#joseph c. phillips

[cyarsk5230]

HALLE BERRY & JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS Strictly Business (1991), dir. Rolando Hudson & Kevin Hooks

[superghfan]

One of my favorite performances. Mary Mae Ward (Rosalins Cash) and the “Pips” (Joseph C. Phillips, Jonathan Jackson and Tony Geary) singing “Midnight Train To Georgia” at the 1995 Nurses Ball!

[itsmyfriendisaac]

Strictly Business: an uptight real estate executive becomes tongue tied when he lays eyes on Natalie, a beautiful party promoter in Manhattan. Waymon recruits Bobby from the firm's mailroom to help introduce him to the woman of his dreams!

[random-brushstrokes]

Walter Joseph Phillips - Karlukwees, B. C. (1929)

[with-a-martyr-complex]

With A Martyr Complex: Reading List 2024

Adapted from the annual list from @balioc​, a list of books (primarily audiobooks) consumed this year. This list excludes several podcasts, but includes dramatizations and college lecture series from The Great Courses, which I consume like a somewhat normal person this time around, but normally I'm a weirdo about them.

Myth in Human History by Grant L. Voth, from The Great Courses

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

Augustine: Philosopher and Saint by Phillip Cary, from The Great Courses

The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Democracy and Its Alternatives by Ethan Hollander, from The Great Courses

Sex in the Middle Ages by Usman T. Malik, from The Great Courses

The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn by Usman T. Malik

The Fellowship of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tibet: History, Culture, Religion by Constance Kassor, from The Great Courses

Maoism: A Global History, by Julia Lovell

The Three-Problem by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu

Doppleganger: A Trip Into The Mirror World by Naomi Klein

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu, translated by Joel Martinsen

Would You Baptise an Extraterrestrial?...and Other Questions from the Astronomers' In-Box at the Vatican Observatory by Guy Consolmagno SJ and Paul Meuller SJ

Death's End by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu

Other Minds: The Octopus, THe Sea, and The Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Ugaritic Texts: Ba'al Cycle, translated by the Scriptural Research Institute

The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett

Propaganda and Persuasion by Dannagal G. Young, from The Great Courses

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

War in the Modern World by David R. Stone

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks by Scott J. Shapiro

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan by Gregory Feifer

The Unbroken by C. L. Clark

Norse Mythology by Jackson Crawford, from The Great Courses

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted The Heartland and Crushed The Soul of Corporate America--and How to Undo His Legacy by David Gelles

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

God against the Gods: The History of Monotheism and Polytheism by Robert Garland, from The Great Courses

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

A Desolation Called Peace by Akrady Martine

The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini by Benvenuto Cellini, translated by John Addington Symonds

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America by Krista Burton

When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Broke Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganz

Anything For A Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in US Presidential Campaigns by Joseph Cummins

The Wicked and The Willing by Lianyu Tan

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

America after the Cold War: The First 30 Years by Patrick N. Allitt, from The Great Courses

The Aldo Moro Affaire by Jacopo Pezzan and Giacomo Brunoro, translated by a robot who could have done a better job quite frankly

Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok

The Shadow of The Torturer by Gene Wolf

Economics, 3rd Edition by Timothy Taylor

The Poetic Edda, translated by Jackson Crawford

Evgenii Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, translated by Mary Hobson (alternately titled Eugene Onegin)

Incomplete books: The Dragon: Fear and Power, Pilgermann, What Makes This Book So Great, Midnight's Children, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, Heaven and Hell, Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed, The Last Emperor of Mexico, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, Emperor of Japan

---

Great Courses consumed: 7

Non-Great Courses Nonfiction consumed: 19

---

Works consumed by women: 14 or 15 (C.L. Clarke uses both they and she pronouns, counting is hard)

Works consumed by men: 35 or 36

Works consumed by men and women: 1

Works that can plausibly be considered of real relevance to foreign policy (including appropriate histories): 10

---

With A Martyr Complex’s Choice Award, fiction division: Perfume: The Story of A Murderer

>>>> Honorable mention: The Dark Forest, Lud-in-the Mist, The Lord of The Rings, Ninefox Gambit, The Shadow of the Torturer, She Who Became The Sun, The Broken Sword, The Wicked and The Willing, All Systems Red

With A Martyr Complex’s Choice Award, nonfiction division: Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union

>>>> Honorable mention: War in the Modern World, Norse Mythology, The Man Who Broke Capitalism, The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, Economics, When The Clock Broke

>>>> Great Courses Division: Tibet: History, Culture, Religion

The Annual “An Essential Work of Surpassing Beauty that Isn’t Fair to Compare To Everything Else” Award: Evgenii Onegin

>>>> Honorable mention: The Gambler

The “Reading This Book Will Give You Great Insight Into The Way I See The World” Award: The Gambler

>>>> Honorable mention: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War

Yes, okay? It IS Good After All and I was wrong to be a Hater: The Lord of The Rings

Best "Lesbian War Crimes" Book: Ninefox Gambit

Best Lesbian: Ma Xiuying (She Who Became The Sun)

Best War Crime: Mutually Assured Destruction by Antimatter Bullets (Death's End)

---

This year I got a bit better at reading non-audiobooks, thought not as much as I had hoped, but I feel as though if I were putting more time into it the divide could be overcome. However, I also read far fewer audiobooks this year, in part due to that same promotion at work, in part due to The Election, in part due to falling into bad habits. An easy goal for next year is just working on getting out of that habit. I did manage to hit my target at the end, at least.

I took up the intellectual project of reading "Lesbian War Crimes" Science Fiction/Fantasy books, which had a pretty dramatic effect on the layout of my books for the year. Suffice to say, picking up a contemporary genre is not as Good For Me as reading from wide sources which include international literature and The Classics. Some were real hits though.

My own creative output was not as large as I wanted but it was consistently of relatively high quality and originality, which I think was good. My attempt at a novel failed out of the gate, but I can take a stab at another one in the new year.

Goals for next year: learn some econ, more literary fiction, get a novel down

[kwebtv]

From the Golden Age of Television

Project Immortality - CBS - June 11, 1959

A presentation of "Playhouse 90" Season 3 Episode 36

Drama

Running Time: 90 minutes

Directed By Fielder Cook

Written By Loring Mandel

Produced By Peter Kortner

Hosted By Dr. Frank C. Baxter 

Stars:

Lee J. Cobb as Lawrence Doner

Kenneth Haigh as Martin Schramm

Gusti Huber as Eva Doner

Michael Landon as Arthur Doner

Patty McCormack as Ketti Doner

Paul Fix as General Adams

Richard Carlyle as Schoonover

Frank Ferguson as DeKlasch

Barney Phillips as Colonel Bender

Don Keefer as Leech

Frederick Worlock as Dr. Samman

Joseph Sargent as Liggett

Sheridan Comerate as Driver

Azaria Port as Agassiz

Donald Foster as Laniel

William Boyett as Weiner

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month February 2024: 90’s MCU phase 5 – transitioning from Secret Wars to Infinity Wars

Having spent much of last month and a fair bit of this one working on submissions to literary agencies for my autism book, this month’s ramble and the one for next month took a bit of a back seat, and as such I’ve still not been able to vary myself away from delving further into my hypothetical Marvel and DC film universes.  Apologies to anyone who, like me, were hoping to vary things more.  However, hopefully what we cover in this ramble and the next will make up for it, and as April will be Autism Awareness time, I can guarantee something different for then.

By this point, I’m sure readers don’t need as much of a recap on what these posts to do with my 90’s-based MCU are about.  Long story short, I’ve done what the meme makers don’t; looked at the comic book and real-world history of Marvel from that era to create an actual 90’s based MCU instead of putting 90’s actors into a present-day MCU.  However, as we’re into a fifth phase and well past the 1990’s, we should at least quickly review phases 1-4 first.

Phase 1:

1992: Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man

1993: Thor, Spider-Man, Ant-Man & The Wasp

1994: Captain America: Fantastic Four 2, Iron Man 2

1995: X-Men, Avengers, Daredevil

Phase 2:

1996: Spider-Man 2, Thor: Land of Enchantment, Silver Surfer

1997: Hulk vs Wolverine, Fantastic Four: Doomsday, Iron Man 3

1998: Captain America: Society of Serpents, Daredevil 2, X-Men 2

1999: Avenger 2, Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange

Phase 3:

2000: Fantastic Four: World War III, Thor: Ragnarök, Daredevil 3

2001: Hulk: Rise of the Leader, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants, Avengers: Under Siege

2002: Doctor Strange 2, The Captain, Spider-Man 4

2003: Captain Britain, Fantastic Four: Enter the Negative Zone, Ghost Rider

Phase 4:

2004: Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Secret Wars: Part I

2005: Excalibur, Defenders, Ghost Rider 2

2006: X-Factor, Secret Wars: Part II, Heroes For Hire

2007: Namor the Submariner, Doctor Strange 3, Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin

As discussed in previous rambles, phase 1 was all about establishing the MCU and its characters, phase 2 was about the expansion and development of the continuity, while phase 3 was mostly about many characters and teams losing, being put on the back foot and so on.  Phase 4 then covered Secret Wars, which temporarily deprived Earth of some major MCU heroes to put them through a real alien war, and in the process also allowed some other heroes to come to the fore.  Phase 5 then becomes about following on from some of those plot threads while beginning the set-up for this MCU’s version of the Infinity War.  So, let’s quickly show you the phase 5 slate and then get right into the details of these would-be films.

Phase 5:

2008: Spider-Man 5, Fantastic Four: Unthinkable, Ms Marvel

2009: Elektra, Black Panther 2, Defenders 2

2010: X-Men: Proteus, Spider-Man 6, Ant-Man 2

2011: Silver Surfer 2, Avengers vs X-Men, Ghost Rider 3

Spider-Man 5 (2008) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Harry Osborn = Ryan Phillipe

Mary-Jane Watson = Alison Hannigan

Herman Schultz/Shocker = Patrick Muldoon

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin = Michael Keaton

Quentin Beck/Mysterio = Nathan Fillion

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Detective Stanley Carter/”Sin Eater” = James Marsden

In the first three Spider-Man films, we built up to Peter befriending the Osborns and dating Gwen, only for the Green Goblin/Death of Gwen story arcs to play out in Spider-Man 3.  The fourth film then gave Peter a clash with the Sinister Six as he struggles to come to terms with Gwen’s death.  Following Secret Wars, Peter now has the alien costume, and so film 5 is basically the alien costume story arc.  Sounding a little too much like the Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 3?  Trust me, it’s not like that and for two key reasons.  Firstly, I’m not trying to shoe-horn Venom in for the third act, just set him up for another film.  Second, I’ve chosen Wentworth Miller of Prison Break and The Flash fame to play Eddie Brock, and that’s far from being our only change.

In this film, Peter’s occupied trying to stop a series of illusion thefts being committed on behalf of a new “kingpin”, who turns out to be the Hobgoblin, while also having to track down a notorious serial killer called the “Sin Eater”.  As the alien costume influences Peter ever more, the question becomes less will he stop all the criminals, but rather will he become one.  Matters are further complicated when costume thief Black Cat begins seducing Spider-Man and the alien costume pushes Peter to accept this despite his relationship with Mary-Jane.  The film culminates with a chance clash with the Shocker revealing the alien nature of Peter’s costume, forcing him to finally fight it off.  Eddie Brock gaining the symbiote is then handled in a credit’s scene.

Direction-wise, I picked Matthew Vaughan as he’s a proven superhero film director due to his work on X-Men: First Class.  He’s the fourth director to take a hand on Spider-Man solo film in this hypothetical MCU, with John Hughes having directed the first two, and 3 and 4 being handled by Frank Darabont and Martin Campbell, respectively.

Fantastic Four: Unthinkable (2008) Directed by Roland Emmerich

Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic = Tom Hanks

Susan Storm (Richards)/Invisible Woman = Meg Ryan

Johnny Storm/Human Torch = David Spade

Ben Grimm/Thing = Bryan Cranston

Alicia Masters = Heather Graham

Agatha Harkness = Angela Lansbury

Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom = Goran Višnjić

Hauptmann = Ronald Guttman

Nick Fury = Tommy Lee Jones

Black Bolt = Pierce Brosnan

Medusa = Elizabeth Hurley

Crystal = Dina Meyer

Gorgon = J.G. Hertzler

Karnak = Alexander Siddig

Triton = Orlando Bloom

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Barbara "Bobbi" Morse/Mockingbird = Rebecca Romijn-Stamos

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Having had the Fantastic Four directed by Leonard Nemoy (films 1-2), Steven Spielberg (films 3-4) and Ridley Scott (film 5), this MCU closes out their share of films under the stewardship of Roland Emmerich, notable for such films as Independence Day, White House Down and Midway.  This film adapts the events of the storylines ‘Unthinkable’ and ‘Authoritative Action’, but leaves the events of ‘Hereafter’ to the comics and begins introducing the Infinity Stones.  Since non-comics fans and fans who haven’t read those stories won’t get those references, let’s do a quick summary.

In the comics, Doctor Doom turned to magic for an attack on the Fantastic Four, which resulted in Reed and Sue’s son Franklin being taken to hell, and the team having to storm Latveria to get him back.  During the incident, Doom scarred Reed before being dragged into hell.  Afterwards, Reed seized control of Latveria to dismantle Doom’s arsenal and craft a permanent prison for Doom, one in which Reed would serve as warden.  However, when the rest of the team tried to stop Reed, Doom somehow began to possess each in turn, ultimately forcing Reed to kill Ben Grimm just to stop Doom.  The events of the Hereafter arc involved a trip into the afterlife to bring Ben back, in the process healing Reed’s scars.

In this film, Franklin is kidnapped and taken to a demon dimension, and Sue leads a rescue team comprised of her, Ben Grimm, Brother Voodoo and the Black Panther to save Franklin while Reed and Johnny attack Doom, aided by the Inhumans and Namor the Submariner.  The attack seemingly defeats Doom, after which Reed leads the F4 to Latveria, seizing control of the nation.  Fearing Doom is somehow influencing Reed, Nick Fury of SHIELD intervenes along with Mockingbird, Voodoo, Namor and T’Challa, only for the seemingly captured Doom to begin telepathically controlling the other F4 members.  Ultimately, Reed manages to force a feedback that wipes Doom’s mind, but in the process, Ben Grimm dies as he does in the comics.  With Ben’s death, the Fantastic Four decide to step back from hero work, becoming a think tank called the Future Foundation.

The bulk of the film’s cast is from past films, with the only new addition being mystical nanny Agatha Harkness, played by Angela Lansbury in better keeping with the comics version of the character.  As for the Infinity Stone I mentioned, that would be the mind stone, which Doom uses to control the various F4 members until Reed works out Doom is channelling the stone’s power and creates the feedback.

Ms Marvel (2008) Directed by Gates McFadden

Carol Danvers/Ms Marvel = Melissa Joan Hart

Michael Barnett = Brian Krause

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Frank Gianelli = Rory Cochrane

Tracey Burke = Kate Mulgrew

Tabitha Townsend = Kyla Pratt

Lynn Andersen = Amanda Seyfried

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

When it comes to trying to tackle Carol Danvers in films, one story that’s yet to hit the big screen is the story of her downfall against the X-Man Rogue back when Rogue was part of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Indeed, the 90’s animated series of the X-Men is the only adaptation to handle this, and they did it by neatly sidestepping some disturbing backstory.  Long story short, there was a story arc in the Avengers comics around the late 70’s/early 80’s where Carol (then codenamed Ms Marvel) was mind-controlled and raped by an extra-dimensional being so he could be reborn in a body compatible with Earth, then after fast-growing to adulthood, his presence caused a bunch of time disruptions.  When Carol then agreed to go with this being, the Avengers made no effort to prevent this.

When Chris Claremont wrote Rogue into Avengers Annual 10 and showed Rogue rocking Carol’s powers, the question that came to be asked was why Carol hadn’t sought out the Avengers upon returning to Earth, and the answer was made clear.  The team hadn’t shown any real concern for Carol during her strange accelerated pregnancy, and then let her go off with a blatantly mind-controlling rapist from another dimension.  As such, telling the story of Carol clashing with Rogue and the Brotherhood should never be an exact re-telling.  Claremont’s story in Avengers Annual 10 was as much about correcting what the writer of the main comics at that time had written, and with film adaptations, you’re better off just taking a different path entirely.

In this case, we’re showing Carol working as an investigative journalist for a Daily Bugle-owned women’s magazine, who uses the Ms Marvel identity to tackle crime where needed.  This is based on her original run in the comics, so we have Jameson borrowed from the Spider-Man films while using the magazine staff from the comics for supporting roles.  As for the villains, roles from past films like Mystique and Pyro are combined with newly cast actors to give us our second MCU Brotherhood.  The film draws in a mix of acting talent, with Melissa Joan Hart reprising the role of Carol Danvers, and Trek alumni Gates McFadden directing the film.  McFadden has played the mutant Plague/Pestilence for three X-films before this and has some directing experience, making her a good choice for this project.

Elektra (2009) Directed by Roxann Dawson

Elektra Natchios = Leonor Varela

Stick = Scott Glenn

Stone = Sigourney Weaver

Kirigi = Daniel Henney

Frank Simpson/Nuke = John Cena

Matsu'o Tsurayaba = Hiroyuki Sanada

Kwannon = Kelly Hu

Turk Barrett = Gary Dourdan

The story of Elektra following her death in Daredevil is one Fox didn’t quite get right, in large part because they tried to incorporate plot elements and tropes that didn’t tonally fit with the character.  Having used two Daredevil films to set her up before giving the character a one-shot solo film, I think the best thing is taking those bits out.  Instead, we get the Hand going after the Chaste with Elektra in the middle, and when Elektra proves more than they can handle, they bring in the pill-popping assassin known as Nuke.  It’s a straight-up martial arts action film initially, but then becomes a more Punisher-like action film when Nuke comes on the scene.

Trek alumni Roxann Dawson takes the helm because she’s one of the few women I know of that would be directing anything back around this time.  Considering that films with female leads are often better handled by female directors, it makes sense to try and make this the case wherever possible.  The cast is either retained from past films of picked to be more comic-accurate.  Case-in-point, picking American actor Scott Glenn to play Stick rather than English actor Terrence Stamp.

Black Panther 2 (2009) Directed by Tim Burton

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Shuri = Tatyana Ali

Ramonda = Alfre Woodard

T'Chaka = Courtney B. Vance

W'Kabi = Chiwetel Ejiofor

Okoye = Nia Long

Zuri = Joseph Marcell

M'Baku = Idris Elba

Nakia = Lupita Nyong'o

Monica Lynne = Kerry Washington

Baron Macabre = Sterling K Brown

Jerome Beechman/Mandrill = Joaquin Phoenix

Nekra Sinclair = Toks Olagundoye

Kevin Plundarr/Ka-Zar = Chris Hemsworth

Shanna O'Hara = Scarlett Johansson

Zaladane = Jolene Blalock

Everett Ross = Martin Freeman

In Black Panther 2, T’Challa becomes allied with Ka-Zar of the Savage Land when it turns out his hidden jungle in Antarctica houses a cache of Vibranium to rival Wakanda’s.  Most would-be Vibranium hunters baulk at trying to gain the Antarctic variety due to the dinosaurs, but soon both nations are threatened when the woman-controlling mutant Mandrill, his adoptive sister Nekra, the Savage Land priestess Zaladane and Wakandan criminal Baron Macabre team up.  Due to the inclusion of some of these villains, I opted to switch from Tim Story to Tim Burton from a directing stand-point.  This film also features a change of role for a couple of real-world MCU alumni.

Defenders 2 (2009) Directed by Stephen Sommers

Dr Stephen Strange = Johnny Depp

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Bruce Banner/Hulk = John Cusack

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Valkyrie = Diane Kruger

Kyle Richmond/Nighthawk = Josh Duhamel

Patsy Walker/Hellcat = Mena Suvari

Wong = Will Yun Lee

Clea = Keira Knightley

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Dr Anthony Druid = Mark Strong

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Dr Tania Belinsky (Belinskaya)/Red Guardian = Beatrice Rosen

Dr Arthur Nagan = Julian McMahon

Dr Jerold "Jerry" Morgan = Stellan Skarsgård

Ruby Thursday = Alyssa Milano

Harvey Schlemerman/Chondu the Mystic = Stanley Tucci

Shuma-Gorath = Geoffrey Rush

The Defenders, Marvel’s superhero non-team, return for a second instalment at this point, and I’ve picked Stephen Sommers as director based on him directing a live-action GI Joe film around the same time.  In this film, the few routinely active Defenders learn via immigrant Russian doctor and superhero Red Guardian that a team of scientists called the Headmen have stolen the Reality Stone from AIM in an effort to seize world power for themselves.  Allying with Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Defenders seek to stop the Headmen while Clea joins with Brother Voodoo, Dr Druid and Daimon Hellstrom to try and bring back Doctor Strange from the extra-dimensional limbo he sacrificed himself to in Doctor Strange 3.  At the same time, the Silver Surfer seeks the Hulk.  The whole team then comes together when the Headmen open a portal for Shuma-Gorath, in the process transforming into their strange comic-style appearances.

Everyone from Dr Druid on down in the cast list is new.  As for why we’re skipping over the original male Red Guardian and focusing on the second female iteration for this MCU, there’s two reasons.  First, the second female iteration served as a Defender in the original comics, and second, these MCU rambles are focused on the main film continuity, which in this version of the MCU is strictly cinematic.  TV shows, while allowed as tie-ins, are optional content, and while I’d happily allow a TV show to dive in on Black Widow and some other characters, I think a film was and is a bit much for a character with so little solo comics content.

X-Men: Proteus (2010) Directed by LeVar Burton

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Polaris/Lorna Dane = Jeri Ryan

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Beast/Hank McCoy = Alec Baldwin

Robert Drake/Iceman = Michael Weatherley

Banshee/Sean Cassidy = Liam Neeson

Dr Moira Mactaggert = Olivia Williams

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Kevin Mactaggert/Proteus = Iain De Caestecker

Joseph Mactaggert = John Hannah

Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane = Bonnie Wright

Danielle Moonstar = Selena Gomez

Jubilee = Chloe Bennett

Everett Thomas/Synch = Christopher Massey

Douglas Ramsey/Cypher = Devon Bostick

With the third X-Men film Fall of the Mutants having split the X-Men up, and a combination of the Secret Wars duology, Excalibur and X-Factor films following events for the divided team, this fourth X-Men film is intended to reunite some of the scattered team into a new whole.  It also gives Rogue her defection from the Brotherhood following the events of Ms Marvel.  In this film, Moira Mactaggert’s son Proteus emerges as a dangerous mutant and begins a rampage across to Scotland.  With Excalibur unavailable, X-Factor is summoned while the X-Men pursue Mystique’s Brotherhood to Scotland.  The two teams meet up and reunite when they find Professor X is also with Moira, having been recuperating on Muir Island since being released from a SHIELD hospital (this is set-up over end-credit scenes for Fall of the Mutants and X-Factor).

Direction-wise, the X-Men have been handled initially by Jonathan Demme and then Jonathan Frakes in films bearing their team’s name, while Excalibur was helmed by Christopher Nolan and X-Factor by LeVar Burton.  For this film, I’ve put Burton back in the director’s chair.  Casting-wise, I imagine same fans will be perplexed by my choice of Chloe Bennett for Jubilee.  This is because Bennett is of a mixed ancestry that includes having a Chinese mother, and while the ideal is always to try for exact representation from the comics, there aren’t many actresses active in Hollywood around the time of this film with even one parent of Chinese descent, let alone two.

As such, the question becomes which do you compromise; Jubilee’s racial background or her nationality?  My choice, compromise slightly on racial background and bring in some plot threads relating to prejudice against people of mixed race.  Quite honestly, characters of mixed race are among those groups under-represented in film and TV, so if I have to compromise, let me at least try and do so in a positive way.

Spider-Man 6 (2010) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock/Venom = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Mary-Jane Watson-Parker = Alison Hannigan

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Sha Shan Nguyen = Grace Park

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Anne Weying = Michelle Williams

Principal Harrington = Viggo Mortensen

Lance Bannon = Hayden Christensen

Gloria "Glory" Grant = Candice Patton

In the sixth of our Spider-Man films, and the last to both start and end with Peter Parker wearing the webs, we showcase Peter and MJ preparing for their upcoming wedding, but the pair are stalked by Eddie Brock, who has now joined with the Venom symbiote and seeks to make Peter’s life hell.  He attempts to manipulate the Black Cat into being his co-conspirator as well, preying on her jealousy after the symbiote-free Spider-Man resists her seduction.  The story ultimately culminates in Venom trying to force Peter into a no-win situation where he has to choose who to save; Mary-Jane or Felicia.  Matthew Vaughan returns to direct, and we get a few extra supporting cast members in lieu of the various villains of Spider-Man 5.

Ant-Man 2 (2010) Directed by Peyton Reed

Hank Pym/Ant-Man = Michael Douglas

Scott Lang/Ant-Man II = Paul Rudd

Maggie Lang = Judy Greer

Cassie Lang = Joey King

William Cross/Crossfire = Ethan Hawke

Taskmaster = Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Alex Gentry/Porcupine = Nick Offerman

Janice Lincoln/Beetle = Naya Rivera

Having left Ant-Man alone in terms of solo films since phase 1, phase 2 marks a return for Hank Pym, who by this point has been out of action since a mental break-down forced him to retire.  Now of sound mind again, he tries to deal with tech thief Crossfire, who steals the prototype for a new, more aggressive variant of the Ant-Man suit, the Yellowjacket.  However, Hank’s old suit is not safe to use as it clashes with his neuro-chemistry, risking more mental break-down.  Even worse, it’s been stolen.  In tracking down the Ant-Man suit, Hank encounters desperate divorced father Scott Lang, who stole the suit to get money to cover his daughter’s medical treatment.

With this film, the aim is to pass the mantle of Ant-Man to Scott Lang in a more comics-accurate manner, while at the same time preserving certain casting that the MCU got right, hence why Pym, Scott and Maggie are all retained from the real MCU.  In terms of Cassie, I switched to Joey King as she’s had a remarkably steady record of employment for a non-Disney child actress, and I think she’s a great choice to take up this role for the remainder of this hypothetical MCU.  Direction-wise, I figured it best to stick with the choices of the real MCU and go for Peyton Reed, having had to go with Sam Raimi on the 90’s-made first Ant-Man of this MCU.

Silver Surfer 2 (2011) Directed by JJ Abrams

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Thanos = Josh Brolin

Mentor = Michael McKean

Eros/Starfox = Joel McHale

Gamora = Zoe Saldana

Drax the Destroyer = Dean Cain

Adam Warlock = Chris Pine

Pip the Troll = Peter Dinklage

Nebula = Emma Stone

Mar-Vell/Captain Marvel = Jude Law

Following the events of Defenders 2, the Silver Surfer finds himself drawn into yet more Infinity Stone adventures when Kree hero Captain Marvel and the android Drax the Destroyer come to Earth with Adam Warlock, keeper of the Soul Gem.  Hot on their heels are Thanos and Nebula, each of whom has begun to seek the Infinity Stones.  Worse still, Mar-Vell is dying of cancer.  The film is meant to advance the Infinity Stones plot while also adapting the death of Mar-Vell from the comics, not to mention setting up for the Guardians of the Galaxy to appear in the next phase.

For direction, I’ve picked JJ Abrams based on his Star Trek and Star Wars work making him a decent choice for a space-based hero like the Silver Surfer.  In terms of casting, we have a few reprises from past films in this 90’s MCU and from the real MCU.  However, some shifts have also occurred, most notably with Drax due to wanting to use his original comics origins over the revised MCU/later comics version.  The would-be autistic representation of Bautista and Gunn’s Drax quickly become so much farce, so as an autistic person, I’d just as soon avoid that and go down the android route, thanks very much.

Avengers vs X-Men (2011) Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Steve Rogers/Captain America = Brad Pitt

Thor = Dolph Lundgren

Janet Van Dyne/Wasp = Catherine Zeta Jones

Iron Man/Tony Stark = Tom Selleck

Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk = Lucy Lawless

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Sam Wilson/Falcon = Will Smith

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Carol Danvers = Melissa Joan Hart

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Frank Bohannan/Crimson Commando = Harrison Ford

Louis Hamilton/Stonewall = James Brolin

Martin Fletcher/Super-Sabre = Peter Fonda

Dr Valerie Cooper = Malin Åkerman

Sebastian Gilbreti/Bastion = Bruce Greenwood

Congressman Rev. William Stryker = Eric Roberts

Forge = Jimmy Smits

There have been two occasions in Marvel comics where the X-Men and Avengers have been drawn into direct conflict, at least using multiple issues of a comic and to my knowledge.  The first is the 1980’s mini-series X-Men versus Avengers, where the Avengers attempted to arrest Magneto to resume his trial before the world court, while the Soviet Super-Soldiers sought to arrest Magneto for his actions in X-Men #150.  As Magneto was part of the X-Men at the time, this naturally put all three teams at odds with each other.  The second occasion was the AvX storyline in which Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Magik became possessed by the Phoenix Force, something the Avengers tried to prevent and later combat.

While this film draws on the basic concept of both series, that something sets the Avengers and the X-Men at odds with each other, it’s not about arresting Magneto or issues with the Phoenix force.  Instead, the issue is Rogue; her status as a mutant terrorist is used to convince the Avengers to apprehend the X-Men.  This is bad timing, as the X-Men are working with Rogue to help restore the mind of Carol Danvers.  The masterminds of the plot are rabid anti-mutant politician William Stryker and government advisor Sebastian, who in reality is a new form of sentinel in disguise.  Luckily, government advisor and secret mutant Forge is suspicious of Bastion and convinces NSA director Dr Valerie Cooper to set up a contingency plan.

As a result, the film builds to a climax where, after the intervention of Spider-Man ends a major fight between the two teams, Bastion unleashes his prime sentinels.  Enter Mystique’s expanded Brotherhood in their guise as community service government heroes Freedom Force, and the stage is set for a truly epic battle.  Direction-wise, I opted for Jonathan Frakes to helm this entry, and while many actors are reprising roles from past films, everyone from Crimson Commando on down is new to the MCU as of this film.

Ghost Rider 3 (2011) Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider = Connor Trinneer

Roxanne Simpson = Jessica Alba

Eric Brooks/Blade = Jamie Foxx

Rachel Van Helsing = Cote De Pablo

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Vlad Tepish/Dracula = Mads Mikkelsen

Lilith = Felicity Jones

Mephistopheles = Jeffery Combs

Phase 5 of our 90’s MCU closes out by bringing Johnny Blaze’s time as Ghost Rider to its conclusion, in a story where Johnny teams up with Blade, Rachel Van Helsing and Daimon Hellstrom against Dracula and his daughter Lilith, who are secretly in league with Mephistopheles.  The film is partly an original plot and partly an adaptation of the end of the original Ghost Rider run of comics, though it’s far from being the last Ghost Rider film of this MCU.  Just as the comics would have others take up the Ghost Rider curse after Blaze, so too will this MCU move onto those later riders in turn.  Having used Tim Burton on the first two Ghost Rider films in this MCU, I’ve picked Mark Steven Johnson who handled the 2007 Nicholas Cage Ghost Rider film to take on this third instalment of 90’s MCU Ghost Rider.

This wraps up our look into phase 5 of this 90’s-based MCU; next month, we’ll cover phase 5 of our alternate DC movie universe.  Until then, ta-ta for now.

[the-worst-bracket]

The Worst Round Two

The first round is over! Our first round losers have been released into the wild, where they will decimate the local songbird population!

New Bracket under the cut, all times are in CDT

Bracket A (5/3 - 5/10)

Mineta Minoru (My Hero Academia) vs Iago (Othello) 11:15 AM

Mimic (Dark Souls) vs Dan (Dan Vs) & Pink Diamond (Steven Universe) 11:30 AM

Jurgen Leitner (The Magnus Archives) vs Zeus (Greek Mythology) 11:45 AM

Steve Cobs (Inanimate Insanity) vs Alex Eggleston (Yiik) 12:00 PM

Jerry (Undertale) vs Old Man Who Snitched on Haru (A:TLA) 12:15 PM

Ashfur (Warrior Cats) vs Mr. Burns (The Simpsons) 12:30 PM

Octavian (Heroes of Olympus) vs Gendo Ikari (NGE) 12:45 PM

Walter White (Breaking Bad) vs Medusa Gorgon (Soul Eater) 1:00 PM

Bracket B (5/3 - 5/10)

Jin Guangshan (The Untamed) vs Michael (Wii) 1:15 PM

Mitsuhiro Higa (Danganronpa) vs Creek (Trolls) 1:30 PM

Manfred Von Karma (Ace Attorney) vs David (Animorphs) 1:45 PM

Mayuri Kurotsuchi (Bleach) vs Cronus Ampora (Homestuck) 2:00 PM

Micheal Tritter (House MD) & The Director (Red v Blue) vs Lila Rossi (Miraculous Ladybug) 2:15 PM

Lord Henry Wotton (The Picture of Dorian Gray) vs Jodie Foster (Dungeons & Daddies) 2:30 PM

Bill Hawks (Professor Layton) vs Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!) 2:45 PM

The Dark Lord (Miitopia) vs Cybelle (Carole and Tuesday) 3:00 PM

Bracket C (5/4 -5/11)

Admiral Zhao (A:TLA) vs Rachel Berry (Glee) 11:15 AM

Darth Maul (Star Wars) vs Jessica (The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself) 11:30 AM

Pong Krell (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) vs Gamzee Makara (Homestuck) 11:45 AM

Dorodoron (Futari wa Precure Splash Star) vs Tate Langdon (American Horror Story) 12:00 PM

Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death) vs Spike (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) 12:15 PM

Orin Scrivello DDS (Little Shop of Horrors) vs Minecraft Skeleton (Minecraft) 12:30 PM

Major Frank Burns (M*A*S*H*) vs Carter Pewterschmidt (Family Guy) 12:45 PM

Borsolino (One Piece) vs Pennywise (IT) 1:00 PM

Bracket D (5/4 -5/11)

Pierce Hawthorne (Community) vs Whirlpool (Wings of Fire) 1:15 PM

Thaddeus Campbell (Dishonored) vs Takumi Ichinose (Nana) & Heimskr (Skyrim) 1:30 PM

Gale Weathers (Scream) vs Ianthe Tridentarius (The Locked Tomb) 1:45 PM

Director Ton (Aggretsuko) vs Odalia Blight (The Owl House) 2:00 PM

Kyubey (Madoka Magica) vs Dr. Gregory House (House MD) 2:15 PM

Rachel (Tower of God) vs Miki Kawai (A Silent Voice) 2:30 PM

John Winchester (Supernatural) vs Hippeux (Animal Crossing) 2:45 PM

Saint Charlos (One Piece) vs Dr. Janet Lubelle (WTNV) 3:00 PM

Bracket E (5/5 -5/12)

Martin Blyndeff (Epithet Erased) vs Calico Jack (Our Flag Means Death) 11:15 AM

John Gaius (The Locked Tomb) vs Crawlings (The Mysterious Benedict Society) & Liza Lotts (Scott the Woz) 11:30 AM

Zolf J Kimblee (FMA) vs Nandor the Relentless (WWDITS) 11:45 AM

Logan Roy (Succession) vs Fermet (Baccano!) 12:00 PM

Emperor Belos (The Owl House) vs Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars) 12:15 PM

Stuart Little (Stuart Little) vs Bibble (Barbie: Fairytopia) 12:30 PM

Grima Wormtongue (Lord of the Rings) vs Balloon Boy (FNAF) 12:45 PM

Felix (Red v Blue) vs Bro Strider (Homestuck) 1:00 PM

Bracket F (5/5 - 5/12)

Count Olaf (ASOUI) vs Phillip Anderson (BBC Sherlock) 1:15 PM

Drosselmeyer (Princess Tutu) vs Hiram Burrows (Dishonoured) 1:30 PM

Vriska Serket (Homestuck) vs Marty (Steven Universe) 1:45 PM

Norman Osborn (Marvel) vs Stregabor (The Witcher) 2:00 PM

Barney Stinson (HIMYM) vs Griffith (Berserk) 2:15 PM

Lionel Luthor (Smallville) vs Shadow Weaver (SPOP) 2:30 PM

Rand Ridley (Inside Job) vs Fire Lord Ozai (A:TLA) 2:45 PM

Joseph Sugarman (BoJack Horseman) vs Kylo Ren (Star Wars) 3:00 PM

Bracket G (5/6 - 5/13)

Ross Geller (Friends) vs Junko Enoshima (Danganronpa) 11:15 AM

Evil Do-er/Dark Blue (Animation vs Minecraft) vs Clint (Stardew Valley) 11:30 AM

Colin Robinson (WWDITS) vs Ghetsis (Pokemon) 11:45 AM

Billy (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) vs Servantis (Ben 10) 12:00 PM

Elias Bouchard (The Magnus Archives) vs Tingle (The Legend of Zelda) 12:15 PM

Trishna (Papa Louie) vs Unparalleled Innocence (Rain World) 12:30 PM

Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) vs Suzy Johnson (Phineas and Ferb) 12:45 PM

Dr. Hotti (Ace Attorney) vs Sarah (Ed, Edd, and Eddy) 1:00 PM

Bracket H (5/6 - 5/13)

Barney the Dinosaur (Barney and Friends) vs Andy Bernard (The Office) 1:15 PM

Caillou (Caillou) vs Gideon Gleeful (Gravity Falls) 1:30 PM

Joshu Higashikata (JJBA) vs Touga Kiryuu (Revolutionary Girl Utena) 1:45 PM

Ambassador Udina (Mass Effect) vs Father (FMA) 2:00 PM

Akio Ohtori (Revolutionary Girl Utena) vs Kray Foresight (Promare) 2:15 PM

The Worst (Ben 10) vs Hisoka Morrow (Hunter x Hunter) 2:30 PM

Tony Stark (MCU) vs Clay Puppington (Moral Orel) 2:45 PM

Bling Bling Boy (Johnny Test) vs Enji Todoroki (My Hero Academia) 3:00 PM

[free-for-all-fics]

Obscure Character List - Male Edition (A-M)

Obscure Characters List - Male Edition

Obscure Characters I love for some reason (A-M). (By obscure I mean characters that have little to no fanfic written about them. Not necessarily characters nobody’s ever heard of.) Don’t ask me to explain why. UPDATED: Tumblr is being a butt about post length or something so I’m splitting up the lists.

A

Abraham Alastor/Anthony Clarke (Dark Pictures Little Hope)

Adam (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Adam (Hallmark Frankenstein 2004)

Al Capone (Night at the Museum)

Alan McMichael (Crimson Peak)

Alec Fell (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

AM (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream)

Amphibian Man/The Asset (Shape of Water)

André Toulon (Puppetmaster series)

Anthony Walsh (Blood Fest)

Anton Herzen (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box)

Ardeth Bay (Mummy series)

Armand (Queen of the Damned 2002)

Armando Salazar (Pirates of the Caribbean 5)

B

Barnaby (Sabrina Down Under)

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

Baron Meinster (Brides of Dracula)

Beast/Hank McCoy (X-Men, Kelsey Grammer version)

Beast/Prince (Beauty and the Beast 2014)

Ben Willis (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

Bernard the elf (Santa Clause series)

Black Phillip (The VVitch)

Blade (Puppetmaster series)

Bughuul (Sinister 1 and 2)

C

Caliban/John Clare (Penny Dreadful)

Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)

Captain James Hook (Peter Pan 2003)

Cedric Brown (Nanny McPhee)

Christian Thompson (Devil Wears Prada)

Colonel William Tavington (The Patriot)

Cornelis Sandvoort (Tulip Fever)

Crown Prince Ryand'r/Darkfire (DC comics/Teen Titans)

D

Daniel Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

Death (Final Destination series)

Dimitri Allen (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future)

Dimitri Denatos (Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire)

Dustfinger (Inkheart)

Dr. Alexander Sweet/Dracula (Penny Dreadful)

Dr. Gregory Butler (Happy Death Day 1 & 2)

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen)

Driller Killer (Slumber Party Massacre 2)

E

Edward Gracey (Haunted Mansion 2003) 

Edward Mordrake (Urban Legend/American Horror Story Asylum)

Edward/Eddie “Tex” Sawyer (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3)

Elemer of the Briar (Elden Ring)

Erik Carriere (Phantom of the Opera 1990)

Ethan (Pilgrim 2019)

F

Father Gascoigne (Bloodborne)

Faustus Blackwood (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)

Fegan Floop (Spy Kids trilogy)

Fox Mask/Tom (You’re next)

G

George Knightley (Emma)

Ghost/Mitch (Haunt 2019)

Godskin Apostle (Elden Ring)

Godwyn the Golden (Elden Ring)

Gold Watchers (Dark Deception)

Greg (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies)

Grim Matchstick (Cuphead)

Gurranq Beast Clergyman (Elden Ring)

H

Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (Broadway, Rob Evan version)

Henry Sturges (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Hugh Crain (Haunting of Hill House, the book and 1963 film. Not the Flanagan show or 1999 movie remake)

Hugo Butterly (Nancy Drew, Danger by Design)

I

Ingemar (Midsommar)

J

Jack Ferriman (Ghost Ship)

Jack Worthing/Uncle Jack (We Happy Few)

Jafar (Once Upon a Time, not the Wonderland spin-off)

Jan Valek (John Carpenter’s Vampires)

Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough/Alex (Jumanji 2 and 3)

Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter (Arkhamverse! Video Games)

Jester (Puppetmaster series)

John (He’s Out There)

Joseph “Joey” Mallone (Blackwell series)

Juan (The Forever Purge)

Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood (Elden Ring)

K

Kalabar (Halloweentown)

Kenneth Haight (Elden Ring)

Killer Moth/Drury Walker (Teen Titans)

King Paimon (Hereditary)

L

Lamb Mask/Craig (You’re next)

Lamplighter (The Boys)

Launder Man (Crypt TV)

Lawrence “Larry” Gordon (Saw series)

Loki (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Lucifer (Devil’s Carnival 1 & 2)

M

Magic Mirror (Snow White 1937/Shrek)

Man in the Mask (The Strangers)

Manon (The Craft)

Man-Thing (Marvel’s Werewolf By Night)

Marco Polo/Merman (Crypt TV)

Marcus Corvinus (Underworld series)

Markus Boehm (Nancy Drew, the Captive Curse)

Mephistopheles (Faust’s Albtraum)

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare (Bloodborne)

Miquella (Elden Ring)

Mirror Man (Snow White and the Huntsman)

Mr. Crow/Aldous Vanderboom (Rusty Lake series)

Mr. Le Bail (Ready Or Not)

Mr. Slausen (Tourist Trap)

[lesser-known-composers]

Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772) : Trio Sonata in C minor for 2 Violins & B.c Op.2 No.6

[00:00] I. Adagio [02:18] II. Fuga. Allegro ma non presto [05:58] III. Largo [09:18] IV. Allegro

Ensemble Diderot :

Johannes Pramsohler, violin

Roldán Bernabé, violin

Gulrim Choï, cello

Phillipe Grisvard, harpsichord

[ulkaralakbarova]

An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Matt Calder: Robert Mitchum Kay Weston: Marilyn Monroe Harry Weston: Rory Calhoun Mark Calder: Tommy Rettig Dave Colby: Murvyn Vye Sam Benson: Douglas Spencer Minister at Tent City (uncredited): Arthur Shields Young Punk (uncredited): Larry Chance Prospector (uncredited): Chuck Hicks Dance Hall Girl (uncredited): Ann McCrea Bartender (uncredited): Ralph Sanford Prospector (uncredited): Fred Aldrich Surrey Driver (uncredited): Claire Andre Young Punk (uncredited): Hal Baylor Ben (uncredited): Don Beddoe Prospector (uncredited): Phil Bloom Council City Barfly (uncredited): Buck Bucko Prospector (uncredited): Roy Bucko Leering Man (uncredited): John Cliff Barber (uncredited): Edmund Cobb Prospector (uncredited): Cecil Combs Man in Saloon (uncredited): John Doucette Prospector (uncredited): Tex Driscoll Dance Hall Girl (uncredited): Geneva Gray Wagon Driver (uncredited): Al Haskell Gambler (uncredited): Ed Hinton Prospector (uncredited): George Huggins Prospector (uncredited): Michael Jeffers Prospector (uncredited): Dick Johnstone Prospector (uncredited): Mitchell Kowall Prospector (uncredited): Richard LaMarr Young Punk (uncredited): Anthony Lawrence Saloon Dancer (uncredited): Jarma Lewis Prospector (uncredited): Jack Low Council City Townsman (uncredited): Hank Mann Card Table Dealer (uncredited): Jack Mather Young Man (uncredited): Harry Monty Dancer (uncredited): Fay Morley Prospector (uncredited): Charles Morton Prospector (uncredited): Paul Newlan Blonde Dancer (uncredited): Barbara Nichols Prospector (uncredited): Anton Northpole Council City Barfly (uncredited): George Patay Prospector (uncredited): Jack Perrin Prospector (uncredited): Charles Perry Prospector (uncredited): Ford Raymond Prospector (uncredited): John Rice Prospector (uncredited): Robert Robinson Prospector (uncredited): John Roy Prospector (uncredited): Danny Sands Settler (uncredited): Lucile Sewall Pianist (uncredited): Harry Seymour Council City Barfly (uncredited): Cap Somers Council City Barfly (uncredited): George Sowards Prospector (uncredited): Charles Sullivan Prospector (uncredited): Jack Tornek Young Punk (uncredited): John Veitch Prospector (uncredited): Fred Walton Council City Barfly (uncredited): Bob Whitney Prospector (uncredited): Harry Wilson Trader (uncredited): Will Wright …: Joe Phillips Film Crew: Original Music Composer: Cyril J. Mockridge Editor: Louis R. Loeffler Producer: Stanley Rubin Art Direction: Addison Hehr Screenplay: Frank Fenton Director: Otto Preminger Sound: Roger Heman Sr. Sound: Bernard Freericks Assistant Director: Paul Helmick Costume Design: Travilla Director of Photography: Joseph LaShelle Story: Louis Lantz Songs: Lionel Newman Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott Set Decoration: Chester L. Bayhi Special Effects: Ray Kellogg Orchestrator: Edward B. Powell Choreographer: Jack Cole Makeup Artist: Ben Nye Stunts: Bob Herron Stunts: Bob Hoy Stunts: Harry Froboess Stunts: Bob Morgan Stunts: Helen Thurston Stunts: Harry Monty Stunt Coordinator: Fred Zendar Stunts: Tim Wallace Music: Leigh Harline Makeup Artist: Allan Snyder Second Assistant Director: Donald C. Klune Stunts: Dan Heather First Assistant Editor: Orven Schanzer Songs: Ken Darby Movie Reviews: John Chard: What are you chasing Calder? After a stint in jail, Matt Calder is reunited with his son Mark and sets both of them up at a riverside lodge. One day he helps aid a couple who are struggling with their raft down the river. It turns out to be a dubious gambler named Harry Weston and his saloon singer girlfriend, Kay, whom both Matt and Mark have already been acquainted with. Turns out that Harry is in a rush to register his mining claim that he has just won, and sensing his journey will be considerably quicker and safer on horseback, steals, after a fight, Matt’s rifle and horse. Agreeing to let Kay stay behind with the Calder’s, Weston sets off. Once roused and ready to tr...

[longlistshort]

“Jeff Way In His Tribeca Loft”, 2023; “Turtle Owl Death Mask”,2018 and “Egyptian Violet Gorilla Mask”, 2017

Kimiko Fujimura “Party-3 (Party at Peter’s)", 1990, and “Kimiko Fujimura in her Chinatown Loft”, 2023

For his current exhibition, Loft Law, on view at Westwood Gallery, documentary photographer and filmmaker Joshua Charow photographed artists living and working in the remaining spaces still protected by Loft Law in NYC. The well-crafted portraits offer a chance to see how the artists have made these spaces home over the years.

The gallery has also included artwork by eleven of the artists featured in the photos- Carmen Cicero, Loretta Dunkelman, Betsy Kaufman, Kimiko Fujimura, Joseph Marioni, Carolyn Oberst, Marsha Pels, Gilda Pervin, Steve Silver, Mike Sullivan, and Jeff Way.

From the gallery-

In 1982, Article 7-C of the Multiple Dwelling Law, also known as the Loft Law, was passed in New York City. The law gave protection and rent stabilization to people living illegally in manufacturing and commercially zoned lofts. Hidden behind this legislation were thousands of artists who needed a live/work environment at an affordable rent. These artists protected by the Loft Law changed the trajectory of New York’s cultural landscape.

Three years ago, Charow found a map of the remaining buildings with Loft Law protection. He rang hundreds of doorbells to find and photograph over 75 Loft Law tenants across the city to document the last of these incredible spaces and the creative individuals who made them home. Charow’s interest in the Loft Law and the vanishing history of New York stemmed from his early teenage years when he became immersed in a subculture called ‘Urban Exploring,’ the practice of illegally climbing skyscrapers, bridges, and abandoned subway stations. One of the rooftops he visited was an old factory building in South Williamsburg, where a tenant explained to Charow about the building’s remaining tenants under Loft Law protection.

The photos are a living visual document of the expansive spaces: old flophouses on the Bowery, garment factories in Tribeca and SoHo, glass factories in Greenpoint, and even a former ice cream factory in DUMBO. From the 19th to the 20th century, many buildings in NYC, including SoHo, were manufacturing centers for items from sewing machines to textiles to printing houses. The massive light-filled loft spaces with high ceilings were left empty when these businesses vacated in the mid-1900s and moved to other areas outside of New York City. The industrial-zoned lofts were not legal to live in, as they did not meet the building requirements for residential use, and oftentimes were completely raw spaces without a kitchen, shower, plumbing, or even heat. However, artists were attracted to these large spaces where they could work and create at any hour of the day. At the end of the 1970s, loft living started gaining attention in the media and the wealthy started to become attracted to this lifestyle. Soon landlords began to evict the artist tenants in favor of a wealthier clientele. A group of artists formed the Lower Manhattan Loft Tenants and spent years lobbying in Albany to gain legal protections and rent stabilization. At the time the Loft Law was first passed, there were tens of thousands of artists living in lofts across the city. Today, only a few hundred artists protected under the original 1982 Loft Law remain. This exhibition marks one of the first documentary insights into this vanishing history.

The majority of Charow’s images depict painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, and filmmakers captured amidst their industrial loft spaces. Notable portraits include experimental music and film artists Phillip (Phill) Niblock (1933-2024) and Katherine Liberovskaya (b. 1961); Phill was instrumental in the avant-garde music and film scene from the 1960s to the present. Visuals artists include 97-year-old abstract and figurative expressionist Carmen Cicero (b. 1926), who has works in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum; Kimiko Fujimura (b. 1932), who in 1965 was selected as “Japan’s Top 5 Female Painters in Contemporary Art” by Geijutsu-Shincho, a Japanese monthly art magazine; minimalist painter Loretta Dunkelman (b. 1937), a co-founder of the all-female artists cooperative A.I.R. Gallery; and Gilda Pervin (b. 1933), whose studio occupies the top floor of a 1790s Quaker building linked to the Underground Railroad and happens to be the old studio space of famed sculptor Eva Hesse, who worked there from 1965-70. Also included is Chuck DeLaney, co-founder of the Lower Manhattan Loft Tenants, an early activist group that was responsible for the lobbying and passing of the Loft Law.

This exhibition closes on 7/13/24.

[sportsgr8]

IPL 2024: SRH V LSG Overall Head-to-head; When And Where To Watch

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium: Two playoff ambitions will collide when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) takes on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Wednesday. With 12 points from 11 games, LSG are currently fifth on the points table. SRH, meanwhile, are fourth with the same number of points from the same number of matches. The two teams have met three times in the IPL so far and SRH are yet to LSG in the tournament. SRH v LSG head-to-head 3 Sunrisers Hyderabad: 0 Lucknow Super Giants: 3 SRH v LSG match time: The match starts at 7:30 PM IST (2:00 PM GMT) with the toss taking place half an hour before the match i.e., 7:00 PM (1:30 PM GMT) SRH v LSG match venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad Live broadcast of SRH v LSG match on television in India: The SRH v LSG match will be broadcast live via Star Sports Network. Live stream in India: The live streaming of SRH v LSG is available on JioCinema. Squads: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sanvir Singh, Mayank Markande, Glenn Phillips, Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Maharaj Singh Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul(w/c), Arshin Kulkarni, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Ashton Turner, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Krishnappa Gowtham, Devdutt Padikkal, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock, Matt Henry, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Shamar Joseph Read the full article

[silas-soule]

~ about the blog ~

this blog mostly covers native american history, from c.5000BCE to 1980CE, and american history in general 1700CE-1900CE (especially native american and african american history)

sometimes i will post about non american history. i don't tag anything consistently so you'll just have to scroll my blog to find it. american history is my special interest but i am also very tired of how american centric a lot of the history posts on here are.

my special interest is the nez perce war so expect to see a lot about that. other common posts involve the american civil war, the abolitionists, the 'indian wars'/plains wars

historical figures that i'm particularly interested in include, but are not limited to: thunder rolling in the mountains (chief joseph), standing bear (there are multiple standing bears in the plains wars, i am referring to the ponca standing bear, not the lakota one), luther standing bear (no they are not related), quanah parker, ely parker (again, not related), susette tibbles and her sister susan picott, frederick douglass, harriet tubman, wendell phillips, thomas tibbles (he is susette's husband), silas soule, sitting bull, charles eastman and crazy horse. these are all people i admire and respect a lot and i consider them my heroes.

i also post a lot about sherman, sheridan, custer et al. i find them very interesting to study but i absolutely do not condone their actions in the plains wars.

[raybizzle]

"A Raisin in the Sun" (1989) was a made-for-television adaption of Lorraine Hansberry's famed play. It aired on PBS as part of their American Playhouse series. The play stars the best actors who show their range beyond TV shows and movies.

Director: Bill Duke Writer: Lorraine Hansberry

Starring Starletta DuPois, Lou Ferguson, John Fiedler, Danny Glover, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Kimble Joyner, Helen Martin, Joseph C. Phillips, Esther Rolle, Kim Yancey

Storyline This lauded drama follows the Youngers, an African-American family living together in an apartment in Chicago. Following the death of their patriarch, they try to determine what to do with the substantial insurance payment they'll soon receive. Opinions on what to do with the money vary. Walter Lee wants to make a business investment, while his mother, Lena, intends to buy a house for them all to live in.

Available on DVD and YouTube

[stmichaeldeorleans]

Orphanages where Michael stayed: Oklahoma City Good Sheppard of Hope Catholic,  St Agnus of Dallas, twelve main orphanages with outlets in Dallas,.. Ellyson Home for Children Dallas, ...Dallas Child Development Center Analysis and Orphanage,..Catholic Orphanage in.Yukon, Ok., Taft School near Littlerock, Ark..., " Arbeque" with the clinical name, owned and managed by Dr Joseph Arbeque M.D. Psychiatrist,  Imagination Dragon of New York City,  plus 14 other places where children can stay in NYC., then The Spicer in Germany, ...then The Loughe of Paris, France. 14 places in Paris, France....12 in Germany.   Michael Duerksen is " The Black Rose " of Germany, Tuscany and France and " The Black Pearl" of France.  Also " The Only Gift Child according to Illuminati Wisdom", "The Edge of Nightshade", " The Dark Fairy of the Night", " The Sacred Red Rose of Infiniti ", " The Son of the Evil Wickerman", " Buttercup of Remembrance". " Karen " Mariah" " Taylor (?)" Siguer Taro Telo Rothchild", " Mariah Rothchild Montasort, Redi LaMont, Snafa Al Ghul, Tilly Ting Evertyting C. Grant,  Mara /Mario Silo Parmiese Devereaux,  Michael Alluese' Silo Parmiese Devereaux, Tuolo Paoli Marcheti Luchia Geyford, Tonie Gilbraltor Luchia, Rachel  " The Saint" Luchia, Rosalie Luchia, Michael Duerksen Steinem Vanderbilt Montrose, Mike Duerksen Huntford Carlton, Carry Cardin Carlton, Carlotta DeBakey, Patricia DeValley DeGeneres, Michael Duerksen Gurley, Michael Lauren Hatch Bacall,  Michael Duerksen Bancroft Castilano May,   Mary May Ham Rothchild, Cassandra Gilbert Der Rothchild,  MaryAnn Richardson Rickert Weiner Rothchild,  Marie Rothchild Harrington, Marie Rothchild, Marie Marianette, Marie Rothchild Hall, Arthur Michael Ann Rothchild Bach, Ms.LaGuardia, Ms. Costello, William Preston, Eric Dathan, Matilda ( Michael ) Avager Rothchild Ponti,  Arthur Michael John Commencia, Michael Arthur Ann Rothchild Snelson Streisand, Carolina Michal " Muriel" Hemingway Winters Rodgers,  Isabelle or Emilia Duarte Galveston Rothchild Darlington, " Emmanuel Bogotta Rothchild" ( donor), Maria Angelus Mata Hari Rothchild, ( donor), Michelle L. Rouchefourde Phillips DeSousa DeMentos,  Phillip Newman Morris, Michael Newman, Angelina Isabelle Rothchild Childress ( donor) , Michael Rothchild Burnett, Princess Rothchild Luchia Hampas, Princess Maria Diedra Lyons Windsor, Michael Jean Paul Getty, John Robert Robin Blake,  Princess Maria Guttenburg Furstenburg Oldenburg Mountbatten DeGeneres ( Lafite), " Prince of Tides ", Princess Marissa Oldenburg Hamburg, Jack Michael Bouvier' Kennedy, Michael Dean Duerksen Garland, Michael Duerksen Monroe, " Michael Briarcraft Hyatt", Michael Stouphlous, Michael Casa Linda, Michael Feingold, Michael Feinstein, Michael Forester Turner, Michael Dan Turner, Cicelia Rothchild Luchia Hampas,