#jokes aside the pack was released in 2015 like for real | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-big-papa · 5 years ago

Text

The Real Tea

INVOLVED: Oprah Winfrey, Mercedes Evans and Samuel Evans TIME FRAME: Tuesday, June 25, 2019 LOCATION: Evans Estate; Los Angeles, California SUMMARY: Samuel and Mercedes sit down with Oprah for a interview in their home.

Mercedes walked through the large estate, rubbing her hands together nervously as she moved for the living room. She and Ryan had just finished putting her outfit together and fixed up her hair and make-up, while the crew finished setting up in their living room. Entering the recording area, Mercedes looked around at everything slowly before she took a seat on the large tan couch. “Are we about ready?” she asked curiously, looking around for her husband before she turned her gaze to Oprah.

Samuel thanked Shania, they went the easy route this time. He was in his own house, why would he not? A dress shirt, slacks, and some comfortable shoes to wear as he moved through the house. He chuckled as Sebastian came running up to him “you know you are not supposed to be out here right now Bash” he said sweetly as he picked the boy up kissing his cheek. “Come on,” he said as he handed the child over to Kelly “mama and papa have to work right now, we can play later” he told him softly. Samuel made his route towards the entire set up, there were so many cameras, he couldn’t tell what they were shooting at the moment and he sat down beside his wife. Running his sweaty hands down the front of his pants he got comfortable as the crew began to mic him and Mercedes.

Looking over at her husband as he rested beside her, Mercedes took one of his hands into her own, giving it a squeeze. “Are you nervous?” she asked him softly, adjusting her blouse a little around her stomach before she began to fiddling with her curls some. Getting quiet as the crew mic’d them, she shifted some, releasing Samuel’s hand to place the mic pack on her jeans behind her back.

“No I am fine” Samuel told his wife, because he was thanks to adderall rush he were on at the moment. He felt like he was prepared for it all, hopefully she would be too. Because he knew this would not be easy at all. Samuel shifted in his seat again, adjusting himself and he allowed the woman micing him to also secure his mic pack before he looked towards the crew once more. “Let the games begin” he said under his breath as he shifted in his seat once more.

Nodding slowly, Mercedes gazed at her husband, taking him in. “Are you okay?” she asked him softly, placing a hand on his thigh. She couldn’t quite place it but something was off with him. Shifting slightly on the couch, Mercedes looked at the young woman as she touched up her make-up some as some crew members adjusted the lighting rings for them. “Thank you…” Mercedes said softly to the young woman as she moved to walk away. “Let them…” Mercedes said in response to Samuel.

“Yeah babe” Samuel said to her again as he looked back at her before he sat back in his seat. He rested his hands above hers as they waited for this all to began. As she replied back to him he looked to her for a moment before Oprah showed, joining them in a chair across from the couch they were sitting on. She had some papers in her hand but Samuel noticed as she sat them aside. There were cups of tea added to the coffee table for all three of them and a box of tissues just in case.

Taking her husband in, Mercedes shifted slightly. “Okay…” she whispered back to him despite the uneasy feeling in her stomach. As Oprah appeared before them, she smiled at the woman gently, watching as she older woman sat down in her seat. Shifting once more, Mercedes crossed her feet at her ankles, adjusting her blouse around her stomach once more. Looking down at the tea and tissues, Mercedes leaned forward, grabbing her cup and taking a sip of the tea and Hennessy mixture to calm her nerves.

Oprah sat before the couple and she smiled modestly as the crew got a mic on her and began to set the camera positions the way they wanted them to be. Having sat her notes down beside herself, she mused at the beautiful house. “First let me say you home is gorgeous,” she told the two “simply beautifully decorated” she said speaking with her hands.

Mercedes looked at Oprah, a soft smile tugging her lips. “Thank you,” Mercedes said gently, taking another sip of her tea before she sat the cup down. “We did it all ourselves,” she said honestly. “Took a while…” she rambled slightly, looking over at Samuel momentarily.

Samuel nodded at Oprah “thanks” he said happily “I’ve seen your home a few times so that is much appreciated” he charmed lightly. “I left it all to her” he said truthfully “this is the family’s home, I am just a visitor” he joked.

“Because you are a busy man I hear these days. You have so much on your plate Samuel. How do you manage it all?” Oprah asked “you are managing your wife, you produce, you write songs - some of said songs could be written and recorded for movies, you are a husband, a father, you own a label…. The list goes on” she stressed excitedly.

Mercedes chuckled softly at her husband’s joke, her tongue rolling over her lips slowly as she nodded looking to Oprah as she spoke. Apparently her husband was quite the accomplished man.

“I-” Samuel said thinking to himself for a moment “I guess I just go about everything full force. Full throttle, I don’t hesitate you just have to do it” he said to her. “I wanted to be her manager because people just don’t see her the way I do. She’s not a product to me, because I’ve heard that before” he said looking at the camera. He looked back to Oprah and said “I see the most intimate parts she has to offer so, I felt like I could redirect her career in the direction it needed to be based on the other side of her life that I had full access to that a normal manager wouldn’t” he said looking to his wife before he shifted. “Everything else just came with the…. Fame” he shrugged. “I couldn’t imagine people seeing my vision and my talent and accepting it the way that it has been. But I came from the bottom up and I was running” he mimicked “ignoring all obstacles. I had a goal. I didn’t want my kids wanting for anything and I never wanted to be broke again, broke or hungry” he told her.

Oprah nodded her head listening to Samuel “I relate to that, I know what it’s like for people to give you 100 no’s before you get that yes” she breathed. “People seem to think that Mercedes helped brand your career, that isn’t true?” she asked looking at them both. “People think Mercedes made you…”

Mercedes listened to her husband as he spoke and her hands fiddled with her blouse more, as she recrossed her ankles in the other direction. Taking in what he had to say, Mercedes nodded slowly, just listening and processing. At the next question Oprah asked, Mercedes looked at Oprah before looking at her husband. They had argued over something similar to this many times in the past, so years later, she wanted to know his true standpoint.

At Oprah’s next question Samuel sat back against the chair “I think people want to use any excuse in the book to discredit my hard work and all the determination I’ve put into this I made for myself” he said shrugging. “Mercedes hasn’t offered one producer, one manager, one record label, nor a songwriter I did that all on my own, I made that happen for me,” he said. “Do you not agree?” he asked looking to Mercedes.

At Samuel’s answer, Mercedes continued to nod her head. She agreed wholeheartedly. “Sam’s right,” Mercedes said looking into the camera before she looked at Oprah. “I had nothing to do with Samuel’s career,” she said out-right. “When Samuel released his first album back in 2015, I had no idea that he was doing it, that he had been in the studio, or anything. I was clueless,” she admitted. “I remember the day,” she said, “I was in a meeting about my own album and my team at the time kept talking about this new artist and this amazing album and song and I was so confused until they popped the CD in and hit play. Imagine how baffled I was to hear my own man’s voice coming from those speakers…” she trailed off laughing a little. “So, I completely agree with Samuel. I had nothing to do with his success and career.”

Samuel nodded his head at his wife’s words “I never step to her and told her I wanted to venture into this. I kind of just knew, but I also toyed with the idea of not doing it because I get tired of the comparison or the disrespect” he said sighing.

“How does it make you feel when people refer to you as, just Mercedes’ husband or just her white husband even? Because I have seen articles like that, and it shocks me because I don’t see color, so I have no idea why that plays a factor in both or your careers” Oprah asked next as she looked to him.

Mercedes looked back at her husband as he spoke once more and she nodded slowly, her plump bottom lip poked out naturally. At the next question, Mercedes closed her eyes shaking her head. She hated that term, that phrase, that saying. It bothered her so much. Opening her eyes, she leaned forward, grabbing her tea cup once more, taking a small sip.

“I think it’s just ignorance” Samuel said simply, “I try not to let small petty things of that nature get to me” he lied on camera as he looked to Oprah.

“How does it make you feel mercedes?” Oprah asked next.

Mercedes looked at Samuel over her tea cup, arching an eyebrow slightly before Oprah directed the question at her. Taking another sip quickly, Mercedes took a moment to gather herself before she sat the cup down. Letting out a breath she said, “I hate it,” honestly. “It’s 2019, I don’t understand why everyone is so caught up on race and color. It’s ridiculous,” she said with a shake of her head. “Not only that, it’s insulting and degrading,” she said looking over at Samuel. “I’ve even heard this term in offices and label rooms and it’s maddening,” she sighed. “I just want everyone to know that Sam is his own person. I have absolutely nothing to do with his success and his place in this industry. He opened doors on his own, without any input from me. He created his own success and made a whole new lane for music and genere’s and he’s an icon in his own right…” she said looking to Oprah. “And him being white or my husband has absolutely nothing to do with it. He’s simply genius…”

Samuel looked to his wife as she spoke up and he let her, taking her words in he ran his hand up and down her thigh supportively. He looked to her at her compliments and smiled slightly, before he looked back to Oprah.

“They think he’s in your shadow” Oprah pressed further as she leaned up in her chair. “They think that he's steps behind you at all times. That even when you aren’t there you are over powering every move he makes” she said. “Do you feel like you are in her shadows some days? Is it simple the Mercedes show and you are just living in it?”

Mercedes blinked at Oprah, shifting slightly, adjusting her blouse once more as she nodded slowly, she was making a statement, not a question, so she saw no reason to respond. At the question to Samuel, Mercedes looked to him.

“I think it’s the Sam show and she’s just living in it” Samuel said using his thumb to point towards Mercedes. “That’s my honest opinion” he chuckled.

“Well that brings me to ask this question that does contradict that fully” Oprah said looking to her notes now. “People call you lazy Mercedes, is that what you think of yourself?” she asked.

Mercedes chuckled softly at Samuel’s words, thinking it was cute that he thought that. She stroked his ego, but even she knew the only reason they let him into the studio all those years ago was because he was her husband. He couldn’t afford getting into the studio at that point in time in their lives otherwise. Despite that, she did have nothing else to do with his success and his career and he had been grinding for years to make himself a household name. Suddenly it was dawning on her that she kind of was in his shadow. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Licking her lips slowly, Mercedes looked to Oprah at the next question. “Of course I don’t think that of myself, but it's fair that people think that of me,” she said honestly. “In the last few years I’ve been through a lot and I haven’t done much career wise aside from drop album after album. I haven’t toured or done a lot of press so I can see where and how they could make such an assumption…” Mercedes said as she looked at the camera’s, “but I’m not lazy… I’m simply a mother and I have to split my time.”

“I will like to add to that, if you’ve never experienced what we’ve been through first hand then you truly wouldn’t know just how hardworking she is” Samuel said. “She shouldn’t be blamed or slander for her taking breaks and time-off because when she is up and running, she's kind of like me. We have that in common. When we are on the gone we don’t sit down” he said looking to his wife.

“Speaking of what you’ve been through” Oprah started as she eased into the next major thing she wanted to speak about with the couple. “You’ve recently brought your daughter out into the World. Showing her off essentially on social media, and by the way she is the most adorable thing I have ever seen” Oprah said as Kelly were instructed to bring Sanaa in the forefront of the camera handing her over to Samuel. “Tells us about Sanaa” Oprah said testing the name of her lips “what were your pregnancy like because you had complications, yes?” she said directing her attention to Mercedes.

Mercedes looked at Samuel, smiling softly at his words and she nodded sweetly before she looked at Oprah as she spoke. When Kelly handed Sanaa over to Samuel, she looked at her child, then Kelly with an arched eyebrow before she turned her gaze to Oprah at the question. “Sanaa is amazing,” she breathed out. “She’s a breath of fresh air,” Mercedes said gently. “She’s only 7 months but she’s so bubbly and happy all the time,” she said looking at Samuel and Sanaa, stalling to answer the next question. “Sanaa seems to laugh at just about everything and she enjoys music and cartoons so much…” Mercedes said before she signed looking at Oprah. “Yes, my pregnancy with Sanaa was very difficult,” she said before she looked down at the hardwood, shifting once more. “I struggled with preeclampsia…” she said trailing off.

Samuel looked to his baby girl and sat her in his lap, kissing her forehead gently. He watched as she looked around her head turning to look at her mother before she looked back towards a camera. He adjusted her little shirt over her stomach as he watched her play with his finger happily. “She is the best baby ever” Samuel cosigned “honestly all of our children were amazing babies” he said as if he knew anything about Sydney’s behavior as a newborn or so forth. At his wife’s words he looked to her slowly, he happened to hate when she exhausted her efforts to not acknowledge that she indeed carried their son to the every end. He pulled his eyes away from her with a raised brow trying to keep his composure as he looked back down at their daughter.

“Do you truly feel like you had done everything to prevent the loss of your son?” Oprah asked the couple. “Had this preeclampsia cause the loss of him?” she pressed watching Samuel.

Mercedes looked at Oprah and then Samuel and Sanaa before she picked up her cup, sipping down more of the liquor laced liquid. Sitting the cup back on the table, Mercedes sighed once more. “Our son wasn’t in good health when he was born and his life expectantly was very minimal. He would have been on a ventilator for a majority of his life, he would have needed several surgeries, he would have needed several steroids to help his growth, and his was in pain. Simply breathing caused him so much pain.” Mercedes said sadly, looking down at the floor. “Without the help of the ventilator he could not breath and without it he would die, so the decision was made to take him off the ventilator…” she said turning her head away from everyone as she blinked hard. “I made the decision to let him go… Samuel wasn’t exactly in agreeance but… he allowed me to make the decision and we let him go…” Mercedes spoke the truth for the first time ever. “It was a very hard decision but it was made because I didn’t want to see my son struggling and in pain for the rest of his life,” she breathed. “If it wasn’t going to make it, I wanted him to do it with us close and in our arms…” she said a single tear falling from her eye but she quickly brushed it away, clearing her throat. “Yes… the preeclampsia was one complication that caused more complications…” she said simply. “I was rushed into an emergency c-section the day I gave birth because I was suffering from placental abruption…”

Samuel bounced Sanaa lightly on his leg and he looked to Mercedes as she actually explained, he watched on shocked. I mean, this is what the people wanted and they basically vowed to give it to them in this interview so. It had to be done. Sanaa shifted in Samuel’s lap, and he watched her as she did, she’d found a new profound awe her mother’s top as she tugged on it with a bright smile. “I envy her” Samuel said watching the little girl “to be this small you are so oblivious to the dangers and the heartache just around the corner” he breathed with a headshake. “If there was anything Mercedes and I could have done. I want people to know I would have made damn sure it was done” Samuel said to Oprah. “I would have given my last, everything could have been taken from me and I would have been fine with that” he said gazing at her. “I have not been very fine since the day I had to watch his tiny casket go into the ground” he trailed off looking back down at Sanaa.

Mercedes turned her eyes to Sanaa as she leaned in Samuel’s lap, tugging and playing with her scoop neck blouse. Smiling softly, Mercedes scooped Sanaa into her arms, kissing the girl’s chubby cheek sweetly before she looked at Samuel at his words. Nodding slowly, she agreed with him wholeheartedly. If there was anything that they could do, they would have done it. “Simba’s funeral was the worst day of my life…” Mercedes breathed out, looking down at Sanaa. “I was supposed to have two babies… not just one…” she said sadly, stroking Sanaa’s cheek, “and every day I look at her and I see his face…” she said with a shake of her head.

Nodding her head at their responses, she looked down for a moment before she said. “You actually died on the operating table correct?” Oprah asked Mercedes “after coming to did you feel you deserve to be here? To have that second chance at life essentially?”

Mercedes shifted Sanaa in her lap slightly, her hand pressed against her back firmly keeping her upright just in case, as she looked to Oprah. “Yes… I died that day…” Mercedes trailed off looking over at her husband. She still didn’t know exactly how he felt about that part of what happened. It was always about Simba and they didn’t really discuss the fact that she died. “Apparently, I went into shock from losing too much blood from the abruption and the c-section… I was dead for 25 minutes before they revived me…” she said looking to Oprah. “Did I feel I deserved to be here…” Mercedes repeated the question as she pondered on it. “Honestly… no…” she breathed out gently. “Considering what happened a few hours later with our son… I’d rather given my life for his…” she said simply.

Samuel allowed Mercedes to take Sanaa from his arms and shifted in his seat licking his lips slowly. He grabbed his cup and took a long sip of the still warm drink before he sat it back down fidgeting in his seat again. “That was the scariest moment of my life. Everything in your mind just” he said shaking his head leaning forward “I drew a blank. I thought I was losing my son and my wife all in an instance and I sat on the floor outside the operating room, until I was drugged away” he told Oprah. “As soon as I saw her flatlined, that was it” he said rockng slightly “you have a where the fuck do I go from here type of epiphany” he offered. “If you ask me, I checked out and I don’t even know if I ever checked back in” he confessed. “I’ve lost so much” he said become overwhelmed when he thought about it “until her being added would’ve just” he chuckled shaking his head. “I would’ve soon followed from a broken heart” he sighed sitting back once more.

“Okay, guys let’s take 15 minutes” a crew member said as aloud to the couple and Oprah.

Looking at her husband, Mercedes listened to him as he spoke and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. She didn’t know he felt that way, looking away from him, Mercedes quickly wiped another tear before anyone could see. Turning her eyes to the ever bubbly Sanaa, she smiled gently, hugging the baby girl close before the crew member spoke and Mercedes nodded as she moved to stand up, holding Sanaa on her hip. “I’ll be right back,” she said softly, to Samuel as she walked away, bouncing Sanaa a little as she walked into the kitchen. Holding Sanaa with one hand, Mercedes reached into a cabinet and pulled out a fresh glass before she moved to their liquor cabinet, opening it and pulling out the bottle of Hennessy. She poured the glass full before she capping the liquor bottle and picking up the glass, sipping the liquor straight. She guzzled down the brown liquid before she sat the glass in the sink and handed Sanaa over to Kelly, who had entered the kitchen behind her. “I’m okay,” Mercedes said to the younger girl before she could ask. Straightening up a little, Mercedes adjusted her blouse once more before exiting the kitchen, letting one of the crew members touch up her make-up.

As Mercedes moved to walk away, Samuel sat there with his hands in his lap he didn’t know what else to do. This happened to be killing his high at the moment, but there was nothing he could do to combat that. He licked his lips again and picked up the tea mug before sitting it back down.

Mercedes thanked the young woman when she finished fixing her make-up before she sat back down on the couch beside her husband. Picking up her tea cup, she drank some more down before she offered the cup to Samuel with a look of take it and drink it, solidified with a simple arch of an eyebrow.

Samuel looked to his wife as she breezed past him to sit down and he looked to her for a moment. As she offered her cup to him he read her face and grabbed it, confused as to what was different about hers. When he grabbed it, he took a sip before he took another. It was spiked, now that made sense to him as he took another long sip, finishing the cup off before he set it back down. He sat back in the chair fidgeting with his hands, “I need a smoke” he said as he got up from the chair quickly moving to find the nearest exit as he pulled out a new pack of cigarettes, popping one between his lips and he pulled out his lighter quickly placing it against the end of the cigarette before he exhaled.

Mercedes watched as Samuel took the cup and sipped from it, finishing it off. Licking her lips, she nodded as he stood up and she sat back, looking down at her shirt as she adjusted it once more, fixing her spanx a little in the process. Looking over at Kelly and Sanaa as Sanaa got fussy, Mercedes stood once more, walking over and taking the child into her arms with ease. She tossed Sanaa into the air a few times, catching the child with ease, and kissing her nose and forehead before Sanaa laughed out loudly, cooing some. Mercedes smiled at the child, kissing her forehead again before she handed Sanaa back to Kelly. “If we’re done with Sanaa for the shoot for now, you can take her on back,” she said easily.

Samuel paced the concrete on the side of the house exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air. He was starting to regret all of this, but he was going to get through it because it was something that she wanted to have done so he had to be subjected to it. As walked back and forth he used his two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose as he mumbled nonsense to himself quietly. He stopped short as he finished that cigarette lighting another one up soon after.

Mercedes turned as Kelly walked away with Sanaa and she blew her baby a kiss before turning on her heels. Through the glass, she could see her husband pacing back and forth and she sighed, rubbing her fingers through her curls before a stylist came running over to fix it. Huffing softly, Mercedes stood there allowing her hair to be fixed before she sat back down, a crew member refilling her glass with plain tea. As the man walked away, Mercedes looked over at Alexandria, snapping her fingers to get her attention. “Alex,” she said quickly before she motioned for her to come over and when she did, Mercedes whispered into her ear. Alexandria nodded, taking the tea cup into the kitchen to spruce it up before returning and sitting it back in front of Mercedes. Mercedes looked around her home curiously, watching everyone flutter around as she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.

Samuel began to pace more, in this time he finished his second cigarette before he walked back into the home. Making his way to the nearest restroom he washed his mouth out with mouthwash before he sprayed himself with something more refreshing. When he was done, he looked to his watch and moved back towards the couch sitting down beside Mercedes. He looked over to Simon and he signaled with his head for the guy to get something for him, watching him disappear for a moment and then resurface. Samuel looked to the boy as they handed off, Simon disappearing again before Samuel tossed back the pills, swallowing bare back as he shifted in his seat.

Oprah looked to the couple before he rummaged through her notes for a moment, buying everyone time to get situated. “How long have you two been married?” not asking either one in particular.

Mercedes looked at Samuel as he reentered their home, disappearing off to the back. She assumed he was washing out his mouth, but honestly, she had no idea at this point. Sitting there, Mercedes shifted on the couch, her hands resting on her thighs now as she tried to remain calm and collected, the liquor doing absolutely nothing to calm her nerves. Fidgeting with her blouse again, Mercedes looked over at Samuel as he sat. Watching Simon hand Samuel something, she arched an eyebrow as Samuel threw whatever it was into his mouth and swallowed. What in the hell was that? She wanted to ask but now was not the time, that she knew. So instead she turned her eyes to Oprah at the question, “4 years... “ she breathed. “We got married on April 30, 2015…” she said revealing their wedding date publicly for the first time ever.

“We wanted something private, I don’t think either of us cared about this big grand event” Samuel as he looked to her for a moment and then back to Oprah.

“Is your love strong” Oprah said pausing after each word, she rested her head in her hands as she looked at them both. “What does your love mean to you both?” she questioned.

Mercedes nodded along with Samuel, agreeing with the statement before she looked at Oprah once more. Mercedes was taken back by the question and she looked at Samuel before back at Oprah. “I believe our love is strong…” Mercedes said before she trailed off, glancing at Alexandria momentarily before she looked at her husband. “Our love…” she stopped her sentence, looking away from everyone before she said, “our love is the love that made love…” she said simply. She didn’t know how to explain it any further than that.

“Yeah” Samuel shrugged after her comment “I don’t think what we’ve been through is for the weak” he acknowledged aloud. “How does one come back from, oh by the way I was pregnant and never told you, hi?” he breathed. “Three dead children, a missing child, a break up that last how long?” he said looking to her “almost a year,” he said. “I had an entire girlfriend I thought I was madly in love with….” he added agitatedly. “She had a boyfriend” he said before he looked back to Oprah. “Yeah, strong” he nodded “and unconditional…..”

“Samuel did you cheat on Mercedes?” Oprah asked him next as she shifted in her seat crossing her leg one over the other. “The World wants to know about the truth stemming from the scandal” Oprah said.

Mercedes looked at Samuel watching his shrug and she looked away from him quickly, feeling some type of way about it. Listening to him as he spoke, Mercedes stares outside into their vast backyard, everything single thing leaving his mouth hitting her hard. Was all of that really necessary? She didn’t feel that it was. Licking her lips slowly at the mention of Miranda, Mercedes looked straight into the camera, fire burning behind her eyes as she said nothing, her face pretty plain, but her eyes, her eyes were flaming. When Oprah asked her next question to Samuel, Mercedes shifted slightly, hands resting in her lap, fingers laced as she grew extremely still and quiet because she dared him to say anything but no after she had explicit asked him in the past.

Samuel looked to Oprah “no” he said to her, “I never physically cheated on Mercedes with anyone” he told her truthfully. “Never had a reason to do so, I am satisfied at home” he said to her plainly.

“Have you cheated on Mercedes sense the original allegations Samuel?” Oprah asked him next.

Mercedes looked over at her husband at his answer and she bit back the feeling of wanting to suck her teeth on camera as she thought about the night she heard the song and he came home and basically told her that he was having an emotional affair with Miranda. Licking her lips slowly, she closed her eyes before she looked back to Oprah at the next question.

Samuel sat there quietly for a while, “no, I just answered that. I am happy at home I don’t need to go looking for someone to lay down with” he told Oprah. “I love my wife” he said. “I would never cheat on her,” he said before he looked to Mercedes “would I ever cheat on?” he asked Mercedes outright.

Mercedes nodded slowly at Samuel’s answer. I love my wife. That’s exactly what he would always say to her while he was out sharing his true love and emotions with another woman. No, he never physically slept with another woman but emotionally cheating was just as bad she felt. At his question, Mercedes looked at him, gazing into his eyes long and hard, before she said, “physically, no…”

At her response Samuel tilted his head at her, eyes peering into hers for a moment before he looked back to Oprah. Oh, okay, he thought to himself. He could only keep his composure as he blinked a few times before the other woman.

“What were your thoughts when you first heard the song Mercedes?” Oprah asked directly looking to her.

Mercedes gazed at Oprah, letting out a hum. “I honestly don’t remember,” she said easily. “I was pregnant at the time and you know… pregnancy brain…” she said to Oprah before she shifted. “I just remember being shocked,” she said honestly.

Samuel looked to Mercedes at her remark and he looked away from her trying not to roll his eyes at her comment.

“Do you know who the woman is from the scandal Mercedes?” Oprah asked next.

Looking at Oprah, Mercedes shifted slightly, her hands laced in her lap. “Not personally no…”

Samuel looked to Oprah, their son was one thing this was totally different. He shifted in his seat as he raised his brow at the question that was asked.

“Samuel would you disclose who the woman is?” Oprah asked him leaning forward a bit.

Mercedes knew of Miranda of course, however she had never actually met the woman. As Mercedes thought back on it, she realized she barely knew what Miranda looked like. If she were lined up in a crowd of people, Mercedes would never be able to pick her out specifically. Looking at Samuel, she waited for his response, genuinely curious.

“Miranda Blake” Samuel said “her father showed me all the robes, invested everything into me he had” he said truthfully. “They helped me with my first album, well not really. I recorded some stuff, produced some stuff, held on to that stuff, moved here and released that stuff” Samuel said to Oprah. “I have nothing to hide here…”

“At any time did you tell yourself you couldn’t put up with this anymore and were going to call it quits? Did the scandal make you want to divorce your husband Mercedes?” Oprah said “truthfully?”

Mercedes looked at Oprah and she shifted slightly in the seat, picking up her tea cup and taking a sip. Cradling the cup in her lap, Mercedes shook her head. “No... “ she said easily. “I trust my husband…” she said softly. “I was weary in the beginning but I trust him…” she said honestly. “Divorce never crossed my mind…” she said looking down, before she looked over at her husband, unsure if he felt the same way.

Samuel looked to Mercedes at her words he pondered that for a moment “I didn’t take it that way but it's up for interpretation really” he said. “I feared losing her, but I always do so again, it just depends on the person” he breathed “when you know you don’t deserve someone that’s kind of the space you always live in…. When are they going to leave, you know?” he said.

“Did the scandal cause you to react negatively and indulge in an affair yourself, Mercedes?” Oprah asked as she sat back in her seat her documents in her life. “This is a man who is known to have torn you down, he has been accused of verbal and physical abuse” Oprah listed off on her finger. “I can not imagine him being as emotional supportive as you think giving the track record in the media” Oprah trailed off.

Mercedes looked at Oprah at her question and she arched an eyebrow in shock as she continued. “First and foremost I would like to say, Sam has never been physically or verbally abusive to me. I have no idea where you all are getting this stuff from. He has always been my rock. Always,” she said out-right needing to clarify first. “No, I never cheated on Sam nor did I ever think about it. I love Sam so much and even if we were going through a rough patch, how would that help?” she questioned, shaking her head. “He is very supportive and loving. Sam is the most amazing father and husband.”

As Oprah tore into him Samuel looked to his wife with wide eyes, he hadn’t known people were spreading these lies about him. He was shocked, yes he had a horrible tongue when speaking to his wife but he changed that and hadn’t returned to his old ways. “I had a horrible way of communicating with her, but we’ve since worked that out” he said looking to Mercedes. “After some couples therapy, which might I add is healthy,” he said to Oprah “we have found more stable ways of communicating in hard times and in the moment such as that supposed scandal” he said. “You know what, and another thing. I was not a scandal. We were having a rough patch, and I confided in a woman that I had known to understand me previously. I was stupid enough to think people could separate love and lost, and just be friends with an individual who they had once wished well. But no, people are just disgusting individuals” he shrugged. “She used my vulnerability and made a pass at me and I ended that” he said. “I let he get close because I felt I couldn’t get close to my wife and I was wrong,” he admitted. “But I never touched that one, never lead her on, never told her I wanted anything with her” he breathed. “And I told my wife what is was, and what it wasn’t” he added as he shifted in his seat. “I put pen to paper in an act of poetry, I turned that into a song” he breathed “and now everywhere I turn someone is labeling me a cheater or a bad husband and I am being punished for getting my feelings out in the only way I know how!” he argued, as he grew red with anger.

Mercedes listened to her husband as he spoke and she frowned up her face slightly, bottom lip poking out as he got it all out. Leaning over to him slightly, Mercedes placed a soft hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently. “People need to understand that we’ve been through so much. We’ve both experienced so much loss and hurt over the years that sometimes it does affect us, we’re human. Sometimes we misplace feelings and anger because that’s what people do but the point is we come to our senses and we correct ourselves. When you’ve been through what we’ve been through you have the right to act out and seek understanding,” she said softly, still rubbing his shoulder. “I don’t resent Sam for anything that’s happened between us…” she said out-right, “and I don’t feel like at any point he was ever purposefully hurtful or mean towards me… and the same goes for me towards him…” she said looking to Oprah. “What was a private thing, Samuel decided to turn into something beautiful like a song… and people get these ideals in their head and they just run with them… when there’s absolutely zero basis in fact in their thoughts…”

Oprah nodded her head at the two as they spoke, she didn’t comment much on what was said but she accepted it and understood it fully. “And I can respect that,” she told them both before she asked. “What is in store for you both? What do you have planned? What do you want to see happen? Are their any changes to your family? Any business ventures you all are dabbing into next? Give us an update of the family…..”

Mercedes gazed at Oprah as she spoke and Mercedes nodded slowly taking it all in before she responded. “Well, I am preparing to get back in the studio to record some new music,” she said honestly, “with this new album I’m going to be working on, I want to plan a world tour,” she said, glancing at her husband, wondering his thoughts before she looked back to Oprah. “I want to go back to therapy for a while because since everything happened, I haven’t been and I still need to get my head right. As you know I’ve been pretty secluded in the last year and it’s taken a lot for me to even get to the point where I could even sit and do this interview,” she admitted, “I am a work in progress and I just want to keep progressing.” Licking her lips slowly Mercedes looked at Samuel, “as far as our family goes…” Mercedes said taking Samuel’s hand into her own. “I am content at the moment, however, who knows what the future holds?” she said thoughtfully. “Business wise… I have nothing outside of getting more involved with the label again. Since it’s kicked off I haven’t been too active considering everything but this year, I do plan to take more initiative with our artists…” she said with a soft hum. “As our family goes, Sydney’s now 10-year-old and she’s about to start the 5th grade this upcoming school year. Sebastian is 3 now, he’ll be 4 this August… and will be starting pre-school. Sanaa is turned 8 months yesterday and she’s doing wonderful... “

Samuel looked to his wife defeatedly, he felt like this interview would probably make things worse for him but, if was his own fault. “The album is doing good” Samuel said behind his wife “so I will probably tour this year, do all those good things that come with an album being released,” he said. “I have a few things I’ve been planning that I can’t disclose yet. I am toying with ideas” he said to her. “I pretty much planned to work hand and hand with ‘Cedes for whatever it is that she wants to get accomplished this year” he added. “I would like to try again, we haven’t talked about that. It’s just a feeling I have, but no real call on that. I know that” he said looking to Oprah. “I can’t subject her to anymore pain” he said licking his lips. “I say the future looks bright, I think everything has calmed down a lot and everything is back on the right path. There should be no obstacles” he told the woman. “Our family is beautiful and healthy. What more could I ask for you know?” he said thoughtfully. Seeing Sebastian run up to him he looked down with a smile “hey bud” he said as he hoisted the boy up, watching as Sydney walked over and he made room for her between him and Mercedes. Sanaa was offered back to her mother and he looked to Mercedes, they did have a pretty beautiful family, he thought to himself as he looked to their children.

#thread: the real tea #thread: mercedes evans #thread

1 note · View note

thefreshfinds · 6 years ago

Text

Propelled by the vibrant energy, treasured ambiance, connectivity, heart drenched food and melodies intertwining with the Saturday afternoon clouds —

There I stood in the emblem of The Philadelphia Music Festival, starving for a bite of fresh talent and so I decided to fill my plate with only the best manifolds of visionary hip hop, pop, R&B, trap and rock but little did I know I was in for a feast!

*Credits to @_brandoncaptures_ *

The first to perform was Monica Joelle, a dynamic Pop/R&B songstress from Philly that strikes your heart hard like Cupid’s arrow with her orientally sweet voice and cherry dripped instrumentals. She effortlessly plucks you with relatable lyrics (whether it’s about sticky situations, love or having a crush) and that’s why no one can seem to get enough. Monica started off with songwriting / singing lessons and from there she has continuously bloomed into her own sound as an artist, writing pieces that show off her complexity through set-ups and syllables. The songstress has only been making music until December 2017 but prior to that she has always been performer whether it was for dance or theater. The first song she ever created which was “Never Forget You” which is your ordinary heartbreak song but still relatable (and surely a track she had the most fun making.) To prepare for the festival she took the living room as her stage — using the microphone and speaker as the components for an astounding set off in real life. And in the future? Monica plans on releasing an EP and shooting out singles. (she can’t give us a name as of yet but I’m sure whatever it is will reflect the bubbly aura she conveys on and off the stage) The date will be revealed before you even know it but don’t take the risk of missing out on it.. just make sure to follow @MonicaJoelle.

“I’m not going to stop, I’m going to keep going. Forget what the haters say” Monica says.

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/monicajoelle

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/55UAah5w59sJuQyekaRswr?si=wKn4V9eeSJaIM8XJtvZFAw

Fun Fact: Her favorite slang is “Jawn”

My favorite song? On My Mind.

The next performer to zazzle the crowd was conscious wordsmith, Teef. Teef is a laid back visionary from New Jersey (residing now in Philly) who puts your mind at ease through charismatic storytelling intertwined with a fusion of neo-soul hip-hop, concrete flows, very solid messages and speaker knocking beats that could make your head snap off your neck (literally). Resonated with A Tribe Called Quest, one could even say that he has their style down pat as he makes sure to transition a soothing ambience through the vibration of his rhymes and wit. Teef started his musical journey in 2015 after dropping his first project called “Hip Hop On Purpose”. He was always into music but this project was the pinnacle of his musicianship “I just stopped thinking about doing something and I finally just started doing it,” says Teef “I was very hesitant about becoming a rapper at first because of what was out on the mainstream. I don’t even rap about that stuff [being on the block, etc]. Then one day I performed at an open mic, people liked it, asked me to come back and since then I kept going.” Aside from spitting bars Teef also enjoys welding, reading informational novels, free styling and networking. “Earlier [before the festival] I was actually welding up a rail and it wasn’t even a joke!” Teef goes on to say “Genuinely I just love to be around people. [when asked about networking] I like being around other independent artist and feeding off of their energy and ideas.” To prepare, Teef didn’t do much but go with the motion of the [creative] ocean and sway his natural repertoire in the ears of the ones close by. “I picked my songs when I got here. But I don’t always put my set together until I get there.” Teef says “I just went with the vibes”. One song that Teef enjoyed making the most was his first song “Get Free” because it allowed him to showcase his style to other people. “It was really random. It was made at three o clock in the morning and I really didn’t have an intent but it just hit me out of the blue. I crafted it in my own way. It was the most memorable time for me. That’s why I consider it to be fun because it just happened.” Common to persona, Teef’s favorite slang is “coolin” and the number one person that he looks up to in history is Bob Marley because he brought people together (and even squashed beef between politicians). “He was all about the people and the community”. Teef is currently running a weekly radio show called “Most Slept On Radio” on 98.5FM (it covers the Philadelphia area). He also runs Table Talk with Teef on Tuesday’s.

“I’m just growing with my artistry”

You can follow him on

Instagram : @realteef03

Bandcamp : https://lateef.bandcamp.com/Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wNgFnLMKH5Dui6DdHSoUK?si=We2MVY6jSE6eut8W_CQaGg

My favorite song? Strangers in the Night

Wafting their chantable ad libs through heavy marijuana smoke, this group’s sound floats smoothly to your ear canals. The next act, The Joint Cheefs allowed me to let my conscious free through their use of moderate boom bap and sharp witted lyrics… but to be more clear, I can say that this trio changes the high experience by implicating an old feel of New York rap through their wrap of rhymes *that solely support the 420 movement* and calm aesthetic. To begin Geo The Rican, Sonny Blue Note and Loud Pack Ralph formulated as a triad one day while working in their studio in the Bronx. “We are producers and engineers so the idea itself just grew organically” says Geo the Rican. They have been making music for some time but to get to where they are now they pretty much just smoked a lot (no pun intended) and became more personal with their music, putting their trials and tribulations through their rhymes and as a result they have been gaining a peak of listeners on a daily basis. To prepare for the Philly Festival they answered with “smoking weed” but ultimately it was through the power of fun. “We take the music seriously but we try not to take ourselves too serious.” they go on to say “We take pride in our sound far as recording and making it.”To separate theirselves from the rest, the Joint Cheefs actually live through what they rap about. “We’re in a lane that we want to be in. It’s not too crowded, some people might say it’s our own and we’re going to hot box all the way to the top.” Aside from their recent release of “Never Canoe” on April 20th 2018, the Joint Cheefs are currently working on their album “Jars” which will be on all platforms by November 31st. When it comes to favorite strands, Sonny Blue Note enjoys Indica because it helps him sleep, Geo the Rican chooses Sativa because it helps him stay focused and Loud Pack Ralph enjoys hybrid because he just wants to get high. Fun fact: Their favorite slang is between “BroGod” and “Deadass” because they love to pay homage to their hometown.

You can follow them on

Instagram - @thejointcheefs

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/thejointcheefs/the-joint-cheefs-n-high-c

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1DQg3ISncFAuWAdDhebBMc?si=Q-Lu8Xv9QP-pfqkDU9tflg

My favorite song: It’s a tough one. It’s between “N High C” & “The Art of Hotboxing”

Lights on (meaning the sunlight of course) and centered on the stage, the next act to captivate me was Almost Famous who reels his listeners in with a hook of merciless R&B and a fair amount of auto tune. Generally speaking, Mr Famous has the 2000 feel of soul mastered perfectly as he dashes platforms with a similar production that Ne-Yo or even Genuine would use. The difference between him and the artist mentioned though is that he adds his own twist of dominating words, making sure to switch it up through trap and pop (while also warning his mysterious lover from time to time that they could be replaced in a heart beat) But don’t assume that his heart is locked up in a cage, Mr Famous still has a soft side to him and shows it from time to time. To begin, Almost Famous started off his career as a background dancer for a mass of Philly artist. “Hearing them, I realized that maybe I should create my own music so I started writing, perfecting melodies and harmonies and going to shows.” Famous says. This West Philadelphian has been doing music for 4 years but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s slowing down. Almost Famous grinds hard through releasing new singles and it even shows through his stage presence! “[To prepare for the festival] I had a few shows coming up, so I just kept on rolling with my other ones.” says Almost Famous. One song that Almost Famous enjoyed making the most is “Options” because it was during a time when he had to walk to work in the midst of a strike. “I heard the beat and it was mine from there. If it wasn’t for the strike, it wouldn’t be what it is now.” Fundamentally, Almost Famous would collaborate with Jasmine Sullivan if he was given the chance because her song writing skills and singing is perfect. But the bonus? Jasmine Sullivan is also from Philly. Even though Almost Famous shows love to his hometown he is not too fond of the people who run the Philly Hip Hop Awards “About a year or so they dogged me out but now that I’m apart of a new record label, they try to follow my moves and the label I’m with [Spit It Out Entertainment].” Famous goes on to say. As for his opinion on DMX? He thinks that DMX is a legend. “I feel like he’s been through a lot and a lot of people try to discredit him.”

Almost Famous’ favorite slang is “you drawlin’. “ He also considers himself a morning person because that’s when he’s able to get the day started. His project “Growth” will be released in November. Almost Famous also wants to give a shoutout to Spit it Out Entertainment.

My favorite song? Options (but the other song title can’t be given out. I will let the fans know when “Growth” is on streaming platforms)

You can follow him:

Instagram - @almostfamous215

YouTube - https://youtu.be/ilkKpQ0X8us

*Credits to Brother IB Photography @brother_ib *

The next act to glide his angelic floetry to the streets of Philly was Mashich, an upcoming trap soul artist from Philly who keeps things interesting through a singsong vocal pattern and propulsive beats but to stand out from the other singers that took a part of the festival, Mashich graced the crowd with silver printed dance moves. Even though Mashich has been singing since he was 7, he started taking his craft seriously in the past year. He’s originally from Aiken, South Carolina but he moved to Philly 7 years ago. When it comes to his favorite slang from his new home, he says it’s “d*ckhead” or “f*ck out of here”. To prepare for the Philly Festival, Mashich practiced nonstop. “I’m really big on practicing so I utilized any free time and space I had.” Mashich goes on to say. “I blasted music from my speaker, went over the song and got my movements down. From there I was able to find a form that helped to present myself and my style.”To stabilize his vocal chords, he drinks a lot of tea and does a range of warm ups while making sure to sing out of his diaphragm. In addition, Mashich would collab with Daniel Caesar if he had the opportunity. “All of his music is super creative and how he keeps his vocal deliveries organized is really dope,” says Mashich “I could learn a couple of things from him.”What makes this crooner so different from others is the thing he plans on bringing an old school feel back to R&B. “I hope that through my unique songwriting and vocal structure I am able to push other artist to do the same” All in all he wants good fortunes for the human race. Because let’s face there’s more to life. Love is limitless. “Miss My Dawgs” is currently out on streaming platforms. Be on the lookout for his debut EP “Small Town, Big City” which will cover his coming of age story. Leaving his house and growing with Philly.

“Whatever you believe you can do, you can do that sh*t. You can much success and much love”

You can follow him on:

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/mashichmusic/miss-my-dawgs

Instagram - @k.ing.tut

Last to wow the crowd away was Bronx native Captain DMac who “makes your neck stretch like an ostrich”. Ticking the spinal chords of those familiar with dancehall and pop, Captain DMac’s brush of sultry vocal play and enticing melodies took me back to a tropical island that effortlessly illuminates peace, love and good vibes towards it’s community. I couldn’t help but to move my hips to the vigorous, self pulsating beats to follow.

We [Luis and I] were instantly allured. We needed to find out more and so we did.

Captain DMac started making music when he was in high school. “I was doing songs for different environments and people or surroundings,” DMac goes on to say “Anything that would happen I would make a song about it. I would often recite Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it Like It’s Hot” [in that time period] too because he’s one of my favorite artist and then someone said “Hey you should make your own song” so I decided to try it. The first cover I did was “Dreams Money Could Buy” by Drake and ever since I have been creating my own songs.”His tracks are mostly embed with a homage to his culture and admirable women and when he spits, he SPITS. Before switching genres, Captain DMac was just an aspiring rhymester who made headlines with his hit single “Big Ol Booty” because of the line from the song “Stretching out her neck like an ostrich” (and it became so well known that it went viral on Facebook and Worldstar, gaining over 8 million views to date.) However, Captain DMac didn’t get the credit he deserved but eventually he was gaining more recognition and reclaimed what was his. A lot of people [A&R’s] saw his songs for what it is and not what it could be, but his close ones thought otherwise. “One day I was talking to my boy and he said “Yo you’re Jamaican you should really touch that dancehall scene because there’s a lot of American artist that are doing it.” and I said “You know what you’re right let’s try it. The first one I made was Hold (which received positive feedback) and from there I said to myself let’s keep creating these vibes.” says Captain DMac. “There was a lot of obstacles to get to where I am. I met a lot of good people, sometimes bad. But I continue to strive and I surround myself around people who also strive. They have to work hard towards what they want to get and that’s what my team does. We just trying to get it. It all starts with good music.” Captain DMac also says that “Just Me & You” was his favorite song to make, “I recruited my friend to do light vocals and in the end he sounded like Super Mario.” All in all what makes him unique from the rest is his pen game. “I can have multiple versions of one song”

Captain DMac will continue to touching the Dancehall scene & the people.

He will be dropping two EP’s very soon.

His single “Think About” ft Juanialys is out right now

Fun fact: His favorite slang is yerr

He is a boxers guy.

You can find him at:

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/captaindmac

Instagram - @captaindmac

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5p154fD2gshCzENn8a4W8b?si=YLJ645G7TEOZSWFjQuj47Q

At its best, Philly Music Festival will continuously flourish as a platform for artist on the rise.

It’s more than just an event, it’s a spot that’ll reign of harmony, inspiration and positive energy.

By: Natalee Gilbert 🌞

#soundcloud #freshfinds #musicblog #music #listen #banger #musicians #hip hop #rap #reggae #dancehall #pop #rnb #soul #food #festival #philly music festival #reviews

3 notes · View notes

lazyupdates · 6 years ago

Link

“I have seen it all, I did it all, I said it all, But I can’t remember it all…”

That’s how our Lifetime Achievement Winner, Moushumi Chatterjee defines her four-decade-old journey. “I don’t consider anyone bad. It’s the situation that makes people do things. You may hurt someone unintentionally. But you must never humiliate anyone,” says the actor who continues to throw up interesting performances. In 2014, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Bengali film Goynar Baksho and now the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 2015. “I wish my father-in-law (the late musician/filmmaker Hemant Kumar) was present to see me receive this honour,” she says. In the recent hit Piku, she impressed with her brazen candour on sexuality. What’s more she was pitted against Amitabh Bachchan, her co-star in Basu Chatterjee’s quaint film Manzil (1979), remembered for its RD Burman number Rimjhim gire saawan. “Amitji possesses the same dedication. His sense of humour is intact,” she says. “Rimjhim gire was shot over two days in natural light and rain… from Colaba, VT to Marine Drive. I remember my eyeliner getting smudged! We kept having coffee to keep ourselves warm,” she reminisces.

Child bride The reluctant star of Tarun Mazumdar’s Ballika Badhu (1965) never imagined that fiction would turn into the truth of her life. “I did Ballika Badhu when I was in the fifth standard. I got married when I was in the tenth,” recalls she. Young Indira (her real name) got engaged to‘guardian and neighbour’ Hemant Kumar’s son, Jayant Mukherjee (Babu). “I fell in love with Babu. He was the first man I came in touch with outside my family. In my dowry, came a dog, a doll’s house and a friend, my girl Friday,” she laughs.

The teen bride had already seen in Bengali films like Parineeta, Anindita and Anand Ashram. She came to Mumbai with husband Babu only to have film offers lined-up for her. Raj Khosla’s Kachche Dhaage was her first film, though Shakti Samanta’s Anuraag, where she played a visually-challenged girl released first in 1973. The next year saw her team up with Amitabh Bachchan in the thriller Benaam and opposite Rajesh Khanna in Humshakal. Her most notable performance was that of a rape survivor in Manoj Kumar’s Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974). “I was pregnant with my first child but Manojji took great care of me. I threw up with all the atta (flour) in my mouth. A duplicate blouse was placed on me, which was later flung aside for the scene.” She claims, “The song Hai hai yeh majboori was to be filmed on me. But I got pregnant. The phrase‘do takiya’ in the song matches my character Tulsi’s language not that of the sophisticated Zeenat Aman’s in the film.”

Her other successful films were Swarg Narak and Angoor with Sanjeev Kumar. The hat-trick of hits Maang Baro Sajna, Ghar Ek Mandir and Pet Pyaar Aur Paap put her in the big league in 1984. Later, she graduated to doing character roles in Ghayal, Ghar Parivaar and Udhaar Ki Zindagi. Ask Moushumi to analyse her appeal and she says self-effacingly, “I’ve a crooked nose. I’m slightly cock-eyed. Perhaps my smile, my laughter charmed. Also, I had a voluptuous figure. I was never skinny. Actually, sex-appeal lies in your face, your eyes. Having a great figure doesn’t matter.” She recalls how the late director Raj Khosla summed her up. “He said, “Moushumi’s childlike, not childish. She can be fun-loving like an eight-year-old and wise like a woman of 80.”

Will break, not bend In an industry, which has not been entirely kind to married actresses, Moushumi finds herself grateful. “Mahesh Bhatt once chided me for being ‘unprofessional’. He joked, ‘Every time your career is doing well, you get pregnant’. I replied, ‘My babies have added to my life’.’You can be a top star, a celebrity or even a queen but ultimately you need a family, a home.” What she does admit to is her ‘will break but not bend’ dictum, which became the reason of her walking out of big projects. “I was not the ambitious kind, who wanted work by hook or crook. I did films on my own terms. I even shot for some big banner films but left them after a few days because my ethics didn’t allow me to continue. I didn’t compromise my sanskar. They thought I was stubborn and crazy.”

Rumours of being ‘uncooperative’ plagued her career. “Some top heroes could not take my behaviour. They’d say, ‘You prefer to talk to the spot boy rather than have a cup of coffee with me. Do you think you’re Vyjayanthimala? I’d say, ‘No, I believe I’m Cleopatra’. Some, noticing my stance, would turn respectful, some indifferent.” She recalls the time when a senior actress gave her some ‘advice’. “She said, ‘Why don’t you open up? You rub them the wrong way. What’s the harm in having dinner with them on outdoors?’” She holds her heroes Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmendra in high regard. “Once Dharamji happened to see me at a particular party. He said, ‘Why have you come here? Go home right now!’ Rishi was helpful when I was pregnant and shooting for Zehreela Insaan. While Sanjeev Kumar loved to relax at my house, enjoying non-vegetarian food and watching films.”

My home, my world While showbiz wanted more of her, all she wanted was to rush back home. “I could switch from being Moushumi to Indu very easily. The minute pack-up was announced I wanted to run home to my husband. Even after Payal was born, I’d want to see Babu first.” In fact, the foundation of their bond, she says, was formed in those early years. She was a minor when her first daughter Payal was born. “My gynaecologist told me ‘a kid is having a kid’. When Payal was born, I didn’t have patience. She’d break my toys; I’d want to break hers.” She had Megha at 24 and didn’t work for two years as she was a weak child. “But the moment I thought of returning, I got four offers including Watan Ke Rakhwale, Aag Hi Aag and Ghayal,” says she.

Her ingenuousness remained intact even after motherhood and that’s why perhaps Dharmendra signed her for his production Ghayal. “I wasn’t interested. I suggested other heroines. But he said, ‘Kudiye, none can match your inocence. You can make the audience ghayal with your pain’.” She owes the liberty she enjoyed to her husband. “Babu was well off. He wasn’t living off me. He trusted me. My life has been an open book. Yes, he was possessive about certain things. Like once when I wore a sleeveless blouse, he didn’t like it. He said, ‘Have you forgotten to wear a blouse?’” she laughs.

LINK-UPS & LIES Though she was a married actress, rumours of romantic liaisons didn’t spare her. She was linked to various heroes including the late Vinod Mehra and Farooque Sheikh and distributor Ramesh Sippy. With Vinod Mehra she did around 10 films including Anuraag, Us-Paar, Raftaar, Umar Qaid and Zindagi and that set the grapevine buzzing. “Vinod and Babu were close friends. We lived in the same building. So we often went out together. That gave rise to rumours.” She doesn’t deny her outgoing disposition. “I am a flirt. I can flirt even with a plant, with an animal. In fact, Shabana Azmi once said, ‘Shashi Kapoor and you can flirt with anyone from six to 60,” she titters. But she’s aware of the perils of a friendly disposition. “The way I show my warmth is misconstrued. Babu once told me, ‘You’re a heroine. People view you differently. Be careful’. But he also jokes that even on my death bed I will flirt with the doctor.”

On a serious note she explains, “I never reacted to rumours. Those close to me knew, where I was and with whom. My husband was with me. Yes, I committed mistakes.” She reflects, “I realised Moushumi Chatterjee had many admirers. There were people who said, ‘I love you’ and even those who said, ‘I want to marry you’. I couldn’t push them away or be rude. I gave them enough time and also to myself to understand that they were attracted to me and not in love with me. I respect them. I even respect their spouses who also went through a bad time.” She’s still a ‘romantic’ but her definition of love has changed. “Love is an illusion. It’s at best attraction and attachment. Gradually, you move on to other things, your emotions are channelised into your children, your work…”

Golden time Glamour is short-lived and what lasts is the halo of contentment. “I’ve seen actresses go haywire. I committed a lot of mistakes too. But once I realised them, I took a U turn and never looked back. Your lifestyle is important. If you abuse life, life will abuse you back. Actresses turn lonely because they don’t listen to the voice within.” She insists on being spiritual. “I’m a Hindu but I perform namaz. I visit the church. You can reach God by touching human beings. You come alone and go alone. I take pleasure in simple things, like cooking and being with my children. And of course getting into arguments with husband Jayant. “Babu merely listens, unless I provoke him. We share a great sense of humour. Like when I say, ‘Gala dukh raha hai (my throat is hurting)’, he shoots back, ‘Daba doon (shall I press it)?’”

Moushumi Chatterjee’s best works

Balika Badhu (1967)

An adolescent Moushumi was about endearing innocence as a child-bride in Tarun Majumdar’s Bengali drama. It was later remade in Hindi with Sachin Pilgaonkar and Rajni Sharma in the lead.

Parineeta (1969)

The many adaptations of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Parineeta include Moushumi’s take as a young woman’s unflinching devotion to her childhood sweetheart. This was directed by Ajoy Kar. It featured Samit Bhanja, Bijon Bhattacharya and Khagesh Chakravarti

Anuraag (1972)

A blind girl befriends a terminally ill child. The tragedy turns into a tale of hope and love in the Shakti Samanta directorial.

Kuchhe Dhaage (1973)

Moushumi’s village belle act was the perfect foil to the machismo dripping portrayals of Vinod Khanna and Kabir Bedi. Mere bachpan tu jaa… had an uncanny real-life echo to Moushumi’s own evolution.

Zehreela Insaan (1974)

Best remembered for the chartbuster O Hansini and Rishi Kapoor’s emotional confusion. Moushumi matched his intensity with her innocence and ease.

Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974)

Manoj Kumar’s war cry against corruption featured Moushumi in a ghastly rape sequence. She was apparently pregnant then but carried off the scene with elan.

Benaam (1974)

Both Moushumi and Amitabh Bachchan share great chemistry as a married couple. Their paradise is lost once their son goes missing.

Manzil (1979)

Basu Chatterjee’s Manzil not only gave us the rain-drenched panorama of Mumbai’s bay-line but also the monsoon ode Rimjhim gire sawan filmed on Amitabh Bachchan and Moushumi.

Swayamvar (1980)

Moushumi was all fire and sweet tantrums as Shashi Kapoor’s demanding ladylove in Swayamvar.

Pyaasa Saawan (1981)

Sexy and sentimental, Moushumi played the perfect wife in this melodrama. She won appreciation and sympathy as Jeetendra’s ailing wife here.

Angoor (1982)

Gulzar’s comedy of errors worked on a low-key sense of humour. Moushumi’s distrustful, daft, housewife act was perfect for the character.

Ghayal (1990)

As Sunny Deol’s grief-ridden sister-in-law in Ghayal, she provided a gravitas to her performance.

Moushumi’s most-loved melodies

· Sun ri pawan pawan puriya – Anuraag (1973)

· Tere nainon ke main deep jalaaonga – Anuraag (1973)

· hansini – Zehreela Insaan (1974)

· Mehngai maar gayee – Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974)

· Vado karo janam – Sabse Bada Rupaiya (1976)

· Rimjhim gire sawan – Manzil (1979)

· Wada nahin karte kisi se – Prem Bandhan (1979)

· Mausam pe jawani hai – Do Premee (1980)

· Yun na rootho – Itni Si Baat (1981)

· Megha re megha re – Pyaasa Sawan (1981)

#lazy #lazy updates #Updates #trending #news #bollywood #recipes #entertainment

0 notes

atticusblog2016-blog · 8 years ago

Text

New Post has been published on Atticusblog

New Post has been published on https://atticusblog.com/the-health-care-bills-insults-to-women/

The Health Care Bill’s Insults to Women

When Representative John Shimkus questioned, at some stage in a debate in March, why guys must pay for prenatal care, it became a sign of things to come. Soon Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, became joking that older men didn’t need maternity care. When asked approximately repealing a demand of the Affordable Care Act, Senator Pat Roberts answered, “I wouldn’t want to lose my mammograms.”

These sophomoric jokes and flippant brush aside for ladies’ fitness with the aid of Republicans could be horrific enough had they no longer been accompanied through the passage in the House of the American Health Care Act.

If it will become regulation, it’ll harm hundreds of thousands of Americans, including the terrible, sick and elderly. But it is going to be mainly disastrous for women. Among different negative provisions, it:

STRIPS FUNDING FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD About half of the two

Five million sufferers who go to Planned Parenthood facilities each 12 months, and approximately 20 percentage of girls of reproductive age national, rely upon Medicaid for their fitness coverage. Under the House invoice, they would no longer be capable of use Medicaid for care at Planned Parenthood facilities, extra than half of which can be in rural or underserved regions. In a hundred and five counties, Planned Parenthood operates the best health facility offering a full variety of reproductive fitness offerings.

Dear Mom, aHappy Mother’s Day! I’m sorry I haven’t been home in a while however things had been very busy at the House. You might be interested… SEE ALL COMMENTS WRITE A COMMENT SLASHES MEDICAID By slicing $880 million from Medicaid over 10 years, the House invoice removes an important source of insurance for many women’s health services. Almost 1/2 of all births in the united states of America, and 75 percent of the publicly funded family making plans offerings are covered by means of Medicaid. Slashing Medicaid price range could be specifically harmful to black and Latina ladies, who’re more likely than white ladies to be insured via Medicaid. ELIMINATES PRE-EXISTING CONDITION PROTECTIONS The invoice permits states to waive the requirement that insurers cowl people with pre-present situations without charging higher premiums. While it’s not but clear how insurers could reply, many of the situations that precipitated insurers to disclaim insurance or raise premiums earlier than the requirement became in location, such as despair, lupus, and more than one sclerosis, are more commonplace in ladies. Some insurers also denied insurance or charged higher premiums to women who had given birth by using C-phase.

Amazing Health Benefits of an Aloe Vera Gel Drink

A vast majority of humans are well aware of the Aloe Vera plant and its countless power of curing numerous human illnesses. It can heal some of the health dangers, such as weight loss, infection, sunburn, constipation and other skin irritations.

However, a lot of them are not familiar with the health advantages of the Aloe Vera gel drink. An ordinary intake of it enables you to take away some of the diseases. Recent studies have hooked up that Aloe Vera gel improves the immune machine, reduces stress, and encourages regular blood sugar. It can save one from redness and swelling. It is completely natural and has no facet effect on the human frame.Men’s health belly off the workout.

It is worth to mention right here that the juice of this plant tastes bitter. Therefore, one ought to be prepared for that particularly when one is going to extract it without delay from Aloe Vera leaves. A product crafted from it is able to deliver her or him a little comfort from its real flavor.

This article will speak at the extraordinary health advantages of an Aloe Vera drink.

Given underneath are these:

1. Detoxifies the frame

As the Aloe Vera gel drink consists of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other detoxifying factors, it can cleanse human body. It washes out all toxic factors from one’s frame, leaving no aspect results on his or her body. Your body does no longer incorporate any waste substances when you begin taking it frequently.

2. Strengthens digestion

It improves our digestive functionality and strengthens our immunity power. A regular utilization can preserve one far from the illnesses of the liver, pancreas, and intestines. It has magical effects in decreasing inflammatory pain in bowel syndrome, colitis, and different gastric problems. Moreover, it kills harmful microorganism and nurtures healthy microorganism inside the intestines to beautify one’s digestion electricity.

3. Boost immunity electricity

As it releases wastes from your body, your immune gadget turns into particularly powerful. The anti-fungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties of the Aloe Vera gel drink kill dangerous germs that cause contagious illnesses in the human frame.

Four Ways to Save Money on Heating Bill’s

As temperatures drop, heating costs begin to rise. Most American families depend on herbal fuel, power, or an aggregate of the two to hold heat inside the iciness, and it is not easy to price range for the prices. These pointers assist in decreasing payments with out sacrificing comfort.

Clean and Replace Filters

Forced-air structures rely upon filters to clean and circulate the air. Clogged, dirty filters cause the device to paintings more difficult, resulting in better energy payments and pointless wear on the unit. Most filters require month-to-month replacement, despite the fact that some offer 3 months between modifications.

Invest in a Programmable Thermostat

Consumer Reports recommends placing the temperature to 68 tiers Fahrenheit at some stage in waking hours and decreasing it to 60 degrees in a single day. A programmable thermostat automatically takes care of those changes based on the consumer’s present specs. It additionally makes it clean and price-green to timetable temperature adjustments to suit family activities, consisting of work or circle of relatives vacations.

Take Advantage of Other Sources

Some routine obligations across the house, along with cooking, drying clothes, and showering, generate warm temperature. Morning showers are top notch approaches to boost overnight temperatures, and oven dinners permit house owners to showdown thermostats early without losing good sized amounts of heat.Joint resolution definition.

Warm Up With The Sunshine

When it’s miles to be had, daylight is a super home heating supply. Homeowners who open their blinds and curtains all through the day typically run their furnaces less frequently than individuals who preserve their blinds closed. Covering home windows as the solar is going down helps to keep the warm temperature into the nighttime.

Yes, All Women Deserve Dignity

In the aftermath of the Bengaluru mass molestation, there’s been a wave of reactions throughout social media. Outrage and sadness poured in from almost all quarters, but not quite. #NotAllMen started to fashion on Twitter as guys got here out to protest the generalization that they were all perverts. In response, the #YesAllWomen movement wearily picked up steam once more because it attempted for the umpteenth time to explain to guys what its approaches to be a lady in modern day society, and the degree to which women face sexual harassment every single day.

Women’s world cup favorites

It’s now not the first time girls have been made to justify why they deserve an existence free from eve-teasing and sexual harassment. Among people who have not experienced it, there is a widespread consensus that the day by day problems ladies face with informal sexism are simplest a minor inconvenience, and absolutely special from the more legitimate worry of rape. What appears so hard to simply accept is that being hooted at while crossing the street or accompanied as you walk your canine at night time is in itself a traumatizing occasion. Women around the sector are pressured to justify why they feel helpless and terrified in a scenario the world sees as ‘uncomfortable’ at maximum.

Here are a few statistics: Eve-teasing is sexual violence. It is the intentional infliction of emotional distress. It entails “making vulgar feedback, indecent proposals, unwelcome gestures with hands, legs, arms or other organs, attempting to make bodily touch, and many others. Any sort of verbal or non-verbal behavior, physical conduct or show of items or snapshots and remarks approximately a female’s seems or frame also can be considered as eve-teasing”, as described via 2014 have a look at.

The average case of sexual harassment may be whatever. It will be your milkman looking at you as you rely upon out your money. It can be the bumping and grind in the packed bus that hides creeping hands. It may be your boss insisting which you get inside the pool at an off-site, or your co-people joking approximately what you have on under that breezy blouse. It can be your uncle exclaiming how you’ve got grown, whilst you know he’s now not talking about your peak. It can be a bizarre man on the road singing voyeuristic Bollywood songs as you leave the house or your downstairs neighbor inquiring for the 0.33 time whilst your husband could be home.

The in advance referred to 2014 study became carried out on the University of Calicut, Kerala. It requested a hundred and twenty lady college students how they reacted to eve-teasing. Almost all expressed a readiness to react if pressured, either with the aid of immediately confronting their attacker or by complaining to a better authority. Yet best 1,444 cases of eve-teasing have been registered in 2015. So, why are not more girls speaking up? Let’s attempt to understand this.

At the example of harassment, three feelings take over.

Fear, that the smallest prevalence of intimidation can improve.

Shame, the grotesquely unfair result of an entire life of victim-blaming and moral policing, disgrace at being taken by wonder yet again, disgrace on the sheer hopelessness of our scenario.

0 notes

battleborntap · 8 years ago

Photo

First Person Shooters as a genre have been around since Doom was released in 1993, and ever since, it has been widely considered one of the most liked genres (at least by Americans). With a wide variety of games and an even wider variety to the genre itself, let's take a look at some of my personal favorites!

Please note, these games all take place in the first person perspective, and have one of their main mechanics involving firing a gun or weapon of some kind. Games like Mirror's Edge and The Stanley Parable are omitted on the grounds that they are more First Person Puzzle Solvers rather than shooters, despite having the ability to shoot in these games. Also, I will only be doing one game from any given franchise, simply because I could pack this list with four or five sequels easy with all the games I've played. And finally, I can't say this enough, this is all based on my personal favorites and opinions. If you don't agree, that's fine! We all have our favorites, but this is simply a way for me to talk about mine!

So, without further delay, here are my Top Ten Favorite First Person Shooter Games!

#10. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS (2010)

Of course a Call of Duty game made it onto this list, and MAN what a game it is! Call of Duty: Black Ops released on Ps3 and Xbox 360 in 2010 to much fan praise, and is often considered one of the last good Call of Duty games. While I am quick to argue that point (Advanced Warfare brought a focus to story for the first time in years and Black Ops 2 had probably, in my opinion, the best multiplayer in recent history), The original Black Ops had all three main modes (Story, Multiplayer and Zombies) on point for the launch of the game.

While the Multiplayer may not have aged well for the game, the Story mode is simply wonderful, and unlike the rest of the Black Ops series, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY! If you have to read a plot summary to fully understand what the hell happened in it, it's not a good story. As for Zombies, simply letting players become former presidents and fighting time traveling nazi zombies...what more do i need to say?

Overall, it's an impressive game by all accounts. It helped to prove that Treyarch had what it took to keep delivering on the CoD formula, and while it wasn't World at War 2 like me and several others had hoped for (Still hoping for it, personally), it was a great game to play all the same.

#9. DOOM (2016)

Doom is the grand daddy of all First Person Shooters, and the latest iteration into the franchise really does not disappoint. With brutal carnage kills, impressive graphics, and a return to what made the franchise fun in the first place, DOOM (2016) is easily one of the best games of that respective year.

The story is as basic as it comes; Hell has invaded Mars, and you were about to be sacrificed when s**t goes sideways. You escape, get a Master Chief Power Armor ripoff, and fight through rooms and hordes of Demons to try and prevent Hell from getting to Earth...You know, like the last three Dooms!

The combat in this is where it truly shines, giving you the ability to kill enemies when they are weakened with brutal finishing attacks. The weapons are all fantastic, and the enemies are tough, but manageable. The real problems are outside the story; Multiplayer seems tacked on and rushed, while SnapMap, the mode I was really excited for, is basically just Corridor maker, the more. Still, the story itself is fun as all hell...

#8. BIOSHOCK (2007)/ BIOSHOCK INFINITE (2013)

This one might seem like a bit of a cheat, but hear me out...I personally feel that these games are very much the same thanks to something called "Service to the Brand."

Let me ask you this. Why do people in Bioshock use plasmids? They are a part of a world where everything has gone to Hell, and now they need to do whatever they need to survive, including injecting themselves with chemicals to give them super powers! Now why do they do it in Bioshock Infinite use vigors, which are basically plasmids?...There's really no reason is there? The reason they use them is because the last two games released had Plasmids, and it wouldn't be the same game without them!

This is a common problem with sequels that differ from their original game, and honestly, the only reason I decided to lump them together is that, aside from story and some situations you encounter, they are basically the same game. Well crafted gun play with elemental magics, expertly written dialogue and story, and an all around impressive and fun universe to explore, these games fill me with a sense of wonder each time I play them. If I had to choose one, it would have to be Infinite, but it's by such a slim margin that I felt it best to lump them together. My list, my rules...

Also, We don't talk about Bioshock 2...just...no.

#7. STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT (2015, Fight Me)

I know the original Battlefront games are well regarded and adored. I know many of the people who played this felt betrayed and hurt by the micro transactions and lack of content. I know it just feels like Battlefield with a Star Wars skin...But you know what? I don't care!

Star Wars: Battlefront is the Star Wars game I wanted to play when I first put the original Battlefront into my PS2. Was I disappointed by the lack of content? Sure. Did it feel like a cash grab on EA's part because they has acquired the license? Of course, it's EA. But I still enjoy the hell out of it.

The game play is fun and engaging, as well as more balanced than some large scale shooters. The available content, while infuriating that it's behind paywalls and a slow progression system, are rewarding and fun. The Heroes are overpowered, but not too much. Overall, I feel the game is good for one simple fact; for the first time in years, I felt like I was in the boots of a Stormtrooper.

Also, you occasionally get a Wilhelm scream to occur when you kill someone...so there's that.

#6. LEFT 4 DEAD 2 (2009)

How do you make a sequel to a decently balanced multiplayer zombie shooter? Change only who you play as and what their main quest is, then add more! That's exactly what Valve did with Left 4 Dead 2, and it worked great.

Playing as four new survivors with fun personalities, the game introduced three new special infected to deal with on top of the five introduced in the last games, the addition of choosing melee weapons instead of pistols, and helped to balance old issues and new ones that made the game well rounded and just plain fun to play ,whether you were with friends or a few randoms online.

Then Valve went one step further; They added in new content through DLC, some of which included the original five levels from the first game, where you can play as the first four survivors in the first five campaigns from the original game, but with the new enemies, weapons and everything! In general, Left 4 Dead 2 is just a damn fantastic game is you AXE me! HAHA!!

I'm sorry...

#5. HALO 3 (2007)

Bungie hit pay dirt with the Halo franchise, and the third installment in the game is where all that effort peaked. Great gun play, multiplayer modes, and engaging story line that (mostly) resolved the conflicts of the last two games and more, the game was damn impressive on Xbox 360 when it came out, leading to it becoming the fifth best selling game on the console!

This was one of the big games me and my friends played for days on end, sometimes literally. It's one of the first games to give me a true love for shotguns in first person shooters, and the rest of the games since haven't felt as impacting to me. They've been fun to play, but this was the last game that made me truly enjoy the franchise in a nostalgic sense.

Maybe I'm just getting old? Maybe...

#4. PORTAL 2 (2011)

Portal 2 is much like Left 4 Dead 2; change little to nothing about the game, but improve the writing, add more content, and fix some bugs from the previous game. Unlike Left 4 Dead, however, this game didn't have a multiplayer mode in the original, so this one added one!

While the first game was a series of puzzles linked loosely together by an uncaring, vindictive god/computer named GLaDOS yelling at you and calling you names, the second game is a series of puzzles linked loosely together by an uncaring, vindictive god/ computer named GLaDOS yelling at you and calling you fat before you overthrow her and put a mentally inept ball in her place who slowly begins destroying everything around you, shoves GLaDOS into a potato and sends you both into a 1950's version of the labs you were exploring to be yelled at by a 1950's style billionaire voiced by J.K. Simmons!

The puzzles introduce familiar and new concepts, keeping them fresh well into the game. The dialogue is on point through out, with minimal dialogue feeling out of place or forced. The humor is even better than the first, allowing for visual gags more than the first game did and a few running jokes to boot. Ultimately, an impressive sequel to an already impressive game.

Also, this game made me fear/ hate certain birds...just sayin'

#3. BORDERLANDS 2 (2012)

how do you top a game that had literally a bajillion guns, a rapid fire sense of humor AND a cell shaded art style set in a semi-unique world? MORE GUNS! MORE HUMOR! MORE CELLS SHADED! AND A VILLAIN!

Yeah...if you really think about it, the first game didn't really have a main villain. Sure you had some minor ones, like Baron Flynt and Mad Mel, but they were more like sub-bosses than anything. Borderlands 2 had plenty of sub-bosses, but also gave us MOTHERF**KIN' HANDSOME JACK, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BEST VIDEO GAME VILLAIN OF ALL TIME EVER PERIOD! With an actual story to get through, a villain to thwart, tons of fun new characters and old returning ones, as well as giving personality to the playable characters and the first games characters who act as NPC's this time around, the game did everything it needed to and then some.

This game established Borderlands as a franchise that's here to stay, and with follow-ups including The Pre-Sequel (Not bad, but not great) and Tales from the Borderlands (Fantastic Story, weird execution thanks to it being a TellTale game), there's no doubt in my mind that Borderlands is here to stay...

Can't really say the same for Battleborn...which is sad cause I kind of liked that one...

#2. OVERWATCH (2016)

Honestly, how could this one NOT be on this list? What is easily one of the best new franchises in YEARS, Overwatch brought exactly what it needed, and we keep getting more! With new characters and game modes being added, as well as regular balancing updates and more, the game shows no sign of slowing down.

If I had one complaint, it's that the game doesn't have a story mode. That said, we get plenty of information about the world and its characters thanks to digital comics, animated shorts, in-game dialogue and costumes, and a few other means. The roster is rich with diversity and ranges from easy to play to hard to master, and overall just is a fun time for everyone.

Hell, hte game hasn't even been out for a year yet and already we have three new characters, a new map, a new game mode and additional features like being able to make your own game mode ADDED IN FREE OF CHARGE! That's doing it right!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The following five games are all fantastic in their own right, but didn't quite make my top ten. To save time, I'll only do a quick sentence or two for each, so please enjoy!

COUNTER-STRIKE: SOURCE - One of the first first-person shooters I played. Good combat and lots of customization both in game and in the variety of game modes.

GOLDENEYE 64 - A fun multiplayer title with an okay story mode. Best played with friends split screen...No Odd Job, please?

KILLZONE - I like to think of this as Sony's answer to Halo, but with space Nazi's instead of aliens. Regardless, it really made you feel like a soldier in an army instead of a lone wolf like most FPS games.

DESTINY - Bungie's follow-up to Halo after leaving their flagship behind, the online, MMO hybrid was engaging, but didn't have much staying power if you didn't have a dedicated group to play with. With that and a lack of a real story, it felt like this was a half bake idea that will hopefully be more fleshed out in the sequel.

TITANFALL 2 - Improving on some of the pitfalls of the first game (Like console exclusivity), this is fun, fast paced, and in general a good game to play, especially if you have a friend or two in tow. Also, the story mode grabbed me with it's tutorial mode...so that says something.

Now, without delay, Here's Number 1!

#1. TEAM FORTRESS 2 (2007)

What started as a Quake mod eventually became the military themed hat simulator free-to-play sequel that Valve won't let you forget about. Tons of games release on Steam with some tie in to this, usually being a hat themed after whatever you're buying.

That said, once you get past the confusing as all hell economy the game has, there's a fun and engaging "Hero"-based shooter underneath. With nine classes to choose from, nearly limitless combinations for cosmetic customization and weapon loadouts. The story to the game is don similarly to that of Overwatch (Animations, comics, in game items, etc) but unlike Overwatch, many of the comics, animations and such contribute to the overall story of the game instead of just add little references to it.

The story itself is long, convoluted and silly, and perfect for the style of game it's trying to be. Overall, it's the game I've spent the most time in since I bought it back in 2007 (That's right, some of us PAID for this game), and it's easily my favorite First Person Shooter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Wat are some of your favorite First person shooters? Let me know in the comments below, and until next time, I'm McNutty891! Have fun!

source : http://ift.tt/2oGhx4Q

#battleborn beta sign up #battleborn beta test #overwatch beta #battleborn beta release date #battleb

0 notes