#dave richardson

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.7

The scent of spices still lingers in the air, mingling with the warm, dry breeze drifting in through the open terrace doors. The table in front of me is a landscape of wine glasses and the plates that once held Dave’s mouth-watering lemongrass chicken.

I fold my napkin and leave it by my bowl, which has been scraped so thoroughly clean that it looks like I licked it. Had I been alone, I probably would have.

“That was delicious, Dave. Best I’ve had outside Tomarang.”

Dave beams with pride. “The secret is in the red curry paste, I think I finally found the perfect mix. I hope you left room for dessert though, I’ve got more coming.”

“Now you’re just spoiling me. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s the end of an era. I think dessert is justified.”

I nod solemnly. I recorded my last lines as Llama Man two days ago. Lee dropped by the studio with champagne to commemorate the occasion and I ended up with a hangover that still haunts me.

The fact that the show is over feels weird to think about. I’ve had many roles, but most of them were pretty minor and, most of all, temporary. They were just something I did for a little while, but I’ve been Llama Man for fifteen years and now, jarringly, I’m not.

Sierra interrupts my wallowing. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do now?”

I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I still get a few gigs here and there for other voiceovers, but nothing steady.”

“What about finally going back to acting? On camera, I mean? It’s the perfect time, the show finale is going to get you some buzz, and my agent would love a chance to work with you, you know that.”

“Sierra, honey, it’s only been a couple of days, maybe it’s a bit soon to worry about what’s coming next?”

Sierra chews on her lip, clearly eager to keep going, but she doesn’t. She always says that Dave is her rock, the calm counterbalance to her temper. Some of my previous girlfriends didn’t like my closeness with Sierra, assumed that we used to date or at the very least slept together, but we never did. We would probably have strangled each other.

Julia was refreshing like that too, she never interrogated me about Sierra or seemed to feel threatened, she just took our friendship at face value.

Or maybe she simply didn’t care enough about you to get jealous.

Sierra gives me a sideways glance. “Fine, we can discuss it later, but how are you doing, really? I mean, the show ending is a big change on its own, but after everything with Julia…”

“I told you, Sierra, I’m fine. I knew the show was ending, it was announced last year. And Julia and I have been done for months, it was sad but I’m over it.”

“Are you, though? It’s just, you haven’t really been yourself since you broke up with her and-”

Dave rubs his forehead. “Honey, please, we talked about this. Let the man breathe.”

It has no effect. Even Dave isn’t enough to stop Sierra after three glasses of Soft Shadow Avornalino.

“I’m just trying to understand, though. You were happy, she seemed happy too, and the next thing I hear is that you dumped her? I don’t get it.”

“Sierra, can we not talk about this, please? I don’t want to go over it again, it’s complicated.”

“Again? You never went over it the first time! And you seemed to be doing so well, this is the longest I’ve seen any of your relationships last, so what went wrong?”

“Ten months isn’t that long, and since when do you care so much about Julia anyway? You were the one who was sceptical about her from the start!”

“I care about you, Paul! I was only sceptical because I was worried about whether she was, you know, right for you. I love you, you know I do, but you can be kind of a lot to deal with sometimes!”

A weary sigh from Dave finally makes Sierra pause.

“Sorry, Paul, that was uncalled for. I just wish you’d get a bit more, well, serious about your life, your career, everything.”

I don’t respond.

Dave clears his throat. “Honey, why don’t you and Paul go for some fresh air while I clean up in here and get dessert ready? The garden is really coming along.”

She looks at him gratefully. There’s a unspoken understanding between them that makes me feel strangely sad. I wonder if it’s something you develop when you’ve been together for as long as they have, or if the trick is to marry someone exactly because they can tell what you need without speaking. Maybe it’s a bit of both. I certainly wouldn’t know. Like Sierra just reminded me, I’ve never been with someone long enough to find out.

I catch myself staring at them and quickly look away. I’m not really superstitious, but all Tartosans grow up learning about malocchio, the evil eye, it’s habitual. My grandmother always said that you’re not supposed to look at someone with envy in your heart, or you might curse them, even if you don’t mean to.

Maybe I’m cursed. If anything invites envy and jealousy, it’s fame. Maybe that’s why I keep fucking things up, why I’m never satisfied. It would almost be a relief to be cursed. At least then it wouldn’t be my own damn fault.

Dave starts clearing the table, and both Sierra and I get up as well. She looks at me apologetically, but I walk outside without waiting for her, into the neatly kept garden.

It’s the height of summer, and the chorus of cicadas fills the air, a rhythmic, comforting hum that blends seamlessly with the faint sounds of water trickling from a small fountain. It’s hard to believe we’re in the desert, the entire neighbourhood is like a carefully crafted oasis, each house more exquisite than the last, all lush gardens and towering palm trees.

I sigh, looking up at the dusky sky. Behind me, the sound of gravel crunching under Sierra’s feet mixes with the soft clinking of dishes coming from inside the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Paul. Dave did tell me not to bring it up.”

“I was planning to propose to her, you know. How’s that for getting serious?”

“What?”

“Yes! Bought the ring and everything. But luckily I came to my senses before I utterly embarrassed myself.”

For the first time in all the years I’ve known her, Sierra is speechless. She simply stares at me, wide-eyed, and I realise that I must look deranged, my face contorted by grief and fury and shame, my chest heaving.

I feel a burning sensation in my nose and her face softens. She pulls me into a hug and I let her do it, like so many times before.

“For fuck’s sake, Paul.”

I hold back, not wanting to crush her under my weight, but she pulls me closer, insistently, until I relax and lean on her.

“I’m such an idiot.”

Sierra says nothing, she just rubs my back in gentle circles and I feel my anger slowly dissipate. She finally lets me go and cups my face with her hand.

“Paul, look at me. Do you regret leaving her?”

Desperately.

“No.”

The word leaves my mouth automatically. I’ve thought about Julia every single day, but each time my finger hovers over her name in my phone, I get overwhelmed by a feeling of dread I can’t quite put into words.

Admit it, you’re just afraid that she’d reject you the way you rejected her.

“Sierra, am I just meant to be alone? Is there something wrong with me?”

She snorts. “Nope, you’re perfect, that’s your whole problem. You could have anyone, you just can’t make up your mind.”

“She’s the only one I ever wanted like this.”

She shrugs. “You have a strange way of showing it, then. But if you really don’t regret it, I guess it must have been the right call.”

There’s doubt in her voice, like she knows I’m lying.

“It’s for the better, Sierra. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life yet, she needs time to figure it out.”

“Maybe she could have figured it out with you.”

I hadn’t even thought of that, but I reject the idea immediately, it’s too painful. “No. It was never going to last.”

“So you keep saying. You make it sound like you expected it to fail from the start.”

“So did you.”

“True. Sorry about that.” She leans against my shoulder.

“Careful the paps don’t see you like this, we wouldn’t want the rumours to start again.”

She chuckles. “I think they gave up on us when I married Dave.”

“They could try a new angle. I’m single again, what will I do next? I might try to add some drama to the most boring, sorry, I mean stable marriage in Del Sol Valley.”

She laughs and punches me in the shoulder, surprisingly hard.

“Watch it, Romeo. I may only be a cop on screen, but I’ve learned a lot about hiding evidence.”

I put my arm around her and for a moment we just exist, listening to the cicadas until Dave calls us back in for dessert.

beginning / previous / next

[skapediem]

unusual suspects! (+1 exceedingly killable victim)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Dave Granlund

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 10, 2024 (Wednesday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 11, 2024

Prime minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and his wife, Yuko Kishida, are in Washington, D.C., tonight at a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The dinner is part of a state visit, the fifth for this administration.

Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have worked to strengthen ties to countries in the Indo-Pacific to weaken the dominance of China in the region, and Japan is the key nation in that partnership. “We celebrate the flourishing friendship between the United States and Japan,” Dr. Biden said Tuesday. “Our nations are partners in building a world where we choose creation over destruction, peace over bloodshed, and democracy over autocracy.”

During talks today, Biden and Kishida committed to strengthening the defense and security frameworks of the two countries so they can work together effectively, especially in a crisis. The new frameworks include intelligence sharing, defense production, satellite cooperation, pilot training, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance, and technological cooperation. Affirming the ties of science and education between the countries, the leaders announced that two Japanese astronauts would join future American missions and, Biden said, “one will become the first non-American ever to land on the moon.” 

That cooperation both takes advantage of and builds on economic ties between the two countries. In a press conference with Kishida on Wednesday, Biden noted that Japan is the top foreign investor in the U.S., and the U.S. is the top foreign investor in Japan. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have announced investments of $2.9 billion, $1 billion, and $15 billion respectively in Japan over the next several years, largely in computer and digital advances. Japanese corporations Daiichi Sankyo, Toyota, Honda Aircraft, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Mitsui E&S, and Fujifilm announced investments in the U.S., primarily in manufacturing.

In a press conference, Kishida told reporters that “[t]he international community stands at a historical turning point. In order for Japan, the U.S., the Indo-Pacific region, and, for that matter, the whole world to enjoy peace, stability, and prosperity lasting into the future, we must resolutely defend and further solidify a free and open international order based on the rule of law.”

“This is the most significant upgrade in our alliance…since it was first established,” Biden said. While he noted that lines of communication with China remain open—he spoke with Chinese president Xi Jinping last week—the strengthening of ties to Japan comes in part from concern about the Chinese threat  to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that the Chinese government considers its own. Leaders are increasingly concerned that the Republicans’ refusal to fund Ukraine has emboldened not only Russia but also China. 

Tomorrow, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., of the Philippines will join Biden in a bilateral meeting before Marcos, Biden, and Kishida join in the first trilateral meeting of the three. Kishida will also address a joint session of Congress.

Kenneth Weinstein of the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, suggested today that Japan “has quietly become America’s most important ally,” “playing a central role in meeting our nation’s principal strategic challenge: the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China, especially the defense of Taiwan.” Weinstein also notes that Japan’s longstanding engagement in Southeast Asia means it has “forged relations of deep trust” there among countries that often eye the U.S. with deep distrust. 

Outside of news about the Japanese prime minister’s visit, U.S. news today was consumed by reactions to yesterday’s decision by the Arizona Supreme Court to permit the enforcement of an 1864 law that is currently interpreted as a ban on all abortions except to save the mother’s life. 

President Biden issued a statement condemning the “extreme and dangerous abortion ban,” calling it “a result of the extreme agenda of Republican elected officials who are committed to ripping away women’s freedom.”

“Vice President Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose,” he continued. “We will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade for women in every state.”

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Tucson, Arizona, on Friday to respond to the ruling. According to Hans Nichols of Axios, she had been planning to travel to Arizona anyway but quickly shifted her visit to make it a campaign trip, allowing her to comment more freely on Trump and the Republicans who were responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the imposition of abortion bans since. 

Harris has been out front on the issue of reproductive rights, meeting more than 50 times with groups in at least 16 states since the Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the right to abortion. This year, on the January 22 anniversary of the Roe decision, she announced a “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. 

“Extremists across our country continue to wage a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms as they push their radical policies,” she said. “I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body—not the government.”

Yesterday illustrated what the overturning of Roe v. Wade has wrought. The Republicans who were celebrating that overturning two years ago are now facing an extraordinary backlash, and they are well aware that Arizona is a key state in the 2024 presidential election. Former president Trump has boasted repeatedly that he was responsible for nominating the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe, supported a national abortion ban, and even called for women who get an abortion to be punished. 

But today he swung around again, telling reporters that he would not sign a national abortion ban if it came to his desk. To be sure, as Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo notes, there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t sign such a bill, but the fact he is denying that he would and is running away from the issue shows just how much it hurts the Republicans with voters. 

Harris’s trip, along with Biden’s constant travel, shows a willingness to crisscross the country to meet voters that dovetails with new statistics out about the Biden-Harris campaign. While Trump has largely stayed at Mar-a-Lago, has fewer than five staffers in each of the battlefield states, and has closed all the offices that made up the Republican National Committee’s minority outreach program, the Biden-Harris campaign has 300 paid staffers in 9 states, and 100 offices in regions crucial to the 2024 election. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[yasperapologist]

YES this article is two years old YES I am losing it anyway

Full article here

[noel-fielding-web-page]

Is your top of the favourites still the same?

No. It will never be the same. As I told before, I was extremely disappointed in James Acaster, coz his jokes about Noel were awful, so he’s not in the top of my favourites anymore. I know that it was just for the show, but he gone too far this time. I’m not going to remove my posts with him, even with Noel behind, but I’m still offended for him. That’s why my top looks like that now (he’s not even in top 20!)

Noel is upper than all this tops!

Top 20 after Noel Fielding

1. Dave Brown

Played Bollo the gorilla in The Mighty Boosh. I love his photo works. And I think he’s a great guy, no worse than Noel. Yeah, he probably doesn’t look so extraordinary, but still awesome :) x

2. Joe Lycett

I have told already that I luved him after Taskmaster. He's actually lovely, smiling boy. I'm really enjoying watching the shows with him. Yes, he looks silly sometimes. But it makes him adorable. And he looks pretty :)

3. Sean Hughes

This man was the first reason why I started watching Never Mind The Buzzcocks, before I found out about Noel. I'm genuinly cried when he passed away, was depressed quite a long time. Now I calmed already. I still luv him and rewatching old shows where he took a part with a light nostalgy. I think he was a nice person.

4. Alan Davies

Looking at Alan on QI, I always thought that he is a big kid. Always laughing, joking around and laughs contagiously, being dummy :) Then I watched his show As Yet Untitled. Quite comfortable and soft dude. This show made me to change opinion about Alan in better way, so now he's my favourite.

5. Simon Le Bon

True legend! Strong voice, looking gorgeous and having a great sence of humour! It's a frontman of my favourite band Duran Duran. I was Duranie before Noel. Being Duranie I found out about Never Mind The Buzzcocks where Simon took a part. Then it become my favourite show! And I still in love with this band <3

6. Rhod Gilbert

When I seen him in NMTB first time, he seemed too rough and angry. Then he took a role as permanent host of the final BBC series. I was wrong, he is a nice guy, just brutal ;) Although he couldn't rise the show, he's still great!

7. Phill Jupitus

I've never been his fan. But I still respect him for a long time being on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. This show could be cancelled much shorter if he would leave it behind.

8. Brian Cox (Professor)

I'm not a fan of the scient, but this guy is not just a Professor! He also a great actor! Entire The Universe musical explains everything! All you need is just to watch it to realize how wonderful is it! <;3

9. Ed Gamble

I found out about this pretty guy from Mock The Week. He is so positive and funny, always laughing :D Sometimes being rough a bit, but still very nice. My interest to him become stronger after Taskmaster and then after The Great British Bake Off and also I like his podcasts :)

10. Ed Byrne

Another Ed that I started interest in after Mock The Week. It's an Irish crazy comedian. He can be mad as hell then say anything unusual and laughing hard. They are obviously good friends with Dara O'Brain :) Their tandem was a classic. I'm not a fan of the show, but I will miss it (BBC axed it), still very nice <3

11. Lliana Bird

I respect this woman first of all for Noel! She gave him a big support that helped him to be alive now. It's a big love! Who knows full story, will guess what I mean! It's not just a beautiful lady!

12. Aisling Bea

Irish female comedian with original voice. She is beautiful and interesting person. Started like her after QI and Big Fat Quiz :)

13. Chris Ramsey

One of the fewest celebrities that I like firstly for the laugh and beauty :D Started to love him after Never Mind The Buzzcocks

14. Eddie Izzard

Interesting drag comedian. He likes dressing as a female, but still staying a man. Started interest after his tandem with Noel in Big Fat Quiz.

15. Kevin Scott Richardson

It’s the oldest member of Backstreet Boys. When I was younger, he was my favourite. And I still like him. He still looks beautiful and young :)

16. Greg Davies

I always respected him, from the first season of Taskmaster. But after that reviving of NMTB, there were some rumours that he helped the Sky team with that! And now he’s on my top!

17. Ricky Wilson

During the period when I was Duranie, I found out about Kaiser Chiefs. I didn't knew anything about them at all, but their lead singer Ricky Wilson interested me. He was a little chubby then and his voice was similar with young Simon Le Bon. It was the song I Predict Riot. Then I found information about him and realized that there is nothing in common between these two singers. Years later, Ricky lost weight and became a handsome man. But for me, he's always been cool. I like him :)

18. Lee Mack

True legend of Would I Lie To You! But I stareted respect him much earlier! Whe he hosted NMTB! I'm surprising, how the hell he didn't become a permanent host??? He would be amazing! His legendary "BAATMAAN!" explains all :D

19. Paul Foot

Not quite fan, but he’s so damn hilarious! I’d be happy to see him in NMTB again, obviously in Noel’s team. They’re both worth each other :)

20. Martin Kemp

I can’t say that I’m a fan of Spandau Ballet, but after the last Never Mind The Buzzcocks without Noel there, Martin Kemp was the one adequate guest. He didn’t make dirty jokes about Noel or anyone else and was unbelievably polite. So I liked him and started to respect. Quite deserved!

[cloudberrylane]

Taskmaster (2017): Friendship is Truth

[mastercontrol123]

Happy 39th Birthday Sam Richardson! ❤️

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Prep & Landing

Rating: G

Director: Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton

Cast: Dave Foley, Sarah Chalke, Derek Richardson, Mason Vale Cotton, David DeLuise, Peter Jacobson, Lino DiSalvo, William Morgan Sheppard, Nathan Greno, Hayes MacArthur, Kevin Deters, Kasha Kropinski, Adam Shapiro, Stevie Wermers-Skelton

Release year: 2009

Genres: fantasy, comedy, adventure

Blurb: Seasoned elf Wayne gets a new rookie partner in Lanny after his previous partner got the promotion Wayne wanted. Lanny has to remind Wayne of the spirit of Christmas and the importance of being an elf in Santa's prep and landing elite unit.

[tinyreviews]

As much as I hate for them to keep relying on the same old setting and overarching plot, this series was very well-done. I really enjoyed it. Why did I take so long to notice this was out?! MUST WATCH!

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is a 2022 American animated anthology miniseries created by Dave Filoni. Ashley Eckstein, Corey Burton, Janina Gavankar, Micheál Richardson, TC Carson, Ian McDiarmid, Liam Neeson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Phil LaMarr, Clancy Brown, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, and Dee Bradley Baker provide voices for the series, which uses the same animation style as Filoni's previous series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

[nofatclips]

Season in the Abyss by Slayer, from The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria

[ukkopekkaiuukkonen]

various old bleed from within bits from magazines

[sirianasims]

Star-Studded Premiere of "Les Mélodies de la ville"!

Del Sol's Happiest Couple?

Action star Sierra Moss dazzled the red carpet as always, accompanied by Dave Richardson who matched his wife to perfection in a striking suit. The couple looked happier than ever as Sierra flaunted a figure that could rival any of her younger counterparts, undoubtedly a result of her intense training regimen for her next movie. Fans couldn't get enough of the radiant duo!

Rare Public Appearance by Fashion Power Couple

Fashion icon Jessica Clemons graced the red carpet with her elusive husband, Nicolas Clemons. The couple have been the subject of divorce rumours for years, but their stunning appearance left everyone guessing about the current state of their relationship. However, this may not be enough to silence the speculation about what a potential split could mean for their fashion empire, House of Clemons.

Flying Solo and Looking Fabulous

Prolific composer Lee Thompson made a solo entrance as expected. Rumour has it that he recently ended things with his latest boytoy, but that didn’t stop him from looking dapper and composed. Thompson’s solo appearance only fuelled the gossip mills, with everyone eager to know more about his personal life and upcoming projects.

Llama Man: Back in Action?

Del Sol Valley's most eligible bachelor, Paul Romeo, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, also turned heads on the red carpet. Romeo is rumoured to be making a dramatic return to the big screen after almost a decade of voice acting, and fans are eagerly anticipating his comeback. Is Paul Romeo ready to reclaim his on-screen heartthrob status? The suspense is killing us!

Event by @nilonne ❤️

[yasperly]

Welcome to "Hillmount High Class of 2006," the first fanzine for the Apple TV+ murder mystery comedy series The Afterparty!

A free, volunteer collaboration between fans of the show, HH '06 will be designed in the style of a high school yearbook and feature season one's cast of characters.

Applications are now open for writers, artists, and video editors through this Google Form. This asks what characters you are interested in making content for, the size/length/quantity of the pieces, your interest in connecting works with others, etc.

The zine will hopefully come out sometime next year, but ideally around March. No prior experience required to participate.

We were originally running this on Twitter, but decided to extend it out to Tumblr as well! Applicants will be added to a group chat on Twitter or contacted through email for easier communication. 12/22 UPDATE: We now have a Discord, and applications close on 12/27.

Please let us know who you are when you join so that we can add you as a contributor, or a "Wild Cougar" for the school team name, or a "Mad Dog" for everyone interested in tracking the zine's progress. Email updates may remain ongoing.

Follow the official HHC06 Twitter at @Hillmount2006.

For questions or more information, reach out to the co-organizers on their personal accounts - Farida @skyletti (same as twt), or Rebekah @yasperly (twt - aftrprties).

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Dave Whamond

* * * *

According to the report—and the documents from Trump’s former accounting firm Mazars that are attached to it—the People’s Republic of China and companies substantially controlled by the PRC government paid at least $5,572,548 to Trump-owned properties while Trump was in office; Saudi Arabia paid at least $615,422; Qatar paid at least $465,744; Kuwait paid at least $300,000; India paid at least $282,764; Malaysia paid at least $248,962; Afghanistan paid at least $154,750; the Philippines paid at least $74,810; the United Arab Emirates paid at least $65,225. The list went on and on.

January 4, 2024

Source: heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

[@azspot /  azspot.net]

[wackywriterwhowriteswhenever]

Dave Filoni hits another home run in 'Tales of the Jedi'

Dave Filoni hits another home run in ‘Tales of the Jedi’

Lucasfilm Animation, under the direction of Dave Filoni, has had another successful animated series, this time premiering exclusively on Disney+. Tales of the Jedi debuted Oct. 26 on the streaming platform and consisted of six episodes, about 15 minutes apiece. The series follows two well-known Star Wars characters: Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. Each character is featured in three episodes at…

[storybursts]

The Christmas Special Day 25: Prep and Landing (2009)

The Christmas Special Day 25: Prep and Landing (2009)

Directors: Stevie Wermers & Kevin Deters Writers: Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers & Chris Williams Cast: Dave Foley, Sarah Chalke, Mason Vale Cotton, David DeLuise, Derek Richardson, William Morgan Sheppard, Nathan Greno Plot: Before “The Big Guy” (William Morgan Sheppard) can make his rounds, it’s up to the Prep and Landing Elves to scout ahead and make sure your house is ready: children nestled in…