#blacque love
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PHILON AWARDS
KiScon is honoured to host the Philon Awards. Established by Jenna Sinclair and Shelley Butler in 1997, they were an annual event organised by The K/S Press to honour outstanding authors and artists in K/S fandom. With the permission and support of Jenna and Shelley, KiScon is resuming this beautiful tradition.
Philon Awards 2023 Winners
(officially announced on 5 Nov 2023, at KiScon)
Short fic (word count under 10K):
🏆 Gold: Spock 🖖 by vaksur & WerewolvesAreReal 🏆
Silver: One In A Myriad of Little Dwelling Places by CampySpaceSlime
Long fic (word count 10K-50K):
🏆 Gold: Red is by spirkme 🏆 (ex aequo)
🏆 Gold: Rain Dogs by gunstreet 🏆 (ex aequo)
🏆 Gold: Milk and Honey by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin) 🏆 (ex aequo)
Silver: Untouched by SButler
Novella/novel (word count over 50K):
🏆 Gold: First, Best Destiny, Part Two by Ophelia_j 🏆
Silver: Time After Time by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin)
Podfic:
🏆 Gold: Communicators Can’t Scan (or, how Jim Kirk learned to stop worrying and love the Vulcanese) by 1lostone 🏆 (ex aequo)
🏆 Gold: Injured by 1lostone 🏆 (ex aequo)
Silver: Interior Harmony by 1lostone
Traditional art:
🏆 Gold: Marooned? Honeymoon? Honeymarooned? by subterraneanna 🏆
Silver: Spock by the Pool by SButler
Digital art:
🏆 Gold: The Meddling Captain (Comic) by lorvee 🏆
Silver: Heaven… when I held you again. How could we ever just be friends? by BataSann
Poetry:
🏆 Gold: The Mountains I Climb by USS_Queertastic 🏆
Silver: Come Home With Me by ForFucksSakeJim
Zines:
🏆 Gold: The AOS Renaissance Zine 🏆
Silver: Legends #10 by Dovya Blacque (Ed.)
Philon Awards 2023 Shortlist
(in alphabetical order of the title; shortlist based on the results of the nominations phase)
Short fic (word count under 10K):
An old earth custom by pkrosche
Can We Always Be This Close? by ForFucksSakeJim
Fatal Vision by ikoliholic
I [43M] wish to tell my friend [40M] that it’d be logical for us to get married by Smile_Edgeworth
One In A Myriad of Little Dwelling Places by CampySpaceSlime
Spock 🖖 by vaksur & WerewolvesAreReal
The Tropiest of Tropes by Spirkme
Long fic (word count 10K-50K):
already, and always by flipthebits
Catspaw of Another Kind by Borealisblue
Distance of Time by yassifiedjimkirk
Home in a Mug by Lizzy0305
Milk and Honey by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin)
Rain Dogs by gunstreet
Red is by spirkme
Reservations — A Sequel to Desire/Reserve by Herself_nyc
Social Graces by gunstreet
The Prince and The Vulcan by TonightNoPoetryWillServe
Untouched by SButler
Variations on a bitter theme by OrpheaAria
Novella/novel (word count over 50K):
First, Best Destiny, Part Two by Ophelia_j
The Promised Land by gunstreet
This Must Be the Place by gunstreet
Time After Time by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin)
to assess the equation of you by uhuraprime
Podfic:
Communicators Can’t Scan (or, how Jim Kirk learned to stop worrying and love the Vulcanese) by 1lostone
For the Greater Good by cookiemom6067
Injured by 1lostone
Interior Harmony by 1lostone
Mistletoe Kisses by 1lostone
Traditional art:
AOS Spock Portrait by Nic
Blooming Kiss by Purple_Enma
Marooned? Honeymoon? Honeymarooned? by subterraneanna
Spock by the Pool by SButler
Spock's Lyre by lorvee
The Golden Couple by Purple_Enma
Digital art:
A little sweet, a little spicy: k/s gingerbread cookies by PageofWands
Heaven… when I held you again. How could we ever just be friends? by BataSann
The Honeymoon Postcard by lorvee
The Meddling Captain (Comic) by lorvee
TOS Kirk/Spock in SNW Dress Uniforms by BataSann
Poetry:
Asleep by alainanmccoy
Come Home With Me by ForFucksSakeJim
Diamonds for You by Orabla
I’m the X (Reprise) by eigenvectrix
The Mountains I Climb by USS_Queertastic
Zines:
The AOS Renaissance Zine
Legends #10 by Dovya Blacque (Ed.)
#kiscon#KiScon2023#KiScon 2023#k/s#kirk/spock#spacehusbands#spirk#james t kirk#spock#thyla#my thyla my captain#t'hy'la#star trek tos#star trek aos#star trek snw
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Philon Awards 2023 Shortlist / Voting Form
(in alphabetical order of the title; shortlist based on the results of the nominations phase)
Short fic (word count under 10K):
An old earth custom by pkrosche
Can We Always Be This Close? by ForFucksSakeJim
Fatal Vision by ikoliholic
I [43M] wish to tell my friend [40M] that it’d be logical for us to get married by Smile_Edgeworth
One In A Myriad of Little Dwelling Places by CampySpaceSlime
Spock 🖖 by vaksur & WerewolvesAreReal
The Tropiest of Tropes by Spirkme
Long fic (word count 10K-50K):
already, and always by flipthebits
Catspaw of Another Kind by Borealisblue
Distance of Time by yassifiedjimkirk
Home in a Mug by Lizzy0305
Milk and Honey by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin)
Rain Dogs by gunstreet
Red is by spirkme
Reservations — A Sequel to Desire/Reserve by Herself_nyc
Social Graces by gunstreet
The Prince and The Vulcan by TonightNoPoetryWillServe
Untouched by SButler
Variations on a bitter theme by OrpheaAria
Novella/novel (word count over 50K):
First, Best Destiny, Part Two by Ophelia_j
The Promised Land by gunstreet
This Must Be the Place by gunstreet
Time After Time by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin)
to assess the equation of you by uhuraprime
Podfic:
Communicators Can’t Scan (or, how Jim Kirk learned to stop worrying and love the Vulcanese) by 1lostone
For the Greater Good by cookiemom6067
Injured by 1lostone
Interior Harmony by 1lostone
Mistletoe Kisses by 1lostone
Traditional art:
AOS Spock Portrait by Nic
Blooming Kiss by Purple_Enma
Marooned? Honeymoon? Honeymarooned? by subterraneanna
Spock by the Pool by SButler
Spock's Lyre by lorvee
The Golden Couple by Purple_Enma
Digital art:
A little sweet, a little spicy: k/s gingerbread cookies by PageofWands
Heaven… when I held you again. How could we ever just be friends? by BataSann
The Honeymoon Postcard by lorvee
The Meddling Captain (Comic) by lorvee
TOS Kirk/Spock in SNW Dress Uniforms by BataSann
Poetry:
Asleep by alainanmccoy
Come Home With Me by ForFucksSakeJim
Diamonds for You by Orabla
I’m the X (Reprise) by eigenvectrix
The Mountains I Climb by USS_Queertastic
Zines:
The AOS Renaissance Zine
Legends #10 by Dovya Blacque (Ed.)
Rules
Voting is open from 10 September to 1 November, 2023 (11:59 p.m. EDT). You do not need to be a registered KiScon member in order to vote; voting is open to every K/S fan.
In each category there will be a Gold (first place) and a Silver (second place) winner.
The winners will be announced during KiScon 2023 (3-5 Nov). Each winner will receive a certificate and a small prize; we will contact the winners after the convention weekend.
You need to be logged into your Google account in order to submit the voting form; this ensures that people do not vote multiple times for the same work. If we suspect sockpuppet activity, we will get in touch for clarification. We keep the voting process completely confidential! Only the KiScon concom will see the submitted forms.
In each category you can pick one work.
You can submit the form only once, but you can edit your responses if you need to add or change something (just follow the link in the email you receive after submitting the form). You cannot edit your responses after voting has closed, so make sure you have picked your favourite in all categories that are important to you.
Yes, you *can* vote for your own work(s). We won't judge you. ;-)
And here's the link to the voting sheet!
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Anyways I love cryptid crush bc the protagonist is BLACQUE. And nonbiney like me :]
AND YOU CAN TOGGLE FOR FEM OR MASC VOICE.
#it was like it was made for me bc im an avid monster and furry enthusiast#atlas is so sillay in this episode/chapter/part i love him /p#we are besties.#toony goes live#i mean. i played it 2 hours ago but ig it still counts#talking
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ZIEGFELD FOLLIES
April 8, 1946
Directors: Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth. Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney,
Norman Taurog, Charles Walters. Robert Lewis
Producer: Arthur Freed for Metro Goldwyn Mayer
The shooting schedule ran between April 10 and August 18, 1944, with retakes plus additional segments filmed on December 22, 1944 and then between January 25 and February 6, 1945. The film was first proposed in 1939.
Synopsis ~ We meet a grayed, immaculately garbed Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. in Paradise (his diary entry reads "Another heavenly day"), where he looks down upon the world and muses over the sort of show he'd be putting on were he still alive.
PRINCIPAL CAST
Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies') is appearing in her 64th film since coming to Hollywood in 1933.
Fred Astaire ('Here's to the Ladies' / Raffles in 'This Heart of Mine' / Tai Long in 'Limehouse Blues’ / Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), and Follow the Fleet (1936). His name was mentioned twice on “I Love Lucy.”
Lucille Bremer (Princess in 'This Heart of Mine' / Moy Ling in 'Limehouse Blues')
Fanny Brice (Norma Edelman in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') appeared in the original stage version of many editions of The Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway.
Judy Garland (The Star in 'A Great Lady Has An Interview') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).
Kathryn Grayson (Kathryn Grayson in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).
Lena Horne (Lena Horne in 'Love') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).
Gene Kelly (Gentleman in 'The Babbit and the Bromide') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). He made an appearance on the Lucille Ball special “Lucy Moves to NBC” (1980).
James Melton (Alfredo in 'La Traviata')
Victor Moore (Lawyer's Client in 'Pay the Two Dollars')
Red Skelton (J. Newton Numbskull in 'When Television Comes') also starred with Lucille Ball in Having Wonderful Time (1938), Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950). On TV he appeared on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in “Lucy Goes To Alaska” (1958). Ball and Skelton appeared in numerous TV specials together.
Esther Williams (Esther Williams in 'A Water Ballet') also appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946).
William Powell (Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.) also played the same character in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).
Edward Arnold (Lawyer in 'Pay the Two Dollars') appeared with Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933) and Ellis in Freedomland (1952).
Marion Bell (Violetta in 'La Traviata')
Cyd Charisse (Ballerina in 'Beauty') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943).
Hume Cronyn (Monty in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') was honored by The Kennedy Center in 1986, at the same ceremony as Lucille Ball.
William Frawley (Martin in 'A Sweepstakes Ticket') played the role of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”. He also appeared on “The Lucy Show,” his final screen appearance.
Robert Lewis (Chinese Gentleman in 'Limehouse Blues' / Telephone Voice in 'Number Please')
Virginia O'Brien (Virginia O'Brien in 'Here's to the Ladies') also starred with Lucille Ball in Thousands Cheer (1943), Du Barry Was A Lady (1943), and Meet The People (1944).
Keenan Wynn (Caller in 'Number Please') appeared with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946), Without Love (1945), and The Long, Long Trailer (1954).
SUPPORTING CAST
Ziegfeld Girls
Karin Booth
Lucille Casey
Aina Constant
Elizabeth Dailey
Frances Donelan
Natalie Draper
Karen X. Gaylord
Aileen Haley
Carol Haney
Shirlee Howard
Margaret Laurence
Helen O'Hara
Noreen Roth
Elaine Shepard
Kay Thompson
Dorothy Tuttle
Dorothy Van Nuys
Eve Whitney - appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15).
Dancers
Gloria Joy Arden
Jean Ashton
Irene Austin
Judi Blacque
Bonnie Barlowe
Norman Borine
Hazel Brooks
Ed Brown
Kathleen Cartmill
Jack Cavan
Marilyn Christine
Laura Corbay
Rita Dunn
Meredyth Durrell
Shawn Ferguson
Jeanne Francis
Jean French
Mary Jane French
David Gray
Bill Hawley
Doreen Hayward
Charlotte Hunter
Virginia Hunter
Patricia Jackson
Margaret Kays
Laura Knight
Laura Lane
Dale Lefler
Melvin Martin
Diane Meredith
Lorraine Miller
Joyce Murray
Janet Nevis
Ray Nyles
Billy O'Shay
Jane Ray
Dorothy Raye
Beth Renner
Melba Snowden
Walter Stane
Ivon Starr
Robert Trout
Chorus Boys
Rod Alexander
Milton Chisholm
Dick D'Arcy
Dante DiPaolo
Don Hulbert
Herb Lurie
Matt Mattox
Bert May - appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford”
Jack Purcell
Tommy Rall
Ricky Ricardi (!)
Alex Romero
“LIMEHOUSE BLUES” starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, and Robert Lewis
Robert Ames (Masked Man)
James Barron (Couple with Banners)
Eleanor Bayley (Couple with Branches)
Mary Jo Ellis (Couple with Banners)
Sean Francis (Ensemble)
James King (Rooster)
Harriet Lee (Bar Singer)
Eugene Loring (Costermonger)
Charles Lunard (Masked Man)
Patricia Lynn (Ensemble)
Ruth Merman (Ensemble)
Garry Owen (1st Subway Policeman)
Ellen Ray (Couple with Parasols)
Jack Regas (Masked Man)
Billy Shead (Couple with Parasols)
Ronald Stanton (Couple with Branches)
Wanda Stevenson (Ensemble)
Ray Teal (2nd Subway Policeman)
“LOVE” starring Lena Horne
Juliette Ball (Club Patron)
Lennie Bluett (Dancer)
Suzette Harbin (Flirt)
Avanelle Harris (Club Patron)
Maggie Hathaway (Dancer)
Charles Hawkins (Club Patron)
Marie Bryant (Woman Getting Her Man Taken)
Cleo Herndon (Dancer)
“THIS HEART OF MINE” starring Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer
Helen Boyce (Countess)
Feodor Chaliapin Jr. (Lieutenant)
Naomi Childers (Duchess)
Charles Coleman (Majordomo)
Sam Flint (Majordomo's Assistant)
Sidney Gordon (Masked Man)
Count Stefenelli (Count)
Robert Wayne (Dyseptic)
“PAY THE TWO DOLLARS” starring Edward Arnold and Victor Moore
William Bailey (Subway Passenger)
Joseph Crehan (1st Judge) - played a Detective on “I Love Lucy” “The Great Train Robbery”
William B. Davidson (2nd Judge)
Eddie Dunn (3rd Subway Policeman)
Harry Hayden (Warden)
George Hill (2nd Subway Policeman)
Wilbur Mack (Subway Passenger)
Larry Steers (Magistrate)
“NUMBER PLEASE” starring Keenan Wynn
Peter Lawford (Voice of Porky)
Grady Sutton (Texan)
Audrey Totter (Phone Operator Voice)
Kay Williams (Girl)
OTHERS
Bunin's Puppets
Elise Cavanna (Tall Woman)
Jack Deery (Man)
Rex Evans (Butler in "A Great Lady Has An Interview”)
Sam Garrett (Roping / Twirling Act)
Silver (Horse in "Here's to the Ladies')
Arthur Walsh (Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket") - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11).
‘FOLLIES’ TRIVIA
Sidney Guilaroff, Lucille Ball’s hair dresser, who takes responsibility for her famous ‘golden red’ for this movie, becoming her trademark color.
Although they appear in different segments, this is the only feature film collaboration between “I Love Lucy co-stars" Lucille Ball and William Frawley. Coincidently, Frawley's character in this film shares a striking similarity with his iconic character of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” In this film he plays a money-hungry curmudgeon of a landlord, much like the show. In the above photo, he appears with director Minnelli and co-star Brice.
The horse ridden by Lucille Ball is the Lone Ranger's Silver!
Lucille Ball was actually fired by Ziegfeld from his road company production of Rio Rita in the 1930s.
In February 1956, Lucy and Desi appeared on “MGM Parade” to promote their MGM film Forever Darling. The show also included footage of Lena Horne singing from Ziegfeld Follies.
Lucy also played a showgirl in pink in “Lucy Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;E19) aired on February 21, 1955. The scene was inspired by Ziegfeld’s legendary stage shows featuring beautiful women wearing elaborate costumes navigating long staircases. To solidify the comparison, Ricky says he is going to a meeting with Mr. Minnelli. Vincente Minnelli was one of the directors of Ziegfeld Follies.
Lucy Ricardo had previously cavorted around in a lampshade in the manner of a Ziegfeld girl in both the unaired pilot and “The Audition” (S1;E6).
Ziegfeld Follies includes a sketch for Red Skelton called “When Television Comes” aka “Guzzler’s Gin” in which a (future) television spokesman gets increasingly sloshed on his product. This sketch was an obvious influence on Lucy’s Vitameatavegamin routine in “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (ILL S1;E30) aired on May 5, 1952.
Ziegfeld Girl Eve Whitney appeared on “I Love Lucy” episode “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15). She used her own name for the character.
The Telegraph Boy in "A Sweepstakes Ticket" Arthur Walsh - appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11) as Arthur ‘King Cat’ Walsh. He teaches Lucy how to jitterbug.
The first Judge in the “Pay the Two Dollars” James Crehan also played the Police Detective on “I Love Lucy in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5) first aired on October 31, 1955.
Porky, a voice on the telephone in “Number Please” Peter Lawford, played “Password” against Lucille Ball on September 24, 1964. At the time, Lawford was married to President Kennedy’s sister, Patricia. On November 26, 1968, Ball was a guest on “The Tonight Show” when Peter Lawford was sitting in for Johnny Carson.
Chorus Boy Bert May appeared as a solo dancer on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford” (TLS S5;E21) in February 1967.
In the dressing room, Lucy jokes with Fanny Brice, one of the funniest women in showbusiness. This was the only time Ball and Brice collaborated and was Brice’s last film.
Ziegfeld’s follies began on Broadway, so it was appropriate that the show featured past and future Broadway musical stars:
Lucille Ball ~ Wildcat (1960)
Carol Haney ~ The Pajama Game (1954)
Tommy Rall ~ Call Me Madame (1950)
Fanny Brice ~ The Ziegfeld Follies
Marion Bell ~ Brigadoon (1947)
Victor Moore ~ Anything Goes (1934)
There was a lot of material that was not filmed, but written and cast. Some of the original skits would have added “Lucy” performers Mickey Rooney, Ann Sothern, and Van Johnson to the cast.
#Ziegfeld Follies#Lucille Ball#Florenz Ziegfeld#1946#MGM#Fanny Brice#Fred Astaire#William Frawley#Arthur Walsh#Eve Whitney#Bert May#peter lawford#James Crehan#I love lucy#Red Skelton#Keenan Wynn#Gene Kelly#Judy Garland#Esther Williams#Lucille Bremer#Lena Horne#Vincente Minnelli#William Powell#Cyd Charisse
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I love your blog, I find it very inspiring… I think that you are extraordinary for embracing our Blacque Mystical Beings…
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My Top 10 Songs
So, @olympiahell tagged me in this thing where you list the top 10 songs you've been listening to lately (or for the last 10 years if you're me). This was a bit hard since I literally listen to hundreds of songs a month, but I'll try 😂 1.) "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" by Donny Osmond (from some Disney movie I guess? I think Mulan. I don't know. I just love Donny Osmond) 2.) "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles (I hate myself too) 3.) "Part Of Your World" by someone? Idk it's from The Little Mermaid though 4.) "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic (this band!!! Go check them out) 5.) "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Julianne Hough from Grease! Live (this is so fucking good I love Jules omg) 6.) "No Diggity" by Blackstreet (because yes) 7.) "Bring It All To Me" by Blacque featuring JC Chasez (if any of y'all are 'NSYNC trash HIT ME UP) 8.) "No Scrubs" by TLC (you already know what's going on) 9.) "You've Got Time" by Regina Spektor (I actually could put any song by her on here. I love her so, so much. I just chose this since I've also been watching Orange Is The New Black. Please go check her out. I'll give you song suggestions if you need any). 10.) "Til There Was You" by The Beatles ("I never swore them winging" is the correct line fight me) And also add anything sung by Steven Tyler because that man's voice 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 But I could do this 100 times over with different songs each time but yeah. Enjoy. (Guess what I'm actually going to do? I'm going to tag people! Only a few, though, since I don't know 10 people). Tagging: Mrs. Andrew Cuomo, @dishthesoap as well as @thanatosdementor, @kanadianwithashippingproblem, @bigheartcas, @honeybee-and-batman, @soulllesssam, and I don't know anyone else tbh
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Oliver & Company
Release Date: November 18th, 1988
Inspiration: “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens
Budget: $31 million
Domestic Gross: $74 million
Worldwide Gross: $121 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 51%
IMDB Score: 6.7/10
Storyline (per IMDB): Inspired by Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist”. A homeless kitten named Oliver, roams the streets of New York, where he is taken in by a gang of homeless mutts who survive by stealing from others. During one of these criminal acts, Oliver meets a wealthy young girl named Jenny Foxworth. This meeting will forever change his life.
Pre-Watching Thoughts: We continue on through the 1980s with another film that has been sharply divided in its place as a classic in the Disney film canon. There are some that think that this film is also very underrated while some think that it is one of the weaker films in the canon, and I can honestly say that I might have seen this film at least once in my life though my memories of it are very vague. Knowing what the next film in the canon is after this, it will be interesting to see how this film ends up being as a lead-in to that one and I hope that it ends up being enjoyable.
Voice Cast: As I had mentioned in the previous few films, we were now starting to see a decline in the number of returning actors as most of the names that dominated the last two decades have now been phased out and each film pretty much as a fresh cast going forward. Case in point, we only have one returning actor here and that is Frank Welker who voices a hot dog vendor and it is a bit funny that an actor best known for voicing animated dogs voices a human in a film where most of the main characters are dogs. We now move onto the newcomers and there are a lot of big names in this film which also becomes more of a staple going forward, and we start off with Joey Lawrence who voices Oliver in what was one of his first major roles as he was still a child. We then have music icon Billy Joel who voices Dodger in what would be one of his only film appearances, and then we have legendary comedian Cheech Marin who voices Tito and it is funny seeing him in an animated film given his career to this point. We then have TV icon Richard Mulligan who voices Einstein as he was starting to wind down his career by this point, and then we have Roscoe Lee Browne who voices Francis as he was at the peak of his career at this point. Next, we have Sheryl Lee Ralph who voices Rita with legendary singer Ruth Pointer providing the singing voice, and then we have Dom DeLuise who voices Fagin as he was in the midst of his biggest run in terms of animated films. We then have Taurean Blacque and Carl Weintraub who voice Roscoe and DeSoto as both wouldn’t appear in many films after this, and then we have another legend in Robert Loggia who voices Sykes as he was hitting the peak of his career as well. Up next, we have Natalie Gregory who voices Jenny with Myhanh Tran providing the singing voice, and then we have William Glover as Winston and finally we have the legendary Bette Midler who voices Georgette as she was also at the height of her career. Looking back, this might actually be the most star-studded cast in the history of the Disney film canon to this point and we will see going forward if any future film matches the star power of this film.
Hero/Prince: Looking at this film, it doesn’t seem like on the surface that the film would feature a hero though very clearly the film does in fact have a hero, and going even further the film really has two heroes that we can talk about. The first one is the main character Oliver the cat who is the only kitten not adopted when the rest of his family is, and he searches for an owner before stumbling upon the other hero in the film Dodger who first hustles him out of food they stole. But when Oliver stumbles upon Dodger and his friends, they accept him into the group and Dodger becomes Oliver’s mentor as their owner Fagin also brings Oliver into the group. They try to hustle the occupants of a limo only for Oliver to be discovered by Jenny Foxworth who takes him into her home, and Dodger and the others bring Oliver back to Fagin who plans to ransom Oliver for money to realize that Jenny wanted him back and he gives Oliver away. However, Sykes kidnaps the two and plans to hold them hostage until Dodger and his gang come to save them, and Oliver is eventually adopted by Jenny though he remains close to Dodger and the gang. Oliver and Dodger are pretty much different in every way as Oliver longs to be owned by a family while Dodger is content with being a stray, and Dodger is very street savvy and smart as he tries to teach Oliver everything he knows. In the end, Dodger realizes the true meaning of friendship as he helps save Oliver and Jenny and while he is sad that Oliver stays with Penny, Oliver assures him that they will remain close. Comparing them to the other heroes to this point, Oliver and Dodger will more than likely rank pretty low against the rest of them and it will be interesting to see if they don’t end up near the bottom of the rankings.
Princess: N/A
Villain: Obviously when it comes to the Disney film canon, there are many villains that are easily recognizable and come right to your head when you think about it, but there are a few villains that you might need to really think about when it comes to remembering them. Case in point, we have the villain of this film who we only know as Sykes and he is a shipyard agent and loan shark who lends money to Fagin and expected to be paid back under the threat of violence. He learns that Fagin intends to hold Oliver hostage in exchange for a large sum of money not realizing that he was dealing with Jenny, and Fagin relents and gives Oliver back to Jenny only for Sykes to kidnap both and he declares Fagin’s debt paid. Fagin, Dodger, and the gang attempt to rescue Jenny and Oliver only to be confronted by Sykes and his Dobermans, Roscoe and DeSoto as they chase them through the subway, and the Dobermans are electrocuted when they fall onto the tracks and then Sykes meets his end when he collides with a speeding train and the fiery remains fall off the bridge into the river. Sykes is a pretty typical bully comparable to a mob boss as he has his connections and can be very intimidating, and like most villains he considers himself untouchable though that proves not to be the case when his car is destroyed by the train and he is sent to a watery tomb. It is also very fitting that he ends up being thrown into the river which is typical for mobs to cast their victims into a body of water, and while he might not be as completely memorable as some of the other Disney villains he is still a pretty solid villain and it may be surprising where he ends up being ranked.
Other Characters: This is an interesting film because we see a lot of people walking the streets and more importantly, a lot of dogs running around though there are only a handful of characters that ultimately matter to the film. We start off with Dodger’s pack of friends in Tito the chihuahua who is feisty and brave despite his size and he falls in love with Georgette, and then there is Francis the bulldog who is sophisticated and cultured as he utilizes his acting when needed. We then have Einstein the Great Dane who may not be the smartest, but he is the friendliest and means well despite his low IQ, and then we have Rita the Saluki who acts as the defacto leader and keeps everyone in line while taking a liking to Oliver. We then have their owner Fagin who is a simple pickpocket who is in debt to Sykes and he even attempts to ransom Oliver, but he ends up returning him to Jenny and then he helps save Jenny along with Oliver, Dodger, and the gang. We then have Jenny Foxworth whose parents are wealthy though they are constantly away on business, and she quickly falls in love with Oliver and even offers to pay for him though Fagin declines and returns Oliver to her. She is then kidnapped by Sykes and Fagin and the dogs save them and become her friends, even being there for her birthday party and then we have her butler Winston who is a bit bumbling but he is devoted in his care of Jenny. We then have Georgette the poodle who is a champion purebred and detests Oliver at first to the point that she helps the dogs take him back, but she comes around on him and even falls in love with Tito. Next, we have Sykes’ two Dobermans Roscoe and DeSoto who are trained to attack at the snap of Sykes’ fingers, and they try to kill Oliver only for Dodger to fight them and they are tossed onto the subway tracks where they are electrocuted. Finally we should mention Old Louie the hotdog vendor who gets some of his product stolen by Oliver and Dodger, and again it is always interesting when there are more animal characters than human though animals as main characters is a pretty common trope for Disney films.
Songs: After having a film that had absolutely no songs in it and then a film that only had three songs in it, we revert back to what was the standard and that is having a medley of songs as Disney was beginning to experiment with having their films be more like musicals and this was really the first to test that theory. We start off with the song “Once Upon a Time in New York City” sung by legendary singer Huey Lewis and it is a good song to set the table for the film, and then we have “Why Should I Worry?” sung by Dodger as we see why Billy Joel is one of the best singers of all time and we learn about who Dodger really is. Next, we have “Streets of Gold” sung by Rita as she and the gang try to teach Oliver how to be like them and it is a fun song with a good beat, and then we have “Perfect Isn’t Easy” sung by Georgette as she sings about how perfect she is and Bette Midler does a great job in making you love Georgette even with how snobby she is. Finally, we have the song “Good Company” sung by Jenny as she sings a nice song about how her and Oliver will become friends given that she is all by herself with her parents away. The songs are fairly good and they work well for the film, but there isn’t that song that helps put them over the top and they more than likely won’t rank very high amongst the other songs.
Plot: Now with all the films that we have seen up to this point, the majority of them have been straight up adaptations of the books or novels that they are inspired by while a few of them are in essence original screenplays with elements from the novel included. This is one of those cases as this film is inspired by Charles Dickens classic book “Oliver Twist”, but it is a lot more modern with Oliver being turned into a kitten while Dodger and his gang are dogs and the human characters have certain aspects of the characters in the novel incorporated into their characters. Oliver is a kitten that is not adopted and he tries to survive the streets of New York, and he meets Dodger who helps him steal a string of hotdogs only to take them for himself and he brings them to his gang. Oliver follows him and he is welcomed in by the gang which are owned by Fagin who is in debt to Sykes and Sykes gives him 3 days to pay him back, and they work to find items for Fagin to pawn only for Oliver to be picked up by Jenny who brings him back to her mansion. Dodger and the gang think Oliver was taken and they retrieve him before returning to Fagin who decides to ransom Oliver thinking a rich man now owns him, but he realizes that it is Jenny that comes for him and Fagin gives Oliver back not knowing Sykes followed him and he takes Jenny looking to get money from her parents. Oliver, Dodger, the gang, and Fagin rescue Jenny and Sykes chases them down into the subway where they avoid a train and Sykes is killed when his car collides with it, and Oliver decides to stay with Jenny though he remains friends with Dodger and the gang. I’m sure if anyone went into this film thinking that it would be a faithful adaptation of “Oliver Twist” were probably disappointed, but those that hadn’t read the book might’ve been swayed to pick it up and read it themselves to get a better aspect of the novel.
Random Watching Thoughts: It is always a bit weird watching old films with New York City being the setting and seeing the Twin Towers; Shameless product advertising in Times Square with Sony, Coca-Cola, Tab, USA Today, Kodak, Yamaha, and National Auto Sales; Who just leaves a box of kittens on the sidewalk in New York City, and who’s watching over them especially if they are charging $5 a kitten?; Someone was watching the box because they changed the price from $5 to free, yet they didn’t bother to make sure Oliver was taken; That box must’ve really gotten wet if it just fell apart so easily; That was quite the place for Oliver to sleep, on top of a truck tire; New York Yankees hat; Maybe it’s just me, but I never figured Oliver was a fan of rap; That little kid clearly wanted to have Oliver yet for some reason, the mom wouldn’t let them unless she thought Oliver belonged to someone else even though he didn’t have a collar; I was expecting the hotdog vendor to shout “I’m walking here!” in an homage to Dustin Hoffman in “Midnight Cowboy”; A hotdog vendor who sings Italian opera; He must have great pride in his hotdogs if he calls them the best in New York; I don’t know if I would want to buy a hotdog from a guy who is smoking a cigar because the ashes might get in the sauerkraut; Dodger didn’t seem like the kind of character that would make puns; So Dodger doesn’t eat cats because they have too much fur, but what about cats that don’t have fur?; Not only was Louie smoking a cigar, but he has flies all around him; Oliver says he can feel the beat of the city when he was really feeling the vibrations from a nearby jackhammer; Dodger could’ve at least warned Oliver he was going to pretend to chase him, but I guess it did elicit a real reaction from Oliver; Dodger just grabbed those hotdogs and casually walked away while Oliver had to run for his life; That is a pretty dick move by Dodger to not give Oliver at least one hotdog after he did most of the work; They should be lucky that cement wasn’t quick-dry; Dodger should be careful playing with that water because he might get the hotdogs wet; Poor Oliver turned into a big ball of fuzz by being air-dried; A fun note is the visual of Dodger with the sunglasses was inspired by Billy Joel’s image at the time to the point they even had Dodger playing a piano; It looks like we got random appearances by Jock, Trusty, and Peggy from “Lady and the Tramp” along with Pongo from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”; I don’t think I would want a collection of dogs just walking down the street blocking traffic, especially in New York City with how people drive there; Dodger walked a long way to get back to his hideout, I’m shocked the hotdogs didn’t go dry; A bulldog who is cultured in Shakespeare; Tito asks if Macbeth gets the girl not realizing that Lady Macbeth had already killed herself out of regret and fear; Francis is so bent on being called “Francis” and not “Frank” or “Frankie”; Tito says they need good, quality stuff yet nothing in that box matches the description; Dodger tells this elaborate story about getting the hotdogs and heavily embellishes Oliver’s appearance; Tito cries “Gang War” but how many gangs of dogs are there really?; Fagin should’ve realized that holding that box of dog biscuits in front of him was going to be a bad idea; That’s quite the perilous path to get from the pier down to the tugboat; It would be interesting to know how much money Fagin actually borrowed from Sykes because given how mobsters like to include “interest”, Fagin probably owed a lot of money to him; Fagin must’ve pulled with all his might if he could pull the side mirror off that easily; You have to give Tito credit for his willingness to fight Roscoe and DeSoto despite his size; Roscoe has a twisted sense of humor if he finds breaking a TV funny; Sykes clearly says that Fagin has 3 days yet Fagin’s version of math came out to 9 days; So it looks like this film takes place in real time because the calendar very faintly says 1988 which was the year the film was released; Those dogs are pretty loyal to Fagin though he clearly cares about them; Fagin was all ready to go to bed until Einstein gave him the book to read to them; Dodger had no issues with conning Oliver out of the hotdogs, but he quickly warmed up to him enough to let him share the same bed; Saying that dead men don’t buy dog food really puts things into perspective; I don’t know what section of the Wall Street Journal would have the type of “investment banking” that Tito is referencing; $1 for 5 apples is a pretty good bargain; More Coca-Cola advertisement; Oliver has becoming so engrossed in this group that he is even barking like a dog; Poor Jenny, she had to have the parents that are constantly away; Francis was really dramatic in his acting; The way Tito mentioned taking the car to Atlantic City gives you the impression that he thinks it’s just a short drive away; Poor Tito just became an electrified pinball; Einstein was knocked loopy when he hit the car yet got better when the light fell on his head; Jenny must be very confident in the belief that her parents won’t mind her bringing in Oliver; That was a quick transition for Winston to get out of the tie and put the bowtie and apron on; It is a bit fitting that Better Midler is voicing Georgette since Midler is a Diva and Georgette is also clearly a diva; The dogs must really love Georgette if one of them gave up chasing a cat and another dragged his doghouse the whole way just to hear her; What the hell is Jenny making that she made that large of a mess?; You would think Jenny would’ve at least found another bowl and not just assumed she could use Georgette’s; I get Jenny lives in a big house, but 200 people living there is a major exaggeration; Why is Jenny and Oliver just running around Central Park by themselves and where is Winston?; So when I was starting to write this review, I kept mistakenly writing Penny instead of Jenny and I realized that I was confusing Jenny with Penny from “The Rescuers”; That’s the smallest school bus I have ever seen; Who would’ve guessed that Winston would be a fan of pro wrestling; You would think that Winston would’ve recognized Francis as being the same dog that was in front of his car; I never considered Tito the type that would smoke cigars; Georgette was terrified of Dodger until he told her he wasn’t here for her and then she flips out thinking he’s not attracted to her; Now I see why Tito just uses the name “Tito” considering how long his real name is; She wanted nothing to do with them until she learns that they wanted to take Oliver; Dodger was quite offended when Oliver said he wanted to go back to Jenny’s; That was quite the assumption Fagin made that Oliver’s owner was rich just based on the collar; Another quick transition for Fagin to write that note and deliver it to Jenny’s house just before she got home from school; Georgette doing leg exercises after eating a box of chocolates; Again, it would be nice to know how much Fagin was demanding in exchange for Oliver; Fagin was so confident in rehearsing what he was going to say to Sykes only to fold up like a cheap suit when he actually met him; Sykes clearly told Fagin to push the door open and Fagin spend 15 seconds pulling it; The person Sykes was talking to must be quite the novice thug if Sykes has to walk him through the process of torturing someone; Dodger did well for himself fighting two Dobermans for a while; In fairness to Jenny, Fagin did do a haphazard job in putting that map together for her; Easter Egg spotting as one of Fagin’s watches had Mickey Mouse on it; The look on Fagin’s face when he realized Jenny was Oliver’s owner; Quick thinking by Fagin to throw Oliver in the box and make it look like he found him; DeSoto has got quite a good sense of smell since he seems to notice Oliver’s scent every time; Leave it to Tito to allow Georgette go first; Where were they able to find a pizza box in that building?; These dogs are risking their lives to save Jenny yet all Francis wants to do is watch ballet; Tito didn’t want to deal with anymore wires until Georgette swooned him into doing it, and another Easter egg as Tito sings “Heigh-Ho”; Sykes tells Jenny to open the door forgetting that she is tied to a chair; How in the hell did Jenny get freed from that chair from the time they dropped from the hook to when they landed on the conveyor belt?; You knew it was the beginning of the end for Sykes when he thought it was a good idea to drive a car down into a subway station and then drive on the tracks; I know it was nighttime, but the fact that the station was completely empty is mind-blowing especially since it was in Times Square; That was pretty crazy that they actually showed Roscoe falling onto the tracks and getting electrocuted; They are in the middle of a dangerous car chase and Tito wants to pretend that he is in a race; A truly fitting end for Sykes to be essentially dumped into the river; Tito had some good handling skills to be able to back the scooter down the beam perfectly; It is a bit weird that we see Sykes throw Dodger and Oliver aside before the train hits him though we never see where they ended up; Does Jenny have any friends because the fact that only Fagin and the dogs came to her party is a bit sad even though she looks very happy?; Winston should’ve been smart enough to realize that Fagin would bail without paying; I don’t know if Jenny is just being polite or if she really likes the “gifts” that everyone gave her; Tito was all about getting a private moment with Georgette until he found out she wanted to make him sophisticated and pampered; One last plug for the advertisements in Times Square as we hit the credits.
Overall Thoughts: Overall, this film was a fairly decent film though I don’t believe it deserves to be considered underrated as some people think it and I think that it is about properly rated. While there were some aspects of the film that were good and made the film enjoyable to watch, it is a slight step backwards from the last film and I’m sure there were still questions as to whether the animation department was still viable. The 1980s have been a roller coaster decade for Disney as they were making great strides in many other areas, but as mentioned there was still some question as to whether the animated films could still succeed and we will see what happens when we get to the final film of the decade. As for this film, it is a good film that ranks about in the middle to the bottom of the Disney film canon and does not deserve its status as being underrated.
Final Grade: 6/10
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Production Weekly – Issue 1122 – Thursday, December 13, 2018 / 122 Listings – 26 Pages ABANDONED HEIGHTS • ALTERED CARBON 02 (w/t SLEEVES) • AMERICAN HORROR STORY 09 • AMMONITE • THE ANGEL MAKERS • BATWOMAN • BESA • BESTIES • BETTER CALL SAUL 05 • BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC • BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) (w/t FOX FORCE FIVE) • BLACK AND BLUE (aka EXPOSURE) • BLESS THIS MESS • THE BOY 2 • A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS • BRIGHT 2 • BUFFALO BLACQUE • BY FAITH ALONE • CARDINAL: UNTIL THE NIGHT 04 • CHARITY • CHILD'S PLAY (w/t THE KASLAN PROJECT) • CRITTERS • THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME • DISTANCIA DE RESCATE • DOCTOR STRANGE 2 • DOCTOR WHO 12 • DOLLFACE • THE DREAMS OF A FEW • DUKE NUKEM • EDGE OF SEVENTEEN • ELEMENT • EMBRACE • EMILY IN PARIS • EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY • EXCELSIS • A FALL FROM GRACE • FALLING INN LOVE • THE FENCE • THE FRIEND • GEORGIA MERTCHING IS DEAD • GET SHORTY 03 • THE GLORIAS • GOD THE WORM • THE GOOD PLACE 04 • GOOD TROUBLE 02 • GORILLA AND THE BIRD • GREENLAND • HARBINGER • HIS DARK MATERIALS 02 • THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD • HOMELAND 08 • HOPE, LESS ROMANTIC • THE HUNT • I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS • IMPULSE 02 • IN THE FOREST • JAMES BOND 25 (w/t SHATTERHAND) • JINGLE JANGLE • JOPPATOWNE • JUPITER’S LEGACY • KATE • THE KITCHEN • KURT • LEXI • THE LIBERATOR • LITTLE CUPID • LOUDERMILK 03 • THE LOVEBIRDS • MAGNESIUM (aka GHOSTWRITER) • MARY KILLS PEOPLE 03 • McMAFIA 02 • THE MISFITS • THE MISSIONARY • MODERN FAMILY 11 • MOLLY • MRS.
#Cast#Casting#Crew Call#Director#Film#Filming#Line Producer#Location#Movie#Pilot#Preproduction#Producer#Production Office#Screenplay#Script#Season#Series#Shooting#Start Date#Television#TV#UPM#Writer
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I know I've been away for so long but I'm back to never leave again lol! Working on the new website has made me into a bit of hermit I had to get out and go for it so I'm back with an awesome outfit from @blacqueonyxapparel I love this dress so much! I love how my face says "I know there's tummy but I still look yummy." Definitely plan on pairing this with a bomber and booties for the fall but while it was hot I stripped it down to my olive open toed sandals and small gold jewelry. Comment your thoughts on the look below and be on the look out for more ⚡️ (at Blacque Onyx Apparel Boutique & Salon)
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I had a wonderful interaction with Darlene Solomon-Rogers last year and have refound her music and words of truth and love. Here you go!
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