Hello everyone, much like most of the LGBT community around the world, I’ve devoured the beautiful show HEARTSTOPPER. I’ve at least cried one a day since watching the first time and I feel like I need to vent them all out and I hope you enjoy reading.

Both Kit Connor AND Joe Locke’s outstanding performances in these eight hours of perfect television. Wow. Not only did they standout on individual fronts:

Kit’s accurate portrayal of a teenager coming to understand his sexuality, to his gentle and loving portrayal of healthy masculinity. Not only did he make a beautiful character even more beautiful, he made an icon.

Joe’s vulnerable portrayal of a boy who is unashamed of his sexuality but doesn’t wish any animosity or pain on Nick who was still figuring out his feelings and sexuality. His also quiet but powerful portrayal of a boy who has an eating disorder (which will be explored in the inevitable second season) and his painful exposure to homophobia, gaslighting and bullying.

BUT TOGETHER ON-SCREEN, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple be portrayed so authentically and beautifully. To hear stories that they got along so well and would often playfully fight with each other/kit threaten to drop joe into the ocean/off his lap, it just makes the relationship as rich as what Alice Oseman intended. It was just such a natural and loving relationship and I can’t wait to see them grow with their characters.

And the supporting cast - amazing! I have to list them all - William Gao (Tao), Yasmin Finney (Elle), Corinna Brown (Tara), Kizzy Edgell (Darcy), Fisayo Akinade (Mr. Ajayi), Cormac Hyde-Corrin (Harry), Jenny Walser (Tori), Sebastian Croft (Ben), Rhea Norwood (Imogen), Tobie Donovan (Isaac) and the incomparable Olivia Colman as Nick’s darling mum, Sarah. They ALL and I MEAN ALL OF THEM shine in their own ways.

HEARTSTOPPER is a welcome and loving addition to the world. Netflix would be absolutely insane and idiotic if they dared cancelled this show. It’s a gnawing thought that’s been on my mind since I watched this show (especially with Netflix’s recent troubles) and to those with similar thoughts, let me try and make you feel better:

The show debuted to 14.55 million hours after three days. In comparison, Young Royals debuted to roughly ~9 million hours and it got a second season renewal.

The cast and Alice Oseman are gaining a lot more traction. Kit Connor almost now has 2 million Instagram followers, Joe Locke almost has 1.5 million. Alice Oseman’s follower count has risen as well. The official Heartstopper Instagram account is also nearing 1 million followers. As of April 30, it is currently ranked No.5 on the Global Netflix TV Show list, and it is in the top 10 of roughly 50 countries around the world.

The show has been trending across Tumblr, TikTok and Twitter the past week.

Netflix has been swooning and raving about the show across their social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If it’s just a marketing ploy and then they cancel it BOY will Netflix face an uproar. And with Netflix needing a win, HEARTSTOPPER has essentially given it to them.

It sits highly with critics and audiences. It holds 100% Certified Fresh, 98% Audience on Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at 9.0/10 and at #83 on the Top 250 Shows on IMDb and holds Universal Acclaim status on Metacritic.

I have to remind myself constantly right now that HEARTSTOPPER is only just beginning there are no logical signs that this show is going anywhere yet and I hope people will continue to discover the show and fall in love with it. Regardless of whether you’re LGBTQ+ or straight there is much to love and admire here. It’s funny, it’s cute and it is unafraid of exploring darker themes in a healthy and authentic way. Don’t sleep on it, take it all in, read all the graphic novels and then take the show all in again.

cant believe im still seeing takes about the characters in ghosts being underdeveloped, as if they all haven’t gone from miserable, repressed and selfish people (with the exception of alison and mike, who just didn’t really want to be involved with the ghosts, and alison specifically who had a complicated relationship with the concept of ‘family’) to a loving found family who respect one another immensely, and are all working together to unlearn the traditional and conservative values that previously stifled them. it’s all about trauma recovery and leaving tradition behind you and that is so fucking apparent in every episode of the show. perfect day does not exist for this slander, and neither does like. the entire fucking show lmao. did you people miss alison learning to accept and adore a found family she never thought she wanted?? pat grappling with the grief of losing his family, carol and her affair, his failings to her, and his confrontation with keith? cap letting his militant persona slide, allowing himself to enjoy things, allowing himself to recognise that he’s gay, very almost coming out and being visibly comfortable and happy with his sexuality?? fanny unlearning her homophobia and internalised misogyny, indulging more and more in the things that truly make her happy? kitty trying to understand her sister’s true cruelty and having to face the reality behind her idealised memories, finding love and acceptance now with a new family who don’t belittle and manipulate her? thomas slowly learning that he has talent as a poet and worth as a person regardless of his relationship status, and that romantic connection isn’t the be all and end all? like, mike also has some really amazing moments of development, building his relationships with the ghosts and alison, as well as his blood relatives (hello his character in perfect day and the christmas ep >>>) !! it’s also the little things like how mary is slowly becoming more and more able to talk about her witch trial, and robin is reaching out for more genuine connection with people like julian, rather than just being nihilistic and not valuing anything other than his own amusement. and, even though i loathe him, julian is developing as a person (not politically) as shown by his remorse about his failed relationship with his daughter, and his acceptance of being a ghost. this show is amazingly well written and the arcs are golden, each character has so much to offer and they are developing as people, in a beautiful and exceptionally well paced way

here’s a list of my thoughts about the mg tour from intermission and after the show :) (Scroll past this if you don’t want show/tour spoilers i guess? it’s not super spoilery but read at your own risk)

idk how popular this opinion is but I loved the rewrites in it roars and fearless. I was never the biggest fan of it roars but I loved the additions to the tour version and how they reflected back on it roars in fearless!

megan’s dancing??? hello??? her gretchen is such an energetic ball of joy and anxiety and I love it????

every time Mariah opens her mouth I nearly pass out, she’s got this Regina Voice™️ thing going and I love it.

mary kate’s VOICE (!!!)

mrahs improvements singing someone gets hurt since the youtube video? stunning, flawless, incredible, outstanding, breathtaking-

eric is effing hilarious and has great comedic timing

dani wade is such a star and i’m just riding high this is all so good!

end of intermission thoughts, here are act 2 thoughts:

MARY KATE MORRISEY STOLE MY HEART!! HER VOICE OMG (I would personally rank her Janis above Barrett whoops)

Mariah’s world burn nearly made me cry again bc just thinking about her cover in her apartment leading up to this, and just the amount of power and confidence and how she hit literally every note right on. She even seems to have gained confidence since tgwdlm?? idk all I know is that she had an amazing energy/stage presence i don’t feel like we’ve seen from her before that fits Regina so so well. She’s really fit right into this role.

Jonalyn has the Karen Energy DOWN she’s awesome, and she still brought all the depth to her that the musical has that the movie didn’t. Same with Megan as Gretchen. The plastics had great chemistry and all of them OWN their characters

adante carter really is out there being that hot! great of an actor! and jokes aside, he also did a fantastic job of giving an endearing and deep portrayal to aaron (also is such a sweetie at the stagedoor)

mariah did this cute awkward little dance for a minute in I see stars and I was just sittin there thinking “that’s my dad and she’s such a nerd and i love her”

in conclusion the mg tour was great and i want to see it 50 more times because THIS CAST but I’m poor so I’m just gonna appreciate the fact that I was able to see it once

Morgan Freeman to Be Honored with 2017 SAG Life Achievement Award

Morgan Freeman. Source: www.facebook.com/MorganFreeman

         54th Annual Accolade to be Presented During the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Simulcast Live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 21, 2018

        LOS ANGELES (Aug. 22, 2017) – Morgan Freeman – Academy Award® winning actor, producer, voice actor and activist – has been named the 54th recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Freeman will be presented the performers union's top accolade at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®,which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 at 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT), 6 p.m. (MT) and 5 p.m. (PT). Given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession," the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Freeman’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Academy Award, HFPA’s Cecil B. DeMille Award®, an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, seven Image Awards, a Silver Berlin Bear, several Obies®, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

       “I am thrilled to announce Morgan Freeman as this year’s recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations. As a chauffeur, convicted murderer, boxing gym attendant, pimp or president, Morgan fully realized every character baring their souls and showcasing their humanity. It has been a privilege to see his genius at work.”

           A Life Devoted to His Art and Craft

   Freeman first earned recognition for his acting skills at age 12, when he won a statewide drama competition in Mississippi. As a young actor he paid his dues in small roles, pausing only to serve in the U.S. Air Force. Theater beckoned first, then film and television.

        As he breathed life into memorable characters, widespread critical acclaim came accompanied by enraptured audiences and commercial success. Freeman invariably ranks as one of the five worldwide top-grossing actors of all time, with his films having earned over $4.5 billion in cumulative ticket sales.

         SAG Life Achievement Award. Art Photo Credit: Mark Hill  

          An Indelible Presence in Film

      Freeman has earned four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He received the SAG Awards Actor® for his performance in the Best Picture Oscar® winning Million Dollar Baby, a role that also garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and an Image Award. Two films starring Freeman are held in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry: Unforgiven, which received four Oscars, and The Shawshank Redemption, for which Freeman received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award, Oscar and a Golden Globe.

       Among Freeman’s extensive list of credits – now nearing 100 films – another milestone is Invictus. His portrayal of Nelson Mandela received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor and an Image Award along with nominations for another SAG Award, Oscar and Golden Globe. In addition, the picture was produced by Revelations Entertainment, the company Freeman and Lori McCreary co-founded in 1996 with a mission “to produce films that reveal truth” and to stay in the forefront of digital entertainment.

      Other credits in that still-growing list include Street Smart (Freeman’s 1987 breakthrough role), The Dark Knight, The Bucket List, Glory, Lean on Me, Se7en, Amistad, Bruce Almighty, and Along Came a Spider.

        Further demonstrating his astonishing versatility, Freeman most recently starred in Warner Bros.’ Going In Style, Paramount Pictures’ Ben-Hur, Summit Entertainment’s Now You See Me 2 and Focus Features’ London Has Fallen. Freeman’s upcoming films include Broad Green Pictures’ Villa Capri and Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

           Integrity and Inspiration in Television

     Freeman first became nationally known and loved in 1971 when he starred in the seminal Children's Television Workshop (CTW) show The Electric Company, for which he created characters including the iconic Easy Reader. Known as the most popular instructional show on television over its six-year run, the series won an Emmy® for Outstanding Children's Series and a Grammy® for its soundtrack album. Freeman’s indelible impact on a generation was reflected when fellow cast member Rita Moreno, a life-long friend he met on the show, asked that he presented her with the 50th SAG Life Achievement Award.

          Most recently, Freeman is an executive producer with McCreary on the Revelations Entertainment series Madam Secretary for CBS, which will air its fourth season starting in October. Freeman hosts and is an executive producer for the Revelations Entertainment, three-time Emmy nominated series Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, which recently completed its seventh season for the Science Channel. Also through Revelations, he hosted the Emmy nominated event series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman on the National Geographic Channel, which completed its second season. Through Revelations, he will next host The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, which premieres October 11 on the National Geographic Channel.

                       A Respected, Trusted Voice

       Freeman’s is one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved voices. He most recently narrated The C Word, the latest in a string of prestigious documentaries that includes the IMAX film Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, Science Channel’s Stem Cell Universe with Stephen Hawking, and the informative IMAX feature We the People. Three previous narrations are the Peabody Award winning ESPN 30 For 30 documentary The 16th Man and two Academy Award-winning documentaries, The Long Way Home and The March of the Penguins.

            He could also be heard in the presidential campaigns for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In a lighter vein, Freeman was the overwhelming choice when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asked the millions of Facebook users what voice Zuckerman’s smart home system should have.

          Authenticity and Insight on Stage

   After earlier roles in the off-Broadway stage productions of The Niggerlovers and the transformational all African-American production of Hello Dolly, Freeman’s 1978 role as Zeke in The Mighty Gents earned him a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award® nomination. His arresting, moving performances went on to earn three Obie Awards even before he portrayed Hoke Colburn in Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy, a role for which Freeman received an Oscar nomination when he reprised it for the Best Picture Oscar winning film of the same name. Freeman most recently trod the boards in the triumphant revival of Clifford Odets' The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.

             Helping to Shape the Future

    In 1973 Freeman co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, now in its 37th season, which supports and nurtures promising African-American playwrights to ensure those voices can be heard. He additionally supports Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education, organizations working to create hope and better lives for countless people.

        Freeman provides a boost for another group of artists on an immediately practical level. He co-owns the Ground Zero Blues Club®, which celebrates and features performances by authentic blues musicians. It’s next-door to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the heart of the area's rich blues heritage that Freeman loves.

         In his spare time, Freeman enjoys the freedom of both sea and sky – he is a long-time sailor and has earned a private pilot’s license.

             About the Life Achievement Award

     Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the Life Achievement Award is bestowed for outstanding achievement in fostering the best ideals of the acting profession. The recipient of this award is a well- established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

          Art Photo Credit:  ©2016 SAG-AFTRA Foundation  

          About SAG-AFTRA

    SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcaster journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond

        Connect with SAG-AFTRA

  Website: http://www.sagaftra.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/sagaftra/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sagaftra/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sagaftra Instagram: http://instagram.com/sagaftra Newsroom: http://www.sagaftra.org/newsroom