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gothamstreetcat · 4 years

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things i’ve been tagged in as of late (a masterpost):

I. tagged by - @avacrwder

hardcover or paperback / rent or buy / reads in silence or reads with music / standalone or series / annotations or pristine pages / ebook or physical copy / dog ears or bookmarks / mismatched series or complete set/ going to the library or taking whatever editions they have there / cover matters or you don’t judge / lend books or keep them to yourself / enjoys lit classes or despises them / browses shops or orders online / reads reviews or goes in blind / unreturned books or clean library record / rereads or once was enough / fanfic enthusiast or a stickler for canon / deep reader or easily distracted / must read the book before seeing the movie or order doesn’t matter / has neat bookshelves or messy bookshelves / skips ahead or resists temptation / reads aloud or in your head / guesses plot twists or never sees them coming

II. tagged by - @marthaskane

describe my blog tag meme

icon: camren bicondova wearing black lipstick with her hair tied up and in a turtleneck shirt aka the closest embodiment to me i’m going to get. i did try to recreate this photo for my blog but i suck at taking pictures of myself

content: i think when i started this blog it was a lot of spooky content and caryl content (walking dead). i am so sorry for the people who followed me for walking dead content and are still here, somehow. my blog has more or less morphed into a gotham blog and i am very happy about that. however, i will reblog any other content relating to the goth aesthetic, patrick melrose, good omens, and whatever holds my interest for more then five seconds

letter color: white

url: gothamstreetcat

header: an edit i did featuring batcat in an old catwoman comic no one can seem to stand

blog title: ‘bruce wayne die-hard’ I saw the word ‘die-hard’ once and decided i was going to use it

III. tagged by - @harlee-n & @lgbtrogues

Rules: tag 8 people you’d like to get to know better!

favorite colors: mostly black but i do like other colors in certain circumstances

last song I listened to: yesterday when i wrote this my playlist landed on taylor swift’s ‘peace’ and i’m sticking with it! but i’ve been listening to a lot of her last two albums these last couple days. particularly; london boy, cornelia street, illicit affairs, and i forgot that you existed

favorite musicians: i don’t think this answers the questions but i really like rock and roll and usually listen to the same bands and whatnot constantly. it’s shameful

last film I watched: fantasy island and it honestly wasn’t that good

last tv show I watched: degrassi

favorite character: do you want to see how many times i can type bruce wayne’s name onto this post? selina kyle is also top tier for me. lucious fox and alfred are both criminally underrated. death from sandman, crowley from good omens, joel miller from the last of us, lara croft from tomb raider. i love bridgit pike, harley quinn, poison ivy and jason todd because he needs more love then fans give him + probably a dozen or so other character’s i’m forgetting

sweet, spicy or savoury: savoury and sweet

sparkling water, tea or coffee: coffee first and foremost, sparkling water second (i like polar the best) and (iced) tea last

pets: i have a cat named isis (from batman tas) and a dog named coco

IV. tagged by - @avacrwder

rules: tag some people you want to get to know better

ships: mostly batcat

last song: betty by taylor swift

last movie: answered above

currently reading: not really anything right now

currently watching: right now i’ve been replaying the last of time in my free time

V. tagged by @avacrwder

top ten favs (i suck at top ten anything since there is very little that sticks with me and I ‘love’)

MOVIES:

it chaper one (2017)

birds of prey (2020)

joker (2019)

aquamarine (2006)

13 going on 30 (2004)

the rocky horror picture show (1975)

Holloweentown (1998)

it (1990)

spiderman into the spider-verse (2018)

spiderman (2002)

BOOKS: (i don’t even read books like that anymore but i’m also putting books i have on my audible)

good omens - neil gaiman & terry pratchett

between the devil and the deep blue sea - april genevieve tucholke

patrick melrose - edward st. aubyn

nos4a2 - joe hill

it - stephen king

miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children - ranson riggs

the perks of being a wallflower - stephen chbosky

ellen hopkins YA novels

perfect- natasha friend

milk and honey - rupi kaur

MUSIC:

daughter

elana tonra

dilly dally

ac/dc

halestorm

hayley williams

taylor swift (i’m putting taylor on this list because even though i don’t listen to her as hardcore as others, i genuinely do think she is very naturally talented)

ozzy osbourne

shunkan

the cure

TOP TEN (CURRENT) (TAYLOR SWIFT) SONGS: (since that’s all i’ve been listening to the last couple days)

peace

my tears ricochet

illicit affairs

seven

paper rings

london boy

i forgot that you existed

daylight

cornelia street

the man

TV SHOWS:

gotham

jenna marbles (youtube)

pennyworth

good omens

degrassi

the harley quinn show

birds of prey (2000)

touch

desperate housewives

batman the animated series

(+ BONUS) VIDEO GAMES:

the last of us

the last of us part II

life is strange

life is strange II

the tomb raider franchise

particularly angel of darkness

elder scrolls: skyrim

the sims 4

alice madness returns

the batman games

VI. tagged by - @avacrwder (i am so sorry but i just copied this from the post you tagged me in)

Elements | tag

AIR

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch small animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids’ shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan* / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love the chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

* i’ve been making more of an effort to add vegan alternatives to my life. i want to go vegan completely but lately i’ve just been really down and wanna eat whatever i want. however, my favorite switch that i made was finding a vegan coffee creamer i like! it’s the silk almondmilk creamer and if bees had knees they would live wherever that creamer is made. it’s the best.

i am so sorry for everyone who tagged me in things and didn’t may it onto this post. thank you all so much because it does mean a lot to me. i am going to tag everyone i love but please know participation is always optional. you can either do one of these, all of them, or none. i also think one of these asked for my current time, it is 10:32 in the afternoon

tagging - @avacrwder (you know i had to tag you just one more time) @marthaskane @brvceselina @apple-grass-and-smiles @stevie-harrington @waynesmanvr @saltybatman @queergordon @keepswingin @sonyarebecchi @selinascatnip @jennasmarbles @twoheartsoneclara @drawing-cookie @harlee-n @yoko-goto @honestmrdual @clara-oswin-oswald @callmeredhood (+ anyone who wants to)

#guys. i am so sorry #i had this all worked out yesterday and then deleted the post #i'm so sad #tag games #about me #my brain nearly fried at the top tens

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chiseler · 4 years

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THE MYSTERY OF SUNN CLASSIC PICTURES

It was like the positive, life-affirming New Age mysticism of the hippies took a sudden turn for the dark and very strange. In the mid-Seventies, as the country was overwhelmed by a creeping atmosphere of impotent anger, paranoia and existential despair in response to Vietnam, Watergate, race riots, Kent State, the Tate-LaBianca murders, bomb-tossing student radicals, pollution, high-profile assassinations, the oil crisis and the emergence of disco, Americans sought solace in some form by plunging headlong into a collective national obsession with all things Mysterious and Unexplained. Suddenly Bigfoot was all the rage, as was The Loch Ness Monster, The Bermuda Triangle, UFOs, psychic phenomena, near-death experiences, apocalyptic Biblical prophecies, and ancient astronauts. People were desperate to hold onto something, anything, no matter how ridiculous and fanciful, as the whole world seemed to be crumbling and burning around them. If something pointed toward an unseen world, a world outside this stinking mess we were stuck with, or better still promised the complete obliteration of this stinking mess, then at least there was a glimmer of hope. Almost overnight, a cottage industry cropped up, flooding the market with cheap paperbacks, magazines, movies and TV shows—even comic books and board games—devoted to unexplained phenomena of all sorts. Personally I didn’t give a Toss about the state of the world, but I still subscribed to UFO Reporter magazine, had a shelf full of cheap paperbacks with titles like The Search for Bigfoot and From Outer Space, and never missed In Search Of…, the half-hour syndicated series narrated by Leonard Nimoy that delved into one mystery or another every week. For god sakes, I even had the Bermuda Triangle board game.

But in what may have been the strangest phenomenon of all, far more bizarre than the legends surrounding Area 51 or the Philadelphia Experiment, in 1971 Schick teamed up with the Church of Latter Day Saints to launch a low-budget movie studio that aimed to become the epicenter of High Strangeness culture.

Yes, a razor blade company and the Mormons decided to make movies together. How could the results be anything but unfathomable?

(It’s worth noting before we get too far that in my research into the history of Sunn Classic Pictures, it became clear the indie studio, which still exists in some vague form today, seems to have gone to some great lengths to fog their early history, never once mentioning the Mormons, and in some cases denying there even was a Sunn Classic Pictures prior to 1980. With only a few rare exceptions, the reasonably small Sunn Classic catalog, now owned by Paramount, never received any kind of home video release, which only adds to the mystery.)

As the official story goes, in 1971, the employees of Schick—a subsidiary if the pharmaceutical company Warner-Lambert—approached Rayland Jensen and asked him to launch a new movie studio. Appalled by all the filth and violence and sex and cursing that infested American movie screens, as well as the so-called “intellectuals” who thought these movies were “good,” they felt real Americans needed a family-friendly alternative. Those Schick employees concluded Jensen was just the man for the job, as a few years earlier he’d handled distribution for a nature picture released by the Utah-based American National Enterprises. The picture had done very well.

Okay, let me stop there. As I said, that’s the official story, as far as it goes and as little sense as it makes. The real story goes more like this.

In 1971, a renegade group of American National Enterprises employees, led by Jensen and inspired by that same disgust with what American movies had become, broke away to form a new production company to release family-friendly, G-rated pictures. Patrick Frawley, the ultraconservative, paranoid, anti-communist conspiracy theorist who also happen to run the Schick razor blade company invested a bundle in the new venture, ensuring he would have some say in the kinds of movies the new company would release.

With headquarters divided between Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, the newly-christened Sunn Classic Pictures (aka Sunn international, aka Schick Sunn Classic Pictures) set out to Make family-friendly features and documentaries aimed at working class, conservative, God-fearing Americans who didn’t go out to movies very often, likely because of all the above-mentioned filth and sex and violence and cuss words. Moreover, they wanted to make certain these warm-hearted films turned a healthy profit. This involved two basic techniques.

The first was four-walling, a distribution method American National Enterprises helped pioneer. Instead of spending a fortune on all those prints necessary for a massive nationwide theatrical release, Sunn instead rented theaters serving the target demographic, inundated the market with ads and gimmicks, then screened their new film at the selected theater for no more than a week. After that extremely limited run, they packed up and moved the print to another theater far away. It was a tricky ploy. On the upside four-walling a picture allowed the production company to keep all the box office receipts without having to divide them among various middlemen.

If they knew the film was a stinker, it also allowed them to skip town before the bad reviews could do them any damage. On the downside, those limited runs also meant the picture would be there and gone before any positive word of mouth could work its magic. Sunn would try four-walling a new movie for a few months, and if it was making money, they might consider a nationwide release. If not, then they’d start trying to sell it to TV for syndication. It wasn’t a tack that worked all the time, but often enough to make it worthwhile, and it left them more of an escape route than a national release ever would.

So. “Family friendly.” Yes. If you want to make Disney-style pictures but don’t have Disney-style budgets to work with, animated features are out. So are live action films with any kind of special effects. Basically what you’re left with are nature films, right? No expensive sets, very few actors, and as a result very cheap to make. So Sunn began producing wilderness adventure stories.

In those very early days, you can definitely smell Patrick Frawley’s hand in the development process. Films like 1971’s Toklat, in which a man is forced to track down and kill a beloved pet bear after the bear kills a local rancher’s livestock, is a prime example. (As it happens, Toklat was the first Sunn picture I ever saw, Green Bay being a conservative working-class town, and so on Sunn’s demographic map. ) There was something decidedly Nietzschean about those earliest releases. Most of them featured lone individualusts with strong principles who flee the corruption of modern civilization to face the harsh realities of nature alone.

Now, think back and ask yourself honestly” what kid in his right mind has ever liked nature films, Nietzschean or otherwise? Maybe Mormon kids did, but certainly not normal kids. Nature movies are dull as dust, all those endless shots of trees and rivers and shit. Even if it’s supposed to be a true adventure story about some historical frontiersman, so what? Where are the explosions and car chases and monkeys doing funny things? You know who liked nature films? Grandparents! Grandparents loved them because they were wholesome and taught valuable lessons. They insisted on dragging their grandkids to them because they didn’t have to worry about being embarrassed or having to define certain words on the trip home.

The handful of films Sunn Classic released in their first three years—most all of them wilderness adventures about solitary manly sorts learning to dominate nature in one way or another—did okay. They didn’t lose money, but they also didn’t become runaway hits.

In 1974, even after several rewrites, no one at Sunn Classic Pictures had high hopes for the next film on the docket, something called The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. Sure, it was loosely based on an historical figure who again fled the corruption of the modern world to live in the wilderness, befriending a grizzly bear along the way. But the character was not some stalwart and steely-eyed Ubermensch—he was gentle and kind-hearted. What the hell were they going to do with that?

Enter Charles Sellier, and the second technique that would be central to Sunn Classic’s success. Sellier, today considered one of Sunn’s true founders together with Rayland Jensen, was a recently-converted Mormon in his thirties, as well as the author of the 1972 novel upon which Grizzly Adams was based. As Sunn’s new executive producer, he had a different—and eventually hugely influential—approach to marketing films.

Sellier set aside an estimated $85,000 for market research before a new film went into production. This involved targeting the desired demographic with door-to-door and telephone interviews asking housewives and construction workers what kind of movies they would like to see. This also involved screening early rushes from films currently in production for hand-picked test audiences in order to get their reactions and advice. This is, of course, standard operating procedure now, but it was radical back then, and something that mortified directors and screenwriters. In some cases Sellier even had members of the test audience wired to biometric scanners to measure their reactions to the scenes they were being shown, and use those reactions to have a script rewritten more to the test audience liking. If audience pulse rates went up whenever a certain character was on screen, well, they’d build up that role. If a certain animal warmed their hearts, well, maybe they’d make a whole movie about that particular animal.

Sellier’s method of crowd-sourced filmmaking was first tried on The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and sure enough, the film, starring former viker movie regular Dan Haggerty, became Sunn’s first bona fide international hit, bringing in over $20 million. The film was such a smash among grandparents it quickly spawned a Sunn-produced TV series, which was also a big hit among grandparents. To date, the Grizzly Adams franchise remains Sunn’s biggest cash cow.

But something else happened in 1974 that would help make that iconic Sunn Classic logo as familiar and comforting as the Toho, American International, Shaw Brothers and Troma logos. To some of us, anyway.

In 1968, Erich Von Daniken published Chariots of the Gods?, a book which argued, through some mighty suspect and loosely interpreted archaeological evidence, that aliens had visited Earth thousands of years ago, and among other things helped build the Egyptian and Mexican Pyramids, Stonehenge and the statues on Easter island. It was one of the first major hallmarks of the High Strangeness Culture to come. Originally published in Germany, the book became an International sensation among those with a very high tolerance for pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and bullshit in general..

In 1970, German director Harald Reinl made a documentary based on von Daniken’s book, and it, too, became a big hit across Europe. As sillyassed as the whole thing was, I’d argue the film was even more effective than the book thanks to the visual presentation of all the supposed evidence.

Well, after seeing how much money Chariots of the Gods? Was pulling in overseas, and interested in such topics himself, American TV producer Alan Landsburg acquired the U.S. rights, re-edited the filmn, brought in Rod Serling to narrate, and broadcast it in 1973 as In Search of Ancient Astronauts. It would be the first of a trilogy of TV documentaries about ancient astronauts produced by Landsburg and narrated by Serling.

Noting the ratings that Landsburg doc brought in, as well as that European box office, Sunn obtained the US theatrical rights to In Search of Ancient Astronauts, changed the title back to Chariots of the Gods? And began four-walling it around the country in 1974. It didn’t matter that by that time countless articles and books had completely debunked all of von Daniken’s claims, nor that critics had savaged the film, in some cases even calling it racist for purporting indigenous people in Mexico, Africa an elsewhere could never have created these wonders by themselves. The picture made money. It may not have been Grizzly Adams money, but enough to leave Sellier and Jensen convinced they might be onto something with these documentaries about weird shit. Documentaries were even cheaper to make than nature films, and the demographic they were aiming at seemed eager to believe in monsters and aliens and conspiracies, so there you go. For the next five years, along with the wilderness adventures and wholesome TV adaptations of Huck Finn and Gulliver’s Travels, Sunn gave the half-wits like me what we wanted.

In 1975, Sunn picked up the theatrical distrobution rights To The Outer Space Connection, the last of Landsburg’s ancient astronaut trilogy (as well as one of the last things Rod Serling worked on before he died). This final entry argued not only that aliens had visited earth thousands of years ago, but had planted humans here in the first place and had been guiding our evolution ever since. This wasn’t exactly a new idea, and could be traced back, so far as I’m aware, at least to Nigel Kneale’s 1958 BBC miniseries Quatermass and The Pit. But the film, directed by Fred Warshofsky, went several crazy steps beyond Kneale, claiming we know exactly where the aliens came from and why, that the Mayans were themselves aliens, and that these same aliens would return to Earth on Christmas Eve, 2011.

The TV documentaries made enough of a splash for Landsburg that he parlayed them into the above-mentioned weekly In Search Of… series, which began airing in 1977, right around the same time Grizzly Adams hit the airwaves.

Both Chariots of the Gods? And The Outer Space Connection helped cement the template that would define the rest of the Sunn-produced High Strangeness documentaries that would follow, making them so effective on the young, the susceptible, and the merely desperate. The real key, it seems, far beyomd the film’s actual content, was conscripting an authoritative host/narrator who can present the most insane pseudoscientific theories and shaky evidence with a straight face while repeatedly using terms like “indisputable,” “Proven beyond a doubt,” and “scientists agree.”: “It’s an incontrovertible fact these ancient carvings prove alien visitors walked on Earth over five hundred centuries ago.” It was the simplest of carnival sideshow techniques, but one that kept drawing suckers to the theaters.

The same year they released The Outer Space Connection, Sunn also released The Mysterious Monsters, which was less a documentary than a series of vignettes about Bigfoot, the Yeti, and The Loch Ness Monster. Director Robert Guenette had been making what you might call speculative Sunn-style documentaries long before Sunn even existed, so he was in familiar territory. In fact, The Mysterious Monsters includes scenes borrowed from Guenette’s 1974 TV movie, Monsters: Mysteries or Myths?, which coincidentally had been narrated by Rod Serling. The (mostly) new and expanded Sunn production was hosted by Peter Graves, who was as straight-faced as they come. In between shots of Graves and ten other men in cowboy hats wandering the forest on horseback looking for Bigfoot, we get eyewitness accounts from those who claim to have actually seen Bigfoot, Nessie, or the Yeti. Unlike most Bigfoot films of the era (and there were a bunch), The Mysterious Monsters infers a decided fearlessness and hostility on Bigfoot’s part, claiming he not only terrorized innocent victims, but wandered into the suburbs to terrorize them. The recreated Bigfoot encounters here are kind of fun, and in fact the film contains two solid scares, at least if you’re nine. Nessie and the Yeti get short shrift, and those scenes of Graves riding through the forest with that hopeless hunting party are interminable, but the picture was another big hit,arriving at precisely the right time given 1975 was a banner year for Bigfoot cinema. In the end, and where he got his information who the hell knows, Graves announces there is a community of some two hundred Bigfeet living in Northern California, though Graves and the hunting party find none of them.

Another hallmark of Sunn’s documentaries was that most inevitably ended with an outlandish, shocking, unexpected, and wholly unsubstantiated claim. The influence of mondo films—Mondo Cane, Africa ama and the like—on Sunn’s documentaries is undeniable. But while mondo films aimed to shock grindhouse audiences with footage (whether real or created) of bizarre and extreme human behavior, Sunn aimed to leave family audiences womderstruck at the possibilities of a mysterious world of magic and monsters just beyond our perceptions.

In 1976, Sunn followed up The Mysterious Monsters with The Amazing World of Psychic Phenomena, also directed by Guenette, this time narrated by Raymond Burr. The film is less a cohesive documentary than another shaggy dog series of vignettes exploring extrasensory perception, astral projection, and telekinesis as well as ghosts and spiritualism, featuring an all-star cast of celebrity psychics including Jeanne Dixon and Uri Geller. Not surprisingly, Burr, who doesn’t seem terribly convinced himself, informs us that there is irrefutable scientific evidence that all these powers are absolutely real and for true.

That same year also saw the release of one of Sunn’s more patently ridiculous outings, In Search of Noah’s ARk, a film which, in many ways, proved a turning point. The film was the first to be hosted/narrated by character actor Brad Crandall, who would go on to narrate most of the remaining Sunn Classic documentaries, as well as appearing in a few of their TV shows. It was directed by James L. Conway, who quickly established himself as Sunn’s go-to in-house director, churning out five or six features and TV movies a year.

Apart from turning to mostly in-house staffers to make their films instead of bringing in outside directors and celebrity hosts, In Search of Noah’s ARk also marked the point at which Sunn further fed their demographic by adding a decidedly fundamentalist Christian focus to many of their films, from Noah’s Ark to their TV series Greatest Heroes of the Bible to two documentaries about near-death experiences to 1979’s (and grammar be damned) In search of Historic Jesus.

In business terms it was a savvy move. To this day, films aimed at a fundamentalist audience, especially if they support a strictly literal interpretation of the Bible, can bring in more money than most Hollywood films. They certainly bring in more than most Mormon themed films, and apparently the more patently ridiculous the involved claims, the better.

The supposed “scientists” who lay out the evidence that the remains of Noah’s honest-to-God ark are still sitting up there on top of Mt. Ararat (should anyone care to take a look) aren’t, um, scientists at all. One, a supposed physics professor, argues there’s a mountain of geological evidence proving the world was deluged by an all-consuming flood, um, five thousand years ago. Another claims the ark was first discovered by a Russian expedition sent by Tsar Nicholas II in 1916, but all the reports and evidence were destroyed by dirty communist revolutionaries, um, two days after the expedition returned. It all goes downhill from there, and you have to feel some pity for the poor gullible fools who believed all this nonsense.

I saw nearly all of Sunn’s documentaries in the theater when I was a kid, and now feel sorry for my mom, dad, and older sister, who I suspect drew straws to see who had to take me whenever a new Sunn picture hit town. When I was ten I bought every last nutty claim. Going back and watching them again four decades later, I find myself blurting, “Wait, what?” Aloud after nearly every scene. They do, however, remain fascinating artifacts and a mirror of a certain psychological makeup. They’re also still fun as hell for all their crazy dumbness, if you keep your critical thinking skills at the ready.

Sunn found themselves in the middle of a shitstorm in 1977 with the release of The Lincoln Conspiracy, also directed by Conway. Historians, critics and the media at large attacked the film for presenting as fact a convoluted conspiracy claiming the assassination of President Lincoln was an inside job, closing, as Oliver Stone’s JFK would years later, with a demand the investigation be reopened. Conway would later claim the film was just a silly speculative docudrama based on a couple recent books, but even the authors of the books denounced the film. Still, a little controversy has never been known to hurt the box office.

Over the next few years Sunn continued to release two or three pseudoscientific documentaries a year, including Beyond and Back, Beyond Death’s Door, and The Bermuda Triangle, the latter of which claimed all those ships and planes vanished after being zapped by a malfunctioning Atlantean particle bean that was lost somewhere on the ocean floor near Bimini. Bimini? Well, I gotta say, as explanations go, it makes about as much sense as any other.

A personal favorite from the late Sunn era for its sheer nihilistic simplicity was 1979’s Encounter With Disaster, this time directed by Charles Sellier himself. Using his patented market research techniques, he brought a test audience into a theater and showed them dozens of newsreel clips of fires, earthquakes, The Hindenberg, race car crashes and the like, measuring responses to see which were considered the most exciting. He then strung all the most popular disaster footage together and released it as a feature.

Encounter With Disaster was perhaps the one true mondo film Sunn released during their brief heyday, and a definite anomaly. Toward the end, instead of documentary footage, talking heads and manipulative narration, films like The Bermuda Triangle, Beyond Death’s Door and In Search of Historic Jesus cane to rely more on speculative recreations with actors, sets and scripted dialogue. Although a narrator does pop up occasionally to say, in essence, “Yup, this really, really happened!,” the films come off more like splintered docudramas than documentaries, which somehow makes their assorted theses seem even less plausible.

It’s worth pointing out here that In Search of Historic Jesus, as delightfully awful as it is, does, without saying as much, offer a clear case study of the effect Sellier’s marketing machinations could have on a film.

Directed by Sunn’s in-house cinematographer Henning Schellerup (who prior to Sunn had worked on everything from softcore porn to Corman productions) and again narrated by Brad Crandall, Historic Jesus clearly began life as a documentary aiming to present all the independent historical evidence proving the Biblical account of Jesus’ life was accurate. Given there was precious little of that to be found, it became a documentary about the Shroud of Turin. Given there wasn’t really ninety minutes worth of material about the Shroud of Turin, they shot an interview with a fake scientist offering some, um, plausible scientific explanations for the Star of Bethlehem, then plundered some footage from the Noah’s Ark movie (though oddly the data offered in the latter somehow changed between 1976 and 1979). All this left them with a film that was about twenty minutes long.

The film was saved when Sellier gathered a test audience of fundamentalist Christians. After showing them a few scenes, he quickly learned they didn’t need any scientific or historical proof that Jesus really existed. They just wanted to hear more Jesus stories.

Taking their advice, the bulk of the film became a string of recreations of Jesus’ Greatest Hits acted out by amateur actors playing Jesus, Mary, Herid, Pontius Pilate and assorted disciples. No effort whatsoever is made to prove these recreated scenes actually happened. So instead of a pseudoscientific, pseudohistorical account of the, um, historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth, it became another Sunday School-ready Jesus movie, all primed and ready to be rented to church groups across the country. In short, then, calling the film In Search of Historic Jesus actually makes sense.

By 1979, Sunn’s documentaries seemed to be running out of gas. They were still turning a profit (especially that Historic Jesus thing), but the profits weren’t what they once were, and the films were costing more to make. Also, other production houses had picked up on the Sunn Classic formula and began releasing High Strangeness docs of their own. In 1978, for instance, Amran Films and RCR released The Late Great Planet Earth, based on “Biblical scholar” Hal Lindsey’s massive bestseller which claimed all the prophecies in the Book of Revelation were coming true, and the long-promised Apocalypse would arrive any day now. If I remember correctly, the world was supposed to end in 1986. The film was hosted and narrated by Orson Wells, who had once been asked to narrate a Sunn film, but was so horrified by their marketing practices he turned down the job.

(A few years later in 1981, Welles would also narrate a documentary about Nostradamus’ prophecies, which was directed, coincidentally enough, by Sunn Classic alumnus Robert Guenette. Just to illustrate how influential Sunn’s experiment had been, The Man Who Saw Tomorrow was distributed by goddamn WARNER BROTHERS, of all places.)

What struck the real death knell to Sunn’s hugely successful string of pseudoscientific and pseudo historical extravaganzas was a changing culture. We were own the brink of Morning in America and the Reagan Era. Interest in silly monsters and psychic phenomena was waning as everyone put the ’70s behind them, focusing instead on the stock market, the threat of nuclear war, cocaine, designer clothes and other tangible real world issues.

Charles Sellier

In 1980 Sunn Classic Pictures was bought out by Taft Enterprises, a Cincinnatti-based conglomerate. The suits in Taft’s entertainment division had a few ideas of their own about what American moviegoers wanted. When they correctly saw that the days of four-walling were about over as the business ties between the major studios and national theater Chains grew stronger, Charles Sellier walked away to continue writing, producing, directing and marketing films on his own terms. In 1984 he directed the notorious holiday slasher film, Silent Night, Deadly Night, a picture remembered more for its ad campaign than anything in the picture itself. Sellier also later converted from Mormonism to evangelical Christianity.

When Taft likewise decided family friendly entertainment was a dead end, that the market for G-rated wilderness adventures simply wasn’t there anymore, that a film had to be rated PG or R if it hoped to make any money, Jensen and a few other original American National Enterprises refugees quit in disgust, and once again formed their own production company to offer honest American families wholesome entertainment options. Their first film was 1981’s Private Lessons, a teen sex comedy starring Sylvia Kristel. It made a lot of money.

Director James Conway stayed with Taft for awhile, helming several pictures, including the monster movie The Boogens . Interestingly, the very first Taft/Sunn release, perhaps formulated to attract Sunn’s core audience, was the Conway-directed Hangar 18, starring Darren McGavin, Robert Vaughn and Gary Collins. It was the perfect transitional picture, a sci-fi conspiracy thriller loosely based on what might well have been the subject of the next Sunn Classic documentary: Roswell and Area 51. Conway later went on to become an executive at Spelling Entertainment, overseeing a mountain of wildly successful crap.

Over the subsequent decades there were more sales and acquisitions, with the various companies overseeing the Sunn Classic brand themselves being gobbled up by even larger faceless corporate entities. Sunn vanished, then reappeared, then vanished again. Today there are vague, mysterious hints that Sunn Classics Pictures has been re-launched after Rayland Jensen teamed up with Lang Elliott, original founder of Tri-Star Pictures. But if Sunn really has risen from the grave, would it matter?

For good or ill, over the course of that five-year stretch between 1974 and 1979, Sunn Classic Pictures illuminated one strange facet of a very strange era, warped millions of impressionable minds (like mine), fully capitalized on a nation’s despair and collective neuroses, and left an indelible mark on the culture. Take even a cursory glance at what’s airing on the History and Discovery Channels, or at how the marketing departments of any movie studio large or small operates today. They simply wouldn’t be what they are In the second decade of the twenty-first century had it not been for Sunn Classic Pictures., and fore that we can thank the Mormons, a right-wing kook, and Bigfoot.

by Jim Knipfel

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer.

Key co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series Key & Peele (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Network's Playing House (2014–2017). He spent six seasons as a cast member on Mad TV (2004–2009) and has made guest appearances on the U.S. version of Whose Line is it Anyway? on The CW. He also appeared alongside Peele in the first season of the FX series Fargo in 2014, and had a recurring role on Parks and Recreation from 2013 to 2015. He hosted the U.S. version of The Planet's Funniest Animals on Animal Planet from 2005 until 2008.

Key has had supporting roles in several films, including Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Don't Think Twice (2016), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Also in 2015, he appeared at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as the Key & Peele character Luther, President Barack Obama's anger translator. Key and Peele produced and starred in the 2016 action-comedy film Keanu. In 2017, Key made his Broadway debut in Steve Martin's Meteor Shower.

Early life

Key was born in Southfield, Michigan on March 22, 1971, the son of black father Leroy McDuffie and white mother Carrie Herr. He was adopted at a young age by a couple from Detroit, Michael Key and Patricia Walsh, who were both social workers. Like his birth parents, his adoptive parents were also a black man and white woman. Through his biological father, Key had two half-brothers, one of whom was comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie (1962–2011). Key only discovered the existence of his siblings after they had both died.

Key attended the University of Detroit Mercy as an undergraduate, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater in 1993, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in theater at Pennsylvania State University in 1996. While at the University of Detroit Mercy, he was a brother of Phi Kappa Theta.

Career

Mad TV

In 2004, Key joined the cast of Mad TV midway into the ninth season. He and Jordan Peele were cast against each other, but both ended up being picked after demonstrating great comedic chemistry. Key played many characters on the show. One of his most famous characters is "Coach Hines", a high school sports coach who frequently disrupts and threatens students and faculty members. On the penultimate episode of Mad TV, Hines revealed that he is the long-lost heir to the Heinz Ketchup company and only became a Catholic school coach to help delinquent teenagers like Yamanashi (Bobby Lee). During seasons 9 and 10, Key appeared as "Dr. Funkenstein" in blaxploitation parodies, with Peele playing the monster. Key also portrayed various guests on Real **********ing Talk like the strong African Rollo Johnson and blind victim Stevie Wonder Washington. He often goes "backstage" as Eugene Struthers, an ecstatic water-or-flower delivery man who accosts celebrities. There is also "Jovan Muskatelle", a shirtless man with a jheri curl and a shower cap. He interrupts live news broadcasts by a reporter (always played by Ike Barinholtz), annoying him with rapid fire accounts of events that have happened frequently exclaiming "It was crazy as hell!" Celebrities that Key impersonated on the show include Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Roscoe Orman (as his character Gordon from Sesame Street), Matthew Lillard, Bill Cosby, Al Roker, Terrell Owens, Tyler Perry, Keith Richards, Eddie Murphy (as his character James "Thunder" Early from the movie Dreamgirls), Sherman Hemsley (as his character George Jefferson on The Jeffersons), Charles Barkley, Sendhil Ramamurthy (as Mohinder Suresh), Tyson Beckford, Seal (originally played by Peele until Peele left the show at the end of season 13), Sidney Poitier, Lionel Richie, Barack Obama, Kobe Bryant and Jack Haley (as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz). He also played female celebrities, including Phylicia Rashād, Robin Antin, and Eva Longoria (as Gabrielle Solis on a Desperate Housewives parody).

Key & Peele

Key and his former Mad TV castmate Jordan Peele starred in their own Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele, which began airing on January 31, 2012 and ran for five seasons until September 9, 2015. Key and his comedy partner Jordan Peele starred in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History, with Key playing Mahatma Gandhi and Peele playing Martin Luther King Jr. The pair returned to Epic Rap Battles of History with the "Muhammad Ali versus Michael Jordan" battle, with Key portraying Jordan.

Key was introduced by President Barack Obama at the 2015 White House Correspondents' Dinner as Luther, Obama's Anger Translator, one of Key's characters from Key & Peele.

Friends from College

Key plays the most prominent male character, Ethan Turner, on the Netflix ensemble comedy Friends from College, about a group of Harvard University graduates and friends now in their late 30s living in New York City. He plays an award-winning fiction writer who is being encouraged to start writing for young adult fiction audiences.

Other work

Key was one of the founders of Hamtramck, Michigan's Planet Ant Theatre, and was a member of the Second City Detroit's mainstage cast before joining the Second City e.t.c. theater in Chicago. Key co-founded the Detroit Creativity Project along with Beth Hagenlocker, Marc Evan Jackson, Margaret Edwartowski, and Larry Joe Campbell. The Detroit Creativity Project teaches students in Detroit improvisation as a way to improve their communication skills. Key performed with The 313, an improv group formed with other members of Second City Hollywood that appears around the country. The 313 is made up primarily of former Detroit residents and named for Detroit's area code. Key also hosted Animal Planet's The Planet's Funniest Animals.

He made a cameo in "Weird Al" Yankovic's video "White & Nerdy" with fellow Mad TV co-star Jordan Peele. In 2009, Key hosted GSN's "Big Saturday Night", and has co-starred in Gary Unmarried on CBS. Key was a panelist on the NPR comedy quiz show Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me... on March 27 and July 24, 2010. Key has been in several episodes of Reno 911! as the "Theoretical Criminal".

Key and Peele were featured on the cover and in a series of full-page comic photos illustrating The New York Times Magazine article "Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?" on March 31, 2013. A live-action video version was also featured on the Times' website. Key co-stars in the horror-comedy Hell Baby. Key is one of the rotating "fourth chair" performers in the 2013 revival of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

In addition to Key & Peele, he also co-starred in the USA Network comedy series Playing House, which began airing in April 2014.

Together with his comedy partner Jordan Peele, Key played an FBI agent in a recurring role in the 2014 FX crime drama Fargo.

Key was involved in audio episodes for the marketing campaign, "Hunt the Truth" on the website for the video game Halo 5: Guardians, voicing a fictional journalist and war photographer named Benjamin Giraud, who investigates the Master Chief's background.

Key has had small supporting roles in numerous films, including 2014's Horrible Bosses 2, Let's Be Cops and the animated The Lego Movie, as well as Pitch Perfect 2 and Tomorrowland in 2015. Key and Peele are currently working with Judd Apatow on a feature-length film for Universal Pictures.

Key is one of several hosts of the podcast Historically Black by American Public Media and The Washington Post.

In the summer of 2017 Key returned to the theatre after what he characterized as a "19-year detour into sketch comedy" for a production of Hamlet at New York's Public Theater, playing Horatio opposite Oscar Isaac in the title role. Key, who is a Shakespearean-trained actor, fulfilled his lifelong dream to play Horatio and received rave reviews for his performance. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney noted that Key's comedic skills were on full display, "...but his ease with the verse and stirring sensitivity [was] a revelation."

Key voice acted in The Star, the animated film based on the Nativity of Jesus. He later went on to voice Ducky in Toy Story 4 and Kamari in The Lion King.

In 2017, Key made his Broadway debut in Steve Martin's comedy Meteor Shower.

Brain Games

Key currently hosts Brain Games on National Geographic

Personal life

Key was married to actress and dialect coach Cynthia Blaise from 1998 until 2017. They were legally separated in November 2015, with Key filing for divorce the following month. He married producer and director Elisa Key (formerly Elisa Pugliese) in New York City on June 8, 2018.

Key is a Christian and has practiced Buddhism, Catholicism, and Evangelicalism in the past. Being biracial has been a source of comedic material for Key, who told Terry Gross in an interview for NPR, "I think the reason Jordan and I became actors is because we did a fair amount of code-switching growing up and still do."

Philanthropy

Key has worked with the Young Storytellers Foundation as an actor for their annual fundraiser alongside Max Greenfield, Jack Black and Judy Greer.

#03/22

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lilquill · 5 years

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i take it you read circe!! did you like it?

I did read Circe!! And my gosh, I’m in LOVE with everything about it!! The language is stunning, the portrayal of emotions is done incredibly well, the themes are complex, and I couldn’t put the book down! I spent several nights in a row reading until 2 A.M.! All in all it was a captivating, exquisite story.

There will be spoilers below the read more cut, just so all those who haven’t read it yet can go in with a fresh perspective if they wish!

The first thing that really hits you is the prose. It’s BEAUTIFUL! The tone of it is very much like a myth or fairy tale, ethereal and full of stunning descriptions and metaphors, which fits perfectly with the story it’s telling.

Circe’s own powers are strong in transformation, and the way that her narration uses incredible metaphors reflects that quite well: looking at something and seeing something else as it.

I loved the aesthetic of the book. The vivid imagery really sucks you in! Picturing a young girl in the dark halls of Helios, a young woman desperately wringing our herbs over the sleeping body of her beloved to make him a god, a weary yet defiant mother holding her baby and casting a spell to spite the Olympians, a woman walking into the sea to confront a massive god as old as the planet to ask for his tail and risking eternal torture, a daughter finally standing up to the sun god himself to demand her freedom as he almost scorched her….I could go on! The writing was so evocative, and I had chills at so many points!

I also loved the structure of the story itself, and its circular narrative that contrasted itself. How it starts with a cruel family where she felt out of place and alone, and how it ends with her having found her family, bound by love and compassion. How it starts with her trying to turn her beloved into a god so he can be with her with pharmaka, and how it ends with her using that same herb to become mortal so she can live with those she loves. How it starts with her turning Scylla into a monster, and how it ends with her killing Scylla so she no longer kills mortals. How it starts with Helios burning her as she stands firm that she has harnessed an herb’s powers, to how it ends with her standing her ground against that same burning father with her own magic from those herbs as a defense. I could go on and on, but I loved how Circe grew and how she inverted the beginnings of her narrative.

The way that Circe’s tale spanned so many different stories in Greek mythology was done incredibly well and highlighted her experiences with love and loss and pain and her perspective on the world around her.

I also deeply loved Miller’s portrayal of Greek mythology as it is commonly known. The stories of great battles and grand feats have the glamor stripped back to reveal their ugliness and callousness, all with a switch of perspective. From the perspective of a woman relegated to the sidelines in these epic stories, a woman who has been watching all this happen for millennia, these stories change.

I’ve talked about how the senseless violence in a lot of western stories, both older and now, bothers me (maybe not on my blog, but definitely to a lot of my friends). Therefore, I really loved how Circe was genuinely upset by these things and sought to fix them.

There was so much tension, and the stakes were incredibly high, but Circe does not succumb to the usual fantasy protagonist’s “war is evil but it is necessary and this whole series is about war and the conflict of war, the protagonist throws up on the battlefield and then becomes a great warrior and/or commander and then it’s all good” type deal. She was not tangled in a “war” or “battle” in the literal sense, other than the conflict between Olympians and Titans in which she became a pawn. This is what I mean about tension without unnecessary violence!! So many books are just the literary equivalent of a first-person shooter, and this is certainly the case with a lot of portrayals of Greek mythology as well, especially because of the heavy influence of ancient Greece on the West today. Circe’s story is mired in violence, but the moments with no violence at all are some of the most breathtakingly intense and dramatic.

Circe’s kindness and love, though often fierce and burning and messy, and her aching loneliness, are such a stark contrast to the gods––and even some of the mortals like Odysseus––who care nothing for lives or genuine emotion. She truly loves people, and in the end it is the way that her relationships always end as she outlives them that motivates her to give up being a god. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story! The way Miller portrays love and relationships is something I truly want to see more of.

And, speaking of kindness and love and relationships, I LOVED Miller’s portrayal of motherhood. I enjoyed that it was a subversion of the ideal of pristine, perfect, pure, gentle white housewives while still maintaining a deeply loving mother-son relationship. Many seminal feminist stories by cis white women demonize motherhood, framing it as a cage for women. Then this experience becomes universalized to all women. The problem is that, for instance, in the case of women of color, having children and a loving family is what is often denied to us. The world forces the kids of mothers of color to grow up faster and tears their families apart.

Circe is a mother in this story. She struggles with raising her child, but she loves her son fiercely and deeply, to the point where she risks eternal torment just to protect him. The gods want to take her child away, and she endures great pain and works incredibly hard to keep him. It is how the world treats mothers of color.

Look at the struggles Black women go through during pregnancy, with inadequate care at their hospitals and little research on the issues and conditions they go through, and high rates of maternal death. (I strongly encourage that you look at the ProPublica/NPR collaboration series Lost Mothers for more on this!) Look at how Latine families are being torn apart at the border, and mothers are losing their kids as those children are given to white families. Look at how the families of indigenous peoples are torn apart as kids are taken from their mothers and forced into assimilation programs. Look at the forced sterilization of mothers of color, and how eugenics treats the bodies of women of color.

Circe’s story, though written by a white woman, was deeply resonant with these things, which is something I adored about the book.

And, of course, here’s the commentary on womanhood, and how women have their agency stripped from them. Reading Circe’s story was cathartic at points. The story of a girl abused, silenced by fear, constantly put down, growing and honing her powers to the point where she can challenge those with immeasurable power. The experiences of various women woven into the story, from Perse to Pasiphae to Medea to the nymphs sent to Aiaia to Penelope. There’s so much to say tere, but Miller has already said it in her book.

I really really really deeply enjoyed this book!! Thank you for sending me this ask, anon, and I wish you well!! This reply was a lot longer than I expected, but there is truly so much to experience in this piece of literature and I’m definitely going to reread it soon!

Also, to everyone reading this, please feel free to send me your own takes on this book, and to @ me in your perspectives/reviews/etc.!! Much love to you all!!

#this was so much longer than expected and i STILL ahave so many thoughts omg!!#circe #madeline miller #greek mythology #misogyny #racialized misogyny #sexism #motherhood #book recs #sakshi speaks #hmmmm....#i'll also tag it:#sakshi reviews #just in case this becomes a more recurring thing!!#save #answered #ask #anon #anonymous

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summerspn · 5 years

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Batwoman

2019 series > Ep 1-3

*sigh*

Okay here goes...I’m going to break it down for you:

The trailers & ads:

I was skeptical about watching this show as all the trailers for it were terrible.

As a woman I can honestly say each and every trailer made me cringe & go ‘stop!’. They were SO bad.

But, that’s not the actors’ fault. They’re given lines they have to deliver on & Ruby Rose seemed to deliver on those decently enough I suppose.

In the trailers, my biggest issue was the terrible dialogue & poor makeup/wardrobe.

The campy style Batwoman costume & the sloppy bat tattoos...ugh! Why would anyone think that would be appealing?!

Now, onto the show...

There is one & ONLY one reason I watched this show...my mom! I figured I had to give it a shot. But it was not because my mom like it. She in fact, hated it!

My mom, who loves everything from medical & criminal dramas, to shows about witchcraft & medieval times. She somehow even loves campy movies like Dark Shadows. She’s a huge fan of Wonder Woman (comics, tv show & recent movie). She loved the Captain Marvel movie. She is a comic fan and loved Batman & Batwoman growing up.

Yet, she hates this show!

After seeing videos & online posts ALL saying it’s because non fans hate the show because they’re bigots, that’s not true.

The show is awful - so I suppose the trailers were accurate.

My mother could care less what people do for their own pleasure- and like she taught us, “as long as no one’s being hurt & it’s consensual, who cares?”

So right now, just to paint you a picture, neither her nor I care about the lesbian storyline in Batwoman. I don’t care if she’s gay straight, bi, attracted to pumpkins etc. Have at it.

The reason I chose to watch this show is because my mother loves fun well written entertainment & sometimes just silly fluff to get her mind off reality. And as my best friend we have that in common. Our viewing tastes are very similar. So when my mom says something was terrible, it piques my interest (much more than those awful trailers).

The actors:

Most of the actors aren’t bad. Since Dougray Scott is in this I take it as a comparison amongst the others. If you don’t know who he is ...he was in Ever After, Desperate Housewives, Fear the Walking Dead, Hemlock Grove and a thousand other projects. He’s a good actor. However, in Batwoman he has a few mistakes with his accent & delivery of a few lines (much fewer mistakes than the rest of the cast).

But all the actors have mis-steps with their lines & delivery of the lines. Whose job is it to stop them & try again until it’s good? The director

Some actors aren’t as strong as others but after watching the show, I think the strongest actors are: Dougray Scott, Nicole Kang, & Rachel Skarsten. They seem to work with what they’ve got. Trying their best. But the dialogue!

There was a line about Kate Kane having mixed feelings for her sister & didn’t want her hurt because “Duh, feelings”. .... 🙄...she’s a medical student?? The writers gave the actor THAT to work with? Okay...um, they couldn’t have done a second draft and tweaked it? You didn’t find it needed a little more work? Like wrote this instead “it’s only natural to be conflicted...” which makes her sound intelligent. Instead, “Duh, feelings”?!

Unfortunately we come down to Ruby Rose. She’s not a good actress. She seemed to be more talented in the trailers than the actual show but that was because she showed something I like to call emotion.

What happened? Every single line RR delivers has zero affect. Even when she’s literally smiling there is no emotion in her eyes....what only makes her look psychotic. And she moves her eyebrows up & down sooooo much. It’s distracting.

However, she (like the other actors) does seem to be trying. With that said, if you can’t be pulled into the character or the actors’ take on them then it suspends disbelief.

I have nothing against Ruby Rose but knowing she was a model gives context. They work with their eyebrows a lot & any acting they do is for about 20 seconds of a commercial. It’s clear that RR is tackling the tv show like she would a modeling job. Only now she has a s****y wardrobe.

However, she can’t act. She is monotonous & sounds robotic.

I do think though that’s made worse by the director probably not pushing to do enough takes. Sometimes directors instruct actors to act a certain way which makes them sound worse.

Ie) Hayden Christensen acted beautifully in an old tv show where he played a victim of molestation. In Star Wars a Phantom Menace he was apparently told to act more annoyed then angry so voila he came across as a brat...

So I do wonder what influence the director had here.

The wardrobe/makeup:

Papa Kane, Leaders of the Crows, my man Dougray...yes he still looks good in his suits but he’s always shown wearing the same suit. Wardrobe actually helps tell a story especially in a show like this. But it’s like the budget is too small or the director forgot about anyone other than Kate & Beth.

Morning scenes, have him with a little extra stubble, some make up to look like he has dark circles under his eyes. Ruffle his hair. Have him sitting in a hideous vintage t-shirt while they have breakfast. Kate could see how awful he looks and ask “did you get any sleep?” Then they could talk about how worried he is for the city, Kate, or even thinking about Beth! Kate could see the shirt & go “didn’t I get you that?” And he says “yeah for my birthday” and she says “that was ten years ago”.Boom! Shows he loves his daughter & a tiny bonding moment. ...but this never happened.

Luke Fox. Somehow they took an attractive actor and made him look about 20 years older just by wearing glasses that belong to Angela from Who��s the Boss!

Give Luke some 2019 glasses that sit properly on his nose! And the same for the rest of his clothes. They don’t fit right. The show is trying to nerd him up but you can make people awkward, nerdy , or quirky without downplaying their looks. Have Fox wear jeans with his vests, or a fun t-shirt with a suit jacket etc.

Kate Kane. She has the worst wardrobe in the show! Though Batwoman’s suit looks tacky & campy...

Give Kate nicer clothes! They do not need to be expensive but they do need to give her a personality.

1) Plaid...why? Lesbians wearing plaid is a stereotype so WHY would this show advertising itself as modern & breaking the barriers have their main character wearing something so cliche? Makes zero sense. However, since plaid (aka tartan) is making a comeback in fashion they could have used it (if they really had to) in another piece of clothing. A scarf, gloves, shoes? (I actually have a pair of red plaid boots which are durable and adorable). Throwing on a plaid shirt is just lazy.

2) Her hair. Okay so if they’re going for the short-during-military-training look I get it but Ruby Rose has the same hairstyle in everything. I wish she’d just either grow it out or chop it all off. They could have had a scene where she’s fiddling with it in the mirror like she’s self conscious about the new do...showing human insecurities.

3) The leather jacket. Sigh... okay this is my personal opinion but I think the black leather jacket in shows is used too much. It immediately signals strength & a tough exterior right? Well literally everyone knows this. It’s not subtle. I mean I love how it was used on Supernatural where the coat had a history but it was tied into a backstory and eventually was used less and less. But the leather coat was used more in early seasons (which was as far as 15 yrs ago). Other shows always have the ‘bad boy’ wear the jacket. It’s so boring. I’d rather if Kate strolled you wearing a fun typographic shirt or a basic t-shirt and have an expensive belt because she has a thing for belts (subtly nodding to one Batwoman has to use).

There were many choices other than a basic plaid top and black leather jacket. Wardrobe decisions that could give the character/actor subtle layers or tools to work with. But that too was done lazily.

Set design:

Dark & gloomy? ✅

Isolated & abandoned feeling? ✅

Appropriate to the corresponding event... 🙈 not so much.

Ie) the bridge where the family’s car fell off. Whether it’s done with cgi or finding the right location, the bridge in question was generic. Now if the bridge was higher up and/or there were super super wild & crazy rapids maybe, just maybe we’d believe Batman thought Beth was a goner. But it was actual fairly tame so it made Batman look like he just saw the car hanging and go “hey my shift ended an hour ago” and walk off.

And,

The “secret” entrance to the bat cave is in Wayne enterprises? Wouldn’t that be hard to get to? I can picture Bruce hanging around in the garage waiting to go in...he starts over to the door, someone comes, he stops...ya know because everyone knows him...

It’s just weird. There were so many other options.

Special effects:

Some have been pretty bad so far. This is a CW trait. I don’t know if they separate the budget for the directors or not. Is it all one lump number or are they told ‘this is for the production & this is for the special effects?’. I wonder because other CW shows seem to have tiny budgets allocated to the effects. In any case, a show about super villains & heroes needs bigger budgets so it looks more believeable.

The writing:

The writing is just bad. Writing lines like “duh sisters” for a character who is supposed to be educated & intelligent seems ridiculous.

Question - if Bruce Wayne has family why didn’t he stay with them when his parents died? Or they with him? Is this a plot hole from the comics or just this show?

Unrealistic. Yes it’s a superhero story but we care less if the person has all their skills & abilities immediately.

My bff and I love superhero shows but we both had the same problems here as with Supergirl. She just had her powers & didn’t really struggle with them. I watched 2 episodes & was bored already.

Batwoman was so boring but I wanted to see if it got better. It hasn’t.

This show needed to spend episode 1 where she’s discovering how bad Gotham was without Batman & where he went. Is he doing a really long pub crawl? Saving people in another country/city? Dead? Kate shows zero concern for her missing cousin & for some reason, hates him.

Kate immediately knowing how to use the bat equipment with zero practices...how at the beginning she’s swimming in ice water for no reason and doesn’t get hypothermia?? That’s all very unbelievable.

Kate is written as Mary Sue. She knows all & has the most skills in the world! Why??? Okay so she was in the military so yeah give her a backstory of taking taekwondo classes or something but for her to know how to do Luke Fox’s job better than he does? Or where the cameras are at Wayne Enterprises...more than the security team?? And to know what the computer password is, okay... basically she has to be great at everything & the other characters have to be written dumb in order for Kate to be appealing. Why?

Bashing Batman...in a show based in the bat-universe. Terrible move. Kate doing this repeatedly makes us think she’s a villain. Not a hero.

Bashing everyone with male genitalia...makes Kate look like a pr*ck. You can hate certain men you’ve known but to constantly reference women as being superior to men...

1) negates equal rights. You can’t be equals if you act/think/say you’re superior.

2) any boys watching this show is going to feel like something is wrong with them.

3) it’s sexist.

Just like many of us women grew up hearing repeatedly that men were better at this & that...

4) male bashing IS spreading hate. STOP.

That is actually why (more than anything) I didn’t want to watch in the first place because of how the trailers made it sound like they were bashing a whole gender.

Too much too soon. Revealing Alice is Beth in the first episode? Why? Drag it out an episode or 2. Each episode is both boring and yet they try to cram everything into a single episode it’s bizarre.

Ridiculous scenarios. Like Batman would leave a child to drown. And why didn’t Beth/Alice just go home or contact the police...or anyone...when she got out of the water all those years ago? Why does Kate keep letting her sister go when the woman is a multi-murderer?!

Yes, Kate is still hung up on her ex but it was years ago & she was the one dumped. And Sophie is married so Kate is coming off like a stalker 👀

All of it makes Kate look unsympathetic & unlikeable. The show isn’t funny except when we hear bad dialogue. It’s trying to be overly dramatic like a soap opera but it still doesn’t work. I think that’s due to the writing & the directing.

Now don’t get me wrong, even with RR’s lack of acting skills there are ways of making it work...that weren’t done.

Keanu’s Reeves isn’t the most skillful actor but he tries. He’s good at certain things & sticks to it. He knows where his skills are. Yes he’s improved but he’ll never be able to pull off an intense dramatic role. So he sticks to what he’s good at. He’s also a good person & tries to talk openly & intelligently about things so he has people’s respect IRL.

Ruby Rose has been touchy & volatile about people criticizing Batwoman. That made me lose what little respect I had for her.

Awhile back I had tried watching this design show (yes I like those too) Love it Or List It Vancouver. The show was fine but the designer Jillian was being critiqued left right & Center on social media after the pilot episode for sounding like a child. She used phrases such as; “totally”,”for sure” , and used the word ‘like’ a thousand times... she really did sound like a valley girl. However, about 5 episodes later that was gone. She was speaking more eloquently and more grown up - which in turn made people like her more. She & the show worked to help improve her speech patterns so it wouldn’t be distracting. And the show has been around for years now.

My point? RR could have taken the criticism & worked with it. I get she’s probably upset as she worked hard but we all go through it. We all have a project of some kind at work that falls flat. We take the criticism & try to improve. RR could take acting lessons or at the very least, practice in the mirror.

Most of the other issues I’ve mentioned are a result of the awful writing, poor direction & likely some interference from the network.

What this show should never have done was act superior. That’s being a douche. Anytime I see or hear someone being arrogant like that I just roll my eyes and walk away (or in this case, turn the channel).

If anyone working for the CW and/or Batwoman reads this I hope you’ll take some pointers.

I like myself too much though to subject myself to anymore episodes though. I’m done. ✌️

#batwoman #tv serials #tv #tv shows #cw #ruby rose #dougray scott #elizabeth anweis #rachel skarsten #nicole kang #camrus johnson #gabriel mann #giles panton #meaghan tandy #kate kane #batman #batman bashing #woke #woman

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trashkweeen-blog · 6 years

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Drinking and Dating - Brandi Glanville

As I was gearing up to read this book, and gathering my deeply intellectual thoughts on the 17 chihuahuas in a human suit that is Brandi Glanville, I was like, oh good, I love Brandi. Sweet pizza-throwing Brandi. She spills the tea, this should be good in a trainwreck sort of way.

I mean, I have to say that I was squarely in the Brandi camp for a moment in time - a Dream Team fan, if you will. She really won me over at Game Night. You know, that desperate attempt by Dana to be part of the show. Ugh, Dana. Dana was like The Silence from Doctor Who. Not because she was silent - oh no, if she was within shouting distance you’d hear about her sunglasses and how much they cost. No, because the second you turn around, your memory of her is completely wiped. I had to google both her actual name and the name Kim kept calling her because she couldn’t remember Dana’s name either (it was Pam).

Anyways. Game Night at Pam’s was not a cute look for Kim and Kyle Richards, or as I like to think of them, Baby Jane and Blanche Hudson in the lead up to the accident that will eventually leave Kyle bound in a chair while Kim feeds her rats and writes letters to daddy. You may remember Game Night as the night when Kim hobbled in super late, took her trenta coffee cup filled with mashed up pills into the bathroom, and proceeded to do her hair and makeup, with Kyle intermittently popping in to both tell her she’s being weird, and to be weird.

You may also remember Game Night as the night when Brandi accused Kim of doing crystal meth in the bathroom, and then Kim and Kyle hid Brandi’s crutches so she couldn’t stand up or walk. I’m citing this as exhibit 1 in Kim’s latent Baby Jane persona, just waiting in the wings.

Point is, Kim and Kyle were pacing the room like lunatics, pointing their withered fingers at Brandi, and calling her such chill things as “slut pig”. Poor Brandi, NEW TO THIS GROUP, and being called a pig by the witch character from that Nightmare VHS board game from the 90s:

youtube

(shit, do you guys remember that?)

Brandi, with the fearlessness of an Amazon warrior queen, looked up, unblinking, unflinching, and calmly said, “Bring it, bitch, color me slut”. And Kim and Kyle were shook. I live for anyone who shakes Kyle.

I also really loved when Lisa Vanderpump demanded an olive branch from her, and Brandi legit yanked a branch off of one of LVP’s trees, handed it to her, and then said, “what do you want me to do, eat your pussy?” Iconic.

Admittedly, Brandi lost me a little by Season 5, when she developed a super co-dependent relationship with Kim, where they each made it a fun hobby to enable the other’s worst behaviour. Brandi decided she was gonna replace Kyle, which like, unless you’ve endured years of Big Kathy pushing you into show biz and gold digging bad marriages, then no, you can’t. You don’t have the range.

But i was intrigued nonetheless, eager enough to dig into Brandi’s second book, which I read out of chronological order for the very academic reason that it was available first at the library.

And it started off pretty strong. Brandi lovingly told us about the HPV her cheating trash ass ex husband gave her, called Leann Rimes a cunt, shaded her album sales, blamed Adrienne Maloof for her own shitty marriage, and called bullshit on the concept of scorned ex wives. Overall, great shit. Loved it. I was like yesssssss preach through a lot of it.

Then Brandi delved into her dating advice, and girl, she was feeling her Carrie Bradshaw oats at every turn. I could basically picture her, smoking at her window, wearing a tutu, and gazing forlornly at the Chair that Aiden Made™. Which, like, all the Aiden apologists in the world need to get over. Aiden was trash. He tried to force Carrie into a boring ass engagement, pulling her away from interesting parties with porn producers, so she could like, watch him eat fried chicken in his gross underwear at 10pm????

The only good thing Aiden ever did was keep Carrie home when she could have been out making comments like this to her friends. A real service to her friends, who had to pretend to laugh at her idiotic jokes because she always got them tickets to cool stuff.

Aaaaanyways. Brandi Glanville is no Carrie Bradshaw, and if she were, I’d really prefer if she’d been the Carrie Bradshaw whose computer crashes before she learns how to backup her writing.

Drinking and Dating is a combination of bad dating advice, very personal child custody beef with her ex husband (yeah, I know his name, I just don’t care enough to type it, he sucks), and blind items about the “celebrities” she’s banged.

Apparently, she wanted to list these celebrities by name, and her publishers wouldn’t let her, for fear of being sued. And honestly, Brandi being sued is not a saga I want to watch. She was personally outraged enough when her Celebrity Big Brother alliance member Keshia Knight wanted to leave the house in order to BREASTFEED HER INFANT, so I don’t wanna know how ugly Brandi gets when she’s got, like, actual problems.

So, first things first, here’s some bad dating advice from Brandi Glanville:

pick up guys at Home Depot! Apparently, it is filled with “manly men” who want to turn women into housewives. If you roam the electrical aisle, you can “have your pick of Home Depot’s most eligible bachelors”. I hate this so much, I can’t even fully articulate it. This is by far the worst dating advice I have ever heard, and I read Class with the Countess.

If a guy has a criminal record, but also a private jet, only the latter fact is important. Like, if the assault charges and restraining order have been dropped, and he tells you his ex girlfriend was batshit crazy, it’s safe to assume everything’s kosher here, and you can proceed to fly around on his jet, where no one can hear you scream.

dump a guy if his idea of an epic party is at Brendan Fraser’s condo. I AM SORRY BUT if I had the chance to party at Brendan Fraser’s condo, I would skip my own father’s funeral. Like, yeah he’s kinda fat and weird now, but if you close your eyes, imagine him at his peak, and make him say “George love Ursula”, you could probably still come while he lazily rails you. And you owe it to your thirsty 1997 self.

But, I guess if you’re at a point in your life where relationship advice from Brandi Glanville seems appealing, it’s too late for me to reach you. Have fun at Home Depot.

I’m skipping the parts about whether Brandi’s trash ass ex husband is boycotting her relationship with her children by not letting them bring nice clothes to her house and whatever else. Cause it’s too dark, and I’m not here to contribute to the psychotic breaks any real housewives children may have when they start comprehending their parents’ exploits.

What I will talk about is the series of dating stories Brandi “coyly” relates, using cute little pseudonyms for her bang buddies. Yeah, you could comb through the 2010-2011 NBA season team roster stats to figure out who the 6′11″ suitor was, but like, who cares honestly? If it wasn’t even interesting enough for the paps, it’s not interesting enough to sleuth for.

The only one that caught my attention really, was the mid 90s TV star who was out with his more conventionally attractive co-star at the time. I do believe this to be David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, so do with that what you will. (But I will say that if I had to fuck anyone from the core Friends group, it would be Ross. If we’re going outside the core group, it’s gotta be Paolo for some of that patented “meaningless animal sex”.)

Overall, this book was a fucking labor to get through; it was rough. I downloaded the audiobook so that I could listen to it while walking to work and on the treadmill, and yeah, that kinda made it easier to digest, but it also meant I had to listen to Brandi’s dog whistle of a voice for several hours.

I can’t decide what was more irritating about this book, the 7,000 hashtags used throughout, or the mind-numbing minutia of things like what grocery store Brandi prefers and why. (PS, remember when Ramona Singer thought minutia was a Yiddish word, and was probably visualizing it spelled “menusha”? Bless.)

Given the choice, I’d rather go to the Van Kempens’ housewarming party, where they didn’t serve food even though it was at 8pm, than read another chapter of Brandi’s tales.

Quick Stats:

Pages: 242

Did it need to be that many pages?: Ugh, absolutely not. There were times I zoned out during the audiobook, or just got up to pee and stopped listening for a few minutes, and I feel I did not miss anything.

Did it change my mind about the housewife?: Honestly, it made me hate her more, but that could be because listening to Brandi Glanville’s voice for several hours straight is a form of torture used at Guantanamo.

Real-ass book rating: 📖/5. This book was awful. It was so terrible. It had no structure, and was just a series of long, unedited, pointless stories, punctuated with bad hashtags.

Junk food book rating: 💎/5. Idk, like if you wanna hear about how Brandi banged an unnamed NBA player in a car in an alley, or how she had to sleep off her wine at some unnamed actor’s house because she couldn’t get her breathalyzer ignition to start in her car after she banged him, I guess the book is like somewhat amusing. But if you’ve ever listened to a middle aged woman complain about her kids’ stepmom for any length of time, you know it’s not worth it.

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lovehealgrow · 3 years

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Invisible Labor and How It’s Affecting Your Relationship

Perhaps this is the product of my recent “binge-watch” of Desperate Housewives, but nonetheless I find myself fascinated with the phenomenon of “invisible labor”.

Invisible labor is an umbrella term for household maintenance, child-rearing, and pet-care. These are tasks that are unpaid, and often unrecognized, but require a great deal of time and effort.

What does this look like in action? Let’s paint a picture.

It’s Wednesday night – dinner was great, dishes are done, kids are bathed, and you’re catching up on the latest episode of The Crown ¬¬when you get an email from your boss that you’re needed in the office early tomorrow morning. Oh sh*t.

Your mind is moving a million miles per minute: It’s your day for carpool, you should pack lunches tonight, you probably need to grocery shop soon… Your partner notices your sudden stress and offers to “help out” so you can be at work bright and early.

…Here enters invisible labor. You write down the address for carpool pick up and explain how the drop-off loop works at school. Your partner asks a series of questions: What time is drop off? What should I pack them for lunch? Can you remind me of ____ before you leave in the morning? Is there anything else I need to do?

Your partner is being helpful right? They offered to pick up the slack!

The catch is, you still ended up delegating tasks, explaining basic the protocol, and fielding questions from your partner who is capable of managing these parenting and domestic duties on their own.

This is just one example of what invisible labor looks like. Invisible labor is not necessarily a product of a “lazy” or “incompetent” spouse.

Your partner could be incredibly sensitive to the stressors of everyday life and capable of performing domestic tasks, while still only performing them when asked to do so.

Invisible labor might look like both partners working full-time jobs, but only one partner comes home and starts a load of laundry, schedules appointments into the calendar, or puts dinner in the oven. The other partner might use this time unwind, play with the dog, or call a friend to catch up.

Invisible labor can sound like asking your partner, “Could you…”, “Did you notice____ needs to be done?”, “Would you mind…”. These acts of delegation feel “naggy” and can be met with responses like “Sure, how do I do that?”, “You’re better at it than I am”, or “Where’s the ___?”.

This dynamic causes one partner to feel like a manager, or even a parent, to their partner and leads to stress and burnout, anger and resentment, and low sexual desire.

Open up a dialogue with your partner about sharing both invisible labor and relaxation in your relationship. These opposite but very necessary elements of life should be an equal and mutual experience. By creating balance in your partnership, you may find yourselves stepping out of unhelpful roles and patterns and discovering a shared sense of appreciation for one another and the life you’re building together.

Need support in navigating the conversations that can support you to a deeper connection and more balance in your relationship? Our couples therapists at Love Heal Grow are here to help—I’d love to meet you.

#Relationships #Couples Therapy #Couples Counseling

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tvserieshub · 6 years

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History Channel’s original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand. SIX grabbed audiences in the first episode and delivered through the entire first season. With season 2 premiering Monday, May 28th we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you why you should be watching this military-themed show.

10. Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn is joining SIX as a shady CIA Operative…need I say more? Ok, maybe just a bit more. Munn is great in everything she does and from what I’ve seen this is no exception. The addition of Munn throws an already ticking time clock of a team into near meltdown. Going into season 2 look for her to be both help and foil to our team.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

9. Troop Support

Even in real life, the cast of SIX has taken their military connection seriously. The actors participated in a Tough Mudder Run as a team to fundraise for the charity Student Veterans of America in 2016 and 2017. They also recently participated in the Flag and Flower challenge created by Preston Sharp. The challenge asks people to visit the grave’s of veterans, leaving flags and flowers to honor them, in particular NOT on holidays. Even as I write this, some of the cast are preparing to participate in The Murph (a physical challenge meant to honor LT. Michael Murphy, a SEAL who was killed in combat). Whether it’s in interviews, or on social media, you’ll find this cast expressing a constant respect for the warriors they portray.

Flags and Flowers event @SIXonHistory

@BarrySloane

@Jaylen_Moore

8. Locations

SIX uses it’s time wisely. It’s no cookie-cutter action show with all the fights taking place in dingy lighting, creeping through underground tunnels. Instead, you’ll see this team on land, in the air, on the water. You’ll see them at home (some of the hardest hitting scenes), trekking through the forest and busting down doors. I love never knowing where the team is going to end up next, there isn’t any sense of repetitiveness.

7. Complex Villains

Forget blah, zero backstory villains. SIX allows it’s bad guys to be every bit as interesting and dynamic as it’s heroes. Tell me, how many other military shows can say that? Dominic Adams spent last season playing Michael Nasry, the American-born terrorist who’s out for revenge. Although we loved to hate Michael and the tortures he planned for Rip (Walter Goggins), you never impatiently wished him off the screen. In fact, I’m happy to say that Adams is back for season 2, although we’ll find Michael in a very different set of circumstances this time around. SIX is also introducing “The Prince” (Nikolai Nikolaeff) as the big bad of the season. Nikolai spent months preparing himself for the role, diving deep in background so that he could best honor the role. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

6. Diversity

When the U.S. military is 40% PoC it’s completely unrealistic to have a military show with no (or a single token) non-white person on the team. Unfortunately, for some networks that continues to be the trend. SIX threw that nonsense out the window, showing a true picture of what a SEAL team would be. We have an African American member, Hispanic member and, my personal favorite, an Afghani American. Yes, that’s right. The first Muslim SEAL portrayed on American television. If that alone isn’t cause for celebration I don’t know what is. And yes, if you’re keeping track – that’s 50% PoC. Thank you SIX.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

5. The Action

The cast of SIX brings it full force physically. Training with former Navy Seals helped the actors hone their physicality and bring realism to their fight scenes. SIX doesn’t have the big budget of network shows and instead relies on the details instead of huge explosions. Although, no fear, you do get your fair share of those as well. The precise shots and killer hand-to-hand combat are impressive in every episode. Whether it’s taking down terrorists or rescuing school girls, you’ll believe every minute. I’d highly recommend checking out the Instagram accounts of the actors, there are lots of BTS videos detailing the grueling preparation they went through to get ready for these roles.

4. Characters

You can tell from episode one that these characters have been fully fleshed out, loved and thought about. Whether you’re watching Bear mourning his daughter, Buddha struggling with a changing family dynamic or Caulder being forced into parental responsibility, each of these men has some serious backstory. One of my favorites from last season was Fishbait, portrayed by Jaylen Moore. Even without the screen time to explore his family life, Fishbait never felt 1 dimensional and Moore was able to grab some of the spotlight. I’m happy to say we’ll be getting more Fishbait this time around! Bill and David Broyles as the writers/creators clearly love their show and it shines through. They’ve lovingly crafted complex 3D people that you will be captivated by.

Jaylen Moore @sixonhistory

Eric Laden @sixonhistory

Juan Pablo Raba @SIXonHistory

3. The Families

This military drama spends a significant amount of time on the effect that this job has on the home life of our SEAL team. These men go through hell and back on a constant basis and that takes a serious toll. SIX addresses this with respect and honesty. Seeing the inner turmoil of the team and the families around them connects you to the show in a way you might not feel if the focus was all on the action side. I’m partial to a good shoot ’em up show, but SIX is an action show I can recommend to everyone. The issues of home life for these warriors are addressed with a frank simplicity that’s stunning.

Brianne Davis as Lena Graves, and Nadine Velazquez as Jackie Ortiz, bring a warmth and personal touch to the show. As a Navy wife, I couldn’t ever watch dramatized shows like Army Wives. It felt nothing like my own experience since it was essentially Desperate Housewives on a base. SIX, however, shows the good and bad of being a military family in a way that I could immediately connect with.

2. The Cast in General

There are some serious heavy hitters here. Juan Pablo Raba plays Ricky “Buddha” Ortiz. Buddha is one of the most compelling characters to me personally because of the strain he feels between his work and home life. Raba brings his experience and acting chops to show that push/pull of warrior/husband powerfully. Walter Goggins is good in everything he does and SIX is a compelling argument for him as one of the best actors out there. Jaylen Moore has been in a lot – but hasn’t had a lead role in a hit tv series. I predict great things coming out of SIX for him, we didn’t have a chance to see a whole lot of background for Fishbait last year, but that will be changing in season 2.

Brianne Davis adds a level of heart and connection to this show that just blew my mind. She was one of the first cast members I wanted to interview because I felt that honest connection from the start. Kyle Schmidt is charming, funny and still manages to break your heart. Edwin Hodge brings a gravity and intelligence to his role and I look forward to seeing where that takes him in this much darker season 2. There isn’t a miscast actor in the bunch, and to honest, I could have written a paragraph for each one and why we love them. From interviews we’ve done we’ve learned that several of the characters were created AFTER meeting the actors who would play them. Juan Pablo Raba and Jaylen Moore in particular. The writers saw potential and they know exactly how to make their stars shine.

1. Barry Sloane

I’ve been a fan of Sloane’s for years, but in SIX he’s a totally different actor. From the bad boy romantic on Revenge to the deputy on Longmire, Sloane has always been good on screen. But in this? In this he’s great. As Joe “Bear” Graves, Sloane brings a power and complexity that shows what a truly phenomenal actor he’s become. Bear is ripped apart, suffering PTSD and struggling to balance home and work. He’s following the path of his mentor Rip (Walter Goggins) in all the worst ways, something the audience hopes and prays he can pull away from. He’s a leader on and off screen, the rest of the cast referencing him in every interview we did. To be honest, I’m really amazed Sloane hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy for his work in this series. Here’s hoping it happens in the future

Interviews

I’ve been fortunate enough to interview several of the hard-working actors from SIX. Check out what they have to say about the upcoming season:

Barry Sloane Interview

Joshua Gage Interview

Brianne Davis Interview

Eric Ladin Interview

Jaylen Moore Interview

Nikolai Nikolaeff Interview

Juan Pablo Raba Interview

We have more interviews coming, check back soon!!

Get Watching!

All told, SIX is a standout series worth your time. If you haven’t seen Season 1, get binging! Season 2 premieres Monday, May 28th at 10/9c and then moves to its regular time on Wednesday, May 30th at 10/9c. This season promises to be darker, more emotional and explore new sides of our team. It’s going to be great!

I’ll be live tweeting from @tvserieshub all season, check back after the episode for my reviews. Hit me up anytime @nolenag03 to chat about SIX

10 Reasons You Should be Watching #SIXonHistory +Cast Interviews @BarrySloane @EricLadin @TheBrianneDavis @JuanPabloRaba @Jaylen_Moore @EdwinHodge @NNikolaeff @iamKyleSchmid History Channel's original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand.

#10 Reasons #Barry Sloane #Brianne Davis #edwin hodge #Eric Ladin #History Channel #Interviews #Jaylen Moore #Joshua Gage #Juan Pablo Raba #military #military drama #Must See TV #season 2 #SIX #TV Series #tvseries

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artificialqueens · 6 years

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#thanksgivingdinner (Biadore) - Lemonade

A/N: Based on Bianca’s thanksgiving day post that we’ll pretend she wasn’t in hong kong for.

thebiancadelrio: ROOM SERVICE 👍🏻❤️ #thanksgivingdinner #salmon #nobodybotheringme #thisishowyoudoit 😃

Danny didn’t know which was sadder: The fact that Roy was alone on thanksgiving, the sliver of food he attempted to pass off as a proper thanksgiving dinner, or that he was trying to make it seem as if being alone during the holidays is something that he truly wanted.

Danny: Bitch

Danny: I invited you to dinner with my family

Roy: I wanted to be alone

Danny: No you didn’t

Roy didn’t respond right away. Danny was right. Danny knew he was right, and Roy knew Danny knew that he was right. There was no bullshit between the two of them. They knew each other far too well to be fooled by the shit they fed their other friends when they just wanted to be miserable in peace without worrying anybody.

Roy: It’s fine.

Danny: It’s not

Roy didn’t answer after that. Danny didn’t care, he was going to make this better for his friend.

—

It had been an hour, or two, and Danny was ready to brighten Roy’s day.

Danny: Bea?

Danny: Come over

Danny’s foot tapped anxiously against the hardwood floor of his dinning room. Roy hadn’t said anything to him since earlier in the day. Danny was afraid he might have pushed a sensitive issue too far.

Roy: I don’t have time for a booty call

Roy: No good trade on grindr?

Danny rolled his eyes. He tried to come up with just about anything to convince Roy to come over.

Danny: You haven’t seen my new place yet

Roy: Send a picture

Danny: Please?

Roy sighed. He could say no to Danny despite what people thought, but only for so long, and definitely not when he said please.

Roy: Send me the address

Danny smiled in victory, then sent Roy his location.

—

Danny wasn’t far from Roy, maybe 20 minutes. That definitely, one hundred percent, was completely…intentional on Danny’s part and he would probably never admit that, or maybe he would after a few shots of liquid courage in the near future.

An obnoxiously loud bell rang through Danny’s new apartment, and if it hadn’t been Roy on the other side ringing it he would have been mildly pissed off by the sound.

A bright smile spread across Danny’s face when he flung the door open to see his willow. He enveloped Roy in a hug before either one of them could get a word out. Roy squeezed his eyes shut, reveling in the tightness of Danny’s arms around his body. He hadn’t realized until this moment how touch starved a life of constant work, and work related travel had caused him to be. He almost wanted to cry at the simple sensation of Danny’s hand running up and down his back. He felt so safe, and so loved in this embrace he didn’t want to let go, so he didn’t. Their hug lingered longer than most would. Danny understood. He has felt that same lump in his throat, and twist in his stomach at the smallest of touches before. Roy didn’t need to tell him what he was feeling because Danny already knew; So he hugged him tighter and pressed Roy closer to his body even though they were already mushed into a Danny-Roy sandwich.

—

Danny led Roy by the hand into his new apartment, throwing Roy’s coat into a room he hadn’t figured out what to do with yet.

“It’s nice.” Roy spoke, and it was the first thing either of them had said to each other since Roy arrived.

“Huh? What’s nice?” Danny was confused, Roy hadn’t even seen why Danny invited him over yet. “The apartment. It’s nice.” Roy answered, not questioning Danny’s confusion because…Well if he questioned every time Danny was confused about something he wouldn’t have much time to do anything else.

“Oh, yeah.” Danny shook his head, completely forgetting that’s the reason he told Roy he wanted him to come over. “I found it in like, a day, and knew it was the one I wanted. There’s not much to show, I clearly,” he gestured around to the empty living room save for a tv, couch, and coffee table covered in stray weed. “haven’t done much decorating, and there’s a whole other room I don’t know what to do with yet. So far I’ve only painted my bedroom.” Roy nodded along as his eyes danced around the apartment.

“Well, I’m glad you found something so quick.” He paused, almost like he was contemplating if he should say what he wanted to say or not.

“I’ve missed you.”

Something about the way Roy said it. Maybe it was the vulnerability in his tone, or how his voice turned into a whisper, or the way he looked down at his feet instead of Danny’s eyes that cracked the younger ones heart. Danny smiled softly at him, grabbing both his hands and giving a reassuring squeeze. “I’ve missed you too.” He leaned down to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

—

Danny wasted no time tugging Roy along through the apartment again. He wanted Roy to see what he did, but more importantly he wanted to see a smile on Roy’s face, for some life to re-enter his body that Danny immediately noticed was missing from his best friend’s spirit.

Danny led Roy into the dinning room, that unlike the rest of the apartment, felt like home. The color scheme was calming, and the table was some type of beautiful wood, but the real home feel came from the abundance of food that was spread out on the table. The smell of the food reminding Roy of a happy thanksgiving dinner that he never really had, just dreamt about and occasionally saw on one of those hallmark movies.

“My mom always sends me home with enough leftovers to last a month.” Danny smiled down at Roy, squeezing his hand again. “I thought it’d be more fun to eat with someone— with you, than to be alone.” Those words wrapped around Roy’s heart, giving him that warm feeling throughout his entire body that he had been so desperately missing.

Roy sat down at Danny’s request while Danny prepared both of their plates. The room filled with constant chatter, and laughter, and the sound of forks hitting glass plates. There was not a moment of silence. Danny told story after story about shit that went down in Seattle, Roy shared horror stories from his different traveling endeavors. They gossiped about fellow ru girls, and Roy listened to Danny recap the latest episode of the real housewives with the utmost attention even though he had no idea who these people were and never saw an episode in his life—except for that one time Danny slept over and made him binge the entire series.

Their plates were emptied and stomachs full hours ago, but the conversations hadn’t stopped. Danny poured Roy a cup of coffee (which, on any other day, would not be allowed to cross the threshold into his house, but Roy loved his coffee so today he would make an exception), and cut them both a piece of pumpkin pie as the day started to dwindle down.

It was after a fit of laughter that Roy had become aware of the terrible state of Danny’s kitchen, and the amount of time it would take to clean up a meal they had both enjoyed. “Why don’t I help you put all this shit away and clean up?” Danny groaned. “I forgot I have to clean this up by myself and it wouldn’t just, like, magically disappear like always.” Roy chuckled. “That’s because your mom does it.” Roy picked up their plates and headed towards the sink. “C’mon Daniel, it won’t be that bad.” Danny whined again, but started picking up trays of leftovers off of the table.

—

Clean up time was cut in half with two pairs of hands, so Danny sent Roy into the living room to find something for them to watch while he finished washing the last tray.

Roy settled on Rosanne, one of Danny’s favorite sitcoms, and truthfully one of his own too since spending hours of his life watching it with his favorite person. Danny placed two glasses of their signature cheap wine on the glass coffee table. “The same kind we always drink on planes together?” Roy questioned. Danny smiled, and nodded his head eagerly. Roy took a sip from his glass while Danny curled up on the couch, cuddling into Roy’s side. Roy used his free arm to wrap around Danny, holding him closely before he set the wine down and wrapped his other arm around him as well.

—

Rain had started pouring down against the windows, the only light in the apartment was coming from the glow of the tv, and Danny was still wrapped up in Roy’s arms with his head on Roy’s shoulder as they watched their show together. It was the most peaceful either of them had felt in a long time, Roy longer Danny.

Danny let a few more moments of silence surround them before speaking, before saying what he had wanted to say to Roy all night. “You know,” Danny started, picking his head up from Roy’s shoulder to look him in the eyes. “You never have to be alone as long as I’m here.” Danny reached a hand up to let his fingers trace along the stubble on Roy’s face. “You’re not alone.”

Roy’s face softened, his lips contorting into a grateful smile. Danny’s thumb brushed away a stray tear Roy’s watering eyes lost the battle of holding back. Danny felt his own heart break for Roy. He knew the loneliness that devoured you with a career of travel, he knew the relationships it weakened or broke all together, he knew what it felt like when you came back home from a tour and no one texts or calls you because their lives carried on while you were away and now there seems to be no room for you, he knew not recognizing your own friends and family and not knowing a damn thing about their current lives, he knew spending holidays and birthday’s alone. He knew loneliness. He knew the worst feeling in the world, a feeling no human should have to suffer. They both did, and he never wanted Roy to feel that again. Not with him around.

“I love you.” Roy whispered as more silent tears fell down his cheeks. Danny offered a comforting smile to his best friend before pulling him into a hug. “I love you too, Willow.”

#bianca del rio #adore delano #biadore #lemonade #hurt/comfort #fluff #rpdr fanfiction #canon compliant

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theartificialdane · 7 years

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Galactica, part 244

In this Raja comforts her princess, Courtney has to answer to the judge, Sutan has a plan, Juju serves dinner, Violet’s memory is refreshed and Bianca tries to lay down the law

Thank you @samrull @toriibelledarling @veronicasanders <3

“Leave me alone”

“Princess, come on.” Raja ran her hand up Raven’s leg. “Don’t be sad.”

“I’m not sad, I’m devastated.”

Raja couldn’t help but smile a little. Raven was adorable, her fiancée lying on the couch, her arms crossed. There were black streaks down Raven’s face, her mascara a mess since she had cried so much, even though Raja knew she would most likely deny it to the day she died.

Raja had arrived to her building along with Bianca and Sutan, Bianca thankfully finding Courtney safe and sound and leaving right away. Sutan had gone with Raja upstairs, but Raven had taken one look at him before she had started shouting abuse, slamming the door in his face, even though she did tell him that Violet was downstairs.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

The camera crew had been so quick to get out that there were still cords on the floor, the spa personal abandoning their things as well in their haste to get out.

“Didn’t you listen to me, Raja?” Raven sat up, clearly annoyed at the lack of her fiance's understanding. “This is the worst day of my life!” Raven threw out her arms, pointing at the abandoned apartment. “This was suppose to be all about me, me and me alone, and then those fucking housewife bitches stole my spotlight!”

Raja reached out, not yet decided if she should spank her fiancée for her obvious temper tantrum, or comfort her while she freaked out, but then Raven started crying again.

“I didn’t even get to taste the cake…” and Raja’s heart melted. She knew Raven had been excited about the cake, the four tier chocolate, raspberry and french vanilla frosting monstrosity Raven had ordered weeks in advance. Raja gently grabbed Raven had pulled her into her lap, the other woman barely allowing Raja to hold her close, and Raja vowed to make Courtney pay for ever getting involved with the Housewife project. Raja didn’t care about a lot of things, but she cared about Raven.

“I’m sorry your night was ruined.” Raja pressed a kiss against Raven’s cheek.

“It wasn’t ruined, it was sabotaged.” Raven huffed, barely leaning into her fiancées kiss.

“Can it be fixed with cake?” Raja knew it wasn’t a good idea to let Raven have the cake, since the wedding and christmas was coming up, but she wanted to cheer Raven up, and nothing made Raven happier than indulging in sweet chocolate goodness.

“.. Yes.”

Raja smiled as she felt Raven deflate and go limp in her lap, before she moved the younger woman off her again to rise to her feet. "Let me get you a piece baby girl." Raja said softly before walking into the kitchen. Raven sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, pulling her knees up to her chin. She tried to straighten up what she could before Raja returned home, but it was still a mess. The Russian didn't even want to think about the massive red wine stain that was now soaked into the carpet, Naima getting in a straight up fight on camera. "Here you go my darling," Raja announced as she came back into the living room with a plate in her hand and a smile. Raven watched her fiancée waltz back into her destroyed living room looking like the beacon of serenity that Raven was so desperate for. "Thank you..." Raven said with a sniff and watery smile as Raja sat back down on the couch beside her. Raja chuckled as Raven curled back up in her lap. “Anything for you my love.”

Raven smiled as Raja scooped up a small dollop of pale white icing on her fingertip, before sucking the digit for a moment before making a face. "Here. You'll definitely enjoy this," the elder woman said with a slight grimace. "Too damn sweet." "Just like me," Raven said with a singsong voice. Raja mashed some of the cake and icing together before pinching it together to feed Raven, who eagerly opened her mouth. "I don't understand how you can tolerate this," Raja mumbled, as she continues to feed Raven little morsels of mashed cake. Raja hated sweets in general, one of the reasons why she stayed so thin. Raven smiled up at Raja who chewed thoughtfully on a chocolate dipped strawberry she managed to save. "It's like heaven covered in a delightful layer of white chocolate buttercream." Raja gave Raven an incredulous look look before offering her cake covered fingers to Raven again. "So tell me again, why are you calling your bachelorette party an epic disaster." Raven groaned, not wanting to ruin the first bit of peace she had gained since the big blowout, "Do we really have to talk about a series of unfortunate events right now?" "Considering it was a series of unfortunate events that destroyed my carpet and splashed on my walls," Raja drawled out. “Did you forget all of the texts and videos you uploaded to Snapchat? Ranting and crying is not a cute look.” "I was hoping you'd overlook that in favor of feeding me cake and letting me wallow in my own misery." Raven replied with a deep sigh as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Now princess," Raja began easily, "when has there ever been a time where I simply let you off the hook?" Raven narrowed her eyes and began a staring match with Raja, who simply smiled and stared her down. "I'm not going to do what you want.” Raja but her tongue to keep from laughing at Raven; she could never win a staring contest against her, and it wasn't going to start tonight. "You say that now, but if I put you over my knee you will sing a different tune. Now, tell me what happened." Raven finally looked away with a huff, "Those drunk and ungrateful bitches ruined my party and our decor. They wasted money and those old whores didn't even thank me for the opportunity to come to my event!" Raven finished, getting riled up again. "Oh?" Raja questioned, curious to know more. "Did the baroness, countess or whatever the fuck she calls herself, at least bring your a hostess gift?" "None of those old drunks got me shit!" Raven yelled, jumping out of Raja's grasp to begin pacing; her cake all but forgotten. "Not even a bloody card from the bodega at the corner!” "Ah.” Raja concluded with a nod. "Yes!" Raven yelled, getting pink in the face. "My event was going smoothly even with the surprise strippers," she continued. "Surprise strippers?" "It was a surprise and they were strippers," Raven replied with a careless wave of her hand. "The goddam city drunk of New York with her goddamn wine, and those other decrepit bimbos whose only claim to fame is their divorce rates, and the fact that they get new faces every year, fucked it up!" Raja couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped as she watched Raven, rant, rave and pace on the once pristine white carpet; pulling at her hair with one hand and gesturing wildly with the other. "I was doing this as a favor to Courtney," Raven continued, "because I don't want her to think that I'd leave her out to dry with those skanks; but fuck this shit. Fuck this, fuck that, fuck her and fuck those classless heathens!" "What did Courtney do?" Raja asked, because the last time she saw the younger woman, she was talking about systematic racism on Adore’s snapchat, Bianca looking like a woman who saw her cat get run over in slow motion. "Did her drunken TED Talk on racism become too much?" "She didn't do anything besides bringing those devils rejects into my home destroying everything!" Raven replied, stomping her foot angrily, "Urgh!” Raven sat down. “And I can't even be angry at the bitch because she's too drunk to realize what happened!" "So just to be clear," Raja began, "Courtney Act from New York, by way of Australia, is still in your good graces?" Raja reached out and ran her hand down Raven’s arm, wondering if there was any way she could stuff Raven with even more cake. "She's in my good graces by default of her being too drunk.” Raven signed and deflated. “But believe me, I’m hiring Patrick and sueing.”

"Well if that will help you feel better about the situation," Raja began, standing up and taking her phone out. Raja didn’t really care about the damages since she could just pay, and since Raven had signed the contract with Bravo, she would most likely loose, but if it made her fiance feel better, Raja didn’t mind paying for it. "I'll get some pictures for the insurance agency, just in case Patrick says you're being extreme." Raja reached down to take the plate of cake, but Raven reached out and grabbed Raja’s wrist, stopping the other woman.

“Can we take it to bed?”

“Of course.” Raja smiled, giving her fiance a soft kiss. “But get showered first my love. You smell like Pinot Grigio and olives.”

***

Bianca ended up beating Courtney home, and was pacing around the living room trying to call her when the front door banged open. She stood with her heels in her hand and a smirk on her face. “Helloooooooo…” she sang, holding up her phone. “You can hand up, I’m here.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Still drunk, huh?”

“Adore said you’re mad. Why are you mad?!” Courtney walked through the room, shedding her clothes, and sprawled out on the sofa, batting her lashes.

“I’m not /mad/, I’m just...you didn’t call me all night, I was worried, and--what are you doing?”

Courtney had pulled Bianca onto to the sofa and was slowly opening the buttons on her top. “I’m sorry, B...I didn’t mean to worry you.” She pressed a soft kiss to her jaw.

“Well, yeah, I mean, then then I hear there was some fucking housewives altercation, and then you’re on Instagram ranting like a lunatic about stripper cops and black lives matter! Not to mention the Housewives cameras that are--”

“Mmmm…” Courtney slid her hands inside Bianca’s skirt, climbing into her lap.

Bianca looked up at her. “You’re a public figure. You have a reputation. It’s really irresponsible to just--”

“You’re right…” Courtney bit her lip, trailing her fingers over Bianca’s bare skin. “Totally irresponsible...”

Bianca narrowed her eyes. “You know, you think you’re really clever right now, but I’m onto you. I invented this move.”

“What move?” Courtney asked innocently, threading her hands into Bianca’s hair, arching against her.

“Don’t play coy with me, I’m giving you good advice here. You should really listen.”

“I’m totally, totally listening,” Courtney murmured against her skin, sucking on her pulse point, rolling her hips.

“Fuck,” Bianca groaned, fingers digging into her waist. “This is really condescending, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know.” Courtney pulled her head up to stare challengingly at her. After a beat, she giggled. “But is it working?”

Bianca tried to glare at her, but soon broke down, dimples showing. “It’s really shitty of you to use my own tricks against me.”

“I know, I’m soooo terrible…” Courtney teased, pulling her close for a deep kiss.

***

“Wow Shane, these cookies are amazing!” Trixie smiled brightly as he grabbed another one. It was slowly nearing christmas break, and for once the entirety of the christmas collection had went well. Alyssa had done a great job with the marketing strategy for the year, their clothes ripped out of the department stores they worked with, while their own boutiques could barely keep up with the demand. The shoot with Naomi for the makeup department had gone viral, Naomi’s innocent sluttiness selling like crazy and even though Trixie knew from Kim's ramble at taco tuesday that Alaska had been more than drunk, it had apparently worked great.

“Thanks! It’s a new recipe!” Shane locked his computer, more than ready to talk about cooking with the only other person in the office that cared about food, when he saw the box he had put the cookies into. “... Trixie, did you eat all of these?”

“No.”

“You have powdered sugar around your mouth.”

***

“You’re late.”

“I know, I’m sorr-”

“Sssh.”

Mimi ushered Tati into Sutan’s office where he sat behind the desk, not looking like he was really waiting all that much. Tatianna was only about five minutes late, her pedicure not drying fast enough for her to leave. Violet had done a great job with her nails, but she couldn’t wear anything that was less than perfect out for work. Tatianna rolled her eyes and closed the door in Mimi’s face, not giving the assistant the chance to eavesdrop on her and her bosses conversation.

Tatianna had no idea why, but Mimi was always being bitchy with her, like the old woman would /die/ if she was nice to anyone, a character trait Allison had confirmed more than once. Allison and Tatianna had somehow escaped the wrath Celia, Jaslene and Naima had suffered from the hands of their manager, Sutan taking a 5% pay cut from each of the girls for the month as a punishment for their foolish behavior at the party.

Tatianna looked around the office and the dark furniture, Sutan unusually distracted by something on the computer. Tatianna sat down in one of the plush armchairs, Sutan somehow still ignoring her so she started drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair awkwardly while she waited, until she finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“So… How are you today?”

“What sounds better to you for a weekend getaway...St Bart’s, Key West, or Cancun?” Sutan didn’t even look at her, his voice low as he muttered to himself. “Or maybe somewhere with snow? Even though the weather is dreadful outside…”

“Oh, uh...well,” Tati tossed some hair over her shoulder, kinda confused by the fact that her boss had just invited her on vacation, a smile on her lips. “I mean, I’m flattered, Sutan, but I really don’t think--”

Sutan looked up with alarm. “No! Oh god, I didn’t mean--” He then saw her smirking face and his expression softened with laughter. “Good one, kid. You almost had me there.” Sutan pushed his glasses up into his hair, his full attention finally on Tatianna as he gently closed his laptop.

“So what are you planning?” Tati grinned. “Taking your secret mistress away on a romantic vacation?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Sutan rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “No, I’m not taking my secret mistress.”

“So you have one?”

“I’m going with Violet.” Tatianna was sure Sutan would have kicked her if he could, the man such an uncle. “We’ve both been working a lot, we’ve barely seen each other lately, just the two of us spending time together.”

Tatianna smiled apologetically, knowing that at least a part of it was the hours upon hours upon hours Sutan put into her career and pushing her for the upcoming holiday collections, which had succeeded greatly. If she was lucky she would be allowed to go to Europe in February, and there was nothing she wanted more.

“I guess we need some of that... Proper quality time. The stuff that couples do.”

Tatianna nodded, not really knowing what her boss meant since she had never had a boyfriend she really truly cared about. It felt a little weird to talk about this with her boss, but Tatianna was nothing if not opinionated, and Violet was nice enough, even if she was weird, so Tatianna wanted to help.

“I think I’d go for somewhere warm, and it should be somewhere really chill and relaxing. If Galactica is anything how Courtney described it, she’ll need some time off.”

“I don’t think you’re too far off, but don’t tell anyone I said that.” Sutan opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, the man looking shortly to Tatianna who just smiled, telling him she didn’t mind if he lit up. “I’m pretty sure my sister would castrate me if she didn’t think I was drinking the kool aid.” Sutan stood up, the lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, the man pulling out a big, black, thick book that Tatianna immediately recognised as her portfolio.

“Okay my girl, enough talk about my personal life! Let’s look at these new pictures. Your portfolio is going to be a goddamn masterpiece when we’re through today.”

“Yes sir!”

***

Violet took a bite of her cupcake, the sweet cream cheese frosting delicious. Frida whined, the pug looking up at her mom with big eyes, the dog almost jumping up on Violet’s chair. “Frida! No” Violet laughed and picked the dog up, putting Frida back on the floor of the cafe. “Here. You can have this.” Violet carefully picked the small piece of real carrot off the top of her cake, drying it on her napkin before she gave it to Frida, Frida happily eating the orange treat. “See, that’s yummy too.” Violet smiled before she went back to her sketchbook.

Violet and Frida were at a cafe, the city outside dark and grey, but Violet didn’t mind it much, because she could still watch the people that walked by. Violet picked her phone up, ready to turn on her music again and get back to drawing when she felt someone walk up to her table.

“Well, well, well…”

Violet looked up at the man standing in front of her, compact with dark olive skin, with black frame glasses, one hand on his hip.

“I must say...I’ve been snubbed before, but never by a girl. And you dare to show your face in my coffee shop?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware-”

The man broke out into laughter, dimples deep in his cheeks. “Gurl, I’m just fucking with you. How are you?”

“I’m well…” Violet bit her lip. She had no idea who the man in front of her was. Was he someone who worked with Sutan? Was it someone Fame had introduced her to when she was still an assistant?

“Roy. Roy Haylock...we met on Halloween? You don’t remember?”

“You’re Roy Haylock?” Violet remembered the card that she had thrown out. Was this the man who had given it to her? But why?

“Damn, you seemed a little tipsy, but not blackout drunk. It’s always the quiet ones you gotta look out for...”

“I’m sorry.” Violet laughed, still feeling a little shy and weird. She could almost remember the man in front of her now that they were talking.

“All good, baby girl.” Roy sat down at Violet’s table. “So what have you been up to? Designed any other epic masterpieces that can’t fit through doorways?” Roy grinned and looked at Violet’s sketchbook, the holiday sketches all there.

“I did a mini collection for Marie Claire with a coworker.” Violet smiled, feeling more and more comfortable with Roy.

“Oh, I saw that. It was cute!” Roy lowered his voice conspiratorially. “My friend Jinkx is in some kind of lesbian mafia with the editor of that magazine.”

Violet pressed her lips together.

“Well, anyway, we’re working on some fantastic projects now. If you’re still interested on doing some consulting, maybe we can talk again. Like, after the holidays? I can give you a card again, if you promise to actually call this time.”

“Sure.” Violet nodded, but then she had an idea. “Actually.. I might be able to do better than that. Are you free on the 18th?”

Roy opened the calendar on his. “Uhhh, maybe...why?”

“Galactica is having a big holiday gala, and I could put you on the guest list, if you want.” Violet smiled. “You can meet the lesbian mafia?”

“Just me, or can I bring a guest? If you help me get laid, I might forgive you for forgetting me the first time around.”

“Give me your card, and I’ll get you a ticket. I promise.”

***

“Guuuurl! Omigod, thank you so much for meeting me!” Adore exclaimed, pulling Aja in for a big hug.

“Thank you for dragging your ass all the way to an outer borough to slum it with a street rat,” Aja laughed, the infectious cackle that Adore had missed over her last few months.

“Come on, we’re in Queens, not Newark,” Adore giggled. “And anyway, I really do appreciate you making time for me. I know how busy you are.”

Aja cackled again. “True. Well, when I heard you were ditching those loser boys you’ve been carrying on your back for years and ready for a real band, making a real statement, I cleared my whole day, gurl.” Aja slapped the table, pulling out a fat notebook.

Adore made a kissy face at her. “Mwah! Thank you baby. So. Ready to get down to business?”

“Yes! Alright, I think we should have some open auditions, although I have a feeling that I know a girl who would be a great drummer already. She’s a little dark and moody and like...I dunno, you have to meet her, but I think she’d work. She’d super creative.”

“Awesome! When can we meet? And can we do the auditions here? Is the manager still that crazy woman who grabs everyone’s ass.”

“Yes, Miss Cucu is alive and well. And sure, I’ll call her. So we’re basically looking for a bass player, a drummer - hopefully Nina works out, so maybe let’s hold off on auditioning drummers, right? And maybe a fifth girl? What do you think about a fifth girl?”

“I think that might be cool. I know this really awesome DJ who I’ve collaborated with, I was gonna talk to her.” Adore smiled, wondering if they’d get along. Time would tell.

“Okay, so auditions are really just for a kickass bass player who can sing and hopefully write some bitchin songs. Have you thought about names for the band?”

Adore grinned. “Really? Of course, dude.”

“Well...hit me.”

“We’re a lesbian punk indie metal band. So….”

“Yes?”

“Femslash.”

Aja screamed in delight, clapping her hands. “Yes! No debate. Approved!”

***

“Honey, I know you love Courtney, but you need to let her breathe…” Juju gently pried Julia away from Courtney’s face, helping the blonde off the floor where the twins had been climbing all over her. “And it’s time for dinner.”

Julia wrapped her arms around Courtney’s leg. “I wanna sit next to her.”

“I’m sorry. She’s going through a really needy stage,” Juju explained.

Kelly smirked from the stairs, where she was snapchatting. “Looks like Bianca has some competition…You worried, B?”

“Terrified.”

“You know what’s funny? They have the same age difference as you two.” Kelly fluttered her lashes.

Courtney burst out laughing, carrying Julia over to the dining room. Bianca shot her a nasty look. “What? She’s right; it’s funny.”

Everyone settled into their seats and began to dish out the food. Detox picked up a bowl of carrots and joked, “Oh, look, our next president.”

Juju groaned, “Ugggh, don’t even /say/ that!”

“Do you really think he could win?” Courtney whimpered.

Bianca rolled her eyes. “He’s not gonna win, you guys are so fucking dramatic.”

“I don’t know,” Courtney replied, with big worried eyes, “I was at a gig in South Carolina last week, and there were Trump signs everywhere, and isn’t that one of the earliest primaries…?”

“Seriously?” Kelly asked.

“Yes! Also, did you read that article about how he’s using this like, coded language to signal white supremacists?”

“Oh my god…” Bianca shook her head and polished off her wine.

“/What/?” Courtney asked testily.

“You are spouting crazy left wing nonsense right now, and given what happened at the party on Saturday, you should really probably keep your mouth shut about politics for awhile. Especially in public.”

Courtney looked at Bianca for a long moment, unblinking. Her blood was boiling, hands balled into fists under the table. She swallowed.

Jujubee looked from one to the other, then glanced at Detox, clearing her throat. “Hey, did you guys try the pesto? It’s Detox’s mom’s recipe. And yes, I left the cheese on the side for the vegans.”

Courtney broke eye contact with Bianca, plastering a smile on her face and taking the offered pasta. “Thank you, looks delicious.”

“So, do you guys have anything fun planned for the holidays…?”

#galactica #au aag verse #rpdr fanfiction #my fics

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dailycwsupergirl · 7 years

Link

Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Monday’s episode of Supergirl. Read at your own risk!

The Danvers family reunion did not go well during Monday’s episode of Supergirl.

Reunited with Jeremiah (Dean Cain) after a decade, Alex (Chyler Leigh) was quick to let her father in, while Kara (Melissa Benoist) was fast to side with new boyfriend Mon-El (Chris Wood) in being suspicious. Their worst fears came true when Jeremiah betrayed the Department of Extranormal Operations, downloading the alien registration list and fighting off J’onn (David Harewood) with his bionic arm.

But could Jeremiah ultimately have good intentions? Pleading with Alex that he’s actually protecting his daughters, Jeremiah runs when his eldest was unable to shoot him, Point Break-style. When Jeremiah returns to Cadmus, he mentions having a deal with Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong) before we see the next piece of Cadmus’ ultimate plan: an alien ship. What’s really going on? Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg answers burning questions on what’s next:

What’s the deal with that alien ship? We’ll get more info on Lillian’s plans for the ship as early as next week, but it’s tied to her desire to rid the world of aliens — and potentially to whatever deal Jeremiah has with Lillian. “It’s an interesting debate in the next episode between Jeremiah and Alex, if his plan is any more humane,” Kreisberg says. “Some of the talking points in the episode are reflective of the current debate in our world about dealing with immigrants, which we were very conscious of, and wanted to speak to that.”

How long is Jeremiah sticking around? Now that Jeremiah is back in the picture, Cain will be sticking around for at least one more episode, if not more. “We’re still figuring out how we’re going to wrap it all up in a nice little bow at the end of the year,” Kreisberg says, teasing that we may get more info on how powerful Jeremiah is thanks to Alex. “My favorite scene all season long… Alex interrogates a Cadmus guard,” Kreisberg says, adding that everyone in Cadmus is immune to J’onn’s telepathy. “Martian Manhunter, he’s so powerful; it’s almost too powerful for a weekly series with all the things he can do. If we really deployed him at his full comic book power arsenal, no one would be able to pull anything off of anybody; he’s super strong, he can fly, he can phase through matter and he can read minds. Good luck trying to pull one over on him.”

How will Alex handle her father’s betrayal? Not well. (Read: Alex’s interrogation methods led to producers going several rounds with Standards and Practices.) Suffice it to say, Alex will be going to a very dark place. “The question of where do Alex’s loyalties lie plays a major part of the next episode,” Kreisberg says. “Battle lines are drawn a little bit, which is interesting because what I love about this episode and the next episode is no one’s really wrong, in a way. Whether it’s Mon-El or Kara or Alex or J’onzz — especially the stuff between J’onzz and Alex in 15 — everyone is doing it because they love each other; even Jeremiah. Everyone is doing what they’re doing out of a sense of love and to keep the people that they love safe.” In this case, it sounds like Alex will find support in Maggie, as next week’s episode includes some Sanvers bonding. “Alex and Maggie go rogue next week,” Kreisberg says.

What’s next for Sanvers? That bond doesn’t mean total smooth sailing ahead for Alex and Maggie. “There’s an obstacle episode coming up that we just did,” Kreisberg says. (Perhaps he’s referring to this?) “Then there’s what’s probably my new favorite episode, that [Chyler] doesn’t even know about yet, that is a Kara/Alex/Maggie story, that’s sort of a ticking-clock story. Alex is in serious trouble, and it’s up to Kara and Maggie to save her. It becomes a story about the sister and the girlfriend [who] both love her and are debating the best way to save her. It’s a really great story. We’re really excited about it.”

When will we find out Mon-El’s secret? There’s also some trouble brewing ahead for Mon-El and Kara as the truth about what he’s hiding will soon come out. “The Mon-El secret comes to light in Episode 16, so you don’t have much further to go,” Kreisberg says. “It’s going to cause some problems. He doesn’t quite get that it’s the cover-up, not the crime, which is really the issue.”

Will Supergirl stage a Lois & Clark reunion? The big question is whether Cain will reunite with his Lois & Clark costar Teri Hatcher, who will be introduced in next week’s episode as the new villain of the season. “We’ve love to, they would love to — I mean, there’s a plan; if we can execute the plan,” Kreisberg says, lauding Hatcher’s addition to the show. “She is in this for the fans and knows what her being a part of this means to so many people.” When she makes her debut, Hatcher will share the screen with Hercules alum Kevin Sorbo. “Teri could very easily blow someone off the screen with her megastar TV wattage, so it was important to make sure that didn’t happen,” Kreisberg says. “Getting Kevin — somebody who has his own history and fanbase and celebrity — has made those scenes between them feel like equals.” While further details on their roles are still being kept under wraps, Kreisberg teases, “She is so not playing Lois, and she is so not playing any character I’ve ever seen her play before. She’s so not Susan from Desperate Housewives. She’s really playing something completely different … and she’s doing it amazingly. It’s really exciting for us.”

Will we get to meet adult Lex Luthor? After Supergirl recently depicted a younger version of Lex Luthor, is there any chance the bald menace will debut on screen? It’s been mentioned before that he’s currently in jail, but it sounds unlikely that we’ll actually see him — probably because he’s currently being played by Jesse Eisenberg on the big screen. “That decision is above my pay grade,” Kreisberg says. “But I thought that kid was great, and what was so sad is we were watching the casting things, and we were like, ‘Yeah that kid looks like he could grow up to be the most evil person in the world.'” However, viewers will find out in the finale what was in that box Lillian discovered among Lex’s weapons in that Cadmus bunker.

Any chance for a Superman return? Tyler Hoechlin brought the Man of Steel to the small screen during the first two episodes of the season, but he hasn’t returned since. “I don’t think anyone would love it more than us and Tyler,” Kreisberg says. “Again, that’s one above my pay grade.” One can always hold out hope.

Will Cat Grant return this season? When the show moved production to Vancouver, Calista Flockhart was set to be a recurring guest star. However, the actress has not yet returned since leaving in the second episode. “We’re working on it,” Kreisberg says of a potential return. “We love Calista, Calista loves us, she loves the show. She has other commitments and family and whatnot, but we’re trying to work it out.”

Will we see more CatCo? And while CatCo has taken a backseat to the D.E.O. this season in Cat Grant’s absence, it will feature more in upcoming episodes — the next hour includes a big CatCo-Snapper-James story, in fact. “This show has a lot of moving parts,” Kreisberg says. “One of the things that we discovered is most of the stories get driven through the D.E.O. Without Calista there, that dynamic that was so strong between Kara and Cat has been replaced with more Kara and Alex and more Kara and Mon-El. It doesn’t always live in that location, but we’re not getting rid of it by any means. In fact, episode 18 is called ‘Ace Reporter,’ and it’s about Kara and journalism. That’s actually been very important to us, especially in the times we now find ourselves living in; we’re one of the few shows on television that actually has a journalist as a lead character. In 15, in addition to being a big Alex-Jeremiah story, also has a healthy dose of Kara as a reporter, and especially episode 18, we really get a chance to talk about the importance of journalism, and the importance of journalism ethics, and how important [it is to have] the objective truth be out there now.”

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

#supergirl #supergirl spoilers #season 2 #articles #spoilers

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myreadingreality · 7 years

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Secrets of a Celebrity Sex Club by Dakota Fox Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance http://amzn.to/2oo2tWC Hello and welcome to my world! My name is Dakota and like you, I have a desire for some good romance and it’s my personal experience that led me to put this series together. Picture Desperate Housewives meets Real Housewives, all wrapped up in The Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Sound good? Let me give you some background. I grew up in Las Vegas and now live in Los Angeles. Like so many, I had the big dream. I wanted to be in movies and I wanted to be famous. I was optimistic; a friend of mine, had a friend, who knew someone, and so on. I was all set and the plan seemed easy. All I had to do was be good at my job, meet celebrities, make contacts and make it big! My referral got me a job working in one of the most intimate places in Hollywood. I had an in and became a server and assistant in an elite and celebrity sex club known only to those wealthy and well-liked enough to have the honor. I was hired to serve guests and help make things comfortable; no, I do not indulge or partake in the goings on, that’s reserved for members only. It was an excellent opportunity and being a model back home, I felt like I was halfway to fame already! However, if you haven’t heard, Hollywood is not that easy. Day after day reality hit and before I knew it, it was year after year. I mean, I’m still a beauty, or so they tell me, but the reality is that today I’m not so optimistic that I’ll see my face on the big screen. It seems my opportunities for fame went out the window the closer I got to the secrets I was privy to. Instead of finding stardom, I found that people with wealth, status and popularity start to shy away from those who have seen too much. That would be me. And so I’ve taken my passion to the page and believe me, I have enough to fill it for years. These stories are all based on real people made up of celebrities and the Hollywood elite. People talk a lot and I am writing what I’ve come to know, filling in the blanks where I need to. I’ve seen what goes on behind-the-scenes in “tinsel town” for quite some time now; I’m talking about actors, singers, artists and even politicians. No athletes though, they weren’t allowed in the club. The members needed the financial background, integrity and intelligence to be let in and frankly, the athletes in general were a flat out risk. I’ve changed the club name and character names of course, and since I do not go home with these people you can expect my own dramatization there based on what I’ve learned. My intent here is not to be vindictive in any way and I am not trying to ruin lives or take down the latest on the A-list. No, I simply want to tell the truth while exploring my creativity. This series takes you into a steamy world, based on insider information and created with a bit of a twist. We have social elites in a luxury world, and a posh sex club with some big egos and fierce competition. The secrets begin with the lives of “Rachel, Harper, Sloane and Lexi” but with so many members over the years, there is so much more to tell. I invite you into their stories. Sloane Temple is the hot, blonde babe of the group. She’s all sunshine and personality, and more woman than most would even know what to do with. Behind the kinky fun and flaunting though, there is much more to Sloane than one could guess just by looking at her. Born and raised in California, she is married to Dylan and the two have made themselves known throughout California before landing in L.A. She gets roles here and there and his famed plastic surgery practice is growing by the minute. They love each other but their true passion is to be loved by others, and admired. Episode One takes you inside this exclusive world of extravagant money, power and the erotic life of the club. Rachel and her very special group of close friends are the high-class main event. In their luxurious and limitless lifestyles of fame and money, they strive to maintain their position as an elite group of high-powered and very sexual social Dakota moved to L.A. with the same big dreams as many Hollywood hopefuls do. What she found may not have been a position on the A-list, but what she did find was much more interesting. She is an artist of sorts spending her time writing and taking pictures, when she is not working at "the club". In the Celebrity Secrets series, Dakota brings her wit and creativity to the page to tell the true stories of what goes on in the secret and erotic world of the stars. Please also visit me at: https://www.facebook.com/Dakotafoxstories/

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stillhotter · 7 years

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MY FANDOMS

***bold nad italic means fav***

BIGGEST OTPS:

ALBERT+VICTORIA

YENNEFER+GERALT

amy+rory

francis+mary

bellamy+clarke

will+tessa

doctor+clara

fred+hermione

CIRI+CAHIR

REY + POE

TV SHOWS

A Series of Unfortunate Events

And Then There Were None

Anne of Green Gables (the old series):

ships:

Anne+Gilbert

American Gods

characters: Wednesday, Mad Sweeney, Shadow Moon

ships:

Shadow+Wednesday (as hmm, better watch/read it hahah)

Mad Sweeney+Laura Moon (I just love their dynamics)

American Horror Story (Murder House):

ships:

Violet+Tate

Atlantis:

ships:

Ariadne+Jason

Awkward:

ships:

Jenna+Matty

Black Mirror

Breaking Bad

Broadchurch

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Dancing on the Edge

Degrassi

Desperate Housewives

Doctor Who:

characters: Eleven, Amy, Rory, River, Clara, Twelve, Thirteen, Yasmin

ships:

Amy+Rory

PONDS AND ELEVEN

Eleven+River

Clara+Doctor (with Eleven it’s as a cute lovebirds but with Twelve it gets deeper, I love both!!)

Eleven+Amy (platonic)

Ten+Rose

Euphoria

Eye Candy:

ships:

Tommy+Lindy

Friends:

ships:

Ross+Rachel

Chandler+Monica

Phoebe+Mike

Rachel+Joey

From Dusk Till Dawn:

ships:

Seth+Kate

Richie+Kate

Game of Thrones:

characters: Daenerys Targaryen, Margaery Tyrell, Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Robb Stark

ships:

Daenerys+Tyrion

Robb+Myrcella

Daenerys+Jon

Robb+Daenerys

Sansa+Daenerys (QUEENS OF ICE AND FIRE!!!111!)

Daenerys+Drogo

Jon+Ygritte

Arya+Gendry

Gossip Girl:

characters: Blair Waldorf

ships:

Serena+Nate

Blair+Nate

Blair+Dan

Great Expectations

Hemlock Grove

House of Cards

How I Met Your Mother

ships:

Barney+Robin

Ted+Mother

Legends of Tomorrow:

characters: Rip Hunter, Sara Lance

ships:

Sara+Rip

Legion:

characters: Lenny, David, Syd

ships:

Syd+David

Lenny+David (but you know, not in a romantic way LMAO)

Marvel’s Netflix Series:

characters: Jessica Jones, Matt Murdock, Frank Castle

ships:

Matt+Karen

Karen+Frank

Luke+Jessica

Matt+Elektra

Matt+Jessica

Merlin:

ships:

Merlin+Morgana

Arthur+Gwen

Misfits

characters: Nathan Young

Mr Robot

Once Upon A Time

ships:

Emma+Hook

Parks and Recreation:

characters: April Ludgate, Andy Dwyer

ships:

Andy+April

Leslie+Ben

Peaky Blinders:

characters: Tommy Shelby, Michael Gray

ships:

Tommy+Grace

Tommy+Tatiana (more as Tommy and personification of his madness)

Penny Dreadful

ships:

Vanessa+Dorian

Preacher:

ships:

Jessie+Tulip

Reign:

characters: Mary Stuart, Francis Valois, Lola

ships:

Mary+Francis

Mary+Bash

Narcisse+Lola (flirting phase)

Claude+Leith

Riverdale:

characters:

ships:

VERONICA + JUGHEAD

Veronica+Archie

Cheryl+Toni

Shadowhunters:

ships:

Isabelle+Simon

Isabelle+Clary

Alec+Magnus

Clary+Jace

Sebastian+his accent

Sherlock

SKAM:

characters: Noora Sætre, Sana Bakkoush

ships:

Sana+Yousef

Noora+William (french Manon and Charles as well)

Jonas+Eva

even+isak

Skins:

characters: Chris Miles, Freddie Mcliar, Tony Stonem

ships:

Chris+Jal

Freddie+Effy

Cook+Effy

Rich+Grace

Alo+Mini

Stranger Things:

characters: Mike, Dustin, Steve, Will, Max

That 70′s Show

ships:

Eric+Donna

Donna+Steven

Steven+Jackie

The 100:

ships:

Bellamy+Clarke

Raven+Shaw

Lincoln+Octavia

Murphy+Emori

Gabriel + Josephine

The Bold Type:

characters: Jane Sloan, Kat Edison, Sutton Brady

ships: all of their ships are cute so far in a way

The Borgias

The Cry:

characters: Joanna

The Crown:

ships:

Elizabeth+Philip

The Magicians:

characters: Eliot Waugh, Margo Hanson, Penny Adiyodi

ships:

Penny+Kady

Eliot + Margo (as friends)

Eliot+Quentin

Josh + Margo

The Mentalist

The Night Manager

The O.C.

ships:

Seth+Summer

The Tudors

The White Princess:

ships:

Elizabeth+Henry

The White Queen:

characters: Richard York

ships:

Richard+Anne

Elizabeth+Edward

(Everyone were driving me from love to hate and back at some points so...)

The Vampire Diaries:

ships:

Damon+Elena

Stefan+Elena

Timeless:

ships:

Lucy+Wyatt

Lucy+Flynn

Rufus+Jiya

True Detective

Westworld:

characters: Dolores, William, Ford, Maeve

ships:

Dolores+William

Will

Veronica Mars:

ships:

Veronica+Logan

Vikings

characters: Lagertha, Ragnar Lothbrok, King Ecbert, Athlestan, Rollo

ships:

Judith + Ecbert

Rollo+Gisla

Victoria:

ships:

Victoria+Albert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victoria+Melbourne (platonic-ish)

Ernest+Harriet

Drummond+Alfred

MOVIES

(500) Days of Summer

About Time

Amelie

American Beauty

American Psycho

Anna Karenina (Anna+Vronsky)

Before Midnight

Before Sunset

Before Sunrise

Birdman (Sam+Mike)

Black Swan

Blade Runner

Donnie Darko

Dorian Gray

Drive

Fight Club (Tyler+Marla)

Filth

Gladiator

Gone with the Wind

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Harry Potter Series (Harmione, Dramione, Romione, Hinny, Fremione... I ship everything lmao AND I LOVE MARAUDERS ERA)

Inglourious Basterds

Interview with the Vampire

Into the Wild

Kick-Ass

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Like Minds

Lord of the Rings Series

Love Actually

Love, Rosie

Macbeth

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (LILY JAMES ILY)

Marvel Movies

Match Point

Meet Joe Black (Joe+Susan)

Moulin Rouge!

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (John&Jane)

MCU (Peter+Gamora, Tony+Pepper, Wanda+Vision)

Pride & Prejudice

Pulp Fiction

Se7en

Sherlock Holmes

Slow West

Star Wars Series (Anakin+Padme, Han Solo+Leia, REY+POE OMG)

Stuck in Love

Submarine

The Boat That Rocked

The Dreamers

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Great Beauty

The Great Gatsby

The Guest

The Hunger Games Series

The Men From U.N.C.L.E. [Gaby&Illya]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Pirates of Carribean (JACK&ELIZABETH)

The Prestige

The Social Network

The Virgin Suicides

Troy

Whiplash

BOOKS&COMIC (some)

1Q84

A Song of Ice and Fire

Adrian Mole series

American Gods

Artemis Fowl series

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Gossip Girl

Great Expectations

Harry Potter (Ginny+Harry, Hermione+Ron)

On the Road

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Infernal Devices (Will+Tessa)

The Hunger Games (Katniss+Peeta)

The Magicians

The Mortal Instruments (Jace+Clary)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Witcher (Geralt+Yennefer, Ciri+Cahir)

GAMES (only faves)

Assassin's Creed Series:

characters: Ezio Auditore, Kassandra, Haytham Kenway, Evie Frye, Bayek

ships:

Ezio+Sofia

Bayek+Aya

Arno+Elise

Kassandra+Brasidas

Mass Effect Series:

characters: Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios, Mordin Solus, Jack, Jaal Ama Darav, Nakmor Drack

ships:

Shepard&Garrus

Shepard&Thane

Ryder+Reyes

Ryder+Jaal

Witcher series:

characters: Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer, Cirilla, Dandelion, Triss Merigold, Zoltan

ships:

Geralt+Yennefer

Dandelion+Priscilla

Geralt+Ciri (as father and daughter)

ANIME&MANGA

Attack on Titan

Code Geass

Death Note

Fullmetal Alchemist

Paradise Kiss

#fandoms #ships #otp

0 notes

zayzaycom · 7 years

Text

VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT Presents A Forrest Films and ESX Entertainment Production Film by Alex Ranarivelo

Theatrical Release Date: June 16, 2017 (DVD July 18) Running Time: 92 minutes Rating: “PG-13” by the MPAA Facebook: www.facebook.com/prayforrainfilm Twitter: www.twitter.com/PrayforRainFilm Instagram: www.instagram.com/prayforrainfilm

SYNOPSIS A young New York journalist returns to the idyllic Central California farming community where she was raised only to find it has been ravaged by drought and has become a place ruled by gangs, violent threats and greed. She is forced to investigate the suspicious circumstances of her father’s death even though it puts her in great danger

Q&A WITH DIRECTOR ALEX RANARIVELO

Q) You’ve made multiple films with ESX Entertainment. What is the process like for you when you decide which projects you want to direct? When deciding on what project I’d like to direct next, it all starts with the story. Does it have an interesting hook and does it have heart? Like the main character in PRAY FOR RAIN, I knew very little about the water crisis in the Central Valley when I first read the script. I had no idea how important this area was for the country and it made me want to find out more about what’s going on there. That is how I hope audiences will respond to the film.

Q) Did much change between the script and the production while on set? There weren’t many changes between the script and what ended up on screen; mostly some dialogue and adjustments for location changes.

Q) How did the communities in Northern and Central California react to the production? The communities we filmed in – Petaluma and Coalinga – were very receptive to us. John Harris of Harris Ranch was a tremendous supporter and gave us unlimited access to his properties.

Q) What was it like working with the main cast, including Jane Seymour, Annabelle Stephenson, and Nicholas Gonzalez? I had a dream cast on PRAY FOR RAIN. Everyone was perfect in their role. Jane Seymour and Annabelle Stephenson got so in sync as mother and daughter that at one point I stopped needing to give any direction. Maybe just small adjustment here or there. Nicholas Gonzalez was a total team player and brought strength and vulnerability to his role of Sheriff Nico.

Q) How do the themes in the film reflect our current environment following the election? President Trump said last year that the water problem is “insane” and “we are going to solve your water problem.” I hope he sticks to that promise.

Q) What should audiences know most about the film before seeing it? Audiences should know that we are not proposing a solution for the water problem. We want to present the argument and we want to raise awareness for what’s going on. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions, but in the meantime, just enjoy watching this story.

ABOUT THE CAST

JANE SEYMOUR (“Olivia Gardner”) A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner, recipient of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in the year 2000, which was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, Jane Seymour has proven her talents in virtually all media, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Her love of art and color has led to her great success as a painter in watercolors and oils and as a designer.

Seymour currently stars opposite Adam Sandler in the Netflix original feature film “Sandy Wexler” and co-stars with Malcolm McDowell in the stirring independent film “Bereave Me Not”, a film which she also produced. She also made a stunning return to series television in the Sky TV drama “Hooten and the Lady” which debuted in the UK in September of 2016.

Most importantly, Seymour continues to raise much needed funds and gives through donations of her artwork to numerous local and national charities which help children in need, raising awareness for women’s heart health and various other important issues dear to her heart. Seymour resides in Malibu, is mother to six adult children and a grandmother of six.

ANNABELLE STEPHENSON (“Emma Gardner”) Annabelle Stephenson was born in London, England. Her family emigrated to the Gold Coast, Australia when she was an infant. Her breakout role was in 2006, when she landed the role of ‘Miriam Kent’ in the hit children’s TV show “H20: Just Add Water”.

After graduating high school, Annabelle was one of the select few accepted into the prestigious school NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) in Sydney. She joined the alumni of successful Australian actors, such as Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann and Sam Worthington, and graduated with a B.A. in Acting. Since graduating NIDA, Annabelle has had a stellar career in TV, film, theatre and radio in Australia.

She is now based in Los Angeles. Since moving to LA her credits include Series Regular on ABC’s “Revenge”. Starring in Amazon pilot “Point of Honor”, working with Randall Wallace (Braveheart) and Carlton Cuse (Lost); Lead actress in MTV’s “Hot Mess” pilot. Annabelle also has another film “Escape Room” (Voltage Pictures) soon to be released.

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ (“Nico Reynoso”) Nicholas Gonzalez continues to impress with a substantial list of current and upcoming projects. On television, he’s presently starring on Freeform’s smash hit PRETTY LITTLE LIARS as Detective Marco Furey, Netflix’s hit show NARCOS, and the new CW series FREQUENCY. He is recurring on Amazon’s critically acclaimed series BOSCH as Detective Ignacio Ferris, CW’s THE FLASH as Cisco’s brother Dante Ramon, and BET’s BEING MARY JANE. He can also next be seen on ABC’s HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER.

A graduate of Stanford University with a BA in English, Nicholas first burst onto the scene in the critically acclaimed Showtime series RESSURECTION BLVD. where he played boxer/medical student Alex Santiago. He followed that with a steady stream of roles, most notably as Detective Mike Sandoval in NBC’s LAW & ORDER: SVU and as Detective Luke Morales in Fox’s hit SLEEPY HOLLOW. Additional television roles include appearances on JANE THE VIRGIN, MODERN FAMILY, BOJACK HORSEMAN, BONES, BORDERTOWN, TRUE BLOOD, and GREY’S ANATOMY. On the big screen, he has been seen in THE PURGE: ANARCHY, ANACONDAS, DIRTY, SWAT: FIREFIGHT, and BEHIND ENEMY LINES II. He will next be seen in PRAY FOR RAIN, opposite Jane Seymour. He also can be seen as the lead in BATTLEFIELD: HARDLINE, the fifth installment of the celebrated video game series BATTLEFIELD from Electronic Arts (EA).

Gonzalez is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and currently resides in L.A. with his wife, actress Kelsey Crane. Charities dear to him include Friends of El Faro and Children’s Hospital LA.

PAUL RODRIGUEZ (“Francisco Reynoso”) Longtime comedian Paul Rodriguez has been making audiences laugh all over the world (in Spanish and English) for three decades with his unique brand of humor that is a perfect blend of his Latin heritage, the American dream and his undeniable universal appeal. As an actor and comedian, Paul Rodriguez’s multi-faceted career includes starring roles and featured appearances in over 45 films and countless television series and comedy specials.

Voted one of the most influential Hispanics in America and awarded the Ruben Salazar Award by The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, Rodriguez has remained a constant force in his community and the world of comedy throughout his career.

Rodriguez’s film credits include “If” with Ryan Guzman, William Fichtner, and Columbus Short, “Mission Air” with Tom Arnold and Jamie Kennedy, “Without Men” with Eva Longoria and Christian Slater, “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” “The Deported,” “I’m Not Like That No More” with comedian Felipe Esparza (2010 “Last Comic Standing” winner), Disney’s blockbuster hit “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “The World’s Fastest Indian,” “A Cinderella Story,” “How to Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass,” “Ali,” “Tortilla Soup,” “Crocodile Dundee in LA,” “Rat Race,” “Bloodwork,” “Chasing Papi” and “D.C. Cab,” among others.

JOHN DUCEY (“Adam Campbell”) John Ducey arrived in Los Angeles in 1991 with a Chevy Corsica and a dream. That dream was to one day own a better car than a Chevy Corsica. Since that day, John has had starring TV roles in NBC’s Bad Judge, WB’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, ABC’s Oh Grow Up!, and Disney Channel’s JONAS. He has also guest-starred on many of your favorite shows, including Will & Grace, Bones, Castle, iCarly, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, Ally McBeal, Frasier, and even Matlock. (He’s been doing this a long time, people.) His movie roles include Running Wild, Deep Impact, Space Jam, and the Christmas classic, The Search for Santa Paws (Spoiler alert: they find him). John has also dabbled in writing, including this bio, and Dirt, starring Kevin Dillon and the beautiful Christina Moore. John now drives a Toyota Corolla. The dream continues.

JAMES MORRISON (“Patrick Waring”) Best known as the honest and stalwart head of CTU, Bill Buchanan, in four seasons FOX’s Emmy Award-winning series, 24. He will soon be appearing in the much anticipated TWIN PEAKS reboot on Showtime.

James started his acting career as a clown and wire walker for the Carson and Barnes Wild Animal Circus in the mid-1970’s and served his theatrical apprenticeship with the Alaska Repertory Theatre during its 1977-79 seasons. Since then, he’s done about a hundred plays at theatres like Princeton’s McCarter Theatre, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Mark Taper Forum, the LA Stage Company, The Jupiter Theatre, The Salt Lake Acting Company, The Old Globe, and The Pasadena Playhouse with such wonderful directors as Emily Mann, Don Amendolia, Des McAnuff, Jack O’Brien, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jose Quintero and Harry Mastrogeorge, his acting teacher since 1982. He also has appeared in the films The Meanest Man in Texas, The Jazz Funeral, Catch Me If You Can, The One, Falling Down, Raspberry Magic, Jarhead, and I Am I.

James and his wife and son are actively involved in charity work, raising money for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Foundation ThinkAgain, which helps children who are cancer and brain tumor survivor.

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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

ALEX RANARIVELO, Director A prolific, visual, and collaborative storyteller, Alex Ranarivelo has directed six feature films for ESX Entertainment since June 2014 (“The Dog Lover”, “American Wrestler”, “Running Wild”, “Pray for Rain”, “Dirt” & “Ride”). He graduated at the top of his class with a B.F.A in film production from Art Center College of Design. His thesis film was a 35mm short film about street racing called “The Last Race”, based on his experiences as a street-racer.

He made his feature debut with a rough-and-tumble romantic comedy from a guy’s perspective: “Alpha Males Experiment” (aka “Knuckle Draggers”). It played at multiple festivals and placed in Best of Fest’s top 10 Comedies of the year. In 2010, Alex’s script “The Girl With No Name” won the GRAND PRIZE at the Slamdance Film Festival Screenwriting Competition and was subsequently optioned by Co-Op Entertainment.

Alex went back to his street-racing roots for his second feature “Born To Race”, a teen action film centered around a father/son story. He co-wrote the script and was hired to direct it. Born To Race was a hit domestically and internationally in the home video market. A rip of the movie showed up on YouTube and got over 7 MILLION VIEWS before being taken down. Alex also directed the sequel, “Born To Race: Fast Track”, starring Brett Davern and Beau Mirchoff of MTV’s “Awkward.”

When producer Ali Afshar first teamed up with executive producer Forrest Lucas to create ESX Entertainment, Alex was brought on to direct their first film, the suspenseful, character-driven “The Dog Lover” (starring James Remar and Lea Thompson). Next came “American Wrestler: The Wizard” which follows a 17-year-old Iranian refugee who becomes the high school wrestling champion against adversity during the Iran hostage crisis of 1980. In this period piece, Alex directed Jon Voight, William Fichtner and discovered newcomers George Kosturos and Lia Marie Johnson. The film won multiple awards on the festival circuit including “Best Picture” and “Best Ensemble” at the Boston Film Festival, the audience award at the Austin Film Festival and the audience award at the Napa Film Festival.

Next came “Running Wild”, where Alex was at the helm of a picturesque, dramatic piece about a California Ranch Socialite poised to lose everything who creates a Prison Rehabilitation Equine Program after finding starving wild horses on her property. Dorian Brown and Jason Lewis go head to head with animal lover Sharon Stone. Tommy Flanagan also stars.

Alex directed Jane Seymour and Paul Rodriguez in “Pray for Rain,” a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the Central California drought. A young girl begins to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding her father’s death and discovers that the idyllic farm community of her youth has been replaced by crime and desperation. Newcomer Annabelle Stephenson leads the cast. Nicholas Gonzalez also stars.

He went back to the motorsports world for “Dirt”, his 5th movie with ESX Entertainment. “Dirt” is about a weathered race team owner (Kevin Dillon) who can’t quite get his team to gel when he is asked to take on a kid (newcomer DeRon Horton) from the hood that needs a work furlough to avoid jail time. He reluctantly agrees and the unlikely pair create quite a stir in the redneck sport of short course off road truck racing.

Alex just wrapped production on “Ride”, about a troubled boy from a Neo-Nazi family who is sent to a juvenile detention center after stabbing his dad who ends up being fostered by an interracial couple. Based on the true story of John Buultgens, the young boy overcomes his past and soars into his future on a BMX bicycle. The film stars Chris Bridges (Ludacris), Sasha Alexander, and newcomer Shane Graham.

FORREST LUCAS, Executive Producer By any measure Forrest Lucas is an extraordinary presence in U.S. entrepreneurial success stories. Born in Jackson County and raised in Brown and Bartholomew counties in Indiana, Forrest purchased his first truck, a 1948 Ford dump truck powered by a ’55 Thunderbird engine, at the age of 18. Three years later he bought a new 1963 Chevrolet, C-60 series with a 327-cubic-inch gas engine and signed on with Mayflower Moving and Storage, serving as the youngest owner-operator in the fleet.

For the next few years his life consisted of building up his fleet and manhandling his trucks from coast to coast carrying freight one way and furniture the other. But, his maintenance problems caused by the poor quality of available commercial truck lubricants nearly forced him out of business until he began to mix and match and then market his own formulas.

Today Lucas Oil Products, Inc is the world leader of High Performance Lubricants and Problem Solving Additives and produces and markets more than 100 unique products in more than 34 countries around the world, and is growing market by market every year. Today you can purchase Lucas Products in Asia including China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam; Western Europe including the UK, Ireland, France and Poland; as far south as Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand; throughout Central, North and South America including Mexico, Colombia and Brazil and are currently opening new markets in Africa.

ALI AFSHAR, Producer Raised in Northern California, Ali Afshar grew up in the green Sonoma Mountains of Petaluma but relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He learned from some of the most talented teachers available in Los Angeles and quickly booked principle roles in commercials and movies (credits include Three Kings, He’s Just Not that Into You), which enabled him to pay for tuition at California State University Northridge, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology.

While pursuing his acting career, Ali also founded Easy Street Motorsports (also known as ESX), an automotive performance and race facility that eventually lead him to race for Subaru of America for over seven years and achieve a certain celebrity racing status. Ali also created the exclusive and highly anticipated “Ali Afshar Signature Series” line of Aston Martin and Subaru vehicles that are sold directly through Subaru and Aston Martin dealerships across the nation. Ali also built the one of a kind, carbon fiber, full tube chassis, 1400HP, all-wheel drive Subaru. This Subaru set the record for the Worlds Quickest and Fastest All Wheel Drive car and the Worlds Fastest Subaru! This Subaru thunders down the 1/4 mile in 7 seconds at over 175 MPH!

In 2014, Ali partnered with Forrest Lucas of the Lucas Oil empire, including the Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl Stadium “Lucas Oil Stadium”, Lucas Cattle and MAV TV, to create a slate of four social issue drama feature films. This slate included: “The Wrong Side of Right”, filmed in late summer 2014; and “The Wizard”, starring Oscar winner Jon Voight in a story best described “The Karate Kid meets Remember the Titans with a touch of Rocky, which is a heartfelt coming of age story of perseverance in the face of adversity that filmed Summer 2015; “Running Wild” starring Sharon Stone; and “Pray for Rain” starring Jane Seymour.

In 2016 Ali produced “Dirt”, a high-speed action car racing film with heart, and in 2016 he also produced “Ride”, a true story of an underdog and abused young man who became a BMX bicycle world champion.

Ali currently resides in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and is splitting his time between acting, producing, and racing. Stay tuned in for the most updated information from Ali by regularly visiting the following websites: www.aliafshar.com and www.esxproductions.com

CHRISTINA MOORE, Writer/Producer Christina Moore, known for her success as an actress (HBO “True Blood”, The CW “90210”, The Disney Channel “Jessie”), has recently added writing and producing to her long resume.

“Running Wild” starring Sharon Stone and Tommy Flanagan was released in select theaters and VOD in February 2017. The film is a picturesque, dramatic piece about a Ranch Socialite who after finding wild horses on her property, risks everything to create a Prison Rehabilitation Equine Program. Moore co-penned the movie, produced it and stars as Stone’s evil sister, Jennifer Hutchins.

Moore also co-wrote and co-produced “Pray for Rain” starring Jane Seymour and Paul Rodriguez. The film is a gritty murder mystery set in Central California as it has been ravaged by drought.

Moore has another ESX Entertainment production under her belt called “Dirt.” She produced the film and plays the female lead as wife to Kevin Dillon. “Dirt” is a fun, action film set in the world of off road dirt track racing. It will be released late 2017.

PRAY FOR RAIN – Available on DVD July 18 VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT Presents A Forrest Films and ESX Entertainment Production Film by Alex Ranarivelo Theatrical Release Date: …

#Annabelle Stephenson #James Morrison #Jane Seymour #John Ducey #Nicholas Gonzalez #Paul Rodriguez #PRAY FOR RAIN

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