#the sincerity is where I take leave and she has oodles of it

[whiskeyswifty]

BABEEEEEEE can we get some kelsey thoughts on chappell roan <3

Haahahaha sure, if you insist! I’d say they fall in a similar camp as my thoughts around renee rapp, which is that neither her or her music appeal to me. I will say, I like one or two songs at least, compared to RR for whom I do not enjoy a single song, but overall I’m turned off by the over the top schtick. I understand its references and context and the point it makes, don’t you worry, I’ve just grown out of the predominant use of shock value for shock value’s sake of it all, personally. (Not everything she does is that yes yes I know but she defaults to that in her music a lot) I think it’s a great technique! She’s using the exact same playbook as lady Gaga which some of you might be too young to remember and the significance of her path to stardom in the 2010s is lost on you, and that is fine. Also that is not value judgement either, as where Chappell is derivative of gaga, Gaga was derivative of Madonna, and on and on we go as all art is derivative. And I find watching her participation in taking up that mantle and carrying on that role fascinating in the grand scheme of observing pop music history as it happens in my lifetime. But because Chappell is to kids today as Gaga was to me, I’m unmoved by her currently because it is derivative and therefore not new nor interesting to me. Perhaps when she branches out into her own person, as all those who begin as derivative do, I’ll check back in. She’s just starting out and getting her bearings so she is allowed to play in the sandbox of her forebears for a while until she finds what works for her and what she wants to make her own. Particularly if she moves more into the Kate bush/good luck babe direction I will be interested in that.

Despite my no thank you bite, I am so happy she exists as a Gaga for gen z to call their own, as silly diy and campy counter programming to the polished pop landscape, just as Gaga was a Madonna for millennials in that exact way and so on. It’s important to have those figures inject that messy newness into pop music at any given time to move pop music forward, and if they grow big enough, culture forward. Even more important is that each generation has one they can call their own, and not just inherit the previous generation’s stale hand me downs. As the gagas and chappells and madonnas of the pop world play a specific role in allowing the people who are culturally othered by gender and sexuality to have someone they feel represents and plays to and thereby validates their otherness, so it’s integral that they feel their iteration reflects and understands their modern form of otherness. I’m happy she exists for those reasons and so happy that she’s expanding the minds of gen z and younger and that she can be that pivotal figure for them that I wouldn’t be who I am today without, mine being Gaga. She just does not have anything to offer currently that I’m interested in. What it all boils down to every time is (I think I’ve said this before) I’m highly allergic to potent musical theater personalities, and she’s another one, big time lmaooooo.

[seemaseemaseema]

From A Quick Gun To The Top Gun

By: Seema Seth                                         

       My rendezvous with the English language started as early as one, that's how old I was when I was adopted by my grandparents and brought to Mumbai, where they lived a small and humble existence. In that bourgeois lifestyle which appeared like some show reel, straight out of the antediluvian and popular Laurel and Hardy/ Charlie Chaplin, black and white comical movies, the living was mostly tight budgeted, therefore drab, and the only solace came from the much lavish and rich neighbors, albeit, once in a while!

       And one of them, a south Indian family, immediately took me into their hands. And lo! I started to get equipped with oodles of talent, starting with education, and then entertainment- jigging to hip-hopera, rap and Bollywood dances, choreographed on the tunes of Boney M, Elvis Presley, Manna Dey and many more.

       And it took this literal jungle Tarzan little time to transform into a living example of modern-day, quick gun 'Murugan (south Indian god of war and victory)', armed with a (talent) loaded gun.

       Now, lanced with the gun, chock-full of multi-talents, I started to shoot my cylinders from all sides and amazed everyone with my as smooth as the marshmallows versatility as soon as I landed in a foreign land-my native habitat, Rourkela (a town so tiny that it couldn't be traced on the world map until the Germans brought it into prominence with a world standard steel plant).

       Like a mechanical robot, which, when fed with the data, analytically performs each role with perfection, even my output was non-erroneous, 100 per cent in academics, gold medals in sprinting and top awards in acting. Wow! accolades and awards started to shower on me like the ripe fruits of hard work from the tree of karma, and I acquired the title of Ms Excellento in my school.

       More recognition followed after I contributed my first article in the school magazine (grandpa's bedtime stories came handy in stitching the fabric of a newfound talent-storytelling).

       And, in the same year, I was adjudged the Most Photogenic Face by a team of girls from a famous college of Delhi who had made a short film with all the pretty girls of that town. And a recommendation for junior Olympics followed after that.

       But Ms Murugan realized that her true calling was in storytelling, and that was what she wanted to do.  

       A powerful daddy, figuratively brought home the Doon School itself (a Doon teacher was called to tuition me at home), that being one of the premium schools of India, with most of the aborigine Britishers making up to the long repertories of their teaching staff, and thereby earning the credentials for having honed the crème-de-la-crème of the Indian sub-continent even.

       And he started with a long list of must-see movies. I checked the likes of Hollywood flicks, starting from the movies of superstars of that time, a la Murphy, Cruise etc. I accorded my high five to Mr. Murphy, who gets our ribs tickling with his flawless comedy whenever he comes on the screen and sets it ablaze with his performances. Further, his gift of the gab seems innate from the fact that he shares his surname with a famous radio brand, 'Murphy!' and the fact that the seamless (RJ like) speech could be intrinsic from his radio lineage, (if, at all, any!)

       Shortly, I learnt to speak like him. F u, F off, F around, and coined a new phrase after that; F u right, forth and center!

       At the end of it, I could somersault my way into much-cherished English league effortlessly with a new, uncontainable effervescence- all thanks to the magnetic Mr Murphy!

       Absolutely confident of my newly acquired proficiency, I thought of checking it on my sister first, 'F u'. So, I began by flaunting my newly acquired vocabulary.

       And next, that I remember, was a cloud of twinkling stars in various hues, corroborating with a streak of the rainbow, in the daylight, misting over my eyes, after a rightful punishment from a harrumphed father for my comeuppance.

      Oops! I realized after a punitive punishment that my teacher had forgotten to draw the line between the languages of Queen Victoria and the Yankees, leaving me to face the (figurative ear-shattering and brain hammering loud) music.

       Ms Murugan was pulled up, asked to acquire 'speak' and span mannerisms on the lines of Lord Falkland (or even Faulkner) and Queen Victoria- the parents of British English, and be one like them.

       But the phantoms of my beloved Hollywood actors were not easy to abandon and the "American Dream", too hard to resist.

       Torn between two equally ensnaring worlds, I walk on a (narrow and fragile) plank to decide which side should I tilt, while remaining, yours sincerely, an Englishman in New York, favouring the favors of the Yankees and the likes of the Victorians equally and by the same token, and believing that both the styles, like the recently propagated drive Black Life Matters that refuted apartheid, should be allowed to exist side by side.

       English is not a cakewalk, and like the alchemist,  one has to burn like a metal to become gold.

       As my real test begins, I strive to bridge the gap between the quick gun and top gun, hence, taking my job seriously, I  now delight in cleaning the gutters of the English language; following into the footsteps of the indomitable and one time Nobel awardee, Mr Pinter!

By the author of Until Kohinoor Smiles Again:Amazon.

[ramajmedia]

Big Bang Theory: 10 Times Stuart Deserved Better | ScreenRant

Stuart Bloom is a middle-aged man who owns a comic book store in The Big Bang Theory. He only appeared a few times in the earlier episodes before becoming a full-time cast member later on, starting in season six.

As the seasons went on, we learned a lot about Stuart. This lonely man really only wanted a hot shower and a plate of food at the end of the day — he never asked for much. He luckily became friends with our favorite members of The Big Bang Theory, and even though they didn't include him in many activities, we saw him open up more the closer they became.

While Stuart took his pain and misfortunes in stride, we can't help but notice all the hard times he endured throughout 12 seasons. From a failing business to no place to sleep, we found 10 times we really felt bad for "Stewie."

10 When He Found Out He Was A 'Test' Friend For Sheldon & Amy's Brunch

I think the biggest turning point in Stuart's relationship with the gang was when Sheldon and Amy threw a "test brunch," meaning a brunch thrown for random people to prepare themselves for brunch with their "real" friends.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory: 10 Of Howard’s Most Inappropriate Pickup Lines

In this group was Bert from the geology lab, their neighbor who didn't speak English, and Stuart. After Sheldon's comments, Stuart quickly realized they didn't see him as a dear friend, which upset him deeply (something we don't see often from Stuart without a hint of comedy). Thankfully, Sheldon and Stuart patched things up and the two became closer in their own way.

9 When His Comic Shop Burned Down

In the season seven finale, we find Sheldon going through a hard time dealing with the changes going on in his life. When he wanders to his happy place (i.e. the comic shop), he finds it in ruins. Stuart looks disheveled and tells Sheldon there was a fire. Sheldon doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that everything around him is changing, and it upsets Stuart that all he's thinking about is himself. Sheldon eventually leaves, but poor Stuart now had to rebuild from scratch and had no warm place to stay.

8 And When No One But Howard's Mom Let Him Move In

It's no real surprise that Stuart admitted to sleeping in the comic book shop sometimes; it was a warm place to stay after all. After everything went downhill for him, Howard and Bernadette suggested him taking care of his mother after she had fallen ill. Loving his new "job," Howard's mom invites him to live with her where the two grew a strong bond.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 5 They Rejected)

Sadly, Mrs. Wolowitz later dies and Stuart is left thinking about the fact that she was the only one who took him in. "One of us would have taken you in," Amy tells him. "Yeah, I don't recall any offers," replies Stuart matter-of-factly.

7 When He Actually Had A Shot With Penny And She Called Him The Wrong Name

As gorgeous as Penny was (and as vain as she can be at times), she really did give every single person a chance at wooing her. From going to the People Magazine event with Raj to being taken back by Stuart — maybe Penny wasn't as conceited as we thought.

Back in the earlier seasons, the gang takes Penny to the comic book shop where she first meets Stuart. He—somehow—has oodles of charm in this moment and it's enough to work! He draws her a picture and asks her on a few dates, to which she says yes! It all ends horribly though when the two were making out and she calls Stuart "Leonard." Whoops!

6 When He Finally Got Amy Out On A Date (And Sheldon Hijacked It)

After taking Penny on a few dates, Stuart gets the courage to ask Amy on a date, too! We can't say the man doesn't try because he definitely shoots his shot. Nevertheless, at this point, Amy has been in a strange, cosmic relationship with Sheldon. But after he won't "fully" commit to her, she decides to take Stuart up on his offer to go on a date.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory: 10 Times Amy And Penny Were Friendship Goals

Later on, of course, it bothers Sheldon that his woman is on a date with another man. He then bombards their movie date and asks her to be his girlfriend with Stuart sitting right next to them. Amy agrees and then continues to sit through the date with Stuart - awkward much?

5 When He Only Went To Sheldon's To Have A Hot Shower

In the episode "The Toast Derivation," Sheldon is sick of his best buddies Leonard, Raj, and Howard. To prove he can find other friends that are just as great, he invites Stuart, Barry Kripke (co-worker), and Penny's ex-boyfriend Zach over. The new gang ends up singing karaoke together, with Stuart only attending this weird hangout because Sheldon had hot water to take a shower...  Poor Stuart.

4 When His Shrink Killed Himself (Because Of Stuart)

In the episode, "The Friendship Contraction," Stuart talks about the hard time he's having. Throughout the seasons, he's made a few remarks about his therapist.

RELATED: Big Bang Theory: 10 Storylines That Have Aged Poorly

However, in this particular episode, he tells everyone he's had a rough day because his shrink died. Not only that, but the shrink killed himself and blamed Stuart in the note! Is Stuart's life that depressing that someone had to kill themselves because of it?

3 When He Wasn't Asked To Join The Scavenger Hunt

"The Scavenger Vortex" was one of the best episodes of The Big Bang Theory. It all started when Raj wanted to put together a scavenger hunt for his friends to see who would come out on top, pairing everyone off in bizarre ways. Penny was with Leonard, Leonard was with Bernadette, and Amy was with Howard. The strange partners are what made this episode so funny, but it wasn't all fun and games.

After Raj asks Stuart if he could use his comic book shop as a clue in his hunt, Stuart asks if the group ever thought of including him in any of their fun outings... You know, instead of just using him for his shop. It did make us wonder why Raj didn't think to include Stuart though.

2 When Stuart Finally Has A Place To Call Home And Is Picked On By Howard For It

Stuart never really talks about having a home of his own. He's always sleeping in his comic book shop or crashing on someone's couch. His luck finally changes when Howard and Bernadette ask Stuart if he can take care of Mrs. Wolowitz.

RELATED: 10 Highest-Rated Episodes Of The Big Bang Theory (According To IMDb)

After succeeding at the job and becoming close to "Deb," she asks Stuart to move in. He finally has his own bed, a heater, and a hot shower! This doesn't come easily though because Howard is infuriated that Stuart is living in his childhood home and seems to have an inappropriate relationship with his mother. Just let the man live, Howard!

1 When The Gang Doesn't Invite Him To Vegas

Everyone knows that when Sheldon is sick, the world revolves around him. He needs everyone's attention and all the hands he can get — which is why everyone runs away from him when he's sick. However, after rubbing everyone the wrong way after having the flu, the gang needed to get away.

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Choosing to flee to Las Vegas, they tell Sheldon he can't come because his apologies weren't sincere. Stuart, for once, is actually invited on the Vegas trip, but after Sheldon was kicked off the bus, he brought Stuart with him! Why should Stuart have to suffer just because Sheldon is? After Sheldon gets invited back on the bus, he then tells Stuart not to come! Can this poor man ever catch a break?

source https://screenrant.com/big-bang-theory-10-times-stuart-deserved-better/