#rae is the true mvp

[iiilllsam]

her side eye game is strong, she’s getting that bag ANDD they’re getting out of the featherington house. what an icon😍

[monsterrae1]

Hiiii Rae 💕💕💕

Combining some fun ask questions I saw with 911 characters!

1) Buck goes into a candle store, what scent does he buy?

2) how does Eddie spend on a rainy day?

3) what’s Bobby’s favorite memory?

4) how does hen relax after a bad day?

5) does Athena like to read? What’s her favorite book?

6) What is chimneys favorite hobby?

Answer all or some, have fun! ☺️

-❤️🪐

Hi Saturn!!

Ohhh these are good:

1) I feel like he’s a nature type of scents so maybe something woodsy and fresh.

2) Eddie likes to wind down on rainy days, and to not think about all the trauma he’s had with the rain, so he puts on his favorite movie and gets his favorite food and just spends some time with Chris and buck watching movies.

3) playing with his kids 🖤 they’re sad memories but also full of joy.

4) Karen is the true mvp who always has a spa day ready to do for hen on her hard days, long baths, soft music, good food and her favorite snacks and then 😏😏😏 all the orgasm she wants (or just cuddles if she’s not on the mood)

5) she’s a huge fan of romcoms but no one but hen knows this.

6) Chim loves watching movies! He just loves to spend his time showing jee his favorite films (as long as they’re age appropriate of course)

Gimme attentions pls

[heythere-mel]

We wouldn’t be anywhere without your dedicated work and talent dearest Rae!! The true mvp of this fandom and we love you!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🤍🤍🤍

Me and my dumb brain just realized that I forgot to make a post on New Years thanking y’all for all the massively sweet support of The Pedro Library. It’s become such a special project to me, ever growing and more than a little messy, but ultimately it’s a source of happiness to spread awareness of the talented writers in the fandom! I see the lovely tags and reblogs from y’all for the updates! Each and every single one makes me so happy it’s ridiculous and if I wasn’t such a shy porcupine literally I’d be sending hugs into everyone’s inboxes cuz y’all are the absolute best ❤️ 

[raenef]

I keep staring at those aymeric screenshots like my god how can you be so attractive it’s so unfair GOD DAMMIT I love

[yakumtsaki]

Welcome, dear readers, to part 1 of the finale to the BackupKingdom2 saga! We’re in our final ambition now, let’s check how Liz’s post-divorce-bloodbath is going..

Oh yes, excellent. Our path to death-achievement-glory has been paved with so many executions that wherever I look I see npcs crying..

..comforting each other..

..and in Agnes' case, coming straight to Liz to.. ask for mercy for the populace I guess?? Bruh. I can't believe we even brought down AGNES, truly this is the saddest kingdom on earth. Amazing job, Liz, you've definitely earned your place in the tyrant hall of fame!

Now a lesser player would be like "oh, maybe we should chill a little on the insane tyrant thing, finish the Pirate/Noble arc cause we've been dragging this war out so the pirates/guildsmen would keep spawning and it should have ended like 20 quests ago" and true, we could just end it, we ran a very effective operation around here, shoutout to MVPs Donius and Bellinda and their 'seductive' legendary traits:

They bedded them and Liz beheaded them, the power of teamwork! So one could say that we should consider raising kingdom morale now because everyone is so depressed but I think, if anything, now is the time to ramp it up and go for some of the other morally questionable achievements! Like Machiavelli said, you should commit all your atrocities at once! What do you think, Liz? Ready to get atrocious?

-OH FUCK YEA, I’M ENRAGED, I DROPPED MY FIDDLE IN THE PIT AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE SERVANT TO GET ME A NEW ONE!! WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME >:(

Aw I’m sorry Liz, but I’m sure you the upcoming suffering of your subjects will cheer you up!

-Ok motherfuckers, by order of the Crown aka ME -you hear that Rae?? ME, NOT YOU. God I want to execute you so bad, fucking ingrate, do you remember what rags you were wearing when I hired you??  

Let’s get this back on track, Liz.

-Right, so by order of the Crown, Magus Olivia and Spymaster Spainot are given COMPLETE LEGAL IMMUNITY to do whatever the fuck they want in the interest of earning achievements, so don’t you people come crying to me cause I don’t give one tiny chinchilla crap about your health and livelihoods. If you need me for something actually important, I'll be at the gates, executing anyone who doesn't like my fiddle playing.

-Oh man, this folksy peasant hat isn’t protecting my ears enough.

-THOUGHT I WOULDN’T HEAR YOUR LITTLE MURMUR, DID YOU  -YOUR MAJESTY NO I ONLY MEANT MY EARS WERE COLD -WELL ALL OF YOUR BODY’S ABOUT TO BE COLD NOW! CONSTABLE, THROW THIS PEASANT IN THE PIT

-Death marker? I hardly know 'er!

So the Constable npc has this little Billy Elliot subplot going, I'm pretty sure he has the 'drunkard' fatal flaw because he was always at the tavern so I had Bellinda try to hire him to perform in one of her plays just to see what would happen and it actually worked, and now he moonlights as an actor! It's cute but it also takes forever for him to come arrest people.

-THEY LOVE ME ❤️😁 -CONSTABLE WHATSYOURNAME, COME OVER HERE AND DO YOUR FUCKING JOB OR YOU'RE NEXT FOR THE PIT

-No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man, when someone dies😢

In the background you can see that Bellinda just got a pregnancy bump, it’s her lovechild with Donius, I for real can’t keep these two apart. Anyway, the time has come..

..to unleash Magus Olivia onto the populace.

-You know what, I'd rather not, this book is finally getting good and I'm sick of cursing peasants, it doesn't even drop their mood that much..

Oh no, Olivia my beloved, we're not cursing them, we're going for the 'Well Done' achievement!

-NO WAY.

WAY.

-Won't I be executed??

You have immunity! You can do whatever you want!! And, AND, once you complete it, because I know it's tiring, I'll give you a magic skeletal parrot as a gift!! Edward got all the materials for it while treasure-hunting, you'd think I'd let him keep it but that's not the kind of shop I'm running here.

-This is my face of pure, childlike happiness!

Good lord, it’s terrifying, please don’t look at me like that.

-Alright, time to roll down my sleeves so they look more sinister and do this thing.

You can do it, Olivia!

-Of course I can, save your reassurance for the flops that need it.

-I.. cast.. INFERNO!

...

-What?

I mean really, those are the words, "I cast inferno"? Can't you say something with more evil magical flair?

-Not when I have to cast it 80 fucking times I can't.

-IT BURNS, IT BURNSSSSS

Oh how the tables have turned, usually it's the witch that gets burned, huhu! Did you hear that, Olivia? Did you like my joke??

-Oh, it's beautiful!

Well it wasn't one of my best-

-Not you, you needy moron, the sight of burning flesh! I can't wait to do this 79 more times!

Alright, so everyone in the tavern has been turned into a chicken nugget, time to get some rest and check in with Spainot!

-Amazing news, Rodolfo, I just got royal permission to unlawfully lock up and interrogate whoever I want for the achievements!!!

-Darling, no offense, but aren't you a bit too shit at your job for that? -WHAT????

-FUCK YOU RODOLFO YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS OF MY SUCCESS -I WISH I WAS JEALOUS OF YOUR SUCCESS, THEN YOU'D BE SUCCESSFUL AND I WOULDN'T BE MARRIED TO A BROKE LOSER

-And then he says the only reason he hasn't dumped me is he doesn't wanna be a rando npc while Batshit Liz is on an execution spree, can you believe this bullshit? How can anyone be so hurtful??

-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NO NO PLEASE DON'T HAVE THIS CHINCHILLA MAUL ME I'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT

-How about you give me some marital advice, are you even listening?! Ugh.

That's right, while Olivia is inferno-ing the peasants, I've sicced Spainot on the nobility, specifically all those foreign diplomats that are always hanging in the reception hall, lagging up the place. We're going for the 100 interrogations achievement and we’ve installed a nice spiky torture chair right in the middle of the hall to save time! Now this is how we keep every stratum of society terrified enough to not realize that the person in charge is.. uh.. well you know:

-DANCE TO MY FIDDLE, PIRATE, DANCE!

-I AM!!!!!

-DANCE MORE ENTHUSIASTICALLY. ALL THE WAY TO THE PIT

After a couple days and several locations I feel we’re pretty close to 80 infernos!

I’d say we’ve burned a good 50-60% of the population at this point, everywhere I look I see singed townies-

-so we take this little barbecue to the palace because we’ve ran out of peasants and it’s time to start burning the foreign dignitaries. And it’s a good thing we do, because Olivia meets Nyrexis the Dragon!!!! 

Nyrexis is the human form of the dragon from a hilar quest where there’s a dragon in the kingdom and you can either befriend it or slay it, I had Bellinda befriend it:

So if you complete the befriend route of the quest, the human form of the dragon appears in town and is in love with whoever did the quest, in this case Bellinda. I am of course not about to waste Dragonfu on Bellinda’s basic ass, plus I feel Olivia is kind of a dragon with all the people she’s been burning so they have a lot in common! 

We dazzle Dragonfu with a coin trick! True magic at work.

-OMG IT WAS BEHIND MY EAR THE WHOLE TIME -I KNOW!

Good God, all of Olivia’s ‘happy’ expressions are terrifying, just don’t smile ever again, you’re too evil for it, you’re gonna scare the dragon away!

Or not!!!!

 AWWWWW 🐲❤️🔮

You know what, fuck it, let’s lock it down, when it’s right it’s right!

-Burn stuff with me forever?? -I WILL!!!!

-We are gathered here today, under threat of fiery death, to join two unholy abominations in holy matrimony. Yes, the irony is not lost on me. 

AW CONGRATS GUYS <3333 The wizard tower is so small and family un-friendly and Olivia is so unmaternal but come on, like I’m not gonna have her reproduce with a fucking dragon.

Back to Spainot, we’ve hit a slight bump, mainly that this Snordwich lord is proving fucking impossible to torture. 

-Um.. Are you enjoying this??? -Sure am, bad boy, but why don’t we take this somewhere more private already?

Wtf, stop sexually harassing the innocent person who’s torturing you! Does no one around here have any sense of humanity anymore??

-Come on, Spainot, throw some flesh-eating rodents at him! -I’M BUILDING UP TO IT, RAE, GAWD. No one likes a back-seat torturer!

-HA, who’s the loser now, Rodolfo? Rodolfo?? RODOLFO

Ya Spai I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure he left while you were interrogating, I haven’t seen him in like 3 days.

-WHAT. So Olivia completes one achievement and gets a dragon wife and a magic skeletal bird and I complete three and get dumped?!

Well what do you want from me, I don’t make the rules!

-YES YOU DO

Can we move on, please? And Olivia had a very rough go of it-

-she got burned in some rando quest and looked positively karma-stricken after, inferno-ing left and right while sporting this look! She deserves a magic bird!

Congrats on your success and 4 kids, Olivia! 

-I love this skeleton bird more than I thought it possible to ever love something.

-Gee, thanks mom. 

We had leftover bones so here, Spainot, you get a magic bird too.

-A bone parrot is little comfort when you’ve lost the only bone that matters! Why Rodolfo, whyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

Oh I don’t know, probably because you challenged him to duels 3 times a day?

-No, that can’t be it.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you look like a man who has nothing to live for?

-Yea, I certainly don’t.

So you wouldn’t mind like, jumping into the pit multiple times so you can get the parts we need for the hardest achievement in game aka Legendary Doomsword?

-Rodolfo had one of those too, it was legendary and now that it’s gone I’m doomed!!!

Ok ya ENOUGH metaphors about Rodolfo’s absent penis, although they really are writing themselves. We’ll get him back! If you survive all the pit jumping that is. Join us next time for part 2: Legendary Doomsword!

[remythologise]

sooo... unpopular supernatural opinion and honest thoughts on c*ckles?👀

shout out to the three separate anons who immediately asked this, mvps for wanting to decrease my follower count... we love a bit of blood sport in the arena

ok wildly varying levels of unpopular from mild to flaming hot:

meg’s character retcon is bad and I strongly dislike megstiel

I have not read The Most Famous Destiel Fic for more than one paragraph because it was too OOC but literally everything I know about it makes me feel like it should not a) hold the status it does and b) be a destiel fic

jack is one of the best things they ever did for the show and I’m glad he wasn’t a ‘baby’ when we meet him. everyone who acts like season 1-5 is the only ‘canon’ they accept has not fallen in love with jack which means either they have bad opinions or they haven’t watched the whole show

as previously stated, all fifteen seasons of supernatural should be considered canon*. unfortunately

lisa is boring however not as boring as amelia, which is a truly low bar. anyway I refuse to love all the women on supernatural for the sake of feminism because some of them just aren’t very interestingly written

you know how sometimes the fandom hive minds something into The Only Interpretation when that isn’t necessarily true? that but with the famous boner scene in 8.07, that dean is for sure hiding a boner is weirdly fixed despite that not actually being totally clearly the case**. like it’s fun as a joke but we all act like that is gospel truth sometimes when it’s just him being uncomfortable with something.

that demon!dean arc was cut short annoys me on a narrative level BUT frankly the writers seemed totally unable to do anything interesting with it anyway so if it was just going to be a whole season of jensen ackles acting slightly meaner than usual... that’s fine

I strongly think destiel fandom should look to carly rae jepsen rather than taylor swift for their pop girl lyrics taylor swift is the WRONG VIBE

I’m sort of grateful that waywards never happened because 1) all the good writers would have left to be on it, 2) there would be no canon destiel and 3) I don’t know if half that cast were particularly strong actors. and the wayward backdoor pilot was really not super interesting or well written. which reminds me,

robert berens episodes are sometimes very bad, and he is probably not the total friend/ally on the finale we all think he is

anael is great conceptually. dunno if that’s unpopular, does anyone hate anael? wish they’d explored her character in a more interesting way, she would have vibed so well with ‘hbo supernatural’ aka season 4-5

while obviously there are times the actors have great ideas and make really valuable contributions to scripts (misha, jensen and jared doing ALL the bookending legwork on 15.18 and 15.20) I do not think the actors should be in charge of their characters: misha would write tragedy (as he basically did), jared did not like saileen, and jensen reversed a line about dean reading the ‘game of thrones’ series in a robbie thompson episode to make dean sound dumber rather than unexpectedly smart.

ok that’s enough for now! re; cockles: to quote a certain tumblr user who I won’t name and shame, ‘they put the crown on netflix’. I personally don’t really ‘ship’ it*** and I can’t really read or endorse rpf fic (too uncomfortable!), but I do think outright policing people for having mild**** fun with rpf is going overboard. My serious take on their relationship is that misha’s friendship has genuinely impacted jensen’s life in a positive way and I think that’s really sweet.

*except for the episode with dean’s daughter which we don’t talk about **unlike that time at that con when... oh. you know ***however I’m not above observing and having a good laugh at ‘the gang is cockles truthing’ reblogs on my dash ****keep it far away from the public, actors and your objective perception of reality and you’re fine. misha reposted a cockles thread and kept using the word ‘cockles’ in things so like. lol

[busynothings]

top 5 from haim

I basically love anything those girls do but also:

my song 5

if I could change your mind

let me go

don’t save me

right now

send me an artist and I’ll say my top 5 songs

[metasactreon]

@a-rae-of-sunshine here's some more, er, Bener lore, I guess. She's a professor on his campus and one of the big players in his life.

This is Bener's college's faeology professor, Dr. Taffy. She doesn't disclose her true name unless if necessary and is a researcher of fae magic and fae creatures. She was drawn to the college and only accepted the position of a professor in order to have free access to a mild faerie and his circle. She has made deals with Bener and is one of the professors Bener will drop everything for to help.

Bener: She always holds up her end of the deals and then some, and she even gives me gifts outside of holidays! She's the real "mvp," whatever that means.

[aion-rsa]

Emmy Awards 2020 Predictions and Analysis

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

After several years of, let’s say, improved taste, the Emmy Awards backslid a bit last year. Sure, it was nice to see Fleabag get the recognition it deserved. But that recognition came along with a Game of Thrones final season onslaught that nobody asked for.

With Thrones firmly in the rearview, the 2020 Emmy Awards have a chance to welcome in some new blood. And with an eclectic list of first-time nominees like The Mandalorian, The Morning Show, and Watchmen they may be able to do just that! Below you can find all the major categories that will be announced during the 2020 Emmy Award ceremony at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 20 on ABC. We have indicated what shows we think will win in bold and what shows should win in italics. 

Outstanding Drama Series

Better Call Saul

The Crown

The Handmaid’s Tale

Killing Eve

The Mandalorian

Ozark

Stranger Things

Succession

Who Will Win: The Emmy Awards have a preoccupation with HBO dramas and who could blame them? For the better part of 30 years, HBO has been the go-to spot for brilliant television drama. That preoccupation went too far last year though with the choice of the questionable final season of Game of Thrones. Thankfully, this year’s HBO choice won’t be nearly as onerous. Succession season 2 is a superb year of television.

Who Should Win: Though Succession is a wonderful TV series and a fine choice for Outstanding Drama, the real winner here should be Better Call Saul. Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad prequel just gets better with age and arguably reached its apex with its fifth season. 

Outstanding Comedy Series 

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Dead to Me

Insecure

Schitt’s Creek

The Good Place

The Kominsky Method

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

What We Do in the Shadows

Who Will Win: The Emmys have largely ignored Schitt’s Creek’s existence up to this point but could no longer do so in its final season. The little Canadian show that could took in an impressive 16 nominations – the most for any comedy in its final season. And the Emmys didn’t hand out all those nominations just to leave the show hanging at the podium. Schitt’s Creek will win big throughout the night, including taking home Outstanding Comedy Series

Who Should Win: We have no complaints with Schitt’s Creek winning Outstanding Comedy Series to honor its contributions to television and comedy for the past six years. But for the purposes of choosing 2020’s best comedy, What We Do in the Shadows has to be it. Shadows was at its absolute best in season 2, a year that contained zombies, witches, and one Jackie Daytona, normal human bartender. 

Outstanding Limited Series

Little Fires Everywhere

Mrs. America

Unbelievable

Unorthodox

Watchmen

Who Will Win: Watchmen will win. Obviously.

Who Should Win: Unbelievable is a remarkable piece of work. Mrs. America more than lives up to its potential. But let’s not overthink this one – Watchmen was arguably the best thing on television this past year and will likely be remembered for years to come. It’s the only choice here.

Outstanding Television Movie

American Son

Bad Education

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Who Will Win: The Emmys always like to honor big name film actors like Hugh Jackman when they can. This time they get to do so and select the best TV movie of the year to boot.

Who Should Win: Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings is great but not really a TV Movie and slipped in here as a technicality. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt interactive special was wonderfully executed. But Bad Education is as deserving as any. 

Outstanding Reality/Competition Program

The Masked Singer

Nailed It!

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Top Chef

The Voice

Who Will Win: RuPaul’s Drag Race has won this honor for the past two years and there’s no reason to believe it can’t be victorious again. 

Who Should Win: It would be nice to see Netflix’s charming Nailed It! take home the top prize. And though The Masked Singer is certainly a corny endeavor, one cannot argue that the show hasn’t executed its concept perfectly. 

Outstanding Variety/Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Who Will Win: At this point, for as long as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is on television, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be expected to take home the Outstanding Variety/Talk Series trophy. 

Who Should Win: And there’s a reason for Last Week Tonight’s dominance. The category has gotten weaker in recent years with many talk shows understandably working on expanding their respective brands into the digital space. Last Week Tonight does the most research, has the best writing staff, and the most appealing host. It’s the best show of its kind on television and will likely continue to be so for quite awhile. 

Outstanding Animated Program

Big Mouth

Bob’s Burgers

BoJack Horseman

Rick and Morty

The Simpsons

Who Will Win: The Emmys do enjoy honoring series in their last season. The fact that BoJack Horseman’s last season was truly superb is just icing on the cake. 

Who Should Win: Rick and Morty’s creative demise is not as steep as some cultural commentators would have you believe. It would be a decent choice here. As would the relentless charming Bob’s Burgers, which just keeps getting better. But BoJack Horseman deserves this trophy for a pitch-perfect final season that brilliantly blends the series comedic and dramatic impulses. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

Olivia Colman, The Crown

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

Laura Linney, Ozark 

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Zendaya, Euphoria

Who Will Win: At first glance, Aniston seems like a solid possibility for her work on The Morning Show. She has the biggest name recognition and the world’s most valuable company marshaling its resources behind her. But something tells us that Olivia Colman is the surer bet. The Emmys have always been fond of The Crown. And after Colman took home an Oscar for The Favourite, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences might be eager to remind folks what medium Colman is best known for. 

Who Should Win: Anyone would be a fine choice here, really. We will go with Zendaya for the degree of humanity she brought to a truly difficult role. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark 

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Steve Carell, The Morning Show 

Brian Cox, Succession

Billy Porter, Pose

Jeremy Strong, Succession

Who Will Win: Billy Porter was a pleasant surprise last year but this time around the Emmys likely won’t be able to resist the allure of Succession. Either Brian Cox or Jeremy Strong are extremely likely to win this. We will guess Cox as his Golden Globe win is likely fresh in voters’ minds. 

Who Should Win: Being the lead on a prestige HBO drama often means getting to play with a pretty showy role. Jeremy Strong’s beaten down Kendall Roy is anything but showy and that just makes the actor’s performance all the more impressive. The consequences of a lifetime of outrageous wealth and outrageous paternal neglect play out mostly between Strong’s ears in a superb, subtle performance. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me

Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek 

Issa Rae, Insecure

Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Who Will Win: It’s likely to be a big night for Schitt’s Creek but even if it isn’t, all involved can be pretty certain that they’re taking home at least this award. Catherine O’Hara is Schitt’s Creeks MVP and here she becomes the show’s Emmy firewall. 

Who Should Win: O’Hara absolutely should win for her consistently larger-than-life performance. It’s a shame we won’t be able to honor Issa Rae with a statue this year though. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish 

Don Cheadle, Black Monday 

Ted Danson, The Good Place 

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek 

Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Who Will Win: Look, we’re just betting big on Schitt’s Creek around these parts. Comedy all-timer Levy has won an Emmy for writing but never for performance and that seems bound to change this year. 

Who Should Win: We have absolutely no problem with Levy getting his first acting Emmy. But Ted Danson would be the slightly better pick this time around. His performance as Michael on The Good Place is one of TV’s most human creations…despite Michael being a demon.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America

Shira Haas, Unorthodox

Regina King, Watchmen

Octavia Spencer, Self Made

Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

Who Will Win: Lock this one in. Empty out your savings and 401k and take it all to the betting markets. 

Who Should Win: Duh.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Jeremy Irons, Watchmen

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education

Paul Mescal, Normal People

Jeremy Pope, Hollywood

Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Who Will Win: It’s tempting to make fun of the Emmys preoccupation with big name film talent as a reason for giving Mark Ruffalo this award. In fact, this award in recent years has been all but reserved for film stars “slumming it” on television. But the truth is that Ruffalo gives a spectacular performance in I Know This Much is True and is certainly worthy of recognition.

Who Should Win: Also worthy of recognition in Paul Mescal for his warm, human performance on Normal People.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern, Big Little Lies

Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve

Julia Garner, Ozark

Sarah Snook, Succession

Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown

Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale

Thandie Newton, Westworld

Who Will Win: Julia Garner won this award last year and has done nothing to lose it since. But if Succession is destined for a big night, Sarah Snook is likely to be a part of it.

Who Should Win: Snook should win anyway for her performance this year. Until Kendall pulls off his major finale maneuver, Snook’s Shiv is undoubtedly the character who grows the most in Succession’s second season. 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul

Nicholas Braun, Succession

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Matthew Macfadyen, Succession

Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Mark Duplass, The Morning Show

Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Who Will Win: Look, Succession is really good. And Kieran Culkin gets to play one of the show’s flashier characters. 

Who Should Win: Culkin’s castmate Matthew Macfadyen deserves consideration here but in the end it’s hard to justify anyone other than Kieran winning. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin, GLOW

Yvonne Orji, Insecure

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live

Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek

D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place

Alex Borstein, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 

Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Who Will Win: This might be the hardest award to predict of the night. Though Borstein and Hinkle are wonderful, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel feels like a bit of an afterthought this year. And who knows if Schitt’s Creek’s big run will make it all the way down to the supporting category. Gilpin and Orji are very intriguing but in the absence of a sure thing, this feels like a year in which the Emmys could return to McKinnon. 

Who Should Win: It’s hard to think of someone in the TV landscape more deserving of an Emmy than D’Arcy Carden for her work on The Good Place. The actress has taken a Siri-like digital assistant of the afterlife and transformed it (not a girl) into a full-fledged character. 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Mahershala Ali, Ramy

Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live

Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek

William Jackson Harper, The Good Place

Alan Arkin, The Kominksy Method

Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Who Will Win: This is a particularly stacked category that is hard to pick. And when that happens at the Emmys, a good rule of thumb is to go with recency bias – who has won the most awards recently? Multiple Oscar award-winner Mahershala Ali fits the bill here but Shalhoub and Arkin are also appealing in that regard. Levy could ride the Schitt’s Creek wave as well.

Who Should Win: It’s quite frankly asinine that Andre Braugher has not won an Emmy yet for his nuanced, yet still utterly hilarious performance as Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Portrayals of police officers are particularly fraught this year but Braugher deserves some recognition all the same.

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Gordon Smith – Better Call Saul “Bagman”

Thomas Schnauz – Better Call Saul “Bad Choice Road”

Chris Mundy – Ozark “All In”

John Shiban – Ozark “Boss Fight”

Miki Johnson – Ozark “Fire Pink”

Jesse Armstong – Succession “This is Not for Tears”

Peter Morgan – The Crown “Aberfan”

Who Will Win: This is a strong category. Sometimes writing awards can be seen as a consolation prize for excellent series that can’t otherwise pick up the biggest honor of the night. Should that formula hold true, one of the two Better Call Saul entries has a shot, but the allure of Succession will likely prove too strong this year.

Who Should Win: Both Better Call Saul options are worthy of an Emmy. But the writing of season 5’s penultimate episode “Bad Choice Road” is brilliant and absolutely teeming with tension.

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek “Happy Ending”

David West Read – Schitt’s Creek “The Presidential Suite”

Michael Schur – The Good Place “Whenever You’re Ready”

Tony McNamara – The Great “The Great”

Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil – What We Do in the Shadows “Collaboration”

Paul Simms – What We Do in the Shadows “Ghosts”

Stefani Robinson – What We Do in the Shadows “On the Run”

Who Will Win: “Happy Ending” is the platonic ideal of a comedy series finale. It’s perfectly executed with callbacks, humor, and heart. The Emmys will be happy to award it. 

Who Should Win: “Happy Ending” is a superb choice but any half hour of television that features Matt Berry living a life as a bartender in Pennsylvania just cannot be allowed to lose. Justice for Jackie Daytona!

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Special

Tanya Barfield – Mrs. America “Shirley”

Sally Rooney and Alice Birch – Normal People “Episode 3”

Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Wadman – Unbelievable “Episode 1”

Anna Winger – Unorthodox “Episode 1”

Damon Linelof and Cord Jefferson – Watchmen “This Extraordinary Being”

Who Will Win: A good rule of thumb for this year’s Emmy Awards is that if Watchmen is in a category, it’s going to win that category. Such is the case here. 

Who Should Win: “This Extraordinary Being” deserves to win. Lindelof and Jefferson’s script was the starting point for a stunning episode of television that presented an idea so radical (and yet so logical) it inspired Lindelof and HBO to reimagine an already near-perfect graphic novel. 

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Leslie Linka Glatter – Homeland “Prisoners of War”

Alik Sakharov – Ozark “Fire Pink”

Ben Semanoff – Ozark “Su Casa Es Mi Casa”

Andrij Parekh – Succession “Hunting”

Mark Mylod – Succession “This is Not for Tears”

Benjamin Caron – The Crown “Aberfan”

Jessica Hobbs – The Crown “Cri de Coeur”

Mimi Leder – The Morning Show “The Interview”

Who Will Win: The Emmys really love Ozark. And they should! It’s a good show. Having said that, the dominance of Succession will likely close off a lot of opportunities for the series this year. But it should be able to at least squeak this one out.

Who Should Win: Ironically, this is the one award that Succession really should win this year above all else. Mark Mylod’s direction of “This is Not for Tears” is a minor miracle, turning a sun-drenched day on a luxury yacht into a tense, paranoid thriller. 

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Gail Mancuso – Modern Family “Finale Part 2”

Ramy Youssef – Ramy “Miakhalia.mov”

Andrew Civdino and Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek “Happy Ending”

Matt Shakman – The Great “The Great”

Amy Sherman-Palladino – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “It’s Comedy or Cabbage”

Daniel Palladino – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “Marvelous Radio”

James Burrows – Will & Grace “We Love Lucy”

Who Will Win: It’s a little weird to see the Modern Family series finale in a category and not be favored to win. For years, the Emmys heaped statues upon this very good but not all-time classic comedy. In the end, the Academy will instead opt to honor the tasteful direction of another series finale in Schitt’s Creek. 

Who Should Win: The Great has a real argument here with its drama-level production design assisting director Matt Shakman. But at the end of the day, “Happy Ending” accomplishes exactly what it needs to accomplish and is a fine choice. 

Outstanding Direction for a Limited Series or Special

Lynn Shetlon – Little Fires Everywhere “Find a Way”

Lenny Abrahamson – Normal People “Episode 5”

Maria Schrader – Unorthodox

Nicole Kassell – Watchmen “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice”

Stephen Green – Watchmen “Little Fear of Lightning”

Stephen Williams – Watchmen “This Extraordinary Being”

Who Will Win: Watchmen will win this category. It’s only a question of which episode. The premiere, “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice” thanks to the two stunning setpieces guided by Nicole Kassell. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Who Should Win: And “It’s Summer…” is the right choice in the end. “Little Fear of Lightning” and “This Extraordinary Being” are both superb but credit always goes to the premiere director for establishing a visual tone for the rest of a series. 

The post Emmy Awards 2020 Predictions and Analysis appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2RBll45

[beersfromthebleachers]

The Shaolin Samurai: The Wu-Tang Clan plays baseball

This week I wanted to something different for my birthday baseball entry. Everyone who knows me personally knows that my favorite band or group is the Wu-Tang Clan. If I were to die tomorrow, what will be etched on my gravestone would be, “Cubs Baseball and Wu-Tang Clan, Forever” It is unfortunate that I did not record this on a Wu-Wednesday, but it is even more redeeming that I am posting it on my birthday. We are going to give you the starting lineup for the Shaolin Samurai, the hottest hip-hop baseball team with Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game!

LF- Inspectah Deck: Batting leadoff for the Samurai is Inspectah Deck, the quick lyricist who knows how to get on base at an effective pace. He smoke with a bat like smoking Joe Fraizer, the “hell raiser” raising hell with the flavor threatening pitchers to Protect Ya Neck as he inspects every pitch putting up a good fight in the batter’s box. With fantastic left field acrobatics, he can channel his superhero form CZARFACE and is capable of throwing out runners heading for home with his laser for an arm. CZARFAZE is capable of those late game heroics, starting that rally in order for the Samurai to be able to win in walk-off fashion.

SS- Raekwon: The “Chef” Raekwon is cooking up some fast tracked lyrics and is batting second for some power hitting and extra base hits. With his style Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…the Chef had a great deal of flair in his playing form with his exposure playing in the Cuban league during the off season. Raekwon’s flow of his style has brought enough fame in a game when hit for the cycle and even made a spectacular catch that everyone refers to as The Lex Diamond Story and the fan favorite nickname as Shallah Diamond. Using his Shaolin Style and his Cuban form, the Chef will be lethal on base with extra base hits and forcing runs home.

1B- Method Man: The popular face of the Wu-Tang Clan is batting in the third slot. Method Man plays as the first baseman also known as Johnny Blaze is a Blackout performer, always performing on both sides of the plate and delivering fulfilling entertainment for the fans in the stands. Meth is most famous for his game on 4:21...The Day After Game where he crushed three home runs that rallied the team to victory for the Samurai. A key asset to this team, the rest of the Clan refers to him as the Tical Teammate for his amazing playing style and how he always keep the team in better spirits.

2B- Ghosface Killah: The all-star of the Wu-Tang Clan brings all the right tools to the game as the fast- playing, hard hitting, and emotional player on this entire roster. Ghostface is the most essential part of this offense and defense of the Samurai with his major contribution of what he delivers for each game. Batting cleanup spot in the order, the “Murderer’s Row” of this hitter is known as the Wu-Massacre if Meth and Rae are hot and on base. For his passion and dedication to the game, he is better known as the Ironman, due to his stellar performance with what he contributes towards the game. Without Ghostface, this unit would not be as sufficient or talented.

C- Ol’ Dirty Bastard: First thing first, you are messing with the worst. The Brooklyn folk hero who is foundation that holds the entire Wu-Tang Clan together. Ol’ Dirty Bastard is the slugging backstop that makes the most wild plays that throws the opposition into complete confusion before he strikes in his eccentric playing performance. His unpredictable playing style has brought the demise to his opponents, dubbing him the nickname Osiris. Batting fifth in the order, Ol’ Dirty will always bring the entertainment halfway through the order. ODB also has a soft spot for younger fans in the crowd, and he has high enthusiasm for the Samurai and what they do in the community. After all, he always said that Wu-Tang Clan is for the children.

3B- RZA: The captain of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA holds down the hot corner and bats sixth in the order for the Shaolin Samurai. His razor sharp antics has some of the best defense on the ball diamond, and they are almost Gold Glove worthy. RZA’s fast movement at the plate takes skill that is out of this world, and a typical line drive from him is like a Digital Bullet. His creativity on and off the baseball field and his swift ninja movement had his teammates dub him with the nickname Bobby Digital. RZA is a dedicated, natural leader, and always provides ways for his team to succeed. His contribution to the team is alone is what make the team a full dynamically diverse group of players and pushes them forward into being the best team around.

CF- Masta Killa: Another featured team member that is Made in Brooklyn, Masta Killa is a good contributor to the Samurai. Along with fellow outfielder U-God, he is a master in the art of Chessboxing in what he contributes on both sides of ball. With his influence not as strong as the rest of his teammates off of the field, he often reminds the supporters that Loyalty is Royalty and all their success is celebrated together as a unit. Masta Killa has one of the best Shaolin styles of the Wu-Tang Clan, as he keeps it sharp and dangerous as key defensive asset in the outfield.

RF- U-God: The mastermind of contact hitting with the mysterious style of U-God gives a unique dynamic to the Samurai. U-God sharpened his defensive skills in right field with his skills in Chessboxing which still remains a mystery on what he developed his mechanics from. A run never advances when given the opportunity to stop the runner from the outfield. When the Samurai are down in the game, they can always rely on U-God’s on base capability in order to have a lead off runner in the start of late innings. It is true Dopium what he is capable to deliver with his bat and lethal lyrics.

SP- GZA: The Genius pitcher that has a full arsenal of pitches gives GZA the opportunity to dominate in most scenarios. Being a strong student of the game, his genius intellect always knows what pitches to throw against each specific opponent. The mound is not the only place on the baseball field where GZA dominates, for he is just as witty with a bat as well. Naming his most reliable bat Liquid Swords, GZA dominates as a home run hitting pitcher because he knows pitching better than his opponent does. He has all the Pro Tools as an MVP and/or Cy Young winning caliber player for the Samurai. As a spiritual leader, GZA holds second rank behind RZA as co-captain of the Wu-Tang Clan.

It would be amazing to see this fantasy baseball team take the diamond in the 36 Chambers of Shaolin. At the peaks of the hip-hop group’s breakout appearance in the early 1990s, it would have been great to see another major New York baseball team from another borough. I can never forget what Wu-Tang Clan has contributed in the history of hip-hop, and it would be a dream to see if they ever inspire any styles in baseball. Who knows, maybe a future player will adapt a Shaolin style to his batting stance and laces line drives with ultimate flair.

[jmsa1287]

'Insecure' Season 3 Is Good. But it Should be Great.

hi i wrote about the new season of “Insecure” which is such a good show. liked the new season a lot but wanted to love it.

Over its first two seasons, the HBO comedy "Insecure" proved itself to be one funniest and most modern shows on TV. Created by Issa Rae, who also stars and writes on the show, and comedian Larry Wilmore, "Insecure" burst onto the scene in 2016 with breathtaking confidence. Featuring a stellar cast of mostly unknowns, and considered aesthetics, the show's sharp writers helped craft a bold and daring comedy that's not afraid to tackle topical issues when it comes to race, relationships, sex, friendship and careers young people navigate in today's complicated world.

Most of that is true for "Insecure" Season 3, which debuts on HBO Sunday. The show explores the new changes in the lives of its main characters, specifically Issa (Rae), who is coming off a huge breakup with her long-term, live-in boyfriend Lawrence (Jay Ellis) - a major character who will not appear in Season 3 at all. Issa is in a transitional phase, crashing with her ex- Daniel (Y'lan Noel of "The First Purge" fame), the cause of her split with Lawrence, as she figures out where she's going to live and where her career is headed. When Daniel has women over, Issa partakes in her part time job of being a Lyft driver. During the day, she's wondering if she's still satisfied with at full time job at the nonprofit We Got Y'all, where she resents being the token black person and was recently demoted.

It's also a transitional phase for Issa's BFF, Molly, played by the show's MVP Yvonne Orji. She's starting a new gig at an all-black law firm, where she feels she'll fit in better when it comes to office politics (slight spoiler: it doesn't get better). But she's still fooling around with Dro (Sarunas J. Jackson), who has an open marriage which is, unsurprisingly, complicating things between the two of them.

Over the first four episodes provided for review, "Insecure" Season 3 is thoroughly entertaining as it has been over the last two years. But something is missing this time around - perhaps it is direction from the talented Melina Matsoukas, who set the comedy's lovely aesthetics and tone by helming the pilot and a few other episodes throughout Season 1 and Season 2. Matsoukas is nowhere to be found in Season 3. Or maybe there's something off with the pacing this season, which feels slowed down and quieter. Or it could be just the fact that we are swept up in the deluge of new TV shows in this Peak TV era, which makes it difficult for established series - especially comedies - to continue to woo viewers.

Going macro, "Insecure" Season 3 may feel like a slight step down compared to its previous seasons. A spark of sorts is missing and that x-factor that makes this show special is maybe dimming. Going micro, however, the show is providing moments of true hilarity, like in the first episode "Better-Like" when Molly tags along with Issa as they pick up hotties in Issa's Lyft. It's these small moments - when the comedy focuses on the dynamic pair - that it's at its peak and most interesting.

The "will they or won't they" push-and-pull between Issa and Daniel becomes more interesting in Season 3 as Lawrence is out of the picture and they spark some real chemistry. In one episode, Issa shows her appreciation for Daniel, who is allowing her to crash at his place for free, by cleaning his apartment. She later helps him in another way by encouraging him to put his ego aside and chase after a rising rapper to produce his music. The moment leads to interesting results and has impacts in subsequent episodes. Things also get even more complicated for Issa when another man unexpectedly enters her life.

"Insecure" is still a strong and hilarious show unlike anything else on TV today. Season 3 focuses on the lives of Issa, Molly and Daniel. With Lawrence not appearing this season, the show doubles down on the trio's relationships and work experiences. That strong hold, however, comes at cost as minor characters are undeveloped. The other half of Issa and Molly's squad, Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) and a pregnant Tiffany (Amanda Seales), are fantastic when they are on screen but they don't pop up often enough. The same goes for Frieda (Lisa Joyce), who was Issa's colleague in Season 1 and 2 but has since been promoted to her supervisor.

Speaking with The Associated Press about Season 3, Rae, who earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series this year, explained "this season was harder - just because we closed so many doors last season. It felt like we were starting from scratch in a way."

"When you get into a third season show you kind of feel like you know it. And even as writers you get a bit complacent like, 'We know this (stuff), we know what we're doing," she added. "We know who these people are. We got formula.' And that's what you never want."

"Insecure" has always been a show about taking risks when it comes to storytelling. Its biggest risk in Season 3 is Rae's decision not to give Lawrence any screen time this year. Though that may give way to a slower season, there's still a good chance the back half of Season 3 could provide fireworks for Issa, Molly and Daniel.

[valiantbeingsmoved]

honestly... like i’m just tired, mentally. and sometimes things don’t come out the way they should. sometimes i snap when i don’t mean to. sometimes i get anxiety over what to fix for dinner that night. but with this tired mentality comes the lack of fucks to give in certain aspects of my life. like getting my ged or patching things up time and time again with my family. i’m too tired to keep doing it. and i’m too tired to keep worrying, over analyzing, and everything else i’m too fucking tired to think of. 

thing is, not a lot of people can understand this if they don’t experience it. this isn’t a tired you can cure with a sleeping medication. it’s not a tired you can sleep off or take a power nap to help you through. it’s a tired that changes you and sometimes for better or worse. right now? it’s worse for me. i’m a shell of my former self. i guess maybe it’s better because i’m more mature, focused on my well being and less focused on pleasing everyone around me. but i’m still a shell of my former happier, bubblier, brighter self.

there wasn’t a point i sat out to make when i started writing this post. i just started writing how i felt. but i guess what i want to say now is i’m going to be making some changes in my internet life. cutting some people out who don’t care about rae the way rae cares about them. staying out of the dramatics and trying not to be so bitter or ‘salty’ over past dramatics. all i know is aside from a select few true mvp friends, i have one good constant in my life right now, he knows who he is, and if i’ve got him, i can’t go wrong. 

[blues-and-roll]

Black Label Society - Bored To Tears (Official Video)

Zakk Wylde can be considered one of the most successful guitarists of his generation, accumulating several titles and prizes, becoming the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the election of the American Guitar World magazine. In 2005 he was also chosen as "Best Metal Guitarist", and also received the prizes of "Riff Lord" and "Golden God" of the English magazine Metal Hammer.

Over the years, Zakk Wylde has developed several highly regarded side projects, such as the Book of Shadows acoustic album and the Southern Rock Pride & Glory self-titled album coLive at Budokan) and in 2002 he recorded his own with Black Label Society (Boozed, Broozed and Broken Boned) in a memorable performance at Harpo's in Detroit, where along with the great public present managed to one night to end the entire stock of drinks from the house of shows during the filming. It was the first time in the history of Harpo's Concert Hall that this happened.

Zakk has also made some TV appearances, such as the comedy series "Crapsntando also with special appearances in several works of other bands, like the début of the Damageplan (guest vocalist) and the album of Derek Sherinian," Black Utopia ", next scored by Yngwie Malmsteen.

Zakk Wylde also appeared on some DVDs with Ozzy Osbourne (Live and Loud / hoot) with Jim Breuer, and starred in the Hollywood film industry as "Ghode," the lead guitarist for Steel Dragon, which had been created especially for the occasion, being responsible for the soundtrack of the film, still in its formation no less than the musicians Jason Bonham (UFO, drums) in the paper of "AC", Jeff Pilson (Dokken, down) in the role of "Jörgen", Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, vocals) performing vocals for actor Mark Wahlberg and actor Dominic West as guitarist "Kirk Cuddy." The film also features other well-known figures such as Nick Catanese (Black Label Society, guitar) in the role of guitarist "Xander Cummins", from the fictional band Blood Pollution.

Zakk is married to his former girlfriend since the age of 16, Barbaranne, with whom he has four children. Hayley-Rae, 14, Jesse John Michael, 13, Hendrix Halen Michael Rhoads, 4, and Sabbath Page, born in 2012 ("homage" to Jimi Hendrix, John Michael Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath, Eddie Van Halen, Mike Piazza, Randy Rhoads, and Jimmy Page). He was a very close friend of the late guitarist Dimebag Darrell since 1993, even getting to receive guitars from each other in mutual admiration as partners in the song. Dimebag had presented Zakk with an exclusive Dean Custom guitar displaying the painting in the "Bulls-eye" design, a trademark of Zakk's guitars, shortly before his death. Wylde decided to dedicate the song "In This River" to his friend, citing that although the song was not originally made for that purpose, the lyrics would be appropriate for the situation. Wylde has offered the song "In this River" to Dimebag at every performance of it at his shows.

Zakk began to get serious about guitar lessons when he was 15, while working at Silverton Music, a music store in Silverton, New Jersey. He practiced with his guitar daily for about 12 hours, which ended up harming his studies, since he was always falling asleep during classes in high school. It did not take long and began to play in his first band, called Stone Henge and later integrated the local band Zyris. At age 19 and practically unknown, Zakk Wylde made his big step to fame by getting the disputed wave of guitarist in the band of Ozzy Osbourne, also assuming the function of co-author.

Zakk had entered to replace the excellent guitarist Jake E. Lee, who in turn was the substitute of legendary Randy Rhoads, who had died at the age of 25 in a tragic and unfortunate air crash on March 19, 1982. Rhoads is considered as a true idol for Zakk Wylde, who had a kind of altar built in honor of the guitarist who inspired him so much.

There are several stories about how Zakk landed Ozzy's band. One of the most known is reported as follows:

Zakk's girlfriend at the time, Barbaranne (Today's Woman), had heard on Howard Stern's radio program that Ozzy was looking for a new guitarist and sent a demo tape. Ozzy rejected the tape as well as thousands of others, saying they were "just another clone of Randy Rhoads." But a few weeks later Ozzy's drummer told him that he had discovered a great guitarist from New Jersey and then Ozzy agreed to call him for an audition. It was obviously Zakk Wylde himself. Ozzy recognized him on the demo tape and then hired him.

Ozzy saw a lot of promising guitarists pass him after Jake E. Lee left. From the day of his predestined audition, Zakk remembers being hired right away even before he started playing while still tuning his guitar. sources] Zakk was admitted to the Ozzy solo band in 1987 and his first appearance was on the album No Rest for the Wicked of 1988. It is rumored that the first live performance with Ozzy would have taken place in a penitentiary.

Two more successful albums followed (Just Say Ozzy (1990) and No More Tears (1991)) getting huge repercussions in the media. But in 1992, after the No More Tears album tour, Zakk eventually left Ozzy's band and started to focus on the side projects he had been developing, releasing the self-titled album from the excellent band Pride & Glory a powerful Southern Rock sound, loaded with Blueseiras levadas with Heavy Metal. There are those who consider this album the cornerstone for the emergence of the Black Label Society.

In 1994 Zakk returned to work with Ozzy and the numerous sessions of recording of the album Ozzmosis begin. In that same time, Zakk was being probed to integrate the Guns N 'Roses, arriving to make some Jams with Axl Rose. But the lack of an agreement between Zakk's attorneys and Guns N 'Roses, who faced a complicated lawsuit after the departure of the original members, made Zakk's entry into Axl's band never happen. With plenty of time on the agenda, Zakk composed and released in 1996 the acclaimed acoustic album Book Of Shadows, considered by many to be the best of his career.

Parallel to Ozzy's albums in which he participated next, Zakk began to come up with ideas for a solo project to create his own Heavy Metal band, modeled after Black Sabbath. In 1998, in partnership with Phil Ondich (drums), Zakk founded the band Hell's Kitchen, later renamed the Black Label Society, and in 1999 released Sonic Brew, their first album with the new band, assuming their vocation for the post. frontman Zakk Wylde's solo career began to grow, then releasing another studio album and one live at the head of the BLS.

In 2001 Ozzy released the album Down To Earth, in which Zakk ended up not participating in the composition of any of the tracks. In fact Zakk already had a whole set of songs ready to put in the album of Ozzy but this rejected them, saying that "sounded very Black Label". The songs that were then rejected by Ozzy were all used by Wylde on the 1919 album Eternal, which curiously ended up becoming one of the Black Label Society's best albums, releasing several hits such as Bleed For Me, Demise Of Sanity, Bridge To Cross and Graveyard Disciples.

On January 17, 2006, Zakk Wylde was immortalized at the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame, located at 7425 Sunset Boulevard, leaving his hands and signature on the pavement of fame in recognition of his victorious career as a musician and their contribution to the music industry. The ceremony was attended by several rock stars.

Zakk Wylde's playing style is generally characterized by pinch harmonics and his technique in soils is based on the use of the Small Pentatonic Scale with box-pattern fast Licks using strict alternating picking, creating an attack with a quite distinct footprint when compared to musicians with a more fluid style of playing. Another notable feature of Zakk is the liberal use of chicken picking, a technique generally related to the Country music style being rarely used in Heavy Metal, possibly acquired from musician Albert Lee, one of its influences.

Zakk is known primarily for his preference for the Gibson Les Paul Custom guitars with what would become his trademark, the unique painting with the Bulls-eye design he deliberately adopted so that he could visually differentiate from his idol Randy Rhoads (although he has long used an identical hairstyle), which he usually played with a Les Paul Custom cream.

The "Bulls-eye" painting actually should have looked like the spiral of the movie "Vertigo", but although it came from Luthier incorrectly, Zakk liked the result and decided to keep the guitar anyway. Curiously enough, Zakk also owns a replica of Rhoads Flying V Guitar which he considers to be one of his favorites.

In recognition of his charisma and musical success, Gibson Guitars has launched an entire line of custom guitars by Zakk Wylde, a true certificate of his enormous commercial success. Zakk Gibson Les Paul Custom "Signature" custom models include a guitar with the red and flame-maple Bulls-eye design, a white model aged with the Bulls-eye in black, a "Buzz- saw "orange, and a model" Camo "" Bulls-eye "with the greenish camouflage paint. The "Inlays" of the arms are made of mother of pearl.

Zakk's original guitar was bought in a store (and not custom-made, as one might think), being baptized (according to the tradition of several guitarists) of "The Grail". She was missing for some time when she had been stolen from Zakk on the return of a "Gig" (Tour) in Texas. It even offered a reward to anyone who had any information that could lead Zakk to recover his guitar, since it had a great sentimental value because it was a graduation gift received from his parents. Zakk only regained "The Grail" years later, after a fan got it in a pawnshop and realizing if it was authentic "The Grail" guitar through the serial number present in the "Headstock" and the initials "ZW" recorded on the back of the guitar, contacted the Webmaster of Zakk to get his return.

Despite the news of an audition for the possible hiring of a new guiarist for Ozzy, he went back and decided to keep Zakk integrating his line-up, as was seen in the recent performance of Crazy Train at the UK Music Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Zakk Wylde entered the studio for the recording of the new BLS album, Shot To Hell, which was in the US on July 3. Another great success of Zakk Wylde was the song "Stilborn" considered by many admirers of Zakk Wylde and his songs in the Black Label Society the best of his solo career Zakk also gave important touches on Ozzy Osbourne's songs like "Crazy Train" and many others .

[groovesnjams]

“4AM” by Huntar ft. ILoveMakonnen

MG:

I think it was when I heard “Somebody Else” played in the pre-show for Carly Rae Jepsen that it dawned on me that for the foreseeable future dark love would reign. Jepsen’s an avowed believer in the power of bright, sunshine love and even she was seduced by the bleakness and revulsive self-awareness. What chance did the already slightly tainted stand? I bet I hear darker as this dismal year unfolds, but the early champion for twisted and sexual is “4AM.” Huntar’s original is saddle with verses that don’t stand up to the potency of his chorus (and I won’t quote it here, it’s so grotesque that you must let it smack you across the face unspoiled) but ILoveMakonnen capably reverses his mistakes. Instead of prying apart the nihilism and the lust, ILoveMakonnen pushes them even closer together and the result is brutal and suffocating. They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn and “4AM” proves them true.

DV:

I tried listening to the original “4AM” but couldn’t get to the end, so lemme just say that Makonnen’s the MVP here. Huntar takes a specific, damaged relationship and he spools it out in a succession of vagaries and cliches: “I’ll be your favorite worst mistake” in the bridge was the point where I closed the tab. What Makonnen does is locate the narrative within the platitudes, to draw out the details. He’s “moving out to Fresno”, their relationship is built on “Drunk texts, Snapchats”, the meta moment of “I still think about us when I hear this song”. It’s a realness that Huntar can’t manage on his own, as if the picture hidden in the attic has finally acquired the brush strokes that complete it.

[bucketsxkatz]

The Petty With A Purpose Awards 2016

2016 was shit. Like pure and utter malarkey. We lost some amazing celebrities and pioneers, and gained an unholy administration all within the span of 12 months. However, there are a few unsung heroes that I felt needed to get their just desserts. So with that, I present to you the first ever Petty With A Purpose Awards. These awards were designed to point out the good, the bad, and the extremely petty people and things that the past year has had to offer. So without further ado, here are these years awards.

The Robin J Fenty Award for Excellence in Shadiness- Kim Kardashian

In the war against Taylor Swift, I think no one could have predicted that the last move would come from none other than Kimberly Kardashian. In an act of true heroism not seen since the daring operation of the Trojan Horse, Kim used the power of Snapchat to expose the wall of lies that Taylor Swift has been constructing since 1989. While I’ll never be able to completely get behind the idea of the Kardashians as a thing we’ll have to acknowledge as “influential”, but I have to commend Kim’s true act of bravery and service in the name of all that is G.O.O.D.

The Hustle and Flow Award- Kellyanne Conway

If you’re looking for the definition of Hood Love, look no further than the working relationship between Donald J. Trump and his campaign manager turned fixer, turned presidential counselor, Kellyanne Conway. Nobody has schemed harder than this woman who simultaneously had everything to gain and lose by overseeing one of the most controversial presidential campaign in modern politics. Homegirl and stood by her man as he said horrible things about minorities, talked about assaulting women, and literally nominated the horseman of the apocalypse to his cabinet. The sense of loyalty is undeniable and we all can only dream of having someone in our lives who supports our dreams the way Kellyanne did for Trump. You a real one Conway. A real pain in the ass, but a real one nonetheless.

Outstanding Achievements in Everyday Blackness-Issa Rae and Donald Glover 

2016 has no doubt been the blackest year we’ve had in awhile. From the announcement of the Black Panther cast to Beyonce being Beyonce to the BET Awards being actually watchable this year, black people have had a great run. I however think that two very awkward, very nerdy creators deserve a shoutout for their achievements in Everyday Blackness. Issa Rae and Donald Glover simultaneously gave the world an inside look at what it means to be a regular ass black person in this crazy ass world. In just one season of television, Issa and Donald have created dynamic characters with stories that have sparked conversations amongst young black women and men that we’ve been waiting to have. Whether you’re #teamlawrence  or #teamissa, I think we can all come together in the invisible car to deliver Issa and Donald their much deserved props.

2016 MVP-Chance the Rapper

2016 was very shitty. Point blank period. Musically however it was one of the best we’ve seen in awhile and a lot of that is due one Lil Chano from 79th. Chance dropped arguably one of the best mixtapes of the year with Coloring Book and hasn’t stopped being a source of joy in a year of bleakness. He’s currently on his Magnificent Coloring World Tour, and anyone who has the opportunity to see this man live will know why he’s loved by so many. Even if Chance doesn’t snatch the Grammy this year, he has no doubt snatched the title of National Treasure amongst rap fans.

The awards don’t stop here folks. Heard over to my favorite fAsHuN blog dressed in black for the rest of the awards. Congrats to all the recipients!

[sustainhealthmagazine]

MVP Candidate Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens Host New York Jets on 'Thursday Night Football'

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

By SPORTS EDITOR FOR SUSTAIN HEALTH 

PUBLISHED: 15:22, 11 December 2019 | UPDATED: 15:28, 11 December 2019

The 2019 season of Thursday Night Football Presented by Bud Light Platinum concludes Thursday, December 12 when MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens host quarterback Sam Darnold and the New York Jets at 8:20 PM ET on FOX, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video.

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

Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman, along with reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink call the action from Baltimore. Additionally, FOX's NFL Rules expert Mike Pereira joins to give explanations on officiating and rules throughout the game. On Amazon Prime Video, Prime members can choose to watch the FOX broadcast, the FOX Deportes Spanish language coverage, or Prime Video exclusive commentary from Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer or U.K. English language broadcasters Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth.

Fans can also stream Jets-Ravens through NFL, FOX and FOX Deportes digital properties, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch. The game is also available to all fans on mobile through NFL digital properties (NFL App, NFL Fantasy and NFL.com mobile web), on Yahoo Sports and other Verizon Media properties, and on club sites and apps of the Jets and Ravens. All of the ways to watch are listed at NFL.com/TNF.

During the Jets-Ravens game, the first tight end to make the NFL 100 All-Time Team will be announced. The NFL 100 All-Time Team series continues Friday at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network, revealing the offensive linemen and tight ends.

Coverage from Baltimore kicks off at 3:00 PM ET on NFL Network with TNF First Look, hosted by Andrew Siciliano.

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

At 6:00 PM ET on NFL Network, NFL GameDay Kickoff previews the Jets-Ravens matchup from Baltimore, with host Colleen Wolfe and analysts Joe Thomas, Steve Smith Sr. and Michael Irvin live from M&T Bank Stadium.

Among the topics discussed this week on NFL GameDay Kickoff include:

How Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has forever changed the quarterback position

Who is the biggest threat to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC?

Where would Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield land in a re-draft of the 2018 NFL Draft?

NFL 100 Generations – This week on NFL 100 Generations, New York Jets safety Jamal Adams sits down with Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins

Also at 6:00 PM ET, NFL GameDay View streams on NFL.com with Andrew Hawkins, Cynthia Frelund and Gregg Rosenthal previewing Week 15. Hawkins and Rosenthal give their picks on which teams will win in Week 15, while Frelund provides her Week 15 projections. This edition of NFL GameDay View re-airs on Saturday at 8:00 AM and Midnight ET on NFL Network.

At 7:30 PM ET on FOX, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video and Yahoo Sports on mobile, FOX NFL Thursday airs from New York City with analysts Michael Strahan, Tony Gonzalez and Reggie Bush, and insider Peter Schrager providing the final say leading up to Jets-Ravens.

FOX Deportes' coverage kicks off at 7:30 PM ET live from M&T Bank Stadium. Hosts Rodolfo Landeros and Jessi Losada join play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia-Marquez, former Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman and analyst Rolando Cantu, and reporter Jaime Motta. An edition of NFLEROS, the network's weekly NFL program, airs immediately after Jets-Ravens.

At halftime on FOX, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video, Strahan, Gonzalez and Bush break down the first half. Following the game, Wolfe, Thomas, Smith Sr. and Irvin host the postgame show from M&T Bank Stadium and are joined by a star of the game live on-set, exclusively on NFL Network.

Additional postgame coverage continues at 12 Midnight ET with Scott Hanson, Lindsay Rhodes, Willie McGinest, James Jones and David Carr on NFL Total Access.

Live game audio of Thursday Night Football will be broadcast nationally by Westwood One, and carried on SiriusXM and the TuneIn app. For a full listing of Thursday Night Football viewing options, fans can visit NFL.com/TNF.

window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({flush: true}); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

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

READ NEXT