#big brother 2018 uk

[sunshineandlyrics]

Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh gossip about Simon Cowell on Celebrity Big Brother UK (March 2024). They're talking about Xfactor 2018 when our Louis, Robbie Williams and Ayda Field replaced Sharon, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger.

[withnofreetime]

HETALIA ☆ WORLD STARS (514)

Germany/Japan: Este hombre está muerto, pero no le han avisado.

Translation notes at the end: ‘cuz I took a lot of “creative freedoms(?)” and sometimes I forgot the meaning of words (“kanji”). Warning: I don’t know Italian, German (my sister knows) and French (a bit). Bad words.

T/N:

Page 1.

"Fratellone", an informal way to say "Big brother".

Page 2.

"All roads lead to my house", probably Sir Hima was trying to emphasize the proverb: "All roads lead to Rome".

"Avoglia", has too many meanings and uses, but in this case is "Of course!"

"Stronzi", plural of "Stronzo", literal meaning is "t*rd".

Page 3.

"Clown", I wanted France to speak French, but… there's no point...

"Bastardo", "bast*ard".

Page 4.

"C'est bon?!", two things: 1) it means "It's okay?" and 2) the diavolic song "Bon Bon Bon / C'est Bon C'est Bon!

"Merci", "thanks".

"Je vous apprécie!", in France is not common to say "I love you", so this is the most similar (and not creepy) I could find (thanks to French people of Reddit).

Page 5.

"Italie", "Italy".

Page 6.

"The City of Light", is called that because it was the first city to use gas as a source of street lights.

Page 7.

"En conséquence", because of "La Déclaration des Droits de L'Homme et du Citoyen". (Joke)

"Vaffanculo", a bad word, with a different meaning than the literal translation: "F*ck you".

"German tourists", in 2019, more than 12 million Germans travelled to Italy, and they are by far the number one. Ironically, for France (2018) it is almost the same with approximately 12 million German tourists arrived, and more than 18 million (2019) spent more nights there (second place, tho Italy is 58 million).

"Oddio", "oh, god!"

Page 8.

"Na", german slang "Hey!" (??)

Page 9.

"Je suis vraiment très belle!", "I'm really so beautiful!"

"Merci beaucoup", "Thank you very much!"

"Vero", an agreement word.

Page 10.

"England smile", I had two theories:

1) The story that Italy, the genius, has it all figured out is true and England knows it, or...

2) It has something to do with the fact that France's most visited tourists are from the UK, so sharing/robbing France's credit for winning "alone"; but it's unlikely because I don't see the point with what Francis says below.

"Che palle!", used to indicated frustration or annoyance, don't want to write down the literal meaning.

Page 11.

"Pfui" is a German expression to show disgust.

"È inutile piangere sul latte versato", an Italian idiom that translates to: "No use crying over spilt milk".

"Nein", "No".

"All part of the plan–!?", I have faith in Italy.

Introduction.

"Este hombre está...", "This man is dead, but he hasn't been warned", my words towards Italy and France.

Is there a problem/error? Please say so!

[lulu2992]

Exploration of the now-offline Far Cry 5 official websites

Part 4: Game Info (Europe)

Recovered content

The European website was first archived on October 9th, 2017, almost five months after the announcement and before the release of Far Cry 5. On the home page, after an image of the “key art” (see under the cut) and an invitation to watch this video...

...there was the ABOUT THE GAME section:

FREEDOM Set in beautiful Montana, an incredible Open World. Hope County welcomes you to the Land of the Free. FAMILY Led by The Father and commanded by The Heralds, Eden’s Gate preys on those hopeless folks who have fallen into economical and psychological despair. FIREARMS From shotguns to slingshots, this toy chest is stocked, locked and loaded with every piece of steel you’ll need to take down the Cult. Lead a resistance against a fanatical cult in small town, U.S.A., where Freedom, Firearms, and the Project at Eden’s Gate rule above all else. Lead a resistance against a fanatical cult in small town, U.S.A., where Freedom, Firearms, and the Project at Eden’s Gate rule above all else.

Clicking “More Info” took you to the GAME INFO page, which wasn’t archived before March 10th, 2018, and looked like this at least until February 7th, 2020 (last available archive):

FREEDOM, FAMILY & FIREARMS Welcome to Hope County, Montana, home to a fanatical doomsday cult known as The Project at Eden’s Gate that is threatening the community's freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leader, Joseph Seed and the Heralds, and spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community. In this expansive world, your limits and creativity will be tested against the biggest and most ruthless baddest enemy Far Cry has ever seen. It’ll be wild and it’ll get weird, but as long as you keep your wits about you, the residents of Hope County can rest assured you’re their beacon of hope. Join the Resistance on March 27th, 2018, with Far Cry 5. Available on PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC.

The FREEDOM section was mostly about the open world and game mechanics, but the others were about the Project and the Resistance.

Here is FAMILY:

PROJECT AT EDEN’S GATE The Project at Eden’s Gate, led by The Father, believes The Collapse is imminent. They’re on a mission to save your soul – whether you want it or not. JOSEPH SEED – THE FATHER “I am your Father. And you are my Children.” FAITH SEED – THE SIREN Once you fall under Faith’s spell, you’re a goner. As Joseph’s voice, Faith acts as a divine instrument of chaos to keep the congregation in a state of bliss. JOHN SEED – THE INQUISITOR John will use intimidation, faith and violence to secure resources vital to the Cult’s survival - be it a home or a person. JACOB SEED – THE SOLDIER As the Cult’s recruiter and former Army marksman, big brother Seed’s main duty is protecting the Project at Eden’s Gate.

The four red buttons redirected to the Character Spotlight videos about Joseph, Faith, John, and Jacob posted on the Ubisoft UK YouTube Channel.

Here is FIREARMS:

THE RESISTANCE Throughout the hills, valleys, and townships of Hope County, civilians of all walks have joined forces to resist against the cult, and rid their land of its chaos once and for all. But it wouldn’t be as fun if new toys hadn’t been brought along the way. Boom boom boom boom! ♫

Clicking “More Info” opened a pop-up window with a video and a description for each character; I will detail all of that in future posts.

Commentary

Sadly, the European website was archived way less often than the American one. It seems it was also rarely updated, as it apparently said we could still “pre-order” the game... in 2020. But since it used to exist and wasn’t identical to the American version, I decided to include it in these posts too!

Under the cut are all the available source files, saved directly from the website, of the images you see in the screenshots:

But first, here is the site’s version of the “key art”:

And now the images that actually are in the screenshots:

(The icons became red when you hovered your cursor over them)

The three icons below are not the source files. I couldn’t find them so I simply took and cropped screenshots:

I will upload the pictures of the Resistance (from the FIREARMS section) in the posts dedicated to each character.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

A Potted History of The Princess of Wales and the Early Years

I had an idea, at about 6 o'clock this evening, to go through everything Catherine has done with the Early Years before tomorrow and this has been rushed but let's go...

After marrying Prince William in 2011, the then-Duchess of Cambridge began working with a number of grass-roots charities, which focused on mental health, addiction, and hospice care. Her first set of patronages - announced in January 2012 - included three charities within this sphere: Action on Addiction, The Art Room and EACH. Early the following year, Place2Be joined her list of patronages. During this time, Catherine visited her patronages, as well as other charities, and began to develop an understanding of the importance of childhood and mental health. She also made a number of private visits to children's hospices and her patronages. In 2013, she became a mother for the first time, which she spoke about in a 2020 podcast with Giovanna Fletcher (Happy Mum, Happy Baby), allowing her insight into what new mums experienced. It was around the same time she first began to publicly support Children's Hospice Week.

Her work continued to develop and she began supporting the initiatives started by her patronages, such as M-PACT, which aims to improve the well-being of children and families affected by substance misuse. In 2015, Catherine began to engage in more "taboo" topics, such as fostering and the care system, as well as hospital schools, and women in prisons. By doing this, she was able to see how early intervention could positively impact on young lives. Catherine also undertook an engagement with Mind (her first engagement on World Mental Health Day) and began to meet with professionals, such as headteachers, to develop her knowledge.

In 2016, Catherine supported the first ever Children's Mental Health Week (fun fact, in 2021, Kensington Palace retweeted some CMHW work I did in school). She also guest edited the Huffington Post, promoting Young Minds Matter. She became Patron of both the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Familes and Action for Children that year (a representative from both patronages is in her recently-convened Early Years Advisory Group). 2016 also saw Catherine bring together her work along with her husband's and brother-in-law's to set up Heads Together, an awareness campaign focusing on mental health. The trio also continued to celebrate World Mental Health Day, which they would continue to do for many years.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge visted the Anna Freud Centre’s Early Years Parenting Unit, which works with parents who have personality disorders and aims to help them seek help and keep families together. Throughout this period, she undertook a number of engagements focusing on promoting Heads Together, including releasing a personal video alongside William and Harry for #OktoSay and appearing on BBC Radio 1. Heads Together culminated in the 2017 London Marathon, which she attended. 2018 saw Catherine begin to promote Mentally Healthy Schools. She also continued to expand her range of interests, attending the Headstart conference privately and visiting GOSH.

She continued to develop her interests and began looking into neuroscience and its impact on mental health and early development. She also, for the first time, began showing an interest in the perinatal, with her also becoming Patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In mid-2018, Catherine attended a symposium on the importance of early intervention. That year, she also convened an Early Years Steering group - showing the beginnings of her current work - and attended the Mental Health in Education Conference.

Alongside William, she met with the BBC, where she spoke about children's wellbeing and the positive impact media can have. She also undertook a two-week private work placement at Kingston Hospital, on the maternity wards. In 2020, Catherine launched 5 Big Questions, and promoted this with a UK-wide tour, including a return visit to HMP Send. The questions were in the form of a short survey, open to the public.

The afore-mentioned Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast aired in early 2020. During the chat, Catherine confessed to feeling upset and scared after the birth of George, and spoke about the importance of mums' seeking help. During the pandemic, she chaired a Zoom roundtable of health professionals and joined a number of calls with midwives. Throughout the pandemic, a number of her Zoom calls and phone meetings were held with medical and mental health professionals, as well as with schools, children, parents and young families. She leant her public support to the BBC's Tiny Happy People project, as well.

Catherine used her resources to pull together donations for Baby Banks in the summer of 2020, and confessed to volunteering for her local Norfolk branch in her own time. The partnerships created by Catherine continue to this day. She met with parents and peers who have been supported by peer-to-peer parent-led support programmes, as well as representatives from Home-Start UK and the National Childbirth Trust. She continued her work with the Scouts, with whom she had been volunteering from the early days of her marriage, and continued to promote the importance of the outdoors, an area she really focused on when producing her Back to Nature garden in 2018. The Duchess of Cambridge also looked at miscarriages, during a visit to Tommy's. The results of her 5 Big Questions survey were shared as 5 Big Insights later that year. Catherine met with First Lady Jill Biden in 2021, with whom she co-hosted a roundtable discussion with a number of representatives from the early years sector.

In 2021, Catherine finally launched the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood. Since the launch of the Centre, she has continued to develop her understanding of early neurodevelopment, and travelled to Denmark - world leader's in childhood mental health - to learn how they promote early years wellbeing. Catherine continued to focus on young people, with a long-awaited appearance on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, where she read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, a book she later shared was one of her childhood favourites. During the year, she became Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, adding to the other child-focused patronages she had gained over the years (including Family Action and Evelina London). Catherine hosted another roundtable to learn about the progress made by the Centre for Early Childhood and recently convened an Early Years Advisory Group. Throughout the past few years, she has attended regular "Early Years" meetings.

[majesticwren]

due to high demand - me. I'm high demand. this entire project is being written entirely for my pleasure, be warned I'm being extremely self-indulgent - I've decided to write a little prequel to the events that take place here. this is set in 2018 and is the beginning of Fletch x OFC. billy will have his own little prequel at some point. enjoy.

Trigger Warning/s: alcohol consumption, mention of addiction, mention of sex, mention of trauma, sexual harassment, swearing, OFC is her own trigger warning she is damaged goods and slightly toxic, kyle is a little baby, mark is being overprotective and extremely toxic sorry not sorry, angst, mainly friends to lovers/impossible relationship dynamics.

nuclear season: part I -> | part II -> | part III -> prequel: part II -> | part III -> | part IV -> Masterlist

January 2018

There was always something melancholically romantic about an empty venue after a show. Seeing a place that had been crowded, hot and loud for hours suddenly empty and silent had a particular bittersweet vibe to it.

Erika sat on one of the foldable chairs at ringside, one leg crossed over her knee, swinging her foot to the beat of the seconds, looking around as she waited. Trying to pass the time, she fiddled with a lock of her hair.

The lights of the venue were now all switched on, making the ring at the centre of the room look extremely surgical. A couple of RevPro workers were dismantling it, pulling the apron and starting to take down the ropes. Erika moved her attention to another person on the other side of the room who was folding up the chairs, ready to load them away.

Erika tapped her foot on the floor. It was sticky under the sole of her show because of the spilt over drinks. She took some time to count the abandoned plastic cups and forgotten items she could see all over the place, making it look like the crowd partied hard. Which wasn’t far from reality. They had a good crowd at the show that night and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves wrestlers and guests alike.

She was proud of many of the pictures she had taken. There was a content smile nested on her lips as she was aware she had probably made rent with that event.

There were many pros to working in wrestling. It was a career she hadn’t considered before, even though she had been around the scene for years since her brother was such a massive fan and had been wrestling already for over ten years. So, she had her fair bit of knowledge and was charmed by that world but had never thought it possible to make a career out of it.

Still, now she wasn’t entirely convinced her dream had come true. Somehow, she thought she didn’t deserve it and considered it a privilege. She had hurt and disappointed so many people before, too used to being a problematic teenager than this new responsible adult that Erika was convinced it was only a matter of time before she fell into her old habits again.

But, at the moment, she was enjoying doing what she was doing and paying her living doing liked most. Photography was her life. She loved taking pictures, framing moments and making them hers forever. Plus, her job was fun and granted her the possibility not only to travel and meet many people, but she got to do it all with her dear big brother.

The most important part of following that dream, though, was that it gave her the chance to leave Australia for good. She had followed Mark to the UK only for a few weeks now and yet she hadn’t missed home once. She was always convinced that remaining in Brisbane would have meant the withering of her. There was too much of her past there and she just knew she would have never escaped it.

But, no matter how far she travelled, there was a fear always hidden inside of her that painfully reminded her how easily she could have slipped and ruined her life again.

So easy. So tempting.

“Hey, there,”

She jumped, startled when she heard that voice so close. Erika gasped, placing a hand on her chest as her gaze distractedly lifted on the tall, slim boy approaching her.

“Sorry, mate, didn’t mean to scare ya,”

Erika focused her attention on Kyle and melted into a smile, shaking her head. “Please, don’t be sorry. I was miles away.”

He approached her with a soft smile crossing his fair features. He looked like an elf, with his sharp edges, high cheekbones and glimmering, light eyes. There was something about the boy she was attracted to like a magnet. She couldn’t explain it but she couldn’t take her attention off him either. Although she didn’t trust herself enough to let herself go in that feeling. She and boys weren’t a good match. Her past was full of bad decisions and she had no intention of making another one.

Especially with a pretty, sweet boy like Kyle seemed to be. Especially since he was so close to Mark not only as his colleague and team partner but being taken in like a little brother as well. She just couldn’t risk it.

“Can I sit?” He pointed at the chair to her side.

“Of course,” Erika nodded, trying to shake the cringe off herself. Her skin rippled in goosebumps only thinking about having him too close. She couldn’t think too clearly when he looked at her, which was just ridiculous.

He dropped his bag with his ring gear on the floor and fell heavily on the little chair distending his long legs. “So, what do you think about the show?”

“I think it was great!” Erika smiled, looking at him and damning herself for the excitement it gave her to share a moment alone with Kyle. She felt the butterflies in her stomach warming up. “That move you did,” she tried to regain focus, looking back on the ring, “off the top buckle? That was so good!”

“You think?” He wondered following her eyes to the ring. “I thought I landed badly and everyone noticed.”

“Well, if you did, I didn’t see it.” Erika didn’t mention how closely she was looking at his moves. She cleared her voice, lifting her professional camera. “I took a cool shot of your front flip mid-air, wanna see?”

“Hell yeah,” Kyle scooted closer, looking over her shoulder as she fiddled with her camera.

Erika tried her best to remain calm and not react to his closeness but it was hard. His scent was inebriating, he smelled of clean linen and lavender. It made her mouth water and her hands shake with the desire to push her face into his neck and inhale.

She shrugged off a shiver, concentrating on the dozens and dozens of pictures she was scrolling through and then smiled when she finally found the one, showing it to him from the small camera screen. “There it is. It will look a thousand times better once I develop it. But even like this, it looks pretty good.”

“Shit me,” Kyle attentively took her camera into his hands, handling it with care as he looked into the screen, examining the picture she took. “Is that how I look when I do it?”

Erika nodded. “Cool uh? You look very good.”

“Could I have a copy of the picture once you develop it?”

“Of course! I mean, I generally do give the guys I work for a hard copy and a file copy that I share with the wrestlers too. So, you’ll be good to go.”

“Can I have a look at the rest of the pictures?”

“Yes,” Erika cleared her voice, “I mean, I haven’t peaked through them so most of them will be off-focus or blurry but sure.”

As he pressed the little arrow button, starting to look at all the pictures she had taken of the evening, Erika slowly started to feel a warm feeling spread through her. She was suddenly fidgety, wondering what went on in his mind as he looked at what she could do. It was somehow intimate, showing to him. Erika’s pictures were used by companies and wrestlers alike on their socials, but no one knew it came from her, there. This felt like Kyle just had access to a very personal window of how she viewed the world.

“Wow, you are good at this,” Kyle smiled distractedly, still scrolling through her work. “These are so good.”

Erika blushed. And immediately froze, feeling panic settling in her nerves. She looked away, imposing herself to find some control over her emotions. She had never blushed before, not for a boy anyway.

“Thank you,” she pushed her hand out, hinting to him to give her back the camera. “It won’t take me long to get the pictures fixed up and printed, so you can see them once they are done.”

“Do you have a studio?” He wondered with interest stretching on the chairs by his side.

Erika shook her head. “I will in a few weeks. I am trying to get a lease on a tiny hole of an office from where I’ll be able to work. I am planning to have a proper dark room and maybe even a desk space to hire an assistant. But for now, I am doing it the old-fashioned way,”

“What’s that?”

“My laptop.” She explained shrugging, “It’s a bit of a hit or miss kind of job, sometimes it pays well, sometimes it doesn’t. But I think I can make it work better If I get access to an office space.”

“Like an investment.”

“Yes,” Erika smiled, appreciating his care to know details about her more than what she was supposed to. “Exactly that.”

“Are you coming out with us tonight?” He then wondered leaning his head to the side.

She felt his eyes on her and wanted to bask under his attention. She had never had a problem with that. Generally, she thrived when she was under the spotlight. She was a very confident young woman aware of her appearance. Maybe too much, sometimes. She had won many things, in the past, because of her pretty face. Especially hearts. She was used to having it her way, but when she decided she wanted someone there wasn’t escaping it. Except with Kyle felt different. She didn’t want to conquer him or win him over. She liked him. Not only his appearance, even though his large smile made her feel things she had never felt before. The real deal was the kindness of heart he had; he was so polite in the way he behaved, and he wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t apologetic about it.

Plus, he was spoiling her. Kyle made her feel seen and listened to in ways she wasn’t used to. Which said a lot about the relationships or situationships she had in the past.

And that was precisely why it was so dangerous to play with that fire and she did everything in her power to fight against it. She could see it would lead to ruin for all parties involved.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” She looked away, sadness settling in, aching in her chest.

She wanted to go. She wanted to spend some time socialising. She wanted to be around him. But precisely because he seemed to want her there, she was better off staying away from booze and pretty boys.

“What!? Really? There’s a darts tournament between the guys, sure you want to miss that? I mean not to brag, but I’d beat you at darts.” He winked.

Erika felt flushed. “I’d love that because I think I might be good a darts” she damned herself as soon as she said that, “But I have an early train in the morning. Can’t miss it.”

“Oh, I see. Well. that’s a shame,”

“Next time, maybe?”

“You are on.”

“Oi,” A deep, thunderous voice echoed through the empty venue. Both she and Kyle jumped on their seat, turning over to find Mark waiting. “Ready to go?”

Erika huffed, looking over at her brother studying them. He didn’t seem too happy and she knew why. So, even before he could say anything, she jumped up and grabbed her back and jacket, putting some distance with Kyle.

“What were you doing?” He wondered quietly once she was close.

Erika shrugged. “Nothing, we were waiting for you.”

Before he could say anything more, Kyle approached her side and the two exchanged a fist bump. Mark didn’t continue, but she could see the concern hiding in his gaze. And it hurt her.

Mark hid behind a smile as he welcomed the boy, “Hey, mate,” he was so affectionate to Kyle that it made her heartache. She was happy they met. Kyle was a good friend to her brother. But, again, that was yet another complication and another reason for her to stay as far from the Aussie as she could.

“I’m gonna head home,” she started, hinting at the door as she fixed her bag on her shoulder.

“Yeah?” Mark looked at her, “I thought you were coming to the pub?”

“Nah,” Erika shook her head. She wished she didn’t but her gaze wandered on Kyle briefly. “I am quite tired. I think it’s for the best.”

“Okay,” Mark pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. “Grab a cab though. I don’t want you around the underground alone at this hour.”

“I’ll call one now. You boys go ahead and have fun. I’ll leave the light on in the hall for you when you come home.”

She watched them approaching the venue door. Mark pulled Kyle under his arm as they walked and they merged with some of the other wrestlers on the show that same night. A few of the boys waved goodbye at her before they left. Just then, she approached the bar counter, releasing a soft sigh.

“Hey,” she hinted at the barman cleaning up, “would you be so kind to call me a cab, mate?” She wasn’t even trying to hide her disappointment. Just thinking about all that she may be missing made her heartache. It felt like the more distance there was between her and Kyle, the more she hurt.

Pathetic. She had to snap out of that little crush and get over it. And fast.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he stepped towards her, “can I get you a drink while you wait? On the house,” the boy winked at her. His flirtatious behaviour bounced right off her. His charm too, didn’t bother her.

“Nah, thank you, I am good.”

She could see the barman’s interest following her movements as he leaned on the counter in front of her. He was an attractive man, sure, and she had no doubt his pretty face and that little stunt of chatting up the ladies probably got him places before. She knew it all too well. She was it too. But even though she knew well how it worked and she felt like she should have been fluttered by his attention, maybe even intrigued, it just slid off her without making her feel a thing. If not slight discomfort.

Before he could say or ask something else, Kyle ran back in, approaching her. “Hey, Erika?”

“Yes?” She immediately turned towards him, not even noticing how much her heart and body moved for the Aussie. “What is it? You ok?”

“Yes, yeah,” he nodded, sliding a hand to the back of his neck. He was blushing so sweetly it made her think about strawberries. Though his eyes were bright and sharp as he looked at her. “I was wondering, could I have your number?”

Erika choked. She knew everything wrong with that. It was the same reason why she wasn’t allowing herself to go out. It was why she avoided being around the house alone with Fletch when Mark wasn’t around. It was why she had avoided being around him in general. Except when she didn’t and fell into whatever it was that attracted them like magnets.

It was stronger than her common sense, she was nodding even before she could think straight and kept being selfish as Kyle offered her his phone for her to type her number in.

He was smiling like an idiot. Or maybe it was her.

When he got his phone back, he held it like a trophy. “Thanks,”

“Don’t tell Mark,” She suggested, probably saying the first smart thing in a minute.  

Kyle offered her the largest of smiles and then dashed off.

As he left, she felt all the warmth he brought with him leaving her body and making her feel empty.

“That little prick has balls,” the guy behind the bar chuckled.

Erika smiled, still looking at the door. “That he does.”

“So, how is it that a pretty girl like you is not going out celebrating with all those boys?”

Erika tapped her nails on the wood, starting to feel an itch under her skin. She wanted to be vague, she knew what was the polite, British way of just generally saying stuff without actually saying anything to strangers. But she was too tired for that too. Politeness hardly got her anywhere.

“Well, let me tell you,” She began, “Got a crush on that little prick,” she vaguely pointed at the door, “he is my brother’s best friend and I can’t afford to fuck that up so,” she huffed, “I am staying well clear and doing everything in my power to get over him.”

“But you just gave him your number.”

“Yes, I never said I was smart at it.”

The guy behind the bar smiled. “I’m Matt, by the way,”

“Erika,” she said as they shook hands.

“So, Erika,” he looked up at her, hitting her up with a gaze she was sure had conquered many hearts before, “Want some help forgetting about the little prick?”

The proper way was to politely decline, get a cab, go home and do her best to accept going to bed alone. That would have been the new adult, mature way to deal with the situation. She was well aware of what was expected of her. But still chose otherwise.

The comfort of her old ways, knowing exactly what would have happened and how she would have felt was much better than knowing how much she was going to be eaten up by regrets, alone, in her little room.

“What time do you get off?” She wondered melting into a smile.

She didn’t much care for the guy himself. But he offered a distraction and it seemed like a valid idea not to think about Kyle.

“Half an hour.”

She nodded and took a seat on one of the stools, “In that case, I’ll take that drink, thank you.”

February 2018

A few weeks later, Erika stood in the centre of the small room she could call an office.

The place was a little dishevelled. It was dark, cold and a little dump; the rent was overpriced, but it was hers. The walls could have done with a new touch of paint, and she was convinced the space would have looked much more welcoming and personal with pictures hanging up; the carpet seriously needed a deep cleaning, and the sad curtains by the windows needed to be retired, but she still looked at it with the most pride.

A smile crossed her lips, and her heart was leaping out of her chest as she toyed with the set of keys the agency gave her. She still didn’t feel secure enough to trust her dream coming true, but that was a pretty big step forward compared to where she had come from only six months before.

“Hey-o,” she recognised Kyle’s voice immediately as he chirped from the entrance door, “anybody in there? Erika?”

Her heart jumped out of her chest.

“Come on in!” She welcomed him, skipping back to the door where she found the Aussie. “What are you doing here?”

As soon as he saw her, he whipped out a massive smile and pulled, from behind his back, a big bunch of colourful flowers and a bottle of bubbles. “Well, I thought the situation required celebrating!” He offered her his presents.

Erika’s chest tightened as she took the flowers and brought them up so she could smell them. Then she took the bottle too, looking at it with interest. She melted into a sweet smile, immediately damning herself for what she was feeling.

Whatever tied her to Kyle only got stronger and deeper day by day. She tried to fight it. She tried to deflect and lie to herself, pretending that ignoring it all was enough to make it disappear. And yet, Kyle was constantly there to remind her how wrong she was.

She just needed to look at him to feel a magnetism pulling her towards him, making her hands tremble with the need to touch him. But it was a constant battle she fought, leaving her feeling cold and empty every time she denied herself her wish.

And yet, he kept coming. He kept being there, around her, everywhere, even when they were far from each other, she still felt him. Every day he made it a point to wish her good morning and good night. He’d ask her about her day and listen with interest to everything she had to say. He’d make her laugh. He’d give her compliments. He was just present in her life. How she wished she could say confidently they were only friends.

But friends didn’t desperately wish to kiss each other.

Thinking about that made her realise she was looking at his lips and she had to force herself off the thought.

“Thank you, Fletch, this is so sweet of you,” she looked up at him, leaning her head to the side, “I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Why did you think I asked you the address of this place?” He chuckled, “I wanted to make sure you welcomed this new chapter with the right energy.”

Erika smiled, absolutely smitten by him and his selfless, unashamed caring.

“Thank you,” before she could even think clearly and stop herself, she leaned in for a hug. Her intention was for it to be quick and polite. That was what friends did, wasn’t it? She couldn’t be further from the truth.

Kyle welcomed her with a soft hold and, by the time she wrapped her arms loosely around his waist and pressed her face into his chest, the world stopped spinning.

Erika tightened her hold around him, only for Kyle to do the same, taking the initiative to lean his chin on the top of her head, cradling her softly.

There was no salvation after that for her. Erika was toasted. Her heart was beating so fast inside her chest that she was sure he could feel it too. Her stomach twisted as warmth flooded through her, fuzzing her thoughts and waking up a hunger, a desire in her lower abdomen that would only hurt with every second she wouldn’t give into it.

“I wanted to be here for you, today,” he gave away, brushing a soft, intimate kiss on her temple.

Erika looked up at him and Kyle’s bright gaze fell into hers as he dived into her eyes. He was so close his scent was inebriating her senses. He looked so pretty she couldn’t take it.

“Did you come alone?”

Kyle nodded, “Your brother doesn’t even know I am here.”

Erika felt so dirty for lying to Mark.

They had kept a low profile, pretending nothing was going on and they hadn’t spent the past weeks texting. Sometimes they’d text from across the same room and Mark would take the piss out of Kyle for texting his “little lady”, not knowing she was the one receiving his interest. They made a little joke out of it, but Erika didn’t find it funny.

She hated shutting Mark out. He knew everything about her and could read her like a book. But he didn’t know that part. She was terrified of his reaction if he had known what was going on between her and Kyle, which was nothing. She lied to herself too, constantly. Even though the second she found herself around Kyle it was undeniable she was the most clueless of them all.

Erika gulped, looking down at Kyle’s lips again, unable not to, his mouth was so attractive to her. Especially when he was so close.

Kyle dared to cup her face in his palms. Erika sighed, closing her eyes and letting herself go in his soft hold. His hands were big and warm. And she was dying to feel them all over her.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered, so close to her face she tasted his breath on her tongue. A hot shiver crossed her. “I like you, Erika. Been liking you a while.”

“Kyle,” she tried to find some common sense, although only the idea of refusing him ripped her chest apart. “We can’t.”

“Why?”

“Mark,” she was still holding the flowers and the bottle of bubbly in her hands, and even though she was trying to fight for her life not to succumb to him, she didn’t even dare to move an inch away. “He’d never approve.”

“Leave him to me. I am sure if there’s someone he’d like to be with his sister, that would be me.”

“No, Kyle, it’s not you the one he wouldn’t approve of. It’s me. I am not good for you,”

“Let me decide that.”

“You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me,”

“Then tell me. I want to know you.”

Erika chuckled dryly, quickly dismissing him. He would have run away, as far as possible from her if he had known half of the things she did.

“I mean it,” he continued, “I want to know everything about you.”

“You make it so hard,” she whispered, moulding herself in his hold as Kyle softly caressed her jawline.

“I am not hearing a good reason to stop.” He leaned in, brushing his lips on her forehead, “Tell me no and I’ll fuck off. But if you want it too,” as he moved, hovering above her, Erika moved her head, raising her chin only so their lips would touch. “Then,” he continued, whispering so close to her mouth it gave her goosebumps.

Before he could continue, Erika took the worst decision of her life and, dropping the flowers on the floor, she grabbed him by his t-shirt and pulled him down in a kiss, desperately clinging onto him and releasing everything she had stopped herself from feeling for so long. Selfishly taking everything she wanted from him.

Kyle blindly closed the door behind him and then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him. His hands ran across her body, feeling her curves, grabbing on her clothes, only to pull her tighter against him.

Unapologetically, Kyle slipped a hand into her hair grabbing a handful and made her bend underneath him, deepening their kiss. As soon as their tongues crossed and his flavour exploded into her mouth, Erika released a soft moan, feeling her body waking up completely.

However, before she could slip into deeper waters of desire and future regrets, Erika gathered the strength to push him off herself.

“Kyle, please stop,” her breath was heavy as she kept her hand on his chest, not to keep him far from her but to feel him.

“Did I do something wrong?” He wondered, checking she was ok.

Erika shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. Because the only wrong she could identify in that entire situation was the distance between them.

She had a taste. She scratched the itch. That was going to be it. It was going to have to be enough.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. We can’t happen. Please,” her heart shattered into a million pieces seeing the look he gave her. “Please,” she whispered again, almost getting lost in his eyes.

Kyle accepted her choice and let her go, taking two steps back. He leaned picking up the flowers and passed them over to her, shrugging awkwardly. “Here, take them.”

She felt defeated as she accepted the flowers back. She couldn’t bear the idea of seeing him leave and didn’t want to accept them being done. It was supposed to be the way, just severing their little fling or whatever, but she was stupid and selfish.

“Do you want a little tour?” She wondered, hoping Kyle would indulge her.

He didn’t disappoint and melted into a gentle smile, nodding. “I’d love to.”

They held hands as she showed him around, telling him everything about how she envisioned her studio.

March 2018

Erika stood ringside, her trusted camera at hand as she watched the match through its lenses.

The crowd was hot tonight. They clapped and booed, chanted and roared and were generally super involved in the matches, which was something she always loved to see.

Erika moved around the ring, taking every occasion to grab a shot, just like she always did, capturing as much of the energy in the ring as she could.

The two boys going at it right now were new in the company, she never met them before, but that didn’t change a single thing in the way the crowd perceived them. The heel was doing his job, flipping everyone off at any given occasion only to get everyone’s boos up. And the other, being the good guy he was, was there to make him regret it every time.

How she loved wrestling. It was such a theatrical, highly athletic pantomime.

The match ended with the good guy pinning the heel. The crowd went wild. Erika too, smiled, as she kept taking her shots of the guy celebrating.

Then, as the guys cleared out and the announcer moved back to the ring, starting to explain the next match on the mic, Erika moved too towards the wrestlers’ entrance, readying her camera to capture Aussie Open’s entrance.

Of course, she was working for the wrestling company and her work needed to be equally good for all the participants in the events. But she couldn’t help herself from having favourites. The number of pictures she had taken of Kyle and her brother that she had never sold because they were candid shots of two guys and had nothing to do with wrestling was embarrassing. Especially of Kyle’s. She loved taking his pictures. But that was a secret, of course.

Still, she patiently waited there, camera at hand, kneeling to take a good shot of them coming out in their new shiny, matchy gear.

Aussie Open was announced and their music started as they rolled out, basking in the crowd's welcome.

Erika smiled behind the camera, taking her pictures as the two posed and then moved with them to the ring.

Mark and Kyle slipped through the ropes and circled the apron, looking into the room, and pointing at people in the crowd only to get a reaction. They were both talking some shit either to the crowd or to each other, fully committed to their role.

Then, as Kyle confidently strode by the corner she was hanging around, he broke character one moment to look down at her, offering her one of his sweet smiles. “Hey, baby,”

Erika took a picture of him, grabbing that moment for herself. He called her baby now. Not always, but when he did it made her feel warm all over. It was so hard for her not to reach out and touch him.

Mark approached Kyle and landed a heavy hand on his shoulder, bringing him to turn as the announcer presented their competitors. Erika moved around the ring again, towards the entrance, ready to go back to being a hundred per cent professional.

She kneeled by the crowd, exchanging a quick, polite smile with a couple of guys by her side who seemed to be enjoying the show just like everyone else. She leaned ready to take her shots.

And then Erika was stricken. Nothing could have prepared her for the frosty feeling taking over her as the heavy hand of a stranger landed on her ass, giving her an unrequired smack. She felt the stranger’s touch straight into her stomach and it made her twitch as his fingers dared to squeeze on her.

She turned quickly towards him and raised her camera, taking a shot of his face. She acted out of instinct, not thinking about the consequences. It was the only thing she could consciously think of doing. No words were coming out. Not even anger. Just pure, disgusted surprise.

“Hey,” he angrily confronted her, trying to grab her camera, “Cancel that, you bitch. I haven’t permitted you to take a picture of my face.”

She wanted to say she hadn’t permitted him to squeeze her ass either. It was on the tip of her tongue. And yet. Nothing came out.

Erika stepped away, hiding her camera behind her back, feeling something close to fear choke her as the guy stood up, ready to chase her. She truly thought he was going to hurt her.

“Hey, hey, you prick,” Kyle shouted, jumping off the ring, and intervening. By then, everyone’s attention was on what was happening there.

Mark followed Kyle as they both stepped in between Erika and the guy in the crowd, who was proud and drunk enough to face them, even when he was no match for either of the Aussies.

“I’ll break that hand of yours, you cunt,” Mark barked.

Kyle stepped in between them, shielding Erika with his body. “You ok?” He touched her face, looking down at her.

Erika didn’t refuse him. Her hands travelled to his wrists, as she moulded under his touch appreciating his closeness. “Yes,” she huffed, her eyes escaping Kyle’s as she looked back at her brother, making sure he didn’t do anything stupid. “I’m ok,” She then tapped on Mark’s shoulder, “Don’t bother,” she suggested, even though the guys seemed to be ecstatic to receive attention. “Mark? Please, leave it alone.”

“Maybe you should get her to wear something more covering. You can’t blame me.” The guy was drunk. He was mumbling his nonsense only looking for a fight and Erika hated that she didn’t want her brother to give it to him. “When they look like sluts, I say they look for it-”

There was no stopping Mark after that.

Before she could even think about trying and stop him from jumping to the guy’s throat, Kyle scooped her away, trapping her in between his arms, and protecting her. This time, she hid in between his arms, closing her eyes. She didn’t want to see what she had caused.

The crowd shouted so loudly it made her head hurt.

The announcer, from the ring called for security that came through to break the fight and to kick out the people who disturbed the show.

“I’m sorry,” she shook her head, “I am sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Kyle shook his head, kissing her forehead tenderly. “Don’t you dare to apologise,” he chanted to her ear, “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Later on, that same evening the mood was off.

After the incident, going back to the regular flow of the show had been difficult. While Kyle and Mark were supposed the be heels and treated as such, the crowd started loving them after they displayed chivalry. Everyone kept asking her if she was ok from that point on. And she hated it. Erika just hid behind her camera the rest of the evening, pretending detached politeness, but didn’t ever move from ringside.

Now they were gathered for a drink and some late food at a local pub just around the corner from the venue where the show took place. Erika sat in her booth enjoying a plate of steaming hot chips as she watched Kyle play pool with two of the boys from the show.

When he smiled, she smiled too, wondering what had been said to make him laugh.

Mark heavily dropped himself next to her, placing his beer and a massive portion of nachos, blocking her view.

“Hey,” she welcomed him with a smile.

Mark was deadly serious. “I know something is happening between you and Kyle.”

“OK?” Erika frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t be vague with me, I’ve suspected it for a while. I see the way you two look at each other. And tonight, with the way he protected you-”

“Mark,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “You did the same thing.”

“Look me in the eye and tell me the way you two were hugging was nothing.”

She didn’t look at him. “It was just a hug.”

“I love you. I will always love you. You know that. And believe me, it hurts me to say this. I know I’m being an ass right now, but I want you to stay away from Kyle.”

Every word that came out of Mark’s mouth slashed through her like a knife. It was a painful reminder of everything she had been, everything she had done. Everything her brother had to fix for her. Not leaving any space for the person she was desperately trying to become.

“Why?” She challenged him, gulping down her pain, and looking straight into his eyes.

“You know why. I can’t stand the idea of watching you hurt him. Because you will. Maybe not willingly. But he doesn’t deserve it all the same.”

Erika's chest ached. She looked away, trying to hide away her pain. She wanted to shout and cry and kick, but couldn’t. Somehow, she trusted her brother more than how she trusted herself. It was easier to accept that he must have been right about her. It must be like he said. She wasn’t good for Kyle and would have never been good.

“I mean it, Erika. I’d break the world for you. But I’d do the same for Kyle.”

“You are breaking me right now,” she shook her head and then looked back at him, anger flooding through her gaze, lighting her up. “You think I haven’t tried to stay away? See? I knew you’d end up telling me this and I did. Stayed as far as I could. Pretty difficult to do when we live together, travel together and work together,” Erika shrugged. “But it is as you said. I obviously can’t offer anything better to someone than failure.”

“That’s not what I meant,”

“Don’t you dare try and justify your cruelty. You said it, loud and clear. I am not good enough for Kyle. Thank you, brother, for reminding me.”

She grabbed her stuff and got up, storming out.

Something stirred inside of her. It was an old, familiar feeling of how she was used to dealing with strong emotions from before. Part of her was trying so hard to be better. But she didn’t know how when even her brother, her only anchor in that world, didn’t believe in her.

Anger and pain were easy to suppress or ignore when she was self-destructing, taking everyone else down with her in the process. 

[scotianostra]

 Happy Birthday Scottish singersongwriter  KT Tunstall

Edinburgh born singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is one of Scotland's most successful musicians having sold over six million albums worldwide.

Kate “KT” Victoria Tunstall was born on this day 1975,  her birth mother was a  Hong Kong-born exotic dancer, who put her up for adoption her parents David and Rosemary Tunstall adopted her and raised her in St Andrews, she has always been aware that she was adopted. 

Strangely enough for a musician of her magnitude, KT Tunstall did not grow up in a musical household. Her parents’ only tape was a Tom Lehrer album on tape, leading Tunstall to discover the world of music entirely on her own , but it didn’t hold her back, KT was musical from an early age, learning to play piano, flute and guitar as a teenager.

KT moved to the USA, hungry for experiences and independence, she gained a scholarship to Kent School in Connecticut, New England. Whilst out there KT spent time on a hippy commune and formed her first band, The Happy Campers, she also spent a lot of time on busking in Burlington, Vermont.

After her time in the U.S she enrolled in a  music course at Royal Holloway College in London, before finally moving back to St Andrews, she joined a group of folk musicians from around the East Neuk  called The Fence Collective, which included the very talented Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote, in time she decided folk music was not for her and went on her way.

She began writing projects with Swedish songwriter/producer Martin Terefe and London-based Orcadian Jimmy Hogarth and London’s Tommy D. She started work on her debut album with her new band and legendary U2/New Order/Happy Monday’s producer Steve Osborne at the helm. ‘Eye to the Telescope’ saw her whittle down a massive catalogue of over 100 songs to just 12.

Luck played a part in her big break when due to another artist pulling out she appeared on  'Later With Jools Holland’ performing ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ it went on to become one of the most played songs of the summer. Her double platinum selling debut album 'Eye to the Telescope’ was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. 

KT has now had 6 top 20 albums, the latest, Wax was in 2018, it reached number 6 in Scotland and 15 in the UK charts, her new album, Nut, is due out in September.

I remember her being interviewed on The Proclaimers, This is the Story documentary in 2017, where she chose their excellent song Scotland’s Story, commenting “Scotland’s Story just really struck me as quite a different song for them, that they were really saying something incredibly poignant and quite brave. It’s quite a critical song of the way that Scotland’s history is logged.

“Here we are in 2017 and it couldn’t be a more poignant, relevant song for what’s going on in the world and I just thought for right now, it’s an amazing song to sing.”

KT  has suffered hearing problems since 20n July 2021, she announced that she was having to pull out of her summer tour dates and permanently avoid lengthy runs of closely consecutive performances, citing issues with her right ear which were "exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began"  In July 2021, she announced that she was having to pull out of her summer tour dates and permanently avoid lengthy runs of closely consecutive performances, citing issues with her right ear which were "exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began"   Hearing problems have always been a worry to her; her brother  was profoundly deaf since

KT is touring just now, dates are all over the world, North America next month, then back home, she will n=be in Ireland, England and back in Scotland for the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.

The song is a duet of Caledonia with Alan Cumming.

[ingek73]

Why are women so marginalised by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Courtney Love

Barely 8% of its inductees are female. The canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility

Fri 17 Mar 2023 08.00 GMT

Fourth time lucky? Kate Bush on stage in 1986.

I got into this business to write great songs and have fun. I was a quick learner. I read every music magazine I could get my hands on and at 12, after digesting many issues of Creem, I decided to base my personality on Lester Bangs, the rock critic raconteur; his abiding belief in the transformative power of a great rock song matched mine. (I also obsessed over his running arguments with Lou Reed – they confounded me, but I loved it.) Artists and their songs shaped my life, my beliefs, my self-conception as a musician – Patti Smith’s growling Pissing in the River, Heart’s Barracuda, the Runaways’ Dead End Justice, which I still know every word of. But what no magazine or album could teach me or prepare me for was how exceptional you have to be, as a woman and an artist, to keep your head above water in the music business.

The magnificent Chuck D rapped: “Elvis is a hero to most, but he doesn’t mean shit to me.” I concur. Big Mama Thornton first sang Hound Dog, written for her (and possibly with her) in 1952, which later put the King on the radio. Sister Rosetta Tharpe covered it, too, hers being the fiercest version. Her song Strange Things Happen Every Day was recorded in 1944. It was these songs, and her evangelical guitar playing, that changed music for ever and created what we now call rock’n’roll.

When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame started in 1983, you would have thought they might want to begin with Sister Rosetta, with those first chords that chimed the songbook we were now all singing from. The initial inductees were Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley; not a woman in sight. Sister Rosetta didn’t get in until the Rock Hall was publicly shamed into adding her in 2018. (She was on a US postal stamp two decades before the Rock Hall embraced her.) Big Mama Thornton, whose recording of Ball’n’Chain also shaped this new form of music? Still not in. Today, just 8.48% of the inductees are women.

Long overlooked … Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Photograph: Chris Ware/Getty Images

The nominations for this year’s class, announced last month, offered the annual reminder of just how extraordinary a woman must be to make it into the ol’ boys club. (Artists become eligible 25 years after releasing their first record.) More women were nominated in one year than at any time in its 40-year history. There were the iconoclasts: Kate Bush, Cyndi Lauper, Missy Elliott; two women in era-defining bands: Meg White of the White Stripes and Gillian Gilbert of New Order; and a woman who subverted the boys club: Sheryl Crow.

Yet this year’s list featured several legendary women who have had to cool their jets waiting to be noticed. This was the fourth nomination for Bush, a visionary, the first female artist to hit No 1 in the UK chart with a song she wrote (1979’s Wuthering Heights), at 19. She became eligible in 2004. That year, Prince was inducted – deservedly, in his first year of eligibility – along with Jackson Browne, ZZ Top, Traffic, Bob Seger, the Dells and George Harrison. The Rock Hall’s co-founder and then-chairman Jann Wenner (also the co-founder of Rolling Stone) was inducted himself. But Bush didn’t make it on the ballot until 2018 – and still she is not in.

Never mind that she was the first woman in pop history to have written every track on a million-selling debut. A pioneer of synthesisers and music videos, she was discovered last year by a new generation of fans when Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) featured in the Netflix hit Stranger Things. She is still making albums. And yet there is no guarantee of her being a shoo-in this year. It took the Rock Hall 30-plus years to induct Nina Simone and Carole King. Linda Ronstadt released her debut in 1969 and became the first woman to headline stadiums, yet she was inducted alongside Nirvana in 2014. Most egregiously, Tina Turner was inducted as a solo artist three decades after making the grade alongside her abuser, Ike.

Why are women so marginalised by the Rock Hall? Of the 31 people on the nominating board, just nine are women. According to the music historian Evelyn McDonnell, the Rock Hall voters, among them musicians and industry elites, are 90% male.

The Rock Hall’s canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility

You can write the Rock Hall off as a “boomer tomb” and argue that it is building a totem to its own irrelevance. Why should we care who is in and who is not? But as scornful as its inductions have been, the Rock Hall is a bulwark against erasure, which every female artist faces whether they long for the honour or want to spit on it. It is still game recognising game, history made and marked.

The Rock Hall is a king-making force in the global music industry. (In the US, it is broadcast on HBO.) Induction affects artists’ ticket prices, their performance guarantees, the quality of their reissue campaigns (if they get reissued at all). These opportunities are life-changing – the difference between touring secondary-market casinos opening for a second-rate comedian, or headlining respected festivals. The Rock Hall has covered itself in a sheen of gravitas and longevity that the Grammys do not have. Particularly for veteran female artists, induction confers a status that directly affects the living they are able to make. It is one of the only ways, and certainly the most visible, for these women to have their legacy and impact honoured with immediate material effect. “These ain’t songs, these is hymns,” to quote Jay-Z.

The bar is demonstrably lower for men to hop over (or slither under). The Rock Hall recognised Pearl Jam about four seconds after they became eligible – and yet Chaka Khan, eligible since 2003, languishes with seven nominations. All is not lost, though – the Rock Hall is doing a special programme for Women’s History Month on her stagewear ...

What makes Khan’s always-a-bridesmaid status especially tragic is that she was, is and always will be a primogenitor. A singular figure, she has been the Queen of Funk since she was barely out of her teens. As Rickie Lee Jones said: “There was Aretha and then there was Chaka. You heard them sing and knew no one has ever done that before.”

Unworthy … Chaka Khan on stage in Toronto in 2018. Photograph: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Netflix

Yet Khan changed music; when she was on stage in her feathered kit, taking Tell Me Something Good to all the places it goes, she opened up a libidinal new world. Sensuality, Blackness: she was so very free. It was godlike. And nothing was ever the same.

But for all her exceptional talent and accomplishments – and if there is one thing women in music must be, it is endlessly exceptional – Khan has not convinced the Rock Hall. Her credits, her Grammys, her longevity, her craft, her tenacity to survive being a young Black woman with a mind of her own in the 70s music business, the bridge to Close the Door – none of it merits canonisation. Or so sayeth the Rock Hall.

The Rock Hall’s canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility. This year, one voter told Vulture magazine that they barely knew who Bush was – in a year she had a worldwide No 1 single 38 years after she first released it. Meg White’s potential induction as one half of the White Stripes (in their first year of eligibility) has sparked openly contemptuous discourse online; you sense that if voters could get Jack White in without her, they would do it today. And still: she would be only the third female drummer in there, following the Go-Go’s Gina Shock and Mo Tucker of the Velvet Underground. Where is Sheila E – eligible since 2001?

It doesn’t look good for Black artists, either – the Beastie Boys were inducted in 2012 ahead of most of the Black hip-hop artists they learned to rhyme from. A Tribe Called Quest, eligible since 2010 and whose music forged a new frontier for hip-hop, were nominated last year and again this year, a roll of the dice against the white rockers they are forced to compete with on the ballots.

If so few women are being inducted into the Rock Hall, then the nominating committee is broken. If so few Black artists, so few women of colour, are being inducted, then the voting process needs to be overhauled. Music is a lifeforce that is constantly evolving – and they can’t keep up. Shame on HBO for propping up this farce.

If the Rock Hall is not willing to look at the ways it is replicating the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry, if it cannot properly honour what visionary women artists have created, innovated, revolutionised and contributed to popular music – well, then let it go to hell in a handbag.

• Courtney Love is a singer, musician and actor

[manitat]

The 100 greatest TV series of the 21st Century

BBC Culture polled 206 TV experts from 43 countries in order to find the greatest TV of the 21st Century – here’s the top 100

01 The Wire (2002-2008) 02 Mad Men (2007-2015) 03 Breaking Bad (2008-2013) 04 Fleabag (2016-2019) 05 Game Of Thrones (2011-2019) 06 I May Destroy You (2020) 07 The Leftovers (2014-2017) 08 The Americans (2013-2018) 09 The Office (UK) (2001-2003) 10 Succession (2018-) 11 BoJack Horseman (2014-2020) 12 Six Feet Under (2001-2005) 13 Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) 14 Atlanta (2016-) 15 Chernobyl (2019) 16 The Crown (2016-) 17 30 Rock (2006-2013) 18 Deadwood (2004-2006) 19 Lost (2004-2010) 20 The Thick Of It (2005-2012) 21 Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-) 22 Black Mirror (2011-) 23 Better Call Saul (2015-2022) 24 Veep (2012-2019) 25 Sherlock (2010-2017) 26 Watchmen (2019) 27 Line Of Duty (2012-2021) 28 Friday Night Lights (2006-2011) 29 Parks And Recreation (2009-2015) 30 Girls (2012-2017) 31 True Detective (2014-2019) 32 Arrested Development (2003-2019) 33 The Good Wife (2009-2016) 34 The Bridge (2011-2018) 35 Fargo (2014-) 36 Downton Abbey (2010-2015) 37 Band Of Brothers (2001) 38 The Handmaid's Tale (2017-) 39 The Office (US) (2005-2013) 40 Borgen (2010-2022) 41 Schitt's Creek (2015-2020) 42 Peep Show (2003-2015) 43 Money Heist (2017-2021) 44 Community (2009-2015) 45 The Good Fight (2017-) 46 Homeland (2011-2020) 47 Grey's Anatomy (2005-) 48 Inside No 9 (2014-) 49 The Bureau (2015-) 50 Halt And Catch Fire (2014-2017) 51 Small Axe (2020) 52 This Is England 86, 88, 90 (2010-2015) 53 Call My Agent! (2015-2020) 54 Happy Valley (2014-) 55 The Shield (2002-2008) 56 The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) 57 The Young Pope (2016) 58 Dark (2017-2020) 59 The Underground Railroad (2021) 60 House Of Cards (2013-2018) 61 Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008) 62 The Good Place (2016-2020) 63 Pose (2018-2021) 64 Detectorists (2014-2017) 65 Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019) 66 Mare Of Easttown (2021) 67 RuPaul's Drag Race (2009-) 68 Stranger Things (2016-) 69 24 (2001-2010) 70 Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) 71 Enlightened (2011-2013) 72 Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) 73 Planet Earth (2006) 74 Utopia (2013-2014) 75 Babylon Berlin (2017-) 76 Rick And Morty (2013-) 77 American Crime Story (2016-) 78 The Killing (Denmark) (2007-2012) 79 Mindhunter (2017-2019) 80 House (2004-2012) 81 OJ: Made In America (2016) 82 Big Little Lies (2017-2019) 83 Insecure (2016-2021) 84 Normal People (2020) 85 Narcos (2015-2017) 86 How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014) 87 The Comeback (2005-2014) 88 The OA (2016-2019) 89 Dexter (2006-2013) 90 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2005-) 91 Westworld (2016-) 92 Show Me A Hero (2015) 93 Treme (2010-2013) 94 Louie (2010-2015) 95 Luther (2010-2019) 96 Catastrophe (2015-2019) 97 Hannibal (2013-2015) 98 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-2019) 99 Steven Universe (2013-2020) 100 The Queen's Gambit (2020)

[randomvarious]

What We Started (Documentary, 2018)

Happy Labor Day! Here's a pretty good documentary that provides a brief rundown of the history of electronic dance music and the DJ, starting from the days of disco and running up to the then-present 2010s. It definitely has a whole lot of blind spots—no jungle; no drum n bass; nothing about the UK phenomenon of pirate radio that illegally brought a lot of that gritty and raw dance music to the airwaves; nothing to say about Eurodance cheese, the origins of trance, or the big beat stuff that was helmed by people like Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, and The Chemical Brothers; and nothing about other key cogs like French house, Sven Väth and Frankfurt, or the hardcore nature of places like Belgium and the Netherlands. But it still does a good job within its 95-minute runtime regardless, and provides a lot of great and old party footage that's very much worth seeing, while also interviewing a whole lot of eminent people, like Richie Hawtin, Paul Oakenfold, Louie Vega, Erick Morillo, Sasha, Pete Tong, Moby, and Tiësto.

The documentary also follows the legend Carl Cox to his final set at Space in Ibiza, as well as newcomer wunderkind Martin Garrix to his first headlining set at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in front of thousands of people. Early on, some of the interviewees happen to level a lot of criticism at the current generation of laptop DJs—the people who pre-record their set, load it onto a USB stick, and then hit play once they get on stage, rather than feeling the mood of the crowd and having to make adjustments on the fly—but once the documentary catches you up to that present point in time, all of that ire for those people is, unfortunately, really nowhere to be found.

There also doesn't seem to be anything really negative to say about the current state of EDM either, with its largely generic, formulaic, and pretty mindless sound, and its hyper-commercialized fusion with pop. Clearly, there are a whole lot of onlookers who see this current moment for dance music as akin to what hair metal was to rock music and are patiently waiting for something like grunge to come kill and displace it; but these documentarians aren't going to air that opinion and tar something as vital as Ultra Music Festival when Martin Garrix is one of their film's own co-stars *sigh*.

Still worth a watch for some of that amazing footage and history though.

More fun videos here.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 4.18

Holidays

Adult Autism Awareness Day

Anal Sex Day (Jim Jeffries)

Army Day (Iran)

Banyan Tree Birthday Party (Maui, Hawaii)

Battle of Dybbøl Day (Denmark)

Bilberry Day (French Republic)

Celebrate Ben Solo Day

Coggia’s Comet Day

Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)

Day of Historic and Cultural Monuments (Ukraine)

Day of Secretaries (Belgium, Netherlands)

89ers Day (Oklahoma)

Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day

Friend’s Day (Brazil)

I Love CSU Day (Colorado)

International Amateur Radio Day

International Day For Monuments and Sites (UNESCO)

International Erasure T-Shirt Day

International Juggler's Day

International No Declaw Day

Ianthe Asteroid Day

Invention Day (Japan)

Laundromat Day

National Columnists’ Day

National Exercise Day

National Financial Advisor Day

National Lineman Appreciation Day

National Lydia Day

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

National Send Nudes Day

National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

National Transfer Money to Your Daughter’s Account Day

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

National Velociraptor Awareness Day

Newspaper Columnists' Day

Paul Revere Day

Pet Owners Independence Day (a.k.a. Pet Parents’ Day Off)

Piñata Day

Real People Day

Red Cross Society Day (Ukraine)

Respect Your Mother Day

Robanukah (Futurama)

Scouts’ Day (Armenia)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

Smile Big and Say Hi For No Particular Reason Day

Superman Day

Third World Day

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri (Dance Festival; Japan)

Victory Over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)

World Amateur Radio Day

World Artisan Day

World Heritage Day

World Trifle Day

Youth Homelessness Matters Day

Zhabdrung Kuchhoe (Bhutan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Animal Crackers Day

World Food Travel Day

3rd Thursday in April

Ask An Atheist Day [3rd Thursday; also 9.16]

Biomedical Research Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

College Student Grief Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

International Pizza Cake Day [3rd Thursday]

National D.A.R.E. Day [3rd Thursday]

National High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (1st Day of Summer; Iceland) [1st Thursday after 4.18]

Throwback Thursday [3rd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 18 (3rd Week)

Cleaning for a Reason [thru 4.24]

Consumer Awareness Week [thru 4.23]

Health Information Professionals Week [thru 4.24]

National Osteopathic Medicine Week [thru 4.24]

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives in the Line of Duty Week [thru 4.23]

Independence & Related Days

Earth’s Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Pinang (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Republic of Eire (Formal Proclamation; 1949)

Zimbabwe (from UK, 1980)

New Year’s Days

Lao New Year Holiday (Laos)

Myanmar New Year Holidays (Myanmar)

Festivals Beginning April 18, 2024

Atlanta Wing Fest (Atlanta, Georgia)

Grape Day (Temecula, California)

Love the Burger Battle Contest (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 5.25]

Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) [thru 4.20]

Taste of St. Croix (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands)

Feast Days

Agapitus (Christian; Saint)

Agia (Christian; Saint)

Apollonius the Apologist (Christian; Saint)

Bun-Bun Brothers’ Day (Muppetism)

Carista: Day of Peace in the Family (Pagan)

Corebus (Christian; Saint)

Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Eleutherius, Antia & His Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Festival of Matsu (a.k.a. Mazu; Taoist Sea Goddess)

Festival of Rama-Navami (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Fox Tail Burning Day (Ancient Rome)

Galdino della Sala (a.k.a. Galdin; Christian; Saint)

Gustave Moreau (Artology)

Idesbald (Christian; Saint)

Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet (Artology)

Lady Macbeth Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Laserian (a.k.a. Laisren or Molaisse; Christian; Saint)

Ludwig Meisner (Artology)

Make Faerie Rocks Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Laserim, Bishop of Laighlin, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Max Weber (Artology)

Molaise of Leighlin (Christian; Saint)

Nihilism Day (Pastafarian)

Perfectus (Christian; Saint)

Plato of Sakkoudion (Christian; Saint)

Three Impossible Mixtures Day (Celtic Book of Days)

The Underlings (Muppetism)

Vitruvius (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [18 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [15 of 30]

Premieres

Absolute Beginners (Film; 1986)

Alice’s Circus Dance (Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Apes of Wrath (WB MM Cartoon; 1959)

Baggage Buster (Disney Cartoon; 1941)

Barnyard Olympics (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1948)

Chess-Nuts (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Dog Trouble (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein (Ballet; 1944)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Film; 2008)

Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot (Poetry; 1943)

Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith (Novel; 1981)

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland Animatronic Exhibit; 1964)

Holes (Film; 2003)

Kongo-Roo (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Legend (Film; 1986)

Little Johnny Jet (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

Mare of Easttown (TV Series; 2021)

Manifestoes of Surrealism, by André Breton (Book; 1924)

Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (Novel; 1969)

Muscle Tussle (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham (Novel; 1944)

The Saint in Trouble, by Graham Weaver (Short Stories; 1978) [Saint #47]

Sheikh of Araby, recorded by Sidney Bechet (Song; 1941)

The Simple Things (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Straight Shooters (Disney Cartoon; 1947)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Three Little Wolves (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1936)

Uncle Joey (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Winged Migration (Documentary Film; 2003)

Today’s Name Days

Werner, Wigbert (Austria)

Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Atanazija, Eusebije, Hermogen, Roman (Croatia)

Valérie (Czech Republic)

Eleutherius (Denmark)

Valdek, Valdeko, Valdemar, Valdo, Valdu, Valdur, Valmar, Valmer, Voldemar, Volli, Volmer (Estonia)

Valdemar, Valto (Finland)

Parfait (France)

Werner, Wigbert (Germany)

Eirene, Eirini, Irene, Irini, Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nick, Rafael, Rene, Rena, Renia, Rhenia (Greece)

Andrea, Ilma (Hungary)

Galdino (Italy)

Dana, Hildegarde, Jadviga, Laura, Nameisis (Latvia)

Apolonijus, Eitvilas, Girmantė, Undinė (Lithuania)

Eilen, Eilert (Norway)

Apoloniusz, Bogusław, Bogusława, Flawiusz, Gościsław (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Valér (Slovakia)

Perfecto (Spain)

Valdemar, Volmar (Sweden)

Anthea, Ayana, Ayanna, Warner, Werner (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 109 of 2024; 257 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 16 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 10 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 10 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 9 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 19 Cyan; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 5 April 2024

Moon: 76%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 25 Archimedes (4th Month) [Strabo]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 31 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 29 of 31)

[blancamzlooksat]

Hallowatch 2024 is over. It always makes me sad when October ends, but I'll be here next year to do it all again. Hope y'all enjoyed it and Happy Halloweeeeeen.

#1: Bimbo's Initiation. (1931). Directed by Dave Fleischer and Grim Natwick. United States: Fleischer Studios.

#2: Friday the 13th: Part 2. (1981). Directed by Steve Miner. United States: Georgetown Productions Inc.

#3: Butterfly Kisses. (2018). Directed by Erik Kristopher Myers. United States: Four-Fingered Films, and Cyfuno Ventures.

#4: What We Do In The Shadows. (2019). FX.

#5: Attack the Block. (2011). Directed by Joe Cornish. United Kingdom: StudioCanal, Film4, UK Film Council, and Big Talk Pictures.

#6: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. (1986). Directed by Tom McLoughlin. United States: Terror, Inc.

#7: The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. (1974). Directed by Joe Ward Baker and Chang Cheh. United Kingdom and Hong Kong: Hammer Film Productions, and Shaw Brothers Studio.

#8: Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. (1998). Directed by Jim Stenstrum. United States: Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Warner Bros. Animation, and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.

#9: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. (1993). Directed by Adam Marcus. United States: New Line Cinema.

#10: In A Violent Nature. (2024). Directed by Chris Nash. Canada: Shudder Films, Zygote Productions, and Low Sky Productions.

#11: It's Alive. (1974). Directed by Larry Cohen. United States: Larco Productions.

#12: Scanners. (1981). Directed by David Cronenberg. Canada: Filmplan International.

#13: Mandy. (2018). Directed by Panos Cosmatos. United States: SpectreVision, Umedia, and XYZ Films.

#14: My Bloody Valentine. (1981). Directed by George Mihalka. Canada: Canadian Film Development Corporation, and Secret Film Society.

#15: Deathgasm. (2015). Directed by Jason Lei Howden. New Zealand: MPI Media Group, New Zealand Film Commission, and Timpson Films.

#16: The Tunnel. (2011). Directed by Carlo Ledesma. Australia: Distracted Media, Zapruder's Other Films, and DLSHS Film.

#17: The Shrine. (2010). Directed by John Knautz. Canada: Brookstreet Pictures.

#18: No One Will Save You. (2023). Directed by Brian Duffield. United States: 20th Century Studios, and Star Thrower Entertainment.

#19: The Block Island Sound. (2020). Directed by Kevin and Matthew McManus. United States: 30 Bones Cinema, Hood River Entertainment, Captain Inertia Productions, and Title Media.

#20: It Follows. (2014). Directed by David Robert Mitchell. United States: Northern Lights Films, Animal Kingdom, and Two Flints.

#21: Too Many Cooks. (2014). Directed by Casper Kelly. United States: Fake Wood Wallpaper Films, Animation Inc, and Williams Street.

#22: Village of the Damned. (1960). Directed by Wolf Rilla. United Kingdom and United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

#23: The Bloodening. (???) Directed by ???. United Kingdom: ???

#24: House. (1977). Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Japan: Toho Eizo.

#25: The Doll's Revenge. (1907). Directed by Cecil M. Hepworth. United Kingdom: Hepworth Manufacturing Co.

#26: SOMA. (2015). Sweden: Frictional Games.

#27: El Orfanato (aka The Orphanage). (2007). Directed by J. A. Bayona. Spain and Mexico: Rodar y Rodar, and Telecinco Cinema.

#28: Psychomania (aka The Death Wheelers). (1973). Directed by Don Sharp. United Kingdom: Benmar Productions.

#29: The People Under the Stairs. (1991). Directed by Wes Craven. United States: Alive Films.

#30: The Collector. (2009). Directed by Marcus Dunstan. United States: LD Entertainment, Fortress Features, and Imaginarium Entertainment Group.

#31: Häxan. (1922). Directed by Benjamin Christensen. Sweden: Svensk Filmindustri.

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

Richard Sherman (1928-2024)

Richard Sherman (1928-2024)Best Sheet Music download from our Library.List of worksPlease, subscribe to our Library. Thank you!Disney legend Richard Sherman, songwriter of ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘It’s a Small World,’ dies at 95

Richard Sherman (1928-2024)

Richard Morton Sherman (June 12, 1928 – May 25, 2024) was an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact-checkers, "The Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history."

Some of the Sherman Brothers' best known songs were incorporated into live action and animation musical films including Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Snoopy Come Home, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web. Their most well known work is "It's a Small World (After All)", written for the theme park attraction of the same name. According to Time, it may be the most publicly performed song in history. List of works Major film scores The Parent Trap (1961) Big Red (1962) In Search of the Castaways (1962) Summer Magic (1963) The Sword in the Stone (1963) Mary Poppins (1964) Follow Me, Boys! (1966) The Happiest Millionaire (1967) The Jungle Book (1967) The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) The Aristocats (1970) Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) Snoopy, Come Home (1972) Charlotte's Web (1973) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1974) The Slipper and the Rose (1976) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) The Magic of Lassie (1978) Magic Journeys (1982) Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983) Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992) Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999) The Tigger Movie (2000) Iron Man 2 (2010) (Composed the song "Make Way For Tomorrow Today". Instrumental versions were later featured in Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers: Endgame) The Jungle Book (2016) Christopher Robin (2018) Motion picture screenplays A Symposium on Popular Songs, 1962 Mary Poppins, 1964 (*treatment only), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1973 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1974 The Slipper and the Rose, 1976 The Magic of Lassie, 1978 Ferdinand the Bull, 1986 (*TV screenplay) Stage musicals Victory Canteen, 1971 (Ivar Theatre, L.A.) Over Here!, 1974 (Broadway, NY) Dawgs, 1983 (Variety Arts Center, L.A.) Busker Alley, 1995 (U.S. Tour) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2002 (London) Mary Poppins, 2004 (London) On the Record, 2004-5 (U.S. Tour) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2005 (Broadway, NY) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2005 (UK Tour) Busker Alley, 2006 (Broadway, NY - *one night only) Mary Poppins, 2006 (Broadway, NY) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2007 (Singapore) Mary Poppins, 2008 (UK Tour) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2008 (Second UK Tour) Mary Poppins, 2008 (Stockholm) Mary Poppins, 2009 (US Tour) Mary Poppins, 2009 (Copenhagen) Mary Poppins, 2009 (Shanghai) Mary Poppins, 2010 (Australia) Mary Poppins, 2009 (South Africa) Mary Poppins, 2009 (The Hague) Mary Poppins, 2009 (Helsinki) Mary Poppins, 2012 (Budapest) Summer Magic, 2012 (Morristown, Tennessee) The Jungle Book, 2013 (Chicago, Illinois) The Jungle Book, 2013 (Boston, Massachusetts) A Spoonful of Sherman, 2014 (London) Mary Poppins, 2015 (Vienna, Austria) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2015–16 (UK Tour) Mary Poppins, 2015–16 (UK Tour) A Spoonful of Sherman, 2017 (London) A Spoonful of Sherman, 2018 (UK/Ireland Tour) A Spoonful of Sherman, 2019 (San Jose, CA) A Spoonful of Sherman, 2019 (Singapore) Mary Poppins, 2019 (London) Bedknobs and Broomsticks, 2021 (UK Tour) Theme park songs There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow for Carousel of Progress The Best Time of Your Life for Carousel of Progress Miracles from Molecules for Adventure Thru Inner Space One Little Spark for Journey into Imagination Magic Journeys for Magic Journeys The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Pooh's Hunny Hunt it's a small world (after all) for the 1964 New York World's Fair attraction, Pepsi Presents WALT DISNEY'S "it's a small world" – a Salute to UNICEF and the World's Children, then adapted to each Disney Park installation of "It's a Small World" The Astuter Computer Revue for the 1982 premiere of the CommuniCore Exhibit at EPCOT. Magic Highways for Rocket Rods Making Memories for Magic Journeys The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room We Meet the World with Love and Meet the World for the same exhibit in Tokyo Disneyland Kiss Goodnight exit music from Disneyland Forever for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Nighttime Fireworks Spectacular show, originally sung by Ashley Brown.

Disney legend Richard Sherman, songwriter of ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘It’s a Small World,’ dies at 95

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-izLHwieo4 Read the full article

[tomhenryyy]

Jack Williamson- 'The Music Indusrty is F**ked'

Psychotherapist Jack Williams joined the 20 years ago, after attending Uni in London studying the field of Music Business Management, his one goal was to be involved in the music industry. Starting off as an intern in 2001 he worked with a publicist working with legendary names in the industry Mariah Carey, Kayne West, and Rihanna to list a few.  

During his two-decade-long career, Williamson has worked for several big companies in the music industry; Sony, EMI, Universal, and a role in management Williamson was always changing the path of his career.  

In late 2015, his brother sadly took his own life as for anyone this led Jack to question a lot of things about his career and life, relating to the death of his brother in 2016 Williamson to a step back and started to re-think what his job really meant to him.  

As of 2018, Jack has been an advocate for mental health within the music industry, talking to his talk Jack spoke about elements of the music industry and the lack of support for mental health in it. A quote from Jack that really stood out was; ‘The industry is fucked’ Williamson goes on to say the music industry has a weak eco-system that is not supportive of mental health.  

In his talk Jack introduced the term ‘imposter syndrome.’ an article by ‘Arlin Cunic, MA’ describes imposter syndrome as; 

‘The psychological experience of feeling like a fake or a phoney despite any genuine success that you have achieved’ (Cunic, Ma 2024) 

The same article states that ‘imposter syndrome is not a diagnosable mental illness, instead the term is usually narrowly applied to intelligence and achievement, although also has links to perfectionism and the social context.’ (Cunic, Ma 2024) 

A report from the Musicians Union states that ‘Imposter syndrome affects 62% of people in the workplace’ The same article says that the figure in creative industries is ‘87%’ for people who suffer from imposter syndrome. (Musicians Union, 2021) 

Jack has worked closely with Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi, the Scottish artist is very open about his mental health and speaks on his experiences with imposter syndrome.  

When speaking to the Sunday Times he said ‘I feel great having made a record that I love’ he goes on saying ‘I’m not confident in my abilities as a songwriter and I think that’s got worse the more successful I’ve got’ (Chamberlain, 2023) 

In 2019, Jack Williamson teamed up with Lewis Capaldi and his manager to start a mental health initiative, Virgin Radio interviewed Capaldi speaking about the scheme, the idea of the scheme is genius and there is a market for this.  

Capaldi said ‘when purchasing a ticket to see Capaldi live along with the ticket will be an emailed link with a 24-hour support team of trained mental health professionals. There are also quiet rooms for concertgoers to gather their thoughts, a buddy system to help fans attending the gigs on their own find company and readily available advice for long-term solutions to any mental health issue.’ 

 (Virgin Radio, 2020) 

I came away from Williamson’s talk feeling a different way to the rest of the talks, Jack enlightened me and lowered my respect for the industry a considerable amount. Things need to change the industry’s view on mental health is old-fashioned, taboo, and quite honestly un-educated to a high degree, we need more people like Jack to help us achieve the result we desperately need and deserve in our industry. 

Chamberlain,L. (2023) Lewis Capaldi on 'Imposter Syndrome' and How Success Has Affected His Mental Health. Available at: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/mental-strength/a43493642/lewis-capaldi-imposter-syndrome-mental-health/ (25 May 2024).

Cunic, A. (2024) Imposter Syndrome: The Five Types, How to Deal With It. Avaible at: https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469 (Accessed: 25 may 2024).

Musicians uninon  (2021) Imposter Syndrome Advice for Musicians Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-development/career-guides/musicians-wellbeing-guidance-pack/what-is-imposter-syndrome-and-what-can-you-do-about-it (Accessed: 25 May 2024).

Virgin Radio(200) Lewis Capaldi Introduces LIvelive mental health scheme on his latest tour. Available at: https://virginradio.co.uk/entertainment/23330/lewis-capaldi-introduces-livelive-mental-health-scheme-his-latest-tour-200308560274 (25 May 2024).

[brookston]

Holidays 4.18

Holidays

Adult Autism Awareness Day

Anal Sex Day (Jim Jeffries)

Army Day (Iran)

Banyan Tree Birthday Party (Maui, Hawaii)

Battle of Dybbøl Day (Denmark)

Bilberry Day (French Republic)

Celebrate Ben Solo Day

Coggia’s Comet Day

Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)

Day of Historic and Cultural Monuments (Ukraine)

Day of Secretaries (Belgium, Netherlands)

89ers Day (Oklahoma)

Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day

Friend’s Day (Brazil)

I Love CSU Day (Colorado)

International Amateur Radio Day

International Day For Monuments and Sites (UNESCO)

International Erasure T-Shirt Day

International Juggler's Day

International No Declaw Day

Ianthe Asteroid Day

Invention Day (Japan)

Laundromat Day

National Columnists’ Day

National Exercise Day

National Financial Advisor Day

National Lineman Appreciation Day

National Lydia Day

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

National Send Nudes Day

National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

National Transfer Money to Your Daughter’s Account Day

National Transgender HIV Testing Day

National Velociraptor Awareness Day

Newspaper Columnists' Day

Paul Revere Day

Pet Owners Independence Day (a.k.a. Pet Parents’ Day Off)

Piñata Day

Real People Day

Red Cross Society Day (Ukraine)

Respect Your Mother Day

Robanukah (Futurama)

Scouts’ Day (Armenia)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day

Smile Big and Say Hi For No Particular Reason Day

Superman Day

Third World Day

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri (Dance Festival; Japan)

Victory Over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)

World Amateur Radio Day

World Artisan Day

World Heritage Day

World Trifle Day

Youth Homelessness Matters Day

Zhabdrung Kuchhoe (Bhutan)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Animal Crackers Day

World Food Travel Day

3rd Thursday in April

Ask An Atheist Day [3rd Thursday; also 9.16]

Biomedical Research Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

College Student Grief Awareness Day [3rd Thursday]

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

International Pizza Cake Day [3rd Thursday]

National D.A.R.E. Day [3rd Thursday]

National High Five Day [3rd Thursday]

Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (1st Day of Summer; Iceland) [1st Thursday after 4.18]

Throwback Thursday [3rd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 18 (3rd Week)

Cleaning for a Reason [thru 4.24]

Consumer Awareness Week [thru 4.23]

Health Information Professionals Week [thru 4.24]

National Osteopathic Medicine Week [thru 4.24]

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives in the Line of Duty Week [thru 4.23]

Independence & Related Days

Earth’s Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Pinang (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Republic of Eire (Formal Proclamation; 1949)

Zimbabwe (from UK, 1980)

New Year’s Days

Lao New Year Holiday (Laos)

Myanmar New Year Holidays (Myanmar)

Festivals Beginning April 18, 2024

Atlanta Wing Fest (Atlanta, Georgia)

Grape Day (Temecula, California)

Love the Burger Battle Contest (Luverne, Minnesota) [thru 5.25]

Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) [thru 4.20]

Taste of St. Croix (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands)

Feast Days

Agapitus (Christian; Saint)

Agia (Christian; Saint)

Apollonius the Apologist (Christian; Saint)

Bun-Bun Brothers’ Day (Muppetism)

Carista: Day of Peace in the Family (Pagan)

Corebus (Christian; Saint)

Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Eleutherius, Antia & His Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Festival of Matsu (a.k.a. Mazu; Taoist Sea Goddess)

Festival of Rama-Navami (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Fox Tail Burning Day (Ancient Rome)

Galdino della Sala (a.k.a. Galdin; Christian; Saint)

Gustave Moreau (Artology)

Idesbald (Christian; Saint)

Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet (Artology)

Lady Macbeth Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Laserian (a.k.a. Laisren or Molaisse; Christian; Saint)

Ludwig Meisner (Artology)

Make Faerie Rocks Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Laserim, Bishop of Laighlin, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Max Weber (Artology)

Molaise of Leighlin (Christian; Saint)

Nihilism Day (Pastafarian)

Perfectus (Christian; Saint)

Plato of Sakkoudion (Christian; Saint)

Three Impossible Mixtures Day (Celtic Book of Days)

The Underlings (Muppetism)

Vitruvius (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [18 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [15 of 30]

Premieres

Absolute Beginners (Film; 1986)

Alice’s Circus Dance (Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Apes of Wrath (WB MM Cartoon; 1959)

Baggage Buster (Disney Cartoon; 1941)

Barnyard Olympics (Disney Cartoon; 1932)

Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein (Novel; 1948)

Chess-Nuts (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Dog Trouble (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1942)

Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein (Ballet; 1944)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Film; 2008)

Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot (Poetry; 1943)

Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith (Novel; 1981)

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland Animatronic Exhibit; 1964)

Holes (Film; 2003)

Kongo-Roo (Phantasies Cartoon; 1946)

Legend (Film; 1986)

Little Johnny Jet (MGM Cartoon; 1953)

Mare of Easttown (TV Series; 2021)

Manifestoes of Surrealism, by André Breton (Book; 1924)

Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (Novel; 1969)

Muscle Tussle (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham (Novel; 1944)

The Saint in Trouble, by Graham Weaver (Short Stories; 1978) [Saint #47]

Sheikh of Araby, recorded by Sidney Bechet (Song; 1941)

The Simple Things (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm (Animated Antics Cartoon; 1941)

Straight Shooters (Disney Cartoon; 1947)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Three Little Wolves (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1936)

Uncle Joey (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Winged Migration (Documentary Film; 2003)

Today’s Name Days

Werner, Wigbert (Austria)

Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Atanazija, Eusebije, Hermogen, Roman (Croatia)

Valérie (Czech Republic)

Eleutherius (Denmark)

Valdek, Valdeko, Valdemar, Valdo, Valdu, Valdur, Valmar, Valmer, Voldemar, Volli, Volmer (Estonia)

Valdemar, Valto (Finland)

Parfait (France)

Werner, Wigbert (Germany)

Eirene, Eirini, Irene, Irini, Nikolaos, Nikoleta, Nikos, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nick, Rafael, Rene, Rena, Renia, Rhenia (Greece)

Andrea, Ilma (Hungary)

Galdino (Italy)

Dana, Hildegarde, Jadviga, Laura, Nameisis (Latvia)

Apolonijus, Eitvilas, Girmantė, Undinė (Lithuania)

Eilen, Eilert (Norway)

Apoloniusz, Bogusław, Bogusława, Flawiusz, Gościsław (Poland)

Ioan (Romania)

Valér (Slovakia)

Perfecto (Spain)

Valdemar, Volmar (Sweden)

Anthea, Ayana, Ayanna, Warner, Werner (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 109 of 2024; 257 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 16 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 10 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 10 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 9 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 19 Cyan; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 5 April 2024

Moon: 76%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 25 Archimedes (4th Month) [Strabo]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 31 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 29 of 31)

[qnewsau]

Courtney Act headlines Olivia Newton-John tribute concert

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/courtney-act-headlines-olivia-newton-john-tribute-concert/

Courtney Act headlines Olivia Newton-John tribute concert

You’ve been patient, you’ve been good, and now it’s time to get Physical, Brisbane! International drag superstar and singer, Courtney Act, is set to join Queensland Symphony Orchestra as host and performer for Hopelessly Devoted: A Celebration of Olivia Newton-John.

Hopelessly Devoted: A Celebration of Olivia Newton-John is set to make Magic at the QPAC Concert Hall this April.

Courtney will be the fabulous host for both concerts, joining stars of the stage and screen. David Campbell, Jess Hitchcock, Georgina Hopson and Christie Wheelan Browne are all set to co-star.

Orchestral arrangements of her songs will be crafted by conductor, Nicholas Buc and performed by QSO.

Courtney’s the one that we want!

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Courtney Act (@courtneyact)

Born in Brisbane and known as Shane Jenek out of drag, Courtney Act made waves in 2003 by auditioning in drag and placing 13th in the first season of Australian Idol.

She then went on to tie for runner-up in RuPaul’s Drag Race U.S. season 6 and won Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2018. Courtney has become an Australian household name, representing the LGBTQIA+ community on a number of TV shows, specials and Pride events.

QSO Chief Executive, Yarmila Alfonzetti is relishing the groundbreaking collaboration saying: 

“Courtney Act will make very welcome history (herstory) as the first drag queen to share the stage with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.”

Courtney, herself, couldn’t be more excited to be joining QSO on stage for this celebration of Olivia Newton-John.

“Who isn’t a fan of Olivia Newton-John?” Courtney asks.

“I’m thrilled to celebrate her music and legacy alongside Queensland Symphony Orchestra. It promises to be an incredible evening!”

All about Olivia

The queers and Olivia Newton-John have always gone together like “rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong,” and it’s not hard to see why.

Starting her career in 1971, Newton-John had several pop hits in Australia, the UK and the US.  Honestly I Love You became her signature song and first pop number-one.

Then in 1978, Olivia Newton-John was immortalised alongside John Travolta in the ridiculously fun movie musical, Grease.

It was here that generation after generation would fall in love with Sandy, the bright-eyed, sweet-as-pie Aussie high schooler from Rydell High.

Soon after in 1980, Newton-John went on to star in the cult film, Xanadu. A critical failure at the time, its soundtrack would then go on to be certified double platinum with five top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Olivia’s Physical video and LGBTQIA+ advocacy.

In 1981, one year after Xanadu’s release, Olivia struck double platinum with Physical. It spent ten sexy weeks atop the Billboard Top 100.

The saucy, satirical music video for Physical was also where Olivia solidified her status as a queer icon.

Olivia starred as a flirty fitness instructor alongside oiled-up hunks in short-shorts, and some not-so-ripped men used for comedic effect (it was the problematic 80s).

Despite the overtly sexual nature of the video, it was the original end of this video clip that found controversy.  Two of the oil-drenched himbos walked through the doors of this bathhouse set hand-in-hand.

This resulted in MTV clutching its pearls and removing the homoerotic closing shot before it was aired. This, however, still wasn’t enough to stop it from becoming one of the most iconic music videos of the decade.

Olivia brought awareness to the global AIDS crisis by appearing in the 1996 film, It’s My Party, one of the first feature films that addressed the topic of AIDS patients dying with dignity.

Olivia was also a vocal advocate for marriage equality in the 2010s, being one of the first celebrities to show her public support for the movement in Australia.

Live your Olivia fantasy

QSO wants to see you dress in your Olivia Newton-John fantasy best!

Dress in 80s glam, roller disco realness or full Grease glory. Whatever your inner or outer drag desires, you are welcome!

Fans of Olivia Newton-John and fans of a camp ol’ time will not be disappointed with a ticket to Hopelessly Devoted: A Celebration of Olivia Newton-John. 

Grab your tickets from QSO now!

Read next:

Vale: Olivia Newton-John remembered as beloved gay icon

Courtney Act to lead Brisbane’s new River Pride Parade

Courtney Act celebrates 20th anniversary of Australian Idol

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[scotianostra]

Bay City Roller Alan Longmuir was born at Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion Hospital Edinburgh on June 20th 1948.

Alan Longmuir was born in Edinburgh, one of four children of Duncan and Georgina Longmuir, who encouraged their interest in music. His father was an undertaker who allowed Alan to wear his top hat and long frock coat when performing for guests at the family home.

Alan and his younger brother, Derek – the Rollers’ future drummer – went to Tynecastle high school, which Alan left at 15. After a year of office work he was apprenticed as a plumber, but the job was secondary to his yearning to be a musician, he eventuallyt hit the big time as the bassist and founding member of the Bay City Rollers, the band that hit the heights of pop fame in the 1970s, of his fame he said he was “Just a plumber from Edinburgh who got lucky” .

The group he started in 1964 dominated mid-70s pop both in Britain and internationally, selling around 100m records – the precise total, and royalties owed the band, have never been established, spawning a long-running dispute with their former record label and their late manager Tam Paton.

In their peak year, 1975, they had two UK No 1 singles, including the signature hit Bye Bye Baby; the end of that year saw them top the American chart with the stomping Saturday Night – a foundational influence on the Ramones. When they played live, fans showed their appreciation by breaking seats; consequently, many venues refused to book them. They were the biggest pop sensation since the Beatles, and of the pop idols who have followed, only One Direction have inspired quite the same frenzy.

Like the rest of the Rollers, Longmuir, the band’s bassist, felt trapped by fame and the concomitant erosion of their privacy. Unlike the others, he refused to observe their manager’s edict against drinking alcohol and having girlfriends. In 1976, he was sacked because he was “too old and too hard to control”, according to Simon Spence’s 2016 biography The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers. Longmuir himself said: “I had a fallout with [manager Tam Paton] because I wanted to get a life.”

The public were told that he had chosen to go; in his first photo session as an ex-Roller, he wore a three-piece business suit – tantamount to sticking two fingers up at the band, who were forced to wear matching tartan outfits during all public sightings.

After his departure from the group in 1976, he released a solo single, I’m Confessing, but spent much of his time fishing and looking after his horses on his farm in Dollar, Clackmannanshire.

He viewed the 70s with wry humour, saying in 2008: “I remember sitting at the bar of the Beverly Hills hotel – there was Patrick Magee, Barbra Streisand, David Soul – and Alan Longmuir, the plumber from Edinburgh.”

In 1978, Paton asked him to rejoin, thinking that Longmuir, then nearly 30, would exert a stabilising influence. He left again in 1983, and repeated the process several times, he returned to working as a plumber and from 2000 until retirement was a bylaws inspector. His fringe show debuted in 2014 and came back to the festival every year since .

The band again reunited for a successful 2016 reunion tour.

Alan Longmuir passed away two years later on July 2nd 2018, in Mexico where he was on holiday with his wife Eileen.

At the time of his death, the band were again inactive, and he was working on the latest version of his successful Edinburgh fringe show, a music-and-memories production called I Ran With the Gang. He was also preparing an autobiography for release later that year.