’t do that many with Nathalie, because I moved on to coaching right away. For me, the competitive career was the most interesting, because you were trying your best. When you skate in shows, you do everything for the audience, which is interesting, but you’re not trying to polish your skills, to evolve as a better skater. That’s what I didn’t like that much in shows.

– You were known for some iconic costumes. Which was your favourite or the craziest one? – Circus. Because of changing the costume in the middle of the program. And probably Cats.

– A few weeks ago we found out about the death of Denis Ten. There are different projects being made in his memory in Kazakhstan. Do you know if the international skating community plans on doing something in his memory, too? – I have no idea. For me, he was a friend, a great champion, he was a warm person. I think it’s really sad, and I give all my support to his mom. These are difficult times for her, I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child. And for Kazakhstan, too. They’ve lost one of the iconic figures and one of the most important people in the country. It’s a tragedy. If I have the opportunity to get involved in some kind of a memorial, I will definitely do that. But for me, to show all these emotions on the social media is not a way to pay tribute to him. The best way is to remember him and to try to be more like him, to be honest, always smiling and trying the best. He got a roller coaster in his life. He was on the top and then he got some difficulties in training and results, but he still fought back. And that’s something we need to remember him for.

– Was there anyone you looked up to? – It wasn’t one person. Because nobody’s flawless. More like qualities from a certain person. What I always notice in people, is if they’re smiling. I don’t like sad people, they make me sad. And I like fighters, like Denis.

– We’ve already talked about your costumes on ice, but you’re also known as a very stylish person outside the rink. How big is your collection of accessories? – Oh-h, I have a lot of shoes, like… a lot of shoes. Thirty or forty maybe. I like to dress differently when I can. When you’re French, you need to be haute couture. I also wear Italian costumes and Japanese shoes. Whatever I like, I just wear it. If people don’t like it, I don’t care.

– Do you watch football? – Sometimes, but I did watch the World Cup. I saw the final with Maxim. I told him, if he wanted to come he’d better root for France. I don’t watch football for football, it’s more about the company. And here, in Ukraine, we went to see Shakhtar Donetsk vs Arsenal Kyiv. Good game. Not that many Ukrainians on the teams though.

– And what about tennis? Have you ever been to Roland Garros? – I did once, a long time ago. I’m not so much into watching sports, I like to do sports myself, to play tennis, do outdoor sports like beach volleyball. I always loved skating on the ice, but after that I just wanted to go home and hide. Because of how media broadcasted everything. And if you’re on the court as a tennis player, for example, you have people who are going to cheer for one and root against the other. I don’t like this state of mind. Most of them are trying their best, and you need to cheer for both.

– Is it not like that in figure skating? There are some hardcore fans… – Not that much. But yes, there are always those kinds of fans. I saw those in Russia, in Sochi. When we were at the Worlds in Nice, the audience cheered for us more than for the others, but they were also cheering for everyone else they loved. It’s the same way in Japan. It depends on the people. That’s why I don’t like to be in the crowd all the time so I don’t have to see what people are like.

– What are your passions beside skating and shoes? – I love arts. I love to play videogames with my nephew. I have a dog. My passions are my family, my girlfriend, my people.

– To wrap it up, what are your goals for the near future? – I want Europe to be back strong again in figure skating. And I want to leave legacy as a coach and have someone who’s going to follow me up at my job and improve it so we could build a European style that will be recognized all across the world.

Kateryna Makarevska for Segodnya

Photo: Sergey Revera (Segodnya)

Source: https://www.facebook.com/kateryna.makarevska/posts/1782547921810355

[drinkmeblog]

8 preguntas para Robert Simonson

Aunque no nos pudimos dar el gusto de entrevistarlo para La Nación, luego de un insistente acoso en persona y por mail, les traemos en exclusiva "8 preguntas a Robert Simonson" (http://robertsimonson.net/) y un bonus track para los bartenders lectores.

¡Van en inglés y en breve las subimos en castellano para todos los que no leen en inglés! Disfruten.

Even though we couldn't talk with him for a @lanacioncom piece, we got an exclusive 8 questions to @robertosimonson (and a bonus track for all you bartenders & readers) for the blog 💕 EN version, ES coming up. Enjoy.

Para los que no tienen idea y cayeron en esta entrada del blog cual paracaidistas, Simonson es una eminencia para los que gustamos de leer sobre coctelería en medios. Escritor de la prestigiosa y siembre bien ponderada sección de bebidas del NYT (¡esas fotos!, ¡esos textos!), pero también columnista regular en revistas de calidad como Punch Magazine, Imbibe, Saveur, GQ y la difunta Lucky Peach, entre otras, aparte de escritor de varios libros (The Old-Fashioned, A Proper Drink y el más reciente 3-Ingredient Cocktails).

1) You wrote about the cocktail renaissance of the last 30 years, however the curve seems to be reversing. Or at least that´s what some are saying, such as the journalist Kevin Alexander and his interesting article from Thrillist (https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/craft-cocktails-revolution-whats-next) As in all food & drink trends it would seem that ubiquity ends up being counterproductive. Massification, lack of technique and serious formation (due to the fact that everyone must have a cocktail program in any place nowadays), lack of originality (copycat bars and drinks, business above all) and innovation (everybody doing the same, playing safe), seem to be some of the culprits of the demise of the crafted cocktail. Any thoughts or ideas about it?

I think that what Alexander is saying is that with explosive growth and expansion, the cocktail business has faced challenges. This is true with any cultural or culinary revolution. True, restaurants and bars now feel they must have a decent cocktail program. That’s not a bad thing. It’s also true that they don’t always have the know-how and the skilled staff needed to execute those cocktail programs. They run before they can walk. Furthermore, there are always latecomers who want to jump on the bandwagon and collect some of that cocktail money while its hot. This ends up muddying the waters with sub-level and gimmicky spirits, cocktails and bars. There’s no stopping such efforts. That’s the free market. The genuinely innovative people are always trailed by the greedy and opportunistic. But, for me, the general point is cocktail culture is spreading, not receding.

2) What can be done about some of these negative trends?

As a journalist, I don’t know what I can do to stop bad trends. I can write about them, of course, and voice my disapproval. But that almost never has an impact. People drink what they want to drink, and there’s always someone willing to sell it to them. One thing I have started is to review bars for Punch. Bars are hardly ever seriously reviewed the way restaurants are. Reviews are a good way to appraise and evaluate what cocktail bars are doing, including certain trends.

3) Which are the bars that get you more excited?

Three sorts of bars get me excited. One sort is the cocktail bar that does all the basic, bedrock things well, without a lot of hype or flash. The second is a bar that introduces something completely original. The third is a bar that expresses the personality of its owner, with that owner being on site at all times to steer the ship.

4) How come you have NEVER come to South America? Isn't that a little bit strange given the rage many trends (latino inspiration drinks and alcohols) are having right now in the States?

It is a bit strange, until you consider the expense. I am a journalist, and journalists do not make a lot of money. I pay my own way, wherever I go. On very rare occasions, a publication will send me, but that does not happen often. I do not accept press junkets offered by spirits companies and corporations. I consider such trips to be unethical, professionally speaking. So it takes me a longer time to get to countries and cities that have a strong spirit, cocktail or drinking culture, places that I should visit. I would love to visit Tokyo, Peru, Jerez, Cognac and other important capitols of spirits and drinking, but it will have to wait until I can do it on my own terms.

5) Which things do you take with you from this trip?

I learned two main things in Buenos Aires. One, that the cocktail movement is a lot more advance there than I had expected. And, two, Buenos Aires has a rich cocktail history on which to draw inspiration.

6) Lets talk about conventions. One thing that surprised me was that you wrote on a IG post that you were in favor of hearing first and drinking later. Aren't most of conventions like that? What do you thought of BAC?

No. At most cocktail conventions in the United States, drinks are constantly available from the early morning until late at night, and drinks are served at most seminars, either as educational tools (samples of Scotch, say, at a seminar about single malts), or as refreshments. On occasion, I have asked that drinks not be served at my seminars, because I find them intrusive. They also find them an infantilizing force, as people come to expect them when they go to a cocktail seminar, and either won’t go or won’t be happy if they are not served. But I’ve been told that people expect drinks, and that events won’t be as successful or fun without them. The logic of that makes no sense to me. When you go to a seminar about food or restaurants, are you served an omelette while you listen? And, of course, there’s the inescapable influence of liquor brands. Most seminars are sponsored by a brand, and the brands insist their product be poured at the event. I thought BAC handled this aspect of conventions very well, though, like most conventions, brand money is what makes the engine go. I’d love for somebody to figure out a way to hold a liquor convention without their first call being to Diageo and Pernod Ricard asking for money and product. There has to be another model.

7) There has been some change in the mentality within the industry recently (for example with Jim Meehan’s talk “Rethinking the modern bartender” we started talking about some issues that seemed left behind or were simply taboo). I was wondering how do you see two particular aspects: on one side, the little attention paid to issues such as addictions and mental health in the industry? On the other, the need for evolution of the role of the bartender (being a more well-rounded and complete?

The quick evolution of cocktail industry over the past 15 years has been so exciting for its participants that it was easy for them to forget about the potentially dangerous side effects of spirits and drinking. We’ve had the heady era of discovery and celebration. Now, it’s come time to deal with the repercussions. Alcohol has always been an aspect of adult life that must be approached with caution and responsibility if its to be enjoyed in the long term. There’s been a lot of denial about these issues within the cocktail community. Hopefully, that’s coming to an end and we are on our way to finding a balance.

8) Lastly, we think it’s important that women be included more and more in the industry nowadays. Nonetheless we are curious about what we perceive as a dilemma: a sort of “genre quota” to be filled with female bartenders. Do you feel there’s such a thing? Do we want women to be included because they are female or because they are extraordinary in what they do? How do you see women’s current role?

I don’t know how things are for women bartenders and bar owners in Argentina. I only met a couple while I was there, so perhaps that answers the question. Here in the United States, we have never lacked for talented women cocktail bartenders. But they have rarely been put in charge of bars, or get the opportunity to own bars. That has begun to change, but not quickly enough. There’s an entrenched patriarchy in the cocktail world, just as there is in most lines of work. I have not encountered any instances in the United States where a woman has been given a position in a bar simply because of her gender. There are too many talented women around for that to happen. I do believe in meritocracy. The best qualified people should get the job. But  the idea that there aren’t women out there who have the skill to merit any job is, I believe, a fallacy.

BONUS TRACK

Which basic reading materials do you recommend for bartenders? 

Here’s a brief list: Books: “Imbibe” by David Wondrich, “Regarding Cocktails” by Sasha Petraske, “Potions of the Caribbean” by Jeff Berry, “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails” by Ted Haigh, “The Joy of Mixology” by Gary Regan,“Straight Up and on the Rocks” by William Grimes, “A Proper Drink” by Robert Simonson (I know it’s mine, but it’s the only history of its kind, and bartenders should know the history of the cocktail revival).

Magazines: Imbibe

Websites: Punch