#the only actor who would prefer not to get recognition

[aquarines]

sam also being worried about iwtv coming to netflix and enjoying the fact that their little show is for a cult of weirdos aw :((

[pluckysidekick]

We’re heading into the home stretch! Good news - we’re getting a 20 second trailer for the finale! Thank you to the CW18 Milwaukee for promoting Nancy Drew while corporate was busy cancelling failed imports and promoting golf.

Now, I know some folks have been spoiled *ahem* by the leaked transcript for 412. I have not and will not be partaking - I like my spoilers vague, and I prefer to watch the episode in whole with actors and sets and special effects and music and all the things. But I did spend some time this weekend thinking about what would happen next - and debating it with @likestosolvethepuzzle (whose latest fic you must read), who encouraged me to post this analysis that I primarily wrote over weekend before the transcript leaked.

So read on if you’re interested in my unspoiled take (well except for the usual BTS photos I’ve hoarded from filming, the trailers, and hints on social media from the fine professionals who made the show).

Rewinding back to Episode 8, Nancy sends Ace on his way with the curse jar to go fishing with his father. He complains, but she tells him to go make “messy” memories with Thom (clearly she’s thinking of how she wished she could have more with Kate). Thom apologizes that the captain canceled, Ace drops the jar which lights up and sets off a little wave, and they get wet but no other harm is done. Ace calls Nancy from the Marina - note the establishing shot is Horseshoe Bay, not the Yacht Club or the Claw, so he’s sitting in the parking lot of a different marina, presumably where the fishing boat is docked.

Ace and Nancy have their phone call, and we now know Nancy goes to erase a sin 26 minutes later. The only think she knows is that she saw flames before Ryan rescued her from Jonas Glass, but she believes she and Ace were responsible for Jane Doe’s death.

A few other tidbits that could be clues or red herrings - when Jane Doe was found charred beyond recognition, it was noted that it was in the woods near the coastline. When the ghost tells Ace that she stayed because he said he didn’t want to leave her, she then says no one had ever talked to her or about her that way before. The ghost is also insistent that no one ask her how she died.

OK. A few weird things. The captain canceling but Ace and Thom still going ahead is weird. Why would the captain allow it? Who’s piloting that sort of large-ish boat? And why did the jar make any kind of blip at all, and yet the wave was small enough they only got wet?

We have BTS of what appears to be Thom in the water:

And we had a video from applebanannapear (Ace’s stand-in) of a marina/boat yard with Florence parked nearby, and he’s standing next to someone who looks like she could be Nancy’s stand-in:

These to me look like scenes of the forgotten events of that night, erased by the Sin Eater.

So what I think could have gone down (speculation ahead):

What if the captain of the fishing boat didn’t cancel and was on the boat with Ace and Thom? And Jane Doe could be the captain? She could be lonely and even flirted with Ace, who we know is also lonely - they may even have a moment.

When Ace drops the curse jar, it actually flames up and breaks, and causes a much bigger commotion - maybe even a whirlpool not unlike the ghost’s whirlwind from 411. Then the boat catches on fire. They all jump or are thrown into the water. Ace is able to fish Thom out, but the captain is lost - she gets caught in the flames before drowning.

Ace and Thom eventually make it back to shore. Ace calls Nancy in a panic. She comes immediately. They fight, but Nancy insists on going to the Black Door. Ace may have dropped the curse jar, but Nancy gave it to him and pushed him to go fishing with his dad. The death was accidental but Ace feels guilty - he’s completely torn up with grief. This is the person who would rather die than let Nancy give Daniel West the list.

Thom’s part - I am less certain (and of course all of this is speculation). He’s a semi-retired cop, so he’d want to call it in. Ace would probably be charged with setting the boat on fire - he did drop the jar that caused the boat to catch on fire. Thom might have even fought with him about the jar when he finds out what Ace is doing, causing it to break.

Nancy takes matters into her own hands and goes to the Black Door - she loves Ace, and feels responsible- she won’t let him suffer. She’s miserable, doing something she never thought she’d do - but she does it for Ace. They may even have an angry almost love confession - but it falls short of triggering the curse, because the Sin Eater only erases the memories of everyone involved. It doesn’t negate the sin itself, and Ace is still alive.

And why is the ghost drawn to Ace? They actually made a connection before she died, and her charred body washed up on shore near the woods. He may have made her feel safe on that boat before the accident. He may have “caught” the curse (as many have theorized), and that’s why he can hear and see and even touch her. And her claim of her hair wrapping around her mouth, feeling cold, and the sky disappearing are consistent with burning and then drowning. And she doesn’t want Ace or Nancy to ask her how she died because it’s too painful, and perhaps because she doesn’t want Ace to suffer with the knowledge.

I believe the Drew Crew will find out what really happened in this episode - Henry Zaga posted photos and reels from Capilano Lake. I believe this is the reservoir location, and they are able to use the poisoned water to help Nancy remember the sin and reverse the memory wipe.

Speaking of Henry, Tristan is certainly back in this episode. He posted from the woods and a few locations. I was leaning toward this being him as well in director Kristin Lehman’s monitor - although it could also be Ace.

So we know from the two stills we got for this episode that we’ll see Ace and Nancy together plenty. But boy Ace does not look happy - he doesn’t want to give up his ghost I suspect. I know we all expect them to break the curse, but from Ace’s POV he and Nancy are separated forever. Cannot wait to see it all unfold (pain and all). Celine, the writer of this episode, reminded us that there will be heartbreak and there will be truth. She also shared a devastating playlist I’ve had on repeat - “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” is killing me. As much as we all want Nace together and loving, I’m expecting a journey through fire here (literally) before we get our HEA next week (cause we will).

I’m super intrigued by how Nancy and Tristan will interact - are they still romantically inclined? Or was Tristan almost biting her as the Sin Eater a mood killer? And what did Nashua mean about them walking the path many times before? Reincarnation seems to be a theme this season. @flythesail and @reviewdiaries have written excellent analyses about what it could mean.

We’ll also get a Spring Festival on the beach (which they filmed in the snow), and the return of Red and Birdie (according to IMDB). I don’t have room to post it, but one of our favorite crew members Sangalicious had an IG story at the time that referred to the festival. Geraldine Chu also posted from the snowy location - looking forward to Birdie and Jesse together again. The beach they filmed at is the same one from the bucket ceremony - is there a supernatural confrontation, or perhaps something between the believers and non-believers of the supernatural?

From the trailer, we see Nancy waking up (perhaps with her memories returning?), and the Crew recoiling in horror in the Yacht Club basement:

We also glimpsed who most of us think is Tristan confronting the figurehead of the Endeavor in the same location (yes I analyzed Henry and Alex’s cheekbones):

Are Tristan and the figurehead connected - and is Nancy too (read @flythesail’s analysis for more on that)?

Finally, I’ve been debating if the Claw baby shower Riley shared a glimpse of is actually in this episode and not the finale as we see George and Nick in the wardrobe from this (412) episode’s stills. Jen Vestuto said it’s not what we think it is - of course we all assume it’s Carson and Jean’s baby since her awkward confession. Could it be Ryan and Red’s instead? Or did she mean it wasn’t for a Nace baby? Is there something timey whimey going on since not that much time has elapsed (or has it?) and it really is in the finale? Is Jean’s unborn child a potential next Sin Eater (yikes!)? We’ll find out soon! See you on the other side.

[katrinapavela]

QTNA: 10 Questions I Would Like Kerry Washington’s Memoir, Thicker Than Water to Answer

Kerry Washington’s memoir, Thicker Than Water, will be available to the masses on the 26th of September, and I have questions that need answers. Well, I would like to have answers.  I pre-ordered it in June when it was announced, and I’ll be receiving a second copy when I see her in Manchester in October (Kerry, you better not cancel this leg of the tour. I worry because we’re the only stop that still doesn’t have a confirmed special guest). Before a million reviewers start leaking and the full-court press is unleashed this week, I thought it would be fun to post some of my own questions about Ms. Washington that I hope are answered in Thicker.  To be clear, I read the same excerpt on Oprah.com as the rest of y’all. And I won’t be reading any advanced reviews until mine own eyes have completed all 320 pages of Kerry’s words. I am really looking forward to reading it, and hope to recommend it to my Black women-only reading group. 

As an actress, I have liked Kerry Washington since I watched Save the Last Dance in the early 2000s. And in each subsequent film I’ve watched that featured her, I’ve felt like Tony Goldwyn (but not as intense): Oh hey, it’s that really great actress and she’s always giving something different. But I never explicitly sought after articles or interviews, preferring to casually enjoy her work instead. 

That changed with Scandal. My dedication to the show hedged on its compelling narrative themes. But it was the compelling relationship between Kerry’s Olivia Pope and Tony Goldwyn’s Fitzgerald Grant that created magic. It cast a spell that elicited from me reams of writing about Scandal between 2012-2018. In fact, the series changed the whole trajectory of Kerry Washington’s career (and my life, too ). It also brought significantly more eyes upon her. The first vehicle built around Kerry, Scandal gave her acting space to breathe, develop and shine. I also continued to watch the smattering of films she made during that era (Django Unchained, Peeples, Confirmation), and began reading interviews with her--both before and during Scandal. I began to notice the way in which the availability of information shifted, receded (or removed), and sometimes became opaque under a claim of ‘privacy’ whilst also offering the veneer of accessibility from late 2013 onward. Granted, I do not run any obsequious fan accounts about Kerry, so I know there will be some who try to rattle off any number of things I “should know” because they have inhaled every morsel of information and made its consumption and regurgitation their entire online personality. But I am also not a hater who consumes the actor's every move for the purpose of group chat gossip. I like knowing things about people I admire because I like to find points of connection, perspective, recognition…and differences. I admire Kerry Washington…or what she’s allowed me to see. The problem is, when I think about her, I think about a person who seems good and cares fiercely for her country, family, and other people. She’s well-regarded. She’s funny. She’s stylish. She has a great capacity for information. But. 

She also seems secretive, and that’s different from being private. I feel like I know of her, about her. But who is she, really? That lack of clarity is partly by design, of course, due to her profession. Still, I hope Thicker Than Water answers the soul of that question: Who is Kerry Washington? 

It is with that central question in mind that I pose the following questions. These are MY questions. I am not here to represent anyone’s fandom. I know, too, that I don’t have a ‘right’ to have any of these questions answered. I’m not delulu (as the kids say). I’m being as honest as I can with my own curiosities about Kerry, as both an actress and a human. 

These are my questions. I am not here to represent a fandom. Let’s get into the QTNA of it all.

Q1: What childhood scars still itch even into adulthood?

In a recent interview, Kerry mentioned that her therapist has read her book. Samesies! When I finished the pre-copyedited draft of my first book, I started connecting some childhood dots to a few of my ongoing challenges. I asked my therapist to read it so that we could be on the same page in our sessions. It is for this reason that I wonder if Kerry’s reading back of her own writing was revelatory to her in ways she was not able to consciously unlock before. Are there things still there under the surface, the ghosts of which still tingle and itch sometimes no matter how much therapy she has had? Falling back into patterns is easy; undoing them takes so much self-awareness and intentionality. 

Secondly, I ask the question based on the excerpt from Thicker that was chosen to appear on Oprah.com. Beautifully conveyed with a stark honesty I had never seen from Kerry, the selection chosen is one that gives us a sliver into the dysfunctions of the Washington’s marriage. Ones that were quite literally disruptive to 7-year-old Kerry. Aristotle famously said, “Give me the child until [s]he is 7 and I will show you the [wo]man.” The theory of the first 7 years of a child’s life has been debated in Psychology. However, anecdotally, I can tell you that both my wife and I carry deeply impactful memories of our selves at age 7, the threads of which still linger. So, why is that memory offered as the amuse bouche to the drawing back of the curtains of Kerry Washington’s life which Thicker Than Water promises (or ‘her truth’ as Kerry calls it)? Does the excerpt set a foundation for the grown up Kerry we now see? For me, the excerpt made me wonder if young Kerry’s (confessed) determination to be the living embodiment of the pleasing, “good” thing that bonded her parents together was the start of a perfectionism that would be hard to shake. Control issues that would find her guarding a carefully curated image that avoids like the plague the possibility of being seen as ‘problematic’ for a stance, an opinion, a view? Or it could be that I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. That is entirely possible.  

Q2: Did you experience any body dysmorphia issues during your first pregnancy? Was your second pregnancy different?

This is a difficult and very personal question. I know. It is based on two things: 1) the unusual language Kerry used to refer to her changing body during that time; and 2) the fact that she mentioned, prior to Scandal, she struggled with an eating disorder. 

During Kerry’s first pregnancy (2013-2014), I don’t recall her using the word ‘pregnant’. She would say things like how the ‘condition’, ‘orientation’, or ‘physicality’ of her body changed when discussing how she approached acting during that time. I don’t recall her talking about it in personable ways. It felt like if she didn’t have to acknowledge what our eyes could plainly see, she would not have. Kerry appeared much more comfortable with her second pregnancy (2017). Listen, I have never been pregnant. In fact, I am terrified of it, which is why I wonder what it must be like for someone who has struggled with an eating disorder (which can cause body dysmorphia issues). How did Kerry come to embrace such a purposeful but very disrupting change to her body?  I have been around a fair number of pregnant women, so I know it’s not all ‘miracle of life’ stuff. The typical pregnancy narratives out there from celebrities don’t typically discuss this unless we can relate it back to inequalities in maternal health care. Even if they do, I’m asking for Kerry Washington’s perspective. I could be entirely wrong, but I’d still like to know was the changing of her body hard for her. I’d love to know how she felt after her first child was born, and what motherhood feels like for her. 

A related thing about which I am curious: Did she have any fertility issues and struggle with getting pregnant? And why did she wait until after it was beyond obvious during her Saturday Night Live appearance in early November 2013 to officially confirm she was pregnant? What fear was the fear behind this late decision? 

Q3: What makes you sad, insecure, or sometimes need to retreat into yourself?

Kerry seems like a high-energy, joyful, positive person. She’s commented that as an Aquarius, she loves all sorts of people. I can see that. As an introverted Cancerian, I appreciate high-energy people…in doses. Every talk show appearance, red carpet interview, and social media content are all carefully presenting a woman who is very together. I say this because sometimes Kerry speaks in therapy language even when she’s trying to be sincere about overcoming battles. Of course, the image one projects (me, too) is always only partially true—whatever the industry.  Kerry is a person and most of us do not have it all together, no matter how much we present it as such, or how much we sweep aside the less salubrious, more complicated parts of ourselves. It’s that stuff that I’m interested in. Where are her edges? Negativity may be ‘noise’ (as Kerry’s Twitter banner displays), but it also gives positivity its meaning. I also recall a saying that happy people are usually the most fucked up ones. Now, I’m not accusing Ms. `Washington of being uniquely fucked up, because we all are in some ways. The always ‘on’ facade is typically a way of hiding (just one of the tools) the things we don’t think we can show. Is she a trainwreck in the mornings and a bitch in the afternoon? Please, I just want to know something real…about Kerry, not just about her parents and her career. 

Q4: In what ways, are you like your character Olivia Pope? 

On an episode of Unpacking the Toolbox podcast, Kerry’s co-stars/friends, Guillermo Diaz, and Katie Lowes, said that out of everyone in the cast, Kerry is the most like her character (Olivia Pope). Would Kerry say this is accurate or fair? If so, what characteristics does she have in common with Olivia? Please spare me surface-level, obfuscating comparisons such as ‘We look alike :)’ or ‘We’re both passionate about democracy!’ Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Katie and Guillermo meant. I don’t presume anything untoward. I also understand why actors in long-running shows are usually at pains to separate the actor from the character, especially when that character’s messy humanity is on display for everyone to judge. But, again, give me something of substance here. 

Q5: In what ways do you draw on your Jamaican heritage? How are you imparting that to your children along with their Nigerian Igbo heritage? And who are your father’s people?

Kerry has been very vocal about her mother’s Jamaican heritage. She has been vocal about immigration, sharing that her maternal grandparents came to America via Ellis Island.  In the summer of 2023, she was in Jamaica to film a special about dance forms from around the world. As a Jamaican myself, I would like something more concrete about her Jamaican background. She often mentions her Jamaican heritage, but in what ways is it important to her? How does she call on that heritage as part of her identity? How is she (or not) imparting that sense of culture to her children alongside their Igbo heritage? Lastly, I’m less certain of her father’s origins (presumably in the American South). I’d like to know more about that. 

Q6: Why was Hollywood the calling? Did you feel like changing course? If so, when and what put you back on the path towards who you’ve become?

This question is about Kerry’s early experiences in Hollywood. In an old interview (hopefully, I didn’t hallucinate this), she mentioned being told early on to lose 30 pounds and fix her teeth, at which she scoffed. Despite the contemporary irony juxtaposed against the past demand, where did she get the strength of determination and belief in herself to push past what those assholes could not see? As plucky as she seems, everyone has low moments when they are pushing for a dream. What’s one of hers from those early years?

In another interview (or the same?) Kerry mentioned giving herself a year to become a working actor in Hollywood. This is after her post-University travels to India to study Yoga. I want to know more about the jump from Yoga to Hollywood. What was that internal calling, or was it a casual, young adventurous thing she thought she would try? Did the move to Hollywood occur during a highly ambivalent part of her life? If so, how did that feel as a Black woman, since those women are often under pressure to take up a more guaranteed profession than the arts?

Q7: What did you find most challenging about working on Scandal—both as an actress and as a person? What nonsense did you and your castmates get up to behind the scenes? 

Kerry has been very grateful for landing a show like Scandal and for the fine company of actors with whom she got to work. Great, but can she tell us the non-PR stuff? I’m not talking about back-biting—I don’t care. I’m always interested in the process for actors and all the changes they go through when working on a long-term project.  American TV shows have 16-24 episode commitments every year. That has got to dominate a person’s life! What are some specific ways it impacted Kerry’s life? Actors have talked about how unrelenting the TV schedule is, including Shonda’s reflections in her 2015 book about the incessant demand to ‘lay track’ (write) so that the train that is the TV show doesn’t run off course. I already know that Kerry has borrowed from Ellen Pompeo, the advice to approach being #1 on the call sheet of a TV show the way an athlete would approach her dedicated sport. The point here is that I’m not seeking more information on enduring the schedule. I’m interested in how she kept the motivation and rationale for her character over such a long period. What did she do when she had disagreements about things Olivia was written to do? Would she have done anything differently? What was the thing that Olivia did that she found hardest to justify? Who was that one guest star who gave her nothing when they acted together (alluded to in Unpacking the Toolbox, episode 107)?  And finally, can she stop playing diplomat and just say that Tony is the better kisser?  

Q8: IDTAMPL was weird. What was the fear behind that, and how do you now define ‘personal life’?

For the uninitiated, or those with short-term memories, the acronym IDTAMPL stands for I Don’t Talk About My Personal Life. Kerry adopted this saying whenever she was interviewed after her marriage to Nnamdi Asomugha was announced on the 3rd of July 2013. Occurring on the brink of the holiday weekend, the news dropped like a bomb in the Scandal fandom. Even outside the fandom. Many were flummoxed, including me. On the 4th of July, I attended a celebration in London with a fellow American who is a big-time Philadelphia Eagles (Nnamdi’s former team) football fan, including the gossip surrounding the team.  As soon as she opened her door to me, she said, “Your girl married Nnamdi?!” She consumed more football than Scandal at the time. Suffice it to say, I have left out the accurate number of question marks and exclamations in her voice. Her face, too, was full of them. 

Listen, we used to be a proper country. Many celebrities, with and without talent, have lost the art of mystique, preferring instead to cultivate the marketing skill of capturing attention and selling it to us as actual talent. 

I am thankful for those celebrities who maintain the mystique of a bygone era. Intrigue me, but don’t shut the door completely. The latter is what it felt like Kerry did after it was announced that she was married. Prior to the announcement, I don’t recall the media being that interested in Kerry’s dating life. It was not a topic that came up. Nor did Kerry ever let on that she was dating, let alone that she had been involved with Asomugha for three years (according to Kerry’s timeline of their meeting in 2009 when she did the Broadway play, Race). I have no qualms with celebrities who don’t make their partners part of their public image, or the ones who wed outside the limelight (Margot Robbie, Chris Evans (recently)). What I don’t like is when they pretend that they didn’t volunteer the information in the first place. Kerry’s team announced the marriage, even giving PR-friendly People Online titbits from “a source close to the couple” about Kerry’s ‘regular’ looking wedding dress (I kid you not. The source called the unseen dress ’regular’). We even learned that the “secret wedding” (every publication used that phrase so it’s deliberate) took place in the potato-producing state of Hailey, Idaho in the last week of June. These things were volunteered. 

But once Kerry emerged back on red carpets and public events that summer, she trotted out a new PR line when asked follow-up questions about her wedding, husband, or newly married life: “I don’t talk about my personal life”.  After literal years of not mentioning a romantic life, when her very public engagement to David Moscow ended in 2007, it was Kerry who let the public know: 1) She was hiding a boyfriend (shoutout to Pusha T); and 2) Surprise! I’s married now (shoutout to Shug Avery)…but don’t ask me anything about it! Don’t even ask me for a picture with the two of us together to go with your marriage announcement headlines. That’s what photoshop is for. Figure it out!

I’m being facetious, but, girl...

BFFR. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. We didn’t ask, but she definitely told us. And when folks followed up on that telling, Kerry closed up tighter than a sphincter with a ‘do not enter sign. That whole era was awkward. Can we acknowledge that, at least?

Lest you think, “You’re being way harsh, Tai”, I’m not. What I sense is that there was some fear Kerry harboured behind revealing her coupling with Nnamdi. What was the source of the fear that led to the IDTAMPL shutdown? Was it because she did not want her personal narrative to be overshadowed by her relationship status? And what inspired her to begin relaxing that… a little? Like, she waited until her second child was born in 2017 to start allowing articles to describe her as “a mother of three”, revealing Nnamdi’s daughter from a previous relationship, which she had not acknowledged before. Was it simply time that allowed her to all but retire the IDTAMPL line? Or were there key turning points that led to slow revelations? And can we agree that the reluctance to talk about a ‘personal’ life is specifically related to her husband (mostly) and children (I support her keeping them off social media)? Words mean things. One’s parents are part of one’s personal life, but Kerry has no qualms about performing her relationship with them on social media. I mean, the excerpt she chose for us to read busts-open like a ripe papaya their whole past marital dysfunction, and her mother’s contemplating being unalive. Like…are such matters not not both personal and private? With all of that in mind, what has prompted this rethinking? How does Kerry now define ‘personal life’?

Q9: What is your most enduring memory from your time in India? Would you go back if you haven’t already?

On more than one occasion, Kerry has referenced her time spent in India. Besides the fact that she chose to travel to the subcontinent after graduation from George Washington University, we don’t know that much about that period (and that she studied Yoga whilst there). Kerry graduated from GW in 1999 (?). I spent five months in the southern states of India in the first half of 2000. I’m not sure if her trip crossed over into the new millennium, but it’s kind of cool to think about us both being in that vast country at the same time. I would love to know what are some of Kerry’s outstanding memories? What did she love about that place? What does she not miss? Did she visit a favourite place, or discover a dish she continues to enjoy? Does she, like me, share Indian heritage as part of her Jamaican identity?

Looking back, did travelling abroad at such a formative age, shape her coming of age in any way? I would welcome any memories or anecdotes from that time in her life. 

Q: Beyond “mutual respect” for each other, why are you at your most playful around Tony Goldwyn?

I cannot be sure, but it is likely that Kerry has come across online theories and conspiracies that are both outlandish and semi-reasonable based on visuals alone. Whenever fans (to be clear, I am ‘fans’) are treated to her interactions with Tony Goldwyn, it feels like a hit of sugar injected directly into our veins. Their power has a hold on us. 

It is not simply fans seeing in Kerry and Tony a nostalgia for Olivia and Fitz. Both entities are a force unto themselves. Most don’t confuse one for the other, if they have a shred of media literacy. Even people who hated Olivia and Fitz as a couple can acknowledge that there is a je ne sais quoi between Kerry and Tony. Their chemistry has its own fans; it’s palpable.  I know that Kerry knows that the Kerry x Tony appearances are gold because she leverages them on social media. She’s leveraging it right now for her book tour. It’s no accident that the Washington, D.C. tour stop with Tony Goldwyn as the special guest was the first to quickly sell out dates were announced. People are coming to that tour stop for the cerise sur la gateau which is the Kerry x Tony bond. I’m not cynical enough (or blind enough) to believe that their interactions are simply good “PRs” for both their images (as some have alleged). No, there is an energy, an authenticity that crackles and fizzes between them, even when they are simply standing next to each other.

Hell, it’s there when one of them simply talks about the absent other. Fair enough that chemistry works in mysterious ways that can’t be manufactured.  But when Kerry is in the vicinity of Tony Goldwyn, there is also Physics at play. There is inertia in their body language to familiarity and comfortability with each other in ways that speak to a shared intimacy.  I mean that in the sense of closeness and rapport. Kerry and Tony are clearly very close. Beyond the “mutual respect” they say they have for each other, there is something about who Kerry is when she is around Tony that is different than when she is around others. She doesn’t have that with her other Scandal co-stars with whom she has remained friends. Other than her passionate and on-point political advocacy, her time spent with Tony Goldwyn lends a cozy texture to her personality that is more easily felt than described. It’s like popping the bubble of perfectionism and letting out a giant exhale. Me, I exhale when they are together. Am I trippin, or is there something about Tony Goldwyn that effortlessly extracts this playfulness in her, and can she feel it, too?

Bonus Question (A la Inside The Actors Studio):  What is your favourite curse word? What sound do you love? What sound do you hate? What scares you? What makes you cry? What petty thing have you had it with? What did you finally embrace only after you were in your forties?

Even if Bravo were to resurrect Inside The Actors Studio [LINK], Kerry Washington will never have the chance to be interviewed by James Lipton because he passed away in 2020. A venerable institution himself, Lipton’s sincere and earnestly pointed manner of asking questions gave actors the opportunity to embark on a journey of both self and art in the space of an hour, in front of a live audience of actors-in-training.  Through this show, the audience could learn more about their favourite actor, and all the ways in which the personal intersects with their art, and much more. My favourite part was always the quick-fire round near the end when Lipton would ask the small, quotidian questions that are the true stuff of life. You know, the anti-Hollywood shit. Though it’s a cheat, it is in that vein that the bonus questions above are designed.  A few are taken from James Lipton, and others added by me. 

Those are all of the questions…until I read Kerry’s tome. 

Perfect-seeming people are boring and untrustworthy. But is the perception entirely a fiction created by the celebrity or us? 

“…[She’s] clearly a beautiful, intelligent, multi-talented, quietly formidable woman with a Jesus-like heart. From what we can tell, she is highly respected among her peers. Well, that’s who we’ve made her out to be. We choose to see those things in her because that’s what’s on public offer. Because of that, it’s so easy to turn KW into some Magical Negress archetype imprisoned on a pedestal in our minds. We believe Kerry is clean. Kerry walks on water. Kerry makes the fishes and the loaves. As her fans… we mythologize her, and others like her, because we have this deep-seated human need to create heroes for ourselves. We need to believe that there are people less fallible than we are: that if we believe in their perfection, it might take us a little closer towards that ideal… Kerry doesn’t walk on water. She’s not perfect. The reason I know is because she’s flesh and bone and blood, just like you and me.” (Me, 2013)

It's true: the perception is a little but her, a little bit us (me). However, I can’t say that I’ve seen a lot of evidence of the proverbial ‘flesh and bone and blood’. That perception seems poised to change on the 26th of September with Thicker Than Water’s release. 

I was surprised (in a good way) to see Kerry reference this early ‘need’ she placed on herself to be ‘good’ as a point of connection for her parents, whose marriage was in trouble. I was also sad because I know what that means. I did that to myself at age 12, and it’s been hard to completely abandon. But the admission intrigued me, and I hope there is more of that kind of self-revelation in the book as the timeline approaches the Kerry we see today.  Above all else, my wish for Thicker Than Water, is this: to offer me insight and greater clarity about a woman whose public persona, for the last ten years, has been highly visible, yet persistently opaque.

I get it. To exist publicly as a Black woman in the 21st Century is to navigate a high-wire act. Perception is always on the mind, especially in Kerry’s industry. If you share too much, people have a problem; not enough, people have a problem. Nothing you share is impervious to being twisted into the most ungenerous or scandalous interpretation. We have watched Queen Mother, Beyonce, in the last decade become more deliberate about what she shares with the public. But even she feels like less of a question mark than Kerry Washington. Beyonce has, at least, given us glimpses into her personal life and thoughts via documentaries, BTS photos, and the intimacy of confession in her art—the parts that are beautiful, fucked up, or ambivalent. This is not me pitting two bad bitches against each other. It is me offering an example of another Black woman who has told us that she battles perfectionism, and who has found a way to let us in (or feel like it), through her art, whilst making her boundaries clear. 

Thicker Than Water will be a part of Kerry’s artistic self. It is a product of memory and polished fiction; narratives carefully organized and swaddled in beautiful prose (based on the excerpt) that promises to take the reader on a journey. As someone who recently published a book that is small in its number of pages, but big in its revelations of things unspoken and unshared, I know that writing is an intimate act of exploring one’s mind and interiority; of the past and its pertinence with the present. What your mouth cannot say, your fingers will. It is my most profound hope that Thicker Than Water allows me to feel a sense of connection with flesh and blood and bone Kerry Washington. And I hope for her the book accomplishes a giant exhale of whatever she wants to release into the world. Whether or not I will personally be satisfied by the book... stay tuned.

Q: What are your questions for Kerry?

[braveclementine]

Day 36

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book.

Copyright: My OCs are Coach Yonce, Emma, Ila, Tempus, and Itty Bitty. I own these characters. I do not condone any copying of this.

EXCERPTS FROM SEBASTIAN STANS JOURNAL

EVIDENCE FOR RUSSO TRIAL

JOURNAL ENTRY SEVEN:

Today was nerve racking. They went through with the rape. I heard her ask him to stop, but didn't enter the room until she screamed for me. I felt disgusted with myself for waiting so long. I'm trying so hard not to raise suspicion, but it felt so good to punch that man's face in.

Luckily, he hadn't even gotten her pants off of her, which relieved me greatly. I kissed her and I know I'm in love with her. I didn't mean to, I really didn't, but I do. I love her.

She had gotten rid of the nose chain. I preferred her face without it. She looked beautiful like this, and I told her so. Her eyes shone when I told her and she admitted she'd hated it to. I knew she had been uncomfortable with it on day one.

I kissed her again. I would write about her lips, but I want to keep that private in my head. And besides, this is more an account on the deaths, in case I don't make it out of this alive.

That's a scary thought.

I did try not letting her know that I wanted a future with her if we got out of here. It didn't seem realistic. She's so young, only nineteen. And I'm thirty-two. Not to mention I'd have to figure this out with Margarita. And the whole of the world would hate it.

But I don't care. I don't think I'm going to ever act after this.

I can't. They'll have to get a new actor for Bucky Barnes.

I'll never be able to act again. I'll always doubt what is going on.

If we get out of this alive.

JOURNAL ENTRY EIGHT:

Tempus made Y/N play through all the games. She nearly died- twice. The fact she's still alive both electrifies me and impresses me. God, but I bet she's in so much pain.

In the last round they brought in someone who I guess her friend was in her past. Y/N didn't even look surprised her friend decided to kill her over her other friend. Y/N actually thanked her.

I was on the edge of my seat until she disarmed her friend- getting herself shot in the process.

I took her back to her room. I sewed up the wound myself. I was getting better at having a tougher stomach during these things. Luckily, the bullet only grazed her.

Tomorrow we all get to leave. I'm thinking something bad happened to Henry, or maybe the police can't find us, I don't know. Or maybe we're already surrounded but they can't get in.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the scene where the Avengers break in and save the rest of the kids. I don't know how it'll actually play out. The others aren't ready, they'll fake fight like they're supposed to do.

I keep kissing Y/N. I feel like we're both going to die. It makes me wonder about my real feelings about her. If it's because of where we are, or if I truly do like her in that way.

She does keep talking about after this place. She was talking about a YouTuber that she'd introduce his videos to me. I can't answer because I don't know about after. I think she picked up on it too because she went quiet after that and then went to sleep immediately after I gave her the pain meds.

I don't want to play with her feelings. I really don't. Not after all of this. But I don't know how to not mess with her feelings when I don't know mine.

Or if we'll even be alive by tomorrow night.

JOURNAL ENTRY NINE:

I don't know where Y/N is. The others came today and she killed Tempus. Tempus had killed everyone but her and her three friends. She was going to kill Y/N, but Y/N didn't let that happen.

Y/N really had no idea who I was before this. I could see recognition in her eyes once the others came in, the other actors. I saw the hurt there too and also betrayal.

I wanted to go to her side, but she turned the gun on me. I hated seeing her cry. She looked broken and hurt. Told me to stay the hell away form her.

I think I now realize my feelings were legit. Those couple words from her felt like a stab wound to the heart.

She continued speaking, and her words told me that she thought I thought all of it was fake. That her cut off pinky wasn't enough proof that this was all real. I wanted to tell her I believed it was real. That I did think it was real. That I knew it was real.

She accused me of playing with her feelings while I let children die around us. And fuck, I knew she was right.

I called for the Russo brothers, trying to pretend her words hadn't hurt. They came, they admitted to letting Tempus take over for money. There was almost a billion dollars they were going to get paid for this game.

Then Y/N got the others out of there. She looked at me and I could barely hold her eyes because it hurt so much to see the betrayal in her eyes. She threw the gun at my feet and I can still hear the words in my head. 'It was real to me. Fuck you Stan.'

I wanted to tell her it was real to me too. I didn't want her to spit my last name out at me like it was poison. I had really liked my name falling from her lips.

Now, I'm sitting on the bus that had brought the other actors in, writing this. Downey, Evans, and Hemsworth had jumped the brothers. Hiddleston and Mackie slugged them across the face until they were knocked out.

We had to spend another couple of hours there with the police. They never brought back Y/N or the other girls. I knew we were in the middle of Death Valley, California. If they ran the wrong way. . .

They promised to put out searches for the girls. I hope they find them. Even if Y/N never wants to even look at me again, as long as she's okay and alive, that's all I care about right now.

The others tried speaking to me. Some of them are still trying to speak to me. Johansson can't shut up, trying to be sympathetic about everything I had to go through. But I was treated fine. I'm not the one dead. I'm not the one with my pinky cut off. I'm not the one that was almost raped. But they're treating me like the victim.

Well, Downey, Cumberbatch, and Hiddleston aren't. Downey has been on the phone for ages. I don't know who he's calling, but he's angry.

Evans got me a phone so I could call Margarita. Still haven't. Can't bring myself to.

God, please bring Y/N in safely. Please.

⬅️➡️

[dragonsandphoenix]

A Bit of Appreciation for Voice Actors

Initially wanted to post this on reddit, but for some reason I can't so what the heck.

It's a well-known fact that many Cdramas, usually period dramas, are dubbed by voice actors. I'm probably an outlier here in that I'm not a diehard Cdrama fan (have only watched NiF, TU and Empresses in the Palace to completion, great shows btw) and I'm more of a Chinese audio drama listener. So while there is overlap in these industries and fandoms, I'm way more interested in the voice actors than the live action actors. And since they don't get as much recognition here I'd like to give a shoutout to them.

I like to joke that there are like 30 people in the Chinese voice acting industry. Once you recognize some of them you'll start to hear them in everything. According to an AvenueX video it's apparently a bad habit of Cdrama land to cast the same popular voice actor to all the leads, thereby making their voices indistinguishable. I initially noticed this with Bian Jiang for a time, who voiced Lan Wangji in The Untamed (and the MDZS donghua) and the ML from Ten Miles of Peach Blossom among other things. I remember just noticing him in nearly everything I watched from then on.

Another standout voice actor I've noticed recently is Gu Jiangshan who voiced Zhou Zishu in Word of Honor and Jin Zixuan in the MDZS (aka TU) donghua. Didn't really take note of him in those roles until I listened to him as Yuan Yang in the Beloved Enemy audio drama (there's also a Cdrama but he's not in that). He's really good in that. Like really good. I would have hated the red flag ML way more if it weren't for his voice acting. Side note, an Indonesian fan sent their regards to him during a fan signing and he was so surprised to learn he had overseas fans, which I think is so cute given that I am now one of those fans.

Another thing is I don't think live action dramas are the best medium to bring out these voice actors' skills, though I am happy it keeps them employed haha. It's not really to do with acting ability, but different mediums require different skills, and for voice acting, matching their performances to the actors must come with its own challenges. This is why I prefer audio dramas, as they have more freedom. A go-to example I have is that one devastating scene from The Untamed (I know, there are so many). Keep in my mind that Wei Wuxian in the live action and the audio drama are voiced by the same guy and just listen to the difference. I wanted to cry the first time I listened to the audio drama.

All in all, I'm not uplifting one style of acting over another, though I do have my preferences. I just like good stories and appreciate those stories being delivered in the best way possible.

[edvinception]

Even if it's nice if YR and the cast win awards it's not the end of the world if they don't. We know how much impact YR have and how big it is for be a swedish show. Remember it's just a jury who deside who wins (not the fan favoroite show). So only becuse Edvin and Omar don't win dosen't mean they don't deserve it or wasn't good in s3.

I completely agree with you. It's easy to focus alot on award shows which is unsurprising but regardless we can still love the show and admire and appreciate the actors who all did a wonderful job.

Deciding who's the better actor among nominees (or who to nominate) comes down to personal preference after all.

I will still love Edvin and Omar's performance as Wille and Simon and nothing can take that away. Same with enjoying YR.

Of course I wish they would get recognition for it too, though.

[kitausuret]

Just saying: it brings soo much joy seeing someone get excited by Wanda after the whole cinematic experience.

That was my first encounter with the character and it really did not give a good first impression. And it only got worse with how they treated her and her own actor's obliviousness on the character's background (I will never say 'her character', she simply does not deserve that kind of recognition from me - yes, I am spiteful).

I do not know much about her 616 storyline, nor midnight for that matter, but despite that complete lack of knowledge I enjoy seeing you post about her. I may have originally come here for the Venom stuff but really anything you decide to share is what I stay here for.

Anyways, hiding behind the anon mask, I wish you a good day!

Hi anon! Thank you for your kind words; Wanda really was one of the first characters I got into with Marvel, long long before I cared about anything arachnid-themed (unless it was Julia Carpenter, since she was one of Wanda's teammates, haha). I'm fortunate that I met her character via comics (thanks to my friend who dragged me to the LCS) so that got to be my first impression.

Wanda's an interesting character to try to get into, since she's so strongly tied to the Avengers. She didn't get a solo of any decent length until 2015... but I highly recommend checking out Scarlet Witch by James Robinson if you can. It's not perfect, but it's very good and it has a lot of nice art by different artists. It's a fun series!

A lot of people who like That™ version of the character seen in certain films and a mediocre television show will talk about "feats" and "power" and all that even in terms of the comics, but honestly I think all of that is a load of bull. Wanda's greatest moments have always been where she follows her heart, but also her head. She's a veteran Avenger, she's one of the most compassionate characters ever, she has had epic highs and some very low lows... but she always pulls through.

And when you get a good writer that really does her justice? Oh, that's just peak. That's the best.

(I also like when she just straight-up punches people - Avengers #186; Plot: Gruenwald, S. Grant, W: Michelinie, A: Byrne)

On the note of Midnight Suns, they kind of... tried? Like, it's hard to explain. It's not great, and I would prefer her hair to be several shades darker, but it could be worse, as far as adaptations go?

EDIT 8/4/2023: I previously criticized the game here for using Romanian for Wanda - this was a mistake on my part as it's been pointed out that she has spoken Romanian in the comics but it does not mean she is intended to be Romanian. I've also learned it's commonly spoken in the region Wanda is from. To my friend who pointed out my mistake, you have my thanks!

Anyways, I'm glad you've continued to stick around even as I've expanded beyond just Venom-posting. I confess, though, I've often thought about what it would be like to smash my two little interests here together... I think particularly in Midnight Suns-verse (mixed with a little 616, of course) Venom and Scarlet Witch could have an interesting conversation. (Let's be real, I'll probably write it.)

I also think about Poisoned!Scarlet Witch a lot. I think about the universe where she was Venom... what that must have been like... what their symbiosis was... many thoughts. I bet their joined form was awesome. Wanda has great style.

(Venomverse #3, #4, #5; Bunn, Coello - that last one is fine; the host and symbiote are both dead the second they get Poisoned 😔 Mania did them a favor.)

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! If you get a chance, check out @brw's Comic Scarlet Witch Week 2023! Life circumstances have kept me from participating thus far but every week is a great week to appreciate Wanda Maximoff as she was meant to be. 🥰

[narcissa-black-supermacy]

and for 003, all 5 Black cousins pls!!

ok its time to answer theseee

003 | send me 5 characters and I will rank them in order of preference

SIRIUS BLACK - obviously, the GOAT, the real main character, the best thing to ever happen to our pathetic human existence, the man too beautiful for any actor and too deep for any words, the eternal number one for me that nobody could ever top (except for jfp himself). no clever words or deep analysis on this bc it would take me 37 pages.

NARCISSA - there's this recent trend i'm seeing of trying to make her more "relevant" but making her gay or giving her a different love interest but i think people don't appreciate enough the depth and complexity of her canon story. trying to keep your family together through war and terrorism and your husband going to jail and your son being forced to join a terror cult is something that's very very personal to me, especially with the way she sticks to her familial values and traditions but is still willing to sacrifice anything for her son and husband. it's a tragic story with a rare happy ending and it always touched me on a very personal level.

BELLATRIX - again, from my own personal perspective, what Bellatrix does and the way she defies the expectations society has for her is even more revolutionary than what Sirius did, because she is doing it while still staying within the system. it's an angle we rarely see - we don't get many stories where a person wants to stay within the family circle of an abusive, conservative culture, but still breaks stereotypes inside of it. this is what creates change, in the long run, and it deserves recognition no less (also she's hot and unhinged and we love that)

REGULUS - I enjoy his character a lot, but only when he stays within the frame of very grey morality. I like Regulus who's very different from Sirius, who has a good relationship with Walburga and Orion, who dropped out of school and joined the DEs at 16 willingly bc he thought it would give him power and then ended up being disappointed in his own leader and tried to take him down (but failed bc he's still a 18yo idiot).

ADNROMEDA - i don't care much for Andromeda unless it's in the context of Black Sisters Drama. can I put Walburga instead? I love Walburga if she was on the list she would be n 3 <3

[mzannthropy]

From time to time I like to muse about what book adaptations I'd like to see Sam Claflin star in (like, there is no law that say he can't do more of them, is there). More under the cut:

Of course, the first one I will say is Agatha Christie. There are quite a few suitable characters that he could play, be it murderers or heroes. Remember Chris Evans in Knives Out, particularly that scene when the will is read out, where he goes "eat shit" at everyone--Sam would totally kill it playing someone similar. Benoit Blanc films are Agatha Christie derivative and Ransome is a very typical Agatha Christie character, so he could be one of those. As for the heroic ones, there's still plenty, for example I've just thought about Angus from Towards Zero. The good thing about Agatha's books, aside from them being fantastic mysteries, is that there is almost always a love story (usually two people who met thanks to the crime and may have been suspects but are innocent getting together), so there'd be that too.

My second favourite author is L.M. Montgomery, and you know who I'm gonna suggest as a character for Sam to play--it's got to be the one and the only Barney Snaith from The Blue Castle. (For those unfamiliar, he's the swoon worthiest of all swoon worthy romantic heroes, also go read the book, it's in the public domain.) That is if people are okay with a British actor playing a Canadian. Sam would have no problem getting the accent right, but seeing as LMM is such a cultural treasure, they might prefer a Canadian actor.

Anne Bronte's Tenant of Wildfell Hall surely needs a new adaptation. I'd like to see Sam playing Gilbert Markham, the main male character of the story. Anne doesn't get as much recognition as her sisters bc Charlotte cancelled her, but she deserves it as much as them. The book is about a woman escaping from her abusive husband, undoubtedly an important topic.

Dracula, if we could finally get a proper accurate adaptation. Sam could play any of the suitor squad (Jonathan should be someone younger, imo), but the one I think he'd capture best is Jack Seward.

These are the main ones I thought about. Not much, but then my reading has been... tragic for the last decade or so. I like Daphne du Maurier, though I've only read some of her works and Sam's already done My Cousin Rachel. But the other day I imagined Sam as Jem Merlyn in Jamaica Inn and got myself all hot and worked up.

[0junemeatcleaver0]

Honestly has to get this out of my system because I'm mad (an advanced apology for my long rant, also thanks to the previous anon, you encourage me to do this finally). For a start, it's only been a few months that I discover the book through the series. Never like stuff about supernatural being like werewolves, vampires but I saw an edit of the series and it gives me a huge Achilles and Patroclus vibes so I give it a chance (still doesn't like about the vampires stuff because let's be honest, it would make it a far better series if they doesn't include it). And I usually much prefer to read so I want to see how the source material goes seeing how different the series and movie are, and...... I was never the same. That book is incredible and breathtaking, I fell in love with Louis so much because finally finallyyyyy I saw myself in a character. And then came the question "What's up with that series?" because let's be honest once again, with all the questionable thing it contains, the first two books (IWTV/TVL) are literally perfect. And I would pretty much support some changes like plantation owner, incest etc if they prefer to do so and badum it will still be a faithful adaptation that both book fans and new fans would probably love. Why not done that? And I think the book is a classic and modern in my honest opinion like come on, two guys raising a child for 60 years? What's more gayer than that? Those with trouble understanding how gay it is can rot away. And talking about that (please bear with me, I swear I'll be done soon), I don't like how the show focus so much on sex when the book's main attraction is more about the feelings they have, and neither like the nudity on screen so randomly (this is not meant to attack anyone, it's my personal opinion but an advanced apology if my words are lacking). And again, in my deepest opinion, the movie was so much more gay than the series atleast for me, and again for those who refused to acknowledge the homoeroticism in it can rot away, and yes I'm going to put the movie on the pedestal because it's the most faithful adaptation so far and that in the 90s? It totally deserve that recognition it deserves and I totally despise anyone blindly hating on it. I love love Lestat, Louis and Claudia in there, and this is probably an unpopular opinion but I prefer Brad Louis over Jacob Louis (just in case, not an attack to the actor, he's amazing with what he's given) and that's a great loss because no matter how I look, the way they let Jacob portrayed Louis is no longer the Louis I love from the book. Brad Louis is also lacking, but I could see Book Louis from his portrayal so that's that. I'm now forever going to keep the book as my no 1 and I'm absolutely going to hate anyone trashing on the books in favour of the show, you can dislike it, but don't go talking about comparing and decided the book is evil because it deals thing differently as compared to many books, know the context or I don't know *pulling their card* just don't read it because you have a certain liking to things and that's totally fine. And in my eyes, the show..... it's just a show which pulled some trope from different series instead of it's own source material (shocking right?) and trying to put itself as the most faithful ever when it can't even get the aesthetic right (sorry for being not sorry). And once again my hate to those who tell book fans they can't ever get the faithful adaptation they wanted so they must accept the show for that because duh, we sure can if handled properly by people who 'really care' and the book fans totally deserve that because as I said above, change a few stuff about it and it'll be a faithful and most greatest series ever about vampires.

While I disagree about being able to change things like the plantation and/or incest and have it still be faithful (it's gothic literature--you take the uncomfy stuff out, you change the genre, you change the whole vibe, you change the narrative), I do fundamentally agree with everything else you said, anon.

[chequerootlurks]

Let’s talk about reboots for a moment. Let’s not look at background for the reboots, or their creators. I’m going to point out a good, and a bad.

This show deserves more recognition:

There were a variety of ethnicities, body types, sexual orientations (including asexual!), neurodivergence, and gender identities.

Those were all secondary to the plot! The biggest thing was the characters were PEOPLE!, not vessels for “wokeness.”

Meanwhile, this show (“Velma”) that I watched three episodes of tonight — “bad TV night” is a thing in our house — is as painful as everyone says.

[article and a 12ft ladder to get past the paywall]

“Velma” feels like “Family Guy,” only if “Family Guy” tried to be over-the-top woke instead of offensive.

It has the same, unrelenting brash humour that prefers to browbeat the audience, rather than understate. As such, it’s not funny, nor clever. The characters’ pointed political speeches would be funny if they were done on rare occasion. Instead, almost every other discussion is something overdone. Wayyy to try hard.

In terms of ‘wokeness’ “Sonic Boom” did it better.

“Velma” ironically pushes the division between gender, race, and sexual orientation.

In episode three, we see the women fight to be “The Least Weak,” or a phase summat like that. Physical brawling. The show -could!- have raised up and pointed out how women should support each other rather than fight each other… but I guess we’re not ready for “women fight -for!- other women” speech here.

I guess “wokeness” for this show is limited to meta humour, PSA type monologues, and eye-rolling diatribes. It limited its wokeness to convenience and already heavily discussed issues.

I might also add Velma is an unlikeable character. She’s mean spirited, really quite a bully in her own right. Proof that you don’t need to be “popular” to be a selfish jerk.

She reminds me of Rick Sanchez, or Bojack Horseman.

Granted, I love those shows, but the supporting cast was always ready to call Rick and Bojack out on their toxic and destructive behaviors.

The show seems to ignore the importance of having balancing support. People who call out Velma for being as much the villain as anyone else encountered this far.

Norville (Shaggy) is hopelessly in love with Velma, he lets her abuse his friendship.

At the end of Episode 3, Daphne calls Velma out on a few things, but I have a feeling that won’t cause an overall change in Velma’s behavior. At least not for a while. Maybe there’s a “growth” arc planned.

If not? Ouch.

Also, I’m kinda tired of the “white male as the jerk” trope.

Yes, white males have a leg up in society, especially if they’re cishet… but there ARE! cishet white men who are decent people.

The only positive white male character this mud far is biracial Norville’s dad… and he’s not even a main character.

Making one skin-type/gender the bad guy doesn’t make a show “woke.”

All in all, “Velma” misses the mark.

I don’t know what it’s trying to do, but it’s bad at it.

I am curious about the mystery, but I’ll just read the end online. I don’t care enough to watch it.

[films-lover]

A Spotlight on the Significance of Short Films in the Film Festival

Despite the progress we see in the film industry today, short films remain underrated. The amount of value and importance that short films deserve is still not up to the mark. Most of the renowned filmmakers started off their journey in the film industry by creating short films originally. There are plenty of reasons why short films are of great importance, both for the filmmakers and the audiences.

What are short films?

Short films are films that are generally less than 30 minutes in duration but successfully deliver the important message that it wants to send across, that too subtly. The short films particularly focus on the main purpose of the story and eliminate the unnecessary add-ons unlike in the mainstream movies. Short films make for a great show for audiences who do not want to waste hours understanding the plot and the characters. 

Short films are all about great storytelling and direction. There’s a reason why short films have gained a dedicated audience over the decades and are getting much more important today as compared to earlier times. Most Film Fare Festivals have been continuously highlighting the value of short films by screening such films at festivals.

Significance of short films for filmmakers

There are numerous reasons why short films hold great importance for every filmmaker and the audience.

Helps aspiring filmmakers understand their skills

Short films have been a significant part of any filmmaker’s journey to success. Most filmmakers initially make short films to assess their own skills and creativity and then work on bigger projects. Imagine making a full-fledged long film of two or more hours which might not even turn out to be the way you want it to be. That will be a pure waste of a lot of your time and effort. Filmmakers can not only analyze different approaches to making a powerful film but also understand their audiences and their preferences.

They are budget-friendly

Aspiring filmmakers who lack time, money, and resources can opt for creating a short film rather than a complete hours-long movie. A filmmaker can save a lot of time, effort, money, and other resources by producing a short film. Short films are anyway low-budgeted films and require less time to produce than feature films. You can work with experienced actors, writers, and other film crew at much lower costs.

Pushes the limit of the filmmakers

Short films are for experimenting and pushing the limits. Creating a short film requires a different kind of art and skillset. The directors and producers can get as creative and as imaginative as they want to create a short film that says more in less. Making films that leave an impact on the audiences and not just end up being a mere source of entertainment can be the changemaker for the filmmakers.

How short films play a big role in film festivals

The International Film Festivals are continuously working towards throwing light on the unique and powerful short films that would have otherwise stayed hidden from global audiences. These film festivals have a wider, in fact, global reach which makes them a crucial platform for promoting deserving films and highlighting the work of such skilled filmmakers.

By screening short films at the festival, filmmakers can get much-needed exposure and genuine feedback from the audiences and the critics present at the festival. After understanding the shortcomings (if any) and the valuable suggestions received at the festival, filmmakers can work towards improving their work and producing something more amazing in the future.

Film festivals like JFF are known for showcasing short films from various filmmakers who come from different parts of the world. This gives filmmakers from across the world, a chance to get the recognition they are lacking by presenting their work in front of diverse audiences.

Film festivals, being a vital medium for promoting films and artists, help the filmmakers who screen their short films at the festival to get distribution offers. Unlike in the case of feature films, there isn’t pressure to get a distribution deal for your “short film” and thus discussing and sharing about the films and organically getting the offers is one of the advantages that the short films at the film festivals provide to the filmmakers.

The filmmakers can showcase their range by getting a chance to showcase their short films at the film festival. A short film doesn't have a particular genre or limitations, artists can touch any topic and work their magic on it. Showing unique content during the festival, helps the filmmakers to grab the attention of established artists and valued people from the industry.

Conclusion

Film festivals and short films hold valuable importance for one another. While film festivals are prestigious events that encourage new talents and honor deserving artists, this becomes even more possible due to the screening of short films by these artists. The storytelling and direction in a short film require the utmost talent and a vision to create something that reaches the hearts and minds of the people. Film festivals like JFFare a prime example of how short films and film festivals together are so compelling for filmmakers and as well as audiences.

[otakusmart]

Cha Eun Woo: The Maestro And The Face Genius of K-Industry

Who is Cha Eun Woo? Well, if you’ve been a K-pop fan then you would know who he is, however, rookie fans might not be familiar with the face of a K-pop genius. Fret not, because we have the perfect recipe to get you familiar with Cha Eun Woo. For starters, Cha Eun-woo is a multi-talented South Korean heartthrob who has taken the entertainment industry by storm. He's a gifted singer, a versatile actor, and a top-notch model, who has captured the hearts of fans worldwide.

Who is Cha Eun Woo?

As a member of the K-pop boy group ASTRO, Cha Eun-woo has rocked the stage with his melodious voice and electrifying performances. But that's not all, his acting skills have also earned him critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his roles in hit dramas like "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and "True Beauty". Beyond his artistic pursuits, Cha Eun-woo has also graced the fashion world with his stunning looks and captivating charm. He's a fashion icon and a sought-after model, having worked with top brands and been featured in countless commercials. Cha Eun-woo's impressive talent and striking appearance have made him an undeniable force in the entertainment industry. With his star power continuing to rise, it's no wonder that he's become a beloved figure among fans around the globe.

Cha Eun Woo the maestro

Cha Eun Woo is one of the most-buzzed-about actors. He is truly a face genius with his perfect visuals. His roles are simply magnetizing which embraces social issues. Apart from acting, he is a gem of his own. He is a member of the South Korean boy group ''Astro'' which is quite famous. He acted in super hit dramas like true beauty, My Id Gangnam Beauty, and Rookie Historian Goo Hae too.! He recently acted on "Island" starring Lee Da Hee and Kim Na-Gil.

Unknown Facts about Cha Eun Woo

- Cha Eun Woo's real name is Lee Dong Min. - He has a brother who is more handsome than him(source: Astro's Moonbat). - He prefers Park bo young over Suzy. - He starred in "All the Butlers" alongside Lee Seung Gi - He once said that he used to try to get away from all the girls who would come to see him in school - He also said that he promised his parents that he will not date before university. So, He concentrated on his studies that's the reason he is very studious and always got good marks (Oh here is some inspiration guys) - Ideal type: His ideal type is someone passionate, witty, and humorous - He played basketball in " Handsome Tigers" - He is good at everything that's why he is called the maestro. - His MBTI is INTJ and ENTJ

Cha Eun Woo controversies!

Cha Eun-woo, a true "face genius" in the entertainment industry, has certainly made his mark. As one of the most beloved and popular celebrities of our time, he's gained an adoring fanbase around the world. However, with great fame comes great scrutiny, and Cha Eun-woo is no exception. Unfortunately, Cha Eun-woo was recently involved in the Itaewon controversy, which caused a stir among fans and the media alike. As a role model and celebrity figure, his actions were called into question when he and other members of the '97 liner, including BTS' Jungkook, were spotted visiting Itaewon during the height of the Covid pandemic. This sparked controversy, as many felt that they were not setting a good example for their fans. Despite this hiccup, Cha Eun-woo remains a beloved and talented figure in the industry. He's proven time and time again that he's a true genius in his craft, with a loyal following that's only growing larger by the day. We can only wish him more success and good fortune in the years to come! That's it for today. I am going to meet next week with an article on the greatly gifted Bts's Jungkook. Gamsahabnida. Read the full article

[drewdevinecartoonist]

Today is the 80th birthday of the great Martin Scorsese. When I was around 15 years old and was in that time of life when I could go off to the strip mall cineplex on the weekend and see whatever PG-13 film me and my group of friends so pleased, on one occasion we decided upon THE AVIATOR (2004). I had grown up in the VCR generation and memorized most of the Disney canon made up to that point, as well as dipped my toes into A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and whatever other movies happened to be within reach. I was in love with imaginary stories and characters of all kinds, and thought I understood them. But that weekend when I saw THE AVIATOR, something changed. The usual pleasures: a great drama, a great hero, a great performance. But also something else: the relative distance of the camera from the face of the actor, the recognition that sometimes the “cuts” were timed to well chosen sounds and music. Though I had already seen many movies, THE AVIATOR was my first dawning recognition that movies were actually made by people who were thinking carefully about what they were doing. That movies were work which required a sophisticated understanding of the chosen tools, the same way I knew that a comic strip was work because I had access to a pen and paper, and knew that for me those simple cartoon characters were nearly impossible to replicate. The following 12 years of my life when cinema was the center of my universe were wonderful and terrifying, and that showing of THE AVIATOR was partly to blame for the whole adventure. Today I could make a lot of generalizations about Scorsese’s common themes and style, but many others have done that, so I would prefer to just say thanks to him for making such great art, for contributing so wonderfully to cinema’s understanding and defense, and for doing so with such a palpable sense of genuine spiritual responsibility. He’s probably right, by the way, that most superhero movies are subcinematic and possibly subhuman. You can only sometimes get the benefit of saying Yes to the things that deserve it if you also know how and when to say No to the things that don’t. To Scorsese’s entire career, I say Yes.

[shrapnelstars]

I finally sat down to watch this.

I think that when people use the term "genuine", they don't mean "the real person", exactly. I think they mean that they appreciate a host who is not exacting psychological warfare on them and trying to make them feel bad about themselves, or tries to lay out a case for the viewer being a bad or foolish person for engaging with them on inevitable terms.

If I call you a loser for walking on floors and try to make you feel bad for doing so, that's not a valid argument, because you have no choice but to walk on floors, and you cannot fly. Those are universal rules.

That's something that I hate about these types of comedians, youtubers of that caliber, and even certain games that try to claim moral or ethical victory over the viewer by manipulating them into an unwinnable situation, or one where the only winning move is not to play.

"Hah! You fell for my character! Don't you look stupid?" I can only go by what you show me. I am not psychic, and cannot know what you hide from me. I go about my life in peace by not assuming that people are hiding things from me or pretending to be someone that they are not. To do so would be pure paranoia, which is a tortured way to live. Are you then implying that my only choices are to be an "idiot" or to be perpetually paranoid? Then you are the fool, and that gives me a small peek into the morose life and mindset you must lead.

That kind of reminds me of the cope youtubers come up with when their audience turns on them for doing something shitty. "I'm putting up a persona that's an exaggerated version of me! It's not the REAL me! You need to learn the difference between a played up personality and a real person!" Audiences only know what you show them. If you've shown them a reasonable, level-headed person this whole time, and then you do something shit, they're going to assume you're a shitty person who was pretending to be nice for views. You can't pull "I was doing a character the whole time" out of your ass as a saving throw. It only makes you look worse. Because now, not only do you look like you've been manipulating people the whole time, you are also attacking the viewer for not living on the edge of insanity and assuming everything they see is a 6-layer deep illusion.

It is pretty universally understood that you will never know the entirety of a person's heart. People are fine with that. The types of "entertainers" who think they're being clever and deep by exploiting the concept of identity and reasonably understood pattern recognition of human behaviors only reveal how discontented and maladjusted they are compared to others.

And no, I'm not talking about neurodivergency and the inability to process certain behaviors that most people exhibit. (I have ADHD and struggle quite a bit with navigating conversations myself.) I'm specifically talking about the edgy bullshit I mentioned above, where someone acts one way, the person they're acting toward assumes they are the way they acted, and then the actor laughs at how the observer "foolishly fell for their grand manipulation scheme! Oh, the feebleness of the sheeple mind!" And when you take a step back and listen to what that acting person said and how they behaved, you get a clearer picture of them than they could have ever hoped to get of you.

You are always going to leave an aspect of your true self with someone when you have an interaction. You can never hide the entirety of yourself. By making the attempt, you have given the information that you prefer to keep yourself private. That's still a true bit of information about you. Some people engage often enough with others and leave enough of these pieces behind, that the person they left these pieces with can start to form a full picture with them. It may have chunks missing, but they will eventually be able to form a coherent picture. That's just how being human works. They can form an incorrect picture, and it's your choice on whether or not you want to correct it, but a picture will be formed.

You cannot stop a picture from being formed. You can only influence the form it takes.

(For Nathan specifically, I don't fully get the sense that he's trying to be an edgy fuck. He seems slightly more inquisitive than mean-spirited. But what I said still applies.)

[accio-victuuri]

cpn : tidbits and interview clues 🔍

“However, happiness is definitely the first choice, and steady happiness is more suitable for me."

everything is cpn only. interpretation & speculations. everything is under the cut. if you don’t like any of this, then feel free to skip it.

I. Tidbits / Behind the scenes showing Xiao Zhan’s numerous skills. Here is the video.

This particular behind the scenes showed GG’s skills that we are familiar with. He worked as a professional photographer and is an expert in PS especially logo making. Not really a big one but just a reminder that he still has it! and if we’re right with our CPN that he made the 85 logo, well this is just another proof. Nevermind the fact that we have them on video/audio talking about GG designing a suit ( racing suit ) for Web. Is the Macbook his? Lol. The wallpaper is blurred and I’m thinking of all kinds of thing. 😂

I’m also noticing that here in OOL and Ace, he was using a professional camera to shoot. Compared to CQL where he was using his own phone to take videos and photos of Yibo. Tho I’m happy that GG is getting back on photography and he is able to do that during work, I can’t help but think keeping things on your phone is more personal.

They match. GG/Web are both multi talented. If they decide to not be actors anymore, they have other careers to fall back to. That’s what I love about them. Big age gap? Opposites? It may seem like that on the surface but if you look at the core of it, they complement each other. No one has the “upper hand” no matter how fans love to label them with dynamics. They are on equal footing and respect each other’s preferences. GG can teach Web things and vice versa. Art Student vs Sports Student couple indeed!

Artist Xiao Zhan was also in full view here where he drew this. It’s so funny, is this a brother and sister? What? I’m not being all bitter here but that’s what I was thinking when I saw this. Not really a romantic pose too. it reminds me tho of how he drew wangxian.

I’m sorry but since we’re talking about drawings, it’s in the same style as the one bxgs always reference for Devil Timeline. 👿

Bonus: This smile is similar to his impersonation of Web’s “smirk”. Remember OOL was shot in 2019 around the same time all these CQL promos were done and released. ✌🏼

II. Sina Entertainment Exclusive interview. transcript is here.

I love things like this cause it really gives us an intimate view into his thoughts. 🤍 The whole point of this is to show their similarities among other things.

• This part about tiredness reminds me of Web’s Global people 2020 interview where he has the same outlook. Tho I would love for them to take a break, I can understand the need to keep on working. That’s just who they are. Since 2018, friends or more, they both have the same goal of being actors. We can all see how hard they work and i’m sure they understand the sacrifices they have to make.

Xiao Zhan’s :

"This kind of tiredness is a good thing for me..."

"In the past, I occasionally felt tired when I said it, then relax, and then the two little people in my heart began to fight each other, one said no, no; the other said relax, they are so tired, relax It won't be a problem for a while, just let it pass."

Now, the little person in his heart who made him "let him go and take a break" no longer exists, Xiao Zhan is on the other end of the phone, speaking in a calm tone.

"You really don't feel too tired?" Hearing his strict requirements for himself, Entertainment Management Studio couldn't help asking.

"I feel tired, but I'd rather be tired now."

Yibo’s :

• The last sentence makes me go 👀. The costume drama he was promoting is obviously CQL, he still has to make his way through? Why? It’s just so hard to move on from CQL and that whole bubble of promos back in 2019.

Although he has recognition and confidence, Xiao Zhan would still feel a little uncomfortable when he first joined the group to shoot. At that time, the "Douluo Continent" starring him had just finished, and he was still running the promotion of another costume drama. Although he wanted to integrate into the new role as soon as possible, he still had to slowly find his way.

• How they both won’t stop till something is perfect and up to their standard. I’m not gonna add an interview example for Yibo, just watch his SDOC practice and see how much of a perfectionist he is. Like last season where he wasn’t afraid to scrap a whole routine cause it didn’t feel right.

Xiao Zhan :

"When shooting on set, the director will adjust it again and again. After the performance, I will wonder if there is something wrong with my acting, but the director will not tell you where the problem is, and will say a kind of Feel it, then do it again."

• similarity in not being afraid of hardship. they know it’s necessary. 😭 They don’y shy away from “difficult” things.

Xiao Zhan :

"But it's difficult doesn't mean you can't do it well. This is what I have always believed."

Yibo in China Top Dancer Gala interview 2021:

I am very happy to do what I like, and at the same time to promote dance; I like dancing, and I have to keep working hard. I myself will not admit defeat, and I am not afraid of hardship.

I can think of a lot more interviews where Yibo just goes fuck that when people say something is “difficult”. He has proven time and again that whatever he sets his mind to, he can achieve it. It is the same with Xiao Zhan. People love to tell them they can’t achieve what they want because they are somehow not “qualified” but they prove them wrong time and time again.

• Now the thing that’s about ~ love ~ 🤍

"Actually, Gu Wei and I have similar views on love. We are both more traditional and will be single-minded." But for the future family, he has not thought of the distant family. In this step, "However, happiness is definitely the first choice, and steady happiness is more suitable for me."

There will be such a feeling, maybe it comes from some kind of similarity. Gu Wei's work in the play will always be in the first place. When he meets his beloved, he will not say all the words directly. Most of the time, I am in a state of seeing through and not saying anything. I have a lot in my heart and understand everything, but I am always pretending to be stupid, and occasionally I am a little black-bellied.

Where do we even begin. 👀

1. Traditional and Single Minded? Single minded reminds me so much of Yibo too. If they want something, they will get it. Is this how he approached Yibo? Yeah sure. So single minded. His whole self just gazing with the “i’m inlove with him” face.

2. “steady happiness is more suitable for me”

This line comes at a perfect time. I just read @rainbowsky’s post about fandom and it’s doubts. Especially with antis left and right or whatever reason. It goes to show what type of happiness and love he prefers. The quiet and steady one. Tho I’m sure they are not short of grand gestures of love, he likes the stable and comfortable one. People talk about “falling hard” but most often than not, that kind burns out fast. I’m happy that he has that kind of love with Yibo. So stable that his puppy has been wearing his necklaces ( from ox to bone ) continuously for years now as a sign of their steady happiness. 🥺

So yeah, fandom-wise. Just chill. Enjoy things and know what GG actually prefers this type of relationship.

3. This is what got me screaming! Please! 🙀

he will not say all the words directly. Most of the time, I am in a state of seeing through and not saying anything. I have a lot in my heart and understand everything, but I am always pretending to be stupid, and occasionally I am a little black-bellied.

Bitch this screams 2018 BoXiao! Especially in unofficial BTS videos. Tho I have to say GG’s words and interpretation of himself may not be 100%. What I mean, sometimes, what we think about ourselves is different from how other people see us. Especially in relationships, the other party might have something completely different to say. Pretending to be stupid even if he knows everything??? I’m just think about GG play fighting, teasing and borderline flirting with Yibo but still pretending that they are just FRIENDS. He knows. Anyone with eyes can see that Yibo was head over heels in love with him back then. I’m just cackling here. Xiao Zhan! Youuuuu!!!! He really did that! 😂😂😂 Good thing Yibo is the straightforward type so it all worked out in the end.

and him describing himself as black bellied. Lol. To those who are not familiar with it, here’s the meaning:

"Black belly"/ 腹黑(fu hei) is a common term used to describe a character's personality in c-novels. Literally, it means stomach black and is usually used to mean that someone is secretly quite evil/sly/manipulative, because you will only know that the person is black belly after being eaten up.

Tho I don’t think he means anything bad, it just fits what most of us CPN about Xiao Zhan during their “courting”. We all say that Yibo was so obvious but GG was so much worse in his “moves”. His 6 years of experience wasn’t wasted 🤣🤣🤣 20/21 year old Yibo had no chance!

“Sly look” also reminds me of how he looked at Yibo’s direction during Tencent Starlight. 👀

I wanted to include the sassy interview but there is no full sub yet. I might go back to that but I liked the SINA + Tencent one better cause it’s more personal. Again, everything is just CPN. Feel free to interpret things how you want. It’s not that everything has to be connected to their “relationship” — they are just so intertwined that we see hints of each other in what they do.

sources:

https://m.weibo.cn/status/4752751459042824?

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4752752859417901

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4752760548101889

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4752748212126768