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titleleaf · 1 year ago

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As Zanuck Sr. repeatedly told his son, had Valley of the Dolls been a product of the Hollywood studio system at its apex, in less than a week he would have assigned it to a contract director, one or more of the studio’s stable of thirty-plus top screenwriters, an available cameraman, production and costume designer, a composer, and a cast selected from 20th’s contract talent roster. It isn’t hard to imagine a forties-era Valley of the Dolls. On tap at the studio were any number of great beauties and “types,” some of them quite talented. And if those weren’t quite right, Zanuck might have arranged to borrow talent from other studios. There was Gene Tierney, Linda Darnell, or Jeanne Crain to play the reserved New Englander Anne Welles. Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, or Lana Turner might have played the luckless showgirl Jennifer North. The young Bette Davis, Susan Hayward, or Ida Lupino would have fit as brilliantly talented, tormented Neely O’Hara. Tyrone Power/Gregory Peck/Cornel Wilde could have slipped easily into the role of suave, slippery Lyon Burke, alongside Dana Andrews as press agent Mel, Vincent Price as Charles Revson–inspired cosmetics empire maven Kevin Gillmore, and Clifton Webb as fashion designer Ted Casablanca. For good measure, Zanuck could have thrown in Gertrude Lawrence as fading Broadway virago Helen Lawson, Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin/Vic Damone as Tony Polar, and Geraldine Fitzgerald as Miriam, sister of the sexy, childlike crooner. Or had Zanuck made the movie later in his career, he could have helped himself to the talents of, respectively, Hope Lange, Diane Varsi, or Shirley Jones as Anne, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Collins, or Debra Paget as Jennifer, Joanne Woodward as Neely, Richard Burton or Stephen Boyd as Lyon, Roddy McDowall as Ted Casablanca, Claudette Colbert or Mary Martin as Helen, Elvis Presley as Tony with Angela Lansbury as Miriam. But in 1966, the days of the studio system and exclusive contracts were on life support. With the long shadow of Darryl F. Zanuck looming over Valley of the Dolls, it would take Richard D. Zanuck, producer David Weisbart, and director Mark Robson long, torturous months and many reversals before the casting—let alone the entire production—finally pulled together. And, from his Paris headquarters, Zanuck Sr. thought that was laughable—when he didn’t find it infuriating.

-- Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time, Stephen Rebello

Rebello's bonkers fancasts here have captivated me.

#ska reads a thing #valley of the dolls

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constance-mcentee · 3 years ago

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Trip Cancelled

Sunday, 9 January 2022

My birthday is in early September, and I currently live in Hayward, California. Hayward is considerably warmer than where I grew up in South San Francisco. So, it’s usually very hot around my birthday and this makes me cranky. I like to take time off from work around my birthday and just to solo stuff.

Last year, I got the idea I could start doing thing around my half birthday in early March. So, I booked a roomette on the Amtrak Coast Starlight for a trip to Portland, Oregon. Among other things, I wanted to visit Powell’s City of Books and eat at Fried Egg I’m In Love. I was hoping March 2022 would be far enough in the future that COVID would be less of an issue. Then, Omicron happened.

People have assured me I would probably be safe since I’m fully vaxxed and boosted. But, I would still be helping create demand for hospitality and travel workers. That puts them at risk, and I’d like to minimize my role in that.

So, I’ve cancelled my Amtrak and motel reservations. I still have the time off from work, so I’ll rent a car for the week. It will cost about half of the train ride and motel room. What I’ll do will be day trips to places I can’t get to from public transit. Renting a car means fewer people will be impacted by what I’m doing, and I can be by myself as I visit places like Point Reyes and Tomales Bay.

#i am the passenger #scampering #covid19 #travel safety #amtrak

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danwhobrowses · 4 years ago

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MCU: 10 Ways WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier are the Same

So now we have 2 of Marvel's Phase 3.5 shows in the books, and both have been pretty great. In the 7 week wait for Loki though we'll have time to mull things over.

When watching the Falcon & Winter Soldier finale though, I started to notice that there were some patterns between it and Wandavision. While two completely different stories they did share some similar beats, so here's 10 I spotted and thus 10 to look out for when Loki comes around.

Spoilers for WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, give it a watch before you give this a look

10 - Villains become Memes

While one can contest that Zemo acts more as an antihero in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he still provides an antagonistic edge in the story. However, both he and Agatha became villains that had charisma to charm the audience, and their actions brought about multiple memes. On Agatha's side there was the wink, Agatha All Along and her in the fitness outfit, while with Zemo there was the 'it captures the experience', his iconic dancing and Turkish Delight. While not a story beat on the shows, the writers must've known that fans would gravitate to these characters to give them such content to use. Also add a hat tip to John Walker who got his own memes too with him about to embed the shield into a dude's chest, and Wanda herself for her nose scrunch being used as a meme alongside Thor's 'is it though?'.

9 - The Government aren't exactly helpful

While the Government aren't entirely the enemy in the show, they don't do well to stay on our heroes' good side. In WandaVision, they enhance Wanda's grief in the fact that she can't even lay him to rest, SWORD instead deciding that her lover is government property and they are harvesting his 'organs' and vibranium skin as a resource to use for weapons. On Falcon & Winter Soldier, the US Government deliberately deceive Sam by having him hand over the shield to put in a museum, only to then take it out and give it to John Walker without even telling Sam or Bucky about it. In addition when they disavow Walker they try to reclaim the Shield - which, as the Contessa does reveal, isn't technically their property either. While Falcon & Winter Soldier delved deeper into the government's lack of help through the GDC subplot motivating the Flag Smashers, there were still similarities found with how SWORD - which is quite different to its comic version - antagonizes Wanda. In the end all this escalates because of them, and in the end neither of them get to keep the Vibranium.

8 - 'Good Person' is Bad Guy

Although there's a more supernatural threat in both stories, the characters end up having their trust betrayed by people they believed to be decent. For WandaVision it is current Director of SWORD, Director Hayward, who appears adamant in silencing Wanda after using her as a means to power up White Vision as a programmable weapon. For Falcon & the Winter Soldier, it's Sharon Carter - descendant of Steve's beau who he also made out with - the discarded agent who gave up a lot for the heroes only to not get it in return, remaining enemy of the state and becoming the Power Broker. The shows can also have this reserved for 'Agnes' and John Walker but in the end people expected them to break bad from day 1. You could make a statement for Wanda since she looks to be an antagonist for Doctor Strange 2 though.

7 - The MCU add a little history

Marvel has had a habit of changing Wanda's (and Pietro's) origin on a whim, the MCU deciding to source their powers on an Infinity Stone. Doing this however left a gap in the fact that Wanda is a Witch, which they cleaned up in WandaVision. Treading back on the Scarlet Witch being a mantle (though cutting her mother being a Scarlet Witch before her) as it is in the comics, they changed Wanda's powers from being latent and amplified by the stone rather than gifted to the stone itself. Falcon & Winter Soldier added to their history with the impactful Truth: Red, White and Black story, adding Isaiah Bradley into the MCU to further layer the conflict and tragedy Sam faces with being Captain America. Both are welcome additions to the MCU timeline, setting up for newer things to come in Phase 4 Movies.

6 - The hero wins the fight, but not the day

Winning isn't always winning, as Wanda and Sam would discover upon the finale of their respective shows. Wanda defeats Agatha and Hayward is forced to face his crimes, but she has also come to terms with the face that the Hex must go, and in turn her family with it. While the Hex has freed all its residents, Wanda knows that she's not on anyone's good side either with the people she subconsciously enslaved. Sam gets it a little better, he's recognized himself as Captain America and given a patented 'Cap-speech', but he was unable to save Karli Morgenthau from being killed, someone who he was once so close to reaching and sympathized heavily with. Although the Super Soldier threat is neutralized, the Flag Smashers' ideals will live on to further radicalize itself, and its vision will further sow conflict and division.

5 - (Mostly) Bigger Roles for old MCU Side Characters

Never one to shy past their crossovers, Wandavision and Falcon & the Winter Soldier both brought back side characters - some more obscure than others - from older films to gel into the plot. WandaVision brought back Darcy from the Thor franchise and Jimmy Woo from Ant Man & the Wasp to great comedic effect, fans already wanting a spin-off with them and possibly Monica - who may also count but technically not the same actress, the same can be said for 'Pietro' too. Falcon & the Winter Soldier stayed primarily in their lane of Captain America movies; with Batroc and Sharon both debuting in Winter Soldier and Dora Milaje's Ayo debuting in Civil War, while it was less comedic, the story was more interwoven with them since they all had ties to the main two characters.

4 - [Person] is obviously [Character]

Possibly a bit of a narrative backdrop, or maybe years of MCU has clued us in on a plot twist a mile away, but both shows also were unable to hide well that Agnes from WandaVision and Sharon from Falcon & Winter Soldier were in fact Agatha Harkness and the Power Broker. It's not to say that knowing ruined the story, it just felt more of a 'when' rather than an 'if'. The main difference though is that Sharon managed to keep her villainy secret, and remains that way, while Agatha went too far in trying to take Wanda's power rather than help her with it and has now become stuck as Agnes instead.

3 - New Blood coming on the Hero Scene

While the shows already did their job in setting up Wanda and Sam as big league heroes, they also looked a bit more in establishing new blood too. WandaVision established the potential for the twin Maximoff boys to grow into Wiccan and Speed - once Wanda finds a way to re-canonize them, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also made sure to introduce Elijah Bradley, Isaiah's grandson, which may also aid in establishing a Young Avengers team - what with Kate Bishop also soon to appear in Hawkeye. WandaVision also created the origin for Monica Rambeau, having her body altered by the Hex, which will likely be furthered in Captain Marvel 2, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also established John Walker as the US Agent to leave a potential for Thunderbolts, as well as introducing Joaquin Torres - opening the possibility to have a new Falcon. While not a bad thing to set up for the future, it is interesting that both shows had exactly 3 names that could become future heroes.

2 - 'Villain' character partly redeems themselves after a Grief-Fuelled Mistake

Make no mistake, technically speaking Wanda is still a villain in WandaVision: she enslaved an entire town and suppressed them as side characters of a tv show. But the thing is that she didn't really intend to cause pain, it was an impulse action triggered by her grief. The same can be said for John Walker in Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he was already pressured by the standards being Captain America would entail and he was feeling the stress of a string of failures, a Dora Milaje humbling and a frosty reception from Steve's two close friends, juiced up on Super Soldier serum, and then his best friend just got killed because he didn't back him up, in a rage he killed a Flag Smasher with the shield - even though they were fleeing and not the one who killed Lemar, which he would lie about to Lemar's family. Despite this though, they managed to find some form of redemption, even if it was small. Wanda released the Hex and stopped Agatha from going haywire with her chaos magic, John gave up on his revenge seeking to save a truck from falling. Even though it doesn't entirely make up for what they did, it was at least a sign that they had not completely gone off the deep end...yet.

1 - Comic-Accurate Costumes

Comic costumes are always a tough one because some of the older costumes were borderline atrocious. WandaVision at the very least managed to poke fun at it with them dressing up most of the Maximoff/Vision family in their comic-accurate costumes, Speed getting a few more nods in the finale alongside Wanda's revamped and quite on the money look. In Falcon & Winter Soldier, there was accurate costuming for John Walker's US Agent look and Sam's Captain America costume, not to mention Lemar's Battlestar outfit, Zemo's mask and Batroc's jumpsuit.

Overall, it's not a bad thing that they kept these story beats, but it may be worth trying to avoid some of these in later tv show plot points so that it doesn't appear repetitive and formulaic. These shows have been great, so let's keep that momentum going.

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norsereadalong · 4 years ago

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Additional Readings for the Eager...and or, those with the Saga-Fever!

As we dig into the wonderfully fantastic saga that is Eyrbyggja Saga, I wanted to give readers the opportunity to look at discussions in Old Norse Scholarship that have buzzed with the themes and topics brought up by this saga! Politics, Gender, Magic, Law, the Restless Undead, Religion-Belief, and the construction of a saga itself! Below this cut you’ll find a regularly updated haphazard Bibliography separated into sections.

Those entries with an * (asterisk) present are free and accessible online–I will be happy to send you a pdf of every other article/chapter if I have it, just DM me the particular article you want at @cousinnick and I will do my best to send it to you. If you have any suggestions to add to the list, I’d be happy to look into them!

Old Norse Read-Along Bibliography: Eyrbyggja Saga

Íslendingasögur/Icelandic Family Sagas:

Andersson Theodore M. The Icelandic Family Saga: An Analytic Reading. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1967.

Andersson Theodore M. The Displacement of the Heroic Ideal in the Family Sagas. Speculum 45, 575—93, 1970.

Byock, Jesse. Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power. Berkeley, 1988.

Hastrup, Kirsten. “Defining a Society: The Icelandic Free State Between Two Worlds.�� Scandinavian Studies, vol. 56, no. 3, 1984, pp. 235–255.

Jonas Kristjansson. Eddas and Sagas: Iceland’s Medieval literature, trans. Peter Foote. Reykjavik: Hið Íslenska Bókmenntafélag, 1988.

Ian Miller, William. Emotions and the Sagas in Palsson, Gisli 9th ed. From Sagas to Society. Engield Lock: Hisarlik, 1992.

O’Donoghue, Heather. Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction. Blackwell, 2004.

Vesteinn Olason. Dialogues with the Viking Age trans. Andrew Wawn. Reykjavik: Heimskringla, 1998.

Vesteinn Olason. The Icelandic Saga as a Kind of Literature with Special Reference to its representation of Reality, in Learning and Understanding in the Old Norse World: Essays for MCR, ed. Quinn et al. Brepols, 2007.

Eyrbyggja Saga:

Chadwick, N. K. “Norse Ghosts (A Study in the Draugr and the Haugbúi).” Folklore 57.2 (1946): 50-65.

Kanerva, Kirsi. The Role of the Dead in Medieval Iceland: A Case Study of Eyrbyggja Saga. (2011).*

Sayers, William. “The Alien and the Alienated as Unquiet Dead in the Sagas of the Icelanders.” Monster Theory: Reading Culture. ed. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1996.

Draugar/Revenants/Restless Undead:

Ármann Jakobsson. “Vampires and Watchmen: Categorizing the Mediaeval Icelandic Undead.” Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 2011, Vol. 110.3., pp. 281-300.*

Ármann Jakobsson. The Troll inside You: Paranormal Activity in the Medieval North. Earth, Milky Way: Punctum Books, 2017.*

Ármann, Jakobsson. “The Fearless Vampire Killers: A Note about the Icelandic Draugr and Demonic Contamination in Grettis Saga.” Folklore, 2009, Vol. 120, no. 3, pp. 307-316.*

Ármann, Jakobsson. “The Taxonomy of the Non-Existent: Some Medieval Icelandic Concepts of the Paranormal.” Fabula, 2013, vol. 54, pp. 199-213. *

Ármann Jakobsson. “The Trollish Acts of Þorgrímr the Witch: The Meanings of Troll and Ergi in Medieval Iceland”. Saga-Book, 2008, Vol. 32, pp. 39-68.*

Chadwick, N. K. “Norse Ghosts (A Study in the Draugr and the Haugbúi).” Folklore 57.2 (1946): 50-65.

Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 1996. Ebook Central.

Glauser, Jürg. „Supernatural Beings. 2. Draugr and Aptganga.“ In Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclepedia, Edited Phillip Pulsiano, pg. 623. New York: Garland, 1997.

Hartnell, Jack. Life and Death in the Middle Ages: Medieval Bodies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2018.

Kanerva, Kirsi. The Role of the Dead in Medieval Iceland: A Case Study of Eyrbyggja Saga. 2011.*

Kanerva, Kirsi. “Having No Power to Return? Suicide and Posthumous Restlessness in Medieval Iceland.” Thantos, 2015, Vol. 4, pp. 57-79.*

Kanerva, Kirsi. “Restless Dead or Peaceful Cadavers? Preparations for Death and Afterlife in Medieval Iceland.” Dying Prepared in Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe. ed. Anu Lahtinen and Mia Korpiola, Leiden: Brill, 2018.*

Kanerva, Kirsi & Koski, Kaarina. “Beings of Many Kinds—Introduction for the Theme Issue ‘Undead’”. Thantos, 2019, Vol. 8, pp. 3-28.*

Laurin, Dan. The Everlasting Dead: Similarities Between The Holy Saint and the Horrifying Draugr. Scandia, 2020. N. 3.*

Merkelbach, Rebecca. Monsters in Society: Alterity, Transgression, and the Use of the Past in Medieval Iceland. Kalamazoo, MI, 2019. The Northern Medieval World.

Sanders, Karin. Bodies in the Bog and the Archaeological Imagination. Chicago, Ill.; London: University of Chicago, 2009.

Gender and Sexuality:

Ármann Jakobsson. “Óðin as Mother; the Old Norse Deviant Patriarch.” Arkiv För Nordisk Filologi 126 (2011): 5-16.*

Clover, Carol. “The Politics of Scarcity: Notes on the Sex Ratio in Early Scandinavia.” Scandinavian Studies 60.2 (1988): 147-188.

Clover, Carol J. “Regardless of Sex: Men, Women, and Power in Early Northern Europe.” Speculum 68.2 (1993): 363-87.

Jesch, Judith. Women in the Viking Age. Woodbridge: Boydell P, 1991.

Jochens, Jenny. Old Norse Images of Women. Philadelphia: U Pennsylvania v, 1996.

Jóhanna Katrin Friðriksdóttir, ‘Women’s weapons a re-evaluation of magic in the Islendingasogur.’ Scandinavian Studies 81.4 (2009): pp. 409-28.

Laurin, Dan. But, What About the Men? Male Ritual Practices in the Icelandic Sagas. Kyngervi, 2020.*

Price, Neil. The Archaeology of Seiðr: Circumpolar Traditions in Viking Pre-Christian Religion. Brathair 4 (2), 2004: 109-126.*

Raffield, Ben, Neil Price, and Mark Collard. “Polygyny, Concubinage, and the Social Lives of Women in Viking-Age Scandinavia.” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 13 (2017): 165-209.

Ström, Folke. Níđ, Ergi and Old Norse Moral Attitudes. London: Published for the College by the Viking Society for Northern Research, 1974. Print. The Dorothea Coke Memorial Lecture in Northern Studies; 1973.

Wallenstein, Frederik, The Burning of Rǫgnvaldr réttilbeini, (Nordic Academic Press, 2013).*

Politics and Law:

Jesse Byock. Feud in the Icelandic Society. (Berkeley 1982).

Firth, Hugh. “Coercion, Vengeance, Feud and Accommodation: Homicide in Medieval Iceland.” Early Medieval Europe 20.2 (2012): 139-75.

Miller Ian. William. Choosing the Avenger: Some Aspects of the Bloodfued in Medieval Iceland and England, Law and History Review 1, 159-204.

Miller Ian. William. Law and Literature in Medieval Iceland. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1989.

Miller, William Ian. Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland. Chicago, Ill.; London: University of Chicago, 2005.

Fantasy:

Hume, Kathryn. Fantasy and Mimesis : Responses to Reality in Western Literature. London: Methuen, 1984.

Larrington, Carolyne. “The Psychology of Emotion and Study of the Medieval Period.” Early Medieval Europe, 2001, Vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 251-256.

Mundal, Else. The Treatment of the Supernatural and the Fantastic in Different Saga Genres. (2006)

Ross, Margaret. “Realism and the Fantastic in the Old Icelandic Sagas.” Scandinavian Studies 74.4 (2002): 443-54.

Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre. Cleveland: Press of Case Western Reserve U, 1973. Print. A Volume in the CWRU Press Translations.

Mythology/Vikings:

Clunies Ross, Margaret. Prolonged Echoes : Old Norse Myths in Medieval Northern Society. Odense: Odense UP, 1994. Print. Viking Collection. v. 7, V.10.

Hayward, John. The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. London: Penguin, 1995.

Jesch, Judith. The Viking Diaspora. New York: Routledge, 2015.

Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. (OUP: 1968 rev. 1984)

Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Price, Neil S. The Viking Way : Religion and War in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (2002).

Sawyer, Peter. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. (OUP, 1997)

Williams, Gareth, Peter Pentz, and Matthias Wemhoff. Vikings : Life and Legend. London, 2014.

Magic in Icelandic Family Sagas:

Ármann Jakobsson. ‘The Trollish Acts of Þorgrímr the Witch: The Meanings of troll and ergi in Medieval Iceland. Saga-Book of the Viking Society 32 (2008): 39-68.*

Davidson, H. R. Ellis. ‘Hostile Magic in the Icelandic Sagas’ in The Witch Figure, rd. Venetia Newall. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1973. 20-41.

Dillmann, Francois-Xavier. Les magiciens dans l'Islande ancienne. Uppsala: Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien for svensk folkkultur, 2006.

Gísli Palsson. “The Name of the Witch: Sagas, Sorcery and Social Context.” Social Approaches to Viking Studies, ed. Ross Samson. Glasgow: Cruithne Press, 1991. 157-68.

Heide, Eldar. Spinning Seiðr. Old Norse Religion in long-Term Perspectives: Orgins, Changes and Interactions. (2006 Lund: Nordic Academic)

Jochens, Jenny. The Prophetess/Sorceress in Old Norse Images of Women. (1996)

Jolly, Karen. Definitions of Magic in Witchcraft an Magic in Europe: The Middle Ages. (2002)

Kieckhefer, Richard. Definitions of Magic in Magic in the Middle Ages. (1989)

Laurin, Dan. But, What About the Men? Male Ritual Practices in the Icelandic Sagas. Kyngervi, 2020.*

Lindow, John. ‘Supernatural Others and Ethnic Others: A Millennium of World View’ Scandinavian Studies 67.1 (1995): 8-31

Meylan, Nicolas. Magic and Discourse of Magic in the Old Norse Sagas of the Apostles in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. (2011)

Miller, William Ian. ‘Dreams, Prophecy and Sorcery: Blaming the Secret Offender in Medieval Iceland’ Scandinavian Studies 58.2 (1986): 101-23

Mitchell, Stephen. Skirnismal and Nordic Charm Magic. (Turnhout: Brepols 2007)

Mitchell, Stephen. ‘Magic as Acquired Art and the Ethnographic Value of the Sagas’, Old Norse Myths, Literature and Society. Ed. Margaret Clunies Ross. Odense: UP Southern Denmark, 2003. 132-52. (attached).

Mitchell A. Stephen. Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages. (2011)

Morris, Katherine. Sorceress or Witch? The Image of Gender in Medieval Iceland and Northern Europe. (1991).

Price, Neil. The Archaeology of Seiðr: Circumpolar Traditions in Viking Pre-Christian Religion. Brathair 4 (2), 2004: 109-126.*

Raudvere, Catharina. Trolldomr in Early Medieval Scandinavia’, Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: The Middle Ages. London: Athlone v, 2002. 75-171.

Steven, Justice. Did the Middle Ages Believe in their Miracles? (2008)

Ward, Benedicta. Miracles and the Medieval Mind: Theory, Record and Event 1000—1215. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982.

#norsereadalong #Eyrbyggja saga #bibliography #Additional Readings #Articles #Books

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ralphyraprap · 5 years ago

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My personal rating of the 2019/2020 Celtics roster

Just an opinion that I have going into the 2019-2020 season. Obviously plenty of roster changes with the Boston Celtics coming of the back of a very disappointing 2019 off-season. With pre-season games and subsequently the regular games on the horizon, I just want to quickly share my personal assessment of the current Celtics roster and would like to hear everyone's opinion.

Rankings that I will be using:

- Reserve - not expected to get consistent minutes or will get playing times during irrelevant junctures of the game (ie blowouts/closed-out games, etc)

- Good - expected to play consistent minutes and plays a role at a somewhat reliable capacity

- Very good - plays their role in the team very well and is considered a staple in the rotation

- Fringe all-star - a player who only requires a few tweaks in their game to make it to a future all-star game

- All-star - expected to play in the all-star game or is at least an all-star caliber player

- Star - often the go-to person in the roster and carries the team

- Superstar - likely to have his jersey retired in the future

Kemba Walker: All-star/Star

Kemba has big shoes to fill following Kyrie Irving's departure. Coming off his best season with Charlotte, he has been tasked to lead the Celtics this season. General consensus is that he is not as skilled as his predecessor but has a much better lockeroom presence and leadership. At the very least, I expect him to be an all-star caliber level and will excel under Brad Steven's leadership; being that he historically creates a system that is conducive to point guards. The only two reservations that I have on Kemba are these: 1) He has never had this much expectation in the NBA being that Charlotte was never considered any threat during his tenure and 2) He is a defensive liability. The latter is less of an issue mainly due to Brad Steven's success with Isaiah Thomas in the past. With a better coach and team around him, Kemba can further elevate his game and become a star for the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum: Fringe all-star/All-star

Jayson Tatum is coming off the back of a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. His rookie year was absolutely phenomenal, stepping up when both Kyrie and Gordon Hayward went down during the 2017/2018 season and ultimately showing tremendous upside during the 2018 playoffs. He was expected to make a huge step during last season however had a somewhat subpar season (by his lofty standards) but still looked alright in his sophomore year. With Kyrie being replaced by a seemingly better leader in Kemba, Tatum might finally reach the levels that he is supposed to be on since last season. More inclined to think that he is a fringe all-star but could potentially sneak through as an all-star being that he is the clear second option in the team and might be in some stretches be the number one option.

Gordon Hayward: Fringe all-star/All-star

A redemption year for Gordon Hayward. He is now a full season away from that dreadful injury that he sustained at the very first game of the 2017/2018 season. Showed promising signs in some stretches of the 2018/2019 season, especially at the latter stages but also played poorly in some stretches. Was ultimately disappointing in the 2019 playoffs. Another issue from last year was that there were reports that his inclusion to the playing group rubbed some of the players the wrong way, thus creating some chemistry issues. I expect that this is the season for him to show that he can be the pre-injury Gordon Hayward and finally be the player that the Celtics hoped him to be.

Jaylen Brown: Very good/Fringe all-star

A contract year for Jaylen with reports surfacing that he is seeking a max extension. Along with Jayson Tatum, he showed plenty of promise in the 2017/2018 season and the 2018 playoffs but also took a step back last season. Since being drafted as the third overall pick, Jaylen haven't really shown much reason to be given max dollars albeit he showed extreme promise 2 seasons ago as mentioned earlier. A very athletic player and potentially the Celtics' second-best defender, I predict that Jaylen will take another step up this year especially it being a contract year for him.

Marcus Smart: Very good

Oddly enough is now the veteran in the lockeroom. Unless I am mistaken, he has been with Celtics longer than anyone in the playing group. Night-in night-out you can expect one thing with Marcus: and that is his effort on the defensive end. His offense unfortunately has never been reliable nor do I expect it to make any significant improvement. Nevertheless, a very passionate player and clearly the best defender on the team.

Enes Kanter: Very good

Going to be very good on the offensive end (and pre/post-game trolling and memes) but defense has, and always will be, suspect. Played with a lot of heart with the Portland Trailblazers last playoffs with a separated shoulder yet still balling on the offensive end. Could potentially be a starter for the Celtics but I doubt he will close many games, mostly due to him being a defensive liability.

Daniel Theis: Good

I don't expect much from Daniel Theis this season. Did get his contract extended which tells me that Danny Ainge has faith in him; that or he just ran out of options. Showed better game during his first season with the Celtics prior to his injury but seemingly regressed on the following year. Still, not going to be an eye-catcher by any stretch of the imagination but will be great if he can be a good role player.

Semi Ojeleye: Good

Ojeleye has always been a handy player for the Celtics. Coming in on several stretches of the game and being involved in occasional good plays here and there. Game hasn't really changed all that much nor is his impact to the game. Might get more opportunity this season due to the recent departures in the roster but he hasn't shown much in the past to excite any fans.

Robert Williams III: Good/Reserve

The Time Lord will probably get better opportunity this season due to the recent departures in the roster. Showed some promise every once in a while but not enough to write home about. Was alright in the last Summer League but I was expecting a lot more. Will probably compete with Ojeleye and/or Theis for rotation. Offers good rim protection potential, assuming he can stay out of foul trouble.

Brad Wanamaker: Reserve

Has been a good contributor whenever he gets an opportunity but could not quite get consistent minutes due to the Celtics logjam in the guard position. Might get a better shot this season with Terry Rozier leaving but I expect him to get more-or-less similar minutes and role.

Romeo Langford: Good/Reserve

A mid first round pick rookie for the Celtics. Was recently injured and had surgery with his thumb which forced him to missed the Summer League. Recent footage and reports indicate that his thumb is 100% ready to go and his jump shot has improved. The surgically repaired thumb will be suspect and could potentially limit his game time.

Carsen Edwards: Very good/Good

In my opinion an excellent pick for the Celtics and will potentially be regarded as a steal. Showed plenty of promise during the Summer League with his lights-out shooting and effort. Quite poetic that he decided to wear number 4 being that like I.T, he gets buckets and is pretty undersized. I expect him to get plenty of minutes this season.

Grant Williams: Very good/Good

Another great pick for the Celtics and can potentially be regarded as a steal. Already showing great leadership and played very well during the Summer League. Can shoot the ball very well and shows effort on defense. Seems to be meshing with the team quite well and is very vocal. Could potentially be a Draymond Green-esque player for the Celtics, hopefully less annoying.

Vincent Poirier: Reserve

A first year player for the Celtics taken from the Euroleague. Played FIBA with the French team recently and obviously had some time to play with/learn from Rudy Gobert. A very tall athletic big man who appears to have a jump shot. It's a question now whether his skill translates well to the NBA and also if Brad Stevens will give him the opportunity to show it.

Tacko Fall: Reserve

The biggest draft pick by Boston Celtics ever (literally). Showed that he can be agile for his (tremendous) height. Might get a couple of minutes here and there but I imagine he will be used sparingly, much like how Boban Marjanovic is being utilised but probably a bit less than that.

Tremont Waters: Reserve

Another pick from the Celtics which played during the Summer League. Had a couple of good games in-spite suffering from a very tragic loss. Not expecting to get much game time with the Celtics at all.

Javonte Green: Reserve

A surprise pick for the Celtics. They picked him after the Summer League. Might not get much game time this season

#nba #boston celtics

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tkmedia · 3 years ago

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2021 NBA free agency: 45 players who could be available, including Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, Mike Conley

Getty Images The 2021 free-agent class could have been flashier. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George signed contract extensions before the season, Chris Paul seems unlikely to leave the Western Conference champions and Kawhi Leonard never seemed like a real free agent, even before his ACL injury. To the degree that there's buzz about superstars changing teams, it's about the trade market, not free agency. This class remains interesting, though, because of some of the veteran All-Stars and better-than-usual restricted free agents involved. The New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs can all get in the free-agent game, and it's possible that the Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies could join them. This list of 45 free agents is not a ranking, but the players have been grouped into categories that (hopefully) make it easier to digest. It will be updated and expanded before free agency begins on Aug. 6.

Looking for an All-Star caliber vet?

Conley was a crucial part of the Jazz's spectacular regular season, and he can't reasonably be blamed for their exit in the playoffs. He's one of their few above-average defenders, and he finally made his first All-Star team on the strength of his best offensive season since 2016-17. Utah might have reservations about committing long-term money to a 33-year-old point guard, but it's not as if it would have cap space if he walked. Unless Utah is OK with taking a major step back, it should try to retain Conley and address the roster's lack of defensive versatility on the margins. Lowry arrived in Toronto in 2012, was almost traded in 2014, re-signed for a second time in 2017, won a championship in 2019 and was almost traded again this March. He's 35 years old, seeking a chance to compete for another title and what might be his last big payday. There's a case for him returning to the Raptors, but they'll have competition from contenders that see him as the missing piece and non-contenders that think he can be their Chris Paul. New York has a hole at point guard, Lowry is close with Miami's Jimmy Butler and he should have several sign-and-trade options on the table. He can play on and off the ball and remains one of the league's best help defenders. DeRozan, 31, is coming off the best playmaking season of his career, in which he averaged 7.4 assists and 2.1 turnovers per 36 minutes, to go with the refined midrange scoring and elite free throw rate he's known for. If his time is up in San Antonio, then the offense-starved Knicks are a compelling theoretical landing spot. He'd hardly solve their spacing problem, though, and he's not the cleanest fit next to R.J. Barrett -- any team interested in DeRozan needs to be able to put shooters around him and put the ball in his hands.

RFAs of intrigue

Collins could tell you why he deserves a max or near-max extension, but his playoff performance speaks for itself. Despite being out of his offensive comfort zone next to Clint Capela, Collins found all sorts of ways to help the Hawks, answering questions about his ability to affect winning. Collins' counting stats don't show it, but he improved this season, mainly on defense, and there's now a two-year sample of 40-percent shooting from deep. Twenty-three-year-old players this talented usually sign rookie extensions, and every team that can put itself in a position to issue him an offer sheet should at least explore it. Hard to imagine Atlanta not matching, though. Ball improved his 3-point volume and free throw shooting again, but his main strengths are still his main strengths: Passing, particularly in transition; defense, particularly off the ball; rebounding and top-tier basketball IQ. There will be a limit on how effective he is in the halfcourt until he becomes a scoring threat inside the arc, but he's just 23 and brings so much to the table in every other facet of the game. While he pairs well with Zion Williamson in New Orleans, it's unclear if the front office will be willing to invest heavily in him after adding guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. in consecutive drafts. Brown reinvented himself as a do-everything role player in Brooklyn, setting screens for stars and then hitting floaters and finding 3s and layups for teammates in the short roll. He has surely earned himself some suitors, but the Nets have his Bird rights and a deep-pocketed owner. It's not necessarily impossible for another team to pry him away, but it won't be cheap. In an era where specialists are almost extinct, Robinson is an exception to the rule. Sure, he's "just a shooter," but he's a 6-foot-7 shooter who can make contested, on-the-move 3s at high volume. His accuracy dropped from 44.6 percent in 2019-20 to a still-extraordinary 40.8 percent this season, and, if the contracts Joe Harris and Davis Bertans signed last offseason are any indication, his salary is about to rise from $1.7 million to 10 times that. The Heat have all sorts of options this summer, and Robinson's relatively low cap hold means that they should be in a position to re-sign him regardless of whether or not they operate as an over-the-cap team. A second-round success story, Graham's cap hold is only $4.7 million, which gives Charlotte some flexibility. Even if the Hornets elect to use their cap room to chase free agents, they can theoretically bring Graham back with his Bird rights. They have a lot of guards in the mix, including the next player on this list, but coach James Borrego turned that into a strength this past season. Small-market teams tend to hang onto players like Graham, and I'm curious to see whether or not he can get starter-level money. Graham can make plays out of the pick-and-roll, but he didn't expand his offensive repertoire this past season: 67 percent of his shot attempts were from 3-point range. And his 3-point percentage was virtually identical to breakout year, his accuracy on pull-up 3s fell beneath 30 percent. After a rocky first few years, Monk's fourth season was by far his best. This is a feat in itself, given that he got COVID-19 just before training camp started and wasn't in the Hornets' rotation until late January. He shot a career-high 40.1 percent from deep and seemed to find his place as an instant-offense sixth man, a role that was particularly important when Charlotte was without Gordon Hayward, in need of a credible threat off off the bounce. There is upside here given that he's just 23 years old, but the Hornets might be choosing between Monk and Graham, and Monk has a $16 million cap hold. On the surface, Markkanen's 2020-21 season seems impressive -- he averaged 19 points per 36 minutes on 61.9 percent true shooting, finally cracking the 40-percent mark from 3-point range after three years of inefficiency. His free throw rate, usage rate and assist rate were all career lows, though, and a career-high 85 percent of his made shots were assisted. He doesn't fit next to Nikola Vucevic, and if he's going to make good on the promise he has shown since his rookie season, he can't be reduced to a spot-up shooter. A sign-and-trade is probably best for both sides, but could be complicated to execute. Horton-Tucker's emergence was one of the few unequivocal positives to come out of the Lakers' 2020-21 season. A second-round pick in 2019, he earned his spot with a mix of shifty playmaking, defensive versatility and an appetite for getting into the paint. Horton-Tucker is only 20 years old, with one year of experience in an NBA rotation, and anyone trying to steal him from the Lakers will be betting on him turning into a shooter (or perhaps taking on a Brown-like role when off the ball) -- he made just 28.2 percent of his 3s last season and only attempted 3.6 per 36 minutes. The Lakers can use early Bird rights to sign him to multi-year contract starting starting at up to $11 million. Read the full article

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gramilano · 7 years ago

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Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell are quickly becoming The Royal Ballet’s ‘couple to see’. After recent successes dancing Clara and the Nutcracker, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, over the Christmas season, they have just debuted in Giselle. An important moment in the career of any dancer.

The Guardian said that Hayward was “nothing less than exquisite” and remarked on the “illusion of spontaneity” she brings to the choreography, while The Telegraph was blown away by Campbell’s “immersion in character” and the “punch of his dancing”. Another test passed triumphantly. Facebook was awash with appreciative comments the next day: critics are useful; a fan-base is indispensable.

The Nutcracker with Alexander Campbell as The Nutcracker, Francesca Hayward as Clara © ROH, Tristram Kenton, 2013

Hayward and Campbell first danced together when she was a last-minute substitute as Clara in December 2013.

It was seeing The Nutcracker that set Hayward off on her ballet journey, though she saw it on video. Her grandparents, wanting to keep her occupied, bought her a copy “on a whim”.

I still feel emotional every time I dance Clara and the Sugar Plum as they are definitely a realisation of my dream. Two of my favourite and most emotional moments are Clara and Hans Peter’s pas de deux in Act One and the Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Act Two. They are probably the two parts I danced the most from the whole ballet when I was little, dancing them at home by myself, and the music always gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I hear it.

Last season, soon after the end of the The Nutcracker run came The Sleeping Beauty and during that period Hayward and Campbell performed together as Clara and the Nutcracker/Hans-Peter (in Peter Wright’s version of the ballet, Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Hans-Peter, has been transformed into a Nutcracker Doll), the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince, Bluebird and Princess Florine, and they debuted together as Aurora and Prince Florimund.

It was probably about three or four months in total rehearsing and performing together — says Campbell — and I feel like it was hugely beneficial to us, as it gave us a lot of time to get to know one another. It felt as though we were able to take things from each of the performances and build on that as we worked towards the next one. It was one of the most enjoyable times in my career.

Hayward adds,

It’s been great to have a consistent partner to learn the art of pas de deux a little better and I think we have a lot of respect for each other. We’ve shared some important debuts and daunting first night shows together!

Made it through today’s matinee! Thanks to my fantastic prince @acampbell_1 for getting me through this afternoon’s Sugar Plum marathon & to our incredible coach Lesley Collier 💕 H a p p y N e w Y e a r 💕 #sugarplumfairy #nutcracker #ballet #royalballet #exhausted #butlovedit

A post shared by francesca hayward (@frankiegoestohayward) on Dec 30, 2017 at 3:24pm PST

So, what makes the partnership work?

Francesca is a very intelligent performer and her approach to performances and to developing a character isn’t too dissimilar to mine. I think we both like things to make sense in our head when we are out there on stage. When it comes together and works well it is a really satisfying feeling.

Hayward senses that she is “very calm and safe” dancing with Campbell:

Most importantly we hear and feel the music with the same musicality. This is great as it means we can be more flexible and adaptable with our steps together. If the music’s faster or slower, I can take a little longer or make a step a little quicker without panicking him as I know he is with me and won’t be surprised! I have complete trust in him to always have my back… quite literally!

An excellent coach can make the difference between a series of steps and a dance, between approximated moves and those executed with all nuances the choreographer intended. None is better than The Royal Ballet’s Lesley Collier, who was a Principal Dancer with the company from 1972 until her retirement in 1995 and has been a répétiteur at Covent Garden for almost two decades. She also happens to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in the video that inspired Hayward to start dancing.

Lesley Collier has coached us for nearly all our roles together. I think she’s a wonderful coach as she has always learned the steps through the music and the story, and the thoughts and feelings that go with marrying the two. I personally find it really hard to be inspired when I am taught something by being given rigid counts.

The Sleeping Beauty with Francesca Hayward as Princess Aurora and Alexander Campbell as Prince Florimund © ROH, Bill Cooper, 2017

The Royal Ballet’s practice to invite its retired stars to coach carries on through the generations; former Royal Ballet Principal Jonathan Cope became a répétiteur immediately after he stopped dancing in 2005.

Alexander and I were also coached for The Sleeping Beauty by Jonathan Cope which was immensely helpful for the technical aspects like lifts and grips. It was also an amazing chance to dance with him — he would often lift me and partner me to show us how to do it!

Campbell says that he feels “inspired” by having Collier in the studio with them:

It took me quite a while not to be star struck by her – this was the ballerina who created Rhapsody with Baryshnikov after all! But, that aside, she is incredibly caring and knowledgeable, and it’s been a real pleasure getting to work with her. I have a real appreciation for Lesley’s commitment and eye for detail and I know that Francesca looks up to Lesley a great deal.

Yet not everyone looks up to Collier — one Royal Ballet Principal famously does things her own way, throwing out many of the choreographer’s intentions in doing so. But Hayward’s eager to learn and learn well:

It’s great to have Lesley pass down comments and notes from Ashton and Macmillan. Lesley was the first Sugar Plum Fairy and Lise from La fille mal gardée that I watched on a video as a child, so it’s incredible to be in the studio being taught these ballets by her.

Not every little girl who watches a ballet video starts taking ballet classes, and very few young dancers get into a company, but for Hayward there was to be a promotion every year with The Royal Ballet from 2013 until she became a Principal Dancer in 2016.

When Kevin O’Hare [Director of The Royal Ballet] promoted me I hadn’t done any big tutu roles yet — The Sugar Plum Fairy and Aurora were yet to come — so I think he saw the potential for that, but really I think he saw that I was capable of dancing the bigger roles because I could convincingly tell a story which is essential to nearly any ballet.

I think he also knows that I’m generally pretty calm and I take everything in my stride both on stage and off.

Giselle with Alexander Campbell as Albrecht and Francesca Hayward as Giselle. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2018

Campbell’s story started in Sydney, Australia, when he was so excited by what he saw at his grandmother’s dancing school, that he began studying there when he was just five. Inspired by Baryshnikov, he chose ballet over cricket as a teenager:

One of the qualities I most admire about Mikhail Baryshnikov is the sense that he performs everything with real commitment and sincerity. It is something that I try to bring to my own performances and I believe it is a quality that really stands out. I certainly appreciate it in others when I see it.

He crossed the globe to study for a short while at the Royal Ballet Upper School before joining the Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 2011 he moved to The Royal Ballet as was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2016, the same year as Hayward.

I would say that my versatility has probably helped me get to where I am. I think that the biggest joy and challenge for the Principals of The Royal Ballet is having to perform the vast amount of repertoire we have here, often with conflicting styles and demands, at the highest possible level.

Becoming a Principal and being entrusted with roles such as Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty and Albrecht in Giselle has widened his horizons even more.

Both these roles have allowed me to work really hard on my classical technique and it’s forced me to examine the way I do certain things. My aim is always to work hard on the technical elements in class and rehearsals so that by the time we get to performances the steps are just an extension of the character I am playing as opposed to a series of steps and enchaînnements. It’s a lot easier in theory than in practice but that is the aim!

Last night after our official debut in Giselle. So glad @katchkadeem was on hand to snap this picture! Thank you! Thank you also for all the wonderful support we have received, especially on Instagram. Knowing so many people were rooting for us was a special feeling. I also have to thank my beautiful partner @frankiegoestohayward – I feel very fortunate to have been onstage with you for your first Giselle and thank you for being such a pleasure to perform with ⭐ – – – – #royaloperahouse #royalballet #giselle @royaloperahouse

A post shared by Alexander Campbell (@acampbell_1) on Feb 10, 2018 at 3:17am PST

After Giselle, Hayward and Campbell will both be dancing in The Winter’s Tale, though not together, but then will team up again for Manon in April.

Campbell says,

I’ve enjoyed everything we’ve worked on together so far and I hope that we will have the opportunity to develop this relationship further as I feel it could be something quite special.

One ballet to add on to the list of possible future collaborations would be Romeo and Juliet.

I saw Francesca perform Juliet for the first time and I thought that it was a really beautiful interpretation of the role — I’d love to play against it because I think she gives her partners, and all the cast members around her, so much to work with. Here’s hoping!

I mentioned sincerity on stage as something that I admire in performers and I think that Francesca displays absolute sincerity whenever she performs. It makes it very easy for me to play off and it is genuinely exciting to be onstage with her.

Hayward quips,

Who knows what the future’s got in store, but I hope we have a lot more Nutcrackers ahead of us!

END

The Nutcracker with Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell. © ROH, Helen Maybanks 2016

Interview with The Royal Ballet’s hot couple: Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell are quickly becoming The Royal Ballet's ‘couple to see’. After recent successes dancing Clara and the Nutcracker, as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, over the Christmas season, they have just debuted in…

#Alexander Campbell #Birmingham Royal Ballet #Francesca Hayward #La fille mal gardée #Mikhail Baryshnikov #Nutcracker #Peter Wright #Romeo and Juliet #The Royal Ballet #The Sleeping Beauty

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livestreaming360 · 4 years ago

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Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia Watch NBA playoffs online, live ...

Despite their storied rivalry and recent battles, the first round series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers hasn't exactly been the exciting matchup we hoped for entering the postseason. Boston has a 3-0 lead entering Game 4, and while the margins suggest that the games have mostly been close, Boston simply has too overwhelming a talent advantage for Philadelphia to keep up with Ben Simmons out.

🔰LIVE🔴🆗✅GO► Click Here

It's time for the 76ers to throw the kitchen sink at the Celtics. If they have any gimmicks or strategies they've held in reserve, they have nothing left worth waiting for. Their style so far hasn't worked, and if they don't make a serious adjustment for Game 4, their season will end Sunday afternoon. Here's everything you need to know about this matchup

How to Watch Celtics vs. 76ers Game 4

Date: Sunday, Aug. 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Disney Wide World of Sports -- Orlando, Florida

TV: ABC

Odds: Celtics -8 | Over/Under: 213

Storylines

Celtics: The Celtics haven't missed a beat without Gordon Hayward after his Game 1 injury, but they haven't quite settled on a final rotation. Players like Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye and Romeo Langford are all getting looks, and while experimentation in a potential sweep makes sense, the Celtics are going to have to whittle their rotation down to seven or eight against the Toronto Raptors in the second round. Toronto only has starter-level players in big roles, and if the Celtics want to beat them, they need to similarly know who their top players are going to be.

76ers: This might be the last game that Brett Brown ever coaches in Philadelphia. The embattled head coach has been on the hot seat since last season, but an embarrassing sweep could be the final straw as the 76ers attempt to salvage their promising Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid core. If he has any tricks left up his sleeve, any wildcard strategies that might deter the Celtics even a little bit, now is the time.

Game prediction

If Philadelphia had any fight left in them, they would've won either Game 1 or Game 3. Both were close games, both were won by Boston in the end. Despite the matchup problems Philadelphia poses, they are just too depleted right now to win a game like this. Boston completes the sweep with relative ease here. Pick: Celtics -8

#boston celtics live #76ers live score #hawks vs mavericks live stream #boston celtics scores #boston celtics basketball #pistons vs cavaliers live stream #philadelphia basketball score #boston celtics philadelphia 76ers game 7

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sportsleague365 · 5 years ago

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Quincy Enunwa missed all of the 2017 season and 15 games last year because of a neck injury, and the Jets have ruled him out for the 2020 campaign by placing him on the reserve/PUP list. While the veteran wideout will only turn 28 Sunday, he already faces the prospect of his career being over. Enunwa, however, is not conceding that yet. “If I’m capable of playing, then that’s what I’ll do,” Enunwa said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “If it comes down to the fact that the doctors say I can’t, there’s not much I can do. There’s really nothing I can do there, but if I have the ability to [play], the passion will always be there, the want-to will always be there.” Enunwa signed a four-year, $33.4MM extension in December 2018. That deal included $20MM in guarantees, which have become crucial for the embattled receiver. The former sixth-round pick will earn $6MM in base salary this year and has a $4.1MM injury guarantee for 2021. Despite the Jets fining him $27K for missing two rehab sessions last year, Enunwa would like to stay with the team for the remainder of his career. It is unlikely, however, Enunwa — drafted two regimes ago — will be with the Jets in 2021. They can save $6MM by releasing him after this season. “I’m under contract. I want to be a Jet for life,” Enunwa said. “I saw Eli Manning say something. On his Twitter page he wrote, ‘Once a Giant, always a Giant, only a Giant.’ It would be cool to say that as a Jet.” Here is the latest from the AFC, shifting first to Pittsburgh: * Ben Roethlisberger has progressed to the point he would have been ready to fully participate in Steelers OTAs, had those been non-virtual endeavors, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Roethlisberger threw with teammates recently and appears on track for Pittsburgh’s training camp. This would be big news for a team that did not address its quarterback situation this offseason. * One of Big Ben’s top targets underwent surgery earlier this offseason. Diontae Johnson went under the knife for a core muscle injury in February, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes. Johnson said he suffered the injury in Week 2. That did not deter him from leading all rookie wideouts with 59 catches — while posting 680 yards and five touchdowns — for a team that played most of the season two backup quarterbacks. Johnson hopes to be medically cleared within days, Fittipaldo adds. * Chris Harris confirmed he will play a familiar role with the Chargers. The ex-Broncos standout will play both outside and in the slot, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While Harris played mostly on the outside in 2019, he earned All-Decade acclaim by playing both roles during his previous Broncos seasons. With Casey Hayward and Desmond King in the fold, the Bolts figure to have considerable versatility in their Derwin James-led secondary this season. #BenRoethlisberger #DiontaeJohnson #QuincyEnunwa

#BenRoethlisberger #DiontaeJohnson #QuincyEnunwa

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The Chargers’ offseason wasn’t just about replacing Philip Rivers

Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images

The Chargers did more than just draft Justin Herbert.

The Chargers are moving on from quarterback Philip Rivers. For most franchises, losing an entrenched franchise quarterback is cause for a roster reset. For the Chargers, it could be a relief.

Los Angeles slumped to 5-11 last season, a year after going 12-4 with a loaded roster on both sides of the ball. But Rivers struggled much of last season, throwing 20 interceptions to 23 touchdowns.

There is still plenty of talent in Los Angeles. Star pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram remain, though both are in the final year of their contracts. Emerging running back Austin Ekeler just signed a new four-year contract. Keenan Allen is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and safety Derwin James should bounce back after playing just five games last season due to injury.

Los Angeles Chargers (5-11), missed playoffs

With the right moves this offseason, the Chargers should be able to get back to the playoffs. These are the positions they need to target first:

Before free agency:

Quarterback: Although head coach Anthony Lynn is a fan of backup Tyrod Taylor, the veteran is better served in a reserve role. The Chargers have the No. 6 pick in the first round. The trouble is they’re behind the Miami Dolphins, another quarterback-needy team. The Chargers could look for a free agent quarterback, but would that be any better than going with Taylor?

Offensive tackle: The Chargers filled a hole on the offensive line by trading for guard Trai Turner, but opened up another by giving up left tackle Russell Okung for him. Right tackle Sam Tevi has been a below-average player throughout his career. Third-round pick Trey Pipkins started three games in his rookie season, and could press Tevi. That leaves the Chargers to find a left tackle in the draft. If they don’t take a quarterback with the sixth pick, they could have their choice of Mekhi Becton of Louisville, Jedrick Wills of Alabama, or Tristan Wirfs of Iowa.

Cornerback: The Chargers finished last season ranked 32nd in the NFL in opponents’ completion percentage, allowing receptions on 70.7 percent of passes. That’s a shocking number considering Casey Hayward has Pro Bowl talent. The other outside spot needs addressed this offseason.

What Bolts from the Blue wants most this offseason: The Chargers are at a potential crossroads with the sixth pick. The majority of the media believes they’ll take a quarterback. But there’s a growing minority that believes they can survive in 2020 with Taylor and go with the best available offensive tackle or defensive player. With signal callers like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields in next year’s draft, I think it may be worth waiting one more year to secure the future. Besides the most pressing needs, the Chargers could use a third wide receiver, another outside cornerback, or more depth at linebacker. — Michael Peterson

After free agency:

The Chargers got a lot better with the addition of three veterans: offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and cornerback Chris Harris. Finally, they made the smart move to franchise tag tight end Hunter Henry. However, their biggest needs still remain going into the draft.

Quarterback: The Chargers like Taylor a lot. That doesn’t make this position any less of a need, especially since the pickings get slimmer at quarterback after the first round this year.

Linebacker: Thomas Davis was a cap casualty, while Denzel Perryman has been a lackluster performer and is likely out after this coming season. Drue Tranquill is coming off a promising rookie campaign, but LA needs multiple linebackers to reinforce the defense.

Offensive tackle: While the Chargers’ offensive line improved with the additions of Turner and Bulaga, they vacated the left tackle spot when they traded Okung. Bulaga has played there before, but he’s at his best on the right side.

After the draft:

The Chargers wasted no time to go after a quarterback in the draft with the selection of Oregon’s Justin Herbert at No. 6 overall. Whether Herbert starts right away or not, he has the look, and talent, to be a franchise quarterback.

Then, the Chargers traded back into the first round to target their second-biggest need: linebacker. They landed Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray, who should be able to help immediately.

On Day 3, they made two high-value picks: UCLA running back Joshua Kelley and Ohio State slot receiver K.J. Hill. Strangely, they completely ignored the offensive line in the draft.

Dan Kadar’s draft grade: B-

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tkmedia · 3 years ago

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2021 NBA free agency: 45 players who could be available, from Chris Paul to T.J. McConnell

Looking for an All-Star caliber vet?

RFAs of intrigue

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doomonfilm · 5 years ago

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Review : Cats (2019)

Many, many years ago, my friend Ian and his family took me to a performance of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin. The show was my first big-scale theatrical experience, and needless to say, it left a major impression. Cut to recently, when I’m scrolling through Facebook, and I notice the buzz surrounding a trailer for Cats in the form of a movie. The list of names attached had weight behind it, but the possibility of the film being pure cringe was a real thing. Therefore, I couldn’t skip the chance to see Cats on the big screen, because one way or another, it was bound to leave a lasting impression.

Victoria (Francesca Hayward) is a stray cat, abandoned by her owner after being tossed into a London alley while trapped in a bag. A collection of curious cats free her, and she finds herself taken in by Munkustrap (Robbie Fairchild), who informs her of the upcoming Jellicle Ball. With the help of Mr. Mistoffelees (Laurie Davidson), Demeter (Daniela Norman) and Cassandra (Mette Towley), Victoria learns of Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench), the cat who oversees the Jellicle Ball, and is charged with making the Jellicle Choice that sends one lucky cat to the Heavyside Layer for a new life. Victoria learns of the candidates for the choice, including housecat Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson), the finicky Rum Tum Tugger (Jason Derulo), the former beauty Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), Bustopher Jones (James Corden) the fat cat, the distinguished Gus the Theatre Cat (Ian McKellen), the nimble Skimbleshanks (Steven McRae), and the mysterious Macavity (Idris Elba). After losing the group and being taken on a detour by Mungojerrie (Danny Collins) and Rumpleteazer (Naoimh Morgan), Victoria rejoins the group at the Jellicle Ball, were all in attendance await Old Deuteronomy’s Jellicle Choice.

As someone familiar with the material, I do have to admit that certain elements work very well. The limitations of a stage set are done away with, allowing the trademark choreography and movement from that show to be broadened in scope. A bit of your imagination is gated by the fact that, for example, you are shown Skimbleshanks tap-dancing on the rails rather than having it implied by his Jellicle Ball performance and use of space, but that chance to expand is taken and run away with in such a joyous manner, it’s hard to not buckle in for the ride. London is also given the opportunity to present itself as a canvas for visual cat puns abound. The visual effects were impressive in many ways, nearly avoiding the realm of the uncanny valley (which we will get to later). Using Victoria as a film audience surrogate and allowing her slightly more agency was also a positive, as she originally served as more of a ballet element to contrast against the more modern dancing in the theatrical show. The film made a slight attempt at modernity during the Jellicle Ball with the inclusion of the Les Twins... in an odd way, Cats felt like Climax with all of the edgy elements (except sexual tension) taken out.

And now, the uncanny valley... I was suspending disbelief just fine, even through Ian McKellan’s glorious chewing of the scenery as Gus the Theater Cat, when I suddenly noticed his hands... his VERY human hands... fingernails and all. It threw me completely out of sorts, and this was amplified when Macavity bursts out of nowhere having shed the costume he’d been wearing up to that point... the cats never felt naked until that very moment. With the film being a translation of the stage show, I was wondering whether or not the inevitable would happen, and they would attempt to translate the moment that the cats leave the stage and go into the audience. Much to my delight and simultaneous shock, Old Deuteronomy stared directly at us, while every other cat chose a random sight line, and she gave us her trademark rundown of how to treat cats. The camera was locked in place, making it feel VERY direct, which in ways translates the shock of having stage performers directly in your face, but came off just a tad more aggressive than I’m sure was intended.

The choreography, songwriting and score all worked perfectly in the realm of film. The story itself was never known for its gravitas, as it is the thinnest of narratives at best, but freedom that film allows really filled the experience out, like a Disney ride. Other than the cat effect, which mostly worked for me, the use of special effects was more reserved than I imagined it would be, with only the fantastic elements given obvious visual flare (like Macavity’s disappearing acts). The majority of the singing was good at best, and mostly passable, though moments of over-singing and under-singing peppered the performances, and were noticeable... luckily, our audience surrogate Victoria was spot on throughout.

Speaking of Victoria, Francesca Hayward did a good job of playing an everyman, mostly exuding a sense of wonder at the events, and letting her joy burst through in cultured, but not fully sharp, dance moves. Laurie Davidson played opposite this energy well by putting up a brave front, using wit to cover for her mistakes, and attempting to be the hero without demanding the spotlight. Idris Elba was perplexing in his choices, as he did not quite seem to be wholly dialed in, making some of his antics come off stilted at times, and hilarious at others. In comparison, Ian McKellan was completely dialed in, fully embodying the essence of a cat as if to lean into the fandom perspective of his ability to master any role. Judi Dench also allowed her real world stature to echo in her casting as Old Deuteronomy, but not at the expense of her occasional enjoyment of cat choreography antics. Robbie Fairchild also had the cat movement down to a tee, especially with his shoulder placements and slinky movement, and his singing was some of the strongest in the film. Jason Derulo was a bit forced, as opposed to Jennifer Hudson, who seemed to come on a bit strong at first, but allowed the revelation of her role and connection with Hayward to really shine at the perfect moments. Taylor Swift’s appearance was brief, but the role was so tailored (no pun intended) to her skill set that it worked well, even if it did slightly come off as a music video. Some of my previous feelings about Rebel Wilson and James Corden did come into play during my viewing of the film, and it turned out that these two were the only ones allowed to go off-script, occasionally breaking the rhythm of the film, but not in ways that derailed it. The cast was massive, and I could go on, but these roles really stood out to me, though I was happy that my favorite two cats (Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer) had great performances courtesy of Danny Collins and Naoimh Morgan.

If you’re curious about Cats, be it as someone familiar with the material or someone completely new to it, don’t hesitate. Go see it. I don’t imagine myself purposely going to see it again, but I am very happy that my friends and I took the time to see this in a theater. It was, in most ways, exactly what I expected it to be, and I will not be surprised if this becomes a cult classic in the next twenty years or so.

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drinktouch05-blog · 6 years ago

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How the Celtics can salvage a confounding season

How the Celtics can salvage a confounding season originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com

The 2018-19 Boston Celtics might be one of the most confounding NBA teams in recent memory.

It's a group bursting at the seams with talent and one that has proven itself capable of hanging with the league's elite, and yet they routinely struggle against inferior competition. It's a team with championship aspirations and yet they've lingered in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff seedings for nearly the entire season. It's a team helmed by a coach that preaches a never-too-high, never-too-low philosophy and yet players have been prone to wild swings in emotion based on the team's performance.

Game 60 was the perfect microcosm of this team. Coming off a one-point loss to a Milwaukee Bucks team with the best record in the NBA, the Celtics were listless against the 15-win Chicago Bulls, falling behind by 25 and suffering a double-digit loss Saturday to a team it beat by 56 on the same court two months earlier.

After the game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens suggested he's got to be better. Kyrie Irving put a spin move on his sometimes-critical postgame chatter and boldly declared the Celtics were just trying to get to the playoffs, where he didn't see a team that could beat Boston in a seven-game playoff series. Al Horford followed by suggesting that this team can't just expect to flip a switch. Marcus Smart kept screaming into a chasm about needing more effort from a team that's clearly not willing to work to be great in the regular season.

The NBA playoffs begin in 47 days. The Celtics might get bounced in Round 1, or they might surge to the NBA Finals. Good luck trying to forecast this team. But there's still time for redemptions.

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There's also a lot of work to do and it's unclear if this team is willing to put in the work to salvage a maddening season.

Boston's inconsistencies, and players' often overly emotional reactions to the bumps in the road, have worn on the team's fan base. The Celtics were easy to wrap your arms around in past seasons, the spunky overachievers who routinely overcame adversity to outkick expectations. This group seems sometimes stressed by the burden of expectations and can't easily move past adversity. This team's ability to better endure turbulence might ultimately dictate just how far it can surge, and whether it can win over fans by showing the sort of mental toughness that's been the hallmark of Stevens' teams in past years.

Some thoughts on the hot-button issues surrounding the team and what needs to happen for this team to find the consistency it's lacked:

How much blame falls on Brad Stevens?

After the loss in Chicago, Stevens said he's disappointed in himself and needs to do a better job coaching this team. Was he trying to take some heat off his players, or genuinely frustrated with his own performance? Probably a little bit of both.

Ultimately, when a team doesn't live up to its potential and struggles with consistency, that falls back on the coach. Stevens has been resistant to wholesale changes, in part because, in the bigger picture, the Celtics have played well the past three months. Injuries have complicated that process, too, and it's fair to wonder if little things like having defensive-minded energy-giver Aron Baynes available would cure a bit of what has ailed Boston's reserve groups. Alas, this post-All-Star speed bump might be providing an opportunity for Stevens to test some lineup tweaks with the goal of finding the units that work best.

Stevens has said he needs to hold his players accountable when they don't play to the expected standard. While he - more than anyone, especially given this team's temperament - has to be careful to not make overreactions, the final 22 games offer one last chance to see if small alterations can promote a bit more consistency.

How much blame falls on Terry Rozier?

No player finds themselves more in the crosshairs of Celtics fans at the moment than Terry Rozier. Some of it is justified: Boston's net rating with Rozier on the court in February is minus-5.8 (and that number spikes to plus-5.0 when he's off the court). Over those nine games, Rozier is shooting 34.2 percent while hoisting 9.1 shots over 23.8 minutes per game. Over the last four games - including two in his typically jolting starter role - Rozier has made just 5 of 26 shots (19.2 percent), including just 2 of 13 3-pointers (15.4 percent).

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But to put the Celtics' struggles on Rozier alone is grossly unfair. Yes, he's struggled to figure out how to consistently impact games this season, particularly in a reserve role with the return of Irving. For the season, he has the lowest on-court net rating among all Celtics regulars at plus-0.6, and that number spikes to a team-best plus-10.5 when he's on the bench.

Stevens might need to reel Rozier in when he gets a bit reckless with his shot attempts, as he did in the second quarter of Saturday's loss in Chicago. But Rozier is too talented to simply phase out. Imported rookie Brad Wanamaker can give a nice jolt of energy and effort in small doses but it's hard to know if he could have a sustained impact in bigger minutes. The Celtics rotation is going to crunch down closer to the playoffs and ultimately the playing time for reserves like Rozier will be dictated by just how impactful those players can be in smaller chunks. Stevens shouldn't be bashful in tightening rotations at times late in the season.

Should the Celtics make a lineup change?

Stevens doesn't like how much reporters tend to fixate on the starting 5. He's routinely pointed to how fluid that group has been during the postseason with the coaching staff unafraid to make tweaks to best match up with an opponent (see also: starter Gerald Green). It's fair to wonder if there will be matchups this postseason where Boston might deploy a healthy Baynes to add some beef to the front line and limit the wear on Al Horford. It's all part of the chess match.

The question, in the interim, is whether Boston should consider a lineup tweak before the postseason. The Celtics entered the season hoping to lean on a starting 5 of Irving, Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward. It didn't work and the struggles of that 5 played heavily into Boston's lackluster start. The team found more success after Smart and Marcus Morris were shuffled into the starting group.

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Keeping Hayward with the reserve group is intriguing for staggering purposes as the Celtics would probably desire to keep one of Hayward and Irving on the court at all times in the postseason. But with both Smart and Morris cooling off, it seems fair to wonder if Stevens should experiment with moving Hayward and/or Brown back to starting roles.

The Celtics' current starting 5 (Irving, Smart, Tatum, Morris, Horford) has been excellent, owning a plus-11.6 net rating in 378 minutes of floor time overall. Among high-volume 5-man groups, they are one of the most efficient in the league. But in the six games they've played together in February, that group is down to plus-1.8 net rating over 95 minutes.

What's more, Smart and Morris have seen their efficiencies plummet this month. Over nine games in February, the Celtics own net ratings of minus-6.6 (Smart) and minus-2.6 (Morris) with the Marcuses. What's more, Boston is plus-7.5 or better when either is off the court.

It could just be a blip for two players that have each endured little slumps. But it might also be opening the door for Stevens to experiment, even if the goal of any swap might be more to solidify the second-quarter lulls the team is enduring when reserve lineups are on the court.

Can the Celtics win in Toronto? Does playoff seeding matter to Boston?

The Celtics visit the Toronto Raptors in another East showdown on Tuesday night. Boston hasn't won north of the border since April 4, 2015. To put that in perspective, Smart is the only player on the roster from that night, a game in which his tip-in at the buzzer lifted Boston to a 117-116 overtime victory. You'd have to rewind to the pre-Stevens era to find the last win in Toronto before that.

Winning on the road is going to be essential for the Celtics and there's a strong case to be made that Toronto is the most daunting of playoff matchups for Boston should those two line up. While seeding adds an obvious layer of difficulty to Boston's postseason odyssey, it would seem playing at a high level is paramount at the moment.

Still, Tuesday is a chance to clear a mental hurdle about playing in Toronto.

The Celtics have made their playoff path all the more daunting with their inconsistent nature. They are not catching the Raptors or Bucks so the focus has to be on balancing the push to get ahead of Philadelphia or Indiana. Being rested and playing at a high level should trump the seedings push.

Can this team really flip a switch likely Kyrie suggested?

There's certainly something to the notion that the refresh button that arrives on April 9 could aid Boston. Nothing the team accomplished during the regular season was going to matter in how this team is ultimately judged anyhow.

Boston's inconsistencies will simply become part of their journey if they can turn things on in the postseason. What's clear, though, is that they must become better at handling adversity - whether that's a tough loss, or a tough in-game run - if they're going to find that success.

Irving is going to be particularly motivated in the postseason and Boston has proven itself capable of pushing elite competition. Maybe that's why Irving's narrative changed this week. The regular season has been mentally exhausting and, while he's putting pressure on himself by suggesting that the team will be OK in the playoffs because of his presence, he seemingly recognizes that the team has to get beyond the noise of the regular season.

Here's the good news: Despite all their inconsistencies, the Celtics have lingered near the top of ESPN's Basketball Power Index for most of the season. They sat third behind only the Warriors and Nuggets entering Monday's action. What's more, they remain in front of five teams with better overall records, including the Raptors team they trail by 6.5 games entering Tuesday's head-to-head matchup.

Which is to say: Boston is better than its record suggests. It simply can't get out of its own way sometimes.

There's plenty of work to be done to get where this team wants to go and they've made the journey more difficult than it needed to be. But maybe the reward will be sweeter given what they've endured. At least that's what they have to convince themselves.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-salvage-confounding-season-174228246.html?src=rss

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brightquang · 6 years ago

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Vietnamese American Arts By Bright Quang 359 Pacific Avenue, Redwood City CA 94063 WWW.brightquang.net -Email: [email protected] Tel. (650) 278-9542

All right reserved No part of this publication my be reproduced, stored in a retrieved system, or transmitted in any from-electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording without prior written permission from the author. Inquires should be addressed to: Bright Quang 359 Pacific Avenue Redwood City, CA 94064 Introduction Bright Quang is an interesting and inspiring man. Idiosyncratic and personal, his painting describes his response to his life and share with us a long, solitary view acquired in the midst of tragic world events of the past thirty years–war, displacement, and struggle. Bright’s reply to all this is, rather than despair, hope. Bright’s work, and his character, celebrates what it means to be alive in difficult times. Professor Dickson Schneider California State University Hayward http://www.csuhayward.edu/ Acknowledgements James Petrillo, Director of Multimedia Graduate Program, Professors Anne Wolf, Grace Munakata, Dickson Schneider, Mark Boguski, Lanier Graham, Roshelle Nameroff, Kirk Leclaire, Sally Richardson, Marin Sapozhnikov, and with Editorial Assistance by Craig Wilson at California State University, Hayward played a key role in suggesting to the author that he create this book. The author would also like to thank Professor Betty J. Cornell at San José State University, Professor Jerry Decamp at the University of California Davis, Ruth Talovich in Westminster, California, and Mr. David Hahn, Director of the McHugh Reading and Curriculum Resource Center at California State University, Hayward, for their counsel and encouragement. Special thanks are due members of the Sculptor’s Guild in Belmont in California for advising the author to pursue writing the book. Introduction Despite being detained in several South Vietnam concentration camps by the communist regime from 1975 to 1981, Bright Quang maintained his love for art and poetry. Indeed, the Vietnamese communists imprisoned him because of his art and poetry. Bright Quang came to the United States on November 22, 1993 under the Humanitarian Operation program (H.O. /20), which was designed to enable former Vietnamese political prisoners to immigrate to the United States. He now resides in Redwood City, California. A graduate of Tran Quoc Tuan High School 1968, Bright Quang was admitted to the Hue College of Art and earned a degree in art 1971. In the United States, he earned an AA degree in 2001, and a Bachelor’s degree at California State University, Hayward, in 2003. At Hayward, Bright Quang specialized in sculpture using plaster, copper, brass, wood, stone, wire, and cement to create figures of human beings and animals. Bright Quang was awarded the International Poet of Merit Silver Award Bowl in 2001 by Poetry.Com, and in 2000 he published a book of poetry fables called Tình Nāng Khổng Long, or Dinosaur Love, with over twenty two thousand lines of poetry. The publisher was Manifesto, UNESCO BP3-91167, Longjumeau Cedex 9, in France. He published Poetry & Art at Canada College 1998, as well as a book of poems, My Innermost Song in downtown San Jose in June 17, in 2000. Since coming to the United States, Bright Quang has exhibited artworks in a variety of locations. First, he exhibited his art at Canada College, 4200 Farm Hill Boulevard, Redwood City, CA 94061, Tel. (650) 306-3100 from October 13, 1998 to November 15, 1998. At this time he donated his statue named CONTROL to Canada College. Second, he exhibited, by invitation, A BRIGHT FUTURE THROUGH EDUCATION at the Lake Wales Cultural Center of Lake Wales, Florida, from October 15, 1998 until October 2000. The Coastal Arts League and the Peninsula Sculptor’s Guild of California invited him to present this exhibit. Bright Quang exhibited his artworks in downtown San Jose, in June 17, 2000. These works included over fifteen artworks of marble, wood, brass, and cement. Fourth, his artwork YOUR BEAUTIFUL HAIR was exhibited in the Lake Wales Cultural Center of Lake Wales, Florida State; he was sponsored by his Sculptor's Guild 1780 Ralston Ave, Belmont, California. Fifth, his artwork The FROG and the RISING UP has been exhibited at the following locations by these five organizations: Santa Cruz Art League Gallery, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz Cardiff House, UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz Arts Council of San Mateo County Manor House Gallery, 1780 Ralston Ave, Belmont Coastal Arts League Gallery, 300 Main St, Half Moon Bay Corridor Gallery San Mateo Government Center, 400 County Center, Redwood City 1972 Bright Quang opened a studio in Quang Ngai, and then moved to Saigon. There he created works of art such as old fishermen, farmers of different shapes and sizes. He also created animals, such as elephants, oxen, buffaloes, horses, lions, birds and fish; pots and candleholders were also his specialties.

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dpinoycosmonaut · 6 years ago

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BOSTON BEATS L.A. IN EVERYTHING BUT…

by Bert A. Ramirez / February 11, 2019

The past few months have eerily, mythically matched up major sports franchises in the Boston and Los Angeles areas, a rare, seemingly providential occurrence that has highlighted the existing rivalry between those cities in terms of their sports teams.

The Red Sox vs. the Dodgers. The Patriots vs. the Rams. The Bruins vs. the Kings. And, of course, the Celtics vs. the Lakers. Any way you cut it, that puts the two cities at the center of those matchups – and, depending on the results, wins for either town the subsequent bragging rights as the city with the better sports teams.

The initial returns of recent months, of course, have been lopsidedly in favor of Boston and New England over LA and its Hollywood community. The Red Sox, after all, beat the Dodgers in the World Series last October. It wasn’t even close as the Red Sox whipped the Dodgers in five games to capture their fourth World Series championship since 2004, or since they ended the 86-year “curse” after having sold Babe Ruth to the arch-rival New York Yankees two years after their last previous championship in 1918.

Then, the New England Patriots made it two in a row in Super Bowl LIII last February 3 when Tom Brady and company beat the Rams 13-3 to win their sixth Super Bowl crown since capturing their first in 2001, in the process cementing for Brady, coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots the distinction as probably the greatest in their sport’s annals.

The Bruins went on to extend that winning streak with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Kings in the National Hockey League regular season on February 9. But even before that, the Celtics seem to have scored a major triumph – in the board room – against the Lakers during the trade deadline on February 7 when the New Orleans Pelicans, whose franchise star, Anthony Davis, has been the object of trade offers by both Boston and LA after the 6-foot-10 frontliner asked for a trade, decided not to move the six-time All-Star before the offseason.

Everybody knew, of course, that the Celtics could not trade for Davis until the offseason or July 1 when Kyrie Irving becomes a free agent as league rules prohibit a team from acquiring two players with designated player rookie contracts (this is a contract equivalent to 30 percent of the team’s salary cap that’s given a player eligible for his rookie extension, as Derrick Rose was in 2011, hence the title of the rule), as the Celtics traded for Irving in 2017 and he along with Davis is holding that type of contract.

While the Lakers had hoped they would beat the Celts to the punch by offering everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink, to the Pelicans in hopes of landing Davis before the trade deadline came, even the package they reportedly offered – Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Rajon Rondo, Ivica Zubac and two first-round picks – was not enough to entice New Orleans into giving up Davis to LA (notwithstanding LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul trying to orchestrate things) and stopping the Celtics dead in their tracks in their Davis aspirations.

With Davis remaining in New Orleans until the end of the season, the Celtics have clearly gained the upperhand from their arch-rivals in the Davis derby, particularly as the Pelicans have reportedly eyed Boston’s Jayson Tatum as the centerpiece of any deal involving Davis. Regardless of whether Celtics president Danny Ainge would relent to this Pelican wish (he’s reportedly willing to throw everything into the fray except the second-year forward), Boston clearly has the bargaining chips to entice New Orleans and, in addition, also convince AD to re-sign with the Celts when his contract expires in 2020 if Irving himself reups after July 1.

Even as this developed, however, the Lakers somehow extracted an immediate revenge of their own when they beat the Celtics 129-128 in a nationally-televised regular-season blockbuster later in the day of the trade deadline as ex-Celtic Rajon Rondo sank an improbable buzzer-beater. The victory pushed the Lakers back to above .500 as they continued to fight for a playoff spot while relegating the Celtics back to fifth place in the East after they dropped one more stinker two days later to another LA team, the Clippers, who on trade deadline just sent their top scorer, Tobias Harris, to Boston’s Eastern rival Philadelphia.

Can you beat that? After sweeping Los Angeles in all four earlier mano-a-manos – World Series, Super Bowl, NHL and NBA trade deadline – Boston quickly drops two heartbreakers to its LA rivals, and it took the Celts’ playing on their own home floor to provide such an ironic, improbable accommodation!

The loss to the Lakers was actually not a typical barnburner that was decided just at the buzzer. It smacked of the ills that have hit the Celtics this season as they continued to underachieve on the floor after losing an 18-point lead by being outscored by 15, 42-27 in the third quarter. These one-quarter stinkers, in fact, have become an all-too-common occurrence although when it did take place in the Clippers game that followed shortly, anyone who still had that fluke-like assessment of such occurrences must have finally been convinced that something’s wrong with these talented but seemingly weak-hearted Celtics.

Against the Clippers, the Celtics erected a 28-point lead several times, the last at 68-40, but saw that huge margin dissipate when Irving could not make it back in the second half after straining his left knee before the second period could end. That, however, could not be an excuse as last year’s Eastern Conference finalists got thoroughly outscored 70-38 in the second half, 42-26 in the last quarter, by a bunch of reserves and newcomers who were playing for the first time with the Clips after coming in a trade just two days before. But Landry Shamet, Garrett Temple and Zubac all played vital roles in the Clips’ comeback while Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford played as if they were not in synch to hand LA the late, maddening (to Celts fans) 123-112 victory.

At this point, it’s clear that these Celtics are far from the gritty team that overachieved last season with both Irving and Gordon Hayward out of the playoffs. And this time, the problem may have something to do with the mental aspect than anything else. At the beginning of the season, it seemed as if these Celtics simply had a hard time adjusting, particularly the younger players who saw their roles getting diminished with the return of Irving and Hayward.

This time, however, it seemed more of an inability to adjust to the reality that Boston is trying to acquire Davis and the inevitability that several of them might come as part of the price in that monumental trade. Yes, Ainge might have been talking with them (Brown, Rozier, Smart and Tatum in particular as they would most likely be the players involved in any Davis acquisition) but it's still difficult to accept the reality that the only team you've known thus far in your pro career is about to send you away in that trade, or is at least trying to do exactly that in the deal it's trying to pull off, which will now likely come in the offseason.

So how does that impact the game? No matter if it's easy for one to say that these young Celtics should be professional, and they're in fact being given the proper respect by no less than their club president, it's still harder to put out especially when confronted by adversity (like they were in their last two games) when at the back of their mind, they’re thinking that all that they're working for will eventually come for naught.

In the end, however, Brown, Rozier, Smart and Tatum, among others, may have no choice but to suck it up. After all, whatever they do now could impact not only the Celtics’ current fortunes but also those of their own a few months down the road. (Photo from MassLive.com)

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