#lots more bland pop songs because that wins apparently

[two-saints]

idk what to do because normally being on tumblr and seeing everyone’s thoughts and memes eases the post eurovision depression but this year was so disappointing… i feel like it’ll just make me sad all over every time i think about it you know, even if we’re all commiserating it’ll just be a reminder

[bisexualhobi]

wait I think I agree not today is really bad but now rank all their title tracks from best to worst pls

lmaoohdksjjdjf i love this question so much anon but due to the fact that i’m me this would get way WAY too long. so i’m doing the top 5 best title tracks and then top 5 worst ones okay? i’m looking at google and apparently they have 26 korean singles so yeah that’s too much.

to rank them as objectively as possible I'm gonna try to take into account gp impact (which is not the same as chart impact since the fandom inflates those numbers), production, creative value (how innovative/different from other pop songs was it?) and the concept of the music video/aesthetic in general. 

BTS TITLE TRACKS: TOP 5

5. Black Swan (2020)

am I cheating by putting here a pre release single? maybe. but it would be a disservice to leave this one out so bear with me

⭐gp impact: this song made more noise as a pre release single than the title track. I saw it in at least 3 end of the year editorials for best kpop songs of 2020. and the thing is it could have been WAY bigger but a lot of stuff happened that sadly made it go away too soon. I don't think this one is as famous or recognizable as the others in this list which is why it's going last, but also I think this song is the most underrated gem in bts discography so it's still going here.

⭐production: this song beat out the front runners (I need u, save me, DNA) solely because of its production. there are not a lot of kpop songs out there that manage to pull off what this song does. it's powerful, it's nostalgic, it's a dark and sexy song without being too on the nose. the mixing is SUPERB I remember the first time I heard it I thought "this would blow the fuck up if it was a Travis Scott song" and I will DIE on that hill. this is an example of heavy autotune on a song done right, not like the rest of their super autotuned songs that sometimes come out unrecognizable and empty sounding.

⭐creative value: it's not truly a new concept in pop to make a song about the Death of the Artist. it’s also not something a rookie group can do, this song needed to be released at exactly the time in bts’ career that it was. there’s just no emotional impact if you just sing about how the music makes your hear beat and you’ve been in the industry for,,, 3 years. this is the type of Swan Song you release at the peak of your career, so that really contributes to the message. mixing a trap beat with a ballet motif is GALAXY BRAIN SHIT.

⭐️concept: the ballet influence is just beautifully executed, this song is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship on all fronts. i think they could literally build an entire ALBUM off this concept, so the fact that they jampacked it onto one single song is both amazing and a little sad for me. i wanna hear more of this. i want a literal Black Swan (the darren aranofsky movie) horror concept where the protagonist falls prey to his own madness because he strives for perfection. but yeah, the song itself and the orchestral version just make this a complete golden concept in my book.

4. IDOL (2018).

⭐️gp impact: i think a lot of people that didn’t know anything about kpop vaguely knew about this song when it was released. i know i wasn’t into kpop at all but in my pop culture circle there was a small bleep from this song bc of the concept and the dance. i think it’s a great “embassador of kpop” track, like if you wanna explain to someone with no previous knowledge what kpop is about you can show them a performance of this song.

⭐️production: the production is a little all over the place for me. the instrumentals are amazing and really creative tho, but like in terms of mixing vocals and the structure of it, it might be a little too grating. it’s not the best produced song in ly: answer by any means but it still makes it work

⭐️creative value: the whole hanbok thing is a 10/10. bts weren’t the first ones to do it, but they did it in such a tightly executed way that honestly that “classic korean roots meets the edgy western feel” concept belongs to them now. groups are still recreating it. it’s a really innovative concept in general.

⭐️concept: the music video is,,,, something. you might love it or hate it, but it’s memorable. i think the purposeful way in which they made it as loud and brilliant as possible can be taken either as a camp adjacent or just as the group going nuts with the budget, which props to them. the choreography is also a BIG plus. the south african influence is really well executed and they made sure to do it as cultural appreciation and not appropriation. definitely the most memorable thing from this song is the choreo

3. Run (2015).

⭐️gp impact: this was their second song to have a music show win. it was the lead single from hyyh pt2 and honestly it might be the best song off hyyh as a whole. it cemented bts as not just another kpop group, because it made non fans turn their heads too! from what i gather this really propelled them forward and made the fanbase grow a lot.

⭐️production: hyyh pt2 is super well produced. i feel like this song in particular makes a fine job of mixing the vocals but it’s not outstanding. the best part is the instrumentals. but overall it’s a really good song with amazing lyrics and a great melody.

⭐️creative value: this built off of what they did with pt1 so they were already in a comfortable place, when they found this sound they really explored it well and deep and it works! i’m glad they went this emo pop route because it was a good contrast to what was dominating the charts in kpop in 2015.

⭐️concept: the aesthetic is PERFECT. there’s not a single other thing that i could add or that i wanted gone. it’s the perfect mix of coming of age teen film and heartfelt, dreamy pop. the music video is by no surprises the favorite mv of a lot of the fandom. the cinematography is beautiful and the song and the video perfectly capture that fleeting moment in life when you’re in the brink of adulthood.

2. Mic Drop (2017).

⭐️gp impact: this song was the first bts song to chart on the billboard hot100. back when the fandom had no idea how to chart, mass buy etc. that’s enough said. (personally i think mic drop is the quintessential bts song and their best release so the fact that i’m not putting it first should count as something).

⭐️production: for the purposes of this ranking i’m using the original mic drop and not the steve aoki remix even tho it was the steve remix that was released as the single. the song has the BEST mastering i’ve heard in kpop. the transitions are flawless, the beat is pure fire, the entire first minute is literally the hardest hype rap i’ve heard in kpop. everything about it WORKS.

⭐️creative value: it’s kinda funny how this song got released the same year as kendrick lamar’s humble, because imho it’s the best hiphop song of that year after humble. 2017 was truly the year of the diss tracks. bonus points for including it right after the billboard acceptance speech skit in ly: answer. SUPER refreshing among the ed sheeran type of pop that dominated that year.

⭐️concept: it’s a great concept but not innovative by any means. still, it works and bts managed to exploit it to the max. the choreo, the mv, the styling, everything was amazing!

1. Blood, Sweat & Tears (2016).

⭐️gp impact: it's probably the first song to put bts on the map beyond the kpop sphere. it really set the tone for their 2017. it's one of their most famous and recognizable songs to date.

⭐️production: this song is STUNNINGLY arranged. the mix, the ambience, the progression,,, it's all brought together to make a very well crafted song. it has a distinctive electronic/pop sound to it that still manages to set itself apart from the trend that was going at the time. black swan is probably the closet single they have to this in terms of production.

⭐️creative value: the song itself is very in compliance with the 2015/2016 trend of hype songs with edm influence, (ie. closer, shape of you, cheap thrills, let me love you, something just like this, etc.) but it still packs that punch that makes it sound fresh even for 2021.

⭐️concept: it wasn't the first song to sound like this in kpop ofc but it was the first truly sexy concept for bts. the aesthetic is innovative and very well thought out, the mv is amazing and the choreography too. i read somewhere that j-hope had a lot of input for this choreo so that's amazing. also blond taehyung is literally the best thing to come out of big hit.

WORST BTS TITLE TRACKS

ok so here we go with the worst ones! this is in ascending order as i prepare myself to pick the worst of them all, but please remember this isn’t meant to be mean spirited, i am simply applying the same criteria to their most underwhelming songs but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own merit! it’s just that out of 26 singles, SOME of them have got to come out at the bottom right?

5. Life Goes On (2020)

⭐gp impact: this song is not memorable with the general public, its #1 on the bb was the product of mass buying and even though it's a feel good song made to comfort fans in the times of pandemic it's still bland and boring. I think it had no music show appearances either, and as far as bts ballads go this is just bottom tier. it’s not that it’s terrible, it’s just very underwhelming 

⭐production: the autotune in this song is very poorly executed, it doesn't add to the song the way black swan does for example. it's just off putting and the melody is really forgettable. it's funny bc the chorus is directly pulled from the 2018 reggaeton super hit "La Canción" by J Balvin and Bad bunny lmaooo 💀 so I can't get that out of my head either. the structure is just fine and has nothing of substance 

⭐creative value: the song is attempts to be a heartfelt acoustic song but it really has nothing that sets it apart from other songs product of the pandemic like Justin and ariana's stuck with u. for a song in a self produced album it's the song with the least input from the group. the lyrics are good, but they're not as sincere or groundbreaking as for example Spring day. 

⭐concept: as a ballad ofc I'm not expecting it to have a grand choreography, and the mv being filmed in their personal dorms to reflect the lockdown is actually a nice touch but besides that there is nothing exciting, innovative or even sincerely comforting about the song and the concept. the greatest thing abt it is the fact that jk directed the video, which is actually pretty good.

4. We are bulletproof pt 2 (2013)

⭐gp impact: this song made no noise back in the day and to this day its just beloved by the fandom due to a sense of nostalgia and "remembering bts' roots". don't get me wrong it's amazing that bts still perform it in the year of our lord 2020 because you can't forget where you came from, but it's not a good or memorable song by any means. 

⭐production: I went back to listen to it for this and oh god. I can't remember the mixing being THIS bad. jimin, jin and taehyung sound exceptionally bad, they don't sound like themselves especially jin. it's just a really poorly mastered song, but then again the rest of their debut album isn't far better. 

⭐creative value: this is straight up ripping off early 2000s black culture from the US. not only the music, the styling for this era in general is unfortunately really bad and culturally appropriating and overall it's a mess. 

⭐concept: there is nothing of substance to be said about this song. it's just really a miss. the mv is terrible, the only thing that can be salvaged from this is the choreography, but besides that the whole thing feels sloppy, rushed and is also kinda cringey.

3. N.O. (2013)

⭐gp impact: no noise. this song was just a really weird pick for their first comeback when attack on bangtan or coffee was right there. not to be mean but no wonder they didn't have a music win this year. 

⭐production: it's an objectively bad song. it's just really underwhelming, the whole mixing feels amateur. it's not a good hiphop song and it's not a good vocal arrangement and the chorus is also a rip off of a late 90s American song I can't find right now 

⭐creative value: this song isn't innovative in any way, it's just..... there. very meh in general, I have nothing more to say about it 

⭐concept: the storyline kinda wants to go somewhere with the music video but it doesn't manage to make a connection. the styling is plain, simple and not flattering at all. it tries to make a protest of the Korean school system but it doesn't say anything beyond "school bad" which we already knew

2. Not Today (2017)

⭐gp impact: its a very middle of the list song for a lot of the fandom. I literally know of no one that claims this as their favorite mv/era/song. when you ask people about their least favorite bts songs they won't mention this one either, you know why? because it's that irrelevant. it had no music show wins either. it's precisely because of this why I put it so high up on the list. there's nothing worse than an unmemorable song, if it was widely hated then at least that would be a response. 

⭐production: it's a really mediocre song in terms of structure and melody. it tried to be hype but it falls short. the chorus feels half finished and the message of the song is just “the revolution has begun”? which okay? but it adds nothing to the You never walk alone album either.

⭐creative value: there is nothing exciting about this song, and the chorus is too grating. the rhythm is repetitive and nothing new either in kpop or pop in general. 

⭐concept: sadly there's not a lot to be said for the song. it says nothing of value and what it says falls flat. there's no innovation. you can actually see a lot of idol in this song, and also ON. those two songs are what this one tried to be but failed.

1. War of Hormone (2014)

⭐gp impact: thankfully none. this song got the treatment it deserved, if they had won a music show for this one it would feel tainted lol. now it's just a meme in the fandom but overall it made zero noise and contributed nothing to bts' evolution 

⭐production: the production is very lazy, which is odd because dark & wild has some pretty tight tracks. but this one is just meh, nothing outstanding and the melody is just annoying 

⭐creative value: this is a song that was probably born out of the desperation to have a gp friendly hit. it tries really hard to replicate an outdated idea of what boy bands should be, and it does it badly. simply put this song is very mediocre and misogynistic and the fact that it's a running gag in the fandom that "feminism isn't important when war of hormone comes on" isn't funny and it's actually cringe. please stop 

⭐concept: the styling is so ugly :( the mv is very low budget which isn't surprising but they managed to make more with less in past releases. it's just embarrassing and I wish this song didn't exist, there's a reason why they never play it anymore lol. overall a dark mistake in bts' career

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Legacies 1x11, We're Gonna Need a Spotlight -- Review

Here we are with another episode of Lega-Trash. I wish we had a longer hiatus. I hate having to break up watching Brooklyn Nine Nine for this show but the masochist in me feels compelled to suffer this show for some reason.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding Legacies, the spin-off of a spin-off that should never have come to pass. But here we are. I'm not a fan of this show, have never pretended to be one so if you're looking for Legacies positivity, this is not the place for you. Move along, this is not meant for you. I'm very critical about this show. Keep in mind, these are my thoughts and feelings about this mess of a show. Opinions are never right or wrong. I'm not telling you how to think and feel. You don't have to agree with my opinions but I would ask that you respect them, please. Also, spoilers for the episode so if you haven't seen the episode yet, watch the episode and then come back...otherwise, read at your own risk. But let's be real here. I'm sure my followers who end up reading this have no desire to watch this show and use my ramblings in these reviews as a substitute for actually watching the show...those selfish jerks...just kidding, I love all my followers and please, only watch the show if you really want to. I'm making a sacrifice watching the show so you don't have to.

As per usual, this episode was very "blah" and underwhelming. How is it possible that in an episode where the characters supposedly lose their inhibitions, they still continue to be bland and uninteresting? The pacing was also horrible in this episode. Here's the thing that JP does in this show that really makes this show dull and a chore to watch. She centers each episode around a MotW idea and that's it. There's very little story behind these monsters so we're literally just spending 42 minutes of each episode watching these characters go through their daily lives and there's a monster on the outskirts they have to deal with. The entire episode structure surrounds the idea of the monster and not an actual story of the monster. But it doesn't succeed with characters either. JP uses ideas for characters as opposed to actually fleshing out characters. And if you're only going to use the idea of a monster, this show would be better served to be 22 minutes long as opposed to 42 minutes. There just isn't enough substance to the plot to justify 42 minutes of air time. If you're going to have a MotW show that's 42 minutes long and you don't have an actual story for the monster and you're just centering the episode around the idea, then the character dynamics have to make up for the empty air space. But that's not what JP does here. This show is literally written like a plotless fanfiction. You're just watching characters go through their daily lives, and for a school that centers around magic - they lead incredibly boring lives, sometimes they run into the plot by accident, there's no actual character arcing just an idea for it and its just really dull to watch.

But anyways, let's get into this.

A unicorn shows up, in theory to go after the urn but as it turns out, there was a parasite slug infecting said unicorn and the slug is the real monster. The parasite slug infects everyone in the school except seemingly Lizzie, Landon, and Alaric. The slug's goal is to by lowering inhibitions, compel its victim to toss the urn away thereby giving it to Malivore, I guess? Don't ask me the specifics, the show didn't really get into it. Like I said, this show incorporates ideas moreso that tangible plot and character dynamics. I'm fairly certain the writers don't even understand the specifics of the plot. But anyway, our "heroes" realize that they can evict the slug from their body by getting an electric shock. I know, it's super original and it's not like its been done a million times before in other MotW episodes. We realize that Lizzie wasn't infected because she's wearing a magical bracelet that shocks her everytime she says a mean thing. Landon wasn't infected most likely because of his connection to Malivore. And the episode ends with the slugs being destroyed save for one which got Alaric at the last minute and he chucks the urn into the river. So win for the slug, I guess.

And you know what, I was actually enjoying myself for like the first 15 minutes in this episode when Hope got a complete personality transplant. Oddly, lowering her inhibitions actually gave her a personality. Which means her not having a personality 90% of the time seems to be by design so let that one sink in. But then I realized that I had only been watching 15 minutes when it felt like 30 minutes so that dampened my experience quite a bit.

Also, the amount of singing that was going on in this episode, I was seriously asking myself if I missed the memo on this episode being a musical episode. A character bursting into song happened like 4-5 times in this episode. I mean, I'm not complaining. These actors have beautiful voices but it was starting to get to be a little much. It would seem all these characters have been repressing their urge to be a pop star.

I also think its laughable in this episode that everyone comes up with perfect dance choreography in a matter of hours for this talent show. And apparently, witches also double as gymnasts and cabaret dancers. There's not a single uncoordinated one among the bunch.

So the school therapist takes Alaric out for drinks. Why? Perhaps her inhibition is to show Alaric there are actual adults he could be socializing with and not teenage girls. But there's a moment when they're taking shots and she asks Alaric why he's so hard on himself? And Alaric responds that he has hundreds of kids who are his responsibility and if he makes a mistake, it could impact them. And I'm just like, "really?" So that's why he's keeping the urn on school grounds with the hundreds of kids he's trying to protect and using the urn as bait to bring in the next monster? Trust me, Alaric, those mistakes you're afraid of making, you're already making them.

And I will talk about a Lizzie moment I really loved. So Josie was infected with the slug so she and Penelope go after the urn. Lizzie and Hope arrive to stop them. When Lizzie grabs Josie's arm to stop her from using magic, Lizzie slips her magic bracelet on Josie and then asks Josie if Josie believes Lizzie is a terrible sister. And because Josie is under the effects of the slug, she responds that Lizzie is a horrible sister. But since this is a mean comment, the bracelet shocks Josie and evicts the slug. And I just loved this moment a lot. Lizzie asks this question knowing what the answer would be in order to save her sister. She knew that with Josie's inhibitions lowered, Josie would say that and that the bracelet would be able to get rid of the slug because of it. It's a truth she's always known but been afraid to face but she decided to face it for her sister. She managed to put aside her ego in order to save her sister. And that was a really great Lizzie moment. Once again, Lizzie being the only character I'm even remotely invested in.

Then there was this really weird family meeting on the couch with Alaric, Josie, and Lizzie where Lizzie talks about the bracelet and realizes that using it to change who she is was a bad idea and that she needs to be who she actually is so she's just going to be a bitch full-time now. Which is all well and good if a bitch is actually what Lizzie is. But that's not who she is. The "bitch" comes out of her as a result of her not really understanding the highs and lows of her personality. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Medication may help Lizzie but I feel like she would benefit way more from therapy. How about you actually put that school therapist to use and instead of using her to give Hope boyfriend advice or take Alaric bar hopping (because more alcohol is exactly what Alaric the Alcoholic needs) you use her instead to help Lizzie understand why she feels the things she does. What causes her to lash out? Help her see both the best and worst sides of herself and teach her how to mediate those sides of her. There's more to treating bipolar disorder than a vague comment about being on medication. The medication alone isn't enough to help. A lot of it comes from also understanding your moods and what drives those moods.

I'd give this episode a C. It's not great but it didn't really do anything too offensive. It was just really dull and badly paced.

[wanderer706]

Behind the Screens Ch 8- Playwright

(Cam. Airl- Written Draft 2)

The paracetamol didn’t seem to be doing anything to help Layla’s headache. She had been lying on her bed for nearly twenty minutes now staring at the patterns of her ceiling, and had achieved nothing. She knew exactly why she had this thumping pain in her skull. A combination of her forgetting to drink any water today, and the stress brought on by her shouting match with a movie studio for script she was writing for them.

The script was an adaptation of a story entitled “The Final Race.” A sci-fi about the human race discovering that they are the last race in the universe. She had read the book herself before being assigned the project, and had really liked it. So, when she came to writing this screenplay she had tried to be as faithful to the book as she could. However, such dedication was lost upon the studio’s executive heads. They were worried about the film not bringing in enough of a crowd to make the film break even at the box office. Thus, came out the dreaded focus group analysts. They were concerned about certain elements being too extreme for audiences so suggested some “minor changes” as they put it. These changes, however, were not minor in the slightest, and Layla had gotten into several shouting matches with them over this.

First, they suggested that the child character Evie Malone shouldn’t die, and instead should live to say the films closing remark about how the human race was good. Two problems with that request. The first was keeping Evie Malone alive. Her death in the book was one of the most traumatising moments for both the reader, and the protagonist. In fact, it caused another character to give up, and commit suicide. Second, the closing remark about the human race being good missed the point of the ending completely. The ending of the book was quite a downer, and it fit the narrative perfectly. In her screenplay she thought she had captured this to the best of her ability. This statement about wanting the human race to be seen as good would come across as unbelievably forced. It made her think they didn’t care about the story at all.

Today she had received another order. The studio wanted a point where they could play some bland pop song that all the teenage girls were apparently in eating up. A song called “I Love You Baby” by a band called the Tweenage Boppers. This again had multiple problems. First that song was about love, and had several sly remarks that translated to I want to have sex with you baby. There was also no love interest in the original book, and again it would come across as tortured compared to the visuals. Second this would indicate they are aiming the film now at the teenage girl market. Sure, she thought, popular teenage girls love stories that end by reminding people of how they are an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of the universe.

She had pointed out these problems these problems to their faces, but they didn’t seem to care. They just filled her head with talk about how it had worked for other movies, and would thus work perfectly for this one. That logic was so backwards that she left that meeting telling asking if they had even written a story before. All the could muster was blank stare before they returned to the comfort zone of their focus group study.

Layla now dreaded them trying to contact her at home because she knew that it would be another bone headed idea that just wouldn’t work. Not to mention the fact that she only had two weeks left until pre-production began. By then they needed a decent script.

Layla took a deep breath, and got up from her bed. She thought about what would be the best way to calm down. She had heard some video games had helped with this type of stress. She had never tried playing one before, but then again you were never too old to do something like that.

She went to her computer, and logged onto it. There she saw that she had received an email from the studio. Fearing the worst, she opened it, and saw that it was from the studio demanding that they call her as soon as she saw that message.

Layla had of course turned her phone off, because she was in such a rage. Now though she figured that she had to hear what they had to say otherwise they might hand it off to somebody who was much more willing to play ball.

“Layla. We’ve got a few more requests that will make this the best script in the world.” The voice on the other end of the line said.

“That’s what you said about the last batch of changes, and I pointed out how that would ruin the script.” Layla said. It was best if they didn’t know how angry she was right now.

“These will be different I promise. Look we’ve further analysed our focus study, and we have two more changes that will work. First, you should ditch the space entity, and replace them with aliens who are pure evil.”

Thus, it began again. The enemy in The Final Race was a mysterious entity. The book never revealed where it came from or why it wanted to wipe out all life in the universe. That was what made it so terrifying, and matched the feel the book had of feeling helpless in the face of god like entity. Replacing it with a race of evil aliens turned it into another bloody film about clear cut good versus evil.

“The second thing that should change is they shouldn’t destroy earth in the end, like in your script. Instead we should defeat them in a heroic manner.”

So not only did they want to go ahead with good versus evil plot, but they wanted to continue that by having good win with no consequences. Even though the protagonist was an illegal scavenger who kills several innocent people at the beginning, so she didn’t get arrested.

“That wouldn’t work at all.” Layla said before telling them her reasons. It was while she in the middle of this that a thought crossed her mind. “Are you using “The Galactic Saviours” as a model for your statistics?”

The Galactic Saviours was the last film that the main stream audiences had latched onto. It was about a group of rugged, doll-like, heroes saving the earth from a group of aliens that may as well have been space Nazis. Layla thought the film was a bland piece of grey goo, but it turned in a massive profit that looked exceptionally good for the studio who made it. Ever since then multiple studios had tried to copy it, or at least try to crowbar in scenes to movies that didn’t need it. Layla was sick of it at this point. She believed that that movie only worked once, and it was best if she, and everybody else in the film industry, made no attempt to copy it.

“No.” The voice on the other end said. Failing to their obvious lying tone.

“You can’t keep copying that movie. All pieces of that pie are gone. Your best bet is to move on, and try something new.” Layla told them.

“But, what if it doesn’t make enough money?”

“Who gives a shit if it doesn’t makes bucket loads of money.”

“Excuse me!”

“The only audience cares about is if the movie is good. If it is then it doesn’t matter how much money it makes so long as it breaks even.”

“No! Audiences want something familiar not something new that makes them feel depressed.”

Layla slammed her fist down on her desk.

“God-damn it that’s not how it works. Answer me this. Would like the movie to be forgotten immediately or remembered for years to come?”

Silence on the other end of the line.

“We’ll continue this tomorrow. Right now, I’m tired. Goodbye” Layla said hanging up the phone.

Layla put the phone back on her desk, and let out a lengthy sigh. She wondered how much experience that trend studier actually had in writing stories. She figured it was not an awful lot. Their area expertise was numbers, and making them say exactly what they wanted. For Layla numbers like that had place in the business of storytelling, or anywhere in the arts for that matter. But, here they were, and it was making her life a living hell. Then again, she had enough experience to not be bullied or intimidated by people like that. The only people she let tear her work apart like that was critics, and that was because it was the only way she learnt how to hone her craft.

She quickly closed down the email box, and opened the news sight. She began to skim when suddenly a single thought entered her mind. She looked down at her wrists, and saw that her hands were starting to shake. She knew she didn’t need it, and it was only that part of her brain that was addicted that was demanding she do it. Her breath increased. Her mind became a blurry haze clouded by one single thought.

She opened her desk drawer, and there it was a small little packet of that familiar white powder. Now her mind was screaming at her, and finally she caved. She took two pinches of the powder out of the bag, and snorted them up her nose.

Her mind was clear again, but now she felt like garbage. It wasn’t something she wanted to be addicted to, but it was something she used frequently in her twenties as a way of showing rebellion against the system. However, once her mind matured she realised that she didn’t have anything to rebel against, but her mind was still addicted to cocaine. Her one shame in life that nobody should know about except for the man who gave her the stuff.

As her mind cleared she looked back at the screen. There were the usual articles about drama with the politicians, some famous person donated money to charity, and a cruise ship had been quarantined due to someone being on board with measles. She then saw a box that flashing, and trying to get her attention. “Police press conference on apartment killer live in 20 minutes” the message in the box was saying.

Layla stared at this box with intent. Like everyone else in the city she was both curious, and terrified about the killer. She was terrified because he hadn’t been caught, and had killed god knows how many people. She should be extra terrified because he exclusively hit apartment buildings much like the one she lived in, but Layla’s inner writer got in the way of that. It felt like something that she herself would possibly write about herself in a work. Except this wasn’t fiction it was real life. A fictional story playing out before her. The idea bizarrely excited her even though people were dying.

She removed that thought, and closed down the news tab. She then logged onto a game store, someone at work had set up for her once as a joke, and began to browse through their selection.

[welcometomy20s]

May 18, 2019

Eurovision Final Recap

The song are now listed by performance order (out of 12, as always)

Malta - Wow, she has underperformed from in the semi-finals. Even the song sound staid. She’s not going to catch voters with this performance. 7/12

Albania - She was better than the semi-finals. Again, the tune is interesting but it’s pretty consistent and I think she has great stage presence. 9/12

Czech Republic - Nice instrumentation, but the singer is not as great, and that’s why I discounted him in the semi-finals, anyway. They still might go far 8/12

Germany - First of the Big Six, almost always at the bottom, and oh god, they are not powerful to carry this through. It’s just too sappy, I’m sorry! 5/12

Russia - He’s off-beat in the beginning, he’s much more worse than the semi-finals, which is going to nice. Good singing, apparently. (I’m bad) 8/12

Denmark - Again, very strong Lily Allen vibes. But it’s bouncy and fun, and they didn’t really fall from the semi-finals, so I’ll give it a high score for that. 9/12

San Marino - Oh no. It’s something. The chorus is not that bad, honestly. But man, this is such a regressive song, in so many ways. Why, just why? 6/12

North Macedonia - It’s not the worst, certainly not the best, but I think the singer has some nerve going for her, which is too bad, the song is okay. 8/12

Sweden - The big problem is that all Swedish song sound the same and it’s so frustrating... I’m sure they are going to get lot of jury point, so whatevs 5/12

Slovenia - The song is just too quiet, but then you kind of get into it, but when you’re out, you just remember that this song is just not that good. 7/12

Cyprus - See, the performance is really good, but the song is just not as good. Also, the whole becomes... why are we in this state now? I don’t know 8/12

Netherlands - He’s trying too hard. Normal singing would be slightly better, even though, it wouldn’t be much better. Again, I won’t pick to listen this. 7/12

Greece - It’s like Daya is doing a Daya impression. Why... what’s with intonation, also the song itself is pretty bland, so there’s that. Nice costume, though. 7/12

Israel - It’s so bizarre, but like it’s just a Michael Bolton song, but like why do they put this song for their defense? The guy was pretty smarmy, so... 6/12

Norway - Oh, god, great placement because this song is pretty good and that Sami singing! I mean it’s such a crowd pleaser. I’m fine w/ this winning. 10/12

Great Britain - The bane of Eurovision. If they try, they could do well, but they never try. They just never try. This is par for the course, though. Yep. 6/12

Iceland - Song is better, singing not so much (and it’s not scream = bad, it’s just they just sound more tired than in the semi-finals.) Still two good boys. 9/12

Estonia - Looks like Keanu Reeves, worse singer than Keanu Reeves. It’s the country songs. I think I heard this song actually... it’s several songs. 6/12

Belarus - I like 90′s song with big bass, so this is again my underdog pick, and so the score is a bit inflated that most people’s aesthetic is going to be. 8/12

Azerbajian - It’s different than I remember. Cool performance, and it’s better of the single male pop song in the entries. Still feels a bit stale, however. 8/12

France - This song is really nice. Good production, and I think singer is on beat? Like the aesethics, too. France actually have a good one after all now. 9/12

Italy - I like this song, too. Big Five is not bad this year. Apparently, people don’t like this... well, I like reggaeton than most people, so there’s that. 8/12

Serbia - What’s with the leg? Other than that, the song is okay. Nothing to go home or even to commute about. And yes, you can sway lights to this. 6/12

Switzerland - You know I coming back to this song, I find that this is on the better side in the single male pop song in the list. Dirty Dancing, however... 8/12

Australia - I’m starting to think that this became a bargain. Australia keeps topping itself, and in a pretty weak year, they might have a chance. 9/12

Spain - Great last entry. They are going far. I mean they could go far in any place, but they have a great entry and they are going to be great here. 9/12

So. that’s it. I will post this now, and write up my result reaction later.

PS: Welp, Netherland (the favorites) won. Well earned, even though it wasn’t my favorite. Norway won the televote, which makes sense and good job. Germany got zero points in the televote, and that was very deserved as well. UK last, ha.

[pensurfing]

Caitlin’s Three Things List

Okay, so moments (probably hours by the time I finish this) ago I wrote a goals list that I think is good for self-evaluation. (Keyword: This is what I think. results may vary depending on what you’re looking for.)

I’m going to hop to it and answer some of these that I laid out in hopes of having a better idea of what I want to accomplish. 

The Three Things Lists!

1) Three things that went well this year.

* Audience growth

So once upon a time, I grew a pretty decent following due to creating an Inktober Prompt list. My expectations: Maybe two of my friends would do this, maybe. And then one stranger that has followed me for a while. (There are a few followers I recognize their username because if I post something they always like it and for some reason that keeps me going.)

But because of this prompt, I was exposed to MANY new creators and illustrators that I now enjoy chatting with and following! Instagram had the biggest maintained growth. I’m excited to create for an audience that actually expects me to create and not just for friends who see my things “whenever they aren’t busy”. (Not to bash them or anything, just there are a lot where unless I tell them, they don’t see the posts I make.)

Another surge of growth in my audience was due to tabling at conventions this year. I was terrified to show my work let alone attempt to sell it to someone. Tabling at cons not only boosted my confidence but also quieted one of my ever going demons. “YoU sUcK aT dRaWiNg CaItLiN.” “How do you have a degree? oh right, you just barely passed.” I can’t say this is the case, there is an audience that genuinely enjoys my scribbles. So I am forever thankful to Atlanta Comic Con for giving me that chance. It honestly opened a few doors for me.

**Process

I’ve gotten more comfortable with showing my process. It can be messy, crisp, and illogical. But turns out the people who enjoy my content enjoy my scrambled thoughts. It’s something about not being alone in this sort of sense that calms the nerves.

So I can say with chest poked out that sharing process has gotten MUCH better. I can thank a self-help book I bought this year that was a FANTASTIC BUY. Austin Kleon has [two] (currently? If he has more then I’m buying it like people buy a name brand.) books that helped me see that it is GREAT to share not only the process but advice. “Show Your Work” is the book I’m talking about for now. Great tips, the outline is on the back of the book. So if you’re like me, I need to clearly see what I might be getting into, you might have a ball.

And finally, (not calling myself out on this but other) If you’re going to respond to people when they ask you “how do you___?” do not answer “Google it”. That is the rudest thing I’ve seen some of even my FAVORITE illustrators do; that response can burn in hell. PERIODT. (my one typo allowed.)

*** Art Style Exploration

For those who think college will help you establish an art style that you’ll enjoy or help nourish the one you currently have.... Let me save you over 80K.... No, the fuck it won’t.

That was the biggest thought I had going into art school. If anything, it confused me more and utterly destroyed what little confidence I had in my drawing style. After graduating, I had a huge swing from how I used to draw to how my art currently looks. I stopped trying to please the one professor who stood between me and my degree and started drawing to please my tastes. And guess what? That did something. And that something WORKED. I love what I draw now; I see why I chose this as my career path. I’m genuinely happy with how my pieces turn out versus in college just wanting to turn the damn thing in and hoping it isn’t an F.

2) Three things you could have handled better.

* The loss of a good paying client.

Now hear me out when I say this: A good paying client DOES NOT EQUAL a good client. Say that three times and then exhale.

Back earlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with a writer who gave me hell and back. And even that is an understatement. I dealt with her because in school you were taught “if they pay on time, finish the work and get the exposure.” 

I’m here to tell you my lesson learned: A good paying client DOES NOT EQUAL good exposure, good pay, a good client. 

I was doing the work of three for the price of one and a half. (And was always told I charged too much.) She tried abusing this power with friends of mine, with other illustrators. When things turned out bad, she tried saying it was my fault. She read my contract and then tried telling me I changed the wording, I purposely did this thing, another thing was my fault. I could go on with this story.

The part that I wish I handled better?

How I treated myself afterward. I’m so used to people telling me, “Cait, this is what you do wrong. This is how you fix it.” that I don’t consider my own feelings, and when I bring my feelings into the scenario they no longer matter. Because they tell me they don’t matter. In this case, I wish I had treated me better, because my feelings, my mental health, DOES matter.

**My Patience Getting Into Conventions.

Pretty self-explanatory. I got into one, finished one, and wanted to do eight more in a week. But this sort of thing just takes time and I need to accept that.

***My losses

I had to listen to a Little Mix song to actually learn this one. The context of the song is nowhere near the topic at hand. But a verse from Power feat Stomzy really packs a punch after this year: 

“ You look him in the eye and say, "I know I'm not a guy But see there's power in my losses and there's power in my wins" “

I had to look one of my demons in the face, and state something similar. My loses mean I’m trying. My loses piling shows I’m not willing to give up easily, and that is something that took a while to be content with.

3) Three things artistically you want to improve on.

*Composition

It’s not awful, but it can be better.

**Color

I told this BOLDLY if I might add while critiquing someone else’s portfolio; “Your color palette is boring. All your [things] look as if they are from the same universe, during the same time of day, with the same kind of mood. After three photos it’s bland, boring, and understood you have a preference.” 

Can you say damn Cait? The statement was, in fact, true, but I certainly could not talk. My color palette is mainly bright, pop, and happy. In order to tell a story, I KNOW it is best told with color. And I failed myself this year. But I sure won’t next year.

***My Damn Tag

Okay, alright. Why is it well-established artists have their tag figured out? Even some who’s art style is so recognizable (I’m looking HEAVILY at you Gabriel Piccolo.) we know it’s theirs, seem to have a tag that suits them and works for them. But more importantly, they put it in A VERY DECENT SPOT. SOMEONE SHARE THIS SCIENCE WITH ME? CAUSE APPARENTLY I DON’T GET IT.

4) Three things you want to focus on trying.

*More backgrounds.

As much as it pains me, I need to improve on backgrounds and perspective. When I do make backgrounds, I’m told I make great pieces. That I should look into becoming a background artist. And don’t get me wrong, I like them. But I don’t like them.

I feel as though I need to improve in that region so that way I don’t feel as though it’s a weakness of mine. My backgrounds are nice, but they aren’t nice to my standards.

**More designs

I love character designs, but let’s be real. If you were to scroll down my site or my Instagram page, or even this Tumblr archive, could you tell? 

I draw characters a lot sure, but none are designs. No process, no sheets, no turnarounds, none of that. So that’s a huge goal of mine for 2019.

***Scheduling posting

At one point I was pretty good at this. Live stream in Instagram and Twitter, cool. Videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Cool. Everywhere gets a photo, everywhere gets a silly one-liner. Yay. I’m not leaving anything out.

Well by the end of this year that totally crumbled. 

SO I want to try getting better at that thing there. Because having attempted this at the end of the year was cool, but it still wasn’t enough apparently.

5) Three positive things to tell yourself.

* You are an inspiration. That’s all you wanted to be in life, you did it. I’m proud of you.

**You didn’t kill yourself like you tried to; you opened up about it for once and used that pint up anger creatively. That is very hard to do, trust. I’m proud of you.

***You moved on, matured, and let it go. Even when the goddess inside you told you these peasants didn’t deserve your light, your friendship, your greatness. I’m proud of you.

I’m just proud of me for not snapping when I had every right to; not everything deserves a reaction.

6) Three negative things you want to leave for 2018.

*Comparisons 

Oh boy. I am extremely guilty for this: I’ll compare myself to a well-known illustrator my age. I’ll compare myself to friends who are in the field having a blast and getting work; I’ll compare myself to friends who aren’t in the field and they struggle at getting work. I’ll compare myself to the kid I graduated high school with who is traveling the world, is able to eat, come home to his dog and relax because he doesn’t have tuition to pay. I’ll compare myself to these goddamn baby boomers who keep repeating “We didn’t have it hard, you’re just being stupid. Millennials aka our children deserve to starve. We’ll just put our faith in our grandchildren because screw the kids we raised and refuse to pay accordingly. $7 an hour worked in my day, they need to make it work now.” I’ll compare myself to fake people I created in my head and purposely made scenarios and wonder why I’m not like them, said creations I made because I was pretty low for ten minutes...

I just compare myself too much. To any damn body. It’s draining, obnoxious and most of all pointless. My new motto for next year is: “Unless it is helping you grow yourself, your brand, your spirituality, don’t do it.”

I’m not comparing my chapter two to someone’s chapter thirty-five. I’m not even comparing my chapter two to someone else’s chapter two. I need to stop doing that PERIOD! My journey is different, unique, and worth seeing through.

**Listening to negative others.

A couple of years ago, I lost a close friend around the time my aunt passed away. During this time I was hypersensitive to any and everything done or said; I also kept many walls up to hide my mourning. He caught the crossfire of all of that. I kept secrets from him I was too prideful of admitting and lashed out because of the emotional turmoil I kept suppressed. While in the midst of packing his things and leaving my life, he mentioned that I was a failure because I was unemployed and artistically speaking I hadn’t accomplished anything; that I would remain that way because that’s just the person I deserved to be. Now mind you, I graduated college that year; he was a flunk out. I changed my art style dramatically compared to when I started school to pass; he thought just posting crappy pictures of lukewarm sketches were equivalent. I started attempting trends and all he could do was copy. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to bash my old friend. If he were to come back into my life and move on like nothing had happened I’d do the same. (With some limitations.)

It’s just while typing out this scenario, of our four-year friendship I can’t think of one nice thing/compliment/gesture he has said to me. That’s my problem.

I can be praised, admired, and look highly upon for years straight. But my problem is I let others negative thinking and comments marinate with me for a long while. Too long of a while.

Another example is my mother’s friend. (My mom has many friends that do this shit, but this one stung more.) 

This friend always roots for me; treats me like a person, and encourages my artistic journey. I consider her family before my actual relatives. 

We went over for some barbeque the family was having and I was ready. Black Hallmark Cookouts, laughing, good food, good music, shit talking others teams. She asked me a harmless question of when was I going to quit my day job. Seemed like nothing at first, until the added gest of what she continued with. “All I’m saying is you can’t do [your day job] forever. That will get old. If the art thing doesn’t work out next year what’s plan b?”

I’m not a calm person (usually). Normal Caitlin would have cursed her out and mentioned how just because she chose a job to settle and be miserable at for most of her life doesn’t mean I have to follow suit. But again, of all the nice encouraging things she has done, said, and showed, for a while, I couldn’t think of it. 

So I pray I let go of this nasty behavior in 2018; it’s going to be hard but it is dire.

***Saying I’m Not Enough

Alright, now put the combination of the two above in a bowl and what do you get? A Caitlin who struggles in interviews and applying for jobs because I let comparisons and negative comments rule my thoughts. This stopped me from applying to jobs I would have been perfect for; internships that could have helped me; posting art online.

We (including me) have to stop thinking that in order to be an illustrator means we have to pass a certain threshold of struggle, success, and a huge number of followers. That isn’t the job description. NO JOB DESCRIPTION has ”must have at least 10K followers on Instagram or Twitter.” nOnE. 

So we (including me) need to stop treating ourselves this way. Period.

7) Three things you’re looking forward to in 2019.

*Going to move conventions.

**Adding pieces to my portfolio to try again at job hunting.

***Becoming content with the fact that my current situation isn’t my permanent situation. Unless I laze around and make it so.

Alright, so this was basically me calling myself out on my noise. Lashing out my demons and putting it in writing what I want to accomplish. I hope this inspires you to write yours, even if you keep it private. I hope it guides you and maintains your vision.

I’ll see you in 2019

A new wave

Caitlin xx

[theonstyles]

Eurovision 2017

[dwtspd]

DWTS season 24 Week 4: Most Memorable Year

Interesting opening montage with the chest like a kind of time capsule. Also, a lot of baby photos - either the celebs when they were kids or celebs with their kids.

I felt lik,e because of the nature of tonight the judges were scared to give criticism. More so this season.

Normani and Val - Rumba Normani’s year is when she got into the group Fifth Harmony. They didn’t elaborate much on how the group was formed, maybe to avoid addressing that one member left this year. I thought this dance was not bad. He arms were a bit stiff and could be more fluid esp with the port de bras (idk what they are called in ballroom terms but basically when you draw an arc with your arms in front or over you head). Didn’t see a lot of hip action, but she didn’t do that many moves that called for it. Her feet might have popped off the floor during the spin. Why is the short girl in 5H crying? It wasn’t a sob story MMY performance. Anyway I think she danced to a 5H song but I’m not sure because I don’t listen to their group. 8-7-8-9 T32

Nick and Peta - Rumba of course Nick’s year is the year he “found love” on the Bachelor and of course his dance is a rumba. I figured Shape of You would be used on the season sooner or later but this was such a waste of the song! I always imagine some hot latin number to it. Nick’s walks were decent and I saw him trying to make his hips move. They move better on one side. And to quote Bruno, he “definitely connected” - to his Bachelor fiancee Vanessa. CAI says he will let Nick off for lifting Vanessa at the end because IT’S LOVE or whatever. This had more content than Normani. 8-7-8-7 T30

Nancy and Artem - Foxtrot Wow! This was such a nice dance! It was smooth and fluid and Nancy has such great lines! I also like the simple but picturesque staging - nice touch with the lights shining through the prop tree. I think Nancy will also touch the audience because her story was not just emotional, but also quite unique in terms of Most memorable stories we have had on the show - the struggles of miscarriage. And her lilac dress is so pretty! 8-9-8-8 T33 Really CAI and Julianne? You’re going to give her the same scores as Nick? I think 33 is a fair score for Nancy but it is underscored compared to other contestants.

Mr T and Kym - Waltz Oh my the stage design in amazing! Mr T spoke about fighting cancer and finding his faith. The dance, as it is for older male contestants, is simple. I do notice Mr T seems to be more and more comfortable performing each week. He doesn’t seem to be too in his head as much. The british voice hiccupped haha. 7-7-7-7 T28

Heather and Alan - Cha cha Sorry Glee fans but Heather is all about her kid. Also - whoever she hired to take her wedding photos has some good Lightroom presets. I like the little bit with the house, it was like straight out of a rom com. So acc Julianne Alan choreographed this - good job then Alan! Looks like Maks has been napping with his baby (as he should be). There was quite a lot of cha cha content. Not sure I’m a fan of the pants. This song is overused on DWTS but it is nice to dance to. Btw, thank you to Heather’s husband for making Tom able to say this - “this is the first time in a decade I’ve heard someone mention MySpace.” 8-9-9-9 T35

David and Lindsay - “Viennese Waltz”  I put the style in inverted commas because once again DWTS plonks a quadruple time song for a style that requires triple-time music. I think that kinda accounted for the bumpy comments from the judges. Ugh. That starry background was beautiful though. David’s year is last year when he won the World’s Series with the Chicago Cubs on a great game, right before retirement. I have no idea what Len was saying but David seems happy. Apparently his dance was played live at a delayed Cubs game and Erin is real calm about her worlds colliding. 7-8-8-8 T31 I find the 7 from CAI low. This might not have been David’s best dance but it was still better than Mr T and definitely not lower than Nick!

Rashad and Emma - Contemporary So I was totally expecting to have to write something like “Rashad you are great but that dance was...meh...not entirely your fault though DWTS contemps are always bland.” But wow! That was probably the best contemporary done by a male contestant. And it was also really well choreographed! This dance was about Rashad’s emotional journey in relating to his father. Apart from not pointing his feet (can’t be helped for most contestants), Rashad had such great quality of movement. There was one contraction at the beginning that was just...wow. He connected all his movements. Everyone is clapping and crying. 10-9-10-10 T39 Definitely deserved.

Erika and Gleb - Cha cha I felt like this could have been Erika’s breakout dance but it felt like she was holding back a little. She didn’t feel fully IN the dance. It was still a decent good dance, but Erika is at a disadvantage this week because Madonna song is the only thing going for her - her story about finding her way in the entertainment industry is not as compelling as many other dances this week. 8-7-7-8 T30

Ginger Zee is no longer relevant.

Simone and Sasha - Viennese Waltz Oh hail muscle memory! It’s true though, if you practice a routine enough, muscle memory really helps you get through the motions. That dance was...like a river. it just kept flowing. Simone will also definitely stick in viewer’s minds with her story about growing up and getting adopted. It’s certainly not what people would have expected (ie winning 5 medals at the Olympics) 9-9-9-9 T36

Bonner and Sharna - Foxtrot Yikes I did not need that shot of STAPLES BEING PULLED OUT OF BONNER’S NECK. Also, bullriding is f*cking scary. And all those camera angles of Bonner lying on the ground unmoving??? Gave me chills. Btw, Bonner looks good in the slouch hat than a cowboy hat for a change. I’ve figured out Bonner’s biggest problem - he doesn’t seem entirely enotionally present in his dances. He has his dazed look on his face, like he is just daydreaming up the whole thing. Definitely his best handling of the choreography so far. Also, who played shadow Bonner? And lastly, cowboy hat + suit = a look. 8-8-8-8 T32

Alright. All stories must come to the end. Our couple is jeopardy are Mr T and Kym and Erika and Gleb. I really couldn’t make the call. In the end, Mr T is announced to be leaving us (shame, he would make a great Toy Story soldier). He leaves in high spirits though.

Next week is Disney night! Dances will either be really good or really overscored. Do look out for crazy staging and insane costumes - god knows we need some to compensate for the lack of Krazy Kostume King Mark Ballas.

[thesinglesjukebox]

WEEZER - AFRICA

[2.08]

We're covering this because it was demanded on Twitter by like... maybe one or two people!

Joshua Minsoo Kim: An exciting musical event for people who go online and say things like "You, good sir, win the internet today." [0]

Taylor Alatorre: What did Weezer have to do to get back in the good graces of the Hot 100 for the first time since the balloon boy hoax? Apologize for party rocking with Dr. Luke and Jermaine Dupri? Drop the affectations and release a cathartic summer bummer album featuring their single greatest track since the 90s? Put the affectations back on, using late-period Fall Out Boy as a guidepost rather than a cautionary tale? Nope. Apparently all they had to do was check their Twitter mentions. The success of Weezer's "Africa," along with Disturbed's "The Sound of Silence" and Bad Wolves' "Zombie," portends a dark future in which guitar groups grasp onto whatever relevance they can by serving up unchallenging, irony-free leaf rubbings of pop's past glories. It's the easy path, and it's also the best way to self-fulfill the prophecy of rock's demise. If rock is destined to become the new jazz, 80s Greatest Hits compilations are the new standards. We should demand more audacious interpretations than this. [4]

Joshua Copperman: A great shitpost functions like a Rube Goldberg machine, putting a maximum amount of effort into a minimal, slight result (see: the GameCube meme). The insistence that Weezer should cover "Africa" was great not only because of the dedication of the Twitter account, but because fundamentally it's not a bad idea! Weezer has a sense of humor, and they're particularly notable for their harmonies and guitar riffs. Yet the result is abhorrent, with the worst mix to hit the Hot 100 this decade, a superlative achieved from the first crash cymbal and distractingly metallic snare. As the song goes on, distorted guitars and multitracked harmonies fight for space, obscuring those drum and culminating in a synth solo that screams Free 80s Synth VST instead of remotely mimicking the original. "Africa" is a hard song to cover, so it doesn't make sense to learn the song so meticulously and then utterly give up on anything else (harmonies and tom fills notwithstanding). The punchline should be that the cover is great, not that the cover exists st all -- think Celine Dion's contribution to Deadpool 2. Weezer's lack of willingness to go the extra mile, unlike Dion, is frustrating and borderline insulting. Internet types suspect that the poor mixing is "passive agressive," but what's the point of that? It's "Africa." The best covers of a song like that, shitposters or otherwise, both play up the camp factor and taking the actual songcraft seriously. The camp is there with Weezer, but it's still jarring hearing a version of "Africa" that feels dry and perfunctory instead of joyous. [2]

Juan F. Carruyo: This is what happens when a (bad) meme comes to life: the boys from Weezer take a note-for-note trip through the yacht rock classic adding metal power chords in the chorus but undermining the groove by subtracting the congas from the mix, so all that is left is a joyless, by-the-numbers execution. [1]

Alex Clifton: I like "Africa" as much as the next white people, but did we need this? Who asked for this? Is this ironic or sincere? "Africa" has been so memed out and Weezer themselves feel like a meme band that I'm struggling to wrap my head around it. As a cover: it's faithful and seems to love the source material. As a Weezer song: surprisingly not sarcastic, which is a nice change from Rivers Cuomo's usual schtick. As a whole: it's kind of a mess. [4]

Tim de Reuse: I mean, it's bad. The chorus, originally personable and warm, is here reduced to a straining mess of sugary guitars and phoned-in autotune. But even if there were an ounce of passion in the delivery, and even if the execution was in any way technically competent, and even if it didn't have the air of a desperate attempt to hop on a long-departed bandwagon, this would still be a waste of everyone's time, because Rivers Cuomo does not have anything meaningful to contribute to song "Africa" by the band Toto. [0]

Katherine St Asaph: At least when Rickrolling was a thing, no one tried to convince me that Rick Astley was a serious studio musician and that I should give an actual shit about Toto, instead of recognizing "Africa" as Mannheim Steamroller-synthed dreck with unsingable verses and mildly questionable lyrics about Africa that should have been left in the '80s alongside Dynasty hair and Ronald Reagan. That's not the most damning thing about Weezer covering "Africa." I also can't help but note that with the possible minor exception of "Total Eclipse of the Heart," this recanonization-via-meme only happens for the dudeliest of dudes. That's also, surprisingly, not the most damning thing about Weezer covering "Africa." Then there's Weezer, endlessly criticizable Weezer, already a meme band when they released Snuggies in 2009, now gone full Smash Mouth Eat the Eggs Imgur-core. It's Weezer in 2018, it's a given they're not trying, but it's still remarkable how mushy this sounds, like the rains down in Africa drenched all their equipment. But that's not the most damning thing about Weezer covering "Africa" either. The most damning thing is that Weezer covered "Africa" in a lower key. If you're going to karaoke your way back to relevance, put up the high notes or shut up. [1]

Edward Okulicz: I hate "Africa," and Weezer sleepwalking through it is the sort of thing that didn't need to exist, because it's easy to imagine it, and it's also easy to imagine something better. Like, say, Toto doing "Hash Pipe." Or! Even better! The Rentals doing "Hold the Line." [2]

Alfred Soto: Let me attempt to clear the fetid air. Toto needed Boz Scaggs, Michael Jackson, etc, to be any good. "Rosanna" is awful. I don't need Rivers Cuomo's power chords to explain how nostalgia for secondhand colonialism works. Who is this cover for? [2]

Jessica Doyle: So the original, while not exactly bland, is more cheesy than respectable; if the song has any notoriety at all it's because the lyrics are soaked in self-absorption, describing without containing any actual information. The cover increases the guitar and, while not changing the lyrics at all, delivers them with a wink. (Otherwise why bother? The original's not good enough for reverence.) And it works! The energy is fantastic, and the revisions make the original's flaws charming rather than grating. I've been having a lot of fun watching their live performances, and -- wait, what? Aren't we talking about Dreamcatcher? [2]

Thomas Inskeep: Not as smooth on the verses, and a little too hard on the chorus, but at least Rivers Cuomo dialed down the most whiny, grating qualities in his voice in an attempt to nail what makes "Africa" so perfect in the first place. This is a straight-down-the-middle second-base hit for me: I don't love it by any means, but I don't hate it. And that's more than I can say for the past decade, maybe two, of Weezer's career. It's nowhere near as good as the original, but you knew that. [5]

Ian Mathers: Is it really a surprise that the dude from Weezer is a less compelling singer (even, or especially with clunky digital assistance) than the dude from Toto? Or that loud guitars don't necessarily improve things? Or that anything good about this finely aged hunk of cheese is totally lost by trying to update it without even vaguely attempting to improve it? This does not bless any rains, anywhere. [0]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: It's impossible to review Weezer covering Toto's "Africa" in a way that reveals anything more than just noting that it is Weezer covering Toto's "Africa" in the year 2018. [4]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[gta-5-cheats]

Solo: A Star Wars Story Has Lots to Show, Nothing to Say

New Post has been published on http://secondcovers.com/solo-a-star-wars-story-has-lots-to-show-nothing-to-say/

Solo: A Star Wars Story Has Lots to Show, Nothing to Say

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

.unqbw5b0ef1881a37e margin: 5px; padding: 0px; @media screen and (min-width: 1201px) .unqbw5b0ef1881a37e display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) .unqbw5b0ef1881a37e display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) .unqbw5b0ef1881a37e display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) .unqbw5b0ef1881a37e display: block; @media screen and (max-width: 767px) .unqbw5b0ef1881a37e display: block;

Last year, George R.R. Martin – the author of A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels that have been adapted at HBO – said that of the several Game of Thrones spin-off ideas in development, not even one touched upon the period immediately prior to the current saga. “There would be no surprises or revelations left in such a show, just the acting out of conflicts whose resolutions you already know,” he added. Instead, Martin wants them to show parts of his universe that haven’t already been talked about.

On the other hand, the powers that-be at Lucasfilm – under Disney’s ownership – are more than happy to take the safer route and expand on events and characters we already know about, as it guarantees a financial windfall by drawing most if not all existing fans of the franchise. Partly thanks to Harrison Ford, Han Solo is one of the most famous characters in pop culture, let alone Star Wars. Telling his origin story, as the new standalone Star Wars film – Solo, out May 25 worldwide – does, is the definition of low-hanging fruit.

What makes that problem worse is that even before it starts, the big pieces of the puzzle are already in place. Owing to the original trilogy – now retroactively titled Episode IV, V and VI – that ran from 1977-1983, we know Han will meet Chewbacca, the two will then encounter Lando Calrissian, from whom Han will win the Millennium Falcon in a bet, with which he’ll make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. That’s not a lot of room to create a meaningful story – written by Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jonathan – in addition to the fact there’s no stakes for our heroes.

  On top of that, Solo: A Star Wars Story is also dealing with a limited arc for a young Han, since he has to end up as the cocky and overpromising guy Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet in the Mos Eisley cantina. And that means the film can’t attribute qualities to him that you wouldn’t normally associate with him, even though he’s about a decade younger in this than in the original trilogy. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t try; Solo has moments where it pokes fun at his ill-advised bravado, but it’s still filling in the portrait of a guy who thinks he can do everything himself.

Solo: A Star Wars Story begins by introducing the pair of Han (Alden Ehrenreich, from Hail, Caesar!) and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke, from Game of Thrones) on their homeworld of Corellia, who are in love and languishing in slum-like conditions. Years later, Han enlists in the Imperial forces, meets a criminal of dubious morals named Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson, from War for the Planet of the Apes), and then takes on a job for crime lord Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany, from Avengers: Infinity War). That sets Solo in motion and brings other characters into the picture.

What unfolds from there is a part heist and part Western film, as Han and Co. go about achieving their mission – it involves stealing something ultra-valuable and getting it somewhere else as quickly as possible – while making new friends and new enemies along the way. The former involves Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), the captain and original owner of the Millennium Falcon, and his first mate, a hilarious and outspoken droid called L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, from Fleabag). There are bit part roles for Westworld’s Thandie Newton and director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as well.

Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

 Shop On SecondCovers

.syiva5b0ef1881a4ba margin: 5px; padding: 0px; @media screen and (min-width: 1201px) .syiva5b0ef1881a4ba display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) .syiva5b0ef1881a4ba display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) .syiva5b0ef1881a4ba display: block; @media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) .syiva5b0ef1881a4ba display: block; @media screen and (max-width: 767px) .syiva5b0ef1881a4ba display: block;

Like the previous standalone chapter Rogue One, there’s nothing about the Jedi and lightsabers here, and even less about the Empire or the Force. Similarly, all the new characters Solo: A Star Wars Story introduces are ultimately dispensable too, since none of them can show up in later entries. But unlike Rogue One, the film, seemingly with an eye on potential sequels – Ehrenreich has a three-picture deal in his contract – creates subplots that aren’t tied up properly by the end. It’s here that Solo even connects to the prequel trilogy from 1999-2005.

Unfortunately, there’s little justification for a second visit, when the first is rather unimaginative. Save for a few scattered moments, the film doesn’t grab you until an hour in. And though it’s got the makings of some unique action set-pieces, they aren’t handled in a way that would make them memorable. Even when the Millennium Falcon is being attacked by TIE fighters late-game, there’s no sense of the excitement that was apparent in J.J. Abrams’ 2015 soft reboot The Force Awakens, and Rian Johnson’s 2017 follow-up The Last Jedi.

Part of this stems from the botched handling of the production. The original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie), were fired over four months into filming, after clashing with Lucasfilm execs including Kasdan over their directorial approach. They thought they were hired to bring their comedic flavour to Star Wars, but their heavy improvisational technique – the duo sometimes shot a dozen takes that weren’t always in line with what the script said – didn’t sit well with Kasdan, and they were replaced by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), who’s seen as a safe choice.

It’s a testament to Howard’s experience that he not only managed to keep the film on track for its scheduled release, but that Solo: A Star Wars Story feels cohesive despite being the product of two entirely different visions: according to a behind-the-scenes report, 70 percent of the finished film is Howard’s, with the rest being the work of Lord and Miller. But because Howard was hired last minute to simply bring the script to life, the film lacks an authoritative touch and ends up feeling like a by-the-numbers bland heist film.

Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

  Moreover, less than six months after Star Wars took some of its boldest steps courtesy Johnson – including a welcome dressing down of why trigger-happy hotshots can cause more harm than good – Solo is happy to play it easy. A few unexpected twists towards the end, and the work of its top-notch cast – Waller-Bridge is excellent and powers some of the film’s best moments, Glover is instantly charismatic and a scene-stealer as the trailers promised, and Clarke lands the note she’s asked to play, that of an intriguing yet enigmatic female lead – simply aren’t enough.

Despite how damning the preceding paragraphs may sound, Solo isn’t a bad movie per se. It’s just fine. The film will help buff up the encyclopaedia pages in a certain period, give Disney another chance to sell more Star Wars merchandise, and lays the groundwork for sequels leading up to Episode IV – A New Hope (“Star Wars” for the purists). But it never takes off in a fashion that would please its titular hero – John Williams’ iconic soundtrack is also on a leash for the longest time, unfortunately – mainly because it’s too predictable to make any wild manoeuvres.

We’ll never know what Lord and Miller would’ve done with Solo: A Star Wars Story, even as the underlying story would’ve been the same. It’s also possible their version would have been horrible, and that Lucasfilm was right in removing them before it was too late. But if Star Wars is going to keep swinging the pendulum back even as its world expands – reports abound of more standalone chapters with Obi-Wan and others, alongside all-new stories from Johnson, Favreau, and Game of Thrones creators – the least it can do is not be borderline cynical about it.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

[vileart]

Dramaturgy Rinse:Mike Raffone @ Artworks Elephant

IT’S A KITSCH GIVEAWAY AT SOUTH EAST LONDON’S NEWEST CABARET NIGHT

Lovers of Kitsch are sure to enjoy award nominated comedy performer Mike Raffone’s monthly Cabaret show Cabaret Rinse. Apart from featuring top acts from the world of comedy and variety, Cabaret Rinse also boasts a unique raffle.

Before the show the audience are each given a free strip of raffle tickets. Throughout the show they must compete with each other in a series of bizzare games to randomly generate the winning ticket number. And if that’s not exciting enough the lucky winner then gets to choose her/his prize from The Cabinet of Kitsch, a mock conveyor belt of kitsch goodies that makes The Generation Game’s prizes look positively up market.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

With Cabaret Rinse I wanted to do something that could be a bit more anarchic than I usually do, I was always a big fan of the apparent anarchy of Tiswas when I was a kid. 

I was originally thinking of a sort of game show type thing, but that's been done quite a bit recently, but I knew (like everything I do) it had to have a heavy interactive element with the audience. I remembered that I ran a raffle in a comedy night that I used to run about 5 years ago. It proved to be the most popular thing in the show, and the only thing that actually made money. So I had the idea of having a load of stupid games and routines that would generate the winning numbers of the raffle, sort of a bit like the big song and dance they used to make picking the numbers for the national lottery. Only my version would not be as slick and bland, and would have the lotteries and gaming commission break out in a cold sweat. Also the prizes are kitsch tat, but people seem to love that as well. 

That's how the idea of Cabaret Rinse was born. It was originally a show that I would mainly feature in, with a few special guests, but after starting to do it once a month it became clear to me that the other acts on the bill should take centre stage. It's a tall order to come up with an entire show once a month! So it morphed from a interactive show idea into a comedy night with a bill of artists and the raffle idea just holding the whole evening together .Actually, if I'm honest I'd say that the idea came to me in a flash of inspiration whilst walking down the street in Adelaide, South Australia when I was there for the The Adelaide Fringe, but I think these were the ideas that were brewing in my head.

  Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

I'm not sure that the performance has ever been a good space for the discussion of ideas, we performers set the agenda so any debate has to be a bit one sided. 

I do think that it's always been a great platform for the dissemination and advancement of ideas. You could say that ideas are discussed as you can look at things from a variety of standpoints. It always says something and has value and meaning, I'm not sure there is any debate thought.

  How did you become interested in making performance?

A variety of reasons really. I did always love the fact that theatre said things about all sorts of things, art, politics, science, religion, the human condition. I found that exciting as a young person which sometimes makes me wonder why I ended up in comedy and entertainment. 

But then good comedy says a lot as well. I also have a shallow though, and have always reveled in the theatrical nature of theatre, the shear affront and arrogance of showing off. And of course I fell in love with actresses and show girls when I was young. I just decided that it was a world that I wanted to be part of wit all of it's amazing facets.

  Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

Although my shows are heavily interactive and are not really overtly text based I do like to actually write the shows before I perform them these days, and I also work with a director a bit to refine the ideas once they are up and running. Of course it all changes when I perform it, but I like the confidence of knowing that for any show, but biggest problem is too much stuff. I find ideas easy, but I have to work at giving them coherence, and sticking to the point. That's the challenge for me. I also like to give myself creative limitations. 

For example for my one man comedy sketch show Brain Rinse the limitation was that every idea had to involve audience interaction and participation, whether onstage as individuals, or joining in en mass. I allowed myself to do anything, as long as I stuck to that one rule. I'm a great believer that it's impossible to fill the blank canvas without these sort of self imposed rules or creative limitations. 

With Cabaret Rinse, it was the idea that all the interactive ideas had to generate a number between one and ten in some way, again after that the sky's the limit. Of course what makes Cabaret Rinse different is I have to refine the whole evening, the sort of acts I book, what the running order should be, how many and how long the intervals should be etc etc. Not just the bits that I do.

  Does the show fit with your usual productions?

Yes, and no. Yes for all the reasons that I've explained, and no because for once I'm not the star of the show. I tend to so one man shows, write them, promote them, star in them, even do my own sound cues from onstage. I'm a bit of a control freak. I'm an performing empire builder, a bit like Chairman Mao, except my empire is very small, and I'm not so mean. I also don't have a little book... of any colour, but that's beside the point. It's interesting for me though, to take a back seat and let the other acts on the bill drive the show. 

I actually enjoy having these great acts share the stage with me. I have genuine love, passion and respect for the acts that I book. Again it's creative limitations, this time applies to my programming of the evening. They have to be acts that I love, and then I hope that I communicate that love to the audience when I compere the evening.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

Well I suppose the obvious answer to that is that I hope that they experience laughter, but also a togetherness. I want my comedy night to feel like it's just hanging out with friends. In fact some to the club stalwarts are friends of mine and I have no problem in calling them by there first name and being familiar with them. 

I want them to feel like they are being entertained in their front room I guess... that familiar. I also love it when people tell me that they don't usually like audience participation but they loved my show. 

I try not to put people down, but encourage them to go further with joining in than they ever thought they would. Then they are rewarded as being the heroes that they are, and it becomes their show. As for the acts I book, I've always seen Cabaret Rinse as being primarily a comedy night for acts, like me, who are misfits, who don't fit easily into any genre, or circuit of work. Many of the acts are unknown, or have been given licence if they are experienced for trying something new, or experimental so I guess I also want the audience to feel the excitement of this edge, of not quite ever knowing what they will get, but trusting that it will be good.

A Star Trek toby jug, a Chesney Hawkes picture disk, a home burlesque kit and a nodding Buddha, are just some of the prizes that audiences have eagerly snapped up over the past few months. But it’s not all about tacky consumerism, there has been a lot of fun along the way too. Audiences have re created a Busby Berkely water dance, taken part in a human version of space invaders and played a classic party game with a role of gaffa tape, some sweets and a man dressed in a piñata costume.

Mike explains further, “We get some great acts at Cabaret Rinse, and they are all different and very original in their own way. I felt that just bringing them on in the normal way just wouldn’t do them justice. I wanted a fun, madcap, off the wall way to compere the evening and the eureka moment came when I was on tour in Australia. That’s when I hit on the idea of an interactive raffle and it’s proved a real hit with our audiences. Last month’s raffle winner was so chuffed about winning the 1972 Ed Stewpot Stewart Pop Pary LP, on vinyl with a double gatefold sleeve that she tweeted about it after the show. I think she wasn’t even alive when the record was first released.”

ny c) America

Cabaret Rinse is on at The Artworks Elephant, Elephant Road, Elephant and Castle on every second Friday of the month. Next show is Friday 9th February. This month’s acts include Malcolm Hardee award winning character comic Candy Gigi and Jon Hicks, star of the hit variety show Slightly Fat Features. Show starts at 7:30pm and the Cabaret Rinse pop up bar is open from 7pm. Tickets are £9/£6 concs and there is a £2 discount if you book online via www.cabaretrinse.co.uk.

from the vileblog http://ift.tt/2BCQNV7

[clearinz]

Sonic 2 - Ranking the Stages (personal opinion)

This is a bit late, but while playing through Sonic Mania and getting some classic Sonic nostalgia, I decided to make my next list all about my favourite Sonic game - Sonic 2 for the Genesis/Megadrive. Since there’s only 10 stages (or 11 if you count the final boss), there’s no point doing a top 10, but it is the perfect number for a ranking list.

Remember this is just my opinion and yadda yadda.

List below break

#10 - Sky Chase Zone

This zone has some pretty good music...but other than that I dislike pretty much everything about it. It goes against what Sonic is, speed and platforming, by making ti a slow auto-scrolling stage, and by restricting movement.

I appreciate that they tried to do something different, but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank God it’s just 1 act.

#9 - Metropolis Zone

Does anyone actually like this stage? It’s just annoying to get through. From the exploding starfish enemies to the scythe-throwing grasshoppers. Enemy placements are always put in such a way that you can never see them coming.

The music is alright at least.

And to top it off, it has 3 acts, compared to the usual 2 of Sonic 2 levels.

It only avoids last place because it at least plays like Sonic rather than some slow gimmick level.

#8 - Oil Ocean Zone

This zone definitely gets my reward for worst music and ugliest looking level.

The level itself is just kinda bland. It can feel like a bit of a chore to play. The Oil Slides are kinda fun, I guess?

#7 - Wing Fortress Zone

Well 3 zones in, out of only 10, and I’ve done almost nothing but complain about my apparent favourite Sonic game. But this is where my list turns from dislike/indifference to enjoyment.

This level is perfect for the lead up to the final boss imo. The music just has that grand, epic feel as you scale Robotnik’s giant airship. The level looks pretty good, and has some tight platforming. In fact the level is almost all platforming rather than speed. It’s the one level where I reeeeally don’t want to become Super Sonic in fear of messing up the jumps over endless pits.

#6 - Emerald Hill Zone

Emerald Hill is essentially Green Hill Zone 2.0, and while I think Green Hill Zone is better designed (not a big compliant since I think Green Hill is one of the best designed level in Sonic), this level definitely wins in music and appearance. It’s just so much more colourful and vibrant. That could be said for Sonic 2 in general actually.

The design itself is still good, with multiple pathways to explore, and some secrets. But if you don’t want to explore you can speed through the level pretty much uninterrupted, so you can pick and choose how you best like Sonic - slow and exploring, or just fast.

#5 - Hill Top Zone

Not a fan of the music, and I’m not keen on those bouncing see-saw type things that you gotta wait for, but I do enjoy most everything else about the level.

I like going from the actual hill tops, riding on the lifts and killing enemies to create bridges across lava, to the underground sections where you have to outrun the lava as it rises.

I don’t have too much else to really say about it. It’s a fun level that’s always been kind of middle of the road for me. It’s neither so great nor so bad that I could talk about it for ages.

#4 Aquatic Ruin Zone

Seems odd that I’d put a water level of all things this high up on the list. That’s because this level is entirely a water level. The upper path is entirely on land, and the water section is just there to punish you if you fall down (or are some kind of weirdo who prefers water levels). Even the underwater parts aren’t that bad and you don’t spend much time under there, but the upper section is where the level truly shines. It looks great, with the leaves being layered over Sonic at the top to give off the confined feel.

I’ve always especially liked the arrow traps in the pillars, adding a rather unique hazard to old Sonic games that is neither a badnik nor something just to crush you. And speaking of traps, the enemies that pop out of the wall are a fun and interesting enemy type for the game.

Oh yeah, the musics pretty nice too.

#3 - Mystic Cave Zone

Alright, top 3; Now we’re truly getting into my favourites. This has always been one of my favourite looking stages. I love the colours, I love the theme, I love the pieces in the stage, such as the crumbling platforms and especially the switches hidden in vines. 

The stage had multiple pathways to take that all felt distinct, which I didn’t feel from a lot of other stages. 

Also who could forget the spike pit? Especially when you fall in as Super Sonic. It’s such an amazing troll by the game makers that I can’t even be mad at it. All players who have succumbed to the pit can bond over their failure. 

Since I’m mentioning music, it’s also got a fantastic song that fits the feel and aesthetic of the stage. 

I’m sad that it’s never reappeared anywhere, like Generations or Mania. I’d like to see a 3D version.

#2 - Chemical Plant Zone

This level is just so memorable. It’s one of the most unique Sonic stages, I believe. I do like the look of it, especially since blue is my favourite colour and there’s blue everywheeereee in this stage. Especially the blue and yellow platform you run on.

This stage had it all; Good music, multiple pathways, speed, platforming, water sections, even non-interactive little cutscenes where Sonic went through the pipes.

Funnily enough, I always got more scared of the water section in this game as a kid than I ever did in the actual water levels. Something about having to climb out of the water with platforms that move slowly is so much scarier than simply running forward and stopping for air bubbles now and then. Also that part where you have to jump between platforms, and if you misjump you end up back at the start of the water section *Shudder*

The stage truly incorporated everything Sonic 2 had to offer into one neat little package, and it was only the 2nd stage of the game.

So what could be better than that? Well if you know your Sonic 2 stages you already know the answer.

#1 - Casino Night Zone

Awww yeeeeah, the place where many kids gambling addiction started. There’s one huge reason this stage is my #1 Sonic 2 stage. I’ve mentioned music for every entry on the list, and while I do overall love Sonic 2′s soundtrack, I mentioned it for all of them because it led to this. I adore the music in this stage is so much. Just being able to listen to is a great excuse to put it at #1.

But let’s talk about the stage itself. I do think it looks fantastic. The pitch black background really helps make the neon colours stand out, and it looks flashy and active as a result. They truly captured the casino feel.

Funnily enough as far as layout goes, this should go against what I like about Sonic games, but I guess that’s the thing about personal opinions, they don’t gotta make sense. The stage is relatively slow. There’s not even a lot of platforming, there’s just a bunch of waiting and waiting, or getting knocked around by the bumpers. The latter of which I actually find kind of fun for this stage. Maybe it’s just a combination of music and sound effects, but the chaos of rarely having control of Sonic just feels great here.

One thing I did always love about this stage was those hot dog-things (to this day I still don’t know what they are. Unless they ARE hotdogs?) that went from green to amber to red then disappeared.

So yeah, i don’t think it’s the best designed stage by a longshot, but it’s my favourite to play, and that earns it the #1 spot.

[furederiko]

I knew I've doubted whether I'll be able to pull this off... but here it is! My thoughts on the 89th Academy Award Nominations that had just been announced two days ago...

For unknown reasons, unlike the previous years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apparently decided not to publish the Nominations Announcement on Youtube. Instead, they've published short videos for all 24 categories containing all the chosen names instead. You can check those out through their official Youtube channel (filtered by 'Oscars 2017'). Of course, the event was still streamed globally on their own website, so I guess that's the primary reason. Nevertheless, this was... surprising, to be honest. I mean, I usually could see it at a later time anytime I want (due to the difference of time zone), but now it's no longer possible. And that's a bummer for me.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's address the other elephant in the room! #OscarsSoWhite NO MORE! Yep, after two consecutive years of mostly sidelining people of colors, this year's list is exceptionally good. I mean, many people are singing praises for the picks. I think this is the first time (to my personal experience, of course) that we even have POC's representatives in each of the 6 major categories. We have director Barry Jenkins for his critically acclaimed "Moonlight", that also scored a Best Picture nominee alongside non-white movies like "Fences", "Hidden Figures", and "Lion". On the acting departments, we have African-American actors Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali, and actresses Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, and Octavia Spencer. They are joined with Indian-British actor Dev Patel, and Ethiopian-Irish actress Ruth Negga, in both of their first-time nominations.

Sure, you might say that we don't see any Hispanic or East Asian names among them. But remember! The Japanese tale of LAIKA's "Kubo and the Two Strings", the Polynesian girl's coming-of-age story of Disney Animations' "Moana", and Studio Ghibli's co-produced "The Red Turtle" are all vying for Best Animated Feature! Obviously, those are solid proof that the Academy is moving on the right direction, right? Sure, the diversity and equality-themed movie "Zootopia" has the highest chance to be the winner in this category, but at least we have representatives in form of cultures, story-setting, alongside its production staffs, right? And lest we forget, Hong Kong very own martial artist/actor Jackie Chan has accepted one of The Honorary Awards of the year!

Wait a sec. Now that I observe more closer, there ARE hispanic representatives too! But these folks are spreaded out in other, more-technical categories. One name that easily stands out the most would be Lin-Manuel Miranda! His inspiring and powerful ballad "How Far I'll Go" from Moana is vying for the Best Original Song. I have to admit though, I doubt it'll stand a chance against the strong competitions from both "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)", and "City of Stars". That's because both arrived from the same team of Justin Hurwitz , Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and were featured in the musical that has practically stolen everyone's heart.

YES! Talking about the nominees, it would be completely rude to not mention "La La Land". Damien Chazelle masterpiece has scored a record-tying fourteen nominations, putting it alongside the likes of "All About Eve" and "Titanic". Although it's not yet a sure bet, but the chance of this musical to walk away as the Best Picture winner is pretty high. Especially if recent Awards were any indications. At the very least, it would easily win all those Sound categories. I'm punching myself everyday because I still haven't been able to see this movie (and for a musical fan, that's saying much!), so I can't tell if it's Best Picture worthy or not. But the signs are certainly already leading towards this delightful conclusion. Unless we get a surprise upset win, of course. After all, the other titles are nothing but greatness. According to professional critics.

Two comic book adaptations put their stamps on the list. After being completely left out last year, Marvel Studios has returned with its visual dazzler "Doctor Strange" on the Best Visual Effects Category. Considering it's one of the most visually engaging movie of 2016, this is a well deserved nomination. Of course, the chance of it winning against either Disney's pure movie-magic that is "The Jungle Book", and even LAIKA's gorgeous stop-motion works in "Kubo and the Two Strings", is... rather slim. Don't get me wrong, all three were among my 10 Favorite Movies of the year. But if you ask me, as much as my Marvel-bias wants the Master of Mystic Arts to win, it's clear that Disney's live action photo-realism wonder (which was also helmed by a Marvel Studios director/producer, and starred many of its actors, in case you've forgotten) has practically booked the top prize since the day it was released. I don't see much of a competition, to be honest.

As for the other comic book movie, well... though it annoys the hell out of me to say this, Warner Bros' boring, bland, and excessively-cheesy "Suicide Squad" can pride its ugly-self as an Oscars nominee now. Eventhough the fact that it gets mentioned for Best Makeup and Hairstyling would never ever justify for its... uhhh... quality. Assuming it had one, of course. I mean seriously, that movie was BAD, like lousy bad, and I'm simply being nice here! I personally believe Warner Bros' "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" deserves this spot a lot better, making it a pair to its Best Costume chance. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story should've been here too, instead on the Visual Effects section. But surprisingly too, there are only THREE nominees in this particular list! So "Suicide Squad"'s chance of winning just become annoyingly high. Which is good for them, because they... well, need the good publicity of it. Of course, whether it or "Star Trek Beyond" will come out as the winner or not, is still anyone's guess. After all, even "Guardians of the Galaxy" didn't win the same category back in 2015. I guess I'll be choosing "Star Trek Beyond" for my personal pick, though there's a possibility I might end up leaning towards "A Man Called Ove" instead. Not sure why, just a gut feeling.

Still in the topics of comic book adaptations, it's worth noted, that we have several superhero alumns on the list this year. Ruth Negga played Raina on the first two seasons of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", while Mahershala Ali played Cornell Cottonmouth in Netflix's Marvel's "Luke Cage". Both are great examples of how Marvel TV loves to waste the talents of their actors by killing their characters too early. I mean, just imagine the prestige the two would carry to the shows had they are still among the cast. Am I right? Ironically, the same goes for both Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, our previous Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy from SONY's ill-fated "Amazing Spider-Man" franchise. Now they are sitting there as Best Actor and Best Actress nominees! Looks like being dropped from their superhero flicks has turned the tide for them both... for the better! Other names on this list includes Jeff Bridges, Michael Shannon, Natalie Portman, and Viola Davis who played Obadiah Stane, General Zod, Jane Foster, and Amanda Waller respectively before. It would be unfair to not mention them, right?

Inevitably, this announcement is also accompanied with startling snubs. No surprise here, because it occurs every single year. One of the most-talked about title that seemingly had made everyone cried foul is none other than FOX's "Deadpool". If you ask me, I'm personally more startled to see the reactions instead. I mean, come on... yes, that movie WAS indeed fun, but was it Oscar-worthy or Academy Awards-material? Definitely NOT. I'm frankly even surprised to see it popping up so strongly at the Golden Globes. I'd argue the same thing with Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Civil War". Was that movie great? YES. Leagues better than "Deadpool" in its entirety, and better in storytelling compared to its cousin "Doctor Strange". But even "Civil War" was also definitely not an Academy Award material. At least, it didn't have the edge that "Doctor Strange" and its Escher-like Steve Ditko-inspired kaleidoscopic mesmerizing visuals could champion with. And don't start to argue with 'But even a worse movie like "Suicide Squad" gets one', because shhhhh.... remember what's category it's in again?

The ones that I think are valids to be considered actual snubs, are actress Amy Adams, actor Tom Hanks, and director Martin Scorsese. Many had stated that Adams gave her most stellar performances in not one, but two movies last year: "Arrival" which scored eight nominations that's not related to acting, and "Nocturnal Animals" which only get one nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Meanwhile, Hanks, has been called a frontrunner many times with his performance in "Sully". A movie that's vying in only for Best Sound Editing. And Scorsese, his "Silence" felt like an Award contender from the get-go, but only received a Best Cinematography nomination for Rodrigo Prieto's work. All three names are what we all called 'Oscar Darlings', having been easy regulars on Award's circuit. So not seeing these names was indeed quite a shock. Apart from them, some minor snubs also include: Jake Gyllenhall's performance on "Nocturnal Animals", although this charming actor hasn't been on the Award race for such a long time now; Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who actually WON a Golden Globe for Supporting Actor in the same movie; Disney Pixar's "Finding Dory", eventhough they won last year with "Inside Out"; and certainly several others that slips my mind for now.

One last thing before I wrap this up. I just had to mention The 37th Raspberry Awards or the Razzies! I don't know why, but many entertainment sites seems to be ignoring if not looking down on this Reverse-Awards that honored the Worst Movies of the year. This year in particular. Many outlets seems to just... refuse to talk about it, especially comic books fansites. Why is that? If I had to guess, the answer would be simple. Because one of the year's biggest nomination-grabber is none other than Warner Bros and everyone's 'favorite' "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice". I recon no sites would want to be attacked by death-threats by simply posting the news, right? LOL. Yes, the so-called 'superhero fight of the century' is leading the pack, albeit sharing the first place alongside Zoolander 2 with eight nominations each.

Come on! One would think that a movie that put together DC's greatest superheroes like Batman, Superman, and featured a glorified cameo of Wonder Woman would've been an easy success, right? Well, looks like we were fooled to even expect that result. Not only it was panned by almost every critics, booed and yawned by many audiences (yours truly included), it has now been severely Razzied as well! DC Films' supposedly grandiose movie extravaganza that made many shook their heads in either instant-awe or apparent-disgust scored the nominations for: Worst Picture, Worst Director for Zack Snyder, TWO Worst Actor nominations for both Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Worst Supporting Actor for Jesse Eisenberg, Worst Screen Combo (yes, between the two actors), Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel, and Worst Screenplay for the guys who wrote a previous Best Picture movie and got story credit for "The Dark Knight Trilogy"! That's like... practically EVERY categories that were not Actress-related. Which is good news for Amy Adams, by the way. She might have gotten the snub at the Oscars, but at least she's NOT nominated for Worst Actress at the same time. I bet anyone who initially couldn't care less about the movie would be quite curious now to see whether this dull movie will win these categories or not. After all, it's something Warner Bros used to excessively brag about, right? Personally, I'm not at all surprised with this 'acknowledgement', and I doubt many would be, considering how... eh... 'disappointing' that movie was. Oh and that's not all! Jared Leto's cringing portrayal of The Joker somehow tags along Eisenberg's Lex Luthor for the same category. Which is... a huge irony considering "Suicide Squad" did score an Oscar nominee for his makeup. I say, the joke is on him, right?

All in all, I'm very much pleased with this list. It just feels... glorious to see so many POC on it, both in the acting and technical categories. It also feels good to not have to repeat the same complaints over and over again. Looks like the Academy has been listening to people's voice after all, and I deeply appreciate them for that. Not just that of course! This is also a great sign that many POCs have been given more trust in the movie industry. A good proof that they can now showcase their talents and skills, to up the competition in a significant way. Here's hoping this diverse nominations isn't just a one time only, and will continue to be a trend in the coming years.

As for my personal picks, aside from several categories (like Visual Effects, Best Song, etc), I haven't had a fixed personal prediction for the winners just yet. Why is that? Simply because I haven't seen many of the titles on the list. NO KIDDING! I mean, not just "La La Land", I haven't seen any on the Best Pictures ones! OUCH!!! Of course, I still have plenty of time to do so. At least until the ceremony takes place precisely next month (which is why I'm pushing this post to go up today LOL) on FEBRUARY 26, 2017 with Jimmy Kimmel as the host. Here's hoping I'll be able to catch up with them all, and post my fair predictions as soon as I can. It'll probably goes up just days before the ceremony though. Not unlike last year... ahahahaha.