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thelaurynpetrie · 8 years ago

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"The Aristocrats" by Lauryn Petrie

Tonight Greg R.S. Uzelac invited me to tell my very own version of the legendary joke "The Aristocrats" at Catland in Brooklyn. I highly recommend this show, it’s going to be a monthly called “The Aristocracy” where a different comic gives their take on the classic joke at the end of every show. ————————————— Here’s a transcript of what I said: First of all, I'd like to say that telling this joke is an honor. I'd like to thank my Mother for destroying my self-esteem, and my Father for throwing me into freezing lake's while holding onto rocks to teach me how to swim, and all the boyfriend's I ever had that raped or beat me. Seriously, it's okay to laugh. But mot of all, I'd like to thank Chris Cornell for his suicide as it has inspired me, to make his death abut me. And to be a better artist, all around. Thank you, Chris, for inspiring me to take The spotlight of you as long as they'll allow me to be on stage. Now, I give you my version of “The Aristocrats”: It was a usual morning at the Trump household in the 1980's. Ivanka Trump awoke early as usual to clean her father's urine soaked third bedroom. This is where she got her "working Moms" work ethic she would brag about so much as an adult. Every Tuesday night after family dinner she would dutifully engage in the family tradition of strip teasing for her father so he could get it up to fuck her aging mother. As time went on this all became routine and she learned how to disassociate. To toughen his sons up he would have them "practice" by taking turns on the family great Dane. One after another filling the dog with their spoiled rich boy Cum as Ivanka stripped and Donald looked on as he tried to Fuck Ivanna. This became as routine as wiping his ass and bankruptcy. Fast forward to Inauguration Day. We all saw it. The open secret of Melanie’s abuse. The country being taken over by sith lords. But what we didn’t see, was the night of the inauguration. As Tuesdays in the Trump family had always been a tradition of incest, sucking, and fucking since Madonna was on the airwaves, none of that changed. What did change was that now they had secret service, members of the trilateral commission, members of the Bohemian Club, and men in black to join in. And did they ever. Since Melanie had recently tweeted something passive aggressive abut her husband, he made his anorexic and least favored daughter Tiffany throw up in Melanie’s mouth repeatedly- like a baby bird until he reached climax, at which point he would unlock the suitcase with the nuclear codes. pick a button, and cum all over it, secretly hoping that the force may be enough to ignite one of the missiles. Due to great advances in science in this year of our lord 2017, Trump is now able to achieve climax multiple times a night due to over the counter-dick pills which his poor family endures repeatedly every Tuesday. You may be asking yourself, "Why Tuesdays?" Well, the truth is, I have no fucking idea. It’s just what they do on fucking Tuesdays. Just like any other addiction, the need for more excitement grows over the years. Just R Kell-ing a girl with piss isn’t enough anymore. Watching his wife eat his daughter's vomit isn’t enough anymore. Watching his sons fuck the taxidermied corpses of wild animals from Africa, isn’t enough anymore. Occasionally, he would order Kelly Anne Conway on her knees in the oval office where she is gladly passed around like a cum bucket all in the name of job security. As if this wasn’t enough, he often makes Sean Spicer eat the cum out of Conway’s ass. "SUCK HARDER" Trump screams. His dick in one hand, a remote control aimed at FOX News in the other. Still, Trump's sexual appetites grew. Do you know the grave of the unknown soldier? Can anyone actually prove that there’s a body buried under that eternal flame? Well, earlier this month, Trump asked that same question. The formaldehyde filled corpse was dragged into a secret room under the Lincoln bedroom where he and other ex-republican presidents took turns skull fucking the cadaver until they were interrupted by Dancing With The Stars. (Which for some reason they are all huge fans of.) As soon the program ended, they all immediately went back to filling the cold, rotting body full of their warm presidential seed. Laughing, the next day - they took away our health care and dreamt of how many other even more meaningless corpses they could fuck in the future together. In 2018, after a culmination of police brutality, the pharmaceutical companies raping America, and general civil unrest, a fall out "storm the bastille" style attack was launched on the white house As America collapsed into civil war, Trump, using all the brains in his head, nuked his own country to: And I quote: "Threaten all those peasants with swords." Then, like clockwork, Tuesday night rolled around. And in the trump family, a tradition is a tradition. It doesn’t matter if you have to do deals with the mob and bury bodies in the cement of your towers. It doesn’t matter who you have to lie about or what handicapped people you need to make fun of. When Tuesday comes around, it’s “Scat and Incest night” TRADITION. As part of the white house fell off burning into a smoldering pile of rubble, the Trump’s began their Tuesday night tradition. Tiffany assumed the position and promptly began vomiting into Melania’s cold Botoxed mouth. The boys began fucking taxidermied endangered animals, as Ivanka FINALLY sucked her father’a cock, knowing that this was probably the end. Being a working Mom her whole life, (even from jobs she could never be fired from) she knew how important it was to finish the job. Unfortunately, Trump’s dick pills had been destroyed in the fire. As helicopters landed behind them shooting innocent civilians, his dick grew harder. He then told his youngest son to stand in front of him. One hand on his throbbing member, the other on a commemorative pistol. (The one rumored to have been given to Nixon from Elvis.) Knowing that this was probably the the end of his legacy, and that he had lost. With the radiation seeping into his already deranged skull, he shot his autistic son right in the forehead. Somehow, the boy fell over but didn’t die. Amazed, Trump’s hard on went down. His son, bleeding profusely, pulled down his pants, revealing that he still wore diapers. Melanie took a moment from swallowing Tiffany's vomit to gasp at the faux pas. Barron, having what seemed to be a moment of clarity, began to pull his diaper off. He grabbed handful after handful of his own shit and began to massage it gingerly into Ivanka's hair as she tried to get her father hard again with a sad blowjob. As they fucked and sucked each other to exhaustion, Trump began shooting his family members one by one. Suddenly, out of the rubble, Stephen Colbert burst up, covered in blood and dirt. He looked on, with a tear rolling down his vomit soaked shirt, he realized that there was nothing he could do. COLBERT: “STOP! WHY ARE YOU KILLING THEM? I MEAN, YOU'RE ALL HORRIBLE BUT LOOK HOW MUCH CUM YOU TAKE FOR EACH OTHER. My god...you're worse than I ever imagined...YOU'RE THE ARISTOCRATS.!" Then Trump promptly shot him in the forehead. He then took another shot at Barron. This time the boy was definitely dead. Trump looked down, with what could almost be construed as a look of guilt. He then turned to his two grown sons and said: "You know what this means." "Yes, Father" they responded dutifully. They then began fucking Barron's head wound, as the city continued to burn. The end.

#stand up #TheAristocrats #nyc #TheAristocracy

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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Got Wood: 15 Plant-Based Comic Book Characters

In the regular world, plants don’t amount to much to us. They decorate our houses and gardens, clean the air, grow food, and occasionally get chopped up to make our furniture. They certainly don’t fight crime or try to take over the world. That’s where comic books come in.

RELATED: Men of Steel: 15 Superheroes That Are Metal AF

In the comic world, plants can become powerful weapons or even superhuman beings, fighting for heroes and villains. From Marvel to DC to independent comics, the plant world is one of danger and mystery. With the adorable Baby Groot set to return in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” it’s time for CBR to review 15 plant-based characters in the world of superheroes. We won’t be talking about characters who have power over plants, but ones who actually have plants in them or are made of plants.

TUMBLEWEED

The superhero Tumbleweed first appeared in 2008’s “Number of the Beast” #1, written by Scott Beatty and penciled by Chris Sprouse. Edward Dane was caught in the detonation of the Trinity atomic bomb test in the New Mexico desert, turning him into a collection of desert plants in the shape of a human being. Tumbleweed is made of desert fauna (mostly tumbleweeds and cactus) and has the power to control the flowers and branches inside him. He can adjust his shape by changing the way the plants are arranged, and also grow new ones inside himself.

With his new powers, Dane became Tumbleweed, a member of the World War II-era superhero group, the Paladins. Along with the other Paladins, he was kept inside a virtual reality simulation to keep him under control, but escaped in modern days. After the apocalyptic events of “Number of the Beast,” Tumbleweed used his powers to make an oasis in the Nevada desert in the post-apocalyptic world.

GOLDENROD

In 1984’s “Firestorm” #19 (written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway, and penciled by Gene Colan), a broke lawyer named Frederick Delmar agreed to become a test subject for an experimental antihistamine drug called Nuvafed. The drug was just supposed to be harmless, but it caused a violent reaction in Delmar that killed him. Not wanting to admit the drug was a failure, Delmar’s body was dumped in a deserted field, where the body combined with the plants around him, bringing him back to life as a monster nicknamed Goldenrod.

Goldenrod went on a rampage to try to track down the people responsible for his transformation, but went up against the nuclear man himself, Firestorm. Goldenrod was made of plants and had the power to shoot concentrated pollen at his enemies, triggering fatal allergic reactions, and could also pollinate the area around him to grow plants that he could control. When he got out of control, Goldenrod realized he had gone too far and killed himself by dissolving into a cloud of pollen. A supervillain who kills with hay fever? Only in the comics.

BLACKBRIAR THORN

Created by Len Wein and Joe Kubert in 1984’s “DC Comics Presents” #66, Blackbriar Thorn was a Druid high priest whose sect was attacked by Roman soldiers. In order to escape, Thorn used his power to turn himself into wood so that he could hide in the forest. He intended to revert to normal upon being exposed to moonlight, but an earthquake buried him underground before that could happen. Thousands of years later, an archaeologist dug him up and put him on display in a Gotham City museum, where the moon’s light brought him back to life.

As a druid, Thorn has mystical power over the elements, able to cause wind and storms, even indoors. He also has power over plants, causing them to grow and move however he wanted, including the growth and shape of his own wooden body. Since his inception, Thorn has been a part of the DC Universe as one of the most powerful members of the magic community, often fighting heroes like the Justice League Dark, but also helping to stop the “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

LADY WEEDS

2013’s “Swamp Thing Annual” #2 by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz introduced the cruel and sadistic Lady Weeds. In the Victorian Era, Lady Weeds was an avatar of the Green, another dimension where all plant life is connected. It’s also the source of Swamp Thing’s power. Lady Weeds abused her power, though, deliberately causing the Great Potato Famine in Ireland that led to the deaths of millions, in order to convince the members of the Parliament of Trees (the Parliament helped other Green avatars like Swamp Thing) never to challenge her claim as an avatar of the Green.

Lady Weeds had all the power of Swamp Thing with none of the conscience. She could manipulate and control plants both within and outside of herself, was basically immortal as long as plants existed in the world, and could draw upon power from the Green to make herself superhumanly strong. She ended up becoming expelled from the Green and paralyzed, but reborn as an avatar of the Metal.

EL SEED

In 1992, the animated TV show “The Tick” aired “The Tick vs. El Seed,” written by Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith with storyboards by Christopher McCulloch and Stuart Yellin. In the episode, the superhero Tick faced a humanoid flower turned revolutionary named El Seed. No one knows where El Seed came from before he went to school for agriculture, but in the process he developed a chemical “vitilizer” to make plants grow arms and legs, and rise up against humans.

El Seed wanted to raise an army of plant soldiers to overthrow humanity and have plants take over the world, and his chemical concoctions almost let him do it. He tended to avoid fighting himself, but had two female insectoids called the Bee Twins to do his dirty work for him. Fortunately, the Tick and Arthur managed to get the drop on him by infiltrating the plant army as “kernels.” El Seed should have branched out to helping people instead of overthrowing them.

TIMBERIUS

Timberius first appeared in “Incredible Hulk Annual” #1 in 1968, written by Gary Friedrich and penciled by Marie Severin. A member of the Inhumans, Black Bolt found him guilty of treason and banished Timberius to another dimension along with other rebels. When the Hulk was transported to their dimension, Timberius worked with Maximus the Mad to escape. They also tried to take over the Inhuman city of Attilan. As a member of Maximus’ guard, Timberius continued to wreak havoc as part of the leader’s mad schemes.

Like all Inhumans, Timberius was exposed to the Terrigen Mists, but the combination of plant DNA gave him a wooden appearance and control over plants. He can grow plant life and make it move, much like the other entries on this list, although he’s much more ambitious. Over the years, he’s fought the Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, but keeps on going.

FLORONIC MAN

Written by Gardner Fox and pencilers Gil Kane, 1962’s “Atom” #1 introduced Jason Woodrue as the Plant Master, who used inter-dimensional technology to grow plants in order to take over the world. However, an experimental formula later turned him into a plant humanoid and he changed his name to the Floronic Man. He later became a villain of Swamp Thing, and at one point, the Floronic Man even became a hero when he joined the Global Guardians who formed after the events of the “Millennium” storyline. However, he since went back to the side of evil.

Even as Woodrue, he was dangerous because of his knowledge of plants, but as the Floronic Man, Woodrue gained the ability to control and combine his body with plant life. His powers increased when he ate parts of Swamp Thing and connected with the Green, making him able to control plants all over the world. In the New 52 reboot, Woodrue became the Seeder, fighting Swamp Thing for the right to be the avatar of the Green.

POISON IVY

“Batman” #181 (1966), created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, introduced the supervillain Poison Ivy to the DC universe. Poison Ivy was a botanist injected with experimental poisons by Woodrue that transformed her into a toxic woman who could control plants. Obsessed with plant life over human beings, Poison Ivy became an eco-terrorist who fought, robbed and even killed in order to fund her attempts at destroying humanity and saving the natural world. That’s made her one of Batman’s deadliest enemies.

Poison Ivy can control plants, making them grow and move wherever and however she likes. She can also connect to plants with her mind, communicate with them over long distances and is immune to all forms of poisons and toxins. Poison Ivy herself is riddled with poisons, able to kill someone with a kiss alone, and can also produce pheromones to control people’s minds (particularly men). She tends to fall on the side of evil, but isn’t above working with Batman on the side of the heroes every now and then.

BUSHROOT

In the 1990s Disney superhero TV series “Darkwing Duck,” Darkwing fought a lot of weird villains, but one of the strangest was Reginald Bushroot. In the 1991 episode “Beauty and the Beet” (created by John Behnke, Rob Humphrey and Jim Peterson), we met the mild-mannered scientist named Reginald Bushroot who experimented on himself and became a half-duck, half-plant hybrid.

In his new form, Bushroot could control all plants around him, making them steal and fight for him. He’s also still a genius and uses his knowledge to breed new plants for different purposes. Though Bushroot has a lot of power, he’s not really a bad guy. He just wants to help the world and find love, even going so far as to try to create a female plant for companionship. He can also regrow parts of his body that are injured, making him immortal. He’s always a thorn in Darkwing Duck’s side.

KRAKOA

Written by Len Wein and penciled by Dave Cockrum, 1975’s “Giant Size X-Men” #1 introduced a new team of X-Men assembled from mutants around the world. Cyclops explained that they needed to find the original team of X-Men, who had gone missing on a remote island named Krakoa while looking for a powerful mutant. When they arrived on Krakoa, the new X-Men discovered that the island itself was the mutant they had been looking for.

When an atomic bomb had detonated near the island of Krakoa, the radiation caused the entire island to mutate into a single conscious entity. All the trees, flowers and plants on the island could work together to fight the X-Men and drain their life energy for Krakoa’s purposes. Though the story was later retconned to say Krakoa was just a hallucination caused by Xavier, it was one of the X-Men’s most bizarre adventures, fighting piles of rocks and tree branches trying to kill them.

SEQUOIA

Sequoia first appeared in “Fantastic Four” #325 (1988), written by Steve Englehart and penciled by Rich Buckler, as the result of years of plotting and development for the character Mantis. Created by Steve Englehart and Don Heck in “The Avengers” #112 (1973), Mantis is a half-Vietnamese martial artist who was raised by a sect of the alien Kree. She joined the Avengers, and began a journey to become the Celestial Madonna, a legendary woman prophesied to give birth to the most important being in the universe.

She finally mated with a Cotati tree in human form and gave birth to Sequoia, who has the power to absorb and control energy, using it to create energy beams and heal himself. Sequoia (who also goes by Quoi) also gained incredible psychic powers on the level of Thanos and can survive without food or air, thanks to his plant-based biology. He’s become one of the most powerful beings in the universe, which is pretty impressive for a tree.

PLANTMAN

Making his debut in “Strange Tales” #113 (1951, written by Stan Lee and Joe Carter with pencils by Dick Ayers), Samuel Smithers was an orphaned British botanist who become convinced that he could give intelligence to and communicate with plants. He invented a gun designed to bring plants to life called the “vege-ray,” and used it to become the supervillain Plantman. Over time, Plantman developed plant-based versions of himself called “simuloids,” which he used to do his bidding. Some of them have been programmed with his mental pattern to the point that they are essentially Plantman. Over time, his body mutated from exposure to the vege-ray energy, and allowed him to merge with the Earth’s biosphere.

Plantman can animate and control any form of plant life. In his simuloid form, Plantman has superhuman strength and resistance, as well as the ability to control and change form. He’s living proof that plants are out to get us.

MAN-THING

“Whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing.” That’s the slogan of one of the most powerful monsters in the Marvel Universe, who first appeared in 1971’s “Savage Tales” #1, created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow. Dr. Ted Sallis was a scientist working on a variation of Captain America’s super-soldier serum when he was attacked by thugs trying to get his formula. Sallis was hurt and injected himself with the serum in order to try to save himself, but instead mutated into a monster made from the swamp.

The Man-Thing is a terrifying creature, made even more fearsome by his powers. Man-Thing is superhumanly strong and fast, thanks to his huge plant-based body, and can heal and regenerate from any injury, but also has empathic powers that let him sense fear and evil intentions. Those emotions make him seek out the source, excrete an acidic compound, and burn whatever causes it. So if you see Man-Thing lumbering towards you in the middle of the night, try not to be scared…if that’s possible.

SWAMP THING

A scientist working in a swamp on a secret formula gets attacked and his own formula mutates him to become a plant-based monster. No, this isn’t a repeat of the last entry. This is Swamp Thing, created for DC in “House of Secrets” #92 (1971) and later rebooted in “Swamp Thing” #1 by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Whether Swamp Thing was developed independently of Man-Thing is a matter of debate, but the two characters diverged wildly after their origin.

Unlike Man-Thing, Swamp Thing retained his intelligence and identity as Alec Holland, living as an exile in the swamps of Louisiana. He has incredible strength and power in his vegetable form, and can grow himself into different shapes. He can also disassemble himself and create new bodies from any plant matter, allowing him to go anywhere and live forever, as well as control other plants that aren’t part of him.

Alan Moore’s run in the 1980s made him a more monstrous and philosophical character, questioning his existence and identity. It would later be revealed that he wasn’t actually Alec Holland turned into a swamp creature, but rather that he was the swamp itself transformed into thinking he was the scientist.

GROOT

Groot first appeared in 1960’s “Tales to Astonish” #13 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers as an alien plant monster who wanted to try to conquer the world. He’s obviously changed a lot since then, beginning in 2006 as a captive and later a member of Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos. From there, Groot joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and became a true hero.

Groot is made of a wood-like structure that allows him to change shape, growing and shrinking all or parts of his body at will. He can also change his body to become covered in thorns, perfectly smooth or any other texture in between. Whenever he’s damaged, he can grow himself back from any individual part, even able to survive being almost completely destroyed and growing back from just a twig to full sized, which he’s done several times. Though it seems like he’s a simpleton who can only say “I am Groot,” he’s actually very smart. He’s also extremely loyal, especially to his best buddy, Rocket Raccoon.

Which is your favorite plant-based character? Let us know in the comments!

The post Got Wood: 15 Plant-Based Comic Book Characters appeared first on CBR.com.

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placetobenation · 5 years ago

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One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Release Date: January 25th, 1961

Inspiration: “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith

Budget: $3.6 million

Domestic Gross: $145 million

Worldwide Gross: $303 million

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

IMDB Score: 7.2/10

Storyline (per IMDB): Pongo and Perdita have a litter of 15 puppies. Cruella De Vil takes a fancy to the pups, and wants to get hold of them, as well as more pups, to make herself a lovely dalmatian skin coat… Cruella hires some thugs to kidnap the pups and hold them at her mansion. Will Pongo and Perdita find them in time?

Pre-Watching Thoughts: We continue on as we come to a new decade in the 1960s, and I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined how tumultuous the decade would be not just in the USA, but also around the world. It was also during a time where Walt Disney was contemplating closing the animation studio after the underwhelming performance of Sleeping Beauty, but fortunately he presses on and we have this film. This was one of my favorite films growing up and it had been a long time since I last watched it, and I’m hoping this is one of the films that has held up well over time and I still have that same feeling that I did when I was a child.

Voice Cast: As I had mentioned back in Sleeping Beauty, that film had probably the smallest cast to date and now we get the complete opposite as this film had probably one of the largest casts in the history of the Disney film canons. While we do have a few actors that have been previous films before returning here, the majority of the cast are first timers and possibly future returnees as well. Our first returning actress is Betty Lou Gerson who had a brief appearance in Cinderella as a narrator, and she has a much more memorable role here as she brings Cruella De Vil to life in what would be one of her last roles though arguably it is her greatest role. We also see J. Pat O’Malley in a dual role as he voices both Jasper and the sheepdog Colonel in some solid performances, and then we have Thurl Ravenscroft return as he voices Captain the horse in a small, but good role. Finally we have Barbara Luddy and Lucille Bliss return in small roles as Luddy voices the puppy Rover and Bliss sings the jingle during the Kanine Krunchies commercial as they are good filler roles. Now moving onto the new actors, we first have Rod Taylor voicing Pongo in what would be one of only two animated films he would be in though you could say this one was way more memorable. We then have Cate Bauer who voices Perdita in what ends up being her only major film role as she would retire after this film, and then we have Ben Wright who voices Roger Radcliffe in his speaking role while Bill Lee from the Mellomen provides his singing voice which would be more common in the future. Next we have Lisa Davis as she does the voice of Anita Radcliffe in what would be one of her last roles in her career, and then we have Martha Wentworth in three different roles as she voices Nanny, Queenie the cow, and Lucy the goose. We then have Frederick Worlock voicing Horace as well as the inspector on the TV show “What’s My Crime?”, and then we have David Frankham providing the voice of Sergeant Tibbs the cat. We will just lump the next bunch together as the following actors provide the voices of the puppies and they are Mimi Gibson, Barbara Beaird, Mickey Maga, Sandra Abbott, Mary Wickes, and Rickie Sorensen as they do a good job in their roles. We then have the various dogs that help Pongo, Perdita, and the puppies make it home and they include Tudor Owen who voices Towser the bloodhound, George Pelling as Danny the great Dane, Tom Conway as Collie and he also voices the quizmaster in “What’s My Crime?”, and Ramsay Hill as the Labrador. We also have Queenie Leonard and Majorie Bennett voicing Princess and Duchess the cows, and finally voicing the mechanic and the truck driver are Paul Wexler and Basil Ruysdael though these roles were pretty minor at best. Going forward, I will have to decide if it is worth it to mention every single person in the cast or just focus on the main characters, but part of it will also be determined by how big the cast is going forward.

Hero/Prince: As mentioned in the Sleeping Beauty recap, that would be the last fairy tale adapted into a film for 30 years so going forward while we will have heroes, we will not be seeing any princes to be included in this category. While it may be feasible to include a bunch of different characters in this category, there really are only two main heroes and they are Pongo and Perdita who go to great lengths to save not only their puppies, but the other puppies that had been kidnapped. They traverse the countryside and at one point actually fight off Jasper and Horace to ensure the puppies can escape the manor, and they lead the puppies back home where the remaining 84 are welcomed in by Roger and Anita. We do have to make a few honorable mentions to those that helped along the way including the Captain, Colonel, and Sergeant Tibbs who help Pongo and Perdita rescue the puppies from the manor. We also have Collie who provides them shelter and the three cows who offer them food, and finally we have the Labrador who helps them get on the truck back to London while briefly holding off Jasper and Horace. I know I seem to mention this in every recap, but it is going to be interesting to see where Pongo and Perdita ultimately land in the full rankings and having to compare them to the other heroes and/or princes.

Princess: N/A

Villain: We have been on a pretty good run in terms of the villains as we have had some of our most memorable ones over the last few films, and we continue that trend here as we have another great villain here in Cruella De Vil. She is not shy in showing off her love for fur and quickly attempts to buy the puppies from Roger and Anita though Roger refutes her, and then she has Horace and Jasper kidnap them along with 84 other puppies. Pongo and Perdita manage to rescue the puppies with the help of other dogs across the countryside despite Cruella’s efforts, and she finally goes psychotic at the end trying to catch them only to be thwarted inadvertently by Horace and Jasper. Speaking of Horace and Jasper, we have to include them as well as they kidnap all the puppies and are tasked with killing them by Cruella, but their incompetence leads to Pongo and Perdita being able to save the puppies and the three villains are left stewing after a car wreck. This was a clear example of Cruella being the mastermind behind this plan and trying to have her henchmen do the dirty work, but it ended up backfiring on her and she was left completely humiliated. There is no question that she is still regarded as one of the best villains in Disney’s history and she will probably rank pretty high in the rankings, though it is yet to be seen how high she ends up reaching.

Other Characters: It is pretty funny that coming off a film where there weren’t many other characters to talk about, it is the complete opposite here as we have a lot of characters that play a role in the film whether it be major or minor. We’ll start off with the humans in the film as we of course have Roger and Anita Radcliffe who are brought together by Pongo, and they have their struggles until Roger makes it big with his song about Cruella De Vil which allows them to get a plantation after bringing in the puppies that were kidnapped by Cruella. We also have Nanny who works for Roger and Anita as she tries to keep Horace and Jasper from coming into the house, but they overpower her and steal the puppies under her watch. We did have a few other humans show up including the truck driver and the mechanic working on his truck, and we also had those involved on the show “What’s My Crime?” but they didn’t play much of an impact in the film. Most of the main characters involved were the animals featured which we begin with not only Pongo and Perdita’s 15 puppies, but the 84 kidnapped by Cruella that brings the total to 99 puppies who are eventually adopted by Roger and Anita. We also have all the animals that assist Pongo and Perdita in their journey to find the puppies and bring them home, including all the dogs that helped them along with Sergeant Tibbs the cat, Captain the horse, and the three cows that provide milk for the puppies. While a majority of the characters didn’t have a lot of screen time aside from a few, they were fairly balanced especially in terms of their importance to the plot and they all made an impact in some way or another.

Songs: For the second film in the role, we have a film that doesn’t have a lot of songs as it seems like that way of thinking is seemingly going by the wayside and the films are having less and less songs. On the flip side, if the one song you have is a great one and is remembered very fondly, then quite frankly you don’t need to have a lot of songs as they just water each other down. That is the case here as we have the song that this film is remembered for and it is “Cruella De Vil” sung by Roger which becomes a hit and earns him millions, and it is still regarded as a great song and one of the best in the canon. There was another song in the film that should be mentioned and that is “Dalmatian Plantation” which we hear at the end of the film though not enough of it that it is as fondly remembered. I would also like to give an honorable mention to the Kanine Krunchies jingle played on TV, but unfortunately jingles don’t count in this list so it will not be included in the end. It will be interesting going forward to see if they continue down this path or if they go back to having multiple songs in a film, and we will see if that affects the quality of the song or if it helps enhance the film.

Plot: One thing I have not mentioned in terms of talking about the plot of these films is how the film sometimes differs from the source material, and it can be minor changes or it can be a completely different re-telling. In this case, the majority of the film stays somewhat faithful to the novel that it is based off of aside from various characters being removed and a few having their names changed, but the base of the film is still the same as the novel with Cruella De Vil having Pongo and Perdita’s puppies kidnapped so she can make a fur coat out of them. With the assistance of other dogs and various other animals, Pongo and Perdita find their own puppies along with other puppies taken as well and they manage to outwit Cruella and her henchmen as they return to Roger and Anita who adopt all of the stray puppies. I have mentioned in previous recaps that sometimes the simplest plots can work out the best if done properly, and there is no reason for a plot to become too over complicated as it can end up dragging the film down. In this case, the plot was fairly basic and it was done to a good extent that you felt good for Pongo and Perdita when they found their puppies and brought them home, and there is no question that the film worked well around the plot and made it one of the better adaptations of the novel.

Random Watching Thoughts: I believe this is the first film to not have a song in the opening credits and it is just music; This might be my favorite opening credits sequence to date; It is funny hearing the dogs refer to their human owners as “pets”; You can tell Roger is single just based on the state of his flat; You heard the old saying that people sometimes look like the pets that they own, well they took that to heart when Pongo was looking at all the humans and dogs walking down the street in looking for a mate for Roger; How bad would it have been if Perdita’s owner was not what Pongo had hoped for Roger?; It is funny that Roger noticed the clock was a different time as his watch and just assumed the clock was right; Poor Roger just wants to light his pipe and Pongo won’t allow him the chance; Perdita was clearly interested in Pongo if she looked away quickly when Pongo looked back at her; You have to give Pongo points for the length he went to so he could get Roger and Anita to meet; Pongo was so determined for Roger and Anita to meet that he would even cause them to get tied up and fall into a pond; Anita was so upset that she wanted Roger to go away until they realize the humor of the situation and Perdita quickly takes a liking to Pongo; Roger pretty much moved everything from his flat into the attic of this house; I love how Roger just figured he could use Cruella’s name in his song though he did a good job coming up with lyrics on the fly; Cruella must now know much about dogs if she assumed the puppies would be there by now; Who knew that Roger was so fluent in several instruments?; Considering that Cruella and Anita were once classmates, you have to think that Cruella was the school bully and Anita was one of her targets; Wouldn’t you think that Anita would be a bit suspicious as to why Cruella wanted to be there when the puppies arrived?; What is it with there being storms when a baby or babies are being born?; I don’t know who was more anxious about the puppies arriving, Pongo or Roger; What was Pongo must’ve been thinking as the number of puppies kept increasing before getting to 15?; I was curious so I looked up what the typical number of puppies in a dalmatian litter is, and I saw that it is usually between 6 and 9 though it did say that 15 is common as well; I always thought it was weird that Roger was able to bring the one puppy back to life just by rubbing it, but I searched this as well and apparently it does work in real life; Again, Cruella not knowing enough about dalmatians that she doesn’t know their spots would come with time; It is a bit funny when Cruella flicked her pen and the ink went on Pongo though you couldn’t tell what were ink spots and what were his real spots; Give Roger credit for being firm with Cruella even though he was constantly stammering; I do like how they create their own shows within the film to make it seem like real life; Pongo doesn’t even attempt to deny Perdita’s claims; Lucky is not even taking up that much space in front of the TV yet the other puppies demand he get down; How can Pongo handle that one puppy being on his head the whole time?; Ahh, the days of when a TV show was sponsored by something and they had the commercial after the show aired; It is funny that the announcer had a surprised expression on his face when Pongo turned the TV off like he knew the TV was being turned off; Horace’s bag has “Electric Company” on it and he still says they are from the gas company, and he has the “r” where it would spell the word “electirc”; I know the puppies aren’t that big, but that bag didn’t seem big enough to carry all 15 of them; Nanny just took a dive right into Roger’s cello with a picture frame around her neck and she shook it off like it was nothing; Cruella yells at Jasper for calling her directly, but I think she doesn’t have to worry about her phone being tapped because technology is not at that point; Roger knew immediately that Cruella had something to do with the puppies�� disappearance; Humans have the telephone and dogs have the twilight bark; They clearly took some of the dogs from Lady and the Tramp and retrofitted them into this film; I can’t imagine trying to sleep with a slew of dogs barking throughout the night; Sgt. Tibbs was so keen to stay asleep until the Captain forced him awake; I like how they treat the barks like it’s Morse code so they had to be sure everything was correct; I wonder how the De Vil place came to be known as Hell Hall, but I guess they assumed that it was haunted; Tibbs was certainly stunned when he learned that there were 99 puppies there and not just the 15 they assumed; Some good sound effects as it matches when Horace bites the sandwich, finds that it has been cleared off, and when Jasper puts his ashes on the bread; So a bit of an error made as they did a wide shot of the puppies with Tibbs claiming it was all 15, but if you actually pause and count them there are only 14; All the puppies are barking at what is going on and Lucky just wants to watch TV; A cat casserole a la mode just doesn’t sound that appetizing; So I did a check and a car ride from London to Suffolk is just under 2 hours, so traveling their on foot like Pongo and Perdita do takes about 7 hours; That river looks absolutely freezing and I can’t imagine that Pongo and Perdita were able to stay in it as long as they could; Cruella is so hell bent on Horace and Jasper doing their job and all they want to do is watch TV; Doesn’t she realize that if she calls the police and says that Horace and Jasper took the puppies that they can turn around and rat her out as well?; Considering all the reality TV shows and game shows that have come down the pike, I can’t believe that there has never been a show in the vain of “What’s My Crime?”; So the criminal receives a two week, all expenses paid vacation after he paid his debt to society, but what if he has a life sentence?; Tibbs tells the puppies to go through the hole one at a time yet he is telling them to go faster, they can only go so fast; Jasper tells Horace to grab a torch though they end up pulling out flashlights; Even though there are 99 puppies, we never seem to see them at certain points though we are to assume they are all there; This was also the first film that you can clearly see they used the same animations in certain scenes just with different backgrounds; The Colonel tells Pongo and Perdita to follow him as they go on ahead of him; The Colonel thinks they are ready to fight while Tibbs is trying to get the puppies out of there; That house must’ve been in such disrepair if the ceiling was able to collapse that easily onto Horace and Jasper; Clearly Patch was not smart in math since it would actually be 15 six times over and a little bit more; I love how Pongo just assumes that Roger and Anita would take the remaining puppies in just like that; I love how Tibbs pulls down on the Captain’s ear when he kicks Horace and Jasper into the wall, but it was a bit of a misfire since they could see where the dogs went; Horace is a lot smarter than we are led to think since he was right about the dogs being on the frozen river so they can’t leave tracks; That must be some pretty thick ice if they can just walk across it and not risk it breaking at any point; Cruella tells Horace and Jasper to watch their driving so not to attract the police, and meanwhile she drives like a lunatic; I get that the Collie was stopping them and telling them that there is shelter for them, but it does suck that they had to turn around and walk into the wind and snow; Considering how tired he must’ve been, kudos to Pongo for making sure that all 99 were there; An interesting plan by Pongo to try and brush the pawprints away, but he didn’t do such a good job since there were still plenty left for Cruella to see; So I did some more checking and Dinsford is not a real location in England; How was it that Lucky had the top half of his body covered in soot and Patch had the bottom half covered?; I wonder if the town was not occupied during this time because wouldn’t someone have confronted Jasper and Horace with them searching through the houses?; Again, Horace using his brain realizing that the puppies disguised themselves though Jasper just thinks he’s being dumb; Of all things to happen to them, the dripping water from the snow causes the soot to come off and reveal themselves to Cruella; That poor truck driver just trying to get to London and he has to deal with Cruella trying to run him off the road, but he does sound a bit sexist when he calls her a crazy woman driver; You would think that Cruella’s car wouldn’t be able to drive in the snow and it got destroyed pretty bad in those trees, but somehow it can still run perfectly; That was pretty dumb of Horace to grab the steering wheel and pull it out, forcing them off the road; That was quite the crash that Cruella, Horace, and Jasper had which caused Horace and Jasper’s truck to be completely destroyed, but yet somehow they managed to escape with no injures even though Cruella flipped completely; I wonder who that artist was that was singing Roger’s song; It’s amazing that they got the exact number correct since all three of them were counting; Pongo was surprisingly correct in his assumption that Roger and Anita would take all the puppies with them; Again, all the dogs barking in the night waking everyone up from their sleep.

Overall Thoughts: Overall, this film ended up being a pretty great film that has certainly held up very well over the years, but it just didn’t quite reach the last step to hit the perfect score. Even though Disney had reservations with how the movie was made and after the underwhelming performance of Sleeping Beauty, all the stars aligned and this film was hailed by many as of the greatest Disney films of all time. It seemed like things were going along just fine for Disney as he was gaining steam with his TV programs and he had a new ambitious project churning in his head, and I’m sure he was thrilled with how this film did in terms of the box office and that there was still plenty of juice in the animation tank. We will see if they can keep the momentum going with our next film, but as for this film it is a really good film and ranks up there as one of the best films in the Disney canon.

Final Grade: 9/10

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jonathanbelloblog · 7 years ago

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2018 Rolex 24 Preview: Superstars Invade Daytona

It’s an argument as old as motor racing itself: Who’s the best driver?

And it’s an argument that gets more difficult each season to answer, given the ever-increasing specialization in professional auto racing. Pitting top NASCAR drivers against top IndyCar drivers, or finding a way to have sports car drivers run against Formula 1 competitors—it’s simply too complicated.

It has been tried before, of course. The International Race of Champions attempted to do just that when the series debuted in 1974, with Mark Donohue taking the first IROC championship, followed by Bobby Unser and A.J. Foyt. But assembling the proper roster of drivers for four races a year proved more and more difficult, and IROC was done by 2006.

So is there any way to get some of the top drivers in multiple series to face off at a real speedway, battling it out in comparable cars?

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford GTs look to claim a second consecutive Rolex 24 win.

In fact there is, and it will happen this week on January 27. We are, of course, talking about the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona. Because the twice-around-the-clock endurance race does not conflict with any other major auto race in the world, it allows drivers from many series to make a guest appearance.

Which, it is worth noting, they have done every year since the Daytona endurance race debuted in 1962 as a three-hour event. That race was won by Dan Gurney, the incredibly versatile driver who scored wins in sports car racing, IndyCar racing, NASCAR, and F1. Gurney died January 14. He always counted that Daytona race as one of his favorite wins—his Lotus 19 built up a big lead when, just before the end of the race, his engine failed. Gurney managed to coast to just shy of the finish line and then, at the three-hour mark, he let off the brakes and rolled down the banking to take the checkered flag, at approximately 5 mph.

For 2018, Gurney’s legacy of versatility will be saluted by multiple drivers with solid experience outside the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which sanctions the Rolex 24.

Porsche’s 911 RSRs boast top-notch driving talent.

“Star-studded” is on overused term, but it’s pretty much the only one that applies here.

At the top of the list: Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso, the Spanish McLaren driver who will make his first appearance at Daytona as part of the United Autosports Ligier LMP2 team. The fact that it is Alonso’s first real sports car race should not discount his potential. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2017 and was immediately on pace, leading for 27 laps and contending for the win when he was sidelined with mechanical issues.

While he hasn’t yet complied statistics comparable to Alonso, another active F1 driver is on sports car duty at the Rolex 24: Canadian Lance Stroll, who has been confirmed for a second season with the Williams F1 team this year. Stroll will be contesting his second Rolex 24, this time with Jackie Chan DC Racing, an LMP2 team that almost won the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.

Other drivers with an F1 connection: Lando Norris, a McLaren junior driver and FIA European Formula 3 champion, is teaming with Alonso in the United Autosports entry. And 2017 Williams test and reserve driver Paul Di Resta, who raced in F1 with Force India for two years, will be part of a sister team to Alonso’s in another United Autosports Ligier.

Sports-car racing legend Scott Pruett says this year’s Rolex 24 will be his last top-tier professional start.

Of course, another racer with very strong F1 and U.S. ties returns to IMSA competition this season as—for the first time in his career—a full-time sports car driver. Juan Pablo Montoya not only has F1, NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA wins on his resume, but this year he will be going for the championship as part of the new Team Penske Acura ARX-05 two-car Prototype team. He is partnering with Dane Cameron, the 2016 IMSA Prototype champion, for the entire season, with Team Penske IndyCar star Simon Pagenaud joining them for the longer sports car races.

The other Team Penske Acura is just as star-studded, as ex-IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves moves to IMSA for the full season, joined by Ricky Taylor, the 2017 IMSA champ. They will partner with still another IndyCar full-timer and race winner, Graham Rahal, for the four longest races of the year.

In fact, the Verizon IndyCar Series is rather well-represented this year. Past series champ and Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will be part of the Wayne Taylor Racing Konica-Minolta Cadillac Prototype team, which won the 2017 series championship. Hunter-Reay is the team’s third driver for the long races, joining Jordan Taylor and the new full-time driver, Renger van der Zande, who replaces the Penske-bound Ricky Taylor.

The two-car Action Express Cadillac Prototype team gets some new members: With Dane Cameron departing the No. 31 car for a Penske Acura, holdover Eric Curran’s new teammate is Felipe Nasr, and they will be joined by Mike Conway and Stuart Middleton for the longer races.

BMW Team RLL’s new M8 race cars mark the beginning of a new era for the manufacturer in sports-car competition.

The other Action Express car has regular driver Christian Fittipaldi stepping back to the role of the third driver for endurance races, as well as some team administrative duties. His longtime teammate Joao Barbosa gets Filipe Albuquerque as a sidekick; Albuquerque, you will recall, was leading last year when, in the closing stages, he was spun by eventual winner Ricky Taylor. Albuquerque recovered to take second place.

Besides Roger Penske’s new Acuras, there’s another two-car team that is familiar to IMSA fans but returns for 2018 with major changes. Last year, the winless Mazda Prototype team quit early in the season to regroup, and it has made some significant changes. The new name, Mazda Team Joest, is a tipoff—Mazda has partnered with European race team Joest, which fielded Audis to multiple victories, to re-work both the car and the driver lineup. Nos. 55 and 77 will be driven at Daytona by Jon Bomarito, Harry Ticknell, and Spencer Pigot in the 55, and Oliver Jarvis, Rene Rast, and Tristan Nunez in the 77. This will be a very important year for Mazda.

F1 driver Lance Stroll and company will pilot this ORECA LMP2 entry.

There’s another active IndyCar driver on the Rolex 24 entry list, and he must not be overlooked: Scott Dixon is the winningest driver in IndyCar, with 40 wins to go along with two overall victories in the Rolex 24. He also won the 2008 Indianapolis 500, one of four Indy 500 winners in this Rolex 24 field. This year he is back with the Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, with Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook. They’ll be competing in the GT Le Mans class.

And still another open-wheel ace is in the field as Dixon’s teammate in the second Ganassi Ford GT: Sebastien Bourdais, IndyCar winner and former F1 driver, again partners with Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller.

Those Fords will square off against the two-car Corvette Racing team, which has won the last two WeatherTech Championship GTLM titles. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, teamed with Mike Rockenfeller, will be in the No. 3 Corvette, while No. 4 has Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner with co-driver Marcel Fassler.

The GTLM field also includes a pair of Porsche 911 RSRs, the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE, and a pair of brand new BMW M8 GTLM race cars fielded by BMW Team RLL. Aside from the two BMWs, the GTLM cars have only minor changes from 2017.

Former F1 champion Fernando Alonso will continue his quest for success outside of Grand Prix racing.

That said, Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, two of the most popular Porsche factory drivers IMSA has ever hosted, are back in the factory 911 RSRs. Bamber and Tandy, of course, won overall in the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Bamber picked up another Le Mans win in 2017.

If you are looking for changes, there are plenty in the GT Daytona field, stating right at the top: The WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GT3 that won the series championship the last two years gets a new driver: Cooper MacNeil moves in, and Christina Nielsen moves out, to the Wright Motorsports Porsche GT3 R with veteran Patrick Long. MacNeil teams with Alessandro Balzan for the whole season, and Gunnar Jeannette and Jeff Segal for the longer races.

For this year’s Rolex 24, Scuderia Corsa will field a second entry for 2014 Rolex 24 GTD winners Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell, who will be joined Frank Montecalvo and Sam Bird, the Formula E specialist who has already scored seven wins in that young series.

Corvette Racing is always in the hunt for wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

You might also keep an eye on the No. 99 JDC-Miller Oreca LMP2, where California driver Gustavo Menzes is helping out for the long races. He was the only American-born racer running full time in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2017, and he has an LMP2 win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016. That year, his team, Signatech Alpine, won the overall championship.

Ex-IndyCar driver Bruno Junqueira, who will help out the No. 14 3T Racing Lexus RCF GT3 on longer races, has eight IndyCar wins (actually in Champ Car), and finished second in the points three times.

We certainly can’t forget Scott Pruett, who is making his last racing start in the Rolex 24 after 50 years of competition, starting, of course, as an eight-year-old kid with a go-kart. For the Rolex 24, Pruett will drive with Junqueira’s sister team in the No. 15 Lexus, with regular drivers Jack Hawksworth, Dominik Farnbacher, and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Will Mazda’s new association with Team Joest bring it to the front of the field?

Pruett is a five-time champion in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with 60 sports car series wins, and he also won in the aforementioned International Race of Champions series. He competed in both NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series and in the IndyCar Series, where he won twice. He has five overall wins in the Rolex 24, equaled only by Hurley Haywood.

If you count the handful of starts Romain Dumas has in the World Rally Championship—not to mention his three wins at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb—that’s another series represented here by a remarkably versatile driver, who has three overall wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year, he and fellow Frenchman Loic Duval will join regular drivers Colin Braun and Jon Bennett in the CORE Oreca LMP2.

NASCAR isn’t quite as well-represented as it has been in past Rolex 24s—last year, Jeff Gordon stepped out of retirement to join the Wayne Taylor Racing team for its overall victory—but don’t forget that NASCAR’s A.J. Allmendinger also has an overall win in the Rolex 24. This year he is helping out the two-car Acura NSX GT3 Daytona lineup from Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. He will share the No. 86 car with former IndyCar racer Katherine Legge, Alvaro Parente, and Trent Hindman.

Team Penske has a stellar driver lineup for each of its two new prototypes.

If you’re looking for some additional NASCAR talent on Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course, come a day earlier than the Rolex 24 for the season opener of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge. Young guns Cole Custer, 19, Austin Cindric, 19, Chase Briscoe, 23, and Ty Majeski, 23, will race Ford Mustang GT4s for the Multimatic team. All four will compete this season for Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity series.

By IMSA’s count, drivers from 25 countries and six continents—it seems that, once again, Antarctica’s racers are laying down on the job—will compete in the 2018 Rolex 24. It’s a singular lineup, and we have to think Dan Gurney would be proud.

ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Thursday, Jan. 25:

Qualifying, 3:45 p.m EST, imsa.tv

Friday, Jan. 26:

BMW Endurance Challenge, 12:50 p.m. EST, imsa.tv

Saturday, Jan. 27:

Rolex 24, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. EST, Fox

2:30 p.m.-11:55 p.m. EST, imsa.tv

5 p.m.-10 p.m. EST, Fox Sports 2

10 p.m.-11 p.m EST, Fox Sports Go

11 p.m.-1 a.m. EST, Fox Sports 1

Sunday, Jan. 28:

12:05 a.m.-2:40 p.m. EST, imsa.tv

1 a.m.-8 a.m. EST, Fox Sports Go

8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. EST, Fox Sports 2

10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. EST, Fox Sports Go

10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. EST, Fox Sports 1

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gessvhowarth · 7 years ago

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Things To Do Today In London: Monday 23 January 2017

Things to do today in London is sponsored by Roundhouse. Uncle Howard is showing at the Regent Street Cinema. Photo: Pinball London What we're reading A poor attempt at tackling the housing crisis in Hackney. Londoners set up a Southern Rail memorial. Where is the City of London headed after Brexit? A map of London's trees. Things to do SKI VILLAGE:Fancy going skiing but can't get the time off? Go for the second best thing at London's Vauxhall Winter Village. Alright, it may not have the snow, but with a winter sports bar, hot food stalls and a photo booth, it's got all the elements of aprés-ski. Free entry, just turn up, 11.30am-10pm DANIEL RADCLIFFE FOR £10: Grab your preview tickets to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Joshua McGuire and David Haig, the play returns to the Old Vic 50 years after its premiere. £10, tickets available from noon 20TH CENTURY CARTOGRAPHY: Join British Library curator Tom Harper for a talk about the most significant modern maps on display in the current Maps and the 20th Century exhibition. Free, book ahead, 1pm-2pm HEDDA GABLER: Actress Ruth Wilson takes part in a National Theatre platform to discuss her experiences of playing the lead role in Hedda Gabler. £6/£5, book in advance, 3pm SCRAPBOOKING: Get in touch with your creative side at Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road by taking part in a scrapbooking workshop. Find out how to make a memory book of your stray pictures, souvenirs and tickets. £20, book ahead, 5.30pm-7.30pm UNCLE HOWARD: Regent Street Cinema hosts a screening of Uncle Howard, a film telling the story of Hollywood filmmaker Howard Brookner, who died of AIDS in 1989. Brookner's nephew goes on a journey discovering his uncle's film legacy. Various prices, book ahead, 6.30pm FOREIGN POLICY: Explore the challenges and opportunities that foreign policy faces in the 21st century in this free lecture at LSE. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8pm Dirty Great Love Story is showing at the Arts Theatre until 18 March THIS BRUTAL WORLD: Join author and graphic designer Peter Chadwick at the V&A as he discusses how his childhood surroundings ignited his interest in concrete, music and Brutalism, leading to the publishing of his book, This Brutal World. £15, book ahead, 7pm MEET AN ASTRONAUT: Astronaut Chris Hadfield will be discussing his life and career at New Wimbledon Theatre. Like what you hear? There's a book signing after the talk. Various prices, book in advance, 7.30pm CHARITY COMEDY: Comedians Joe Lycett, Elis James, Dane Baptiste, Suzi Ruffell and Lou Sanders are among the names performing to raise money for Centrepoint charity at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. £17.50-£32.50, book in advance, 7.30pm BRITISH WITCHCRAFT: Head to Conway Hall to watch clips from films released at the height of the 1970s British witchcraft revival, and to discuss the cultural context of the films. £5, book ahead, 7.30pm-9pm LIGHT FESTIVAL: See a giant glass egg, become an angel, and witness some trippy interactive art at Canary Wharf Winter Lights festival. Follow the trail among the skyscrapers (and warm up in the Crossrail Place shopping centre). Free, just turn up, dark-9pm, until 27 January ROMANCE AT THE THEATRE: A classic love story: she thinks he's a mistake, he thinks she's perfect. Dirty Great Love Story at Arts Theatre in Covent Garden is a romantic catastrophe play about bad timing, good intentions and the question as to whether a one-night stand could last a lifetime. From £20, book ahead, until 18 March BROTHERS IN ART: The Heath Robinson Museum's new exhibition The Brothers Robinson features works by artist and illustrator brothers William, Tom and Charles, some of which are being shown for the first time. It's been curated by Robinson family descendant Peter Higginson. £6/£5/£4, book ahead, until 26 March WORKING THE WALBROOK: Museum of London's latest display shows artefacts from the lost Walbrook valley and beyond, from over 170 years of excavation in London. Items include gardening tools dating back to Roman times. Free, just turn up, until 26 March Sponsor message Jaga Jazzist kicks off Camden’s intimate gig series This January, Camden’s Roundhouse is bringing back its fabulous In The Round series of intimate performances in a seated concert set-up. The exciting line-up features something to tickle every music taste, from Orchestra Baobab to The Tiger Lillies. Check out Jaga Jazzist, a Norwegian post-jazz group with electronica, rock and jazz elements. With multi-instrumentalists and hypnotic tracks from their latest Ninja Tune album Starfire as well as older pieces, Jaga Jazzist are sure to get you dancing in your seat. Book now for this exclusive In The Round gig on 27 January. Good cause of the day NIGHT WALK: Get fit and give to a good cause with the Big London Night Walk. Change the lives of hardworking Big Issue vendors and hear their personal insights on this 12 mile charity walk through London at night. £25 (plus £220 fundraising target), book ahead, 3 March Stage review: Mr Swallow - Houdini. Magic. Comedy. Gold You’ll recognise actor Nick Mohammed as the awkward IT specialist in a bit-part in Bridget Jones’s Baby, but his comedy chops won him 5* reviews and the word-of-mouth ‘must see’ hit of the 2016 Edinburgh Festival for this bizarre and perpetually hilarious contortion in which he plays a hapless actor impersonating the escapologist Houdini. Circuit comedians Kieran Hodgson and David Elms act as magician's assistants and chime in with the odd dance routine (and we mean odd). Just the new year tonic we all need. Mr Swallow – Houdini, Soho Theatre, Wardour Street, W1 £15-21. Until 18 Feb ★★★★★ Johnny Fox Art review: The Power of the Internet Image courtesy: Carroll / Fletcher A group show looking at the terrifying impact of digital technology on our world. A campaign to buy votes, facial recognition technology that matches visitors faces to missing persons, and fake movie posters. A brilliant collection of thought provoking artworks. United We Stand at Carroll / Fletcher, 56-57 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8EQ. Free, until 4 February ★★★★☆ [Tuesday-Saturday] Funzing Fun things to do with our friends and sponsor Funzing. LDN Talks @ Night||Body Language of Love & Attraction What does it mean when someone flicks their hair or crosses their legs while they’re talking to you? Dr Peter Collett analyses the role of body language in relation to dating. £10 Get tickets Learn to Perform: Acting Masterclasses for Adults Experience life on stage and see what it takes to be an actor at Theatre Gym. Learn performance skills and network without networking in the class led by trained actress Tal Jakubowiczova. £5 Get tickets Molecular Gastronomy Tapas diner Workshop - Clapham Ever fancied yourself as the next Heston Blumenthal? Discover the science meets of molecular gastronomy and help science meet flavour in a vegan tapas dinner workshop. £45 Get tickets

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#London #Things To Do #THINGS TO DO IN LONDON TODAY #THINGS TO DO TODAY IN LONDON #THINGS TO DO TODAY #things to do

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davidblaska · 5 years ago

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We’re watching how alders vote

It goes beyond disrespect. It is more than an insult to police officers. The new mayor’s appointment of Brenda Konkel to the Public Safety Committee is an outright assault on public safety.

This blog broke that story yesterday morning (07-15-19). New mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway could not signal her hostility toward law enforcement any more forcefully.

Former alder Konkel is so reflexively anti-cop that the police officers union actually put up a billboard to defeat her for re-election 10 years ago. She hated police then, she hates them now.

Fight this appointment! Tell the Madison Common Council to vote NO on Brenda Konkel!

The folks behind “We Stand With The Madison Police Department” compiled this rap sheet on Brenda Konkel:

Tried to pass an ordinance allowing homeless people to literally crap on our streets.

Publicly ridiculed a Madison neighborhood police officer with obscene and offensive content for running a crafting program for disadvantaged neighborhood youth and then when called out for her offensive behavior, fired back that the police were “censoring her.”

Stalked and harassed a Madison police officer who was cleared through due process by the Dane County DA and the Obama/Holder Department of Justice.

Blaska would add:

Advertised for someone, anyone, to file a complaint against Police Chief Mike Koval before the Police & Fire Commission.

Lodged an ethics complaint against school board president Gloria Reyes alleging conflict of interest in an attempt to nullify the school board’s 4-3 vote to retain police in our troubled high schools.

Sided with Freedom Inc., International Socialists, Black Lives Matter, and the Royko-Maurer Community Response Team to Derail the Jail.

Supported the squatters who befouled the porch of the City-County Building for months on end.

Fights any and all budget increases for MPD.

Founding member of the coalition to evict school resource officers.

We said Madison was too liberal for Paul Soglin. The chickens have not only come home to roost, they are pooping all over police. Consider that Satya-Rhodes appointed another police critic, Greg Gelembiuk, to the Madison Police Department Policy and Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee. That committee is proposing a police review commission stacked with felons, squatters, illegal aliens, and addicts. (Related here.)

Will Madison’s new deputy mayor for law enforcement see racism in the Madison Police Department?

Law enforcement is racist

Who did the new mayor appoint as her deputy mayor for law enforcement? Yes, a former MPD captain. But not just any police captain. After leaving MPD, Cameron McLay was hired as Pittsburgh’s police chief in 2014. Two years later, he was forced to stepped down after a no-confidence vote by his officers. For one thing, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention while in uniform. More egregiously, he accused his own men and women in blue of racism most foul.

“The chief is calling us racists,” union president Howard McQuillan said at the time. “He believes the Pittsburgh Police Department is racist.” (Story here)

Anyone who plays the Race Card is A-O.K. with Mayor Satya!

The irony is thick with this one

The “We Stand” people note this irony:

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway tells Madison PD to crack down on vagrant behavior on State Street, then nominates Brenda Konkel to the Public Safety Review Committee.

Konkel is a dyed-in-the-wool cop-hater, who has shown repeatedly she has ZERO ability to be impartial in regards to matters of public safety. Someone who openly MOCKS and ATTACKS individual police officers engaged in community policing is unfit to serve in this position.

Who should be appointed to Public Safety is someone like Paula Fitzsimmons. She tells Blaska Policy Werkes:

Look at the cop haters. Say what you want about them, but they’re organized and tenacious and united.

Am I angry? Yes, because I know what’s ahead – but most of all I’m angry because I know some of this could have been allayed had more gotten involved when we had the chance. It doesn’t help that our PD has a union that seemingly sits back and takes it, and cops who are too tired or scared to fight back. …

I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw an even bigger exodus of cops in the coming years. Keep in mind that a weakened police department means we’re all less safe.

New York City sounds like Madison

Maybe Cam McLay will grace the national Democrat(ic) convention in Milwaukee next summer. Perhaps he could put into nomination the name of Bill diBlasio, mayor of New York City. From the Wall Street Journal: “Disorder Rises in de Blasio’s New York: Graffiti and petty crime are rampant again, as the mayor denies the justice system’s legitimacy.”

[diBlasio] propagates the smear that the majority-minority NYPD unjustifiably targets minorities when conducting street investigations. He knows there is nothing racially proportionate about reported violent crimes in the city, which in the busiest precincts affect only minorities. His posturing and gamesmanship provide fuel for the worst kind of conspiracy theories and hate speech against officers. Never has a mayor been more disdained by his police.

His factionalist, unserious approach to public safety might have paved the way for the ascent into the Queens district attorney’s office of a defense lawyer, Tiffany Cabán, who insists that the cause of crime and disorder in the city is the criminal-justice system. Her 20-point platform did not mention victims, violence, community decay, punishment or even guns. Instead, she vowed to keep as many offenders as possible free — even some of the most serious recidivists.

There are exceptions: she pledges to prosecute landlords who fail to provide heat, business owners who don’t pay employees — and cops.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Will the WI State Journal bestir itself to speak out editorially or will it just go along for the slide to the bottom? Some courage is required here. Who’s got it?

Brenda Konkel is a slap in the face We're watching how alders vote It goes beyond disrespect. It is more than an insult to police officers.

#Brenda Konkel #Cameron McLay #Greg Gelembiuk #Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

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davidblaska · 5 years ago

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… and his darn CCW criminal background checks!

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Say this about Pete Buttigieg at last week’s Democrat(ic) presidential debate: at least he took responsibility. “I didn’t get it done,” the candidate said about not getting more racial diversity in the police force as mayor of his small town in Indiana. Didn’t blame Donald Trump.

Catch Blaska on the Divine Ms. Vicki’s most-excellent radio show today (07-01-19) from 5 to 6 p.m. WIBA-AM1310.

There is a shooting Saturday night at Shake the Lake, Madison’s downtown Independence Day fireworks celebration. The miracle is only one person was shot in the midst of scores of people at Monona Terrace, Madison’s civic gathering place and prized jewel. (A policeman was also injured when he fell in the clean-up operation.)

Our new mayor, Satya Conway-Rhodes, vowed more security at future events, then pivoted to blame Republicans for crime in her city — A city that was too liberal, progressive, and socialist for Paul Soglin! Her Honor said:

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“It is entirely unacceptable that someone brought a gun to last nights’ Festival Foods Shake the Lake fireworks display, an event enjoyed by thousands of people, including many children.

“… I will be working with the police and other city staff to see what measures can be taken to enhance security at this event and other public events.

“But our job is made more difficult by a state legislature that advances reckless gun laws and at the same time curtails the rights of cities to take further action.”

What these “reckless gun laws” might be that the legislature forced on the people of Wisconsin, Mayor Conway-Rhodes does not say. Presumably, she meant concealed carry. Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow this right (there are now 50). In Wisconsin 330,000 citizens hold concealed carry permits after taking training, enduring a criminal background check, and paying the permit fee.

As for “further action,” Her Honor may wish to speak to District Attorney Ozanne about his catch and release policy.

A typical Rohdes-Conway voter named Angela O’Cleirigh trotted out (via social media) the Progressive Dane line: “Its pretty obvious it was probably a misfire of some middle-aged white dude’s conceal and carry ….”

My people, they not only walk among us, they elect our mayors.

Police Chief Mike Koval could walk across Lake Monona and Madison progressives would complain that the chief can’t swim.

Madison has been giving its police a department-wide proctology exam for the last four years through a torture device called “Madison Police Department Policy and Procedure Review Ad Hoc Committee.” The newest member of that Inquisition panel is “police critic” (as the WI State Journal calls him) Gregory Gelembiuk. He is a soldier in Amelia Royko-Maurer’s anti-cop “Community Response Team.”

Blame the Police First

Gelembiuk blames the police. “I wonder if Satya talked to [Koval] about not scaring people off from the event with his typical lurid rhetoric.”

Which is an odd thing to say, considering that Koval called the shooting “an anomaly, an outlier, and is not the defining narrative for this annual event.” Sorry, Chief, but you’re wrong this time. At the predecessor to Shake the Lake (Rhythm and Booms at Warner Park), four people were stabbed. Teen violence shut down the midways at Bratfest and at Fitchburg Days not too long ago. Not an anomaly, Chief. Families now are considering staying away from future civic events. (The Wisconsin State Journal story.)

Tripping the light fantastic, Gelembiuk actually made the case (on social media) for FEWER POLICE!

“That this happened despite heavy police presence/security also would undercut his usual narrative that adding police increases safety. In reality, the evidence clearly shows that adding police to a typical U.S. police department doesn’t reduce violent crime.”

Blaska’s Bottom Line: You can’t blame Greg Gelembiuk on the Republicans, Madame Mayor!

Shooting at Madison’s Shake the Lake? It’s Scott Walker’s fault ... and his darn CCW criminal background checks! Say this about Pete Buttigieg at last week’s Democrat(ic) presidential debate: at least he took responsibility.

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davidblaska · 4 years ago

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Ring the Capitol Square with National Guardsmen and deploy them all the way down State Street;

Round up the ringleaders now!

This is what Progressivism gets you: The statue of an immigrant Union colonel who gave his life to end slavery and quash the Confederacy — hauled down and dumped in Lake Monona.

Tuesday night’s (06-24-2020) riot (there is no other word for it) was not a protest against racial injustice, it was about creating demolishing civilization; vandalism for its own sake. Mindless mob nihilism.

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This is liberal governance for you: Miss Forward, the seven-foot statue of a strong and proud woman standing at the prow of a boat as if to direct Wisconsin into the bright future, toppled. This is not a demonstration, it is an act of civil insurrection. And the City of Madison, Dane County, the State of Wisconsin is powerless to stop the destruction?

Here are your civil rights: A liberal state senator, Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, pummeled for trying to record the carnage. All because a petty criminal with a lengthy rap sheet resists arrest — an arrest for harassing and threatening with bullhorn and a baseball bat) at point-blank range innocent restaurant-goers? Accusing random diners of unproven racism? This is your hero? This is your George Floyd?

Put an end to this progressive terrorism!

If Tony Evers does not call in the National Guard today he should be removed from office. It is too late for Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway, the mayor of Madison who apologized for sympathizing with Madison’s tormented police. Who has directed the police innumerable times to stand down. She must, herself, stand down. (Liberal blogger Gregory Humphrey was the first to make this call.)

Where is Dane County Executive Joe Parisi? The City-County Building was firebombed Wednesday night? Why hasn’t Sheriff Dave Mahoney deployed his deputies? Madison is burning. Where were the Capitol Police?

Arrest Sire Gq, the guy who announces “We got ourselves a M-F* * * -ing tow truck.” and “C’mon downtown tonight, it’s about to go down.”

The police union must declare a vote of No Confidence in the mayor. Police Chief Vic Wahl must summon his inner Mike Koval and declare, publicly, that his job is to protect the people of Madison and to hell with kowtowing to the crazies.

School board president Gloria Reyes must declare that MMSD will honor its contract for police in the public high schools. The Common Council must declare that police will NOT BE DEFUNDED in the next budget.

The Wisconsin State Journal must demand strong and decisive action. Kaleem Caire, the Rev. Gee, Ruben Anthony, Michael Johnson, and other local civil rights leaders must denounce the terrorism. And every guilty white liberal.

The Official Police Report

On Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, a group of 200-300 people along with a number of vehicles moved through the downtown Madison area. The group initially marched, blocked intersections, and obstructed driveways. As the group’s behavior escalated, they entered a private condominium building and surrounded a towing vehicle (requiring the driver to abandon the vehicle).

The group later moved to the Capital Square and removed two statutes from the Capital grounds (Lady Forward and Hans Christian Heg), and broke windows in a number of buildings. Windows at the City-County Building were broken, and a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the building. The group went on to also attempt to force entry to the State Capital building. OC spray was deployed from within the State Capitol building to repel individuals who were attempting to force entry.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: It is the Broken Windows theory of crime; give an inch and they take a mile. There is no way to satisfy the anarchists’ demands. Madison is doing its best to re-elect Donald Trump. How long before The Proud Boys, the Boogaloo Bois, et cetera show up in town? Me, I’m having lunch at Cooper’s Tavern today.

What do YOU think?

Resign, Mayor Satya. Declare martial law, Gov. Evers! Ring the Capitol Square with National Guardsmen and deploy them all the way down State Street;

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davidblaska · 6 years ago

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‘Candle of freedom’ is sputtering but still is lit

That did not take long.

The WI State Journal reports this morning that cops in schools have one foot out the door of Madison’s four troubled, public high schools. That’s thanks to the election of three new school board members, two of them endorsed by Brenda Konkel’s anti-cop Progressive Dane political party.

When newly elected board members Cristiana Carusi, Ali Muldrow and Ananda Mirilli are sworn in later this month, a majority of the seven-person body will have either expressed opposition to or previously voted against a new contract to continue the program. …

“We’ll potentially eliminate the program,” said Mirilli, who defeated Seat 5 incumbent TJ Mertz on Tuesday.

Over at city hall, mayor-elect Satya Rhodes-Conway is repaying her endorsement by the police union by vowing to add no more officers to the force, despite Chief Mike Koval’s entreaties.

Channel 3000 reports: “She is more interested in the addition of extra mental health and addiction services to the city. “I don’t think we need necessarily more officers …”

Satya is also Progressive Dane. And was endorsed by The Capital Times, whose editor emeritus is up today with a column defending socialism. Rhodes-Conway further embellished her A.O.C. credentials by naming Mary Bottari as her chief of staff. Ms. Bottari sees Koch Brothers under every bed. She’s the wife/partner of socialist provocateur John Nichols.

For his part, Nichols ballyhoos the election Tuesday of a Democrat as mayor of Green Bay. “His win is …another sign that progressive ideas are gaining traction in cities well beyond Madison and Milwaukee.

That’s a similar message to the one that former state Rep. Cory Mason, another progressive Democrat, carried into his winning campaign for mayor of Racine in 2017.

Conservative takes back Badger state

Except that former Walker legal counsel Brian Hagedorn won both Brown and Racine Counties on his way to a narrow win for state supreme court. Racine county is his liberal opponent’s home county. That’s akin to Al Gore losing Tennessee 19 years ago.

“Al the more surprising since Badger state Democrats last year rode the anti-Trump tide,” the Wall Street Journal remarks.

Hagedorn replaces the lioness of the Left, Shirley Abrahamson, putting Wisconsin’s high court at 5-2 conservative.

Smarter minds than mine — Judge James Troupis, Vicki McKenna, and the Hon. Brian Schimming are two — attribute Hagedorn’s victory to his ringing defense of religious freedom in the face of virulent P.C. attacks from the same people who defend Muslims wearing the hijab in the U.S. military.

“The Left vilified him for giving speeches to the “hate group” Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the Colorado cake baker in a winning appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court,” political reporter James Wigderson observes.

Winners & Losers

Wigderson’s RightWisconsin labels as winners of Tuesday’s election: “Christian candidates.”

Apparently believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead is not a disqualifier to serve on the state’s highest court. When nearly everybody else was running for the hills, social conservatives in Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin rallied to Hagedorn’s defense.

Another factor is voter revulsion at the Democrat(ic) party’s turn toward infanticide and full-on socialism and the collapse of the Russian collusion narrative.

A principal of the Alliance Defending Freedom writes, in today’s read: “We were smeared by the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

The SPLC insists on vilifying rather than debating its ideological opponents. Its method of choice is the “hate group” label — hurled at peaceful groups that disagree with its far-left worldview.

RightWI also labels as Losers: Planned Parenthood, Eric Holder and all that “outside money.” And yes, WMC and WI Realtors — cowed by the crowd into turning tail rather than standing and fighting for their values.

Is Dane County redeemable?

Dane County GOP chair Scott Grabins reminds us that the conservative in last year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race (Screnock) “We finished with 19% of the vote in this county. This spring we finished with 21%.

“That two percent meant about 6,400 votes more for Judge Hagedorn yesterday than last year’s race. Looking at the final numbers, no one can say the vote of Republicans in Dane County didn’t matter to the outcome.”

My Ms. Vicki insists that Blaska for Safer Schools encouraged conservative and moderate voters to get to the polls, thus proving the value of down-ticket races in spurring turnout.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: RightWI names one other “winner.”

David Blaska. Given the mayoral race, his race for school board probably never stood a chance. However, he has lit a candle of freedom in the howling winds of Madison socialism. May the flame continue to glow bright until one day sanity is restored to the city.”

Aw, shucks.

Madison losers: cops, public safety; Statewide winner: religious freedom 'Candle of freedom' is sputtering but still is lit That did not take long. The WI State Journal…

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