#the public arena was not a place for solo women

[cosmogyros]

The absolute power of doing nothing. This is the best part of adulthood. I came to this park about an hour ago and I've been sitting here on this bench doing nothing ever since.

I've got my notebook and a book to read with me, but I'm not making use of them. I'm just sitting here. No one's waiting for me at home, no one wants me to hurry up.

I'm just sitting here, watching a swallow fly in and out of a hole in the wall of a building, and admiring the outfits of people who walk past, and hearing the mourning doves coo energetically, and trying and failing to snap a good pic of the cute lil robin that was nearby a few minutes ago, and feeling the breeze pass over my skin, and listening to the happy shrieks of kids on the playground across the street, and basking in the GREEN all around me.

And I don't have to go anywhere or do anything. I can sit here as long as I want. Being a grown-up is damn awesome sometimes.

[biglisbonnews]

Bask in aespa's Digital Glow Step into aespa’s world and you’ll find yourself in a dimension beyond reality. Here in this pixelated wilderness, extraterrestrial flowers bloom in darkness and danger serpentines through the bush. There are no rules, no limits — just stars that plaster celestial mosaics in aubergine skies, illuminating the breadth of digital expanse. This is Kwangya, an intermediary metaverse at the center of aespa’s story. While it’s not unusual for K-pop acts to spawn entire universes and convoluted narratives, aespa’s concept is as real as it is fantastical. As AI chatbots continue to incite intrigue and anxiety in the public consciousness, and with people spending more time on their phones than ever in an endless loop of scrolling and liking, Kwangya begins to look less like an imaginary realm and more like an allegory for the virtual vastness of the internet. Online, anything is possible; it’s a place where you can exist outside of the confines of the real world, for better or worse. This is what makes aespa so singular, leader KARINA tells PAPER. They exist as both real-life idols and cyber-punk heroines with digital avatars algorithmically created from their data. For the purpose of this call, I’m talking to KARINA, GISELLE, WINTER and NINGNING, international pop phenoms and million-sellers; somewhere across time and space, their virtual personae — æ-KARINA, æ-WINTER, æ-GISELLE and æ-NINGNING — are wandering Kwangya. KARINA describes their æ members (pronounced like "eye") as their best friends, culled from their online identities and personal data. "They’re not our identical copies," she explains over Zoom, via an interpreter. "But they’re very similar to us." As their online extensions, the æs appear alongside aespa in music videos, promotional advertisements and more. Yet, beyond the mythology (of which there are entire primers you can read to further grasp the lingo), the women of aespa are more than just pixels on a screen. Truthfully, I can't even see them. They're pointedly camera-off for this interview, deep in preparation for their very first concert, SYNK: Hyper Line — a two-night stint at Seoul's Jamsil Arena. In a few days, WINTER will shock the on- and offline crowd with her electrifying guitar riffs; NINGNING will twerk across the stage; KARINA and GISELLE will debut new solo material; and they'll all get weepy when their fans softly serenade them. But right now it's still a hypothetical — a dream they've been working toward since they were trainees under SM Entertainment. Their first impressions of one another are still as vivid as the day they met: KARINA, tall and mysterious; GISELLE, charming and feminine; WINTER, small and shy; and NINGNING, quirky and bubbly. The chemistry was instant, having quickly bonded over the uncertainty of their situation. The standard idol trainee system is a notoriously difficult crash-course in singing, dancing, rapping and social media etiquette. It's long nights and early mornings, the kind of grind that makes you question how much you really want it. Surviving that makes every other challenge look small by comparison. "As we were preparing for the concert, I realized that the training period was a very significant and meaningful part of my life," NINGNING says. Youngest member NINGNING trained for five years before debuting with aespa in November 2020. "It's an opportunity for artists to grow individually as artists, where they work on their skills and develop certain assets," she says. "Because every idol goes through this training period before they debut, this is what makes K-pop artists so skillful," KARINA says. She's often called an all-rounder, or an idol who's proficient across all disciplines, from rapping to singing to standing out in a crowd. "I think this is why K-pop is such a phenomenon." They were all drawn to the entertainment industry at an early age. GISELLE was born in Seoul and attended international school in Tokyo, where she excelled in the arts. "That was the only thing I enjoyed doing in school," the 22-year-old metropolitan says. She grew up speaking Japanese, Korean and English, and her interest in languages led to her fondness for polyglot wordplay. After joining SM as a trainee, she developed her skills as a rapper and lyricist. Similarly, NINGNING always knew she wanted to perform. She competed in the second season of China's Got Talent at eight years old before becoming part of SM's pre-debut trainee team called SM Rookies a few years later. As a magnetic vocal prodigy, she "loved being on stage and interacting with the audience," the 20-year-old recalls. "The thrill of being on stage and doing what I like in front of a crowd is what motivated me to become an idol." The powerhouse vocalist sees this part of her career as a stepping stone to standing on even bigger stages. "When you're a K-pop idol, you definitely have a lot of opportunities to perform." Meanwhile, a kindergarten crush inspired WINTER to consider fame. "I grew up watching a lot of television," the 22-year-old says. "And I had a huge crush on the Korean actor Kwon Sang Woo. I told my mom that I wanted to marry him; she insisted that you have to become a celebrity if you want to marry another celebrity, so that really motivated me. I've also always been fascinated by people on stage, so eventually I realized I wanted to be there as well." WINTER's piercing vocals and cold expressions make her fascinating to watch. Like the title of their latest song, she can be both "Salty & Sweet." KARINA played three instruments in middle school: Piano, guitar and flute. She always loved music, but didn't think of it as anything more until she saw a televised performance of Girls' Generation's "Into the New World" in 2007. (And in a full-circle moment, she now performs alongside Girls' Generation members Taeyeon and Hyoyeon as a part of SM's rotational girl group, Girls on Top, with WINTER.) That image, of nine young women spinning and kicking in unison on stage, redefined how she saw idols. "When I think of the word 'idol,' I think of the verb 'idolize,'" the 22-year-old dancer says. "When you idolize someone, you look up to them and you're often inspired, or you look up to them out of admiration." Yet, that's just what you see on the surface. If she were to close her eyes and think of the word idol, a galaxy would appear inside her eyelids. The first picture she'd conjure up is a star. It twinkles and gleams, but you can never get close enough to see it for what it really is: a fiery orb of gas and space dust suspended in a distant void — too many lightyears away to actually perceive. "When you think of a star, which is what idols are often called, they shine and sparkle," she says. "They can be cold and also hot. There's an allure, but also a distance. So an idol is someone who expresses all of those emotions, good and bad and happy and sad. To the fans, we sparkle, but we're not always as bright as we seem to be." Celebrity is, in part, a beautiful illusion. Putting on a persona is part of the job. It's also the reality of being online in the 21st century, where we spend four to five hours a day on our devices compartmentalizing our personalities between platforms. They've hinted at this in their music. Their English single "Life's Too Short," which they debuted at Coachella in 2022, grapples with social media toxicity. "Some peoplе are so mean, all behind a phone screen," GISELLE sings, "when we're tryna live our lives." It's a rare moment of vulnerability from a group known for their fierce anthems and hyper-confidence. In a little over two years, aespa has become one of the leading girl groups of their generation. Their sinuous hit single "Next Level" topped the charts in South Korea in 2021 and catapulated them to global fame. Indicative of the group's eclectic sound, "Next Level" fused elements of electronic music and funk, and the song became so popular, it was played in noraebangs and wedding halls across the country. Its follow-up, the no. 1 single "Savage," cemented them as unstoppable, powered by an addictive refrain, hyperpop dance break and WINTER's now-iconic "oh my gosh, don't you know I'm a savage?" Their Savage EP sold more than 1.42 million units in its first week alone. They bested their own record with 2022's Girls, which cracked the Billboard 200 and delivered "Illusion," a potent pre-release track that builds on the group's bold sonic identity and penchant for sticky, hypnotic hooks. Their success transcends the charts. Their faces are all over sheet masks, makeup products, outerwear, fine jewelry, sneakers, finance apps and they're global ambassadors for luxury fashion house Givenchy. Last fall, they attended Paris Fashion Week on behalf of the brand. For GISELLE, whose love of fashion started when she was a headstrong toddler who couldn't be told what to wear, it was a pinch-me moment. She describes the "surreal" experience as a turning point. "I saw so many fans who didn't share the same culture and the same language show their love and support for us," she says. "It made me feel really grateful and happy. There were so many international fans who showed up, and that's when I realized, Wow, our platform and our identity is a lot bigger than I expected.”"That's what motivates us to work really hard at what we do because someone else can look at us and build their dream around us," KARINA adds. "We all grew up as fans of other artists, so we know what it's like."That relationship between an artist and their fans is unlike any other bond. It's impenetrable and all-consuming, prevailing across both real and virtual lines. With their new digital capsule collection — a partnership among luxury e-commerce platform The Dematerialised, PAPER, SM Entertainment and Warner Music Group — aespa is expanding their reach even further into the future frontier of fashion. When it comes to digital fashion, the landscape is its own boundless Kwangya, and it's radicalizing how people interact with their clothes. In the metaverse, designs aren't limited by fabrics and physics. You can express yourself however you want.So aespa co-designed a line of looks, accessories and æ-pets inspired by their own personal tastes, and their fans will soon be able to make them part of their own digital collection."It was really fun being able to have that open creativity and experimenting with different textures and colors and designs that you normally wouldn't be able to apply to actual clothing and fabric," KARINA says. "These are pieces we normally wouldn't be able to wear in the real world." She co-designed an extravagant earpiece, something that wouldn't normally fit on her "really small" ears. WINTER's futuristic hair clips are as delicate and deadly as her image. She calls them bold and experimental, slightly out of her personal comfort zone. GISELLE's choker necklace combines angel wings and devil horns. "I like that they're the same shape drawn from different perspectives," she says. "I don't normally wear necklaces because they can feel uncomfortable, but I think this is a very cute accessory," she adds with a laugh. NINGNING's tie taps into her personal love of Y2K fashion. (She was wearing butterflies before they came back into style.) "I wanted to reinterpret a tie in a metaverse way," she says. "So the texture and the material itself is very new and something that you can only try in the digital world. I wanted to make it really fun and girly by adding a butterfly charm, which represents my identity."KARINA hopes this collaboration inspires their fans to curate their own style in the metaverse. "We learned a lot about digital fashion and the virtual world, which is something that we're constantly exploring as a group," she explains. "Although it's not a super conventional form of fashion that everyone is familiar with, this project is a good opportunity for our fans to learn more about digital fashion and perhaps have the opportunity to try it themselves and create their own designs." The metaverse, like aespa's intradimensional Kwangya, can be difficult to fully grasp. It's more of an experience than a tangible reality — a spectacle so far removed from our mundane existence that it might as well be fodder for one of NINGNING's favorite fairy tales or the star in KARINA's sky unbound by gravity. On Earth, we have limits. That’s what aespa is here to challenge. Because the internet may be an infinite wonder where data and possibility roam freely, but the real world is full of potential. “There's a lot more we're excited to show,” GISELLE says of aespa’s next chapter. All we can do is log on and stand in awe of their glow. Today, Warner Records’ first K-pop act aespa, PAPER, The Dematerialised, SM Entertainment and Warner Music Group have released their digital capsule collection, alongside the unveiling of their first PAPER cover. The collection is available at TheDematerialised.com. The digital capsule collection co-designed by aespa, PAPER and The Dematerialised includes three tiers of products. Items from the digital capsule collection are available for purchase via credit card or cryptocurrency payments.The most exclusive pieces from the collection are four, one-of-a-kind æ-fits. Each æ-fit is designed around the members of aespa — KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE and NINGNING — and worn by each member on the five PAPER covers rolling out this week. Each æ-fit comes with a ticket to an aespa concert, exclusive PAPER digital cover, bespoke virtual dressings inclusive of an AR filter and additional perks from DMAT. There is only one of each design and four designs in total, each priced at 2,000 EUR.GISELLEGISELLEKARINAKARINANINGNINGNINGNINGWINTERWINTERThe next tier of the virtual collection consists of four æ-accessories. Created around each aespa members’ signature symbols, the individual æ-accessories are an anti-gravity collection of powerful bijouterie. All æ-accessories come with an AR filter to wear the piece, an exclusive PAPER digital cover and additional perks from DMAT. There is a supply of 200 for each accessory and each is priced at 100 EUR.GISELLEGISELLEKARINAKARINANINGNINGNINGNINGWINTERWINTERThe widest available component to the digital capsule collection are unique generative æ-pets. Inspired by the first alien featured in the 1998 “Dreams Come True” music video by S.E.S. and reimagined by aespa, each æ-pet is uniquely generated by AI algorithm. Owners of the æ-pets can use them as a profile picture, play with their unique filter on TikTok and Instagram, and share their special powers online. These one-of-a-kind friends are here to make your metaverse journey extra mægical. There are 10,000 unique generative æ-pets, each priced at 20 EUR.GISELLEKARINANINGNINGWINTERThe project is minted on the Polygon blockchain, a leading carbon-neutral Layer-2 Ethereum scaling platform. Polygon’s tools ensure that aespa, PAPER and The Dematerialised’s digital capsule collection is as sustainable, inclusive, and accessible as possible. More information on Polygon’s sustainability efforts, including their carbon-negative footprint, can be found here. Photography: Mok Jungwook Makeup: Jo Eun Bee Hair: Yoon Seo Ha Digital capsule collection production: The Dematerialised Founder: Marjorie Hernandez CGI and cover design: William Stapel Garments and æ-pet design: Carola Dixon Garment design: Jiyoon Myung 3D accessories and AR: Romain Gauthier AR: Schirin Negahbani Head of production: Veselina Tsankova Product manager: Alexandra Ilg Head of partnerships: Gila Bonakdar Head of marketing: Ann-Britt Dittmar Editor-in-chief: Justin Moran aespa management: Choi Seongwoo, Park Sungjun aespa creative direction: Park Junyoung, Kim Hyunwoo, Mo Nari, Jo Woocheol, Son Saerom and Kim Wook aespa IP business management: Park Seolah, Chun Jihong and Gil Minhyeong https://www.papermag.com/aespa-cover-2659470413.html

[mrmrswales]

Exclusive: the ‘profoundly powerful’ moments that shaped Duchess of Cambridge’s children’s charity work by Camilla Tominey

It all started with secret visits the public never got to see. Newly married, and with the world’s press chronicling her every move – down to the details of her designer dresses – the Duchess of Cambridge resolved to go "below radar".

Acting as Prince William’s "plus one", rather than a fully fledged solo royal in those early days, the newest addition to the Royal family knew that she wanted to find a cause she could champion as impactfully as Diana, the Princess of Wales’s landmine campaign; it was simply a question of where to find it.

Having already announced her first patronage of Action on Addiction, a charity working with people with drug and alcohol problems, Hope House, a women-only rehabilitation centre in Clapham, south London, seemed as good a place as any to start.

It was October 2011 when the then 29-year-old Duchess paid the first of several, incognito visits in a bid to find out what had sent its clients on a downward spiral of self-destruction.

According to Rebecca Priestley, who accompanied the Duchess on the visit and would go on to spend five years as her private secretary, it played a pivotal role in her decision to put childhood at the heart of her philanthropic endeavours.

Speaking on the record for the first time, Mrs Priestley, who is now an executive coach, recalled:  "I remember going up to Anglesey, where they were living after the wedding, to have a conversation with the Duchess about her royal life."

At that point, she had the philanthropic world at her feet. She could have done anything she wanted in the charitable arena. Typically, she had put a lot of thought into it already. Addiction was an issue she was instinctively thinking about – but she was also genuinely interested in understanding what support was there and what role that played in the bigger picture of mainstream societal issues."

With the Duke having flown to the Falklands for a six–week tour of duty with his RAF search and rescue squadron, Mrs Priestley put a programme together to support the Duchess’s desire to "listen and learn"."A lot of it was behind the scenes, just talking to people and hearing where it was that they needed more help.  The one thing that united all of the women at Hope House was that the derailing had started so early on. They could trace the problems in their adult lives back to childhood."

A subsequent private visit in February 2012 to Clouds House, a treatment centre in East Knoyle in Wiltshire, served as further confirmation that the early years should be a key area of focus. But it was during a later meeting with female inmates at a detox unit at Send Prison in Woking when the penny well and truly dropped.

"It was a profoundly powerful moment,” recalled Mrs Priestley. "You go in there with this preconceived idea that these women have done things wrong, that it was their fault. Then one woman started speaking to the Duchess about her earliest memories of seeing needles on the floor of her home."

She had always thought addiction was a misunderstood issue, but after this, she became concerned that there was a pre-destiny about those affected – an inevitability about it. These women were born into it and there was very little chance of escape."

The experience set in train a sequence of events that will next week culminate in the Duchess, 39, stepping up her ambition in driving awareness and action on the impact that early childhood can have on society at large.

She will launch a new initiative through the couple’s Royal Foundation to further explore the science around early childhood, raise awareness of the issue and foster collaboration and partnerships across relevant groups.

According to Lord Hague, who became chairman of the Royal Foundation last September, the "ambitious" new project will be equal in stature to William’s £50 million Earthshot Prize, launched last year with Sir David Attenborough to find workable solutions to climate change and environmental problems.

"The Duchess truly believes this is one of the great issues of our time," said the former Tory leader. "This is the central plank of her work in the way conservation issues are for the Duke. It’s a hugely significant moment."

While politicians are often in a rush to make a difference during the comparatively short time they have in office, royals are there for life, which perhaps explains why Kate has taken 10 years to get to this point.Having been instrumental in launching the Heads Together campaign with William and Prince Harry in 2016, designed at tackling the stigma and changing the conversation on mental health, it was not until 2018 that she convened a steering group of experts to look at how cross-sector collaboration could bring about lasting change.

In January, she delivered a landmark speech after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses.

"People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years," the mother-of-three said.

"Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. While of course I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too."

Pointing out that the social cost of late intervention has been estimated to be over £17 billion a year, she added: "The early years are therefore not simply just about how we raise our children. They are in fact about how we raise the next generation of adults. They are about the society we will become."

According to Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, the Duchess "has a vision of how she can help transform how we as a society view and invest in the early years for the benefit of society".

Describing her interest in "the role the brain shapes our early experiences and how that sets us on a path to adult life", he explained: "When you look at very young babies and infants, on the surface they don’t appear to be engaging in complex emotions so there's a tendency to underestimate the millions of synapses that are being formed every minute. But science is telling us we have to look under the bonnet.

"There’s no question that for the Duchess, this is a lifetime piece of work. The last five years laid the foundations, now we are entering a more proactive phase.” Described by one source as “thoughtful, professional and determined to do a good job,” there is a sense that Kate has never been in it for the early wins, but the long haul.

As one well-placed insider put it: "She took the job very seriously right from the very beginning. She continues to want to get it right and do her very best - for the institution, for William and the importance of the work she’s doing.

"She doesn't just want to rock up for a picture opportunity, which is why she used to get quite frustrated with all the early focus on what she was wearing. She really cares about this stuff."

Another source said she was "much more fun" than people give her credit for, pointing out how she has grown in confidence having found a cause that she is not only passionate about - but also well informed.

As Lord Hague put it: "She’s been reading the books and had trustees reading the books. People assume her interest in the early years is because she has children – actually it comes from all the adults she’s met." The other key influence has been Kate’s own idyllic childhood.

Brought up in leafy Bucklebury in West Berkshire by her entrepreneur parents Michael and Carole Middleton, pictured below with the royal family, the Duchess has never made any secret of how fortunate she has been to be brought up in a loving and supportive family.

"She always recognised that she benefited from such a great start in life," added Mrs Priestley.

"That’s why sport and the outdoors has always been a key theme for her. She was always asking how those sorts of experiences could be made accessible to others."

For Dame Benny Refson, president of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, where the Duchess has been patron since 2013, Kate’s grounded upbringing has proved an asset.

“The Duchess listens and people feel heard and valued. It’s nothing to do with privilege. The groups she meets in challenging areas in London don't look at what she's wearing. What makes a difference is that an important person has shown a genuine interest in them. She can relate without passing judgement, which is so important."

Having started out as a reticent public speaker, the Duchess has finally found her voice – and next week she will have a lot more to say.

[myhauntedsalem]

Amelia Earhart  

On July 24th, 1897 a girl was born in a small town in Kansas, who would later become an American legend and aviation pioneer. Her name was Amelia Mary Earhart and during her short 39 years of life (that we are aware of), she was to set numerous aviation records, and was one of the first female pilots to achieve celebrity status all around the world. The charismatic, confident and independent Earhart became not only a national icon in the States, but was (and still is) regarded as a feminist icon, daring to tread in the exclusive “boys only” arena of aviation at the time, and spurring a whole new generation of women to believe in themselves and squash stereotypical perceptions of women.

In May 1923 she was the 16th woman to receive a pilots license by the then aviation authority, after setting a world record for female pilots 7 months earlier. She was selected to be the first female passenger on a trans-atlantic flight five years later, writing a book on her experience which would see her being called the “Queen of the Air.”

Earhart’s fame grew when she became the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic in 1932, and during the early 30’s began contemplating a circumnavigation of the world flight - in March 1937 she attempted to start said record flight but due to the plane needing repairs the flight was postponed.

On June 1st, Earhart and her co-pilot/navigator Fred Noonan flew out from Miami and over the next month made several stops in South America, Africa, India and Asia before arriving in New Guinea on the 29th, having completed 22,000 miles (35,000 kms) of the journey.

On the 2nd of July they departed for a small piece of land named Howland Island, situated a little north of the Equator in the Pacific. However Earhart, Noonan and their aircraft were to vanish without a trace soon after. The US Coast Guard vessel assigned at Howland Island, to guide them via radio transmissions, received a final message indicating that the pilot could not locate the island, and that they were low on fuel, before all contact was lost.

A number of search efforts, beginning an hour after her last transmission, turned up nothing, even though search efforts lasted 3 weeks. Earhart was declared legally dead in early 1939, and the US Navy concluded that the Lockheed Electra plane ran out of gas and sank into the ocean near Howland Island – however, no wreckage was (or has ever been) found. The fact that a distress or mayday call was never made has fueled rumors over the years of some kind of conspiracy taking place, that the public have not been informed of the full “real” story.

So what did happen to Earhart and Noonan?

Over the years many have speculated about what their fate was and a number of theories have emerged. Many believe that the official crash and sink theory is wrong and that perhaps due to an error made by Noonan in his navigational calculations, they may have crash-landed on the wrong island or a nearby atoll, where they perhaps perished soon after due to injuries. Perhaps the Navy missed them in their search efforts?

A disturbing notion emerged that Earhart was a secret US spy who was working to gather evidence, during this flight of Japanese activity in the Pacific, and was to report back to the US Government when she returned. A WWII-era film named Flight for Freedom reinforced this myth, with the film ending with the Japanese becoming aware of the characters mission, forcing the heroine to ditch her plane off-course where nobody can find her. Did this scenario really happen?

Another scenario put forth is that the Japanese may have shot them down and captured both pilots, whether or not Earhart, or both her and Noonan were spies, and held as prisoners for years afterwards, perhaps even being executed. Inhabitants of an island named Saipan,which is roughly 1500 miles northwest of Howland Island, have claimed for years that in 1937 the local prison held “a white American woman who was captured on a plane and is a spy.” One man claims to have seen two graves he was told held the bodies of two American spies shot down over the Pacific. It has also been claimed that at some point US Marines supposedly found Earharts briefcase in a safe on Saipan, and photographs have emerged supposedly showing not only Earhart during her captivity, but wreckage of the plane which was claimed to have been destroyed by the Japanese army.

In 1970 a book was released called ‘Amelia Earhart Lives’ and made the claim that Earhart had in fact finished the flight, moved to New Jersey, changed her name and re-married. She was named as one Irene Craigmile Bolam, but research showed that the woman could not be the famous aviatrix and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the author and publisher!

In 1990, US television show ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ interviewed a woman who claimed to have witnessed the two being executed. The photos and this persons claims have either been proven false or remain mysterious. Many other locals of the island have come forth over the years telling their re-collections of seeing or hearing of Earhart and Noonans’ presence.

Of course, it was also speculated that Earhart and Noonan were abducted by a UFO, or were found by the Nazis and held prisoners, maybe perhaps both were brainwashed into becoming double-agents, allied to watch American activity and after fulfilling their work, made new lives for themselves in another country?

Or perhaps Noonan killed Earhart, then himself, to fulfill some mysogynistic ideal to stop females advancing in a “man-orientated” world?

This mystery is sure to be one that will tantalize and stir the curiosity of generations to come. But what do you think?

[hshouse]

are you done with your essay?

YES!! Harry essay is here and I love her.

It’s under the read more!! 

Harry Styles: the gay icon gay women deserve.

If you walk into an arena to watch a Harry Styles concert, you might think you came to a pride parade instead of a concert. His fans bring pride flags (all kinds of them: the gay, the lesbian, the bisexual, the transgender and the asexual have all been spotted) and wait excitedly for the moment when Harry snatches the flags for himself and runs around on stage with them. To understand the Harry Styles that his LGBT fanbase knows and love, it is crucial to know both his path to a successful solo artist and how he is perceived by the general public. Before his solo career, he was a member of the boyband One Direction. Boybands (and their members) have historically occupied in a curious position in popular culture. These groups, mostly composed of early twenties men, have been openly marketed towards a young female audience (who is presumed to be straight). The magazines write about the perfect date for each member and which actress the cute one is dating - all in a clear effort to sell them as romantic/sex icons for teenage girls. However, despite all of these efforts, these boybands are also adored by the LGBTQ community. While the appeal to gay men is more understandable, the bulk of the LGBTQ fans, at least in Harry Styles’ case, is composed of lesbian and bisexual women. Through analyzing four of his songs, I will shed a light on why this appeal exist and how he has become one of the iconic gay icons of the 21st century.

The first two songs that have become an important gay anthem for his LGBT fans were written by Harry Styles during his time in One Direction. The song “Happily” is featured in the third album of the band and “If I Could Fly ” is part of the fifth album. To understand the importance of these songs, some context is needed. A significant part of the One Direction fandom (the word used to describe the collective of fans) believes that Harry Styles was/is on a long term relationship with another bandmember, Louis Tomlinson. This belief is held mostly by the LGBT fans and it has shaped the fandom from the very beginning (this video - which has been watched over five million times - provides a good introduction on the topic). Many LGBT fans were introduced to the band by hearing about this belief. In different, and often controversial and unconvincing ways, both Harry and Louis have denied this relationship. However, the fans, including myself, even after four years of the band break, still believe in the existence of their relationship (the dynamics of this group are extremely interesting but are unfortunately outside of the scope of this essay).

In both “Happily” and “If I Could Fly” Harry writes/sings directly to his lover without (or with few) pronouns. Both songs invoke a common theme of certitude about their relationship while facing outside struggles to maintain this relationship. In “Happily”, Harry directly addresses how their relationship is viewed: “I don’t care what people say when we’re together/You know I wanna be the one to hold you when you sleep/I just want it to be you and I forever”. For straight listeners, this verse may not seem like more than a common love declaration in a pop song. However, for LGBT fans this verse is understood as a clear and loud representation of the queer struggle with acceptance for their relationships. Moreover, Harry is sending a strong optimistic message about queer love: “I don’t care what people say when we’re together”. In a pop culture that still often portrays queer love stories as tragedies or unattainable desires, hearing a song showcases a fairly happy queer love story is important for young LGBT people. Later in the song, Harry also plays (as he does in many songs as we will see) with the common listener’s assumptions about his sexuality: “It’s four a.m. and I know that you’re with him/I wonder if he knows that I touched your skin/And if he feels my traces in your hair”. A straight listened will likely assume he is jealous of another man who is with his female lover. However, the lover Harry is talking to is not specified as a woman so these sexually charged lyrics are understood by his fans to be within the context of a gay relationship.

In a distinctively sadder tone, “If I Could Fly” showcases another side of queer love: the understanding that that relationship is often the only social space where LGBT people get to truly be themselves. While many are lucky to have LGBT spaces and friends, it is still not the case for everyone - especially those in the closet. When performed live, this song seems to be personal and even perhaps painful to him. He sings: “For your eyes only, I’ll show you my heart/For when you’re lonely and forget who you are/I’m missing half of me when we’re apart/Now you know me, for your eyes only/For your eyes only.” These verses seem to say that he is himself only when he is with his lover or that only his lover truly knows him. Again, for his LGBT fans this song is undeniably about feelings and experiences that are unique to queer love within the context of our society. During his first tour as a solo artist, Harry performed this One Direction song in a separate B stage alongside one of his own love songs (the small stage was quickly nicknamed “the Boyfriend stage” by fans). During one of his London shows (linked above) the fans used their phones to form a pride flag across the arena. As he sang “I can feel your heart inside of mine”, his fans held a pride flag and sang back to him “I feel it/I feel it.” An incredibly powerful moment to us and to him (as you can see in the video).

In 2017, Harry started his solo career post One Direction. His first album cycle (including album release and tour) lasted until 2018 and it included over a million albums sold and 69 sold out concerts across the world. His career has been marked by his refusal to share anything substantial about his personal life outside of what is said in his songs. Harry talks through his actions and lyrics more than through any interview. Further, his solo career has also been marked by his fashion choices. He is the face of several Gucci fashion campaigns and the first gender neutral perfume. On tour, he was usually on a two piece suit with an extravagant pattern or in a creative variation of it like this prince outfit. But by far the most unique part of any Harry Styles concert is pride flags that flood the audience everywhere he goes. During every concert of his tour he grabbed some of the flags and ran around the stage. This movement to bring pride flags is a culmination of four years of efforts from his LGBT fans. During the One Direction tours a few brave fans brought pride flags, in a movement named Rainbow Direction, and were often met with hostility from other fans. It wasn’t until Harry started grabbing the flags and, in his fashion “saying without saying” that he supported and liked this trend, that the pride flags became accepted by the larger fandom.

Two of his solo songs deserve special attention for their importance for the queer fans. The first one is “Two Ghosts”. This song, like the ones mentioned before, is believed to be about Louis Tomlinson. The song was released as part of his 2017 album but was written in 2013. During that time, the Louis/Harry belief was first partially addressed when Harry and Louis, who were self declared best friends who lived together, completely stopped interacting with each other. This arrangement was in place until the last day of the band almost 3 years later. In a five person group, it was painfully obvious. “Two Ghosts” is believed to address this new public arrangement: “Sounds like something that I used to feel/But I can’t touch what I see/We’re not who we used to be/We’re not who we used to be/We’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me.” Styles then goes on to repeat “We’re not who we used to be” multiple times. Regardless of one’s belief on that relationship, when the song was released, Harry’s queer fans were stunned with how raw the song was. While being a celebrity in that situation is a mostly unrelatable problem, the feeling of not being able to express queer love freely is shared by many. In particular the lyric “I can’t touch what I see” shows a sadness and struggle that is known to many, if not all, queer people.

The second song is “Medicine”. This is Harry’s most openly queer song and also his most sexually charged. The second verse of the song boldly states that he is gonna treat his lover like a gentleman - a line that is hard to be interpreted in any other way but that his lover is a man. The song goes on to describe, by using the metaphor of taking medicine, the singer’s sexual desires with this person: “Here to take my medicine, take my medicine/Rest it on your fingertips/Up to your mouth, feeling it out/Feeling it out.” These lyrics are more explicitly sexual than any of his other songs. In a fan loved moment, Harry sings “I had a few, got drunk on you and now I’m wasted/And when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how you -” and the fans complete the (supposed) lyrics by screaming “tasted”. The song then comes to its most talked about verses: “The boys and the girls are in/I mess around with him/And I’m OK with it”. These verses exemplify what queer women love on Harry: in an unprecedented hint on his sexuality Harry is said in the same breath that he says is okay with it. Again, the reassurance that it is okay to feel this way. It is crucial to highlight an unsurprising detail about this song: it was never released as a track, he only performs it live. These lyrics, therefore, are not in the canon of what non fans know about him. Harry constantly seems to want to share his experiences in some contexts but not others - a feeling entirely too familiar to his queer fans.

During his concerts, Harry talks to the fans close to him from the stage and he seems to have talent (perhaps a radar) for choosing gay fans. This video contain most of the moments mentioned here. He helped multiple fans come out during the concert, he helped a girl find a girlfriend and even said that “everyone is a little bit gay”. His connection with his lesbian and bisexual fans is evident to anyone who follows him. In a very tangible way, this connection was not supposed to exist. Harry was, and still partially is, marketed as a sex symbol who girls are supposed to want to sleep with. His fanbase is supposed to be straight women that daydream about having a chance to date him. Of course, this is an incredibly sexist and condescending way to treat women and Harry has never been okay with this framework. Considering his silence on most topics, he has been loud and clear about his respect towards women and his love for his mostly young female fanbase: “Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s always changing. There’s no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.“ And this sentiment, if his on stage interactions are anything to go by, seem to be even more clear about his gay fans. It is not to say that every straight fan wants to sleep with him or that he loves them any less. But there is a clear understanding by him that there is something special about the LGBT fans that, despite a marketing that was not meant to appeal to gay women, stood by him for now almost a decade. Show after show he has made it abundantly clear that this relationship is just as important and sacred to him as it is to us.

[daesungindistress]

Not to keep talking about him, but you said he’s regarded as the worst k-celebrity? That’s weird that they deem him worst than his “friends”. Maybe because his shit is STILL dragging on months later?

The molka stuff was only a small part of a much larger scandal. The reason there’s still so much discourse about it among VIPs is because, based on my observations at the time, his presence in the molka chats is what prompted most fans to drop him (and many of them stopped paying attention after that). His remaining fans know this and are focusing so much of their fight on that in an effort to reverse the narrative and regain support for him. It’s a complete waste of time though; they’re running circles around themselves trying to disprove something Seungri himself already admitted to ages ago. “Those messages aren’t my entire life,” he said when asked why he didn’t reprimand JJY for the illegal videos he shared in the chats. He was there, he saw, he knew.

(What’s funny is they can’t even keep their own stories straight; I’ve had anons in my inbox the last few days trying to erase his presence in the chats with “It wasn’t Seungri, it was Lee Jonghyun!” and “It wasn’t Seungri, it was another Lee Seunghyun!” And not a peep about his Chosun interview. It sure is funny watching them trip over themselves trying to get it right when the answer has been right there in front of them all along.)

I think about this sometimes… how for those who weren’t in the fandom back then and/or weren’t following along, much of Seungri’s role in the Burning Sun controversy is going to be lost to time. New fans will take an interest in Big Bang and join the fandom and no doubt they’ll ask, “What happened to Seungri?” And there’s just no way to sum it all up cleanly and concisely. There’s too much. It would be nice to see someone put together a timeline of events, but I have a feeling the only people possessing that kind of dedication to the case nowadays are the fans still committed to defending him. No thanks.

Anyway, just for funsies, here’s a list of as many allegations as I can think of off the top of my head, with explanations that I tried (and failed ofc) to keep condensed. Just various things for anyone who’s new here…

- The alleged drugging and sexual assault of women by wealthy clients in the VIP room at the club Burning Sun. Burning Sun was widely known as Seungri’s club as he had spent the better part of the prior year (2018) promoting it, calling it his, DJ-ing there, etc… proudly boasting throughout his solo promotions about how, unlike most celebrities, he doesn’t just loan out his name and face, he manages his businesses himself. Because of this, no matter how hard he backpedaled when the news about Burning Sun broke, insisting that he wasn’t responsible for the day-to-day operations of the club and didn’t have a clue about what was happening there, there was no separating himself from it completely. He was in too deep already. Worse, media got their hands on some club documents and found that he did in fact have part-ownership of the club – he was one of its investors and was even listed as the executive director. Granted, the percentage of shares he held was a very small one, but he really should have been forthcoming with that info from the start because this is what began the narrative that painted him as a liar. Or should I say he outed himself as one.

- Widespread corruption within the police force. Not just with regards to Burning Sun but many bars and clubs throughout the Gangnam area. It was suspected that local police had arrangements with the clubs to look the other way and often neglected to investigate crimes being reported on their premises. Minors entering the clubs, drug use, sexual violence, etc. This leads to…

- Police collusion… i.e., suspicions of having friends in high places. Seungri was in a chat with friends in which they discussed Choi Jonghoon having a DUI covered up and kept quiet, the news suppressed. Not even his own agency knew. Seungri said, “Don’t think that it’ll be covered up the next time you drink and drive. [Name redacted] hyung used his own money to keep them from telling.” His “Korean law is shit, that’s why I love it” comment in another chat didn’t earn him any brownie points with the public either.

- More on bribing the police: Seungri and his business partner Yoo Insuk had connections with a high-ranking police official, one referred to in the chats as “police chief”. This turned out to be Superintendent Yoon, who was suspected of alerting them to violations related to his other club, Monkey Museum, and helping them avoid prosecution for it. Seungri had registered the business as a general restaurant but began operating the business outside the limits of an ordinary restaurant (installing a stage, dance floor, etc) despite being aware that it could become a legal issue down the road. He was suspected to have done so for the purpose of paying lower taxes.

This is where the Food & Sanitation Act charge comes in. Not especially major in itself, the bigger issue was Seungri suggesting in the chats that they could just bribe the police if there was ever a crackdown.

Superintendent Yoon had meals and went on golf outings with Seungri & Yoo Insuk. They said that he paid for his portion every time, however it was found that SR & Yoo had in fact treated him on a few occasions. Big Bang concert tickets were also given as gifts. However, it was determined that the value of what they gave him didn’t quite meet the threshold to be considered a crime, so bribery charges were dropped… on a technicality. Superintendent Yoon is currently being detained on abuse of power charges related to another case.

- Financial crimes, i.e., embezzlement of Burning Sun funds (together with Yoo Insuk, totaling almost a million dollars) and embezzlement of funds from Monkey Museum to pay the attorney’s fees for a DJ accused of sexual assault.

- Prostitution mediation, i.e., arranging sex workers for foreign investors of his 2015 startup Yuri Holdings. He was investigated for 2 instances of this occurring in late 2015 (Club Arena and the “Seung-tsby” Christmas Party), and another at his big birthday bash in the Philippines in 2017. Charges related to the Philippines party were dropped as it couldn’t “legally be seen as prostitution” but I personally think the evidence presented is substantial enough to warrant suspicion.

- Soliciting prostitution for himself. At first he claimed it was “someone he knew before” and said he hadn’t paid her for sex, but police were able to trace payment records back to the establishment where she worked. He reportedly admitted to the charge at his arrest warrant hearing in May.

- Molka (spycam), i.e., secretly filmed photos and videos of women in sexual situations, taken by Seungri’s friends and business partners and shared in a group chat in which he was present. Questions were raised about why he didn’t at least reprimand them. It was later discovered that not only were the victims filmed without their consent, many of them had been drugged and raped… and some were even used against the women as blackmail.

- Instigating the destruction of evidence by advising his friends to change their phones when these chats were released to the public. Reportedly, of the phones handed to police, all but one were new / wiped clean.

- Here’s something I’ll forever be curious about: it was reported that Seungri had been using Burning Sun funds to pay his YGE-appointed manager a separate salary (in addition to his regular salary from the agency) without informing the company. And it was no small amount. I’m not sure why he did this or why, exactly, it’s a problem, but apparently it’s a big no-no because when YGE learned of it Seungri’s manager was promptly let go.

- Gambling. This first came up back in the spring when a chat was released that showed Seungri talking about money he’d won through gambling and telling a business acquaintance he could win big too. In response to this, Seungri said he was only “bluffing”, that he hadn’t really won any money through gambling… Well, months later he was formally called in for questioning on suspicions of habitual gambling and illegal currency exchange transactions. The currency exchange suspicions were dropped in the end, the gambling charge he reportedly admitted to. As for that chat? I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t bluffing that day.

- There was also that gross chat that appeared to show him offering women to a business acquaintance? The man was traveling and asked for a woman, and Seungri responded with photos of a few women, detailed descriptions of their personalities, and price. Pretty sure this is where the trafficking accusations you still see floating around occasionally come from. His explanation for that was essentially “It wasn’t what it looked like.” He said it was about travel companions, not sex, and they never went through with it. IDK what to make of it, but let’s be honest, that was going to reflect badly on him no matter how he spun it.

- Things got really wild when speculation about him having connections to the Chinese triad (organized crime) started up due to his business relationship with a powerful woman known as Madam Lin. She was one of his investors and according to police statements, is believed to have aided in helping him embezzle funds from Burning Sun. Korean police summoned her for questioning and requested her cooperation multiple times to no avail.

…I’ll stop there, but just keep in mind there is more, suspicions that didn’t seem to lead anywhere in the end but that dealt blow after blow after blow to what little was left of his reputation. The whole thing became mind-boggling. I think it’s easier for us as IVIPs to forget the fervor that swept the nation as this scandal erupted because we weren’t really there for it, not in the same way as Koreans who must have seen it plastered across every major news station day in and day out for months… people who saw their fellow citizens protesting in the streets against the atrocities reported at Burning Sun and the corruption in the police force that failed to prevent it. And yes… in a way, it’s still dragging on. Seungri was known for having connections everywhere, even where you’d least expect it; here that reputation of his worked against him as the floodgates opened and he became the connecting piece for all the nasty that came pouring out. And you know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He wanted to be famous. Now he’s infamous.

[collateralfiction]

OBJ Short

DREW

“Aye, three stacks, where you at, my love?”

With a little help from my coconut and avocado oil concoction, I carefully combed through my tresses and slicked my hair into a low ponytail at the back of my head. I was growing frustrated with having my natural hair out for so long that I was honestly contemplating siting through 5 hours of faux locs. And God knows I have zero patience to sit for an extended period of time, let alone have someone in my head at that. With Air Pods sticking in my ears, I could barely hear my best friend yelling at me from downstairs. Sliding back into my fluffy slippers, I stepped out of my room, looked over the staircase and down at her with a cheesy smile.

“Well don’t you look amazing. Jimmy Choo?”

“Absolutely and why are you not ready?” she sassed, placing her hand on her hips.

“Girl, it’s only All-Star weekend. This is not the Met Gala and the only reason I’m going is because you asked me to go. If I had my way, I would rather sit home and not get classified with a bunch of thirsty women trying to trap someone else’s man. Been through that and I’m past that,”

“I know how you feel about it, mama. But honestly, we’re just going for a good time and to network like usual. Stop acting ugly,” Kory laughed.

“You know I would rather stay in and catch up on The Walking Dead but fine. My outfit is already picked out too. I just need to throw it on. Being natural is so time consuming,” I complained as I watched her take her time up my spiral staircase.

“But it seems like you had more than enough time to do that face of yours,” she laughed, hugging me tightly. It was always Drew and Kory or Kory and Drew. If you see one, you would see either one of us not too far behind. That’s just how it went. I would say I was a social butterfly but when I find people I click with, I tend to stick with them and have reservations on wanting to make new friends.

“Oh girl, you know I love a good beat. I didn’t do anything too crazy. Just foundation, highlight, eyebrows, eyelash and lips,”

“So again, a full beat,” she laughed, pushing me into the bedroom.

“Oh, bitch. Call us an Uber or something,” I said as I dropped my robe and quickly ran into my walk-in closet to pick up the outfit of the day. Since it was only a simple basketball game that would be filled with multiple press outlets, celebrities and spectators, I still had to look my best. I wore a bright two-piece neon green sweater skirt set, and paired it with my favorite Versace sandals- if you must know the name, they’re called the Triple Strap Platform High-Heel Sandals. The heels in itself is perfect for me because with my little above average height and toned legs, it’ll just bring out even further my Goddess like features. Not to bring all the attention on me, I grabbed one of my favorite fringed black jean jackets to seal in the look. I normally carried a bag with me, but I figure a Fendi fanny pack to sling across my body would be so much easier.

“No Uber. We got car service and it’s downstairs waiting,” she said as she leaned against the doorway. “Woah, mama. You look damn hot. You’re sure to get someone’s attention tonight. Use the Burberry Her scent. It’s so refreshing,” she suggested.

“Thank you, babe. I’m pretty much done. We can go before I find something else I need to do,” I smiled.

“Wait, we have got to take some photos first. Because you know after this, we’re going to the afterparty,” she expressed, walking into the connected bathroom. When I moved into this house almost five years ago, everything that I had in here was crafted to what I wanted specifically. Everything had to be of my standards and whether that was me ripping everything out and starting from the ground up, so be it. My bathroom had one of the largest mirrors in the house, spanning from the floor to the ceiling as soon as you walked in. That’s where most of my photos were taken as people have noticed a certain pattern on Instagram.

“Smile, bitch,” Kory said, immediately smizing like the professional model she is.

I turned to the side to show the profile of my body and the shoes, smiling seductively in the picture. We took turns taking solo pictures of one another until we both sought out at least three good pictures we both could put on IG. Soon after, we both dashed out of the house and into the waiting car.

The ride to the Staples Center was nothing short of traffic and corny jokes shared between Kory and I. We couldn’t help but laugh at all the Instagram models suddenly making an appearance at a sports’ filled event. I could understand if they were going to support their love ones or something else in between. But to just be here for clout and attention is lame. At least pretend like you keep up with the festivities.

As we entered the world-renowned arena, we were escorted promptly to our seats to make it in time for the National Anthem. But Kory and I couldn’t help but say hi to many of the familiar faces we passed. I preferred to be seated in the skybox up top, but this was the All-Star game. It was only right that we sit courtside and by Gabrielle Union, DJ Khaled and Ludacris. Kory had someone grab us some refreshments while we settled in comfortably and I couldn’t help but to take out my phone and do a photo-op with Mrs. Wade. The arena begun to darken with the announcement of the National Anthem beginning. As much shit this country has put people of color through, I didn’t feel the need to stand. But if the players were going to stand tall and hold their head’s high, that was the least I could do. So, we stood and laughed.

Fergie was chosen to sing the National Anthem. Aside from being a part of the Black Eyed Peas, and a few hits of her own, I wasn’t the first one to be eager to put her music on. But hey, this meant more publicity to her and probably a great marketing tool. I didn’t understand the need to change up the format of the song, but Fergie’s slow and jazzy rendition missed the target. “What in the world?” I muttered, stifling back laughter. Kory’s snickers and slick comments had me and Gabby ready to throw the towel in and walk out of the arena. After taking a look at Draymond’s face, I knew from that moment on I could no longer hold it in. It even progressively grew worse when she yelled “Let’s play some basketball!”

The chatter continued around Fergie’s interesting remix of a song before the game begun to really start. I was actually happy that Kory convinced me to come out tonight because it made me realize how lax and chill the All Star games are when they’re competing in the name of charity and having fun. By the time halftime came around, Team Stephen was ahead by two points and it was still a close game. Pharell, N.E.R.D and Migos led the halftime show performance which gave me enough opportunity to get up and walk around. Kevin Hart and Drake were on the opposite sides of the court and I made it my business to harass the two men who call themselves my big brothers before making a quick beeline to the bathroom.

“Ass check,” Kory said. I laughed as I turned around so she could take a look. The things she would say would be so out of pocket and random, but I swear she’s the only person I know who could get away with it. “Great so when Mr. Blonde Curls comes over here for a sneak peek, everything will look proper,” she smiled.

“Who?” I questioned, sliding my glasses atop my head.

“Odell Beckham Jr. He is so damn fine. But I know he doesn’t like black girls but the way he’s looking at you, would make me eat my words all over again,”

“Girl, you just said a mouthful that will have to be addressed later,” I said, shaking my head as I turned my head to follow the direction of her eyes before our eyes both locked together and my words got caught in my throat. It was him. I quickly turned around and grabbed her hand to move her back to our seats. “I think he was looking at someone else. Come on, let’s go sit before it starts back up again,” Out of curiosity, I turned my head around to see if he was still staring at me and to my surprise he was.

I hadn’t seen this man since LSU days, how does he still recognize me?

ODELL

“They ain’t never gone invite my black ass up here; we cutting up way too much,” Ben laughed, taking another sip of the Henny and coke mix. You couldn’t really take Ben anywhere but what would be a party without Ben? It was impossible. He was needed whether you liked him or not. I couldn’t miss the 2018 All Star Basketball game even if I wanted to. The stars were aligned for me to attend. I was in L.A. to see my pops and brother, have a few meetings lined up with Nike and hey, the All Star weekend just happened to fall in my lap. Right time and place. I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. And, I had my right hand man Ben. Perfect. “You’re making fun of the back of this nigga head. He finna spin that camera on your ass and show them what they don’t really want to see,” he said as he continued to blabber on and on.

“Don’t be upset because Dave Chapelle ain’t laugh at your corny ass joke,” I snickered. “Or the fact that the bets these kids have been making thus far, you’re losing in all of them. That’s crazy, broskie,” I said.

“You know what? That just sounds like words from a true hater. My new mixtape gone have you as the very first athlete that gets dissed, can’t wait,”

“Don’t matter to me long as I can still dress,” I said, shoving his arm. He was always trying to come for my dome and by now, I was used to all of his antics.

“Ain’t no one worried about you and that damn Supreme satchel my nigga sold you on,” he said, kissing his teeth.

“Man, I’m tired of this. Keep my seat warm,” I said as I stretched a little and grabbed my empty cup of beer. The arena had plenty of employees but not for a tiny second would any of them leave our section alone just to make sure we were satisfied and had everything we needed. I’m sure they were excited to see big stars and this is probably not the first time, but I would get tired quick waiting hand and feet on us celebrities. Absolutely not.

The halftime show was underway which put everyone else’s attention on the performer, my eyes were locked on someone else. She passed me on the way to her seat and I couldn’t place a name to the face, but I knew her. Her laugh was the same as I remembered it; so vivid. But where did I know her from? I had to distract myself with things around me or else I’d be staring at her the whole time, trying to figure it out. And knowing Ben so well, he’d pick up the pieces. I was tempted to walk over there and say something but how do you introduce yourself to a stranger without it being strange? You don’t. I posed for a few photo-ops before finding myself a bathroom, grabbing some snacks and making my way back out just in time for the start of the third quarter.

I wasn’t too interested in the game after my mind was warped with trying to figure out how did I know her. After another hour and a half of the game, team Lebron came out with the win. It was a close game and it was no brainer that Lebron James was walking away with the MVP award and title for the night. He scored 29 points, had 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Tell me he wasn’t dedicated.

The floor was mixed with a bunch of people; reporters, players, celebrities, you name it. I lost her in the crowd of people, and it wasn’t helping that Ben was trying to build the courage to talk to Beyoncé, knowing damn well he was the last thing on her mind. “Yo, bro, we finna head over to the afterparty,” I wasn’t too interested in going out myself but after convincing myself that a night out wouldn’t do me any harm, I agreed to go. Besides that, I couldn’t let my boy have all the fun.

___

She was there again.

Cabaret was a popular club in New York and had recently opened up a spot in Los Angeles. It had only been opened for a month thus far but the way the lines were wrapped around the block, and the fact that the club itself was at its capacity just showed you how well thought out and lucrative it is to open a club of this magnitude. I nodded my head to the beat of the music as I followed behind the security team to Snoop’s VIP area. All I saw were girls, girls and more girls, big ass bottles of champagne and a thick cloud of smoke. But sitting behind in the corner was the same woman I saw earlier at the game, with her friend I’m assuming, talking to Lonzo Ball. What are the odds? Everyone must know everyone in Hollywood.

“What are you staring at so damn hard?” Ben asked, after grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the waitresses and handing it to me.

“Her,” I mumbled. “She looks familiar, but I don’t know where from,”

“You fucked her?” he said, stepping in front of my view.

“I gotta fuck everyone to say they look familiar?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You fucked-“

“Okay, happenstance which doesn’t really count. Move outta my way real quick,” I said.

“Aye, you want me to help? I could be the wingman, ice breaker, whatever your stiff ass needs,” he chuckled, throwing his hands up. I chuckled, shaking my head as I passed him by and went towards the direction of the lady in question. I stopped midway when I realized I didn’t really have a game plan and the fact that she was surrounded by people only really meant that this wasn’t the moment to approach her. Let me fall back.

“Beckham! Brody, what’s happening, boy? I haven’t seen you in weeks,” I turned around and smiled, bringing Drake into a brotherly hug. Out of all those that put on a show in this industry, Drake was really a stand-up dude and even a few months back, I was crashing at his place till I was well adjusted. I could never repay him for that.

“Ah man, Champagne Papi, what it do, man? I’m out here with Ben crazy ass, just getting in some fun in the sun,”

“Or stirring up some trouble. Aye, listen. I’m about to head on out but I’m having a little get together at my crib in Calabasas. Come through, I’ll send you the details,” he said as he patted my shoulder. “Bring Ben too. He’s good times.”

“This nigga finna be hype as shit. Will do, brody,” I said, giving him one last dap before I parted ways and greeted Snoop. I wasn’t that big of a drinker to begin with, but no one would know it by how hype and energize I was by just music alone. It was sort of like a painkiller for me. Just the beat alone could put me in a great mood no matter what the situation was. The club itself didn’t look like it dying down anytime soon and maybe an hour or two into the party, I had lost Ben in the crowd of people. With a dead cellphone and cloud of smoke hanging around me, there was no way possible I would be able to locate him. So, I sat on the couch, hoping he would notice his friend with the blonde curls wasn’t dancing any longer.

“I’ll be right back, Kory. I promise. I just need to get some fresh air,”

“Drew, I am not letting you leave by yourself. I’ll come,” My ears perked up at that revelation as I turned my head to the left to listen. They were there the whole night and in their own zone with conversation. We locked eyes a couple of times, but they were quickly cut short by either her friend, Kory, blocking my view or some random girl trying her best to persuade and talk to me.

Her name is Drew.

Drew Jordan.

DJ.

We went to Louisiana State University together.

That’s exactly how I knew her; a short flame that quickly fizzled as soon as I made it pro. I got up and grabbed my bottle of water and followed behind her slowly, watching her every movement. She still looked the same as before and I just didn’t know how I could forget a face like hers or a smile as radiating as hers could be. All of a sudden it felt like reality was sinking in. “Drew?” I called out as soon as I stepped outside. She stood off to the side drinking from a bottle of Sprite. I had watched her for five minutes before deciding to call her name. She turned around slowly and her eyes widened upon seeing me. “I probably caught you off guard, I ain’t mean to do that… I just been staring at you since the game and… I probably sound like a straight up creep,” I laughed, walking towards her. “Do you remember me?”

“Doesn’t matter if I remember you, everyone knows you,” she smirked. “But, how could I forget? How are you, Odell?”

“I’m doing great.. I can’t complain. I love how you say my name like we don’t got history, girl,” I teased, taking a step closer towards her.

She chuckled slightly and twisted the cap back onto her soda bottle and looked at me. “Well, if I do say so myself, I do recall once upon a time someone denying my phone calls so…” she trailed off.

“That wasn’t intentional, baby. I mean- Drew,” I said, tucking my bottom lip into my mouth to prevent me from saying anything else but I think it only had the opposite effect as the words already came out of my mouth.

“Calm down, Odell. It’s an Orleans thing, I get it,” she laughed. “I also understand that your career took off so damn quick, so I’m not surprised we lost touch. It happens in life,” she shrugged. I could tell she was cold by the way she tried to grip her jacket closer. It was corny but I was thinking I should offer up my jacket for an added layer of heat.

“Do you want my jacket? I think trying to look cute caught up to yo stubborn ass,” I teased, already shrugging my jacket off and placing it around her shoulders.

“Now you know I have a jacket of my own and now you’re going to get sick,” She said.

“That’s fine, that just means you gotta come to the crib and take care of me,” I winked.

“You haven’t changed at all,” she snickered. “I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t be too thrilled to see another woman’s face all in her man’s space,”

“Most likely not but you’re not just another woman. You’re a pretty woman that I got history with and I don’t have a girlfriend so it works out even better,” I smiled.

“Oooh, lucky me. Maybe I’ll finally get a text back from you,” she laughed, the dimples in her smile making my stomach flutter upside down.

“Nah, you ain’t never gonna let that go. Are you?” The quick shake to the head was all the confirmation I needed. “How about this, I take you out tomorrow from brunch or something along the lines of that and we just catch up completely. No bullshit, just like LSU days,” Her lips twisted to the side as she tapped her finger on her chin a few times in contemplation. From what I remember of Drew, she has always been stubborn but that’s what attracted me to her instantly. She had a good head on her shoulder and what could be looked at as arrogance was actually her just being confident which is one thing we had in common from the jump.

She was fiery, passionate and a damn bad ass athlete. Not to mention I thought she was so beautiful and still do, to this day. She was naturally a tom boy; she dressed in nothing but Nike tracksuits and Jordan’s. But she made it work because she always had her hair done up, nails on like Flo Jo and would do her make up every now and then. Then when she really wanted to show out, she would completely dress up and would wear the tightest possible dresses ever. And of course, that would piss me off because of all the attention she would get from guys. If it wasn’t from me and me only, I didn’t want her receiving anyone else’s attention.

We fit together like puzzle pieces.

“It’s a deal, but only on the ground that I get to choose the location,” she smirked.

“You know I like to take control. Let me pick it and you pay,” I countered.

Her laughter radiated and became louder as she bent down a little. “Fuck all the way off!” she continued to laugh. “You still owe me for running me dry from my Tiger card. I swear you was only my friend for the food,” she recalled.

“Nah, you know better than that. But the 5 dining hall was the spot. You know damn well I couldn’t resist them omelets,” I laughed.

“No, you’re absolutely right. Well worth it,” she smiled. “Well, I guess this is the part where I assume we exchange information again?”

“I follow you on Instagram already,” I admitted.

“Since when?” she questioned.

“Today. After the basketball game, actually. I had to make a completely new account once I hit the pros and your old handle no longer worked so I had to do a little extra work to get your current handle,”

“Boy, bye. What extra work? You still just as dramatic as ever,” she waved off. “I guess I can do a quick follow back,” she teased.

“And while you’re at it, maybe slide me your number too,” I said, reaching for my phone, only to remember that it was dead. “Shit, or maybe you put my number in and just text me. My phone is dead,”

“Ah, making me do the work. If I text and don’t receive a text back, you’re going on the blogs, Beckham,” she said, pointing her nails in my chest.

“Deal, baby girl,” I smiled.

[goldstarnation]

APRIL 2019 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of April 30 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Overall Company

CEO Bang Sunyoung has recently collaborated with a trendy, up and coming fashion brand to release a line of men’s and women’s accessories and shoes with her name attached and all Gold Star artists have been tapped to help model the line in two different groupings this month for the brand’s summer look book. The idols will do group shots (if they’re in a group), individual shots, and some PD-chosen mixed groupings as well.

Important dates

April 7: Accessories line lookbook photo shoot (Gold Star Soloist 1, Gold Star Soloist 3, Aria, Impulse, Femme Fatale)

April 19: Shoe line lookbook photo shoot (Gold Star Soloist 2, Silhouette, Origin, Element, Fuse)

Gold Star Soloist 1

To tide fans over until the next comeback, Gold Star has decided she will be releasing a fun and bright summer-themed photo book, which she’ll be traveling to Jeju at the end of the month to model for, with pictures taken by a popular photographer.

Important dates:

April 20-25: Photobook photo shoots in Jeju.

Gold Star Soloist 2

She’ll be flying out to the United States at the beginning of the month to perform in a gig there, but once she returns, it’s time for her to buckle down and focus on the final month of her solo concert preparations. After a lot of talk and seemingly fruitless studio recordings, there’s also word that Gold Star is going to go ahead with giving her a comeback later in the year.

Important dates:

April 6: Performance at concert at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax County, VA, USA.

Gold Star Soloist 3

At the end of the month, he’ll be performing his first domestic solo concerts in four years, so that is the priority on his schedule for the month. The weekend before his concert, Gold Star is sending him out busking for publicity and he’s scheduled to do a couple of radio appearances in the week between for additional promo.

Important dates:

April 20: Hongdae busking.

April 21: Hongdae busking.

April 22: Guesting on COOL FM radio show.

April 25: Guesting on Arirang Radio.

April 27: I COLOR U concert at Blue Square iMarket Hall in Seoul.

April 28: I COLOR U concert at Blue Square iMarket Hall in Seoul.

Silhouette

Following the end of their music show promotions for “I Love You”, Gold Star has booked Silhouette a gig on Running Man as a group, which they’ll be filming amidst the tour preparations for their June Japan tour that the rest of the month will be focused on, with performance rehearsals and promotional photo and video shoots.

Important dates:

April 6: End of music show promotions.

April 9: Running Man filming (to be aired April 28)

Aria

Gold Star is very happy with the performance of their last comeback and are going forward with initial plans to throw Aria into the summer comeback and are also talking about fitting a third comeback into the end of the year to please investors. In the meantime, April is largely a vacation month as congratulations for a job well done for the group other than a performance at the Korea Times Music Festival to cap off the month.

Important dates:

April 27: Performance at Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Origin

Though the planned comeback date earlier in the preparation process was for May, Gold Star has pushed the comeback up to the last week of April to best accommodate overseas promotions for the new album. Origin will film their music videos during the first few days of the month and then they’re slated for two concerts at the end of the first week of the month. The group will fly out to the US on April 23rd after pre-recording a handful of comeback stages for Korean shows and will remain there to film promotional appearances content until they finish their comeback stage on Saturday Night Live on the 27th, after which they’ll leave immediately on a private plane to make it back to Korea just barely in time to perform at the SBS Inkigayo Super Concert and pre-record more music show stages before they leave back to the states on the 29th (after their press conference) for the Billboard Music Awards next month.

Important dates:

April 4: Interview and photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

April 6: Love Yourself tour concert at Rajamangala International Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

April 7: Love Yourself tour concert at Rajamangala International Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

April 10: Release of pre-release MV for intro “Persona”.

April 24: The Fact Music Awards.

April 26: Release of title track & Map of the Soul: Persona, promotions continue until May 26.

April 27: Appearance as musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

April 28: Performance at SBS Inkigayo Super Concert in Gwangju.

April 29: Map of the Soul: Persona Global Press Conference in Seoul.

Impulse

Following their juniors Fuse and preceding their seniors in Silhouette, Impulse’s Japan tour will start next month, and that keeps them busy with stage rehearsal and other concert preparation this month like fittings and photo shoots. They’ve also been chosen at the new ambassadors for Est Cola in Thailand, so they’ll be flying there to film a CF near the end of the month.

Important dates:

April 20: Est Cola CF filming.

Fuse

Fuse’s Japan tour is this month, and they’ll be in Japan for the latter half of the month, save for a short return to Korea to attend an awards show. Before that, they’ll be scheduled for some form of concert rehearsal and/or Japanese lessons nearly every day. There’s some talk among management regarding a summer comeback to continue their success over the past couple of years during the season, but nothing has been confirmed and A&R are only in the stages of fielding possible songs.

Important dates:

April 21: Redmare tour concert at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

April 24: The Fact Music Awards at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon.

April 26: Redmare tour concert at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan. 

April 27: Redmare tour concert at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan. 

April 29: Redmare tour concert at Yokohoma in Yokohoma, Japan. 

April 30: Redmare tour concert at Yokohoma in Yokohoma, Japan. 

Element

With approval from the higher-ups, Element is set for a mid-May comeback and with it, they’ll be promoting a new song for the first time in eight months. Some back and forth within marketing and the company investors ended up with only a single approved for release, but the company is hoping to see good results nonetheless. The members will record the song in the studio this month and will spend long hours learning and perfecting the choreography. Gold Star is going sexier for this comeback than their last one, so more pressure will be put on the members visually. The pattern of VLives they fell into will be broken to focus on comeback preparations, but each member will be asked to film a solo cover video of some sort to upload on YouTube to keep fans engaged. The members are encouraged to lean into a sexy concept for the cover they either choose or are assigned, but it is not required.

Important dates:

April 24: 4lement tour concert at Shibuya Duo Exchange in Tokyo, Japan.

Femme Fatale

Now that filming for their reality show has wrapped, the members will be put into full focus on their summer EP. Gold Star wants their title track to be the hit of the summer and for it to make waves in a way that will justify their first tour and possibly even an American push in earnest in the second half of the year so the members are on a tight leash to maintain their collective it girl images. The members won’t make any scheduled public appearances this month in favor of spending time in the studio recording and learning choreography, but the plan is for this to increase buzz and hype about a potential comeback from them. A repackaged Japanese album will be released at the end of the month, but it won’t feature any new content from the members.

Important dates:

April 24: Release of Japanese repackaged album Re:Femme Fatale.

[ollyarchive]

Years & Years: Olly Alexander on being a gay pop sensation

"My mum really liked George Michael," says Olly Alexander, the gamin lead singer of British pop act Years & Years. "He was the first performer I was aware of as being openly gay when I was growing up. Now I understand that he had a somewhat embattled relationship with his sexuality, but for me as a kid, he was gay, and my mother liked him." Alexander, 28, will play the Regency Ballroom with bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen on June 27. It's their first local appearance since a set at Outside Lands in 2016 and one of only three U.S. shows scheduled to build buzz for the July 6 release of Years & Years' second album, Palo Santo. "Coming across a gay man in pop music was really helpful," Alexander recalls about first connecting with Michael's music. "Before then," he notes with unabashed affection, "I was drawn mostly to women performers: The Spice Girls, Britney, Christina, Destiny's Child."

Olly Alexander in a rainbow dreamcoat, performing at Glastonbury Music Festival.  

Alexander is part of a still-small wave of male musical performers including Sam Smith and Troye Sivan-call them Gen2 GayPop-who are simultaneously aiming for mainstream commercial success and publicly acknowledging their sexuality from the very beginning of their careers. Unlike George Michael, Elton John, Boy George, Michael Stipe and other pop stars of earlier generations, Alexander and company are not waiting for the financial security of enormous success before coming out publicly. Nor, to be fair, are they contending with the same social attitudes about gay men that challenged their musical forebears (and foretwinks). But Alexander wants to make it clear that he doesn't consider himself part of any "post-gay" movement of artists, anxious to minimize discussion of their sexuality. "Whether I like it or not," he said during a recent phone call from London, "people are going to be asking me things that have to do with my being gay. I feel very lucky to have this platform and I believe in helping other queer people succeed and thrive. The world has a long way to go in terms of public policy toward us, so I'm totally fine with being asked about sexuality and speaking about that.

"I think there's a lot that we need to do," he says, tacitly acknowledging a common denominator among those gay pop stars who have achieved a degree of mainstream popularity, "to unpack our own privileges as white gay men." Years & Years' best-known hit is 2015's "King," a number one smash in the UK and huge success throughout Europe. The song's U.S. impact was largely limited to the dance music charts. Part of the band's Eurocentric success is certainly due to the fact that, despite the steady electronic dance beats underpinning much of their music, the songs-co-written by Alexander-also incorporate more challenging elements: unconventional structures, theatrical vocals that don't retreat into the mix, and a vein of heightened cabaret style that generally goes over better outside of the U.S.; think Mika, Patrick Wolf, and Bat for Lashes.

Emre Türkmen, Olly Alexander and Mikey Goldsworthy of Years & Years. Olly Alexander  

The performative, vocalist-driven nature of Years & Years' music is all the more heightened on Palo Santo, most notably on the recently released second single, "If You're Over Me," a bouncy ditty that evokes a vaudevillian English music hall more than the basketball arenas the band nonetheless aspires to headline. "I do think," says Alexander, "that in the UK and Europe there's more room for different kinds of musical expression to be successful. You don't need to have 10 million fans to be considered popular." He points to singular artists like Rufus Wainwright and Perfume Genius as admired American exemplars of the genre. Before a curtain rises in the opening sequence of the video for "If You're Over Me" video, an emcee introduces "the amazing and incredible Olly Alexander," with no mention made of Years & Years.

Olly Alexander in a rainbow dreamcoat, performing at Glastonbury Music Festival.  

Is this a band, or a solo act? Alexander laughs. "We're still a band. I guess we have a unique way of working together. When we started on this album, we spent a few weeks and wrote twelve songs. But I think we've used only one of those on the album. To be honest, I think it's a relief to them that I'm getting all the attention." In any case, the vision behind Palo Santo is clearly Alexander's. "Before we even started any music, I knew I wanted to do something very ambitious where it would live inside of a fantasy world. I love science fiction and artists who create worlds: Gaga, Bowie, Ursula LeGuin, Margaret Atwood." The world of Palo Santo-which borrows its name from a South American herbal cleansing ritual-says Alexander, "is a place where things are predominantly run by androids. The few humans that remain are superstars who perform in cabarets. It doesn't matter what your sexuality is. You're a star because you're human."

[makistar2018]

Taylor Swift Celebrates Nashville Roots and the Power of Pop at Nissan Stadium

Swift's hometown extravaganza features snakes, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and tons of other spectacles

By THE SPIN   AUG 27, 2018

Taylor Swift at Nissan Stadium PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour is supposed to be the ultimate expression of the singer’s new persona, a flashy display of the fresh-out-of-fucks-to-give attitude she debuted last year after declaring "the old Taylor” dead. But really, Swift’s Saturday stop at Nissan Stadium was a celebration of both the old and the new. With a set list that reached all the way back to 2006, it was a culmination of the lessons, lyrics and fans that have helped Swift reach her most confident, carefree (and successful) self, which — as she stated repeatedly from the enormous X-shaped stage — never would've happened without Nashville.

“I moved to Nashville when I was 13,” the singer said after opening her set with back-to-back performances of “... Ready for It?” and “I Did Something Bad.” (The Spin could feel the heat from the pyro, even though we were a couple hundred feet away.) “I remember my first memory of this stadium. My mom and I got tickets to CMA Fest. ... I just remember thinking that that’s the biggest place that anyone could ever play.

“Years later I was lucky enough to actually play a 15-20 minute set at CMA Fest in this stadium, and I was like, ‘That’s it, that’s the peak, that’s the best it’s ever gonna get,’ ” Swift continued. “So tonight is the first time I’m headlining this stadium, and I’m so grateful, you guys. You have no idea — this means so much to me. It means so much to my family and friends. This is our hometown show.”

Since her stadium debut years ago, Swift and her team have perfected the art of massive production, right down to the tiny symbolic details. The digital graphics that flashed across the several-stories-high video screen were impeccable, the fireworks and towers of flame were plentiful, the dancers and backup singers were diverse and mesmerizing, and there were So. Many. Giant. Snakes. (OK, so there were only three giant snakes, but that is three more than any other stadium show we've seen has had. It was hilarious.) There were even two gondola-like contraptions (one of which was in the shape of a snake, naturally) to carry Swift between the main stage and two smaller stages.

The green sequined jacket Swift wore during the acoustic portion of the show — during which she played guitar and sang “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” and “Better Man” (a CMA- and Grammy-winning song that Swift wrote and Little Big Town recorded) — was decorated with a glittery black-and-gold patch made specifically for the Nashville date. The confetti that rained down during the Great Gatsby-meets-High School Musical finale of “Call It What You Want” and a mashup of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” with “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” consisted of tiny tissue-paper versions of a Taylor Swift newspaper. Even Nashville’s inescapable growth got a shoutout — as Swift sat down at the piano, we noticed that the towers holding the massive stacks of speakers over her head resembled construction cranes. At that point, she paused to note how the city keeps changing.

Taylor Swift at Nissan Stadium PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT

“One of the most obvious indications of time passing, for me, is Nashville,” she said. “Because every time I come home, something’s different, something new is being built — we got another cool restaurant, another couple thousand people that moved here. Because, basically, I’m sure you’ve noticed this too: In the last 15 years everyone else has realized that Nashville is just the best place in the world.”

After performing “Don’t Blame Me” and a “Long Live”/“New Year’s Day” medley solo at the piano, the love letter to Music City continued. “[Nashville] is the most important city I’ve ever been in in my entire life. And it’s the place where … I wrote the song that I haven’t played in a very, very long time. And it was a song that really changed my life. I think that it would only be fitting to play it tonight.”

Then, Swift delivered country music’s most magical moment of the weekend, surprising the ecstatic audience with a visit from Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. The couple joined in on — you guessed it — Swift’s 2006 country hit, “Tim McGraw.” Tens of thousands of fans lost their shit. The woman sitting behind us started sobbing. Our ears are still ringing from the applause.

While Swift’s simultaneously endearing and tongue-in-cheek recognition of her career's ups and downs may have taken center stage, it was the small nods to her own personal growth that were the most satisfying to see. Swift's band and army of dancers and singers were diverse in size, race and age. And unlike so many other stadium shows, where the opening acts take a very (very very very) distant backseat to the main attraction, Swift's show featured hit factory Charli XCX and former Fifth Harmony singer and VMA Artist of the Year Camila Cabello — both women of color — in beefy opening slots.

Charli XCX at Nissan Stadium PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT

Charli XCX came off as your hyper, party-obsessed BFF from the future, and Cabella's Cuban-influenced set was fun and theatrical while also showcasing her stunning, rich voice. It wouldn't be surprising to see Cabella hold down her own stadium tour someday. The two singers returned to the stage to help Swift out during a colorful, confetti-filled performance of “Shake It Off” (cue the snakes!) and all three took time to note how honored and empowered they felt by the stacked bill — "Not one, not two, but three badass women on one stage,” said Charli XCX.

In the past, those slots have gone to white men. The openers for her 2015 North American 1989 Tour were Shawn Mendes and Vance Joy. (Rae Morris played one date, and Haim played several, including the Bridgestone Arena shows.) And in 2013-14, Ed Sheeran, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Casey James and Austin Mahone, among others, took turns starting the show for the Red Tour's North American dates.

Even off the stage, Swift has taken meaningful steps. In March, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., she posted on Instagram that she made a donation to the March for Our Lives campaign, saying, “I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again.” And in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Swift reportedly made a “generous donation” to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Much of the initial criticism of Swift’s dramatic return to the public eye in 2017 was focused on how the singer has neglected to take a stance on anything remotely political — something the Scene's own Megan Seling has noted. It's encouraging to see Swift counter that with action.

Sure, Swift is still obsessed with her image. The show started with audio clips of things newscasters and critics have said over the years (including Perez Hilton alleging that Swift was responsible for his suspension from Twitter — LOL). But it appears as though she's at least starting to think about what other messages she can send to her legions of fans. Big platforms — whether they're the kind that spout flames and giant snakes or not — can be used to make a big difference, and it's heartening to see a homegrown megastar turn her attention toward their power.

See our slideshow for more photos.

Nashville Scene

[myhauntedsalem]

Amelia Earhart

On July 24, 1897 a girl was born in a small town in Kansas, who would later become an American legend and aviation pioneer. Her name was Amelia Mary Earhart and during her short 39 years of life, she was to set numerous aviation records, and was one of the first female pilots to achieve celebrity status all around the world. The charismatic, confident and independent Earhart became not only a national icon in the States, but was regarded as a feminist icon. 

Daring to tread in the exclusive boys only arena of aviation at the time, and spurring a whole new generation of women to believe in themselves and squash stereotypical perceptions of women.

In May 1923 she was the 16th woman to receive a pilots license by the then aviation authority, after setting a world record for female pilots 7 months earlier. 

She was selected to be the first female passenger on a trans-atlantic flight five years later, writing a book on her experience which would see her being called the Queen of the Air.

Earhart’s fame grew when she became the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic in 1932, and during the early 30’s began contemplating a circumnavigation of the world flight. In March 1937 she attempted to start but due to the plane needing repairs the flight was postponed.

On June 1st, Earhart and her co-pilot/navigator Fred Noonan flew out from Miami and over the next month made several stops in South America, Africa, India and Asia before arriving in New Guinea on the 29th, having completed 22,000 miles of the journey.

On the 2nd of July they departed for a small piece of land named Howland Island, situated a little north of the Equator in the Pacific. However Earhart, Noonan and their aircraft were to vanish without a trace soon after. The US Coast Guard vessel assigned at Howland Island, to guide them via radio transmissions, received a final message indicating that the pilot could not locate the island, and that they were low on fuel, before all contact was lost.

A number of search efforts, beginning an hour after her last transmission, turned up nothing, even though search efforts lasted 3 weeks. Earhart was declared legally dead in early 1939, and the US Navy concluded that the Lockheed Electra plane ran out of gas and sank into the ocean near Howland Island. 

However, no wreckage was ever found. The fact that a distress or mayday call was never made has fueled rumors over the years of some kind of conspiracy taking place, that the public have not been informed of the full real story.

Over the years many have speculated about what their fate was and a number of theories have emerged. Many believe that the official crash and sink theory is wrong and that perhaps due to an error made by Noonan in his navigational calculations, they may have crash-landed on the wrong island or a nearby atoll, where they perhaps perished soon after due to injuries. Perhaps the Navy missed them in their search efforts?

A disturbing notion emerged that Earhart was a secret US spy who was working to gather evidence, during this flight of Japanese activity in the Pacific, and was to report back to the US Government when she returned. A WWII-era film named Flight for Freedom reinforced this myth, with the film ending with the Japanese becoming aware of the characters mission, forcing the heroine to ditch her plane off-course where nobody can find her. Did this scenario really happen?

Another scenario put forth is that the Japanese may have shot them down and captured both pilots and held as prisoners for years afterwards, perhaps even being executed. Inhabitants of an island named Saipan, which is roughly 1500 miles northwest of Howland Island, have claimed for years that in 1937 the local prison held a white American woman who was captured on a plane and is a spy.

One man claims to have seen two graves he was told held the bodies of two American spies shot down over the Pacific. It has also been claimed that at some point US Marines supposedly found Earharts briefcase in a safe on Saipan, and photographs have emerged supposedly showing not only Earhart during her captivity, but wreckage of the plane which was claimed to have been destroyed by the Japanese army.

In 1970 a book was released called Amelia Earhart Lives and made the claim that Earhart had in fact finished the flight, moved to New Jersey, changed her name and re-married. She was named as one Irene Craigmile Bolam, but research showed that the woman could not be the famous aviatrix and she subsequently filed a lawsuit against the author and publisher!

In 1990, US television show, Unsolved Mysteries, interviewed a woman who claimed to have witnessed the two being executed. The photos and this persons claims have either been proven false or remain mysterious. Many other locals of the island have come forth over the years telling their re-collections of seeing or hearing of Earhart and Noonans’ presence.

Of course, it was also speculated that Earhart and Noonan were abducted by a UFO, or were found by the Nazis and held prisoners, maybe perhaps both were brainwashed into becoming double-agents, allied to watch American activity and after fulfilling their work, made new lives for themselves in another country?

So what did happen to Earhart and Noonan?

[x-ratedkpop]

Like Velvet • Zhang Yixing

❝CEO Yixing, he’s a bit jealous.❞

❝Sugar Daddy Yixing, he’s jealous.❞

•Playlist•

LE • Velvet

BTS • House Of Cards

—

In this Universe EXO is still together but everyone has their own activities, Yixing owns a famous fashion company.

—

“Your touch is like velvet.” She sang as her body contorted in splits and shapes as she flew around in the Cyr wheel on stage. It was the annual Mama awards and a new solo artist came and stole the entire show. She’d changed the rules, the sex appeal, what she gave wasn’t allowed on the stage, the velvet heel boots showed off her endless legs and the one piece didn’t help either. Her skin was decorated in the soft velvet material Mr. CEO, Zhang Yixing, had crafted.

“Your body’s like velvet.” They weren’t even through to the first minute of the song and she was giving an intense performance. Her talent was oozing, from her skin, her voice smooth like silk. “The moment you open the door to the bed I don’t wanna be apart from you, hold me tightly baby, I already turned off the lights, so we won’t know when night becomes day, I pulled down the curtains too. Even if the next door neighbors knock on the door angrily, It’s fine, I’m gonna be moving soon.”

Here he sat, his hand rubbing against the thigh of his slack, the Cyr wheel spun and each click on the beat she switched the oh so provocative position she was in. All the other acts were shaking, they feared her. She was the next big thing, she’s sold out arenas her first year, she was in Tokyo Dome by the second. She’s already won album of the year, sending fandoms in a frenzy. She was a solo artist, how could she? Simple, talent.

•

By the end of the song, Yixing’s pants were ten times tighter than when he arrived, his black shirt was simply too hot, his eyes clouded in lust. He was sure that every man in the room, even some women, craved the woman, his woman. “Y/N, the hell was that?” You smiled looked up at him, “My performance, baby.” Yixing growled, yanking her close to him, “Who the Hello you think you’re talking to.” His voice was dark and his breathy tone in her ear soiled a small spot in her panties. “When we get home, I’ll show you what is for me and what isn’t for the public.”

For the rest of the show your leg bounced in your seat, your panties became wetter and your heart thumped out of your chest. You didn’t stay to talk, you didn’t even say goodbye to Baekhyun, whom wanted to speak with you about torturing him for an entire three minutes and twelve seconds. Yixing was pulling up towards his car, your limo driver smirked in acknowledgment. “Have fun.” He mouthed walking around to the driver’s door, “Yixing careful I’m in heels.” You whimpered as he pulled you behind him, “The silk dress you designed in touched the dirty floor.” You whined, you’d long changed back into your attendance dress knowing he’d said himself you looked gorgeous in it.

He regretted every fashion choice he’d made for you that night, in the car he ignored you, at the red lights he ignored you, even when he was unlocking the door to his flat he ignored. But when he finally spoke it wasn’t what you desired to hear, “Go inside.” Going in was the hard part, anytime you were here he was carrying you in lips attached to your skin. Beyond these walls he was a new man, “Daddy, I didn’t mean to upset you.” His hand slapped against your ass in the dress he chose for you.

“Oh baby you didn’t upset daddy, you showed every man in that room what goes on beyond daddy’s closed walls, a big no-no. Now I’m going to show you, the money you would be earning from daddy but you wanted to play another game.” Whining you stamped your heel, “No fits, stay here.” Huffing, you tapped your heel as he walked off to the bedroom, the dress you wore hugging your curves in places forbidden to everyone but daddy, in the mirror next you, you could see how vulmptious your breast were, how perky your ass was; everything that made him possessive on display.

“Princess come.” Snapping from your thoughts as your feet carried you quickly to the bedroom where 50,000 won notes were scattered across the bed, “Work for what you want, darling.” He hummed, tracing his hand against the curve under your breast. His fingertips pulling the straps off your shoulder, humming contently as your skin became exposed, he dropped his hand to the zipper pulling it aswell. Each inch of skin that became exposed as the dress fell he kissed.

“Bed.” His command was dark and strong, the notes of money looked glorious but the bulge in his pants looked like more of a taking for you. “Daddy take me please.” Your whimpers didn’t go unheard as his hand traced your skin, your heels clicked against the floor as you walked to the bed, your nipples swelling proudly as the cool air brushed them. He softly pushed your down till you were laying across the bed the notes of money that complimented the honey tan skin of your body. “Look at you baby, you look beautiful.” He gripped your hips and pulled you up, your ass perky in from of him.

“You’re so wet for daddy.” He smacked his hand against your ass, “Ah, daddy.” He hummed, licking his lips. “You want daddy’s cock?” He questioned rubbing his bulge against your ass, “Pressing your hips back against him he hummed, “Beg.” Your panties were ripped from you and he admired the slick of your pussy. “Beg, babygirl.” With Yixing everything was different, you never begged with your lips, you begged with your pussy.

Your walls clenched as juices dripped from your core, your legs shook slightly in anticipation. Swaying your hips, you searched for the light from the window to glisten against the slick of your wettness, “Mhm, right there babydoll.” Yixing admired the glistening lips he desired so much, “I hear you sweetheart.” He dipped low and pressed a kiss to the pearly lips, “You taste glorious.” His tongue darted out as he left a tender French kiss against your clit.

“I think you’ve earned daddy’s cock, pretty girl.” Licking his lips he stood up, the jingle of his belt was heard as he removed it to tie it around your neck. “We should invest in another collar for you baby doll.” Moaning in agreement, he dropped his pants and unbuttoned his shirt. “Daddy.” You swayed your hips once more, he hand slapping against your thigh. “Don’t tease daddy, sweetie.” He dropped his briefs and pressed his reddened tip at your entrance. He hummed, licking his lips as he slid into your wetness.

A pleasured hum left your lips, as he continued to fill you, your walls engulfing him fitting around him like a glove. “Daddy, fuck me please.” He hummed as he reached your hilt, your pussy so small and tight he didn’t even fit completely inside you. He snapped his hips forward and continued his pace until you were whining for more. You chanted daddy countless times, “Harder Daddy please.” He was slamming against your hilt, his cock rubbing over your most sensitive places, “Daddy, I’m-“ A sharp moan left your lips as he quickened his pace chasing after your orgasm.

“Cum for daddy, babygirl.” Your whines grew more intense and your fist bawled the notes of money in your hands. Your mouth hung open as salty tears fell onto your tongue, a silent scream evident on your face. Your orgasm shook your entire body but that didn’t stop him from brutally fucking you into the mattress. “Daddy- please.” He grunted as his cock stilled deep within you, your pussy clenching tight around him. As he pulled out, he kept your hips up for him, he hummed watching as a mixture of his cum and your pooled out of your wrecked pussy onto the notes of money below you.

“You’re beautiful.” He licked his lips before kissing your pussy. As your body fell limp against the money he hummed, “You’ve earned this tonight.”

[lordendsavior]

Harry Styles is a faithful disciple of silence. He rarely does interviews, and when he does he speaks with charm and cheek while avoiding any nuggets of actual information that could be described as revealing. Until he started doing press around his debut solo album this spring, giving him various bits of artwork and magazine covers to screengrab, his Instagram looked like an A-Level photography project—full of dramatically monochrome shots of infrastructure and food. His Twitter timeline is essentially a corkboard littered with messages expressing thanks to his fans, structured like love letters from a husband in the trenches—"See you soon. Love. H."

In our climate of oversharing, his withholding nature may conveniently double up as a watertight marketing tactic, creating a shroud of mystery that's inherently desirable (what's he wearing today? What's he eating for breakfast? What does he do when he's not making scheduled public appearances?). But for him, it's more than that – "When I go home, I feel like the same person I was at school," he told Rolling Stone earlier this year, "You can't expect to keep that if you show everything."

This is why you don't often see Harry Styles among the names that frequent the daily aggregated news cycle of and Person Says Thing > The Thing is Outrageous! > Actually, The Thing Is Very Nuanced > Ugh, Someone Has Said Something Else Now. He has, to paraphrase someone he once dated, removed himself from the narrative. But, at the same time, Styles has created a narrative that exists just between him and his fans. Simply put: he cares about them, very sincerely and very unabashedly. Which isn't unusual—Lady Gaga is a perfect example of the often very intimate way fandom culture works today—but Harry Styles is muse to such a vast number of teenage girls, a demographic whose interests and opinions are rarely taken seriously by music critics or society at large, that his respect for them takes on a different meaning. It's a relationship best summarized by the following quote from Styles in that Rolling Stone interview: "Who's to say that young girls who like pop music—short for popular, right?—have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That's not up to you to say." He goes on: "Teenage-girl fans—they don't lie. If they like you, they're there. They don't act 'too cool.' They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick."

This was also the defining characteristic of One Direction's relationship with their fandom. They knew exactly who elevated them from bronze winners of a generic talent contest to global superstardom, they knew exactly who kept them there, and in return they gave them what they wanted. In the wake of their split, journalist Anna Leszkiewicz described One Direction as "a towering monument to the power of teenage girls."

It would have been both a strange and fairly stupid move for Styles to abandon that relationship moving into his solo career, but if anything he seems to have doubled down. He still doesn't say a great deal to the press, save for the endless shouts of appreciation for the people who make his life possible—namely, his fans and faves (artists like Stevie Nicks, to whom Harry Styles owes much of its inspiration)—but over time he's fostered a channel of trust that means his shows have become as close to a safe space as is possible for young girls to get as far as experiencing live music is concerned.

Harry Styles is currently touring Europe. He passed through London last weekend, with fans arriving to camp outside Hammersmith's Eventim Apollo in west London as early as Tuesday. Approaching the venue on Sunday evening, the area outside is deserted. It looks like a Glastonbury camping zone on clean-up day. Duvets are draped over the empty barriers; the floor is littered with foil blankets and carrier bags full of empty sandwich boxes and crisp packets; Pride Flags and Black Lives Matter placards have been taped in place like calls to arms. Everyone is already inside, obviously, and has been for ages. There are about 50 girls camping across the road on a patch of grass underneath Hammersmith flyover so they can be first in line for tomorrow's show. To arrive on time to a Harry Styles show is akin to missing it.

As for inside the venue, you can hardly see the stage for the number of LGBTQ Pride and Black Lives Matter signs held aloft by the audience. In Manchester, people also held up the city's bee symbol. The "I love you"s and "Marry me"s stereotypically associated with teen girl fandom are still very much there in spirit, but their articulation has taken on an actively political tone. The rainbow, the striking black and white of the BLM logo, the Manchester bee—all are symbols of support shared widely on social media, where pop fanbases tend to be most active, exemplifying a generational shift in consciousness towards social awareness. Here, they're brandished less a show of resistance and more as a celebration. People feel comfortable expressing themselves this way because they know everyone in the room is already on their side.

Styles has spoken generally about equality in the press before ("Most of the stuff that hurts me about what's going on at the moment is not politics, it's fundamentals," he told Rolling Stone. "Equal rights. For everyone, all races, sexes, everything"), but it's what he says at his shows, addressing people directly, that means the most to those who care the most. Throughout the night he encourages people to be "whoever you want to be in this room" and continually thanks them "from the bottom of my heart." Someone throws a Pride Flag on stage and he holds it with both hands above his head and runs back and forth across the stage. Someone else throws a French flag and he does the same. Someone else throws a bit of tinsel and he drapes it around his shoulders like a stole.

The room is full of groups of teenage girls hugging each other, hugging people they didn't know, turning to ask the people behind them if they could see alright. Anyone crammed towards the front has been there from the second the doors opened, denying themselves water or a sit-down so they could be as close to their idol as possible. The show had to be stopped twice to help two girls who fainted in the pit. Harry calmly asked people to take a step back, repeatedly checked if everyone was okay and spoke soothingly about looking after one another. He played "Kiwi" twice because it's what the fans wanted, though not without a bit of showmanship ("if you want us to play it again you're going to have to scream louder than that").

It's also worth noting that, although it was ostensibly The Harry Styles Show, five of the ten people onstage are women. As well as a female drummer and keyboardist playing in his own band, he's being supported by MUNA—a goth-pop trio from LA whose music communicates the emotional disarray of sexuality and relationships, as well as heavier topics like assault, through a specifically queer lens. On stage in Hammersmith this weekend, they repeatedly acknowledged the marginalised communities present within the crowd, providing reassurance that—in this room, at least—they are seen and heard. There are, sadly, so many awful reasons to feel unsafe at any show, but in light of the Manchester Arena bombing, pop shows now carry a particularly horrific association that lingers in the back of your mind and can make you inadvertently take note of the emergency exits. Rather than avoiding it, guitarist/vocalist Naomi McPherson addresses the elephant in the room and reminds people how brave they are for being here at all. Singer Katie Gavin introduces their single "I Know A Place"—essentially the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror as a song—by describing it as their imagining of an ideal world we should be working towards. "I know a place we can run / Where everyone gonna lay down their weapon," Gavin sings over a dancey four-to-the-floor beat, "Don't you be afraid of love and affection."

For all the talk of inclusivity and equal rights often thrown around within subcultural communities like punk, hardcore and indie—predominantly male-dominated spaces that can't seem to go a day without someone in a band being called out as abusive—it strikes me as significant that this is one of the few shows I've ever been to where I've not felt threatened by anyone in the room. And it's not because I am, at 5 feet 3 inches, one of the largest people in this one. It's because Harry Styles supports his fans' politics while they really live it, and as a result his shows have become a place for people to celebrate being whoever they are. The diversity of the room itself speaks to that. He's cheering just as much for his fans as they are for him.

Pop music is accessible and available in ways that more subcultural music isn't, but this dynamic doesn't just present itself anywhere. Justin Bieber shows, ecstatic as they may be, are not largely comprised of kids shouting down racism while overtly celebrating their queerness. Pop, like all music, can often be a form of escapism—a way to forget yourself, especially if being yourself can mean facing a multitude of hardships. The actual content of Harry Styles' music isn't anywhere near political but, because of the way his fans engage with him and each other, his shows inherently are.

Obviously, anything can happen anywhere and anytime. Harry Styles' name on the front of a building can't guarantee the absolute safety of everyone in it. But it does foster a world away from our current one; a world that feels less oppressive and more like MUNA's "I Know A Place." I can't imagine how valuable it is for teenagers to experience that—even if it's just for a night.

[geracaoalpha]

Alpha’a Around: Ugo Rondinone, Good Evening Beautiful Blue

OCT 29,2017-FEB 19,2018

Spanning the entirety of the museum’s newly designed second floor, good evening beautiful blue by Ugo Rondinone is part of a major multi-institution retrospective comprising works that span three decades of the artist’s practice, from the late 1990s to the present. From poetic installations in public spaces to life-size drawings, Rondinone’s work balances on the edge of euphoria and detachment.

good evening beautiful blue begins with Rondinone’s clockwork for oracles II (2008). The multi-wall installation is comprised of 52-mirrored windows (one for each week in the year) set against a backdrop of whitewashed pages from a local newspaper. Visitors encounter their mirrored reflections, stopping momentarily to contemplate how their temporary presence in the room contrasts with the dated newsprint behind the windows, which becomes more distant throughout the duration of the exhibition. The subsequent gallery houses vocabulary of solitude (2014-2016), the centerpiece of the exhibition and the only work present in all venues of the retrospective. vocabulary of solitude is an installation of 45 life-size clown figures cast from 22 men and 23 women of various ages and ethnicities. The work takes inspiration from the artist’s reflection on his daily actions, where each figure is engaged in a different quotidian activity, such as sleeping, dreaming, remembering, showering and walking.

Marking its first appearance in the U.S. in nearly two decades, the final gallery presents an immersive six-channel video installation titled It’s late It’s late and the wind carries a faint sound as it moves through the trees. It could be anything. The jingling of little bells perhaps, or the tiny flickering out of tiny lives. I stroll down the sidewalk and close my eyes and open them and wait for my mind to go perfectly blank. Like a room no one has ever entered, a room without any doors or windows. A place where nothing happens. (1998). The entire room is given a blue tint by an illuminated ceiling, as projected slow-motion loops of six men and six women, alone in their frames, perform an unresolved gesture without acknowledging the viewer, like opening an apartment door, or floating (or sinking) in water. The final line of the work’s narrative title …A place where nothing happens. aptly describes the cyclical loop of movements performed by each figure, resulting in a thought provoking and introspective space. Together, the selection of works places the visitor in an arena of contemplation and introspection, confronted by installations that stimulate self-reflection.

Ugo Rondinone (b. 1964, Brunnen, Switzerland) is a mixed-media artist who lives and works in New York. Recent solo exhibitions include: the world just makes me laugh at Berkeley Art Museum, let’s start this day again at Contemporary Art Center (Cincinnati), giorni d’oro + notti d’argento at Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma, Seven Magic Mountainsorganized by Art Production Fund and the Nevada Museum of Art (Nevada), vocabulary of solitude at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen (Rotterdam), i love john giorno at Palais de Tokyo (Paris), artists and poets at Vienna Secession (Vienna), breathe walk die at Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), human nature organized by Public Art Fund in Rockefeller Plaza, (New York), we run through a desert on burning feet, all of us are glowing our faces look twisted at Art Institute of Chicago, thank you silence at M-Museum Leuven (Belgium). His work is in the collections of MoMA (New York), ICA Boston, SFMOMA, Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), The Bass (Miami Beach) and Dallas Museum of Art, among others.

Font: https://thebass.org/art/good-evening-beautiful-blue/

[newstechreviews]

Over 100 million people tune in annually for the Super Bowl, the U.S.’s most-watched televised event. Most are in it for the football. Some for the commercials, and others for the nachos. But it can often feel like there’s just as much hype around the Halftime Show as the part involving sports. And for good reason: the Super Bowl Halftime Show is not only the pinnacle of pop stardom, but it also provides endless fodder for water-cooler conversation, a sub-15-minute spectacle that consistently spawns viral moments that live on well past the final touchdown.

“It’s like winning the Oscar. It’s the biggest show that there is. It has the biggest audience,” Jennifer Lopez explained after she was announced as one of this year’s Super Bowl LIV stars. The other is Shakira, the Colombian entertainer and Grammy-winning artist who rose to fame in the 2000s with hits like “She Wolf” and “Hips Don’t Lie.” They’ll break up the action between the two teams competing this year, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Together, Lopez and Shakira’s planned performance on Feb. 2 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens marks a major turn of events for the Halftime Show, which has, in the past few years, been subject to criticism for its choices of performers, and whose performers have in turn been criticized for tacitly supporting the NFL during a time of controversy.

The two women are making history, not only for sharing the stage in a dual act for their first time together, but also because they will be the first Latin headliners at the Super Bowl. “I think it’s a very important moment for our community, for the Latino community in this country,” Lopez said in a press conference on Jan. 30. “The Super Bowl is a very American event, as American as it can get. It will also be a reminder of the heritage of this country, which is one of diversity, and that’s what we will be celebrating on Sunday,” added Shakira.

A history of controversy and disappointment

The Super Bowl has not always been the world’s biggest stage. (See: early years that featured local marching bands as the main event.) But for decades now, crowds have come to anticipate its outsized spectacle, now a stage to some of our most famous musical artists. Yet a history of controversy has dogged the show since 2003, when Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson starred in one of the most-publicized wardrobe snafus of all time. After that, organizers pedaled back their ambitions, bringing on a series of classic rock headliners.

The past decade has been a mixed bag as the show has tried to inch back toward real-time relevance: 2011 brought the The Black Eyed Peas, followed by Madonna, Beyoncé (with a cameo from Destiny’s Child), Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Coldplay (with a cameo from Beyoncé), Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and finally Maroon 5 in 2019. Almost all of the acts brought on extra performers to amp up the energy and broaden their musical options.

In particular, the last five years — starting with a family-friendly set from Mars, then Perry’s zany, viral-Left-Shark show, Coldplay’s underwhelming offering, Timberlake’s less-than-triumphant return and Maroon 5’s lackluster set — have many questioning the place of the Halftime Show in the American pop landscape. On the world’s biggest stage, we expect the most, but we seem to be let down time and again. (The exceptions here are Lady Gaga — whose over-the-top pop diva persona was a natural match for the event — and Beyoncé, whose “Formation” performance packed a punch of historical significance.)

View this post on Instagram

Waiting for my cue like … Only 🔟 days until #SuperBowlLIV! ✨🏈 ✨ The countdown is on. Are you ready? #PepsiHalftime #SBLIV @guess @niyamasol

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Jan 23, 2020 at 1:00pm PST

A sharp — and intentional — departure

Enter Lopez and Shakira, who are familiar faces to American audiences, but a sharp departure in look and sound from the Halftime Show’s past. “Shakira being from Barranquilla, me being from the Bronx — the two of us never could have imagined we would be playing at the Super Bowl one day,” Lopez said. Shakira spoke to their Latin heritage: “The Latinos are going through a difficult time in the U.S. right now, and it’s very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country: how much we have to offer, our idiosyncrasies, our culture.”

Lopez also reiterated the importance of female role models in this Super Bowl. “The two teams that are playing are run by women,” she reminded us, likely referring to 49ers coach Katie Sowers and Norma Hunt, the matriarch of the Chiefs, “and then you’ve got two women headlining the halftime show. That statement alone for me is empowering. When I think of my daughter and all the little girls of the world to be able to have that to see two Latinas doing that in this country at this time, it’s very empowering for us.”

It’s no coincidence that two Latin artists were tapped this year, when the Super Bowl is being held in Miami, one of the U.S.’s most diverse cities with a population that’s over 75% Hispanic or Latino. And it reflects a broader trend in popular music to embrace Latin music, which has been climbing in mainstream radio, chart and streaming popularity in the U.S., thanks in part to crossover hits like 2017’s “Despacito,” Camila Cabello’s salsa-based “Havana” and Cardi B’s “I Like It.” In fact, Americans consumed more Latin music than country or EDM starting in 2018. (The broad “Latin” designation can often include a range from reggaeton and salsa to the pop, trap, and rock music produced by artists deemed Latin.)

View this post on Instagram

‪Five days! #SuperBowl #HalftimeShow #SBLIV 🏈🎤‬ @nfl

A post shared by Shakira (@shakira) on Jan 28, 2020 at 8:18am PST

Two women at the height of their careers

When the Super Bowl artists were announced, however, some critics were skeptical of the choices. Lopez famously hails from the Bronx (Jenny from the Block, anyone?) and Shakira is from Colombia, although she has made Miami her home base. But Miami has plenty of homegrown talent: Enrique Iglesias, Jason Derulo, Ricky Martin and Flo Rida all call it home, as have DJ Khaled, Camila Cabello, Gloria Estefan and Rick Ross. And then there’s Pitbull, the original Mr. 305 himself (now Mr. Worldwide).

This criticism doesn’t necessarily hold up if you look at the show’s history; the Super Bowl has never matched its location to its stars in the past, although Maroon 5 was subject to similar complaints last year in Atlanta. It’s likely Lopez and Shakira will look to this roster of Miami locals to boost their show; neither are strangers to collaboration, and rumors have popped up that Khaled will be onstage. Pitbull, who featured on Lopez’s 2011 hit “On the Floor,” is currently slated for a pregame performance alongside a long list of major stars.

So what should audiences expect? If all goes well, we’ll see two women at the height of their careers, having toiled for decades to keep themselves relevant — although they’ve never performed together for a major event. (It should be noted that solo female acts are rarely given an opportunity of this size past a certain age, either. Lopez is now 50, and Shakira will be celebrating her 43rd birthday on Super Bowl Sunday.)

This is certainly Lopez’s time to shine: she’s been riding an upswing of popularity thanks to her critically-acclaimed role in last year’s Hustlers, and despite the fact that she hasn’t released an album since 2014, she has decades of material to pull from and a few more recent singles with zest (see: “Dinero” with Cardi B and DJ Khaled). Lopez loves a showgirl moment of glitter and sparkle; she has a penchant for dialing up the dancing and shimmying onstage; and she brings a steady warmth and professionalism, fresh off of a Las Vegas residency in 2018 and ensuing arena tour.

Shakira, meanwhile, made a mark with 2010 World Cup theme song, appeared as a coach on The Voice from 2013 to 2014, released a Grammy-winning album (El Dorado) in 2017 and followed it up with a major world tour. She’s currently one of Spotify’s most-streamed artists — the most-streamed Latin artist on the platform, in fact, and one of the world’s best-selling artists — and has kept up a steady stream of output, including the hit “Chantaje” with Maluma and recent songs “Clandestino” (also with Maluma) and “Me Gusta” with Anuel AA, keeping up easily with her Latin contemporaries and showing off her willingness to collaborate with those pushing Latin pop and reggaeton forward.

WireImage—2009 Kevin MazurShakira and Jennifer Lopez at the 2009 Latino Inaugural Gala – Celebrando El Cambio at Union Station on January 18, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

A complicated moment

Shakira and Lopez enter the Super Bowl conversation at a complicated time in its political history, however. Backlash lingers over the NFL’s choice to sideline Colin Kaepernick; players continue, in protest of racial injustice in America, to take knees during the National Anthem (this year to be sung by Demi Lovato, on a major comeback). Rihanna even reportedly turned down the performance slot in 2019 in solidarity with Kaepernick, and Maroon 5 was targeted for their choice to participate.

But this August, the NFL announced a partnership with Roc Nation, the company helmed by hip-hop mogul and public Kaepernick supporter Jay-Z — a move for which the latter received criticism. Part of Roc Nation’s new role: to assist in the selection of NFL performers. “The National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “This partnership is an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of communities across America.”

So far, that change has been hard to see in a meaningful way as the football season has rolled on as usual. But optics — and spectacle — are crucial. And the Super Bowl Halftime Show is nothing if not the ultimate spectacle. This show is a chance for the NFL to gesture toward the changes Jay-Z has insinuated are coming.

“It’s very Shakira and it’s very Jennifer. It’s a lot of energy, it’s very entertaining, there are heartfelt moments… It’s packed,” Lopez said of what to expect. “I think J-Lo and I are here redefining paradigms of age, race, background,” Shakira added. “What matters is the message. We’re here, and we have a lot of stuff to say.” It’s well past time for them to rightfully join the ranks of the Beyoncés, Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas of the world, who have shined in the Super Bowl spotlight. The bar might be low, but Lopez and Shakira seem eager to raise it.

[abenthyadventures]

30th day of Kythorn (parts 1 and 2):

Today was the day of the bard college graduation ceremony and grand tournament.  The five of us—Aeif had spent the night at the monastery—ventured forth toward the festivities in the city, finding the streets around the college and arena lined with venders and games. Before long, a game caught the eye of our number as we watched people try to blindly toss bags of flour into a basket. The price was 5 cp for 3 throws. Finnan played and won quite handily, as did Berien, though the prize for winning was not particularly impressive. Soon thereafter, we came across a hammer-and-bell game. As we approached, we watched a contestant fail miserably. Agnes, seemingly eager to flex her talents quickly took the hammer, despite the skepticism from the crowd and vendor that a woman might be victorious. Of course, I have had the honor of traveling with Agnes for nigh on a month now and knew better than to doubt; nay, rather I placed a wager of five gold pieces on her success and was satisfied to watch as she almost effortlessly nearly shattered the bell at the top of the game tower. Unfortunately, the individual with whom I made the wager decided to scurry off, but thanks to the keen eyes of my familiar, Nolwë, I quickly located him in the crowd, slinking and sniveling, reluctant to pay his debt, but not willing to protest too vehemently lest he further shame himself. 

Next we came across a cup-and-ball guessing game, where one is challenged to visually track which of three cups has a ball in it. I’ve seen other versions of similar games using seashells or playing cards. The game itself is typically a con, relying on the game worker’s sleight of hand to ensure that no matter how well the player tracks, they will be wrong in the end. However, I decided to give as good as I might get and used a cantrip of my own to even the odds. The carny noticed when I won, but would not make a scene lest the nature of his game be made public. He quietly suggested  I take my winnings and not return to his stall, and I obliged, not wanting to make a scene myself. 

Eventually, Finnan noted that his specially ordered lute case should be ready for pick up. Berien, Agnes, and I accompanied him, while Lyria declined the invitation and agreed to meet at the arena later for the tournament. Thus, we set out for Vesper’s. I asked Finnan if this person was a “fence” which he confirmed. I express some concern about the ethicality, and indeed the legality, of engaging in transactions with Vesper. Finnan noted that Vesper has extensive and powerful connections and this particular transaction was entirely legitimate and posed no risk to our freedom or morals. Agnes, unfamiliar with the concept, overheard my questions to Finnan asked me what a fence is, which I hesitated to explain lest her sense of justice be too heartily aroused. Still, I would not wish to deceive her; I assured her Finnan’s business here was safe, but noted that we should be careful with our dealings. 

As we wrapped up this bit of morning business, Finnan told us a little more about his lute, Rasanate, and how it belonged to his grandfather. He noted that Rasanate’s habit of “speaking” to him is actually a quite new experience. He knew of no legends of the lute’s sentience, and so far as he knew it had just been a fine heirloom instrument. Finnan is clearly very attached to this instrument, but I still worry about the influence of the entity that seems to reside within it. 

We made our way toward tournament grounds. Finnan and I would simply be spectators for the tournament of individual fighters and I was eager to see Agnes in action. Later, we all worked together in a group challenge, but I shall detail the singles’ tournament first. 

The tournament was drawn as a bracket, with a totality of eight fighters. A win would see the victor advance to the next round until only two remained and then those final two would contest each other to determine the champion. Reportedly, the matchups were randomized, so no one knew their first round match until right before they entered combat. 

Lyria’s name was the first called and she faced down a human warrior named Aslin, who was well-armored and wielding a warhammer. Lyria moved much faster than her opponent and Aslin barely touched her. Lyria easily won and managed to look bored with the challenge. Indeed she is formidable. 

The next match was between two humans. One—called Talin the Bold—bore armor and wielded a sword from which flames appeared to be emanating. I suspected him to be favored in the match, against the other individual who wore no armor and wielded a quarterstaff—a man called Phalin. I would be wholly wrong, however. No, Phalin avoided Talin’s strikes and masterfully used his fists, feet, and quarterstaff to quickly disable and dispatch Talin. The seneschal noted that Phalin was of “The Way of the Tangled Thorn” and I noted this for later research. 

The third match featured Berien facing down a beast of a man—I believe he was half-orc actually—named Brag. Unfortunately, Berien was entirely outmatched—or just didn’t employ the right strategy (which to my mind would have involved maintaining a maximum distance). Brag knocked Berien out very quickly using nothing but a crude looking club. His first strike appeared to concuss Berien who mindlessly returned to his feet, attempted to lunge with his rapier only to be struck again and knocked unconscious.

The final first round match was by far the most competitive as Agnes and Aeif were drawn against each other. My curiosity was truly piqued. Initially, Aeif’s attempts to strike Agnes were entirely futile and Agnes managed to press an advantage. Aeif, however, is much faster than Agnes and he changed approach after being struck, opting to keep distance and throw a strange looking object toward her. Initially, I suspected the object to be the result of some spell, but as the judges did not disqualify him, this was ruled out. Still, it was a most curious sight; the object flew around Agnes and then returned to Aeif’s hand. I was not certain what it was intended to do until he later used it more successfully, which I will document further on within this entry. Aeif’s speed made him hard to hit for Agnes, but when she did strike, she struck hard. There was one point in the fight during which it appeared that Aeif would succeed, but the scene flashed in my mind and I saw Aeif have a knockout blow parried away and lo, so it came to pass. Agnes countered and delivered the final blow, moving toward the second round of matches. Both fought rather well, but I hesitate to say that Aeif fought with bravery. 

In the second round, Lyria was drawn against Phalin and Agnes against Brag. Lyria seemed confident striding into the arena, but in the blink of an eye, Phalin was on the offensive. His first strike appeared to catch her entirely off guard and she barely moved before being struck again and again. Phalin indeed finished off Lyria even more quickly than Lyria herself had finished off Aslin. I was utterly amazed as, up to now, I had not seen Lyria vulnerable. This “Way of the Tangled Thorn” fascinates me; perhaps Aeif could learn something from their methods. 

Agnes too was defeated in the second round, but she did put up a worthy fight. The opponent, Brag, seemed just too fresh and unchallenged by his first round. Agnes had a much more challenging first round and when Brag was struck by Agnes he seemed able to fight through the pain that many others would have been felled under. 

In the final round, Phalin who had easily bested his first two opponents stood against Brag. Though Brag managed to get a measure of offense in early, he too fell victim to Phalin’s rapid, powerful strikes. Phalin achieved a knockout blow by planting his quarterstaff and vaulting himself into the air and delivering a spinning kick to the head of Brag. The crowd seemed conflicted for I don’t think they much cared for either contestant, but still there were cheers for Phalin’s prowess nonetheless. 

After the solo tournament concluded, the contestants for the group rounds gathered in the staging area. Clerics were on hand to patch up the wounds of all the participants. We were then given instructions for how the group rounds would operate. Three teams would compete over the course of three rounds. Each team would face the same type of monstrous enemy and any team that failed a round would be eliminated. Should more than one team beat all three rounds, the winnings would be shared. 

The two other groups gathered nearby. One group—the Talons—seemed well ordered and capable. Most were reserved, but one of their number, Balfour, was charismatic and introduced himself and his party. The second group consisted of 5 young men, each with a musical instrument. Finnan scoffed when he noticed them, and doubly so when they were introduced to the crowd as Passion Thunder. Apparently he was familiar with them already and was not a fan. There was an interesting shift in the audible range of the crowd as the cheers were much more high pitched than before; peering out I noticed a number of young women swooning. This ended up a short-lived cheer though, as this group drew first entry and was defeated by an ettin—a two-headed runt of a giant—quite quickly. Finnan burst into laughter and told us that they all attempted to inspire one another and no one thought to actually have weapons at the ready. 

The Talons, on the other hand, were efficient and quickly took down their opposing Ettin. We followed suit and made short work as well. I used my Spider Staff to conjure a web that entrapped the Ettin, staying to a backline with Finnan and Berien while Agnes, Lyria, and Aeif engaged up close. Lyria managed to deliver the final blow, as she loves to do, but we all played a role.

This strategy worked very well, and as we were drawn to compete first in the second round, we implemented it again in a trial against two trolls. The second round was obviously much more challenging, with twice as many targets, each arguably stronger than the Ettin had been. However, Finnan and I worked sensationally well together to control the flow of combat. Once again I conjured a web, and called out for our melee combatants to get out of the way so I could follow up with a fireball. Finnan used a bit of fey magic to empower everyone else to move exceptionally quickly and thus I was able to launch a fireball right between the trolls while Agnes, Lyria, and Aeif safely avoided the blast. However, as the fireball landed, igniting the trolls and the webbing, I saw a flash of panic-stricken horror come across Aeif’s countenance. You see, he had once again thrown that strange looking object from his fight with Agnes, but this time he had hit one of the trolls with it and it fell to the ground. I realized all too late that it would be in the path of my fireball and my heart sank as I realized 1) that item was the boomerang Aeif had been talking about for weeks and 2) I may have just accidentally destroyed it. It was with great relief that we saw the flames clear away around it and it still laid there as pristine as before. Panic passed, we dealt with the situation at hand. Lyria finished off one troll and Finnan carefully placed a crossbow bolt right through the eye of the other and the arrow carried on through its skull. 

The Talons too were successful against their trolls, and admittedly copied our own strategy, using webbing and fire. Imitation is said to be a most sincere form of flattery, but I must admit to feeling somewhat bitter that they were able to copy us quite so well. But for the third and final round, they would not be able to do the same, as they went first. 

As they entered the arena to face down their final monsters, a tremendous, screeching roar was heard coming from the opposing entranceway. Never have I heard anything like it, and I’m not sure that I care to again. The gates opened and out came two huge beasts that initially seemed like a form of dragon. However, their jaws were even larger than many dragons I’ve seen depicted, and they didn’t have the same skeletal frame one would expect. They had no wings, but they did have incredibly large and powerful rear legs and impossibly small front arms; I say arms, because these creatures were bipedal, only using their rear legs and their long tail for balance. No one we spoke with was able to tell us the name of this creature for certain, but the seneschal indicated he had hear something about a “Terrasaurex” but he seemed doubtful of his pronunciation. 

These terrible reptilian creatures tore through The Talons and I think the clerics on hand needed to use some powerful divine magic to heal them; one was lucky not to be severed in half as one of the creatures bit down on him and held him in his jaws during the fracas. Fear began to settle in and I thought through a potential plan with Finnan for our turn with the creatures. Thus far the webbing had worked well, but we feared the incredible strength of these creatures might not allow us to keep it webbed. Lyria noted she could try to lay zAX a thorny ambush while Finnan might try to distract them with an illusion. Of course, plans are one thing; execution is another. 

We took our strides into the arena and though I cannot speak for the others, an involuntary shiver went down my spine as the beasts charged out. It was quickly clear we would not be able to distract and trap, so I decided to test tensile limits of my webbing once more. The webbing landed and did indeed successfully slow them down and give the rest of the party a fighting chance. However, Lyria was unable to avoid the the jaws of one of monsters and we were left with a dilemma; I could still launch a fireball to hurt the terrasaurexes but it would likely hit Lyria too. With hardly anytime to react, Finnan gambled to get the monster to release Lyria and attempted to superheat her own armor to force a reflex drop, but unfortunately it did not work. I decided that the best chance for survival would be to continue with the plan to launch a fireball, and thus I did. I’m pretty certain this briefly knocked Lyria unconscious, but I’m convinced she would have died had I not done this. With the flames beginning to engulf it, Aeif, Agnes, and Berien focused on attacking it to free Lyria from its grasp. All did their part, but it was Agnes with her Lightbringer who managed to maneuver underneath and carve a large swathe through the underside of it, felling it. Lyria tumbled free, but we were all deeply concerned as she appeared lifeless. 

The other beast redoubled its efforts and sought to grasp Agnes. I screamed out as I saw the fearsome jaws clasp down on her. In a panic I used a mindspike spell, but though i’m sure I gave the beast a mighty headache, I could not force the release. Aeif wailed upon the beast and Finnan used his arcane talents to spark life to Lyria. Lyria recovered enough to reach for her bow and loose an arrow, but it was Berien who shined most in this moment as he carefully placed a shot that went into the beast’s neck and partially exited through to the other side. Blood spurted out and the mounds of muscle went limp. Berien indeed had saved the day. My mind was fogged over as many emotions tried to occupy my thoughtspace: anger, fear, excitement, elation. 

When the beast fell, the crowd roared a mighty roar, as defeating as the monsters we slew. Before I could take in what we had just managed though, Agnes came rushing toward me, golden hair flowing behind in the wind. In an instant she was embracing me and her lips met mine with an intensity matching the light of Lathander. I find myself struggling to believe that it truly happened, but the sense of ecstasy permeates my very soul. I do hope this is the start of something special between us. 

We collected ourselves and were rewarded with the prize of 1000 gold pieces—a smaller sum than I hoped to be honest. Lyria immediately began insisting that she receive a larger portion of the pot, but I refused her at this time, noting that we can discuss it later when the adrenaline dies down. Now was the time to get ready to observe the grand graduation ceremony.