#and he realizes how difficult it can be sometimes TnT

[my-heart-is-but-a-gentle-moon]

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (January 6/2021) - Doomsday II

Doomsday has come once again.

Despite the rallying cry given yesterday, the fighting spirit does not seem to have inspired many today. Everyone is having doubts, everyone is conflicted. 

Are they doing the right things? Are they picking the right sides?

What are they even fighting for, anyway?

---

(Disclaimer: A lot of these points might not be in exact chronological order since it can be a little difficult to piece together when events happen in different perspectives in relation to one another)

---

- Fundy has snapped. He’s decided that he doesn’t want to side with Tommy. He wants the world to burn. He lets creepers explode the supply chests. If he isn’t siding with anyone, might as well make it a good memory.

Nothing I’ve done mattered. Not a single thing...today’s gonna matter. 

Today, if I can’t make people smile...If I can’t make people smile...

I will make them cry.”

- HBomb isn’t willing to fight alongside Tommy. He killed Tubbo’s dog, after all.

“Dream is like the deity on this server...he can do whatever he wants. Why would I go and fight him?”

“Why should I risk my life, my gear, my resources to help people who don’t care about other people?”

Nobody on the server is innocent. So why not just give them chaos? Why not just blow it up again and rebuild it? Last time L’manburg was blown up, it united them and brought them back together.

- H speaks to Niki. H says he’s feeling confused, and the only people he’s agreed with are Niki and Ranboo. Niki says she’ll never trust Tommy again. Ranboo says he still wants to fight for L’manburg.

“Sometimes you have to get louder until they have no choice but to hear you.”

- Fundy and Niki speak. Niki says she’s excited for people to learn their lesson. They agree with each other, and with Ranboo. Ranboo was right. Eret is with them as well. Ponk arrives at the Fortress and they confront him. He still thinks they can win! With the power of friendship!

- Phil and Techno prepare at their cabin. Dream comes to meet them as well. The plan is that Dream needs Techno to stall for twenty minutes while Dream builds redstone machines in the sky. Techno destroys Tommy’s room with TNT.

- Quackity says his goodbyes, solemn. He’s already resigned from L’manburg and doesn’t feel like it’s worth staying. Not for L’manburg, not for El Rapids, not for anything. He runs away on his skeleton horse.

“Isn’t it crazy how sometimes you work hard to make so many things happen...and it never seems to work? It never seems to work.”

“Goodbye, L’manburg. Live long and...it was never meant to be.”

- Tommy wants to say sorry to Tubbo. He and Tubbo sit on the bench together and talk it out. 

- Quackity realizes that he has Ranboo’s book and starts reading it. 

- Dream, Techno and Phil run through the Nether.

- Tommy realizes that they need Sapnap as well. That’s how it started! With him, Tubbo, and Sapnap against Dream. He remembers the Final Pet War, and how Sapnap ended that war by letting go of Mars. 

- He goes into the ocean and finds Mars there. 

- Quackity ponders over Ranboo’s book. It changes his mind. He can’t let Dream get away with it.

- Phil, Techno and Dream collect the hounds.

- Tommy and Sapnap speak. Sapnap is at the Community House. Tommy gives Sapnap Mars. Sapnap agrees to help him fight.

- Niki doesn’t trust Fundy. She wants L’manburg gone, she wants the people to realize that the country isn’t what they think it is.

- Niki, Puffy, Jack Manifold, Tubbo and Ranboo all meet at Eret’s Fortress. Niki apologizes to Ranboo about their argument from yesterday.

- Tubbo speaks with Quackity.

- Dream, Techno and Phil have brought the dogs to New L’manburg. They’ve set up a giant obsidian grid across the sky.

- Everyone arrives at New L’manburg and the fight breaks out early. Techno starts spawning withers, several of them. HBomb shoots Quackity. Quackity goes to speak with Niki, H and Puffy. They’ve given up on trying to fight the destruction.

- Tommy and the rest meet in the Camarvan.

- The fight continues. Tommy and the others are trying to kill the withers first before fighting Technoblade.

- Meanwhile, Fundy has come to watch and revel in the chaos and laugh. He starts fighting an invisible wither and successfully kills it, snagging a Nether Star.

- Techno gives Ranboo his Memory Book back and tells him to run. He then fights Sapnap in the crater, pearling out before he dies.

- Bombs start raining from the sky. Techno kills Tubbo.

- Tommy and Tubbo repeatedly die and respawn at the bed. Techno is there. He and Tommy have a confrontation about betrayal. Both of them tell the other that they were betrayed. Tommy says that Techno’s become the tyrant. Techno says that Tommy was only using him as a weapon.

- Tommy and Tubbo speak in the Camarvan. Tubbo is quiet.

“It seems that history is doomed to repeat itself.”

- Niki burns L’mantree.

“It was never meant to be.”

- The L’mantree is gone. The Camarvan is gone. Everything’s destroyed. Tommy, Tubbo and Quackity speak, defeated.

- Techno, Fundy, Eret, Ranboo, Jack Manifold, Ponk, Puffy, HBomb and Phil speak after the fighting’s cooled down. 

- Dream is pleased with the results.

- Tommy and Tubbo see Dream on the obsidian grid. They go up to have a talk with Dream. Dream says that L’manburg’s story is done, but Tommy’s is not.

“In all destruction...there is a new beginning...beautiful, you know? The unfinished symphony, right?”

“Couldn’t you have just burned the discs? Couldn’t you have just done it...to me?”

- Ghostbur talks with them. They tell him it’s all gone. L’manburg’s finished. Ghostbur is heartbroken about Friend’s death and is in disbelief that Techno and Phil would do this.

- Tommy says that Techno’s only climbed the social ladder. All of this is just politics, not friendship. 

- Ghostbur leads them all in singing the Anthem one last time. 

- Ghostbur questions Phil why he would do such a thing? He went from slaying the person who exploded L’manburg to being the one to destroy it himself. Phil explains that he didn’t want to see government corrupting people again.

“I sowed the seeds of peace, yet I’m the one that pays for war.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe you’ll understand one day.”

- Tommy gets struck by LIGHTNING. Wow.

- Ghostbur says he doesn’t want to be dead anymore. And he knows the only person who can bring him back may be Dream.

- Tommy decides to play “Chirp” for them all at the bench. He then says that what he needs to do now is get back the discs, then kill Dream. 

- Fundy snaps at Ghostbur, Quackity and Jack Manifold, still insisting that they don’t understand.

- Ghostbur walks down the path with Quackity and they then talk with Eret. Ghostbur wants to “die” as a ghost and be resurrected. Quackity leaves to collect things and Ghostbur and Eret meet up with Badboyhalo at the crater to discuss the possibility of resurrection. Eret says that if they can bring him back...Fundy can have a father again.

- Quackity doesn’t think they’re ever going to get through to Dream with violence. He’s always one step ahead. The only way to get through to him is through diplomacy.

- He brings Boner to Tommy’s summer home.

People are looking at this from the wrong way...it’s gonna keep happening. Explosions, death, bloodshed...even Tommy, following those stupid discs. He said it right to his face -- ‘you’re too fun.’ You’re too fun! So why are we still letting it happen, is my question? I need to talk to Ranboo soon. He’s on the same page as me.”

- Quackity and Jack Manifold talk. 

- Jack’s land has gone mostly untouched, and he says he fought for no real reason. He doesn’t want to side with Tommy nor Dream, they’re both evil and have wronged him. But if Quackity has a plan, he’s willing to listen. The people he is with are Niki and Antfrost, and perhaps Tubbo.

- Techno and Phil return to their home, but eventually go to rescue the remaining dogs from the main SMP land.

- Ranboo is off on his own. He doesn’t want to remember the events of today. He returns to his bunker and almost burns the Memory Book, but can’t bring himself to.

- Ghostbur and the others speak with Phil, the person who was responsible for Wilbur’s death. Phil says he still has the same sword that killed Wilbur, and has been reading up on texts about resurrection. They decide to pick out a date to attempt it: the 10th.

- Phil calls Ranboo and asks how he’s doing. Ranboo comes to the Arctic and Phil shows him the Stasis Chamber and offers to build Ranboo a home there. Phil still doesn’t forgive Dream for what he did to Tommy, but they had a common goal and it was a business partnership.

- Ranboo now has a place to stay and thinks he should continue to be with Techno and Phil. He wants to apologize with Fundy. He doesn’t think he’ll end up working with Quackity.

The one remainder is, as it always is, is the Pokimane statue.

POKIMANE NEVER DIES!

---

Upcoming Events:

- Tales From the SMP: Beach Episode!

- Wilbur’s Resurrection

[13uswntimagines]

Protective Sibling (Lindsey Horan x Reader)

Request: Reader is held back by Lindsey after the player goes after Mal (her younger sister) reader and Lindsey are a thing

You were often referred to as the Scary Spice of the Women’s National Team thanks to your near six-foot frame which you had practically covered in tattoos, your stoic demeanor, and no bullshit attitude. Other teams feared you on the pitch, knowing that you were extremely dangerous in the midfield. You had zero problems flipping between defense and offense and you linked up really well with your best friend Tobin, her wife Christen, your won girlfriend Lindsey, and your sister Mal. Making you particularly useful against this Canadian 5 back system, as the defenders seemed to be completely unable to stop you from crossing the ball into the box.

You growled as the defender took you, little sister, down yet again, this time missing the ball entirely. It seemed as though they decided to attack your family when they realized they couldn’t get to you. you glared at the defender and rushed over to help your little sister back to her feet.

“You alright mal pal?” You asked quietly, extending your hand to help the shorter girl up.

“I’m fine” She rolled her eyes at you as you looked her over for injuries.

“That should have been a yellow at least” You glared at the ref walking in your direction and raising his eyebrows at you. He had turned a blind eye to the Canadians throughout the first half, and you were really getting sick of his attitude during the second. It was his job to protect you guys, and he wasn’t doing his fucking job.

“Don’t make a big deal ok. I need to show them that I don’t need you here playing hero” Mal growled at you, placing a hand on your chest and pushing you away from the ref. It wasn’t a secret that you had a bit of a temper. It took a lot to push you past your boiling point, but once you got there, you were like a box of TNT. It didn’t help that you were incredibly protective over your little sister. They didn’t need you to flip out and get a red card. That wouldn’t help anyone.

“I’m just trying to help you,” You huffed, glancing down so your Y/E/C orbs met her brown ones. Your eyes softened at the look on her face.

“Don’t. I’m not 5 anymore, I can take care of myself,” She rolled her eyes at you, and you frowned. So maybe you were a little overprotective, but you couldn’t seem to help yourself. You had gone to play for Arsenal and PSG and missed a lot of Mal’s childhood, so when you finally got the opportunity to know the woman that she had become, you sometimes took the role of older sibling a little too seriously.  

“Whatever Mal,” You huffed back, still giving her a once over before returning to your position in the field.

“What, can the cupcake not take the pressure?” The Canadian defender smirked at you as you passed her, and you fought off the urge to lunge in her direction.

“Shut the fuck up, ok” You sneered at her but continued to your assigned position.

“I’ll make sure that she can’t get back up next time” The defender called after you, and you froze, turning slowly on your heel, and approaching her in 3 long strides.

“Listen to me closely. You will stay the fuck away from my little sister.” You said so quietly that she had to lean towards you to hear the words. You stared the women in the eyes and she smirked.

“Or maybe I’ll just go after blondie instead,” She said back, shoving your shoulder lightly.

“Hey babe, let's go this way,” Lindsey approached you out of nowhere, grabbing your hand and tugging you in the direction of your position. You didn’t turn to look at her, instead, keeping your eyes trained on the Canadian who had decided to mess with the wrong person today.

“Hey. Look at me,” Linsey whispered, and you felt her breath on your face as she turned your face to connect your eyes. You softened the moment your Y/E/C met her blue orbs. “Don’t let her get to you,” She said quietly, placing a kiss on your cheek and moving towards the opposite side of the field. The moment she left your side, you felt your anger rise again. You huffed and watched as they set up for a goal kick.

All you had to do was make it through 30 more minutes and it would all be over for the night. The next few moments went according to plan, with JJ collecting the ball from young Jessie Fleming and sending up towards Tobin. You laughed when Mal and Jessie brushed fingertips as they passed each other. Ah, young love. But then everything seemed to go haywire.

Tobin had earned your team a corner kick, and as you set up, you saw a dark look cross the Canadian defenders face. She was set to mark Mal, and just as Christen launched the ball in your direction, the defender used both hands to rip your younger sister to the ground.

The fans booed wildly, and you sprinted not towards your sister, but towards the defender who had a proud smirk etched in her features. All you saw was red, and you were going to make sure that the Canadians knew not to fuck with your family.

“No,” You yelled loudly as an arm caught you around the waist and pulled you back into a shorter, but strong body. Her chin came to rest on your shoulder, and you again instantly relaxed into her hold.

“Relax Y/N. It’s not worth it and you know it.” She whispered soothingly into your ear, her lips caressed its shell in a way that never failed to make you swoon. You signed and again allowed her to pull you in the opposite direction of the defender, passing you to Tobin, while she went to check on mal.

You ignored the “How funny, the self-proclaimed badass takes orders from her girlfriend” the defender shouted after you. You knew that she was looking for a rise out of you.

“If she touches either of them, I’m going to rip her head off,” You said, and Tobin nodded, soothingly rubbing circles into your back. You had known Tobin for as long as you could remember. After you came out in high school, you had practically lived at her house to escape the looks and questions your parents threw your way. She had watched you overcome so many issues and she knew just how protective you could be.

“Then you’ll get a red and miss the game against England. It’s not worth it.” She answered back, trying to make you see reason. All you needed to do was hang on for 15 more minutes.

“They’re always worth it” You growled back lowly, your shoulders slumping as you again took your position on the field.

“Yes, but if you aren’t there in the game against England, who’s going to protect them from your old rivals. Work smarter not harder” Tobin explained, and you sighed. She was right and you hated it. You had played for Arsenal and PSG, and you knew that there were some members of the English team who weren’t happy with the way you had acted back then. So maybe you hadn’t been in the right state of mind, and maybe you had been a complete asshole for the majority of your time in the UK. You had apologized and tried to make amends, but old wounds were difficult to heal, and you knew that there were a few members of the team that wanted to get you back.

“I hate you Tobs” You groaned as she patted your back and made her way back up towards where Christen was standing. Chris sent you a thumbs up to indicate that Mal was ok and that you could make it through this game.

“I love you too” She called with a smirk over her shoulder.

 It turned out that you could totally make it an additional 15 minutes, and two minutes into overtime after that. You only had a minute left. Just 60 seconds to hold on to the three-point lead that you had acquired. But the Canadians weren’t giving up. After a very close call, Alyssa sent the ball right to your feet, and you did what you always did, and that was set up a cross to Mal right in front of the goal.

You watched almost in slow motion as you kicked the ball, as the idiot defender shot in with a very sloppy tackle to your younger sister. You watched as she slid into your sister spikes up, nowhere near the ball. You felt rage consume you as you raced up the field towards the defender. This time, there was no one there to stop you as you shove the defender away from your sister.

“You fucking Dumbass. You could have just ended her career. She’s only 22” You screamed in her face, punctuating each word with a well-placed shove to the defender, who looked very scared.

“Relax y/n” The many voices of your teammates yelled, arms wrapped around you and suddenly Christen was standing in front of you, her hands coming to rest on your cheeks. You didn’t even look at the women who were trying desperately to get your attention, but you were too preoccupied with the person who had hurt Mal.

“Oh, now you get the balls to finally give a card” You growled as the ref rushed towards you and the group of women who were trying to hold you back, pulling a yellow card (that should have been red) out of his pocket. You spat in his direction, fighting against the holds of your team. The blood pounding in your ears blocking out their pleading for you to calm the fuck down.

“Babe stop.” Her voice caused you to freeze. You stopped your struggling but didn’t take your eyes off the errant defender. “Hey, I know she hurt us. But you need to relax.” Her hands replaced Christin’s on your face, forcing you to make eye contact. You huffed. You didn’t want to relax, you wanted to rip that assholes head off. “I’m ok, Mal is ok, everything will be ok.” She said quietly, her lips placing a chaste kiss on your own. You sighed and nodded, allowing Linsey to calm you down. So maybe you weren’t such a badass. But you wouldn’t want to be a softy for anyone else. For her, you could make it 20 more seconds. For her, you would do anything.

[i-love-xiao-xingchen]

Where the journey starts

So I have been living with Xiao Xingchen and lil' blind in Yi City for more than a year now.

At first it was fun because I made Xiao Xingchen kill people disguising them as puppets.

However, he started giving me candy every day after I told him that sad story from my childhood, so I decided that it was best if he just gave me candy while I tortured and slaughtered those peasants who dared to laugh at my Daozhang and cheat him with rotten food.

Honestly, after that I got really bored, even bullying lil' blind all day long wasn't enough (that coffin city is so fucking boring, it's like living inside a dead body but without the stink). So I started to get restless and destroyed a few coffins just for fun.

One night Xiao Xingchen and I were chilling by the fire after lil' blind went to sleep. We were talking about something, can't remember because then I was enraptured by the view before my eyes. Dunno, he looked really beautiful with shadows all over his face.

Suddenly he took my hands and said: you are such a good person. And that was the moment when I screwed up because he realized I lacked one pinky finger.

I thought of killing him, honestly. He was so upset at first and wanted to throw me out Yi City. He didn't understand why I stayed with them for so long instead of killing them. But I wanted to stay, I really wanted to stay and make Xiao Xingchen laugh and give me candy and tell me "you are such a good boy" with that pretty mouth of his.

After a few days, he told me that I could stay but on one condition. I had to stop killing people (TnT) if I wanted to be by his side. Even threatening those mothersuckers of the market was not a good thing to do.

That's why I've had to look for a new hobby so I don't get too fucking bored and kill myself in an act of self-indulgence. Now I'm into poetry instead of demonic cultivation. ^-^

It is fucking difficult sometimes but at least keeps my mind occupied and Daozhang is happy. I can even use poetry as a weapon to break through his heart. Maybe this time he will realize how much I like him. He hasn't noticed it yet, even although I brought him dead birds and stuff for some time. So sad...

[mittensmorgul]

I’m rewatching 13.15, A Most Holy Man, right now, and... and I remember when it first aired. The reaction was largely “meh,” or “the noir format doesn’t really do it for me and the episode was kinda boring overall.” It’s possibly the s13 episode I have the least amount of posts for on my blog. It was largely skimmed over as mostly irrelevant, with the only takeaway being:

A. They got the macguffin they needed to progress the A plot by the end of the episode

and

2. They really should’ve cut that scene of Dean going on about how he’d kill everyone who tried to steal his car...

But... this was a Dabb episode. I wrote this post back in May, but I think it merits an additional look now:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/184946657745/so-im-still-out-ahead-of-the-tnt-loop-but-i

Because this single episode functions as a microcosm of their entire lives, at least thematically, if not in a 1:1 fashion. I mean, it is just a 42 minute episode. There were only so many twists and layers they could reasonably shove in, and the Rule Of Three is a convenient metric for demonstrating the pattern in narrative shorthand that invites us to consider the unspoken “etc. etc. ad nauseum” ourselves.

I’d go into the entire structure of the episode, but I’m hoping that just explaining the outcome-- after reading the post I linked above-- everyone will be able to see the parallel itself without me having to write 5k words on the subject today. :P

Let’s start with the exchange at the end of the episode that prompted this realization. Because it’s a bit of chicanery:

FATHER LUCCA: I think I got shot. [DEAN lifts up FATHER LUCCA’s shirt to see only a little blood.] DEAN: Looks like he just grazed you. A few more inches to the left and, uh... FATHER LUCCA: It’s a miracle. [SAM and DEAN, with FATHER LUCCA behind them, search the warehouse and find GREENSTREET still hiding.] GREENSTREET: I didn’t know this would happen. I… I’ll give you anything you want, huh? DEAN: The blood, where is it? GREENSTREET: It, uh… doesn’t exist. SAM: You… what? Wait a second. You told us– GREENSTREET: Exactly what you wanted to hear. It was just a bit of… DEAN: Chicanery? GREENSTREET: Exactly. DEAN: Well… chicane this. [DEAN punches GREENSTREET to the ground.] ACT FIVE EXTERIOR – WAREHOUSE – NIGHT [There are police cars outside the warehouse. A policeman leads GREENSTREET to a car and sits him inside.] GREENSTREET: No, no, no, no. Wait. Don’t – you – you – you’ve made a mistake.

For a refresher, Greenstreet was the author of this entire bit of chicanery. For a while, it appeared as if it was actually each of the other people involved:

Margaret Astor, the first person we meet, and also the one APPARENTLY holding all the cards when they walk into the final deal, who ends up backstabbed (well shot in the back anyway, close enough) by her own assistant

she sent them to Greenstreet, who introduced the term “chicanery” to the narrative, which I’m gonna focus on next, because despite all his plotting, his narrative didn’t end the way he wanted (he’s getting hauled off to jail, but heck, at least he didn’t end up dead like most of the rest of these conspirators...)

Greenstreet sent them to Scarpatti, with the partially true information that he’d been the one to have the artifact stolen in the first place, only to learn that it had been stolen from his man in turn...

(and remember, the skull isn’t actually what Sam and Dean need... it’s the currency they believed they needed in order to trade for what they DO actually need... it’s a bit of a chicane... which I’ll get to... sorry for this meandering on the way to the conclusion, but this little side journey is 100% relevant... you’ll see what I mean in a minute)

While investigating Scarpatti’s side-detour, they end up having to investigate a murder, and inadvertently stumble over Father Lucca Camilleri... but Sam and Dean have no idea that they’re now traveling through this episode with the thing THEY actually need. But rather than just... take what they need because that fact hasn’t been revealed to them yet, or even continue to pursue the currency they believe they need to trade for the elusive thing they need, they selflessly choose to do the morally right thing despite believing that in doing so they are forfeiting their chance to get the macguffin they need.

Ain’t it just Winchesters vs The Cosmos on a microscopic level?

Because one thing I’ve learned about Dabb as showrunner is that his absolute favorite thing is gleefully pointing back at canon and explicitly clarifying things. It’s not always obvious, he tends to be incredibly subtle, but if you’re looking for it, it’s impossible not to see in pretty much all of his writing. He LOVES messing with prior perception, and making us work for the satisfying moment where all the pieces fall into place.

Chicanery and the chicane. THAT ITSELF IS A CLARIFICATION. From vague to specific. Because “a chicane” is a very different thing than “chicanery.” And it’s all a bit of a winding deception.

For reference, the definitions of these two very different words:

chi·can·er·y /SHəˈkān(ə)rē/ noun, the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose. "an underhanded person who schemes corruption and political chicanery behind closed doors" synonyms: trickery, deception, deceit, deceitfulness, duplicity, dishonesty, unscrupulousness, underhandedness, subterfuge, fraud, fraudulence, legerdemain, sophistry, sharp practice, skulduggery, swindling, cheating, duping, hoodwinking

and

chicane (/ʃɪˈkeɪn/) noun, a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety.

What the definition of “chicane” doesn’t provide is that in auto racing, a chicane isn’t seen as a “safety” measure, but an obstacle. If you’ve ever watched road racing, the chicane is where a lot of drivers wipe out. It’s a choke point where everyone HAS to slow down, but when you’re RACING each other, the objective is to remain out in front, you know? Jockeying for position, trying to get through the obstacle as quickly as possible to get back to direct racing toward the finish line. So while a chicane literally slows the racing by design, forcing drivers to adapt to the physical reality of safely navigate through the pinch point while not wrecking themselves, they need to maintain absolute focus to retain their position, as well. It’s not about slowing down for safety but about finding the balance point between “safely navigating through without wrecking myself or being wrecked by the other cars trying to achieve the same objective I am” and “but we’re still racing and I can’t let anyone pass me so I’m still gonna push it as fast as I can while still conforming to the laws of known physics.” It’s... difficult.

THREE TIMES in this episode, they use the word “chicanery” before Dean clarifies it to “chicane.” For reference, out of the other 306 episodes of this show that exist at the time of writing this post, they’ve used “chicanery” a grand total of ZERO other times. Seems significant, yes?

In the same way the show has frequently used Wizard Of Oz imagery to convey these same points, with the reminder in the end of the “you had the power inside you all along” sort of themes, this episode takes it one step further. Which... logical considering the nature of the spiral narrative, that when it comes around again, the circumstances aren’t exactly the same. Think of it in terms of that racetrack with the chicane.

In the case of the plot of this episode, a similar comparison can be drawn to The DaVinci Code, since through most of the wild goose chase running through all the games and puzzles, the guy is literally traveling with the object he seeks. It just doesn’t become obvious, like with Dorothy and her Ruby Slippers, until they’ve worked their way through all the puzzles and subterfuge along the way. As Dean says in Scoobynatural when Sam points out that if he knows how the episode ends, why don’t they just get to the point already, and Dean replies “Because sometimes it’s about the journey.” Rather intuitive meta observation about the point of the narrative structure, yes?

Back to our road race analogy now, after passing through the chicane chicane. Every lap, the drivers are driving through the same essential course. The shape of the road doesn’t change in the most fundamental way. The same parts are still paved, the walls around the edges don’t move, etc. But each time they drive around, other conditions vary. Their tires wear down so their traction changes. Heck, the drivers themselves are wearing out physically and mentally. Maybe a dude’s just thirsty or has an itch on his nose or just has to pee real bad. Maybe the wind speed or direction has changed. Maybe the sun has moved so different turns become more tricky with a glare in their eyes. Their engines are slowly shifting as wear and tear of operating at a high performance level alters performance. Their brakes might be wearing down. They may be in need of more fuel and are driving more conservatively, or may have just gotten new fuel or new tires or made some other alteration to their car that shifts not only their ability to go faster, but changes how they handle corners, etc. But there’s also the factor of all the OTHER cars driving around them. Maybe they’ve hit the chicane all by themselves because they’re out ahead of the pack (or trailing far behind it). Maybe they’re clustered tightly together with other drivers. Maybe there was a wreck that altered the road surface... cleaning up fuel/oil spills, sand or dirt having “spilled” out onto the road surface, maybe a slight drizzle started making it more slippery, or even random trash has blown from the stands into the road, or debris from a wreck-in-progress hampers their progress. There are SO MANY FACTORS at play that make each lap around the course an entirely different experience, you know?

Same with the spiral narrative. The major landmarks might be similar, but everything else is new.

And the moment Dean says “chicane this” and punches the author of this series of events in the face, that’s basically 14.20, yes?

They’re tired, and they’re on the last lap, and they’ve been through this chicane so many times now. And they’ve just been told that after every lap, Chuck refused to wave the checkered flag. They kept reaching the finish line over and over, only to discover it was also the starting line and the race was still going. And each time through Chuck’s big chicane, he’d deliberately change those variables, so the more experience they gained on the track, there’d always be a bit of new debris to navigate, a new difficulty level added.

And now in 14.20, it’s like they finally caught him in the act of throwing thumbtacks down on the road, you know? They caught him at his tricks.

And like, to use a favorite metaphor of Dabb’s, it’s like the roadrunner and the coyote. Only the roadrunner had always known all along that the coyote was laying traps for him and always found the most hilarious ways to foil the coyote’s plans and turn it back around on him. It took them 14 seasons for TFW to finally pull a roadrunner.

This has always been Dabb’s ending, because it’s actually the story he has been telling all along. The spiral’s broken, and instead of continuing lap after lap with no end in sight, they’ve finally realized they can just... stop driving in carefully paved loops and drive in a direct line to the finish.

(and maybe the only way to make it to the finish is to pave their own road around all of Chuck’s chicanery... it’s gonna be some heavy lifting and some rough off-roading, but it’s the only way to get off the track to victory lane)

(apologies, this is the sort of place my brain goes when Mr. Mittens is watching nascar at Road America in the background... but it’s super apt, and full disclosure, I started writing this about an hour before he turned the tv on. I was already on this road course >.>)

[carruechedaily]

KARRUECHE TRAN: THE SUPER-HUMBLE, SUPER-TALENTED SUPERWOMAN

Karrueche Tran needs no introduction, considering she’s been a household name for those who are into celebrity gossip for nearly a decade. “Hi, it’s Karrueche” is the first thing she says when she calls me from her cell phone, quickly followed by an apology for being like, three minutes behind for our scheduled interview. Important note: In my phone-interview-with-celebrities experiences, 99% of the time their publicist is making the perpetually late call, lifelessly greeting me verbatim with “I have [insert celebrity here] on the line.” Annoyingly often the publicist will require that I submit questions in advance for approval, which I do. When I throw in non-approved questions during the actual chat, the celeb offers a nervous, meh-media-trained response—that is, if the publicist, who has been listening to our conversation in an intense manner on mute all along, doesn’t interrupt and shut that shit down. That is not at all the case with Los Angeles born-and-raised Karrueche Tran. Whew! She actually wanted to talk, and was enthusiastic, humble, and filter-fucking-free during our nearly 40-MINUTE conversation. The 30-year-old was just finishing up at a gym in New Orleans, where she’s currently filming season three of Claws. Tran acts opposite the perma-fantastic Niecy Nash in the psychotically amazing, women-led (both on and behind the camera) dramedy that’s been described as Steel Magnolias meets Breaking Bad. In short, Claws is about five fierce manicurists who work at a nail salon in Manatee County, Florida and find themselves laundering money from a strip mall pill clinic in hopes for a bigger, better life. Tran nails it (sorry, had to) as Virginia, an unapologetically-herself ex-stripper. Her scene-stealing one-liners are simply everything: Virginia’s response to “Does it always have to be about you?” is “Uh yes, girl. I’m a millennial.” Tran has been immaculately executing the okurrr as Virginia long before Cardi B trademarked the phrase, and her maximalist, millennial-pink-heavy, Cher Horowitz-rivaling numbers—which, in the forthcoming season, will include a bedazzled eye-patch as a, spoiler alert!, style choice due to Virginia taking a bullet in the season two finale—are unrivaled. Thrown involuntarily into the scrutinizing spotlight in her early twenties for reasons that we won’t entertain mentioning, the then-mysterious Tran could have used the frantic fascination around her for a career in reality television and Flat Tummy Tea-sponsored Instagram posts. But “As if!” to promoting the aforementioned laxative, which is clear to her 8+ million Instagram followers, where she’s very open about her body image struggles, self-acceptance, and self-love. Tran talked in detail with me about that and so much more, including her thoughts re: her wild journey, from those damn TMZ headlines to her breakout role on TNT. Forgive me, but the slogan from the early-2000s MTV program, Diary, came to my millennial mind after we said goodbye: “You think you know but you have no idea.” Below, Tran introduces the (very) real her—the girl who once worked at a boutique on Robertson Boulevard and who dreams of starring in a box office blockbuster. She’s definitely got what it takes, and I, like so many others, will forever root for (a.k.a. stan) this super-humble, super-talented superwoman. You’ve been very open about your body image struggles, self-acceptance, and self-love. When did you become comfortable with your body? “

It took me a long time to be comfortable with who I am. Especially with my previous relationships or just with men in general, I knew what they liked and I knew that I would never be that because I’m a small, petite person. I think curvy women are beautiful, and I would love to have that, but that’s not how I was created. It took awhile for me to realize This is how you were born. This is how God made you. If you want anything close to it, then you need to work for it in a natural way. That’s why I workout—I don’t workout to stay thin. I workout to stay fit and healthy, but to also build muscle.” So many women can relate, and I’m sure so many consider you a role model. “That’s why I try to be very vocal. There are a lot of girls out there who are having the same problems as me. They’re always told, ‘Oh, you’re so small. You’re so tiny. You’re so cute and little.’ It’s like, Shut the fuck up. I’m 30 years old and I can pass for a 15 year old, which is a blessing because I look young, but it’s like, I’m a grown woman and I want to be treated as such. For me, and for a lot of people, having a butt and boobs signifies being a woman. It is hard, but I’ve learned to work around it and accept who I am—and keep doing my squats!”

I just have to say, you’re perfect. I’m not being creepy—I’m gay! “

Heyyy!”

Heyyy! By the way, you and your boyfriend make such a cute couple.

“Thank you. He makes me feel very comfortable with who I am, which is great because it makes me feel more confident and reassured that he cares and loves me. It’s really great to have that support from him.”

You’ve been in the public eye for almost a decade, but 2017 was the year you had your breakout role as Virginia in TNT’s Claws. Was it difficult to make it in the acting world?

“My story is quite interesting. The way I was first introduced to the world was from my past relationship that was obviously very public—that’s how a lot of people knew of me and recognized me. I do remember one time very early on in my career when I first started going to auditions. The casting director was like, ‘What do I know you from? Your name sounds so familiar… Oh yeah! I’ve seen you on TMZ.’ At that time, there was still so much press I was dealing with. I was like, Oh lord, I can only imagine what this woman has seen or heard about or read about me, which may or may not be true. And I was like, Fuck, that’s not the best first impression—being the girl on TMZ that has this relationship drama or whatever the fuck it was at the time. “When I made the decision to be an actor, I wanted to be taken very seriously. I had a lot of opportunities to do reality television and make big money, but it just didn’t feel right. I really wanted to have some sort of longevity in a career. I didn’t wanna bullshit around just to make money—I believe in doing things that I actually stand for.”

Can you tell me more about your acting journey leading up to this breakout role in Claws?

“I had a very, very small role in a horror film. I had like one line and I was very nervous, but from there, I was intrigued. I worked hard and took a lot of group classes where I could break out of my shell and not be so embarrassed around other people. With acting, you have to be vulnerable. “Once I was in those classes, that’s when I booked Claws. In between that time, I had done a lot of different shows and low budget, independent films. But Claws was the biggest production. So I went right back into classes, because if I’m on a show with Niecy Nash, Carrie Preston, Jenn Lyon, Judy Reyes, Harold Perrineau…all of these amazing, experienced, well-known actors, I’m like, Look, I’m not gonna be looking like the new girl! [Laughs] Going into it, I made sure to study with my coach and just really focus. I’m 30; I don’t have time to fuck around and just figure things out. It’s pivotal for me to focus on something that I love and to just keep working at it and perfecting my craft.”

You’ve been famous since your early twenties, but I’ve never seen photos of you stumbling out of the club or anything wild. How have you dealt with “the fame?”

“It’s weird, because I just see myself as being Karrueche from LA. Before I was introduced to the world in a very public way, I had jobs, I was hustling, I was figuring my life out. This journey that I’ve gone on…sometimes I think about it and I’m still mind blown. I was once working at a boutique on Robertson and now I’m on a TV show. “But I try not to think about it too much and let it consume my mind. I never want to change who I am because I’m famous now. I don’t believe in that; I believe in being true to who I am and adjusting to this new life, but still being humble and genuine. I’m lucky to have a great family and I still have friends that I’ve known since middle school and high school. It’s a blessing. My friends and my family are my foundation.”

Let’s talk about fashion. You pumped down the catwalk for The Blonds’ New York Fashion Week show. How was that experience?

“It was a lot of fun. I was so nervous. I’ve always been intrigued by runway models because they’re just beautiful, tall, lean, confident, and strong, and I never thought I could ever model because they’re at least 5’9”. I’m 5’1”! I was like, Oh my God, I feel like a little shrimp right now! But it was a great experience; I had fun. I don’t know if I’d do it again because I was just so nervous and in my own head, but it was a great time and I love David and Phillipe [Blond]. I appreciate them having me be a part of their show.” Well, Lil’ Kim has to be shorter than you, and she strutted down the runway and shut it down! “Oh. My. God. Yeah, she was so dope and her energy! She came out and I was like, Oh shit!”

Now for some random questions. If you could spend a few months anywhere in the world, where would it be?

“If I could spend a few months in New York and work during the summertime, I would love that. For a year, I would love to live in Jamaica or Turks and Caicos or Belize. Somewhere very tropical. This is my retirement goal.”

That should have been the question! Where do you see yourself when you retire?

“Living somewhere very tropical, owning a jerk chicken shack where I’m cooking the food myself. And I’m super tan, smoking weed, and in a great mood. I’ve been to all these places and I was like, I see myself here. Everyone is so nice and the energy is so good. I could live there forever and be content.”

If you could wear only one designer for the rest of your life, who would you want it to be?

“Oh, shit…I would probably say anything that Virgil [Abloh] makes. He is so talented and he is dominating the world right now. Killing it. I would wear anything that man put on me.”

And if you could raid anyone’s closet and steal their shit, whose would it be?

“Do you know who Aleali May is? She can pull anything off and she’s just really dope. I would love to be able to wear all her clothes. And she’s also from LA!” How would you describe your personal style in a few words? “Crazy, sexy, cool petite panache.” And sorry, the question that everyone asks: Where do you wanna be in five years?

“In five years, I want to be on the beach. No, I’m just kidding! In five years…it’s kind of around the corner. Time flies.”

It sure as shit does.

“I would love to be continuing on this path of growth and success and self-love. Just taking care of myself. I’d also love to be in a couple of huge box office movies.”

I can totally see you playing a superhero.

“Oh my gosh! I don’t know what it freaking is, but you might be the 20th person that has said that recently. I would love to as well. That is the fucking dream role. I’m knocking on some wood right now that hopefully that comes true one day.” Karrueche wears dress by The Dolls House, headpiece from Century Girl Vintage, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

I can see it now. The new Storm and/or the new Catwoman…

“Oh, fuck yeah! Hopefully in a few years! [Laughs]”

Is there any actor you would die to work with?

“Halle Berry!”

Who has played both Catwoman and Storm…!

“Mm-hmm! That’s why I laughed when you said that. I see so much of my character Virginia with her character from the movie B*A*P*S.”

Speaking of Virginia, how did you prepare to play her? Where did you find your inspiration to bring her to life?

“Well, because Virginia came from the strip club, before we started shooting, I stayed in Atlanta for a week. They’re huge on their strip clubs! I went to the strip club daytime and nighttime and studied the girls, their movements, the way they looked at other strippers, the way they looked at customers, and the men that were there. I was trying to envision myself as one of them, which I think helped a lot for figuring out Virginia’s mindset.”

Virginia’s been through a lot, and the show doesn’t shy away from it, like when she chooses to have an abortion and must confront the pro-life protesters.

“A lot of shows would shy away from it or are too afraid to acknowledge that topic because it might be sensitive. But we’re bringing light to reality and to things a lot of women go through. It’s very empowering for us to relay a storyline that’s not always talked about that people can relate to and connect with. That’s why I love this show.”

[bonesloveeverandemilyanddavid]

Emily Deschanel on Biggest 'Bones' Lessons, Working With David Boreanaz and Returning to TV

  June 04, 2019 9:45am PT by Jean Bentley

  The actress formerly known as Temperance Brennan is returning to television in TNT's 'Animal Kingdom,' and discusses the evolution of her career with The Hollywood Reporter.

When Emily Deschanel graduated from theater school, she planned to spend her career doing off-Broadway shows and the occasional indie film. The actress, who is best known for the 12 years she spent starring on Fox procedural Bones, chuckled on the phone while remembering those early career goals.

"I remember somebody laughing at me, like, 'OK, if you never want to make any money, then great,'" she told The Hollywood Reporter.

While her earliest credited parts include small roles in not-so-indie films including Cold Mountain, Glory Road and The Alamo, Deschanel's big break came after being cast in Stephen King's ABC miniseries Rose Red. A couple of pilot seasons later and she was the No. 2 on the call sheet for Bones, behind former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel star David Boreanaz, where she'd spend the next decade-plus of her life.

                          Two years after her Fox drama ended, Deschanel now finds herself headed back to television in a recurring role on TNT's crime family drama Animal Kingdom. While she spent 12 years playing forensic anthropologist and straight-laced FBI collaborator Temperance Brennan on Bones, she's on the other side of the law as recovering addict Angela on Animal Kingdom.

Deschanel spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her nearly two decades in Hollywood — including following in the footsteps of her younger sister, Zoey Deschanel (their parents are both in the industry; their father is the Oscar-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and their mother is Twin Peaks actor Mary Jo Deschanel), working with occasionally difficult co-workers, the Bones lawsuit that has made her wary of signing contracts, and deciding to return to the small screen after a hiatus.

When did you start acting?

When I was growing up I always wanted to be an architect, for whatever reason. I guess it's the perfect blend of art and math and science, which, to me, was really appealing. But then I went to Crossroads for high school and I discovered theater and discovered acting, and I really loved doing it. I think I wouldn't have become an actor if I hadn't gone to the conservatory at Boston University for theater. You get to do four plays a year there, and I think I wouldn't have had the experience to give me the confidence to pursue being an actor after college if I hadn't done something like that. Of course, I look back and wish I'd gone to a liberal arts school and got a more well-rounded education, but there's always time to educate yourself, I guess. I think it was probably the right path for me because it gave me the experience, it gave me the confidence to try and pursue acting. My sister was already [acting]. She was always a natural performer, so she didn't need an external source to tell her she could pursue something.

I just loved theater, I loved to study, I loved Shakespeare. I'm the kid that went to Shakespeare camp three years in a row. Of course when I left school I was like, "I'm going to do Off-Broadway theater only and maybe independent film. And that's all." I remember somebody laughing at me, like, "Okay, if you never want to make any money, then great." It was such a specific thing. I can't say that I had a grand plan of what my career would be. Clearly I had one idea that changed completely, and I've done television for many years.

I moved back to L.A. after a period of time in New York and I finally got representation that sent me out. I had representation in New York but I think I got zero auditions for a whole year, so I was just working in a restaurant there, but it was still fun. A few months in, I think it was six months after moving back, I got this miniseries: Stephen King's Rose Red. Such a big job to get, where I was in Seattle for many months and it was so exciting to me. It was not a main character but it was a character that was in the show a lot. It was so much fun and I quickly loved being a complete sellout. [Laughs] I met one of my best friends, Melanie Lynskey, on that. We're still so close. I love the camaraderie with the actors — I love working on set and being on location too, you get to know people even more because you're kind of stuck in a place far away. I loved it.

Then I did a pilot after that and I did a Law & Order: SVU, so my first several jobs were all in television, and then I did some independent films and small parts in other films.

   What was it like when Bones came along? It was probably exciting to book a pilot, but obviously at the time you have no idea that it's going to last more than a decade.

I had zero idea, and that was not my plans for things, either. I had done a couple pilots before and this was towards the end of the pilot season, or the end of their casting of the show, and I got a call to come in and audition for it. I met with Hart Hanson, who created the show; Barry Josephson, the producer; Greg Yaitaines, who was directing it. They laughed at my jokes, so I thought they were really nice people. Especially Hart Hanson loved my stupid jokes, so I'll always remember that.

I remember loving the dialogue between the two characters, really quick witty repartee, and I liked that relationship. I liked that it was a strong female character. When you sign on to do a TV show you have to think about the long term, especially in the beginning when you're doing the pilot, what kind of message you're putting out there for people. Of course this is like the opposite of now what I'm doing — Animal Kingdom is like the worst thing that could ever happen to a person for what you put out there. On Bones it was a different show. Younger people watched it, so you have to think about young girls watching the show and seeing female role models and scientists who are really smart and accomplished in their careers, and are successful.

I thought about all of that and I really responded to the script, and then I met David Boreanaz. He already had the part when I auditioned for it. I remember thinking, Oh, this could last us three years. That would be the longest I could ever in a million years imagine that it could ever last. And then it kept going and going and it was a lot of fun, with some great people. I look back with such fondness.

I [spoke with] a friend recently who was an actor on the show as well, and he was saying, "You seem so might lighter than when you were on the show!" And I'm looking back on it thinking I was so easy-breezy but apparently I was like "I will stress out about every single thing that I could possibly stress out about." It's a lot to be the lead of a television show. It's a lot of responsibility and it's an honor, but you do have to set a tone for a set, and there's pressure to keep the show going and be good. There's all kinds of things that I was probably holding on to that I wasn't realizing, and I look back just remembering all the fun times we had on set with the other actors — like the times in between when they say "cut" and before they say "action" — and of all the conversations we had. I look back thinking I was so easy-breezy but was usually very stressed about everything.

 She's also a character who is not very emotional, so you probably also had to tamp down your own feelings more when you were playing her.

Yeah, that's true. I remember the first season doing takes where there was some things that were super upsetting. I remember there was an episode about a girl in foster care and my character was supposed to be in foster care and I was just bawling crying. We couldn't use any of it. I was so upset but my character was so cut off emotionally. I loved, like I was saying, that we had these strong female characters. Hart Hanson, who created it, was a feminist himself and we talked about how my character would never be saved by the male lead until I saved him first. We had things like that, and my favorite thing ever was when I met young girls who said they wanted to become scientists or they were in the process of studying science because of watching the show. That just makes me so happy that we had that kind of impact on people in such a positive way.

What was it like working with David Boreanaz, who had come off of a decade of successful shows with Buffy and Angel? What was it like for you as a relative newcomer to be paired up with someone who can be notoriously prickly sometimes?

No comment. [Laughs.] No, he was very respectful of me. He respected me from the very beginning, and I will always appreciate that. We had a great relationship. I had worked for several years but I'd never been a regular on a TV show before, so it was very new to me. He never tried to tell me what to do, never tried to school me in any way or make me feel like I didn't belong or like I was learning and new. We went to an acting coach, so we basically had therapy every week together which is kind of hilarious, in certain ways, 'cause we would talk about our lives as well in the sessions.

We also had an agreement: We spent more time with each other than we did with our own spouses — with anybody else, really — and we fully acknowledged that we would drive each other crazy. We gave each other permission to walk away at different times, or just say "you're really bothering me right now," or "you're annoying me, I have to get away from you." And we rarely used that because we gave each other permission and we talked about it. It really helped us to get along better in that way, and he always respected me and I love that about him. We would laugh about a million things and he became like a brother and played jokes on me and stuff. For some reason it became a joke that if someone was acting badly, you give them a Diet Coke. I don't drink soda, so if somebody brought me a Diet Coke, I knew it was because he would tell a PA to bring me a Diet Coke as a joke. I didn't do that to him every often. He was more of the mischievous one of the two of us for sure, but we had a lot of good times together.

That sounds like a healthy way to approach that type of relationship.

People have work husbands and work wives at their jobs. I think that's not uncommon, but it takes it to another level playing opposite each other and being married to each other, for sure.

You and David still have a lawsuit pending against Fox for withholding profits from the show. Is there anything you can say about what you learned from that whole experience, and how it has impacted your deals going forward, or even advice to other actors dealing with that issue?

I can't really talk about it because it's still going on. It's not over. I would love to talk about it at some point, but I can't talk about it now. I can talk about it with my friends, but I can't talk to the [press] about it. We can talk in a couple of years. It makes me nervous to sign a contract.

                   What's your biggest takeaway from your experience on Bones?

Oh, there's so much. I loved playing that character for 12 years. I loved the people I worked with, not just the cast but the crew. I loved telling the stories. I loved all of it. For me, going forward, I just don't want to do the same thing twice. At this point, I have no interest in doing 22 episodes of a television show. I want to play different characters, I'm open to anything — I'm not going to say that I'm not doing television because I'm currently filming television, but I'm not a series regular. That was a plus to me going in. I have flexibility. When you're a guest star you can come and go, and there's no contract, which is great going into my first job after doing Bones. And I don't want to take too much time away from my kids. So that's basically how I see things now, but I'm not anti-television by any means. It really is the golden age of television right now; there's so many amazing things going on, so many stories that are being told, and people doing it so well. I would never write off doing television.

You produced and directed on Bones, is that something you want to do more?

Yeah, all of it. I loved being a producer on Bones. It gives you a say in things, and I really appreciated that. Directing I really loved, and I'm very much interested in doing more of that in my life, but it takes up time. It depends on the time and finding the right project, because you don't want to spend all that time producing or directing something that isn't something you are completely passionate about. It's about finding the right project, and the right timing, with family and everything, I could do that again.

Your character on Animal Kingdom is very different than we've seen you play in the past.

I was really interested in having the conversation about addiction. The character is a recovering heroin addict, and this is a big issue in our country right now. This is a character you're seeing enter the show at rock bottom: She's just come out of prison, she's got nowhere to live, and she's trying to establish herself. This is a character who is sensitive to things, has seen everything in life, has done all kinds of things in her life, like a lot of people who have dealt with addiction have. This is a character who is a survivor. She's trying to find her way in the world and she's doing to do whatever it takes to establish herself to get what she needs, basically.

So she might come across as manipulative. She always has the reasons for doing what she does, but that's like all the characters on the show. They're like criminals, addicts, sociopaths,and she fits in with all that. My character is the best friend of Ellen Barkin's character's daughter so I've known the family for years and years and years, and I see it as an opportunity for myself to get in with the family and see what I can get out of it.

It sounds like there might be a throwdown between Angela and Smurf, Ellen Barkin's character.

Yeah, my character and her character did not like each other. I blame her for her daughter's death, and she blames me, essentially. There's no hiding how we feel about each other. It gets very intense between the two characters for sure. I'm the woman coming in for her territory and I move in to her house. She is not happy about that. I can't say that there's a throw-down fight between us, but it gets intense. Which is always uncomfortable because I love Ellen Barkin so much as a person and as an actor, so I hate the fact that our characters don't get along. But at least we get along off camera!

Animal Kingdom airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on TNT.

x

[sainthockey]

Evgeni Malkin + Anna Kasterova: SNC Russia (May 2018)

Evgeni Malkin is the most titled Russian hockey player in the NHL; he has superb stats and three Stanley Cups. Right now, while you read this issue, he is fighting for his fourth Cup: the playoffs begin in May and the final round ends in June. If the powerful Pittsburgh loses quickly -- though there's almost no chance of that -- we may see Zhenya participate in the IIHF World Championship, which is also running in May.  SNC couldn't ignore the month of hockey -- or the fact that Malkin is married to one of the biggest sex symbols in sports journalism, TV presenter Anna Kasterova.  For both of them, this is their first cover photoshoot and interview, taken by Ruben Zarbabyan in Miami.

August 7th 2006, Magnitogorsk. Evgeni Malkin wakes up after a night that would later be called “the worst of my life.”  Discussions with Metallurg Magnitogorsk regarding Zhenya’s new contract were delayed late into the night.  What was the argument? It was obvious to everyone that Zhenya was ripe with hope that he would soon transfer to the NHL -- Pittsburgh, his draft team, was already waiting for him.  But the leaders of Metallurg insisted that it was necessary that he stay with them for one more year.  Once they reached the eleventh hour of negotiations, they finally found Malkin to be persuadable -- and he signed the year’s contract and went to sleep.

But when he awoke in the morning, he realized that he made a mistake, and made a crucial decision -- he would call his North American agency, find a way to refuse the contract, and make it to the United States.  “You can’t do that to people -- force them to sign these contracts at three in the morning,” Zhenya would later say in an interview.    

Despite accusations about his lack of patriotism and the skepticism of “well-wishers” about his future in hockey overseas, he soon made his debut -- in September 2006 with the Penguins.  

Around the same time -- in Moscow -- a Psychology student from Zelenograd -- Anna Kasterova -- was on the cusp of making a major decision. Her head throbbed -- the program she was in felt too managed and didn’t get into the heart of the work she wanted to do.  It was time to instead turn to her childhood dream -- becoming a TV presenter.  She quickly began to send her resume out to many companies, and heard back finally from “Russia 24.”  However, without any experience or education in this field, they only offered her an internship where she would go to shoots with the channel’s star correspondents, hold their microphones, perform menial tasks, watch how they worked, and twiddle her thumbs.  In this role, she would have to stay for two years -- all of this after a quiet office position for a financial company.

“Yes, before television, I tried out a number of different spheres.  But everything seemed to be taken, as it turned out, and I’m an intelligent woman.” Slim, tall, and tanned, Kasterova has both the laughter of a contralto and some healthy self irony.  But thanks to this, she still got her chance to get some time in front of the camera -- and took full advantage.

There was TNT, VGTRK, “Headbutt,”, “Central Television,” NTV and a bunch more.  Twelve years later, the two of them are together in Pittsburgh.  He is a three-time Stanley Cup winner.  She is the the face of Russia 2, and now mother and wife.  It seems that maybe the time of heavy career decisions is behind them, but even if not, they won’t have to endure them alone.

“We met in 2011,” recalls Kasterova.  “More precisely, Evgeni saw me on TV.  He found my number through some friends and sent me a message.  I’m trying to remember what kind of friends they were…”

“Well, FSB, maybe…” Malkin loves to communicate with short, ironic punchlines -- which when paired with the unique timbre of his voice and his expressive accent (if spoken in English) usually brings forth the laughter of others. (translator’s note: here is an article about FSB, Russian state security/spy group since 1995)

“So, FSB, right?” Anna fixes her husband with a faux-angry look -- the style of communication of all happy couples -- and a moment later the both of them erupt with laughter.  Through the laughing, Kasterova recounts the original text message that he sent.  “It was something like this: Hello, Anya – This is Zhenya Malkin here. Here, I wanted to say, I liked you. If you'd like, can we be friends?  And here, I’ll write to you sometimes.” Whether the insidious use of the word “here” worked on her -- or simply that she was that day in a good mood -- she agreed.  Although, it isn’t possible to imagine how many of these types of messages she must have received -- a girl who, at the time, had the status of a sex symbol.

The storyline of their communications was revealed almost immediately: Evgeni’s feelings were revealed on the other side of the screen -- he did not hide them and constantly tried to initiate a full-fledged date. But Anya was not in a hurry to let this ardent center forward cross the blue line.  And it didn’t help that Malkin lived and worked an entire hemisphere away.

Therefore, for three long years, Malkin and Kasterova were stuck in the stage of semi-friendly correspondence and the rare phone call.  There were occasional “hellos” said on Fight Nights and in various Moscow restaurants, but nothing more.  

“Of course, I understood that there is little chance for friendship between a man and a woman,” recalls Anna, “that once you write there is some interest there, but for some reason I was determined to to continue drawing it out.”

“There was interest,” recognizes Malkin, “but in the conversation I was being quite forward, as is typical of men.  First of all, I wanted to get to know each other and that would show.  It was extremely annoying that it took so long.”  That fateful meeting, after which -- in the words of Malkin -- everything became quite serious, took place where hockey players and TV journalists collide as if they were all quantum particles in the Big Bang -- during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, or more precisely, immediately following. Malkin’s first date, in fact, he begged and persuaded Kasterova to have lunch with him as a small comfort after his unfortunate defeat against the Finns in the quarterfinals.

“Without a second thought, I agreed,” says Anya, “and we met.  It immediately became clear that this brutal hockey player -- with a romantic and vulnerable nature -- has a hard time getting over defeat.”

It’s funny that the Big Bang that brought Kasterova and Malkin together could not have happened if the current ban on NHL participation in the Olympics had been in place back then.  Malkin is certainly upset about the situation -- that he could not play for Russia during their first Olympic victory in many decades -- but he is happy for his colleagues and hopes to be able to attend the Winter Games in 2022.

“We are just pawns in this situation,” he says, from his heart, “the decisions are made by billionaires.  The league considered their options and decided not to let us go -- it’s a shame, but that’s it.  But of course I am very happy for our team.”

“Of course I understand how it important it would be to Zhenya to win this medal,” says Kasterova. “And I would love to go along with him and cheer -- especially since I have not been to Korea.”

“Nevermind that -- you would go to the North!” says Malkin -- a little family trolling.  

“To what North, Zhenya?” Again, Anya fixes him an imaginary stern look and then they both burst out in more than one peal of laughter.  Evgeni’s sense of humor was forged in difficult conditions: numerous press conferences and scrums with such questions as ‘when did you know you needed to add to the offense?’ (indeed, being shut out 2-0, clearly he would realize it was time for some offense? Did he feel they were getting shots off in attempt to get a goal?).  Malkin crafted the perfect recipe for combatting such questions: blurt something out -- some simple, paradoxical thought from his head.  In combination with his heavy accent, that certainly is enough to make the Americans roll with laughter.  

From this, you might perceive Malkin as some kind of bumpkin -- one shirt, simple as five cents, with a strange, slightly clumsy demeanor. But you’ll only believe this until you see how he spins himself full round two defenders, all while sliding the puck past the opposition’s goalie.  Then it becomes clear that Malkin is far from that simple guy.  

His whole family, both mother’s and father’s, worked at the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plant.  The family of Kasterova, too, comes from the field of science and industry.  Anya’s first TV program on Russia-2 network dealt with topics of science, technology, and the internet -- but it was not by chance!  Her grandfather was one of the lead engineers at the Zelenograd factory of Angstrem.  Remember those vintage Soviet handheld games where the wolf catches eggs in a basket? As well as Mysteries of the Ocean and Autoslalom? These games were developed from the efforts of our heroine’s grandfather -- and Anya was one of the first informal beta-testers!

“I was even given models that did not end up in mass production!” she states proudly.  

Today, their family life is clearly divided between days on which Zhenya has a game and days on which he does not.  On game days, they wake up, Anya sees Zhenya off to the rink, and then after she begins to cook him his game day meal according to the rules of hockey nutrition -- though fortunately they are not so complex. When Malkin returns, he eats, sleeps about an hour, and then leaves once more to prepare for the game.  If Anya is attending, she will head to the rink a little later on.  

On days with no game, Zhenya will return from practice in the afternoon and they spend the rest of the day with their son Nikita.  Off days are mostly spent driving to meet friends for lunch or dinner -- either one of their friends from the large Russian-speaking community in Pittsburgh, team captain Sidney Crosby, Malkin’s linemate Phil Kessel, or Swedish teammates Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin.  

“Kris Letang is also a good friend -- sometimes you can hang out with him,” adds Evgeni.  

But in general, Pittsburgh is a small town with a population of only three hundred thousand.  It used to be the center of the American steel industry, but those jobs have mostly moved to other countries and the city is trying to move more into technology and environmental fields.  The time spent here is fairly calm, nothing like the nearest metropolis -- New York -- which is seven hours away by car, too much for Zhenya’s schedule to handle during the season when he has a maximum of one and half days off at any one time.

What about Las Vegas? “Well, I wasn’t there, but Evgeni?” Kasterova looks at her husband, questioning.  

“Evgeni loves Vegas!” Malkin says, referring to himself in the third person, though the statement is clearly made with false bravado.  He was only in Vegas a couple of times, and only for work -- to play against the local hockey team.  “It’s probably cool to go there on vacation -- go to concerts, play in the casino, but in the offseason we spend much of our time by the ocean, and this year Nikita’s great-grandmother is eager to spend time with him, so we will try somehow later.”

Homesickness, of course, arises in their situation.  They fight it as they can: sometimes by watching Russian channels (his favorite film is “Operation Y” and hers is “A Cruel Romance”).  More often, they drive to Russian shops in the area to get baraniki.  At the peak of his nostalgia, Malkin bought a Russian billiards table -- he loved to play in Magnitogorsk and has now seriously improved his skills!  These kinds of sports, focused on scoring, are definitely his thing.  (translator’s note: baranki is a russian bagel eaten with tea-- the smaller form is called sushki.  thanks to emalkin71 for the help with this-- i had always used the term sushki instead!)

And they don’t lack for friends in Pittsburgh -- close and loved -- as well as some urban infrastructure.  “I knew what I was going for,” Anya said that she consciously made a choice -- in favor of her future husband, their family, and his career. “But this decision was not easy for me, nor without tears.  Entertainment is not the main thing in life, and for an athlete, of course, Pittsburgh is quite ideal -- there is nothing to distract you from your sport.”

Indeed, Malkin does not seem to be distracted.  For the Penguins, Geno (his American nickname, a derivative of his name) is a leader in the broadest sense of the word: he has the most goals and points on the team, and the best “ratio of usefulness.”

A Siberian Hulk, moving across the ice at supersonic speed, the archetypal Russian, a hero who will come and say just two simple words in a distinctive accent and solve all of your problems -- that’s how people in the States think of Malkin.  And the fans of the Penguins also see in him the reincarnation of Mario Lemieux, the legendary #66, who brought their then second-rate team to two Stanley Cups in the early nineties.  In one way, Malkin has even bypassed Lemieux: he has three cups (in 2009, 2016, and 2017).  And even this year, they have a serious chance to nab a fourth!

But in the regular season, Pittsburgh played just ‘okay’ -- why? “After winning two cups in a row, most opponents play against us very hard,” says Malkin. “On one hand, they are afraid of us, but they also would like to beat us at any cost.”  For Zhenya, this means the increased attentions of the defense -- and not always within the rules.  

Hockey offers a lot of space for aggression: 26 specific penalties exist for which you would receive a two-minute removal, and another 15 that warrant a full five minutes.  Games in which Malkin doesn’t draw a single penalty due to the aggressive attention of the opposition just don’t happen.

This, of course, is not the story of Pavel Bure -- the main Russian star of the previous generation.  He was nicknamed “Russian Rocket,” and in his case, his bodyguards Brasher and Odjick would stop anyone from even coming after him by smearing opponents to the ice.  

For the 6’3” and nearly 198 lb Zhenya, this method won’t fly. Opponents know he isn’t all talk -- he does take penalties and even fights sometimes! But the straightforward and benevolent Malkin doesn’t know how to beat them with their own tricks and hates the dirty game they play.  When he is provoked to fight, he doesn’t hesitate to punch first -- Magnitogorsk-style!  If he were a character in a combat video game, maybe this would be beneficial, but it’s a disastrous strategy on the ice.  Geno could easily be taken out of the rest of the game and then Pittsburgh would be without its main sniper.  

The team traded for Ryan Reaves in the offseason to help solve this problem, and Reaves racked up six fights in half a season’s time -- a more than satisfactory result! Reaves’ presence allowed Malkin to cut the number of penalties he took in half.  But in February, the team traded Reaves in favor of strengthening their third line.  It seem that in the playoffs, points will be more valuable than fists.

However, it seems that Evgeni has his own personal Ryan Reaves at home.  When she once again directs us all to move on with more of the interview questions, I notice that Anna is not at all relaxed.  “This is my usual state,” Kasterova states quietly.  But Malkin is quite relaxed -- joking and laughing.  Thanks to his wife’s tireless efforts, all of his worries begin and end on the ice.  And all this at a time when their son, Nikita, is nearly two years old (very soon they will have to tend to his cries and end the interview) -- a difficult time in the life of any young family!

It is not surprising that under such conditions, Geno recently passed the 900 point mark in the NHL.  Fans expect that he might reasonably finish with one and a half or even two thousand points before he’s done.  The question before them now is whether they are going to return to Russia after he retires.  Malkin pipes up immediately in favor of this, but Kasterova speaks over him with a more considered opinion: the two are still in constant communication about this topic.  Much of this will of course depend on their children.  

At this point, it becomes clear that with Anya by his side, Zhenya would never be forced to agree to anything, no matter how much pressure was put on him.  Not at three, or even five o’clock in the morning -- he’s a happy man.  

(translation by: saintroux)

[anythingstephenking]

Sweet Dreams Are (Not) Made of These

I’ve been at this project for two and a half years now, which blows my mind that a) I am still doing it; but really b) that it’s taking me this long. As self-proclaimed Constant Reader #1, I’ll crank through some novels in a day, or spend 3 months staring down a book on my nightstand, choosing Forensic Files before bed rather than reading. 

It’s really neither here nor there, but like the Bachmans, King’s short story collections are my kryptonite. I actually very much enjoyed book #32, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, but that didn’t stop me from taking almost 2 months to plow through the 816 pages of content. This book traveled to Boston and back with me, without a single page being read on my travels. I blame both my flights being early mornings, where sleep seemed like the more prudent choice than reading.

I struggle with how to recap these collections - with 23 stories ranging from revenge to teleplays to poems to science fiction, it becomes difficult to discuss as a cohesive unit. And I am sure as shit not taking the time to go through each individually. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So I’ll talk about the intros and outros instead. King’s introductions, when he adds them, are always delightful and enlightening. Nightmares and Dreamscapes starts with King retelling his gullibility as a child (believing tennis balls are filled with poison and if you cut one open and breathe the air inside you’ll die, as an example) framed against the readers choice to get lost and believe in these (sometimes outrageous) stories. I love these intros because listening to King speak in his own voice reminds us that he’s a human. He often uses these pages to defend his work, criticizing the critics and praising the Constant Reader for diving in without pause. The idea that one of the most celebrated and popular writers of our time doubts his ability to create and be heard; that he takes it personally when he’s criticized for selling out or overwriting - reminds us that no one likes to hear that their passion or creativity isn’t valid. It doesn’t matter if we hear praise from 99% of folks we interact with - the 1% bad is what you get stuck on. Criticism can be cancer, and it doesn’t matter if you’re you or Stephen King - negative thoughts don’t discriminate.

Oh hey there boo boo bear.

King spends the end notes focused on the specifics that led to some of the stories. I wish he paused to discuss each and every one, but he only covers 16 of the 23. Still, I love a good origin story, and King covers that along with connections to the King Multiverse - stories that cover vampires, the scientific specifics that were required to write a story about burying a Cadillac in the desert and Castle Rock post Needful Things. 

(Side Note: Speaking of the King Multiverse and Castle Rock, I am truly obsessed with this show and have found mountains of joy in non-King-nerds loving the shit out of it too. I’ll try to remember to write about it once the series wraps in a couple weeks. Bill Skarsgard for President.)

In any case, Nightmares and Dreamscapes was probably my favorite collection thus far. Night Shift and Skeleton Crew were decidedly too weird for me. It seems I’m in the minority, as this collection received the most critical response. Maybe King was right to spend the first 9 pages defending his work.

I realize, of all my writing about the books I’ve read, the above 7 paragraphs are boring as hell. I am sorry - I’m ready to move back into novel territory and I’ve been sick with a cold for 2 weeks which is a bummer of a way to end the summer. Hey, that rhymed. 

I’ll leave you with this - one of the most outrageous stories involves a hotel maid licking sperm off the sheets of a racist writers bed, using the sperm along with witchcraft to impart the authors talents into the mind of her unborn baby. So if you’re really jonesing for a sperm lunch story, this is the book for you.

7/10

Adaptations:

There’s a couple movies and a TNT miniseries featuring some of these stories, but none of them are readily available on the internet so I’m going to skip them. After The Langoliers and Tommyknockers, I’m burned out on TV adaptations for the time being… my next stop at a King movie will be The Green Mile, so I’ll anxiously await its arrival over a 2006 Tom Berenger.

(^^This is the Zakim bridge, which was completed in 2003. Nightmares and Dreamscapes was published in 1993. FACTUAL INACCURACIES!)

[lasvegas0]

‘American Idol’ Recap: It’s All About Personality as the Auditions Come to an End

American Idol has only been back for two and a half weeks, but we’re already about to enter the next phase of the reboot with new judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.

I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be season 16 or season 1, but what I do know is that while the auditions are fun — both the good and the bad — Hollywood Week is when it really begins.

The big stage, the pressure, the judgments, the horrors of the group round … this is where the studs are separated from the duds, and stars begin their journey. And it’s right around the corner.

But first, we have to get through these last two hours of golden ticket giveaways. And so back to Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City and Savannah we go.

Seventeen-year-old Gabby Barrett and her family drove to Tennessee all the way from Pittsburgh, and she’s a daddy’s girl. He is a maintenance man for Goodwill, and he spends his nights cleaning apartments to provide the best life possible for his family. She’s cute and bubbly but also grounded, and Carrie Underwood is her idol.

The judges find her rendition of Carrie’s "Good Girl" too gimmicky because when you try to sound country, you don’t sound country. They also reject her back-up songs — Carrie Underwood’s "Church Bells" and Gretchen Wilson’s "Redneck Woman." But her personality finally comes through on an actual church song — about Jesus.

Caitlin Lucia is 22 and gigs at the same place Katy did as a teenager, and she’s rocking a tight yellow onesie while singing her hero’s song in front of her hero. It’s a folksy version of "I Kissed a Girl," and the judges like it. They also believe that it merely scratches the surface of what Caitlin can do.

Amelia Presley is The King’s sixth cousin once removed, and her "Heartbreak Hotel" kicks off a mediocre Elvis montage that includes frog-throated Billy Crunk and wannabe impersonator Bailey Eubanks. It ends with country boy heartthrob Drake Milligan, who sounds like Elvis but impresses the judges because they think he doesn’t. Luke calls him "cowboy cool," and then it’s a mash-up of Katy’s non-stop set snacking and bunched-up Spanx.

Katy doesn’t think "Stand By Me" is a proper choice to show off the voice of 24-year-old Mylon Shamble, until Mylon sings it. Then Katy calls it the best "Stand By Me" she’s ever heard.

Lee Vasi looks like Alicia Keys, and she duets on her all-time favorite song — The Commodores’ "Zoom" — with Lionel before launching into Toni Braxton’s "Love Shoulda Brought You Home." She’s got the pipes, but the song goes horribly awry amid a slew of pitchless screeching. Still, the judges see potential in her and send her to Hollywood. Luke predicts that she’ll be in the Top 10 if she listens and stays in her wheelhouse.

Philly boy Michael J. Woodard fights his nerves and is all over the place with an over-run version of Ed Sheeran’s "Make It Rain," but the judges love his infectious personality and what they see as raw potential. It probably should’ve been a no based on the lack of control, but I’ll admit he’s likable.

A montage of fashion, hair, tats and related flair ends with 18-year-old dance choreographer Brielle Rathbun, who has fully braided hair and adopted siblings from other countries. Her mom ditched the family a few years ago, and now Dad is the champion. She raspily sings Sara Bareilles’ "Gravity" out of the side of her mouth. And while I don’t love it, her unique personality and spunk mean she’s through.

Carly Moffa describes herself as "a mess," and she’s always been a little different with a penchant for showmanship. Showwomanship? Her mother — who was diagnosed with progressive MS and had five surgeries in the last year alone — is her best friend, and she wrote her original song about "letting the lion out" to cheer Mom up when she was having a rough night. She’s got a bit of Florence Welch in her, which I swear I wrote before Katy says it, and her unique sound makes her one to watch.

Samuel (pronounced Sam-well?) Swanson is a 28-year-old Alabama farm boy who longed to see more than trees and cows, so he picked up and moved to Harlem with $60 to his name. He does a sweet and soulful take on Al Green’s "Let’s Stay Together," and Lionel compares him to Luther Vandross. It’s clear that the theme of the show is unique and endearing personalities.

Eighteen-year-old Jurnee was a recluse until she realized her truth and came out, and she has since met her soulmate and got married. It’s been rainbows — pun intended (her words) — ever since, and she tackles Andra Day’s "Rise Up." There’s no emotional connection until the chorus and way too many extreme runs crammed into a song that doesn’t need it, but the judges appreciate Jurnee’s journey and keep it going to Hollywood.

That’s Adam Sanders, who made the Top 50 when he was 19 five years ago. Rejection was difficult to deal with, but he admits he wasn’t ready back then. But the aftermath was much worse, and the social media trolls targeted his weight, told him he was terrible and advised him to end his life.

He went to a dark place and contemplated suicide, believing he might not be worth fixing. But from that, he rebuilt himself and rose from the ashes a new person confident in his identity. And so the final featured audition of season 16 comes courtesy of Ada Vox, who is a seafood waiter by day and a "part-time woman" by night.

He belts out "House of the Rising Sun" in full drag, showing off a gigantic range backed by pure power pipes. Despite the persona, he assures the judges that he’s in it to win it, and he’s awarded the final golden ticket.

Now, look, I’m not dissing the talent. But truth be told, I was actually at a drag show last night (my wife and I have many theatre friends), and Ada Vox is pretty standard for the New York scene. The vocal prowess can’t be denied, but he’s going to have a difficult time separating himself from the persona to be taken seriously. Ms. Vox will definitely have a loyal following, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out from a recording artist perspective.

Being homeless isn’t enough to deter Ayana Lawson, who goes by Rose because her first name means "lovely flower" in Ethiopian. She used to play basketball but couldn’t afford new sneakers, and now music is her life, her passion, her joy.

Her guitar playing is on point during a toned-down, no-frills version of Bonnie Raitt’s "I Can’t Make You Love Me." She doesn’t have the strongest voice in the world, but the emotional connection is raw and real. You can feel the Tracy Chapman "Fast Car"-like desperation.

The judges want to see her come back because she’s not ready yet, so it’s three nos. But, c’mon, they’ve put through far worse people. And with her backstory, she may simply need an opportunity to build the confidence and swagger they want to see now.

(ABC didn’t post a video of Ayana on the American Idol YouTube page, so I’m embedding it from another source.)

Tory N. Teasley — or TNT for short (that’s gotta be his drag queen alias) — delivers a spicy rendition of Cee Lo Green’s "F*** You" that makes Luke fall out of his chair laughing while Lionel grimaces at the coarse language.

Lucy Clearwater dedicates her folksy take on Sir Mix A Lot’s "Baby Got Back" to Luke’s backside.

Jarom Banks, sometimes known as JoJo Jerom, wears pajamas and butchers REM’s "Losing My Religion" on the piano. It’s a yes from Katy but only because he’s so weird.

Another montage of rejection ends with a guy in a red jacket dancing like Michael Jackson (pictured at the top of the recap) who sings Wham! And as Deadpool pointed out, there’s an exclamation point. So it’s not Wham. It’s Wham! Then heavy metal junkie Damiano Scarfi butchers Boston’s "More Than a Feeling," and here he goes again on his own, going down the only road he’s ever known: rejection.

And just like that, Hollywood here we come. No one emerged as a real contender from this episode, but I’m most interested to see what Carly Moffa can do to harness that Florence and the Machine vibe.

The hell that is Hollywood Week kicks off in the next episode. It’s time to put up or shut up. Literally.

Who were your favorites and who do you think has the most potential? Is there a superstar in this mix? What are your thoughts on Adam Sanders’ transformation, and can Ada Vox be taken seriously in a competition like American Idol? Should the judges have put through Michael J. Woodard and Lee Vasi, or do they need more seasoning? And should poor homeless Ayana Lawson be heading west or did the judges make the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

(Images and videos courtesy of ABC)

Who was the best of the night?

Source Article

The post ‘American Idol’ Recap: It’s All About Personality as the Auditions Come to an End appeared first on LAS-VEGAS-REAL-ESTATE-REPORT.

Read More At: http://www.las-vegas-real-estate-report.net/american-idol-recap-its-all-about-personality-as-the-auditions-come-to-an-end/