#let stewart run wild

[javertsponytail]

i know we’ve been discussing an elf phantom or elf raoul but as someone who has worked on multiple productions of spongebob the musical since it went to broadway, i’d like to propose: elf squidward.

i know how that sounds but here me out:

stewart hasn’t played a goofy villain in AGES. i don’t think the squip honestly counts as that much of a goofy villain, but nevertheless. he’s played nazis. he’s played a cop. let this man get up on stage with two extra legs and skrelt “i’m not a loser.”

you’re telling me he would not absolutely eat the tap number? the clarinet solo?

alternatively, he would play an incredible plankton. get this man in a green sequin suit and let him run wild.

i know that both of these roles are tenor parts but a man can dream. a man can dream.

[on-leatheredwings]

Secret Admirer

Yandere! Dick Grayson / Yandere! Green Lantern! Gender Neutral Reader

> romantic > tw/cw: yandere behaviors. Kissing. Heavy petting. > rated M > summary: You should stop playing with fire. Because when you do, you make him want to be crazy. Crazier. And Dick’s worked really, really hard to wrap those habits up. > a/n: wow nothing truly despicable in this one i’m so vanilla now <3 the reader is male to me but feel free to imagine what you want. I rlly like writing pre-yandere + pre-relationship stuff, it’s so fun . may write more for actual smut possibilities > word count: 1472

Newly-acquired powers or not, you are really poking the bear here. 

Dick has known you've been following him since yesterday. He allowed it because who was he if not a performer? He thrived on attention, and especially yours. But today, you had gotten too close to a fight. Sure, you had stayed an appropriate distance away, but the fact it had happened at all was worrying. It made him distracted. Distracted enough that he wasn’t pulling his punches on criminals like usual. 

“Now that it’s getting quite late–” he begins, to which you audibly gasp. An adorable sound. “–how about you finally come out and let me help you?”

He turns around to a swath of darkness that paints the rooftop’s entry door in black shadow.

Behind the corner, you curse. Damn it, he caught you. … Well, you could’ve told yourself this would happen. Dick, the fine friend he was, surely said it would. No one really ‘sneaks up’ on one of the Bats. And definitely not Nightwing, the most tenured of them all aside Batman himself.

You got caught, and lord knows what Nightwing will do to you. You bite your lips, mind running wild. Who knows what Nightwing will do to you, indeed? You feel a pang of arousal at the thought. 

You step out of the shadows, trying to act natural. Nightwing’s eyes lock onto your humble form, and you find yourself warming over every inch of your body. You want him bad.

His body stiffens, for reasons you can’t discern. It doesn’t seem like hostility… you think?

You adjust your domino mask, cursing silently that the adhesive is finally starting to give after a long night of following him around. Stealth isn’t really a natural gift for a Green Lantern, either. Turning down your glow while using your powers to maintain soundless stalking was hard. Harder than expected. 

“What are you doing here?”

You smile, hoping your giddy expression is hidden by the hoodie you’ve chosen to wear on your escapade. 

It certainly is not, which makes Dick pleased.

Now that you've made contact with him, his first thought is that he ought to tell Batman about this. And the rest of the team, while he’s at it. Dick Grayson knows that Nightwing is your 'celebrity' crush, and that you're enamored with the rest of the Bat Family. What if you confronted them someday as well?

On the Batcomputer is a file on John Stewart, complete a footnote that is you. Said footnote has graduated to its own page, now that you have your own hero exploits to document. They'd be less welcoming and more wary of a hero on their turf. He has to protect you.

“I… I…” you croak, tongue heavy with anxiety. You can’t help but be nervous. 

“Sometime tonight?” he teases. 

“You’re beautiful,” you blurt.

He is taken aback, before he recollects his wits. 

“I really like you,” you say again, stepping forward. He lifts his hand in warning. Stay back. You get chills, but don’t stop treading forward. You can tell his eyes are narrowed beneath his mask.

When he’s finally in arms’ reach, you are pushed against the wall. And not roughly at all, you notice. You smile with delight, your hands immediately landing on his shoulders. Nightwing’s glare doesn’t feel hostile at all. Suspicious, maybe. But not hostile.

“... What do you mean by, you “really” like me?” You suspected that he probably wouldn’t believe you.

“Well,” you fluster, “I mean that I really like you.” Dick’s heart jolts. “And I want you.” It nearly flatlines.

Oh, don’t say that, don’t say that, Dick thinks, despite the elation that begins to tighten his throat. You? Want him? If he had known all he needed to do to grab your attention was put on the suit, he would’ve done that ages ago. He felt nearly invisible to you during the day, all his flirtation falling on deaf ears and blind eyes.

At Nightwing’s silence, you lick your lips. An action that makes his eyes dilate behind his mask. 

“I-I’m serious!”

Nightwing leans in closer, as if inspecting the truth in your expression, raking over every atom. 

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he breathes.

“It’s not a game at all to me,” you say, feeling lightheaded from the small distance between you two. This doesn't feel real.

To love and be loved is all you’ve ever wanted. You’d think that would give you the violet ring of Love. Instead, the ring that had appeared in your hand one fateful night was acid green, sparkling and mesmerizing. Apparently, instead of embodying love, you simply were driven enough to seek it at any costs. Driven enough to never be alone ever again.

You have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps, it said. You had taken it without hesitation.

“Kiss me,” you say, hands rising to cup his jaw. As if he’s not already leaning in.

Your lips meet in an unabashed frenzy. You’re nearly blown away by the pure amount of feeling in his kiss – that's quite a lot of emotion for a stranger. Not that you aren’t equally impassioned. You feel so raw and naked, kissing him. You hope he can't feel all your insanity, your obsession, your infatuation.

However, Dick certainly does, so much that he moans openly, the sound making both your lips buzz.

You make him want to be crazy. Crazier. And he’s worked really, really hard to wrap those habits up. 

You shudder, feeling the pressure of his cup press in between your thighs. God, you wished you could feel the real thing. Your hand slips in between you two, tracing the lines of his abs. Dick shivers. He peels off your domino mask, but you don’t even flinch. You don’t care if he knows who you are. You want him to know everything. Inside and out.

Your eyes flutter open as you gyrate against his hips, sinful and frustrating. You peer up at him, cheeks blazing. You want him.

He looks into your eyes, and it's as if he can read your mind. He wants to swallow you whole. He wants to map every inch of your body. His cock is painfully straining against his suit. You are not a want, but a need.

But Dick is trying to be good, he really is. The night’s not over. He’s still on patrol, technically. You may want Nightwing, but do you want Dick Grayson? If he fucked you on this rooftop, throwing restraint into the wind, would that be taking advantage of you? Do you just hero worship him? All the questions fly through his mind at rapid speed, and he wants them to quiet, before the Angry Orphan inside him decides to just stop caring completely. 

But he… he’s strong. We don't have to be, his mind interjects, screaming at him. But he quiets it. He whimpers at the tightness against his groin, a sound that makes you look at him curiously. You are completely blissfully ignorant to his inner strife. Completely innocent.

Dick narrows his eyes, channeling his best Batman impression.

“You should go home.”

You balk almost comically. “W-wait.” Nightwing retreats, but not before you can grab his wrist. “At least– at least, can we go on a date? Or even hang out? Or–” His thumb traces the curve of your lips, silencing you with a shiver.  

“Go home.” Firmly said, yet gentle.

You frown, though it’s more like a pout. Man, you’re cute, he thinks. “When can I see you again?”

Dick certainly isn’t strong enough to be responsible and say “You can’t.” 

So Nightwing just stares at you, looking… hesitant. The pieces click in your mind. Ah, so he liked it. Your lips curl, like a cat with cream. You take that as a victory.

“... I-I’ll come back tomorrow night,” you state boldly, stealing a chaste kiss before he could argue. Dick has to basically pull himself away, despite his desire to keep your bodies flush and perfectly fitted against one another.

You slip your ring onto your finger, and your entire body glows, rampant with Lantern light. You begin to float.

“Tomorrow!” you blurt, already wanting him again. You zip away, flying home. All the while, you slap at your warm cheeks, trying to see if this is a dream, laughing with glee, mind going haywire with heated fantasies. You kissed Nightwing. You basically groped him. And he didn’t stop you. Oh god, wait until you tell Dick. 

The confrontation went better than expected. At worst, you figured Nightwing would shoo you away, reject you. Despite the abrupt ending, he at least seemed… interested? You try not to dwell on it too much. It doesn’t matter.

You’re a Green Lantern. You’re powerful. Willful. He will be yours, someday.

[rhapsodynew]

#everything you need to know about rock

David Gilmour. (part 1)

Wild Jokers: A Career before Pink Floyd

David Jon Gilmour was born on March 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England. His parents encouraged his interest in music and in '54 he acquired the single 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley [Bill Haley and The Comets].

David: "I'm not sure if 'Rock Around the Clock' was the first record I bought, but it was definitely one of the first."

'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Jailhouse Rock' Elvis [Elvis Presley] and 'Bye Bye Love' The Everly Brothers drew his attention to the guitar.

David: "I liked the Everleys. When I was 13, I borrowed a Tatay Spanish guitar with nylon strings from a guy next door. They gave it to him, but he had no hearing, and he didn't need it. I never got it back." I started playing, and my parents were delighted. We had a musical family — my parents sang, my brother played the flute and my sister played the violin. They bought me a Pete Seeger Teaches Guitar tutorial with a set of records for it."

Rado Bob Klose, future member of The Tea Set, an early incarnation of Pink Floyd]:

"We listened to Radio Luxembourg. Let's hear a song and think, 'How do I play it?'. I remember David playing 'Walk Don't Run' The Ventures, as soon as I heard it."

David also liked Leadbelly], Sony Terry], Brownie McGhee], Howlin' Wolf], Hank Marvin, lead guitarist of The Shadows], and later, he discovered Bob Dylan], whose record his parents brought from America.

David: "I was interested in a wide range — from blues to folk and pop music. Hank Marvin with elements of Dylan Leonard Cohen] and Leonard Bernstein]. Also Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie]."

At the age of 11, David met Roger 'Syd' Barrett, the future guitarist/vocalist of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, the future bassist/vocalist of Pink Floyd, who went to school next door.

Rosemary Breen, Sid's sister]: "In '61, Clive Welham, the future drummer of Jokers Wild] brought Gilmore to a jam session at Sid's house. They played 'Twenty Flight Rock' Eddie Cochran] and immediately became friends. David came to us often, he and his brother had a lot in common. He was quiet, shy, laconic, but very charming."

In '63, he began studying modern languages at the College of Arts and Technology. He did not complete the course, but learned to speak French fluently. He and Barrett, who studied there, played guitars and harmonicas between lectures.

David: "We played Bo Diddley and 'Come On' The Rolling Stones, The Beatles songs, various blues. We could also play The Shadows instrumentals like 'Apache' for hours."

Stephen Pyle, Gilmore's classmate]: "I've never seen him without a guitar."

At the end of '62, Gilmore became a member of the local band The Ramblers, which included John Gordon, rhythm guitarist] and Clive Welham.

Clive: "We were a semi-professional band, but David was just amazing. A year before that, he didn't play so well, but he worked a lot on technique."

Rick Wills, bassist, future member of Jokers Wild; later worked with Peter Frampton], Roxy Music, Small Faces, David Gilmour, Foreigner and Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Jones Gang, etc.:

"I often met Dave at the music store. Sometimes we wouldn't leave without playing all the guitars that were there. But Dave sometimes seemed arrogant to me. He had this expression on his face: 'I know everything.'"

At the same time, Gilmore was performing with another local band, The Newcomers (July -October '63).

Ken Waterson, vocalist of The Newcomers:

"David had a beat—up Burns guitar and a lousy amp, but even then one thing was clear - he was good."

Gilmore's next band was Jokers Wild * in '64 with Dave Altham vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist and saxophonist], John 'Willie' Wilson, drummer, later worked with Syd Barrett, Al Stewart], Cochise, Quiver, the Sutherland Brothers, David Gilmore, Pink Floyd, etc], Tony Sainty, bassist], who was sometimes replaced by either Rick Wills or David's brother, Peter Gilmour].

Dave Oltham: "We were told about this guy, and we went to see him in a pub on Newmarket Road. The band was about nothing at all, but he played well. I would say emphatically. We asked him to play with us and he agreed."

Their strong point was the vocal harmonies of all five members.

David: "We were quite popular because we played modern dance music, which is what people wanted to hear back then."

Clive: "Wilson Pickett's hit] 'The Midnight Hour' ('65) was his best vocal number and David played a brilliant solo in it on his fiery Hofner Club 60 flame timber] The girls were delighted."

Dave Oltham: "David could listen to a song four or five times and then play it, note by note."

In August '65, Gilmore and Barrett played 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' and 'Help' The Beatles on acoustic guitars on the streets of Saint Tropez.

David: "I hitchhiked to the south of France, and Sid came with a friend ** in his Land Rover. I joined them at the campsite where they lived. I remember we went to play in Saint Tropez one day, for fun, and we were arrested for playing without permission. They were released on the promise to get out of the city immediately. We had a great time."

Around the same time, both Gilmore and Barrett, in Cambridge, first tried LSD, hashish and 'magic' mushrooms. David hadn't even smoked marijuana before.

David: "It was a very deep experience."

There was not enough money and Gilmore then took on any job; he delivered wine, sold hot dogs, shipped sheet iron and even worked a couple of times as a model for Varsity magazine.

John Gordon: "Dave always looked more sophisticated than Sid [Barrett]. He looked like a college student from America; white Levi's and all that. The girls liked him."

Christine Smith, at that time a 17-year-old fan of Jokers Wild]: "All the girls were crazy about him. We called him Adonis." ***

In '65, Jokers Wild self-financed the recording of their only album and single 'Don't Ask Me (What I Say)'/'Why Do Fools Fall in Love'. 50 copies of the single and 50 copies of the album were printed. ****

David: "We recorded covers from our live set."

1. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon/Herman Santiago/ Jimmy Merchant) 1:51 (hit by American band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers '56; cover based on the Beach Boys'64 version)

2. Walk Like a Man (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:14 (hit by the American band The Four Seasons '63)

3. Don't Ask Me (What I Say) (Paul Jones) 2:55 (song from the album by the British band Manfred Mann 'The Five Faces of Manfred Mann' '64)

4. Big Girls Don't Cry (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:19 (hit The Four Seasons '62)

5. Beautiful Delilah (Chuck Berry) 2:03 (Chuck Berry song '58; cover based on The Kinks'64 version)

"It was an act of vanity. We went to London and recorded 5 songs at the Regent Sound Studio on Denmark Street, without having the slightest idea what we were doing. We had fans in Cambridge and then we sold them to them. I still have a master tape lying around somewhere."

The band's popularity on the local scene grew, they opened concerts by Animals and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, The Paramounts (an early incarnation of Procol Harum, performed and jammed with Paul Simon and The Tea Set, later known as Pink Floyd. Some sources claim that at some stage Dick Parry also played in the band [Dick Parry, saxophonist who later worked with Pink Floyd, The Who, Quiver, Paice Ashton Lord, David Gilmore, etc.)

To be continued...

From books: Comfortably Numb the Inside Story of Pink Floyd by Mark Blake, Da Capo Press, 2008; Pink Floyd: The Early Years by Barry Miles, Omnibus Press, 2011 interviews with Gilmore, Oltham, Brin and Wills]

[thatsrightice]

THE GREAT ‘GATOR COUP

aka that one time the navigators of the 100th BG “got rid” of Crosby’s intended replacement as Group Navigator because they thought he was actually insane, as told by Harry Crosby in his memoir, A Wing and a Prayer

“As I saw it after my study at Oxford, Bennett and Jeffrey had changed the 100th from its original hot fly-boy individuals to 20th-century work-together warfare. From Romanticism to neo-Classicist. History in the making.

I was tired of being part of history. I wanted to go home. Let the new guy take over.

The replacement on tap for me was a captain named Leafy Hill. That is really not his name because I have resolved never to reveal the true names of officers and enlisted men whom I did not admire. War does bad things even to good people. Many of the misfits, the incompetent, the exploitive, and the cowardly whom I met at Thorpe Abbotts have gone on to put together good lives, have had good jobs and good families. I choose not to reopen old wounds.

Leafy thought he was the Group Navigator from the day he walked onto the base. He immediately scheduled himself as the command navigator on the next mission. I hit the sky and stormed into Jeff's office.

"Even command pilots fly high squadron lead on their first missions. I want to know what Leafy Hill can do before I put him up in front."

This was my first encounter with Jeff. He smiled, and talked with me the same way Charlie Via did, Virginia talk.

"Okay, don't pull the hoose down. The 100th is flying low in the wing. In the nose with a good lead crew navigator, he can't foul up too much."

When the planes came back, the crew with whom Leafy had flown were wild.

"The guy is off his rocker. He yelled over intercom all during the mission. From takeoff to landing." The crew navigator was shaken.

"That screwball actually wanted us to abort when we were on the bomb run. I think he wanted to make the run alone so he could get some kind of medal. I won't fly with him again."

I checked Leafy's log. His ETA's and routes were a tangle of misinformation. He claimed to have seen fighters and flak not reported by any other navigators.

I read the lead crew pilot's official report: "A five-hour trip. Major Rosenthal was command pilot and Captain Hill went along as second navigator. The mission was good as far as the leading went, but Captain Hill screwed up our bomb run. Our navigator gave me a 68-degree heading from the Initial Point to the target which would have been swell, but Leafy said the target was at one o'clock and the bombardier swung over as he ordered. Then he saw the target back at ten o'clock. By the time he got his course correction killed his rate was over and we messed up the run. So that's what one man can do to mess up the works."

In no time every navigator at Thorpe Abbotts was sure that Captain Leafy Hill was nuts.

But I could go home if he became the Group Navigator.

I did not have to solve the problem myself.

I was long overdue for a pass, and I decided that a London trip to see Landra Wingate might clear my head.

When I returned to the base, I heard quite a story.

One of the really great command navigators, Stewart Gillison, decided after he finished his tour that he wanted to stay in England. I welcomed him into Group Headquarters as my chief assistant. I could trust him with briefings.

Stew was not your normal guy. Under the circumstances of war, none of us were exactly level on course, but Stew was really something. At night, when he went to bed, instead of turning out the light, he shot it out with his 45 revolver. The ceiling of his room looked like a sieve, and the batman had to put in a new bulb every day.

When I got back from London, Leafy Hill was gone.

Stew had assigned Leafy Hill to fly as fill-in navigator with a crew Stew himself had flown with before he became lead. The crew flew out on the mission and came back.

Except that Leafy Hill was not with them.

When I asked Stew Gillison what happened to Leafy Hill, he said with deference unusual for him, "Major Crosby, I suggest that you don't ask."

I did ask. The pilot wouldn't tell me. The bombardier wouldn't tell me. But the copilot did.

Stew, their former navigator, instructed the crew what to do.

After the target when the group was at the R.P, a gunner called out, "We've been hit!"

That part of it was true, but that was standard. To some degree, we were almost always hit by flak over the target. Sometimes it hit the crew, and we died or we got Purple Hearts, but usually the flak only jarred the plane.

"We really weren't hit at all. The pilot only waggled the wings." The copilot continued the story.

This is what he said happened.

"Okay, pilot to crew, prepare to bail out. See you in Stalag."

"Roger, pilot." This was a chorus from the entire crew.

The pilot rang the alarm bell.

Whoosh! Out went, not all ten of the crew, but just Leafy Hill. He wasn't in on the joke.

When I heard the story I thought it was funny.

Leafy spent the rest of the Air War in Europe in a prison camp, wondering what happened to the rest of the crew.

And I spent the rest of the Air War in Europe as Group Navigator of the Bloody 100th.”

[timeagainreviews]

Dust and Darkness Prevail

Panspermia is the theory that human life was seeded by comets, asteroids, meteoroids, and space dust falling to Earth. Directed panspermia is the idea that an unknown third party purposely seeded life onto this planet through similar means. These are perhaps the most ancient of aliens. For whatever reason, be it propagation, a future food source, or simply contamination from an explorer’s boot, somehow, we were created.  It’s easy to see why mankind looked to the stars for parentage- we are made of star stuff, after all. As our understanding of the stars grew, so did our desire to understand them in relation to ourselves. Staring down the concept of being a mere dust mote floating within sunbeams, some of us began to wonder if the Gods we abandoned weren’t actually a different form of sky daddy. In the words of Giorgio A. Tsoukalos- “Aliens.”

Science fiction has a rich history of depicting ancient Gods as alien lifeforms. Doctor Who is no different. Sometimes these extra-terrestrial visitors are used to explain odd phenomena, and other times, they’ve been used to outright undermine the achievements of ancient civilisations. One of the most popular ancient alien theories is that aliens helped build the pyramids. Some Egyptian-themed polyhedron-obsessed aliens influenced ancient Egyptian culture. You can see it in movies like Stargate, or in television stories like the 1975 Doctor Who serial “Pyramids of Mars.” Recent books like Erich Von Daniken’s scientifically dubious “Chariots of the Gods,” or numerous documentaries narrated by Rod Serling had garnered interest in ancient astronauts. A year after “Pyramids of Mars,” aired, NASA released photos from their Viking 1 orbiter that would only feed these theories. The black and white photos of the Cydonia region appeared to depict a carved facelike structure and gigantic pyramids on the planet’s surface. Needless to say, some people let their imaginations run wild.

While many of the concepts explored in the History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens,” have been labelled pseudo-science or even racist, some of these concepts still crop up in popular media. A more benign example would be Marvel’s own Thor and Loki. Sure, they call them Gods, but they are very clearly from advanced alien civilisations. It feels appropriate then that Doctor Who returning with Disney money might also explore one of its own ancient aliens in Sutekh the Destroyer. Considering the build-up with the Toymaker and the Maestro, it all seems fairly obvious in hindsight. But what does this have to do with Ruby Sunday? In seeking out her own parentage, might she also benefit from looking to the stars?

One aspect to this season of Doctor Who that I feel has actually fallen a bit flat is the question of Ruby Sunday’s parents. Considering that the fandom has been interacting more with the question of the identity of Susan Twist’s character, it’s safe to say I’m not alone in this. It’s just not a very interesting question, and I think it’s partly because we already know the answer. Doctor Who’s official Twitter recently asked fans who they think Ruby’s mother really is, and only a few people actually got the answer right. It’s Carla Sunday, obviously. I find this whole question to be as flawed as the conversation around it. Ruby uses words like “abandoned,” to describe herself. And while I can understand the desire to know your roots, I know my adopted siblings were never abandoned. They were found. They have a family who love them. My mother who was also adopted had a mother in my grandma. My greatest hope with this storyline is that this is what Russell T Davies has been leading up to all along. Ruby’s real mother is the one who changed her diapers and cleaned up scraped knees.

Speaking of family, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” begins like a bit of a family reunion. Yasmin Finney is back as “Rose.” As are Gemma Redgrave as “Kate Lethbridge-Stewart,” Bonnie Langford as “Mel,” and Alexander Devrient as “Colonel Christofer Ibrahim.” Also returning is the Vlinx, with a shiny new chassis. Strangely absent is Ruth Madeley as UNIT’s scientific advisor “Shirley Anne Bingham." In her place is Lenny Rush as “Morris Gibbons,” a boy genius with a taste for excitement. We’re also introduced to Harriet, UNIT’s newest lead archivist. More on her later. The light tone of this family reunion is much needed as the majority of this episode is Doctor Who at its most bleak.

Something I have completely failed to mention this season has been the TARDIS’ weird groaning. It’s not as though I hadn’t noticed, there have just been so many things to talk about lately. I had meant to bring it up last week when the Doctor told Rogue the TARDIS doesn’t like bounty hunters. I figured then that it was the Doctor ignoring a bigger problem. Speaking of which, it does strike me as a bit odd that the Doctor hadn’t addressed the issue for such a long time. The TARDIS has been groaning and sliding into landings like a football tackle. I understand that the Doctor has a lot on his mind, but it would have been nice if they could have shown the Doctor showing any kind of concern for the TARDIS. He’s been flying her for thousands of years, he would notice any slight change. This isn’t a huge issue for me, though it does feel a bit out of character. But who am I to complain? Even I forgot to bring it up.

The Doctor does have a lot on his mind, which is what brings him to UNIT HQ. It was nice to see the Doctor lay all of his cards on the table for a change. You don’t often see the Doctor outright asking for help. Luckily, UNIT was already on the case. The woman the Doctor keeps seeing also exists in modern-day London as Susan Triad. I found it a bit odd that the Doctor would know a politician from an aborted timeline like Roger ap Gwilliam, but not a tech industry giant with her name on a skyscraper. Even Colonel Ibrahim recognised it as an anagram of TARDIS, so what gives, Doctor? 

Part of their gathering intelligence on Susan Triad has been using Mel to infiltrate her organisation. When I had heard they were bringing back Mel, I was excited. Mel has never been a fan favourite, and even I took a lot of time to warm up to her in classic Doctor Who. But bringing her back feels like a no-brainer. She’s a tech whiz and Bonnie Langford is a great actress. There is only room to grow with her character, and grow she does. Not only have they given her a bit more backstory with losing her family, but we also get to see her acting as a double agent and puttering about on her scooter. Seeing Mel in this capacity is a delight. I am really enjoying how they have built up UNIT to be more like the ‘70s (or was it the ‘80s?) with recurring characters. Instead of Yates and Benton, we’ll now have Ibrahim and Sullivan. I really hope they continue this trend, though I would appreciate it if they stopped haemorrhaging scientific advisors.

Despite around-the-clock surveillance, the most UNIT has managed to gather on Susan Triad is that she’s a seemingly nice human woman with no underlying alien traits. Her company’s upcoming event will announce that she is making the Triad OS free to the world, which seems like a weird flex. Ubuntu and Fedora are both free operating systems, so this is nothing new. What’s even more perplexing is that UNIT would integrate Triad into their own systems. Call me crazy, but if I were a government organisation spying on a tech giant because their name is an anagram of an alien time machine, I might opt to use Windows or Mac. The whole storyline was giving shades of “The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky,” or even “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” wherein miracle technologies are secretly deadly. We still don’t know the ramifications of the Triad system’s worldwide rollout, but I imagine we’ll find out next week.

Something a friend pointed out to me that feels important happens during the Mrs Flood scene. According to Kate, the Triad press conference was scheduled for fifteen hundred hours, or 3 pm. What’s odd is that when Ruby and Rose show up to Ruby’s home, Cherry’s digital clock reads 15:08. At first, I had misremembered this scene and figured it must take place during the events at UNIT HQ, but the inclusion of Ruby and Rose implies that it���s not. I can think of three possible explanations for this. One explanation is that it was a continuity error. The production crew simply goofed. It happens. Another explanation is that Cherry’s radio is like my coffee machine in that the digital time display is incorrect. That’s possibly the most human answer. But television doesn’t often allow for such realistic discrepancies as they can confuse audiences. Seriously, how often do you see fictional stories where two characters share the name John? One of my closest friends is also named Natalie, but that wouldn’t usually work in fiction. This leaves us with a third explanation which is that it was done on purpose. Either something wibbly wobbly is happening, or they goofed.

As expected, Mrs Flood appears to be someone. With the reveal of Susan Triad being Sutekh, my hopes of the Rani have been dashed against the rocks of reality. Or have they? In explaining regeneration to Ruby, the Doctor describes it as a way to hide away with a new face. When Ruby fetches Mrs Flood to mind Cherry while Carla joins them back at UNIT, Mrs Flood mentions hiding herself away. While Mrs Flood was a bit rude to Ruby and downright hostile toward Cherry, these could be the actions of a bitter Susan Foreman, aka the Doctor’s granddaughter. However, I am reticent to call her Susan for a couple or reasons. For starters, Carole Ann Ford was present at the premiere for the 60th anniversary specials. Sure this could have simply been due to her history with the show, but it could also imply she’s been filming things for the RTD2 era. You could speculate that the only thing she actually filmed was a flashback regeneration scene into Mrs Flood, but that feels like a waste of a much-needed reunion. My money is on the Rani, but mostly because I want her to be and because Carole Ann Ford deserves her moment. If they bring Susan back, there’s only one person I want to see play her.

Ruby and Rose fetch the surveillance tape from the night Ruby was left on that church stoop. I loved that Carla joined them the moment she learned that Donna was involved with UNIT. It’s nice to see that at least one character hasn’t forgotten who Ruby’s real mother is. This also gave rise to one of my favourite Doctor moments of the episode when he says "Yeah but it’s Carla. Come on," in response to the claim that not even the prime minister has access to UNIT HQ. I loved the exchange between the Doctor and Kate about their possession of a time window. They claim they don’t have one, the Doctor knows they do. Classic. It’s the Doctor knowing of the existence of the Black Archive all over again. Even further, I loved the Doctor laughing at the way UNIT has “lashed together,” the time window. I doubt he really feels that way, but the Doctor needs to remind UNIT not to get too comfortable. Undercutting their achievement is a reminder that these items aren’t toys. It’s a subtle way to establish himself as an authority while also reminding UNIT of their limitations. The Doctor’s aim isn’t to belittle UNIT, but to instill a healthy fear of these technologies. As it turns out, the Doctor’s fears were well-founded.

The time window is a large room capable of viewing moments in time. The Doctor refers to time as a memory which is a bigger Whoiverse change than people are giving it credit. I always thought of the TARDIS as a supercomputer that stores moments throughout time in its memory like files. It makes sense that time and memory mingle like this. The effect of the VHS degradation on memory is one of the coolest visual effects in Doctor Who. It’s nice to see that Disney money coming into play. I also have to tip my hat to Lenny Rush for his performance as Morris here. Lots of UNIT characters were given little moments to shine in this episode like Harriet and Colonel Chidozie. The latter of whom we’re given a bit of background information about so that when he meets his demise, we care a little bit more. He’s just a Manchester lad with a cheery disposition. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him.

In an almost cruel twist of fate, the visual of Ruby’s mother is obscured. Not just obscured, but seemingly darkened as if on purpose. The moment she walks close to the Doctor and Ruby, she glitches past them. It’s sad for Ruby, but I feel it’s important that Carla is there to witness this moment. She needs to see that the mystery of Ruby’s life isn’t just one of being an orphan, but that something is deeply and darkly wrong. I feel as though Carla’s involvement in this storyline is due a rather big payoff next week, and I am looking forward to that. The Doctor notices that the TARDIS appears more corporeal than a simple image from a video. He asks the tanatalising question “If time is memory and memory is time, then what is the memory of a time machine?” It’s a question I have been mulling in my head ever since, and I still don’t have a great answer.

Colonel Chidozie disappears around the same time a swarm of dark energy begins to incircle the memory TARDIS (omg I think I just figured it out). The MEMORY TARDIS! Ok. I see what you’re putting down, Russell. Carla refers to the dark energy as “the Beast,” as in, the devil. But who among us didn’t automatically think of the Beast from “The Satan Pit”? Hell, it’s not as though it would break the show if Sutekh and the Beast were one in the same. They’re both voiced by Gabriel Woolf. Furthermore, we know Sutekh takes on multiple forms like the doggo or Susan Triad. There are plenty of examples of gods taking on multiple forms. Christianity has the Holy Trinity of God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hindu gods often have multiple forms such as Vishnu manifesting as Krishna, Rama, or even Buddha. It’s fully within the realm of possibility that the Beast is yet one more aspect to Sutekh. After all, the Fourth Doctor did refer to him as Satan at one point. Why not?

Possibly the most interesting aspect of the scene is when Chidozie’s speaks out from the darkness. It’s not so much the fact that he’s in Hell or that his consciousness feels like it’s been hijacked like Angel Bob’s was, but rather the fact that he only seems to respond to Ruby. The Doctor tries to commune with the entity and gets nothing. Kate commands Chidozie to report and comes up equally empty-handed. It’s not until Ruby attempts to communicate with the entity that it responds. If Christianity has the Trinity and Hinduism has the Trimurti, perhaps Sutekh has the Triad. Perhaps there’s Sutekh, his doggo form, and Ruby Sunday. This might explain why Ruby’s birth mother has been obscured- she never existed. Whoever left Ruby at the church that day could have been a servant of Sutekh, or even Susan Triad herself.

The tone of the episode by this point is very gloomy. I think the last time Doctor Who gave me the creeps to this degree was “The Impossible Astronaut.” As a fan of dark and disturbing movies, I consider myself rather resilient to horror and dread in media. But there is something about turning the TARDIS into a malevolent force that chills me to my core. Bad Wolf Girl once said “You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing, groaning. That sound brings hope wherever it goes.” But here, the TARDIS offers no comfort. It goes beyond seeing our beloved symbol of hope twisted and perverted. We have seen what the TARDIS is capable of doing. We know how powerful it can be. We can also imagine what that power can do in the wrong hands. My dear late friend Quinn and I used to say that the cloister bell was the scariest sound the TARDIS could make. But this howling groan and sinister energy turning into a hound of Hell is like the cloister bell on steroids.

The Doctor and Mel head off to S Triad Technologies in the vain hope that Susan might be the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan. It’s a last-ditch effort to gain insight into what is happening. Earlier in the episode, we see Kate telling the Doctor that he brings joy, but after Chidozie’s death, you get the impression that her view has sobered up a bit. The Doctor sees the fear in Kates eyes. He sees the fear in Carla’s eyes. He even let down his best friend Ruby. But it’s Mel who picks him back up. Mel who has seen him at his worst and knows who the Doctor is underneath it all. Only she can give him the tough love he needs in this moment and I loved that they gave this opportunity to Bonnie Langford.

The Doctor makes contact with Susan Triad but there is no Time Lord recognition on either end. However, we’ve been here before. Maybe she has a fob watch she doesn’t like to look at. Maybe she’s hiding away. With her press conference due to begin, Susan is whisked away. But as she leaves the Doctor calls out asking if she’s ever dreamed of a girl named Lindy. Has she ever dreamed about a place called Pacifico Del Rio? Has she ever dreamed about being an ambulance? Out of context, he sounds insane. I mean, sure, I dream of being a sail barge, but that’s my special time. It’s enough to set things into motion.

At this point, we still don’t know the true identity of Susan Triad. She very well could still be the Doctor’s granddaughter. But the moment she walked onstage doing that awkward Theresa May arm thing, I knew she had to be evil. Historically speaking, if you want someone to appear evil in Doctor Who, compare them to a Tory. It worked in “The Happiness Patrol,” and it still works now. Could you imagine being the person who milkshakes Sutekh? I feel like throwing a sweet banana dairy concoction into the face of a terrible god would only resort in eternal suffering. While Susan Triad is having her public meltdown for all to see, UNIT’s own Harriet Arbinger is doing one as well. Once again we get another Harbinger. I’ll be honest, the H. Arbinger joke isn’t nearly as strong as RTD seems to think it is. But then again, Batman is the “world’s greatest detective,” and it took him a while to learn that E. Nigma was the Riddler.

I had begun to fully suspect Sutekh by this point, but part of me was starting to wonder if Harriet wasn’t going to turn out to be Sutekh instead. It would have been a very effective misdirect. I was really liking Harriet up to this point too, so I was a bit sad she just turned out to be a servant of the God of Death. Her “I was born for this,” line had me a little hot under the collar. But it looks like she’s gonna get a lot to do in the next episode, so that softens the blow a little bit. As she names off the various gods of the Pantheon, I was very happy to see them reference the Mara as I am a big fan of both “Kinda,” and “Snakedance.” Some have also speculated that the threefold deity of malice, mischief and misery could be a reference to the Gods of Ragnarok. I really hope this is true because I’ve always thought they were cool.

I’ve seen some people complain that they seem to have somewhat retconned Sutekh. People have said it makes no sense to make him the god of gods. He’s an Osiran, not the most powerful god of them all, right? Well, if you think about it, in many ways, death is the ultimate power. If a god like the Toymaker can die, then of course he would run from Sutekh. Also, he’s a god, of course he’s going to claim to be the best. That’s kind of their whole deal. They’re quite full of themselves, gods. Sutekh’s whole deal is that he believes himself the only being worthy of life. Thus all living creatures are an affront to him. Where he treads, he leaves only dust and darkness. Sutekh demonstrates this by reducing Susan Triad’s poor assistant to dust much like he did to Chidozie. With the TARDIS commandeered by evil Anubis and the Doctor being next in line to receive Sutekh’s gift, things have never looked darker for our Time Lord and saviour.

So who was Susan Triad? Was she always Sutekh? Harriet referred to Sutekh as “the mother, father, and other of them all.” I suppose I should start using they/them pronouns for Sutekh. But who were they? Did every incarnation of Sutekh know they were Sutekh? You could wager that they had a hand in a lot of what was happening, and a lot of what was happening could lead to death. The Space Babies were forced into existence and left to die. Roger ap Gwilliam and the Maestro were set on nuclear annihilation. Lindy and her lot were racists which often leads to death. And let's not forget the cold algorithm of the capitalistic war machines from Villengard. What’s even more interesting then is that if these are all aspects of Sutekh and death, then we know Sutekh is stoppable. In “73 Yards,” we’re shown that whatever Ruby’s follower said to Sutekh was enough to send them scurrying. Sadly, Ruby has no memory of this aborted timeline.

With a new episode of “Tales from the TARDIS,” in the pipeline, I expect we’ll see the return of the memory TARDIS in a big way. According to news sources, the new episode will feature the Doctor and Ruby discussing the events of “Pyramids of Mars,” so make sure to watch that if you need a refresher or have never seen the original. One aspect you might find interesting is that Sutekh initially manifests at a priory on the site of the original UNIT HQ. I have no idea if that will come into play, but it’s interesting that both stories are focused around UNIT, if nothing else. Even more interesting is the fact that in both stories, Sutekh is intent on possessing the TARDIS. I wonder if the Doctor will be forced to use the memory TARDIS to stop Sutekh since the regular TARDIS is compromised. We see Ruby’s memory begin to manifest once more when she and Sullivan enter the time window again. It’s entirely plausible.

I’ll be watching the finale like many others in the UK this weekend, at the movie theatre. The last time I got to see a Doctor Who episode in the theatre was in Kansas City when they simulcast “The Day of the Doctor,” at a local indie-theatre. I’ll never forget the feeling of a theatre packed with nerds cheering over Peter Capaldi’s attack eyebrows. I’m also going to see it in the theatre because, evidently, this is a big enough episode to merit a cinematic experience. I bought nine tickets, so it’s going to be a bit of an event for me. I’ll try not and let that colour my experience too much. All in all, I loved this episode, but we’re still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I loved “Fugitive of the Judoon,” but the lacklustre finale left me retroactively disappointed. But for the time being, RTD has my full attention. I can’t remember the last time Doctor Who left me this excited for what’s to come.

[iwanthermidnightz]

This was a very good article! I loved hearing Kristen’s (and Jodie Fosters) perspective as a queer trailblazer. Inserting some snippets below 🤍

To get to this point, Stewart’s weathered more than a decade of unrelenting media scrutiny, first about her straight relationships, then about her gay ones, as she figured out her own identity. She leveraged her global stardom from the “Twilight” franchise not to become a superhero or a lifestyle guru, but to fuel an astonishing run of acclaimed independent films, including “Clouds of Sils Maria,” “Still Alice,” “Certain Women,” “Personal Shopper” and the Princess Diana drama “Spencer,” for which she earned an Oscar nomination.

“Whenever I hear that she’s doing something new, I’m so curious to see what it is, because it’s going to be a movie that hasn’t been made before,” says Clea DuVall, who directed Stewart in one of her only Hollywood films during this period, Hulu’s 2020 release “Happiest Season,” the first lesbian Christmas rom-com backed by a major studio. “She really is so herself. And I think that’s why so many people respond to her the way they do — because she is so authentic.”

By the time Stewart stepped on the stage of “Saturday Night Live” in February 2017, she’d spent the previous two years trying to convince the press that it was OK to write about her relationships with women, rather than resort to the vexing practice of referring to her girlfriend as her “gal pal.”

“It wasn’t even like I was hiding,” she says. “I was so openly out with my girlfriend for years at that point. I’m like, ‘I’m a pretty knowable person.’”

But even with that posture, the media’s “gal pal” dog whistle triggered a deeper, more painful history of intrusive curiosity about Stewart’s sexual identity. “For so long, I was like, ‘Why are you trying to skewer me? Why are you trying to ruin my life? I’m a kid, and I don’t really know myself well enough yet,’” she says. “The idea of people going, ‘I knew that you were a little queer kid forever.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah? Well, you should honestly have seen me fuck my first boyfriend.’”

It’s worth dwelling on this point: For almost the entire history of Hollywood, queer actors dreaded the public discovering who they really were, and that fear kept the closet door firmly closed. “Because I was gay, I really retreated,” says DuVall, who came out publicly in 2016. “Even doing a teeny tiny movie like [the ’90s lesbian cult favorite] ‘But I’m a Cheerleader,’ people immediately were like, ‘She’s gay, how can we out her?’ I wanted to stay small.”

Stewart, though, went big, with a monologue on “SNL” about how President Donald Trump, in 2012, obsessively tweeted about her relationship with Pattinson. “Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re really probably not going to like me now, because I’m hosting ‘SNL’ — and I’m, like, so gay, dude,” she said to wild cheers from the audience.

“It was cool to frame it in a funny context because it could say everything without having to sit down and do an interview,” Stewart says before running through the kind of questions queer actors have had to consider before coming out publicly: “‘So what platform is that going to be on? And who’s going to make money on that? And who’s going to be the person that broke it?’ I broke it, alone.”

A few days later, I mention Stewart’s “SNL” monologue to Foster over the phone, and she lets out a big laugh. “I never knew that,” she says. “What a wonderful, funny, wry, modern way to be honest to the world. That’s just awesome.”

As Stewart talks about her “SNL” experience, I think about how no stars of her age and stature ever came out when I was growing up as a gay kid in the 1980s and ’90s. So to have her professional trajectory not skip a beat feels like real progress.

When I tell her as much, she takes the conversation in an unexpected direction. “Because I’m an actor, I want people to like me, and I want certain parts,” she says. “I have lots of different experiences that shape who I am that are very, very far from binary. But I did get good at the heteronormative quality. I play that role well. It comes from a somewhat real place — it’s not fake. But it’s fucked up that if I was gayer, it wouldn’t be the case.”

I try to clarify what she means: “So your career maybe would have suffered after coming out had you not affected a performative femininity …”

“… that I know works to my advantage,” she admits, nodding. “That’s why I’m fucking stoked about ‘Love Lies Bleeding.’”

Stewart didn’t let that scandal, as intense as it was in the moment, stifle her. Instead, she grew to fully embrace her queerness in her public life — like bringing her girlfriend, screenwriter Dylan Meyer, to the Oscars in 2022. “It’s not that I wasn’t scared,” Stewart says. “It was just that there was no other way to live.”

She’s even started to recognize that the most ostensibly heterosexual thing she’s done, “Twilight,” has its own queer sparkle. “I can only see it now,” she says. “I don’t think it necessarily started off that way, but I also think that the fact that I was there at all, it was percolating. It’s such a gay movie. I mean, Jesus Christ, Taylor [Lautner] and Rob and me, and it’s so hidden and not OK. I mean, a Mormon woman wrote this book. It’s all about oppression, about wanting what’s going to destroy you. That’s a very Gothic, gay inclination that I love.”

I ask Stewart if she understands how much her decision to come out has also made her a role model for LGBTQ people. She cackles. “Oh, you have no idea,” she says. “Every single woman that I’ve ever met in my whole life who ever kissed a girl in college is like, ‘Yeah, I mean, me too.’ I’m constantly joking with my girlfriend. I’ll be sitting there and be like” — she whispers — “‘She’s gay too. Everyone’s gay.’”

It can be easy to forget just how rare this still is, a giant movie star living such an openly queer life. “It feels like a generational thing, where I’m watching somebody make the leaps that I didn’t think I could ever do,” Foster says.

After fiercely guarding her privacy for decades, Foster came out publicly at the 2013 Golden Globes, and has just now played her first explicitly gay character in the 2023 biopic “Nyad.” Talking about Stewart has put Foster in a reflective mood. As our call is coming to an end, she offers this unprompted insight: “I get a lot of questions about who I was and what I represented in the industry, and was I — I don’t know …” She exhales. “Was I helpful in terms of representation? I’m sure there’s a 12- or 13- or 14-year-old when I was making movies as a young person who said that I had something to offer to them in their life as a queer person. I had to do it my way. I had pioneers to help the way, who I’m grateful for. And now people can be grateful for Kristen for being the pioneer. I’m just — I’m grateful to her.”

This sense of communion with the wider LGBTQ tribe is why Stewart has dedicated herself to embracing the fullness of who she is as a bro-y, butch-y queer woman in her work as an actor and, come hell or high water, a director.

“I was like, ‘I would like to be on that team because we need each other,’” Stewart says. “I didn’t want to be left out anymore. It was this whole world that I didn’t realize I could explore.”

[shannendoherty-fans]

December, 1993 - Magazine clipping

SHANNEN DOHERTY

The unpredictable Beverly Hills, 90210 star took a riveting walk—make that a breathless sprint—on the wild side

That tittering you hear is from Santa's workshop, where oneof the elves has laid his hands on a printout of the naughty list and is sharing it with his coworkers. “The Fat Guy has Shannen Doherty down for a couple lumps o' coal,” he giggles. The other elves nod knowingly.

Surely this comes as no surprise to those of us who follow such things, nor, perhaps, to Doherty herself. Shannen, already known for feuding with her 90210 costars and for late-night partying at L.A. clubs, slam-danced her way through '93 with a recklessness usually associated with self-destructive politicians and Shakespeare’s characters but certainly not with 22-year-old actresses who play teenagers on TV. Why our fascination? Probably because Shannen’s TV character, Brenda Walsh, is so normal compared with her hell-bent portrayer

Whatever the reasons, you couldn't miss the hydra-headlines. Cosmetics heir Dean Factor, Shannen’s ex-fiancé, claims that during their engagement last spring, Shannen tried to run him over with her car, menaced him with a gun and threatened to hire thugs to beat him up and sodomize him. He filed for a protection order, but they settled out of court. That brief if tumultuous relationship gave way to a short but action-packed fling with Judd Nelson.

She also wrote $31,628.16 in bad cheeks and owed $14,000in back rent. Then in September—hell's bells! —she impulsively married George Hamilton's 19-year-old son, Ashley, an acquaintance of a few weeks and recentIy out of drug rehab. It was days before her publicist was able to confirm that Shannen, who celebrated her impromptu nuptials in the backyard of her Santa Monica Mountain home, actually had married, license and all.

Then she went on Saturday Night Live and, in mock wedding video, pushed Ashley into the cake.

Anyone at this point care to venture an explation? (1) Carol Potter, Shannen’ TV mom: “She has knack for keeping her face out there, for being just outrageous enough.” (2) A former pal: “She gets this power surge going where she feels she can do aything to anyone at any time and get away with it.” (3) New mother-in-law Alana Stewart: “She's so high-profile, everything gets blown out of proportion. I like her, She's spunky.” (4) Chicago Realtor Chris Foufas, who preceded Factor as her fiancé: “Shannen wants anormal life, to love and be loved, to ive happily ever after. She just doesn’t know how to get it.”

Let's hope she finds some answers in '94. But Santa, keep the coal coming anyway. On or off the small screen, Shannen is at her most entertaining when she’s naughty.

(I had this file saved as December 27, 1993, People magazine, but People magazine were in black and white back then so I don't think it is. Also it talks about Santa Claus' elves so I think it may was published before December 24?)

***

This is the last 1993 magazine/article that I have (in English). I've tried to put only the ones that are not tabloids. The ones that Shannen herself, her dad, or close people like her ex Chris Foufas talked to. Still, as you can see, they write such lines as the last one. You can clearly see the press needed their "bad/lost girl" after Drew Barrymore got sober, and chose Shannen because she was strong and confident. I just want that everyone reads them and thinks what this can do to a 20/22-year-old person. Luckily they didn't break her although they almost did. Still, they did it with Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Rose McGowan, etc. Shame on them! Shame on the tabloids, and the old-white-men dominating Holywood establishment!

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/11/2024 (Kendrick Lamar's GNX, Wicked Soundtrack with Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, Stromae & Pomme)

Kendrick Lamar is Santa, Ariana Grande is Mrs. Claus, and God, do we have a lot of elves. I suppose that makes Gracie Abrams Rudolph, since she’s leading the pack for a sixth week at #1 for “That’s So True”. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, gang violence, potential spoilers for Wicked Part One

Rundown

As always, we start our week with the notable dropouts, those being songs exiting from the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This episode, we bid adieu to: “Two Faced” by Linkin Park and “Running Wild” by Jin – both off the debuts last week – as well as “São Paulo” by The Weeknd and Anitta, “Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen, “Indestructible” by Andy C and Becky Hill, “TOO COOL TO BE CARELESS” by PAWSA, “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae, “BACKBONE” by Chase & Status and Stormzy, “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, and finally, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. It is safe to say that at least some of these tracks make their return once Father Christmas has dropped the gifts off at the chimney.

Now for the festive flood, and whilst I won’t mention gains for pre-existing holiday tracks outside of the merriest three, we do have plenty of Christmas-related returns this week – every year has the chart week where the floodgates open for holly jolly hits – and even some seasonal new entries which we’ll get to. For now, we welcome back: “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #75, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #72, “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes at #66, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by the late Dean Martin at #65, “Step into Christmas” by Sir Elton John at #56 (I love that one), “Winter Wonderland” by Laufey at #55 (more from her later), “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Bublé at #51, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #45 and “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John at #31. Our three jolliest jingles are “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at #20, “All I Want for Christmas is You” at #10 and “Last Christmas” at #8. I would say it’s too early for all that but my tree’s already up, and the only gain we get outside of this is “Messy” by Lola Young at #41, which I can’t complain about.

As for our top five… I suppose it’s best to break the news now. Kendrick Lamar’s new #1 album GNX and the soundtrack to Ariana Grande-led fantasy musical film Wicked have both debuted three songs – the maximum under UK chart rules – and they’ve all landed high up in the top 20. We can see quite early how this affects us, as Kenny takes “luther” with SZA at #5 and “squabble up” at #4. The top three, however, has not shifted in the slightest, with “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars at #3, “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez at #2 and of course, Ms. Abrams at the very top. Now, before we get into the big events, we of course have the filler episodes.

New Entries

#67 – “Christmas Magic” – Laufey

Produced by Laufey and Spencer Stewart

We start our week – of course – with the Amazon Originals. For those who don’t know, Amazon Music makes original holiday tracks with often famous artists, either for their bargain-bin Christmas films or as standalone tracks that automatically play when you ask Alexa for Christmas songs, hence run the streams up from automatic and passive listening but don’t have much of an impact on a lot of the population’s streaming rotation because they simply do not have access to it. It’s a questionable approach, for sure, but now it has been the norm for so many years, I no longer feel the need to complain about it. I used to review suggestions in protest, but this year, I decided that it’s really not difficult to find these songs without an Amazon product or subscription, and I may as well review them even if for the most part, they’re just vaguely festive slop. Plus, sometimes they are cover versions and hence I can talk about chart history. This does not appear to be the case for either of our new Amazon tracks, starting with Icelandic jazz singer Laufey’s “Christmas Magic” – if there’s any time of the year where her bordering-on-easy-listening style is going to gain the most traction, it would be Christmas, and this is fully a traditional Christmas song, with bursts of swing sax and sleigh bells backing what is basically a list of clichés. Laufey sounds nice as always, but it’s so short and there’s so little to it in all avenues of music – performance, lyrics, instrumentation – that it really can’t rise above vague pleasantry.

#49 – “It Can’t Be Christmas” – Tom Grennan

Produced by the Ghosts of Capitalist Past, Present and Future

Find Tom Grennan in around 30 days time and tell him what day it is, he won’t believe it. Anyway, we have our second Amazon-exclusive track, another original, this time from British pop-rock boy Tom Grennan, a semi-regular fixture on this series for the past few years. The horns are flatter here than on Laufey’s song, the tempo is fixed at a staggered classic soul pace which has never always fit holiday music for me – it’s usually used for Christmas songs that are more longing relationship, by-the-fireplace kind of songs, but there’s a cold angst to that drum rhythm to me, especially when in this context of a manufactured mix and song structure cut down for optimal length and audience retention. Grennan’s delivery flails into a really pathetic rasp, especially in that rough bridge, it sounds like a first take, and the staccato backing vocals don’t do much to sugarcoat it. It plays out less like an original Christmas song and more drunken karaoke from a wannabe Teddy Swims. Thanks, Bezos, we really needed this in the repertoire – besides, if you’re going to make a sincere attempt at introducing your song into the Christmas canon, why make it platform-exclusive to a platform largely not considered a major competitor in that particular medium? It’s like making a blockbuster film only available in cinemas located in Bedford – like, sure, people can see it but you have to go to Hampshire and not everyone’s going to be in Bedford all the time, in fact, most of the country won’t, though it’s not that difficult to get to anyways. And yes, Tom Grennan is from Bedford, and no, I didn’t know that before I wrote this analogy in, seriously.

#21 – “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” – Stromae and Pomme

Produced by Stromae, Mako and Luc Van Hayer

So, this kind of came out of nowhere. Stromae hasn’t charted internationally in a while and does not do so very often nowadays, especially in the UK, but he’s a Belgian singer best known for his 2009 smash hit “Alors on danse”, which this has amazingly out-peaked and once I found out why, I was a lot less excited to figure out why this duet with French singer Pomme had made a big splash when no non-massive event is otherwise getting through the holiday freeze. To keep it simple, as we’ll be talking about in-universe nonsense a lot for the rest of this episode, this is a song from League of Legends spin-off Netflix series Arcane, about a complicated relationship between two characters that starts off really antagonising and blossoms throughout the series, especially the second season which has recently premiered. I actually really like this song too, with the slightly off robotic vocoder functioning as those emotions coming to boil and bubble up inside the two characters, but not feeling too coherent yet, and Stromae’s spoken delivery fitting wonderfully over a reggaeton beat with a lot of space in the mix for phased wave synth pads and choir swells that take a human touch to a potentially over-produced and slodgy rhythm that comes with slowing a reggaeton drum pattern down and fuzzing out the mix. It’s a pretty good song outside of that, on strength of its chorus and concept, which fits what I’m told is the premise about a city and its seedy underbelly. If there’s cyborgs in the show, this is such a cyborg-coded song, and that’s the kind of in-depth observations you read this for. Between this and “Enemy” a few years back, maybe this show has something to it. Now speaking of shows I’m out of my depth on…

#17 – “What is This Feeling?” – Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

So, I have not seen Wicked, and I probably never will – it’s the first part of a musical I have no interest in stretched out to a film adaptation of two and a half hours. No amount of positive reception will bring me to see that. However, I had cleverly predicted this outcome and enlisted a duo of undercover spy agents to research and recount details of the piece to inform and assist with this episode. For the sake of anonymity, I shall call them Jessie and James, and yes, I’m Meowth, that’s right. Bear with me here, as like a third of this episode will be plot details for a movie I haven’t seen, but I will try and keep it brief as unlike Kendrick’s songs, these have very little chance of sticking around once the hype has dissipated. This song is from when the two students at “Shiz University” (again, bear with me) first meet: Galinda, an elite sorceress played by Grande, and Elphaba, the titularly wicked witch played by Erivo, write to their parents about each other and their initial experience as roommates. Apparently, this is near-unchanged from the musical version (which is itself adapted from a novel, itself adapted from The Wizard of Oz), and acts as a reversion of the “hate-to-love” trope in conventional musicals, by presenting two characters who absolutely love to hate each other and finding exhilaration in a quickly-onset and potentially longstanding loathing. My secret agent calls it a “toxic yuri anthem”, whatever that means – I like the intensity of the strings and especially the horns as the song ramps up, and for a show tune, the soundtrack version is less flat than many a musical track sounds in studio quality, even if the drums don’t hit like they should. I do find Ari – sorry, I mean Galinda’s lengthy description of her green counterpart being met with a short and snappy “Blonde.” from Elphaba pretty funny and, if I were more attuned with the narrative, probably an appropriate summary of their characteristics. A song about mutual hate written as if it were a cutesy love ballad is a cool take, especially in the bombast of a musical, but it doesn’t fully connect with me all the way through, it loses me a bit once we get into the choir parts. You know what didn’t need to take time to lose me?

#13 – “Popular” – Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

Now I do know this one! Is it because Ari had covered it prior with MIKA? Yes. Do I like that version? No, it’s horrible, but that is in part why it stuck with me and also in part why I cannot watch this film, as if I at any point think of MIKA in a cinema, security may need to intervene. Yes, I still find this song really annoying in whatever form, but what I didn’t know until now is that I’m somewhat supposed to. The musical’s most famous but not most iconic track, performed by Galinda alone, shows her as a bit of a smug, superficial pest obsessed with “improving” her newfound friend Elphaba that she sees as needing to be changed drastically to gain approval from her peers. The “la-la-la” hook is still incessant, but it plays onto “political performance themes” (quoting my spy) and given its status as both a fan and general audience favourite, I’m sure it’s exciting in the film’s context, and though one of my confidantes loved the extended outro, I find lengthening “Popular” to be somewhat like making sure your murder victim gets slapped around before you stab him, especially since the instrumentation is largely barebones. I get why the song is like it is and at least it’s not the MIKA version, but I’m still not a fan.

#7 – “Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

It turns out, coincidentally, that the songs’ chart order also reflects that of the musical, so we observe the character arcs in real time. A seven-minute showstopper, “Defying Gravity” may be the most impressive number, so immersive as a song in thematic context that it’s part of why the film has been split into two different parts instead of released as a whole: it’s built specifically to bring a curtain down to intermission, so the producers cut the film not long after so the events following such a grand, iconic moment didn’t end up “hugely anti-climactic”. I mean, the song is called “Defying Gravity” – leaving the audience with a song that, according to my team of associates, gives them goosebumps, may be more powerful than bringing the film back down to Earth at any point, if it were possible. For the sake of chart history, Elphaba’s stage performer Idina Menzel recorded the song as a single, and therefore, this is the one song from the musical we get here to have charted several times, first with Menzel for a #60 peak in 2008, secondly with the cast of the TV sitcom Glee in 2010 for a peak of #38. To track that in the real world, the #1s at those dates were Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out”… which both kind of make sense for such an extensive, transforming song about the two main characters coming to grips with how they’re just too vastly different to go in the same direction, and because of that, it’s a particularly powerful song for Elphaba. One of my friends – I mean, undercover employees prefers Adele Dazeem’s version but Cynthia Erivo’s performance here took me aback by sheer strength in just the audio so I’m sure I’d be impressed seeing its scenes play out on screen or stage. That hook really clings to you as an earworm and whilst getting there each time may not be the most fun to follow, that makes it all the more satisfying once you’re there, and this really is a special tune, even out of narrative context, so I completely understand why, despite the length, this is the highest-charting from Wicked. Once again, thanks to Team Wicked for equipping me with details regarding the film and its source texts because doing actual research is for nerds. Who the Hell would write a chart show based on actual research, facts, history and fair analysis for over half a decade? ...Well, maybe Spectrum Pulse.

#6 – “tv off” – Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay

Produced by MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD

All three of Kendrick’s top 10 debuts from his most recent surprise album – dropping in the middle of the afternoon UK time last week – appear in a row from #6 to #4 and we also don’t get any of the denser tracks, which is to be expected but does mean we partially lose a layer we could use to discuss the album with. This isn’t a problem, though, for if there’s any album in his discography that Kendrick wants you to feel and not overthink about, it’s his series of West Coast tributes seemingly made in just the past few months that he calls GNX. I’ve always been less enamoured by Kendrick than many others, because of what in my opinion is a spotty catalogue and messy approach from his output, DAMN. onwards, but a lower-concept, mixtape-esque record from him may be just what I’ve wanted him to get at since To Pimp a Butterfly. There are themes worth getting into on this album, for you to evaluate and take piece by piece, but there’s nothing cryptic, which isn’t necessarily a problem for me regardless, I can enjoy plenty of abstract rap, but it also means the album’s less heavy, more of a concise product that tells you quite explicitly how Kendrick is feeling. Hateful, he is feeling hateful and he's absolutely proud of finally having the angle and time in his career where proving himself isn’t necessary, and he can pull up to the Super Bowl with a set of new bangers he hasn’t gotten sick of yet, or even thought too hard about in the first place. There’s a real release in this album that comes with the post-Drake beef success: near-unanimously crowned the winner, dragged through the mud and coming out clean as a whistle in the public’s eyes, he realises that he can show off some jams that’ll resonate with his folks in California and boost that scene to worldwide status. As silly as it sounds, it might be my favourite Kendrick Lamar album.

Now as for the three track we have here, I’ll zoom through them, as we have two energetic West Coast bangers and one R&B cut, starting off with what might just be my favourite track, and I’m sure many agree: “tv off”. Produced by Mustard, who takes the same Monk Higgins album to flip as he did for “Not Like Us”, alongside Sean Momberger, Kamasi Washington, Jack Antonoff (of all people, he’s all over the record) and Kenny’s long-time producer Sounwave, Kendrick starts off with what may be the mission statement of the album: he’s finally bought his dream car, and he’s set out on the goal of making hits for the people: “fuck being rational, give ‘em what they asked for”. Once letting you know his rationale, he sets the score over a shrill sample chop that rings of all the malice he self-admittedly approached this project with, the beat animated by his manic flipping between his now signature goofy voice (a nasal whine), restless yelling and deadpan, sick-and-tired rambling. The main conceit of the song is authenticity, how Kendrick feels like he’s the only real one in the game, and there are not enough people like him, which leads to catchy flows and great brags like how he can afford to cut his grandmother off if she doesn’t agree with him (so much for keeping the family close), but also comes with the underlying knowledge that he’s admitting he himself is not enough to save his culture from losing the plot. Of course, the song only really switches into gear with the beat switch, as over a menacing loop from a Disney soundtrack of all places, Kendrick memetically screams “Mustard!” when the beat drops as if the guy who produced “Freaky Friday” was a Dragon Ball antagonist. His scream is not just for the meme, though, he explains why: he wants to walk into the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana with the energy of his hometown of LA, and part of that is screaming California’s biggest producer as part of Kendrick’s own personal victory lap. That’s kind of beautiful, but you wouldn’t know it from Kendrick’s grimy verse and intricate rhyme schemes all enveloping from an already ruthless Biggie interpolation. I particularly love the second half verse from the “prophetic”-“cosmetic” bar onwards, the fricative mouthful leading into that second pained “Mustard!” release is such a great moment. And if you don’t know who Lefty Gunplay is, well, you weren’t supposed to, not only was he initially uncredited but he, as one of many West Coast underground rappers Kendrick gave shine to on this record, only provides the outro here, itself a bit of a memetic mantra of how it can get “crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”. Theories have arisen that this reflects Kendrick’s four main diss tracks against Drake, but I see this more as just what happens when you see Kendrick in this aggressive mode because this album shows that it can get as zany as it can get genuinely threatening, and Lefty Gunplay’s voice fits like a glove, as expected for a largely unknown California rapper – there are a few others on the album, with Dody6 and AzChike in particular giving really standout performances. Part of me wonders if Lefty had a longer verse on this and that one line was just the part Kendrick liked the most so he looped it at the end. Either way, let’s move on to:

#5 – “luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Bridgeway, Rose Lilah and M-Tech

Earlier on in the album is a more lowkey cut with SZA, the laidback duet “luther”. One of the few tracks of its kind on the album, it is an honest-to-God love song from Kendrick, promising his girlfriend – presumably his fiancé Whitney, played by SZA – that better days are coming, in part because he’s there for her and is on the way to make her life as perfect as he sees her as. Kendrick promises that if the world was his, she’d have no enemies – in this case, he says he’d gun them down, of course – and wouldn’t have to suffer any pain, playing on the sample from “If This World Were Mine”, specifically the cover by Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross. As with many SZA tracks, it’s a piano and acoustic guitar-led trap-inflected slow jam, but with all kinds of very special and very Kendrick additions, like the string swell that tries its hardest to make you not notice that Kendrick’s first verse is the same set of bars repeated with two extra bars (it’s not fully successful), and how the beat is reduced to just the bass mid-verse so Kendrick can play with his “fah-fah” ad-lib melodically for longer than he needs to, but it’s still cut and further immerses you into the fantasy of a perfect world. For the rest of the song, SZA and Kendrick switch from going back-and-forth, completing each other’s sentences on the second verse, to harmonising entire verses and refrains together, in a catchy serenade that still plays with the pace of the lengthy chorus in interesting ways, whilst having Sam Dew and Ink fill in some of the vocal gaps Kendrick simply can’t. Kendrick’s less-than-perfect vocal here is part of the self-deprecation he accumulates in the song – he’s helpless to reach his goal of having a perfect world he has control over, but it’s in pursuit of this perfect woman who loves him regardless: “she a fan, he a flop, they just want to kumbaya”. Overall, it’s a charming, loveable little track that I’m very glad was included and could see sticking around – as much as I love it, “tv off” is probably being swapped out next week, but the higher two are probably going to be charting for a while.

#4 – “squabble up” – Kendrick Lamar

Produced by Kendrick Lamar, Bridgeway, Jack Antonoff, Sounwave and Matthew “MTech” Bernard

Unlike how the three-song rule often dictates, we do not see the opening track on the chart this week, primarily because “wacced out murals” is a five-minute villain origin story that is coldly intense and thematically necessary… but not as much of an undeniable jam as its follow-up, “squabble up”, which appears to get the lead single treatment with a midweek video and it should be obvious as to why. First teased in the “Not Like Us” video months ago, “squabble up” starts with intense breathing under Kendrick’s promise that he’s back: one of the album’s main themes is reincarnation, and here, he sets the stage for an album that’s bangers on bangers by saying he’s done stargazing and back outside for the people, whilst also referencing the sentiment that he considers himself Tupac Shakur reincarnated, a longstanding idea in his catalogue. Sentiments are hardly what makes this song great, though, as it’s named after LA slang for a brawl as Kendrick, with a lot of wacky choices of imagery and great wordplay – sometimes about his own producers (again) – over a groove that caught me in a trance on first listen, especially with that phased 80s synth bass, taken from Debbie Deb’s freestyle classic “When I Hear Music”. The vocal sample from Debbie isn’t interpolated in any way but its theme of dancing to the music takes on a different meaning in this more sinister context – Kendrick’s guys are on the floor for different reasons. The group call-and-response vocal in the bridge comes with intrusive drum crashes, and the third verse has so many cute details in how the sample is glitched and chopped into sparkling sound effects and vocoder loops that you almost get distracted from some of the funniest lyrics in the song, especially the flatly-delivered couplet “Bitch with him and some bitch in him – that’s a lot of bitch / Don’t hit him, he got kids with him? My apologies”. One could complain about the relatively simple and staccato hooks here, but the off-key singing in the chorus has always been part of Kendrick’s charm and why he can appear so down to Earth compared to rappers who will use Auto-Tune for a hook like that, and the rubbery effects in the post-chorus keep it texturally rich. This will have its chart run hampered by Christmas, but I still can’t imagine it not sticking around because this is infectious in all the best ways, and also a fun way to wrap up the episode.

Conclusion

Kendrick sweeps, as you’d expect. He grabs Best of the Week for “tv off” with Lefty Gunplay, and just to be fair, I’ll tie his Honourable Mention for “squabble up” with “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As for the opposite side, Tom Grennan takes Worst of the Week for “It Can’t Be Christmas”, obviously, and though I’m personally scared of my undercover assistants’ capabilities and mob connections, I will also dare to give Ariana Grande’s “Popular” the Dishonourable Mention. I’m sorry, the song will never click with me. As for what’s on the horizon, I can’t imagine much else but Christmas tunes, particularly a new one from Ed Sheeeran, so strap in, folks. We’re in for the slowest month of my year. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you… soon.

[the-lady-hestia]

Alright spoilers for the final Dr Who special

HERES MY THOUGHTS ON THE GIGGLE AND FINAL RANKINGS FOR ALL THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS!!

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Bi-generation

Oh boy

I spent a while trying to write this, but every time I came to a complaint, I realized that the story kind of set it up in a way. All that to say, this review was originally going to be a lot harsher, but I found some justifications for the things I had complaints about.

In general, I like the episode. It’s a goofy romp where Neil Patrick Harris is a cosmic-scale nut job while David Tennant looks on in horror. It’s fun. It is not, however, a good ending to a series of specials let alone ANNIVERSARY specials. It doesn’t feel like an ending. The ending doesn’t feel emotionally resolved (that’s the thesis statement right there)

Throughout the episode, the doctor is constantly reminded that he has always had to move on. He always has to leave his friends. Between meeting the classic companion Mel, to the Toymaker giving him basically a slideshow of all the people who have died because of him and his actions.

And so the story compliments this with an ending where the doctor doesn’t have to leave. The pattern breaks. The doctor stays.

Aaaaaand he also doesn’t. At the same time.

I feel like the same effect could have been reached without splitting the doctor in half. Now there’s two doctors. How the hell are you gonna manage that? The Timeless Child shit is definitely cannon so now there’s two cosmic super beings AND two Tardis’s (Tardices? Whatever the plural of Tardis is) in existence.

I was emotionally prepared to say goodbye to David Tennant as the doctor but now the story feels unresolved. Instead of the heartwarming ending they were going for, it feels like this was just concentrated fan-service intended to lead into a spinoff series and encourage fanfiction writers to fill in the gaps (I will say, the Doctor calling Rose his niece was very sweet. He does finally get a family and that is undeniably nice)

SO! Corrections:

I think the same emotional effect (if not more of an emotional effect) could have been achieved if 14 didn’t actually die in that confrontation. Maybe the resolution of his story is that The Doctor decided that, for a while, he does stick around. Maybe we get a montage of domestic Doctor. He still gets his family and he still gets to resolve all his emotional baggage, just without the Bi-generation nonsense. When Ncuti takes over we get a Doctor that is ready to start traveling again (remember, 15 isn’t going to have this emotional catharsis. He left without confronting his baggage. He’s still fucked up, but I don’t feel like the writers are gonna acknowledge that) And then, after some time has passed, maybe the David Tennant body “wears a bit thin” and he regenerates the normal way (that’s how Hartnell regenerated, I feel like it would be fitting with this whole “new era of Doctor Who” shit they’ve got going on plus the Toymaker is a villain from Hartnells run, the themes are themeing)

Other than that, pretty fun episode. Kate Stewart slays. Shirley continues to be a bad bitch keeping the doctor on his toes. The tease for the Master at the end was fun, always a blast to see that lunatic. Overall, I give The Giggle a 6.5/10. Passable episode with a truly nonsense ending (and not the fun kind of nonsense)

Final ratings for all the specials:

The Star Beast: 8/10

Wild Blue Yonder: 9.5/10 (this might be one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever)

The Giggle: 6.5/10

I do still love RTD. The man wrote some of my favorite stories in all of fiction. I’m very optimistic about this coming season of the show. I think Ncuti Gatwa has charisma coming out his ears so he’ll be fantastic. My pie in the sky dream is that it’s so good that it makes me forget about all this weird shit and hanging plot threads. Here’s hoping!

[lazorcrab]

My favorite songs that I listened to in 2023 (in no particular order)

Mark Knight & Armand Van Helden - The Music Began To Play

Daft Punk - Revolution 909 (Roger Sanchez & Junior Sanchez Remix)

Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz - Miss You (Showtek Remix)

Armin van Buuren & Mr. Probz - Another You

Party Favor - Too Much

Sans Soucis - All Over This Party (Salute Remix)

Lil Wayne - A Milli (Sidepiece Remix)

Elvis Presley & Britney Spears - Toxic Las Vegas (Jamieson Shaw Remix)

Tiesto, Jonas Blue, & Rita Ora - Ritual

Gorillaz - Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)

Mau P - Gimme That Bounce

Tiesto - Lay Low

Armin van Buuren & Stuart Crichton - Dayglow

Jay-Z & Linkin Park - Numb/Encore

Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose

Tiesto - 10:35 (feat. Tate McRae) [Joel Corry Remix]

Meduza and Eli & Fur - Pegasus

Whitney Houston - It's Not Right But It's Okay

Gorillaz - Skinny Ape

Red Vox - Forgetter

Olive T - We'll Maintain

Tchami - Shades (feat. Donnie Sloan & Ricky Ducati)

Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get It Right

Mack Wilds - Own It

Calvin Harris - Miracle (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Genesi - Everything You Have Done (Meduza Edit)

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, & Diddy - Creepin' (feat. 21 Savage)

Gorillaz - Tranz

Foster The People - Sit Next to Me

Tyga - I'm Gone (feat. Big Sean)

Avicii - Heaven

Calvin Harris - Miracle (feat. Ellie Goulding) [Hardwell Remix]

Sunday Scaries & Pickuplines - Chill Like That (Odd Mob Remix)

Gorgon City - Voodoo

The Weeknd - Popular (feat. Playboi Carti & Madonna)

Todd Edwards - The Chant (James Organ Remix)

Luke Combs - Fast Car

Armin van Buuren & Sam Martin - Wild Wild Son

Armin van Buuren & Sam Martin - Wild Wild Son (Richard Durand Remix)

Kaskade - Angel On My Shoulder

Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember (John Summit Remix)

JC Stewart - Love Like That

Will K - Sun Is Dark

The Band - The Weight

Aqua - Barbie Girl (Tiesto Remix)

Notre Dame - Yumi (Tiesto Remix)

Meduza - Phone (feat. Sam Tompkins & Em Beihold)

Major Lazer - Particula (feat. DJ Maphorisa, Nasty C, Ice Prince, Patoranking, & Jidenna)

Major Lazer - Que Calor (feat. J Balvin & El Alfa)

The Specials - Ghost Town

The Chemical Brothers - Live Again (feat. Halo Maud)

The Chemical Brothers - No Reason

Swedish House Mafia - Ray Of Solar (Mau P Remix)

Swedish House Mafia - Ray Of Solar (Tiesto Remix)

Alesso - Caught A Body (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

Armin van Buuren - Lose This Feeling (Dimension Remix)

Sia - Gimme Love (Armin van Buuren Remix)

The Beatles - Now And Then

100 gecs - Doritos & Fritos

Roy Davis Jr. & Peven Everett - Gabriel (Live Garage Mix)

Casso, Raye, & D-Block Europe - Prada

Tiesto, Tears For Fears, Niiko x Swae, & Gudfella - Rule The World (Everybody)

Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red

Fred again… & Baby Keem - leavemealone

Nicki Minaj - Let Me Calm Down (feat. J. Cole)

Nicki Minaj - Needle (feat. Drake)

Overmono - Good Lies

Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix)

Drake - First Person Shooter (feat. J. Cole)

Drake - Virgina Beach

Meduza, Ferreck Dawn, & Clementine Douglas - I Got Nothing

Todd Edwards - Perfect Love (Biscits Remix)

Todd Edwards - When Your Alone (A-Trak Remix)

Fred again…, Skrillex, & Four Tet - Baby again… (feat. Lil Baby)

Lil Yachty - The Secret Recipe (feat. J.Cole)

Lil Uzi Vert - Just Wanna Rock (Malivai & Afrojack Remix)

070 Shake - Cocoon (Martin Garrix & Space Ducks Remix)

Ice Spice - In Ha Mood (O'Flynn Remix)

Gunna - fukumean (Diplo, Maesic, & Chad Harrison Remix)

John Summit - Where You Are (feat. Hayla)

Parisi, Steve Angello, & Sebastian Ingrosso - U Ok?

David Guetta & Hypaton - Be My Lover (2023 Mix) (feat. La Bouche)

Killer Mike - RUN (Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley Version)

Elton John - Daniel

Disclosure - Higher Than Ever Before

Alesso & John Newman - Call Your Name

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)

Nick Jonas - This Is Heaven

Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours

Davido - UNAVAILABLE (feat. Musa Keys) [Major Lazer Remix)

James Hype & Major Lazer - Number 1

Willie Hutch - Tell Me Why Our Love's Turned Cold

John Summit - Veridis Quo vs. Human (Daft Punk vs. John Summit)

Kendrick Lamar - Money Trees (Duke & Jones Remix)

Missy Elliott - 4 My People (feat. Eve) (Basement Jaxx Vocal Mix)

Flowdan, Lil Baby, Skrillex - Pepper

Steve Angello - Rejoice (feat. T.D. Jakes)

Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Strangers (feat. A$AP Rocky & Run The Jewels)

Metro Boomin & Future - Too Many Nights (feat. Don Toliver)

Skrillex, Missy Elliott, & Mr. Oizo - RATATA

Chase & Status and Bou - Baddadan (feat. Irah, Flowdan, Trigga, & Takura)

Lil Yachty - Strike (Holster)

[ginger-grimm]

🐧 + Teddy!!

Thank you @luucypevensie! Also going to tag @daughter-of-melpomene and @noratilney cause I think they may be interested as well x)

Their favorite Disney/Pixar movie: Cool Runnings and Up

Their go-to style of clothing: Teddy is a great defender of wearing shirts with goofy motifs, but he can also wear button-ups when it's required, he's usually seen in jeans and sneakers as well.

Their favorite vacation memory: When Teddy was younger, his mom took him and his sister Phoebe to go skiing in the mountains and stay in a lodge for a week. It was to make them forget about their dad passing for a little while and it actually worked somehow. Yeah, Teddy broke his wrist skiing towards the end but it was worth it.

Their favorite fairy tale: Cinderella

One hidden talent of theirs: Is a good actor, actually. If Kevin wasn't a biased casting director he would've been a shoe-in for Tommy during the Carrie musical.

One thing they've kept since childhood days: The keys to his dad's motorcycle. He's never going to be able to ride it, of course, but he keeps them around as a reminder of him.

Their favorite holiday memory: He always fondly remembers Christmas a year before Dot and Octavia moved back to Riverdale. They came to visit (which was really because Octavia's marriage was on the rocks and she was preparing her move back home) and the kids absolutely wrecked the kitchen whilst baking cookies. They went sledding, watched movies the whole evening, and watched the lights all around the neighborhood with snow falling around them. It wasn't the most special that one could probably imagine, but Teddy had really missed Dot and his sister Phoebe too so he always cherished this one.

Their first crush: Martha Stewart

Something they would never admit to anybody: Besides his first crush being Martha Stewart, he usually keeps whenever he feels sad to himself and won't let anyone know until he's perked up again.

Their favorite wild animal: Koalas

[evil-ontheinside]

Free Day byler fic recs!

(which I use to rec some fics I forgot or wasn't sure how to categorize)

No one should ever have to look at themselves. by Stanningeverything

Mike discovers his asexuality, catastrophizes, thinks his relationship is doomed by learning the fact and despite everything his family still weighs on his mind. He deals with all of this (badly)

Just the ordeal of figuring yourself out, dealing with your family issues, all while thinking you are the worst person on earth. Hopefully he has a great support system with his friends and boyfriend.

i turned around and nothing was here by ethqreal

Mike didn’t care. Maybe because he always managed, he made his own choices regardless of what his parents chose to preach and if he really was cursed with ice running through his veins, it didn’t matter because he would always love the boy across town until his very last breath and he had frozen from the inside-out.

or a cursed boy, his boyfriend, an idle town and them against the world.

The End of the World by eagle_ace

Post season 4, vaguely pre-season 5. Things fall apart, to say the least. After everything, the party's not really a party anymore. Mike wants to fix it, but he doesn't know how.

Mike's POV, lots of emotions, I tried writing in the present tense which I don't normally do. There's byler, there's an el-initiated milkvan breakup, there's the party (sans max unfortunately) being friends. Hypothetically this could take place between seasons, but I'm certain there'll be something in season 5 that makes that impossible.

Left to Rot by Cate_Olivyn

“Oh.” Mike snapped his fingers, huffing out a laugh. “Oh, this is like that- that black and white movie my mom likes to put on at Christmas. The Jimmy Stewart one.” He stood a little taller, a wild look in his eyes. “Alright! I’ve learned my lesson! I can go home now, and appreciate my life, yada yada.”

Nothing happened. Mike snapped his fingers again, more urgently, before raising his voice in a yell.

“Lesson learned! I wanna go home!”

The world stayed as it was, broken and decayed, and Mike screamed into the cold, stale air.

Or: After a bad fight with his friends, Mike wakes up in an alternate reality that seems to be plunged into an apocalyptic nightmare.

an ode to hope (and other funny things) by @pyschologicalrocketgirl

“Everything's going to be fine, please don't freak out.” Nancy starts to say, which causes Will’s eyes to widen.

“That’s…not really reassuring, you know that right?”

Nancy huffs a laugh, “Yeah, it isn’t, sorry.” He hears shifting through the receiver, and he thinks maybe that's all she's planned to say.

“Mike’s in the hospital.”

Will sucks in an involuntary breath, letting the air back out, shaky. He nods repetitively, a little numb as he tries to process, before realizing Nancy can’t see him.

“Okay.” He aims for level but his voice cracks mid-way. He’s almost whispering, “Is- he okay?”

Mike's in the hospital, which kickstarts a drive to Boston and a worried Will as he thinks about Mike, the past, and love, all while conveniently held up by New York traffic.

the loneliest blackout by @drop-of-infinity

Will knew the stages of Mike’s breakdowns. First came the silence, then the welling tears. They would stay there, perched on the edge of his eyelids until he began to talk, and then they would make their enviable path down Mike’s face. The tears would increase as his words trickled off, and eventually he would break into gasping sobs, unable to speak, unable to do anything but cry.

Or, Will tries to rip the bandaid off. Mike breaks down. They figure it out in the end.

@bylerficrecweek thank you guys so much for organizing this! the whole week was so much fun and I really enjoyed going through my bookmarks and discovering new fics loved by others <3

[helmetkeeper]

hi :)

may i request a playlist for marty mcfly from back to the future, mainly with songs from the 80s?

tysm for the chance :)

hello!!! this is mainly 80s music* with a total of 80 songs! happy new year, and sorry for the wait!!

*(or at least i think it is. could be very wrong, ha. hopefully not!)

songs go like "song" + "artist"

"Billie Jean" + "Michael Jackson"

"Tainted Love" + "Soft Cell"

"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" + "Dead Or Alive"

"Love Shack" + "The B-52's"

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" (Remastered) + "The Clash"

"London Calling" (Remastered) + "The Clash"

"Rock the Casbah" (Remastered) + "The Clash"

"Hungry Like the Wolf" (Remastered 2009) + "Duran Duran"

"We Didn't Start the Fire" + "Billy Joel"

"Material Girl" + "Madonna"

"Edge of Seventeen" (Remastered 2016) + "Stevie Nicks"

"Shout" + "Tears For Fears"

"Eyes Without A Face" (Remastered 1999) + "Billy Idol"

"White Wedding" (Pts. 1 & 2) (Shotgun Mix / Remastered 2001) + "Billy Idol"

"Maneater" + "Daryl Hall & John Oates"

"You Make My Dreams (Come True)" + "Daryl Hall & John Oates"

"Out of Touch" + "Daryl Hall & John Oates"

"Enjoy the Silence" + "Depeche Mode" and "Daniel Miller" and "Phil Legg"

"Kids In America" + "Kim Wilde"

"Somebody's Watching Me" (Single Version) + "Rockwell"

"Abracadabra" + "Steve Miller Band"

"Walk This Way" + "Aerosmith"

"Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" + "Aerosmith"

"Jessie's Girl" + "Rick Springfield"

"Kickstart My Heart" + "Mötley Crüe"

"Raspberry Beret" + "Prince"

"I Wanna Rock" + "Twisted Sister"

"Ghostbusters" + "Ray Parker Jr."

"Paradise City" + "Guns N' Roses"

"Sweet Child O' Mine" + "Guns N' Roses"

"Centerfold" + "The J. Geils Band"

"Poison" + "Alice Cooper"

"Cheri Cheri Lady" + "Modern Talking"

"The Power Of Love" + "Huey Lewis & The News"

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" + "The Proclaimers"

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" + "Def Leppard"

"Gold" (Remastered 2003) + "Spandau Ballet"

"Jump" (Remastered 2015) + "Van Halen"

"Everywhere" (Remastered 2017) + "Fleetwood Mac"

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" + "Cyndi Lauper"

"Let's Dance" (Remastered 2002) + "David Bowie"

"You Shook Me All Night Long" + "AC/DC"

"(I Just) Died In Your Arms" + "Cutting Crew"

"Karma Chameleon" + "Culture Club"

"Cruel Summer" + "Bananarama"

"Puppet Boy" + "DEVO"

"This Charming Man" (Remastered 2011) + "The Smiths"

"Human Fly" + "The Cramps"

"Generals And Majors" (Remastered 2001) + "XTC"

"Puttin' on the Ritz" + "Taco"

"Don't You Want Me" + "The Human League"

"Don't Let's Start" + "They Might Be Giants"

"Monitor" + "Siouxsie and the Banshees"

"Blister In The Sun" + "Violent Femmes"

"It Only Makes Me Laugh" + "Danny Elfman"

"I Ran (So Far Away)" (Single Edit) + "A Flock Of Seagulls"

"Running On A Treadmill" + "Oingo Boingo"

"Demolition Man" + "The Police"

"Every Breath You Take" + "The Police"

"What I Like About You" + "The Romantics"

"Yankee Rose" + "David Lee Roth"

"Rock Me Amadeus" + "Falco"

"Viet Nam" + "Minutemen"

"No Sleep Till Brooklyn" + "Beastie Boys"

"Let's Groove" + "Earth, Wind & Fire"

"Don't Worry Be Happy" + "Bobby McFerrin"

"Take on Me" + "a-ha"

"Celebration" + "Kool & The Gang"

"99 Luftballons" + "Nena"

"Hooked On A Feeling" + "Blue Swede" and "Björn Skifs"

"Kung Fu Fighting" + "Carl Douglas"

"Call Me" + "Blondie"

"One Way Or Another" (Remastered 2001) + "Blondie"

"Super Trouper" + "ABBA"

"Dancing Queen" + "ABBA"

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Remastered) + "Eurythmics" and "Annie Lennox" and "Dave Stewart"

"Don't Stop Believin'" + "Journey"

"Any Way You Want It" + "Journey"

"Crocodile Rock" + "Elton John"

dividers from @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more

[anvilsims]

We return to the Rosenbergs on a very special day!

Jodi's birthday! And of course our future baker makes her own cake.

Destiny gives Jodi a couple cross stitches she made to help decorate her future home with.

While Stewart gives a loving family kiss to his sweet girl.

🎉

Okay I don't know what in particular it is but I just find Jodi so pretty. I just love how she looks and I think she's one of the prettiest sims I've had in this game.

I waited till the next day before having Jodi move out for precisely this reason of letting Stewart finally reach the top of his career as a gardener.

So with Stewart accomplishing as much as he can, Jodi gathers her things, dials up the phone, and makes her way to a new town, Copperdale!

Stewart Rosenberg: Generation 1

The Farmer

Animal Enthusiast Aspiration Completed [✔]

Gardener (Botanist Branch) Career Completed [✔]

Have “Simple Living” and “Wild Foxes” as the lot challenges for your home. [✔]

Have at minimum 1 llama, 1 cow, and 1 chicken coop. [✔]

Get the “Green Thumb” reward trait. [✔]

Complete the plants collection. [❌]

Win at least 3 times at the Finchwick fair in Henford. [✔]

Befriend wild birds and bunnies. [✔] (Well admitedly he only befriended the bunnies but I'm counting it. :P)

All children must complete the Mental aspiration. [✔]

Optional Goals:

Get nosy! Matchmake or break up 2 sims in Henford. [❌]

Run at least 1 errand everyday for the townies in Henford. [❌] (Tried, some of them were just too much of a pain or I just couldn't get out of the house for whatever reason)

Acquire the “Outdoorsy” lifestyle for both your sim and their spouse. [✔]

Master these skills: Cross-stitching, Gardening [✔]

[denimbex1986]

'Following Wild Blue Yonder's terrifying foray to the edge of the universe, it looks like the third and final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special will treat us to a puppet show.

Neil Patrick Harris's much-teased Toymaker is set to make his grand entrance this weekend. Returning showrunner Russell T Davies hasn't been as secretive about this one – we know who the villain is, for one - but details have been scarce nonetheless.

The BBC has released new images of the episode, however, hinting at what's to come for David Tennant's Time Lord and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble.

The images also give us a glimpse at the episode's cast, including a puppet who could give the Wild Blue Yonder's doubles a run for their money.

Coronation Street's Charlie De Melo will star as Charles Banerjee. Not much else is known about the character other than his name, but he doesn't look too thrilled to be in the Toymaker's presence above.

John Mackay (Judy) has also joined The Giggle's cast as inventor John Logie Baird. Interestingly, it's not the first time Mackay has played the real-life figure - he was also Baird in Davies's ITVX drama Nolly, starring Helena Bonham Carter.

The BBC has also released an image of Jemma Redgrave, who is back as Kate Lethbridge Stewart – and who might even be getting her own spin-off.

Kate is one of the founders of UNIT, the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, and a familiar face to Doctor Who fans.

Not only will she star in The Giggle, but the character is also expected to return during the Fifteenth Doctor's first season.

UNIT scientist Shirley (Ruth Madeley) will also be back, joined by Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim.

The teaser trailer released over the weekend did give us a glimpse of the Doctor's encounter with Harris's Toymaker (a character first played by Michael Gough in 1966).

"We meet again – the Time Lord and the Toymaker... one final game!" he says.

It also teased Tennant's regeneration, with Gatwa taking his place in the TARDIS control room.

Let's hope he gets there in one piece.'

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for season 4, twelfth episode "Swipe Left '' which originally aired April 11, 2023. The episode was written by Carly Soteras and directed by Steve Danton. Spoiler's ahead!

Hello, friend! Let's chat about the latest episode of Lone Star! Is it just me or is this season firing on all cylinders? Since the season four premiere on up to the latest episode, I have truly been enjoying the wild ride. We kicked things off with TK and Carlos' wedding planning but then things took a turn when it was revealed Carlos is married to Iris Blake. Then Carlos got kidnapped by a serial killer and held captive. Owen stopped a plot to blow up the capitol. Tommy wooed her minister and warred with his daughter. Marjan left the 126 and came back. We also got some much needed backstory on Marjan and Mateo. Oh, and Paul is dating now! Judd and Grace are going to be grandparents courtesy of Wyatt and his girlfriend. Like I said - it's been a wild ride!

In this episode, we get to major storylines involving TK, Carlos, and Marjan. Let's start with the Marjan storyline. We see Marjan at one of her physical therapy sessions. Her physical therapist is played by Natacha Karam's real life partner, John Clarence Stewart. John plays Joe and the chemistry Joe has with Marjan is palpable. However, Marjan needs to be with someone who is also Muslim.

We get a montage of Marjan going on various dates with Muslim men with her teammates accompanying as chaperones. Each guy has some sort of fatal flaw that makes him undesirable in Marjan's eyes however there is one guy that both Marjan and Owen fall in love with. His name is Fauza (Keon Alexander) and he is an animal lover (a plus for Owen) and by all intents and purposes a pretty swell guy. Plus he's very easy on the eyes if you get what i'm saying. 

During an emergency involving a jilted wife who goes to the no tell/motel where her cheating husband is getting his rocks off, Marjan discovers that Fauza is not only married but his wife is super pregnant. Yikes! Looks like Marjan dodged a bullet. A very gorgeous, animal-loving bullet.

While shopping for ingredients she plans on cooking for Paul and his girlfriend, Asha, Marjan runs into Joe in a Middle Eastern supermarket. Paul does a great job of playing wingman and encourages her to talk to him. Marjan has reservations about getting involved with Joe since he is not Muslim but Joe points out that he is Muslim. Just not the Middle Eastern variety. This moment was so funny to me because it's almost like Marjan couldn't fathom Joe (a black man) having the same faith as her. Marjan invites Joe to the dinner and he agrees. I hope we get to see more of these two in future episodes!

Now, let's talk about everyone's favorite ship - Tarlos! TK and Carlos interview four faith leaders in hopes of picking one who will officiate their wedding. Rabbi Finkel (Harvey J. Alperin) is okay with the two of them being gay, however he thinks Carlos should convert to Judaism. Amethyst (Maureen Driscoll) likes the color of both their auras but won't be able to commit to a time and date because time is all relative to her. Reverend Tom (David Grant Wright) is a homophobe and tells TK and Carlos they will be together forever ... in hell. Yikes! Lastly, Pastor Nicole (Briana Lane) appears to be their best option but when she asks them if they want to have kids, both men are surprised by each other's answers.

TK wants to have kids but Carlos doesn't. A part of me was surprised they were this far along in their relationship and neither of them had ever asked the other if they wanted kids or not. Then again, this is also the same couple where one of them was legally married to someone else for most of the relationship. This of course sends our two boys spiraling so they each go to their parents for advice.

Kudos to Owen and Andrea Reyes (Roxana Brusso) for giving some solid advice to their sons. Andrea points out that Carlos has issues with avoidance which is spot on! She believes that Carlos never got around to asking TK if he wanted kids because he knew exactly what his answer would be. TK wonders if Carlos' hesitation to have kids is because he's an addict but Carlos dispels that by saying he believes wholly in TK's recovery. Andrea asks if Carlos is worried the child wouldn't have a mother figure and Carlos says he's worried if he's going to be a good dad. Carlos cites TK's relationship with Owen and how they've always been close but he and his dad are only just getting close. Carlos is afraid he won't measure up. Owen tells TK that any time he's prioritized someone else's needs over his own, things have always worked out for the better. Andrea tells Carlos he needs to be considerate of TK's feelings and he also needs to be honest. Because, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters, or should matter is that TK has Carlos and Carlos has TK. Periodt!

We end the episode at TK and Carlos' apartment. TK cooks dinner and Carlos comes home with a cardboard box. Carlos opens the box and it's a bearded dragon! I guess if they don't have kids, at least they can have a lizard. Carlos tells TK he knows he will be a good father but he's not ready yet and he may not ever get there. TK tells him that's okay. I love this scene. Part of being in love is compromise. 

Oh, and the bearded dragon escaped from the box.

So, this was a fun episode! I loved getting to see a different side of Marjan. We're so used to seeing her be a badass firefighter but this time we got to see the softer side of her. The dating montage was so hilarious. I love that TK, Carlos, Paul, Owen, Nancy, and Mateo served as her chaperones. I liked the different types of guys she encountered. I especially liked her scenes with Joe. One thing I like that both 9-1-1 shows involve the actors' real-life partners and family members into the show. We've seen Jennifer Love Hewitt's husband appear twice on the OG series. Rob Lowe's son John writes for the show and his brother Chad appeared last season as his half-brother. Next episode we will see Sierra McClain's sisters appear as her sisters. 

As for the TK and Carlos scenes. These two have such amazing chemistry and I think that's because Ronen and Rafael are such great friends off-camera. I love how the writers aren't afraid to show them struggle. Relationships aren't perfect. Another thing I like is how mature both parties were when dealing with the children/no children issue. TK doesn't run off and get upset. Carlos didn't shut down. They are getting so much better at communicating and I love to see it! It looks like we're getting closer and closer to the Tarlos wedding! I cannot wait! Until next time ...