#person: sydney james harcourt

[beevean]

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/castlevania-nocturne-season-2-release-date

It’s here!

Reply: let’s gooooo or some shit i guess

“And get ready for some more of sassy Alucard.” oh thank god i was so worried he would stop being his usual asshole self

“What I can confidently say is in store for the fans is the biggest, craziest Castlevania fight scene ever,” Kolde tells Tudum.

Alucard vs. Sun Thundercat. I bet everything I have it’s just them.

Season 2 picks up as the French Revolution rages on, and the ruling class of oppressive religious figures and exploitative imperialists have been infiltrated by literal blood-suckers, including the vampire messiah, Erzsebet (Franka Potente).

… this is just S1 again?

“Alucard is going to lead Richter and Annette to Paris to try and find the last element that would allow Erzsebet to achieve the full power of Sekhmet and become even more powerful than she was in Season 1,” says Kolde.  

Of course. Of fucking course. He really is the damn protagonist of the Richter show.

Fans go crazy for Alucard because he’s “mysterious, charismatic, and powerful,”

guys, it’s the tits. don’t lie to yourselves. you know it’s about the tits.

Kolde says Alucard becomes something of a reluctant mentor to Richter and Annette. “I think Alucard has seen a lot of Belmonts during his time, but he finds a little bit of annoying joy with Richter,” he says.

*sigh* he’s going to call him a demented infant for old time’s sake, isn’t he. And now he’s several centuries older while Richter is fairly young, so he’s going to sound even more paternalistic. god i hate him so much

But wait. He has seen a lot of Belmonts? And then why didn’t Richter know who she is? Did he stalk the family from the shadows? goddamnit what happened in the time skip

Is Alucard’s name really “Dracula” backwards?

You bet! “I think he had a very narcissistic but unimaginative father,” says Bradley.

OH MY FUCKING GOD ALUCARD EXPLAINS WHY HE NAMED HIMSELF ALUCARD IN SEASON 2 YOU ABSOLUTE BUFFOON

HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW THE BASICS! THE BASICS OF NOT JUST THE GAMES (because no one gives a shit) BUT THE WHOLE SHOW UNIVERSE!! NO WONDER THE WORLD BUILDING HAS GONE TO WHORES

this only baffles me more regarding the fandom’s insistence on calling him Adrian, but whatever.

Season 2 wanders the French countryside between Machecoul and Paris, but there’s an occasional new location: Egypt. “Alucard’s research into Sekhmet has taken him to an ancient Egyptian temple, and we were flown there a few times,” says Bradley.

We all thought the same thing.

Can we expect more opera in Season 2?

Oui, oui! “There’s going to be more great singing from Sydney James Harcourt playing Edouard,” Bradley says.

At least, new fresh meme material. I am so happy.

The relationship between Richter and Annette is at the heart of the show and continues to evolve in Season 2, according to Kolde. “[Annette’s] being haunted by these images and spirits, and she’s trying to understand what’s going on,” he says. “[If] she can figure out how to communicate with them the right way, to calm herself to listen, [she’ll realize] they’re really trying to communicate with her what she needs to do for her role in stopping Erzsebet.”

:)

Franka Potente (Titans, Run Lola Run, The Bourne Identity) as Erzsebet Báthory. She’s the queen of vampires and, if all goes as planned, of the entire world. (Her character is very loosely based on the various folkloric stories and contested histories surrounding a real-life noblewoman.) 

They cannot even write one word to describe her personality i’m pissing myself eshfjkhsdjkghkjdhgkjsdhkj

spinning. spinning i can’t. too much peak and i haven’t seen one second of it already

… wait a second, they didn’t mention Juste in the list of voice actors????? goddamn you really hate him don’t you

Oh right, here’s the trailer

Ohh Alucard got red eyes like his dad, ohhhhh badass.

“You’re a Belmont, after all.” go fuck yourself you are the first one who made fun of the whole clan

the animation looks just as mediocre as it was in S1. i guess it didn’t get worse. nice.

anyway 7/10 would WHEN I’M LAID again

[nitefyre443]

Song of the Moon and Sun

Song of the Moon and Sun 

By 

Nitefyre 443

I'm a huge Castlvania fan, I can’t tell you how much I love this game and franchise. I fell in love with the whip wielding vampire slaying Belmont's, Dracula, Alucard, all of it. I have not played every Castlevania game because there are a lot of them. My first Castlevania game was Castlevania II: Simon's Quest on the NES, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night being one of my all time favorite games. Also as many Castlavania fans I’m  heartbroken at the state of this important and beloved franchise. This is why the Deat’s Brother’s and Powerhouse’s Castlevania Animated Series excite me so much. They seem to be the only people who give a damn about this world, its story and its character because Konami could care less. So when Castlevania Nocturne the follow up to Castlevainia was announced, I was ready and Powerhouse Animation did not disappoint.  

What I’m going to talk about today is the music video for this song “I’m Free” by  Sydney James Harcourt  and Lindsey Stirling. What a beautiful song that serves as the character theme for not only Annette but Richter and Marie as well.  Watch the video here and let it play along while readying because damn Sydney James Harcourt and Lindsey Stirling did the thing with this one.

So the song and video starts with clips of Annette's childhood, with beautiful gentle and sorrowful lyrics   

See them stand ready to die  For whose sake  Was life fair?  

The way one could look at the start of the song is Edouard as an observer, a freed man himself  seeing his people in chains, literally worked and beaten to death for the sake of those that enslaved them, that is blatant and in  your face. However there is a lovely duality to this song when applied to the Belmont's in the context of Castlevania itself. Yes both meanings are valid and true to both Annette and Richter. I will go further into what this song means for Richter, his story and his legacy within the Castlevania franchise but let's say making his love interest and romantic partner, formerly enslaved Black woman, is absolutely brilliant on the writer's  part. Especially for Richter post the events of Symphony of the Night.  So we move to the next part of the verse 

Pleasure pleased and power gained  Slay I deal death, enough they seek to slay   

This part is one that I love and I’m all over the place about it. It feels very much from a vampire's perspective, this could be seen as applicable to Olrox in some way even though he is not shown in the video. The way the video presents it, makes it look like Annette's struggling as a child realizing she is going to have to kill to survive. There are no ways around it. I’m going to need to stew on this more. 

Sick at heart  Wicked betrayal  Another life escaping sight  The realm of flesh  were all things change  That life is mine and I am there x2 

Annette is now a “runaway” slave which is horrific in its own rights, a girl running for her very life  in a place where people saw her as nothing more than livestock to be sold, worked, bred and traded. There was no one who she could trust, absolutely no one. She is terrified and alone at this point with no place to go on an island with a slave master's dogs at her heels  Until she  fatefully runs into the opera house where Edouard is performing. This is the point where the song takes a dramatic shift from a lonely melody to this amazing warmth, life and full of color when the chorus kicks in. 

I’m free x2  unbound by fear that’s holding me  Holding, holding, holding, holding,  Holding me 

Now we move into the second verse and we see clips of when Annette first met Edouard, the first person that gave her refuge and trust when she was alone. Also this first time where Lindsey Stirling violin far more clearly, it was in the background earlier much subdued. This is important because each character is tied to an instrument. For Richter it’s the violin which can express sorrow and grief but also freedom and boldness. Maria’s the French Horn, why the French horn because Maria is a lot like that horn. She is loud and you will hear what she has to say on freedom whether you like it or not. The French horn has a very distinct sound and often heroic sound, we know it when we hear it and it’s declaration, so it just fits. Annette is the drums and percussion which by the start to come on strong in this second verse. 

Death am I, immortal life Touch the sky again and repent  The dark alive inside of me  Loving made  But makes no sense 

The drums being Annette's instrument is so perfect, her being the descendant of Ogun the Yoruba god of War and Iron on her fathers side, war and drums are like peanut butter and jelly.  This goes even deeper because drums are some of the first musical instruments we as humans created, anything can be a drum they are as old as you can get for instruments or than our singing voices. Hold up, who is the first person she meets oh it’s Edouard an opera singer, well  look at that. This is the part of the song where percussion kicks in strong as we cover Annette and Edouard time fighting in Saint-Domingue during the slave rebellion that kicked the French's sorry asses off the island that would become Haiti. This verse also has  Annette realizing her rage not anger but rage. Anger is not a strong enough word. What I love about Castlevania:Nocturne is that it does not chastise Annette for her rage, it is justified and the weapon she wields, but it is not the source of her strength. “You wield rage but it is not the source of your strength” This is where  “Loving made but made no sense” applies that rage is born from being subjected to brutality and injustice beyond what anyone should live through. From witnessing so many you love taken away by such senseless cruelty. The source of her strength is love and the rage born of when that love is wronged by injustice and cruelty. Where it can’t stand to witness the sight of such brutality and action must be taken. Remember love and war are often bedfellows.   

The potency of evil kings  None can parish trust in me  None can perish trust in me  

This is where we hear Richter’s violin in the background and a little of Maria’s French horn. This little section covers the first night the trio meets and its the first time you here all three of the respective instruments together in the song. Annette's drums and percussion, Richter's violin and Maria's French horn but they are not unified yet, they are all still on separate paths but not one unified song.

I’m Free x 2  Unbound by fear that’s holding me Holding, Holding me   

Just like in the series when the trio meets there is tension and bumping up against each other. You have a set of wounded people fighting to survive in cruel times learning to trust each other.  This moves into the second chorus where Annette's percussion becomes much more clearer, defined and vibrant, she knows who she is and like a good drummer she is setting rhythm, she is the cadence it which the trio marches. Maria French horn settles in nicely as she is already very clear  on what she believes. 

I’m Free x 2  My love, My light  Will shine on thee  Will shine on, shine on, shine on, shine 

Richter’s violin is here  but still very distant in the background. Just like in the series he’s not quite there yet. It’s not until he see’s Annette during her speech that he realizes, “Oh shit, she is the one”  The shown in lovely fashion with a clip Richter awe struck during her speech. Also notice the lyrics changed. No longer is it just “unbound by fear”, its “My love, my light will shine on thee” Annette offering the same hand to Richter that Edouard offered her. See what they did there. Now we jump into a damn amazing part of the things and build up this just chefs kiss 

My heart set on truth That no fire can contain  Burnin the body lay life in the flame   I scoured the good  And I thrusted the Evil Back  Sacrificed everything  Watched as it burned to ash   No more self pity  No more will I wait  I’m breaking a path  That will take me away   From this place 

Remember when I said this was also Richter's song, well here it is because this part is all him and the Belmont's, this furious build up all this emotion the pain, fear, love, hate, having the generations fighting the shadows in the night. Him being the last descent of the family of Vampire slayers, being so terrified when faced with his own trauma and nightmare he did the only thing he remembered to do, the last words his mother said  to him “Richter, run” Remember everyone starts out running. Now, though he is running no more, because he is not alone in this fight anymore, the Belmont's, who are never really alone, he has his friends, his family, his love, his deadbeat grandfather Juste, and a pain in the ass recluse mentor Alucard. This is where Lindsey Stirling comes in with the violin and his melody as clear, bright, bold and triumphant as it must be for Richter Belmont, where we see him tie his famous white bandana around his head and become the Richter we know that kicked the monster of the night asses. Even giving us a clip of him using the greatest magical technique the Belmont's used, The Grand Cross. Yes that was the  burst of flame ya’ll saw when he faced off against the Hunters on the lake. 

Now I’m Free  Now I’m Free  Unbound by fear that holding me Holding me  Now I’m free  Now I’m free  My Love, My light  Will Shine on the 

The song is their song finally coming together clear, and bold.  Richter violin, Annette's percussion  Edouard voice, Maria French Horn, and even a choir saying cheering them on saying “Shine on”  which we can say is Julia, Juste, Annette mother, Tera, and those that came before urging them forward.  Also the lyrics change again, to "Now, I’m Free." It’s just no longer saying they are free, it’s now a declaration, not just a wish but a statement of fact. They are free and no longer afraid to face the denizens of the night. 

What a journey this song was in the 4 minutes and 27 seconds we were with it but what a perfect song for Castlevania: Nocturne.  A song that is Annette’s song but very much it’s Richter's song by the end because he is a Belmont he is the clear unifying melody where everything just comes together. Richter is so important for not just his martial prowess, but because he was one the last Belmont's to solely by himself wield the Vampire Killer. After the events of Castlevania:Symphony of the Night, realizing that it could not just be the Belmont's who wield these powers to fight the monsters of the night. He trained others and he placed an enchantment on the Vampire Killer that if one wished to wield it they would fight his shadow, if they won they would be allowed to wield it, if not, the Vampire Killer killed them. He made it so more than just the Belmont's duty to fight the night, it was not just one family's legacy anymore, The family legacy itself being a very old world concept, any and everyone could take up arms. This theme runs through the period of history in which Castlevania: Nocturne takes place the fights for independence and revolution. Richter reforms lead to the creation of the Order of Ecclesia. The theme of an animated series featuring Richter Belmont being titled “I’m Free” has so much meaning not just in the narrative of this story set within the Castlevainia world but for the franchise itself.  Some Ster Werms shade Richter is everything Luke should have been and what Ben Solo could have been for Star Wars. 

Now if we could just get Castlevania free from  Konami and get some new games.  

[hamanuelton]

my favorite parts of hamilton:

- “I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory.”

- every time Leslie Odom Jr. as aaron burr begins another part with “how did a bastard, orphan-“ or like in that same way ‘cause he doesn’t always start it that way but you know what I mean

- the way Leslie Odom Jr. as My Boi Burr™️ says “well, the world got around, they said, ‘this kid is insane, man!’”

- also when Leslie Odom Jr. as A. Burr says

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME, MAN?!”

- “our man saw his future drip-dripping down the drain, a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain”

- “Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton. And there’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait, just you wait...”

- background “just you wait, just you wait”’s as hammy’s putting on a new jacket and ensemble is praising nyc

- “and me? i’m the damn fool that shot him.”

- “Burr, sir” + the continuation of this all throughout

- “If you talk you’re gonna get shot” / FORESHADOWING WOOOEEEEWOOOOO

- “i’m John Laurens in the place to be”

- Lafayette’s fuckinf accent

- “BRRRAH! BRRAAAH! HERCULES MULLIGAN UP IN IT LOVIN IT”

- “if you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for”

- “‘Onarchy?”

- hey, yo, i’m just like my country, i’m young, scrappy, and hungry—

- the way Odom Leslie Jr. as The Hamburrglar™️ says ‘shot’ and they all take a shot

- this ⤵️

- Hammy getting //flustered// about friendship

- WHEN ARE THESE COLONIES GONNA RISE UP

- Angelica’s face when Burr is tryna tell her bout herself and she shows him up and ships him out

- Act 1: 6. Farmer Refuted

- honorable mention: “my dog speaks more eloquently than thee!" "but strangely, your mange is the same." "is he in jersey?”

- King George pouting

- Jonathan Groff’s overarticulation of each syllable as King George is a work of art

- “♪ Da-da-da-dat-da-dat-da-da-da-dai-ah-da! ♪ Da-da-da-da-dai-ah-da! ♪

- “Everybody! —“

- “We keep meeting.”

- “i imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. when’s it gonna get me? in my sleep? seven feet ahead of me?”

- “See, I never thought I’d live past twenty.”

- “this is not a moment, it’s the movement”

- “I’m laughin’ in the face of casualties and sorrow, for the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow!”

- “dying is easy, young man, living is harder!”

- “i’m being honest. i’m working with a third of what our Congress promised.”

- “you need all the help you can get. i have some friends. Laurens, Mulligan, Marquis de Lafayette, okay, what else?” — “we’ll need some spies on the inside, some king’s men who might let some things slide.”

- “watch this obnoxious, arrogant, loudmouth bother be seated at the right hand of the father.”

- “Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him” — “That’s true.”

- “Yo, if your marry a sister, you’re rich, son!” — “Is it a question of ‘if’, Burr, or which one?” and then the little ‘hey’ ‘hey’ thing they do gets me every time

- literally the use of yo throughout the production fucking gets me every single fucking time

- “i’m writin’ a letter nightly. now my life gets better, every letter that you write me. — THE PURE UNBRIDLED SENSE OF FORESHADOWING IN “laughin’ at my sister, cuz she wants to form a harem” — ft. “i’m just sayin’, if you really loved me, you would share him!”

- the irony in “Eliza, i don’t have a dollar to my name”, you’ll be on the $10 bill, my man

- top-notch brain

- Angelica TRIED TO TAKE A BITE OF ME

- the way Anthony Ramos as John Laurens says “alright, alright. that’s what i’m talkin’ about!” and also the face that he makes

- hunger-pang frame

- “You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied.” — “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. You forget yourself.” — “You’re like me. I’m never satisfied.” — “Is that right?” — “I have never been satisfied.” — “My name is Angelica Schuyler.” — “Alexander Hamilton.” — “Where’s your fam’ly from?” — “Unimportant. There’s a million things I haven’t done but just you wait, just you wait...”

- tbh the way ‘Schuyler’ is spelled is oddly satisfying to me

- honestly just the way LMM says Alexander Hamilton+/ my name is Alexander Hamilton, and there’s a million things i haven’t done, ‘just you wait, just you wait...’ throughout the production

- “i’m the oldest and the wittiest and the gossip in new york city is insidious”

- “You are the worst, Burr.”

- Act 1: 12. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

- “love doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes”

- “love doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes and we keep living anyway. we rise and we fall and we break and we make our mistakes. and if there’s a reason i’m still alive when everyone who loves me has died—“

- “Chick-a-plao!”

- the way they say ‘raise a glass’ is both elegant and (appropriately) reverent

- “i go back to new york and my apprenticeship” — i shouted MY BOI HERCULES MULLIGAN UP IN IT LOVIN IT DID NOT JUST SAY THAT, IF HE ACTUALLY LEFT AND ISN’T JUST UNDERCOVER OR SOME SHIT IMMA WRITE LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA A STRONGLY WORDED LETTER

- the minute General Charles Les came into the picture i hated him so hard, even though his literal first word was ‘Whee!!!!’, though i can appreciate the sentiment and what LMM was tryna do there

- “Washington cannot be left to his devices indescisive, from crisis to crisis” — sweet baby jesus that alliteration, and jon rua totally pulled it off (i hate General Charles Lee not the person who played him, i can also appreciate the fact that as an actor it takes a lot of talent to be able to make you hate a character so easily, also shoutout to Jonathan Groff as King Georgey-Boy™️, Sydney James Harcourt as james reynolds, and the general way LMM somehow made me fed up/turn on Alexander with the whole scene with him and Maria Reynolds — and not only that but somehow redeemed himself to me which is easier said than done for characters and people alike.. i’ve been hurt too much to play like that.

- Act 1: 15. Ten Duel Commandments

- honorable mention: “if you don’t reach peace, that’s alright. time to get some pistols and a doctor on site. you pay him in advance, you treat him with civility. you have him turn around so he can have deniability.”

- Act 1: 17. That Would Be Enough

- honorable mention: the melody that LMM went with for that turn of phraseis a truly beautiful thing

- “Immigrants:” — “We get the job done.”

- THE FACT THAT MY MAIN MAN HERCULE MULLIGAN WAS ON THE INSIDE NOT ONLY DID I CALL IT BUT DAMN HE REALLY GOT THAT GOOD HOT TRIBUTE HE DESERVED

- “To my brother’s a revolutionary covenant! I’m runnin’ with the sons of liberty and I am lovin’ it! See, that’s what happens when you up against the ruffians. We’re in the shit now, somebody gotta shovel it! Hercules Mulligan, I need no introduction, when you knock me down I get the fuck back up again!”

- Act 1: 21. What Comes Next

- honorable mention: “i’m so blue” — the little squat that Groffsauce does as the light turns blue really got to me

- Act 1: 22. Dear Theodosia

- Leslie Odom Jr.’s voice is so ding dang delightfully airy

- honorable mention: “You have my eyes. You have your mother’s name. When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart.”

- Act 1: 23. Non-Stop

- as someone with siblings i can appreciate that they’re bickering like that’s just what they are

- “I was chosen for the constitutional convention! *squeal*”

- “Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed for the notion of a nation we now get to build. For once in your life, take a stand with pride. I don’t understand how you stand to the side.”

- Act 2: 1. What’d I Miss?

- honorable mention: “But the sun comes up and the world still spins.”

- Act 2: 2. Cabinet Battle #1

- honorable mention: “DOIN’ WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU DO IN MONTICELLO!”

- tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

- “Daddy, daddy, look.... My name is Philip. I am a poet. I wrote this poem just to show it. And I just turned nine. You can write rhymes but you can’t write mine.” - “What!” - “I practice French and play piano with my mother.” — “Uh-huh!” — “I have a sister but I want a little brother.” — “Okay!” — “My daddy’s trying to start America’s bank. Un deux trois quatre cinq!” — “Bravo!” — “Hey, our kid is pretty great.”

- as much as i hate Act 2: 4. Say No To This (because for some reason i though Alexander Hamilton was better than that) Jasmine Cephas Jones sings in it is like a hot knife through butter — namely; “My husband’s doin’ me wrong beatin’ me, cheatin’ me, mistreatin’ me...”... I guess maybe I understand it ‘cause damn Jasmine Cephas Jones is so ding dang pretty and ding dang talented and wow what a remarkable person

- the way that Lin says “And her body’s saying, ‘hell, yes’ is um.. 😓

- “You see, that was my wife you decided to” — “Fuuuu—“

- Act 2: 5. The Room Where It Happens

- honorable mention: “Bros.”

- “Talk less. Smile more.” LMM being a dramatic bastard

- Act 2: 6. Schuyler Defeated

- Act 2: 7. Cabinet Battle #2

- “revolution is messy but now is the time to stand."

- honorable mention: “Ooh!!”

- “We signed a treaty with a King whose head is now in a basket. Would you like to take it out and ask it? ‘Should we honor our treaty, King Louis’ head?’ ‘Uh... do whatever you want, I’m super dead.’”

- Thomas Jefferson all like “but sir do we not fight for freedom” MY BAD SIR YOU ARE A SLAVE-OWNER HOW ABOUT YOU NOT

- mentioning Lafayette because apparently LMM has no problem with breaking the fourth wall

- “Daddy’s calling.”

- “I’m in the cabinet. I am complicit in watching him grabbin’ at power and kiss it. If Washington isn’t gon’ listen to disciplined dissidents, this is the difference. This kid is out!”

- “Southern motherfuckin’ Democratic-Republicans!”

- “The emperor has no clothes.”

- “Sir, I don’t know what you heard but whatever it is Jefferson started it.” — “Thomas Jefferson resigned this morning.” — “You’re kidding.” — “I need a favor.” — “Whatever you say, sir, Jefferson will pay for his behavior.” — “I’ll use the press. I’ll write under a pseudonym, you’ll see what I can do to him—“ — “Yes! He resigned you can finally speak your mind!” — “Ha. Good luck defeating you, sir.” - “I’m sorry, what?”

- Act 2: 10. I Know Him

- “—Vice President.” — “— No more Mr. Nice President.”

- “Sit down, John, you fat motherf—“

- Act 2: 12. We Know

- honorable mention: “You see that was my wife you decided to—“ — “WHAT—“

- Act 2: 13. Hurricane

- Act 2: 14. The Reynolds Pamphlet

- honorable mention: *DEEP VOICE* “DAMN”

- Act 2: 15. Burn

- i’ll be the first to say i wasn’t a huge fan of Eliza at first aside from Phillipa Soo’s killer voice

- this gave me a lot of respect for her

- honorable mention: “You have married an Icarus. He has flown too close to the sun.”

- Act 2: 16. Blow Us All Away

- i would like to point out that tweet where someone @‘s LMM about not mentioning Philip’s hot and he responds “I’M FAIRLY F**CKING SURE I DID”, y’know ⤵️

- “The ladies say my brain’s not where the resemblance stops.”

- “God, you’re a fox.”

- Act 2: 17. Stay Alive (Reprise)

- The ‘I know, I know. Shh.’ and the full circle back to his mom teaching him french on the piano really got to me for the beautiful artistry in it but also damn them feels

- Act 2: 18. It’s Quiet Uptown

- “I spend hours in the garden. I walk alone to the store and it’s quiet uptown. I never liked the quiet before. I take the children to church on Sunday, a sign of the cross at the door, and I pray. That never used to happen before.”

- “Philip, you would like it uptown. It’s quiet uptown.”

- “You knock me out, I fall apart.”

- “Eliza, do you like it uptown? It’s quiet uptown.”

- “There are moments that the words don’t reach. There is suffering too terrible to name. You hold your child as tight as you can and push away the unimaginable. The moments when you’re in so deep it feels easier to just swim down.”

- “There are moments that the words don’t reach. There is a grace too powerful to name. We push away what we can never understand. We push away the unimaginable.”

- “Can you imagine?”

- Act 2: 19. The Election of 1800

- honorable mention: “And they say I’m a Francophile: at least they know I know where France is!”

- “You used to work on the same staff” — “Whaaaat.”

- “Honestly, it’s kind of draining.” — “Burr...” — “Sir!” — “Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” — “No. I’m chasing what I want. And you know what?” — “What?” — “I learned that from you.” / this moment made the blow that he voted for Jefferson like a damn hole in my chest and i actually really felt for Burr. i get Hammy’s reluctance, i think if anything he was hoping voting for Jefferson would give Burr the chance to have experience as VP and then the next election he might vote for him then depending

- Act 2: 20. Your Obedient Servant

- A. Burr

- A. Ham

- “I just need to write something down.” / really resonated as one of the last things they showed him doing before going off to the duel, his life really was writing and that was the perfect way to say that in a very subtle sort of way. i really appreciate it artistically, whether it was intentionally so or not.

- Act 2: 22. The World Was Wide Enough

- okay but first of all i would like to comment on the fact that Ariana DeBose PLAYS THE GODDAMN BULLET, I JUST

- THE FACT THAT THE BULLET HAS A PART

- “This man will not make an orphan of my daughter.” / this made me really sympathize with Burr, as well as when he tries to go towards Hamilton (at least in the play but I sincerely hope that was historically accurate) / but also that fact that Theodosia Burr was lost at sea at 29 makes me sad because Hamilton’s life was taken to give her one and then she just up and disappears in a freak accident

- Act 2: 23. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

- the orphanage got to me

- i loved that he (LMM) didn’t end it with himself or anything

- he let Phillipa Soo tear my heart out

- it killed me but i died quite happily

- and really what more could you ask for.

[theillustrationconference]

Getting Lost in Process: An Interview with ICON11′s President, Bri Hermanson

Bri Hermanson is the President of ICON11: The Illustration Conference. Her inky scratchboard drawings can be seen worldwide—on book covers, gin bottles, and theater posters. Hermanson's clients include Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, SKYY Vodka, Tor Books, and Denizen's Brewing Co. She received an MFA in Illustration from FIT in NYC in 2011.

What's your favorite memory from past ICON conferences?

That's a difficult question—there are so many! But the memory that will always be closest to my heart is meeting Kim Rosen at ICON5 in NYC. It was the start of one of my most treasured friendships, and since then, Kim has helped me through so much, both professionally and personally.

Tell me about your practice!

I work in scratchboard. My drawings are made by working in reverse, using knives to cut white lines into inky silhouetted shapes. It's a really immersive, meditative medium, and there's something so satisfying about letting my brain click into that mode. Forms make more sense to me working this way. I feel like I draw much better in scratchboard than I do using an additive process — even pencil.

What is your studio/office space like?

I share a studio space with my partner in our home, a little blue house that was built in 1865. When we originally moved in, what is now the studio was an upstairs kitchen from the house's stint as a two-family dwelling. We were happy to find the original hardwood floors intact under laminate, plywood, peel and stick linoleum, and paint. There's still more I want to do with the space longterm (an integrated floating desk! skylights!), but for now, it's really functional. I do all of my computer-based work at my desk, but when I'm scratching, I prefer to work on my lap. We have a sunroom off the main studio that gets great natural light and provides a cozy space to get lost in my process.

Where is your hometown and where do you currently live?

I'm originally from Ponca City, OK, which also happens to be the hometown of illustrator James Yang. After living in NYC for seven years, I'm now based in Northampton, MA — it strikes the perfect balance for me: culture, community, and easy access to the city.

Who are some of your favorite emerging creatives?

For ICON10, I produced the mural panel with Sydney G. James, 0uizi, and Ellen Rutt. All of them are more established than "emerging", but I've been so taken with each of their work — there is an inherent excitement to the large-scale nature of their murals. Each of them are blazing new pathways, redefining what it means to be an artist today.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY’S BIG BREAK

S5;E1 ~ September 11, 1972

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis

Synopsis

Lucy breaks her leg and is confined to a hospital bed.  A handsome doctor (Lloyd Bridges) catches her eye. Despite her confinement, she does everything she can to get his attention!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)

Guest Cast

Lloyd Bridgers (Dr. Paul Murray) is probably best remembered for his starring role in TV's “Sea Hunt” (1958-61).  He began his screen acting career in 1936 after acting on the New York stage.  In 1959 he starred in an episode of the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” hosted by Desi Arnaz.  Bridges had his own show on CBS from 1962 to 1963.  His skill at comedy was memorably on display in the films Airplane (1980) and Hot Shots (1991).  He died in 1998 at age 85.

Bob Harks (Stand-in for Lloyd Bridges, uncredited) appeared in his first film in 1968 and was seen in the background of Mame (1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here's Lucy.” He died at age 83 in 2010.

Mary Wickes (Nurse Sylvia Ogilvy) was one of Lucille Ball’s closest friends and at one time, a neighbor. She made a memorable appearances on “I Love Lucy” as ballet mistress Madame Lamond in “The Ballet” (ILL S1;E19). In her initial “Lucy Show” appearances her characters name was Frances, but she then made four more as a variety of characters for a total of 8 episodes. This is one of her 9 appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” Their final collaboration on screen was “Lucy Calls the President” in 1977.

Mary Wickes returns as Nurse Ogilvy in the next episode, “Lucy and Eva Gabor are Hospital Roomies” (S5;E2).  

Alan Oppenheimer (Dr. Matt Parker) got his start in screen acting in a 1963 episode of Desilu's “The Untouchables.”  In 1974 he began doing voices on animated shows and has become one of Hollywood's busiest and most versatile voice actors.   Oppenheimer appeared as Lucy's brother, Herb Hinkley, in the final episode of season four “Kim Finally Cuts You-Know-Whose Apron String” (S4;E24).  This is his last appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Oppenheimer provides the DVD introduction to this episode. 

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and Evelyn Bigsby in “Return Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26). She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in 1999 at the age of 83. 

Vanda Barra (Vanda) makes one of over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy Gets Lucky” (with Dean Martin) and “Three for Two” (with Jackie Gleason). She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Barra was Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law by marriage to Sid Gould. 

Although she had played a character named Vanda in two previous episodes, nearly all her remaining appearances on the series will be as Lucy's friend Vanda, including the next episode “Lucy and Eva Gabor are Hospital Roomies” (S5;E2).  

Sid Gould (Sam) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show” and nearly as many on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.

On the second episode of “Here's Lucy” Gould's character name was Sam, a tour guide in Palm Springs.  Prior to this episode he twice played a character named Sam who was a waiter. He will play a character named Sam three more times, in addition to his many other minor roles.

June Whitley Taylor (Nurse) had appeared as Sally, one of Lucy and Ethel's bridge-playing friends in both “No Children Allowed” (ILL S2;E22) and “The Camping Trip” (ILL S2;E29).  She will make one more appearance on the next episode of “Here's Lucy.” 

Dorothy Konrad (Mrs. Foster) made a total of six appearances on “The Lucy Show.” She first played Dorothy Boyer, one of the volunteer firefighters, then a variety of other characters. This is her only appearance on “Here's Lucy.”

Mrs. Foster shares a room with Lucy in the hospital.  The surname Foster was previously used by the writers on “I Love Lucy” for the Ricardos' neighbors Bill and Grace.  

After season 4 wrapped, Lucille Ball experienced a run of bad luck.  First, the final episode of the season was designed as a pilot for a spin-off series starring Lucie Arnaz, but CBS declined to pick-up the show for production.  At the same time, Vivian Vance, who was being eyed as a reliable sidekick for Lucy should Lucie get her own show, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Finally, in January 1972 on a ski trip to her condo in Snowmass, Colorado, Lucille Ball broke her leg. Instead of canceling the series, Ball had the injury written into the scripts, so that Lucy Carter would also have a broken leg. Almost all of this season's scripts had to be quickly rewritten or postponed.  The injury meant that Ball would have to limit her physical comedy and musical numbers and re-think the show's overall dynamics.  It also meant that her plans to start filming the musical film Mame would be put on hold until her injuries healed.

This episode begins the longest story arc (Lucy's broken leg) of the entire series, and the first continued story since Lucy cruised to Hawaii at the end of season 3.

Ironically, the highest rated TV program the week this episode first appeared was also set in a hospital with a handsome gray-haired doctor, “Marcus Welby M.D.” starring Robert Young on ABC.  

For the 1972-73 season, “Here's Lucy” was followed by the premiere of “The New Bill Cosby Show.”  One of the “Cosby” series regulars was Susan Tolsky, who played Kim's neighbor Sue Ann in the previous episode (and pilot) “Kim Finally Cuts You-Know-Whose Apron String” (S4;E24).  Tolsky will also return for one more episode of “Here's Lucy” in season 5.

For season five the opening title theme music (by Wilbur Hatch) has been re-orchestrated and Roy Rowan's announcer voice re-recorded. Some of the visuals involving the spotlight are slightly altered. 

The night before this episode originally aired Lucille Ball appeared on “A Salute to Television’s 25th Anniversary” on ABC.  Former “Lucy” guest stars that also participated include Bob Hope, John Wayne, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Jimmy Durante, and Dinah Shore.  

Before donning a habit to play nuns, Mary Wickes was typecast as a nurse due to her breakthrough role as Nurse Preen in the Broadway, film, and television versions of The Man Who Came To Dinner (above). In 1960 she played a nurse in the TV film “The Gambler, The Nun and the Radio,” 1963's “It's Mental Work,” and 1975's “Doc.” On “Here's Lucy” she played Nurse Hurlow in “Lucy and Harry's Tonsils” (S2;E5) and in the following episode “Lucy and Eva Gabor are Hospital Roomies” (S5;E2).  

The episode opens with location film of Lucille Ball on the slopes.  This footage was taken from Lucille Ball's personal home movies. The images then spiral fade into Lucy Carter's foot in a cast in a hospital bed.  Lucy says she was skiing down Fanny Hill (the beginner's slope) at Snowmass. Fanny Hill is also the title of an erotic novel written in 1748 by John Cleland. It was made into a feature film by director Russ Meyer in 1964.

The American Vision, the book Lucy Carter's hospital roommate is reading, was authored by Henry Fonda's character William Russell from the 1964 film The Best Man.

With the exception of a scene in the hospital hallway, the entire episode takes place in Lucy's hospital room.

Ribbing Lucy about her increasingly exaggerated account of the accident, Harry says “I thought you carried an injured Jean-Claude Killy down the slope on your back.” John-Claude Killy was a French Alpine skater who experiences world fame when he competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics.  In “Someone's on the Ski Lift with Dinah” (S4;E7), Harry declared himself to be “the Jean-Claude Kily of Borrego Springs.”  Borrego Springs is  a desert community near San Diego and was Gale Gordon's home town.

To pass the time, Lucy is watching “As the World Turns.”  Nurse Ogilvy says that last time she saw it Mary Gorman had appendicitis. “As the World Turns” was the second longest running soap opera in American history after “Guiding Light.” CBS first aired the serial on April 2, 1956. It followed the personal and professional lives of professionals like doctors and attorneys. From 1958 to 1978, the show was the highest rated daytime television program.  The soap opera was canceled in 2010.

During their “gag” examination, the two doctors break into “Dem Bones” (also called “Dry Bones” or “Dem Dry Bones”). The song was composed by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) although some sources also credit his brother, J. Rosomond Johnson. It was first recorded in 1928.

Lucy Carmichael broke her leg in “Lucy and Viv Reminisce” (S6;E16), a 1968 clips show from “The Lucy Show” starring Vivian Vance.  Lucy is in a hospital bed (in her living room) for the entire non-flashback portion of the show.

As the star of the nautical series “Sea Hunt,” Lloyd Bridges' name was the punchline of jokes in two 'water-logged' episodes of “The Lucy Show”:  “Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower” (TLS S1;E18) and “Lucy Buys a Boat” (TLS S1;E30).

In “Lucy Goes to Sun Valley,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” Lucille Ball's stunt double Jannette Burr Johnson was scheduled to film the start of Lucy Ricardo and Fernando Lamas’ speedy descent down Mount Baldy, but Johnson fell and broke her leg so she helped Ball prepare to do the stunt herself, with several Sun Valley ski patrol members waiting to catch her 100 feet down slope. 

Lucy Carter went skiing (without breaking anything) in “Someone's on the Ski Lift with Dinah” (S4;E7).  

When the two doctors conspire to teach Lucy a lesson for artificially spiking her temperature, they tell her she has Wolfington's Tibia Pox and Galloping Fibulosis compounded by a sever case of Yo-Yo-itis, a made-up illness.  Ricky Ricardo and his friend Hal March conspired to teach Lucy a lesson by telling her she had the 'gobloots' in “Lucy Fakes Illness” (ILL S1;E16).  It, too, was written by Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr.  

Lucy Carmichael sang an impromptu chorus of “Dry Bones” during biology class when “Lucy Gets Her High School Diploma” (TLS S6;E5).  

Huh? Sam (Sid Gould) brings hospitalized Lucy a salami with the brand name redacted in blue tape. If the salami is supposed to be anything other than a sight gag, it is unclear.  Is Sam a deli owner?  In previous episodes Gould's Sam was a waiter.  Vanda (Vanda Barra) notes that the salami is without garlic.  Again, there may be a joke here, but it is elusive at best.

Details! Details!  Although “As the World Turns” is a real soap opera, there is no record of a character named Mary Gorman.  

Character Consistency!  Dr. Parker says “I've known Lucy for years” which accounts for him informally calling her by her first name. This is, however, the first the viewing audience has heard of him, making their prior relationship a bit of a surprise.  Audiences with sharp eyes but no memory for names might think the doctor is Lucy's brother, since that is the role he played in Lucy's brother in “Kim Finally Cuts You-Know-Whose Apron String” (S4;E24).    

“Lucy’s Big Break” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

It is a tribute to Lucille Ball’s talent that she can remain confined to a hospital bed and still turn in a funny, entertaining show.  If the script feels a bit rushed, it can be forgiven.  This is a new, more intimate Lucy by necessity and it is refreshing to watch. 

[nessadavishenry]

From Quora for all you Hamilton Fans

So this lady asked who had the most lines in Hamilton, don’t ask me why but someone sure had a lot of time on their hands during the Quarantine!  Below is the Answer, sorry his pics wouldn’t port over but Enjoy! (PS I need to use my Tumbler more often!)

Jordan Yates · July 9, 2016 B.A. from English (language) & Writing, University of Northern Colorado

Who has the most lines in Hamilton? Ask and ye shall receive.

Now, I feel like I should build up to this because it took me about 3 hours to count every line in that show.

God I wish I were joking.

Ok, here was the process:

First, I went through Hamilton: The Revolution page by page and counted the number of lines per character per song and noted it on a sticky note. To count a “line”, I followed a combination of capitalization and the line breaks denoted in the script. I only counted direct references to a character (“company”, “ensemble” and “men/women” were disregarded). The results are, of course, a rough estimate.

A lot of sticky notes

Then I took those numbers, and wrote them on paper per character.

Gross.

Then I added up each character’s total line count from every song. I did use a calculator, because I don't hate myself that much.

Based on this, the character with the most lines is…

Hamilton!

This actually surprised me, to be honest. I expected Burr to win, only because he is the narrator.

But Jordan, you say. I would also love a full breakdown of every character in the show and their exact line counts.

If you insist.

Alexander Hamilton: 916 Aaron Burr: 655 Eliza Hamilton: 324 George Washington: 300 Angelica Schuyler: 246 Thomas Jefferson: 234 John Laurens: 163 Marquis de Lafayette: 129 Hercules Mulligan: 115 James Madison: 112 King George: 100 Philip Hamilton: 85 Peggy Schuyler: 42 Maria Reynolds: 31 Samuel Seabury: 28 Charles Lee: 15 George Eacker: 11 James Reynolds: 10 Doctor: 6 I hope at least one person finds this information useful. This was an obnoxious amount of time spent on a fairly useless task.

But I did find it extremely interesting.

Edit: I feel compelled also to break this down by actor (assuming original cast). Please excuse me.

Lin-Manuel Miranda: 916 Leslie Odom, Jr. : 655 Daveed Diggs: 363 Phillippa Soo: 324 Christopher Jackson: 300 Anthony Ramos: 248 Renee Elise Goldsberry: 246 Okieriete Onaodowan: 227 Jonathan Groff: 100 Jasmine Cephas Jones: 73 Thayne Jasperson: 28 Sydney James Harcourt: 16 Jon Rua: 15 Ephraim Sykes: 11 This moves Tony-award winner Daveed Diggs up significantly, which I find interesting. It's worth noting that the show’s Tony nominees (with the exceptions of Anthony Ramos, who was not nominated, and Jonathan Groff, who was) had the most lines overall. However, the show’s winner for Best Lead Actor did not have the most lines (Leslie Odom, Jr.) as compared to the show’s other nominee in this category (Lin-Manuel Miranda).

Interesting.

77.5K viewsView UpvotersView Sharers · Answer requested by Nathan Overlock

[newyorktheater]

  “We have to make this moment last,” Lin-Manuel Miranda sings near the beginning of “Hamilton,” referring to revolutionary fervor but also apparently youthful vigor; then he immediately corrects himself: “This is not a moment, it’s the movement.”

Now that the film of the  stage musical  has started streaming on Disney+ this Independence Day weekend, this theater about the “ten-dollar Founding Father without a father” embodies for me three moments that feel like movements.

There is of course its chronicling of the moment a new nation came into being, a sweeping story that Miranda chooses to tell through the life of  Alexander Hamilton – a wise choice.

“In all probability, Alexander Hamilton is the foremost political figure in American history who never attained the presidency, yet he probably had a much deeper and more lasting impact than many who did,” Ron Chernow writes in his 2004 “Alexander Hamilton” a 700-page biography that inspired and informed Miranda’s musical.

Right-hand man to George Washington during the Revolutionary War,  the first Secretary of the Treasury, the main architect of the American banking system,  Hamilton had his hand in so many national events in the three decades between his arrival in New York as an orphaned teenage immigrant from the Caribbean right before the American Revolution, and his death by duel in 1804, that the musical can’t even include all of them. (He also founded both the United States Coast Guard and the New York Post, for example)

But many people now know all this about Hamilton – thanks to the five years that “Hamilton” has been embedded in American popular culture, a presence so powerful that it upended the federal government’s plan to replace Hamilton’s face on the ten dollar bill.

If it’s striking that a Broadway musical charging as much as $1,000 a ticket would so thoroughly enter the public consciousness, it speaks to the moment in which it was born. Recall that Miranda’s first public performance of what became the opening number of “Hamilton” was in the White house in front of Barac Barack and Michelle Obama four months after Obama took office.  It feels like more than a coincidence that it was in the Obama years when the casting of this new musical primarily with performers of color – many descended from slaves, portraying America’s founders, many of whom owned slaves — signaled in effect a new generation saying: We’re America too.

A century and a half after Walt Whitman proclaimed “I hear America singing,” Hamilton and his peers were singing a generous mix of American music –  rap, yes, but also jazz, r&b, Broadway ballads, even a sampling of operetta

Even the willingness to incorporate straight-ahead civic lessons into a popular entertainment — rap battle about the national debt! – speaks to a moment that promised more widespread civic engagement.

Now, we are in a new moment. There is a lot going on these days, but let’s focus on the timing of  Disney’s launch of this film, live-captured from the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theater in three days in June, 2016, with the original Broadway cast still intact.  At first scheduled for a release in movie theaters in October, 2021,  the pandemic changed the plan. It is now up a day before the Fourth of July, but, equally significant, presented four months after the shutdown of physical theaters, into  world in which “online” and “theater” have become synonymous.

This online presentation of “Hamilton” hardly pioneers the genre of online theater: Theater artists have been experimenting fruitfully since March, and films of stage musicals have been presented on Web-based subscription services like BroadwayHD for years. This doesn’t even include National Theatre and Canada’s Stratford Festival which have routinely videotaped their productions, and have been putting them online for free during the pandemic.  But in offering this massive Broadway hit online, “Hamilton”  gives the genre great attention and remarkable validation.

It’s arresting how much hype and genuine enthusiasm has been generated because  this  five-year-old musical has gone online – how many new articles have been written and read…including by me!

I stayed up late to catch “Hamilton” right when it debuted online at 3 a.m., although I first saw it live on stage Off-Broadway in February, 2015, then a couple of times with the original Broadway cast

my video review in 2015

and last saw it on Broadway in March, 2019

It gave me a start to see at the outset of the Disney+ screening the Disney castle logo with the animated fireworks, and the PG-13 rating,  but Disney disappears right away.

I can report that some things are better about seeing it online, some worse, but it definitely holds up. Angelica Schuler sings “You want a revolution? I wanna revelation.” With “Hamilton” online, we get one.

What’s most gained by putting “Hamilton” online comes from the close-ups and the captions.

In the number “Satisfied,” after Angelica Schuyler in effect has given up Alexander Hamilton to her sister Eliza,  the close-up of Reneé  Elise Goldsberry’s face drives home what this has cost her.

Indeed, though I always grasped that the musical toggled between the personal and the political, the close-ups somehow make the personal feel more prominent than they seemed on stage, especially the relationship between Hamilton and Eliza, and among the Schuyler sisters.

The editing here is generally first-rate, but the use of these close-ups largely assigns the ensemble’s thrilling and inventive choreography to the periphery.  Perhaps this is unavoidable, but it’s a loss.

Having the easy option of captions allowed me not just to follow every word – including the famous three-second rap explosions from Daveed Diggs as the Marquis de Lafayette (“I’m never gonna stop til i make ‘em drop, burn ‘em up and scatter their remains, I’m….”)–  but also to register in real time some of the many clever samples and allusions…to Macbeth and the Bible, Gilbert and Sullivan and Biggie Smalls.

I plan to see “Hamilton” again, soon (another advantage of its being online.) In the meantime, a confession: I cried. And not just at the sad parts, but in the opening number! I’m not sure why. Maybe it was in recalling those two previous moments (now both historical) that it embodies; maybe because it opens up a new moment of possibility for theater.

Hamilton on Disney+ Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda; Inspired by the book “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow Directed by Thomas Kail Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler Cast: Daveed Diggs,Renée Elise Goldsberry,Jonathan Groff,Christopher Jackson,Jasmine Cephas Jones,Leslie Odom, Jr.,Anthony Ramos, Phillipa Soo Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings Thayne Jasperson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Rua, Austin Smith,Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes Rating:PG-13 Running Time: two hours and 40 minutes (That includes a one minute intermission, and nine minutes of curtain call and credits.)

Hamilton on Disney+ Review: The Third Moment That Feels Like a Movement “We have to make this moment last,” Lin-Manuel Miranda sings near the beginning of “Hamilton,” referring to revolutionary fervor but also apparently youthful vigor; then he immediately corrects himself: “This is not a moment, it’s the movement.”

[mrmichaelchadler]

Odie Henderson's Top Ten Films of 2018

So many movies spoke to me in 2018, so much so that I had a harder time narrowing this list down than in prior years. For example, the margin between the top five films on this list is razor-thin. The distance is even closer between the top two movies, which flip-flopped right up until the time I wrote this sentence. And there are honorable mentions to the underrated “Widows,” the terrifying “Custody” and the memorable documentaries “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”

10. "I Am Not a Witch"

Good satire is hard to come by. Writer/director Rungano Nyoni has made a great satire with a vicious bite and a deliciously pointed gaze at all its targets. Aided by a scarily good Maggie Mulubwa, a young actress whose use of silence is wise beyond her years, Nyoni takes on every type of exploiter, from the patriarchy to the folks who come to Africa looking for weirdness and not realizing that they’re being trolled by those who they deem inferior. The film never tips its hand, and as the story gets wilder and funnier, its emotions become more devastating.  

9. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse"

Just go see this. I want you to walk into this one blind. This is a gorgeously animated feature and the voice talent is first-rate. The story is pure comic-book joy, reminding us that in that world anything can happen and realities are constantly being twisted, rejiggered and combined. Seeing Miles Morales onscreen made me giddy, but he’s not alone. Any movie that not only gives me a Spidey who looks like me but also one voiced by a full-on film noir Nicolas Cage knows my sweet spots. And my goodness, this is SO MUCH FUN. Just go.

8. "Leave No Trace"

Here I’m reminded of Roger Ebert’s oft-cited quote about movies being an empathy machine. I had no idea about these characters and their environment. But by the final frames of director Debra Granik’s film, I had not only learned about these people, I was with them in spirit, shedding tears for them and hoping they’d get by. There’s no way in Hell the excellent Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie is a supporting character, as the awards machine keeps saying. She’s stitched so tightly into this film’s fabric that it couldn’t exist without her character. She’s not only our stand-in, the story hinges upon the changes her journey creates. Ben Foster offers memorable support as her dad. I am glad I saw “Leave No Trace.”

7. "Roma"

Director Alfonso Cuaron takes over from his usual cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and the result is his most personal and best work. His framing is practically another character in the film, and his use of black and white conveys both a dreamlike state and a harsh realism. This story of people from two different classes is refreshingly female-oriented. The leisurely pace only adds to its magic; it puts us onto the film’s rhythms and we fall into them accordingly. As Cleo, Yalitza Aparicio is a revelation, with one of the best performances of the year. “Roma” is a memory play whose Mexican-set story feels like an antidote to today’s demonization of that country.

6. "Paddington 2"

The bear is very furry. And his movie is very, very good. This sequel finds Paddington Bear in great spirits and gainful employment. That is, until he becomes embroiled in a Hitchcockian tale of the man—or rather bear—wrongly accused. Paddington’s jail time is shared by Brendan Gleeson and made possible by an evil has-been actor played by that sly charmer, Hugh Grant. Director Paul King, his F/X people and Ben Whishaw’s voice-work bring Paddington to life wonderfully, but the actors who surround him are equally important in casting this film’s lovely spell. Grant in particular is positively shameless and absolutely fabulous, a villain for all awards seasons.

5. "Amazing Grace"

This Sydney Pollack-helmed concert recording sat in Warner Bros. vault for decades before being shepherded into a finished product by a tireless Alan Elliott. And what a product it is: One of the greatest music documentaries ever made, starring a young, radiant, resplendent and transcendent Aretha Franklin returning to her gospel roots to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. The resulting album was the biggest gospel release of all time. But listening to it is nothing like seeing it performed live, complete with choir and appearances by the Holy Ghost. It only took 46 years to see Re in all her glory, but it was definitely worth the wait.

4. "Black Panther"

WAKANDA FOREVER!! Pick any aspect of this Marvel marvel and you’ll find excellence. Whether it’s Ruth E. Carter’s dynamic costumes, the eye-popping cinematography by Rachel Morrison, the rousing score by Ludwig Göransson featuring Kendrick Lamar, or the unapologetically Afrocentric world building inherent in the Ryan Coogler Universe, you can’t go wrong here. You’ll cheer for the protagonists led by Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, his tech-savvy sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and the Dora Milaje. You’ll hiss at the complicated villain Killmonger, played in spectacular fashion by Coogler’s Robert DeNiro, Michael B. Jordan. And if you’re a brown kid holding out for a hero, you’ll beam with a pride that’ll burn brighter than a thousand suns.

3. "BlacKkKlansman"

Spike Lee’s angry, funny, funky and explosive retelling of the life of Ron Stallworth takes a sledgehammer to D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” and the racist beliefs it celebrated, beliefs that unfortunately still exist today. Stallworth’s infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan is milked for its comic potential, but underneath it all is a fascinating interrogation of identity and the repercussions that arise when that identity is marginalized. While John David Washington’s Stallworth gets the laughs with phone calls to a clueless David Duke (Topher Grace), it’s Adam Driver’s Flip Zimmerman who earns most of the film’s introspection. The powerful real-life coda is Lee at his most brilliantly political, challenging those who’d disavow the crazier aspects of his story by showing just how scary and accurate they actually are.

2. "If Beale Street Could Talk"

Barry Jenkins’ beautiful and haunting adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 book captures the author’s voice and spirit while simultaneously evoking its director’s trademarks and influences. Jenkins has several arrows in his quiver—the brilliant actress known as Regina King, James Laxton’s tactile cinematography, Nicholas Brittell’s delicate music—each of which hit the intended bullseye. KiKi Layne and Stephan James are superb as the couple who anchor this Harlem-set romance, tenaciously holding on to their relationship while injustice threatens to tear it apart. Jenkins maintains Baldwin’s matter-of-fact storytelling, which makes the characters’ joys all the more rapturous and their tragedy that much more shattering.

1. "Blindspotting"

This fearless exploration of the complex, messy, and complicated qualities of interracial friendship should be garnering all the attention currently reserved for the simplistic and insulting “Green Book.” Screenwriters and co-leads Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal have a lot to say about rapid gentrification, racial stereotypes, police brutality and the type of friendly alliances that are as potentially dangerous as they are life-saving. The two leads are fantastic, and director Carlos López Estrada successfully navigates tonal shifts with a visceral, reckless abandon. It ends with a powerful monologue by Diggs that’s the most daring thing I saw in 2018.

from All Content https://ift.tt/2LhyEm4

[myphillyrealty]

The Brand-New Museum Of The American Revolution Stuns With A Wealth Of Inclusive History

Drumroll, please! The Museum of the American Revolution opens its doors on Wednesday, April 19 in Philadelphia’s Historic District, just steps from Independence Hall and in the heart of a city that served as the headquarters for the Revolution.

FAST FACTS

The Museum of the American Revolution opens on Wednesday, April 19.

The museum encompasses 118,000-square-feet of Revolutionary Period artifacts.

Tickets are $19 for adults; $17 for students, military and seniors; $12 for children ages 6 and over and free for children 5 and under.

After 20 years of planning and preparation, the museum debuts with a star-studded opening ceremony on Wednesday, April 19, the 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord that began the Revolutionary War.

Museum Overview

Encompassing 118,000-square-feet, the museum holds an expansive collection of art, manuscripts and printed works from the nation’s Revolutionary Period. Through immersive exhibitions and priceless artifacts, the museum traces the evolution of the colonies from the earliest days of unrest through a legendary war and the improbable victory that led to a new nation.

The galleries within the museum are organized chronologically to take guests on a journey from the beginning of the conflict in the 1760s through the creation of our nation, many of which center on events in the Philadelphia area.

Philadelphia was one of the crucial hubs of the Revolution, which makes Philadelphia’s Historic District the perfect place for this all-encompassing museum.

The exhibitions tell an inclusive story about the American Revolution that is often overlooked by other institutions. The stories of enslaved and free Africans, Native Americans and women — in addition to the Founding Fathers and Revolutionary War soldiers — are told through immersive displays and fascinating artifacts to create a modern storytelling experience.

(Liberty Tree replica | Photo courtesy Bluecadet)

The 118,000-square-foot museum showcases an impressive collection of manuscripts, life-like figures, personal items from soldiers that were important to the Revolution and more…

The Collection

The museum displays a range of objects gathered from and pertaining to the Revolutionary War, including some of George Washington’s own possessions, British, French and American weapons used in battle, items that belonged to soldiers and civilians, personal diaries written in camp and more than 20 life-like figures.

Approximately 3,000 objects in total are on display throughout 16 core galleries.

One of the most anticipated pieces in the museum is General Washington’s Headquarters Tent, an iconic piece of history where President George Washington slept and made world-changing decisions. The tent is part of a multimedia presentation about Washington.

Other key elements include a two-story replica of the Liberty Tree which shaded colonists as they discussed a revolt against the British, a large-scale replica of an 18th-century ship that visitors can climb aboard and an immersive discussion between members of the Oneida Indian Nation.

Audiovisual Highlights

There are 31 different audiovisual experiences (!), which include theaters, major interactive screens and soundscapes.

Ten theaters throughout the museum help tell the story of the Revolution. The first theater, the orientation theater, sets the stage for the history of the Revolution with information about the Revolution’s causes, important moments and its legacy today.

Another thrilling theatrical moment comes at the Battlefield Theater, where museum guests are put on the front lines of the Continental Army during a British attack. Throughout the show, gunshots erupt, the floor shakes, strobe lights flash and smoke fills the room.

(Photo courtesy Museum of the American Revolution)

Featured items in the museum include…

General Washington’s Headquarters Tent (shown)

A two-story replica of the Liberty Tree

A replica of an 18th-century privateer ship

And more…

Opening Day Events

The highly anticipated museum opens its doors on Wednesday, April 19 with a bevy of special events to mark the monumental occasion.

The festivities start with an open-to-the-public tribute and remarks at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution in nearby Washington Square at 8:30 a.m. Starting at 9:15 a.m., governors and representatives from the 13 original states will head to the front of Independence Hall to give remarks in celebration of the opening of the museum.

At 10:30 a.m. the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication featuring former Vice President Joe Biden start at the Museum of the American Revolution. A number of talented musicians, including the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Sydney James Harcourt from Hamilton, will provide musical accompaniment throughout the ceremony.

Note that the ceremony is ticketed. Guests can enter here for a chance to win two tickets to the museum and the Grand Opening Ceremony.

(Photo by C. Smyth for Visit Philadelphia)

Throughout the galleries, guests can find more than 30 different audiovisual experiences, including theaters, major interactive screens and soundscapes.

Tickets

Tickets for the Museum of the American Revolution are $19 for adults, $17 for students, active or retired military and AAA and AARP members with ID and $12 for children ages 6 and up. Children ages 5 and under are free.

Tickets are available online and onsite at the Museum of the American Revolution.

Be sure to check out this stunning new museum in Philadelphia’s Historic District!

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[papermoonloveslucy]

WON'T YOU CALM DOWN, DAN DAILEY?

S4;E9 ~ November 8, 1971

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob Carroll and Madelyn Davis

Synopsis

Hollywood star Dan Dailey buys the building where Lucy and Harry work and Lucy wangles a job working for him. But when Lucy's starstruck nature gets in the way of her work, Dailey conspires with Harry about how to go about firing her!  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)

Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter) does not appear in this episode, although she does receive opening title credit.

Guest Cast

Dan Dailey (Himself) started his career in vaudeville, later making his Broadway debut in the 1937 stage version of Babes in Arms.  He began his screen career in 1940 and was nominated for an Oscar for his work in When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948).  From 1969 to 1970 he played the Governor in the CBS TV series “The Governor and J.J.”  This is his only time working with Lucille Ball.  

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane, left) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and Evelyn Bigsby in “Return Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26). She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in 1999 at the age of 83. 

Vanda Barra (Vanda, right) makes one of over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy Gets Lucky” (with Dean Martin) and “Three for Two” (with Jackie Gleason). She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Barra was married to Sid Gould so is Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law.

Sid Gould (Sam, Waiter) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” and nearly as many on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton and was married to Vanda Barra (Vanda).

Sam is the waiter in the building's luncheonette.  He is never addressed by name.  

Joan Carey (Diner Patron, uncredited) was one of the few performers to appear in “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” She also served as Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in. [Thanks to The Lucy Lounge for spotting Carey!]

The cashier and the other diner patrons are played by uncredited background players.

The title is a parody of the song "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey" published in 1902 and written by Hughie Cannon. It was sung by Lew Parker in “Lucy and Her All-Nun Band” (S4;E8).  This is the second title to pun on the name of a familiar song and not use the name “Lucy.” The first was “Someone's On the Ski Lift with Dinah” (S4;E7).

In his DVD introduction to the episode, music director Marl Young remembers that during rehearsals he would improvise on the piano while Dan Dailey danced.

Lucy mentions that she sent a poison pen letter to the network when they canceled “The Governor and J.J.”  Although the network goes un-named, it was Lucy's own employer, CBS.  

We learn for the first time that Mary Jane works for a trial lawyer. She says that every week its like working on a “Perry Mason” rerun. “Perry Mason” (1957-66) was a hit CBS TV courtroom drama starring Raymond Burr.

Peering through the foliage behind her, Harry overhears Lucy bragging about playing hooky from work.  He says “Very interesting!” recreating the famous catch phrase from “Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In” spoken by Arte Johnson as the German solider (inset).  Elizabeth Taylor spoke the line in “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (S2;E1).  

In a previous episode, Kim reminds Lucy that Harry has fired her 14 times.  This makes 16.

Dailey asks Lucy to call Clark Caterers to set up a party for the building's tenants.  The name of the caterer may be a nod to Wanda Clark, Lucille Ball's personal secretary.  

Dan Dailey dictates a letter to Betty James, 19 San Leone Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada.  Lucy correctly guesses that he is writing to Betty Grable, who was married to bandleader Harry James.  Grable did four films with Dailey and both Grable and James appeared as themselves on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, “Lucy Wins a Racehorse” (above).  Her name was mentioned in “Lucy and Carol Burnett aka The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (S3;E22). 

In his penthouse office, Dan and Lucy suddenly break into a song and dance routine to “I Want to Be Happy.” It was written by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar for the 1925 musical No, No Nanette which was filmed in 1930 and again in 1940. The routine was choreographed by Jim Bates. This is Bates' first episode of the series, taking over for dance director Jack Baker.

Dailey starts to dictate a letter to Paul Newman at Universal Studios. Lucy says she saw Newman on the late show in Winning, a 1969 film about a race car driver.

Dailey slips and mentions that he knows Robert Young. Young played two of television's most enduring characters, the title roles in “Father Knows Best” and “Marcus Welby M.D.”  Harry confirms that Lucy is star-struck and goes to pieces over Rin Tin Tin, a dog who was the star of film serials and his own television series.

Lamenting not having Lucy around anymore, Harry and Dan Dailey quote the lyrics (verbatim) to “I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face” from the stage and screen musical My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe. Dailey says “If Rex Harrison can talk through that song, we can too.” Harrison 'sang' the song on Broadway, in the West End, and in the 1964 motion picture, for which he won an Oscar.

When Harry suggests getting someone to act as Dailey's wife in front of Lucy, Dailey tells Harry that he likes the wife he has. In 1971 this would have been his fourth wife, Carol F. Warner. In less than a year after speaking those words, Warner and Dailey divorced. He would stay single for the rest of his life (seven years). Lucy says that she read in TV Guide that Dailey was a widower, but Dailey corrects her that they were talking about his character on “The Governor and J.J.”

In some ways, this episode resembles “The Star Upstairs” (ILL S4;E25) where a star-struck Lucy Ricardo goes to great lengths to meet movie star Cornel Wilde, who is staying in the room above her.

Sitcom Logic!  Although Dailey says his manager convinced him to buy the building, it doesn't make sense that a famous actor would want a second career managing an office building.

Lapse of Character Consistency! After trying to get Lucy to quit by making advances on her in the office doesn't work – in fact, Lucy encourages it – Dailey tells Harry he has a wife.  Harry seems to think she knows that and it doesn't matter because he's a big star.  This is highly unlike conservative Lucy.

Fact Check! In his DVD introduction to the episode, music director Marl Young says that the episode originally aired on November 15, 1971, when most agree that it was aired on November 8, 1971. It is also presented out of chronological order on the disc.  

“Won’t You Calm Down, Dan Dailey?” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5

Dan Dailey really isn't suited to Lucy's kind of comedy.  He looks uncomfortable and rarely lands a joke.  The only saving grace is that his low key performance draws some interesting moments out of Gale Gordon and Lucille Ball. In these days of women facing sexual molestation in the workplace, this storyline is a bit off-putting.  Of course, the premise is completely unbelievable so perhaps the farcical premise allows some of the comedy to shine through.