#in honor of his solo debut tomorrow

[ongakuluva]

Ten - birthday

[burlveneer-music]

Don Letts - Outta Sync - he's been around so long it's hard to believe this is his first album as an artist

Don Letts’ philosophy has always been that another day brings a new opportunity. And so, at the age of 67-years-old, the musician, DJ, film director, radio broadcaster, author and honorary doctorate today completes the one creative endeavour that he has not yet pursued: the release of his debut album ‘Outta Sync’. ‘Outta Sync’ is a glorious experience that traverses across Don’s myriad array of musical passions, taking in elements of cosmic reggae, psych ska and kaleidoscopic pop, coloured by Hammond, sitar, melodica, glockenspiel and an a-list synth line-up of Minimoog, Arp Odyssey and Korg MS20. It’s also a record full of inspired collaborations with a range of creative forces, many of whom have an intriguing connection to his storied career. A quick roll call: producer, solo artist and worldbeat pioneer Gaudi; Grammy-winning producer and Killing Joke bassist Youth; Hollie Cook, Zoe Devlin Love, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and, of course, Don’s daughter Honor. But at the centre is the voice of the man himself, his mellifluous vocals, raps and spoken word sharing hopes and fears born from his years of experience… albeit with the lyrical disclaimer, “I’ve finally come to realise I might not be so old and wise.” Don says, “This album is totally me. The sum total of my whole cultural journey is on this record, and it reflects the duality of my existence, which is Black and British. It’s essentially a soundtrack to my mind, with some wicked bass lines.” And that’s the ‘Outta Sync’ album. The west Londoner, who has worked with everyone from The Clash to Sinead O’Connor, Bob Marley to Paul McCartney and multiple others on assorted adventures in between, has now made an album of his own. But as tomorrow is another day and another opportunity, the question that remains is: what next for the Rebel Dread? 

[staytruetonorthch]

08.24.23

Honorable Mentions

Three posts simply were not enough for last week, but alas, I am only one person and my attention span is only so long (ADHD kicks my ass on the daily, but we soldier on through the obsessive minutes of productivity and the hours long spells of procrastination). That’s all to say, I’d love to rapid fire through a few thoughts before tomorrow’s drops because it’s going to be a doozy this week. Jaguar II, Yours Truly Deluxe, Miley, and if I’m feeling generous, I might even give Aubrey a listen. Let’s hop in >>>

Better Things – Aespa: I personally like this sound on Aespa. It fits their voices well; they shine the most when they can flex their vocal technique. It’s clean and the video reflects the brightness. Now, does it suffer from the SM Ent. trademark tone shift and break*? Absolutely. But as per usual, once you get past the first listen and you expect it, it’s not as jarring, [*I’ll go into more depth about this in a different post but iykyk]

HOT TO GO! – Chappell Roan: This blurb is more of an excuse to celebrate the fact that an album is finally coming for the Pink Pony Club. For all of the girls, gays, and theys, if you��re not on Chappell, don’t walk, RUN. After a string of clever, charming, and just damn catchy singles, she’s finally announced her debut album. HTG! Is just as fun and poppy as the rest boasting a chant along chorus that is impossible not to join in. This is a win for people who a) are hot, b) love pink, and c) are kind of annoying, but did I mention the hot part? Go listen. 

Rainy Days – V: I’ve touched on this a little, but I’m just so charmed by V as an artist. I think there’s a clear vision here and it’s a little melancholy, but so warm it feels like the sadness is immediately being nursed by the most comforting hug. Some solo stans are upset about the general reception or lack thereof, but I think we’ve got to look at a few key factors here– Taehyung is doing the promo he wants. He’s mentioned that the company would do more, but he just wants to take the simple route, which I believe is indicative of the genre. Point blank period, R&B does not get the same reception as Pop songs. It’s just the nature of the beast. As I’ve mentioned, some songs are formulated to be radio smashes and they absolutely kill because that’s what they’re designed to do. V is making the music he wants knowing that there’s going to be a muted response and he’s cultivating a space for that. You either rock with it, or you don’t. I for one cannot wait to be cozy listening to this album in the fall. Which brings me to my one grievance: this is not the music to release (even pre-release) in Summer. Pumpkin spice lattes aren’t even available yet, and we’re looking for rainy days. In Min Hee Jin  we trust (I know a lot of people have issues with her, and I probably will never go out of my way to speak about NwJns because some of them are minors and I do not wish to engage minors, but you cannot deny that she curated a great second mini album for them that will transition from Summer to Fall seamlessly) and I know this album is going to be very well produced and he doesn’t necessarily have a ton of say in when he is able to release for various reasons, but I do wish the winter bear was able to reclaim his season. 

New Dance– XG: This one is kind of cheating timeline wise, but I don’t have a ton of thoughts. The song is a well produced homage to the early 2000s hip hop we all (hopefully) know and love. The easy acoustic rhythm and well handled rap verses are easy listening at its finest. I wish this was the follow-up to ‘Grl Gang’ instead of ‘TGIF’ so that it could’ve been released a little earlier in the Summer (I guess I’m not getting over this season thing, but I really think it makes the difference.) There’s a lot of potential here, maybe even another 2000s legend collab could’ve happened earlier in the Summer. Tap Nelly to give you a verse a la ‘Ride With Me’ which this song clearly calls back to. It works for XG to draw on nostalgia to draw in their audience.  Once you’ve got the eyes, experiment on the album which isn’t coming for a while yet. 

Now for the real rapid fire>>>

Unreal Unearth – Hozier: When the woodland fairy king comes a callin’, I answer. There are some bangers on this one. 

AR - EP – Addison Rae: I only listened to the Charli XCX feature because of course, but I’m a little intrigued to listen to it? From what I can tell, the gays have claimed Ms. Addison, which I’m not fully sold on, but I can’t say the marketing isn’t there. Might listen for science. 

[TBR] Snow Angel – Renee Rapp: I like her as a person, therefore I need to give this the time of day before I listen to Addison. I’m always going to favor queer representation over a cosign. 

So much music, so little time, but I’m so enamored with the machine. Until tomorrow x

[andesplace]

'*•.¸♡ about me ♡¸.•*'

hi! my name is ande, i'm 19 years old, and this lovely blog is dedicated to my love of kpop and its idols. feel free to follow me, be my mutual, say nice things, etc. i'm not sure how active i'll be, but i know i'll come here whenever i need to ramble about kpop :)

here are some groups i stan + my biases!

BTS! - my first ever stanned group ❤

Biases Are:

Yoongi (ult bias alert!)

Jungkook

SEVENTEEN! - my ult group. i love them so much.

Biases Are:

Vernon (ULT BIAS ALERT- i will seriously talk about him nonstop on here)

Minghao

Dokyeom

honorable bias wrecker mentions: jun and wonwoo ❤

ATEEZ - sort of a new atiny, it was love at first sight

Biases Are:

Yeosang

Yunho

Mingi

(yes this bias line has been killing me lately. this tour has taken a part of my soul)

honorable bias wrecker mention: seonghwa

TOMORROW X TOGETHER - love these boys!! so much!!

Biases Are:

soobin.

just soobin.

i like him a LOT.

XDINARY HEROES - debut stan! my group of heroes ❤

Biases Are:

Junhan

Han Hyeongjun

Main Guitarist of Xdinary Heroes

The boy with the bunny ears

did i mention junhan?

yeah. he's also an ult. i will frequently talk about this guy.

MORE GROUPS I ENJOY

these may not be ults, but i think they deserve recognition nonetheless:

P1HARMONY - theo, soul

TWICE - dahyun, mina, chae

EXO- chanyeol, sehun (i also heavily listen to baekhyun solo music)

MONSTA X - shownu, minhyuk

GOT7 - mark tuan babey!!!

↓groups that i listen to but have no bias for listed below↓

SHINee, DAY6, NCT 127/DREAM/U, STRAY KIDS, RED VELVET, NEW JEANS, LE SSERAFIM, THE BOYZ, (G)-IDLE, ITZY

hey thanks so much for making it down here!! if we have similar interests feel free to follow so we can watch each others blogs talk about kpop :)

[stopandimagineloveforever]

Freddie Mercury - Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (Official Video)

Released on Freddie’s birthday - September 5, 2019

Two white blood cells fall in love in the surreal, animated video for Freddie Mercury’s “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow,” a single from the late singer’s 1985 solo debut Mr. Bad Guy. The clip was released on Thursday to honor what would have been the late singer’s 73rd birthday.

The two cells serenade each other under a disco ball, only to have heartbreak ensue when one of them gets diagnosed with AIDS. The clip was directed by Esteban Bravo and Beth David, the duo behind the Oscar-winning short film In a Heartbeat. It pays tribute to The Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity founded after Mercury’s death by Queen members Brian May, Roger Taylor and manager Jim Beach.

“We wanted to tell a story that was relevant to Freddie’s life, but not explicitly about him,” the directors said in a statement. “The AIDS crisis of the 1980s is a huge part of LGBT history, and it’s something that we knew needed to be handled with care.”

“It is a love story between two white blood cells, one of which has become infected by the virus,” the directors added. “This perspective gave us a more direct visual representation of our conflict, which allowed us to explore the more nuanced struggles the characters face in their relationship with each other, their perceptions of themselves, and society’s perception, bias, and neglect of them.”

“Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” will be included on Never Boring, a new box set comprised of Mercury’s solo career. “I had a lot of ideas bursting to get out,” Mercury once said of his solo career, “And there were a lot of musical territories I wanted to explore which I really couldn’t do within Queen.”

[tabloidtoc]

Entertainment Weekly, May

Cover 1 of 3: The 2021 Oscars Issue -- Viola Davis

Page 2: Contents, the other covers with Chloe Zhao and Regina King

Page 6: Cold Open -- a bunch of random jibberish I can't even begin to classify

Page 16: The Must List -- The Underground Railroad

Page 18: The Department of Truth, The Mosquito Coast

Page 19: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, Together Together

Page 20: Jakob's Wife, Frank of Ireland Q&A with Brian and Domhnall Gleeson

Page 22: Role Call -- Josh Duhamel

Page 23: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Resident Evil Village

Page 24: My Must List -- Brian Tyree Henry

Page 27: Oscars 2021

Page 28: The Race Is On

Page 29: Dick Johnson Is Dead

Page 30: The Powerhouse -- with her record-breaking best actress nod for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Viola Davis proves she's Oscar royalty

Page 33: Riz Ahmed -- the Sound of Metal star on inhabiting a demanding role, and how the film uses sound to take the audience on his character's harrowing journey

Page 34: The Revelation -- Right after winning an Academy Award for her acting, Regina King directed her debut feature film, One Night in Miami to three Oscar nominations. Is there anything this woman can't do?

Page 38: The Front-Runner -- Chloe Zhao has already made Oscars history, now the Nomadland director is poised for a triumphant finish

Page 41: Carey Mulligan -- the Promising Young Woman nominee reveals how she broke the film's tension with costar Bo Burnham by singing a rendition of Paris Hilton's Stars Are Blind

Page 43: Original Screenplay -- The Trial of the Chicago 7

Page 44: Around the Table -- Making History -- how four of this year's Oscar-nominated films radically confront and reframe Black history in America -- Judas and the Black Messiah, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Page 45: Maria Bakalova -- how the Bulgarian breakout unleashed her inner wild child and found her character's heart during a pivotal scene in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Page 46: 5-Minute Oral History -- West Side Story -- in honor of its 60th anniversary, stars Rita Moreno and George Chakiris look back on their 1962 Oscar wins

Page 49: Daniel Kaluuya -- the two-time Oscar nominee on the power and responsibility of taking on revolutionary icon Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah

Page 52: Fire Starter -- how Angelina Jolie blazed a trail with Taylor Sheridan for the upcoming firefighting film Those Who Wish Me Dead, her first action film in more than a decade

Page 56: Romancing the Screen -- record breaker Bridgerton proved the power that love could have on the small screen. By satisfying audiences' pent-up lust, it became a cultural phenomenon: spawning a TikTok musical, landing star Rene-Jean Page an SNL hosting gig, and catapulting Julia Quinn's 20-year-old source material to the top of the New York Times best-seller list for the very first time, but will the Bridgerton Effect make Hollywood finally fall in love with romance novels?

Page 60: Demi's New Groove -- after detailing her harrowing 2018 overdose in a recent documentary, Demi Lovato returns with a newfound sense of stability and her first album of new material in four years

Page 66: Stand Up & Step Up -- For EW's Around the Table, Chloe Bennet, Dianne Doan, Daniel Dae Kim, Hari Kondabolu, Olivia Munn and George Takei discuss the rise violence against Asians, their experience as Asian artists, and how Hollywood can help crush stereotypes and be more inclusive

Page 70: News + Reviews

Page 71: TV -- whatever happened to the Men of Tomorrow? Everywhere you look there are supermen behaving badly. Is this a bold new era in superhero storytelling or cheap cynicism on steroids?

Page 77: Movies -- Bad Romance -- Amanda Seyfried and James Norton talk about their tragically doomed marriage in Things Heard and Seen

Page 78: Women Who Kick Ass -- Jodie Turner-Smith -- she's got a juicy role opposite Michael B. Jordan in Without Remorse and will lead Netflix's upcoming The Witcher prequel. Meet Hollywood's most exciting new action star

Page 79: Childlike Wonder -- David Oyelowo goes behind the camera for his mystical directorial debut The Water Man

Page 80: Three provocative new indies explore the beauty and pain of contemporary romance -- Monday, Hope, The Killing of Two Lovers

Page 81: My Favorite Shot, Oscars edition -- Tom Hooper in The King's Speech -- the filmmaker revisits a scene on the tenth anniversary of Speech's four Oscar wins, including Best Picture and Director

Page 82: Parental Guidance -- your crib sheet on the best entertainment for kids, from toddlers to tweens -- Q&A with Danny McBride -- the Righteous Gemstone shines in The Mitchells vs. the Machines as a luddite dad trying to save the world and his family

Page 84: TV -- First Look -- Never Have I Ever -- the comedy's second season is bringing in the big guns, casting Common as Nalini's love interest

Page 85: License to Thrill -- after smashing the charts with Drivers License, Olivia Rodrigo is ready for her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series character to follow in her footsteps in season 2

Page 86: Cruel Summer

Page 87: The Transformation -- Oh, Boy! It took five years, but Nasim Pedrad's new TBS comedy Chad has finally made it to TV. Here, Pedrad details her transformation into an awkward 14-year-old boy

Page 88: The Nevers

Page 89: First Look -- Solos -- from creator David Weil, this futuristic anthology series explores the depths of human connection through the lens of eight remote characters

Page 90: First Look -- Hacks -- after four decades in showbiz, Jean Smart is living out some Hollywood dreams in her new series

* Strike a Final Pose -- FX is about to say goodbye to its her-story-making Pose. Here's why season 3 offered a proper ending

Page 91: Global Viewing -- these three series all debuting on Earth Day offer new insights into nature and science, with a little help from David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg and Sigourney Weaver: Life in Color with David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World, Secrets of Whales

Page 94: What to Watch

Page 98: Music -- Hungry Heart -- after a devastating 2018, Eric Church left Nashville and made his favorite project ever which is the three-part Heart & Soul in a restaurant

Page 100: Bebe Rexha

* My Hometown -- Saweetie by the Bay -- the My Type rapper makes hella sure to add a little bit of California into everything she makes

Page 101: Greta Van Fleet

Page 102: Jhay Cortez -- meet the 28-year-old who co-wrote Cardi B's I Like It, and whose sophomore album Timelezz drops later this year

Page 104: Books -- Seoul Food -- singer-turned-author Michelle Zauner, who goes by the moniker Japanese Breakfast, paints a vivid portrait of identity, loss, and a mother's love in her memoir Crying in H Mart

Page 106: Pop Culture of My Life -- Leslie Jordan -- the actor and Instagram star is releasing a new essay, How Y'all Doing? Here, he divulges his own Southern charm

Page 108: The Air Up There -- with Great Circle, best-selling novelist Maggie Shipstead puts a smartly feminist spin on the old-fashioned adventure tale

Page 109: A Lot Like Love -- in the short-story collection Love in Color, British-Nigerian author Bolu Babalola smashes the patriarchy of the classic folktale

Page 111: Broken Horses: A Memoir by Brandi Carlile

Page 112: The Bullseye

[aion-rsa]

Summer Movie Preview: From Black Widow to The Suicide Squad and Beyond

https://ift.tt/3fnRIQl

The summer movie season has returned. Finally. Once something we all just took for granted, like handshakes and indoor dining, a summertime season stuffed with pricy Hollywood blockbusters and cinematic escapism suddenly feels like a long lost friend. But, rest assured, the summer movie season is genuinely and truly here. It’s maybe a little later than normal, yet it’s still in time for Memorial Day in the States.

This is of course happy news since many of the big screen events of this year have been 12 months or more in the offing. A Quiet Place Part II was supposed to open two Marches ago, and In the Heights is opening almost an exact year to the day from its original release. They’re here now, as is an impressive assortment of new films. There are genre fans’ long lost superhero spectacles, with Black Widow and The Suicide Squad leading the pack (and Shang-Chi closing out the season unusually late in time for Labor Day weekend), and there are also horror movies like The Conjuring 3 and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, aforementioned musicals, family adventures in Jungle Cruise, psychedelic Arthurian legends via The Green Knight, and a few legitimately original projects like Stillwater and Reminiscence. Imagine that!

So sit back, put your feet in the pool, or up by the grill pit, and toast with us the summer movie’s resurrection.

A Quiet Place Part II

May 28 (June 3 in the UK)

Fourteen months after its original release date, the first movie delayed by the pandemic is finally coming to theaters for Memorial Day weekend. And despite what some critics say (even our own), most of us would argue it’s worth the wait. As a movie about a family enduring after a global crisis that has left their lives in tatters, and marred by personal tragedy, A Quiet Place Part II hits differently in 2021 than it would have a year ago. And it’s undeniably optimistic view of humanity feels like a warm balm now.

But beyond the meta context, writer-director John Krasinski (flying solo as screenwriter this time) has engineered a series of intelligent and highly suspenseful set pieces which puts Millicent Simmonds’ Regan front and center. Also buoyed by subtle and affecting work by Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy, here as a neighbor they knew a few years and a lifetime ago, this is one worth dipping your toe back into cinema for, especially if you liked the first movie.

Cruella

May 28

We’ll admit it, we had the same initial skepticism you’re probably feeling about a Cruella de Vil origin story set in punk rock’s 1970s London. But put your cynicism aside, Disney’s Cruella is a decadent blast and the rarest of things: a live-action Disney remake that both honors its source material and does something creative with it. Neither a soulless scene-by-scene remake of a better animated film, or a lazy Maleficent like re-imagining, Cruella more often than not rocks, thanks in large part to its lead performance by Emma Stone.

Also a producer on the picture, Stone takes on the role of Cruella de Vil like it’ll be on an awards reel and absolutely flaunts the character’s madness and devilish charm. She also finds an excellent sparring partner via Emma Thompson, young Cruella’s very own Miranda Priestly. Once these two start their verbal battle at the end of the first act, the movie is elevated into an electric period comedy (with plenty of heavy handed period music). It’s a pseudo-thriller for all ages, enjoying some very sharp elbows for a kids movie.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

June 4 (May 26 in the UK)

The latest big-screen adventure for real-life ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) sees the two drawn into the unusual case of the first ever U.S. murder trial where the defendant claimed he was innocent because he was possessed by a demon. This is the eighth movie in The Conjuring expanded universe—director Michael Chaves has already made a foray into this supernatural world with The Curse of La Llorona—and as with all the main Conjuring films, the hook is that it’s (very loosely) based on a true case that the Warrens were involved with.

Peter Safran and James Wan are back on board as producers, although with this being the first time Wan isn’t directing one of the main Ed and Lorraine investigations, we’re a little cautious about this return to the haunted museum.

In the Heights

June 11 (June 18 in the UK)

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Tony award winning musical is getting the proper big screen treatment in In the Heights. A full-fledged movie musical—as opposed to a taped series of performances, a la Disney+’s Hamilton—In the Heights is like a sweet summer drink (or Piragua) and love letter to the Latino community of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Read more

Movies

Best Movie Musicals of the 21st Century

By David Crow

Movies

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and the Perils of Taking on a Real Life Murder

By Rosie Fletcher

Closer in spirit to the feel-good summertime joy of Grease than the narratively complex Hamilton, this is perfect multiplex escapism (which will also be on HBO Max if you’re so inclined). Directed by Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu, In the Heights has a euphoric sense of movement and dance as it transfers Miranda’s hybrid blend of freestyle rap, salsa rhythm, and Caribbean musical cues to the actual city blocks the show was written about. On one of those corners lives Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a bodega owner with big dreams. He’s about to have the summer of his life. You might too.

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

June 16 (June 21 in the UK)

You know Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a throwback when even its trailer brings back the “trailer voice.” But then the appeal of the 2017 B-action comedy, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, was its very throwback nature: a violent, raunchy R-rated buddy comedy that starred Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, who exchanged quips as much as bullets between some genuinely entertaining stunts.

Hopefully the sequel can also be as much lowbrow fun as it doubles down on the premise, with Reynolds’ Michael Bryce now guarding Samla Hayek’s Sonia, the wife of Jackson’s Darius. All three are on a road trip through Italy as they’re chased by Antonio Banderas in what is sure to be a series of bloody, explosive set pieces. Probably a few “motherf***ers” will be dropped too.

Luca

June 18

Pixar Studios’ hit rate is frankly incredible. With each new film seemingly comes a catchy song, an Oscar nomination, and a flood of tears from anyone with a heart—and there’s no reason to believe that its next offering will be any different. Luca is a coming-of-age tale set on the Italian Riviera about a pair of young lads who become best friends and have a terrific summer getting into adventures in the sun. The slight catch is that they’re both sea monsters.

Read more

Movies

How Luca Became the First Pixar Movie Made at Home

By Don Kaye

Movies

Pixar, Italian Style: Why Luca is Set in 1950s Italy

By Don Kaye

This is the feature directorial debut of Enrico Casarosa, who says the movie is a celebration of friendship with nods to the work of Federico Fellini and Hayao Miyazaki. The writers are Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones—Andrews is new to Pixar but has experience with coming-of-agers, having penned Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, while Jones co-wrote Soul. Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer voice the young boys (sea monsters)—13-year-old Luca and his older teenager friend Alberto—with Maya Rudolph as Luca’s sea monster mom. After a year of lockdown, this could be the summer movie we all need.

F9

June 25

You better start firing up the grill, because the Fast and Furious crew is finally ready to have another summer barbecue. And this time, it’s not only the folks whom Dom Toretto calls “mi familia” in attendance. The big new addition to F9 is 

John Cena as Jakob Toretto. As the long-lost little brother we didn’t know Vin Diesel’s Dom had, Jakob is revealed to be a superspy, assassin, and performance driver working for Dom’s arch-nemesis, Cypher (Charlize Theron). Everything the Family does together, Jakob does alone, as a one-man wrecking crew, and he’s coming in hot.

Fans will probably be happier, though, to see Sung Kang back as Han Seoul-Oh, the wheelman who was murdered in Fast & Furious 6, and then pretty much forgotten in The Fate of the Furious when his killer got invited to the cookout. It’s an injustice that brought veteran series director Justin Lin back to  the franchise to resurrect the dead. So it’s safe to assume he won’t be asking Cypher to bring the potato salad.

The Forever Purge

July 2 (July 16 in the UK)

We know what you’re thinking: Didn’t The Purge: Election Year end the Purge forever? That or “are they really still making these?” The answer to both questions is yes. Nevertheless, here we are with The Forever Purge, a movie which asks what happens if Purgers just, you know, committed extravagant holiday crime on the other 364 days of the year? You get what is hopefully the grand finale of this increasingly tired concept.

The Tomorrow War

July 2

Hear me out: What if it’s like The Terminator but in reverse? That had to be the pitch for this one, right? In The Tomorrow War, instead of evil cyborgs time traveling to the past to kill our future savior, soldiers from the future time travel to the past to enlist our current best warrior and take him to a world on the brink 30 years from now.

It’s a crazy premise, and the kind of high-concept popcorn that one imagines Chris Pratt excels at. Hence Pratt’s casting as Dan, one of the best soldiers of the early 21st century who’ll go into the future to stop an alien invasion. The supporting cast, which includes Oscar winner J.K. Simmons and Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, and Sam Richardson, is also nothing to sneeze at.

Black Widow

July 9

The idea of making a Black Widow movie has been around since long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe first lifted into the sky on Tony Stark’s repulsors. The character has been onscreen for more than a decade now, and Marvel Studios has for too long danced around making a solo Widow, at least in part due to the machinations of Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter.

Read more

Movies

How Black Widow Could Build The MCU’s Future

By Kayti Burt

Movies

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

But the standalone Black Widow adventure is here at last, and it now serves as a sort-of coda to the story of Natasha Romanoff, since we already know her tragic fate in Avengers: Endgame. Directed by Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome, Lore), the movie will spell out how Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) kept herself busy between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, primarily with a trip home to Russia to clear some of that red from her ledger.

There, she will reunite with figures from her dark past, including fellow Red Room alumnus Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Russian would-be superhero Alexei Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), another survivor of the Black Widow program and a maternal figure to Natasha and Yelena.

It’s a chance to say goodbye to Nat and see Johansson as the beloved Avengers one more time. But this being Marvel, we suspect that the studio has a few tricks up its sleeve and in this movie about the future of Phase 4.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

July 16

In the annals of synergistic branding, Space Jam: A New Legacy might be one for the record books. A sequel to an older millennials’ 1990s touchstones—the thoroughly mediocre Michael Jordan meets Bugs Bunny movie, Space Jam—this sequel sees LeBron James now trapped in Looney Tunes world… but wait, there’s more! Instead of only charmingly interacting with WB’s classic stable of cartoon characters, King James will also be in the larger “WB universe” where the studio will resurrect from the dead every property they own the copyright to, from MGM’s classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz to, uh, the murderous rapists in A Clockwork Orange.

… yay for easter eggs?

Old

July 23

Though he might be accused of being a little bit hit-and-miss in the past, the release of a new M. Night Shyamalan movie should always be cause for celebration. Especially one with such a deeply creepy premise. Based on the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters, Old sees a family on vacation discover that the beach they are on causes them to age extremely rapidly and live out their entire lives in a day.

This is surely perfect fodder for Shyamalan, who does high-concept horror like no one else. The cast is absolute quality, featuring Gael García Bernal, Hereditary’s Alex Wolff, Jo Jo Rabbit’s Thomasin McKenzie, Phantom Thread’s Vicky Krieps, Little Women’s Eliza Scanlen, and many more. The trailer is pleasingly disturbing too as children become teenagers, a young woman is suddenly full-term pregnant, and adults seem to be decaying in front of their own eyes. Harrowing in the best possible way.

Snake Eyes

July 23 (August 20 in the UK)

Snake Eyes will finally bring us the origin story of the G.I. Joe franchise’s most iconic and beloved member. Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) stars in the title role, with Warrior’s Andrew Koji as his nemesis—conflicted baddie (and similar fan fave) Storm Shadow. Expect a tale heavy on martial arts badassery, especially with The Raid’s Iko Uwais on board as the pair’s ninja master. Samara Weaving will play G.I. Joe staple Scarlett after her breakout a few years ago in Ready or Not, while Úrsula Corberó has been cast as Cobra’s Baroness. Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Red) directs.

Jungle Cruise

July 30

Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra is best known for making slightly dodgy actioners starring Liam Neeson (Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night) and half-decent horror movies (Orphan, The Shallows), so exactly which direction this family adventure based on a theme park ride will take remains to be seen.

Borrowing a page and premise from Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen (1951), Jungle Cruise stars the ever-charismatic Dwayne Johnson as a riverboat captain taking Emily Blunt’s scientist and her brother (Jack Whitehall) to visit the fabled Tree of Life in the early 20th century. Like the ride, the gang will have to watch out for wild animals along the way.

Unlike the ride, they’re competing with a German expedition team who are heading for the same goal. A solid supporting cast (Jesse Plemons, Édgar Ramírez, Paul Giamatti, Andy Nyman) and a script with rewrites by Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049) might mean Disney has another hit on its hands. Either way, a lovely boat trip with The Rock should be diverting at worst.

The Green Knight

July 30 (August 6 in the UK)

There have been several major Hollywood reimaginings of Arthurian legends in the 21st century. And every one of them has been thoroughly rotten for one reason or another. Luckily, David Lowery’s The Green Knight looks poised to break the trend with a trippy, but twistedly faithful, interpretation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, a chivalrous knight in King Arthur’s court who takes up the challenge of the mysterious Green Knight (The Witch’s Ralph Ineson under mountains of makeup): He’ll swing a blow and risk receiving a returning strike in a year’s time. Gawain attempts to cheat the devil by cutting his head clean off, yet when the Green Knight lifts his severed head from Camelot’s floors, things start to get weird. As clearly one of A24’s biggest visual fever dreams to date, this is one we’re highly anticipating.

Stillwater

July 30 (August 6 in the UK)

The Oscar winning-writer director behind Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, returns to the big screen with a fictional story that feels awfully similar to real world events. In this film, Matt Damon plays Bill, a proud father who saw his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) go abroad to study in France. After she’s accused of murdering her roommate by local authorities, the deeply Southern and deeply Oklahoman father must travel to a foreign land to try and prove his daughter’s innocence.

It obviously has some parallels with the Amanda Knox story but it also looks like a potentially hard hitting original drama with a talented cast. Fingers crossed.

The Suicide Squad

August 6 (July 30 in the UK)

You might have seen a Suicide Squad movie in the past, but you’ve never seen James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. With a liberating R-rating and an old school vision from the Guardians of the Galaxy director—who likens this to 1960s war capers, such as The Dirty Dozen or Where Eagles Dare—this Suicide Squad is absolutely stacked with talented actors wallowing in DC weirdness. One of the key players in this is Polka-Dot Man, another is a walking, talking Great White Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. The villain is a Godzilla-sized starfish from space!

Read more

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Margot Robbie Wants Poison Ivy to Join Harley Quinn in the DCEU

By Kayti Burt

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What to Expect from the Candyman Reimagining

By David Crow

So like it’s namesake, there’s probably a lot of characters who aren’t going to pull through this one. Even so, we can rest easy knowing that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn will be as winsome than ever, and the likes of Idris Elba and John Cena will add some dynamic gravitas to the eccentric DC Extended Universe.

Free Guy

August 13

Perhaps pitched as The Truman Show for the video game age, Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds as an easygoing, happy-go-lucky “Guy” who discovers… he’s a video game NPC living inside the equivalent of a Grand Theft Auto video game. This might explain why the bank he works at keeps getting robbed all the time. But as a virtual sprite who’s developed sentiency, he just might be able to win over enough gamers to not shoot him, and make love not war.

It’s an amusing premise, and hopefully director Shawn Levy can bring to it the same level of charm he achieved with the very first Night at the Museum movie.

Respect

August 13 (September 10 in the UK)

Before her passing in 2018, Aretha Franklin gave her blessing to Jennifer Hudson to play the Queen of Soul. Now that musical biopic is here with Hudson hitting the same high notes of the legend who sang such standards as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and of course “Respect.”

The film comes with a lot of expectation and a lot of pedigree, with Forest Whitaker and Audra McDonald in the cast. Most of all though, it comes with that rich musical library, which will surely take center stage. And if movies like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman have taught us anything, it’s that moviegoers love when you play the hits.

Reminiscence

August 20 (August 18 in the UK)

Lisa Joy is one of the most exciting voices on television today. One-half of the creative team behind Westworld, Joy steps into her own with her directorial debut (and as the solo writer) in Reminiscence, a science fiction film with a reliably knotty premise.

Hugh Jackman plays Nick Bannister, a man who lives in a dystopian future where the oceans have risen and the cities are crumbling. In a declining Miami, he sells a risky new technology that allows you to relive your past (and possibly change it, at least fancifully?). But when he discovers the lost love of his life (Rebecca Ferguson) is cropping up in other peoples’ memories, which seem to implicate her in a murder, well… things are bound to start getting weird. We don’t know a whole lot more, but we cannot wait to find out more.

Candyman

August 27

Announced back in 2018, this spiritual sequel to Bernard Rose’s 1992 original is one of the most exciting and anticipated movies on the calendar. Produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, the film takes place in the present day and about a decade after Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects have been torn down. Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays an up-and-coming visual artist who moves to the now-gentrified area with his partner and is inspired by the legend of Candyman, an apparition with a hook for a hand, to create new work about the subject. But in doing so, he risks unleashing a dark history and a new wave of violence.

Tony Todd, the star of the original movie, will also reprise his role in a reboot that aims to inspire fear for only the right reasons.

The Beatles: Get Back

August 27

Director Peter Jackson thinks folks have a poisoned idea about the Beatles in their final days. Often portrayed as divided and antagonistic toward one another during the recordings of their last albums, particularly Let It Be (which was their penultimate studio recording and final release), Jackson insists this misconception is influenced by Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary named after the album.

So, after going through the reams of footage Lindsay-Hogg shot but didn’t use, Jackson has crafted this new documentary about the album’s recording which is intended to paint a fuller (and more feel-good) portrait of the band which changed the world. Plus, the music’s going to be great… 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

September 3

The greatest fighter in Marvel history finally hits the big screen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) takes on the title role of a character destined for a bright future in the MCU. Marvel fans might note that the “Ten Rings” of the title is the same organization that first appeared all the way back in Iron Man, and Tony Leung will finally bring their villainous leader, The Mandarin, to life. Awkwafina of The Farewell and Crazy Rich Asians fame also stars. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12), this should deliver martial arts action unlike anything we’ve seen so far in the MCU.

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3vqhqtg

[thefakejeffreyazoff]

‘He’s our Satan’: Mega music manager Irving Azoff, still feared, still fighting

(x)PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —  

This is not Irving Azoff’s house. Irving and his wife Shelli own houses all over, from Beverly Hills to Cabo San Lucas, but right now in the last week of October it’s too cold at the ranch in Idaho and too hot at the spread in La Quinta, so he’s renting this place — a modest midcentury six-bedroom that sold for $5 million back in 2016.

From the front door you can see all the way out, to where Arrowhead Point juts like the tail of a comma into the calm afternoon waters of Carmel Bay. More importantly, the house is literally across the street from the Pebble Beach Golf Links, where Azoff likes to play with his college buddy John Baruck, who started out in the music business around the same time Azoff did, in the late ’60s, and just retired after managing Journey through 20 years and two or three lead singers, depending how you count.

(Via LA Times) 

Azoff is 72, and this weekend he’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau. Beatles manager Brian Epstein and Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham are already in, but Azoff and Landau are the first living managers thus honored. Azoff is not only alive — he’s still managing. As a partner in Full Stop Management — alongside Jeffrey Azoff, his oldest son and the third of his four children — he steers the careers of clients like the Eagles, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi and comedian Chelsea Handler, and consults when needed on the business of Harry Styles, Lizzo, John Mayer, Roddy Ricch, Anderson .Paak and Maroon 5. Azoff has Zoom calls at 7, 8 and 9 tomorrow morning, and only after that will he squeeze in a round.

The work never stops when you view the job the way Azoff does, as falling somewhere between consigliere and concierge. “My calls can be everything from ‘My knee buckled, I need a doctor’ to ‘My kid’s in jail,’” Azoff says. “I mean, you have no idea. The ‘My kid’s in jail’ one was a funny one, because the artist then said to me, ‘Y’know, I’ve thought about this. Maybe we should leave him there for a while.’”

Golf entered Azoff’s life the way a lot of things have — via the Eagles, whom Azoff has managed since the early ’70s. Specifically, Azoff took up golf in the company of the late Glenn Frey, the jockiest Eagle, the one the other Eagles used to call “Sportacus.” By the time the Eagles returned to the road in the ’90s they’d left their debauched ’70s lifestyles largely behind, but Azoff and Frey got hooked on the little white ball.

“Frey would insist on booking the tour around where he wanted to play golf,” Azoff says. “We made Henley crazy. Henley would call me in my room and he’d go, ‘Why the f— are we in a hotel in Hilton Head North Carolina and starting a tour in Charlotte? Is this a f— golf tour?’”

Trailed by Larry Solters, the Eagles’ preternaturally dour minister of information, Azoff makes his way down the hill from the house for dinner at the golf club’s restaurant. He’s only 5 feet, 3 inches, a diminutive Sydney Pollack in jeans and a zip-up sweater. In photos from the ’70s — when he was considerably less professorial in comportment, a hipster exec with a spring-loaded middle finger — he sports a beard and a helmet of curly hair and mischievous eyes behind his shades, and looks a little like a Muppet who might scream at Kermit over Dr. Teeth’s appearance fee.

His father was a pharmacist and his mother was a bookkeeper. He grew up in Danville, Ill., booked his first shows in high school to pay for college, dropped out of college to run a small Midwestern concert-booking empire and manage local acts such as folk singer Dan Fogelberg and heartland rock band REO Speedwagon. Los Angeles soon beckoned. He met the Eagles while working for David Geffen and Elliot Roberts’ management company and followed the band out the door when they left the Geffen fold; they became the cornerstone of his empire. “I got my swagger from Glenn Frey and Don Henley,” he says. “No doubt about it.”

Azoff never took to pot or coke. The Eagles lived life in the fast lane; he was the designated driver. “Artists,” he once observed, “like knowing the guy flying the plane is sober.” This didn’t stop him from trashing his share of hotel rooms, frequently with guitarist Joe Walsh — whose solo career Azoff shepherded before Walsh joined the Eagles, and who was very much not sober at this time — as an accomplice.

“This was a different age,” Walsh says of his time as the band’s premier lodging-deconstructionist. “We could do anything we wanted, so we did. And Irving’s role was to keep us out of prison, basically.” He recalls a pleasant evening in Chicago in the company of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, which culminated in Walsh laying waste to a suite at the Astor Towers hotel that turned out to be the owner’s private apartment. “We had to check out with a lawyer and a construction foreman,” Walsh remembers. “But Irving took care of it. Without Irving, I’d still be in Chicago.”

Azoff became even more infamous for the pit bull brio he brought to business negotiations on behalf of the Eagles and others, including Stevie Nicks and Boz Scaggs. He didn’t seem to care if people liked him, and his artists loved him for that. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker said they’d hired Azoff because he “impressed us with his taste for the jugular … and his bizarre spirit.” Jimmy Buffett’s wife grabbed him outside a show at Madison Square Garden, pushed him into the back of a limo and said, You have to manage Jimmy, although Buffett already had a manager at the time.

His outsized reputation as an advocate not just willing but eager to scorch earth on behalf of his clients became an advertisement for his services, a phenomenon that continues to this day. In August 2018, Azoff’s then-client Travis Scott released “Astroworld,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and occupied that slot again the following week, causing Nicki Minaj’s album “Queen” to debut at No. 2. On her Beats One show “Queen Radio,” Minaj accused Scott of gaming Billboard’s chart methodology to keep her out of the top slot and singled his manager out by name: “C—sucker of the Day award,” she said, “goes to Irving Azoff.” Azoff says he reacted as only Azoff would: “I said, ‘I’m really unhappy about that. I want to be c—sucker of the year.’” In 2019, Minaj hired Azoff as her new manager.

Most of the best things anyone’s ever said about Azoff are statements a man of less-bizarre spirit would take as an insult. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Eagles in 1998, Don Henley stood onstage and said of Azoff, “He may be Satan, but he’s our Satan.”

An N95-masked Azoff takes a seat on a patio with a view of hallowed ground — the first hole of the Pebble Beach course, a dogleg-right par 4 with a priceless view of the bay. He cheerfully admits that he and his partners at Full Stop are “obviously, as a management business, kind of losing our ass” this year due to COVID-19. In another reality, the Eagles would have played Wembley Stadium in August before heading off to Australia or the Far East. Styles would have just finished 34 dates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. As it stands Azoff is hearing encouraging things about treatments and vaccines and new testing machines, and is reasonably confident that technology will soon make it possible for certified-COVID-free fans to again enjoy carefree evenings of live music together; he doesn’t expect much to happen in the meantime.

“What are you gonna do,” Azoff says, “take an act that used to sell 15,000 seats and tell them to play to 4,000 in the [same] arena? The vibe would be horrible, and production costs will stay the same.”

He knows of at least six companies trying to monetize new concert-esque experiences — pay-per-view shows from houses and soundstages, drive-in events and so on. But he’s not convinced anybody wants to sit in their parked car to watch a band play. More to the point, he’s not convinced it’s rock ’n’ roll.

“Fallon and Kimmel, all these virtual performances — people are sick of that,” he says. “Your production values from home aren’t that good. And they’re destroying the mystique. I mean, Justin Bieber jumping around on ‘Saturday Night Live’ the other night without a band, and then he had Chance the Rapper come out? It made him look to me, mortal. I didn’t feel any magic. So we’ve kinda been turning that stuff down to just wait it out.”

In the meantime, he says, Full Stop is picking up new clients during the pandemic. Artists with time on their hands, he believes, “have taken a hard look at their careers— so we’ve grown. No revenues,” he adds with a chuckle, “but people are saying, ‘We need you, we need to plan our lives.’”

“IN HIGH SCHOOL,” Jeffrey Azoff says, “I wanted to be a professional golfer, which has obviously eluded me.” He never expected to take up his father’s profession. “But my dad has always loved his job so much. There’s no way that doesn’t rub off on you.”

The younger Azoff got his first industry job at 21, as a “glorified intern” working for Maroon 5’s then-manager Jordan Feldstein. After a week of filing and fetching coffee, he called his father and complained that he was bored. According to Jeffrey, Irving responded, “Listen carefully, because I’m going to say this one time. You have a phone and you have my last name. If you can’t figure it out, you’re not my son.”

“Direct quote,” Jeffrey says. “It’s one of my favorite things he’s ever said to me. And it’s the spirit of the music business, by the way. There are no rules to this. Just figure it out.”

Over dinner I keep asking Irving how he got the temerity, as a kid barely out of college, to plunge into the shark-infested waters of the ‘70s record industry in Los Angeles. He just shrugs.

“I never felt the music business was that competitive,” he says. “It’s just not that f—ing hard. I don’t think there’s that many smart people in our business.”

It’s been written, I say, that once you landed in California and sized up the competition, you called John Baruck back in Illinois and said —

“We can take this town,” Azoff says, finishing the sentence. “Where’d you get that? John told that story to [Apple senior vice president] Eddy Cue on the golf course three days ago. It’s true. I called John up and said, ‘OK, get your ass out here. We can take this town.’”

In the ensuing years, Azoff has occupied nearly every high-level position the music industry has to offer, surfing waves of industry consolidation. He’s been the president of a major label, MCA; the CEO of Ticketmaster; and executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, the behemoth formed from Ticketmaster’s merger with Live Nation. In 2013 he and Cablevision Systems Corp. CEO and New York Knicks owner James Dolan formed a partnership, Azoff MSG Entertainment; Azoff ran the Forum in Inglewood for Dolan after MSG purchased it in 2012.

Earlier this year Dolan sold the Forum for $400 million to former Microsoft CEO and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who’s since announced plans to build a new stadium on a site just one mile away. Despite the apocalyptic parking scenario that looms for the area — two stadiums and a concert arena on a one-mile stretch of South Prairie Boulevard — Azoff is confident that the Forum will live on as a live-music venue. “People are going, ‘They’re going to tear it down’ — they’re not going to tear it down,” Azoff says. “It’s going to be in great hands. I have many of the artists we represent booked in the Forum, waiting for the restart based on COVID.”

The holdings of the Azoff Co. — formed when Dolan sold his interest in Azoff MSG back to Azoff two years ago — include Full Stop, the performance-rights organization Global Music Rights and the Oak View Group, which is developing arenas in Seattle and Belmont, N.Y., and a 15,000-seat venue on the University of Texas campus in Austin. Azoff describes himself as increasingly focused on “diversification, and building assets for the family that aren’t just dependent on commissions, shall we say.”

But as both a manager and a co-founder of a lobbying group, the Music Artists Coalition, he’s also devoting more time and energy to a broad range of artists’-rights issues, from health insurance to royalty rates to copyright reversion to this year’s Assembly Bill 5, which threatened musicians’ independent-contractor status until it was amended in September. (“That was us,” Azoff says, somewhat grandly. “I got to the governor, the governor signed it — Newsom was great on it.”) He describes his advocacy for artists — even those he doesn’t manage — as a “war on all fronts,” and estimates there are 21 major issues on which “we’ve sort of appointed ourselves as guardians.”

He does not continue to manage artists because he needs the money, he says. (As the singer-songwriter and Azoff client J.D. Souther famously put it, “Irving’s 15% of everybody turned out to be more than everyone’s 85% of themselves.”) Everything he’s doing now — building clout through the Azoff Co., even accepting the Hall of Fame honor — is ultimately about positioning himself to better fight these fights. “I’d rather work on [these things] than anything else,” he says. “But if I didn’t have the power base in the management business, I couldn’t be effective.”

The recorded music industry, having fully transitioned to a digital-first business, is once again making money hand over fist, he points out, but even less of that money is trickling down to artists. That imbalance long predates Big Tech’s involvement in the field, but the failure of music-driven tech companies to properly compensate musicians is clearly the largest burr under Azoff’s saddle.

“These people, when they start out — whether it’s Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, whatever — they resist paying for music until you go beat the f— out of them. And then of course, none of them pay fair market value and they get away with it. Your company’s worth $30 billion and you can’t spend 20 grand for a song that becomes a phenomenon on your channel? Even when they pay, artists don’t get enough. Writers don’t get enough. Music, as a commodity, is more important than it’s ever been, and more unfairly monetized for the creators. And that’s what creates an opportunity for people like me.”

AZOFF’S FIRM NO longer handles Travis Scott, by the way. “Travis is unmanageable,” Azoff says, nonchalantly and without rancor. “We’re involved in his touring as an advisor to Live Nation, but he’s calling his own shots these days.”

I ask if, in the age of the viral hit and the bedroom producer, he finds himself running into more artists who assume they don’t need a manager. Ehh, Azoff says, like it’s always been that way. “There’s a lot of headstrong artists,” he says. “I haven’t seen one that’s better off without a manager than with,” he says, and laughs a little Dennis the Menace laugh.

We’re back at the house. Azoff takes a seat on the living-room couch; Larry Solters sits across from him, his back to the sea. Azoff recalls another big client. Declines to name him. Says he was never happy, even after Azoff and his people got him everything on his wish list. “He hit me with a couple bad emails. Just really disrespectful s—. I sent him an email back that said, ‘Lucky for me, you need me more than I need you. Goodbye.’”

He will confirm having resigned the accounts of noted divas Mariah Carey and Axl Rose. Reports that he once attempted to manage Kanye West have been greatly exaggerated, he says, although they’ve spoken about business. “Robert [Kardashian] was a good friend of mine. The kids all went to school together,” Azoff says. “What I always said to Kanye was, you’re unmanageable, but we can give you advice.

“A lot of people could have made a dynasty on the people we used to manage,” Azoff says, “let alone the ones we kept.”

But he still works with many artists who joined him in the ’70s — with Henley, with Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and with Joe Walsh. Walsh has been sober for more than 25 years; it was Azoff, along with Henley and Frey, who talked him into rehab before the Eagles’ 1994 reunion tour. “Irving never passed judgment on me,” Walsh says. “And from that meeting on, he made sure I had what I needed to stay sober.” If he hadn’t, Walsh says, there’s no chance we’d be having this conversation. “All the guys I ran with are dead. Keith Moon’s dead. John Entwistle’s dead. Everybody’s dead, and I’m here. That’s profound to me.”

The first client Azoff lost was Minnie Riperton — in 1979, to breast cancer when she was only 31. Then Warren Zevon, to cancer, in 2003. Fogelberg, to cancer, four years later.

“And then Glenn,” says Azoff, referring to the Eagles co-founder who died in 2016. “I miss Glenn a lot. And now Eddie.”

Van Halen, that is. I ask Azoff if he can tell me a story that sums up what kind of guy Eddie Van Halen was; he tells me a beautiful one, then says he’d prefer not to see it in print. It makes perfect Azoffian sense — profane trash talk on the record, tenderness on background.

I ask if he’s been moved to contemplate his own mortality, as his boomer-aged clients approach an actuarial event horizon. Of course the answer turns out to involve keeping pace with an Eagle.

“Henley and I are having a race,” he says. “Neither one of us has given in. Neither one of us is going to retire.”

Henley was born in July 1947; Azoff came along that December. Does Don plan to keep going, I ask, until the wheels fall off?

“I don’t know,” Azoff says.

Do you ever talk about it?

“Yeah! He’ll call me up and he’ll go, ‘I really feel s— today.’ And I say, ‘Well, you should, Grandpa. You’re an old man. You ready to throw in the towel? Nope? OK.’”

Azoff says, “I contend that what keeps us all young is staying in the business. I’ve had more people tell me, ‘My father, he quit working, and then his health started failing,’ and all that. Every single — I mean, every single rock star I know is basically doing it to try and stay young. And I think it works. I really think it works.

“I have this friend,” Azoff says. “Calls me once a week, he’s sending me tapes, it’s his next big record. Paul Anka! He’s 80 years old. OK? And my other friend, Frankie Valli …”

“Do you know how old Frankie Valli is?” Solters says. “Eighty-six. And he still performs.”

“Not during COVID,” Azoff says. “I told the motherf—, ‘You’re not going out.’”

[takoyakitenchou]

meddling; the good kind

i decided to clear up a few questions abt how Marui Zenji became Bookmaster of WGO in Genesis so ig this is also my commission payment/holiday gift for @polar-stars 

in which a double shot of jager (with some help from the nakiri cousins) pretty much cements marui zenji’s future.

If nothing else, Yoshino Yuki knew turkey. Like, really well.

Much to Zenji’s chagrin, the only takeaway he’d gotten from the American history seminar he and the rest of the PSD gang had enrolled in was that the Pilgrims rode a Dutch fluyt to Virginia back in 1620, but they’d decided to turn Christmas into a Polar Star tradition nevertheless. Wait. Massachusetts? Thanksgiving?

After losing pitifully in a game of hangman to Yukihira Souma of all people — seriously, how was the English lang and composition seminar supposed to prepare him to guess “#tarkeyshet” — Zenji had retreated to the corner of the kitchen to sulk and drink Sakaki Sake while Yukihira paraded around fixing an imaginary pair of glasses and knocked back a shot of Smirnoff Watermelon from Kurokiba’s locker at Legislation.

“Those specs really were for nothing,” Yuki grinned as she pulled him to his feet, took away his solo cup, and handed him a masher. “Come on, Marui. You can vent at the potatoes.”

Zenji aggressively articulated his ire at said potatoes to the point where Yuki had to yank the bowl from him. “The hell, are you trying to make extract? Go kill another turkey if you’re feeling murderous.”

“I’m fine,” sighed the dark-haired chef, massaging the bridge of his nose. “It’s out of my system now. But the sake is not.”

Yuki leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Sacrifice one battle and you’ll win the war.”

“Now since when have you been all philosophical?”

Without missing a beat, Yuki countered, “Since you got all mopey. Now help me bring the turkey out.”

Just then, Nakiri Erina entered the kitchen after knocking on the doorframe. The first seat took one look at Yuki with her mouth basically on Zenji’s ear and dropped her vodka. “I apologize for the intrusion!” 

She was already halfway out the door when Yuki and Zenji bellowed, “This isn’t what you think it is!”

Erina glanced doubtfully at the space (or lack thereof) between the Polar Star originals. “Um… in that case. Yoshino-san, do you mind if I talk to Marui-kun for a moment?”

“Not at all,” Yuki replied, and Erina was too distracted to notice the slightest inflection of irritation in the teal-eyed girl’s voice as she took the turkey out of the kitchen.

“How may I be of assistance, Nakiri-san?” Zenji asked, shifting his glasses and sitting on a kitchen stool. 

“I was talking to my mother earlier today,” Erina said after picking up her cup, a diplomatic air automatically washing over the area. “She was wondering when you would be available for an interview sometime in the next few days over winter break.”

Zenji gave a prominently uncharacteristic “Eh?”

With a thin smile, Erina continued, “My mother would like to have you intern with her so she can judge if I was right when I told her you’re going to be the next WGO bookmaster. I remember you mentioned something about memorizing all of the WGO guides in first year?”

Zenji blinked once. Twice. “You’re kidding me.”

“No, I am not,” the heiress replied. “I never kid.”

He gestured at her. “That was a kid just now.”

“Besides the point, Marui-kun. My mother would like me to give you her phone number so you can text her your schedule availabilities directly.” Then she added, “Also, that’s more convenient for me because I don’t have to be a mediator.”

At this, Zenji’s eyes bugged out to the size of his fucking glasses. The WGO bookmaster — and Nakiri Erina’s mother to boot — wanted to give him her phone number?

Marui Zenji needed medical care hella fast. 

“Um… I’m available whenever she is…?”

Erina shook her head. “I wouldn’t get used to it, but she’s catering to you.”

A sheen of sweat broke out on Zenji’s forehead. He pushed back his bangs and gave a long, pronounced exhale. “In five seconds, Nakiri-san, I will wake up and be so disappointed that I miss classes for the first time in my entire life.”

“You have a perfect attendance record, don’t you?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Perfect. That means you can afford to skip a day without getting detention. Unlike me and Yukihira.” Erina tapped her chin thoughtfully as Zenji made an indignant noise, then as if to deter any individuals that may have been eavesdropping, said in a low voice, “The one stipulation for giving you my mother’s phone number is that you ask Yoshino-san on a date.”

Zenji promptly fell off the stool. “Say what now?”

The eavesdropping individual made her debut just then. “Yes, well, as official relationship counselor of Nakiri Mansion and Polar Star, I am privy to some very public confidential information that you and Yoshino-san are both absolute nuts for each other. So I am prescribing you the following action: get the hell on with it already.” 

The Nakiri cousins looked extremely pleased with themselves.

“I agree with Alice,” Erina said primly. “It’s pretty obvious how much she likes you. And since we’re both extremely well-versed in the subtleties of romance, I do believe we’re more than qualified to make this diagnosis.”

“Oh, and look, Marui-kun. Your ears are turning red. Actions speak louder than words. Your silence speaks volumes.”

Zenji squinted at Erina. “Nakiri-san, am I correct to assume that even if I already had the Bookmaster’s phone number, we’d still be having this conversation?” “Duh,” said Alice. “Now’s your chance, Marui-kun.”

“I think I’d rather lose to Yukihira in another game of hangman,” he said nervously.

At this, Alice gave a sympathetic smile. “You, my friend, do not have the emotional capacity of a brick, unlike Ryo and Yukihira, so you should have nothing to worry about. Come on.” Alice grabbed Zenji’s wrist and yanked him to his feet. “She’s in the dining hall. Have a shot if you need the liquid courage.” She passed him a cup of Jager.

The scholar ran a hand through his bangs in an attempt to organize his hair, despite the fact that he already had the neatest cut in like… a ten-mile radius.

“This is for the Bookmaster,” Zenji said, trying to convince himself more than the cousins.

“No, it’s really not,” Alice replied. “Now get to it. Clock is ticking.”

“Also, every second you spend stalling is technically another second you’re ghosting the Bookmaster.”

Zenji exploded into action. He threw back the Jager and sprinted out of the kitchen at a velocity nobody would’ve dared imagine possible for someone of his figure… or his alc tolerance.

“That worked better than I thought it would,” Erina mused.

“Yukihira’s rubbing off on you,” Alice intoned. “You sounded a lot like him just now.”

Rolling her eyes and fighting the blush, the first seat waved off the statement. “As if I would ever be associated with anything influenced by his plebeian mouth.”

“Like… your tongue?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Alice grinned and tapped her cup against her cousin’s. “Damn right I will, Erina. No need to emphasize the truth.”

The others were all gathered in the dining hall by the time the Nakiri cousins emerged from the kitchen. Zenji was — as expected — sweating as he attempted to approach Yoshino Yuki.

Souma and his strangely acute senses noted exactly what was happening (read as Erina had already filled him in on the details of the plotcounseling session), and he vaguely motioned for Yuki to turn around. 

“Yoshino-san,” Zenji began, and those that knew what was going on were all surprised at how steady his voice was despite the fact that he’d just drank what had to be two normal shots of herbal liquor at an ungodly speed. “If you’re available, I was just wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me?”

Yuki’s eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs. “Wait, what?” The rest of the dorm gave an excited whoop.

“… to the Polar Star garden…?”

“GODDAMMIT, MARUI,” they all squawked. Yuki managed an awkward grin and the will to live utterly disappeared from Marui Zenji.

Erina and Alice exchanged a glance. “Call the jet.”

“Gotcha. Ryo, can you fetch the Eclipse, please?”

“It’s on the roof already,” drawled Alice’s former aide. “Come on, Marui,” Ryo continued. “You’re gonna be like the rest of us by the time the sun comes up.”

“The hell does that mean?” sighed the dejected erudite as Ryo dragged him to the rooftop staircase in the back of the building.

“We’re destroying your perfect attendance record so you don’t have more honors cords than all the Elite Ten members combined at the graduation ceremony. Don’t even think about complaining. This is for our—I mean, your—good.”

The Nakiri cousins herded Yuki out of the dining hall after him, and the rest of the social club followed.

“In you go,” Ryo ordered once they were in front of the jet. He damn near picked up the chef who was probably half his weight and chucked Zenji through the hatch. Yuki was prodded on board after him, bleating timid complaints the entire time.

Ryo briefly entered the jet and they heard him instruct the pilot, “Take them to the Nakiri resort in Kobe. Don’t let them come back until tomorrow evening, am I clear?”

“Yessir,” replied the pilot, and then Ryo jumped out and the engines roared to life.

The inhabitants of Nakiri Mansion looked rather pleased with themselves as the jet departed Totsuki campus.

“You think that did it for their first date?” Ryo asked the heiresses.

“Duh,” Alice said with a flippant wave. “Erina and I are professionals. Now, we should start planning for their wedding. It’s Yoshino Yuki getting married, so teal dresses for the bridesmaids should do it.”

Erina nodded seriously. “I’ll start tasting cakes and contacting florists. The wedding’s going to be in Malibu, right?”

“You read my mind, Erina. Turns out we’re the same person after all.”

“Hell no.”

Ryo watched the cousins dive into all-out wedding prep mode over Christmas dinner and held back a smile—whether this was out of the mellowed amusement that arose from watching them bicker like five-year-olds or out of sympathetic pity for the involuntary fiances was up to debate, but it was a smile nevertheless, and that was all that mattered.

And the rest, of course, was history.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Movie night with a bunch of oranges

Today was a busy day consisting of harvesting oranges and bringing out equipment for tomorrow. We've got a pretty good haul - and probably way too many oranges than we can handle. Thankfully I still have room in my inventory for other fish/bugs/shells or else I'd be kinda screwed, but I should try to make more room just in case.

Then again, there's still the possibility that I end up slacking off and spend the last day trying to collect as many oranges as possible before the deadline. I don't know why, but when it comes to collecting fruit I almost always find myself rushing at the end. I hate having to use up fertilizer in batches but sometimes you have no choice.

At least for this event I have some help so here's to hoping I don't have to break out the fertilizer at all. Probably wishful thinking, though it doesn't hurt to hope. With five extra hands helping out, why wouldn't we be able to get a lot done?

It's good to see Lotte, Mitch, and Gene again along with Willow, Frank, and Paisley. I haven't seen the latter three in forever since they've been super busy so imagine my excitement when I found out that Gene's working with them on a new movie.

The new movie's another adaptation of Paisley's short stories, Flower in the Wind, which will be directed by Willow and starring Cheyenne Ruthie in her film debut with Gene and Frank as part of the supporting cast. Cheyenne used to live in the neighborhood near me and Daisy Jane and we reconnected a while back after running into each other on social media.

In fact, she's planning to drop by the camp sometime in the near future as she's going through some pretty big life changes and could use a bit of a breather when things settle down a bit. Along with the upcoming movie, she's also in the process of moving and making up for lost time with her dad. I'm happy that things are going well for her and knowing Willow and Paisley, Flower in the Wind is sure to mark the start of something greater for her.

Willow, Frank, and Paisley are all former members of Jamie's entourage. Willow Chasen's a writer and director known for classics like Crossfire, Fighting Stance, Paper Dreams, Train Whistle Blowing, and many others. She's been named one of the greatest directors of the decade and she rightfully deserves that honor. I'm a huge fan of her work so I'll admit that I have high expectations for the new movie.

Frank Dunston and Paisley Kusuma are bloggers who used to run Behind the Spotlight, which chronicled the behind the scenes of the entourage members. Before coming to the island, they made the news when they were abducted and held hostage by a former detective who used to work for Frank's aunt Diane. His uncle, Eldred Dunston, is a well known actor who got Frank and Paisley interested in acting.

The two have been best friends for a long time, they have a sweet relationship. We joke that they're like an old married couple but it's all strictly platonic. They share an apartment and raise Paisley's daughter Lizzie together. Lizzie's named after Diane as she figuratively and literally saved Paisley and Frank's lives. The whole ordeal with the abduction brought them closer together and also wound up kicking off their careers.

While they have been doing a lot more solo projects since leaving the entourage and ending the blog, Frank and Paisley are still a duo. Flower in the Wind happens to be their first movie together in over a year, something they said they've been enjoying as they missed working alongside each other.

Paisley's a writer and author who runs a blog called The Flower Writes which she updates sporadically with life stuff and her creative process on her latest projects. She does some acting in supporting roles though she prefers to be behind the scenes, having established herself as a writer and producer over the years. She's also one of the writers for Robert's upcoming show Mount Barley, RFD so that's another reason to be hyped about it. Maybe someday she'll be sitting on the director's chair but she says that for now she's happy where she is.

Frank has been acting on stage and screen, starting out on small roles alongside his uncle until he got comfortable with the spotlight before making a name for himself on his own. He also dabbles in photography, having once run a blog for that before becoming a freelancer. Speaking of that, Daisy Jane's his next client as she's in need of professional pics for her upcoming shop update. Since he doesn't live too far from here, he's offered to make the commute to help Daisy Jane out for future shop updates, which is great as she finds taking product photos is one of her least favorite aspects of running a shop.

Lotte's been busy with the bakery while Mitch is working hard at the orchard. Gene's been making time in between acting gigs and his day job to visit home often, getting back in touch with old friends he hasn't seen or heard or spoken to in years. It's good to hear that things between Gene and his dad have improved since I last saw them. Lotte and Mitch can finally rest easy now that their family's back together. Although I haven't known Gene for long, it feels like I've known him forever and can't imagine him not being here.

Interesting how one's presence (or absence) can leave such an impression.

It's a good thing Mitch's here for a harvesting event as he's got a vast knowledge on a variety of plants and produce. Thanks to him, we were able to venture outside the camp to find more oranges. Who knew that Starsnatch Grove has a bunch of different varieties of oranges? Perfect oranges, starburst oranges, rainberry oranges - there's so many more that I've never seen or heard of before!

Turns out that Starsnatch's soil is ideal for citrus and that around this time of year is the peak of their season. Mitch really did his research about the camp and its surrounding areas. He also showed me other places for fruits and veggies, which will be useful for future reference.

So we've been wandering around Starsnatch, collecting all kinds of oranges and exploring the area. Rainberry oranges look like rainbow berries, hence the name, and the taste kinda reminds me of an orange spice tea. Cinnaorange is a new variety I've never seen before as they're rare and according to Lotte, they make a good marmalade. Sunkiss splash is an unusual orange with a sunburst pattern on its skin. The tree is kinda hard to care for, which is why there's not a lot of them and the orchard where Mitch works is one of the few that grows them.

With all these oranges, there's a lot we can do with them. I don't even know where to start as there's so many possibilities. Good thing we have Mitch and Lotte here to help us out!

After a busy day of collecting oranges, catching up, hiking, and coming up with ideas for tomorrow, it felt fitting to end the day with a movie marathon. So we watched three Sound Stories movies while enjoying sweet and tangy oranges.

Firefly Garden is one of my absolute favorite movies ever. Pretty much everyone I know considers this one of their favorites, including my mom. From the stunning animation to the gorgeous soundtrack and heartwarming story, it's no wonder it's a classic. Noelle and Sophie are hands down some of my favorite characters of all time.

The second movie we watched was Neighbors, a cute movie where nothing much happens yet it's so soothing and entertaining to watch. The art is breathtaking and expressive and it really adds to the story. It's a bit of an offbeat, unconventional kind of film, one I initially thought I wouldn't get into but ended up enjoying a lot.

Bee and the Quill is the latest Sound Stories movie and I loved it. The story's a bit hard to follow, but that's the point. As usual, the visuals are stunning and the whole dragon fight sequence was amazing to watch. Viola's journey to find her sister's ghost is one of those stories where you don't know exactly what's going on so you just roll with it and open your mind to the unknown.

Tomorrow we're gonna take a break from harvesting oranges to have some fun in the kitchen with our new discoveries. I'm looking forward to trying a bunch of new teas, especially with the rainberry oranges. We'll be making orange tea cake, orange juice, salads, and all kinds of other recipes we may stumble across. Then at night will be another marathon of Sound Stories movies where we'll be watching Snowflakes and Floating on Clouds, both which I've somehow never got a chance to watch yet.

[nattapohntkp]

Rhythms & Blues

        Everyone may have heard of a music genre called R&B (Rhythms & Blues), but many people don't know where R&B came from. With more melodies and rhythms founded, R&B is a music genre that focuses on the lyrics, the genre of love, and playing with the right rhythm. The music is a little brighter, but still not as bright as Pop. The musical instruments are not limited in style but often use a little sound effect. R&B originated in the '40s. It evolved from the Blues that black people sang in churches to release the suffering caused by the abuse and persecution of white people. Blues music has another meaning: sorrow, depression. Therefore, Blues has mostly sad rhymes and melodies, or sounds like a singing of the prayer in a church to seek blessings from the Lord (Gospel) itself. The R&B genre is a mix of African-American music from Pop, Jazz, and Blues. As the times change, more and more R&B music has evolved and mixed with other genres. Since the 90s, R&B music has infiltrated more and more music genres to become another genre. One example is that R&B can go along with Pop music which introduce many R&B stars such as, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Beyonce, Brian McKnight, Chris Brown, and more. It can also mix with Hip-hop music as well which appears in Afrobeat’s work. In addition to Pop and Hip-hop, artists like Davido and Wizkid blend R&B and local melodies to the mainstream.

        R&B music is a music genre that can reach audiences with a wide range of rhythm, catchy content, reflecting stories. Therefore, it is the music that no matter how much the times change, R&B is a song that people still listen to.

 The famous artists and their works.

1. Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, also known as Beyonce, became famous in the 1990s as a key member of destiny's child, the all-female R&B band of that era. In June 2003, during the suspension of Destiny's Child, she released her first solo artist with “Dangerously in Love” album. It was one of the most successful albums of that year. The album was a huge success in both sales and criticism, leading to a hit song such as “Crazy in love”. Later, Destiny's Child officially decided to disband. and she continued to work on music as a solo artist.

The examples of famous songs by Beyonce.

1. “Crazy in love” (2003) is a song that truly suitable for lovers because the content of the song says "Got me looking so crazy right now, your loves" which indicates how much you love someone until you are crazy about him and hope that he only calls your name.

2. “Listen” (2007) is a song that wants to convey other person to listen her voice and dream. Since, she has always followed others in the past but it's time for others to listen to her voice, her desire, and her dream.

2. Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, and filmmaker. She is named the most awarded female artist of all time by the Guinness World Records.  She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with approximately 200 million records worldwide.  She is also an influencer for many African American female artists.

The examples of famous songs by Whitney Houston.

1. “I will always love you” (1992) is a song that wants to say goodbye painfully and deeply. The lyrics present a true love that we unable to stop loving even though we are far apart unless we discover later that the person we love is not what we think.

2. “I have nothing” (1993) is a song about deep and confusing love that arises between lovers due to the different feelings of women and men when it comes to their bond with their lover.

3. Mariah Carey

         Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. She made her debut in 1990 under the direction of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. She became the first artist to have the first 5 singles hit the 1st chart on the Billboard Hot 100. She has a lot of hit songs, making her the best-selling artist in Columbia. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.

The examples of famous songs by Mariah Carey.

1. “Hero” (1993) is a song that wants to convey to the audience that loving yourself is the most important thing.

2. “We belong together” (2005) is a song that reminds many couples very well. This song teaches you how powerful words are, no matter how much you do well or be honest with love. Speaking without thinking, it can ruin a relationship.

4. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American singer-actress. The owner of many famous songs whose past albums have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and the movies that reach $ 2 billion.

The examples of famous songs by Jennifer Lopez.

1. “If you had my love” (1999), the lyrics are about the beginning of a new relationship with Jennifer Lopez during her confrontation with her crush.

2. “All I have” (2002) is a song that interacts between women and men., In this song, the woman is the one who breaks up and the man does not want to believe that she really leaves him. So, he tries to hold back but it is impossible to be the same. This song is a soothing melody but it expresses the pain of a man.

5. Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight is a talented artist with a wide range of singing and performance and he can play the music that ever nominated for a Grammy.

The examples of famous songs by Brian McKnight.

1. “One last cry (1993)”, the lyrics present to the people who are upset or disappointed about love, feel sorry, and want to cry. It will be the last time and don't let the same person come back to hurt us again. Tomorrow will start over, you have to tell yourself that you will have a new life and new things are waiting for you. When our thoughts and ourselves are good, we are always attracted to the good things, smiling brightly and strongly open for the something good coming in.

2. “Back at one” (1999), the lyrics present the good love that a man has for the woman he loves if he is like a bird perched on a branch and never afraid that the branches will break and fall because he believed in his own wing power.

6. Ne-Yo

Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known as Ne-Yo, is an R&B singer, songwriter, music producer, and American actor. He is famous for composing music when he composed Mario's “Let me love you”. This success leads Ne-Yo to meet with the head of Def Jam and sign a contract.

The examples of famous songs by Ne-Yo.

1. “So sick” (2006), the lyrics present that to forget about the old love are often very hard thing for many people, only time that can heal and that memory will be forgotten someday, but until then, those will always be the things that bother you to think about the past we did with an old lover.

2. “Miss Independent” (2008) is a song that wants to present that if you meet a woman and you are very interested in her, you will be able to observe her personality traits and capture her strengths and compose stories about why you like her.

7. Alicia Keys

Alicia J. Augello-Cook is an American R&B singer which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide from her first album in 2001 until 2007. The first album, “Songs in A Minor”, featured the hit song ‘Fallin’, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide and earn her 5 Grammy Awards. (Including the grand prize: Best New Artist and Best R&B Album).

The examples of famous songs by Alicia Keys.

1. “You don't know my name” (2003) is a song that presents the insanity of love on one side because he did not even know her name. She really liked him and felt that he had possessed her mind.

2. “If I ain't got you” (2004) is a love song that presents an interesting worldview philosophy. Fame, honor, and money, they do not important and are just illusions when compared with to be loved by someone.

8. John Legend

John Legend, real name John Stephens. He is an all-around R&B, soul, hip-hop artist with a wide range of singing, playing, composing, arranging, and producing music. His first album won 3 Grammy Awards 2006, 3 Soul Train Awards 2006, and 1 BET Award 2005. Britney Jean Spears, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, and more.

The examples of famous songs by John Legend.

1. “Used to love you” (2004) is a sad song that comes from the breakup. She was gone and took all the memories from him but he still remembered the moment when he first met her which make him sad when she left. Although he hates her a lot, he used to love her a lot too.

2. “All of me” (2008), the lyrics represent if you really love someone, you have to give your heart to him wholeheartedly and you need to accept him as he is no matter what it is good or bad. Then, you will be happy and you will never have to regret that later "Why are you like this or Why are you like that? " because you are willing and can accept anything that he can be.

9. Jeff Bernat

Jeff Bernat is an American-Filipino singer, songwriter, and producer. The owner of the super romantic song 'Call You Mine' has been selected to accompany the popular Korean series 'You Are My Destiny' and has a lot of Korean fans. Since he released his first full album, “The Gentleman Approach” in 2012, the 29-year-old Jeff Bernat has been on the constantly watch with subsequent albums such as “Modern Renaissance” (2013), “In the Meantime” (2016), and “Afterwards” (2017).

The examples of famous songs by Jeff Bernat.

1. “Just vibe” (2011) is a song for the fanatic. It represents to someone convey a woman who treats him equally as everyone else. Even if you are higher than him and tell her that he likes what she does, but actually likes everything that is her.

2. “Call you mine” (2019), also known as The Gentlemen approach, means approaching a woman like a gentleman. It is a song that has a good meaning and suitable for giving to someone special. The best sentence of this song is "Can I call you mine?".

10. The Weeknd

Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and music producer. In late 2010, he uploads the song to YouTube by the unknown name, The Weeknd. he released several mixtapes, and each set contains nine songs throughout 2011, including the highly acclaimed House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence.

The examples of famous songs by The Weeknd.

1. “Heartless” (2019) is a fun song that hides the gloom of a man who blames himself for being heartless to love one another. In which the heart deeply, he wants to have good love but living a fun life, spending money, mingling with other people, is the one that makes life go around like this.

2. “Blinding lights” (2020), a melancholy song of desperate people who leave their ex-lover. The inaction of that ex-lover made the atmosphere worse and helpless. Delivering is the only chance for that person to return, and it is the thing to heal from this despair.

11. Ben Chalatit

Ben Chalatit enjoys music from his passion and attendance at the School of Music. He joins the first music group with friends under the name, Monotone. In the style of self-composed music and become indie music that is very popular at that time. And the famous songwriter, Boyd Kosiyabong, pull him into the work. He has made many famous songs such as the people below, the score of life, ouch ouch, and many more. This is evidenced by the various artist awards that he has received.

The examples of famous songs by Ben Chalatit.

1. “Hold back” (2014) is the theme song for the 2014 TV series Sai-Si Phaeng. It mixes with emotions, squeezing a little talk about the time when you lost your lover and want to hold it as long as possible. A moment of just a second would be invaluable if he would be with us.

2. “All My Heart” (2015) is a theme song, Kao Bodin drama, starring James Mar and Matt Peeranee. It is a slow-fusion-pop-style song with the sound of Thai music and tells of loving someone with all their love. This song also earns him the 30th Golden Television Award for outstanding drama song.

12. Lydia Sarunrat

The princess of the R&B of the Thai music industry. She is a gorgeous singer, Lydia Sarunrat, with a clear and unique voice. It makes her famous since her first release, such as I am free, please call me back. And there are always new songs coming out. Later, she returns to the sumo mask singer show and won “The Mask Singer Season 2”.

The examples of famous songs by Lydia Sarunrat.

1. “I'm free, please call me back” (2005) is a sad song content. Because he calls her lover but he does not answer the phone and does not call back. There is a hint in the song saying, "are you really busy or there are other people”.

2. “Just make eye contact” (2018) is a sweet love song. It composes of a period drama, Buppesanniwat. The content of this song is rather sweet. Because it wants to convey that the eyes are the windows of the heart.

        The examples of artists and their works. The author thinks that the reader may know or listen to some of their songs. The artists illustrated are quite famous for their outstanding works. If you have not listened to their music, I suggest you give it a try and I believe that you will be fascinated by their work.

        In conclusion, R&B (Rhythms and Blues) music is a genre that can listen to over and over. It can make you feel relax. But if you know the content of the song, some songs can also have content that can hurt, bruise or cry. Nowadays, R&B music is mix with a wide variety of other genres. This genre of music is therefore widely known. This has resulted in many emerging artists making R&B music or mixing R&B music as well.

[stylesnews]

People as famous as Harry Styles are almost never alone. From the cadre of security guards, stylists, publicists, managers, and hangers-on, a small army necessarily follows wherever they go. As irony dictates, though, fame, especially on the level that Styles has experienced since One Direction became the only thing young girls cared about in 2010, is curiously isolating. And while the 25-year-old often appears remarkably at ease with his surroundings—his dimpled smile never falters, not even at the apex of 1D’s fandemonium—a poignant fear of loneliness courses through Styles's magnificent second album, Fine Line, out now.

“I don’t wanna be alone,” the singer admits on the shimmying album-opener “Golden.” Belying the warm tones of the accompanying slide-guitar, glockenspiel, and summery da-da-da backing vocals, he continues: “Don’t wanna let you know,” he sings, comfortable and in the center of his range, “I don’t wanna be alone/But I can feel it take a hold.” On “To Be So Lonely,” driven by a toe-tapping double cello bass rhythm, he’s drunk and desperate to fill the void. “Don’t blame the drunk caller,” he begs an ex-lover. “I wasn’t ready for it all.” Later, on the same cut, he explains. “It’s hard for me to go home/And be so lonely." It’s a startling one-two punch of vulnerability from the 21st century's emergent rock god. In an age of highly curated Instagram feeds and meticulously managed celebrity images, he’s dedicated the LP to “all that I’ve done. The good and the bad.” “That is life,” he writes in the collection’s liner notes. Styles may be talking about the mixed bag of experiences that define reality, but the same could be said of Fine Line. A candid autobiography written in technicolor rock n’ roll, it’s an album about Becoming and across its 12 songs, bears remarkable witness to a young man in the middle of self-reckoning. The singer landed his first surprise back in 2017 with his self-titled solo debut. The easy-rolling set bucked the very established path set by Justin Timberlake and boybanders going solo, like Nick Jonas and Styles’ former group groupmate, Zayn Malik: embrace R&B and hip-hop, immediately assert that yes, you have sex. Lots of it. Instead, Styles dressed his introspective musings in the trappings of 1970s soft-rock. The results were enthralling, as he confidently toyed with “Blackbird”-era Beatles and Bowie. Fine Line is less concerned about honoring Styles's idols, though, and more interested in experimenting with the furthest corners of his curiosity. Save for an appearance from Greg Kurstin (Beck, Adele), who lends a hand to the transcendent “Sunflower, Vol. 6,” many of his cohorts are familiar from Harry Styles: super-producer Jeff Bhasker, one of the main architects of the Hot 100’s current sound via his work with Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Katy Perry, and a wide swath of others; songwriter-producer (and Bhasker acolyte) Tyler Johnson (Taylor Swift, Cam); and Kid Harpoon (Florence + the Machine, Maggie Rogers). Together they find a thrilling new sonic terrain—one where gooey Fleetwood Mac-style melodies get wrapped in mille-feuille-esque layers of synth, Crosby, Stills, & Nash-reminiscent acoustic strummers get sandwiched between psychedelic trips to fantasy land, and electric-sitar solos scream of yesterday and tomorrow. It’s also full of tantalizing lyrical Easter eggs, for those (many!) fans who crave them. He follows with the regret-soaked “Falling,” a moving lullaby of self-realization. “And there’s no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands,” he confides early about his break-up. “What am I now?/What if I'm someone I don't want around?” he sings repeatedly throughout the chorus. “What if I’m someone you won't talk about?,” he adds, his voice reaching its desperate edge as the song peaks. It’s an almost impossible insecurity to consider, as all we want is more.

[taylorswifthongkong]

Plus, the set's "The 1" & "Exile" open in the Hot 100's top 10.

Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

The song is from Swift's new LP Folklore, which launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as Swift becomes the first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week.

Folklore was released July 24 on Republic Records, after being first teased by Swift only the day before.

"Cardigan" is joined by two other songs from the set that debut in the Hot 100's top 10: "The 1," at No. 4, and "Exile," featuring Bon Iver, at No. 6.

Plus, Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo's "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" enters the Hot 100's top 10, rising 12-10.

Let's run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Aug. 8) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 4).

"Cardigan," the 1,106th No. 1 in the Hot 100's 62-year history, enters with 34 million U.S. streams and 71,000 downloads sold in the week ending July 30, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It concurrently debuts atop both the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts.

The song also drew 12.7 million in all-format radio airplay audience in the week ending Aug. 2.

Here are 13 (famously Swift's favorite number) notable achievements surrounding the chart arrival of Folklore and its songs.

First artist ever to debut atop Hot 100 & Billboard 200 simultaneously: With "Cardigan" and Folklore, Swift is the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week. The Billboard 200 began on March 24, 1956, and the Hot 100 originated on Aug. 4, 1958.

41st song to debut at No. 1 on Hot 100: "Cardigan" is the 41st song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It's Swift's second, after "Shake It Off" on the chart dated Sept. 6, 2014.

Swift is the seventh artist with multiple No. 1 Hot 100 entrances, joining Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Drake, Ariana Grande (the leaders with three each), Travis Scott and Britney Spears (two each).

Meanwhile, "Cardigan" is the sixth song to debut atop the Hot 100 in 2020, extending the record for the most in a single year. Four songs each started at No. 1 in both 2018 and 1995.

Swift's sixth No. 1: Swift scores her sixth Hot 100 leader. Here's a recap:

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," three weeks, beginning Sept. 1, 2012 "Shake It Off," four weeks, beginning Sept. 6, 2014 "Blank Space," seven weeks, beginning Nov. 29, 2014 "Bad Blood," feat. Kendrick Lamar, one week, June 6, 2015 "Look What You Made Me Do," three weeks, beginning Sept. 16, 2017 "Cardigan," one week to-date, Aug. 8, 2020

Swift is the 26th artist in the Hot 100's history with at least six No. 1s, and the ninth solo woman. The Beatles lead all acts with 20 No. 1s, followed by Carey with 19.

First woman to debut two songs in top five simultaneously: With "Cardigan" at No. 1 and "The 1" at No. 4, Swift is the first woman, and third act overall, to debut two songs in the Hot 100's top five simultaneously.

Lil Wayne first earned the honor with "Mona Lisa," featuring Kendrick Lamar (No. 2), and "Don't Cry," featuring XXXTentacion (No. 5), on Oct. 13, 2018. Just two weeks ago, on the July 25 chart, the late Juice WRLD entered at Nos. 2 and 5, respectively, with "Come & Go," with Marshmello, and "Wishing Well."

Swift is, thus, the first artist to debut two songs in the Hot 100's top four spots simultaneously.

Three debuts in top 10: As "Cardigan," "The 1" and "Exile" arrive at Nos. 1, 4 and 6, respectively, Swift debuts three songs in the Hot 100's top 10 simultaneously for the first time. She's the sixth artist to accomplish the feat, following Drake (July 14, 2018), Lil Wayne (Oct. 13, 2018) and Juice WRLD (July 25), who share the record with four debuts each in the top 10 simultaneously, and J. Cole (May 5, 2018) and Lil Uzi Vert (March 21, 2020), each with three.

Further, Swift is the first artist to debut three songs in the Hot 100's top six spots in a single week.

Swift up to 28 career top 10s, tied for sixth-most: Swift swells her count of career Hot 100 top 10s from 25 to 28, tying Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder for the sixth-best sum.

Here is a recap of the acts with the most Hot 100 top 10s, dating to the chart's Aug. 4, 1958, inception (two years after Elvis Presley's commercial breakthrough):

Most Hot 100 Top 10s 40, Drake 38, Madonna 34, The Beatles 31, Rihanna 30, Michael Jackson 28, Mariah Carey 28, Taylor Swift 28, Stevie Wonder 27, Elton John 27, Janet Jackson 25, Lil Wayne 25, Elvis Presley

18 career top 10 debuts: Swift extends her record among women for the most debuts in the Hot 100's top 10, as her three new arrivals lift her total to 18. Among all acts, only Drake has more: 25.

16 songs from Folklore hit Hot 100: Swift sends the entirety of the standard edition of Folklore onto the Hot 100, as its 16 songs enter the chart, from "Cardigan" at No. 1 to album closer "Hoax" at No. 71.

Folklore is Swift's second consecutive album whose standard version has fully infused the Hot 100: 18 songs from Lover, which soared in atop the Billboard 200 dated Sept. 7, 2019, charted on the Hot 100 the same week.

Swift passes Nicki Minaj for most Hot 100 entries among women: Swift surges from 97 career Hot 100 entries to 113, passing Nicki Minaj (110) for the most among women.

Swift also becomes the 10th act with at least 100 Hot 100 entries, as she ascends to the fourth-best total. Here's an updated leaderboard:

Most Hot 100 Entries 224, Drake 207, Glee Cast 169, Lil Wayne 113, Taylor Swift 111, Future 110, Nicki Minaj 109, Elvis Presley 108, Kanye West 101, Chris Brown 100, Jay-Z

First solo woman at No. 1 since January: "Cardigan" is the first Hot 100 No. 1 billed solely to one woman since Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" logged three weeks on top from Dec. 21, 2019, through Jan. 4. Before that, Selena Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me" led the Nov. 9 list.

'Cardigan' No. 1 in streams & sales: With 34 million U.S. streams and 71,000 sold in the week ending July 30, "Cardigan" starts as the most-streamed and top-selling song of the week. Swift scores her third Streaming Songs No. 1 and her record-extending 20th Digital Song Sales No. 1, furthering her lead on the latter list over runner-up Rihanna (14).

"Cardigan" was on sale in Swift's webstore via multiple physical/digital combination offerings during the tracking week, ending July 30, including an alternate "Cabin in Candlelight" version released July 29. Consumers could purchase CD and vinyl singles, each with a digital download; the download would be sent to consumers upon purchase, with physical versions due to arrive at a later date.

Radio tries on 'Cardigan': "Cardigan" drew 12.7 million in radio airplay audience in its first full week, ending Aug. 2. It rises 26-17 on the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart and debuts at No. 19 on Adult Contemporary and No. 27 on Pop Songs.

Bon Iver's first Hot 100 top 10: With "Exile" debuting at No. 6 on the Hot 100, Bon Iver earns its first top 10 on the chart. The act, fronted by Justin Vernon, previously charted two titles, both in 2010 as featured on songs on Kanye West's album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, led by the No. 18-peaking "Monster," also featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Minaj.

"Cardigan" dethrones DaBaby's seven-week Hot 100 leader "Rockstar," featuring Roddy Ricch. The track holds at No. 2 on the Radio Songs chart (67.9 million, up 10%) and dips to No. 3 on Streaming Songs, after nine weeks at No. 1 (32.9 million, down 9%), and 5-7 on Digital Song Sales (10,000, down 6%).

"Rockstar" concurrently rules the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for an eighth week each.

Jack Harlow's "Whats Poppin," featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne, drops to No. 3 on the Hot 100 from its No. 2 high.

The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" descends 4-5 on the Hot 100, following its four-week rule. It tops Radio Songs for a 17th frame (76.2 million in audience, up 2%), moving to within a week of potentially tying for the longest command since the chart started in December 1990.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs 18, "Iris," Goo Goo Dolls, beginning Aug. 1, 1998 17, "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd, April 18, 2020 16, "Girls Like You," Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, Aug. 4, 2018 16, "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey, May 28, 2005 16, "Don't Speak," No Doubt, Dec. 7, 1996

"Blinding Lights" tops the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a record-tying 20th week. It joins three other songs for a share of the mark, including another by The Weeknd, dating to the list's October 2012 start: Drake's "One Dance," featuring WizKid and Kyla (2016); The Weeknd's "Starboy," featuring Daft Punk (2016-17); and Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" (2017).

Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar" holds at its No. 7 Hot 100 high; SAINt JHN's "Roses" slides 5-8, after reaching No. 4; and Megan Thee Stallion's former one-week leader "Savage," featuring Beyoncé, falls 6-9.

Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo's "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" enters the tier, rising 12-10. The track retreats 3-4 on Digital Song Sales, although with a 14% advance to 13,000 sold, and 10-17 on Streaming Songs, but with a 1% gain to 17.9 million U.S. streams, while climbing 40-33 on Radio Songs (23.5 million, up 23%).

New Zealand producer Jawsh 685 (real name: Joshua Nanai) hits the Hot 100's top 10 in his first visit to the chart, while Derulo adds his seventh top 10 and first since the No. 5-peaking "Want to Want Me" in 2015.

(A "savage" garden: Three songs with "savage" in their titles have hit the Hot 100 all-time, and two of them rank back-to-back at Nos. 9 and 10 this week. The other? Rod Hart's "C.b. Savage," which reached No. 67 in 1977.)

For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 8), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

[dustedmagazine]

Here at Dusted we are taking the day off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rather than posting one of Dr. King’s many worthwhile speeches (although they’ll be out there, and they’re still worth listening to), we thought we’d leave you with this piece from Chicago artist Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble. From the description over at YouTube:

Starting as a solo sound collage piece (where Locks pulled samples from Civil Rights era speeches and recordings to create an improvisational pallet for performance on his drum machine), over 4 years the project has blossomed into his 15-piece Black Monument Ensemble featuring musicians (including Angel Bat Dawid on clarinets and Dana Hall on drums), singers (alumni of the Chicago Children's Choir), and dancers (members of Chicago youth dance company Move Me Soul). 

‘Where Future Unfolds’ is a live capture of the ensemble's epic debut at the Garfield Park Botanical Conservatory on the West Side of Chicago. Recalling the spirits of Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage Ensemble, Eddie Gale's Black Rhythm Happening, Archie Shepp's Attica Blues, and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, the album presents an inspired, innovative & immediate intersection of gospel, jazz, activism & 808 breaks.

Have a great day, and we’ll be back at you tomorrow.

[gdwessel]

Kizuna Road 2019 Night 3 - 6/16/2019: G1 Climax 29 Blocks, Participants Revealed; Rumors: DBS Jr. Done in NJPW, Gedo Quit As Booker?, Juice Done in ROH, Reports NJPW Talents Don’t Want to Work ROH

Big day on the tour, as we had not only a title match, but the reveal of both blocks and participants for G1 Climax 29. You can see this show now on NJPWWorld.

- 6/16/2019, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (NJPWWorld)

Yota Tsuji d. Yuya Uemura (Boston Crab, 8:49)

Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] d. Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], Tomoaki Honma & Ren Narita (Taichi > Narita, Tenshojojihou, 11:50)

Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls [CHAOS] & Ryusuke Taguchi d. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado [Bullet Club] (Taguchi > Jado, Oh My & Garankle, 8:57)

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] d. Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Shota Umino (Takagi > Umino, Pumping Bomber, 10:38)

Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens [Bullet Club] d. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano [CHAOS] (Owens > Makabe, Schoolboy, 10:52)

Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. & Lance Archer [SZKG] d. Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS], YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] & Toa Henare (Archer > Henare, Iron Claw, 14:30)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo [Bullet Club] d. SHO & YOH [CHAOS] © (Phantasmo > YOH, CR II, 23:00) - RPG3K fail their 2nd defense - Ishimori/Phantasmo are the 60th champions

El Phantasmo gets his 1st NJPW title, in the first of THREE title matches he is participating in on this tour: he has a challenge for the Comedy titles tomorrow, and on 6/25 he defends the RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight title against Ryusuke Taguchi. EVIL didn’t fist bump with the rest of LIJ post-match. 

The biggest news for today is the reveal of both the blocks and participants for G1 Climax 29. This year’s tournament has no less than SIX debutants to the tournament, and one surprising omission. Here’s the list, with the debutants in italics.

A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS], Will Ospreay [CHAOS], Bad Luck Fale [Bullet Club], Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG], Lance Archer [SZKG], EVIL [Los Ingobernables], SANADA [Los Ingobernables], KENTA [FREE]

B Block: Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb [ROH], Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], Toru Yano [CHAOS], Hirooki Goto [CHAOS], Jay White [Bullet Club], Taichi [SZKG], Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables], Shingo Takagi [Los Ingobernables], Jon Moxley [FREE]

All four who demanded to be let in to G1 Climax at Dominion are in: Jon Moxley, Shingo Takagi, KENTA and Will Ospreay. Taichi finally gets his entry as well, having been excluded last year. ROH’s Jeff Cobb also makes his debut, and rightly so, acting as a stand-in for the departed *spits* Michael Elgin. Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale also make their returns to the tournament. Two names shockingly left out: Satoshi Kojima and Minoru Suzuki. If last year’s was to be Kojima’s last, he missed it as he was out injured, and should be allowed to have a proper final tournament. Suzuki being left out is a pisser, as he can still go. But with this many debutants, someone had to be left out. I can see a few on this list who could have safely missed this. 

Tomorrow will be the revelation of the main events of each night. The tour starts on 7/6/2019 in Dallas, and ends on 8/12/2019 at Tokyo Nippon Budokan.

Lots of rumors going around right now, so cue up Timex Social Club. 

Reports were circulating yesterday that Davey Boy Smith Jr. is done in New Japan. He is currently the MLW Tag Team co-champion, and has been pretty vocal recently on his social media, etc., on his dissatisfaction with the booking in NJPW. So that’s the end of the Killer Elite Squad, at least for NJPW, and explains why Lance (Hoyt) Archer is solo right now. 

On that note, there were reports going around Friday that Gedo stepped down as booker of NJPW right before Dominion, which seem to be getting debunked. I don’t know. I haven’t been sure of who has been booking NJPW since Harold Meij came in charge in June 2018, as the inconsistency made it seemed like it was booked by committee. So we still don’t know who exactly has the book in NJPW. Or something.

There are also reports that Juice Robinson, despite spearheading the Lifeblood unit, is done in Ring of Honor, and does not want to be booked there in the future.  Additionally, it seems there are quite a few NJPW talents who also do not want to take ROH bookings right now, if reports are to be believed. I can believe that part of it, as ROH is trash, and it will be pretty obvious to the talents that it’s trash. All you have to do is look at the MSG show and see which parts went flawlessly and which... didn’t.

Mind you, most of these reports are coming from one source, and while they may be accurate, they may also not be. 

Tomorrow’s show is on NJPWWorld, and features both a title match, and an elimination match main event.

- 6/17/2019, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (NJPWWorld)

Yota Tsuji v. Yuya Uemura

Yuji Nagata & Shota Umino v. Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare

Hiroyoshi Tenzan Return Match: Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV v. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson [Lifeblood], Mikey Nicholls [CHAOS] & Ren Narita v. Jay White, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club]

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Togi Makabe, Toru Yano [CHAOS] & Ryusuke Taguchi © v. Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo [Bullet Club]

Elimination Match: Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, SHO & YOH [CHAOS] v. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [SZKG]

[monficsmonfix]

Forgiveness

Wonho x Reader

~2,000 words

a/n: First time writing anything. I have a part 2 in mind if anyone wants to read it? Thank you for reading my story! Thank you thank y you! I will edit this up a bit tomorrow! Also I added a keep reading line but it's not showing when I look at it on mobile, but it was there on my laptop...if it's not there let me know and I'll try to fix that again! ❤

You were nearly asleep when you heard your phone ring a painfully familiar tune. You didn't expect to hear it, though you used to look forward to hearing it every night around this time. You hadn't heard it in nearly two months. Since your relationship with Wonho fell to pieces.

Since you found him in the arms of another woman.

You were nearly asleep when you heard your phone ring a painfully familiar tune. You didn't expect to hear it, though you used to look forward to hearing it every night around this time. You hadn't heard it in nearly two months. Since your relationship with Wonho fell to pieces.

Since you found him in the arms of another woman.

Part of you wanted to not answer, to let him think you've moved on. The other part wanted needed to tell him off and let him know just how much pain he left you in. You had rehearsed countless times what you would say to him if he had the nerve to contact you again.

The latter side won out. You took a deep breath and swiped a shaking finger across the screen, fully prepared to let him have it.

"H..hello? Y/n?" 

Your words died on your lips when you heard the broken greeting. The only time you've heard him sound like this was when he shared his worries about his family while he was a trainee.

"I know you don't owe me anything, but please, can we talk? Y/n?" His voice cracked on your name when you hesitated to answer. He sounded like he was in as much pain as you were in, but also, he sounded resigned that you might not be willing to speak with him.

"Yeah, I'm here. Look, what do you need so late, Wonho?" The words felt strange, heavy even, in your mouth. One, you never before would have questioned him calling so late. This was your time, your nightly ritual while he was touring. And two, you never called him Wonho when it was just you two, even if you had fought, he was your Hoseok.

Was.

Not yours anymore, so if you were going to pretend you had moved on, he was Wonho.

You could tell it hurt him when you used his stage name, the name people used when they weren't in his inner circle. His breath hitched, and he let out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry...’" he whispered. "I hurt you and I can't change that, and now I'm making you listen to me and bringing it all back up.”

You steeled yourself. You had to be strong. He destroyed your heart. Your trust. You couldn't give in to the instinct to comfort him. No matter how overwhelming it was.

But still there was something there in his voice, something that made you stay on the line. "So, you're calling to apologize? It doesn't change anything. Why now? Why wait so long?!" Your feelings were threatening to boil over, but you had to hear what he had to say. If only so you could properly move on. "What do you expect me to say? You cheated, you threw away all our years together, our plans for the future, and in return I get a 'sorry'?!"

"Y/n, you need to know what really happened. I never cheated on you. I never would." He paused to sniff, "You know me better than that."

So, he's going to deny it, now? Fine, this should be interesting, he never was good at lying anyway. "No, Wonho, I thought that I knew you better than that. But I saw you two together in her dressing room. She was all over you!" You found the tears that you had tried to force back, spilling over at the bitter memory.

"It wasn't what it looked like, y/n, I swear." His voice got stronger with conviction as he continued to explain what happened. "Our manager told us to be nice to her because she was debuting that night as a solo artist and didn't have band members to lean on for support."

You rolled your eyes and your anger got the best of you. "How very accommodating of you! Do you always support the new debuts by shoving your tongue down their throat?" You normally would have regretted the venom that you heard in your voice but while you wanted to hear him out you also needed to let your pain out.

"Please, y/n, I went to talk with her and give her some advice, but she threw herself at me crying. I'm not heartless, I let her get it out of her system. We were sitting and sharing training horror stories. That’s all.”

You knew the girl, you had met her briefly several times. She was a ruthless trainee, and she didn't get along with anyone. Everyone was her rival. But she was also incredibly talented. So, after several years at not working out in trial projects with other trainees, they decided to debut her as a solo artist.

As hard as it was to get close to her, you suspected it was because she knew she had to succeed. Her family put everything they had into her training. She couldn't disappoint them and leave them with nothing. That must be why they got along so well, and she confided in him when she wouldn't with the other members. They both had the desperate desire to take care of their families who put their everything into them pursuing their dreams.

You let out an exasperated sigh before asking, "So how did that lead to what I saw?" You started to suspect that perhaps you misread what you saw. She had looked you in the eye through the mirror as she latched onto him and you couldn't break eye contact with her. You had been in shock. You didn't even wait for an explanation, you just left. You couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the face before you stormed off.

"She must have misread my kindness, and then she just threw herself at me. It was weird though, because I could have sworn she knew we were together, every time she saw us we were together."

You smiled at his innocence. He hadn't seen the deliberate look she had shot at you through the mirror.

"She knew what she was doing, Wonho. She saw me there." You wanted to hate her, but you actually felt for her. You saw how that life takes its toll on the mind. "You were the only person she felt she could relate to, so you were probably her next goal."

Wonho made a thoughtful sound while he contemplated what you said.

"Why didn't you try to talk to me before now?" You felt warmth wash over you heart knowing that he hadn't, in fact, cheated, yet you still felt like there was a something missing. "Why now?"

"Your face," he whispered, "I could see how devastated you were, and it tore me apart that you could believe I would do that to you. After everything we had been through. I couldn't bring myself to ever put you through that again and I didn't think you would listen to me. I know how it looked..."

He was right. He did know you, you had felt broken and there was no way you would have listened to him. Hell, you didn't even plan to listen to him tonight. You answered so that you could make him know what he put you through.

"So, what now?" You cringed while you waited for his reply. You didn't even know what you hoped he would say.

"Can you forgive me?" You never heard this voice before, so devoid of even the smallest hint of hope. "I get that I screwed up.I never should have let you feel that way. I should have chased after you and explained the situation."

"Well? Then why didn't you?"

"She said that you would need time to breathe before you would be willing to listen. She convinced me I would only hurt you more. That with my lifestyle and schedule you might be better off without me. That you deserved someone normal."

You snorted, "And I suppose she probably also suggested that you would do better to find someone who can understand your world? Someone in the business?"

He let a light laugh slip and you could feel him returning from the broken man who dialed you tonight. "Yeah, something along those lines."

"And? Do you agree with her? Would you rather find someone else who could 'understand' your world?" Your throat was feeling dry, so you wandered into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. You waited for his reply, feeling insecurities start to creep in when he didn’t immediately answer.

"That's the thing, y/n. I uhh...better get off the phone. I'm about to see that someone. I finally have courage to tell her that I'd like a future with her. I just had toー"

You fell your heart drop to your toes. Now you felt all the life go out of your own voice, "Get my forgiveness first?" Ever the honorable one. You leaned on the counter not sure you could hold your self up anymore. 

"Well, yeah. I couldn't make a confession without it." He actually sounded relieved. Bastard. You wanted to throw up.

You weren't even listening anymore. You had your explanations, and now you could move on. You would be damned though if you let him think he hurt you again. At least let him have his happy ending. Your chest tightened painfully as you said your goodbyes. "Well, good luck with that, I hope she returns your feelings." You ended the call before he could say another word.

And before you could even put your phone down on the counter there was a knock at your apartment door. You looked down at your phone suspiciously, and saw it was after 1am.

There's no way...is there?

You walked lightly to the door, so you wouldn't be heard and looked through the peephole to see nothing, it must have been the wrong apartment. Your felt your heart twinge in disappointment. You let out a sigh and leaned your head against the door, letting the stress and pain of the evening in and feeling a surge of hot tears spill down your cheeks.

Then there was another knock and again there was nothing. You eased the door opened and looked down and your world suddenly stopped feeling like it was spinning out of control.

Wonho was kneeling on the floor with a bunch of daisies in one hand and a carrier with two very large coffees in the other. He looked up at you with red eyes and smiled, "Can I come in?"

You eyed the coffee and shrugged, attempting to look indifferent, "Depends...one of those for me?"

He laughed and now matching tears were spilling down his cheeks, he bowed his head and rested it against your hip and you watch his back shake while he tried to control his emotions.

You knelt down in front of him and he put down the coffee and flowers and you both wiped tears from each other's faces.

"You're here. I thought you found someone who can understand your work schedule?" You didn’t care how swollen and red your face was, because he sported a matching look, you just smiled at him and continued to touch his face. The face you were convinced you would never touch again. 

"You understand me 100%. You always have. It's what gave me the strength to call." He paused to push my hair back that was sticking to my wet face. "Cause no matter what, you know me and had to know deep down that I would never want anyone else."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and breathed him in, you had missed this. You were jostled when he wrapped his arms around you and stood up not letting you go for a second.

"I’m so sorry it took me so long to find my way home." He had his cocky smile on, but you could see the insecurity in his eyes. “Could you learn to love me again?”

You laid your face on his chest and melted into him, cherishing his heartbeat. "I never stopped."