#i know he has done adult roles before and has a LENGTHY career

[toiletpotato]

Noel MacNeal, likely best known for his role as the titular Bear on Bear in the Big Blue House, various roles on Between the Lions, as well as writing for Gullah Gullah Island, and various roles on Sesame Street and Muppets projects, is currently the vacation cover for Audrey II in the off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors

[castiel-left-his-mark-on-me]

Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖

[aion-rsa]

Rick and Morty: A Guide to Every Voice Actor

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The world of Rick and Morty has grown to absurd proportions. The show spans multiple planets, galaxies, timelines, and multiverses, meaning there’s always an opportunity to meet strange new people and creatures. 

As such, Rick and Morty’s voice cast has grown along with the adventures of its titular pair. While co-creator Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke have reliably voiced the central Smith-Sanchez family this entire time, the show also relies on a large crop of other voice actors. Some actors recur while others pop up only a time or two as very special guests. But all contribute to the rich aural tapestry of Adult Swim’s very ambitious animated series. 

Gathered here is a list of (to the best of our knowledge) every voice actor who has popped up on Rick and Morty, who they played, and where you may have heard (or seen) them before. 

Justin Roiland

Rick, Morty, Mr. Meseeks, Mr. Poopybutthole, Mr. Always Wants to Be Hunted

Justin Roiland is not just the co-creator of Rick and Morty but also the vocal engine for how much of the show sounds. Roiland portrays Rick, Morty, Mr. Meseeks, Mr. Poopybutthole, and countless other distinctively voiced characters in the show’s weird world. From the pilot on, Roiland’s tic-filled voice patterns have driven a lot of the humor behind the show. 

Roiland has been an animator and a voice actor for quite a long time, getting involved with his eventual Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon and his Channel 101 imprint back in 2004. There he made Internet-only cult animated series like House of Cosbys, and 2 Girls One Cup: the Show. His voice was previously well known as Earl of Lemongrab (“Unacceptable!!!”) in Adventure Time. 

Chris Parnell

Jerry Smith

Former SNL cast member Chris Parnell has had a prolific career in comedy both as a live-action and voice actor. Parnell is best known for playing Garth Holliday in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Dr. Leo Spaceman in 30 Rock, and many more roles in film and television. In the animation world he’s voiced characters on Archer, Robot Chicken, Gravity Falls, and beyond. His voice is often perfect for the “everyman” role and as such he has only been required to embody the sad form of Jerry Smith on Rick and Morty thus far. 

Spencer Grammer

Summer Smith

The daughter of Kelsey Grammar, Spencer Grammar got her start as Casey Carywright on the ABC Family college dramedy Greek. Since then, she has done chiefly live-action work on shows such as CSI, Chicago PD, and Grey’s Anatomy. 

Sarah Chalke

Beth Smith

Canadian actress Sarah Chalke brings two enormous roles from TV comedy’s past to her work on Rick and Morty. At first she was best known as the “second Becky” on ABC sitcom Roseanne. She would then go on to portray Dr. Elliot Reid for nine seasons of the classic Scrubs. Chalke is still chiefly a live-action comedic actress today but has done some more voice work in the past, including on Clone High and American Dad. 

Kari Wahlgren

Jessica, Cynthia, Samantha, Mother Gaia

Kari Wahlgren works extensively as a voice actress for animated movies, TV shows, and video games. As evidenced by her character list above, she is often Rick and Morty’s go-to voice to portray one of Summer’s teenage peers. 

Brandon Johnson

Mr. Goldenfold

Brandon Johnson is a familiar face and voice to Adult Swim audiences. He has previously popped up on NTSF:SD:SUV and American Dad. On Rick and Morty he voices Mr. Goldenfold, who is seemingly the only teacher at Morty and Summer’s school. 

Phil Hendrie

Principal Gene Vagina

Philip Hendrie is best known for hosting The Phil Hendrie Show, a proto-Comedy Bang Bang-esque talk radio show in the 1990s where he portrayed both a fictionalized version of himself and many other wacky characters. He broke into animated voice acting in the late ‘90s, voicing dozens of characters on King of the Hill and popping up in Futurama as well. On Rick and Morty he plays the unfortunately named principal of Morty’s school. 

Ryan Ridley

Frank Palicky, Lighthouse Keeper, Concerto

Ryan Ridley is a writer and producer on Rick and Morty, and like many of the show’s writers is sometimes called upon to lend his voice to a character or two. His best known creation is the Lighthouse Keeper on the Purge planet obsessed with his terrible screenplay. Ridley has also written for Ghosted, Blue Mountain State, and Community. 

Rob Paulsen

Snuffles, Centaur

Rob Paulsen is a legendary voice actor best known for voicing two Ninja Turtles (Raphael and Donatello) and several Animaniacs characters. His filmography is truly impressive and includes the important role of Snuffles the Smith family dog on Rick and Morty.

Jess Harnell

Scary Terry, Ruben

Harnell is another Animaniacs veteran. After voicing Scary Terry and some additional voices in season 1, Harnell has yet to return to Rick and Morty. 

Patricia Lentz

Joyce Smith

Patricia Lentz provides the voice of Jerry’s mom. She’s had a long, impressive career of live-action and voice acting with some highlights including Runaways, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Happy Days. 

Dana Carvey

Leonard Smith

The voice of Jerry’s dad is provided by one of SNL’s better known alums in Dana Carvey. A master impressionist, Carvey was an important figure on SNL during the ‘80s and would go on to star in Wayne’s World, The Master of Disguise, and Trapped in Paradise. Shortly after his SNL career, he hosted The Dana Carvey Show, which did not last long but is notable in TV history for having an incredible cast of writers including Louis C.K. Charlie Kaufman, Jon Glaser, Robert Carlock, and frequent Dan Harmon collaborator Dino Stamatopoulos. 

Echo Kellum

Jacob Philip, Brad, Triple Trunks

“I throw balls far. You want good words? Date a languager.” So sad that we had to leave Brad behind in C-137. Echo Kellum provides the voice of Brad and several other Rick and Morty characters.. Kellum is a UCB grad who has appeared in Key & Peele, Comedy Bang! Bang! and most notably Arrow as Mister Terrific. 

John Oliver

Dr. Xenon Bloom

John Oliver now carries on the legacy of The Daily Show in his superb HBO news series Last Week Tonight. Prior to finding his perfect comedy news niche, Oliver had a lengthy comic acting career starting in his native England and extending into his new home in the U.S. Oliver previously played an important recurring role in Harmon’s Community and pops up just once on Rick and Morty. 

David Cross

Prince Nebulon

David Cross is one of several sketch comedy legends who lent their voice to Rick and Morty as part of their lengthy careers. Cross created and starred in sketch series Mr. Show with Bob and David alongside co-creator Bob Odenkirk (how has he not popped up on Rick and Morty yet?). Since then he’s had a successful stand up career and been a part of some impressive TV ensembles such as Arrested Development. 

Dan Harmon

Birdperson, Kevin, Mr. Marklovitz, Davin, Ice-T, Dr. Glip-Glop, Nimbus

Dan Harmon is the co-creator of Rick and Morty alongside Roiland. The two share a long history going back to the Channel 101 days. While both Roiland and Harmon are skilled storytellers, Harmon has truly delved into the science of story throughout his career. Harmon is best known for creating and showrunning Community, which became an onscreen sensation for fans and an offscreen nuisance for NBC due to Harmon’s at times difficult behavior. On Rick and Morty, Roiland and Harmon deploy Harmon’s deadpan delivery to good use, with him often playing monotone characters like the beloved Birdperson. 

Tom Kenny

King Jellybean, Squanchy, Conroy, Million Ants, Etc.

Tom Kenny is an incredibly successful voice artist who you likely best know as none other than SpongeBob SquarePants. On Rick and Morty, Kenny’s roles are decidedly less wholesome than the sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Kenny was a big factor in season 1 playing King Jellybean and Sqaunchy. He’s popped up sparingly in seasons 2, 3, and 4 as well, most notably as Million Ants of the Vindicators. 

Cassie Steele

Tammy Gueterman, Tricia Lange

Somebody’s gotta play Tammy Gueterman, that traitorous monster. And that “honor” goes to Cassie Steele. Steele’s name is recognizable to Canadian (and some American) audiences due to her role as Manny Santos on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Rick and Morty was her first voice acting role. She will continue her voice acting career as the lead in Disney’s upcoming Raya and the Last Dragon.

Claudia Black

Mar-Sha/Ventriloquiver

Claudia Black has turned up on Rick and Morty twice, once in season 1 and once in season 4. It’s a surprise she hasn’t done so more often as she’s built up quite the voice acting career. After becoming well known in sci-fi series like Farscape and Stargate SG-1, Black continued on into a successful gaming career, providing her voice to Uncharted, Gears of War, and Dragon Age. 

Maurice LaMarche

Morty Jr. Brad Anderson, Abradolf Lincler, Crocubot

Maurice LaMarche’s smooth baritone is quite familiar to many animation fans. LaMarche has voice acted in everything from Animaniacs to Futurama. He’s got a killer Orson Welles impression and that seems to be the starting point for many of his Rick and Morty characters. 

Alfred Molina

Mr. Needful

Many of us know Alfred Molina from his incredibly successful film career in projects like Boogie Nights, Spider-Man 2, and The Da Vinci Code. But Molina has also had quite the career as a voice actor as well. In the past couple decades, Molina has lent his sturdy voice to Rango, Monsters University, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II, and more. He was clearly a shrewd choice for the Lucifer-like Mr. Needful. It’s a wonder why he hasn’t turned up on Rick and Morty more. 

Richard Fulcher

King Flippy Nips

Richard Fulcher is best known as the unofficial third member of British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, though he himself is American. Fulcher wrote and acted in every incarnation of The Mighty Boosh. He has also had a prolific career in comedy acting outside the troupe. As of late, Fulcher has leaned into his voice acting abilities including this sadly one-off role on Rick and Morty as King Flippy Nips, ruler of Pluto. 

Nolan North

Scroopy Noopers, Multiple Others

Nolan North has done extensive videogame work in franchises such as Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, and the Arkham series. That’s right: the voice of shrimpy Plutonian Scroopy Noopers on Rick and Morty is both Nathan Drake and Desmond Miles. North also voices many other characters in positions of authority for the show. 

Aislinn Paul

Nancy

Aislinn Paul is another Degrassi: The Next Generation alum who has broken into the voice acting world. On Rick and Morty, Paul plays only Nancy, Summer’s nerdy classmate who everyone is always mean to. Hopefully one day there will be justice for Nancy. 

Alejandra Gollas

Lucy

Alejandra Gollas is a bilingual Mexican actress who has acted in films, TV shows, and stage productions for decades. Her only Rick and Morty role was that of creepy Titanic enthusiast Lucy. 

Scott Chernoff

Revolio Clockberg Jr.

Originally referred to as “Gearhead,” Revolio Clockberg Jr. is one of Rick and Morty’s most recognizable recurring characters. Embodying this important role is veteran voice actor and TV writer Scott Chernoff. Chernoff has lent his voice to dozens of animated properties and has even written for many successful comedies including BoJack Horseman, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and School of Rock. He is one of many Channel 101 veterans involved in Rick and Morty and pitches in with some other background voices on the show here and there. 

Keegan-Michael Key

Schleemypants

Keegan-Michael Key is likely best known as half of the ultra successful sketch comedy duo Key & Peele. (Wonder whatever happened to the other guy!) Key has had an enormously successful career as a comedic actor on television. On Rick and Morty he plays testicle-looking time cop Schleemypants. 

Jordan Peele

Second Fourth-Dimensional Being

Oh, here’s Peele! Schleemypants’ unnamed partner is the only character Peele has played on Rick and Morty. 

Jemaine Clement

Fart

New Zealand comedic actor Jemaine Clement is best known for being half of the Grammy award-winning comedic musical act Flight of the Conchords alongside Bret McKenzie. Clement has also worked extensively with fellow Kiwi Taika Waititi to produce recent classics like What We Do in the Shadows. His deadpan delivery was a perfect choice monotone gaseous being “Fart.”

Andy Daly

Krombopulos Michael

Krombopulos Michael is Rick and Morty’s Boba Fett: he looks cool but ultimately does nothing. Playing K.M. was one of the most sought-of “character voice actors” in the industry. Daly’s cheerful everyman delivery has proven useful on dozens of comedy shows across the entertainment landscape. Perhaps best known for his starring vehicle Review with Forest MacNeil, Daly has also lent his voice to series such as Harley Quinn, Bob’s Burgers, and Big Mouth. He can also be heard as a crucial role on Roiland’s Solar Opposites. 

Christina Hendricks

Unity

Christina Hendricks is best known for her role as Joan Holloway on Mad Men. In addition to that, however, she’s appeared in quite a few genre films and shows like Firefly, Life, and The Neon Demon. Hendricks has done some voice work here and there and her only role on Rick and Morty to date is assimilation expert and one-time Rick Sanchez paramour Unity. 

Patton Oswalt

Beta-Seven

Patton Oswalt is basically the dark matter of the comedy universe. He and his voice turn up just about everywhere. Perhaps his best known voice acting role is that of lead character Remy in Ratatouille. On Rick and Morty he has played only Beta-Seven thus far and is surely due for some more appearances. 

Keith David

The President

Even if you’ve never heard of Keith David, you have surely heard his voice. An unmistakable baritone with gravitas, David has leant that voice to projects such as Gargoyles, Halo, and Spawn. David has worked with Harmon before on the final season of Community. Surely, there is no better voice for Rick and Morty’s unnamed President…or its Reverse Giraffe.

Kurtwood Smith

General Nathan

Not sure if you recognize Kurtwood Smith’s voice? You would if he called you a dumbass. Yes, Smith is best known to TV audiences as Eric Forman’s ornery dad Red on That ‘70s Show. He provides that same ornery spirit to the role of General Nathan on Rick and Morty in “Get Schwifty.” 

Stephen Colbert

Zeep Xanflorp

Stephen Colbert is of course a longtime comedic actor, host of The Colbert Report, and now host of The Late Show on CBS. The Late Show understandably takes up most of his time nowadays but he was nice enough to portray the intelligent alien living inside Rick’s flying saucer’s Miniverse battery. 

Nathan Fielder

Kyle

“The Ricks Must Be Crazy” has quite the star power among its voice cast. In addition to Colbert’s Zeep, the episode also introduces another Microverse populated by Kyle. Kyle is played by Nathan For You’s cringe comedy maestro Nathan Fielder. 

Jim Rash

Glaxo Slimslom

Jim Rash is another frequent Dan Harmon collaborator, best known for his role as Dean Pelton on Community. Rash is an accomplished comedic actor and an Oscar award-winning screenwriter. He’s the perfect choice to play alien couples counselor Glaxo. 

Matt Besser

Fungo

Matt Besser is an improv comedy specialist who is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. Over his long career, he’s appeared in just about everything. On Rick and Morty he portrays alien diplomat Fungo, who tries to convince Jerry to donate his penis to Shrimply Pibbles. 

Werner Herzog

Shrimply Pibbles

Werner Herzog might be the strangest inclusion in the Rick and Morty voice canon. Herzog is a towering figure in the cinema world as a director, screenwriter, documentarian, and occasional actor. His German accent and generally serious and pessimistic disposition has made him a natural target for comedies looking to inject a bit of weird humor into the proceedings. 

Chelsea Kane

Arthricia

Chelsea Kane has appeared in several TV series targeted to tween audiences like Disney Channel’s Jonas and Freeform’s Baby Daddy. Her brief role as the Purge planet’s Arthricia was a jumping off point to try more voice actor roles on shows like Hot Streets, Regular Show, and DC Super Hero Girls. 

James Callis and Tricia Helfer

Pat and Donna Gueterman

James Callis and Tricia Helfer portray the parents of double-agent Tammy Gueterman for a very specific reason. Callis and Helfer are best known for their roles on Syfy’s classic series Battlestar Galactica, with Callis playing brilliant scientist (and traitor to humanity) Gaius Baltar and Helfer playing Cylon model Number 6. Pat and Donna Gueterman on Rick and Morty look just like the actors playing them, which should have been our first clue that something is amiss.

Nathan Fillion

Cornvelious Daniel

Who is Nathan Fillion if not nerd culture’s best friend? Fillion came into prominence by playing Captain Mal Reynolds on Joss Whedon’s beloved Firefly. Since then Fillion has had a solid career on shows like Castle and The Rookie. In his spare time, however, he provides his voice to animated series like Rick and Morty and Big Mouth, often playing a thinly-veiled version of himself. Cornvelious Daniel is notable for being the first character onscreen in Rick and Morty to enjoy that sweet, sweet McDonald’s Szechuan sauce. 

Tony Hale

Eli

Tony Hale won two Emmys for playing the Vice President’s bagman Gary Walsh on Veep. Before that he was the youngest Bluth child, Buster, on Arrested Development. As of late, however, he’s getting more into the voice acting scene. You (or your kids) may best know him as the beloved Forky in Toy Story 4. But prior to that, he popped up as a cheery Mad Max-style biker named Eli on Rick and Morty. 

Joel McHale

Hemorrhage

Joel McHale is, of course, another Community alum. He played lead character Jeff Winger on Harmon’s old NBC series. In addition to that, McHale has had a lengthy career in comedy, having hosted The Soup and Netflix’s recent Tiger King special. He was also a tight end of the University of Washington football team but that’s neither here nor there. He voices bucket-wearing post-apocalyptic warlord Hemorrhage on Rick and Morty.

Susan Sarandon

Dr. Wong

Perhaps no character on Rick and Morty has delved deeper into Rick’s psyche than Smith-family psychologist Dr. Wong. Lending her voice to Dr. Wong in the infamous “Pickle Rick” episode is legendary actress Susan Sarandon a.k.a the Louise in Thelma and Louise. 

Peter Serafinowicz

Agency Director

Peter Serafinowicz is a British comedian and actor who used his role voicing Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace as a launching pad to befriend some truly talented creators and get some truly fascinating roles. Serafinowicz has popped up in Shaun of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, Parks and Recreation, and more. He also portrayed the titular Tick in Amazon’s The Tick. His role in Rick and Morty is briefly that of a Russian villain agency director who tries to take down the ever-elusive Pickle Rick. 

Danny Trejo

Jaguar

“Pickle Rick” really has quite the impressive guest voice cast. Danny Trejo joins Peter Serafinowicz and Susan Sarandon in lending his voice to this episode. Trejo plays Rick’s loose canon action hero ally, Jaguar. Outside of Rick and Morty, Danny Trejo may be one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment. A frequent collaborator of Robert Rodriguez, Trejo has leveraged his fascinating upbringing and tough guy appearance into countless roles. 

Gillian Jacobs

Supernova

Another Community alum! Superhero team The Vindicators requires a lot of guest voice talent and clearly Dan Harmon knew one place to turn. Jacobs played Britta on Community (she’s the worst). The Pittsburgh-born actress has also appeared in Girls, Don’t Think Twice, and Ibiza. 

Christian Slater

Vance Maximus

Christian Slater is a big get for Vindicators leader Vance Maximus. While he’s best known to modern audiences as the titular Mr. Robot in Mr. Robot, Slater got his start as an actor with popular roles in movies like Heathers, Interview with the Vampire, and Broken Arrow. Slater has had a fruitful voice acting career as well, having previously played “Slater” in Archer. 

Lance Reddick

Alan Rails

Alan Rails is another one of the hallowed Vindicators crime-fighting team. Playing the ghost train-summoner is Lance Reddick. Reddick has been a mainstay on television for decades, turning up in Oz, Fringe, Lost, and more. Most notably he played Cedric Daniels for the entirety of The Wire’s run. 

Logic

Logic

Logic is one of the few Rick and Morty guest stars who gets to be an animated version of himself.  This Maryland-based rapper has released five successful albums and enlisted Rick and Morty to help promote his sixth mixtape Bobby Tarantino II. 

Clancy Brown

Risotto Groupon, Story Train passenger

Talk about a guy with a commanding voice. Clancy Brown has been a successful actor for a long time, going back to his roles in Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, and Lost. He’s undoubtedly best known to animation fans, however, as the voice of stingy Krusty Krab owner Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants. On Rick and Morty, he’s played alien restaurant manager Risotto Groupon and a Story Train passenger in season 4’s “Never Ricking Morty.” 

Thomas Middleditch

Tommy Lipnip

Thomas Middleditch is likely best known to television audiences as overmatched tech tycoon Richard Hendrix on HBO’s Silicon Valley. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for Middleditch’s comedy career. The prolific improviser played Tommy Lipnip in Rick and Morty and must have impressed Justin Roiland enough to give him a lead role on his Hulu comedy Solar Opposites. 

John DiMaggio

Multiple Minor Roles (Death Stalker, Leader, Knight, etc.)

John DiMaggio is an incredibly busy voice actor. If you’ve ever enjoyed an animated comedy, there’s a good chance DiMaggio contributed his voice to it. His best known roles include Bender on Futurama, Jake the Dog on Adventure Time, and Scotsman on Samurai Jack. 

Sherri Shepherd

Judge

Sherri Shepherd is an actress, comedian, and TV personality best known for being a co-host on The View for seven years. Since then she’s turned up as an actress or talking head on many shows and lent her voice to portray a judge that deals with Morty in the season 4 premiere. 

Sam Neill

Monogatron Leader

In addition to having one of the best Twitter accounts in the world, Sam Neill is also an actor best known for playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. The New Zealander has continued to work quite a bit in recent years, turning up in Thor: Ragnarok and Peaky Blinders. On Rick and Morty he plays the leader of the  Monogatron alien race in “The Old Man and the Seat.”

Taika Waititi

Glootie

Playing another Monogatron, this one named Glootie, is New Zealand actor/director Taika Waititi. Waititi got his start in the New Zealand comedy scene alongside other Rick and Morty guest star Jermaine Clement. Since then he has only gone on to become one of the most in-demand filmmakers on the planet. Waititi is behind Thor: Ragnarok, JoJo Rabbit, and an upcoming Star Wars film. 

Kathleen Turner

Monogatron Queen

Kathleen Turner is what you would call a “get” for Rick and Morty. Turner has won two Golden Globe awards and been nominated for an Oscar and several Tony awards. She is best known for her roles in ‘80s movies Romancing the Stone, Prizzi’s Honor, and The War of the Roses. Turner has also been working as a voice actress since the ‘80s, voicing Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and going on to act in The Simpsons and King of the Hill as well. 

Jeffrey Wright

Tony

Jeffrey Wright is no stranger to sci-fi, having toiled away as sad robot Bernard on Westworld for three seasons. Wright got three-quarters of a way to an EGOT in one role by playing Belize in Angels in America. Since then he’s acted in several Daniel Craig Bond films, Boardwalk Empire, and The Hunger Games. On Rick and Morty he plays the role of an alien who vexes Rick into an existential crisis by continuing to use his private toilet. 

Elon Musk

Elon Tusk

Elon Musk is a South African/Canadian/American engineer and industrialist who serves as the founder and CEO of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, along with numerous other ventures. Presumably he did not call anyone behind the scenes of Rick and Morty a pedophile but you never know. 

Justin Theroux

Miles Knightley

Justin Theroux has had quite the career in Hollywood. He first came to prominence acting in the David Lynch films Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. He then continued to appear in major films while also writing some for good measure like Tropic Thunder, Iron Man 2, and Rock of Ages. On television he played Kevin Garvey in HBO’s The Leftovers. For Rick and Morty, he played the role of “heist artist” Miles Knightly in “One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty.” You son of a bitch, I’m in. 

Pamela Adlon

Angie Flint

Pamela Adlon is the rare case of an actor who was first best-known for voice work breaking into the live-action arena in a big way. Adlon is best known for giving voice to Bobby Hill on King of the Hill, while also voice acting in other animated projects like Recess, and 101 Dalmatians: The Series. A longtime collaborator of Louis C.K. (though not so much anymore), Adlon appeared on FX’s Louie and got a well-received FX show of her own, Better Things. On Rick and Morty, Adlon portrays Angie Flint – a lock-picker who Rick recruits to his heist team.

Matthew Broderick

Talking Cat

Matthew Broderick is a longtime stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, WarGames, The Producers, and much more. Most recently he turned up on Netflix’s sadly-departed post-apocalyptic comedy Daybreak. On Rick and Morty, Broderick plays a Talking Cat with a secret so heinous it will drive anyone to near insanity. 

Liam Cunningham

Balthromaw

To portray the voice of a wizened dragon, Rick and Morty turned to an actor best known for a series filled with them. The Irish actor Liam Cunningham is known to most people as Ser Davos Seaworth from Game of Thrones. Though not usually a voice actor he must have enjoyed his role on Rick and Morty as he turns up again briefly in Roiland’s Solar Opposites. 

Phil LaMarr

Multiple Minor Roles

The first two things most people (and by most people I mean me) think of when they think of Phil Lamarr are his time on Mad TV and the moment his head explodes on Pulp Fiction. But aside from sketch comedy and head explosions, LaMarr has had a remarkable voice acting career. He portrayed the title character in Samurai Jack while also providing his voice to Justice League, Static Shock, and countless video games. It’s surprisingly hard to figure out what voices Phil LaMarr plays on Rick and Morty but given his talents it’s certain to be quite a few.

Christopher Meloni

Jesus

When Rick and Morty briefly presented the savior of mankind in season 4’s sixth episode, surely there was only one choice to play him. Christopher Meloni has had one of the more fascinating careers in entertainment. After playing the deadly serious role of Elliot Stabler on Law and Order: SVU for years, Meloni has re-embraced his comedic side in projects like Happy!, Harley Quinn, while reprising his role in the Wet Hot American Summer franchise.

Paul Giamatti

Story Lord

Paul Giamatti once joked in a late night talk show interview that his role in any given heist or action movie would be the guy wearing a headset in a van, typing on a computer, and telling the hero to “get out of there, man!” He has since parlayed that character actor sensibility into a remarkable, multi-award-winning career. Giamatti is best known recently for portraying Chuck Rhoades on Billions and producing AMC’s Lodge 49. Prior to that he played lead roles in American Splendor, HBO’s John Adams, and much more. The guy has a good handle on stories and therefore makes perfect sense as Rick and Morty’s Story Lord. 

Alan Tudyk

Chris, Observant Glorzo, Multiple Minor Roles

Alan Tudyk is a nerd culture mainstay. Very few comic-cons come and go without Tudyk involved in at least one project presenting within them. Tudyk has played Hoban “Wash” Washburne on Firefly and its spinoff movie Serenity, Mr. Nobody on Doom Patrol, and many more beloved characters. His live-action appearances are just the tip of the nerd iceberg, however, with Tudyk providing his voice to everything from Solo: A Star Wars Story (K-2SO) to Harley Quinn (Clayface/The Joker). On Rick and Morty, Tudyk plays several unnamed characters. 

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Rob Schrab

God

Rob Schrab is a Channel 101 veteran and longtime Harmon collaborator. Schrab is best known for his work as a director of projects like Monster House, Community, Parks and Recreation, and more. On Rick and Morty he plays none other than God…or at least the Zeus-like god of a remote planet. 

Jim Gaffigan

Hoovy

Jim Gaffigan is a wildly successful standup comedian who co-created and starred in a TV show about his life for TV Land called The Jim Gaffigan Show. While he’s appeared sparingly in films, of late he’s dabbled in voice acting, lending his voice to Hotel Transylvania 3, Playmobil: The Movie, and Luca. His kindly Midwestern accent lends itself nicely to the helpful but doomed Hoovy on Rick and Morty.

Planetina

Alison Brie

Five seasons in and Rick and Morty is still finding old friends from Community to make their debut. Alison Brie played Annie Edison on Dan Harmon’s classic series. Since then she’s become quite the star, serving as a lead on GLOW and voice acting in BoJack Horseman and The Lego Movie 2. She even provided the voice of Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow in the video game Marvel Avengers Academy.

Steve Buscemi

Eddie

Steve Buscemi is a prolific and talented character actor known for his classic roles in Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, The Sopranos, and more. That he plays such a relatively minor role on Rick and Morty suggests that he might be a fan of the show and just wanted to stop by and say hey. Buscemi is also notable for being a New York firefighter prior to his acting life.

Christina Ricci

Princess Ponietta

Once known as a talented child actor, Christina Ricci has continued her creative work into adulthood. The actress has starred in films like Speed Racer, Black Snake Moan, and the upcoming fourth Matrix movie. Bless her for dropping by Rick and Morty only to play an CHUD horse-person princess pregnant with Rick’s heir.

Kyle Mooney

Blazen

Kyle Mooney is an SNL cast member and writer who specializes in offbeat characters and sketches. He also wrote and starred in 2017’s Brigsby Bear. His role hasn’t been officially confirmed on Rick and Morty yet but it seems as though he voices the Mortal Kombat-esque faux badass Blazen.

The post Rick and Morty: A Guide to Every Voice Actor appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[darealpatyu]

The Kingmaker Review: A Story of How One Family Screws the Philippines

Without a doubt, The Kingmaker is one of the best documentary films that I’ve seen in a while. I don’t know if that’s because it’s about a social issue that continues to haunt the Filipino people, or because the Marcoses are such a rare display of narcissism and greed that you can’t help but be astounded by the sheer incredulity of it all. The Marcoses are like the Filipino Kardashians, and it was both a treat and a pain to watch the whole circus of their lives unfold.

Could a Filipino filmmaker have made a documentary like this?

I would say that a Filipino couldn’t have created a documentary with this level of bluntness and sarcasm. Filipinos are more than capable of being sarcastic and artistic at the same time, but as a citizen living in this country, you can’t release a film as critical of current politicians as The Kingmaker was and not suffer consequences. You’d probably wake up dead if you did. Also, I think that the Marcoses wouldn’t have allowed a Filipino team to interview them and ask them about their regime because they already know that they have a band of haters in the country, and only haters want to find out more about that period in life. The Marcoses don’t openly acknowledge the haters, so I highly doubt they would’ve agreed to a personal interview like that. A foreigner conducting the interview, on the other hand, is a different story. The Marcoses love attention. If there’s anything they love more than money, it’s international acclaim. Interestingly enough, studies show that a telling sign of psychopathic tendency is their propensity to crave attention. I’m not directly saying that the Marcoses are psychopaths, but I’m sure you can piece two and two together. Anyways, Lauren Greenfield is an internationally recognized filmmaker, so you can imagine Imelda’s excitement when she found that she was to be her next subject. In the film, one of Imelda’s first lines is literally, “I miss the clout of being the first lady.” She misses the clout, everyone! Who even says that? Getting back to the point, I’m certain that the Marcoses and other prominent people agreed to be interviewed because they thought that they would be having a beautiful historical film about them – which is exactly what they got, in all fairness. Not only was this interview done for the clout, but it was probably also done because they knew that this documentary wouldn’t harm them in any way. They’ve already successfully revised history in the Philippines – they have a steadfast Marcos loyalist base that is only getting bigger. They literally have nothing to lose by taking part in this documentary. Think like Imelda – “I lose nothing, AND become relevant in the international sphere once again; I’ve gotta do it!!”

How were Imelda Marcos’ answers as the film progressed?

As the film progressed, Imelda was trying to portray herself as the victim of everything that had happened. She was trying to turn the experiences of all those innocent people who had suffered into her experience of suffering. I really lost my cool when she talked about how she was the mother of the Philippines and how she had been wrongly stripped away from her child. She would constantly try to victimize herself, probably because she realized that the interviewer’s questions were meant to attack her character, and not to give her the positive clout that she was expecting. When Imelda’s words of care for the country is contrasted with the reality of what happened in Calauit Island, it’s clear that she’s delusional. The historical information presented in the film was meant to be an antithesis to every word that came out of Imelda’s mouth because that’s the best way to expose a liar. You hear her saying she brought the beauty of exotic animals to the Filipino people, and then you see that she displaced over 200 families. You hear her feeling sad about the impoverished state of the country, and then you see her boasting extremely expensive paintings and giving out thousand-peso bills from plundered wealth. You hear her pride about the peace that Martial Law brought, and then you see the blatant disregard for human rights that occurred as accounted for by the Martial Law victims themselves. This presentation of historical truths, presented side-by-side with the proud lies of Imelda, was flawlessly executed. I could clearly deduce how far from the truth Imelda’s words were, and I’m certain that everyone who watched it experienced the same.

Thoughts on Sandro Marcos?

Talking about Sandro Marcos and his future role in Philippine politics, I do think that he has intentions to have a career in politics. I saw this 2017 article writing that Sandro had earned a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics. Given that his family has a solid reputation for lying about their academic credentials, I don’t think it would come as a surprise if he were lying too. Because the Marcoses heavily publicize Sandro’s achievements, I really think that they’re planning to make him continue the Marcos legacy of screwing our country as well. In the film, there was this part where in front of a crowd, Bongbong was telling Sandro that he’s ready to become a politician already – even though Sandro was only 21 years old at the time. This kind of mental conditioning – that you’re entitled to a successful political career even though you’ve achieved absolutely nothing and don’t have the passion for service – is the kind of conditioning that creates dictators at worst, and at best, corrupt political dynasties. When you have parents that constantly push you into thinking that your destiny is to dominate Philippine politics, you end up thinking that you’re entitled to it – willing to do anything to get what you want to make your parents and yourself proud. As a young adult, your entire self-worth becomes grounded on whether you become a successful politician or not. I assume Sandro’s conditioning to become a politician is the type of parenting that Bongbong was raised with, and look at how great he turned out, right?

My Three Takeaways on Leadership and Diplomatic Relations

The three takeaways about leadership and diplomatic relations that I got from the film are: 1) you need to be open to honest feedback to be a good leader, 2) just because you personally think a certain plan of action is going to be good for the group doesn’t mean that it’s good for the group, and 3) be critical of yourself and listen to your own words before and after speaking. My first learning was inspired by Imelda Marcos and her inability to acknowledge her haters. She seems like the kind of woman who listens to no one but herself. She hasn’t had any character development after all these years, and in the film, when she showed the picture frame of her acquittal from thousands of crimes, she had the audacity to say “the truth always wins” or something to that effect. She’s not open to feedback at all. My second learning was inspired by when Imelda brought all those animals to Calauit Island. She thought it would bring beauty to the Philippines when it actually had the opposite effect. My third takeaway is inspired by the fact that Imelda thinks she solved the Cold War. Leaders really need to listen to their own words and analyze their statements to understand if what they’re saying is factual and makes sense. If I were to compound all my takeaways into one unified idea, my one great learning would be: A great leader does not do anything that a Marcos would do.

What historical facts did I uncover through the film?

During the film, there were a lot of significant historical facts that I didn’t know about; these facts should really be taught in school. The historical facts that I was not aware of were: 1) exotic animals were brought to Calauit Island, 2) Ferdinand Marcos had affairs with other women, and 3) the reason why Imelda was the chosen diplomat was that the Marcoses were anticipating a coup d’etat. Also, I don’t know if this historical fact is verified but it shocked me when Imelda said that she checked into a psychiatric hospital before her husband became president. Is that true? I’m sure you can understand why I’m a bit wary of Imelda’s stories.

The Big Conclusion

To conclude this lengthy blog entry, I think that the greatest lesson to be learned from this film is that leaders are here to serve us, and not the other way around. They are not gods – they are fallible and must be held accountable for their mistakes. If we fear our leaders, follow them blindly, and make excuses for their incompetence, we encourage a culture of fascism, fanaticism, and corruption. Sadly, a parallel reality of the Marcos regime is happening today. If a dictator will not take advantage of the current political climate now, one will eventually find a way soon. That’s why this film should be making waves and reaching the masses. If only more of us knew about what is happening in the political landscape, we’d take the problematic status quo seriously. This documentary deserves to be acknowledged as educational material for the sole reason that history is being rewritten as we speak, and it is the duty of those who know the truth to let everybody know as well. There are so many material facts that remain unknown and hidden from the public, and it’s ridiculous that people don’t know about them. People need to know because we might just make the same mistake again, and that’s sad.

In conclusion, MARCOS IS NOT A HERO. THE FACT THAT THERE’S A MARCOS LOYALIST BASE IMPARTS A SENSE OF URGENCY TO THOSE WHO KNOW THE TRUTH. HISTORY MIGHT REPEAT ITSELF.

We really don’t want to see what happens if it does. #NeverAgain

[viralhai]

Dr. Scott Atlas joins the White House coronavirus virus force; Lockdown critic has no infectious disease expertise | ViralHai News [ad_1]

The Atlas hiring came amid tensions between Trump and Des Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx over the administration's response to the epidemic.

Washington: President Donald Trump has found a new doctor for his coronovirus task force - and there is no daylight between them at the moment.

Trump announced last week that Drs. Scott Atlas, who was a frequent guest Fox news channel, Has joined the White House as an epidemic consultant. Atlas, a former head of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases.

But he has long been a critic of the Coronavirus lockdown and has campaigned for children to return to class and return to college sports like Trump.

"Scott is a very famous person who is very well respected," Trump told reporters as he introduced. He has many great ideas and feels that what we have done is really good. "

Atlas' hiring comes amid ongoing tensions between President and DRS Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases specialist and task force coordinator Deborah Birks. While closely linked in the Birex administration's response to the pandemic, both he and Fauci have publicly denied the infamous picture the president portrayed of a virus that now serves more than 1,67,000 people in the United States Has killed and is infecting millions of people.

Atlas, the only doctor who shared the stage at Trump's pandemic briefing last week, has questioned the lengthy policies that have been adopted by public health experts both in the US and abroad. He called it a "good thing" to expose small, healthy people to exposure to the virus, while the children's false claim is close to "zero risk".

An op-ed in april The mountain The newspaper, Atlas, said the lockdown may have prevented the development of "natural herd immunity". "In the absence of vaccination, society requires the circulation of the virus, assuming that high-risk people can be isolated," he wrote.

In television appearances, Atlas calls the nation "to get a grip" and argues that there is "nothing wrong" with low-risk people getting infected, until vulnerable people are protected.

“It does not matter if young, healthy people are infected. I do not know how often to say. He said that it carries almost zero risk of a problem, "he said in an appearance. When younger, healthier people are infected, it's a good thing," he said, "because that's the way the population would develop immunity is. "

While young people are certainly at a lower risk of developing serious complications from the virus, they can still spread it to people who may be more vulnerable, even if they have no symptoms. And while they are less likely to die, some suffer serious complications, a study found that 35 percent of young adults did not return to normal health after two weeks to three weeks of positive testing.

But Atlas' thinking closely connects with Trump's outlook on the virus, which he has followed since the early days. While Trump eventually supported the lockdown that once helped slow the spread of the disease, he has since pressured states and schools and businesses to reopen as he revives a battered economy ahead of the November election tries to.

Public health experts have long considered Trump's efforts to politicize the virus and encouraged doctors and scientists to lead the nation's response. But he questioned the decision to bring Atlas, whose expertise in magnetic resonance imaging and whose research has focused on factors affecting care policy.

Georgetown University law professor Lawrence Gostin said, "I think he is completely unfit to lead the COVID response, which specializes in public health." Dealing with public health outbreaks. "

"It's very clear to me," Gostin said, "The president brought in someone who would only be a mouthpiece for his agenda and a 'yes' person." Gostin expressed concern that Trump was engaging other doctors, including Burke and Fauci. Because he turned sour on their advice.

"Hundreds of Americans are being killed due to the pandemic, it is unforgivable," he said, "You want clear independent advice from people with long experience in fighting novel pandemics and have none of those credentials . "

Obama can prepare a doctor for the president's staff, who is working for the famous Trump alone, said Kavita Patel, a primary care physician and health policy expert who served in the White House.

Patel said, "I hope Dr. Atlas' time will be marked with highs and lows and hopefully he will realize that the country really needs reliable expertise and guidance, not partisan bias." ), Doctors reduce their credibility and ultimately reduce the role of science. "

White House spokesman Jude Deere, in a statement, praised Atlas as "a world-renowned physician and scholar" and dismissed questions about Atlas' qualifications. He said, "We are in this fight together, and only the media will distort and diminish Dr. Atlas' highly acclaimed career as he has come to serve the President."

Deere declined to say that Atlas, now a special public servant, is advising the president, and insisted that his additions would not diminish Fauci and Burke's roles.

Paul E. Peterson, director of programs on education policy and governance at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Hoover with Atlas, praised Atlas as "a truly brilliant man" with a "tremendous knowledge base" about the virus . Peterson Atlas is someone. Who "does the most rigorous and careful research before coming to a conclusion."

Some colleagues have found the atlas to be abrasive. But Peterson, who has written several op-eds with Atlas advocating for the reopening of schools and who attended a White House event with Atlas last week, called Atlas to "work Praised as "blissful" and emphasized the value of input from people being trite. With a wide variety of backgrounds.

"If you get a wide range of people from one point of view or one type of training, it is not desirable," he said, adding that "having diversity on the advisory board is extremely important."

Find the latest and upcoming Tech Gadgets online at Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadget reviews and ratings. Popular gadgets including laptops, tablets and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparisons.

[ad_2] https://tinyurl.com/y28qw525 #atlas #coronavirus #critic #disease #expertise #force #house #infectious #joins #lockdown #news #scott #viralhai #virus #white

[vinayv224]

Mobsters, Teamsters, history, guilt, and salvation: Martin Scorsese’s terrific The Irishman

Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in The Irishman. | Niko Tavernise / NETFLIX

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci headline a long, winding movie that’s well worth the watch.

Late in The Irishman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) says that “you don’t know how fast time goes by until you get there,” and there’s just a twinkle of irony mixed into the melancholy. After all, by then, the movie is past the three-hour mark. (It ultimately tops out at 209 minutes.)

But that’s sort of the point. Time telescopes in Martin Scorsese’s newest movie, shifting back and forth through decades as old, wistful Frank narrates the tale of his life as a hitman for crime syndicate boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and then for Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino, who has somehow never worked with Scorsese before now). Which of course means the film rightfully will be compared to earlier Scorsese movies, like 1973’s Mean Streets and 1990’s Goodfellas, and not just because of the subject matter; in The Irishman, the director reunites with some of his longest-running collaborators from those films, including De Niro, Pesci, and Harvey Keitel.

Like those two movies — and all of Scorsese’s work, really — The Irishman is also about guilt, sin, and redemption. But with its lengthy runtime, this one has space to lean in two different tonal directions. The Irishman has both the frenetic swagger of his mob movies and the more contemplative gut wrench of his most spiritual films, like 1988’s The Last Temptation of Christ and his most recent film, 2016’s Silence.

And the movie has the maturity of an older man’s perspective, an eye cast backward on a full life. It is lively and wry and very funny, but at times it also feels like a confession, a plea for grace, not just from its protagonist but from the filmmaker himself.

Frank’s story is long and packed full of anecdotes that are always terribly fun, if sometimes aimless. This isn’t one coherent narrative as much as the recounting of a life, with the twists and turns life takes that defy tidy storytelling. It’s crowded with the figures who occupied his attention ever since he was a young man finding his way into Bufalino’s good graces. That happens partly as a result of a chance encounter with his union attorney (Ray Romano), who turns out to be Bufalino’s cousin. His work as a hitman and a fixer with Bufalino becomes a gig as one of Hoffa’s most trusted friends and aides, and Frank’s life is intertwined with both men. For a while, they’re on top of the world. And then — thanks largely to the machinations of history — things start changing for them.

There’s a lot in The Irishman that evokes Scorsese’s earlier work, from the way characters talk and act and dress to the occasional bursts of bloody violence. (Steven Zaillian’s screenplay is based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, which details what the real-life Frank told Brandt about Hoffa’s infamous 1975 disappearance; Hoffa was pronounced dead seven years later when his body failed to materialize. The titular “paint” on houses is not, well, paint — though it’s certainly red.)

Niko Tavernise / NETFLIX

Lots of excitement.

In its first act, the film can be tedious, because it gives very little indication of why exactly we’re watching these men do their thing other than Scorsese thinks we should be. (The purpose does become clear, but in a way that will only reward the patient.) The long runtime — clearly part of the appeal of the film’s eventual home being Netflix, where a movie can be as long or as short as you want, especially if you’re Martin Scorsese — means that scenes have more breathing room than we’re accustomed to seeing. Technically, they could be “tightened” up, perhaps by trimming out some of the dialogue or reaction shots, or removing parts that don’t fit into a more streamlined plot.

But the near-bagginess of the film is part of its initial charm. And by the end, it becomes important. The Irishman’s long arc (which involves the use of largely unobtrusive de-aging technology) means the film follows Frank and his associates long past when the movie usually ends, with triumph or failure. The film instead takes a distinct turn away from rat-a-tat plotting and revenge toward a frankly stunning, contemplative movement. The bluster and scheming of middle-aged men eventually gives way to age, to losing people one by one, and to consequences for life’s choices.

Suddenly, it becomes very important to realize we’ve been listening to Frank narrate his story.

The Irishman is Frank’s version of his life’s story — until the movie reinvents itself

For much of The Irishman, the women are at the margins — wives and daughters, always around, rarely saying anything. This isn’t atypical in Scorsese’s work, which rarely centers on women. The worlds he makes movies about are built by men, for men. They see women as beloved and beautiful accessories, maybe tangentially helpful, sometimes irrational irritations. Sometimes, the woman is just the nuisance who makes you pull the car over every hour on a road trip for a smoke break.

But The Irishman uses Frank’s perspective on the women in his life to remind us that his myopia has blinded him to the truth about himself. One of the stranger parts of Frank’s story is the barely glancing interest — just a line or two — that he gives to leaving his wife for a waitress, and a shrugging explanation he gives to Russell for why his divorce couldn’t possibly be affecting his children. (The two women get along like gangbusters, he says; there’s no problem there at all, see?)

Similarly, the role that Frank’s daughter Peggy (played as a child by Lucy Gallina and an adult by Anna Paquin) plays in the film feels weird, for a while. She’s only one of several daughters, but she’s also the one most important to him. She mistrusts Russell, but she loves Jimmy. Scorsese makes a point of directing our attention toward how Peggy watches her father and his associates, taking in what they’re doing and quietly making her own decisions. But she never, at least in Frank’s memory, tells him what she’s thinking.

Netflix

Robert De Niro in The Irishman.

So late in the film, when Peggy has stopped talking to her father altogether, Frank asks another daughter (Marin Ireland) to help him reach her. And it’s an eye-opening moment, both for Frank and for us in the audience, who have been watching the story through Frank’s perspective. “You don’t know what it was like for us,” she tells him, visible frustration on her face and tears in her eyes. When he thought he was protecting his daughters, they were afraid to tell him about anything that happened to them lest he mete out swift and excessively violent judgment. And so they were less protected. His perception of himself and of what he was doing for his family didn’t match reality. It was just that: his perception of himself.

That realization, with others, starts to nudge Frank toward something like self-examination. And given Scorsese’s long proclivity toward looking for meaning in Catholic symbolism, Frank’s own Catholicism starts to resurface. The movie’s other unofficial theme might be the Biblical injunction that the wages of sin is death — frequently we’re introduced to a person just long enough for their date and means of death to flash on screen — and when your life is defined by helping others meet their death, you start to get thoughtful when you approach your own. The older Frank gets, the more people he loses, the more he watches the men he once idolized fading away, the more he struggles to understand how his life of murder and extortion squares with the possibility of an afterlife.

He breaks bread and drinks grape juice with Russell (in a scene that’s also reminiscent of a famous Goodfellas scene). He tells a priest that he’s not sure if he’s sorry for anything he’s done, and the priest gently reminds him that we can feel sorry or we can choose to feel sorry. We see the rare flicker of his self-doubt and the guilt he feels for acts of betrayal. And when the priest prays with Frank that God will “help us see ourselves as you see us,” there’s a lot riding on that prayer.

An aging filmmaker with a long, rich, full history of examining crime and sin and death might rightly land on these themes at this point in his career. The final minutes of The Irishman contrast starkly with the start of the film, because that is how our lives play out. What matters at the end is who we loved and how we loved them, and whether we treated them like they mattered. And the film leaves open the question we all face: If we messed that part up, what, in the end, was life really worth?

The Irishman premiered at the New York Film Festival on September 27. It will open in limited theaters on November 1 and premiere on Netflix on November 27.

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[thisdaynews]

Inside Trump’s Feud With Paul Ryan

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/inside-trumps-feud-with-paul-ryan/

Inside Trump’s Feud With Paul Ryan

It was barely two o’clock in the afternoon and Paul Ryan was offering me a beer.

We stood in a cramped break room — microwave, sink, refrigerator stocked with Miller Lite — on the third floor of a brick building in Janesville, Wisconsin, making small talk before sitting down in his adjacent office for a lengthy interview. Ryan was relieved to be home. A few weeks earlier, he had packed up his final belongings and left Washington for good, ending a 20-year career in Congress that saw him occupy roles ranging from right-wing wunderkind to vice-presidential candidate to unifier of a fractured party to chief enabler of President Donald J. Trump.

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That final leg of Ryan’s political journey had certainly been the most exhausting. Once upon a time, he had been mortified at the prospect of Trump as the GOP nominee, spending much of 2015 and 2016 telling anyone who would listen that the reality TV star was immoral and unfit for office. Even after Trump vanquished the Republican primary field, Ryan refused to muffle his objections, at one point memorably rebuking the party’s new standard-bearer for making “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” Yet when the time came for choosing on November 8, 2016 — to risk his speakership by continuing to hold the new president accountable, or preserve his standing in the party by taking a vow of silence — Ryan did not think twice. There was historic work to be done, he told friends, and quarreling with Trump would prove wholly counterproductive. He could not afford to be both the speaker of the Houseandthe conscience of the Republican Party.

What ensued was a bruising, mortifying, tortured 26 month partnership between two men who disliked one another but had become convinced of the necessity of a ceasefire. It was, Ryan told friends, at once the most auspicious and agonizing stretch of his adult life. Even while securing enormous new funding for the military and re-writing the tax code, he knew history would remember Republicans for operating in the shadow of a president whose performance eclipsed their hardest-won legislative accomplishments.

Ryan’s dilemma was much like the conundrum the Republican Party faces today: Do we condemn Trump’s latest offensive comments — in this case a string of tweets and remarks urging a quartet of Democratic lawmakers of color to “go back” to their countries of origin — or do we swallow our tongues and work with the man? Should we look to history’s judgment, or just try to get as much done as possible despite our distaste? Most Republicans have chosen the latter, even if they might regret it later.

Does Paul Ryan have regrets? A few. Having remained dutifully acquiescent until the day he left office — including during our first interview for the book, in the fall of 2018, when the speaker uttered nary a negative syllable about the president — he was ready to unleash in retirement. There was no mistaking the look in his eye or the tone in his voice; having covered the former House speaker for many years, talked with him countless times and studied his mannerisms, I could sense immediately when we met in Janesville that he was both liberated (hence the afternoon beer offering) and deeply, visibly agitated. He was ready, at long last, to unpack his conscience.

He started with some throat-clearing, touting the “legal substance that stands a longer test of time” than Trump’s demagoguery — a restructured tax code, a bigger military, a conservative judiciary. But Ryan’s grimace gave him away. It was obvious, as he went on talking about the “disruption” roiling the nation and how America has endured “ugly” periods before, that Ryan had begun to reckon with the legacy of Trumpism and his role in accessorizing it. It didn’t take much poking for the dam to burst.

“We’ve gotten so numb to it all,” he told me. “Not in government, but where we live our lives, we have a responsibility to try and rebuild. Don’t call a woman a ‘horse face.’ Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t cheat on anything. Be a good person. Set a good example. And prop up other institutions that do the same. You know?”

For a man who ascended to the speakership, two heartbeats away from the American presidency, Ryan has never possessed finely tuned political antennae. His aides have long joked, and often cringed, about a certain aloofness that accompanied his self-projected image as a “policy guy.” But I got the sense that Ryan knew exactly what he was doing in that moment. It was not a momentary lapse when he invoked the president’s former porn-star mistress. Nor was it a slip of the tongue when, time and again as the interview wore on, he described Trump’s clumsiness as a chief executive, detailed the measures taken to keep the government from falling apart, and emphasized how often he’d held back on scolding the president publicly for fear of making a bad national situation worse.

Ryan recognized the gravity of what he was saying and the backlash it would invite from the most powerful man in the world. He also seemed to anticipate the outrage it would elicit from critics who would demand to know: Why not push back on the president’s misdeedswhile still holding the second-most powerful job in government?

“I felt a major onset of responsibility to help the institutions survive,” Ryan recalled, telling me how he didn’t sleep one wink on election night 2016. “So, from the next day on, my mantra was ‘Only one person can be speaker of the House. I’m not a pundit, I’m not a think-tanker. Our job from now on is to build up the country’s antibodies … to have the guardrails up, to drive the car down the middle of the road, and don’t let the car go off into the ditch.’”

Ryan added: “I told myself, I gotta have a relationship with this guy to help him get his mind right. Because, I’m telling you, he didn’t knowanythingabout government. So I thought, I can’t be his scold, like I was. … I wanted to scold him all the time. What I learned as I went on, to scratch that itch, I had to do it in private. So, I did it in private—all the time. And he actually ended up kind of appreciating it. We had more arguments with each other than pleasant conversations, over the last two years. And it never leaked.”

His justification for this approach is simple: The alternative could have been worse. If Ryan went after Trump every day, and the president went nuclear and pushed him out of the speakership, then who would be left to lead the House? Kevin McCarthy, a yes-man with far less inclination to tangle with Trump? Or perhaps one of the Freedom Caucus honchos, Jim Jordan or Mark Meadows, hard-liners known to encourage the president’s most self-destructive impulses? Like many of his allies in the administration — Jim Mattis, John Kelly, Rex Tillerson — Ryan believed that only by avoiding public confrontation with the president could he retain his influence, and that only by retaining his influence could he help mitigate the damage being done by Trump.

“Those of us around him really helped to stop him from making bad decisions.All the time,” Ryan says. “It worked pretty well. He was really deferential and kind of learning the ropes. … We helped him make much better decisions, which were contrary to kind of what his knee-jerk reaction was.”

Of course, Mattis and Kelly and Tillerson served as the pleasure of the president. Ryan did not. He was charged with leading a co-equal branch of the federal government, the one assigned primacy under Article I of the Constitution, the one responsible for checking the excesses and abuses of the executive. It’s true that speaking out might have cost him his job. But it’s also true that Ryan’s silence — and the silence of so many Republicans, from party leaders to rank-and-file members — emboldened Trump to push his rhetoric into ever-darker places.

The day I conceived of writing this book was Friday, January 8, 2016. I was in Columbia, South Carolina, having dinner with a friend and former colleague, Ron Brownstein, who pushed the idea of a reported narrative on the long-running Republican “civil war.” Ron and I were both in Columbia to cover an event Saturday morning: “The Poverty Summit,” as it was called, a forum co-hosted by Speaker Ryan and Senator Tim Scott meant to showcase the GOP’s outreach to poor and minority voters. In front of the most multiethnic crowd I’d ever seen at a Republican event, numerous presidential hopefuls — Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich — took turns joining Ryan and Scott on stage to discuss the imperative of expanding the party’s message, becoming more inclusive, embracing diversity and empathy as core American characteristics.

Donald Trump didn’t show up that day. He rejected the invitation to attend. That was just fine with Ryan: He told friends that weekend that it was their mission to neutralize Trumpism or else risk losing control of their party. “We have a bifurcated country, we have a polarized country,” Ryan told me that weekend, sitting inside a downtown hotel conference room. “One of the reasons I think it’s polarized is because of identity politics on the left. Now some on the right are playing it.” When I asked who on the right was guilty of playing identity politics, Ryan just smiled. It was a confident smile: Given what he knew about Republican politics, given the energy in Columbia that weekend, given the hunger he saw for unity and aspirational politics, he was going to lead the charge to vanquish Trumpism and deliver the GOP into a new era.

As we sat together three years later in Janesville, that smile had vanished. And it was Ryan — along with his vision for the party — who had been vanquished. He acknowledges he could have done more to push back against Trumpism, but knowing what we know now, he doubted it would have altered the outcome. As I wrote in the book:

For a long stretch of the 2016 campaign, Ryan refused to accept Trump’s takeover of the GOP. He traversed the stages of grief: denial (no way can Trump win), anger (“I called him a racist!”), bargaining (the RNC PowerPoint slides), and depression (“This is fatal,” he told Reince Priebus) before finally coming to terms with it. This resistance was grounded in a basic belief that the Republican Party was still his party. Looking back, Ryan says, he should have known better. Having considered the converging political, cultural, and socioeconomic events of the twenty-first century and reflected on them in the context of historical intraparty ideological swings, he recognizes now that the American right was primed, even overdue, for revolution.

That revolution produced a president who has remade conservatism, and the GOP itself, in his own image: “isolationist, protectionist, and kind of xenophobic, anti-immigrant,” as Ryan describes it. The party has fallen in line: The reason so few Republican lawmakers are willing to challenge Trump when he espouses hateful, bigoted rhetoric — as he did this week — is that they recognize the party is now Trump’s, and to challenge him is to suffer the sort of excommunication Ryan feared.

The irony, of course, is that Ryan wound up on Trump’s enemies list anyway — called “weak” and “stupid” and a “failure” by a president who leaned heavily on the speaker to pass the party’s legislative agenda through a fratricidal Congress.

If the past week has taught Republicans anything, it’s that history will not recall fondly those who wait until their time in government has expired to warn the world of the president’s inadequacies. Many will remain silent because they view his custody of the party as fleeting and unsustainable, believing that his eventual exit from office will allow them rehabilitate the Republican brand. And yet, that silence is what solidifies Trump’s chokehold on the American right — a lesson Ryan had to learn the hard way.

“Trumpism is a moment, a populist moment we’re in, that’s going to be here after Trump is gone. And that’s something that we’re gonna have to learn how to deal with,” Ryan says. “I’m a traditional conservative, and traditional conservatives are definitely not ascendant in the party right now. … We called our wing ‘the growth wing,’ and we won for a good 20 years. And now their wing is winning. But it’s cyclical. We beat the paleocons in the early nineties; they’re beating us now.

“The Reagan Republican wing beat the Rockefeller Republican wing,” Ryan concluded. “And now the Trump wing beat the Reagan wing.”

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[leehaws]

What Does the Future Hold for USA Gymnastics?

On Nov. 5, what felt like the inevitable finally happened. The US Olympic Committee announced plans to pursue decertification of USA Gymnastics after its role in enabling the largest sexual abuse crisis in sports history and continued mismanagement once the extent of the abuse suffered by hundreds of young women at the hands of former Olympic team and Michigan State trainer Larry Nassar became public knowledge.

The scandal that is USA Gymnastics has been going on for three years. Athletes and survivors have been calling for this step for years, but decertification—characterized as a last resort—never came.

The USOC did not invoke this last resort when Nassar was found in possession of more than 37,000 images of child pornography, or when Nassar was sentenced to between 40 to 175 years as a result of pleading guilty to ten counts of sexual assault of girls. Or after watching their victim impact statements go viral—videos of women and girls, either crying or steelily explaining how their abuse impacted their athletic careers and lives. The USOC was similarly unmoved when the federation burned through three executives in two years. (One of those executives, Steve Penny, recently pled not guilty to evidence tampering related to the Nassar case at the legendary Karolyi ranch in Texas. Another, former Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono, made disparaging remarks about Colin Kaepernick’s Nike ad before she took the job; the tweet was resurfaced and Simone Biles, a Nike athlete, was not pleased to say the least.)

So, while the decision has felt inevitable and obvious, it has also been a long time coming, and carries with it a lot of uncertainty—namely how will a sport so inextricably linked to the Olympics carry on with its governing body in so much legal limbo.

In her public statement announcing the largely unprecedented move, USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland said there are plans in place for the athletes to thrive as the process of decertification goes on (review panel, hearings, fact finding, etc.), but the specifics of it aren’t mentioned. In an open letter to the athletes, Hirshland admits that Olympic hopefuls will have support for the Tokyo games, but that’s about as concrete as it gets. If you—or your child—are a club gymnast training in Iowa or California, though? “We are developing both a short- and longer-term plan and will communicate it as soon as we can,” Hirshland wrote in the open letter. “The clearest answer I can provide is that gymnastics as a sport will remain a bedrock for the Olympic community in the United States. Young people will continue to participate, refine their techniques and have fun.”

But her statement and open letter seem to question if USA Gymnastics would continue to exist in its current form when all’s said and done. “In the long-term, it will be the critically important responsibility of the recognized Gymnastics [national governing body], whether the existing organization or a new one, to lead gymnastics in the United States and build on the supportive community of athletes and clubs that can carry the sport forward for decades to come. We are prepared to identify and help build such an organization,” Hirshland said in the statement.

How this plays out is anyone’s guess. Hirshland gave an email at the end of the letter for gymnasts, coaches, trainers, club owners, etc. to reach out with “ideas and suggestions,” which is better optics than Hirshland’s first meeting with gold medal-winner Aly Raisman at a Senate hearing in July. But the optics of the already fraught situation fail to negate the fact that Hirshland’s letter makes it seem like their hands are tied by this last resort, even as the USOC works on long term solutions. “There is a process that must be followed based on the USOC Bylaws that lay out how we recognize, and revoke recognition, for an NGB. We have filed a complaint. A review panel will be identified, a hearing will be held, a report will be issued and a recommendation will be made. Then the USOC board will vote to continue to recognize USAG, or to revoke that status,” she writes.

On Tuesday, a top USA Gymnastics official made it clear that this process will likely turn messy before we see resolution. In an email sent to athletes, coaches and parents, Tom Forster, USA Gymnastics high performance team coordinator, wrote that call for decertification was a “strategic move” to appease critics, Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register reported. While that is almost certainly true, Forster’s email is telling in that his words show he thinks that the Nassar scandal is just a PR nightmare, instead of a horrifying assault against hundreds of women that could have been prevented. This is a real opportunity to confront safety issues within an elite sport that breeds intensely close one-on-one relationships between adults and children.

Here’s a portion of the email Reid obtained:

“I have met with Sarah Hirshland, the president of the USOC, a few times and it was communicated to me the USOC believes USA Gymnastics will suffer from the legal problems associated with the lawsuits from the survivors which will, in their opinion, hurt our High Performance Teams,” Forster wrote. “I believe this to be a strategic move on their part to appease our critics and congress for the perceived lack of progress we have made as an organization to solve our public image problems. If the USOC takes on the task of managing our [high performance] Teams USA Gymnastics will still be facing the challenges of litigation from the survivors.”

Forster completely missing the point is only natural for someone who worked in the same organization that was briefly run by Kerry Perry, an executive who hired Mary Lee Tracy, a well-known coach, as Elite Development Coordinator, even though Tracy defended Nassar in December 2016 . As a reminder, by mid-December 2016, Nassar was indicted on federal child pornography charges, not to mention multiple sexual assault charges in Michigan. Tracy was asked to resign three days after her hiring was announced because she attempted to contact Olympian Aly Raisman, who is suing USA Gymnastics. Time and again, this is the story of USA Gymnastics: the adults charged with mentoring and protecting children fail to grasp the extent of hurt that their inaction enabled.

The purpose of pursuing decertification is acknowledging that USA Gymnastics failed hundreds of young gymnasts, from medal winners to girls just starting out. The organization failed its athletes, and it repeatedly demonstrated an inability to find executives who could credibly and decently rectify the situation. By pursuing decertification, there is the opportunity to build an organization that privileges the safety of children and adult competitors over the medals they can bring home. (An unintended side effect of pursuing decertification is that the USOC could see some positive PR, but that’s unlikely as even the most casual watchers of the Nassar scandal seem horrified by everyone’s lack of action.)

Even so, Reid also reported that USA Gymnastics could put off the entire process of decertification by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it would result in “an automatic stay” on the organizations’ litigation proceedings while the finances are sorted. Again, from the Register:

“If I was USAG and I wanted to stop decertification by the USOC I would go (to bankruptcy court) because it prohibits you from proceeding,” said attorney Jim Stang, who has written extensively on bankruptcy issues and served on the creditors committee in 13 child sexual abuse cases. “The bankruptcy court judge is like a traffic cop. Should I allow this decertification to continue? Or should I let it go for now or just stop it or keep the red light on? Is there something that can be worked out to keep USAG’s value (to raise funds to pay creditors)? What is the value if USAG is decertified?”

It’s a popular strategy that’s been used in clergy sexual abuse cases, Reid told popular gymnastics podcast GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast in early November. “If you look at the history of these Roman Catholic archdioceses cases, they repeatedly did this where they filed Chapter 11,” Reid said.

In 2004, the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon was the first diocese in the country to file for bankruptcy relief when facing lawsuits related to clergy sexual abuse. Plaintiffs at that time were seeking more than $160 million in damages, according to The Associated Press. This strategy was employed in Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; Davenport, Iowa; and Wilmington, Delaware, to name a few.

“This is their playbook; this is their go-to play. I think you’re going to see this with USA Gymnastics. There’s a huge financial benefit for filing Chapter 11 for both USA Gymnastics and the USOC,” Reid told GymCastic.

So not only are we looking at no definitive plan for helping athletes at all levels during the (likely lengthy) process of decertification, but there’s the possibility of another legal front that could halt litigation being brought by survivors. The consequences of how this plays out are important not only for athlete safety (and, you know, morals), but also because USA Gymnastics isn’t the only governing body being accused of enabling or looking the other way on sexual abuse. There’s USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo and the U.S. Equestrian Federation, at the very least. (Deadspin’s Diana Moskovitz’s deep dive into SafeSport, the initiative by Team USA to reduce misconduct in their ranks and how it has utterly failed is worth your time.)

It’s impossible to predict if USA Gymnastics will set an example for how to treat other organizations failing to protect its athletes—or if the outcome will be an unmemorable stop on the many years of litigation USA Gymnastics is certain to face. If decertification comes to pass, maybe the USOC will finally draw a line in the sand when it comes to protecting athletes from abuse. But what if a Chapter 11 filing happens first? Even after all this pain, money and medals could still rule the day.

If you think the 2020 presidential election is soon, the 2020 Summer Games are even closer. And it’s shaping up to a Valley of the Dolls redux of 2016 in Tokyo: The Americans will dominate the games (led by Simone Biles), while the failure of USA Gymnastics and the USOC to protect its athletes hangs in the air like an Amanar vault waiting to be stuck.

What Does the Future Hold for USA Gymnastics? syndicated from https://justinbetreviews.wordpress.com/

[flauntpage]

What Does the Future Hold for USA Gymnastics?

On Nov. 5, what felt like the inevitable finally happened. The US Olympic Committee announced plans to pursue decertification of USA Gymnastics after its role in enabling the largest sexual abuse crisis in sports history and continued mismanagement once the extent of the abuse suffered by hundreds of young women at the hands of former Olympic team and Michigan State trainer Larry Nassar became public knowledge.

The scandal that is USA Gymnastics has been going on for three years. Athletes and survivors have been calling for this step for years, but decertification—characterized as a last resort—never came.

The USOC did not invoke this last resort when Nassar was found in possession of more than 37,000 images of child pornography, or when Nassar was sentenced to between 40 to 175 years as a result of pleading guilty to ten counts of sexual assault of girls. Or after watching their victim impact statements go viral—videos of women and girls, either crying or steelily explaining how their abuse impacted their athletic careers and lives. The USOC was similarly unmoved when the federation burned through three executives in two years. (One of those executives, Steve Penny, recently pled not guilty to evidence tampering related to the Nassar case at the legendary Karolyi ranch in Texas. Another, former Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono, made disparaging remarks about Colin Kaepernick’s Nike ad before she took the job; the tweet was resurfaced and Simone Biles, a Nike athlete, was not pleased to say the least.)

So, while the decision has felt inevitable and obvious, it has also been a long time coming, and carries with it a lot of uncertainty—namely how will a sport so inextricably linked to the Olympics carry on with its governing body in so much legal limbo.

In her public statement announcing the largely unprecedented move, USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland said there are plans in place for the athletes to thrive as the process of decertification goes on (review panel, hearings, fact finding, etc.), but the specifics of it aren’t mentioned. In an open letter to the athletes, Hirshland admits that Olympic hopefuls will have support for the Tokyo games, but that’s about as concrete as it gets. If you—or your child—are a club gymnast training in Iowa or California, though? “We are developing both a short- and longer-term plan and will communicate it as soon as we can,” Hirshland wrote in the open letter. “The clearest answer I can provide is that gymnastics as a sport will remain a bedrock for the Olympic community in the United States. Young people will continue to participate, refine their techniques and have fun.”

But her statement and open letter seem to question if USA Gymnastics would continue to exist in its current form when all’s said and done. “In the long-term, it will be the critically important responsibility of the recognized Gymnastics [national governing body], whether the existing organization or a new one, to lead gymnastics in the United States and build on the supportive community of athletes and clubs that can carry the sport forward for decades to come. We are prepared to identify and help build such an organization,” Hirshland said in the statement.

How this plays out is anyone's guess. Hirshland gave an email at the end of the letter for gymnasts, coaches, trainers, club owners, etc. to reach out with “ideas and suggestions,” which is better optics than Hirshland’s first meeting with gold meal-winner Aly Raisman at a Senate hearing in July. But the optics of the already fraught situation fail to negate the fact that Hirshland’s letter makes it seem like their hands are tied by this last resort, even as the USOC works on long term solutions. “There is a process that must be followed based on the USOC Bylaws that lay out how we recognize, and revoke recognition, for an NGB. We have filed a complaint. A review panel will be identified, a hearing will be held, a report will be issued and a recommendation will be made. Then the USOC board will vote to continue to recognize USAG, or to revoke that status,” she writes.

On Tuesday, a top USA Gymnastics official made it clear that this process will likely turn messy before we see resolution. In an email sent to athletes, coaches and parents, Tom Forster, USA Gymnastics high performance team coordinator, wrote that call for decertification was a “strategic move” to appease critics, Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register reported. While that is almost certainly true, Forster’s email is telling in that his words show he thinks that the Nassar scandal is just a PR nightmare, instead of a horrifying assault against hundreds of women that could have been prevented. This is a real opportunity to confront safety issues within an elite sport that breeds intensely close one-on-one relationships between adults and children.

Here’s a portion of the email Reid obtained:

"I have met with Sarah Hirshland, the president of the USOC, a few times and it was communicated to me the USOC believes USA Gymnastics will suffer from the legal problems associated with the lawsuits from the survivors which will, in their opinion, hurt our High Performance Teams,” Forster wrote. “I believe this to be a strategic move on their part to appease our critics and congress for the perceived lack of progress we have made as an organization to solve our public image problems. If the USOC takes on the task of managing our [high performance] Teams USA Gymnastics will still be facing the challenges of litigation from the survivors.”

Forster completely missing the point is only natural for someone who worked in the same organization that was briefly run by Kerry Perry, an executive who hired Mary Lee Tracy, a well-known coach, as Elite Development Coordinator, even though Tracy defended Nassar in December 2016 . As a reminder, by mid-December 2016, Nassar was indicted on federal child pornography charges, not to mention multiple sexual assault charges in Michigan. Tracy was asked to resign three days after her hiring was announced because she attempted to contact Olympian Aly Raisman, who is suing USA Gymnastics. Time and again, this is the story of USA Gymnastics: the adults charged with mentoring and protecting children fail to grasp the extent of hurt that their inaction enabled.

The purpose of pursuing decertification is acknowledging that USA Gymnastics failed hundreds of young gymnasts, from medal winners to girls just starting out. The organization failed its athletes, and it repeatedly demonstrated an inability to find executives who could credibly and decently rectify the situation. By pursuing decertification, there is the opportunity to build an organization that privileges the safety of children and adult competitors over the medals they can bring home. (An unintended side effect of pursuing decertification is that the USOC could see some positive PR, but that’s unlikely as even the most casual watchers of the Nassar scandal seem horrified by everyone’s lack of action.)

Even so, Reid also reported that USA Gymnastics could put off the entire process of decertification by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it would result in “an automatic stay” on the organizations’ litigation proceedings while the finances are sorted. Again, from the Register:

“If I was USAG and I wanted to stop decertification by the USOC I would go (to bankruptcy court) because it prohibits you from proceeding,” said attorney Jim Stang, who has written extensively on bankruptcy issues and served on the creditors committee in 13 child sexual abuse cases. “The bankruptcy court judge is like a traffic cop. Should I allow this decertification to continue? Or should I let it go for now or just stop it or keep the red light on? Is there something that can be worked out to keep USAG’s value (to raise funds to pay creditors)? What is the value if USAG is decertified?”

It’s a popular strategy that’s been used in clergy sexual abuse cases, Reid told popular gymnastics podcast GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast in early November. “If you look at the history of these Roman Catholic archdioceses cases, they repeatedly did this where they filed Chapter 11,” Reid said.

In 2004, the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon was the first diocese in the country to file for bankruptcy relief when facing lawsuits related to clergy sexual abuse. Plaintiffs at that time were seeking more than $160 million in damages, according to The Associated Press. This strategy was employed in Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; Davenport, Iowa; and Wilmington, Delaware, to name a few.

“This is their playbook; this is their go-to play. I think you’re going to see this with USA Gymnastics. There’s a huge financial benefit for filing Chapter 11 for both USA Gymnastics and the USOC,” Reid told GymCastic.

So not only are we looking at no definitive plan for helping athletes at all levels during the (likely lengthy) process of decertification, but there’s the possibility of another legal front that could halt litigation being brought by survivors. The consequences of how this plays out are important not only for athlete safety (and, you know, morals), but also because USA Gymnastics isn’t the only governing body being accused of enabling or looking the other way on sexual abuse. There’s USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo and the U.S. Equestrian Federation, at the very least. (Deadspin’s Diana Moskovitz’s deep dive into SafeSport, the initiative by Team USA to reduce misconduct in their ranks and how it has utterly failed is worth your time.)

It’s impossible to predict if USA Gymnastics will set an example for how to treat other organizations failing to protect its athletes—or if the outcome will be an unmemorable stop on the many years of litigation USA Gymnastics is certain to face. If decertification comes to pass, maybe the USOC will finally draw a line in the sand when it comes to protecting athletes from abuse. But what if a Chapter 11 filing happens first? Even after all this pain, money and medals could still rule the day.

If you think the 2020 presidential election is soon, the 2020 Summer Games are even closer. And it’s shaping up to a Valley of the Dolls redux of 2016 in Tokyo: The Americans will dominate the games (led by Simone Biles), while the failure of USA Gymnastics and the USOC to protect its athletes hangs in the air like an Amanar vault waiting to be stuck.

What Does the Future Hold for USA Gymnastics? published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[unclecrizzle]

‘THIS CHRISTMAS’ AND GETTING TO KNOW DONNY

[The following is a prologue to what could possibly be a book I’m writing on the life and music of Donny Hathaway. So, read it, give me notes, pass it around – just let me know if this is something you think I should actually pursue. – CDL]

The first time Donny Hathaway really resonated with me was when I began hearing “This Christmas” in December of 1993. I heard a bit of Hathaway before that. I remember listening to the original version of the Grammy-winning “Where Is the Love” one of the many duets he did with Roberta Flack, in 1991 (shortly after Stephanie Mills and Robert Brookins, another male singer whose life was cut short, did a slow-jam version of the song in 1988). Around that same time, I heard rapper Too Short sampling Hathaway’s “The Ghetto” for his song of the same name. But my love of Hathaway didn’t truly start until I began hearing “This Christmas” around the holiday season.

The first time I actually began hearing it was on TV, during my senior year of high school. The yearly Christmas episode of Martin (the one where Martin and Gina were stranded at a bus station en route to Gina’s parents’ house) ended with a rendition of the song playing over the end credits. In Living Color, another black, Fox show, also ended their Christmas ep with then-cast member Jamie Foxx singing the song. That was a weird, peculiar instance, with Foxx, the cast and The Fly Girls, the show’s resident dancers (which included a pre-superstar Jennifer Lopez), gathered around a man playing the tune on the piano. Foxx and the Fly Girls were wearing Santa hats, while most of the cast were wearing black hats and sunglasses, mean-mugging for the camera. (Years later, I found out that they were protesting due to the show’s creator and executive producer, Keenan Ivory Wayans, getting ousted from the show.)

I didn’t get to hear the original version until Christmas Eve, playing on the radio around my house. My teenage self was immediately drawn in by the horns and sleigh bells working together to start off that infectious melody, which was later said to be lifted from the theme to the celebrated Western The Magnificent Seven. “We flipped the music and we put our spin on it,” longtime friend and collaborator Ric Powell told the website The Undefeated in 2016.

And, of course, there was Hathaway’s voice, beautiful and cascading as it was, singing of spending the holiest of holidays with that special someone:

“Hang all the mistletoe/I’m gonna get to know you better/This Christmas/And as we trim the tree/How much fun it’s gonna be together/This Christmas”

Hathaway follows that up with a verse that could be seen as Hathaway recalling an evening of musical joy or orgasmic ecstasy:

“The fireside is blazing bright/We’re caroling through the night/And this Christmas will be/A very special Christmas for me”

This isn’t the first time someone equated Christmas with sex. “Santa Baby,” released in 1953 and originally sang by Eartha Kitt, was a tantalizing tease of a song, with Kitt coquettishly calling for St. Nick to “hurry down the chimney tonight.” And just two years before “This Christmas”’s release, Clarence Carter assumed the role of a horny Kris Kringle in the randy, rousing “Back Door Santa” (“They call me Back Door Santa/I make my runs about the break of day/I make all the little girls happy/While the boys are out to play”). Interestingly enough, “Back Door Santa” appeared on the “Soul Christmas” album, which would include “This Christmas” when the album was re-released on CD in 1991, which would also explain why the song would start becoming so popular in the early ‘90s. (It was also added to the CD release of Hathaway’s self-titled album from 1971.) But Hathaway did it in a way that made it safe for families to sing around the Christmas tree.

“This Christmas” was released just as Hathaway’s professional career was taking off (in the singles chronology, it’s sandwiched between “The Ghetto” and “You’ve Got a Friend,” another duet with Flack). The song came about due to Hathaway’s obsession with creating the next, great holiday anthem – especially one that would make black America proud. An interior decorator linked Hathaway up with songwriter Nadine McKinnor, who had already written the lyrics in 1967. Hathaway invited McKinnor to his office/studio where he laid out the melody. (While they’re both credited as co-writers, Hathaway is listed as “Donny Pitts,” a shout-out to his younger days as “Little Donny Pitts: The Nation’s Youngest Gospel Singer.”) McKinnor was very impressed with Hathaway’s seamless work ethic. In a 2008 episode of TV One’s Unsung, McKinnor said, “He arranged it, produced it, recorded it like a weaver. He just put it together in his head.”

It was written at the songwriters’ workshop of soul singer-turned-politician Jerry Butler, who initially scoffed at the idea of yet another Christmas song. Nevertheless, Hathaway recorded the song anyway in the fall of 1970, at the Audio Finishers Studio on Ontario Street, produced by Hathaway and Powell (as “Don-Ric Enterprises”) and arranged by Hathaway. The session musicians were old pals who worked on Hathaway’s first two albums: Powell on drums, bass drum, congas and sleigh bells; Phil Upchurch on guitar; Morris Jennings on drums; Willie Henderson on baritone sax and Louis Satterfield on trombone. Hathaway played Upchurch’s keyboard bass, an electric piano that goes down an octave. It was a gift to Upchurch by Harold Rhodes, creator of the Fender Rhodes piano.

”Donny was very upbeat during the session,” Powell told the Chicago Tribune in 2009. “He knew what he wanted to do musicially and the impact he wanted to make with this song.” Upchurch also told the Tribune how magical a Hathaway session could be. “All of Donny’s sessions were a marvel to behold,” he said. “He always wrote charts. He had sketches of the chord changes. During that time, producers relied on the cast they called to embellish what they wrote. They left it open for interpretation. I found out the fewer notes you put on the paper, the better the song was going to come out. Donny called on musicians who could do that. We knew when we left the studio we hit something. Our hair stood up on our arms. Working with Donny was as exciting as working with Quincy Jones or Dylan.”

In December of that year, “This Christmas” was released in 1970, on Atlantic Records subsidiary ATCO, which distributed Soul Christmas two years before. Unfortunately, it didn’t get much notice. (It did make Billboard’s Christmas Singles chart two years later, peaking at No. 11.) Back then, both labels and black-music artists were beginning to discover that there was a market out there for albums full of funky, holiday cheer by contemporary black artists. As mentioned earlier, Atlantic/ATCO already had its Soul Christmas album. James Brown dropped two Christmas albums in the late’60s, James Brown Sings Christmas Songs and A Soulful Christmas. Before Motown dropped its first holiday album, A Motown Christmas, in 1973, several of its artists (Stevie Wonder’s Someday at Christmas, Jackson 5’s Jackson 5 Christmas Album) had already released popular Christmas albums. So, it was easy for “This Christmas” to get lost in the shuffle back then.

Before its early-‘90s resurgence, the song was considered a holiday deep cut. Only a handful of soul artists – The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle -- did versions for their respective Christmas albums. (LaBelle even titled her album This Christmas.) Diana Ross also recorded a version of 1974 that didn’t get released until 1993, when it was included on Motown’s Christmas in the City album. Cut to today. The song is now deemed a timeless classic. It has been covered over a 100 times, by everyone from Christina Aguilera to Harry Connick, Jr. to Lady Antebellum to Chris Brown (who recorded a version for a 2007 movie called This Christmas, which he also starred in) to – I kid you not – Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. Covers done by Seal and the band Train each went to number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

The song has served as fodder for many, online tribute pieces as of late. Over at the feminine-fueled site Jezebel, Kara Brown called it “basically the standard black Christmas song” and “one of the few Christmas songs you can actually dance to without looking super stupid.” At the Very Smart Brothas site, Panama Jackson penned a lengthy salute to the song. “From the opening horns and drums, you know it’s about to go down,” Jackson wrote. “Your head might nod because your neck knows its phat. Your foot might tap. Your hips might unconsciously sway a little bit. It’s impossible not to feel good about…something…when it comes on. The song is perfect. When I think of Christmas, I immediately think of ‘This Christmas,’ The Temptations ‘Silent Night,’ and the Whispers ‘Happy Holidays to You.’”

Jackson also pointed out the song’s ubiquitousness not just in black households, but all over. “I’d wager that there isn’t a Black household in America (maybe a few of you ingrates, probably folks like Lawrence Otis Graham, Ben Carson, and Armstrong Williams) where this song doesn’t show up at least ONE solid time during the holiday season. It’s that infectious. It plays in Macy’s and CVSs. When I visited my mother in Michigan, in as white an enclave as possible, I heard this song playing in the gas station when I went to pick up milk at 10pm and hoped the place didn’t get robbed later that evening because I knew if that happened, I’d have spent Thanksgiving in jail. I like to think that Donny kept the store safe and me out of jail that night.”

As much as “This Christmas” is played around the holiday season, it’s still not that universally known. When I went to see a movie at a North Carolina shopping center one recent Christmas, I spotted two teenage, white girls who were volunteers for the Salvation Army. They had the handbells and red bucket for donations, and they were singing Christmas songs to get people to donate. When I asked them if they knew “This Christmas,” they both had dumbfounded looks on their faces. I jokingly scolded them, telling them they need to start practicing that song if they want to sing around black folk. (They did know Wham’s “Last Christmas,” which I also requested.)

It’s become the norm for African-Americans to say it isn’t the holiday season unless we hear “This Christmas” somewhere. Whenever the Christmas season rolls around for me, there are usually a trio of songs – I called it “the Holy Holiday Trilogy” -- I have to hear during the holiday season: Nat King Cole’s traditional “The Christmas Song,” Prince’s untraditional “Another Lonely Christmas” and, of course, “This Christmas.” Back when I used to write for an alt-weekly in Philadelphia, I’d make it a tradition to bring up that soulful, yuletide triumvirate in some piece every year.

Yes, “This Christmas” was a joyous love song for the holidays, but Hathaway, ever the social commentator, slid in some peace-on-Earth sentiments when he added “Shake a hand, shake a hand now” and “Wish your brother Merry Christmas, all over the land.” In 2010, back when I was writing for the Raleigh News & Observer, I wrote a column about the song and its secret, social/spiritual message: “It's funny how I usually get so caught up in the romantic, joyfully cheeky aspects of the song whenever I hear it, that I'm quick to forget the meaningful messages Hathaway dropped not just in this song, but in nearly all of his work. ‘This Christmas’ is just as profound and socially conscious a composition as his classic numbers ‘The Ghetto’ and ‘Someday We'll All Be Free.’”

While “This Christmas” has became the Christmas standard Hathaway wanted it to be, it also was the jump-off point to getting me more interested in the music, career and life of Donny Hathaway. How could a man who could sing so beautifully and craft songs so memorably cut his life so short? With the very few albums he left, the people he worked with and the impressions he left on so many people, I’m looking to craft a Hathaway history that’s both comprehensive and critical, part biography and part critical analysis. While Hathaway’s journey didn’t begin with “This Christmas,” that’s where it began for me.  

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Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in The Irishman. | Niko Tavernise / NETFLIX

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci headline a long, winding movie that’s well worth the watch.

Late in The Irishman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) says that “you don’t know how fast time goes by until you get there,” and there’s just a twinkle of irony mixed into the melancholy. After all, by then, the movie is past the three-hour mark. (It ultimately tops out at 209 minutes.)

But that’s sort of the point. Time telescopes in Martin Scorsese’s newest movie, shifting back and forth through decades as old, wistful Frank narrates the tale of his life as a hitman for crime syndicate boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and then for Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino, who has somehow never worked with Scorsese before now). Which of course means the film rightfully will be compared to earlier Scorsese movies, like 1973’s Mean Streets and 1990’s Goodfellas, and not just because of the subject matter; in The Irishman, the director reunites with some of his longest-running collaborators from those films, including De Niro, Pesci, and Harvey Keitel.

Like those two movies — and all of Scorsese’s work, really — The Irishman is also about guilt, sin, and redemption. But with its lengthy runtime, this one has space to lean in two different tonal directions. The Irishman has both the frenetic swagger of his mob movies and the more contemplative gut wrench of his most spiritual films, like 1988’s The Last Temptation of Christ and his most recent film, 2016’s Silence.

And the movie has the maturity of an older man’s perspective, an eye cast backward on a full life. It is lively and wry and very funny, but at times it also feels like a confession, a plea for grace, not just from its protagonist but from the filmmaker himself.

Frank’s story is long and packed full of anecdotes that are always terribly fun, if sometimes aimless. This isn’t one coherent narrative as much as the recounting of a life, with the twists and turns life takes that defy tidy storytelling. It’s crowded with the figures who occupied his attention ever since he was a young man finding his way into Bufalino’s good graces. That happens partly as a result of a chance encounter with his union attorney (Ray Romano), who turns out to be Bufalino’s cousin. His work as a hitman and a fixer with Bufalino becomes a gig as one of Hoffa’s most trusted friends and aides, and Frank’s life is intertwined with both men. For a while, they’re on top of the world. And then — thanks largely to the machinations of history — things start changing for them.

There’s a lot in The Irishman that evokes Scorsese’s earlier work, from the way characters talk and act and dress to the occasional bursts of bloody violence. (Steven Zaillian’s screenplay is based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, which details what the real-life Frank told Brandt about Hoffa’s infamous 1975 disappearance; Hoffa was pronounced dead seven years later when his body failed to materialize. The titular “paint” on houses is not, well, paint — though it’s certainly red.)

Niko Tavernise / NETFLIX

Lots of excitement.

In its first act, the film can be tedious, because it gives very little indication of why exactly we’re watching these men do their thing other than Scorsese thinks we should be. (The purpose does become clear, but in a way that will only reward the patient.) The long runtime — clearly part of the appeal of the film’s eventual home being Netflix, where a movie can be as long or as short as you want, especially if you’re Martin Scorsese — means that scenes have more breathing room than we’re accustomed to seeing. Technically, they could be “tightened” up, perhaps by trimming out some of the dialogue or reaction shots, or removing parts that don’t fit into a more streamlined plot.

But the near-bagginess of the film is part of its initial charm. And by the end, it becomes important. The Irishman’s long arc (which involves the use of largely unobtrusive de-aging technology) means the film follows Frank and his associates long past when the movie usually ends, with triumph or failure. The film instead takes a distinct turn away from rat-a-tat plotting and revenge toward a frankly stunning, contemplative movement. The bluster and scheming of middle-aged men eventually gives way to age, to losing people one by one, and to consequences for life’s choices.

Suddenly, it becomes very important to realize we’ve been listening to Frank narrate his story.

The Irishman is Frank’s version of his life’s story — until the movie reinvents itself

For much of The Irishman, the women are at the margins — wives and daughters, always around, rarely saying anything. This isn’t atypical in Scorsese’s work, which rarely centers on women. The worlds he makes movies about are built by men, for men. They see women as beloved and beautiful accessories, maybe tangentially helpful, sometimes irrational irritations. Sometimes, the woman is just the nuisance who makes you pull the car over every hour on a road trip for a smoke break.

But The Irishman uses Frank’s perspective on the women in his life to remind us that his myopia has blinded him to the truth about himself. One of the stranger parts of Frank’s story is the barely glancing interest — just a line or two — that he gives to leaving his wife for a waitress, and a shrugging explanation he gives to Russell for why his divorce couldn’t possibly be affecting his children. (The two women get along like gangbusters, he says; there’s no problem there at all, see?)

Similarly, the role that Frank’s daughter Peggy (played as a child by Lucy Gallina and an adult by Anna Paquin) plays in the film feels weird, for a while. She’s only one of several daughters, but she’s also the one most important to him. She mistrusts Russell, but she loves Jimmy. Scorsese makes a point of directing our attention toward how Peggy watches her father and his associates, taking in what they’re doing and quietly making her own decisions. But she never, at least in Frank’s memory, tells him what she’s thinking.

Netflix

Robert De Niro in The Irishman.

So late in the film, when Peggy has stopped talking to her father altogether, Frank asks another daughter (Marin Ireland) to help him reach her. And it’s an eye-opening moment, both for Frank and for us in the audience, who have been watching the story through Frank’s perspective. “You don’t know what it was like for us,” she tells him, visible frustration on her face and tears in her eyes. When he thought he was protecting his daughters, they were afraid to tell him about anything that happened to them lest he mete out swift and excessively violent judgment. And so they were less protected. His perception of himself and of what he was doing for his family didn’t match reality. It was just that: his perception of himself.

That realization, with others, starts to nudge Frank toward something like self-examination. And given Scorsese’s long proclivity toward looking for meaning in Catholic symbolism, Frank’s own Catholicism starts to resurface. The movie’s other unofficial theme might be the Biblical injunction that the wages of sin is death — frequently we’re introduced to a person just long enough for their date and means of death to flash on screen — and when your life is defined by helping others meet their death, you start to get thoughtful when you approach your own. The older Frank gets, the more people he loses, the more he watches the men he once idolized fading away, the more he struggles to understand how his life of murder and extortion squares with the possibility of an afterlife.

He breaks bread and drinks grape juice with Russell (in a scene that’s also reminiscent of a famous Goodfellas scene). He tells a priest that he’s not sure if he’s sorry for anything he’s done, and the priest gently reminds him that we can feel sorry or we can choose to feel sorry. We see the rare flicker of his self-doubt and the guilt he feels for acts of betrayal. And when the priest prays with Frank that God will “help us see ourselves as you see us,” there’s a lot riding on that prayer.

An aging filmmaker with a long, rich, full history of examining crime and sin and death might rightly land on these themes at this point in his career. The final minutes of The Irishman contrast starkly with the start of the film, because that is how our lives play out. What matters at the end is who we loved and how we loved them, and whether we treated them like they mattered. And the film leaves open the question we all face: If we messed that part up, what, in the end, was life really worth?

The Irishman premiered at the New York Film Festival on September 27. It will open in limited theaters on November 1 and premiere on Netflix on November 27.

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