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kitkatopinions · 3 years ago

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Mercury Black.

Mercury for the RWBY asks post! One of my favorites in the Villains Group!

My top three ships for the character

I’ve shipped some pretty weird things for Mercury via fan fiction, so this list is a little bit weird, but uh... Mercury/Yang could have such an interesting dynamic and relationship if Mercury gets redeemed and works hard to be better. Another fun one is Whitley/Mercury. I’m sorry lol, but while writing a fic with a mutual wherein Mercury and Whitley were forced to interact as Watts was living in Schnee Manor and using Jacques, and the two of them ran away from their abusers together and had to rely on each other to survive... I started kinda shipping these two! It only works in AU fics right now (and was less weird when I thought Whitley was fifteen and Mercury was sixteen/seventeen.) Also, I don’t hate Mercury/Emerald. I tend to see them more as siblings, but dang, there’s some good artwork that has made me start seeing the chemistry there.

My three least favorite ships for the character

Mercury/Oscar is... Not my favorite. XD They’d have older brother, younger brother energy only and that’s it. Nora/Mercury is something I don’t think would work at all. And Adam/Mercury... Ew, I mean, it’s kinda ew. But I literally had to look up a list of ships and go ‘I don’t hate that’ for a lot of them to find three I definitely don’t like. He’s pretty easy to ship with a lot of people!

My biggest criticism for the character

There isn’t enough of it. The character Mercury does have is pretty good, but he’s used so sparingly that I almost forget he’s a character at times. He should’ve had a bigger role in the story, they should’ve put more emphasis on his relationships with more than just Emerald, they shouldn’t have dropped him out of season eight before he could do anything. We need to know more about him and see him vulnerable and have him be relevant to the plot again, or he’s in danger of becoming boring.

My favorite thing about the character

I love his versatility. I already talked about him being easy to ship with a lot of people, but it’s more than that. The knowledge that he just goes with things even if they’re crazy (”I killed my dad and then this lady showed up talking about destiny and took me to a castle with a magic demon woman so here I am”) makes him a character that can be put into a lot of situations. You want to get him redeemed? Throw him into a situation where he’s with the right people and away from the wrong ones and his character naturally starts adjusting to fit that. You want him to be sad and whumped? Isolate him with someone like Tyrian or Watts and let him suffer. Want him to be a hero from the get go? If Ironwood or Qrow had found him instead of Cinder, he can be! He can go to Beacon or be in Atlas as the friend of Penny! He’d adjust to that! Want him to be a wildcard grayer scale character who isn’t on the heroes side or Salem’s side? If Roman and Neo had found him instead of Cinder, he can be that! He can view Roman as a father figure. He could’ve run away from home when he was younger, found Ren and Nora, and become attached to them. He could’ve been friends with Team SSSN if he’d been sent to Haven before moving to Beacon. He could’ve been found by Raven and the tribe and become attached to them. He’s a character you can put into almost any scenario on any side and it’d work!

A headcanon I have about them

In my headcanons, Mercury was raised isolated and didn’t go to school, so Emerald saying he’s socially awkward wasn’t a lie at all. Mercury can’t hold a real conversation with anyone outside of talking about plans and illegal action... And Emerald, who he doesn’t want to admit is his best friend. Also when he went to Beacon, he started getting interested in all kinds of hobbies and things he’d never heard about before. He liked going to the library because there were always kids reading and playing games that looked interesting. He loved checking out the booths at the Vytal Festival and trying foods and wondering what the hell cotton candy even was. Emerald was constantly rolling her eyes about it, but she secretly found it endearing and it made her feel a little less cynical herself.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

He needs to be involved. I don’t know why he constantly got shafted, but he should’ve had a proper second fight with Yang, he could’ve gotten dropped into Atlas with Watts instead of Tyrian (or along with Tyrian.) And I know this is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I think Mercury should’ve been the one to start his redemption in season eight and Emerald should’ve been given time to work through her Cinder issues some and get redeemed maybe in season nine. Like I said, Mercury is versatile, he never had someone who he was committed to and believed in amongst Salem’s followers outside of Emerald, he didn’t care about the cause, and he’s deeply connected to the trauma of being abused by his father. Like many Merc fans, I think he should’ve gotten a wake up call when he saw Oscar getting abused, and tried to convince Emerald to leave with him, and I think Emerald should have said she had to stay and try to talk to Cinder about what she’d heard Oscar tell Hazel. Mercury is reluctant, but agrees, and he’s the one who starts escaping with Oscar. Yang’s frustration and hesitance in trusting him would be more personal, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be Penny’s murderer that everyone (and Penny!) is working with so easily, then, either.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Mercury (mythology) was the god of messengers, thieves, commerce, travelers, and trade. His predecessor in Greek mythology, Hermes, was a messenger of the gods and called ‘a divine trickster.’ If that sounds weird, it’s because it is. If that sounds like it fits more with Emerald, that’s because it does. Emerald, the thief, who steals from sales people and takes the reins in every deception and most conversations with other people, who carried out Cinder’s orders from Salem and was arguably one of the biggest contributors to the Fall of Beacon (messenger of gods,) who was the one to tell Salem why they’d failed in Haven, and then later was the one delivering Oscar back to the group and the first face Ironwood sees when he realizes he’s been tricked by Ruby’s group. Emerald could be argued as the messenger role here. I truly believe that they made Mercury based off of the god of Roman/Greek mythology only because he has special shoes. Mercury does connect to Hermes/Mercury as a guide to the dead, leading them to the Underworld. As an assassin, this is treated literally in the RWBY world, but he isn’t really utilized in that way! Other than murdering his abusive father, Mercury’s direct kill count is at one the same as Emerald (who is Penny’s murderer, period.) The only other connection is a very lose one - Hermes’ role as a boundary crosser reflects Mercury’s loose morals and his easy slide into villainy, but also his potential to cross over to another side at the drop of a hat as I already established. As I already said, I’d have Mercury either replace Tyrian when Watts goes to Atlas, or I’d have him join the two, and act as an assassin there, increasing his role of guiding the dead to the Underworld. And having him be the one to deliver Ozpin/Oscar makes him more of a messenger of the gods, but I would also give him some important information about Salem to deliver to Ozpin as well. And I’d also have Salem ask him and Emerald to tell her what had happened at Haven and have him play more of a role when Cinder went to talk to Raven in the mid seasons. I’d have Mercury used to deliver information from Cinder to Roman in the early seasons, and just over all increase his connections to the various big names around him and give him a lot of information. I might also have Watts add some sort of Iron Man/Shadow the Hedgehog sort of flight capabilities to his boots in the seventh and eighth season sort of like Penny’s flight abilities just to get the whole ‘winged shoes’ thing. But I’d make sure that his flight is sporadic and rough-around-the-edges, worse than Penny’s, and something he can’t always rely on or use for long. Idk, I just think that’d fit with his personality really well.

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psychodollyuniverse · 4 years ago

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STARDUST -DAVID before BOWIE

‘Stardust’ review: David Bowie biopic delves deep into the genesis of an icon from www.nme.com

Johnny Flynn plays Starman in a revelatory road trip movie that lacks its subject's music

By Mark Beaumont

Bowie legend would like us to believe that Ziggy Stardust beamed to earth fully-formed from some pan-sexual kabuki mothership full of scandalously revealing leggings. Writer-director Gabriel Range, however, proffers a very different Ziggy origin story. Here, rock culture’s defining extra-terrestrial was born out of fear, insecurity, failure and encroaching madness on a disastrous US tour in 1971. A trip, he suggests, when David Bowie realised that being himself might not be enough.

Where we imagine a character like Ziggy could only have been invented in a burst of supreme confidence, Johnny Flynn – singer and burgeoning screen star in Emma, Les Miserables and Lovesick – presents a lost, insecure and fidgety Bowie of ’71, desperate to be recognised but beaten down by numerous chart failures and mocked for his failings by one of the most bricklayerish screen Marc Bolan’s you’ll ever see. Arriving in America without the visa for his planned solo tour, he hooks up with the only fan of ‘The Man Who Sold To The World’ at his record label, publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), and embarks upon a whirlwind coast-to-coast tour of under-the-radar gigs at sales conferences and open mic nights, shunned by Andy Warhol, wholesome radio DJs and arrogant scumbag music journalists along the way.

The elephant in the screening room is the lack of actual Bowie songs. Bowie’s son Duncan Jones has made it clear that his estate hasn’t endorsed the film and there has clearly been no clearance granted for any of his Ziggy-era classics. Instead, performance scenes consist of Flynn playing some of the lesser-known covers that Bowie performed around this time – The Yardbirds’ ‘I Wish You Would’ and Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel’s ‘My Death’ – which robs the film of the sense that Bowie’s glowering talent was being criminally ignored. ‘Hunky Dory’, amongst the greatest albums ever made, is brushed over without a mention and there’s no triumphant finale of ‘Starman’ or ‘Suffragette City’ to send Stardust out on a bang.

The film works far better, then, as a revelatory road-trip movie rather than a biopic. The growing animosity and friendship between Bowie and Oberman is beautifully built, with Maron bristling with dedicated fandom stretched to breaking point and Flynn delivering a believably troubled Bowie, plagued by flashbacks about his schizophrenic brother Terry and his fears he may be succumbing to a genetic code of mental illness. Jena Malone (of Donnie Darko, The Hunger Games and The Neon Demon fame) steals every scene she’s given as a fittingly fiery Angie Bowie and there’s an (albeit fictionalised) illumination to be had from Stardust, for both casual fan and hardcore Bowiephiliac.

Though underplayed – the spark of inspiration for Ziggy is never really pinpointed – there’s a moment which artfully captures an awakening at the core of Bowie as chameleonic alien godhead. After having spent an evening idol worshipping The Velvet Underground’s new singer thinking he was Lou Reed all along, Bowie opines to Oberman: “a rock star or somebody impersonating a rock star, what’s the difference?” From that point on, it’s Ziggy playing guitar.

Four Stars out of Five

Bowie was such inspirational to me that since his death I'm still not able to listen to his records, which is really sad. But the fact that his music isn't present as the soundtrack of this movie, makes this film quite interesting to me. I will enjoy more the actors performances, the other songs present in the movie and I'll try to reconnected myself to his albums. As a fan I have to say to be really upset with the Bowie's family and with whom control his legacy. I don't understand their decisions and it seems to me that they have forgot that Bowie would never be Bowie without his fans, and deprive his fans of his music is something which I personally don't understand.

Psychodolly

#stardust #film #gabiel range #johnny flynn #jena malone #soon to be a cult movie

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years ago

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So I remembered a theory you made of Cinder and/or Neo taking advantage of Whitley's desire for a mother figure... but with Salem on the horizon, I think she's a better candidate for that. To outline, maybe Whitley has the SDC side with Salem since he's so used to pleasing his abuser, he thinks this is the best way for them all: pleasing Salem. This would also give new urgency to Winter and Weiss to save Whitley and new reason to fight her.

HeyMiki-chan. Hmm…to be honest, I’m notentirely sure about that headcanon. Not because I don’t think it’s a goodtheory but mainly because I’m not sure how much involvement in the storyWhitley will have for next volume. V7 didn’t really leave me with much highhopes for Whit moving forward giving how they handled his story with Weiss. I’mnot even sure how relevant the SDC will be after V7. From what we know, the SDChas control of the heating grid for both Atlas and Mantle which Jacques hadfoolishly given Watts access to before.

WhenI look at it in that perspective, it makes me like your idea of Whit sidingwith Salem. But not because he sees her as a mother figure but mostly due toWhitley’s lack of fate in Ironwood’s leadership, harkening back to hisstatements about him from V4.

“…What can a singlehuntsman do that an army cannot? That’s why we have one. Even if it is run by afool.”

InWhitley's eyes, Ironwood is unworthy of leadership and given how things haveshaped up with the General, imagine if...wegot something along the lines of Whitley granting Watts freedom in exchange forhelping him take Ironwood down as some sort of revenge scheme for arresting hisfather.

Or…perhapsSalem presents Atlas with an ultimatum. Surrender the kingdom and its Maidenand Relic to her or face the wrath of her Grimm army. Ironwood of courserefuses this and Salem slaps him with a 72 hours ultimatum giving the People ofAtlas enough time to turn on Ironwood so that even if he refuses to surrender,the very people he swore to protect will. Imagine if…a mutiny issparked with the People of Atlas practically begging Ironwood to surrender toSalem for their own safety and the person to surprisingly stage the uproar isWhitley himself, manipulated by Arthur Watts after agreeing to work with him totake down Ironwood.

It’dactually be kind of ironic---Whitley has more or less been like adoll---fashioned to suit whatever mould his “masters” wanted him to be. In thebeginning, he was left alone to be guided by Jacques but in the end even hefailed Whit and left him in the cold.

Imagine if…Whit decides to makehis own decisions and he does so by helping Watts escape in exchange for assisting him.

ImagineWhitley agreeing to help Watts help Salem upstage Ironwood---basically makingit seem as if he made the exact same mistake that his father did which ishelping the villains. Only for Whit to reveal in the end that he is far more tactical than he seems; inheritingsome of his father’s cunningness but choosing to use it for the greater goodunlike him.

Imagine if…in the end, Whit endsup outsmarting Watts by manipulating him into a tactic that Watts thought wasgoing to stop Ironwood but in the end, Whit ends up basically playing the “man on the inside”. Like a double agentof some kind. Making the villains (and by extension our heroes) believe that hewas on their side when it actuality Whit was only being the kind of man hisfather taught him to be---a person who only looked out for his own bestinterest.

Andin Whitley’s eyes, his best interest were the things that mattered the most tohim. His home (meaning Atlas) and his family (meaning his sisters and mother).

Imagine if… Whitley played the villain card as a means of helping everyone in the end, solidifying himself asthe Huntsman character I always pegged him to be in Weiss’ Snow White story. Imagine if…Weiss and Winter believedthat their little brother joining the villains only meant that he was going tokill them when in actuality, he was doing what he could to give them a fightingchance.

Thatcould’ve been a somewhat cool twist for Whit; not to mention a very sweet wayto show how Whitley is less gullible than others might peg him to be. If theCRWBY Writers do this with Whit for V8 then I’d be okay with it.

Istill want to stand by my hunch of Whitleybeing a misunderstood character. Like seriously, imagine Whitley making theaudience believe that he helped the villains when in reality, he was doingeverything within his power to help the people who meant more to him thananything else---his sisters. I still want to stand by my hunches that all Whitever wanted was to have an actual relationship with his sisters but they nevergave him that chance.

IfWhitley had more bearings on the plot I would've had more hopes for what's nextfor him. But since the CRWBY Writers didn't really leave me with much, I dunno fam.

Ifthe CRWBY Writers had delivered on having Whit redeem himself in Weiss’ eyes bybeing the one to help her out their father then I would’ve gone forward withbetter hopes for their relationship. But as we saw from the events of theSchnee Dinner Party, the CRWBY Writers didn’t leave me with much hope for Weissand Whit. They didn’t even give us a scene where Weiss showed the slightesttinge of remorse for arresting their father after seeing the impact it left onher brother. We didn’t even get to see Weiss try and reach out to Whitley afterwhat her mother told her about “looking out for him”. We got nothing with that.

Myonly hope now is the V7 Blu-Ray might give us some additional scenes that werecut from the season. I know the Blu-Rays don’t add much on but it would beinteresting if there was some kind of deleted scene from V7CH11 that showedWeiss looking for Whit after Jacques was arrested but never finding him. Orsomething. I dunno.

Sorryto be a Negative Nancy here Miki-chan. It’s just that I’m really notsure if we’ll get something with Whit for V8 at all. Who knows? Maybe I’ll beright about him being a Double Agent working with the villains to secretly helphis sisters. But I dunno. That’s as much as I can say for now.

What are your thoughts on that?

~LittleMissSquiggles(2020)

#squiggles answers: rwby #whitley schnee #arthur watts #rwby theories #rwby volume 8 theories #miki-13 #squiggles answers

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anneapocalypse · 5 years ago

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RWBY 7.05

Almost caught up! I wanted to fit 5 and 6 into one entry, but this episode is just too dense, so I’m giving it its own. That said, I have seen episode 6, which is going to color my reading of this episode—so fair warning for vague spoilers for that episode.

I’m trying to keep all spoilers under a cut as a courtesy. If you reblog with added commentary, please use a readmore so I can reblog it back without spoiling my followers.

Again, disclaimer that my knowledge of RWBY lore is not nearly as extensive as my knowledge of RvB; I’m working on it. Feel free to politely correct me.

I love Ruby’s enthusiasm for Huntress work! It’s a nice reminder that while graduation may have been anticlimactic, being a Huntress has always been Ruby Rose’s dream, and that part hasn’t changed.

Ironwood’s plans for Amity tower means diverting resources and protection away from Mantle. So, I’m sure that’s going to go well. RWBYJNR are helping out around the perimeter, as well

On a rewatch something caught my attention in the working/training montage. Clover’s voice-over gives them their briefing. “I think you’ll find everyone appreciates having a Huntsman around,” he says, over a shot of several citizens fawning over Jaune and one giving him a homemade casserole. “You’re of course free to enjoy your time off as you see fit,” Clover adds, in a knowing tone. “Whatever helps you take the edge off.” A statement which connects to nothing in the montage. His next statement, and the next snippet in the montage, are about training.

So I can’t help but connect that remark about taking the edge off to the one about people in Mantle—poor people desperate for protection.

That reads to me like Clover likes to use his Huntsman status to uh, enjoy the company of Huntsman groupies grateful for protection. And that’s. well. Yeah, I do not like that. I still like the rest of the Ace Ops, but I’ve lost any respect I had for Clover.

Nice to see a cameo for Team FNKI!

Ren’s irritation with Nora continues.

Qrow’s tension with Clover also continues. And Clover delivers Qrow a genuine compliment, which is at least one point in his favor. Qrow also verbally acknowledges he’s given up drinking, which is really great follow-through from last season. I’m proud of him.

Here we meet Robyn Hill, confronting the supply convoy on behalf of Mantle. She seems prepared to take the truck by force, but Penny’s intervention stops her.

Clover doesn’t really seem interested in the fact that from Robyn’s point of view, her concerns about the supplies are one hundred percent justified. His tone says he considers her no more than a common criminal. Robyn is using what we call direct action. That said, she does seem to want to avoid unnecessary violence—especially when she realizes Penny is protecting the truck.

“The Protector of Mantle, huh?” she says pointedly, and judging by the flicker of regret on Penny’s face at that, the jab lands. Mantle has been left in the hands of a team of brand new Huntspeople while its supposed Protector is too busy protecting supplies diverted away for some other project.

Robyn has a point here.

And the fact that someone like Robyn Hill has made it all the way to the Council election speaks volumes about where Mantle’s political climate is right now. I don’t want to get into comparing RWBY characters to real-life political figures because none of them are perfect analogs and they aren’t meant to be. But suffice it to say that a populist figure like Robyn Hill gaining mainstream popularity is a harbinger of social unrest, and a politically-savvy person would recognize that from a mile off.

Ironwood, unfortunately, is not a politically-savvy person. That, I think, he has shown in spades. Remember last episode, when Penny commented that his speech conclusions were getting better? That indicates this is something he’s been working on. Ironwood knows he’s not a strong public speaker. He’s at least that self-aware. But it’s really just the tip of the iceberg where his political failings are concerned.

Ironwood’s heart is in the right place, but he is paternalistic and bullheaded in his methods. He believes that if he can just get the tower built and share his message with the Kingdom, everyone will understand why he’s done what he’s done. He’s deeply underestimating the damage this unrest can do in the meantime, and the potential allies he’s alienating.

I love the sister moment between Winter and Weiss. Even though Winter’s path is not the one Weiss wants to follow, it is very good to see Winter supporting her in distancing herself from their family.

And here, at last, we meet the Winter Maiden, Fria. Who is being kept in complete isolation except for Winter Schnee, who is meant to take her place. Winter has embraced that destiny with pride. Even so… there is an increasingly theme of isolation around the Maidens. Amber was alone when she was attacked. Pyrrha was offered the succession in secret, and it drove her to sacrifice herself alone without her team. Raven… well, she’s a special case, but she’s a solitary figure in a sense too, never letting anyone get too close to her, and those that get close seem to suffer. And here is Fria, dying alone. The Maidens seem to be assigned to the four Kingdoms, so it’s not like they work together. Though they are four, they are not a team. They inherit a gift they never asked for, bear its burdens alone. And die alone.

Man, that’s a downer.

But once again, we see this theme emerging in volume 7: isolation vs. family. Winter is willing to bear this burden alone. Weiss, again, chooses her new family. But she and Winter, at least, have been able to choose their own way, and they find common ground in that.

This is one big reason I’ve gotten so much more enthusiastic about RWBY in recent years. It’s not just that the story is stronger, that the characters are getting stronger arcs, that the art style is more professional and consistent. It’s that the show is growing more and more thematically tight. The writing isn’t just compelling within the arc of a season or the mini-arc of an episode. It has direction. It feels purposeful.

And that’s why I’m so excited about where the story will go next.

Last episode concluded with Watts making contact with Jacques Schnee and this episode wraps up with Jacques making a startling announcement: on the eve of the Council election, he is closing down SDC operations, putting countless people out of work. Jacques himself, of course, is wealthy enough to ride out what will probably be a brief gap in his profits. The same cannot be said for the working class of Mantle. Jacques is walking the line right between blaming Ironwood for his decision, and effectively blackmailing voters with their own jobs, over which he has complete control, to vote for him. It’s an ugly move, and it’s so overtly ugly that it could, in a fair election in this increasingly populist climate, cost Jacques the election.

In a fair election.

But we’ll get into that in the next episode.

#rwby7 #rwby spoilers #read like roses

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aetherscribe-blog · 7 years ago

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Writers that Changed Me

The authors of my life who inspired me to follow their footsteps.

I hate to have to decide my absolute favourites and so, for the safety of both my mind and those in my immediate vicinity, this list is not in order of favouritism.

1. Derek Landy (The Skulduggery Pleasant Series)

“Detective, magician, warrior... oh yes, and dead.”

Derek Landy is a mad genius. Not only does he encapsulate best way of “getting to the point” in a story without so much unnecessarily fluffy words but he manages to deliver this in a way that leaves me tearful in either comedy or tragedy. His characters speak and interact with each other in such witty sarcasm in even such dire situations sends me a clear message - that the readers may love and be flabbergasted by the incredible worlds that Landy creates, but his characters have no such compulsion to enjoy the dangers they are constantly thrown into.

2. JRR Tolkien (The Middle-Earth Series)

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

He started it all off - the hero that the fantasy genre got and deserves. I won’t lie, I do not admire Tolkien for his writing as much as I admire him for his ideas and his pioneering of the genre. He’s the reason why so many writers can spend so long on perfecting the setting of their stories, trying to imitate the rich culture and history of Middle-Earth. Without him, I bet we wouldn’t have such things as Dungeons and Dragons or many of the other fantasy role-playing games and of course, far less of the fantasy novels we know today. It goes without saying that JRR Tolkien truly changed the imaginative world.

3. Michelle Paver (The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness)

“Suddenly death was upon them. A frenzy of claws. A welter of sound to make the ears bleed. In a heartbeat, the creature had smashed their shelter to splinters.”

These books. These goddamn books. The first instalment of this series, Wolf Brother, was where it all began for me and ten years from now, I can proudly say that it was this book’s rich atmosphere that would set me on the path to being a writer. You can tell that she did her research here because for the entirety of this young adult’s book you truly feel like a stone age hunter from every animal Torak tracks to the release of air from his lungs as he looses arrows from his bow. The beautiful thing is that this book based on the ancient world is steeped in supernatural beasts and creatures, setting up my foundation love for finding wonder in a believable world.

4. Darren Shan (The Demonata and the Saga of Darren Shan)

“It is good to be taught humility when we are young. If we do not experience pain as children, we will cause pain as adults.“

Darren Shan brings out the little kid in me and subjects my inner child to untold horrors. Usually, saying such things would only result in a court hearing but here, Mr Shan does it with all that horror that involves lots of gooey blood and slime. If one were to pick up one of his books, they might toss it aside thinking it to be immature or childish and to be fair on the man, that’s the audience he was going for in the first place. And yet, when one reads on, they feel themselves becoming like the kids they once were with mischievous shenanigans and cheeky comments. Then Mr Shan proceeds to take that child and gleefully show them images of their family being murdered brutally by demons, vampires or any other horror monster he can imagine. It’s simple, straightforward and helps to bridge the gap between child’s horror and adult horror in a satisfying transition.

5. Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline, American Gods and Neverwhere)

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

Nobody has ever been able to whisk me away to a whimsical and creative world as easily and in such a state of willingness like Neil Gaiman. Describing him simply as a fantasy writer would seem incorrect yet accurate at the same time, as he bases many of his stories in the real world with strange and bizarre things happening within them that the main character can’t help but tumble into. He makes many references to things such as folklore, mythology and ancient pantheons so that although these worlds are amazing and astounding, we feel an odd familiarity with them. Many writers do a good job of presenting a world and dropping the reader into it but Neil Gaiman doesn’t have to try this hard; if he shows us a world, we want to dive headlong into it.

6. Brian Jacques (Tales of Redwall)

“Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others.”

The Tales of Redwall series once dominated my childhood and sat here as an adult, it took me a long time to work out just why that was. For anybody not fully aware of the Redwall books, it consists of a fantasy world which is home to anthropomorphic animals who remain locked in conflict with each other in one way or another. It would sound very tame and childish if not for unexpectedly brutal and vivid fights and scenes. Then it struck me that these animals actually personified different characters. Matthias, the mouse monk who seemed frail in stature but fierce for the defence of his friends, or Lord Brocktree, the badger warrior whose might was equalled only by his sense of justice, and Cluny the Scourge, the rat warlord who was equal parts traitorous as he was cunning and evil. These tales took a medieval world and made them appeal to the imaginative senses of children, and for that I am forever grateful of Brian Jacques.

7. Terry Pratchett (The Discworld Series)

“Stupid men are often capable of things the clever would not dare to contemplate.”

The late Sir Terry Pratchett was the greatest author the modern world has ever seen. Yep, i said it and I mean it, anybody who disagrees with me knows where to find me. You can’t really argue with the works he left behind, such as Discworld which speaks for itself as a series of 41 books. None of them were lazily done either, for those who believe it’s either about quality or quantity will realise that Terry Pratchett had both under his belt and hat. Every book was a parody so ridiculous in it’s nature that it took on a value of it’s own, every book of his leaving me in stitches more than once. This humour wasn’t even meaningless either, as every book for all it’s silliness never failed to be coupled with some inside meaning; a theme that encompassed the morale of the tale. Terry Pratchett made the art of writing seem so easy and real that all of those writers who were crazy enough couldn’t help but try it themselves. Rest in peace, Mr Pratchett. *Salutes*

8. Philip Reeve (The Mortal Engines Series)

“ “You aren't a hero and I'm not beautiful and we probably won't live happily ever after" she said, "But we're alive and together and we're going to be all right.” “

Oh boy, where to start with this one. Philip Reeve certainly had his imagination cap on for this series, as it’s hard to imagine a post-apocalyptic future where Earth cities are now upon the backs of motorised platforms, their only way of surviving and thriving is to chase down other cities and pull them apart. Anybody who is still with me at this point gets to hear the real beauty of these tales though - the characters. They have a way of tearing you away from what you imagine as a conventional hero and instead of perfect protagonists, we are given characters who could easily be seen as villains should they have made one single different choice. It takes the story and brings it down to earth, as the people who are often perfect in these stories usually end up being villains, traitors or far too nice to last five seconds in this brutal world. In other worlds, we get to cheer on far-from-perfect heroes and watch either love or hate blossom between some of the least likely people imaginable.

9. Eoin Colfer (The Artemis Fowl Series)

“If I win, I’m a prodigy. If I lose then I’m mad. That’s the way history is written.”

I remember the controversy back in the day when Artemis Fowl was released alongside the Harry Potter series and through the natural course of people favouring the latter, Eoin Colfer’s first release was often slandered as being a rip-off. Because of this unfortunate rumour that spread like wildfire, I didn’t read Artemis Fowl until recently whilst I was away on holiday. I was happy to discover that it was more like a blend of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Terry Pratchett and Ocean’s Eleven. The character of Artemis himself gives us a very long list of reasons to hate him. He’s rich, thinks himself superior to everybody else and he’s pretty much the one causing all the trouble in the story by trying to con a fairy community of their gold, as well as getting his butler to dirty his hands in his place. This should all make him the villain and yet despite all this, you can’t help but love Artemis because throughout about 99% of the story, he is the one who is in control and he is the one moving the plot forward. He is the perfect example of a proactive character who is loved, even if what he does cannot truly be seen as the right choice.

10. HP Lovecraft (Dagon, The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror)

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is fear of the unknown.”

My love for Lovecraft’s works is possibly my most recent of all the authors on this list as his is possibly the most adult of them all. When one thinks of conventional horror, they like to imagine gothic horror with supernatural beings such as demons and vampires and ghosts, beings that were created with the intention of scaring people who at one point had been steeped in religious teachings. Lovecraft created cosmic horror with the intended goal of scaring those who did not believe in anything other than science. He relied on stories of people being subjected to horrors that could not be explained by science and yet were so real to defy conventional methods of possibility. This logic-shattering experience made characters question the laws of nature themselves, often leading to the inevitable Lovecraftian fate of insanity, madness or even outright despair because the brain simply could not handle the fact that existence was being questioned as an outright lie. Lovecraft left a terrifying legacy that neyond the visible safety of the campfire, truly anything that our minds could or could not conceive could be looking upon humanity with disdain... and we would be little more than insects to them.

This was a big one, I must admit. If you were engaged enough to read all your way to the very end then thank you so much for staying with me the whole way! Happy writing everyone!

-CR

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citizenscreen · 7 years ago

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I couldn’t come up with just one way to celebrate Robert Mitchum, so I offer 26 of them to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday on August 6, 2017.

“Actors that are good at their craft help create the illusion and help people escape.” – Robert Mitchum

A – Artist

Robert Mitchum was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on August 6, 1917, but his family moved to Charleston, South Carolina soon after. By all accounts his childhood was a tough one. His father died in a freak train accident when Bob was just two years old. Despite poverty and behavior problems, however, Bob and his siblings learned music and poetry from his Norwegian immigrant mother. She was a self-taught musician for whom artistic expression was important. This stayed with Bob Mitchum his entire life and although he downplayed this artistic side to his personality, he dabbled seriously in music now and again.

Mitchum was occasionally a singer and composer either as a side interest or as part of his film career with his voice used often – instead of professional singers – when one of his characters sang in his movies. These include Rachel and the Stranger (1948), River of No Return (1954) and a memorable rendition of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” in Charles Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter (1955). These performances were included in the films’ soundtracks or Bob would record separate entries as was the case in 1947 when he and Gary Gray recorded the songs from Rachel and the Stranger (1948) for Delta Records’ soundtrack album.

With Loretta Young in Rachel and the Stranger

Bob Mitchum also recorded several studio albums:

He became interested in Calypso music while filming Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) in the Caribbean island of Tobago and recorded Calypso – is like so… in 1957.

Calypso – is like so…

A year after Calypso he recorded a song he had written for the film Thunder Road (1958), titled “The Ballad of Thunder Road,” which reached no. 69 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart.

Click on the following record to hear The Ballad of Thunder Road…

In 1968, Mitchum recorded another album, entitled That Man Robert Mitchum Sings:

In 1998, these songs were released on a compilation CD as entitled Robert Mitchum Sings.

B – From Beach bum to actor

Beach bum

When he was 9 Bob Mitchum was sent to live with relatives in Delaware along with his younger brother, John. Not happy about the move it didn’t take long for young Bob to run away and return home. With the Depression in full swing in 1929 the then 14-year-old Bob, ever restless, took to riding the rails, a tough and lonely life for such a young person by anyone’s estimation. Making matters worse Bob was arrested for vagrancy and put to work on a chain gang in Georgia. He escaped and returned home, but soon found himself in his older sister’s house in Long Beach, California where he became an expert beach bum. By then the young Mitchum’s shoulders had filled out and he was prone to fighting with anyone who provoked him.

Aware that she had to get her brothers to do something constructive, Mitchum’s older sister suggested he join the Long Beach Players Guild, but Bob had no interest in acting whatsoever. Well, that is until his sister mentioned that there were only four guys in the Guild and sixty girls. Bob reluctantly took up acting, but thought it embarrassing so he picked up again and returned to South Carolina where he married Dorothy. He was 16 and she was 14.

Bob and Dorothy moved to California where got a job in a factory, a job he hated. Maybe acting wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Bob Mitchum got himself an agent and the rest is history as a storied, memorable acting career was born.

Actor

“If I ever acted in my whole life I did it without knowing.” – Mitchum

“Bob would never be caught acting. He just is.” – Jane Greer

Mitchum didn’t believe in training as an actor or learning to do it. “It’d be like going to school to learn to be tall.”

“He just is. That’s his power as an actor.” – Polly Bergen

“There can’t be too much of a trick to acting because Rin Tin Tin did it great.” – Mitchum

Bob Mitchum may have downplayed his talent and the significance of the acting profession, but he was a great among greats. In several film genres he had an impressive array of tools at his disposal. He could be dangerous, intelligent, sexy, mysterious, vulnerable and funny and any combination of those he allowed to come through.

C – Contradictions

In truth Robert Mitchum was a mass of contractions. I could have easily included just one letter in this homage to this actor and covered the important aspects of his life and career. That’s not to say he was a simple man or that he made simple decisions, but rather the opposite. Mitchum, it seems, was equal parts of a number of contrasting traits both in real life and on screen.

“He can sound like a scholar one minute and a hoodlum the next.” – Saturday Evening Post, 1963

As a child Bob Mitchum was a fighter and an artist – as an adult he was oftentimes loud and boisterous with a commanding presence, yet he was also shy and sensitive.

Mitchum is one of the silver screen’s legendary macho men, but there is also always sensitivity just below the surface.

He could come across as crass and arrogant in interviews, but many of his co-workers – fellow actors and directors – praised his generosity and professionalism.

His arrest for marijuana possession in the late 1940s was a major scandal. Hollywood history has shown people just don’t come back after such an embarrassing ordeal. Or at least not immediately. But that wasn’t the case with Mitchum. Not only did he “come back” immediately, he did so with the public’s love and support.

When actors found a niche in the golden age they stuck to it. For instance, Cary Grant never played an evil villain because he was “Cary Grant.” This was not so with Mitchum. He did it all from romantic lead to reluctant hero to two of the most memorable psychopaths in filmdom.

The New Yorker film critic, Pauline Kael once said that he had a gut that was an honorary chest—and Mitchum is all stomach and heart, all at the same time.

“He’s a very tender man, a very great gentleman. One of my favorite people in the whole world.” – Charles Laughton

D – Dorothy

“What is the secret to a long marriage?” and interviewer asked Robert Mitchum. “Deviousness,” he replied.

Reportedly, Bob Mitchum had numerous affairs throughout his marriage to Dorothy and that is probably true. But you still can’t discount a nearly 60 year marriage that lasted until his death on July 1, 1997. Bob and Dorothy had three children, James, Christopher, and Trini.

E – Evil

For my money Mitchum played two of the most despicable characters to ever appear in the movies. The first is Harry Powell in Charles Laughton’s masterful The Night of the Hunter (1955) and the second is Max Cady in J. Lee Thompson’s Cape Fear (1962).

As Powell, a psychopathic self-proclaimed preacher, Mitchum delivers what I believe is his best performance. His impressive frame and the way he uses it added to the dry, sneer-laced, low-key and cold delivery of every single word he utters make it difficult to forget this character, a man who hunts two small children to get the money their dad left them. Harry Powell remained one of Mitchum’s favorite roles and he was dedicated to it from the moment he read David Grubb‘s novel, “The Night of the Hunter” on which the film is based. As great as Robert Mitchum is as Powell he wasn’t Laughton’s first choice for the role. The director initially wanted Gary Cooper who turned it down (thank goodness). However, Laughton was immediately impressed by Mitchum who when told by the director he was looking for a “diabolical, no account creep” immediately answered, “Present!”

Seven years after The Night of the Hunter Robert Mitchum took on the role of another psychopath. As Max Cady Mitchum now tracks down, stalks, threatens and eventually attacks Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) and his family. Cady believes Bowden responsible for his having been imprisoned. Mitchum was reluctant to take on Max Cady because The Night of the Hunter had failed at the box office, but Peck convinced him. What Mitchum did with the role is play Max Cady in the most arrogant, sadistic manner imaginable.

The Rev, Harry Powell

Max Cady

Robert Mitchum is one of four actors (with Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis, and Faye Dunaway) to have two villainous roles ranked in the American Film Institute’s 100 years of The Greatest Heroes and Villains – Cape Fear‘s Max Cady at #28 and Reverend Harry Powell from The Night of the Hunter at #29.

“The despicable characters were the most fun because they would inspire the biggest reaction from people.” – Mitchum

F – Film Noir

To me Bob Mitchum is the archetypal film noir actor, the quintessential reluctant hero doomed from the beginning by fate and his association with a certain woman. I feel this way mostly due to his portrayal of Jeff Bailey in Jacques Tourneur‘s Out of the Past (1947), but Mitchum did well by film noir many times.

Jane Greer who co-starred with Mitchum in Out of the Past and in Don Siegel‘s The Big Steal (1949) said that out of the movie detective genre – the Bogarts and the Dick Powells and others – Mitchum seemed to care more, was more vulnerable, showed more emotion, was hurt more – and it made all the difference. I couldn’t agree more.

Out of the Past was a critical and financial success for RKO and it cemented Robert Mitchum’s image as a tough guy. He’d repeat the noir look and feel many more times…

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G – The Story of GI Joe (1945)

William Wellman‘s The Story of G.I. Joe made Robert Mitchum a star and got him his only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Bob Mitchum was under contract with RKO when he was lent out to Selznick Studios for GI Joe. As always, Mitchum was prepared to go through the motions of motion picture acting, which for him meant a steady paycheck and reading lines. But directors and the public saw the truth in his performances. They saw much more than a man with an impressive look standing there, that’s for sure. Mitchum arrived at Selznick, read the script and tested for the part of Lieutenant Walker in a film depicting the story of real-life war journalist Ernie Pyle played by Burgess Meredith.

Mitchum and Meredith

William Wellman loved Mitchum’s test so much he used it in the picture. If you’ve ever seen The Story of GI Joe it’s the affecting scene between Lieutenant Walker and Ernie Pyle in the tent. Well, anyway after Wellman yelled “cut” Mitchum said he looked over and noticed the director crying. Mitchum retold the story years later in typical fashion downplaying his acting skills, “either I was very bad or he (Wellman) was very moved.”

H- Honesty

“The only difference between me and my fellow actors is that I’ve spent more time in jail.”

[asked what jail was like, after being released on a marijuana possession charge] “It’s like Palm Springs without the riff-raff.” and “It’s just like Hollywood, but a better class of people.”

“Fear of failure is what drives people in Hollywood.”

[on press stories] “They’re all true – booze, brawls, broads, all true. Make up some more if you want to.”

“I never changed anything, except my socks and my underwear. And I never did anything to glorify myself or improve my lot. I took what came and did the best I could with it.”

“I’ve survived because I work cheap and don’t take up too much time.”

“You know what the average Robert Mitchum fan is? He’s full of warts and dandruff and he’s probably got a hernia too, but he sees me up there on the screen and he thinks if that bum can make it, I can be president.”

[1983] “Stars today are just masturbation images.”

When you start with nothing and are prepared to end up with nothing you have nothing to lose. I think that’s why Robert Mitchum was truthful.

I – Indifference

“That was Mitchum for you, a superb actor who affected a weary indifference to his work.” – Roger Ebert

Robert Mitchum reeked of indifference in many of his interviews about his career and some parts of his life. All things point to that not being the case in the real world for him, but it worked mighty well in his movies, as part of his characterization.

J – Jail

Mitchum’s face in the picture below, which shows when he and Lila Leeds were sentenced 60 days in jail on charges of conspiracy to possess marijuana, is priceless. The look yells, “what a crock!” He was released ten days early for good behavior and was open about the arrest and circumstances all of his life. I include “jail” as the “J” entry only because I love this picture.

K – Killer Eyes

Sleepy, dreamy, lazy and sly. And did I say dreamy?

L – Loner

Often played loners and drifters and one gets the impression at least a part of the real-life Mitchum was like that.

M – anti-Method

Though respectful of Robert De Niro‘s talent, Mitchum was amused by the young Method actor’s habit of remaining in character all day as film studio chief Monroe Stahr during the filming of The Last Tycoon (1976).

While filming El Dorado (1967) Mitchum was amused by co-star John Wayne‘s attempts to play his screen persona to the hilt in real life. He recalled that Wayne wore four-inch lifts to increase his height and had the roof of his car raised so he could drive wearing his Stetson.

“These kids only want to talk about acting method and motivation; in my day all we talked about was screwing and overtime.” – Mitchum

“He has nothing of that, ‘I’m feeling the part nonsense.’ He could just turn it on.” – Jane Russell

N – Nevada (1944)

Bob’s first leading role was as a winner at crap’s who’s wrongly accused of murder in Edward Killy’s Nevada.

O – Observant

“He knew people.” – Edward Dmytryk

P – Poet

Robert Mitchum had poems published in a local paper when he was 6 years old. He continued to write poetry his entire life, but it was something that embarrassed him, something he felt was private. That said, he couldn’t hide the fact that poetry was a part of him. He was an avid reader, an intellectual, a thinker and a great storyteller.

Deborah Kerr who co-starred with Robert Mitchum in four movies – Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1947), The Sundowners (1960), The Grass is Greener (1960) and Reunion at Fairborough (1985) – became good friends with him. She talked about how she expected to meet the tough and rough man she’d heard about prior to making Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, but that he couldn’t have been more different. The man she met and came to greatly admire was a gentle, poetic man who she spent a lot of time with just contemplating the scenery. “The macho thing is partly true,” Kerr said, “but there’s a gentleness you never expect.”

Q – Quiescent

R – RKO

“Every studio had one mule and I was their mule.”

Bob Mitchum always said that he played the same character while at RKO, that he just changed leading ladies. While that may have been true at the beginning it wasn’t later when he got meatier, movies to sink his teeth into. In some interviews he spoke quite fondly of his years at RKO and of the people he worked with there, which he referred to as family. Plus, once Bob made his mark he was the big cheese on the lot and got everything he wanted, including a chair with his name on it.

At the height of his popularity with RKO the studio set up a fan club, The Mitchum Droolets, which Mitchum referred to as “salivating jailbait.”

S – Sexy

During his 1971 interview with Dick Cavett, Mitchum told the story of the first time he’d seen himself on the big screen. He recalled it was one of the Hopalong Cassidy pictures and he was with his wife when – as soon as he appeared on the screen – he overheard a woman say, “My God, who is that man? That is the most immoral face I’ve ever seen.”

Mitchum told the story to illustrate how easily actors or movie stars are judged, but I imagine the woman sighed as she said “immoral” with a tinge of longing.

“He is all man.” – Jane Russell

T – Tough

U – Unrelenting

113 films, 133 total acting credits in a career that spanned 6 decades. That’s an unrelenting career, an unrelenting desire to work, and an unrelenting desire for expression. Imagine if Robert Mitchum had actually liked acting, imagine if he didn’t think it was just a job.

“I’ve played everything except midgets and women. People can’t make up their minds whether I’m the greatest actor in the world – or the worst. Matter of fact, neither can I. It’s been said I underplay so much, I could have stayed home. But I must be good at my job. Or they wouldn’t haul me around the world at these prices.”

V – Voice

Robert Mitchum’s deep baritone sound matched his impressive physique perfectly. That’s particularly true in his Western and crime roles and when he played the bad guy. He once said that “once I quit horses and started on girls,” referring to romantic roles he’d also serve quite well, “I had to modulate my voice otherwise the needle would go all over the place for the sound guys.”

W – Westerns

“RKO made the same film with me for ten years. They were so alike I wore the same suit in six of them and the same Burberry trench coat. They made a male Jane Russell out of me. I was the staff hero. They got so they wanted me to take some of my clothes off in the pictures. I objected to this, so I put on some weight and looked like a Bulgarian wrestler when I took my shirt off. Only two pictures in that time made any sense whatever. I complained and they told me frankly that they had a certain amount of baloney to sell and I was the boy to do it.”

Bob Mitchum starred in seven Hopalong Cassidy movies and always felt that he had that to fall back on if needed – he said it only half jokingly. He had fun making those pictures, which were produced quickly and followed a strict formula. Mitchum also liked working outdoors and having little dialogue. As he described it, “I rode horses all day and got paid.”

Mitchum’s first credited role was in Hoppy Serves a Writ 1943 with William Boyd

As you know, Mitchum would go on to make numerous notable Westerns throughout his career. As was the case with film noir, he was a natural riding the range on either side of the law.

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X – EXciting

Never boring!

Y – Youthful

WITH his sons, Christopher and James in 1947

Z – Zeitgeber

zeitgeber, a rhythmically occurring event that cues organisms’ biological rhythms.

“I can’t describe what Mitchum’s appeal is. It’s just there. It’s palpable.” – Sydney Pollack

#Mitchum100

The A-B-Cs of Robert Mitchum I couldn't come up with just one way to celebrate Robert Mitchum, so I offer 26 of them to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday on August 6, 2017.

#Robert Mitchum #Robert Mitchum Centennial

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xpwewarchive · 4 years ago

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XPWEW Friday Night Pyro (6-26-2020)

XPWEW Friday Night Pyro

Episode: 432

June 26th, 2020

Location: The Barracks in Los Angeles, California | XPWEW training facility

Opening Segment: The Set (without Ruckus) (Siaka Lexoni, Myron Reed, Kotto Brazil, Jordan Oliver & Chrissy Rivera) enter Siaka: I know some of y’all have to be asking just how long does our world heavyweight champion Ruckus have to be on hiatus from appearing on this show? Kotto: And I know some of y’all have to be wondering well is he going to be at the pay-per-view The Devil’s Playhouse this Sunday Myron: That’s 19.99 on FITE TV right now use the promo code “RUCKUS” for the next five minutes to save a few bones. That’s R-U-C-K-U-S. Ruckus Jordan: That’s right! Until The Set receives a formal ‘thank you’ from the VICE network you won’t see the world champion on this show.

Un-named gentleman in a suit enters Unknown Sir: My name is Shane Sloth and on behalf of Viceland and Vice Media I wanna say thank you..... (Silence) Siaka: Mahn that shit ain’t good enough! You ain’t thanking me you thanking Ruckus! Shane Sloth: Well how can I... Myron: Get him on the phone, Get him on the phone

Leonard McGraw enters to a huge pop (Leonard comes in and hits a devastating clothesline on Shane Sloth that knocks him out of his dress shoes) ((Leonard grabs the mic)) Jordan: Hold it, Hold it, Hold it, Hold it, Hold it. You come out here and think you can do whatever you want Leonard: That’s right Siaka: BOY DO NOT LET ME SPEAK ON THAT. YOU BETTER STAY YOUR PLACE Leonard: Shut the hell up! Wah Wah Wah. Siaka Lexoni? You don’t even wrestle anymore so shut the hell up Leonard: Jordan, Myron, Kotto Brazil y’all three stooges sum bitches got a world title match in 2 days but do you really, because I know I got a big red target on my back and I wanna warm ya. Don’t think that match with Jake Awesome is gonna have me on a half tank of gas cause im coming for all three of ya and I’m coming for the xpwew world title. Which meaaaans I’m coming for Ruckus’ ass and I want a piece of Ruckus’ ass cell phone rings (Comedic moment of a mouth gape-opened McGraw staring at a fretful Jordan Oliver who slowly holds up the cell phone to the microphone) Jordan: Hello? ..... Jordan: No no no I’m in the ring right now it’s the opening segment...... Jordan: ......No no no I’m looking right at him.......Yeah. Ugly as hell. Oh Leonard, Ruckus said he has two words for you and he wanted me to hold it up to the microphone Leonard attacks Jordan but Myron and Kotto join in and even the score a bit and now it’s a 1 on 3 onslaught on McGraw who then gets help from Jacques Dudley and then assistance from Alveno La Flare who makes the request for a 6 man tonight! Myron: Y’all got it!!!!

Tag Team Match M1: Chrissy Rivera & Lotus defeat Doxy Deity & Prisiclla Kelly

James Westerbeck interviews Golden Bryce “Ever since Lockdown I’ve been doing some soul searching and all I can say is if TakaNaka really is the greatest tag team then surely they can beat me this sunday? I doubt it!”

Taka Michinoku enters with Masato Tanaka

Golden Bryce enters

1 on 1 M2: Golden Bryce defeats Taka Michinoku (with Masato Tanaka)

In ring segment: Garrett Thompson and Ethan Bedlam point out they are on a 3 win in a row winning streak; and they deserve shots at the tag belts regardless of what gender is holding them. And that’s a promise

Tag Team Match M3: Garrett Thompson & Ethan Bedlam defeats 3M Ultra & M3 Quintillo

(After the match Simon Gotch and Mandy Leon come down flaunting their new tag team gold and Gotch bites off a little more than he can chew getting up in Bedlam’s face to which Garrett steps in between them and says “Wanna try getting physical with me?” Gotch responds Garrett Thompson “Go back to your bathhouse” Garrett responds “I’m always watching and your fresh meat, Tell your little girlfriend I won’t hesitate to knock both your heads off” Gotch uncomfortable walks forward and Mandy Leon slumps her shoulders and that was actual bit of an uncomfortable segment and why Gotch and Mandy aren’t all that ‘heelish’ it puts over Garrett and Bedlam as proper scumbags

Based Fabian and Genevalisse enters

Tag Team Match M4: Simon Gotch and Mandy Leon defeat Based Fabian & Genevalisse

Romeo Roselli cuts a promo directly into the camera from what appears to be a dark alley “Joe Gacy, you think I’m rusty cause I haven’t been in the ring in two years. Well rust never sleeps big boy and I’m gonna remind you why I am the most important person in sports entertainment today. As for Audrey Carbine. You wanna take a shot you can’t reach, try it because if you think you got voices in your head well I’m gonna be singing the chorus and I’m gonna be loud. So stay in your place and understand my vengeance is all inclusive.....”

• AWESOME BOMB ACADEMY COMMERCIAL

Priscilla Kelly and Lotus join commentary with Nick Simmonds and Kaitlyn Khaos to push the women’s playhouse match but first Kaitlyn Khaos throws it over to XPWEW backstage correspondent James Westerbeck as he gets a word with XPWEW International Champion Jake Awesome going into tonight’s contract signing and Sunday’s Last Man Standing match with Leonard McGraw

James: Jake, you don’t think it’s a bit compromising you made the challenge so supreme for Leonard knowing he’s gonna compete in The Devil’s Playhouse later in the night Jake: Ask Leonard McGraw why he cashed not one check but Why he cashed two big checks his ass CAN NOT cash. He’s gonna be in hospice after Last Man Standinf. Key!!! Last Man Standing, he won’t be in two matches Sunday. But...James have you ever heard the saying “If your gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough?” Well Leonard is dumb. Very dumb. But tough? Meh the verdict is out and I’ll be the judge and the executioner ....

Death Machines: Joe Gacy enters followed by Audrey Carbine

All Woman enters with All Man

1 on 1 M5: All Woman defeats Audrey Carbine when Romeo Roselli interferes with a swift kick to Carbine’s head giving All Woman the go ahead roll up victory, Gacy comes in and bodies Roselli they brawl to the ringside area ultimately with Gacy picking up Romeo and All Man in one slam and running towards the barricade and breaking the barricade and leaving them in a heap. Gacy walks off and Carbine walks off but not before stepping to Priscilla Kelly at commentary but Kelly did not flinch Lotus “Camera needs to focus on me, neither of those girls are leaving that playhouse on their own two feet and that’s not a threat”

Some suit walks up with the contract and tells Jake “Leonard’s already signed Jake, he said he doesn’t wanna talk, he only wants to fight”

Jake angrily yells in the gentlemen’s face: Alright huh huh that’s cool, that’s different that’s unique, How cute McGraw... (Jake signs the contract on James Westerbeck’s back) “I like closed casket funerals. Quick and easy. No pain. Sunday’s gonna be fun”

Pre-Recorded Segment: Champagne Clausen driving in his Bugatti vehicle in the streets of Philadelphia. Presumably looking for Ruckus as he wants to create a bridge so he can be friends with The Set to helps his chances of winning at The Devil’s Playhouse: Champagne pulls up to this very “Elm Street” looking house and approaches a man at the door who thinks Champagne is trying to buy weed and Champagne responds “I’m looking for Ruckus” Man 1: Follow me......camera follows them inside this smoke filled house Man 2: Knocks on door, Ruckus, Champagne Clausen is here Ruckus: (opens door) Champagne: I came all this way to say look I’m on your side, I’m on the side of The Set Ruckus: exhales blunt smoke...”The Set got a plan A and that’s me retaining the title Sunday, The Set got a plan B that’s you, that’s Champagne Clausen helping get rid of McGraw and we can work out a deal on getting you opportunities. Right but if you fail to deliver and if my dudes somehow fail and then yeah I got a plan C. Plan C gonna change the whole game, and shit Plan C really already in effect people just don’t know. Plan C gonna take care of McGraw, 1 way or another. I’m leaving Devil’s Playhouse still the heavyweight champion of the world and McGraw gonna leave me alone for good, I’m finna dead this nigga’s career. He a problem and If The Set can’t dead this shit in THE SET’s PLAYHOUSE. Plan C will. Ruckus slams door in Champagne’s face

Jacques enters

Alveno La Flare enters

Leonard McGraw enters

The Set enters (without Ruckus)

6 Man Tag Match Main Event M6: THE SET (Myron Reed, Kotto Brazil and Jordan Oliver) with Siaka Lexoni defeats Alveno La Flare, Leonard McGraw and Jacques Dudley

Myron Reed hits his finishing move “Sky Walker” on Alveno La Flare for the 1-2-3 as The Set wins the match

After the match Leonard McGraw clotheslines Kotto, then Jordan then Myron sells it like a champion flipping after the clothesline and a fired up McGraw does the “belt wrapping around the waist” motion twice as to signal he’s gonna have 2 belts come Sunday. Show ends

#xpwew #ruckus #the set #jake awesome #Leonard McGraw #Golden Bryce #XPWEW Leonard McGraw

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jessicakehoe · 6 years ago

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From the FASHION Archives: The Rich Essence of Oscar de la Renta from the Spring 1981 Issue

Since its launch in 1977, FASHION magazine has been giving Canadian readers in-depth reports on the industry’s most influential figures and expert takes on the worlds of fashion, beauty and style. In this series, we explore the depths of our archive to bring you some of the best fashion features we’ve ever published. This story, originally titled “Opulence and the Man” by David Livingstone, was initially published in FASHION’s Spring 1981 issue.

It used to be that Oscar de la Renta was known as an eminence in the republic of American fashion. Recently, his réclame has gone far beyond that, thanks to a cover story in The New York Times Magazine last December. Along with his wife Françoise, he became perhaps even more widely known as a mover is auspicious circles, a star of high society. It was impossible to avoid the impression given in the piece that the de la Rentas had no time for anyone less than the “very rich, very powerful and very gifted.” The implication was that Oscar de la Renta was some kind of operator, dealing friendship and trading on charm. In short, it put me on my guard at the aspect of meeting him.

“He’s very charming, very attentive – even if the most dreadful person in the world has him cornered.”

Of course, one of the most awesome things about the press is the way it can plant expectations and nourish attitudes on hearsay. Not that one didn’t have other reasons to wonder about de la Renta’s sincerity. I remembered that Jack Alexander, his administrative assistant, had once been reported as saying, “He’s very charming, very attentive – even if the most dreadful person in the world has him cornered.” Besides, in the advertisements used to launch his perfume in 1978, with the grateful model saying, “He’s been my designer and he’s been my friend,” it seemed the word “friend” had been thrown around a little loosely.

After only a few minutes on the premises of his thriving business on New York’s Seventh Avenue, aspects of de la Renta’s reputation are immediately verified. He is clearly familiar with the famous. Alexander is on the phone with a reporter who wants to know whether Nancy Reagan has bought anything there recently. (Though the First Lady is better known for wearing Adolfo and Galanos, she is the kind of customer one rightfully expects of de la Renta. After all, he is known to dress Nancy Kissinger.) And a casual glance at his secretary’s Rolodex index finds it open at the listing of a famous movie producer.

But besides this evidence, there is another, and possibly more accurate, clie to the nature of the man I am about to meet. Lying on the glass table in the office area just outside de la Renta’s studio is a seed catalogue. Trusting instantly that it belongs to him, I take it as a reassuring augury of his better nature. Blessedly, my intuition is corroborated by experience, and I only have to enter his studio and take a seat beside his desk to discover that his personal magnetism is genuine, not just some unctuous promotional device. Confronted simultaneously by the ringing of the telephone and my arrival, de la Renta immediately displays civilized priorities. Ignoring the machine’s racket, he says, “That’s alright, we can talk.” Contrary to preconceptions one might have about anybody who occupies a leading position in the beau monde, he shows none of the pushiness or edginess of the professional social climber always on the lookout for ways to take advantage. Rather, he is calm, personable, a touch bashful and entirely suave. Overall, his style is subdued. He is wearing a grey pinstripe suit (his own label visible on the inside pocket), a white shirt striped with a red that is deep enough to be discrete, brown belt and shoes, and as is his custom, a tie. Talking, he leans backward, not forward. His voice is softly accented, occasionally revealing his hesitancy in a stammer, Physically, his outstanding feature is his head. With greying curls combed back, his head’s symmetrical shape and and color, the result of Latin blood and recent sun, make it as pleasing to the eye as a brown egg.

Unavoidably, de la Renta’s attention must sometimes be divided. His assistants have questions. Garments are brought in from the sample room for his approval. His lawyer, Peter Tufo, is trying to reach him. But he apologizes for every interruption. Once, when he has to leave the room to attend to other business, he expresses his regret with a reassuring pat on my shoulder, and the gesture seems neither condescending, nor contrived. And when he has to take the phone, one is never made to feel like an intruder. In fact, I eavesdrop shamelessly. “Hello, Blassie? How are you? Happy New Year.”

Like Bill Blass, whom he regards as by far his closest friend among fellow designers, de la Renta emerged on the New York fashion scene in the ‘60s. Despite the success of earlier luminaries such as Norman Norell, Claire McCardell, Adrian, Pauline Trigere, American design was still thought to be innately, inferior to anything from Europe. It took a new generation, including Blass, Geoffrey Beene, de la Renta, as well as less enduring talents such as Rudi Gernreich and Jacques Tiffeau, to establish New York as a fashion capital comparable, in prices and prestige, to Paris. Foregoing the elitist couture tradition, they choose to be accessible and diverse, and become household names. Now, in addition to the main line of costly ready-to-wear, de la Renta is responsible for a lower-priced line, with the emphasis on day wear, that is made in Hong Kong and marketed under another label, Miss O. His licensing arrangements cover 18 product areas, including furs, men’s wear and, optical frames, sheets, perfume, jewelry, and jeans. There are also special licensing arrangements with specific stores in Mexico and Japan. Now, the retail volume of his ready-to-wear lines is $25-million; licensing arrangements bring in $250-million.

He fairly glows when he tells of the last time he was in Japan and Takanohana, a sumo champ and cultural hero, paid him the honor of attending his fashion show.

For all the many facets of his industry de la Renta is not given to fuss or panic. With a summer collection due to be shown in less than three weeks, he has just come back from his Christmas to learn that the fabric he was counting on is not going to be ready. His aplomb is almost unnerving. “This is the time when you have to be creative and do something else,” he says. “We have to scratch the whole program ad change the idea of what the collection will be.” Instead of badrapping the Japanese suppliers who failed to deliver the goods, he seems happier to talk about his fondness for that country and his passionate interest in Sumo wrestling. On the wall next to his desk, there are Polaroids that show him beaming in the company of some of those hefty, ponytailed athletes who In fact, were the inspiration for the printed fabric that didn’t arrive. He fairly glows when he tells of the last time he was in Japan and Takanohana, a sumo champ and cultural hero, paid him the honor of attending his fashion show.

On another wall of the studio hangs a collection of framed, front-page stories from Women’s Wear Daily that attests to his achievements at home. But even more impressive than the decor of the studio is the atmosphere. Three assistants work at separate tables, contentedly absorbed by the business at hand. There are also a student from the Rhode Island School of Design, who will be spending time observing and taking part in a top-flight design operation, and Isabelle Oduber, the model on whom de la Renta first his collections, who comes and goes wearing a smock, dark glasses and a bright smile. At lunch-time, food is ordered by phone, and the student welcomes the news that “the company pays for lunch.”

The mood of the studio seems to derive from de la Renta himself. He maintains a bustling pace while still managing a courtly quietude and never resorting to imperial airs. Although he has a high profile as a designer and socialite, he is, in person, completely unassuming. Asked about his Christmas holidays, he says, “I was in the Dominican Republic. That’s where I was born. I have a house there.” He appears completely unmindful that Vogue has devoted pages to a detailed description of his ocean-front villa or that the basic facts of his biography are matters of public record, unearthed with minimum research. He was born in Santo Domingo in 1932, has six sisters and a father who sold insurance and who was not overjoyed when his only son decided to be a painter and went to study in Madrid. Following the death of his mother, his father stopped sending money, and, to earn an income, de la Renta started doing fashion illustrations. Eventually, he found work at Balenciaga’s house in Madrid. While he says, “The first quality clothes I ever held in my hands were Balenciaga’s,” he conscientiously points out that the great Spanish courtier was based in Paris and the business in Madrid was run by his sister. When de la Renta himself went to Paris, he worked with another Spanish designer, Castillo, for three years. In January, 1963, he moved to New York.

To hear de la Renta say, “My sisters are all housewives. They have no aspirations of any sort”; to notice that a book called Harems is one inspiration for work on his summer collection; or to judge from his recurring forte, lavish evening wear, one might get the idea that he is only used to females in their passive modes. On the contrary, his career in the United States has been marked by associations with a variety of hard-working women. One of his first friends in America was Mary McFadden. Now a designer herself, McFadden at that time was doing public relations for Christian Dior, and she arranged for one of de la Renta’s first job interviews. But following the advice of another friend, Diana Vreeland, he finally accepted an offer from Elizabeth Arden to design couture for her company.

Elizabeth Arden, born in Woodbridge, Ontario, as Florence Nightingale Graham before turning into the legendary cosmetics tycoon, was not known for being fluffy. Notoriously difficult to work for, she showed de la Renta a more companionable side of her nature, inviting him to her house for dinners, when she would sport her favourite dress, a pink tea gown of Valenciennes lace over satin. The gown was worn to frailness, and, reciprocating her kindness, de la Renta made her a new one. “And when I used to go and dine, she still was wearing the old one. And I said, ‘You don’t like the tea gown I made you? It doesn’t fit? Well, it’s exactly the same.’ And she said, ‘Yes, I like it, but I’m waiting to wear it on a special occasion.’”

“Nobody understands dressy clothes better than Oscar de la Renta does.”

Elizabeth Arden was buried in her new pink tea gown. However, the women have favored de la Renta’s creations, appearing with his own label since 1965, have had livelier functions to attend. From the beginning, his extravagant evening costumes have appealed to the universal urge to get dressed up and go places. In 1967, he designed gypsy fantasies and won his first American Fashion Critic’s Coty Award; he won again in 1968 for garments inspired by Belle Epoque. In 1974, Women’s Wear Daily published a list of his customers which was largely comprised of prominent party girls. And in the approximately 82 garments shown last November for this spring, unrestrained luxury abounds. While there are surprisingly uncomplicated combinations of pants and middy-blouses (with subtly detailed yokes in the manner of historic Russian sailors’ outfits), harder to miss are the voluminous taffeta skirts, vividly coloured silk-satin organza dresses ruffled to the floor, bouncy lace blouses and opulent evening jackets with elaborate embroidery. These are clothes that announce themselves with bugles and castanets. Even when done in a delicate palette of pale blue and white, they are made for noticeable entrances. Show up at a darkened door in one of these, and doubtless you’d have them thinking that the summer sky had just dropped by.

“Nobody understands dressy clothes better than Oscar de la Renta does,” says Margery Steele, merchandising manager for The Room at Simpsons and an avid supporter. In Canada, retail prices of his garments range from $600 to $5,000, but, as Steele points out, there is never any trouble finding people to buy them, because “de la Renta understands the lifestyle.” He himself is used to the kind of occasions where grandstand chic is called for. Françoise de la Renta, her husband’s senior by nine years, now wears only his designs, though nothing says she has to and not everything coincides with her taste. “A lot of the clothes I design are not really for her, in the sense that she really doesn’t like to be very dressed up,” says de la Renta. She likes to wear very understated clothes, and a lot of my clothes are not very understated.”

Formerly editor of French Vogue, a contributing editor still fo American Vogue and a celebrity in her own right, Françoise de la Renta appears frequently enough in the pages of Women’s Wear Daily that, even without having met her, one can catalogue her preferences, usually expressed with an engagingly plain-spoken zest. She likes chocolate, never eats meat and doesn’t plan on plastic surgery. She is enthusiastic about food, and has so many sheets that she can go a whole year without seeing the same one twice. Though not extravagant in appearance – photographs typically portray her with hair drawn back and gathered neatly at the nape of her neck – she’s a disciple of sumptuous living. Invited to participate in a course called “Ultimate Chic,” given at New York’s Hunter College in 1978, she spoke to the class of the advantages of entertaining twice a week. That way, flowers and uncorked wine can be used up. And she once defined quality for W as “the best of anything – even a perfect potato.”

Although Françoise de la Renta is not directly involved in her husband’s business, the cover story in The New York Times Magazine took pains to depict her as a woman of influence. And there have been other public suggestions that she has determination for two. “If anyone hurts Oscar…I am like a tigress,” she told Women’s Wear in 1971, and last summer, when illustrator-turned-designer Michaele Vollbracht was all the news, W ran a Vollbracht caricature that depicted a puppet-sized Oscar on Françoise knee. The only sign I see of any role she plays in her husband’s affairs appears when de la Renta tells his secretary she doesn’t have to bother with hotel reservations in Washington for the inauguration. Françoise has made the arrangements. They’ll be staying with the Harrimans.

Back in 1967, when Truman Capote threw his legendary black and white ball, Vogue carried reportage by Gloria Steinem and the photographs included Françoise de Langlade” in pussycat masks. In the ‘80s, however, social life seems destined to be more serious and to rely more ostensibly on political forces. Until, Teddy Kennedy dropped out of the race, de la Renta supported Kennedy’s bid for the presidency. After that, he supported Reagan. “Arthur Schlesinger, a very close friend, made a joke about me and said I must be a very wise man to be able to make a 180-degree turn. The fact is, I’m really non-political. I vote because of the people I like and not really because of the party I belong to.” One person that he decidedly did not like was Jimmy Carter. In 1976, he told WWD, “I can’t stand that famous smile. I can’t stand it. There’s something about it – I don’t know – like a snake’s smile.” De la Renta grins when he’s reminded of the statement. Occasionally, as a designer, it has been suggested he is overly influenced by Europe, but there seems to be no question that, when it comes comparing Carter to a snake, he was the first on the block.

Like many in the fashion industry, de la Renta thinks that Nancy Reagan will be good for business. “The thing was, there was very little, fashion-wise, that you could do with Mrs. Carter.” Mrs. Reagan has worn de la Renta “from time to time,” and what’s even more significant, her spendthrift ways may be taken as some kind of official seal on the practice of conspicuous consumption from which all designers stand to profit.

He also speaks of the tropical flowers, of the strong colors that have influenced his “Latin eye” and of people whom he has not forgotten.

As clear as it is that de la Renta is no stranger to rich living, just as strikingly he reveals himself to be capable of enjoying more refined pleasures such as horticulture, friendship and music. During the holidays spent at his Dominican home an hour and a half away from Santo Domingo, he played tennis, planted a rose garden and tried to fatten up his cherished friend, Diana Vreeland, whom he describes as “the most fascinating fashion personality of this century. She made jokes about me forcing her to eat like a goose. And I said, ‘Not a goose, like a beautiful turkey.’” He also speaks of the tropical flowers, of the strong colors that have influenced his “Latin eye” and of people whom he has not forgotten. “The nice thing about going there is that a lot of my childhood friends have houses very close to me.”

No less affectionately, de la Renta praises the beautiful view of Central Park he gets from his New York apartment and he is never more becoming than when describing the white garden he has planted at his country home in Connecticut, where he spends every weekend. He likes to read, particularly biographies and 19th-century travel books. He enjoys opera and attends the Salzburg Festival every year. “I love really all the Spanish singers, Placido Domingo, a friend of mine, Victoria de Los Angelos, Montserat Caballé, Teresa Berganza.” And he is fond of good movies, no matter where they come from.

Discussing the article in The New York Times Magazine, he says, “I thought it was a very nice story. If I had written it myself, I would have written it differently. I think it showed one side of our lives. It tells really very little about ourselves as human beings.” Nowadays, the media, deferring to attention-grabbing angles, are not apt to provide subtle portraits. Customarily in stories about Oscar, Françoise has been used as the most provocative hook. She’s endured the kind of innuendo that Yoko Ono used to have to put up with, as if, even in these post-feminist times, there was something unseemly about a woman exercising power. Wisely, however de la Renta does not damage his dignity whining about being mistreated by the press. He seems perfectly happy being a star, accepting with elegance the price he sometimes pays for it.

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