#court painter chuck

[angelo-chuck-wagon]

Paintings by court painter A. Chuck Wagon

All paintings commissioned by my ladylord and patron and her betrothed, Sir William.

@lady-lord-cornbury @william-the-ladyfinger

Student and partner of @anthonis-van-dyck

[anthonis-van-dyck]

Chuck and me

My fair apprentice, a few studies showing our friendship ...

@angelo-chuck-wagon

[angelo-chuck-wagon]

Here I am, Master!

Cupid and Psyche (1639-1640) by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), oil on canvas, 200.2 × 192.6 cm, The Royal Collection, (Privy Chamber), Kensington Palace, London

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 5/28/2024

we are rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of my ill-fated cross country move. i have changed from having a bad time in massachusetts to having a bad time in texas, but this time with my best friend's shoulder to cry on in real life. so an improvement i suppose

listening

i can't fucking believe this wasn't already in my driving playlist. thanks autogenerated spotify dance playlist

-

reading

the maltese falcon by dashiell hammett. i didn't really appreciate philip marlowe the-human-detective-not-my-cat's bisexual eye for interior design and outfits until i started reading this book. this passage really threw me with regards to shoes before pants in what i assume is a fairly normal suit and not a specific type of formalwear? i have a very specific blind fashion blind spot and that's pre-wwii menswear

this led to an absolutely VICIOUS argument with my bestie bc our grandfathers were from very different eras and held themselves to very different levels of formality. hers was a fancy white collar bastard and mine wasn't. i never saw mine in a suit outside a funeral.

anyway i KNOW that the fashion in the latter half of the twenties up to WWII was for a very wide legged pant (the oxford bag) and i GUESS you could certainly shove your whole goddamn shoe down that leg but like. it threw me. socks before pants, certainly. especially if you have to fuck with sock garters. but shoving your whole shoe down a pant leg seems. well it just seems. there's an order of operations i thought was sacred for most things. was the seat truly so tight in an oxford bag. are suspenders really that awful to bend over in. so much womens formalwear is uncomfy on purpose so i feel like i have a skewed view of acceptable pain for an outfit to cause you

why am i reading this? can you think of a more on-brand book for me to read? please let me know if you do and i'll add it to The Pile

-

watching

the tremendously charming soviet childrens film The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1967, Ptushko). court intrigue! a swan princess! giants marching out of the sea! a slightly unsettling squirrel puppet shelling gold and emerald walnuts! a lot of sight gags, some lovely ballet sequences, and there are so many little moving parts to look at in each scene. at its densest it's like howl's bedroom in howl's moving castle

this was on my library's streaming platform Kanopy and i had credits to use up.

-

playing

two things in genshin that took absolutely forever to accomplish:

i finally maxed out the overall XP system (not the character XP system) so the game's just been chucking in-game currency at me instead, which has been helpful!

and i finally caught two thousand fish! very nice to clear like forty fishing spot markers i put down on my map, in advance of the forty billion markers i'll want to put down to mark stuff in the next big release at the end of the summer.

i forgot that i can use my desktop for things that aren't genshin and applying to jobs, so i reinstalled steam and fired up powerwash simulator. they popped out one new DLC in the year since i touched it, a santa's workshop level last winter. a good hour well spent. i spent a LOT of time with this game right before my move last year and it did genuinely help my anxiety.

-

making

not a fallow week but a pictureless week. ended up painting most of my best friend's bedroom bc we didn't have anything better to do on a saturday night. i think this was the hardest i've ever raw-dogged a painting project bc we had no tarps or painters tape or paint trays or rollers wider than 3". just a bucket of paint and a need to make the half-painted bedroom wall look nicer for her new job zoom training. we have to do a lot of things like move the bed and paint that wall, and paint the ceiling, and do all the trim + doors, but it does look much nicer on zoom now!

[lady-lord-cornbury]

Been there! Thankfully I have two wonderful court painters now. @anthonis-van-dyck @angelo-chuck-wagon

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 1.22

Beer Birthdays

Pat Hagerman (1964)

James Renfrew (1965)

Motor (1966)

Bud Bundy, character on Married… with Children, named after Al Bundy's favorite beer (1975)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Francis Bacon; writer, philosopher (1561)

Sergei Eisenstein; Russian director & screenwriter (1898)

Robert E. Howard; fantasy writer (1906)

J.J. Johnson; jazz trombonist, bandleader (1924)

Diane Lane; actress (1965)

Famous Birthdays

Andre Marie Ampere; physicist (1775)

George Balanchine; choreographer (1904)

Bill Bixby; actor (1934)

Richard Blackmore; English physician & poet (1654)

Linda Blair; actress (1959)

Ed Bradley; television journalist (1941)

Ernst Busch; German actor and singer (1900)

Lord Byron; poet (1788)

Seymour Cassel; actor (1935)

Sam Cooke; musician (1931)

Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan; pilot (1907)

Olivia d'Abo; actor (1967)

John Donne; English poet & cleric (1573)

Joe Esposito; author (1938)

Guy Fieri; chef, author, and tv host (1968)

Willa Ford; singer-songwriter & actress (1981)

Pierre Gassendi; French mathematician, astronomer & philosopher (1592)

D.W. Griffith; film director (1875)

Martti Haavio; Finnish poet and mythologist (1899)

Alan J. Heeger; physicist and chemist (1936)

Helen Hoyt; poet and author (1887)

John Hurt; actor (1940)

Michael Hutchence; rock singer (1960)

Jim Jarmusch; film director (1953)

DJ Jazzy Jeff; musician (1965)

Graham Kerr; chef, "Galloping Gourmet" (1934)

William Kidd; Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (1645)

Nicolas Lancret; French painter (1690)

Piper Laurie; actor (1932)

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher & author (1729)

Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter & manager

Charles Morgan; writer (1894)

Steve Perry; rock musician (1949)

Francis Picabia; French painter and poet (1878)

Walter Raleigh; English poet, soldier, & explorer (1552)

Ray Rice; Baltimore Ravens RB (1987)

George "Chuck" Seifert; San Francisco 49ers coach (1940)

John Wesley Shipp; actor (1956)

Ann Sothern; actress (1909)

August Strindberg; Swedish novelist, poet, & playwright (1849)

Hikaru Walter Sulu; Star Trek character (2179)

Conrad Veidt; German-American actor, director (1893)

Frederick Vinson; supreme court chief justice (1890)

Joseph Wambaugh; writer (1937)

John Winthrop; politician (1588)

[ladyofmaidensandwine]

Of Saints and Sinners

Part Three of the All’s Not Fair in Love and War Series

Square Filled for SPN Dean Bingo: The Bunker

Characters: Dean Winchester, Fem! Reader, Sam Winchester, Charlie, John Winchester, Fem! Reader

Wordcount: 1,674

A/N- I know this one’s a bit short and rather late- sorry it took so long, luvs- but I did feel that this chapter wasn’t meant to be particularly exciting and was more about the reader coming to terms with herself and her new reality.

Summary: Dean has a surprise for the reader, and the reader struggles to reconcile two very different versions of herself while still trying to accomplish her mission.

              The Bunker, it was called. Massive, endless corridors and halls of identical wooden doors, a windowless stronghold built of solid stone and hidden behind the outer wall. No one got in, or out, without the King’s explicit consent, and the building felt too familiar to you. Another prison. Dean had made a begrudging man allow you to select weaponry of your own from the armory, and then had the seamstress follow your guidelines to create a new wardrobe for you, as your cover had been blown wide open when you’d been forced to fight. The wounds had mostly healed, and would undoubtedly scar, and while everyone felt the safety of the Bunker would protect them, you had doubts. You had seen things that no wall of stone could keep out forever, and eventually, you would have to leave.

            No matter where you went, a fully-armed escort of at least four men accompanied you, but not for your safety. For the safety of the civilians. Dean had promised John wouldn’t be able to execute or imprison you again, but how far did his word go, against the commands of his King? You waited for the inevitable heavy iron shackles, and that dark and silent cell haunted you in sleep. You couldn’t enter small or crowded spaces still, and the lack of windows in the stronghold made it hard to breathe sometimes, but you would never give King John the satisfaction of seeing you crumble. You trained, let them see what you were capable of if provoked, you studied maps as often as you dared, tested your mental capacity by memorizing as much of the politics of the kingdom as you could, learned and plotted and planned, and marked the days before you would make your move.

             Dean had been absent, but his brother kept an eye on you. He never made to approach, but you knew he was there. On nights when you couldn’t sleep, you’d sometimes find him in the library, not a word spoken between you as you kept to yourselves and read your respective books. Those nights you sometimes faced with equal parts excitement and dread. The game was fun to play, a strategic balance of moves and countermoves, testing one another’s resolve, but it could mean precious time wasted in your search. 

            You’d been playing games since the moment you revealed yourself, one identity shed in favour of a completely new one, a person more palatable to the court, and one you hoped would gain the trust of the Royal Family. No one knew who you were, beyond your reputation, except for Dean. You wondered which part of your long-buried past he’d managed to uncover. Did he know who you were, where you came from? Did he know why you’d been captured so long ago?

               Dean returned quietly, and you hadn’t known he was back until he was at your door, looking weary but determined. “Where were you?” You asked, not bothering to greet him. He entered the room and shut the door behind him, taking a seat at the end of your bed. “It’s good to see you, too.” Dean replied, raising a brow your way. You scowled deeply, and had to seriously refrain from chucking a brush at his face. Dean huffed, and glanced around the room. “Father sent me to hunt them down. Gather information about the attack.” He answered. “What did you find?” “They came on Crowley’s orders. To take over the throne.” Your eyes narrowed, suspicious of the information. “What is it?’ Dean questioned, pine coloured eyes searching you for an answer. “Nothing concrete. This feels a little too aligned to be coincidence, though. I was rotting in that cell for a good long while before His Majesty deigned to drag me out, and soon after, Crowley plans a coup, forcing us to retreat here? There’s more at work here, I know it.” You said fiercely, pacing the room as you spoke. Dean’s face was grave, eyes intense and solemn. “If this is all a part of some grandiose  scheme, then we will uncover the plot and put an end to it. Y/N, look at me,” Dean requested, laying a warm hand on your shoulder as you met his gaze, “we will figure this out. Together.” Somehow, you believed him.

                  The Bunker offered privacy, which meant you and Dean could escape prying eyes and endless questions and people demanding your attention. You’d taken to sparring in one of many training rooms available, teaching Dean how to throw knives as accurately as you did, while Dean furthered your capacity in unarmed single combat. He’d attempted going easy on you until you’d broken his nose for it, and since then, the two of you spent almost every day together, fighting or trying to discover Crowley’s motives. There were eyes and ears everywhere, but you were no longer in hiding- you wore what pleased you, no more dainty lace and demure pastels, and while at first you seemed agreeable and a pleasant lady like any of the other court women, you no longer hesitated to put those who would speak against you wrongly in their place. It was the most honest and like your true self you’d been in many years, and with Dean, all those fortified walls and concealing masks fell away even further. He made it so easy, so simple, to be Y/N and Dean, just Y/N and Dean, not an assassin and the Crown Prince, a killer and a soldier, just two people enjoying the company of someone who understood.

              “I have something to show you.” Dean said, pushing aside a heavy tome of the records and lineages of King John’s court of nobles. You tilted your head, raising a brow in a silent question, but Dean didn’t answer, only gave you a knowing smirk and an extended hand. “Do I get a hint?” You asked, taking his hand and letting him lead you from the library. “No. Close your eyes.” Dean instructed. “What?” “Don’t you trust me?” He asked teasingly. Your eyes narrowed. He was up to something. “At the moment, no, but generally, yes.” You replied, smirking back when he gave an unamused expression. “Y/N.” Dean said, annoyed. “Dean.” You mocked. “You may be the most obstinate woman I have ever met.” He sighed. The Prince eyed you with a look of both determination and exasperation, the kind of face you’d watched him give Prince Sam at least a dozen times before. “Then perhaps you’ve met your match, Your Majesty.” You quipped, but closed your eyes without further refusal. Dean huffed a laugh, his calloused palm rough but warm against yours, a small smile gracing your lips. You had glossed over it in jest, but it was true- you did trust him. And that terrified you.

               You stared in stunned silence. A room with rows upon rows of artwork. Sculptures, and carvings, sketches, acrylic portraits and landscapes, watercolor paintings, oil, pastels, charcoal drawings, murals and mosaics. Your breath was caught in your throat, eyes wide as you absorbed the myriad of colours. “Is it to your liking?” Dean asked lowly, sounding nervous. You don’t reply, stepping slowly into the first section of stunning oil paintings, the most beautiful art you’d ever seen. Paintings of mermaids and things almost human, with eyes that held that lifelike quality a painter could spend years trying to get right, the shadows so well done, you could swear the paintings move. “I don’t- I have no words.” You said in awe. “What is this? Where did you get all this?” “My ancestors, the Men of Letters, collected the best artwork in all forms they could find for centuries. It’s stored here, but no one ever actually looks at this gallery. I- I noticed you admiring the paintings in the palace, and I thought perhaps you might find some interest in these,” Dean muttered, ears turned red, “and it has been too long since the room was used, anyways.” He deflected from his observation of your love for art, but you were not distracted by attempt. “Dean,” you said, catching his attention with the use of his first name, “this is quite possibly the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, truly.” You said sincerely. “Don’t thank me, Y/N.” Dean said, something almost bitter and regretful in his tone. “There are supplies, should you want for them, towards the back. I should be going, but I-” He stopped, seeming to reconsider his next words carefully. “I hope you won’t mind if I stop by later.” He said slowly. “I should be quite offended if you don’t. Until then, Your Majesty.” You said with a curtsy, Dean sighing, but with a grin to match your own. “M’lady.” He bowed, smirking before exiting through the grand doors.

               Dean was good to his word- there were countless supplies, easels and paints to last you your entire life, but though you had once delighted to spend hours attempting to perfect the colour and texture of a cloud with careful and decisive brushstrokes, that place in your heart that had been bursting with life was empty. You stared blankly at a canvas, and wondered where the girl you once knew had gone. The girl who brandished sticks of charcoal instead of knives, the one whose hands were streaked with a veritable rainbow rather than deep crimson, the one that had been kind, the girl that had been so alive. In your heart, you knew that girl had gone into Hell, and someone new had crawled out. And yet, sometimes you thought there might still be that part of you that had loved fiercely, and lived freely, little flickers of a painted scene in your mind’s eye, a stirring in your heart that called for joy. And as you explored the vast collection with Dean, you wondered if an artist’s imagination and a lover’s gentle hands could redeem an assassin. If maybe there was still a part of you worthy of redemption.

TAGS-

Forever Tags-

@justagirlinafandomworld​

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@spndeanbingo​

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[theliterateape]

A Tale of Two Malls: At Least We'll Still Have Dildos and Plastic Vomit

by Don Hall

Four months in a Vegas one bedroom, hiding from the inevitability of walking by my ex-wife’s apartment and being serenaded by the sounds of her having sex with… someone took its toll. I hadn’t contracted COVID yet and so it was sort of like my own self-enforced quarantine. One afternoon, walking to get my mail, I spied her with an old Chicago friend who had since moved to L.A. in the pool, humping on each other. I felt like running out in traffic to be hit by a speeding tourist. Instead, I hunkered down and rarely left the confines of the 680 feet of my place.

Then Wichita. Living with my parents in a guest room that resembles a dorm room designed by Martha Stewart and spending the few moments of outside the house taking my dad to his dialysis and going to the gym. That was most of September. So, five months in my own stew.

I can’t keep hiding from the world.

This past week I dropped dad off at his medieval torture chamber and decided to revisit places in the city I hadn’t been to in forty years or so. Old haunts. Places of import from when I was a kid. My dad, when he isn’t moaning about how much pain he’s in or how little energy he has or how humiliating it is to have been a go-to guy who can no longer drive or hear or walk, yarns on about the old days. I love his stories (even if I’ve heard some of them before).

Working at a garage in the evening and as a janitor for a local bowling alley overnight when he was in high school. The time ‘Green Teeth Jim’ accidentally lit his massive beard on fire. How his friend Wally lost his RV business due to incredibly bad investments.

I’ve spent an awful lot of time mining my recent past—a ridiculous divorce from someone you thought you knew but didn’t even a little bit will do that to you—so I decided to maybe mine some of my more distant past for a change.

In high school there were three things to do in Wichita: cruise Douglas Street at night and hang out at either of the two big malls in town. Towne West Square was newer and I can remember seeing the original Footloose there, the theaters right next to the arcade and just in front of the booming food court with Arby’s, S’barro’s, Burger King, a chicken place and a cookie stand. Towne East Square was older and I had spent a summer working with a crew tarring the roof of Dillards. The Pizza Hut on the periphery where Ryan Berger and I got our ass’s kicked by five frat guys. The Chess King where I bought my first parachute pants. The open area in the middle where Lew Hanna and I pretended I was a Russian foreign exchange student for no reason but the stupid fun of it.

I drove out to Towne West. It was early but open. The huge mall, flanked by a Dillards and a J.C. Penney, was empty with about thirty old folks getting in their steps by walking the mall. It was dire. For every active storefront there were three empty lots. It was like a ghost town but very clean. The booming food court had all the tables and chairs set out for diners but only a coffee place and an unstaffed Mexican place still were struggling on. Every other former business was empty. I walked the perimeter. I could see what I remembered but in stark contrast to the deserted beast it had become.

The Dillards and the J.C. Penney were empty. Oddly, there were kiosks with globes filled with brightly colored bubble gum balls and I wondered how old that gum actually was like remnants of humanity discovered at the end of The Planet of the Apes (the one with Chuck Heston not Markie Mark). A Japanese massage store with chairs and massage tables and three employees sitting alone waiting for customers who weren't coming. Several art-for-sale galleries, likely paying below the asking price for space. In one of them there was an attractive female painter, furiously painting. I thought about going in but realized that A) I'd only buy something because I felt bad for her and B) she was attractive which, given my horrifically bad judgment when it comes to women, would probably not be a a disaster.

And there it was—as if I hadn’t aged a day—Spencer’s Gifts. For those uninitiated, Spencer’s Gifts is a novelty store. Crazy t-shirts, lava lamps, mugs shaped like a pair of tits, plastic vomit. When I was in high school in the 80’s, it was Spencer’s Gifts that provided the Whoopee Cushions, the palm-sized squirt guns, and anything you could imagine covered in glitter. It was like a Nirvana for Morons.

I strolled inside. There was a kid—maybe twenty-two—folding novelty shirts with a picture of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman and the slogan “Go Fuck Yourself!” underneath—and I asked him how they could still be open with the mall as wholly corpsed out as it was.

“Oh. We get some walk up traffic in the afternoons. Spencer’s is a pretty healthy company, I mean, not here but nationwide. Pretty slow until around 5PM.”

“I remember this place from 1982. It looks almost exactly the same except for the expansive sex toy and dildo collection in the back. I don’t remember those.”

“Really? Yeah, that’s about 60% of our business now. Sex toys and music t-shirts. You saying this place has been here since 1982? Wow.”

“Hard to say if it was this specific storefront but the place was here, alright. I guess there will always be a demand for dildos and plastic dogshit.”

I left and continued walking. The surreal feeling that life had just moved on, that the world had abandoned the very hubs of activity and community that were my youth, that perhaps I was this abandoned mall, a GenX white guy with no kids, no wife, no thirty-year work anniversary with a shitty cake and plaque shuffling around this mausoleum of desolate commerce. It didn’t feel bad necessarily but it was a tilt in the planet’s gravity.

I went back to my car and decided to swing over to the other side of town to Towne East Square. What the fuck. Might as well cement my newfound obsolescence.

Towne East was as opposite as it could be. The parking lot was half full even at 11AM. There were no empty storefronts. The food court was populated with a Chinese-ish place, a Vietnamese-ish place, a Korean-ish place (all likely using the same central kitchen) as well as a Hot Potato Bar, a Starbucks, an Orange Julius, and an old man spooning roasted nuts into cups.

There were people just hanging out. With their kids, by themselves. A couple wearing matching Las Vegas sweatshirts. Heavy set women getting their nails done. Multiple shoe stores, those kiosks with iPhone cases and sketchy jewelry were everywhere. And, of course, a nearly identical Spencer’s Gifts. The mall to the east was hopping.

How? How could one mall thrive while the other, nearly identical mall die? What happened here that pushed all the business east and left the island to west desolate?

I spent some time asking locals and doing some online research. There are lots of theories about the demise of one and not the other but none definitive or conclusive. Maybe it was that the west of Wichita expanded further west and shops set up where the new developments were. Perhaps the corporation that owned both malls simply decided at least one of them should be packed and sacrificed the other. It seems that it just… happened. Slowly, over time, the traffic to Towne West dried up, businesses closed or moved further west to standalone brick and mortars, the mall to the west dwindled. None of this occurred out east.

If these malls are symbols of my earliest years as an adult, just a few years before I set out and moved to Chicago, I wonder which one holds my future? I’ve done well enough for myself but left little in terms of legacy. Am I the Deceased Mall or the One that Keeps Going? Have my prospects diminished so the only thing I can offer the world is a place for old people to walk and young people to buy a Tupac t-shirt or is the future a bit more robust and it’s just a matter of time before I thrive?

Time will tell I suppose. For the next days, I’m going to venture out to my old high school and the tiny towns of my nascent days to continue to ruminate on my stone-skipping history through the world. Kind of like my own personal Garden State without the romcom elements but with a similarly kickass soundtrack.

[william-the-ladyfinger]

Jesus Christ!! I am handsome!

William twirls his moustache. His feelings are a mixture of pride, vanity - he is very vain, very very vain - and embarrassment that Chuck has devoted so much time and talent to him while he himself....

You are very talented, Chuck! I mean I knew about your talents, but not in that... area.

You know our court painter Anthony van Dyke Dick Dyck? He might accept you as apprentice... Maybe my Ladylord could appoint you as court painter, too!

I am quite intimate with Anthony... If you get my drift ....

Anthonis Van Dyck

@angelo-chuck-wagon

My William,

I done painted a portrait of ya. Angelo told me not to make it a centaur like I wanted, but I’m still really lovin’ this! A gift for ya, sos you can think of me when ya see it in your fancy manor house.

@neo-of-sporin

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Music Landmark Tours: Recording Studios, Estates, and Museums

Graceland

Graceland is the well-known home of Elvis Presley located in Memphis, Tennessee. I always knew some very basic facts about his home, but never really went into any detail. Many documentaries refer to it, but very few give off a true sense of what the home is like. Today, Graceland is owned by Lisa Marie Presley. She received everything related to her father’s estate upon his death. The home was not open to the public until 1982, as it took that long to get everything in order following his death. Graceland is the second most visited home in the United States besides the White House, but that might change very soon based on the president’s performance this year. The name Graceland originates from the original owners that built the house, Stanley Toff. The entire estate was named after his daughter, Grace. The mansion was actually built in 1939 by a niece of Toff. Elvis entered the picture in 1957 when he gave his parents a budget of $100,000 to find him a suitable home. One of the conditions was that it had to be somewhat secluded and private due to the fact that fans were beginning to become a problem. The home was 10,000 ft.² making it unbelievably massive. Rooms besides standard ones in every house included a TV room, a music room, and a strange jungle room highlighted by very bizarre furniture. There was even a racquetball court that Elvis had built because he became obsessed with the sport in the 1970’s. Other interesting things about the house include his father Vernon‘s office because he served as his business manager for almost his entire career. Most of the Presley family are buried there including his mother, father, himself, and even a stillborn twin brother. Upon his mothers death, his stepmother lived at Graceland for a time causing a very awkward and tense relationship. Yet, you probably could not blame Elvis too much because his father did remarry two years after his mother’s death. The other notable part of his estate was the wall he had built along the street. Like other famous states, people have signed the wall creating a living history monument.

Sun Studio

This was the recording studio started by Sam Phillips in January 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s major claim to fame was the first record company to release music from Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash among others. The original name of it was the Memphis Recording Service, but Phillips changed the name to Sun in 1951 when he decided to run his own label. A major portion of Sun’s early artists were well-known blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf, BB King, Junior Parker, and others. Later, other artists like Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison would record there. Phillips moved to a larger facility in 1959, then eventually sold the entire label in 1969. In 2005, the original Sun Studio was re-opened as a tourist attraction and working recording studio. This has attracted prominent musicians like U2 to do a little recording there. The first major recording of any note from Sun was “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston in March 1951. The backing band on this record was none other than Ike Turner’s band, who would later become more infamous for his marriage to Tina Turner. Many people consider this to be the first rock ‘n’ roll song ever. In the beginning, Sun had tremendous financial pressure because they could not release a hit. Finally, “Bearcat” was released in 1953, which emerged as the first successful single. Yet, the success was short-lived, because a copyright lawsuit threatened the company due to the song sounding just like “Hound Dog.” Phillips would record anyone that wanted to make a record there throughout its existence. Any person could come off the street and actually make a record for three or four dollars. In 1953, he was able to talk a local jail into releasing members of a group to record a song, which led to a story in the newspaper. Some say this is one of the reasons that brought Elvis Presley to Sun. Presley was only 18 years old when he first entered the studio. He would go on to record several songs for Phillips. These were all fairly insignificant until late one night they discovered the sound everyone had been looking for. With the release of “That’s All Right,”rock ‘n’ roll would never ever be the same. Phillips would later sell Presley‘s recording contract for $35,000, which eventually led him to sign with RCA. The producer always defended the move saying he had too many outstanding debts at the time, while promoting Presley would have been impossible due to the small size of his company. He was still able to promote other notable acts like Cash, Perkins, and Orbison. Yet, by the mid-1960s, Phillips had lost all interest in the recording business. He had branched out into radio, which was where his interest really lied. If you visit the actual studio in Memphis, there really is not that much there. This reminds me of when I visited the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville or the Fairmount Historical Society in Indiana for James Dean. The studio has a small café, small museum, and the recording studio. The recording studio is essentially a couple of rooms to show what it was like back in the 1950s. You could see some of the original recording equipment that was used for the records. This includes the Record a Phone, which allowed for mobile recording. One will find that essentially Sun Studio was a tiny store front operation that got really lucky because nobody else really wanted to record the music they were releasing.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, Ohio right on the lakefront. This museum’s foundation was established in 1983 by Ahmet Ertegun, owner of Atlantic Records. The actual building was dedicated in 1995. The museum includes all members inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well as seeking to document the entire history of rock ‘n’ roll. The layout of the museum contains seven levels as different wings of the museum concentrate on different genres including blues, gospel, soul, hip-hop, folk, bluegrass, country. Other exhibits feature cities that have figured prominently in the history of rock ‘n’ roll including Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Chicago, and more. Finally, they have long-standing permanent exhibits for major artists that are at the top of the list of influence in rock ‘n’ roll history including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and so on. The museum has not been without its fair share of criticism over the years. The major one going on at the moment is the fact that too many members that vote artists into the hall of fame are not musicians. This includes people like Jann Wenner, former editor of Rolling Stone. These members set up rules that make it too easy for some artists to receive induction into the hall of fame, while not ensuring that female or black artists are represented fairly. Many musicians that have been inducted to the hall of fame skip the ceremony primarily because they think it is a joke. Another criticism over the years has been the location of the museum. Many leaders in rock and roll did not feel that Cleveland was In anyway whatsoever to be lauded as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. This also includes what some feel is the fairy tale that Alan freed was the first DJ of rock ‘n’ roll. Many people believe that it should not be located in Cleveland because of his connection to the payola scandal of the late 1950’s. I have been here twice through the course of my life. The sense that I received each time was that the entire museum is overwhelming. You almost need more than one day to take it all in because of the amount of artifacts that are within the museum. Some of the highlights that I remember when telling people about my visits there are John Lennon‘s Rolls Royce hanging from the ceiling, Roger Waters signing a replica of the wall hanging from the ceiling, personal lyrics by Jackson Browne, and a documentary by Jonathan Demme. This has always been shown since the beginning of the Hall of Fame in its theater. One of the reasons because of the fact that it was probably Jonathan Demme‘s last film. This is a short 25 minute documentary interviewing various artists about the museum. The one thing I remember is Pete Townsend gets rather agitated during one of the segments. He yells back at the camera about referring to these people as icons because he points out they were not only icons, but his friends of his. I guess that is something that that may get lost in translation that some of these rock ‘n’ roll stars are friends with each other.

Electric Lady Studios

This recording studio based in New York City has a long history to it. I did not realize that he actually started a studio named after the song Electric Ladyland. The Greenwich Village location had been a night club since the 1930’s in it’s basement called the Village Barn. Until 1967, abstract expressionist painter Hans Hoffman also called this home, where he would conduct lectures on art. In 1968, Hendrix purchased the night club upstairs called The Generation. This had been a popular venue at the time for late night jam sessions including himself and a treasure trove of other artists in New York. Such artists as Big Brother and the Holding Company, Sly and the Family Stone, BB King, Chuck Berry, and more.One of the reasons he became convinced to convert the space from a live venue to recording studio was the fact that the Electric Ladyland sessions had been so expensive. This was also a chance for him to create a recording space that he was happy with. Hendrix had been notoriously picky about recording studios throughout the course of his career. This became the only artist owned recording studio in the world at the time. The construction of it cost twice as much as budgeted and took twice as long as initially scheduled. He needed to get a loan from Warner Bros. Records in order to complete the project. The studio was set up in such a way that the feel was very relaxing filled with lots of ambient light. From Hendrix’s perspective, this would help with creativity. The entire studio was painted in psychedelic colors, which still exists to this day. I do not know what else to tell you except that it was the 1960’s. He would only record there for about 10 weeks as construction was being completed. His final recording was done there, “Slow Blues.” The next day he boarded a flight to England to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival. Sadly, Hendrix would die before ever returning to the studio. Many notable artists have recorded there over the years including Julian Casablancas, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Arctic Monkeys, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, Beastie Boys, BB King,The Cars, David Bowie, and many more. If you do a search on Spotify, artists will occasionally do short unplugged sessions at the studio. The Strokes would record the album Angles at Electric Lady in 2011. If you would like a sense of seeing what the inside of that studio actually looks like; check out their behind the scenes footage from those sessions on YouTube.

Paisley Park

Paisley Park is home to Prince’s estate just outside of Minneapolis. He built it in 1987 as the headquarters of his now defunct record label, Paisley Park Records. The place is absolutely enormous coming in at about 65,000 ft.². The estate includes his living quarters, recording studio, and two live venue spaces that were used for rehearsals. He had planned to turn the entire complex into something just like Graceland upon his death. Coincidentally, the same company that manages Graceland takes care of Paisley Park now. In 2016, tours began of the estate that also included a private museum filled with personal artifacts from his career. For example, there are 6000 wardrobe outfits located there. Other artifacts include musical instruments, awards, artwork, memorabilia, and cars. The funny thing about the entire estate is that unlike Graceland, most people see Paisley Park as very lonely. This is because throughout his entire career Prince kept everyone at a distance including his estate. Nobody really knows for certain when he began living there full-time because it was never intended to be a home. This was always meant to be a commercial recording environment. This is why from the outside one gets a sense of how strange it is to make this the symbol of Prince. From the outside, Paisley Park looks very much like a large office complex you would find in any large city. Other highlights include a basketball court, which was made famous by Dave Chapelle. There is a ping-pong table that he would challenge celebrity guests like Michael Jackson to a game. You can see his kitchen and his office, which for the most part has remained unchanged since he was found dead in that elevator in 2016. As for the experience if you do go there, things will probably seem a bit strange. You will find that the rules for tours are very strict, filled with formality, and almost unforgivable. You cannot show up for a tour too early or too late. This seems very symbolic of the public’s interaction with Prince throughout the course of his career. The cost of the tour is a bit pricey as well, and some have questioned whether it is really worth the price of admission. The contrast between Prince and Elvis is quite stark. People weep at Graceland for the simple reason that they feel as if they knew the man personally. With Prince, they are not sure how much they knew the man personally, but they feel deeply emotional about his music. Without the recording studio, purple everywhere, or the rehearsal spaces, I am not sure how many people would actually care how the man lived since he never let people see that side of him. For example, you can look at his microwave in his kitchen, but I have a difficult time seeing Prince dressed in a purple robe cooking a Hot Pocket.

[nightsofreylo]

The Cinder Girl { Reylo Fairytale Series }

I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.

You have more conviction in one memory than I have in my entire being.

Ten.

Rey sleeps close to the fireplace to keep warm. It’s better than the cold, dusty attic. The mice she can tolerate, but even the thought of spiders makes her skin crawl.

Nine.

When the sun rises, she brushes the soot off and sets herself to work, never allowing herself to dream beyond the next day. Rey swears that her stepbrother’s demonic cat follows her around, his muddy paws ruining the floors she so carefully sweeps and his claws tearing holes in Hux’s clothes that she will have to painstakingly mend.

Eight.

One morning, while she is picking apples in the orchard, a thief steals a horse from their stables, and Rey does what any servant would do: she chucks an apple at the bastard’s head.

Except the rider is not a bastard. He is the Prince.

Seven.

The next time they meet, Rey can see it in his eyes: he doesn’t remember her, the apple, the orchard. He doesn’t remember the mist on the hills or the dew on the grass or how white the stolen horse was in the morning sun. She is nothing but a lowly servant. He doesn’t look twice until he hears her arguing with the jailer in a voice that is not a noblewoman’s.

Six.

The mythic painter and inventor, Luke Skywalker, stumbles over her as she swims in the lake. She helps the old man drag his curious boat-shoes to shore, where the prince is waiting for them. Instinctively, she falls to her knees, forgetting that he doesn’t know that she is a servant. He gives her his cloak, a gleam in his eye as he baits her with his arrogance…and Rey wonders if he enjoys the challenge as much as she does.

Five.

He asks the queen about her at court. He comes to her house - her house! - with a carriage drawn by fine horses. They spend the afternoon at the royal library, and she remembers the way her father’s voice sounded, deep and even, as he read to her at night.

Four.

Rey has to tell him. She is not who she says she is, and this will not end well for them. But the fire crackles and his hands are worn, and when he kisses her the ruffians who attacked them on the road laugh and jeer…but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t care about anything aside from this moment.

Three.

Ben, the prince insists, when she calls him ‘sire.’

Ben, she whispers, wondering if she will ever hear her true name from his lips.

Two.

When she returns to the house, the sky is already lightening to grey, and her stepbrother is waiting for her on the steps.

One.

The night of the ball, the other servants try to break her out of the cellar. But it is her friend Finn who rescues her. Finn the Painter. Finn the Dreamer. He comes with Luke Skywalker, and the old, mad genius rips the bolts from the door. It comes off its hinges, and she tastes freedom for the first time.

Midnight.

The lashes on her back are deep, but her mother’s fine dress covers them. The shoes made of glass are weightless on her feet, as if crafted with magic. The eyes of every person in the country are on her, but somehow she finds him.

Breathe, she tells herself. Just breathe.

[cchmissions]

Barbados Mission Trip: Wednesday 12/18/19

(Disclaimer: Due to poor internet we were unable to post this as soon as we would have liked. Though this post is two days old it was typed up on the 18th and left unchanged)

We all arrived at breakfast around 6:30 a.m. as we did the day before. Normally it would be 7:30 a.m. on this trip, but we all thought the extra time would give us the advantage to tackle the tasks ahead.

The basketball court had been painted on the south end with the basic lines for the 3 point and free throw lines. We needed to fill in the gaps where our stencil covered up the lines so that it would all be connected. While the rest of the people working on the court began to set up the stencil on the other side. We still need to put a logo in the middle of the court and seal it all so the paint will last longer. The rains are still coming and going, but we confident we will be able to get it all done before we leave.

The painting of the kitchen and dining area continues in full force. At one point there were 12 of our 26 people all working on it. The back of the building is two stories. One part has a roof that we are able to get on top of to finish, but the other is very tall and we can only safely paint it with the two tallest ladders. Everyone has been working very hard to get as much done as possible before our fun day tomorrow. 

Now that we know how to start the concrete mixer, things are going much faster on the wall. We are actually doing two concrete related projects. One is the flower beds that we were working on yesterday. The other is a wall on the foundation of a building we tore down our first year we were here. The wall and concrete slab we are placing it on will be a sort of wall ball/tennis practice area. One of our students, Chuck, and a few of the WISE students have been working hard to make sure that it stays level and has plenty of re-bar in it to keep it strong. The guys in the flower beds built up from there concrete foundations they made the day before and began the work of laying the brick and mortar. We made sure to leaves some slots at the base to match what the building has looked like for the past 300 or so years. The guys are moving quickly and there is no doubt that we will have it done on time, rain or shine.

Please continue to pray for safety as we work on the various projects here at WISE. Tomorrow we will be traveling into Bridgetown, the capitol of Barbados, and having our fun day. Pray for fun, safety, and that our students get a better understanding of the culture of Barbados.

Guys puttin in work!

Putting mortar into the cracks of the cinder blocks.

Lance giving paint to the girls on the back side of the Kitchen/Dinning Building.

Justice, Kyle, and Nathan putting down and painting the stencil for the basketball court.

This is the east wall looked like at the start of the day.

Ester, Emma, and Aubrey showing off there handy work.

The 90% finished west brick wall. We still need to put some more concrete in the cinder block holes.

Nathan and Aiden Anderson working on the 3 point lines and filling in the spaces where the stencil was.

Chuck Nelson and two of the WISE students building a tennis wall one brick at a time.

Issac and Elise painting the North part of the Kitchen/Cafeteria building. 

The East wall at the end of the day.

Some of the painters handy work at the end of the day.

[ummaannex]

Famous (and Infamous) Couples in Art

There’s a quote by American essayist Chuck Klosterman saying, “art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.” If art and love are the same, it makes sense that so many of the world’s famous artists end up in relationships with other artists, for they share the same overlapping of passions. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting both the famous and infamous, the devoted and disastrous - the couples in art who have both remained steadfastly together, or have quickly fizzled out.

Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe (x)

Stieglitz, a photographer, and O’Keeffe, a painter, met while his career was flourishing and before her’s had taken off. He used his own artistic prestige to promote her work. She served as the subject of many of his portraits, and while they eventually separated, their relationship remains preserved in their many ardent letters and artwork.

Frida and Diego Rivera (1931) by Frida Kahlo

The notoriously tumultuous and passionate relationship between painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera remains one of art history’s most infamous. The gap in both age and size between the two artists, as well as Rivera’s multiple relationships, caused some scandal. The couple married twice; it was said in a letter that besides Kahlo, Rivera had two great loves: painting and women in general.

Light Headed (1991) by Gilbert & George

Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore, are more commonly referred to by their artistic title of Gilbert & George. The couple met in 1967 after what “was love at first sight”. Their collaborative body of work heavily features self-portraits of the two.

Margaret and Walter Keane (x)

While it’s more than a stretch to call it romantic, the relationship of Margaret and Walter Keane is infamous within the art world. For much of the 1960s, Walter passed off Margaret’s work - distinct for their “big eyes” - as his own, achieving fame through her work. It wasn’t until 1970 and a court-ordered paint off that the truth behind the painter was revealed.

Rest Energy (1980) by Marina Abramovic and Ulay (x)

Marina Abramovic and Ulay were collaborating performance artists. Though their relationship ended, the unique and daring performance artists could hardly do so in a traditional manner. Starting from opposite sides of the Great Wall of China, they walked until they met in the middle to formally end their relationship. If you’re interested in watching them reunited in the most artistic and vaguely uncomfortable manner that still gives you all the feelings, check out her 2010 performance piece, “The Artist is Present” at MoMA here.

Though the passions necessary to create renowned works of art don’t always harmonize within one’s personal life, they seem to create the environment for the brilliantly tumultuous and emotive pieces that we fall in love with today.

[othersportsnews-blog]

The Harper excitement impact, a dropped track job and Federer improved than ever

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/the-harper-excitement-impact-a-dropped-track-job-and-federer-improved-than-ever/

The Harper excitement impact, a dropped track job and Federer improved than ever

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rantnrave:// Roger Federer is timeless. He has despatched Father Time again on his heels and into his corner. His job is fantastical. How else can you explain it? Sunday, at Wimbledon, Federer received his nineteenth Grand Slam title. His eighth Wimbledon. It is really exceptional. He went almost 5 several years with out a Slam before this season. Hadn’t received a person due to the fact 2012. He’s obtained two in 2017 now, at 35 several years aged. Tennis players aren’t supposed to earn Slams at that age. Federer primarily. Rafa Nadal was supposed to have passed him by. Then Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray experienced his flip atop the discipline. Federer was having more mature and supposedly getting rid of floor by the calendar year. Nevertheless, in this article he is once more. Djokovic appears to be dropped. He’s battling injuries and regardless of what else during an unexplainable slump. Nadal is however the learn on clay courts but has received only a person Slam on other surfaces due to the fact 2010. Murray is the best-rated player in the entire world but bowed out early at Wimbledon. Federer has constantly been more like an artist. An athlete with the grace of a ballerina. Observing him is like looking at a painter work. We are witnessing historical past. Federer, more than any other tennis star of this technology, enables us to enjoy it in the second. He admits his shortcomings. His game is just not based on brute drive. He is a virtuoso. … Venus Williams couldn’t match Federer. But her operate to the closing was the best part of the match. Garbine Muguruza is a budding star. She has two Slams on her résumé. If Serena and Venus ever retire (let us hope not), Muguruza could be a person of the faces of the activity. Even though Venus’ reduction could share the headline, do not neglect to give Muguruza her due. She’s a Williams sisters slayer, beating Serena in the 2016 French Open up closing and Venus Saturday. … Writing an epitaph for Chuck Blazer is just not uncomplicated. He was a legal who lived substantial and a vital federal witness who helped bring FIFA’s corruption into the light-weight. As his everyday living began to crumble, Blazer turned soccer’s anti-hero. SportsSET: “The Gentleman Who Helped Take Down FIFA“. … The Olympic Channel is in this article. Will plenty of individuals want to look at Olympic sports activities outdoors of Olympic several years to make it feasible? … Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is the subsequent Usain Bolt. … RIP Bob Wolff and Martin Landau.

Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper performs the game with enthusiasm and flair, frequently to the chagrin of opposing supporters. His future totally free company is now generating sparks. Invoice Shaikin | Los Angeles Situations

Eric Thompson was a substantial-soar prodigy with an Olympic future well in his access, until eventually a person unsuccessful drug check locked him in a fight with doping authorities that ultimately adjusted his everyday living. Aaron Gordon | Vice Athletics

The 35-calendar year-aged, 8-time Wimbledon champ is just not the identical player he was a 10 years in the past. He’s improved. Tom Perrotta | The Weekly Conventional

Kansas State’s Scott Frantz’s revelation he is homosexual exhibits the society has adjusted in football. If homosexual players can feel secure in the melting pot of the locker area, it also has implications well further than those partitions. Vahe Gregorian | The Kansas City Star

The Rubik’s Dice was briefly the best-selling toy in historical past when it 1st debuted in the 1980s. Considering that then it has fallen out of style and been reborn in a assortment of styles and formats by a devoted group of puzzle-solvers. Rebecca Sheir | WBUR

“It is really not plenty of to be good. You have to be curious.”

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[caveartfair]

A U.S. Court of Appeals judge has struck down the final effort to have artists receive royalties when their work is resold.

In 2011, the artist Chuck Close, the Los Angeles Light and Space pioneer Laddie John Dill, and the foundations of artists Sam Francis and Robert Graham filed suit against Sotheby’s, Christie’s and online auctioneer eBay alleging decades of withheld royalties owed to them under the California Resale Royalty Act, legislation that allowed artists to collect 5% of the proceeds on all secondary market sales of their work conducted in California or by a California-based entity. CRRA had been in place since January 1977, but by 2011, the law was only partially enforced, and a lawyer for the artists claimed that the auction houses got around the tax by concealing transactions’ connections to California, even in cases where the seller was a resident. The suit sought payments for artists whose work was resold in the previous three years, within the statute of limitations for CRRA claims, plus payments amounting to 5% of all the sales that were never disclosed to artists, dating back to 1977. Had the court found in favor of the artists, it would have been a very costly verdict for the auction houses and the tech company.

But the case never gained much traction. In 2012, a federal judge found the CRRA unconstitutional, as it “explicitly regulates applicable sales of fine art occurring wholly outside California,” and thus violates the Constitution’s Interstate Commerce Clause. In January 2016, the Supreme Court declined to take the appeal, and it went to a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in April of that year, which again dismissed it. In that ruling, the court argued that the sweeping 1976 Copyright Act refers specifically to original artwork that changes hands, and states that the new owner of a work has a wide breadth of rights to do with it what they please—including to sell it.

The case eventually landed at the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Appeals Court, where it was once again struck down on Friday, effectively ending the fight for artists’ resale royalties. Again, the decision hinged on the 1976 Copyright Act, which, according to the legal filing, “accomplished a sea change in the relative powers of the states vis-à-vis the federal government over copyright protection,” and thus rendered the state-ratified CRRA moot. One tiny victory: the Copyright Act went into effect in January 1978, one year after CRRA became effective; the court filing from Friday noted that “the district court should determine if any of plaintiffs’ claims arise between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1977.”

Aside from the silver lining for artists who filed claims in 1977, Friday’s decision is the latest blow to those who believe the U.S. should adopt a policy of droite de suite. Such measures protect artists against speculators and dealers who can make millions as works appreciate in value without giving a cent back to the artists who made them. Currently, such laws only apply to artists who are residents of countries in the European Economic Area, as Christie’s explains in a dry Q&A on its website. But this latest decision makes it clear that, in the eyes of U.S. lawmakers, artists should not get any slice from repeat sales of their work, and should focus on making more work instead.

As Judge Jay S. Bybee wrote in the ruling:

Literary and recording artists can generally profit from their efforts by controlling the reproduction of books or music. For visual artists such as painters and sculptors, however, the right to control reproduction is often not their principal source of income. Rather, it is often the sale of their original work that allows them to make a profit. The droit de suite gives these artists an economic interest in subsequent sales of their original work, thereby allowing them to capture some of its appreciation in value after the first sale.

Activist groups such as the Artists Rights Society will no doubt be disappointed by the likely demise of this case, but those who will surely be most upset must be the artists themselves. As the Art Newspaper notes, even hugely successful L.A. artists like Ed Ruscha and Mark Grotjahn were known to collect their 5%, diligently.

from Artsy News

[usatrendingsports]

School basketball’s 20 greatest surprises this season: Kentucky has been quiet up to now

You already know what’s nice about each single season of faculty basketball? There are all the time storylines and surprises that replenish the primary two months of the season, and within the course of, problem everybody’s notion of the game as we anticipated it to be. With out unpredictability, there’s a whole lot of room for boredom. Throughout this vacation season, allow us to be pleased about results-based volatility. The plot twists are a lot of why we sustain with sports activities to start with. 

And as we flip to Christmas, with many of the non-conference schedule wrapped up, let’s take a look at what’s occurred via six weeks of the season. Yeah, are you able to imagine it? Opening evening was precisely, already, six weeks in the past. So let’s assess what hasn’t gone to plan — for good and unhealthy. 

Listed below are the 20 most shocking issues concerning the 2017-18 season.

Arizona State has jumped into the nationwide title dialogue.  USATSI

1. Arizona State is undefeated — and appears legit. The Solar Devils are 11-Zero, the second finest begin in program historical past. Bobby Hurley’s group is ranked third within the AP ballot, which matches a program file. ASU’s offense is ranked fourth in factors per possession and is capturing 59 % from 2-point vary — with a three-guard assault. If the season ended proper now, ASU can be the No. 1 total seed because of its wins vs. Xavier and at Kansas. No program has two higher wins than that. No one noticed this coming. On Dec. 30, Pac-12 performs opens in the easiest way attainable: Arizona vs. Arizona State. Sure, please.

2. Oklahoma freshman Trae Younger is the runaway favourite for Nationwide Participant of the 12 months. After I noticed Trae Younger drop 43 on Oregon on the PK80 on Nov. 30 in Portland, I knew then he had an ideal shot at profitable Freshman of the 12 months. Since then? Uh, yeah … in three weeks’ time, Younger has develop into a phenomenon. He leads the nation in scoring (28.5) and assists (10.2) and if he is in a position to preserve these information, he’ll develop into the primary D-I participant in historical past to formally do it. His 43 factors in opposition to the Geese hasn’t been bested by another participant this season, and his 22 assists in opposition to Northwestern State on Dec. 19 matched the single-game NCAA file. He’s must-see TV. And because you’re right here, be sure you learn an in-depth profile on how he wound up at Oklahoma.

Three. There are solely 4 unbeaten groups left. Along with Arizona State, we’ve got No. 1 Villanova (11-Zero), No. 6 Miami (9-Zero) and No. 15 TCU (11-Zero). We could properly come to search out that Villanova is one of the best group within the Massive East, Arizona State is one of the best group within the Pac-12, Miami’s one of the best group within the ACC and — may it truly be? — TCU is one of the best group within the Massive 12. Mayyyybe. Both method, it is a fewer-than-usual group of unbeatens nonetheless standing. On Dec. 22 of final season, there have been 5 undefeateds remaining. The yr earlier than, we had 9. 

Four. Lack of buzz with Kentucky. There has by no means been a season like this one for UK beneath John Calipari. Usually the Wildcats are a weekly speaking level. At this stage, UK’s merely been a reasonably good group with none standout moments. It is uncommon. Why has this occurred? As a result of Kentucky’s solely sport in opposition to a ranked group got here on the Champions Traditional vs. Kansas. That is UK’s solely loss. However the Wildcats have a pleasant alternative on Saturday, within the CBS Sports activities Traditional, once they go up in opposition to UCLA. The Bruins at the moment are freed from the Ball household, which is nice, however they do not have the expertise UK has. (Although I like UCLA freshman level guard Jaylen Arms.) It will not be for much longer with out Kentucky within the headlines, but it surely has been bizarre to see this group stay exterior the margins for the primary six weeks. Not having a consensus top-10 draft decide on the roster, which is unusual within the Cal-at-UK period, additionally explains it. 

5. The Massive 12 was anticipated to be good, however this could possibly be historic. We may, amazingly, hit 2018 and have all 10 groups within the Massive 12 with moderately optimistic probabilities at making the NCAA Event. Final season the Massive 12 completed as one of the best convention, as measured by data-tracking providers similar to KenPom.com, KPI and Jeff Sagarin’s rankings. The truth is, the Massive 12 in 2016-17 carried out higher within the common season than any convention has completed within the KenPom period, relationship again to 2002-03. Ten groups complete 16 losses, and solely Texas has three. Texas Tech has one of the best scoring margin (22.6) of anybody in school basketball. Oklahoma’s 94.2 factors per sport is on the high of all groups in D-I, tied with Duke. West Virginia’s 10.5 turnover margin is finest within the sport. League doesn’t get the credit score it is due. 

6. The Massive Ten is worse than anticipated. Northwestern’s 9-Four and did not deal with prosperity that properly out of the gate. Minnesota, which was additionally ranked within the preseason polls, has dropped three video games and almost misplaced to Alabama when it memorably performed 5-on-Three vs. the Crimson Tide again in November. Michigan State (12-1) and Purdue (12-2) are the one groups with two or fewer losses. Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin (Badgers truly gonna miss the NCAAs??) and Illinois all have already got 5 or extra losses. It appears just like the ceiling for NCAA Event groups from this 14-team league is six. 

7. However hey, Purdue could make the Remaining 4 even after dropping Caleb Swanigan. I used to be in Indianapolis for Purdue’s win over Butler on the Crossroads Traditional. The victory established Purdue as a top-five group within the metrics, and once you dive deeper, you see why. Matt Painter is really underrated as an A-level coach. To have Purdue on this spot after dropping Swanigan, essentially the most precious participant in school basketball final season, it is astounding. Mosts groups that are not bluebloods couldn’t pull this off. 

Eight. Auburn is 10-1 and Bruce Pearl has overwhelmed the percentages — for now. After dropping an assistant coach (Chuck Individual), plus two starters (Austin Wiley, Danjel Purifoy) as a result of FBI’s investigation into school basketball recruiting, Auburn is nonetheless off to its finest begin in almost 20 years. Yeah, this can be a shocker. 

9. The FBI’s investigation has drifted a bit. I definitely anticipated the video games to drive a whole lot of the dialog, however assume again to the center of October. The tenor of faculty hoops then was that the FBI’s unprecedented case into the crooked methods of recruiting can be one thing that thrummed weekly all through the season. That simply hasn’t been the case but. It is nonetheless there, hanging like a black curtain behind all of what is taking place on the stage, however the huge query for coaches is: Who’s going to be subsequent, and did the FBI dramatically play up how a lot proof it actually had? 

10. Arizona hasn’t formally suspended a participant. Subscribers to our CBS school hoops pod are aware of a dialogue Gary Parrish and I had again in November. We suspected that Arizona would do what Auburn, USC and Oklahoma State did: droop a participant, or gamers, who had been beneath suspicion for ineligibility. Auburn continues to take a seat Purifoy and Wiley. Oklahoma State’s Jeffrey Carroll needed to miss video games for the Cowboys. USC’s De’Anthony Melton nonetheless has not performed for the Trojans. But Arizona has not a factor. Rawle Alkins missed the primary 9 video games of the season resulting from what has solely been attributed as one thing injury-induced, however in any other case? Nothing from Sean Miller. This was eyebrow-raising to many, and if the NCAA or FBI comes to search out gamers had been on the court docket regardless of having damaged legal guidelines or bylaws, then it may retroactively put Arizona’s 2017-18 season in jeopardy. 

Michigan State’s Miles Bridges has been good, however not nice up to now. USATSI

11. Preseason participant of the yr decide Miles Bridges has merely simply been actually good. Bridges hasn’t been placing it on like Trae Younger or placing his group on his again like Duke’s Marvin Bagley III. He hasn’t been an awesome freak of nature like Arizona’s Deandre Ayton and he hasn’t been a takeover man the best way Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett’s proven. However Bridges is averaging 16.Eight factors, 6.7 rebounds, 2.Three assists and 1.Three blocks. He is within the dialog — however what we have come to know is that the near-consensus preseason assumption that he’d be the Nationwide Participant of the 12 months wound up being typical groupthink. 

12. Wichita State’s protection — or lack thereof. The Shockers have made the previous six NCAA Tournaments. In that point, their common KenPom rating for defensive effectivity: 14th. For a six-year span, that is spectacular and a testomony to Gregg Marshall’s teaching. Extra of the identical was anticipated this season. As an alternative, Wichita State at present ranks 35th and has allowed three groups to crack the 80-point barrier. Opponents reached 80 factors on the Shockers 4 instances within the the earlier two years mixed. With Markis McDuffie returning the ground after lacking the primary six weeks with a foot challenge, maybe WSU can return to elite defensive type.

13. Florida’s Jekyll-and-Hyde existence. So is Florida a Remaining 4 group or is it barely gonna squeak into the NCAA Event? The group I noticed in Portland regarded athletic, able to making a barrage of Three-pointers, robust as hell and mentally robust. However this can be a 7-Four group with two dwelling losses (one to Loyola of Chicago) and has a protection that is now a damaged shell of what’s was final season, when the Gators had been elite on that finish of the ground. Mike White wants huge man John Egbunu again within the lineup ASAP, and KeVaughn Allen wants to begin enjoying just like the top-50 school hoops expertise that he’s. 

14. Grayson Allen hasn’t been a factor … but. I believe we’re all blissful to see this. Duke’s 12-1 thanks in good half to Allen averaging 17.1 factors, Four.Three assists, Three.2 rebounds and simply 2.2 fouls. He hasn’t had an on-court incident or something near it. The one factor that hardly cracked the radar was Allen winding up with a black eye after by chance getting kicked within the head by Javin DeLaurier, who was making a block try on a Boston School transition possession. However no matter. Allen’s been in a position to play his position as a senior about as properly — from a controversy-free standpoint — as may have been hoped for. As school basketball’s highlight grows greater heading into convention play, here is to hoping all stays calm. 

15. Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy is the sleeper All-America decide at this level. You look across the nation and also you see names like Younger, Ayton, Bridges, Bagley, Brunson, Bluiett, Colson. But Murphy, a cumbersome 6-foot-6 junior, leads nation in rebounding (12.Eight) and double-doubles (12) along with averaging 20.Zero factors. He is been terrific, and it isn’t like he hasn’t confronted some good competitors. At this level, he is the breakout participant in all of faculty hoops.  

Theo Pinson and UNC had their palms full in a loss to Wofford. USATSI

16. Wofford gained at UNC; Tar Heels are vexing. Wofford gained in Chapel Hill on Wednesday evening, giving the Terriers their first win as a program at school historical past vs. a ranked group. To do it in opposition to UNC, the reigning nationwide champions, is an unbelievable endlessly reminiscence for everybody who associates themselves with Wofford basketball. North Carolina’s a bit weird, although. The Wofford loss was the most important upset of the season up to now, and you will recall that UNC’s 63-45 loss to Michigan State was the worst capturing efficiency in program historical past. This put up is all about surprises, and each of these UNC outcomes had been as shocking as nearly something on this checklist. 

17. Virginia is once more choking opponents to dying. I all the time get a whole lot of (loving!) suggestions for my annual 1-351 rankings. What base gave me extra grief than another? Virginia simply barely edged out Syracuse backers. My apologies to UVa followers, as I’m right here to supply a mea culpa. The Wahoos are 10-1, ranked third in KenPom and permitting simply 52.7 factors per sport, tops within the sport. Tony Bennett would not have a star, however he would not want one. I am not satisfied Virginia’s top-10 group, however is once more one which has constructed a house within the polls and is unlikely to vacate.  

18. Preseason ranked groups whose campaigns have not fairly gone to plan: 

Florida (7-Four): from No. Eight to unranked. 

USC (6-Four): From No. 10 to unranked

Notre Dame (10-Three): From No. 14 to unranked

Minnesota (10-Three): From No. 15 to unranked

Northwestern (9-Four): From No. 19 to unranked

UCLA (Eight-Three): From No. 21 to unranked

Saint Mary’s (10-2): From No. 22 to unranked

19. Surprisingly good groups, unranked in preseason, with two losses or fewer: 

Clemson (10-1): Has wins over Ohio State and Florida. No. 25 at KenPom. Brad Brownell is making an attempt to make the NCAAs for the second time in eight seasons with the Tigers. 

Oklahoma (9-1): Ranked 17th and owns wins over Oregon, USC and Wichita State. The Sooners have a tremendous offense and essentially the most watchable participant within the sport. 

Syracuse (10-1): Jim Boeheim’s most inexperienced group ever has nonetheless held its personal thus far. The schedule hasn’t been troublesome, however few would have faulted Cuse if it was Eight-Three moderately than 10-1. 

St. John’s (10-2): Chris Mullin’s group would not have a signature win but, but it surely’s one of the best begin for SJU since 2014-15. Borderline top-10 protection. 

Oklahoma State (9-2): Mike Boynton’s first season as a head coach got here with the FBI melodrama, but the Pokes are accountable for Florida State’s solely loss  

Missouri (10-2): The Tigers misplaced Michael Porter Jr. and determined to not let it damage their season. The truth is, there’s percolating hypothesis that Porter may certainly return come January or February 

Tennessee (Eight-2): The Vols had been anticipated to be close to the underside of the SEC. As an alternative, Rick Barnes’ group is ranked 20th this week and has an enormous win over Purdue.  

20. Villanova is one of the best group once more — however not due to its level guard. We’ll wrap with a thought on fashionable school hoops royalty. VU has a case as school basketball’s strongest program of the previous 5 seasons. That in itself is a stunning revelation, however how concerning the Wildcats this season? Jay Wright’s group being actually good will not be a shock. Mikal Bridges busting from his cocoon to common 17.1 factors, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.Four blocks — whereas capturing 47 % from Three-point vary — is stunning. Bridges has been considered for 3 years as a participant who can be higher within the professionals than in school. Now that hole has shrunk significantly. Villanova is balanced, and Jalen Brunson leads that present, however Bridges’ breakout season is the foremost story with that group. And, extremely, it we may wind up seeing the Bridges in Philadelphia ending with the higher season and being taken increased within the draft than the one in East Lansing. 

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