#she met COURTNEY COX?????????

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Are we thinking MM will be Misan’s plus one for the Oscars? She has been love bombing him for ages now and surely his poor quality photos of her are not all she is after.

If he takes her instead of his wife, it would be a new level of low.

So I've been thinking about this, and I don't think Meghan actually wants to go to the Oscars, the Grammys, the Golden Globes, etc.

I think she loves being associated with that A-List crowd and she loves the idea of us (her adoring public *and* her critical public) thinking she's that popular, influential, famous, wealthy, connected to be "in" with that crowd. But I think she's actually terrified to be physically there with that crowd.

If you look at every public 'engagement' Meghan does, there's always a couple of things in common:

She controls every single thing - how she looks, who she speaks to, who approaches her, what they say to her, how she's photographed, where she's photographed, who's with her, who's next to her, who's taking her picture, so on.

She's the main attraction, the big kahuna - everyone is there to see her, they want to listen to her, they want to shake her hand, they want to hug her, they want to write only about her.

Neither of these are possible when she's in an auditorium full of much more famous, much wealthier, much more connected, much more desirable celebrities than her. She wants to sit front and center like William and Kate do at the BAFTAs but that's not possible; front and center at the Oscars is reserved for the people that the rest of us tune in to watch - the Meryl Streeps, the Colman Domingos, the Lily Gladstones, the Cilian Murphys. If being in the overflow room on the 8th row in an enormous ballgown is humiliating, just wait till she's stuck at the back of the auditorium with the film editors, the foreign language nominees, and the plus-ones of everyone not famous enough to sit at the front on camera.

Something else to remember about these kind of events is that they're giant parties for the Hollywood industry. Meaning everyone knows everyone, they're all there for a good time. they're not there to promote anything or talk business -- they're not going to talk to someone they don't know, who doesn't really work in the industry, and who's made headlines for blabbing about other people's private/personal business. In other words, Meghan is going to be the one going up to these people to talk to them. She's going to be the one climbing over the chairs to give hugs and say hello and she's going to be the one catering to other people's egos. That's not what she wants. She wants people to come to her, to be in awe of her, to be flattering her ego.

And because everyone knows everyone at these events, it's probably a very safe assumption that if Meghan and Harry have misbehaved/done things to certain people as alleged, then those people have told their friends/staff, who've told their friends, so a whole bunch of people are on their guard about Meghan being in their space.

(Some of those rumors: Harry taking drugs at Courtney Cox's house party and writing about it in Spare, Christian Bales's family having concerns about what Meghan wheedling Gloria Steinem, Meghan using Oprah for headlines while Oprah was at her dying father's bedside, all the shit that went down with Tyler Perry, whatever went down with David Foster and Kat McPhee, Meghan hitting on Serena's husband, whatever Melissa McCarthy and Tracee Ellis Ross know about 40x40, whatever went down with the fertility doctor/OBGYN who closed up shop right after Lili was born, whatever she did to piss off Edward Enniful, everything that happened with Netflix and Spotify (which Netflix hinted at in last week's article), and Meghan's "fuck off" to Anna Wintour about the Met Gala that got her blacklisted.)

Another thing is the fashion at these events. It is a 100% total merchfest. 9 out of 10 celebs you see on the red carpet (including the men) have partnered with designers and are wearing their clothes/jewelry for free. Who the celebs wear usually correlates to one of three things: their fame/popularity, personal relationships between designer/stylist and celebrity, and the likelihood of the celeb getting on camera. Meghan isn't going to get the elite designers to dress her for these events. She doesn't want to wear Carolina Herrera or Hermes readywear when everyone else is wearing hot-off-the-runway Dior, Versace, Prada, etc. She doesn't want to wear Birks when everyone else is dripping in Harry Winston, Cartier, Tiffany's.

And finally, these events are filmed/streamed live. Meghan doesn't like being recorded when she isn't in control. And these are 3-hour, 4-hour long events. She can't keep her mask on for that long, especially when she's being snubbed and ignored by people she thinks should be falling down at her feet. That's why she always hypes up going to the after-parties instead, and why the only events she actually *does* attend are red carpets for private events - there are no cameras at the actual events so she can more easily keep up the "I'm all that and still unbroken!" facade she so desperately wants us to believe.

I mean, she bailed on the Travolta awards at the last minute for a reason.

And if she can't handle being third fiddle to William and Kate, she absolutely can't handle being third fiddle to an entire auditorium of Williams and Kates.

So she might be lovebombing Misan to be his plus-one to the Oscars. But I don't think she would actually go. She'll probably pull out last minute. If anything, I think she's probably lovebombing for tickets to Netflix's after-party. She may also be trying to get Misan to be her "personal" photographer the way Kate "has" Matt Porteous and Chris Jackson.

[foxes-that-run]

End game

Like all Ed features, End Game is Haylor. (Ed, the O.G. Haylor MVP) it was written a few weeks after HS1 was released. Unlike other Rep songs that were revisited and have Joe references, even when they started before they met. In fact the film clip is overtly Haylor. (below) in the BTS (at 1:55) Taylor’s gets text with a scrabble move, she considers, says it is a 'tight game' and decides to leave the other player suspended. Ed blushes.

When OOTW was released Harry’s IG went B&W for 2 years until he started solo promo, apart from a few scrabble boards (in screaming colour) I have a theory he & Taylor played remotely which is why they are colour and she included this.

Here’s some footage of Joe playing scrabble. ….oh sorry, wait, that’s Harry Styles: fan of Scrabble and texting T Swift. Look at her here in the reputation book with the players names covered.. I wonder why lol

Timeline

Ed Sheeran said he wrote his part in a hotel room in New York. He told Audacy that he went to her RI home and heard Rep then the next day wrote it in a hotel in NY. 14 July 2017. (2 months after HS1’s release) (He was also at Taylors NY Apartment 7 March)

I was playing Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, she has a place in Rhode Island, which isn't too far so she hits me up I go around. She plays me what turned out to be Reputation and End Game and I was like man this is I really like, can I do a verse can I like do a rap verse and she was like yeah for sure. So the next day i kind of I remember I was in bed and sort of woke up and i got my laptop out but the song just looped it and I wrote wrote this verse and I went in with max martin who she did the song with and recorded it and then future the verse and then Taylor wrote a verse and then yeah we shot we shot a video".

Film Clip

The film clip is less subtle in being Haylor, it takes place in:

Miami, where HS and TS hung out at Courtney Cox's house

Tokyo, where HS went on a 1D break as his first trip overseas without the band

London, where Ed, HS and Joe all live.

Haylor Easter eggs:

0:04 the ferris wheel looks like the winding wheel.

0:21 she is a passenger in a car at night

0:44 she wears a very Harry Gucci Jumpsuit

0:48 there is a polaroid

1:10 she is a single kitten mother, except Olivia is in her Rep Era lol

1:20 the 1989 Rolling Stone shoot, now in the dark with fireworks.

2:09 Taylor 'A' Swift wears an "A" shirt see: Harry's A tattoo. (When asked Harry said "uh... for my mum" which Louis said "No it's not not it's for a mystery blonde" (2:40)

2:39 she wears the Red/WANGBT hat and cane. She also wears the jacket from her red rolling stone cover.

3:13 there are 2 white bird statues that look like his chest tattoos.

3.30 she references the 1D One Thing MV bus scene

3:43 she visits this kebab shop, a similar one with a made up but similar name is in the 1D midnight memories MV. This tik tok is also about this being an ex’s kebab shop

Lyrics

I wanna be your endgame, endgame Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations, ah And you heard about me, ooh I got some big enemies (yeah) Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me, we'd be a big conversation, ah

HS and TS have both had big reputations as long as they’ve know each other. Now both A-listers dating is a much bigger conversation than one dating anyone else. Her enemies of Scooter and the Kanye are relevant to the music industry.

I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be) Just another ex-love (you don't wanna see) I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you) Like the other girls do

New Years Day Taylor sings “Please don't ever become a stranger, Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere”.

I don't wanna hurt you (I just wanna be) Drinkin' on a beach with (you all over me)

Harry Styles Debut was released May 2017, 6 months before Rep. Harry told Radio 1 he had played it for Ed earlier. The album lays out a lot of hurt between them Taylor may not have known about in that detail. Drinking, beaches and being all over each other are solid Haylor themes, see Video.

I hit you like, "Bang" We tried to forget it, but we just couldn't

Haylor hit like a bang, they met in march, were together almost immediately, he had multiple tattoos that reference her by May and they both had new albums with songs they still perform about each other by October and November. Toe were friends for a long time first and were not yet public.

Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me And I can't let you go, your handprint's on my soul It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks So here's the truth from my red lips

There’s a lot of Haylor references here:

They told you I was crazy, I swear I don’t love the drama is a reference to 1989’s Blank Space

I can’t let you go, Handprints on my soul fits is a theme in 1989, MMIH, Stockholm syndrome, ready for it?, Harry’s House.

The truth from my red lips refers to Style, Two Ghosts and other lip related lyrics.

Finally Taylor uses gold to describe HS in Gold Rush: “Everybody wants you, But I don't like a gold rush, What must it be like, to grow up that beautiful?”

[likeadevils]

Harry and Taylor were definitely talking late 2014/early 2015. They were at the same parties a lot (his bandmates would fly back to London and he would stay behind to go to those LA parties) and they were caught together in January 2015 right before Taylor met Calvin in February 2015 that's when they went no contact again.

2013 was the year were they were not talking at all and were on seemingly bad terms and that's when Harry started hangin out with Kendall Jenner for the first time.

Harry also went to a party after Taylor got on the boat, I don't remeber if it was a yacht party but he did go to a lot of those with Kendall.

Harry has a song that goes:

"...I don’t want to hear about him in these songs you continue to write I was with you when you wrote that line It was me that you had on your mind. So I don’t want to hear about him"

Makes me think maybe they were hanging out again while she was working on 1989. It could be about Wildest Dreams being about Alexander Skarsgard or about how she started dating CH and they saw eachother at the Billboards 2015 (Taylor, Calvin, Niall and Louis went to an after party together but Harry skipped it).

idk if that helps you with timing the writing/recording of the songs

there is a page where i keep track of stuff like this in my spreadsheet but still thank you for doing all that work for me!! (unfortunately because of that page i can say taylor almost definitely didn’t write wildest dreams about alexander skarsgard as it was likely written by early october at the latest and she she didn’t film the giver until late october) but yeah i don’t think taylor like. went completely no contact with harry after 2013– beyond the late 2013 courtney cox parties, she also mentions during the 1989 press that she was friends with the person who inspired much of the album now

[womanexile]

But "right where you left me" possibly being about harry makes me sad :((( like did he really choose another girl over her? the line "I could feel the mascara run// You told me that you met someone" or "at the restaurant, when I was still the one you want." just ultimately sounds like she was devastated that he found someone else and doesn't want her anymore 💔

The only scenario I can think of about it being about Harry is back in late November 2013 Taylor, Harry and Ed hung out at Courtney Cox’s house then a week later Harry was on a date with someone else. This is what Taylor tweeted the day of Harry’s date.

This is the lyrics to Hold On

Kinda gives Right Where You Left Me vibes & Taylor was still 23 then. But a few weeks later on Taylor’s birthday Harry tweeted “better still, be my winding wheel” a song about someone being your soulmate. So obviously it didn’t go anywhere with the girl Harry went out with. Also got to remember Harry was 19 then & 19 year old boys are dumb lol

[reefer-reelz-n-reviews]

Scream 2 (1997)

Smoking: Splatter

I think I will go up to Scream 3. I need to do some kind of Christmas Movies in December right? Lol

After all this stuff that happened with poor Will Smith, I’m honestly happy to see Jada Pinkett Smith with her death scene at the beginning of this movie. I guess there is a theme with more famous people in the beginning of these movies. I never really thought of it this way.

Love how you know this is the beginning of caller ID 😝

I completely forgot Sarah Michelle Gellar is in this movie. Love me some Buffy!!!! And how Ironic that Matthew Lillard was in the first one, and she is in the second one and they are both in Scooby Doo.

Liev Schreiber, I think he’s a great actor. I really liked him in Salt. He’s good at being bad/creepy.

OMG Portia de Rossi. She is soooo young in this! She’s being her normal semi-bitchy self. Wonder if she had met Ellen yet by this time.

Snack time. Left over cheese fries and spicy cheese curds 🤤

2 for 2! Neve Campbell hits Courtney Cox. Not surprising. She deserves it in both movies.

I love Elise Neal’s definition of FINE. Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional. I total agree with that. Any time someone says their fine I imagine Ross from Friends in the episode where he gets drunk on margaritas 🤣

How ironic. SMG has a sorority sister named Dawn just like in Buffy, though that ends up being her real sister, now a sorority sister. But I digress.

Yes, run up the stairs to get away from the killer 🙄 and I just realized in the Scary Movie why Anna Faris throws things down the stairs at the killer, including her grandma 😂 I also think I understand the whole “Strong hand” thing because of David Arquette.

Honestly if I was NC I don’t think I would date anyone after what I went through. At least not for a very long time. Granted Jerry O’Connell is cute and everything. But you know he’s gotta be psycho right?

And I mean Timothy Olyphant always gives me the creeps. No matter what movie he is in.

🤣 NC completely called Tori Spelling playing her in the movie, it was mentioned in the first one and here she is giving an interview about being in “Stab”. And how funny that David Schwimmer was brought up when CC and DA were both in friends and here, he is mentioned in it lol.

😂 now Jennifer Aniston was brought up. Let’s see if Lisa Kudrow, or either of the Matthews are mentioned next.

Poor Jamie Kennedy. You just had to go and piss off the killer. Now he definitely won’t make it into any of the other movies 😂

How old school that Instant Message looks 🤣

Now we have CC and DA trying to hide from the killer. And not doing a very good job. And sucks that even though they didn’t actually have sex DA gets stabbed yet again. And this time CC gets to watch it.

Of course, the cops that are supposed to keep NC safe make jokes about killing them as far as keeping the location secret and then they die. Like that should be part of the rules with JK. Just saying.

How gross is it to see someone with a pole through their head 🤢

Yes, move ever so slowly when trying to get away from the killer. Typical horror movie.

And surprise surprise, Billy’s mother is part of the dual killers. She leaves her son behind and then all of the sudden she acts like she cares about him after he’s dead, and says this is all out of revenge. Maybe you should have taken your son with you and none of this would have even happened to begin with.

We have the end of the movie. Hope you enjoyed this entry 😊

Toke on! 😶‍🌫️

-RRR

[dalt20]

Tooning In 16. Craig Clark part 3 of 7

DL: In 1983, you worked at a Company called Tigerfly.

What was that?

CC: That was and is Arnie Wong's company. I met him at Duck Soup in 1974. Arnie now lives in Hawaii. Tigerfly was in Santa Monica. We did commercials, development on a Möbius feature, Internal Transfer, Automan VFX etc. Superman director Peter Ramsey worked theirs as well as Disney FX sup. Marlon West. Also surf artist Rick Griffin.

DL: how was the environment at the studio?

CC: Creative , hip, funky , family of westside surf artists

He sends me a teaser of an project which ultimately never got made which was the collaboration with French comic artist Moebius, Internal Transfer, which he worked as an animator

Also some Sunkist and G.I. Joe commercials he sends me, also worked on as an animator. I’m surprised the latter one wasn’t done by Sunbow.

DL: You were on The

Philadelphia Experiment as a special effects animator, how was that?

CC: Cool, that was at New World in Venice at Roger Corman Studio......later became Digital Domain. hand drawn electro fx. There was a lot of work west of Sepulveda at the time. The guy on the bed with the electro fx https://youtu.be/WAmpXDi53YQ?si=vrhhlmW1wD0-u5n9

He sends me a trailer for The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

DL: What was My Science Project, as you were

Special effects animator.

CC: My Science project was done at Namebrand FX in Santa Monica off the lot. John Scheele produced the FX, we shot the elements at his studio. The T rex at the end was my shot sequence.... https://youtu.be/nB2ToxVtoc4?si=21cPOJqje2orJAuX

He sends me a trailer for My Science Project (1985).

A bunch of electro fx not pictured there. Boy that was some cheesy 80's synth music on there lol!

DL: Well I guess you’re the electricity guy who drew the electric on paper than scan them into the film.

CC: Exactly. I would do the same over at Boss Film on Poltiergiest 2, Big Trouble in Little China, and SolarBabies. But it was all 70mm. Huge 22 field paper, later hand inked.

DL: You were special effects director for the TV series, Misfits of Science for NBC. And How did you felt being moved to

VFX director and what role does

he or she does.

CC: That was a Namebrand again, that was my day job, the night job was at Boss film from 6pm to 1am. Universal trusted me since I did a good job on Automan. So much so I was on call for other Universal shows like Miami Vice. The fx producer were David Garber and John Green. David Garber was famous for Battlestar Galactica so he was in good standing at Universal. I still love that show. Misfits was part of the Universal power line up on Friday Nights. we got good numbers but Knight Rider was already 3 seasons in and was closer to Syndication so we lasted one season. We did some cool stuff like slitcan stretching high speed fx with the characters. When ever my hand drawn electricity came on the the ratings went up, so they called for more of it. The Producer was James Parriot who later did Grey's Anatomy, It was also Courtney Cox's first show before Friends.

He sends me a compilation of the series where one of the main characters uses his electric powers.

DL: Ah, thought it was Mac and Me but I remember that was Jennifer Aniston!

I send him a laugh out loud emoji 😂

DL: You Worked as FX Assistant Animator for Boss Film company, did you felt like that was a downgrade from your previous Title?

CC: Yeah, but it was a feature with some IlM guys so that was cool. I met Wes Takahaski who helped me get into ILM later in 1994. Boss had just finished Ghostbusters at the time.

DL: How was the environment of Boss Film company?

CC: Fun, like an fx nightclub. Music playing, free popcorn. The day crew was more serious I think, but we just had a good time and did great work. Some Disney guys were there too like Scott Santoro, who I later worked with at Amblimation in London on Fievel Goes West.

DL: That's awesome!

CC: We were nominated for a VFX Oscar on Poltergeist 2. https://youtu.be/mjhr8EdGyD0?si=RldZcwzw_9-rMM0V

He sends me the trailer for Poltergeist 2 (1986)

DL: You was assistant special effects animator for Poltergeist 2.

CC: Yes, Following up of Mauro Maresa who later worked with me on Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure.

Sends me a clip from the film featuring all the times the characters use the iconic phone booth.

I did fx on it, phone booth.

DL: You were an

Special effects animator on Big

Trouble in Little China. How was that?

CC: Yeah , I think we already went over the Boss film stuff, part of the night crew when I was working on Misfits of Science during the day. Mauro Maressa, Scott Santaro, Kevin Cachaver, Ed Coffee, Wes Takahashi all on the show. There were Ghostbusters fx model sheets sitting around ....

He sends me the climax to Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

DL: So as we talk about previously, how worked

at Dream quest Images.How was

the enviroment at the studlo before the

company got bought by Disney in 1997?

CC: Dream Quest was a small but active studio stated by 5 UCLA students in Culver City. They did Vistavision work as well as 35mm work. They got all the fx shots that Boss Film could not do since they were all 70 mm.  The first Predictor movie was done there as well as Nightmare 3. I animation directed a few commericials, Taco Ball ,Golden Grahams, etc. https://youtu.be/aFwKhPnBs3Y?si=OtpjisO0bot3et6_

He sends me a commercial for Golden Grahams which he animated on.

DL: Is that supposed to be sonny? The Golden Grahams mascot?

CC: he didn't have a name....just called him dollop. I animated it solo. no assistants.

DL: Wow! That’s impressive!

CC: Thanks. I think I was 26 with a few credits so they gave me a shot.

DL: So, personal thoughts, I

Wanna spill on you that I find it strange that Disney would go on to buy Lucasfilm, which owns ILM, which you worked for later in 1994. Why did Disney bought the studio only to shut it down and buy Lucasfilm? (That’s a question for you, I forgot to mention.)

CC: Disney is a corporation looking for quarterly profits for their shareholders. It is no longer a company run by their family as you know.

DL: Yeah, I mean they own ILM now, so they own all the great special effects in the world! But anyway, you worked on Nightmare of Elm street 3 as a special effects animator, an upgrade from storyboard artist. How was the experience?

CC: Good, hears the shot do your stuff. This time we finished the plasma animation using watered down inks that were shot and comped. We went over that as well.

DL: What’s your thoughts on the Elm Street franchise ?

CC: Surprised it lasted. I've outgrown it but my kids love it. The horror genre has exploded over the years. There was a crew fan based  meeting at Notre Dame high school in the Valley in the 90's. Kids asked questions to the old crew. I forget most of it.

DL: You worked on My Demon Lover as a special effects animator, what was that about?

CC: That was through Chris Cassady's Roto FX of America studio. Quick fx job, I remember some faces or masks exploding. I did the animation over at Chris' studio, he shot the elements over at his place. I think he sent it our for opticals some were else. The studio was a Saward in Hollywood behind the old Bob Clampett building where we did the first Simpsons series. There were lots of Film labs there , CFI, Glenn Glenn sound. Old Republic Pictures and the Columbia Cartoon studio was there a long time ago. Historical street for film. Seward st.

DL: Your claim to fame, Bill Melendez Productions, how was the environment of the studio?

CC: Wow I'm famous for that? I'd like to work on the new ones in Canada... I worked directly under Bill Melendez for a week in studio. Then I just worked at home animating four Peanuts specials for him, as well as Cathy and Frosty Returns. And later another Peantuts one in the 2000's.

DL: What was the studio like? Was it magical?

CC: It was like a little house, actually two houses together. Folks were very nice. I love working there.

DL: Ah, so I think it was the only studio besides filmation who were doing TV animation in the US. And I believe the last.

CC: maybe so, but a few months later I started working on the first season of the Simpsons down the street in totally in house. 1989. Melendez was 1988 during the last bad writers strike.

DL: Ah, did you met Bill or Lee? The other guy who owns the studio. Lee Mendelson?

CC: Never saw Lee, just Bill. Shep Menkin also did voices but I did not know it at the time. (Forgive and Forget movie 1968)

DL: Ah, ok, so your friend was also on Peanuts.

CC: This is America Charlie Brown,yes.

DL: Did he did the adults? The “waa waa” voice?

CC:no?

[newsworld-nw]

Inside Matthew Perry's close bond with 'Friends' castmates

Matthew Perry shared an simple bond with him buddies Co-stars, one thing that was evident when the six got here collectively Buddies: Reunion In 2021."The easiest way I can describe it's after the present, at a celebration or any sort of social gathering, if one in all us ran into one another, that was it. That was the tip of the evening," Perry mentioned. He remembers with Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer And Matt LeBlanc."You sit with the individual all evening and that is it," he continued. "You apologized to the individuals you have been with, however they needed to perceive you met your particular somebody and also you have been going to speak to that individual for the remainder of the evening. And that is the way it labored."Though the solid went their separate methods when the sitcom resulted in 2004, they remained in one another's lives all through the years, united by sharing 10 of a very powerful years of their lives collectively.Perry reiterated that bond in his 2022 memoir, Buddies, Lovers and Huge Scary Issues. "Each one in all them was nonetheless only a cellphone name away," he mentioned of his castmates. "On the reunion, I used to be the one who cried essentially the most as a result of I knew what I had, and the gratitude I felt matched the gratitude I really feel as we speak." After Perry's dying on October 28, the remaining 5 buddies The celebrities have not launched a press release but, however will doubtless take part on this as nicely.Check out the bond Perry shares with every of them buddies.Matt LeBlancRon Davis/Getty PhotographsPerry and LeBlanc's Chandler and Joey have been most likely finest buddies buddiesAnd the pair shared a pitch-perfect comedic chemistry, with Perry praising LeBlanc in his guide for "taking the one sort of inventory character and turning him into the funniest character on the present."Throughout his 2016 TCA press tour Man with a Plan, LeBlanc shared How he and Perry all the time share a playful "shorthand" with one another."I noticed him yesterday. I like that man!" she mentioned. "I am unable to see him for 5 years after which be in a room collectively and nonetheless have that shorthand with one another. It is actually wonderful. For ten years in a constructing with no home windows and doorways closed, we acquired to know one another fairly nicely. "and a 2016 interview with EWLeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow praised Perry as a solid member who may most likely cheer everybody up with a joke.Concerning filming buddiesOf the long-lasting opening credit score sequence, the place the six leads dance collectively in a fountain, Kudrow recalled, "I keep in mind it was chilly, and we needed to do it so many instances. I do not assume we have been within the temper and even capable of do it. It felt like we And simply kidding, however then Matthew Perry mentioned, 'I do not keep in mind a time once I wasn't within the bathe,' and all of us laughed out loud. I feel that is what occurs on TV.""He was all the time the one which within the 1,000th hour there was one thing that everyone was afraid to crack a joke and make us all snort," LeBlanc agreed. "He is undoubtedly the category clown."When the pair returned to their outdated condo Reunions are particularPerry and LeBlanc waste no time recreating a foolish bodily comedy bit from the complete collection, returning with exaggerated groans of satisfaction amongst their barcaloungers."Aw, Matty, good to see you, buddy," Perry thought. "It is superior."David SchwimmerVinny Zufante/Getty PhotographsIt was Schwimmer's thought for this buddies Forged as a bunch to barter their contracts, every actor earned the identical quantity -- which was greater than $1 million per episode by the tip of the collection. And Perry makes certain to offer his buddy the credit score he deserves within the emotional ultimate pages of his guide."Schwimmer, for deciding we should always stick collectively when he may have gone it alone and made greater than the remainder, and we needs to be a workforce and get one million {dollars} per week," he wrote.Through the reunion particular, Schwimmer famous how distinctive the bond between the six actors was."Despite the fact that nobody exterior the opposite 5 was going by what we have been going by," he mirrored.Jennifer AnistonVinny Zufante/Getty PhotographsPerry admitted Crushing on Aniston the time buddies' Early Days in an interview with Diane Sawyer ABC Information Earlier than the publication of his guide.The actor recalled that the pair met earlier than filming for the present and he requested her out. She turned him down, suggesting they be simply buddies. Nonetheless, that did not cease him from praising her on set. "'I used to be like, 'Is three seconds too lengthy?'" he recalled moments on set with Aniston.Perry referred to as it again in her guide's acknowledgments, "Writing because of Jenny, for letting me see two additional seconds of face each single day."When she lastly acquired over her crush, Aniston turned an vital individual in Perry's life -- and, as her guide reveals, the primary individual to confront her about her alcohol abuse. buddies set"I do know you've got been consuming," he recalled his co-star confessing in his dressing room. "We are able to scent it."Aniston Sawyer gave his personal interview in 2004 -- eg buddies was ending her 10-year run, and when requested what message she needed to ship to Perry, she shared that she needed him to know she was okay."We did not know. We have been, you understand, we weren't outfitted, we weren't — to take care of it," Aniston mentioned of her and her co-stars' reactions to Perry's struggles, wiping away tears. "You realize, no one's ever handled that and, you understand, even the thought of ​​dropping him."Courtney CoxKevin Winter/Getty Photographs for AFIAniston wasn't the one Perry castmate to confess to having a crush. In his 2022 interview with Sawyer, he All his feminine co-stars are in awe."How will you not crush on Jenny, and Courtney, and Lisa?" she mentioned. "So it made it a bit bit tougher to go to work, as a result of I needed to fake I did not have them (crushes)."A spotlight was her character's surprising romance with Cox's Monica buddies' 10-season run, and in recognition of her guide, she thanked her on-screen companion for "making America assume that somebody so stunning would marry somebody like me."Cox mentioned he had an "unimaginable time" filming buddies with Perry and their co-stars on the 2021 reunion."Every thing got here collectively. We turned finest buddies, the chemistry, the entire thing," she shared with the group. "It was life-changing and will probably be eternally -- not only for us who see it. It is an excellent feeling to hold eternally. I am so grateful, and I like you a lot."Lisa KudrowRon Davis/Getty Photographs"Lisa Kudrow - no girl has ever made me snort so exhausting," Perry wrote in her guide, excessive reward given her host of proficient feminine co-stars all through the years.Kudrow wrote the foreword to Perry's memoir, through which he admits that, generally, the query he will get requested essentially the most is, "How's Matthew Perry?""I perceive why lots of people ask this: They love Matthew, they usually need him to be OK. Me too," she admits. However I all the time balked at that newspaper query as a result of I could not say what I needed to say: 'That is his story to inform, and I am probably not licensed to say it, am I!'"Kudrow mentioned she typically felt responsible for not confronting Perry about her substance abuse issues, or making an attempt to do extra to assist, however famous, "The little I knew about habit was that her sobriety was out of my arms. .”"I simply centered on Matthew, who made me snort so exhausting on daily basis, and as soon as per week, laughed so exhausting I cried and could not breathe," she continued. "There he was, Matthew Perry, who was whip-smart...charming, candy, delicate, very affordable and rational. That man, all the pieces he was battling, was nonetheless there. The identical Matthew who, from the start, our All whereas taking pictures a darkish evening for the opening title inside that fountain."Associated Content material: #Matthew #Perrys #shut #bond #Buddies #castmates Read the full article

[mostardently]

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[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Fri 2 April ‘21

Circles, we’re going in circles- today it’s a round up of recursive Harry-ception items! We got the media he watched as a kid turning around and watching him, X2, AND pictures of pictures of pictures...

First up, from fan to featured guest- will Harry be in the upcoming Friends reunion special? An anon on deuxmoi says so, so it must be true!! LMAO NO but useless source aside, I totally buy it. Ben Winston is in charge of the special and Harry is a big draw who he has access to who probably begged to do it, plus Harry got himself photographed a couple of times in his Friends shirt and there were the interactions between him and Courtney Cox on instagram. Not exactly proofs of anything, ofc we know he’s always been a big fan of the show, but with Harry social media hinting DOES pretty often point to something to come; specifically, shirts and likes/ follows are often used by him to foreshadow projects he’s working on that he’s just scheduled at the time of the posts but that we don’t know about til much later when they come out, and this would fit that pattern.... The anon claimed that they worked on the show and that a segment was filmed a while back (though the main filming hasn’t yet begun) featuring Harry singing with Pheobe at Central Perk!! Amazing.

Photgrapher Naomi Christie posted a pic of Harry posing with photographer Pham who is posing with the giant Watermelon Sugar tote bag merch item, which features the giant picture of Harry’s face which is a photograph taken by him (Pham) “in front of a chimney with a photo of a chimney”. It’s a great picture! Of both of them!! (Or all three if you count both Harrys in the pic, or like all 5 if you count chimneys I guess.) And Harry is all dressed up and looking fantastic-- it’s from Jeff and Glenne’s wedding and he’s in the black little house on the prairie suit. But why did she delete the pic shortly after posting? That I do not know.

And back to the TV turn tables turning, reality TV personality Peter Jones posted an interview clip of Harry telling the story of Peter Jones being the first celeb he, Harry, had ever met, and said “asked by my girls when I was last star struck and I said “last week when Harry Styles text me to say hi and hoped I was well. Amazing how life goes full circle.” Circles! That’s what I said!! Full circle baby...

[salvatoreschool]

Kaylee Bryant On "Legacies," The Importance Of Queer Rep On TV, Hosie, And More

"I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves."

This week, Kaylee Bryant squeezed us into her schedule to talk about their role as Josie Saltzman on Legacies. As a huge Josie fan, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a morning than talking to Kaylee about The Vampire Diaries, Hosie, our favorite books, and more! Here's everything we talked about:

1. What was your audition for Legacies like?

My audition process was very interesting because they kept a lot of it a secret. I had no script and a fake character name. And then I had my second audition, a chemistry read, which Jenny Boyd [Lizzie] wasn't even at. I walked in and immediately just flat-out asked, "This is for the twins, right?" So it was long, but short and intense at the same time.

BuzzFeed: Wait, did you know which twin you were going to be playing?

I initially auditioned for Josie, and then during chemistry reads, they started asking me to read for Lizzie. And then we had our final callback where I finally met Jenny and we both read for both roles. They never told us [who was playing who] until Jenny had her appointment to go dye her hair blonde.

2. What's a typical day on set like?

Gosh, it changes every time. If it's a busy day on set, we're talking like 8 a.m. call time where we spend about two hours on hair and makeup and go straight into rehearsals. If it's a big sort of episode that involves stunt work and wire work, you're talking about doing maybe two scenes in a day. But if it's an average day, we can do anywhere from three to five scenes and we can start at 8 a.m. and wrap at 8 p.m. It really depends. I'm surprised if I'm not surprised.

3. You’ve said you’re a huge fan of The Vampire Diaries. Josie played Elena in the musical episode — what was that like?

It was surreal for sure. They had talked a little bit about doing a musical episode since Season 1. And I always thought that they were joking when they talked about doing Salvatore: The Musical!, so when they said Josie would obviously play Elena, I was like, "Hahaha." And then I got the script and realized I actually was playing Elena. The musical aspect of it was the easy part. The difficult part was, I think, getting into the iconic Elena attire and trying to feel normal. Because we have a lot of crew members that worked on The Vampire Diaries, and they kept coming up to me being like, "This is weird. I feel weird."

4. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve filmed with Courtney Bandeko (Finch) this season?

I really did love the scene that we had in the town square [when] we got on a moped. There were so many fans in the town square that were huddled in the rain — it was pouring rain, freezing cold — trying to snap photos of us. And it was kind of one of those surreal moments where it felt full circle, that I was on a Vampire Diaries spinoff in town square. It was a lot going on, but it was a lot of fun. It's always fun working with Courtney.

5. You and Danielle Rose Russell (Hope) also have amazing chemistry — what’s your favorite scene you’ve filmed together?

Oh gosh, we have a lot that are pretty amazing. Honestly, I'd say [Season 3] Episode 14 — we finally got to do a lot more scenes together. And it's always fun, especially when it's Josie, Lizzie, and Hope, because we have so much history character-wise. Any time you really get to dive into that, we love it.

6. I know Josie and Finch are working through some things right now, but I gotta ask — how do you feel about Hosie?

I love it. Danielle and I loved the idea of Hosie starting from Season 1, and we kept asking and asking and asking for it. So it's kind of funny and full circle that now the fans have kind of taken our side with things, and now they won't stop asking for it. All we want is this beautiful, dynamic relationship. And I think that the fans want that as well.

BuzzFeed: Yeah, I mean, people have even been asking me about Hosie, and I don't work on the show!

Oh, I'm sure! [Laughs] Obviously I love it, though.

7. Is there a particular Josie moment you’re really proud of?

Josie has a scene coming up in Episode 18 — or 19? — I don't know, but it's good. It's sort of the pinnacle of everything that Josie has felt over the past three years kind of culminating into one moment. So, I'm excited for people to see it.

8. You recently came out as queer. How has playing Josie, who’s pansexual, impacted you personally?

I felt a lot of pressure when I initially booked Josie because I was still figuring out who I was and what my label was. And playing a character who was so comfortable in who she was, it was inspiring [to me] in a way that I think a lot of other people watching the show have been inspired. I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves. It's kind of amazing that we all have the same experience in that having queer representation makes you more comfortable.

9. You’ve been vocal about your Asian identity, and your character has spoken Japanese on the show. Did you have a hand in incorporating that into Josie’s character?

No, not at all! So, I spoke Japanese a few times on the [Instagram] Live and one of our writers, Penny Cox, saw me speaking Japanese and immediately went to Brett [Matthews] and was like, "We need to make this happen somehow." And then all of a sudden, I had a script in my hands. So it was a surprise, but a fun one.

BuzzFeed: Are you fluent in Japanese?

Gosh, no! I'm barely fluent in English. [Laughs] I would say I speak at the level of maybe a second-grader on a good day, though.

10. If you could pitch any storyline for Josie, what would it be?

I always joke that I want an episode that takes place overnight. That way, we all have to be wearing pajamas the entire episode. I just want to wear some comfy clothes for a whole two weeks, that's my main goal. So we can have a pajama episode, that's my pitch.

11. What's it like getting into character for Dark Josie scenes?

It's different in the sense that I know Josie so well. And knowing Josie in turn makes me understand Dark Josie. I have a whole different playlist of music that I listen to for Dark Josie — and I have the wig, which helps a lot with getting into character.

BuzzFeed: Well, now I have to ask what music is on that playlist!

I think "Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish is a great one for Dark Josie. Also, "Villain" by K/DA is a prime example of a perfect song for Dark Josie, so I listen to that one as well.

12. What's your go-to Starbucks order?

Plain black iced Americano. Aria [Shahghasemi, who plays Landon] says I drink coffee like a sociopath. [Laughs]

13. What TV show are you currently binging?

I just finished watching Alice in Borderland, which is a Japanese show on Netflix. And I know Feel Good Season 2 just came out, so I think that's my next binge.

14. Damon or Stefan?

Stefan! They're both beautiful and I love them very much, but I'm Team Stefan when it comes to Elena.

15. If you could work with anyone from The Vampire Diaries, who would it be?

Ian Somerhalder has a lot of dogs. So, maybe I want to work with him for the sole reason of just talking about dogs. [Writer's note: Kaylee revealed she has two rescue dogs, one whom was sleeping right next to them during the interview! Kaylee described the dogs as "both complete and total nuts," but said she misses them about five minutes after getting into the car to go to work.]

16. Do you think you’re most similar to Josie, Lizzie, or Hope in real life?

I would say I'm an eclectic mix of the three. I can be very headstrong like Hope, very outspoken like Lizzie, and I try to be as loving as Josie, but sometimes that doesn't always work. But I'd like to think all three.

17. Is there a role people would be surprised to learn you auditioned for, but didn't get?

I've been auditioning since I was eight, so there's quite a few Disney Channel shows and movies. And I'm sure people would be surprised because I think I auditioned for like, all of them. It's very funny, one of the first jobs I ever booked in television was Kickin' It with Leo Howard [Ethan]. Talk about full circle — going from being 12 years old and having no idea what I'm doing to being a series regular on [Legacies] and welcoming Leo to the set.

18. Who's your favorite Disney princess?

Oh, I love Mulan so much. She was, like, my first crush ever. I also love Moana, but it's Mulan 1,000%.

19. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I mean, I do eat rice every day. So maybe just white rice — you can make rice into candy and...yeah, let's go with rice.

20. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one book, what would it be?

Oh no! I recently read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and I really enjoyed that book. Oh god, Is that the one that I want to bring, though? I mean, I really enjoyed it and it has many different aspects to it. I don't know. Or should I go with Harry Potter? I go through different genres too, like right now I'm in a big sci-fi phase, but other times I'll go the opposite direction and only read biographies. Yeah, that's super hard. I don't think I would know!

21. On that note, what's your Hogwarts house?

Initially, when I was younger, it used to just be straight-up Slytherin. And now, I recently took the Sorting Hat Quiz and I got Ravenclaw. So I'm going to go with Slytherclaw.

BuzzFeed: What's Josie's house?

Josie would be Slytherin. She tries very hard and, you know, not everyone in Slytherin is evil. She just, you know, has her way of going about things.

22. Has anything super funny or embarrassing happened to you on set?

I trip a lot on set. I get scared very easily — if I come around the corner and somebody is walking the other direction, I get scared. Everybody knows to walk slowly around me because I get scared so easily.

23. What's your wildest fan story?

I've had people cry before. And I'm an empath, so if somebody starts crying, I immediately am like, "Please don't cry, because I'm gonna cry." And then it turns into this whole thing. Once we were shooting in the town square and this young girl with her mom started crying, and I just hugged her and I didn't know what to say. So there's a lot of that. There's also the occasional, "Where's your twin?" and...I don't have one, sorry! But yeah, I would say the people who cry always throw me for a loop.

24. How do you unwind after a long day?

I have an hourlong drive home from work, so I usually listen to a lot of music. And by the time I get home, taking off all of my makeup is very therapeutic. Because over time, we're working 13-hour days, 16-hour days, and it's just powder constantly building up on my face. So, washing my face is always very therapeutic. And then just laying back and reading a book and petting my dog is the best.

25. Is there a celebrity you get told you look like a lot?

Most recently, Sara Waisglass [from Ginny & Georgia and Degrassi]. We follow each other on social media now and I completely messed up because I don't know how Twitter works at all. I forgot that there's a DMing interaction, so we followed each other and I was like, "Oh, that's nice." And then just recently, I saw that she had messaged me being like, "We're twins! We should be friends!" And I immediately messaged back, "I'm so sorry, let's be friends!"

26. Who's your biggest celebrity crush?

Oh, I have so many. But consistently since I saw Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany. Hands down.

27. Finally, have you ever caught someone watching a TV show or movie that you're in on a flight or anywhere else?

We were all, as a cast, flying to — was it New York Comic Con, or San Diego Comic Con? — one of the Comic Cons. And we were all sitting there and we saw that Legacies was actually on the airplane as an option. And we were all just uncomfortably staring at each other. Yeah, that was surreal.

Be sure to catch Kaylee in Legacies, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW!

[pynkhues]

Random question, but I remember reading an ask of yours a while back about how you would recast good girls and thinking it was so much fun!! So, if there was a modern-day Friends (or a modern-day version of any of your favorite sitcoms/shows), how would you make it different? Would you make any changes to the main ch, who would you cast? Etc etc ♡

Ah! Thank you, anon! I genuinely love doing recasts, so I'm delighted you liked that one, and am thrilled you sent another!

Friends is actually such a tricky one, because it was such a perfect little catalyst in terms of its cast and its characters and their chemistry, and I think we've seen over the years how hard that is to replicate (because lord knows networks have tried). But! I love the challenge, soooo lets start with the cast:

Okay, yes, I loved her in both Bridgerton and Sex Education, but to me Simone Ashley is really an actress who's still growing, much in the same way Courtney Cox was in Friends. In so many ways, I can't imagine a greater role to grow in than Monica, who's equal parts funny and dramatic, protagonist and antagonist, romantic lead and narrative foil. She's a character who's always moving, and I just feel like Simone could play that so well.

Full disclaimer: I haven't seen How I Met Your Father yet, but I've always thought Suraj was an actor who should've had a better career. From Life of Pi to Homeland to Happy Death Day 2U, he's got both the range and the charisma. Ross isn't an easy role to play, and I feel like he could bring out the best sides of him. Plus seeing him play Simone's brother would be a delight, and I feel he'd just be an incredible romantic lead toooo....

I mean, come on, this feels like a no-brainer, right? I can't imagine an TV actress currently working who could better embody Rachel's charm and confidence and throughline vulnerability than Victoria, and I feel like her arc of runaway bride to successful and independent woman would just be one she'd embody so well.

I always feel like Darren sells the comedy in Never Have I Ever better than the dramatic sequences, and his himbo-with-a-heart-of-gold stylings just feels totally perfect for Joey.

In sooo many ways, I feel like Cheyenne in Superstore is an AU version of Phoebe, haha, but they're different enough too that I feel like the role of Phoebe would be something Nichole could really pivot to something fresh, modern and exciting. Plus she's so cute and I love her.

Chandler was genuinely the hardest one for me to cast. There are definitely older actors who fit the bill (Adam Scott being the one who immediately leapt to mind), but no one who fit that mid-to-late-twenties range that would be needed for a re-cast.

After a lot of thought, I landed on Shameik, which the more I think about, the more I love. Chandler's not really an easy role to play - he's got this not-quite-warmth-not-quite-coldness to him that's defined by an acerbic sense of humour and a genuine loyalty to those around him, a boyishness that's somehow contradicted by being the only one with a 'real adult' job at the start of the series, to moving from quippy sidekick to true romantic lead. It's not an easy role to balance, but Shameik's done all that and more across his career. To see him do it in the one role - and to do it opposite Simone and Suraj in particular - feels dreamy as all hell.

-

As for changes, yeah! There are a few. The biggest change I'd make to the show would be scrapping the plotline with Rachel's pregnancy. I don't think the show needed it, and the fact that it resulted in her staying in New York at the end of the show's run was, I think, a real betrayal of her character.

And this might be a controversial opinion too, but I think it was a bit of a betrayal of Ross' too. I forever wish the show had gone deeper in exploring Ross co-parenting Ben with Carol, and the fact that Ben was really overshadowed in later seasons for Emma really bummed me out.

In that sense, I think if I was to reframe the series, I'd definitely be making Carol and her new partner, Susan, and Ben much more prominent characters, and have Ross and Carol co-parenting being a bigger part of Ross' overall arc. (Also, okay, hear me out - Kiersey Clemons and Tati Gabrielle as Carol and Susan respectively)

The show wasn't Great with sexuality in general, but it kind of had these built-in avenues to explore it in much more exciting and authentic ways than it did, and Carol definitely offered that, but so did Chandler's father, who I'd love to write in in a bigger way, and I think it genuinely makes sense that both Joey, Phoebe and Rachel at least be bi.

Otherwise, I'm not sure! What do you think?

[watusichris]

Betty Davis: They Say She’s Different

It appears that everything anyone has written for the old Music Aficionado site has now disappeared from the web. A random Facebook post has prompted me to re-purpose this story, written in 2016, about my favorite funketress. **********

To this day, the name Betty Davis – Betty with a “y,” that is – remains best known to connoisseurs of Miles Davis minutiae and ‘70s funk obsessives. While it’s true that Betty played an important off-stage role in the career of the jazz trumpeter, to whom she was married for just a year, and she undoubtedly made some of the best hardcore funk records of her era, she deserves to be recognized beyond the relatively narrow provinces of the jazzbo and the crate-digger.

Uncompromising, intelligent, brazen, aggressive, and not incidentally gorgeous, sexually provocative, and a fashion plate always ahead of the curve, Betty was a prophetic figure. Spawned by the explosion of music, fashion, and alternative culture of the late ‘60s, and by concurrent leaps in black consciousness and feminism, she was a take-no-prisoners singer and writer who presented herself as something new, rich, and strange with her self-titled debut album in 1973.

There were some badass contemporaries working the soul and funk trenches– gutter-tongued diva Millie Jackson and one-time James Brown paramour Yvonne Fair leap to mind immediately – but they seemed to be adapting tropes previously worked by male singers in the genres. Betty still sounds like something new: a tough, smart, demanding woman who reveled in pleasure and insisted on satisfaction, unafraid to claim what she wanted.

Despite the fact that she was associated with some high-profile male musician friends and lovers – beyond Davis, the roll call included Hugh Masekela, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Mike Carabello, Eric Clapton, and Robert Palmer – she was no groupie or bed-hopping climber. Possessed of her own self-defining vision, she was producing her own records and leading a tight, flexible little band by the end of her brief run.

In 1976, after completing four splendid albums (only three of which were released at the time), she disappeared, not only from the music business but from the public eye entirely. What happened? It’s an old story that many women in the industry will recognize: Her record company didn’t know what to do with her, and wanted her to tone down her act. Betty Davis wasn’t having any of that, thank you, and she hit the damn road.

She was born Betty Mabry in Durham, NC, in 1945. She grew up country, and was exposed to down-home, get-down music early. On the title track of her second album, They Say I’m Different, she runs down the artists who served as inspirations: Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King, Chuck Berry. The blues, in one form or another, is the backbone of her style.

Her family relocated to Pittsburgh when she was young, but at 16 she left home for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. There she was hurtled into the roiling cultural vortex of the Village. She took up modeling, working for the toney Wilhelmina agency, and began running with a posse of similarly disposed, equally beautiful women who called themselves the “Electric Ladies.” Sound familiar? One of her closest cohorts was Devon Wilson, for many years a notorious consort of Jimi Hendrix known for her freewheeling, outré sex- and drug-saturated lifestyle.

Mabry began to try her hand at singing, and cut a few self-penned singles. They were in an old-school mold in terms of structure, but her very first 45 hints at things to come. “Get Ready For Betty,” a 1964 track released by Don Costa (discoverer of Paul Anka and Trini Lopez and a key arranger for Frank Sinatra), is stodgy early-‘60s NYC R&B to its core, but its message is pointed: “Get out my way, girl, ‘cause I’m comin’ to take your man.”

She also made a stolid romantic duet ballad with singer Roy Arlington and, produced by cult soul man Lou Courtney, a homage to the Cellar, the New York club where she DJed. But she didn’t start reaching the upper echelon of the music biz until one of her songs, a hymn to Harlem called “Uptown,” was cut by the Chambers Brothers for their smash 1968 album The Time Has Come, which also included the psychedelic soul workout “Time Has Come Today.”

The Chambers association probably secured a singles deal for her at Columbia Records, and her first session for the major label was produced by her former live-in boyfriend, South African trumpeter Masekela, in October 1968. By that time, she had split with him: A month earlier, she had married a far more famous horn player, Miles Davis, whom she had met in 1967. Davis and his regular producer Teo Macero would head her second session for Columbia in May 1969.

Those two dates were released for the first time as The Columbia Years 1968-1969 earlier this month by Light in the Attic, the independent label that has restored Betty’s entire catalog to print over the last decade. While devoted fans can be grateful that the work is finally seeing the light of day, it does not make for easy listening, for it was clearly made by people groping in the dark.

Betty’s artistic persona was at that point completely unformed, and so her male Svengalis did their best to mold the clay in their hands, with feeble results. Masekela evidently completed just three tracks, two of which, “It’s My Life” and “Live, Love, Learn,” were issued as a flop single. The homiletic song titles give the game away; the music, straight-up commercial soul backed by a large group (which included Wilton Felder and Wayne Henderson of the Jazz Crusaders and Masekela), has nothing original to say.

The date with Miles is a bigger waste, if a more spectacular one. The personnel couldn’t have been more glittering: Hendrix sidemen Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell; ex-Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty; bassist Harvey Brooks, studio familiar of Bob Dylan and former member of the Electric Flag; and Davis’ then-current or future band mates Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, and Larry Young.

But nothing jells. The material is either weak (Betty’s directionless original “Hangin’ Out” is the best of a bad lot) or incongruous (lumbering covers of Cream’s “Politician” and Creedence’s “Born On the Bayou”). Worse, the jazzers are unable to lay down anything resembling a solid soul-rock foundation, and even reliable timekeeper Mitchell blows the groove on more than one occasion. Miles gets impatient with his spouse at one point, rasping over the talk-back, “Sing it just like that, with the gum in your mouth and all, bitch.”

Apparently intended as demos, the failed tracks were consigned to the tape library. By late ’69, Miles and Betty’s marriage was history. She left her mark on his music: She appeared on the cover of his cover of his 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro and inspired its extended track “Mademoiselle Mabry” (based on the chords that opens Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary”) and “Back Seat Betty” from his 1981 comeback album The Man With the Horn.

Moreover, she moved him toward the flash style that would dominate his music through the mid-‘70s, by exposing him to the slamming music of Hendrix and Sly and exchanging his continental suits for psychedelic pimp togs. Would we know Bitches Brew, On the Corner, and Agharta without Betty Davis? Maybe, maybe not.

For her part, Betty remained in the wings for a while. She collaborated on demos for the Commodores; in London, she modeled, worked on songs for Marc Bolan of T. Rex, and declined a production offer from her then-paramour Clapton. Drifting back to New York, she met Santana percussionist Carabello. They became involved romantically, and in 1972 she relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, where Carabello’s local connections led to the formation of a stellar band to back her on a debut album.

One reads the credits for Betty Davis in awe. The rhythm section was the Family Stone’s dissident, puissant rhythm section, bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico (who also produced). Original Santana guitarist Neal Schon, future Mandrill axe man Doug Rodrigues, founding Graham Central Station organist Hershall Kennedy, and keyboardist and ace Jerry Garcia collaborator Merl Saunders filled out the instrumentation. The Pointer Sisters, Sylvester, and Kathi McDonald were among a large platoon of backup vocalists.

Issued in 1973 by Just Sunshine Records, an independent label owned by Woodstock Festival promoter Michael Lang (who also released a set by another unique woman, folk singer-guitarist Karen Dalton), Betty Davis was one hell of a coming-out party. Since her abortive Columbia dates, she had developed a unique vocal attack that could leap from a velvety croon to a Tina Turner-like shriek in a nanosecond. The stomping funk of the studio band backed her up to the hilt.

Like Turner, she was one Bold Soul Sister. The lust-filled opening invitation “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up” announces that a new game was afoot. The statement of romantic/sexual independence “Anti Love Song,” the lovers’ chess match “Your Man My Man,” and the self-explanatory “Game is My Middle Name” offer up a startling, hard-edged new model of a hard-funking female vocalist.

The album’s most affecting track may be “Steppin in Her I. Miller Shoes,” Davis’ level-headed elegy for her sybaritic friend Devon Wilson, who sailed out a window at the Chelsea Hotel in 1971. “She coulda been anything that she wanted…Instead she chose to be nothing,” Davis sings, implying that route wouldn’t be one she would take herself.

“If I’m in Luck” grazed the lower reaches of the R&B singles chart and the album failed to reach the LP rolls at all, but Davis was undaunted. For 1974’s They Say I’m Different, she took the producer’s reins, which she would hold for the rest of her career. While the backup lineup is less glitzy (though Saunders, Pete Escovedo, and Buddy Miles, on guitar no less, appear), the support is still sizzling; crackling drums and burbling clavinet put over a set of songs that may have been even stronger than those heard on her debut.

No one who hears “He Was a Big Freak” is likely to ever forget it; it’s a startling dissection of a masochistic relationship -- inspired by Jimi Hendrix, and not, as many have assumed, by Miles Davis (“Everyone knows that Miles is a sadist,” Betty remarked later). Almost as notable are “Don’t Call Her No Tramp,” a prescient condemnation of what we now call slut-shaming, and the autobiographical title track, with slicing slide guitar work by Cordell Dudley.

Different and its attendant singles tanked, but Betty managed to maintain her profile with live gigs noteworthy for their uninhibited bawdiness, on-stage abandon, and the star’s Egyptian-princess-from-outer-space wardrobe sense. By early 1974 she had assembled a hot, lean road band that included her cousins Nickey Neal and Larry Johnson on drums and bass, respectively, plus keyboardist Fred Mills and guitarist Carlos Morales. This lineup would back her on her last two albums.

The end of Just Sunshine’s distribution deal liberated Davis, who, at the suggestion of then-boyfriend Robert Palmer, inked with Palmer’s label Island Records. The company released Nasty Gal in 1975, and it may be Davis’ best-executed work. The pared-down backing lets the songs shine, and there are good ones here: The shameless title song, the vituperative blast at the critics “Dedicated to the Press,” and the out-front ultimatum for sexual satisfaction “Feelins” get right up in the listener’s face. The most surprising track is the ballad “You and I,” an unexpected songwriting reunion with Miles, orchestrated by the trumpeter’s famed arranger Gil Evans.

It’s a tremendous album, and Betty supported it with live shows that ate the funk competition alive. A bootleg of an especially out-there set recorded at a festival on the French Riviera in 1976 literally climaxes with Nasty Gal’s “The Lone Ranger,” an in-the-saddle heavy breather that Davis wraps up by feigning a loud orgasm.

One should remember that at this particular juncture, Madonna was studying dance at the University of Michigan.

But Nasty Gal faded with hardly a trace, and Davis’ relationship with Island swiftly became fractious. It’s easy to see why the label declined to issue her final album, originally called Crashin’ From Passion and ultimately released, after years as a bootleg, by Light in the Attic in 2009 as Is It Love or Desire. The collection, which leans heavily on songs about sex, doping, and heavy drinking, includes “Stars Starve, You Know,” an outright condemnation of the games record companies play:

They said if I wanted to make some money

I’d have to change my style

Put a paper bag over my face

Sing soft and wear tight fitting gowns

 They don’t like the way I’m lookin’

So it’s hard for my agent to get me bookin’s

Unless I cover up my legs and drop my pen

And commit one of those commercial sins…

 Oh hey hey Island

And that was all she wrote. Until writers began to seek her out in the new millennium as her records became available again, Betty Davis was an invisible woman, one who had blazed a trail that other talents, such as Prince and Madonna, would blaze more profitably after her. She was definitively ahead of her time.

Asked by one writer what she had done since leaving music, Davis, who turns 71 on July 26, responded with the most tragic thing one can imagine any artist saying: “Nothing really.”

[prettylittlethings25]

MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FROM NETFLIX SHOWS

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

1.    Monica Geller (Friends)

Monica is a chef who likes things to be clean; and is competitive, obsessive and compulsive in nature. She was always dedicated to her friends. She never turned away a friend in need; like when Rachel ran away from her wedding, she allowed her to stay at her house even though Rachel was not in touch with her for many years after high school. She always cooked for her friends. Whenever it was Thanksgiving or someone’s birthday, she was the one who organized a get-together and fed all of them. Her parents always favoured her brother Ross, so she always competed against him to gain their affection. Monica always supported her husband Chandler and believed in him, even when he quit his job and started an internship. She was shattered when she found out that they cannot have a baby but was still strong and later adopted twins. The character is portrayed by Courtney Cox.

 2.    Klaus Mikaelson (The Originals)

Klaus is an original hybrid, i.e., he is one of the oldest vampires in the world who is also a werewolf. He is an overly complex character. He has a thousand enemies from all around the world. Though some people might think of him as ruthless or heartless, he has a good side despite all his sins. He took care of people who were dear to him. The protection of his family was always his first priority. He was an excellent father, brother, and friend. Despite daggering his siblings at a regular basis, he protected and saved them from all harm. His closest ally was his brother Elijah, who never let go of him. He adored Hayley, his daughter’s mother and his friend, and always made her feel like family. But most of all, he was an extraordinary father to his daughter Hope. Hope was the only reason Klaus redeemed himself. He loved Hope so much that in the end, he sacrificed his life to save Hope. The character is portrayed by Joseph Morgan.

 3.    Nairobi (Money Heist)

Nairobi was an expert in minting and forgery. She was one of the robbers who participated in the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. Her task was to ensure that the money that was being printed by the hostages are of the highest quality. Later, she briefly took charge of the robbery and declared the beginning of “Matriarchy”. She was the most disciplined of the robbers. Her real name was Agata Jiménez. During her teenage years, she started counterfeiting due to lack of money. She got pregnant at that time and gave birth to a boy, who she named Axel. He was taken away from her at the age of 3 by the child services when they found out Agata is a drug dealer. The Professor and the robbers decided to select codenames after cities, because the rules were of no real names. Agata chose to be called Nairobi. The character is portrayed by Alba Flores.

 4.    Richard Hunter (The Bold Type)

Richard is a handsome in-house attorney for Steinem Publishing, the company that publishes Scarlet Magazine. He is a tall man with short brown hair. He is very dedicated to his job and avoids doing anything hazardous to jeopardize it. He has a clandestine affair with Sutton Brady, a stylist. He loves her very much, and even made certain adjustments to stay together with her. Later, he and Sutton got married. Their 15 years age difference did not affect their relationship until Sutton revealed that she never wants to have kids because she loves her career and does not want anything that can affect it. This is where their marriage hit a roadblock as Richard wanted to have kids and he could not wait longer for Sutton to maybe change her mind. Though he was a passionate lover, his decision of being a father was much more important to him. The character is portrayed by Samuel Page.

 5.    Joey Del Marco (Grand Army)

Joey is one of the most popular students at her school. Among her close friends is Tim, Joey’s best friend Anna’s brother, with whom she has a flirtatious relationship. She was strong, confident, and independent until one incident turned her life upside down. One night, she went to the movies with Tim, George, and Luke and decided to get drunk. In a cab, Joey sat on George’s lap and started flirting with him and Luke to make Tim jealous. Little did she know what was supposed to be fun, would turn out to be her worst nightmare. She was raped by the boys she thought were her best friends, while Tim just sat in stunned silence. Later when she was tried to press charges, they were denied due to lack of evidence. Joey looked for Tim’s support but did not get any. She changed her school and joined a dancing class hoping she would get over this trauma. The character is portrayed by Odessa A’zion.

 6.    Berlin (Money Heist)

Berlin was the Professor’s half-brother, and one of the robbers. He oversaw the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. He was the perfect blend of both charming and arrogant. His real name was Andrés. He was diagnosed with Helmer's Myopathy and had little time to live, so he desired to enjoy everything in the moment intensely. He had eccentric ways of commanding and punishing the hostages as well as the robbers, but those psychopathic tendencies were a facade to maintain his leadership. His character development forces everyone to despise him at the beginning and then sympathize after his ultimate sacrifice in the end to protect others. The character is portrayed by Pedro Alonso.  

 7.    Beth Harmon (The Queen’s Gambit)

Beth is an orphan girl who has a passion for chess. She discovered her aptitude for chess while living in an orphanage, where she met Mr. Shaibel, the orphanage’s custodian who taught her chess. The pills that were given to the children at the orphanage helped Beth to hallucinate the game on a level that most of us will never experience in our lives. When she was adopted by a couple and could not avail the pills, her susceptibility to substance addiction fuelled her chess proficiency. She was the only woman chess player of her time and expressed irritation with being solely renowned because of her gender. So, she proved herself to be the greatest chess player in the world. The character is portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy.

 8.    Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)

Chuck is notorious for his flamboyant and impeccable sense of style and charisma. Though he was selfish, manipulative, and sleazy sometimes, he was loyal to his friends and other close acquaintances. He was abandoned by his mother and was raised by a cold-hearted father whose approval he longed for. His love interest is Blair, with who he has a typical hate to love chemistry. The time where he voted for Blair 150 times so that she could be the prom queen, even though they were not together at that time, is probably the most selfless thing he had done in his life. He is an epitome of character development. The character is portrayed by Ed Westwick.

[youcantfiremebecauseiquit]

I think Courtney Love is as fake as Emilie Autumn. They both created alternate pasts and idealized identities for the images they want to project as famous people.

I just realized i wrote 2 pages or something of text. If you asked me in person i’d tell you maybe two sentences but when i have to write, i write too much. Sorry lol.

It’s your opinion and you have right to think so. But CL being comparable to Emilie Autumn? Dude. Alternate pasts? What pasts? Courtney Love didn’t create her past, she literally had fucked up past. And she didn’t lie about her family. She would sometimes exaggerate while saying her Hollywood/rock anecdotes but she didn’t lie about her past. I recommend buying „Dirty Blonde”. Idk, I think you simply don’t like her. Courtney Love had kinderwhore look for a few years and then switched to designer clothes, but she doesn’t undermine her previous looks and records (except for Pretty On The Inside, she doesn’t like it now). Courtney doesn’t create any fake alternate reality, she have recurring themes (like fallen women for example), but she does what she wants while Emilie milks the same old worn out thing for years. She writes about anything she wants to, from violence towards women and shady strip club situations, fallen women, eating disorders, post partum depression, riot grrrl poser movements and elitism to love, mourning, beauty/ugliness and finally being broken, in a constant falling-rising up-falling cycle (especially on later records). EA basically only writes about one subject for years. Courtney’s music may not be complicated and she might not have a perfect voice/looks/personality but she’s honest in her songs – girls and boys worldwide find themselves in her lyrics and experiences. You may not like her but that doesn’t mean her music is fake. I don’t think Emilie Autumn’s lyrics are fake either, it’s just that she’s narcissistic, mean and compulsively lying, rewriting her past every few years and only accepting endless praise – if you don’t like her, you’re her enemy. Courtney Love doesn’t care. She lets people think whatever they want to think.

As a Courtney Love fan knowing a lot about her i look at her a little different than people not liking her/not reading,listening to her. Courtney Love fans know well that sometimes you’ve got to take what Courtney says with a huge grain of salt, cause she likes to exaggerate stories to make them more interesting. (And Kurt Cobain did the very same thing. “Rock’n’roll stories” from his diaries. The whole “i was bullied cause i desperately tried to sleep with disabled girl in high school” story from Montage of Heck? That’s a madeup story he wrote in diary and later recorded on tape when he was bored. Somehow people don’t consider him “liar”.) Usually as a Courntey fan you learn to notice that border, and you can somehow “feel” where she exaggerates. Mostly i’d say when we notice those moments we all kind of get amused and laugh it off & continue to reading further. It’s not like we immediately get offended like “OMG she’s a liar i’m a fan no more”. The problem with EA is nobody believed she could ever lie, you would get hunted by fans if you dared to doubt her words. Her „history” was designed as something 100% true and real, but it turned out there’s more of fake than truth, yet she still continues to keep up her lies.

You can dislike Courtney’s nowadays lifestyle like red carpet designer dresses and all that glamour. But “creating a past and persona” or being a liar comparable to Emilie Autumn? How so? She doesn’t lie about her name - everybody knows her real name and she never pretended that Love is her birth surename. She adapted name Courtney Love in 80′s after her friend Pat Smear (from The Germs & later Nirvana) told her this would be a good artistic nickname for her. 

Courtney Love never lied about her parents or her youth. She had bad experiences with her family & certainly was raised poorly, but she didn’t try to rewrite her story or bury her parents in the “fire” (although she has good reasons to). Everybody knows about her therapist mother Linda Carrol & her father is Hank Harrison, previously manager of The Grateful Dead band. Courtney was even featured on the back cover on one of their records as a tiny child. Courtney wasn’t on good terms with mother and usually circled between her and other relatives. Her father is a complete piece of shit - he gave Courtney LSD when she was a toddler, which was why he lost a custody of her. He claims to know his daughter so well, even though he wasn’t raising her at all, and wrote a fucking book about how psychotic Courtney is, although he lost custody of her when she was a tiny toddler. And how Courtney killed Kurt. No, actually, he wrote A FUCKING BIOGRAPHY OF KURT, even though he never met him. Of course Kurt-was-murdered conspiracy fans consider him their beloved mascot because of that, asking for his opinion & believing anything he says.

Her family certainly weren’t as rich as EA’s, but they had some recognition and money. In the beginning of 80′s CL started getting some trust fund left by maternal grandparents, so she could afford going to other countries & make additional money stripping. 

Later she spent youth in different countries & boarding schools, later got arrested for shoplifting and spent time in correctional facility for teenage girls. In Dirty Blonde book she wrote about her experiences from that time, printed some papers from Hillcrest describing her behaviour. Idk, but Emilie Autumn took A HUGE inspiration from Courtney’s Dirty Blonde book. All the idea for including papers from hospital, all scrapbooking style was taken from Courtney. Even the fucking “red crayon” - guess what, Courtney’s book begins with a letter from facility written in red crayon, cause they don’t allow them to have pens.

The only thing i have doubts about are her universities. She said she studied English, philosophy & theology but I think it was only a few months/semesters. When you say someone studied this and that you immediately think the person finished studies, but in fact she was starting and dropping learning. But she never said she graduated or anything, so i think it is obvious she studied for one or two semesters or in weekends or something.

She always had an interest in rock music, although she prefered 80′s new wave and stuff like Fleetwood Mac and Echo and The Bunnymen, which she always admitted anyway. It’s not like she suddenly adapted rock music after it became profitable. She only learned how to play guitar in the very beginnings of Hole, so she probably only wanted to sing earlier. In the 80′s she spent time in Liverpool. She was hanging around with Echo and The Bunnymen band and apparently lived at Julian Cope’s house. It’s not made up, cause Cope was really jealous of her fame in 90′s. Plus i heard he wrote about her in his autobiography. Somebody wrote a book about Courtney’s time spent in Liverpool and London this year, but i don’t have it yet. But it’s not like she took all those stories from nowhere, she really spent time living with Echo & being a friend/roadie for other bands. I remember she also knew Joe Strummer, she was a friend or a roadie for The Clash. Later they also starred in Alex Cox’s movie. She was a young impressionable girl at the time, so she was learning from those bands. She had more goth/punk style at the time. 

People excuse her of leeching of whatever rockband she can & you can interpret it however you want, but seeing how she roadied with punk bands in her teens and how she liked to meet new rock bands after she got famous shows she liked to surround herself with people from rock circles. Men from rock bands hang around other men/women from other bands all the time but it’s always Courtney Love that gets shit for that.

You can doubt Courtney’s words on her inventing “kinderwhore” and starting that style trend. Although it was Courtney who coined that term. People usually yell that Courtney is unoriginal and that she stole the style from Kat Bjelland. And i say bullshit, it wasn’t even started by Kat. The girl from Divinyls did it before (CL admited she took it from her), Kim Shattuck of The Muffs did it before.

She said she liked cute dresses so much as an adult cause her mother always dressed her up rather manly– if you look at her childhood photos she indeed wasn’t looking like a „girly girl”, her mother was much into hippie culture. She got into that feminine look as she lost a lot of weight in the beginning of 90’s, so i guess that’s why she could pull off that babydoll look. Anyway here’s the interview where she explains the idea behind her style:

Courtney listened to different bands, she liked harsh noise like Big Black but she also liked Fleetwood Mac. She posted an advert she’s looking for people inspired by these particular bands, so it’s not like she was lying about her softer music side. I believe Pretty On The Inside was partly a “fuck you” to Kat Bjelland, partly she wanted to record the heaviest, most noisy record by a girl-fronted band. You could say she wasn’t honest cause she tried to impress people from that scene and be cool enough for them. Well, Courtney actually admitted later she wanted to prove her worth, impress people from that scene etc. That’s why the record is so noisy. But the lyrics aren’t fake. That kind of writing was consistent in her poems. She took those themes from her experiences, people she knew and situations she observed as a girl in a stripping business.

I don’t know how can anyone even judge if Live Through This era was fake or not, recording wise she competed with her husband and wanted a more polished record. But later in 1994 or 1995 she was a wreck, numbed with heroin after what happened. It’s really fucking hard to „fake a persona” when you’re a) mourning b) on heroin/oxy. What’s there to fake? Wearing skirts, missing Kurt or being on drugs? That’s fucking disrespectful to say that was „fake”.

Now a lot of people say she sucked after Celebrity Skin, but the truth is Celebrity Skin was probably her most real album/era soundwise. And I don’t even like this album that much. It was inspired by new wave/more poppy rock bands she loved and Courtney was actually satisfied with how it sounds. It was just a good time to her – she quit drugs, she had a successful album and tour, she was nominated for Golden Globe in 1996, she looked genuinely happy and glowing. People were mad cause she changed style – i think she changed style because of her acting career, to continue acting she probably wanted more polished look. But was it always that polished? She would hang out her tits onstage or dress as that „trash fairy” in 1999, so I’d say this glittery look was also partly ironic. And people saying she’s fake cause she chose acting career seem to forget she originally wanted to be an actress, she played in Sid and Nancy & Straight To Hell in 80’s.

People who say „oh she’s a fame whore” – well it’s not like she was ever hiding she likes/she always wanted fame. She wrote she likes fame because it’s challenging, because she gets off on it, etc.

I have mixed feelings about her designer clothes and red carpet looks and at times it seems fake to me too, cause red carpet is usually fake and embarrassing. It’s quite a contrast to her older punk & kinderwhore style. But people change with age anyway… Brody Dalle doesn’t look especially punk anymore, Kat Bjelland doesn’t wear dolly clothes. Emilie Autumn looks like a fucking christian grandma, sorry. Courtney Love likes designer clothes. *shrug*

However Courtney Love’s character and behaviour is consistent throughout the years, she talks the same as always. She doesn’t craft a new personality every few years like EA and she doesn;t erase her past like EA. She doesn’t milk her fans making overpriced shitty merch. It’s true it’s been a lot of years since she last released a CD, but she’s been releasing singles and touring A LOT during this decade, also engaging in fashion design and art. Emilie Autumn sits at home and makes stupid faces at her iPhone, produces more merch and doesn’t make/post music/play violin anymore.

The only thing I don’t like about her is how she can’t play guitar anymore. She used to know how to play guitar, you can watch any 1990-1995 show to see she knew how to play guitar. In CS era she would sing without guitar more, but she still could play. But after 2010 her abilities decreased a lot, someone leaked a sound of her live guitar and it turned out her playing became really… weak. She said after her cocaine use she lost ability to play and didn’t even know how to move her fingers, that she was learning playing all over again in rehab. Idk if something happened to her hands or if she’s just too lazy these days. It would improve if she just practiced everyday. Of course if you don’t practice you’ll get worse – i know it well cause i had a few years without playing guitar too. But it’s not like it’s impossible to improve. Other than that… yeah, i’m not really crazy about her designer clothes and event looks. I don’t like things like that. But she likes it, so why shouldn’t she go with that.

Courtney can be nice, can be mean, but she never flipped shit the same as Emilie Autumn. She likes fame but she knows where she fucks up while Emilie most of the time thinks she’s more famous than she is and is so full of herself. Courtney Love knows she’s not the greatest guitarist and singer, while Emilie thinks of herself as „virtuoso” and shades every other violinist in rock music (and violists), while in fact she is the epitome of „failed violinist”. She played music for easily impressionable fans who knew nothing about classical music, so it was easy for her to impress them with her fake violin playing with violin playback coming straight from the tape. It takes to be a high level of being a snowflake to claim you’re a virtuoso when in reality you never play live and if you do you play only scales, making beginner mistakes and being mediocre at most.  

Emilie Autumn always presented everything about herself to be true and personal, people believed her and literally praised her for that, feeling connection with her because they had bipolar disorder or stayed at psychiatric hospital, or lost family in a fire for real… And then it turned out all of Emilie Autumn’s life was a lie. She was hiding a real bitch under the guise of this cool „virtuoso” goth bipolar girl Emilie Autumn. Every year brought some new drama, she was less and less credible. She behaved awfully and treated her fandom like  shit repeatedly. I don’t know, i got interested in her at some point but i can’t stand her now & i don’t keep up with her stuff anymore (although i read on her latest blm drama), why bother yourself with someone who doesn’t respect anyone. You can dislike Courtney Love and i understand it, but I don’t see how she could be comparable to EA’s shit.

As for „idealized identities”… you realize that Courtney was on drugs most of her career? She would fuck up so much, getting ridiculed by the press and regular people. She would often embarrass herself unintentionally, she would often end up all smeared and tousled in a way that wasn’t planned as a „kinderwhore look for the evening”. Getting fat, getting horribly thin, sometimes looking nice but often looking what society perceives as ugly. People hated her and they still do. Her life was a mess at various points of her life and she was judged harshly… if that idealized version to you? People might preffer her kinderwhore days but when i look at it now, she had better days but some certain looks from early 90’s sometimes only highlighted how bad she felt at the time. Her most „ideal” version was 1996 and Celebrity Skin look, up to 2000 i’d say, she would wear nice clothes, brush her hair, add glitter, looking glam – as i said, she quit drugs in 1996 to be able to play in movies, i believe she wanted her life to change for the better, to try to be happier, to look nicer and cleaner and to set an example for her daughter. I think it’s awesome that she manager to get better, i wish i could change my life. Unfortunately in 2003 she went downhill again, this time it was in some days even worse cause she got into cocaine and something else, her album was a flop (interestingly, there was another, rockier version of American’s Sweetheart but Virgin Records told her to rerecord everything and put out worse songs), she would end up in court, she would lose the custody of Frances and had to go through drug tests and rehabs. She had ED i think, she gained a lot of weight at the time then went to stick thin. It was dragging on and you know how it went later, she was better and worse moments, still doing prescription drugs on and off, flopping with new version of Hole. I haven’t checked what she’s doing these days and kind of lost track but i think she’s so much better now and successful, she’s got fans wanting to see her live, she reunited with Hole members and she released a few solo singles that were actually fucking awesome (Courtney don’t be shy, make a new album, you actually write good songs recently). „Idealized identities”, well she’s as idealized as Amy Winehouse, lol.  

Courtney is human and makes mistakes all the time, but she doesn’t get offended when someone points them out and acknowledges her mistakes. Emilie Autumn thinks she does nothin wrong, she’s always right and if you don’t like it, fuck you, get outta her house, fucking patronizing fucking. Idk why should i explain it any longer, it’s obvious.

[modestfuckup]

Some rambles from me :)*

*about tv and film tropes and Industry stuff regarding real and fictional pregnancies.

I introduced the concept of Chekhov’s Pregnancy to my partner the other day, (Very similar to Chekhov’s gun except the idea that you have to have a pregnant person go into labor not only on screen but often at the most inopportune time) along with the world of on screen pregnancies in all varieties (hiding a pregnancy, scripted pregnancies, and irl pregnancies being written into the show) and it was really strange to me that they never noticed this phenomenon.  And IDK if it’s because i grew up a cis women who was like hyper aware of pregnant people and was taught to care about pregnant people but it was a strange conversation to have to be like “no yeah i know a lot about pregnancy as a trope in tv and film (and I guess in literature too but i don’t really read many things with pregnant people) as well as how pregnancy is handled in the Industry.”

I have been watching Grey’s Anatomy, because why not, and the second season includes a member of the ensemble being pregnant with her first child, and naturally, the character goes into labor when 1) there is a man who was shot with a bazooka which is still live in his body, 2) a man is having life or death brain surgery in the OR next to the live bomb, 3) the man having life or death brain surgery is the pregnant woman’s husband, 4) the chief of surgery is having a heart attack, 5) the title character has her hand inside the bazooka patient and holding the live bomb, 6) the character giving birth is refusing to ignore her years of medical expertise and wants to delay having her baby until her husband can be there, and 7) the delivery doctor’s husband is doing brain surgery on the pregnant woman’s husband. (She delivers her baby with the help of her surgical intern while her husband is in surgery (this episode isn’t even the season finale what?!))

There are countless other examples of women going into labor at The Worst Time. 

And like, obviously the different kinds of onscreen pregnancies differ depending on the media. Hiding or incorporating pregnancies is usually done in TV shows, where the character may or may not become pregnant depending on their current storylines. A great example of this is Melissa Fumero’s pregnancy in an early season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Amy and Jake had just started dating, and while Charles would have been delighted, the pregnancy didn’t make sense for their relationship, so Melissa had to hide her pregnancy. However, later in late 2019 her irl pregnancy was written into the show, because at that point Jake and Amy were married. How I Met Your Mother does this with Alyson Hannigan’s pregnancies at various points in Lily and Marshall’s relationship too. 

In movies, there are examples of hiding pregnancies. The most notable ones I can think of was Scarlett Johansson in an Avengers movie, and Emily Blunt in Into the Woods. 

Friends does a great job of hitting all these tv pregnancy types. Lisa Kudrow’s pregnancy was written into the show by making Phoebe becoming a surrogate for her brother. Rachel’s pregnancy was scripted. And in the final season, Courtney Cox had to hide her irl pregnancy because Monica wouldn’t have children. 

I can’t really think of any movies that incorporate actor’s pregnancies into the script or final edit. I watched a movie called How Do You Know, starring Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, where the assistant was pregnant and she went into labor which became a moment of clarity for Rudd’s character while also supplying a few laughs. Going to show that even side or minor character’s pregnancies do tend to happen on screen and are important enough to someone that they deserve to be on screen. 

IDK, being pregnant seems like it sucks and is kind of a squick for me, so I have no idea why i’m so invested and interested in it as a trope. but yeah. 

[theseadagiodays]

May 4, 2020

This is Not a Performance

Irving H Bolano’s incredible repurposed newspaper fashion for the Met Gala Challenge on Twitter #HFMetGala2020

May the Fourth be With You as you reach the next chapter of this current sci-fi drama we seem to be living through.   As the saying goes, reality can be stranger than fiction.   But it just happens to be a many red-eyed virus rather than an evil, black-masked father that we’re fighting as we all walk around like Storm Troopers.  

There are so many aspects of our lives, during Covid, which make it feel like we are actors in a make-believe story.   First of all, we’ve all become movie stars, with our faces, homes, and even pets showcased on our own silver screens.  As isolated as we are, our private lives now play out in the public sphere more than ever - no paparazzi required.    For some, this invasion of privacy is unwelcomed. But for many people, it satisfies a secret longing to share themselves with a wider audience.  After all, deep down, everyone wants to be seen and heard (I guess, me included, since I have this blog, after all).  It’s why TikTok and YouTube and Facebook have become multi-billion dollar companies so quickly.  And now, while this pandemic is a harsh daily reminder of the impermanence of all things, it makes sense that these digital missives are an attempt to seek immortality, in some strange way.

As someone whose work responds to human’s need to have a voice, I truly get why this is the case.  And I love that this time has turned housewives into opera stars, and health care workers into hip hop dancers, and housepets into circus performers. But, at the same time, I have become very aware of the masks that we wear, even inside our homes, to portray a certain self to the world that may stray quite far from our authentic selves.  The expression “dance like no one is watching” acknowledges the fact that we all tend to perform when we have an audience, and perhaps we’re only truly ourselves when we don’t.   I understand that the way we “perform” ourselves online gives each of us a chance to reinvent the fictions we want our stories to have.   So, while I surely take some guilty pleasure from intimate glimpses into strangers’ lives, I also do so with a certain skepticism about the veracity of what I’m seeing.  

This became particularly true for me when I received a recent link from my friend and amazing singer/songwriter, Dominique Fricot. Capitalizing on this current trend of oversharing, he cleverly asked his fans to film their morning routines for the music video of his new song, Wake Up, by his duo, Flora Falls.  Dom’s warm tenor voice blended with his partner’s breathy tones feel just like a lazy morning in bed.  But I’ll leave it up to you to decide just how accurate these portrayals of people’s idyllic daytime rituals actually are.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EbsqXou5FeY

May 5, 2020

Homeschool Heroes

About twenty years ago,  I was invited to adjudicate a youth music competition in the Yukon.  Travelling to one of the northernmost inhabited spots on earth, I imagined that my greatest surprise might have been a polar bear or Northern Lights sighting.  But it turned out to be something entirely different.  Among the 25,000 residents of the thriving metropolis of Whitehorse exists a treasure trove of talent.  I could not believe the incredibly honed skills and nuanced expression with which these 11-18 year-olds played.   Wondering why, I developed a theory that I now call SLoW: Sheltered Living Wonder.  When long, dark days, cold climates or pandemics force people indoors, they tend to spend inordinate amounts of time on creative endeavors and skill development.  In other words, they slow down and take time for wonder.

This theory has surely applied during these past few months of sheltering in place.   One of the most remarkable examples has been the inventiveness that many of my friends have brought to their first attempts with homeschooling.   So, I wanted to give a few shout outs to some of these Homeschool Heroes and the highly imaginative projects they’ve done with their kids.

Stunning Easter Eggs made from natural materials and dye, by my friend Jane Cox and her kids  (Botany lesson)

Candy Covid virus, made by Amelia, my friend Jen Sanke’s daughter, as she learned about the virus’ proteins (Biology lesson)

But perhaps the prize for most complex homeschool project has to go to my architect friend, Bryn Davidson, who upon returning from Australia, in late March, had to fully quarantine for 2-weeks.  So, with his 5-year old son Bei as helper, this Physics lesson allowed him to enjoy home delivery beer while in isolation.  Just brilliant!

https://youtu.be/FF9-2dWoUtc

May 6, 2020

Living in livestream

So today, 5 million British Columbian’s awaited our “sentence” with baited breath, as word spread that our provincial prime minister would deliver the Re-Open BC plan at 3 pm.   I have to admit, it felt a bit like when you were “grounded” as an adolescent and then your parents returned certain privileges to you.  Of course, I’m well aware that our province has already been far more licentious than many places around the globe.  We’ve been fortunate to maintain reasonably low numbers of infection (just over 2,000), with counts as low as 8 new cases per day, at this point. So, while our provincial parks closed, our beaches never did.  While we were encouraged, within a reasonable range of home, to be active outdoors, we were not restricted to walks only within the 100 metre radius of our house, as my Israeli friends were.  And while we could still shop at gardening and furniture stores, to make sheltering at home more enjoyable, New Zealanders had nothing but grocery stores and pharmacies open, for two months.  

I have sensed the gratitude my fellow Vancouverites have felt about these privileges.  But that does not mean that we aren’t still anxious to return to other aspects of living which we’ve missed.  When lockdown began, ominously on the Ides of March (the 15th), I’d harboured a secret hope that certain restrictions might be lifted on my birthday (exactly two months later).  And it turns out that Phase Two of the BC ReOpen plan will commence on May 19th, just 4 days later than I’d hoped.  What I most look forward to experiencing again are small gatherings with friends, (we’ll soon be allowed to socialize in public with up to 10 people); meals inside certain restaurants and pubs (those that are able to function within WorkPlace BC’s safety regulations); visits to registered massage therapists; and hugs with select people, (”using one’s own ‘risk assessment’.”)

But in the long-range plan, the harsh reality for artists has been laid out, as Phase Four (which includes resuming large-venue concerts, conventions, and international travel) can not occur until either a vaccine has been developed, an effective treatment plan is widely available, or herd immunity is achieved.  And this is not estimated to occur until mid-2021 or later.  So, the prospects are still bleak for symphony orchestras, opera and dance companies, artists who perform in crowded bars, or musicians who travel for arena shows and festivals.  This likely means that in order to satisfy audiences’ need to access live performance, and for artists to continue to share their creativity,  livestream formats will still have to persist for some time.  Therefore, I thought I’d share a few regular weekly livestream arts events here, both from Vancouver, LA & NY.

Canadian National Live Art Champion, Dmitri Sirenko, who we featured at our non-profit’s annual benefit on February 20th, 2020

Every Monday Night at 7 pm PST (Vancouver) Poetry Slam: https://www.facebook.com/Vancouverpoetryslam/

Every Thursday at 5 pm PST (LA): LIVE Art Battles - Watch painters do their magic in just 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJoWGVwzGtk99nTOCib9vg

Every Thursday at 8 pm EST (NY): Spotlight on Plays - famous actors perform readings of theatre pieces, online: https://www.broadwaysbestshows.com/post/the-best-of-series/

May 7, 2020

Collateral Blessings

So many thoughtful writers are adding to the discourse, as we all strive to make meaning from what can feel like a senseliess time.  I have so appreciated the abundance with which people are sharing these missives, right now.  Every day, bursts of inspiration or flickers of insight come my way, thru texts, emails and Facebook.  Like adventurers, traveling together thru the dark of night, we shine light on guideposts, anywhere we can find them, as we collectively quench each other’s thirst for wisdom.  

One of the most profound writings I‘ve recently discovered came from a stranger’s blog.  In The Examined Family, Courtney Martin, without ever diminishing the gravity of the havoc that this virus has wreaked, writes about some of the assets that have also come out of this time.  New friendships with neighbors.  A long-neglected puzzle completed with her kids.   The time to draw and truly notice an artichoke in her back garden. My good friend Juan calls these collateral blessings.  This reference to the accidental gifts that this cruel virus has given us, is a beautiful twist on “collateral damage”, a term coined to explain accidental friendly-fire deaths during the Gulf War.  Commenting on the anticipatory nostalgia that she projects she will feel about certain things, once this time has passed, Courtney writes:

“I instantly feel overwhelmed at the prospect of schedules and stuff. I don’t want to go back to our former accumulation or frenetic pace. I don’t want to stop texting (my neighbor) my little triumphs. I don’t want to forget about the artichokes in the garden. I don’t ever want to forget this happened--the grief and the beauty of it. I’m not even sure that will be possible, but if it were, I wouldn’t want it. I don’t want to vote like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to eat like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to consume like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to schedule like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to mother or daughter or befriend or neighbor like it didn’t happen. I don’t want to sit inside this little life, noticing and appreciating and breathing, like it didn’t happen. There is unnecessary suffering all around me, and inside of me, too, but there is also necessary meaning. May we hold on to that.”      

You can read her full entry here: https://courtney.substack.com/p/unnecessary-suffering-and-necessary?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo3OTg0NDcyLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNzU1NDMsIl8iOiJCTnk2VyIsImlhdCI6MTU4NzA1MjgyMCwiZXhwIjoxNTg3MDU2NDIwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjA5MjIiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.puI9NMne-783ypInpvTkJ96T237WcrTo2ItDhqlkMiY

May 8, 2020

Nostalgia

I’m rarely one prone to nostalgia.  My childhood photo albums are in storage.  I have no family heirlooms displayed in my home.  My tendency is to revel in the present or dream about the future.  But this pandemic has strangely turned me into a sentimental fool.  Perhaps this return to simpler times, where we seldom shop, where we wander mostly by foot, or where we get to know our neighbors better, makes us long for the past in certain ways.  

For me, I’ve honored this by resurrecting my daily teenage Twizzler habit - a candy I’ve rarely eaten since then, but that now feels so satisfying during my Netflix & Chill evenings (while watching films almost as old like Groundhog Day & Anchorman).  

I’m also listening a lot to Old School Hip Hop, where the explative-free rhymes of the 90’s feel so strangely innocent.  It’s refreshing to listen to these musicians spit verses that merely celebrate the joys of dance and rap, rather than ranting about gun violence and other societal ills.  Run DMC It’s Tricky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-O5IHVhWj0) and Beastie Boys Body Movin’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvRBUw_Ls2o) happen to be personal favorites.  

Last month, I was tickled by an old memory while planting a lilac bush in my backyard.  I suddenly remembered a story about my college boyfriend, whom I hadn’t thought of in 30 years.  Our relationship started a bit secretively, so as not to hurt his ex’s feelings.  So, one May afternoon, we snuck away to a distant park that was hosting a Lilac Festival.  Unfortunately, our ruse was quickly spoiled when a candid photo of our picnic under the purple blooms was plastered all over the front page of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle the next morning.  

Another sweet memory returned in culinary form. Every Tuesday, for 7 years, my mother selflessly drove me an hour from home and back, for my flute lesson.  And to break up the long drive, we regularly stopped at Bickford’s Pancake House for my favorite adolescent treat: breakfast for dinner. Their specialty was the Dutch Baby Apple.  And I finally made my first homemade attempt at this deceptively easy delicacy, last Tuesday.  

This has also been a time to return to bedtime stories (some I’ve read to friends’ kids, and others for adults to hear.)  The Great Realisation by British performance artist, Tom Foolery, has been making the social media rounds. But in case you missed this touching tale that looks back on this time as if the tale is being told in a not-so-distant future, it’s a wistful story about some aspects of modern life that we may never long for in the future:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5KQMXDiM4