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wallisjewellie · 2 years

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On that torrid Anakin/Padmé/Obi-Wan love triangle which was promised in 1983, then again in 1999

My impression is that Lucas had indeed been trying to insert the Anakin/Padmé/Obi-Wan love triangle into the Prequel Trilogy - repeatedly and in different forms/with different solutions. Only, he scrapped elements of this plot line in the last minute every single time. I have written about it in previous, related posts, but here I would like to make some further addition to this line of thought, which is actually way more than speculation.

Let’s begin.

I pointed out previously that Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas (‎Da Capo Press; Updated ed. edition; May 31, 1999), which is a book by Lucas’ biographer, Dale Pollock, and which was first published in 1983, states that

“There will also be a torrid love triangle among the grown-up Queen (who will give birth to the twins, Luke and Leia), Annakin Skywalker, and Ben Kenobi. The consequences of this love triangle are one of the great betrayals layered throughout the three prequels that have enormous impact on all of the major characters in the story.”

Now I would like to draw attention to the sentence right before the above quote:

“A spectacular wedding for Annakin Skywalker is expected for Episode II, in which he is betrothed to the Queen (portrayed as a teenager by Portman).”

The 1999 edition was “updated with a substantial new chapter that discusses the revamped Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition, the Star Wars prequels”. Based on the deal in place between Pollock and Lucas, the latter was able to cut anything he felt was factually inaccurate - yet he didn’t touch the part about the love triangle and the betrayal.

Pay attention to the sequencing of the sentences: Pollock first writes about the wedding of Anakin and Padmé (taking place in Episode II), only then does he mention the love triangle. This makes me think that the Padmé/Obi-Wan plotline was about to be strengthened in Episode III. But as per Pollock, it should also have been layered through the PT. It is not, though. Or is was it…?

Confused? Don’t be. Read along.

We know for a fact that in a 1996 revised draft of Episode I, then titled simply “The Beginning”, it is heavily implied that the teenage Queen had a crush on Jedi Knight Obi-Wan, and he picked up on it. I have wrote about it here (x). (In this 1996 draft Obi-Wan was not a Padawan learner. Also, Padmé and him had a great number of interactions, because Qui-Gon appeared much later on screen.) Padmé’s attraction to Obi-Wan in this draft was overt, and it appeared to be evident to him.There were multiple indications that the Queen was crushing on Obi-Wan, and at least one where he noticed it, and when he did, the reaction it generated in him was of emotional nature. (Her eyes on him made him nervous.)

But all these were not in TPM, and cannot be found among the deleted scenes, right? Right. But-

In June 1999, a mere month after had TPM premiered, LucasArts released a CDROM companion called The Star Wars Episode I. Insider’s Guide which included among other things numerous notes detailing what was in previous drafts of the film, mostly in the revised rough draft that was completed on June 13th, 1996, and which contained clear reference to Padmé’s crush on Obi-Wan. These notes were ripped from the Insider’s Guide, and published on Medium.com (x) in May 2020. The file also included so-called “callouts” that cite the specific page number(s) in the draft where the events take place.

Why is it important? Because there is a note about Padmé and Obi-Wan, literally titled “A Crush?”, and its content refers to what is happening on pages 33, 43 and 44 of the 1996 rev draft. Take a look:

“A Crush?

On several occasions in the revised rough draft, there is mention of Padmé’s growing affection for Obi-Wan. When the Jedi argues with Amidala regarding Jar Jar’s fate, the script indicates that Padmé is “impressed that Obi-Wan is able to stand up to the Queen.” As they prepare to enter Mos Espa, she “gives Obi-Wan a long, adoring look.” Once in Mos Espa, Padmé watches Obi-Wan “with interest and respect,” and it is noted that her “eyes make the powerful Jedi nervous.” (RRD, pp. 33, 43, 44)”

Lucas was clearly meant to be laying down the groundwork for that love triangle, by making Padmé fall for Obi-Wan first. Well before she fell for Anakin. And it was confirmed in an officially released insider’s guide.

Those who cannot comprehend how Padmé got besotted in the first place with Anakin instead of the dashing Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the day, who she had met during the rescue mission… Well, you have your answer now. Her mind was actually supposed to be on Obi-Wan.

Moving on.

The definition of “torrid” according to Merriam-Webster is “parched with heat especially of the sun: hot; giving off intense heat: scorching; ardent, passionate”. Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as “involving strong emotions, especially those of sexual love”.

Pollock writes in 1999 (the same year the Insider’s Guide was published) that this love triangle is envisioned to be “one of the great betrayals layered through the prequels”. And that it is supposed to have “enormous impact” on the main characters. These are strong words. And since we are looking at the words of the author of Lucas’ biography, we should not discard them as part of an overly eager fanfiction.

There are some betrayals we are witnessing throughout the PT: the most dramatic is Anakin’s tragedy betrayal of the Jedi Order and the prophecy; then there is Palpatine’s grand scheme betrayal of the Republic. And we know from the OT that no one is morally irreproachable; not even Yoda or Obi-Wan.

And thus I am missing the promised betrayal with enormous impact which must be connected to the torrid love triangle between the three protagonists according to Pollock. Where is it? Lucas tacitly confirmed it coming even in 1999, since it is spelled out in the book, and he did not have it cut. This is the one which must be committed by Obi-Wan and Padmé. Betraying Anakin. On a very personal level.

If we put together the concept of an ardent, passionate love triangle, involving strong emotions, especially those of sexual love, as well as the concept of a great betrayal, which leaves Anakin hating Obi-Wan, and seriously questioning the identity of Luke’s father, the conclusion appears to be rather straightforward: Padmé and Obi-Wan weren’t just supposed to take the side against Vader in the new, emerging galactic order. They were supposed to have some sort of affair. They were supposed to commit adultery in Episode III. And there was supposed to be a decent buildup to it.

This is harsh.

It really is. But so is Anakin committing mass murder of children, turning against the Jedi Order, becoming a tyrant etc. So is the Chancellor taking over the Galaxy. The truth is that we all see these shocking revelations coming: Anakin’s personality and weaknesses, Palpatine’s master plan are all in plain sight. They are layered through the prequels. Just as the love triangle was promised to be.

In The Beginning, Padmé did have a crush on Obi-Wan, and he knew it/felt it/was uncomfortable about, but aware of it. The adoration could hardly be mutual (at least I hope so), since she was very much minor, while Obi-Wan was an adult Jedi Knight. But the seed was sown: she fell for him, and he knew it. And the original idea could have been that this (buried) childhood crush was to be resurfaced later. Again, Pollock mentions the torrid love triangle after the spectacular wedding.

Or not. Was it always Anakin and Padmé, who were supposed to hide their love and affection for one another? Must two people having a “spectacular wedding” do that? Was there originally something else (apart from what’s canonic now) behind Obi-Wan’s heavy protest against Anakin acting upon his feelings towards her?

One element of the torrid love triangle, the possessive-obsessive love from Anakin’s side was there, and his paranoid fear of Obi-Wan taking Padmé from him remained in RotS, although downplayed. I have discussed the disgraceful fate of the RotS Padmé/Obi-Wan storyline several times before; not going to do that now. But one thing is clear: their affair should not have been only in Anakin’s head. (It could have been a nice last-minute try though, in order to insert the triangle somehow into the story, given that by that time, not much Padmé/Obi-Wan interaction had survived the cutting floor in TPM and AotC.) But it should have been real. And torrid. And should have been having an enormous impact on all of the major characters of the story.

Probably not just on the story of the prequels, but on that of the original trilogy as well.

I think that the original idea was the ambiguous paternity all along, Lucas just eventually didn’t have the guts to steer things to the direction of uncertainty about the identity of the father. Pollock himself mentions in the same sentence the triangle and that the Queen will give birth to twins. (“There will also be a torrid love triangle among the grown-up Queen (who will give birth to the twins, Luke and Leia), Annakin Skywalker, and Ben Kenobi.”)

To be honest, even though I am an Obidala fan, I do not really support the the theory of Obi-Wan being Luke’s (and Leia’s) father. (And don’t even get me started on the twisted idea of Padmé conceiving two children from two different fathers…) I do love the father-son redemption arc, and Vader’s name is… well, it’s literally Vader. But I support the idea of creating uncertainty about the father’s identity in the viewers’ (and Anakin’s) head, as long as possible. Again, the revelation itself is one of the biggest plot twists in the OT, so it would have made perfect sense if Lucas had left us somewhat suspicious about Luke’s origins before said revelation.

The prequels should have left the possibilities open, leaving it to the OT to have the story unfold. And the prequels should have given us that torrid love triangle.

#obidala #star wars prequels #obianidala #my gif edit #obi wan kenobi #padme amidala #anakin skywalker

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erosofthepen · 4 years

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Hello! I had an idea for an imagine that I wanted to get your thoughts on, if that's fine by you. Which Characters from The Hobbit and Lotr do you think would most enjoy dating a Dark Academia-style Writer? So like she dresses in the Dark Academia fashion, reads Classical Literature and her own stories and essays to them while cuddling, excitedly Rants about History and Literature to them, and maybe they even find her journal full of sappy love poems and rambles about how much she loves them? Who do you think would be most down for a s/o like that, if you don't mind me asking. I'd love to get your thoughts on this, and your blog is so spectacular btw!

Oh ho ho, my friend, this is right up my alley. I am obsessed with Dark Academia.

For ‘The Hobbit’:

Bilbo Baggins.

He was literally the first person to pop into my head. He is a perfect mix of cottage core and light academia, and I feel like he would have a lot of love for dark academia as well. When you’d cuddle, you’d both be reading your respective books (or even better, reading the same book with one another, or even even better, reading aloud to one another), and when a particularly deep or meaningful quote or scene happens, you would both discuss it thoroughly. You would both go into rants about history and literature you find interesting, and understand one another perfectly, going into incredible depth about the topics. If he ever found love poems you wrote about him, he would read them with the fondest smile upon his face. Who knows, in a few days, you might even come across a few poems or songs he has written about you.

Bard.

Bard has a lot of respect for history, (I hold firm to the belief that he was one of the very few lake men who really cared about the towns past), and would probably even help teach you some history of Dale and Esgaroth. And if you teach him about our worlds history and mythology, he would be all ears and find it utterly fascinating. He would totally be down to just spending quiet days at the library with you, and would probably read every book you recommend to him (Imagine discussing ‘A Secret History’ with him… that would be quite an interesting conversation). And if he ever came across love rants/poems… this man would get all cute and tell you how much they mean to him. He’s just that kind of person.

Thorin.

This dwarf would be incredibly into Dark Academia. I can just imagine dressing him up in one of those gray waistcoats with the white, long-sleeved undershirt. If he should roll the sleeves up to the elbow… sigh. He could totally dress the part. And he would absolutely love seeing you dressed dark academia style. His color palate is very similar to what is typically dark academia. And get ready for hours of discussing both dwarrow and human history with him. Also, if I may go out on a limb here, there is this headcannon I have about dwarrow museums being carved into old mineshaft used of resources. Thorin would be immensely proud and excited to show you and teach you everything in the museums. Walking down the stone halls and him pointing out various carvings and texts on the walls, your dark academia mind couldn’t be happier. And cuddles with his arm around your shoulders, lying in bed after a long day, ending the night reading. He would occasionally look down at what your reading (possibly asking what’s going on in the plot, depending on if you get annoyed by interruptions or not) and smile to himself. If you read your own work to this dwarf, expect the best feedback possible. He is very thorough with his feedback, and knows how to properly give constructive criticism as well as highlighting the best parts of your work.

Lindir.

This sweet little elf would be beside himself. He loves the libraries in Rivendell, and you sharing and reading stories with him opens up worlds. He would also love the way you dress, and will often ask what has inspired your ‘look’ for the day. He gets excited when you come to him with a new topic to rant about, and will likely contribute some very insightful views on the matter. When you come to him with questions about Middle Earth’s history, he will gladly answer whatever you ask (and probably end up having a history rant of his own. ‘Hey Lindir, what are the Silmarils?’ ‘…how about you sit down, and we’ll chat about it for a few months.’). He would just be the sweetest if he found your love rambles, and would be blushing the entire time reading them. Expect a wonderful thank you and an entire sonnet of his own composed for you.

Ori.

Can’t forget this little scribe. He would be beside himself at finding a fellow reader and writer, and the two of you would have so many reading sessions where you discuss what exactly this word meant in this context, or just ranting sessions where you gush and/or vent about a certain scene or plot development. He would find your outfits absolutely exquisite and probably even help you piece some together. Cuddling with him while reading is honestly the best, because you’ll just be laying side-by-side, surrounded by pillows and blankets (possibly in front of a fireplace in the Great Erebor Library), and just be reading your different books together, content to just read without feeling the need to talk. If you ever read your work to him, he would be beside himself at the level of trust you place in him (being a writer, he knows how daunting sharing your work can be), and he would love whatever you write. Expect him to start sharing his work as well. For the love poems, You’ll probably find his poems/rambles first, tbh. He just loves expressing himself through writing, and expressing his love for you is his favorite thing. You both get all sappy and blushy when you read one another declarations of love.

For ‘Lord of the Rings’:

Frodo Baggins.

Much like his Uncle, Frodo has a healthy appreciation for history and literature. He’d just love pouring over different books with you, and discussing them. His favorite thing to do with you on rainy days is to curl up with a good book and read aloud. Maybe even a walk down the trails and paths with an umbrella as well (Lobelia in the hobbit movies and the end of return of the king has proven there to be umbrella’s in Middle Earth). Hobbits are known for their passion for History, particularly family History, so he’ll definitely go into some rants of his own about the history of the Shire, and will sit and listen to your rants as well.

Elrond.

Lord Elrond is like a living, breathing, history textbook. He would be the absolute best person to discuss historical events and mythology and such. His keenness for knowledge knows no limits. There will definitely be very, very, long conversations about literature and meanings behind what the author writes, and the morals and values of the texts. Honestly, there is just such a depth of understanding between you and Elrond that is incredibly hard to find in others.

Faramir.

This man. This is the man who literally fanboyed over Gandalf and became a pupil to him. He would absolutely be beside himself when he meets you, because another human who is obsessed with learning and history and literature and discussing it and having deep conversations about it??? He would fall hard. And he would always love the way you dress, whether you are wearing a cozy sweater-vest or a dramatic trench coat. The two of you would literally spend hours in Gondor’s libraries, pouring over shelves of scrolls and books, taking notes on them, and maybe with a few older ones, restoring them together. Your favorite thing to do before going to bed is lighting a few candles and reading together. He would especially be fascinated and amazed at anything you have written and willing to share with him. He honestly just loves you so much, and feels so understood when he’s around you. And finding love poems written about him fills him with an indescribable amount of joy.

Aragorn.

When not off doing important Ranger or Kingly duties, Aragorn would just love to spend time reading with you. The kind of quality time where neither person needs to say anything, because the simple presence of the person is enough. He’s very into History, and I can totally see him ranting to you about the story of Beren and Luthien (perhaps the rest of the Silmarillion if he has the time), and would love to hear about your stories and books from our world. He’s the kind of person who prefers to dress practical, but that doesn’t stop him from complimenting your outfits and thinking how great you look every time you walk into the room. He loves the aesthetic of it. And should he ever stumble across a poem about him, he will probably keep it to himself, but memorize every word and repeat it to himself while traveling.

So I may have gotten just a tad bit carried away with this, but it was so much fun doing! Thank you for this ask! I hope this is what you were looking for. Now, i’m going to make myself a cup of tea and go to bed.

#bilbo baggins #dark acadamia #ori #aragorn #lindir #elrond #faramir #hobbit asks #lotr asks #frodo #thorin #bard #claraofthepen #the hobbit #lord of the rings

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izumisays · 5 years

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dear yuletide author

Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy!

First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.

Fandoms: Nirvana in Fire, Spinning Silver, In Other Lands, Thunderbolt Fantasy, Grasshopper Jungle

As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences.

How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting -- I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.

You may notice that quite a few of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.

I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and similar kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!

NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan

Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.

Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)

I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.

I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it. Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!

SPINNING SILVER: Mirnatius

Spinning Silver is a beautiful story, a polyphony of voices that echo the key themes with poignance in individual tales coming together into a bigger picture: admirable female characters, complicated families, bargains and stakes and wordless bonds, all spun and woven together with so much care and craft! While I really liked the whole journey, it’s two characters in particular at whom I’d like to get a closer look.

Irina and Mirnatius: both shipfic and/or gen. Irina the ruler, with an iron will and unwavering hand: I would absolutely like to explore the court life under her rule, after the events of the book. In between running a country and cleaning up a demonic mess, does she find a thought to spare about Mirnatius? Does she harbour any resentment or sense of obligation, or indulgently tolerates him as part of the ornamental royal regalia? Is there a role she envisages him playing? Does she box him into that role, or allow herself to be surprised?

MIRNATIUS, hands-down my favourite POV in the book. How does he get on after demon loses his hold on him? What kind of person he is on his own? I’d like to think he doesn’t lose all his edges, and perhaps gets high-headed and displaced now that his mind is vacated off its demonic freeloader, and there is a quest for find his own place in the new reality, before he can be that dramatic artistic bisexual with no interest in statecraft that Irina gleamed in him.

How do the power dynamics between them change, and how much of that stays the same? Is there any genuine love to be found between them, eventually? (The answer doesn’t have to be yes – for all that they are the same species, I tend to think their circumstances are more complicated than Miryem and the Staryk’s, and less forgiving.)

IN OTHER LANDS: Luke Sunborn

Elliot is a spectacular narrator. Novel-shaped case in point: In Other Lands.

Having said that, what I really, really want to see is a story that makes Luke a narrator, or otherwise puts him at the center. I have it on good authority that he makes one fucking adorable narrator (novella-shaped case in point: Wings in the Morning), but why stop there, right?

Luke/Elliot, either post-canon or slightly amending canon, is always a delight. Luke crushing on Elliot for years in a resigned, semi-unaware (or aware!) manner - he gives Elliot Dale’s name only as a distraction, to get Elliot off his back, and watches with horrified eyes how every member of his family is suddenly out there to set him up with the wrong boy! Luke handling the thought of Elliot the boyfriend with awkwardness unbefitting a Trigon champion (granted, Elliot is kinda more prickly than an average glass ball). Luke having 110% confidence in Elliot and admiring him sass people into submission from the sidelines.

A look at Luke’s friendship with Serene - completely compatible with Luke forever crushing on Elliot, just saying ^^. I suspect lack of Elliot’s Serene goggles could do marvels to building nuance to her character: a little less emphasis on gender-reversed dudebro comedy, a little more of someone who is clever enough to balance multiple things, connect the dots, and learn, and stand by what she believes is right.

Competence kinkkk. Forever admiring the bookish people, refusing to stop trying to catch up, and zero time spent being conceited about own achievements while fully embracing his role of a champion and defender - that’s the Luke I love <3 Luke’s brand of leadership & charisma - an introverted champion, well-loved by people and easily tired of company of not his people.

Figuring out life after graduation! Casefic of them solving a mystery and preventing a war breakout! Getting assignments and storming the castles! Building cross-cultural competence by throwing Elliot at new people and watching him sign up new pen friends and treaties!

Sunborn family fic! A holiday get together? Drunken exchange of family stories? Another terrible competition that Elliot boycotts? Rachel reading Luke’s letters from year one and with great amusement observing the progression of his “THAT ELLIOT” feelings. (I would so die to read an epistolary fic that documents Luke’s Elliot problems) God I love the Sunborns, especially Rachel <3

I’m not particularly fond of Dale, on understanding that he got enough screentime already, so I’d be grateful if you didn’t center the fic around him. Obviously no objections to him as part of class ensemble, whose names Luke continuously fails to remember.

If you are writing a Luke/Elliot shipfic (which is a prospect I would whole-heartedly welcome!), just a note to say that I don’t get particular kicks out of wingfic poetics. I mean, I’m alright with that as part of the “golden and beautiful” package and acknowledgement that Elliot sure gets his kick out of them, but I personally find wings-as-harpy legacy and associated emotional baggage/pragmatism mix Luke feels on the subject more interesting to investigate. All the rest of their ship chemistry is very much welcome, in whatever proportion you enjoy doing it most.

THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan

I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE!

If you had told me a year ago that I would commit a definitely not-insignifiant amounts of emotional investment into a Taiwanese puppet show written by Urobutcher, I’d have laughed in your face. I am so glad my lovely friends know me better than I do, and tied me to a chair long enough to show me the first few episodes, and smugly watched me breeze through two seasons and a movie of this tropey goodness.

Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat. It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.

I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.

Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE: Robby Brees

Do you ever, like, read an insanely cyclical, epic zombie apocalypse book that is probably narrated from the rubbles of the fallen fourth wall, and walk away softly clutching at your heart, whispering “Oh Robby”?

I sure did.

I mean, I definitely loved all the obsessive, crazy, cyclical shit the book did. It’s a trip and a half! Austin is a hilarious guide to the crazyland of zombie apocalypse and multiple identity crises, and I enjoyed him tremendously. If you want to dabble in recreating that, I’ll happily read it! But my heart longs to answer some important questions like, Will Robby Ever Get Appreciation He Deserves, Do They Get Laid, and most importantly, What The Fuck Happened That Night When They Got Drunk and Shit Got Transcendental. (I feel it in my heart of hearts that their dicks must have, or at least should have, touched.)

Play however you like with it -- coda, AU, fixit, crack (oh god, if there was a canon that was borderline crack itself), futurefic -- I’m gonna look forward to any and all permutations.

A note to say that I don’t harbor any ill feelings towards Shann! My primary urge is to coddle and adore Robby, and I leave it up to you to negotiate the hows and whys :)

FWIW, I have a copy of Exile from Eden on my hands, but haven’t cracked it open yet. It’s entirely up to you if you want to include whatever is in there: I’m going to be pleased with just GJ material as is! If I do read Exile anytime soon, and if it significantly changes my views on the subject, I’ll add a note to that effect.

#dear creator letter #yuletide #yuletide 2019

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alexanderwrites · 7 years

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Thoughts Roundup - Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 15

“There’s Some Fear in Letting Go”

Nuance is key to the success of the great drama shows. There has to be nuance in the drama, and there has to be nuance in the way the characters feel and interact. The dramas that don’t reach the heights of Mad Men or The Wire are the shows that forget to give variations on their themes, or are too glib to remember that there should be more to drama than darkness. It can’t be all horrible, all the time. It can’t be darkness for the sake of darkness. There has to be something more, and the great shows remember that. Mad Men was a psychologically probing satire, but it was also one of the funniest and most quotable shows on TV. And like Mad Men, Twin Peaks has the capacity to be very funny, and often, profoundly beautiful. Lynch and Frost are intelligent enough writers to understand that beauty is no less profound that terror, and that joy no less powerful than fear. Instead of alternating between the two wildly, Twin Peaks - particularly in Part 15 - posits these two as a sort of yin and yang; two themes that cannot exist without each other. The happiest moments in the show were always shot through with yearning and melancholy - think of Cooper and Annie’s date in the canoe back in Season 2 and the aching sadness the scene is built upon - and Part 15 remembers this. But, the episode also starts with the most unashamedly hopeful, beautiful and happy moment to ever unfold on the show...

. Seeing Nadine walk up towards Big Ed with a shovel is a worrying site. Nadine is a kind and gentle soul, but the overwhelming air of unpredictable violence throughout this season did put me on edge through their scene. In ‘letting him go’, she’s not really going to smash him round that Big Ed Head, is she? No, of course not. This is Nadine, lovely Nadine, looking happy, healthy, and actually managing to find sage advice in Dr Jacobi’s rhetoric. The skies are blue above Ed, who is still a building of a bloke, a kind and gentle giant, to whom Nadine’s happiness is essential. It’s maybe basic of me to say, but I love lovely characters. Sure, an anti-hero can be great fun. But I love a sweetheart. What sets Twin Peaks apart is that, though evil has the capacity to live in the friends and neighbours of the town, there are people who are just good. Nadine and Big Ed are two of those people, and the scene is cathartic. I hope that Nadine really is as happy as she seems, and I hope that she isn’t hurt by all that has happened. She’s never been disingenuous, so lets hope her happiness is true. What comes next is the beautiful, perfect moment I alluded to earlier.

Big Ed and Norma had to end up together. That’s what you’d think with a more straight forward series, but with Twin Peaks nothing that feels like it has to be ever really is. But, with Otis Redding singing I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, you can sense this scene will give us what we want. And sure enough, Norma says no to her boring suit boyfriend, and walks over to Big Ed, who’s sitting alone, dejected at the counter after Norma has told him she has to talk to her boring suit boyfriend. I love so much that the second Big Ed walks in and tells her he’s free, she’s made the decision. She wants her Big Ed, and their embrace, in the Double R diner, with Shelly watching tearfully, punctuated by Big Ed’s “Marry Me?”, is spectacular. The moment lingers with shots of the forests looking gorgeous and green, and the skies looking blue and open, as Otis sings on. It is the most gorgeous and wonderful moment in any episode of Twin Peaks. And still, there is an air of wistfulness. They are older now, and he has been loving her for too long. Years have been missed out on, and Nadine doesn’t get to find what Ed has found. And yet there is beauty in her strength and her humanity. It is years of pain coming to a close, so it cannot be a clean, clear celebration - but it is still a celebration of sorts. Suddenly, you feel the town, and everything that makes it beautiful. The woods don’t seem terrifying, and there is no dark sky hanging overhead. It is just nature, and music, and love, and it’s such a pure distillation of goodness that you begin to think that any evil in the show really can be overcome. Lynch and Frost aren’t pessimists, they’re humanists. They understand the flaws and the badness, and yet they also revel in the goodness. They stop to appreciate the magic of trees, waterfalls, cups of coffee and old friends. It is one of my favourite moments not just in Twin Peaks, but in television in general.

. Just as the shots of the sky fade out, a new image fades in, and it’s of a dark road at night, with headlights trying to illuminate it. It feels almost like a direct attack on the previous images, if anything could ever harm them. Doppelcoop is back in the driver’s seat, and he’s on the road to Phillip Jeffries. I’m uncertain if the “Convenience Store” sign was visible when we last saw the building in Part 8, but this is where Doppelcoop turns up in Part 15, and the “Convenience Store” sign on it is clear now for what I believe is the first time. As well as meeting long-theorised characters this season, we are now meeting long-theorised buildings - and I don’t think i’ve ever been so excited to see a convenience store before. Doppelcoop stops in to pick up a kit kat meet Philip Jeffries, and the upstairs of the convenience store is just as terrifying as it was in Fire Walk With Me. The set design is impeccable, and there is a feeling of raw, wild electricity surging through this place. It quite simply doesn’t feel like it’s in our world (kind of like ASDA). Here we see the jumping masked man again, as well as two woodsmen who take Doppelcoop up some more stairs and out through a door which brings him to a motel - which looks uncannily like the motel in which Leland killed Theresa Banks. There, he is led by an old backwards-speaking woman (who immediately made me think of Mrs Tremond), led to Jeffries room where we finally meet him....in a....giant teapot? It looks quite similar to the big metal ship that Cooper stand on in Part 3, but this one holds Jeffries, who believes Doppelcoop is the real Coop and gives information on who Judy is. We find out that Doppelcoop (or Cooper, if Jeffries believes that’s who he’s talking to) has met Judy before, but that doesn’t narrow it down much.

By this stage, Doppelcoop is showing more desperation than he ever has before, and we are right there with him: WHO THE FUCK IS JUDY?? Jeffries, when appearing in the FBI HQ in FWWM claimed “we’re not going to talk about Judy at all”, and that was after he’d supposedly been on a walkabout through the lodges. Is Judy from a lodge? Is she the eyeless, chirping woman in the jail cell? I read that the noises she’s making are more akin to monkey sounds, which on repeat viewing is a lot more accurate - and lets not forget the monkey who said “Judy” in FWWM. Are we going round in circles now? Perhaps, but it’s a pretty fun and enticing circle. And as I said last week, the chase is the purpose. Doppelcoop gets one step closer to Judy with some co-ordinates, before being zapped outside of the store through a phone, The Matrix style. Can’t wait to see if he can do any bendy, bullet-time acrobatics in the next couple of episodes. And outside is none other than Richard Horne, who we categorically learn IS Audrey’s son, and has followed Doppelcoop because he thinks he’s an FBI agent, having recognised him from a picture that Audrey keeps. He gets a satisfying amount of shit kicked out of him by Doppelcoop before they head off together, heading towards wherever the hell Judy is. And, Doppelcoop’s “Las Vegas?” text to Diane places these events before some of the FBI’s scenes. As they drive off, the Convenience Store flickers in and out of reality like a lamp with a dying lightbulb, and suddenly it is gone. It’s a powerfully threatening image, and seeing the empty space where it stood makes it feel even more hellish.

. Pairs of people seem to be popping up everywhere in this episode - Ed & Norma, Doppelcoop & Richard, and Gary & Chantal. They’re a sort of Bonnie & Clyde who take delight in their killings, and they proclaim that America was built on killing, so why not embrace it? Their twisted logic - “things are already fucked, so might as well keep fucking ‘em” - has brought them on this journey, and they rationalise it with scary indifference, whilst still taking time out for the little things, like a pretty sky at night, or a tasty dessert. They are the flipside of Gordon and Albert, or Harry and Dale. Tonight Chantal snuffs out Duncan Todd’s flame. That sadly means no more of the great Patrick Fischler looking anxiously at his phone. I enjoyed him for the enigmatic mystery he was, and his inability to wipe Dougie out means that Chantal is stepping in to the arena. “One down, one to go”....

. Another pair, equally as fucked up as Gary and Chantal, are Gersten and Steven, whose scene is long and physically uncomfortable. I found it extremely hard to make out what he was saying, but that weird, Dark-Macaulay Culkin looking motherfucker seems to have done something bad enough for him to supposedly shoot himself after Gersten hides around the other side of the tree from him. She looks out into the trees and the sky, and this time it is unforgiving and scarily empty. There is nothing there for these two, and I wonder if that’s the last we’ll see of Gersten, the seldom seen sister of Donna. Just another glimpse into another life gone wrong in Twin Peaks.

. People whose most oft-repeated phrase this year is “This’ll be the thing that wakes him up” will surely have SCREAMED it in Part 15 - hell, even I whispered it to myself. It’s not just the Cooper jams a fork into an electrical socket (clearly a sign that he’s back to his old self. Which FBI agent doesn’t do that on the reg?), it’s that before this, he takes initiative in his actions: he turns on the TV, reacts dramatically to the film, then scrambles to turn it up or pause it. I was at a loss for why of all things that scene from Sunset Boulevard spoke to him, until I watched it a second time: the actor says the name “Gordon Cole”. That’s what Cooper is reacting to. He is right on the very edge of returning, and yes, maybe the fork in the socket really is the thing that’ll do it. He came out of the electrical socket, so who knows, maybe jabbing it with a fork will wake him up....somehow. Or kill him. Imagine that!

. Okay, what the hell is going on with Audrey. I don’t mean that in a negative way, I mean it in an exasperated and confused way. There is something so uncannily strange and stilted about her interactions with her husband, and while other storylines have developed and evolved, her three scenes have all taken place over the course of a half hour, and in pretty much just one room. They are still arguing about whether or not to go to the roadhouse. They are right on the edge of leaving, with their coats on, and their argument fires up once more and back into the house they go. It is a domestic nightmare, a claustrophobic, surreal play that they are trapped in, and I don’t know that we’ll ever get an explanation for it. Do we need one? Isn’t the feeling that the scenes elicit in us enough? Doesn’t the fact that we feel: frightened, confused, sick and trapped, tell us exactly what their marriage is, and how it feels?

. James haters rejoice: he gets the shit beaten out of him! Poor, sweet James. So naive, so sweet, so stupid. It was a bit of an overreaction of his ex’s new boyfriend to punch him square in his forehead just for saying hello, but it seems to be a general rule that if you’re going to hang out at the Roadhouse, you have to have unfathomable anger issues. Unless you’re James or the MC, who excitedly introduces not a band, but just the song Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top, which everyone proceeds to go nuts to. Fair enough! Cockney FistMan saves James from the attack, nearly kills one of them, and the two are sent to a jail cell, where Eyeless MaybeJudy is still making monkey sounds and BloodDripping MaybeBilly is still repeating everything. What a fun place to be! I’m wondering if Cockney FistMan will end up protecting MonkeyNoise MaybeJudy, and that the person that Andy is protecting her from is indeed Doppelcoop. It just fits quite neatly for me, but then, when is the show ever neat? Maybe the coordinates that Doppelcoop got for Judy will bring him to Twin Peaks, just as Diane’s might. Something huge is coming one of those nights, and the nights feel a lot darker now...

. Goodnight, Margaret. Goodbye, Margaret. What a haunting, chilling moment. I’ve never seen a goodbye to a character feel so sincere. The Log Lady was the soul of the show - it can, of course, exist without her - but she was like the moon that hangs above the swaying traffic lights, always watching, always there, whether or not you could see her. This was her story, really. This was her seeing everything - all the good, and the bad - and coming to terms with it. Letting go of it. There is some fear in letting go, but this isn’t the end she tells us. I can think of no television character more comforting to the soul than The Log Lady. She told us that one day the sadness will end, and asked whether love is the blood of the universe. She spoke of the nature of the world, and of humankind’s nature, and whether what she said was funny, sad or mysterious, it was always sincere. Watching her say the words “I’m dying”, with tears in her eyes, is simply unforgettable. She is simply unforgettable. I know so many fans of the show will want to thank her, and by her, I really do mean Catherine Coulson - because she gave us something even more than what the Log Lady was. She gave us something so genuine, and so human, that every moment with her is a treasure that we shouldn’t ignore.

And so, Hawk stands in the darkness of the meeting room and announces that she’s died. Lucy cries. Frank takes off his hat. The episode gives us time to breathe, to take it in, to cry if we need to. We see glimpses of the moon in the sky, and of her cabin in the woods, with the light inside being turned off. And soon after this, we follow Charlyne Yi on her hands and knees after two large men force her out of her seat. She is crawling through a sea of happy, dancing people - screaming and screaming at the sea of legs surrounding her. Lost, hurt, confused, angry. She is all of us, and nobody is listening to her. She lets out a guttural, primal scream that is a release of everything that has built up. Norma and Ed can take comfort in each other, but the Log Lady is dead and a storm is coming. Can Norma, Nadine, Ed, Shelly and the goodness of the world co-exist with the dark night owls that haunt the roadhouse? Moreover, can they exist without each other, or will they always be intertwined? I could not be more excited for the final 3 Parts, and after the last run of episodes, and their nuanced blending of so many satisfying elements, I think this really might be the best TV i’ve ever seen.

“You know about death. That it’s just a change, not the end.”

#twin peaks: the return #twin peaks #twin peaks spoilers #david lynch #kyle mclachlan #dale cooper #audrey horne #TV #TV Reviews

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bethanygracewilliams · 7 years

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Phantom of the Opera North American Tour

On August 6th, I got the incredible opportunity to see the new production of Phantom of the Opera live and let me just say, I had a fantastic time. It was absolutely gorgeous and it was everything I hoped it would be.

If you haven't seen the new production yet and are planning to, you might want to skip this post as it will contain spoilers for the new production.

First off, let me just say that this is the first time I've ever seen Phantom live and the sets were beautiful. I couldn't get over the amount of detail and complexity in each set. It was also amazing how they managed to fit so many different sets into such a compact area. The rooftop, the graveyard, and the Phantom's lair were some of my personal favourites. And, of course, the chandelier was gorgeous. The costumes were beautifully crafted and the wigs were wonderfully styled. I know the Phantom's new wig has been received with both good and bad responses, but personally, I loved it. I thought it was cute.

I fell in love with both the voices and performances of the Phantom and Christine, played by Victor Wallace and Kaitlyn Davis respectively. Their voices were breathtaking and their performances, at least in my opinion, felt very emotional and personal. Carlotta, Meg, and Mme. Giry, played by Trista Moldovan, Julie Eicher, and Kristie Dale Sanders respectively, were all amazing. They were very entertaining and they all had those certain aspects of their characters spot on. Andre, played by Edward Staudenmayer, was absolutely hilarious. He was fantastic at his role and he made me laugh so many times throughout the show. Raoul, Piangi, and Firmin, played by Jordan Craig, Phumzile Sojola, and David Benoit respectively, were, in my opinion, a little weak compared to the rest of the cast, but by no means bad. I still enjoyed their performances vey much.

The orchestra was outstanding. I've never heard an orchestra live before and it might be one of the best things I've ever heard. The music was so crisp and clear and it was even more beautiful live than it is on the 25th anniversary DVD. I can't even begin to describe the feeling I got hearing the overture live.

The pyrotechnics and special effects were so cool to see live! The fog was so magical. The fire was intense and so bright, I actually had to shut my eyes. I was prepared for all but one gunshot. That one nearly gave me a heart attack. And, of course, it was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced to see that chandelier drop live in front of my eyes. I loved it!

Now, let me get into some of the specific things I loved about this production. I loved how they did the sequence of the opera house coming back to life during the overture. They way they kept Raoul on the stage while ballerinas and stagehands made their way onto the stage, almost like he was watching a memory, was so beautiful. And it was so cool how the two walls spun around to be the opera boxes.

Of course, the mirror scene was very cool, with all the lights and smoke as the Phantom brought Christine through. The whole sequence of him bringing her to his lair for the first time was amazing. I loved how they were up in the flies and then all the stairs came out of the wall for them to go down underground. I also loved the little detail, when they were going down the stairs, Christine stopped halfway down and when they Phantom realized she wasn't following anymore, he came back up to her level and offered her his hand. I thought that was sweet. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the boat during Phantom Of The Opera, but was extremely excited when they did in The Final Lair instead. I also loved during the 'Sing!' part of Phantom Of The Opera, the Phantom really seemed like a teacher. He wasn't just pushing her to sing, he was also telling her to breathe, gesturing to her entire diaphragm, teaching her how to hit those notes. I really liked that because I feel that in many productions of Phantom, we lose that teacher quality in him because they focus only on the fact that he's in love with her.

One of my favourite things in this production was the choreography for Music Of The Night. I absolutely loved it. It just felt so personal and sensitive and sweet. The Phantom gave Christine some of his music for her to look through and it was so sweet. He urged her to look through with the excitement of a little kid. He was so proud to show her the music he had written just for her. Then, he put a blindfold over her eyes because he was still teaching her and he wanted her to feel the music, not just hear it or sing it. He wanted her to really understand the music and feel it in her soul. Again, I loved seeing the Phantom actually teaching her, not just obsessing over her. Another thing I liked was that even with his mask on, he was still so hesitant for Christine to look at him, almost as if he were afraid of her gaze. He was also extremely reluctant to touch her or for her to touch him. Even though he had brought her down to his domain, he was constantly shying away from her. One thing I didn't like, though, was during the second last verse, the Phantom just suddenly picked Christine up, carried her over to the bed, laid her down and that's how she fell asleep. It felt very out of character for the Phantom to just blatantly invade her personal space when he wasn't leading her somewhere or begging her not to leave, especially since he had been so hesitant to let her look at him, let alone touch him, through most of the song.

However, I did like how they did the first face reveal. By having the Phantom remove his mask on his own to clean his face gave it such a personal, intimate touch that I absolutely loved. If he had known Christine was awake, he never would have done that. Because he thought she was still sleeping, he deemed it safe to go about his normal routine and letting us have a glimpse into the everyday rituals of the Phantom was something I really loved. And the fact that he started crying because he felt bad for scaring Christine with his face was so heartbreaking. It was a perfect choice.

The way they killed Buquet, played by Dan Debenport, was really well done, in my opinion. They had the Phantom disguise himself as a stage hand so by the time Buquet realized who it was, it was too late. They actually showed the Phantom tying the noose around Buquet's neck (when in reality, he was hooking it to his shirt so he didn't actually hang) and I thought that was a nice touch. And with the ballerinas screaming and the music, the whole scene felt so dark and sinister. It was amazing.

Another thing I didn't like was that, right before All I Ask Of You, Christine actually contemplated jumping off of the roof of the opera house to escape from the Phantom. It felt very out of character for her, but in a way that I just can't describe. I just didn't like it. However, I did like that after she collapsed onto the floor, Raoul got down on his hands and knees during All I Ask Of You, to get down on her level, and he inched towards her just a little bit at a time. Then, when he got close enough, he wrapped her in a big hug and held her close. Honestly, it was so sweet and I could feel how much Raoul truly cared for Christine in those moments.

I was the most excited and the most nervous about the All I Ask Of You Reprise because it's one of my favourite songs from the whole show. Thankfully, my worries were completely misplaced because Victor Wallace absolutely nailed it. He started out so angry because he felt so hurt and betrayed by Christine, but he sang the line, "he was bound to love you when he heard you sing" so softly, like, for a moment, he didn't blame Raoul for falling in love with Christine. How could he not? But, of course, he soon became angry once again and brought down the chandelier by shooting the lines holding it up from Box 5. So much happened in that scene, I had trouble seeing it all. The chandelier swung and sparked and eventually dropped, people were screaming, curtains and backdrops fell... It was so overwhelming, but it was one of the best moments of my life. I think the people in the front rows had a heart attack when the chandelier dropped, especially if they didn't know it was coming. It was great.

Getting to see Masquerade was also such an incredible experience. The costumes, the music, the colours, the dancing... It was all so amazing and spectacular to see live! I was disappointed with the Phantom's Red Death costume, though. Instead of the big, elaborate costume with the huge feathered hat and intricate skull mask, it was just a red soldier's uniform with a bedazzled half mask. So, yeah, that was a little disappointing.

Something I did like, though, was that while Mme. Giry was telling Raoul about the Phantom's past, they illustrated it through shadows projected on the walls. They showed a man getting a bag pulled off of his head and being whipped by another man and when Mme. Giry merely said that he escaped, they showed the Phantom strangling whoever had kept him captive. It was a nice additional visual and helped better illustrate his story.

A little detail that made me laugh during Notes 2 was that Piangi was eating chocolates and stuff in the background and when the Phantom's note said that he needed to lose weight, he just stopped eating and shoved them somewhere in his jacket. That made me chuckle. And when Kaitlyn Davis sang Twisted Every Way, it quickly became one of my favourite renditions of it. It was so haunting and absolutely beautiful. And when everybody was rehearsing the Phantom's opera and the piano started playing itself, I loved the detail of fire coming out of the piano and the way that the chorus seemed to be addressing Christine with the song. She was so overwhelmed and upset and all of those things really made the whole scene more intense. Also, when Mme. Giry asked Carlotta if she could be certain the composer wasn't present, Carlotta warily looked up for anymore backdrops or sandbags to drop, then stepped out of harm's way and crossed herself. It was just a little detail, but it was one of my favourites.

And then, of course, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again was beautifully performed by Kaitlyn Davis. It was powerful and emotional and heart-wrenching. It was everything I hoped for and more. It was an incredibly chilling rendition. Wandering Child was also one I was nervous for as it's also one of my favourites, but again, as soon as I heard it, it blew all my worries away. It really felt like Christine was being entranced, hypnotized, by the Phantom. Raoul called out to her, grabbed her hand, even stood right in front of her and she was still being pulled by the Phantom's voice. Then, Raoul did something I did not expect. He just ran up and punched the Phantom right in the face! I almost burst out laughing right there in the theatre; it was incredible. I couldn't believe he had actually decked him, and then went a step further and slammed him up against the wall. I loved that change because, honestly, Raoul should want to fight for Christine in any way possible. Again, it really made me feel how much Raoul cared for Christine.

One of the coolest things was right before the Phantom's opera began and you could hear him saying "I'm here" from all different directions. It was super trippy, especially since I've never experienced it live. And may I just say, Point Of No Return was a lot steamier and a lot more touchy-feely in this production than it was in the 25th anniversary. Like, we all thought it was some hot stuff with Ramin and Sierra? Yeah, this one was twice as bad and I was like, parents brought kids under the age of ten to this. Wonder if they're questioning that decision if they haven't already? So, yeah, that was a little wild. One detail that I did like, though, was that the actor who played Piangi was black while the one who played the Phantom was white. When they made the switch, the Phantom was wearing gloves in addition to the cloak. Then, after a few verses he took them off and put his hands in front of Christine's eyes so she could clearly see it was him. Then, throughout the rest of the song, you could see that Christine was manipulating him to keep him on stage so she could reveal it was the Phantom. You could see the glances she was throwing to Raoul up in his box. I don't know, I just really loved those little details. Also, after the line "past the point of no return", both Christine and the Phantom did this neat little salsa stamp after singing the line. That was another little thing I liked. And, of course, the Phantom's proposal was heart-wrenching as usual. And instead of being instantly angry when Christine pulled off his mask and wig, he just gave off this silent sort of hurt and betrayal and it was so heartbreaking. Also, nobody seemed to care about the fact that Piangi had been hanged? Like, it just got completely overlooked because the Phantom kidnapped Christine. That was a little weird.

Like I mentioned before, I was so happy to see the boat while the Phantom started Down Once More. It really made up for not having it in Phantom Of The Opera. When Raoul showed up, the Phantom held Christine with his arm around her throat to deter Raoul from trying anything. That then shifted into the position where the Phantom is holding Christine behind him by the throat, effectively strangling her without even realizing it. They had that little detail of the Phantom looking at his hand in horror once he released Christine and realizing what he had done. I really appreciate that because the Phantom would never intentionally hurt Christine, but he would unintentionally. And when the three of them started all singing at once, there was a nice detail there. Christine started taking the Phantom's sheet music and began crumpling it up, page by page. It was such a defiant action, like she was saying, "If you're going to take away what I love, I'm going to take away what you love." Of course, Erik was extremely upset by that and immediately, he was on the floor, scrambling for his music and that, in turn, gave Christine a chance to go to Raoul. The Phantom was quick to pull her away from him, though, and he wound up pushing her down onto the bed. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I was extremely concerned that things were gonna get a little a rapey and I was like, please do not do that to Erik's character because he would never even dream of abusing Christine in such a way. Thankfully, however, it seemed more like that's just where he wound up pushing her because that's where they were closest to. He's so manic and unstable in the final scene that he was just doing whatever he could to get her away from Raoul in that moment. When the Phantom told Christine to make her choice, he was already crying, he was so overwhelmed.

And then, of course, the kiss. We gotta talk about that. It was so heart-wrenching, it was beautiful. Christine kissed him and he just froze. His mind couldn't even register that Christine was kissing him. He actually fell to his knees and Christine just came right down with him, giving him a big hug after she pulled away from the kiss. It was heartbreaking and I had a super hard time not crying. That whole moment was just full of such powerful, raw emotion. It was possibly the best moment in the whole show.

One thing that absolutely broke my heart was that the Phantom delivered the line, "Christine, I love you" without knowing she was even there. After Christine and Raoul had left and we had our heartbreaking reprise of Masquerade, the Phantom was on the floor, trying to straighten out the sheet music Christine had crumpled up. Christine came back to return his ring, but before she even said anything, the Phantom delivered that line and Christine had to try her hardest not to burst into sobs(as did I). She just left the ring on a table without letting the Phantom know she was there and then quietly left with Raoul. That just absolutely ripped my heart right out of my chest. I also really loved that Raoul came with Christine when she went to return the ring, like he understood that it was something she needed to do, that she felt so sorry for the Phantom, she couldn't just leave without doing that. And when the Phantom can hear them singing, he just stops trying to salvage his music because if Christine won't perform his work, then no one should because he wrote it specifically for her. It's so sad.

The ending was different than what I expected. I expected him to sit in the chair with the black cloak, then he'd be gone. I was really surprised when Meg and the others stumbled into his lair while he was still putting on the black cloak. And because he had no escape, he simply walked over to his bed and stood there, seemingly resigning himself to being captured. Boy, was I shocked when Meg moved backwards with the black cloak, then revealed that no one was wearing it anymore. And how she handed the mask to a police man? I don't know, I just really liked that detail.

Seeing Phantom live was possibly one of the greatest experiences of my life and I'm so thankful and grateful that I got to have this incredible chance. It's something that I'll remember forever and even if I see it live again, this first time will always hold a very special place in my heart.

#text #mystuff #phantom of the opera #poto #north american tour #2017 #phantom live #new production

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mystery-moose · 7 years

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FIC: The View from Above

[AO3 link]

It’s a beautiful morning on a hill in the Dales, and Angus knows something isn’t right.

Taako imbibes. Angus inquires.

Angus climbed out of bed with a yawn, stretched his arms above his head, then touched his toes. He fumbled for his glasses by the sink, and brushed his teeth in his usual systemic way. He thought about getting dressed, but decided to wait until after breakfast; there’d be a spill sometimes (usually caused by Taako) and Angus never liked to waste a spell early in the day just cleaning his shirt.

He opened the door to the wagon and stepped down the short wooden stairs. The sun was just over the horizon, hanging in a cloudless sky and casting the whole of the Dales in a brilliant orange glow. Angus stepped towards the edge of the small mountain that they’d made camp on, and held a hand up to shield his eyes. The view was spectacular — he could see for miles around, down into the foothills and valleys and vineyards that characterized one of the more famous vacation destinations in Faerun.

Angus thought about waking up Taako and Kravitz to see it, but when he turned his head a little, he found he didn’t have to.

Taako was sitting on the grass by the edge of the hill, elbows on his knees. He was alone, staring placidly into the distance. There was something in his hand Angus didn’t recognize until he brought it up and took a drag off it.

He had never seen Taako smoke anything before, but there was no mistaking the long-stemmed wooden pipe or the sharp exhale of smoke from his mouth. He moved casually, without thinking, idly tapping the stem of the pipe against his leg.

As was his nature, Angus found this scene very curious. How had he never seen Taako smoke when he was so clearly comfortable doing so?

He padded over quietly, grass tickling at his bare feet. “Good morning, sir,” he said.

Taako didn’t startle, didn’t even look up for a handful of moments. When he did, nothing about his expression changed, and he went back to staring out at the valley almost immediately.

“Hey, Angus.”

The use of his actual name didn’t escape Angus’ notice. He tugged at the bottom of his sleep shirt, suddenly nervous that he was intruding. “Where’s Mr. Kravitz?” he asked.

“Still asleep,” Taako replied flatly. “Didn’t wanna wake him.”

“Why not?”

Taako took a drag off his pipe, held it for a moment, then exhaled slowly. He shrugged, and said nothing.

Angus tried to track his eyes, see if there were something in particular Taako was staring at, but had no success. He swallowed and asked, “Do… do you want to be alone, sir?”

Taako took another drag, smaller, and puffed it out in a lazy smoke ring. He sniffed, and shrugged again. “Eh.”

Neither a dismissal nor an invitation, Angus was left to make his own decision about how to proceed. His mind was well-adapted to situations like these — the analyzation of motivation and behavior, of discerning meaning behind calculated words and actions, and because of who he traveled with, he got more practice at those skills than most.

Angus knew Taako well enough now to know that if he wanted to be alone, he would say as much. But he also knew that, despite appearances, Taako conducted himself socially with a great deal of control; his persona was simultaneously a genuine reflection of his interior self and a carefully-crafted facade, and though they had spent almost a year together, Angus had yet to find all the seams separating the two.

After a moment’s reflection, Angus decided on a course of action he thought best. He went back to his wagon, collected a bit of wrapped cloth from a drawer in his nightstand, and returned to Taako’s side.

“Madeleine?”

Taako blinked slowly and looked at him. Angus stood at a distance with his hands extended, the cloth open to reveal three little sponge cakes.

“I’ve been saving them,” Angus explained. “They always cheer me up.”

Something twinkled in Taako’s eyes. “Cake for breakfast?” he asked, amused.

Angus shuffled his feet. “I mean. I guess?”

Taako smiled crookedly and waved him over. Angus approached and sat down on the grass beside him while Taako plucked a madeleine from his hands and took a bite. Angus quietly ate one of his own, trying not to stare at him for a reaction.

“Made these yourself, didn’t you?” Taako asked, regarding the half-eaten cake approvingly.

Angus swallowed and smiled. “Yes, sir. While you were out shopping last week.”

“Not bad.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Taako popped the remainder into his mouth and chewed slowly, still staring down at the valley. A breeze blew across the hill, and Angus shivered a little — he hadn’t thought to put on his jacket.

“What made you think I needed cheering up?” Taako asked without looking at him.

Angus wrapped the last madeleine back in the cloth and hugged his elbows. “I’ve never seen you smoke before, sir. In my experience, people who do it rarely usually do so in response to stress or depression.”

“In your experience,” Taako repeated, not a little mockingly.

Angus winced. “I just mean—”

“I know what you mean, twerp.”

Taako took another hit off his pipe and sighed out the smoke. Angus went quiet and stared down at his bare feet.

Why’d you have to say that? Why do you always have to push and prod and press? He’s not a suspect. He’s Taako.

Angus felt his fingers dig into the flesh of his forearms.

You always manage to screw something up. Always.

He glanced at Taako, and found him staring at him out of the corner of his eye, expression unreadable. Disinterest, maybe?

Or disappointment.

Angus was about to excuse himself before he did any more damage when Taako held out his pipe. Offering.

Well, that’s irresponsible.

Angus took it anyway, because it was the only thing to do. He put his lips over the end and inhaled gently, felt a hot burning down his throat and into his lungs, and immediately started coughing.

Taako was grinning again as he took the pipe back. He reached over and slapped Angus gently on the back as his coughing fit subsided.

“Now that cheered me up.”

Angus cleared his throat to try and get rid of the lingering tickling sensation. For some reason, he tasted strawberries. “I hope I—” Cough. “—won’t have to do that every time, sir.”

“Nah,” Taako said mildly, taking a short pull of his own. “First time, last time, my dude. Least until you’re older.”

Angus rubbed at his throat. He realized Taako’s arm had wrapped around his shoulders. He hesitantly scooched closer. Taako neither acknowledged nor objected.

“S’pretty, huh?” Taako offered.

“It sure is, sir.”

Taako dropped his arm down and pulled his cloak up around Angus’ shoulders. The boy felt a warmth in his chest that had little to do with the temperature.

“I’ve never been to the Dales before,” Angus said, for lack of anything better. “Only read about it in books.”

Taako hummed an acknowledgment. “Might know more about it than me. Been a long time since I was here.”

“Really?” Angus asked, looking up at him.

“Yep.” Taako took another drag, long and slow. “Did my first tour here.”

Oh.

The feeling of the gears ticking over, of the last piece sliding into place, was so familiar and so welcome that Angus almost smiled.

Almost.

Without a word, Angus scooched right up next to Taako and tucked himself against his side. Taako stared down at him for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something, but simply squeezed Angus’ shoulder and looked away.

“Real touristy, last time,” he said quietly.

“Yeah?” Angus asked, as quietly.

“Mhm. Big vacation spot. Lots of caravans.”

Taako tapped his stem of his pipe against his knee. He took one last puff, then turned it over and knocked out the ash.

“Nice place, though,” he said on an exhale. “On the whole. Good people.”

They spent a minute staring out at the Dales together. Angus looked to the horizon and wondered which of the towns he could see would be the one they would travel to that day, and which would be the one they would avoid.

“Hey, Angus?”

He looked up. Taako smiled and took the bundle of cloth from Angus’ hand.

“Thanks for the madeleines.”

Angus smiled back and leaned against his side. “Anytime, sir.”

In less than an hour, Kravitz would step out of the wagon. Taako would push himself to his feet and mock him for sleeping in before he started on breakfast. They’d have omelettes, fluffy and delicious and cooked to perfection, before Kravitz pulled out a map and they decided their route for the day. They would rock-paper-scissors to decide who got to drive — Angus wasn’t allowed to play — then hitch one wagon up to the other. They’d all sit together on the lead wagon’s bench, Angus on Taako’s left and Kravitz to his right, and drive on down the mountain to begin Sizzle It Up!’s tour of the Dales.

But they had time yet.

Right now, there was nothing to do but sit on the grass and enjoy the view.

#the adventure zone #thezonecast #taako #angus mcdonald #fanfiction #fluff #with a light dusting of angst

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wigwurq · 7 years

Text

WIG REVIEW: TWIN PEAKS - THE RETURN

The awful wigs you like are going to come back in style this summer! Twin Peaks, land of mighty good coffee and awful awful wigs are back, and with them some new bad wigs that we waited 25 years for!

As there are 18 episodes, I will be updating this post as new episodes air (and adjusting if the show’s wigs wurq as a whole or not). Now let’s journey back to the Black Lodge and discuss:

EPISODE 1

Good Dale is still stuck in the Black Lodge, while Bad Dale is driving a fancy car, hanging with teenage randos, and having a party in the front (and back!) with the worst male wig this side of John Travolta’s everyday life.

This wig is the kind of thing you’d pick up at Ricky’s to be a shaggy vampire for Halloween. OOF. The only thing more disturbing than the wig, is of course Special Agent Dale Cooper’s crispy tan which is the second most disturbing tan by an evil dude on tv (Trump's still #1).

However, Bad Dale’s new life did lead us to the clear star of the show: BEULLA! Glamour, fashion, and beauty wrapped into one.

Elsewhere in non-wig storylines, some random teenager in NYC is getting it on with Grace from The Nanny and getting mauled to death by glass box ghosts (YOU HAD ONE JOB TO DO, IDIOT!), some nosy neighbor in South Dakota is implicating Matthew Lillard in a librarian murder, Ashley Judd is helping Tony from West Side Story run the Great Northern and Dr. Jacoby is serving double sunglass reveals while getting some sweet new shovels. Obvs? Meanwhile, the Log Lady, now the victim of female hair loss, decides to get on the horn about Dale Cooper. I have to say, this might be the one wig that wurqs in the episode and it’s not technically a wig but a baldcap with some wisps on it. Still, carry on Log Lady - please never change no matter how much hair you lose. Your Sally Jessy Raphael eyewear is still everything.

The recipient of the Log Lady’s call is none other than Hawk, the most credible member of the Twin Peak’s sheriff service. Michael Horse’s glorious locks are obviously not a wig but let us all luxuriate in them regardless. And let us NOT miss Michael Ontkean who showed his homophobic truth by trying to block his gay movie Making Love from being a part of the documentary masterpiece The Celluloid Closet. SASHAY AWAY FOREVER!

EPISODE 2

This episode doesn’t offer us much more in the way of wigs, but we do get far more intimate with Bad Dale’s awful wig.

This look is decidedly tan Glenn Danzig all the way.

The most upsetting reveal about this wig is that it has a half ponytail involved. NO THANK YOU.

Back in the Black Lodge, Good Dale meets up with old friends Leland, Mike, and Laura Palmer herself - none of which are wearing wigs and none of which seem to have aged at all (though Laura is moonlighting as a lamp so maybe that’s why). Good Dale also meets up with a wise Tim Burton tree who explains that Bad Dale has to come back to the Black Lodge in order for Good Dale to leave. Seems legit, but unfortunately Bad Dale is busy murdering his girlfriend.

Sorry, gurl.

We end the episode at the roadhouse where an ubercool indie band is playing for some reason. The lead singer has a pretty wiggy look but all signs point to a dye job.

We also see the triumphant return of Sherry, whose (wigless) salty mom posse involves none other than Gia Carides, aka LIZ EFFING HOLT FROM STRICTLY BALLROOM! YAYS! CAN I DRINK WITH YOU GUYS?

EPISODE 3

We begin with Good Dale shape shifting through space, meeting a nice lady with no eyes who falls into the void and another lady who points us in the direction of a steampunk electrical plug to the outside world. But do we want to go out there?

We soon discover that the “real world” involves another Cooper doppelganger - Nevada’s own Dougie - who wears a mustard-colored blazer, knows a nice prostitute, vomits creamed corn, and has a terrible wig.

Seriously, I don’t know if the wig budget on this show was given to eye-covering prosthetics or what but clearly they skimped on the wigs. Just seriously depressing stuff - I’ve seen more believably realistic wigs in haunted houses. Speaking of haunted houses, Dougie gets whisked into the Black Lodge and implodes into a sea of black smoke (I finally understand Lost?) Regardless, bye bye, terrible wig!

Elsewhere, Bad Dale and his bad wig are trying not to barf their way back to the Black Lodge while living through the worst Lincoln commercial ever. It’s unclear where Bad Dale ended up, but Good Dale shapeshifts his way back into Dougie’s life - for better or worse?

Finally, Hawk gives us the best “do not disturb” sign ever (donut disturb 4evr) while he and his luscious locks try to run the Twin Peaks sheriff’s department basically with absolutely no help from anyone else. Ok maybe the donuts helped.

EPISODE 4

Good Dale Cooper is living his life as Dougie Jones, whose son is future/current(?) cult leader, Sonny Jim Jones. Cooper is learning to do everything again, from dressing himself to drinking coffee while assisted by frazzled wife, Naomi Watts. Meanwhile, Bad Dale Cooper has been discovered covered in creamed corn in South Dakota and his old boss, Gordon Cole (as played by David Lynch) has to look into the matter, but not without an assist from everyone’s favorite trans FBI agent, Denise Bryson.

Denise, like a fine wine, has aged well. As strong and confident as ever, and looking damn fierce.

Compared to the wig David Duchovny wore in the original series, this wig is a serious upgrade. Defrizzed and oh so quaffed, it’s a dignified thing of beauty.

We do get into a grey area here, wig-wise, however. It has been my intent on this blog to never review wigs that we know as an audience to be wigs (thus why I sadly never review RuPaul’s Drag Race). Denise’s wig in the original series was definitely a wig within the narrative of the show, since Denise (nee Dennis) had only recently come to the conclusion that he was trans and started donning a wig and dressing as a woman.

25 years later, who is to say if Denise is wearing a wig or if we are to believe that this is supposed to be her own hair? Far be it for us to tell Denise what to do with her coiffure so it becomes difficult to judge this as a wig or not. If we are supposed to believe it is a wig, then yes - it’s a good wig within the narrative! If we are supposed to believe it is hair...well it’s not perfect. It certainly looks like a wig, albeit a good wig. As I’ve said time and time again, only if a wig looks like real hair does it truly wurq.

Still, as a character, Denise WURQS so amen to her regardless.

And can I get an amen for Wally Brando? Wigless though he may be, he is a the only possible child of Andy and Lucy. May your shadow always be with us.

EPISODE 5

We begin this episode as Good Dale Cooper tries to navigate the world in the body of Dougie Jones. For some reason, no one is bothered by the fact that Dougie is basically a walking zombie, from his frazzled wife to all of his coworkers.

Just a guy super stoked for coffee with little ability to function in society - nothing to see here!

Back in Twin Peaks, a wigless Shelly and Norma are looking FINE AS HELL and seem to not have aged a day.

Also Shelly’s daughter (perfectly cast as Amanda Seyfried) has an asshole boyfriend (as played by the asshole brother from Get Out, who is really making a name for himself in the world of asshole characters).

Oh and obviously, Dr. Jacoby runs an extreme lefty webseries out of his cabin, and whose #1 fan is obviously Nadine:

Who is still lookin’ like the spectacular nutbar we all love.

The only wig of the week is the nightmare on top of Bad Dale’s head. Even behind bars, this wig is wreaking havoc much in the way Bad Dale is hisself! Nope.

EPISODE 6

Most of this episode concerns itself with the increasingly poor decisions of Dougie Jones and with every misadventure, I just long for Good Dale Cooper to wake the hell up! We are also introduced to a slew of new characters. Twin Peaks is truly beginning to get as sweaty with characters as Game of Thrones and winter is friggin’ coming.

We meet Bathazar Getty, whose early career was spent being an off-brand Liev Schreiber and who has somehow morphed into an off-brand Henry Rollins. He played some coin magic on off-brand young Nicolas Cage (who is in a dead heat for worst Twin Peaks character with Deputy Chad).

We also revisit our favorite trailer park manager, Harry Dean Stanton, who is an ageless angel.

The only wig this week comes in the form of a lounge lizard played by none other than Laura Dern.

We are only given one scene with this wig so I don’t have the information necessary to review it properly. In other words - if this wig is supposed to be real hair, it is obviously terrible. But if it is supposed to be a wig as I suspect since David Lynch lounge lizards are usually wig-wearers (see: Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet), then whatever - you do you, Laura Dern!

(And you always do.)

EPISODE 7

Ugh, wake up Good Dale Cooper! The boring misadventures of Dougie Jones continue in this episode, though he does disarm a little person assassin “like a cobra” so I guess this is progress.

Meanwhile, Gordon Cole visits Diane and we don’t get much more information about her or her wig. Though Diane in general is a mystery. Throughout the original series, she was a faceless secretary that Dale sent daily messages to. Now, whether or not she is trying to pass this platinum wig off as real hair remains the #1 mystery of Twin Peaks. But I’m guessing it’s a wig (within the narrative of Twin Peaks) so whatever. It’s a bad wig allowed to be bad.

Though now that we have seen her retro cool apartment, I think I know Diane’s backstory:

She’s obviously a latter-day Iona (from Pretty in Pink) who, rather than dating a yuppie (yuck!) decides to take a secretarial job for the FBI while the record store industry dwindled in the early 90s, stopped hanging out exclusively with teenagers, and started calling herself Diane. MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

Both chicks have an affinity for platinum wigs, apartments with Atomic/kitschy details, and DRAMA. Well that’s one mystery solved! You’re welcome, internet. #prettyinpeaks

Anyhoo, Diane (nee Iona) visits Bad Dale in the clink and it was a regular wigout party of nonsense.

I feel like when two bad wigs meet like this, something meaningful should happen, like the Black Lodge imploding or getting to spend more than 5 minutes with any of the original characters.

Instead, we are gifted like 20 minutes of Ashley Judd (bless her, but STILL) following a mysterious sound around the Great Northern. And seeing the roadhouse being swept for what must have been 3 hours.

We end with Bad Dale getting sprung from the clink by uttering the magic word: STRAWBERRY! Not to be confused with Carol Channing’s magic word, RASPBERRY. Watch out, world: Bad Dale and his bad wig are on the loose!

EPISODE 8

We have so many questions going into this episode, but before any of them can be answered, we have to hear from THE Nine in Nails! The dream of the nineties is alive in Twin Peaks, and this part was a damn nightmare. NEXT!

Bad Dale Cooper, fresh from being sprung from jail, gets shot down by his partner in crime. Is this the last we will FINALLY see of him and his horrendous wig? Probably not, because some ash covered garbage people come over and seem to revive them. Who are these ashy garbage dudes? For answers, we (OBVIOUSLY) travel to B&W New Mexico in 1945.

There, an atomic bomb gives life to these soot monsters, a bug/frog combo, and, of course, BOB!

Meanwhile, in what might (?) be the same steampunk universe where that eyeless lady that Good Cooper encountered that eyeless chick back in Episode 3, our favorite friendly giant and some chick with some serious costume jewelry and eyebrow tweezers watch these ashy garbage dudes and then are gifted a golden blob with the face of Laura Palmer on it.

IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! J/k j/k I have no idea what is happening. On the wig front, I will say that costume jewelry eyebrow tweezer lady has a pretty sweet finger curl wig.

Fast forwarding to New Mexico in 1956, we meet a young couple who deliver some incredibly stilted dialogue at one another. Their costumes also suggest a high school play that is set in the 1950s but they only go shopping for costumes at the GAP. We’ve all been there. Doesn’t wurq. Also, I’m not sure what pincurl nonsense is happening on this chick’s head but it is neither historically accurate or attractive. NOPE.

Anyway, ash zombie #1 decides to go on a quest for a cigarette light, which obviously turns into a bloodbath.

I will say this much: this terrible 50s wig deserved to GO. All hail ash zombies!

EPISODE 9

Bad Dale Cooper lives! All hail ash zombies?? I don’t know if it’s the zombie makeover or what but this is the BEST this wig has every looked.

Sadly, this is short-lived as Bad Dale Cooper meets up with his accomplices/Academy Award Nominated Actors Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh and this terrible wig gets cleaned up and its half pony tale back and it looks awful again. UGH. Side note: Tim Roth’s denim jacket with the cut off arms IS THE LEWK.

Back in Twin Peaks, Lucy and Andy are chair shopping (#TeamBeigeChair) and the sheriff A-team (SCREW YOU AND YOUR LUNCH, CHAD!!!) are doing some detecting. They pay Bobby’s mom a visit, where she reveals a super cool chair hiding place (maybe get this chair, Lucy and Andy?) and a secret message from beyond. Dun dun dun!

And as always, Diane and her Pretty in Pink Iona wig are KILLING IT as always in fashion and correct opinions. It still remains a supreme mystery as to if Diane is trying to pass this off as real hair, but regardless: let the lady smoke. She’s been through enough! It IS a f*cking morgue!

In the end, we meet some teenage heroin addicts/vampires(?) with awful hair which is likely just awful hair and not wigs. They also have serious skin ailments that I never want to see again. Let’s just maybe never see them again. Please?

EPISODE 10

We are officially more than halfway through this series and no closer to getting rid of Dougie Jones in favor of Good Dale Cooper. Wake the hell up, Coop! (Tho dang, you’re looking good - and Janey E agrees!) Otherwise, this episode is pretty much all about domestic abuse and its witnesses. Seen here: a wigless Harry Dean Stanton having some guitar “me” time which was ruined by Shelly’s daughter and her terrible boyfriend...

Can you guys please be quiet so HDS can play his damn guitar in peace?!?! Side note: domestic abuse begets domestic abuse: does this remind anyone of Shelly and Leo?

But the scumbag of the week (and the millennium?) definitely goes to Richard Horne. Not to be outdone by hit-and-run child murder, this week he gave us trailer park murder and familial abuse/robbery all while the Teddy Ruxpin of nightmares above must bear (get it?) witness. Oh and yes - we see what you did there with that glowing orb head, David Lynch.

Of course, scumbags love company and OF COURSE Richard Horne is in cahooks with Deputy Scumbag, Chad, who he asks to intercept his trailer park murder victim’s blackmail letter. WE HATE YOU CHAD. Luckily, Lucy is totally on to Chad. #TeamBeigeChair4Ever

Back in Vegas (UGH), Tom Sizemore is setting Dougie up with the help of these wigless, flaky cocktail waitresses. The fact that these three didn’t somehow break into song sorta surprised me.

The mazel of the week def goes to Nadine, who finally has her silent drape empire in the form of her storefront, RUN SILENT RUN DRAPES. Way to make your lifegoals a reality, gurlfriend! She’s also obsessed with Dr. Jacoby’s vid-blog, but obvs.

We also get some more news from the Log Lady - Laura Palmer is the ONE! Whatever that means? It has been brought to my attention that my previous assessment of this being a good wig may be false - the actress who portrayed her, Catharine E. Coulson, died of cancer shortly after reprising this role. So this is likely her actual hair. I stand corrected! Just goes to show you that just when you think you’ve found a good Twin Peaks wig - it turns out to be real hair. Nothing is as it seems in Twin Peaks but we can always count on the continuity of bad wigs? With this new information - this episode is entirely wigless! Why am I even writing this?!?!

Maybe just to rejoice in the epic performance of Rebekah del Rio (no relation to Bianca, sadly) who we all know and love from Mullholland Drive. Bitch is in straight up Black Lodge cosplay and it WURQS.

EPISODE 11

The more we watch this show, the fewer and fewer wigs we seem to get. And the more we realize we are just stuck with Dougie Jones. Wake up, Good Coops!

Anyway, this week the domestic violence from last week’s episode got particularly EXTRA when Amanda Seyfried decided to amp her Lifetime Movie life up to 11 and get a gun, demand her mom come over with her car, take the car, almost run her mom over, and go shoot at her two-timing, d-bag of a husband. I seriously think I saw this movie starring Tori Spelling a few different times on Lifetime but David Lynch makes it SO MUCH MORE ARTY.

Great hiding place, you guys! Also, why yes that IS GERSTEN HAYWARD, aka Lara Flynn Boyle’s lil sis who is great at piano!

This did lead to a pretty sweet family reunion at the RR though seriously, Bobby, just arrest your daughter’s husband already.

This reunion was briefly interrupted by coin enthusiast/fake Henry Rollins, Balthazar Getty who OF COURSE is going out with Shelly. You make bad dude choices, Shelly! Why am I suddenly rooting for Bobby?!?!

Oh and also there was a sudden diner shootout followed by passenger seat exorcism, because: Twin Peaks.

The only wig of the week was brought to us by pillar of effervescence, Diane. The jury is still out (and will forever be out?!) on if she is trying to pass this wig off as real hair, but I give up: you just do you, Diane.

And also please continue to sit on stools while the rest of the world sits on chairs. Is that thing from Blaine? Anyway, you’ll always be on a pedestal to us.

After an some map detective work from Hawk and another call from the Log Lady, an otherworldly vortex sighting, and an unfortunate Matthew Lillard cranial injury, we end the episode in the weirdest Se7en parody ever but hey: there’s always room for cherry pie?

Oh, and god bless you and your fabulous makeover, random casino garbagelady! You look so sparkly!

EPISODE 12

Why am I still updating this blog post? Why am I still watching this show? Why is it taking everyone five extra minutes to say what they need to say and why am I falling asleep? These are all questions I had during this episode. Not much happens - and slowly. We did get to see some old, familiar faces, though. Our favorite alcoholic, Sarah Palmer, had a grocery store meltdown about turkey jerky (AS ONE DOES) and we finally got a visit from Audrey Horne!

Sadly, it appears that Audrey did NOT marry eyebrow plucking enthusiast Billy Zane in favor of a really grumpy little person named Charlie. Audrey HATES Charlie and all his goddamned paperwork, especially when she needs him to get up and go to the roadhouse with her to find her missing lover, NO MATTER HOW TIRED HE IS.

UGH, Charlie. As with all scenes in this episode, this scene is about 10 minutes too long, and at no point was there any mention of how Audrey’s son killed a kid and tried to kill a lady (CHARLIE IS GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH PAPERWORK TO DO OVER THAT). However, I would have gladly watched Audrey Horne dance to a jukebox for 10 minutes.

Speaking of scenes that go on too long - THIS BITCH. Seriously, how long does it take you to GET THE EFF OUT of a room when Miguel Ferrer has some important business with David Lynch?!

The only wig in the episode remains to be the enigma that is Diane’s wig. I have previously stated that we may never get the information we need to judge this wig and if it is trying to be real hair or not so again: I give up. You just keep doing you, Diane. LET’S ROCK!

EPISODE 13

EPISODE 13 YOU GUYS. I have been updating this long-ass blog post FOREVER and we’re no closer to getting rid of Dougie Jones!! He is even now gifting his family with nice cars and gym sets so it feels like he’s not going anywhere. WHY WHY WHY. Wake the HELL UP, DALE COOPER!!!!

Meanwhile, Bad Dale Cooper is looking rougher and rougher ever since his Woodsman reincarnation - he is now truly a garbage person. And his wig is still absolute trash.

This week did test our loyalties in that we found ourselves in an arm wrestling match of the damned and were sorta rooting for Bad Coop against some other garbage people. Coop was victorious (sorry about your face, bro), but with that wig, we are all still losers.

In other bizarre hair news, what the hell is up with Ed’s hair?! This is NOT a wig but I really want to know who was driving the train with this hair “style” if you can even call it that. Looks like some pretty good soup, though.

Oh, and apparently James can sing in falsetto? Wonders never cease. Still no sign of Lara Flynn Boyle who may be our only salvation at this point. We are all Sarah Palmer watching the same boxing match over and over again hoping for salvation. Maybe next week?

EPISODE 14

We are on the last lap of this show, and things are (sorta, kinda) coming together. Thanks (of course?) in part to the oldest Bond girl, Monica Bellucci, and the prophetic dream Gordon Cole had about her. The puzzle pieces seem to be fitting now. Thanks, Monica! Oh but wait - WHO IS THE DREAMER?! With every answered question comes a new question.

Luckily, Diane is on the case and ready to drop some KNOWLEDGE AND GLAMOUR on everyone. Like her wig, Diane is an enigma. Unlike her wig (which is still not identified as a wig or not within the narrative - SIGH), Diane is full of super useful information. Dougie and Janey E you say? Oh she just so happens to be Diane’s estranged half-sister! OBVS! Not since Game of Thrones have we had such a convenient familial lineage. Just don’t eff it up, Las Vegas FBI!

In other law abiding news, Lucy and her gravity defying hair are still the best and she and Andy once took a trip to Bora Bora! UGH seriously guys - bring back Wally Brando. Oh, and the worst sheriff (and second worst character), CHAD, was finally read for filth and locked up for being the worst - just in time for the good sheriffs to take a ROAD TRIP!

Like most hikes in Twin Peaks, this one involved beautiful scenics, paternal nostalgia, putting dirt in your pockets (OR ELSE), discovering a naked woman with no eyes, and teleporting via creepy vortex into a B&W steampunk nightmarescape and hanging with a giant. I can’t wait for the TripAdvisor review!

Andy was the lucky recipient of the teleport trip and seriously: can this dude PLEASE STAR IN A BIOPIC OF STAN LAUREL? Just saying. Anyway, he met up with our favorite jolly (non-green) giant who sadly didn’t start singing the most appropriate Dolly Parton song for the moment: “Me and Little Andy” but instead revealed his name is not ??? but really THE FIREMAN. Seems legit. Andy also got some cool recaps of past episodes via a steampunk skylight and returned back to earth to keep that eyeless lady safe.

Speaking of Dolly Parton songs, why was “I Will Always Love You” not playing during this scene??

Lots of missed opportunities, song-wise, but luckily Lucy had some PJs on hand for the eyeless lady from that time the dog got loose. Seriously, I would love to see an entire TV series about Lucy and Andy’s throwaway lines. Showtime: make this happen.

Despite Lucy’s PJ makeover, eyeless lady still has to be locked up with Chad (UGH) and some drunken guy bleeding from his mouth who may or may not be that dude Billy who Sherilynn Fenn and every rando at the roadhouse is always talking about.

Speaking of random characters, David Lynch decided that he still needs to be introducing new ones so meet British Jimmy, who has a magical glove not unlike basically all Marvel superheroes, a destiny only met in Twin Peaks, and a penchant for revealing his entire backstory when it’s his coworker’s birthday. Welcome to Twin Peaks, rando!

We end with our favorite alcoholic, Sarah Palmer, who just wants to have a goddamned Bloody Mary in peace (DON’T WE ALL) without being verbally assaulted by the new worst character in Twin Peaks: a-hole in the TRUCK YOU shirt. Well truck YOU, bro: Sarah Palmer has a soot monster vortex inside her and will quite literally pull your throat off. Sayonara! This is why it’s safer to drink at home watching violent TV. Lesson learned.

EPISODE 15

Hello from officially the longest blog post on this blog (and maybe in the history of the internet?) Are you guys still there? Are we all still watching? We are officially in the final stretch and things continue to come together....sort of. We begin with Nadine, gold shovel in hand, as she finally digs herself out of her marriage which apparently was still intact after all these years! She finally lets Big Ed go.

Which means Ed and Norma are finally getting hitched! Halleluj! You totally cried about this, admit it. (Sure we cried about Ed’s haircut too but no matter).

Meanwhile, Bad Dale Cooper and his evil, horrible wig are still up to no good. Also his leathery skin is getting worse and worse by the episode. He rolls up to the gas station of ghostmares and tries to get a meet and greet with Phillip Jeffries (aka David Bowie - RIP!)

The gatekeeper is this broad who is definitely giving Beulla (see: Episode 1) a run for her money in the category of AGELESS GLAMOUR.

BD Cooper also runs into our least favorite Twin Peaks resident/his possible son, Richard Horne and tells him to get in the car: road trip! Oh and speaking of residents of Twin Peaks we don’t like, Becky’s husband probably killed hisself?

Speaking of death, Dougie maybe just killed hisself? I mean, it’s a modern miracle that he hasn’t already but seriously: get out the way, bitch! Bring back Good Dale Cooper! If he didn’t kill hisself, I guess we all need to prepare for Dougie’s sequel: Electric Dougieloo

Finally, one of our very FAVORITE Twin Peaks residents, Margaret, aka The Log Lady, bid us adieu (as did Catherine Coulson, the woman who played her.) SOB!

We feel ya, Lucy. (Insert sobbing emojis)

EPISODE 16

We’ve come to the last 3 episodes and everything is coming together. The father-son road trip of the century comes to the only possible ending: with Richard Horne being sent up to a rock to be electrocuted. Sayonara, you terrible person! Oh, and yes: Bad Coop was your dad. See ya!

Bad Coop alerts Diane and her still mysterious wig, and suddenly Diane has an acid flashback to all the bad bad stuff that Bad Coop did to her. She recounts the upsetting tale to Gordon and Co and also reveals one more thing: BITCH IS A TULPA!

And with a bullet to the head, she returns to the Black Lodge to bring it some extra retro fabulousness. Byeeeeeee!

Meanwhile, Dougie Jones (UGH) is in a coma after electrocuting himself. And then, just like that....FINALLY AGENT COOPER WAKES HISSELF UP!

SERIOUSLY.

Also, thanks for the finger sandwiches, Mitchum Bros! Oh and sayonara to Oscar nominees Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh (and her excellent collection of mini Cheetos bags) during the neighborhood watch shootout of the millennium.

Coop tells the Mitchum Bros to fire up the private jet (seriously thank goodness for these dudes)...he’s headed back to Twin Peaks! Yayys! He also says byeeeee to Janey E and our favorite mini cult leader, Sonny Jim Jones.

Back in Twin Peaks, Audrey and her terrible husband FINALLY made it to the roadhouse where they promptly order martinis (not what I’d order at a roadhouse, but you do you, you fabulous weirdos). The crowd at the roadhouse soon realizes that they are in the presence of dance royalty and promptly and correctly clear the dancefloor so Ms. Horne can DO HER THANG. She does and it’s as dreamy as we remembered it...

Until that dream turns into a DAMN NIGHTMARE and Audrey wakes up in....a mental hospital? An alternate dimension? A remake of The Valley of the Dolls in which she plays Neely O’Hara in rehab (omg someone please make this happen)?! WHO KNOWS?!?!?! WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAAAAAT.

EPISODE 17

It’s come to this: Bad Cooper has made his way to Twin Peaks and Andy is SUPER EXCITED to see him but everyone else has their doubts, especially when the real Coop gives a call from the road.

Meanwhile, terrible terrible Chad somehow manages to escape and tries to shoot Andy, but not if British Jimmy has anything to do with it! He punches through his cell and right into Chad’s face. Side note: why didn’t he just punch through his cell to get out in the first place? Oh well.

Upstairs, Bad Coop tries to shoot Sheriff Truman but not if Lucy has anything to do with it, and gurlfriend shoots him and saves the day (#TeamBeigeChair4Ever). Then Coop and Gordon and Co both have perfectly timed entrances just as Bob the Blob emerges from Bad Coop. The rest of the scene has Coop’s superimposed face on it (sure?) as British Jimmy fulfills his destiny of punching Bob out of existence. Also: British Jimmy is totally gonna have his own Netflix Marvel spin-off show, right? Also Jim Belushi is all of us during this scene.

And Andy brings the eyeless lady to Coop in time for her to morph into...

DIANE IN A RED WIG! Sure, why not, right? I guess we know she is the real Diane because of her wig makeover?? Or the fact that she immediately makes out with Coop? WHO KNOWS?! I’m not even sure if we are supposed to believe that this terrible wig is real hair so why am I even typing this?! WHATEVER WE’VE MADE IT THIS FAR LET’S JUST KEEP GOING.

Anyway, Coop, Diane and Gordon go to visit David Bowie in teapot form (yes I just that sentence) and Coop is teleported back to 1989 where we get some sweet B&W flashbacks of Fire Walk With Me scenes showing Laura Palmer about to get herself murdered. But this time, Coop is there to save her! What what what?! Yes, this show is maybe about to rewrite history? Oh no nevermind - Laura was totally kidnapped away by...the forest? Seems legit.

EPISODE 18

YOU GUYS WE MADE IT TO THE FINAL EPISODE! I still have no idea what the hell is going on with the wigs or otherwise but whatever. We get some more flashbacks to the original series, except no one finds Laura’s body. Curious. Then we see Bad Coop in the Black Lodge turning into a golden nugget (SASHAY AWAY TERRIBLE TERRIBLE WIG) and then morphing into a Dougie tulpa - congrats Janey E and Sonny Jim Jones?

Back in the forest, Coop still can’t find Laura but he does find Diane and her terrible red wig. Close enough? Anyway, they take a roadtrip to some random electrical wires where they shapeshift into a different dimension where they go to a hotel and have the most uncomfortable consensual/not consensual sex scene this side of Straw Dogs.

In the morning, Diane is gone and Coop and the hotel seem different. Coop must go out in search of some coffee at the local diner, where he also has to beat up some cowboy scum because sure - we have time for that.

Anyway, he finally finds what he’s been looking for: LAURA PALMER! Oh except she isn’t Laura Palmer; her name is Carrie Page and she’s never heard of Laura Palmer but she DID just murder some dude so sure: road trip!

They make it back to Twin Peaks in near utter silence (nope, nothing to talk about...) and Coop gets Carrie/Laura back to her mom’s house!

Everything seems to be going great until they knock on the door...

And this beautiful goddess in thirsty thirsty blowdryed locks answers the door. No, she’s not Sarah Palmer - she’s some bitch named Alice Tremont who doesn’t understand anything Coop is saying (you and me both!) WHAT?!

This is the right house, right? Oh wait - what year is it?

WHO KNOWS?! But Laura/Carrie have a good primal scream about it and: that’s it! Seriously, the whole show is over, leaving us with about as satisfying an ending as The Sopranos or the Gilmore Girls revival.

In the end, we have no clue what happened but all that matters is: the (few) wigs involved were terrible so let’s all just primal scream about it. And if you are still reading this, kudos to you for reading the longest blog post about wigs probably EVER!

VERDICT: DOESN’T WURQ

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hermanwatts · 4 years

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Sensor Sweep: Conan Companion, Star Trek, Necromancers, Stanley Mullen

New Release (Amazon): By Crom! At long last the definitive history of Conan the Barbarian paperbacks that fans have clamoured for. 107 pages with detailed chapters devoted to each of the mighty Cimmerian’s publishers. Heavily illustrated with many rare images. Plus complete cover galleries of every US and UK Conan title ever issued. In full colour. An indispensable aid to Conan collectors and completists everywhere. Featuring a specially written foreword by Conan comics legend Roy Thomas!

Star Trek (Huffington Post): The LA Times recently ran a story about the Child Exploitation Section of the Toronto Sex Crimes Unit, which contained a mind-boggling statistic: of the more than 100 offenders the unit has arrested over the last four years, “all but one” has been “a hard-core Trekkie.” Blogger Ernest Miller thought this claim was improbable. “I could go to a science fiction convention,” he explained “and be less likely to find that 99+ percent of the attendees were hard-core Trekkies.” While there may be quibbling about the exact numbers, the Toronto detectives claim that the connection is undeniable.

Review (Brain Leakage): That said, if you are looking for a great post-apocalyptic read, I want to draw your attention to the work of Jon Mollison. I read his A Moon Full of Stars recently, with the intent of dedicating a full-length ‘Pocky-clypse Now review to it soon. I do still plan on doing that. But I’m probably going to wait until after our daily news cycle looks a little less like the opening credits to the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake.

Awards (Kairos): … And enjoy a hearty laugh at the incestuous wasteland the once-prestigious Hugo Awards have become.

Predictions that the Hugo field would degenerate into a circle jerk of olpdub purse puppies beloved by editors in New York–and pretty much no one else–have been realized ahead of schedule.

Here’s a partial list of this year’s finalists.

D&D (DMR Books): The Complete Book of Necromancers by Steve Kurtz was released in the spring of 1995, and came and went fairly quickly. Luckily a friend of mine snagged one shortly after it came out. Ostensibly the book was intended for the eyes of Dungeon Masters only, but of course we were hungry to add the new spells and powers to our player characters’ repertoires. Clark Ashton Smith is mentioned by name in the majority of the chapters of Necromancers. While Smith’s absence from Appendix N is conspicuous, Kurtz more than made up for the oversight.

Fiction (Digital Bibliophilia): Any book that opens Page One with a man being skewered by the broken mast of a sailing ship in the middle of a storm has to be good right? Well, I’m happy to say Oath of Blood by Arthur Frazier lives up to its gory opening scene and delivers a fantastic little novel about the clash of the Saxons, Normans and Vikings during the 11th century (1066 to be precise). Arthur Frazier was one of many pen names used by the prolific Kenneth Bulmer.

Gaming (Jeffro’s Space Gaming Blog): Charisma. It’s not just a dump stat, they say. But look, if you don’t have a lot of it, you’re going to be stuck in a career as an assassin. Which is kind of funny, actually. Of course if you were going to actually use that stat in an AD&D game, you’re going to have to flip to the middle of the combat section to find the reaction table. Why is it there right in the middle of sections detailing initiative and missile discharge? Evidently this something pretty important to consider when the players have initiative in a random encounter, right?

Fiction (Dark Worlds Quarterly): Another writer who has left a huge legacy with little recognition is Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (1911-1986). Fox began his career writing for Batman as early as 1939. (It was Fox who gave Bruce Wayne his “utility belt”.) During his decades long career with DC, he would work on such characters as The Flash, Hawkman and The Justice Society of America. He was there when Julius Schwartz revamped DC comics to meet the new “Comics Code”. He was there when DC invented its Multiverse. Outside of DC, he would pen the first Sword & Sorcery comic called “Crom the Barbarian”.

Fiction (DMR Books): The book being advertised was Kinsmen of the Dragon by Stanley Mullen. I was completely unfamiliar with both the title and the author. A bit of research revealed that this book had never been reprinted since its publication in 1951, which explains why it’s so little-known today. In spite of (or perhaps because of) its obscurity, good condition copies are pricey, usually going for over $50, and signed copies are much more.

Fiction/Gaming Tie-in (Karavansara): Two nights in Arkham: Lovecraft purists often frown at Lovecraft-inspired fiction. The main charge raised by these people is, other writers are either too much like Lovecraft or not at all like him, often at the same time. The second most common accusation is that certain stories are too action-centered and adventure-oriented, filled with guns blazing and chanting cultists. They usually blame Lovecraft’s popularity with the gaming crowd as the main reason for these degenerate pastiches, in which Indiana Jones or Doc Savage seem to exert an influence stronger than Nyarlathotep’s.

Fiction (Mostly Old Books): he Fargo series tell the tales of early 20th Century adventurer and solider of fortune Neal Fargo. They aren’t Westerns as the covers suggest. In this installment Fargo is hired by a rich old blowhard to rescue some Mayan treasures and the excavation team, which includes his son, from the jungles of Central America.

Cinema (The Silver Key): 1917 had been in my “to watch” queue for a long time (aka, floating around in the back of my mind), and last night I watched it with my older daughter, a self-described “film buff” who wanted to see what the hype was all about. Two word review: Excellent film. It’s an intensely personal/soldier’s journey type of story, and also manages to convey the larger tragedy of the Great War.

Fiction (Sacnoth’s Scriptorium): The Inklings and the Mythos (Dale Nelson). So, I’ve now recovered the missing issue of MALLORN* containing Dale Nelson’s wide-ranging inquiry into possible connections between the Inklings and Lovecraft’s circle, “The Lovecraft Circle and the Inklings: The ‘Mythopoeic Gift’ of H. P. Lovecraft” (MALLORN 59, Winter 2018, pages 18-32). It’s a substantial piece, and in it Nelson raises such topics as the following: Did the two groups read or were they influenced by each other?

Fiction (Scott Oden): In the past few weeks, my sophomore novel, MEMNON (Medallion Press, 2006; Crossroad Press, 2018), has received a raft of four-and-five star ratings on Goodreads and a pair of excellent reviews — which, for a fourteen-year old novel is no mean feat. Author Matt Larkin, in his review at Amazon, writes: “Evocative prose paints a living picture of the Classical world while the sudden, brutal violence serves to remind us never to look at history through rose-colored glasses.” While Scott Marlowe of Out of this World Reviews praises many things, including the battles: “I can only describe [them] as spectacular and right up there with some of the best battles I’ve had the pleasure to read in historical fiction (think Bernard Cornwell, surely one of the best of them all). Memnon gives Alexander such grief I imagine Alexander remembered their contests right up until his dying days.”

Fiction (Tentaculii): Lovecraft’s famous survey of supernatural literature was published in The Recluse in August 1927. Later in the same year Eino Railo published the history of the literary gothic in The Haunted Castle: A Study of the Elements of English Romanticism. A December 1927 review in the New York Evening Post suggests Railo’s book was published in time for the Christmas market and the January book-token crowd, and thus it appeared several months after Lovecraft’s circle had finished digesting his Supernatural Literature. Lovecraft refers to The Haunted Castle, a translation from the Finnish, in admiring terms in a later letter to Barlow and terms it a study of “the weird”.

History (Men of the West): Suddenly the war became fun. It became exciting, carnivalesque, tremendous. It became victorious and even safe. We awoke on the morning of Sunday, the 30th of July, with the feeling that the war was won — in spirit, if not in fact. Patton and the Third Army were away. At the 8th Corps, which held the western sector of the Normandy front, the G2 colonel said: “We’ve lost contact with the enemy.”

Fiction (Tentaculii): The second half of a forthcoming book, No Ghosts Need Apply: Gothic influences in criminal science, the detective and Doyle’s Holmesian Canon (October 2020), attempts to make the case that there are gothic traces in what are often assumed to be the ‘rationalist’ Sherlock Holmes stories. Sifting the extensive blurb for the book, one can eventually determine that the author suggests the following specific points… * intrigue and secret societies. . .

Fiction (M Porcius Blog): Let’s check out four stories by Mickey Spillane’s all-time favorite author, Fredric Brown, that first appeared in beautiful pulp magazines in 1942 and 1943, magazines that you can read at the universally beloved internet archive for free. “Etaoin Shrdlu” made its debut in Unknown Worlds in 1942. The cover of Unknown may be boring, but the interior illustrations are quite fine, those by Frank Kramer for L. Sprague de Camp’s “The Undesired Princess” in particular.

Sensor Sweep: Conan Companion, Star Trek, Necromancers, Stanley Mullen published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

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walterfilmmemorabilia-blog · 4 years

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Five Gay Actors in Mid-Century Hollywood

BY DAVID EHRENSTEIN

Now that gay actors like Nathan Lane, Jim Parsons, Victor Garber, Jonathan Groff, and Neil Patrick Harris are “out of the closet” and on the rise, it’s hard to imagine just how different things were in the relatively recent past. Not only was the notion of being openly gay and having a viable career unimaginable, but gayness itself was also a concept polite society couldn’t countenance. “Homosexuals” subsisted on society’s margins, mentioned only in whispered gossip, fearsome psychiatric studies, and Conservative diatribes decrying perversion.

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Still, in spite of it all, gay men managed to make their way to very top of the acting profession in the gilded closets of Hollywood. In this covert context, bigtime careers and personal lives proceeded with a calculated risk that can fascinate us today. Here are five of the most noteworthy examples of gay actors in mid-Century Hollywood.

LIBERACE

Liberace was an utterly unique entertainer. A pianist whose act consisted of an abbreviated arrangement of select “classical” tunes (Chopin, Tchaikovsky) freely mixed with popular “favorites” that he’d sometimes sing along with. In addition, he offered a steady stream of cheerful patter about show business and his extravagant wardrobe. For Liberace wore jewel-encrusted suits, floor-length fake furs, sequined hot pants and any number of other attention-getting ensembles of the sort that might give a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant pause. “I’ll be right back after I slip into something more spectacular,” he’d quip before taking a break in his program. This decidedly un-macho attitude won him a legion of devoted female fans. So enchanted were they by this act that few were inclined to object to Liberace’s sexual orientation being “Hidden in Plain Sight”. This vintage half-sheet poster for one of his most prominent theatrical features Sincerely Yours (1955) It’s a cheerily idealized picture of “Lee” as his intimates called him, and how he saw himself.

There he is at the piano with two attractive women gazing adoringly at him. A remake of the 1932 George Arliss-starred drama The Man Who Played God, Sincerely Yours was a deeply serious film. It stood in sharp contrast to the frivolity of Liberace’s stage and nightclub act. In almost all his other film appearances, he “guest-starred” as himself performing his act. The most notable exception is The Loved One (1965) Tony Richardson’s darkly comic adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s satire of the funeral industry. Part of its all-star cast, Liberace gives a marvelously witty performance as luxury coffin salesman who’s subtly yet obviously gay.

Back in 1956, Liberace successfully sued William Conner, a British entertainment columnist, who went by the pen name “Cassandra,” for calling him a “mincing fruit-flavored, ice-cream colored heap of mother-love.” What’s most interesting about the case is that on the stand, Liberace denied that he indulged in homosexual practices. “Never in my life,” he lied. And he maintained this lie for the rest of his life. After being sued for palimony by ex-lover Scott Thorson in 1982, it was rather pointless to maintain the claim. Liberace tried but it didn’t work. After Thorsen left him, the Mainstream press revealed that Liberace had contracted the HIV virus. He lied about this, too; on his deathbed, he claimed his illness was the consequence of a “Watermelon diet.” Yet despite this mendacity, Liberace was well-liked within the show business community and regarded with no small degree of affection by the general public. The serious critical reception given to two of the postmortem Liberace biopic for television Liberace: Behind the Music (1988) with gay Victor Garber and a screenplay by the gay Gavin Lambert, and Behind the Candelabra (2011) with the straight Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, directed by the equally straight Steven Soderbergh reflects his popularity.

In October of the previous year, the “Liberace Museum” in Las Vegas, which exhibited his jewelry, pianos, gowns, and other artifacts, closed its doors. But even as the museum closed the biopics prove, no doors will close on the public’s abiding fascination in this rara avis of show biz.

ROCK HUDSON

Rock Hudson was one of Hollywood’s biggest male stars. The fact that he’s represented here by paper dolls is not at all inappropriate as he was one of the most unreal yet compelling of all Hollywood icons.

Handsome, forcefully pleasant yet intriguingly remote, he went from contract player to superstar in 1954 with two Douglas Sirk directed dramas Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows. Their producer, Ross Hunter (who was also gay) cannily cast the young actor alongside veteran star Jane Wyman in both films, thus winning the heart of older female moviegoers enamored of good-looking young men. He went on to greater glory in George Stevens’ modern Texas spectacular Giant (1959) with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean, then made a wildly successful career shift in 1959 when he co-starred with Doris Day in Pillow Talk a lightly sophisticated comedy that showcased his playful side. More such comedies followed.

Meanwhile, way behind the scenes, the scandal press, particularly Confidential magazine, was doing its best to out Hudson, offering former lovers considerable sums of money to spill the beans. None would. But the truth about Hudson’s sexual orientation was in the air well before the mainstream media revealed it postmortem. Even before social media, stories were shared within the culture to a degree. Therefore, it was determined that he would marry. He wed Phyllis Gates, the secretary of his gay manager Henry Willson, in 1956. It lasted only two years, but it served its purpose., Still it didn’t forestall a joke rumor that he had married his friend, singer-actor Jim Nabors (who was also gay but not closeted) from making the rounds.

Hudson shifted from film to television in the 1970s with the detective series McMillan and Wife. In the 80’s he appeared on the glossy nighttime soap opera Dynasty. But he did not stay long as he had contracted AIDS. When he died in 1985 after returning from a trip to Paris where he’s hoped to find a cure, Hudson became the disease’s most celebrated victim. A direct result was his friend Elizabeth Taylor devoting the rest of her life to raising funds to help AIDS-sufferers and finding a cure for the disease. His last public appearance was on his friend Doris Day’s afternoon talk show where his physical debilitation was so stark she declined to show the episode until after his death — which was only a few months later. As with Scott Thorson, Hudson’s ex-lover Mark Christian sued his estate on the grounds of “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” claiming Hudson continued to have sex knowing that he was HIV positive. He won the case in court but did not succeed in tarnishing Hudson’s reputation.

TAB HUNTER

Tab Hunter was also a client of Henry Willson, who, as he did with Hudson, gave him his stage name. Unlike Hudson, Hunter had a less troubled personal life and never saw fit to marry a woman for cover, though he went on studio-arranged dates with starlets. Among them, Natalie Wood who became a close personal friend. As can be seen in this vintage photo portrait, he was strikingly beautiful.

He also had a thoroughly ingratiating personality — which was of great help when his career hit what could have been a significant speed-bump. In 1950, he was arrested along with a group of other gay men for Disorderly Conduct when the police raided a private party, which was not an uncommon circumstance. His career began shortly afterwards with a few small roles. But when cast for his biggest role up to that time in Battle Cry (1956), Confidential ran a story about the vice arrest, displaying his rap sheet. Warner Bros. did not lose it’s cool over this. Confidential was, after all, a sleazy little rag, and the article was about the arrest of someone named Arthur Gelien — not Tab Hunter. Warner Bros. knew Hunter did not typically cause trouble by involving himself in scandals. He was happy to go on arranged dates with starlets. At one point, he cleverly avoided orientation detection by going on double-dates with his then-lover Anthony Perkins. His other romantic partners over the years included dancer Rudolph Nureyev. While he turned in fine performances in hit films ranging from Damn Yankees to That Kind of Woman and They Came To Cordura the 1960s his Hollywood career faded, and he did stage and television work. He starred opposite Tallulah Bankhead in Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, transvestite superstar Divine in John Waters’ Polyester and Paul Bartel’s Western spoof Lust in the Dust. Quite matter-of-fact about his gayness by then, Tab told all in a book and documentary movie Tab Hunter Confidential. He was married to Alan Glaser, his lover of 35 years at the time of his death

ANTHONY PERKINS

Anthony Perkins was very beautiful…

but most famous for being frightening as the sympathetic serial killer “Norman Bates” in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho, (he went on to repeat this role in three inferior sequels), Perkins was a remarkably talented and wide-ranging performer whose credits include The Trial, Pretty Poison, Play It As It Lays and Remember My Name in which he co-starred with his wife, photographer Berry Berenson. Perkins came quite late to marriage (1973) having spent the better part of his life as a closeted but a somewhat freewheeling gay man whose lovers included (the previously noted) Tab Hunter, actor-dancer Grover Dale, Rudolph Nureyev (who certainly got around), and Stephen Sondheim, with whom he co-scripted the comedy-thriller The Last of Sheila.

Sondheim also wrote the TV musical Evening Primrose for Perkins (a fine singer), in which he does this memorable number.

Perkins and Berenson were happy together for many years. They had two sons, one of whom has become an actor OZ Perkins.

It was, to all appearances, a happy marriage. Yet Perkins continued to have gay liaisons — so dangerous that he contracted HIV and died of AIDS. Just as tragically, Berry Berenson was in one of the planes that struck the World Trade center on 9/11.

GEORGE MAHARIS

George Maharis has enjoyed a long career. But for all the different roles he’s played on stage and screen, he’s most famous for the TV series Route 66. It was obviously inspired by Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. But Maharis and co-star Martin Milner played the most buttoned-down “bohemians” ever seen — riding their sports car from place to place and interacting with people in a style more like that of friendly grocery clerks than beatniks.

Maharis had a difficult time being his gay self, being obliged, as all actors were at that time, to stay in the closet. Arrested twice for having sex with men in restrooms (1967 and 1974), Maharis still managed to secure work up until 1993. At 92, he is officially retired and is still quite the looker.

OUR GUEST AUTHOR

DAVID EHRENSTEIN

Born in 1947, David Ehrenstein has been a film critic and political commentator since 1965, writing for such publications as Film Culture, Film Quarterly, Cahiers du Cinema, and the Los Angeles Times. His books include Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-2000, The Scorsese Picture: The Art and Life of Martin Scorsese and Cahiers du Cinema — Masters of Cinema: Roman Polanski .

Blog is originally published at: https://www.walterfilm.com/five-gay-actors-in-mid-century-hollywood/

It is republished with permission from the author.

#gay actors #mid-century hollywood #hollywood #movie stars

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disneygeekcom · 4 years

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Pictured during a backstage rehearsal of the “Magic Happens” parade (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Feb. 11, 2020) – The all-new “Magic Happens” parade debuts at Disneyland Park on Feb. 28, 2020. As this daytime spectacular moves along Main Street, U.S.A., guests will celebrate moments of magic from beloved stories they’ve seen in films from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios. From a legendary guitar to the heart of the ocean, these magical moments come to life in stunning floats, artistic costumes and a surprising and energetic new musical score. Guests will experience classic tales such as “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “The Sword in the Stone,” as well as more recent stories from “Frozen 2,” “Coco,” “Moana” and more.

The “Magic Happens” parade dining package available at Plaza Inn (David Nguyen/Disneyland Resort)

With a “Magic Happens” parade dining package, guests may enjoy a delicious lunch and receive a voucher that provides access to a reserved viewing area for the parade that day. Guests may learn more about the dining package, available at Plaza Inn, and make reservations at Disneyland.com, or on the Disneyland App.

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Mickey Mouse will wear an all-new sorcerer-inspired costume as he leads the way from atop a 15-foot tall iridescent magical hat.(Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

Performers known as “magic makers,” represent stylized aspects of “Disney magic” – from beauty to strength and everything in between. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

By the Numbers

9 newly designed floats make their way along Main Street, U.S.A., during the parade.

2 original songs add to the musical flow of the parade: the main theme, “Magic Happens,” and a special song for the Grand Finale.

90-plus performers in vibrant costumes bring “Magic Happens” to life; more than two dozen of them are Disney and Pixar characters.

Singer-songwriter Todrick Hall smiles for a photo while working on the music for the all-new “Magic Happens” parade (Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort)

Creators of the Parade

The Disney team that created this parade includes choreographers, scenic designers, music producers, costumers and makeup artists, along with production and technical experts.

Jordan Peterson, show director for “Magic Happens,” began his Disney career as a parade performer and appeared in more than 18 parades between Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort.

David Duffy, creative director for “Magic Happens,” has been with Disney Live Entertainment for nearly 30 years. He started his career as a performer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Singer-songwriter Todrick Hall co-composed the energetic musical score and new songs for the parade. Hall, who is a former cast member, began his entertainment career at Walt Disney World in Florida as a performer in “Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage.”

Mickey Mouse leads the way, gliding along on glistening swirls of magic emanating from a giant, iridescent magical hat. (Disney)

A Swirl of Magic – Mickey Mouse

The eclectic and artistic performers who open this stunning parade represent stylized aspects of “Disney magic,” from beauty to strength and everything in between. These “magic makers” – normally invisible to humans – are right there any time a pumpkin becomes a carriage, or a sword is plucked from a stone.

The lyrics of the opening theme song, “Magic Happens,” are printed on two of the costumes to represent the magic of music.

Costumes worn by the opening performers are inspired by many sources, including modern fashion runways, with designs that are edgy and fashion forward.

On the opening float, 300 LED lights shimmer on Mickey’s giant, magical hat.

Mickey’s magical hat is nearly 15 feet tall and more than 9 feet in diameter. This float is hand painted and textured with custom iridescent colors.

Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chip n’ Dale join Mickey as they kick off this magical parade.

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Depicted in this image, guiding Moana on her journey is Maui, who travels along on his own magical piece of the islands with Moana’s adorable pet pig, Pua. (Disney)

Depicted in this image on her voyager canoe, Moana journeys forth on the crest of a towering wave, inspired by beautiful koa wood carvings, and inset with dazzling, animated glimpses into the magic the ocean holds. (Disney)

A Wave of Magic – “Moana”

This is the first full-scale “Moana”-inspired float to be created for a Disney park.

The sea of performers who lead the “Moana” float represent ocean waves, bringing the magic of the ocean to life.

On her voyager canoe, Moana journeys forth on the crest of a towering wave. The wave is inspired by beautiful koa wood carvings and inset with LED panels, providing a dazzling glimpse into the magic the ocean holds.

Guests will want to look closely at the beautiful flow of the ocean, watching for a friendly character cameo (or two) from Disney and Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.” The heart of Te Fiti may also be spotted under the water.

Guests will see Gramma Tala represented at the top of the float in her manta ray form, watching over Moana on her journey.

The “Moana” float is more than 32 feet long, 22 feet tall and 12 feet wide.

Joining Moana on her journey is Maui, who travels along on his own magical piece of the islands with Moana’s adorable pet pig, Pua.

Maui makes his official Disneyland Resort debut in “Magic Happens.”

The percussion instruments played on the Kakamora unit that follows the “Moana” float are inspired by traditional Polynesian drums.

Depicted in this image, Miguel appears in person for the first time, celebrating the magic that happens when he strums the guitar of Ernesto de la Cruz in the Disney and Pixar film “Coco.” This spectacular float connects the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead with a vibrant marigold bridge, and fantastical alebrije spirit animals join the procession, along with Miguel’s dog Danté. (Disney)

A Bridge to Magic – “Coco”

This is the first time the Disney and Pixar film “Coco” has inspired a float for a Disney Parks parade.

On this float, Miguel appears in person for the first time, celebrating the magic that happens when he strums his guitar.

This float connects the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead with a vibrant marigold More than 30,000 individual marigolds decorate the bridge on the “Coco” float.

The performers in front of the “Coco” float represent the beautiful marigold flower petals, as they fall off the bridge, spin, twist and float to the ground.

The performers wear skirts that have been designed to easily convert into capes, allowing for an easy transition from a costume piece to a prop, and back again. The skirts were created by cast members from Disney Live Entertainment Costuming.

Miguel’s dog, Dante, can be seen transforming from his dog form into his alebrije form as he crosses the marigold bridge.

Hector and Imelda, two animated figures, can be seen on the opposite side of the marigold bridge, performing for guests from the Land of the Dead.

On the back of this float, 12 unique Chihuahuas are part of the singing dog act from the battle of the bands scene in “Coco.”

The “Coco” float is 11 feet wide, 19 feet tall and almost 36 feet long.

Whimsically dressed performers adorned in masks and fanciful outfits represent the spirit guides, or alebrijes from “Coco,” who are moved by Miguel’s song and join in the celebration of family and life.

Depicted in this image, from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen 2,” Anna and Elsa explore the mysteries of an enchanted forest protected by Nokk, the mystical water spirit, as their friends Kristoff, Sven and Olaf tag along. (Disney)

A Magical Forest – “Frozen 2”

The performers that lead this float are an extension of the Enchanted Forest; the male performers represent the trunks of the Aspen trees and the female performers are the canopy.

This float shows Anna and Elsa exploring the mysteries of The Enchanted Forest protected by the Nokk, the mystical water spirit, as their friends Kristoff, Sven and Olaf tag along.

This float is designed to provide a sense of discovery as it passes by; guests will notice more characters and details as the float moves down the parade route.

Olaf and Sven appear as animated figures on this float.

The large snowflake behind Elsa incorporates the four elemental symbols from the film, representing water, fire, earth and wind.

At nearly 39 feet long, the “Frozen 2” float is the longest in the parade.

A Magical Dream – Grand Finale

The regal grand finale of “Magic Happens” celebrates magical moments from several classic Disney stories.

Each finale performer wears a slightly different costume piece and flag, representing the kingdom they are leading.

The finale brings together a collection of iconic magical characters, including Genie, Aladdin, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Blue Fairy, Pinocchio and Fairy Godmother. These characters lead the way as more floats are introduced, each highlighting moments of magic that changed the characters’ lives.

The finale score includes musical nods to past Disney entertainment productions that have special meaning to show director Jordan Peterson, weaving in themes from the “Remember the Magic,” parade as well as “Wishes” and “Remember… Dreams Come True” fireworks spectaculars.

Depicted in this image, Cinderella is seen inside a grand pumpkin, just as it magically transforms into a glistening carriage to whisk her off to the ball. (Disney)

The Pumpkin – “Cinderella”

The “Cinderella” float captures the moment of “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo,” as Cinderella is seen inside a grand pumpkin, just as it magically transforms into a glistening carriage to whisk her off to the ball.

Vines begin to take shape as wheels, while leaves stretch into stained glass, creating a translucent jeweled form of a carriage.

The float reaches 16 feet at the top of Cinderella’s carriage, and it’s approximately 10 feet in diameter.

Depicted in this image, Merlin from “The Sword in the Stone” wisely leads the way for young Arthur, who finds the magic within himself as he pulls the sword from the stone, claiming his place upon the throne. (Disney)

The Sword – “The Sword in the Stone”

On this float, Merlin wisely leads the way for young Arthur, who finds the magic within himself as he pulls the sword from the stone and claims his place upon the throne.

Guests will be able to see Archimedes, the educated but irritable owl from the film. Archimedes is an animated figure on the figure on the float, and his neck and eyes move.

Two squirrels, named Arthur and Hazel, are perched on top of the gothic architecture featured on the float. They serve as a nod to the sequence in the film where the characters transform into squirrels.

Arthur makes his official Disneyland Resort debut in “Magic Happens.”

This float is approximately 19 feet tall, 15 feet long and 12 feet wide.

Depicted in this image, Tiana and Naveen from “The Princess and the Frog” are seen amidst a swirl of golden flowers where they share a kiss, completing their transformation back into human forms. (Disney)

The Kiss – “The Princess and the Frog”

Tiana and Naveen are seen amidst a swirl of golden flowers where they share a kiss, completing their transformation back into human forms.

The flowery swirls surrounding Tiana and Naveen rotate, creating a beautiful and magical movement.

The tree that stands above Tiana and Naveen is modeled from an actual mangrove tree.

“The Princess and the Frog” float is 19 feet tall and 11 feet in diameter.

Depicted in this image, the regal grand finale of “Magic Happens” celebrates magical moments from several classic Disney stories, including the happily-ever-after scene from “Sleeping Beauty” with a trio of fairies and Princess Aurora’s gown shimmering between hues of pink and blue. (Disney)

The Once Upon a Dream – “Sleeping Beauty”

The happily-ever-after scene from “Sleeping Beauty” features the three good fairies – Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – revolving gracefully atop turrets at the front of the float.

Princess Aurora is seen dancing with Prince Phillip, and her gown shimmers between hues of pink and blue.

The flag symbols are all designed in the style of Sleeping Beauty, as if to represent the different kingdoms and banners found in her castle.

The Sleeping Beauty float is the tallest float in the parade, with the top turret reaching approximately 30 feet tall.

Recently Disneyland Shared Images of some merchandise for the parade:

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(Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)

#Disneyland Shared Some Fun Facts, Rehearsal Pictures & Merchandise from the upcoming #MagicHappensParade (Press Release & Disney Pictures) ANAHEIM, Calif. (Feb. 11, 2020) – The all-new “Magic Happens” parade debuts at Disneyland Park on Feb.

#Magic Happens Parade

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ezaudiobooks-blog · 5 years

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook

New Post has been published on https://ezaudiobooks.com/harry-potter-audio-books/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-audiobook/

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook

“I’m almost scared to admit this, but one thing has stopped me collapsing in a puddle of misery on the floor. While each of the previous Potter books has strong claims on my affections, Deathly Hallows is my favourite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series.” – J. K. Rowling

Death is just going to another world, like a seafaring friend; they still live in each other. Because they absolutely need to exist, love and living in that love is everywhere. In this holy mirror, they look at each other, talking freely and pure.

This is the comfort of friends, that even if they are considered dead, their friendship and their relationship, in the most common sense, still exist, because of their own injustice

About Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the Harry Potter series. The book was released on 21 July 2007, ending the series that began in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. The journey is hard, filled with events both tragic and triumphant, the battlefield littered with the bodies of the dearest and despised, but the final chapter is as brilliant and blinding as a phoenix’s flame, and fans and skeptics alike will emerge from the confines of the story with full but heavy hearts, giddy and grateful for the experience.

Plot

Following another deeply troubled year at Hogwarts, described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at the end of which Dumbledore is killed by the ever-deceptive Severus Snape, Harry begins the final volume of the series in hiding. When the spell that has kept him safe until his seventeenth birthday expires, he and his helpers are immediately attacked by Voldemort, suffering casualties.

Unable to return to Hogwarts, Harry is forced to go on the run with Ron and Hermione, hunting desperately for the “horcruxes” that contain fragments of Voldemort’s soul and thus maintain his invulnerability. The search for the horcruxes is complicated when Harry learns of the existence of another set of magical objects—the “deathly hallows”—which might also be vital to the settlement of the final battle. Voldemort is unable to give his complete attention to the quest to kill Harry because he is searching for one of the hallows: an undefeatable wand.

Uncertain as to whether to give priority to the remaining horcruxes or the hallows, Harry continues to evade death, albeit narrowly, until he is forced to return to Hogwarts in order to complete his search. The castle housing Hogwarts Academy then becomes the last fortress holding out against Voldemort’s rise to power, subject to intensive siege and violent bombardment.

The remnants of Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix mount a heroic defense of Hogwarts in the attempt to win Harry enough time to finish his quest, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The conflict reaches the limit of desperation when it becomes evident that Harry harbors one of the fragments of Voldemort’s soul in his own flesh. It appears that Harry cannot kill his enemy without sacrificing himself in the process, but that sacrifice might also make Voldemort invincible.

Other things

Deathly Hallows shattered sales records upon release, surpassing marks set by previous titles of the Harry Potter series. It holds the Guinness World Record for most novels sold within 24 hours of release, with 8.3 million sold in the US alone and 2.65 million in the UK. Generally well received by critics, the book won the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award, and the American Library Association named it a “Best Book for Young Adults”.

A film adaptation of the novel was released in two parts: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in November 2010, and Part 2 in July 2011.

It is followed by a sequel to the original series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook Review

Narrator

There are two versions of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook free, one is narrated by Stephen Fry, the other Jim Dale. Now, you can enjoy both of them on EZ Audiobooks.

The Deathly Hallows Audiobook by Stephen Fry: Stephen Fry makes the characters even more vivid. His voice for Hagrid is low, gruff and gentle, just what you would expect. Hermione sounds incredibly precocious and annoying but gradually becomes less so as the book progresses. The story wraps you in a warm cloak of positive feelings, happiness and a sense of belonging. Having Fry read such a lovely story to you makes it all the more comforting and enjoyable. Even though Harry Potter is J K Rowlings first audiobook and her prose may be flawed in places, (particularly in the beginning describing life with the Dursleys) Harry Potter is undoubtedly a classic made even more magical by Stephen Fry. I highly recommend this audiobook for all ages.

The Deathly Hallows Audiobook by Jim Dale: Jim Dale is another fantastic narrator. Born in England, Dale also has an English accent. Dale is a voice artist, and definitely weighted towards to the dramatized end of the scale. Dale invites a sense of urgency in his voice, and has you on your toes. This increased dramatization, although predominantly great, I feel it is sometimes a little over the top.

Dale is magician in character range; he created 134 voices for the Harry Potter Audiobooks series. This series has given Dale more awards than any narrator previous. His prestige, and breadth of bestseller coverage is rather astonishing.

Deathly Hallows Audiobook Story

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook 3

These books are pure magic and a benchmark in the genre. J.K. Rowling takes a classic idea of young children heading to boarding school, and put’s it on it’s head, generally we would expect all the exciting things to happen while on holiday – but not this time.

The story follows Harry’s first year at Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. We enter in on a depressing scene with his relatives the Dursley’s (whom he lives with) and Harry’s general day to day struggle living in a muggle (non-magical) household. At this point everything is confusing, and we know little, however everything is about to change and as a listener we are about to embark on a wild and captivating journey to discover Harry’s birthright.

The Harry Potter audiobooks series may have been written and narrated with children in mind, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of mums and dads giving the first book in the series a five star rating. Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone is an introduction into a world of of optimism and hope, where anything is possible. As a result, this book speaks to a younger audience naturally, however this is a must listen for everyone. How could you not want to live in a world like that?! The books are creative and fun.

Listen and Download

YOU MAY LOVE TO LISTEN TO ALL 11 AUDIOBOOKS (JIM DALE OR STEPHEN FRY) HERE: HARRY POTTER AUDIO BOOKS

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone Audiobook Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets Audiobook Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Audiobook Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire Audiobook Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix Audiobook Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince Audiobook Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook

Don’t waste your time, click here to listen and download free the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook mp3:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audiobook free download – End

#Harry Potter Audiobook Stephen Fry #Harry Potter Audiook Jim Dale #J. K. Rowling

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erickmalpicaflores · 6 years

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Erik Malpica Flores Erik Malpica Flores recommends: What is Coming to Netflix Canada in December 2018 |

A special Christmas episode of CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA is coming to Netflix Canada in December 2018. In addition, the Lifetime drama YOU is coming to Canada as a Netflix Original. Several other Netflix original films, including DUMPLIN’ and BIRD BOX will also be coming in the final month of this year.

Related: What’s coming to Netflix U.S. in December 2018?

December 1

Battle – Netflix Film: The right steps. The wrong attitude. But then she shares the dance floor with a new partner, and the rhythm of love takes over.

Conor McGregor: Notorious

Crossroads: One Two Jaga – Netflix Film: Immigrant laborers and corrupt police. In a world of desperation, doing the right thing isn’t just hard. It’s dangerous.

Get Smart

Hellboy

Little Women

Man vs Wild with Sunny Leone: Season 1

Mary and The Witch’s Flower

Memories of the Alhambra (Streaming Every Saturday) – Netflix Original: While looking for the cryptic creator of an innovative augmented-reality game, an investment firm executive meets a woman who runs a hostel in Spain.

Priest

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Rock Dog

Unknown

Yes Man

December 3

Hero Mask – Netflix Original: After a rash of mysterious deaths, Crown prosecutor Sarah Sinclair and SSC agent James Blood discover a conspiracy surrounding uncanny new bio-masks.

The Sound of Your Heart: Reboot Season 2 – Netflix Original: As Ae-bong’s husband and father of an adorable baby daughter, Seok finds fresh inspiration from his new family and changing responsibilities.

December 4

December 5

American Pie

American Pie 2

American Wedding

Bruce Almighty

Evan Almighty

Wentworth: Season 6

December 6

December 7

5 Star Christmas – Netflix Film: Away from their spouses. Away from the paparazzi and nosy reporters. It’s a foolproof, Christmastime tryst — what could go wrong?

Dogs of Berlin – Netflix Original: Two cops investigate the murder of a famous Turkish-German soccer player, but their ethnic and underworld connections mire the case in controversy.

Dumplin’ – Netflix Film: Dumplin’ (Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.

Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas – Netflix Original: As Bright Fields preps for its Mistletoe Ball, a broken ornament leads Zoe to a family secret, while Gaby finds herself at the mercy of new boss Mia.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle – Netflix Film: Acclaimed actor and director Andy Serkis reinvents Rudyard Kipling’s beloved masterpiece, in which a boy who would become a legend, wants nothing more than to find a home. Torn between two worlds, that of the jungle and that of humankind, Mowgli must navigate the inherent dangers in each on a journey to discover who he really is. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Freida Pinto, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris lead an all-star cast along with newcomer Rohan Chand (“Mowgli”) in this visually spectacular and emotionally moving adventure. It will also be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.

Nailed It! Holiday! – Netflix Original: It’s the “Nailed It!” holiday special you’ve been waiting for, with missing ingredients, impossible asks and desserts that look delightfully sad.

Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas – Netflix Original: The holidays take a hit as Kaz juggles the Secret Santa competition, his Aunt Angelique’s visit and his nemesis Arcangelo’s Christmas plotting.

Pine Gap – Netflix Original: At top-secret U.S.-Australian joint defense facility Pine Gap, fissures appear in the critical alliance as spies work with, and against, each other.

ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay? – Netflix Original: As a groundbreaking ’80s rap act, Run-D.M.C. brought hip-hop to the mainstream. But the murder of the group’s DJ, Jam Master Jay, remains a mystery.

Super Monsters and the Wish Star – Netflix Original: Deck the halls with holiday magic and get ready for a fun, festive time. It’s a gift from the Super Monsters … to you!

The American Meme – Netflix Original: Follow four social media disruptors — Paris Hilton, Josh Ostrovsky, Brittany Furlan and Kirill Bichutsky — as they hustle to create online empires.

The Hook Up Plan (Plan Coeur) – Netflix Original: When Parisian Elsa gets hung up on her ex, her best friends secretly hire a male escort to help her move on. But their plan works a little too well.

The Ranch: Part 6 – Netflix Original: Colt confronts the challenges of running a ranch as he and Abby get ready to become parents. And a second new arrival keeps the Bennetts on their toes.

Trolls

December 11

Vir Das: Losing It – Netflix Original: In a new stand-up special, comedian Vir Das touches on world travel, religion, his desire to be an Indian superhero and more.

December 12

Back Street Girls: Gokudols – Netflix Original: To pay for an epic blunder, three yakuza brothers are forced to alter their bodies, form a girl group and break into the underground J-Pop idol scene.

Out of Many, One – Netflix Original: As they prepare for their naturalization tests, several legal immigrants discuss what drove them to seek better opportunities in America.

December 13

Wanted: Season 3 – Netflix Original: A witness protection deal lands Lola in Adelaide, where a murder sends her and Chelsea on the run through South Australia in search of a missing woman.

December 14

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: “A Midwinter’s Tale” – Netflix Original: As the winter solstice approaches, Sabrina orchestrates an emotional séance with serious consequences, and Susie’s merry plans turn menacing.

Cuckoo: Season 4 – Netflix Original: Hoping to build a career for himself, Dale gives hospitality a try, while lawyer Ken copes badly with some professional issues of his own in Season 4.

Fuller House: Season 4 – Netflix Original: The Tanner-Fuller-Gibblers are back with big laughs. DJ and Steve rekindle their flame — and a new member of the family is on the way!

Inside the Real Narcos – Netflix Original: Special Forces soldier Jason Fox embeds himself with drug cartels in Mexico, Colombia and Peru to understand the people involved and how they operate.

Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 3 – Netflix Original: Investigative journalist Raphael Rowe, who was once wrongfully convicted of murder, visits prisons in Colombia, Costa Rica, Romania and Norway.

Prince of Peoria: A Christmas Moose Miracle – Netflix Original: Teddy’s never missed the Festival of Lights, but the bowling alley’s been snowed in! Not to worry — Emil insists the Christmas moose will save the day.

ROMA – Netflix Film: This film from Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

Sunderland Til I Die – Netflix Original: This docuseries follows English soccer club Sunderland through the 2017-18 season as they try to bounce back after relegation from the Premier League.

The Fix – Netflix Original: Comedians Jimmy Carr, D.L. Hughley and Katherine Ryan tackle the world’s woes with help from a rotating crew of funny guests and actual experts.

The Innocent Man – Netflix Original: Based on the true crime best-seller by John Grisham, the six-part documentary series The Innocent Man focuses on two murders that shook the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, in the 1980s — and the controversial chain of events that followed.

The Protector – Netflix Original: Discovering his ties to a secret ancient order, a young man living in modern Istanbul embarks on a quest to save the city from an immortal enemy.

Tidelands – Netflix Original: Ex-con Cal McTeer’s return to her hometown Orphelin Bay blows the lid off a generations-long conspiracy of silence around murder, drugs and sirens.

Travelers: Season 2

Travelers: Season 3 – Netflix Original: With the truth about their existence exposed to the world, MacLaren and his team must cover their tracks, partner with the FBI, and find Traveler 001.

Voltron: Legendary Defender: Season 8 – Netflix Original: A team of teenagers continues to work together, fighting the forces of evil amid an epic intergalactic battle to protect the universe.

December 15

Dolphin Tale

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

December 16

Paddington

Springsteen on Broadway – Netflix Original: In this acclaimed show based on his best-selling autobiography, Bruce Springsteen performs acoustic versions of his music and shares personal stories.

December 18

Baki – Netflix Original: While martial arts champion Baki Hanma trains hard to surpass his legendary father, five violent death row inmates descend upon Tokyo to take him on.

Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable – Netflix Original: Ellen DeGeneres is “Relatable” in her debut Netflix original comedy special premiering December 18. Filmed at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Relatable marks Ellen’s return to stand-up after a 15-year hiatus.

Ip Man 3

Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 5 – Netflix Original: Takayuki and Aya keep going on dates, but Takayuki’s heart may be set on someone else. New member Shunsuke begins a journey of self-discovery.

December 21

3Below: Tales of Arcadia – Netflix Original: After crash-landing in Arcadia, two royal teen aliens struggle to blend in as they evade intergalactic bounty hunters. Created by Guillermo del Toro.

7 Days Out – Netflix Original: 7 Days Out offers an intimate look at the excitement and drama of the seven days leading up to the most significant historical and cultural events in the worlds of fashion, food, space, sports, and entertainment. From Karl Lagerfeld preparing for the latest Chanel Haute Couture collection, to NASA’s groundbreaking Cassini mission, 7 Days Out delivers unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access as we countdown the most exciting events in the world. The series comes from the acclaimed director of First Monday in May, Andrew Rossi, from Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard, Executive Producers of Chef’s Table and Last Chance U, and Executive Producer Joe Zee.

Back With the Ex – Netflix Original: After years apart, four singles will reunite with the exes they just couldn’t forget. But will their past loves feel the same way about them?

Bad Seeds – Netflix Film: Troubled by his past, a scam artist who runs a petty racket with his adoptive mom finds redemption while mentoring a group of difficult students.

Bird Box – Netflix Film: Five years after a wave of mass suicides decimates the population, a woman and her two children embark on a desperate, dangerous quest for sanctuary.

Derry Girls – Netflix Original: Set against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland Troubles, this comic series follows a group of friends as they navigate their teens in the early 1990s.

Diablero – Netflix Original: A supernatural fight between good and evil unfolds on the colorful streets of Mexico when a priest enlists the help of a crew led by a legendary demon hunter.

Greenleaf: Season 3

LAST HOPE: Part 2 – Netflix Original: The Pandora team continues to endure a barrage of setbacks that threaten the city, while a vengeful Mr. Gold awaits his chance to enact revenge.

Perfume – Netflix Original: A perfumer with a superhuman sense of smell begins killing female students at a boarding school to distill their essence and create the perfect scent.

Sirius the Jaeger – Netflix Original: In imperial Tokyo, a group calling themselves “Jaegers” secretly hunt the vampires seeking the Ark of Sirius. Among them is young werewolf, Yuliy.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski – Netflix Film: Underground artists in L.A. discover the work of a forgotten Polish sculptor, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Tales by Light: Season 3 – Netflix Original: Season 3 follows a trio of image-makers on voyages of discovery into neighborhoods of India, the reefs of Indonesia, and the backcountry of Australia.

The Casketeers – Netflix Original: A docuseries about the wife-and-husband team at Waitakere Funeral Services, as they work with grieving families in an insightful and emotional way.

Wolf (BÖRÜ) – Netflix Original: Tasked with risky operations across Turkey, members of a special security unit confront danger and tragedy both on the field and at home.

December 23

December 24

Hi Score Girl – Netflix Original: A chronic gamer abysmally inept in academics and sports finally meets his match at his usual shady arcade — and it’s his rich classmate, Akira.

December 25

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War

December 26

Alexa & Katie: Season 2 – Netflix Original: For best friends Alexa and Katie, sophomore year brings budding romance, a major breakup, a birthday milestone — and big lessons they’ll never forget.

You – Netflix Original: Obsessed with an aspiring writer, a brilliant bookstore manager begins quietly and strategically removing all obstacles that keep her from him.

December 28

Instant Hotel – Netflix Original: Teams of Australian homeowners compete for the title of best Instant Hotel by staying overnight in each other’s rentals and rating their experience.

La noche de 12 años – Netflix Film: Three political prisoners, including future president of Uruguay José Mujica, are held in clandestine captivity by Uruguay’s military dictatorship.

Murder Mountain – Netflix Original: A man goes missing in Humboldt County, California, exposing a dangerous and untenable web of violence, drugs and police apathy.

Selection Day – Netflix Original: Between an overbearing father and an underhanded system, a cricket prodigy and his brother grapple with their own ambitions, demons and identities.

When Angels Sleep – Netflix Film: A businessman falls asleep at the wheel and hits a woman with his car. His interactions with her frightened friend unleash a string of dark events.

Yummy Mummies – Netflix Original: Follow four young mothers with enviable lifestyles throughout their pregnancies, as they delve into a chaotic new reality with newborn babies.

December 29

Coming in December

Watership Down: Limited Series – Netflix Original: A warren of rabbits battles many threats on their daring journey to find a new home in this adaptation of the classic novel by Richard Adams.

Last Call – Titles Rotating Off the Service in December 2018

December 1

Bones: Seasons 1-5

Gone Girl

Hidden Figures

December 20

December 31

Bob’s Burgers: Seasons 1-7

New Girl: Seasons 1-6

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izumisays · 7 years

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Dear creator,

Thank you so much for reading this and signing up for this wonderful annual conspiracy!

I hope you have a lovely time, and that this letter can contribute to it. If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and very interested to hear your thoughts on them.

Fandoms: Nimona, In Other Lands, Captive Prince, Machineries of the Empire

As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, from lighthearted shenanigans to dramatic casefics, and pretty much all ratings, but the core of all stories I love is always character interaction. How they play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they would react to a divergence of events, how true would they stay to their selves in a different setting - these are the kind of questions I’m all chinhands for. POV games, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs are all fair game, so choose your weapon!

NIMONA (any characters)

It is no mystery at all why I completely imprinted on this book. What is a mystery, however, is how I survived to this day and age without having loved Nimona for years - how did I even live unaware of its existence, up until an impulse purchase a month ago? WHAT A TRAVESTY.

Anyway, I massively adore Nimona to bits: a perfect fusion of story and pictures, chaotic evil Nimona (CHOMP!), Ballister of the big heart and stoic love for strays and SCIENCE, Ambrosius of awkward good instincts and poor decisions - I just want to pinch everyone’s cheeks and hug them to my chest. For six hours. Approximately. It’s open for negotiation :’)

I’m requesting any characters because I’d be honestly delighted by seeing each one of them <3

A day in casa de Blackheart with Nimona and Ballister! Hatching evil schemes or having a pizza night - or both. BOTH IS GOOD. A flashback to Ballister and Ambrosius’s younger days (that christmas special *clutches heart*). A future with Nimona infiltrating Ballister’s lab and his & Ambrosius’s couch with popcorn and underhanded science! Nimona grumpily acquiescing to Goldenloin’s presence in Ballister’s life! Generally ANY AND ALL HIJINKS feat. heartwarmth and unapologetic monster girl love and fierce protectiveness of each other, much in the spirit of the lovely, lovely source material.

IN OTHER LANDS (Luke Sunborn)

Elliot is a spectacular narrator. Novel-shaped case in point: In Other Lands.

A look at Luke’s friendship with Serene - completely compatible with Luke forever crushing on Elliot, just saying ^^. I suspect lack of Elliot’s Serene goggles could do marvels to building nuance to her character: a little less reverse gender comedy just for the sake of comedy, a little more someone who is clever enough to balance multiple things, connect the dots, and learn, and stand by what she believes is right.

I’m not particularly fond of Dale, on understanding that he got enough screentime as is already I’d be grateful if you didn’t center the fic around him. Obviously no objections to him as part of class ensemble, whose names Luke will never bloody remember.

CAPTIVE PRINCE (Damen, Laurent, Auguste, Jokaste)

You would not have wanted to see me at the peak of my CP obsession - dignity readers for miles around were in the red zone for months, I can tell you that. Even my bitter disappointment with many things in the third book didn’t survive the onslaught of feelings that overcome me every time I turn my thoughts to this series. R e g u l a r l y. (If you don’t think Prince’s Gambit is the high point of modern literature, f i t e m e)

Things that make me happy:

Laurent/Damen endgame, always.

Auguste! Alive and well and fiercely proud of Laurent and quite possibly giving young Damen - his admiring bro - confused boners. Which he manfully swoonstruggles against, because see above.

Clever, competent Damen that drives Laurent up the wall of his fervent refusal to admit any of it affects him

Laurent POVs in general. There is nothing more delightful than a well-crafted narration of acerbic denial of hearteyes, self-crafted personality, hardwon competence and utter self-awareness.

Did I say competence porn yet? Hearteyes, motherfucker, hearteyes!!

Jokaste-Laurent queenbee friendships - vipers united!

Consider this: FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS arrangement for a CERTAIN AGENDA feat. Jokaste and Laurent - preceding or purposefully leading to Laurent/Damen endgame. Benefits as imagined by Damen, the poor cookie? Fake dating for purposes of short-circuiting Damen’s brain with the blonde ratio? :DD

Mafia/noir AUs *swoon* In fact, a variety of modern or historic AUs would be an a+ sandbox to play in and watch the chemistry unfold.

On another note, I have the soft spot the size of Delfeur for Nicaise and particularly Nicaise & Laurent spiky sibling-like affection, so if you think your story could benefit from that, please don’t hesitate to include it <3

I’m absolutely okay with fic that would not include all four - it’s just that I couldn’t omit either Auguste and Jokaste from the list of happy things. You are most welcome to include only one of the two, or none, if you want to concentrate on Laurent and Damen only.

Canon divergences, what-ifs and AUs are super-welcome for this canon. Please feel free to play to your heart’s content!

MACHINERIES OF THE EMPIRE (Shuos Mikodez)

I didn’t know how to request what would essentially be just heartfelt sobbing of PLEASE WRITE FIC FOR THIS AMAZING MEME ART (“please send help my family is starving!!”) - but if! By any chance! This is what you want to do, please disregard everything from math rules to heretic calendrical rituals, and go for it :DD i keep shoving this picture into all of my friends’ faces and get vaguely upset that they don’t immediately agree with me on how brilliant it is; maybe I should revise my strategy and give them the books to read first, hmm.

I’m fond of most of the cast of the books, especially of how competent and done with nonsense they are 99% of their screen time. Mentor relationships were amazing - Cheris and Jedao in Ninefox Gambit was a thing of true beauty, Zehun and Mikodez continuously delight me, and I’m looking forward to what book 3 will bring on this front, too (Nija? Please say Nija!). But as I need to choose something that won’t be guaranteed to make the matching algorithm cry, let me center it around a character that delights me and makes others cry instead.

Mikodez in his younger days! Zehun, I’m so sorry for your loss of sleep and possibly hair, teenagers are the worst, teenage Miki is the worst best Miki, and I am dying to hear all about his notorious Academy heroics.

Mikodez, Zehun, Nija and Cheris, the most terrifying parental equation of this calendar <3

Mikodez and his Questionable Alliances. Kujen “I had a friend once and then the leash broke” Nirai. Jedao - how does Miki’s view of the man change with Cheris in the game, and her (literal) insights about the dead mad general?

Mikodez throwing endless shade on all other factions, especially Andan. (Sorry, Andan. At least you’re pretty.)

Mikodez and his secret humanitarian agenda that he will politely deny forever, get fake-distracted by one of his bazillion hobbies and miss whatever sleep time he had scheduled in the day because he will inevitably get genuinely carried away. Every. Fucking. Time.

As a sidenote, I’m terribly fond of Vahenz <3 Bring her back! Let Vahenz have her fun! Let Mikodez meet his true competition for world domination and in the race towards diabetes.

I really liked Istradez, and would be happy to see him among the army of Mikodez’s high powered babysitters, but am not really in the market for Mikodez/Istradez shipfics.

Thank you very much for reading the letter! Please be assured I’m super excited to read everything you write already <3

#dear creator letter #yuletide #yuletide 2017

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