#also i watched the film not the stage show and the male lead in that is just boring to me tbh

[crabrangoonluvr]

cabaret is trending on tiktok due to recent events, and reading the comments on videos of the performances is chilling. like i’m glad that you hate nazis, you got that point, but the amount of people commenting like “the ending shocked me, this character becoming a nazi was so surprising” is not fun. and not in a way that’s necessarily their fault, but i think it demonstrates privilege to have that twist work on you. i couldn’t stop thinking about the nazis the entire time, i genuinely can’t fathom forgetting about it and not expecting these kinds of betrayals. and the fact that this doesn’t seem to be the experience of the majority of people watching it makes me realize exactly how much nazis are not a tangible danger in the eyes of so many people. in a play set during the fall of the weimar republic, they can and do forget about the nazis.

[justforbooks]

Wayne Osmond

Member of the Osmonds who was a vital part of the family group as a singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist

According to the biographical film Inside the Osmonds (2001), the Osmond family mottoes were: “It doesn’t matter who’s out front, as long as it’s an Osmond” and “Family, faith, and career. In that order.”

Wayne Osmond, who has died aged 73, was never a solo star like his siblings Donny, Marie and Jimmy, but he was a vital part of the family band as a singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He shared fully in the Osmonds’ devout Mormon faith, which seemed to enable the group to resist the more outlandish temptations of the show-business lifestyle.

The group first became successful as the Osmond Brothers through TV variety shows, but in the late 1960s they wanted to embrace rock and pop music, despite the misgivings of their father and manager George Osmond. They were given a helping hand by Elvis Presley, who frequently watched them perform in Las Vegas and encouraged the group to adopt matching Elvis-style jumpsuits for their stage shows. After some unsuccessful attempts at recording, the record producer Mike Curb helped them to sign to MGM Records, and arranged for them to record at the renowned Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with the studio owner and producer Rick Hall.

Their name was shortened to the Osmonds, and their recording of One Bad Apple topped the US singles chart in 1971. It would be their sole No 1 hit in their homeland.

However, it marked the beginning of the Osmonds’ period of international stardom, which provoked almost Beatles-like hysteria among their young fans. In one notorious incident in 1973, part of a balcony collapsed when thousands of people crammed on to the roof of an office block to see the Osmonds arrive at Heathrow airport. Eighteen were injured.

They enjoyed further notable hits in 1971-72 with Yo-Yo, Down By the Lazy River, Hold Her Tight and Crazy Horses. While Wayne never sang lead vocals, he possessed a fine baritone voice, played multiple instruments including the drums, saxophone and lead guitar and also had perfect pitch. “Whenever my brothers wanted the instruments tuned, I was the one they turned to,” he revealed.

He was a regular songwriting contributor and it was his guitar riff that inspired the group to write Crazy Horses. It won enduring popularity among heavy metal fans, with Ozzy Osbourne declaring it to be one of his favourite songs.

Wayne was born in Ogden, Utah, the fourth oldest of the nine children of Olive (nee Davis) and George Osmond. All the siblings were male except Marie (the second youngest). George was a postal worker who had served in the second world war, and both he and Olive were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons, into which all their children followed them.

Wayne was an original member of the family singing group, in which he was joined by his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. The two oldest Osmond brothers, Virl and Tom, had both been born with severely impaired hearing and part of the motivation for forming the family band was to pay for hearing aids. Under the strict guidance of their father, in 1958 they began performing as a barbershop quartet, the Osmond Brothers, earning money to sponsor overseas missions for their church.

In 1962 they auditioned for Walt Disney and were invited to appear on Disneyland After Dark, an episode of the TV series Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, where they were seen by Jay Emerson Williams, the father of the singer Andy Williams. This led to them being invited to appear on The Andy Williams Show on the NBC TV network, where they would perform regularly from 1962 to 1967. They earned the nickname “one-take Osmonds”, thanks to their slickly rehearsed performances.

In 1963 their five-year-old brother Donny made his debut on the show, singing You Are My Sunshine, and their sister Marie would appear the following year, aged four. The ninth and youngest Osmond sibling, Jimmy, would also be introduced on the show. Meanwhile in 1963-64, the Osmond brothers joined the cast of ABC’s Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, which featured the then 12-year-old Kurt Russell. Wayne played the role of Leviticus Kissel.

The Osmonds became one of pop’s biggest phenomena in the early 70s – with their own cartoon series, The Osmonds, in 1972 – but when they released their album The Plan (1973), which attempted to evangelise their Mormon beliefs in song, it failed to reach the US Top 50, after their previous four albums had all reached the Top 30.

It was an early warning that Osmondmania had reached its peak, even though the Mormon church was pleased with the album’s effectiveness in recruiting new members. The spotlight moved on to Donny and Marie, who enjoyed success in the charts and on TV both singly and as a duo. Jimmy Osmond, too, carved out his own niche, having become the youngest artist to have a UK No 1 single with his 1972 hit Long Haired Lover from Liverpool.

The Osmonds’ last big hit was Love Me for a Reason (1974), which reached No 10 in the US and topped the UK chart, and the following year they had another Top 30 success (and a Top 5 UK hit) with The Proud One. In 1994, the Irish band Boyzone reached No 2 on the UK chart with a cover of Love Me for a Reason.

By the end of the 70s it was estimated that the Osmonds were worth $100m and the group dissolved in 1980. However, following a series of financial calamities and being defrauded, they found themselves facing insolvency. Their father George insisted that they would not declare bankruptcy, but would go back on the road and pay off all their debts. Although their record sales had tailed off, they could still play sellout shows in casinos and conference centres.

In 1982, they also scored a couple of Top 30 hits on the US Country chart with I Think About Your Lovin’ and It’s Like Falling in Love (Over and Over).

In 1992 the brothers relocated to Branson, Missouri, and for the next decade performed regularly in the Osmond Family theatre. In 2008 the Osmond family embarked on a 50th anniversary tour.

In 1997, Wayne was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Treatment was successful, but damaged his hearing and caused him to have a cochlear implant. In 2012 he suffered a stroke that left him unable to play the guitar. A second stroke proved fatal.

He is survived by his wife Kathlyn (nee White), whom he married in 1974, their children Amy, Sarah, Michelle, Steven and Gregory, and 20 grandchildren; and by his siblings, Virl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.

🔔 Melvin Wayne Osmond, musician, singer and songwriter, born 28 August 1951; died 1 January 2025

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[crimsonwing62]

So, I watched the Taylor Swifts Eras Tour tonight and I can't stop thinking about this one moment when she is singing Lover and the camera focuses on the individual coupled up dancers slow dancing to the song. For one it gave me joy to see same sex couples. Also this one duo where the guy was looking up through his eyelashes at his dance partner whilst she had her eyes closed and I thought that was sooo adorable. I don't know whether he was directed to do that or not but it was cute.

Anyway, it got me thinking if there was any fan ships out there based on these types of concert snippets. And of course my brain links it back to the Stranger Things Fruity Four.

Specifically, an AU where one is the big star Singer (i was thinking Eddie or Robin) whilst the others are dancers on Tour.

Whilst it's easy to do the obvious Eddie as the Singer, Nancy as dance captain and Steve as the love interest people ship him with ( and be absolutely correct about).

I love and think of it as :

Robin, the Singer. She's not a natural dancer but she's learnt to give her fans a good show.

Steve, The Dance Captain. He keeps up morale but is the good kind of strict. If the song calls for a boyfriend/love interest figure (often at the insistence of the label changing the pronouns in her songs), he is it. They know each other well enough. He taught her to dance, and so she trusts him and doesn't feel uncomfortable with him.

Nancy, as the dancer fans ship Robin with. Nancy has a way when she dances she can control when she's visible and invisible. Like she can fade into the lights behind, or she can stand out in the line. Nancy is often placed the closest to Robin after Steve. The way they move around each other onstage is familiar and charged. The stares they give each other are equally charged and often seek each other out on stage.

Within the team, she's Steve's 2nd in command, in all but name. The other dancers look to her if Steve is ill or busy. But there's always that team, we are in this together vibe.

Aaaand Eddie. I'm not sure where to put Eddie in this AU. Half of me wants him as another dancer, so the fans have someone on stage to ship Steve wi- wait. I had an idea. It was staring me in the face...

Eddie is one of Robins Guitarists and band Lead. 🫨. He still comes on stage. Not quite for a slow dance song like Lover. For that, Nancy and Steve are partnered with others in the dance crew. Maybe Nancy is the girl I mentioned that inspired this.

But in a slightly more lively one, the band cones on stage to join in the fun, and the dancers interact with them. Of course, Steve always goes to Eddie and dances with him.

The Internet goes wild with theories when concert footage and the concert film are released. Robin already has a plethora of male celebs she's "supposedly" dating. Not to mention those who think Robin and Steve are dating. They particularly enjoy laughing at those posts. Some people see Nancy and Robins interactions as close friends . Whilst the queer community sees straight - ha - through the queer coding to the glass closet. Others ship Nancy with the dancer she's paired with for the slow dance song.

Meanwhile, some parts of the Internet go feral over the small interactions Steve and Eddie have. Since they're a little out of the limelight, they can be a little... freer?, borderline appropriate for work? with the short section they have together.

The documentary of the Tour only fans the flames, too. Although it helps them fall in love with Nancy, Steve, and Eddie even more...

[znerac]

First Job || Pedro Pascal x FtM!Reader

Forgive me i was up all night finishing this and i don't have time to proofread so 😭 good luck!

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x FtM!Reader. Word count: 5.8k. Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Pedro calls you a 'good boy', Reader only has top surgery but it isn't mentioned, Oral (R receiving), Unprotected piv, Alcohol, no y/n Summary: Reader flies to LA from Canada to pursuit in his first official acting job. And immediately he and Pedro hit it off. When the readers coworker invites the group to a bar, you and pedro end up at your hotel room.

A/N: I hope it was okay writing from a ftm perspective!! 😭 i don't see enough male/transmasc fics (or at all) and figured I'd just write my own for those interested. Anyways, please enjoy! ^^

"Are you sure you can do this on your own honey?" you mother asked, handing you your suitcase. Giving her a soft smile you nodded "I'm an adult, Mom. I'll be fine." you said, now walking into the airport. "Okay.. But please call me when you land. And tell me how everything goes. This is your first role, i want to know everything" she said with a smile. You chuckled, "i will. You've been my biggest supporter, how could i not?" you said, checking the time. "Shit, sorry i have to go now. I don't want to miss my flight" you said, leaning over and kissing your moms cheek. "I promise I'll call you. Love you" you called with a smile, before rushing off to go through security and have your bag be set on the plane.

Around ten minutes later you finally boarded the plane, luckily getting a window seat. You were crawling with excitement, You had been waiting ages to get a decent role in a show, and now you had it.

Relaxing into your seat, you took out your phone to send a few messages to your friends and family before you had to take off. And when the plane started, You set your phone away and watched out the window. You always liked flying, only this time you were alone. But you were excited to finally reach out of your parents clutch to act more like the adult you were, And get on the road of fame. Hopefully. It was your dream to inspire others.

For the most part you kept your eyes out the window, Or drew in your sketchbook. The lady who sat beside you chatted with you for a bit, and you told her what you were flying to LA for. She seemed happy to be hearing about your job, and even wished you good luck. It wasn't a long flight, Alberta to LA was only about four hours, lucky you.

Once landed, you spent a painful amount of time looking for your bags. And when you found them, had to catch a cab. You would have to settle into your hotel room before meeting anyone on set. Just to grab your scripts and meet the other actors you would be working with. Calling your mom on the ride since you did infact promise her you would.

Letting out a sigh you plopped your suitcase on your hotel rooms bed. It was going to be a long couple of months of filming. And you considered having an early sleep tonight. But inevitably you'd probably just stay up all night rehearsing and practicing your lines. You were nervous to say the least, but you were determined to get this role perfect.

"Okay so you'll have a car parked outside waiting for you, That'll take you to the set and we can speak there. Don't worry, you'll do great"

You nodded along, phone tucked between your head and shoulder as you pushed your shoes on. "Right, Thanks, I'll be there as soon as i can" you replied, hanging up and rushing out the door. Your new agent was strict, but you didn't mind. Anything to get your lazy ass up and ready.

When you arrived, your agent met you at the door and lead you inside. "Okay, So this is where you'll be meeting everyone every weekday for the next few months. From here the directors and stage crew will assist you. Your trailer is out back for when your getting ready. Your script is also in there, organized by day and acts in the folders. Today everyone is just getting familliar with each other and taking a peek at their scripts." she stated, and you held back a groan. Too much information for a Saturday, You wished you could of slept instead.

You ignored the rest of the words your agent was spouting and looked around the room. Seeing a few familiar faces from different movies and shows. Well, might as well get to know them, right? As a new actor it might be good to get to know a few. Maybe you'd get tips or even make a few friends. While debating on who'd you'd try to walk up to, someone beat you to it.

"Hey, haven't seen your face before."

You turned around, Smiling at the new face. "Oh, uh he- hi, Nice to meet you" you said, putting your hand out. Great way to start the day off, Awkward as usual. The guy furrowed his brows with a grin, and shook your hand. "So your the new actor Davids been talkin about I'm guessing?" he asks, then tucks his hands in his pockets. Your cheeks flush with embarrassment. It was that obvious? "Yeah.. First big job I've got. I'm terrified" you joked, making him chuckle. "I remember my first job. Oh, and I'm Pedro, nice to meet you" he said with a smile. You returned it and replied with your name.

"Well, come on. I'll introduce you to everyone. Might as well, since your stayin for a couple months" he offered, and took you around. You liked how Pedro was easygoing, good with getting along with others. It was hard to find people like that. And you found yourself clinging to this guy for the rest of the day, a bit afraid to go anywhere else. Since he was the only 'familiar' one you knew.

He even took you to your trailer and let you know how most things went around. You were thankful, and it clearly showed. "So, Where'd you come from?" he asks, sitting on the small couch as you looked through the folders. "Oh I'm from Alberta. What about you?" you asked, turning around and leaning against the counter.

"Chile. Two pretty different places, yeah?"

You nodded, "god yeah. Ones too cold most of the year and what, chile is hot?" pedro laughed, and the two of you kept chatting. Learning few stuff about the other, How he usually got killed off as characters and whatnot. You found him funny, and immediately felt comfortable around him.

Looking at your watch, you hummed and your stomach growled. "Think its time to get somethin to eat" you muttered, "you hungry Pedro? I can order us some food." you offered, "Sure, but let me pay. You shouldn't be paying when its your first day here" he stated with a soft smile. You bit your inner cheek, "how about we split the bill instead, i don't want you paying full" you stated, getting your phone out. Before pedro could protest you were already on skip. "Do you just want me to order a pizza or something? I don't really know what's good around here" you offered, looking back up from your phone. "Sure, Easy food."

After eating you decided to go back to your hotel, the next few days for you were busy. Being on set and learning your lines and staging were tough. It was very different from acting classes and such, being on an actual set and such. It was very intimidating, but pedro reassured you it was easier than you thought.

You bit your lip, pacing in your trailer as you practiced your lines alone. Sitting on your couch with a huff. "Why didn't we get more time-" you mumbled to yourself, closing your eyes and going through the whole thing in your mind. Focus, you could do this!

You almost didn't notice when the door opened and your agent walked in. "Get up. You have to change and be on set in ten" she rushed, and just when you thought you had it. "Okay- okay give me a second-"

"We don't have time. David won't be happy if your late." she said, grabbing your hand and pulling you out. You let out a groan, Following her to the dressing room where a crew did your makeup and helped you get into costume. It was a stressful eight minutes of your time, and now you were off-stage. Watching the scene before you.

Pedro looked over, Nugding your arm. "Hey, you'll be alright. Your first scenes with me so I'll be there" he said with a comforting smile, his eyes looking you up and down. "You look good." he stated, and you smiled "thanks.. So do you" you replied. Pedro nodded and when it was time for your characters to be in the scene, you went on and moved with him.

Thankfully, previous days you had done this scene and others. You felt decently prepared, the only thing making you nervous was that it was being recorded.

You were holding up well, The scene was almost done. And you were confident that you could do it. That was, Until you froze. Forgetting the line that you had been worrying about. Freezing in the middle of the set, trying to wrack your brain for the line you were supposed to say. It felt like a big deal, getting the filming done first try. And when they yelled 'cut' you could feel the dread settle in your stomach.

You could hear david call your name "whats up, why won't you say your line?" he yelled, not mad but you felt like you were in trouble. Pedro looked over at you, as did the other actors. You felt like you couldn't speak.

"I uh- um.. I forgot what i was gonna say-" you mumbled, looking around.

David sighed, "Fine. Everybody take five to look over your scripts."

Pedro walked over and patted you on the back. "Good Job. You did pretty well". You felt your mouth go dry at his words, he was being sincere. But you couldn't help but feel guilty, Hearing a few of the other actors say your name and complain a bit. "Hey, don't sweat it. This happens all the time. Usually we have a scriptor up but i guess they thought we wouldn't need it" he said, hand lasting on your shoulder. You bit your tongue, wiping your eyes. Pedro's look softened and he pulled you into a little hug. "Hey- hey its okay, this happens all the time, honest to god. No need to feel bad about it"

The feeling of his arms wrapped around you made you relax a bit, although you still couldn't help the feeling. "I know. I just thought i was doing so well-! I was so ready but i blew my first scene. The rehearsals went good-" Pedro laughs "good rehearsals usually mean a few bloopers. Lets get you some water, then hop back on set." he said, taking you to one of the tables and handing you a water bottle, that you happily chugged down about half of.

The rest of the day on set went pretty well, actually. Now you sat down next to Pedro, and a few other actors. "What happened earlier, what made you freeze up so badly when you forgot your line?" Amanda asked, She was another actor who welcomed you in immediately. "I don't know. I could of just like, improved but nothing came to mind." you hummed, Drinking the gross coffee that the crew set out. "Happens to the best of us. I don't know why Diane made such a big deal out of it, Since it literally happens all the time."

Amanda's face lit up, "say, today went well, aannd its friday.. We had a long week of practice. You guys wanna go out and get a drink?" she asked, and the others at the table immediately agreed. Your eyes lit up, "i could use a drink. What about you, P?" you asked, turning to your friend. Pedro nodded, "i know a good bar. I'll order us a cab."

The thought of a drink to settle your nerves and relax for the weekend sounded great. As you all piled into a cab, you were luckily enough to catch front seat. And at the club, You all sat around a big table. The only difference being now you all had alcohol in your hands, and loud music blaring.

Amanda was kind enough to pay for the first few rounds, mostly because she wanted to get you talking and to open up. And of course it worked, you slurred slightly and replied to any questions asked.

"Daaamnn.. Did you see that guy over in the corner? Man had a cake" Amanda slurred, laughing as the boys in the group either made a joke or fake gagged. You couldn't help but fake a gag, though silently try to find the apparent dumptruck she had went on about. Blushing as she caught you looking. "Man, you looking out for caked up guys over there?"

You swatted at her hand, "shut up, a guy can appreciate a good cake anytime he wants"

Amanda wiggled her brows, "if your lucky you should bring one back to the hotel, if you know what i meaan.." she teased, making your cheeks flush more "shut up! I ain't into guys, no way-" you said, worried. The group laughed, and you couldn't help but join. You needed the laughter, and at this point they were probably too tipsy to care about your preferences.

For a second you felt a weight gain on your shoulder, making you confused. That was until you found Pedro leaning against you. You couldn't help but look at his hair, slight curls and a nice brown. You couldn't help the urge to want to play with it, the alcohol making you less afraid to ask. "Can i play with your hair?" you asked, hearing an approving hum from the other. Making you smile as you lifted you hand up and threaded your fingers through the soft locks he had. Making you nearly awe. His hair was so soft.. You couldn't stop playing with it. Giggling softly to yourself as Pedro leant into it, humming deeply. By the sounds of it he was enjoying the attention. And you blocked out the sound of anyone teasing you for it.

Your head snapped over as another drink was set in front of you. Bringing it to your lips and taking a sip, feeling pedro's arm snake around your waist and tug you closer. Was he always this affectionate? Maybe it was the alcohol. But you didn't mind, not at all. He wasn't holding you in a weird way.

Taking another sip, you turned to see Max, another one in the group who had joined you guys, Stand up. "yo amanda, Lets hit the dance floor."

The group ended up leaving you and pedro alone to go dance.

"Sorry is this weird..?" he asked, lightening his hold on you. You shrugged, "Maybe a little. I don't mind though" you said, bringing the drink back up to your lips. "You having a good time?" you asked, turning as he sat up, hand still snaked around you. "Yeah. I'm just enjoying myself. Don't do that much at bars. Or in general" he stated. You nodded, inching closer to him. "You wanna join the others up there?" you ask, And he looked at you. "What, askin me to dance?" he asked with a smug grin.

You rolled your eyes "Damn right i am. You gonna accept or not?" Pedro let out a laugh, stood up and pulled you to your feet. "Absolutely, lets go" he said, Practically dragging you into the crowd. You laughed, being pulled closer to him. Letting your body sway to the music, Giggling as Pedro danced along with you. Eventually the two of you found your rythem and were dancing like idiots, but having the time of your life. For once you weren't worried about how others looked at you. All you cared about was having fun. And surprisingly Pedro was a great dancer, he moved and you noticed how he was definitely trying to pull a few laughs from you.

"Come on, Do what im doin" he called, pressing his back up against yours and doing a little dance. You chuckled and tried to copy him, failing and ended up just moving a little while your eyes was on the other. He smiled and stood straight, "Hey, you were the one who asked to dance. Show me what you got" he said, pointing towards you. Rolling your eyes, you shook your head. "Clearly I'm not as talented. And we've been dancing for a good fifteen minutes! Lets go grab another drink" you said, turning on your foot to head to the bar. Pedro leapt forward and put a hand on your shoulder. "Hey, let me buy. And then we can head upstairs, theres another bar on the rooftop" he said with a grin, walking with you to the bar. After grabbing your drinks and letting pedro pay for the two of you. He lead you to the rooftop where there was in fact, another bar and dance floor. But it was slightly more crowded with few seats available in the corner.

He took you to the more secluded corner and sat you in the booth, sitting beside you. "Didn't realize it was late already" he stated, pointing to the night sky. Taking a sip of your drink you nodded, looking over at him. His brown puppy eyes locking in to yours. After a bit of time you heard a familiar voice speak up, "so this is where you guys went. Was afraid if i got max to look in the mens room you two would be makin a mess of the place" amanda teases, sitting across from the two of you. You rolled your eyes "told you already, Amanda. I'm not into guys" you said, and she scoffed "whatever, you wouldn't admit it either way" she stated, stealing your drink and taking a sip. "Why'd you guys come up here then? Its more crowded."

You shrugged, and pedro sat up. "Night air is nice. Plus you guys can be a little-" he paused, "Too much" he said with a grin. "I mean, you've been teasing our pal for something he might not even be. He might not want us to know anyways." he stated, "you push it he might run off" he said, leaning back into the booth.

Amanda rolled her eyes, "sure. Oh and," She leant towards you, "i can always get you with Max, he's single and likes guys-"

Pedro set his hand on the table with a 'thump'. "Amanda, Enough" he said, a bit of a defensive play to his tone. Amanda gave him a smirk and nodded, backing up. "Alright fine! I'll leave you guys to it then!" she said, slipping your drink back to you and leaving.

You sighed, "shes alot to handle." you groaned, taking a big drink of your beverage. "Yeah. She pushes it alot" he said, taking a slug of his. "Sky's kind-of pretty. Not as nice as home, though" you state. "Yeah? Not much light pollution there?" pedro asks, leaning onto the table a little. "Yeah! A lot of the time its a super dark sky, lots of stars. If your lucky, you catch the northern lights too" you say, smiling a little. Pedro nodded with a smile, "interestin. Never seen them before." he said, and you sat up with a grin. "When the shows done you should totally come and visit, I'll take you to a nice spot or something where we can see them really well" you offered, "sounds like a deal" he replied.

After another hour or so of conversating, you two got comfortable and you leant up against pedro. The alcohol hitting you both pretty hard as you couldn't stop doing little dances and laughing at the stupid jokes you both made. And at one point, you two were just staring comfortably together.

"So, earlier when amanda asked if you liked guys, were you lyin or are you actually not into them?" Pedro asked with a slur, downing the rest of his drink. You hummed, placing your glass down. "I lied" you said with a playful grin, "i din't want anyone to tease me or anythin. I hate gettin set up and, who knows, y'all coulda been against me for it" you rambled, and The other nodded. "bah, their all harmless. But amanda had no right to push you, or ask you if you wanted to hook up with max" he said, a bit of a groan to the end of his sentance. You grinned at that, leaning towards him, "yeah you got pretty pressed at that. You aren't jealous are you-?" you teased with a slur.

Pedro's eyes hardened and he looked away, "No, and so what if i was? S'not like you'd be into it, would you?" he retorted, grinning. You laughed, "sounds like you miiight be into it" you continued to tease, feeling his hand appear on your thigh. "Nooo, Never" he said, sarcasm lacing his tone. There was a moment where you two stared at each other. And then the next, you both crashed your lips against anothers. Humming at the taste of liquor on his lips, you slipped your hand to the back of his neck and slipped it into his hair. Pedro groaned into the kiss, taking your cheek into his hand and pressing harder into the kiss.

Tugging softly on his hair you were able to pull more groans from him, and he was absolutely loving it. The feeling of your drunken lips on one another and somehow having the perfect rythem was- it was amazing. Before you knew it, his free hand was lightly feeling up your chest. And he pulled you into his lap with a hum, grasping your thighs and moving to leave kisses down your Jaw and your neck. You let out a hum and placed your hands on his shoulders as he continued to suck and nibble at your skin, leaving just barely visible pink marks. He let out a groan of frustration when he felt his phone buzz, pulling it out and looking at the notification. "Others are leavin." he mumbled, looking up at you.

You bit your lip, "tell em we'll catch a new one" you said, waiting for him to finish typing and put his phone down before you pressed your lips desperately against his. He met with the same energy, his hand tangling itself in your hair. Usually you weren't one for one night stands. But your drunken mind could care less, the heat in your chest wasn't just from the alcohol now. Or, in your pants.

Pedro pulled away with a pant, looking around briefly. "Maybe we should call a cab, we don't exactly need the pap catchin us like this" he said with a nervous chuckle. You bit your lip, and nodded. "Sure- we can go to my hotel if you'd like" you offered, to which he sent you a nod and grabbed his phone while you shuffled off of his lap. Nervously looking around at the mention of the paparazzi was etching at your nerves. Which were quickly soothed by pedros hands sliding around you with a couple kisses to your nape. "Lets go" he said quietly before you both got out, and walked downstairs. There was a sway in both of your walks, which you both giggled a little at. Waiting outside on the curb you watched as a cab pulled up, and you slid in saying the address. Pedro slipped in beside you and did his seatbelt, as well as yours. His hand was comfortably on your thigh the whole was as you both talked nonesense to eachother. Surprising you both when you got to your destination, and pedro paid without a thought.

Getting out you fumbled for the key in your pocket and lead him to the elevator, and walked inside. Almost immediately when the doors closed and the button to the floor was pressed, pedro pulled you in and kissed you again. Your soft lips on his and still tasting the faint alcohol on his breath. You groaned as he pressed you gently against the elevator wall, feeling up your sides and just slightly under your shirt. Scaring you both at the ding of the elevator when the door opened. But laughing as it arrived on your floor. You took him by the hand and practically dragged the other to your room, playing with the key until it worked and scurried inside, taking your shoes off and barely managing to get the first off before pedro's hands were on you.

This time he pressed you firmly up against the wall, kissing you a bit harder, more lust built into it than anything. You blushed a little, putting your hands on his sides and sliding your hands up underneath his shirt. Feeling his slight-stomach and pecs making your face redder. He was just your type. You let out a hum as his lips traveled from yours to your jaw, then just under your ear.

"You sure you wanna do all this-?" he asked, panting softly from the lack of air. You thought for a second, a bit of anxiety creeping up. "Um, yeah- but i have to tell you something" you urged, feeling his hands come to rest gently on your hips. "Whats that?" he replied, looking into your eyes. You bit your lip, you had to tell him. It wouldn't be fair not to- right? "I'm well- not like, most guys, yknow? I- don't have the like- normal bits n stuff like-" you stammered, royally fucking up your 'coming out' to this guy. He chuckled, "not all guys have dicks, i get it" he said, easing your anxiety with the little joke. "So you still-?"

He smirked, "i think you know the answer" he said, pulling you towards him to meet his hips. You nearly gasped at the feeling of his bulge there, and he went in and kissed you again.

He began to lift up your shirt and only broke the kiss for a second to take it off of you. Slowly grinding his hips against yours, making you shiver and whine slightly as it turned you on further. He pulled away to admire you, licking his lips and grinning as his eyes met yours again. He let you remove his shirt, gently guiding you to the bed afterwards. "M'gonna make my boy feel real good, kay?" he hummed, watching your knees hit the matress causing you to fall back and sit on the bed. All you could do was nod, meeting his lips as he leant down to kiss you. He let his hand wander to the hem of your pants, slipping under the waistband and sliding over your boxers. Groaning into the kiss as his fingers glided over your slick-coated boxers.

"Already baby?" he teased softly, feeling the wet fabric again with a content hum. Your cheeks went hot, and you avoided looking at him in embarrassment. But corrected that quickly. "Uh uh, you've gotta look at me. Or I'll stop what I'm doin" he stated, watching your eyes travel back to his before he grinned "Good boy" he mumbled, making you moan out softly just from the petname itself, making your arousal flush throughout your body. He chuckled, "you like that? You like bein' my good boy?" he asked, carefully slipping his hand under the strap of your boxers and letting a finger glide through your folds, pulling another moan from you.

"Mmm.. M'gonna make this pretty boy feel amazin" he groaned, ducking his digit in slightly to gather your slick before rubbing circles around your sensitive clit. You whimpered and grabbed his wrist, then changed to grab the bed so he didn't get the wrong idea. He hummed, looking down at your crotch, before back at your face. "Want me to get down between those pretty thighs of you, handsome?" he asked, and you nodded, "Yes, please-!" you said a little too quickly, blushing at the grin on his face. "M'alright then" he said, and with one quick move, removed both your pants and boxers down and off of you.

You gasped at the cold air, making you shiver. "Pedro i-" you paused, seeing his eyes dart to yours. "I don't- like being in the open" you admitted softly, and he bit his lip with a nod. "Here.." he said, getting up and shutting off the lights and closing the curtains. As much as he wanted to get to business right away- he was also keen on you being comfortable. Even in a somewhat-drunk state. "Lay down. Under the covers" he instructed, in which you followed, a little confused. Before you knew it, he was under those covers, and in between your legs.

"You- you didn't have to-" you began, but he quickly interrupted. "You deserve to be more comfortable" he slurred, spreading your legs with his hands. "I don't mind" he mumbled, and you could feel his hot breath on your core. Squirming a little at the idea of this man eating you out. "Pedro please-" you started, but let out a gasp as you felt him drag his tongue up your folds and to your bud. He let out a groan, "tastes so good-" he muttered before he started to devour you. You moaned, instantly taking a fist full of his hair. And pedro grasped your thighs as he tasted you, using the flat of his tongue to tease and pleasure your sensitive bundle of nerves. He absolutely loved all the noises that came from you, making him groan into you and gently grind up into the matress.

The feeling of his tongue exploring you was amazing, he paid careful attention to what make you feel good, and wasn't afraid to do what made you loud. Fuck, he couldn't get enough. Lapping up your juices like he hadn't eaten in days. Your thighs squeezed his head as your back arched, small whimpers and moans pulling from your chest. God the pleasure he was giving you made you unable to think. And embarassingly enough, your climax was already itching at you.

"I- Pedro- a, slow down i'm gonna-!" you shouted, pulling on his hair in an attempt to push him away or get him to slow down. But if anything your speech letting him know he had you that close already was amusing and arousing to him. He pushed your legs open and used his tongue to perfectly abuse your clit, making you cry out and tug on his hair as you came. Moaning as you clenched around nothing, your high making you nearly see stars. Your hand holding tightly onto his hair as you calmed, breathing heavily once pedro took your wrist and crawled up so he could kiss at your collarbone. "Good boy.. Been awhile hasn't it?" he teased, rubbing your sides.

Your face felt like it was burning, biting your lip as you felt his chest with your hand. "Fuck, thats embarrassing" you laughed, causing him to chuckle. "Don't worry bout it stud. I'm not done with you anyhow" he stated, leaving wet kisses along your neck and jaw. "Yeah? Whaddia plan on doin to me?" you pressed on, a smirk evident in your voice. Pedro ground his still-clothed hips against yours, giving you a chance to feel the hard-on he had previously been ignoring. Making you gasp at the sudden contact. "Fuck, i actually can't wait" you breathed, earning another chuckle from Pedro.

He slipped his pants off and hovered over you, planting kissing all over your neck and collarbone. And just the feeling of his length digging into your thigh had you trembling. "Pedro, please" you hummed, shifting. Unable to stop thinking about how good he'd feel inside you. He let out a breath, "don't worry baby, m'gonna fill you up all nice" he said lowly, gabbing your leg and lifting it to your stomach, using his hand to help position himself right against your dripping folds. He exhaled hard. "Gonna have my boy cummin' around me all nicely" he huffed, slowly inserting himself with a groan. You couldn't help but moan out at the feeling of his cock stretching you out nicely. And fuck, you didn't think he would be this big. But when he bottomed out, you both let out a huff of air. He wrapped his arms around your stomach, kissing at your shoulders. Letting you adjust for as long as you needed, and when you jolted your hips on him, he took the hint and started slow, but it didn't last before he was slamming into you and the room filled with the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin and both of your moans and breathing.

Pedro often changed the position slightly, looking for that sweet-spot everyone had. And once he noticed the higher-pitch and crying out, he focused on pounding repeatedly into that spot that made you see stars. You were a sweaty, moaning mess. The intense pleasure he brought you basically paralyzing you as you focused on how amazing you felt. The only things falling from your mouth now being whimpers of his name and small moans. You could barely breathe with how air got punched out of your lungs each time he bottomed out on you.

"H-Aah. Fuck- Ngh.."

Pedro was surprisingly vocal, whimpering wasn't too much of it, he would express himself with either throaty groans or little words or- well trying to be words. "Gonna make my boy feel so good- fuck 'm just right-" he groaned, not letting himself get any closer than you were. As hard as it was, he was able to control himself. That being until he felt you clenching around him, and hearing the cries of his name spilling from your mouth. He tried to coax you through your orgasm, but had to quickly pull out before his was a problem. Letting thick ropes of cum spill onto your stomach with a loud moan. For awhile the only noise in the room was both of your panting.

He bit his lip and fell to the side, humming. "Ffuck" he huffed, feeling the comfort of the bed occupy his thoughts. But he let out a grunt as he got up and stumbled to the bathroom to clean himself up, and grab you a washcloth that he cleant you up with.

He studied your face for a moment, then your body. Remembering what you told him earlier as he found your suitcase and grabbed a pair of your boxers before slipping them onto you. "Just relax handsome" he told you, tucking you back into bed when you tried to get up. You looked at him worriedly, "are you leaving?" you asked in a worried tone, making his face fall. "No, of course not" he said, crawling in with you and pulling you to his chest. Feeling your exhausted body go limp over him after a few minutes.

This was.. Definitely an eventful week.

Reminder that fic requests are open! :P

[fierce-little-miana]

I have recently watched Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and I have thoughts about it. It's a really good action movie, it's a really good post-apocalyptic movie and I really liked it. Even if I prefer Fury Road. One of the reasons is that I personally prefer "small" stories very cleverly implying a lot worldbuilding than big stories taking their time to clerverly really details worldbuilding. I am always amazed when the first kind of stories manages to deliver deeply compeling and emotionally impacting stories. But there is an issue Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, that I wanted to discuss:

Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.

I love Anya Taylor-Joy. I have seen a lot of her Tv-shows and movies and have generally found her really good to excellent (most notably in The VVitch, but also in Split and The Queen's Gambit) in all of them. Playing Furiosa was not easy. Charlize Theron had debuted the role and had made it iconic, it's way less confortable to work from this than to have to create the character yourself. Anya Taylor-Joy has the right intensity, the right physical commitment, the rigth amount of rage and is charismatic enough to play Furiosa. And as an actress she did a good job (I still prefer Charlize Theron's take though).

That being said I had issues believing in her Furiosa. To put it simply, Anya Taylor-Joy looks too physically weak to play Furiosa. And I partially blame the way she was filmed for that. First, Anya Taylor-Joy is slightly shorter than Charlize Theron (4-5cm). But while Charlize Theron shared most of her screentime with Tom Hardy who is shorter than her (2cm but still), all of Anya Taylor-Joy significant male co-leads (especially Tom Burke) are significantly taller than her. That makes her looks short all the time. And nothing is done in term of staging to try to rectify that (or it's failing). And sure, Furiosa is supposed to be younger in this movie, but she isn't supposed to be a child by the end of the movie. Just a young woman so someone who have stopped growing. The fact that the movie makes her look short already impacts how strong she appears on screen.

But in addition, Anya Taylor-Joy is just too skinny to play someone who is supposed to be as physically strong as Furiosa. Charlize Theron was not bulky by any means in Fury Road but Anya Taylor-Joy looks extremley skinny all the time (and signifcantly skinnier than all the other warboys that are supposed to be fed like her). Like, look at their right arms in these pictures.

At no point did I believe Anya-Taylor Joy could win or just have a chance in a physical fight against any of her male co-leads, which was something Charlize Theron as Furiosa had no problem making me believe. Even some of her stunts in car chases looked unbelivable (you don't hang for so long from a truck at full speed with such little arms, you just don't).

I don't know if production should have asked Anya Taylor-Joy to gain a bit of weight or muscle before shooting the movie, or simply casted someone who looks less delicate (but it should have filmed her in a way that does not make her looks so short, Anya Taylor-Joy is not a short woman), but I am really sick of big productions casting extremely thin and delicate looking women to play action heroins. Like, when we have reached a point where Charlize Theron (a super model, mind you) looks significantly bulkier (something she isn't), stronger and rougher than the actress supposed to play her in her twenties there is an issue.

This is something that I did not think a movie from the Mad Max franchise (which had given us Furiosa to begin with) would do, and in a way I am really disappointed by it.

[rapunziedameron]

Nym nym, your tags today- 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 *standing ovation*

*sweeping curtsy* thank you. I think the longer I'm in this fandom, the more angrily passionate I get about defending these films. And make no mistake, there's plenty of things that deserve to be criticized about them - but it pisses me off when people just make shit up that's not there or even accurate to bash on things. Not to be pedant, but jesus if you're going to hate my favorite thing, at least have the decency to do your research and do so accurately.

But the sexism is really where I draw the line. Because I grew up in pre-2015 Star Wars. I remember what it was like, before the Force Awakens, being a girl who liked Star Wars. Your options were Jaina Solo, Tenel-Ka, and Mara Jade before Ahsoka really came in - and I can't remember how well, exactly, Tenel-Ka and Jaina were handled, because I honestly never truly sat down and read things all the way through, I just grabbed what was sometimes available at my Goodwill to read a nd back then it wasn't much, but Mara Jade quite notably (in the most out of character fashion!) is fridged.

(Thanks Karen Traviss)

There was Leia, and Padme, of course. But Padme notably is fridged, also. And so is Breha, and so is Beru. And Mon Mothma has line five lines total and it's handwaved somewhere that she's the leader of the Rebellion but then Madine and Ackbar and Dadonna and Riekan do everything in the films...

(and we deleted the take of Leia going "okay hotshot" and absolutely going for it with Han which would have shut down the consent discourse, and then anything character building for Padme also hit the cutting room floor because it didn't have anything to do with Resident Tumblr Favorite White Boys, Anakin and Obi-Wan)

And Ahsoka felt like a ray of sunshine, but she's also a fourteen year old girl running around in a tube top because she still has to have that midriff so men might pay attention to her, and choose your own adventures at the time were so convinced that girls would never read it, that it has the primary POV character have a crush on her (because I'm betting a lesbian unrequited love was not their goal here). And then, of course, over time she became incapable of criticism, because she's Filoni's special girl and can never do any wrong!

(And her entire existence kind of neatly sidelines Padme from being more center stage of the Clone Wars, and is usually more treated as part of the prequel era trio than Padme does...)

During the lead up to the Force Awakens, I was obsessed with Rey. I knew in my bones, somehow, she was going to be the protagonist. I remember, verbatim, saying that "she's not going to be like Padme and Leia [secondary main characters], she's going to be more like Anakin and Luke" and I remember the wonder and chills I felt watching the lightsaber go to her on Starkiller, sitting there in the theater in December 2015. I still get chills today, because that moment was like the entire world opened up, a whole new galaxy of stories that could be told; at the time, the only other character in things I was obsessed with sci-fi wise, was Natasha Romanoff, who was still pretty badly sexualized/a male gaze object.

Before the Force Awakens, there was nothing for girls who liked Star Wars, who liked sci-fi. It was so bad that Ashley Eckstein had to make her own fucking fashion company, just to make clothes for fangirls so we wouldn't have to shop in the men's department all the time.

Is it a coincidence that after Rey, women in Star Wars became less and less sexualized for male viewers? That Wonder Woman came out a couple years later, or Captain Marvel? We wouldn't have the Ahsoka show, or the Acolyte, I'll guarantee you that. We got here because of the walls that the sequel trilogy knocked down - and that journey was not without flaws, because the same courtesy should have absolutely been afforded to its Black main character, rather than having Finn double his weight as a decoy protagonist and comic relief (I'm glad that tros finally let him stop being the comic relief; I think he was done dirty from the start, because just looking at the building blocks and initial concepts they just never knew what to do with Finn) - but it did drastically change the landscape for science fiction and fantasy.

And it seems to have gone almost entirely unnoticed - fairly recently I saw someone express shock that there was even backlash at the time that the main characters were a white woman, a Black man and a latino man. But I remember the backlash; I still hear the backlash, at least for Rey, fairly constantly IRL. I hear from my dad about how she's a boring mary sue, a flat cardboard box, fairly frequently.

It's also so frustrating because if people can't even acknowledge the progress that the sequel trilogy did for women in Star Wars, I know the conversation will never turn to the progress the sequels made in terms of disability.

And finally. I didn't suffer through panic attacks trying to play Star Wars: The Old Republic because when you play a woman Jedi Knight, one of your main companions (a "hero") is a man who can't take no for an answer and is point blank a constant sexual harasser who has at least one line that's definitely non-con implying as hell, or suffered through Anakin being Like That and being pleased that he's made Padme uncomfortable in Attack of the Clones, for people to tell me that the sequel trilogy is the Star Wars media with a problem with women.

[toasted-valentine]

Would like to give a big thank you to @elliotly and @pyrotechnicarus for making Adamandi and TAOPP.

Context, first time I watched the two shows I was struggling to figure out college and my future. I’d always wanted to go into performing arts, make plays, musicals, movies, tv shows, what have you. But I was super unsure if I even could, the theater environment I had around me growing up had the directors rejecting people from roles for not “being biologically male” or not “fitting the part” due to their skin tone. Shit like that was always super discouraging, and part of the reason I quit theater for two years.

Then one night I’m sitting in my sister’s apartment in Brooklyn, just scrolling tumblr after visiting her, and I find a joke comparing We Are The Tigers and Adamandi. I got curious and decided to check it out, clicked on the tags and looked the show up on YouTube. Then I went feral and binged Adamandi and The Art Of Pleasing Princes in one sitting instead of sleeping. I had the soundtracks on loop for weeks after, just completely not normal about it.

I’m Puerto Rican and trans masc, I never in a million years thought I’d get to see people like me make stuff like that. My high school theater director wouldn’t cast trans actors for anything but chorus members or as their agab, even if they had the voice for it and were on hrt, he said it “didn’t work”. All the main roles he gave out to white students because he thought it would “work better”. Then to just see stuff where the actors got to be openly queer, got to be poc, and we’re actively encouraged to show those part for the roles. It changed my perspective.

Big probs to @cynopter as Vincent and (they don’t have a tumblr blog to my knowledge so I’m just using the name on the cast list from the website) Miel Escamilla as Beatrix because fucking christ they were absolute delights to watch and are incredibly skilled. Asides from giving me an unholy amount of gender envy, it was also amazing to see two people who are poc and engage in gender fuckery get on stage and destroy god with their performances. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a trans actor, let alone two gnc poc actors, be allowed to be leads in a show and have their backgrounds be part of the characters.

If I hadn’t stumbled across Adamandi and TAOPP when I did I’d probably be going to trade school to become some flavor of electrician, plumber, or house painter like the rest of my family. It genuinely changed the course of my life, and I cannot thank the people who made it and participated in it enough for doing what they do and putting their hearts and souls into it. Now I’m going to one of my local colleges for two years, have a plan to head to a nearby performing arts school after that’s done, and am going to be the person who creates art for other people to see. Forgive the vagueness of where, I’m attempting to keep where I live hard to find, just know I live in New York so do have access to colleges with these sort of programs.

I have a long way to go, quitting theater and performing in general for multiple years due to various reasons did set me back a chunk, but I do have hope for the future. I’m currently working on a short film with a few of my friends, hopefully will have that out before the summer ends, and I’m also working on drafts of a play I want to make, but that’s a far way off and just a general idea right now.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for doing what you do. Managed to change the mind and life of one person with it, and I cannot put into words the good it has done, even if it’s just for me.

Thanks for the killer music and stories,

-Teo

[pollydoodles]

This isn’t quite the same but in the manner of “hey this was never an issue and suddenly it’s front page news and apparently the biggest threat to us as a nation”, in the UK when I was growing up we had a wonderful and very famous household name drag queen, Lily Savage.

Lily was so part of the furniture culturally speaking that amongst everything else she did she hosted a game show called Blankety Blank (it’s essentially Snatch Game for the Ru Paul watchers amongst you).

Here she is:

I can’t remember what sort of time it was on telly but I definitely did see it as a kid so I don’t think it was post watershed. She also hosted The Big Breakfast, which as it suggests was on at breakfast time and therefore definitely available for kids as they wolfed down their cornflakes before school.

She presented an episode of Top of the Pops, she was in an episode of a *kids* show called Pirates.

Lily was there, she was in the public consciousness and she was absolutely accessible by and for kids. I don’t remember anyone having a problem with it either in casual conversation, in the newspapers or in tv discussions, and we’re talking the 90s to 00s when Lily was at her height in mainstream tv.

Eventually Lily was retired and the man behind her, Paul o’Grady emerged as a beloved tv presenter who was particularly known for his work with Battersea Dogs Home. When he died last year, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the nation grieved. O’Grady was a gay man who in addition to his work with animal charities was also an ambassador for Save the Children.

And yet here we are in this country with a seemingly endless round of arguments dressed up as debates about drag queens telling stories to children in the local library.

It’s not the only example, of course. Years ago in the early 2000s a Portuguese trans woman called Nadia won the British Big Brother - programme that was still very popular at that time. She herself was incredibly popular and won with 74% of the vote.

BB was never really my thing so I didn’t really watch it, but whatever your thoughts on the programme you couldn’t escape the discourse - of which I remember nothing about her being trans as an issue or a blocker to her popularity.

Take Suzy (Eddie) Izzard - hugely popular and terribly funny comedian who, when I was a kid, presented as a male transvestite. People simply accepted it, and him (as she was at the time). Suzy was on mainstream tv, she played huge arenas and popular comedy spots, was in film and television, had many VHS (and latterly DVD) versions of stand up tours.

It was an odd time because culturally we were absolutely in a stage where you’d see jokes about transvestites on tv or film, but equally an actual transvestite was one of our most popular comedians. Whilst those jokes existed, they didn’t seem to pose a barrier elsewhere, at least not to Izzard.

I’m sure there were inevitably people who had a problem with the figures I’ve noted above, there always are, but they weren’t majority voices and they never seemed to be a blocker to success.

Which leads me to believe that most people don’t know what they “think” until someone with a bigger voice comes along and tells them - whether that’s someone with a big platform or something less personal like a newspaper.

So today I want to talk about puberty blockers for transgender kids, because despite being cisgender, this is a subject I’m actually well-versed in. Specifically, I want to talk about how far backwards things have gone.

This story starts almost 20 years ago, and it’s kind of long, but I think it’s important to give you the full history. At the time, I was working as an administrative assistant for a pediatric endocrinologist in a red state. Not a deep deep red state like Alabama, we had a little bit of a purple trend, but still very much red. (I don’t want to say the state at the risk of doxxing myself.) And I took a phone call from a woman who said, “My son is transgender. Does your doctor do hormone therapy?”

I said, “Good question! Let me find out.”

I went into the back and found the doctor playing Solitaire on his computer and said, “Do you do hormone therapy for transgender kids?” It had literally never come up before. He had opened his practice there in the early 2000s. This was roughly 2006, and the first time someone asked. Without looking up from his game of Solitaire, the doctor said, “I’ve never done it before, but I know how it works, so sure.”

I got back on the phone and told the mom, who was overjoyed, and scheduled an appointment for her son. He was the first transgender child we treated with puberty blockers. But not, by far, the first child we treated with puberty blockers, period. Because puberty blockers are used very commonly for children with precocious puberty (early-onset puberty). I would say about twenty percent of the kids our doctor treated were for precocious puberty and were on puberty blockers. They have been well studied and are widely used, safe, and effective.

Well. It turned out, the doctor I worked for was the only doctor in the state who was willing to do this. And word spread pretty fast in the tight-knit community of ‘parents of transgender children in a red state’. We started seeing more kids. A better drug came out. We saw some kids who were at the age where they were past puberty, and prescribed them estrogen or testosterone. Our doctor became, I’m fairly sure, a small folk hero to this community. 

Insurance coverage was a struggle. I remember copying articles and pages out of the Endocrine Society Manual to submit with prior authorization requests for the medications. Insurance coverage was a struggle for a lot of what we did, though. Growth hormone for kids with severe idiopathic short stature. Insulin pumps, which weren’t as common at the time, and then continuous glucose monitoring, when that came out. Insurance struggles were just part and parcel of the job.

I remember vividly when CVS Caremark, a pharmaceutical management company, changed their criteria and included gender dysphoria as a covered diagnosis for puberty blockers. I thought they had put the option on the questionnaire to trigger an automatic denial. But no - it triggered an approval. Medicaid started to cover it. I got so good at getting approvals with my by then tidy packet of articles and documentation that I actually had people in other states calling me to see what I was submitting (the pharmaceutical rep gave them my number because they wanted more people on their drug, which, shady, but sure. He did ask me if it was okay first).

And here’s the key point of this story:

At no point, during any of this, did it ever even occur to any of us that we might have to worry about whether or not what we were doing was legal.

It just never even came up. It was the medically recommended treatment so we did it. And seeing what’s happening in the UK and certain states in America is both terrifying and genuinely shocking to me, as someone who did this for almost fifteen years, without ever even wondering about the legality of it.

The doctor retired some years ago, at which point there were two other doctors in the state who were willing to prescribe the medications for transgender kids. I truly think that he would still be working if nobody else had been willing to take those kids on as patients. He was, by the way, a white cisgender heterosexual Boomer. I remember when he was introduced to the concept of ‘genderfluid’ because one of our patients on HRT wanted to go off. He said ‘that’s so interesting!’ and immediately went to Google to learn more about it. 

I watched these kids transform. I saw them come into the office the first time, sometimes anxious and uncertain, sometimes sullen and angry. I saw them come in the subsequent times, once they were on hormone therapy, how they gradually became happy and confident in themselves. I saw the smiles on their faces when I gave them a gender marker letter for the DMV. I heard them cheer when I called to tell them I’d gotten HRT approved by insurance and we were calling in a prescription. It was honestly amazing and I will always consider the work I did in that red state with those kids to be something I am incredibly proud of. I was honored to be a part of it.

When I see all this transgender backlash, it’s horrifying, because it was well on the way to become standard and accepted treatment. Insurances started to cover it. Other doctors were learning to prescribe it. And now … it’s fucking illegal? Like what the actual fuck. We have gone so far backwards that it makes me want to cry. I don’t know how to stop this slide. But I wrote this so people would understand exactly how steep the slide is.

[themovieblogonline]

Opening Night of 60th Chicago International Film Festival

John David Washington and Co-writer Virgil Williams on the Red Carpet outside Chicago's Music Box Theater on October 16, 2024, at the Opening Night of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival with the film "The Piano Lesson." (Photo by Connie Wilson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZwjt0pjt8w Opening night of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival kicked off at the Music Box Theater in Chicago with the appearance of John David Washington (“Tenet,” “BlacKkKlansman”) and his brother Malcolm, who directed and co-wrote with Virgil Williams the screenplay for “The Piano Lesson,”  based on an August Wilson play. Both sons of Denzel Washington (who produced) showed up in Chicago to promote the 125-minute film, which was released on August 31st and will screen on Netflix after a November 22nd theatrical release. The synopsis for the film says that the film (based on the stage play) follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano. Present this night to moderate the Q&A following the film was Ron O’Day Parsons, who has directed this particular play 4 times and was very familiar with the works of August Wilson and with the playwright, himself. THE GOOD The cast was terrific, with John David Washington playing the male lead of Boy Willie. Samuel L Jackson is Uncle Doaker and Danielle Deadwyler (“Station 11,” “Till”) ably commanding the screen as Berniece, Boy Willie’s sister. Others supporting the two leads are Ray Fisher as Lyman, Boy Willie’s simple-minded friend, Corey Hawkins as Avery, the preacher-to-be who would like to marry Berniece, and Skylar Aleece Smith as Maretha, the young daughter of Berniece. Erykah Badu appears as Lucille. The films in which Samuel L. Jackson has appeared, including “Pulp Fiction,” have collectively grossed over 25 billion worldwide, making him, by some reckonings, the highest-grossing actor of all time. Watching him work is always a pleasure and he is spot-on as Uncle Doaker. In addition to the acting---which is good, (especially in the climactic scene depicting the blessing of Uncle Doaker’s house)---the music by Alexandre Desplat (“The King’s Speech,” “Argo”) is outstanding and the cinematography by Michael Gioulakis (“It Follows,” “Us”) is also top-notch. FROM THE PODIUM John David Washington and his brother Malcolm seemed genuinely grateful to be present that night to answer questions from the moderator and to show their film to an audience before it went to theaters. While accepting an award from co-chairmen of the festival Mimi Plauche and Vivian Teng John David Washington seemed very genuine when he exclaimed, “I really love what I do, so thank you, Chicago, because this is a really big deal for me.” Read the full article

[kmsml]

T-ara Eunjung Heraldpop Interview ②

Her appearance in daily dramas has diversified her fanbase.

"In the past, many of my fans were around my age and had grown up with me. But now, I’m recognized by a lot of viewers in their 50s and 60s. The way they express their love feels different—it’s almost like how a trot singer is adored. I sometimes think, 'Wow, they really like me this much?' These days, I feel a different kind of passion from this new fandom compared to when I was active with T-ara. There are also younger fans, teenagers, who recognize my songs after watching the drama with their moms and realizing the T-ara songs they used to sing are mine."

In 2021, Ham Eunjung won the Best Supporting Actress award at the KBS Drama Awards for her role in Be my Dream Famly. With Suji and Uri receiving high praise and surpassing 15% viewership, she’s now hoping for another award.

"I really want to win an award, especially the Best Couple Award. Typically, the Best Couple Award goes to actors from major, well-funded dramas that are popular that year. A daily drama couple has never won it,"

"At first, I wanted to win an award individually, but as the end of the drama approaches, those feelings have faded. Now, I really want to win the Best Couple Award with Baek Sunghyun. It would be such a meaningful award and would give a proper conclusion to our work. I want to show that if the chemistry between the male and female leads is great and the team atmosphere is positive, it’s possible to win an award. Baek Sunghyun and I even go to the same salon, so we see each other every day,"

Ham Eunjung, who debuted as an actress before her activities with T-ara, shared her thoughts on both careers:

"I always saw my singing career as an extension of my acting career. It just suits me well. Each song in our music career had its own concept, and the lyrics felt like lines from a script, so it was like acting. In fact, the reason T-ara was so beloved wasn’t just because we had amazing dance moves or vocals, but because our ability to express ourselves on stage was like something out of a theater program. I found joy in seeing it as an extension of acting and approached variety shows like I was filming short dramas. However, I’ve become more cautious with reality shows when I’m focusing on acting. Too many people associate my real-life persona with my characters, and I think it’s respectful to be seen as only the character when working on a project."

[팝인터뷰②]'수지 맞은 우리' 함은정 "일일극 후 팬 다양, 트로트 가수 된 기분" - 헤럴드 POP (heraldpop.com)

[isaiahmendoza]

Week 6

The film And Then We Danced was a fantastic film to watch, it had an amazing ending with the main character, Merab, refusing to back down, showing to the teachers who he truly is and he doesn’t care anymore what people think. It was a journey for Merab to get that way because the film shows these dancers live two lives, one when they’re dancing and when they are not. This concept of having two lives refers back to the reading of Campbell where she states “a ballet could lead a double life, hospitable to those drawn to chivalrous heterosexuality and male homoeroticism at the same time.” (pg.11). What Campbell is describing is that because the stage of dance, with its clothing and performance, is queer itself it causes people to live these double lives making their conflict with their identity.   We see this in the film where Irakli, the other dancer Merab is in love with, having intimate moments with each other while at the dance studio eventually leading them to have sex. Then Irakli leaves the dance studio to be with a girl from his hometown to start a family with. This double life can also be seen with Merab, with the way he dances being more feminine but when he is out in public he tries to hide his queerness from others because he lives in fear of what will happen to him if people find out. What I got from the message of this story is that people who end up living these two lives end up being depressed about both of them, it’s when they decide to live one full one where they are the happiest.

[villainousshakespeare]

In Praise of Tom Hiddleston and Female Directors

As a female director (albeit of Theater and not Film) I have been feeling a little frustrated once again as awards season brings no nominations for women. This led me (as many things do, lol) to thinking about my favorite Muse, Tom Hiddleston.

One of the things that I love about TH is willingness and enthusiasm to work with female directors, and on thinking about it I realized that this allyship has also benefited him as well. Case in point:

1. His first movie, Unrelated, was directed by Joanna Hogg. Now, of course all of us see Hiddles as the perfect Beautiful Boy but imagine if this movie had been directed by a man. In that case, Oakley, the handsome younger man who charms and tempts the 40 something woman, would almost certainly be cast with some young beef cake actor, or at very least had them bulk up in order to play the role. This is who male directors seem to think we desire. Instead, Hogg casts TH and boy does she sell him. Oakley is a little shit, but the way he is lit, framed, directed makes him all but irresistible. The female gaze sees all of his ethereal beauty and shares it with us.

2. Next we have my personal favorite, Henry V in The Hollow Crown. In his big leading episode, Tom is once again directed by a woman, Thea Sharrock. Again, look at how his is shot. The female gaze follows him riding in like a hero from our collective imagination in his opening shot. He is strong and dangerous, savage even at times, without ever loosing that thread of empathy that Henry struggles to clamp down. And do I even have to mention the proposal scene? Watch that and tell me it isn’t pure wish fulfillment for the majority of people who fancy men. I liked him when I watched Loki, but Hollow Crown made me fall so deep down the rabbit hole that I may never climb out again (and honestly, I’m okay with this).

3. Lastly, we come to the role that pushed him over the edge into superstardom, The Night Manager. Can there be any doubt that this miniseries was directed by a woman? The entire show was an advertisement for how gorgeous he is. Yes, there are some lovely shots of Elizabeth Debicki in various states of undress, but Pine is the major eye candy here. See him in finely tailored suits, see him astride a motorcycle, see him bathing, both in a waterfall and in a shower covered in mud, see his much lauded English countryside looking all round and pert... it just goes on and on. It is not just the visual that Susana Biers gets either. Unlike other spies of film and television, Jonathan is emotional, chivalrous, and above all intelligent. Tom nails the role and the world loved him for it.

I am not saying that male directors do not make Tom look good (hello Conrad’s arms) or play to his strengths (see the psychological beauty of Adam). I just believe there is something to be said for the qualities that female directors can bring out. 

In short (ha, sorry, this ran on looooong, lol) Tom trusts women directors more than many of his fellow actors, and I think the results are that he shows a vulnerability in his work that helps make him more than just another action star. Women have helped make him the actor he is today, and I don’t believe the fact that his last two directors were women is an accident. He said in his interview for Leading Lady Parts that he needed to work with more directors (he had worked with five at that point I believe) and he has been as good as his word. Another reason to love this man.

* I also want to make a special shout out to stage director Josey Rourke, who has the career that I want and gave us this amazing contribution:

[swingsetindecember]

Okay, you keep talking about Padme getting girls excited about sci-fi, and a lack of female protagonists... is it just an age-proximity thing? Because she's young? I mean, Natalie Portman is the best thing about the prequels (maybe tied with Ewan McGregor), but... did y'all not have Voyager, DS9, Stargate SG-1 in Canada?

the cultural zeitgeist that was star wars prequels is hard to ignore. padme was introduced as a leader. she wasn't objectified on screen. her costumes were works of art. she was fighting for her planet and it was inspiring to a lot of girls in a time when films and tv weren't giving space for that narrative to be told.

also i would say star trek on tv was in the 90s and 00s was really sexist. even as a kid i would get frustrated that the action parts of the show weren't for the female characters and the interesting plots.

like crusher and troi only got to fight and lead teams in the later films. the actors actually speak about this a lot. troi and crusher centric stories were always gross. like troi getting impregnated without her consent. and natasha tar, like they did her so dirty. and kes in voyager would basically be on screen to give a vibe check and she would spend an episode needing to be rescued or resting. and let's talk about seven of nine? like the actor also talks about the sexism and toxicity of the show runners. even the actor who played carter had to push for her to be wearing the same clothes as the male leads.

so like, sci-fi wasn't a welcoming place for girls. you had to suffer for a bit of positive representation. like i don't know if we were watching the same shows but they weren't geared to women. they had more women on the show but like god, the story arcs were rough.

the prequels made padme an important figure. she was heavily featured on merch. i mean it seems like no big deal now but let me tell you, you could get a padme lunch box, that was pretty much unheard of for other female sci-fi characters. she had halloween costumes. the movie book adaptations had her on the dust jacket. she was on a can of pepsi. like padme was everywhere. so no, it wasn't just an age thing. she was given front stage in a major sci-fi film and she was a hero. the phantom menace got a lot of girls interested in sci-fi in a time when you had to swallow a lot of bitter pills to enjoy mainstream sci-fi if you were a woman. and this doesn't even scratch the surface of the lack of diversity in sci-fi.

[tooktheladdedgbtq]

....and the Oscar goes to.. | Tom Holland X Male!actor reader. 

A/N: this was just something I wrote because I got inspired I guess. Happy Pride everyone!

——————————————

You couldn’t decide whether time was slipping through your fingers too quickly or if this had been the longest night you’d ever experienced.

seconds slowed to a crawl while you tried to gather yourself before it was your turn to take the stage. You were nervous. Not about being at the oscars or presenting for the first time. Not even about being nominated for your leading role in the second installment of a critically acclaimed trilogy. No, you’d been used to these sorts of things, you’d been an actor since you were a very young kid. Starting on television before film, and you even got to hold the Emmy the show had won when you had just turned a teenager.

No, you were nervous about who exactly you’d be presenting to. Of the five nominees and potential winners, only one could cause such an intensive feeling in your chest. Only one could awaken a sense of dread that battled with a feeling of intensive happiness mixed with anticipation, and it was Tom.

You’d known each other for years and had come to fall in love. You’d met as young co-stars on set and eventually grew into an inseparable friendship that progressed into something far more. Neither of you were sure when the feelings started but it felt like they’d always been there and you weren’t exactly complaining.

Your blissfulness with Tom was beautiful but short lived. After almost a year of being official you both agreed to take a break from the relationship. Unbeknownst to Tom you were just agreeing to save face and hadn’t pried for an answer out of fear of being hurt. You just accepted that this was how things were now, and took a step back.

You’d still kept in contact with him. It was hard not to. He was still your best friend. But whether it was the business of work or something a little more awkward, distance grew between you both as the multi-hour long facetime calls and text threads became once-a-week check-ins to just make sure you were alive and okay.

Time had passed, and you didn’t have a clue what you could possibly say to him now. You certainly didn’t want to ruin his special night. But you’d missed him so much and felt like you would implode at the first sign that he’d be interested in getting back together with you. But you also didn’t want to seem desperate or needy if he’d moved on. You didn’t want to slip and say those three words again in the moment.

Father time showed you no mercy as the sand in his hourglass suddenly shifted from a slow-motion drip to a flood. The seconds you’d spent daydreaming of your past with Tom and pondering about the your potential future had passed and left you with little time to gather yourself before presenting. still you shook your hands, arms, and lastly shoulders, putting all your worries aside and waited for introduction from the host.

Before long you’d been counted in to walking on stage, and heard the host over the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, to present the award and introduce the nominees for Best Supporting Actor, please welcome one of this year’s nominees and one of our generation’s greatest talents: Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

The applause erupts from the audience like a revved up engine as you took center but it was nothing compared to the standing ovation you’d receive later on that night when receiving your own award for Best Actor.

You were stood promptly center staged with the towering Oscar statue reflecting onto the black stage floor beneath your feet. Your outfit was alluring and would surely be the next hot topic which is rare for male stars. You looked like a million bucks. Everyone knew it, most of all, Tom.

You smile and wave as you approach the microphone, your teeth shining a blinding white, and wait for a hush from the crowd.

You chuckle lightly as a few hoots and hollers sound out as the cheers subside.

You eye the monitor across the room and start to read, your nerves dying down as your jokes land and laughter echoes around the room.

As you finish the introduction, clips start to show behind you to accompany the names of the nominees as the cameras catch a glimpse of each of their reactions.

You couldn’t help but notice how tough the competition was as each actor was called. Steven Yuen playing a detective in a thrilling murder mystery. John David Washington in a fictional film playing the world’s first black astronaut aiding in the discovery of lovecraftian horrors. Andrew Garfield for his role as a psychotic narcissist and genius businessman. Oscar Issac acting in a sci fi space opera asking questions of existentialism.

Finally, you had to withhold your smile as you called out the last name. He had returned to his Billy Elliot roots being nominated for his role in a astonishing musical romance film. “Tom Holland.” You’d been ecstatic when he’d told you about it as you’d always recommend he tried it again since it made him so happy in his younger years.

You spot him a few rows from the stage, making eye contact with him and wondering if he was thinking about you the way you had done with him earlier. You couldn’t help but notice him squirming in his chair and fidgeting with his hands. Selfishly asking yourself if this wasn’t just about the award but about having you present it to him.

Seeing you here after what felt like an eternity apart and your reunion potentially being the greatest achievement of both your careers. Making it the greatest night of your lives, that is, if you were still together. But you were still best friends. That’s what mattered. So you push your self centered thoughts aside and shoot him a small wave that he returns with a smile and thumbs up. letting you know he was okay and that you could continue as the camera pans back to you capturing your not so hidden giddiness.

This awarded some small oos and aahs from the crowd as your relationship with him had been a wholly celebrated one. especially among your marvel peers.

You’re handed an envelope and statue as the music ends and the applause dies down and you take one final glare into the camera before beginning to open the envelope.

“....and the Oscar goes to,” you take a peek at the crowd and see some of the nominees holding hands with loved ones. others plainly

awaiting your next words with bated breath. The anticipation shone on everyone’s faces. Even those that weren’t nominated. Your not-so-hidden grin giving away the answer mere milliseconds before his name escaped your lips. “Tom Holland!”

Tom shot up with a shared expression of shock and happiness on his face. Pecking his mother on the cheek as she wipes the tears of pride from her eyes. His best mate Harrison gives him a quick embrace and a pat on the back before he moves on to shake hands with the director and smile at everyone cheering him on as he gradually moves toward the stage still completely baffled at the victory.

As he walks towards you in his pink pastel colored suit and brown leather dress shoes you can’t help but swell with an overwhelming feeling of joy having been here to share this career defining moment with him. You thought about how far you’d both come to get here and almost started tearing up remembering all you’d been through together.

He skipped up the miniature steps and blanketed you with both arms. You didn’t want it to end as you hadn’t felt it in a while. You threw your arms around his neck and he tightens his hold around your torso. Before you could even process them, your blunt thoughts spill out as whispers.

“I’m so incredibly proud of you. you deserve this and so much more.” you hear a small chuckle escape him as he responds. “I am trying not to cry y’know mate?” a wolf whistle comes from the crowd as you apologize for being so sappy and before he can tell you off for it you hand him his award and shove him off toward the microphone.

As he takes center stage you stand off to the side to watch him give his acceptance speech. He pauses and takes a second to gather himself before he starts talking straight from his heart with nothing prepared.

“Um, Wow. I really can’t believe this is really happening and I probably still won’t believe it happened tomorrow. Just.. wow.” his words were filled with that charmingly British accent you’d come to love so much.

“First I would like to thank my mother, without whom of course, I would not be here. I would like to thank the academy and everyone who worked on this movie from the producers and camera men, make-up and costumes, to our wonderful writers, composer, back up dancers and vocalists, and of course my friends, my co-star and the director Damien Chazelle.” whom he gestures to sitting in the second row. “I share this with all of you and I can’t thank you enough for awarding me with the opportunity to create something I love so much.”

He thanks the other nominees before turns towards you to end his speech. you felt your heart in your hands when you saw his big brown puppy eyes dart in your direction with an intensive glare of admiration.

“last but most importantly, I want to thank the inspiration for all of the love songs I sung in the film and the reason I decided to take the role. The person standing here on my right.”

Your jaw drops and your eyes widen when his words hit you like a speeding semi. you realize that he’d just called you his muse in so many words. the inspiration behind the love songs in the film no less. Meaning that with every lovestruck note his character sung he was reminded of you. All that time spent worrying if the distance between you two would cause him to forget about you, or if he’d maybe moved on and found somebody else. But no such thing had happened. He was relating his character’s longing in the film to his longing for you this entire time and that made your heart do a backflip.

You blush and cover your still ajar mouth with your fist whilst trying not to pay attention to the crowd who’s attention was fully focused on you.

He takes a deep sigh before continuing. “Y/N you’re not only the reason I took this role, but you’re the reason I was able to play it with such sincerity. You’ve been a unwavering beacon of support throughout my career in general but here you really gave me the inspiration for something special. He faces the audience again as the all follow his words with whispers of how adorable you both were. “from reading lines together in the middle of the night, to keeping me company when i’m on the brink of a meltdown.” It was all true and it only made you miss you relationship more and you found it difficult to hold back your tears.

“Y/N is the kind of best friend everybody needs, the kind of partner everybody deserves, and the person I’m so incredibly lucky to have known for so long. ..and I still can’t believe he never figured out the lyrics were all about him, It was kind of obvious-” the audience laughed you’re so close to swooning as he turns toward you again. “But, with all my heart, I love you, Y/N. Always will.” you feel as if you’re floating.

He shifts to the crowd one last time to say a final thank you before you both walk off stage one arm around one another’s shoulders. You have a short but sweet conversation backstage with him where reassures you that everything he said on stage was true and completely unscripted. He wants to talk more but knows your category is coming soon so he asks for a later opportunity and you agree before returning to your seat in the crowd.

The rest of the night flew by with you winning the award for best actor and receiving the biggest applause of the night. Tom joined in the standing ovation. You thanked everybody involved in making the film, the academy, and squeezed a little joke directed towards Tom that garnered a shared laugh from both him and the audience. You were the last award of the night and after the celebrations it was time to return to your place, where Tom was waiting for you. Wanting to talk about everything that had happened not just tonight but everything leading up to it. He also hoped you’d kept a spot open in your heart for him to return to.

[jgroffdaily]

The author of a March 2007 feature on Spring Awakening, Brian Keith Jackson, tweeted a link to his New York magazine article. Excerpts:

As spring nears, bringing with it warmer air, a sharp uptick in life lust, and the Tonys, the Spring Awakening juggernaut shows no sign of slowing. The production, which gestated for seven years, is the Little Miss Sunshine of Broadway. Based on Frank Wedekind’s once-banned 1891 play, it’s also the most touchingly wholesome rock musical ever to feature simulated teenage intercourse. These kids channel love, friendship, and compassion along with a healthy sense of repression and rage. There’s a real sweetness on that stage (not to mention one real coupling), and now the young actors are effectively pop stars. 

Among a generation not exactly known for flocking to musicals, they’ve set off a whole new wave of swooning, YouTubing fandom. Brian Keith Jackson spoke with them about the show, their lives, and what they listen to when they’re not singing “The Bitch of Living.”

2. Jonathan Groff Plays Melchior, the male lead, and one of the more heartbroken characters. Age 21. Has been with the show for a year. From Lancaster, Pennsylvania—grandfather was a Mennonite preacher. Moved to New York in October 2005. Has been a waiter. On his family seeing him onstage: “The only time it was a little awkward was when it was Off Broadway. I asked if they wanted to sit onstage [where a few audience members sit], but I put them on the side that doesn’t see my ass, because I thought, That’s gonna be weird. But the problem was while I was doing the hayloft [sex] scene with Lea, my parents were right over her shoulder.” Preshow ritual: “Spend time with Lea.” Typical night out: “Go home and watch the DVR of American Idol.” Favorite book: “A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving.” On his iPod: “Rufus Wainwright. I don’t know what album it’s on. [Singing] ‘Men reading fashion magazines.’ Do you know which one I’m talking about?” Want One? “Yeah, that’s it. [Singing] ‘My phone’s on vibrate for you.’ ”

3. Skylar Astin Plays Georg, who’s crushed out on his busty piano teacher. Age 19. With the show for two years. From Rockland County. Dating Lauren Pritchard.On meeting a certain Long Islander: “When Billy Joel came, I freaked. He said, ‘I really love the way you play the piano.’ ” On days off: “I rest. I swear, I’ll join a gym soon.” Ideal night out: “Oh, my God. I don’t drink or smoke or anything like that. I’m kind of boring.” Favorite film: GoodFellas. Most difficult thing about dating a co-star: “Absolutely nothing.” [Lauren, below, concurs.]

5. John Gallagher Jr. Plays Moritz, whose parents truly, and tragically, don’t understand. Age 22. From Wilmington, Delaware. Has been with the production for two years. In a band called Old Springs Pike. Says Spring Awakening has made him a better singer in part by teaching him how to take better care of his voice. On meeting celebrities: “When it happens, you go home and think, Whatever, that was my job tonight. Then a few weeks later you say, ‘Wait a minute, I did shake Steven Spielberg’s hand!’ Kevin Kline was a huge one, because he was so nice.” Favorite movie: “The Last Waltz.” On his iPod: “Sadly, mine just broke. But I’m obsessed with this band called the Avett Brothers, from North Carolina.”

[themovieblogonline]

Opening Night of 60th Chicago International Film Festival

John David Washington and Co-writer Virgil Williams on the Red Carpet outside Chicago's Music Box Theater on October 16, 2024, at the Opening Night of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival with the film "The Piano Lesson." (Photo by Connie Wilson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZwjt0pjt8w Opening night of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival kicked off at the Music Box Theater in Chicago with the appearance of John David Washington (“Tenet,” “BlacKkKlansman”) and his brother Malcolm, who directed and co-wrote with Virgil Williams the screenplay for “The Piano Lesson,”  based on an August Wilson play. Both sons of Denzel Washington (who produced) showed up in Chicago to promote the 125-minute film, which was released on August 31st and will screen on Netflix after a November 22nd theatrical release. The synopsis for the film says that the film (based on the stage play) follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano. Present this night to moderate the Q&A following the film was Ron O’Day Parsons, who has directed this particular play 4 times and was very familiar with the works of August Wilson and with the playwright, himself. THE GOOD The cast was terrific, with John David Washington playing the male lead of Boy Willie. Samuel L Jackson is Uncle Doaker and Danielle Deadwyler (“Station 11,” “Till”) ably commanding the screen as Berniece, Boy Willie’s sister. Others supporting the two leads are Ray Fisher as Lyman, Boy Willie’s simple-minded friend, Corey Hawkins as Avery, the preacher-to-be who would like to marry Berniece, and Skylar Aleece Smith as Maretha, the young daughter of Berniece. Erykah Badu appears as Lucille. The films in which Samuel L. Jackson has appeared, including “Pulp Fiction,” have collectively grossed over 25 billion worldwide, making him, by some reckonings, the highest-grossing actor of all time. Watching him work is always a pleasure and he is spot-on as Uncle Doaker. In addition to the acting---which is good, (especially in the climactic scene depicting the blessing of Uncle Doaker’s house)---the music by Alexandre Desplat (“The King’s Speech,” “Argo”) is outstanding and the cinematography by Michael Gioulakis (“It Follows,” “Us”) is also top-notch. FROM THE PODIUM John David Washington and his brother Malcolm seemed genuinely grateful to be present that night to answer questions from the moderator and to show their film to an audience before it went to theaters. While accepting an award from co-chairmen of the festival Mimi Plauche and Vivian Teng John David Washington seemed very genuine when he exclaimed, “I really love what I do, so thank you, Chicago, because this is a really big deal for me.” Read the full article