#especially after rhys's interview where he talks about this scene

[lucy-moderatz]

[lex-confessions]

I'll say this: When Feyre talks about Elain and Azriel, she suggests that Azriel might be what Elain needs, but she doesn't confirm that Elain is what Azriel needs. They are just two people who are close in proximity, tend to be comfortable around one another, and yes, there's mutual attraction. However, that's because Elain is described as objectively beautiful, and so is Azriel, so it would be weird if they weren’t attracted to one another - at least aesthetically.

---

Now, I can’t remember if I read it in the books or maybe saw a comment about it, but I know there’s one scene—I think it’s in A Court of Frost and Starlight—where Azriel tells Cassian to wait because Elain isn’t at the table. Like I said, I couldn’t remember if it’s in the books, briefly mentioned somewhere, or just an afterthought someone had.

But hear me out: Azriel’s attraction to Elain might be because she reminds him of his mother, and he’s confusing familial love with deep romantic love. Actually, I know he is because not only are they not mates, but they haven’t been around each other long enough to fall in love like that, especially with Elain being practically comatose during the first half of her experience in Prythian. Obviously, they converse and hang out, but I think their knowledge of one another is not as deep as either Azriel projects it to be or as some Elriel fans perceive it to be.

This doesn’t mean I don’t think they may get together, although I would hope not. Considering the situation, it’s just too messy. There’s so much at stake to want to try to figure things out with Elain right now. It’s not the right climate for this, and I hope Azriel wouldn’t pursue it. If everything we’ve learned about him is true, I don’t think he would do it anyway. Even though Rhys explains the complexities involving the mating bond with the Autumn Court and the potential for Azriel and Lucien to challenge each other, it’s too much to handle. We’ve just finished a war; Rhys literally died. The way people act like Rhys was unreasonable for saying that baffles me, but it makes perfect sense. There’s too much going on for Azriel to be messy, especially when Elain isn’t even his mate—she’s someone else’s mate.

If Sarah decides to explore their dynamic on that level, I think they might be each other’s lesson. In A Court of War and Ruin, Elain was still completely brokenhearted over losing her human love. To pivot to Azriel that quickly—come on, we’ve all done it. We pretend the rebound guy is some great love, and then when the actual love happens, we think, "What was that?"

Azriel has a terrible sense of self-worth, which is why he goes after unavailable females. He’ll never actually have to confront feeling worthy; he can just fulfill his prophecy that they won’t want him by choosing unavailable females. Putting Elain and Azriel together would stunt any sort of character growth. If Tamlin, for God's sake, gets character growth, then Elain and Azriel should too. Otherwise, it’s just fan service.

---

Now, when talking about Azriel and Gwyn, I noticed that they complement each other really well just in their abilities alone. Gwyn seems genuinely interested in getting to know Azriel—not just staring at him or sitting next to him in silence, but genuinely asking questions and waiting for his response to build on what she knows about him. One of them is humanizing him, and it’s not Elain. I think Azriel has spent most of his life, especially his childhood, being dehumanized. The way Gwyn chooses to humanize him is not a coincidence, and I don't think it’s unimportant. If it were, Sarah would not have written that bonus chapter. But she did write the bonus chapter and gave it to us to read.

I get confused when people pull up interviews and say that Elain and Azriel are endgame when Sarah has put in so many different things to suggest otherwise. I don’t know why people negate the bonus chapter or argue that Elain and Azriel should be together just because they kissed. Maybe they don’t finish it, because the ending of that chapter is far more important than a heated secret kiss in the hallway. It's similar to how in "A Court of Thorns and Roses," Rhys’s intervention ended up being way more important than Feyre and Tamlin’s heated secret kiss in the hallway.

[thephantomcasebook]

You talk a lot about the HOTD actors misbehaving on set but especially focus on Oliva, Emma, Phia, Paddy and Rhys. Do you know how Fabien, Ewan, Tom and Matt behaved on set? I'm curious to know about the inside and stuff of the show.

It also strikes me as weird for Rhys to be cast in such a role because everyone always says everything in him is funny so I would thought they would have looked for a more settled character (I ended up liking him as Otto though, but I thought it was a bit weird)

Usually when I talk about the actors that are the exception, I talk about Frankle, Mitchel, and Glynn-Carney.

I'm not saying they didn't fuck around on set, but I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about them. They all seemed to have taken the job and their characters seriously. Yeah, I'm sure they goofed around on set - who doesn't when everything is hurry up and wait - but the point is that they seemed to care, and when it was go time, they were professional and really into their job.

I'll always point out the difference between Ewan Mitchell and Tom Glynn-Carney vs. Olivia Cooke and Emma D'arcy.

In the 1x09 documentary, Mitchell and Glynne-Carney had an entire segment where they got deep into their characters and so embodied them that they made up little brotherly chorography of biting and tickling one another to show a closeness.

However, when Olivia Cooke and Emma D'arcy are interviewed they talk more about the social and political commentary of their characters as vessels of the message, or they simply make things up that have no baring on the character - like Alicent being secretly a Lesbian or Rhaenyra being "Gender-Fluid".

Mitchell and Glynn-Carney took two characters, deep dived into who they were, and built upon that to make them real people. Cooke and D'arcy took two characters and tried to fundamentally change them to fit what they wanted to play for their own mercenary ambitions.

Now you tell me who are the real actors and who are the narcissists?

I've also never heard a bad thing said of Matt Smith. I'm not gonna lie, after the stuff that Lily James accused him of, I will always be suspicious of him - though I'll admit that I'm always bias toward Lily James. But from what I've heard, Matt Smith tried to take a leadership role in production and bring order when it seemed that Sapochnik wouldn't. He also cared, and made suggestion and took point when things could've been a lot worse to make them better. I don't think anyone could claim that Matt Smith isn't a very talented actor. And when you watch the behind the scenes stuff, you can clearly see him taking charge in a good way and actively caring about the project when it seemed that a lot of people around him didn't.

Rhys Ifans is a really funny mutha'fucker and he is a really talented actor - I love him as Curt Connors and as Nigel in "The Replacements'. However, you need to have someone to balance that energy out. And that's the problem with a lot of producers and projects today. Everyone idolizes comedians, cause, every asshole these days thinks they're so witty and fucking funny. So they jump at the chance to have comedic actors in their projects. But they're a utility, not your main stay. You have to have someone that is funny but also knows when to pick their spots and takes things seriously.

On "Game of Thrones" both Peter Dinkledge and Conleth Hill were comedic actors, but they were also classically trained enough to respect the gravity of the world they're playing in. They played subtle comedy and didn't over sell it. The problem is that Sapochnik wanted that same thing that he got in "Game of Thrones" but he didn't respect the professionalism and maturity that came with Dingledge and Hill. He just thought any old comedic actor would do, he just wanted funny men that he liked. Thus, when Ifans and Paddy showed up, they did what they do best ... but there was no one else to off-set their energy. Therefore their bad habits dominated the set and encouraged bad behavior from the younger actors.

I don't blame Ifans and Paddy, like I said, they're gonna do what they do. I blame Sapochnik for his childish finger painting understanding of how leadership in a production works. He seemed to think that years of continuity, chemistry, and talent from "Game of Thrones" could be replicated by him, because, he was the genius behind it all.

Now, HOTD is suffering because they didn't put any respect on the name of the production and crew of "Game of Thrones" that made it so effortless that a bunch of mids and mediocre talent thought they could just replicate it without any trouble.

[acourtofthought]

I really wish his hidden talent was playing an Instrument which is preferable the piano. Now, singer Azriel ain't bad, but I can't imagine a scenario where it isn't so cheesy. Sarah did confirm that we'll get a singing Azriel and Idk how I feel about that.

Perhaps when they are on they way to falling in love, we'll get a scene of gwyn panicking after waking up from a nightmare and Azriel, not knowing what to do (his communiation skill are DEAD) he starts to sing? But I'm not really liking that headcanon 😂 It just needs to be well written and while I don't think Sjm is the best writer to take potentiel into good use, I kind of have a good feeling about her writing singing Azriel.

Or she may not actually write it down at all. Before Acosf she literally confirmed that we'll see more if the other courts but all we got is just a bog visit, human lands, spring court visits and continent visits (only one country anyway). We didn't even get much describtion from these so her world building is clearly amazing but she doesn't explore that at all. I'm also really tired of the NC- Idc about velaris, Illyria and the CON anymore because all we ever get from them is "Grrr Illyria and CON, bad people! Dark horrible place. Oh look, the high lord and high Lady being mean for the entire night! Anyway- look at all these nice shops in velaris!". I'm so curious of how the dawn court is doing since it's more beautiful than the NC (props for Sarah to at least admit NC isn't better at everything), I'd like to see the Vanserra drama party that goes on in the autumn court and surely Eris has been doing some great things for his people behind Beron's back. Count that with the day court, since they're kinda connected. I want to hear from Kallias and Vivianne in the Winter court and how the systems work there. Same with the summer court.

But I'm afraid we might not get any of these at all. I'm afraid Sjm will use the stupid High kind card on Rhys and we'll lose all the uniqueness and any other special thing that each court has to the NC. I'm afraid that Rhys would use the spring court as a dark place like the CON, since he barely does anything for 2/3 of his court that is in desperate need of help. I also find it so stupid from Sarah to think that each high lord would just agree and bow to him. I certainly wouldn't, I'd be so pissed as a ruler of a court having to turn my court in and doing whatever some wannabe darkling ask of me. If rhys isn't even able to take care of 2/3 of his court, he sure as hell isn't able to take care of 7 whole courts and I am very sure he will turn some places dark if they aren't to his liking and the people there aren't obeying him.

Wow, didn't think I would fall away from the main topic but 🤷🏾‍♀️

Seriously, the piano thing is now fixed into my brain and I don't know that I'll ever be able to let go of that one. I never know how much of what SJM says in interviews is to be taken seriously because like you said, there are things that were previously mentioned that have never happened. I remember her talking about wanting to write a novel that dated pre ACOTAR and there haven't really been hints of that. Or, whether something that is mentioned in interviews will happen but in a much more minor way than what we imagine it. As soon as she mentioned Az and singing, the fandom was going wild with theories but maybe it will be in the most insignificant of ways (like Cassian hearing Az singing in the shower once he starts falling in love with Gwyn). Personally, I don't think Rhys will end up has High King. Not only for some of the reasons you mentioned (and I like Rhys but I think the other courts would still be too hesitant to follow him after the last few centuries and especially with the amount of power he has) but because SJM doesn't usually state something point blank and have it happen exactly how she brought it up. Which is why I don't think E/riel will happen. Feyre said "why not make them mates?" in reference to Elain and Az to which Rhys responded that a bond can be rejected. But it's not SJMS style to actually have Elucien reject their bond so E/riel happens after she said that because it would be too specific, it's too "she told us exactly what would happen!" The information regarding a rejected bond is important but I think it's going to end up important for someone else. And I think that's the same thing regarding Rhys being High King. If he becomes High King, it is too obvious because of Amren suggesting he become High King and Cassian thinking he would be a great High King. I think the take aways are the lines that the Cauldron would extend it's benevolence to another and Cassian thinking, "he could think of no other male he'd trust more. No other male who would be a fairer ruler." That seems to be the flashing sign telling us, "THERE IS ANOTHER TRUSTWORTHY CHARACTER WHO'D BE A FAIRER RULER!" It doesn't tell us exactly who it will be, just that someone else will prove to be worthy of the title. I remember SJM saying she purposely left things off the map in SF because there were areas that she wanted to remain a surprise. I'm really hoping that means the next book will give us the chance to explore other parts of their world because I feel the way you do. I think most of us have loved the NC, the IC, and Velaris but with additional books comes the risk of burnout for some readers. Where the constant visits to the Hewn City, to the Illyrian camp, to Velaris and the River House, to them celebrating the same holidays together, feels repetitive. It would be amazing if the next book gave us the opportunity to explore other Courts and other characters (that are not so IC centered) before returning back to them in future books.

[gaypiratebrainrot]

This is not so much a question as it is me screaming about the secret fic. Probably not for the last time.

I wanna talk about how you swapped the names of the actors with the characters they portray. Ok, maybe I do have a question--did the idea for the name swap come during the early formation of this story in your mind, or did that come later, after you'd been writing for a bit?

It's just--we so often lean on names in fanfic not just as indicators of identity but as stand-ins for/signifiers of intrinsic elements of entity*, so while it's RPF (but is it lol) it's also like you've set up this series of mirrors so you can't tell if you're looking at the projection or the real person

which also sort of begs the question, is it all a projection

and basically you're amazing because you do all of this within the recognizable structure of an explicit one-off fanfic, complete with brain-melting smut and an emotionally satisfying (if also 'unhappy') ending. I can't even.

*See end of this interview https://krauseessayprize.org/winners-2/mary-ruefle-interview/ with Mary Ruefle where she talks about identity vs entity; see also every fanfic with the line "he smelled/tasted like [noun] and [noun] and something uniquely [NAME]"

Ok here's the quote from the Ruefle interview because I can't resist:

"Literacy is a blessing and a curse. Increased literacy means increased self-consciousness and we all know where that ends. Gertrude Stein once pointed out the difference between being an entity and having an identity: an entity is an entity but has an identity. An identity is bestowed from without, it is given to you socially. It’s your resume. But an entity is your being, and for many people, they have no entity without an identity, they confuse the two, and therein lies a great deal of anguish and suffering. Language and literacy are ambiguous because they invest one with entity at the same time they accessorize one with identity. That’s what I mean by being both a curse and a blessing. The moment someone learns to write their name, they become someone else, someone other than who they were before. A whole world opens, and a whole world closes. Who am I? I am one person when I am answering interview questions, and I am another person when I am alone on a plastic float in the middle of a lake. Which is the real me? Damned if I know. But the tension between the two creates my life."

ok first thank you so so so much for this incredible message and amazing quote, truly truly a gift to me.

the story of the conception of this fic: in the wild fields where fic ideas and masturbatory fantasies are not easily distinguished, my mind kept producing the rpf scenes that are now in the fic. i had very little interest in writing rpf (though i came into fandom through rpf and don't have problems with it), especially bc i knew there would be wank, but the scenes just kept coming.

so then i was like, okay, how far would i have to go to turn these scenes into an actor AU, and that was the slightly cursed day i asked myself "what really is the difference between a rhys/taika-coded actor au and a stede/ed-coded rpf?" i was too lazy to come up with the actor AU, and then the idea of just switching the names was really funny to me, AND THEN i was like but what do i call david jenkins, and sat on the floor weeping with laughter for a very long time at javid denkins, and the rest is now history.

one of the most fascinating parts to me is that i wrote it with their names being stede and ed, and then there was a stretch where i wasn't sure the meta aspect was working and almost swapped the names back (there exists a google doc where they are called rhys and taika). i had to grapple with feeling like i wouldn't have written it if i'd actually called them rhys and taika from the start, but that feeling is so so so interesting to me, cause like, damn, the power of a name!

anyway, i think excessively about the nature of identity, so this is just a bonkers great time for me to have folks engaging in the conversation that runs constantly in my mind <3 <3

[thisguyatthemovies]

A beautiful day indeed

Title: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Release date: Nov. 22, 2019

Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Maryann Plunkett, Enrico Colantoni, Wendy Makkena, Tammy Blanchard, Noah Harpster, Carmen Cusack, Christine Lahti

Directed by: Marielle Heller

Run time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Rated: PG

What it’s about: A jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile about children’s television personality Fred Rogers, and the two become friends as Rogers helps him see humanity in a more positive light.

How I saw it: How often these days do you sit quietly and ponder your life? How often do you think about the people who have shaped it? How often do you do that for a minute at a time, uninterrupted? How often do you even go 60 seconds without glancing at your phone?

The turning point and most powerful, poignant moment in director Marielle Heller’s serene, soulful look at the enduring influence of children’s television personality Fred Rogers, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” is one minute of silence. And it plays out in real time. Imagine that -- one minute of sitting there, with no one on the screen making a sound and no action taking place. One minute seems like a long time these days, especially in a movie. It could have been an unnerving test of patience. But here, in a movie already more peaceful than anything else you will see in a theater, it not only works, it leaves an impression. It helps transform a nice enough movie into something special.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is not just the story of TV’s Mister Rogers. It’s neither biopic nor documentary but a narrative film based on a true story that blends fact and fiction. Fred Rogers (played with perfect charm and energy by Tom Hanks) isn’t even on screen for parts of the film, and he is not the lead character. That would be Matthew Rhys as Lloyd Vogel, a magazine writer and fictional character based on real-life journalist Tom Junod, whose 1998 Esquire article “Can You Say … Hero?” is the basis for the screenplay written by Micah Fizerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

Just as Junod in real life, Rhys’ Lloyd Vogel is an award-winning journalist with a reputation of angering and alienating his subjects and sources. Vogel, a cynical middle-aged man who is coming to grips with being a new father and also dealing with an unhappy past, is given an assignment he thinks is beneath him – a puff piece, 400-word profile of Fred Rogers that will be part of a “heroes” series. Vogel is not happy about the assignment but accepts it and arranges to meet Rogers in-person at the TV studio in Pittsburgh where Rogers’ show is produced.

It doesn’t take long for Vogel to realize he is the interviewee more than the interviewer. Rogers recognizes a tortured soul when he sees one. In the days before meeting Rogers, Vogel is involved in an altercation with his hard-drinking father, Jerry (Chris Cooper), at his sister’s third wedding, and he still is sporting a black eye when he arrives in Pittsburgh. Rogers seems to recognize that Vogel’s story about the injury being the result of a softball incident is a lie. Vogel’s issues stem from his troubled relationship with his father, who left the family while Lloyd’s mother was dying.

Which brings us to the minute of silence. Vogel and Rogers are sitting in a booth at a busy diner. Vogel still is skeptical about Rogers; he thinks the whole “nice guy” thing might be an act. Rogers senses this, and he asks Vogel to sit in silence with him and think about those who “loved us into being.” So, Vogel does. And then everyone else in the diner does. The moment changes something deep in Vogel. The last 20 seconds or so of the scene is a close-up shot of Rogers just sitting there with a slight, warm smile.

From then on, Vogel gets it. He tries to be a better husband to his wife, Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), and a better dad. He slowly builds a relationship with his father, who by this time is dying in a hospital bed in his living room. Lloyd Vogel and Rogers become great friends (and that happened in real life with Rogers and Junod). The sudden transformation of Vogel’s attitude because of Rogers’ decency might seem simplistic, and it is. But this is Mister Rogers we are talking about, and that’s just what he did.

Vogel’s journey from selfish and bitter to loving husband/father/son is the stuff of standard-issue redemption drama, and at times that is what “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” threatens to become. But it is lifted by the performance of Hanks, a nice-guy icon playing a nice-guy icon. He seems as comfortable as a zip-up red sweater in the role. Because of how well-known he is and Rogers was, a concern is not being able to lose sight of it being Hanks playing Rogers. But that lasts about five seconds. Only when we are reminded of the real-life Rogers in a clip during the credits do we remember, “Oh, yeah. That was Tom Hanks.” Hanks is perfect in a scene in which Vogel turns the table on him when the two talk about Rogers’ sons. The moment is a reminder that Rogers was human just like the rest of us.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” also benefits from moments of surrealness. Part of that is Rogers himself, and his show. The movie is patterned after Rogers’ PBS TV kids’ program, with toy cars, planes and cities indicating travel between scenes. And in the movie’s oddest moment, Vogel imagines himself on the set of the show, at first as his adult self but later as a puppet among show regulars Daniel Striped Tiger, King Friday XIII and Lady Aberlin (Maddie Corman).

Hard as this might be to fathom, some people did not like the real-life Rogers (just as some don’t like Hanks), and they likely won’t see this movie for the same reasons. To hardened souls, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” like Rogers, will seem too fantastical. Too cornball. Too soft. Too lightweight. Too out of touch. Too loving (Rogers and his show were criticized by those who prefer a tough-love approach for teaching children they are special and accepted unconditionally). Those are precisely the kind of people who need to see “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”

But if they won’t see it, and if they choose to view the world through a cynic’s eyes, Rogers, were he alive today, would undoubtedly offer an understanding smile and say, “And that’s OK.”

My score: 94 out of 100

Should you see it? Yes, you owe it to yourself to be reminded what kindness and empathy are all about.

[champsays]

“Adam” The Film And It’s Problematic Implications

Okay, so first of all — YES IM LATE TO THE PARTY! Apparently there’s a film called “Adam” that is coming out this summer based on a YA novel written by a white lesbian woman that is supposed to be super groundbreaking for the LGBT+ community. I’ve never heard of the book or the film until recently because of some backlash I saw on twitter. I didn’t wanna join the band wagon without being properly informed so I did my research and I must say that the backlash surrounding this film is completely just and warranted.

The novel written by Ariel Schrag is about a cis, white teenage boy who has bad luck with girls so when he goes to visit his lesbian sister in New York, who is at the moment dating a transman, he decides to pretend to be trans so he can bag himself a hot lesbian. He does this after being mistaken for trans and decides to run with it. He falls hard for the “hot lesbin girl” and in one scene they even have sex where he actually uses his real penis to penetrate her even though she thought it was a strap on. He goes to a Trans Camp where he eventually feels bad about his actions and confesses to the girl. But for some reason she’s not as mad and even says that ‘it’s okay because she imagined him as a real a boy anyway.’ A lot more happens but that’s the summarized version.

Despite the backlash, some movie executives thought that it would be groundbreaking to make this novel into a film and here’s why that’s a huge mistake. How many Hollywood movies have we seen where a White, Cis male has infiltrated the safe spaces of a marginalized community for personal/sexual gain and then eventually learns how these actions are problematic? We’ve seen this same story play out plenty of times on screen but now that LGBT allyship is trendy in Hollywood, the powers that be thought they were doing something groundbreaking and pushing the envelope by making this highly offensive film.

First of all, the fact that the original novel was written by a lesbian just goes to show how education on trans identity is very scarce even in the Queer community and we have to do better in that regard. But how many times do we need to see a white boy using real issues to get laid on screen? This could have easily been a story about an actual transman coming to terms with his identity in life and in romance. But instead lets create a story where trans is essentially a costume. Hell, a story about the main character’s sister would have been more interesting and more authentic to the author’s personal experience. It also proves that just because you identify as being apart of the LGBT+ community, it doesnt necessarily mean you are qualified to tell stories about all of our experiences.

Now besides the highly problematic narrative and offensive nuances, the writer literally tries to romanticize a rape scene. In the book, the main character tells his lesbian girlfriend that he is using a strap on to penetrate her but in fact he uses his real penis. The girlfriend didnt consent to that which is, by definition, RAPE. Make no mistake, when engaging in any sexual activity and one party decides to go a step further without the consent of their partner that is considered rape. Not to mention the horrible implication that trans men arent real men. Or the fact that lesbians can be “fixed” by having sex with a ‘real man’. That’s right! In the book, the girlfriend of the main character ends up getting a cis boyfriend. Does this make her bisexual or has she decided to be completely hetero? We really dont know but the implication is not okay, especially for this to be a YA novel. If you marry that idea with how impressionable young adults can be, smells like a recipe for disaster.

I can’t continue without saying that there are actually straight men who prowl gay bars hoping to connect with a “hot lesbian” to convert her back to liking “real men”. I’ve personally encountered men with this exact mindset so to fantasize this very problematic behavior into a book AND movie just perpetuates the notion that gayness/queerness/trans identity is curable.

I perused through youtube to find a few videos and interviews of the filmmakers talking about the movie amidst the backlash and the director Rhys Ernst is surprisingly one of the directors that works on the critically acclaimed show “Transparent”. As popular as that show is and as talented as Jeffrey Tambor is, the show is still riddled with its own issues by allowing a Cis White man to play a trans person eseentially taking a job away from an actual trans actor. An issue that even Jeffrey Tambor ironically shed light on during his acceptance speech after winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in the role.

One would think that in an industry where LGBT+ stories have been scarce for so long that we should rejoice in the small triumphs. On the surface, this film is being paraded around as artistic genius amplifying the voices of the trans community and employing those who belong to the community in front AND BEHIND the camera. We should be applauding this right? WRONG. This story is essentially about the trans community through the lens of a selfish, insecure, sex crazed straight man and we are tired of seeing that portrayed on screen. I looked on IMDB and it says that this film comes out in August and I’m sure it will have a strong marketing campaign that will be wrapped in a beatiful bow of romance, inclusion, and acceptance but don’t be fooled.

We live in a climate where standing up for what’s right is frowned upon. Where people mistake using your voice as another cry for political correctness. You even have people saying this new generation is “too sensitive”. Well I beg to differ. We are not sensitive at all. We just choose to not be as passive as our parents and grandparents were. We have decided to not apologize when we tell you how we want to be treated. And if that’s an issue for you, take it up with God or whatever higher power you choose to believe in. I’d rather be politically correct than completely deaf and oblivious to the experiences of a marginalized people — and that’s what Champ says!

[nestavipers]

🎅 Santa here 😋 bingeing the books is the best way to read them! I’m glad you made it past book one and through the series! I found the books through my library the summer before this last one, when a lot of stuff was still shut down where I live because of COVID. I went through all three books in like a week (because I had no life then) and then anxiously anticipated acosf, which I binge read in basically a day and a half when it came out! I actually quite liked acotar and even Tamlin, but I really loved the way sjm flipped the story and all the character development in acomaf!

Okay, so I’m assuming then that you read acosf—and you don’t sound like you’re a fan of the inner circle. So I have to ask, because I have no friends who’ve read acotar and I can rant to about this—what did you think of Amren in acosf? I was SO MAD at how she treated Nesta in the book and the way it all ended with Nesta apologizing (I’m really hoping you’ve read it and I’m not spoiling stuff for you, I’m trying to be sort of vague to make sure I don’t 🤣)

ALSO. Elucien—any predictions or hopes for future books? OH, or hopes for the new Crescent City book, since mention of it popped up on your blog? I’m so excited to see what happens next!

Sorry if this ask is too long or I ask too many questions, feel free to ignore any of it or tell me I talk too much, if you want to 🙃

honestly THANK GOD FOR LIBRARIES but ESPECIALLY during covid because i basically did nothing but read ebooks for like a year straight when we were all in lockdown.

That must have been so exciting to get to read ACOSF as soon as it came out though! I'm a bit sad I joined the fandom after a lot of the hype has gone away (until we get the next character POV reveal at least) but I'm also thrilled I got to dive right into Nesta's book immediately after finishing the original series.

Okay so I'm not anti IC per se, I'm more IC critical if that makes sense. I'm still mad at Mor and think she should have given Nesta a proper apology, I wanted to fight Rhys when he threatened to kill Nesta for the 'crime' of telling her own sister the truth about something huge that he never should have hidden from HIS MATE in the first place???? But yeah, the Amren stuff really takes the cake. I never particularly liked her and that absolutely has not improved since ACOSF. Let's not even get into the horror-show that was that 'intervention'.

I recently did a full series reread (minus the first book I just cannot put myself through reading that again even though I do love Lucien to pieces hahaha) and the rage I felt at the way everyone treated Nesta in the hallmark christmas special holiday novella was overwhelming.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that I 100% agree with you and I have enjoyed reading the fix-it fics that the nesta stan side of the fandom has been blessing us with.

On the elucien front, I don't have any major theories, I'm really just along for the ride and prepared to be surprised by whatever SJM has up her sleeve! I've enjoyed reading through some of her quotes from old interviews about Elain and Lucien and their potential. What about you? I know the great ship war of the fandom is elain-centric so are there are theories/hopes that you have for her plotline?

Okay re: CC I adore Ruhn, I desperately want to see more sibling shenanigans with him and Bryce, I want to see their awful father get some karmic payback, and I am really hoping SJM doesn't pull a Chaol/Tamlin with Hunt (seeing him on the cover of book 2 is a good sign though I think). Are a fan of Bryce/Hunt or are you hoping for a new love interest to show up on the scene in book 2?

No need to apologize AT ALL, it's been such a pleasure talking with you! I also don't have any friends I can really talk about the series with IRL because none of them have read past ACOWAR and all I want to do is talk about nessian lmao.

[sheminecrafts]

Extra Crunch roundup: CEO Twitter etiquette, lifting click-through rates, edtech avalanche

Yesterday, China ordered ride-hailing company Didi to stop signing up new customers after regulators announced a cybersecurity review of the company’s operations.

As of this writing, Didi’s stock price is down 5.3%. In today’s edition of The Exchange, Alex Wilhelm suggested that the move wasn’t a complete surprise, but it still “puts a bad taste in our mouths,” since the company went public days ago.

Full Extra Crunch articles are only available to members. Use discount code ECFriday to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription.

When Didi filed to go public, it listed several potential pitfalls facing Chinese companies that go public in the U.S., including “numerous legal and regulatory risks” and “extensive government regulation and oversight in its F-1.”

What does this news signify for other Chinese companies that are hoping for stateside IPOs?

We’ll be off on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day. Thanks very much for reading, and I hope you have an excellent weekend.

Walter Thompson Senior Editor, TechCrunch @yourprotagonist

Chinese cybersecurity probe validates Didi’s pre-IPO warning to investors

3 guiding principles for CEOs who post on Twitter

Image Credits: NeONBRAND/Unsplash (opens in a new window)

Did you hear about the CEO who made misleading claims about a funding round and got sued? How about that pharmaceutical executive whose taunts to a former Secretary of State led to a 4.4% decline in the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index?

In case it isn’t clear: Startup executives are held to a higher standard when it comes to what they post on social media.

“Reputation and goodwill take a long time to build and are difficult to maintain, but it only takes one tweet to destroy it all,” says Lisa W. Liu, a senior partner at The Mitzel Group, a San Francisco-based law practice that serves many startups.

To help her clients (and Extra Crunch readers) Liu has six basic questions for tech execs with itchy Twitter fingers.

And if the answer to any of them is “I don’t know,” don’t post.

3 guiding principles for CEOs who post on Twitter

The 2021 edtech avalanche has just begun

Image Credits: Kari Shea/Unsplash (opens in a new window)

A report from Brighteye Ventures on Europe’s edtech scene shows that this year’s deal flow is on pace to meet or surpass 2020, when remote instruction exploded.

According to Brighteye’s head of Research, Rhys Spence, the average deal size is now $9.4 million, a threefold increase from last year. Still, “It’s interesting that we are not seeing enormous increases in deal count,” he noted.

The 2021 edtech avalanche has just begun

How Robinhood’s explosive growth rate came to be

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Trading platform Robinhood has attracted enough users and activity to change the conversation around retail investing — economists will likely be discussing the 2021 GameStop saga for years to come.

After the company filed to go public yesterday, Alex Wilhelm sorted through Robinhood’s main income statement to better understand how it scaled year-ago revenue from $127.6 million to $522.2 million in Q1.

“Those are numbers that we frankly do not see often amongst companies going public,” says Alex. “300% growth is a pre-Series A metric, usually.”

So: where is all that revenue coming from?

How Robinhood’s explosive growth rate came to be

As EU venture capital soars, will the region retain future IPOs?

Image Credits: Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)

Given the valuation gap between U.S. tech markets and those overseas, it’s easy to see why some foreign startups would head to our shores when it’s time to go public.

But Anna Heim and Alex Wilhelm found that a record increase in European venture capital activity is picking up the pace of IPOs this year, and many of these companies are content to go public in their native markets.

To gain some insight into where European investors believe they have an advantage, Anna and Alex interviewed:

Franck Sebag, partner, EY

David Miranda, partner, Osborne Clarke Spain

Yoram Wijngaarde, founder and CEO, Dealroom

As EU venture capital soars, will the region hold onto future IPOs?

How VCs can get the most out of co-investing alongside LPs

Image Credits: Diana Ilieva (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

In a recent private equity survey, 80% of respondents said their co-investments with people outside traditional VC firms outperformed their PE fund investments.

Alternative investors are highly motivated, and because they’re seeking higher returns than are generally available in public markets, they are less daunted by risk. In return, they benefit from less expensive fee structures and develop close ties with VCs, enlarging the talent pool as they build investment skills.

These relationships have direct benefits for VCs as well, such as more flexibility with diversification and consolidated decision-making power.

“With the right deal structure, deal selection and deal investigation, co-investors can significantly increase their returns,” says C5 Capital Managing Partner William Kilmer, who wrote an Extra Crunch post for VCs considering an alternative path.

How VCs can get the most out of co-investing alongside LPs

Dear Sophie: How can I bring my parents and sister to the U.S.?

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Dear Sophie,

My husband and I are both U.S. permanent residents.

Given what we’ve gone through this past year being isolated from loved ones during the pandemic, we’d like to bring my parents and my sister to the U.S. to be close to our family and help out with our children.

Is that possible?

— Symbiotic in Sunnyvale

Dear Sophie: How can I bring my parents and sister to the US?

How to cut through the promotional haze and select a digital building platform

Image Credits: Andreus (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Smart-building products include everything from connecting landlords with tenants to managing construction sites.

Given their widespread impact on the enterprise — and the novel nature of much of this new technology, selecting the right digital building platform (DBP) is a challenge for most organizations.

Brian Turner, LEED-AP BD&C, has created a matrix intended to help decision-makers identify the fundamental functions and desired outcomes for stakeholders.

“When it comes to the built environment, creating those comfortable, healthy and enjoyable places requires new tools,” says Turner. “Selecting a solid DBP is one of the most important decisions to be made.”

How to cut through the promotional haze and select a digital building platform

Demand Curve: 7 ad types that increase click-through rates

Image Credits: Octavian Iolu / EyeEm (opens in a new window)/ Getty Images

One perennial problem inside startups: Because no one on the founding team has significant marketing experience, growth-related efforts are pro forma and generally unlikely to move the needle.

Everyone wants higher click-through rates, but creating ads that “stand out” is a risky strategy, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing. This guest post by Demand Curve offers seven strategies for boosting CTR that you can clone and deploy today inside your own startup.

Here’s one: If customers are talking about you online, reach out to ask if you can add a screenshot of their reviews to your advertising. Testimonials are a form of social proof that boost conversions, and they’re particularly effective when used in retargeting ads.

Earlier this week, we ran another post about optimizing email marketing for early-stage startups.

We’ll have more expert growth advice coming soon, so stay tuned.

Demand Curve: 7 ad types that increase click-through rates

To guard against data loss and misuse, the cybersecurity conversation must evolve

Image Credits: Jose Fontano/Unsplash (opens in a new window)

Locking down data centers and networks against intruders is just one aspect of an organization’s security responsibilities; cloud services, collaboration tools and APIs extend security perimeters even farther. What’s more, the systems created to prevent the misuse and mishandling of sensitive data often depend heavily on someone’s better angels.

According to Sid Trivedi, a partner at Foundation Capital, and seven-time CIO Mark Settle, IT managers need to replace existing DLP frameworks with a new one that centers on DMP — data misuse protection.

These solutions “will provide data assets with more sophisticated self-defense mechanisms instead of relying on the surveillance of traditional security perimeters,” and many startups are already competing in this space.

To guard against data loss and misuse, the cybersecurity conversation must evolve

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/3yhkVTJ via IFTTT

[welovelofi]

Introducing: Kilonova Records (Interview)

Meet Espen Gaarde O’Halloran – a mild-mannered government employee and father of two by day – and a passionately dedicated local scene-head by hobby. While most folks his age and station do other more potentially boring and granola things with their free time, Espen has used a massive part of his “down time” to start a record label to release the music he loves. With Kilonova’s first release – an exclusive 7” with the ascending local post-punk darlings, Tears, we sat down on a hot summer evening by the river with a bag of cans and had a good ol’ chat about how this all came about. 

WLLF: What was the idea behind getting a label together and putting out a Tears 7”?

E: It’s a long story, but began at Trøjborg Beboerhus (ed: local youth club that hosts shows) in 2015, the label ‘100 Records’ had an ‘introduction evening’ show where Tears and a few others played. I met Jeppe (Grønbæk Andersen) after – I wanted to buy their tape on Posh Isolation – I’d heard their Soundcloud tracks that were up around that time and really liked them. Jeppe seemed like a really nice guy and we kept bumping into each other at various shows. We ended up loaning each other a few records, he seemed to like the albums I loaned him…

Wllf: Oh yeah? What’d you give him?

E: Love’s Forever Changes and Gruff Rhys – Hotel Shampoo which he both really liked actually and Grandaddy’s Software Slump because he’s really got a thing for keyboard rock y’know…”keyboard rocking in the free world” on all of the Tears posts and stuff – but for some reason he didn’t like that one, ha! Which I didn’t really understand. But the record swap became a reference point for our conversations and then we got on to talking about starting up a label.

WLLF: This all sounds kind of like how we met – Just over a mutual love of good music and going to shows – and that’s why I was so happy to hear that you had actually gone and started a label. It seemed like it was for all the right reasons – not a complete outsider coming in and just trying to make a name or a buck for themselves on the coattails of a ‘happening scene’.

E: Well I’m pretty convinced that I’m not going to make any money out of this – but that’s not the motivation as you said. I believe it’s for the love of music. I really just wanted to contribute to the scene.

WLLF: How did you first start getting into this scene, this generation of bands?

E: Well I think it actually has something to do with what you were writing for Sound Of Aarhus a few years back…(http://www.soundofaarhus.com/new-video-yung/) I wasn’t really aware of the underground scene here in Aarhus. You were writing about some of the first Yung shows and really interested in their first 7” and lead video, “Nobody Cares” from Falter – so I got that and really loved it – couldn’t wait for the Falter LP to come out. I really realized that there was something going on in Aarhus.

WLLF: Yeah it seemed like “Punk” kind of came back in a big way – which I think was needed. Before the 2010s it just felt like Aarhus was all about Gangsta’ Rap, Metal and Tina Dico…Then these young bands – most of which Jeppe or Yung Shord were in started putting on shows and switching members and instruments. All of a sudden you had a dozen or so bands doing loud ugly music, or experimental stuff…that’s a scene.

E: yeah, all those bands made a big impression on me of course.

WLLF: I think it’s especially interesting to see how it all evolved – from the straight up ‘hardcore-punk’ of say, Fright Eye and Happy Hookers For Jesus for example to something a little more mature and palpable to outside ears such as Yung, Tilebreaker and of course Tears. When I saw the video of Tears playing 1001 Mates night at SPOT Festival recently I was like – ‘holy shit’, that’s actually really really good.  (see link at bottom). 

E: it really was. I think this live constellation of Tears is the best they’ve ever been. It’s a different line-up even than the 12” (2018s “All Songs From 2015”). Basically, everyone left the band except Jeppe.

WLLF: Well- how long did it take from initially talking about the label to actually getting it going?

E: The idea had been there for a while as we said, but this time around, we sat down in December (2018) to really make it happen. He had played me some demos of these tracks and I really liked them… he started recording just before New Year’s and finished up sometime in January. With mixing and mastering it was done that March and he sent over rough mixes and stuff along the way. I visited a few times during the process but I didn’t interfere too much – he knows what he wants to do.

WLLF: Then, presumably, you had some work to do to get this out. How was that process for you? Figuring out all that you had to do to actually get a physical record out?

E: Jeppe of course has some experience with that, but I surfed around a bit to find a pressing plant and ended up going with 100 vinyl in France – they had a good deal for short run pressings and they have GZ (Czech Rep.)  do the manufacturing. But I went through all the little stuff you find out about along the way – mechanical licenses etc. There was a steep learning curve and I wanted to do everything ‘by the book’ – I work for SKAT y’know,  (ed: Danish Tax Authority) so obviously I need to do things properly! 

WLLF: How long then did it take then to turn around?

E: We sent the recordings in the beginning of May – and inside 3 weeks we had the test pressings and they began pressing by July – they were actually pretty quick.

WLLF: As a vinyl lover, all this must have been very exciting!

E: Yeah, when we got the test pressing I was thrilled.The first time I put it on at home – it was just magnificent. Even though it’s not my music – I was very proud of it, it was something that I helped make happen.

WLLF: Amen. So – what’s next?

E: I hope this is just the beginning. For now, though I’m just focused on seeing how this goes when it comes out – but I’m really hoping to do more, not only 7”, full length releases. I’d like to do another Tears release – but also open to other things that may come up.   

And with that, we continued drinking, chatting and being intermittently interrupted (as you do) by the Asian can collectors circling around us after every clink of an empty one called them to arms.

Espen and I – apart from an almost eerily similar taste in music also share a mutual love for space physics and cosmology – a kilonova being the merging – or rather crashing together of two neutron stars, or a neutron star and a black hole together to form a cataclysmic cosmic event, emitting gamma waves (even gravitational waves). One of the more impressive and powerful events in the cosmos where two powerful entities collide. I think it’s an ambitiously apt name for a start-up label, and symbolic of the creation of something new, a transmission out of chaos. We need more of this happening and frankly more folks like Espen willing to try and make them happen. We wish them all the luck in the world.

You can start hearing and buying the Tears 7” on all streaming services and via Kilonova’s FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/KilonovaRec/) and of course at the release concert tonight at Café Vennelyst: https://www.facebook.com/events/438851636696358/.

“Single ‘19” Is ltd to 200 copies so get them fast!

Follow Tears on FB: https://www.facebook.com/keyboardrockinginthefreeworld/ 

Tears on Soundcloud:  

https://soundcloud.com/tears94

-Words//Bobby McBride. 

[ace-pidge]

LetsVoltron interview with Tyler Labine highlights

I was taking notes as I was listening to it so here’s what I have! I tried to keep it as accurate and true to what was said as possible but a lot of this is paraphrased, be sure to listen to the interview here!

“Canada’s own Tyler Labine” YASS REPRESENT :’))

Josh, Rhys and Tyler jockey for the title of team jokester in the booth

On how Hunk is different from other characters he’s played: Hunk is about finding your earnest, sweet center. We all aspire to be Hunk. He says what he means. Tyler’s played a lot of jerks with sweet centers, for Hunk he got to strip all the other stuff and defense mechanisms off the other characters. What you see is what you get. Sweet, innocent, earnest, sincere, honest, child-like wonder with bouts of bravery. 

Hunk has strong intuition, if you stop and listen (re: Rolo ranting)

Tyler’s kids are huuge Voltron fans; they play Voltron together - Tyler is Hunk, his wife is Shiro, his son is Keith (huge fan!), his daughter is Pidge and the baby is Lance ^.^

They gave a shoutout to the college-age demographic!

To get in character - be more immature, make everyone laugh. He keeps Hunk’s energy going in the booth through making Bex and Jeremy laugh

On Hunk’s friendships: 

Lance/Pidge/Hunk have a built in history from the Garrison. 

Hunk and Pidge have their technobabble rapport, quick and efficient at accomplishing what needs to be done; will see more of this. 

Lance and Hunk are buddies, lots of teasing between them, have a good solid base. 

His relationship with Shiro is still developing; Hunk really respects him, there’s a bit of reverence there, they don’t really pal around.

With keith it’s just starting to develop, he took Lance’s side (re: Keith being a hot-shot pilot) until he got to know Keith more one on one. S02E09 was a real breakthrough in that respect, Hunk realized “I like you”. 

Coran is like a goofy uncle who can really buckle down when needed. 

He like everyone is in awe of Allura; there’s reverence, respect.

Fave Hunk scene/moment: at the space mall. He loved Hunk at Vrepit Sal’s; Tyler is as tired of fat jokes as we are, but that moment really drove home that Hunk is a gourmand - he wants the experience of cooking and sharing food with everyone, wants to make people happy with his cooking. Teaching Vrepit Sal that there’s joy in cooking showcases that. 

Hunk’s “farm to table” approach to food is a grounded, human, basic thing. He’s interested in the entire process of choosing ingredients, making dishes, sharing food. He likes foods that make you feel human, especially when he’s stuck in space. Food brings everyone together.

Best piece of advice he’s received: “for the artist, there is no satisfaction there is only a queer divine dissatisfaction” 

Gotta make peace with being dissatisfied for your whole life, you’ll never reach perfection

Fave line: “I’m a leg!” Would get that tattooed on his leg if he was bolder. 

Also: “Don’t forget these are the fundamentals of cooking” as Hunk is running away.

“Hunk has no boundaries” - talking about digging through Pidge’s bag in S01E01

On whether Hunk dances: “If you like to eat you like to dance - he shakes it hard”

His headcanon on how Lance and Hunk met: the Garrison is a very sought-after school, a safe haven for a lot of strange people with shared interest to explore human potential in space. It brings people together from all over. 

They didn’t know each other beforehand but Lance and Hunk roomed together and hit it off kinda like a university dorm situation. Lance was wild and Hunk was impressionable; Lance was that guy who could get him to do stuff - frat bros. They probably met Pidge in sim class - Pidge was that person who got assigned to them class poject-style

Pre-Garrison and background: Tyler doesn’t know much, but knows for a fact Hunk is Samoan and is real tight with his mom, who taught him to cook

On Hunk’s lack of character development in season 2: Tyler has same concerns as us re fat jokes and food and has been allowed to express them and Lauren and Joaquim have been receptive. We don’t need to worry about where Hunk is going, “I will never just let him fall flat”

Lauren and Joaquim and Netflix and Dreamworks pay attention to comments from fans online and consider them

On Hunk and Shay - real sweetness there, he was attracted to her for who she is more than what she looks like. Would make nice couple

Hunk is drawn to people’s differences - Shay, Keith

The food goo tastes like uncooked okra mixed with a blue-green algae like Spirulina

We will see more of mechanic Hunk - fixing things on the fly, that kind of thing

On Hunk as Black pilot: “who says he won’t”

He wants to be the head but wants Yellow to be the head cause he’s fallen in love with Yellow - “Yellow is his lady”

Very good at understanding his place: knows his role as a leg is just as important as the head

“Pidge and Hunk can do anything”

On the paladins in a horror movie type situation: very well equipped as a team, would do well (like Scooby-Doo). 

One of them would have to die but they’d do well (”gotta lose one”)

On pets: Hunk doesn’t have pets at home but he would absolutely adopt an alien pet, he’s all for companionship

On winter sports: Tyler’s faves are snowboarding and curling (Canadian rep going strong XD). Hunk wold love anything where you work up a lot of speed like luge or bobsled

On Hunk’s headband: doesn’t ever take it off, probably something that reminds him of his roots.

Would Hunk open a restaurant back on Earth: would have to hybrid mechanic shop and food cause loves working with his hands so much

Tyler is a very good cook himself, has taken classes. Some of his knowledge may have made it into show, informed Hunk’s character.

Hunk is very much a part of him. He pushes some stuff of himself onto Hunk like immaturity and scaredness. Then writers and producers also take some of what they see in the booth from Tyler and write it into the character

Confirmed his attendance at Wondercon 2017. Didn’t mention specifically who else would be there but probably safe to assume Joaquim and Lauren and Tim and several of the voice cast will also be there

[latestnews2018-blog]

The Time Proto Zoa From 'Zenon' Was More Popular Than William F**king Shakespeare

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/the-time-proto-zoa-from-zenon-was-more-popular-than-william-fking-shakespeare/

The Time Proto Zoa From 'Zenon' Was More Popular Than William F**king Shakespeare

Last year Phillip Rhys was touring William Shakespeare’s former residence outside London when he spotted a huddle of whispering girls, but he thought nothing of it.

“Sometimes you kind of know when you’re being recognized,” the former Disney actor admitted, “but because I was in the home of the greatest playwright of all time, I was mildly distracted ― more interested in that.”

By the time he reached the exit, the murmuring was impossible to ignore. “Oh, my God, are you Proto Zoa?” one of the girls asked

He replied “yes,” and “these young American girls” started screaming, he said. “I thought, ‘We’re in the home of William fucking Shakespeare! Let’s honor this moment. Forget Proto Zoa. This is what we should be pulling our hair about.’”

Instead, hair was pulled over a star of “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,” a 1999 movie about teens who live on a space station orbiting Earth in 2049. “I go, ‘Oh, isn’t that funny?’” Rhys recalled. “Popular culture trumps the Bard.”

Even after almost two decades, Proto Zoa could still make hearts go boom boom.

Disney; Getty

Phillip Rhys as Proto Zoa in 1999’s “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century” and in 2011.

So, yes, fans regularly recognize Rhys, who rode a Disney Channel wave to fame like his colleagues Hilary Duff, Bella Thorne and Zac Efron. Playing the movie’s intergalactic rock star character made him, as he put it in an interview with HuffPost, a ”prepubescent Bradley Pitt for the mid-’90s.”

Twenty years later, the mania persists. Ikea cashiers have been known to spontaneously jump over registers to hug him. 

In the time since “Zenon,” Rhys has appeared in roles for TV shows such as “Nip/Tuck” and “24,” has had parts in Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” and Al Pacino’s “Salome” and directed a short film starring Sandra Oh called “The Scarecrow.”

Now Rhys is starring in Syfy’s upcoming series “Nightflyers,” based on George R.R. Martin’s novella about an ill-fated space voyage. Rhys joins the series as Murphy, a systems engineer who is said to be very busy in the premiere. 

“[Proto Zoa} is back in space years later!” Rhys joked.

His perspective on acting has changed since his Disney days, when screaming fans were the sign of a job well done. “Jobs I get now feel earned, and they seem to fit better with the richer and more diverse life I try and live,” he said. “A life that isn’t about just acting. It’s a much healthier place to come from.”

Part of that more diverse, healthier outlook comes from what has happened in his personal life. He is now married with a son. So you could say Rhys is done looking for his supernova girl. At least he would.

“I found her,” he said with a laugh. “Oh, my God, she chuckles with that.”

During our conversation, Rhys divulged as much as he could about “Nightflyers,” graciously looked back on the “Zenon” franchise and (zetus lapetus!) teased a possible Proto Zoa return. 

What is it like being in space again?

The ship’s a lot bigger. The craft services is healthier, maybe? No, it’s great. You know, this production, it feels very special. There’s a certain energy on the set where we all feel like we’re involved in something that people are engaged in, excited to see. We’re doing a lot of firsts. We’re using augmented reality, which I had no idea what it was at the time ― deals with depths of field. There’s all sorts of fancy perspective where we can look outside the ship and see Earth going by. We’re using these lenses Ridley Scott used back in the day, [with] this dirty sci-fi feel to it. [It’s a] much more real, grittier vibe. Everything is anamorphic lenses. It’s like you’re getting a 10-hour movie.

Why were you interested in “Nightflyers”? What makes it so special?

They’re pushing certain boundaries … The guys who are running that, they’re about story. It’s not about what’s cool. We all love a cool shot. We all love a cool image, but at the end of the day, if the story sucks, you’ll get the kids for a moment, and they won’t be coming back. The story has to sustain, and they’re coming from that place. When you’re working with a George R.R. Martin, he knows story.

How involved was George R.R. Martin? Was he able to be on set, or was it just kind of approving things from behind the scenes?

I believe it’s the latter. Yes, they’ve taken the novella, and they’ve gone at it. I don’t know how much material was there for a 10-episode season for the first season or even subsequent seasons, but they’ve used that as a launching pad, a jumping-off point. Much to his blessing, he’s endorsed it all. He’s been very positive about what he’s seen, and I think due to contractual reasons with HBO, he can’t be a creative on this, but we’re at least allowed to say “from the mind of George R.R. Martin.” 

Of course, your first foray into space was in “Zenon.” What’s it like looking back on it? 

I’m incredibly proud of it because, by all accounts, it should’ve just been another kids’ TV movie. Even when I read it, I said, “This is good. This is really good.” I went in with a specific thing. I said, “If I’m going to play this role, I’m going to do it like this.” I think I was doing a play at that time … so this was an amalgamation of this character I’d done in a play … [Proto Zoa] wasn’t written English, and it wasn’t written with blond hair [or with] that swagger … I went in, and I did it, and they were incredibly open to it.

We had a screening a few months later. It was really well received. I watched it with my adult friends at the time, and they thought nothing of it. Just, “What the fuck are you doing wiggling your hips around?” It was lost on us. It was lost on kids in their 20s. It wasn’t for them. It was for a generation before us and even younger than that, and it clicked. It really clicked, and I can’t believe it. 

It still comes up, especially on social media. Have you seen the comparisons to Guy Fieri? People say that’s what Proto Zoa looks like today.

Oh, yes. I have seen this. I’m fine [with it]. I’ll be honest with you, I had no idea who he was, not until that moment. So the first time I saw it, I said, “Who is this guy?” So I looked him up. OK, I’m fine. It’s all, you know, if people are looking and talking about your work in a reasonably positive way, I’m fine with it. And Guy, I’m sure, is great at what he does. He’s a cook, right?

Yeah, he’s a celebrity chef.

OK, so I don’t really watch those programs, but God bless him. God bless him if I could one day be Mr. Guy Fieri. I probably should watch the shows, and I could learn from him if we ever did a 20-year reunion, a “Zenon” reunion. I could bring some of his flair. Maybe he’s a chef now, Proto Zoa.

Guy Fieri is Protozoa from Zenon grown up pic.twitter.com/0A6OhGR9oT

— woooooooooof (@gilwoof) May 8, 2014

I mean, the 20th anniversary is next year.

Where do you see Proto Zoa 20 years later?

He’d be a manager for the next hot band, selling the next boy group or something to the world. And living off-world, probably because the polar ice caps have melted and all of it. It’d be a bit of a downer. It’d be a post-apocalyptic “Zenon.” Everyone would be in boats.

Boats that could go in space, I hope.

Oh, my goodness. That immediately is the second thought you go to. Could my hair sustain all that peroxide? Jeez. That was a summer I was playing a lot of musicians, and I shot the first “Zenon” in September, so I just did a whole summer of various degrees of musicians, successful and otherwise, so I had let the peroxide grow out. I went and auditioned like that, and they were like, “We love it. We love the hair,” and I was like, “Oh, Christ.” I was actually going to dye it back normal, and they’re like, “No, keep it. Keep it.”

Does Billy Idol still wear [his hair with] the peroxide?

Actually, yeah, he does. I saw him with it on “The Voice.”

Does he? He’s still rocking that hairdo? I need to Google him. What about Bowie? He was a dirty brunet always going around as blond.

Yeah, I mean, David Bowie changed his look a lot.

I took a bit from Bowie, a bit from Elvis, a bit from Liberace, I think. That’s “Zenon.”

Are you still friends with Zenon?

I haven’t seen Zenon [Kirsten Storms] in a while, no. Holly Fulger, who plays Judy, I see her every now and then for a coffee. We catch up.

When I think about “Zenon,” obviously one of the most memorable things was your song.

Zoom, zoom, zoom. Make my heart go boom, boom, boom.

With that, we had Michael Jackson’s choreographer come up to Vancouver. Suzanne de Passe managed the Jackson 5, and she produced “Zenon,” so it was heavy. This gentlemen came up and was like, “OK, let’s do it. Let’s do this choreography dance number,” and I was like, “I have two left feet.” I was like, “Hold on, hold on, hold on.” It was kind of like the day before we were going to shoot, and … [the choreographer] does this, “You gotta go left, right, chassé, twirl with the guitar, play the song, and go!” I did it, I fell over myself, and it was ridiculous, and seeing the producer’s face, they were like, “What the fuck have we got here?” Because every actor says they can do everything, right? Until you’re on set. The band were much better than I, so if you look, the band was doing most of the dancing, and I was just doing two steps to the left and two steps to the right. 

Wow, and that was Michael Jackson’s choreographer?

Yeah, one of the guys at the time, whoever that was. Yep, so when we did the second [movie], they were aware of my limitations as a dancer. I did a lot more pointing in the sequel. Just put your feet on the ground, just start pointing to the stars and the galaxy.

How do you feel about the aliens basically using Proto Zoa to get to Zenon in the “Zequel”?

Bastards! Right? I know, they used me as this conduit. I was used and abused.

Why weren’t you in the third one, “Z3”?

I was shooting “Nip/Tuck” at the time, and … I was committed to it. It was Ryan Murphy’s first big thing, and I just couldn’t leave, really. I actually know the gentleman who played Proto Zoa [in the third], though, bizarrely enough. After a few months, he came into my world. I met him via a friend, and he’s a lovely guy. That’s not easy taking over the role. He’s American. He had to do an English accent as well. That’s tough, just not fair.

For sure. Nathan Anderson is his name. He’s a lovely guy.

I’ve seen this debated, but was it “zetus lapetus” or “cetus lapetus”?

Didn’t she go “zetus lapetus”? It’s a Z. But she’s pronouncing it with an S … “cetus lapetus,” right? Yeah, when I hear it. What’s the Earth translation?

“Crap” is probably better for Disney. The movie also predicted Chelsea Clinton would be president.

More of her discussions in the media have been politically skewed, I think. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, right? And maybe she’ll want to right the wrong of whatever happened at the last election. I wouldn’t bet against them, but what happened with Ivanka Trump? Wasn’t part of her agreement with daddy that she would also run at some point and they would get behind her?

So you think it could be Clinton vs. Trump again?

Because they were friends pre–this nonsense? Maybe a Clinton-Trump showdown.

Possibly in a new “Zenon.”

A new “Zenon” would be perfect, right?

Brad Barket / Getty Images

Rhys attending the Tribeca Film Festival Shorts in New York City in 2016, with stars of his short film “The Scarecrow,” Sandra Seacat and Darren Pettie.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve overcome since “Zenon”? What have you learned in that time?

What I learned from 20 years as an actor? The obstacle is the path. When you’re denied the roles and jobs you think you want, it forces you to get even clearer on what you really want and why. It forces you to be at peace with the outcome and look for other things in life to fulfill you creatively. By doing this, you discover your unique truth and what’s valuable to you … so when a job does come along you want, you can basically take it or leave it … There’s less fear or desperation in and around the work. 

So what’s next? You directed “The Scarecrow.” Do you want to direct a feature, or are you planning on focusing more on acting? 

None of it is mutually exclusive. I’d like to direct a feature. I’d like to continue very much on “Nightflyers” and other shows of comparable quality, stuff that’s good stuff, that challenges me in front of or behind the camera. I mean, if you’d asked me a week before I’m shooting this pilot, I never thought I’d be on a George R.R. Martin show. These things happen, they present themselves, and you grab them when they’re good.

And there’s always the possibility for another “Zenon.” Gary Marsh, president of Disney Channels Worldwide, even said there could even be a “Zenon” TV show. Would you be into that?

Yes, I read that. I heard about it too. We’ll see. Maybe they’ll commission the writers and stuff. I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything. Actors are usually the last people to hear. I would be open to it, of course. Of course.

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[flauntpage]

Your Friday Morning Roundup

Today’s Friday is more enjoyable. The Eagles are 5-1. The Nationals are out of the NLDS, again. But we’ll stick with the Eagles for now.

Catch up or relive some of the best parts of the game in our live thread. There were some great moments, but also plenty of bad ones, especially when EVERY PENALTY EXCEPT ONE WAS AGAINST THE EAGLES. How this is possible I still don’t understand, but the Birds defeated the Panthers and Pete Morelli’s old ass last night.

This was the first time in NFL history one team had over 120 penalty yards while the other had fewer than 10.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) October 13, 2017

The Panthers had one penalty for one yard. That was on the two-point conversion on which the refs never gave the option for Pederson to go for two in the first place.

And we did it without Lane Johnson.

Also, Nigel Bradham played out of his mind on defense. He made plenty of big tackles that stopped drives for Carolina, and Mychal Kendricks played a big role when Jordan Hicks left the game in the second half.

Leading tacklers:

Mychal Kendricks 17 Nigel Bradham 12

Wow http://pic.twitter.com/JGW6ZuJWAn

— John Clark NBCPhilly (@JClarkNBCS) October 13, 2017

Meanwhile, Jimmy Kempski gives out his 10 awards from the game, Paul Domowitch lists five quick observations, and Les Bowen on the offensive line improving after a very rough start.

But isn’t this such a sweet feeling?

Yo Malcolm Jenkins was going off after the game http://pic.twitter.com/wiY7TVxXeF

— Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) October 13, 2017

Jalen Mills was getting it too, I love this team http://pic.twitter.com/x4jjHop5ZQ

— Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) October 13, 2017

The Roundup:

The Sixers play their preseason finale tonight against the Miami Heat in Kansas City. Markelle Fultz is questionable with knee soreness.

This is Joel Embiid’s homecoming after spending his lone college season with the Jayhawks. His status is unknown, but he says he’s playing. He also misses the KU campus:

“I don’t know if anyone knows this story, but I actually decided to stay because I love this place so much,” Embiid said about the time after his freshman season. “But I was kind of pushed to leave” for the NBA. “But I love this place so much.”

Part of the reason is that Embiid blossomed into an elite basketball player during his lone season at Kansas. He said he wouldn’t have been the third pick in the draft without coming here. That’s why Embiid was overjoyed to practice in the fieldhouse.

“I’m really thankful,” he said.

Wanting to take in the campus, Embiid opted not to ride the team bus to practice. He walked from the team hotel to the fieldhouse.

Embiid playing is good for the Sixers. But is it also bad?

For success-starved fans of the 76ers, it must have been both glorious and nerve-racking to watch Embiid eviscerate the Nets. For every brilliant play that he made — and there were more than a few, including the 40-footer that he swished during a dead ball — there was a more minor-key moment when he flirted with danger. Was that a slight grimace after he took a fall in the second quarter? An almost imperceptible limp after a tumble in the third?

Basketball is a physical sport, and contact is unavoidable. But forgive those fans who would prefer that Embiid cover himself with bubble wrap.

Brown understands. He used the word “reckless” to describe Embiid’s Tonka Truck style — “He doesn’t know any other way to play,” Brown said — but expressed hope that Embiid would settle into a more conservative frame of mind once his playing time is more consistent, an imposing prospect for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

18 years ago yesterday, Wilt Chamberlain passed away at the age of 63.

Thank god NBC Sports I’m Also Not Calling Them By Their Full Name And I’ll Stick With Philly aired the Sixers-Nets game on Wednesday. This fan base is unbelievable. They won’t broadcast tonight’s game, but that’s fine.

—

The Phillies plan to interview Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway for their managerial job.

So far, the team has interviewed Juan Samuel, Dusty Wathan, and Jorge Velandia.

Ryan Lawrence grades each hitter:

Aaron Altherr, A-

Phillies fans should thank Howie Kendrick for his inability to stay on the field, eh? As a result, Altherr, who was deserving of more playing time coming out of camp, got it and thrived. He was one of 36 major league outfielder with at least 18 home runs and a .340 or higher OBP in 2017. The only knock on Altherr was that he was once again slowed by injuries. He hit .228 with a .288 OBP in his final 28 games (after the first or two stints on the DL with a hamstring injury in mid-July).

Rhys Hoskins, A

We really don’t have to explain this one, do we? Hoskins basically did in Philadelphia what Gary Sanchez did for the New York Yankees the previous season, arriving on the scene late and creating nightly Home Run Derby drama. (Notable: Sanchez finished second in the 2016 A.L. Rookie of the Year voting, despite playing in just 53 games.). Hoskins slowed down in the season’s 2 1/2 weeks, but even with that slump, only Aaron Judge had more walks after August 31. Extra credit to Hoskins for playing predominantly at a position (left field) he hadn’t taken reps at since college prior to two months ago.

—

The Flyers plan to unveil a new Ed Snider statue at the Wells Fargo center next Thursday, the 50th anniversary of the team’s first ever home game.

Custom created and built by Chad Fisher, of Fisher Sculpture of Dillsburg, PA, the nine-foot tall, 1,300-pound bronze statue will stand on a three-foot base encased by solid granite. The process, which took eight months from start to finish, began in the Archives office of the Wells Fargo Center where Fisher selected photos of Snider to base his design. Fisher met with members of the Snider Family and Comcast Spectacor executives to agree on the proper layout.

The statue is being unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Philadelphia Flyers home game when the team made its debut at the Spectrum against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 19, 1967.

—

In other sports news, the Cubs defeated the Nationals 9-8 to advance to the NLCS. Washington can’t get out of the first round once again.

Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension was reinstated by a court ruling, but don’t expect it to be the end of this saga.

Michael Jordan is not a fan of the superteams:

“I think it’s going to hurt the overall aspect of the league from a competitive standpoint…You’re going to have one or two teams that are going to be great, and another 28 teams that are going to be garbage. Or they’re going to have a tough time surviving in the business environment.”

Roger Goodell’s wife is the newest victim of using an anonymous Twitter account to defend someone. In this case, it’s her husband.

Two Winnipeg Jet players caught a 600 pound sturgeon that took them about a half-hour to reel in.

Barstool Sports is coming to ESPN2:

SOME NEWS: Starting nxt week, PMT will have a TV show on ESPN2 tuesday nite/wed morning at 1 am. Barstool Van Talk https://t.co/JqeG9609zW

— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) October 13, 2017

Could these kids beat the US Men’s National Team?

—

In the news, Philadelphia Police are searching for an escaped prisoner.

The wildfires in Northern California continue to burn on.

President Donald Trump plans to end some subsidies from the Affordable Care Act.  He’s also expected to make an announcement regarding the Iran nuclear deal.

Paris hopes to ban gas-powered cars by 2030.

Finnair Flight 666 flew to HEL(sinki) earlier today.

Your Friday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[wavenetinfo]

The Americans showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields take our questions about the season 5 finale and some high points from the acclaimed FX drama’s penultimate season. (Note: Spoiler alert for anybody who is not yet caught up.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So before we can talk candidly: Is Henry here? JOEL FIELDS: Not to our knowledge, but we have not swept for bugs today!

Whew, okay. First I want to start with something I loved this season: The darkroom scene a few episodes back was amazing. Just terrific editing, the music choice, performances. You made reading a pastor’s diary riveting. FIELDS: That’s a scary scene to write. If Chris Long isn’t your producing director, it’s especially scary, but we knew we were in good hands. The entire team delivered sensationally. But when you sit down and decide to hang really the entire landing of the episode, and a key transformational moment in your big season and series-long stories, you’re hanging them on the audience reading photographed pages from a diary, it’s a real challenge. I remember sitting right here in The Vault — this is where we do our writing — and we were talking about how that was going to be filmed, and how close you could get to the photos and what you could expect the audience to read. It’s a real testament to the filmmakers on the show how powerfully that landed. And it really captured what we hoped to capture — Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth’s (Keri Russell) experience of reading that with their daughter and catching the landing of those phrases.

As writers, do you think Pastor Tim’s (Kelly AuCoin) assessment of how much damage Philip and Elizabeth are doing to Paige (Holly Taylor) is correct? JOE WEISBERG: That’s a foundational question for the whole series. I don’t think we can say whether he’s right or wrong. It’s certainly a valid perspective, and he’s not the only one would think that. I think, in a sense, the jury’s out. We have to find out what becomes of Paige if that way of looking at it proves to be true. I think certainly the choices Philip and Elizabeth have made have run the risk that will prove to be true, but that doesn’t mean it will prove to be true.

Now that Tim’s left the country, is he off the show, or will we see him again next season? FIELDS: You should know us well enough to know you’re not going to get a straight answer.

Likewise, have we ditched Elizabeth’s tai chi hippie and Philip’s lousy lover in Kansas? Unless I missed something, they vanished midway through the season. FIELDS: They’ve been ditched for this season. But after that, it’s safe to say you’ll get the same answer out of us as always. WEISBERG: Philip and Elizabeth are still running them. You know how it is on this show, they’re running all sorts of operations, and we don’t always follow each that closely. I think Philip is still running Charles Duluth. I also loved the beat in the penultimate episode where I fully believed Paige was going to hang herself from the garage beam when she was setting up her punching bag. Was that a deliberate fake-out? BOTH: Whoa! Wow! WEISBERG: You’re the first one to say that.* That is interesting. That had not occurred to us! FIELDS: That’s great. We really like to believe there’s a lot of subconscious work that goes into the show. We were just looking for the most realistic way for her to be practicing. WEISBERG: And if that had happened, then Pastor Tim would have been right in that case.

Also: Why did Philip have to kill the nice Nazi lady’s husband? Couldn’t they have just visited her earlier in the day? FIELDS: One of the ironies is if Elizabeth had her way, they would have put a bullet in her head and gotten out of there, and he wouldn’t have died. But because Philip had to know, things dragged out. WEISBERG: The plan was to get out of there before he got home. That’s what you get when you hesitate.

Now before the season, I asked you if this would have a ramped-up pace as it’s the last one before your final season, and you guys said something I have never heard from showrunners: That if anything, you were slowing down. And I thought maybe you were kind of being self-deprecating, but you weren’t! WEISBERG: I know there’s been some criticism, but at least you can credit us to sticking to our word.

There has been some. You had a major story line about illegal groceries. Do you feel like you perhaps hit the brakes too hard this year? FIELDS: There’s certainly been some criticism. At some level, you just have to take your lumps. I don’t think we were expecting quite this much of a backlash, so it’s been a little upsetting. Here’s what we’re telling ourselves: Let’s wait until it’s all over. Let’s wait for everybody to have seen it in context. And we’re hoping with that perspective, the response to that will be a little more muted. But we don’t know, maybe not.

Let’s talk more about the finale. Couldn’t they ask the Center to let them deactivate until Henry graduates high school, and then they come back? Or is that just not an option in their world? WEISBERG: They don’t have that in their plan.

Our suspicion of Stan’s (Noah Emmerich) jazzercise girlfriend (Laurie Holden) went through the roof in the finale when she encouraged him to stay in his job. But what isn’t clear is whether that triggered any suspicion in Stan. It kind of looked like a lightbulb went off in his eyes there, maybe? WEISBERG: Why would it? There’s no reason Stan would suspect her. Philip’s got a lot of reasons to suspect her, but there’s no reason to occur to Stan. He may suspect her of wanting him to spend more time at home.

One thing that occurred to me in that final scene with them. Does Elizabeth actually love Philip? Has she ever said “I love you” on the show? FIELDS: I can’t remember if she’s never said it or she’s said it once. WEISBERG: She said it once, last season. FIELDS: There’s no question in our minds she does love him. There’s a definite love that’s grown over time, and we think this season has been one in which their marriage is stronger than it’s ever been, and they love each other deeply. WEISBERG: We’ve always thought she didn’t love him at all in the 15 or 20 years they were married since the show started, and then change happened that started turning that course… In the final scene, this extraordinary thing happens when Elizabeth says she can’t go back. They both wanted to go back. She can’t go back fundamentally because of who she is. It’s about her being patriotic and true and faithful to her cause. And instead of being angry at her or blame her, Philip accepts her and even loves her for it. You see the way that’s performed, the disappointment going along with acceptance. I think it’s a very special and moving marriage moment where one partner accepts the other at a very difficult and heartbreaking time.

Some of the edits in the finale seemed to suggest Philip was reluctant to transplant his children to another country, while Elizabeth was more like, “Damn I’m going to miss having all these shoes and kitchen appliances.”   FIELDS: Our read was not that she was going to miss them, but that there was something about them that weighed on her. That they were not her values. That represents America to her. That those are not the things you should hope for. I think both of them were realistically concerned about how their children would adapt. That conversation with Pastor Tim was interesting to us because he’s the only one they would talk to about it. But you’re right that they would see it differently.

I can imagine a final season where Stan never finds out about the Jennings, that you just never drop that other shoe, simply because it’s something the audience so expects. FIELDS: Yeah, we’ve always tried to stay away from story conventions, not just for the sake of staying away from them, but because we’ve been more interested in figuring out what would really happen — which is often not the same as what the story conventions are.

Finally, this question is stupid, but I’ve always wanted to ask: Wouldn’t their wigs come off during sex? Was hair-pulling not discovered until 1990? FIELDS: We actually tried to answer that question in season 3 or 4, when he takes his wife off with Martha, and we made that point about how hard it was to pull off. WEISBERG: There’s glue and lots clip; those things are on. FIELDS: They’re sex-proof. WEISBERG: The KGB has a whole facility where they test wigs for sex resiliency.

*This interview was conducted before the penultimate episode aired.

31 May 2017 | 3:16 am

James Hibberd

Source : EW.com

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

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[tuthillscopes-blog]

Henry Greens Party Going: an eccentric portrait of the idle rich

check it out @ https://tuthillscopes.com/henry-greens-party-going-an-eccentric-portrait-of-the-idle-rich/

Henry Greens Party Going: an eccentric portrait of the idle rich

Amit Chaudhuri revisits a masterful tale of revellers stranded in a hotel, which recalls Joyce and Woolf but resembles neither

In the late 1980s, after i would be a graduate student in Oxford, I purchased a amount of three novels by a writer I hadnt heard about, Henry Eco-friendly. The Eco-friendly everyone was speaking about then had an e in the finish of his surname, and the name was Graham. He was almost a precise contemporary of Henrys: born in 1904, annually before Eco-friendly, he resided considerably longer. Both belonged to well-to-do families, but Eco-friendly was particularly affluent. His father was an industrialist. Id attempted studying Graham Greene, but had not made much headway. Then Henry Eco-friendly arrived, and Graham quickly grew to become, for me personally, another Greene, after which not really that. About Henry Eco-friendly, however, theres an irreducible, longstanding excitement one of the couple of who’ve read him.

I have to have purchased the 3-novel amount of Loving, Living, Party Going because John Updike had, in the summary of the amount, not just given Eco-friendly centrality like a precursor, but known as him a saint from the mundane. The religious example was excessive, what had helped me admire Updike to begin with was the means by which hed deliberately made room for that mundane, for that banality that fills our way of life and means they are truly interesting. But I discovered Eco-friendly to become a different of author, with almost no chroniclers impulse that every so often directed Updikes decade-lengthy projects, with no abiding curiosity about realism, despite his remarkable eye and ear and the gift for recording character. Replying to some question offer him by Terry Southern for that Paris Review in 1958 Youve described your novels as nonrepresentational. I question if youd mind defining that term? Eco-friendly stated:

Nonrepresentational was designed to represent an image that was not really a photograph, nor a painting on the photograph, nor, in dialogue, a tape recording. For example, the deaf, like me, hear probably the most astounding things over-all them that have not actually been stated. This enlivens my replies until, through mishearing, a brand new degree of communication is arrived at. My figures do not understand one another greater than people do in tangible existence, yet they are doing so under I. Thus, when writing, I represent very carefully things i see (and I am not seeing very well now) and just what I hear (that is little) however i express it is nonrepresentational since it is not always what others hear and see.

Eco-friendly actually stands approximately James Joyce, in the inclination to become intolerant of ordinary British syntax and punctuation, and Virginia Woolf, in the feeling of how narrative could be formed by things outdoors of event. But, out of the box obvious from his remarks to Southern, Eco-friendly further conflates his aesthetic with disability and eccentricity. (Right at the beginning of the job interview, he will not field an inconvenient question for the reason he cant hear the interviewer, although it rapidly becomes apparent the deafness is opportunistic.) Greater than Joyce and Woolf or other author I’m able to consider, Vegetables contribution towards the modern novel may be the imprimatur of the unapologetic eccentricity and, through it, a reconfiguring of the thought of singularity.

IMG 2 TT

Communicated joy and delight Henry Yorke AKA Henry Green

I have seen that Picador omnibus edition in the hands of readers and teachers, creased, carried with a degree of protectiveness. But, by all accounts, it didnt do well and soon went out of print. Since then, Greens nine novels have had spasmodic resurrections, come and gone and come back again. What will it take for Green to penetrate the general consciousness? His writing went out of view after he died in 1973 (and he hadnt written a book for 20 years before that), though more recently a handful of influential literary champions made him something of a cause. But maybe its to do with what Ezra Pound known as age. Most likely the recent decades havent been receptive to some novelist whose sole purpose appears to become to fashion a language that to speak pleasure. Woolf was shockingly neglected her present status owes less to literary critics regarding feminism. Jean Rhys was absolutely forgotten until her last work, Wide Sargasso Sea, permitted her to become annexed later by postcolonialists. Joyces mythic scaffold and verbal play identified him to academia to be essential both to modernism and also to the work of hermeneutics. I mention these authors not just due to their ability to transform and delight but additionally because some facet of their writing continues to be converted advantageously into some terms which are vital that you particular literary historic moments. With Eco-friendly, were given one type of artist who, such as the poets of ancient India and A holiday in greece, is not to provide us but delight. We dont get sound advice with your a author.

I hesitate to Party Going a modernist work because its sui generis, stands by itself, and it has not given itself to the modernism industry. However it has something that is similar to standard modernist texts, through which I am talking about not just what Frank Kermode known as its mythic structure, or its mythic punctuation of dead pigeons and bathing women, or its purgatorial fogbound atmosphere, or even the periodic abnormality of their syntax, but the truth that its thinking about and not the journey however the waiting, and not the event however the interruption. Dense fog working in london causes all trains to become cancelled. Traffic on the highway reaches a dead stop some people enroute towards the station need to abandon their cars and walk a minute of both liberation from, and lack of, class privilege. Among throngs of frustrated but jubilant commuters several wealthy people has convened they expect to go to the south of France as visitors from the qualified Max Adey. Two women especially are in search of Max: Julia Wray and Amabel. Max continues to be intending to escape Amabel, but she tracks him lower. Meanwhile, the entire group continues to be gone to live in the station hotel and given rooms with baths the shutters towards the station happen to be introduced lower. Amabel in some way finds her way inside, and Max reaches once ashamed, trapped, and temporarily disarmed by her immense beauty. It appears to Julia, whom Max have been courting inside a room not lengthy ago, that her putative romantic holiday with Max isn’t to become.

The simultaneity from the narrative causes it to be less just like a text supervised by an omniscient narrator than the usual particular type of cinema, a cinema less invested in one protagonist as with whats happening at the same time in a number of rooms and also the spaces around them. The fabric continues to be organised by an auteur akin, in the method, to some film editor, like a montage of quickly intercut scenes that produces a fantasy of unity and continuity. The restricted but unique locale and also the limited time period of the experience stimulate Jean Renoirs The Rules of the Game, which depicting several upper-class individuals with conflicting love interests who end up stranded with their servants inside a manor house on the country estate throughout the weekend too constitutes a narrative from nothing. Released, like Party Going, in 1939, the show isnt about either belonging somewhere or just being in exile it’s about inhabiting a transient, busy condition of unfinishedness. The aesthetic of these two works is remarkably congruent. Both also appear before the destruction from the worlds contained within them, and both possess a strange indestructibility. Renoirs film was trashed by the best and also the left because of its pointless portrayal from the inefficient wealthy, simply to be recognised in later decades like a landmark of cinema.

Self-absorbed upper classes Satyajit Sun rays Kanchenjungha.

Kanchenjungha (1962) by Renoirs most gifted student, Satyajit Ray is known as following the mountain peak the films upper-class holidaymakers are advised of because they mill round the hill station of Darjeeling. They’re completely self-absorbed, as the Kanchenjungha provides an opening right into a world beyond that will not present itself. Are you able to believe this area was only a Lepcha village prior to the British switched it into the town? states the insufferable patriarch Mister Indranath for the finish from the film. Empire! It had been insubstantial by 1962, such as the mist. Its becoming intangible in Party Going too, but not really much. Its there, within the global allusions, the truly amazing railways.

Sun rays film is instantly. The expertise of studying Party Going approximates this a feeling of getting joined, through the sentence, a particular continuum and time period. The 4 or 5 hrs it requires to complete the novel can also be the time where the fog rolls in after which begins to lift. The spell lifts too, so we understand weve joined a global we cant possess. This conflation from the figures time using the readers suggests the authors preoccupation with and mastery of form, that is a different type of reality towards the one the novel is depicting the result of his abstract nonrepresentational method.

Party Going isnt a singular within the usual feeling of the word. It provides us a superbly comic account of their figures, but it’s also an assemblage of moments, as well as different types of awareness around the globe as well as of writing. Eco-friendly is certainly not otherwise mindful of his literary context: when Julia walks towards the station and registers the procession of headlights at nighttime, the narrator points to the novels antecedents: These lights will come like ideas in darkness, inside a stream There are the epic similes, signalling to all of us that Eco-friendly resided currently once the British authors inheritance went beyond European modernism. Here the narrator describes a couple in Maxs party browsing the station to place their host:

Like two lilies inside a pond, romantically some of it but infinitely remote, encircled, supported, floating inside it for a moment, but forecasted when you are different onto another plane, even though there am much water you can avoid seeing these flowers or were prone to miss them, was Miss Crevy and her youthful man, apparently peaceful, envied for his or her clearly easy conditions and Angela coveted on her looks by all individuals water beetles if you want, by individuals people standing round.

Eco-friendly makes them vivid, semi-ironical comparisons frequently. Here, the simile concerns the station masters look at crowds of smokers, every third person smoking it could have the ability to looked to Mr Roberts, ensconced in the office away above, like November sun striking through mist rising off water. As Max and Amabel talk on the telephone before he heads off and away to the station (he’s laying to her about his intentions), her observation that here i am like a few old washerwomen slanging away at one another sounds more striking of computer should, as though Amabel were unwittingly situating the storyline inside a world good reputation for the epic. Two pages on, as Alex proceeds with the fog inside a taxi, it appears the [s]treets he experienced were wet as if that fog 20 feet up had deposited water, and glare which lights slapped within the roadways recommended to him he may well be a Zulu, within the Zulus hell of ice, sitting down in the taxi in negligence Umslopogaas together with his axe, skin beating within the hole in the temple …. And Robert Hignam, because he presses with the crowd within the station, remembers:

When small he’d found patches of bamboo in the parents garden also it was his romance in those days to pressure through them they increased so thick you can avoid seeing what temple might lie in ruins just beyond. It had been now, these physiques so thick they may have been an outlet of tailors dummies, water heated. These were so stiff they may as well happen to be soft, inflamed bamboos in groves only while he had once pressed with these, moist and warm.

The shutters are soon likely to come lower within the station, keeping new commuters out Maxs group will probably be at the same time nervously and luxuriously ensconced within the station hotel. Regardless of the feeling of enclosure and jail time (we’re simply inside a condition of siege you realize), the narrative has ramified and been placed on the planet: Party Going is both a comedy along with a cosmology. It is not about being hemmed in or trapped, or about being British. It enacts a fluidity of perception where it is also about being Zulu, about people being when compared with branches, to household servants inside a princes service, where Amabel is famous not just in London however in northern England and Hyderabad, in which the a large number of Smiths, a large number of Alberts, countless Marys seen collected below from the hotel window appear woven tight just like any office carpet or, more stylishly made, the holy Kaaba soon to create out for Mecca. Party Going is partially art-house movie, having a unique soundtrack, and partially certainly one of individuals remarkable British texts, like Basil Buntings Briggflatts, by which locality, eccentricity as well as class flow interior and exterior other cultures. Its this flow that’s envisaged here with regards to the noise, the murmurs, the silences, the laughter and also the courtships that occur as the trains have stopped, to ensure that any time things might open within an unlikely way.

A brand new edition of Henry Vegetables Party Going is printed by NYRB Classics.

Find out more: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/18/henry-green-party-going-amit-chaudhuri