#sion may 2017

[leopauldelr]

How to dress as your favorite PriPara idols

PriPara, the second generation of the Pretty series, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! The show aired on TV Tokyo from the summer of 2014 to 2017 and had a fourth season called Idol Time PriPara. The anime series follows the life and times of Laala Manaka, a little girl who dreams of becoming the best PriPara idol.

In honor of PriPara's 10th anniversary, PriPara fans from all over the world are celebrating by cosplaying their favorite characters. Since you are itching to become one of your favorite PriPara characters, it's time to teach you how to be one of your favorites. Time to do something our Meganee-san and Meganii-san don't want you to do.

As Laala Manaka - Laala Manaka is the star of the PriPara series. She's an elementary-grade little girl who dreams of becoming the best PriPara idol. Her catchphrase is "Kashikoma!" To become Laala, all it takes is an extremely long light-purple hairdo and then give it some twin-tails to match Laala's look. It's complicated but if you did it, you're now Laala Manaka. Be sure to work on whatever costumes she wore in the series and also the Kashkoma pose. Kashkoma!

As Mirei Minami - Mirei Minami was a smart-minded student and the head of the school's disciplinary committee until she got promoted to student council president in the second season. She's known for her strict personality but in PriPara, she is a cute idol with a pop personality. Her catchphrase is "Pop Step Getchu". If you’re looking to cosplay Mirei, you’ll need a midsize yellow wig. You’ll need to add some triangular "cat ear" buns to the top (rubber bands work great for that), and then attach ribbons: blue on your right, and red on your left. Once you’ve got the hair right, it’s time for the finishing touch: the Pop Step Getchu pose! You're now Mirei, pri!

As Sophy Hojo - Sophy Hojo may be a highly-talented idol who has an intense fanbase dedicated to staying by her until the end of time, but she's usually lethargic in her daily life, even in PriPara. However, when she eats "red flash", which is a different term for umeboshi, Sophy reveals her cool self. Don't "pushu" yourself too hard because a long red wig is all you need to be Sophy.

As Dorothy West - Dorothy West is one of the West twins who is known for her tomboyish attitude, Dorothy's catchphrase is "Tension MAX". To become Dorothy, you'll need a short sky-blue wig and then give it the braids to your right. With the hairstyle settled, you're now Dorothy West. Feel free to decide on the outfits she wore.

As Reona West - Reona West, one of the West twins, is a rather enigmatic person who is shy but often matches the actions of her (his?) twin sister Dorothy. Unlike Dorothy, who has a tomboyish attitude, Reona is more relaxed. And while Dorothy's catchphrase is "Tension MAX", Reona's is "Tension Relax", although she (he?) often just says "relax" when Dorothy says "tension max." To become Reona, you'll need a short pink wig with braids to your left.

As Sion Todo - Sion Todo was originally a Go champion who stopped playing Go and became a PriPara idol, proving that no one can stop her. To become Sion, first, you'll need long dark purple hair and give it a side ponytail to your right to match her hairstyle. With you as Sion, feel free to decide on her outfits. Let's ¡Go!

As Falulu - Falulu is a mysterious vocal doll lurking around PriPara but thanks to the girls, Falulu can freely become herself. To become Falulu, you'll need an extremely long bright lime green wig. With the wig ready, here comes the extremely difficult part; replicating Falulu's hairstyle. Either the baguette-shaped hairstyle when she was purely a vocal doll or the ultra-wavy quad twin-tails when she became a free girl, replicating either of her hairstyles is an arduous task. If you're herculean enough, you're now officially Falulu. Feel free to decide on the outfits she wore in the show.

As Cosmo Hojo - Cosmo Hojo is Sophy's big sister who is a renowned dress designer. To become Cosmo, you'll need a sky-blue short wig and then fix it to match Cosmo's hairstyle. With Cosmo your gal, feel free to decide which of the costumes she wore in the show.

As Aroma Kurosu - Aroma Kurosu is one of the Aromageddon duo with a penchant for conjuring devilish acts. Just long brown hair should do the trick and then tinker it to match Aroma's hairstyles. With Aroma's your girl, feel free to decide on the outfits she wore in the show. A Gaaruru plush is optional.

As Mikan Shiratama - Mikan Shiratama is one of the Aromageddon duo who is an angel idol who loves eating steamed buns. All you need is a long light reddish hairdo for this one, then give it the ponytail to match Mikan's hairstyle. You're now officially Mikan, the heaven-sent but hell-bent member of Aromageddon. Feel free to decide on the outfits she wore in the show. A Gaaruru plush is optional, although it's hard to decide which of you will be holding little Gaaruru.

As Hibiki Shikyoin - Hibiki Shikyoin is a high-profile PriPara idol with a prince-like personality whose ultimate goal is to radically change PriPara and ruthlessly cut off those who stand in the way, especially Laala Manaka. To become Hibiki, all you need is light grayish short hair. That's it. Then, decide on whatever fancy outfits Hibiki wore in the show.

As Fuwari Midorikaze - Fuwari Midorikaze is a transfer student from Europara who was invited by Hibiki Shikyoin to come to Japan. At first, she never got the chance to debut in PriPara because she did not fit the image of any existing brand but thanks to Cosmo Hojo, she debuted under her Coco Flower brand without problems. Her relationship with Hibiki is complicated. To become Fuwari, all you need is a short midsize blond wig and then do the complicated braids at the top of the hairstyle. Sounds challenging but if you can pull it off, you'll be Fuwari Midorikaze in no time. Good luck with the costume choice.

As Ajimi Kiki - Ajimi Kiki is the art class teacher and she's Hibiki's worst nightmare. Her catchphrase is "Da Vinci!" To become Ajimi, you'll need an extra-long pink wig and then go for the braided twin-tail approach to replicate Ajimi's hairstyle. Don't forget her glasses! With that settled, you're now Ajimi Kiki. Just don't approach the nearest Hibiki Shikyoin cosplayer because "all hell breaks loose" within contact. DA VINCI!!!

As Non Manaka - Non Manaka is Laala Manaka's little sister. In Season 3, with the competition to become Divine Idols in full swing, Non joined the fray in the form of the TRIANGLE unit consisting of Kanon, Junon, and Pinon. Sadly, the TRIANGLE unit is nothing but a scam busted and Non starts over at PriPara...by finding proper friends worthy of creating her own unit. To become Non, all you need is an extremely long light-purple wig and then give it the ponytail to match Non's look. Feel free to choose any of the costumes she wore in the show. Just be sure to have fun and enjoy your time!

As Chili Tsukikawa - Chili Tsukikawa may be a shy girl living with a wealthy family but in PriPara, she's a high-and-mighty idol who demands respect. To become Chili, all you need is a long dark green wig. With the wig ready, prepare for the hard parts because of the noodle-ish hairstyle with the rounded braided bits on the sides. With the complicating parts settled you're now Chili Tsukikawa.

As Pepper Taiyou - Pepper is a jungle idol who came from Aprika and was raised by lions. To become Pepper, you'll need a rather short midsize sand-colored wig and then pepper it to match Pepper's hairstyle. Pun intended. You'll become the jungle idol Pepper in no time and the outfits she wore are up to you. Just don't eat the Scout Mascots, please.

As Jewlie - Posing as Jururu, the little baby Laala Manaka adopted and raised, Jewlie is of course the legendary PriPara goddess. Prepare the extremely long light green wig because replicating Jewlie's hairstyle is going to be a long day. The front parts have the look of a Basset Hound's ears with the round part at the top. Below, the braids will pose the biggest challenge while replicating Jewlie's hairstyle. This is going to be the toughest task if you want to cosplay as the PriPara goddess Jewlie but have faith. You can do this.

As Janis - Janis is a PriPara goddess just like Jewlie but both are in the middle of a sibling strife. To prove Jewlie wrong, Janis assists the Non Sugar team in the hopes of crushing the competition and Jewlie herself. Just like Jewlie, expect extreme difficulty if you're to replicate Janis' hairstyle with the extremely long white wig. The front parts have the look of a Basset Hound's ears with the round part at the top. Don't forget the braids below.

As Yui Yumekawa - Yui Yumekawa is a sixth grader at the Avocado Private Academy who dreams of becoming the best idol in the hopes of surpassing her brother Shogo. Teaming up with Laala Manaka, they're on a quest to reshape the Paparajuku PriPara by all means. To become Yui Yumekawa, all you need is a long light blond wig and then give it some short twisted twintails. Yumekawa! You're now Yui Yumekawa!

As Nino Nijiiro - Nino Nijiiro is the Avocado Private Academy's star athlete with a can-do spirit. She became a PriPara idol in the hopes of surpassing Sion Todo. Becoming Nino requires a turquoise-colored wig that is not too short and not too long. Just the right size. Then give it a light green gradient while matching Nino's hairstyle. A big yellow ribbon is a must!

As Michiru Kouda - Michiru Kouda is a second-year middle schooler whose luck often runs out. Thanks to the Gaarmageddon antics, she enters PriPara as Miichiru, the princess of the so-called long-lost kingdom of Puu and known for her high-and-mighty attitude. If you want to cosplay as Michiru Kouda, you will need a very long gray wig, which must be at least waist-length. You should braid the front side of the wig and style it to match Michiru's hairstyle. You can also choose to dress up in any of the outfits she wore in the series.

As Shuka Hanazono - Shuka Hanazono, the primadonna who believes “Idol Time is Money,” runs a Rich Venus shop in Paparajuku’s PriPara. She sees Yui Yumekawa as her arch-nemesis and while she is the little sister of the legendary idol Mia Hanazono, Shuka has more priority than her big sister. If you’re going to cosplay as Shuka, all you’ll need is a super long dark purple wig, and then give it the bangs to match Shuka’s hairstyle. Her outfits are all over the place, so pick the one you like the best.

As Falala A Larm - Falala A Larm is the mysterious goddess who pops up during the concert's Super Idol Time segment where she invites the idols to the Time Garden. She usually continues to sleep in the clock tower of Paparajuku's PriPara but she can be only awakened when the clock's hands move by the power of the idols' stage performances. To become Falala, all you need is an extremely long light green wig, give it the twin-tail look, and twirl the bottom half of each tail. This is extremely tricky but if you can pull it off, you'll become Falala A Larm.

As Garara S Leep - Garara S Leep is also a mysterious goddess who resembles Falala A Larm but she's the villainess who is responsible for putting Falala to sleep and the destruction of the ancient PriPara that was in present-day Paparajuku a long time ago with her scout mascot, Pakku. Becoming Garara requires an extremely long dark blue wig. That's the first step. The difficult bits involve giving it a twin-tail look and twirling the bottom half of each tail.

As Amari Katasumi - Amari Katasumi is an average high-school girl doing average things until her fateful encounter with Laala Manaka dragged her to Idol Land. In the past, she loved PriPara, but now, she's up to save it, although unsure of what to do around Idol Land. The first thing you’ll need for your Amari Katasumi cosplay is a long, light turquoise wig. Her hairstyle is not for the faint of heart. Amari’s twin tails have a wrap-around bottom half on each tail. If you can pull that off, you’re basically there. Don't forget the pink ribbon to your top left. The rest is just a matter of choosing the right costume. Whatever you do, don’t forget to have fun!

And there you have it. How to be one of your favorite PriPara idols. If you’re a fan of PriPara, then you’ve probably spent some time dreaming about becoming one of your favorite idols. Well, here’s how you do it: pick a character, study their hairstyles, and then decide which of their costumes you want to wear.

Goodbye and Happy 10th Anniversary to the world of PriPara!

✌️😉

KASHIKOMA! 

[ozu-teapot]

Films Watched in April 2023

Fargo | Joel Coen / Ethan Coen | 1996

Le plein de super (Fill 'er Up with Super) | Alain Cavalier | 1976

Angel's Egg | Mamoru Oshii | 1985

The Anniversary | Roy Ward Baker / Alvin Rakoff | 1968

Punk Samurai Slash Down | Gakuryû Ishii | 2018

Abel (AKA Voyeur) | Alex van Warmerdam | 1986

Suicide Club | Sion Sono | 2001

Blank Generation | Ulli Lommel | 1980

Behind Her Eyes | TV | Erik Richter Strand | 2021

The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It | Joseph McGrath | 1977

The Sunday Woman | Luigi Comencini | 1975

Enys Men | Mark Jenkin | 2022

Electric Dragon 80.000 V | Gakuryû Ishii | 2001

La cicatrice intérieure (The Inner Scar) | Philippe Garrel | 1972

Ava | Léa Mysius | 2017

The Fall | TV | Allan Cubitt / Jakob Verbruggen | 2013 - 2016

Films Watched in May 2023

The Devil's Trap | Frantisek Vlácil | 1962

The Week Starts on Friday (Short) | Elmar Klos | 1962

Beauty and the Beast | Juraj Herz | 1978

Frantisek Hrubín (Short) | Tomás Skrdlant | 1964

The People Next Door | David Greene | 1970

Celia | Ann Turner | 1989

Renfield | Chris McKay | 2023

Luminous Procuress | Steven Arnold | 1971

Dragon's Return | Eduard Grecner | 1968

The Man on the Roof | Bo Widerberg | 1976

Coach to Vienna | Karel Kachyna | 1966

She Dies Tomorrow | Amy Seimetz | 2020

Justine | Stewart Mackinnon | 1976

Yakuza Graveyard | Kinji Fukasaku | 1976

The Bride Wore Black | François Truffaut | 1968

The Haunting of Julia | Richard Loncraine | 1977

The End of the F***ing World | TV | Various | 2017-2019

Yellowjackets | Season 2 | TV | Various | 2023

The Cat Creeps | Erle C. Kenton | 1946

Me, Natalie | Fred Coe | 1969

Bold = Top Ten

Some notes: I’ve been going through one of those periods where I just wasn’t feeling it maaaan with regards to films and tumblr. Other things consumed my attention (Auriel's Bow isn't going to fetch itself from the Forgotten Vale) and at times it felt a struggle to watch and post. Still...

Anyway here’s one of those fancy two month Film Logs last seen in August/September 2022 only this time there’s a Top Ten compiled from both months. A few TV things make it into the list. I’m sometimes unsure about putting TV in the *Film* Log but The End of the F***ing World is great and I was very taken with Behind Her Eyes because it actually surprised me in the direction it took, such an unusual experience nowadays, plus the two female leads were very attractive. Hey, I’m only human, like Phil Oakey.

[freelance-informatique]

Sébastien Bichard : Le favori pour succéder à Pascal Gastien au Clermont Foot 63

Après cinq années de service dévoué, Pascal Gastien, entraîneur emblématique du Clermont Foot 63, s'apprête à quitter le club. Son départ, bien que surprenant, survient indépendamment des performances actuelles de l'équipe, qui lutte actuellement pour éviter la relégation en Ligue 2, tout en se positionnant en bas du classement de la Ligue 1. Qui pour remplacer Pascal Gastien ? Sébastien Bichard ! La direction du club est déjà à pied d'œuvre pour trouver un successeur à Pascal Gastien. Parmi les noms qui circulent, celui de Sébastien Bichard, actuel entraîneur adjoint au Red Star, se démarque comme un candidat potentiel pour occuper le poste. Selon les informations rapportées par L'Équipe, Sébastien Bichard semble être en pole position pour prendre les rênes du club auvergnat. Avec une expérience riche dans le domaine de l'entra��nement, notamment en tant qu'adjoint et entraîneur intérimaire au FC Sion en Suisse, ainsi qu'auprès de la sélection du Kosovo sous la tutelle d'Alain Giresse, Sébastien Bichard possède les compétences nécessaires pour assumer un rôle de premier plan. Son attrait pour le projet proposé par le Clermont Foot 63, combiné à sa réputation solide dans le milieu, en fait un choix attrayant pour la direction du club. Lire aussi : Alidu Seidu à Rennes : cette excellente opération financière faite par le Clermont Foot La décision finale dépend du Red Star et de Sébastien Bichard lui-même La libération de Sébastien Bichard par le Red Star reste un obstacle à franchir. Alors que le club parisien est bien positionné pour retrouver la Ligue 2, la décision de permettre à Sébastien Bichard de rejoindre Clermont repose en partie sur la volonté du président du Red Star, Ahmet Schaefer. Les signaux semblent indiquer que le président est favorable à cette transition. Voir également : Montpellier-Clermont : Laurent Nicollin fait une mise au point musclée ! La fin d'une ère pour le Clermont Foot 63 Le départ imminent de Pascal Gastien constitue un nouveau cycle pour le club auvergnat. Pascal Gastien y a exercé ses fonctions depuis 2017. Son successeur aura la lourde tâche de poursuivre son travail et de maintenir le club en Ligue 1, un objectif ambitieux mais crucial pour l'avenir du Clermont Foot 63. L'accession en Ligue 1 en 2021 demeure prouesse dans l'histoire du club. En ce sens, Sébastien Bichard apparaît comme un candidat prometteur, dont l'arrivée pourrait marquer le début d'un nouveau chapitre passionnant pour le Clermont Foot 63. Read the full article

[christophe76460]

(Partie 23) Retour: Les DEUX ÉCLIPSES de 2017 et 2024 passent par des villes bibliques!

Ceci est vraiment incroyable et pratiquement impossible à se produire par un simple hasard. L’éclipse totale du 21 août 2017, appelé la Grande Éclipse Américaine, a passé par 7 villes du nom de Salem, dans 7 États américain, Salem est le nom d’une ville dans la Bible qui est synonyme de Jérusalem.

«Son tabernacle est en SALEM, et son domicile en Sion.» Psaumes 76:3

Puis l’éclipse totale qui aura lieu le 8 avril 2024, passera par 6 villes du nom de Nineveh, dans 5 États américain et une province canadienne. Le nom «Nineveh» en français «Ninive», est une ville où Dieu a ordonné au prophète Jonas, d’y proclamer son jugement, si elle ne se repentait pas.

Lève-toi, va à Ninive, la grande ville, et proclames-y la publication que je t'ordonne! Et Jonas se leva, et alla à Ninive, selon la parole de l'Éternel. Or Ninive était une très grande ville, de trois jours de marche. Jonas fit d'abord dans la ville une journée de marche; il criait et disait: ENCORE QUARANTE JOURS, ET NINIVE EST DÉTRUITE! Jonas 3:2-4

Mais il y a plus, Les DEUX éclipses solaires totales sont espacées d’exactement 6 ans, 6 mois, 6 semaines et 6 jours (et j’ai vérifié) et elles formeront un énorme X sur les États-Unis. Le chiffre 7 est le chiffre associé à Dieu (Dieu se reposa le 7e jour) et le chiffre 6 est le chiffre de l’homme, qui fut créé le 6e jour. C’est ainsi que la trinité de satan est 666 (satan, antéchrist, faux prophète), car le diable pénétrera un homme que la Bible appelle l’impie, ou l’antéchrist.

La première éclipse de 2017 est l’avertissement de Dieu (7 villes Salem) envers les États-Unis afin qu’il ne divise pas Jérusalem. Puis la deuxième éclipse (6 villes Nineveh) est le jugement de Dieu qui s’accomplira envers les USA qui va pousser la division d’Israël en créant deux états en Israël, dont un est Palestinien.

Jonas a averti la ville de Ninive, d’un jugement imminent, et elle s’est repentie avant les 40 jours d’avertissement. Les USA ont eu un avertissement de 6 ans, 6 mois, 6 semaines et 6 jours, mais ils n’écouteront pas le Seigneur. Le X représente donc un jugement de Dieu (éclipse,7 villes Salem) envers les hommes (éclipse 2024, 6 villes Ninive).

LE SIGNE DE JONAS.....

Jésus a dit: Une génération méchante et adultère demande un miracle; il ne lui sera DONNÉ d'autre miracle que celui du PROPHÈTE JONAS. Matthieu 12:39

Jésus a dit qu’avant son retour, il y aurait des signes dans le Soleil, la Lune et les étoiles. Alors, des éclipses du Soleil et des lunes de sang sont des signes que l’on doit prendre en considération.

Il y a un passage d’Exode qui est très fascinant si on le relie aux deux éclipses qui sont évidemment des signes dans le ciel. Le passage dit que si les hommes NE CROIENT PAS AU PREMIER SIGNE, alors qu’ils CROIENT AU DEUXIÈME SIGNE.

«Et il arrivera, s'ils ne te CROIENT POINT, et n'obéissent point à la voix du PREMIER SIGNE, qu'ils CROIRONt à la VOIX DU SIGNE SUIVANT.» Exode 4:8

Et ce qui est étonnant, c’est que le chapitre 4 et le verset 8 correspond à la date de l’éclipse solaire totale du huitième jour d’avril. En anglais, le mois précède le jour, comme dans 4/8 pour avril le 8.

Qu’est-ce que tout cela veut dire? Je ne sais pas! Est-ce qu’il se passera quelque chose le 8 avril? Est-ce une date limite que Dieu donne avant que la tribulation ne débute? Ce Grand X qui plane sur les USA est fort possiblement la fin de la bénédiction que ce pays a reçu de Dieu, pour avoir supporter Israël, depuis la création de la nation en 1948.

C’est ma croyance que la tribulation débutera lorsque l’antéchrist CONFIRMERA une alliance de 7 ans avec plusieurs nations. C’est aussi ma compréhension que cela devrait débuter aux fêtes de l’Éternel, durant l’automne.

Exode 4:8 (8 avril) - S'ils ne croient pas au PREMIER SIGNE (08/21/2017), ils croiront le DEUXIÈME SIGNE (04/08/2024).

C’est à nous de surveiller les événements mondiaux, car le jour de l’enlèvement est à nos portes.

Note: Il y a UNE des 6 villes appelées Nineveh qui se trouve au Canada, en Nouvelle-Écosse. Je crois que si les États-Unis sont jugés pour vouloir diviser Jérusalem, le Canada aussi passera par le jugement, car il suit aveuglément les politiques des USA. Les 6 villes sont dans le sillon de l’éclipse totale solaire dont une est au Canada et 5 aux États-Unis. J’ajouterais qu’il y a, en tout, 7 villes du nom de Nineveh aux États-Unis qui sont aussi situés dans la trajectoire de l’éclipse. Mais il y en a deux qui sont ne sont pas directement dans son trajet (mais quand même proches), il s’agit de Nineveh au Missouri et de Nineveh en Virginie et c’est pour cela qu’elles ne sont pas incluses dans les six principales. C’est tout de même étonnant qu’il y ait en tout, 7 villes du même nom aux USA, qui correspondent au nombre de Dieu (Trinité, 777). Mais si on compte celle au Canada, nous avons donc un compte de 8, ce qui est le nombre associé à Jésus-Christ (888). Cela me semble très intéressant. RD

Voici les 7 états américains qui ont une ville du nom de Nineveh:

Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Missouri, Indiana

https://geotargit.com/called.php?qcity=Nineveh

Photo du milieu: Crédit Daniel Taylor

Un gros merci de bien vouloir me suivre sur mon groupe «Jésus Christ Créateur de l’Univers»:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/823351565419204/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

Pour éviter la censure de Facebook, joignez notre compte Telegram!

t.me/GrandReset

RETOUR Partie 1 à 22

(Partie 20C) Retour: Des GÉANTS apparaissent un peu PARTOUT!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/823351565419204/permalink/1030234624730896/

Projections d'hologrammes à l'extérieur d'une cérémonie de remise de prix, créant des portails dans le ciel!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/823351565419204/permalink/1015800872840938/

(Partie 21) Retour: Que nous RÉSERVE l’année 2024!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/823351565419204/permalink/1029047378182954/

(Partie 22) Retour: QUATORZE choses que tout le monde doit savoir sur la GRANDE ÉCLIPSE AMÉRICAINE de 2024!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/823351565419204/permalink/1032938904460468/

IMG5843

[psychofsocialmedia]

Connections, Likes, Trends & Algorithms

SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS 

People often gravitate towards individuals who share their interests and passions. Social media platforms provide a powerful means of discovering like-minded individuals for interaction. These online connections can evolve into genuine friendships and offer networking opportunities, both in personal and professional spheres. Nurturing and sustaining these relationships is crucial for fostering strong connections. “However, dropping a short text asking about their day or sharing your achievements are a few ways you can still maintain healthy contact with your close ones or corporate colleagues. Social media platforms have effectively bridged this communication gap.” (Simplilearn, 2023)

Active engagement plays a pivotal role in maintaining these connections. By actively participating in discussions, reacting to posts, and engaging with videos, one can sustain the flow of interactions. Such connections not only offer emotional support through the development of friendships but also contribute to personal and professional growth. Exposure to diverse viewpoints can lead to a deeper understanding of various subjects and keep one informed about emerging trends and developments.

However, it's imperative to strike a balance between online connections and offline relationships. While social media connections have their merits, they should complement, not replace, face-to-face interactions. It's essential to exercise mindfulness when using social media to steer clear of potential adverse consequences and privacy concerns.

HOMOPHILY 

Homophily, in the context of social connections, refers to the inclination of individuals to form bonds with others who share similar interests, beliefs, and other traits. When people join social media platforms, they often begin by following their friends and family members, as these relationships already contain shared connections. Once on social media, algorithms are meticulously crafted to present users with content and creators who align with their established interests. “According to the Identity Bubble Reinforcement Model (IBRM; Keipi et al. 2017), social media offers extended possibilities for identity expres- sion and validation seeking. Due to this identity-driven online behavior, people tend to form online groups around shared identities and interests.”(Miller et al., 2021) This becomes evident when you engage with a post, as subsequent content akin to your preferences tends to surface. By interacting with such posts, you're introduced to content that may initially seem unrelated but ultimately resonates with your interests.

Homophily typically results in forming connections with like-minded individuals, fostering heightened engagement on social media due to the relevance of the shared content. It imparts a sense of solidarity, reassuring you that your thoughts and perspectives are shared by others. Social media bridges geographical distances, making it possible to connect with individuals who may be miles away but feel remarkably close.

However, it's essential to acknowledge that while homophily offers several advantages, it also carries potential downsides. It can lead to filter bubbles, where individuals are exposed to information and viewpoints that reaffirm their existing beliefs. This can inadvertently narrow one's worldview and limit exposure to diverse perspectives.

ALGORITHMS 

The algorithms utilized by social media platforms are engineered to recommend content and suggest connections while prioritizing posts based on user behavior. For instance, Instagram offers both a primary feed page and an explore page. While some may perceive the explore page as a collection of random posts, it is, in reality, curated based on your past interactions within the platform, consolidating a variety of content into a unified feed. Conversely, your primary feed predominantly features posts from your followers. The visibility of certain posts over others has sparked some concerns, with some users advocating for a return to chronological feed sequencing. Social media platforms are increasingly cognizant of these challenges and actively working on enhancing their algorithms. “Therefore, we make a call for more research on the mod- els and frameworks that can enhance and improve the busi- ness models and algorithms of social media platforms.” (Petrescu & Krishen, 2020)

References 

Miller, B. L., Lowe, C. C., Kaakinen, M., Savolainen, I., Sirola, A., Stogner, J., Ellonen, N., & Oksanen, A. (2021). Online peers and OFFLINE HIGHS: An examination of online peer groups, social media homophily, and substance use. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 53(4), 345–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1871125 

Petrescu, M., & Krishen, A. S. (2020). The dilemma of social media algorithms and analytics. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 8(4), 187–188. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-020-00094-4 

Simplilearn. (2023, August 31). Importance of social media: Benefits of Social Media. Simplilearn.com. https://www.simplilearn.com/importance-of-social-media-in-todays-world-article 

[lagroupie]

Interview: Fluffy Machine, “Nah Nah Yeah”

Fluffy Machine à Sion, à travers mon Nikon.

C’est en les regardant jouer avec Johnny Mafia à Zurich, puis à Martigny que j’ai découvert les Fluffy Machine. Leurs chansons pop punk à la fois drôle et bien écrites sont très addictives. Quelques jours après leurs deux concerts, je retrouve le groupe dans son QG valaisan à Sion. Juste avant leur répétition, nous prenons place sur de vieux canapés pour discuter. Rejoignez-nous alors que nous parlons de l’évolution du groupe, leurs tournées à travers l’Europe, la vie hors-tournée et plus encore. Un grand merci à Fluffy Machine pour leur gentillesse et leur disponibilité !

À quoi ressemblent vos vies lorsque vous n’êtes pas en tournée ?

Frank: L’été, je cherche du travail et je travaille quand j’en trouve. L’hiver, j’ai mes cours de ski pour devenir prof. Je fais une formation pour obtenir le brevet fédéral, qui est la plus haute reconnaissance en Suisse et qui me permettra d’avoir plein de blé. (rires) J’aime jouer à la PS4 aussi.

Greg: Je suis dessinateur en machines dans un bureau de développement mécanique à Fribourg.

Est-ce que tu habites à Fribourg ?

Greg: Oui. Quand on aime, on ne compte pas !

Jolan: Il fait les trajets tous les dimanches pour venir répéter. La passion de la musique est forte.

Nico: ça fait 14 mois que ça tient ! On a essayé les répètes par Skype, ça ne marche pas.

Greg: J’aime bien polluer la nature avec mon véhicule.

Nico: Je suis chef de projet informatique dans une boîte de e-commerce à 80 %. Sinon je suis dans plein d’assos.

Comment ça se passe lorsque vous devez partir en tournée ?

Nico: On prend tous sur nos vacances, mais ça va. On a tous entre guillemets droit à 5 semaines de tournée par année., ce qui est déjà pas mal. Tout le monde est content, sauf nos copines !

Jolan: Je suis réalisateur d’émissions de divertissement pour une chaîne de télévision régionale. À 80 %. Mis à part Greg qui travaille à 100 %, nous travaillons tous à ce pourcentage. Heureusement, parce que lorsqu’on rendre d’un weekend de tournée de jeudi à dimanche et qu’on doit travailler cinq jours d’affilée, c’est impossible.

Frank: Greg l’immortel y arrive quand même parce qu’il a des chouettes collègues. (rires)

Le groupe existe depuis environ 2013 ou 2014. Je voulais en parler avec vous parce que j’imagine qu’il y a eu beaucoup de changements depuis.

Nico: Nous avons sorti notre premier morceau en 2014, «I don’t want your beer». On avait juste fait un clip sur YouTube. On ne savait pas comment faire ! (rires)

Jolan: Avec Nico, nous sommes là depuis le début. Le batteur de l’époque est parti pour être remplacé par Frank en 2017. Avant Greg, qui est là depuis une année, nous avons eu deux guitaristes. Il y a aussi eu beaucoup de changements au niveau de la musique. Si tu écoutes les premiers trucs, c’était très rapide, skatepunk et bourrin. Il y avait aussi un petit côté 90s qu’on n’a plus tellement. Maintenant, nous avons des chansons plus faciles à jouer. Comme ça on peut encore plus boire en les jouant !

Nico: Nous nous sommes aussi professionnalisés dans notre façon de travailler et d’approcher la composition des morceaux. Nous cherchons plus des mélodies qui puissent plaire à tout le monde.

Jolan: Dans les détails, avant nos chansons étaient une succession de riffs sympas l’un après l’autre. À un moment, je me suis dit qu’il fallait arrêter. Je voulais des chansons qui aient du sens de A à Z, qui aient une âme et qui veulent dire quelque chose. Un refrain ou un riff simple répétés en boucle, qui démarquent la chanson.

Vous avez fait des tournées à l’étranger, par exemple au Royaume-Uni et plus récemment en Allemagne et en Belgique avec les Johnny Mafia. Comment le public étranger réagit-il face à un groupe de pop-punk suisse ?

Nico: Cela dépend du pays. Certains pays t’accueillent comme de la merde, pour dire les choses clairement. (rires)

Le Royaume-Uni ?

Nico: Je dirais plutôt l’Angleterre ! En Écosse, c’était super.

Jolan: Je précise, lorsqu’on dit ‘accueillis comme de la merde’, on parle des conditions. Les gens que nous avons rencontrés sur place étaient tous super gentils.

Nico: Le problème en Angleterre est vite identifié. L’offre est tellement gigantesque que cela dévalorise l’intérêt d’aller à un concert. Il y a des concerts tous les soirs dans les pubs, 7 jours sur 7. C’est donc normal que les gens ne viennent pas, parce que cela n’est plus vraiment intéressant. Ils ne cherchent pas forcément de la nouveauté.

Jolan: Sans donner de chiffres, je pense que le cachet est 10 % de ce qu’on toucherait en Suisse.

Frank: Si on a un cachet ! (rires)

Jolan: Bien-sûr, ce n’est pas une généralité.

Frank: D’un autre côté, l’avantage c’est qu’il est très facile de trouver un concert là-bas. Si on avait voulu faire une tournée en Allemagne en 2018, cela aurait été impossible parce que les Allemands ont des standards minimum dans l’accueil. S’ils doivent payer un groupe au minimum 400 euros, ils ne vont pas prendre de risques.

Greg: J’ai aussi remarqué qu’en Angleterre, beaucoup de groupes avec lesquels tu joues le même soir te demandent d’emprunter tes instruments. Apparemment cela se fait pas mal. C’est une mentalité différente. Des fois on te prévient à l’avance donc ça va et des fois c’est à la dernière minute !

Frank: Le frérot il habite à deux heures de route de la salle et il a rien. Et nous on vient d’Outre-Atlantique et on a tous nos instruments ! (rires)

Parlons un peu de votre dernière chanson, Nah Nah Yeah. À chaque fois que vous la jouez, le public réagit très bien. Je me souviens qu’à Martigny, les gens chantaient avec vous.

Nico: Oui, c’était aussi la première fois qu’on jouait cette chanson en Valais. Ce morceau-là est juste frustrant du point de vue de celui qui écrit les paroles ! (rires)

Jolan: On l’a écrite très rapidement. C’est le principe des nouvelles chansons. Nous sommes en train de composer ce genre de chansons pour notre troisième album. Ce que j’aime bien, c’est qu’en général, tout se fait très vite. Je viens avec un riff, peut-être un pont intéressant au milieu. Et on construit à partir de là.

Nico: Et moi je fais chier pour les arrangements (rires). Je me souviens que nous avons joué Nah Nah Yeah à un mariage pour tester et nous n’avions pas du tout de paroles pour le refrain. Nous nous sommes dits «On va juste dire ‘Nah Nah Yeah’». La mariée nous a dit de garder ce refrain.

Jolan: ça reste aussi dans l’esprit des nouvelles chansons. Les couplets de Nah Nah Yeah parlent des trucs chiants de la vie qui arrivent un peu tout le temps. Le refrain est une manière de dire qu’on en a plus rien à foutre. On chante «Nah nah nah» avec les copains !

Imaginons que vous deviez enregistrer un albu dans un endroit pas réaliste. Que choisiriez-vous entre la fusée SpaceX d’Elon Musk, le Jura à la préhistoire ou le McDo ?

Frank: Je suis pas fan du McDo. Ça pue !

Jolan: Moi je n’aime pas la fusée.

Nico: Le Jura alors ! Jurassic punk !

C’est pas très safe, mais vous pourrez enregistrer des bruits intéressants.

Nico: Si un T-Rex vient, je le couche ! (rires)

Que peut-on espérer de Fluffy Machine dans le futur ?

Jolan: Nous allons enregistrer un album cet été et donner quelques concerts d’ici la fin de l’année. Nous avons aussi déjà un troisième single qui va sortir en juillet. Puis petite pause de trois ou quatre mois avant de faire le vernissage du nouvel album et de repartir pour une série de concerts.

https://fluffymachine.ch/

https://www.instagram.com/fluffy_machine/?hl=fr

[aubethangribble]

Place Of Words - Bibliography

Page 04 -

Screenshots from: https://www.penguin.co.uk/company/work-with-us/cover-design-award/2023-briefs

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(FIG3) Moss, O., (2010) The Evil Day. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://ollymoss.com/#/the-evil-dead/ [Accessed 14 February 2023].

(FIG4) Moss, O., (2010) My Neighbour Totoro. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://ollymoss.com/#/my-neighbour-totoro/ [Accessed 14 February 2023].

(FIG5) Moss, O., (2010) Star Wars Trilogy. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://ollymoss.com/#/star-wars-trilogy/ [Accessed 14 February 2023].

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Screenshot from: https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/47476/1/reddit-counterfeit-fashion-reps-fakes-knock-off-su preme-nike-jordans-off-white

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(FIG6) Morsillo, A., (2020) Sion Fanzine. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/122367963/DOLLY-NOIRE-Sion-Fanzine [Accessed 23 February 2023].

(FIG7) June, L., (2023) MAGAZINE. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/166414791/MAGAZINE-Larry-June? tracking_source=search_projects%7Crap+magazine [Accessed 23 March 2023].

(FIG8) Morsillo, A., (2019) STRT MAG. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/84536681/STRT-MAG-Issue-2?tracking_source=project_owner_other_projects [Accessed 23 March 2023].

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(FIG9) Labrinth. (2012). Express Yourself (Official Video). [Online Video]. 16 May 2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=III3G1egUcU&feature=youtu.be. [Accessed: 26 April 2023].

(FIG10) Whistle, C., (2023) Levi Jeans Campaign. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://colorwhistle.com/combining-illustration-photographs/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG11) Whistle, C., (2023) Untitled. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://colorwhistle.com/combining-illustration-photographs/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG12) Hakeisolai, H., (2018) One Piece. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.boredpanda.com/linemood/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG13) Robescu, A., (2018) Illustrations. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/66830521/2018-illustrations [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG14) Robescu, A., (2018) Illustrations on fashion. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/35902089/Illustrations-on-fashion-photography-and-ads [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG15) Wilson, M., (2021) Drawing On Photos. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://photographywithmisswilson.weebly.com/drawing-on-photos.html [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG16) Mos, E., (2018) I Love To. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.boredpanda.com/i-love-to-combine-photography-with-illustration-and-create-new-universe/ [Accessed 26 April 2023]. 

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(FIG17) Pijak, J., (2016) Teen Activist Editorials. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/global-issue [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG18) James, O., (2021) COME CORRECT. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://equatemagazine.com/digital-cover-one-come-correct/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG19) Collezioni, .., (2021) Sport & Street. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://modeinfo.co.uk/Collezioni-Sport-Street-no-87.html [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG20) Johnson, G., (2017) Paper. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://pausemag.co.uk/tag/paper-magazine/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG21) Comm, T., (2019) Streetwear. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://the-comm.online/blog/magazines-streetwear/ [Accessed 26 April 2023].

(FIG22) Dots, T., (2020) Refresh Magazine. [ONLINE]. Available at: https://the-dots.com/projects/refresh-magazine244574 [Accessed 26 April 2023].

[czechthecount]

Spring by the Alpine Stream..

by czechthecount: instagram | facebook | 500px | prints

[marleneoftheopera]

1400 Followers Audio Gifts!

To thank you all for following me, being so wonderful, and just surviving a pandemic, here are some gifts from me!

I know I originally said I was going to do 10, but I got a good amount of requests and wanted to add in a few extra favorite audios of mine too. So you get 20! Sorry if I did not post your request; there were many!

If any need to be taken down, do let me know!

Here is the link to all of the audios, cast info is below!

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/a3xda9hu7mu3u/Gifts

The Phantom of the Opera

Michael Crawford, Rebecca Caine, Steve Barton October 10, 1987; London Listed as being Michael Crawford and Steve Barton's last before heading to New York to start rehearsals for Broadway. Beautiful soundboard audio. This is the complete version; there has previously been an incomplete one traded out. 

Eiji Akutagawa, Kyoko Suzuki, Kanji Ishimaru September 22, 1991; Osaka Always here for Japanese love.

Hans Peter Janssens, Susanne Duwe, Michael Shawn Lewis, An Lauwreins, William Lynn Dixon, Marc Meersman, Arnst van Looy, Stephanie Tscheppe June 2, 2000; Antwerp, Belgium Final show in Belgium. Very nice cast all around.

Hugh Panaro, Adrienne McEwan, John Cudia, Patricia Phillips, Jeff Keller, George Lee Andrews, Marilyn Caskey, Larry Wayne Morbitt, Heather McFadden June 16, 2003; Broadway Hugh in his second Broadway run. Adrienne has become a favorite of mine and I think she never gets the credit she deserves, especially having been in the show for so long.

Hugh Panaro, Susan Owen (u/s), Kyle Barisich February 20, 2012; Broadway A lovely audio. Susan has such a sweet, light quality to her voice.

Hugh Panaro, Samantha Hill, Kyle Barisich, Michele McConnell, Greg Mills (u/s), Tim Jerome, Nathan Patrick Morgan (u/s), Carly Blake Sebouhian (u/s) April 6, 2013; Broadway More Hugh. You can never have enough Hugh.

Peter Joback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm, Karolina Andresson, Glenn Kjellberg, Rolf Lydhal, Sindre Postholm, Sanna Martin, Tehilla Blad, David Ingham, Samuel Jarrick, Martin Kagemark, John Martin Bengtsson February 1, 2017; Stockholm I loved this production so much.

Ben Forster, Celinde Schoenmaker, Nadim Naaman, Charlotte Vaughan (u/s, last Carlotta show), Sion Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Paul Ettore Tabone, Joanna Strand (u/s, last Madame Giry show), Daisy Hulbert August 31, 2017; London A few days before cast change. One of my favorite audios as of late.

Fred Johanson, Hanna Liina Vosa, John Martin Bengtsson, Hanna Leena Haapamaki, Dardan Bakraqi, David Lundqvist, Anders Wangdhal, Lana Zuzic, Gisela Sjostedt, Lars Hijertner, Marco Stella, Tobja Halsell, Peter Loguin January 26, 2018; Gotheborg From the non-replica production. With John as Raoul this time!

Scott Davies, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor, Lara Martins, Sean Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Jacinta Mulcahy May 31, 2018; London This is labeled as having Ben Lewis, but if you listen it’s really Scott.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund, Martin Loft (u/s), Monsieur André, Anna Vaupel (u/s), Rasmus Jupin, Elisabeth Halling, Imogen-Lily Ash, Jesper Paasch, Kim Hammelsvang, Paul Frederiksen, Paul Frederiksen (u/s), Mia Karlsson (u/s) February 13, 2019; Copenhagen Compared to other audios, you can tell that Sibylle has really settled in the role and improved wonderfully. She sounds absolutely divine. An absolutely gorgeous cast.

Jonathan Roxmouth, Meghan Picerno, Matt Leisy September 3, 2019; Tel Aviv One of Meghan's last shows on the World Tour before she joined the Broadway company. Jonathan and Meghan sound particularly stunning on here, they keep getting better which is insane because they are already so good.

Tim Howar, Amy Manford (alt), Jeremy Taylor, Ross Dawes, Alan Vicary, Kimberly Blake, Paul Ettore Tabone, Jacinta Mulcahy, Georgia Ware September 7, 2019; London Amy Manford's last show, the last matinee for the 2018/19 cast. Just to be clear, this audio is different from the other that is NFT. Pretty nice quality too!

Love Never Dies

Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Joseph Millson, Liz Robertson, Summer Strallen, Niahm Perry, Adam Pearce, Jami Reid-Quarrell June 2, 2010; London A gift for all my Rierra/LND London fans out there.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Louise Fribo, Christian Berg, Oscar Diez January 18, 2013; Copenhagen, Denmark This is an overlooked and gorgeous production. Also, after 'Love Never Dies' someone in the audience shouts "wow" and I think that captures it perfectly.

Evita

Emma Kingston (Eva), Ramin Karimloo (Che), Robert Finlayson (Peron), Anton Luiting (Magaldi), Isabella Jane (Mistress) July 4, 2018; Tokyo Emma as Eva and Ramin as Che. Some great casting there.

Anastasia

Annakathrin Naderer (u/s Anya), Thomas Hohler (Dimitry), Thorsten Tinney (Vlad), Mark Roy Luykx (u/s Gleb), Theresa Holter (Young Anastasia), Patricia Nessy (Lily Malevsky-Malevitch), Masha Karrell (Dowager Empress Maria), Katja Hentschel (u/s Tsarina Alexandra), Kirill Zolygin (Tsar Nicholas II/Count Ipolitov), Helena Thordal Christenson (Olga Romanov), Alexandra Yoana-Alexandrovna (u/s Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Laura Robinson (u/s Maria Romanov/Marfa), Mariana Hidemi (Anastasia, age 17/Paulina) August 10, 2019; Stuttgart I have yet to listen to this one yet, but I always love spreading love for foreign productions of shows.

Les Miserables

Kyle Jean-Baptiste (u/s Valjean), Earl Carpenter (Javert), Erika Henningsen (Fantine), Chris McCarrell (Marius), Samantha Hill (Cosette), Brennyn Lark (Eponine), Max Quinlan (u/s Enjolras), Gavin Lee (Monsieur Thenardier), and Rachel Izen (Madame Thenardier) August 13, 2015; Broadway A really great cast and Kyle deserves to be heard. He was brilliant and it is such a shame he passed so early on in his life.

John Owen-Jones (Jean Valjean), Michael Ball (Javert), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine), Matt Lucas (Thenardier), Katy Secombe (Thenardier), Bradley Jaden (Enjolras), Craig Mather (Marius u/s), Shan Ako (Eponine), Lily Kerhoas (Cosette) Earl Carpenter (Bishop/Bamatabois) October 16, 2019; Staged Concert, Gielguld Theatre Gorgeous.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Sheridan Smith (Narrator), Jason Donovan (Pharaoh), Jac Yarrow (Joseph), Femi Akinfolarin (Brother), Casey  Al-Shaqsy (Wife), J.R. Ballantyne (Brother), Thalia Burt (Wife), Richard Carson (Reuben), Michael Cortez (Guard), Vanessa Fisher (Wife), Matt Krzan (Guard), Kelsie-Rae Marshall (Wife), Emily Ann Potter (Wife), Georgina Parkinson (Wife), Michael Pickering (Simeon), Harriet Samuel-Gray (Wife), Carl Spencer (Brother), Joshua Steel (Brother), Jack Wilcox (Brother), Blythe Jandoo (s/w Wife), Hannah Taylor (s/w Wife) July 17, 2019; London Jason coming back to the show as Pharaoh this time!

[thessaliah]

"Perfectly vague to mislead players that Bluebook is traveling the same world Chaldea is in" Didn't Chaldea literally found Bluebook's notes while traveling the blank world?

No, they found some survivors' notes. Bluebook was traveling from Australia to Nevada, USA. The notes were found in Scandinavia. He specifically said he wasn't going to those places, yet he was able to notice what was happening there which is another hint to whatever technology he was holding. Those notes also hint they aren't written by 2017 folks because they got scribed using heat Sion can't decipher. Meaning that they are probably notes from the future humans within Chaldeas. This is following that this crisis is partly the result of the contents of the simulated future within Chaldeas poured into the planet's past. Those branches and trees invasion that spread from Area 51 started after Olga Specimen E snapped and eliminated them. Olga is definitely connected to Chaldeas, as the administrator AI, “TYPE”, or terminal, or a part of them. So she would have absolute control over it.

(Moonlight Lostroom special, also has a flashback she’s undergoing some vague experimentation. Olgamarie is the Priestess, she is the “God”/Beast VII and she is Specimen E. It doesn’t necessarily means all the three are the Director Olgamarie, but at least Specimen E and U-Olga are, the Priestess could have been Chaldeas’ Olgamarie - Chaldeas as a copy of the world should have their own versions of the people they record like Mooncell does - , a backup that got her counterpart memories, that’s why U-Olga doesn’t remember but has her personality. Something like CCC’s BB/Nurse Sakura in reverse meets Angra Mainyu).

That gives a sense of symmetry between Beast I and Beast VII. Beast I came from the past, attacking the foundations of history to the present, twisting facts. While Beast VII is an attack from a fantasy/fictional future that threatens the present too. But I also suspect those attacks were provoked not just by the bias of each Beast, but has an understated crisis (year 2017) that made them react and hasn't been explored yet. One of the keywords of part 2 themes is an invasion from fiction/fiction corrodes reality, and we know Lostbelts are simulated/created history within the Fantasy Trees under the premise “what if this cut timeline continue” which is poured and projected on the blank world. 

U-Olga needed a Fantasy Tree to manifest herself because her original body is probably made of a similar substance. Her original form reverted to look to a mass of roots of a tree before it got reduced to a twig we see in Traum. She may not be human at all, and her human appearance is probably just chosen by Marisbury when he passed his latest experiment as a daughter. 

[mysticalhearth]

W

Waiting for Godot - Broadway - November 24, 2013 (Opening Night) (Lanelle's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Aidan Gemme (The Boy), Billy Crudup (Lucky), Ian McKellen (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (Vladimir), Shuler Hensley (Pozzo)

War Horse - West End - February 27, 2014 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MKV (HD) CAST: Sion Daniel Young (Albert Narracott), Josie Walker (Rose Narracott), Alistair Brammer (Billy Narracott), Alex Avery (Captain Nicholls), Steve North (Ted Narracott), Tom Hodgkins (Arthur Narracott) NOTES: Multi-cam pro-shot broadcast live to cinemas as part of National Theatre Live, Includes interval interview and documentary. 

War Paint - Broadway - March 11, 2017 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Patti LuPone (Helena Rubinstein), Christine Ebersole (Elizabeth Arden), John Dossett (Tommy Lewis), Douglas Sills (Harry Fleming) NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of the Broadway transfer. Some changes for Broadway from the previous Goodman Theater production. Excellent performances from the entire cast with clear picture and great sound throughout; very good video. 2 DVDs. A War Paint - Broadway - April 29, 2017 (Matinee) (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Patti LuPone (Helena Rubinstein), Christine Ebersole (Elizabeth Arden), John Dossett (Tommy Lewis), Douglas Sills (Harry Fleming) NOTES: The master gets caught during Face to Face. You can hear someone say “TURN IT OFF”. Blackout during that part. Wasted - Southwark Playhouse - 2018 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Matthew Jacobs Morgan (Branwell Brontë), Molly Lynch (Anne Brontë), Natasha Barnes (Charlotte Brontë), Siobhan Athwal (Emily Brontë) We Are The Tigers - Off-Broadway - March, 2019 (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Lauren Zakrin (Riley Williams), Wonu Ogunfowora (Cairo), Jenny Rose Baker (Kate Dalton), MiMi Scardulla (Reese), Kaitlyn Frank (Annleigh), Cathy Ang (Mattie Wheeler), Celeste Rose (Chess), Zoe Jensen (Farrah), Sydney Parra (Eva Sanchez), Louis Griffin (Clark) NOTES: Starts at the beginning of "I Just Wanna" and missing part of "Mattie's Lament." The theater was really full tonight so there are a good number of heads in this video, but they are worked around to the best of my ability. This is a super small theater (less than 160 seats) and at times the cast members were definitely singing to the camera and honestly giving their best performances because of it. All of the things on the upper level (the bathroom, the pathway, and the kitchen) are captured perfectly, and the zooms on the lower level (the living room and bench) look good as well. Obviously because this is a murder mystery kind of show the lighting can get a little bit dark, but my camera handles low lighting incredibly well. This is honestly the best video you could expect from this venue We Will Rock You - Germany (Cologne) - August, 2005 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Alex Melcher (Galileo), Vera Bolten (Scaramouche), Brigitte Oelke (Killer Queen), Martin Berger (Khashoggi), Michaela Kovarikova (Meat/Oz), DMJ (Brit/J.B.), James Sbano (Pop/Buddy/Bap), Harald Tauber (Teacher), Willemijn Verkaik NOTES: Multicam proshot We Will Rock You - Utrecht (The Netherlands) - October, 2010 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: John Vooijs (Galileo), Marjolein Teepen (Scaramouche), Pia Douwes (Killer Queen), Paul Donkers (Khashoggi), Floortje Smit (Meat/Oz), Ruud van Overdijk (Brit/J.B.), Rutger le Poole (Pop/Buddy/Bap) NOTES: Good capture. Heads in the way, but also a lot of good close-ups. Dubble DVD! We Will Rock You - West End - February 11, 2003 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Tony Vincent (Galileo), Hannah Jane Fox (Scaramouche), Sharon D Clarke (Killer Queen), Alexander Hanson (Khashoggi), Kerry Ellis (Meat/Oz), Nigel Clauzner (Brit/J.B.), Nigel Planer (Pop/Buddy/Bap) The Wedding Singer - Broadway - April 1, 2006 (Preview) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Stephen Lynch (Robbie Hart), Laura Benanti (Julia), Matthew Saldivar (Sammy), Kevin Cahoon (George), Rita Gardner (Rosie), Amy Spanger (Holly), Richard H Blake (Glen), Felicia Finley (Linda) NOTES: Includes pictures of outside of the theatre and playbill. This was before the changes were made to the production. Blackouts throughout the show. The Wedding Singer - Off-West End - March 1, 2020 (Matinee) (Closing Night) (Highlights) (queenofthedead's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Kevin Clifton (Robbie Hart), Rhiannon Chesterman (Julia), Ashley Emmerson (Sammy), Andrew Carthy (George), Sandra Dickinson (Rosie), Tara Verloop (Holly), Jonny Fines (Glen), Erin Bell (Linda), Lori Haley Fox (Angie), Andy Brady (David Fonda), Nathan Ryles (Harold Fonda), Jordan Crouch (Donnie), Aimee Moore (Tiffany), Simon Anthony (Shane McDonough), Paris Green (Donatella), Vanessa Grace Lee (Donatella’s Mother), Morgan Jackson (Mookie), Ellie Seaton (Crystal) NOTES: 38 minutes of act 1 of the closing performance, unobstructed. Welcome To The Club - Broadway - April 8, 1989 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Avery Schreiber (Milton), Bill Buell (Gus), Jodi Benson (Betty), Marcia Mitzman (Carol), Marilyn Sokol (Arlene), Sally Mayes (Winona), Samuel E Wright (Bruce), Scott Waara (Kevin), Scott Wentworth (Aaron), Terri White (Eve) NOTES: Filmed during previews. Well filmed from the balcony. Mostly a full stage shot. Some generational loss. Wenn Rosenblätter Fallen - Oberhausen - June 13, 2016 (Rumpel's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Pia Douwes (Rose), Anton Zetterholm (Till), Annemieke van Dam (Iris)  

West Side Story - Hollywood Bowl - July 19, 2016 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Jeremy Jordan (Tony), Solea Pfeiffer (Maria), Karen Olivo (Anita), Matthew James Thomas (Riff), George Akram (Bernardo), Drew Foster (Action), Jose Moreno Brooks (Chino), Anthony C Chatmon II (A-Rab), Kyle Selig (Baby John), Mike Schwitter (Big Deal), Jeff Smith (Diesel), Kevin Chamberlin (Krupke), Jennifer Sanchez (Rosalia), Erica Dorfler (Consuela) NOTES: This concert version of the show is abridged with shortened scenes, simple costumes, and no sets or choreography, but Jeremy, Solea, and Karen are absolutely phenomenal with soaring vocals and emotional performances. Very well captured with no dropouts, no obstruction, and no washout. The stage is filmed directly most of the time; the screens are occasionally filmed, usually when the actors are not onstage. It’s filmed in 16:9, with a mix of wides, mediums, and close-ups. The sound is excellent. Includes curtain call and playbill scans. West Side Story - Leicester Curve - December, 2019 (queenofthedead's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Jamie Muscato (Tony), Adriana Ivelisse (Maria), Carly Mercedes Dyer (Anita), Ronan Burns (Riff), Jonathan Hermosa-Lopez (Bernardo), Isaac Gryn (Action), Damian Buhagiar (Chino), Ryan Anderson (A-Rab), Alex Christian (Baby John), Dale White (Big Deal), Michael O’Reilly (Diesel), Beth Hinton-Lever (Anybodys), Darren Bennett (Lt. Schrank), Christopher Wright (Krupke), Christopher Wright (Doc), Darren Bennett (Glad Hand), Mireia Mambo (Rosalia), Abigail Climer (Consuela), Thea Bunting (Graziella), Katie Lee (Velma), Richard Appiah-Sarpong (Pepe), Dominic Sibanda (Indio) NOTES: Missing 7 minutes at the beginning. No dropouts and no obstruction. West Side Story - Second Broadway Revival - February 23, 2009 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Matt Cavenaugh (Tony), Josefina Scaglione (Maria), Karen Olivo (Anita), Cody Green (Riff), George Akram (Bernardo), Curtis Holbrook (Action), Joey Haro (Chino), Kyle Coffman (A-Rab), Ryan Steele (Baby John), Tro Shaw (Anybodys), Steve Bassett (Lt. Schrank), Lee Sellars (Krupke), Greg Vinkler (Doc) NOTES: Stunning production of this revival. Josefina and Karen still steal the show. The cast was on fire and there was a lot of energy in the audience as it was the first performance on Broadway. There are some changes from the DC run, which work better. Beautiful production and capture with no obstructions. West Side Story - Second Broadway Revival - November 16, 2009 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Matt Cavenaugh (Tony), Josefina Scaglione (Maria), Karen Olivo (Anita), Wes Hart (u/s Riff), George Akram (Bernardo), Eric Hatch (u/s Action), Joey Haro (Chino), Kyle Coffman (A-Rab), Brendon Stimson (u/s Baby John), Joshua Buscher (Diesel), Mike Cannon (Snowboy), Kaitlin Mesh (Anybodys), Steve Bassett (Lt. Schrank), Lee Sellars (Krupke), Mark Zimmerman (s/b Doc), Lindsay Estelle Dunn (Velma), Michael Williams (u/s Pepe), Kaitlin Mesh (Zaza) West Side Story - Third Broadway Revival - January 6, 2020 (Preview) FORMAT:  MKV (HD) CAST: Jordan Dobson (u/s Tony), Mia Pinero (u/s Maria), Yesenia Ayala (Anita), Corey John Snide (u/s Riff), Amar Ramasar (Bernardo), Dharon E Jones (Action), Jacob Guzman (Chino), Kevin Csolak (A-Rab), Matthew Johnson (Baby John), Tyler Eisenreich (Big Deal), Ahmad Simmons (Diesel), Daniel Ching (Snowboy), Zuri Noelle Ford (Anybodys), Thomas Jay Ryan (Lt. Schrank), Danny Wolohan (Krupke), Daniel Oreskes (Doc), Pippa Pearthree (Glad Hand), Lorna Courtney (Rosalia), Gabi Campo (Consuela), Marissa Brown (Francisca), Alexa de Barr (Graziella), Madison Vomastek (Velma), Gus Reed (Gee-tar), John Snide (Tiger), Carlos Gonzales (Pepe), Ricky Ubeda (Indio), Roman Cruz (Luis), Israel del Rosario (Anxious), Michaela Marfori (Nibbles), Marc Crousillat (Juano), Sheldon True (Toro), Stephanie Crousillat (Teresita), Marlon Geliz (Estella), Satori Folkes-Stone (Margarita), Uni-Seng Francois (Minnie), Jennifer Gruener (Pauline) NOTES: Wideshot. Stage right is slightly obstructed due to where the master was sitting. Good audio. SD M4V (567.0 MB) West Side Story - UK Tour - May 23, 2009 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Daniel Koek (Tony), Hazel Gardner (u/s Maria), Jayde Westaby (Anita), Edd Post (u/s Riff), Dan Burton (Bernardo), Aki Omoshaybi (Chino), Ged Simmons (Lt. Schrank), Martin Chaimberain (Krupke) When We're Gone - Joe's Pub (2014) - March 12, 2014 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Gerard Canonico (Todd), Jeremy Kushnier (John), Luke Wygodny (Ashton), Hannah Whitney (Rosie), Eric William Morris (Colin), Bradley Dean (William) NOTES: Concert performance.   

The Wild Party (Lippa) - Encores! Off-Center - July 17, 2015 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Sutton Foster (Queenie), Steven Pasquale (Burrs), Brandon Victor Dixon (Black), Joaquina Kalukango (Kate), Miriam Shor (Madeline True), Talene Monahon (Mae), Ryan Andes (Eddie) NOTES: Excellent HD capture from the Encores Summer Series! The cast was terrific and full of energy giving everything they had. Great to see these songs performed again by this caliber of talent! A The Wild Party (Lippa) - Off-Broadway - 2000 (Highlights) (Press Reel's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Julia Murney (Queenie), Brian d'Arcy James (Burrs), Taye Diggs (Black), Idina Menzel (Kate), Alix Korey (Madeline True), Charles Dillon (Oscar d'Armano), Kevin Cahoon (Phil d'Armano), James Delisco Beeks (Max), Todd Anderson (Reno), Jennifer Cody (Mae), Kena Tangi Dorsey (Dolores), Felicia Finley (Rose Himmelsteen), Peter Kapetan (Sam Himmelsteen), Lawrence Keigwin (Jackie), Charlie Marcus (The Neighbor), Kristin McDonald (Nadine), Raymond Jaramillo McLeod (Eddie), Steven Pasquale (Cop), Megan Sikora (Peggy), Ron Todorowski (Kegs), Amanda Watkins (Ellie) The Winter's Tale - West End - November 26, 2015 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Kenneth Branagh (Leontes), Dame Judi Dench (Paulina), Miranda Raison (Hermione), Jessie Buckley (Perdita), Hadley Fraser (Polixenes), Tom Bateman (Florizel), John Dagleish (Autolycus) The Winter's Tale - West End - November 26, 2015 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Kenneth Branagh (Leontes), Dame Judi Dench (Paulina), Miranda Raison (Hermione), Jessie Buckley (Perdita), Hadley Fraser (Polixenes), Tom Bateman (Florizel), John Dagleish (Autolycus) The Witches of Eastwick - UK Tour - April 4, 2009 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: James Graeme (Clyde), Marti Pellow (Darryl), Poppy Tierney (Jane), Rachel Izen (Felicia), Rebecca Thornhill (Sukie), Ria Jones (Alex) NOTES: Beautifully filmed from the balcony, with a great mix of close-ups and full stage shots. Crystal clear. Widescreen. The Wiz - NBC Live! - December 3, 2015 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (4K) CAST: Shanice Williams (Dorothy), David Alan Grier (Lion), Ne-Yo (Tinman), Elijah Kelley (Scarecrow), Uzo Aduba (Glinda), Queen Latifah (The Wiz), Mary J Blige (Evillene), Stephanie Mills (Aunt Em), Amber Riley (Addaperle) NOTES: A live production of the 1975 musical The Wiz produced for television; excellent video. A+ The Wizard of Oz (Webber) - First National Tour - September 28, 2013 FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Danielle Wade (Dorothy Gale), Jamie McKnight (Scarecrow/Hunk), Mike Jackson (Tin Man/Hickory), Lee MacDougall (Cowardly Lion/Zeke), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (The Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch), Cedric Smith (The Wizard of Oz/Professor Marvel), Robin Evan Willis (Glinda the Good Witch), Charlotte Moore (Aunt Em/Munchkin Barrister), Larry Mannell (Uncle Henry/Philippe/Head Guard) NOTES: Nice capture of Andrew Lloyd Webber's re-imagined classic; no obstruction and very little washout; a few quick dropouts in act one and a couple in act two, only last about three minutes all together; filmed in 16:9 with a mix of wides, mediums,and close-ups. The Woman in Black - West End - July 8, 2001 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Christopher Ravenscroft (Arthur Kipps), Sebastian Harcombe (The Actor) The Woman in White - Broadway - November 30, 2005 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Adam Brazier (Walter Hartwright), Angela Christian (Anne Catherick), Jill Paice (Laura Fairlie), Lisa Brescia (Marian Halcombe), Michael Ball (Count Fosco), Ron Bohmer (Sir Percival Glyde)  

The Woman in White - West End - February 25, 2005 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Adrian der Gregorian (u/s), Oliver Darley, Jill Paice, Elinor Collett (u/s) NOTES: Nice video with good closeups and zooms and great sound. Woman of the Year - Broadway - March 27, 1982 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Lauren Bacall (Tess Harding), Harry Guardino (Sam Craig), Eivind Harum (Alexi Petrikov), Roderick Cook (Gerald), Grace Keagy (Helga), Jamie Ross (Larry Donovan), Marilyn Cooper (Jan Donovan), Rex Everhart (Maury) NOTES: Good color video with clear sound with some generation loss, but a nice video. B+ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Broadway - December 29, 2010 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Sherie Rene Scott (Pepa), Laura Benanti (Candela), Patti LuPone (Lucia), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ivan), Justin Guarini (Carlos), de’Adre Aziza (Paulina), Danny Burstein (Taxi Driver), Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Marisa), Mary Beth Peil (Pepa's Concierge/TV and Radio Announcer), Samantha Shafer (u/s Woman at Train/Ana) NOTES: Also includes press reels, cast/creative interviews and video of David Yazbek singing songs from the show.

  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Broadway - January 2, 2011 (Matinee) FORMAT:  MP3 (tracked) CAST: Sherie Rene Scott (Pepa), Laura Benanti (Candela), Patti LuPone (Lucia), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ivan), Justin Guarini (Carlos), de’Adre Aziza (Paulina), Danny Burstein (Taxi Driver), Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Marisa), Mary Beth Peil (Pepa's Concierge/TV and Radio Announcer), Samantha Shafer (u/s Woman at Train/Ana) NOTES: Also includes press reels, cast/creative interviews and video of David Yazbek singing songs from the show. Wonderful Town - Television Production - November 30, 1958 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Rosalind Russell (Ruth Sherwood), Sydney Chaplin (Robert Baker), Jacquelyn McKeever (Eileen Sherwood), Joseph Buloff (Mr. Appopolous), Dort Clark (Chick Clark), Jordan Bentley (Wreck), Cris Alexander (Frank Lippencott), Jack Fletcher (Night Club Patron), Michele Burke (Helen Wade), Ted Beniades (“Speedy” Valenti), Isabella Hoopes (Mrs. Wade), Ray Weaver (Shore Patrolman), Gene Carrons (Violet), John Wheeler (Officer Lonigan), Don Grusso (Fireman) Wonderland - Broadway - March 23, 2011 (Preview) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Janet Dacal (Alice), Kate Shindle (Mad Hatter), Carly Rose Sonenclar (Chloe/Ellie), Edward Staudenmayer (The White Rabbit), Karen Mason (Queen of Hearts), Darren Ritchie (Jack the White Knight), E Clayton Cornelious (Caterpillar), Jose Llana (El Gato/Chesire Cat), Danny Stiles (Morris the March Hare), Darren Ritchie (The Victorian Gentleman), Karen Mason (Edwina) NOTES: Very limited trade 3:1 at the master's request. Wonderland - Broadway - April 2, 2011 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Janet Dacal (Alice), Kate Shindle (Mad Hatter), Carly Rose Sonenclar (Chloe/Ellie), Edward Staudenmayer (The White Rabbit), Karen Mason (Queen of Hearts), Darren Ritchie (Jack the White Knight), E Clayton Cornelious (Caterpillar), Jose Llana (El Gato/Chesire Cat), Danny Stiles (Morris the March Hare), Darren Ritchie (The Victorian Gentleman), Karen Mason (Edwina) NOTES: Beautiful bright capture of this short lived show that only played 31 previews and 33 performances. I thought this show was very enjoyable and fun with great music. Great performances and voices from the cast! A+ Wonderland - Broadway - May 12, 2011 (juniper47's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Janet Dacal (Alice), Kate Shindle (Mad Hatter), Carly Rose Sonenclar (Chloe/Ellie), Edward Staudenmayer (The White Rabbit), Karen Mason (Queen of Hearts), Darren Ritchie (Jack the White Knight), E Clayton Cornelious (Caterpillar), Jose Llana (El Gato/Chesire Cat), Danny Stiles (Morris the March Hare) NOTES: Filmed in widescreen with very few obstructions except for a head blocking the farthest corners of downstage stage left and right, but very little is missed there. Very good video and excellent picture and sound. Wonderland - Broadway - May 12, 2011 (juniper47's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Janet Dacal (Alice), Kate Shindle (Mad Hatter), Carly Rose Sonenclar (Chloe/Ellie), Edward Staudenmayer (The White Rabbit), Karen Mason (Queen of Hearts), Darren Ritchie (Jack the White Knight), E Clayton Cornelious (Caterpillar), Jose Llana (El Gato/Chesire Cat), Danny Stiles (Morris the March Hare) NOTES: Filmed in widescreen with very few obstructions except for a head blocking the farthest corners of downstage stage left and right, but very little is missed there. Very good video and excellent picture and sound. Wonderland - UK Tour - June 10, 2017 (Matinee) (bestworstcase's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Rachael Wooding (Alice), Francesca Lara Gordon (u/s Mad Hatter), Naomi Morris (Chloe/Ellie), Dave Willetts (The White Rabbit), Wendi Peters (Queen of Hearts), Stephen Webb (Jack the White Knight), Kayi Ushe (Caterpillar), Dominic Owen (El Gato/Chesire Cat), Ben Kerr (Morris the March Hare) NOTES: DVD menu states June 6 2017 matinee, but all other evidence, even the master's weebly claim it's June 10 2017. Good video! Wonderland (Beth Steel Play) - Hampstead Theatre - July 14, 2014 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Unknown NOTES: Livestreamed April 2020. The Worst Witch - West End - August 22, 2019 (Matinee) (wheredidtherockgo's master) FORMAT:  MTS CAST: Danielle Bird (Mildred Hubble), Rosie Abraham (Ethel Hallow), Molly-Grace Cutler (Miss Bat/Piano/Guitar/Cello/Dulcimer), Meg Forgan (Fenella Feverfew/Bass Guitar), Rachel Heaton (Miss Hardbroom), Rebecca Killick (Maud Spellbody), Emma Lau (Drusilla Paddock), Megan Leigh Mason (Miss Drill/Guitar/Drums/Percussion/Clarinet/Bass Guitar), Polly Lister (Agatha/Miss Cackle), Consuela Rolle (Enid Nightshade), Lauryn Redding (Griselda Blackwood/Sax) NOTES: A very good show! It’s a show aimed more toward kids so there was a lot of kids in the audience. An amazing performance by Polly Lister as Agatha/Miss Cackle in particular. The Wrong Man - Off-Broadway - November, 2019 (StarCuffedJeans's master) FORMAT:  MP3 (untracked) CAST: Joshua Henry (Duran), Ciara Renée (Mariana), Ryan Vasquez (Man in Black), Amber Pickens, Anoop Desai, Debbie Christine Tjong, Julius Williams, Libby Lloyd, Malik Shabazz Kitchen, Tilly Evans-Krueger NOTES: Near perfect HD capture of this new Off-Broadway show with fabulous performances by the whole cast. There is some wandering throughout but overall a very centered orchestra video with extremely vivid colors. Please do not post screenshots of this video on Twitter ever. Gifs on Tumblr are okay after the NFT date, but don't go linking things to actors and shows. Das Wunder von Bern - Hamburg - July 6, 2015 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Ruben (Matthias Lubanski), Vera Bolten (Christa Lubanski), Patrick Imhof (alt. Richard Lubanski), Marie Lumpp (Ingrid Lubanski), Patrick A. Stamme (alt. Bruno Lubanski), Elisabeth Hübert (Anette Ackermann), Florian Soyka (alt. Paul Ackermann), Robin Brosch (Sepp Herberger(Bohse), Jogi Kaiser (Tiburski/Putzfrau/Adi Dassler), Tetje Mierendorf (Pfarrer Keuchel), Alexandra Farkic/Franziska Trunte/Esther Mink (Wunderfräulein), Dominik Hees (Helmut Rahn), Mark Weigel (Fritz Walter), Dennis Henschel (Berni Klodt), Robin Koger (Horst Eckel), Matteo Vigna (Max Morlock), Hendrik Schall (Toni Turek), Matt Cox (Werner Kohlmeyer), Daniel Therrien (Ottmar Walter), Giuliano Mercoli (Josef Posipal), Fabian Kaiser (u/s Karl mai/Fußballartist), Dominik Kaiser (Hans Schäfer/Fußballartist) NOTES: This video was recorded right after some changes on the show were made (doesn't include the new song which will be published on 11th July, 2015). Full show; beautiful picture quality and nice close-ups but rather shaky in the beginning/end of both acts Das Wunder von Bern - Hamburg - July 23, 2015 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Tanja Schön (u/s Christa Lubanski), Patrick Imhof (alt Richard Lubanski), Marie Lumpp (Ingrid Lubanski), David Jakobs (Bruno Lubanski), Shari Lynn Stewen (alt Anette Ackermann), Patrick A Stamme (alt Paul Ackermann), Mark Weigel (Sepp Herberger/Bohse), Michael Ophelders (alt Tiburski/Putzfrau im Hotel/Adi Dassler), Tetje Mierendorf (Pfarrer Keuchel), Alexandra Farkic (Wunderfräulein), Amaya Keller (Wunderfräulein), Franziska Trunte (Wunderfräulein), Dominik Hees (Helmut Rahn), Florian Soyka (alt Fritz Walter), Hendrik Schall (alt Berni Klodt), Robin Koger (Horst Eckel), Matteo Vigna (Max Morlock), Fabian Kaiser (Toni Turek), James Cook (Werner Kohlmeyer), Daniel Therrien (Ottmar Walter), Pasha Antonov (Josef Posipal), Adrian Fogel (Kar Mai/Fußballartist), Dominik Kaiser (Hans Schäfer/Fußballartist) NOTES: "Julius" as Matthias Lubanski. Full show. Great picture quality and beautiful close-ups, though some little obstruction due a railing. The last few minutes of both acts are shot blind without zooms but still capturing the action on stage

[sneek-m]

“Smile” by Nana Mori [single, 2020]

Nana Mori continues to grow in popularity as she makes appearances in the variety show circuit this past month to promote her new rom-com drama Kono Koi Atatatemasuka. While the young actress debuted in Sion Sono’s 2017 film Tokyo Vampire Hotel, most got to know her as the voice of the main female character in Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You — the follow-up to the director’s 2016 anime blockbuster Your Name. She has shown up in more movies and commercials since, and this year, she added one new title to her resume: a singer.

Mori sang “Kaerunouta” for this year’s Last Letter, Shunji Iwai’s latest film that had her play the younger version of Takako Matsu’s character. Aided by a ballad-like guitar melody and big string arrangements, the song makes most sense as an accompaniment to the end credits. If “Kaerunouta” is too somber, there’s her cover of Hoff Dylan’s “Smile” for her Orinamin C commercial — an advert that’s been going viral as her recent drama-show appearances. The warm countryside jangle and easy-going melody invite camaraderie while the actress makes up for lack in vocal skills with idol-like bubbliness.

Mori’s dabbling in music looks so far as a side gig to capitalize on her popularity on TV and film, though it also straightly follows the path of a young actress still finding her footing in the industry. Mone Kamishiraishi has also been building a steady following as a singer in conjunction to her acting career, which saw a big boost this year thanks to her part in the hit rom-com drama, Koi Wa Tsuzukuyo Dokomademo. The singles collected in her album this year, Note, shown her as more ambitious than Mori on the music front, getting help from Yorushika’s n-buna and former Chatmonchee member Eriko Hashimoto among others for songwriting.

The trajectory of Mori and Kamishiraishi as part-actress and part-singer joins a tradition that stretches even further. Perhaps Mori’s dip into music will be as remembered as Kyoko Fukada’s, whose accomplishments as an actress since the late ‘90s fades away the memory of her early music. Maybe Kamishiraishi can go into the route of Hiroko Yakushimaru, who since her 1981 hit Sailor Fuku To Kikanju have put focus on her film and music career.

Like the flip side to idols starring in films and dramas to expand their reach, it’s been historically routine for an actress to try out some singing at the very least to see what sticks. It’s way too early to predict what’s to come from Mori and her music, though what’s sure is that she has the pull if paired with the right kind of record and tie-up: her pop cover of Hoff Dylan currently counts 2 million plays on Spotify while the music video for it has racked 12 million views. Sounds and trends may change throughout the decades, but it’s interesting to see through Mori that some old practices of the Japanese entertainment industry has yet to fall out of fashion.

[ozu-teapot]

Films Watched in December 2019

Atlantics | Mati Diop | 2019

And Soon the Darkness | Robert Fuest | 1970

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll | Terence Fisher | 1960

Suspiria | Luca Guadagnino | 2018

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death | John D. Hancock | 1971

Wake in Fright | Ted Kotcheff | 1971

Man About the House | John Robins | 1974

Secret Ceremony | Joseph Losey | 1968

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Gareth Edwards | 2016

Captain Blood | Michael Curtiz | 1935

The Story of Temple Drake | Stephen Roberts | 1933

Elf | Jon Favreau | 2003

Watchmen | Various | 2019 (TV)

Mikey and Nicky | Elaine May | 1976

The Punch and Judy Man | Jeremy Summers | 1963

The Lighthouse | Robert Eggers | 2019

The Boy Friend | Ken Russell | 1971

Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf | Phil Jutzi | 1931

The Whispering Star | Sion Sono | 2015

Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam | Carl Boese / Paul Wegener | 1920

The Limehouse Golem | Juan Carlos Medina | 2016

Let’s Go Crazy | Alan Cullimore | 1951

The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (Short) | Richard Lester | 1959

A Journey to the Beginning of Time | Karel Zeman | 1955

The Mandalorian | Various | 2019 (TV)

The Smallest Show on Earth | Basil Dearden | 1957

Take a Girl Like You | Jonathan Miller | 1970

Daisies (Sedmikrásky) | Vera Chytilova | 1966

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi | Rian Johnson | 2017

Bold = Top Ten

[hlupdate]

A hand­shake can quell polit­i­cal unrest and sti­fle impend­ing war. It can, with a bit of spit, val­i­date a gentleman’s agree­ment, end a years-long roman­tic rela­tion­ship or send a young heart rac­ing. But it all depends on the two par­ties involved.

Daisy, 21, felt a seis­mic jolt when Har­ry Styles, 25, wear­ing a striped jumper and rings on three of his five fin­gers, clutched her hand two days after this year’s Met Gala in New York, when she served him gela­to at the shop where she worked.

“He decid­ed on a small mint choco­late gela­to and I made his and the one for his friend and I said, ​‘Can I just say I absolute­ly loved your Met Gala look’ and he said ​‘Thank you very much! What’s your name?’ And I said, ​‘Daisy’ AND HE FUCK­ING EXTEND­ED HISHAND AND REACHED TO SHAKE MY HAND AND I ACTU­AL­LY FUCK­INGSHOOK HIS HAND WHAT THE FUCK,” she wrote on Insta­gram after The Shak­en­ing. ​“Like I didn’t even say any­thing to gas him up besides ​‘I loved your met gala look’ and his fine ass went and shook my hand! WHAT A BEAU­TI­FUL FUCK­ING HUMAN BEINGTHAT HE IS GOD BLESS HIM AND I HOPE HW [sic] LIVES FOREVER.”

For Har­ry Styles, a hand­shake can be a roman­tic ges­ture, con­jur­ing a potent rev­er­ence in its recip­i­ent, like the time he met Gucci’s cre­ative direc­tor Alessan­dro Michele. ​“He was as attrac­tive as James Dean and as per­sua­sive as Gre­ta Gar­bo. He was like a Luchi­no Vis­con­ti char­ac­ter, like an Apol­lo: at the same time sexy as a woman, as a kid, as a man,” Michele told me, has­ten­ing to add: ​“Of course, Har­ry is not aware of this.”

No, Styles has no idea the pow­er he wields. In per­son, he’s tow­er­ing, like some­one who is not that much taller but whose rep­u­ta­tion adds four inch­es. Styles has a seda­tive bari­tone, spo­ken in a rum­my north­ern Eng­lish accent, that tum­bles out so slow­ly you for­get the name of your first born, a swag­ger that has been nursed and per­fect­ed in myth­i­cal places with names like Pais­ley Park, or Abbey Road, or Grace­land. Makes com­plete sense that he would be up for the role of Elvis Pres­ley in Baz Luhrmann’s upcom­ing biopic. He was primed, nay, born to shake his hips, all but one but­ton on his shirt cling­ing for dear life around his tor­so. Then the part was award­ed to anoth­er actor, Austin Butler.

“[Elvis] was such an icon for me grow­ing up,” Styles tells me. ​“There was some­thing almost sacred about him, almost like I didn’t want to touch him. Then I end­ed up get­ting into [his life] a bit and I wasn’t dis­ap­point­ed,” he adds of his ini­tial research and prepa­ra­tions to play The King. He seems relaxed about los­ing the part to But­ler. ​“I feel like if I’m not the right per­son for the thing, then it’s best for both of us that I don’t do it, you know?”

Styles released his self-titled debut solo album in May 2017. The boy­band grad was clear­ly unin­ter­est­ed in hol­low­ing out the charts with more for­mu­la­ic meme pop. Instead, to the sur­prise of many, he dug his heels into retro-fetishist West Coast ​’70s rock. Some of the One Direc­tion fan-hordes might have been con­fused, but no mat­ter: Har­ry Styles sold one mil­lion copies.

Despite its com­mer­cial and crit­i­cal suc­cess, he didn’t tour the album right away. He want­ed to act in the Christo­pher Nolan film Dunkirk. To his cred­it, his por­tray­al of a British sol­dier cow­er­ing in a moored boat on the French beach­es as the Nazis advanced wasn’t skew­ered in the press like the movie debuts of, say, Madon­na or Justin Tim­ber­lake. Per­haps he was fol­low­ing advice giv­en by Elton John, who had urged him to diver­si­fy. ​“He was bril­liant in Dunkirk, which took a lot of peo­ple by sur­prise,” John writes in an email. ​“I love how he takes chances and risks.” Act­ing, unlike music, is a release for Styles; it’s the one time he can be not himself.

“Why do I want to act? It’s so dif­fer­ent to music for me,” he says, sud­den­ly ani­mat­ed. ​“They’re almost oppo­site for me. Music, you try and put so much of your­self into it; act­ing, you’re try­ing to total­ly dis­ap­pear in who­ev­er you’re being.”

Fol­low­ing the news that he missed out on Pres­ley, his name was float­ed for the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of The Lit­tle Mer­maid. How­ev­er, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Styles on the big screen as that idea, too, has sunk. He won’t be The King or the Prince. ​“It was dis­cussed,” he acknow­ledges before swift­ly chang­ing the sub­ject. ​“I want to put music out and focus on that for a while. But every­one involved in it was amaz­ing, so I think it’s going to be great. I’ll enjoy watch­ing it, I’m sure.”

The new album is wrapped and the sin­gle is decid­ed upon. ​“It’s not like his last album,” his friend, rock ​‘n’ roll leg­end Ste­vie Nicks, told me recent­ly over the phone. ​“It’s not like any­thing One Direc­tion ever did. It’s pure Har­ry, as Har­ry would say. He’s made a very dif­fer­ent record and it’s spectacular.”

Beyond that, Styles is keep­ing his cards close to his chest as to his next musi­cal move. How­ev­er, the air is thick with rumours that his main wing­man for HS2 is Kid Har­poon, aka Tom Hull, who co-wrote debut album track Sweet Crea­ture. No less an author­i­ty than Liam Gal­lagher told us that both big band escapees were in the same stu­dio – RAK in north-west Lon­don – at the same time mak­ing their sec­ond solo albums. Styles played him a cou­ple of tracks, ​“and I tell you what, they’re good,” Gal­lagher enthused. ​“A bit like that Bon Iver. Is that his name?”

Har­ry Styles met Nicks at a Fleet­wood Mac con­cert in Los Ange­les in April 2015. Some­thing about him felt authen­tic to the leg­endary front­woman: ground­ed, like she’d known him for­ev­er, blessed with a win­ning moon­shot grin. A month lat­er, they met back­stage at anoth­er Mac gig, this time at the O2 in Lon­don. Styles brought a car­rot cake for Nicks’ birth­day, her name piped in icing on top. By her own admis­sion, Nicks doesn’t even cel­e­brate birth­days, so this was a sur­prise. ​“He was per­son­al­ly respon­si­ble for me actu­al­ly hav­ing to cel­e­brate my birth­day, which was very sweet,” she says.

Styles’ rela­tion­ship with Nicks is hard to define. Induct­ing her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York as a solo artist ear­li­er this year, his speech hymned her as a ​“mag­i­cal gyp­sy god­moth­er who occu­pies the in-between”. She’s called him her ​“lovechild” with Mick Fleet­wood and the ​“son I nev­er had”. Both have moved past the pre­lim­i­nary chat acknowl­edg­ing each other’s unquan­tifi­able tal­ents and smooth­ly accel­er­at­ed towards play­ful cut-and-thrust ban­ter of a witch mom and her naughty child.

They per­form togeth­er – he sings The Chainand Stop Drag­gin’ My Heart Around; she sings the one alleged­ly writ­ten about Tay­lor Swift, Two Ghosts. One of those per­for­mances was at the Guc­ci Cruise after­par­ty in Rome in May, for ​“a lot of mon­ey”, Nicks tells me, in a ​“big kind of cas­tle place”. She has become his de fac­to men­tor – one phone call is all it takes to reach the Queen of Rock’n’Roll for advice on sequenc­ing (“She is real­ly good at track list­ing,” Styles admits) or just to hear each other’s voic­es… because, well, wouldn’t you?

Fol­low­ing anoth­er Fleet­wood Mac con­cert, at London’s Wem­b­ley Sta­di­um, in June, Nicks met Styles for a late (Indi­an) din­ner. He then invit­ed her back to his semi-detached Geor­gian man­sion in north Lon­don for a lis­ten­ing par­ty at mid­night. The album – HS2or what­ev­er it’ll be called – was fin­ished. Nicks, her assis­tant Karen, her make-up artist and her friends Jess and Mary crammed onto Styles’ liv­ing-room couch. They lis­tened to it once through in silence like a ​“bunch of edu­cat­ed monks or some­thing in this dark room”. Then once again, 15 or 16 tracks, this time each of his guests offer­ing live feed­back. It wrapped at 5am, just as the sun was bleed­ing through the curtains.

Even for a pop star of Styles’ stature, press­ing ​“play” on a deeply per­son­al work for your hero to digest, watch­ing her face react in real time to your new music, must be… what?

“It’s a dou­ble-edged thing,” he replies. ​“You’re always ner­vous when you are play­ing peo­ple music for the first time. You’ve heard it so much by this point, you for­get that peo­ple haven’t heard it before. It’s hard to not feel like you’ve done what you’ve set out to do. You are hap­py with some­thing and then some­one who you respect so much and look up to is, like: ​‘I real­ly like this.’ It feels like a large stamp [of approval]. It’s a big step towards feel­ing very com­fort­able with what­ev­er else hap­pens to it.”

Wad­ing through Styles’ back­ground info is exhaust­ing, since he was spanked by fame in the social media era where every god­dam blink of a kohl-rimmed eye has been doc­u­ment­ed from six angles. (And yes, he does some­times wear guyliner.)

Deep breath: born in Red­ditch, Worces­ter­shire, to par­ents Des and Anne, who divorced when he was sev­en. Grew up in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire with his sis­ter Gem­ma, mum and step­dad Robin Twist. Rode hors­es at a near­by sta­ble for free (“I was a bad rid­er, but I was a rid­er”). Stopped rid­ing, ​“got into dif­fer­ent stuff”. Formed a band, White Eski­mo, with school­mates. Aged 16, tried out for the 2010 run of The X Fac­torwith a stir­ring but aver­age ren­di­tion of Ste­vie Wonder’s Isn’t She Love­ly. Cut from the show and put into a boy band with four oth­ers, Louis Tom­lin­son, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, and called One Direc­tion. Became inter­na­tion­al­ly famous, toured the globe. Zayn quit to go solo. Toured some more. Dat­ed but maybe didn’t date Car­o­line Flack, Rita Ora and Tay­lor Swift – whom he report­ed­ly dumped in the British Vir­gin Islands. (This rela­tion­ship, if noth­ing else, yield­ed an icon­ic, can­did shot of Swift look­ing deject­ed, being motored back to shore on the back of a boat called the Fly­ing Ray.) One Direc­tion dis­cussed dis­band­ing in 2014, actu­al­ly dis­solved in 2015. They remain friend­ly, and Styles offi­cial­ly went solo in 2016.

It’s been two years since his epony­mous debut and lead sin­gle, Sign of the Times, shocked the world and Elton John with its swag­ger­ing, soft rock sound. ​“It came out of left field and I loved it,” John says.

After 89 are­na-packed shows across five con­ti­nents grossed him, the label, whomev­er, over $61 mil­lion, Styles had all but dis­ap­peared. He has emerged only inter­mit­tent­ly for pub­lic-fac­ing events – a Guc­ci after­par­ty per­for­mance here, a Met Gala co-chair­ing there. He relo­cat­ed from Los Ange­les back to Lon­don, sell­ing his Hol­ly­wood Hills house for $6mil­lion and ship­ping his Jaguar E-type across the Atlantic so he could take joyrides on the M25.

“I’m not over LA,” he insists when I ask about the move. ​“My rela­tion­ship with LAchanged a lot. What I want­ed from LA changed.”

A great escape, he would agree, is some­times nec­es­sary. He was in Tokyo for most of Jan­u­ary, hav­ing near­ly fin­ished his album. ​“I need­ed time to get out of that album frame-of-mind of: ​‘Is it fin­ished? Where am I at? What’s hap­pen­ing?’ I real­ly need­ed that time away from every­one. I was kind of just in Tokyo by myself.” His sab­bat­i­cal most­ly involved read­ing Haru­ki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chron­i­cle, singing Nir­vana at karaoke, writ­ing alone in his hotel room, lis­ten­ing to music and eaves­drop­ping on strangers in alien con­ver­sa­tion. ​“It was just a pos­i­tive time for my head and I think that impact­ed the album in a big way.”

Dur­ing this break he watched a lot of films, read a lot of books. Some­times he texts these rec­om­men­da­tions to his pal Michele at Guc­ci. He told Michele to watch the Ali Mac­graw film, Love Sto­ry. ​“We text what friends text about. He is the same [as me] in terms of he lives in his own world and he does his own thing. I love dress­ing up and he loves dress­ing up.”

Because he loves dress­ing up, Michele chose Styles to be the face of three Guc­ci Tai­lor­ing cam­paigns and of its new gen­der­less fra­grance, Mémoire d’une Odeur.

“The moment I met him, I imme­di­ate­ly under­stood there was some­thing strong around him,” Michele tells me. ​“I realised he was much more than a young singer. He was a young man, dressed in a thought­ful way, with uncombed hair and a beau­ti­ful voice. I thought he gath­ered with­in him­self the fem­i­nine and the masculine.”

Fash­ion, for Styles, is a play­ground. Some­thing he doesn’t take too seri­ous­ly. A cou­ple of years ago Har­ry Lam­bert, his styl­ist since 2015, acquired for him a pair of pink metal­lic Saint Lau­rent boots that he has nev­er been pho­tographed wear­ing. They are exceed­ing­ly rare – few pairs exist. Styles wears them ​“to get milk”. They are, in his words, ​“super-fun”. He’s not sure, but he has, ball­park, 50 pairs of shoes, as well as full clos­ets in at least three post­codes. He set­tles on an out­fit fair­ly quick­ly, maybe changes his T-shirt once before head­ing out, but most­ly knows what he likes.

What he may not ful­ly com­pre­hend is that sim­ply by being pho­tographed in a gar­ment he can spur the career of a design­er, as he has with Har­ris Reed, Palo­mo Spain, Charles Jef­frey, Alled-Martínez and a new favourite, Bode. Styles wore a SS16 Guc­ci flo­ral suit to the 2015 Amer­i­can Music Awards. When he was asked who made his suit on the red car­pet, Guc­ci began trend­ing world­wide on Twitter.

“It was one of the first times a male wore Alessandro’s run­way designs and, at the time, men were not tak­ing too many red car­pet risks,” says Lam­bert. ​“Who knows if it influ­enced oth­ers, but it was a spe­cial moment. Plus, it was fun see­ing the fans dress up in suits to come see Harry’s shows.”

Yet tra­di­tion­al gen­der codes of dress still have the minds of mid­dle Amer­i­ca in a choke­hold. Men can’t wear women’s clothes, say the online whingers, who have labelled him ​“trag­ic”, ​“a clown” and a Bowie wannabe. Styles doesn’t care. ​“What’s fem­i­nine and what’s mas­cu­line, what men are wear­ing and what women are wear­ing – it’s like there are no lines any more.”

Elton John agrees: ​“It worked for Marc Bolan, Bowie and Mick. Har­ry has the same qualities.”

Then there is the ques­tion of Styles’ sex­u­al­i­ty, some­thing he has admit­ted­ly ​“nev­er real­ly start­ed to label”, which will plague him until he does. Per­haps it’s part of his allure. He’s bran­dished a pride flag that read ​“Make Amer­i­ca Gay Again” on stage, and plant­ed a stake some­where left of cen­tre on sexuality’s rain­bow spectrum.

“In the posi­tion that he’s in, he can’t real­ly say a lot, but he chose a queer girl band to open for him and I think that speaks vol­umes,” Josette Maskin of the queer band MUNA told The Face ear­li­er this year.

“I get a lot of…” Styles trails off, wheels turn­ing on how he can dis­cuss sex­u­al­i­ty with­out real­ly answer­ing. ​“I’m not always super-out­spo­ken. But I think it’s very clear from choic­es that I make that I feel a cer­tain way about lots of things. I don’t know how to describe it. I guess I’m not…” He paus­es again, piv­ots. ​“I want every­one to feel wel­come at shows and online. They want to be loved and equal, you know? I’m nev­er unsup­port­ed, so it feels weird for me to over­think it for some­one else.”

Sex­u­al­i­ty aside, he must acknowl­edge that he has sex appeal. ​“The word ​‘sexy’ sounds so strange com­ing out of my mouth. So I would say that that’s prob­a­bly why I would not con­sid­er myself sexy.”

Har­ry Styles has emerged ful­ly-formed, an anachro­nis­tic rock star, vague in sen­si­bil­i­ty but des­tined to impress with a dis­arm­ing smile and a warm but firm handshake.

I recite to him a quote from Chrissie Hyn­de of The Pre­tenders about her time atop rock’s throne: ​“I nev­er got into this for the mon­ey or because I want­ed to join in the super­star sex around the swim­ming pools. I did it because the offer of a record con­tract came along and it seemed like it might be more fun than being a wait­ress. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Styles – who worked in a bak­ery in a small north­ern town some time before play­ing to 40,000 scream­ing fans in South Amer­i­can are­nas – must have wit­nessed some shit, been invit­ed to a few pool­side sex par­ties, in his time.

“I’ve seen a cou­ple of things,” he nods in agree­ment. ​“But I’m still young. I feel like there’s still stuff to see.”

[stylesnews]

The Face - Volume 4 . Issue 1

A hand­shake can quell polit­i­cal unrest and sti­fle impend­ing war. It can, with a bit of spit, val­i­date a gentleman’s agree­ment, end a years-long roman­tic rela­tion­ship or send a young heart rac­ing. But it all depends on the two par­ties involved.

Daisy, 21, felt a seis­mic jolt when Har­ry Styles, 25, wear­ing a striped jumper and rings on three of his five fin­gers, clutched her hand two days after this year’s Met Gala in New York, when she served him gela­to at the shop where she worked.

“He decid­ed on a small mint choco­late gela­to and I made his and the one for his friend and I said, ​‘Can I just say I absolute­ly loved your Met Gala look’ and he said ​‘Thank you very much! What’s your name?’ And I said, ​‘Daisy’ AND HE FUCK­ING EXTEND­ED HIS HAND AND REACHEDTO SHAKE MY HAND AND I ACTU­AL­LY FUCK­ING SHOOK HIS HAND WHAT THEFUCK,” she wrote on Insta­gram after The Shak­en­ing. ​“Like I didn’t even say any­thing to gas him up besides ​‘I loved your met gala look’ and his fine ass went and shook my hand! WHATA BEAU­TI­FUL FUCK­ING HUMAN BEING THAT HE IS GOD BLESS HIM AND I HOPE HW[sic] LIVES FOREVER.”

For Har­ry Styles, a hand­shake can be a roman­tic ges­ture, con­jur­ing a potent rev­er­ence in its recip­i­ent, like the time he met Gucci’s cre­ative direc­tor Alessan­dro Michele. ​“He was as attrac­tive as James Dean and as per­sua­sive as Gre­ta Gar­bo. He was like a Luchi­no Vis­con­ti char­ac­ter, like an Apol­lo: at the same time sexy as a woman, as a kid, as a man,” Michele told me, has­ten­ing to add: ​“Of course, Har­ry is not aware of this.”

No, Styles has no idea the pow­er he wields. In per­son, he’s tow­er­ing, like some­one who is not that much taller but whose rep­u­ta­tion adds four inch­es. Styles has a seda­tive bari­tone, spo­ken in a rum­my north­ern Eng­lish accent, that tum­bles out so slow­ly you for­get the name of your first born, a swag­ger that has been nursed and per­fect­ed in myth­i­cal places with names like Pais­ley Park, or Abbey Road, or Grace­land. Makes com­plete sense that he would be up for the role of Elvis Pres­ley in Baz Luhrmann’s upcom­ing biopic. He was primed, nay, born to shake his hips, all but one but­ton on his shirt cling­ing for dear life around his tor­so. Then the part was award­ed to anoth­er actor, Austin Butler.

“[Elvis] was such an icon for me grow­ing up,” Styles tells me. ​“There was some­thing almost sacred about him, almost like I didn’t want to touch him. Then I end­ed up get­ting into [his life] a bit and I wasn’t dis­ap­point­ed,” he adds of his ini­tial research and prepa­ra­tions to play The King. He seems relaxed about los­ing the part to But­ler. ​“I feel like if I’m not the right per­son for the thing, then it’s best for both of us that I don’t do it, you know?”

Styles released his self-titled debut solo album in May 2017. The boy­band grad was clear­ly unin­ter­est­ed in hol­low­ing out the charts with more for­mu­la­ic meme pop. Instead, to the sur­prise of many, he dug his heels into retro-fetishist West Coast ​’70s rock. Some of the One Direc­tion fan-hordes might have been con­fused, but no mat­ter: Har­ry Styles sold one mil­lion copies.

Despite its com­mer­cial and crit­i­cal suc­cess, he didn’t tour the album right away. He want­ed to act in the Christo­pher Nolan film Dunkirk. To his cred­it, his por­tray­al of a British sol­dier cow­er­ing in a moored boat on the French beach­es as the Nazis advanced wasn’t skew­ered in the press like the movie debuts of, say, Madon­na or Justin Tim­ber­lake. Per­haps he was fol­low­ing advice giv­en by Elton John, who had urged him to diver­si­fy. ​“He was bril­liant in Dunkirk, which took a lot of peo­ple by sur­prise,” John writes in an email. ​“I love how he takes chances and risks.” Act­ing, unlike music, is a release for Styles; it’s the one time he can be not himself.

“Why do I want to act? It’s so dif­fer­ent to music for me,” he says, sud­den­ly ani­mat­ed. ​“They’re almost oppo­site for me. Music, you try and put so much of your­self into it; act­ing, you’re try­ing to total­ly dis­ap­pear in who­ev­er you’re being.”

Fol­low­ing the news that he missed out on Pres­ley, his name was float­ed for the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of The Lit­tle Mer­maid. How­ev­er, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Styles on the big screen as that idea, too, has sunk. He won’t be The King or the Prince. ​“It was dis­cussed,” he acknow­ledges before swift­ly chang­ing the sub­ject. ​“I want to put music out and focus on that for a while. But every­one involved in it was amaz­ing, so I think it’s going to be great. I’ll enjoy watch­ing it, I’m sure.”

The new album is wrapped and the sin­gle is decid­ed upon. ​“It’s not like his last album,” his friend, rock ​‘n’ roll leg­end Ste­vie Nicks, told me recent­ly over the phone. ​“It’s not like any­thing One Direc­tion ever did. It’s pure Har­ry, as Har­ry would say. He’s made a very dif­fer­ent record and it’s spectacular.”

Beyond that, Styles is keep­ing his cards close to his chest as to his next musi­cal move. How­ev­er, the air is thick with rumours that his main wing­man for HS2 is Kid Har­poon, aka Tom Hull, who co-wrote debut album track Sweet Crea­ture. No less an author­i­ty than Liam Gal­lagher told us that both big band escapees were in the same stu­dio – RAK in north-west Lon­don – at the same time mak­ing their sec­ond solo albums. Styles played him a cou­ple of tracks, ​“and I tell you what, they’re good,” Gal­lagher enthused. ​“A bit like that Bon Iver. Is that his name?”

Har­ry Styles met Nicks at a Fleet­wood Mac con­cert in Los Ange­les in April 2015. Some­thing about him felt authen­tic to the leg­endary front­woman: ground­ed, like she’d known him for­ev­er, blessed with a win­ning moon­shot grin. A month lat­er, they met back­stage at anoth­er Mac gig, this time at the O2 in Lon­don. Styles brought a car­rot cake for Nicks’ birth­day, her name piped in icing on top. By her own admis­sion, Nicks doesn’t even cel­e­brate birth­days, so this was a sur­prise. ​“He was per­son­al­ly respon­si­ble for me actu­al­ly hav­ing to cel­e­brate my birth­day, which was very sweet,” she says.

Styles’ rela­tion­ship with Nicks is hard to define. Induct­ing her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York as a solo artist ear­li­er this year, his speech hymned her as a ​“mag­i­cal gyp­sy god­moth­er who occu­pies the in-between”. She’s called him her ​“lovechild” with Mick Fleet­wood and the ​“son I nev­er had”. Both have moved past the pre­lim­i­nary chat acknowl­edg­ing each other’s unquan­tifi­able tal­ents and smooth­ly accel­er­at­ed towards play­ful cut-and-thrust ban­ter of a witch mom and her naughty child.

They per­form togeth­er – he sings The Chain and Stop Drag­gin’ My Heart Around; she sings the one alleged­ly writ­ten about Tay­lor Swift, Two Ghosts. One of those per­for­mances was at the Guc­ci Cruise after­par­ty in Rome in May, for ​“a lot of mon­ey”, Nicks tells me, in a ​“big kind of cas­tle place”. She has become his de fac­to men­tor – one phone call is all it takes to reach the Queen of Rock’n’Roll for advice on sequenc­ing (“She is real­ly good at track list­ing,” Styles admits) or just to hear each other’s voic­es… because, well, wouldn’t you?

Fol­low­ing anoth­er Fleet­wood Mac con­cert, at London’s Wem­b­ley Sta­di­um, in June, Nicks met Styles for a late (Indi­an) din­ner. He then invit­ed her back to his semi-detached Geor­gian man­sion in north Lon­don for a lis­ten­ing par­ty at mid­night. The album – HS2or what­ev­er it’ll be called – was fin­ished. Nicks, her assis­tant Karen, her make-up artist and her friends Jess and Mary crammed onto Styles’ liv­ing-room couch. They lis­tened to it once through in silence like a ​“bunch of edu­cat­ed monks or some­thing in this dark room”. Then once again, 15 or 16 tracks, this time each of his guests offer­ing live feed­back. It wrapped at 5am, just as the sun was bleed­ing through the curtains.

Even for a pop star of Styles’ stature, press­ing ​“play” on a deeply per­son­al work for your hero to digest, watch­ing her face react in real time to your new music, must be… what?

“It’s a dou­ble-edged thing,” he replies. ​“You’re always ner­vous when you are play­ing peo­ple music for the first time. You’ve heard it so much by this point, you for­get that peo­ple haven’t heard it before. It’s hard to not feel like you’ve done what you’ve set out to do. You are hap­py with some­thing and then some­one who you respect so much and look up to is, like: ​‘I real­ly like this.’ It feels like a large stamp [of approval]. It’s a big step towards feel­ing very com­fort­able with what­ev­er else hap­pens to it.”

Wad­ing through Styles’ back­ground info is exhaust­ing, since he was spanked by fame in the social media era where every god­dam blink of a kohl-rimmed eye has been doc­u­ment­ed from six angles. (And yes, he does some­times wear guyliner.)

Deep breath: born in Red­ditch, Worces­ter­shire, to par­ents Des and Anne, who divorced when he was sev­en. Grew up in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire with his sis­ter Gem­ma, mum and step­dad Robin Twist. Rode hors­es at a near­by sta­ble for free (“I was a bad rid­er, but I was a rid­er”). Stopped rid­ing, ​“got into dif­fer­ent stuff”. Formed a band, White Eski­mo, with school­mates. Aged 16, tried out for the 2010 run of The X Fac­torwith a stir­ring but aver­age ren­di­tion of Ste­vie Wonder’s Isn’t She Love­ly. Cut from the show and put into a boy band with four oth­ers, Louis Tom­lin­son, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, and called One Direc­tion. Became inter­na­tion­al­ly famous, toured the globe. Zayn quit to go solo. Toured some more. Dat­ed but maybe didn’t date Car­o­line Flack, Rita Ora and Tay­lor Swift – whom he report­ed­ly dumped in the British Vir­gin Islands. (This rela­tion­ship, if noth­ing else, yield­ed an icon­ic, can­did shot of Swift look­ing deject­ed, being motored back to shore on the back of a boat called the Fly­ing Ray.) One Direc­tion dis­cussed dis­band­ing in 2014, actu­al­ly dis­solved in 2015. They remain friend­ly, and Styles offi­cial­ly went solo in 2016.

It’s been two years since his epony­mous debut and lead sin­gle, Sign of the Times, shocked the world and Elton John with its swag­ger­ing, soft rock sound. ​“It came out of left field and I loved it,” John says.

After 89 are­na-packed shows across five con­ti­nents grossed him, the label, whomev­er, over $61mil­lion, Styles had all but dis­ap­peared. He has emerged only inter­mit­tent­ly for pub­lic-fac­ing events – a Guc­ci after­par­ty per­for­mance here, a Met Gala co-chair­ing there. He relo­cat­ed from Los Ange­les back to Lon­don, sell­ing his Hol­ly­wood Hills house for $6 mil­lion and ship­ping his Jaguar E-type across the Atlantic so he could take joyrides on the M25.

“I’m not over LA,” he insists when I ask about the move. ​“My rela­tion­ship with LA changed a lot. What I want­ed from LA changed.”

A great escape, he would agree, is some­times nec­es­sary. He was in Tokyo for most of Jan­u­ary, hav­ing near­ly fin­ished his album. ​“I need­ed time to get out of that album frame-of-mind of: ​‘Is it fin­ished? Where am I at? What’s hap­pen­ing?’ I real­ly need­ed that time away from every­one. I was kind of just in Tokyo by myself.” His sab­bat­i­cal most­ly involved read­ing Haru­ki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chron­i­cle, singing Nir­vana at karaoke, writ­ing alone in his hotel room, lis­ten­ing to music and eaves­drop­ping on strangers in alien con­ver­sa­tion. ​“It was just a pos­i­tive time for my head and I think that impact­ed the album in a big way.”

Dur­ing this break he watched a lot of films, read a lot of books. Some­times he texts these rec­om­men­da­tions to his pal Michele at Guc­ci. He told Michele to watch the Ali Mac­graw film, Love Sto­ry. ​“We text what friends text about. He is the same [as me] in terms of he lives in his own world and he does his own thing. I love dress­ing up and he loves dress­ing up.”

Because he loves dress­ing up, Michele chose Styles to be the face of three Guc­ci Tai­lor­ing cam­paigns and of its new gen­der­less fra­grance, Mémoire d’une Odeur.

“The moment I met him, I imme­di­ate­ly under­stood there was some­thing strong around him,” Michele tells me. ​“I realised he was much more than a young singer. He was a young man, dressed in a thought­ful way, with uncombed hair and a beau­ti­ful voice. I thought he gath­ered with­in him­self the fem­i­nine and the masculine.”

Fash­ion, for Styles, is a play­ground. Some­thing he doesn’t take too seri­ous­ly. A cou­ple of years ago Har­ry Lam­bert, his styl­ist since 2015, acquired for him a pair of pink metal­lic Saint Lau­rent boots that he has nev­er been pho­tographed wear­ing. They are exceed­ing­ly rare – few pairs exist. Styles wears them ​“to get milk”. They are, in his words, ​“super-fun”. He’s not sure, but he has, ball­park, 50 pairs of shoes, as well as full clos­ets in at least three post­codes. He set­tles on an out­fit fair­ly quick­ly, maybe changes his T-shirt once before head­ing out, but most­ly knows what he likes.

What he may not ful­ly com­pre­hend is that sim­ply by being pho­tographed in a gar­ment he can spur the career of a design­er, as he has with Har­ris Reed, Palo­mo Spain, Charles Jef­frey, Alled-Martínez and a new favourite, Bode. Styles wore a SS16 Guc­ci flo­ral suit to the 2015 Amer­i­can Music Awards. When he was asked who made his suit on the red car­pet, Guc­ci began trend­ing world­wide on Twitter.

“It was one of the first times a male wore Alessandro’s run­way designs and, at the time, men were not tak­ing too many red car­pet risks,” says Lam­bert. ​“Who knows if it influ­enced oth­ers, but it was a spe­cial moment. Plus, it was fun see­ing the fans dress up in suits to come see Harry’s shows.”

Yet tra­di­tion­al gen­der codes of dress still have the minds of mid­dle Amer­i­ca in a choke­hold. Men can’t wear women’s clothes, say the online whingers, who have labelled him ​“trag­ic”, ​“a clown” and a Bowie wannabe. Styles doesn’t care. ​“What’s fem­i­nine and what’s mas­cu­line, what men are wear­ing and what women are wear­ing – it’s like there are no lines any more.”

Elton John agrees: ​“It worked for Marc Bolan, Bowie and Mick. Har­ry has the same qualities.”

Then there is the ques­tion of Styles’ sex­u­al­i­ty, some­thing he has admit­ted­ly ​“nev­er real­ly start­ed to label”, which will plague him until he does. Per­haps it’s part of his allure. He’s bran­dished a pride flag that read ​“Make Amer­i­ca Gay Again” on stage, and plant­ed a stake some­where left of cen­tre on sexuality’s rain­bow spectrum.

“In the posi­tion that he’s in, he can’t real­ly say a lot, but he chose a queer girl band to open for him and I think that speaks vol­umes,” Josette Maskin of the queer band MUNA told The Face ear­li­er this year.

“I get a lot of…” Styles trails off, wheels turn­ing on how he can dis­cuss sex­u­al­i­ty with­out real­ly answer­ing. ​“I’m not always super-out­spo­ken. But I think it’s very clear from choic­es that I make that I feel a cer­tain way about lots of things. I don’t know how to describe it. I guess I’m not…” He paus­es again, piv­ots. ​“I want every­one to feel wel­come at shows and online. They want to be loved and equal, you know? I’m nev­er unsup­port­ed, so it feels weird for me to over­think it for some­one else.”

Sex­u­al­i­ty aside, he must acknowl­edge that he has sex appeal. ​“The word ​‘sexy’ sounds so strange com­ing out of my mouth. So I would say that that’s prob­a­bly why I would not con­sid­er myself sexy.”

Har­ry Styles has emerged ful­ly-formed, an anachro­nis­tic rock star, vague in sen­si­bil­i­ty but des­tined to impress with a dis­arm­ing smile and a warm but firm handshake.

I recite to him a quote from Chrissie Hyn­de of The Pre­tenders about her time atop rock’s throne: ​“I nev­er got into this for the mon­ey or because I want­ed to join in the super­star sex around the swim­ming pools. I did it because the offer of a record con­tract came along and it seemed like it might be more fun than being a wait­ress. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Styles – who worked in a bak­ery in a small north­ern town some time before play­ing to 40,000scream­ing fans in South Amer­i­can are­nas – must have wit­nessed some shit, been invit­ed to a few pool­side sex par­ties, in his time.

“I’ve seen a cou­ple of things,” he nods in agree­ment. ​“But I’m still young. I feel like there’s still stuff to see.”

[letterboxd]

Best of the Decade: Horror.

Following some lively debate about what qualifies as a horror film, we present the 50 highest-rated horror films of the decade, as voted by the Letterboxd community.

Congratulations to Robert Eggers and The Lighthouse team on a late sprint past Get Out to take the top spot in our top 50 highest-rated films of the decade. The nautical nightmare was only released in US cinemas a few weeks ago, but its impact on the horror landscape has been felt since its spectacular Cannes debut, where film lovers queued for upwards of four hours in pouring rain in the hopes of securing a seat.

Films were eligible for inclusion in the list if they met the following criteria:

They were listed in the “horror” genre on one or more of the major databases (IMDb, TMDb, Wikipedia and others), or were included in a horror list by another notable outlet;

They were released in the US market theatrically or on streaming services between January 1, 2010 and today;

They were watched by at least 1,000 Letterboxd members.

Where there was uncertainty, we delved into Letterboxd reviews and lists to gauge the general mood of the community, and in one case we checked with the director himself. Robert Eggers told us he is fine with his film being categorized as a horror (not just by us, but by aggregation sites, reviewers and best-of lists).

Observations:

While contemporary horror films have taken us in wild new directions over the past decade, overall it remains a divisive and somewhat underrated genre compared to others. Many dramatic features released in the 2010s easily attained a score of 4.0 and above on our scale, but only the first six films on this list rate a 4.0 or higher.

Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, Ari Aster and Sion Sono are the horror MVPs of the 2010s, with two films each in the list (and Sono’s new Netflix original The Forest of Love may make the list by year’s end).

Five women directors appear in the list: Ana Lily Amirpour, Julia Ducournau, Juliana Rojas, Anna Biller and Jennifer Kent.

As always, the US is strongly represented in the geographical stakes, but Japan makes a decent showing with six films, and South Korea has five (including director Park Chan-wook’s English-laguage Stoker).

Films from Iran, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Estonia, Italy and France also make the list, and in terms of common themes, we’d like to see the dancers from Black Swan, Suspiria and Climax choreograph a joint extravaganza—we’d buy tickets to that.

We’ll update this list at year’s end as part of a wider roundup of the decade; please consider it an interim ranking until then, and feel free to join the discussion in the comments.

Issa López’s ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ (2017).

Highest Rated Horrors Directed by Women

While we were in a Hallowe’en mood, we also took the opportunity to unearth the 50 highest-rated horror films directed by women, according to the Letterboxd community. Congratulations to Mexico’s Issa López on taking the top spot with her frightening drug-cartel fairy tale, Tigers Are Not Afraid (which also placed seventeenth in our top 50 horrors of the decade).

For this list, we dropped the minimum view count to 400, to make room for some older, important entries, such as Jane Arden’s 1972 psycho-horror The Other Side of the Underneath, which made the list in second place, no less.

Observations:

The list spans a century of filmmaking—beginning with Salomé (1922)—but has a stronger representation from the past decade (a combination of ‘recency bias’ and the slow rise in the number of women making movies more generally).

Genre heroines on the list include Mary Lambert, Jane Arden, Karyn Kusama, Kathryn Bigelow and Anna Biller.

Veronika Franz and Hélène Cattet are the horror MVPs, each appearing twice.

The list represents a wide variety of sub-genres, including body horror, gynaehorror, friendships-gone-wrong, wedding horror, road horror, house horror, religious psychodrama and sharksploitation.

Due to the vagaries of genre tagging at IMDb and TMDb, we initially omitted ‘American Psycho’ from the Women-Directed Horrors list. We consider it horror, so this has been rectified.