***Okay so I found this in my notes from May 2021 as a reaction to the scenes in the beginning of Endgame when Captain Marvel first brings Tony and Nebula back to Earth, when they first get off the ship, and when Tony yells at Steve a few scenes later when he looks like ‘Death Warmed Over’ in his robe and i thought I’d share -

Every time someone argues with me about my ABSOLUTE 100% belief that Steve and Tony had romantic feelings for each other, I’ll just show them this scene. “And I needed YOU.” He didn’t say “You guys” or “Your help.” Tony looked at Steve with so much pain in his eyes and said, “I needed y o u.” And Steve is just as broken watching Tony. This isn’t the first time this has happened between them. They had MANY scenes like this in Civil War (but I like to pretend that movie didn’t happen cause ‘ow blow a hole in my ship why dontcha?’) I mean technically I could submit that whole movie as evidence of their feelings but there are too many negative emotions wrapped up in it and it hurts. This movie is the first time they’ve seen each other since Civil War and when Tony first gets off the ship he basically falls into Steve’s arms. First of all, Steve fricking S P R I N T S when he sees Tony getting off the ship, then Tony sighs in relief and lets Steve take his weight. AND IMMEDIATELY begins unloading his grief about losing Peter cause he knew Steve would understand and comfort him. You can SEE s e e when Pepper runs up that (Ofc Tony does another sigh of relief that the snap didn’t take her (which I wish it did sorry Pepper your character stopped being interesting in the 2nd Iron Man)) Tony has to pull himself off of Steve and pretend to have it more together than he does because Pepper immediately begins crying and Tony has to comfort her. But Steve doesn’t leave his side. Tony cradling Pepper but he’s turning his body so that Steve can cradle him and ugh. Honestly I would have accepted a polyamorous relationship. Tony NEEDED someone to be the leader. THATS LITERALLY WHAT PEPPER WAS TALKING ABOUT. Tony NEVER rests because he always thinks he has to be the one to do everything, EXCEPT for when Steve’s around. Steve is the Captain and even though they bump heads (a lot, awww couples’ squabbles) Tony ALWAYS defers to Steve when it’s important. And Steve? Steve HAS to be a leader, to be helpful, in a healthy way because he couldn’t be that for most of his life in the past. He was a scrawny defenseless guy who always had to depend on Bucky. So to be able to take care of this group of wonderful people who are so powerful and yet STILL NEED STEVE? It’s who he his. It’s who Tony is too but he doesn’t WANT to be that way, he does it because he has to. He does it when no one else can or he doesn’t want to lose anyone else. This scene right now is Tony feeling helpless and so he lashes out at the easiest person, Steve. Steve is their leader and has saved them many times. Tony saw that picture of Peter and couldn’t handle his own feelings of helplessness so he lashed out to bring down the next ‘leader figure’ of the group. Steve and Tony have always been the parents of the Avengers. Steve is the most dad-est dad ever to dad. Meanwhile, Tony invites everyone to live with him while feeding them, clothing them (armor and civilian clothes) and making sure they have top of the line protection. HE LITERALLY EVEN SAYS THIS IN AGE OF ULTRON. SUCH a mom. So he wanted to make Steve feel his pain because Steve made a promise that they would lose together and Steve wasn’t there on that moon. And OF COURSE Tony knows that Steve was on earth fighting his own battle against Thanos but he wasn’t WITH Tony. And they are always stronger together than apart. (Civil War kinda proved this too) Tony sees Steve’s absence as the reason they lost, because ‘if only they’d been together’ ‘maybe we could have won if we’d only been together.’

ALSO DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON TONY LITERALLY GIVING STEVE A REPRESENTATION OF HIS HEART. I know he did it out of anger and to make a point but he took away this piece of him, that he made SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE HE FELT VULNERABLE WITHOUT THE ARC, and gave it to Steve. Once again shedding that responsibility and giving it to Steve. Because even with the residual anger over Civil War, Tony trusts Steve. He says otherwise in this moment out of anger but that “vision” he talks about here? He literally watches Steve die (YEAH THATS RIGHT I SAID STEVE. Not PEPPER, NOT RHODEY, NOT ANY OF THE OTHER AVENGERS.) Wanda showed him his worst fear in Age of Ultron and it was the death of the Avengers, but he didn’t see THEM die. Everyone else, Thor, Bruce, Natasha, and Clint were already dead. Tony watched STEVE die and it was STEVE saying that Tony could’ve saved them that spurred him into creating Ultron. He was so scared of losing them and letting Steve down (and letting him die) that he wanted to wrap the whole world in armor to protect him. And he tries to do it again in this scene. He means it to be spiteful but he gives Steve his armor and tells him to hide from Thanos. WHICH IS ANOTHER THING UGH. Tony doesn’t know that out of all of the people who fought Thanos in Wakanda that day, Steve was the one who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with him. Everyone else had armor and suits, weapons, etc. Steve has his serum strength and he u s e d it. It didn’t help for very long but he used his BARE HANDS to fight an alien-monster wielding 5/6 of ALL POWERFUL infinity stones, and ofc he was never going to win, but even Thanos looked at Steve in incredulity at his bravery and resolve. A human (a super charged one at that but still a human) fought him with his bare hands and wasn’t going to stop. (Steve proved this again at the end of Endgame when he’s the last one standing against Thanos and his entire army and just tightens the strap on his broken shield, (and most likely broken arm, based on the flinch/hiss) and readies himself to fight alone. Steve also gave Wanda time to destroy the mind stone (unfortunately, that didn’t mean anything in the end)

AND YET Tony doesn’t know any of this. He doesn’t know how hard Steve fought, just like Tony did on Titan, to stop Thanos. And I REALLY wish we had seen Tony’s reaction to Steve standing up to Thanos at the end of Endgame OR EVEN WIELDING MJOLNIR, but anyways.

Back to the basics. Boss level stuff most people don’t remember or think about- Tony’s dad very unhealthily IDOLIZED Steve. He canonically compared everything Tony did to Steve. So Tony grew up idolizing this man that he also despised because it fueled his father’s abuse of him. Tony shows this anger in the first Avengers. When they have their argument on the quinjet. “Everything special about you came out of a bottle.” He even says something about how Steve didn’t live up to his father’s hype (I don’t remember Tony’s exact words but that’s the gist) And ofc Steve says Tony’s nothing without his armor. But then they go on the prove each other wrong multiple times, but mainly in their last moments in the MCU. Steve proves it by standing alone against an ENTIRE alien army and later by picking up mjolnir. And Tony? Tony is that ONE factor in a million that Stephen sees. Tony, a beautifully pure human-being, with no powers or serums to help, takes on the powers of the stones. KNOWING it would kill him. He had proof. It nearly killed Thanos and Bruce and they were hulking (pun intended) beings with super strength and all that.

Tony and Steve were always set up to be spoils to one another and that makes them perfect together. They balance each other out. Pepper was a boss b****, no doubt, and I loved their relationship in the first two Iron Man movies, but as their characters grew and Tony’s personality was intrinsically changed through trauma- Pepper was no longer right for him. She was good for him, no doubt, but Tony couldn’t relax with her as he did with Steve. Tony could trust Steve to take over and everything could be fine. Pepper was like that for Stark Industries but not in other ways. Tony always saw himself as Pepper’s protector. I will 100% give her props for telling Tony that he’d never rest until he tried Scott’s time travel theory, but other than that she wasn’t particularly supportive of Iron. Man. What Pepper never seemed to understand, and what Steve didn’t understand when he FIRST met Tony, is that Tony and Iron Man are synonymous. Their is no ‘man outside the suit.’ Tony Stark is Iron Man and Iron Man is Tony Stark. Steve was placed into an already created persona of Captain America. Steve didn’t create Captain America even though that’s who he was. He was literally MADE for the role. Tony on the other hand, MADE Iron Man. He was the one who built the first suit - dying in a cave in Afghanistan. He was the one who took responsibility for Obadiah and his father’s actions and became a superhero to save the countries that were affected by Stark tech. Steve may have volunteered to be a superhero because he felt like he had no one other choice but Tony DIDN’T HAVE TO. He had fame, money, power, ALL OF IT. He could’ve EASILY hidden his company’s dark underside once he found out. But instead, Tony was like “Hey um so my company has done some bad things and instead of delegating aid through my money and power, I’m going to personally handle this with a titanium alloy suit and technology that I helped create in a cave while being held captive by a terrorist cell.”

Where was I going with this? OH YEAH.

I will believe in TonyxSteve (Stony) for the rest of my life and I will use fanfiction to fill the void of their deaths. Basically, if I lost anyone in the word vomit above, what I’m trying to say is that- Steve and Tony completed each other. They provided something the other needed. Tony needed stability and protection. He needed to feel like he could let go. Steve needed an anchor in the present. Someone lively and opinionated, SOMEONE ADVENTUROUS AND FUNNY, who Steve could smile with and protect. But also. Steve trusted Tony to be a leader as much as Tony trusted him. They had their ups and downs. Trauma and the Accords didn’t help their relationship at all, but should’ve been it for each other. And I honestly believe they would have t h r i v e d.

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Honestly I applaud anyone who made it this far. I don’t know where this all came from but I will not apologize✌🏻

I rest my case your honor.

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#220-211)

#220: Yiannis Dimitras -- Feggari Kalokerino (Greece 1981)

"Κοίτα τον έρημο γυαλό Σου ψιθυρίζω σ’ αγαπώ Τώρα θα χτίσω εκκλησιά Για της αγάπης τα τρελά παιδιά" "Look at the desolate seashore I whisper you “I love you” Now I’ll build a church For the crazy children of love" The opening shot, the rose on the piano, set the stage for such a romantic journey under the summer moon. And the soundscape created through the piano and instrumental throw us into this endearing scene, one which is also tinged with melancholy. Feggari Kalokerino is not only an ode to this beauty, but also an admission of craziness for falling in love. With such pretty lyrics, one can't help but get enveloped in this pretty world, where everything is so beautiful. The combination of Yiannis' singing and the woman's piano playing is also quite cute, albeit with some...interesting undertones to it. Either way, it's classical yet timeless.

Personal ranking: 3rd/20 Actual ranking: 8th/20 in Dublin

#219: Liliane Saint-Pierre -- Soldiers of Love (Belgium 1987)

“Neem elkaars handen Smeed nou die banden toe Hoor je die verre kreet? Geen mens vraagt dat leed” “Take each other’s hands Come on, weld those bonds Do you hear that distant scream? Nobody asks for that suffering” Top ten opening themes of anime, haha. It also helps that "Soldiers of Love" is the English translation for the song "Ai no Senshi" from Sailor Moon (which I've listened to many times but haven't gotten that far into the anime...). That said, Soldiers of Love packs a punch with the instrumentation and the high intensity of the melody. The lyrics are a powerful battle cry, albeit one which advocates for peace amongst people. There’s so much energy and determination in Belgium’s host entry, one would prepare themselves for battle for a good cause. Liliane really delivers this earnestly and with determination, though sometimes the military-style get-up stands out to me the most when I watch it again. Though those two guitarists turning their ends as if they were firing guns is a cool thing to behold.

It's one of the host entries that is better than the song which one it for the country, which is something because J'aime la vie is considered a fan favorite.

Personal ranking: 6th/22 Actual ranking: 11th/22 in Brussels

#218: Beth -- Dime (Spain 2003)

"Cuántas veces te llamé en la noche Cuántas veces te busqué Por mis recuerdos yo vuelvo Y no pierdo la fe" "How many times did I call you in the night? How many times did I look for you? I return for my memories And I don’t lose faith" For some reason, Dime reminds me of "Die for You" from two years earlier--both feature modern pop bops with ethnic influences, both imploring about the state of a relationship (while they both want to make it wor. And they're both in the same key! At the same time, Dime holds its own as one of the strongest 2000s entries from Spain. They had similar flamenco/Latin inspired entries in 2001 and 2004, which were highlights in rather mediocre years because of their uniqueness overall. But the guitar flourishes here work well with the dance beat, and it provides its own fun.

Personal ranking: 3rd/26 Actual ranking: 8th/26 in Riga

#217: Svala -- Paper (Iceland 2017)

“Drawing every bit of my truth Colour me in with your blue” I didn’t actually pay attention to this song in the follow-up to the 2017 contest. I also didn’t watch the semi-finals, which could’ve led to me neglecting the song entirely otherwise, especially I've heard a lot about Blackbird during that time. However, the summer after the contest, I discovered the song and listened to it. And I liked it! (And then I got hooked with Svala's other songs through her different groups) I was interested particularly in the lyrics, which discussed a fight between one’s mental demons and anxiety. I like the English version more than the Icelandic one; the latter is a bit more optimistic on winning against the battle whereas the former really takes the issue seriously. The production, while a bit staid, added to the feeling of helplessness with its electronic coldness. The staging also tries to incorporate this, though it didn't work in making it stand out. (I did like Svala's cape and makeup, though!) While I do love "Hear them Calling" a lot, I had a more interesting journey with Paper--it grew until it became something I highly enjoyed. Personal ranking: 6th/42 Actual ranking: DNQ -- 15th in the first semi-final in Kyiv

#216: Live Report -- Why Do I Always Get it Wrong? (United Kingdom 1989)

“You can do what you want to do now...” Honestly, this has to be one of my favorite British entries ever. While "Go" from the previous year gets a lot of acclaim because of its songwriting and Scott's performance (along with how it ended up second in the end), "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?" is better on how it envelops a mood and could actually be found from this era (though it sadly didn't do too well commercially afterwards, sigh)

Whenever I do something wrong, or self-hate, this is the song I turn to a lot. The synthesizers drew me in—it fit well with the late 1980s-early 1990s sound elsewhere. It's also helped that Celine performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" earlier in the contest, which piqued my interest. And while Ray’s ponytail was a choice, it didn’t distract from how he delivered the song.

Despite getting more 12-points, it ended up losing to Yugoslavia by just six points that year. While not my favorite that year, I think it was the better one of the top three; it equally reflects the times and holds up!

Personal and actual ranking: 2nd/22 in Lausanne

#215: Tommy Nilsson -- En Dag (Sweden 1989)

“En dag vi alla förstår, En dag, när stillheten rår, En dag jag finner din hand, När vägarna möts förstår vi varann,” “One day, we all understand, One day, when silence rules One day, I find your hand When our roads meet, we will understand each other” My two favorites from 1989 are sonically different, diverging between despair and hope. I listen to "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong" a bit more, but "En Dag' would stand out for me in a few different ways, more from being just the optimistic song of the two.

The intro features really good brass, which leads way to the fun instrumental. I like how it builds, and Tommy’s interplay with the backing vocalists is incredibly strong. You get a sense of energy from the both of them as they send the song to new heights.

Basically, it's just glorious!

Personal ranking: 1st/22 Actual ranking: 4th/22 in Lausanne

Final Impressions of 1989: It's a pretty fine year, both in songs in production. There are a number of good songs there, though not many classics which hold out in the long-term (except for Vi maler byen rød, which became famous in Denmark and even became the premise of a musical!). Highlights include an overactive conductor from Turkey, two children, and an awesome interval act involving a crossbow!

#214: Bang -- Stop (Greece 1987)

“Ότι κάνεις για δόξα και λεφτά Δες τι χάνεις, αλλού είναι η χαρά”

“Whatever you do is for fame and money See what you are missing, joy is somewhere else”

I’ve heard this song compared to Wham’s output, especially with its vintage rock-n-roll sound (wake me up before you go go). This doesn’t make it any less bad, with its charming tone and thoughtful lyrics about how a girl who only wants material goods should stop chasing them.

(This is another reason why sometimes, the original-language version is better that any other one--the English version to this song has goes on a completely different tangent)

The performance also falls into vintage aesthetics, with the suits for both Thanos and Vassilis and sock-hop style dresses for the backing vocalists. It's really cute, and the way they dance fits the scene.

On another note, apparently Greeks saw this as a favorite at the time, can someone verify that?

Personal ranking: 5th/22 Actual ranking: 10th/22 in Brussels

#213: Guy Bonnet -- Marie-Blanche (France 1970)

“Nous sommes là dans une douce quiétude Nous avons mis fin à notre solitude Nos corps apprennent de tendres habitudes Et Marie-Blanche est à moi”

“We’re there in a soft stillness We’ve put an end to our loneliness Our bodies learn tender habits And Marie-Blanche is mine”

By 1970, chanson was on its way out; in its place was folk, rock-n-roll (spearheaded in France by Johnny Halladay, who has a great French version of "House of the Rising Sun"), and psychadelia. Within France itself, some of the #1 singles from that year include Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer, Let It Be, and Bridge over Troubled Water (a total masterpiece, I tell you).

So, what does one make of Marie-Blanche, in this case?

It's a really sweet love poem, in which Guy declares his love for the girl. and conveys a particularly cute scene. Whenever I listen to this, I envision two lovers cuddling inside while watching the snow fall during the winter. There's a sense of magic and serenity in all this, and the lyrics match the pretty piano melody.

Basically, hits are important to keep the contest alive. But songs like Marie Blanche can pull on the feels in the right ways.

Personal ranking: 2nd/12 Actual ranking: =4th/12 in Amsterdam

#212: Justyna -- Sama (Poland 1995)

“I czuła się tak marnie Poczuła się tak marnie Jakby Bóg, dobry Bóg Nie lubił pcheł..”

“And I feel poor Feeling so poor As if God, the good God Didn’t love little fleas...”

If 1994’s To nie ja represented something classic and hopeful, 1995’s Sama takes it and reverses it. (And in the grand Eurovision timeline, they're only separated by the last song of 1994, Je suis un vrai garcon from France) Instead of a young woman filled with life and singing a decent ballad, we have another one pondering herself, all alone, with nobody to help her.

Also, this is more of an acquired taste with its out-of-tune recordings and Justyna’s scream. But it doesn’t feel out of place within the 1990s, with its alternative influences and production, and I like Sama a lot for that!

Unfortunately, it also caused it to do substantially worse, which is simultaneously explainable and baffling. A good result would've made waves for future Eurovision entries; the 1990s are my favorite decade, but they did misalign quite a bit from the mainstream.

Personal ranking: 7th/23 Actual ranking: 18th/23 in Dublin

#211: The Shadows -- Let Me Be the One (United Kingdom 1975)

"You and I could have an affair/make sweet music, go anywhere"

Isn't this lyric really charming? I couldn't help but have a little giggle because of it; there's a sense of naughtiness (especially with choosing "affair"; are they trying to something illicit?) underneath it.

That said, The Shadows are mainly known for their instrumental rock, but Let Me Be the One has a neat melody line. The rock-n-roll vibe, which could be released within that decade, is light but lovely, and added a jolt of uniqueness to the otherwise poppy contest up to that point. The flubbed line in the beginning ("let me be the one who literally holds you tight", haha) adds to the whole thing, but they were able to carry on, nevertheless.

And while I like all the 1970s winners to some extent, I would switch out "Ding-a-Dong" for Let Me Be the One in terms of winners vs. runners-up; like with Sama, it could've changed the contest in a positive way.

Personal ranking: =3rd/19 Actual ranking: 2nd/19 in Stockholm

DAY N NIGHT 2017 (part I)

The 2nd annual Hip-Hop festival Day-N-Night hosted by THE OBSERVATORY and presented by REVOLTtv happened this weekend September 8-10 at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim. As a first time attendee to this festival I must say I was very impressed. All three days offered an eclectic array of up and coming hip-hop artists. From precocious 12 year-old fidget spinner rapper sensation Matt Ox, to already more establish acts like Majid Jordan, there was something for everyone. And with big name headliners such as; Travis Scott, Grammy winning artists Kendrick Lamar, and Chance The Rapper, I already knew I was in for a good time.

The heat did not deter fans from going all out this weekend. Upon arrival on Day 1 of Day-N-Night, the temperatures were already in the high 80s, but the crowd was nevertheless beaming with excitement. Lines moved quickly thru security, and getting your wristband for the event was a breeze. My only complaint would be not being able to get your wristband upon receiving your tickets at will call, but perhaps that’s how they kept lines moving rather quickly, jumping from one line to another, allowed for constant fluidity.  As for VIP holders, one of many cool perks, was that they had a separate entrance in which allowed them to bypass the lines, which is a big deal when the event was rumored to host more than 20,000 thousand attendees.  Another perk as a VIP holder was that unlike other festivals where the VIP section is actually far off to the side of the stages, this time around VIP holders had the same opportunity as GA ticket holders to be in the front at centers stage, but with the benefit of not having thousands of attendees fighting for the same spot. But whether you were VIP or not the perk of having a festival being held at a baseball stadium were the restrooms! Yes, I said restrooms. Finally! Actual toilets and sinks to wash your hands off.  Portable Potties were still on site, no festival is a festival without them, but let’s be real no one was really using them.

The weekend was definitely a blissful hip-hop blur.  The first act I caught was THEY, a LA based hip-pop, R&B grunge duo. They were a great band to start the festival with, as their set was full of energy and heavy rock and roll vibes. On the main stage MadeinTYO kept the energy going by yelling to the crowd to mosh pits or get out. Later on, followed by 19 year old teen idol Khalid,  he brought back down the crowd a few notches with his slow jams and hits like “Location”. While on the other end of the festival grounds we had Majid Jordan performing their electronic ballads to an excited dancing crowd. I must say, Majid Jordan blew me away. The combination of intergalactic visuals juxtaposed to Majid’s crooning voice and Jordan’s electronic beats will forever be one of my favorite sets at Day-N-Night.  

Travis Scott closed Day 1 with a killer performance, flying on a hawk over the crowd and all. I had never seen Travis Scott perform live, and that night I walked out a fan. His energy on stage is electric. He definitely brought the house down.  

Day 2, I spent it mostly hanging out in the artists compound. I don’t even know how that happened, but it was definitely a change of scene. From rubbing elbows with Post Malone and seeing meme sensation ‘Cash me Ousside’ girl  Bhad Bhabie IRL, I got a glimpse of the shenanigans that happen backstage. And while that was fun and all, I mean I got a swagbag  full of goodies by sponsors RIP&DIP, (thanks for my cool new alien socks!) I still found myself bummed for missing out on some acts.  

Hearing the crowd sing out loud to Post Malone’s ‘Congratulations’ in the backstage area was bittersweet.  I still did manage to catch new sensation SZA perform on the main stage.  Her song ‘Drew Barrymore’ had the crowd going wild. Before SZA, British rapper Little Simz  held her own as she rapped songs ‘Dead Body’ and ‘Back Seat’. Don’t let her looks fool you. Little Simz knows how to deliver cut-throat lyrics and rhymes.  

By the end of the night of Day 2, Grammy winner Chance the Rapper had everybody dancing and singing along to gospel music. Day 3, had me glued all day to the front of the main stage awaiting Kendrick Lamar, and I wasn’t alone.  By 1 pm there was already a big crowd forming for Kendrick.  On the flipside, many of the acts I wanted to catch (aside from Massego and Daniel Ceasar) were performing on the main stage that day. Princess Nokia, showed festival goers that hip-hop is not an all man’s world. She flaunt her body with feminist pride and confidence, warning men that he who dared to harass or take advantage of any women in the festival would get their butts kicked out. Her song ‘Tomboy’ had the crowd dancing and singing along, while her freestyle rap proved that she is not one to be messed around with. 

Another act that I truly enjoyed was Russ. He made his fame via Soundcloud and killed it on stage.  He has a strong presence and as Princess Nokia, let the freestyle rap flow with tenacity and grace. My favorite song was ‘Goodbye’ as it reflected about toxic relationships and the catharsis of finally letting go. Before Kendrick hit the stage, we got a memorable performance by YG. Another Compton native, he had the crowd bumping and grinding to his hits like ‘Who do you Love’ and then taking a more political stand point when he brought out a Trump impersonator, for his song FDT towards the end of the set. Quite the memorable moment for the festival as Orange County is home of Sanctuary City Santa Ana. YG’s closing song paved way for Kendrick’s politically charged performance at the end of Day 3 of Day-N-Night. 

Kendrick Lamar made a dramatic entrance with his song DNA from his latest album DAMN. With storytelling visuals and pyrotechnics, Kung Fu Kenny had all of Orange County going mad with excitement. Kendrick delivered hits from his latest album such as ‘Loyalty and ‘Element’ but he also sang some of his classics like ‘Bitch don’t kill my Vibe’ and ‘Swimming Pools’. In all Kendrick Lamar was the cherry on top to what was already an amazing weekend full of music and memorable moments.

As the crowds dwindled down and I made my way back to the car, I realized how this weekend was make or break for The Observatory and for the festival’s future in Orange County.  Last year while the event as a whole was well curated and praised by many, fans did complained about the location as it was far in the canyons of Orange County and the 5 plus hour long traffic jammed caused by a “rumored’ shirtless gunman on the last day of the festival did not help at all to the cause. This year though, it seems that hosting the festival at The Angels Stadium parking lot was a stroke of genius by event staffers. While unconventional, it honestly felt like the perfect place to host a Hip-Hop festival. A concrete jungle if you will in the middle of Orange County suburbia.  Day n Night is here to stay, and if The Angels Stadium knows what is good for them, they’ll be smart to keep the festival in their grounds.

-Priscilla Perez (Celestial Transmission, Friday 6-8 pm)

Photos by Celeste De Los Santos

The Fan Within

Prior to Monday night, I can’t recall the last time I was truly nervous or stressed watching a sporting event. I’ve covered championship games, and had the pleasure of calling a few, but when you’re calling the game you are working and focused on the task.

Being in the stands, engrossed in the game is much different, and to be honest, it is more fun. More stressful, but more enjoyable.

This past Sunday and Monday I was at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, for games six and seven of the WHL Championship. The place was electric both nights, but the nervous anticipation and stress was double on Monday for game seven.

My nephew, Noah Gregor, plays for the Prince Albert Raiders. I’ve watched him play hockey since he was seven. I’ve watched him and his brother, and my sister’s three boys play hockey for the past 15 years. It was always fun to just sit back and enjoy the moments. From Initiation to Novice to Atom into Peewee then Bantam, Midget and junior for two of them. I never got caught up in the outcome of a game in Novice, or Bantam. It was simply about having fun.

The atmosphere in the old barn in Prince Albert was incredible even an hour before puck drop. When the doors opened, fans rushed in to claim their position in the standing-room-only area.

Fans chasing standing room spots before Game 7 between @WHLGiants and @PARaidershockey pic.twitter.com/SG2XaVSPrS

— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) May 14, 2019

I saw people carrying in milk crates, a few saw horses, and I even saw a guy with a six-foot ladder. Standing room was three rows deep, and if you are short you couldn’t see. These fans were veterans. They knew where they wanted to stand and came prepared.

The Raiders last won a WHL title in 1985. That was their only appearance in the WHL final until this season. That is a long run of frustration for a community-owned team. They still play in the same arena, but it has had a few upgrades over the past 34 years. Now there is a 400-person lounge on the second floor, and it was jammed an hour before the game and throughout. It remained open in the third period and into overtime. What a concept: let fans buy a beer before overtime.

I drove to Prince Albert on Sunday with my five-year-old son Beckett and my 13-year-old nephew, Owen. The plan was to watch the Raiders win game six, celebrate, and we’d drive home early Monday so I’d be back in time to host my radio show. The Vancouver Giants had other plans. They won game six. I decided to extend my stay at the hotel, extend my car rental and arrange for Jason Strudwick to fill in as host.

Struds won two WHL titles and two Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers in 1994 and 1995. He was glad to fill in so I could stay for game seven.

We spent Monday playing at the skate park, watching videos and then playing at another park. I wasn’t nervous during the day, but when I walked into the rink the excitement started to build.

Fans were amped up. I immediately sensed a palpable level of nervousness. This was our second trip to PA during these playoffs, and my son liked to watch the Raiders warm up. He stood right by the glass in the Raiders’ end. Noah skated by one time, and pointed his stick at him. Beckett was thrilled.

We then made our way to our seats. My brother likes to be in the attacking zone (for two periods) and we had great seats in section 3. (There are 20 sections in the rink, numbered 1-20.)

FIRST PERIOD

When the Raiders emerged from the dressing room the cheering amplified. Everyone belted out the National anthem. “Go Raiders Go” echoed through the building for the first three minutes of play. My sister-in-law bought Beckett a horn when we came in round three v. the Oil Kings. He loved his mini-pirate horn, and thankfully the fans around us didn’t mind him blowing it for ten minutes straight to start the game.

Both teams were tentative in the first period. Each had nine shots, but no dangerous scoring chances and it was 0-0 after 20 minutes. Many of the kids played mini-sticks at various locations of the rink during intermission. WHL playoffs are great, but for young kids mini-sticks are equally important.

Watching those kids slide all over the floor brought a big smile to my face. “Dad, I forgot my mini-stick,” said my son dejectedly.

2ND PERIOD

The crowd took their cheering to a new level. When Ian Scott made a save chants of “Scottie, Scottie,” echoed through the building. With each passing second the anxiety heightened. Every shot had you on the edge of your seat.

Milos Roman! The @NHLFlames prospect opens the scoring for @WHLGiants in Game 7 of the 2019 @Rogers #WHLChampionship Series! pic.twitter.com/fBrgpcFkjx

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

Milos Roman opened the scoring 4:45 into the second period finishing off a great pass from Bowen Byram. Byram is a marvel to watch. He is so damn good. He is the best WHL defender I’ve seen since Scott Niedermayer. He skates like Niedermayer, holds onto the puck like Sergei Zubov in the offensive zone, and has the aggressive side of Drew Doughty. He is still 17. He turns 18 on June 13th. There is a lot of hype around Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, and rightfully so, but Byram should receive the same hype. In the future I won’t be surprised at all if people look at him as the best player in the draft. He will be a legit #1 defender and he will play 25+ minutes/night. He has so much confidence and moxie to his game and he is only 17. Unreal.

At the ensuing faceoff Raiders fans chanted “Let’s go Raiders.” Trying everything to urge their team on. Beckett blew his horn in unison with the words.

The pace picked up and the teams exchanged chances, and ten minutes later the place erupted.

Noah Gregor evens this game up with a beauty! The @SanJoseSharks prospect gets the @PARaidersHockey on the board! #WHLChampionship pic.twitter.com/59VoAcuym2

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

I haven’t jumped out of my seat in a long time, but I did here. The AHC went nuts. My brother and I high-fived. His face was a complete joy. Beckett was yelling and screaming. I think what he loved best about being at these games was he could yell and scream, blow his horn endlessly and never get in trouble.

The period ended tied at one. I needed the intermission to relax. Beckett wanted to go sit in the red car in the lobby. And have fries and ketchup. He was calm. My brother went and had a beer. I should have had one. I needed it.

3RD PERIOD

Everyone was back in their seats with four minutes left in intermission. No one wanted to miss a moment. The stress was building. Twenty minutes, or maybe more, to decide the WHL champion. Players work all year for this, and now the dreams come down to 20 minutes. I’m still hating my decision not to have a beer.

Period starts and once again the crowd ratchets up their cheering. Louder and longer. The announcer encourages them to keep cheering, but they didn’t need it. Many had been waiting 34 years, and they weren’t going away quietly.

Their loyalty got rewarded 4:25 into the third period.

Noah Gregor gets his second goal of the night! The @PARaidersHockey lead 2-1 in the third period!#WHLChampionship pic.twitter.com/WCLYqkiA6r

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

Pandemonium again. My brother almost broke my hand when he high-fived me. Fans remained standing for two minutes. After we sat down Beckett looked at me, “Dad, who scored that goal?” He was cheering like a wild kid, but didn’t know who scored. He didn’t care. When I told him Noah scored he smiled, then quickly went back to blowing his horn.

Two and a half minutes later the Raiders take a penalty. “That’s a %$&#ing weak call,” I muttered to myself. I was a true fan again, questioning the officials. After the initial reaction, I tried to rationalize and think, yeah it probably was a trip. But I didn’t like it.

Bowen came on and this kid can cause a heart attack for opposing fans. He is so poised with the puck. The Giants didn’t score with him on the ice, but with 19 seconds remaining they tied the game. Roman again.

For those keeping score: Milos Roman 2 Noah Gregor 2. #WHLChampionship pic.twitter.com/qzGbyffMSP

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

For the first time all night the rink is quiet, except for the Giants fans and parents.

There was 11:30 to play and the game is tied at two. My stomach was in knots. I took a few deep breaths. Beckett sat down for one of the few times in the game. It was like a punch to the gut, but the fans recovered and at the ensuing faceoff they voiced their support with another “Let’s Go Raiders,” chant.

The teams exchanged chances, and the Raiders rugged defender Zack Hayes found himself all alone in the slot with less than two minutes remaining, but just missed the net. He was going far side. I thought he was going to win the game right there. How unreal would that have been, I thought. The defensive stalwart all season gets the winner. I love those kinds of stories.

The buzzer went. Overtime. Just writing this I can feel that anxiousness again. All fans have felt it. It is equally great, equally awful. You almost feel like you will throw up. Sports are so awesome. There are very few things in life that evoke emotion like this, and I could see the anguish and excitement on the face of every fan.

I decided not to have a beer. I didn’t have one the previous intermission and the Raiders scored first. I’m not even a superstitious guy, yet here I was telling myself my not-drinking a beer will somehow impact the game. It is preposterous to think this way, but I did. I laugh about it now.

OVERTIME

I was emotionally drained and the period hadn’t started. I hadn’t felt like this in such a long time. I loved it.

The period started and the crowd was urging on their Raiders. The cheers grew louder. Chants continued. The drama builds.

The teams exchanged chances, and at the 14:27 mark of the third period draft eligible forward Brett Leason took a penalty. The puck rolled up on edge just before he was about to shoot it out of the zone and it flew into the mesh. Delay of game Raiders.

The refs huddled to discuss if it went off a stick. It didn’t.

“Come on PK,” I say quietly. This is not the way a championship game should end. The next two minutes were excruciating. The Raiders managed to kill it off. I spoke to Leason on the ice after the game. “Longest two minutes of my life,” he said.

I leaned back in my seat. Took a deep breath and re-charged. I could’ve used a cigarette. I don’t smoke, but I hear they calm your nerves.

We entered into the final two minutes of OT and I planned to change my strategy and get a beer this intermission. Screw the superstition. I need a beer.

I never got that beer.

The celebration is on at the Art Hauser Centre! @hannoun19 wins the 2019 @Rogers #WHLChampionship Series for @PARaidersHockey in overtime! pic.twitter.com/JXqTrzMLZm

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

Dante Hannoun scored the winner with 1:35 remaining in OT. Noah found him wide open in front. The Raiders bench piled onto the ice. The place exploded. I pick up Beckett so he can see as I jumped up and down with him on my arm/shoulder. He high-fived fans all around us. He was screaming. I was hollering. My brother was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Unreal.

The drought is over for Raiders fans. I can only imagine how Edmonton Oilers fans will react when their current 29-year drought ends. Or possibly St. Louis Blues or San Jose Sharks fans this season.

There was no knot in my stomach. I suddenly was not tired. Instantly all that nervousness was gone. I put Beckett down and we watched the ceremony. A few minutes later I looked over at him and he was crying. What’s wrong I ask? “I’m going to miss the Raiders. This was the best night ever.” I picked him up and consoled him. He is only five so his tears only last a few seconds, but it reminded me why I love sports. They create emotions. They make us feel, and when we feel we are alive.

I watched the boys mob each other. I saw some fans with tears of joy in their eyes. In a section over a gentleman in his 60s was sitting in his seat. Just taking it all in.

After we watched Noah skate around with the Cup we made our way down to the Raiders bench. I’m not great at capturing moments in pictures or on video, just ask my wife, but when we were on the bench I pulled out my phone and caught a video of Colin and Noah.

I saw so many players with their parents, or their billets, who are like second parents. Sharing success with those who helped you reach your goals makes it even better.

A few minutes later, I was standing by the bench, Beckett was running all over the ice. He thinks it is awesome he gets to go out there. Hulking defender for the Raiders Jeremy Masella skates over. I introduced myself and congratulated him. Masella is a classic, rugged, stay-at-home, third pairing defender. Selfless player. Due to an injury to Max Martin, Masella was promoted to the second pairing in this series. He played way more and he was excellent. I told him so, and he said thanks.

I’d never met him before and we spoke for a bit. I learned he is from Arizona. Chasing his dream in small town Saskatchewan. He couldn’t be in a better spot. His parents were in Vancouver for games 3-5, but weren’t here tonight. They hoped the Raiders would win so they could go to the Memorial Cup. Not every parent can be at these games. They have other kids, or jobs, and in that moment you realize the families that were there are really lucky.

The celebration continued on the ice. We took some photos and then I had to get Beckett to bed. It was 11:15. He usually is in bed at 7:30.

As we walked to the car he says to me, “Dad, I want to be a hockey player. Maybe one day I will win a trophy and score two goals.”

I hope he does, but mainly I hope he remembers the feeling of Monday night.

A very select few are good enough to play in the WHL, NCAA, USports or pro hockey, but we can all be fans.

And being a fan is awesome. I don’t get to be one very often, and that is okay, I love my job, but Monday was incredible.

Thank you to the Giants and Raiders for making the game so intense.

And to Noah, your performance made it a bit more special. Good luck at the Memorial Cup.

Recently by Jason Gregor:

Source: https://oilersnation.com/2019/05/15/the-fan-within/

MerleFest draws 75,000

MerleFest,    presented by Window World, has officially come to a close, but not without    a number of electric collaborations, spontaneous sit-ins, and world-class    performances. 

Wynonna &    The Big Noise, Amos Lee, Tyler Childers, Sam Bush Band, Brandi Carlile, and The Avett Brothers all brought    extra MerleFest energy to the Watson Stage, marking another successful year    for the long-running festival.

Early estimates    show that from its start on Thursday, April 25, to its close on Sunday,    April 28, participation over the festival’s four days exceeded 75,000    attendees and artists from across the world.

MerleFest, held    on the campus of Wilkes     Community College, is    the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, which funds scholarships,    capital projects, and other educational needs.

“We’ve had an incredible weekend,”    Festival Director Ted Hagaman said. “With over 100 artists on 13 stages    over the four days, we again feel we succeeded in providing a quality and    successful event for all involved. Preliminary numbers show we attracted    thousands of fans from all over the world. We appreciate their support.    This event could not happen without the work and dedication of our    4,500-plus volunteers and the many great safety and service agencies in Northwestern North Carolina. We’re already looking    forward to MerleFest 2020.”

Thursday

Chatham    County Line kicked off the 32nd annual    MerleFest with a big “newgrass” bang. At the top of their game,    Raleigh-based Chatham County Line appeared right at home on one of the    biggest stages their home state has to offer. After Thursday’s    sunset, Wynonna Judd and her band, The Big Noise, set    about conjuring up enough rock and roll, blues, and country juju to knock    the first-day crowd right off their feet. Once the crowd had recovered, the    ones left with enough energy to carry on into the wee hours were treated    with more electric boogie music in the form of Donna The Buffalo.    Sporting dancey rhythms and electric improvisation, Donna proved to be the    ultimate weekend ice-breakers, encouraging the late night crowd to let    loose during their First Night Dance on the Bojangles’ Dance Stage. 

Friday

Before the    sun had set on Friday, patrons were treated to show-stopping sets from the    likes of Texas    troubadour Radney Foster, Boston-based bluegrassers Mile    Twelve, and the soft folk harmonies and humorous musings of The    Milk Carton Kids. Upon the close of the Chris Austin Songwriting    Competition, festival first-timer Amos Lee took the Watson    Stage with his unique blend of soulful Americana.Tyler Childers closed    out the Watson Stage with his now famous concoction of mountain music, old    school country, and 1960s The Band-ish rock and roll. Under the bright    stage lights, Childers rollicked through songs off of his award-winning 2017    album “Purgatory” to the delight of fans, some of whom had traveled to    MerleFest on Childers’ merit alone. During Childers’ set, eclectic folk    rockers Scythian set up in the Dance Tent for their second set of the day,    the annual Friday Night Dance. Keeping the night owls rocking until almost    midnight, Scythian reminded fans just how fun their music can    be. 

Saturday

Saturday    saw Chris Austin Songwriting Competition winners perform    on the Cabin Stage to an audience eager to hear these up-and-coming songwriters    before they’ve hit the big time. Now in its 27th year, the contest is an    extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs    heard and judged by a panel of music industry professionals (Joey Ryan and    Kenneth Pattengale, better known as The Milk Carton Kids, Cruz    Contreras of The Black Lillies, and Texas-troubadour Radney    Foster), under the direction of volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy    Award-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale.

The first    round of the CASC took place in Nashville,     Tenn., and was narrowed down    from 970 entries to 12 finalists representing four categories: bluegrass,    country, general and Gospel/inspirational.

Each of the    12 finalists received admission and lodging for three nights at MerleFest.    Finalists attended a workshop Friday morning given by D’Addario prior to    the finals. After the contest, all finalists took part in a songwriting    mentoring session with Jim Lauderdale and the on-site judges. The    first-place winners in each category received $600 cash from MerleFest, a    performance at the Cabin Stage on Friday night, and a 20-minute set on    Saturday at the Cabin Stage. In addition, the first-place winners    received a live performance/recording session with Saloon Studios Live,    D’Addario strings, Shubb Capos, and their winning song will be aired on    WNCW 88.7. Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest help    support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. See    below for a complete listing of winners and finalists.

Bluegrass:

1st Place- Anya Hinkle (Asheville) – “Ballad of Zona Abston”

2nd Place-    James E. Woolsey (Petersburg, Ind.), David Foster (Petersburg, Ind.)    – “Sugar Ridge Road”

3rd Place-    Wyatt Espalin (Hiawassee,     Ga.) – “Light Coming Through”

Country:

1st Place-    Andrew Millsaps (Ararat) – “Ain’t No Genie (In a Bottle of Jack)

2nd Place-    Hannah Kaminer (Asheville)    – “Don’t Open Your Heart”

3rd Place- Shannon Wurst (Fayetteville,     Ark.) – “Better Than Bourbon”

General:

1st Place-    Alexa Rose (Asheville)    – “Medicine for Living”

2nd Place-    Bryan Elijah Smith (Dayton,     Va.) – “In Through the Dark”

3rd Place-    Wright Gatewood (Chicago,     Ill.) – “First”

Gospel/inspirational:

1st Place-    Russ Parrish (Burnsville, Minn.),    Topher King (Savage, Minn.)    – “Washed By The Water”

2nd Place- Ashleigh    Caudill (Nashville, Tenn.),    Jon Weisberger (Cottontown,     Tenn.) – “Walkin’ Into    Gloryland”

3rd Place-    Kevin T. Hale- (Brentwood,     Tenn.) – “We All Die to Live    Again”

On    Saturday, Molly Tuttle returned to the MerleFest stage for    the first time since she won the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition in    2012. A rabid crowd ate up every guitar lick and melody Tuttle played as    she continues to push the envelope of what can be played on a dreadnaught    guitar. The Waybacks’ annual Hillside Album Hour found the    bay-area band covering Led Zeppelin IV in    its entirety with Sarah Dugas (formerly of The Duhks) handling most of the    vocal duties and Sam Bush, Jens Kruger, Red Young, and Tony Williamson    backing them up for yet another memorable Saturday afternoon set. Sam    Bush Band lit up the Watson Stage ahead of Brandi Carlile, running    through his career-spanning catalog of “New Grass” tunes and closing with    his new rousing rock and roll anthem, “Stop The Violence”. Traditional Bluegrass super group Earls of Leicester once    again paid excellent homage to the giants of the genre, Lester Flatt and    Earl Scruggs. In an era of progression for the genre, the Earls brand of    picking reminded the crowd that it’s perfectly OK to stick with tradition    from time to time. Brandi Carlile and her band closed out    Saturday with her signature songwriting style and vocal fireworks. Drawing    from her newest release, “By The Way, I Forgive You,” and then diving    deeper into her past works, Carlile and longtime musical partners Tim and    Phil Hanseroth belted and whispered in close three-part harmonies well    enough to make every last MerleFest attendee’s jaw drop. To close out    an already special night, Sunday headliners Seth and Scott Avett of    The Avett Brothers joined Carlile around a single mic at the front edge of    the Watson Stage and performed the Avett’s “Murder In The City”,    drawing a huge reaction from the already stunned crowd.

Sunday

North    Carolina Governor Roy Cooper introduced Steep    Canyon Rangers Sunday afternoon on the Watson Stage. Late last    year, Gov. Cooper declared 2019 to be North Carolina’s    “Year of Music”, adding, “from bluegrass to the blues, from gospel to funk,    from beach music to indie and hip hop, North Carolina is the birthplace of many    musical styles and iconic performers.” Gov. Cooper was in attendance    for Steep Canyon Rangers’ “North Carolina Songbook” set on the Watson Stage    which dove into the rich history of the region’s music, specifically the    musical heritage of their—and the festival’s—home state, and solidified their    place in MerleFest lore. Bluegrass    patriarch and hair-style pioneer Del McCoury celebrated his 80th birthday    surrounded by friends, family, and the Del McCoury Band. Del and the boys    fired up the Hillside Stage, highlighting his eight-decade milestone with    class and style that only the McCourys can provide. North Carolina’s own The Avett    Brothers closed out the festival after having joined their father,    Jim Avett, for Sunday’s annual Gospel Hour. On the Watson Stage,    gladly playing tunes that spanned their almost-two-decade long career, The    Avett Brothers had the crowd singing along from the very first line. While    many MerleFest patrons have seen the Avetts at the festival before, this    performance proved that the brothers and their band have now truly transcended    to the next level of much-deserved stardom.

About MerleFest

MerleFest was    founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc    Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of    "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional,    roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time,    classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel, and blues, and expanded to    include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a    diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day    event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation,    funding scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.

About Window    World

Window World®,    headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement    window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally owned    offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs    windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with over 15 million    windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR® partner and its    windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good    Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares®, the    Window World family provides funding for St. Jude Children’s Research    Hospital®, which honored the foundation with its Organizational Support    Award in 2017. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has raised over    $8 million for St. Jude. Window World also supports the Veterans Airlift    Command, a nonprofit organization that facilitates free air transportation    to wounded veterans and their families. Window World has flown over 100    missions and surpassed $1 million in flights and in-kind donations since it    began its partnership with the VAC in 2008. For more information, visitwww.WindowWorld.com or    call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and energy efficiency tips,    décor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebookand Twitter.

 For more information, visit www.MerleFest.org.

Heartland re-watch 1x13 - Coming Together

Thoughts on the last episode of Season 1! It’s been really fun so far sharing my thoughts and gifs from each episode. Thanks to everyone who bothered to read my ramblings. Onward to Season 2!

> Go Amy & Spartan!

> Apollo is a gorgeous horse!

> 2nd place for Amy and Spartan! Nothing to sneeze at. Ashley looks like she wants to murder someone now after placing 3rd.

> Baby face Jake! Ah! He’s adorable! It’s always funny going back to season 1 and seeing Mallory taller than Jake!

> And it’s even funnier how Mallory is totally not even in to him!

> Val really should of had that talk with Ashley in private instead of in the middle of the arena. Ashley’s already embarrassed and Val is just making her feel worse.

> Not expecting anyone, Jack? Why, hello Lisa! Ty and Mallory’s impressions of Jack are hilarious!

> Poor Mallory forgets to turn her talking filter on and brings up Tim’s absence at Amy’s show! 

> Now we’re starting to dig deeper into Ashley’s life. Doesn’t see eye to eye with her mom, and her mom isn’t understanding that her daughter is not a pro show jumper.

> It was cool of Ben to suggest Amy help Ashley even though they never were best of friends. 

> Nice of Jack to reassure Ty that everything with Clint would go well. You know, in that way that only Jack can reassure...

> Mail call! Ty gets a letter from his dad!

> I think I mentioned this in my thoughts from 1x12, but Amy really has come a long way in her relationship with Lou to the point of her saying it’s weird without Lou there at Heartland. I’m glad that they’re (for the most part) getting along and helping each other with the ranch. I don’t think I could’ve stood an entire season of them bickering non-stop.

> Look at Ashley swallowing her pride and asking Amy for help! Progress!

> But, of course, when Ashley doesn’t get the answer she wants, she decides to blackmail Amy with Ben taking his jumps back to Fairfield. We need to work on your social skills, Ashley.

> It’s a tough decision to help Ashley or not and now Ty is in a mood...must be something good in that letter from his dad that’s getting to him.

> Of course, Amy decides to help. It’s Amy!

> Haha...Sorry, Val, you can’t go to any more of Ashley’s shows if you want her to place 1st! It puts too much pressure on Ashley when she knows you’re there watching.

> I think Amy climbed a few ranks on Ashley’s loser list when she basically told Val that if she wanted Ashley to win ribbons, then she had to stay away! I mean, she hugged Amy! That’s huge!

> Quality Tamy content. Ty all flustered with Amy about practicing and Amy just teasing him about it. You think they’re about to get into another argument but then tickling ensues and then their faces get very close...a kiss? Nah, but Ty brushes her hair back which I think is the sweetest thing!

> A wild Lou appears! And Scott! Poor guy, I don’t envy him having to lug Lou’s luggage around!

> Tim’s back too! Jeez, he had to go all the way to Montana for an auction!

> Aww, Tim gave Amy her mother’s school ring! He wore it while he was on the rodeo circuit and now she can wear it for her show jumping. Super sweet.

> Amy finally tells Lou flat out that she doesn’t want her to leave. Cue shocked Lou! (and Amy for that matter!) I think Amy would feel lost without an older woman to look up to and lean on. She had Marion while Lou was in New York, and now that Marion is gone, Lou “filled her shoes” and now Lou is part older sister/part mother to Amy.

> Lou pretending she doesn’t know what Amy’s talking about when she brings up Scott being in love with her. Uh, Lou, it’s so obvious!

> It pains me to see Scott so nonchalant about Lou leaving again. Gah, just tell her how you feel!

> Probation period is over! *Fist bump* 

> A walk in the wintry woods is good for the soul...especially if it’s with Ty. He’s starting to see what makes Amy tick and he realizes that it’s not about winning for her at these shows. She does it for the thrill of it and that it makes Spartan happy to jump. 

> Quite the parallel here of Amy and Ty both having “Dad” incidents, and Amy doesn’t know the impact her words about Tim are having on Ty at the moment and what he decides to do later on. 

> Fall Finale time! Amy and Spartan are flawless! What a team!

> Oh, Mallen, leave Amy and Spartan alone! You can’t have him!

> I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, Ty in coach mode is adorable! He’s so in to it!

> Now Spartan is all worked up. Love these scenes though, when Amy just talks to him to settle him down and reassure him that she’ll protect him.

> Ashley and Apollo were doing great....unnntil she sees Val watching!

> This is the last time we see Ben ever. He just falls off the face of the earth. I believe it’s called, “got another acting gig”.

> Mallory throwing Jake on his butt after him trying to hug her made her instantly more attractive to him! Your plan didn’t work, Mallory!

> Yay! 1st place!

> Aww, Tim is so proud of Amy and he didn’t even have to convey it in words. She knew that he was.

> Val talking to Mallen! I wouldn’t put it past her to have let Mallen know about Spartan. And this was just because Amy told her not to watch Ashley compete anymore! Oh, the drama!

> Even Ashley is disgusted with Val, and that’s saying a lot!

> Lou saves the day! I really would not want to mess with Lou about any legal matters. She’s fierce!

> Jake is such a gentleman! You’ll appreciate it some day Mallory!

> Don’t tempt him, Tim! Jack did look like he was thinking about taking a swing at you for stepping into his house.

> “Talking’s overrated.” - Amy to Ty

> And the moment Tamy fans have been waiting for all season:

> You’ve had better timing, Jack!

> When I first watched this I was so mad at Ty for leaving after he kissed Amy like that! Like, come on, why can’t I have nice things?!

> This conversation between Jack and Ty is the best! Jack does what he does best by giving sage advice to Ty about his dad and then this...

> Ty’s about to sob his eyes out...I’m not crying, you’re crying!

> Waaah! Now I am most certainly crying because Scott finally told Lou how he feels about her. And he didn’t tell her that she *couldn’t* go to New York because he loved her. He told her he wouldn’t stop her from going and that he’d go wherever she’d go just to be with her. That’s brave. That’s love.

> Scott and Lou are definitely out of practice with being sneaky because they almost get caught by Amy! Haha

> Man, Heartland, you make me feel all the feels! First, I’m on cloud 9 with Amy and Ty and Scott and Lou and then 30 seconds later, I’m sobbing because Amy’s heartbroken that Ty left out of the blue. For her to find the letter from him underneath the cowboy hat that she gave him made it even more heart wrenching! You’ve done your job well, Heartland producers.

> One of my favorite end songs from season 1 is this one: “I Want You To Be My Love” by Over the Rhine. I think it would make a pretty song for a bride to walk down the aisle to.

A bit later than planned, but today's Random-News-Digest is MAINLY (yes, not all) occupied by Disney-related news. Owing that to the Disney D23 Expo 2017 that took place over the weekend, of course. So... as the San Diego Comic-Con International 2017 officially kicks off today (July 20th, PST), let's take a quick detour to see what hit the world by storm last week...

Disney Live Action

During the D23 Expo 2017, Disney announced and confirmed several of its upcoming live action remakes. Niki Caro's "Mulan" has entered production, as well as Tim Burton's "Dumbo". Dwayne Johnson is also set to headline "Jungle Cruise", while "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" has been given an official release date.

Cast for "Dumbo" has been confirmed to consist of Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, as well as Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins. Roshan Seth, DeObia Oparei, Sharon Rooney and Douglas Reith round up the set in supporting roles. Farrell is set to play Holt Farrier, a former circus star who has a rough life following the war, while Parker and Hobbins are set to play his children. DeVito's Max Medici is an owner to a struggling circus, who then hires Farrier to be the caretaker of Dumbo, the elephant with oversized ears. Keaton plays V.A. Vandevere, and Green plays Colette Marchant, both who are interested in turning Dumbo's aerial ability into fame.

A life-size statue of Dumbo was showcased during the panel, though I'm not sure if it's from the movie or just a replica from the 1941 animated movie. Burton is bringing MANY of his previous collaborators on "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" and "Alice in Wonderland" to work on this movie. That alone is enough to give us a sense of 'what to expect' from it. The movie will be filmed entirely in England, and it is set to be released on March 29th, 2019.

"The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" will star Keira Knightley as The Sugar Plum Fairy, Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer, and ballerina Misty Copeland. As the title suggests, the movie will feature four different realms, and two of them are called the 'Land of the Flowers' and the 'Land of the Snowflakes'. Charles Riley is in charge for CG creation and motion capture, and it will be released on November 2nd, 2018.

Three lead actors for Guy Ritchie's "Aladdin" have been announced. Will Smith has been confirmed to play the iconic Genie. Joining him are Canadian-raised Egyptian actor Mena Massoud... who will obviously playing the titular character, and actress Naomi Scott in the role of Princess Jasmine. While Massoud is poised to be getting a bigger buzz due to his upcoming involvement in John Krasinski's "Jack Ryan" series, Scott is the more well known one for the time being, having had her high-profile big screen debut through Lionsgate's recent "Power Rangers" remake.

Apparently, this casting was harder than it looks. A few days before the announcement (on July 11th), The Hollywood Reporter ran a coverage describing 'the struggle' that the House of Mouse faced in their global search to find the right actors for the characters. Around 2000 actors and actresses from London, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, and India have read for the lead roles, but without any easy result. The process even dragged the project so much, that apparently Ritchie had to go back to the drawing board multiple times. "The test process was a mess", said one agent... whose client obviously didn't go through. The team even consulted with musical veterans Marc Platt and Chris Montan to solve this issue.

Coming from a credible site that rarely made a mistake, this report obviously became a hot topic of debate, putting Disney's supposed-effort into a giant question mark. Because seriously though, was it really THAT hard to find natural brown-skinned Middle Eastern actors who CAN sing and dance? Especially considering Disney ended up casting an Egyptian actor and half-Indian actress for the role instead of going full-on Arabian? I mean, don't these countries have talent shows (like "India's Got Talent") that almost always features young aspiring talents who CAN dance and sing? Not just that, the glaring fact that Bollywood is FAMOUS for its MUSICAL movies had me scratching my head. No offense to Massoud, but we have so many aspiring young South Asian or Middle Eastern actors who ARE popular as both singer and dancer while also looking more appropriate for the part. Just throw in names like Shahid Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Hritik Hroshan (who is yes, prolly too old, but he nails Aladdin's look perfectly), or even Turkish hot-throbs like Emre Kivilcim and Serkan Cayoglu with vast TV experiences. And I'm positive you'll find yourself slapping your own face in confusion for why Disney needed to even... 'struggle' to find one. They can even cast one of those young and undeniably handsome-looking Arabian princes from the royal palace! And I'm NOT kidding.

It's more than clear than Disney, Ritchie, and casting director Randi Hiller (also white) only searched those who have a North American and/or Hollywood presence, because the names being talked about was none other than the likes of Riz Ahmed, Dev Patel (which would've been fantastic), and Tara Sutaria. They've also seemingly focused more on non-natives who grew up in Western countries, like Dutch Achraf Koutet, American George Kosturos, and also Massoud and Scott themselves. This clearly made many questioned... why call it a 'Global Search' then? For the time being, the studio is also in search for a well known name for the antagonistic role of Ja'far. Should we even make a wild guess who they are going to cast? I won't be surprised if Disney returns to Sir Ben Kingsley for the part *sigh*. I mean... who else, right? Aaah... Riz Ahmed!

Anyways, let's just hope this casting is good and that it won't generate negative whitewashing feedback. I've repeatedly said that I do NOT think Smith is a good choice for the Genie, because even an Oscar-calliber like him would have a genuine hard time following the footsteps of the late Robin Williams' iconic performance. However... as much as I dislike that particular decision, I'm willing to let it slide if Massoud and Scott can nail their parts gracefully. According to Massoud, Williams was his inspiration to pursue acting, and I'm pretty sure that will be winning the hearts of "Aladdin" fans. If not one of the reason why Disney turned their heads towards him, of course. LOL. I'm now hoping we'll be seeing a different casting scenario with "Mulan", because I fully expect an ACTUAL global cast for that movie. Come on Hollywood, there ARE gazzilions of Asians around the world who CAN sing and dance! So if you're ever spout nonsense like 'difficult to find' and all, I'll belt out a tune and make a man out of you guys. For real! Crossing my fingers that Caro will get it... 'better' than Ritchie, though I'm not that particularly certain about it. It's a white world after all, right? "Aladdin" is set to begin production in August for a 2018 release. Probably for August 3rd.

Actress Emily Blunt and director Rob Marshall were present to debut the first look for "Mary Poppins Returns". The footage grabbed the crowd's attention, and despite being absent on stage, Lin-Manuel Miranda's performance brought out their wildest cheer. As has been widely reported, this movie serves as a sequel to Julie Andrews' original classic. The movie takes place in a familiar, but different setting: Chery Tree Lane. Ben Wishaw and Emily Mortimer are playing Michael and Jane Banks, the kids from that first movie who have grown up to be adults now. Michael is also a windower with three children. Colin Firth is set to play a heartless bank manager, who brings trouble to the dark and gloomy London, as well as the Banks family. Miranda plays Jack, a lamplighter who helps Michael's eldest son Georgie to get his kite. Meryl Streep is playing Mary's eccentric cousin Topsy, the great Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, and Dick Van Dyke returns as the bank Chairman.

According to various report, the footage gave off an 'Old Hollywood' style with high production value, dance sequences, and grand musical numbers. There's also a 2D animation/live-action hybrid scene, sounding very similar to the first movie. Blunt said that she only saw 15 minutes of that movie, so that she can try to deliver her own version of Poppins. "No one is ever going to out-Julie Julie Andrews. She’s just unbelievable. There will never be anyone else like her. So I just had to do my version of her and I think we were very loyal to the books.", she said praising Andrews' performance. Will Andrews be making a special cameo appearance in the movie? This is Disney, so highly likely, but we'll see. "Mary Poppins Returns" will arrive in Christmas 2018.

Vying for attention, was Jon Favreau's "The Lion King". He didn't announce the cast (which I've been waiting for, particularly with that speculation of Hugh Jackman being approached to play the antagonist Scar!!!), but did bring out a footage to please and WOW the audience. Said footage was the exact mirror recreation of the 1994 animated movie's opening scene, where the baboon Rafiki introduced a lion cub Simba to Mufasa's animal kingdom, on top of the Pride Rock. Complete with Elton John's "Circle of Life" playing in the background too! The only difference was that it looked photorealistic, as if it's a scene taken from Favreau's massive-hit Oscar-winning "The Jungle Book" from last year. There were plenty of animals of all kinds depicted in their own nature, but an ultra-adorable baby Simba was undeniably the scene-stealer.

Favreau received similar, if not greater thunderous applause to when he debuted the footage for "The Jungle Book" two years ago. He made the audience went wild this time, eventhough it was Anaheim California, and not the African savannah. "We know how important this is", he said, assuring fans that his team will be delivering the best live action retelling they can muster. I'm a huge fan of "The Jungle Book", so I have huge faith in him. I personally can't wait to see this footage online, but I'm not sure it will be released in the near future. Not to mention, the movie itself is still two years away from release! Ouch!!! I guess we just have to practice patience and... wait. "The Lion King" arrives on July 19th, 2019.

The last but equally attention-grabbing piece of the panel, was Ava DuVernays' "A Wrinkle in Time". Buzz for this project have been really huge and loud even before production began, so expectation have been high. During the panel, DuVernay along with several core cast members delivered the first official teaser trailer while an official poster was released via social media. And it looked... weird but mesmerizing. We saw Storm Reid's Meg Murry, adventuring with brother Deric McCabe's Charles Wallace and classmate Levi Miller's Calvin O'Keefe to find her missing dad. Mr. Murry, played by Chris Pine, was seemingly trapped after discovering a new planet and travelled there using the 'tesseract'. Meg then encountered three Astral Travelers on her journey, Reese Whiterspoon's Mrs. Whatsit, Mindy Kaling's Mrs. Who, and Oprah Winfrey's Mrs. Which, who would somehow guide the trio in their journey. One that's likely involving the many other characters played by Zach Galifianakis, Michael Peña, and more. As well as CG actions with monsters and all... because the trailer suggests that.

Now... not unlike many folks, I'm not familiar with the novel, nor what it's all about. So I can't really describe how I feel about this. Somehow, those three Astral beings reminded me of the fairies on "Sleeping Beauty", if not the three Ghosts of "A Christmas Carol". That is, in both puzzling and creepy ways. The teaser also reminded me of "Doctor Strange" and/or "Legion" which was a good comparison, but at the same time, it also gave off a strange "Tomorrowland" vibe, which was NOT a good comparison. Then again, my mom immediately said "This looks amazing" (paraphrasing from our native language...) after seeing it... and that's totally saying much. As in, I'm definitely checking this one out when it hits theatres! For now, you can check out a few official stills from the movie, debuted by Entertainment Weekly as part of their 'First Look' season. "A Wrinkle in Time" will premiere on March 8th, 2018.

Disney Animation

It's Disney Animation Studios and Disney Pixar time! I somewhat expected Pixar's "Coco" to be getting all the big attention this year, but surprisingly that's not the case. Two other titles stole the attention on this Animation panel instead!

Fans have been asking for sequel to 2004's "The Incredibles" for many years, more than a decade even! Thus when it was finally announced, anticipation for "The Incredibles 2" has been growing like crazy. That must've been the reason why it's one of the two most talked-about title of the panel. Writer/director Brad Bird attended the panel alongside Disney Animation Chief John Lasseter, as they delivered official concept art, first raw footage, and give hints of what we can expect from Pixar's very own Fantastic Four-esque team.

For start, while many fans have been voicing their hopes to see a 10 years passed after the first movie (with all the kids grown up), Lasseter revealed that this sequel will instead works as a direct continuation. "It starts right as the first one finishes, so it just carries on", he said, confirming that only a minute have passed after the arrival of John Ratzenberger's Underminer. Family, is still the major theme of this movie. "One of the unique things about the Incredibles is it’s really a story of a family set in the world of superheroes. This one carries on that theme. It’s awesome, the idea we came up with — simple as that. … We love to really look at our own lives and look at what’s going on, and find themes that we know will resonate with the audience", he stated. Bird also reiterated that "It's fundamentally a story about family".

The main star for this one will also be Holly Hunter's Elastigirl alongside their children Violet and Dashiell (voiced by Sarah Vowell and Huck Milner, taking over from Spencer Fox), as Craig T. Nelson's Mr. Incredible will spend more time taking care of baby Jack Jack who's developing his unique powers. If it wasn't obvious enough from his social media shoutouts, Samuel L. Jackson has been confirmed to reprise his role as Frozone, while Bird himself will reprise his role as the famed superhero costume designer Edna Mode. "The Incredibles 2" opens in less than a year, on June 15th, 2018. Here's hoping Pixar will release a trailer soon! Perhaps on SDCC?

The other title that gained a huge amount of cheers and praise came from Disney Animation Studios, in form of "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2". Similar to how "The Incredibles 2" put more focus on the female lead, it seems this one also shifts the primary attention to Sarah Silverman's Vanellope von Schweets. Namely, due to her being acknowledged as a Disney Princess... alongside, the previous Princesses! Yes, Silverman and directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston presented a clip from the movie, where Vanellope stumbled upon a website called OhMyDisney.com. That's where she runs into all the Disney Princesses, who was having slumber party filled with rapid-fire meta jokes about their histories and tropes.

But that's not even the best thing, because most of the Princesses are voiced by their iconic voice actresses! To prove that, Disney brought out these dream team on stage: Jodi Benson (Ariel of "The Little Mermaid"), Paige O'Hara (Belle of animated "Beauty and the Beast"), Linda Larkin (Jasmine of animated "Aladdin"), Irene Bedard (of "Pocahontas"), Anika Noni Rose (Tiana of "The Princess and the Frog"), Mandy Moore (Rapunzel of "Tangled"), Kelly Macdonald (Merida of "Brave"), Kristen Bell (Anna of "Frozen"), and Auli'i Cravalho (of "Moana"). Creating a historic meeting, that obviously caused a prolonged ovation and wild cheers from audience of around 7000 people. I simply can't imagine how the audience would react, had other confirmed but absent voice actresses like Ming-Na Wen (of "Mulan") and Idina Menzel (Elsa of "Frozen") were able to attend as well! With the first movie focusing on the love of retro-video games that in a way also felt more directed for 'boys', this one is definitely a conscious and brilliant decision to captivate the 'girls' as well!

As for how and why John C. Reilly's Ralph and Vanellope get to meet them? That's because the plot forced them to. How is that possible? Apparently, the Sugar Rush game had an unexpected break down, so both Ralph and Vanellope alongside the other characters have to explore to the world 'wild' web to find replacement parts required to fix and keep it alive. There, they will run into Yesss, a trend-aholic algorithm who is voiced by Taraji P. Henson. Yess is the savvy, smart and sexy owner of a trending site called Buzzaholic (obvious nod/pun to Buzzfeed, eh? *grins*). According to Henson via an external statement, Yesss "knows about everything cool and on trend. And she does spell her name with a triple ‘s'". This is the character who would guide Ralph and Vanellope toward the various sites, including OhMyDisney (that also includes reference to other Disney's properties from Marvel and Lucasfilm). What a really interesting premise! The subtitle might have hinted that the sequel to 2012's favorite is set to break the internet, but to be honest, it already is... LOL. "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2" officially breaks the theatres next year, on November 21st, 2018.

By the way, Bell and co-star Josh Gad refused to let it go, as they brought news for the sequel to everyone's favorite animated movie. The as-of-yet un-subtitled sequel of "Frozen" became the talk of the town, eventhough the duo's intention was totally to promote the upcoming "Olaf’s Frozen Adventure", a holiday-themed short set to debut alongside "Coco". A special clip from this short was screened, and Gad sang one of the four new songs set to debut in it. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee along with the core cast are all confirmed to return, and "Frozen 2" is set to hit theatres on November 27, 2019.

There were other minor bits from both Pixar and Disney Animation Studios. Dan Scanlon who did "Monsters University", is currently developing a personal project on Pixar based on his own experience of not knowing his father (who passed away when he was just one). This project is currently untitled, and doesn't have a release date for now. Scanlon was inspired to make this, after discovering a recording of his late father. It will be a mix of fantasy and mundance, set in a world where unicorns are said to be a norm of everyday's life. Josh Cooley has been announced as the sole director for "Toy Story 4". He was supposed to co-direct with Lasseter before. Lasseter himself remains as producer for the June 21st, 2019 movie. And Disney Animation Studios is working on a spin-off of "Cars", spotlighting a plane (but NOT part of the "Planes" franchise) that will go all the way into space. This untitled movie will be released on April 12th, 2019.

Last but not least, "Coco" did get the utmost privilege to wrap off the entire presentation via an elaborate musical number. Director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla Anderson, and writer Adrian Molina arrived on stage to preview a new clip from the movie. They revealed that music for this movie will combine the talents of songwriter Germaine Franco, the "Frozen" couple Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez, with Michael Giacchino composing the score. Newcomer Anthony Gonzales is playing the lead character Miguel, with Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Edward James Olmos lending their voices to the others. "Coco" is set to arrive in a few months, on November 22nd, 2017!

Star Wars

Lucasfilm didn't deliver a new trailer for Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" during D23 Expo 2017 as fans expected. But the cast did bring a special behind-the-scenes video that... well, in a way showcased many things as well, and delighted avid "Star Wars" fans nonetheless. You can visit Collider to get screengrab images of this video. Official posters for the movie have also been released via social media. The one featuring late Carrie Fisher's General Leia seemed to breaking many fans heart. Overall though, there's a sense of danger looming through this posters, as everyone is shaded with the color of blood-red. Is it a sign of death? Oh no...! "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will arrive on December 15th, 2017.

DC Films

Let's have a quick intermezzo from Disney, as we visit the other side of the... fandom. Yes, Warner Bros gets their category here! Though admittedly, I only included them to avoid postponing too much for the next R-N-D. LOL. Anyway, it'll be a quick one.

First, director Jaume Collet-Serra is said to be the frontrunner to helm "Suicide Squad 2". Yes, it's been an unanimous verdict that the first movie was... bad, and I personally don't see any reason for this sequel to exist. But money talks louder, especially to WB, so the studio is making one anyway. Think of it like the "Transformers" franchise. I'm not that familiar with Collet-Serra, and I haven't even seen "The Shallows". But even if I HAVE seen "Non-Stop", I can't really say if this is a right choice or not. Those movies and "Suicide Squad" are completely different in genre. Both Will Smith and Margot Robbie are poised to return though, so there's that.

Matt Reeves has publicly stated that he won't be using Ben Affleck & Geoff Johns' script for the tentatively titled "The Batman"! He said this himself on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast while promoting the critically-acclaimed "War for the Planet of the Apes", practically confirming previous report by Slash Film that many had considered to be false. Perhaps, script issue was the problem that broke down Reeves' negotiation with WB before? With the script being rewritten from scratch, many have wondered what will happen to the news we have heard so far, particularly about the casting of Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. There's always a possibility that Manganiello will no longer appear in the solo movie, right? I'm sure we'll hear more about this in WB's upcoming panel on SDCC 2017 tomorrow.

One last thing, WB have also somewhat bullishly announced two more release dates for the year 2020. Yes, they are now planning to release FOUR effing movies that year, as if making two bad ones a year wasn't enough. Looks like someone hasn't really learned from their past mistake, huh? I can't really remember the previous two dates (if I'm not mistaken, they were reserved for "Cyborg", and "Green Lantern Corps"), but the new ones are set for February 2nd, 2020 and June 5th, 2020. It is speculated that the June one will be a sequel to this year's "Wonder Woman", due to its achievement of inching closer to become the most successful Summer movie of the year. The February one, might be a bit tricky considering WB has so many DC Films projects on the works, that even I had lost count of it for a long time now. Could it be that "Gotham City Siren", because it's a Valentine's Day release? Or Joss Whedon's "Batgirl". How about "The Flash". Hmmm. Maybe SDCC 2017 will help enlighten us if this bad.... news. Not that I could care any less though...

Marvel Studios

Back to Disney! Let's first talk about the biggest news of them all. Because while items and props from "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Black Panther" were put on display at the Marvel booth, they weren't on par with what transpired on the Live Action Panel.

Yep, Kevin Feige attended the D23 Expo 2017, and as expected he wasn't alone. Nope, far from it, because he brought a HUGE number of guests. In order of appearance; Josh Brolin, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., and co-director Joe Russo; all joined him on stage, because they were celebrating Marvel Studios' 10 Years. With a new Anniversary Logo... and also first teaser for next year's "Avengers: Infinity War" that easily brought the crowd of 7000 people on their feet, driving them wild and overpouring with emotions.

Said footage began with around two minutes of clips from roughly 13 previous movies that have been produced by the studio, before continuing with a completely new scene. It started of with Hemsworth's Thor crashing into the Guardians of the Galaxy's spaceship, followed by a reel of action-packed sequences, and was wrapped with Thanos having a fully assembled Infinity Gauntlet in his hand, about to pummel his enemies using debris in space. Various sites (ComicBook, THR, Daily Super Hero, Collider, Buzzfeed, and many more) have published their rundown of the sequence, revealing plenty of tidbits from the mindblowing Avengers sequel. Each one complemented the rest, by filling up missing details that was missed by one another, so do take your time to visit them and read them on spot. Seriously though, reading them alone has already made me giddy and anxious. So much that I'm actually really glad Marvel Studios hasn't put it up online. Otherwise I'd probably suffered an instant heart attack and died before the movie even arrives.

After the rousing panel presentation, the Marvel booth officially unveiled additional characters for the movie. Joining the huge life-size statue of Brolin's Thanos that has been decorating the hall since day one, were four of his right hands... the Black Order. Brolin himself was on hand for the official unveiling of the team, that will instead be called 'The Children of Thanos' in the movie. Confirming theories gathered by fans after seeing the set pieces in Scotland and Atlanta, this antagonistic team consists of Corvus Glaive, his wife Proxima Midnight, the super intellect with manipulative ability Ebony Maw, and the Hulk-like Cull Obsidian.

Some of the core cast like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner (who suffered an unfortunate injury on set), Paul Rudd, and many others were notably absent, including co-director Anthony Russo who remained in Atlanta to work on tentatively-titled "Avengers 4". Yes, "Infinity War" had just wrapped on the first day of D23 Expo 2017 (the Russos announced this themselves), but the production team are now moving on with the next giant project! WOW, talk about marvelous dedication to work. But surely, we can expect them to appear this weekend on SDCC, right? "Avengers: Infinity War" opens less than a year from now, on May 4th, 2018.

Presumably because production has only begun for "Ant-Man & the Wasp", none of its cast were present at the D23 Expo. The event officially revealed the first look for Hope van Dyne's the Wasp on one of the hanging-banner though, and actress Evangeline Lilly herself happily shared this news. Also actor Walton Goggins has officially joined the cast. I'm not familiar with this actor, but I've read many folks were excited about him, because apparently he's a terrific actor. His role is currently undisclosed, and speculations are saying that he might be playing the villain of the movie. Clearly he's not playing that character rumored by That Hashtag Show, right?

Which reminds me... that site reported an 'exclusive' saying that the studio is actively looking for an African-American actor between the age of 55 to 65 for a highly intelligent role. Everyone's easy guess is Dr. Bill Foster, a.k.a. Goliath who's in a way connected to Giant Man. Since Rudd's Scott Lang did demonstrate that ability in "Captain America: Civil War", linking it to Foster would be fantastic. Then again, That Hashtag Show isn't particularly a credible source, having falsely reported many stuffs in the past (Shang-Chi? Pffftttt). So I wouldn't really bet on their horses. Anyhoo, here's hoping the cast will stop by on SDCC this weekend, if only to have an actual confirmation or two. "Ant-Man & the Wasp" will arrive on July 6th, 2018.

"Black Panther" didn't have a huge presence (Boseman and director Ryan Coogler had a signing session), but that's because it already made a separate headline earlier that week (on July 11th). By showing up as the cover story of EW! The magazine ran a detailed coverage of the movie, dishing out the many aspects from the many lores of Wakanda, the various characters, and what to expect from the story.

Wakanda produces and is riched with a nearly-mystical metal called Vibranium. The people has mined it, experimented, and used it to develop medicines, technology, and others. Its fields also grows the Heart-Shaped Herb, a plant that grants superhuman strength to its leaders. That's the reason why it has closed itself from the whole world. John Kani's T'Chaka's death in "Civil War" will shake the illusive African-country's ground, as threats coming towards Boseman's T'Challa from inside and outside. The outside refers to Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger, an aspiring prince who is colluding with Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klaue (with a new hand, in form of sonic mining equipment) to bring down T'Challa from his throne. The inside refers to the turmoil that fears T'Challa might be engaging too much with the outside world, just like T'Chaka. This might be where Winston Duke's M'Baku (who will NOT be addressed as Man-Ape) enters the equation. Coogler compared his movie to politics, saying that there's an ambiguity of who's good and bad. "The film very much plays with those concepts, looking at conflicts and different motivations, and who’s with who", he stated.

Producer Nate Moore, likened the movie to a fusion of "The Godfather" and the "James Bond", serving as tribute to both franchises. It's "a big, operatic family drama centered on a world of international espionage. So hopefully we’re getting the best of both worlds", he hoped. Boseman also stressed out, that Wakanda is "a very matriarchal society", hinting that the female characters in this solo movie shouldn't be taken for granted. This refers to Angela Basset's Queen Ramonda, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia who is an undercover spy with a knack on 'Ring Blades', Letitia Wright's genius and intellectual Shuri, to the Dora Milaje guards like Danai Gurira's Okoye and Florence Kasumba's Ayo. Meanwhile, Forest Whitaker is playing Zuri, a shaman who is also the keeper of the Heart-Shaped herb. His character roots the movie in a unique element of spirituality, the way it's always been depicted in the comics. "Black Panther" will premiere on February 16th, 2018.

Marvel Studios might have left quite a massive impression last week, with "Spider-Man: Homecoming" running in theatres, the EW cover story for "Black Panther", and a D23 Expo presence that many people might still be talking about until now. Not to mention the pairings of characters, on set interactions, talk of future movies, actor's fancasting, etc. But that doesn't mean its hype is ending soon. This Saturday (precisely tomorrow evening, US time), the studio will return to SDCC 2017's Hall H for a special presentation with extended duration. Perhaps, that "Infinity War" footage will be delivered online for every fans to see? Or should we hope for another version, because Rufallo had openly teased something mind-blowing in the event. I'm merely spitballing here, but I'm positive we'll at least be seeing the cast of "Ragnarok", "Black Panther", "Ant-Man & the Wasp", and most definitely "Infinity War" on the panel. All I can say, we need to brace ourselves for another tide (or tsunami) of Marvel Studios news in the next few days. Because whether you like it or not, it's a great time to be a Marvel fan! Excelsior!!!

Marvel TV

It was a bit odd that Marvel's "The Inhumans" wasn't heavily showcased in D23 Expo 2017. I mean, excluding that Lockjaw's goodies available on Marvel booth, or the only three character posters that can be found on their official Twitter account. After all, ABC is still part of Disney, thus it felt odd that it wasn't even getting proper 'spotlight'. Of course, the series will have its own panel at SDCC 2017, so that might be the case. Nevertheless, the cast of the series continued to share details about the mini series outside of the panel.

Eme Ikwuakor confirmed that his character Gorgon as well as Ken Leung's Karnak, will be similar to the comics. "I act 5 times before I start thinking. I think that plays into a lot of the dynamics as well, especially with Karnak who is the exact opposite who think 5 times before he acts" he said. Sonya Balmores likened her Auran's job as the Royal Family's secret service. She works very closely with the King and Queen, and acts as their eyes and ears eventhough she's not related by blood. Serinda Swan praised her character, because "The great thing about Medusa is that she’s taking on two roles, not molded into one. That’s what makes her such an interesting character". She also affirmed that audience can expect to see Medusa's hair-play in amazing action sequence, likely to ease fans' concerns that has been growing rapidly ever since EW debuted her first look. She even added that "You will definitely see her hair have moods. There will be some moody hair because that’s her". Let's just hope that she's not giving us false hope.

Anson Mount revealed that the intricacies of Black Bolt was the reason he was drawn to portray this character. That's why he immediately agreed when Marvel TV Head Jeph Loeb personally offered this role (outside of auditions), and has even dedicated time developing it with sign consultant and all. He stated that the major theme of the movie is about family, namely about his somewhat Shakespearean love-hate relationship with brother Maximus, played by Iwan Rheon. Rheon by the way, is the most famous actor on the show, hence we can expect him to be more than just an antagonist.

Problem is, Mount also talked about why his character and also the entire series needed to be 'grounded', in order for them to be... "more accessible to a viewing audience than a reading audience". This one, is easily the part that rubs me off the wrong way. Grounded this, grounded that? I'll be honest, all these 'grounded talks' is making me feel iffy. Why shy away from going all out bizarre and outlandish? It's okay to do that with the Inhumans on Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." considering they are Earth-bound (then again, even they weren't afraid with the visuals)... but the Royal Family? They should be larger than life! Embrace all the weirdness and fun, not unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy. And don't ever forget! Scott Buck's idea of 'grounded' tends to be... 'different' or a 'bit warped' than what you and I had in mind. It means the mystical dragon Shou Lau is two bulbs of red-light for Marvel's "Iron Fist"! A proof that someone clearly didn't learn from the mistake done to that series.

Isabelle Cornish who plays Crystal, also brought a different but equally interesting notion. She revealed that audience can expect the IMAX 'movie'-size feature to be... "just really introducing us as a family and discovering the characters in the first 2 episodes. Seeing how we all mix together, how we intertwine, the different powers we all have. I mean, its such a large family. We’re essentially cousins. To have cousins that are brothers, its kinda cool and different.". Wait, WHAT? You're kidding, right? WHY would I waste my money on IMAX theatres just to see a prolonged intro? Isn't that like... NOT the point of filming a movie in IMAX format? I'm sure Christopher Nolan and his "Dunkirk", and even the Russo Brothers would be completely angry to hear this kind of treatment.

I've honestly lost all kind of goodwill and faith for this show. You can even say that I've joined a weird group among Marvel fans, essentially becoming a naysayer, because that's more or less accurate. The trailer, and every cast interviews so far, eerily reminded me of the whole "Iron Fist" scenario. Things haven't been looking good on my gut feeling, and I simply refuse to be fooled twice. But of course, my opinion doesn't necessarily apply to every Marvel fans out there. After all, there are those who actually enjoyed "Iron Fist" sooo much more than I did. With that said, perhaps it's indeed a wise decision for me to have such a really low expectation to this show. Who knows? It might flip me upside down and win me over instead...

Netflix

Similar to "Black Panther" that was featured by EW's First Look exclusive, Marvel's "The Defenders" got their share of publicity via a new poster released by the outlet, and also through UK's Empire Magazine. I'm sure we can expect the coverage from these magazines pretty soon. The EW poster, along with an exclusive one designed by Joe Quesada for Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "Punisher", are set to be available at Marvel's booth during SDCC 2017. Don't forget, "The Defenders" is also expected to have a huge presence at the Con, so prepare to hear more details as well as hopefully a new trailer for the mini-series. All 8 episodes of "The Defenders" will arrive on August 18th, 2017.

On a side note, actress Lucy Liu has been confirmed to direct the Season 2 Premiere episode of Marvel's "Luke Cage". Could she have a role in the series too? I certainly hope so. I personally want to see Liu joining a Marvel Studio movies for a significant role. But even if that's not the case, her appearing in one of the Netflix series sounds right too.

"Stranger Things" unveiled a sinister new teaser early last week, with a tagline "1984 only gets stranger". The teaser also confirmed that the 2nd Season will be available on October 27th, 2017. There weren't any details about this new season following that, but we can expect ones in the upcoming SDCC 2017.

Last but not least, I can't believe I missed this last month, but turns out the 3rd Season of "Voltron Legendary Defenders" has had an official release date! Via the trailer that... I oddly couldn't find on Netflix' official Youtube channel, it was revealed that the new season will arrive on August 4th, 2017. That's... really fast! Possibly due to the delay on Season 2 (it was meant to be released last year, but got delayed to January this year), I honestly didn't expect it to arrive so early. But who am I to complain! We need the 3rd season right away, especially after how the 2nd season abruptly ended. LOL. Also... if this teaser is any indication, things aren't looking good for the team. Because while the Paladins can't form Voltron, Emperor Zarkon's son Prince Lotor has taken command of the Galra Empire and starts brewing trouble in the galaxy. Here's hoping we'll get a longer and better trailer when the showrunners and cast members hit their SDCC 2017 panel this weekend!

Disney XD Series

New sneak peak clip for "DuckTales" was released during D23. Taken from the episode entitled "Daytrip of Doom!", the clip showed Huey, Dewey, and Louie having a dart gun fight against a very serious Webby, that caused plenty of... chaos in Scrooge McDuck's Manor. Many fans seemed to be annoyed with how the nephews sound when they saw the First Look before, a sentiment that was very understandable. For me personally, at least their new voices are growing in me, to the point that I no longer feel that much bothered by it. Many seems to have been voicing criticism to the Carl Barks-inspired design too, but I personally never had any issue about it. Most of the comics I've seen was drawn in that style anyway. LOL. "DuckTales" is set to premiere with a one-hour TV movie on August 12th, 2017, before starting its series on September 23rd.

Disney XD also unveiled the first look for "Big Hero 6 the Series". Based on the one and only Oscar-winning superhero movie so far, this much-anticipated series will tell the story of Hiro Hamada along with Baymax and friends, as they become the heroes of San-Fransokyo. Similar to "Tangled the Series", the design might not work with everyone, especially those who were expecting lush CG animation like the movies. The "Big Hero 6" one was very close, and clearly inspired by the actual 2D character designs from the movie's production though. So in a way, it's accurate. You can catch the series Main Title on Youtube!

Kamen Rider

The first official image for the 19th Heisei Rider "Kamen Rider Build" has been revealed! The image clearly showed that Build shared similar dual-colored design of "Kamen Rider W", but one that utilized a combination of technology and biology.

As rumored before, his initial form with the color Blue and Red is a fusion of Tank and Rabbit respectively. These powers will be accessed through the season's collectibles, Full Bottles, as the hero inserts a pair into his Build Driver. His transformation catchphrase for this initial mode will be "Using 2 Bottles, Find the Best Match! ​Are You Ready?! Moonsault of Steel! Rabbit Tank! Yeah!". Different Full Bottles can then be mixed and matched to produce a variety of forms. The biological side revealed so far includes Rabbit, Gorilla, Hedgehog, and Hawk, while the technological side includes Tank, (Vacuum) Cleaner, and Gattling. It's safe to say we can expect a lot more in the future. The picture also teased the antagonist Knight/Night Rogue, and the second Rider called Kamen Rider Claws/Close.

The story is said to take place in a post-apocalyptic world where souls are bound to bottles. "Second Build" is the cause, as it destroyed the world 10 years before. Kamen Rider Build will then have to deal with evil souls called "Builders" who seek to commit crime. Surprisingly, while it was previously assumed that "Build" will start airing as the "Kamen Rider" franchise changes timeslot in October, it has been revealed to debut much sooner. The currently airing "Kamen Rider Ex-Aid" has been confirmed to end with 44 episodes (with episode 45 serving as a bridge to the next), thus "Build" is set to begin in September. Is it because "Ex-Aid" isn't doing well in the toy department? Hmmm...

If you ask me, the overall concept, design, and story premise of this new series is solid, and they are more than enough to make me want to see it. I was actually sold thanks to the FireHedgehog form! LOL. Of course, execution doesn't always rhyme well with expectation, so it's still unclear if I will end up following to the end or not. Heck, the actor casting might also play as a make-or-break situation for me! So it's definitely not set in stones. But for now, I honestly want to see this show in action.

Square Enix

Since the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise is a mixture of their original characters as well as Disney world, of course Square Enix was present at the D23 Expo 2017. And as promised, the company introduced a new look and trailer for "Kingdom Hearts III". The new trailer particularly unveiled a new "Toy Story" world, while teasing an action adventure in the world of Disney's "Hercules"! Other confirmed new worlds include Disney's "Tangled", "Big Hero 6" and the "Olympus Coliseum" world.

The "Toy Story" part will have Sora, and his travelling companions Donald Duck and Goofy exploring Andy's room alongside Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the other toy characters. They need to investigate the disappearances of their fellow toys, and also Andy himself. Both director Tetsuya Nomura and Pixar Animation Studios story supervisor Jason Katz have confirmed that it will be a brand new storyline, but is still on par with Pixar's standard of storytelling and animation quality. In terms of timeline, it will take place after the events of the "Toy Story 2" movie. Nomura expressed his excitement for this world, because he had always wanted to include one on "Kingdom Hearts II".

The company also confirmed that the game will be released in 2018, which is probably not a concidence. It will be available for PlayStation 4 and XboxOne, with Nintendo Switch being considered. A second playable character will also be available, but apparently the director thought that's information for another time. LOL.

Pocket Monsters

Niantic is set to hold their first "Pokemon GO" real-world event this very weekend, with the "Pokemon GO Fest Chicago" taking place on July 22nd, 2017. They have posted details surrounding the big event happening on location, revealing that players from all around the world will also be able to 'contribute' during the same timetable. During three Challenge Windows at the event from 11:00AM to 08:00PM Chicago Time, players worldwide will help attendees to unlock rewards, and vice versa. Later, if players at the Chicago event catch enough Pokemon during the Catch Challenge, a special Mystery Challenge will be unlocked for the last hour of the event. If said Challenge is completed, then an 'extra special bonus' will be given for players around the world in form of Global Reward on July 23rd-24th.

This sounds a bit complicated to understand, and the gap between time zones alone is already feeling unfair to some parts of the world who have to stay up during midnight to dawn to participate. Response to this has been mixed as well, due to various reasons. But despite constantly getting server issues over the past week, Niantic is working hard to appeal its players. One of it, is by directly flying high-level Pokemon GO Youtubers from all around the world into Grant Park Chicago to participate in the live event. Many have been speculating that the Global Reward will be the first official reveal of Legendary Pokemon. We'll have to wait and see if that's really the case.

Those in Europe can then participate in a "Pokemon GO Safari Zone" events, in partnership with Unibail-Rodamco shopping centers. Copenhagen and Praque will be holding one on August 5th, Stockholm and Amstelveen on August 12th, and Oberhausen, Paris and Barcelona on September 16th. These events will give European players the opportunity to catch variety of Pokemon, among them are those only available as region-locked like Kangaskhan and Tauros. Unique and powerful Raid Bosses will also be available. For the United Kingdom area, Niantic will be holding a "Big Heritage Festival" event in Chester on July 22nd-23rd. This is a joint collaboration with UK heritage organization, Big Heritage.

Last but not least, Yokohama area is set to have a "Pikachu Outbreak" event on August 9th- 15th. It has been an annual event for The Pokemon Company, but this time, it will also include a Pokemon GO experience.

Tekken

I did NOT see this coming!

Geese Howard, who was recently revived by SNK Corp for "The King of Fighters XIV", has been announced as the new DLC character for "Tekken 7: Fated Retribution"!!! Bandai Namco unveiled this via one thrilling and intense trailer, during the Evolution Championship Series 2017. It just felt... right seeing Geese pummeling the Tekken characters one by one (particularly Heihachi, who is a natural jerk just like him), and sending them to misery. LOL. Geese will be available in Winter 2017, along with his own unique 'Geese Tower' stage.

The company did already state that they will be adding exclusive guest characters from other video game franchise, following the game's release on June 2nd, 2017. But I honestly didn't expect them to actually go with fans' wishes that openly called out Geese with the reasoning that his fighting style and 'badass' mannerism will be a great fit to "Tekken 7" (it's accurate, though). With "Street Fighter" very own Akuma already in the title, "Tekken 7" is growing to be a rendesvouz spot for powerful characters from various franchises. Now... who will the next DLC be for Spring 2018? Someone from "Dead or Alive"? "Mortal Kombat"? "Guilty Gear"? This is exciting...

Street Fighter

The 4th "Street Fighter V" DLC character for Season 2 has been revealed! And continuing the trend since Gouki/Akuma, it's a supposedly-new character that is also NOT really a new one... *sigh*. NEW, because the "Street Fighter" franchise hasn't had them as playable characters until now, but NOT new, because they have already existed as either supporting characters in previous games, or from entirely different game. Proof? No explanation necessary for Akuma, Kolin was Gill's right hand in "Street Fighter III", and Ed showed up in "SFV" various Story Modes since the very beginning. The fourth character joining them, hails from CAPCOM's very own "Final Fight" series. In form of big brute Abigail.

Yoshinori Ono announced Abigail during the Evolution Championship Series 2017, and an official reveal trailer for the character immediately hit the internet. This towering Mad Gear Leader that's even taller and bigger than Hugo albeit with a goofy personality, has attacks based on armors. The face paint is said to be an homage to King Diamond, who is a heavy metal musician. He is set to be released next week on July 25th, 2017, alongside his unique new stage called the 'Metro City Bay Area'. You can visit Gematsu to read a detailed description of this new DLC character.

Intriguingly, this reveal didn't surprise fans, because his name has been repeatedly rumored and reported before. The Event Hubs user who goes by the name of Flowtron has gotten his 'leaks' proven with the reveal of Akuma and Ed, and now his street cred had just gotten much higher with the confirmation of Abigail. Assuming his leak are all true, then the remaining two DLC characters will be Menat and Zeku. Menat is supposed to be that Egyptian-looking 'Fortune Teller' who already and rather pointlessly debuted in Ed's Story Modes. I also had the exact same suspicion, the moment I saw her design on that ending sequence. Not to mention, it fits with CAPCOM's goal to increase diversity in the game (with Rashid's inclusion). Zeku on the other hand, is Guy's teacher. Meaning he's also a "Final Fight" alumn. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a confirmation to his inclusion in Abigail's Story Mode.

Flowtron also stated an insider information regarding the 3rd Season DLC characters. According to him, Sagat and Sakura Kasugano are pretty much confirmed, but they won't play out like their "Street Fighter IV" counterparts. The previously rumored characters like Oro, C. Viper, Q, and Necro aren't accurate. For now, these should be treated as rumor until proven otherwise. But let's just say, I will not be surprised if it turns out to be true.

As for the real deal, CAPCOM will be releasing new special stages and costumes on July 25th as well, as part of the game's 30th Anniversary. This includes: Classic Ryu's "Suzaku Castle" stage from "Street Fighter II", Capcom Pro Tour 2017 Exclusive "Ring of Pride" stage (the Kanzuki Family Stadium), Nostalgic Costumes (for Alex, Ibuki, and Juri), and The Champion's Choice costume designed by CAPCOM Cup 2016 winner Du "Liquid|NuckleDu" Dang (for Ryu, Ken and Guile). Do visit Event Hubs to see their pricings.

Marvel vs Capcom

Meanwhile, "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" officially added Jedah from "Darkstalkers" series as playable character. This was revealed during the Evolution Championship Series 2017 tournament. Following this sequel's odd tradition, Jedah debuted during one of the fight and was not officially announced via individual trailers. You can visit Gamespot's Youtube channel to see him in action. "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" is set to be released on September 19th.

ARIKA

Many fans have been itching to see characters from "Street Fighter EX" to spring back into action. But considering ARIKA no longer collaborates with CAPCOM, that seems like a wishful thinking. Well, until now.

A new currently untitled 'EX' Fighting Game was showcased during The Evolution Championship Series 2017. The teaser video (provided through ARIKA's official Youtube Channel) showcased favorite 'EX' characters like Kairi, Shirase/Hokuto, Garuda, Skullomania, and Darun Mister. ARIKA officially announced that it will be the newest entry in the 'EX' series.

It was announced that there will be a limited time beta/server test at the end of 2017, and it has been confirmed to be a worldwide PlayStation 4 release for 2018. It is expected to be playable on April Fools, and pre-order has been made available for Japan players. Considering the company DID first tease this several months ago on April Fools 2017, I think we can safely assume that April 1st, 2018 will indeed be the release window for the title. Hopefully we'll hear more about this in the near future...

The Weekend Warrior 4/30/21: SEPARATION, LIMBO, THE OUTSIDE STORY, WITHOUT REMORSE, ABOUT ENDLESSNESS and More

Everyone recovering from the Oscars? I’m certainly not, but trying hard, especially cause I gotta jump RIGHT into the Emmys cause the nomination process begins in just six weeks… WTF?! Well, if it’s any consolation, I plan on continuing to include my thoughts on box office as things seem to be slowly getting back to some semblance of normalcy.

There aren’t a ton of new wide theatrical releases this week, at least not many particularly high-profile ones. Open Road/Briarcliff, one of the first studios to begin releasing movies during the pandemic with Liam Neeson’s Honest Thief and The Marksman, neither which grossed more than $15 million domestically, is the only studio taking on the 2nd weekends of Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer.

eThis week, they release William Brent Bell's supernatural thriller SEPARATION (Open Road/Briarcliff), which stars Rupert Friend as Jeff, a failed comic book artist, whose wife Maggie (Mamie Gummer) wants a divorce and is fighting for custody of their daughter Jenny (Violet McGraw) in said divorce, before she's killed in a hit and run. That leaves Jeff and Jenny alone in their brownstone with Maggie’s father (Brian Cox) wanting to take Jenny away, and...oh, yeah, the vengeful ghost of Maggie causing all sorts of trouble.

Before we get to my review, which I wasn’t able to run until Thursday anyway, let’s talk about box office. We’re coming off one of the best weekends at the box office since the pandemic hit with both Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer opening with over $21 million each. While I don’t expect Separation to have much of an effect on either, there’s no denying that both movies are very likely to be frontloaded, and I would be surprised if either of the movies has less than 55% drop-of from opening, but I think Mortal Kombat may stay ahead for a second weekend at #1 with around $10 million. I’d put Demon Slayer at closer than $9.5 million.

I’m not sure how many theaters Open Road will get for Separation, although theaters chains should be grateful to them for taking a chance on movies back in the fall when New York and L.A. were yet to reopen. I think it may be able to swing close to 2,000 theaters and that should be enough for it to do around $4 million this weekend, which would be better than Screen Gems’ The Unholy a few weeks back. I wouldn’t expect good reviews or a CinemaScore above a C-, so it’ll act like most horror movies and will probably will end up in the $12 million total domestic gross.

So let’s get to that review of Separation, which looks like your typical cliché-ridden horror movie, because guess what? It is!! Bell is a perfectly capable filmmaker, but somehow, he keeps directing complete horror schlock like last year’s very bad Brahms: The Boy 2. I have to assume his Orphan prequel next year isn’t going to be much better. It’s another classic case of white male filmmaker failing upwards, because he keeps getting movies to direct after every bad previous movie.

We meet young Jenny as she's talking to her creepy dolls while her parents fight, and when Jenny falls, it’s the last straw for Maggie who files for divorce with her lawyer father really putting the screws to Jeff. To be honest, Maggie is such a bitch that you don’t really feel much sympathy when she’s suddenly dead. Her father has no sympathy for Jeff and just wants to get Jenny away from him. During this time, Jeff starts getting work as a comic book artist, and while references to the Eisners and Maus are certainly entertaining, there’s another part of the movie that just gets the whole “comic book artist lifestyle” pretty wrong.

The thing is no one will come into Separation for most of that stuff, which is why one wonders why Bell would spend so much time on the family drama aspect of the movie while throwing in a few occasional scares, mostly of the variety we’re used to seeing in “ghost movies” these days, complete with the “bendy bone” apparition, in this case with a creepy clown face.

Even though the cast is good, especially the adorable Violet McGraw, who is constantly stealing scenes from her more experienced co-stars, there is just too much about the movie that makes you laugh, and not deliberately. Besides the odd overall portrayal of the comic book business, there’s also Jeff’s adoring babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer from A Handmaid’s Tale), who starts making overtures towards him despite their obvious age difference.

Then every once in a while, we get a creepy scene like Jeff’s experience on a subway or we see a black robed ghost that represents Jeff’s angry wife, and the whole way through this, you can’t help but think, “Boy, Mamie Gummer was lucky to get hit by a car early on, so she wouldn't have to be here for the rest of the movie.”

It all leads to a last act where the movie suddenly starts to get good then throws an absolutely horrible twist at the viewer that just doesn’t work. That and all of the many horror clichés that pervade the movie just makes this an awkward and disjointed mess that never really manages to define itself from dozens of similarly bad horror movies.

Another movie getting some sort of of moderate to wide-ish release is Ben Sharrock’s LIMBO (Focus Features), which was recently nominated for a couple BAFTA film awards. It stars Amir El-Masry as Omar, a Turkish refugee in a dreary Scottish seaside farming village, who is just trying to make his way surrounded by other refugees.

Every once in a while -- like every other movie -- Focus Features releases a movie that I just don’t get why they’re bothering with, and here is one of those quirky movies that I feel will appeal to a very small niche audience. I have no idea how many theaters Focus might get this into, but this would be a platform New York and L.A. platform release at best in the “before times,” so trying to put this into more than 100 theaters is just asking for a lot of near empty rooms. Facts are facts.

I guess I can say a few words about this, even though I don’t have much to say. It’s certainly strange -- not necessarily witty or even laugh-out-loud funny -- and that doesn’t exactly make it very good. The main actor has the charisma of a piece of cardboard, so he struggles to get the audience really behind him. Most of the time he spends interacting with other characters and talking on a remote payphone in the middle of nowhere to his mother and father back in Turkey.

Oddly, this movie reminded me of the movie Lemon for some reason -- maybe the four letters in common?-- and as “luck” would have it, two of the actors appear in ANOTHER movie opening this week -- how’s that for a strange coincidence? It might be due to the couple of Helga and Boris who are teaching the refugees on Western ways, including an opening dance sequence that’s actually a class titled “Sex: Is A Smile An Invitation?” (Spoiler: It’s not.) They are generally more interesting than any of the refugee characters, which probably wasn’t Sharrock’s intention. The refugee performances are just kind of dry and non-dynamic, and that’s a real hindrance in getting the audience to empathize with them.

To Sharrock’s credit, Limbo never goes to some of the more obvious places in terms of putting Omar in a romance, and it only starts paying off in the last act when we get an emotional moment between Omar and his brother, and we finally get to see him playing the “oud” (a Turkish lute, of sorts), which he’s supposed to be a master of. Otherwise, the movie just seems to drive home the obvious, that life sucks for refugees, and that’s about it.

Limbo isn’t a terrible movie, but it’s just so bland and disjointed and even somewhat generic for so much of it that even the eventual payoff doesn’t necessarily win you over.

Also getting a theatrical release this weekend is Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou’s latest film, CLIFF WALKERS (CMC Pictures), which I tried to get a screener for but sadly, too late to review it. It’s a spy thriller about four Chinese special agents who embark on a secret mission to the puppet state of Manchukuo in the ‘30s. It stars Zhang Yi, Yu Hewei, Qin Hailu and Zhu Yawen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if CMC gets this into 200 or 300 screens. With very little promotion here in the States, I don’t expect this to make much of a mark here.

Apparently, Terrence Howard also has a new movie out this week called TRIUMPH, in which he co-stars with RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad and is directed by Brett Leonard. Apparently it’s only in Cinemark Theaters, and it’s inspired by Michael D. Coffey’s true story with Mitte playing a high school senior who tries to be a wrestler despite having cerebral palsy.

Also if you’re looking for something to see in theaters, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is finally getting its 10th anniversary re-release in theaters this weekend, including Dolby Theaters for the first time. That’s what I’m doing on Sunday with my movie pals, Erica and Mike Streeter.

Another movie getting a limited theatrical release is Roy Andersson’s ABOUT ENDLESSNESS (Magnet), the latest from the auteur king of Swedish existentialism, which will also be available via virtual cinema as well as in those select theaters.

I’m not quite sure what to say about Andersson’s latest, because I’ve never really understood the appeal even as other film critics rave about movies like A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence and You, The Living and others. Like those, Andersson seems to specialize in disparate episodic segments about random characters that seem to have absolutely no connection. In this case, there’s a priest who has lost his faith who is first shown dragging a cross up a hill as onlookers barely batting an eye that turns out to be a nightmare.

If you think the movie is going to spend any time following this priest’s struggle, you obviously don’t know Andersson, because instead, we keep being introduced to different characters from a bored woman’s voice-over, every once in a while cutting to a couple floating over the city for no apparent reason. Every once in a while, a few words are spoken but then we’re off to the next vignette.

Sorry, but I have very little time to watch a movie that doesn’t seem to have any interest in plot or story, two of the most important things for any movie in my book, and believe me, this is not the first time I’ve tried to give Andersson a chance because a few hundred cinephiles can’t be wrong, can they?

Yes, in fact, they can and they are, because the almost-80-year-old Andersson is the type of filmmaker who will continue along with this super-niche audience enjoying his quirky non-sequiturs that I just find super dull and pointless.

The latest movie based on a Tom Clancy novel is TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE, which begins streaming via Amazon Prime Video starting Friday. It stars Michael B. Jordan as Navy Seal John Kelly, who has a mission go South in Aleppo, Syria, and when he comes home, he becomes a target for Russian Nationalist soldiers who end up killing his wife. In order to find those responsible, Kelly is pulled into a mission by CIA Agent Robert Ritter (Jamie Bell) and fellow Seal Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith from Queen and Slim) to go after those responsible for his wife’s death only to discover a plot to try to put America and Russia back at war.

Before you get to my review, you can read my interview with director Stefano Sollima over at Below the Line.

So let’s get in this. I’m by no means any sort of Tom Clancy fan, neither of the books nor the movies, not that I haven’t tried, at least with the movies, as I haven’t read any of the books, nor have I gotten around to watching John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan yet, but other than the Harrison Ford movies, nothing has really gotten me very interested in the “Ryanverse”... so WIthout Remorse and join the list of not-particularly-interesting movies based on Clancy books.

It’s certainly not Michael B. Jordan’s fault, since he’s a great lead, and I even thought Sollima did a decent job particularly with the bigger action set pieces that would have been great to see on the big screen rather than on a television set.

I guess part of it is that I really didn’t have any particular interest in knowing more about the John Clark character from the Clancy movies I have seen to see his origins modernized and pulled out of the ‘80s Cold War in which Clancy very deliberately set them vs. the modern political world with everything happening overseas.

Part of my problem is that I just didn’t really care for Jodie Turner-Smith as a soldier with her beautiful hair shaved off, as I just didn’t think she could pull off the toughness that one expects from a soldier of Greer’s status, especially after seeing her in Queen and Slim. I know I’ve seen Jamie Bell in things I’ve liked and better than he is in this movie, which seems to be him basically phoning it in as a character who should have far more layers.

I guess when it comes down to it, we do have to blame Sollina for not working from a stronger script, even though this movie has been in development for over a decade, but it’s also not too surprising after watching it why Paramount Pictures figured it would make more money selling it off to Amazon than releasing it theatrically.

Essentially, Without Remorse is another action-thriller with lots of bullets and explosions that still comes across as exceedingly dull and bland. Surely, Clancy’s books must be better than this to have built such a fanbase over the years.

Opening digitally and for download is Casimir Nozkowski’s THE OUTSIDE STORY (Samuel Goldwyn Films), starring the great Brian Tyree Henry, recently seen in Godzilla Vs. Kong, as editor and filmmaker Charles Young, who is getting over his break-up with his girlfriend Isha (Sonequa Martin-Greents) when he gets locked out of his apartment building. As he tries to get back in, he (and we) meet all sorts of strange and funny characters who may or may not help him.

I ended up really liking this movie a lot, because as with most of his characters, Henry creates a really likeable hero for us, and Nozkowski gives him a great story to really explore a lot more areas of humor than we get to see him do in most movies. This is pretty much a straight up comedy of errors, but it also offers quite a bit of poignancy through Charles’ interactions with various neighbors and them commenting on how he misses his girlfriend. (He broke up with her because she confessed to making out with another woman.) Oddly, I can relate to a lot of what Charles goes through, which definitely helped me connect more with his character.

Nozkowski’s fun script managed not only to get Henry on board, but also the likes of the great Sunita Mani as a beat cop writing up cars whose meters have expired and Matthew Maher, who you’ve seen in everything. The only real weak link as far as the ensemble was young Olivia Edward, who just isn’t up to the other actors in terms of the humor. I can understand why Nozkowski would want to include a young girl in the movie as one of Charles’ neighbors but that was my least favorite part of the film.

Otherwise, The Outside Story is a wonderful and lovely indie, showing off Brian Tyree Henry’s terrific range as a genuinely likable character, and I guess that makes it my favorite movie of this particular week.

Another movie opening this via streaming this week is Dave Grohl’s WHAT DRIVES US, which will be available via something called “The Coda Collection,” which I really have no idea what that is, and unfortunately, I also didn’t get to see this, because I’m sure I would have liked it as much as Grohl’s previous docs and the HBO series Sonic Highways. If I do find time to watch it, maybe I’ll add a few thoughts in an upcoming column.

Hitting Disney+ on Friday is the Soul prequel short, 22 Vs. EARTH, directed by Pixar editor Kevin Nolting, who I also interviewed. It features Tina Fey voicing her lead character from Soul, 22, and it takes place before she meets Joe Gardner as she’s trying to find a few young souls to help her in her boycott of going to Earth rather than remaining in the Great Before. It’s fun and quick (just six minutes) but it’s cute, and something obviously only meant for those who want to know more about her Soul character.

A movie I missed when it was released back in late February but will be available on DVD this week is Nicholas Jarecki’s CRISIS, a tense ensemble thriller about a different pandemic, the rise in opioid addiction and the huge criminal (and legal pharmaceutical) industry that feeds that addiction to the tune of billions of dollars a year. It features an impressive cast that includes Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, Greg Kinnear, Evangeline Lilly, Lily-Rose Depp, and Michelle Rodriguez, and it’s a really strong dramatic thriller that reminded me a bit of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic.

I have a feeling that all the issues Hammer was facing around the time (and still) may have prevented Jarecki’s movie from getting much publicity, but Hammer plays one of the three main characters, so if his presence bothers you, I can’t really do much about that. Hopefully that doesn’t put you off learning about a very serious situation facing many families, and Jarecki takes a tough situation and manages to explore it with a decent and entertaining movie. I also thought Lilly was fantastic as a mother trying to get over her own addiction when her son dies seemingly of an opiate overdose. She doesn’t believe it, so she starts her own investigation.(Hammer's federal agent also deals with a family member addicted to opiates, in this case his sister played by Lily Rose-Depp. Of course, Oldman is always great, and that’s the case here, too. It’s just another intense drama from the director of 2012’s Arbitrage that goes as far and deep into the topic of opioid addiction as that movie did with the stock market.

Also on digital this week is Michael Loven’s dark comedy-thriller MURDER BURY WIN (Gravitas Ventures) about three close friends trying to make a game, and it’s quite witty and entertaining. Also out digitally this week is Michael Parks Randa and Lauren Smitelli’s inclusive summer musical, BEST SUMMER EVER (Freestyle Digital Media), which is also kicking off this week’s ReelAbilities Film Festival on Thursday.

The new Apple TV+ series THE MOSQUITO COAST will also debut on that streamer service on Friday, while the very entertaining animated feature THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES, which I reviewed last week will stream on Netflix starting on Friday, as well.

This week also sees the start of the 50th Anniversary New Directors New Films at Film and Lincoln Center and MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), which I wrote about a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, there really isn’t much in there that interests me, so I haven’t seen anything.

Movies that I just wasn’t able to get to this week, mostly available digitally:

DUTY FREE (This is actually opening for a one week preview at New York’s reopened IFC Center)

WILDCAT (Saban Films)

THE RESORT (Vertical)

PERCY vs. GOLIATH (Saban Films/Paramount)

THE VIRTUOSO (Lionsgate)

FOUR GOOD DAYS (Vertical Entertainment)

GOLDEN ARM (Utopia Films)

That’s it for this week. I always feel a sigh of relief when I actually get to sit down and write this column, and I’m actually able to finish it. It feels like a bit of a pyrrhic victory, but I’m still not quite up to where I was last year in terms of watching and reviewing. We’ll see if things improve this summer. The next few weeks are absolutely slammed with new movies, too, because even though Black Widow has been delayed until July, there are a ton of movies still being released. Next week, the latest from Guy Ritchies, Wrath of Man, reuniting him with Jason Statham.

a list of reasons to be happy i made in 2011 (between sophomore and junior years of high school)

edited for clarity but content was not changed. i laughed.

-cheesecake on transatlantic flights -kikkoman curry -Berlin -Damian McGinty -SHINee -The Field Museum -red pandas -Raise Your Glass (the song) -braiding -napping in class -old quilts -water that doesn't taste like iron -men with flat bellies instead of abs -two people being smitten kittens -Wicked -manatees -comfy jeans -having a plan that works -when teachers get it -donut holes -fleece -teddy bears sewn by friends -first kisses you don't regret (note: I wouldn't get my first kiss until seven years later) -reformed Neo-Nazis -names like Aurelia, Violet, Alice, etc -hotels in Poland -being a walking encyclopedia -the Viennese opera -Dracula -staying in lalaland for hours at a time -snow on Christmas -hetamochis (??) -Harry Shum Jr. -the banned book list -chocolate milk -classy piercings -RAW red hair dye -when the photo comes out perfect in every way -fedoras -pink lemonade -cupcakes with pudding inside -analyzations -hitting a note just right -motorcycle riding -Harry Potter -affectionate cats -white chocolate Reese's -temporary tattoos -Grammas that are awesome -when someone owes you money instead of you owing them -no-change gym days -Welsh corgis -giant pandas -heart-shaped bamboo -Within Temptation -Butterfinger -boating on Lake Michigan -lolita fashion -Johnny Depp -carnivals -fireworks -mini hot dogs -ALL cheese -non-preachy religious people -chesire cats -solemnly swearing you're up to no good -not straightening hair -collecting a new flag -Letter from A Birmingham Jail -convers -the Gorillaz -Huckleberry Finn -super-cheesy pizza -triple ear piercings -light blue sapphires -The Mummy -all-day Chicago passes -classic Disney -the London Eye -ice water that doesn't taste like metal -frogs -girls with masculine names -Scott Pilgrim vs The World -trench coats -Amy Lee -flavored condoms (?? you've never even seen a dick let alone handled a condom!) -coffee stains -Monroe piercings -guys with pink hair -sparkles -jewfros -Skullcandy -blueberry pancakes -zebra print -newts -teachers that get it -Falconlore (???) -Chicago Blackhawks -plain shirts with striped sleeves -when the whole second floor is sick from the smell of bleach and you're fine with it -the perfect red lipstick (which you didn't start wearing until you were like 21 what the fuck) -old Chinese hairstyles -Esmeralda -laughing so hard you forget to breathe -Fanfiction.net -clownfish -jellyfish -Superfast Jellyfish -2D -Sailor Moon -sheep -Olive Garden -seals -pocket watches -winning 2nd place -cat's eyes -quartz -Storage Wars -old friends -new friends -philosophy -discovering a girl can function just fine without a boyfriend -chickens -The Walking Dead -plot twists -Giza -Russian river cruises -The Warsaw Phoenix -finding old photos of family members in gramma's stuff -knowing there may be vikings in your ancestry -sliced pickles -lop-eared rabbits -Rugrats -having way too many stuffed animals -Dancing with The Stars -Norman Reedus -hating a character everyone else loves -old graveyards -the absence of urban progress -skittles -Christmas is coming! -squeaky wheels -new bottles of scented lotion -when strangers give you money -YouTube -Sleeping Beauty's tiara -baby pictures -learning from your mistakes and doing it right the next time -Spencer's -old favorite bands finally releasing new music -turtles -babies that don't cry -whole milk -strawberry Oreos -children's swimsuits with tutu skirts -figure skating -Dreamworks -multilingual Once Upon A December -random buttons -cabbie hats with pins -squeaky hiccups -competing to be the first finished with a quizz

Andrew W.K. (7)

SYDNEY BIG DAY OUT 2011

BIG DAY OUT 2011 FEATURING: TOOL, RAMMSTEIN, IGGY AND THE STOOGES, M.I.A, JOHN BUTLER TRIO, GRINDERMAN, WOLFMOTHER, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77, CRYSTAL CASTLES, LUPE FIASCO, PRIMAL SCREAM SCREAMADELICA LIVE, DEFTONES, BLISS N ESO, ANGUS & JULIA STONE, PLAN B, PNAU, DIE ANTWOORD, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, BOOKA SHADE DJs, ANDREW W.K., THE JIM JONES REVUE, BIRDS OF TOKYO, LITTLE RED, GYROSCOPE, VITALIC, CSS, RATATAT, AIRBOURNE, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, BLUE KING BROWN, THE NAKED & FAMOUS, OPERATOR PLEASE, CHILDREN COLLIDE, GYPSY AND THE CAT, WILL STYLES, LOWRIDER, SAMPOLOGY, KIDS OF 88, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK.

2010 was one for the record books and a stellar year for BDO.

We not only passed the emotional 100 show mark with a bang, but also staged our biggest shows to the largest and our most respectful audiences of our 18 years of BDO. And so we thank you for your continued support in helping us produce the best and safest event possible for the patrons, the bands and our tireless team.

The more you care: the more we care.

Which brings us to 2011.

2010 is a very hard act to follow, so for 2011 it felt right to turn up the heat musically and visually. And what better way to explain this than to present you with over 40 exceptional acts from home and abroad for the first round alone.

This is by far our biggest and most diverse announcement ever. As well as the many incredible first timers on offer, we are enthusiastically welcoming back several iconic BDO veterans. They are some of the most exciting and uncompromising artists performing live today. We believe this combination of extremes for 2011 will create a spectacular event.

From the heaviest to the sweetest sounds in the world today, this will be a sensory overload not to be missed.

Full tickets details are below, but please remember the policies we’ve built your show on: You’re all VIPs (Very Important Punters). We don’t do elitist or bogus pre-sales: we’re either on sale or we’re not. We have what we believe to be one low ticket price for one high standard for everyone….

And we hope to see you there

Ken and Viv

So, let’s get it rolling…

TOOL

The sky will blacken, the ground will shudder, the earth will open up and BIG DAY OUT will once again tremble in the presence of the awe-inspiring TOOL. “Primal, poignant, poetic and, as always, utterly powerful” (ARTISTdirect, July 2010). Touring Down Under for the first time in four years, vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor will be fresh from the studio, where they have been slowly crafting a follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days. From Lateralus to Stinkfist, you know the music. But, backed by a video and laser light show unlike any other, TOOL live is also “the kind of visual experience you’ll probably never have again” (CHARTattack, August 2009). Unmatched in the world of dark, heavy rock, California’s TOOL have over 20 years scorched themselves a place as “one of the best live bands in history” (ARTISTdirect). Be blinded by their light at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

RAMMSTEIN

A decade since ruling over BIG DAY OUT with a reign of fire, pyrotechnics, monstrous riffs, wicked humour and industrial savagery, RAMMSTEIN will return this summer to reclaim their sovereign territory. The RAMMSTEIN live experience is “dizzyingly ridiculous”, says the BBC. “Rock is at its best when confrontational, subversive, curiously camp and bold, which is why RAMMSTEIN are currently one of the most important bands in the genre.” Armed with their sixth album, Liebe ist für Alle da, Germany’s infamous techno-metal masters bring nothing less than the greatest show on earth: “RAMMSTEIN are in pulverising form, the crowd are going crazy, the atmosphere is electric and the firebombs launching from the stage are like World War III on apocalypse LSD” (The Quietus, February 2010). Bow down to your kings, BIG DAY OUT 2011, for RAMMSTEIN have returned. (ALL SHOWS)

IGGY AND THE STOOGES

It’s time for a new generation to plug in to the raw power of IGGY AND THE STOOGES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The band that invented punk rock return with iconic frontman Iggy Pop rejoined by guitarist James Williamson, drummer Scott Asheton, bass player Mike Watt and sax player Steve Mackay. IGGY AND THE STOOGES will be performing songs from their landmark 1973 album Raw Power, and cherry-picking the likes of Fun House, I Wanna Be Your Dog and Down On The Street from their incendiary back catalogue. Kurt Cobain consistently listed Raw Power as his #1 favorite album of all time and Jack White will tell you that Fun House is the best rock and roll album ever made! It’s “the most chaotic and beautiful mess you could ever want” (Boston Herald, September 2010). As Iggy says, “The Stooges and I are cocked and loaded to deliver it live on stage.” And the only place to see IGGY AND THE STOOGES deliver it this summer is at BIG DAY OUT. Don’t be the one to say you missed it. (ALL SHOWS)

M.I.A.

Standing at the front line of mission BIG DAY OUT 2011 is the one-woman shock and awe campaign that is M.I.A. The Sri Lankan-British “singer/rapper/firebrand” (Pitchfork) fearlessly cuts through genre boundaries and lyrical taboos, blazing new ground from the clubs to the streets with powerhouse tracks like Galang, Paper Planes and, from her latest album ///Y/, Born Free and XXXO. On record and on stage, M.I.A. delivers “pure, flashing brilliance, a lightning cognitive connection of word, idea and sound that few do so well” (NME, July 2010). Often controversial, always compelling, M.I.A knows only one way: all guns blazing. Take cover, BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

John Butler is undeniably the most successful truly independent artist in Australia. The recent rebirth of his band the JOHN BUTLER TRIO saw two new members join John Butler; Nicky Bomba on drums and Byron Luiters on bass. The title for the trio’s latest album April Uprising is all about a period of change, of evolution and a constantly renewing beginning. April Uprising is John’s most focused, diverse and accessible album to date. Between the epic opening track Revolution and a whispered acoustic coda A Star is Born, dedicated to John’s son, April Uprising is an album that combines the personal, the political and the musically memorable with skill and passion. BIG DAY OUT is very excited to welcome back JOHN BUTLER TRIO. (ALL SHOWS)

GRINDERMAN

BIG DAY OUT is shivering with anticipation as the howling, growling, malevolent rock beast that is GRINDERMAN approaches. GRINDERMAN are Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos – Four Bad Seeds on a mission to take us somewhere else entirely. On album No.1 they were equal parts swagger and sexual frustration. On Grinderman 2, they’re simply ravenous and rampaging, “mixing horror and black humour with barely tamed musical malevolence” (The Guardian, September 2010). Fronted by Australia’s unarguable king of intense, intimidating performance, GRINDERMAN are coming to draw out the heathen child in all of us at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

WOLFMOTHER

Brothers and sisters sound the siren. A new moon has risen and the return of WOLFMOTHER is well and truly upon us. It was a whirlwind journey the band went on with the Wolfmother album, a voyage that resulted in over one million sales, sold out riots disguised as shows the world over, multiple ARIA Awards and a Grammy. In 2009 they regrouped and returned with a thundering 2nd record, Cosmic Egg, which they describe as “the sound of the Wolfmother world being rethunk and cracked wide open, with a sprawling, jubilant galaxy of musical and metaphysical harmony spilling forth”. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves and BIG DAY OUT couldn’t be happier to have them cracking it open again in 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

You thought it was all over, but James Murphy’s genre-mashing LCD SOUNDSYSTEM couldn’t farewell the live arena without one last tilt at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The biggest name in punk-funk for much of the last decade, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM is a “disco-ticking-time-bomb” (OC Weekly) that has done everything – from movie soundtracks to Grammy-nominated albums. Now, after winning raves for third album This is Happening, Murphy is about to flick LCD’s ‘off’ switch. But before he does, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM wanna put some dance, party and soul in your world one last time, via the likes of Drunk Girls, North American Scum and Daft Punk is Playing at My House. And they’ll be bringing “the heavy artillery… “More muscular and frenzied than on record, the LCD seven-piece live line-up avoids the ‘live dance music’ cul-de-sac in favour of a looser, more dynamic sound… Wow” (The List, May 2010). You better believe this is happening – so be sure to get enough LCD SOUNDSYSTEM to last you a lifetime at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77

BIG DAY OUT has seen the future of dance music, and it goes by the name of BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77. Bob Rifo’s Italian gang may be DJs, prolific producers, masked avengers and remixers extraordinaire, but this summer it will be BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 invading the Boiler Room. This isn’t just a live set, this is live communal anarchy, an electro punk rave-up that has made BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 one of the most talked about dance music acts on the planet. Madly energetic, or just plain mad? Whatever the answer, you’ll be showing mad love for BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 by the time they’re done with BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

CRYSTAL CASTLES

Get ready to get messy with CRYSTAL CASTLES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Toronto’s electronic experimentalists Ethan Kath and Alice Glass are purveyors of the most frenetic live show on the planet. “It’s a thrillingly anarchic, messy show … all over the place, and all the better for it” (MusicOMH, June 2010). The whispers about CRYSTAL CASTLES began in 2006, a series of limited, lo-fi vinyl singles selling as quickly as they were pressed. Two self-titled albums later, the whisper is a roar. Or maybe that’s just Glass’s “hellish shriek backed by warzone beats and liquid synths”. Shield your ears – CRYSTAL CASTLES will bring the noise at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (AUCKLAND & EAST COAST ONLY)

LUPE FIASCO

If BIG DAY OUT is beamin’, it’s because we’re psyched to be welcoming back hip hop superstar LUPE FIASCO. The MC with the madly energetic, fast-flowin’ live-band show kicked and pushed outta Chicago with two Grammy-nominated albums, Food & Liquor and The Cool. Since last hitting these shores, LUPE has wrapped a new album, Lasers. But where is it? Singles I’m Beamin’ and Shining Down were a tasty tease, yet the album proper remains so damn anticipated that the rapper’s fans have resorted to petitioning his label to have it released. That’s just the kind of passion LUPE FIASCO inspires, and that’s why we’re beamin’ to have him back at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PRIMAL SCREAM

20 years after taking the sounds and spirit of the second summer of love and acid house and melding it into one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, British rockers PRIMAL SCREAM will remake history by performing their epoch-defining classic Screamadelica in full at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Two decades on, these songs still sound like the future: Loaded, Movin’ On Up, Higher Than the Sun, Come Together, Don’t Fight it, Feel It. Bobby Gillespie and the band will be joined by gospel singers, horn section, and a field full of memories. Come together to see PRIMAL SCREAM do Screamadelica at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

DEFTONES

BIG DAY OUT is daring to look deep into the Diamond Eyes of California’s favourite alt-metal sons, DEFTONES. The 2010 release and sixth album, is “a brilliant, invigorating reintroduction” (NME) to Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Frank Delgado, Abe Cunningham and new bassist Sergio Vega – the men who shook the world a decade ago with the groundbreaking White Pony – still “wield that balance between beauty and brutality better than anyone” (ARTISTdirect, August 2010). So brace yourself for extremes as you prepare to witness the long-awaited return of DEFTONES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

BLISS N ESO

Fresh from knocking off Eminem’s six week reign at the top of the ARIA Album Charts, with their fourth album Running on Air Aussie hip hop trio BLISS N ESO are self assuredly demanding your ears when they hit the stage at BIG DAY OUT 2011. This is music made to fill the wide open spaces of BIG DAY OUT: “This is a career defining album; an album by which every new hip-hop release in this country will be judged, and deservedly so” says The Vine, MX added “Running on Air is a rocket that never runs out of fuel.” Hip-hop style stadium singalongs? We think yes. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

ANGUS & JULIA STONE

Australia’s finest duo ANGUS & JULIA STONE have spent the last few years on a remarkable musical journey together and now they bring their lovingly crafted songs to BIG DAY OUT 2011. Their latest album Down the Way was released to critical acclaim mainly due to the subtle shift of gear, represented by a growing confidence in their abilities as artists which has seen the music follow suit. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

PLAN B

BIG DAY OUT is reverting to PLAN B. But Ben Drew is no back-up plan, he’s the recalcitrant renaissance man of British music: rapper, actor, guitarist, storyteller, filmmaker and now chart-topping soul singer. After shocking the nation with his 2006 debut Who Needs Action When You Got Words, PLAN B took a sharp turn with The Defamation of Strickland Banks, a surprising, slick album filled with “stonking tunes” (NME) that trace the rise and fall of a smartly-suited soul singer. But don’t be fooled – this sweet soul morsel has a razor-sharp edge. Quite simply, no one else cuts it like PLAN B, and he’s suiting up for BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PNAU

As the world now knows, Australia’s electronic / pop crossover pioneers, PNAU did make the big move over two years ago to take up residence in London following on from a life changing moment crossing paths with (and now under the guidance of) the pop maestro himself, Sir Elton John. It’s been three long years since the release of their last spectacular self titled album, with which Messr’s Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes have been incredibly busy traipsing the world completing album number four in studios in London, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, as well as having been involved in array of projects including one half of Empire Of The Sun; production jobs for Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams and more. In amongst this worldly action, Nick has been given the auspicious duty of composer and musical director for the famed international production Cirque du Soleil. With the wait now over and the highly anticipated fourth album arriving shortly, it’s time for PNAU to present the next chapter of ‘their brilliant career’ and as such the rumours can be confirmed as PNAU finally return home to Australia in January 2011 for the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

DIE ANTWOORD

Comin’ straight outta Cape Town to BIG DAY OUT 2011 are South Africa’s interweb-conquering, next level, hip hop heroes DIE ANTWOORD. The hard rhyming Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek burst on to the scene with serious gangsta skillz and viral videos for Enter the Ninja and Zef Side, then quickly became the “so zef, so fresh” smash hit of Coachella 2010 – “Pound for pound the most engaging and legitimately surprising act of the weekend,” said the LA Times. Part anarchic art project, part the-future-of-rap, total mystery. Are DIE ANTWOORD for real? Find the answer at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS

With their magic tour bus painted all the colours of the rainbow and their fearless leader at the wheel, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS are on the road to BIG DAY OUT 2011. The (at least!) ten-strong, Hottest 100-conquering neo-hippie combo from California are putting a skip in the step of the world with smile-inducing songs from the name-making Home to the happy-go-lucky Janglin’ and 40 Day Dream. This is the stuff group singalongs are made of, music to bring people together. As the Denver Post put it: “At an Edward Sharpe show, everybody is family.” So get on board with EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES – next stop, BIG DAY OUT. You’ll feel right at home. (ALL SHOWS)

BOOKA SHADE DJs

Berlin duo Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier are BOOKA SHADE DJs – Get Physical label bosses, producers of immense electronic club music, newly-minted DJs. At BIG DAY OUT 2011, it’s BOOKA SHADE in DJ guise that’ll take to the Boiler Room. A BOOKA SHADE DJs set isn’t just about flinging vinyl onto a turntable – “Bringing together new tracks and new beats and creating something new around it, is more the spirit of our music,” says Kammermeier. It’s also about capturing the feeling of a great party. Grab the feeling and don’t let go with BOOKA SHADE DJs at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

ANDREW W.K.

When it’s time to party, BIG DAY OUT knows exactly who to consult – the ultimate authority on partying hard, ANDREW W.K. Infamous for his bloody nose, highly regarded for his motivational speaking, famous for his high-life attitude, beloved for his songs like Party Hard, She is Beautiful and It’s Time To Party, New Yorker ANDREW W.K. is coming our way with his full band for the first time ever to create feelings of pure joy, fun, freedom, and possibility. How does he do it? “His fast and hard party anthems whip the crowd into a fist pumping frenzy … ANDREW W.K. takes command of the crowd and bids them to live it up while they can” (mxdwn, September 2010). So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to party. It’s time for ANDREW W.K. to take command at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

THE JIM JONES REVUE

THE JIM JONES REVUE will be burning the house down at BIG DAY OUT 2011. THE JIM JONES REVUE manifesto is simple, and ferocious: "If you’re going to get on stage,” says guitarist Rupert Orton, “deliver." And that they do, riffing on Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis for a rock’n’roll sound that could have come direct from the 1950s, if it wasn’t fused with the so dang wild, loud and loose vibes of The Cramps and The Birthday Party. The Londoners may have only dropped their debut in 2008, but don’t let that fool you – these five punk rock bluesmen have been around. Hot on the heels of their blistering second album, Burning Down Your House, THE JIM JONES REVUE are set to fire up BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BIRDS OF TOKYO

BIRDS OF TOKYO certainly aren’t the kind of band to do things in halves. Their latest self –titled album was recorded between Sydney, London, Gothenburg and New York; BIRDS OF TOKYO gave themselves the most surreal and inspiring experience possible, knowing that the results of doing so would speak for themselves. This journey into such deeply personal territory has produced BIRDS OF TOKYO’s most meaningful and powerful album yet. Stand up and be counted at BIG DAY OUT 2011 with BIRDS OF TOKYO. (ALL SHOWS)

LITTLE RED

Melbourne’s LITTLE RED have been away a while, growing up, growing down, tasting the sweet and the bittersweet in equal measures, they’ve recently returned with their second album Midnight Remember. Described by The Age as ‘pretty much the best band in Melbourne at the moment’, LITTLE RED and their all-singing, all-dancing live show are set to shake up BIG DAY OUT 2011 with their pure, irrepressible pop, infectious hooks and good times. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYROSCOPE

No strangers to the BIG DAY OUT GYROSCOPE is bringing something new to the table this time and it’s not what you would expect. You would be forgiven for thinking that they would stick with what seems like a formula for success. But for something to succeed you don’t need a formula – you need a solid foundation on which everything can be built. And few in music have set a foundation as strong as GYROSCOPE. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

VITALIC.

The temperature gauge is rising as BIG DAY OUT ushers in the artist who ushered in a whole new era of dance music, VITALIC. The man born Pascal Arbez has always been one step ahead of the electro game, his 2005 debut OK Cowboy preceding the rise to worldwide dance-dominance of every other Frenchman with a laptop. In 2009, he re-stamped his authority on the scene with the highly-charged Flashmob. Using big synths, big beats and a big slice of glittery disco as his building blocks, VITALIC creates a sound as pulverising as it is infectious. No messing around – “This guy is incredible” (inthemix, November 2008). Keep up if you can, as VITALIC flashes forward at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

CSS

Representin’ for São Paulo at BIG DAY OUT 2011 are Brazil’s hot, hot band of the people, CSS. “The physical embodiment of the best party ever” (NME), CSS have shared their unquenchable thirst for good times and all things pop and art via two albums, Cansei de Ser Sexy and Donkey. On the eve of the release of their next blast of post-punk-electro-art-school madness, CSS are back to doing what they do best – creating unbridled joy live on stage, in a set that’s equal parts dance party, urban circus, and out-and-out chaos. As the band’s technicolour frontwoman Lovefoxx would say: get up, get up, get up! Get up, and get your CSS while it’s hot at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

RATATAT

When BIG DAY OUT is rockin’, RATATAT will come a’knockin’. New York duo Mike Stroud and Evan Mast have been mixing electronics with guitars for the past decade, combining the power of noise and dance, collaborating with Kid Cudi, remixing Bjork, dropping four albums. Songs like Lex, Wild Cats and Seventeen Years have made them completely hip, but it’s when you see RATATAT live on stage – an aural, visual and physical assault of synths, guitar, hypnotic video and boundless energy – that the hype makes perfect sense. If you’re ready to be blown away, you’re ready for RATATAT at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

AIRBOURNE

AIRBOURNE have been waving the rock and roll flag for Australia both at home and overseas since 2003. AIRBOURNE crank out with all cylinders firing potent, solid and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. “Basically, we’ve never been about having a specific message; we don’t talk about politics or social injustices in our songs. There are other bands out there to take care of that,” says rowdy lead guitarist and vocalist Joel O‘Keefe. The band’s latest album No Guts, No Glory is a true testament to AIRBOURNE’s way of life: the album is a virtual rock and roll buffet served up this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS

It’s been a few years since DEAD LETTER CIRCUS blasted onto Australian airwaves in 2007, their bombastic yet nuanced take on alternative rock left most observers struggling to process what they were hearing. It was epic, it oozed confidence, it was intense. Fast forward a while and the band then set out to record the follow up to their self-titled EP that started it all. Over an incredible 18 month gestation period, with every deadline pushed, every note analysed, every resource pooled, and every avenue of exploration exhausted, the new album This Is The Warning was born. From one travelling circus to another we make way for DEAD LETTER CIRCUS to come play BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

BLUE KING BROWN

You can put your fist in the air, come just as you are, you can bounce to da beat, rock out up the front row or chill up the back. Hard hitting lyrics and groove delivered in the most accessible way…you’re at BIG DAY OUT 2011 and Australia’s premier urban roots crew BLUE KING BROWN have arrived! Lead by the multi talented, relentless energy of Natalie Pa’apa’a, the band have established themselves as one of Australia’s most engaging live acts. BLUE KING BROWN bringing groove to BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

The meteoric rise of THE NAKED AND FAMOUS has been the biggest story in New Zealand music in 2010. The group had already won over alternative radio ears in their home country with two EPs where a home studio full of industrial strength electronica ideas underpinned some of the most melodic dream pop concocted down under, before they unleashed single Young Blood in May. But were they ready for that song to go straight into the NZ charts at number one, hook them up with NY indie label and blog Neon Gold, hit playlists from Triple J to London’s XFM, win them the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll and make them one of the hottest unsigned properties in the world? Probably not. But their self-produced album, Passive Me Aggressive You, has since appeared and garnered even more praise. Nudity? Not in public. Fame? Most definitely around the corner for these five kids from Auckland. (ALL SHOWS)

OPERATOR PLEASE

Returning to the BIG DAY OUT national tour for their second time OPERATOR PLEASE are well and truly back. This time though, take everything you think you know about OPERATOR PLEASE and put it aside. The Queensland-based band defy all expectations on their second album, Gloves, with the youthful enthusiasm and teenage angst that gave them worldwide recognition making way for a more sophisticated and developed sound. After spending the last few years touring the globe the band bring their pop anthems along for the ride and are set to rock BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

CHILDREN COLLIDE

CHILDREN COLLIDE arrive for BIG DAY OUT 2011 on the back of their powerful new album Theory for Everything. Vocalist and guitarist Johnny Mackay says "Alchemy and chemistry, reason and religion, love and logic. Art and music are so often about tying opposing forces together into a contentious dualism. Contradiction is a big part of what we do." CHILDREN COLLIDE are here. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYPSY & THE CAT

There is no gypsy and there is no cat, but there is a GYPSY & THE CAT, an electronic duo who, instead of pumping out house beats and booty-quaking bass lines, pen gorgeous mini epics of forlorn beauty and elegiac romanticism that, you can just tell, are about heartache and solitude, past girlfriends and future loss. Their brand new album Gilgamesh is set for release this summer. In the meantime the lead single Time to Wander has been described as “…dreamy, epic and luscious soft rock, just in time to soundtrack the Summer. Bam” (The Brag). GYPSY & THE CAT bring their summer soundtrack to BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

WILL STYLES

WILL STYLES first discovered “The Rave” when he was 16. At the end of the night he was moshing on the dance floor with his Skid Row t-shirt and torn jeans, whirling 2 flannies above his head, yelling along to Speed Racer. He was hooked. He’s always tried (often spectacularly badly) to play rave in FunkTrust sets, but after taking awhile he’s finally playing rave music every week: like a shitty Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-movie, he’s been re-united with his first love. Will has hosted Radio FunkTrust on Triple J since 2006. Every Friday night you can tune in to him playing super-sweet new records and making fart jokes. WILL STYLES is joined for the BIG DAY OUT shows by MC HAYLEY BOA. She used to sing in one of The Wiggles shows and was reprimanded for incorrectly miming the actions during the Eat a Banana song. Instead of peeling it, she was (quite innocently) fellating the banana to tens of thousands of small children. No one has been able to convince her to re-enact her banana antics on stage yet, but we’re hoping it happens at BIG DAY OUT in 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

LOWRIDER

Bigger. Brighter. Bolder: Just three words to nail the irresistible sound of hot Adelaide quartet LOWRIDER’s sophomore album, Round the World. LOWRIDER have taken their unique blend of soul and funk to the world, forging a reputation along the way as one of the most mesmerising live acts around. Get soulful, get funky, get LOWRIDER on the menu this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

SAMPOLOGY

SAMPOLOGY is a DJ. And we’re not talking your steak and three vegie solid club set here. He’s a highly accomplished technician on the 1s and 2s, (and sometime 3s) cutting his teeth in the early days as turntablist for a number of live bands including Soma Rasa and the Vinyl Slingers, which saw him first doing BIG DAY OUT at the tender young age of 17. He’s also one of the most consistently brilliant and versatile club Djs who’s not shy of mixing up his styles to suit the show. One week you might find him creating mash-up mayhem in intimate clubs by changing the vibe of the room to some kind of ridiculously wicked house party. The next week you’ll stumble into a bass bin laden club night to find him delivering a fast paced performance, skilfully bringing together endless forms of club music at countless tempos. And he’s bringing the whole swag to BIG DAY OUT in 2011. In the words of Peaches: “Sampology makes me wanna break dance.” We couldn’t have summed up SAMPOLOGY the DJ better ourselves. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

KIDS OF 88

Jordan and Sam were born in 1988. In 2009, they were the toast of the music world with the chart conquering disco sleaze of their platinum selling debut single My House. They followed up with a string of throbbing electro anthems culminating in the release of the insanely catchy, wildly electric journey of 21st century dance pop discovery that is their 2010 debut album Sugarpills. As their recordings and remixes have been filling club dance floors, KIDS OF 88 have since smashed their way around New Zealand and Australia, lighting up clubs and sharing the stage with everyone from the Passion Pit and Scissor Sisters to Cassette Kids while ducking back to their home studio to remix stars like Ke$ha and Cobra Starship. (ALL SHOWS)

KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK

At the turn of the decade, KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK first joined forces and by the middle of the 2000s, they were recognized as Australia’s premier MC-DJ tandems, having completed sell-out tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Switzerland, New Zealand and Singapore. Celebrating a decade of working together since the turn of the millennium, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK will release their debut EP TEN” on 10.10.10 supported by a very special TEN tour incorporating a retrospective 2000-2010 performance across a whopping 23 dates nationally, and culminating with BIG DAY OUT across Australia in early 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

Posted by Troy Constable Photography™ on 2011-01-27 09:36:50

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Battle shout definitions Preface

Here it is. massive post combining thought that happened as the battle shout fully emerged as my brand of all disciplines. Fragment - battle shout chapter - Combined story telling segments (Curated from the different WIP posts) EDIT NOTES - these are fragments from my social pages where I am in the battle shout and adventure basics thought. It’s incomplete as it only goes back to a gengar picture in my feed. There is more I still need to add. — Newer to older (will create a 2nd one that is in a final decided order for a reader, may jump between different moments in the time line, kept to a minimum for helping comprehension ——— Whoever offers human growth / wellness at either no cost or a much lower cost than previously widely available is winning in capitalism. I hope to invent the No Cost solution, following the footsteps of tech brands and passionate innovators of our time. Games and medicines altering my state of mind provided me a space within which to BECOME me. They offered me the lesson of re sociating, once I started practice a desire to learn it. Here are some of the problems I inhabited and the solutions I learned after using medicines - ---calorie /nutrition deprivation : solution - making eating easier with hacks like prep, (paper dishes/cutlery), getting timing right, the decision to Breakfast and eat it slowly - replacements like the Soylent drink - medicines that fix appetite IE cbd ----hypervigilance - maybe haven’t fully escaped this one yet. It’s an ongoing conflict - using Medicines that reduce my physical anxiety cortisol which comes through as wheezing escalation attacks and very bad sleep - sleeping correctly makes me feel calmer, breathe/think clearly Medicine examples - coffee, reishi mushroom, cannabinoids, magnesium, L theanine, Lemon balm, Sleep specific - L tryptophan, Zinc, valerian root, doxylamine (unisom) -----Escapism - learning how to use mindfulness and writing to transform my self avoiding into Self Actualization ------Counterdependence - Realizing that sharing/affection and giving affirmation would make me feel good, letting me treat ppl like I deserved their attention (as a provider) not gonna stand by saying nothing while they try to trash gaming and say we are giving kids screen / media addictions, when the only things I even really know I learned from gaming, mostly online blizzard and/or adventure gaming. I’m gonna teach what I learned. It’s battle shout. how we are failing worst as a so called civilized population: Educating the youngest. We are not doing it. We are not prioritizing growth and wellness for the children here. We are breaking their families, parents and guardians instead of supporting. Dehumanism is institution. *witnessing your smiling face is the deepest privilege I will experience in living* We are not gonna save anyone until we recognize that growth is about including everyone, recognizing their individual passions and curiosity, recognizing that they themselves will be the only ones to decide how to be that self, Monetary Value will only every Destroy us all. EVERY one is struggling and i care about EVERYONE, humanity needs a bigger solution than a Lifeline reaction to the symptoms rather than the cause. {If you or someone you care about is struggling, please know you are not alone. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255 in the U.S. or find support worldwide at ‪https://www.befrienders.org/ }‬ —schools where all gamers, creatives, learners are accepted so that human wellness growth can be placed above the falseness of Monetary Value -- available at nowhere because no innovator yet has cared with their entire life's mission to save those we currently discard. The school I'm trying to invent has a simple Main Value - School is Lunch. The target priority is non monetary. *Monetary Value will not measure our success* Human growth measures it. Human currency. what I would do with the elusive Lottery / Genie situation is create the Ultra Library whose only mission was to include as many human beings in growth wellness as possible, to offer them the place, resources, nutrition, and community safety to build the life they want to create IN essence I am trying to invent a school. I have a seething hatred for the failure of Public sector school, dealing with both neurodiversity concerns and non child centered curriculum design. Self educating is superior. Curation can only help existing curiosity and passion. my huge dream is to innovate the third place concept in fusion with educationalism, gaming cafe, the concept of Feeding every learner because it's more educational- the ultimate capitalism winner is the one whose Patrons flock simply because it is Better. =high contrast videos with songs of numbers, counting, vehicles/ramps, and piles of balls=The young children find these things very amusing. - the wise old teachers find the fact very important to distribute, although they themselves do not find it amusing they find the fact that the tiniest students are amused very important for distribution.== []2[] Operating vehicles or consuming alcohol are the most dangerous and pointlessly risky activities done by anyone (who doesn’t do employment that is specifically danger facing). Most are not qualified for these activities. It’s not safe, please leave it to the professionals few. Giving, the act of providing because I want to see human growth and learning. That’s my freedom to practice. Dehumanism makes it into a crime, after valuing it zero. Dehumanism Institution perpetuates the idea that giving, feeding, teaching, expressing can be penalized as crimes. These are the pillars of MY free speech. Giving, the act of providing because I want to see human growth and learning. That’s my freedom to practice. (Scott Warren who faces up to 20 years in prison for giving food & water to 2 men who needed help in the Arizona desert.) What I’m talkin about is this anti educationalism. Shocked ? That we aren’t already Veterans for standing rock +500K decent human beings SWARMING the sites where this has happened to tell them we won’t stand by as bystanders to Deadly Dehumanism. We are complicit in these deaths. I am not gonna be quiet about this, my brand is built upon radical educating, lifeguarding, human growth. That also means opposing bully bigotry. []3[] There is a bullying situation regarding the spectrum. Happening to one of my closest humans. It is making her suicidal (no one can handle endless mistreatment, then mental health slides) - I learned how to fight off the suicide ideas because I was in a kind of rock bottom near that for 10 years - ultimately, I defeated the boss, and I learned the strategy. learn to Tank at the front of it for the people I’m trying to educate, and keep them here on our Alive team. This is the real deal why I am the tank. The battle shout is to Shine the truth and save your life, you the most brutally dehumanized by the institutions of this economic-dystopia She has to be given the feeling she does have the power and the choice whether to stay here with us, alive. Educationalism is the desire to be surrounded by growth allies, and free from anyone who thinks a decision that reduces or infringes your growth and learning is either ok or even debatable with you Can we get Birth insurance ? I want it to function like life insurance, in the event you are born, the insurance policy covers some assurances. Wait, no, that’s not an insurance plan, that’s what School is meant to be I’ll be over hear spamming battle shout and taunt if you come at me debating seriously over contexts whose choices are outcomes that don’t abuse and compromise a child’s school environment, or hurting the child’s emotional and basic wellbeing. My Aggro will not be exceeded! Let us consult YouTube, young one. Where’s the one about the baby Shark? I will find it for u most easily. If u ever get mad at someone u got road rage or someone is gank camping. Just tell them Yo dude please go hug urself! The time has come To Learn Bout Eating breakfast! If u don’t eat it, ur brain won’t think right, ya Dingus!! Wake up and eat this health, that’s your grade. Welcome to school. Favorite offline activities - social prompt - Activities that take place on beds, furniture or desk. Followed by wandering whether by land, air, or foot. Followed by culinary making. I identify toward the feeling that being burly means being kind - a defender, a watcher, a lifeguard. So it’s cool to see brands grounding themselves in this type of thought. burly man coffee promoted by a podcast i watch Brands that literally hold up kindness and human growth as a piece of their identity are the brands with sanity to shine light in the darkness of economic institutional dehumanization No game except maybe the sims had a soap item, demonstrated a buff benefit for soap. Soap knowledge is something that legitimately is part of human excellence - mind efficiency - educationalism ^^highlight$$ What I am concepting is the fact that valuable education is about human cognitive expansion, making this brain run the way its optimized to run, repetition, medicines/enhancers, the basic sensory reboots. Thinking better, clearer, bigger, quicker, learning ABOUT thinking. {schools get blamed for inability to solve the inequality economics} Entirety of the problem: the loss of investment into human growth and wellbeing. Capitalism forgot human currency value, then got surprised when everything turns shit? School IS lunch. We don’t need schools/tests/graduation. Kids will unschool just fine for the rest, if they are fed, safe, and able to have rest and resources and tech so they can iterate Failure during Curiosity. We need to care about human wellbeing, within our economics. Parents can and will educate. Most of the educating that needs to happen can only really be done by them. Gaming zen works for human growth bolstering because it follows the pattern our brains already know - repetition, the core block of neuroplasticity. This the overarching purpose of my Adventure Basics educational learning plan. As a creative first it’s my quest to harness games, adaptogens, and shamanism/lucidity/psychadelics to find transcendence. We can pair ego repletion with deeper Re-ssociation as an ultimate healing / neurogenesis. This will allow us to grasp mental wellness and human creative excellence. ** [intent statement as disciplines] From the multi disciplinarian standpoint- •Nintendo console 8 - 64 bit thought •Logic puzzles / riddles •classic adventure / role playing •classic FPS •classic dungeon crawl •Modern Adventure (games less about puzzle solving and more about finding all paths in a very large and breathtaking expanse) •Attention + Sensory rich interactive experiences •Primal Rage - the use of violence and intensity in musical and gameplay aesthetics •Cave human Dominance and roles thought deriving from gameplay, aspects of being Front edge protector of the tiniest most important Clan members •Economics Core freedom ideal - the belief that all interaction must be voluntary and the belief in a Best unity of gathered Wills ||||||Final crusade - educating to be correctly seen as: self evident truth about human growth, spanning nutrition, medicines, tools/games/challenges and driven by self voluntary []4[] School is Breakfast Lunch and Dinner plus freedom to explore one’s own sparks to ideas This is what I am teaching with my Wow Classic Adventure Basics educational Learning plans! ~~ One of my most important lessons about video game wellness is a thought from Mike ‪@MikeLICSW‬ Langois, that taking command of a powerful or attractive identity gives us strong boosts of mental ability and cognitive balance ultimately, for small attention cost. Ego repletion. It’s proven fact generosity makes u happier person. Why is this - the act of giving sparks gratitude to come forth. Gratitude literally saves, while angry kills u. This is the difference between troll griefing and community support

U.S. Open: Picks, dark horses, and storylines

The 118th U.S. Open tees off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills in New York. Here’s your complete rundown of tee times, TV coverage, and storylines. But you’ve got bigger questions, right? And we’ve got the right answers, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ top writers and fantasy sports experts.

Who will win?

Jay Busbee: Everybody’s going to be throwing their money at Dustin Johnson, and with good reason. The guy’s the World No. 1, a major champion, and coming off a walkoff eagle in Memphis. But I’m looking to another U.S. Open champ, Justin Rose. He’s first on the tour in birdie average, second on the Tour in scoring average, and 10th in shots gained on the green. Every phase of his game is in sync at exactly the right time. Rose is going to roll.

Kevin Kaduk: It seems like it’s been awhile since I’ve tabbed Jason Day in a majors prediction post and it’s probably for good reason. The 30-year-old Aussie has struggled with various ailments since nabbing the 2015 PGA Championship, which is still the only major on an otherwise loaded resume. Day says he’s healthy headed into Shinnecock and he has all the tools to succeed on a USGA track. He’s finished in the top 10 in five of his seven U.S. Open appearances, taking second place in both 2011 and 2013. At 16-1, there’s plenty of value to be had if you’re the betting type.

Scott Pianowski: I really wanted to pick Rory McIlroy, who’s in perfect form leading up to this event. But McIlroy’s capable of losing his way off the tee, and even with a U.S. Open in his back pocket, this is the major he’s most likely to trunk slam. So give me an elite player with a resume and a reliable driver (long enough, straight enough). That’s Justin Rose.

Evan Doherty: Three things that can help your chances in a major championship: experience, the draw and…happiness at home?

Rickie Fowler hasn’t won a major, but he’s got three top 5s in his last four. According to Shinnecock’s head pro, Fowler has been one of the more frequent visitors to the course in the weeks leading up to the tournament. With an emphasis on wind, getting the early Thursday/late Friday draw – which Fowler has – could play to his advantage. Finally, the man just got engaged! (And according to buddy Justin Thomas, outkicked his coverage in the process.) So you know Rickie’s walking with some confidence.

Nine of the last ten major winners have been first-time major champions (the exception being Jordan Spieth at last year’s Open Championship). I think that trend continues, with Fowler hoisting the trophy on Sunday.

Pat Forde: Dustin Johnson.

Jay Hart: Phil Mickelson. Let’s be honest, picking the winner of a golf tournament is a total crapshoot, so I would be comfortable going anywhere from Dustin Johnnson (No. 1 in the world) to Xander Schauffele (No. 26) to Tiger Woods (No. 80). I’m taking Lefty for three reasons: he’s motivated (is this his last best shot at the career Grand Slam?), he’s playing well (a couple 66s and a 65 in his last few tournaments) and he’s making short putts. I’ll take that one stat as a sign that he’s primed to handle the ultra-slick greens that will test the field at Shinnecock.

How will Tiger Woods do?

Pianowski: Tiger’s iceman nerves have come back, and he’s always been one of the smartest players on Tour. But he doesn’t have knockout stuff anymore, and established players don’t fear him any longer. I say he sneaks into the Top 30 and maybe even the Top 20 on guts and guile alone, but he’s not working with the same toolbox as before. You want an exact number? Call it T24. (And yes, I’ll probably dial him up in Yahoo Golf DFS — the price is right.)

Forde: Will make the cut but never threaten to win, then talk about “traj” and “seeing his putting lines” and declare that he’s “getting close.”

Hart: If he gets through Round 1 in decent shape he will contend. Barring that, he’ll make the cut, provide a little tease on the weekend and … not much else.

Kaduk: As we saw with Brooks Koepka’s win at Erin Hills last summer, the U.S. Open is a young man’s game. It takes too much power and too much stamina to get through all 72 holes. Tiger and Phil might be able to hang for a round or two, but any additional majors they’re able to grab before hanging them up for good won’t come on a USGA layout.

Doherty: Tiger’s results this year in Florida: 12th, T-2nd, T-5th, T-11th. Outside of the Sunshine State: T-23, MC, T-32, T-55, T-23. Woods has given us glimpses of greatness so far this year, but nothing steady over four days. I think he survives the cut and generates some roars on the weekend, but a top-20 finish is a win in my book.

Busbee: He could finish in the top 10 and I wouldn’t be surprised, he could miss the cut by five shots and I wouldn’t be surprised. Woods tees off at 1:47 on Thursday. By 5:00 we ought to have a good idea where his week is headed; he tends to put himself in trouble early when he’s not feeling it. He’ll need to putt well to stay in contention, and putting has not been his strong suit in recent weeks. I’m not saying I’ll eat a golf ball or anything if he wins, but there are just too many holes in Woods’ game — and, more to the point, too many really strong players — to let Woods within sight of a high finish. I predict he’ll do a Rory McIlroy End-Around, playing just well enough to make the cut and then throwing some low numbers up on Sunday to artificially inflate his finishing spot.

How will Phil Mickelson do?

Pianowski: For all of Lefty’s ballyhooed near-misses in this event, that story has been on ice for a while. He’s contended in just one of his last six U.S. Opens, and of course he, nobly, skipped last year for family reasons. A payback from the Golf Gods would be one helluva story, but the Tour is too deep, too powerful, too young now. Phil plays all four days but has at least one sideways round, finishing T37.

Forde: Will hit it all over the planet but still stay in the neighborhood of even par until a triple on Sunday because he tried something crazy.

Hart: See above.

Busbee: Phil placed second in 2004 and tied for fourth in 1995, so he clearly likes Shinnecock Hills. The course sets up very well for his skills; the question for Phil will be how well he can handle the putter on the firm, fast greens. He’ll put himself in position to convert some birdies and eagles, but it’s going to require a lot more touch with the flat stick to become the oldest winner ever of the U.S. Open. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but everything will have to break exactly right for a guy who’s seen so many things break wrong.

Doherty: Can you imagine trying something 27 times and failing each…and every…single…time? (I’m looking at you, Houston Rockets.) Phil Mickelson’s teeing up in his 27th U.S. Open this week – and we all know about the heartbreak (six 2nd-place finishes, two of them coming at Shinnecock Hills). Earlier this season, he was great on the California swing, plus a win in Mexico. Since then, he has just one top-ten finish.

New York loves Lefty — and they’ll let him know it all week — but the USGA is certainly in his head. I think he struggles to runner-up finish #7 in the national open.

The U.S. Open begins Thursday morning. Stay tuned to Yahoo Sports for all the latest news and updates.

Who will win the 118th U.S. Open? (Getty)

____ Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

More from Yahoo Sports: • Draymond is trolling LeBron — again — with his parade T-shirt • LaVar Ball ‘knows’ LeBron is heading to the Lakers • NFL player competing on ‘The Bachelorette’ injures wrist and bows out • Antonio Brown vents frustrations in strange interview

Lineup Lamentations - GW13

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week.

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

OUT: N/A

IN: N/A

After much deliberating, I'm going to just save and hold Jones. Realistically the best replacement I could find is Mustafi (can afford only up to 5.5) with Christensen against Pool seems a worthless switch, but, I don't like Mustafi enough to feel really happy about locking him in as a premium defender in my team. It also looks like Vardy needs to be sorted and doing that with one free doesn't feel great. A free swap to Mustafi this week would likely lead to a hit next week. I'd rather wait and potentially not hit. I either would like to upgrade Vardy or downgrade him and in either scenario I'd like two frees. Maybe go 352 with Alonso....maybe get Morata...some shit like this could be on the cards next week. I still have a full team to run out this weekend, and even though the defensive fixtures are not good, I've got a full team so saving seems fine.

GK:

Pope goes. Hoping for a 4 pointer or something...don't see a clean but saves will surely be on. Who knows, maybe they do clean. Stranger things have happened and this is the sort that Arsenal could struggle against.

DEF:

Woof. If I get 6 points out of my 3 defenders this week I'll consider myself extremely fortunate. Frustrating with Jones and Franno having excellent fixtures on the bench....not by mistake....but fuck them both. Forces me to start some pieces of shit this weekend. Ugh. Not a good way to set the table, but here we are.

Naughton has a good fixture and I'm hoping that Clement fucking figures some shit out and has them going again. But Swansea have been fucking shit lately so it wouldn't surprise me to see them getting done. Either way, the fixture is good on paper so hopefully Swansea wake up.

SWard I am forced to send out there. 2 points would be dreams. So too with Dunk. Not great, but the lads are stuck. Maybe this will be the weekend he bangs a dong off his face.

MID:

Triple City guys go again, Raz, Dilva, and Sane. This is my 3rd GW running with them and so far they've gotten me 16 and 12 points in weeks one and two. Not pulling up any trees but not horrible. They have been missing some fucking biggggg chances though so hauls are just around the corner. Huddersfield are the sort that they could conceivably put at least 5 in so maybe they will carry me this weekend. I am pretty nervous about Sterling starting though after he played 90 in UCL. He's a little fit boy and he scored the winner on an atypically nice goal so hopefully he gets back in there.

Finally Salah goes. Nothing to say there. Legend.

FWD:

Kane...fucker..come on lad.

Vardy probably farewell game for me this weekend / today against Moyes' merry band of fuckwits. Doesn't seem advisable to hold him for the Spurs match, and while he's been close to returns the last couple, he's the main "problem" spot on my team. Will see which way the wind blows this weekend and then figure out what to do with the lad.

Finally, UCL master champion of the world Bobby Firm goes again. The sick fuck keeps putting these teams to the sword in group stage and then putting up damp squibs in the League. Either way, I love him and he's a very comfortable hold so long as he's fit. Poor fixture this weekend but a nice run incoming. He was very close to a huge haul against Soton last weekend and having him in place with Pool looking back to normal with Mane and Cout in feels fantastic. I think they are by far the 2nd best attack in the league to City and will begin to show it.

CAP:

I'm jilting Kane (vice) and going with Leroy this weekend. The rest in UCL really did it for me and although he hasn't been shooting much last couple as discussed on the pod I'm just going to throw blind dice into the mixer and hope it doesn't come up snake eyes. If there is a game that could go 6-0 this weekend it is the City game. Huddy have banged on about it week after week - they don't park. City should rip them to shreds with space available and I'm just hoping Sane is well involved. I have read this script before though - and I fully expect Kane to come in since I've gone off him. Feels like that is how this game works so fuck me. Don't really think there will be a new manager bounce with old fuck Megson in charge for WBA but they will still be well parked. Could be 1-0...could be 3-0. I really don't know, and for this reason, I'm on Sane. Give me the best player rested midweek in a bankable crooked scoreline over the question marks surrounding Kane against a bus at Wembley all day. I look forward to seeing shit all over my face on twitter / reddit / wherever the fuck after you were on Kane all week and then switched to Sane after reading lambs. Fuck you. But not really fuck you, I love you. You, reader. You. 

ALON

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Toby

IN: Vert

The original plan was to get Vert over Toby from the jump but Walsh convinced me otherwise the dirty fucker. Then my kiss of death aptly killed Toby and here we are. Fate maybe exists. Maybe there really is just one person on this planet FPL who we’re meant to be with and mine is Vert. Ok sure.

Anyway I dilly-dallyed on other guys, Mustafi being a prime target, and Otamendi ahead of him. It felt very cheeky / clever to jump right onto Ota after his suspension after so many left him, because City are that good I just want all of them immediately, best team in the league by far.

Getting in Ota though means I would’ve also had to drop Kun, which got sticky, probably meant I’d make three moves and take a -4 to bring in Vert, Ota, and Morata/Lukaku for Toby, Phil Jones, and Kun. Seems fiiiiiiiiine... But I don’t want Rom. Straight up just don’t want the fucker. He’s good, he’s a good pick, he’s steady-Eddie as Walsh nicknamed him but listen they score 4 vs. capitulating Newcastle but then get held by Basel. This is the thing - I still think they’re mostly shit at attacking. So that, plus they have two good fixtures followed by Arsenal and City where I think you easily chalk up Manure to 0 goals or maximum 1 goal in each of those and I don’t want Rom again - as covered on pod.

Morata on the other hand is a much better player for me and has a fixture run of dreams. I just don’t think that it’s worth -4 to bring him in for a bad fixture. I’d rather keep the four points and roll the dice on Kun playing this weekend in what should be a 4, 5, 6+ to nill against Huddy. If the Pep is strong with me then Kun starts and Kun hats. And I fly. So here we are...

GK:

DDG home to Brighton. I know no Phil no party no clean but come the fuck on it’s Brighton lad.

DEF:

Vert slots right in with cleanable fixtures through January 21st. Home WBA a great place to make a defensive debut for me. Let’s get it Jan.

Scott Dann showing up to work punching his ticket for me again even after a nightmare of a match vs. the Eve last time out. But then again the penalty wasn’t a pen and the stoppage time shouldn’t have been tacked on so fuck it. Palace are still looking pretty tight and I’m still waiting for my Dann dong so please let it be this week. I need some bounce-back.

Lastly I have Phil Jones in but assuming he doesn’t play it’ll be Lejeune who tries desperately to win me over after a meltdown shocker of his own last week against a shit United attack. He was losing Chris Smalling on crosses and fucking up clearances and being bad. Need another bounce-back right here even though I think Watford will score multiple goals and Richarlison is a good captain shout. Fuck.

MID:

5 man midfield this week as again I roll out the 3-5-2. Don’t hate it to be honest...

Loftus-Cheek gets in there as the fifth guy but he’s very much a real fucking guy and I’m liking him a lot. That price for his position and his skills with Benteke coming back is just tremendous. Home to Stoke, let’s go again RLC.

Double City boys get in there with Silva and Sané. I pretty much ditto all of Walsh’s sentiments above that this should be a bare-bottom spanking against Huddy. City are by faaaaaaaarrrrrr the best team in the league and some people are arguing the best team in Europe right now... Sané and Silva just get the fuck in there lads. Silva needs to punish all fucking idiots who swapped him out for Paul.

Lastly Richarlison and Salah who also feel like the longest of long-term holds there. Fucking hell my midfield is incredible. Five out of five returns last week and still the red arrow dick in my now-red ass. LET’S FUCKING GO BOYS COME ON YOU FUCKS.

FWD:

Delightful double of Kun and Harry up top. It should feel better then it does do but Kun who the fuck knows, coin-flip if he starts/plays at all and then Spurs in a slump hampers the Kane appeal. But they’ll turn it around I reckon. So I’m not too worried about these guys... Just praying to all things that Kun starts.

CAP:

I’m on Richarlison. Maybe I’ll flip-flop a couple more times before the deadline in like two hours from now...

I typed out Kun but it was too dumb and risky. I typed out Leroy and it felt medium ok but kind of boring, and also the chances of BOTH me and Walsh hitting on the same cap are relatively negative percent so I don’t want to fuck up Walsh’s chances. In the end Richar has a great fixture and has been ole faithful over there. He shoots more times then god with a hatty / huge haul around the corner one of these days a la Salah. Maybe it’s this week... (Probably not this week).

I’m vice-capping Kun for all of you cheeky fuckers who wanna cap my vice. Hope it works out for you...

About

RULES 1, I don't add people who don't Roleplay with me, keep that in mind when you add me, 2, NO Romantic or Smutty roleplay's please, I will let you know when I am ready to find my other half 3, I have 6 other accounts and even though this is my main one, I will not be on this one 24/7 4, Do not annoy me for replys, 5, I will Roleplay Garth the way I want,

Garth Fitzgerald is a hunter. He went to college and dental school, becoming a dentist for awhile until he got his first case in which he claims he killed the Tooth Fairy. In the past, he used Bobby as a resource, and although he generally works alone, he has teamed up with the Winchesters on three occasions, and Bobby on at least one. He also works with Mr Fizzles, who is good at encouraging children to talk about traumatic experiences.

Garth drives a Ford Ranchero. Like Sam and Dean, he has established at least one safe house--in Garth's case a safe-houseboat--where he or others can hide out. At some point after Bobby's death and Sam and Dean's disappearance, Garth takes over Bobby's old job of answering hunter calls and giving hunters advice about different monsters. Like Bobby, he has a number of different phones, but instead of landlines, Garth uses cell phones that all have different ringtones. Garth also takes to saying "Idjit" and "balls," two words that Bobby used frequently when frustrated, and wearing one of Bobby's hats. He tells Sam and Dean that Bobby left it in the back of his car after a rugaru hunt they went on together.

Once he puts a spirit to rest, he says that the spirit has been "Garthed." Garth likes sweet things, comics, gets drunk easily, and appreciates a hot tub after a hard day's hunting. He gives good hugs. At some time after Sam and Dean first meet him, he begins a relationship with a "special lady" who knows about his hunting and also has twins. It is unclear if they are still together.

Garth also likes late '80s, early '90s hip-hop. When he drives, he plays the song "Poison" by Bel Biv Devo. When he is acting as a reference for other hunters his various cell phones play: "Jump" by Kriss Kross, "Wild Wild West" by Kool Moe Dee and "Hammer Time" by M.C. Hammer.

Garth has been charged with protecting Kevin and Linda Tran. In 8.10 Torn and Frayed, we see that Kevin is still staying on Garth's houseboat, named "Fizzles' Folly" in Warsaw, Missouri.

As part of his role as the "new Bobby," Garth has taken to tracking hunters via the GPS in their cell phones and then calling them with cases when there is one in the area they are in. Sam and Dean are disturbed by this, but Dean finds that it is a very Bobby thing for Garth to be doing.

Garth calls Bobby for some help on a case he's working, and Bobby tells him that it doesn't sound like a vampire. He advises him to call the FBI with a tip, so Garth hangs up and calls the FBI... Agent Willis, that is. When Bobby realizes that Garth has called him instead of the actual FBI, he is exasperated. We only hear Bobby's side of the conversation.

Bobby: Yeah, Garth, what do you got? ... Never heard of a vamp doin' that. It doesn't sound like our kind of thing. Better drop a dime to the FBI.

Bobby hangs up the phone. Another phone labeled FBI Tom Willis rings.

Bobby: Willis, FBI. ... No, Garth, not me the FBI. The real FBI! How are you still alive?

7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!

Bobby sends Garth to Pike Creek, Delaware to help Dean work on a case, as Sam is under a spell by Becky Rosen and Bobby is busy with a major vampire nest in Oregon. Dean shows him a newspaper article about people who have had good things happen to them recently are now mysteriously dying in freak accidents. Posing as press, they head to an insurance company where a man was just promoted from junior salesman to CEO, thinking he might be the next victim in their case. When Dean and Garth arrive at the insurance company, Sam and Becky are already leaving. Sam tells Dean that the new CEO Craig is clean, but Dean and Garth still question him. Dean and Garth become sure that the man's wife is the one behind his sudden success, so they confront her, but she refuses to admit to anything, that is, until they save her from being killed by a falling chandelier. Afterwards, she admits to making a deal with a demon. Garth tells her that she needs to get out of town for a few days while he and Dean figure things out. They break into Becky's apartment, and Garth sees Becky's last tweet on her laptop: "Going on romantic trip with hubster!!!" Later, after Sam convinces Becky to help them trap Guy, the crossroads demon behind all of the recent deaths, Garth uses blueberry vodka to draw a devil's trap which Becky then lights on fire to trap the demon. He and the other hunters then get attacked by Guy's accomplice, Jackson who quickly knocks Garth out, but Becky manages to kill him. Crowley appears and takes Guy away to punish him for breaking deals. Afterwards, Garth wakes up wondering what he missed, annoying Dean. Back at Becky's apartment, Sam and Becky sign the annulment papers necessary to dissolve their marriage while Dean and Garth watch. Dean tells Garth that he "doesn't suck," and Garth gives him an uncomfortable hug before leaving in his car.

7.18 Party On, Garth

The ghost of Jenny Greentree is originally suspected to be behind the death of Trevor McAnn in Junction City, Kansas and Garth salts and burns her corpse. However, when the boy's brother Ray dies, Garth calls Dean and Sam for help in finding the real culprit. They learn it is a spirit known as a "shojo." Garth, with help from Mr Fizzles, eventually figures out who the shojo's next victim is and tries to save him, but is once again knocked out. Dean, with some help from Bobby's ghost, kills the shojo. As they part ways again, Garth hugs Dean for the 2nd time and even gives Sam a hug too, before driving off, but not before he remarks that he likes their car, an AMC Pacer.

After hearing about Mary Lew crushing her husband's head with his own car, Garth heads to Kearny, Missouri where he poses as a Texas Ranger even though its Missouri - he claims that wearing a suit makes him look like a funeral director.

Garth has taken Bobby's place among the hunting community as Sam and Dean disappeared for a year and someone needed to. Garth has taken to carrying multiple cell phones to presumably act as cover for other hunters like Bobby did, gives out information that hunters need, wears one of Bobby's hats and uses some of his old catchphrases though not correctly usually. Garth is excited to see Sam and Dean and hugs them, though Dean is not amused that he is "the new Bobby" and the way that he acts like him.

Together they investigate the case, discovering that that Kate wrote the name Allcot on the wall in blood and that there is green goo. That night at a bar, Garth asks Dean where he was and Dean tells him Purgatory but brushes off questions of how he got out. Investigating the name, they discover it is an old girlfriend of the dead husband, but before they can go interrogate her, her son Scott killed someone and wrote the name Sussex on the wall in his blood leaving behind green goo as well. Dean and Garth interrogate the ex-girlfriend, deciding that she wasn't having an affair with the husband and that the wife is apparently holding a grudge for her husband hooking up with his ex on prom night. While Sam investigates, Garth and Dean go through Bobby's Journal for information on what they might be dealing with. Garth points out the noticeable tension between Sam and Dean and explains why he has taken over Bobby's role, saying that Bobby belonged to everyone, not just Sam and Dean, and is visibly upset while taking about Bobby.

Garth finds in Bobby's journal that a ghost that leaves behind green goo is a spectre and that it is apparently woken up when its grave is disturbed. Garth finds out that the grave of the Confederate version of the Unknown Soldier has been disturbed, though apparently nothing was taken and that night, he, Sam and Dean go to salt and burn the soldier's bones, figuring that that should put the ghost to rest as it does with all other ghosts. Garth suggests they say something before burning the bones, but Dean just says "we win" before setting them on fire. However, a deputy kills his boss and after finding more green goo at the scene, they realize the ghost isn't gone. After learning that the next person possessed headed for the hospital, Dean goes there to stop them while Sam and Garth go to the library to try to find out who the Unknown Soldier is. They learn a theory that it is Vance Collins, a Confederate soldier who was killed by his Union soldier brother. They realize that Vance had an Indian Head Penny that was stolen.

Sam and Garth rush off to let Dean know after he doesn't answer his phone, only to find him possessed by Vance and waiting to kill Sam. Garth tries to defuse the situation, believing that Dean won't kill him as he is not angry at him. When that fails, Garth punches Dean, causing him to drop the penny which Garth picks up, but is unaffected by Vance.

Garth is able to melt down the penny, putting Vance to rest though he tells Dean he had a hard time doing it. Garth explains to Dean that he has learned to let all of his grudges go and was thus unaffected by the spirit and Dean puts Bobby's hat back on his head, finally accepting Garth's new role. Garth drives off, giving advice to another hunter to run after learning he is being chased by a wendigo without a flare gun or flamethrower to kill it with.

8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin

After rescuing Kevin Tran and his mother Linda from Crowley, Sam and Dean call Garth to look after them.

IMG_9417

SYDNEY BIG DAY OUT 2011

BIG DAY OUT 2011 FEATURING: TOOL, RAMMSTEIN, IGGY AND THE STOOGES, M.I.A, JOHN BUTLER TRIO, GRINDERMAN, WOLFMOTHER, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77, CRYSTAL CASTLES, LUPE FIASCO, PRIMAL SCREAM SCREAMADELICA LIVE, DEFTONES, BLISS N ESO, ANGUS & JULIA STONE, PLAN B, PNAU, DIE ANTWOORD, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, BOOKA SHADE DJs, ANDREW W.K., THE JIM JONES REVUE, BIRDS OF TOKYO, LITTLE RED, GYROSCOPE, VITALIC, CSS, RATATAT, AIRBOURNE, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, BLUE KING BROWN, THE NAKED & FAMOUS, OPERATOR PLEASE, CHILDREN COLLIDE, GYPSY AND THE CAT, WILL STYLES, LOWRIDER, SAMPOLOGY, KIDS OF 88, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK.

2010 was one for the record books and a stellar year for BDO.

We not only passed the emotional 100 show mark with a bang, but also staged our biggest shows to the largest and our most respectful audiences of our 18 years of BDO. And so we thank you for your continued support in helping us produce the best and safest event possible for the patrons, the bands and our tireless team.

The more you care: the more we care.

Which brings us to 2011.

2010 is a very hard act to follow, so for 2011 it felt right to turn up the heat musically and visually. And what better way to explain this than to present you with over 40 exceptional acts from home and abroad for the first round alone.

This is by far our biggest and most diverse announcement ever. As well as the many incredible first timers on offer, we are enthusiastically welcoming back several iconic BDO veterans. They are some of the most exciting and uncompromising artists performing live today. We believe this combination of extremes for 2011 will create a spectacular event.

From the heaviest to the sweetest sounds in the world today, this will be a sensory overload not to be missed.

Full tickets details are below, but please remember the policies we’ve built your show on: You’re all VIPs (Very Important Punters). We don’t do elitist or bogus pre-sales: we’re either on sale or we’re not. We have what we believe to be one low ticket price for one high standard for everyone….

And we hope to see you there

Ken and Viv

So, let’s get it rolling…

TOOL

The sky will blacken, the ground will shudder, the earth will open up and BIG DAY OUT will once again tremble in the presence of the awe-inspiring TOOL. “Primal, poignant, poetic and, as always, utterly powerful” (ARTISTdirect, July 2010). Touring Down Under for the first time in four years, vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor will be fresh from the studio, where they have been slowly crafting a follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days. From Lateralus to Stinkfist, you know the music. But, backed by a video and laser light show unlike any other, TOOL live is also “the kind of visual experience you’ll probably never have again” (CHARTattack, August 2009). Unmatched in the world of dark, heavy rock, California’s TOOL have over 20 years scorched themselves a place as “one of the best live bands in history” (ARTISTdirect). Be blinded by their light at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

RAMMSTEIN

A decade since ruling over BIG DAY OUT with a reign of fire, pyrotechnics, monstrous riffs, wicked humour and industrial savagery, RAMMSTEIN will return this summer to reclaim their sovereign territory. The RAMMSTEIN live experience is “dizzyingly ridiculous”, says the BBC. “Rock is at its best when confrontational, subversive, curiously camp and bold, which is why RAMMSTEIN are currently one of the most important bands in the genre.” Armed with their sixth album, Liebe ist für Alle da, Germany’s infamous techno-metal masters bring nothing less than the greatest show on earth: “RAMMSTEIN are in pulverising form, the crowd are going crazy, the atmosphere is electric and the firebombs launching from the stage are like World War III on apocalypse LSD” (The Quietus, February 2010). Bow down to your kings, BIG DAY OUT 2011, for RAMMSTEIN have returned. (ALL SHOWS)

IGGY AND THE STOOGES

It’s time for a new generation to plug in to the raw power of IGGY AND THE STOOGES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The band that invented punk rock return with iconic frontman Iggy Pop rejoined by guitarist James Williamson, drummer Scott Asheton, bass player Mike Watt and sax player Steve Mackay. IGGY AND THE STOOGES will be performing songs from their landmark 1973 album Raw Power, and cherry-picking the likes of Fun House, I Wanna Be Your Dog and Down On The Street from their incendiary back catalogue. Kurt Cobain consistently listed Raw Power as his #1 favorite album of all time and Jack White will tell you that Fun House is the best rock and roll album ever made! It’s “the most chaotic and beautiful mess you could ever want” (Boston Herald, September 2010). As Iggy says, “The Stooges and I are cocked and loaded to deliver it live on stage.” And the only place to see IGGY AND THE STOOGES deliver it this summer is at BIG DAY OUT. Don’t be the one to say you missed it. (ALL SHOWS)

M.I.A.

Standing at the front line of mission BIG DAY OUT 2011 is the one-woman shock and awe campaign that is M.I.A. The Sri Lankan-British “singer/rapper/firebrand” (Pitchfork) fearlessly cuts through genre boundaries and lyrical taboos, blazing new ground from the clubs to the streets with powerhouse tracks like Galang, Paper Planes and, from her latest album ///Y/, Born Free and XXXO. On record and on stage, M.I.A. delivers “pure, flashing brilliance, a lightning cognitive connection of word, idea and sound that few do so well” (NME, July 2010). Often controversial, always compelling, M.I.A knows only one way: all guns blazing. Take cover, BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

John Butler is undeniably the most successful truly independent artist in Australia. The recent rebirth of his band the JOHN BUTLER TRIO saw two new members join John Butler; Nicky Bomba on drums and Byron Luiters on bass. The title for the trio’s latest album April Uprising is all about a period of change, of evolution and a constantly renewing beginning. April Uprising is John’s most focused, diverse and accessible album to date. Between the epic opening track Revolution and a whispered acoustic coda A Star is Born, dedicated to John’s son, April Uprising is an album that combines the personal, the political and the musically memorable with skill and passion. BIG DAY OUT is very excited to welcome back JOHN BUTLER TRIO. (ALL SHOWS)

GRINDERMAN

BIG DAY OUT is shivering with anticipation as the howling, growling, malevolent rock beast that is GRINDERMAN approaches. GRINDERMAN are Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos – Four Bad Seeds on a mission to take us somewhere else entirely. On album No.1 they were equal parts swagger and sexual frustration. On Grinderman 2, they’re simply ravenous and rampaging, “mixing horror and black humour with barely tamed musical malevolence” (The Guardian, September 2010). Fronted by Australia’s unarguable king of intense, intimidating performance, GRINDERMAN are coming to draw out the heathen child in all of us at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

WOLFMOTHER

Brothers and sisters sound the siren. A new moon has risen and the return of WOLFMOTHER is well and truly upon us. It was a whirlwind journey the band went on with the Wolfmother album, a voyage that resulted in over one million sales, sold out riots disguised as shows the world over, multiple ARIA Awards and a Grammy. In 2009 they regrouped and returned with a thundering 2nd record, Cosmic Egg, which they describe as “the sound of the Wolfmother world being rethunk and cracked wide open, with a sprawling, jubilant galaxy of musical and metaphysical harmony spilling forth”. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves and BIG DAY OUT couldn’t be happier to have them cracking it open again in 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

You thought it was all over, but James Murphy’s genre-mashing LCD SOUNDSYSTEM couldn’t farewell the live arena without one last tilt at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The biggest name in punk-funk for much of the last decade, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM is a “disco-ticking-time-bomb” (OC Weekly) that has done everything – from movie soundtracks to Grammy-nominated albums. Now, after winning raves for third album This is Happening, Murphy is about to flick LCD’s ‘off’ switch. But before he does, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM wanna put some dance, party and soul in your world one last time, via the likes of Drunk Girls, North American Scum and Daft Punk is Playing at My House. And they’ll be bringing “the heavy artillery… “More muscular and frenzied than on record, the LCD seven-piece live line-up avoids the ‘live dance music’ cul-de-sac in favour of a looser, more dynamic sound… Wow” (The List, May 2010). You better believe this is happening – so be sure to get enough LCD SOUNDSYSTEM to last you a lifetime at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77

BIG DAY OUT has seen the future of dance music, and it goes by the name of BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77. Bob Rifo’s Italian gang may be DJs, prolific producers, masked avengers and remixers extraordinaire, but this summer it will be BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 invading the Boiler Room. This isn’t just a live set, this is live communal anarchy, an electro punk rave-up that has made BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 one of the most talked about dance music acts on the planet. Madly energetic, or just plain mad? Whatever the answer, you’ll be showing mad love for BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 by the time they’re done with BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

CRYSTAL CASTLES

Get ready to get messy with CRYSTAL CASTLES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Toronto’s electronic experimentalists Ethan Kath and Alice Glass are purveyors of the most frenetic live show on the planet. “It’s a thrillingly anarchic, messy show … all over the place, and all the better for it” (MusicOMH, June 2010). The whispers about CRYSTAL CASTLES began in 2006, a series of limited, lo-fi vinyl singles selling as quickly as they were pressed. Two self-titled albums later, the whisper is a roar. Or maybe that’s just Glass’s “hellish shriek backed by warzone beats and liquid synths”. Shield your ears – CRYSTAL CASTLES will bring the noise at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (AUCKLAND & EAST COAST ONLY)

LUPE FIASCO

If BIG DAY OUT is beamin’, it’s because we’re psyched to be welcoming back hip hop superstar LUPE FIASCO. The MC with the madly energetic, fast-flowin’ live-band show kicked and pushed outta Chicago with two Grammy-nominated albums, Food & Liquor and The Cool. Since last hitting these shores, LUPE has wrapped a new album, Lasers. But where is it? Singles I’m Beamin’ and Shining Down were a tasty tease, yet the album proper remains so damn anticipated that the rapper’s fans have resorted to petitioning his label to have it released. That’s just the kind of passion LUPE FIASCO inspires, and that’s why we’re beamin’ to have him back at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PRIMAL SCREAM

20 years after taking the sounds and spirit of the second summer of love and acid house and melding it into one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, British rockers PRIMAL SCREAM will remake history by performing their epoch-defining classic Screamadelica in full at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Two decades on, these songs still sound like the future: Loaded, Movin’ On Up, Higher Than the Sun, Come Together, Don’t Fight it, Feel It. Bobby Gillespie and the band will be joined by gospel singers, horn section, and a field full of memories. Come together to see PRIMAL SCREAM do Screamadelica at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

DEFTONES

BIG DAY OUT is daring to look deep into the Diamond Eyes of California’s favourite alt-metal sons, DEFTONES. The 2010 release and sixth album, is “a brilliant, invigorating reintroduction” (NME) to Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Frank Delgado, Abe Cunningham and new bassist Sergio Vega – the men who shook the world a decade ago with the groundbreaking White Pony – still “wield that balance between beauty and brutality better than anyone” (ARTISTdirect, August 2010). So brace yourself for extremes as you prepare to witness the long-awaited return of DEFTONES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

BLISS N ESO

Fresh from knocking off Eminem’s six week reign at the top of the ARIA Album Charts, with their fourth album Running on Air Aussie hip hop trio BLISS N ESO are self assuredly demanding your ears when they hit the stage at BIG DAY OUT 2011. This is music made to fill the wide open spaces of BIG DAY OUT: “This is a career defining album; an album by which every new hip-hop release in this country will be judged, and deservedly so” says The Vine, MX added “Running on Air is a rocket that never runs out of fuel.” Hip-hop style stadium singalongs? We think yes. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

ANGUS & JULIA STONE

Australia’s finest duo ANGUS & JULIA STONE have spent the last few years on a remarkable musical journey together and now they bring their lovingly crafted songs to BIG DAY OUT 2011. Their latest album Down the Way was released to critical acclaim mainly due to the subtle shift of gear, represented by a growing confidence in their abilities as artists which has seen the music follow suit. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

PLAN B

BIG DAY OUT is reverting to PLAN B. But Ben Drew is no back-up plan, he’s the recalcitrant renaissance man of British music: rapper, actor, guitarist, storyteller, filmmaker and now chart-topping soul singer. After shocking the nation with his 2006 debut Who Needs Action When You Got Words, PLAN B took a sharp turn with The Defamation of Strickland Banks, a surprising, slick album filled with “stonking tunes” (NME) that trace the rise and fall of a smartly-suited soul singer. But don’t be fooled – this sweet soul morsel has a razor-sharp edge. Quite simply, no one else cuts it like PLAN B, and he’s suiting up for BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PNAU

As the world now knows, Australia’s electronic / pop crossover pioneers, PNAU did make the big move over two years ago to take up residence in London following on from a life changing moment crossing paths with (and now under the guidance of) the pop maestro himself, Sir Elton John. It’s been three long years since the release of their last spectacular self titled album, with which Messr’s Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes have been incredibly busy traipsing the world completing album number four in studios in London, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, as well as having been involved in array of projects including one half of Empire Of The Sun; production jobs for Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams and more. In amongst this worldly action, Nick has been given the auspicious duty of composer and musical director for the famed international production Cirque du Soleil. With the wait now over and the highly anticipated fourth album arriving shortly, it’s time for PNAU to present the next chapter of ‘their brilliant career’ and as such the rumours can be confirmed as PNAU finally return home to Australia in January 2011 for the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

DIE ANTWOORD

Comin’ straight outta Cape Town to BIG DAY OUT 2011 are South Africa’s interweb-conquering, next level, hip hop heroes DIE ANTWOORD. The hard rhyming Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek burst on to the scene with serious gangsta skillz and viral videos for Enter the Ninja and Zef Side, then quickly became the “so zef, so fresh” smash hit of Coachella 2010 – “Pound for pound the most engaging and legitimately surprising act of the weekend,” said the LA Times. Part anarchic art project, part the-future-of-rap, total mystery. Are DIE ANTWOORD for real? Find the answer at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS

With their magic tour bus painted all the colours of the rainbow and their fearless leader at the wheel, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS are on the road to BIG DAY OUT 2011. The (at least!) ten-strong, Hottest 100-conquering neo-hippie combo from California are putting a skip in the step of the world with smile-inducing songs from the name-making Home to the happy-go-lucky Janglin’ and 40 Day Dream. This is the stuff group singalongs are made of, music to bring people together. As the Denver Post put it: “At an Edward Sharpe show, everybody is family.” So get on board with EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES – next stop, BIG DAY OUT. You’ll feel right at home. (ALL SHOWS)

BOOKA SHADE DJs

Berlin duo Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier are BOOKA SHADE DJs – Get Physical label bosses, producers of immense electronic club music, newly-minted DJs. At BIG DAY OUT 2011, it’s BOOKA SHADE in DJ guise that’ll take to the Boiler Room. A BOOKA SHADE DJs set isn’t just about flinging vinyl onto a turntable – “Bringing together new tracks and new beats and creating something new around it, is more the spirit of our music,” says Kammermeier. It’s also about capturing the feeling of a great party. Grab the feeling and don’t let go with BOOKA SHADE DJs at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

ANDREW W.K.

When it’s time to party, BIG DAY OUT knows exactly who to consult – the ultimate authority on partying hard, ANDREW W.K. Infamous for his bloody nose, highly regarded for his motivational speaking, famous for his high-life attitude, beloved for his songs like Party Hard, She is Beautiful and It’s Time To Party, New Yorker ANDREW W.K. is coming our way with his full band for the first time ever to create feelings of pure joy, fun, freedom, and possibility. How does he do it? “His fast and hard party anthems whip the crowd into a fist pumping frenzy … ANDREW W.K. takes command of the crowd and bids them to live it up while they can” (mxdwn, September 2010). So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to party. It’s time for ANDREW W.K. to take command at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

THE JIM JONES REVUE

THE JIM JONES REVUE will be burning the house down at BIG DAY OUT 2011. THE JIM JONES REVUE manifesto is simple, and ferocious: "If you’re going to get on stage,” says guitarist Rupert Orton, “deliver." And that they do, riffing on Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis for a rock’n’roll sound that could have come direct from the 1950s, if it wasn’t fused with the so dang wild, loud and loose vibes of The Cramps and The Birthday Party. The Londoners may have only dropped their debut in 2008, but don’t let that fool you – these five punk rock bluesmen have been around. Hot on the heels of their blistering second album, Burning Down Your House, THE JIM JONES REVUE are set to fire up BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BIRDS OF TOKYO

BIRDS OF TOKYO certainly aren’t the kind of band to do things in halves. Their latest self –titled album was recorded between Sydney, London, Gothenburg and New York; BIRDS OF TOKYO gave themselves the most surreal and inspiring experience possible, knowing that the results of doing so would speak for themselves. This journey into such deeply personal territory has produced BIRDS OF TOKYO’s most meaningful and powerful album yet. Stand up and be counted at BIG DAY OUT 2011 with BIRDS OF TOKYO. (ALL SHOWS)

LITTLE RED

Melbourne’s LITTLE RED have been away a while, growing up, growing down, tasting the sweet and the bittersweet in equal measures, they’ve recently returned with their second album Midnight Remember. Described by The Age as ‘pretty much the best band in Melbourne at the moment’, LITTLE RED and their all-singing, all-dancing live show are set to shake up BIG DAY OUT 2011 with their pure, irrepressible pop, infectious hooks and good times. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYROSCOPE

No strangers to the BIG DAY OUT GYROSCOPE is bringing something new to the table this time and it’s not what you would expect. You would be forgiven for thinking that they would stick with what seems like a formula for success. But for something to succeed you don’t need a formula – you need a solid foundation on which everything can be built. And few in music have set a foundation as strong as GYROSCOPE. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

VITALIC.

The temperature gauge is rising as BIG DAY OUT ushers in the artist who ushered in a whole new era of dance music, VITALIC. The man born Pascal Arbez has always been one step ahead of the electro game, his 2005 debut OK Cowboy preceding the rise to worldwide dance-dominance of every other Frenchman with a laptop. In 2009, he re-stamped his authority on the scene with the highly-charged Flashmob. Using big synths, big beats and a big slice of glittery disco as his building blocks, VITALIC creates a sound as pulverising as it is infectious. No messing around – “This guy is incredible” (inthemix, November 2008). Keep up if you can, as VITALIC flashes forward at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

CSS

Representin’ for São Paulo at BIG DAY OUT 2011 are Brazil’s hot, hot band of the people, CSS. “The physical embodiment of the best party ever” (NME), CSS have shared their unquenchable thirst for good times and all things pop and art via two albums, Cansei de Ser Sexy and Donkey. On the eve of the release of their next blast of post-punk-electro-art-school madness, CSS are back to doing what they do best – creating unbridled joy live on stage, in a set that’s equal parts dance party, urban circus, and out-and-out chaos. As the band’s technicolour frontwoman Lovefoxx would say: get up, get up, get up! Get up, and get your CSS while it’s hot at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

RATATAT

When BIG DAY OUT is rockin’, RATATAT will come a’knockin’. New York duo Mike Stroud and Evan Mast have been mixing electronics with guitars for the past decade, combining the power of noise and dance, collaborating with Kid Cudi, remixing Bjork, dropping four albums. Songs like Lex, Wild Cats and Seventeen Years have made them completely hip, but it’s when you see RATATAT live on stage – an aural, visual and physical assault of synths, guitar, hypnotic video and boundless energy – that the hype makes perfect sense. If you’re ready to be blown away, you’re ready for RATATAT at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

AIRBOURNE

AIRBOURNE have been waving the rock and roll flag for Australia both at home and overseas since 2003. AIRBOURNE crank out with all cylinders firing potent, solid and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. “Basically, we’ve never been about having a specific message; we don’t talk about politics or social injustices in our songs. There are other bands out there to take care of that,” says rowdy lead guitarist and vocalist Joel O‘Keefe. The band’s latest album No Guts, No Glory is a true testament to AIRBOURNE’s way of life: the album is a virtual rock and roll buffet served up this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS

It’s been a few years since DEAD LETTER CIRCUS blasted onto Australian airwaves in 2007, their bombastic yet nuanced take on alternative rock left most observers struggling to process what they were hearing. It was epic, it oozed confidence, it was intense. Fast forward a while and the band then set out to record the follow up to their self-titled EP that started it all. Over an incredible 18 month gestation period, with every deadline pushed, every note analysed, every resource pooled, and every avenue of exploration exhausted, the new album This Is The Warning was born. From one travelling circus to another we make way for DEAD LETTER CIRCUS to come play BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

BLUE KING BROWN

You can put your fist in the air, come just as you are, you can bounce to da beat, rock out up the front row or chill up the back. Hard hitting lyrics and groove delivered in the most accessible way…you’re at BIG DAY OUT 2011 and Australia’s premier urban roots crew BLUE KING BROWN have arrived! Lead by the multi talented, relentless energy of Natalie Pa’apa’a, the band have established themselves as one of Australia’s most engaging live acts. BLUE KING BROWN bringing groove to BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

The meteoric rise of THE NAKED AND FAMOUS has been the biggest story in New Zealand music in 2010. The group had already won over alternative radio ears in their home country with two EPs where a home studio full of industrial strength electronica ideas underpinned some of the most melodic dream pop concocted down under, before they unleashed single Young Blood in May. But were they ready for that song to go straight into the NZ charts at number one, hook them up with NY indie label and blog Neon Gold, hit playlists from Triple J to London’s XFM, win them the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll and make them one of the hottest unsigned properties in the world? Probably not. But their self-produced album, Passive Me Aggressive You, has since appeared and garnered even more praise. Nudity? Not in public. Fame? Most definitely around the corner for these five kids from Auckland. (ALL SHOWS)

OPERATOR PLEASE

Returning to the BIG DAY OUT national tour for their second time OPERATOR PLEASE are well and truly back. This time though, take everything you think you know about OPERATOR PLEASE and put it aside. The Queensland-based band defy all expectations on their second album, Gloves, with the youthful enthusiasm and teenage angst that gave them worldwide recognition making way for a more sophisticated and developed sound. After spending the last few years touring the globe the band bring their pop anthems along for the ride and are set to rock BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

CHILDREN COLLIDE

CHILDREN COLLIDE arrive for BIG DAY OUT 2011 on the back of their powerful new album Theory for Everything. Vocalist and guitarist Johnny Mackay says "Alchemy and chemistry, reason and religion, love and logic. Art and music are so often about tying opposing forces together into a contentious dualism. Contradiction is a big part of what we do." CHILDREN COLLIDE are here. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYPSY & THE CAT

There is no gypsy and there is no cat, but there is a GYPSY & THE CAT, an electronic duo who, instead of pumping out house beats and booty-quaking bass lines, pen gorgeous mini epics of forlorn beauty and elegiac romanticism that, you can just tell, are about heartache and solitude, past girlfriends and future loss. Their brand new album Gilgamesh is set for release this summer. In the meantime the lead single Time to Wander has been described as “…dreamy, epic and luscious soft rock, just in time to soundtrack the Summer. Bam” (The Brag). GYPSY & THE CAT bring their summer soundtrack to BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

WILL STYLES

WILL STYLES first discovered “The Rave” when he was 16. At the end of the night he was moshing on the dance floor with his Skid Row t-shirt and torn jeans, whirling 2 flannies above his head, yelling along to Speed Racer. He was hooked. He’s always tried (often spectacularly badly) to play rave in FunkTrust sets, but after taking awhile he’s finally playing rave music every week: like a shitty Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-movie, he’s been re-united with his first love. Will has hosted Radio FunkTrust on Triple J since 2006. Every Friday night you can tune in to him playing super-sweet new records and making fart jokes. WILL STYLES is joined for the BIG DAY OUT shows by MC HAYLEY BOA. She used to sing in one of The Wiggles shows and was reprimanded for incorrectly miming the actions during the Eat a Banana song. Instead of peeling it, she was (quite innocently) fellating the banana to tens of thousands of small children. No one has been able to convince her to re-enact her banana antics on stage yet, but we’re hoping it happens at BIG DAY OUT in 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

LOWRIDER

Bigger. Brighter. Bolder: Just three words to nail the irresistible sound of hot Adelaide quartet LOWRIDER’s sophomore album, Round the World. LOWRIDER have taken their unique blend of soul and funk to the world, forging a reputation along the way as one of the most mesmerising live acts around. Get soulful, get funky, get LOWRIDER on the menu this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

SAMPOLOGY

SAMPOLOGY is a DJ. And we’re not talking your steak and three vegie solid club set here. He’s a highly accomplished technician on the 1s and 2s, (and sometime 3s) cutting his teeth in the early days as turntablist for a number of live bands including Soma Rasa and the Vinyl Slingers, which saw him first doing BIG DAY OUT at the tender young age of 17. He’s also one of the most consistently brilliant and versatile club Djs who’s not shy of mixing up his styles to suit the show. One week you might find him creating mash-up mayhem in intimate clubs by changing the vibe of the room to some kind of ridiculously wicked house party. The next week you’ll stumble into a bass bin laden club night to find him delivering a fast paced performance, skilfully bringing together endless forms of club music at countless tempos. And he’s bringing the whole swag to BIG DAY OUT in 2011. In the words of Peaches: “Sampology makes me wanna break dance.” We couldn’t have summed up SAMPOLOGY the DJ better ourselves. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

KIDS OF 88

Jordan and Sam were born in 1988. In 2009, they were the toast of the music world with the chart conquering disco sleaze of their platinum selling debut single My House. They followed up with a string of throbbing electro anthems culminating in the release of the insanely catchy, wildly electric journey of 21st century dance pop discovery that is their 2010 debut album Sugarpills. As their recordings and remixes have been filling club dance floors, KIDS OF 88 have since smashed their way around New Zealand and Australia, lighting up clubs and sharing the stage with everyone from the Passion Pit and Scissor Sisters to Cassette Kids while ducking back to their home studio to remix stars like Ke$ha and Cobra Starship. (ALL SHOWS)

KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK

At the turn of the decade, KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK first joined forces and by the middle of the 2000s, they were recognized as Australia’s premier MC-DJ tandems, having completed sell-out tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Switzerland, New Zealand and Singapore. Celebrating a decade of working together since the turn of the millennium, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK will release their debut EP TEN” on 10.10.10 supported by a very special TEN tour incorporating a retrospective 2000-2010 performance across a whopping 23 dates nationally, and culminating with BIG DAY OUT across Australia in early 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

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SYDNEY BIG DAY OUT 2011

BIG DAY OUT 2011 FEATURING: TOOL, RAMMSTEIN, IGGY AND THE STOOGES, M.I.A, JOHN BUTLER TRIO, GRINDERMAN, WOLFMOTHER, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77, CRYSTAL CASTLES, LUPE FIASCO, PRIMAL SCREAM SCREAMADELICA LIVE, DEFTONES, BLISS N ESO, ANGUS & JULIA STONE, PLAN B, PNAU, DIE ANTWOORD, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, BOOKA SHADE DJs, ANDREW W.K., THE JIM JONES REVUE, BIRDS OF TOKYO, LITTLE RED, GYROSCOPE, VITALIC, CSS, RATATAT, AIRBOURNE, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, BLUE KING BROWN, THE NAKED & FAMOUS, OPERATOR PLEASE, CHILDREN COLLIDE, GYPSY AND THE CAT, WILL STYLES, LOWRIDER, SAMPOLOGY, KIDS OF 88, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK.

2010 was one for the record books and a stellar year for BDO.

We not only passed the emotional 100 show mark with a bang, but also staged our biggest shows to the largest and our most respectful audiences of our 18 years of BDO. And so we thank you for your continued support in helping us produce the best and safest event possible for the patrons, the bands and our tireless team.

The more you care: the more we care.

Which brings us to 2011.

2010 is a very hard act to follow, so for 2011 it felt right to turn up the heat musically and visually. And what better way to explain this than to present you with over 40 exceptional acts from home and abroad for the first round alone.

This is by far our biggest and most diverse announcement ever. As well as the many incredible first timers on offer, we are enthusiastically welcoming back several iconic BDO veterans. They are some of the most exciting and uncompromising artists performing live today. We believe this combination of extremes for 2011 will create a spectacular event.

From the heaviest to the sweetest sounds in the world today, this will be a sensory overload not to be missed.

Full tickets details are below, but please remember the policies we’ve built your show on: You’re all VIPs (Very Important Punters). We don’t do elitist or bogus pre-sales: we’re either on sale or we’re not. We have what we believe to be one low ticket price for one high standard for everyone….

And we hope to see you there

Ken and Viv

So, let’s get it rolling…

TOOL

The sky will blacken, the ground will shudder, the earth will open up and BIG DAY OUT will once again tremble in the presence of the awe-inspiring TOOL. “Primal, poignant, poetic and, as always, utterly powerful” (ARTISTdirect, July 2010). Touring Down Under for the first time in four years, vocalist Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor will be fresh from the studio, where they have been slowly crafting a follow-up to 2006’s 10,000 Days. From Lateralus to Stinkfist, you know the music. But, backed by a video and laser light show unlike any other, TOOL live is also “the kind of visual experience you’ll probably never have again” (CHARTattack, August 2009). Unmatched in the world of dark, heavy rock, California’s TOOL have over 20 years scorched themselves a place as “one of the best live bands in history” (ARTISTdirect). Be blinded by their light at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

RAMMSTEIN

A decade since ruling over BIG DAY OUT with a reign of fire, pyrotechnics, monstrous riffs, wicked humour and industrial savagery, RAMMSTEIN will return this summer to reclaim their sovereign territory. The RAMMSTEIN live experience is “dizzyingly ridiculous”, says the BBC. “Rock is at its best when confrontational, subversive, curiously camp and bold, which is why RAMMSTEIN are currently one of the most important bands in the genre.” Armed with their sixth album, Liebe ist für Alle da, Germany’s infamous techno-metal masters bring nothing less than the greatest show on earth: “RAMMSTEIN are in pulverising form, the crowd are going crazy, the atmosphere is electric and the firebombs launching from the stage are like World War III on apocalypse LSD” (The Quietus, February 2010). Bow down to your kings, BIG DAY OUT 2011, for RAMMSTEIN have returned. (ALL SHOWS)

IGGY AND THE STOOGES

It’s time for a new generation to plug in to the raw power of IGGY AND THE STOOGES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The band that invented punk rock return with iconic frontman Iggy Pop rejoined by guitarist James Williamson, drummer Scott Asheton, bass player Mike Watt and sax player Steve Mackay. IGGY AND THE STOOGES will be performing songs from their landmark 1973 album Raw Power, and cherry-picking the likes of Fun House, I Wanna Be Your Dog and Down On The Street from their incendiary back catalogue. Kurt Cobain consistently listed Raw Power as his #1 favorite album of all time and Jack White will tell you that Fun House is the best rock and roll album ever made! It’s “the most chaotic and beautiful mess you could ever want” (Boston Herald, September 2010). As Iggy says, “The Stooges and I are cocked and loaded to deliver it live on stage.” And the only place to see IGGY AND THE STOOGES deliver it this summer is at BIG DAY OUT. Don’t be the one to say you missed it. (ALL SHOWS)

M.I.A.

Standing at the front line of mission BIG DAY OUT 2011 is the one-woman shock and awe campaign that is M.I.A. The Sri Lankan-British “singer/rapper/firebrand” (Pitchfork) fearlessly cuts through genre boundaries and lyrical taboos, blazing new ground from the clubs to the streets with powerhouse tracks like Galang, Paper Planes and, from her latest album ///Y/, Born Free and XXXO. On record and on stage, M.I.A. delivers “pure, flashing brilliance, a lightning cognitive connection of word, idea and sound that few do so well” (NME, July 2010). Often controversial, always compelling, M.I.A knows only one way: all guns blazing. Take cover, BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

John Butler is undeniably the most successful truly independent artist in Australia. The recent rebirth of his band the JOHN BUTLER TRIO saw two new members join John Butler; Nicky Bomba on drums and Byron Luiters on bass. The title for the trio’s latest album April Uprising is all about a period of change, of evolution and a constantly renewing beginning. April Uprising is John’s most focused, diverse and accessible album to date. Between the epic opening track Revolution and a whispered acoustic coda A Star is Born, dedicated to John’s son, April Uprising is an album that combines the personal, the political and the musically memorable with skill and passion. BIG DAY OUT is very excited to welcome back JOHN BUTLER TRIO. (ALL SHOWS)

GRINDERMAN

BIG DAY OUT is shivering with anticipation as the howling, growling, malevolent rock beast that is GRINDERMAN approaches. GRINDERMAN are Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos – Four Bad Seeds on a mission to take us somewhere else entirely. On album No.1 they were equal parts swagger and sexual frustration. On Grinderman 2, they’re simply ravenous and rampaging, “mixing horror and black humour with barely tamed musical malevolence” (The Guardian, September 2010). Fronted by Australia’s unarguable king of intense, intimidating performance, GRINDERMAN are coming to draw out the heathen child in all of us at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

WOLFMOTHER

Brothers and sisters sound the siren. A new moon has risen and the return of WOLFMOTHER is well and truly upon us. It was a whirlwind journey the band went on with the Wolfmother album, a voyage that resulted in over one million sales, sold out riots disguised as shows the world over, multiple ARIA Awards and a Grammy. In 2009 they regrouped and returned with a thundering 2nd record, Cosmic Egg, which they describe as “the sound of the Wolfmother world being rethunk and cracked wide open, with a sprawling, jubilant galaxy of musical and metaphysical harmony spilling forth”. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves and BIG DAY OUT couldn’t be happier to have them cracking it open again in 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

You thought it was all over, but James Murphy’s genre-mashing LCD SOUNDSYSTEM couldn’t farewell the live arena without one last tilt at BIG DAY OUT 2011. The biggest name in punk-funk for much of the last decade, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM is a “disco-ticking-time-bomb” (OC Weekly) that has done everything – from movie soundtracks to Grammy-nominated albums. Now, after winning raves for third album This is Happening, Murphy is about to flick LCD’s ‘off’ switch. But before he does, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM wanna put some dance, party and soul in your world one last time, via the likes of Drunk Girls, North American Scum and Daft Punk is Playing at My House. And they’ll be bringing “the heavy artillery… “More muscular and frenzied than on record, the LCD seven-piece live line-up avoids the ‘live dance music’ cul-de-sac in favour of a looser, more dynamic sound… Wow” (The List, May 2010). You better believe this is happening – so be sure to get enough LCD SOUNDSYSTEM to last you a lifetime at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77

BIG DAY OUT has seen the future of dance music, and it goes by the name of BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77. Bob Rifo’s Italian gang may be DJs, prolific producers, masked avengers and remixers extraordinaire, but this summer it will be BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 invading the Boiler Room. This isn’t just a live set, this is live communal anarchy, an electro punk rave-up that has made BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 one of the most talked about dance music acts on the planet. Madly energetic, or just plain mad? Whatever the answer, you’ll be showing mad love for BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77 by the time they’re done with BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

CRYSTAL CASTLES

Get ready to get messy with CRYSTAL CASTLES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Toronto’s electronic experimentalists Ethan Kath and Alice Glass are purveyors of the most frenetic live show on the planet. “It’s a thrillingly anarchic, messy show … all over the place, and all the better for it” (MusicOMH, June 2010). The whispers about CRYSTAL CASTLES began in 2006, a series of limited, lo-fi vinyl singles selling as quickly as they were pressed. Two self-titled albums later, the whisper is a roar. Or maybe that’s just Glass’s “hellish shriek backed by warzone beats and liquid synths”. Shield your ears – CRYSTAL CASTLES will bring the noise at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (AUCKLAND & EAST COAST ONLY)

LUPE FIASCO

If BIG DAY OUT is beamin’, it’s because we’re psyched to be welcoming back hip hop superstar LUPE FIASCO. The MC with the madly energetic, fast-flowin’ live-band show kicked and pushed outta Chicago with two Grammy-nominated albums, Food & Liquor and The Cool. Since last hitting these shores, LUPE has wrapped a new album, Lasers. But where is it? Singles I’m Beamin’ and Shining Down were a tasty tease, yet the album proper remains so damn anticipated that the rapper’s fans have resorted to petitioning his label to have it released. That’s just the kind of passion LUPE FIASCO inspires, and that’s why we’re beamin’ to have him back at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PRIMAL SCREAM

20 years after taking the sounds and spirit of the second summer of love and acid house and melding it into one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, British rockers PRIMAL SCREAM will remake history by performing their epoch-defining classic Screamadelica in full at BIG DAY OUT 2011. Two decades on, these songs still sound like the future: Loaded, Movin’ On Up, Higher Than the Sun, Come Together, Don’t Fight it, Feel It. Bobby Gillespie and the band will be joined by gospel singers, horn section, and a field full of memories. Come together to see PRIMAL SCREAM do Screamadelica at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

DEFTONES

BIG DAY OUT is daring to look deep into the Diamond Eyes of California’s favourite alt-metal sons, DEFTONES. The 2010 release and sixth album, is “a brilliant, invigorating reintroduction” (NME) to Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Frank Delgado, Abe Cunningham and new bassist Sergio Vega – the men who shook the world a decade ago with the groundbreaking White Pony – still “wield that balance between beauty and brutality better than anyone” (ARTISTdirect, August 2010). So brace yourself for extremes as you prepare to witness the long-awaited return of DEFTONES at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

BLISS N ESO

Fresh from knocking off Eminem’s six week reign at the top of the ARIA Album Charts, with their fourth album Running on Air Aussie hip hop trio BLISS N ESO are self assuredly demanding your ears when they hit the stage at BIG DAY OUT 2011. This is music made to fill the wide open spaces of BIG DAY OUT: “This is a career defining album; an album by which every new hip-hop release in this country will be judged, and deservedly so” says The Vine, MX added “Running on Air is a rocket that never runs out of fuel.” Hip-hop style stadium singalongs? We think yes. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

ANGUS & JULIA STONE

Australia’s finest duo ANGUS & JULIA STONE have spent the last few years on a remarkable musical journey together and now they bring their lovingly crafted songs to BIG DAY OUT 2011. Their latest album Down the Way was released to critical acclaim mainly due to the subtle shift of gear, represented by a growing confidence in their abilities as artists which has seen the music follow suit. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

PLAN B

BIG DAY OUT is reverting to PLAN B. But Ben Drew is no back-up plan, he’s the recalcitrant renaissance man of British music: rapper, actor, guitarist, storyteller, filmmaker and now chart-topping soul singer. After shocking the nation with his 2006 debut Who Needs Action When You Got Words, PLAN B took a sharp turn with The Defamation of Strickland Banks, a surprising, slick album filled with “stonking tunes” (NME) that trace the rise and fall of a smartly-suited soul singer. But don’t be fooled – this sweet soul morsel has a razor-sharp edge. Quite simply, no one else cuts it like PLAN B, and he’s suiting up for BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

PNAU

As the world now knows, Australia’s electronic / pop crossover pioneers, PNAU did make the big move over two years ago to take up residence in London following on from a life changing moment crossing paths with (and now under the guidance of) the pop maestro himself, Sir Elton John. It’s been three long years since the release of their last spectacular self titled album, with which Messr’s Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes have been incredibly busy traipsing the world completing album number four in studios in London, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, as well as having been involved in array of projects including one half of Empire Of The Sun; production jobs for Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams and more. In amongst this worldly action, Nick has been given the auspicious duty of composer and musical director for the famed international production Cirque du Soleil. With the wait now over and the highly anticipated fourth album arriving shortly, it’s time for PNAU to present the next chapter of ‘their brilliant career’ and as such the rumours can be confirmed as PNAU finally return home to Australia in January 2011 for the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

DIE ANTWOORD

Comin’ straight outta Cape Town to BIG DAY OUT 2011 are South Africa’s interweb-conquering, next level, hip hop heroes DIE ANTWOORD. The hard rhyming Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek burst on to the scene with serious gangsta skillz and viral videos for Enter the Ninja and Zef Side, then quickly became the “so zef, so fresh” smash hit of Coachella 2010 – “Pound for pound the most engaging and legitimately surprising act of the weekend,” said the LA Times. Part anarchic art project, part the-future-of-rap, total mystery. Are DIE ANTWOORD for real? Find the answer at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS

With their magic tour bus painted all the colours of the rainbow and their fearless leader at the wheel, EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS are on the road to BIG DAY OUT 2011. The (at least!) ten-strong, Hottest 100-conquering neo-hippie combo from California are putting a skip in the step of the world with smile-inducing songs from the name-making Home to the happy-go-lucky Janglin’ and 40 Day Dream. This is the stuff group singalongs are made of, music to bring people together. As the Denver Post put it: “At an Edward Sharpe show, everybody is family.” So get on board with EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES – next stop, BIG DAY OUT. You’ll feel right at home. (ALL SHOWS)

BOOKA SHADE DJs

Berlin duo Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier are BOOKA SHADE DJs – Get Physical label bosses, producers of immense electronic club music, newly-minted DJs. At BIG DAY OUT 2011, it’s BOOKA SHADE in DJ guise that’ll take to the Boiler Room. A BOOKA SHADE DJs set isn’t just about flinging vinyl onto a turntable – “Bringing together new tracks and new beats and creating something new around it, is more the spirit of our music,” says Kammermeier. It’s also about capturing the feeling of a great party. Grab the feeling and don’t let go with BOOKA SHADE DJs at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

ANDREW W.K.

When it’s time to party, BIG DAY OUT knows exactly who to consult – the ultimate authority on partying hard, ANDREW W.K. Infamous for his bloody nose, highly regarded for his motivational speaking, famous for his high-life attitude, beloved for his songs like Party Hard, She is Beautiful and It’s Time To Party, New Yorker ANDREW W.K. is coming our way with his full band for the first time ever to create feelings of pure joy, fun, freedom, and possibility. How does he do it? “His fast and hard party anthems whip the crowd into a fist pumping frenzy … ANDREW W.K. takes command of the crowd and bids them to live it up while they can” (mxdwn, September 2010). So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to party. It’s time for ANDREW W.K. to take command at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

THE JIM JONES REVUE

THE JIM JONES REVUE will be burning the house down at BIG DAY OUT 2011. THE JIM JONES REVUE manifesto is simple, and ferocious: "If you’re going to get on stage,” says guitarist Rupert Orton, “deliver." And that they do, riffing on Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis for a rock’n’roll sound that could have come direct from the 1950s, if it wasn’t fused with the so dang wild, loud and loose vibes of The Cramps and The Birthday Party. The Londoners may have only dropped their debut in 2008, but don’t let that fool you – these five punk rock bluesmen have been around. Hot on the heels of their blistering second album, Burning Down Your House, THE JIM JONES REVUE are set to fire up BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

BIRDS OF TOKYO

BIRDS OF TOKYO certainly aren’t the kind of band to do things in halves. Their latest self –titled album was recorded between Sydney, London, Gothenburg and New York; BIRDS OF TOKYO gave themselves the most surreal and inspiring experience possible, knowing that the results of doing so would speak for themselves. This journey into such deeply personal territory has produced BIRDS OF TOKYO’s most meaningful and powerful album yet. Stand up and be counted at BIG DAY OUT 2011 with BIRDS OF TOKYO. (ALL SHOWS)

LITTLE RED

Melbourne’s LITTLE RED have been away a while, growing up, growing down, tasting the sweet and the bittersweet in equal measures, they’ve recently returned with their second album Midnight Remember. Described by The Age as ‘pretty much the best band in Melbourne at the moment’, LITTLE RED and their all-singing, all-dancing live show are set to shake up BIG DAY OUT 2011 with their pure, irrepressible pop, infectious hooks and good times. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYROSCOPE

No strangers to the BIG DAY OUT GYROSCOPE is bringing something new to the table this time and it’s not what you would expect. You would be forgiven for thinking that they would stick with what seems like a formula for success. But for something to succeed you don’t need a formula – you need a solid foundation on which everything can be built. And few in music have set a foundation as strong as GYROSCOPE. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

VITALIC.

The temperature gauge is rising as BIG DAY OUT ushers in the artist who ushered in a whole new era of dance music, VITALIC. The man born Pascal Arbez has always been one step ahead of the electro game, his 2005 debut OK Cowboy preceding the rise to worldwide dance-dominance of every other Frenchman with a laptop. In 2009, he re-stamped his authority on the scene with the highly-charged Flashmob. Using big synths, big beats and a big slice of glittery disco as his building blocks, VITALIC creates a sound as pulverising as it is infectious. No messing around – “This guy is incredible” (inthemix, November 2008). Keep up if you can, as VITALIC flashes forward at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)

CSS

Representin’ for São Paulo at BIG DAY OUT 2011 are Brazil’s hot, hot band of the people, CSS. “The physical embodiment of the best party ever” (NME), CSS have shared their unquenchable thirst for good times and all things pop and art via two albums, Cansei de Ser Sexy and Donkey. On the eve of the release of their next blast of post-punk-electro-art-school madness, CSS are back to doing what they do best – creating unbridled joy live on stage, in a set that’s equal parts dance party, urban circus, and out-and-out chaos. As the band’s technicolour frontwoman Lovefoxx would say: get up, get up, get up! Get up, and get your CSS while it’s hot at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)

RATATAT

When BIG DAY OUT is rockin’, RATATAT will come a’knockin’. New York duo Mike Stroud and Evan Mast have been mixing electronics with guitars for the past decade, combining the power of noise and dance, collaborating with Kid Cudi, remixing Bjork, dropping four albums. Songs like Lex, Wild Cats and Seventeen Years have made them completely hip, but it’s when you see RATATAT live on stage – an aural, visual and physical assault of synths, guitar, hypnotic video and boundless energy – that the hype makes perfect sense. If you’re ready to be blown away, you’re ready for RATATAT at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

AIRBOURNE

AIRBOURNE have been waving the rock and roll flag for Australia both at home and overseas since 2003. AIRBOURNE crank out with all cylinders firing potent, solid and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. “Basically, we’ve never been about having a specific message; we don’t talk about politics or social injustices in our songs. There are other bands out there to take care of that,” says rowdy lead guitarist and vocalist Joel O‘Keefe. The band’s latest album No Guts, No Glory is a true testament to AIRBOURNE’s way of life: the album is a virtual rock and roll buffet served up this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL SHOWS)

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS

It’s been a few years since DEAD LETTER CIRCUS blasted onto Australian airwaves in 2007, their bombastic yet nuanced take on alternative rock left most observers struggling to process what they were hearing. It was epic, it oozed confidence, it was intense. Fast forward a while and the band then set out to record the follow up to their self-titled EP that started it all. Over an incredible 18 month gestation period, with every deadline pushed, every note analysed, every resource pooled, and every avenue of exploration exhausted, the new album This Is The Warning was born. From one travelling circus to another we make way for DEAD LETTER CIRCUS to come play BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

BLUE KING BROWN

You can put your fist in the air, come just as you are, you can bounce to da beat, rock out up the front row or chill up the back. Hard hitting lyrics and groove delivered in the most accessible way…you’re at BIG DAY OUT 2011 and Australia’s premier urban roots crew BLUE KING BROWN have arrived! Lead by the multi talented, relentless energy of Natalie Pa’apa’a, the band have established themselves as one of Australia’s most engaging live acts. BLUE KING BROWN bringing groove to BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

The meteoric rise of THE NAKED AND FAMOUS has been the biggest story in New Zealand music in 2010. The group had already won over alternative radio ears in their home country with two EPs where a home studio full of industrial strength electronica ideas underpinned some of the most melodic dream pop concocted down under, before they unleashed single Young Blood in May. But were they ready for that song to go straight into the NZ charts at number one, hook them up with NY indie label and blog Neon Gold, hit playlists from Triple J to London’s XFM, win them the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll and make them one of the hottest unsigned properties in the world? Probably not. But their self-produced album, Passive Me Aggressive You, has since appeared and garnered even more praise. Nudity? Not in public. Fame? Most definitely around the corner for these five kids from Auckland. (ALL SHOWS)

OPERATOR PLEASE

Returning to the BIG DAY OUT national tour for their second time OPERATOR PLEASE are well and truly back. This time though, take everything you think you know about OPERATOR PLEASE and put it aside. The Queensland-based band defy all expectations on their second album, Gloves, with the youthful enthusiasm and teenage angst that gave them worldwide recognition making way for a more sophisticated and developed sound. After spending the last few years touring the globe the band bring their pop anthems along for the ride and are set to rock BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

CHILDREN COLLIDE

CHILDREN COLLIDE arrive for BIG DAY OUT 2011 on the back of their powerful new album Theory for Everything. Vocalist and guitarist Johnny Mackay says "Alchemy and chemistry, reason and religion, love and logic. Art and music are so often about tying opposing forces together into a contentious dualism. Contradiction is a big part of what we do." CHILDREN COLLIDE are here. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

GYPSY & THE CAT

There is no gypsy and there is no cat, but there is a GYPSY & THE CAT, an electronic duo who, instead of pumping out house beats and booty-quaking bass lines, pen gorgeous mini epics of forlorn beauty and elegiac romanticism that, you can just tell, are about heartache and solitude, past girlfriends and future loss. Their brand new album Gilgamesh is set for release this summer. In the meantime the lead single Time to Wander has been described as “…dreamy, epic and luscious soft rock, just in time to soundtrack the Summer. Bam” (The Brag). GYPSY & THE CAT bring their summer soundtrack to BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

WILL STYLES

WILL STYLES first discovered “The Rave” when he was 16. At the end of the night he was moshing on the dance floor with his Skid Row t-shirt and torn jeans, whirling 2 flannies above his head, yelling along to Speed Racer. He was hooked. He’s always tried (often spectacularly badly) to play rave in FunkTrust sets, but after taking awhile he’s finally playing rave music every week: like a shitty Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-movie, he’s been re-united with his first love. Will has hosted Radio FunkTrust on Triple J since 2006. Every Friday night you can tune in to him playing super-sweet new records and making fart jokes. WILL STYLES is joined for the BIG DAY OUT shows by MC HAYLEY BOA. She used to sing in one of The Wiggles shows and was reprimanded for incorrectly miming the actions during the Eat a Banana song. Instead of peeling it, she was (quite innocently) fellating the banana to tens of thousands of small children. No one has been able to convince her to re-enact her banana antics on stage yet, but we’re hoping it happens at BIG DAY OUT in 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

LOWRIDER

Bigger. Brighter. Bolder: Just three words to nail the irresistible sound of hot Adelaide quartet LOWRIDER’s sophomore album, Round the World. LOWRIDER have taken their unique blend of soul and funk to the world, forging a reputation along the way as one of the most mesmerising live acts around. Get soulful, get funky, get LOWRIDER on the menu this summer at BIG DAY OUT 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

SAMPOLOGY

SAMPOLOGY is a DJ. And we’re not talking your steak and three vegie solid club set here. He’s a highly accomplished technician on the 1s and 2s, (and sometime 3s) cutting his teeth in the early days as turntablist for a number of live bands including Soma Rasa and the Vinyl Slingers, which saw him first doing BIG DAY OUT at the tender young age of 17. He’s also one of the most consistently brilliant and versatile club Djs who’s not shy of mixing up his styles to suit the show. One week you might find him creating mash-up mayhem in intimate clubs by changing the vibe of the room to some kind of ridiculously wicked house party. The next week you’ll stumble into a bass bin laden club night to find him delivering a fast paced performance, skilfully bringing together endless forms of club music at countless tempos. And he’s bringing the whole swag to BIG DAY OUT in 2011. In the words of Peaches: “Sampology makes me wanna break dance.” We couldn’t have summed up SAMPOLOGY the DJ better ourselves. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

KIDS OF 88

Jordan and Sam were born in 1988. In 2009, they were the toast of the music world with the chart conquering disco sleaze of their platinum selling debut single My House. They followed up with a string of throbbing electro anthems culminating in the release of the insanely catchy, wildly electric journey of 21st century dance pop discovery that is their 2010 debut album Sugarpills. As their recordings and remixes have been filling club dance floors, KIDS OF 88 have since smashed their way around New Zealand and Australia, lighting up clubs and sharing the stage with everyone from the Passion Pit and Scissor Sisters to Cassette Kids while ducking back to their home studio to remix stars like Ke$ha and Cobra Starship. (ALL SHOWS)

KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK

At the turn of the decade, KID KENOBI AND MC SHURESHOCK first joined forces and by the middle of the 2000s, they were recognized as Australia’s premier MC-DJ tandems, having completed sell-out tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Switzerland, New Zealand and Singapore. Celebrating a decade of working together since the turn of the millennium, KID KENOBI & MC SHURESHOCK will release their debut EP TEN” on 10.10.10 supported by a very special TEN tour incorporating a retrospective 2000-2010 performance across a whopping 23 dates nationally, and culminating with BIG DAY OUT across Australia in early 2011. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)

Posted by Troy Constable Photography™ on 2011-01-27 09:39:39

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