#same with ken and his nominalization as ken

[missbrunettebarbie]

My hot take this January will apparently be that, while Barbie is a rather unremarkable movie with a gr8 aesthetic, some of the critics' choices regarding it are quite questionable. And people's responses to said choices are sooooo much worse.

[batboyblog]

A Tale of Two Judges

In federal court in Florida today a judge struck down a Florida law banning gender affirming care for minors as well as rules from the state's medical authority that set up barriers to trans adults seeking care

At the same time a federal court in Texas blocked guidance from the Biden Administration's Department of Education that Title IX should be understood as protecting trans students

And I think this is a great illustration that elections last LONG after they're finished, one judge blasted Florida's law as unconstitutional and quoted Dr. King in framing trans rights as the same as the struggle for racial equality and called on the courts to support them. The other gleefully sided with Republicans with Texas AG Ken Paxton declaring "“Joe Biden’s unlawful effort to weaponize Title IX for his extremist agenda has been stopped in its tracks"

The Judge in Florida was Senior Judge Robert Hinkle, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, Hinkle took the semi-retirement known as senior status in 2016, but still hears cases as he did here. Hinkle also ruled in 2014 that Florida's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

The Judge in Texas is Judge Reed O'Connor, He was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007. O'Connor is very active in the conservative Federalist Society, Conservative Lawyers and Texas Attorneys General try to file their insane, legally nonsense, show boat cases in his court because if they get him he'll rule for the Republican side and against the Democratic side no matter what. In 2016 he blocked Obama Admin rules that declared Title IX meant trans students should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice. While the Obama team appealed, once Trump was elected the rule was pulled and the case died.... hm. O'Connor is best known as that crazy man who ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional in 2018, he was reversed, he ruled the Indian Child Welfare Act was unconstitutional, he ruled in 2022 the US Navy couldn't require Navy SEALS get Covid vaccines.

all to say when you get into a voting booth remember one of the things you vote for is Judges, who have a huge amount of power, and you can either get cool progressive minded judges who will still be making ground breaking rulings to protect civil rights 28 years after being nominated, or you can get conservative hacks who rule whatever wing nut thing they see on Fox 18 years after being nominated. During his Presidency Trump got to nominate 234 federal judges (Biden is currently at 201) including 3 Supreme Court Justices (Biden has 1) And those judges will be with us for years not like 10 years, or even 20, or even 30, no no no, Judge Albert Branson Maris was nominated by FDR in 1936 and served till his death at age 95 in 1989, JFK's last nominee, William Joseph Nealon Jr., passed away still hearing cases at the age of 95 in 2018 (the second to last passed away the year before in 2017) LBJ's last judge, Jack B. Weinstein, only passed away in 2021, there are at least 7 Nixon judges still hearing cases, 50 years after Nixon Resigned from office in 1974. We will be dealing with Trump's Judges for 40-50 maybe more years. So keep that in mind when you vote.

[keefechambers]

drop the rabban/piter ship manifesto Please

okay okay okay okay okay all right here we go

point the first: dave bautista and david dastmalchian are hot and therefore we are fully justified in wanting to smash them together like ken dolls

point the second: the 2021 scenes

rabban and piter never interact on page in the original books but denis made the choice to have them in scenes together because narratively they kind of fit as opposite sides of the spectrum of house harkonnen and that is fun. their canonical film scene having the vibe of "this fucking guy" on both of their parts fits the characters and belies a necessary amount of shared history, which is interesting.

plus, things that were deleted: bautista describes a scene where rabban is essentially trying to intimidate piter (i'd guess after their sauna scene with vlad). dastmalchian says there was a short scene of piter and rabban together where he's torturing a prisoner. this is probably the same scene. torturing a prisoner in proximity is basically a date for a mentat i think.

the choice to extend their screentime (even if for the pragmatic reason of not having to cast feyd until he'd have more than a minute of screentime and because denis loves his daves) creates a dynamic that is really cool! the slavering, entitled, shrieking manchild of house harkonnen and the coolly sadistic mentat? it's very hot to think about.

(please see this fanart for a summation of that Vibe)

point the third: narrative functions.

isn't it hot when foils kiss?

within the realm of dune, not speaking to the prequels/graphic novels, just the first book, rabban and piter essentially function as the top tier of baron harkonnen's operation - they are equal opposites, like real actual narrative foils. piter is a mentat and assassin and therefore serves a more subtle, back-end function while rabban is front-facing; he's the older of the nephews, he's a count and he's been ruling arrakis for a while.

the baron literally has an evil plan that involves taking back arrakis, installing piter as the ruler and then killing him and putting feyd in his place. when piter dies, he just does the same plan but with rabban. he treats them as interchangeable despite how different they are. they're at the top of vlad's list of "guys everyone fucking hates" together!

piter is also power-hungry. it makes sense that he'd see the most susceptible to manipulation harkonnen as an appealing target to sink his claws into. piter would absolutely treat rabban like a meat shield against the baron and, conversely, i think rabban would try to use piter to figure out how to keep his uncle happy. neither would succeed, but they would absolutely get wrapped up in each other trying.

additionally, they can't kill each other. neither of them have that boundary with anyone else, and could murderfuck their way through giedi prime, arrakis and lankiveil and the baron probably wouldn't care. but piter can't kill his boss's nephew, even the stupid one, and rabban can't damage his uncle's property. so even if they did hate each other, they would kind of be trapped in this state of flux where they couldn't do anything about it, anyway, so why not just fuck about it?

plus, with piter being a spice addict and rabban nominally in control of arrakis, there's a certain amount of poetry in the idea of piter being attracted to the source of his vices.

i conclude the manifesto with this excerpt from the novel:

like the baron thinks rabban is afraid of him but he's actually angry at him? come on.

[2manythoughtz]

Is Barbie A Joke To Critics?

Just a week ago I wrote an article about the Barbie movie and how it was not only misunderstood but also overlooked when it comes to its deep meaning. We’ve had people like Jo Koy mocking the movie and comparing it to Oppenheimer which is a movie inspired by real events of our past, not only that but the winning song was I’m Just Ken, that alone should show just how little critics care to take what the movie teaches us and use it in the real world.

And we’re back at it. As you know, the nominations for the Oscars have been released. You’d be surprised to see that neither Margot Robbie (the main actress who interpreted Barbie) nor Greta Gerwig (the director of Barbie) got nominated in their categories. Speaking of the directors’ category, Greta is not new to being snubbed by the Oscars, it had already happened with Little Women. The only difference is that in 2020 there were no women nominated as best director, this year we have a female director who’s been nominated and that’s Justine Triet with Anatomy of a Fall, which is not bad. What’s laughable is the fact that Barbie has won the Golden Globes Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and yet its director is not taken seriously.

And we’re not even talking about any film, to this day Barbie has made 1.45 billion U.S. dollars worldwide which makes it the best movie debut for a female director. 

Margot Robbie didn’t get nominated as best actress although her performance as Barbie was absolutely iconic, she really brought Barbie to life in a unique way that not many actresses could’ve achieved. If you thought it couldn’t get any worse, let me tell you that Ryan Gosling (the actor who interpreted Ken) got nominated as Best Supporting Actor. That is fair, Ryan did an amazing job at portraying Ken, he really made his character funny and entertaining, he earned his nomination and I’m sure everyone is happy that he was one of the two nominees for Barbie. 

But fans were not the only ones who were disappointed, Ryan Gosling himself commented on the matter and showed his displeasure. Here are his words:

“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought l’d being saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.

But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.

No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.

To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.

Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.

Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

As Ryan said, the only woman who got nominated is America Ferrera who had an impactful role in the movie, her monologue about women and every hardship that they have to face because of society has become viral. Her character represents women, any women, and she did an outstanding job that earned her the nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The only shame is that she’s the only woman who got the privilege of being nominated for a movie that talks about feminism and how women don’t have the same treatment as men.

The Oscars proved Barbie right once again. 

[baronetcoins]

So. The US has a speaker of the house(*). If you've seen the memes floating around for the past few days, you might find yourself wondering: how did that happen? Buckle in folks, this was a bit of a ride.

(*) for now

When we last left our... main characters, Kevin McCarthy had failed an 11th ballot to be elected speaker, down 20 Republican votes when he could afford a maximum of five defectors. The house then voted to adjourn until 12 eastern time on January 6th. Overnight, some deals happened, because for the first time since day 1 there was a significant movement in votes. Round 12 saw 14 of the representatives who had previously been defectors voted for McCarthy—not enough to give him the speakership (lmao, imagine?), but enough to prove his chances of victory weren't entirely dead. Important for later, three representatives were absent—Ken Buck (R-Colorado), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), and David Trone (D-Maryland).

Round 13 went much the same in actual voter count, with one more of the never-Kevins peeling off to vote for McCarthy, though it was the first round in which there was not another republican candidate formally nominated. Trone came out of his voluntary surgery to vote for Hakeem Jeffries, and there was a motion to adjourn so the republican caucus could continue haggling, which passed. Setting the house up to reconvene at 10 pm eastern time, and some of the most dramatic hours we've seen in this whole glorious train wreck.

Signs suggested Kevin was feeling good—when asked why he felt confident he had the votes to clinch this, he responded "because I count." Two of the more notorious never-Kevins (Boebert and Gaetz) seemed open to negotiating. The press reported Buck and Hunt would be returning for the evening vote. A cart loaded with giant boxes of Five Guys burgers rolled into the speaker's office.

The hours pass. 10 pm rolls around, and the air is thick with anticipation. The house chaplain offers a prayer in which she suggests the gridlock may finally be over. Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina) gives a nominating speech for McCarthy with not one but two jokes that fell extraordinarily flat, all the while wearing a bow tie.

Now, the votes for speaker are conducted as roll call votes. The poor, probably underpaid, long-suffering house clerk reads off the name of each representative in alphabetical order, then goes through a second time calling the name of any representative who didn't vote the first time. This takes... a while, but what it means is that when you know who's vote to watch, you spend a while in anticipation of that person's name being called, listening to the alphabet.

The other thing to understand, as this gets deep into the weeds, is a little more of the nuts and bolts of how the count works. The speaker of the house is elected by a majority of the votes cast—that is to say, the number of representatives-elect who vote for a name instead of not voting or voting present, divided by half, plus one.

M = [ (# reps elect - # of reps elect not voting - # of reps elect voting present)/2 ] + 1

The US House, while normally filled with 435 reps, currently has 434, due to one death. 212 of those are democrats, the remainder are republicans. If all 434 vote, the threshold for a majority is 218 (434/2, +1). If, say, two members vote present and everyone else votes, the threshold is 217.

The remaining detractors were Biggs, Boebert, Crane, Gaetz, Good, and Rosendale. Biggs, first on the list, voted for a non-Kevin guy, Jordan. Boebert, second in line, voted present. This was a difference that got audible applause from the chamber. For one brief, beautiful, shining moment, it seemed like we might have a resolution. And then Crane votes for Biggs, which. Fine. Kevin can spare a few losses. And then, Gaetz doesn't. vote. Not voting present, which is a different thing. He just lets the first round skip him. Good votes for Jordan. Rosendale votes for Biggs. At which point, the math is as follows. 434 congresspeople, 432 votes, 217 to win. McCarthy has 216 votes. It all comes down to Gaetz: if he votes for McCarthy, Kevin wins. Anything else, and we're doing this again.

Gaetz. Votes. Present.

At first, this gets cheers and claps. And I look at my mom, who's watching the vote with me, and wonder "what the fuck?" The reaction makes me doubt my math. The floor is in chaos. Pretty quickly, it seems people realize that McCarthy is not, in fact, speaker of the house. Kevin runs back towards Gaetz and starts "negotiating" (fig 1)

Fig. 1: things get heated

A democrat heckles from the distance, yelling "On your knees!" To Kevin as he approached Gaetz. There are calls for order. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, has to be physically dragged away from Gaetz (fig 2)

Fig. 2: lol, and furthermore, lmao

All this, followed by a motion to adjourn until Monday that at first appears to be successful, until Kevin runs to the front to tell members to change their votes. It appears a deal has been struck—and ballot 15 proves it. All the remaining holdouts vote present, lowering the threshold to 215, and allowing Kevin's 216 votes to take him over the line. Truly, our long national nightmare has come to a middle.

What does this mean? Probably bad things. The rules package and committee assignments are yet to be formalized (that'll come on Monday), but expect the house ""freedom"" caucus to be more or less running the show (*) (*pending a long and bloody battle over the rules, which is, IMO, still on the table).

I could go through the speeches, but it's 2:30 am and I've got a flight tomorrow so I would literally Rather Perish so instead, to conclude, i'll leave you with this.

(3: source)

[msnihilist]

Ben 10 Fic Recs for Rare/Unusual Pairings

Note: some of these fics are E-rated. Read the tags. No crossovers. No BenRook, Gwevin, Bevin, Bwen, Benkai, or Benlie (unless in a polycule). All of the links are AO3 fics. Enjoy!

Ben Pairings

Ben/Albedo → Just Galvan Things & So Much More & Vile Urges & Nightmares Can Only Lead to Comfort & Rekindled Hatred & Trapped Together and Becoming Human & in nomine patri et fili spiritus sancti & Christmas And 3am Conversations

Ben/Argit → Argit Asks a Favor

Ben/Attea → good guy gone bad

Ben/Charmcaster → The Bad and The Worst & Magical Hands & Thanatophobia (Is what I feel for you) & Lovesick...but also genuinely sick & Shut Up and Kiss Me, Hero & Couple's Discount & We'll Meet Again & The Island Misadventures of Ben and Charmcaster

Ben/Eddie → Once Summer Ends

Ben/Elena → Lysis & The Redeem of The Swarm & Wanting vs Waiting & Time Lost

Ben/Ester → Faces

Ben/Eunice → A Very Eunisexual Christmas

Ben/Jennifer → Crossroads

Ben/Ken → Dropping In

Ben/Kenny → A Gift, From Thirty Years in the Future & New Day, Same Person & His Universe

Ben/Khyber → Distractions & Hunter and Prey & Not Yet

Ben/Looma → Conquered

Ben/Lord Transyl → La Petite Mort & Drifting off to a tempting sleep

Ben/Lucy → Future Sight

Ben/Malware → Hunger

Ben/Michael → Sorry, I wasn't born with a filter

Ben/Reiny → The Wedding & The Art of the Deal

Ben/Rojo → A Little Fun

Ben/Tetrax → Motivation

Ben/Vilgax → Sospes Sui & I'm Taking What's Mine and Your Time Has Come

Ben/Zs'Skayr → Ghost at the Bellwood Motel & One

Alternate Ben Pairings

Ben 23/Ben Prime → For You

Ben 23/Gwen 10 → Different Times

Ben 23/Rook Prime → All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For a Thing I Cannot Name

Mad Ben/Bad Ben → Hot Mess

Mad Ben/Ben Prime → An Unlikely 'Friend' In An Awkward Situation

Mad Ben/Mad Rook → Like That

Nega Ben/Nyancy Chan → Catnip and Smoothies

No Watch Ben/Ben Prime → Never Get Out of Your Head & Insanity & Unorthodox & Don't Tell Paradox & Nothing Lasts

No Watch Ben/Bad Ben → You Saved Me Even Though We're Enemies

For Other Characters, Click Here

[kwebtv]

David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943 – January 4, 2024) Actor and singer known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979; Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970. As a singer, he scored one US hit and five UK hits with songs such as "Don't Give Up on Us" (No. 1 in US, Canada, and UK) in 1976 and "Silver Lady" (No. 1 in UK) in 1977. He also starred in the 1979 hit TV movie adaptation Salem's Lot by Stephen King.

Soul first gained national attention as the "Covered Man" appearing on The Merv Griffin Show in 1966 and 1967, on which he sang while wearing a mask. He explained: "My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music." The same year, he made his television debut in Flipper.

In 1967, he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and following a number of guest appearances, including the episode "The Apple" from the second season of Star Trek, he landed the role of Joshua Bolt on the television program Here Come the Brides with co-stars Robert Brown, Bobby Sherman and Bridget Hanley. The series was telecast on the ABC network from September 25, 1968, to September 18, 1970. In 1972, he co-starred as Arthur Hill's law partner on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law. Following numerous guest-starring roles on TV, including The Streets of San Francisco.

His breakthrough came when he portrayed Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch, a role he played from 1975 until 1979. During his career he made guest appearances on Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, McMillan & Wife, Cannon, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, and numerous TV movies and mini-series, including Homeward Bound (1980), World War III, and Rage (1980), a TV movie commended on the floor of the U.S. Senate and for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Soul also starred with James Mason in the 1979 TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, which was edited and released as a theatrical feature film in some countries.

He continued to make guest appearances in various television series. He starred in the miniseries The Manions of America as Caleb Staunton in 1981. He starred in the short-lived 1983 NBC series Casablanca, playing nightclub owner Rick Blaine (the role that was made famous by Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 film Casablanca), and co-starred in the NBC series The Yellow Rose during the 1983–1984 season. He also starred in the television adaptation of Ken Follett's wartime drama The Key to Rebecca (1985) directed by David Hemmings. He later starred as the infamous Florida robber Michael Platt in the TV movie In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988), which depicted the 1986 FBI Miami shootout, subsequently used as an FBI training film. Soul also directed the episode "No Exit" of the 1980s TV series Miami Vice. (Wikipedia)

IMDb Listing

[oopsiedaisiesbaby]

Very into the idea of sugar daddy/sugar baby au for either clegan or Curt/Ken.

Both intentional or unintentional. Like I think maybe John is younger, going to school, family can't help him pay for university and Gale has money due to his blue collar job, maybe they meet at a car or coffee shop or something and after a while John realizes that Gale has been paying for everything but when he tries to protest Gale insists that he wants to. That he would happily take care of the bills and John could read and paint and write all day to his heart's content

Or maybe more intentional. Maybe Ken seems out a sugar daddy through a service to pay for his mechanics training and that's how he meets Curt. He ends up being very, very attracted to his curt but they break it off after his schooling is done because there's no "reason" to keep it going and he doesn't think curt likes him back.

His first day working as a chief engineer for the air force this major walks in. It's Mr. Biddick, who saw him name on the sheet and was curious to see if it was the same Ken Lemmons from over a year ago

You have come to the right place 😈🤣

First thought… sugar baby!John and sugar daddy!Gale.

So, people can make stupid money in the oil field depending on the job and if I remember correctly Gale worked on rigs. So, Gale’s out here making more money than he ever thought possible with no one to spend it on because it’s just been him since he and Marge got divorced (amicably, we love Marge in this house).

They run into each other at a coffee shop and John is short on money for his so Gale pays and they get to talking and it’s like puzzle pieces fitting together instantly so John asks him out before he runs off to class and it’s like they’ve been married for 10 years on their first date, it feels so familiar.

Gale insists on paying for everything, will even subtly pay the bill when John’s gone to the bathroom at restaurants. Then after they’ve been dating for awhile, something like John’s car breaking down or something equally as expensive happens and John has to ask Gale for a loan but Gale insists he doesn’t have to pay him back, it was a gift.

John’s super uncomfortable at first and then he looks around his shitty little apartment at all of the clothes and items Gale has bought for him. Even his textbooks one semester because Gale went and looked at his book list and bought all of them for him. John realizes he’s been snipe sugar babied. He’s more okay with it than he expected because he knows Gale and knows it’s born from Gale just caring about him.

Gale is slightly horrified when John points out he’s essentially been a sugar daddy and has to sit in silence for a very long time and think about his life choices lol John cheers him up by telling him all the throngs he’s gonna buy Gale when he’s finally earning money after college.

Side note to all of this, John would be absolutely feral over Gale’s rough hands and terribly turned on (in theory) by Gale coming home filthy from the field. Until Gale finally lets him try something before he showers and John learns just how disgusting Gale actually gets at work… he still thinks it hot though, it’ll just have to stay a fantasy though 🤣 Also… imagine John convincing rough neck Gale to roleplay as a professor “because our age gap is perfect for it Buck” and Gale gives in because he always does but it’s so awkward they end up crying laughing. John definitely calls him daddy when he wants a reaction out of him at any given time.

Second thought… sugar baby!Ken with sugar daddy!Curt.

They absolutely start off as an arrangement that they both enjoy. John knew Curt needed arm candy for events and we’ll say Gale, the unintentional sugar baby for John this round, nominates his friend Ken as tribute in exchange for getting his school paid for.

Ken and Curt have zero qualms because they both find each other attractive, funny, and good company all around. They are both devastated when Ken graduates because they’ve both fallen in love by that point but refuse to believe the other loves them back despite John and Gale’s insistence.

I’m imagining Curt showing up at his graduation with farewell flowers and a gift and just 😭😭😭

So, when Ken shows up for his first day of work at his big boy job and sees Curt is his boss. He nearly faints because there’s no fucking way??? Later, when he can get a second of Curt’s time he makes a joke about HR and dicking down the boss. Without hesitation, Curt says he’ll convince HR to change the rules so that they can and they’re both just kind of eying each other like “are you saying what I think I want you to be saying?” until Ken admits it always meant more to him than a sugar arrangement and Curt agrees and resolves to get that rule changed by HR asap 😉

[cattype]

Julian Sands- the original voice of Valmont in Jackie Chan Adventures- has been missing in the San Gabriel Mountains in California since January 13, 2023. The search has been hindered by bad weather but he’s a skilled mountaineer so there’s still a chance he’s hanging in there... alone… in the freezing cold… for a month… 

The above tweet is my reaction when I got the news. I didn’t have the space to fit it in but that interest I mentioned started about a year back. Since then I’ve been entertaining myself by learning about him by listening to interviews and convention panels. And of course watching some of his movies and TV appearances.

Something I’ve observed from his filmography is career trajectory. He started his acting career thinking he would only be a stage actor but ended up stumbling into Hollywood with two Oscar movies, The Killing Fields and A Room with a View. After that he did the movie he’s best known for amongst horror fans, Warlock because he was tired of- to slightly paraphrase what he called them in one podcast- ‘insipid romantic leads that felt more and more like chocolate box commercials’ that he had been offered after the success of A Room with a View. After that he did Warlock 2: The Armageddon out of contractual obligation but turned down Warlock 3 because the script didn’t interest him.

And that line of thinking has colored much of his career choices. He didn’t chose movies based on what paid more or what would gain him more fame, he did whatever interested him. He chose characters that were fun to play, people he wanted to work with and places he wanted to go. Because of that he’s played a wide range of characters in a wide range of movies. From general crowd pleasers, to niche genre flicks, to experimental and avant-garde weirdness. He’s worked with directors like David Cronenberg, Ken Russell, Dario Argento, and Mike Figgis. 

But those choices are probably why his star has faded so much over time. If you look at his IMDB you might notice that he’s gone from being one of the biggest faces on the poster to not even having his name on it. Most insultingly, one of the posters for A Crooked House has the whole ensemble except him. I haven’t seen it since it’s not on Netflix anymore but he seems like he should be a major character. His name’s in the trailer but apparently they didn’t see his face worth squeezing onto the poster.

Even the two movies he’s best known for have fallen into obscurity. Despite being nominated for various oscars that year including best picture, I’ve only talked to one person who knew what A Room With a View was. And Warlock seems to be a B-movie amongst B-movies.

If he died of some illness and didn’t get a ton of coverage aside from a few websites, I wouldn’t have liked it but it wouldn’t have surprised me. But the fact that he went missing complicates things. I first found out about his disappearance on MSNBC and I’ve since wondered if he got that level of coverage not so much because he was a famous actor who went missing as much as he was a missing hiker who happened to be a famous actor. And I find myself wondering not only if he’s alive or dead but how he’ll be reported on when he’s found. If he’s dead and it doesn’t get at least the same amount of coverage as his disappearance I’ll be pissed. If he’s alive and it doesn’t get the same amount of coverage I’ll be even more pissed and also extremely baffled because “65 year old actor survives for a month on a snowy mountain” is great headline!

Some people say the ultimate death is when someone says your name for the last time. Whether Julian is alive or dead or found or not he deserves to be remembered. Go to his wiki or his IMDB and look up the stuff he was in. Watch A Room With a View. Watch Warlock. Watch Jackie Chan Adventures. Watch Stephen King’s Rose Red. Watch The Room (the one with Donald Pleasence, not Tommy Wiseau). Watch Hotel. Watch Naked Lunch. Watch The Medallion. Watch The Painted Bird. Watch Borley Rectory. Watch The Ghosts of Borley Rectory. Watch The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Watch Boxing Helena. Watch Timecode. Watch The Tomorrow Man. Watch Vibes. Watch A Tale of a Vampire. Watch Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes. Watch Arachnophobia. Watch Gothic. Watch Witch Hunt. Watch The Escape. Watch his public readings of the poetry of Percy Shelly, John Keats, and Harold Pinter. Watch anything you see that catches your fancy. There’s sure to be something there for you or maybe you’ll discover something new to you that you wouldn’t watch otherwise. 

Living people need to be remembered as much as the dead.

This stuff’s been floating in my head for the past month and I just wanted to say it. Maybe I could said it better. Maybe there’s more I could say. But this will have to do.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Thoughts on the oscar noms? (…and the current drama surrounding it)

Honestly, I need people to realize that Barbie was a cute movie that was ultimately meant to sell Barbie dolls. It had a great set design, really cool visuals and costumes, some fun jokes, and a very good performance from Ryan Gosling. I think Greta being snubbed is weird because the movie was very CLEARLY. DIRECTED. But then again, Wes Anderson does that a lot to mixed results with the Academy, so. A very clear and strong eye does not always please them. If we're gonna talk about women (because apparently the Oscars allow only one lady director) who directed films very smartly, I would say that Celine Song is a better choice. Past Lives was such a good movie, and I think her direction really helped communicate a story in which a lot was left unsaid, pairing well with the actors.

And I'll be real... I need people to get that the movie was always more about Ken. Ken had the best script. Ken had the best arc. Is that right, for a Barbie movie? I don't know, dude. But I frankly don't blame the Academy for nominating Ryan and not Margot, because Margot had nothing great to do and she didn't elevate the material. She was good, she was charming. Ryan was performing a lot more. I like America btw, but I don't get that nom lol.

Also, stop complaining about I'm Just Ken, it was great, let us have fun song nominees.

Best Picture: I don't know why Barbie is there, the Oppenheimer sweep has been boring and though I liked the movie, as a film it was absolutely nothing without Cillian and to me that does not a Best Picture make, Killers of the Flower Moon or American Fiction should win but won't, Maestro is a joke, Past Lives deserves but also deserves more noms, haven't seen Poor Things, Anatomy of a Fall, or Zone of Interest (though at least filmtwt can stop complaining about it not being well-marketed for the Academy) yet. I liked The Holdovers, but that was before I found out the director is uhhhhh a very very bad man.

Best Actor: Leo was snubbed and I do think him campaigning for Lily so hard had something to do with it but that was legit one of his most interesting, un-Leo performances; Bradley is a joke; happy for Colman but haven't seen Rustin yet; Cillian should win and I think he will but Paul G could dark horse it--I don't think his performance was Oscar-worthy but he was good and he's been picking up his fair share of awards; Jeffrey Wright was amazing in American Fiction and if anyone should dark horse it it's him. I'd still give it to Cillian. If this was up to me, I'd toss out Bradley and throw in Teo Yoo, who was so so good in Past Lives. But the Academy is sending a HARD backlash message to Asian creatives after the EEAAO sweep, imo.

Best Actress: As I said, I don't care that Margot wasn't nominated and I don't think she should've been, and imo her best performance was easily I, Tonya; I haven't seen Nyad so no comment on Annette, same with Sandra for Anatomy, and I think Carey had moments in Maestro but she overall was not one of those "standouts in a horrible movie" actors; Lily should win and absolutely killed her performance and dominated her movie, but I am worried that Emma could take it. I'd toss out Carey for Greta Lee.

Best Supporting Actor: Everyone needs to stop saying Sterling snuck in because he was deeply moving in American Fiction and is lowkey highkey one of the best actors working right now; RDJ basically just did Leslie Odom Jr. in Hamilton and F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus but with his RDJ cadence of speaking he can't drop to save his life, but he's taking this for a career Oscar; I hate that Charles isn't there, but if it wasn't him I'd give it to Sterling or De Niro, who gave one of my favorite performances in his career and was SO disgusting and menacing in Killers. Haven't seen Ruffalo, so if it was up to me depending on his performance I'd toss out RDJ for Charles Melton and possibly shuffle some other people around.

Best Supporting Actress: Lol Emily was horrible in Oppenheimer and I'll die on that hill, generally liking her as an actress; Da'Vine will win this and she was amazing in The Holdovers but the director really sours it for me; happy for Danielle, haven't seen TCP; America shouldn't be there but whatever; I literally though Nyad was about a mythological creature until I Googled last night and found out it was about a swimmer.

Best Director: This is going to go to Christopher Nolan for one of his better movies but not his best because that is FAR. AND AWAY. THE PRESTIGE. Should go to Scorsese, his direction for Killers is why (to me) that movie still felt like it was moving at a clip despite the length.

[destinyc1020]

Barbie was made for woman and little girls. And some decided to centre the film around Ryan

I mean, Ryan did a good job in the film... and may have even stole the spotlight over Margot in some scenes tbh lol 😄, but he in NO way shape or form should have received a Golden Globe nomination or an Oscar nomination for his role in that film (in MY opinion).

Look, I love Ryan.... But just, NO.

I'm sure Barry Keoghan is looking around somewhere like, "Wth"?? 🥴 "I was licking bodily fluids off a bathtub floor, and humping a dead man's grave, and I STILL lost a nomination to Ryan "Ken" Gosling???" 🤣 😂

(I know they wouldn't have been in the same category anyway, but STILL!! 😅)

I already kinda knew they Academy wasn't about to nominate Barry for an Oscar TWO years in a row.... no matter how well he did last year. The Academy just doesn't do that for younger male actors lol 😆

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick)

11/01/2024

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 animated film directed by Henry Selick, created and co-produced by Tim Burton, on behalf of Touchstone Pictures (owned by The Walt Disney Company) and Skellington Pictures, and distributed by Buena Vista International.

The film originates from a story in the form of a poem written by Burton in 1982, while working as an animator at Walt Disney Productions. With Vincent's success in the same year, he began to consider developing The Nightmare Before Christmas as a short film or television special, but to no avail. Disney initially released the film through Touchstone Pictures because they deemed the film too dark and scary for children.

Written by Caroline Thompson, the plot features Jack Skellington, pumpkin king of Halloween Town, who decides to turn his life around to understand what Christmas is. The voice cast consists of Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Ken Page and William Hickey.

The film was a critical success upon its release, earning praise for its animation (particularly the innovation of the stop-motion art form), characters, songs, and soundtrack. Although it was initially a modest success at the box office, over time it became a cult film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects, a first for an animated film, but lost to Jurassic Park. The film has since been reissued by Walt Disney Pictures and re-released annually in Disney Digital 3-D from 2006 to 2009, making it the first stop-motion animated film entirely converted to 3D.

Halloween Town is a world in which all the monsters of the holiday live, governed by Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king.

As dawn breaks, Jack finds himself in an open space surrounded by seven trees with doors engraved on the trunk, each representing a different symbol of the holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day).

[denimbex1986]

'Two of the year’s biggest hits, Barbie and Oppenheimer, were finally released on July 21, and both films have received significant Oscar buzz in the days since. They are likely to do well at next year’s Academy Awards ceremony, including in the top eight categories. Barbie has a good shot at getting into Best Adapted Screenplay for Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, along with Best Picture. Oppenheimer will probably perform even better, with nominations predicted for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for Christopher Nolan as well as Best Picture.

But what about the acting categories? Does anyone in the Barbie cast have a chance at hearing their names called on Oscar nominations morning? And despite Heath Ledger being the only actor in a Christopher Nolan movie to ever manage an Oscar nomination (and win) for The Dark Knight, might some of the talent from Oppenheimer receive acting Oscar nods? Here are the five actors from the two movies who can do it…

1. Robert Downey Jr., Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer

The most surefire contender from the two films is Robert Downey, Jr., who gives one of the best performances of his career as Lewis Strauss, the government official who did not see eye-to-eye with Robert Oppenheimer. His character goes through a fascinating arc, cool and confident in his earlier scenes, and losing his patience to dramatic effect in the third act. A moment near the end when his character goes berserk in an angry rant is particularly memorable. The character allowed Downey Jr. to flex his acting chops in a way he hasn’t done in years, and with two Oscar nominations behind him—for Chaplin in 1993 and Tropic Thunder in 2009—look for Downey, Jr. to enter the Best Supporting Actor Oscar race as the presumed frontrunner in early 2024.

2. Ryan Gosling, Best Supporting Actor for Barbie

It is extremely difficult to make it into the acting categories at the Academy Awards for a comedic performance, but Gosling’s hilarious, high-spirited turn as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s film is too much of a delight to pass up. If his character was only allowed to act silly and idiotic, he wouldn’t necessarily be a contender, but Gerwig takes Ken into unexpected directions, including giving him a long segment of the movie to sing his heart out and build more complexity into the character. Gosling already having two Oscar nominations behind him doesn’t hurt either—for Half Nelson in 2007 and La La Land in 2017. With Barbie’s massive popularity, the Academy is going to want to reward at least one of the cast members with a nomination, and the same way Melissa McCarthy was deemed worthy of an Oscar nod for Bridesmaids in 2012, Gosling will make the final cut next year for Best Supporting Actor.

3. Cillian Murphy, Best Actor for Oppenheimer

Murphy not making it in for his impressive lead performance in Oppenheimer would be one of the craziest snubs in recent years. Nolan’s epic rests on his shoulders, Murphy in almost every scene of the three-hour running time. He has never been nominated before, which could put doubt in people’s minds, but he’s never had a juicy role like Robert Oppenheimer to sink his teeth into and show what he’s made of as an actor. It’s not a colorful performance the way Ken is in Barbie, and Murphy isn’t given a ton of showy moments the way Robert Downey, Jr. is in Oppenheimer’s third act. However, Murphy is essentially the entire movie, and given Oppenheimer’s behemoth box office and massive critical acclaim, you can bet on a Best Actor nod for Cillian Murphy.

4. Margot Robbie, Best Actress for Barbie

If Greta Gerwig’s warmly embraced film can get into Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture, is it possible the star of the film gets left off the Best Actress list? Unlike Cillian Murphy, who is almost guaranteed a Best Actor nod for Oppenheimer, Robbie’s best shot at getting into Best Actress for Barbie comes down to how competitive the category will be next year. It’s difficult for comedic performances to get into the supporting acting categories, and it’s nearly impossible for them to make it into Lead Actor or Lead Actress. Her character goes to some moving and dramatic places in the second half, which should help Robbie’s chances, as will her two previous Oscar nominations for I, Tonya in 2018 and Bombshell in 2020. Whatever happens, Robbie is likely to get at least one Academy Award nod for Barbie—even if she doesn’t make it into Best Actress, a producing nod is likely for Best Picture.

5. Emily Blunt, Best Supporting Actress for Oppenheimer

The immensely talented Emily Blunt has done great work in films like The Devil Wears Prada, Sicario, and A Quiet Place, and yet she still has never received an Oscar nomination. Will 2024 finally be the year Blunt receives some much overdue recognition from the Academy? Although she doesn’t have a big role in Oppenheimer as Robert’s wife Kitty, many of her scenes in the film’s first half being brief and with little dramatic power, she’s given a few excellent moments in the second half. Her back-and-forth with Murphy show frustration and longing, and her riveting interrogation room scene near the film’s conclusion might be enough for Blunt to find herself with her first Academy Award nomination.

The only other person I could see being a potential spoiler in the acting Oscar categories is America Ferrera in Barbie for Best Supporting Actress. Her one beautifully delivered monologue she delivers about the frustrations of being a woman could be her ticket to a surprise Oscar nomination if the category isn’t super competitive. Overall, look for both Barbie and Oppenheimer to show up on Oscar nominations morning in the acting categories. The race in Best Supporting Actor between Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Gosling is especially going to be a fun one!'

[olekskaftan]

Animation Skills "Audio Project" Part 5

I started working on the camera in Paint, first I drew the background and sketch in Clip Studio and then I realized that without Paint I couldn't make the camera work, so after that I dumped it all into Paint and started working on the animation and the camera and I did the same with the next scene where it also has a movement with the camera.

I also used chromakey to speed up the animation process in this way and have at least a normal level of quality and animation.

The finished scene is below

So I'm going to keep working like this until I finish it, and when I'm close to finishing the animation, I'll start making sounds for this project, so I think I'm doing okay with that.

Research Element 10

Exaggeration

Exaggeration in animation is a technique used to amplify actions, expressions, or characteristics beyond realistic limits to make them more dynamic and expressive. Animation allows artists to bring all manner of characters and worlds to life in visually stunning ways.

For example, when animating a walk cycle, an animator may exaggerate the up-and-down bobbing movement to make the walk silly and comedic. They can make the head and torso sway wildly, extend the leg motions further than normal, and add quick bouncing to the steps. Or they may exaggerate a sad facial expression by making a character’s eyes extra large and luminous. The eyebrows angled sharply upward, and the frown very wide and pronounced. This principle applies to all aspects of animation, like characters, objects, and environments. they can all be exaggerated for added interest. 

Hayao Miyazagi

Miyazaki Hayao (1941) is an influential Japanese anime director whose lyrical and allusive works have won both critical and popular acclaim. His notable films include Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and The Boy and the Heron (2023).

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Gakushuin University in Tokyo in 1963, he was hired as a novice animator at Toei Animation, a division of Toei Studio and Asia's largest animation producer. While working at Toei, he met fellow animators Takahata Isao and Tata Akemi. The former became a lifelong friend, colleague, and business partner, and the latter, after a year-long courtship, became his wife. Miyazaki rose through the ranks at Toei, working on projects such as the television series Okami shōnen Ken (Wolf Boy Ken) and Takahata's feature directorial debut Taiyo no oji: Horusu no daibōken (1968; The Little Norwegian Prince).

After leaving Tōei in 1971, Miyazaki and Takahata continued to work at various studios throughout the 1970s. Among the most prominent works of this period are the short films Panda kopanda (Panda! Go, Panda!) and Miyazaki's first feature film, Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (1979; Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro), an adventure story about the gentleman thief Lupin and his compatriots.

Miyazaki's individual style became even more apparent in Kaze no tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), a monthly manga strip (Japanese cartoon) he wrote for Animage magazine. The story follows the journey of Nausicaa, a princess and warrior who does not want to fight, through an ecologically devastated world. The success of the cartoon inspired a movie of the same name (released in 1984) and pushed Miyazaki and Takahata to a more permanent partnership. Together they founded Studio Ghibli in 1985.

Studio Ghibli has overall received seven Oscar nominations, with two wins.

[tomorrowedblog]

Thursday Releases for October 17

Friday is usually the busiest day of the week for new releases. Not this week though. For some reason there a bunch of releases on a Thursday. Whatever. Thursday Releases for October 17 include The Shadow Strays, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, Unknown 9: Awakening, and more.

The Shadow Strays

The Shadow Strays, the new movie from Timo Tjahjanto, is out today.

Her eagerness to save a young boy drives a trained assassin codenamed 13 (Aurora Ribero) to fight anyone who stands in her way, including her mentor (Hana Malasan) and her organization, The Shadow.

Brothers

Brothers, the new movie from Max Barbakow, is out today.

Brothers tells the story of a reformed criminal (Josh Brolin) whose attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a cross-country road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, the new TV series from Vijal Patel, is out today.

Inspired by the personal experiences of Emmy-nominated creator Vijal Patel, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh follows the Pradeep family and the events of their first few months after moving to America from India. As told through hilarious (and often conflicting) flashbacks from an interrogation room, the Pradeeps quickly find themselves embroiled—romantically, personally, and professionally—with a polar-opposite neighborhood family, leading to a predicament with many surprising twists.

Midwich Cuckoos: Village of the Damned

Midwich Cuckoos: Village of the Damned, the new TV series from David Farr, is out today.

One summer evening, every person inside the small English village of Midwich suddenly and inexplicably falls unconscious. As they recover from the devastating effects of the blackout, a horrifying discovery is made. Something deeply disturbing and supernatural has taken root – and the idyllic town will never be the same again.

The Lincoln Lawyer S3

The third season of The Lincoln Lawyer, the TV series from David E. Kelley, is out today.

The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.

Superman & Lois S4

The fourth season of Superman & Lois, the TV series from Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, is out today.

After years of facing supervillains, the Man of Steel and Lois Lane return to Smallville to raise their teenage sons.

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, the new TV series from Ken Iyadomi and Gavin Hignight, is out today.

“Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance” is an all-new original animation composed of six 30-minute episodes focusing on the European front of the One Year War, which was the setting of the first Gundam series, “Mobile Suit Gundam.”

Unknown 9: Awakening

Unknown 9: Awakening, the new game from Reflector Entertainment and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, is out today.

You are Haroona, a Quaestor born with the ability to venture into a mysterious dimension: the Fold. On her quest for powerful hidden knowledge, she must learn to master the powers of the Fold to fight a secret society with a hostile agenda.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Super Mario Party Jamboree, the new game from Nintendo, is out today.

Get ready to visit an enormous island resort for a party… a Mario Party! Take on over 110 minigames, 7 game boards (5 new boards and 2 returning boards), and join up to 20 players head-to-head online in Koopathlon mode!

TOILET SPIDERS

TOILET SPIDERS, the new game from Fullbright, is out today.

TOILET SPIDERS is a short, replayable lo-fi first-person survival horror game where you must learn to judge your odds and manage your resources to avoid or scare off the giant radioactive spiders laying in in wait inside filthy toilets that contain the keys and items you need to complete your mission and escape with your life.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To The One Of The Few Old🧓 Fashioned Legendary Academy Award Winning Actors Of Our Time and Honored by His Many Memorable Roles in Acting.

Born On September 25th, 1944

Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first child of actors Kirk Douglas (1916–2020) and Diana Dill (1923–2015). His parents met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

He is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.

The elder son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill, Douglas earned his Bachelor of Arts in drama from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His early acting roles included film, stage, and television productions. Douglas first achieved prominence for his performance in the ABC police procedural television series The Streets of San Francisco, for which he received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations. In 1975, Douglas produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, having acquired the rights to the Ken Kesey novel from his father. The film received critical and popular acclaim, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, earning Douglas his first Oscar as one of the film's producers.

Douglas went on to produce films including The China Syndrome (1979) and Romancing the Stone (1984), for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and The Jewel of the Nile (1985). Douglas received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (a role he reprised in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps in 2010). Other notable roles include in Fatal Attraction (1987), The War of the Roses (1989), Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down (1993), The American President (1995), The Game (1997), Traffic (2000), and Wonder Boys (2000).

In 2013, for his portrayal of Liberace in the HBO film Behind the Candelabra, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. Douglas starred as an aging acting coach in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method (2018–2021), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. He has portrayed Hank Pym in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Ant-Man (2015).

Douglas has received notice for his humanitarian and political activism. He sits on the board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, is an honorary board member of the anti-war grant-making foundation Ploughshares Fund and he was appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 1998. He has been married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000.

Please Wish This Iconic Legendary American & Prestigious Academy Award Winning Actor Of Acting. A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HIM FOR YEARS, YEARS& YEARS & PROBABLY MOST RECENTLY IN HIS LATER WORK , FOR ALL YOU GEN Z'S 😉

HE HAS SWOON THE BIG SCREEN IN MANY WAYS & NOW THE SMALL SCREEN AS WELL & COMES FROM A VERY HIGHLY REGARDED LEGEND OF A FATHER & MOTHER IN ACTING HISTORY

& HE IS STILL SO FREAKING FRACKING LUCKY TO BE MARRIED TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WELSH ACTRESS IN THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD & SHARE THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS WELL. DANG NAB HIM 😒😠😣😫

THE 1 & ONLY

MR. MICHAEL KIRK DOUGLAS 🧓 Michael Douglas

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MR. DOUGLAS 🧓& HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#MichaelKirkDouglas