#i am michael crew real and true

[junoskelton]

feeling real envious of my mans Robert from hit TMA episode Freefall rn

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Here’s Why Everyone Is Talking About A Pirate Drama That Ended In 2017

Black Sails has been described as Game of Thrones with pirates

If Black Sails kicked off in 2020 instead of 2014, it certainly would have thrown fuel on the raging fire that was TikTok’s sea shanty obsession. The reality is that this TV series aired on Starz from 2014 for four seasons, coming to a close in 2017. So why is everyone talking about it now, a decade after it began?

Black Sails is coming to Netflix very soon, triggering its fans to emerge from the woodwork and promote the show online. ‘I am SO excited for people who’ll be watching this show for the first time,’ one user wrote, with many others recommending the series to fans of Game of Thrones. With House of the Dragon still a few months away, here’s why you should tune into Black Sails this month.

New To Netflix: Black Sails

What Is Black Sails About?

Black Sails transports us back to 1715 – aka the Golden Age of Piracy. Set in New Providence, an island in the Bahamas, we meet the feared Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) who brings a new younger crew member into the fold (‘Long’ John Silver, played by Luke Arnold) as his crew continues to fight for survival and negotiate their space on the island.

Is Black Sails Based On A Book?

Black Sails was written as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island (1883).

Is It Based On A True Story?

While Black Sails isn’t based on a true story, it does trace real events. The first season focuses on the hunt for the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima, a real ship that sank in 1715 near Fort Pierce in Florida (where it still lies). Season two traces the fallout of Urca de Lima’s treasure being stranded in Florida, strictly guarded by Spanish soldiers while pirates prowl the shores. The subsequent third and fourth seasons then look at the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates and the British Empire – a la Pirates of the Caribbean.

Likewise, some of the characters are based on real people. Real pirates fictionalised in the show include:

Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson)

Anne Bonny (Clara Paget)

Benjamin Hornigold (Hakeem Kae-Kazim)

Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz)

Charles Vane (Zach McGowan)

Ned Low (Tadhg Murphy)

Israel Hands (David Wilmot)

Meanwhile, Captain Woodes Rogers (Luke Roberts) – who represents the British Empire in seasons three and four – is based on a real English sea captain and slave trader, and subsequently the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas.

Was Captain Flint A Real Pirate?

Captain Flint is a fictional character who was first created by Robert Louis Stevenson in Treasure Island. He has since appeared in multiple works of fiction, including A. D. Howden Smith’s Porto Bello Gold (1924), John Drake’s Flint and Silver (2008), Pieces of Eight (2009) and Skull and Bones (2010), and J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy (1904).

Where Was Black Sails Filmed?

Black Sails was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, mainly inside at Cape Town Film Studio. Because the real city is so different today than it was in the 1700s, Nassau – the capital of the Bahamas, located on New Providence island – was built from scratch in a studio over a period of four months, as were two large water tanks to house the series’ two ships. Some scenes were filmed outside in and around Cape Town when new terrain was required, but most of the series was filmed on set.

The Cast

The cast of Black Sails is incredibly large, but key characters to know include:

Toby Stephens as James McGraw/Captain Flint

Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie

Luke Arnold as ‘Long’ John Silver

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max

Tom Hopper as William ‘Billy Bones’ Manderly

Zach McGowan as Charles Vane

Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham

Clara Paget as Anne Bonny

Mark Ryan as Hal Gates

Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott

Sean Cameron Michael as Richard Guthrie

Louise Barnes as Miranda Hamilton/Barlow

Rupert Penry-Jones as Thomas Hamilton

Luke Roberts as Woodes Rogers

Ray Stevenson as Edward Teach

David Wilmot as Israel Hands

Harriet Walter as Marion Guthrie

The Trailer

Interested? Here’s the trailer for a taste of the action.

WATCH

All episodes of Black Sails are streaming on Netflix from 17 April 2024.

Source: Country & Town House

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

List of Newsies: Collector's Edition DVD Extras

"Newsies, Newsies, See All About It!" is from the film's original release and is hosted by three of the young stars (Max Casella, Aaron Lohr, and Arvie Lowe). This focuses on the young actors' preparation for the film (lots of exercising and dancing) and their experiences on the set while making the movie. It's very easy to watch, just the right length, and nicely presented. "Newsies: The Inside Story" appears to be a new featurette (at least the interview with director Kenny Ortega might be new), but the majority of it is comprised with additional footage from production in 1991 - interviews with the cast and crew. This featurette provides more perspective on the design of the film - framing, costumes, and choreography. Very little is overlapped from the previous featurette, and this one works quite well, too. "Strike! The True Story" discusses, as you can probably guess, the history behind the film's story - the turn-of-the-century strike by New York newsies. Much of the film's story is simplified or condensed, so it's interesting to hear a more accurate depiction of the events behind the strike, and the reality of life as a newsie. Old footage and stills of real newspaper boys from the period are mixed with scenes from the film, and crew members (screenwriters and producers, mostly) provide new interviews on the film's real-life basis. There is a full-length audio commentary featuring director Ortega, writers Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, producer Michael Finnell, and co-choreographer Peggy Holmes. From just listening to bits and pieces, this sounded interesting and upbeat, certainly something to enthusiasts to check out when they get the time. Two theatrical trailers are included (a true rarity on DVDs for the studio's live action '90s fare). Both are interesting, and the second includes snippets from other popular Disney films from the time like The Little Mermaid and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. "Storyboard-to-Scene Comparison" (6:10) alternates between storyboard drawings and a collection of scenes from the movie, which are unfortunately cropped to unsightly pan-and-scan. You can also view this montage with audio commentary by production Bill Sandell. Newsies Sing-Along is a simple, but neat feature that enables bold yellow subtitles to pop up and provide lyrics to the musical numbers while you are watching the film. "Talkin' Newsies" is an interactive feature which allows you to go through a collection of slang terms used in the film and at the turn-of-the-century and translate them. Though this feature seems designed for the young ones, and comes complete with a perky narrator, some of the terms may likely fly over their heads, even with the translation. ("What's a Simpleton, Mommy?")

copied from: Newsies: Collector's Edition DVD Review

I am now in dire need of the Newsies DVD...

[thislovintime]

On the set of Head, 1968.

“‘What stood out for me with Davy as an artist was his spontaneous stagecraft,’ Tork recalls. ‘He enjoyed himself on stage, for sure, gloried in his part. He was so alert as an entertainer and so relaxed that things would come to him out of the blue and he would just go with them. He could be incredibly funny. Micky and I were always breaking up on stage. [...] I’m so sorry he’s gone. I’m going to miss that wit and heart.’” - Billboard, March 1, 2012

“Genuine, reliable and huggable, Peter is a natural person — really gets off on talent — loves other musicians and can jam along with the best of ‘em. I saw him holding his own with Hendrix, Stills, Young. He encouraged me no end. Bought me my first guitar and my first drum kit. […] Never really got into fashions — he had his own. The first guy I ever met who wore different-colored socks. Wore his belt buckle on the side. Hated boots. Always had on sandals or moccasins. He used to walk with a swagger, swinging his arms with a confident air. He calmed hysteria, and lifted depression. ‘Dried banana, anybody? Piece of orange?’ — smiling, waving, running his hand through his hair. He knew all the crew by their first names. Kids crying at his feet he lifted and hugged like a father calming a child. Health food was just starting to catch on in the sixties and Peter was kind of a forerunner of that whole scene. I’m afraid that sort of image was a little thin for two other guys I could mention, but I understood — I really did. And I think he knew it. […] He’s the most musically talented of us all by a mile. His songs are real. ‘For Pete’s Sake’ — which replaced the Monkees Theme at the end of the some of the shows of the second season — is one of my all-time favorite songs by anybody. I’ve joked a lot about Peter giving everything away. But it was true. He was always giving his spare room to someone who needed it for the night — anyone. And he always seemed far away somewhere — in a different space. But I’m glad I know him. Of all the things he gave, he gave me lots of laughs — and food for thought.” - Davy Jones

“[Micky] and Mike and I have a very cordial relationship and share a lot of common topics. We go to lunch together when we’re all in town and have a good time. I love and respect each of these guys in their own way, although the real joys that I shared with Davy were special. At one point we had some good hard connections but as the years rolled on, those things faded away. But I am sorry to see Davy go. He was the one member in the group that I had the strongest human connection with. I still have two guys that I love and respect left from the band, but we share a different dynamic.” - Peter Tork, Review Mag, May 27, 2016

"I only now have, in the last couple of years, come to understand how smart and good-hearted Davy Jones could be. I did not have the skills to notice that, even though I was drawn to it without knowing exactly why. But I certainly did not have the first clue of how to encourage all of the good stuff from Davy that I loved. I wish I could have known how to do it - and he might still be with us, even.” - Las Vegas Weekly, September 14, 2016 (x)

“Well, I’ve never been really close with Michael [Nesmith] for some reason. You know, I have a lot of respect for him and admiration. But somehow we’ve never integrated. We’ve never been warm with each other. We worked together and did pretty well at it really.” - Peter Tork, Clevescene, March 13, 2017

Q: “I’m curious about the various reunions that happened over the years. Is it safe to say that you guys were never really friends?” Peter Tork: “Oh, I don’t know. I would say I was pretty good friends with Micky, and there was a lot of love between me and Davy. I have a lot of respect for Mike Nesmith and we’ve structured ways to work together. Things rotate. It’s like having a basketball team. You know, gosh, it’s like having a championship basketball team. They go on the road every so often and do tours, you know, just exhibition tours but fortunately your music skills don’t deteriorate as fast as your basketball skills do, but I wouldn’t know what else to compare it to. We had a chance to go out together and we took it, and we had a great time, and if we were not friends at all we would not have been able to do it. We played tours months and months long: ‘86, ‘87, ‘89, ‘91, ‘92, ‘96, ‘97, 2001, 2002 and 2011, so we couldn’t have been such enemies.” - Phawker, circa 2012; re-published 2019

And a throwback to Michael's 1972 Hit Parader comments about Peter in an older post.

[whatyourusherthinks]

Saturday Night Review

Live from New York... IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT! Okay, it's not live. This movie looked really cool from the trailers. I so glad that movies are copying Late Night With the Devil and making movies that look old. I think it's a neat visual identity idea, like making a movie black and white on purpose. I don't know anything about SNL, I don't think I've watched a full episode. I've seen some skits and a lot of Weekend Update, but the most SNL I've ever seen was the Drew Gooden video where he watches one episode from every season of the show.

What's The Movie About?

The first episode of Saturday Night Live, how everything is going completely wrong, and how close the show got to not airing.

What I Like.

First, obviously, is the cinematography. They very effectively capture the chaos of the night, the film grain of cameras at the time, and the shaky hand held approach of a behind the scenes shoot. It's similar to The Apprentice, true, but I really liked that movie too so I don't care. There's quite a few impressive long shots in the movie as well, it give an air of a jazz melody. Actually, the music is really damn good in general. The acting is great, especially portraying wild personalities of the comedians. But the absolute best thing about the movie is it's energy of the scenes, and flow of the movie's pacing. This movie is a roller-coaster. You basically follow Lorne Michaels for the entire movie, and there are several scene of him moving through the studio, with cast and crew members constantly rushing up to present their problems and update him on constantly changing events. It's exciting, electric, keeping you engaged the entire time. I got swept up energy of the movie, which is one of my favorite things.

What I Didn't Like.

So... This movie has a million characters. I get it, the idea is all these people are the chaos that threatened the first show. I'm sure everyone who wasn't famous was real. Or at least was based on someone real. But because there are so many people running around, some of them are very one note. The best example is Dan Akroyd. He's less an actor playing young Dan Akroyd and more an actor doing a comedic impression of him. This also slips into oversimplifying plot beats as well. John Belushi and Chevy Chase are set up as parallels in the movie, but John gets several scene of Lorne trying to appeal to his sensibilities, while Chevy just get's cock-slapped into compliance. Literally. And I have to stress that I don't know for certain, but a lot of this movie smack of revisionism. The biggest thing is Lorne Michaels himself. He's too perfect, just a really nice guy who is passionate about artistry and saying yes to everyone's ideas. His character arc has to do with learning to cut things from the show. He doesn't really change as a person, he's just a nice guy throughout the whole thing. Again, I don't know if that's true or not, maybe Lorne Michaels is super cool. But I feel like it just lacks introspection.

Final Summation.

But Saturday Night has energy and style that overtakes it's flaws tenfold. I love movies that are what I imagine sex is like. A flurry of motion and chaos that build and builds until the satisfactory climax. Saturday Night is good sex, and I highly recommend it!

But y'know... Is this enough? I've been thinking recently about my style of reviewing recently, more specifically about how I review a movie I love versus a movie I hate. You may have noticed that my last negative review, the review for Terrifier 3, was longer than this and my review for The Apprentice. Combined. And I love both those movies! Why am I giving more of my energy to drive away business from art than to drum up awareness of something good? Part of it definitely because I don't want to spoil anything from movies I like. I hope the undercurrent of "Watch this movie, experience it for yourself, it'll be much better than anything I describe" comes through with all my positive reviews. I find it much harder to describe something that makes me happy as well. That sounds... Incredibly depressing, yeah, but I think it's more that I'm critical of myself and what I think when I dislike something. I kinda need to justify hatred in my head. A little peek behind the curtain, I do think out what I want to do with reviews before I see the movies. Not that I inform my opinions before sitting down in the theater, but I'll come up with some jokes, analogies, and obviously the prerelease portions of my review while waiting to watch something. Somethings come to print, like mentioning that I watched that Drew Gooden video more than I've seen actual SNL sketches, but others I drop, like doing the Terrifier 3 review as a written out parody of "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" by Arlo Guthrie. (Although that idea came closer to fruition than I care to admit.) I might be over thinking this silly review blog. I'm going to be taking some time away from movies and focusing on my tabletop gaming hobby for a few days. Maybe not thinking about film for a few days will get some ducks in a row mentally.

[lanistas]

Omg I love Babylon 5, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!!

Hiiiii! Thank you for asking, I can talk about Babylon 5 for days 😃 (This is probably going to be a very long and chaotic post, but please bear with me 😅)

My most vivid memory of Babylon 5 is me crying my eyes out in February 2017, when I watched the final episode of season 5. My mom walked in on me in the kitchen, ugly sobbing and struggling for breath, and, well, my mom was very concerned for my well-being, to put it mildly lol.  And I guess this perfectly illustrates my relationship with this show. The story, the characters, the themes and motifs that Babylon 5 dared to explore influenced my psyche and became an integral part of me, and I was super not ready to let go when it was time to watch “Sleeping in Light”.

Like with any other show that I adore, it’s very difficult for me to explain which aspects of said show I like in particular. As I am first and foremost a shipper when it comes to watching and analysing tv shows, John Sheridan and Delenn of Mir were the main reason why I decided to start Babylon 5, and John/Delenn remain one of my most beloved OTPs up until this day. However, once I started properly watching this show and understanding it better, I realised that Babylon 5 is not only a shipper’s paradise, but also an incredibly well crafted and coherent show, a true masterpiece when it comes to weaving a compelling and logically consistent story. To add to the gradually developing plot, every character has their role to play, and each character is well written, complex, and important to the narrative. John, Delenn, Susan, Michael, Londo, G’Kar, Lyta, Marcus, and so many others – all of them taught me important lessons and helped me overcome real life struggles. They taught me courage, compassion, honor, but also they taught me that nobody's perfect, that both human and non-human beings can make stupid decisions, can take a wrong turn, may be difficult and insufferable, but it doesn't mean that the world is beyond saving. In fact it means quite the opposite, and that's what the characters in this show prove to the audience time and time again.

One more thing that I love about Babylon 5 is the fact that it doesn’t shy away from discussing difficult topics, very often mixing sci-fi concepts with philosophy, psychology, cultural studies, and even religion. As someone who studied intercultural communication at university, I cannot help coming back to Babylon 5 and choosing scenes and moments from different episodes that I can analyse from that perspective. Moreover, Babylon 5 managed to masterfully comment on politics, political institutions, and various types of conflicts, which also impresses me and makes me adore Babylon 5 even more.

All in all, I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to J. Michael Straczynski, to the cast and the crew of this show for bringing Babylon 5 to life. I will never shut up about it, and I will never stop recommending Babylon 5 to people 😄

[quarantineddreamer]

hiiii, please tell me more about that TGP AU 👀 if you want to! would it follow the TGP storyline? does Jyn get switched up with someone else and Cassian her soulmate who reluctantly helps her? do they figure out the real truth and then fall in love every time no matter how many times their memory is rebooted? I'm so curious!! also there's actually a lovely TGP-inspired fic for rebelcaptain but the twist is that it's canon-verse post-Scarif and it's really just them healing in the afterlife

Hi sissi! I see we are sharing some RC brainrot today (this and boxing au) and I am SO here for it ahh! 💕

(Uhhh first of all do you happen to have a link to that fic cause would love to read it 👀)

I haven't thought too in-depth about The Good Place AU yet, but (~TGP spoilers ahead):

As in the show, both Jyn and Cassian technically 'don't belong' in the TGP--Jyn knows it, and Cassian isn't really sure, but he definitely thinks he doesn't belong.

Draven is our Michael-esque character who places Jyn and Cassian together as soul-mates (for torture purposes). Both think the other person is someone else, someone 'good' (haven't thought about specific careers, backstories just yet). (I know Draven could be Krennic, but I kinda liked the idea of a more morally-ambiguous character from canon being the architect of a fake good place.)

Kay is our Janet-esque character who believes he's doing good in running the afterlife and helping its inhabitants.

Chirrut and Baze are a part of this neighborhood as well, except they are legit residents and true soul-mates. Chirrut was a therapist kind of life-coach in life and hosts lecture-esque sessions for the neighborhood where he talks about how to continue to put good into the universe, find peace etc.

*Cassian and Jyn both find these lessons painful, because they assume the other totally understands/lived the way Chirrut teaches and it all seems so simple except they both know it's not and life is more complicated than that.

After listening to Chirrut for awhile, Jyn finally confesses to Cassian she doesn't think she belongs in TGP and asks him to help her in becoming a better person. He's pretty torn up about doing this because he seriously has a a hard time believing he's a good person, but he agrees to help if only to convince Jyn she's actually a good person who belongs in TGP.

I need to think more on how Bodhi/Baze fit into the story as well....

But I think the gist would be that eventually Jyn and Cassian both discover it's not the actual good place. They do get rebooted many times by Draven (and they fall in love every time 🥺 cause im a sucker for that), but eventually Kay let's slip that there is a map to the real good place and they decide to steal it with the help of the whole Rogue One crew (at risk of their eternal lives) to find the real good place and warn them about Draven.

[grissomesque]

For the prompts, #15, and J/P (of course)

Hi, Anon! Thank you for this prompt!

#15: "I can't do that for you." In which I am so brave to take my fingers out of my ears and stop pretending Fair Haven never happened.

I hope you enjoy it ♥

the finer points of the situation 1K | G | J/P | AO3

She says she's never been afraid of taking risks, but Mark, for example, was no risk at all. Contentedly landlocked with his books and philosophies, he’d loved her without needing her. Without needing her to keep him safe.

Unable to sleep, unwilling to indulge herself in the holodeck maybe ever again, she slips into the shuttle bay, into the Flyer, leaving it powered down so that the only illumination comes from the overhead lights at half-strength, filtering in through the viewport. She knows by now that if she lets her mind drift she can imagine it truly is night, night in a way that means something. That it’s moonlight she traces with the pads of her fingers, following a cobbled path of curves and blunt angles: the analog controls Tom insisted on including, a design so quintessentially him.

She suspects she might know every nook and cranny by heart.

She draws her knees up to her chest and sinks deeper into the chair that she also thinks of as Tom’s, letting her head fall back against the headrest, letting her eyes drift shut, willing away her memories of the day.

“Going my way?” a voice calls out from behind her, and she represses the reflex to spring guilty up from the conn, but only just.

How did you find me is the wrong question with an obvious answer, but it would be the easier one to ask. Easier than why did you find me, the harbinger of a conversation she has actively avoided for these past three days.

“That depends,” she says instead, deciding to deflect. “Are you here to help shoot me out of an airlock?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that for you,” Tom smiles, leaning against the half-wall behind her. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. You never came back.”

“Oh, the Doctor filled me in on the finer points of the situation,” she says, rolling her eyes at herself and turning, finally, to face him. “You seemed to have everything under control.”

“Not quite,” he chuckles, perhaps recalling Harry’s black and blue face, or his own split lip. She grimaces in acknowledgment.

“I’m… sorry, Tom,” she says softly, because her humiliation is outweighed only by the crush of responsibility she feels for a dozen members of her crew getting drawn into a fistfight. Because she’d altered his program without his permission, in ways that had caused an emotional cascade failure beyond her wildest dreams.

“Actually, I think I owe you an apology,” he says, and though his tone is mild he does not meet her eyes.

She holds her breath.

“I made it for you, you know. Not Michael, but—” he laughs, self-deprecating, “well, all the rest. I made Fair Haven for you.”

Slowly, she exhales.

What she’d told the Doctor wasn’t precisely true. She hadn’t left Michael that day because she’d realized none of it was real. That part she’d known all along, and all too well. Had wrestled with her misgivings, her shame, and done it anyway.

No, she’d fled… because she’d finally understood what was real. What it all signified, each careful photon and forcefield that cocooned her on that false lake shore in something like respite.

And how it could all be so finely tuned to her interests, without her participation in its creation.

An aficionado, they’d called her.

“I know,” she admits.

Tom startles. “You never said.”

“Neither did you.”

And either one of them could invoke that magic word, Mark, a panacea against all risk. Either one of them could end this conversation easily enough, now and, probably, forever.

She doesn’t say it.

Tom drops into to a squat beside her. “The Burleigh Manor,” he says, counting on his fingers. “Da Vinci’s Workshop. Fair Haven might be the least subtle, but I’ve been telling you for years. Not to mention,” he adds, glancing around, “that I seem to have unintentionally built you a Captain’s yacht.”

Her mind reels. When the Gothic holonovel appeared in her database right around the same time Sandrine’s made its debut, she’d wondered. She’d never been bold enough to ask, not when doing so might make it awkward for her to drop into the bar late at night and run the table on her helmsman.

But then the da Vinci program had arrived on her birthday that difficult third year, and as far as she’d known only Tuvok and Chakotay knew that particular date, neither one of them likely culprits. Another mystery she’d let lie at the risk of spoiling it, another program she’d kept close to her chest.

Yet for all that, she realizes, there is this one thing Tom does not seem to understand.

“I don’t come here because it’s my shuttle, Tom,” she corrects him. “It’s entirely yours.”

The wide smile he gives her then makes her ache, and she welcomes it. Tom is always ready with a smirk, ready to hide himself behind an easy grin, but this—this is the bright, true smile he’d given her when she’d granted him his field commission, entrusted him with her ship, their lives, all those years ago.

This smile is a gift she does not ever want to let lie.

“Well, in that case,” he says, rising and offering his hand so she can do the same, “you think the Captain would authorize a midnight joyride?”

No holodecks this time. No proxies.

Just them.

“Oh, I think she’ll allow it,” she murmurs, and she settles in behind him while he takes the conn.

For once, she is not afraid.

[Send me a prompt and I'll write you a thing!]

[ulkaralakbarova]

A young coach turns a losing high school football program around to go undefeated for 12 consecutive seasons. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Bob Ladouceur: Jim Caviezel Terry Eidson: Michael Chiklis Bev Ladouceur: Laura Dern Mickey Ryan: Clancy Brown Cam Colvin: Ser’Darius Blain T.K. Kelly: Stephan James Tayshon Lanear: Jessie T. Usher Danny Ladouceur: Matthew Daddario Chris Ryan: Alexander Ludwig Beaser: Joe Massingill Arturo: Matthew Frias Jamal: LaJessie Smith Rick Salinas: Richard Kohnke Manny Gonzales: Chase Boltin Michael Ladouceur: Gavin Casalegno Oklahoma Scout #1: Les Miles Oklahoma Scout #2: Jesse Moore T-Gram: Adella Gautier Landrin Kelly: Terence Rosemore Cam’s Mom: Deneen Tyler Laurie: Anna Margaret Stanford Recruiter: James DuMont Mike Blasquez: David DeSantos Announcer #1: John Neisler Analyst: Damon Lipari Cam’s Cousin: Mike Bleed Coach #1: J.D. Evermore Older Veteran: Michael Fletcher Hallway Doctor: Kristofer Gordon Long Beach Poly Coach: Armando Leduc Buster Matthews: Marlon Favorite Frail Veteran: Sam Malone Himself: Maurice Jones Drew Doctor: Liann Pattison Jenny Ladouceur: Teri Wyble Mailman: Tom Bubrig Local Sportscaster: Al Vicente Nina: Payton Bourgeois Young Assistant Coach: Anthony Michael Frederick Paraplegic: Christopher Berry Nurse Ballard: Sharon Landry Lamarco: Renell Gibbs Security Guard (Larry): Mike Kimmel Coach #2: Jim Klock Coach #3: Terry Dale Parks Nurse Adams: Sandra Taylor Luis: Nathaniel Brown Senior #1: Zac Waggener Senior #2: Deric Augustine Player #1: Skyler Green Player #2: Henry Frost Guy: Dane Rhodes Minister: Robert Diago DoQui Announcer #2: Judd Lormand Sophomore: Hawn Tran Hip Sports Reporter: Billy Slaughter Reporter: Ricky Wayne Basketball Kid #1: Craig Tate Basketball Kid #2: Jaren Mitchell Nurse: Donna DuPlantier Soloist #1: Ashtin Fortner Soloist #2: Lanika R. Revader Emotional Player: Jonah Calderini Announcer #3: Evan Cleaver Referee: Douglas Griffin Small Boy (uncredited): Cannon Bosarge Miss New York – Football Beauty Contest Contestant (uncredited): Amanda Balen Film Crew: Director: Thomas Carter Writer: Scott Marshall Smith Novel: Neil Hayes Producer: David Zelon Makeup Artist: Melanie Deforrest Stunt Double: Joshua Moody Digital Intermediate Colorist: Doug Delaney Movie Reviews: Reno: > Taste the defeat, and once again inspire to rise back to the glory. Inspired by the real story of a high school American-football coach and his team’s participation in the 2004 season. The fall and rise of one of the most consistent team, especially after holding a record for the longest winning streak, what happens when it was broken unexpectedly? Do the players lose the confidence, coach be clueless, parents go crazy and media annoys them, is what neatly this film narrated. It looked nice to me and I had a good time, but it was too long and not inspiring as the other sports film based on the true events. From the director of ‘Coach Carter’, another decent sports film. I am not disappointed because I was not expecting to be a masterpiece, though not bad for once viewing. All the actors were good, especially it is Jim Caviezel’s one of the major roles and he was amazing. American-football was always been an Americas sport, so I never interested in it except watching films based on them for inspiration. Especially after ‘Conccusion’, my interest on them dropped further. Whatever I said is not a reason to skip the film. As a film, it did the right thing to portray the real life achievers on the screen to boost the young sports persons. Only to me it was just an above average, but for many others, it is one of the best sports film of the year. Forget the American-football, what I liked was, achievements are good for our progress and make a career, but sometimes there’s much more than making records in the games. So it’s a good moral lesson film than a fine entertaining film. I won’t recommend it, but definitely not a waste of time. 6.5/10

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Actor Luke Arnold found a connection to country in Alice Springs while filming ABC’s True Colours

by Jane Rocca for Domain Review

Filming the four-part crime drama True Colours for SBS and NITV in remote Alice Springs was a transformative experience for Australian actor Luke Arnold.

Best known for his portrayals of Michael Hutchence in the mini-series Never Tear Us Apart and Long John Silver in Black Sails, Arnold worked closely with the Arrernte people of Amoonguna on the True Colours set and felt a spiritual connection to country that shifted his life perspective.

“Working with Aboriginal filmmakers on this show – through those who see the richness, beauty and spirit of it – makes it so clear that what we’ve seen on television to this point hasn’t been represented the way it should,” Arnold says.

“There is a lot of use of the Arrernte language too, which means a lot of the local people play parts in the series. The traditional owners made sure we represented the area, the language and people correctly, it felt like a big community production that way and I am forever grateful.”

Arnold’s desire to know more about country was sparked while filming ABC TV’s Preppers a few months earlier. The series was co-created by First Nations writer Nakkiah Lui and starred the likes of Uncle Jack Charles, Ursula Yovich and Aaron McGarth.

“Director Stephen McGregor was working on Preppers with me and was coming to Alice Springs too,” he says. “The cast had told me how spiritual and special Alice Springs was and I was up for an amazing time there. It is one of my favourite times in my life, now that I look back.

“There was also a shift that happened to me, partly inspired by the beauty and power of that part of the world, but also by way of introducing me to our Indigenous history and making connections with First Nations actors and crew who will be part of my life going forward.”

Arnold plays detective Nick Gawler in True Colours – not only as the main character Rarriwuy Hick’s on-screen ex-boyfriend but her policing partner too. They’re joined by Errol Shand (Operation Buffalo, Mystery Road, Rake) Trisha Morton Thomas (Total Control, Redfern Now, Radiance), Ben Oxenbould (The Kettering Incident, Mr InBetween, Mystery Road) and Miranda Otto.

“Rarriwuy and I clicked from the moment we did our chemistry test,” Arnold says. “She pointed out to me that so often the desert of Australia is filmed through a white lens and treated as desolate, scary and an empty, barren place.”

Long before he fell into acting, Arnold always wanted to be a writer, and he has just released a fantasy book – One Foot in the Fade – his third in a series he launched in 2020.

“When I was younger, I liked creating and writing stories,” he says. “These days I try my best to split my time between acting and writing.”

While filming True Colours, Arnold spent his down-time editing his latest novel.

“I try as much as possible to focus on one thing at a time, but deadlines shift and life happens, sometimes it throws things your way but I just go with the flow,” he says.

A lot of his inspiration to write novels comes from doing the most routine things.

“It could be while I’m in the shower, drifting off to sleep or when I’m on a walk. That’s when the revelations come, and as an actor, too,” Arnold says.

“It’s often when you allow yourself some time outdoors that I get an idea of how I should play a character, and it’s the same when it comes to developing characters in my book.”

While his career pre-COVID often took him abroad, these days Arnold feels the need to lay down some roots in Melbourne – his parents live in country Victoria.

“When you bounce around the world as much as I do, your family and friends tend to stop making you accountable for not showing up to things because they know you’re living a transient life,” Arnold says. “But

I had a real craving to be relied upon – I’ve missed that in the last few years.

“Being in the same city for longer allows you to grow in ways that travelling a lot doesn’t, which means I can focus on also being a good son, brother and friend.”

He’s been filming the Disney Plus series Nautilis on the Gold Coast. It is based on the Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and also stars British actor Shazad Latif.

“I take the acting jobs I want and then write in between and get to spend more time with friends and family, which I missed,” Arnold says. “While I don’t have a solid base, I am feeling more grounded than I have in the last few years and I am trying to preserve that as much as possible.”

With so many acting gigs happening in Australia, Arnold says the film industry is booming.

“It’s a good time to be an Aussie actor,” he says. “It’s been great to be around so many actors who are feeling the energy again.”

True Colours – Mondays 8.30pm, SBS & NITV.

Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen

[myfandomscollide]

Jonah's powers were granted by the Eye, he wouldn’t seek to make a normal statement. The Eye has a vested interest to set him apart from being a normal member of society. He doesn’t need to make a typical statement, because as far as the Eye is concerned he doesn’t have to. His creation of an Archive of the Powers and concurrently the creation, alteration, and ritual using Millbank warranted him to be an Avatar. So long as Jonah feeds it, it's unnecessary for the Eye to feed on him. Consider it this way, he paid his price for entry into the Eye Avatar club in 1867 he only needs to pay his dues with others fear at this point. Jude Perry explained the process in episode 89 "Feed it, fearlessly and without hesitation, or it will feed on you," and Mike Crew described that he "gladly fed that which feeds me." If the Eye didn’t approve of Jonah in some way the Eye wouldn’t have given him its gifts, would have let him die in the process of body hopping, or more importantly would have had Jon successfully compel it out of him.

Almost!Avatar Jon in 92 attempting to compel Avatar Jonah is far different than Jon compelling some random victim on the street to spill his guts. Jonah knew he didn’t have anything to fear. Even if it was a full blown compulsion he wasn’t wrong about his answers. He quite happily explained that he did indeed killed Gertrude and Jurgen in response to Jon's compelling question. Notably Jon only asked "Did you kill Gertrude Robinson? And Leitner?" in that one inquiry, knowing those to be Jonah's only two crimes Jon was personally aware of. Jonah invites all of his archive employees to witness his confession almost like a teacher asking his students to be present for story time. The way he responds to Jon's actual question aside from the assertion is boldly gloating over his two successful murders "For the avoidance… And I killed Jurgen Leitner". He even cycles back to Jurgen's death once more further on in the conversation almost to bask in that success "Then I killed Leitner".

Jon's other question regarding Michael is true on the account that Michael resented the archives, specifically Gertrude, and by extension now Jon.

He's not opposed to personally exhibiting emotions through his encounter, he taunted Daisy to kill him to hurt Basira. "Then shoot me… Do it." He gleefully put himself on the firing line. This could be seen as a very poor move if Daisy were to call his bluff, but the others still don’t know if the retaliation for hurting Jonah is infact real (nor do we!). Jonah suggests that it is a high possibility.

Jon's remark of "I’m not getting any answers out of this, am I?" Is true because Jonah will not, because Jon isn’t developed enough yet. The conversation about the Unknowing was factual as well. "A ritual. The Stranger and its kin attempting to gather power enough to bring it closer," the Stranger itself still is a threat, even if its ritual posed no real danger to the world. An attempt doesn’t necessarily mean that the action will succeed.

The sheer amount of interpersonal conversations he had is incredible in 92. He not only survived a compelling conversation but a public (within the sight of his employees) murder attempt too. [Though that's a digression.]

Jonah not allowing himself to be compelled (and making his account of his motivations and anxieties so dry compared to how he talked about Jon's own terrors) can easily be read as him refusing the Eye the opportunity to feast on his fear. But I think that the Eye is probably feeding on his fear and refusal of being fed on by the Eye. It's awfully elegant.

[lokitvsource]

‘Loki’ miniseries producer-lead writer-creator Michael Waldron chats about Marvel’s favourite troublemaker finally harnessing his true power and wit while at the behest of the Time Variance Authority 

“Everyone has been asking ‘when are we going to see Loki’s real power?’,” starts Michael Waldron, as he animatedly dives into the upcoming Loki miniseries, starring Tom Hiddleston. “To have six episodes to explore his power has been so liberating because just from a ‘pure superhero abilities’ perspective, we wanted to explore the awesome stuff he can do, and also dramatically too.”

On board as Loki’s creator, executive producer and lead writer by Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Fiege, Waldron is itching for the series to drop already. It is evident as he gesticulates expressively as he puts forth how much Loki as a character means to him.

Last we saw the Norse trickster god, he had a giant purple hand wrapped around his neck. The shocking demise of Loki at the hands of the mighty Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War broke the hearts of millions everywhere. What would the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) be without his quick-witted jests and pranks and devilish smile?

In 2019, the announcement of Loki, fans already speculated that it would take place in one of the Marvel Universe’s alternate timelines — and they were right. Dissecting and peeling back the layers of the multiverse has been “thrilling” for Waldron, director Kate Herron and the series cast and crew. “It’s a new sandbox, a new corner of the universe to play in. It was certainly a challenge to define the rules of these spaces, the Time Variance Authority and how these branching timelines work. It wasn’t just about going ‘anywhere’ it was about going ‘anywhen’.”

At the D23 Expo in 2019 when the project was first announced, Waldron called himself and Herron “custodians of the fans’ love for Loki.” Though he was not a comic-book reader growing up (he admits he came to truly know about Loki through the MCU), storytelling remains an utmost priority for Waldron, who almost reminds us that “this is television we’re doing.”

He continues, “We can pick our spots and slow down in a way a feature film never could, and we can do long and quieter dialogue scenes and build tension and emotion in the way best television has been doing.” But Waldron was keen on creating his own original storyline; taking existing elements from past Loki comics and existing TVA bits and putting his spin on them.

So far, the MCU has been extended into successful miniseries such as WandaVision, following Wanda Maximoff’s evolution into the Scarlett Witch, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, detailing Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ partnership.

Loki meets bureaucracy

In the series, Loki is seen tumbling into the hands of the regulation-body Time Variance Authority, headed by Mobius (played by Owen Wilson). The best storytelling comes from an out-of-comfort-zone experience and seeing natural troublemaker Loki at the mercy of the TVA’s bureaucracy is sure to be a spectacle.

At this, Waldron chuckles, explaining that “it was a blast” to tip the scales for Loki while making room for his inevitable naughtiness, Waldron says, “It was a chance for our writers’ room to delve into some therapy, if they ever had to go to the DMV (U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles). While we were writing the show, I was in the process of getting a new passport. And you go back to work and go ‘ugh, you’ll never guess the bureaucratic red tape I have had to deal with! But we got excited, too, and were like ‘That’s the TVA!’ so we used that.”

This in mind, he continues, “Taking an organisation that is so soul-crushing by-the-book, so to speak, in their managing of time and dropping the most chaotic character in all of the MCU smack-dab in the middle of that is just amazing juxtaposition. It’s a great way to have both entities drive one another crazy, instigating a lot of amazing conflict right from the start.”

Waldron-Hiddleston-Wilson trifecta

Waldron — who has worked on notable projects such as Community, Rick and Morty, is writing for upcoming wrestling drama series Heels, and producing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — has nothing but high praise for Hiddleston and his versatility as an actor and storyteller. It was integral that he pushes Hiddleston’s boundaries.

“That’s where the collaboration between writers and actors is such a joy...when you push one another,” he explains, “and my goal from day one was to tell a story of Loki that had never been told before. There had been 10 years of stories of this character and we hope folks would’ve seen a fully-realised redemptive arc. Now we are starting with this version of Loki at the end of the first Avengers film. So it was our responsibility to not retread old ground. Tom was more than game for that, in fact, he wanted to do that and go deeper into Loki’s shape-shifting identity.”

Probably one of the best surprises is Owen Wilson thrown into the mix. Known for being the early-2000s romantic-comedy must-cast, seeing him take on the meticulously attentive and seemingly diabolical Mobius will be a delight. So what about Wilson struck a chord with Waldron? “I am the perfect age [33] to have grown up with Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, Zoolander and Armageddon. I love Owen and he is so great in this show.”

Waldron elaborates on how Wilson and Hiddleston bring varying energies to the show. “Loki is proper and pompous, Owen is folksy and down-to-earth – so right away, energies clash in a way that’s harmonious. But what he shares with Tom is a hard-to-even-put-into-words unique charisma. They [Owen and Hiddleston] both have natural comedic abilities and they can have a purely dramatic conversation and they could play off one another’s energies and make certain the right moments funny and right moments dramatic. I didn’t even have to set up punchlines to get laughs in this show!”

[gigilberry-wips]

Hiccunzel 2022 Day 4: Firgun

Firgun - (Hebrew) the feeling of joy that something good has happened, or might happen, to someone else. It also describes genuine, unselfish delight or pride in someone else's accomplishment. It represents a true generosity of spirit.

Read on AO3

Word count: 827

Time to reveal that my irl Hiccunzel inspo is none other than Lilypichu and Michael Reeves. Watching them interact is like seeing the Hiccunzel INTP–ENFP dynamic play out in real time. In particular the scene at 3:34 in this video is what inspired this one shot.

And this isn't an isolated incident, either. My discord wife happens to be an INTJ type, and whenever she and I (an INFP) talk, the vibe all but mirrors whatever's happening with them and with Hiccunzel over here. Observe:

Like tell me this isn't how Hiccunzel messages each other 😆 Something something affection deprived Hiccup being Shook(TM) when a person is openly and wholeheartedly loving something something opposites create fluff/humor shenanigans etc.

Anyways, on to the fic! Enjoy!

Rapunzel’s beau was an odd sort. He was the elusive, teenage inventor, most known for his discoveries in aviation technology, a powerful tool that many airship companies had been vying to have, which was why it only made sense that the best of the best had snatched him up first. But good luck telling him this to his face.

He called them My Dad’s Crew Who Got Stuck With Me. The crew that had, the week before, paraded him around the capitol city during the recent celebrations.

But Rapunzel knew he loved them. He worked hard to help them just as he worked hard to help her. And she was going to help him, too! After all that excitement, what he really needed was a nice, relaxing day, and what better than a picnic with her on a remote part of the deck that hardly anyone visited?

The more she listened to Hiccup ramble about his frustrations with his recent project, the better the idea sounded. “Hey, Hiccup?”

“–but I think the method still needs to be adjusted based on the–yeah? What? What is it? Did you say something?” He had a dash of soot smudged on his freckley nose. She'd been staring at it the entire time he'd been talking and bravely resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss it.

A shot of sparks fizzed between them. It came from the huge contraption he'd been working on. Hiccup cursed and stuck his head in. “Ah, sorry, hang on…okay, got it. What were you saying?” he asked, his voice coming out with an echo.

“…Hiccup?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Something went thunk in the machine. A second later, Hiccup emerged rubbing his head. “Warn me next time before you say that, will you?”

“Hiccup, you already know this. We’re already dating.”

“And? So what? That doesn’t mean I’m used to it.”

“Well, why shouldn’t I tell it to you? Why shouldn’t I tell anyone who asks, huh? What, am I supposed to go, ‘Oh him? That’s just my weird, dorky boyfriend, look at that loser with his stringy arms and goofy face, heehoo’,” her voice squeaked in a mock falsetto. Hiccup rolled his eyes. “If I can’t brag about you, then no one can.”

“This wasn’t even about bragging. Now weren’t you going to say somethi–?”

“Yes it is about that actually. And I wanted to talk to you about that, too.” Rapunzel grabbed his hands. Ignoring the slightly greasy feel, she brought them to her chest. “You know, I really think it's time you gave yourself more credit. You've done what everyone says is the impossible, and we're all so proud of you. You should be proud of you! And I know what you're going to say–"

"Wait, wait, wait–"

"It's that people actually only started caring about you after you did that–"

"No, I didn't say that. I said they only started taking me seriously after–"

"–but you know that's not true, right? You know how much your dad cared about you even before then, right? How much I and a lot of other people love you, too, right? That would've still been true–and it would've always been true–no matter what you did. Because what I love has always been right here, deep inside."

"Oh my gods, will you–just–my hands," Hiccup tugged on his hands, then gave up on the effort and tried to cover his face.

Rapunzel leaned closer and tried to see him. "…Are you blushing?"

"Gah."

"You are. Oh, you're blushing. That's so cute!"

"No, listen, I know what you're doing–"

"Hiccup, Hiccup listen to me–"

"You listen to me, I said it first–!"

"It's okay to talk about your feelings–"

"For the love of–" Hiccup finally freed his hands. "I'm not dealing with this."

And then he slid off of the bench and under the table, meanwhile Rapunzel went into a fit of giggles.

When he didn't re-emerge, she peered in after him. There was a distinct shuffling in the muted light. Rapunzel felt more than saw Hiccup scoot around her legs so she couldn't look at him.

Her boyfriend was so flustered by her kindness that he became a table crab. This was the funniest discovery she'd made yet.

“…Hiccup?" she whispered. "Hiccup, I love you. I really, really love you.”

The sounds of a dying raccoon answered her. She went into another round of giggling.

Her love might've been the smartest, wittiest person she knew, able to answer her and anyone with a clever quip off the top of his head. But apparently a simple "I love you," or "I'm proud of you," was enough to leave him floundering. All that sarcasm and the only thing needed to poke a hole in it was one word of genuine sentiment.

Every day her Hiccup reminded her just what an absolute darling he was. Oooh, she was going to give him so many kisses!

[lol-jackles]

For the person asking you for the pointers with AAs.

Because I never engage with any Jared hater and just block them without wasting one breath, here's somethings I had in my mind that I would say to them:

1. It is hilarious how AAs want Jensen to have a solo panel BUT in the SPN con although according to them SPN did him dirty and are both hating J2 panels and also the talks of Walker cons. Because Jensen doesn't have a project that powerful to have their own con.

2. AAs think Jensen is SOOOOO forgiving to Jared but not because Jensen loves Jared but to protect J2 brand but Jared does whatever he wants. So they are actually admitting Jensen needs the J2 brand to survive more than Jared does. Jared is enough on his own 😂

3. AAs were so mad about Keegan being in the con when they were so happy about Jensen moving out of Austin. Why? Aren't you happy to see Jared having a new friend so he won't bother your fave? The real reason is they desperately wanted and were saying Jensen had so much fun and better friends in the boys set but in reality, he didn't make a single friend there. He posed for some golf pics and probably admired Karl's wisdom as am actor. He literally took a minute to remember who Jesse Usher was and what he did with them cause oops he was drunk? 👀 And he literally admitted his favorite set after SPN is the incompetent low budget set with an a-hole as the lead where the crew were being treated like shit and safety was a concern that people had to walk out...So you can imagine where the boys set falls for him.

4. Jensen knows it, AAs know it, Jensen is not someone who makes friends with his colleagues. Go back to his past jobs and current jobs, how many actors he is actually friends with? Like Jared is with Chad and Milo. Hell Mike and Tom worked with Jensen, and they still talk about Jared more as a friend before Jensen. https:// twitter. com/ CuckFluffer/status/1377949431950008326?t=U6OVl2LYNlmt84wloDZ5ig&s=19

All Jensen's friendship are deals. Give and take. Jensen is their livelihood (see Steve and Jason)

That's why y'all are mad, cause even if Jared moves on you know Jensen will not let go of Jared. I mean Jared is not the one who moved across the country being obsessed with Jensen.

Those are all true, the AAs’ self-contradictory tantrums are always fun to watch, as much as their re-written histories (x)(x)(x).   The AAs have always despised Jared’s friends (and his wife) because they’re afraid it will lessen Jensen’s value in the J2/SPN brand.  Jared will do what he can to protect the J2 brand and the SPN/Sam Winchester legacy, but you’re also right that it’s Jensen who needs the J2 brand and SPN more than Jared does and the AAs know that.

As for #4, that’s just the nature of the business where most actors are not friends with each other, at least not primary friends in the friendship hierarchy.  I’m on the fence on how genuine Jared’s friendship with Chad and Milo, my guess is they are his tertiary friends.  In this clip of Michal Rosenbaum’s podcast with Tom Weller here courtesy of CuckFluffer, at best Jared would be Michael and Tom’s secondary friend because either Michael or Tom have to be present in order for Jared to enjoy their company.  Jared and Jensen are each other primary friends because they can hang out one on one.  Jared and JDM are probably secondary friends and need Jensen present to enjoy each other’s company.

When a person makes it big, there’s pressure to keep the friends that knew you before you made it big.  But if those same friends aren’t making it on their own and need your help, that’s only going to hold you back if your goal is to keep making more money.  People who get rich and keep getting richer because they make friends with (rich) people that they aspire to be.  Steve Carlson has some leeway because Jensen probably aspires to be a songwriter and singer on the “caliber” Steve is.  Taylor Swift is as successful as she is because she’s always collaborating with several different artists whom she admires or aspires to.  Jensen, surely there are other singers besides Steve whom you can collaborate with? 

[roswellnmsource]

Michael Trevino Talks The CW’s ‘Roswell, New Mexico’

So first off, what was your reaction to finding out you’d be doing that time jump this season? Michael Trevino: For Kyle, I think jumping — I mean yeah, time has passed, right? And I think whenever you start a new season, we always ask that. We’re like, “Well, how much time has passed? Where are we starting from? Has as my character been here, been there?” So this is one of those seasons where yes, time has passed, kind of a restart, reboot and it’s fresh. I think our first episodes were showing people in their different dynamics and kind of briefly alluded to what they’ve been up to, and that’s always nice.

I had the chance to see episode nine early and really enjoyed it. What can you preview for the fans about what this episode has in store for them? I feel that episode nine is a turning point for Kyle. Kyle, as we all know, is there for everybody, whenever he can be. He seems to be the one that they go to. He’s always putting out fires, I keep saying that but it’s true. Whenever there’s a problem, Kyle’s there for you. And I think this episode is kind of where — not that he’s reached a limit, but it’s taken a toll on him and we get a very frustrated, little angsty Kyle for good reason, I feel. I think that that frustration is a bit earned after everything, but we are going to find out in 3×09, as we’ve been finding out, a bit more about who Jim Valenti was, who was Kyle’s father, who is Eduardo, what is Deep Sky about, and it’s going to kind of jumpstart Kyle for the rest of the season. It’s a big episode for him because he finally makes a decision on, “Okay, enough is enough. This is how I feel about this and this is what we’re doing next.”

How was it for you to play with that sort of stroyline as an actor? As you said, it is such an important point for him. Well, I gotta be honest, I just saw the episode and I’m coming in hot! I’m coming in real hot and in the moment I didn’t think it was that hot, but damn, we’re there. And so I think it’s fine because I get a lot of feedback, which is great, that Kyle is such a good guy and “I like his character, he’s there for everybody.” That’s nice, right? So I feel like after three seasons of that, to see Kyle a bit over it with what’s going on and everything that he’s being told, new information, more new information, I think it works. For me, you try to find those moments of like, “Okay, can I keep being there for everybody,” or at some point I’m going to be like, “Okay, I’m done,” right? Or “I can only do this much.” He’s never going to turn his back on people, but in this episode we see him a little frustrated.

Fans love the show, what does it mean to you when you go on social media or meet fans in person and hear their response to your work? It’s great. It’s a beautiful feeling because we’re currently filming season four and that’s rare for a series to really last that long, to build these characters, and to still have these interesting storylines. So, to know that people are still engaged in these characters and the story that we’re telling, they’re still tuning in, it’s nice. What makes it even more special this season is because we’re watching season three right now, but we’re currently at the same time filming season four. Through the scheduling it just worked out that way, but it’s almost instant feedback and it’s also an instant reminder of “Okay, where have we been? What have we done?” So we feel closer to the story, which is great for us as actors, but sometimes it’s not that way. You’ll see something and be like, “Oh yeah, we shot that a year ago. Where am I coming from? Where are we headed,” and you want to track these stories but right now I’m just thankful for everybody that’s continuing to watch and who’s invested in these characters.

The show was picked up for a season four ahead of season three even premiering, which was so amazing to see. What was your reaction when you heard the news? I was genuinely surprised because usually you don’t get a pickup until at least the season has aired or the season is four or five episodes in, but I guess because in the year COVID and the delay, the network was able to see all these episodes and see the ones that we’ve done already. It’s great feedback. I think that we have something special happening here in Santa Fe, New Mexico with this crew, this cast, and our writers back in LA, who are back to visiting us on set per their episode. Everybody’s still invested. It’s a great feeling because we’re all here, we’re happy to be here, grateful to be telling these stories and working, and we’d like to continue.

What has been your favorite storyline of the season so far that fans have already seen? I think — okay, well, to answer that on what we’ve already seen, I did like and enjoy the scenes with Kyle and Michael. Those were fun to shoot. I get along great with Mr. Michael Vlamis and it’s always fun to be in scenes with him because, as we know, Michael Guerin is a bit of a wild card. With that, Mr. Michael Vlamis on the day is able to be a little bit unpredictable and I like that. I like performing with him and feeding off of what he’s bringing. He always keeps it fresh and new in each take. So, I like those scenes with him

I know you can’t tell me too much, but what can you tease about the rest of season three? The rest of season three, I feel now that Jones is really flexing on us, we have this bit of the Avengers assembling right in Roswell, like everybody having to come together, everybody has a job, and it’s to really take care of Jones and get him out of here. So I think that’s really what the rest of these episodes are going to be about.

I love that metaphor you did. It’s perfect. It really is because it’s like from season one to season three, we’re all separate. Now, it’s like, “Okay, we have to join forces to handle this guy.” And that’s what we’re gonna see.

You filmed season three with the COVID pandemic and now you’re filming season four with those safety precautions since the pandemic is still going on. What did it feel like for you to wrap season three with those circumstances, but then also come back for season four? Well, I have to give it to our producers, really, because everybody in the world had to pivot. We all had to make changes in our lives and I think the changes that have been made to keep everybody — crew, catering, casting, post production, accounting, whoever — safe on set, there’s been some different rules and it’s kept everybody safe. I’m proud to say we didn’t have to shut down once in season three. Unfortunately, there’s other productions that had to, but up here in Santa Fe, no. We were just lucky or we followed the rules, I don’t know but we were great and we were able to keep to our schedule, not have to shut down, and now we’re back for season four and we know what to expect. So things are running smoothly and there hasn’t been any problem. I’m just happy, glad, and grateful that we’re able to still tell the stories.

What is your personal favorite dynamic (friendship or relationship) when it comes to Kyle? I’m going to say that I want to see more Kyle and Isobel. I think that Isobel brings out a different side of Kyle whenever they’re in scenes or have interactions with one another. I’d like to lean more into that storyline for whatever it may be, I just want them to have more interaction because I think Kyle acts a different way around her. She’s just such a big ball of energy, so I think that would be fantastic and I would want to see more of that.

I know you’re probably not going to be able to give me too much on this, but I have to ask you, what was your reaction when you read the scripts for season four? Well, my reaction is a kind of going off of my last answer, Kyle ends up having more storyline with Isobel and it’s nice to see that play out. And so far, it’s been refreshing to see them in scenes together. I will tease this: so far in season four, the scenes that are with Kyle and Isobel have a comedic feeling to them. I feel like their scenes are fun and funny to shoot, but there’s a comedic element to it.

Is there any other show that you are personally a fan of and would like to see Roswell, New Mexico do a crossover with? Oh damn, that’s a great question. Off the top of my head, we’re gonna have a Roswell, New Mexico and The X-Files crossover event. This episode is going to air right after the Super Bowl and millions of people are going to watch it. It’s going to be Scully and Mulder pulling up to Roswell, New Mexico and Kyle will be there to greet them.

Is there a memory that sticks out to you as a memorable moment from filming season three? Oh gosh, it’s our season finale, it has to be our season finale. I can’t give away too much, but like I said about as far as Avengers assembling, it’s those scenes when we’re all on set together. It’s the season finale, we’re in Santa Fe in the middle of February and March, it’s freezing, it’s like 10 degrees outside, we’re getting the exterior night shoots that we need, and we’re all in. It’s not even just the cast, it’s the crew, it’s everybody. We’re just trying to get the final shot done of the season and we are working against all the elements. It’s a bit chaotic but it’s organized — organized chaos, that’s what it is. Those feelings are you got to get the job done and that’s what we do. I mean, we all know Jones is the big bad and everybody’s gonna have to get involved to take care of him and we see that in our last episode. Those scenes are really fun to shoot. They were challenging but I think it’s gonna come together well and it’ll be a strong finish for us.

If you could create a tagline or a phrase of your own to describe Kyle as a character, what would you pick? Kyle Valenti: I’m there if you need me.

[lokiondisneyplus]

‘Loki’ doesn’t just explore ‘anywhere’, but also ‘anywhen’: creator Michael Waldron

‘Loki’ miniseries producer-lead writer-creator Michael Waldron chats about Marvel’s favourite troublemaker finally harnessing his true power and wit while at the behest of the Time Variance Authority

“Everyone has been asking ‘when are we going to see Loki’s real power?’,” starts Michael Waldron, as he animatedly dives into the upcoming Loki miniseries, starring Tom Hiddleston. “To have six episodes to explore his power has been so liberating because just from a ‘pure superhero abilities’ perspective, we wanted to explore the awesome stuff he can do, and also dramatically too.”

On board as Loki’s creator, executive producer and lead writer by Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Fiege, Waldron is itching for the series to drop already. It is evident as he gesticulates expressively as he puts forth how much Loki as a character means to him.

Last we saw the Norse trickster god, he had a giant purple hand wrapped around his neck. The shocking demise of Loki at the hands of the mighty Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War broke the hearts of millions everywhere. What would the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) be without his quick-witted jests and pranks and devilish smile?

In 2019, the announcement of Loki, fans already speculated that it would take place in one of the Marvel Universe’s alternate timelines — and they were right. Dissecting and peeling back the layers of the multiverse has been “thrilling” for Waldron, director Kate Herron and the series cast and crew. “It’s a new sandbox, a new corner of the universe to play in. It was certainly a challenge to define the rules of these spaces, the Time Variance Authority and how these branching timelines work. It wasn’t just about going ‘anywhere’ it was about going ‘anywhen’.”

At the D23 Expo in 2019 when the project was first announced, Waldron called himself and Herron “custodians of the fans’ love for Loki.” Though he was not a comic-book reader growing up (he admits he came to truly know about Loki through the MCU), storytelling remains an utmost priority for Waldron, who almost reminds us that “this is television we’re doing.”

He continues, “We can pick our spots and slow down in a way a feature film never could, and we can do long and quieter dialogue scenes and build tension and emotion in the way best television has been doing.” But Waldron was keen on creating his own original storyline; taking existing elements from past Loki comics and existing TVA bits and putting his spin on them.

So far, the MCU has been extended into successful miniseries such as WandaVision, following Wanda Maximoff’s evolution into the Scarlett Witch, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, detailing Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ partnership.

Loki meets bureaucracy

In the series, Loki is seen tumbling into the hands of the regulation-body Time Variance Authority, headed by Mobius (played by Owen Wilson). The best storytelling comes from an out-of-comfort-zone experience and seeing natural troublemaker Loki at the mercy of the TVA’s bureaucracy is sure to be a spectacle.

At this, Waldron chuckles, explaining that “it was a blast” to tip the scales for Loki while making room for his inevitable naughtiness, Waldron says, “It was a chance for our writers’ room to delve into some therapy, if they ever had to go to the DMV (U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles). While we were writing the show, I was in the process of getting a new passport. And you go back to work and go ‘ugh, you’ll never guess the bureaucratic red tape I have had to deal with! But we got excited, too, and were like ‘That’s the TVA!’ so we used that.”

This in mind, he continues, “Taking an organisation that is so soul-crushing by-the-book, so to speak, in their managing of time and dropping the most chaotic character in all of the MCU smack-dab in the middle of that is just amazing juxtaposition. It’s a great way to have both entities drive one another crazy, instigating a lot of amazing conflict right from the start.”

Waldron-Hiddleston-Wilson trifecta

Waldron — who has worked on notable projects such as Community, Rick and Morty, is writing for upcoming wrestling drama series Heels, and producing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — has nothing but high praise for Hiddleston and his versatility as an actor and storyteller. It was integral that he pushes Hiddleston’s boundaries.

“That’s where the collaboration between writers and actors is such a joy…when you push one another,” he explains, “and my goal from day one was to tell a story of Loki that had never been told before. There had been 10 years of stories of this character and we hope folks would’ve seen a fully-realised redemptive arc. Now we are starting with this version of Loki at the end of the first Avengers film. So it was our responsibility to not retread old ground. Tom was more than game for that, in fact, he wanted to do that and go deeper into Loki’s shape-shifting identity.”

Probably one of the best surprises is Owen Wilson thrown into the mix. Known for being the early-2000s romantic-comedy must-cast, seeing him take on the meticulously attentive and seemingly diabolical Mobius will be a delight. So what about Wilson struck a chord with Waldron? “I am the perfect age [33] to have grown up with Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, Zoolander and Armageddon. I love Owen and he is so great in this show.”

Waldron elaborates on how Wilson and Hiddleston bring varying energies to the show. “Loki is proper and pompous, Owen is folksy and down-to-earth – so right away, energies clash in a way that’s harmonious. But what he shares with Tom is a hard-to-even-put-into-words unique charisma. They [Owen and Hiddleston] both have natural comedic abilities and they can have a purely dramatic conversation and they could play off one another’s energies and make certain the right moments funny and right moments dramatic. I didn’t even have to set up punchlines to get laughs in this show!”