#they are in the same costumes from episode 1 aka their first meeting

[fandomsonmysleeve]

the picture of Jack and Belle that shows up when you go to play an episode of The Artful Dodger is so beautiful

[jestergirls]

Is that [Francesca Root-Dodson]? No, that’s [Ecco Doe], AKA [Jester]! [She] appears to be [26]. [She] has the abilities of [combat skills] which makes them a powerful [villain].

Like almost every woman in Fox's Gotham, Ecco was done dirty by the writers. She had a handful of minutes of screen-time before she went crazy offscreen, and then was violently murdered in the finale. So, as is my speciality, I have rescued her from the mess the show gave her, and I'm giving her a new storyline. Everything after season 5 episode 1 doesn't count towards my canon, and I am setting her before she goes insane.

Ecco was actually born "Emma", but she hasn't used that name in years. Only those very close to her know her real name. Since working for Jeremiah Valeska, she has gone by the code name "Ecco", partly to protect her own identity, and also to protect Jeremiah's.

She was abandoned at Gotham Orphanage by her single mother at a young age, but as soon as she was old enough to fend for herself, she left and scraped by living on the streets of the city, stealing and sleeping rough, like so many kids in Gotham.

At fifteen years old, she was picked up by one of Fish Mooney's lackeys and hired to work for the mob. At first, she ran errands for Fish, delivering messages and doing waiting tables in the club. As she got a bit older, she and a group of girls of a similar age were sworn into the mob and taught how to pickpocket and, most importantly, how to fight and defend themselves. Ecco was a naturally skilled fighter, and she soon became one of Fish's personal bodyguards.

When Fish died, her people vied to fill the hole she'd left in Gotham's underworld. Ecco didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of an inevitable gang war, so she decided to seek other employment. She'd heard word that a mysterious businessman called Xander Wilde was looking for a personal assistant, so she decided to see if she could make a change from mob life to the world of business.

Xander took her on, and Ecco began acting as his proxy. She answered phone calls on his behalf, attended meetings, and wrote emails. As it turned out, she was very good at taking orders without question, and maintaining a professional demeanour.

After about two years of working for Xander without meeting him in person, he finally trusted Ecco enough to let her into his underground bunker, and tell her his real name. Xander Wilde was actually Jeremiah Valeska, twin brother to the psychopathic murderer Jerome Valeska. He had been living hidden away for years, afraid that his brother would one day find and kill him.

As Ecco and Jeremiah got closer, they began to form a deep and trusting friendship - the first for either of them. Ecco stayed in the bunker on occasion, and also lived in her apartment in the city. She was with Jeremiah when his brother broke out of Arkham and went on a shooting spree at the G.C.P.D., and she saw via the news coverage that Jeremiah had been right all along about his crazy brother.

Years passed, and now Jeremiah is a changed man. Ecco's not sure what happened to him, but he is no longer the shy, nervous, man she used to work for. Now, he speaks with a different voice, carries himself differently, and talks about "changing Gotham". Ecco doesn't care that he's completely changed. Her time working for the mob taught her that loyalty is for life, and you don't question your boss.

Now, Ecco still acts as Jeremiah's proxy and accomplice. She occasionally dons a black jester costume with a white mask to hide her identity when she has to, but inside, she remains the same ruthless and loyal survivor she always was.

This is essentially the bare bones of Ecco's backstory! Things might change as she develops, but for now, this is what we're working with! If you want to plot, you can reach me on here on IM's, or on Discord!

[pale-persephone]

Reign Revisited: The Pilot

Waaaaay back in 2013, when The White Queen had just finished its initial 10 episode run on Starz, some fan blogs I had followed began buzzing about a new show that had just premiered. This time, the queen in question was Mary Stuart, and like The White Queen, this new show was soapy and sexy and full of great costumes.

The White Queen is historical fiction, emphasis on the fiction. Compared to Reign, however, it is a doctoral thesis on primary-document research.

Reign isn't historical fiction. It's historical fanfiction. It's a fanfiction salad with side of lite history and a sprinkling of fact croutons. If you were tuning into Reign hoping to actually learn something

So, let's start with the fact croutons. What did Reign get right(ish), historically speaking, in the first episode?

Mary Stuart was sent to France as a child with the intention that she would someday marry the dauphin, Francis.

Francis Valois was the oldest son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici (aka BAWS ASS BITCH). His sister Elisabeth married the king of Spain, and he had a brother named Charles.

Diane de Poitiers was Henry II's longest-serving and most-loved mistress.

Mary had four ladies-in-waiting of roughly the same age with whom she developed deep and long-lasting bonds.

Nostradamus was a thing.

What was bullshit?

Bash

Literally everything else.

Now that we have that established, let's dive right in.

The Revisit

I'm calling it a revisit, because unlike some of you perhaps, I've been here before. For the most part, I know how the story goes, and I plan to write about the beginning from the vantage point of the ending. In other words, if you don't want spoilers, this ain't the place for you.

So, here we are. The very first second of the very first scene of the very first episode. And what do we see?

Girl, I was not prepared for that. You gotta remember: 3x05 was the last episode I truly watched. The night that it aired, I cried so much that I had to sleep with a cold gel mask over my face so that the next morning people wouldn't see my severely swollen eyes and worry I was suffering from an allergic reaction.

Obviously, I remember the prophecy about Francis's death playing a major role in the first half of season 1. I just wasn't expecting The Tree of Suffering and Death to be in my face right out the gate.

Now that that's aside, let us move on. As historically inaccurate as it is, I'm not mad at the writers' decision to start out the series with Mary squirreled away in a convent, awaiting her return to court. What I am mad at, however, is this wig.

I know they blew all their budget filming on location, but yeesh. This doesn't look much better than the one I picked up at Party City the year I dressed up as Snow White.

Speaking of locations, it is amazing how much wider the world seems in this pilot episode when compared to my memories of later ones, which had begun to feel very insular by the time I stopped watching. Within the first few minutes, we've been in a forest with Nostradamus, outside a picturesque convent with Mary and a passel of nuns, and now we’re on to the glorious French court, where the interiors are lush and the rooms bustling with people.

Next up, we meet the hot half-brother duo of Francis and Bash.

When it comes to this show, from the beginning until now, there is one hill that I am prepared to die on: Toby Regbo as Francis.

Maybe Reign Francis isn't as young, short, or sickly as Real Francis. I will argue that the Powers That Be knew what they were doing, however, because from the moment he rushed up those stairs and onto the screen, I could totally buy the idea that this was a boy whose life would prove to be a flickering candle. No, Reign Francis isn't short. But he is a little too thin, a little too pretty, a little too golden. He looks exactly like the type of person who'd be carried off by a fever in a pre-antibiotics world.

As for Bash...

I was never a Mash/Mabastian shipper. I thought the love triangle was a dumpster fire. And, in the past, that bias made it impossible for me to view Bash with any objectivity whatsoever. Now that Reign is over and I know for a fact that the Mary/Francis/Bash tug-o-war fizzles to less than nothing, I feel a little more sympathy for his character and a shit ton more for Torrance Coombs, the actor who plays him.

When I last saw Bash in season 3, he was a character inhabiting a world nearly completely separate from all the others. The show had fallen into a pattern where Bash spent the bulk of his time investigating one pseudo-supernatural bullshit calamity after another, with occasional brief stops at the palace to deliver updates. It was rather jarring to rewatch the pilot and see him actually participating in palace life. I'm reminded that, In the beginning, Bash truly was a main character, and it must have been difficult for Torrance to see himself increasingly sidelined.

I mentioned this earlier, but as we watch the Valois family preparing for young Elisabeth's wedding, I am struck by how many people there are. In the initial images of Francis and Bash I posted above, you can see castle business being conducted within the rooms on either side of them. We are then introduced to Henry, Catherine, and Elisabeth, who are positively surrounded by servants and attendants.

I mention this only because, by the time season 3 rolls around, it begins to feel like there are a grand total of five people living the a palace, which itself consists of a mere three rooms and one hallway. I know, I KNOW: budget constraints. It's still amazing to me how much bigger, fuller, and more textured this pilot seems compared to the later episodes.

Next, we meet the most ridiculously named ladies-in-waiting to ever grace the screen: Kenna, Lola, Greer, and Aylee. I get that going with the historically accurate "Four Marys" would have been confusing for the audience, and that traditional names such as Anne, Margaret, Joan (Jean/Jane), and Agnes aren't very, well, exciting. But Lola? For a lady-in-waiting to a Scottish queen? For fuck's sake.

And while I'm speaking of Lola, I must say I'm a bit confused by her backstory and motivations in the pilot. The script makes it clear that the ladies are arriving from Scotland just as Mary is returning from the convent. Kenna teases Lola about the "boy from Aberdeen" whom Lola insists "will wait for" her. Greer echoes my sentiments exactly here: wait for what? Lola is in France in the service of a queen who will be married and will live in France. If she wanted to spend her life with the boy from Aberdeen, why didn't she just marry him rather than depart for France with the knowledge that she would likely never see him again?

All of these questions become moot points once Colin himself arrives. Again I ask, If they want to be together so badly, why didn't they marry before Lola left Scotland? And why is Lola, a daughter of a Scottish noble in the employ of the queen of Scotland, asking Catherine de Medici, not Mary, for permission for Colin to stay? Mary was allowed to maintain a retinue in France. Shouldn't Colin, her subject, petition her for a position and permission to court Lola? Especially when Lola freely admits that Mary has never met Colin before? I get that Catherine's meeting with Colin is essential to the episode's plot. I just find the set-up to be clunky and awkward.

Before that can happen, though, we are witness to the planetary collision of Mary's first meeting with Francis. (0:00 - 0:50 in the video below)

Francis stops. Mary stops. The music stops. The visual and auditory clues make it clear: This is a defining moment in their young lives.

This Francis, however, is not the Francis I grew to love over the course of the 48 episodes to follow. The Francis of the pilot episode is more guarded, less prone to express emotion, and more fearful of his own heart. There is even a scene here in which he treats Mary quite callously, and while I feel like Toby did a good job in relaying Francis's worries and mixed emotions, I can understand why some viewers weren't immediately sold on the Great Love Story of Mary and Francis.

I mean, they were wrong, but still. I understand.

I really enjoyed the early scenes of Mary and her ladies all together during this episode. At one point, they all receive a lecture on court etiquette by a stern looking Madame type, which sends them all into fits of giggles, and I find myself thinking that the show would have been better served if it had kept a character like that around. In fact, watching this scene with future episodes in mind, I must ask the question: Where are they adults?

No, seriously. Where are they?

As the show moves forward, there are no authority figures whatsoever at French court other than Catherine and Henry. Mary rules Scotland from hundreds of miles away with the help of absolutely no one. Aside from an uncle who appears briefly at the beginnings of episodes 3 and 4, there is not one grown person in Mary's orbit to offer her guidance or advice. She is a teenaged queen who, on the show, has spent the past six years buried in a convent, and yet she is completely left to her own devices. Where is the rest of the de Guise clan? In reality, Mary Stuart had a slew of relatives who would have been in and out of French court. Her uncles were dukes, marquises (is that the right plural?), archbishops, and cardinals. Where are they? And beyond that, where are her Scottish advisors? Mary and her four ladies-in-waiting most certainly would not have been the only Scots at court. Future episodes will showcase constant tension between Mary and Francis, pitting her choices against his, when—in actuality—there would have entire councils of people involved in every single aspect of the decision making.

I get that too many characters can become hard to juggle, and I know first-hand that Reign will have a difficult enough time maintaining storylines for the characters it does showcase. I still think that Reign missed an opportunity in giving a face (or faces, rather) to the authority at court, both French and Scottish.

So we've met our protagonists and established our setting. But who is our bad guy? Every story needs an antagonist, and this Reign pilot offers us two, of sorts. Though neither really work in the long run.

The first is Catherine de Medici. Her actions in this pilot episode are reprehensible, and yet by the end I was in tears (again) seeing her watch helplessly on from a window while the son she loves more than the waking world falls for the girl who will cause his death. Having witnessed what Mary’s behavior will become in the second season, and knowing that she will ultimately be the cause of Francis’s death, it’s kind of difficult not to believe that Catherine was right in wanting to be rid of her. Her methods are vile, manipulative, and conniving, but her driving motivation is love for her child. You can’t root for her, but you can’t exactly root against her, either.

The second is the forest, also known as the Blood Wood. Or rather, what the Blood Wood supposedly contains. This episode lays some eerie groundwork here, but, guys…I just can’t take it seriously. It's promising chills that never materialize. The nefarious “pagans,” the ridiculous Darkness reveal at the end of the season…ugh. And the idea that the royal family resides in a palace surrounded by forests no one dares go into…How does that work? There are hundreds of people at court each day. Dozens travelling to and from. The gamekeepers would be constantly in and out, checking on the pheasants, deer, and other creatures who live and are hunted within. If people were continuously walking into a royal forest and never coming out, those woods would be cleared in a matter of days, and any “pagans” skulking inside rounded up and hanged.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. We haven’t gotten to the pagans yet. All we get in this episode is a mysterious warning from Bash about never going into the woods, and the ominous conversation between Bash and his mother at the end that reveals Mary’s freshly-returned dog, Stirling, (who we’ll finally see again in season 2) must’ve been lured inside the wood by the scent of fresh blood.

We also catch our first glimpses of Clarissa (though we don’t know she’s Clarissa yet), the castle “ghost” who slips in and out of palace rooms unnoticed and warns Mary against drinking the wine at Elisabeth’s wedding. She’s creepy looking, for sure, but doesn’t come across as a bad guy. At least, not yet. The pilot has her appear and disappear in ways that make you wonder, “Hmmm…is there something supernatural going on here?” But, just as with the pagan Blood Wood storyline, I know how disappointing the ultimate resolution here is going to be. In fact, by the end of the season, the Blood Wood Full o’ Killer Pagans just sort of ceases to be a huge deal to the series, and by the time we reach Mary and Francis’s wedding a little over halfway through, Clarissa is basically gone for (almost) good. It's a lot of build-up for storylines whose resolutions are a resounding meh.

All of this is my long-winded way of saying that the show needed a good villain, and though the pilot proves that Mary is in serious danger at court, all the threats set up here either disappear eventually or are proved ridiculously lame. I personally feel the show would have been better off investing in some long-term bad apples. A powerful rival family (like the Bourbons, only Mary doesn’t sleep with one of them), a treacherous advisor (but, unlike Narcisse, a truly evil one who doesn’t double as a sexy anti-hero), or perhaps even a devilish cardinal (hey, it worked for The Musketeers). We want Mary to triumph, but triumph over what, exactly? Other than the English, who really don't feature in the episode at all, it's all very vague.

And now for Mary herself.

Here we are introduced to a girl who is sweet-natured and romantic, though prone to self-doubt and bursts of temper. She loves her dog. She’s eager to please. She takes delight in simple things and wears her wide-open heart on her sleeve.

I barely recognize her.

By the end of season 2, Mary was my least-favorite character on the show, aside from Conde. Revisiting the pilot episode, I’m suddenly reminded of why I liked her so much in the beginning, and why I shipped her so hard with sweet golden baby Francis. As Mary, Adelaide is all starry eyes and dimples, with a quick smile that so easily melts into hurt and sadness. I don’t want to elbow this Mary in the kidney; I want to protect her from all the forces trying to destroy her sweet spirit. When a grief-stricken Lola angrily asserts that she and Mary are not friends, that Mary is instead her queen and a constant source of danger to the girls, I want to yell, “Then why are you here? You’re not a prisoner. Go home!”

(After showing her jealousy over Colin at the wedding and then basically victim-blaming Mary for her sexual assault, I wonder at the writers’ choice to have Lola be the one to sleep with Francis later in the season. Was there meant to be some long-simmering yet unspoken tension between Mary and Lola? Once again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I’ll come back to this later.)

By the time we get to the episode's Big Event (aka the wedding between Elisabeth Valois and Philip II of Spain, which is somehow occurring before the death of his wife Mary Tudor--but I digress), Mary has had interactions with both Bash and Francis, running the gamut from flirtatious to contentious. The first time I watched this ep, I hadn’t firmly staked my flag on either ship at this point.

And then came this moment.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Yes, she smiles at Bash first. But when she smiles at Francis, it immediately transitions to yearning. They step toward each other as if pulled by magnets. His defensive wall crumbles to ashes right in front of our eyes, and, reader, I was done. The almost-kiss at the end of the episode only cemented it. Frary. Frary all the way. Fray or I will burn this series to the ground.

All of this is especially poignant in hindsight. We know now that when Francis takes a step toward Mary, he’s also taking his first step toward Death.

The feathers fall.

And the clock starts ticking.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed revisiting this episode. No show has made me feel as much or disappointed me as much as Reign, but this episode reminded me of why I started caring about it in the first place. For starters, it looks amazing. The interiors, the exteriors, the rich fabrics and colors…it’s all so well done. The modern(ish) costumes, which were a major point of contention for some people, didn’t bother me then and don’t bother me now. And though I love history (the Tudors being my particular wheelhouse), I understand what they were going for here. They’re sort of taking the Hamilton approach (no, it's not a perfect analogy) to historical events, in which there is an unspoken understanding that the audience knows that events are being condensed and rearranged and sometimes flat-out made up for the sake of the story. If you continually get hung up on so-so wasn’t even there, that happened years later, she never loved him like that, you’re going to miss out on all the fun. Not to mention some amazing music.

The pilot episode promises romance and intrigue with a splash of supernatural horror, and it delivers. It’s frothy, silly entertainment.

But Reign won’t always be.

On to episode 2...

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

Thoughts on Furious Fu

Warning: Spoilers! And remember that this is the 6th episode of the 4th season in Portuguese (and my native Spanish knowledge and English Sub can only get me so far), so if you don’t want to read this yet, you have been warned. Speaking of Season 4, I’m back, baby!

We start out with the Kwamis begging Marinette to take them to see Master Fu. Like, did they forget that he list his memories or something???? So help me since they did not bother to listen to Marinette afterwards.

Apparently, Marinette still has a hard time saying no to others as she eventually relented into letting them go see Master Fu. They just don’t get it that she is wearing the Ladybug Miraculous and that she needs to accompany her everywhere, and Wayzz was like the co-guardian with Master Fu. Also, Marinette cannot say no with the so-called “baby doll eyes” (This is in quotes because some of the Kwamis looked terrifying as if they had just murdered someone.)

Why do I get the feeling that Barrk (or however their name is spelled) is the more responsible Kwami out of all of them (aside from Tikki in my opinion?) They stayed behind, claiming that someone needs to stand guard and how they did not like the idea of the Kwamis going to see Master Fu as a group. And then they watch a show about Knights.

Also, Marinette has placed decorative paper on the window. Smart, since some of these Kwamis have no sense of control.

Speaking of which, when they all arrive at the train station, They start singing for Master Fu, drawing attention. Call me a sadist, but I find it funny how Marinette threatened to throw her “phone” in the trash. 

Meeting Master Fu and Marianne (I am so glad that she is alive and got to be with Master Fu - again I’m so sorry for making you all think she was dead during Loveater/HeartHunter) was going well until Wayzz decided to be a fan girl for a second to go to Master Fu and once placed back in his bag, continuously screaming “He Touched Me! He Touched Me!” Wayzz, we thought you were the responsible one, but we get that you are grieving. 

Also, Master Fu is a painter! He does abstract, landscapes - apparently everything!

And now…we meet the Celestial Guardian: Su-Han! (Aka: who we originally though was Master Fu as an akuma or whatever we all thought, either way, he did not make a friendly first impression on anyone really. We knew he was a Celestial Guardian because the Kwamis said so.)

Apparently, Master Fu and Marinette had broken a lot of rules from the Order of Guardians, such as Kwamis not being let out of the Miracle Box, children not being allowed to wear Miraculouses, the GUARDIANS not being allowed to wear the Miraculouses, not losing the Miraculouses, etc.

Also, everyone knows how scary Plagg is on his own. Yikes! (And understandable, like the Dinosaurs anyone?)

So Ladybug and Chat Noir are now supposed to return their Miraculouses. Trust me, this gets interesting

1. Chat Noir was willing to give up his Miraculous if Ladybug says so! Like, to him, she is the only authority (Guardian in this case - see what I did there?)

2. HOWEVER, he would not give up the Miraculous if it meant that Ladybug would renounce the Miracle box, FORGETTING ALL HER MEMORIES AND MEMORIES ABOUT CHAT NOIR ALONG WITH GIVING UP THE FREAKING MIRACLE BOX! AND HE FIGHTS A GUARDIAN WHO KNOWS MORE ABOUT MARTIAL ARTS AND THE MIRACULOUS FOR GOODNESS SAKES! We love you Chat, we hope you know that!

Now, LADYBUG also fights the Guardian, seeing Su-Han FIGHTING CHAT NOIR! May I suggest Ladynoir anyone?

I don’t think Su-Han was aware that Master Fu has forgotten about being the Guardian (which was surprising to say the least) and he SNATCHES HIS CANE!!! (Which was a mysterious object as well, like what????)

Also, Su-Han is able to defend himself from being akumatized??? Like, can you pass on the knowledge and set up crash courses on how to do so??? Also, WAS THE BUTTERFLY MIRACULOUS ONCE BEFORE USED FOR EVIL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SUCH A TECHNIQUE TO AVOID BEING TARGETED BY AKUMAS???

Speaking of Akumas, I HATE YOU AND YOUR GUTS SHADOWMOTH!!!

And this is where Master Fu GETS AKUMATIZED! Also, he becomes taller as an Akuma.

Battle ensues in the stadium, with the Miracle Box being used as a soccer ball (And Chat saying “Goal “ was wholesome, but he was literally in an akuma battle!)

Ladybug calls out Su-Han for causing an active akuma (he was the one that made Master Fu angry in the first place) and for not working on fixing his mistake

Apparently, Ladybug’s costume changes during a Lucky Charm and I will elaborate this later on, but she looks awesome in the new costume. I wish that was her permanent costume!

Furious Fu almost killed Chat and caught Ladybug, but he did not anticipate Marianne to get the pen (and she made it look so easy).

*Insert purifying the akuma and MIRACULOUS LADYBUG! (It is very obvious I have no idea what I’m doing anymore)

So Ladybug’s new costume is only shown during the activation of a Lucky Charm, which sucks (I really liked the new costume), and we have no idea why that is, but I believe it has to do with the fact that there is a protective charm that is created during the battle and that it is related with the fact that Ladybug being the Guardian gives her a power boost or an added responsibility.

Speaking of the Protective Charm, it is not explained in this episode, but I believe it protects a former akumatized victim from being akumatized again. It was given to Master Fu right after.

And we end this thoughts post with Su-Han being angry that Marinette has violated a rule regarding involving powerless civilians in fights, but also realized that maybe breaking the rules at times works and entrusts Marinette with the Miracle Box (which happened to be the first and most powerful Miracle Box) under the condition that she makes no mistakes.

Also, can we just admire Su-Han for being perplexed by modern society (HE ALMOST DESTROYED MARINETTE’S COMPUTER BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE KNIGHT WAS CHALLENGING HIM).

Also, stan Marinette for giving a peace offering of new kicks despite everything that has happened!

Overall, this is not the most emotional episode in Season 4 (they said all the episodes would have the same impact as Chat Blanc, but I kind of don’t see it in this episode). However, it was still a great episode regardless and I enjoyed having Miraculous back in my life as it lets me forget about my first program rejection, screw you program you never deserved me!

The most emotional part of this episode was probably the new trailer for season 4, which is all for another post. So see you all soon!

[papermoonloveslucy]

BETTY GRABLE

December 18, 1916

Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the youngest of three children. Nicknamed ‘Betty’ as a child, she was pressured by her mother to become a performer. She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention.

A 12-year-old Grable and her mother traveled to Hollywood in 1929, hoping to achieve stardom.  To get her daughter jobs, Lillian Grable lied about her daughter's age, claiming she was 15. That same year, she made her uncredited film debut as a chorus girl in the all-star revue Happy Days (1929).

In 1930, at age 13, Grable (under the pseudonym Frances Dean) became one of the original Goldwyn Girls, along with Ann Sothern, Lucille Ball and Paulette Goddard. Grable appeared with Lucille Ball in the short A Night at the Biltmore Bowl (1935), Old Man Rhythm (1935), and Follow the Fleet (1936). 

In late 1939, Betty Grable dated Desi Arnaz when the two were concurrently appearing on Broadway; him in Too Many Girls and her in Du Barry Was a Lady.  Coincidentally, Lucille Ball did the 1943 film of Du Barry, taking the lead from Ethel Merman. Grable’s role was re-written and she was not part of the film. 

Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol. Her bathing suit poster made her the number-one pin-up girl of World War II. Grable's legs were insured by her studio for $1 million as a publicity stunt. 

"I became a star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them." ~ Betty Grable

On an October 1948 episode of Lucille Ball’s radio series “My Favorite Husband” Liz Cugat (Lucy) wonders aloud: “What’s Betty Grable got that I haven’t got?” 

Although she began doing television in 1953 on variety and talk programs, her first scripted program was an episode of “Star Stage” titled “Cleopatra Collins”. Grable played an ex-Miss America. She quickly followed-up by playing Lily Garland in “Twentieth Century” for “Ford Star Jubilee”, an adaptation of the 1932 play about movie stars on a train.  

On a November 15, 1954 episode of “I Love Lucy,” Betty Grable’s name is mentioned by Lucy Ricardo as one of the many Hollywood stars she is looking forward to meeting should Ricky get the role of Don Juan.  

Once in Hollywood, Lucy gets to see Betty Grable’s Beverly Hills home in “The Tour” (ILL S4;E30) in May 1955. The driver (Benny Rubin) describes the home as a ‘ranch style’. 

A few months later, just before returning home from Hollywood, Lucy and Ethel visit the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and see Betty Grable’s leg imprint in a slab of cement.   

ETHEL: “What are you doing?” LUCY: “Comparing my leg to Betty Grable’s.” ETHEL: “Oh, it looks identical.” LUCY: “Oh, to you and me maybe, but I doubt it would fool Harry James.”

On February 15, 1943, Grable did indeed leave her leg print and signature in wet cement for the forecourt. 

Her final scripted role on TV was playing herself in “Lucy Wins A Racehorse”, an installment of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” on “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse”. It was filmed in December 1957 and aired on February 3, 1958. 

The episode’s theme grew from the James’ and Arnaz’s shared love of horses and horse-racing. 

In it, Grable appears with her second husband, bandleader Harry James, who she married in 1943 and with whom she had two children. The couple divorced in 1965.  She had first married actor Jackie Coogan, but their relationship lasted only a three years (1937-1940). 

Grable and James do a full out musical performance in the Ricardo living room titled “The Bayamo” in which Grable shows off her legendary legs and James plays his iconic trumpet. 

“She was everything to him. It was always Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. She was his life.” ~ Betty Grable, about Desi Arnaz

In the 1969 Dinah Shore TV special “Like Hep!” Betty Grable’s name is dropped in the title song sung by Dinah, Lucy, and Diana Ross.  That’s hep!  

Grable’s name was also mentioned in the February 1971 “Here’s Lucy” episode “Lucy and Carol Burnett aka The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (TLS S3;E22). During the episode they ogle a wardrobe rack conspicuously labeled COSTUMES WORN BY BETTY GRABLE AND ALICE FAYE. Faye and Grable did two films together, Tin Pan Alley (1940) and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944).

In a November 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy” Dan Dailey dictates a letter to Betty James and Lucy Carter correctly guesses that he is writing to Betty Grable, who did four films with Dailey.  

Betty Grable died at age 56 of lung cancer on July 2, 1973 in Santa Monica, California.

[lady-plantagenet]

What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2

Episode 3: GOOD Grief! (we finally have a good episode on our hands)

To all those of you keen enough to have come back for another segment of ‘what hasn’t already been said: TSP’, as opposed to have just been scrolling when you see this - welcome back! (Scrollers you too <3)

Drawing of Thomas More’s Son AKA who Margaret Pole at this point wants to be the step baby momma of ;).

To anyone who’s seeing this for the first time: what this is a list of observations, jokes, reactions and criticism which occur to me upon a rewatch. I wait every week until Saturday to do this so that I have had my fill of scrolling through the tag and aggregating what has already been said. I tried doing a whole spoof (here where I gave up 10% in) but tbh a) I don’t know the history well enough b) it’s more time consuming than I thought and c) this series is just not as funny or as crazy as TWQ, so it’s untenable. Having said that: This is not a hatepost. I’m not hatewatching this series and nitpicking on purpose but expressing my honest views and trying to find the good in it as well as the bad.

Without further ado...

First Scenes: 

LMAO the way Wolsey suggests they break their alliance with Spain is freaking hilarious because the actor delivers the lines as if he were a high school girl making a personal attack by suggesting the prom change its theme to 70s disco to the chagrin of the peppy up-and-coming rival.

Also @ Henry VIII looking like the peppy up-and-comer’s bff and shy stan with that pencil bite and small smirk when Catherine loses her cool against Wolsey.

I’m sorry... who is Henry married to again?

Also what is Margaret Pole doing at the council meeting?? I’m not saying I don’t like it.

Margaret Pole warning against certain repetitive thinking creating madness :(((

Attempted Naked Twister:

Oh Catherine, what is with you and all the other STARZ protagonists and that weird politcky bedroom talk? Who actually finds this sexy?

‘Catherine you are unnatural’ ooof that line delivery was somehow haunting.

Was the whole ‘I can’t be rushed you are off-putting with your overpowering’ a callback to Arthur and Catherine? Apparently there’s another writer for this episode so I won’t put all subtly past them. 

Scotland:

‘Shitey men’ asdkjashd

Look I’m tired of all this ‘my children won’t be safe’ line getting repeated. Look mate, murder of royal infants and children was not exactly a common occurence, even in cases of deposition. The Princes in the Tower are an exception to this but a very infamous case for that reason. Child murder was extremely taboo. In situations like this with an infant kid, no one is going to bother murdering the babies and taking their thrones, the lords will just vie for power and make themselves de facto rulers and oust the queen. It’s not a question of safety but a question of holding power. Stop giving all women characters perma mummy brains.

Maggie being all caring:

‘Barnaby’ *scoffs* ‘Such an English name’ - OH MAN 0_0 is Catherine mocking them for trying to adapt ? Like I know it’s meant to show her envy for Lina, but it’s coming out all messed up.

Our girl Maggie’s smile screams I’m beating your ass in chess.

Anyhow this is the least histrionic we’ve seen Catherine so far.

Chaplain vs Catherine:

I’m interested how Catherine will feel at Stafford’s execution given that I have noticed this show build up to a friendship between them.

Why is everyone laughing at the whole ‘will you delight us with new schemes’ line was not that funny?

LMAO at Thomas Boleyn’s attempted brown-nosing. 

You know what? Ruairi is a decent actor. When he says ‘so you admit it? you lost the child because you tried to be a man?” the actor conveys Henry’s troubled mind, lowkey scare towards Catherine and bewilderment all in one. The way his eyes do not move but just widen emotionlessly also gives this sense that he is being manipulated (which I guess they are going for with Wolsey). Then the whole choir music in the background.. I don’t know.. I’m liking this, it’s creating a vibe of a king of haunted and increasingly paranoid Henry. I’m sure they are going for that, so good.

Ursula Pole and Mama:

Maggie Pole say ‘riches don’t keep you safe’ with tears in her eyes :’(. Please tell me how this is not her thinking on her parents and granddad Warwick and what befell them ;’(.

I find Ursula refreshing actually, don’t get those types of heroines often. But they are making her similar to a gold-digger, an exhalted marriage was first and foremost considered a thing of honour. Noblepeople wouldn’t speak in such mercenary terms regarding their marriages. 

Post Mary Defiance:

I love the ‘horse’ nickname from Brandon n’awwww

Also just realised what made TWQ so atmospheric - that wierd ‘oooo’ sound effect in the background when a character was being paranoid or worrying. They are using it during Henry’s ‘How is it that I have no sons?’ and it is just... so effective.

Catherine calling them ordinary children... she just keeps striking me as more and more classist. Like ok, I know every royal was... but still, I thought she was meant to see Lina as a friend and equal despite her race and status. To add the race element, this kind of rubs me the wrong way.

Also it is so clear by the end when Catherine states how the king is upset with her, she expects Maggie to ask her about it.. but she doesn’t lmao.

Back to Scotland until Sexy boy fencing:

I love me this soft boi. Angus <3 <3

I like how they address that some men don’t really like killing and that violence isn’t inherent in a man’s nature.

Oh man, are we supposed to look at Lina’s house and deplore the impoverished conditions? It would go for at least 3,000,000 pounds in today’s property market?

Is Catherine being particularly classist again with ‘Why u not becoming a butcher Wolsey, ey?’. 

Though I will admit the ‘but giving meat to the poor is also good’ was one of her only smart comebacks.

Just realised, Catherine’s pink dress pretty as it is, looks straight out of the 1570s... why?

Montage and After:

You guys are right, there is this weird longing between Henry and Wolsey lmao. It is actually insane.

So basically Catherine is officially depressed

OOOFF we have Stafford as regent instead of Catherine. (edit: I suppose it’s cause they go to France which they didn’t historically? Also if Stafford is at home then what is his son later doing in France, why would he be there without his father. This show didn’t think this through)

Meg Singing:

An impassionate speech is not too anachronistic. But despite the title of this post (what hasn’t been said) I will reiterate that 16th century and Medieval people’s problem wasn’t that they were ashamed of their grief and didn’t cry. In fact, crying was somewhat more socially acceptable then than it even is now! Even manly men like Arthur were written as crying in literature such as Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. Obviously you couldn’t go overboard, but in truth crying was indeed often too performative rather than hidden too much behind doors.

Pole and More UWUWU in France and after:

I LIKE THIS INTELLECTUAL FLIRTING

It’s nice to see a depiction of romantic feelings between mature and level-headed subjects.

God Mary Tudor is so beautiful in this scene jesus. and the music when she was being presented was also very beautiful.

Maggie Pole getting given ‘a modest income’ yeah... she was one of the wealthiest peers of her day.

Also Maggie’s lady cousin not lady aunt Frost!

‘shaking of the sheets’ lmaoooo

William Compton cracks the hell out of me. I love this guy. He is just so creepy and twisted yet super keen and friendly. ahaha He looks like a riot, I hope we see him more. lmao tiles.

Also this palace feels very anachronistic almost 18th century-ish.

I like the Louis and Mary sequence, it’s nice seeing him trying to make her feel less scared, but OMFG when he lay on that chair.. for one second I thought they were trying to kill him off already.

Scotland: ‘Love is an open doooooorrrrr’ + Last Scene:

I ship Meg and Douglas ahhhh this soft boi x strong woman match is everything Henry and Catherine could have been.

I wonder... why is Lina speaking in Spanish more than Catherine. hmmm Are they trying to foreshadow Lina’s eventual return home and how Catherine become a true englishwoman?

Conclusion:

7.5/10

I cannot in all fairness believe it. This was actually decent. I’ve given up on historical accuracy long ago so by this point I’m focusing more on how it stands as as drama. I mean, TWQ was also a flop when it came to grasping the complex issues of that era but why do I feel compelled to rewatch it every year? Because it had atmosphere when it came to acting, music, certain aesthetics (though the costumes let me down often). It felt adequately gothic and dark, yet bright and jewel-lish when it had to be, sometimes both at the same time. Some one-liners were also memorable etc...

So far TSP 2 did not have any of this. Everything felt way too off and anachronistic. But not even consistently anachronistic. The music was also often very meh (though I just noted the absence of the spanish stringy theme that kept playing in season 1 - I guess I understand why), the dialogue very clichéd (‘alright lads let’s throw in the words: king, crown, power, fight, battle + other buzzwords and we have ourselves Shakespeare’) and so on... but I saw a change in this episode and I couldn’t initially point out what it was.

Upon rewatch, I identified some of the improvements (noted above) but above all: The producer was different! Boy does it show. Unfortunately, I think she is only for this one episode which really sucks. Come back! There is more chemistry between the couples, less predictable interactions, pervy Compton, cinnamonroll Douglas, better music, more scenic shots (e.g Douglas and Margaret in church) e.t.c. I hope it will match the rest of the STARZ productions in getting better towards the end.

Look it’s no masterpiece. But I’ll give credit where it’s due because at least this time it didn’t leave me feeling wanting and unsatisfied (if that makes sense).

[henrylevesconte]

Henry “Dundy” Le Vesconte’s Looks, Rated

I’ve been itching to take a stab at the meme @bomburjo​, @radiojamming​, @theiceandbones​, and @subsequentibis​ have all completed (AND MORE OFC! Everyone’s posts have been great!) So journey with me with my favorite minor character and notorious background lurker. 

Go For Broke assisting Collins by stealing his medicinal whiskey look -6.5/10. The finger-less gloves and full coat really sells the look for me personally. This is about as dressed and hatted as the lad gets. 

Go For Broke awkward work meeting look- 100/10. Dashing. Astounding. Someone got over dressed with their work meeting and made sure their hair was perfect before just going to town on a plate of biscuits. Bonus points for clear coordination with Fitzjames in looks, style, and mutual disdain for Crozier. 

The Ladder Janky Franky’s hallucination fun time look- 1000000000000000/10. Truly my favorite look for him. The smile, the drunk amusement, the gloved grip on his drink, hair and sideburns on point, FULL DRESS UNIFORM! Perfect look for a perfect boy! 

The Ladder “Oh my boss just died” look ft. Mad at Crozier pt 2- 5/10. It’s a solid look. Dundy looks about ready for a nap which after Sir John’s death scene I always feel the same way. BONUS POINTS: Invisible hat tip to Crozier. Really spruces up the scene in a bizarre way. 

First Shot A Winner, Lads aka depressed lieutenant winter look ft. Charles “Horny Feet” Des Voeux- 10000/10. Bundled Dundle. He looks pretty cozy tho.

First Shot A Winner Lads toe removal scene look- 0/10. No. 

A Mercy awkward meeting round 2 look ft. Blanky at his finest- 3/10. A classic look, one we have seen before but he’s got more noticeable injuries and seems to need a nap even more. Dundy reminds me of an employee who has been to so many Monday morning meetings he’s counting on his boss not noticing if he shuts his eyes for just one second. 

A Mercy Benjo Boy look- 10000000000000000000000000000000000/10. Look, everyone wears slops but the swagger exuding from this scene makes it a complete look. The pose, the confidence, the refusal to let anyone on Terror touch him after announcing a big party. What even is a benjo? I love it. 

A Mercy Carnivale look minus gun- 100/10. Look at the King who stole my heart while also blasting off a shot gun in a closed tent like a jack ass. It’s such a good look you know he asked Fitzjames for the best when picking out his costume. Also notice height difference in officer (Dundy towers over all). 

Horrible From Supper No Shave 1848 look- 7.5/10. Oh I do love the scruffy look for ya boi. The finger-less gloves again really add to the “I’m dying of scurvy” look. The cravat really stands out. Everyone looks a bit rough but he’s still managing to get by and for that Dundy gets a higher rating. It’s probably why he got invited to Jopson’s surprise party instead of Hodgson. 

Terror Camp Clear “Silence Himbo!” look- 5/10. Dignified, tired, someone decided to let him have a gun again (probably Fitzjames). Still going strong. Bonus image: 

Should be titled “I’m getting too old for this shit!” Seriously though who let him have a gun again? 

The C, The C, The Open C Rescue look- 1000/10. What can I say about this casual look? It’s a classic, the open sweater, the re-purposed pants, the goggles, the silver waves, the finger-less gloves, the obvious concern and quick run to James’ side when he goes down. King of upcycling. I can see a modern instagram influencer calling this a thrifted look. Hurts my heart to look at if I do so for more than five minutes tho. 

The C, The C, The Open C awkward meetings never end look- -100/10. Love the hair, not much else. Dundy looks desperate for a tube of moisturizer and for the suffering to end (which coincidentally it’s about this point when I too want it all to end!) Beard and chops don’t seem as wild as previous episodes. 

We Are Gone and so am I look ft. a really creepy guy in the background- 1/10. Ouch. I love the suspenders, I love the hair curls, I love the ratty sweater. I love how he’s snapped and abandoning the sick. Just kidding. I hate that. If someone just let him nap maybe Dundy wouldn’t resort to this. Also the windburnt look, coming for Tozer’s look.

Bonus image: 

“Oh god he’s still looking at me isn’t he?”

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 4 Episode 1: Group A Baby, Premiere Time! Guesses & Commentary

Hello my fellow Masked Singer peeps!! It’s that time, I’ve been waiting for this for so long and I can’t wait for this season, it’s looking super promising I’m so excited! So I am going to try to do these every Friday (since I watch The Masked Singer on Hulu the day after it comes out, which is Thursdays)... so stay tuned. This season, there have been 2 huge changes, the lack of audience (they were digitally edited in which I am not a big fan of) and the Golden Ear Trophy (where the judges put their first impression guesses and the judge(s) who got them correct get a point so we’re going to be talking about that too... I’m gonna call the segment Golden Ear Time every time someone gets eliminated)... alright so here we have Group A:

First and foremost we have the first eliminated contestant of the season who was: 

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

The Dragon

Ok, so I kinda saw this coming (both who it was & that he was going to get eliminated), I’m kind of bummed out about it being so soon but everybody was so great that it was super hard to say that I wanted one to be gone.

Ok let’s first talk about his performance like always (if you haven’t seen my recaps before, 1st welcome! I’m Ana, nice to meet you... 2nd my format starts with the eliminated contestant and first I commentate on their performance, reveal them, and do clues how they match/the judges’ guesses now with the Golden Ear thing and then I do the same for the remaining contestants, the clues & commentary): I am not gonna lie, I enjoyed the dragon even though he was one of my least favorite performances (I am not the biggest rap fan, it’s not my least favorite genre by any means, but it’s just not my cup of tea even though this performance was fun af, like you could tell this was a real rapper... we’ll get to that later tho). He was awesome, it is a shame he went home so soon ngl. 

Anyways, let’s look at who the Dragon was revealed to be, shall we? Ahh it’s good to be back typing that: 😄

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Busta Rhymes!!!! 

So, I’m kind of shook and proud of myself because I legit heard a sneak peak of like 20 seconds of him rapping and I got it instantly even though I only know Busta Rhymes in passing by songs he’s featured in with other artists. Ok, let’s look at the clues, shall we? 

Clues:

“Dressing up in outrageous costumes isn’t new to me”= known for crazy costumes

A lot of gold= gold records  

Weights= has a love of weightlifting

Now it’s time for *fanfare* Golden Ear Trophy Time (and also a little bit of making fun of the judges... aka only Ken this time because this is kind of ridiculous)

Nichole & Robin each got 1 point with their guess of Busta Rhymes... yay!! They got it! 🥳

Ken: this wasn’t his 1st impression guess but his final guess legit makes me want to roast the crap out of him... Michael Phelps (like look at that performance and don’t tell me that you think that guess is actually a good one... like not even close 🤨)

Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s now talk about the remaining 4 contestants: 

1. The Sun

Performance: She was amazing, like one of my favorites from this episode. Her rendition of Because I Love You by Lizzo was gorgeous, she has a beautiful voice and she’s such a star man, I really do believe that she will go very far. 

As for my guess, I really do have believe it is singer songwriter...

LEANN RIMES 

I think this because of the following clues: 

Mickey Mouse shape= Disney= LeAnn Rimes sang multiple times for Disney, especially the song that appears during the fireworks show at Disneyland and had a Disney Channel special back in the day.

Fell into a deep depression= was sought into treatment in 2012 and is very open about her mental health going down after being a child star

Judges’ Guesses 

Jenny: Demi Lovato (not a bad guess, a lot of people agreed with this... I just don’t feel like the tone matches up) 

Ken: Madonna (say what now? That doesn’t even sound close to Madonna, but whatever Ken is Ken... what else is to expect?) 

2. Popcorn

Performance: She was great, I can tell she is a legendary singer. I had high expectations because this is like my favorite costume of the whole season, and I was a little bit let down not gonna lie. She sang “What about us” by Pink and I didn’t really love the song choice if I’m honest. Hopefully, she’ll do better, since I really want her to advance really far. 

As for my guess, I am not 100% sure, but my closest guess is legendary singer...

TINA TURNER 

I think this because of the following clues:

Mickey Mouse shape= Disney= LeAnn Rimes sang multiple times for Disney, especially the song that appears during the fireworks show at Disneyland and had a Disney Channel special back in the day.

Built a career around love= idk about this 

Proud Merry Go Round= ik too obvious but I really can’t think of anyone else especially due to the voice 

Judges’ Guesses

Jenny: Tina Turner (my guess exactly... I am still not 100% sure)

Nicole: Mary J. Blige (that’s pretty good but I’m not sure) 

Ken: Carole Baskin (wtf Ken? Please Masked Singer never have her on this show, I’ve had enough with her on DWTS)

3. Giraffe 

Performance: He was great and it was fun to watch, but I feel like he could do better. If it's who I think it is, I know he could do better than that first performance of Let’s Get it Started by The Black Eyed Peas. 

As for my guess, I have a feeling it could be Broadway legend, Hamilton superstar...

DAVEED DIGGS?

I honestly don’t know about it based on the clues:

He says music is in his blood

Was the butt of jokes but now he’s like super successful = this one sounds kind of probable but the clues are too general 

Judges’ Guesses

Robin: Vanilla Ice (I also heard this a lot online... maybe but the clues make no sense with Vanilla Ice) 

Jenny: Travis Barker (maybe... not a bad guess) 

4. Snow Owls 

Performance: Oh my god the first pair ever, how fun! I hope they keep doing this more in future seasons! They were literally my favorite of the night! Their rendition of “Say Something” was so stunning, I was shocked. 

As for my guess, I really do have believe it is sibling duo...

JULIANNE & DEREK HOUGH

I think this because of the following clues:

Family reunion, haven’t done anything together in a while= they used to work together a lot and now they have been pretty separate with her doing her singing stuff and him on World of Dance and Dancing With The Stars (if he’s on this too, damn he’s on all the channels haha) 

Christmas clues= they just did a Christmas show together in 2019 and came out with christmas music

He’s a prankster= Derek really is one, just look at his TikTok haha 

Also they sang this exact song together in one of their tours back in 2017 and it sounds really similar, here’s the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhC9dkmliTM

Judges’ Guesses

Jenny & Nicole: Donny & Marie Osmond (I mean Donny was already the peacock on season 1, I doubt that he’ll be back)

Ken: Eugene Levy and Catherine O Hara (they’re not really related so idk how it makes sense but not a bad guess.. I genuinely think it has to be a brother and sister duo)

Anyways, that’s all for today woohoo! See you guys next week, omg it’s great to be back! I am so excited for what’s to come, time for a rollercoaster of a season. Bye everybody! 👋🏼

[mouthtrashworld]

HEAR ME OUT: PARIS HILTON INSPIRED ME TO GO TO ART SCHOOL

HEAR ME OUT: PARIS HILTON INSPIRED ME TO GO TO ART SCHOOL AND BECOME A FILMMAKER.

My sister and I played it cool until my parents dark purple grand caravan left the driveway. We knew we had to conceal our excitement of being home alone for a few hours in order to not seem suspicious. It was our chance to watch whatever trash was on television that day without the normal censorship our parents had set on us. My mother strived to win the gold medal for being a helicopter parent and my dad just agreed with whatever she said. Somehow we were always a step ahead of them. There was a vast lack of communication within my household which lead me to crave answers and sneak around to get them.

We really made a day of it. We pulled our big fluffy comforters off our beds and brought them to the couch, gathered every unhealthy snack from our cabinet (which was difficult as my mother kept a strict, low carb, low sodium, no sugar menu to chose from in our house) and hung heavy blankets over the windows to block out the glare on the 30 inch Panasonic VHS combo unit. My older sister, Cate, had control over the remote, she knew which channel number MTV played on and she memorized the Parental Control Password that was set on various channels that aired the exact rubbish it was to protect us from, but quickly became our favorite shows. At the time I didn’t even really know how Cate found out these shows existed. Our amount of media consumption was little to none. Living in a tiny town in Pennsylvania, attending private Christian school and hardly having a social life; our only connection to whats out there

would be the local blockbuster that my mother skirted us in and then quickly out of after renting wholesome family movies. I remember slipping away from my moms watch just long enough to find the “1 Night in Paris” sex tape DVD that was made in 2004 with Rick Salomon (who by the way has been married to Pamela Anderson TWICE!) and Paris Hilton as the star. A few years later, The Simple Life, featuring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie became a huge success for Fox and was later taken over by E! network. The glimpse of the DVD cover was so scandalous I felt guilty just for looking at it. We were a few years late, really just catching the reruns of the show that E!, MTV or VH1 would play during the middle of the day, but we ate it up nonetheless.

The first episode I ever watched was on Season 5. The two girls become camp counselors and every week a different theme and set of campers come in to encounter their shenanigans. This episode was “Fat Camp” and the first order of business was for Paris and Nicole to give the campers enema’s before they start their week of dieting and exercise. It was absolutely ridiculous. I felt bad that these campers who fell victim to their bratty comments, yet my sister and I couldn’t take our eyes off it. Reality TV works in that way you know, where you feel bad, but not bad enough because its not your life.

Soon Cate and I started adding other reality shows to our pallet of rebellion. The Girls Next Door, a reality show about Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends living in the Playboy Mansion. Real World Cancun, AKA Jersey Shore before there was Jersey Shore. And of course The Hills where Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag live it up in Orange County, a place I

thought was made up until I visited there in 2014. But the Simple Life remained my favorite of them all. But Paris Hilton was my first glimpse of glamour, so she always remained my favorite. Granted, Kim Kardashian has seemed to surpass her on many levels after starting out as her intern. And sure maybe Paris is an heiress who will never run out of money or resources and people behind her, producing her, but Miss Hilton found a savvy way to brand herself right at the pinnicale of the internet and she still had to work for it. As a filmmaker I am hyper aware of the way we consume media, which is why I’ve taken such an interest to Paris and this manipulation she had turned into an art form.

Before we go on, in case you don’t know how Paris got famous, I’m here to give you a brief backstory. Paris Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire, was actually raised a lot like me. Her parents were strict. She wasn’t allowed to wear makeup or have much of a social life. I believe her parents knew what kind of name she bared and the harsh reality that could come with it, so they kept her on a tight leash. Despite their efforts to keep her tame she slipped away, out into the world long enough to meet famous photographer David LaChapelle, who became enamored with Paris and her sister Nicky, and insisting he take their photo. She knew it was highly against her parents rules to engage in that kind of activity but she went for it. He designed an elaborate set and costumes for them and they went ahead naively thinking the photos would be just for them to admire in private but were later were published in a 2001 Vanity Fair issue, getting her in a whole lot of trouble. She later had to turn down and offer to do Playboy because her parents would disinherit her. By the time she was 18 her career as a model

and professional partier could really take off. Paris became absolutely obsessed with fame. She came up with a formulated routine on how to grab the paparazzi’s attention. She would find all the places photographers would be hanging out that day and go to every single location just to be seen and her plan really seemed to work. She was the bright and shining star of every tabloid in America. She describes in the documentary film, “American Meme” how desperate she was, spending hours searching for a place with someone, anyone to take her picture no matter what it took. Her paparazzi access seemed responsible for Paris to become a household name. — add on?

We have to remember that this time, 2007-2009, was a turning point, as smart phones and blackberries were now in almost every American’s pocket and we were craving the tea more than ever. Tabloids started working around the clock to deliver us the latest scoop at the now possible all hours of the day; i.e. the tragedies of Amy Whinehouse, LiLo and her drug escapades, Britney Spears and her hairless melt down, the list goes on. We asked for it, we got it and kept asking for more. After Paris sought out these outlets, the offers poured in. Her own show, movie roles, modeling for brand name designers, she became a DJ, became an author, a business woman, a fashion designer she owns hotels in Dubai and is currently carrying a hefty 10.5 million instagram follower count.

I know what you’re thinking, like okay so who cares about this rich “bimbo” (dubbed courtesy of a New York Post article circa 2007) but just hear me out. Most of us can relate to her story and if not, at least to some of her tactics. What I grew to realize after becoming social media obsessed (possibly because I was deprived as a child) is that

no matter how information changes or what new technology comes to pass it along to us, we will always be doing it in the same way. I watched Myspace come and pass, seeing thousands of singers, bands and actresses get discovered through that site, even some playmates in Playboy magazine. I saw Facebook allow us to put every single thing about our lives on blast at any minute of the day. Twitter allows us to barf our thoughts up in once 180, now 280 characters, Vine stars made 6 seconds videos and now make 6 figures from their fame and last but not least Instagram, and trust me when I say I cringe having to say this, “influencers” sell to us with every photo or video they post. Whether that be a lifestyle, a product or just themselves as a person. A vast majority of us have to admit that we are drinking the juice. We ourselves are partaking in marketing our “best life” being lived via Instagram. So ask yourself, what is the difference between what we are doing on the Gram versus what Paris was doing in 2006, showcasing her persona to the media in the only way it was accessible at the time? Why not manipulate it the same way it manipulates us? Find out where the quote on quote Paparazzi are and market yourself the same way reality stars did.

Not that I have the intention to come up in the same way some of these heiresses who’s names are already famous or these vine stars or twitter comedians did but I have the power to show a portion of the world who I am and what I can do to earn my career as a filmmaker and communicator via social media.

I realized that what I was doing as a little kid, waiting for my parents to leave to seek a world outside my own is exactly what Paris did. She took the risk and got the answers.

Her obsession with fame coincided with my obsession with social media, to communicate and or get my work out there. I’m just trying to work system to brand myself. My research shows that the reality show we down load from an app store and place in our pockets has led me to some big wins. Upon getting hired for shoots or my work recognized in some way, I see there is a formula to the entire thing. When to post, how to post, who to follow, etc. I have no producers behind me to curate my Instagram, I have no connection to someone with a big name. All I have is myself to show for what I can do and if I keep going back to the place with the most access to the loudest voices , like Paris did I may have a shot at getting my own voice out there and I will say more important things than “thats hot” I promise you.

In the end I think that the reason I clung to Paris and her story so deeply was because it was virtually first and foremost example I had and to as impressionable young woman, that kind of thing sticks. The definition of success and how to obtain it was taught to me was by sneaking her show on a Saturday afternoon while my parents when to Shop Rite without me. I’ve just stayed observing all the ways fame has developed via internet and can lead to success. But the beauty of the defying gravity factor is that this blond “bimbo” and many other “bimbos” like her have done the same thing, most without the Hilton name. All I did was think twice before I believed that reality television was just a trashy phase. Instead I realized that I, like many others, am still consuming similar content in 2009 now in 2019, the difference is its in the palm of my hand and I’m deciding to take advantage of it.

[baskervilleshund]

4,5 years of Gotham in my life♥

Wow my emotions these last days. I’m not much of a text poster on this site but when Gotham ended I really felt I wanted to write this!

Gotham has been a huge part of my life for so long now. 4 years and 7 months since the first episode aired, that’s some time gosh. And so much has happened during this journey! I just wanna mention some memorable things during these years. Like remember the pre-s02x09 excitement?? And other stuffs, ah here we go!

The first trailer made me SO EXCITE, I had wanted more batman villains content for years since I have always found the batman villains squad so interesting and good and unique characters, there is so much to explore here! And so the Gotham trailer came and I just OH MY GOD this is exactly what I want!! And so it started and it was amazing. My first love was Ed, it took him his first scene in ep1 to make me go totally THIS IS MY FAV! More eps went on and I required more Ed content. But then Oswald slowly grew on me kinda out of nowhere like I wasn’t expecting it. And when amazing ep7 aired it just hit down on me from the sky, like it does when I know I got a new obsession/fandom. Oswald’s amazing scenes in ep7 and I went ”Okay this is it, I’M DEEP INTO THIS NOW AND I LOVE IT!”. In exactly THIS↓ scene/moment I basically said those words out loud and realized this is my life now, ugh also one of my fav looks I miss the bangs:

Shortly after ep7 I started shipping Nygmobblepot, since we knew who these characters were and who they will end up being it made SO much sense in this show, they were like the two familiar main villains in kinda the same age and I also loved them both so I mean it was obvious for me. Man in the beginning we were so very few in the shipping Nygmob pond, in the OCEAN of Gobblepot. It was a bit of a struggle sometimes, ppl wrote hate on my Nygmob posts n stuff shrug. And I just didn’t get how not more ppl could see it? It would make more sense if this were new characters like they hadn’t even met but since we knew this is Riddler and Penguin it just was fate for them to cross paths soon enough! We needed Nygmob content! I started making tons of my own AU:s since if the show wouldn’t give us content I would do it.

BUT we had Robin & Cory with us! Reminder that Cory invented the shipname after 5 minutes and Robin & Cory’s amazing twitter activity during s1 especially I will always remember as a fav. Remember when they we’re so into roleplaying Nygmob and spoke how Ed & Os loved each other and all sorts of things. All about going to The Foxglove together and stuff. Ugh it was amazing, I miss their interactions.  

In this very smol pond is when one day my shining star @conscience-killer (aka okimi79)  approached me, with this ♥ ”Sometimes I feel we’re the only Nygmobblepot shippers in the world…well apart from Robin and Cory. We should have a secret handshake or something.”

And man did we get a secret handshake! Gosh MY DEAR OKIMI! That I up til this day since then has spoken with like everyday for 4,5 years, you are amazing ♥ And in that time of so few shippers it felt even more special, to have  someone else out there as obsessed as me. I’m so grateful we found each other at exactly that time and we’ve been through so much on this journey ♥.

When Nygmob in spring finally had their first scene it was so amazing and I have no idea how many times I have watched that scene to this day, and also with that the ship grew a bit yas!!

Let’s jump forward a bit. NYC Comic Con 2015 in fall, one of my fav Robin & Cory cons/interview times! Because the legendary ep 2x9 was soon upon us and OMG remember how excite they were in those interviews!?! And THEN, that fkn night THE episode aired. I couldn’t believe it was real, it was EVERYTHING we had dreamed of!!! SO MUCH NYGMOB CONTENT and so in character and gosh. Man their season 2 relationship is just so beautiful and I love it til this day and 2x9 is forever my favorite episode because it meant EVERYTHING for us shippers and more people also started seeing the connection between Nygmob and so more ppl started to make content and join in!

A time after another shining star came into my life, @constant-sinner (aka (riddlelvr) ♥ This amazing person and artist! And together with her and okimi I am part of the best trash family of three and I can’t believe I’ve been a mom (yet i’m the youngest but i’m fashion fur coat mom okay) to these trash sinners for like 4 years. ♥

Okay but remember all INSANE SMAYLOR CONTENT BEFORE SEASON 3!!? Man that was also one of the best times I had during these years. God they were so excite for their relationship in s3 and WEREN’T WE ALL! And omg Comic Con. I had my fkn header for 3 years soon lol, man that moment I remember seeing the signing booth stream all casual and Robin & Cory goes “Smaaylor!! Nygmobblepot!!! ;))” And I’m just wait WHUT omg. Their press tours with Sean is something I’ll miss even more than the episodes, always such a joy seeing those three together!

And when season 3 started it was just insane. To be honest how their relationship grew in s3 that’s how I expected it to grow after their meeting in s1, it made sense already back then. Ed admiring Oswald and sneaking to his club and Oswald would be a huge part of Ed’s journey to become the Riddler but ah well, I did my best with my AU:s back then!

And then s3 came and Gotham EXPLODED and I had no idea where all million ppl suddenly came from lol. It became huge. But since it still feels kinda close to this day (2,5 yrs though man), my most nostalgic feels will always be over s1-2 so I’m not gonna write so much about the season 3-5 times in this text. My closest to heart milestones is during the first years and now that I’ve seen all episodes I still think season 1 is the best overall, except the lack of Nygmob content ofc ;)

I’ve not just felt love for the show ofc, the show isn’t perfect. There has been serious flaws and bad writing and plot drops. Tbh s4 I just felt so NOPE about? 22 eps of waste…Like Ed’s plot for example like he barley had his own plot what happened? And we also have the q*eerbait Nygmob issue obviously. I have also felt the show has been a bit childish being -helloo- GOTHAM city we’re talking about? I think it would have been much better off with a MA-rating tbh to properly tell certain stories. After s4 though I’m glad in s5 Nygmob finally got some proper screen time being together and in character!! Like that’s how their relationship should have been from beginning of season 4, or season 1 if u ask me lol but ya know!

BUT I LOVE THIS SHOW, the amazing actors and characters and scenery and costumes!! Ed, Oswald, Robin & Cory will ofc always have the most special place in my heart ♥ The Nygmob journey in the show has meant so much to me to follow it from day one and I never knew how much this show would mean to me when I started back in the day.

This show. And not just the show itself but my journey and life around it!!? So much has happened. For one example I had made a bit of gifs before but Gotham really got me into gif making, and it’s been a joy sharing content and my Nygmob AU will always be among my most fun things I’ve done, it was like if they ain’t gonna give us enough content I WILL. It’s a fun way of gif making to manip scenes to create something new! And today I still enjoy making gifs, as you probably know heh. Thanks so much for all nice comments and reblogs through all these years ya’ll!! It warms my heart and I love to read reblog tags! 

I have been at con and got to meet Robin, enjoyed so many interviews and promos, chatted with wonderful people. Every Friday night I have been up in my Europe timezone at 2am to live watch the show, the workdays after has been a bit of a struggle of being tired with going to bed like 5am lol but man it’s been so nice to follow it when it airs!

Watching together with my dearest @conscience-killer and @constant-sinner . Two of the best that happened to me during these years. These two people that I’ve spoken with like everyday for 4 years! Through Gotham finding two of my dearest friends in my life. Watching the show together and screaming, crying, laughing during this journey, about not just the show but EVERYTHING in life. They also are amazing writers and artists ♥ And also helped me endless times with gif caption when my non-native brain trying to write gif captions at 3am after the episode lol. All my love to you both ♥

THANKS TO ALL AMAZING PEOPLE that impacted me over these years. The cast and nice fandom people! My dearest @conscience-killer and @constant-sinner. And I also wanna mention dear @millicentcordelia and @selene-volturo that are amazing ppl that have been here with me since the very beginning of season 1. And they have always been so down to earth even during the stormiest periods of this show’s existence ♥ I’m so glad we’ve shared this LONG journey!

And also hugs to my dear mutual fandom friends that I’ve shared hours of conversations with over the years. Some of us maybe don’t speak as much nowadays and some of us have gone separate ways with new interests but I hope you know who you all are, regardless if we spoke yesterday or 2015. You have made my fandom time a joy!

I’m actually okay with the show ending now you know. Ofc it’s a bit sad but as I said I felt s4 was kinda stomping around in the same spot and even s5 had some fillers like they didn’t have more to do to push the story forward? The last ep was a nice easter egg wrap up for this LONG journey. And I mean shows live on with fan content, and who knows maybe it will return somehow? But it feels good they told us it would end so I was prepared for this and to say ”goodbye”. But it’s not goodbye because content will continue on this site and I’ll continue re-enjoy this show!

This is 4,5 years. In 2 pages, I could prob write 20 but ah, but i felt I got to to summary the most important things for me over these years ♥. This show and stuff that came with it will always be such a big part of my life, ALL LOVE AND HUGS!

[mrnerdteacher]

5 Spoiler-Filled Ways “Rise of Skywalker” is the Last Jedi Remake Neck-beards Demanded

“The goal is to not make one half of the fandom happy over the other, it is to make a film that the fandom in general as a whole enjoys. “

These words were taken from the manifesto posted on Remakethelastjedi.com (which somehow never managed to produce a film despite getting over $417 MILLION dollars “pledged” towards the effort (lol).

It is very telling that nowhere on the site does it mention anything about artistic integrity. Or communicating a theme. Or even quality movie making (cinematography, acting, dialogue, etc). Because the Last Jedi meets all those criteria, actually.  The entire crux of the argument against the previous film is “Star Wars belongs to the fans, and you didn’t give all the fans what they wanted, so we’re upset.”

It is therefore pretty deflating to watch “Rise of Skywalker” make so many efforts to undo the brave and controversial changes Rion Johnson made to the “Star Wars formula.” If ever there was a movie to prove Martin Scorcese right, this is it. Not only does this movie refuse to “Let the past die” (as Kylo Ren so eloquently put it), it figuratively and literally resurrects every tired old trope that has made Star Wars such a predictable franchise over the last dozens or so films. Here, submitted for your disapproval, are the “fixes” JJ Abrams made to “The Last Jedi”, despite never actually being broken in the first place.

1) This movie needs a Vader, dammit I love the moment in The Last Jedi when Kylo Ren smashes his stupid dollar-store-knockoff Vader cosplay helmet in a fit of rage. That was the precise moment in which I could tell this film was going to do something different. The villain in this story was going to have a face. And a personality. And be an actual character. But no, said JJ. Make the bad guys literally glue it back together. We need to sell some Halloween costumes, dammit.

2) The Universe Shouldn’t Feel Too Large

Perhaps my favorite plot twist of TLJ was in regards to Rey’s parents: they weren’t anyone special. They were not a Skywalker. Or a Sith lord. Or Jar-Jar Binks’ babysitters. They were just selfish jerks who abandoned their child. But in that pain lies a powerful message: you are more than your heredity. And you determine your own destiny. But no, said JJ. Make her a long lost child of Palpatine. And literally call the previous script a lie. Because a story that takes place across an entire galaxy should really only focus on the same five people. 3) Mysticism is Really, Really Important. Like, SO Important. I loved the moment in TLJ when Yoda burns the “sacred texts” that Luke had been protecting for decades. It was such a fun reminder that belief and spirituality matter very little if they are not followed up by action; particularly, brave and altruistic action. But in case you were one of the few who were actually upset by Yoda disrespecting a relic you never knew existed 20 minutes prior, Rise of Skywalker gives you plenty fancy magic items and abilities to read about on Wookieepedia. Treasure maps in the shape of conveniently found cutlery. Weird diamonds that point the way toward evil, like Captain Jack’s compass. Strange underground rituals that have apparently been destined for a millennia but that can ALSO be changed on the fly to fit the needs of the movie’s laborious run-time. It all comes across like an Indiana Jones movie, and not one of the good ones.

4) Characters Should be Simple and Easy to Predict

Luke tossing his own lightsaber into the ocean. A polarizing moment, but one I adored. It showed me that in this version of Star Wars, people change. They’re flawed. And they don’t take EVERYTHING seriously ALL THE TIME. They are, to put it simply, people. But in Rise of Skywalker, the galaxy far, far away is returned to simpler times. The villain is an evil wizard who wants to do evil because he’s evil. The hero is a symbol of unwavering good who never, ever makes the wrong or selfish choice. The mentor characters are wise and chaste, and the lovable scoundrels have ex-girlfriends on distant planets who are so salty he broke their hearts. It’s classic Star Wars, alright. (aka, kinda boring)

5) Cram in as Many References as Possible

Perhaps the biggest misstep of the Star Wars franchise is the oft-repeated mistake of thinking that establishing connections to beloved narratives is more important than being memorable or original. So we got characters like Jango Fett (totally devoid of personality) and ridiculous explanations for how Han Solo got his name. The Last Jedi was a deeply weird but wholly fresh story, with a strange animal-rights sub-plot and a final battle that didn’t actually take place. But if that was too unfamiliar for you, JJ Abrams is here to throw so many winks and knowing nods at the fandom that they couldn’t POSSIBLY find something to complain about. The number of inside jokes clouding the script are almost too many to count.

6) Be Woke, but not Too Woke

Just to make sure JJ Abrams didn’t lose the new Star Wars fans who were actually excited to see the series defy gender norms, RoS makes a lot of strange attempts at being progressive, but never in the forefront. Half the Stormtroopers have female voices. A new planet of peaceful allies has decidedly Muslim influences. And then there’s that lesbian kiss.But none of these elements are ever important, and are kept just enough on the sidelines that the far right audience can choose to ignore it. Like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Avengers: Endgame,” this movie wants you to think it’s forward-thinking, but its not brave enough to prove it.

And in case you are now feeling the need to “strike me down,” let me end by saying this: I actually enjoyed Rise of Skywalker. Once I realized it was going to be a pretty dumb movie (about five minutes in), I was able to sit back and enjoy the big, loud, occasionally funny, often emotional spectacle. I just wish the good movie that could have been hadn’t been force choked to death by the collective clammy fist of the Star Wars subreddit. 

Oh well. At least there’s one more episode of The Mandalorian...

[goddamnmuses-a]

Dan Watches: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones

Alright so I did this for Episode I which you can find here. So.. here’s my weird.. live reaction/note taking/whatever this is.. to Episode ll. 

Alright so.. Once again the opening crawl is very politicy. 

Count Dooku I think is mentioned for the first time in it and Padme becomes a Senator instead of a Queen in it.. which.. is weird. 

The Naboo ships im not sure about.. I like the design but they seem too new and clean for being a prequel. That said they are owned by royalty so i can let it slide i guess. 

“I guess i was wrong, there was no danger at all” *EXPLOSION* ffs Jeff, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut? 

Nooooooo! Not.. Cordey? Omfg that was the worst death i’ve ever seen. Terribly acted. 

Ayy it’s the Jedi avengers, no but like why is like i presume the whole or half the jedi council in this meeting? Shouldn’t they have like 1 representative? 

Yooo thats live action Barriss Offee in the back... hey girrrll ;) 

actually she’s probably supposed to be like 13 or somehting so i take that back. 

 I love just all the traffic flying by the window

YOOOO it’s my boy Jar Jar aka Darth Plagueis the Wise, don’t @ me. 

Spice mines on the moon of Naboo you say? Isn’t Spice a drug but you mine for it.. there are drug miners in Star Wars.. good stuff. 

That elevator would be terrifying. 

Obiwan just like.. LOL I fell into a nest of Gundarks.. what a character I am. .. Love him. 

Anakin like “I haven’t seen her since i was underaged master.. now i can  get my fuck on!”

ALSO ITS BEEN 10 YEARS!?

“Ani you’ll always be that little boy” *Police sirens*

Anakins a little bitch

I think Jar Jar’s ears things are much longer.. but might just be me imagining things. 

She’s not forgotten you, she said your name.. you creep. 

Heeyy look it’s your custom star wars character Zam. 

Obiwan is so sassy

Anakin is pretty creepy towards Padme. 

Those worm things are naasty

Yo tbf that was some smooth lightsabering, they were like an inch tall and right up on Padme and he didnt even hurt her accidentally. I’d have killed her there. 

Obiwan just fucking dives out the window like its nothing. Mad man. 

Zam is the worst, instead of shooting Obiwan she shoots her own damn droid. 

Damn it Anakin, he’s told you to stay away from power couplings. 

Obiwan is just gonna be like “FFS ANAKIN!” this entire movie... well.. Saga. 

I wonder how Jedi pick their robes because like some are very similar and then theres like a few that have darker leather stuff, it’s like there’s a jedi stylist or something.. Someone make that OC. 

 Amazing catch Obi. 

So Obiwan is his real name but he goes by Ben later on and then Ben Solo is named after him but shouldn’t it be Obiwan Solo? 

A changeling, she really is a custom character. 

Yoo that Twilek wasn’t stupidly thin, I’m here for Thicc Twilek. 

What species is Death Stick guy! I wanna know what he does with his life after he rethinks it

I hope it backfires and he’s like “Hey.. I could be doing so much more” and he ends up like the head of a crime family. 

She didnt even change.. so much for changeling. 

....she did when she died i take it back. 

Damn the background Jedi are ugly. 

I like how this shows that Palpatine has already begun manipulating Anakin. 

Still dont understand why Jedi see the balance being a good thing when it’s leaning heavily towards the light side right now. 

Anakin “IM READY FOR THE TRIALS!” .. you aint. You a moody bitch.

I like Padme’s dress. 

Anakin just got warned to back down because he’s being a creep. 

Omfg whats that rape face. 

Dormy or whatever her name is, better actress than Padme. 

Poncho! Cal approves. 

WOO ITS DEX!

Jawa Juice? Ew.

Wtf is the Rishi maze?

Dex suddenly went sinister at the end, why? 

Yess the librarian! She’s the best. I think she has a badass Order 66 story if im remembering correctly. 

She’s very sure about her records though.. calm down lady. 

“No droids” says the droid to the other droid. 

So i presume the head of the Jedi Council is always the one who looks after the younglings. 

Awwh the little babies and they’re all gonna get killed by Creep Vader. 

Yoda is so soft, good dad figure. Best boy. 

They elect queens on Naboo.. thats interesting. 

I love the Jedi fighter look. 

HOLD THE FUCK UP THEY DIDNT KNOW ABOUT KAMINO 

THERE WAS A FUCKING LONG NECKY ALIEN ON THE JEDI COUNCIL IN EP 1.. 

.... some bullshit. 

I should really look into Sifo Dyas

And Why are there not more Clones in Star Wars... 

Other than like.. .. spoilers for.. you know what nevermind. 

I DONT LIKE SAND! HE SAID THE THING

Anakin you creep

Why the fuck would Padme even lean in at all? He’s been nothing but a creep and she’s shown 0 interest in him at all so far. 

The Camino people are pretty chill. 

That was the first bit of actual chemistry between Padme and Anakin 

Omfg the pear, fuck off. 

Also forgot to comment but theres some clear like.. oohhhhhh moments im having with how order 66 got set up. 

Has Padme had an outfit change again?

She’s got her sexy outfit on to turn him down.. seems right. 

Her make up is a bit.. much

Sooo the force is weaker with the jedi because the light sides had it so good for so long that the force is trying to balance out and bring it back the other way, makes sense. 

It’s actually his connection to his mom that brings him towards the darkside to start.. nice. 

Padme trying to be inconspicuous is super conspicuous 

I like that the droid said okey dokey. 

YAAAAAAAAAAAAY WATTO

YAAAAY ANI SPEAKING HUTTESE

I love how Watto is happy to see Ani. 

Watto doesn’t deserve the shitty life he ended up with. 

Love some New Zealander up in my Star Wars. 

Seismic charges have such good sound design. 

Thats one hell of a missile. 

Eyyyyy it’s c3p0 it’s amazing how much i’d forgot of this. 

Tusken Raiders are dicks. They know sign language but they’re dicks. 

Even Anakin is like “These are good people”, good. They’ll raise your son. 

Is that general grevious’ voice? 

What the fuck are these aliens

Awwwh noooo she waited just to die in her sons arms. 

Tbf i’d go full darkside if someone tortured my mom. 

You know what.. this Ani is nothing like the ones from the cartoon, he seems like less of a whiney bitch in the clone wars but we’ll see.. 

Cleg Lars’ hover chair is pretty dope. 

Anakin got over hating Obi Wan real quick. 

Even captured Obiwan is a sassy boy. 

Jar Jar as badass as he is.. is basically putting the Sith Lord in charge. 

So far if you dont know that palpatine is the Sith there isnt really anything obvious telling you which is pretty interesting. 

Padme has had another outfit change, another iconic look. 

And so behind the adventures of r2 and c3po

C3PO had a costume change, he’s been watching Padme. 

The fake out they have you thinking Padme is covered in magma is pretty good

Okay then suddenly she loves him.

Also bye bye lightsaber

Genosians are pretty gross

In my head they were always the same as Toydarians for some reason

I like that bug monster, i remember killing them in one of the older battlefront games.. as maybe Aayla Sekura but maybe i made that up. 

Anakin surely got the best one to fight. He basically tames it.

The fucking peck on the cheek, was that needed? 

Droidekas are still cool as fuck. 

Suddenly Jedi. 

The Jedi that made it up to Dooku is terrible, he cant even reflect a few blaster blasts.

Well.. Jango lost his head. 

The smile on that green jedi’s face is beautiful, what a beautiful alien man. Kit Fisto.

Obiwan is an icon. 

Dooku is pretty reasonable all things considered. 

Woo clones!

“Around the survivors, a perimiter, create.” Yoda.. just speak normally damnit. 

Yoo what if Jaro Tapal shows up in the new Clone Wars cartoon season.. i’d lose my shit. 

I like Dooku’s bike. 

Anakin you dumb fuck. 

I always thought Dooku’s curved lightsaber was weird. 

Rey should have done this sick ass catching the lightning trick instead of the two lightsabers. 

Jedi flips all over the place woop. 

As obvious as it is that Palpatine is the hooded Sith, i feel like they dont show his full face because i feel like a little kid might not be able to tell. 

I kinda like how it shows a bunch of clones (the basic start of the stormtrooper) and then star destroyers and it’s like.. heres where the empire started. 

Aaaaaand they’re married? so yeah.. congrats Ani you creeped your way into being a husband. 

[wigwurq]

AN ODE TO NICOLE KIDMAN’S SEASON 2 BIG LITTLE LIES WIG

Here we are, at the end of season 2 of Big Little Lies. Ok? You may recall that last season, I took a terrifying ride into the heart of darkness coming to terms with Nicole Kidman’s wig. You can read it all here, but it’s not for the faint of heart! To recap, I had at first claimed that it was real hair since the wig was as shitty as Kidman’s own hair, forgetting that Kidman wears wigs both in films and in life. NEVER FORGET! It was a humbling experience, doing lots and lots of research into this goddamned wig only to realize that sometimes you just have to go with your first impression which is usually: THIS WIG SUCKS. 

At any rate, we must never forget that Nicole Kidman basically exclusively wears bad wigs. A few examples:

Terrifying stuff, no? And her season 1 Big Little Lies wig was no less terrifying:

And here we are, 2+ years later, with a wholly different wig. A wig that....doesn’t totally suck!. Wait. what? Let’s discuss.

The only real reason for season 2 to even exist is: Meryl Streep. Her wig is as bad as her teeth but she is playing a monster so I’ll allow it. The other step forward this season is Nicole Kidman’s wig. It is longer than last season, more wispy and, well, hair-like. I guess we’re supposed to believe that in her grief/guilt/etc she just doesn’t have time for haircuts (beyond the bangs) and honestly: that wurqs! This wig is less full of life and also less dried out, less uniform, with better random hair texture!

What also wurqs is the fact that since her character is now messier, so is her hair, though in a believable tired mom way. 

Episode 2

She is so tired that she is even accepting sleeping pills from Meryl Streep that would later make her drive off the damn road! However, the quality of this wig remains very hair-like! 

It looks less great whilst picking up randos to have sex with, but honestly: this wasn’t a great lewk across the board.

Episode 3

Oh my god, that damned iPad! Little did we know at this point in the season that this wasn’t all just an extended apple ad and in fact that thing would prove very useful! Anyway, Meryl’s wig still looks very dried out and shitty (but so is her character!) In comparison, Nicole Kidman’s wig looks like a goddamned dream!

Over in her constant therapy sessions, the subtle, uniform curls fall on this shirt that probably cost like $1500. It is unclear to me where her character is supposed to have money from or if she does much of anything besides driving, therapy, rando bar dude encounters, and having awkward run-ins with Meryl Streep. What a life! 

Episode 4

This was the effing EPISODE. The one where the world kind of stopped turning because Meryl Streep arrived uninvited to a pumpkin carving party and then Nicole Kidman and her half up-do and fabulous $2 billion dress slapped her in the face. We were all better for it. Nicole Kidman’s wig basically looks the way it did in Practical Magic and obviously that should always be the goal. 

Amabella’s disco bday party was a whole mood. Monterey loves a good costume party, but I wish they had had better costume direction because everyone’s idea of “disco” was very different and not entirely historically accurate. Nicole Kidman chose to flatiron everything and wear this headband and her lewk was I guess one of the better ones. Leaving this wig bereft of life or body is the only way to be in keeping with Nicole Kidman. 

Episode 5

This was around when shit started hitting the fan, aka Meryl Streep decided to try to steal Nicole Kidman’s kids. Her wig read the room and showed up sad for the lawyer meeting and it was appropriate.

The wig shifted its focus in this still to be as steely-eyed focused on maintaining custody of her boys as Nicole Kidman was. 

Episode 6

In this episode everything changed because Nicole Kidman started pulling her hair back and to its credit, the wig went along with it! It even took a few showers where Nicole Kidman had sex flashbacks and truly, this wig was really earning its keep this episode.

Oh god, this lewk. I AM NOT HERE FOR FACE WISPS. But it’s not the wig’s fault. In appearing on the stand, Nicole Kidman had to show herself as a good parent AND a victim so this wig was just trying to go along with it, and truly: it looks ok! The quality is still very hair-like even if I don’t like the style!

Episode 7

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS. Now Meryl Streep is on the stand and Nicole Kidman’s wig had to do a quick pivot to BUSINESS PONYTAIL. I didn’t know this could be a thing, but ok! Also where in the damn hell did she find a hair tie the exact same color as this wig? WHERE?!?! I still disapprove of wisps but again: Nicole Kidman had to be a tinker/tailor/lawyer/victim in this episode so: DO WHAT YOU CAN, WISPS!

And here we are: Nicole Kidman’s wig retained custody of the kids AND this millennial pink suit. Halleluj! This wig is looking a little worse for the wear, but aren’t we all? After that finale, my nerves are SHOT. Still, the wig did what it came here to do: be the best Nicole Kidman wig I’ve seen in years and for that we must all say Halleljuj!

VERDICT: WURQS AND SHE CAN KEEP THE DAMN KIDS!

[ansonmountdaily]

Hi there! So I was thinking about watching Hell on Wheels, then I read that Anson's character aka the main character is a former confederate soldier, so yikes. Just wondering if you'd seen the show, and if you would recommend it?? Thank you :D

Hi and thanks so much for your message! I’m glad you’re interested in watching Hell on Wheels! :) Yes, I’ve seen all 5 seasons and would recommend them. It’s hard to tear your eyes away once you’ve started, and you never want the show to end because it’s addictive and compelling and wonderful, so be warned! :D It can also get dark and gritty fast, it’s a western and there’s blood and guns and violence, and characters have to make tough decisions and live with the consequences. The cast, cinematography, set design and costumes, are all amazing, and I really like the camera work. I was a 100% transported and on the edge of my seat throughout all 5 seasons. Seasons 3 and 4 have a slightly different tone and (I felt) slower pacing compared to the first two, due to plot decisions and a new showrunner. 

Anson Mount’s Cullen Bohannon is the lead character and the heart of the show, and Anson carries the responsibility effortlessly, but it’s also an ensemble series. Everyone has a character arc and they change and grow and go through incredible transformations as the story progresses. Bohannon in the final season is not the same man he was in season 1. The character is magnetic on screen, and a great leader (just like Anson was on set), and someone you care about and root for. You don’t want him to merely survive, you want him to succeed and find peace and be happy. You yearn for a happy ending.

In the first episode we learn Bohannon’s wife and son were slaughtered during the Civil War and that he’s trying to get revenge on the men responsible. He’s taking them down one by one, which leads him to the town called Hell on Wheels. Bohannon is the stranger in this cut-throat place, with no railroad experience, but due to plot reasons the First Transcontinental Railroad hires him as a foreman to the all-black cut crew. He is a witness to a murder, gets into trouble almost immediately, and the story kicks off. See, trouble always finds Cullen Bohannon, he is swept into adventures and schemes and shenanigans, and must find solutions to a thousand day-to-day problems getting in the way of the railroad being completed on time. The characters are in a constant race against time.

Apologies, I’m not American or a native English speaker, and also don’t discuss politics on my blogs, but I don’t think any Hell on Wheels fans have a single issue with Bohannon being a former confederate soldier. He gets called a “greycoat" several times by Union soldiers, and sometimes they antagonize and mock him to get a reaction, and we also see him in uniform in a gut-wrenching flashback. 

But the story revolves around the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad and Bohannon’s role in it, the journey of him becoming a skilled and dependable railroad man, and his close friendship with Elam Ferguson (played to perfection by Common), one of the members of the all-black cut crew. A lot of the drama also comes from Bohannon’s rivalry with the whip smart and opportunistic railroad boss, Mr. Durant, and the super creepy but fascinating Thor Gundersen aka “The Swede”, head of security for the railroad, and there’s mutual attraction between Bohannon and Lily Bell who works with Durant. 

I say give season 1 a try and see how you like it? :) Seasons 1 - 3 have 10 episodes each, season 4 has 13 episodes, and season 5 has 14. And be wary of spoilers online, there are some major twists you don’t want to know beforehand! 

Anson is incredible and charismatic as Bohannon, he said people want to talk to him about the character all the time, Omaze even organized a meet & greet on the set for some lucky fans. The show gained a loyal following, it’s one of my favourites now as I’m into westerns (as a teen I was obsessed with Tombstone (1993)) and love a masculine lead who hides his vulnerability. Hell on Wheels was everything I hoped for and more.

Thanks again for your ask and happy watching!

[iohourtime]

Think Note Vol #59: Winter

Myojo 02.2018

(Translated from scans by MoMozzz32 on weibo.  The photos are also from her account.  Please let me know if there are any errors.)

I predict this winter will definitely not be a time I want to cover up*

* A reference to Momikeshite Fuyu, aka “Cover up winter~ There are no problems in our family~” or “The Kitazawas: We mind our own business” (GEMTV) or “Lots of Shit Happened in Rich People’s Families” (Taiwanese name 😂)

The atmosphere of the festive streets can make one’s heart dance and be lost in thoughts. His drama, “Momikeshite Fuyu ~ Wakaga no Mondai na Katta Koto Ni ~”*, is about to start.  For Yamada, it is surely the beginning of an unforgettable winter.

----------

When people ask me “What is your favorite season of the year?”, up till now I have always said “spring & autumn”. However, when I see the city full of Christmas spirit, indeed I felt that winter is the best.  I am not sure if it’s due to the splendid and romantic illumination or the TV stations enthusiastically playing Christmas songs, the end result is that I set up a Christmas tree at my place since the start of November (laughs).  My tree is 50 cm tall and is pure white. Although I had bought ornaments for it, I wanted a silver theme, so I ordered a bunch of new ones from the Internet. The stuff got shipped this morning, so I look forward to hanging them on the tree♪.

When I was checking on the planters in the morning, I thought “It’s cold!”, so I think it’s a sign that winter is here.  Even though it is my favourite season, at the same time, I feel a bit sad.  Every Christmas, I end up meeting with a bunch of guys, listening to Chris Hart’s song and saying “It’s already the time of the year to be listening to this song~” (laughs); we said the same thing every year. We also watch the music videos of Christmas songs performed by various artists, and we declare that “Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ is the best after all.”  Just how many times does the word “Christmas” appear in the lyrics?!  Well, being able to say the same things with the same members is fun though.

On the work front, between shooting the winter drama and the concert, it is looking very busy. Every year, from the time the summer tours begin, followed by drama filming and movie premieres, music programs, “Johnny’s Countdown”.... and I think “the end of the year is here!” This winter, the TV drama “Momikeshite Fuyu ~ Wakaga no Mondai na Katta Koto Ni ~” (NTV) will start broadcasting in January, so it will be more busy than before.  When it is that busy, I hope I don’t accidentally cover up my memory as well (laughs).  Actually, the director-san for this drama is the same as the one for my first drama appearance, “Tantei Gakuen Q SP”.  He is very blunt when he speaks but it is out of love… while he is a passionate person, for the 11 year-old me, I thought he was very scary (laughs).  That’s why when I met him again this time, I told him about how I was so scared of him back then.  Also, there is another director who had helped me since the drama “Scrap Teacher ~ Kyoshi Saisei”.  So with all these familiar faces, I felt at home right from the costume fitting before crank-in; I think it is going to be a fun 3 months.

The character I am playing, Kitazawa Shusaku, is the second son (youngest brother) of three and he’s just some regular guy you can find anywhere.  He is the only one not loved by the family, so from that point of view, it sounds similar to “Cain & Abel”, but it is nowhere nearly as serious (laughs). In this drama, when the “hopeless thing” of the episode happens each week, you will see everyone racing seriously towards erasing that problem, but the audience who watch the episode unfold will think they are being idiots and hilarious.  It’s not that you’ll ready yourself and say “I need to see it!”, but if you happen to turn on the TV and start watching without thinking too hard, I hope we can make you laugh on a Saturday night.

“Watch ‘Momikeshite Fuyu ~ Wakaga no Mondai na Katta Koto Ni ~’♡ Bakyun* ♡” - Ryosuke

*sound effect similar to wham, bang, etc in cartoons.

Mini review of Momifuyu:

Freakishly long name aside, Momikeshite Fuyu (Momifuyu) is a family comedy that is at times ridiculous, at times heartwarming, and at times downright sad. Like seriously, I felt teary in a few scenes. He said above that it is like a funny Cain & Abel, but it is not exactly the case. Shusaku wasn’t unloved like Yu in Cain & Abel - it’s just that his family expressed love in a different sort of way.  At least when I want to slap some of the characters, it is out of love!

It may take a few episodes to warm up to the characters and the style, but I ended up loving most of them by the end. It’s fun watching Yamada play the most un-Yamada character and a total trip if you happen to watch FMA, Namiya, then Momifuyu back-to-back.  The ending was a tonal shift though, to put it gently, but nevertheless, I will like to see a sequel. 😅

The acting is more of a comedic style, so you may also need to get used to the somewhat exaggerated expressions and inner monologue, but you also never know when you’ll be hit with the feels.  If you haven’t watched it, check it out on GEM TV Asia (if you have it & it’s still broadcasting) or the Eng sub from the HSJ fansub team:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10 FINAL

[firebirdsdaughter]

Okay, so...

... Now that I have a clearer Raw I can pause...

LONG POST

Ryusoulger Episode 1 reactions! Aka, the episode that decided to come for my life.

In no particular order:

Okay, so maybe it’s a little ‘hm’ that Kou pilots the mech entirely on his own. But it’s not the first time anyone has piloted a mech alone--including non-Ranger allies. The first person who springs to mind is Commander Aya from Jetman. In GoGo V, the robot assistant Mint piloted the robot alone once. And besides, it’s only the first episode. We’ve got plenty of time for the others to get in there.

I’ll be honest. I knew the Masters were probably going to die. At the very least, I knew something bad was going to happen to them.

What I was NOT expecting was THAT.

Ryusoulger scores one for on-screen death and incineration.

First fight of the new Robo Suit Actor (I feel so bad I forget his name). Thank you for your service Kusaka Hideaki, I wish you all the best.

But let’s go back to the beginning!

Dramatic ceremony that apparently no one else is around to witness.

Wait, so if Mynasouls/Minusouls are already being made/Druidon already showing up, and just have never reached the tribe before... Does that mean Touwa and Banba have just been doing a really bang up job of fighting them off? I mean, I expect the stakes are raising sharply now, but... Could cause tension in the team if there’s a ‘the only reason you guys had a peaceful life for so long was us’ sort of thing.

Also, Kou having a little bit of prankster in him is super cute. Are you and Touwa going to get into prank wars that drive the others nuts?

Random fact I didn’t notice before? In the opening, when the others are flying all over the place and Banba is just sleeping? He’s holding two RyusoulKen. The boy is freaking holding his brother’s sword for him, that’s so cute.

I’ll see if I can’t use this video to get a shot of the pendant looking like it’s changing colours and put it at the bottom, okay?

It has since come to my attention by rewatching this that Mystery Scarf Person is standing next to a torch that looks similar to the ones used in the ceremony scene this episode, which could indicate that he is Gold. Or... Related to the tribe, at the very least.

But the most important question to ask as to whether he’s Gold... Does he has Chainsaw?

I am never going to get over that chainsaw thing.

Also looks like we may have Druidon we haven’t seen yet, which doesn’t surprise me. Tank dude is clearly going to be Kou’s rival, but maybe one of the other Druidon was responsible for what happened to Banba and/or Touwa’s Master? (assuming Touwa had one and wasn’t solely trained by his brother)

I’m loving that little shot where it’s Ui sitting alone and then the others come over to her and it looks like they’re encouraging her (well, Banba just stands in the back bc he’s a grump but also solidarity) and then they all look at the sky. I live for the implications that there’s going to be a theme of companionship in this series bc I LOVE FRIENDSHIP. I LOVE FOUND FAMILY. And given how they trio (and possibly the brothers, too) lost people so important to them at the start, I think they’re all gonna need it.

I like them cutting the logo free. I also like the way it looks like stained glass for a hot second before becoming the usual red and yellow.

Sentai mooks continue to be distracted by pretty lights and it remains their downfall.

Kou! Don’t break the camera!

Dan seems pretty fussed that Druidon showed up. But... If he knew that the other two had gone to fight them, shouldn’t he already know that?

Hey, look! There’re other people!

Aw! Kou is trying to be comforting!

And... Gets shoved into the mountain. I love these three.

Oh my gosh, he tries to tackle Ui, but she just bops away, I love her.

Well, we’ve found the source of the bananas.

I love Melt hiding the banana behind his back like it’s incriminating evidence...

I think Kou is looking to the other two for help here and they just abandon him. God, he’s so adorable, though, I just wanna pinch his cheeks.

Also that fraction of a  second ‘I got myself into this’ face right before the cut to commercial. XD

WHY DOES HE HAVE A HAMMER? WHAT DOES THE HAMMER SAY?

The Masters are on a nature walk!

No, I’m kidding, they’re probably on patrol or something. But it looks like they’re on a nature walk.

Wouldn’t it be funny of one of the other Masters, if they exist, was played by the Ichimonji of the KR NEXT films? Is he even still acting?

Not the ankles!

Do the Masters have other names?

Why does Tank dude being in the temple cancel their transformations?

What I love about this fight is that Master Red and Kou are clearly worried about each other. Red yells for Kou when he’s thrown, and Kou tries to protect his mentor. It’s cute!

Until tragedy strikes.

Is Kou ever gonna be able to hear ‘Tata Soul’ again w/out thinking of this?

God... It was a gut punch when Red got hit by those slashes, but I was not expecting Pink and Blue to get fire breathed.

Also, yeah, there were better ways to do that, but that’s always true w/ diving saves. Maybe they didn’t thank they could pull them out of the way in time?

The complete silence was a good choice. IS this the same director responsible for that scene in Build where Misora tells the others Kazumi is dead? Bc this reminded me of that. If so... Man, you do ‘characters losing someone indescribably important to them’ very well.

I’m still not entirely convinced we’ve seen the last of them. Maybe only in flashbacks or as spirits, but you’re telling me you hired Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask/Kamen Rider Ibuki, and even an alternate version of Hongo Takeshi/some other dude from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (?) to kill them off in one episode? After those press announcements? Maybe they were trying to cover up what was gonna happen, but I’m not convinced. I mean, maybe their previous parts aren’t that big a deal, but it really seems like the went for a bit of name-recognition there... Are they gonna throw that away after one ep?

I will not deny I was emotionally encouraging Kou to get up and kick Tank dude’s ass right there. You can do it, sweetie!

Tank dude gives a speech while Mushroom creature is greatly distressed in the background.

See above for my feelings regarding Kou piloting the mech alone here.

Also the first time I watched I wasn’t thinking about that I was too busy crying.

Also I guess Tyramigo does talk, but... He seems fairly... Well, he doesn’t talk much. He’s got, like, two lines. I’d kind of like a serious, more ‘stern’ red rex. Hmm... Maybe the personalities of the Kishiryu reflect the predecessors’?

So here’s the jam. Doe you predecessor have to die for you to be the ‘true’ inheritor of the RyuSouls? Did Elder know this? If so... You dickwad.

Kou giving Tyramigo pets on the nose was super cute. I think I would kill for Tyramigo.

Also pretty sure I would kill for Kou, he’s very cute and now I love this actor.

Still very distracted by the way the Elder’s wig does not match his beard. What the hell, costuming?

So here’s my question. Do the special coloured Souls absorb the souls of the Ryusoulgers who die while tied to them? Are gonna have an ep where the team have to go ‘inside’ them or, like, summon the souls out of them, AtLA style? Are we gonna meet the original Ryusoulgers at some point?

Okay, but... The Elder uses the word ‘nakama’ when telling the trio about Touwa and Banba? At least, I think he does... Doesn’t that usually have ‘friendly’ connotations? Makes it seem like the two are less straight up ‘deserters’ and just... I dunno, went through the apparently necessary rite of passage of having your mentor/predecessor die before the others and were allowed to leave? I’m confused.

I don’t know why we needed to transform here, but I love the dancing mechs.

Also they did do a ‘three swords’ version of the ‘swords of justice’ thing. I am literally going to start crying--for very different reasons than this time--the first time all five of them do it together.

Still sad I didn’t get to see my boys in the preview, but at least I know they’re coming soon.

Also still can’t get a read on whether we’ll be hiding our identities this season. I kind of like it when they do do that, it adds another layer of tension to things, but it’s fine if they don’t, too.

Looks like Pink is gonna be yeeting her boys.

I’m liking this so far and I can’t wait for all my children to get together.

On the ED: I live for the dancing mechs. I could spend hours analysing everyone’s reaction to the cartoon Soul meteors. That was adorable. Still don’t know why Banba has different dance choreography, but it’s cute.

Digital french toast and pancakes for anyone who read all that.

All in all, I’m enjoying myself. I don’t usually cry at shows, but I just... I wasn’t expecting it to go that far. This is someone who directed some of Build, I suppose. I think we’re in for more agony.

And I love it. XD

Okay, so... (Ignore my boys screaming in the background please--not the most flattering picture of Banba I know, but leave him alone he’s sad DX)

So... It’s definitely just the way it disappears, but... The other three colour don’t do that? So either it was just a style choice bc there’s only two colours on this side and three on the other and I’m overanalysing, or...

Also. I. I just noticed the water bubbles. Or are those meant to be tears.

WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN BUILD MAN?