#is this why he was so adamant on Ryan learning how to fly

[arealtrashact]

Atleast we had a Homelander and Sister Sage moment... I'll take any scene with them as a win

It was a treat seeing brain-dead Sage interacting with a completely baffled Homelander. It's . . . very telling to see how much he relies on her to do the thinking for the both of them despite only having known her for what, a month ? He's so ready to (re)assume his role as a trophy wife. Thank goodness Neuman was there to fill in for Sage during the ten seconds he had to think for himself.

Neuman, Sage and Homelander all on the same page strongly reminds me of another ruthless triumvirate

[superman86to99]

Superman #84 (December 1993)

Superman takes a short Paris vacation! Like, one day short. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, man.

So, for the past few issues, we've been hearing about children being abducted in Metropolis. Now we see that they're being kept inside a giant toy house by some creepy bald man in Quasimodo clothes who seems to be obsessed with toys -- a "Man of Toys," if you will. Side note: no wonder the children haven't been found... all the articles about them are just gibberish! (See clip below.)

The kidnapper thinks that these kids' parents don't deserve them, and that they're much better off here, in an underground hideout with a man who threatens to starve them if they don't play with him. (And I do mean literally play, with action figures and stuff.) Meanwhile, as these children cry for help, Superman is having the time of his life. While helping move a stranded ship with some huge-ass chains, Superman spots a sunken galleon with a treasure chest inside and fantasizes about keeping the booty...

...before turning it over to the authorities anyway, the big boy scout. Then, he wakes up Lois at 6 AM and tells her they should go to Paris right now, which usually means your significant other is having a mental breakdown, but in this case they can actually do it. And so, after deciding that he deserves to use his powers for fun every once in a while, Superman and Lois drop everything and fly to France with super-speed for the rest of the day/issue.

Anyway: back to the child abduction! Cat Grant and her son Adam attend a Halloween party at Adam's school, but there's a disturbed weirdo in a hideous costume lurking among the crowd. Yes, I'm talking about Jimmy Olsen in his Turtle Boy suit.

Shortly after that, a guy in a dinosaur costume (see, all the creeps are dressed as reptiles) lures Adam out of the party with the promise of "superb video games." What child could resist that? Of course, that turns out to be the kidnapper and Adam ends up in his hideout along with the rest of the missing children and, worst of all, not a single "Lextendo" console.

The kidnapper gets angry at Adam when he refers to the toys at the hideout as "old-fashioned junk" (he was REALLY looking forward to those video games), and even angrier when Adam tries to free the other kids. Adam is brave and puts up a good fight, but...

And those were Adam Morgan's final words. "Uh-oh."

Next, we have a pretty harrowing scene of Detective Turpin letting Cat know Adam’s body was found, and Jimmy and Perry White taking her to the morgue to identify the body (most people probably wouldn't bring their former boss to something like that, but Perry sadly knows more than most about losing a kid). As for Lois and Clark, they were gone so long that the Daily Planet had time to print a headline about the murders. The issue ends when the lovebirds walk into the office smiling like two people who just spent the night fooling around in Paris... only to feel like jackasses when they find out what happened.

To be continued!

Character-Watch:

And that's it for little Adam Morgan who, unlike the also tragically diseased Jerry White, didn't even get any post-death appearances. Adam went from a little kid scared of Superman, to a huge brat, to a character who was approaching likeability as of last week. That's why I hate it when DC kills off young characters like Adam or Liam Harper: in long-form storytelling, children represent potential. Look at how much Wally West or Dick Grayson evolved over the years compared to their mentors! Sure, there's a huge probability that Adam would have ended up disappearing from comics for 25 years anyway, but who knows, maybe we'd now know him as Teen Gangbuster or something. GangbusTEEN.

This issue also represents a turning point for the kidnapper, who is never named or seen clearly in the story itself but I don't think I'm shocking anyone by spoiling the fact that he's Toyman (it's in the cover, for one thing). In his last two appearances before this storyline, Toyman helped Superman save some kids from Sleez and looked genuinely sad to learn about Superman's death, so this is a pretty dramatic change for the character. We'll find out why he went from big softy to child killer in Superman #85 (but don't get your hopes up).

Plotline-Watch:

The most disturbing part of the issue, all things considered, is still the part where Toyman climbs into a giant crib and hugs a huge stuffed bunny. Look at serial killer Tommy Pickles here:

Don Sparrow says:  “Even with the upgrade, Toyman is still just a man in a suit, a common complaint about Superman’s rogues gallery.” Funny you should say that, because I JUST shared an old Wizard interview in our Twitter in which Dan Jurgens talks about how Doomsday came out of his frustration with the fact that most Superman villains are dudes in suits (plus other interesting tidbits from the era, like how it was actually Roger Stern’s idea to bring back Hank Henshaw, so check out that link!).

Don again: “The entire Superman storyline of this issue feels like filler. Diving for buried treasure and soaring off to Paris -- it all feels like wasted time next to the Adam storyline.” I have a theory that the entire ship sequence is there as an excuse to put Superman in those big chains and make that Spawn joke (which I didn’t get until now, since I’ve always read this issue in Spanish).

Superman says that pulling that big ship was "a little easier than expected" -- that's either another hint that there's something going on with Superman's powers since he came back, or a subtle dig at the state of American ship manufacturing.

Another adorable "window tap" scene for the books, and this is the sexiest one so far. Is it me or has Jurgens started copying more than just Teri Hatcher's hairdo from Lois & Clark? (For anyone who thinks Lois has gotten implants, I refer you to this clip.)

While in Paris, Lois asks Clark if he's ever wondered what would happen if his rocket had landed in other countries. Don: “Clark’s conversation with Lois sounds like a bunch of concepts for Elseworlds stories. We eventually would see a Russian Superman, and a British Superman, but not yet the French Superman. (Hire us, DC!)” Yep, got my French Superman pitch ready, Jim Lee. Or just let us do Russian Superman again, since Red Son wasn’t even the first time you published that idea.

Don once more: “Another thing that makes no sense about the ‘new’ Toyman is his resentment of technological toys—when in previous appearances he himself had deadly high-tech toys to vex Superman over the years.” I especially resent his hatred of video game consoles. Incidentally, I wonder what types of games are available for Adam’s beloved Lextendo. Star Lex 64? Mega Man Lex? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles & Lex?

No one is more upset at Lois and Clark for going AWOL than Whit. NO ONE. He's so furious that his usually grey mustache turned black.

Patreon-Watch:

As always, shout out to our patrons, Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Samuel Doran, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush and Raphael Fischer! Last month’s exclusive Patreon article was about the recently unearthed sequel to Superman 64 for the PlayStation, featuring Metallo, Parasite, and Lois looking even hotter than in this issue:

Hot damn. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99!

And believe it or not, Don Sparrow has even more to say about this issue. Read his section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

I should start off my section with a big caveat:  I flat out hate this issue. There were several weird decisions made in the post-Death-and-Return era (most of them along the same lines of making the Superman titles more grim-and-gritty), and this story was one of the worst of them.  My theory is that, despite the praise and record-breaking sales of the Death and Return storyline, the Superman creative team felt pressure to have more extreme storylines, perhaps in response to the wildly successful Image books coming out at the time.  Between this story, and the upcoming “Spilled Blood” storyline, the Super books take a hard—but temporary--turn into more violent and upsetting storytelling—even though these stories are by the same writers as the previous few years. While death has always been a part of comics, and Superman comics was no exception, there is a jarring glibness and unfeeling toward the way violence is handled in these pages that is quite different from the stories that preceded it.  It’s made all the more jarring by the fact that well-established personalities suddenly veer wildly out of character, Toyman chief among them.  

We start with the cover, and while it is technically well-drawn (by the familiar team of Jurgens and Breeding) it’s also a very upsetting visual.  I think they should have gone with the pieta type pose with Adam and Superman, OR the scary badass bowie-knife Toyman (who apparently has a Cheshire cat smile now) but not both.  But the cover is a good hint at the tonal dissonance of the comic within.

We open with a splash of the now-extreme 90s looking Toyman, with his serial killer shaved head and spooky cloak, ignoring the pleas of hungry kids he has locked up in a tiny jail cell for days at a time (if that sentence doesn’t ring alarm bells for how wrong this is for a Superman story, I don’t know what will). For much of the issue Toyman’s eyes are obscured by glare on his lenses, further de-humanizing a character who was once one of Superman’s more empathetic bad guys.

We cut to Superman tugboating a huge tanker with giant chains and it’s a cool visual (one repeated in the Batman V Superman film).  It feels especially out of place to focus on, given how upsetting this issue is otherwise, but throughout the whole comic, Lois is drawn smoking hot, especially on the two page spread on pages 9-10.

The scenes depicting the actual murder, while still wildly out of place in a Superman comic, are well done, and give a real sense of darkness and menace, which I suppose is the intent.  Perhaps my least favourite visual is the Big Bird stuffie, silently bearing witness to what’s about to occur.

The edges of the panels on get more slashy and off-kilter (to me, looking very much like the layouts more typically seen in Image comics of the day) and I suppose I appreciate the restraint of how little Dan Jurgens shows of the death of a child, showing only a bloody slash on a black background.  This is still a pretty baroque image for a Superman comic, but certainly less violent than it could be, given what is happening.

Cat Grant’s silent horror is well staged, and powerful in its way.   Lastly, Clark Kent bending in sorrow and regret is a powerful image.

While this issue is handled marginally better, and more maturely than other comics on the shelf at this time, I still believe it is one of the biggest mistakes of the era.  Giving a long-established character an unceremonious death for shock value is gross on its own, but making it a child definitely crosses a line for me.  Making it worse is that, while the Toyman is a criminal and a killer, he has shown in past issues (a similar kidnapping storyline involving Sleez) that he genuinely cares for the well-being of children.  So for a long-time reader, this also felt like a betrayal of a long-established, fully developed character.   Adding to the ugliness of this is that Adam dies heroically, trying to free the children who have been caged, unfed, for days, but even in that regard, he fails.  The headline at the end of the issue confirms all the children are dead.  Adam’s death did not buy the other kids enough time to get away. It was all for nothing. Had Adam died, but the other children lived, maybe this issue wouldn’t leave quite as bad a taste. [Max: It’s weird because it’s all told in a way where it’s told in a way where it would make sense, narratively and within the story universe, that the other kids survived, but then it’s almost casually revealed that nope, they died too. A scene of one of the kids relaying Adam’s heroism to Cat in a future issue would have gone a long way.]

Superman doesn’t come off well in these pages, either.  It’s honestly the type of story they should just stay away from, because the more you think about all the calamity that is going on around the clock, the less defensible the whole Clark Kent persona becomes. Superman carving out time to romance his fiancée directly led to the preventable deaths of innocent children—how do you come back from that?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I’m always looking for hints that perhaps Jimmy or Perry know Superman’s secret identity deep down, and Jimmy’s anger at Lois and Clark on their return to the Daily Planet offices would seem to give that theory some credence, as he’s as angry at them as if he knew Clark really were Superman.  Either that, or he’s ticked that it fell to him, and none of them to escort Cat into the morgue. [Max: Has this issue finally converted you to the “Jimmy is terrible” side now, Don?]

I don’t think I’m the only one who disliked the new Toyman—SPOILERS BE HERE: years later, in Action Comics #865, Geoff Johns retconned this whole story, reverting Schott into the criminal who over-relates to kids, rather than the child-killer of this story.  Apparently the infantile Schott, who speaks to “Mother” a la Norman Bates, is a robot so lifelike it fools even Superman, and the “Mother” he’s constantly replying to was the real Winslow Schott trying to recall the malfunctioning robot. [Max: That’s one Geoff Johns retcon I really didn’t mind, even if it felt kind of derivative of his similar “all the Brainiacs are robots made by the real Brainiac” reveal.]

[joementa]

The Unplugged Sessions

I don’t know where you live, but where I’m at, this past week had some crazy weather.  My parents told me that where they live in Brigantine, people were literally sitting on the beach.  As if it were summer!  I didn’t get outside as much as I’d like this week, but I still got to soak in some rays. This global warming thing might be ruining things for future generations, but don’t worry, it lets me keep my summer tan all year long.

Anyways.  It looks like we are going to get some chilly weather starting TODAY actually.  And not only chilly, but it’s going to rain a ton too.  Which means it’s perfect weather for some acoustic music.  So I put together a playlist of some songs that you probably already know, but some you probably don’t already know.  And some of these songs have been on recent playlists of mine (and you all know how I don’t like to repeat songs!).  But the key here is that all of the songs this week are the acoustic/unplugged versions.  So there’s no sax when you hear “Born To Run”!  No guitar solos in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.  But that’s okay.  This kind of weather demands more acoustic-based music.  A few notes on the playlist:

I have no clue why Learning To Flinch isn’t available on vinyl.  It’s criminal.  This is the only album sampled on this week’s playlist that I don’t already have on vinyl!

“In Your Atmosphere” is just an incredible song.  The entire Where The Light Is album is one of the best live albums in my vinyl vault. Your collection needs to have it. Make sure you get the Music On Vinyl pressing: https://www.discogs.com/release/3430867-John-Mayer-Where-The-Light-Is-John-Mayer-Live-In-Los-Angeles

The entire Live At Luther College album is amazing and probably my favorite live Dave Matthews release, of which there are many and all are great.  But this one tops them all.  It’s all about the SOUND here.  Dave and Tim sound like they are next to you in your living room.  The acoustic guitars truly sound acoustic. You can hear their fingers scratching up the guitar neck.  And Dave’s voice is so pure that you want to cry.  And it sounds like he is too on a view songs at this show.  Check out this entire album RIGHT NOW.  Focus on it.  Listen from beginning to end.  Your ears will thank you.

I’m assuming you’re already familiar with the Esher demos, which were thankfully released a few years ago. Woo hoo!

Alice In Chain’s MTV Unplugged.  Your record collection needs it.  It’s an essential album.  Similar with Where The Light Is, you want the Music On Vinyl pressing.  It looks like it might be out of print but still, this album is worth every penny.  https://www.discogs.com/release/2445087-Alice-In-Chains-MTV-Unplugged

The Chimes Of Freedom EP is pretty cool (check out the title track and “Be True”) but I think the coolest thing is just when this EP was recorded.  Bruce and Patti were just getting together on that tour.  The thoughts that one has….

The Unplugged Sessions on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-unplugged-sessions/pl.u-WabZpLjsWRYe83 

The Unplugged Sessions on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6RUwHVJ2mpM4J77h0ROJa0?si=MsLH8NrwRMiaw8NWAsBT_Q

Wait!  There’s more!  In case you do need a little lift me up, here’s the plugged in version of the playlist (unfortunately only 19 songs because there’s no ‘non-acoustic’ version of “In Your Atmosphere”.  At least not that I know of….)

The Plugged Sessions on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-plugged-sessions/pl.u-NpXm60asvL74WM

The Plugged Sessions on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NPBEm4dkFRFXOovQNpHIN?si=R-sQdaIuRVaSPZ1qcrhlSQ

John Mayer – “In Your Atmosphere” (Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles)

Warren Zevon – “Splendid Isolation” (Learning To Flinch)

The Pretenders – “Sense Of Purpose” (The Isle Of View)

John Mellencamp – “Small Town” (The Good Samaritan Tour 2000)

The Goo Goo Dolls – “Slide” (Rarities)

Neil Young – “Flying On The Ground Is Wrong” (Carnegie Hall 1970)

Ryan Adams – “New York, New York” (Live After Deaf (Copenhagen))

Jeff Tweedy – “I’m Always In Love” (Together At Last)

The Civil Wars – “20 Years” (Live At Eddie's Attic)

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – “Lover Lay Down” (Live At Luther College)

The Beatles – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (The Beatles (Super Deluxe Edition))

Nirvana – “Come As You Are” (MTV Unplugged In New York)

Ruston Kelly – “Dammit” (Dirt Emo Vol. 1)

Bleachers – “Rollercoaster” (MTV Unplugged)

Katy Perry – “Waking Up In Vegas” (MTV Unplugged: Katy Perry)

Prince – “U’re Gonna C Me” (One Nite Alone…)

Pearl Jam – “Black” (MTV Unplugged)

Alice In Chains – “No Excuses” (MTV Unplugged)

The Gaslight Anthem – “American Slang” (The B-Sides)

Bruce Springsteen – “Born To Run” (Chimes Of Freedom EP)        

[petalsbloomed-a]

( OH FUCK BEFORE I DISAPPEAR I WANNA DROP SOME IDEAS FOR MY VLD/HTTYD VERSES FOR RYAN HUEHUEHUE. THESE ARE ALL STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION BUT KNOWING MYSELF WILL I ACTUALLY CHANGE ANYTHING??? SDJKHFSD )

* note: ryan is FULL HUMAN in both of these verses.

VERSE: voltron - legendary defender      ryan was born on earth and trained at the galaxy garrison about five years prior to the events of the first season of the show. during the attack on earth in which adam died, he was captured by the galra and after only a few hours managed to escape. he found himself traveling for days on end, low on food and water until his battle cruiser was suddenly alerted by a foreign yet friendly signal from a nearby planet. he allowed the ship to guide itself towards the signal, barely needing to do anything to control it, almost as if a force was guiding it. turns out that the white lion, a mysterious hidden battle ship and the sixth and most powerful part of voltron that had been missing and essentially lost through space and time and little to nobody left to pass on its memory, had been calling to him and had managed to guide not only ryan but his battle cruiser to it. it took him a few days but he managed to learn what the beast wanted from him, and he gladly climbed aboard and made it his new ship. he then made it his duty to do what he could to fight against the galra, teaming up with the blade of marmora and some rebel forces along the way.      the white lion was the sixth and final creation of alfor’s, not brought up to the public as the final and rarest, and most powerful, part of voltron out of fear for it being found out. it was left in alfor’s lab when altea was destroyed, but it managed to find its way out due to its extreme natural intelligence. it is smaller than the black lion and only slightly larger than the red lion, but it is easily the fastest lion of the group and delivers the deadliest of blows, particularly when it is paired with a strike from voltron itself. it does not physically group up with voltron; rather it is often saved to be used as a last resort due to its sheer power and strength. it has a natural cloaking ability powered by quintessence, as opposed to the green lion whose is powered by technology alone. this allows it to strike out of nowhere, completely invisible to enemy radar. despite the sheer strength of its firepower, which come in the form of oxyacetylene blasts that fire at 3200 degrees celsius and that can create a 300 mile-diameter crater on an average-sized planet, it only has an eight-shot limit before it needs to take time to recharge its blasts. a single shot can tear a galran cruiser in half. it can fly at a solid 4000 miles per hour on earth.      the guardian of oriande is also referred to as the “white lion,” and for good reason. the white lion’s energy was manifested from the guardian after alfor returned, and the guardian sensed his presence as one of the most powerful alteans in the history of the universe, so it lent its power and a good handful of its quintessence to alfor for his secret project.

VERSE: how to train your dragon      ryan is a distant relative of grimmel the grisly, a born and raised dragon hunter who has had his own fair share of spilling the blood of dragons who crossed his path. as a teenager, he began to hear stories of the berkians and how they had made peace with the dragons. he didn’t believe it at first, which was why he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and travel to berk to see what he was up against. he managed to stay hidden in the forest just outside of the village, but even after spending a week there his mind was promptly changed. the journey home was spent mulling about in his head of what he was going to tell his team captain when he returned. occasionally he was on night watch for the trapped dragons they had, and he ended up befriending and getting close to a male light fury they had trapped there, occasionally catching fish for him and feeding him to earn his trust. eventually he opened up about his thoughts following the excursion to berk at a later time, being requested to join a hunting squadron and was almost promptly shut down and chased out with weapons. the light fury, hearing that his friend was in danger, attempted to break out to save ryan, but he found him first, quickly freeing him from his prison and having him take him as far away from the hunters’ base as possible. they ended up settling on a remote island nearly thousands of miles north, just south of the tip of greenland. after three years of making home on the island they were found by a rather explorative portion of drago’s army, and they were forced to evacuate. the only place they could think of returning to was berk, and there they met hiccup and the team and was invited to join the group at dragon’s edge. he named his light fury blizzardwing, who was approximately twenty years old at the time.      ryan is approximately three years older than hiccup, making him only eighteen years of age when he set out to explore berk and its newfound peace with the dragons.

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover

Page 2: Michael Douglas' short-term memory loss and frail frame have wife Catherine Zeta-Jones fearing for her older husband's well-being -- Michael once declared he'd beaten oral cancer, but harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments have left him a shell of his former self and he has even admitted to suffering memory problems -- he was also affected by the 2020 death of his father Kirk Douglas and he hasn't been the same since his dad died -- this is a guy who cheated death with a horrific cancer ordeal, and he's had other medical issues over the years and some serious domestic dramas that have taken their toll -- Catherine always knew that their age difference would mean her taking care of him one day but she didn't expect it to be so soon

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon has ditched her wedding ring during recent outings, sparking rumors her marriage to Jim Toth is on the ropes but she feels their relationship isn't down for the count and refuses to give up the fight to keep their family together but they may not make it -- the desire to make things work is still there on both sides and they've been able to pull it all together all these years, even with personalities as different as theirs mainly for the sake of their family and they got on each other's nerves while cooped up together during the pandemic, but they don't bicker in public and that's one thing they have going for them

Page 4: Ryan Seacrest creeped out his pals when he gushed over Maria Menounos when she sat in for Kelly Ripa on Live recently -- Ryan thinks Maria is the smartest, most talented and beautiful woman to walk the planet and he can't help but swoon over her but Ryan understands Maria is happily married to TV writer and producer Keven Underago and he'd never cross the line and he doesn't want to date Maria, but he makes no secret he'd be dancing on air to have someone like her, which is kind of creepy, but he can't help it -- Ryan would never make moves on someone else's girl, but he does try to imitate her husband Keven's qualities like how funny and creative and sensible he is and Ryan adores Kelly and thinks she's great but he wouldn't mind if she takes more time off just so he can gaze at Maria

* Miley Cyrus' recent boozy night out with party pals, including British punk rocker Yungblud, has loved ones fearing she's slipping back into dangerous territory -- she was spotted at Hollywood's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill, drinking shots and beer chasers, just months after she admitted to her struggles with addiction and after fellow addiction-challenged singer Demi Lovato announced she was California sober, claiming she was safely able to drink in moderation, Miley didn't see any reason why she couldn't do the same -- her family and sober friends are deeply concerned for Miley's well-being and are begging her to stop drinking now

Page 5: Newly robust Celine Dion has her health back on track following a dangerous few years where she looked like a walking skeleton -- she has beefed up her wraith-like frame by making healthier choices during lockdown -- she went through a rough time of transition after husband Rene Angelil's death and lost a lot of weight, but lockdown has given her a chance to rest and focus on taking care of herself and now she looks 15 to 20 pounds heavier and seems in good spirits and is looking forward to rebooting her Courage World Tour when the pandemic ends

Page 6: Fitness fanatic Tim McGraw is a changed man since he kicked the bottle in 2008, but he's now hooked on working out and sculpting the perfect bod and he's publicly admitted exercise is what gets him flying high but his quest to get ripped to the max is now a 24/7 obsession and he spends hours in the gym and he's already flexing a muscular body most men would die for, but he doesn't want to stop until he's an Adonis and he works out twice or three times a day and packs his diet with energy-boosting smoothies and veggie juices and some might say he's going overboard with the workouts, but Tim craves those feel-good endorphins and he considers his workouts to be fun -- he loves the way he looks and thinks he can do better and he does spend a lot of time in front of the mirror admiring himself and tends to wear tight T-shirts that show off his pecs and six-pack abs, and wife Faith Hill loves the results -- a lot of people say he's traded one addiction for another

Page 7: Nearly six years after their bitter divorce, Miranda Lambert has finally extended an olive branch to ex-husband Blake Shelton, but she's still pretty envious over his professional success with fiancee Gwen Stefani -- last year, Blake and Gwen took home the collaborative video prize at the Country Music Television Awards for their duet Nobody but You, and also scored a Top Ten hit with their single Happy Anywhere and it makes Miranda jealous to see Blake making hay on the charts with Gwen but their success also made Miranda recall Over You, her hit collaboration with Blake, which won Song of the Year at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and during a recent interview, Miranda affectionately blew kisses toward the camera as she recounted how her ballad with Blake was inspired by his grief over the loss of his older brother; still, Miranda also harbors a competitive streak and said she's angling to transform herself and husband Brendan McLoughlin into entertainment movers and shakers just like Blake and Gwen -- Miranda plans to enroll Brendan in acting school and Miranda wants them to act together and they are looking for scripts to make a television movie and even planning to launch a production company in Nashville and Miranda recognizes the musical chemistry Blake and Gwen share, and she believes she and Brendan can match that success on-screen -- meanwhile, as Blake and Gwen prepare to wed, Miranda is finally in a place where she can wish them well and Miranda carried a lot of animosity toward Blake and Gwen, especially since she suspected they started something before she and Blake split up, but she's very happy with Brendan so maybe all that pain she and Blake went through in ending their marriage was for the best

* Reba McEntire is reaching out to save her friend and former daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson from suffering through a divorce that eerily mirrors Reba's own breakup -- Kelly split from husband and manager Brandon Blackstock in June 2020, and the divorce battle has them fighting over custody of their two kids as well as Brandon suing her for $1.4 million in unpaid commissions, but Reba has seen this before: Brandon's dad, Narvel Blackstock, dumped her in 2015 after 26 years of marriage, and despite initially agreeing to continue as her manager, dumped her as a client weeks later and Reba knows all too well how petty and conniving Narvel and Brandon can be, and her heart goes out to Kelly -- Kelly admits to Reba there are times when she just wants to run away and hide and Reba tells her to run away to me and it means the world to Kelly to have Reba in her corner -- Narvel and son Brandon head Starstruck Entertainment and are adamant that Kelly owes them big bucks for helping her land both her talk show and a coaching spot on The Voice, but with Reba's help, Kelly is fighting back and Reba learned the hard way the pitfalls of mixing business with family life and she's trying to help Kelly because she hates to see another woman suffer at the hands of a Blackstock

Page 8: Sicko Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of a horrific new litany of abuse by a woman who claims he forced her into unwanted genital surgery, raped her in front of her child and threatened to feed her to alligators -- the woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, is suing the late pervert's estate, claiming he and his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, groomed her for their sordid pleasure -- in the suit, she claims Epstein drove her to pick up her 8-year-old son and took them to a lake, where he threatened to feed her to alligators, as had happened to other girls in the past, if she dared to squeal on him -- at the time, the woman said she was 26, but she looked much younger and Epstein told her to say she was 17 and he also arranged for a man with a Russian accent to perform an unnecessary vaginal surgery to pass her off as a virgin to a client and this violent and illegal procedure was botched, leaving her mutilated, in pain, disabled, and permanently sexually dysfunctional

Page 9: Ghislaine Maxwell has been slapped with yet another sex trafficking charge and it's got her former pal Prince Andrew sweating bullets -- the new indictment details how Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam reportedly groomed a 14-year-old for him, but crucially for Andrew, it expands the time frame of Ghislaine's alleged crimes from 1994 to 2004, a span that includes her meeting the British royal in 1999 and then introducing him to Epstein and that time frame also includes the period in which "sex slave" Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she slept with Andrew three times, charges he's denied -- the new charge also opens the floodgates on other celebrities, politicians and high-profile figures who were in Epstein's orbit at the time and the new indictment widens the pool for Ghislaine and her defense attorneys because who wouldn't want to bring down all of these fat cats and who wouldn't be that desperate?

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Rumer Willis got to the root of her gardening needs in L.A., Michael B. Jordan and Chante Adams got cozy as they shared a snack while shooting Journal for Jordan in NYC's Central Park, Heidi Klum in L.A., Mario Lopez tossed the ceremonial first dice roll at the opening of the Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas, Christopher Meloni shot his onscreen spouse's funeral scene for Law & Order: Organized Crime

Page 11: Tony Bennett has a secret weapon in his fight against Alzheimer's disease: his close pal and collaborator Lady Gaga -- Susan Crow Benedetto, 54, the wife of the 94-year-old singing legend, has enlisted Gaga to help keep Tony's faculties sharp as he struggles with advancing dementia because Gaga's telephone calls have always helped cheer Tony up and keep him focused and they laugh together, reminisce and sometimes sing and it always puts a smile on Tony's face and it's great therapy -- when asked whether Tony still recognizes the pop star, Susan joked that Gaga is hard to forget -- Gaga has also played a critical role in keeping the aging crooner active and creative by working with him and they plan to release their second album of duets this spring as a follow-up to their 2014 smash hit Cheek to Cheek

* Worried friends feared ailing rock god Ozzy Osbourne is coming unstrung while wife Sharon Osbourne's career goes into a death spiral -- Ozzy has been plagued by crippling illnesses over the years, including Parkinson's disease, and has to walk with the aid of a cane and now he's at wit's end and pushing himself into a danger zone as his wife fights tooth and nail after leaving The Talk amid a racism scandal and Ozzy's been under a great deal of distress over Sharon's problems over at The Talk and he worries and fusses over her and can't focus on anything else and it's left many in his circle very concerned for his health which is fragile enough already -- the bashing Sharon received during the scandal has the aging rocker concerned she may never work again and he'll have to be the breadwinner

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- five years after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, she's still battling Brad Pitt over custody of their five youngest kids, now she's filed new court documents claiming she has proof of domestic violence against Brad and accusations like these would kill anyone else's career, but not in this case: Hollywood is 100 percent behind Brad and the sense in the industry is Angelina has weaponized the kids against Brad but Brad is very well respected in Hollywood, and most people find these new allegations hard to believe and if anything, Angie is only hurting the children and herself

* Real Housewives stars featured in the upcoming spinoff are cashing in and Bravo will pay Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice and the others a sweet $200,000 for one week's work in Turks and Caicos and that's more than double what the ladies usually get for filming, plus they get a free trip to a tropical island

* American Idol could be on the chopping block because in just seven weeks the show has lost 2 million viewers and it's simple math: Idol cannot survive with its current budget and ABC has two options which are cancel the show or cut costs, which would mean hiring cheaper judges and a cheaper host to replace Ryan Seacrest and both options are being explored

* Britney Spears' beau, personal trainer Sam Asghari, shows off his toned abs in L.A. (picture)

Page 13: Palace insiders fear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's vendetta against the British monarchy will take a shocking new turn: they'll bankroll a lurid movie about Princess Diana's death and the conspiracy theories that suggest the royal family was involved -- the rights to the movie script are owned by Hollywood producer Ben Browning, who was just hired by Harry and Meghan to run their film company Archewell Productions -- the controversial movie centers on Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed's father, former Harrods' boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, investigating his son's death and his belief that Dodi and Diana were murdered because she was pregnant and planning to marry, and The Firm did not want a Muslim in the royal family

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson has been busted on charges of willful torture and abuse of a child and was also charged with cruelly beating or otherwise maltreating a child under the age of 18 -- his arrest came just a year after he was slapped with a one-year suspended sentence and two years' probation after pleading guilty to menacing his ex-wife Whitney Lee, who called him mentally unstable -- Johnson helped the Shakes score three Grammys in 2016 for their album Sound & Color but the band has been on hiatus since singer Brittany Howard started a solo career in 2018 and Steve was lost after that; he went from playing in front of 50,000 people to playing in bars again -- even if the Shakes reunite, it's highly unlikely Steve would be invited back -- Steve remains in county jail awaiting his court date and his attorneys said Mr. Johnson maintains his innocence

* Danny Masterson and his lawyers believe they are victims of anti-Scientology bias and cannot get a fair trial in his Los Angeles rape case -- celebrity attorney Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child molestation charges two decades ago, claimed his client has been treated unfairly because of his ties to the church, and that the police or district attorney's office leaked damaging details of the case -- Danny and his lawyers feel persecuted and that everybody in Hollywood who isn't a Scientologist is after them -- LAPD Robbery and Homicide Division Capt. Jonathan Tippet said his organization is keeping a tight lid on all information surrounding the case to ensure Masterson gets a fair trial

Page 16: Mormon church officials are being accused of corporate greed for using members' charitable donations to secretly create a $100 billion tax-free fund -- James Huntsman, the son of a prominent Mormon family, is suing the church for fraud, claiming donations solicited to finance charity work were actually used to fill church coffers -- the church boasts at least 15 million members worldwide, including celebrities like Gladys Knight, Donny and Marie Osmond, Katherine Heigl, Julianne Hough, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams and Aaron Eckhart and many could have tithed money that ended up in the tax-free fund

Page 17: Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was recently fingered by the feds as the bogus businesswoman behind a multi-state fraud scheme dating back to 2012 -- the Bravo blowhard, known for her extravagant parties, designer outfits and extensive entourage, and her first assistant Stuart Smith were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering -- the U.S. Justice Department alleged the Park City resident and Smith of Lehi generated and sold lead lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam, and claimed the greedy creeps defrauded hundreds of victims -- the terrible twosome targeted older adults and computer illiterate folks by using both telemarketing and in-person sales teams to peddle nonexistent online services and then fight the refund efforts of wronged consumers -- if convicted, Shah and Smith each face up to 50 years behind bars

Page 18: American Life

Page 20: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva triggered a cover-up scandal when he revealed his investigators determined why Tiger Woods drove off a California cliff, then refused to explain what happened, citing the golf legend's privacy -- Villanueva said the black box in the Genesis SUV that Tiger was driving when he flew off a suburban L.A. highway in the early morning helped determine the cause

* Hollywood Hookups -- Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon engaged, Melissa and Joe Gorga appear to have reached the finale of their marriage, Fernanda Flores and professional boxes Noel Mikaelian dating

Page 21: Britney Spears said she broke into tears after seeing bits of the new documentary about how she has been in the grips of a conservatorship for years, saying she was embarrassed by the light they put her in and she cried for two weeks and still cries sometimes

* Generous Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke put a happy face on job seekers in Malibu when he handed out fistfuls of cash -- Dick was spotted withdrawing bills from a bank before driving to the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, a nonprofit that helps unemployed locals find day jobs and he stayed in his car as he handed out money to masked folks who were lined up to look for work

Page 22: The late Aretha Franklin left behind a royal mess of paperwork, including a newly discovered fourth will that has thrown her $80 million estate into fresh turmoil -- the eight-page document, titled The Will of Aretha Franklin, was apparently drawn up not long before her death in 2018, and was recently found among the files of the singer's onetime attorney Henry Grix along with the paperwork describing the terms of a trust but both items are stamped draft and neither has Aretha's signature but Michigan law changed seven years ago, and it made the admissibility of a document like this more flexible -- currently there's a bitter beef among Aretha's four adult sons over how their mother's assets should be divided

Page 23: The battle over Prince's $300 million fortune rages on, and the late pop star's siblings, and legal heirs, fear there won't be anything left after lawyers, accountants, administrators and the IRS take their cut -- five years after he died from a fatal fentanyl overdose without leaving a will, an avalanche of deals and court hearings have left his massive cash stash in limbo -- sadly Prince's distrust of lawyers and other professionals now means that millions will be spent paying those same people to try to sort out the mess he left behind and this could go on for a decade

Page 26: Weird Body Language -- stars cope with bizarre deformities -- Denzel Washington, Steven Tyler, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Perry

Page 27: Lily Allen, Mark Wahlberg, Karolina Kurkova, Scar Service -- Tina Fey, Padma Lakshmi, Joaquin Phoenix

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- Watch out for xylitol

Page 34: Just months after John Travolta's beloved wife, Kelly Preston, passed, the actor has been shattered by another death in the family -- his nephew Sam Travolta's badly decomposed body was found in his Wisconsin apartment last September, weeks after he died from a suspected heart attack -- John has suffered through so much loss and Sam's death was another huge blow but he's strong and has a deep faith in Scientology and the church brings him solace and comfort

Page 36: Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has stepped up to get a tenant in one of her buildings back on his feet -- Barbara and building co-owner Alex Rodriguez came under fire after Ryo Nagaoka's possessions were reportedly tossed while he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and when Ryo got home he found only his piano and pet tortoise in his cleaned-out crib -- emptying Ryo's apartment was necessary because it had become a health hazard and had a biocleaning crew scrub it -- Barbara donated $12,000 to a GoFundMe page for him, while A-Rod has seemingly not yet contributed anything and Barbara also said the building's management company has renovated Ryo's apartment

Page 38: Beloved game show host Peter Marshall made a miraculous recovery from COVID-19 to celebrate with friends at his 95th birthday party -- Peter was in and out of the hospital for ten weeks and he was at death's door and doctors didn't give him much of a chance but Peter beat the odds to enjoy a Zoom party attended online by Leslie Uggams, Loni Anderson, Sandy Duncan, Ruta Lee, Karen Valentine, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Jack Jones and more

* Accused sex freak Armie Hammer's career is in the crapper and he's beginning to believe that's where it will stay -- the kink king was fired from the thriller Billion Dollar Spy amid sexual assault allegations and the release of social media messages claiming he has dark fetishes including cannibalism -- Armie has already gotten to boot from the movie Shotgun Wedding and the series The Offer, and more trouble may be on the horizon: Armie was accused of sexual assault by a woman called Effie, who alleged the actor violently raped her and Armie's attorneys issued a statement denying the claims, saying Effie's own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations -- Armie has been keeping a low profile at a Caribbean resort, but fears his entire career is in trouble

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Carrie Underwood

[garbagecann24601]

I was going through some old notebooks and found some real gems.

Look theres a spider craling up that tree.

Look theres a spider apan that girls knee.

Look a spider spinning a web.

Spiders have eight legs.

There’s one craling up your leg.

They eat flys.

They eat moths.

But they don’t have aney claws.

“An Author I must Be”

An author’s the job for me,

An author I must be.

The title page should say this book was made,

By Jayde.

I love to write yes I do.

Do you like writing too?

To write a book,

You just have to look,

In your imagination for the right thing to write.

It might be hard yes it might.

“Diary of Anna Sulfer”

May 9th 1900

Today my mother had her baby. It was a boy named Joshua J. Sulfer. You would think I would be happy but I am not for mother has died.

“Diary of Elizabeth Adams” (silly stories)

The second day of September, 1870

Mother found out she is pregnat today. I do so hope it’s a girl! Father said babies take about six months to fully develop and come out. Mother says I should be happy even if the baby’s a boy. I think we don’t need a boy because we already have Mark, Timothy, Andrew, Paul, Joseph, Caleb, Willie, Marcus, Benjamin, Thomas, Frank, Charlie, Albert, Eddie, Christopher, Peter, Samuel, Levi, Josiah, Edward, Cole, Clark, Lewis, Brad, Austin, Jacob, Jack, Michal, Alexander, Zackery, Amadeous, Ezekiel, David, Isac, Jeremy, Terry, Victor, Matthew, Ted, Luther, Lin, Fredrik, Alfred, Allan, Horace, Arther, Walter, Charles, Colton, Bert, Simion, Ryan, Kyle, Evan, Grant, Paul, James, John, Jesse, Anthony, Pat, Jerimiah, Hezikiah, Malici, Curt, Joe,

“The Lost Rubies”

Mical and Milissa were two twins. Mical was a smart boy who loved science and Millisa on the other hand was always amagining things but she loved history.. Mical and Millisa had solved one mystery before.

On the lovely spring day of May 28, 2000 Mical and Millisa weregoing to a old building. When they drived up Millisa had her amagenation going like crazy. Their father told them about the lost rubies that once belonged to a queen might be in that building.

Mical was talking about how rubies are formed. “And remember don’t touch anything” reminded their father for what seemed like the hundrenth time. “We will we will.” said Millisa and Mical. “Bye dad.” said Millisa. As they entered the building Mical said “This would make a great place to do science explosons!”

“No way! It should be used as a Laura Ingalls memorial sesiety!” exclaimed Millisa. “No way! It should be used as a place you learn about vertabrates and invertebretes.” said Mical. “What are we arguing about?” said Millisa. “Let’s look for the lost rubies.” said Mical. They went upstairs and looked around. “What was that?” whispered Millisa. “What?” asked Mical caususly. “Over there.” said Milllisa pointing. “Woof.” said a dog. “It’s just a dog. And dogs are carnivores.” said Mical. ���What’s a carnivore?” asked Millisa. “A meat eating animal.” said Mical. The dog howled. “Michel are you sure this is a dog it’s acting a little wilder.” said Millisa. Michal aproched the dog not knowing what to expect.

“This is defenetly a carnivore look at it’s sharp teeth.” said Mical holding the jaws of a wolf.  “If it’s teeth are so sharp I’d let go.” said Millisa. A light from the lantern they held for there were no electric lights danced from the lantern and Millisa saw fierce eyes looking at her brother, shaggy gray fur fell from his body. “Mical that must be a old dog. It’s furs gray and long.” said Millissa. “Snap.” wen the olfs jaws on Mical’s hand. “Mical!” shouted Millisa. “I’m okay.” said Mical. “Why it’s face.” said Millisa.

“It’s stoped hurting now.” said Mical. “I’m taking my jackknife and cutting it open.” said Mical. “Be careful.” warned Millisa. When Mical cut the fake wolf open they gasped. “The rubies.” said Millisa half speechless nd half imagining her as a royal girl with hundreds of rubies on. 

The MM twins did it again!

The End.

^^These were all from a notebook that I had when I was maybe 7 or 8. The next ones are from Jr High and High School when NO ONE UNDERSTOOD ME 

“Kiss Me Once” (I have **NO** idea what prompted this or who it’s supposed to be about)

Kiss me once, my love.

Kiss me once before you go,

Before your soul soars high above.

Kiss me once, my little pet

For night is drawing to an end

And we shall soon all but forget

This love we shared but no one knew

And which I can scarcely call reality,

But if I can but once kiss you,

My fear will go away,

and all my dreams will then come true

For I shall see that you were more than a dream,

or else, the fairy tales are coming true.

“All Alone” or “The Box” (This one was dated 2-24-12, which means I would have been 14)

I poured my heart into a box

And sealed it with a kiss

I left the box upon my shelf

And nothing was amiss.

And on the days when skies were dark,

When wind and rain and tempest blew

I drew upon my little box

And whispered “I love you.”

And every day my box was safe;

It rested there upon its shelf

And long before I realized why

I had begun to call it “self.”

But one day when I came back home

I missed my little box’s song

And that’s when I began to call

Each thing that I did “wrong.”

For my heart went missing

With my box that disappeared

And life seems so much worse now

Than everything I’ve feared.

For now I see what I have done;

My chest is home to a dark black hole

And all that I now ever feel

Is coldness in my soul.

For I have nothing left.

I am all alone.

(The context for this next one is that I really really hated playing piano, but my parents made me keep taking lessons)

That wretched thing

I’m forced to play

Like a ball and chain

Ties me down today.

That horrid thing

Made my cry

And day after day

I wish it would die

And oh how I long

To worship the King,

But how could I ever

With this foul thing?

No one understands

How this tears me up inside.

They told me I played well,

As I ran and hid and cried.

They don’t notice

The hatred that I feel.

But very deep inside me

The emotions are so real.

“Forever Satisfied”

They threw me into prison

They locked me up in jail

I sat in there forever

‘Cause I couldn’t pay the bail.

They told me to run faster

They told me not to quit.

And though I ran forever

I never did get fit.

I got blisters on my hand

From where the pencil rubbed me wrong,

And though I wrote forever

She condemned it as too long.

I sat and played piano

Then just broke down and cried.

And though I practiced forever,

They were not satisfied.

I tried to fit in with them.

I tried to be their friend.

And though I was with them forever,

I was rejected in the end.

Then one day I stopped breathing.

I had up and died.

And I was with Jesus forever.

Forever satisfied.

“Why Did You Lie?” (I wrote this my freshman year of high school about a senior who in no way ever promised me anything)

Why did you lie?

You promised not to leave

You promised me forever.

You promised me a bond

That time could not sever.

But now you ever see me.

You never look my way

And now I see the other one.

The one you love today.

Is this all my fault?

Now I’m lonely and afraid.

You promised me your love

But the promise never stayed.

I thought we had a future

I hoped that this was real.

But whatever I thought I felt

Was too good for you to feel.

For your heart is cold and hard as ice

Your chest is a deep hole.

And I see myself as I am

The fool whose heart you stole.

(I think I wrote this one when my sister graduated high school and was preparing to move away to college)

And I fade into the wall.

There’s nothing much to look at.

There’s nothing there at all.

You’re going on a journey,

And I’m saying here behind.

You’re in for an adventure,

Who knows what you may find.

Your life is changing,

But mine isn’t at all.

I’m the phantom in the shadows,

And I blend into the wall.

You talk about your leaving

And your following your call.

And my heart is quickly breaking

In the darkness of its fall.

“Black. White” (Warning: This one is quite angsty, touching on themes of self harm and suicide, and then very religious)

I AM BLACK

I am shadows in the night.

I am nothing by day.

Hatred and bitterness spew out of my heart and cut others.

I made my mother cry. Again.

I really didn’t mean to. A careless word. Insensitivity. I didn’t know.

Now I feel invisible. Obscure. despicable. Like a spot on a bright white shirt.

A mistake. A misunderstanding. A vain struggle to survive.

Why aren’t I dead?

I’m sure my bad outweighs my good. I should burn. I should bleed. I should pay.

My world feels cold and empty now.

No more tears. No colors. No smiles.

I am the absence of light. I repel it. It hides from my face.

Even it thinks I’m hopeless.

I am a sinner.

I am black.

I have a Savior.

He is white.

He is the morning star.

He is the sweet breath of life.

His heart is full of love and kindness and compassion for others.

He paid the penalty for all my sin.

He really didn’t have to. The world hated Him. Rejected. Few cared.

He became mortal. human. weak. needy. Like one of us, but

Perfect. Spotless. Beautiful. Lamb of God.

And yet He died.

He had done no wrong. He should be praised. magnified. exalted.

He created the world and filled it with life.

He shed His blood. He paid my ransom. He died.

He is light. The grave could not hold Him. Darkness shudders.

Even nature screams His praises.

He is my Savior.

He makes me white.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

The Mew’s Red

So, I have a Inuyasha klance au idea, a Winx Club shklance au idea, Hart of Dixie klance au idea, but I went with Tokyo Mew Mew/Mew Mew Power. It wasn't as great as I would of liked, I had been working on my book arts project which took hours to finish so I was like, I'm just finishing this. Maybe if you guys like it, I can actually expand it. Lance is Mew Mint in case it wasn’t clear. TV AU

Lance let his body move with muscle memory of warm up classes. Plie, grand plie, stretch all around. The movements of ballet were familiar to him, something he had grown up doing. He’s made his family proud with his success at his school, one he changed his name to get into so they wouldn’t be influenced with the McClain name. As far as Lance was concerned, he’d continue on his path to success with his hard work to be accepted into a ballet company, retire when he was he was told, teach ballet himself or own a studio. He didn’t expect that his plans would be slightly derailed by the appearance of aliens and him being a chosen ‘warrior’ so to speak to battle against them. One day he was normal, the next he was changing for class when a classmate pointed out the pink wings on his back.

“When did you get a tattoo? No way your parents actually said yes to that.” With the help of said classmate and a pair of compact mirrors, Lance took in the wings that were separated by his spin on his back. That was only the beginning.

Luis came with the car to come get him after rehearsal and brought the family dog Blue with him. then Blue decided to jump out the open window and go tackle a passing girl. That girl was Allura, who’d later come by to drop off the handkerchief Lance gave to her to wipe off the dirt from her and then saved him when Blue had been turned into a monster.

It turned out they were Mew Mews, people whose DNA was compatible with a certain endangered animal, infused on the day James Griffin and his friend Ryan Kinkade conducted an experiment. Now they had to fight against these aliens, who were trying to take over their planet after their own was destroyed. They called them Galra, because Allura hadn’t been in any mood to try and pronounce their scientific name and it just stuck. They later found Pidge, Hunk and Shiro and their team was complete. At first their only big opponent had been Lotor but he gained allies in Sendak and Ezor. It didn’t matter though, because the 5 of them always managed beat them but things hadn’t looked good 2 weeks ago.

It was the start of summer vacation and Allura was supposed to spend a day with her best friend Adam but ended up getting sick. After checking in on her – and maybe pointing Adam in her direction, the poor boy always worried about her – Lance split up from Pidge and Hunk to go the shopping mall when he was attacked by Chimera, creatures or human souls fused with an alien parasite, turning them into monsters. These Chimera had been fused with fish from the nearby river and Sendak took little time ordering them to attack Lance. even after he transformed, he had trouble pushing them back and removing the parasites and was pushed into the river.

Sendak had been floating above him, bragging how his friends would no doubt be in the same amount of trouble when what looked like a Chimera wolf jumped between them, ripping through the fish Chimeras, separating the parasites. It growled up at Sendak, who looked stunned at the sight of it when a figure appeared behind him. Lance watched as another Galra, armed with a purple curved sword, swung his sword down, only to be blocked by Sendak’s arm. There was obviously still a lot of power behind it as Sendak went crashing into the river. The Galra dropped down next to the wolf and Lance had stared at his tense back.

“You little- who are you?” Sendak growled.

“Red and I’d run off if I were you. You’re not going to win this fight.” He spoke. Sendak definitely tried to prove his opponent wrong but with Lance adding assistance with his bow and arrow, Sendak had no choice but to retreat. Lance had let out a shaky sigh of relief when he remembered Sendak said his friends would be in the same boat and Allura was sick. He glanced over to the other Galra, who was looking him, his arms crossed.

“Um, thanks I guess? Unless you wanted to kill me yourself.”

“If I wanted to, I would have done it already or sent Kosmo to do it for me.”

Lance glanced down at the Chimera wolf, its gold eyes staring him down.

“Right, um, I need to go. My friends are in trouble.”

“Then I’ll see you around, little swan.” Red said, before he took off, his wolf following him.

Once he knew all his friends were safe, Red was all Lance could think of.

“He’s just a Galra, no doubt trying to infiltrate us.” James said, not trusting of him when Lance explained what happened to him.

“He really could have killed me.” Lance pointed out.

“It wouldn’t actually be too much to assume a Galra didn’t like how things were taken care of. The Galra might want to live here because it’s safer for them but they might not agree on how to do it.” Shiro pointed out, still ticked off his entire scheduled had been disrupted by a Chimera suitcase trolley of all things.

“Well, I don’t trust him so forget about trust him.”

Lance thought James was an asshole half the time but he did protect them. He still wanted to meet this guy again, Red. Who was he? Why did he protect Lance? Why did he fight against Sendak? He had questions and James wasn’t going to stop him from finding the answers. Of course, he needed to find him first.

“And rest. Alright, let’s clear the bars and meet in the centre please.” His teacher instructed.

But first he needed to get through class.

Lance waved at a little kid who was pointing up at him, well him in his Mew outfit. They had tried to hide who they were but back when they’d been trying to convince Shiro to join them when he thought they were a bunch of little kids way over their head, they stopped a Chimera that Lotor created during a live filming of a show Shiro was on. no one knew who was behind the coloured hair, animal features or oddly chosen clothes to battle alien in, but everyone knew about the Mew Mews, the people who protected them from the alien attacks. The little kids were just stoked to have a superhero in their city. Lance was hoping the attention would maybe catch a certain someone’s attention.

Lance wasn’t like this usually, despite to try and get someone’s attention but after the insanity had become his new normal, the sudden change had been, nice. And he did still want his answers. Then he saw a wolf on the top of a building. It was large, black and blue fur and gold eyes, piercing at him.

“Gotcha.”

Lance took off, letting his wings fly him to the building, watching the wolf turn and run off. He continued following when something wrapped around his foot and pulled him down. He was so surprised that he didn’t have time to react. He was expecting to hit the floor but instead fell into someone’s arms. A certain purple skinned pointed eared someone.

“I never thought you’d be so stupid. What are you doing out here?”

“Um,” Lance felt like he was at a lost of what to say. “I didn’t mean to be a bother.”

“You’re not,” Red said, gently putting Lance down on his feet, kneeling to unwrap a chain from his ankle. He really hoped that didn’t bruise. “However, you weren’t paying attention. I could have been Lotor, or Sendak or even Ezor.”

So Red knew who they were. Interesting. “I’m not scared of them.”

“I know, but as you saw when we first met, they know that splitting your team up will weaken you.” He pointed out, standing up and wrapping the chain up.

“I wanted to talk to you about that. Just who are you? Why did you save me?”

Red stared at Lance before giving him a small smirk. “I wanted to. I’ve been watching you guys for a while and you’ve always caught my eye.”

Lance felt his face start to get red. “I’m being serious! You know Lotor and his friends and I know that earth used to belong to your race before it started breaking apart. You should be helping them get rid of us so you could leave that other planet you’re stuck on.”

“I’m not exactly from that planet. My family went in a different direction and found a place to live. But we heard Zarkon was aiming to take back Earth. I never thought it’d be fair that people who had the planet now should be forced to move or be killed.”

Lance took in what he said. “But, we don’t take care of our planet.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t learn. You and your friends are in the public eye and if anything helps push things, it’s the words of a trusted person.”

“So you’re helping us by protecting us?”

“Protecting you, but yes.”

Lance looked away, hiding behind his blue hair. This wasn’t normal. People didn’t flirt with him like this. He felt Red moving his hair away from his forehead, making him glance up at the Galra.

“My boss doesn’t like you, you know.”

“Luckily for me, I don’t need his approval. Besides, if I betray you, I’ve seen you with that bow and arrow of yours. Something tells me I wouldn’t be stupid enough to get on your bad side.”

Lance gained his own smirk. “Good that you know. I still have questions and you still need to stick around.”

[iwantthedean]

Take It All Back

Part Nineteen

Summary: While everyone is on him to face his feelings over Journey, Jensen is adamant that their relationship is a thing of the past.  Pairing: Jensen x OFC (Macy) Word Count: 1830 Warnings: None? 

Masterlist

The next few days were nearly torture for the Ryan family, and for Jensen. Tests were run and scans were completed, and the miracle continued, it seemed; Journey showed no deficits, no reason why she shouldn’t have come out of the coma fully aware.

Every time she fell asleep, her family and friends held their breaths until she woke again. The gift they had been given — a miracle by all accounts — was so precious, but also seemed so fragile. Journey’s life was given back to them, to her, but now they knew how easily and quickly it could be taken away.

When it became apparent, however, that Journey remembered nothing from the time of the accident until several hours after coming off of the breathing tube, Jensen chose to keep his distance, and even asked her family not to tell Journey that he was there. He was so worried about what sort of stress his presence would cause and how that stress would hinder her recovery, he thought that maybe keeping his distance was the best way to support her for now. He stayed in the waiting room, and watched her a couple of minutes while she slept once, but otherwise had no contact with her.

A week after Journey woke up, the doctors cleared her to go home. She would need someone with her at all times for several weeks, to be on the safe side, then she could slowly return to her normal independence. The doctors were even figuring that by the time school started again, she would be ready to work with her students, even if she maybe needed to start with half-days.

On her last night in the hospital, Jensen decided it was time to see her. He would be going back to Vancouver to round out some things for hiatus, then he would fly back to Texas to relax and enjoy his little bit of time off before filming of season two began.

Journey was sitting up in her bed, her IV still in place, the heart monitor still tracking every beat. She was in a t-shirt and sweats, and her hair was braided over her shoulder. The image reminded him of nights he would shut down the house and come to bed and she would be waiting for him to hold her close so they could fall asleep together. God only knew, holding her close was exactly what Jensen wanted to do when she turned and looked at him before a nervous smile graced her lips.

“Finally came to see me, huh?” Journey teased.

Jensen frowned. “Finally?”

“Jovi told me you were here. That you came when I was in bad shape. She explained about you not seeing me yet, but I told her to give you time. A lot of things have changed, Jay, but you’ve always needed to do things on your own time.”

“You call it doing things on my own time, Mom calls it stubborn,” Jensen chuckled, nervously shoving his hands in his pockets.

“A little of both, probably.” She took a deep, refreshing breath, then shook her head. “Thank you, for coming. I appreciate it, but I know my family does, too.”

“Journey,” he said, stepping right up next to her bedside, “you have to know that there was no way I wouldn’t be here for something like this. You and I, we lost each other, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a place in my heart for you. I always have and I always will. When Mom called to tell me —“ Jensen’s voice broke; he took a moment to compose himself and picked up on a different sentence. “The thing is, nothing could keep me away from you in a time like this.”

Silence filled the room until Journey cleared her throat and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Well, like I said, I appreciate it. You and I were special to each other for a long time, and life just took us in different directions. Having you here, seeing you again …”

Her voice broke then, too, and there was no holding back the tears. Jensen let some of his own fall as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest.

Back in Vancouver, Macy met him at the airport. He had texted both her and Jared when he got his flight information, and she had been the one to offer to pick him up. Though he was still trying to reconcile the dream or whatever he’d had, he knew that he had to move on in the life he was living now. Just as he had told Journey, a part of his heart would always belong to her, but they both knew things weren’t the way they were before. Moving forward was all they could do, and for Jensen, that meant moving forward with Macy.

“Missed you,” she said, kissing him softly when he arrived.

Jensen smiled genuinely. “Missed you too, Mace. Hungry? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat on the way home.”

“Sounds good,” Macy agreed.

The car ride passed in silence, with Jensen pretending not to notice Macy glancing at him every few seconds. He had no idea what she was looking for — a sign that he was okay or not okay, tears of happiness or frustration. Anything.

Finally, when they sat down to eat, Macy started asking questions.

“So, she’s going to be all right?”

“As far as the doctors can tell,” Jensen shrugged. “She just came to, they ran all the tests, observed her for a while, then sent her home.”

“Did you get to see her?”

Jensen nodded. “Well, yeah. That’s why I went, to see her.”

“What did she say?”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jensen balanced his elbows on the table. “Look at me, Macy. I’m here. I’m with you. Yes, it was good to see Journey again, and I’m happy that she’s alive. But she’s part of my past — she’s just an old friend now. You’re my now. Don’t beat around the bush asking these questions like I’m going to break.”

“Are you going to break?” Macy countered. “These traumatic things happen, and they make people think — make people realize who they really want to be with and how they really want to live their lives. You’re going back home soon for the summer, what then? Are you going to see her? Will things change? When you found out that she was dying, you said things to me about her. Things that are giving me reason to ask these questions now.”

Jensen took a long drink of his soda, and thought over his next words carefully. He honestly had not considered whether or not he would see Journey over the hiatus time he spent at home, but now that the possibility was presented to him, he knew he wanted to see her. He shook his head; he had told himself he was moving on. If they crossed paths, fine. If not, that would have to be fine, too.

“I don’t have any plans to see her. Our families are good friends, so I can’t promise it won’t happen, but I’m not going to seek her out.” For a moment, he contemplated telling Macy about his dream, but something told him that was a horrible idea. “Why don’t you come down for a while, when you can get away? Meet my family — you can even meet Journey if you want.”

That idea seemed to satisfy Macy for the time being, so once she accepted the invitation, she changed the subject to what she had been doing to keep busy while he was gone. Jensen felt a little bad for not calling while he was in Texas, but in the end, he decided that was for the best.

Jared was not as quick to give him a pass on his current feelings about Journey. On their flight from Vancouver to Texas, Jared pressed him even harder than Macy had for information about Journey.

“What do you want me to say, Jared?” Jensen finally said, throwing his hands up. “Journey’s alive, we talked, it is what it is. We’ve both moved on.”

“Then why are you getting so worked up about it?” Jared countered.

Jensen shook his head. “Listen, man, I’m going to tell you like I told Macy — I don’t have plans to see Journey, though it could happen if our families get together.”

“And?”

“And she was a part of my past I hadn’t gotten the closure I needed from, and now I have. I have Macy, she’s coming down in a couple of weeks, it is what it is.”

Jared still wasn’t convinced. “Before all of this, Macy was your girl for the moment, and now you’re suddenly getting serious with her? Jay, I know you think I’m just being an ass, but I want you to see what I see. Before the accident, when we first came across those pictures of Journey, you were still completely gone. If you could have seen yourself talking about her …”

Tired of the conversation, Jensen put on his headphones and cranked the music up as loud as he could stand. What did everyone expect him to do? Rush back to Journey and beg her to take him back, just because she had almost died? He would be grateful every moment of every day for the miracle of Journey’s life, but he couldn’t change the course of his life for it — and he couldn’t expect Journey to, either.

Back home with his family, things seemed simpler. Nobody pressed him about his relationship with Journey or what was going to happen now. His mother informed him that they would be cooking out at the Ryan house for Fourth of July, but left it at that. The reprieve from people pressing him about Journey helped him to relax and enjoy his time off.

Except that it also gave him the push he needed to really sit down and think about how he felt. Without anyone else bothering him about it, working out his feelings over the subject seemed less forced; something he wanted to figure out.

There was no going back to what might’ve been. The year that Jensen had spent with Journey in the alternate reality — however that had happened — wasn’t something he could snap his fingers and change their lives to now. Sure, he could quit acting and go back to school and become an athletic trainer, but that wasn’t where his heart was. And even if he did that, there was no telling where work would land him — and none of that meant having Journey.

No. He just had to stick with it and remember the lesson he had learned in both lives: he was blessed to have had Journey with him for any time at all. He’d had his chance with her. Now, it was time to move on.

[asfeedin]

2020 NFL draft live updates

6:27 AM IST

NFL NationESPN

The 2020 NFL draft has officially started, and we’re providing live updates on the pros and cons for each first-round pick. The Cincinnati Bengals started off the draft by selecting LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who won a national championship with the Tigers in January.

We’re also tracking all 255 picks for Rounds 1-7, and you also can see all of the best available draft prospects in the 2020 class. Check out ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s final mock draft here.

The draft continues with Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday. The draft will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, the ESPN App and NFL Network.

How does your team’s first-round selection fit his team? Our NFL Nation reporters break it all down:

Joe Burrow, QB, LSU | Highlights

• DraftCast » | Best available prospects » • Pros and cons of every draft pick » • Round 1 trade tracker » | Draft order » • Fantasy spin » | Social reactions » • Full class rankings from Scouts Inc. » More NFL draft coverage »

Why they picked him: The Bengals were in the market for their next cornerstone quarterback and have that in Burrow. His biggest attributes are ones the Bengals are seeking at the position: pre-snap decision-making, timing and accuracy (76.3%). He can extend plays and is effective outside of the pocket. Burrow also thrives when the protection collapses. His 82.6 QBR when pressured led all qualifying FBS quarterbacks in 2019 by a wide margin. Cincinnati has its successor to Andy Dalton after a nine-year run. In 2019, the Bengals were 28th in the league in yards per play and 29th in points per drive. Those numbers should improve under Burrow, who threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns last season, leading LSU to a 15-0 record.

Biggest question: Does Burrow have the arm strength to succeed in the NFL? The Bengals had some questions about that when watching the early part of Burrow’s 2019 tape. But Burrow completed 56.4% of his passes of 20 air yards or more, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, the second highest among qualifying FBS quarterbacks. — Ben Baby

Chase Young, DE, Ohio State | Highlights

Why they picked him: Young is considered a high-impact player who can affect all three levels of the defense. Young, who had 16.5 sacks in 2019 and 30.5 in his career at Ohio State, provides Washington with something it hasn’t had in a long time on defense: elite potential. Under coach Ron Rivera, Washington has a chance to build a strong defense. The Redskins already have four first-round picks up front (Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan), and an edge rusher such as Young will provide tremendous luxury — especially on third downs. Last season, Washington ranked 21st in sacks per pass attempt on third down and was last in conversion percentage. The Redskins love Young’s pass-rush instincts and that he takes no false steps, allowing him to maximize his burst off the line. Their scouting report says he uses his hands and feet well, displaying efficient movement.

Biggest question: What jersey number will he wear? There aren’t many questions aside from whether he can live up to the pre-draft hype and become this year’s “generational player.” How long will it take to make an impact? While some fans wondered why he had no sacks in his final three games as a Buckeye, the Redskins were not worried. One member of the organization said he watched film of those games because of those questions, saw Young still making an impact and said of skeptics: “OK, cool.” The Redskins still have questions in the secondary, and it’s safe to wonder how much the front seven can clean up in one season. — John Keim

Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State | Highlights

Why they picked him: Cornerback is Detroit’s biggest need after the trade of Darius Slay to Philadelphia. While the Lions signed CB Desmond Trufant in free agency and feel good about the long-term prospects of Amani Oruwariye, Okudah has the potential to be a shutdown corner sooner than later. He can be a man-press corner, which fits coach Matt Patricia’s defense. He also has good speed (4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, 12th among all corners) and closing ability to stay with almost any receiver. He’s as ready to play right away as any corner in the draft, and at a position where rookies usually struggle.

Biggest question: While he’s in a better position than most corners coming into the league, it will still be an adjustment. Without offseason workouts against wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr., it could be a situation in which Okudah will be learning on the fly throughout portions of the season. Considering the receivers he might be asked to cover (Davante Adams in Green Bay and Adam Thielen in Minnesota) and the quarterbacks he will likely face (Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Drew Brees are all on the schedule), he could have some rough moments as he figures the pro game out. — Mike Rothstein

Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Giants needed to protect their investments in quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. As general manager Dave Gettleman said recently, “It’s very, very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if he doesn’t have holes. It’s going to be difficult for Daniel to throw the ball when he’s on his back.” It was imperative that Gettleman fix the offensive line this offseason. It was his top priority upon taking the job two years ago, and there still had not been much progress. The hope is that Thomas, considered a safe bet with upside, can protect Jones’ blind side for much of the next decade. He can start at right tackle if the Giants so desire and eventually move over to left tackle. Thomas is also an ideal fit in what offensive coordinator Jason Garrett wants to do with getting his linemen on the move and to the second level.

Biggest question: Was Thomas the best tackle available? Personnel evaluators were all over the board with the top four tackles, and the Giants had their pick at No. 4. They deemed Thomas to be the top overall option, despite a critique from one offensive line coach that he was “not an ass-kicker.” His 21 bench-press reps at the combine only solidified that assessment. It was a pedestrian number for a lineman. Still, the Giants had him as their top tackle, but he did finish last among the top four tackles (although not by much) in an ESPN poll of 11 evaluators. — Jordan Raanan

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Dolphins haven’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback in 24 years (Dan Marino), and they desperately need Tagovailoa to lead their rebuild. With Burrow off the board at No. 1, the Dolphins took a swing at the most efficient quarterback in college football history in Tagovailoa. He has the accuracy, leadership qualities, anticipation and “it factor” — all things that Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores prioritized in their quarterback search. Tagovailoa has the charisma and talent to lead the Dolphins back to relevance in the AFC.

Biggest question: Will Tagovailoa stay healthy in the NFL after an injury-filled college career? Tagovailoa might have challenged for the No. 1 overall pick without the health issues and durability question marks. But Tagovailoa has suffered multiple injuries, including a dislocated right hip and posterior wall fracture in November that he has been rehabbing from throughout the winter and spring. Tagovailoa’s doctors say he will be 100% by the start of training camp, but the bigger question is how long he can last in the NFL. — Cameron Wolfe

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon | Highlights

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1:34

Justin Herbert explains how he’s feeling after being taken by the Chargers and what made him worried about his chances with Los Angeles.

Why they picked him: The Chargers needed a quarterback after Philip Rivers departed in free agency after 16 seasons. After the Dolphins selected Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick, it became almost certain the Chargers would take Herbert at No. 6. A proven winner at Oregon, Herbert has great arm strength and is agile outside of the pocket. From the 2018 to 2019 season, Herbert had the sixth-highest increase in completion percentage, jumping from 59% to 67%. He joins an offense that has established weapons in receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, as well as tight end Hunter Henry.

Biggest question: Can Herbert start as a rookie? Herbert struggled in his final four regular-season games at Oregon, throwing four interceptions. It’s uncertain if he will be able to immediately adapt to the speed of the NFL, particularly when it comes to making fast decisions and getting rid of the football. The Chargers could start veteran Tyrod Taylor until Herbert is ready to take over. — Lindsey Thiry

Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn | Highlights

Why they picked him: Carolina has only two defensive tackles on its roster in Kawann Short and Woodrow Hamilton, so no position has a bigger need. Put Brown and his run-stopping ability next to Pro Bowler Short and his pass-rushing ability, and the middle of the defense will be as stout as any in the NFL. Opponents literally ran away from Brown’s side at Auburn.

Biggest question: Brown didn’t have a great showing at the combine and his inside push on the pass rush needs improving. He gets by on sheer power and size. This is nitpicking, though, because there is no better run-stopper in the draft. — David Newton

Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson | Highlights

Why they picked him: This was about as much of a no-brainer as there’ll be in this year’s draft. Simmons is widely considered the best defensive prospect in the draft and he fell to the Cardinals for no other reason than other teams had needs elsewhere, most of which were on offense. He’s the ideal complement for pass-rusher Chandler Jones and helps the Cardinals take a major step in their defensive rebuild.

Biggest question: Whose spot is he going to take? The Cardinals spent free agency rebuilding the front seven of the defense. Simmons continues that, but whose snaps will he take? He can compete with Devon Kennard at outside linebacker or for one of the inside linebacker spots. — Josh Weinfuss

CJ Henderson, CB, Florida | Highlights

2 Related

Why they picked him: Cornerback is arguably the Jaguars’ top need after they traded away Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in the past seven months. The Jaguars signed Rashaan Melvin in free agency after failing to land Darqueze Dennard but needed to get better opposite Tre Herndon, who stepped into the starting role when Ramsey was traded last October. Henderson is regarded by some analysts as a better cover man than Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick by the Detroit Lions. The Jaguars have to play Deshaun Watson and Philip Rivers twice, plus here’s a partial list of the other quarterbacks they will face this season: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford. The Jaguars had to address this spot.

Biggest question: While Henderson has gotten rave reviews for his coverage ability, there are questions about his willingness to help in run support and his consistency. He’s still also learning the position because he didn’t start playing cornerback until his senior year of high school. Communication on the field was an issue at Florida, too, so that’s something defensive coordinator Todd Wash is going to have to get him to improve, especially with what looks to be an unusual offseason. — Michael DiRocco

Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Browns had to address pass protection after quarterback Baker Mayfield was sacked more often than any AFC quarterback per passing attempt last season. In Wills, Cleveland presumably gets its left tackle of the future to pair with what they hope is still its franchise quarterback in Mayfield. Wills did play right tackle for Alabama, but that’s in part because he was protecting the blind side of lefty passer Tua Tagovailoa. The additions of Wills and free-agent signee Jack Conklin have the potential to turn offensive tackle in Cleveland from a weakness to a strength.

Biggest question: New general manager Andrew Berry has said he believes that in the modern game, there’s essentially no difference between playing right and left tackle. Still, with Conklin signed long term to man the right side, Wills faces the challenge of making the adjustment of going to the left side. — Jake Trotter

Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville | Highlights

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Rich Cimini breaks down whether the Jets’ selection of Mekhi Becton at 11 was the right choice.

Why they picked him: Somewhere in Southern California, quarterback Sam Darnold is smiling. Even though the Jets added four new linemen in free agency, they needed a long-term anchor to protect their most valuable investment. Becton is that guy. He is a monster size at 6-foot-7, 364 pounds, and he plays like a man who is 100 pounds lighter. His presence at left or right tackle will improve the running game. Running back Le’Veon Bell is happy too.

Biggest question: Becton’s drug test at the scouting combine was flagged by the league. It won’t affect his playing status, assuming it doesn’t happen again, but it certainly raises questions about his decision-making. Was it a red flag or an isolated mistake? Some scouts also have expressed concern about his weight. — Rich Cimini

Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama | Highlights

Why they picked him: Speed. Pure, unadulterated speed. Because with all three of the consensus top three wideouts still on the board, the Raiders went with the fastest player at the scouting combine (a nod to the late team owner Al Davis, perhaps?) as Ruggs ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash. Coach Jon Gruden realizes that to battle the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, he needs a similar team, a fast one. And in Ruggs, he has a complement to Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. He hopes.

Biggest question: Ruggs might not be as a polished a pass-catcher as either teammate Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, so there will be a learning curve, so to speak. And at 6 feet, 195 pounds, he will have to be more physical coming off press coverage at the line. Only five of 30 receivers taken in the first round over the previous 10 drafts had 1,000-yard receiving seasons as a rookie. Ruggs had a career-high 746 yards receiving last season, averaging 18.7 yards per catch. — Paul Gutierrez

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from the Indianapolis Colts via the San Francisco 49ers)

Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Bucs have a soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback in Tom Brady, and Wirfs will have a big role in protecting him. They did not re-sign longtime starting right tackle Demar Dotson this offseason, either. The Bucs’ offensive line also gave up 47 sacks in 2019. Wirfs can step in right away and take over for Dotson. His skills are off the charts, clocking a 4.85-second 40 at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds at the NFL combine.

Biggest question: There aren’t many with Wirfs. Sustaining blocks and improving in his vertical pass sets will be key for him to excel in coach Bruce Arians’ passing attack. — Jenna Laine

Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina | Highlights

Why they picked him: The 49ers traded DeForest Buckner to the Colts for the 13th pick and, after a small move down, used that pick to land his replacement. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have not been shy about putting resources into building a dominant defensive line. Lynch has talked often about “strengthening a strength,” and their strength is the defensive line. Kinlaw will be asked to replace Buckner at the 3-technique spot as he joins a loaded defensive line. As a bonus, San Francisco will have Kinlaw under team control at a fraction of the cost of Buckner.

Biggest question: Kinlaw will cost far less, but will he produce anywhere near the level of Buckner? Not only was Buckner productive for the Niners, he also was extremely durable. Buckner missed just one game in four seasons, playing the third-most snaps in the league among defensive linemen during that time. He recorded 28.5 sacks in the regular season. Kinlaw has dealt with knee tendinitis that kept him out of a full week at the Senior Bowl. The Niners will need instant impact from him to remain Super Bowl contenders, so being healthy and adapting quickly will be paramount. — Nick Wagoner

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama | Highlights

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Jeff Legwold explains why the Broncos made the right call in taking Jerry Jeudy with the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Why they picked him: There might have been no bigger need on the Broncos’ depth chart given Emmanuel Sanders didn’t play for the team after October and still finished second among the team’s wide receivers in catches with 30. Jeudy’s route running, speed (4.45 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine) and body control make him a dangerous playmaker. He lined up more in the slot last season than any other spot in the formation, but he can play multiple spots at wideout in the Broncos’ offense and should be a starter from Day 1.

Biggest question: Like many top-end college receivers, Jeudy hasn’t been challenged very often at the line of scrimmage. That means the more physical cornerbacks in the NFL will force him to adjust and be a little more active in getting the defensive backs’ hands off him. But his meticulous routes and elite speed will be a challenge for the defensive backs, as well. Also, he had a knee issue — he had injured a meniscus in his college career — that some teams gave a long look at, but for many teams, he was still the top receiver available in the draft.– Jeff Legwold

A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Falcons needed a starting-caliber cornerback after releasing Pro Bowler Desmond Trufant. Terrell has the size (6-1, 195) and the speed (4.42 40-yard dash) to make a difference in a defensive backfield that yielded 9.5 yards per pass attempt to receivers last season, second worst in the NFL.

Biggest question: Terrell had some struggles down the field in coverage, which is the last thing the Falcons need while attempting to prevent big plays. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. pointed out how Terrell can be a little grabby at times, which is something he needs to iron out immediately. — Vaughn McClure

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Cowboys could not have projected having the chance to select Lamb with this pick. In most projections, he was gone by No. 17 and the Cowboys’ focus was on the defensive side of the ball. But they answered the old question of best player available versus need, and they went with the best player available. With Amari Cooper, fresh off a $100 million contract signing, and Michael Gallup, the Cowboys have their top two receivers set; but they needed a third receiver to replace Randall Cobb, who left for Houston in free agency. Lamb can play different spots, and he was explosive with 32 touchdowns in 41 games at Oklahoma.

Biggest question: How does the defense get better with this pick? Well, that depends on if the offense is be able to put up plenty of points led by Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Cooper, Gallup, Lamb, Blake Jarwin and a top offensive line. In 2014 and ’16, the Cowboys employed opportunistic defenses that were helped by not being on the field often and opposing teams having to play from behind. This puts a lot on coordinator Mike Nolan to make it work, but the Cowboys will have to make defense their focus in Rounds 2-7. — Todd Archer

Austin Jackson, OT, USC | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Dolphins desperately needed offensive line help after giving up more sacks (58) than any other team last season and averaging the fewest rushing yards (72.3) in 2019. Jackson has some superior athletic ability and nimble feet, which should fill one tackle spot to protect Tua Tagovailoa.

Biggest question: When will Jackson be ready to be a consistent starter? Jackson is a bit of a projection. He didn’t play great against top talent such as Iowa’s AJ Epenesa in 2019, and that might mean he isn’t ready to take on a big role as a rookie. — Cameron Wolfe

Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State | Highlights

Why they picked him: Need. Simply need. Because after the Eli Apple free-agent deal fell apart, the Raiders needed somebody to pair with last year’s second-rounder, Trayvon Mullen. And unable to trade back, and afraid Arnette would be gone by the time they picked again at No. 80, the Raiders made the pick.

Biggest question: General manager Mike Mayock said the biggest mistake teams make is “reaching for need.” In selecting a cornerback with a third-round grade, this reeks of exactly that. Arnette is physical and had five interceptions in four seasons at Ohio State. — Paul Gutierrez

K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB, LSU | Highlights

Why they picked him: Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has spent the past two months being pretty adamant that he no longer wanted to play in Jacksonville, so the Jaguars had to find a replacement. Chaisson was the best pass-rusher on the board. Now the Jaguars have two young pass-rushers they can build around with Chaisson and Josh Allen. Chaisson, like Allen, can play the run, rush and drop in coverage, so that gives defensive coordinator Todd Wash some versatility.

Biggest question: Will Wash tinker around with his defensive scheme and try some 3-4 looks now that he has players on both sides who can do multiple things? He has been reluctant to do that much in the past, but if the Jaguars don’t take advantage of Chaisson’s versatility, they’ll be wasting the pick. — Michael DiRocco

Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Eagles wanted to add a speed receiver to an offense that lacked explosiveness in 2019 once DeSean Jackson was lost to injury. His 4.47 40-yard time at the scouting combine does not reflect how quick Reagor is on the field. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz gets a big-play threat.

Biggest question: Reagor saw a drop in production last season because of spotty quarterback play. Justin Jefferson, the NCAA’s leader in receptions last season, was there for the taking, and CeeDee Lamb fell within striking distance. The Eagles go out on a bit of a limb by selecting the less accomplished Reagor — Tim McManus

Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU | Highlights

Why they picked him: This is one of the deepest wide receiver classes in NFL history with five players who have a Scout’s Inc. grade more than 90, which is defined as a “rare prospect” who is usually considered a first-rounder. Jefferson is one of those players, and his stock had been rising considerably over the past few weeks. When Philadelphia passed over the LSU star wideout for TCU’s Jalen Reagor one spot before the Vikings picked at No. 22, Minnesota jumped at the opportunity to take the best slot receiver in the draft while not having to give up any picks to do so. One of the Vikings’ top priorities is replacing receiver Stefon Diggs, and they took a step toward filling that with the pick they received by trading Diggs to Buffalo. Minnesota could have waited until Day 2 to address its needs at wideout, but the way the board came together ahead of when the team picked in the early 20s allowed the Vikings to push off their needs at cornerback and offensive tackle until later in the draft. Just three picks later, Minnesota traded back from No. 25 and received three picks from San Francisco: Nos. 31, 117 and 176.

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Biggest question: Jefferson lined up primarily inside at LSU with 110 of his 111 receptions in 2019 (a school record) coming from the slot resulting in 17 touchdowns. Is that where Minnesota plans to use him most often, and what does that mean for where offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak wants to line up Adam Thielen? Jefferson is an explosive intermediate target and will give quarterback Kirk Cousins plenty of options as a middle-of-the-field threat, which could allow Thielen to line up more frequently on the outside. The LSU product uses his contested-catch ability in crucial situations to move the chains, having converted 63% of his third-down targets, which was tied for the fifth most in FBS last season. — Courtney Cronin

Kenneth Murray, ILB, Oklahoma | Highlights

Why they picked him: It was widely expected that the Chargers would be on the lookout for an inside linebacker, though it was not anticipated that they would trade up to acquire a second first-round pick in order to select one. Before the draft, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco acknowledged the versatility of Drue Tranquil and Nick Vigil, but depth remained a concerned after the release of Thomas Davis and Jatavis Brown’s departure in free agency. Murray had 17 tackles for a loss in 2019 at Oklahoma, which was tied for fourth in the Big 12 Conference. He should contend immediately for a significant role.

Biggest question: The Chargers struggled last season to stop the run, allowing 1.9 yards per rush after contact, the third worst in the NFL. Last season at Oklahoma, Murray had 22 run stops, tied for the 12th most in the FBS and second in the Big 12. The biggest question is how quickly he can adapt to the NFL, with an emphasis on gaining strength and recognizing offensive tendencies so he can quickly make an impact. — — Lindsey Thiry

Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan | Highlights

Why they picked him: This isn’t a “sexy” pick, but it’s actually the one position coach Sean Payton identified by name as a draft need. Either Ruiz or standout 2019 rookie Erik McCoy could move to right guard as an eventual replacement for Pro Bowler Larry Warford, who is heading into the final year of his contract. It’s also not out of the question that the Saints shop Warford.

Biggest question: Should the Saints have put more of a priority on a wide receiver, linebacker or edge rusher who could help them win a Super Bowl in 2020? The Saints seem to be “all-in” with 41-year-old QB Drew Brees and 30-something free-agent signings Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins. But it’s hard to doubt the Saints’ history of O-line investments. — Mike Triplett

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State | Highlights

Why they picked him: There was never any doubt the 49ers were going to take a wideout early after losing veteran Emmanuel Sanders to the New Orleans Saints in free agency. With five receivers already off the board, the Niners pulled a surprise and moved up to land Aiyuk, who they believe brings the type of route running and versatility they received from Sanders. Aiyuk should have a chance to come in and start opposite Deebo Samuel and work as a downfield threat for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who attempted the fewest passes of 20-plus air yards in the NFL in 2019.

Biggest question: Can Aiyuk be a difference-maker right away? The Niners are in the middle of their Super Bowl window and they need someone to help step in for Sanders and replace at least part of his production. Without a full offseason program, making an impact immediately figures to be difficult for any rookie, particularly at wide receiver, where Aiyuk will have a lot to learn in coach Kyle Shanahan’s complex offense. — Nick Wagoner

26. Green Bay Packers (from the Houston Texans via the Miami Dolphins)

Jordan Love, QB, Utah State | Highlights

Why they picked him: Because general manager Brian Gutekunst knew from the day he took the job in 2018 that his job would be to find the next franchise quarterback. And Gutekunst, having worked under both Ron Wolf (who traded for Brett Favre) and Ted Thompson (who drafted Aaron Rodgers), knows it is better to take the right quarterback early than wait and miss out and search and search for a replacement. In fact, Gutekunst said in February, “Everything I’ve been taught, that’s where you start, you start with the quarterback, so you evaluate them every year, and I think it’s always on the table. It’s a good crop this year, it’s a good group of quarterbacks. I think it’s a little deeper than it has been in the past. It will be interesting. But yeah, sure.”

Biggest question: How will Rodgers react? Not only did the Packers not get Rodgers an offensive star in the first round — and Rodgers watched division-rival Minnesota take receiver Justin Jefferson at No. 22 — but they didn’t get a player who will help Rodgers immediately. Brett Favre didn’t exactly welcome Rodgers when the Packers picked him in 2005, although their relationship improved in the three years that Rodgers was the backup. Now Rodgers will have to decide whether he will freeze out Love or help him. Also, why did Gutekunst trade up to take Love? Couldn’t he have gotten him at No. 30? — Rob Demovsky

Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Seahawks’ defensive issues last season went beyond their pass rush, and in Seattle’s eyes there wasn’t an edge rusher worth taking at No. 27 once K’Lavon Chaisson went off the board at No. 20. Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos or Iowa’s AJ Epenesa might be in play for Seattle if they’re around in Round 2. LB K.J. Wright will be 31 in July and is entering the final year of his contract, while Bruce Irvin seems like a short-term fix at the other linebacker spot, so the Seahawks had long-term uncertainty on either side of All-Pro Bobby Wagner.

Biggest question: Is Brooks better than LSU’s Patrick Queen, who went one pick later? ESPN’s Todd McShay had Queen rated as his No. 1 inside linebacker, while Brooks, for what it’s worth, wasn’t listed in McShay’s top 10 for inside or outside linebackers. And where will Brooks play? His size (6 feet, 240) and speed (5.54) suggest the weak side — where Wright starts — is more likely. He was plenty productive in college as a four-year starter who led his team with 108 tackles last season, including 20 for loss and three sacks. — Brady Henderson

Patrick Queen, ILB, LSU | Highlights

Why they picked him: Middle linebacker was the Ravens’ most glaring need after Baltimore tried to fill the void of losing four-time Pro Bowl defender C.J. Mosley with a rotation inside last season. Queen doesn’t look or play like Mosley, but he fits as the centerpiece of a defense that prides itself on position flexibility. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said before the draft that the inside linebacker position has changed because the NFL has morphed into more of a speed league, in which defenders have to run, cover and blitz. No one epitomizes this modern-day definition of a middle linebacker more than Queen, the Defensive Most Valuable Player in the national championship game.

Biggest question: Is Queen too undersized to play middle linebacker? Queen weighed in at 229 pounds at the combine, which is considerably smaller than the players who had previously manned the middle of the Ravens’ defense (Lewis played at 240 pounds and Mosley is 250 pounds). For a defense that got bullied by Derrick Henry in an upset playoff loss, adding a safety-sized middle linebacker doesn’t seem like the perfect answer. Queen’s response: “I have the heart to be able to stop the run.” — Jamison Hensley

Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Titans selected Wilson as a long-term option to take over at right tackle. Titans general manager Jon Robinson typically likes big players who can move. Right tackle Jack Conklin moved on via free agency, creating a void along the offensive line. Tennessee’s offense revolves around the running game, which is a good match for Wilson, who played in a heavy run scheme at Georgia.

Biggest question: At 6-foot-7, 350 pounds, Wilson had to work to keep his weight down while he was at Georgia, so that will be something for Tennessee to monitor as he works with the Titans’ strength and conditioning staff. — Turron Davenport

30. Miami Dolphins (from the Green Bay Packers)

Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn | Highlights

31. Minnesota Vikings (from the San Francisco 49ers)

Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU | Highlights

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU | Highlights

Why they picked him: The Chiefs have depth at running back but nobody quite like Edwards-Helaire. He won’t have to come in and shoulder a massive offensive load since the Chiefs also have Damien Williams, Darrel Williams, DeAndre Washington and Darwin Thompson at running back. But the Chiefs will put Edwards-Helaire’s versatility to good use. If he proves himself early as a pass protector, he could immediately be the third-down back and possibly more.

Biggest question: Why Edwards-Helaire instead of another back such as Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor or Georgia’s D’Andre Swift? At 5-7, 207 pounds, Edwards-Helaire isn’t built for every-down duty. That’s not to say the Chiefs won’t put him to good use, but it’s difficult to picture him becoming what Jamaal Charles or Kareem Hunt were for the Chiefs, a regular featured back. — Adam Teicher

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[drdiandralp]

The Car of Tomorrow was not a Failure

Many NASCAR fans see the NextGen racecar as wiping away the last vestiges of the much-reviled Car of Tomorrow. But the CoT was far from a failure. You can bet your life -- or your favorite drivers's life -- on that.

B. C.(oT)

In the early 2000's, NASCAR was facing the same Big Three problems that face all of motorsports.

While they still face these challenges today, the situation was much more dire back then. They'd lost four drivers (Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Jr., Tony Roper and Dale Earnhardt) within a space of a year.A number of marquee drivers had retiredThey had a new broadcasting partnerThe series changed from lots of one- and two-car teams to fewer teams, each with four (or more) cars.Rules (e.g. a common roof line, a penalty for changing engines) were implements to keep teams from spending themselves out of existence. The series lost their sponsor of 33 years.Teams spent thousands of dollars in aerodynamics wars. They made make tiny tweaks to a car body to get a tiny edge. Remember the Twisted Sister? The car that prompted some to say it looked like it had been in an accident before it'd even gotten on the track?

The Car of Tomorrow, Yesterday

NASCAR wanted the Car of Tomorrow to satisfy all three issues: cost, safety and competition. Like most experiments, some results were better than expected, some were as expected and some were disappointing. NASCAR fans' dislike of change is legendary. When the CoT arrived on March 25th, 2007, people were predisposed to dislike it.

The most visible changes were a wing instead of a spoiler and a splitter instead of an air dam. The body shape was standardized, with minor modifications in the noses. The only way a casual fan could tell which manufacturer's car was which was to read the decal. Kyle Busch won the first CoT race, but he wasn't big on it, either. I’m still not a big fan of these things. I can’t stand to drive them, they suck.”Kyle Busch, after winning the first COT race.

Aerodynamics and Handling

The CoT was designed to help drivers maneuver better in traffic and to enable cars to pass each other -- a problem NASCAR is still dealing with in the NextGen car). The Body With limited skew allowed in the body, the CoT looked more like a production car than the twisted sister did; however, it didn't look like one of the sexier, sportier cars that has always been the model for racing. Manufacturers, unhappy with the lack of differentiation between makes, convinced NASCAR to specialize the Gen 6 car. Tony Stewart called it 'The Flying Brick' because it was big and boxy. Ideally, a team wouldn't need different cars for different tracks. However, teams quickly found areas they could exploit for different tracks, so they didn't end up making many fewer cars. The CoT was the first move toward having all teams adhere to a universal standard. The grey area decreased, but all teams understood the expectations. The Center of Gravity The CoT's center of gravity was much higher. That means more load transfer, poorer handling and more force on the right-side tires. The Wing There were concerns about the wing giving cars the propensity to go airborne at high speeds and high yaw angles. After trying different side-plate sizes and positions, NASCAR went back to a spoiler. The Splitter The splitter is a versatile, easily adjustable aerodynamic piece that provides front downforce. This piece enables NASCAR to do things like quickly develop a new short-track package. The initial design had braces that required a pit crew member to stick their hand between when cleaning the grille. A badly-timed pit exit could rip off someone's hand. I was glad when they changed the design. Tegris When NASCAR decided to use a splitter for the Car of Tomorrow, they had to decide what to make it out of. They needed something strong, durable, not super-expensive, and that wouldn't make a mess on track in an accident. They started with wood (not strong enough), looked at carbon fiber (too splintery and way too expensive), and ended up testing hundreds of materials. The winner was Tegris, a lightweight, stiff, durable polymer composite from Milliken & Company. They weave a polymer fiber into sheets (like carbon fiber) and then heat it under pressure to form a composite. The photo on the left, below, shows the material before and after consolidation. The finished composite has a woven pattern because it starts out as fabric. You can buy Tegris with plain, twill or herringbone weaves now. It's paintable, and you can get it in four colors: silver, coyote, tan and natural.

Tegris is almost as strong as carbon fiber, but at a significantly reduced price. The splitter has evolved over the years, but it is still made of Tegris.

Safety

It's sometimes hard to appreciate how innovative and successful the CoT was. Much like with social distancing, when something works perfectly, nothing happens. That there have been no deaths in NASCAR's top three series since 2001 is a direct result of the CoT. It's also a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of the people in the NASCAR R&D Center. The Chassis The CoT marked the first time NASCAR sent an AutoCad file to every team and said 'this is how you will build your chassis'. The design incorporated everything NASCAR had learned about safety from how welds should be made to where the driver sits.

Some of the under-appreciated elements of the CoT: The driver's seat moved away from the door, toward the center of the car.The drive shaft (a long, heavy piece of metal) was enclosed in a protective sleeve. This keeps it from becoming a projectile in an accidentThe greenhouse (the top area of the cockpit) became larger. The drivers had more room and easier egress in case of emergency.A reinforced greenhouse protected the driver in case of a rollover. Five bars on the driver's side door provided extra protection against T-bone hits. NASCAR's engineers made some modifications in response to specific accidents, like Kyle Busch breaking his leg at Daytona and Brad Keselowski fracturing his ankle during testing at Watkins Glen. But the CoT chassis remains remarkably robust, which is why it is the basis of the Gen-6 and the NextGen racecar. Impaxx Foam The CoT added even more protection against driver-door impacts by adding a foam made by Dow called IMPAXX. That's the blue stuff you see when a crash peels sheet metal off the door.

While IMPAXX is a foam, it's not squishy like, say, a foam pillow. It's rigid, like Styrofoam, but it's much stronger, while remaining lightweight. Styrofoam has to stand up to your USPS, UPS and FedEx delivery people. IMPAXX has to stand up to a 190-mph race car. Impaxx squishes when impacted. That squishing (which is really just the breaking of atomic-bonds) requires energy -- lots of energy. The basis of safety is that energy dissipated in the car doesn't reach the driver.

IMPAXX comes in different densities for different applications. It's now also used as roll-bar padding. In passenger vehicles, it's found in the headliner and also protects against side and lower-leg impacts. It's easy to shape and can be fabricated in panels that, like the door application, fit right into place on the chassis. Tegris (Again) The word 'Tegris' comes from the Latin 'You are Protected'. While Tegris came into NASCAR as the ideal splitter material, this material has many uses. Milliken promotes Tegris for any application requiring impact resistance, stiffness and light weight, which includes bullet-resistant materials, kayaks and suitcases. NASCAR put a slab of Tegris in the driver's side door to prevent cockpit intrusions. So in addition to giving the driver front downforce, this super material also gives him peace of mind.

A Completely Successful Experiment is a Bad Experiment

People like to compare anything new to 'putting a man on the moon', but there's a difference: We knew how to put men on the moon. The steps were hard, but we knew what they were. No motorsports sanctioning body has solved the passing problem or achieved the perfect balance of safety, competition and cost. The CoT was a bold step forward. Not everything worked, but you can't make incremental changes when you only design a new car every five or ten years. Part of drivers' hostility toward the car may have reflected how NASCAR operated, rather than the car itself. NASCAR is now more of a partner with teams, rather than a dictatorial body that demands everyone toe the line (or be fined). Very few things in the world are all good or all bad. I'm not sure why people feel they must take sides: You love something (or someone) or you absolutely despise it. That's not realistic, nor is it healthy. It'll be the same when we finally see the NextGen car on track. It would be great if it was perfect, but it probably won't be. Some elements will work better than expected, and some elements will disappoint. But it will be a step ahead, and that's all you can ask. I don't care how ugly someone might say a race car is. They all look pretty standing in Victory Lane.David Reutimann, via Ryan McGee Read the full article

[cervidaecorona]

♫ Fanmix ↠ books ↠ THE SELECTION: the music

So this is my first post of a fanmix on tumblr and i know my formatting is going to leave a lot to be desired but hopefully you guys get the jist and enjoy it! Many of the songs could be interpreted several different ways but I listed the POV for who I chose it for as well as a section of lyric. LISTEN TO THE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE!  

The One • Jack Paccione Jr. (Insturmental) This is the offical theme for "The One". It is not on spotify, but you can listen to it on soundcloud HERE 

Running Up That Hill • Placebo (Aspen POV) It's you , it's you and me I'ts you and me won't be unhappy And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God And get him to swap our places

Desert Road • Rousseau (America POV) It doesn't feel like home anymore It doesn't' feel like home anymore Everything is changing We don't know where this road goes

Sound of Your Heart • Shawn Hook (Aspen POV) I was a stone weighing us down You were the angel I chained to the ground I miss the way you undress, I miss your head on my chest Can't stop this bleeding, can't stop believing I'm missing the sound of your heart beating

America • Imagine Dragons (Maxon POV) Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on Nothing • MY (America POV) How could a story so sweet become a nightmare But I fought it out, learned to breathe again But here you stand in the pouring rain It's like a scene from a movie I hear the drums rolling but now I'm free falling All I wanted was to feel nothing Always Wrong • Eisley (America POV) My sweet heart, each curse, ever crime Your thoughts, your thoughts, are mine mine mine mine mine And I know I'd only let you down And I know you won't stick around But I'll make sure I'll keep you coming back 

Moonrise • WILDWOOD (America POV) Midnight creeping through the clouds Hear your footsteps on the ground I'm hanging on to the hope that you're not gonna go And you'll wait here with me as I will you Will you still love me when the stars fade away? Instead • Blake McGrath (Aspen POV) And I tried to defend how I thought we would play out I came and confess that I love you more than he does So choose me instead, oh choose me instead Cause he's not good enough for you Cold • Marron 5 (Maxon POV) What you holdin' on, holdin' on for? If you wanna leave just leave Why you wanna bite your tongue for? The silence s killing me Acting like we're not together If you don't want this then what's the use?

I Shall Believe • Sheryl Crow (America POV) That not everything is gonna be the way you think it ought to be It seems like every time I try to make it right it all comes down on me Please say honestly you won't give up on me And I shall believe Wonderwall • Ryan Adams (Maxon POV) And all the roads we have to walk are winding And all the lights that lead the way are blinding There are many things that I would like to say to you But I don't know how

Rise And Fall • The Rigs (America POV) There is a call to rise No time to run and hide Come on we all must choose a side So who are you If we don't rise we fall

Here and Now • Firefight (America POV) Feels like flying realizing that there's more To this life than just surviving There is love worth dying for But right here with you everything's changing You change me

I Get To Love You • Ruelle (America POV) The way you love, it changes who I am I am undone and I thank God once again I can't believe it's true sometimes I can't believe it's true I get to love you

[joementa]

New Year...New Beginnings...

I hope everyone is having a good start to their 2019 and listening to a lot of music and getting to as many shows as you can.  One of the things I’m trying to do this year is make a lot of playlists.  I have a ton of ideas for themes, but I also wanted to get some ideas for potential themes.  So I asked some great people with unimpeachable music reps that I trust to give me some themes for playlists. They create the theme; I create the playlist.  I had a feeling they would come through with some awesome suggestions, and I was not wrong. One of those suggestions was for a playlist about new beginnings.  What a great idea!  A new year…with new beginnings.  I like it! And I really like how this playlist ended up.  I think you will too.

If you’ve listened to any of my playlists before, you know the drill by now.  You need to listen to this in the order listed below, and you need to listen to the specific versions I listed.  That’s why I made not one, but TWO, playlists on the most streamed sites. All you need to do is click one of the links below and then press play.  See how easy that is!

I like to create playlists that flow like a show.  Bruce is my favorite musician to see live, by far, and I love how he starts his shows. The first few songs are usually very fast paced, with very little talking, which usually leaves the audience gasping for breath and needing a break about 7 songs in.  I kind of did that here, except I also started with a slow, quiet song.  It’s a lot of fun when a show starts with a slow song, and then BOOM! - the band immediately hits you with a rocker.  I remember Gaslight Anthem did that often in 2012 when they opened with “Mae” and in 2015 when they opened with “Have Mercy”.  You could FEEL the anticipation in the crowd during the first slow song, everyone ready to go nuts.  So I did that with this playlist.  Have you ever heard this version of “Learning To Fly” before?  The one from The Live Anthology box set.  If you have, you already know.  If you haven’t, you are in for a treat.  Wait until you hear the end, when the crowd sings along.  That’s what it’s all about!

I’ve been listening to a lot of Motown, TSOP, soul, funk, r ‘n b, etc., lately, so I included a lot of that genre towards the second half of the playlist.  Again, let’s go back to Bruce for the inspiration.  At his ESB shows, he often plays a bunch of classic soul songs towards the end.  It’s always a lot of fun and it’s some of the best music ever made.

Usually I try not to repeat artists on a playlist, but I had to do it here.  The “Rocky Ground” into “Land Of Hope And Dreams” segue is the second best segue in the Bruce catalog, so those songs just can’t be broken apart, and if the theme is new beginnings, those songs just can’t be left off.  And technically I am repeating John Mayer, but that’s okay.  Both songs included here are probably not very well known (but they definitely SHOULD be!), so hopefully I can introduce you to some great songs you haven’t heard before.  And technically one of the songs isn’t even a John Mayer song.  How great is the line “it’s called the past ‘cause I’m getting past and I ain’t nothing like I was before.”  So good!

I love it when shows end with a fast song, but I saw U2 for the first time last year and they ended the show with “13 (There Is A Light)”, which was a beautiful way to end the show. It was a powerful message to send the crowd home to.  I tried to do that here as well.  There’s always been a rainbow hangin’ over your head…it’ll be alright…  

Link to playlist on Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/new-year-new-beginnings/pl.u-kv9lbZlsX46JEq

Link to playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/joementa/playlist/22784MvEpJeLcmT3O30rcr?si=j9CngJiuRBiCdNm_5BBXbA

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Learning To Fly” (The Live Anthology)

The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (Turn! Turn! Turn!)

Brandon Flowers – “Magdalena” (Flamingo)

Cheerleader – “New Daze” (The Sunshine Of Your Youth)

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “Users” (III/IV)

The Bouncing Souls – “Better Things” (The Gold Record)

The Pretenders – “Pack It Up” (Pretenders II)

John Mayer – “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” (Born & Raised)

The Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive” (Saturday Night Fever)

Diana Ross – “I’m Coming Out” (Diana)

Curtis Mayfield – “Move On Up” (Curtis)

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – “New Shoes” (Soul Time!)

The Crusaders – “New Moves” (Ghetto Blaster)

Alicia Keys – “Lesson Learned” (featuring John Mayer) (As I Am)

U2 – “Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way” (Songs Of Experience)

Pearl Jam – “Alive” (Ten)

Bruce Springsteen – “Rocky Ground” (Wrecking Ball)

Bruce Springsteen – “Land Of Hope And Dreams” (Wrecking Ball)

Better Oblivion Community Center – “Dominoes” (Better Oblivion Community Center)

Kacey Musgraves – “Rainbow” (Golden Hour)

[yourstruly-a]

-December 14 2019.

Flight UA5759

-Another not so happy flight. Alone and scared not by choice. Again. What’s the lesson here?

I started my day by missing my bus to the airport. I was off to a great start. I was getting out of the Uber as the bus was driving away at the bus stop. I was suppose to get on that exact bus to get to the airport in time. I felt like the man in every single cliche ending I’ve ever seen in a “little too late” story line. Except why was I a little too late? I checked the time. That bus was 3 minutes early. They were a little too early. I waited for the next bus. That bus was also 3 minutes early. I checked the website to make sure I wasn’t losing it. Then I thought, how many people do you think missed this bus? Then I laughed. I laughed cause I was trying not to cry. It was a rough week. My 65 and sunny vacation turned into a freezing 52 and rainy locked in a house with 2 teenagers who hate each other, blasting Ryan Adams records and consuming about 6 pots of coffee. It was lit.

I got to the airport. I boarded the plane after 8 days in this state. I was stuffed in the middle seat of a tiny aircraft that was so old, I could almost smell the cigarette smoke still lingering in the leather seats. Inflight smoking was outlawed too long ago for this to be true. But maybe it was the ash trays that sparked the nostalgic stank. Why do airplanes still have ash trays? I grew up around smoking grandparents. I like the smell of smoke. I was never a smoker but something is comforting about the scent. I started off relaxed and ready to get home. Boy was I wrong.

We started taking off the runway. Full speed ahead. The pilot had just gotten the nose lifted from the pavement. There was an awful noise from the right side of the aircraft. Something went terribly wrong. The aircraft immediately kiltered. Right wing was almost on the ground and we were still half way in the air. Almost out of runway to put the plane down immediately before it was too late. The pilot did it. It was unreal. I was in row 8 with a perfect view and he maybe had about 20 yards away from the end of the runway. We weren’t going home anytime soon. Sat on the runway a good 2 hours before the mechanics reached the aircraft. They couldn’t diagnose the problem. Taxied us back to the gate and all of us left the plane. I was getting text updates about the status of the departure every half hour starting another hour delayed. 6 hours had gone by until they gave us the option to reassign our flights. I was alone with a phone that was about to die and boarding passes that were no good. I couldn’t take it anymore. I opted to get on a plane the next day with a layover in Denver and then home by 4:30 pm at MSP. I was set to go, I was going to hop on a plane tomorrow and get home safely.

It was 11:30 PM by the time I left the airport. I had to catch the bus that betrayed by that same morning. I made sure I was 3 minutes earlier than posted pick up time. The bus was 3 minutes late. I just about had it. I boarded the bus and got ready for the hour long ride home through the city and up into a suburban bus stop ride off the freeway. I got dropped off at the bus stop and then had to take an Uber to where I was staying. No ubers were in sight. They gave me an estimated time of 60 minutes until a driver could come get me. I waited for what seemed like the longest 60 minutes of my life. I was stuck at the bus stop. Scared and alone. Again. This seems to be the theme of my life these days.

I made it 30 minutes before I wasn’t the only one at the bus stop. I was approached by the silhouette of what seemed to be a man who was coming right up to me. The bus stop light was behind him and he had his hood up. I couldn’t see his face. I was freaking out at this point. He started strong towards my way. Slowed down and stood about 20 feet from me. For a good 5 minutes he just stood there. Took his hood off then started my way again. This time I could see his face. He was a man. A man with glossed over eyes, sores all over his face, and an empty expression. This man had been through some shit. I was terrified. He started off strong, told me how he’s fleeing the state cause his dad is trying to give him some injection and then send him off to this treatment center. He asked where I was flying to, where my family was and if I was traveling alone. I gave him fake answers to every question. At this point I was just trying to make it into salvation. That bus could show up any minute.

He asked to use my phone. He had misplaced his is what he had told me. His words were all jumbled, his mannerisms were all over the place. This guy was on something and I was just trying to not aggravate him. I told him he had 10 minutes to use my phone before the Uber came. He called whoever he called if he called anyone for that matter. My call log didn’t have any number on there... he was having a full on conversation with this said person. At this point this man had sit right next to me on this bench at this bus stop in the middle of nowhere. Why was I alone? Why am I in this situation? How dangerous is this? What the hell was i thinking? I was scared and alone. Again. What is the lesson here? The conversation he was having turned hostile. I was 3 seconds away from losing it. My Uber showed up 3 minutes early. I wasn’t scared anymore. I took back my phone and bolted into the Uber. Checked my call log and there was nothing on there. He never called anybody.

And that’s when it hit me. He is also one that is just scared and alone. He was at the lowest low of his life. Yes he was using drugs, yes he made that choice. That is how he scared and alone copes. I was scared and alone. Was this the lowest low of my life? How am I going to cope? I haven’t gone into why life has wrecked havoc on me but in due time. I’m learning to cope. I feel a pivot in the near future and God do I hope so. I see a little glimmer of hope. I have to hang onto that and find a healthy way to be ok with being alone and scared.

Yours truly. -A

[chorddebtor0-blog]

Projecting all the offseason moves for the Chicago Bears

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears offseason is upon us and because of that, it’s time to let the imagination fly. Even so, this is a team that is currently tight against the cap and will still have more movement before they can spend with any sort of impact, if that is indeed the plan.

There’s plenty that can happen in an offseason, so I’m going to do my best to project a combination of what I think general manager Ryan Pace would do and what I would do as well.

Without further ado, let’s jump into this head first.

Current Cap Space: $18.146 million

This includes every currently announced cut and I also projected Cody Parkey’s cut in here as well, since there will be no additional cap penalties in 2019 because of the June 1st designation. This also includes the $2.5 million cap credit from Mike Glennon’s 2018 offset language.

Cap Savers: (+$12.751 million)

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Restructure Khalil Mack. (+$8.396 million)

By converting Mack’s $11.3 million base salary into a signing bonus, it would allow the Bears to save a maximum of $8.3 million. That would include a sixth year minimum salary and spreading the remaining dead cap over a five-year period, which would start this year.

Extend Chase Daniel (+$2.33 million)

By giving Daniel a two year extension (two years, $8 million), the team could also turn around and convert his $4 million base salary into a signing bonus. After a minimum salary benefit and the proration of the bonus, it would allow them to save around $2.33 million in 2019.

Trade Jordan Howard (+$1.535 million after rule of 51)

This is a move the Bears should only make after finding his replacement(s). I’m projecting that the Bears will trade Howard and a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for their fourth round comp pick (#132). This saves money and makes the most sense for both sides if Pace feels comfortable with the return.

Notes: Converting Mack’s base salary into a bonus is somewhat of a risk, but even an extra $2 million in dead space over the next five years isn’t going to cripple them, especially when the cap has continued to rise by $10-$12 million each year.

Total Cap Space: $30.38 million

Internal Free Agents (8)

2019 MOCK FREE AGENCY

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

CB Bryce Callahan (Four years, $26 million with $12 million guaranteed) $4.75 million hit (Comp: Bobby McCain)

WR Josh Bellamy (Two years, $3.5 million with $1.1M guaranteed) $1.5 million hit (Comp: Sherrick McManis)

G Bryan Witzmann (Two years, $3 million with $600,000 guaranteed) $1.25 million hit (Comp: Eric Kush)

LS Patrick Scales (Three years, $3.5 million with $1.25M guaranteed) $1 million hit (Comp: Mike Windt)

TE Ben Braunecker (One year, $900,00 with $150,000 guaranteed) $900,000 hit (Comp: Daniel Brown)

S DeAndre Houston-Carson (One year, $700,000) $700,000 hit

DL Roy Robertson-Harris (one year, $650,000 (ERFA) $650,000 hit

RT Rashaad Coward (one year, $650,000) (ERFA) $650,000 hit

Notes: This is going to be an interesting group to follow. It’s quite possible that the Bears could end up retaining both Adrian Amos and Callahan after hitting the market, especially with how packed both markets are at their respective positions. The Bears have been vocal about wanting to retain both, and judging by the lack of reported buzz from both players at the combine, this seems more and more realistic. Even so, I’m still going to make this a safer projection and assume that just one of the two comes back.

Total Spent (after the rule of 51): (-$6.87 million)

Current Cap Space: $23.567 million

Primary Outside Free Agents (6)

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

OLB Terrell Suggs (Two years, $12 million with $5.5 million guaranteed) $5.5 million hit (Comp: Cam Wake)

RB T.J. Yeldon (Three years, $12 million with $6 million guaranteed) $3 million hit (Comp: Isaiah Crowell)

DB Brian Poole (Three years, $10.5 million with $4 million guaranteed) $2.5 million hit (Comp: Terrance Mitchell)

CB P.J. Williams (One year, $1.5 million with $500,000 guaranteed) $1.5 million hit (Comp: Marcus Cooper)

K Kai Forbath (One year, $1 million with $200K guaranteed) $1 million hit

WR De’Anthony Thomas (One year, $900,000 $150,000 guaranteed) $900,000 million hit

Notes: This isn’t going to be some extravagant offseason for the team like in previous years. They don’t have the resources to go out and sign multiple contracts in the $8-$10 million range, but that’s alright. Their holes will be minimal and the focus should be more about finding missing pieces in the short-term that can help push them team closer to a Super Bowl. It’s possible the Bears could do better at safety than Poole, but I have a feeling Pagano will want versatility, which the former Falcon brings. There’s also “better” options than Yeldon at running back, but stylistically, he fits like a glove. Maybe they’ll shell out $7 million per year for someone like Tevin Coleman, but I’ll keep my projection more conservative for the time being.

Total Spent (After rule of 51): (-$10.98 million)

Current Cap Space: $12.587 million

Extensions: (-$3 million)

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Notes: At this point, a Whitehair extension has not only been widely speculation by names like Adam Jahns and Biggs, but it seems like a foregone conclusion this summer. It’s a no-brainer and speaks to Pace’s ability to land talent out of the first round.

Current Cap Space: $9.587 million

Draft Class (-$2.5 million)

2019 MOCK DRAFT

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

3rd (#87): RB Miles Sanders (Penn St)

This is a running back class that simply didn’t test very well as a whole, but even so, there’s not a lot of first round talent, if any in this class. This should be a good thing for the Bears. Sanders is someone who didn’t originally pop to me on film, but the more and more I watched him, the more attractive he was. He’s a one-year starter with minimal miles. He doesn’t have a ton of long speed and may dance too much behind the line, but he has all the physical makings of a primary back in Nagy’s offense.

4th (#126): DB Amani Hooker (Iowa)

Much like the Poole signing, I expect the Bears to look for versatile options in the defensive backfield. Hooker can play in the nickel, either boundary spot or at strong safety. He’s someone that was used in multiple ways at Iowa and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to trust a good friend of mine who covers that team. He raves about Hooker and it’s easy to see why. Could be a plug and play starter from day one, but the Bears won’t need him to be.

4th (#132): TE Foster Moreau (LSU) Projected Trade with Buffalo

I’ve kicked a few different tight ends around at this pick. My other choice would have been Texas A&M product Jace Sternberger, but I find it hard to believe he’ll be sitting there in the late fourth, so enter Moreau. He’s not a crazy athletic kid, but he’s big, has steady hands and is an outstanding blocker. The Bears have invested heavy at the position, but this may be a needed addition.

5th (#162): WR Penny Hart (Georgia St)

Depending on who you talk to, receiver is either a bigger need than meets the eye or receiver is not a worry at all. I’m more in the middle. I don’t think they need to go out and spent big money or use a high pick, but finding Taylor Gabriel’s eventual replacement in the fifth-round wouldn’t be bad. Hart is smaller, but he’s very quick and could be used perfectly in Nagy’s offense.

7th (#222): K Matt Gay (Utah)

The Bears are likely to draft a kicker, seeing as how they have a pair of seventh round picks. Right now, the two kickers on the roster are Redford Jones and Chris Blewitt. Neither have NFL experience. Enter Gay, who has one hell of a leg.

7th (#238): OG Alex Bars (Notre Dame)

This pick is all about value and development. Kyle Long restructured his deal to help the team for a year, but has over a $9 million cap hit in 2020. Bars has experience with Harry Hiestand and could be a nice developmental pick or depth at worst.

Total Remaining Cap Space: $7.087 million

Offensive Depth Chart

QB Trubisky/Daniel

RB Yeldon/Sanders/Cohen/Mizzell

WR1 Robinson/Bellamy

WR2 Gabriel/Wims

WR3 Miller/Thomas/Hart

TE Burton/Shaheen/Moreau/Braunecker

RT Massie/Coward

RG Long/Witzmann

C Whitehair

LG Daniels/Bars

LT Leno/Sowell

Defensive Depth Chart

DE Hicks/Bullard

NT Goldman

DE Nichols/Robertson-Harris

OLB Mack/Suggs/Fitts

ILB Smith/Kwiatkoski

ILB Trevathan/Iggy

OLB Floyd/Irving

CB1 Fuller/Hooker/Williams

CB2 Amukamara/Toliver

SS Poole/Bush/Hooker

FS Jackson/Houston-Carson

NCB Callahan/McManis

Special Teams Depth Chart

K Gay/Jones/Forbath

P UDFA/UDFA

KR Thomas/Cohen

PR Cohen/Thomas

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2019/3/7/18252545/projecting-chicago-bears-mock-draft-free-agency-callahan-amos-suggs-mack-yeldon-bellamy-whitehair

[kevinpolowy]

From 'Anchorman' Assistant to 'The House' Helmer: Andrew Jay Cohen Climbs the Ranks of Comedy

Andrew Jay Cohen at the premiere of ‘The House’ (Getty Images)

Andrew Jay Cohen has one of the cooler origin stories you could imagine in contemporary Hollywood comedy. In 2003, he was hired as an assistant to Original Nerd of Comedy Judd Apatow on the instant-classic Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. This weekend, Cohen makes his directorial debut with The House, a suburbia-set sendup of Scorsese’s Casino that teams comedic heavyweights Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.

In between, Cohen’s résumé is loaded with various roles on other beloved laughers. Freaks and Geeks. Undeclared. The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Talladega Nights. Neighbors.

“He cut his teeth in our world,” Ferrell said fondly when remembering his House helmer’s humble beginnings. “I remember when he worked for Judd. He was always in good spirits.”

Ferrell followed that last comment with a belly laugh, and upon meeting Cohen for coffee and croissants one hot and sunny morning in Beverly Hills, it quickly becomes clear why. The 40-year-old Scarsdale, New York, native carries a contagious energy and unbridled enthusiasm for the craft of comedy — and by all accounts, life in general. And he’s amiable as hell.

Mantzoukas, Ferrell, and Poehler in ‘The House’ (Warner Bros.)

The motto Cohen has subscribed to since packing up for Hollywood at 21? “Don’t be a d–k. Just be cool and pay your dues.” After graduating from Yale with a degree in film production, Cohen moved to Los Angeles with “delusions of grandeur” alongside his childhood friend Brendan O’Brien, with whom he’d go on to co-write Neighbors, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and The House.

He landed an entry-level gig assisting a lit agent at CAA, and she was “awful,” he said. “Straight out of Swimming With Sharks.” But it was an industry bootcamp for the wet-behind-the-ears transplant.” I got humility, organizational skills, comfortable at a fast pace… and I learned how to lie,” he laughed.

Cohen made a spec commercial for Nokia “that nobody asked for” and shopped it around CAA, and it ultimately helped land him his first film gig: in New York as assistant to Adrian Lyne on the auteur’s not-so-funny Diane Lane-Richard Gere thriller Unfaithful (2002). He helped Lyne construct a lookbook of cues for the movie, and did whatever the director needed, like read Olivier Martinez’s lines as Lane spoke to him on the phone. “Adrian Lyne taught me so much about visual filmmaking,” he said.

Back in Los Angeles, Cohen came across the job listing at another talent agency, UTA, that would change his life: “It said, ‘Comedy Producer Looking for Assistant,'” he remembered. “I was like, OK, I like comedy, I like producing… Yeah it was Judd Apatow for Anchorman. But back then he was ‘failed TV producer Judd Apatow.’ He’d had two shows canceled. Then he’d had a kid [Maude], and now he’s gonna produce this movie with these guys from SNL [Ferrell and head writer Adam McKay]. But that was the mothership.”

Cohen knew immediately that the classy San Diego-set comedy was destined for greatness. “It was a dream. Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, golden ticket. I was in the front row,” he said. “I had never seen anything like it, the way [David] Koechner, [Paul] Rudd, Will, Christina Applegate, Fred Willard, Steve Carell, the way they were constantly going and riffing with the type of improv that we take for granted now. It blew my mind.”

Rudd, Ferrell, Koechner, and Carell in ‘Anchorman’ (Paramount)

In addition to being at Apatow’s beck and call, Cohen also shot behind-the-scenes footage for the film, and found his calling. “I was able to watch the process, watch Adam McKay direct Will, watch Will shine, watch Adam shine behind the camera, yelling [lines] out. I was like, want to do that! I want to be that guy.'”

Apatow then hired him to produce DVD extras for his two canceled shows-turned-cult classics: Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. “When he said you’re gonna produce DVDs, I had a lump in my throat cause I was so excited. I tell students, ‘You gotta take it. Whatever the job is. If you excel at it, even if it’s just making coffee — if you make amazing coffee and remember the sugar and ice or milk, whatever they ask for — it’s all weirdly a test of how badly you want it.”

Cohen wrangled the likes of James Franco, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen to record commentaries for the episodes, and made lifelong friends in the process. He shares Los Angeles Clippers tickets with Martin Starr to this day. And his relationship with Rogen would pay major dividends a few years later.

After those two stints in home video (“Because you have to test twice, never once,” Cohen laughed), he was promoted to associate producer on The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), which marked Apatow’s feature film directorial debut. Once again he captured behind-the-scenes footage, but was also now in charge of any of content shown on television screens in the film.

Rogen and Rudd in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (Universal)

His claim to fame came when the producers weren’t able to clear the video game Mortal Kombat until the 11th hour. Once it was finally cleared the day of shooting, he rushed to learn the game’s signature special moves. “That move you see in the movie [with Rogen and Rudd trading gay jokes as one of them pulls off the “heart rip” fatality], I learned that that morning. That’s my cameo,” Cohen boasted. “It was nail-biting. Like, ‘Will I get fired if I can’t perfect this special move? Is this what I went to Yale University and NYU Sight & Sound for?'”

Cohen would serve as associate producer again on Talladega Nights (2006) and then a co-producer on Funny People (2009), where he continued to press directors McKay and Apatow, respectively, for intel and score fly-on-the-wall filmmaking knowledge.

All the while, he and O’Brien plugged away at writing projects, and they got their big break after approaching Rogen to help spur Neighbors (2014) into production. Cohen remembers going on the set of The Guilt Trip, the actor’s comedy alongside Barbra Streisand, where they pitched Zac Efron the concept in Rogen’s trailer. “I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, this is the funniest face-off I’ve ever seen,'” he said. “It immediately felt iconic.”

The inspiration for The House originally came from Cohen and O’Brien’s days as lonely high school freshmen in Westchester. The girls they knew had all started to hang out with older guys — a very universal, very real struggle for freshmen dudes — so they started spending their nights playing poker and craps at a friend’s house. “Originally it was the kids keeping it a secret from their parents,” Cohen said. “But my manger was like, ‘You write adults acting like idiots so well, why don’t you make it about the parents?”

So The House became the story of Scott and Kate Johansen (Ferrell and Poehler), middle-class suburban parents whose teenage daughter (Ryan Simpkins) loses her full-ride scholarship to Bucknell because of shady small-town politics. Desperate to raise the capital for tuition, Scott and Kate start a casino in the Brady Bunch-esque abode of their friend Frank (Jason Mantzoukas) — and things quickly go haywire from there, dismemberments and all.

Cohen on the set of ‘The House’ (Warner Bros.)

Cohen said there have been real-life cases of in-home casinos that they looked at for production design, but they were no laughing matters. “It’s super sad,” he described. “The photos are bleak, man. You see the plastic ties and all the stuff marked. Like it’s so low-rent you could see it was born out of desperation. But I think there’s a darkness in the movie that reflects that.”

Cohen and O’Brien brought the concept to Ferrell (“We were like, ‘Let’s Robert De Niro’ you”), who immediately attached himself to the project — and subsequently helped lure his fellow SNL alum Poehler. Cohen desperately wanted to make it his debut behind the camera, but for writers, “No one wants you to direct, ever,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Couldn’t we get a director who’s made a movie before?'”

Still, Cohen’s long history of dues-paying in the comedy world endeared him to Ferrell and the Warner Bros. brass. Plus, there’s that youthful vibrancy. “He brought so much energy and passion,” Ferrell said. “He was as amped on the last day as he was on the first day, and so excited to be making a movie, which I think is contagious to be around, especially if you’ve done a lot of movies. It just reminds you, ‘No this is really fun. This is really cool to be around.'”

The House is now in theaters. Watch the trailer:

Read more on Yahoo Movies:

Will Ferrell on Sharing ‘The House’ With Amy Poehler, Odds for ‘Step Brothers 2’

Does ‘The House’ Share the Same Universe as ‘Neighbors’? Jason Mantzoukas Connects the Comedies

Get a Tour of Frank’s Place Casino in This Exclusive Featurette from ‘The House’

[possessedcoast]

the life and times of ryan ross pt 8

.2015/2016

welcome all! make sure to thank @jen--ne--sais--quoi for the existence of these posts because the poor thing asked to know about ryan and now she probably knows more than she ever wanted to!

here in our final chapter, we shall see what ryan has been up to from where we left off in 2015 to as current as we can be as of today (feb 26, 2017) this is mostly links and pictures because he didn’t actually do a whole lot

alright, early 2015. pretty much all ryan ross does is spend time with friends, mostly dan keyes and ryland blackinton. he goes to coachella and looks lovely in his hawaiian shirt. 

he also posted some teasers about making music on instagram, but we saw no new music. 

the most important thing about 2015 is ryan’s beard. 

look at it. it’s glorious. 

in february/march of 2015 zayn has left one direction (this is a ryan ross post, why is she talking about one direction??? it’s relevant, i promise.) someone thought it would be funny to edit the 1d wikipedia page to day that ryan ross had joined the band. 1d fangirls lost their minds. ryan tweeted “ You guys got it all wrong, the four remaining members of One Direction are joining MY band” 

if you look at his twitter throughout 2015, some of the tweets are vastly different than others. it could’ve been him on drugs, it could’ve been shane morris. personally, i think it was more shane, but the other is a possibility. also in june 2015, he got super fucked up and crashed a PHASES show. there are pictures of it out there, but i don’t think it’s really appropriate to share them. i also vaguely remember someone (z maybe?) asking for them to not be shared because ryan was really embarrassed and upset about it. about the incident he said “Def was having too much fun at the Phases show tonight, I promise I'll never do it again  again” so there’s that.

then in july ryro got a girlfriend! he began dating model helena vestergaard and it seemed really good for him. it was certainly good for all of us fans because he posted so much while they were together. she also posted a lot about him. there were so many ryan pictures. it was glorious. here are some pics

then the next most important thing of 2015 happened. 

dorothy ross. 

ryan and helena got the cutest puppy in the world

from then on his instagram is pretty much dottie, but none of us mind because she’s precious. 

we also got this monstrosity

that’s all i’m gonna say about that. more helena and dottie pictures. then we get a picture where ryan tells us he’s taking vocal lessons!! and then he posted a teeny clip of a new song!!! more dottie & helena. a video of him learning to box?

don’t forget that this era of ryan likes hockey and baseball. he watches both and plays hockey too. 

halloween 2015. the fucking party. so. you thought we were done talking about brendon urie. we’re not. by 2015, he and ryan are not talking, at all. brendon usually avoids talking about ryan at all. then adam levine (yes, that one) has a halloween party. ryan’s invited because he’s best friends with mickey madden. he goes as a gremlin. well, a mogwai because he’s fuzzy and not scaly, but yeah. 

brendon, dressed as a skeleton and with sarah, was also there. as far as i’m aware, they basically didn’t even talk. brendon goes on to mention it a million times.

btw, by this point ryan doesn’t use his twitter anymore, it’s all just instagram links. there were some tweets earlier in the year that i’ll be talking about in my shane morris companion piece, but basically, shane likes to troll ryan’s fans by tweeting things or posting things on facebook then quickly deleting them.

also in 2015, ryan posts a picture of what seem to be song titles along with promises for making new music (the “shut the fuck up” was in response to someone telling him to go to bed btw) 

we’re now at the end of 2015. it seems like this is when ryan finally disconnects his twitter from his instagram because (except for one) his tweets stop and his instagram continues. he has also dropped shane morris as his manager (thank god)

near the beginning of 2016, ryan tells us that he has written a song for a band called agelast (sadly, that is pronounced ah-gel-ist, not age-last) he posted on both twitter and facebook about this. i’m inclined to believe both posts were actually him, not shane, but who knows. there was this comment on the facebook page that would be nice if it was from him. 

then, also early 2016, he and helena broke up. he was all set to fly to visit her in australia on a long term modeling job, and maybe he did, but that was that on helena vestergaard. she deleted all traces of him from her social media. he continued to play hockey and post pictures of dottie. 

he also bought 5 pounds of sour patch kids, causing all of us to fear for his health. then he starts to become a bit of a recluse. he posts a lot less frequently and it’s usually dottie pictures. 

then he goes to a renaissance fair and saves lives with his look 

easily the most important part of 2016 was when ryan did a surprise performance with dan keyes’ band cologne at emo nite la. it’s everything. EVERYTHING. watch it now. it felt like a nice comeback and he looked GOOD

we also got another tiny song clip. more pictures and videos of dottie. he also modeled some new PHASES merch with Z and Langley 

he went to the beach and we were blessed with this glorious image 

then he turned 30! and jeremy burke & alison harvard threw him a mini party at midnight with pizza! 

also sometime in august, his demo ep was deleted from soundcloud (his whole soundcloud was deleted) along with his site going down and his facebook page being deleted. the only thing we know is actually ryan is his instagram. 

then came halloween. with costumes in the past like et, a sloth, and a gremlin, we knew he would not disappoint. he was link from legend of zelda and he spent a good amount of the party (adam levine’s again, bden was not there) with victoria asher and gabe saporta from cobra starship. have some pics. 

(that’s gabe beside him)

then he “drank some blood” in this adorable video with his vocal coach

throughout 2016, a director named dan adams (glitterworldinc on insta) had been tagging ryan in a lot of pictures. i’m going to make a companion piece for him as well, but i’ll mention him here. he posts pictures of ryan, sometimes with strange captions, sometimes with rude captions. many pictures didn’t have ryan in them, but he was tagged. some pictures were of ryan’s house or around echo park. see more about that in the companion piece. lots of speculation went on about what he was doing with ryan. we’ll get to that in a minute. something more exciting now. the longest clip of new music that makes me cry every single time i listen to it, that callback line. (fun fact, z commented on it and called him space boi which is where i get one of my tags for him)

he looked beautifully goth for new years 

now we’re in 2017!

we found out this year that all the things glitterworldinc had been posting are because ryan’s going to be in his new movie!! he’s playing a character named Dewey Parsons in daniel adams’ new movie starmaker

the newest picture we have from ryan himself is this

and dan adams (glitterworldinc) has recently posted two! one was posted today! 

and that is basically everything i know about ryan ross’ life from the earliest facts i know to today! thank you for coming along on this crazy long ride with me and reading this giant mess. i’ll make those companion pieces here soon, so look out for those! EDIT: Update!!!!! ryan posted this mere hours after i finished this because he likes to make my life harder (i’m mostly kidding, i love him so much)

his caption: “On all twos Makin tunes on toons”

EDIT NUMBER 2: i should have made an outline for these posts, jesus christ. i told you all in another post that the guitar ryan burned alive would be important later and then i never told you why. the why is because brendon still has it. yep, he has the guitar that ryan burned all the way back in the cabin/pretty. odd. era. how do we know this? oh, just because brendon put it in his literal house of memories. it’s fine, i’m not crying. (it’s not fine, i am crying) the house of memories is a vip thing for this tour where fans can go in and take pictures with a bunch of old panic! things, from the masks from fever era to stuff from the victorious video. i would kill to go.