#its been like this since 2022 i think??? its become more prominent this year however

[arsen1cs4ng0]

tbh i kinda hate how vosim's overtaken a lot of my life + identity and shit, and it hurts for me to say this

[aion-rsa]

House of the Dragon: Game of Thrones Prequel Trailer Breakdown

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It’s been far too long since TV viewers got to spend time in Westeros. Thankfully, we will all be returning soon. Today HBO Max revealed an official teaser for House of the Dragon, the first of many planned Game of Thrones spinoffs. Check it out below.

This story is a prequel that picks up roughly 200 years before the events of the epic HBO series. The Targaryen dynasty is on its fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms. They’ve got all the dragons they could want and things are going great in Westeros. Surely, no petty family squabble over succession could possibly ruin such a great thing! Unfortunately for the Targaryen family, George R.R. Martin kind of lives for this shit. 

House of the Dragon is set to cover a major event in Westerosi history known as the Dance of the Dragons. This is when a crisis of succession leads to an enormous civil war that devastates the continent and kills off a large percentage of House Targaryen’s dragons. And those dragons are pretty important, you see. As the voiceover in the teaser indicates “Gods, kings, fire, and blood. Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.”

Though this teaser is only just over a minute long, it packs quite a bit of exciting imagery within it. Let’s break down exactly what it is we’re seeing here, using Martin’s prequel text Fire & Blood as a guide. 

Ser Otto Hightower

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House of the Dragon Photos Offer First Look at Thrones Prequel Characters

By Alec Bojalad

Fans of Game of Thrones should immediately recognize the pendant on the chest of this unseen character. That is worn by the “Hand of the King” who is essentially the King of the Seven Kingdoms’ chief of staff. Some Hands of the King are more historically significant than others and the House of the Dragon will depict a particularly important one. Though we don’t see his face, this character is certainly Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).

The Hightowers hail from Oldtown in The Reach, one of the biggest and most powerful cities in the Seven Kingdoms. In fact, before Aegon I’s arrival on the continent and the creation of King’s Landing, Oldtown was THE city in Westeros. As such, the Hightower family that rules Oldtown is extremely powerful. Though Otto’s brother is the Lord of Oldtown, Otto has been a mainstay of King’s Landing for years. He is a deeply political man who counts the king’s brother Daemon as his biggest rival. His daughter is also quite attractive and may or may not catch the eye of King Viserys I.

King Viserys I

Ah yes, King Viserys I: the head honcho. Viserys I (Paddy Considine) is the fifth king of the Targaryen dynasty. He seems to be doing a decent job but that might just be because his reign followed that of his grandfather Jaehaerys I – perhaps the greatest king Westeros ever had. Viserys’s biggest “sin” is his love of his daughter Rhaenyra. Viserys is grooming her to be Westeros’s ruling monarch despite the precdent of patrilineal succession being set under Jaehaerys’s reign.

The prominent inclusion of Viserys’ sword in this shot might not be a coincidence. All Targaryen kings through Aegon IV wielded Aegon I’s Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre. Should someone hypothetically nab that sword in a civil war it would lend an air of legitimacy to their claim.

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). This may be the closest this story has to a “main character.” Rhaenyra is the apple of her father King Viserys’s eye. In fact, for much of her youth she was pretty much the apple of everyone’s eye. Known as the “Realm’s Delight”, Rhaenyra has a very positive approval rating in the Seven Kingdoms. She is Viserys’s only child from his marriage to Queen Aemma of House Arryn. She appears to have a clear path to the Iron Throne … unless her father does something crazy like say, get remarried.

Daemon Targaryen

Here we have Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. Daemon (Matt Smith) is the king’s younger brother and therefore Rhaenyra’s uncle. In the war to come, Daemon will be one of the most important players. He is an excellent warrior but also a bit unbearable. Otto Hightower hates him and Viserys himself isn’t too taken by him. His niece certainly loves him though. Perhaps a bit too much. 

This may not be a particularly important moment but it does serve as a reminder that the Targaryen fashion sense is so rad. This also, however, could be a fateful duel between Daemon Targaryen and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), the latter of which loves a morningstar and who will play an important role in the palace intrigue to come.

Corlys Velaryon a.k.a. The Sea Snake

Now THIS guy is very important. This is Corlys Velaryon a.k.a. The Sea Snake (Steve Toussaint). Think of him as House of the Dragon’s Tywin Lannister, that is to say: the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms who does not sit on the Iron Throne. House Velaryon dates its lineage back to Old Valyria just like the Targaryens. As such the two families are quite close, with Corlys even marrying Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best).

Even beyond his family’s power, however, Corlys is a particularly impressive man. He is a prolific sailor and adventurer who has traveled all over the world, bringing many riches back home with him. Should a civil war break out, he would be a very important ally to win.

Speaking of Velaryons, here is the whole crew. It’s unknown who is who here but the following actors have been confirmed to be a part of the Velaryon family:

– Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon – Younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy – John Macmillan as Ser Laenor Velaryon – Son of Corlys Velaryon and  Rhaenys Targaryen    – Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velayron – Daughter of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen  – Theo Nate as Ser Laenor Velaryon – Son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen

I believe we’re seeing the adolescent Ser Laenor to Corlys’s left. His wife Rhaenys is also accompanying him.

This is a conspicuous shot of the Iron Throne – the thing that each character is striving for and the thing that also no longer exists, thanks to Drogon.

Mysaria

Here we see Sonoya Mizuno (Devs, Ex Machina) as Mysaria, Daemon’s Mistress of Whisperers and also just his mistress. Mysaria is pretty rad. She’s a dancer from the Free City of Lys in Essos who caught Daemon’s eye. She comes to serve a pretty important role in the Dance of the Dragons and is involved with at least one unbearably cruel act. Much of Westeros comes to know her as “Lady Misery.”

Lady Alicent Hightower

Told you Ser Otto Hightower’s daughter was attractive! This is Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooker), who will soon catch the king’s eye. Here, however, she appears to be in distress. She’s running through the court in Maegor’s Holdfast and holding what could be the same Valyrian dagger that caused so much strife in Game of Thrones. What events could this cursed thing have set in motion here? It’s hard to say but it may involve her son Aemon losing an eye.

Remember how much fun the jousting episodes were in Game of Thrones season 1? So much can happen at a tourney. It’s a fun place for highborn and commoners alike to take in some sweet violence. It’s also dramatically fertile ground for many schemes to take shape. Based on the heraldry of a red archer on a green field, this tournament is being held in Horn Hill, home of House Tarly (yes, as in Samwell Tarly). The two participants in this particular joust appear to be Ser Criston Cole again and a House Tarly knight.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

In Fire & Blood, the events that set the Dance of the Dragons in motion begin at a tourney in King’s Landing. Alicent Hightower is adorned in green and Rhaenyra Targaryen in black, so when the factions eventually divide they are known as the “greens” and the “blacks.”

At first glance this appears to be a simple training session. But then it becomes clear that these two combatants really hate each other. We are likely seeing here a skirmish between one of Lady Alicent’s sons and one of Lady Rhaenyra’s. You might think that the blond-haired boy is Rhaenyra’s son but curiously all of her and her blond husband Laenor’s kids come out with jet black hair. He almost looks a little bit more like Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Interesting.

House of the Dragon will premiere in 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.

The post House of the Dragon: Game of Thrones Prequel Trailer Breakdown appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[nostalgicgeminiii]

astrology & upcoming changes in hollywood 🎬

While reading about the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike of ‘07/08, I took time to check out the astrology of that time and was pleasantly surprised how the transits supported and illustrated the strike. 

The following post will take a look at the transits that influenced the strike and the Golden Globes’ recent decision to cancel its 2022 awards ceremony in a protest against the HFPA who Netlfix, Amazon have also taken a stance against due to their lack of diversity in their voting members.

                                       Let’s get straight into this shit.

A little background info first : WGA announced a strike on Nov 2 ‘07 and the strike began on Nov 5th, the following Monday in attempt to gain increased funding for their writers which were significantly smaller compared to the profits that larger studios and producers in the country made. The strike was one of the longest for the guild and reportedly, the industry lost $500 million dollars to due productions stopping and forcing networks to show reruns.

The transits of that day (using Nov 5th when the strike actually started) that were most important were 

Saturn in Virgo at 6 degrees - as we know Virgo rules over workers and it’s ruling planet is mercury (writing). The double influence of Virgo with Saturn (limitations + larger organizations) showed there was some restructuring that needed to take place.

On the first day of the strike, Jupiter was transiting Sag at 20 degrees (20 = Scorpio deg = jealously / the writers were upset at the lack of funding they received compared to the other parts of the industry ) and moving towards Pluto which was also in Sag at 27 degrees (27 = Gemini = writing). They would make a conjunction in the sign sometime in mid December of that year. Jupiter and Pluto together ->  brought on a wave of upheaval which left plenty of productions put to a halt, productions that were viewed world wide (sag) and networks had no choice but to show re-runs of shows affected. Obvi, Jupiter expands everything it touches (good or bad) and unfortunately during the period the strike took place, not a lot of common folk realized the extent and depth of the issue.

Additionally, the north node was @ 3 degrees in Pisces (3 = Gemini + writing and Pisces = Neptune = film industry) was in opposition to Saturn. They felt a need for order in the workplace with Saturn touching the south node transit in Virgo.

And the cherry on top of the sundae, is the moon - venus conjunction in virgo that happened that first morning. 

In the beginning, Saturn was in the opposite sign of both Jupiter and Pluto’s transiting signs and by the time the strike ended, Jupiter and Pluto both went into Capricorn (Saturn's ruling sign) making a trine aka an easy aspect to Saturn in Virgo. The negotiations between the WGA and other party finally were agreed upon and the strike was able to end with rules and legislation (cap) that supported the writers (virgo). Remember Virgo traditionally rules the 6th house of work and its trine to the 10th house of career, public institutions trad. ruled by Capricorn.

As a writer myself, this is a big issue we can face. We watch actors like RDJ and the Rock earn $50 million for one movie and directors cashing in similar profits while the writers who create these stories have a greater chance of getting snubbed. They also are not really the face of the industry as that role is given to the prominent actors and filmmakers. Writers and other professionals in the industry are often forgotten and not visibly recognized. 

TL:DR /// All that Virgo energy came in and said nah we want some order in this shit 

                                                Now, the recent shit.

Early 2021, saw The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) came under repeated backlash and fire for the lack of diversity in their members and for an email sent by a now - former member of the HFPA that called the BLM movement a “racist hate movement”, to other members. In addition to other actions that were made by this former member ( I rlly wanna call him an ass***), they tried to take action by promising a reform that would bring in inclusive policies and more members of colour specifically black voting members. However, groups like NBC, Netflix, Amazon, WarnerMedia and others made arguments that the proposed changes were not enough to tackle the inclusion challenges in the industry AND it would not be completed soon enough to reflect in the 2022 GG broadcast. The HFPA ultimately decided to cancel the 2022 Golden Globes Ceremony and made this statement:

"change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right"

The HFPA made this history making decision on May 10 ‘21

This acc happened a day before the new moon in Taurus went exact. (note: the moon was in Taurus on this day as well) New moons represent new beginnings and Taurus is associated with - slow & steady. As a result of the arguments and concerns that were brought forward, the change that the HFPA thought was appropriate was actually going to take longer than they believed. Look back at the above quote [ needs time to do it right ] That’s very much Taurus new moon energy right there.

Saturn was transiting Aquarius at 13 degrees. 13 - Aries (first) aqua (groups of ppl specifically marginalized communities) This was the first taste of karmic actions that organizations such as the HFPA have to fix and correct to include equality and inclusion of less represented individuals in an industry that has incredibly dense roots in whiteness and patriarchy. This was the first time that an awards show was cancelled to address this issue.

Jupiter was transiting the final degree of Aquarius (29 deg = Leo) and with Jupiter representing opportunities, this was symbolic of black people (aqua = different/ marginalized groups) getting the chance to be equally represented in the entertainment (leo) industry. 

Coincidentally, on both the dates of the HFPA announcement and the WGA strike, mars was in its detriment sign - Cancer - This transit could bring about strikes and fighting with groups of a close belonging. Take a look at the writers on strike. They were a close knit group of ppl (aka family) within their industry or community who helped defend each other and defend against limitations (Capricorn/Saturn) that threatened their livelihood and security (cancer).

I have an additional interpretation of the mars in cancer transit however (idc if ppl get mad) SOOO imo and from what I’ve read, white ppl are ruled by the moon/cancer and the book of rulership suggests that black ppl are ruled by Capricorn/Saturn. Now when mars was in cancer in 2007, Pluto was in sag which is inconjunct from the sign mars was in (cancer). Sag = other cultures, international -------- The conflict affected not only the country that the strike took place in but many parts of the world that consumed American media. Note: this was also media that majorly represented white Americans (ruled by cancer). Now fast forward to 2021: Pluto has been in Capricorn since ‘08 - a time which marked a visible rise of black achievement in the US (Obama becoming president, black voices being given bigger platforms and so much more) and heavy discussions and protests revolving around the growing violence and systemic oppression against African Americans (BLM, Trayvon Martin) Capricorn is opposite to Cancer so with the recent mars in cancer transit that was opposing pluto in cap we saw actions that needed to be taken to bring about change and mars in cancer moves slow to make those changes and really only makes changes and takes action based on comfort and now  with pluto in its opposite sign being like “cmon bitch move yo ass” changes are finally slowly coming together. Pluto defo destroys and rebuilds but leaves what needs to be kept.

My take on what could happen as Pluto leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius, we could see the film industry being left and cared for by the general masses. Pluto in Leo brought the control of the industry to a select few and the nepotism in the industry that exists today was fortified. We could really start to see everyday ppl, really different ppl outside of the “norm” brought to prominence. Neptune’ future transit into Aries will help strength this change. (aries = first). I’ll make another post in the future talking about what I think Pluto and Neptune’s transit into aqua and aries will possibly bring 🚗

[monkey-network]

An Unfortunate Critique of Spiderverse - Part 1 (of 3)

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse was a fun award-winning 2018 animated film with a basically unanimously positive fandom, regarded generally as both a masterpiece Spider-Man film and a remarkable animated film overall. And while I do not disagree with that, it definitely earned its spoils, it pains me a bit to bring up the reason(s) why I can’t call it the masterpiece that many claim. I like this film, but I don’t love it as much as others and I wanted to express why. And I will see to be critical, not cynical. Fair enough? Spoilers ahead for this... 2018 film that you should’ve seen already.

Part 1 ~ The Spiderverse Squad

Now believe me when I say that I enjoyed this trio. Spider-Ham wasn’t as funny as I figured, but he still stood out like Peni and Spider-Noir in a respectable way. I especially loved the fandom’s reaction to them with fanart and jokes galore. But on a look back, it dawned on me that while their presence was welcome, our writers blew the load too soon and wasted these characters. Roll with me, will ya?

If you come to know me, you’ll figure that characters are the element I find the most crucial of your story; you mentally can’t just throw in random heroes into the story unless they’re significant to the protag, story, or world as a whole. It’ll feel weird, like you have no coordination. And yeah, the B team adds to Spider-verse’s worldbuilding mechanic that is the multiple universes; it thematically makes sense that more than one Spidermun can exist. And additionally kicks ass, no objections here. The problem I argue comes when while they add to the world building, it honestly added little to our boy Miles’ story, and it’s that disconnect that makes the characters feel more unnecessary than before. This doesn’t help when things could’ve worked far better if it only involved Gwen and Beter. To explain this better, I wanna bring up a couple films that are similar to Spider-verse yet knew how to use their secondary characters, the first one being...

Kung Fu Panda, baby!

The furious five sans Tigress is about the same as Spider-verse’s B-Team where Po really doesn’t rely on them to both unleash his inner strength and face the final boss in the end. They’re his muse for enjoying martial arts. Po interacts with them a little more than Miles does with the others, but we still have that disconnect between the upcoming novice and the experienced. That disconnect however is counter-balanced by their significance in the story, not only in certifying the stakes that come with Tai Lung, but being the necessary crew to another important character: Tigress.

Tigress is not only a character that Po looks up to, she’s a character with something to prove herself. She puts down Po because she’s envious of the special treatment he’s involuntarily receiving and mirrors the villain Tai Lung before his descent to villainy. The movie would’ve probably been fine if the Furious Five didn’t exist and it was just Shifu and Po training together, but having the five, and Tigress especially, in the story adds a great triangle of interaction between Po and Shifu, Shifu and Tigress, and Tigress and Po. Which makes it all the more poignant when she runs away to face Tai Lung herself, stern in proving herself to both Shifu and Po. We know that she wouldn’t win against him, but that loss is added two-fold when the other four were there to support her. The others aren’t as cynical towards Po, but it’s understandable that they sided with Tigress, thinking their experience together will help them succeed. It makes sense that the four willingly fight with Tigress, and it’s reasonably daunting when Tai Lung is able to tower all of them by himself. Compare this to Spiderverse where we kinda don’t get see our heroes and villains, excluding Miles, stack up that well until the 3rd act; it’s hard to wonder if who’s evenly matched and who can overpower whom. It doesn’t help that Peter, Gwen, and Miles are all isolated from the other three during the final fight in the warp terminal. 

It’s in the end where Po proves himself the Dragon Warrior, he not only earned that respect from the five but feels more complete knowing he and his idols look up to each other in a way. We really don’t get that interpersonal synergy with Miles and the B team beyond the moment of them together post Aaron’s death and their initial meeting, the best we get is that Miles knows he isn’t the only Spider-man but even that doesn’t feel as personal as his relationships with Gwen and Peter. Plus while Gwen and Peter are important characters, we don’t see much of a personal connection between the five Spidermun, it mostly comes off as an obligation that they’re together. Now I won’t lie, this is a pretty unfair comparison. The B-team came together on the fly, and it’s not like Miles, Gwen, and Peter knew who they were in the first place. But remember when I said a couple of films in the beginning? This leads to an ironic situation, coming from one of my other favorite movies about being special...

Been a while since I talked ‘bout this beauty

I think it’s safe to say Spiderverse and The Lego Movie have a kindred story beat where our hero meet some tagalongs that have their own thing but nonetheless contribute as supporting characters. But unlike Spiderverse, the Lego Movie showed something I never figured about characters until I saw it once again last year. The other characters have their stake in the plot, but they are also relative features of our main character Emmett. Unikitty resembles his boundless optimism, Benny his excitability, Batman his emotional conviction, and so on. It’s a stretch, but it is possible to note supporting/secondary characters as facets of who our main character is, what they lack or what’s the most prominent idea of them. In Steven Universe, the crystal gems are separate elements of who Steven is at his best or wants to be. Beastars has Legosi, Louis, and Haru have differing aspects of growing up that blend well when united. It’s essentially the braincells meme, the parts make up the whole. Gwen and Peter fill those parts exponentially for Miles, with Peter’s experience and Gwen’s finesse in her skill, to show him the work that goes in being a hero. Same goes for Aaron and Jefferson on a more personal level, being the ones to give Miles the necessary conviction to become the hero. All I gotta ask is: Can ya say the same for Peni, Noir, or Porker?

Again, not that they’re bad characters, but they mostly felt detached from the story in multiple angles

Now at this point you’ll probably say, “Monkey, we get it, where are you going with this?” Well, I can’t help but feel the B-team, while alright on their own, unfortunately feel like cameos that overstayed their welcome. Beyond the initial meetup, the interactions we get with them are second to none, there is no significant dynamic between the B-team and the two spidermun that are more significant to the story. I feel a little less charitable for media wasting potential and it doesn’t help that writing them out until the final fight is very easy. “Peni and Sp//dr were responsible for repairing the flash drive?” Well, I can say a few hints in the movie can point to Aunt May, Peter, and/or Gwen doing it instead. It’s hard to come back to this film compared to the others I’ve exampled when the back of my mind is going “Why are ya’ll here?” I say it would’ve been surprisingly cathartic if the B-team came near the end where they helped out and met up with the trio before bouncing back to their dimensions. As such, we could put more time in for Miles and Gwen together at Aunt May’s house the same way Peter and Miles got earlier before the plot generally runs the same, we have less voices but we build on those character dynamics for more than that bus ride they share. Add to that character theme of Miles, Gwen, and Peter B. being the different generations of Spider-man or something. Overall, I love them, and they feel wasted in this film.

I just can’t see Spiderverse where the focus of these three subsides the interest for the other three

I wanted to discuss this particularly because as much I can say that much detail in the film fundamentally works, which I will discuss later in this analysis, it stands to say that not every ambition in this undoubtedly ambitious movie was added well. It’s honestly how i feel with randomness humor, it’s fun at first but you gotta do more than enough to make it timeless while keeping the surprise of it intact. Or else you just wish they just replaced that joke with something more constructed. Said before, they don’t or weren’t able to utilize these characters beyond their cameo level moments, and it is not a good thing that they’re potentially saved for the sequel because I hate the idea of depending on a sequel to fix the 1st movie’s issues. I gotta wait to 2022 for a potentially better management of characters and that bothers me. I appreciate what I got, but I unfortunately can’t say that appreciation equates to a free pass of what’s detrimental to my love for this film. Now, I tagged this as part one for a reason, because this is only a symptom, a fun size piece to a bigger story problem I have.

Next time. Otherwise, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your day.

[arlingtonpark]

2018 Midterm Election Primer

Ladies and gentlemen, Armageddon is upon us.

I am of course referring to the 2018 Midterms, the 116th such elections to be held under the current Constitution.

It’s been a long way since this election cycle started. Democrats were so assured of victory in 2016. Indeed, most Americans probably thought Clinton would win.  

Donald Trump’s rather flukey victory was attributable to a lot of factors. Hillary Clinton’s general unpopularity, which to some extent had a basis in sexism; the racialization of American politics, which Trump, to his credit, adeptly took advantage of; the refusal of Republican politicians to abandon Trump in the face of his many outrages; and the infamous Comey Letter.

And Clinton’s forsaking of Waukesha County.

Trump’s victory was a catalyzing moment for the American left, with women, and especially white, suburban women, traditionally a GOP leaning group, mobilizing in opposition to Trump’s presidency. The Women’s March, later joined by the #metoo movement, have marked an inflection point in female activism. There has been an unprecedented number of women running for public office this election cycle. Many of these women were compelled to run by the trauma of 2016 (never forget) and naturally, because the Democratic Party is the party in opposition to Trump, they overwhelmingly chose to run as Democrats.

Not counting incumbents, so in other words only looking at races where no candidate was favored to win the nomination, the Democratic Party has nominated women to be their standard bearer in half of all elections for the House of Representatives. In this small sliver of the political universe we have gender parity.

That has never happened before.

The 116th Congress, to be elected this November, will be the first one with a fourth of its membership being women. This will represent a huge increase from the current proportion, which is about one fifth.

However, this surge in female activism has been mostly limited to the Democratic Party. The Republicans have seen a much more limited increase in female candidacies.

It’s no secret to anyone paying attention that the Democrats are the party of women and minorities and the Republicans are the party of white men. In 2018 we saw an acceleration of this trend. As of this writing, 33% of Democratic members of the House are women. Only 9% of Republican House members are women. 37% of Democratic House members are nonwhite. 5% of Republican House members are nonwhite. These differences will only grow after 2018.

Joe Crowley and Mike Capuano, both white, male Democrats, were not renominated by the party and were replaced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, both women of color, respectively. Kristi Noem and Marsha Blackburn, both female Republicans, opted to leave the House to run for higher office and Dusty Johnson and Mark Green, both men, were respectively nominated to replace them.

As Dave Wasserman put it, House Democrats are 41% white men and falling. House Republicans are 85% white men and rising.

The parties will only continue to grow further and further apart.

The House of Representatives.

The marquee race on Election night will be the drive to 218. Whichever party gets over that number will (at least nominally) control the House of Representatives.

As of now, the Democrats are favored five times out of six to win the majority of seats. That’s very good, but there is still a one in six chance Republicans remain in power. The forecast models being used to predict the outcome of the election are based, in part, on polling. Polls are not perfect; it is not uncommon for them to be off by 2-3 percentage points.

If the polls are underestimating Republicans by 2-3 percentage points, then the GOP has a solid chance of retaining the majority. This would happen on the backs of numerous races being won by less than a two percentage margin or so.

Conversely, if it turns out the polls are overestimating Republicans (and yes, a 15% chance of victory could actually be an overestimation) by 2-3 percentage points, then the GOP will get fucking slaughtered on 11/6. In this scenario the Democrats could win over 50 seats. They only need 23 to win.  

There’s an equal chance that either scenario happens.

Most gains by the Democrats will be concentrated among suburban areas, a sign of the GOP’s collapse among suburban voters.

The number of competitive seats has greatly expanded over time. Democrats are competitive in districts such as Virginia’s 5th, North Carolina’s 9th, and Michigan’s 8th. This was unthinkable a year ago.

If the Democrats retake the House it is unlikely they will move to impeach Trump immediately. When Republicans tried to impeach Bill Clinton there was a backlash amongst the people against them. People thought they were being too hasty. Democrats will try to avoid that.

But don’t worry. Democrats fully intend on riding Trump’s ass and in more ways than you can imagine. The duty of the House is to oversee the executive branch, a duty Republicans have shirked. If the Democrats take control you can bet there will be innumerable investigations into reports of impropriety in the Trump administration.

And Nancy Pelosi?

If Republicans keep control she’s dead. She’s deader than Tony Bennett. She’ll be ousted from power and replaced by someone else. Who that’ll be, I don’t know. Joe Crowley was the obvious replacement but he’s dead too, now. There’s really no clear replacement.

Even if the Democrats take control, Pelosi isn’t a lock for the Speakership. Many Democratic candidates are running on a promise of not supporting her. If there’s only a slim Democratic majority, there may not be enough Pelosi Democrats to get her the Speakership. Things could get messy next January.

 The Senate.

The Senate is a mirror image of the House. Republicans are favored five out of six times to have the majority after the election.

But the fact that it’s even this close is a miracle.

There are 24 Democrats running for reelection in 2018. Ten of them are trying to win in states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Five of them are running in states Trump won by over 15 percentage points.

If Clinton were President, Republicans could conceivably have picked up over 10 seats, a massive landslide victory for them. But now? They may not win any seats. That’s incredible.

Right now, Democrats may lose only one of their own: Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who’s been polling behind her Republican opponent.

This loss will likely be offset, though, in Arizona, where Democrat Kyrsten Sinema is favored to replace Republican Jeff Flake, who is retiring.

To win the majority, Heitkamp will need to hang on in North Dakota and Sinema will need to win alongside Jacky Rosen, the Democrat running against Republican Senator Dean Heller in Nevada. That would give then the 51 seats they need for a majority. Unfortunately, Rosen has also fallen behind in the polls.

If Heitkamp or Rosen or both can’t pull through, they’ll need to get to 51 seats some other way, most likely by winning Texas and Tennessee…and it’s at this point I hope it becomes clear just how measly their chances are of winning.

In Indiana, Democrat Joe Donnelley is running for reelection and his strategy is to basically try and trick voters into thinking he’s the Republican. Donnelley is an accidental Senator; he only won because his Republican opponent was a moron who threw away the election.

The same holds true for Claire McCaskill, Missouri’s Democratic senator. She should have lost reelection in 2012, but was saved when her Republican opponent epically screwed himself. If you were around back then you probably remember it, actually.

The final race of note is Florida. The Democrat is Bill Nelson, who is a former astronaut. The Republican is Governor Rick Scott, who was fined over $1 billion for defrauding the federal government.

Even if the Democrats don’t win the majority now, keeping the Republicans at 51 seats will set them up to take the Senate later on down the line. 2020 and 2022 will feature election maps far more favorable to the Democrats than 2018.

But looking out even further into the future the Democratic Party’s Senate prospects are not looking good. It is only through sheer luck that they aren’t going to get slaughtered here. The 2018 map will be up for election again in 2024 and it is then that they’ll get slaughtered.

 Governors

The gaggle of 36 governor’s races are a mirror image of the Senate map, which is a mirror image of the House. It’s mirrors all the way down in this cycle! Most of the seats are held by Republicans and a lot of them are in states where Democrats have a chance to win. But unlike the Senate, they don’t have a favorable map to buoy themselves, which means they’re on a sinking ship without a lifeboat.

Democrats are favored to take governorships from the Republicans in Michigan, Illinois, Maine, Iowa, New Mexico, and Florida.

Florida!

That’s just bewildering. Florida is a swing state, all elections there are close. Yet Democrat Andrew Gillum, a black guy running on universal healthcare, is practically running away with the governorship!

And you want even more proof things are going well for Democrats?

Georgia is a toss-up. Yeah, that’s right, Democrat Stacey Abrams, another black candidate, is competitive against Republican Brian Kemp.

Republican governor Scott Walker is slightly favored to get his ass kicked in Wisconsin, which is karmic justice as far as union leaders are concerned since he’s been a thorn in their side for a while now.

Another competitive Republican state that shouldn’t be: Kansas. The old Republican governor, Sam Brownback, is like the captain of the Titanic, except imagine if Captain Smith drove the ship into the iceberg on purpose. Brownback’s policies have ruined the state and now his disciple, Kris Kobach, is trying to succeed him. Kobach is such a clown that several prominent Kansas Republicans have endorsed the Democrat, Laura Kelly.

Things are a bit complicated in Alaska. Bill Walker, the current governor, is not affiliated with any party, except he used to be a Democrat, and the Democrats chose to endorse him instead of nominating someone in the last election. Things didn’t go so smoothly this time, though. Democrats nominated Mark Begich to be governor and Walker chose to run for reelection anyway. This split the anti-Republican vote and cleared the way for Republican Dunleavey to hike his way to victory.

Most politicians would be too egomaniacal to see they can’t win and drop out, but not Bill Walker. He dropped out of the race and endorsed Begich, ironically proving he was the one who deserved to win the most. Now Dunleavy…is still favored to win. But it’s closer now. Yeah.

The truth is that Walker is just very unpopular. However much Alaskans are stereotyped as rugged mountainpeople, never forget their state is the only one in the country that gives every man, women, and child. literally. free. money. That’s why Walker wasn’t so popular. Because he cut back on the amount of free money he was giving away.

Alaska is only one of two bright spots for Republicans here. The other is New England. They have three governorships there and all three are favored to be reelected. These governors are more moderate (pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay marriage, etc.) and they all work with Democrats to govern effectively. It is precisely because of this they will never be big with the national Republican Party.

I haven’t followed the Nevada race, but Nevada politico Jon Ralston describes Republican Adam Laxalt like he’s a douche who’s dating someone for their looks, so I hope he loses. He’s (barely) favored to win.

Ohio’s race is a toss-up between Mike DeWine and Richard Corduroy.

Winning all these governorships is important for Democrats because these governors will be around in 2021 when congressional districts are redrawn. Because those district maps have to be passed into law to take effect, the governors of most states have a veto over it. Republicans had a free hand in 2011 during the last redraw and they drew the maps to favor themselves. Having Democratic governors will be important to keeping the party from being drawn out.

 The Big Picture

The most important aspect of any given election is how it sets up the next election two years later. (The one constant in American politics is a torturously arduous struggle that never ends.) Which candidates win and which lose will be used to argue for one vision of the Democratic and Republican parties over the others. For example, if Andrew Gillum, a black man running on Bernie Sander’s platform, wins in Florida, then that will strengthen the case Sanders and his ilk are making for the path the Party needs to go down.

It’s possible a future President could be elected in 2018. Gillum and Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, have both been talked about as presidential candidates. Gavin Newsom, the Democratic candidate for Governor of California, has also had his name thrown around.

The best election night commentary is from the smart politicos on twitter. Seriously, these people know what they’re talking about and because it’s Twitter, there’ll be much snark. I’ll have a Twitter list ready by election night for anyone willing to follow it on Twitter.

Hope you all vote! :)

[testingxperts-blog]

Why Regression Testing Is Crucial For Every Mobile Banking App

Mobile-banking is increasing in prominence, and which is precisely why supplying a program for web visitors makes much awareness once it regards preserving enlightenment. Statistics reveal the range of mobile-banking users at the united states will proceed upwards by 133.5 million folks at 2014 around 161.6 million folks from 20-19. The trend will be to get an additional increase in recent many years to emerge mobile banking trades have been put to double from recent years before 2022.

Since the banking industry varies speedily, a program needs to become operational and kept professionally as a way to draw a huge quantity of end users. This care includes the debut of enhancements and upgrades upon demand. If such improvements come about, regression testing will probably have to guarantee the invention is not leading to insects or additional problems.

What's Regression Testing?

Each time programs are altered, even in case a slight upgrade is introduced, then the shift might have unanticipated implications. The purpose of the regression evaluation is always to produce certain the alteration has never contributed to pests or operation issues.

Regression exams need to be comprehensive to be able to supply the ideal effects.

There are cases of code alterations wearing plugins down that be seemingly entirely irrelevant to this shift. By way of instance, introducing a fresh geo-location module to some banking program can lead to consent problems. This type of blossom effect can be advocated, and that's precisely why regression testing cannot be achieved over just a few important functionalities.

Regression testing is critical for every single mobile program but more so that for banking program. Banking programs enable fiscal trades. Instead, they use personalized data which needs to be guarded at the finest way possible. Features are not the sole matter at stake here, and also a regression evaluation may perhaps not be dismissed.

DO-ing routine regression testing with each and every upgrade could cause various additional gains that warrant the time and also the linked cost.

The Unique Features Of Banking App Testing

Mobile-banking programs inhabit an exceptional area of interest. These applications services and products meet an extremely special requirement, and that's the reason why the topics are like those confronted with additional program developers.

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69% of industry leaders imagine organization communications aid them to reach their own vision.

A current poll implies that seventy-three percentage of men and women who've not ever utilized cell phone banking program previously are anxious with protection. Even if folks using a cell banking program put in, most can use it only to look at on their balance rather than moving dollars to your others.

Of smartphone consumers, forty-two per cent imagine that their private info is incredibly risky when cellular banks has been being achieved, '' the analysis implies. It really is intriguing to find out that eighty-four per cent of those contested individuals think the setup of the program upgrade is just one among the greatest approaches to handle stability worries.

That really is actually the complete reason regression analyzing has exceptional traits and value within the business of portable banking.

Even though 6 7 percentage of all millennials use a banking program, there is even now a large populace that is fearful to get into and make use of a brand-new app (particularly if it regards executing financial trades). Programmers should operate to mitigate this kind of stability worries, along with regression testing of upgrades is a vital procedure.

Merchants understand that they will need to evolve, so although they cannot act immediately.

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Merchants understand that they will need to evolve, so though they cannot act immediately.

However, there are actions that you may try to be sure that your company is open to ethnic shift.

Regression testing for mobile applications will become necessary to be certain the security of financial and personal data has been kept. This is simply not the only real reasons such a procedure is crucial each and every time, no matter the scope of the adjustment.

Giving customers the best possible experience

A regression evaluation is not practically owning a gigantic stability or statistics solitude dilemma. Additionally, it may also be in possession of a significant effect on usability.

Those that are not familiar using mobile banks might discover the method to become confusing as well as overwhelming. Insert an insect into your mixture, and also you receive yourself a position which is going to soon be hard to get a grip on. An individual which undergoes this kind of adventure could possibly be reluctant to provide the program another takes to.

Bugs may cause the lack of clients on account of inefficiency.

One hour of program downtime may cost an organization $100,000, a poll by ITIC implies. For a number of the organizations comprised in this poll, the expense of downtime arrived at 300,000 bucks each day. Not exactly 48 per cent of clients report they truly are most likely to quit employing a program should they truly are unsatisfied with its own performance. When a program's performance isn't up to level, 3 4 percentage of cellular app end users report visiting your contest to get a choice.

We dwell at a universe which is characterized with a motto. Shoppers have a whole lot of electrical power since they are easily able to switch amongst providers companies. Bugs resulting from the lack of regression testing may cause the lack of faithful clients and long-term financial consequences for that company.

Addressing technological changes

Updates are all frequently demanded to satisfy brand new OS or cell devices demands. Technologies transform all of the moment; point. The launching of the fresh mobile could cause serious problems for mobile program developers.

This sort of problems is dealt with through upgrades and regression testing inside this case will undoubtedly be asked to be sure the phone banking program offers a superb operation on every single potential stage available on the industry.

Your bank program will be probably used with a large range of clients. More than a few of those possess i-OS apparatus, a few rely upon Android tablets, a few will probably soon be obtaining the program by means of a tablet computer or some hybrid phone device. The purpose of regression testing will be always to be certain all these end users are receiving the exact bug-free encounter.

If crucial flaws are finally identified, they are sometimes mended until this launching.

Remember the regression testing differs out of re-testing. All these really are just two extremely crucial procedures, and also these two oughts to be happening.

Regression testing is completed following the launching of the program improvement for your role of distinguishing glitches and bugs. The moment a code mend is done about the grounds of this regression evaluation obtaining, re-testing is going to need to simply take location. This kind of method will be required to be certain the evaluation gets given the desirable consequence.

Therefore, when a short-coming is fixed and identified, the procedure doesn't finish there. Another evaluation might need to be achieved, and also when the fresh issue has been pin-pointed, far more repairs might need to be launched.

Ensuring regulatory compliance

There is yet another problem by which upgrades could possibly be deemed necessary. Mobile-banking is regulated by means of a pair of regulations aimed to guarantee standardization and purchaser security. These principles vary sporadically, and also the supplier is qualified to guarantee regulatory compliance.

Bankers, customer advocacy groups, and authorities have shared their own concerns regarding mobile-banking protection through discussion and marketplace conventions. Legislative alterations are carried outside to supply clients the exact identical caliber of experience, so no matter the service provider they select to get.

There continue to be issues and complications which can be dealt with inside this region. Mobile fiscal transactions are now being categorized as part of online ecommerce. Purchaser privacy legislation, human standards determined by finance associations and also the actions of this Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will probably all need to be taken under account.

It follows a mobile-banking program can not only be manufactured and also maintained stationary.

Even in the event, an individual expertise is Goodenough, alterations can possibly be required by means of a brand-new law targeted toward reducing solitude or cyber-crime threats.

Even though upgrades are still proposed attentively, code problems could result in unexpected after effects. Even should an easy solitude shift does occur, a regression evaluation will nonetheless need to be completed.

Regression testing can be an all-inclusive process which makes up about numerous facets -- cellular apparatus, operational technique and browser, and net connectivity variety, etc. By stability to functionality and database testing, then the procedure needs to pay for all of it.

Whilst regression testing might be intricate and resource-consuming sometimes, the consequences of not even moving throughout the entire procedure might be acute. If you're set on raising the prevalence of one's cellular banking program and escalating the variety of consumers, comprehensive testing throughout each and every measure of this manner is going to be deemed necessary.

[ethicsustinvest]

PODCAST: Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential. And More…

These little-known sustainable stocks offer great potential. Hydrogen sees bright future. Participate with this ETF. Good yields with yieldcos – which are renewable energy income-generating assets with steady income streams. The top ten holdings in ESG funds are Microsoft, Alphabet, Disney, Apple, Nvidia, Gilead Sciences, Clorox, V.F. Corporation, Lin Media, and Verisk Analytics. And more

PODCAST: Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential. And More…

Transcript & Links, Episode 26, February 28, 2020

Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to podcast episode 26 for February 28, 2020, titled “Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential.And More…”—presented by Investing for the Soul. investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing news, commentary, information, and resources.

Remember that you can find a full transcript, links to content – including stock symbols – and bonus material at this episode’s podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts.

And, Google any terms that are unfamiliar to you.

Also, I know the markets are incredibly depressing of late, as is the spread of Covid-19, the coronavirus. But the world is not coming to an end!

Now to this episode.

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1) Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential

Paloma Kubiak has written an article about little-known sustainable stocks with potential. It’s titled, Six little-known shares to tap into the sustainable investing theme in the UK publication Your Money.

Here, I’m going to quote extensively from Ms. Kubiak. She writes that:

“Thomas Fitzgerald, co-manager of the EdenTree Amity International fund, suggests Aptiv (Aptiv PLC: APTV)… This global technology company develops safer, greener and more connected technology solutions for cars…

Fitzgerald says: ‘The company’s product portfolio matches key technological shifts in the automotive industry, while addressing some pressing socioeconomic challenges.’

For Jerry Thomas, head of global equities at Sarasin & Partners, TE Connectivity (TE Connectivity Ltd.: TEL), the supplier of connectors for the full Tesla range, is one to watch. He says the global connector industry is a $70bn niche market that has enjoyed 5% annual growth since the 1980s. ‘Connectors are non-standard, must not fail components that link the essential electrical components in the harsh environment that is the modern car.’

Another area investors could consider are companies that focus on reducing carbon emissions. One example is Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.: HASI) which looks to reduce carbon emissions by providing capital to companies operating in the energy efficiency and renewable energy markets.

Will Argent suggests, “NIBE Industrier, part of a group which contributes to a smaller carbon footprint and better use of energy.”

Argent says: ‘It has three business areas which develop, manufacture and market a wide range of eco-friendly, energy-efficient solutions for indoor climate control in all types of property.’

With liquified natural gas in strong demand as electricity generators close down coal and oil-fired plants, Gaztransport & Technigaz (Gaztransport & Technigaz SA: GTT.PA) is playing a small but crucial role to lower emissions, according to John Buckland, research analyst at Waverton Investment Management. He says: ‘Currently Gaztransport & Technigaz is securing nearly 100% market share for the design of containment systems for new LNGC -- liquefied natural gas carriers -- and it is also prominent in the design of LNG fuel tanks for ships generally, as well as land-based storage. LNG fuel enables ship internal combustion engines to meet strict International Maritime Organization 2020 emission regulations to reduce sulphur emissions.’

For a slightly different take on the sustainable investing theme, US biopharmaceutical group AbbVie (AbbVie Inc.: ABBV) is one stock to consider. It is a leader in areas such as immunology, oncology and neuroscience, according to Johan Swahn, portfolio manager of Nordea’s Global Stars Equity strategy. Nordea assesses companies on whether they conduct business responsibly in relation to their stakeholders and Swahn says AbbVie is a good example of a positive ESG company.‘’ End quote.

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2) Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential

Another UK writer, Michael Baxter, posts his opinions also around the idea of little-known sustainable stocks with potential.

He wrote about the Smurfit Kappa Group (Smurfit Kappa Group plc: SK3.IR) in an article Why I think this FTSE 100 stock is a must for both ethical and income investors originally appeared on the Motley Fool UK site.

He writes that “Smurfit Kappa is a paper packaging company with a worldwide client base. It manufactures, distributes, and sells paper-based packaging products. That means that the company is, so to speak, at the front line in the battle against climate change and plastic pollution. That makes it popular with ethical investors.

Smurfit Kappa’s latest results were good — earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 7% in the latest 12-month period compared to the year before… dividends are up 12%... at 3.5% [yield], [and] have been increasing every year since 2011… However, it’s the longer term potential of Smurfit Kappa that I think makes this company exciting. As more and more consumers demand better packaging, Smurfit Kappa is likely to see demand for its type of product explode.” End quote.

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Hydrogen Help For This Clean Energy ET

Everyone is excited about the potential for electric vehicles. However, it may well be that over the longer-term hydrogen becomes the best source of energy. Tom Lydon of ETF Trends makes this case in an article titled Hydrogen Help For This Clean Energy ETF.

Mr. Lydon writes that “Investors should not overlook the opportunities afforded by hydrogen.” And recommends “The SPDR Kensho Clean Power ETF (NYSEArca: CNRG) is one of the best ETFs for investors looking to tap the hydrogen theme. The SPDR Kensho Clean Power ETF seeks to provide exposure to the clean power industry both in terms of generation and the underlying technology driving it…”

Continuing, Mr. Lydon says “In mainland China, Japan and South Korea, a combination of local and central government works with industry to drive development of fuel cell vehicles and the associated infrastructure,” [and] according to IHS Markit. “On the other side of the world, California’s ‘low-carbon fuel standard’ provides a clear mechanism to lower the cost of retail hydrogen and to develop a refueling infrastructure open to all.” End quote.

-------------------------------------------------------------

How to Get Income With Renewable Energy Investments

Mr. Lydon has also written a piece titled How to Get Income With Renewable Energy Investments, again appearing on ETF Trends.

He says that “Finding dividends in the renewable energy space is difficult and many of the ETFs in this arena have low or no yields. [However] the Global X YieldCo Index ETF (NasdaqGM: YLCO) offers investors a refreshed look at the combination of alternative energy investing and income… YieldCos are income-generating assets from the renewable energy space that look to deliver steady income to investors… [The Global X YieldCo Index ETF] yields 2.88%, [and] follows the Indxx YieldCo & Renewable Energy Income Index.” End quote.

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3) Little-Known Sustainable Stocks with Potential

Continuing on the subject of renewable energy investment and sustainable stocks is an insightful article by Scott Levine. It’s titled, 3 Top Renewable Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now and found on the Motley Fool site. Here’s what he has to say, quote, “Astute investors who recognize this growing interest in climate change will surely be searching for related investment opportunities, such as those in renewable energy-oriented stocks. Fortunately, they need not look much further than Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (NASDAQ: ICLN), and Atlantica Yield (NASDAQ: AY).” End quote.

Here's part of what he says about these sustainable stocks.

“Founded in 2006, Enphase Energy has grown considerably over the past 15 years… Enphase now has shipments of more than 23 million microinverters under its belt as well as a presence in 21 countries. But it's not only the company's leading position as a global supplier of solar microinverters… [as] Enphase is in the midst of making its foray into the energy storage market… [and] Enphase has seen its stock soar.”

[And] “for more conservative investors who are less willing to take on the risk associated with a single company, the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF is an attractive option… The iShares Global Clean Energy ETF's holdings provide investors with exposure to a wide variety of companies. Besides Enphase Energy and its peer, SolarEdge Technologies, for example, investors can find the wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas Wind Systems, as well as geothermal specialist, Ormat Technologies, among the top 10 holdings… Since the ETF isn't actively managed, it offers investors a reasonable expense ratio of 0.46%.. [and] a trailing-12-month yield of 1.36%.” End quote.

Plus his-third pick he says offers “Investors the opportunity to invest in renewable energy while receiving an appealing dividend. Atlantica Yield is a yieldco which has steadily increased its distribution to shareholders over the past three years. [And] currently features a 5.05% forward yield… [And according to the company’s website] it aspires to grow this [yield] at a 5% to 6% compound annual growth rate through 2022.” End quote.

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Sustainable Stocks that top ESG Funds

My last item appears in the publication Quartz. It has an interesting article by John Detrixhe on what are the top holdings in ESG funds. This might be useful to you in looking at what your holding in your stock portfolio – should you own stocks.

His article is titled Microsoft stock is the biggest winner from environmental and socially responsible investing.

It lists the top ten holdings in ESG funds as, and in order, Microsoft, Alphabet, Disney, Apple, Nvidia, Gilead Sciences, Clorox, V.F. Corporation, Lin Media, and Verisk Analytics.

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Ending Comments

Well, these are my top news stories and tips for ethical and sustainable investors over the past two weeks.

And to get all the links, stock symbols and more, or to read the transcript of this podcast and with additional information too, please go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode.

Also, be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or wherever you download or listen to this podcast.

And, please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. That way you can help promote not only this podcast but ethical and sustainable investing globally. So, let’s help create a better world with our investments!

Contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you for listening.

Talk to you again on March 13. Bye for now.

© 2020 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul.

Click here to download the episode

[theconservativebrief]

The exit of CBS chair and CEO Les Moonves from the company in the wake of a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct, chronicled in two separate articles by the New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow, was a frustrating, slow-moving ordeal.

As Vox’s Emily Stewart has already outlined, CBS gave Moonves a graceful exit he didn’t deserve. The company twisted its hands too long, fretting over how to deal with what Farrow’s articles suggest is a dark and disturbing pattern of behavior. CBS prioritized its bottom line over doing the right thing. It might still pay Moonves a hefty settlement. It thanked Moonves in its press release announcing his departure, and the interim CEO who will oversee the company while a permanent replacement is chosen is a longtime Moonves compatriot.

The company’s behavior is maddening on many levels, and it’s too generous to think of Moonves’s exit as “justice,” since he will remain rich and powerful, just without immediate access to the levers of power. And yet Moonves’s ouster suggests a moment of progress for the #MeToo movement — and that its continued focus on the horrible behavior of Hollywood’s rich and powerful has altered the entertainment industry’s codes of conduct more than it’s been given credit for.

I certainly didn’t expect anything to happen to Moonves beyond, perhaps, an acceleration of his retirement and succession, so that he would leave CBS by 2020 or 2022 instead of later than that. (Moonves turns 70 in 2019, but executives of his status tend to stay in their jobs for long periods of time.) For as slow-moving as his exit was, it’s something that wouldn’t have happened at all even five years ago.

Make no mistake: For all the valid anger surrounding what’s happened here, Les Moonves is the most powerful person yet to have been brought down by bad past behavior coming to light. And his fall suggests that things aren’t just changing in Hollywood, but have already changed.

Les Moonves (left) made the careers of many, including James Corden. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Since the fall of 2017, when the Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey revelations were published, many other powerful men in the entertainment industry (and other industries) have been exposed as guilty of sexual misconduct. But reporting these stories isn’t easy, and many rumored predators have remained hidden for lack of verifiable evidence. That’s how it’s always been in Hollywood — and it’s how the industry’s titans would prefer it to remain.

For example, in late 2017, I heard from a couple of people I trust that a fairly prominent person in the television industry who had long been dogged by rumors was dogged by said rumors for a reason — they were true, and there were people willing to talk about them. (The person I refer to is not Les Moonves, or anyone else who has been successfully reported on for their bad behavior.)

The further I got into digging into the story, the more I came to suspect the rumors really were true, and I found a few pieces of corroborating evidence. But I never got any further than that. I never found someone willing to tell their story, on or off the record. And it wasn’t just me. I knew of multiple other journalists, from several outlets, who were trying to nail down this exact story and encountering the same roadblocks I was. This person still wielded considerable power, which made breaking the story incredibly difficult.

Every entertainment journalist has some version of this story. They hear rumors about some Hollywood bigwig. They come to suspect the rumors are true. They find sources who are willing to talk. But then the sources start to get a little jittery as publication becomes a real possibility, and legal departments get concerned about libel laws, and everything dies on the vine.

That’s how the reporting and vetting process is supposed to work, of course. Nobody wants the press just making stuff up. But it’s also a process that powerful men in Hollywood have used to protect themselves for decades. They could always threaten to kill the careers of would-be actors or writers or directors for speaking to reporters, in order to maintain their powerful hegemonies. Harvey Weinstein was revealed to have made a habit of doing exactly that, among other things. But even in the wake of Weinstein, the power imbalance that made Weinstein’s behavior possible has remained largely intact.

Weinstein was an important figure in the film industry, to be sure, but his company was increasingly seen as on the edge of irrelevancy and even insolvency in the months leading up to the bombshell reports in the New York Times and New Yorker that ultimately ended his career. And that decline in his power has frequently been cited as a reason for why he fell. It suddenly became less likely that he could ruin whole careers in one fell swoop.

What’s more, he was a mogul atop a studio, but a small studio and one operated largely by him. He wasn’t a mogul on the level of Moonves, whose company controls the most popular broadcast network in America, the second most popular premium cable network in America (Showtime), and many other major TV brands (including a part of the CW and CBS All Access, to say nothing of the CBS Studios production studio).

With that said, Moonves’s own level of power had declined slightly in recent years. CBS went from being one of the biggest fish in the television pond to being a slightly smaller fish in a pond that was expanding so quickly, thanks to streaming and the era of Peak TV, that the company could hardly keep up.

The company remains a big player in TV, but it simply doesn’t have the assets to compete with a Disney, a Netflix, or a Comcast in the way it will eventually have to — which leads to occasional speculation by TV observers and journalists that it will eventually be gobbled up by a larger company.

And yet Moonves was still a massive figure within the television landscape. He’s the guy who built CBS into the country’s biggest broadcast network. He’s the guy who best navigated the incredibly tumultuous rapids that have beset the last 20 years of American television. Hell, if you go back to before the CBS days, he’s the guy who developed ER and Friends at Warner Bros. Television. And the beloved 1990 miniseries version of Stephen King’s It? That was him, too.

My point is that, within the TV industry, Moonves’s roots are deep, and they spread beyond his most recent domain. And CBS is simply too big to fail, considering how much of the industry it props up, and how much cash it has in its coffers. Given how tied to CBS’s good fortunes Moonves was considered to be, I’m still a little surprised that its board took any action against him, much less removed him — especially before the official investigations it has ordered are complete.

Indeed, the best comparison to Moonves is probably John Lasseter, the Pixar and Disney executive who was finally pushed out of the company after a protracted leave, followed by a particularly drawn-out resignation. There, too, Lasseter’s behavior (which involved several detailed accounts of sexual harassment from women who worked at the company) was seen as horrible — and there, too, there were fears that Lasseter was so integral to a hugely profitable company that he would quietly be kept on board. Instead, like Moonves, he was pushed out, albeit in frustratingly slow-moving fashion.

Morgan Freeman, accused of sexual misconduct, remains an executive producer of CBS’s Madam Secretary. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

As I said above, five years ago I would have fully expected Moonves to keep his job, even if everything else about the situation were the same. But, honestly, we don’t even have to look back that far to find an example of someone keeping their job in the face of evidence of sexual misconduct — we don’t even have to look back more than one.

The most troubling case of sexual harassment at CBS prior to Farrow’s reporting on Moonves involved former NCIS: New Orleans showrunner Brad Kern. Kern has been investigated three times for misconduct since 2016, and earlier this year, he was demoted from showrunner to a consultant, shortly before the third investigation commenced. But he’s never left CBS’s payroll, and he’s always remained deeply involved in the series, even as these investigations have been conducted.

And there are plenty of other examples of bad behavior at the company being quietly swept under the rug. Nothing has happened to Madam Secretary executive producer Morgan Freeman, who’s been accused of misconduct, nor did CBS punish Jeremy Piven, the star of its one-season-and-done drama Wisdom of the Crowd who was similarly accused of misconduct and assault.

The one time CBS has acted decisively was to remove the showrunners of Star Trek: Discovery, who were said to have verbally berated staff writers — though no sexual misconduct has been alleged. (It’s worth noting, if only for curiosity’s sake, that neither of those showrunners, Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, is a straight man.)

It was the treatment of Kern that struck many industry journalists and observers as possibly indicative of broader problems at CBS as a whole. Similarly, the company’s news division is singled out frequently in Farrow’s initial New Yorker piece on Moonves as a part of the company that has been rife with harassment.

Did all of this trickle down from the top? It’s not hard to imagine it did. But if CBS follows up Moonves’s resignation with further actions against those suspected of misconduct (as it already has with 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager), it will only help to bolster the impression that change of some sort, however small, is filtering through the company.

I realize that it is absolutely unsatisfying to argue that “This quarter of a loaf is better than none.” And I, too, am frustrated by the slow progress of what passes for justice in these situations. Unquestionably, CBS still has lots of work to do, and its framing of Moonves’s departure as a business decision rather than any sort of ethical one prompts eye rolls, especially after a bruising fight for control of the company with CBS and Viacom executive Shari Redstone.

But Moonves was removed, as was John Lasseter, even if it took longer than it should have, and even if it seems to have happened largely because corporate bigwigs, in both cases, seemed nervous about the PR problems and legal issues inherent in keeping both men around.

Has something shifted irreversibly in the culture? It’s far too soon to tell, and terrible men are ensconced in positions of power both throughout the entertainment industry and everywhere else. (This is to say nothing of figures like Louis C.K., who are not dependent on corporations keeping them employed and can, thus, mount their own comebacks.)

But it seems that companies like CBS are increasingly convinced that keeping those accused of serial sexual misconduct in positions of power is, at the least, not worth the hassle. Maybe that’s not anything major, but it’s also not nothing.

Original Source -> Les Moonves’s resignation is the most significant #MeToo moment yet

via The Conservative Brief

[aion-rsa]

The Lord of the Rings Almost Killed Off One of the Hobbits

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The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’s $2.9 billion collective worldwide gross and 17 Academy Award wins (one of which was for Best Picture,) certainly make a case for the 2001-2003 films being the product of a winning formula, both production-wise and plot-wise. However, the process of getting the grandiose, once-unfathomable project off the ground naturally involved producers pressuring director Peter Jackson to implement ideas often contradictory to the source material. Apparently, one such idea would have seen one of the film’s four hobbits die!

While the more loquacious half of Lord of the Rings’ onscreen hobbits, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd—Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck and Peregrin “Pippin” Took, respectively—have told myriad stories about life on the set across the past few decades through interviews and the films’ insightfully entertaining DVD commentary, the duo brought new anecdotes in an interview with IGN promoting their recently launched, Rings-heavy podcast, The Friendship Onion. According to them, there was a brief period in production during which Jackson was being “pressured from above” (presumably New Line Cinema,) to sacrifice at least one of the film’s four hobbits—of course, with the other two being Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins and Sean Astin’s Samwise Gamgee—for a development that would clearly contradict the text of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.

While the identity of the specific hobbit producers wished to see relegated to taking second breakfast in the great beyond was not revealed, Monaghan offers a theory, stating, “It’s a good job that didn’t happen, because it would have been me,” he laughed. “It definitely would have. There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones that would be left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because Pippin has a really strong story with Gandalf. It would have definitely been me. I think Pete quite rightly was like, ‘This is a luminary piece of written work, and we need to stick close to the text.’ So, he stuck by his guns. Yeah, I’m thankful that didn’t happen.”

Read more

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Much to the gratitude of Monaghan and Tolkien purists everywhere, Jackson won that particular battle in the end, thereby leaving the trilogy as a more authentic take on the text. However, while the notion of actually making a casualty of one of the beloved hobbits might seem outrageous to moviegoers, especially those with intimate knowledge of the Middle Earth mythos, it was actually a sound suggestion from a purely dramatic standpoint. After all, as with Bilbo Baggins in preceding story The Hobbit, the diminutive hole-dwellers from the Shire were meant to represent average people, unprepared for the travails of life away from home, who, during times of war, find bravery within themselves when thrust into overwhelming circumstances. Pertinently, with strong bonds having been forged amongst comrades during said circumstances, the loss of one yields a dramatic payoff that’s hard to resist from a narrative perspective. Notwithstanding The Fellowship of the Rings‘ fateful death of Boromir, such a death wouldn’t even be without precedence, since, in adhering to the literary lore, 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies famously featured the deaths of the party’s two youngest, most energetic dwarves, Kili and Fili, in the climactic moments of Jackson’s prequel trilogy.

If, as Monaghan theorizes, Merry was set to be sacrificed in the name of plot pathos, then it likely would have occurred during Return of the King’s Battle of the Pelennor Fields, during which Merry—after being forbade by King Théoden—secretly joined a disguised Éowyn to participate in the Kingdom of Rohan’s horseback counter-attack against the siege forces of Mordor orcs—and later the oliphaunt-riding humans of the Haradrim—outside of Gondor. Merry’s role in the battle was the clear culmination of an arc that saw him go from a crop-thieving ne’er-do-well to sword-wielding battlefield hero, and highlighted him at his highest point. He also proved integral to the victory when he stabbed the Witch King of Angmar in the back—injuring himself in the process—which allowed Éowyn to make the iconic “I am no man” deathblow to the head, taking the enemy’s most powerful player off the board. Yet, Merry was left in bad shape by the end of the battle, found barely cognizant by a wandering Pippin in the aftermath, facilitating one of the film’s many emotional reunions. This moment could have been repurposed into Merry’s death scene, after which a perturbed Pippin would be motivated for vengeance in the ensuing, trilogy-climactic Battle at the Black Gate, thereby completing his own arc.

New Line Cinema

While Jackson had to make several changes from the source material—mostly regarding the timeframe and segments that detracted from the main plot—to make The Lord of the Rings’s chronicle-styled prose work on the big screen, he also knew that the understated narrative in the periphery from Tolkien’s extensive lore was an intangible quality that separated this mythos from other fantasy offerings. Indeed, the appendices included at the end of the novel trilogy were a consistent source of context-setting backstories that Jackson wove into the main narrative of the movies. Case in point, in the novels, the movie-prominent romance of Aragorn and Arwen was primarily told in the appendices, outside the main content. Likewise, Tolkien crafted full fates for our foursome of hobbits, including Merry, who ended up marrying Estella Bolger and becoming a key member of the Shire’s leadership as the Master of Buckland. The backstory is so extensive that it also reveals when Merry and Pippin died, after which they were entombed with honor over in Gondor, later joined by King Aragorn Elessar himself. Consequently, it would have seemed disrespectful to dismiss such extensive stories by Tolkien.

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Regardless, fans of The Lord of the Rings will soon have no shortage of new onscreen content, with Amazon’s untitled prequel series—set thousands of years before the main story—currently in production and possibly set to premiere either by the end of 2021 or sometime into 2022. Moreover, an anime feature focused on the namesake of famous fortress Helm’s Deep, titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is also in development from Warner Bros. and New Line. Given the eras in which these offerings take place, fans can likely breathe a sigh of relief for poor Merry.

The post The Lord of the Rings Almost Killed Off One of the Hobbits appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[cryptochurp]

Could Bitcoin Be Prepping for Run as U.S. Tax Day Passes?

As the end of U.S. tax season approaches, Bitcoin bulls believe that the digital currency will finally begin its next run to prices over $20,000. But is it really going to run?

The past few months have been rough for cryptocurrency investors, with the cryptocurrency market cap plummeting from a high of $820 billion all the way down to $250 billion. This came after the mainstream media began to pile onto cryptocurrencies in a manner that was far from positive.

Despite a bearish Q1 2018, the sentiment portrayed by the public and mainstream media sources appears to be shifting. With a collective – if not tentative – sigh of relief, investors are getting excited once again as they have seen strength return to the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin prices climbing over 20% in a single week.

  Cryptocurrency bulls, along with some veterans in the industry, seem to be preparing for the next bull market, like the one seen in late 2017.

Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat, has projected that Bitcoin will reach over $25,000 by the end of the year, 25% higher than the prices seen during the 2017 peak in December. Along with this speculation, bullish signals have returned, in the form of positive sentiment, which has begun to pile up.

Could Taxes Really Be The Reason For The Selloff?

Spencer Bogart, a partner at Blockchain capital, took a stab at reasons for the market decline by stating:

Tax-selling has been a significant factor in downward crypto prices over the past few weeks. I would expect this downward pressure to abate after tax day.

With the long-awaited passing of the U.S. tax day, bullish investors expect that this will relieve a large majority of selling pressure seen on the market.

According to Tom Lee, an estimated $25 billion is owed to the IRS for “realized gains” for U.S. households last year. To cover the taxes required for these cryptocurrency gains, many have begun selling their cryptocurrencies for fiat currencies in order to procure the funds needed to pay their tax bills.

The man behind the #bitcoin tax selling theory, @fundstrat's Tom Lee, breaks down why the #cryptocurrency is set for a big rally pic.twitter.com/Ulv5wqlfab

— CNBC's Fast Money (@CNBCFastMoney) April 16, 2018

Along with this speculation about taxes, there have been other positive indicators showing that Bitcoin is ready for more public consumption. The SEC recently indicated that they will be taking a second look at Bitcoin ETFs. It is now clear that this would not be any old ETF. It would be a widespread, highly liquid Bitcoin ETF which would reach millions of new investors.

Along with a public ETF, large financial organizations such as Venrock and the Soros Fund have announced their plans to make investments in this evolving industry. For those who are not in the know, Venrock is a prominent venture capital firm which has invested over $2.5 Billion dollars in companies like Intel and Apple during their infancies. Venrock is poised to pour large sums of money into blockchain related startups in a move which obviously emanates classic venture capitalism.

David Pakman presents at the ‘Media Giants in the Internet Age’ conference

Venrock partner David Pakman stated:

We wanted to partner with this team that has been making investments and actually helping to architect a number of different crypto economies and crypto token-based projects.

It is clear that with this move into the space that Venrock is willing to invest in companies which will not only grow the blockchain space but the cryptocurrency space along with it.

However, don’t count out George Soros’ involvement, who has extensive billion dollar funds with his ownership stake in these firms accounting to his over $8 Billion net worth.

George Soros is rather infamous for his currency manipulation tactics when he shorted over $10 Billion dollars worth of British pounds in 1992. There is some concern in within the crypto community that he may do the same with Bitcoin, as short selling Bitcoin has become popular since the price peak in December of last year. Some may see this as a negative sign but for now, it seems that any financial involvement is seen as positive news.

Tim Draper, famous venture capitalist and Bitcoin proponent, is even more optimistic about the digital currency’s future, predicting that it will reach over $250,000 by 2022.

On April 12th, Draper confidently announced:

I’m thinking $250,000 a bitcoin by 2022… Believe it, it’s going to happen; they’re going to think you’re crazy but believe it, it’s happening, it’s going to be awesome!

These bullish signals, coupled with increased media presence, might be indicators that Bitcoin is getting ramped up for another price surge that will put cryptocurrencies back into the public eye once again. As things begin to pick up, we may see that Mr.Draper’s statement won’t be as outlandish as it currently seems.

What are your price predictions for the price of Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market cap as a whole? We would love to know, so let us know in the comments down below! 

Images Courtesy of CoinMarketCap, Internet Week New York/Flickr, Wikimedia Commons

The post Could Bitcoin Be Prepping for Run as U.S. Tax Day Passes? appeared first on Bitcoinist.com.

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[michellbinns-blog]

Citroen C4 Exotic Testimonial.

Primitive continues all the adventuring and also combating from previous Far Cry games, yet stresses on a style hardly ever touched in gaming. Nonetheless, a common mistaken belief is actually that you must use a short- or medium-stay car park for a much shorter journey. Accordinged to my individual experiences, I would firmly advise you to examine providers for refinancing vehicle lending. The brand-new vehicle has pair of conventional safety seat, mostly because within this version guests need to be actually strapped in like they will in other car to fulfill safety and security laws, which implies making use of common safety belt. You carry out should be sure there are testimonials and a really good score with the bbb. You must also check out how long this's going to take you to get off the parking area to the incurable. As well as being actually very relaxed, the Audi A3 is actually additionally good enjoyable to own, feeling agile in sections, along with considerable amounts of hold and also exact guiding. Obtain a professional car if you're getting a deluxe cars and truck or one where the brand new auto warranty does not fully transmit. Google, Uber, Lyft, Ford and also Volvo, all of which are working on self-driving vehicle innovation, will definitely lobby as the Self-Driving Union for Safer Streets to deliver autonomous motor vehicles to the road throughout the United States. However they can't constantly tell when it is actually clouded or raining, which suggests you still must deal with which lights your automobile is actually revealing. Basically, organic food is wealthy people devoting their additional cash to experience excellent. 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That's a good size for practically just about anything, coming from reading through posts to checking out and also playing games Netflix, without the pocket lump from a 5.5-inch display screen like the Moto G4's. It additionally uses video cameras, sensing units and radar to steer the cars and truck as well as prevent it off hitting just about anything else on the road. They at that point trade all yours to another dealership for one which suits ideal on their great deal (the underworld from dealer vehicle public auctions). Yes, the Ultimate Aero XT is another receiver car like the Hennessey Venom GT, yet that goes over nevertheless. At this sort of vehicle repair shop they focus particularly on reestablishing your autos outside. After the significantly productive crowdfunding job from its precursor, the initial thing that attacked me about Venture Automobiles 2 is it instantly believes big-budget, thanks in sizable part to its merely breathtaking graphics. When Hyundai revealed Present Audio and also illustrated development cartons at CES, there was actually a pay attention to Android Auto as well as CarPlay connectivity. Additionally our experts possess a listing of every monitor and auto in the game alongside pointers as well as tricks on how you could unlock trophies and success.. Once your plannings are specified, nevertheless, that is commonly feasible to spare a little even more through purchasing the automobile hire earlier. So the next time your resting with a car agent as well as they're discussing the benefits from extra down payment, it's probably merely profiting them as well as the dealership. What is actually truly comical is that Venture Cars utilizes the 7th primary on the Xbox One and also the Xbox One model is still even worse.

[aion-rsa]

Could a Walking Dead Negan Sequel Happen?

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If there’s a clear theme permeating the early, Alexandria-focused episodes of The Walking Dead’s extended eleventh and final season, it’s that Negan seems to be a dead man walking. While proving useful since he was freed from years of incarceration, his survival seemingly hinges on sticking with a group whose leadership still carries traumatic memories of his many sins, notably the night he—with a cruel comedic flair—brutally bludgeoned their loved ones to death with a barbed-wire baseball bat. However, Jeffrey Dean Morgan seems intent on continuing to play the character beyond the show’s endpoint, despite his diminishing chances.

Morgan has been playing the sardonic Svengali survivor for over five years, having debuted in a most impactful way—figuratively and literally—in The Walking Dead’s Season 6 finale for a cliffhanger moment that became a cynically controversial waypoint for a significant population of the show’s viewers. Yet, despite being the character embodiment of a divisive moment, Negan’s arc has made quite the evolutionary curve over the years, going from the powerfully villainous leader of the Saviors to downtrodden-but-dangerous prisoner to his current status as an alienated group member who, despite his best efforts to gain acceptance—notably killing enemy leader Alpha—remains a pariah. In fact, his abrupt execution remains firmly on the table by leader figures like Maggie and Daryl, especially in the wake of a recent moment of recidivism, in which Negan left Maggie to a herd of walkers (she survived). Yet, Morgan expressed to TV Line that he still sees a substantive future with Negan.

“I do love Negan,” says Morgan. “There’s an amazing opportunity to dive a lot deeper into this man who I think has become very interesting the last few years. I’m certainly not opposed to keeping him alive for a bit longer and finding out more about him.”

Of course, said opportunities potentially lie with the lofty plans that AMC revealed last year for content beyond the endpoint of The Walking Dead mothership series, which ends its legendary, decade-plus run sometime in 2022 with Season 11, Episode 24. Most pertinent among them is the planned anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead, which will not be chronologically bound by the events of the final season, thereby facilitating episodes centered on long-dead characters, one of whom by that point could be Negan himself. However, Morgan also teases the possibility that Negan could even get his own spinoff, a move that would mirror the still-untitled Daryl & Carol sequel series. That show will chronicle the post-series-finale exploits of the franchise OG characters, who are expected to ride a motorcycle across unexplored areas of the contiguous post-apocalyptic United States; a move that essentially endows them with plot armor for the duration of the final season.  

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“There’ve been things discussed with me and network people,” teases Morgan ever so carefully on the potential of a Negan spinoff sequel. “We’ll see. I mean, Negan could still find his way six feet under [before Season 11 concludes], so that could be a problem unless it’s a prequel.” Indeed, with AMC’s airing (not counting AMC+ advance releases) of The Walking Dead’s final season currently only three episodes into its grand total of 24, the task of survival will especially become a marathon-like haul for Negan, given his current status.

Yet, notwithstanding the possibility that these interview comments are a red herring for Negan’s imminent death in Season 11, something seems to be motivating Morgan’s clear desire for a prospective future past the main series, lending the comments a sense of earnestness. Indeed, he makes a minor disclosure about the extent of his knowledge for The Walking Dead’s future events. “[T]here are still stories to be told with Negan,” he states. “I kind of know how the season has worked itself so far, and we’re cracking open windows here and there that would lend themselves to more [of] Negan story.”

Tellingly, the alleged discussions that Morgan had about Negan’s future don’t seem to center on the character’s past, which was showcased prominently—albeit in an incomplete manner—in this past April’s Season 10 finale, “Here’s Negan,” which was an adaptation of creator Robert Kirkman’s 2016 comic book miniseries of the same name. That’s because Morgan is more interested in Negan’s future—at least, in the event that he actually has one—rather than the open-book nature of his past. “I’ll be very honest with you, if I was to do more, I would like to move forward with the story and not backward,” he states with frankness. “We’ve shown these different sides of Negan over the past few years. Now, I’d like to see, after this ends, what happens to him next. I find that possibility to be a lot more interesting than going back in time.”

Preference aside, Morgan isn’t entirely dismissing the idea of revisiting Negan’s past for a post-series reprisal of some kind, seeing as “Here’s Negan” left an open field for most of his early apocalypse activities. With the contemporary-set plot of Negan’s temporary escape from his Alexandria imprisonment as its center, the episode delved into flashbacks about his life during the onset of the undead apocalypse. Here, we saw the heretofore non-existent priorities of the loud-mouthed philandering gym teacher abruptly change into to a desperate attempt to keep his beloved cancer-stricken wife, Lucille (Morgan’s real-life wife, Hilarie Burton), alive as the supply of life-saving chemotherapy drugs dried up. Thusly, when a group of bikers extorted Negan over the last supply, thereby leading to Lucille’s death, a Heisenberg-like metamorphosis ensued, first via the revenge he extracted, and also by his incidental rescue of Laura (Lindsley Register), which gave him the misbegotten entitlement of being a savior, to whom tributes are owed, thusly serving as the basis for his eventual group’s name and methodology. Interestingly, showrunner Angela Kang has expressed a desire to properly showcase the origin story of the Saviors at some point, be it as a run on Tales of the Walking Dead or some other method.  

AMC

While the story retroactively remade Negan into a tragic figure, it’s doubtful that Maggie, Rosita or Daryl—each of whom experienced his past big-bad-era firsthand in uniquely personal ways—will be able to conjure any sympathy for the man. In fact, the same could be said of segments of the fandom who—akin to Morgan—prefer to see the mythology move past plot points for which we already know the ending. “I loved what we showed [of his history] in ‘Here’s Negan,’ but now we’ve done a lot of that story,” he says. “We could do a short series on how the Saviors came to be, which would be kind of interesting, but I’m more looking forward.”

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For now, fans will have to follow along with The Walking Dead Season 11‘s weekly Sunday night run on AMC, and its advance premieres on AMC+, building toward a mid-October hiatus. Subsequently, limited series spinoff The Walking Dead: World Beyond will start its second and final season on Oct. 3. Shortly after that, veteran spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead will shift focus to the Geiger-Counter-clicking literal fallout of its explosive season finale when Season 7 commences on Oct. 17.  

The post Could a Walking Dead Negan Sequel Happen? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[aion-rsa]

Will Batgirl Give J.K. Simmons Something to Do in the DCEU?

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HBO Max’s Batgirl movie has finally started to take shape with last week’s casting of Leslie Grace as its central debutante vigilante, Barbara Gordon. Moreover, the other crucial element in the film’s dynamic was recently revealed by THR, which reports that J.K. Simmons will play the character’s father/foil, Commissioner James Gordon, reprising his role from 2017’s Justice League (and 2021 redux Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a.k.a. the Snyder Cut). Consequently, the casting essentially confirms the film’s place in the DC Extended Universe continuity. So, will Simmons’s Gordon get to field more than rooftop meetings this time around?

Simmons, an Oscar-winning actor, is already a staple in the comic book movie genre from his irreplaceable role as boisterously cantankerous paper editor J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy and a recently relaunched iteration of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe set to take the spotlight in this December’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yet, he can also effectively play a frightening badass, as anyone who watched his run on 1997-2003 HBO prison drama Oz can attest. Pertinently, Simmons, upon the announcement of his Justice League James Gordon role, stoked serious hype for his then-upcoming contribution to the character’s long legacy with images of his buffed-up physique (then at 61 years of age,) posted by his trainer. Plus, a 2016 EW interview had him promising a more…let’s just say proactive version of Gordon than we’ve seen in the past.

“People of my generation remember Commissioner Gordon as this jolly, ineffectual Santa Claus type, and I think over the years in the comics there’s definitely much more of a badass side to him,” explained Simmons. “One of the things that’s interesting to me is investigating hopefully a little bit more of that badass [side]…You’re living in a universe where it’s pretty tough to be a badass compared to somebody like Batman, but in the universe of non-superheroes I like the idea of Commissioner Gordon as a guy that can take care of himself, a guy that’s a real partner to Batman, not just a guy that turns on the bat signal and goes, ‘Help! Help, Batman!’”

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Unfortunately, the Justice League gig didn’t get to live up to the hulking hype, and Simmons was relegated to a minor role, primarily for a scene in which Batman and the rest of the assembled heroes meet with Gordon in the familiar backdrop of a Bat-Signal-hosting Gotham rooftop. There, he mostly provided some expository dialogue and played the proverbial straight man in some of the sporadic superhero comic moments. Furthermore, all of Simmons’s social-media-showcased gym work ended up hidden underneath a suit and trenchcoat, leaving his “badass side” in storage for another day that wasn’t exactly promised to arrive. Indeed, it was an anticlimactic result that didn’t even live up to what was achieved with Gary Oldman’s version of the character in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, who at least occasionally got out in the field to fight criminals, and even had his moment to help save the day in explosive fashion when driving the Tumbler Batmobile in the first film.

Now, with Batgirl, Simmons’s 2016 teases can prospectively come to fruition, belated as they may be. While no details about the plot have been confirmed as of yet, the definitive dynamic of Barbara Gordon has always prominently focused on how her surreptitious nocturnal flights of fancy affect James, who is initially oblivious to the idea that one of the junior vigilantes in Batman’s stable—with whom he regularly deals in his capacity as commissioner—happens to be his own daughter. It’s a potential powder keg dynamic that has been placed in the hands of up-and-coming directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), who work off a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, Bumblebee).

Thusly, it will be interesting to see what manifests from this team, especially since the course of the DCEU is now significantly altered from the vision initially set by dismissed story maestro Zack Snyder. Indeed, Snyder not only had grandiose ideas for Justice League to serve as the first part of a time-traversing trilogy, but his plans also involved expanding the roster of solo films, with Batgirl being one of the prominent entries. However, based on what details Snyder eventually divulged in an Esquire interview this past March about his now-nixed version of the story, Gordon’s action hero prospects were unlikely to improve.  

“You see, I always wanted Barbara Gordon to come in the movies. Commissioner Gordon would be on the way out, and we’d have Barbara starting to play a bigger role,” explains Snyder. “My idea was that after Batman sacrificed himself [in the climax of his unrealized third Justice League movie], there would be a window where there was no Batman, and I thought Barbara could fill that until the child of Superman and Lois, who has no powers, would become Batman when he was of age.”

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That leaves us to wonder how much of Snyder’s story DNA will remain present in this current iteration of the Batgirl project. Of course, it has already been passed down by many creative hands in the lengthy gestation process, the most prominent of which was Joss Whedon, pinch-director of Justice League’s 2017 theatrical release, which is the version that Warner—despite the film’s underperforming status and Whedon’s personal controversies—still definitively considers canonical for the DCEU. Yet, in Snyder’s slow-burn Batgirl designs, James Gordon would have been in the eventually-realized solo movie just to be quickly phased out as Barbara fills the vigilante vacuum left in Batman’s wake. It wouldn’t exactly be promising for Barbara, either, since she was destined to be relegated—presumably after a time jump—to mentoring the powers-deprived son of Superman and Lois Lane, whose conception was subtly implied exclusively in the Snyder Cut with an ambiguously-worded congratulations to Clark Kent from Bruce Wayne after the latter “bought the bank.”

Of course, while directors El Arbi and Fallah certainly stand to place their own creative imprint onto the mythos, Hodson was hired to pen the Batgirl script back in April of 2018, a time that may have been after Snyder’s tenure came to its abrupt end behind the scenes, but still had Warner working with the immediate aftermath of his playbook. This was notably the case with Aquaman, which featured the key character of Amber Heard’s Mera, who Snyder introduced with his initial work on Justice League, and the Snyder Cut also notably served as the retroactive introduction of Willem Dafoe’s Vulko. Yet, Simmons, even after the disappointing Justice League role, has expressed enthusiasm about returning as Jim Gordon. Perhaps what he’s read of the Batgirl script has given him reason to be optimistic about his desired action prospects.

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Batgirl doesn’t have a firm release date to reveal, but the film is set for an exclusive streaming premiere on HBO Max in 2022 or 2023. However, by that point, Warner will have already debuted a different version of Commissioner James Gordon, as played by Jeffrey Wright in the Earth-2-set reboot movie, The Batman, which is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.

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