#julian is rizzo i think

[reiidler]

them… 4 real

[nvvermore]

Amaryllis — Theatre Credits

This is really just for fun but could also easily apply to modern au shenanigans, in age range order with vocal ranges because I put too much thought into this and links to performances

Rizzo | Grease (A3-D5)

It’s the bad girl typecasting

Gabe Goodman | Next to Normal (B2-C5)

Amaryllis would certainly be an out of the box casting, but I think it could work. Next to Normal was good but it could use some spice

Ilse Neumann | Spring Awakening (E3-E5)

Ilse’s role of (literally) passing the mic to Martha to allow her story to be told is something that I think would be incredibly healing for Amaryllis

Velma Kelly | Chicago (E3-D5)

Bad girl typecasting strikes again

Lucy Harris | Jekyll & Hyde (G#3-F#5)

Bring on the Men. thats all

Maureen Johnson | Rent (C4-F5)

It truly takes quite the actor to get through Over the Moon in once piece and I think that they could manage it

Hedwig | Hedwig and the Angry Inch (F3-A5)

I just think that cis people shouldn’t touch Hedwig ever again

Magenta | The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Bb3-Eb5)

Previously I had Frank here but then I thought of modern au Julian as him instead and changed my mind

Persephone | Hadestown (E3-C5)

I think I hardly need to explain this one

Miss Hannigan | Annie (G3-D3)

More bad girl typecasting, but this is just a role that requires a big stage presence and (ironically) a love for kids

[artemismoon12writes]

Title: A Vested Interest

Daltonfic Big Bang: Week 3, Day 5, Dwodd 

Ryan Cobb still didn’t know about his desk chair, so money was still up for grabs. Nice.

“Fuck off!” Derek yelled, looking across the large, white and glass hallway of the Ohio Brooks Parker Galleria Mall to the Hot Topic.

“What is it?” Bailey asked, not turning from his sink full of dishes. He was up to his elbows in coffee mugs and dessert-stained plates. “Is Sebastian coming up to ask for another job application?”

“Shut up Bailey, you know it’s only because he thinks Julian’s hot, not because he wants to work here. And no; it’s not that asshole.” Derek gestured across the hallway; Bailey couldn’t see it because he still had his back turned, uncaring. “It’s that fucking asshole and his boyfriend!”

“Who?”

“You know, the assistant manager and that hipster guy!”

“Oh Dwight?” Bailey asked. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re fucking again!”

Bailey made an amused noise. “Good for them.”

“Good for them!?” Derek exclaimed, “What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, if you could get laid at work you would.” Bailey said, hiding his laughter. “I’m glad you don’t for the record; I don’t want to clean that up, but it’s a little funny.”

“Exactly- how is it that the goth who isn’t even in charge of that place is getting laid and I’m here in a fucking Starbucks like a loser?”

While Derek was ranting, he was ignoring the girl at the register. Bailey shot her a look, commiserating before drying his hands to take her order.

“And if we’re really splitting hairs here Bailey, shouldn’t he, I don’t know? Be doing his job? Instead of letting his little hipster boyfriend fuck him in the changerooms?”

Bailey rolled his eyes, grabbing a larger sized cup for their customer and waving her panicked look aside. It was the least he could do since she was putting up with Derek’s ranting.

“Jeez, Derek if it bothers you so much, just join in our betting pool and you at least could make some money off it.” Bailey said, steaming the milk like it was just another normal day. Which, working with Derek for at long as he had, it kind of was.

“Betting pool?”

Their customer interjected, “I’m from the Barnes and Noble next door; we’ve got it going with us, Clay and the boys in the store, Bailey and y���all, and then then Chels and the Pet Co. downstairs for how long it’ll take the manager to catch them.”

“All those people know? And Ryan still hasn’t figured it out?” Derek asked, confounded.

She shrugged, “Yeah, well, Pet Co. was waiting for the two month mark to send Ryan upstairs at the right moment; but Todd and Dwight were just talking; I’m thinking Clay ran interference so the bet’s still going.”

Derek looked caught between anger and intrigue. He looked at her with a scowl before, “Put me down for fifty bucks on two weeks from now. Ryan’s not an idiot, he’ll realize.”

“Not if he spends all his time downstairs with the fish tanks.” Bailey pointed out.

“Why is he even managing a Hot Topic if he loved animals so much?”

“He’d never sell anything if he worked downstairs, that’s why.” Their customer pointed out, wandering back to the Barnes and Noble with her drink. “Good luck boys!”

Oh it’s on, Derek thought, not realizing how difficult a task it would actually be to accomplish.

---

Two months of this nonsense aside, Dwight Houston had not set out to completely disregard professionalism and decorum when he got this throwaway job at the mall. His mother raised him better than that- or so she kept saying. He was only here for the sole purpose of keeping his car and proving he was responsible- nothing more. If he had enough knowledge of alternative culture to tell people why Hot Topic was the worst place to shop, that wasn’t his problem. He was merely the solution.

When Todd Hendricks, or “Hipster Guy” as he referred to him for the first two weeks in his head, walked in, there was no master plan to get back at his manager for promoting him in this insanity. No, it was only a short conversation, based around Todd’s utter incompetence.

“If she’s a real goth, she will not want anything we sell here. This is emo shit, New Oracle in Glensdale is the real space for crystals. This is just plastic and Yellow 33!” Dwight shook the fake silver jewellery at the customer and his wide rimmed glasses, plaid shirt, and rough, red scarf. “Your sister will not like this.”

“But that’s why it’s funny. Because it’s not authentic.” The customer (who would be known as Todd) said. “She’ll hate it and it’ll be hilarious.”

“It’s offensive! You say she’s a witch, then it’s doubly offensive.” Dwight said, motioning to put the piece back up on the highest shelf with the pole hook.

“I’m her brother, she’ll know it’s a joke.” He argued. “I’m not here to rock your goth purist boat.”

“I am not a goth,” Dwight said, putting the offending piece out of reach. “I am a post-industrial punk with spiritualist leanings; its completely different.”

“Sure.” Was the response, grinning like he’d not proven anything.

Dwight groaned, “Clay, back me up here; the Vampire Diaries spinoff jewellery is not something we should be promoting to any self-respecting goth.”

His part-timer, Clay Rizzo, poked out from behind the piercing display where he totally wasn’t trying to steal new lip rings. “I don’t know Dwight; I am one of those emo pieces of shit, so maybe I’d recommend it?”

“I get no support around here!” Dwight said, stalking to the back of the store. “Impossible!”

Todd looked over to the part-timer, decked in the unofficial uniform of all black and a hundred emo-band pins. “I think I’m dropping by more often.”

Clay gave him an evil grin. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

---

From there it escalated; Todd coming in multiple times a week just to annoy Dwight. Well, that’s what Dwight assumed until Todd asked for his phone number.

“What? Why’d you want that?”

Todd looked at him like he was an idiot. “Because I’ve been flirting with you this whole time? Were you not…”

Clay, unknown to the two of them, was watching with Robin and Jake from behind the t-shirts. They were supposed to be executing the planogram; but why do that when there was drama to observe?

“I was not.” Dwight said robotically. “Uh, okay, that’s…”

“I literally looped a tie around your neck and pulled you in, and you didn’t realize I was into you?”

Clay, who remembered that exchange, had to be smothered with a Haven shirt but Jake to stop him from making noise.

“In my defence, I’m not used to people flirting with me.”

“If you’re not interested, that’s fine. I just thought-”

“I’m not not interested?” Dwight interjected before Todd turned away and walked out. “I’m just, uh, not used to … this?”

“I can work with that.”

It somehow progressed, in spite of Dwight’s inherent awkwardness. Jake, Robin, Jasper, and Clay respectively waving the pair off whenever Dwight took his lunch break now.

“They grow up so fast.” Clay said dramatically while Dwight gave him the finger. Todd just smiled at his conspirator and told them to take care of the store. Not that he worked there. He was there often enough he’d take to reminding Dwight about stock orders, schedules, and that Jake had a family dinner coming up so someone had to get it covered. The store had never run so well as it did when Todd started dating their assistant manager.

---

“Where did you guys put the Manic Panic?” Ryan Cobb, actual manager of Hot Topic, called out from the stockroom. “There should be a packing slip for a 3 pack of each colour, but all I see is overstock of those short-shorts!”

“I don’t know, ask Jake,” Dwight said, standing on a step ladder with Jasper spotting him. “He was in last night when the delivery came in.”

“I’m asking you. How can you be my assistant manager and not know where the hair dye is? We have that Chang girl coming in later and I promised her we’d have her order in!” Ryan called. “I’m going on break, that dye should be on the shelf when I get back.”

Ryan left, once again for supposedly fifteen minutes- but the entire staff knew he’d be gone for the rest of the day downstairs to play with the parakeets Pet Co. just got in.

“Oh, you’re in trouble.” Robin said, amused.

“Shut up.” Dwight muttered. “I bet Jake just put them somewhere weird. Call him and see what’s going on.”

“I’ll call him. He told me nothing came in last night though.”

“Perfect, just fucking perfect.” Dwight groaned.  

“What’s wrong?” Todd asked, coming in with a cardboard tray of drinks. “I just saw Ryan go by, if he’s actually in the store for any minute I’m scared the place will burst into flames.”

“Once in a blue moon, it happens I guess.” Dwight admitted, climbing down the ladder to receive his kiss on the cheek and the green tea Todd brought for him.

“What’s happening?” Todd asked, taking his own coffee off the tray and pushing the sugar-laden third and fourth cups to the part-timers he’d been subtly converting to his side. Jasper particularly grabbed his eagerly, gushing thank yous.

“Jake might have lost a delivery.” Dwight paused, “Or not? I don’t know about the warehouse, but they’ve been fucking up recently anyways. I swear I can’t find last night’s order but the stockroom does look like shit…”

“You have a computer? There should be a record of orders received and rejected? I know not everyone still does things hard copy.” Todd suggested.

“It’s in the manager’s office!” Robin volunteered. “Not that we’re allowed in there. It’s for Ryan and Dwight only.”

“Well, they can’t fire me so I don’t care about that rule.” Todd said, taking a sip of his coffee and beelining to the back room.

Dwight scrambled to follow him. “No! No! No customers in the back!”

“Oh come on, if Ryan’s going to get mad at you about it then I might as well try to help.” Todd said, finding the tiny room easily and placing himself in the desk chair like he owned the place. “Password’s hottopic123, very creative, not hacking proof at all.”

“It’s a formality, that’s why it’s on the post-it.” Dwight grumbled, reluctant to admit he was grateful for the help.

“Okay, well according to your emails it’s right there. They’re not sending it because of the USPS strike. I don’t know why Ryan didn’t notice that.” Todd said after a few open tabs and a control+f.

“Oh that’s why.” Dwight grumbled, pointing to the open tabs on tanks for tropical fish. “He was distracted.”

“Why is he in charge of a Hot Topic if he doesn’t want to even work here?” Todd asked, looking through the pages. “Like, if you’re desperate you could work for the raptor sanctuary; they’re hiring.”

“Wait, you know the raptor sanctuary?” Dwight asked, intrigued. “I have an owl there.”

“I’m sponsoring Rowena, the prairie-”

“Merlin.” Dwight finished. “Yeah, she’s the one who the workers are teaching how to do the flight tricks right?”

“Yeah.” Todd paused, “You’re Castiel’s sponsor? I thought that name was stupid.”

“It’s not stupid! It’s a good name!” Dwight said before realizing Todd was joking with him. “Oh, okay.”

“So, if Ryan is going to ignore the email in his inbox in favour of spending all his time at Pet Co. I propose we do something to get him back.” Todd said, spinning around in the chair and closing the door to the office. It was more like a cupboard with how much room there was.

Dwight looked at him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

Todd locked the door, “You’ll see.”

---

Robin wasn’t sure what was happening until he went to knock on the door and heard it. Shit. Maybe Dwight was cool.

First thing he did was tell Jake over the phone, who told Jasper, who told Clay- who told literally the entire mall by the time he’d made it in for his closing shift.

“Who knew the dude had it in him.” Jake said, punching in, careful to give the office door a lot of room. “I mean, I would do that but Dwight’s always struck me as a bit of a-”

“A nerd?” Jasper supplied.

“I’m so proud of my dads.” Clay said, already on the top of a stepladder switching out t-shirts. “Like, I can’t use that office so I don’t give a shit- but it’s also hilarious. How long do you think it takes Ryan to notice?”

“First, they’re not your dads.” Jake said.

“Todd gave me a gold star for my pins last week, they’re my dads.” Clay said, half joking, but mostly trying to annoy Jake.

“Okay, fine. Secondly, Ryan isn’t going to notice shit. If he hasn’t notice you’ve been stealing lip rings to wear while at work he is not going to notice Dwight’s boyfriend fucked him in the office.”

“Or did Dwight fuck him?” Jasper asked.

“I don’t care.” Jake dismissed the comment. “Either way, it’ll be, like a year before Ryan realizes something is up.”

Clay grinned, “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

“You’re on.”

The pot, by the time Pet Co., Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and Radio Shack got in on the action, was somewhere around $400. The only ones unaware, were the couple in question and Ryan Cobb.

---

“Shit, Clay! This isn’t what it looks like.” Dwight said hurriedly, Clay pulling open the curtain to the change rooms enough to poke his head in.

“Really? Because it looks like you’re just passionately embracing Todd.” Clay shrugged, “I could be wrong.”  

Todd would have normally made a quip back, but he was too close to reply. “Uh, not a good time.”

“Well, you’ve got almost no time at all for this quickie because Ryan is on his way back. AKA, he’s on the elevator and if you’re here balls deep-“

“I will curse you so hard-”

“You’re already hard, I get it. Put some pants on, wrap it up.” Clay said, flipping the curtain closed. At least the two of them were polite enough to not make any of the part-timers do cleaning duties on these occasions.

Either way, Clay has a vested interest in not alerting Ryan right now. The pot was up to $800 now, and he would need that for next semester’s books. College was expensive.

---

In the end, it wasn’t Ryan who caught them; it was the night security guard who got them outside in Dwight’s ridiculously out of date Chevy. With an ‘indecent exposure’ strike on his record, Ryan had to let Dwight go. The betting pool wasn’t sure if this meant the bet was on, or off.

The next week, when he found Todd wandering past the Hot Topic to the men’s bathrooms with one lanky, gothic boyfriend in tow- he shot Todd a thumbs up and informed the rest of the mall the game was still on.

Ryan Cobb still didn’t know about his desk chair, so money was still up for grabs. Nice.

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Skate Canada 2019 - Men FS

YUZU DID IT! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ CLEAN SKATE!

Fist pump, Yuzu's happy, I am happy, clean skate! That's how you win a Skate Canada title in style! 212.99! 322.59 in total!

The podium shenanigans were so cute! 😂😍You can tell Yuzu was happy!

____

Thoughts in starting order:

Well Paul Fentz that wasn't too bad but it wasn't good either. At least nice 3As! What is the problem with the spins? Lots of work to do...

Roman Sadowsky - what do I have to give to make him skate through? Light and shadow in this skate, wonderful 4S1Eu3S, but falls and botched landings...he is extremely elegant because of his height and he can be musical, but somehow it never comes together...

Matteo Rizzo - Nice program from Matteo, I like the choreo, I just wish he would show a bit more fire in it. And what happened to the 4T? Last season he landed some beautiful ones and this season he seems to struggle...

Nicolas Nadeau and Julian Zhi Jie Yee had fun programs. Enganging the crowd to go along. That's how skating is really fun to watch. Not the most difficult stuff, just fun.

Deniss Vasilijews - I am not a fan of this music. I think he had far more entertaining programs. Some unnecessary mistakes in there, but superb spins and the 4T wasn't a fall at least even if UR. Like he said when he is in the music he starts to let the focus go and that's what you can see.

Andrei Lazukin - Puh...great 4Lz, the first clean quad of the night, but then he started to fall apart...he was the emotionless Andrei that I am used to see...such a shame...

Keiji Tanaka - I really like his Sherlock Homes program. It began so amazing, two 4S landed, great 3A...then some small mistakes started to appear...maybe his strength is a bit gone because of the car accident. Still I think the best FS we have seen from him in years.

Camden Pulkinen - Beautiful costume! Great skate. The 4th place is totally fine and more than he could have hoped for. I am relieved that it seems that he now can pull off a 4T and I don't have to fear that he wouldn't make it. So much looking forward what he can achieve this season!

Yuzuru Hanyu - what to say? This was brilliant! He wasn't here to play! Smashed the competition! 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑

It's a difficult task to skate after Yuzu, because of what he just did. But Nam Nguyen skated the best he could and this silver medal is like gold for him!

[lazuliblade]

Skate Canada 2019 Men’s FS group 1

And as usual, I’m writing down some live impressions for each skater. This time I got the stream sorted out so hopefully I’ll be able to watch everyone today.

Brendan Kerry 137.02, TS: 193.77

4T, 3LzEu2Sal, 3A clean, 2Lo pop,  3A2Trippon, 3Lz, 3S I didn’t know he was also skating to the Sherlock movie OST. I saw Keiji’s practice, but didn’t catch the first group so this was a surprise. The end had some frantic energy that I think fit the music’s frantic energy, but the arm waving needs some polish. I also really hope I didn’t see him mime a violin with the left hand bowing. He kept up with the fast pace, though. He got a StSq2, I wonder if this will be like the SP where nearly no one got a lvl 4.

Paul Fentz 135.92, TS: 202.24

3A2T very nice, 3A held, 3Lz-turn out-2T held, 3Lo held, 3S3T held, 3Lz step out (”I’m still standing” goes the music), StSq3, 2A not the best edge coming out, but it was OK. His last spin was a bit slow and labored. His jumps were shaky but at least he didn’t fall. I’m not sure how I feel about this program overall. It feels like he could project a little more, or... something more with his expression? 

Roman Sadovsky 139.06, TS: 204.35 4S fall, 3F , 3A very telegraphed and not the best running edge but he held it, 3Lo OK, StSq2, 4SEu3S, 3Arep, 3Lz wow that was a crazy save - almost put a hand down with how low he leaned forward, his final ChCoSp had very nice speed and positions. 

Matteo Rizzo 153.66 TS:223.78 3Lo easy, 4T foot down?, 3A3T nice, 3Lz2Trippon nice exit, StSq3, 3A turn out, 3FEu3S, 3Lz nice. I do like the choreographic hand movements he put in during the StSq. It’s nice to see when a skater commits to the movement. I wish there was a little more carried throughout the full program, but it’s already lovely. It’s also the early season, so there’s plenty of time for him to grow with it.

Nicolas Nadeau 147.11 TS:222.33 3A3T nice, 3T, 3Lo2Aseq was really fluid, StSq3, 3A very nice flow out, 2A2T2T, 3F, oof he fell forward?, 3S, I like how he started getting into the music during the ChSq. He felt kind of heavy across the ice, but not bad.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee 135.99 TS:211.63 3A2T nice, 3A lots of power going in and a bit off-balance going out but he held it, 3F,  3S2T nice flow, 3F3T, 2Lo, 2Lz rough -  pop and the exit was a turn-out, StSq1 oof. But he got all lvl4s for his spins. He’s always a joy to watch and I’m glad he could bring a positive atmosphere. He seemed to be getting tired toward the end - you could see him breathing heavily before the Ina Bauer.

[figureskatingfanblog]

2019 Skate Canada Preview - Men

OVERVIEW | PREVIEW - LADIES | PREVIEW - PAIRS | PREVIEW - ICE DANCE | PREDICTIONS

So, this got deleted for some reason. I certainly didn’t do it, so I’m writing it up again. Thanks, Tumblr. My sick self really needed that.

So, the obvious winner in this discipline is reigning two-time Olympic Champion, Yuzuru Hanyu. He could make mistakes here, and he would still win. He is head and tails above everyone else.

The favorite for the silver medal this week, I think, would make it a 1-2 finish for Japan. Keiji Tanaka won his first senior international title last month, and he looked better than ever. If he skates like that again, the silver medal is his.

The bronze medal is more wide open, and considering the inconsistencies of these men, anything could happen: Dennis Vasiljevs of Latvia, Matteo Rizzo of Italy and Roman Sadovsky of Canada. All have looked solid, though not spectacular, during their season so far. I would give the edge to Matteo Rizzo, but I wouldn’t count the other two out as their scores have been very close so far.

Nicolas Nadeau and Nam Nguyen of Canada both have the capability of medaling here, too - but we haven’t seen Nicolas so far, and he’s not the most consistent skater. Nam Nguyen did not have the best start to his season. He had some great moments last season - like winning his second National title - and then some not-so-great moments. He could be anywhere on the map this week.

Brendan Kerry of Australia is another skater that could be anywhere. He had a solid start to his season at the Halloween Cup, and he could push for the top six if he can improve on that, but he can also be towards the bottom, as well.

And our last three skaters have had not great starts to their season.

Andrei Lazukin of Russia - he had a top ten finish at Worlds this season, but his performances so far this season have been not-so-great - 168 and 209. If he skates like that again, he’ll be towards the bottom of the pack.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee of Malaysia is a skater that has had some good short programs, but his free programs have not quite been up to par of his shorts. If he can level things out, he might able to get out of the bottom. He has been seventh and twelfth in his GP events last season.

Camden Pulkinen of the US - last but certainly not least. He’s got amazing skating skills and musicality, but his jumps aren’t always there. His season opener was not so great, but his second competition was improved. If he can keep going, he might be able to push to the middle of the pack.

[moonstarphoenix]

Skate Canada Men’s LP Pt. 1

Sorry folks, I intended to do this last night but my team lost and I’m devastated. It was a great series and a great season for the Astros. I can’t wait to see what they do next year. But anyway, I have my favorite winter sport to get me through the months. So finally, here’s the men’s long program recaps, just in time for the Grand Prix France that starts...tomorrow! I’ll try to do them live tomorrow but some of it is early in my time. I will get them finished the day of the competitions though!

So let’s finish out Skate Canada.

My heart breaks for Brendan Kerry. This was definitely not how he wanted to start his season. Last year, it was obvious he wasn’t feeling Grease as his long. Let’s see if Sherlock Holmes will be better. I love the score to these movies so this could be a fun program. Stays on his feet for the quad but spins out. His center of gravity seems off. I think Brendan has a lot of potential to challenge. Perhaps a new coach would do him better. He gets this version of Sherlock Holmes and seems to have fun when the choreography allows it. I like this program much better and it was a better performance than the short. Here’s hoping Cup of China will be better for him.

Paul Fentz has been on the senior circuit for a long time. Ooh another Rocketman song.  I’m loving the new influx of Elton John programs. He starts off clean. I love when they have to remix songs to stretch it the full length of a long program. He’s not as fluid, not as natural as a dancer as some of the other competitors but it’s not a complete disaster. I don’t really like the choreography too much but he did a good job.

Roman Sadovsky is also skating to Schlinder’s List. Jason Brown’s is already iconic. Will Roman’s be just as good? He doesn’t have the natural connection to the music Jason has but this is a quiet program and his choreography and soft skills are reflecting it well. While not as emotional as Jason’s, this is a lovely program. This is the type of program I mean when I say quiet programs can captivate an audience. That was well done,

Ah, Matteo Rizzo. Not the short he wanted but today’s a new day. This is an intense program and Matteo seems into it. Dare I say, it fits his style as well. If you can get the jumps, this wil be a program that will draw in the audience easily. I like this one on him. Not his best jumpwise, but an excellent performance for the first major competition of the season.

Nicolas Nadeau is the first Canadian tonight and with a Depeche Mode medley. This is different. Big triple axel to open and I mean he got high off the ground. Oops, he got a little too into the choreography and tripped but he likes this program and it’s showing in his performance which makes it fun to watch. He may not be the best but this was certainly a joyful program. Definitely the type of program to make the audience notice you and has a fun moment with one of the flower girls.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee finishes out the first group. I liked him in the short and his program is more rock. And within seconds he has the audience clapping along. He’s been on the senior circuit for a few years but it’s only his second in the Grand Prix and dare I say I hope we see him for a few more years. Anybody who skates to AC/DC is one to watch. This was his program last year as well so he should be pretty comfortable with it. I see potential. Perhaps not his bbest performance but I enjoyed the program and look forward to see him more in future.

On to the big boys!

[cocomaxley]

Chi-Town Shenanigans

Part 3

This is a part of a TRR A/U called Cordonians Gone Wild, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @leelee10898 @speedyoperarascalparty and yours truly. Catch up HERE.

Summary: The CGW crew heads to Chicago for a fun long weekend.

Rating: NSFW, mature and very bad decisions.

Tag List: @riseandshinelittleblossom @blackwidow2721 @hopefulmoonobject @bobasheebaby @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @katurrade @krsnlove @alj4890 @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves

The next morning, everyone met downstairs for breakfast. Pam and Drake were the last to arrive, Drake unable to meet anyone's eye. “Good meow-ning, Drakey!” Genevieve said giggling. Pam glared at her and mouthed, “Stop!” Anitah perked up when she heard Genevieve teasing Drake, “Let's make this a game. Whoever says ‘meow’ the most today wins.”

Genevieve laughed, “I don't even care what the stakes are, I'm in.” The two women huddled their heads together, Drake eyed them suspiciously. Anitah looked up, “Hey, Drake, can you call my phone? I can't find it.” Drake picked up his phone and dialed her number. The phone started playing the Meow Mix jingle. The group turned to the ringing phone and burst out laughing. “Ha ha, very funny, guys,” Drake said rolling his eyes. Even Pam had to cover her mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping.

The group was going to a cubs game later that day, and they were meeting Julian and Thomas who had box seats for the game. Since it was unseasonably warm, Pam and Genevieve dressed in Cubs tank tops while Anitah came down in wearing a Yankees tank top and baseball hat. Alicia showed up wearing a Phillies jersey which made her three friends boo at her. A short time later, the men came down, Rashad and Drake wearing cubs jerseys, Liam in a Yankees jersey and Leo in a Phillies jersey. Leo looked at the others confused and said, “Wait, who’s playing? Only two teams play right?”

Alicia walked up to him and patted him on the head, “You're so pretty.” He smiled at her. “Our team isn't playing today. But we aren't wearing that garbage,” she added. The three girls rolled their eyes, Anitah smack talked right back, “You know what's garbage? The entire Phillies organization.” Anitah smirked knowing she struck a nerve. Leo looked at the ladies staring dagger at each other and shook his head, “I'm going to get my ass kicked today, aren't I? Maybe I should change.” After seeing the look on Alicia's face, he snapped his mouth shut and stayed quiet.

They arrived at the ballpark, walked up to the Legends suite and were greeted by Thomas and Julian. Once inside, the guys hit the bar for some drinks and the ladies went to the seats at the front of the box. Genevieve felt a tap on her shoulder and a deep voice whispered in her ear, “Hey, beautiful.” She froze and turned around, “Hey, Christian. I…I…I didn't know you'd be here…” She looked past him and saw Rashad glaring at Christian’s back. “When Thomas told me you were here, I wanted to see you…” he leaned down to kiss her, and she stopped him. “I'm sorry, I can't. I have a boyfriend.”

Rashad walked up and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Christian, this is my boyfriend, Rashad. Rashad, this is...erm...Christian.” She couldn't look at either man. “I remember,” Rashad said through gritted teeth. Christian extended his hand, and Rashad reluctantly shook it, “Oh that's right, you came to St. Tropez with the rest of the guys. You slept in the room next to us, didn't you?” Christian said with a smirk. Genevieve closed her eyes and could feel her cheeks burning. After a few awkward moments, Christian said, “Well it's good to see you. You're still as beautiful as the last time we were together in June.” He winked at her and she could feel Rashad tensing up next to her.

Genevieve turned to him, “I didn't know he was going to be here.” He shook his head, “It's fine. It was before we were together. I just don't like how he looks at you, like he's undressing you with his eyes.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and he deepened it. She whispered in his ear, “I love you, Rashad.” He smiled and relaxed, “I love you too.”

Pam walked up to the buffet and started putting food on her plate. “Pam Malinski? Is that you?” She turned around and her mouth fell open in shock, “Paul, what are you doing here?” She put her plate down and pulled him into a hug. “I work with Julian and he invited me to come to the game. It's great to see you.” She waved Drake over and said, “Drake, this is my friend Paul. Paul, this is my fiancé, Drake.” Drake shook Paul's hand and Paul said, “We were more than friends, wouldn't you say, honey bunny?” Drake arched an eyebrow and looked at Pam. Her face flushed, “Well we dated briefly, but we were friends more than anything.” Julian called Paul over to him. “Well it was nice to meet you, Drake. Pam, keep in touch, ok?”

“Honey bunny?” Drake said eyeing Pam. “He used to call me that after we watched Pulp Fiction a few times. It's a stupid nickname. You're not upset are you, baby?” Drake plastered a fake smile on his face, “Of course not. This was a long time ago, right?” Pam nodded, “It was a really long time ago.” Drake looked over at Paul who was staring at Pam with a wide grin on his face. Drake narrowed his eyes at him, and Paul quickly looked away after he saw the scowl on Drake’s face. “So how long did you two date exactly?” Drake asked. Pam shrugged, “We dated in high school, a little in college and then briefly again after college.” Drake choked on his drink, “You dated him three different times?”

Pam rolled her eyes, “But not very long each time. I really saw him more as a friend. So we decided to just be friends.” Drake looked in Paul’s direction and noticed he was staring again. “Seems like he wants to be more than friends, Pam.” She turned to him, “Are you jealous, Drake?” He quickly fixed his face into a pained smile, “No!”

Drake and Rashad joined Liam and Leo at the bar. They looked back at the girls who were watching the game talking shit to each other. Christian sat in the seat next to Genevieve, and Paul sat in the seat behind Pam. Drake and Rashad seethed watching the two men hitting on their women. Rashad threw back his drink and asked for another, Drake doing the same. Rashad nudged Drake's arm, "Should we go over there?" His jaw clenched. Drake shook his head, “No, I trust Pam. I just don't like that guy.” His eyes never leaving his fiancée. Rashad nodded in agreement, “You’re right…I don't trust him for a second.” Both men throwing back drink after drink watching the other men shamelessly flirting with Pam and Genevieve.

All of a sudden, Christian moved his arm and placed it over the back of Genevieve’s seat. Paul leaned forward close to Pam’s face. Both men slammed down their glasses and stood up walking over to the seats. Rashad tapped Christian on the shoulder, “Excuse me, I’d like to sit next to my girlfriend.” He glared at him, daring Christian to challenge him. Christian smirked, “I don't think she minds sitting next to me though.” Rashad grabbed him by the back of the shirt and lifted him up from his seat, “Well I do.” Christian held up his arms and backed away quickly. Genevieve looked up at Rashad and bit her lip. Once he sat down, she whispered, “That was so sexy.” She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Drake stood behind Paul and cleared his throat. Paul straightened up in his seat, then turned around looking at him. Drake said in a low tone, “I'm going to ask you nicely, this time, to back away from my fiancée. Next time...there won't be a next time, will there, Paul?” He shot up from his seat and walked back to the bar. Pam stood up and grabbed Drake’s arm pulling him towards the bathroom.

Once Pam and Drake rejoined the group, it was the 6th inning. They had six outs before the ballpark stopped serving alcohol. “Shots!” Alicia yelled. The bartender lined up shots of whiskey, everyone held their glasses up and took their shots. At the bottom of the 9th inning, the girls sat back down in the seats. The game was tied 1-1 and the Cubs were down to their last out. The ladies started volleying insults back and forth.

“You know what Cubs stands for? Completely useless by September,” Anitah said laughing. The guys snickered.

“What's the difference between a cactus and the Yankees dugout?” Genevieve asked Pam who started giggling. “On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.” The boys looked at each other chuckling.

Anitah rolled her eyes, “Hey Alicia, what's the difference between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs? The last Phillies World Series team picture isn't in black and white.”

The men turned their heads towards Pam as she said, “Hey Gen, What do you call 40 millionaires around a TV watching the World Series? The New York Yankees.”

“What is the difference between a bucket of shit and an Chicago Cubs fan? The bucket.” The men now looking at Anitah with concerned faces.

All heads turned towards Genevieve, "What do the New York Yankees and possums have in common? Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!"

Anitah yelled, “Hey Pam, rather than wasting money on that replica hat, just strap a large rubber dildo to your head. EVERYONE will know who you support.”

Alicia stood up and pulled off both Pam’s and Anitah’s hats, “You know what? Both of your teams suck!” She threw the hats out of the box into the crowd below. All of the guys froze with their mouths open looking at each other. The girls burst out laughing. “Dammit, I love that hat!” Anitah said between giggles.

The crowd erupted in cheers at the sound of the bat hitting the ball in its sweet spot. Anthony Rizzo scored the game winning homerun. “In your face, Anitah!” Pam and Genevieve yelled as they stood up and cheered.

After the game ended, they said goodbye to Thomas and Julian. Christian walked up to Genevieve and said, “Hey, if things don't work out with the boyfriend, give me a call.” He tried to pull her into a hug, but Rashad walked up and pulled one of his hands into a bone crushing handshake, “Nice to see you again, Chris. We're leaving now.” He wrapped his arm around Genevieve and they walked out together. She giggled, “I should make you jealous more often.” He smirked, “Oh, you'll pay for that later.” She smiled, “I can't wait.” He stopped walking and pulled her into a heated kiss. Drake looked towards Paul’s direction. He looked like he wanted to talk to Pam, but thought better of it when he met Drake’s eye.

“Let's go to John Barleycorn!” Pam said. They walked the short distance and they all hit the bar, Leo ordering shots. Pam went to the jukebox and picked a few songs, the first one started playing.

Well, I walk into the room

Passing out hundred dollar bills

And it kills, and it thrills, like the horns on my silverado grill

And I buy the bar double round the crown

And everybody's getting down

An' this town, ain't never gonna be the same

“I love this song!” Genevieve yelled, and the ladies started their own dance party singing along, Save a horse, ride a cowboy. The drinks flowed freely and as the night went on, everyone got drunker and drunker. Leo joined Alicia on the dance floor and they immediately started making out. He pinned her up against the wall, dry humping her not caring who was watching. Anitah and Genevieve kept dancing and Anitah yelled, “Why is it so hot in here?” She started lifting her shirt over her head and Liam bolted towards her, “My love, what are you doing? Keep your shirt on.” He pulled her shirt back down and Anitah smacked his hand, “My team lost, they suck! I don't want to wear this stupid shirt!” She tried to pull her shirt over her head again.

Pam sat down next to Drake at the bar and started petting his head, “Baby, I looovvvve you! You're such a good kitty, soft kitty.” Drake’s face turned bright red, “Ok, Pam. I love you too, but shh, ok?” Pam giggled, “But I love you my sweet kitty cat! Mrow, meow. Meeeooowwww.” Drake covered her mouth trying to muffle the noises coming out of it.

Genevieve started walking towards Rashad at the bar and tripped over her own feet. She fell on the floor laughing. While lying on the floor, she could hear Pam’s meows getting louder and louder, Drake desperately trying to quiet her. Finally he yelled, “WE ARE DONE!” He picked Pam up and threw her over his shoulder. Rashad picked Genevieve up from the floor bridal style. Liam pulled Anitah by the arm, Leo and Alicia stumbled out the door, lips still locked together.

Once outside, Genevieve pulled out her phone and called a cab, requesting a vehicle large enough for them to ride together. After they got into the minivan, they realized that there wasn't enough room for everyone, so Anitah sat on Liam's lap in the middle seat next to Leo and Alicia. Pam and Drake were sitting in the far rear seat, and Genevieve sat on Rashad’s lap next to them. Maxwell sat in the front seat trying to change the radio station, the cab driver giving him the side eye. On the ride back to the hotel, Alicia yelled, “I want McDonalds! Stop at McDonald's!” The cabbie groaned and pulled into the drive thru. Alicia tapped the driver on the shoulder, “I want chicken nuggets.” He looked back at her and rolled down the window not saying a word. Anitah hung out of the window, “Hi! I'm the Queen of Gordon and I would like a taco please.”

“Ma'am, this is McDonalds.”

“Ok ok, I’d like a McTaco.” Everyone in the car burst out laughing. Liam cracked up saying, “Love, I think you need to switch to water.” The employee and cab driver both sounded equally annoyed, “Ma'am, we don't have tacos. This is McDonalds.” Anitah giggled, “Ok then I'll have chicken nuggets…”

“How many chicken nuggets, ma'am?” The employee could no longer hold back the irritation in his voice.

“I want all of the chicken nuggets…” she started laughing hard. Each person in the car tried to call out their orders and Anitah shook her head, “and ten hamburger happy meals. Oh! And a McWater please. You have that right?”

“They’re going to spit in our food!” Pam said crying from laughing. The relieved cab driver finally dropped them off at the hotel. They filed into Liam and Anitah’s suite happily opening their food. “What the fuck is this, Anitah? We couldn't even get cheese?” Drake said biting into his hamburger. Alicia pulled out the toy from the box, “Hello Kitty! She's so cute!” At the same time everyone looked at each other and yelled, “MEEEOOOWWW!” They doubled over laughing hysterically. Drake grumbled, “Fuck all of you!”

The next morning, everyone woke up severely hungover. Everyone had passed out in Anitah and Liam’s hotel room. Most of them fell asleep on the floor, fully clothed still wearing their shoes. Anitah sat up in bed and started laughing. She grabbed her phone and snapped a picture. In the middle of the bed were the Rhys brothers cuddling each other. Leo's arms wrapped around Liam's waist and Liam's head cuddled into Leo's neck. “Oh this is too good!” Maxwell said giggling. He took his own picture, “it's going into the scrapbook.” Liam and Leo woke up staring at each other with wide eyes. “What the fuck, Liam!” They both scrambled away from each other while everyone laughed at them.

[scatteredfangirling]

Skate America 2018 - Men’s SP

Tonight was a solid start to the Grand Prix Series - super excited to see how these programs and skaters continue to develop in the next several weeks.

Jimmy Ma (USA)

I’ve always had a liking for Jimmy’s performance flair - today wasn’t his best performance of this SP, so he’s definitely going to have to fight tomorrow. I’m glad he was able to make a speedy recovery from that 4T fall at the beginning.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee (MAS)

“To Build a Home” is always such a touching piece of music to skate to, and he did a really good job! Julian has really good lines and expression, and it was super rewarding to see that come together with clean jumps tonight. Congrats on getting the highest TES!

Romain Ponsart (FRA)

This was a really solid showing for Romain. He really threw himself into the step sequence and the music towards the end of the program. I’m still crying that he got a bear that said “Mariah + Romain” on the back of its shirt

Michal Brezina (CZE)

He might be hitting uncle status, but he’s still got it. He proved it with his 4S+3T combo, and then immediately popped...lmao. Other than that one (costly) mistake, it was good to see him on the ice.

Kevin Reynolds (CAN)

This was rough. I hadn’t followed Kevin in the past, but all I can say was this SP was rough. :/ The scoring tanked a lot because of URs, and tbh I’ve got whiplash from the amt of UR-related deductions compared to previous seasons with the new scoring system

Nam Nguyen (CAN)

99% sure what everyone’s thinking is that this music choice only makes them think of the shibsibs. (same tbh) I think he did a really solid attempt today - he delivered the program quite well, and I was so happy to see such a clean 3A from him. He’s also going to have to fight for all the TES tomorrow, so we’ll see

Vincent Zhou (USA)

RIP dude those URs Exogenesis carries a high burden of comparison, and Vincent’s definitely going to need to work his way up there. His skating has become a lot more fluid and mature, which I’m happy to see. I no longer feel like i’m just waiting for the jumps to happen and to lose interest in all the stuff in between. But yeah, I got the worst whiplash here for his underrotation calls because I haven’t seen a score that low for him perhaps ever. :/ :/ fight tomorrow son.

Morisi Kvitelashvili (GEO)

This was my first time watching him, and it was a really rough take. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the entire packaging of the program, so I’ll just side-eye Daniil from afar.

Matteo Rizzo (ITA)

I started watching Matteo during Pyeongchang last year, and he’s really grown! This program is super fitting for him - it’s graceful and airy. I’m glad the new scoring system is rewarding him for his clean triples. RISE

Nathan Chen (USA)

Wow, my son came back from Yale and just threw down. It’s nice to see him enjoying the program and being in the moment. Last season’s programs kinda devolved into super “focus/think face” performances. I feel like I’m seeing the playful side of him from his junior years coming out again.

Sergei Voronov (RUS)

The men’s SP ends with the finale of the uncles. I didn’t really have many strong impressions of Sergei’s SP though. But yeah, I have to give him kudos for continuing to show up to these things despite the fact that his fed historically seems to give negative shits about him.

Alexei Bychenko (ISR)

I can always count of Alexei to deliver (except when there’s boot problems). Not a fan of the top, but the overall program was nicely done. It does get a teeny bit flaily. I will now forever marvel at the fact that Alexei pulled his shit together mid-combination and saved his combo by somehow breaking physics and conserving enough momentum to do a triple toe after a doubled lutz.

[birdie02]

Thoughts on Skate America 2018 Men’s SP

Welp the GP starts off in the US, aka my timezone, so I can watch live! Sort of... kind of late at night though xD

Warmup – lmao at that switch of the lineup. Heard that Vincent had a back injury, glad to see he’s back. Hopefully he’s recovered successfully. Nathan has… interesting hair (it’s better than cutting the curls off for Pyeongchang though), and glad he has a costume this time (I disliked his costumes last year during the latter part of the season). Vincent landed a 3A successfully, though could do a bit more on the smoothness of the landing. Matteo has a nice 3F. Oof Nathan popped that 3A into a single. Tried it again and landed it successfully. Sergei popped a 3Lz into a 1Lz… popping culture huh. Nathan landed a 3A again. Nice 3Lz Sergei! Ooh dang that 4Lz by Vincent. Moris popped a 4S into a 2S. Matteo landed another nice triple (flip?). 

Vincent Zhou – Ooh nice ombre costume. Simple but sweet. Is this a lyrical program song? Interesting opening choreo. Most parts were good, some parts could be more convincing though. Nice 4Lz3T (rippon!), though there was some space in between the 4Lz and the 3T. Nice 4F. Oooh a donut spin into a half-Biellmann, I love! Nice 3A! Great with the jumps today! Ooh that last few seconds of the choreo were great! Great that Vincent skated clean at home! 76.38 Hmm,  URs were called for a lot of the elements, possibly the 2 quads and the 3A. Interesting. I saw that the 3A was under but idk about the other two. The 4F was nice though, so idk. Strict judging?

Moris Kvitelashvili – Not watched him before. This is Debussy’s Clair de Lune, ok. Oof that 4S… slipped off that edge. Good 3A! Nice camel spin, the extension was good. I like his spins! I kind of dislike that piano-playing fingers imitation choreo there. Oof that quad (Toe? Sal?) ended in a fall, so no combo. That donut (?) spin was good but his costume xD Um I gotta say that the music cut/transition between the spin and the StSq was quite weird in my opinion. Maybe this is a remix of Clair de Lune, but as a classical piano player (amateur), I’m a bit irritated at the program music xD 68.58

Matteo Rizzo – Not watched him as well, but heard that he did a heck ton of competitions last season or two season ago, lmao (or is this someone else? Idk). Ooh elegant shirt for the top. Ok I like the opening choreo, smooth and graceful. Great 3A! Good 3Lz3T, very airy and easy. Nice donut spin. Ok idk what they’re called but they’re not donut-spin looking bc the lines (if you look from a bird’s eye view) are kind of not a round hole, looks more like a stiff polygon. That StSq has a nice choreo, it’s real cool. Nice 3F, good running edge after the landing. Good skate, I like it! His skating is very classic and elegant. 78.09

Nathan Chen – Oh that opening pose! That look! Wow this opening choreo and song, omg :o I’m very into it already. Hopefully he delivers as well, both technically and musically. Nice 3A! Good, very good. Wow, tight 4F but landed. Stepped out though. Music is such a contrast to his last season’s music, though, but not in a bad way. I’m feeling the musical part of it though! Nice 3Lz3T! Supposed to be a 4Lz, idk? Looks to be having a fun time with the program. He’s a good performer to this song. Good skate to start the GP! It is better than the FS at Japan Open for sure. Boy did he collect so much goodies on the nice. Omg the opening choreo and expression xD I’m laughing om xD Maybe the 4Lz didn’t get enough height for 4Lz? But dang I’m really feeling the program. 90.58. Dang the tech controller is tight today. I’m glad they are more tight than lenient, though. Not a fan of inflation.

Sergei Voronov – Not a fan of the costume (I have a… thing against basic block coloring styles, just a preferences I guess). Ooh Rach music! My roommate plays the same music for his SP omg :o I’m stunned. Omg. How the heck. Very shocked. Good 4T2T! Very Russian Rach music omg. I love this music. Tight on the 3Lz, and gotta say I’m not feeling the long set up. Nice donut spin!! Step out of the 3A. Wow look at those 2 sets of twizzles ahhh. Wow that sit spin was fast. 78.18. Got to say that his musicality can improve…

Alexei Bychenko – Wow that costume is hecka detailed in terms of genera color design. What is this… opening music? Referring to the voice. The orchestra sets the tone quickly, wow. Good 3F, very fast and powerful! 3A landed, but turned out on the landing. I’m not a fan of that weird voice, it’s giving me the creeps… Oof that popped 3Lz turned into a 2Lz3T. Lmao it’s weird seeing such a high 3T after the 2Lz. I recognize the music now (StSq) but can’t place the name on it, hmm. That’s a lot of things going on in the StSq (elements-wise), perhaps to meet the intensity/pace of the music. Just saying, I wish the strict calls tonight were reflected across all disciplines 24/7 in all events, but that’s wishful thinking xD. That 3A had good height in that slow-mo! 69.69

Omg Julian Zhi Die Nee is 3rd! Omg! Nathan has a decent lead on the rest of the crowd, which is in the low 80s, high 70s atm.

[everythingmusicandfilm]

Oscars 2018

I can’t believe it has been a whole year since La La Land was best picture for a whole two minutes. Yes, it’s that time again, oscar season. Although I am most excited to see Tom Holland in a suit, I am also eager to see who takes home the golden statues. Every year I try my best to watch the oscar nominated films and this year was no different. Before I get into my picks for the oscars, a little reminder that these are my own personal opinions. I do not claim to be a film expert or anything, this is just who I think should win for each category!

Writing

Adapted Screenplay

“Call Me By Your Name” James Ivory

“The Disaster Artists” Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

“Logan” Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green

“Molly’s Game” Aaron Sorkin

“Mudbound” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

As much as I LOVED Logan and think it is without a doubt the best wolverine film we have seen, Call Me By Your Name is my pick here. The story addresses a romantic relationship between an unlikely pair, a 30 year old man and a 17 year old boy. As we live in a time where a racist and misogynistic male is president of the free world, this film offers us an escape to remember that love is important. Elio’s father’s speech as he explains that he accepts that Elio is gay, is a moving and inspiring monologue. The story provides a beautiful representation of homosexuality and reminds the world of the importance of love, especially in a time of struggle and pain.

Original Screenplay

“The Big Sick” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani

“Get Out” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird” Greta Gerwig

“The Shape of Water” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Martin McDonagh

Get Out offers a surprisingly unique storyline that successfully combines elements of psychological horror with dark humour. I have never been a huge horror film fan, however I really enjoyed this film and was constantly engaged. The film had me hooked right until the end. It addresses a particular side of racism as it is set in the post-obama era. It connects historical themes of slavery with the contemporary nature of white people being envious of black people. The story line is captivating and innovative and hence why I think it should win best original screenplay.

Technical

Cinematography

“Blade Runner 2049” Roger Deakins

“Darkest Hour” Bruno Delbonnel

“Dunkirk” Hoyte van Hoytema

“Mudbound” Rachel Morrison

“The Shape of Water” Dan Laustsen

Without a doubt. Every single frame in Blade Runner 2049 is a piece of art. The cinematography in Dunkirk of course is spectacular and captivating and don’t even get me started on the lighting in The Shape of Water, however Blade Runner 2049 is so visually stunning that the light almost feels alive. Roger Deakins paints a picture almost frighteningly realistic as the audience faces the realities of human nature. The cinematography highlights the importance of the visual in science fiction films and is a refreshingly unique and powerful aspect that makes Blade Runner 2049 so incredible.

Visual Effects

“Blade Runner 2049” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover and Gerd Nefzer

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick

“Kong: Skull Island” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, ScottBenza and Mike Meinardus

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould and Neal Scanlan

“War for the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Joel Whist

Even though I am obsessed with the visuals in Blade Runner 2049, I think it is about time that Planet of the Apes is recognised for the stunning visual effects. Weta Digital has once again proved themselves to be one of the best in the business as they bring these apes to life. Their performance capture technology is so innovative that it captures the smallest details of Andy Serkis’s facial expressions and manages to translate it onto the ever realistic ape. The first two Planet of the Apes films were snubbed by the academy and I really believe that it should win this year.

Production Design

“Beauty and the Beast” Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer

“Blade Runner 2049” Dennis Gassner and Alessandra Querzola

“Darkest Hour” Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer

“Dunkirk” Nathan Crowley and Gary Fettis

“The Shape of Water” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau

Austerberry, Melvin and Vieau successfully manage to create an entire world in The Shape of Water. The sets, props and lighting all come together to create a magical film. Elisa’s theatre apartment is so beautifully detailed that it took almost 3500 colour samples to create. Each of the sets are inspired and shaped by water from the rusted down walls to the pipes in the lab. So much thought and detail has been put into the design of this film and that is why it is one of the most beautiful films.

Film Editing

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss

“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith

“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel

“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

It doesn’t take an expert to recognise the amazing editing skills being portrayed in Baby Driver. The entire film is cut to musical cues, which meant that it had to be edited on set. The editing successfully falls to the beat of the music without the audience even realising. The editing is thorough and naturally allows the film to flow the way it does. The pacing and editing of the film is what makes it so unique so I really hope it takes home the oscar on Sunday.

Makeup and Hairstyling

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Gary Oldman is completely unrecognisable as Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour. The transformation is shocking and although Oldman’s performance definitely contributes to the amazing portrayal of Churchill, the makeup and hairstyling is what makes it oscar worthy.

Costume Design

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran

“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran

“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges

“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira

“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

As the film is a story about a fashion designer in the 1950s Couture World of London, it is no surprise that the costumes in the film are stunning. Each piece is so detailed and intrinsic, it is easy to see the hard work that went into making them. Although I feel like any one of these films could take home the oscar as this was a relatively hard category to pick one favourite. Phantom Thread however has become known for its costume design and this could be what edges it out slightly from the other nominees.

Sound

Original Score

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer

“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood

“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Although personally Call Me By Your Name should win best original score, The Shape of Water is a very close second. The delicate, beautiful piano pieces add to the stunning elements of the film. The score transports us to this other world as we follow Elisa’s story. The music is what successfully balances the science fiction side of the film with the sad story of Elisa wanting to be heard for once. Because Elisa is mute I often feel that the music in the film speaks for her as it reflects how she feels. I believe that the sound is one of the most important elements of filmmaking and if you have a successful score then you will have a successful film, and this is definitely the case with The Shape of Water.

Original Song

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige

“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens

“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren and Common

“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

This is a particular tough category as “Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name is a gorgeous piano piece that makes me feel like I am in Italy during the summer and “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman brought tears to my eyes. However “Remember Me” from Coco is an emotional and inspiring piece of music that represents the entire film. Pixar is not often recognised for the music in their films and think that should change this year with this song.

Sound Editing

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini and Theo Green

“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King

“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce and Matthew Wood

The difference between sound editing and sound mixing is that sound editing is about what you hear, sound mixing is about how you hear it. Screw the 70mm screen, I think Dunkirk should win best sound editing because it is the sound that makes the war film so immersive. The sound editing in Dunkirk is so precise and captivating that the audience has no idea they are being manipulated. The constant ticking, the ocean waves and the ascending pitch creates an increasing intensity that unites the three different storylines. The war film that shows no blood is still so intense and captivating because of the sound editing.

Sound Mixing

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater and Tim Cavagin

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hephill

“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo

“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker and Michael Semanick

Sound mixing however deserves to go to Baby Driver. The entire film is choreographed to the sound yet it does not feel anything like a musical. This is because the sound mixers successfully managed to have the action cut to the sound while still allowing the film to not feel so choreographed. The diegetic and non-diegetic sound perfectly mix together to make a film based around music, to not be anything close to a musical. Every sound from the placement of a cup to the chewing of gum is synched in time with the music. So much work went into this film to ensure that the sound would drive the story and that is exactly what it does. 

Acting

Best Supporting Actor

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

SAM ROCKWELL 100% !!!!! I was absolutely blown away by his performance in Three Billboards. Rockwell plays a problematic character of a racist cop who’s only answer is violence. While there is criticism of the film trying to get the audience to sympathise for his character at the end, there is no doubt that Rockwell’s performance is inspiring. Dixon is such a complicated character with so many different sides and we see Rockwell successfully show us all of them in this film. Everyone is always talking about Frances in this film but I believe that the best acting performance came from Rockwell.

Best Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”

Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”

Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Although Allison Janney is picked to be the favourite and I did admire her performance, Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird is the winner for me. Metcalf has a way with words that really brings out her performance. She understands the importance of a mother’s role in her daughter’s life as she delivers an inspiring performance.

Best Lead Actor

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”

Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”

Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Another tough pick as Daniel Kaluuya delivered an amazing performance in Get Out, Daniel Day-Lewis and Denzel Washington were as incredible as ever and Gary Oldman in the Darkest Hour is possibly his best performance yet, however Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name is my favourite performance of all. This was the first time I had seen Chalamet in a film, and he blew me away. He is so young yet his performance is so inspiring, it is what makes the relationship between his character and Armie Hammer’s character work so well. Although I think Gary Oldman will probably win on the night, I think Chalamet deserves it the most.

Best Lead Actress

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”

Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”

Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Every single one of these lovely ladies deserves best lead actress however if I had to choose one it would have to be Frances McDormand. Her performance represents the pain and suffering of a world where so much sexual harassment is happening and nothing is being done about it. The audience is moved to tears as we follow her struggle of finding justice for her daughter. Frances truly leads the film to success and this is what a lead actress does. Her passionate monologues are just as empowering as to what she doesn’t say and this is why she deserves best lead actress.

Best Director and Best Picture

Best Director

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan

“Get Out,” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig

“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Is it possible to have all five directors win? Because that would be my pick. Jordan Peele delivers what has been called ‘the film of the year’ with Get Out. Greta Gerwig is the only female to be nominated and hence I think she should win solely for that reason, also because Lady Bird is the stunning, coming of age film that we have all been waiting for. Paul Thomas Anderson somehow manages to make emotions visual with his lovely film Phantom Thread and Guillermo del Toro who is an extremely close second delivers my favourite picture The Shape of Water. However I think it is about time that Nolan finally received the oscar for best director. There is no doubt that Christopher Nolan is a mastermind when it comes to filmmaking. Each and every one of his films are incredible pieces of work. Dunkirk however is the unconventional war film that I never thought I needed. There is no blood and guts in this film and the simple long takes and minimal dialogue makes it seem rather minimalistic. However the film still has so much depth and impact. Nolan chose to strip the film down and focus on what is important, the framing and the sound to create an immersive epic film. His choices in the film reflect his genius mind and clearly show that he is indeed the best director.

Best Picture

“Call Me by Your Name” Luca Guadagnino

“Darkest Hour” Joe Wright

“Dunkirk” Christopher Nolan

“Get Out” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird” Greta Gerwig

“Phantom Thread” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Post” Steven Spielberg

“The Shape of Water” Guillermo del Toro

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Michael McDonagh

I think this is the hardest year ever to pick a film for best picture. There have been so many amazing films this year. I chose The Shape of Water however because it is the only film that exceeds in all areas of filmmaking. The score as I have already explained drives the narrative of the film and contributes to the beautiful aesthetic. The production design transports us to another world. The cinematography and in particular the lighting is so beautiful it perfectly reflects the nature of being underwater. The story is unique and innovative as we are able to look past the weirdness of a woman sleeping with a fish to realise the true meaning of a mute girl wanting to be heard. Sally Hawkins plays a difficult part in making this story focus on the beautiful hidden meaning rather than on the science fiction aspect, and she does this very successfully. Guillermo del Toro manages to bring all these elements together to create a unique and stunning film that has everyone talking. I never thought a film about a romance between a girl and a fish could be so beautiful and that is why it is my pick for best picture.

[locke-writes]

what are your thoughts on the oscar nominations?

We’re doing this as a category by category breakdown and I’m prefacing this by saying this is just my opinion as a viewer and filmmaker.

Best Picture:

“Call Me by Your Name”“Darkest Hour”“Dunkirk”“Get Out”“Lady Bird”“Phantom Thread”“The Post”“The Shape of Water”“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

This is probably one of the toughest Best Picture categories I’ve seen in years. All in all such strong films. I am worried about what will happen should Get Out lose because I have a feeling it will. While it may be a strong film with a good centralized message it doesn’t stand in the same league as films like Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, or The Shape of the Water. It doesn’t have many high profile names attached and it’s not so much an art film like the rest could be perceived as. If it doesn’t win I anticipate backlash against the Academy for racism and if it does win I anticipate backlash against the Academy for not choosing a film that would typically win. That being said I don’t think it will win but I could be wrong. All the film on this list have incredible stories and are beautifully shot films with strong performances by their actors. There’s a few that I want to win but I’d be happy with most of them taking home the Oscar.

Lead Actor:

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

I was surprised to see Denzel nominated not because it was a bad performance but because so few saw the film. I think the top contenders are Daniel Day-Lewis and Gary Oldman as both their performances were incredible and they encapsulated their characters in every way possible. Timothée most likely will not win although his portrayal of Elio could be matched by no other actor in my opinion. However he’s currently filming (or maybe it’s in post) a movie that if it is done properly most likely will bring him back to the Oscars. Kaluuya seems like the odd man out although his performance was great. He might win it but again with heavyweights in this category I can only see it going to either of them. I’d be pleasantly surprised though.

Lead Actress:

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Again these are practically all heavyweight actors. Great performances all around but I’m not sure about Margot or Saoirse winning. They played equally excellent roles but with the pattern of wins in this category it seems more than likely that Frances will get it. Personally would like to see Sally Hawkins get the Oscar because she played a mute woman which is a difficult performance for an actor. Pulling all emotion into facial expression and in this case also ASL hand movements. I’d be happy with any outcome here though.

Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

A little disappointed that Armie Hammer didn’t get a nom for Call Me By Your Name but it’s a good list nonetheless. Dafoe would be my pick but I’m cautiously doubtful and predict it going to either Rockwell or Harrelson. All in all the supporting cast for each of these films was excellent and tied everything together so I really think there’s some strong contenders even if some did happen to get snubbed in my opinion.

Supporting Actress:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

If Mudbound wins it’ll be a win for Netflix. The film industry hates streaming. Doubtful that Blige will win though what with who all is nominated. I’d love to see Spencer or Metcalf take it home but Manville might just beat them out based on her performance. Janney could take it based on the praise surrounding her performance it wouldn’t be surprising. Strong performances and some beautiful films chosen

Director:

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan“Get Out,” Jordan Peele“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

It’s del Toro or Nolan. Gerwig is the fifth female director to be nominated in this category but I’d be very shocked if the Oscar went to her. Lady Bird was great and it clearly was done but an excellent director but when you’re in a category with del Toro and Nolan and with del Toro winning most of the Best Director awards I feel like she won’t win it. It’s about time another female director has been nominated though. Personally I’d like to see it go to del Toro, Shape of the Water was one of my favorite films of the year and the message that it brought with it is a poignant one. It was just wonderfully crafted and crafted with love clearly. PTA and Phantom Thread made for an intricate work of art as well and would not be surprised if he took it home. I’d be disappointed but not surprised.

Animated Feature:

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman

I have a feeling it’s going to go Coco because of Pixar. Pixar always tends to win Best Animated Feature but I would like to see Loving Vincent take it. The concept and execution were so unique and different from any animated film out there that I’d like to see the team rewarded for it.

Animated Short:

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

Unfortunately animated shorts are hard to come by when they run the festival circuit alone so I didn’t get to see any of these. Revolting Rhymes and Negative Space have great titles though and when I see the little preview at the Oscars I’ll be hunting down a way to watch them all.

Adapted Screenplay:

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

For pue shock value I’d like Logan to take it. Highly highly doubtful because you’ve got Aaron Sorkin in the category but it is Screenplay and the Screenplay category doesn’t necessarily go to some of the higher valued films. Comic book films and random action films have been known to win based on the script alone so this category really is a toss up and I’d be very intrigued if Logan or even The Disaster Artist won.

Original Screenplay:

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani“Get Out,” Jordan Peele“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

This might actually be the one category Get Out wins because of the interesting concept and it’s screenplay. The Shape of the Water or Three Billboards most likely will as they’re considered larger Oscar type art films (they’re not technically art films but they're more of the Oscar kinda films if you get what I’m trying to say). This category is again very up for grabs based on writing alone and it could go any which way. 

Cinematography:

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Although I don’t think she’ll win the Oscar can we first talk about how amazing it is that Rachel Morrison is even nominated. Cinematography is a male dominated field with a low percentage amount of female cinematographers so first for any film this year to have a female cinematographer is sorta a big deal. The bigger deal is her nomination because she's the first female cinematographer nominated ever at the Oscars. That’s 90 years and not one female cinematographer. Really pretty damn cool. Having said that just going purely off the aesthetic of each film because cinematography is the aesthetic category (the angles and lighting and way the film was shot), Blade Runner 2049 or The Shape of Water might take it. Dunkirk and Darkest Hour are also very plausible.

Best Documentary Feature:

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes

I haven’t seen any of these so I really can’t say much about any. 

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner

I legit don’t know what Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 is truly about but fuck the 405 and I’m intrigued. I only saw the preview for Edith+Eddie because it’s only on a festival circuit right now but it seems like a heart-wrenching documentary. Don’t have any preference on these so I’d be pleased with any result.

Best Live Action Short Film:

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

Again I haven’t seen any of these nor do I know any of the filmmakers so I can’t speak much on this category.

Best Foreign Language Film:

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)“The Insult” (Lebanon)“Loveless” (Russia)“On Body and Soul (Hungary)“The Square” (Sweden)

A Fantastic Woman was a wonderful film and if that won I’d be pleased. Not only for the fact that it is a beautiful film but they cast a trans woman as the lead which shouldn’t be surprising but too many trans characters are played by cis actors. Other than that I’ve not seen the rest and can’t say anything for their merit. Have heard The Square is a great film though.

Film Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

I just. All of the editing was fantastic for each of these films. The Shape of Water and Dunkirk are the two top contenders but I’d like to see Baby Driver win it. Any editor will know that editing to music is easy but editing on beat is very incredibly difficult. And for a movie that’s wall to wall sound with a precisely cultivated soundtrack it makes it even more impressive.

Sound Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Dunkirk or The Shape of Water might get it. Would be surprised to have Star Wars win the category even though the sound editing was phenomenal. Baby Driver had some insane sound work which might make it also a top contender but either way no one cares about this category but me. I’ll be fine with either Baby Driver or The Shape of Water winning. Either way this goes the sound for all of these films was gorgeously crafted.

Sound Mixing:

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Again no one cares about this category but me. I’d like to see Baby Driver win this due to the carefully crafter sound wall they built. I mean sound is such an integral part of film which often goes taken for granted. The one rule of sound is if the audience didn’t notice it then you did your job right. Which basically means if you don't get recognition then you did something right because if they noticed you fucked up. All in all gorgeous sound mixing for each so I’d be pleased all the way around.

Production Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau

Difficult category. The sets for every film were so well put together and the entire design for each film was magnificent. I have a hard time picking and whoever wins certainly deserves the award.

Original Score:

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

I’m not a composer but I can appreciate music. Scores were beautiful all around. Would like to see Desplat take it because his score was very central to the film as a whole what with there being such a dialogue gap in scenes because Eliza can’t speak. Again, this category is very well chosen and I have no qualms with whoever wins.

Original Song:

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

First of I’m just surprised the Mystery of Love got put on here. Personally I would have gone with Visions of Gideon instead but either way I love all the songs on this list and I just really wanna see the This Is Me performance so uh I really don’t care who wins I love them all.

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Give it to the Darkest Hour please. Like you knew it was Gary Oldman but there was no resemblance at all which is hard to do. The makeup and hair was fantastic for all three so either way it’s a good win.

Costume Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

I’d be surprised if Phantom Thread doesn't win because it’s about a fashion designer so that's what you have to work with as a costume designer. However the costumes for all fit their characters perfectly so any which way this goes they all had fantastic costume designers.

Visual Effects:

“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

The visual effects intensity for each is immense. I know how much time and effort goes into visual effects work on films such as this so personally all of the visual effects artists deserve Oscars. I have no real choice because all these films were made by the visual effects. The performances were needed but lacking that perfect amount of visual effects each would have fallen flat. I feel like perhaps Blade Runner 2049 might take it but so could War for the Planet of the Apes or GOTG 2.

[wakabond-blog]

PyeongChang Men’s SP Reaction

FOREWARNING: someone remind me to never do this again I literally sweat through my shorts going through this emotional earthquake

I had reservations about doing this reaction post but I’m watching the NBC mini-promos for everyone (cue lil’ kid saying that Javi is his ONLY hero <3) competing tonight and all the feels flooding in.

Also gonna put my dream podium out there in advance so I can lay claim to my fantasies before they possibly flop: Yuzu, Nathan, Javi (in that order for Gold, Silver, and Bronze), but ofc the best scenario is that everyone skates well and leaves the ice happy and the gremlin judges can do whatever. I haven’t watched a lot of the earlier-group men this season, but looking at their music choices I’m pretty excited for Julian Zhi Jie Yee’s Build a Home program (P/C’s 2016 FS from Euros that year still sticks with me) and hopefully Yaroslav hits his 4F. Just writing out everyone’s name is getting me hella nervous

THIRTY ONE GUYS UP 4 HOURS FML LET’S GIT TO IT, first group up on warmup ice: ayyy Vincent hitting a nice 4Lz-3T

AHHH NBC dropping me randomly into Felipe Montoya’s program right into a botched 3F-2T; c’mon man AISH U TOOK AWAY JAVIER RAYA’S SPOT FOR THIS uwu I kinda dig the all white costume tho but must be a binch to find from the audience viewpoint

Chafik Besseghier actually into taximan more than during the Team SP like yeah sure NBC say it’s part of “French creativity” but that taxi look is wonky...points for commitment though, right? 77.01 with all those lil’ green boxes gouda job Chafik; also a note on that French quirky creativity comment anyone else remember Brian Joubert trying to “disprove” people calling him gay by doing a nude photoshoot

MY BOI Vincent Zhou HITS DAT 4Lz-3T first at the Olympics with that 4Lz-3T combo!!! gah other two jumps off-axis but damn he has the hardest technical content but man you gotta deliver all of it including rotations and GOE; also *pushes glasses up* Vincent ~almost~ got a perfect ACT score wat u doing get that 36 (LOL AT THE COMMENTATORS SAYING HIS SIS GOT A PERFECT SCORE); BANG 84.53 with some stubby GOEs I can live with that new season’s best YAAAS u chase those cars

Okay so the announcement for Denis Ten is in English over the loudspeakers but there’s like a little interruption when they just repeat the word “Kazakhstan” but in Korean phonetics; REIGNING BRONZE MEDALIST LET’S GO nope there goes the 4S-->2S, NICE triple axel though!, also loving the royal blue shirt, triple lutz triple NO (sorry had to say that), but the music is great kinda operatic but not like a loud Bocelli; considering his injuries and other hurdles this is alright, his entire season had a rough start ALSO the flower girls have dresses that match the rink so QUTE also Frank Carroll is still not retired mkay

Matteo Rizzo NICE 3A also considering that this is choreo’d by his mom this is great, strong Italian vibes, really good lines, straight camel with the leg position above the hip, good rotation; love the arms out of the 3Lz this would be a program I would want to do OKAY NBC WE GET THAT U NEED A QUAD TO GET ON THE PODIUM but friggin Matteo’s job is to make his mom choreo proud also considering how this is by far the biggest stage he’s been on after dethroning Ivan Righini, dis is gr8

Michael Christian Martinez honestly still love his taking YOI in stride basically Phichit IRL, not a great performance by any means, really low score in the 50s sheesh but hey that signature Biellmann though! this first group was alright still looking ahead

Yaroslav Paniot that was rough :/// also he took out the 4F and fell on all 3 passes (I mean he landed on his knee on the axel but like...what do you even call that?) damn Tammy Gambill coaches him too, into last place :(( it’s okay Yaroslav

Yan Han going for that hard nose blow and tissue grab looks intense LOVE THAT HARD SLAP ON THE BARRIER you got this my man, AHHH yas more Twilight, NICE TRIPLE AXEL BEST SO FAR man was that rotation fast, crap that 4T still looking for a clean toe in this comp; also these SPs are passing really quickly, Vincent still in the lead after Han’s 80.63

Julian Zhi Jie Yee OMGOMGOMG okay excited for this, awww love the shot back to the opening ceremony; love his shirt with the slight slit V not intrusive but modern and sleek LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE it; AHHH THE BEATS OF BUILD A HOME ready for this show off for Malaysia, NICE TRIPLE AXEL he had so much space coming down, maintaining composure, come on GREAT LUTZ halfway mark here come the lyrics and ahhh slipping on the 3F-3T, I think that content should be enough for him to make the FS, lines could be a bit better but his spin levels seem there good for him! Man he really floated on the 3A I’m hoping this’ll go into the low 70s yep 73.58 good score for him

And cue more ice-less places Brendan Kerry kinda attractive in that down-under way, used to be really smol but then hit that caucasian puberty WHOOO first clean 4T of the comp, like the shimmery dark blue shirt, nice 3Lz-3T who needs a quad sal if there’s anything the pairs comp taught us it’s that going clean leaves a greater impression than hard tricks, saved that 3A, this cut of Everybody Wants to Rule the World is so #inspirational someone get me my book of self-affirmations also getting all these coach-skater revelations Nikolai Morozov coaches Kerry?? dang, whoa slots right in behind Vincent with an 83 and change

Moris Kvitelashvili okay who tf put his name as Morisi on the official docs they actually announced his names as that ETERI U ONLY HAVE ONE BOY, bring on the Buble, smooth 3A that flow, def on feelin good on that 4S, after Boyangman’s Spiderman program I’ve grown to have a deeper appreciation for Michael Buble, he’s really tall but one of those lanky awkward guys but eh I give him props for having the gumption to compete for Georgia and getting to compete on Olympic ice

Keegan Messing LOL his intro “actually born in Alaska, proficient Yo-Yo master” aww singin in the rain WOW nice 4T-3T I’m laughin at clouds too Keegan, oof that 3A fall though, very fast spinner no travelling either...okay but seriously can we get RIka Kihira here to give these guys a 3A clinic or something, for a second this really feels like a Javi program, nice 3Lz to finish out the jumps my god I thought his coach was either Eteri/Shawn White c.2010 hair wow 85 taking away the lead from Vincent; 12 men done, 18 left!

This next warmup group Danny wit dat fresh haircut, NBC hyping up the final group omg chill ur horses, Michal with those sleeve ribbons!

Michal Brezina those bedazzled dragons, WOW QUAD sal (okay I thought it was a flip at first), good 3A nothing under review, not to compare but to compare this is like Seimei beta ver., beautiful delayed 3F, also I feel like I hear people clapping along to the drums but I don’t see anyone...it’s prolly the NK cheer squad, this skate should just sneak into 1st, damn his profile sideshot looks like a dinosaur, AWWW RAF lol still surprised by these coaching situations OH BOI lol just into 1st by 0.04 over Keegan

Cha Junhwan c’mon get that gypsy dance on bring the soul of Wakaba to the games (I expect shoulder shimmies), TAKE A DEEEEP breath Brian, wow dicey moment with the 3F-3T but landed flawlessly, even better 3A crowd goes WILDDDD, quick interjection these scores that are starting to pile into the mid-80s are seriously reminding me of the bronze-medal battle in Sochi I mean yeah now there’s a pretty solid list of 5/6 guys for the podium but still..chills..., might have urs but really bringing the energy otherwisein the stsq arms flairs right on the beat of the music (I’ll count those as shimmies) wow first standing O very well deserved all the korean flags!!

Other sidenote you know who’s gonna get more cool team jackets than Marina Zueva? Brian friggin Orser: Canada, Korea, Japan, Spain, Kazakhstan! all those colors!! gotta catch ‘em all and with a score of 83+ Junhwan goes into that pack of mid-80s

Paul Fentz jacksepticeye doppleganger back on the ice, honestly great 3T-3T screw the squad his air position is really good, wow wild like on the 3A but again great air position (honestly this plus straight legs on camel spins are like the must-haves), also loving this jazzy music it works for him, Wonderwall was WUNDERFUL

Interjection of hockey testosterone jeez being a referee in that would be terrifying you’re wearing no padding sheesh

Misha Ge okay srsly what is the point of saying “Uzbekistan” in English and then again in Korean phonetics? not into the brown ombre, good 3A, getting gypsy pirate vibes gawd that spin extension though ta die fo

Cutaway to Yuzu absolutely DESTROYIN that EZ applesauce pouch (okay it’s not applesauce but man is he twistin every last drop out)

And since I’m already doing this huge ass shitpost I might as well comment on some of the commercials, the 23andme thing where Warren Buffett narrates “ill let u choose any car but u only get one you’d take care of it so well right WELL THAT’s UR BODY”...kinda hypocritical coming from a dude who only eats McDs, See’s Candies, Coke and steak...

Jorik Hendrickx awww I actually had no idea his sis Loena made it too, gosh Je Suis Malade reminds me of Adelina’s failed comeback...anyway good 3A to start; I remember how emotional his qualifying through Nebelhorn was enjoy this bb, wow he’s gonna join the mid-80s pack too judges panicking how tf do we separate them AWW Loena clapping so cute and Jorik smiling!! love this

Also screaming about how I can see the final group on my shitpost list getting closer to my cursor *bites nails*

Literally the biggest actual fuqboi of this comp Daniel Samohin is up with a new ‘do that fresh fade also doesn’t he have that company/group thing black wolf white wolf WELL DAMN BLACK WOLF JUST HIT HIS 4T-3T god remember when he destroyed his shoulder at Skate America, whoa first two clean quads of the comp so far who knew flopchild would it get together at the Olympics also classic Daniel guitar solo ay fuq down on the 3A gdi this is why we can’t have nice things LOL also the first skater to finish in the wrong direction, cute lil’ smile at the end though! Also gonna hit the low-80s aww happy tears!!! omg is that Nikolai Morozov yup 80 points and change jeez top 6 all separated by less than 2 points lol

Group 4 on the ice jeez those short sleeves SLAY BOI LOL THESE ADAM PROMOS literally all of the vernacular “fierce, I’m a full prone monster” *smizes* okay I’m going for a walk and hope to be back by Deniss see ya’ll in a quick sec and good luck to the first five in this group...but srsly I gotta get up or else risk carpal tunnel at this point </3

Adam Rippon, Dmitri Aliev

Okay jk I made it back for Patrick Chan midway through his performacne looks like his first couple jump elements were good supposedly missed his 3A he looks really tense damn PChiddy it’s alright (sidenote his chest looks bigger than I remember), also ofc Dimi is in the lead now with a tech score over 50

Keiji Tanaka, Alexei Bychenko both happened but I took a shower to be clean for some clean skates

Also isn’t it crazy how Deniss is literally skating right before Yuzu man those world standings were a bit of a surprise at first Deniss Vasiljevs (jk my shower also overran his performance so I’m looking at the protocols rn but hey, good thing is my energy’s now conserved for GROUP 6!)

YESS NBC showing (at least part of) the warmup; Javi hits a BOSS 4S so smooth; Nathan’s smiling, Yuzu looks healthy! my god seeing all the faves on ice together warming up at the OLYMPIC stage is just *clutches chest* a lil’ too much for a casual Thursday evening; okay one more set of commercials and we are off to the RACES!!!

Yuzuru Hanyu TAKES THE ICE the first bars of Ballade a personal fave piece, breatheee, head roll, sway,ohmigod you could hear the sound of a pin dropping, come one quad sal to open...YES OH MY GOD NICE 13 POINTS!!! for that one element, great donut spin, 1 2 3 1 2 3 getting all of his levels ofc great character in spins timed to music, love the sound of his blades BLIND MOHAWK INTO 3A TRADEMARK HIT IT’S HAPPENING ONLY THE COMBO LEFT IS HE GONNA DO THE RIPPON ON THE END YES NICE HE HIT IT OH MY FUQQIN GOD THE POOHS THE OBAACHANS IN THE AUDIENCE THIS IS SERIOUSLY MAGICAL BEAT THAT WOWOWOW THE POOH BEARS RAIN DOWN AGAIN I have never seen so many thrown down at once at him DAMN; this is a true champion, my god yes yes YES!!!! my god I don’t know how get got that 3T WITH RIPPON out at the end lol Ghislain Briand and B Orser jumping; WORLD RECORD GIVE IT TO HIM NEVER DOUBT YU.ZU.RU. HAN.YU; BAM 111 triple ONES BEAT THAT YESS AND HE’S SMILING

OKay okay I gotta calm down for Nathan Chen the Poohs are cleared, yes this is a POTO costume but he looks good; GOD DAMN IT CAMERAMAN YOU MISSED THE FUQQIN DIP YOU HAD ONE JOB ARGHHHH, blade sounds are louder than YUZUS BUT HERE COMES THE 4LZ...OH SHIT MY GOD AND THE QUAD TOE JESUS FUCKING HELL IT WASN’T A COMBO either wow...I’m speechless..come one Nate finish it out finish it out OH FUCKING...33 TECHSCoRE?!?!?!?!?!? He’s still breathing though, looks alright, okay he’s still honestly so young and I understand he exudes this chill outlook which is great but all the pressure had to have gotten him (or he just got unlucky with this bad day :///) nerves?? I know there’s still the free skate left but I want him to walk away from all this feeling okay, not hating skating or anything and making a comeback (hopefully??) in Beijing and maybe having a Chloe Kim kind of moment OH FUQ 13th place 82+...my god

Mikhail Kolyada actually shaking his head after seeing Nathan’s scores we’re all shocked buddy; but skate well hit that sky-high lutz loving your mozart, come on come one; okay triple honestly I just don’t want to see any more thuds on the ice that’s good oh fuck...4T a goner out of the four disciplines this is the one that has the least assured gold medalist and maybe that’s contributing to the nerves? It’s okay Mikhail, your 3A was pretty, and YAY GOT A SMILEY SPASIBO y’know at the Olympics all I can hope for as a spectator is that everyone skates happy and goes as big and clean as possible and leaves happy or at least not too hard on themselves and I know that’s easy to say but so much of sports/life in general is psychological and it just pains me to think of how these guys might react to this under-delivered performances

Shoma Uno smolma please whisk us away with Winter, literally gonna bounce the fuq off of Shrooma if he lands everything please save this; NICE 4F, lines ofc can’t compete with Hanyu but you know...World Silver...he’s got the goods, get those clean edges, skating skills, stsq levels, okay 4T YES YES YES 3T great my god SHOMA SAVES THE TRIPLE AXEL PRAISE AWWWW THE SMILE!!!!! FUCKING MELTING FOR THIS DARK HORSE WHO BTW IS WORLD SILVER REIGNING, MY GOD THIS IS CLUTCH; AND HE HAS HIGHLIGHTS TAKE THAT BINCH, ugh I’m so conflicted right now with all of these flops and clean skates and my head is muddled guessing 106 okay okay lowballed the components gets a 104 also had to save a couple landings I get it but THOSE THUNDERTHIGHS SAVING THE DAY

Javier Fernandez oh please please please all I want is for you to bring home a medal GIVE US CHAPLIN GIVE US 4S AND 4T3T THIS IS YOUR CHANCE GO FOR IT, NICE ON THE COMBO, NICE 4S HOLY HELL ALSO SHOUTOUT TO MY MOM FOR RECOGNIZING THIS AS CHAPLIN U KNOW HE’S DOING HIS JOB and that AMAZING TRIPLE AXEL; so lovely oh my god this is beautiful, tbh I think my mom is actually falling in love with him “his costume looks so good on him O.O” she’s predicting he’ll win and my mom is like...never wrong so...okay tech score just exactly 60, I’m hoping 109 range oh my god GIVE HIM THE PCS IF NOT FOR HIM FOR MY MOM OH MY GOD

HYPING UP Jin Boyang for my mom okay come on GIVE US THAT CROUCHING TIGER MAGIC, LORI CHOREO DO UR FUQQIN $10K MAGIC, AMAZING 4LZ-3T, ONE OF THE BEST 4T, OG QUAD KING TARA MENTION THAT YES YES *DOES MERYL MEME POINTING FINGERS*, BEAT DRUM DROP, ERHU  YES THAT 3A OH MY GOD YES YES YES JIN GO GO GO YES THE KARATE HANDS IN THE SIT SPIN, WORD THE STSQ YOU’RE GETTING ALL OF THE LEVELS GO GO GO THIS IS YOUR LAST ELEMENT HIT THE POSES GET THE EDGES GET THE TURNS KICK TWIZZLES BUTTERFLY KICK YES FIST PUMP YES YES YES YES YESSSSSS MY GOD YES GIVE HIM A SCORE TO COMPETE WITH SHOMA 104+, okay okay I can work with 103.32

Okay wow so heading into the FS tomorrow:

-Nathan, get that redemption skate, go big, go clean, love it, love yourself

-Yuzuru: bring that Seimei power, work your natural magic, be yourself, keep the intensity, and just let it flow

-Javi: VAMOS VAMOS VAMOS BE QUIXOTE, get your own redemption from Sochi (also lol I don’t think it matters what happens in the end but you’ve already won in my mother’s heart)

-Shoma: SHOOM SHOOM INTO OUR HEARTS EVEN MORE, channel your 2017 Worlds Diva moment, do it do it DO IT

-Boyang: BRING THE STAR WARS HIT US WITH THAT ANGELIC SAUCE

[magicaleggplant]

who do you think is most likely to win the Nebelhorn spots? is there anyone you personally want to see make it?

well, here’s a list of skaters competing for olympic spots at nebelhorn, in order of ISU personal best scores:

MEN (6 spots)

Jorik Hendrickx (BEL) 242.56

Yaroslav Paniot (UKR) 233.16

Alexander Majorov (SWE) 228.97

Matteo Rizzo (ITA) 227.02

Michael Christian Martinez (PHI) 220.36

Julian Yee (MAS) 213.99

Stephane Walker (SUI) 209.04

June Hyoung Lee (KOR) 203.92

Igor Reznichenko (POL) 200.43

Graham Newberry (GBR) 198.06

LADIES (6 spots)

Kailani Craine (AUS) 163.38

Anastasia Galustyan (ARM) 162.68

Viveca Lindfors (FIN) 157.06

Anne Line Gjersem (NOR) 156.71

Amy Lin (TPE) 155.61

Matilda Algotsson (SWE) 154.63

Anna Khnychenkova (UKR) 154.02

Kerstin Frank (AUT) 151.98

Dasa GRM (SLO) 150.32

Alexia Paganini (SUI) 149.87

PAIRS (5 spots)

Duskova/Bidar (CZE) 189.09

Ryom/Kim (PRK) 169.65

Ziegler/Kiefer (AUT) 165.63

Connors/Krasnopolski (ISR) 165.38

Suto/Boudreau-Audet (JPN) 164.96

Alexandrovskaya/Windsor (AUS) 164.10

ICE DANCE (6 spots)

Coomes/Buckland (GBR) 173.17

Muramoto/Reed (JPN) 156.45

Lorenz/Polizoakis (GER) 155.34

Min/Gamelin (KOR) 151.35

Jakushina/Nevskiy (LAT) 150.81

Mansour/Ceska (CZE) 148.50

Kavaliova/Bieliaiev (BLR) 148.08

for the men, i think belgium is very likely to make it, ukraine and sweden also have a good chance if they don’t bomb, italy can make it if matteo skates close to what he did at lombardia…the rest is kind of up in the air. personally, i’m really rooting for malaysia to qualify, i enjoy julian’s skating and it’d be historic for malaysia if he could make it. i want south korea to get a spot as well, but…it’s gonna be tough for june hyoung. but depending on how the olympic team event lineup turns out, south korea might still be able to get host spots for the individual events.

all the ladies’ PBs are so close together…no idea what’s gonna happen there. but i hope australia gets a spot.

pairs: duskova/bidar are pretty much a lock unless they really bomb. the other teams have PBs that are close to each other. i’m rooting for ryom/kim the most, but it would also be good if japan and australia could get spots.

ice dance: britain is a lock, the only reason coomes/buckland even need to compete here is because penny missed all of last season due to injury. i’m excited to see them back, they’re a good team. i really hope japan gets a spot, kana muramoto is a queen. i think they can do it as long as they don’t bomb. also hope south korea gets a spot.

[figureskatingfanblog]

Personal bests abound!

Jorik Hendrickx of Belgium is in the lead with a personal best score, almost assuring himself of a spot in next year’s Olympic Games. In second place, with a score over ten points above his personal best is Alexander Johnson of the US who is about two and a half points behind. (Reminder, US has already qualified.) In third place, second among non-qualified countries, is Alexander Majorov of Sweden who is about five points behind.

In fourth place, with a personal best score, is June Hyoung Lee of South Korea, currently third in the qualifying positions. (Reminder even if he falters in the long, South Korea will get a spot anyway as the Host Country.) Matteo Rizzo of Italy skated well, rounding out the top five about a point and a half behind, and looks good to qualify Italy a spot at next year’s Olympics.

About a point behind in sixth place is Julian Zhi Jie Yee of Malaysia, currently fifth among the skaters seeking to qualify, and he will be in good position if he can stay there. Now, this is where things get interesting. There is one more spot, and there are three skaters all within a point of each other, and you know that they will be fighting to get into the final qualifying position.

Currently in seventh, in that final spot, is Yaroslav Panoit of Ukraine. Only .18 points behind is Michael Christain Martinez of the Philippines in eighth place, and .70 points behind him is Stephane Walker of Switzerland, who sits in ninth place. I think Panoit has it, because of all three skates, he has the highest score in the free program, and I think he will be clinching himself a spot at the Olympics. Rounding out the top ten is Graham Newberry of Great Britain, about two points behind.

[fumpkins]

E3: Sony PlayStation's Last of Us Part II has kisses and kills

Image copyright Sony

Image caption Ellie’s kiss in the Last of Us Part II served as a contrast to the explicit violence that followed

Sony has previewed one of its most anticipated PlayStation games with a trailer that shifted focus from two women kissing to a hanging man being disemboweled in its opening minutes.

The Last of Us Part II is the follow-up to one of the top-reviewed and most awarded games of the PlayStation 3 generation.

Gameplay footage made clear the sequel will be at least as bloody as its predecessor.

However, no launch date was given.

Initial reactions to the title from industry watchers were mostly positive, although one games reviewer remarked that the title was “fetishising extreme violence”.

But there was praise for the way the developer Naughty Dog had presented the kiss.

“I think they were trying to make to clear to people that this is what they’re about – diversity [and] different sorts of stories,” games journalist Julian Rizzo-Smith told the BBC.

“If you look at their franchises, it’s stories led by strong females now. I think it’s really setting a benchmark.”

Sony also premiered the first gameplay footage from its surreal horror title Death Stranding.

The game is being masterminded by Hideo Kojima, who was previously behind the Metal Gear series.

Image copyright Sony

Image caption Death Stranding’s plot remains a mystery

The trailer showed the lead character – modelled on The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus – trekking across a variety of landscapes before coming under attack from a group of invisible monsters, whose presence appears to be exposed by a foetus he is carrying.

The plot still remains unclear and, again, no release date was offered.

Image copyright Ubisoft

Image caption Gamers will be able to play through all of the next Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey as a female character

Analysis, Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter, Los Angeles

A kiss seen around the world! The embrace between Ellie and her (previously unannounced) girlfriend was a moment of genuine emotion – not titillation – that shows this multi-billion dollar industry is finally capturing the diversity of its audience.

It was met with cheers, this was the climactic point of what is a major move forward in this industry. Gamers’ affection for Ellie is based on good storytelling, Hollywood-worthy character development and terrific acting and direction – the character is not, as is so often the case in gaming, an act of tokenism designed to begrudgingly appease critics.

On Monday we also saw Assassin’s Creed, a game criticised in the past for having an entire roster of all-male characters. The latest instalment in the series, Odyssey, provides a new option to play as either male or female throughout the next game and, along the way, develop romantic relationships with men or women.

So, Xbox’s Gears 5, PlayStation’s The Last of Us Part 2 and the multi-platform Assassin’s Creed. All no doubt on course to be the biggest games of the next 12 months – and all lead by women.

Console wars

Sony has sold more than 76 million PlayStation 4 consoles to date, according to research firm IHS Markit.

That represents nearly twice as many units as Microsoft’s Xbox One, although it is still some way behind the PlayStation 2’s tally of nearly 158 million.

Image copyright Sony

Image caption The Last of Us Part II featured several gruesome killings

Many believe the Japanese firm’s success has been driven by the popularity of its in-house exclusives including Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War.

However, Microsoft now boasts having the more powerful games machine in the Xbox One X and has just announced that it has acquired and created several games studios.

“A strong first-party library is what convinces people to buy your box over someone else’s and this generation of consoles has hammered home that is still true,” commented Laura Dale, news editor of the Kotaku UK news site.

Image caption The opening part of Sony’s E3 event was held in a room dressed up to look like one of Last of Us Part II’s locations

“The PlayStation 4 has had frequent, high-quality first-party exclusives – which is something the Xbox One has not had.

“So, Sony goes into this E3 with everything to lose in the sense that it is in a strong position, but Microsoft did have a very good showing on Sunday.”

Sony opted to show off about half the number of titles Microsoft did, in what was a much shorter event.

One analyst who attended both shows praised Sony’s decision to try and recreate some of its games’ environments for invitees, but added that Microsoft had likely produced the better experience for those live-streaming the showcases from afar.

“Sony certainly didn’t show off as many new, unknown titles… and it was less pointed in terms of release dates,” commented Lewis Ward from the consultancy IDC.

“But I don’t think that was Sony’s primary focus here.

“Its intent was to show off the beauty of its video games.”

Medieval swords

Image copyright Sony

Image caption Ghost of Tsushima is being developed by Sucker Punch, the Sony division that created Infamous

Other first-party exclusives shown off by Sony included Ghost of Tsushima, a Samurai-themed third-person sword-fighting game set in 1274.

The Gaming Bolt review site suggested it resembled an episode of Assassin’s Creed set in Japan.

New footage from Spider-Man – the centre-piece of Sony’s 2017 E3 event – was also presented, featuring Electro and Rhino among other villains. The game is due for release in September.

Image copyright Sony

Image caption The Spider-Man trailer featured the super hero under attack from several of his enemies

Content from third-party publishers was also displayed.

Capcom showed off footage from a remastered version of Resident Evil 2.

The survival-horror game was first released in 1998 and helped drive sales of the original PlayStation.

Image copyright Capcom

Image caption Leon Kennedy returns in a Resident Evil 2 remake unveiled at the Sony press conference

The new version is set to be released on 25 January 2019.

Remedy Entertainment announced Control, a sci-fi game featuring a female lead with a shape-shifting gun who encounters several people’s bodies floating mid-air.

The Finnish developer was previously responsible for the Xbox/Windows exclusive Quantum Break.

Image copyright Remedy Entertainment

Image caption Remedy Entertainment said Control was set for release some time in 2019

California-based Squanch Games also announced a platformer featuring new characters developed by one of the co-creators of the TV comedy Rick and Morty.

Trover Saves The Universe’s madcap storyline centres on efforts to prevent a villain from draining dogs’ life essence as part of a plan to destroy the universe.

Unlike the other titles shown off at the event, a version of the game is being developed for use with the PlayStation’s virtual reality headset.

Image copyright Squanch Games

Image caption Trover Saves The Universe is set for release in “early 2019”

Sony did, however, announce some other PlayStation VR releases following its conference.

They included Deracine, a ghost story set in a girls’ boarding school.

It is being developed by the studio behind Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but the trailer suggested a more lyrical tone than those earlier blood-soaked games.

Sony recently acknowledged that sales of its virtual reality kit had been lower than expected.

Image copyright From Software

Image caption Deraine’s trailer mixes together scenes from the past and present

“At this point it’s more about supporting customers who bought PlayStation VR rather than trying to make it a huge success,” commented Ms Dale.

“It’s still the best value proposition out there in terms of headset resolution and price, but most of the market is still not ready for virtual reality.”

New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2018/06/12/e3-sony-playstations-last-of-us-part-ii-has-kisses-and-kills/