#mervyn warren

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You Don't Know Nothin' (Live) by For Real

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The Making of Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration—A Close Listening ...

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Currently Watching

THREE ON A MATCH Mervyn LeRoy USA, 1932

[tcmparty]

@tcmparty live tweet schedule for the week beginning Monday, February 06, 2023. Look for us on Twitter…watch and tweet along…remember to add #TCMParty to your tweets so everyone can find them :) All times are Eastern.

Saturday, Feb. 11 at noon GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933) Three chorus girls fight to keep their show going and find rich husbands.

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Writer Interview Tag

Ok, it took me 8 days to get here, but I’m finally responding to this lovely tag from @lemonsrosesandlavender I adored reading yours, it was so interesting!

I've tagged a few people in this post later on and would love any of them to join in and have a go at this if they'd like to share their own answers :).

Answers under the cut, because this got long - I touch on some personal stuff a bit here, so CW for chronic pain discussion.

When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing nonsense since I was a kid, largely - I have old notebooks from when I was very young I still keep full of little characters and story snippets I used to write mostly to entertain myself on long car journeys  - I had one particularly ridiculous sci-fi story written as a series of diary entries across 4 notebooks I started when I was like … I wanna say 10? Boy.

I attempted my first actual novel at about 16. Tried it again at 21. Tried it again at 26. I’m sat, still, on my first draft of something I actually could do something with that I started 10 years ago. Me and writing have had a bit of a journey, largely due to some workplace related trauma - but coming back to it after all this time has been a lot like coming home, really. I think I’ve always been, as my mother would put it; ‘away with the fairies’.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

The honest answer is ‘probably not’. I rather enjoy non-fiction, but in terms of genres of fiction and themes within, I’d say I’m a very broad reader and outside of fic I’ve tried my hand at quite a lot of genres; I’ve dabbled in sci-fi and horror particularly, because that’s my happy zone.

Before joining the BG fandom my answer to this question would have been ‘Romance’, actually, because it was something I liked to read but didn’t necessarily feel brave enough to write; but truly, writing fic has pushed me right through my reticence to write romance of my own, and now it’s sort of all I write, I think!

Outside of that, I’m afraid I’m shamelessly drawn to the sorts of things I’d want to write.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I’ve not really been compared to anyone specifically; I’ve had a very flattering comparison of my themes in one particular story with Neil Gaiman - which is of course the kind of comparison anyone would be very happy to hear, but overall I’m not sure I’m prolific enough for that sort of thing ;).

I’m not sure who I’m trying to write like - if I’m trying to write like anyone - I like to think my prose style is reasonably my own but is almost inevitably really an amalgamation of all the people I’ve grown up reading and loving. 

Mostly, I’m a fan of the sort of magic realism/fantasy zone that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and a narrative voice that reflects that, and peppers it in around the characters own thoughts  - my bigger influences are probably in the Mervyn Peake, Warren Ellis, Pratchett, George Elliot, Peter S. Beagle sort of zone. 

To an extent, my interest in cinema and television is also a massive influence on how I write; I’ve spent most of my academic career working on breaking down scenes, the construction of frames - the threading of narratives on screen - and I don’t like to discount my favourite filmmakers and screenwriters as part of what I’m trying to achieve, too. 

Nothing should be in a scene without purpose - even if its superfluous presence is the purpose - and I keep that locked right to my heart. 

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I don’t have a dedicated space particularly - my phone at 3am, by the coffee machine between meetings, the dining room table at times, my desk at other times - scribbled in the back of a notebook on the bus.

I’m a deeply disorganised person, and my creative process is much like my life; full of piles of laundry done in fits of productivity, half stacked and waiting to be put in their proper places; invariably, waiting forever.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I have no good answer for this either - writing, for me, is rather like possession. When it has seized me I’ll readily throw down thousands of words in a flurry, and when it’s gone, it is gone. There’s little in between.

If I can’t find it - it’s usually time to steep myself, and let things sit and soak into the bones for a while. Throw on a bit of music and let it turn around in my head without trying to force it out - a tactic that for me, at least, never works - imagine some scenarios or conversations, until something or other takes root. 

Half the time it’s just about sitting in my character’s heads for a bit until I feel like I really know them, and could respond as them to questions and queries readily - this is something I’ve carried over from being a long time Dungeon Master - whose prep for sessions was about 15% maps and monster stats and 85% ‘stewing in my NPCs until there’s no question the players can ask I can’t answer in character’. 

There’s nothing quite like the mania and rush of when the muse takes control, and it’s always a bit of a sorry experience when you find yourself on the other side of it, wondering once again where it went. 

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

A few big ones - two that don’t surprise me, and one that does.

The first – coming to terms with what you were supposed to be, and what you are - the trajectory of my life hasn’t been particularly straightforward - I made a lot of decisions based on what I felt I owed to other people in my youth, my obligations to others, particularly family, steered my path towards disaster and the breakdown of my health, career, and life. I started over and found a new path. It’s not been easy. 

Over and over again I’m drawn to characters that have trajectories like this; who are coming to terms with what they thought they were supposed to be, the role they were supposed to have, and how they failed to meet those expectations - or in the case of some - how those expectations failed them. 

The second - pain, and finding the purpose within it. I have chronic pain of an unhelpful sort, acquired during the stuff I just mentioned - that can truly only be described as purposeless. In fact, I’ve had a clinician quite literally describe it as such (although the word they used was ‘pointless and unhelpful’).

I won’t pretend that’s been easy to live with, or that when I say ‘it is what it is’ whilst my body screams at me literally all seconds of all days and won't ever stop doing so forever, I’m just saying that because I can’t say anything else.

It’s not particularly surprising I ended up exploring this theme, inevitably. It’s probably why ‘Sufferer, I shall’, my Donnick x Abdirak fic, and that pairing that was so unexpected and clotheslined me out of nowhere, is the one that matters most to me. 

Finally, the theme that surprised me - is finding purpose and growth in love; for me, the heart of all the romances I write, big or small, is based on this foundation. If there’s no trajectory for individual growth, enhanced and augmented by a relationship with another - usually through the ways in which we can connect and more importantly gently contrast to push one another forward - I am not interested in the romance.

I’m painfully, painfully demisexual, so my romances need to be so dripping with Feelings it’s embarrassing. I didn’t know this about myself until I started writing it, but now I see it everywhere, and all of these three come together into a rather depressing sort of whole. I’ll sum up.

I’m constantly trying to build a happier tale than my own.

That one got sad, but it’s also the answer to this next question. 

What is your reason for writing?

See above. Writing gives me joy, but it also helps me to create a kinder, warmer world than the one I live in - even when I’m exploring its darker parts. 

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I love any comments, I truly do - they all fill me with joy - just to know someone has read something I’ve written.

I’d like to take a moment, though, to shout out to a few people in particular - because I think commenting is an art in and of itself, and instead of talking about what motivates me, I’d like to thank some people for motivating me.

When @benicemurphy found my Rolan x Geraldus fic ‘the Harper in the Tower’ I started getting some of the most insightful, most moving comments I’d ever received. The way in which you so perceptively saw every tiny hint, every theme and thread just absolutely floored me. Anyone who gets a comment from you should be honoured to do so.

This goes too for @cedar-phoenix, who I don’t think I have on tumblr (Cedar! found you!) - but who might be one of the most perceptive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. You have an absolute gift.

@graysparrowao3 left me some of the most punch in the face comments I’ve ever had on ‘Sufferer, I shall’. Watching your trajectory of reading the story and being greeted with ‘WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL’ truly, truly made my year. 

I love it when a commenter pulls out specific lines or moments that they enjoyed - especially because it’s never the ones I expect! @tavyliasin and @n1ghtmeri left me some of the most emotional comments on ‘Sufferer’ I’ve ever had the pleasure of receiving, and @darkurgetrash picking out specific lines of my Klaus x Kar’niss fic always gets me chomping at the bit to write more. It takes time and effort to leave the sorts of comments you do, and I want you all to know how deeply I appreciate it.

And of course, my dear @lizziemajestic - the only commenter who has left me a sobbing voice note. You have no idea how much that meant, and how much it has continued to mean, to me. 

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Honestly - I’m not really sure how to answer this. I hope it’s a warm cup of coffee; a bit of nourishment. I hope they can see how deeply I feel what I write, and that some of that comes through in the words they read - too.

I really care about all these silly little guys - and if reading it makes them smile, or cry, or really anything at all, that’s what I wanted, I think.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I’m terrible at talking about my own strengths so expect this to be a rubbish answer.

I like to think I’m good at character voices; I spend a lot of time thinking about and puzzling out how a character would speak and think - and as I predominantly, if not exclusively, write canon characters and NPCs, I hope I am able to capture their voices in a way that feels natural and organic. 

I never force a character to do anything - it doesn’t work, for starters - but I really do try to let them guide what’s happening and follow them where they lead. I hope that comes across in what I write and helps create something that feels in character and plausible, no matter what’s happening; I struggle at times with worrying this might mean things seem boring, or fail to meet expectations people might have of how things are going to go - but it’s a principle I stick to. If I’m changing something fundamentally about a character it feels wrong - and that’s a guiding principle I hold.

This extends to romances and relationships; I hope, at least, I build connections between characters that feel organic and earned, even when sometimes they are characters who literally have never interacted at all before. Finding the organic spark of connection is what I most enjoy writing. 

I hope I’m pretty good at environmental storytelling, too. It’s important to show character in the same way we show ourselves - in our environments, our habits and the spaces we occupy. Everything you do, the things you surround yourself with; that’s just as much you as the you in your skull. 

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

“Why write if not to fill the world with the kinds of things I want to read?”

I try to write mostly for myself. I’ve written a few things based on prompts and ideas for others, and do enjoy that - but first and foremost, I’m writing for my own sake.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Mostly good. Mostly. I’m not the best, nor do I want to be - I try not to engage too much with thinking about the wider space and how I’m comparing to others - I know I’m plundering down in some obscure mines at times, and that’s ok - that’s where I chose to be.

I’m not good at complimenting myself, but, I have managed to write some things I’m genuinely proud of as part of finding my way back to writing full stop. 

Overall though, I think I’m just happy to -be- writing. After so long being unable to do so because of the pain and being unable to use my arms, and feeling like writing was the thing that ruined me, finding a way back to some creative joy and reclaiming my pain as purposeful has been, genuinely, a lifeline.

I apologise that this got all deep and sad. I hope if you’ve read this, you know how grateful I am to you all; I’ve been so lucky to find this space, and all of you, and myself again too.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 10.15

Beer Birthdays

Doug Odell (1952)

Julie Nickels (1959)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Michel Foucault; philosopher, historian (1926)

Friedrich Nietzsche; German philosopher (1844)

Jim Palmer; Baltimore Orioles P (1945)

James Tissot; French artist (1836)

P.G. Wodehouse; English writer (1881)

Famous Birthdays

Italo Calvino; Italian writer (1923)

Richard Carpenter; pop singer (1946)

Chris De Burgh; rock singer (1948)

Sarah Ferguson; British royalty (1959)

John Kenneth Galbraith; economist (1908)

Samuel Adams Holyoke; composer (1762)

Lee Iacocca; businessman, Pinto-maker & apologist (1924)

Helen Hunt Jackson; writer (1830)

Tito Jackson; pop singer (1953)

Emerill Lagasse; chef (1959)

Linda Lavin; actor (1937)

Mervyn LeRoy; film director (1900)

Penny Marshall; actor, film director (1942)

Warren Miller; sports film director (1924)

Stacy Peralta; skateboarder, film director (1957)

Jean Peters; actor (1926)

Mario Puzo; writer (1921)

Tanya Roberts; actor (1955)

Arthur Schlesinger Jr.; historian (1917)

Bruno Senna; Braziliam race car driver (1983)

C.P. Snow; English writer, physicist (1905)

John L. Sullivan; boxer (1858)

Virgil; Roman writer (70 C.E.)

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42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon, 1933)

Cast: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Una Merkel, Ginger Rogers, George Brent, Ned Sparks. Screenplay: Rian James, James Seymour, based on a novel by Bradford Ropes. Cinematography: Sol Polito. Art direction: Jack Okey. Film editing: Thomas Pratt, Frank Ware. Songs: Al Dubin, Harry Warren. Costume design: Orry-Kelly. Choreography: Busby Berkeley.  42nd Street is only mildly naughty, bawdy, or sporty, as the lyrics of Al Dubin and Harry Warren's title song would have it, but once Busby Berkeley takes over to stage the three production numbers at the movie's end, it is certainly gaudy. What naughtiness and bawdiness it contains would not have been there at all once the Production Code went into effect a year or so later. It's doubtful that Ginger Rogers's character would have been called "Anytime Annie" once the censors clamped down, or that anyone would say of her, "She only said 'no' once and then she didn't hear the question." Or that it would be so clear that Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels) is the mistress of foofy old moneybags Abner Dillon (Guy Kibbee). Or that there would be so many crotch shots of the chorus girls, including the famous tracking shot between their legs in Busby Berkeley's "Young and Healthy" number. Although it's often remembered as a Busby Berkeley musical, it's mostly a Lloyd Bacon movie, and while Bacon is not a name to conjure with these days, he does a splendid job of keeping the non-musical part of the film moving along satisfactorily. It helps that he has a strong lead in Warner Baxter as the tough, self-destructive stage director Julian Marsh, balanced by such skillful wisecrackers as Rogers, Una Merkel, and Ned Sparks. But it's a blessing that this archetypal backstage musical became a prime showcase for Berkeley's talents. Dick Powell's sappy tenor has long been out of fashion, and Ruby Keeler keeps anxiously glancing at her feet while she's dancing, but Berkeley's sleight-of-hand keeps our attention away from their faults. Nor does anyone really care that his famous overhead shots that turn dancers into kaleidoscope patterns would not be visible to an audience in a real theater. In the "42nd Street" number, Berkeley also introduces his characteristic dark side: Amid all the song and dance celebrating the street, we witness a near-rape and a murder. It's a dramatic twist that Berkeley would repeat with even greater effect in his masterpiece, the "Lullaby of Broadway" number from Gold Diggers of 1935. Berkeley's serious side, along with the somewhat downbeat ending showing an exhausted Julian Marsh, alone and ignored amid the hoopla, help remind us that the studio that made 42nd Street, Warner Bros., was also known for social problem movies like I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932) and the gangster classics of James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson.

[whitneyfanclublog]

Whitney Houston ft Mervyn Warren of Take 6 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Arista Records 2003) https://youtu.be/tsyqZpNW_Ko?si=CncTVh4RQlDBZttH

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Plan On Forever - Dana Glover & Mervyn Warren

How could I plan on forever? When I never planned on you Someone to fall for To love for all eternity Baby let's plan on forever And watch all our dreams come true You're what I live for Who I can give for ever to My destiny is you

[docrotten]

CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR (1968, THE CRIMSON CULT) – Episode 178 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“You both know the rules. No painting below the belt.” Is this a half-bodypainting party? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt and Jeff Mohr along with guest hosts Michael Zatz and Joseph Perry – as they discuss the horror icon-studded Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) from Tigon.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 178 – Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

When his brother Peter disappears, Robert Manning visits the remote country house from where his brother was last heard. While his host seems outwardly friendly and his niece more demonstrably so, Manning detects a feeling of menace in the air with the legend of Lavinia Morley, the Black Witch of Greymarsh, hanging over everything.

  Directed by: Vernon Sewell

Writing Credits: Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln (screenplay); Jerry Sohl (story); Louis M. Heyward & Gerry Levy (uncredited); H.P. Lovecraft (story “The Dreams in the Witch House”) (uncredited)

Selected Cast:

Boris Karloff as Professor John Marsh

Christopher Lee as Morley

Mark Eden as Robert Manning

Barbara Steele as Lavinia Morley

Michael Gough as Elder

Virginia Wetherell as Eve Morley

Rosemarie Reede as Esther

Rupert Davies as The Vicarr

Derek Tansley as Judge

Michael Warren as Chauffeur

Ron Pember as Petrol Attendant

Denys Peek as Peter Manning

Nicholas Head as Blacksmith

Nita Lorraine as Woman with whip

Lita Scott as Girl with Cockerel

Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, and Barbara freakin’ Steele all in one groovy pic?! Sign us up! Join Jeff and Chad with returning co-host Joseph Perry and guest host Mikey Z for Curse of the Crimson Altar, aka The Crimson Cult. While horror fans and monster kids may enjoy seeing these great horror stars together, Christopher Lee, unfortunately, regarded the film as one of the worst in his entire career. Ouch. Say it isn’t so. Regardless, the Grue-Crew revisits this film, discussing the uncut UK version versus the US AIP cut version, the actors and crew… and – did we mention – Barbara Steele.

At the time of this writing, The Curse of the Crimson Altar is available to stream from the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Wicked Horror TV, Tubi, and several PPV options.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Jeff, is Bluebeard (1944), a poverty row picture directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring John Carradine in what might be his best role.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[hollywoodcomet]

Musical Monday: Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week’s musical: Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) – Musical #146 Studio: Warner Bros. Director: Busby Berkeley and Mervyn Leroy Starring: Warren…

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"Comfort Ye My People" (1992) Daryl Coley & Vanessa Bell Armstrong

This 1992 recording still holds up well. I always thought that this work was a response to Young Messiah. That release was a reworking of Handel's Messiah. It featured only white Christian artists. The Mervyn Warren helmed production takes this classic piece of work and refracts it through the prism of black musical expression. Some of the work has been farmed out to artists like Fred Hammond, Richard Smallwood, George Duke Russell Ferrante, and Sounds of Blackness

On this cut Daryl Cooley and Vanessa Bell Armstrong still sound amazing!

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Watch "Dana Glover & Mervyn Warren - Plan On Forever 2001 The Wedding Planner - Jennifer Lopez (v1)" on YouTube

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Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) Mervyn LeRoy & Busby Berkeley

September 12th 1933