#pre-relationship when Eddie was still new to the cast

[fadedrainbowbookshelves]

He's terrified of going off-script but also extremely concerned about the new mailman.

[justanotheroutlastfanblog]

The Outlast College AU: the cast

Eddie Gluskin:

Eddie Gluskin (also known as "Ed" or "the groom" in a mocking way) is a failed pre-med student who switched over to fashion design and merchandising and is known for his "retro" style of dress along with his misogynistic behavior. He is a social outcast due to how he acts so despite his good looks and "charming" personality, he seldom ever gets dates or even respect from his other peers (functionally making him an incel). He is "friends" with Frank (although this is mostly just because Frank also happens to live with him) and that is really about it. And despite his bizarre standards for women and beliefs surrounding sexuality: he is dating Val who is the polar opposite of all of what he holds dear.

Frank Manera:

Frank Manera is Eddie's weed-smoking, whisky-drinking, grunge music-loving culinary school dropout roommate. Unlike Eddie, he is a social outcast by choice and actively chooses not to socially engage with other people or things. Frank is probably the most easy-going person you might meet partly due to the fact he is high all the time but also due to his "I really do not give a shit" attitude he has about practically everything. If it is not about his pickup truck, guns, food, weed, or the bands he likes he could care less. Frank is also occasionally seen at Crust-punk bars and other hole-in-the-wall places around MMU despite not being a student.

Val:

Val is a former member of the hyper-religious cult Temple Gate who once held the role of being the "mother" of all of the bastard children of its leader, Knoth, along with the orphans. She was unable to biologically produce children (functionally be a broodmare) so she took on the role of raising them instead. Val escaped the cult when she was 17 and attempted to bring others with her but was unable to. After her escape, she began to hyper-indulge in sex, drugs, body mods, and all of the other things she was never allowed to even talk about while living on the commune. She never got an education and instead opted to continue partying while also taking a job at a Spencers near MMU. She is dating Eddie Gluskin for reasons not fully understood. And despite her new life of freedom and indulgence, she is still on the run from the cult who does periodically attempt to drag her back. She still misses some members of the cult, specifically the children she cared for and wanted to take with her, but also deeply fears being dragged back too much to do anything.

Miles Upshur:

Miles is a journalism student at MMU who also works at the Spencers with Val. He is yet another stoner similar to the likes of Frank only with a significantly more conspiratorial slant. He is best friends with Waylon Park and frequently pulls him into his strange schemes and ventures (like when he goes ghost hunting in abandoned asylums or attempts to prove aliens exist). And much to his friend's horror: he overall lacks a sense of self-preservation and self-control which frequently results in him getting into a lot of dangerous situations.

Waylon Park:

Waylon Park is a computer science major at MMU and the unwitting best friend/accomplice of Miles. He is a lot more timid than his best friend and spends most of his time locked in his apartment streaming video games or working on various coding projects and actively avoids danger/confrontation. He is dating Lisa, a literature major, and is in a pretty steady relationship with her. Due to his more ambiguous appearance, he was mistaken for a woman and thus pursued by Eddie but that was quickly shut down when the truth was revealed and a restraining order was filed.

Rick Trager:

Rick Trager is an extremely shifty business professor teaching at MMU who may or may not be addicted to cocaine. The only reason he has not been fired is due to his tenure at the university.

Jermey Blaire:

Trager's equally as shifty/douchy TA who practically models himself after Patrick bateman.

Chris Walker:

Chris Walker is a former combat veteran going back to school after his time in the service. His exact major is unclear as it has changed several times. But due to his emence size and overall strength he is also a coveted member of the MMU football team. Chris does not have a particularly close relationship with anybody and only happens to know Miles because he had a class with him once (and in turn grew to dislike him as he came off extremely annoying).

Blake Langermann:

Blake is a fellow jornalisim major along with Miles and is a catholic school survivee. Blake is only mildly acquainted with the likes of Miles and Waylon and instead focuses a majority of his time on working on projects with his girlfriend Lynn who is also a journalism major. These projects are usually Exposes regarding local controversies or drama going on (along with the periodic serious human rights/civil rights violation). However, he will join Waylon and Miles on their bullshit adventures from time to time.

Father Martin:

He is the weird guy standing outside of MMU with a large sign only instead of telling people they are going to hell, he warns of the end times and weird ghost demons coming but it is unclear if he is for or against them.

Sullivan Knoth:

Is the leader of the Cult Val escaped from and one of the main antagonists in Val's life. He is functionally the same compared to how he is in the game minus the radio tower frequencies: he is just crazy naturally.

Marta:

Is funtionally the "Sister Cindy" of MMU. She, unlike Father Martin, does accuse all of the students of being whores and tells them they will burn in hell if they don't repent (and do so to Knoth's teachings). She is also the closest immediate threat to Val's freedom and safety outside of the cult given she is still actively looking for her (dubbing her "the Heretic").

Ethan:

The only person from the cult Val is still somewhat in contact with. He is too attempting to escape given his fading faith had the fact Knoth sexually assaulted his daughter and is denying his wife the ability to get cancer treatments as "only god can decide if she lives". He tried to leave with Val initially but had to stay behind in order to at least allow Val to escape and to protect his family.

Billy Hope:

Billy is a highschooler who has functionally adopted by the MMU football team and is "enrolled" at the school a year early so he can play football. His mother, Tiffany, more or less signed off on it due to the hefty sum of money she was offered to allow her son to play.

"The Twins":

Really creepy townies everybody avoids and can usually be spotted with Martin

Pauline Glick:

The asshole president of MMU who may or may not be taking bribes and doing a bunch of illegal shit along with Blaire and Trager

"Mother Gooseberry (Phyllis Futterman)":

Is a washed-up former children's TV host who later became an art teacher at MMU. She teaches several of the more "technical" arts classes such as sewing and technical drawing. However, she also teaches dental classes at MMU although not that many. It is unclear when or if she even got a degree in dental medicine. But given she is only teaching more "anatomy" based lessons and is not actually practicing medicine: it is looked over by MMU administration.

Leland Coyle:

The campus cop who is activly on a power trip, all of the time.

"The Pusher":

The guy who sells literally everybody drugs. Weed, coke, you name it, he has it.

[atmilliways]

Part One: Sweet Little Lies

(part two) (part three) (part four) (part five) - complete as of 4/4/23

Rating: Mature Word Count: 2190 Ships: Steddie Major Tags: Jealousy, Casual sex Additional Tags: Pining, Slutty Steve Harrington, Drinking, Vomiting, Pre-relationship

Author’s Note: Written for the Stranger Music Anthology prompt, Rainbow In The Dark by Dio; banner by @xirayn​. Story kinda got away from me... I wrote a lot more than 2k, so there will be more.

Ao3 Collection: Rainbow in the Dark Anthology

Read it on Ao3

-

Eddie doesn’t have a thing for Steve or anything. 

(Lie. He’s carried a torch for the guy on and off since 1981; it is now 1988.)

And it’s not like he thought that, after all the life or death stuff, after ‘Steeeve Harrington is actually . . . a good dude,’ after ‘Don’tcha, big boy?’ and the adorably questioning looks Steve had shot him in response, after Steve holding his guts in all the way to the hospital and throwing an absolute ‘Is this how you’re going to talk to a goddamn Harrington after all the money my parents have donated’ shit-fit while drenched in blood until Hawkins Memorial agreed to treat him. . . . It’s not like, after all that, he thought moving to Indianapolis with the guy would mean something.

(Lie. He’d thought about how often Robin would inevitably visit them in their shitty two-bedroom apartment and daydreamed pointlessly about that second room being unofficially hers.)

And, and, it’s not like Steve coming out to him as bisexual within a few months of moving in, then turning those great big doe eyes on Eddie while he asked if he’d take him to his first gay bar sometime had made him do anything as ill-advised as yearn.

(Lie. In defiance of all sense of self-preservation, Eddie’s first thought had been that maybe he meant it like a date. He’d had to quash that immediately, before the ember that had fallen from his torch caught on anything and burned him from the inside out.)

Really, none of it’s a big deal. They’re at the bar dancing in the swirling light of vivid colors cast all around the otherwise grungy space, and Steve moves in unexpectedly close. Close enough for Eddie to feel the press of him all along his front. It’s crowded, but not that crowded; he’s not expecting it, and, well. 

Eddie is a coward. He moves back. 

Just for a second. But while his mind is still reeling, some guy cuts in to dance with Steve—because Steve is fucking gorgeous and Eddie absolutely hadn’t nearly had a heart attack while putting eyeliner on him, or again when he’d seen his fucking outfit, with the sinfully tight jeans and the t-shirt short enough to show off abs worthy of licking, scars only enhancing the effect in his personal opinion—and Eddie backs off. 

Let Steve have some fun exploring his newly expanded horizons, you know? It totally isn’t killing him or anything.

(Lies. It’s a very big deal. His heart is in bad shape and he feels well on his way back to nearly dead.)

-

It’s not like he doesn’t have his distractions, either. 

He’d found a fellow metalhead amongst his coworkers and followed that thread of knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy to a band that needed a guitarist and dug the scraps of original songs he’d turned up with. They’ll probably never make it big, but Hawkins had held Eddie in such notoriety (the ugly flip-side of fame) that he’d had to leave, and the rock star life would have that same unappealing kind of omnipresent scrutiny. These days he plays just to work off the tension, get some of the shit out of his system; he still has nightmares, occasionally, but his demons always seem to let him go while he’s making music. 

(No one needs to know that half his songs are secretly about Steve.)

And Eddie needs all the breaks he can get now that every time he comes home from a shift at the coffee shop, it seems like Steve has acquired a new set of hickies. Every. Single. Time. It’s fine. 

(Lie. And one count of possible over-exaggeration on the hickey front, but he can’t. Stop. Thinking about it.)

The thing is, Steve doesn’t date around. He never calls whatever he’s doing dating, just says he’s going to “hang out” with some guy whose name Eddie isn’t familiar with, never quite sure if it was someone that he knows or not because half of his job involves writing names on paper cups; they all blur together after a while. Occasionally there’s a girl thrown in there for variety, but Steve is more straightforward about calling those hookups. 

None of these hangouts or hookups ever seem to happen at the apartment—which is good, it isn’t like Eddie needs to know what that sounds like. Or looks like. Or anything. 

(Lie. He wants very much to know, just without anyone else in the way. Just Steve. The muffled noises he sometimes catches late into the shadows of the night through the very thin shared wall that separates their bedrooms are a tantalizing sample. He’s grown well versed in staying silent while touching himself to that elusive soundtrack, not wanting to miss a single scrap of what little he can get.)

-

Okay. So maybe Eddie is a little pathetic. 

He certainly feels pathetic, standing (moping) against the bar and staring blankly into the crowd for glimpses of anyone he knows (Steve), already in his third beer. Or . . . fourth? He frowns, idly trying to remember, before his gaze finally lands on Steve, body loose as he moves to the throb of the music. That pretty face smoothed over, relaxed and grinning languidly under a rainbow of light, his hair perfectly styled—more professionally done every day now that he’s scored a job at a hair salon. He’s just a shampoo boy, for now, but he’s learning. 

That head of perfect hair tipping to say something to the guy dancing up close to him. 

It’s like an arrow straight through Eddie’s heart. Like a bat ripping his goddamn nipple off all over again. 

And it’s all Eddie’s fault, isn’t it? If he hadn’t choked and backed off that first time, maybe he would still be dancing with Steve—something he hasn’t done since, but it’s not like he thinks about it obsessively. 

(Lie. Absolute crock of horse shit. He’s doing it literally right now, because he wants Steve reaching back to put both hands on his hips, grip tight to hold him close like Steve wants him there. It’s so, so stupid to want what he so clearly can’t have, but Eddie can’t help himself.)

This is the moment the bartender slides a shot his way, and when Eddie glances around he spots a guy further down the bar giving a little wave. 

Well, Eddie thinks, appraising and pathetic and edging on tipsy with intent to keep going. The guy is good-looking, all broad shoulders and a nice smile and a promising hint of chest hair just visible in the V of his partly unbuttoned shirt. Why not? He’ll do.

(Lie.)

So he does shots with a pretty stranger at the bar, loses count of how many until not Steve becomes close enough. And if he feels eyes boring into him sometimes from the dance floor, it’s probably just his imagination.

-

Steve is oddly reserved on the walk home, even as Eddie keeps stumbling into him because the damn sidewalk won’t stay still. He feels relaxed in a way he hasn’t in, like, forever, all loose-limbed and warm and totally over Steve Harrington. 

(Lie. Even with some other dude’s spit drying in his cock, and his hand thoroughly washed but still feeling of the hard weight he’d cradled in his palm, all his senses still lit up like a fucking Christmas tree around Steve.)

“‘Samatter, Stevie?” he slurs, whining, because everything he says only seems to earn him a shrug or a grunt from the other man. It totally doesn’t make him want to latch onto Steve’s arm and cling to him like a koala until he gets the guy’s full attention. “Didn’t you have a good night? Looked like you were having fun out there.”

Steve shoots him a look that he’s not sure he’d even be able to read sober. It’s like somebody took grumpy, pouty, and a secret third ingredient and threw them in a blender. “Not as much as you.”

“We should get milkshakes,” Eddie declares, thoroughly detailed by that blender thought. He leans in, and bumps his head against Steve’s a little too hard in his enthusiasm. “Stevie, y’know anywhere we can get milkshakes this late?”

“No, dude. Stop it.”

It hurts that Steve both figuratively and literally shrugs him off. Eddie sways in place for a moment, but when Steve keeps moving towards home he shakes himself from head to toe like a dog climbing out of a lake and lopes forward to catch up. 

“Dude, what the hell?” he complains, poking at Steve’s side with a finger because god forbid he keeps his hands to himself. “Always brings me down when you’re like this.”

“Like what?” Steve scoffs. “When am I ‘like this,’ what does that even mean?”

He doesn’t know how to answer Steve’s question. 

(Lie. ‘Like this’ is whenever Steve isn’t looking at him, smiling at him, touching him. Steve is always ‘like this.’ God, Eddie thinks, but knowing his own mind is a fucking curse.)

He settles for grumbling, “I just don’t know why we can’t get fuckin’ milkshakes, man,” and swaying ahead at a faster clip because their building is in sight now. Steve catches up while he’s stalled at the front door, patting his pockets trying to find his keys. “Man, what the fuck—”

“Bartender took your keys.” 

Eddie frowns, blinking. “My house keys?”

“You kept waving them around and talking about driving home, so yeah,” Steve huffs, leaning around him to unlock the front door. 

“Buzzkill,” Eddie mutters, not sure if he means the bartender or Steve, and takes the stairs up to their floor a haphazard two at a time. 

He has to wait in front of their locked apartment, and that’s when it occurs to him. 

“Shit,” he blurts out while Steve unlocks this door too, “that ring has my work keys. I’m supposed to open tomorrow!”

“Are you—” Steve pushes the door open and Eddie trips inside with a groan, because everything is spinning so fast now “—fucking kidding me?”

“Bar’s gonna be closed in the morning, fuuuuuck,” Eddie moans, slumping face first over the first piece of furniture he encounters, which luckily is the couch. “M’fucked,” he tells the couch cushions. 

“With that attitude, yeah.”

Eddie sits up, which is totally a good decision. 

(Lie. He eyes the nearest trash can, which he’s seeing in kaleidoscope triplicate, and thinks he’ll have enough warning to make it in time if he needs to.)

“How’s this,” he says with forced brightness, definitely slurring worse now but whatever. “How’bout you—” pointing at Steve for emphasis, and he thinks he’s pointing at the right one “—go back to the bar. Get my keys. Find a quick fuckbuddy to take care of that big ol’ twist in your panties. . . . An’then come home. With keys.”

“What?” Steve says incredulously as Eddie tries to drag his legs up onto the couch and . . . misses, somehow. “You want me to go back for your—Okay. Sure. That’s—Just fucking great.” He drops one hand to his hip (clad in those tight jeans again, the ones that really show off his ass) and the other pinches at the bridge of his nose like Eddie is giving him a headache. “Go back to the bar that I just goddamn left.”

“You only left because I got cut off,” Eddie reminds him. He flourishes a hand vaguely in Steve’s direction. “So go. Fly free, big boy, I release you—”

“I left,” Steve interrupts, both hands on his hips now, and oh, he’s pissed now, isn’t he, “because I wanted to make sure you got home safe, you jackass. Since that friend you made didn’t bother to do it.”

“Oooh, I see how it is!” Eyes flashing, Eddie hauls himself right back upright, as if now it might be a better idea. (It’s literally the same idea, but he’s too distracted to make a grab for the trash can now.) “You can make as many friends as you want, but as soon as I make even one, well. That’s just not allowed, is it? Got it. Good to know, and fuck you very much. Keys, please.”

“That’s not—” Steve’s mouth snaps into a thin line. He shakes his head, turning for the door. “Fine, whatever, I’ll get your fucking keys, Munson. If you throw up, try not to choke on it until I get back.”

He slams the front door behind him, and Eddie tells himself that being downgraded from Eddie or the occasional Eds to just Munson is fine, if that’s how King Steve wants to be.

(Lie. None of it’s fine. His head is spinning, he might be dying, and he can’t imagine that Steve is even going to want to come back home tonight.)

Silence sets in like an awful kind of gravity, tugging the spinning world just a bit further off its axis, and Eddie’s heart lurches with it. Except that’s not (just) his heart—his stomach gives a warning gurgle, and fuck the trash can. He can make it to the bathroom. 

(. . . Lie.)

[sleepy-moron]

Big pre s4 dropping post about what's gonna be up with my posting schedule and stuff+ also just the things I'm really excited for:

I am a heathen who actually gives zero fucks about spoilers for literally any piece of media so I should be actively keeping up with the tag tommorow. No idea when I'll start actually posting about the season, it just depends on how soon I have thoughts that I think are worth posting. I will be tagging things with the St4 spoilers and stranger things spoilers tags so block those if you don't want to know things.

Now for the list of things I'm personally super excited about this season:

- Mike arc!!! I'm super interested to see where they take his character this season and I think it should give us a really good indicator of if our predictions for his arc are right

- Eddie my beloved! Cannot wait to see his dynamic with all of the main cast and I am so excited to see him play guitar in another dimension!

- The original and period soundtrack! I'm specifically really interested in the tracks used for byler vs m*leven scenes and what that implies about the future of these relationships. I also just like some killer music so I'm excited for the general bops as well.

- Lumax continuing to be the best canon party ship (byler still hasn't happened technically) and they will make me cry this season

- Nancy and Robin being a duo seems super fun and I'm so excited to see them do investigations together

- I'm excited for Will content but it will all make me cry which sucks

- Not vecna as a character, but I am super excited for the powers of our new villain. Wanna see some crazy shit go down in trances

- I'm excited about everything else as well but I have no clue what goes down in the Russia or lab plots so I don't know what to be excited for there.

[extasiswings]

The fact that despite the writers knowing they'll kill shanon they also on top of that decided to give her and Eddie a divorce it's like na huh this man ain't gonna have a long term relationship with a girl folks double kill. As much as that episode BROKE MY FUCKING BONES AND HEART this makes me laugh so hard djdmsfkkdk

Okay, I’m going to talk a bit here because you’ve inadvertently run into one of my pet peeves (it’s not you, it’s me), which is that it’s all well and good to have headcanons but there’s a big problem in this fandom with disconnecting those hcs completely from any context that we actually know about the writing and intentions of the writers, especially in S2 so here we are.

When the writers originally conceived the character of Eddie, they planned two things: they wanted him to be a single dad and they wanted him to be Maddie’s Love Interest. And then JLH said she wanted to explore Maddie and Chim (which lbr was a better idea and a good call on their parts to listen to her) and that changed everything. These are things that we know. But because of that change, suddenly Eddie was a new character but they couldn’t do most of what they originally intended so they started throwing things at the wall to see what would stick. And you can see some of that in his earlier eps—the things he says are vague enough that there’s a question of okay, is he widowed, divorced, was he ever married to Christopher’s mother? We don’t know anything until Shannon shows up 7 episodes into the season. And then it was, okay, let’s have the new thing we’re throwing at the wall be “his complicated relationship with his estranged wife who he still loves.” And the audience didn’t go for it (either their relationship or her character) and so they read the room and killed her off.

Frankly, it wouldn’t have worked to just have kept her alive and had them get divorced because people simply didn’t like her as a character—the way they did it (the divorce + death double whammy) gave them a lot of options for new places to take his character and his story (and although I am generally opposed to fridging female characters on principle, I can’t say I was mad about it in this case). That’s it. But it was not “this man isn’t going to have a long term relationship with a woman” because as far as the writers were concerned, in S2 they were writing a straight man who was in love with his wife even though their relationship was a trainwreck (who was originally planned to be a straight man falling in love with Maddie), and part of how we know that too is because Buddie at that point was a joke! Tim Minear himself has said the elf scene etc was a cutesy little wink nudge for fanservice because they noticed that some people shipped them, but it wasn’t a Thing at that point in time.

They also always planned on giving him another female LI and honestly, I think they were on the fence in S3, testing the waters with Buddie but keeping their options open. And if they had tweaked the writing in 3x12 or cast a better actress or done anything at all that wasn’t shooting themselves in the foot wrt Ana’s introduction (because look, lbr here, pre-gross ableist speech, at the original parent-teacher conference, they could have been something), the audience might have responded better to her and opened a door for the writers to make that a legitimate thing.

So…anyway…all that to say, there’s a lot that we know “word of god” about production plans and intentions, there’s a lot that we can enjoy from what we’re being given now and from S3 on as they tried things out and adapted and committed to new ideas, but none of what we’re seeing now = “this was the clear plan they always intended the whole time” because it simply was not and the way we know it wasn’t is that they’ve told us so.

[gins-potter]

Casting Thoughts

Yes, I did a long post when the rumours first dropped but hey now it’s confirmed plus we have characters descriptions, and I’m bored so let’s do this all over again people.  Under the cut because it got long

Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway

I said this in my other post but I’m pretty happy with Sisi as Rose.

Visually I think she’s a great fit, I love that they casted a WoC in the main role, and I think if she can bring Rose’s humour and sarcasm to the role, she’s going to do great.

The character description mentions Rose being “fiery and outspoken”, happy to jump into the action, and the strongest fighter in her class but struggling to toe the line, which is all very Rose-esque, especially in the first book.  It sounds to me like they have a good grasp on her character.

I’m a little disappointed we didn’t hear more about Rose as a character since she is the lead - it felt like the descriptions for Lissa and Dimitri both gave us a little more to go on - but it is only a very preliminary description so I’m happy to wait for more.

Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir

Daniele is another one who I was happy with straight away.

She’s probably not what I imagined for Lissa visually but that’s not a bad thing either; I will be interested to see if they dye her hair a lighter colour (like a caramel-blonde) but personally that’s not something I need to see for her to be a great fit for Lissa.

I think she has a very sweet face which works well for a character like Lissa but I think she’s also going to be able to stand up in Lissa’s more fiercer moments which is nice to see as well.

The character descriptions mentions her as being “carefree and kind-hearted” who “coasts” through life until a death in the family thrusts her into a new role.  That sounds a lot like pre-series Lissa so I wonder if we’re going to see a bit of that in the show before Andre (and her parents??) die and see that change.  

It’s curious though that she’s described as the younger sister of the heir apparent - which would be Andre - so it sounds like they’ve changed it so Andre was supposed to be King.  Obviously a deviation from the books but I don’t hate it?  I don’t think it would change Lissa’s arc all that much because obviously she was always going to grow up to be an influential royal figure, this just slightly changes the dynamics of it.

The description also specifically mentions that she’s uninterested in “political machinations” and the “hypocrisy of the moroi royal society” which sounds very accurate to book!lissa as well.

All in all I’m very happy with what they’re doing with Lissa.

Keiron Moore as Dimitri Belikov

This is one who’s really grown on me since the rumoured cast list started circulating.  At first I was kind of eh about him but I can really see him as Dimitri now.

I will be curious to see if he grows out his hair or not though.

As far as I know Keiron is not Russian, there’s not a lot about him online, but there’s some instagram activity on his account linking him to UK based companies so that would be my guess as to where he’s from.  They’ve kept Dimitri’s incredibly Russian name so I guess we’re to assume Keiron might be doing an accent and they’re keeping Dimitri’s backstory relatively the same?  I’m not gonna be super mad if they change it just because I think it’s doable for him not to be Russian (I know, I know a whole book is set in Russia but lbr here they could make him from anywhere and just send Rose there in that book).

The biggest thing for me will be his chemistry with Sisi, Danila and Zoey had great chemistry (imo anyway) which saved the move a little for me, so it’ll be important that Sisi and Keiron do as well.  They’ve interacted a few times online which is cute so I’m hoping they were able to do some chemistry reads and that will translate on screen.

The character description mentions Dimitri as being “lethal, disciplined, discreet, and totally committed” as well as living by “a deep moral code” but with more going on “beneath his stoic, watchful surface” which sounds exactly like book!Dimitri to me.

They don’t really specify what his role at St Vlad’s is going to be but they do mention that he is a guardian so I’m assuming they’re keeping some sort of age gap between him and Rose.  They also don’t mention anything about their relationship in the description, be it student/teacher, platonic, romantic, whatever, but they do say he has “an expansive spirit that could threaten to expose the underlying tension between his sense of what’s right and his formal duty to the Moroi.” which seems like a nod to their relationship.

Andre Dae-Kim as Christian Ozera

This was one of my favourite casting choices from the original rumoured cast list and I still love it.

The idea of a non-white Christian makes a lot of sense to me and I think Andre could do a great job of Christian’s aloofness (in the first book) as well as his sarcasm and growing confidence across the other books.

His character description confuses me a bit though: “Intelligent and thoughtful, Christian is the pariah of the school and royal court, due to his parents’ unforgivable societal sins.” sounds accurate enough to the book (although idk if thoughtful is quite the word I’d use for Christian - maybe they mean it in the sense that he’s quiet and keeps to himself?).

Even “Well-read and hungry for knowledge” doesn’t sound that far off, idk if he was *that* particularly studious in the books, but it doesn’t necessarily not make sense either you know?

But “he searches for faith-based answers and discovers a kindred spirit who is also looking for the truth” ??? My cynical, irreverent asshole Christian is now a man of faith? I’m assuming Lissa is the “kindred spirit” (again weird word choice but maybe they mean she’s feeling lost because of the death of her family?) but I just cannot see Christian as being particularly religious.

I’m trying to keep an open mind about these changes because you never know they might play out totally different on screen, but I really hope they didn’t make these changes, particularly that Christian is studious and religious, just because they cast an Asian actor as him (because they feel a little like Asian stereotypes).

J August Richards as Victor Dashkov

This is one that didn’t appear on the original rumoured cast list (as far as I saw) and it’s so different to his description in the books that I kind of don’t have an opinion about it as a casting choice.

I’ve never seen him in anything before so purely on a visual level I think he could be a great fit for Victor, I just think it’ll really come down to how he plays it.

As for this character description: “Victor is a Moroi noble vampire with a heart of gold who’s highly regarded for his role as advisor and political strategist to Moroi dignitaries.” as well as mentioning that he has intelligence and influence, sounds pretty accurate to the book.  Obviously if Andre was the heir to the throne, Victor had to be shifted out of that role, but I think his book 1 arc could still work if they wanted it to.

The “heart of gold” bit obviously made me chuckle and I really hope they threw it in there as a kind of decoy to throw non-book-readers off the fact that he’s actually the villain in book 1/s1.

As for giving him a husband and two daughters, my thoughts are: why the fuck not? He didn’t have a love interest in the original books and I’m always down for more lgbtq+ rep.  My only concern is it maybe playing into the trope of evil/villain characters being queer-coded.  And as for having two daughters, well as long as one of them is Natalie I don’t mind.

Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel

Okay this is the most bizarre one imo, not because of the casting, but just the character description.

I mean “Tatiana is a Moroi vampire and political underdog who slowly takes the royal court by storm. Motivated by love and a sense of justice, Tatiana has a unique skill of making herself seem of no consequence until we realize much too late that she was always the one to watch.” sounds extremely Tasha Ozera to me, so like why not just make this character Tasha?  Nothing about this sounds like Tatiana, and Tatiana wasn’t even a Vogel anyway (well Vogel wasn’t even one of the 12 royal families), she was an Ivashkov.

In terms of Anita-Joy herself, well I mean we don’t really have a character to compare her to, is she supposed to be more like Tasha or Tatiana?�� She looks fairly young, so my guess is actually on Tasha, but we’ll have to wait to see I guess.

Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp

This is another one that I was instantly a fan of.

I was so not a fan of Mia’s casting in the movie (I can’t even remember who played her tbh but I really didn’t like it) so this Mia is a lot closer to how I imagine her.

I think she’ll be able to carry Mia’s transformation from bratty social-climber to badass fighter really well.

The character description is interesting though.  “Witty, cutting, and just the right kind of ruthless when necessary, non-Royal Mia has a long-term plan to social climb her way into the ranks of royalty, with all the privilege and freedom that entails.” sound pretty bang on to Mia in the first book.

“A plan complicated by her instant chemistry with Meredith, a Guardian-in-training, as Mia struggles to reconcile her attraction to Meredith with her lowly status.” is an obvious deviation though, and one I kind of love???  Give me all the queer rep, and if we get to see Mia confront the issue of comp-het I’m so here for it.  

It’s kind of funny though because I’ve seen theories that Meredith is a replacement for Eddie and Mia/Eddie has always been my sort of rarepair ship.

The last name Karp is weird af though.  Is she supposed to be Sonya’s daughter?  And if that’s the case I wonder if we’re going to actually see Sonya turn Strigoi in the show’s first season or something and that triggers the change in Mia?  Interesting concept but I’m not sure how the timeline will work.

Rhian Blundell as Meredith

So this is another new one, and tbh I hadn’t given Meredith *that* much though in the past but she’s probably close to how I would have pictured her which is cool.

The elephant in the room with this casting is that Meredith’s role in the books was relatively minor - she was just kind of that character that got brought up whenever R.M needed a dhampir who wasn’t Rose/Dimitri/Mason/Eddie.  So clearly she’s going to have a bigger role in the tv show which I don’t mind but I do wonder if we’re going to lose a character - probably Eddie lbr - in order to have her.  They haven’t casted an Eddie yet as far as we know, but I have seen it pointed out that Eddie’s role in book 1 was pretty small so maybe they just aren’t announcing it.  But there’s also the possibility that maybe Meredith will sort of replace Eddie and be the third part of Rose and Mason’s friendship.

I’m very interested by this part of her character description though, “She has little patience for Rose’s volatility or Mia’s elitism, and regularly calls both of them out.”

Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp

I don’t necessarily dislike Jonetta as Sonya but I am confused by this choice.  She looks fairly young, which tbf Sonya was young-ish I guess, but if Mia is supposed to be her daughter she doesn’t look old enough to have a teenaged daughter.  So maybe Sonya and Mia are sisters? Cousins? Just have each other’s last names for no reason? I really don’t know.  They also look nothing alike.

Other than that, I don’t really have an opinion about Jonetta as Sonya.  Obviously looks nothing like how Sonya was described but that’s not new nor a massive concern for me.  

I can’t really tell just from looking at her, and I haven’t seen her in anything, if she would play a good Sonya.  I think with a lot of the characters it’s going to come down to the personality they bring to the part and the writing.

I looooooove her character description though:  “Quiet, careful and decidedly odd, Sonya is not of royal bloodline and sits out on the fringe of Moroi society, preferring to spend her time in the library or her gardens. Not a person who likes a scene, nonetheless she has a quiet but profound power of her own. She is taken by surprise when a Dhampir Guardian named Mikhail shows interest in her, a relationship that will expose both the brightest and darkest parts of her heart.”  It’s everything I would probably want from a description of Sonya and I’m more and more convinced that we’re going to see Sonya’s descent into madness and transformation into a Strigoi play out in maybe the first season which I am so curious how they’re going to work into the timeline.

Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford

Our last one and another one who doesn’t look remotely like his description but again? Not a surprise and not a problem for me.  He looks like he could play Mason’s goofiness really well as well as be a solid contender for a love interest for Rose.

“Charming, loyal and popular, Mason is Rose’s main competition in the quest to become the No. 1 Guardian-in-training. Though their relationship is casual on her side, he is hopeful she will finally look at him and see him as something more.” His character description makes a lot of sense, maybe him being Rose’s main competition is a bit of a deviation? But I think that’s more an indication that he’s supposed to be a strong fighter which isn’t inaccurate to the books.  The rest sounds great.

Other Thoughts

Descriptions of the show specifically mention friendship and classism as major themes which I am very happy to hear about because those are the two parts of VA that I love the most.

Am a little more worried about it being described as “sexy” though, if they shove a whole bunch of meaningless sex scenes in it just because it’s a YA show I’m not gonna be happy.

Seen the show compared to “Game of Thrones” and “Bridgerton” which at first had me like oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck not good not good not good.  But thinking about it more and trying to understand where Plec’s coming from with that description I wonder if means similar to GoT as in the cut-throat nature of the Moroi/Dhampir society cause I can kind of see that.  And as for Bridgerton I wonder if she’s referring to the kind of social-climbing aspects of it, because again that makes sense and it seems like a theme she really wants to concentrate on.  I hope that’s what she means by those comparisons, or that she just wants to compare it to popular shows to get people to watch it.  The worst would be if she tries to throw in a lot of unnecessary sex scenes to make it like those shows, because I hate when they do that, especially when the characters are teenagers.

Interesting to hear that Plec has known about the series since before Twilight or TVD - not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Seems like it’s actually mostly (or all??) written by Marguerite MacIntyre which is interesting because I know people were worried about Julie Plec - I’ve never watched anything by either of them so I’m neutral at this point.

[buzzdixonwriter]

Point Of Departure

It’s possible to acknowledge an individual’s technical and creative skills while at the same time vilifying them as human detritus. 

Leni Riefenstahl literally created the visual vocabulary of sports cinematography with her documentary Olympia but she’s still a God damned Nazi sac of human excrement no matter how hard she tried whitewashing her involvement in the decades after the war.

Find her grave and piss on it.

It’s also possible to acknowledge when an individual makes an important social or cultural breakthrough that will benefit literally millions of others directly or indirectly while at the same time correctly observing they’re a vile criminal rapist.

Very few African-American performers were allowed to interact equally with white performers in the pre-civil rights era.

Oh, certain sassy characters were permitted, but only in the context of straight talking household servants or employees, not equals.  Eddie “Rochester” Anderson was beloved by millions of Americans of all ethnicities, but his character was allowed to take liberties with Jack Benny’s character only in the context of Benny being a poor put-upon schnook for whom nothing went right.

Suffering the indignity of a mouthy chauffer who was right more often than not was just another part of the Benny schtick.  (Benny, to his credit, treated Anderson in real life as an equal and came down hard on anyone attempting to discriminate against him.)

So when Bill Cosby began cracking the stand-up comedy circuit in 1961, what made him unusual and appealing was his ability to create a commonality with all audiences, black and white.

For those who didn’t live in the cusp of the civil rights era, this was an incredible thing.  The divisions between black and white were far more rigorous and stratified than they are today (and they ain’t that good today).  That Cosby could reach audiences from a far different background as his own showed a remarkable talent and ability, and it’s not at all overstating the case to say he provided some much needed oil to allow entrenched whites to move however slightly in their positions, and a sturdy foundation to African-Americans who might otherwise feel overwhelmed.

Bill Cosby was a very funny fellow…right?

Cosby mined his childhood to great effect, reminding all segments of his audience of their childhoods, and richly enjoyed the popular success he garnered.

But as we all know, there was a sociopathic side to Cosby as well.

While it’s fair to call out hypocritical behavior, we can still acknowledge consensual behavior between or among fully informed adults shouldn’t be regarded as a crime, and if one member of a relationship can live with the other’s philandering, hey, ain’t nobody’s business if they do.

But from various credible accusers and witnesses, Cosby’s pattern of abuse can be documented back to 1965.  I knew people in 1978 who worked closely with Cosby, and they all cautioned never to mistake the public performer for the actual person.

It strikes me that the first inkling the public got of Cosby’s dual nature was his 1968 comedy album, 200 M.P.H., his follow up to the same year’s To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With.

While the latter is totally in the spirit of Cosby’s earlier albums celebrating the universality of childhood, 200 M.P.H. is something different. A lengthy comedy routine in praise of self-indulgence and an open indifference to the safety of others.

It’s about Cosby splurging on high priced / high powered cars and accruing a string of speeding tickets as a result.

A far cry from the guy who waxed nostalgic about playing buck-buck on the streets of Philly as a kid.

Now, it’s absolutely fair if not crucial for a creator / performer to try out new things, to attempt to expand their repertoire.

Cosby already broke out of the stand-up mold by co-starring in 1965’s espionage-adventure show I Spy in which he played a secret agent working undercover as Robert Culp’s tennis trainer.  As the first African-American cast as a white character’s equal in a regularly recurring TV series, I Spy like his comedy albums proved a cultural game changer.

In and of itself it made little direct impact of American racial mores, but as part of the ongoing culture shift it marked a significant milestone.

In a less problematic performer’s oeuvre, 200 M.P.H. would be hardly noticeable, an unusual and atypical turn but not especially noteworthy.

For Cosby, one needs to wonder if it was the first open sign of a deep rooted problem he’d successfully hid from the public and would continue to hide for decades to come.

It’s a funny album -- Cosby could do no wrong comedically at this point in his career -- but as cited it moved Cosby out of the realm of commonality and into that of entitlement (he’s not the only one; look up David Letterman’s automotive problems).

While Cosby poked fun at himself for buying such an over charged monster, at the same time he removed himself from the streets and set himself up on a pedestal:  Look at me!  I’m rich!  I’m famous!  I’m entitled.

1965 marked a significant year in Cosby’s career: His groundbreaking role in I Spy but also the first known accusations against him re abusive behavior.

One can’t help but wonder if Cosby always exercised his abusive inner demon and just got away with it because he was an honored athlete in high school and the US Navy in the late 1950s and thus protected by the system, or if traveling the world to film I Spy offered him heretofore unavailable opportunities and temptations.

1968 also marked a significant year for Cosby: Not only both To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With and 200 M.P.H., but also his leaving Warner Bros, the label for whom he made all his groundbreaking albums, to co-found Tetragrammaton Records.

Tetragrammaton, of course, refers to the ineffable name of God, and with what we know today, that sure looks like a sociopathic narcissistic self-identifier.

In hindsight, I think it’s safe to say 200 M.P.H. represents a point of departure, of Cosby consciously or unconsciously acknowledging he was leaving the real world and heading off into one of his own.

The object of this post is not to continue flogging a self-confessed rapist, but to point out how easily we overlook otherwise overt clues in just about everything.

What seems painfully obvious now was virtually invisible back then.

Keep your eyes and ears open, folks.

We may not be able to stop some things from happening, but we can sure see ‘em coming.

  © Buzz Dixon

[theoniprince]

If you had to pick one name/alias/moniker to go by, fandom-wide, what would it be?

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

Name and link some of your favorite works, please!

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

First of all thank you so much for asking me!!! 8D It was a pleasure to answer all these questions. During this I got quite emotional (haha Stanpat, Eddie). It showed me again how much I love this 8DDD

( I apologize in advance for all misspellings and my sloppy English =_=)

If you had to pick one name/alias/moniker to go by, fandom-wide, what would it be?

Oh, what a start XD I'm not that into nicknames. Generally people using my first name to address me or my username which is mostly onyprince (in reference to a character from Hakuouki) ID Sometimes they say Oni or J(ay) (Nickname for my first name). Do as you wish (though I like ‘J’ the th most) 😉

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

Twitter. But everything I post there is also here. Feel free to follow my account, but you don’t have to. https://twitter.com/oniprince_

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

Oniprince_ (Twitter) yeah… you see, I am pretty boring XDDD

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

Actually 23 years ago (haha I am old XD) When I was eleven I saw the miniseries with my cousins for the first time. The horror factor wasn't that important to me or maybe I didn't see it that way. It was more like an adventure story with an unfunny and nasty clown. A group of friends who had to endure an adventure. In any case, it entertained me well, even if I was not aware of some elements like that it’s a story about growing up, friendship, love and all these issues around becoming an adult XDD Then with 13 I read the book. It was a  new experience, and I loved every single word. Over the years I talked with friends and Kingsianer (XD) about it and read it for a second and a third time. At this point I could start a list with things I don’t like about the movies, but I’d rather mention on thing I really appreciate about them: they are a good opportunity for a new generation to explore this universe. Every adaption like the book itself is a reflection of a specific decade and what is more yeah… immortal, universal and diverse than a story about growing up. It was a discussion with a dear friend about book to movie adaptions some weeks ago that probably brought me back to this fandom

Nevertheless there are things from the book I would have loved to see in the movies. Let’s be honest at this point if you want to adapt such a brick of a book you simply have to cut some elements. You can’t please everyone

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

Ships:

Stanpat - orz q__q they are such a sweet couple and it is so heartbreaking, they never ever had a real chance to become parents. They would have been excellent parents. Imagine them on a beautiful summer day. They have a picnic with their children and Stan would watch birds with them. He would tell them all about the birds and keeps a journal about their observations with his kids

Reddie - Despite the constant teasing their realtionship seems like a natural, casual und easy thing from the start. And Eddie likes the nicknames. These secret names are like another identity. He can be someone else. They take care of each other. Their relationship is a deeper friendship that runs mostly on an emotional level and is sometimes expressed through small, physical gestures. The chemistry between them is indescribable. It is cute when 90s Eddie immediately starts to giggle as soon as Richie makes a dumb joke at their reunion. And thing about the little moments when Richie pokes Eddie and calls him cute. I am won’t quoting this one passage in the book that leaves much room for speculations, but there is no doubt their special bond is official. In any case, the decision to make Richie gay in the movies gave the ship another push. I don’t complain. I love it. Though I still think Eddie would have been a better option. There are already some scenes in the book which are like an invitation to speculate about his sexualityTheir chemistry is very obvious and believe me, there is nothing I would more appreciate than a happy end for them Q__Q

Benverly  „Your hair is winter fire

                   January embers

                  My heart burns there, too

This is one of sweetest things I have ever read in a book and that is all I need to explain why I love this ship.

Fav, Characters:  Hmm when I read „IT“ for the first time I had a crush on Bill. He ist the born leader and in my childish, pre-teen way found his stuttering cute. There is something about him that cast a spell on you. It is perfectly understandable that he was a role model and an inspiration for his friends – especially for Eddie. In my personal opinion book!Bill ist the best Bill.

Richie - I love this chaotic megane dude. He is this silly type who use jokes, pranks to protect himself. His voices are like safe heaven (the same goes for Bill, whose stuttering almost disappears, when he pretends tob e someone else). He hides himself and his insecurities behind them. It is a shame that he doesn’t know what an impact he had on his friends. Richie seems to never ever shut up and sometimes his trashmouth is still talking, when he better should be quite. And I am famous to fall for funny characters. He can lights up the mood immediately ( and OMG…. I love Harry Anderson in the miniseries. A real entertainer, BUT BILL HADER…. Bill Hader…just to make it clear BILL HADER  did such an amazing job. He rocked the movie and I still think, not just because I love this dude since over a decade, without him… the movie wouldn’t  have been so entertaining)

Eddie - He is in these abusive relationships. First with his mother, who keeps him small and makes him believe that he is weak. At the end her own fears of beeing left behind prevented her son from becoming a self-confident adult. Eddie always thought he is weak and fragile. Although he knows that he doesn’t need all this medication, his childhood experience were the reason for his coping-behavior as an adult – he still uses his inhaler. He married a woman who is like his mother. Mike's call was something of a turning point. Until this call Eddie could not overcome his fears and had to face them again as an adult. I can remember. While reading the book there were several moments of silence and I stopped reading and thought: poor Eddie.

Ultimately, his story is about a hero who surpasses himself, overcomes his fears and by sacrifice himself he protects what is most important to him - his friends. It just touched me. Eddie gave his life for his friends and I think you can say he's my favorite character. His death may be a tragedy, but it was necessary for his character arc. My theory is that Eddie represents someone who has lost track in his life and prefer to stick on old but unhealthy patterns.It is almost like Eddie stands for missed opportunities, but at the same time it is never to late to change something. He is a hero. There are so many things I would like to talk about, therefore I should start an own thread XDDD

Oh and Bev - I could always identify with her (not bc of abuse or domestic violence. My childhood was amazing). She is the only girl around the losers and I was the only girl in my  favourite clique too. We spent most of our time outside  - it was great. Of course I had other friends (female) as well, but with my boys… it was always special).. As you know as an adult she falls back in old patterns. Her husband is tyrannical man like her father. Again Mike’s call is a turning point.  Maybe the Benverly arc is the most satisfying. I was… I am very happy that Bev got her happy end.

Last but no least - I like Ben, Mike and Stan too. They have all there unique character treats and you sympathize with all of them. The Loser’s club is bunch of adorable idiots who just doing their best to become adults. I think it is normal that their friendship feels more intimate in the book – I highly recommand the book.

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Mostly fanarts, but recently I thought about posting my own theories and sharing my hcs and random stuff about the characters and the different relations.  

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

The fandom is full of amazing artists and writersand actually it would be a, but i want to name those who inspired me the most (mainly artists – hopefully I copied the links correcty):

https://tonyofthetrees.tumblr.com

https://meowsteryyy.tumblr.com

https://slashpalooza.tumblr.com/ ( you have to check out ‚Loose Ends‘)

https://coldcigarettes.tumblr.com

https://vvanini.tumblr.com/

https://eggocrumbs.tumblr.com

https://twitter.com/10_sgan

https://twitter.com/kasphacked

https://twitter.com/tac_nor

(oh.. the list got longer than expected IDDD)

Do you know this?

https://ragnarozzys.tumblr.com/post/189890790551/those-early-hours-after-a-sleepover-when-you-wake

Have you ever seen something as cozy and cute before I///D? – me neither XD

Trust me they are all worth a visit and I am sure most of us already know them 8D

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

My art I provide on tumblr can be found here:

https://theoniprince.tumblr.com/tagged/myart

Honestly I like these the most:

https://theoniprince.tumblr.com/post/649446311120273408/my-first-reddie-sketch-now-scanned-the-quality

https://theoniprince.tumblr.com/post/649548606679007232/close-to-you-now-scanned-with-coloured

https://theoniprince.tumblr.com/post/650697175346593792/hammock-iconic-richie-is-reading-a-monthly

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Oh… unfortunately I am not feelin‘ very confident about my own artworks. Sometims I have the feeling I am not creative enough and that my ideas are more or less boring. Nothing special ID Totally dumb – I know. As I mentioned before I came back lately to the fandom… I guess I missed many amazing IT weeks. I participated in some weeks/mainly shipweeks in other fandoms (Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku, FFXV) If I find an interesting annoucement I can imagine to participate in the future ; )

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

In general… the fandom is really friendly – I hope so. Lately I have seen some salty comments on different stuff, topics… and well.. I have just an advice: life can be exhausting enough and time is always running. Don’t spend time on things you don’t like. Discussions can esclate quickly and worde can hurt too. So, just thing about before you jump in.

Thanks again! <3

(Special lil sketchy piece of art I did for this ask)

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, April 12

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Mark Harmon quitting NCIS

Page 2: Stars Who Rock Around the Clock -- they believe in the healing power of crystals -- Naomi Campbell, Shirley MacLaine, Adele, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Uma Thurman

Page 3: Debra Messing, Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, Megan Fox, Katy Perry, Gisele Bundchen

Page 4: Eddie Murphy's roles and costumes

Page 6: George Clooney is turning 60 in May, and he says being an older dad to toddlers has its benefits -- his son isn't ever going to feel competitive with him and he'll be gumming his bread by the time he'd feel competitive with him, jokes the Oscar-winning actor, whose twins Ella and Alexander turn 4 in June -- George is well aware that growing up with two highly accomplished parents (his wife Amal Clooney is a successful human rights lawyer) can put a lot of pressure on a kid and that's why the couple is already guiding Ella and Alexander with strong values and kind hearts because George says it's their job to make sure that they care about people and that they challenge people in power and look out for people who don't have power and those are the things he was raised with -- the known prankster is also passing the practical joke tradition down to the next generation and he taught Alexander to take a piece of banana, chew it up and then spit it into a napkin, then stand next to him mom, pretend to blow his nose into it and look down until Mama looks at it, then eat it

Page 7: Partridge Family star Shirley Jones turned 87, and she's brimming over with gratitude for her wonderful life that's been chock-full of extraordinary experiences -- she says you have to have a good time and enjoy life to the fullest and before you know it you'll be 87 -- Shirley has three sons (her stepson David Cassidy died in 2017) and 13 grandchildren

Page 8: Take your etiquette test for tea with Queen Elizabeth

Page 9: Brain foods that may help prevent dementia

* Study says new drug slows Alzheimer's

Page 10: Jennifer Garner recently opened up about her real feelings on her body -- she's 48 and single and has three children with ex-husband Ben Affleck: daughters Violet and Seraphina and son Samuel -- in a recent interview, she admitted that her body has changed a lot since having three kids and she doesn't mind one little bit, even though she was hurt when a friend hinted she may be expecting again, saying there are some women whose bodies just, no matter how many babies they have, they bounce right back to that slim-hipped, no stomach and she has so many girlfriends who have that physique and she's so happy for them, but she's not one of them and she can work really hard and she can be really fit and she will still look like a woman who's had three babies and she always will

Page 11: 6 stomach symptoms you should never ignore -- catch problems before the become deadly

Page 12: After more than two decades, James Brolin says he's discovered the way to keep his marriage to Barbra Streisand going strong: negotiation -- it's taken two marriages and 22 years for him to figure it out and he and his wife have gotten so close being locked down together -- his mother was the sweetest person so he never really learned to negotiate with women but now he knows if you sit down and talk about a situation, you can work it out

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- don't make snap judgments; you may lose the perfect mate -- Tony predicts a very hot summer coming and a lot more street crime

Page 15: Folks getting their COVID-19 vaccinations at the Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts got a shocking treat: a mini-concert from world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma -- while waiting out his 15-minute observation period, the musician sat down to play a socially distant symphony for his fellow inoculees

Page 16: Duchess Kate is never seen without a purse, but what exactly does she keep inside it? There's quite a history between royal women and their handbags: Princess Diana used her clutch bag to cover her cleavage from prying photographers, Queen Elizabeth moves her handbag from one arm to the other to signal to her staff when she's bored of chatting with someone, and Kate carries her bag in her left hand so she can keep her right hand free to greet and shake hands with guests and she holds her bag in front of her when shaking hands might be awkward -- according to royal protocol pre-pandemic, Kate must extend her hand first for another person to shake hands with her, so if she prefers to just smile instead of touching other folks, she uses her clutch to do that -- author Marcia Moody who wrote Kate: A Biography, says the duchess always carries four must-have items: in her small clutch, she carries a compact mirror, a handkerchief, blotting paper and lip balm and every now and then, if she's going to attend a tennis match, for example, Kate will carry a pair of sunglasses -- unlike Queen Elizabeth, whose purses come from a company called Launer, the duchess favors different brands, but mostly a company called Mulberry -- nowadays with three small children, the mom gravitates toward midsize bags with handles because she's got to take more items with her like a handy bunch of tissues, good for wiping little noses and faces, and also takes her camera along

Page 18: William Shatner confesses that when he starred in Star Trek during the mid-60s, he had no idea it would become a worldwide phenomenon still popular today -- Shatner, who turned 90 in March, says it's unimaginable and it's all beyond anybody's imagination or ability to repeat and the greatest thing about being the captain of the Enterprise for three years was his relationship with the cast and the roles were written so well

Page 19: Brandy is a one-in-a million cat because those are the odds she'd ever be found again after she went missing 15 years ago -- when Charles got the phone call from a California animal shelter that his missing pet has been found, he could scarcely believe his ears and the Los Angeles man was skeptical and thought it must be a mistake but he had made sure the two-month-old kitten had a microchip and sure enough, the malnourished stray they found was his Brandy -- Charles did break down and cry because he thought about all of the years he lost from her and when he picked her up, she started to purr and it was very emotional

Page 20: Mark Harmon finally lured wife Pam Dawber out of retirement to star alongside him on NCIS, but the pairing will be short-lived because he's leaving the show after 18 hit seasons -- the 69-year-old star is finally fed up with the backbreaking hours, endless rehearsals, and feuds with cast and crew, and plans to ride off into the sunset with Pam and retire to the couple's Montana Ranch -- Mark's contract is up after season 18, and he's agonized over whether to sign a new one and he's being offered the moon and the stars to come back for a few more seasons, but he says his heart just isn't in it and Mark has faced problems on the set over the past few years and he feels his age, he just doesn't need the aggravation anymore -- NCIS recently teased a possible departure of his character Leroy Gibbs when the special agent commander was suspended for assaulting and nearly killing a suspect but despite that, Harmon insists Gibbs not be killed off so he can leave the door open for a possible return

Page 22: Legendary actor Michael Caine just turned 88 and he's still going strong, starring in an upcoming comedy Best Sellers and says he knows he's old but he doesn't feel old, not in his head, where it matters

Page 24: They say money doesn't buy happiness, but what do people spend their money on that can buy happiness? You don't need millions of dollars to afford the things that happy people buy to stay that way and studies show that anything over $75,000 a year in income is gravy, which means yachts, jewels, second homes and art collections are not at all required -- the best thing to drop your cash on is experiences and doing is better than having and in other words, an object you own will never give you the consistent pleasure of an experience that creates good memories that live on forever -- also the best experiences are the ones that involve other people like having a picnic with family, going rafting with pals, or even just walking and talking with an exercise buddy

Page 25: Freshen Your Fridge -- make a clean start with this 5-step plan

Page 26: Tony's Mystic World -- may the force be with you -- the life force can be drained out of you by fear or worry

Page 28: Sensational Snaps From Around the World -- photo contest captures amazing sights

Page 31: When to trash it -- the useful lifespan of refrigerated food

Page 32: It's been 40 years since Marilu Henner starred on the hit sitcom Taxi, but the great memories and wonderful co-stars are always on her mind because she's still pals with them -- they always stayed in touch with each other and never lost touch and do a Taxi Zoom every two months and they're all very current with each other and they have a text chain as well and they're in contact every week -- Marilu is close with cast members Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Carol Kane

Page 33: Garth Brooks is overjoyed wife Trisha Yearwood has finally bounced back from her bout with COVID-19 -- she seems to be 100 percent, according to Garth, and at the end there during fatigue she got real impatient, really kind of mean and sassy and he thought well, she's back to herself -- after announcing in February that Trisha had the coronavirus and Garth said he had tested negative

Page 40: The grass is always greener when you use these simple gardening tips

* Avoid cat-astrophe -- the right way to add a stray

Page 42: 10 things you never knew about Glenn Close -- the wildly successful actress turned 74 in March

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Sylvester Stallone and wife Jennifer Flavin leave a Florida hotel (picture), Jane Seymour is still looking on the bright side even as the world continues to weather the pandemic, one year after the death of Kenny Rogers his family thanked fans as they honored his life, Sharon Stone is dishing dirt about her Hollywood past in her recently released memoir like one moviemaker who told her to have sex with a male co-star to improve their on-screen chemistry, 28-year-old twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer who are the nieces of Princess Diana recently stepped out in South Africa as bridesmaids for fellow high society girl Leila Osato, director Christopher Columbus pooh-poohed internet rumors about the existence of an NC-17 cut of Mrs. Doubtfire but he did confirm there's an unreleased R-rated version

Page 45: Good Morning America co-host Cecilia Vega mugs it up for the camera on the morning show (picture), Gretta Monahan gets out of a car (picture), longtime GMA veteran Robin Roberts displays her ever-present sunny side on the set (picture), the Hollywood Hills home of Johnny Depp recently had some uninvited guests when a man was spotted loitering by the property's pool but ran off after being confronted by a neighbor and not much later Johnny's security team called police about another unwanted visitor who had taken a shower and helped himself to the actor's booze, Elsa Pataky has been married to Chris Hemsworth for 10 years and says patience and communication and understanding are what help their relationship be successful

Page 46: A Texas man has helped thousands of people by donating his blood platelets a staggering 962 times over the past 37 years

Page 47: Celebrity Weddings Gone Wrong -- Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley

[leta-the-strange]

A far too long, fever-induced Unpopular Opinion, likely first of many, (keeping in mind that is it an opinion and not expressed at all in mean spirit): The casting/character ages in Fantastic Beasts.

Again, this is likely a wildly unpopular opinion because I’ve never come across anyone who has even touched slightly on the subject, but it is an, admittedly minor, detail that got me thinking a little. Again, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter a great deal and I’m sure I’m still going to enjoy the series either way but it’s just a personal opinion I’ve had nonetheless.

I do understand the organic nature of film and the flexibility you need to allow. Sometimes the character will be pitched or imagined as a certain age, but it doesn’t translate into film well (think LOTR or GOT, etc) or the casting directors like an actor who is obviously much younger or older so much that it trumps the desired age bracket. And most times, it is purposely done that way especially in teen-based movies and tv shows (90210, Smallville, Gossip Girl, PLL, etc, etc) which lead to wildly inaccurate expectations of what teenagers look and act like (in my high school experience anyway). Sometimes for legal and professional reasons, its more convenient to have adult actors portray younger characters. 

Often pre-imagined characters evolve and change to fit the actor that is set to portray them whether it be gender, race, age, hair colour, eye colour, relationships, characterisation, etc. Sometimes this is celebrated, goes unnoticed or is a disappointment.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I understand that it comes down to a matter of priorities.

Neville, Petunia and Dudley were all blondes in the books. Did it really matter that the actors weren’t (and didn’t dye their hair for the role?) IMO, nah not really. I know a lot of people still can’t forgive the ‘you have your mothers eyes’ issue. I can. Partially. Personally, I didn’t mind Harry’s signature “green as a fresh pickled toad” eyes being blue in the film because Daniel Radcliffe couldn’t wear the contacts. Only auditioning actors with green eyes, the rarest eye colour on the planet, would exclude a lot of talented actors and potentially perfect Harry’s. I don’t believe green eyes were essential to Harry’s character (but I can’t speak for everyone), I think there were more important qualities. Geraldine Somerville, who played the older Lily Potter, also had blue eyes. But then, after making a huge deal over Harry having his mothers’ eyes, they cast young Lily, with whom they do close up, full face scenes of, with big brown eyes. I’m not saying she didn’t do an excellent job – she did wonderfully. I suppose it was just a strange decision in the eyes (pun not intended) of a lot of fans that the casting of a two or so minute role precluded what seemed to be such an integral theme that had been woven through each book and movie so frequently. This is just an example of the questionable, dare I say for lack of a better word ‘lazy’, ‘just imagine for the sake of the plot that he/she…’ attitude that I get from HP/FB at times.

Getting back on the topic of age, one thing I did have a problem with in HP was James and Lily’s age. I don’t think I’m entirely alone in this. 21 seemed old when I was a wee one reading Harry Potter for the first time. It was only when I got older that I realised how young they were and how it added quite fundamentally to the tragedy of their short life and death. It was heartbreaking either way, don’t get me wrong, but seeing (an actual 21-year-old actor portraying) a 21-year-old young mother slain in the first flashback in Philosophers Stone would have been truly shocking. It would also add to the tragic aftermaths of Sirius and Remus too. However, I did later realise that this was probably due to having to match Alan Rickman’s casting as Snape, and later, Gary Oldman and David Thewlis (which I think were all fantastic in their roles). So, they sacrificed the canonical age of James and Lily for the casting of Snape and the Marauders (possibly). Whether this was something the fans agree or not, they prioritised what was most important, in their eyes, to the film. But then, after all of that, for some reason they keep James and Lily’s age of death as 21 on their gravestone??? Therefore, casting two barely-speaking roles to a 43 and 34-year-old who they expect the film going audience to believe are 21??? I assumed that when they did the full casting and knew that Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman and David Thewlis would look far too old for their long-deceased classmate counterparts they would just make the characters older in the films but now I think they wanted to keep film Snape, Remus and Sirius in their early to mid (and eventually late, by the end of the books) thirties and didn’t want it to look painfully obvious. I think a lot of films and tv shows do this to try and pull off the age differences. A 27-year-old actor portraying a ‘high school student’ can often pull it off until you stick them next to a real life 15-year-old. I like to believe it’s that or something other than lazy writing but I can’t know for sure. 

This brings us to my current thoughts about Fantastic Beasts which has some of the most wildly strange actor vs character casting age I’ve seen in some time. As a quick refresher (or if you don’t know…) here are the actors ages vs what their characters age is (if I’m not mistaken)...

 Eddie Redmayne - 36 / Newt Scamander – 29

Zoë Kravitz – 29 / Leta Lestrange - 29 (probably given that she was in the same year as Newt)

Ezra Miller – 26 / Credence Barebone - 18 (from an interview but still unconfirmed from filmmakers)

Katherine Waterston – 38 / Porpentina Goldstein - 25

Alison Sudol – 33 / Queenie Goldstein – early 20’s/hopefully not late teens (she’s younger than her 25-year-old sister so 24 at the absolute most but I’d say younger given the dynamic). I haven’t found a confirmed age anywhere.   

Dan Fogler – 42 / Jacob Kowalski – 26

Callum Turner – 28 / Theseus Scamander – 37

 Try and keep in mind that there is no mean spirit intended in my opinion on this. My opinion on the acting ability of each of these people isn’t necessarily relevant to this particular discussion though I do commend actors who can convincingly pull off different ages though I certainly can’t fault actors who can’t as there is only so much you can do sometimes. This is purely about what is most important – character or actor – and the relevance of it.

Eddie Redmayne, in my opinion, seems to have features that allow him quite an amount of leeway in terms of age. He starred in the mini series based off one of my favourite books, Pillars of the Earth (definitely an underrated series I heartily recommended) where he portrays his character as a teen all the way up to a man in his forties/fifties and, in my opinion, is quite believable. I think I have more trouble believing that Eddie Redmayne is 36 than I do believing Newt Scamander is 29/30 (as his birthday is in February, I’m assuming he is 30 during Crimes of Grindelwald) and even if that weren’t the case, I think a six-year difference at those ages can be neither here nor there with some people especially with the right clothes, mannerisms, etc...

Zoë Kravitz – hold on to your hats, a 29-year-old playing a 29-year-old. I haven’t done my in-depth research on the other actors not aforementioned, but I believe this may be the only occurrence of this happening in this film series.

Ezra Miller said that Credence was 18 in an interview. This is probably true, and I would’ve guessed around that age anyway. I think I double checked it on the characters wiki and it matched. As a side note, as a general rule I don’t tend to take the actors words as gospel truth until its confirmed by the writer or director. I feel like, in this film series, there are some actors that get maybe somewhat carried away and speculate rather a lot about their character and sometimes it isn’t entirely accurate. Of course, actors are usually allowed some creative control over their characters and often get little titbits about their past/future that help with their portrayal, but I have noticed some actors’ thoughts about their character don’t add up at all to what the filmmakers have also said and I know which side wins out. A lot of actors are shocked/surprised/disappointed/elated when they find out developments about their character - not even they always know what’s around the corner and sometimes what they think isn’t necessarily true. No matter how deserving, creative or insightful they are about their character, it doesn’t solely belong to them. I think a lot of fans forget this. They go on about ‘so and so said this’ and ‘so and so literally said…’ while blatantly disregarding anything J.K or the FB filmmakers say and again, I know which ones actually run the show. This has nothing to do with Ezra, to be honest, it’s just a quick observation I’ve noticed.  I’m so off topic! Anyway, Credence I would’ve put as a late teen/20-year-old at most from his character and I think Ezra has one of those faces that, like many, can float around in the weird young adolescence stage that you can can’t quite pinpoint whether they’re late teens or mid-twenties (I’m in university and pretty much anyone between 18-27ish is indistinguishable to me). Either way he’d be carded at the uni bar. I think if I met a modern-day Credence Barebone I wouldn’t think twice if he told me he was 18.

Katherine Waterston is the one I am most anxious writing about and the one I’m sure a lot of people are cocked and ready to come after me about. She’s probably also one of my two biggest irks with the age issue. Just to get this out the way, I am not the biggest Tina fan (yet). At first, it was casual indifference. I didn’t (and don’t) hate her, I just didn’t really take to her in the first film (I already have hope that the new film may sway me). It really started as simply as that. I will write a separate post on all my thoughts revolving around this because there are many. All I will say is that if you don’t love Tina or ship Newtina based on the first film, it is a very cruel and vicious fandom to be part of. At least in my experience. But that’s a different issue. Let me say firstly that I think Katherine Waterston is very beautiful and I would be happy to look like that at 38 (obviously not the same as she is very Caucasian and I’m a nut-brown Maori, but you get my point). Obviously, I don’t know how the story will unravel and how important it is but was it absolutely necessary that Tina had to be 25? I think 30 would have been passable. Or even better, she could’ve been a little (or however much) older than Newt? Normalising relationships where the woman is older than the man is something I’m here for (my sister is two years older than her boyfriend – 19 and 21 – and it’s so controversial to people??? But I know lots of relationships in the reversal). That would’ve been my ideal scenario if they had Tina originally set for 25 but discovered they really loved Katherine Waterston and decided it would be inconsequential if they wrote Tina a bit older than originally planned. However, I do think it might be the other way around. Maybe it is important that Tina is 25. This might be one of the reasons why I haven’t yet meshed with this character or either of the Goldsteins for that matter. I do admit that I forget that they are in their early and mid-twenties. I do forget that Tina is (apparently) only 25. I honestly believe that I would have liked – or at least had a lot more understanding and sympathy – for Tina’s character had it been obvious she was so young. I will explain more thoroughly in the separate post I’ll eventually write that, had FB been a book before a movie, I would likely have really enjoyed book!Tina. Please understand this particular opinion isn’t about the actor. I’m just saying that I, personally, feel like it was easy to lose sight of the fact that this character is only 25 when the actor playing her is nearly forty years old. Please don’t twist this and interpret it to being me ‘coming after’ the actor. I don’t know why age is regarded as such an insult. It’s the most beautiful, natural thing. Katherine Waterston is 38. There’s nothing wrong with that. She’s healthy and pretty and could easily pass for younger if she so desired. But again, I think sometimes why I don’t find Tina endearing at all (yet) is because I see (not in terms of the actor, the character) a 38-year-old (or round about) woman acting like a 25-year-old. This might be even harder for me to combat in the next film as she is supposed to be quite younger than newcomers Theseus and Leta (ridiculously younger than Theseus) whose actors are both twenty-somethings joining Ezra as the babies of the cast. Don’t come at me about insulting her about her age. Carmen Ejogo is 45 and she cancelled everyone in FBWTFT. A lot of people grow more and more beautiful with age. Older doesn’t mean less beautiful so let’s put that to rest immediately.

Alison Sudol looks like a fucking earth angel and she was a great Queenie. I loved Queenie’s character. Did I love Queenie as a person? No. There is a difference – again, that ties in with what I’ll eventually write about my feelings about those two. I don’t know Queenie’s age, but she is younger than Tina so at the absolute most she would be 24 but I would wager given the big-little sister dynamic they seem to be following, there’s likely more than a year’s difference. I wouldn’t have thought Queenie was so young had I not known otherwise. There are some who find her character a little more annoying than cute, but I think if she were portrayed by someone who was in fact in their early twenties, she probably wouldn’t have come across as so naïve and a little airy. A lot of development occurs in your twenties and there is a tremendous amount of personal growth by the time you hit thirty. The same issue with Tina I suppose. You can forgive a lot of Queenie’s quirks when you remember how young she is but sometimes it’s easy to forget when physically she seems older. I will have to keep in mind how young and impressionable she is still while watching her actions in Crimes of Grindelwald because again, I think I forget sometimes.

I had no idea how old Jacob was, admittedly. I guessed anywhere between 32-40 (I assumed Jacob and Queenie had a bit of an age gap either way) but I was way off. Apparently, he’s 26. My head is in my hands at this point. I know Jacob’s been through a lot (and I’m not saying Dan Fogler isn’t a cutie!) but if some guy told me he was 26 and I arranged to meet him and Jacob Kowalski (again, based on first impressions. I love Jacob) walked in, I’m calling the fucking police. There is no way he is TWENTY-SIX. I love Jacob and Newts relationship, but I never saw Jacob as being the younger one. The fact that he is younger than Newt, Leta and Theseus (again! 11 years younger than Theseus!) when he looks like he could be their fucking uncle is unreal. I don’t really know why they made Jacob so ludicrously young when there was honestly, in this case, no need. I had to track down his age because it had zero (0) relevance to the film. Only thing I can think of is maybe to make his relationship with Queenie not come across as creepy? Who knows. 

This one really hurts me. Theseus, my poor boy. The FB team really are just gonna swing around and do THAT. Callum Turner is, in my opinion, a great Theseus from what I’ve seen so far. From interviews, it looks like he adores Zoë and he has great chemistry with Eddie. They’ve also done well to find an actor with similar physical characteristics and mannerisms as Eddie Redmayne making him a very believable casting for Newt’s brother. Though later it was revealed that Theseus is supposed to be eight years older than Newt making Theseus 37/38 which I think was completely unexpected for most people. We knew from the first film that Newt was the youngest brother and even with Callum Turner only being 28, I thought with the right clothes and such they could make him look older – or at least old enough to look like he could pass as Newt’s older brother. But nearly forty? With the kind of trauma Theseus has been through not to mention the likely constant drama of his troublesome brother and fiancée (and his brothers’ new friends and extremely messed up future brother-in-law)? Does he exfoliate with the Philosopher’s Stone? Drop that skin case routine, Theseus. Again, I don’t know what the film is going to bring. Perhaps Theseus must be significantly older than Newt for plot related reasons. Maybe for the sake of the story, he had to be old enough to not attend school with Newt, or maybe their father died early on and Theseus had to grow up quickly to fill a father figure void (that could explain the complicated nature of their relationship) or it might be for any number of reasons. My only hope is that it is specifically relevant to his character and not an inconsequential detail that could easily have been adjusted when they cast such a young actor. It can be a risk having a cast of actors in their thirties and forties playing a cast of twenty-somethings convincingly, and I’ve mentioned why, but it can be pulled off though I think it’s a strange move casting an actual twenty-something year old, one of the youngest cast members, to play a character 10+ years older than some of the oldest cast members characters. I think, like with the Goldstein’s, I will have to be constantly reminding myself when understanding the character that Theseus is that much older than Newt and Leta and even more so than Tina, Queenie and Jacob. 

Again, I’m not saying the actors haven’t done a good job with their respective roles, it’s just my 4am cough medicine powered thoughts on how they’ve made some interesting choices regarding what age they’ve kept the characters vs the actors real life ages and how it, for me at least, has affected the way I’ve interpreted the characters and would I feel any different about them had they made the characters similar ages to their actors or vice versa. I might be the only person who has thought about it and it’s not even a complaint on the cast itself (it’s a great collection of actors), it’s just an observation not at all eloquently put by a flu-riddled person. 

[papermoonloveslucy]

TELEVISION ACADEMY HALL OF FAME

“The First Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Awards”

March 4, 1984 ~ NBC

Directed by Dwight Hemion

Written by Buzz Kohan

This award's mission is to recognize "persons who have made outstanding contributions in the arts, sciences or management of television, based upon either cumulative contributions and achievements or a singular contribution or achievement."

The honorees received glass statuettes in the form of two ballet dancers created by sculptor and painter Pascal called “Discipline of Creation.” The trophies were tall and difficult to handle so they were not presented during the course of the ceremony itself. 

With that in mind, since 1988, inductees have received a crystal television screen atop a cast-bronze base designed by art director Romain Johnston.

Being the first such telecast, the rating were poor. The special lost not only its time slot but the entire evening with just a 16 share and a 10 rating. ABC's TV remake of A Streetcar Named Desire won the night with a 39 share and a 23.1 rating.  

Just as Carol Burnett introduces Lucille Ball in this first ceremony, in 1985 the roles were reversed when Lucy introduced Burnett for the honor. 

Of the other participants in this initial outing, Steve Allen was honored in 1986, Eric Sevareid in 1987, Barbara Walters in 1989, Jean Stapleton in 2002, Bea Arthur in 2008, and Sherman Hemsley in 2012.

Although Lucie Arnaz is announced in the opening credits, she did not appear in the telecast due to a prior obligation.

Cold Open Archive Footage

*Milton Berle (“Texaco Star Theatre”)

*Lucille Ball (“I Love Lucy”: “Lucy Goes to the Hospital”)

Vivian Vance (“I Love Lucy”: “Lucy Goes to the Hospital”)

William Frawley (“I Love Lucy”: “Lucy Goes to the Hospital”)

Desi Arnaz (“I Love Lucy”: “Lucy Goes to the Hospital”)

Ethel Merman (“Ford's 50th Anniversary”)

Mary Martin (“Ford's 50th Anniversary”)

Rod Steiger (“Marty”)

Richard M. Nixon (Checkers Speech)

Edward R. Murrow (“See It Now”)

Ed Sullivan (“The Ed Sullivan Show”)

The Beatles (“The Ed Sullivan Show”)

Walter Cronkite (“CBS Evening News”)

Carroll O'Connor (“All in the Family”)

**Rob Reiner (“All in the Family”)

Sally Struthers (“All in the Family”)

Jean Stapleton (“All in the Family”) 

LeVar Burton (“Roots”)

Larry Hagman (“Dallas”: “Who Shot JR?”)

*also appeared live on stage

**also appeared live in audience

Also in the Audience

Gary Morton

Ted Danson

Rue McClanahan

Bill Macy

Ann Jillian

Sherman Hemsley

Isabel Sanford

Henry Winkler

Honorees and Hosts

Barbara Walters (Ceremony Host)

General David Sarnoff (posthumous), hosted by Barbara Walters

Sarnoff died in 1971 so his award is accepted by his son, Robert Sarnoff.

Lucy Connection: Walters interviewed Lucille Ball and Gary Morton in 1977.

Milton Berle, hosted by Steve Allen

A video tribute traces Berle's career and shows some of his classic comedy bits over the years.

Lucy Connection: Berle and Lucille Ball appeared many times together on his show and hers. Steve Allen interviewed Lucy Whittaker in “Lucy Calls the President” and was often host and panelist when Lucille Ball was on “What's My Line?” and "I’ve Got A Secret.” 

William Paley, hosted by James Arness

A video tribute tracks Paley's career as a television pioneer to being the President of CBS.

During Paley's video tribute, a still frame from “I Love Lucy” is shown.

In the audience, Paley is sitting behind Lucille Ball.

Although the ceremony was broadcast on ABC TV, there was no attempt to lessen mentions of CBS and its programming.  

Lucy Connection: Paley also appeared on television to tribute Lucille Ball in “CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” in 1976.  

Lucille Ball, hosted by Carol Burnett

The segment begins with a clip of “Lucy Goes To the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16) which starts with Lucy announcing: “Ricky. This is it!” 

After the clip, Desi Arnaz Jr. enters and explains how his birth coincided with the birth of Little Ricky. Desi says that his sister Lucie couldn't attend because she is appearing on stage back East in The Guardsman. The show was produced at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse also starring Lucie's husband Laurence Luckinbill. It was hoped that the show would transfer to Broadway, but this did not happen. 

Desi Jr. introduces Carol Burnett. 

A cut-away to Lucille Ball in the audience reveals that she is holding back tears at her son's tribute. Gary Morton sits beside her. Carol tells of how Lucy came to the second night of Once Upon A Mattress on Broadway.  

A video tribute tracks Lucy's childhood in Jamestown to her unlikely breakthrough television series “I Love Lucy.” Clips are from “The Audition” (Lucy as The Professor), “Lucy Does a Television Commercial” (“It's so tasty, too!”), “Hollywood at Last!” (at the Brown Derby), and “Job Switching” (“Speed it up!”). 

Lucy: “We all know we never do anything alone.”

Lucille Ball gets a standing ovation both walking to the podium and then again back to her seat. Cuts to the audience, show stars like Ann Jillian dabbing their eyes at Lucy's tearful acceptance speech.

Lucy Connection: Lucy and Carol Burnett were each others biggest fans. They alternately appeared on each others television shows, as well as numerous specials and awards shows.

Paddy Chayevsky (posthumous), hosted by Bob Fosse

A video interview with Chayevsky talks about his producing television dramas like “Marty”.

Eddie Albert and Peter Falk pay tribute to Chayevsky by acting out moments from his most notable work including Marty, The Tenth Man, and Network.

Susie Chayevsky could not be there to accept the award for her husband, so Fosse reads a message from her.

Chairman of the Academy John H. Mitchell takes the stage to talk about the Hall of Fame.

Lucy Connection: The following year Fosse and Ball were both part of “Night of 100 Stars II.”

Norman Lear, hosted by Beatrice Arthur

In a pre-taped segment, Jean Stapleton talks about the craft of acting which leads to a montage of scenes from “All in the Family” starring Carroll O'Connor, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, and Stapleton.

Bea Arthur talks about Norman Lear and quotes Paddy Chayevsky talking about Lear. Arthur starred in “Maude” a spin-off of “All in the Family.”  

A video segment traces Lear's personal and career history. It includes clips from “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “All in the Family,” “Fernwood Tonight,” “One Day at a Time,” “Maude,” “Good Times,” and “The Jeffersons.”

Lucy Connection: Bea Arthur played Vera opposite Lucille Ball in the feature film Mame (1974). The two went on to appear together on “CBS On The Air” in 1978.  

Edward R. Murrow (posthumous), hosted by Eric Sevareid

Sevareid talks about his personal and professional relationship with Murrow.

A video segment talks about Murrow's war reporting. Moments from his show “See It Now” are seen.

Murrow's wife Janet accepts the award.

Lucy Connection: Murrow and his show were parodied on “The Ricardos Are Interviewed” (ILL S5;E7) as “Face To Face” with Edward Warren.

“The Seventh Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Awards”

September 23, 1991 ~ NBC

Honorees

Desi Arnaz (posthumously)

“I Love Lucy”

Leonard Bernstein

James Garner

Danny Thomas

Mike Wallace

Special Appearances

Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Desi Arnaz

Laurence Luckinbill, husband of Lucie Arnaz

Desi Arnaz Jr., son of Desi Arnaz

Amy Arnaz, wife of Desi Arnaz Jr.

Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. were misty-eyed as they accepted the honor for their father. The brother and sister recounted how their own childhoods were reflected on their parent's show when the "Little Ricky" character was introduced.

Vintage footage of "I Love Lucy", including snippets from the pilot, and other moments from the careers of the honorees were shown at the ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

"I Love Lucy" producer Jess Oppenheimer's widow Estelle and original writers Madelyn Pugh-Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. accepted the award for the CBS show. It was the first show ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 1994, Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, featured an outdoor exhibition of statues and plaques dedicated to Hall of Fame winners. The exhibit was removed in 2016 and the statues and busts returned to the Academy.

“The 21st Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Awards”

March 1, 2012 ~ NBC

Hosted by Jon Cryer

Honorees

Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, “The Real World”

Michael Eisner, Disney Executive

Sherman Hemsley, “The Jeffersons”

Bill Klages, Lighting Designer

Mario Kreutzberger, aka “Don Francisco”

Chuck Lorre, writer

Vivian Vance and William Frawley (posthumous)

Doris Singleton (“I Love Lucy”) inducts Vivian Vance.

Barry Livingston and Stanley Livingston (“My Three Sons”) induct William Frawley

From 1960 to 1965, Frawley appeared on “My Three Sons” as Uncle Bub Casey. 

Barry Livingston made two appearances on “The Lucy Show” as Arnold Mooney. 

With this ceremony, all four main characters on “I Love Lucy” and the show itself are in the Television Hall of Fame.  

[efnewsservice]

December 13, 2017

Rebecca Mader interview pre 7.10

As the song goes, “Wicked Always Wins” — and that’s true for Rebecca Mader’s triumphant return to Once Upon a Time.

After being among six cast members announced as exiting the series ahead of the rebooted seventh season, Mader is now being brought back for a multi-episode arc that reunites her character with half-sister Regina (Lana Parrilla). But thanks to the curse, their dynamic is now very different.

When viewers pick up with Zelena again during Friday’s fall finale, Regina and Henry (Andrew J. West) have traveled to San Francisco, where instead of the powerless Wicked Witch, they find a peppy spin instructor named Kelly. Yes, seriously. Did you see our exclusive sneak peek? Good. Now check out our interview with Mader about her return to the world of OUAT.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What has this roller coaster ride of leaving and then returning been like for you? REBECCA MADER: It’s been like a roller coast ride! [Laughs] More like a broomstick ride, maybe. It’s been bizarre. It’s been such a crazy journey for the past four years. It was like, “Come and do an eight-episode arc,” and four years later, it’s like, I’m here and then I’m not here. You cannot get rid of me, apparently. You can’t keep a Wicked Witch down. “All right, that’s enough of you. Oh, you’re back.” It’s pretty funny at this point. My friends are like, “Oh, are you back [in L.A.]?” “No, well I was in L.A., but then I’m back in Vancouver.” They’re like, “Aren’t you done with that show yet?” “Nope!” It’s great, though. It’s been really fun this season. It’s different obviously with a different cast, a different realm, and a different curse. It’s sort of different and the same all at once, to go back to something where all this fresh blood has been found, but it also feels very comfortable because it’s obviously some of the same people with cast and crew. It’s been really nice to be back this season.

You have a pretty close relationship with Lana Parrilla, so what’s it been like getting back to work with her again? We’re out of control. It’s like, “What are you doing?” “I don’t know, I’m on the way to yours.” We live right next to each other, our trailers are right next to each other, we’re so annoying. I always say, “I wouldn’t want to work with us.” We make the same sounds, we finish each other’s sentences. It’s pretty ridiculous, I’m not going to lie. But it’s been really great to be back. We’re having so much fun. It’s been good to be back with my bestie. I missed her.

What can you tease of where we’ll find Zelena when we pick back up with her in the real world? It’s hilarious. When Adam [Horowitz] and Eddy [Kitsis] first pitched it to me, I think I bent over laughing, because it’s so the antithesis of Zelena, who just wants to punch everyone in the face and have a glass of whiskey. My cursed character is the complete opposite. She’s super duper healthy and just adorable. It’s really funny. When you find my character, I’m in San Francisco, and I’m actually a spinning instructor, which is classic, because Zelena was never going to the gym ever. Why would you when you’re that powerful? Like, “I’m five pounds thinner,” and then it happens. She has no idea who she is or what she’s capable of. There’s a lot of comedy in it.

How different is this character to play? It’s a completely different person. I’ve still got a big red mane of hair. Kelly and Zelena are completely different. Although toward the end of season 6, Zelena had softened and had become a little more delightful than she was when we first saw her in season 3. It’s not a massive stretch. Also, obviously I lost my magic, too, at the end of season 6. The fun of it is I have no clue who I am and I’m just skipping around being adorable, not knowing that I’m an incredibly powerful person. It’s similar. I think she’s a bit more sweet and less complex than Zelena.

What kind of history do Kelly and Roni, as their cursed characters, have? There was definitely a falling out because it’s an echo of Regina and Zelena having a tumultuous sibling relationship and it’s a mirror of that. They had fallen out, so they’re not really on speaking terms. She needs my help, and she’s awake and I’m asleep, so she’s on this mission to come to San Francisco and smack me around the face and try to wake me up because she needs my help this season. She needs to make up with me to try and get my help.

Will we get to see Zelena in this new Enchanted Forest via flashback? Not in the old Enchanted Forest. But yeah, you do see me in the new fairy tale land in the [fall finale]. In the script, it’s called, “New FTL” — New Fairy Tale Land. You do see me in that with Regina and my daughter, Robin.

What kind of relationship does Zelena have with her daughter? Super excited to not be holding a heavy doll this season. [Laughs] It really hurt! I said to the props master, “Why the bloody hell are these dolls heavier than an actual baby?” They weigh like 50 pounds, and I always had to hold it with one hand, because with my other hand, I’d be poofing out or making a fireball. So try holding a 50-pound doll for a seven-hour scene and I’d lose the feeling in my left shoulder. I would always joke to Adam and Eddy, “Can’t we just go, ‘You’re 21!’ and just magic it up?” They would always laugh about it. So then when they asked me to come back, I said, “Please don’t do that,” and they said, “Nope, we’ve made her 21!” I’m like, “Oh, thank God! Yay, I don’t have to carry her!” That’s been really great. The actress that’s playing her, Tiera [Skovbye], is really, really good, and really cute. We have great chemistry, and I’m really enjoying working with her. I think it’s great casting. It’s really cute. I didn’t realize at first, but I love the fact that she’s this new female re-imagined Robin Hood. It’s really cute. She totally looks like she’s got greenish blue eyes like Sean [Maguire], which makes me miss Sean. We have a really good relationship.

[tocinephile]

Ada’s Top 20 Films of the 2010′s

2010 seems long ago. It was the year when Netflix, previously a mail order DVD rental operation, launched its streaming service and changed our TV/movie consumption forever. Originally known for old favourites and terrible in-house productions, Netflix and its competitors such as Amazon Studios have gone on to become award season contenders in just a few short years. The functions of film festivals and movie theatres have shifted due to streaming services’ enormous effects. This decade also saw the warp up of some beloved sagas and series on the big screen - from Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy to Harry Potter (more on those later!) Then there was an entire Star Wars Trilogy and end to a saga, which, love or hate it, was something many of us have been literally waiting our whole lives for. Throw in some Marvel at every turn, and an assuring expanse into the exploration of LGBTQ+ subjects, toss out Harvey Weinstein, and I think you have a reasonably accurate summation of film in the 2010′s. Something else close to my heart that unfortunately also fell to the wayside this past decade is Hong Kong cinema.  Once famed for slick neo noir style action with an eye-popping blend of gun play and kung fu, the genre has died to a trickle as the Chinese film industry evolves. Without (much) further pre-amble, here is a list of my top 20 films of the 2010′s, chosen based on personal preference, and what I perceive to be cultural/technological/cinematic significance, presented in no definitive order...

The Social Network (2010) I talk about the things that were different at the start of the decade, and Facebook was certainly one of them. Although still a top contender in the social media minefield, at the beginning of the decade Facebook was king. From the cinema perspective, this was also a David Fincher directed, and Aaron Sorkin written film.  These credentials aside, the film was additionally recognized for its editing, soundtrack, and transforming Jesse Eisenberg from the “poor man’s Michael Cera” (and what is Michael Cera doing these days again??) to a formidable dramatic talent. Altogether was a way to immortalize Mark Zuckerberg on screen eh? Inception (2010) Brace yourselves, I will tell you now that the 2010′s was the decade of Christopher Nolan for me. I didn’t realize until I compiled this list, that starting with this mind-bending thriller, every film he made this decade is right up there for me. Aside from its story, the stunning visuals, and pacing, Inception was cleverly tied together to give me one of the most unforgettable movie going experiences this decade. The Artist (2011) The best kind of homage here, and reminder that story and performance are what make up a good film. Is this an Art House film? Sure, but the story transcends even words, it’s a celebration, and a love story not just between two characters but to cinema itself.

Hugo (2011)

And speaking of celebration of cinema, does anyone really do it better than Martin Scorsese? In this case, an homage to a forefather of motion picture wrapped in the ultimate feel good family film. Seeing Melies’ films within a film, the automatons, and the blend of history and fantasy, make you believe. When asked to name a good family film, I often name this one. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) The final film of the series and also my favourite chapter. Deathly Hallows is a good example where the 2-parter turns out to be a good idea rather than a mere cash grab (as in the case Twilight).  It set a precedent showcasing the benefits of a longer story format that is enhancing for the story. Also, the Battle of Hogwarts, how do you get enough? Amiright? Super 8 (2011) 2011 was really the year of terrific family films. J.J. Abram’s Super 8 was no exception.  It was through Super 8 that I was introduced to Abram’s sense of adventure and wonder through his characters.  This was also Steven Spielberg produced adding to its positive attributes. When Abrams made Star Wars: The Force Awakens later in the decade, I was thrilled he was at the helm based on my love for Super 8. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) A different family film by Wes Anderson, and also one of the most endearing love stories told on the big screen this year. His follow up The Grand Budapest Hotel was also a contender for my best of the decade list but ultimately the unconventional young couple in Moonrise Kingdom versus the flagrantly over the top romantic gestures in Grand Budapest helped me make my choice.  Still, both are visually spectacular. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Christopher Nolan film #2 and the close out to the best Batman trilogy. While a certain level of campiness has come to be associated with preceding Batman offerings, Nolan and Christian Bale did something different and in turn won over a lot of new audiences for the superhero genre.  While you can’t turn these days without bumping into a Marvel, etc. production, I think the quality of superhero films was raised leaps and bounds this decade and much of it in thanks to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy which began in the decade before. Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Oscar accolades (and Jennifer Garner) aside, Dallas Buyers Club by Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee told a important story and told it well. It also brought Vallee’s work to a larger scale audience than any of his previous projects, giving him the attention he so very much deserves. From set design to story to acting, I truly believe this was one of the best films of the decade.

The Theory of Everything (2014) I may be partial to biopics but there’s no denying the venerability of Stephen Hawking, and Stephen Hawking as portrayed by Eddie Redmayne... well, there are no words! Boyhood (2014) When I first began compiling this list, Boyhood was one of the first few films to come to mind. Aside from being directed by one of my favourite filmmakers Richard Linklater (who was also featured in my 2000′s list with Before Sunset - which I argue is still the best of the trilogy) it was also a very ambitious undertaking as a filmmaker.  It’s my hope that the significance of Boyhood isn’t diminished in the age of digital aging/de-aging technologies, to do something like this organically is a labour of love. To commit to a project that spends 12 years in production is firstly insanity, but then to have a finished product that ties so seamlessly together in a tale of family, life, and love. Who knows if this will ever be done again? Interstellar (2014) Christopher Nolan film #3. I’m not as into movies about space and time travel as I was as a teenager/young adult, so I’m of the belief that while I still watch a fair amount of them, fewer and fewer truly stand out. When it came to explore this decade’s offerings, Interstellar and First Man were the only two even worth mentioning to me.  The latter was more traditionally biopic-ish, though well told, and I maintain has the best soundtrack of 2018. Interstellar on the other hand had other thought-provoking layers (as I have come to expect from Nolan). What We Do in the Shadows (2014) And now for something completely different! What would life be like if Taika Waititi didn't make films? Mankind has been telling stories since the beginning of time so it’s understandingly hard to come up with truly original stories after thousands of years, and yet... Taika Waititi does it!  Seriously though , What We Do In the Shadows was the single funniest film I’ve watched this decade. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) If What We Do in the Shadows was the funniest movie of the decade, then Mad Max: Fury Road had to be hands down the most intense, non-stop, adrenaline rush thriller. Again, I watch a lot of this stuff and find myself largely disillusioned or unimpressed with most of what’s out there.  Sure, I love the Avengers movies, and I’m always up for gratuitous violence but so few of these films will make me stop everything that I’m doing and stay rooted on the spot for the entire film - which I can recall distinctly is what happened when I put on this film on in early 2016. The Hateful Eight (2015) Westerns aren’t my cup of tea, but it’s common knowledge that Quentin Tarantino certainly is. When it came time to choose a QT film for my list, and we all know that’s exactly how I went about it.  Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood was never even a contender, it was between Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, overall I appreciated the simple (but elaborate!) set up of a cast of questionable characters in a cabin that kept me entranced for near 3 hours just listening to them talk. Straight Outta Compton (2015) Ok, there’s a clear nostalgia factor in play here, but Straight Outta Compton was also straight up good storytelling, coupled with a badass soundtrack. I didn’t give it much thought until later, but there’s also a certain level of accessibility in the storytelling, it was a film that was made for a wide audience without sparking disdain from dedicated members of the rap/hip hop community (not much significant backlash that I'm aware anyway... As someone who’s been devoted to certain subcultures, I can vouch this is entirely a possibility.)

Blue Jay (2016) Who has no idea what film this is? Hint: go watch it on Netflix. In the 2000′s I included Conversations with Other Women in my top 20 list, I feel like Blue Jay is my 2010′s equivalent.  Not that I was looking for an equivalent but I have an appreciation for unforgettable stories about the undeniable attraction between two people who have previously had a failed relationship with each other. It's Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass on screen the entire time, and it's completely engrossing.  Not an easy feat, not appreciated by many, but glorious to me. Call Me By Your Name (2017) This is my Ghost World of the 2010′s, not because the content is at all alike, but because it’s the only movie I watched repeatedly, and the only book in history that I’ve read twice in a single month. Some stories just touch you, this one did. Factor in the brilliant performances, the exquisite writing, beautiful settings, music, and every intricacy that together made up the whole film.  I only wish I had more pretty words to give it a proper description but I will never come close to what Andre Aciman and James Ivory and Luca Guadagnino put on screen. Dunkirk (2017) Christopher Nolan film #4. Dunkirk was the first film I thought of when I started to make this list.  It seemed so obvious. While I said I wasn’t ranking these Top 20 films of the decade, if hard pressed, I would put Dunkirk at the top. Not merely a good historical drama, this was a technical achievement. There’s a lot of articles out there about how a special plane was refitted to house the camera, you can read those online. What I think needs to be mentioned more often is astounding sound mixing and design in Dunkirk.  It’s so good, and I’ve been privileged to see it in 70MM and in Imax that I’m hesitant to watch it in my home with my dinky home theatre now. When they update the history of film textbooks, they’d better be adding Dunkirk. The Irishman (2019) Ok, so maybe this isn’t Marty’s best.  Maybe it’s a slight rehashing of his best work. (But his best is so good, the rehashing is still miles beyond the rest!) But to me, it’s Martin Scorsese embracing the evolution of storytelling in film, the formats in which it's presented, and how he’s going to adapt it in his favour.  What you have here is an excessive piece of work that would likely not ever have been made in the last 50 years due to cost, impracticality, audience appreciation, what have you.  However, in an unexpected turn, longer formats have come back into favour, and found a new platform in which to present themselves (ie. streaming servies like Netflix) So here he is, and here is The Irishman. There you have it movie lovers, more or less my top 20 films for the 2010's. Here is an abbreviated recap:

The Social Network - dir. David Fincher (2010)

Inception - dir. Christopher Nolan (2010)

The Artist - dir. Michel Hazanavicius (2011)

Hugo - dir. Martin Scorsese (2011)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - dir. David Yates (2011)

Super 8 - dir. J.J. Abrams (2011)

Moonrise Kingdom - dir. Wes Anderson (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises - dir. Christopher Nolan (2012)

Dallas Buyers Club - dir. Jean-Marc Vallee (2013)

The Theory of Everything - dir. James Marsh (2014)

Boyhood - dir. Richard Linklater (2014)

Interstellar - dir. Christopher Nolan (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows - dir. Taika Waititi (2014)

Mad Max: Fury Road - dir. George Miller (2015)

The Hateful Eight - dir. Quentin Tarantino (2015)

Straight Outta Compton - dir. F. Gary Gray (2015)

Blue Jay - dir. Alex Lehmann (2016)

Call Me By Your Name - dir. Luca Guadagnino (2017)

Dunkirk - dir. Christopher Nolan (2017)

The Irishman - dir. Martin Scorsese (2019)

Just missing the list was The Favourite - dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (2018). I actually miscounted my movies during the first draft of this list and originally had this to say about The Favourite when I'd mistakenly thought it'd made the list:

The Favourite (2018) This is the only film on the list that's not here because of its story.  It’s not a bad story, but plot alone wouldn’t put The Favourite amongst my favourites. (Also a part of me has yet to forgive Yorgos Lanthimos for making me endure Dogtooth) What makes The Favourite stand out is that it’s genre-bending, it’s like an absurd period piece for lack of a better description, and it’s awesome. Also the camera work including those panning shots with an extreme wide angle lens combined with the elaborate costume design really makes the film pop visually in a most wonderfully unconventional way.

Other films that didn't wind up making the cut:

The Town (2010)

Last Night (2010)

Rare Exports (Finland 2010)

Django Unchained (2012)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Captain Phillips (2013)

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

The Danish Girl (2015)

Get Out (2017)

The Shape of Water (2017)

The Hate U Give (2018)

And two others I'd like to mention are:

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which is an affecting film but admittedly will never be my cup of tea.  Doesn't mean it's not great. And,

2. Eden (France 2014) a personal favourite that I had not even considered for one of the 20 best films of the decade, but delightfully it showed up on a Vulture article about the best films of the decade in 47th place (coincidentally the writer's initials are also A.W. and this is what they had to say...)

There you have it, my decade in film summed up. I look forward to sharing many more film experiences and thoughts with you in the years to come. Our annual January challenge "30 Films in 31 Days" commences for another year starting tomorrow, and I hope to be able to follow shortly after with my top films of 2019. Happy movie-going and happy new year!

[ifitzpatrick]

Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them: The Post-Post-Post Review

I’ve got to be honest. I was heavily skeptical about seeing Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I grew up with Harry Potter, but I found myself exhausted, I wanted to keep my memories with myself and keep that magical journey alive. When I heard about this movie and I just sighed and went, “Really?”

I asked three questions. Why this movie? Why not the Marauders? Wait… Isn’t Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a field guide? The first two questions I have yet to get answers for, but the third one is yes.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them originated as a field guide of fantastic beasts and how to care for them, written by Newt Scamander throughout his journeys around the world. For the movie, this book expands into a two hour and twelve minute magical journey of Newt, his journey to NY and you guessed it… some fantastic beasts.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them begins with Newt’s (Eddie Redmayne) traveling to NY in the 1920s. We aren’t sure why he’s there, but we’re sure that he’s there carrying a very important suitcase of magical creatures. Newt is a magizoologist, meaning he’s a magical zoologist. He’s traveled across the world in order to write his book, but an incident lands him into deep trouble when a small magical creature lets itself loose, causes a little mayhem in a bank and Newt uses magic in the open and in front of a No-Maj (non-magical person or muggle), named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). After another incident (this kid just can’t stay out of trouble), we figure out that the suitcases have been switched and what happens? Well… the Fantastic Beasts are let loose of course. The story starts to open up and meet our lively cast of characters including the person who will help (and hurt) Newt’s quest to catch his animals, a ex-Auror named Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and we meet her sister, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol).

However, underneath the good, there has to be something sinister afoot. Gellert Grindelwald is on the loose. The newspapers are having a field day with that while something magical has not only destroyed some of New York, but plans to keep on destroying and almost expose wizards and witches to all No-Maj’s. Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) is on the hunt, but also in search for something else. A child who may hold a certain type of magic that he seeks to control. In order to do this, he recruits a little help from Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), a member of the New Salem Philanthropic Society (an anti-witchcraft group), to help him on his mission.

At first, knowing that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a field guide leaves you with some questions of how they were going to present this movie. How do you make a field guide into a two hours movie? Easy, you start when he’s just about to finish. One last journey he takes before actually finishing his book. This movie, written by J.K. Rowling herself, is build around and perfect in it’s simplicity. You catch up with the action, even though there’s so much going on. That’s one thing I loved about the writing in this movie. It was predictable, you knew what was going to happen, but does it really matter? You’re more or less hooked on diving into this story and getting to know these characters, almost similar to wanted to know them in Harry Potter. The simplistic writing gave the chance for the characters to make this story their own and the plot to really keep moving instead of standing still in one place.

Speaking of the characters, they’re all just so lovely. It’s not entirely rare that an entire cast charms you, but this cast does an amazing job bringing their characters to life.  You don’t expect to fall in love with them as fast as you do, but they’re so lively and lovely that you just melt. A character that you fall for easily is Newt. Once he gets his luggage checked and off to the streets of New York, his head cocked slightly as he looks up at the setting around him. You instantly want to grab him and kiss him. He’s adorable and he’s our protagonist. You immediately want to follow him on his journey no matter what. The other characters catch you too, Jacob, the No-Maj fits into this world like a glove and takes it all in like he’s made to live in it. Sisters, Tina and Queenie, are great in this. The girls are so different, but play off one another with such a grace and charm that both of them capture. Queenie, you instantly fall in love with. She embodies the 1920s look to a tee. Tina is not so easy to fall in love with at first, but once you get to know her and understand where she’s coming from, she starts to grow on you.

The one character I personally and completely fell in love with was Credence Barebone. He has such a tragic backstory and has to deal with the ultimate manipulative figures of the story. It’s not easy to write about abuse in this type of setting, but as unexpected as this was, it was brilliant and made the movie dark. You just want to give him all the love he deserves.

There’s so many magical moments inside of the film. You never really feel stuck in this universe, they’re literally always running around and doing something. Even inside of Newt’s briefcase, there’s another magical world. The plot felt like it just kept going and it took off on it’s own. There’s were some lovely parts, like the love story brewing between Queenie and Jacob, but it came with it’s sad parts too, like Credence and his relationship with his “mum”. There’s a whole new magical world to explore. There were many nods to Harry Potter, keeping up with the fact that it’s set pre-HP, but it really never draws back on that. There was even an acknowledgment to the American school, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This world never looks back, only forward. The one thing I loved about it was it was it’s own confined franchise. Easter eggs are put into place, but you it has it’s own history, it has it’s own place in the legacy and it shines on it’s own.

VERDICT: SEE IT! There’s a simple and charming magic to Fantastic Beasts. The nostalgia of this world really makes it pop into something you’ve never seen before. I never thought that within the series we’d be traveling to America to learn what happens here, but we do. I found myself fasinated with the hidden wizarding world of NYC. I found myself relating to these characters, especially Newt’s want to protect the magical creatures so dear to him. I found myself loving this world deeper and deeper, even though it was a bit darker and sinister than Harry Potter. It wasn’t like the series that I grew up with and that’s okay, because this story works within it’s own magic. There are things within this story that are still left out, but it just proved to be more material that you could dive into within this world.

ALSO BY THE WAY: UM… THE WIZARDING WORLD HAD A BLACK PRESIDENT BEFORE WE DID? 1920’S GUYS! GOOD JOB WIZARDING WORLD. KUDOS TO YOU. WE’RE GONNA END THIS REVIEW WITNESSING THIS STRONG UPSTANDING WOMAN.

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : The Last Dragon (1985)

The 1980s were a magic time for movies.  It seems like most any premise you could come up with would fly if you were able to finance it, and due to this energy, we were given a ton of obscure films that have gained iconic and cult status.  Fans of most any genre can find a bit of weirdo gold from the 1980s, and fans of martial arts and/or exploitation films have a sure shot favorite that has gained popularity as the years go by : Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon. 

Leroy Green (Taimak), known by the residents of New York City as Bruce Leroy, is furiously dedicated to his martial arts training in hopes of reaching levels of skill similar to his idol Bruce Lee.  After passing his Master’s (Thomas Ikeda) final test, Leroy is sent out into the world to complete his training and fulfill his destiny, but due to his hesitant nature, he is challenged to seek a new master in the form of Sum Dum Goy, to whom he is supposed to give an ancient relic that once belonged to Bruce Lee in hopes of achieving the mystical and all powerful skill known as The Glow.  Meanwhile, Sho’nuff (Julis J Carry III), The Shogun of Harlem, sees Leroy as an obstacle to his supremacy of New York City, and with his gang in tow, he feverishly seeks Leroy in hopes of defeating him in combat and becoming the true master.  While this struggle takes place, arcade mogul Eddie Arkadian (Chris Murney) is hoping to branch out into the entertainment industry, and in an attempt to do so, he decides to strong arm local celebrity, DJ and host of the hit show 7th Heaven, the VJ Laura Charles (Vanity).  Leroy defends her from her attackers, making him the apple of Laura’s eye and the source of Arkadian’s ire.  With multiple people seeking vengeance as he seeks spiritual and physical enlightenment, Leroy is forced to face the biggest challenge of his life.

On paper, this movie should come off as a complete comedic farce, and a satire of both martial arts and exploitation films.  For some reason, be it the actors’ committal to their roles, or just those intangibles you cannot account for, this film satisfies as both a martial arts exploitation film and a slice of 1980s ridiculousness, and the dated nature of the film does little to nothing to the enjoyment factor.  Bruce Leroy’s journey of personal enlightenment, Sho’nuff’s quest for dominance and Eddie Arkadian’s delusions of grandeur provide a triangle of motivations that reveal a rich tapestry of conflict as their paths continue to cross, sometimes due to pure happenstance.  Juxtaposing Bruce Leroy’s respect for his discipline against Sho’nuff’s cartoonish portrayal allows the movie to be both respectable to martial arts on the whole, while mocking those who do not take it seriously.

Motown’s involvement in the film gives the entire proceeding the energy of a musical film, or a long-form music video with a narrative between the musical pauses.  This also allows them to do what they do best when it comes to the love story aspects, utilizing the techniques they honed in on in films like Mahogany to balance out the martial arts aspects.  Placing the film in 1980s New York was not only a good choice for the time, but one that has stayed aesthetically pleasing as the years go by due to the mark that New York left on world culture that lasts to this day.

The costuming in this film is amazing, be it the tons of 1980s fashion and hairstyling, Sho’nuff’s crazy Shogun-inspired getups, or Bruce Leroy’s versions of Bruce Lee’s iconic outfits.  The pre-Hip-Hop era (at least commercially) this film lands in allows R&B to rule, with many of the day’s bigger artist given soundtrack and music video placement throughout the movie, as well as a few jokes at the expense of musicians on the Motown roster.  The character dynamics and relationships are palatable and numerous, be it Bruce and his brother, he and Laura Charles, he and his students, Eddie Arkadian and Angela’s unhealthy relationship, or even the way Eddie uses Rock to get what he wants.  It is clear that the fight choreography takes itself seriously enough to not mock martial arts on the whole, but a handful of the performers bring very dynamic and high energy moves to the table.  The balance of score and soundtrack works quite well, leaving a truly lasting impression.

Taimak is the anchor of honor and dignity, grounding the film and giving the audience a character to relate to and cheer for.  Vanity exudes a sexiness and desirable quality that, decades later, still makes her performance iconic.  Julies J. Carry III’s dedication to making Sho’nuff over the top blasts off the screen, making him an instantly iconic cult character.  Chris Murney also brings an absolute dedication to his rule as a two-bit boss, with the perfect set of flunkies cast in Mike Starr and Faith Prince.  Leo O’Brien and his youthful energy bring a modern-day connection and aesthetic to the film.  Glen Eaton shows comedic and athletic chops, as well as tons of personality, in his few appearances.  Jim Moody and Thomas Ikeda provide fatherly guidance from two different worlds to Bruce Leroy’s character.  The tons of cameos in this film from people who would go on to star in TV shows andfilms is crazy, including Ernie Reyes Jr., Keshia Knight Pulliam, Chazz Palminteri, William H. Macy and Carl Anthony Payne II.

The joy that Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon brings me is seemingly endless.  It’s one of those films that is guaranteed to get viewed if I stumble across it, I often reference it jokingly in conversation, and Busta Rhymes even famously adorned the Sho’nuff costuming for one of his music videos.  If you’ve not seen this film, do yourself a favor and seek out a viewing, and I guarantee at the least that you will not be bored.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: December 27, 2018

10 NEW TO NETFLIX

"2 Fast 2 Furious" "Apocalypse Now" "Avengers: Infinity War" "Baby Mama" "The Fast and the Furious" "The Innocents" "Kill the Messenger" "The Little Hours" "Maps to the Stars" "The Theory of Everything"

8 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD

"Assassination Nation"

I'm only human and so there's a bit of an impulse to include a release in this column on which I'm quoted on the cover, even if the movie itself is something of a mixed bag. The quote "'Mean Girls' meets 'The Purge" is from my Sundance viewing of this divisive genre film, and is more descriptive than praising. What's been interesting to watch about the conversation around this abrasive, incendiary castigation of internet culture is that I have been very lonely in my middle ground opinion. I like its ideas more than its execution, but find it fascinating how many people either LOVE or HATE this movie. Honestly, we need more movies like that—movies that provoke conversation and debate. So you should see this not because I'm quoted on the cover but because you should pick a side ... or join me in the neutral zone.

Buy it here 

Special Features Deleted/Extended Scenes Gag Reel Trailers

"Bad Times at the El Royale"

This is another movie that people seemed to either embrace or abhor and I finished with a shoulder shrug. Maybe that's not fair. I mostly liked Drew Goddard's single-setting bloodbath, but I'm stunned that anyone sees enough to like or hate here to include in either ten best or ten worst lists for the entirety of 2018. On the positive side, the ensemble is fantastic, especially Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Bridges, and Chris Hemsworth. It's never boring, weaving several subplots on a very bad night at the El Royale hotel into one backstabbing tapestry. It's also too long, too unfocused, and slips through your fingers once it's over. There's a tighter, smarter version of "El Royale" in this one that could have been great. But this one is still pretty good—available On Demand now and on Blu-ray on 1/1.

Buy it here

Special Features Making Bad Times at the El Royale Gallery

"Fahrenheit 11/9"

Did Michael Moore's latest provocation influence the election as he so clearly hoped it would when he dropped it in the heat of the season? Maybe. Probably not, though. The fact is that Moore doesn't have the impact he once did, but should that be the only way we judge him as a filmmaker? As an influencer? It will be interesting to see how his most overtly political films like this one stand up with a couple decades of history behind them. For me, the best pieces of "Fahrenheit 11/9" don't focus on the Trump Presidency but the various stories of the last few years that led to the voter apathy that was arguably the biggest reason he won. And, say what you will about this film's lack of focus, there's a great mini-doc buried within this film about the Flint water crisis that you really should see.

Buy it here

Special Features None

"The Predator"

After the TIFF premiere of Shane Black's latest reboot/sequel to the hit '80s sci-fi/action film, I suspected that I would be in the minority of critics who enjoyed it but didn't expect it to be quite so drastic. I stand by my 2am take in Canada that this is a fun action movie that understands what worked about the original film while also taking some of the same ideas in a new direction. No, it's not going to be anyone's favorite movie of 2018, but it's a quick, enjoyable rental on a Saturday night, and it works even better at home than in the middle of the night in Toronto.

Buy it here 

Special Features Deleted Scenes A Touch of Black Predator Evolution The Takedown Team Predator Catch-Up Gallery

"Schindler's List"

Only this column could go from "The Predator" to "Schindler's List," but that's how we roll at the HECG (and the byproduct of alphabetical listings). For the 25th anniversary of one of the best films of the '90s, Universal has upgraded Steven Spielberg's Oscar winner with a 4K release that reminds viewers why this movie was so rapturously praised when it came out in 1993. Given 4 stars by Roger on its initial release, he didn't wait long to put it in the Great Movies pantheon, and it's a movie that has held up remarkably well. The 4K release is accompanied by a new documentary called "Schindler's List: 25 Years Later," adding to the sense that this is one of the essential 4K Blu-ray releases of 2018.

Buy it here 

Special Features NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM SUPERVISED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG DOLBY VISION/HDR 10 PRESENTATION OF THE FILM NEW Schindler's List: 25 Years Later - Featurette NEW USC Shoah Foundation Story with Steven Spielberg (2018) Voices from the List - Featurette Let Their Testimonies Speak - Stronger Than Hate About IWitness (2018) AND MORE...

"A Simple Favor"

Paul Feig's mystery/comedy looked like a disaster before it was released. It was coming out at a time of year when studios are known for dumping movies that they don't know what to do with, and it didn't play any fests or get much in the way of critics screenings. And then it dropped and most people were pleasantly surprised. A reasonably big hit (almost $100 million worldwide), "A Simple Favor" filled a hole in storytelling for adults that Hollywood simply doesn't care about as much as they used to. In a time when the mid-budget movie is disappearing, it feels like everything is a part of a franchise or a low-budget indie. The mid-budget filmmakers went to TV. And so it's so heartening to see a solid mid-budget flick that offers a night of entertainment for grown-ups away from Netflix. I'm a little less high on the flick than everybody else (I think Blake Lively is amazing but the movie sags a bit when she's absent), but it's totally worth a rental. 

Buy it here    Special Features 3 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew 8 Featurettes Gag Reel Deleted Scenes Flash Mob

"Starman"

When the acolytes of John Carpenter talk about the horror icon, they often stick solely to, well, his horror films. How many pieces can the internet produce about the greatness of "Halloween," "The Thing," or underrated pics like "The Fog" and "Prince of Darkness"? Lost in a lot of the talk about Carpenter is what is actually his highest-grossing film outside of Mike Myers, 1984's "Starman." This has always been a film that I hold close to my heart as I was nine when it came out and, well, that's a good age for this movie. It's an underrated film with a truly great performance from Jeff Bridges. As Roger wrote 34 years ago, "Actors sometimes try to change their appearance; Bridges does something trickier, and tries to convince us that Jeff Bridges is not inhabited by himself."

Buy it here 

Special Features NEW They Came from Hollywood: Re-visiting STARMAN – featuring director John Carpenter, actors Jeff Bridges, Charles Martin Smith and script supervisor Sandy King-Carpenter Audio Commentary with director John Carpenter and Jeff Bridges Vintage Featurette Teaser Trailer Theatrical Trailer TV Spots Still Gallery

"Venom"

Ah, "Venom." Is this smash hit a good movie? Noooo. It's clunky and weird. And yet there's something in here that almost brings it together and that's the totally committed lunacy from Tom Hardy. Whether he's talking to the symbiote inhabiting his body or eating a live lobster out of the tank in which he's sitting, there's something inspired in so many of his choices. Sadly, the rest of the movie totally pales in comparison, including something I didn't think was possible: flat performances from Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams. As much as I don't want to see "Venom" again, I'll be curious about "Venom 2" just to see if Hardy's energy can be featured in a project that deserves it. 

Buy it here 

Special Features Venom Mode: When selecting this mode the film will engage informative pop-ups throughout the film to provide insight on the movie's relationship to the comics, and to reveal hidden references that even a seasoned Venom-fan may have missed! Deleted & Extended Scenes: These deleted and extended scenes will give fans even more of the Venom action they loved in theaters! Ride to Hospital – Eddie and Venom take a ride to the hospital. Car Alarm – Let's just say that Venom is not fond of car alarms. San Quentin – Extended post-credits scene at San Quentin. From Symbiote to Screen: A mini documentary about the history of Venom in comics and his journey to the big screen. Interviews with Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Ruben Fleischer, Oliver Scholl, and Director and Comic Fanboy Kevin Smith. The Lethal Protector in Action: Go behind the scenes with the production crew and learn the secrets behind the awesome Motorcycle stunts, wire stunts, and drones. Venom Vision: A look at how Ruben Fleischer came to the project, gathered his team, and made Venom a reality. Utilizes interviews from cast, crew, and producers as well as Fleischer himself. Designing Venom: Designing and creating Venom meant a huge challenge for VFX artists; follow the amazing journey. Symbiote Secrets: Blink and you may have missed it! Enjoy the hidden references throughout the film. 8 Select Scenes Pre-Vis sequences: See the progression of the visual effects, storyboards and fight chorography compared to the finished film. "Venom" by Eminem – Music Video "Sunflower" by Post Malone, Swae Lee (From Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sneak Peek: Meanwhile in another universe …

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