#michael albano

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Protected Under "Diplomatic Immunity"

"Adult Son of Israeli Diplomat Who Ran Over Florida Police Officer Gets No Jail Time, Moves to Israel"

Avraham Gil, 19, hit a police lieutenant who was conducting a traffic stop in January, and his lawyer claimed that he was protected under “diplomatic immunity.”

How many crimes has Sparry committed in the US?

Elites Getting Away With Murder:

[hellosammy19]

AARON TURNED 40!!

[dropyourammo]

On a mission to meet as many Newsies as possible... so far:

Included a picture of Nico from & Juliet because I met him, but didn't get a picture due to covid restrictions 🤷‍♀️

[milliondollarbaby87]

Genius (2016) Review

Max Perkins was a book editor at Scibner and he oversaw some incredible authors with Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but this focuses on him being the first to truly believe in Thomas Wolfe and the relationship they would have until his early death. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Untitled

[ultrameganicolaokay]

The House of Secrets #99 ‘Beyond His Imagination’, ‘Beat the Devil’ and ‘Goodbye, Nancy’ (1972) by Bill Meredith, Nestor Redondo, Jack Oleck, Jack Katz, John Albano, Frank Redondo and others. Edited by Joe Orlando. Cover by Mike Kaluta.

House of Secrets hand painted original cover art by Mike Kaluta

[metallicmikus]

Finch Cortez

Aaron Albano - Paper Mill & Broadway, 2011-2014

Julian DeGuzman - National Tour, 2014 - 2016

Iain Young - National Tour & Newsies Live, 2014 - 2017

Damon Gould - Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, 2022 - 2023

Michael Kelly - Grosse Pointe Theatre, May 2024

Cameron Sirian - Theatre Under The Stars, May 2024

[therobotmonster]

A Baffling Tribute to 80s Music Video Weirdness

The music video was more than just a great way to advertise your band, it was a way to do something weird as hell that would stick in your audience's mind and give a director or team of animators a chance to really stretch their legs.

Yeah, we'll be hitting some classics you knew, but hey, here's that song from Ferris Beuller's Day Off and about a dozen other movies, TV shows, and food commercials.

Turns out the song is about the beauty of nature, and "Yello" isn't even a reference to the color, but is rather "A Yelled Hello". This is, from what I've gathered, pretty standard for a Swiss Electronic Music group.

Untapped potential for the indie horror genre in Herbie Hancock's "Rock it" with whole new fields of strange animatronics.

Strange abstract costumed characters interacting in a song that makes a lot more sense with the original uncensored lyric "when I was a very small boy, very small boys talked to me, now that we've grown up together, they're all taking drugs with me."

TMBG would be a huge selection of weird music videos if I let them, so we'll focus just on Istanbul (Not Constantinople). TMBG had a policy of the videos never really having anything to do with the song lyrics, and every one is a weird surprise because of it.

You are commanded to enjoy.

The Talking Heads also had a lot of weird videos, and while everyone would expect Burning Down the House, I like Road to Nowhere better. Enjoy.

I saw this on an AlTV special, and could never find it because there's a lot of songs with this name, and Hilly Michaels isn't well known.

It's a sort of colored pencil rotoscoped animation thing and it's just perfect.

Oh hey guys, is this really necessary, can't we leave the deli tray out and split out of here?

TOO LATE! I'm posting Gor-Gor by GWAR. If I had to have my mind blown at 2am on Headbanger's ball at a sleepover at my cousin's place, you can have yours blown on the tumblr.dot.com in the year of your lord 2024.

Is Devo cheating? I feel like it might be.

Cyndi Lauper made great videos, but for absolute mind bending oddness, the Goonies tie-in video "Goonies R Good Enough" qualifies on the basis of the 2:15 minute mini-movie featuring Cyndi Lauper, her real life dad Captain Lou Albano, and a host of (at the time) WWF wrestlers that frames the video with Rick Flair trying to foreclose on the family gas station.

The music video ends on a cliffhanger. To this day no one knows how Cyndi got out of that mess. Someone rescued her. Moe, lets say.

I believe this is the Avant-Garde, and it does apear they never give up.

Curses, the ten video limit is hit! I may return soon!

[balu8]

Adventure Comic #435: The Man Who Stalked the Spectre

by Michael Fleisher/Russell Carley; Jim Aparo; John Albano (?) (source comics.org)

DC

[inspofromancientworld]

Legendary Creatures: Angels and Demons

By This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60913896

Angels and demons are creatures that are subservient to monotheistic gods and likely came the spirits and daemons (evil spirits) assigned to various natural phenomena by polytheistic and animistic belief systems becoming subservient to the deity that became supreme.

By Sculptor Albano; photo by Billy Hathorn - Salvatore Albano in Brooklyn Museum, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18344231

Demons go farther back, possibly to the Paleolithic, being manifestations of fear of the unknown or strange or horrific. They were malevolent and may cause anything from ill luck to illness to untimely death. In monotheistic religions, they became subservient to the supreme evil, the subservient antagonist to the supreme god, moving from Zoroastrianism to Judaism to Christianity and Islam.

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions still practiced, and thus one of the oldest religions that has angels (holy deities called 𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬱𐬀⸱𐬯𐬞𐬆𐬧𐬙𐬀 Aməša Spəṇta) that are emanations of the Wise Lord (𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁 Ahura Mazdā, God), as well as demons (𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 daēuua, 'gods that are (to be) rejected') that promote chaos and disorder.

By Unknown Calligrapher - Library of Congress, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4173727

Daēuua is linguistically interesting as it is related to the Proto-Indo-European word that became 'deus' (god) in Latin and 'Zeus' in Greek and 'deva' (divine being) in Hinduism. In the Gathas, the oldest writings of Zoroastrianism, daēuas aren't yet the malevolent spirits they'd become later, though they are mentioned as a group of 'quite genuine gods, who had, however, been rejected' because they can't distinguish between truth and lies. By the writing of the Younger Avesta (about the 3rd century CE), the daēuas are hostile and texts are given to protect against them.

By mehdi hosseini, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54176133

Yazata (𐬫𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀) means 'worthy of worship or veneration', which can be applied to many things, including healing plants, and Ahura Mazdā (who is 'the greatest of the yazatas'). In the Gathas, it's also applied to the 'divine sparks' that become the Aməša Spəṇta who were what the daēuas were not. By around the early 4th century BCE, every day of the month was under the protection of a yazata, which also established a hierarchy amongst them.

In Judaism, angels (מַלְאָךְ‎ mal’āḵ 'messenger') are traditionally beings that stand by God but are distinct and subordinate. Tradition also places them below humans because they are only able to carry out God's commands and lack a will of their own. A prophet or priest could also be called a mal’āḵ. But, referring to supernatural entities, they are part of the heavenly court, moving from being part of God to being distinct from God. They're tasked with delivering messages for God. Satan is part of the heavenly court as well as a mal’āḵ. By the time the book of Daniel was written, angels even have names, Gabriel and Michael being mentioned in that book.

There are two types of demons in the Hebrew Bible, shedim (שֵׁדִים), which occurs twice, and se'irim (שע‬י‬רי‬‬ם‬), which occurs once. Se'irim refers to male goats and is used in Leviticus 17:7 and probably refers to Assyrian demons that happened to be goat shaped. Shedim, used in Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalms 106:37, refer to foreign gods which are evil for not being the Jewish God. Diseases, especially those that affect the brain, were ascribed to demons and the cure was thought to be the removal of demons.

By Unknown author - http://www.vvv.ru/forum_gallery/original_view.php?id=8570&tid=1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7768239

Early Christianity took the idea of angels as messengers from the Jewish tradition, adding that they ministered (served) to people as dictated by God. They added Uriel and Raphael to Gabriel and Michael of the Jewish scriptures. Their existence is taken for granted as is that of demons and their opposition to each other. It also accepted that angels could interact on the physical plane with humans, advising kindness to strangers 'for thereby some have entertained angels unawares' (Hebrews 13:2).

By Attributed to Michelangelo - 9QG4jcK04QjMfw at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23608743

While there were evil spirits sent by God, they aren't considered demons because they serve God rather than opposing God. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) the 'gods of other nations' became 'daimones' (minor deities) and carried negative connotations. Because of this translation and association, the duality of angels on God's side and demons being non-Christian deities as well as being tempters and causing pain and suffering. Of the 55 times demons appear in the New Testament, 46 of those refer to possession or exorcism.

By anonymous - Transferred from ru.wikipedia to Commons by Shakko using CommonsHelper. + [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7794115

In Islam, angels (ملاك Malāk) are foundational and are exclusively heavenly spirits, not humans messengers. They are able to reason and can be tested by God by adornments. They're not specifically named as revealing the Quran, but tradition holds that Gabriel did so. They are also capable of carrying out negative tasks, like guarding and punishing sinners in hell.

By Multiple/Unknown - Oxford Digital Library, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3727081

Demons in Islam take two basic forms, jinn (جِنّ‎, sometimes djinn), which come from pre-Islamic Arabian belief systems. They're accountable for their actions and can believe or disbelieve God's guidance. Though they usually are invisible, they can show themselves and change their shape at will. They can also be injured and take revenge by possessing the person that harmed them, requiring an exorcism. They rarely meddle with human affairs. The other form, shayāṭīn (شَيَاطِين, singular shayṭān شَيْطَان) or devils, are related to Jewish and Christian versions of demons and are specifically malevolent, opposing believers and leading them astray. They are still under the command of God since God commands both good and evil despite being reluctant about it, and can only act when God orders them to do so.

[spinningerster]

fellow fansies - I have complied a (hopefully) comprehensive list of cast members for anyone new to the fandom or for those who may like a refresher on the casts. I've not included every single character, just the main ones, so if you'd like a character adding just ask; also if you notice any cast members are missing or have been labelled incorrectly in any way, please let me know, I want this list to be as accurate as possible. characters with a dash (-) for any of the categories I wasn't sure if they were included in that production or not. if you're able to fill in any of the blanks that would be much appreciated. any questions, please let me know <3

Jack

1992; Christian Bale

Workshop; Jay Armstrong Johnson

Paper Mill; Jeremy Jordan

Broadway; Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott, Mike Faist (u/s)

Tour; Dan DeLuca, Joey Barreiro

Proshot; Jeremy Jordan

UK; Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, George Crawford (u/s), Matt Trevorrow (u/s)

Pulitzer

1992; Robert Duvall

Workshop; Shuler Hensley

Paper Mill; John Dossett

Broadway; John Dossett, Rob Raines, John E. Brady (u/s)

Tour; Steve Blanchard

Proshot; Steve Blanchard

UK; Cameron Blakely, Ross Dawes (u/s), George Crawford (u/s)

Katherine

1992; N/A

Workshop; Meghann Fahy

Paper Mill; Kara Lindsay

Broadway; Kara Lindsay

Tour; Stephanie Styles, Morgan Keene

Proshot; Kara Lindsay

UK; Bronté Barbé, Bobbie Chambers (u/s)

Davey

1992; David Moscow

Workshop; Jason Michael Snow

Paper Mill; Ben Fankhauser

Broadway; Ben Fankhauser, Ryan Breslin (u/s), Garrett Hawe (u/s)

Tour; Jacob Kemp, Stephen Michael Langton

Proshot; Ben Fankhauser

UK; Ryan Kopel, Alex James-Hatton (u/s)

Medda

1992; Ann-Margret

Workshop; Liz Larsen

Paper Mill; Helen Anker

Broadway; Capathia Jenkins, Caitlyn Caughell (u/s), Julie Foldesi (u/s)

Tour; Angela Grovey

Proshot; Aisha de Haas

UK; Moya Angela, Kamilla Fernandes (u/s)

Crutchie

1992; Marty Belafsky

Workshop; Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Paper Mill; Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Broadway; Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Richardson, Garrett Hawe (u/s)

Tour; Zachary Sayle

Proshot; Andrew Keenan-Bolger

UK; Matthew Duckett, Alex James-Hatton (u/s)

Les

1992; Luke Edwards

Workshop; Matthew Gumley

Paper Mill; R.J Fattori, Vincent Agnello

Broadway; Lewis Grosso, Matthew Schechter

Tour; Vincent Crocilla, Anthony Rosenthal, Ethan Steiner (alternate), Jonathan Fenton (alternate)

Proshot; Ethan Steiner

UK; Nesim Annan, Haydn Court, Oliver Gordon, Ethan Sokontwe

Race

1992; Max Casella

Workshop; Robert Hager

Paper Mill; Ryan Breslin

Broadway; Ryan Breslin

Tour; Ben Cook

Proshot; Ben Cook

UK; Josh Barnett

Albert

1992; N/A

Workshop; Jordan Nichols

Paper Mill; Garrett Hawe

Broadway; Garrett Hawe

Tour; Sky Flaherty

Proshot; Sky Flaherty

UK; Jacob Fisher

Specs

1992; Mark David

Workshop; Jordan Samuels

Paper Mill; Ryan Steele

Broadway; Ryan Steele

Tour; Jordan Samuels

Proshot; Jordan Samuels

UK; Samuel Bailey

Henry

1992; N/A

Workshop; N/A

Paper Mill; Kyle Coffman

Broadway; Kyle Coffman

Tour; DeMarius Copes

Proshot; Michael Rios

UK; Matt Trevorrow

Finch

1992; N/A

Workshop; Bobby List

Paper Mill; Aaron J. Albano

Broadway; Julian DeGuzman

Tour; Julian DeGuzman

Proshot; Iain Young

UK; Damon Gould, Zack Guest (swing)

Romeo

1992; N/A

Workshop; N/A

Paper Mill; Andy Richardson

Broadway; Andy Richardson

Tour; Nico DeJesus

Proshot; Nico DeJesus

UK; George Michaelides, Jordan Isaac (swing)

Spot

1992; Gabriel Damon

Workshop; John Arthur Greene

Paper Mill; Tommy Bracco

Broadway; Tommy Bracco

Tour; Jeff Heimbrock, Anthony Zas

Proshot; Tommy Bracco

UK; Clarice Julianda

JoJo

1992; N/A

Workshop; -

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; Thayne Jasperson

Tour; Josh Burrage

Proshot; Josh Burrage

UK; Mukeni Nel

Tommy Boy

1992; N/A

Workshop; -

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; -

Tour; -

Proshot; Michael Dameski

UK; Jack Bromage

Mike

1992; N/A

Workshop; N/A

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; -

Tour; -

Proshot; Jacob Guzman

UK; Mark Samaras

Ike

1992; N/A

Workshop; N/A

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; -

Tour; -

Proshot; David Guzman

UK; Arcangelo Ciulla

Mush

1992; Aaron Lohr

Workshop; -

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; Ephraim Sykes

Tour; Jack Sippel

Proshot; Nick Masson

UK; Joshua Denyer

Elmer

1992; N/A

Workshop; -

Paper Mill; -

Broadway; Evan Kazprak

Tour; Anthony Zas

Proshot; Anthony Zas

UK; Joshua Nkemdilim, Bradley Trevethan (swing), Rory Shafford (swing)

Wiesel/Jacobi/Mayor

1992; Michael Lerner (Weisel)

Workshop; Robert Creighton (Weisel), Tom Alan Robbins (Jacobi)

Paper Mill; John E. Brady

Broadway; Michael Gorman

Tour; Michael Gorman

Proshot; John E. Brady (Wiesel & Jacobi), Michael Gorman (Mayor)

UK; Jamie Golding (Wiesel), Alex James-Hatton (Wiesel u/s)

Morris

1992; David Sheinkopf

Workshop; Corey March

Paper Mill; Mike Faist

Broadway; Mike Faist

Tour; Michael Ryan

Proshot; Devin Lewis

UK; George Crawford, Zack Guest (swing), Jordan Isaac (swing), Bradley Trevethan (swing)

Oscar

1992; Shon Greenblatt

Workshop; Ben Thompson

Paper Mill; Brendon Stimson

Broadway; Brendon Stimson

Tour; Jon Hacker

Proshot; Anthony Norman

UK; Alex James-Hatton, Zack Guest (swing), Jordan Isaac (swing), Bradley Trevethan (swing)

Seitz

1992; Charles Cioffi

Workshop; Bill Nolte

Paper Mill; Mark Aldrich

Broadway; Mark Aldrich

Tour; Mark Aldrich

Proshot; Mark Aldrich

UK; N/A

Bunsen

1992; N/A

Workshop; Mark Price

Paper Mill; Nick Sullivan

Broadway; Nick Sullivan

Tour; Bill Bateman

Proshot; Bill Bateman

UK; Siõn Lloyd, George Crawford (u/s)

Hannah

1992; N/A

Workshop; N/A

Paper Mill; Laurie Veldheer

Broadway; Laurie Veldheer

Tour; Meredith Inglesby

Proshot; Meredith Ingleby

UK; Bobbie Chambers, Lindsay Atherton (u/s)

Snyder

1992; Kevin Tighe

Workshop; Marcus Neville

Paper Mill; Stuart Marland

Broadway; Stuart Marland

Tour; James Judy

Proshot; James Judy

UK; Ross Dawes, Alex James-Hatton (u/s), George Crawford (u/s)

Nunzio/Teddy Roosevelt

1992; N/A

Workshop; Tom Alan Robbins

Paper Mill; Kevin Carolan

Broadway; Kevin Carolan

Tour; Kevin Carolan

Proshot; Kevin Carolan

UK; Barry Keenan, George Crawford (u/s)

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

@anonnnnnn @missmannersposts

Campaign: Biden at the top of the the Dems 2024 ticket hinders their ability to get away w/cheating. If Joe weren't ill, I'd prefer that he remain their nominee.

The Golden Rule-Treat Others the Way YOU want to be treated: Biden's brain is broken & although he's an evil man, he deserves medical attention. Joe needs to live in a 24/7 Memory Care facility, not in the WH Residence as POTUS.

25th Amendment: We embolden bad people to do very bad things inside and outside the USA while Biden is an acting POTUS. His mental decline is a threat to our national security.

Kamala the CA dirty cop only received 1% of the Dems vote when she campaigned for POTUS. How pathetic. Her staff complained that working on Kamala's campaign was a nightmare and they had never been a part of such a badly managed campaign. Her WH staff is a revolving door, much like The Meghans. She lost DOZENS of staffers in 4 years, DOZENS!!!

Biden is unfit so despite Kamala's problems, she must step up. She'll pardon Hunter, Joe, Frank and every corrupt Biden.

In the end, God will have the last word about all the bloody misdeeds of the Biden family. Most notably, literal bloodshed¹:

1-Neilia Biden's "Suicide"

In 1972, Joe Biden defamed Mr Carlos Dunn, the hero who barely escaped with his own life when Neilia Biden recklessly rammed her vehicle into his tractor trailer. Mr Dunn selflessly flipped over his vehicle and heroically saved the lives of the 2 Biden boys.

Joe Biden instructed his "friend" to destroy the accident paperwork and proceeded to reframe what was a suicide mission into years of sympathy votes from his Delaware constituency. Joe's campaign lie became a stump speech about the drunk driver who killed his wife and child.

The innocent Dunn family took legal action against Joe Biden to clear Carlos Dunn's good name.

2-Michael Albano's murder

Frank Biden (1 of Joe's corrupt brothers) murdered single father Michael Albano in a 1999 hit and run crash that orphaned 2 little girls. Joe used his political power to cover up the accident for his brother until his 3rd campaign for POTUS. In 2020, The Daily Mail filmed Frank Biden driving a Range Rover and living a luxurious life behind the gates of a FL residential community.

The Albano girls grew up in poverty but after 20 years of written correspondence between Senator & VP Biden, who repeatedly lied on behalf of his brother, the girls received their long overdue settlement.

¹"police in 1972 had determined that the late Mrs. Biden was at fault for the accident and that Dunn had overturned his tractor-trailer in order to avoid hitting her car. Dunn, who died in the late 1990s was also the first person to render first aid to Neilia Biden and Joe Biden’s three children."

Biden Expected to Withdraw

"Multiples sources outline the apparent state of play on Biden at this time: * plans to announce withdrawal from nomination as early as this weekend, with Sunday most likely * Jon Meacham polishing up remarks * Biden with NOT resign the presidency * Biden will NOT endorse Harris * open convention with Harris and about 3 others * super delegates will not be allowed to vote on 1st ballot * Harris is vetting at least four possible running mates, including Andy Beshear and possibly Shapiro"

[x-heesy]

Deepdarkanddangerous ✅ 🇮🇹

I don't sing with autotune

Better I'm with the crew in a blue car

You're shit on live, good on Youtube

They make me Oh, they make you Boo

They say rap is dead

In fact, starting this year they're all doing trap

A bit like those days when I dress like an idiot like Johnny Depp

I'm getting ready for the big gala

I enter with the casquet like Carrà

This club looks like the Maracana

Petrifying cachet like Jerry Calà

'This girl wants me in chains

I have a hole in my heart a crater deep

Milan to drink, I let myself fall

Do you want to make me happy? Can you give it to me to drink?

It's so bad, anyone who talks too much here has a snowball's chance

Call the doctor and receive

Talk about the money he lends to the money he drinks

To the money he owes

Tonight I won't dance

No, I won't dance

You take me as badly as Ballarò

No, I won't dance

Sorry but not today

Have you seen what this shit does to me?

Tonight I won't dance

No, I won't dance

I'm sorry but the party's over

The party's over, the party's over

I do numbers, you count slowly

I'm the guy who breaks your plan

Or did you think I was Montalbano?

Instead Albano died; joke

Have a laugh, now that you're older you're already vaginal

During the day you seemed ill to me

I find you more beautiful but at the end of the evening

I see as Captain Harlock

I smoke, if I get the chance I'll talk

Good morning, I'm already polite

Do you pray to San Gennaro? I am Japanese!

I've loved being away from you and being alone all my life

That's why when the sun comes down

I wear glasses myself at night

And I know I should take a Drake walk

Instead you call me Mandrake

Because I'm a magician and I'll send you on holiday to the lake if I get the verses in one take

Let's go to the beach, like the Righeiras

The music takes off already on the first evening

It consumes me under the sheets in spring

This mask doesn't hide me, it reveals me

I don't dance like Michael, Lebon Simon

Love Is In The Air holding the Baygon

Psycho, a hermit's life

My head hurts, sorry but the party's over

Tonight I won't dance

No, I won't dance

You take me as badly as Ballarò

No, I won't dance

Sorry but not today

Have you seen what this shit does to me?

Tonight I won't dance

No, I won't dance

I'm sorry but the party's over

The party's over, the party's over

L̷a̷ ̷f̷e̷s̷t̷a̷ ̷è̷ ̷f̷i̷n̷i̷t̷a̷ ̷b̷y̷ ̷S̷a̷l̷m̷o̷ ̷v5

@ombrabrontok @bigbonzo @seanisnothing 😘

[wrestlingfaves]

Royal Rumble Marathon: 1995

Time for the 1995 Royal Rumble.

Spoilers for past Rumbles.

We open with the arrival of Pamela Anderson and the wrestlers acting like horndogs.

The undercard:

Razor Ramon vs Jeff Jarrett (accompanied by the Roadie (Road Dog) for the Intercontinental title. Jarrett wins by count out but demands the match be continued. Jarret wins the continued match and becomes the new Intercontinental title.

IRS (Mike Rotunda, accompanied by Ted DiBase) vs the Undertaker (accompanied by Paul Bearer. Taker wins but is attacked by two “druids” and King Kong Bundy after the match. IRS kidnaps the urn and runs off.

Bret Hart vs Diesel for the WWF championship. Lawrence Taylor is at ringside. Shawn Michaels enters the ring and attacks Diesel, but the ref doesn’t call for a disqualification and orders the match to continue. Shortly afterwards, Owen interferes, and the ref again orders the match to continue. A ref bump has allowed Shawn, Owen Bob Backlund, Jeff Jarrett, and the Roadie to return to the ring and attack both participants. The ref declares the match a draw. Sure. This match was almost as overbooked as the Yoko-Taker match from last year. Did Vince not trust Diesel to last in a longish match so he threw multiple wrestlers in it to extend the match? Bret and Diesel hug and shake hands after the match.

Todd perves on a changing Pamela Anderson. Remember, we are only two years away from the Attitude era. Jerry also perves on Pamela.

Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka (accompanied by Ted DiBase) vs Bob “Spark Plug” Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) in the finals of the Tag Team championship tournament. Bam Bam continues his streak of uninspiring Rumble matches. Bigelow gets into with Laurence Taylor at ringside, setting up their Wrestlemania match.

Highlights from the 1994 Rumble match, with emphasis on Diesel’s elimination streak. We go to Shawn for comments, and he notes the cameraman missing him eliminating Diesel from the ’94 Rumble.

Pamela is introduced as the guest hostess of the Rumble. Jerry continues to perv on Pamela which is forewarning of the non-stop “puppies” commentary we will have to endure for years.

The entrants, in order of appearance:

Shawn Michaels

Davey Boy Smith

Eli Blu, ½ of the Blu Brothers

Duke “the Dumpster” Drose

Jimmy Del Rey ½ of the Heavenly Bodies

Sione (the Barbarian) of the Headshrinkers, accompanied by Captain Lou Albano

Dr. Tom Prichard, ½ of the Heavenly Bodies

Doink (accompanied by Dink)

Kwang

Rick “the Model” Martel

Owen Hart (Bret attacks Owen on his way to the ring – payback’s a bitch, Owen)

Timothy Well

Bushwhacker Luke

Jacob Blu, ½ of the Blu Brothers

King Kong Bundy

Mo, ½ of Men On A Mission

Mable of Men On A Mission

Bushwhacker Butch

Lex Luger

Mantaur

Aldo Montoya (Justin Credible)

Henry Godwin

Billy Gunn

Bart Gunn

Bob Backlund (Bret Hart returns to beat up Backlund at ringside)

Steven Dunn (accompanied by Harvey Wippleman)

Dick Murdoch

Adam Bomb

Fatu of the Headshrinkers

Crush

Nothing was announced about a shortened time between entrants, but I feel that has to be the case as the wrestlers are coming in at a very fast pace.

Winner: Shawn Michaels

Quickest elimination: Mo

Big Man Face Off: Mable vs King Kong Bundy

First-time Rumblers: Eli Blu, Duke “the Dumpster” Drose, Jimmy Del Rey, Dr. Tom Prichard, Timothy Well, Jacob Blu, King Kong Bundy, Mantaur, Aldo Montoya, Henry Godwin, Billy Gunn, Bart Gunn, Steven Dunn, Dick Murdoch

A better Rumble than the previous year. Bret saved the undercard and Shawn and Davey made the Rumble. I’m already over pervy Lawler commentary and we haven’t even started the Attitude Era yet!

Wrestlers and other who have passed on: Mabel (Visera), Captain Lou Albano, Razor Ramon, Paul Bearer, Pat Patterson, Owen Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, Howard Finkel, Davey Boy Smith, Jimmy Del Rey, Bushwhacker Luke, Timothy Well, Mantaur, Crush, Steven Dunn

Total number of deceased individuals: 15 (down 2 from the previous Rumble)

[cityoftheangelllls]

Soooooo the Mario movie was awesome! Definitely the best movie-going experience I've had since Spiderman No Way Home! Illumination really outdid themselves and I think that this has to be the best movie they've done, even more so than the first two Despicable Me movies and Sing! And I can tell they and Nintendo put so much effort into this and making it a giant fan to Mario fans everywhere, from the kids to those who have been there from the beginning. It wasn't perfect (I mean, what movie is, and is there really such a thing as perfection?) but it was still a lot of fun!!!!

Below is what I loved about the movie and what I felt could have been better! Just a heads-up, there ARE spoilers. Even though it has pretty much the typical storyline of most Mario games and is therefore somewhat predictable, I don't want those who haven't seen it yet to miss out on being blown away as I was about it.

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The Ups:

MARIO. HE IS THE BIGGEST SWEETHEART. HE LOVES HIS BROTHER SO SO MUCH. HE WOULD FETCH A STAR FROM SPACE FOR HIS BROTHER IF HE COULD. I WOULD DIE FOR HIM AND THE LOVE HE HAS FOR HIS BABY BRO. And from the beginning, he's so determined and motivated and never gives up! And it's his brother that motivates him to do most of what he does! I also liked the little details they added to his character that we never got to see before, such as the fact that he initially hates mushrooms.

Peach was amazing! At first I thought that they girlbossed her a bit too much to the point where she was a carbon copy of Daisy, but now I see her as a kind, maternal, and feminine young woman who fights when she needs to and is just doing her job protecting her kingdom. I hate how people are bashing her characterization here, like, have they forgotten how she was in the DIC cartoons, the 1986 anime, and SUPER PRINCESS PEACH? I also like her backstory and she's so cute as a baby! Also, since I HC that she and Daisy are super close, maybe she learned a thing or two from her!

Toad was so silly and chaotic, and he stole every scene he was in!

Luigi was precious and Charlie Day was perfect for his voice, as I predicted! I can tell that he was totally channeling Tony Rosato at times. I loved so many of his moments on screen, especially when he protects his brother during the final battle!

Jack Black KILLED IT as Bowser! He made him a villain who's hilarious but intimidating and ferocious at the same time and not many people can pull that off effectively!

Donkey Kong was a bit annoying and Illumination-y but they did a good job with him here. Also HE DID THE SETH ROGEN LAUGH TWICE FACK YES

The voice cast in general was fantastic! Charlie Day, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Jack Black were literal perfection in particular, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong was lit, and Keegan Michael Key was great for Toad, as I predicted! He's a very versatile comedian and voice actor, after all! Also, Chris Pratt's Mario has grown on me in a good way. Although I vastly prefer Charles Martinet, as well as Lou Albano (who has my favorite Mario voice ever), Chris really didn't do that bad of a job! He DID TOO put effort into voicing him, and his "Wahoo!"s and cries of delight and triumph were on point! The only voice that I still feel like I have to get used to is Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach. She's a talented actress but I don't think she entirely suited Peach's soft, feminine, and maternal nature, but that's just me.

Mario and Luigi's parents are so precious! In fact, their whole family is so cute and hilarious! They remind me of my own proudly Italian (mostly) family. And Charles Martinet voicing their dad was the icing on the cake! I'm just so glad we finally got to see their family in general.

I also like how the boys' situation of still living with their parents, (presumably) not pursuing college and working blue-collar jobs while in their 20s-30s wasn't portrayed in a negative way. It's a great way of telling audiences that it's okay if you haven't gone off on your own yet in adulthood or attended college, that life isn't a sequence of steps that everyone has to follow exactly and at the same time, and that patience, hard work, and a positive attitude will lead you to great opportunities in life when you least expect them, like with what happened to the bros.

THE BROS' REUNION HUG OH MY GOD!!!!!! THE FOREHEAD TOUCH AND MARIO LIFTING LUIGI OFF THE GROUND DURING THEIR SECOND EMBRACE, I ALMOST CHOKED ON MY ICEE AND BECAME A SOBBING MESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THEATER MY GOD

And then them teaming up together to defeat Bowser and his forces, AS IT SHOULD BE.

I mean seriously this movie was a slap to the face of everyone who thought Mario hates his brother

Mario and Luigi getting their own little house in the Mushroom Kingdom! AND COFFEE CUPS THAT MATCH THEIR HATS!!!!

Mario and Peach's relationship thus far! I love how close they are by the end of the movie, even though they haven't developed a romance yet, and how Mario was telling her all about Brooklyn and how he'll get her a pet turtle once he gets to take her there. D'awwwwwww.

Peach completing the trainer course ALL WHILE WEARING A FULL LENGTH BALL GOWN AND HEELS. AND her admitting that she didn't master doing it until she had tried multiple, multiple times was such a great addition to character, proof that while she may be more of a girlboss here she still has more character development than Rey in the Star Wars sequels.

Peach telling Luigi that he's brave was so sweet :3 Even though they didn't really have a proper meeting scene like I hoped, I'm glad they got to at least interact a little.

Although I wish they would have used the wedding dress from Odyssey or even Paper Mario, Peach's wedding dress here is so pretty!

Donkey Kong becoming an ally of Mario and them helping each other get to the Mushroom Kingdom was super nice, although I do feel their friendship could have been built on a little more and that DK should have apologized to Mario for insulting his brother.

THE MUSIC!!!!! Brian Tyler NAILED the orchestrations of all those iconic themes! I especially got so happy when I heard the SNES Rainbow Road theme, the DK rap, and Toad's House from SMB3! I can only imagine how Koji Kondo, the man who composed so many of these melodies for chiptune almost 40 years ago and is STILL composing music for the games, is feeling now that they have these epic, sweeping orchestral renditions.

They outdid themselves with the animation and visuals as well! ESPECIALLY the visuals. They're so colorful and whimsical and just scenery p0rn all around, from the Mushroom Kingdom giving off major Alice in Wonderland vibes and Bowser's incredible floating lava castle to the Jungle Kingdom and the rainbow road! And I can't think of a single character (re)design that I didn't like! They all look so good!

The slo mo bits were SO funny. Especially "MMMMMAAAAAAAAMMMAAAAA MMMMIIIIIIIAAAAAA!" and "PPPPPRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNCCCCEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!"

Bringing back such an obscure and relatively forgotten character as Foreman Spike was awesome!

Every time that Diddy Kong was onscreen was so funny!

ALL THE EASTER EGGS, GOOD GOLLY. From the references to the SUPER SHOW OF ALL THINGS to the guy who's supposed to resemble Jumpman (Mario's first incarnation) at the beginning!

That one bit where Mario is sitting in his room playing a video game also felt really reminiscent of the beginning of The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach (1986). If Nintendo was going for that I'm so glad they acknowledged such an obscure piece of Mario media!

The Downs:

Goddammit, you SERIOUSLY had to include minions in the Illumination logo.

It honestly felt a bit rushed in places and I wish more scenes could have had more time devoted to them. Some characters, ESPECIALLY Luigi, didn't really get as much screen time as I felt they needed, and that kind of sucked.

I was really hoping for Bowser to have a hard rock-style villain song, as that really suits his aesthetic and Jack Black could totally have done it! I mean he was in School of Rock for crying out loud and he's proven afterwards that he can really belt out classic rock tunes! Despite that, I'm glad he got to at least sing in the movie, and his song dedicated to Peach was hilarious.

I'm bummed that the movie wasn't really a musical as I had heard around the net so many times; only two characters sang (Bowser and Toad, even though the latter's wasn't really an actual song) and there were a bunch of pop/rock hits from the past few decades sandwiched in. They were still good songs that I like though, such as Thunderstruck, Take on Me, and Holding Out for a Hero (although I wish it could have been the original Bonnie Tyler version). I was ESPECIALLY pumped to hear Mr. Blue Sky!! But still, a lack of songs sung by characters bummed me out.

I don't like how some lines were changed (such as Bowser's "NOW WHO'S GONNA STOP ME?!?!") or cut entirely (e.g. Mario's "I'm not afraid! I'll do anything for my brother!") I'm especially bitter about the latter, since hearing that line in the final trailer made me super emotional and cutting it meant less devotion to how much Mario loves and misses his brother.

It was kind of a wasted opportunity to not see Mario and Luigi's family (and the rest of Brooklyn for that matter) bewildered over their sons bringing back a princess in a wedding gown, a little mushroom man, and an ape wearing a necktie. I bet their dad would have been wondering what someone put in his coffee, and their mom would have taken one look at Peach and been all like, "OMG IS ONE OF MY SONS GETTING MARRIED ALREADY??" It just would have been nice for them to interact a little.

The blue star/Luma was honestly so annoying and gave me an unsettling identity crisis, I just thought that was not fitting for a family friendly movie. Also, why was he/she in Bowser's dungeon in the first place?

As Donkey Kong should have apologized to Mario for fighting with him, Spike should have apologized to Mario and Luigi for doubting them. It didn't really make sense for him to just abruptly cheering for them.

Part of me kind of wishes it had taken place in the 1980s. It kind of makes sense, given that the Mario and Luigi characters formally debuted in 1983 and this is an origin story for how they came to be.

But despite all this, there were way more ups than downs, and the "downs" are just little nitpicks from me that don't take away from the movie being one hell of a ride. It was fantastic, and definitely one of the best animated movies I've seen in a while. 9/10 from me!!.

Some of my several VERY high hopes for the sequel:

YOSHI CUTENESS!!!

Also, if I have to predict a voice actor for Yoshi, it would have to be either Frank Welker or Kazumi Totaka reprising his role.

Luigi getting more screen time and also getting to share in his bro's adventures! Dude deserves way better!

Mario having second thoughts about Luigi accompanying him in dangerous situations because he's terrified of losing him again, and Luigi reminding him that "nothing will harm them as long as they're together"

PLEASE just more brotherly love!

Mario and Peach developing a romance and vowing to protect each other!

At least one callback to the "Mama Luigi" episode of the Super Mario World cartoon series. I mean, it would only seem right now that Yoshi is joining the gang, right?

Heck, I bet it's going to be chock full of references to the Super Mario World game, the Yoshi's Island games, and the Super Mario World cartoon.

DAISY AND/OR ROSALINA PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Bowser's backstory (and possibly redemption)! It's clear to me that he's just a big softie that needs love and friendship in his life. And, since he's really their friend who likes to engage in role play just for fun according to word of mouth, I wonder how they will incorporate that into the Mario Cinematic Universe.

Some evidence that Mario and Luigi alternating between their lives in Brooklyn (probably just so that they can spend time with their family) and the Mushroom Kingdom

"I HOPE SHE MADE LOTSA SPAGHETTI!"

[frostyreturns]

Year In Books 2023

My reading goals are

1.) read 100 literary classics

2.) Read every Star Wars novel in the Pre Disney canon

3.) Read every book/series I read as a kid

Best And Worst Books From 2023

Top 5 Classics of 2023

5.) Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson 3/5

4.) Robin Hood - Paul Creswick 3/5

3.) The Illiad - Homer 3/5

2.) 2001 A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke 4/5

1.) 1984 - George Orwell 5/5

Bottom 5 Classics of 2023

5.) The Wind In The Willows - Kenneth Grahame 2/5

4.) Chapmans The Odyssey - Chapman/Homer 2/5

3.) Call Of The Wild - Jack London 2/5

2.) Phaedo - Plato 2/5

1.) Defense Of Socrates/Euthyphro/Crito - Plato 2/5

Top 5 miscellaneous genre fiction of 2023

5.) Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk 4/5

4.) A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms - George R.R. Martin 4/5

3.) Batman The Court Of Owls - Greg Cox 4/5

2.) Bioshock: Rapture - John Shirley 5/5

1.) Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton 5/5

Bottom 5 miscellaneous genre fiction of 2023

5.) Hitman Enemy Within - Willaim C. Dietz 3/5

4.) The Lost World - Michael Crichton 3/5

3.) Spider-Man The Lizard Sanction - Diane Duane 2/5

2.) Spider-Man The Octopus Agenda - Diane Duane 2/5

1.) The Girl Who Lived Twice -David Lagercrantz 1/5

Top 5 Star Wars Novels of 2023

5.) Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn 4/5

4.) Darth Bane Rule Of Two - Drew Karpyshyn 4/5

3.) Revenge Of The Sith - Matthew Stover 5/5

2.) Darth Bane Dynasty Of Evil - Drew Karpyshyn 5/5

1.) Darth Bane Path Of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn 5/5

Bottom 5 Star Wars Novels of 2023

5.) Champions Of The Force - Kevin J Anderson 4/5

4.) The Phantom Menace - Terry Brooks 4/5

3.) Labyrinth Of Evil - James Luceno 3/5

2.) I Jedi - Michael A. Stackpole 2/5

1.) Tales From The Empire - Various Authors 2/5

Top 5 Young Reader Novels of 2023

5.) Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games - Jude Watson 3/5

4.) All The Wrong Questions: Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights - Lemony Snicket 4/5

3.) Brians Winter - Gary Paulson 4/5

2.) All The Wrong Questions: Shouldn't You Be In School - Lemony Snicket 4/5

1.) Hatchet - Gary Paulson 4/5

Bottom 5 Young Reader Novels of 2023

5.) Goosebumps Deep Trouble 2 - R.L Stine 2/5

4.) The First Four Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder 2/5

3.) The Nose From Jupiter - Richard Scrimger 2/5

2.) Wayside School Beneath The Cloud Of Doom - Louis Sachar 1/5

1.) Unicorns Don't Give Sleigh Rides - Debbie Dadey 1/5

Top 5 comics of 2023

5.) Dragon Ball Z Vol 1 - Akira Toriyama 5/5

4.) Calvin And Hobbes The Days Are Just Packed - Bill Watterson 5/5

3.) Batman The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb 5/5

2.) Calvin And Hobbes Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat - Bill Watterson 5/5

1.) Calvin And Hobbes It's A Magical World - Bill Watterson 5/5

Bottom 5 Comics of 2023

5.) Green Lantern True Colors - Art Baltazar 2/5

4.) Bart Simpson Bust Up - Matt Groening 2/5

3.) Wonder Woman - William Messner-Loebs 2/5

2.) Pokemon Giratina & The Sky Warrior - Hijoka Makota 2/5

1.) Binky And His Buddies- John Albano 2/5

2023 Reading Stats

46,866 Pages Read

272 Books Read

16 Literary Classics

22 Miscellanious genre fiction novels

11 Star Wars novels

100 Youth/YA/Young Reader novels

92 Graphic Novels/Comic Trade Paperbacks/Digests

1 Non Fiction Book Read

29 Picture/Reference Books Read

Shortest Book: Mortimer- Robert Munsch

Longest Book: False Memory - Dean Koontz

Most Popular Book Read (on goodreads): 1984 - George Orwell

Highest rated Book Read (on goodreads): Calvin And Hobbes It's A Magical World - Bill Watterson

Lowest Rated Book Read (on goodreads): Bad Hare Day - R.L Stine