#and are always each other's biggest supporters including at awards shows and stuff

[blurrypxls]

Fatal, this attraction Yeah, we might just end up crashin' But I'm ready if it happens with you Meet me out in Cali when I'm far away from family And I need someone to hold onto

[writernada]

10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring

Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.

Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:

1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.

In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.

Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":

"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."

Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.

In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.

One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"

Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.

That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".

2-  Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."

David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics

Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.

Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics

Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:

Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:

The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the  2014 Olympics:

3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:

In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.

Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."

After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.

The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:

In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:

"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."

Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:

After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.

For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.

At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.

4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:

After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.

Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"

Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:

5-  Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:

At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:

6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:

Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.

Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:

Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.

Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:

According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.

During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.

In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.

Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:

The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:

7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:

After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".

Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:

8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:

Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".

Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:

Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.

Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:

9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.

During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.

Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:

Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.

Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:

When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"

Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.

The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.

10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:

Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.  

Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.

Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:

https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz

[emotions-ew]

A Collection of Queer Country Artists and Songs for anyone who doesn’t feel like there’s country music they can relate to...

There is this idea that country music is like just Republican men singing about beer, and trucks and also Jesus,  and that is kind of fair because loads of it is but there are some cool as hell queer/lgbtq+ country artists. Finding those and finding that representation in a genre of music I was literally raised on kind of changed my life in a tiny way and I wanted to share that.

(This is by no means a comprehensive list and also I’m basing the “Country” part of this sometimes on my subjective opinion/limited music knowledge so yuh please don’t hate me if I get some wrong)

Also link below for a Spotify playlist of my favourite gay/gayish country music, some mentioned in this post some not, (with a title that isn’t obviously gay for anyone who can’t openly listen to gay stuff on their public accounts for whatever reason) so feel free to skip the massive essay and just jump straight to that. And pretty please repost if I missed anyone/ any songs you love.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KB6PmUxnpkU7lih8Bysvw

Artists To Follow:

Chely Wright

- Right off the bat, Chely Wright is a legend and I’m in love with her. So, in the 90′s Chely Wright was kind of a huge deal. She started her career as a singer/songwriter and released her first album in ‘94, which was critically acclaimed although never reached the commercial success of her later works. By ‘97 she was really hitting her stride, dropping her breakout hit “Shut up and Drive” (a personal favourite of mine) followed two years later by the biggest hit of her career “Single White Female”. Throughout all that Chely Wright was, to the world, a good old fashioned, heterosexual southern gal. Privately it was a bit of a different story. She had public relationships with male country artists, all while pursuing a secret decade long relationship with a woman. 

I hadn’t ever really heard a Chely Wright song until a few years ago so I never knew about her music or career pre-coming out but I do know that even though by the time she came out in 2010 she was by no means at the height of her fame Chely Wright is kind of one of the biggest names in country music to be out and proud (in my opinion) and I love her like an insane amount. I literally play her music in my car when I have passengers just so I can be like “fun fact this singer is actually gay-” and then subject them to a lengthy explanation of her entire career. She came out with an album and a memoir and the album is my favourite of her work because it’s so fucking raw and because I relate to most of it immensely. Anyways Chely Wright went fucking through it in her journey to being her authentic self and now she’s out and proud and married to a woman and they have a family together and I’m a fucking sucker for a happy ending and y’all should add her to every playlist you have. And on top of that her music is genuinely good. Coming out undoubtedly damaged her career but I think that

Brandi Carlile 

- As far as I can tell Brandi Carlile has been out her whole career. I feel like this list is just going to be me saying “I’m in love with her” about a bunch of women old enough to be my mother but in my defence, I am honestly in love with her. She’s been making music since she was like, seventeen, and has had a bunch of massive hits, as a singer, songwriter, and producer. If you want to cry kind of happy tears listen to her performance of “Bring my Flowers Now” with Tanya Tucker. She’s won Grammy’s and CMT awards and she’s done it all as an out Queer woman. She’s also a founding member of The Highwomen, an all-female country music group who released their first album in 2019, comprised of Carlile, Marren Morris, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires. I really love this band because they’re four artists who are immensely successfully in their own right collabing, much like the Highwaymen, and their music is phenomenal while also being a fuck you to mainstream country music and their inability to properly represent women in country music spaces. 

She’s been married to a woman (smoking hot and also brilliant) since 2012 and they have two kids together and if you want to cry (again) then you have to listen to her song “Mother” about her eldest daughter. A queer country artist absolutely worth adding to all your playlists. 

Brooke Eden

- As I understand it Eden came out publicly in January of this year. She’s engaged to Hilary Hoover, who she’s been dating since 2015 apparently. I can’t even imagine the pressure that must be on a person and how stressful it would be to keep a relationship secret from the whole world for years and personally I think they’re a cute as hell couple and I wish them literally all the happiness in the world. 

Brooke Eden has a few older songs that I think are really good, my favourite being “Act Like You Don’t”, and while her new stuff isn’t my usual country vibe I am a sucker for literally anything gay and it is legally my gay duty to stream any song that she releases to support my fellow queer. It’s quite different to anything Wright or Carlile sing but I actually kind of love that because it shows that country music of all different shapes and sizes and styles can be sung by queer artists. 

Amythyst Kiah

- Okay so I am a very new listener to Amythyst Kiah, but her music is literally so beautiful it would be a straight up sin to not include her on this list. Her music is country-blues-roots esq (more roots than country, I think?) and her voice is so unique. She grew up in Chattanooga and has been playing music since childhood. She recently made her Opry debut which is fucking awesome. She also belongs to a band called Our Native Daughters, described as “A supergroup of Black women in traditional music”. Their debut album “Songs of Our Native Daughters” did numbers and I haven’t listened to the whole thing but my favourite so far are “Black Myself” and “I Knew I Could Fly” so y’all add that to your playlists along with “Wild Turkey” by Amythyst Kiah because holy hell her voice on that will blow your mind.

Steve Grand

-        The first man to make this list, he should frankly be honoured. Grand has been an out and proud gay man making country music since like 2013, and I have so much respect for an artist who chose to simply never be in, choosing instead to simply write gay ass songs about being in love with men and letting the chips fall where they man. His music is always going to have a special place in my heart and, he’s cute so if you’re into men and music by men give him a google. add him to your playlists, his All-American Boy album is literally just a dozen songs that are perfect to yell-sing along to.

Katie Pruitt

-        Not hugely knowledgeable on Katie Pruitt but her music makes me feel crazy intense emotions and is absolutely gay

 Honorable Mention Artists I haven’t Really Listened to But Who I Know to be gay thanks to google and might be your thing so totally check them out:

Brandy Clark

Ty Herndon

Shelly Fairchild

Lavendar Country

Trixie Mattel

Cameron Hawthorn

Drop any other names of artists or songs you know of 

 Specific Songs That Make Me Fucking Cry or (in good and bad ways (but always in a gay way)) or basically are just gay as hell:

If She Ever Leaves Me; The Highwomen

- So, this album came out about a week before my first (and only) girlfriend broke up with me. The general gist of the song is a woman singing about how her loved isn’t ever going to leave her but if she does it sure as hell won’t be for a creepy man in a bar. A little ironic that I felt I related to it so intensely, considering she did in fact leave me. There’s this one lyric that goes “I’ve loved her in secret/I’ve lover here out loud/the sky hasn’t always been blue” and my girlfriend and I were crazy deep in the closet so I drew her a cute little picture of a grey cloud and on the back I wrote that lyric and I gave it to her and to me it was kind of a promise that one day I’d get a chance to love her out loud and even though I never actually did this song is forever going to make me cry because of the little bit of hope that lyric gave me and the way it’s inclusion on this overwhelmingly mainstream country album made me feel like acceptance was just that little bit closer. 

 All American Boy; Steve Grand

- Definitely one of the first gay country songs I ever heard, and Steve Grand didn’t once sacrifice a scrap of country for the gay. It’s beautiful, it’s a little sad, it’s hopeful. It’s forever going to hold a special place in my heart and the music videos is kind of one of my favourites ever. I found this song before I found myself and the way it made my heart warm should have been a stronger sign than I took it to be. 

Like Me; Chely Wright

- When you love someone you kind of make it your mission to know them in a way that no one else can. This song by Chely Wright is sort of an ode to that, and how even once you lost someone, you’re still going to know every little thing about them. On top of that it sort of speaks to the idea that all these things Wright learned about this woman, she learned in secret and she knew her and loved her in secret and now that they’re gone from each other she’s left with all of this knowledge and all of these questions and no one to answer them. I love the way it’s so slow and the melody and her voice, the way it’s low and a little raspy, make this one of my favourite Chely Wright songs.

The Mother; Brandi Carlile

-        Sorry but a song about being a mother by a queer woman is going to make me cry every time and actually I’m not that sorry. It’s quite a simple song, if any song written by Brandi Carlile can ever be described as ‘simple’, it’s an ode to her daughter. My favourite line is “you are not an accident/where no one thought it through” because it speaks to the fact that in order for queer women to have a kid together they have to want it so damn bad and also I just like the way her voice sounds on that line. This song is also the perfect thing to listen to if you ever for a second feel like being gay/queer is going to stand in the way of you having a family because it absolutely doesn’t have to and if that’s something you want, you can have it. Don’t let people try and convince you otherwise.

Loving Her; Katie Pruitt

-        Unapologetic gay love. Opening a song with “If loving hers a sin, I don’t wanna go to heaven” is a fucking baller move and she went there. The lyrics are beautiful, and her voice is phenomenal. It could be a sad song, about confronting religious repression and grappling with what that means for your love, but instead its triumphant. Katie Pruitt doesn’t give a fuck if you have a problem because she’s going to write songs for her lover.

Jesus From Texas; Semler

-        Not actually totally sure this is a country song, but it has the words ‘Jesus’ and ‘Texas’ in the title so I feel safe including it in this list. Honestly, I don’t really know why I relate so hard to this song. Like, I wasn’t really raised with religion, so I don’t know what it is about this funky little tune that makes me want to sob but there’s something about this tune that makes me want to do whatever the opposite of get up and dance is, but like, in a good way.

Lovin’ Again; Steve Grand

-        Breakup song that ends kind of positively? So good to sing along to at high, high volumes. The idea that losing someone doesn’t have to mean losing yourself and just because you can’t love them doesn’t mean you’re not ever going to love again. But also kind of about how it’s hard to get over someone, I don’t know it’s just good.

Cryin’ These Cocksucking Tears; Lavender Country

-        Jesus christ if this isn’t the coolest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Sorry but a gay country group formed in 1972 who dropped possibly the first gay themed country album, and this was the title of one of the songs. God I am in love.

 Songs that (to me) are a little fruity or that I just relate to in a gay way:

Picket Fences; Chely Wright

-          Chely Wright is gay but this song came out long before she did and when she wrote it, it wasn’t supposed to be gay which is why it’s in this section and not the previous. The reason it’s included at all is because frankly ma’am, Mrs Wright, it’s a little fruity. And I feel a little bad for joking because honestly to me, the way I hear this song and knowing the context (that Wright was deeply closeted at the time she wrote and released it), it’s kind of just sad. The general gist of the song is Wright asking what’s so great about a traditional lifestyle anyways. It could be read as a woman genuinely questioning why we push that expectation that she’ll have two kids and a husband and a picket fence lifestyle, or even could be read as a woman who’s trying to deflect how much she does in fact want that, you have to listen and form your own opinion. But to me, it feels like a woman who’s desperately trying to justify why she doesn’t want that life not because she can’t have it, but she knows it will never be right for her. I don’t know it’s hard to explain I just feel like this song is a little bit gay even though I’m sure she didn’t intend that.

Sinning with You; Sam Hunt

-          Sorry but this song is gay. Sorry but you can’t write the lines “I never felt like I was sinning with you/Always felt like I could talk to God in the morning” and “if it’s so wrong why did it feel so right” and “But I never felt shame, never felt sorry/Never felt guilty touching your body” and not to mention the opening line of “raised in the first pew/praises for yeshua/case of a small town repression”, and expect to not sit in my car sobbing as I realised that while I never felt like what we did was a sin she absolutely did, and wishing I could have told her that I was sorry for making her carry the weight of both our souls but also that it wasn’t a sin and nothing in the world could feel that good and be that bad and it isn’t right that she had to be so ashamed of something that was just so good. Sam Hunt actually said after he wrote the song that while it was reflection on his own relationship with faith he genuinely hopes that people in the lgbtq community can like find comfort or whatever in his words and like go off king, we stan an ally.

  How do I Get There; Deana Carter

-          This ones easy, it’s about falling in love with your best friend and suddenly realising you want more than just friendship with them. Sorry Deana, that’s gay. In my Deana Carter of like Year 10 I played this song on repeat and screamed along to the lyrics as though singing it hard enough would make her like me back.

[faedawayyy]

SIBLINGS I DESPERATELY WANT - FEMALES

the back stories are very specific but fc’s are up for debate, i guess. 

HADLEE QUINN TW: SEXUAL ABUSE 

21 or 22  OCCUPATION/STUDYING: up to you. SEXUALITY: up to you.

hadlee and brielle always had a rocky relationship. yes, brielle was the child of teen parents but they had hadlee four years younger at just 13/14. she’s gotten used to growing up with the bare minimum and still idolises her parents.  when brielle opened up about her dad, she refused to believe her. she idolises their parents and thought brielle was just attention seeking as usual. this fractured their relationship and bond even more.  now that brielle has moved out, she is starting to experience some of the stuff that her younger sister did. she’s just too proud/afraid to admit it because she feels like if she pushes away her parents, she’ll lose everything. personality: creative, individual, a little quirky at times, friendly but also quite emotionally detached and distant. she always wanted that picture perfect life in high school but was also sympathetic to the fact that her parents were poor and doing their best.

NATES SISTERS: THIS FAMILY IS SO PRECIOUS OMG.

LILIANNA ‘LILLIE’ HARWOOD

27  - 6TH MARCH, PISCES  OCCUPATION/STUDYING: it’s your choice SEXUALITY: asexual   lilianna is the oldest of the harwood siblings and she’s that cool older sibling that the other sisters so desperately wanted to be. she’s the trend-setter of the family and it’s pretty clear to see that taylor, posie, nate and evie have adopted personality traits of hers. she spent her teen years having to fight them off and lock her door to stop them from pestering her.  other than being witty and sarcastic, lilianna was born an over-achiever. she was the only one out of her siblings to attend a private school outside of the springs because she got the grade for a good scholarship. she then set her sights on cambridge for university to study medicine. nobody knows why, but she would put insane amounts of pressure on herself to be a good role-model for the others and was almost like a third parent.  in her second year at cambridge, she eventually burnt out and her mental health broke down. she couldn’t help but feel like she’d spent her early and mid-twenties working, stressing and over-achieving and she missed out on all of the messiness that comes with it.  a secret of hers is that despite being open about her sexuality since she was around 18, she’s never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. it’s just never happened for her and now she’s seeing her younger siblings date, she’s starting to feel pressured to find somebody. however, she feels like in such a sex-positive generation, it’ll be hard for her to find somebody who accepts her for who she is. she still lives at home by choice and nate’s parents are eager to normalise that young adults/twenty-somethings CAN still live at home. with lilianna’s anxiety still pretty rocky, they’d prefer it that way anyway.

TAYLOR HARWOOD 

26 - 21ST APRIL, TAURUS  OCCUPATION/STUDYING: acting and modelling  SEXUALITY: heterosexual 

if lilianna is the cool, trend-setting older sister then taylor is the *spice* in the family that her other siblings could sometimes do without. it shouldn’t be mistaken; ALL of the harwood siblings love each other and they’re probably as close as families come, but from the moment she was born, taylor had it clear that she was the star. think kim kardashian vs. her sisters; she’s the stand-out and loves to have all eyes on her. she’d be the one signing up for her school’s productions, forcing the others to put on shows for their parents and constantly stealing lilianna’s clothes to sneak out of the house in.  taylor was in stage school from a very young age and during her first year in high school, her mother agreed to fly out to los angeles with her and her agent to audition for different productions; this is where she landed vicotrious. everybody was excited for her and taylor was sure she’d got her big break. as everybody knows, victorious was a huge success and she became a household name at a very young age.  taylor dropped out of school and was schooled on set while she worked. their mother spent most of her time in los angeles while the other siblings stayed home with their dad. in what would have been taylor’s last year of high school, victrious was cancelled and ended. since then, it’s been a struggle to get any work and she eventually moved back home. this was a hard transition for taylor. she felt as if she was washed up at 18 and had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. she went back to school for her final year but was severely bullied by jealous girls and people who were eager to see her downfall from the start. one girl even rewarded her the “biggest has-been” award which completely humiliated her at her graduation after party. unlike lilianna though, rather than retreating and taking some time for herself, she threw herself into more smaller projects. she has a determination to make it and when she got into st judes, it felt like a new chapter for her. she’s already moved out and has her own apartment downtown but happily comes home to see her siblings as much as she can. her life’s goal is to make sure that nobody ever forgets taylor harwood.

POSIE HARWOOD 

25 - 5th AUGUST, LEO  OCCUPTATION: model SEXUALITY: heterosexual 

posie was named after her grandmother; josephine ‘posie’ harwood. compared to her other siblings - nate included - she’s always been more laidback. her parents (and lilianna) more or less dragged her through school kicking and screaming. she rarely had motivation to do anything and just wanted an easy life. more or less the complete opposite of lilianna and taylor.  since posie grew up under two huge personalities with big ambitions, she definitely got to fly under the radar a lot and neglected typical responsibilities you have to remember when you grow up. for example, she got away with dropping ice-skating when all of her siblings were made to stay in extra curricular activities, her grades were never as good as her sisters and all in all, she wore the ‘family disappointment’ badge with pride. she’s quite content with riding their coat-tails for as long as she can.  although lazy, posie is also extremely social and loves meeting people and having fun. she had the most typical teenage years with fake i.d.’s, a string of good for nothing boyfriend’s and riding on temporary highs. her siblings know her as soft and loving, but to people outside the family, she definitely has the label of being the more argumentative one.  when taylor was being picked on in school, it was posie who put things to rest by punching the girl in the face. when a boy broke evie’s heart, it’d be posie to serve him revenge. on top of that, she’s aware that she’s beautiful and her favourite thing to do is string people along, get what she needs from them and then move on to the next best thing.

EVELYN ‘EVIE’ HARWOOD  TW: GROOMING

18 - JANUARY 4TH, CAPRICORN  OCCUPATION: you pick.  SEXUALITY: you pick.

evie is the youngest of the family and adores every single one of her siblings, although by default she’s probably closest to posie and nate. like most little sisters, she’s got a bit of each sibling in her.  but alongside this, she’s also struggled to find her own identity and would often cling to the others in order to feel included and like she had direction in life. evie struggles with dyslexia - a common learning disability - and never found school easy. she’d always had tutoring and that was ramped up when it came to her exams. all of her siblings also pitched in to help her; lillianna with science, posie with english and nate with maths...taylor was a little too busy, but offered the moral support. she passed her exams and she still has it down as one of the best days of her life because she definitely thought she’d be the first one in the family to fail.  after seeing how much fun posie and nate were having at st judes, she decided to try her luck and was even more surprised when she was accepted there too. for the first time in her life, it felt like she was getting somewhere on her own and she was.  her first year at the school has been quiet and she’s struggled a little to form friendships without the guidance of her older siblings. the bigger personalities have definitely overwhelmed her but she’s slowly finding her feet. one person who has particularly been a good support system for her has been her tutor, who helps her manage her dyslexia when lectures and assignments come around. he’s always boosting her up and has at times let her get a better grade than she would’ve got by editing her assignments for her. there have been a few times where she’s been invited to his home; usually with a study group but the last few times have been just her.  she’s starting to feel slightly uncomfortable around him. especially since he’s been making the work harder so that she needs to rely on him more; he also sent her a christmas present this year in the form of a revealing dress and jewellery for her ‘christmas party’..which she isnt sure is fully appropriate.  while she doesn’t feel like she can open up and (quite frankly) is afraid to, it’s made her cling to her other siblings more than before.

[yourrahadkhan-blog]

1 Best 26 Free Android apps For 2019

We can say for our phone “everything in the little” like hand-sized supercomputers, high definition display and battery of days, but you can’t take their full advantage if you are away from best android apps.

The variety of Android apps is continuously growing. There are apps for almost everything, about more than 1 million apps are available on Google Play Store today!

It has been 10 years since the Android system was first released by Google and now it’s gone higher than ever, but quantity doesn’t mean quality. You can go as further as you can while searching for some good apps but the list will never end probably. So here are some best android apps and the best android games for 2019.  

Best Social Apps 2019:

You can get in touch with the world through stunning social media trends. However, people have always been looking for some ways to connect with each other, Which is now easily possible with numerous social apps that have ways to make you socially active and happy with family, friends, and with social trends!

Twitter

‘Tweets’ are now ruling the social media for most. The stack twitter is much good for posting your opinions and thoughts on which the whole world can react.

Facebook

The most easily accessible app you will ever found to keep yourself entertained as well as connected. Everyone is easy here so you can enjoy here with friends and family or you can see funny memes and gifs.

Messenger

This app is related to Facebook and used for chatting. You can just enter into with your Facebook account and start with emoji’s, video calling and better notification system. This great app will also work with Snapchat and Instagram soon, so get ready for all in the package.

Instagram

When it comes to beauty and quality of social apps, Instagram is always hitting hard. It is popular for stories and beauty filters you must try!

Snapchat

It includes a range of different task, you can share short videos “snaps”, do message, live video chatting, epic, and funny face filters and the story option will definitely impress you. It also offers you store your media to private storage so it’s hard not to say about its uniqueness.

Best Android Games 2019:

The best way to entertain yourself and increase your problem-solving skills is to play games. You can get active with improved multitasking ability to make you refresh and happy. The gaming list is too wide, but the below-mentioned games are addictive and comfortable with players.

Clash Of Clans

One of the widely supported and played a game of 2019 is Clash of Clans. Against millions of online players, you can create your own territory and set your rule for friends and foe. You should try it once for getting stuck into it.

PUBG Mobile

PUBG mobile is gone too strong for the year 2018 and still going stunning in early 2019. The variety of maps and team-leading can make you a warrior so be careful, it’s gameplay is highly addicting.

Asphalt 8: Airborne

Unleash your speeding spirit and go for the best ever racing game. Fill up your nitro bottles and go for ahead. This all-time favorite game is Eight versions of Asphalt racing games which is showing great performance even after, Asphalt 9: Overdrive is released.

NFL Kicker

Choose your favorite team there and be a legend NFL kicker! It’s casual for playing yet very enjoyable. You can pass even hours of playing this game for beating the high scores.

Trivia Crack

Well versed in old fashion and the award-winning game always fits great to battle with your friends. You can connect it from Facebook and enjoy it with your friends for hours.

Subway Surfers

To get away from the police inspector, you have to keep jumping, rolling and running. Subway Surfers has many characters to be unlocked and play with. You can set your high score and share it to the game server and be a lifetime runner.

Best Online Stores 2019:

We all don’t want to mess with bazaar and crowd for searching what looks good to us. The online shopping store is a quick and easy option now. You can make your whole kind of shopping done with ease through the mentioned apps. Wide and trusted names are always available and ready for us to be delivered.

Amazon

Amazon is now ruling the online store industry and is one of the biggest and most trusted selections around. You can probably spend hours there while shopping, it has special discounts and other offers to keep the people interested in it. However, It is best and fast.

eBay

It has plenty of stuff for that you can use it. It facilitates customer to customer relationship for being used. Their selling options are good so you should check it out now!

CPro for Craiglist

It is popular and mostly used wide for shipping. But be careful with scams and caution provided, you should always meet your seller or buyer at a safe and well-known place. Just go with it and deal with variety.

Paypal

While you are using these all online markets, you may need to focus on your balances for purchase. You can check all incoming and outgoing payments for various projects. So PayPal is basically holding your all records including receipts for PayPal debit card purchases and others.

Meh Notifier

This app works great with the mobile version and lets you always bought from here. You can use it easily yet effectively.

Recommended Android Apps for 2019:

There are thousands of other excellent apps other than I mentioned above, but here are some apps that we recommend you to install them in your mobile and have a great experience with the Android apps army.

Google Play Music

If you are a music lover and can’t stop listening to your favorite song then Google Play Music makes it easy to choose your themed playlists for moods, genres and weekly highlights of new tunes. It can store thousands of your own songs, that are always ready to play with All-access subscription. Start using it now! I really hope you will like it.

Netflix

Netflix has over 148 million total subscriptions including free trials from the whole world. So you can that such a big audience is only here because they are doing good and working for real entertainment. You can spend hours watching thousands of TV series, movies and much more using Netflix.

Instagram

You may fall in love with Instagram after using it because of its the environment. You can see your followed friends stories and upload yours for once who follow you. Another cause is that you can meet the celebrities you like and follow them to see what they are doing in their real lives.  

Whatsapp

The fun messaging app is free and with multiple options of chatting like, there are bundles of all types of emoji. You can do chatting, voice messaging, video calling and so on with its status feature. Just upload picture or video you like and know what your all saved contacts are thinking about it.

Youtube

Completely free and most easy to use website is Youtube I would say. It never fails to amaze me with their creative content creators and official music brands. You can just sign up using your Gmail account to enter and start surfing.

Dropbox

Still the most usable and easy to run cloud storage you will ever find. You can upload your file to their servers and take it whenever and where ever you want. It works fast and secured so it’s a must-have for now. You will be attached to it after using it just once because I’m sure you will find it useable and important.

Google Maps

Google has everything you need! Even if you need directions to your place, navigation instructions or just finding something specific then Google Maps app is familiar with your all routes. Just choose your destination and directly reach there.

Zedge

Zedge has the biggest and chosen collection of wallpapers, backgrounds, text alerts, ringtones and so on. Just install the Zedge app, choose your required things and make your mobile better.

So, You may check all Best Android Apps for 2019, They are selected from a broad list of best apps so you can choose quickly choose from our list and be ready for best ever Android experience.

[angrylizardjacket]

You know what it's time for?? 2019 Oscars and Giselle!!

Giselle is dressed to the nines in a stunning white dress, off the shoulder, fitted with a slit up to her thigh and red detailing to lowkey match roger but not enough to ‘look like Missus Fucking Claus’.

side note, Ryan Destiny plays giselle in her biopic All That Glitters, and in this universe, there is definitely a music cinematic universe, both taron as elton, and rami as freddie appear in ATG (and so does ben, obviously). giselle takes a photo of taron, rami, and ryan all together and posts it with the caption ‘legendary’ and it’s everywhere online in less than two hours

(at the after party, someone posts two photos on instagram; the first of rami and ryan grinning and hugging and both holding their oscars, and the second of giselle and freddie at a party in the early to mid 70s, a rare photo of a young giselle absolutely beaming, their arms around each other as they both smile at the camera, and giselle cries for a full half an hour)

Side, side note: Ben definitely had a crush on giselle as a teenager as he was listening to a lot of her and queen.

Giselle hears about Ben's comment about 70s Roger and almost Yells

"God I can't believe he was perfect for the roll"

giselle’s daughters don’t come along, but her granddaughter, Maggie, is invited as she plays Teenage Giselle in the film.

um I LOVE LITTLE MAGGIE LOSING HER FUCKING MIND AND MEETING CELEBRITIES AND HAVING TO BE CHILL ABOUT IT

Like, the idea that maggie, who literally grew up with celebrities breezing in and out of her grandparents home for all of her life, still gets excited about meeting celebrities.

She takes a video on the red carpet of tom holland, he’s standing a few feet away and you can hear what sounds like ryan giving an interview somewhere nearby, and maggie just zooms in on him: (a whisper) it’s him. The spider boy.

The video ends because tom actually turns, spots her, and gives a little wave and Maggie makes a surprised noise before the video cuts out.

She's also got the biggest heart eyes for letitia wright, and there's a series of photos someone's taken of Maggie giving her the most starry eyed gaze, followed by Maggie nervously asking to take a photo with her, and then a photo of the two of them posing together and Maggie looks like she's barely containing her excitement.

Giselle, Ryan, and Maggie have one of the slow motion videos taken; the three of them lounging casually on each other, Ryan is flipping her hair, Giselle is looking at her nails, and Maggie is yawning, all three of them look absolutely gorgeous; mean and sharp and perfect.

Maggie wears a high-necked, black, sleeveless velvet dress that hits just below her knees and has constellations made from diamonds from the hip down.

i have a big ATG post that i didn’t finish for the golden globes, that i’ll try and get around to later, but in it i talk about how Giselle comes out of musical retirement to write a song for the movie, and she performs it at the oscars. to steal from that post for a moment;

Giselle comes out of musical retirement and writes a new song for the film; that’s the final song before the credits, it’s called ‘That Big Wide Unknown’ it’s about how she will dig her heels in to keep the family and the happiness that she has, and how they’ve grown and strengthened for the hardships they’ve endured, though the chorus comes back to marigold’s death, and includes the lines;

i always believed my girl is up there somewhere / but i can’t see my past for the streetlights / i hope she sees / oh god, she sees i’m sorry / i hope to god she knows we tried

it wins Best Original Song, Film, and Lead Actress (ben is nominated for best actor in a supporting role, but doesn’t win; also nominated for sound design)

The director of ATG pulls Giselle onstage with the rest of the cast and crew when they win best picture, and at the end of the director’s speech she hands over ‘did you want to say anything?’

"this, like everything I do, is for my girls, my daughters, my granddaughter, girls like me who want to see themselves on tv, and in movies, and winning best [bleep] picture, to girls like Ryan who know they can win best [bleep] actor! This win is for our future!"

Roger definitely teared up big time.

Giselle took (and framed, afterwards) a photo of Maggie, who has jumped into Castor's (Brian's son, Maggie's dad, we'll get into that in the future) arms, and he's got tears of pride in his eyes, her legs wrapped around him where she's burried her face in his neck and he's pressing a kiss to her temple, and Lilith is hugging her from behind, sandwiching Maggie between them, and they both parents are absolutely beaming with pride. Lilith posts it on all her social media with the caption 'couldnt be prouder of my legacy'

Okay!! at the after party, first of all; Lilith and Castor are invited, but she lets Maggie roam as long as she's with one of the ATG of BoRhap folks they trust.

Roger gives maggie a single glass of champagne “don’t tell your grandma”

of course giselle manages to spot it after maggie’s only had a single sip, and she takes the drink off her immedately, “roger, she’s sixteen! be responsible!” is what she tells him before she proceeds to drink half of it and give it back, “don’t tell your mother” is what she tells maggie

Castor gives her a glass of wine "you're allowed to celebrate a little, but don't tell your grandparents, okay?"

Patience (Brian's wife, again, future stuff) gives her a gin and tonic

Brian gives her half a beer

Lilith isn't surprised but is disappointed (Giselle is kind of proud; what a mom mood) "you five got a sixteen year old drunk!!"

But also Maggie gets super melancholy whilst drunk about all the BoRhap/ATG stuff ending since it's the end of the awards season, and at the end of the night when Giselle goes to find her to take her home, she finds Ben and Rami chatting on like a little set of couches to the side and Maggie's managed to fall asleep on Ben, all tucked up against his side, and Giselle thinks it's the cutest thing in the world and takes a photo but Maggie is Mortified the next day because she definitely still has a crush on him

She actually had a lot of conversations with a lot of her celebrity crushes while tipsy and she's both pleased and embarrassed.

Maggie, stage whispering where she's leaning against Ben on the couch: I have a crush on Ryan, don't tell grandma because it's weird

Ben, petting her face softly as she yawns: I won't

Ben, internally: Who Got This Child Drunk

Giselle spends a lot of the night with the cast, she's got such love for Rami and both of them are tispy and clutching oscars, and Giselle takes his face in her hands and tells him with the utmost seriousness "I love you for who you are, and you did such an incredible job embodying one of my closest friends. You're family, Rami, you're family to me."

Rami cries and hugs her.

Giselle doesn’t get too drunk at the after party, but early on into the after party she takes Roger into the bathroom; it’s tradition at this point. @ginghampearlsnsweettea​ and I were discussing this and she had the most valid take i’ve ever read;

Gizelle and Roger have a reputation for getting it on at award shows and the 91st Oscars is no exception. Kids, grandkids, friends, and various other celebs be damned.

Someone: Don’t you think you’re getting a bit old for this?

Them: Never

Lbr that someone is probably Brian

Rami asks Brian where Gizelle and Rog are because he wants to take a picture with them.

“I have no idea and please don’t go looking for them.”

[yaz-the-spaz]

Your best Ziam proof? Like, the one where you just "oh my god". That one.

i mean i’m terrible at picking one thing ever anyway but even so with ziam it’s not even really one thing, it’s a collection of things but i’ll just list the biggest ones for me personally…

first off never have i ever: looked at my friends this way

(or this way or this way….i mean…😅)

and of course we have The Continued Saga of the eyebrow slits, shared clothes, jewelry (and the fact that liam can’t ever shut up about zayn lol) which are some very interesting “coincidences” given the public narrative that they “don’t talk” and “aren’t even friends” anymore lol

there’s also liam’s reaction to zayn’s engagement, which was just…not normal at all (tbh none of the boys reactions to that whole shitshow were normal imo in the same way that they weren’t normal for the initial babygate 1.0 or 2.0 announcements but that’s a topic for another time), and also just their reactions in general to any mention of each other’s “girlfriends” were very not normal for two people who are “just friends” (plus recent notable events–e.g. liam literally hiding from/avoiding perrie at two global awards shows in as many years and the inzayn account that may or may not be personally related to zayn re-posting an old pic of zayn in his “cool kids don’t dance” shirt [old shade against danielle for anyone who doesn’t know] on the same day that danielle and perrie practically almost soft outed ziam–show there’s still hostility there between ziam and each other’s exes which again is also super weird if they were always only ever “just friends” lol)

let’s not forget the ton of mags and news outlets that legit called them out for being in fake pr relationships when it came to z*gi and ch*am which is extra funny cause everyone knows pr relationships are a huge thing and a very common thing in the celeb world and the tabloids usually play along but the fact that they didn’t this time and so many even had the gall to blatantly call them out like this and highlight the relationships for the farces they were will never not be funny to me and it’s not really “proof” but i’m including it here anyway cause reasons

then there’s aunt zileh and just zayn’s family in general (his sisters and even cousins) being so obvious about their disdain for the pr relationships and so extra in their support for ziam lol (i mean it’s either that or they’re just randomly deciding to be super disrespectful to zayn and his supposed beloved girlfriends multiple times over the years so ???¿¿¿)

but also, all jokes aside, this was one of the biggest things for me because why, as a relative of a very public figure who is surely aware that thousands of people are paying attention to your online activity, would you like stuff–some of which is very overtly sexual in nature–hinting at your relative being in a romantic relationship with his bandmate? and not just once but a bunch of times over a period of 3+ years? idk about you but if a relative of mine suddenly got famous and i knew they weren’t queer and that people were paying to attention to what i did on social media you would NOT catch me online liking a bunch of posts featuring them kissing/laying in bed/being in any way sexual with a same-sex friend of theirs or liking posts talking about them being gay and/or married to said same-sex friend while shitting on their real relationship so the fact that it happened at all and kept happening for so long and zayn wasn’t like um hey…hey aunt….hey sis…hey cousins…could you maybe…like…stop, you’re doing some really weird shit online and it’s making me super uncomfortable and also it’s super respectful to me and [insert gf of the time’s name here] but instead he just…let it go on…for so long…and not only that but even liked and shared ziam stuff and followed ziam accounts himself (along with liam) should be hella suss to literally everyone (and while we’re on the topic one random ass denial that was probably not even made by the cousin in question but more likely a smm on her account, is not gonna change all those facts lol)

but anyway enough of my side note ramblings, those are the biggest things for me, but for more smack-you-in-the-face kind of evidence for what solidifies it for me check my ziam proof and ziam evidence tags and also my general ziam tag cause let’s be real these hoes drop enough hints by their damn selves lmao

[kierongillen]

Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine: The Funnies

 Spoilers, obv.

 I suspect this will lean a little shorter than usual, partially because it’s more an editorial, sitting back position than any other issue of WicDiv and partially as DIE is out tomorrow, and there’s a lot of plates I’m keeping spinning.

 But let’s see, eh?

 Last year, when we did the Christmas Special, doing a comedy special was the other option. We decided to keep that in the can, simply because I was trying to visualise what on earth it would be like. Would I ask people to write stuff? Would I write it all? Could I somehow get The Wicked + the Canine to fill the whole issue? We went for Jamie’s idea (which required less conceptual engineering, so was easy, despite being more actual writing work) and saved this for the end.

 Which is nice. End of school party, right?

Jamie/Matt’s Cover: Jamie and I have a piece of performance twitter, where I make puns and he pretends to hate them. Okay, that’s not true at all. He hates them, as is only right, as they are designed to be hated. When we have Skype calls, and Chrissy and I sit beside each other, when I drop a pun, Chrissy makes a face which… well, Jamie’s wants to grab it as a gif. It’s quite the thing.

 Anyway – a variety of responses to puns. The pun is, I suspect, the best one I’ve dropped on twitter. One day I’ll write an essay on What I Do With Puns. But not today. It didn’t get a ludicrous number of retweets when I dropped it (and deleted my whole stream, as I do sporadically – don’t worry, I store everything before I do). It had an afterlife though being reblogged on tumblr (I think last time it was about 130k interactions), used in big websites’ pun round-ups, put on T-shirts and straight up stolen and tweeted by other people.

 So let’s stick it on a cover, and show the variety of responses to it. Of course, Baph would like it.

 I really like what Matt did with the colours here as well.

 Margaux Saltel’s cover: Margaux is great. I got to know her distantly when C was editing superfreaks, and actually got a chance to hang properly at this year’s thought bubble. She’s got a real playfulness to her art, which this fascinating design sense. Adorable big dog staring at the reader was the first thing I thought of when planning this issue, really.

IFC

Intro page to explain what’s going on, with pop-comic design by Sergio, headlines courtesy of C. If you haven’t read it, give it a scan, because I big up all our collaborators.

How did we decide how to ask? Far too many options. Our comic friends are very funny. We tended to ask people as it occurred to us, see how many pages they wanted to do, and then work out how many pages we had left

The Wicked + the Canine

I lured Erica into this by basically promising her to draw six pages of as many dogs as she liked. Write for your artist.

The pun was basically to amuse Chrissy, and grew into a story. I thought it could be longer (and it could have) but realised it’s best to cut it short – the backbone of Ananke as trainer, and the dogs as untrainable pups, is basically the core of it. Plus the big kick in seeing everyone done in dog form.

I threw some ideas into the mix of how the dogs could be differentiated (For example, Sakhmet as a cat and Woden as clearly-not-a-puppy in a cone of shame) but really left it to Erica to draw whatever dogs she liked. I actually suggested they all be Labradors, but Erica wanted to stretch and play, and it’s all wonderful.  The worry is in terms of race-coding the dogs, which is something we avoided.

I think my favourite is Baphopup.

The white-background and “get in the sack” is a wonderful bit of cartooning. How the lack of background stresses it all.

That it was basically done to make C laugh means that it’s part of a history of my dog based comics, which also includes the Christmas issue of Journey Into Mystery, where Loki has to give away seven hell-hounds. I think Thori is the character I co-created for the Marvel Universe who has had the longest life in terms of being used by other people. Adorable sweary murderous puppies can’t go wrong.

I’m pleased that people seemed to like it. That it’s a six page story where the joke is “Evil old lady doesn’t throw trusting pups in the river” is not exactly family comedy special material. I suspect if you’ve stuck along with WicDiv this far, you know what we’re like.

This is also a story which implicitly spoils the book, in terms of Ananke being a shameless manipulator of the pups. A lot of the stories are similar, which means this is a comic designed for relief of those who came along for all the issues.

The Wicker + the Divine Lizz Lunney is one of my favourite British cartoonists, and whole fierce scowl has petrified me for the decade or so I’ve known her. Lunney hadn’t read much of WicDiv before, so we lobbed her the PDFs, and found something fun to mock in terms of how ludicrously call-back-y we are.

Go support her stuff. She’s great.

The Lost God

Chip’s just a phenomenon, and his rising career across the last decade has been basically the most delightful surprise in the period. Immediately I have to swallow the urge to do the usual “Because he’s rubbish” chip-baiting joke, which says a lot. Chip is so much fun. That he’s both one of Marvel’s biggest, most interesting writers now and half of one of the most popular and definitive indie comics of the period is something else. Like, he’d be a legend if only for his internet jokes. That’s a footnote now. Amazing.

Anyway – we meet the first Kieron and Jamie version. Chip’s one is delightful – the over-tortured pun is on the money, but the real joy is Jamie McKelvie’s Hellboy-esque hyper-developed single arm. Every time I look at that, I laugh. Plus the accent. Marvelous.

“Wossat?! Time paste this nob, innit?” is just poetry.

Gentle Annie Vs The World

Talking about poetry…

Chrissy is WicDiv’s editor and also a poet, and has done some indie comics before – as well as co-editing the anthology Over The Line, which is an introduction to Poetry Comics. This isn’t that. This is her just channelling her loathing of Gentle Annie’s obfuscatory nonsense, and I love it so.

Clayton and Dee step in on the art duties. It was Clayton’s idea to drop in the Scott Pilgrim parody Annie at the top, which is very cute, and implicitly shows the modes he can work on. The realism of each scene, and the sense of place is great. Also, the Banshees poster in the doctor’s office is hilarious.

Making A Difference

This is fun. Romesh is a proper famous comedian, and digs WicDiv, so thought it’d be fun to write for the medium. As his script was coming together, I thought of Julia Madrigal’s Giant Days issue, and realised it’d fit well. She had to do it on her trip to Japan, which involved some hilarious jetlag.

Dee’s doing some powerhouse things here with the purple-white lighting too. That’s hyper-strong.

“Fresh Prince of Baal Air” is a hell of a line, in passing, and I think this may have the prize for the darkest punchline of the whole issue.

5 Things Everyone Who’s Lived With Sakhmet Will Understand

I loved Hamish’ Pantheon, which is a playful but entirely accurate retelling of Egyptian myth. Hamish also won this year’s Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award, so clearly should be doing something else rather than being talked into playing around with us lot. Thankfully, he didn’t.

I think my favourite moment is Persephone’s glance up as Sakhmet walks across the keyboard.

18 Go Made In Wiltshire

Kitty and Larisa have done a bunch of stuff, but I have to put a special plug for where I first met them – TAYLOR SWIFT GIRL DETECTIVE: SECRETS OF THE STARBUCK LOVERS. It’s illustrated prose, and utterly delightful, so was honoured to have them along.

This is all an accurate and extensive skewering of what we’re doing, with a not-perfect Scooby Doo mash-up. I did try to talk them out of including all the characters, as that’s so much work, but they could not be stopped. This meant that working out speaking orders was the main formal issue to worry about.

Now, there’s lots of mockery of me in this issue, but reducing Laura down to “Everyone is so hot! Let’s make out with them!” was absolutely the I Feel Called Out Right Now moment. She’s more than that, right? Right?

While the “WicDiv is a scooby do plot” complete with “Evil old man reveal” is lots of fun, the bit which makes me laugh every time I flick through is the “I would have got away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling ki—” “Oh, fuck off.” Oh, Lucifer, Never change.

Enquiring Minds Want To Know: What’s Your Guilty Pleasure Song

Cover-artist Margaux joined by the irrepressible Kate Leth. I’m really into how the two play together – Kate wanted to cut things tight, and the “Short moment” illustrated with Margaux’s warmth is fascinating. Like, have the two other Norns ever looked more delighted and engaged than they are at the end of page six?

In terms of Kieron and Jamie baiting, Grumpy Jamie in full Captain Marvel Gear and me trying to write an essay in any given space is fun and mean (which is how we like it). And I’ve just realised that writing more about this script would only be underlining Kate’s point, so I better stop.

Secret Origin

I wrote it, and offered it to Jamie. Really, the point of the specials is to create a space in the schedule so Jamie can get ahead, but he couldn’t resist this one. It’s cathartic closure, at the least.

Choosing the puns was tricky – I realised it had to be a chain, so chose this one which amused Katie West, which was tweeted when visiting them in Edinburgh. So I was in range of punching.

As always, this is Jamie expression masterclass, and a little self-mocking of my tendency to go full clockwork in my story universes is fun. I hope so anyway.

28 pages of comics, which is quite the thing. I don’t suspect we’ll be making much (if any) money from this issue after paying everyone, but that’s fine. It’s a party, innit?

Oh, it was nearly 2000 words. It’s never short, is it? It’s never short.

WicDIv 40 is out tomorrow (December 5th), which starts our final arc, “Okay.” Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading.

[thisismydesignhannibal]

FannibalFest 2017 Recap! 1/3

PIC HEAVY!

PHEW!  Going to have to do a few of these to even attempt to cover such an amazing experience!  My apologies for taking so long with this... Con drop is real people! And even though I’m usually on Tumblr more, Twitter was easier to use during the Con. If you’re interested in even more pics and stuff, you can always go find me there (@MyDesignHanibl). I’ll do some general con stuff in this post, and follow up with two about the tours (one for each day).

FIRST OFF, WHAT AN AMAZING CON!!!!!  

If you were thinking about going but were on the fence, PLEASE consider it next time!  It was absolutely amazing. The guests, tours, panels, props, meals and overall vibes were just wonderful. @fannibalfest-toronto did an incredible job!

Our wonderful guests, Janice Poon, Vladimir Jon Cubrt, Martha De Laurentiis, Demore Barnes, Scott Thompson, and Aaron Abrams! And one of many appearances of special guest, Peking Hannibal... Janice brought him and he got a really good run for his money with us ;)

SO MANY MORE THE PICS under the cut!

I apologize in advance that my pics of the guests aren’t better... I was so busy clapping and giggling (not to mention not wanting to shove a camera in their faces) that they could be better :/

The cast arrived at the welcome ceremony ahead of Mamma Martha.  They seemed so happy and excited to see us, Vlad ran around the room giving high fives, Demore was incredibly eloquent, Aaron and Scott hilarious, and Janice adorable!

The guests were presented GORGEOUS personalized flower crowns by the incredibly talented @apoptoses​ Below, you can see the lovely crown she made for me, and her absolutely STUNNING cosplay of Margot!  Love and hugs my talented, funny, lovely Hannipologist friend XO P.S. She takes commissions!

Some photos of me with the Cast and one with Mamma Martha!  They were all so generous and seemed to get a real kick out of everyone’s poses. I love Janice being EXTRA in the group photo and Scott deciding to make it like an awkward family photo... Demore kept his hand on my back through the photo and I could barely concentrate ;P He really tries to make sure people are at ease and he is constantly dropping words of eloquent wisdom with that incredible voice of his!!! When it came time for my solo photo with him, he asked what I wanted and I just blurted out “I want you to strangle me!” he gave me that low chuckle and this pic is what came of it... we laughed later at the autograph session that it looks like I’m being strangled by a Dr Seuss character ;P Aaron and Scott really liked my photo with them, and Aaron even posted it on his Instagram! It was from Scott’s comments about how his gun instructor on the show had to keep telling him to tone down the Charlie’s Angels with how he wielded the gun, HA!  Vlad was super high energy and welcoming... I was able to borrow the plastic knife from the lovely @miasmatik and ask him to “cut my throat” Vlad asked if I wanted us to play serious to which I stupidly responded “I’m happy you’re murdering me!”  He laughed and said “Ok, then I’m going to be really menacing.” ;P They all loved @apoptoses flower crown and my shirt by @wisesnail <333

Mamma Martha! We were incredibly lucky that Martha announced at the last minute that she was going to do free autographs and selfies with everyone! She was so generous with her time and seemed really amazed by the dedication and creativity of the fandom. No major Season 4 news, but she’s definitely working on it and appreciates our ongoing support.

One of the biggest highlights for me was when my fic The Way I Changed You won the Stag Awards for the fluff category!!! Both Janice and Demore presented my award (a copy of the @radiance-anthology​ and a nice plaque!) and gave me some lovely hugs :) I’ll do a proper post for it soon, but I’ve finally got it up on AO3 if you’d like to read!

Aaron and Scott joking about not caring that the other is answering questions aimed only at them ;P  With all their hilarity and jokes, what struck me most is that they seem so much like an old married couple!  Aaron is such a long-suffering wife, and Scott constantly looks to Aaron to both rein him in and egg him on :P They riff off each other so much and seem really in sync. Both incredibly good sports and Aaron in particular seemed so fascinated and complimentary of the fandom and everything we do.

Martha did her own panel and told us so much about how Hannibal came to be, the complexities of rights, and how she found herself in the roll she’s in. I had no idea that she started out with a modeling scholarship that took her to New York... hating the modeling, she then went to school for accounting and started doing books for films in New York! Such an inspiring story. The final panel had everyone, including Janice, which was a lovely treat! Janice’s story was just as fascinating as Martha’s, including designing weddings for Saudi princesses, being an editor, and owning a fancy shop in Toronto’s high-end Yorkville neighbourhood.  She described herself as “rudderless” and said it was a wonderful thing :D

At his panel Demore spoke so eloquently about basically everything and gave two lucky Fannibals the opportunity to get played like a cello...to two songs he hummed from Phantom of the Opera ;P Aaron found he was missing a button at the Sassy Science panel...eventually he substituted a Hannibal pin to fill in the gap!

Some more photos of the cast... Demore being beautifully eloquent at the meet and greet, Aaron checking Scott before he said something he shouldn’t (he was slacking on the job a bit!), Vlad being Vlad and really coaxing the energy in the room, and Aaron making Hannidoll bow down to him in the meet and greet (take note of the pin). Mostly they asked questions about us at the meet and greet, and seemed so genuinely interested in the fandom and what we do. They said we feel like a family :)

A fun arrangement of Hannidolls that accidentally ended up as a centerpiece on the main table at the luncheon! Aaron in particular seemed to think it was hilarious and took a ton of pics ;P It was moved off the table since we didn’t want them to be uncomfortable, but they thought it was funny :)

Our dinner with Janice!  The menu had vegetarian options for us few vegetarian cannibals, which was lovely. Janice came around and sat with us while we ate and was honestly just ONE OF US. She’s just like talking to another Fannibal, albeit one who knows a bunch of stories about teaching Mads to cook and whether he swallows (he does ;P) and she can be just as wonderfully inappropriate as us (take for example her comment about hypothetically saving Hannibal’s cock in the freezer for “reasons” instead of eating it ;P) Afterwards she signed our menus and hung out. She in no way kept herself separate from us and often was seen around the Con or taking in panels (or messing around with the Peking Hannibal!)

Peking Hannibal was a big hit...Janice brought him to the party and he made lots of appearances throughout the Con. He’s an actual Mads body cast so you can imagine that we were...interested...for reasons ;P  Janice’s sanguinaccio dolce demo was on the second day and she had him all laid out and covered in fruit (top pic!) and was totally cool with us checking him out after the demo was over. 

OK!  I have so many pics but I should stop :P If you have any particular questions just let me know!

Stay tuned for 2 more posts on the two tours!!!

1st tour post

2nd tour post

[aion-rsa]

What the Mank Ending Leaves Out About Orson Welles and Citizen Kane

https://ift.tt/2VFtrLe

This article contains Mank spoilers. You can read our review here.

It’s like the climax of a Western. Two men stare across from each other in a showdown of ego and calculation. And Gary Oldman’s Herman J. Mankiewicz (or “Mank”) has just told Orson Welles (Tom Burke) he wants writing credit for the Citizen Kane screenplay. This is not going to end well.

Before this moment, Welles had been conciliatory to Mank, feigning concern for his health and offering to take sole rewriting duties on the gargantuan script. He’s even providing $10,000 from RKO Pictures as a consolation. It’s of course more bribe than bonus. Yet as Welles realizes that he might have to share credit, or worse have no credit at all for a screenplay we just watched Mankiewicz write alone for two hours, the budding director throws a temper tantrum worthy of Charles Foster Kane, and Mankiewicz uses it as inspiration for exactly that—hubris run amok.

In the end, Welles is unmasked as a bully and an opportunist: a charlatan who wants to claim credit for a masterful screenplay that is all Mank’s, at least according to Mank. Yet the movie’s “Boy Genius from New York” wasn’t smart enough to see the writing on the wall about how the newly formed Screen Writers Guild would arbitrate this, nor did he predict that when Mank finally accepted his eventual screenwriting Oscar from his front lawn he’d say, “I am very happy to accept this award in the manner in which the screenplay was written, which is to say in the absence of Orson Welles.”

Is all this true? Did Welles put his name on a screenplay he didn’t help write a word of? It’s a question that has bedeviled the legend of Citizen Kane for 50 years, and even longer if you consider how many decades before that most people just believed the “Boy Genius” created everything substantial in Kane out of whole cloth. That myth is perhaps why Pauline Kael created one of her own when she published her 50,000-word essay “Raising Kane” across two volumes in The New Yorker in 1971—an account of Citizen Kane’s creation that suggests Mankiewicz alone wrote the script.

The Influence of Pauline Kael and “Raising Kane”

Kael’s essay, which is the clear basis for Mank, has been discredited in the ensuing years as inaccurate, unfair to Welles, and at best sloppy (or at worst intentionally misleading). But it makes for a hell of a story, which five decades on still finds life in David Fincher’s new Netflix film.

“Orson Welles wasn’t around when Citizen Kane was written, early in 1940,” Kael emphatically stated midway through the first volume of “Raising Kane.” Rather, she’d eventually elaborate, he was too “deeply entangled in the radio shows and other activities and a romance with Dolores Del Rio” to be bothered to do anything at Victorville’s dude ranch but stop by to have dinner once with Mankiewicz. In his absence, Kael paints a picture of a disabled Mank dictating the masterpiece of his script, more or less fully formed, to secretary Rita Alexander—and with the good support of Welles’ one-time business partner and now increasingly estranged middleman, John Houseman.

In Kael’s telling, “Welles probably made suggestions in his early conversations with Mankiewicz, and since he received copies of the work weekly while it was in progress at Victorville, he may have given advice by phone or letter. Later, he almost certainly made suggestions for cuts that helped Mankiewicz hammer the script into tighter form, and he is known to have made a few changes on the set.”

Basic key facts that Kael had access to while researching her essay would call this account into question, including how Welles and Mankiewicz spent five weeks in consultation, hatching out the general story of the film, as well as Welles simultaneously penning his own rough draft while Mank was in Victorville. But the blind spots turned out to be even bigger than these oversights.

So why the omissions? In part, as with Fincher after her, Kael clearly wanted to shine a light on one of Hollywood’s forgotten talents, as well as his entire generation of early talkie screenwriters. Unlike the playwrights and script doctors who came after him, Mankiewicz arrived in Hollywood as part of a singular era in the New York literary world, a member of the fabled “Algonquin Club” who came to Tinseltown for easy work and fat paychecks.

As Mank famously telegraphed to his buddy Ben Hecht, “MILLIONS ARE TO BE GRABBED OUT HERE AND YOUR ONLY COMPETITION IS IDIOTS.” But as Kael sharply illuminated, writers were one of the least valued cogs in the machinery of Golden Age Hollywood’s assembly line. They gladly took the money, but disdained the business as much as themselves.

“The vacation became an extended drunken party, and while they were there in the debris of the long morning after, American letters passed them by,” Kael opined. Mankiewicz, a journalist who wrote (often drunkenly) for The New York Times and The New Yorker, came to Hollywood and sold his soul—but then got little of the credit he deserved for doing so. That includes his immeasurable contributions to Citizen Kane.

Mank highlights elements from Mankiewicz’s own personal biography that became essential to crafting the 1941 masterpiece. Obviously Mankiewicz’s friendships with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance in the film) and his movie star mistress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) informed much—though crucially not all—of the biography of Charles Foster Kane (Welles) and Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore) in Kane. Other episodes in the ’41 film were also lifted from Mank’s own life. Kael underlines a good one where Mank fell asleep drunk at his typewriter while writing a scathing theater review for The Times. It was so toxic his editor refused to publish it, similar to the experiences of Joseph Cotten’s Jedediah Leland in Kane.

These contributions had been obscured in the 30 years between Kane and Kael, with most only remembering Welles’ multi-hyphenated talent. And as the late ‘60s and early ‘70s rolled around, a new generation of film critics like Peter Bogdanovich and Andrew Sarris emerged with an almost worshipful reverence for the contribution of film directors. Sarris even coined “auteur theory,” and Kael became one of its biggest skeptics. It seems likely that “Raising Kane” was as much about tearing down “auteur theory,” and going after one of its adherents’ biggest idols, as it was meant to raise Mank up.

The problem, of course, is that for as much as Kael got Mankiewicz, she missed Welles—and the actual making of their picture—by miles.

What Mank Misses

Backlash to “Raising Kane” was fierce, with Sarris and Bogdanovich among its most vocal early critics. Indeed, both wrote pieces criticizing Kael, and Bogdanovich’s Esquire article, “The Kane Mutiny” published in 1972, proved to be the first major yank at unraveling Kael’s (and now Mank’s) version of events. Hardly an uninterested party—Bogdanovich was a protégé and friend of Welles, who likely had input on “The Kane Mutiny” from Welles himself—Bogdanovich nonetheless did something Kael failed at: legwork that could corroborate her story.

For starters Bogdanovich unearthed much of the research for “Raising Kane” was not done by Kael but UCLA film professor Howard Suber. “Raising Kane” was originally intended (and eventually published) as the introduction to a screenplay book on the movie titled The Citizen Kane Book (1971). Kael agreed to write an introduction in part so she could publish it as an excerpt elsewhere, but she also agreed to co-author the introduction with Suber, who’d been researching Kane for years. In the end, she wrote her epic alone, but with Suber’s treasure trove of material. Yet she failed to mention his name once in 50,000 words.

Bogdanovich interviewed Suber about these events and the professor came to a very different conclusion than Kael, saying, “After months of investigation… I regard the authorship of Kane as a very open question. Unfortunately, both sides would have to be consulted, and Miss Kael never spoke to Mr. Welles, which as I see it, violates all the principles of historical research.” For that comment, Kael declared she’d never return to UCLA until Suber apologized. He waited until after her death to speak publicly in detail about how he was supposed to co-write the original introduction.

Read more

Movies

Mank and Amanda Seyfried’s Quest to Save Marion Davies from Citizen Kane

By David Crow

Movies

David Fincher’s Joker and Orson Welles Criticisms Shouldn’t Matter

By David Crow

The vision Mank offers of the screenplay’s origins existing exclusively in Victorville seems based primarily on the accounts of two people who were there: Houseman, Welles’ bitter ex-partner who spent much of the rest of his life criticizing Welles on all matters, and Rita Alexander, whom Kael described as saying, “Welles didn’t write (or dictate) one line of the shooting script of ‘Citizen Kane.’”

That might be Alexander’s account, but Bogdanovich reached out to Welles’ own secretary, Kathryn Trosper, who likewise typed out much of Welles’ version of a script written concurrently with Mank’s, as well as the subsequent drafts that Welles worked on. “Then I’d like to know what was all that stuff I was always typing for Mr. Welles!” Trosper responded.

More convincingly are the accounts of major third party figures Kael referenced but never interviewed, like Charles Lederer. As another screenwriter who was good friends with Mank, and nephew to Marion Davies, Lederer is played in Fincher’s film by Joseph Cross as a man loyal to both his aunt and pseudo-mentor. He also is the go-between who Oldman’s Mankiewicz gives a copy of American (Citizen Kane’s original title) to, in order to decide if Marion would be upset. The fallout of letting the script into Hearst-friendly hands nearly derails Kane’s release. This is also how Kael described events in her essay, even though she never reached out to Lederer. Bogdanovich did.

“That is one hundred percent, whole-cloth false,” Lederer said in 1972, revealing he received the script from someone else within the industry. “I gave it back to him. He asked me if I thought Marion would be offended and I said I didn’t think so.”

Regarding authorship, Lederer said, “Manky was always complaining and sighing about Orson’s changes. And I heard from Benny [Hecht] too, that Manky was terribly upset. But you see, Manky was a great paragrapher—he wasn’t really a picture writer. I read his script of the film—the long one called American—before Orson really got to changing it and making his vision of it—and I thought it was pretty dull.” He would go on to add, “Orson vivified the material, changed it a lot, transcended it with his direction.”

As early as ’72, Bogdanovich picked apart Kael’s essay, from finding a 1941 affidavit by Richard Barr, executive assistant on the film, where he stated Welles made revisions that included dialogue, changing sequences and characterizations, and creating new scenes, to also citing Lederer’s claim that Kane never had its writing credits arbitrated by the Screen Writers Guild. This contradicts Kael’s assertion that the guild forced Welles to accept Mankiewicz’s name on the screenplay—and first above his own.

However, it has since been confirmed that Mankiewicz did lodge a protest with the Screen Writers Guild in 1940 before withdrawing it. He clearly worried about receiving credit because he had genuinely agreed to go uncredited on the script. The primary reason for this arrangement was because RKO’s contract stipulated that wunderkind Welles was to write, direct, produce, and star in his own movies. The studio didn’t want the mystique impugned by a co-writer. Whether Welles personally orchestrated this is unknown, but after Mank made noises and RKO decided (without the guild’s intervention) to give Mank credit, it was Welles’ decision to give Mankiewicz first credit. Assistant Richard Wilson recalled Welles circling Mankiewicz’s name and drawing an arrow to move it in front of his own for the end credits.

Beginning in 1978, film professor Robert L. Carringer offered the definitive rebuttal to Kael, and therefore Mank’s, story. First with “The Scripts of Citizen Kane” and then The Making of Citizen Kane, Carringer analyzed all seven drafts of the script, from the original 266-page behemoth Mankiewicz turned in from Victorville to the 156-page shooting script, with Welles being held chiefly responsible for most or all of the changes after the third draft.

Among Carringer’s discoveries, significant lines like “If I hadn’t been very rich, I might have been a great man” are attributed to Welles, as are several of the film’s most significant sequences, such as Kane’s loveless first marriage being conveyed through a series of dissolves at the couple’s breakfast table over the decades.

Carringer concluded, “[Mankiewicz’s] principal contributions were the story frame, a cast of characters, and a good share of the dialogue… Welles added the narrative brilliance – the visual and verbal wit, the stylistic fluidity, and such stunningly original strokes as the newspaper montages and the breakfast table sequence. He also transformed Kane from a cardboard fictionalization of Hearst into a figure of mystery and epic magnificence.”

Reconsidering Orson Welles and ‘Auteurs’

The truth is Welles wasn’t there when Mank wrote his first draft—though even that occurred after more than a month of story meetings between the two men—but he did write many of the later drafts; and he wrote enough to deserve co-screenwriting credit.

It’s easy to understand the frustration for many about Mank being overlooked, including Mank’s own resentment. After the Citizen Kane premiere, where attendees were greeted to a program declaring Welles the author, director, producer, and star, Mankiewicz wrote to his father, “I’m particularly furious at the incredibly insolent description of how Orson wrote his masterpiece. The fact is that there isn’t one single line in the picture that wasn’t in writing—writing from and by me—before ever a camera turned.”

Yet this resentment, which in turn eventually fueled Kael and now Fincher, is divorced from reality.

Auteur theory is flawed and certainly not perfect. While some directors can clearly leave a signature on their body of work that is distinct, filmmaking is still a collaborative process, and emphasis on the director too often cultivates neglect for many other talents. But Kael, and now Fincher after her, seem so determined to undermine the concept that they created an ideological prism of their own, which is separated from the actual truth.

In a recent interview with Premiere, Fincher said, “Sure, there is genius in Citizen Kane, who could argue? But when Welles says, ‘It only takes an afternoon to learn everything there is to know about cinematography,’ pfff… Let’s say that this is the remark of someone who has been lucky to have Gregg Toland around to prepare the next shot.”

This is a fair critique of Welles’ boast in the 1970s on The Dick Cavett Show that “technically the whole bag of movies can be learned in a day and a half.” This was braggadocious late night TV blather, then and now, which undervalues talents like Toland and Mank. And it informs Fincher’s vision of Welles as a Mephistophelian figure who slithers up to Oldman’s hospital bed to make a Faustian bargain. But it’s not the whole picture of Welles or his legacy.

After all, Welles was the first (and still one of few) directors to place cinematographer Toland on the same title card as himself in the end credits of Citizen Kane, giving the man equal due for the visual wonder of the film.

And in a more thoughtful interview Welles had with Bogdanovich in 1969, he said, “It’s impossible to say how much I owe to Gregg. He was superb… Up until then, cameramen were listed with about eight other names. Nobody those days—only the stars, director and the producer—got separate cards. Gregg deserved it, didn’t he?”

And as for Mank? In the same interview, Welles said, “I loved him. People did. He was much admired… [A lot of Hollywood writers] were pretty bitter and miserable. And nobody was more miserable, more bitter and funnier than Mank… A perfect monument of self-destruction. But you know when the bitterness wasn’t focused onto you—he was the best company in the world.”

While he additionally gave Mank credit for “rosebud” in that interview (his least favorite aspect in Kane), Welles also heaped praise on Mank writing the scene where Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane) recounts seeing a girl on a ferry in 1896 and thinking about her every day since.

“That was all Mank,” Welles said, “it’s my favorite scene… If I were in hell and they gave me a day off and said what part of any movie you ever made do you want to see, I’d say the scene of Mank’s about Bernstein. All the rest could be better, but that was just right.”

Late in Fincher’s Mank, Herman insists the Susan Alexander character is not really based on his pal Marion Davies—just the idea people have about her. It’s an act of betrayal, but it doesn’t undermine how great Citizen Kane is. Similarly, Fincher’s devilish vision of Welles doesn’t undermine the quality of his superb film, even as the 21st century filmmaker is playing into Kael’s false, hatchet job of a portrait of him.

Later in life Welles regretted how people got the wrong idea about Davies from Kane, saying she and Hearst had a “right to be upset about that.” And if he were alive today, maybe he’d have a right to be upset about his portrayal in Mank.

Both inaccuracies make for good stories, and both are pure fiction.

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The post What the Mank Ending Leaves Out About Orson Welles and Citizen Kane appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/36FVU9Y

[wineanddinosaur]

Amanda Victoria, CEO & Co-founder of Siponey, Is Done With ‘Toxic Work Environments That Lack Diversity’

At the helm of three trailblazing companies, Amanda Victoria is a force to be reckoned with. In the early 2000s, she began her career in spirits. In acquiring a passion for whiskey early on, she worked at numerous reputable New York City craft cocktail bars such as Pegu Club, PDT, and Dutch Kills — all while juggling her studies in advertising and marketing communications, media, and French language/cinema.

With her academic and professional pedigree, she landed her first full-time job with William Grant & Sons as a national spokesperson for Lillet, the French aperitif of Bordeaux. With opportunities to travel and teach, she expanded her knowledge base by studying in the Court of Master Sommeliers, all while cultivating a personal love of wine. Eventually she went on to work for Bacardi as a national spokesperson after its acquisition of St-Germain. She would go onto work for numerous other highly regarded French and Scottish brands before feeling the desire to venture off and create something for herself.

Today, she is the CEO and co-founder of Siponey, a premium canned cocktail company that she started in the middle of a pandemic. She is also director of judging and partner of the L.A. Spirits Awards, a spirits judging competition that welcomes entries worldwide; and the founder of Aperitif Hour, a lifestyle and drinks-based education company.

With her three professional pillars, Victoria aims to support communities and causes she cares about through cocktails, wine, and spirits education, communication, and programming. Siponey Royale, a premium RTD (ready-to-drink) cocktail made from rye whiskey, local New York City wildflower honey, and real lemon juice, emphasizes ingredients with little to no processing or manipulation, advocating for a shift away from what she says are products built on synthetic, highly processed, and GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients. Meanwhile, through the L.A. Spirits Awards, she is showcasing global talents. By spotlighting a roster of diverse industry experts to serve as judges, she is using the awards as a platform to fight radical inequalities for BIPOC and women in the spirits industry.

While Victoria’s professional pursuits are thriving, so, too, are her personal ones. In addition to being in a loving and supportive marriage to her husband, Joseph Mintz, Victoria is overjoyed to be a new mother to Mila and describes her daughter as “a strong baby girl who is of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent.” Her pride for her child’s biracial heritage only strengthens her unwavering commitments to better advocate for BIPOC initiatives in all spheres of her life.

In the following interview, Victoria shares the highs and lows of her 15-year career as a bartender, spirits educator, and small business owner. With her sights set on championing BIPOC women across three businesses, her continued leadership is helping to propel the industry into progressive and powerful territory.

1. With your robust work portfolio, please tell me how it led to your eventual desire to start your own companies within the wine/beer/spirits industry?

After years working on French spirits such as Lillet, St-Germain, Cointreau, I went on to work for Belvedere Vodka (owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), for my third national spokesperson role; and here, I held a senior role with a team of six or so ambassadors to support our national efforts.

After that, I entered the world of Scotch whisky working as the director of communications to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to help expand their community stateside. Here I felt my passions for both wine and spirits colliding, along with the country I grew to love very much, Scotland.

However, it was at this point that I felt it was time for a departure, and to pursue something on my own. I launched my first company, Aperitif Hour, with notable and wonderful clients such as Fever-Tree. That positive experience acted as the inspired catalyst to co-founding Siponey, my second company.

Most recently, I became partner and director of judging for the L.A. Spirits Awards.

2. Today you run a trifecta of companies?

Currently, I am at the helm of three small businesses based between New York City and Los Angeles, and I enjoy diversifying my experiences within them. Each one is very different, thus they fill different voids of passion. Aperitif Hour, my first company, a sole proprietorship, was officially formed in 2018. My focus here is education and communication, asset development and tools.

Siponey was first conceptualized in July 2019, when I was six months pregnant with my partner in life and business, Joseph Mintz. Joseph comes from a background in horticultural studies and business operations, and together with my experience in premium spirits, we debuted our first product, Siponey Royale. It is a premium RTD cocktail made from rye whiskey, local New York City wildflower honey, and real lemon juice. The overarching focus of this company is an emphasis on product development and environmental advocacy, where we boast “honeybee sustainability in a can.”

Furthermore, our philosophy is founded upon the use of local ingredients, biodegradable and sustainable shipping/packing practices, as well as donating a portion of all profits to beekeeping communities and activists, such as the urban beekeepers at Detroit Hives. Lastly, we are also the first canned spirits company to be seeking B Corp status; our company ethos is in line with their certifications.

With the L.A. Spirit Awards (LASA), I’ve recently built a uniquely inclusive and diverse panel of best-in-class industry experts as our judges; they include Karla Alindahao (Forbes), Nima Ansari (Astor Wines & Spirits), Brooke Arthur (Westward Whiskey), Ashela R. MacDonald (William Grant & Sons), Samara Rivers (Black Bourbon Society), Joseph D. Solis (D’ussé Cognac), Mark Stoddard (Hendrick’s Gin), and Devon Tarby (Death & Co). Here, there is an emphasis on community building and being surrounded by talented individuals who keep me sharp!

3. Did you ever face any challenges and/or negative pushback in your role(s)?

In the past, I contended with toxic work environments that painfully lacked diversity and called me “bossy” when I spoke my mind. Additionally, I dealt with abusive work environments that allowed for everything from sexual assault to no work/life balance. In fact, I realized how important it was to me to work for myself after enduring all of this toxic corporate culture. I can recall there being a clique culture at a liquor supplier I was working for at the time that I was outcast from. I found myself trying to make three different stakeholder teams happy —a global maison team, U.S. national/regional teams, and an agency team — all of whom didn’t like each other. This put [me] in an impossible position and spread me across the country without a tether. Eventually, these teams for the most part dissolved — and I did manage to make more than a few lifetime friends and supporters along the way!

However, I attribute the dysfunction to the overall corporate culture, egos, complacency, people being in their roles far too long, and overall lack of real care for business priorities. I even created a cocktail recipe catalog which someone else deliberately took credit for. It was bogus. At a separate company, I had a counterpart director [who] harassed me (and others). The harassment began on day one when I was deemed “easy on the eyes.” It escalated to violent outbursts of anger and resentment for my job within the company, which was deemed the “fun” role. The fact that our president let this sort of ongoing abuse happen was truly disheartening.

4. Did this kind of toxicity seep into your pregnancy while you were juggling work at the same time?

Absolutely. After finally gaining the courage to announce that I was pregnant to a client, they tried to abruptly end our oral agreement that was scheduled to go on through the year. I was unexpectedly not needed anymore. Ironically, a big basis for having a baby at that time was based on the confidence I had at work!

My work had been so highly praised, internally and externally, until my pregnancy was made public; and then suddenly, I was caught trying to prove that I was still capable of working with a belly. … Ultimately, there was a hard lesson to be learned here, but it was an important one I’ll never forget: Always get a written contract.

However, my biggest lessons coming out of this have been to create boundaries and to not let this sort of stuff happen ever again within my own companies. Despite all these hardships, I’m actually grateful this all happened — it propelled the launch, and the eventual success of Siponey.

5. In surmounting personal and professional obstacles to your successes, when was the first time you felt that you had “made it?”

Watching myself on television with my parents over the holidays, years ago. Specifically, it was where I hosted the show Celebrity Tastemakers on channel PIX11 in the NYC metro area. I would interview industry experts over rare Scotch whisky — we would talk about the Scotch and their careers (you can find episodes in the media section of Aperitif Hour).

6. The pandemic has uprooted much of our cherished day-to-day living. What was the biggest challenge you or your business(es) faced since Covid-19?

For Siponey, I missed the in-person interactions, tastings, and fun educational component surrounding the drink. Additionally, it was devastating to lose our customer base in the wake of the mass closures of bars and restaurants. For the L.A. Spirits Awards, I miss the real-life interactions with my colleagues and friends. Related to this, I’m saddened that our inaugural competition can’t be done in person alongside my fellow peers.

7. How did you address these issues [related to Covid-19]?

With Siponey, we addressed it by pivoting to e-commerce and a direct-to-consumer model. We did consider this previously, but we never thought it could be possible, especially with the tricky-to-navigate, three-tier distribution model — but we are making it work!

L.A. Spirit Awards: We are executing a remote judging model for our inaugural year. We never thought this could be possible, but we are making it work as best as we can! We deem this strategy as our “Covid pivot,” which requires an immense amount of logistical thoughtfulness and legal due diligence to support. However, I have an incredible team: My partners, co-founders Nicolette and Joel, have a wealth of experience managing notable spirits competitions based in California that are known around the world.

Also, woven into the tapestry of the L.A. Spirits Awards is the cultural diversity. In fact, our founders and judges are majority female and diverse, compared to other competitions. This deeply matters to me: I am a very vocal proponent of BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women in the workplace. I have been a whistleblower to injustices around these groups for decades within the wine and spirits industry. So, to have the support of the L.A. Spirits Awards and its co-founders to build a community to eradicate these inequalities has been one of the most momentous moments of my career to date.

8. What’s next for you and your companies/brands?

I’m excited for Siponey, and hoping to see it being served in the sky [and/or] on the water (we’re currently in conversation with travel channels such as airlines and cruises). Also, we’ll be debuting at supermarkets this November 2020. In fact, we just signed with our new partners Florida Craft Distributors. We will specifically be entering local grocery chains there [in Florida] with Siponey Café, the second iteration of Siponey. Siponey Café is a rye whiskey, wildflower honey, cold brew coffee, and lemon juice cocktail with fresh ingredients canned at 6 percent ABV.

With the L.A. Spirits Awards, I have a continued focus on leading a community built on inclusivity, diversity, and SERIOUS TALENT! I also encourage entries at https://laspiritsawards.com/. We launched recently (in early August) and are still accepting submission entries until Sept. 23, 2020. The competition takes place this October. Spirits producers and brand representatives who are eager to get the products in front of the most talented palates in the industry via an inclusive and diverse organization should enter ASAP. For those who aren’t in the competition, you are welcome to follow all the excitement on our Instagram: @laspiritsawards.

9. What opportunities do you see for your business(es) to grow further?

The ethos I subscribe to for all of my personal and professional pursuits is to actively practice inclusivity and diversity. For Siponey, my specific objectives are to place more emphasis on direct-to-consumer models, seek out distribution deals that are in line with our company philosophy of sustainability and environmental awareness, continue our sustainable/environmental initiatives, and champion community building. With the L.A. Spirits Awards, my team and I are focused on digital community- building within the wine and spirits industry.

The article Amanda Victoria, CEO & Co-founder of Siponey, Is Done With ‘Toxic Work Environments That Lack Diversity’ appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/siponey-amanda-victoria/

[johnboothus]

Amanda Victoria CEO & Co-founder of Siponey Is Done With Toxic Work Environments That Lack Diversity

At the helm of three trailblazing companies, Amanda Victoria is a force to be reckoned with. In the early 2000s, she began her career in spirits. In acquiring a passion for whiskey early on, she worked at numerous reputable New York City craft cocktail bars such as Pegu Club, PDT, and Dutch Kills — all while juggling her studies in advertising and marketing communications, media, and French language/cinema.

With her academic and professional pedigree, she landed her first full-time job with William Grant & Sons as a national spokesperson for Lillet, the French aperitif of Bordeaux. With opportunities to travel and teach, she expanded her knowledge base by studying in the Court of Master Sommeliers, all while cultivating a personal love of wine. Eventually she went on to work for Bacardi as a national spokesperson after its acquisition of St-Germain. She would go onto work for numerous other highly regarded French and Scottish brands before feeling the desire to venture off and create something for herself.

Today, she is the CEO and co-founder of Siponey, a premium canned cocktail company that she started in the middle of a pandemic. She is also director of judging and partner of the L.A. Spirits Awards, a spirits judging competition that welcomes entries worldwide; and the founder of Aperitif Hour, a lifestyle and drinks-based education company.

With her three professional pillars, Victoria aims to support communities and causes she cares about through cocktails, wine, and spirits education, communication, and programming. Siponey Royale, a premium RTD (ready-to-drink) cocktail made from rye whiskey, local New York City wildflower honey, and real lemon juice, emphasizes ingredients with little to no processing or manipulation, advocating for a shift away from what she says are products built on synthetic, highly processed, and GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients. Meanwhile, through the L.A. Spirits Awards, she is showcasing global talents. By spotlighting a roster of diverse industry experts to serve as judges, she is using the awards as a platform to fight radical inequalities for BIPOC and women in the spirits industry.

While Victoria’s professional pursuits are thriving, so, too, are her personal ones. In addition to being in a loving and supportive marriage to her husband, Joseph Mintz, Victoria is overjoyed to be a new mother to Mila and describes her daughter as “a strong baby girl who is of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent.” Her pride for her child’s biracial heritage only strengthens her unwavering commitments to better advocate for BIPOC initiatives in all spheres of her life.

In the following interview, Victoria shares the highs and lows of her 15-year career as a bartender, spirits educator, and small business owner. With her sights set on championing BIPOC women across three businesses, her continued leadership is helping to propel the industry into progressive and powerful territory.

1. With your robust work portfolio, please tell me how it led to your eventual desire to start your own companies within the wine/beer/spirits industry?

After years working on French spirits such as Lillet, St-Germain, Cointreau, I went on to work for Belvedere Vodka (owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), for my third national spokesperson role; and here, I held a senior role with a team of six or so ambassadors to support our national efforts.

After that, I entered the world of Scotch whisky working as the director of communications to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to help expand their community stateside. Here I felt my passions for both wine and spirits colliding, along with the country I grew to love very much, Scotland.

However, it was at this point that I felt it was time for a departure, and to pursue something on my own. I launched my first company, Aperitif Hour, with notable and wonderful clients such as Fever-Tree. That positive experience acted as the inspired catalyst to co-founding Siponey, my second company.

Most recently, I became partner and director of judging for the L.A. Spirits Awards.

2. Today you run a trifecta of companies?

Currently, I am at the helm of three small businesses based between New York City and Los Angeles, and I enjoy diversifying my experiences within them. Each one is very different, thus they fill different voids of passion. Aperitif Hour, my first company, a sole proprietorship, was officially formed in 2018. My focus here is education and communication, asset development and tools.

Siponey was first conceptualized in July 2019, when I was six months pregnant with my partner in life and business, Joseph Mintz. Joseph comes from a background in horticultural studies and business operations, and together with my experience in premium spirits, we debuted our first product, Siponey Royale. It is a premium RTD cocktail made from rye whiskey, local New York City wildflower honey, and real lemon juice. The overarching focus of this company is an emphasis on product development and environmental advocacy, where we boast “honeybee sustainability in a can.”

Furthermore, our philosophy is founded upon the use of local ingredients, biodegradable and sustainable shipping/packing practices, as well as donating a portion of all profits to beekeeping communities and activists, such as the urban beekeepers at Detroit Hives. Lastly, we are also the first canned spirits company to be seeking B Corp status; our company ethos is in line with their certifications.

With the L.A. Spirit Awards (LASA), I’ve recently built a uniquely inclusive and diverse panel of best-in-class industry experts as our judges; they include Karla Alindahao (Forbes), Nima Ansari (Astor Wines & Spirits), Brooke Arthur (Westward Whiskey), Ashela R. MacDonald (William Grant & Sons), Samara Rivers (Black Bourbon Society), Joseph D. Solis (D’ussé Cognac), Mark Stoddard (Hendrick’s Gin), and Devon Tarby (Death & Co). Here, there is an emphasis on community building and being surrounded by talented individuals who keep me sharp!

3. Did you ever face any challenges and/or negative pushback in your role(s)?

In the past, I contended with toxic work environments that painfully lacked diversity and called me “bossy” when I spoke my mind. Additionally, I dealt with abusive work environments that allowed for everything from sexual assault to no work/life balance. In fact, I realized how important it was to me to work for myself after enduring all of this toxic corporate culture. I can recall there being a clique culture at a liquor supplier I was working for at the time that I was outcast from. I found myself trying to make three different stakeholder teams happy —a global maison team, U.S. national/regional teams, and an agency team — all of whom didn’t like each other. This put [me] in an impossible position and spread me across the country without a tether. Eventually, these teams for the most part dissolved — and I did manage to make more than a few lifetime friends and supporters along the way!

However, I attribute the dysfunction to the overall corporate culture, egos, complacency, people being in their roles far too long, and overall lack of real care for business priorities. I even created a cocktail recipe catalog which someone else deliberately took credit for. It was bogus. At a separate company, I had a counterpart director [who] harassed me (and others). The harassment began on day one when I was deemed “easy on the eyes.” It escalated to violent outbursts of anger and resentment for my job within the company, which was deemed the “fun” role. The fact that our president let this sort of ongoing abuse happen was truly disheartening.

4. Did this kind of toxicity seep into your pregnancy while you were juggling work at the same time?

Absolutely. After finally gaining the courage to announce that I was pregnant to a client, they tried to abruptly end our oral agreement that was scheduled to go on through the year. I was unexpectedly not needed anymore. Ironically, a big basis for having a baby at that time was based on the confidence I had at work!

My work had been so highly praised, internally and externally, until my pregnancy was made public; and then suddenly, I was caught trying to prove that I was still capable of working with a belly. … Ultimately, there was a hard lesson to be learned here, but it was an important one I’ll never forget: Always get a written contract.

However, my biggest lessons coming out of this have been to create boundaries and to not let this sort of stuff happen ever again within my own companies. Despite all these hardships, I’m actually grateful this all happened — it propelled the launch, and the eventual success of Siponey.

5. In surmounting personal and professional obstacles to your successes, when was the first time you felt that you had “made it?”

Watching myself on television with my parents over the holidays, years ago. Specifically, it was where I hosted the show Celebrity Tastemakers on channel PIX11 in the NYC metro area. I would interview industry experts over rare Scotch whisky — we would talk about the Scotch and their careers (you can find episodes in the media section of Aperitif Hour).

6. The pandemic has uprooted much of our cherished day-to-day living. What was the biggest challenge you or your business(es) faced since Covid-19?

For Siponey, I missed the in-person interactions, tastings, and fun educational component surrounding the drink. Additionally, it was devastating to lose our customer base in the wake of the mass closures of bars and restaurants. For the L.A. Spirits Awards, I miss the real-life interactions with my colleagues and friends. Related to this, I’m saddened that our inaugural competition can’t be done in person alongside my fellow peers.

7. How did you address these issues [related to Covid-19]?

With Siponey, we addressed it by pivoting to e-commerce and a direct-to-consumer model. We did consider this previously, but we never thought it could be possible, especially with the tricky-to-navigate, three-tier distribution model — but we are making it work!

L.A. Spirit Awards: We are executing a remote judging model for our inaugural year. We never thought this could be possible, but we are making it work as best as we can! We deem this strategy as our ���Covid pivot,” which requires an immense amount of logistical thoughtfulness and legal due diligence to support. However, I have an incredible team: My partners, co-founders Nicolette and Joel, have a wealth of experience managing notable spirits competitions based in California that are known around the world.

Also, woven into the tapestry of the L.A. Spirits Awards is the cultural diversity. In fact, our founders and judges are majority female and diverse, compared to other competitions. This deeply matters to me: I am a very vocal proponent of BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women in the workplace. I have been a whistleblower to injustices around these groups for decades within the wine and spirits industry. So, to have the support of the L.A. Spirits Awards and its co-founders to build a community to eradicate these inequalities has been one of the most momentous moments of my career to date.

8. What’s next for you and your companies/brands?

I’m excited for Siponey, and hoping to see it being served in the sky [and/or] on the water (we’re currently in conversation with travel channels such as airlines and cruises). Also, we’ll be debuting at supermarkets this November 2020. In fact, we just signed with our new partners Florida Craft Distributors. We will specifically be entering local grocery chains there [in Florida] with Siponey Café, the second iteration of Siponey. Siponey Café is a rye whiskey, wildflower honey, cold brew coffee, and lemon juice cocktail with fresh ingredients canned at 6 percent ABV.

With the L.A. Spirits Awards, I have a continued focus on leading a community built on inclusivity, diversity, and SERIOUS TALENT! I also encourage entries at https://laspiritsawards.com/. We launched recently (in early August) and are still accepting submission entries until Sept. 23, 2020. The competition takes place this October. Spirits producers and brand representatives who are eager to get the products in front of the most talented palates in the industry via an inclusive and diverse organization should enter ASAP. For those who aren’t in the competition, you are welcome to follow all the excitement on our Instagram: @laspiritsawards.

9. What opportunities do you see for your business(es) to grow further?

The ethos I subscribe to for all of my personal and professional pursuits is to actively practice inclusivity and diversity. For Siponey, my specific objectives are to place more emphasis on direct-to-consumer models, seek out distribution deals that are in line with our company philosophy of sustainability and environmental awareness, continue our sustainable/environmental initiatives, and champion community building. With the L.A. Spirits Awards, my team and I are focused on digital community- building within the wine and spirits industry.

The article Amanda Victoria, CEO & Co-founder of Siponey, Is Done With ‘Toxic Work Environments That Lack Diversity’ appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/siponey-amanda-victoria/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/amanda-victoria-ceo-co-founder-of-siponey-is-done-with-toxic-work-environments-that-lack-diversity

[vincentpennington]

January Whole30 Prep

Okay, paleo people—who’s planning to kick off the New Year by committing to a January Whole30®?This post is packed with tips and tricks on how to prepare for a successful Whole30!

To some degree, we’re all suffering the aftereffects of falling into a monthlong series of deliciously dangerous food traps. After all that eggnog-guzzling and cookie-chomping, it’s no wonder we’re waking up with some bloating, achiness, splotchy skin, and just a teeeeeny bit of extra padding. I think it’s about time to gear up again and get mindful about the foods we’re putting in our bodies. Wanna join me?

Preparing for #JanuaryWhole30

Once again, starting January 1, I’ll be posting new Whole30-friendly paleo recipes and tips right here on Nom Nom Paleo!  Yes, I’ve done versions of this in years past, so if you’re too impatient to wait for this year’s edition, go check out my previous collections of Whole30 support and recipes.

Stick with me this January, and I’ll stuff your brain with all sorts of hacks for surviving a Whole30, and keep you on track as you figure out how different foods affect your health and well-being. In January, you won’t ever be left wondering what to cook or eat next.

Here’s the twist: this year, I’m going to make sure all the January recipes I share with you are CHEAP, FAST, and/or EASY. (I mean, they won’t be as cheap, fast, or easy as, say, picking up a greasy bag of fast food from the local drive-thru, but that would defeat the whole point of a healthy January reset, right?)

And as always, before jumping into a January Whole30, we’re going to do a little prep. Only this time, in keeping with our theme, I’m going to keep our prep as simple as possible. Ready?

What’s a Whole30?

Let’s start with the basics. The Whole30 is a tried-and-true 30-day dietary reset that eliminates all the foods that may keep you from your true superhero potential. Specifically, for a whole month, you commit to cutting out the bad-for-you stuff: the foods that are most commonly problematic, like sugar, dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol, and junk foods—including those made with “healthy” ingredients. Instead, you commit to eating whole, nutrient-dense foods for 30 days. For more information about the Whole30, go check out the program rules over here.

How Does Whole30 Differ From Paleo?

I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t the Whole30 the same as eating paleo? Well, yes…and no. Both ways of eating are similar, in that they’re about prioritizing whole, unprocessed, nutrient-rich, nourishing foods. I pretty much eat according to the Whole30 rules most of the time, which is why the vast majority of the recipes on my Paleo Recipe Index are entirely Whole30-friendly.

But the Whole30 is stricter than regular old paleo. Some people think of Whole30 as paleo without the treats, but the primary distinction is that the Whole30 has specific nonnegotiable rules and guidelines that you must follow for 30 days to complete it successfully. When you’re on a Whole30, certain foods that may be seen as “Paleo-friendly” are out, so don’t even think about making “paleo” Bacon Pancake Sandwiches even if the individual ingredients are technically compliant. Unfortunately, that also means that my super-yummy Paleo Pot Stickers are out until at least February 1st. Good thing you can still make my Potsticker Stir-Fry in January! (See? I got options!)

I know—it can be difficult to stick to specific food rules for 30 days. And yes, depending on what you’ve been eating up ’til now, it may take you a couple of weeks to adjust. But believe me: you will. And you’ll feel great. By Day 30, you’ll feel like a brand new person—and you’ll have a much better understanding of how different foods affect your personal wellness. After the Whole30, you’ll be able to systematically reintroduce foods back into your diet to see how each of them makes you feel, which’ll help you develop your own nutritional blueprint. Remember: you’re a special snowflake (just like everyone else!), so it’s important to learn what foods make you feel like the best version of you.

Prep For Success

Is the Whole30 really hard? For some, yes: Sticking 100% to the Whole30’s program rules for 30 consecutive days can be a struggle. Frankly, for many folks, sticking to ANYTHING for an entire month is super-tough. But listen to Melissa Hartwig, the headmistress of Whole30:

Your only job during the Whole30 is to focus on making good food choices. You don’t need to weigh or measure, you don’t need to count calories, you don’t need to purchase everything organic, grass-fed, pastured, or local. Just figure out how to stick to the Whole30 rules in any setting, around every special circumstance, under any amount of stress… for 30 straight days. Your only job? Eat. Good. Food.

You can do that, right? Besides, it’s a Whole30, not a Whole365 or a WholeForeverAndEverAndEver. It’s just 30 days, and I’ll be helping you along each step of the way!

To be perfectly honest, the biggest challenge you’ll face during a Whole30 is bland, boring food. If you try to tackle a Whole30 by eating nothing but boiled chicken breasts and steamed broccoli, by Week 2, you’ll be waging a full-on assault on a donut shop. That would violate the Whole30’s program rules (not to mention numerous laws), so instead, follow along with me this January, and I’ll keep your palates tickled with dozens of easy, flavor-forward, and super satisfying recipes!

Whole30 Resources

Wanna learn more about the Whole30? Start by devouring everything on the Whole30 website. Craving even more details? Get your hands on a copy of The Whole30—the bestselling tome that lays out the science behind this awesome dietary reset.

If you’re a completist and avid reader, you should also pick up the other Whole30 books, too: The Whole30 Cookbook, The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook (which includes recipes by a number of contributors—including me!), The Whole30 Slow Cooker, and the brand-new The Whole30 Friends and Family. These recipe books are crammed with tasty, clean eats.

In addition, Melissa penned the Whole30 Day by Day, a daily handbook to keep you engaged, motivated, and accountable during your month of mindful eating. And finally, Food Freedom Forever will help you develop a personal dietary template that’ll last you well beyond your Whole30.

Get Inspired!

If you’re starved for inspiration, chin up! It’s your lucky day: I’m a walking, talking Whole30 recipe generator.

Check out my Whole30 recipes!

For recipe inspiration and to whet your appetite, visit my free Recipe Index, which includes tons of step-by-step Whole30-friendly recipes.

Sign up for my weekly email newsletter!

While you’re at it, you can subscribe to my free weekly email newsletter to stay up-to-date on new Whole30 and Paleo friendly recipes. I send out a weekly meal planning newsletter and a new missive whenever I post a new recipe on the blog and app!

Lots of Whole30 Inspo on Social Media!

And definitely follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all sorts of Whole30 goodness in January (and beyond), too! I’ll be sharing Whole30 recipes EVERY day on my social media channels!

Get my cookbooks!

Next, go pick up my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans and Ready or Not! 150+ Nomtastic Make-Ahead, Make-Over and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo. The vast majority of the recipes in my books are entirely Whole30-friendly and 100% delicious. My latest book, Ready or Not! even includes four weeks of Whole30-friendly dinner plans!

And our Webby Award-Winning Nom Nom Paleo iOS app!

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, download my two-time Webby Award-winning cookbook app, which contains over 200 (and counting!) step-by-step Whole30-approved recipes! Get the app here!

(Note: If you already own the app but recently updated your device or iOS, the app may act up or show only a few recipes—but there’s an easy solution: Completely delete the app off your device, and re-download it for free from the App Store. If you continue to have any problems, shoot me an email so I can help you troubleshoot, ’cause I want to make sure you can get cooking!)

Other Fab Whole30 recipe resources!

I’m by no means the only source for Whole30 recipe inspiration. Follow Whole30Recipes on Instagram, and check out all the wonderful Paleo recipe developers (including Teri Turner, Michelle Smith, Jenn Bumb, Alex Snodgrass, Melissa Joulwan, and Ronny Joseph) who contribute to that feed!

Buddy System FTW!

In my experience, it’s infinitely better to do a Whole30 with others than to go it alone. Get your family, friends, and co-workers to join you on a monthlong challenge of healthy and adventuresome cooking and eating—and you can all help each other through it. You can coach and support your pals through the many ups and occasional downs, and best of all, you’ll never get bored with your food if everyone shares their Whole30 eats. Accountability works wonders!

And if no one in your immediate circle is willing to accompany you on your January Whole30, visit the Whole30 Forum, where you’ll find free support from others who are on the same journey.

Stock your Whole30 pantry!

Let’s start filling your kitchen with healthy food! I gave a talk at Lawrence Livermore National Labs with lots of tips on how to paleo-ize your pantry and fridge, and you can watch me do my thing over here:

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Also, click here for my epic post on how to stock your paleo kitchen and pantry like a boss.

Stock your kitchen with tools!

My cookbooks discuss the gadgets and tools I keep in my kitchen to make super-nomtastic grub, but if you want an up-to-date list of my favorite ones, head to my Amazon shopping page. These aren’t arbitrary items I’m recommending— I’ve bought every item on the page myself after reading extensive reviews on trusted sites.

If you have the space and extra moola, an Instant Pot, food processor, and spiralizer are useful tools to buy with your holiday gift cards!

Get in the Kitchen!

Most importantly: Cook! Trust me: It’s really, really hard to try to do a Whole30 without getting acquainted with your kitchen. The point of doing a Whole30 is to learn about how different foods affect you—and how can you possibly do that if you don’t know exactly what’s going into your mouth? As I said in Ready or Not!:

Knowing how to prep meals from scratch doesn’t just make you a more rounded individual or hearty survivalist—it makes you more mindful of the ingredients you’re putting in your body. By cooking at home, I know exactly what goes into my food. I never have to guess whether my dishes were cooked with ingredients that don’t sit well with me.

So crack open my cookbooks, check out some Whole30 recipes for inspiration, and get in the kitchen!

Nom Nom Paleo Meal Plans

Also, before I forget: Do you aspire to be a meal prepping maven? I have four weeks of meal plans and shopping lists in our new cookbook, Ready or Not!

If you want ultimate flexibility and customizability, subscribe to Real Plans—the most amazing meal planning program around! Seriously. It’s the bee’s knees. There are even add-on recipe modules by yours truly, Nom Nom Paleo, as well as the Whole30, too! Check it out here!

Leftover Makeovers FTW!

“Leftovers” is not a dirty word—especially if you know how to transform your extras into exciting new meals (a.k.a. leftover makeovers). My latest cookbook, Ready or Not!, includes a big section on leftover makeovers, so definitely grab a copy and bookmark the “Kinda Ready” chapter. Prefer to simply reheat the awesome dishes you couldn’t finish last night? That works, too, and is a fantastic way to stay sane on your Whole30 without feeling like you’re spending the entire month in the kitchen. So remember: don’t be afraid to make extra!

Okay, enough chit-chat. It’s time to gear up for an awesome January! As I’ve said before, keep your kitchen adventures fun and your taste buds excited, and you’ll cruise through the Whole30. Aren’t you excited to see which foods make you feel amazing?

Ready to go? I’m all about hand-holding, encouragement, and most importantly, PEER PRESSURE—so find a buddy to take the plunge with you, and let’s do this thing!

P.S. Got questions for me or tips for your fellow Whole30 participants? Please post ’em in the comments!

[Originally posted on December 29, 2018. Updated on December 27, 2019.]

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

The post January Whole30 Prep appeared first on Nom Nom Paleo®.

[freecourses-blog]

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My value proposition is unique (see below "Pledge to All Students"). It comes with Closed Captions (subtitles in English). You will learn from a Project Management expert who applies this on a daily basis and constantly received awards on his projects. It has an active Q&A Community with real life questions from other students. Always answered by your expert Instructor. This course gets updated on a regular basis and you get all updates free for life! __________ ❤️ What are people saying about this course? People love this course, but don't take my word for it. Feel free to read below from students just like you! ★★★★★ Excellent course, well digested, practical and to the point. 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So rest assured adding this Project Management Certification to your CV increases your probability of getting that dream job in Project Management. __________ What's New (Latest Course Updates) General improvements and enhancements Added new templates __________ Pledge to All Students (both current & future students) Students First. I will never compromise your experience to make money. Never, ever. Yes, this is also a business but to me teaching goes way beyond making money. I already have a full time job and fortunately don't rely on teaching to survive. You are always at the forefront of my courses and I want to ensure you have a unique, valuable and memorable experience. I promise. 24x7x365 Support. You can contact me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round, even on holidays, Christmas and New Years Eve; I will get back to you quickly (in a few hours tops) and deliver outstanding quality of service in my support. I promise. Humbleness, kindness and social responsibility. I believe in giving back to you and the world. So think of me as your own real-life human "Siri." If you need advice or support just ask. And if I can do something to help you in your journey, I will. I promise. Australian Made. Recognized in the Industry as a symbol of quality and excellence. All my courses are Made in Australia with high tech and professionally edited. They also include my secret sauce: a lot of passion & love! I also apply in my courses everything I've learnt from years of experience working with technology, projects, entrepreneurs and people all over the world. I promise. Quality over Quantity. I will strive to make courses concise, to the point and relevant. Time is one of our most valuable assets and we need to invest it carefully. So I won't make a course long for the purpose of displaying it has more hours; only when strictly necessary. To me it's about quality and if I can deliver that in 5 minutes and save you time, I will. I promise. Are you a Non Profit or Charity helping the world? Awesome! The world needs more people like you. Keep up the good work and let me know how I can help. To start with, get in touch with me to unlock free access to all of my courses. Just message me privately and I'll get that sorted for you and your team. Who this course is for: People who want to Become a Project Manager. Men and women who would like to pursue a career in Project Management. People who want to learn about Project Management. Developers, Business Analysts, Coordinators, Change Managers, Analysts and anyone who would like to switch to a career in Project Management. People interested in easily finding job opportunities. Project Management is a huge market! People interested in making between $80-$200k per year. And sometimes even more :) People who like to lead teams, coordinate tasks and build relationships of trust. This course is for beginners but also for seasoned veterans. Either way you will find this course informative, productive and valuable. Who is the target audience? People who want to Become a Project Manager.Men and women who would like to pursue a career in Project Management.People who want to learn about Project Management.Developers, Business Analysts, Coordinators, Change Managers, Analysts and anyone who would like to switch to a career in Project Management.People interested in easily finding job opportunities. Project Management is a huge market!People interested in making between $80-$200k per year. And sometimes even more :) People who like to lead teams, coordinate tasks and build relationships of trust.This course is for beginners but also for seasoned veterans. Either way you will find this course informative, productive and valuable. Course content of Project Management Certification | Project Management Course: Total Lecture:31 Project Management Fundamentals Section 1 Recap Section 1 Quiz The Phases of a Project Change Management in Project Management Section 2 Recap Section 2 Quiz The Difference Between Good PMs and Great PMs Section 3 Recap Section 3 Quiz DOs & DON'Ts of Project Management Project Management Acronyms Section 4 Quiz My favorite Project Management Tool & How you can use it to Manage your Projects A Real Life Example of a Project Other Project Management tools you can use Section 5 Recap Section 5 Quiz Calculating your project budget Project Management Smart Pack Job opportunities and salaries How and where you can get Certified as a PM Section 6 Recap Section 6 Quiz FAQs Article Case Studies Freebies Thank You & Goodbye! Bonus Lecture Share your experience None Project Management Certification | Project Management Course course Created by Mauricio Rubio – Agile Guru & Founder of AgileKB | Ureducation Last updated 10/2018 English English, Spanish Read the full article

[kirionline-dame-kiri-te-kanawa]

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: 'It's tougher for today's young opera singers'

Viva la diva: Te Kanawa in La Fille du Regiment at the Royal Opera House in 2014

Ben Lawrence | 30 MAY 2017 

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is a small but forceful bundle of charisma. I expect her to be a diva, of course, and there is an element of imperiousness in her bearing, but there is an earthiness, too, and she has a joyously pragmatic attitude to her industry.

“Some people say: “Oh, I think I am going to try singing now. I think, don’t even bother. Don’t even start.”

This comment is surprising given that Te Kanawa is patron of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, the UK’s biggest singing contest and an important stepping stone for many international stars. (Previous winners include Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, while Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel was awarded the Song Prize.)

Kiri Te Kanawa with Placido Domingo in Otello at The Metropolitan Opera New York 

 Yet Te Kanawa is not, I think, advocating cruelty, but realism. In any case, the Cardiff singers have already been heard by several expert singers. It’s not as if they are walking on to a stage for the first time à la Britain’s Got Talent. She shudders at the very idea. “This is not a gladiatorial contest. I’m not sure what a TV talent show for opera would achieve. It’s a tough enough profession without having someone like me being mean to them. I would not like to see a bunch of singers shouting at each other. Sometimes there is rivalry among our competitors at Cardiff, but often there isn’t and it’s never a competition of egos.” 

Te Kanawa believes that the opera singers of today are more nurtured, but also that they have it tougher in many ways. “There are more pressures and less opportunities. More is demanded of them and there is more that they have to conform to. “There’s more to it than simply getting up and having to sing. They are given opera after opera to study, recital after recital – it’s a big workload. I was able to do things more gradually.”

Te Kanawa with Leo Nucci and Luciano Pavarotti following a performance of Otello in 1991 

 At a glance, however, it looks like Te Kanawa’s fame was acquired very quickly. She arrived in London to train in 1966 – “I came, I saw, I conquered” – and within four years had appeared at Covent Garden. Yet, she had already achieved a certain fame as a singer in her native New Zealand, where she had been encouraged by her adoptive parents and by the nuns at her convent. At the time she was untrained and made a brief and unsuccessful foray into acting – in a film called Runaway Killer about a psychopath who is described on the film poster “as a young man in a hungry hurry”.

 Te Kanawa laughs at the memory. “Oh goodness, that was so long ago and I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was just a silly thing.” Acting for her, nevertheless, has retained a residual appeal and her rare gift of combining technical ability with gut-ripping emotion has always hinted that she could have been a great classical actress. Would she have liked to play the great Shakespearean roles? “Of course!” she says, sounding slightly indignant. “What else is there?”

She says that she was too preoccupied with the stuff of life to give much thought to acting back then, too busy going from one role to the next – the Countess, the Marschallin, Mimi, Arabella. Indeed there is a breezy professionalism to Te Kanawa and only now, she says, does she realise that she was never properly guided, and she is determined to do better by her Cardiff Singer protégées. 

“I was never nurtured. I remember my friend [American mezzo-soprano] Frederica von Stade saying to me: ‘You and me, we were just thrown into the bullring.’ And she was right. We just had to survive.”

Part of Te Kanawa’s survival technique was to analyse her strengths scrupulously. “I would like to have been a spinto, rather than a lyric soprano, but I had to settle for what I had and I never tried to take on roles that I knew I couldn’t do.” This included Wagner. It never suited her, she says, and she found it hard to push against the strings which followed an aria.

Te Kanawa is greeted by Prince Charles following a production of Otello at the Royal Opera House in 1992. She had previously sung ant his wedding in 1981 

There have been many highlights in her career. In 1981, she sang Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral and was seen by 600 million people worldwide. I ask whether an opera singer would be granted the same platform today. “Well, at Prince William’s wedding everyone was asking where the wedding singer was. I felt it needed some sort of spark.” 

Te Kanawa has achieved a level of fame that is rare for most classical musicians. She is aware of her privileged position and, at the age of 73, retains an air of toughness you often find with people at the top of their profession. Certainly she has had to be tough. She has worked with some hard taskmasters, including Sir George Solti, Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, who, during the notorious Deutsche Grammophon re-recording of West Side Story in 1984, constantly tore Jose Carreras to shreds for failing to master the complex rhythms. 

“Oh,” winces Te Kanawa at the memory. “There he was [Bernstein] with this glass of water that was actually vodka. But, you know, he was a brilliant man and when you’re dealing with brilliance you’ve got to cope with brilliance. He was incredibly demanding but I didn’t mind because he helped me achieve things that I’d never done before. I realised that he’d made my voice sustain a note much longer than I thought I could.”

Today, Te Kanawa lives in Sussex (she has two children with her ex-husband Desmond Park) and dedicates much of her time to her foundation, which provides financial and mentoring support for singers from her native New Zealand. It’s a force for social good and a sign that Te Kanawa has not forgotten where she came from. 

“If you know where I started, you’ll know that I’m really not posh,” she says. “I’ve played many queens in my life, but really I was living out a fantasy.” And for a split second, this no-nonsense diva looks rather nostalgic. 

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World begins on June 11 and will be broadcast on BBC Four and Radio 3.

- The Telegraph

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