#costume express 2008

[archives-of-genevieve]

Costume Express Magazine 2008

[martyrbat]

batgirl (2008) #5

[ID: Cassandra Cain dressed in their Batgirl costume and shown in a side profile view as they hijack a Batplane. END ID]

[emptymasks]

Old Web European Musical Sites

So this post started because I was looking through the waybackmachine on the Internet Archive for the old Disney Fairies site for a friend, and remembered I'd backed up some old musical related sites a couple years ago on the waybackmachine just to archive them.

Which made me remember how recently I saw someone on here, I don't remember who, asking if there were interviews either about Elisabeth das Musical or specifically with Uwe Kroger (the actor who originated the role of Der Tod/Death) in English to which someone had answered no but there are some quotes and fragments in other posts on here. Which made me remember an old website I'd found that did have interviews on and I went out to find it. After I found it, I tried to find another website I'd found that had nice old photos of Uwe on that I'd save for I'd never seen them anywhere else, but sadly can no longer find the site and I hadn't bookmarked it or archived it. But, in doing so I did find some others.

So, come along with me as I find some ye olde websites based around European Musicals and Non-English Musicals, all of which I am archiving using the waybackmachine and can be found on my archive.org account @ wennli3b3 under the 'web archives' tab on my profile.

What is old web? The aesthetics wiki describes it as "Essentially consisting of screencaps and gifs, Old Web is an aesthetic utilizing traditional web design elements combined with aspects of poetry and self-expression. This also includes GIFs, video games, and clip-art. This aesthetic expresses nostalgia for Internet culture of the early 1990s to early 2010s." Think of old GeoCities and AngelFire websites, the pre-2010s internet where it wasn't uncommon for anyone to make their own little website for anything and the internet wasn't just social media. There's just such a charm for me about these old sites and the work people put into customising and decorating their sites, often just as a fun project for themselves or a way to document things they loved. Therefore the websites we'll be looking at are from the 90s up to the late 2000s, 2010s and onwards websites don't count for this list.

What is the waybackmachine? The waybackmachine is hosted on the Internet Archive, it's a digital archive of websites that lets you visit websites as they were during the past if they've been archived there.

[Note: this post won't have clickable links because that can make Tumblr unhappy and either hide or soft-block my post, so sadly no clickable links, but I will write out the links with spaces in the hopes that won't hide the post and you will just have to type them in for yourselves, and I will link my web archive page in the replies to this post. I am also not claiming to be the first to back these sites up or discover them, some of them have already been archived in past, but doing them all under one account means you guys can have an easy list of them all in one place. Some of these sites no longer exist and are only accessible via the waybackmachine, in those cases I will save those sites to my web archive so they are all listed on one page.]

1. musicalvienna . at

Staring with a website some of you will be familiar with and while in it's current 2023 form doesn't count as old web and is easily accessible, we're going back in time with the waybackmachine to see how the site looked and what information it had about old current productions in 2000-2008. And frankly I don't know what to do with the information that at some point in 2000 there was a 'vampire museum' inside the Raimund Theatre that had what appears to be a wax figure of Steve Barton in his original Graf von Krolock costume. I. What??

2. eljen . net / kroeger

A fansite dedicated to Uwe Kroger, the actor, that was run seemingly from 1998-2002 that old photos, links to music that no longer work, but most important to me is the 'Press' page that has many articles and interviews with Uwe that have been translated into English! The site is also available in German eljen . net / kroeger / deutsch. A special shoutout to Uwe's own drawing of himself as Der Tod.

3. eljen . net / elisabeth

Run by the same person as the first site, in fact it is technically the same site however if you go to the root eljen . net there is just a blank page with a link to the /kroeger site, there's no direct link to the Elisabeth site, you can only find it through googling or having the direct URL.

4. iukc . de

The Uwe Kroger fanclub webite seems to have started around 2000 but it was taken offline sometime after October 2021 as going to the URL now leads to a 404 error page, but the site is still accessible using the waybackmachine. On a 2019 capture of the website it states this fanclub was dissolved on December 31st 2019 and was advertising the uwe-kroeger-community . com website as a new fanclub. Some of the pages are available in English and Japanese, but all of the pages are only available in German. The site includes information about the fanclub, as well as lists of Uwe's work, discography, and more.

5. gudrun-kauck . de

A site that as far as I can tell is run by someone just documenting their life and things they see, and that happens to include many musicals. Down the left side of the site there are pages for The Phantom of the Opera, Tanz der Vampire, Ludwig, Concerts, Musicals and Actors. Here there is so much information, interviews, photos, screenshots, transcriptions of scripts and lyrics, articles, and more. This site is a real treasure trove. It's been updating since at least 2004 and it's most recent update was in 2023. This site is in German.

6. jimsteinman . com

The Tanz der Vampire page on Jim Stienman's website has links to lots of articles, interviews and photos for the original 1997 Vienna production and the 2000 Stuttgart production. This site is in English.

7. carpe-jugulujm . com

Another site that is no longer active and can only be accessed via the waybackmachine, it was online by 2006 and taken offline between late 2021 and 2023. It has information on productions of Tanz der Vampire between 1997 and 2009 and is one of the few if not the only place I've found information about the 2000 Estonia production. This site is in English.

8. geocities . ws / mymusicalworlds

This website is all in Chinese, however parts of it are in English and German. It lists information on different musicals, actors, and has lyrics for songs, and photos. It also has midi files but, as with almost all of these old sites, the download links no longer work.

9. theatre-musical . com

This website started around 2002 and was closed some time in 2016, if you go to the website now all you'll get is a message saying the website has been closed, however the old pages are still accessible via the waybackmachine. There's pages for many musicals with lots of information about each show and each of these musical pages has a link to a page that lists other sites, official and fanmade, that are about this musical. There's many more sites to find via

10. elisabeth-fanclub . de

A fansite dedicated to Elisabeth das Musical, more specifically the 2001 Essen production and 2003 Vienna Revival. This site includes information and photos about these productions. It was online by 2004 and was taken offline some time after 2007 and is only now available via the waybackmachine. This site is in German.

11. sisi-net . de

While this site is more dedicated to the actual real Empress Elisabeth, it also has a page dedicated to Elisabeth das Musical which includes several articles and interviews for the 2001 Essen production. There is also some information on here about the Ludwig musical. This site is in German. It was online by 1999, in 2008 the site was empty and "'"under construction" and after 2008 seemed to have either had it's domain sold or hacked and became used for something else, and by 2019 was offline.

12. geocities . com / broadway / 8851

Another site that is dedicated to the real person Elisabeth, but also has information about multiple productions of Elisabeth das Musical. The site was started in 1996 and is no longer online as GeoCities no longer exists as a website hoster, but can be accessed using the waybackmachine. This site is in English.

13. elisabeth-musicpage . de

A German fansite for the 2001 Essen production of Elisabeth das Musical that contains information about the show, merchandise, photos, etc. The site was online by 2002, went under construction in 2005 and after 2006 went offline and only accessible via the waybackmachine. This site is in German.

14. elisabeth-das-musical . de

The old official site for the 2001 Essen production of Elisabeth das Musical. It's only accessible via the waybackamachine however all I could access is this homepage as the site seems to require flash player which no longer exists. The site was made in 2001, by 2006 it was redirecting to a different website that no longer exists, and by 2008 it was just offline.

15. sissi . nl

The official site for the 1999 Dutch production of Elisabeth das Musical. The site went up in 1999 and is no longer online and only accessible via the waybackmachine.

16. marloes . info

A site where someone cataloged every musical they saw between 1996 and 2004. Some of these listings link to their reviews of the musicals and pictures they took (the pictures of Elisabeth das Musical really interest me because they went on a night where Jesper Tyden was understudying for Der Tod (he usually played Rudolf) in teh 2001 Essen production).

17. danceofthevampries . com

The official site for the 2002 Broadway production of Tanz der Vampire. Whilst we all have... feelings about this production, the site's design is very of its time. It has information on the (re-written) plot, cast, downloads for the original English demo recordings (that no longer work), and more. In 2002 the cast page lists the Broadway cast, after the shows closure in 2003 these pages advertised the 2003 Hamburg cast, and by 2006 it now advertises the 2006 Berlin cast, and then even by 2012 that page was no longer being updated. This site is now only accessible via the waybackmachine, I don't know when exactly it went offline but I remember being able to acccess it back in 2020. This site is in English.

18. tanzdervampire . de

The official site for German-lanuage productions of Tanz der Vampire from 2000 to around 2004, mostly the 2003 Hamburg production. Some pages of the site sometimes redirect to musicalwelt . de, like the 'galarie' page that links to a page of many paintings by Mike Schöbs of the original 1997 Vienna production. The site is only accessible via the waybackmachine, sometimes I have difficultly loading the pages, and sometimes the pages on later dates redirect to stagegholding . de which no longer exists or works.

19. tanz-der-vampire . de

A fansite for the 2003 Hamburg production of Tanz der Vampire that is still online. It has info about the musical and this production. The page I found the most interesting is the info > links page. It has a list that includes screenshots of websites from around 2003 with official and fanmade sites for different actors from the musical (such as Marjan Shaki, Maike Switzer, Aris Sas, Thomas Mülner, Jens Janke, Ian Jon Bourg, Kevin Tarte and more) most if not all of these sites are on the waybackmachine (and I'm saving them to my own web archive page rather than listing them all here, Tumblr has a text limit and an image limit and we're already running close to it).

20. fuer-sarah . de

A fansite dedicated to actors who played Sarah including understudies, alternates, swings, and dancers who played Sarah/Solo Female Dancer in the dance sequences in Tanz der Vampire. This site is in German and is only available via the waybackmachine and was active between 2001-2005.

21. musicalland . de

A fansite dedicated to musical theatre with some more specific pages dedicated too Elisabeth das Musical, The Phantom of the Opera, 42nd Street and Mamma Mia. The site is still online and stopped updating in 2010. This site is in German. The link to the Elisabeth das Musical page no longer works, but can still be accessed using the waybackmachine.

22. old-hickory . demon . co . uk / jim

A fan page for composer Jim Steinman that has pages about his non-musical work as well as his musicals Tanz der Vampire and Whistle Down the Wind. The Tanz der Vampire pages include lyrics in German and English, as well as the entire original 1997 Vienna libretto translated into English, as well as the 2000 Stuttgart production's programme fully translated into English that includes information and interviews. The site is in English and only accessible via the waybackmachine.

23. romeojulietmusicals . com

A fan site for the French musical Roméo et Juliette that has pages dedicated to many different language productions with cast lists, information, lyrics and lyric translations. There are galleries on the site but the images on longer load. This site is in English and was online between 2004 to 2008. There is a 'related links' page that contains so many more links to other musical sites.

24. compat . tf1 . fr

A fan site for Roméo et Juliette for the original 2000 Paris production containing images of the cast, and video interviews and behind the scenes with links that no longer work. This site is in French.

25. mozartbudapest . hu

The official website for the 2003 Budapest production of Mozart das Musical. This website is only accessible via the waybackmachine, it contains the cast list, a bio of Mozart (the person), but sadly most of the image no longer work. I mention it here only because when i opened it I was surprised the original logo animation and music still played. This site is available in English and Hungarian.

26. notredameonline . com

During 2000-2001 this URL was for the French musical Notre Dame de Paris and you can see this via the waybackmachine. The site then went offline after 2001 and the domain was sold and since 2006 has belonged to the University of Notre Dame. I really like the design of this site, sadly most of the links open pop-ups that no longer work. The site is available in French and English.

27. notredamedeparis . it

The official site for the 2002 Italian tour of Notre Dame de Paris. It has a lot of information about the musical and this specific production. This site is in Italian and is only accessible via the waybackmachine.

28. geocities . ws / dreamcatcher182004

A fansite dedicated to a few musicals that was last updated in 2003. It has pages for Chicago, Les Mis, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera and Tanz der Vampire.

.

So yeah, that was a list. I hope that was interesting or for anyone wanting to find more information about these musicals for research, essays, or just for fun, that this post was helpful or interesting in some way. There are a lot more websites than just the ones on this list, however Tumblr has both a photo and a character limit for text posts. Hope someone found this interesting. I just like making lists.

[scotianostra]

May 17th is Norwegian Constitution Day or Syttende Mai as its known in Norway.

A wonderful spring holiday celebrated with red, white and blue ribbons, national costumes and waving of the Norwegian flag, the three colours are everywhere in Norway at this time of year.

It’s a day Norwegians all over the world take off to celebrate and marks the historic signing of the Constitution in 1814, the year Norway gained its independence from Sweden, which was fully realized in 1905.

In every city, town and village in Norway, children and adults alike express their cultural pride by marching to the bright music of school bands, celebrating the joy of springtime and honoring of those citizens who created Norway’s constitutional government, founding her independence.

Especially popular is the Children’s Procession that brings every child out in their best clothes or national costume.

In Edinburgh the Norwegian community celebrate Syttende Mai too.

Edinburgh’s celebrations include the Norwegian Scottish Society dinner, after a reception at the Norwegian Consulate’s residence.

Each year Norwegian students in Edinburgh hold a breakfast at Prestonfield House followed by a parade along Waterloo Place and onto Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle’s One o’ clock gun, the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Tonight expats and guests gather at The Royal Scots Club Abercromby Place for a celebration dinner held by the Norwegian Scottish Association. The association was founded in Edinburgh in 1966, and has enjoyed over 50 years of Norwegian-Scottish friendship.

Norwegian Scottish Association roots lie in a much older friendly society, one rooted in the shared experience of Norwegians and Scots during the Second World War. Founded in Dumfries in 1941, the Scottish Norwegian Society brought Scots and Norwegians together in difficult times. Having escaped the German occupation of their homeland in 1940, around a thousand Norwegians had come to be stationed at various times in Dumfries, and it was not long before the idea of a formal society was begun.

Of course our history with Norway goes back centuries, Northern Scotland, was, at one time, a Norse domain and the Northern Isles experienced the most long-lasting Norse influence. Almost half of the people on Shetland today have Viking ancestry, and around 30% of Orkney residents.

Many agree that there are many points of commonality between the Norse character and the Scottish one that leads to a sense of kinship between the two countries, even for those living much further south in Scotland, where Viking influence did not reach. Words like bairn and muckle made their way into Scot’s language via the Norwegians.

I touched upon the links during the second world war earlier and have posted before about the Shetland bus which provided a transport link between the Shetland Islands and occupied Norway. Many Norwegian refugees fled their occupied home with the help of Norwegian sailors who undertook daring, high-risk trips across the North Sea. The whole episode became emblematic of the friendship across the seas.

More recently Edinburgh’s Zoo also has a strong connection to Norway as it is home to a very special resident. Sir Nils Olav III is the mascot and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard. The king penguin’s rank has been passed down through three generations since 1972. Knighted in 2008, he even received a military promotion in 2016 with the brigadier title bestowed upon him in a special ceremony at the zoo.

The Zoo’s link with Norway originated in 1913 when arctic explorer Roald Amundsen presented a penguin to them on their opening. Once a year the penguin inspects soldiers from Norway’s King’s Guard.

Edinburgh's Syttende mai parade – the 17th May or Norwegian Constitution Day parade traditionally takes place along the capital's main thoroughfare, Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle's 'one o' clock gun', the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Pics are from last ears parade.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Sense and Sensibility (2024, Hallmark) a review

I had expectations for this movie. They were not surpassed. It didn't perform below them either.

Spoilers under the cut.

So, this is a short movie (1.24hr long) a tv movie, a hallmark movie. You must keep that in mind as a frame of reference for what I'm about to say. You cannot really compare this with theatrical movies on equal footing.

Where to start. Costumes and sets. It is Bridgerton's world and we live in it. Everything is VERY colorful and shiny and not very real looking; that was to be expected. I think that sort of semi-fantasy aspect didn't hurt at all, and it was consistent. If you are not going to stick to the time period, at least go ham and show me something really interesting. I'm looking at you, Netflix Persuasion. There are some dresses that are pretty, and some others that... aren't. Considering that apparently the costume designer had to make something like 60 pieces in a month, it's kind of impressive that it came out as it did.

One funny bit, though, in this respect, is that they complain about how small the cottage is like some actual estate houses aren't the same size IRL XD Allenham we only get to see from afar, and it is rather disappointing.

Music: nothing to write home about, to be expected. Yes, we got one of those Vitamin String Quartet modern-song-played-by-strings. IDK. They were a bit dorky in their heyday, I don't know why they are so sought after in these pieces lately. I digress.

The acting. Deborah Ayorinde was a really good Elinor. She definitely deserved better writing and direction. The rest of the cast was good enough; I feel some roles really benefited from their characters being a bit hammy already in the source material (Lucy, Mrs Jennings, Anne, Fanny, Robert), others were really struggling because of being given very poor dialogue (Mrs Dashwood), and others were just... not good (Willoughby and Brandon, sadly). Edward was... a very special case. I can only describe it as the actor having two expressions: one, an attempt at reaching Hugh Grant's adorkableness AND Dan Stevens' ease at the same time, and two [SCREAMING INTERNALLY], but I guess those two were indeed enough to make it work just fine!

Which leads me to the writing. We all knew this adaptation was going to live or die in the writing, and most likely die.

The thing is that most of it is written around repeating 95' and 08's greatest hits, while attempting to compress the narrative into an hour and a half. And that goes as well as you can expect it to. Some scenes are painfully rushed -Brandon's backstory was extremely awkward to get through- some things are over before you have any time to assess their real weight -Marianne's illness, and many others end up being... incongruous.

Let me stop a little on those. The movie keeps Margaret, and gives her the whole play acting as a pirate with Edward from 95', but then removes the only real plot relevant thing she does in the book. So why keep the character at all? (Willoughby asks for Marianne's handkerchief in exchange for Queen Maab, instead of cutting a lock of her hair).

Because 2008 makes Brandon suspicious of Willoughby from the get go, this one makes it so that they know each other and implies that Brandon knows dirt on Willoughby, but then plays the rest of the story straight, which makes it... pretty inconsistent.

Speaking of Brandon, we have reached adaptation #5 that cuts out the fact that he tried to elope with Eliza sr. This time the backstory is that his father promised to let him marry Eliza if he proved himself as a soldier, but when he came back, he found his father has kicked her out of the house. Yeah, that was utter nonsense.

The adaptation makes a clumsy attempt at including the dinner at Mrs Ferrars... but Brandon isn't there to see Marianne defend Elinor.

We needed to have a "Brandon rescues Marianne in the rain" scene, but in this case, she's not faint or anything, he just grabs her because she's sad XD

And the list goes on and on and on. It was to be expected that the shadow of both 95 and 08 would be large over this one, but it truly is to the point that the references and contrivances are almost constant. Which is a pity because I think most of the original choices were interesting.

For example, Marianne twists her ankle running after Margaret, to try and stop her from asking something embarrassing, which is a good choice in terms of showing that Marianne is passionate, but she has more sense than Margaret.

On his deathbed, Mr Dashwood makes Elinor promise that she will take care of her mom and sisters and keep the family together. That added pressure on Elinor works really well in the context of the adaptation, and ads a new layer of interest.

John Dashwood is written mostly as a hapless but not malicious idiot. This is similar to what From Prada to Nada did (though there it made more sense because of the father having two families simultaneously), but I'm not sure where was that going. They did cut the Palmers, so I suppose the choice was so that they could go to Norland instead on their way to Barton (it is never established that Norland is so far away as it is in the book, so I guess one could give it a pass), but in that case, I feel the most cost effective shortcut is... have them go to Barton? Because we do get to see Barton (Marianne goes alone with Brandon to see it close to the end, and they get engaged before Edward returns, don't think much about it, manners and such are... for this movie... loose guidelines. But it isn't super offensive most of the time).

Anne Steele is decent fun as she's supposed to be, but Lucy really suffers the flattening. The mastermind has been flanderized into just a mean girl, and that's a pity.

Oh, Edward is sassy at times! And the sassy jokes land! I have to say it is not my preferred way of doing the character, but he does show some sass at the end of the novel, so, you know, I'll allow it I suppose XD

Edward's return and proposal started pretty good, but it overstayed its welcome. I cannot emphasize enough that, when writing this kind of proposal, you must avoid the word love if you can, and if you must use it, use it once, and with great reluctance.

The movie chooses to dedicate quite a time to the reveal of Edward and Lucy's relationship, and it's honestly... decent? For a scene made out of whole cloth it stands on its own feet reasonably well. But there's no Fanny freakout. This is probably the most shocking plot twist in the adaptation. This very on-the-nose Hallmark adaptation decided to cut the Fanny freakout of all things. Impressive restraint.

One thing, however, that was sadly cut out was Elinor and Marianne's conversation about Willoughby at Barton. It is instead replaced by an unsubtle comparison between Willoughby and Edward, and an exchange between Brandon and Marianne. It is one of the several points where the storytelling relies on previous knowledge of the work.

These are my main, disordered thoughts. I leave you with this choice from the ending, that I cannot form a thought about:

At Elinor and Edward's wedding, on the first pew are in attendance, from center to side: Mrs Dashwood, Margaret, Marianne, colonel Brandon... and Eliza Williams with her baby in her arms.

As a summary, I'd say Elinor and Edward's story was good enough, the relationship between the sisters was sweet, there were some odd choices, some interesting choices, and overall the writing was severely downgraded by attempting so much to stick to the choices of previous famous adaptations.

[haveyouseenthis-childhoodshow]

Have you seen this childhood show: Gullah Gullah Island (1994-1998), United States (English)

Commentary/Context/Memories: I actually saw the cast in concert, but my hyperactive self could not sit still, so I didn’t pay much attention. I feel so bad about it 😭

[Mod A: Awww please don’t feel bad about that! You were (likely) just a kid expressing your excitement in the way you knew best (unless you didn’t really want to go to the show). Concerts can be really hard to sit through as a kid regardless of if you’re interested in them or not! I also regret not really paying much attention to the Jonas Brothers (my first concert in 2008) bc I was not obsessed/had a crush on them the way my friend who took me had (should’ve been a sign I was gay in hindsight haha), even though I now think they had some great bops! Anyways back to the show: love the vibes of this show! I am normally creeped out by mascot costumes, but their friend Binyah Binyah Poliwog seems like a friendly lil frog! This show was a music-based show that aimed to educate kids about Gullah culture, who are an African American cultural community based along the coastline of North/South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and the Sea Islands that has a specific language and prominent arts/music culture because of relative isolation/shared African cultural heritage, the language is also known as Geechee (related to Creole). The show shared songs, art styles, dance, and stories important to the Gullah culture! I would like to learn more about this, because while I did know about Creole, I don’t know much about Gullah culture (so very glad to learn through researching this show!)]

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: March 2024

……….FILM……….

Dune: Part Two (2024) Every piece of technology felt and looked so tangible. The baby worm too! Love the tactile nature of this whole production and I hope studios take note that CG can't be the only tool in your belt. So much bigger than I imagined and just enjoyed the whole thing.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) Ages surprisingly well and a script that lets the main quartet be both funny and layered.

……….TELEVISION……….

Columbo (1.01 to 1.03) Hey I'm starting Columbo! Love that each episode is feature-length and Columbo appears fully formed right out of the gate. The sets and costumes are all so glamorous and L.A. Very excited to keep going.

Succession (2.05 to 3.04) The Kendall play at the end of season 2 felt very much like the Kendall play at the end of season 1 and while I'm still a huge fan of this series, I just hope it's not the same going into season 3 and 4.

Delicious in Dungeon (Episode 1.09 to 1.13) Great adaptation that isn't just a straight recreation of the artwork in the manga. The more kinetic/frantic moments in the animation are a nice departure and while they don't pop up in each episode, now that I'm 13 eps deep I can appreciate how they're sprinkled throughout.

Love is Blind (Episode 6.02 to 6.13) It still amazes me that anyone goes on reality tv.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Twilight | ContraPoints by ContraPoints Yes I did watch a nearly 3-hour essay on Twilight, sexual expression, and all that comes with that. And you should too. VIDEO

Instagram fatigue and the rise of 'Resentment Reels' by Taylor Lorenz While I haven't noticed this specific phenomenon, I have noticed Instagram declining as an app (both as a user trying to see anything other than ads, and a creator trying to get my work seen in between those ads). It's a bummer. VIDEO

Saltburn: The Tumblr-ification of Cinema by Broey Deschanel Every since I saw Saltburn, I've been thinking about what wasn't quite sitting right with me. This unlocked a lot of what I couldn't describe and most of it stems from the writer/director's upper class upbringing. Saltburn isn't a "take down the rich" movie, it's a horror story from the perspective of a wealthy family. VIDEO

Why Is It So Hard To Cross The Street? (& What You Can Do To Help) by Strong Towns Accidents where drivers hit a pedestrian are going up in my area so this really hit home. And for those feeling like there's nothing you can do at ground level, consider taking their course (not a paid sponsorship I'm just in real support of community-lead initiatives). VIDEO

……….READING……….

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock (Complete) After picking up the last book in this series (which I've yet to read) I figured I'd start at the beginning. Love the fast pace pulpy action and I can see how this influenced the creation of D&D.

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (Complete) This one would lose me for stretches but the final quarter of the book is stronger. A lot less cozy and a lot more action than I was expecting but skimming other reviews it sounds like this was written during her more...adventure-focused era. Three books deep and I have to give Christie credit that each has been a completely different experience.

Adventures of a Japanese Business Man by Jose Domingo (Complete) Always love going back to this nearly wordless epic that follows the titular Japanese business man. I love the complexity of the earliest panels and wish that could carry throughout more of the book, but it's always such a treat to discover just where each new panel will go.

Delicious in Dungeon Volume 5 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Enjoying rereading this with shorter breaks between volumes as I certainly missed/forgot details on my first read. It's here that the story and tone shifts from light romp to a more dramatic and dangerous affair but it never loses its spot-on humour. Love those dryad pumpkins.

Ultimate Spider-Man HC Volume 11 by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen, David Lafuente, and more (Complete) Going from some of my other comics back to this, I'm struck by just how wordy it can get. Now knowing where the story goes, it was a great idea to prime readers to the idea of Peter Parker dying even if it's not from this event.

……….AUDIO……….

Blank Check with Griffin & David (Podcast) Late to the game on this but really enjoying burning through their back catalog. Obviously started with their episode on Speed Racer as it's a near perfect film that you should watch right now.

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Tuesday group just killed a mayor! So the aftermath of that is going to play out over the next couple of sessions. And the Mof1 crew is investigating the aftermath of their own district-wide catastrophe and it's all looking rather suspicious!

Spot It (Blue Orange Games) I can't recommend this game enough. It's so easy to learn, rounds last maybe 5 minutes, it plays well with small or large groups of any age, and all it requires is pattern recognition and quick reflexes. Every time I've played this someone says they're going to buy a copy for themselves.

And that's it. See you in April!

[bwaldorf]

ramasha do you have any bollywood movie recs?? 🎤

omgggg em im so honored you thought of me!! 🫶🏼🩷

tbh i've sorta been on a journey of watching more bollywood (and south asian cinema in general), since there was a huge chunk of my life where i just never really kept up with releases and was sorta discouraged from watching it so my taste isn't the Most diverse (in terms of genres and years) but i'm working on it 😭 that said, here's my attempt at giving you a lot of different options, so hopefully there's something here that strikes your fancy hehe :3

lots will be under the cut bc im a huge YAPPER.... sorry. also, some of these haven't really aged that well and are sometimes more of just a nostalgic fav and/or ones i think are iconic so... take some of these recs with a grain of salt

some of my bigger personal faves:

om shanti om (2007) — it may hit more if you have a bit more exposure to bollywood cinema and its industry bc it references it a lot, but i still think it's an enjoyable movie regardless! (yes i am biased bc this is one of my fav bollywood movies ever + a huge nostalgic fav. plus SRK and deepika padukone.. can't go wrong there!)

haider (2014) — this movie is SOOOO good! i highly rec it 💞 it's an adaptation of hamlet, set within the backdrop of the 1995 kashmir conflicts. this is actually a part of trilogy of shakespeare adaptations by the director: the other two are maqbool (2003) which is macbeth and omkara (2006) which is othello

main hoon na (2004) — another SRK nostalgic fav

ghajini (2008) — it rips off christopher nolan's memento but i think it adds a lot of its own stuff too and i have a soft spot for it 😭

andhadhun (2018)

kahaani (2012)

tumbbad (2018)

amar singh chamkila (2024)

3 idiots (2009) — the most likely one that non regular bollywood watchers will know and deservedly so imo

gully boy (2019)

hum saath saath hain (1999) — okay not objectively the best movie.. but its a hugely nostalgic and comfort movie for me and i think its great if you wanna watch something that's heartfelt and doesn't have a ton of high stakes conflict

maine pyar kiya (1989) — same as above ☝🏼 i watched this one a lot as a kid

jab we met (2007)

devdas (2002) — worth it for at least the beautiful cinematography, costumes, and gorgeous talented cast

fanaa (2006) — plot is kinda messy at times but it was a real angst machine for me as a kid 😭

photograph (2019)

sir (2018)

bulbbul (2020) — tw for a rape scene though. sorry for the spoiler but it was genuinely really harrowing for me to watch so i think its important to mention

misc other movies i've seen:

qala (2022)

dil bole hadippa! (2009) — admittedly, i haven't rewatched this one in a long time so i can't totally say it holds up. it's a rip-off of she's the man, but … better….. TO ME. yes im speaking from nostalgia bc this is the one i saw first

badhaai do (2022) — this is technically a 'sequel' to the similarly titled movie badhaai ho (2018) but they're actually total standalones

gangubai kathiawadi (2022) — i have such mixed feelings about this one but it's a movie that really stuck with me ever since i watched it soooo yeah

raees (2017) — SRK looks unbelievably fine in that movie. need i say more?

koi mil gaya (2003) — it's a mix of both ET and close encounters of the third kind... but in my very biased, nostalgic opinion: better 🫣 there's also a few sequels, but i only really remember seeing krrish (2006)

josh (2000) — another entry to the SRK looks super gorgeous in this movie 😭 this is basically a desi west side story

go goa gone (2013) — not the best to me, but its a bollywood zombie movie! which was a very new concept to me in that industry so ofc i had to throw it in there

chennai express (2013)

mohabbatein (2000)

dilwale dulhania le jayenge (1995) — had to include this for SRK reasons and also bc it's a massively impactful movie in the industry so i'd be remiss not to

andaz apna apna (1994)

ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga (2019)

jaane tu.. ya jaane na (2008)

aaja nachle (2007)

munna bhai mbbs (2003)

gangs of wasseypur - part 1 (2012) — i've only seen the first one in this series but if you want a somewhat slower, meditative, gangster movie this one def fits the bill

what's your raashee? (2009) — can't remember how well this ages (i think it was pretty mid?) but the concept is fun! priyanka chopra plays 12 girls: each personifying a different zodiac sign as the main guy tries to find his soulmate 😭

taare zameen par (2007) — you'll also see this listed as 'like stars on earth' sometimes

amar akbar anthony (1977)

don (2006) — villainous SRK? sign me up! he actually has multiple movies where he's this sorta antihero/"antivillain" type character. and even a few where he's a straight-up villain. i've been trying to get through all of those bc i just love his range

anjaam (1993) — an example of the aforementioned thing ☝🏼 SRK plays a genuinely terrible guy here, and i love how it actually challenges a lot of the tropes that bollywood tends to use in its romances and shows how creepy and stalkerish they actually are (despite it being typically framed in the narrative otherwise)

partner (2007) — i recently found out it was basically ripping will smith's hitch 😭 i haven't seen that one so i can't say which is better, but if you enjoyed that one, you'll probably be into this one too. it's very unserious and not the Best. but i watched it a lot as a kid

aaja nachle (2007)

roadside romeo (2008) — okay this is a very unserious, low budget animated movie rec. it's soooo so silly and dumb but if you're in the market for smth like that, this is an amusing one for that

welcome (2007) — i gotta rewatch this one bc i don't remember a lot but it seems like a lot of tomfoolery and shenanigans

my name is khan (2010) — another one i gotta rewatch for its politics but i figured i'd throw it in regardless

black (2005)

kal ho naa ho (2003)

kuch kuch hota hai (1998)

sholay (1975)

hungama (2003)

some from my watchlist that i haven't seen yet:

(as if this list needed to be any longer.... but anyways! including these bc i think they seem promising/interesting and i think they introduce More variety of genres/time periods than the ones before)

ijaazat (1987)

thappad (2020)

udaan (2010)

merry christmas (2024)

chhoti si baat (1976)

hindi medium (2017)

the lunchbox (2013) — heard LOTS of good things about this one!

lipstick under my burkha (2017)

neerja (2016)

queen (2014)

rajnigandha (1974)

kaagaz ke phool (1959)

anand (1971)

paheli (2005) — it's a mainstream bollywood remake of duvidha (1973)

baadshah (1999)

monica, o my darling (2022)

madhumati (1958)

raaz (2002)

satya (1998)

highway (2014)

oh darling! yeh hai india! (1995)

pyaasa (1957)

sardar udham (2021)

awaara (1951)

shree 420 (1957)

kaminey (2009)

mahal (1949)

chandigarh kare aashiqui (2021)

bunty aur babli (2005)

talvar (2015)

duplicate (1998)

lootera (2013)

mughal-e-azam (1960)

baazigar (1993)

trapped (2017)

fire (1996) — a hugely significant movie in explicitly showing a wlw relationship in bollywood. i believe it was the first in that regard?

stree (2018)

piku (2015)

english vinglish (2012)

umrao jaan (2006) — there's also an earlier version of this movie with the same title that came out in 1981! i haven't seen either yet so i can't say which is better

jodhaa akbar (2008)

darr (1993) — big movie for villain SRK enthusiasts if that interests you too like it does me 🤭

zindagi na milegi dobara (2011)

dil dhadakne do (2015)

dear zindagi (2016)

special 26 (2013)

badla (2019)

mardaani (2014)

raman raghav 2.0 (2016)

peepli live (2010)

drishyam (2015)

[thatrandomartistjavi]

Actors that were in Alice in Wonderland media and where you might know them better from. Part 2: 1970s-1990s

Part 1 | Part 2(you're here!!) | Part 3

1972-

Michael Crawford as the White Rabbit: The Phantom/Erik from The Phantom of the Opera Cornelius Hackel from Hello Dolly!(movie) Robert Helpmann as the Mad Hatter: Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Michael Hordern as the Mock Turtle: Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol(1971) Davy Kaye as the Mouse: Admiral from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Roy Kinnear as the Cheshire Cat: Henry Salt from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Pipkin from Watership Down

Through the Looking Glass(1973)-

Sarah Sutton as Alice: Nyssa from Doctor Who Geoffrey Bayldon as the White Knight: Dr. Duval from Pink Panther(1976)

Festival of Family Classics(1973)-

Carl Banas as the King of Hearts: Head Elf from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Scorpion from Spider-Man(1967) Sweetums from Tales from Muppetland- The Frog Prince Grandpa Kitty from Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater Bernard Gouran as the Dormouse: Bumble/Spotted Elephant from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Paul Soles as the Cheshire Cat: Hermey from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Spider-Man/Peter Parker from Spider-Man(1967) Stanley Lieber from The Incredible Hulk(2008) Peg Dixon as the Queen of Hearts: May Parker/Mary Jane Watson from Spider-Man(1967)

Alice at the Palace(1982)

Meryl Streep as Alice: Donna Sheridan from Mamma Mia!(movie) Mrs. Fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox The Witch from Into the Woods(movie) Cousin Topsy from Mary Poppins Returns Dee Dee Allen from The Prom(movie) Betty Aberlin as Alice's sister: Herself in Mister Roger's Neighborhood Debbie Allen as the Queen of Hearts: Dr. Catherine Avery Fox from Grey's Anatomy Michael Jeter as the Pig Baby/Dormouse/Bill: Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street Steamer/Smokey from The Polar Express

Great Performances(1983)-

Kate Burton as Alice:

Ellis Grey from Grey’s Anatomy

Austin Pendleton as the White Rabbit:

Max from The Muppet Movie

Gurgle from Finding Nemo

Nathan Lane as the Mouse:

Timon from The Lion King

Hammegg from AstroBoy(2009)

Max Dialystock from The Producers

Gomez Addams from The Addams Family(musical)

Geoffrey Holder as the Cheshire Cat:

Narrator from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ray the Sun from Bear in the Big Blue House

(He was also the original director and costume designer for The Wiz(musical)

Eve Arden as the Queen of Hearts:

Principal McGee from Grease

James Coco as the King of Hearts:

Mr. Skeffington from The Muppets Take Manhattan

Donald O’Connor as the Mock Turtle:

Cosmo Brown from Singin’ in the Rain

André De Shields as Tweedle Dum:

Hermes from Hadestown

The Wiz from The Wiz(musical)

Maureen Stapleton as the White Queen:

Mama Mae Peterson from Bye Bye Birdie

CBS(1985)-

Natalie Gregor as Alice: Jenny Foxworth from Oliver & Company Sherman Hemsley as the Mouse: B.P. Richfield from Dinosaurs Shelley Winters as the Dodo: Lena Gogan from Pete's Dragon Sammy Davis Jr. as the Caterpillar: Josh Howard from Ocean's 11 Robert Axelrod as the Frog Footman: Lord Zedd from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers-The Movie Telly Savales as the Cheshire Cat: El Sleezo Tough from The Muppet Movie Roddy McDowall as the March Hare: Mr. Soil from A Bug's Life Jervis Tetch from Batman the Animated Series Ringo Starr as the Mock Turtle: The Beatles Carol Channing as the White Queen: Dolly Gallagher Levi from Hello Dolly! Harvey Korman as the White King: The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones Sally Struthers as Tiger Lily: Rebecca Cunningham from TaleSpin Pat Morita as the Horse: Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid The Emperor of China from Mulan Jonathan Winters as Humpty Dumpty: Grandpa Smurf from The Smurfs John Stamos as the Messenger: Jesse Katsopolis from Full House Iron Man/Tony Stark from Spidey and His Amazing Friends(put this here cause i thought it was funny)

Anglia TV(1985)-

Joan Sanderson as the Queen of Hearts: Dorcas from The Great Muppet Caper Bernard Cribbins as the Mock Turtle: Wilfred Mott from Doctor Who

BBC(1986)-

Elisabeth Sladen as the Dormouse: Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who Michael Wisher as the Cheshire Cat: Davros and the Daleks in episodes that the character was involved in from Doctor Who Roy Skelton as the Mock Turtle: Daleks for The Evil of the Daleks(and 5 other episodes) from Doctor Who

Carebears in Wonderland(1987)-

Tracey Moore as Alice: Cheer Bear from The Carebears Family Share Bear from Too Many Carebears stuff to list Emma Frost from X-Men(1992) Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon(1995)(Ep. 1-11,15, and 21) Princess Toadstool from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3 Don McManus as the Caterpillar: David Madsen from Life is Strange Elizabeth Hanna as the Queen of Wonderland: Grandma/Mama Kitty from Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater

Through the Looking Glass(1987)-

Janet Waldo as Alice: Judy Jetson from The Jetsons Josie from Josie and the Pussycats Townsend Coleman as Tom Fool: The Tick from The Tick Michaelangelo/Splinter/Krang/Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1987) Phyllis Diller as the White Queen: Queen from A Bug's Life Hal Smith as the Bandersnatch: Owl from Winnie the Pooh(until 1991)(was also the first replacement for Pooh bear himself) Josiah from Halloween is Grinch Night Gyro Gearloose/Flintheart Glomgold from Ducktales Phillipe from Beauty and the Beast Jonathan Winters as the Tweedles: Papa Smurf from The Smurfs Alan Young as the White Knight: Scrooge McDuck from Ducktales Farmer Smurf from The Smurfs Mr. T as the Jabberwock: Mr. T B.A. Baracus from The A-Team Clive Revill as the Snark/Goat: King Nod from The Thief and the Cobbler(1993,1995) Kickback from The Transformers-The Movie Will Ryan as the Paper Man: Petrie from The Land Before Time Willie the Giant from Mickey's Christmas Carol(and until his death in 2021) Harold the Seahorse from The Little Mermaid Digit/Moe from An American Tail

Burbank(1988)-

Keith Scott as the White Rabbit/March Hare/Dodo: Gordon/Diesel 10 from Thomas and the Magic Railroad Dudley Do-Right/Inspector Fenwick from Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls Popeye/Bluto from Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges

Funky Fables(1988)-

Norma MacMillan as the Narrator: Casper from The New Casper Cartoon Show Gumby on The Gumby Show Doug Parker as the Rabbit/Frog/Mouse: Shredder from Ninja Turtles- The Next Mutation Richard Newman as the Caterpillar: General Cryptor/Emperor of Ninjago from Ninjago Professor Slopsink from Johnny Test Cranky Doodle Donkey from My Little Pony- Friendship is Magic Mr. Turtle from Franklin Rhinox from Beast Wars Alvin Sanders as the Cheshire Cat: King Sombra(season 9) from My Little Pony- Friendship is Magic Manten from Inuyasha Philip Hayes as the Hatter/Hare/Rat: Scratch from The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Mike Donovan as the King of Hearts: Yang from Ninjago Spike from Tom and Jerry Tales(2006) Lynda Boyd as Alice's sister: Nora Carpenter from Final Destination 2 Cheryl from She's the Man

Adventures in Wonderland(1992)-

Patrick Richwood as the White Rabbit: Neighbor Mr. Robutsen from The Princess Diaries Harry Waters Jr. as Tweedle Dee: Marvin Berry from Back to the Future John Lovelady as the Dormouse: Crazy Harry from The Muppets(Season 1) Terri Garr as the Duchess: Mary McGinnis from Batman Beyond Ken Page as the Walrus: Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas Old Deuteronomy from Cats the Musical Gilbert Gottfried as Mike McNasty: Iago from Aladdin Kraang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(2012) Mister Mxyzptlk from Lego Batman 3 Marlee Matlin as April Hare: Melody Bledsoe from Switched at Birth

1995-

Mike Donovan as the Narrator: Yang from Ninjago Spike from Tom and Jerry Tales(2006) Doug Parker as the March Hare: Shredder from Ninja Turtles- The Next Mutation Ian James Corlett as the White Rabbit: Mr. Mint from Candy Land- The Great Lollipop Adventure Cheetor from Beast Wars Hugh Test from Johnny Test The Conductor from Dinosaur Train Skales from Ninjago Blinky from Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Through the Looking Glass(1998)-

Penelope Wilton as the White Queen: Isobel Crawley from Downtown Abbey Ian Holm as the White Knight: Ash from Alien Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings Chef Skinner from Ratatouille Steve Coogan as the Gnat: Octavius from Night at the Musuem Silas Ramsbottom from Despicable Me 2

1999-

Tina Majorino as Alice: Deb from Napoleon Dinamite Dr. Heather Brooks from Grey's Anatomy Miranda Richardson as the Queen of Hearts: Ms. Tweedy from Chicken Run Madame Giry from The Phantom of the Opera(2004) Rita Skeeter from Harry Potter movie franchise Martin Short as the Hatter: Huy from The Prince of Egypt B.E.N. from Treasure Planet Jack Frost from Santa Clause 3- The Escape Clause Stefano from Madagascar 3- Europe's Most Wanted Jester from Legends of Oz- Dorothy's Return Grandpa Frump from The Addams Family(2019) Preminger from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper The Cat in the Hat from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat: Shenzi from The Lion King Gaia from Captain Planet and the Planeteers Queen Constantina from Rodgers and Hammertsein's Cinderella Ursula from Descendants 2 Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle: Willy Wonka from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Dr. Frederick Frankenstein from Young Frankenstein Robbie Coltrane as Tweedle Dum: Rubues Hagrid from Harry Potter movie franchise Christopher Lloyd as the White Knight: Doc Brown from Back to the Future Profesor Plum from Clue Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit Merlock from Ducktales the Movie- Treasure of the Lost Lamp Uncle Fester from The Addams Family(1981) Rasputin from Anastasia Ben Kingsley as Major Caterpillar: Mandarin from Iron Man 3 Bagheera from The Jungle Book(2016) Peter Ustinov as the Walrus: Prince John from Robin Hood Pete Postlethwaite as the Carpenter: Narrator from James and the Giant Peach Friar Lawrence from Romeo+Juliet Liz Smith as Miss Lory: Grandma Georgina from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Joanna Lumley as Tiger Lily: Aunt Spiker from James and the Giant Peach Lady Maudeline Everglot from Corpse Bride Murray Melvin as the Executioner: Ernest Reyer from The Phantom of the Opera(2004)

[being-of-rain]

I really enjoyed Rogue, and it's been great to see so many people love it too! Time to write down my reactions.

I'll start with the negativite thoughts. This may be an unpopular opinion (though I know I'm not the only one to have it) but the Doctor and Rogue's romance could've been done a lot better. It felt like Gatwa was doing a lot of the heavy lifting chemistry and charisma-wise, and I was really confused by the Doctor winning Rogue's trust by simply doing an 'I am the Doctor' speech and showing a bunch of his other faces to a guy who already thought he was a shape-shifter. I really enjoyed the romance plot, it was really fun, but its premise and novelty were probably just as big a part of that enjoyment as anything on-screen.

Also, I continue to be a bit baffled about 'I have no one' being probably Fifteen's most common emotional beat after his introduction. Like, I'm glad we get to see him be more emotionally expressive (I like how much he's been crying, it makes a nice change to 20 years of the Doctor stoically looking into the middle distance while they repress everything). And I know that you have to work continuously on your mental health, there's not just a one-and-done fix (although I don't think that message is what the TV show has been going for). But it felt like 'I lost everyone' is specifically the attitude that got addressed in The Giggle. What was the point of giving Fourteen his contrived ending if it didn't even have the effect on the show that it explicitly said it was going to have ("I'm fine because you fixed yourself"), and the Doctor immediately went back to talking like it's 2008?

Anyway. Positives: Rogue was such a fun episode. Lots of fun banter (even if Bridgerton was namedropped perhaps once too many times). The last 15 minutes of the episode felt like it was really taking advantage of being right before the finale by making me worry about what was going to happen to Ruby. The reveal that she'd activated battle mode was very entertaining to me. And the ending was a little contrived (the molecular bond lets you exchange people?) but a friend of mine said that since it's a regency romance, "the plot doesn't need to be strong, just dramatic" and I think she's right. Oh and I loved how the Chuldur looked. Owls in regency costumes isn't something I knew I needed.

The decision to put Richard E Grant in the lineup of Doctors was bonkers, and I love it. I don't think there was much thought put into the decision beyond 'this will entertain the longtime fans,' but I guess you can now just handwave a lot of stuff with the timeless child theory (even though I think the Shalka Doctor makes as much sense being pre-Hartnell as the Fugitive Doctor does. They didn't have the phone box or the compassion yet, and I'll die on that hill.)

The next episode is the start of the series finale! And it might be the episodes of the season I'm looking forward to the least 😂 I've said it before and I'll probably be annoying and say it again, but I don't think RTD is very good at endings. His finales aren't all bad, but I'm skeptical and The Giggle sure lowered my standards even more. I also wonder if there's going to be much point in Mel being there this time. Despite all that, I'll be curious to see how the many arcs resolve/develop.

[archives-of-genevieve]

Costume Express Magazine 2008

Pre-Disney Star Wars costumes

[martyrbat]

batgirl (2008) #4

[ID: Cassandra Cain and Rose Wilson in their respective costumes. Cass is facing away from the viewer to look at Rose as they tell her, “Cain's still out there.” Rose bluntly responds, “I don't care about Cain. I told you that when we started. My focus is my father, and my father only.” Rose walks away from Cass as she continues speaking, “You understand that kind of focus... don't you?” Cass watches her leave, unfortunately understanding more than most would. Behind Cass, their sister Marque dismisses, “She was only slowing us down, anyway...” END ID]

[ID: the ‘Live Slug Reaction’ meme, the word slug replaced with ‘Marque’. The words are in a newcast style, the red banner above the photo of Marque from the last panel. She's drawn with very low detail but is putting her dagger away and has a vexed expression as she watches the patricidial couple break up. END ID]

[derwahnsinn]

31 Days Idol Challenge - Oliver Riedel

Day 10 - Favourite Look in a Group Photo

When I made this challenge before this year's tour, I was not sure which photo I would go for. As soon as this Adieu photo by Jens Koch was published, it became easy.

Of course, it is separate shots put together, but it's still presented as a group photo - and Oliver looks fabulous. I like how he has a prominent placement, how his posture and facial expression is so different from how we normally see him in photos, and how he looks hands on and ready to go. It totally fits the character he had in the Adieu music video, where he totally rocked that mini-gun.

Seeing this photo blown up and used for Rammstein's merch booths this tour, was amazing. The details were mind-blowing. I actually took photos of one of those banners, and while my angle and lighting was not perfect, I have tried to adjust the colour balance and aspect to resemble the original. The spots on the photo are spots that were on the actual banner I photographed.

Since this photo is photoshopped and not accurate, please do not circulate it. I put a disclaimer on it as well, so no one will think of it as the original photo. While it is not perfect, it does show a little bit of the crazy detail in this fantastic photo.

Bonus material: 1) Dreamy young Oliver with hair, by Fritz Brinckmann 1995. 2) Pile of Rammstein where Oliver has more hair than Schneider, by Joachim Gern 1995. 3) Barefoot Oliver front and centre, by Jan Hinrich Hoffmann 1995. 4) Photo where you can really see that Oliver is younger than the rest of Rammstein, by Frank Lothar Lange 1997. 5) Oliver and Richard sharing a moment, by Ross Halfin 2001. 6) Shaved Oliver with glasses, by Olaf Heine 2004. 7) The Rosenrot photoshoot, by Kasskara Agentur (Mat Hennek and Felix Broede), 2005. Oliver looked confident and proud, perhaps because the band was dressed up by his wife? 8) The German Conference, Sonoma 2008, by Olaf Heine. I like how the others are listening to Oliver (well, apart from Richard, who is posing for the camera). 9) In LIFAD costume, by Paul Harries 2010. This was a really good look for Oliver. 10) Oliver in his element, by Frédéric Batier for Mein Land 2011. 11) Smiling Oliver on the photo shoot for the Untitled album, photo by Jes Larsen 2019.

--

Others doing this challenge:

Till: @endlich-allein Flake: @anwiel13

[thislovintime]

During the filming of Head: (photos 1-5) possibly April 11, 1968, photos by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, and Henry Diltz; a costume fitting, March 26, 1968 (photo via the official Peter Tork Facebook page).

Peter Tork: “There was a bit of a contradiction between the plan and execution. I think if due consideration had been given to where we wanted The Monkees to go next, we would have not only had a better movie, but maybe even moved the career forward instead of stopping it dead in its tracks.”

Q: "When the idea for Head was bandied about, was it based on artistic expression, rebellion, or just an opportunity to cash in on the Monkees name?”


Peter Tork: “It was an expression of where we were at the time. When we first talked about making a movie, the four of us agreed that we really didn't want to do a 90-minute episode of The Monkees. We wanted to go beyond sitcom situations, because growing up, [Micky] and I had seen some of our favorite TV shows, like McHale's Navy and Dragnet, turn into awful movies.The fairest understanding of the movie was that it was [director and co-producer] Bob Rafelson's take on the Monkees phenomenon overall, without much of a comment or a conclusion. The gist of the movie is the Monkees remain trapped and it seems like they're never getting out of it, which was peculiar because the movie was an effort to get out of it. Other than that, it was a little surreal, some parts are extraordinarily funny, and a lot of that is Jack Nicholson's idea of what was funny.”

Q: “What was your history with Nicholson at that point?”

PT: “
He didn't have much of a history with us. He'd come around the set for a while. He was fun and funny. He had a style and gestures. Mike adopted him completely. And then one day Bob said, ‘Jack's going to help make the movie.’ We were delighted because there was no mistaking Jack's power and capacity, intellectually and artistically. It was clear that here was a man who managed to make himself socially acceptable by bottling all of his insanity and putting it into useful channels. A very rare quality and one that's made him the superstar that he is. You couldn't help but feel that.”

Q: “
There were plenty of psychedelic films being produced at that time to varying degrees of success, so why didn't Head stick?”

PT: “
The Monkees ran into a brick wall and [Head] was part of that. And the fact that it was marketed as a head movie to the suburban kids and as a suburban, bubblegum movie to all the heads didn't help much either. It was a disaster in the making from some points of view. Commercially, surely.” - EW dot com, November 12, 2008

* * *

Head, of course, features two Tork songs:

“‘Can You Dig It’ is about the Tao. The hook line I wrote in my dressing room on the set [of the television series in 1967]. The chords for the chorus I’d written in college, and [they] had just stuck with me. I hadn’t been able to do a thing with them until I was sittin’ there, just writin’ on a scrap of paper with ideas, and I wrote, 'Can you dig it?/Do you know/Would you care to let it show?’ Those three as a triplet — as opposed to a couplet. I just looked at them and [went], 'Wow!’ I grabbed a pencil and circled those three. They were part of a quatrain. I said, ‘Wait a minute. No, this works best as a little three-line chorus.’” - Peter Tork, Head box set liner notes (x)

“The funny thing is that the lyrics [to ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] came to me right out of the air. I was just playing those chord changes on the guitar, and I opened my mouth and that’s what popped out. The song was weirdly prophetic. I had no idea that was going to be my attitude about anything having to do with music when I wrote that song. I wrote the lyrics in London on that famous trip with Karen Harvey Hammer and Justin Hammer, who are Lady and Baby respectively of the song ‘Lady’s Baby.’” - Peter Tork, Listen To The Band liner notes (x)

“I think they’re [‘Can You Dig It?’ and ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] the best songs in the movie [Head]. I love both of them. I thought they were just terrific. He had plugged himself into that whole Stephen Stills connection and was working with those guys. I think they fit the movie better than anything did. When those two songs start up in the movie, it comes alive for me.” - Michael Nesmith, Head box set liner notes

[thefashionofentertainmentoffical]

Fashion and the Music Industry: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on March 28, 1986, and given the name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Her debut album, "The Fame," came out in 2008. Famous hits from the album included "Just Dance" and "Poker Face." Today, she is one of the most recognizable icons in the entertainment industry, known not just for her filmography and music, but also for her style.

Her outfits are bold and theatrical. She is often seen in elaborate costumes in statements that range from glamorous to eccentric. Her most famous is her meat dress, which she wore to the 2010 MTV Awards. It was made entirely of raw beef and was condemned by animal rights groups. However, it became one of the biggest fashion statements of all time.

She is considered an avant-garde dresser, pushing boundaries and challenging traditional notions of style and self-expression. She has become a champion of body positivity, diversity, and self-acceptance. She also advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and challenges gender norms.

Whether through a meat dress, a bubble dress, or an outfit made entirely out of feathers, Lady Gaga commands the attention of millions through her fashion choices.

-Jack

[fearsmagazine]

HANDLING THE UNDEAD - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: NEON

SYNOPSIS: In the sweltering heat of a summer in Oslo, the deceased unexpectedly awaken, plunging three families into disarray as their beloved departed ones return. Questions arise about their identities and intentions. One family grapples with the resurrection of their mother, a sudden revival before they had the chance to grieve her tragic passing in a car accident. On the same day she buries her soulmate, an elderly woman is reunited with the love of her life. In a desperate attempt to alleviate his daughter’s depression, a grandfather rescues his grandchild from the clutches of the grave.

REVIEW: John Ajvide Lindqvist's literary career took off with the publication of his debut novel, "Let the Right One In," in Sweden in 2004. This acclaimed work was later adapted into a film with the same title, released in 2008. In 2010, an American remake of the film was produced, followed by an American television series that premiered on Showtime in 2022.

John Ajvide Lindqvist's second novel, "Handling the Undead," was released in 2005, followed by a short story collection in 2006 entitled "Let the Old Dreams Die." One of the tales in this collection was set in the same universe as “Let the Right One In” and one in “Handling the Undead.”

As a fervent admirer of the film "Let the Right One In," I was immediately drawn to the novel when an English translation became available. When I learned that English translations of "Handling the Undead" and "Let the Old Dreams Die" were released in the United Kingdom, I promptly acquired my personal editions.

As someone who grew up on the George Romero zombie canon and its subsequent impact on the genre, I found John Ajvide Lindqvist's take on the subject to be both engaging and refreshing. The narrative was primarily driven by the experiences of various families and the government's response to the unfolding crisis. He crafted a new contemporary metaphor in relation to what the undead represent to social structures and family dynamics.

The film's narrative is significantly less substantive from the novel, focusing more on the reactions of three families to the reanimation of their deceased loved ones. The cause of the undead rising is altered, and much of the dialogue and character development is simplified. The first 8 ½ minutes of the film features no spoken dialogue, except for musical lyrics, and little throughout the entirety of the film. A key element of the novel is the silent return of the dead to specific locations, presented in various states of decay. The film briefly explores the living coming to terms with the undead, their actions and little else. While the novel's events span several weeks, the film portrays them as occurring over a couple of days. Having read the novel, I noticed significant omissions in the adaptation that diminished its impact. Certain changes made to the storyline were a disservice to the novel and, consequently, weakened the film's overall effect. By the end of the film, the living characters appear as lifeless as the undead.

The film primarily relies on ambience created by masterful cinematography, sound design, and score. It employs a dark, cold visual style with a limited color palette. Tight framing dominates, except for a few wide shots that showcase the cemetery and hospital after the undead arrive. The film features few costume changes, which contributes to its lack of sense of passing time. The score is sparingly used and is often integrated with the sound design. I found the makeup design for the undead particularly impressive, as it achieves a realistic and organic look. The editing instills energy into the film, maintaining viewer engagement throughout its 97-minute runtime.

The cast was remarkable, conveying emotions primarily through facial expressions and body language due to limited dialogue. Bahar Pars, a talented actress, delivers a memorable scene toward the film's end, leaving a lasting impact with its intensity. Dennis Østby Ruud, a promising young actor, shines in his performance, as do the actresses portraying the elderly couple. Despite the limited material provided, the entire cast showcased their abilities admirably.

In her feature film debut, HANDLING THE UNDEAD, director Thea Hvistendahl presents a meditative exploration of grief and loss, capturing the impossible desire to turn the past into the present. The film immerses us in a profound sense of sorrow right from the start, and by the end, leaves a lingering feeling of hopelessness. While the film attempts to convey the emotional weight of the story, it falls short in comparison to John Ajvide Lindqvist's original novel. The film lacks depth in terms of character development and emotional range, making it difficult to fully appreciate the author's achievements in the novel. Despite its limitations, the film may still pique your curiosity, leading you to seek out Lindqvist's compelling and complex novel.

CAST: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjørn Sundquis, Bente Børsum, Bahar Pars, Dennis Østby Ruud, & Inesa Dauksta. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Thea Hvistendahl; Screenplay - John Ajvide Lindqvist; Based on the novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist; Producers - Kristin Emblem & Guri Neby; Cinematographer - Pål Ulvik Rokseth; Score - Peter Raeburn; Editors - Trude Lirhus & Thomas Grotmol; Production Designer - Linda Janson; Costume Designer - Bente Ulvik; Sound Designers - Bent Holm, Andreas Franck, & Nils Viken; Make-up Effect Designer - Morten Jacobsen; VFX Supervisor - Otto Thorbjørnsen; SFX - Fiksern / Christopher Munthe. OFFICIAL: neonrated.com/films/handling-the-undead FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/GFP8HtM8JTo?si=AO4gfwWZGXCjhQd- RELEASE DATE: Exclusively IFC Center NY May 31st & select cities June 7th, 2024.

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri