#was the one who sang for Maria in West Side Story | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

potential-fool · 1 year

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Im having some serious simp hours so I am requesting a request

Valorant, Yoru, Chamber, Sova, reader who is absolutely in love with their voice. Could listen to them 10/10 all day every day! And dirty talk? Would do anything they ask ngl

Bonus points for mixing english and their native tongue

P.S. pls tag me or ill never find this amazing post T_T i beg thee

@squiddaloo

A/N: Omg this literally this. I like the way you think >:) I will be using google translate for some of the other languages so uh... apologies to any native speakers. ;-; also omg I was writing this and all I could think of was the song "Maria" from West Side Story ifykyk and final note, I ended up doing this in a fade tp black style since you didn't specify whether you wanted it to be smutty or not <3

Tags: Established relationship, GN reader, dirty talk, suggestive talking, denial, hurt comfort

The Sound of Your Voice: Valorant x Reader

Yoru [Ryu Kiritani]

He's a simp, an egotistical one though he refuses to admit he's a simp

your voice though? Oh boy, that's when all bets are off

He wants to be the only one allowed to hear your voice

The two of you were out in the living area of the Valorant Protocol, you were leaned up against your boyfriend, it was a quiet day, a little blessing in disguise as most days were long and hectic. Today though, today was quiet, peaceful.

You hummed a small song, the gentle notes in your throat growing into soft lyrics that escaped your lips. You were too distracted by the lyrics to notice that Ryu had opened a gate in the direction of your shared room.

"あなたはとても美しいですね..." [You sound so beautiful]

You paused for a moment, looking up in the direction of your loved one.

"Ryuuuu you know I don't know what you're sayin'"

You huffed, making a pouty expression that melted away as he grabbed hold of you, taking you through the rift and pushing you onto the bed.

"You sound so beautiful my love~"

Yoru cooed in your ear, his voice dropping and making you feel all sorts of things.

"I bet you'd sound even better moaning my name~ 私の愛 ~" [My love]

You two had a fun night.

Chamber [Vincent Fabron]

This man. THIS MAN.

He will absolutely mess with you anywhere and everywhere

One of his favorite things about you is that small flustered sound you make whenever he teases you

That hitch in your breath? He LIVES for that shit

You and Chamber were under cover at a party, a masquerade to be specific. Entering the room shining with light you were on his arm, the place seemed to sparkle, the shining crystal chandeliers refracting the warm light onto the dance floor. You could see people eloquently swaying to the beat with their partner; the orchestra playing a tune you recognized as one you'd made the effort to learn, it is--partially--in Chamber's native language after all.

You looked up at him and god he was breathtaking, the perfectly tailored waistcoat was white with those beautiful magenta and gold accents. He Really did fit in with this high society stuff.

"Care of a dance mon cheri~?"

You extended a hand to him, bowing and flexing your knowledge of his language.

"Anything for you mon amor~"

He cooed, quietly aweing at your silky voice as he took your hand and stepped onto the dance floor, folding yourself into the others who were dancing. The singer on the mic let her voice fly through the space, catching the eye of your partner as the two of you glided across the floor.

"Hold me close and hold me fast The magic spell you cast This is la vie en rose~"

Your voice was a silky hum in his ears and god Chamber just melted, pulling you close and holding your waist gingerly as he let the song you sang ripple through him.

"My My~ mon cœur~"

He gave your hips a teasing squeeze, causing your breath to hitch just enough for Chamber to hear.

"Vince- Chamber-"

You were breathless, almost forgetting to use his call sign, you were on a mission after all

"Use your words mon amor~ You know how I love hearing you~"

Chamber teased you, though before you could react the song you danced to drew to a close and Vincent smiled, leaving you high and dry as he said:

"We're on a mission mon cheri~ We can finish this if you do a good job for me~"

Sova [Alexander (Sasha) Novikov]

Sova being the soft spoken man he is will happily let you fill any silence with your voice

While he may have grown to enjoy silence you were the exception, silence with you was like an unfinished song

Hearing you go on and on, he could listen to it for hours

You'd had a rough day, coming back from a particularly difficult mission. Difficult, though you found victory. You were exhausted, the moment you stepped off the carrier you went to go find your love; Sova.

You found success in your objective as you knocked on his bedroom door, it opened and he smiled a soft smile upon seeing you. His hair was a little frizzy and he was wearing a t-shirt and grey sweats. Reading your tired expression he pulled you close, rubbing your back and keeping you close.

"Care to shower with me милый?" (Darling)

You gave a small nod, and he guided you into the bathroom off to the side of his bedroom, you were eager to get out of your sweat and dirt covered clothes.

The two of you found yourself holding each other naked in the shower. This wasn't a lust filled event, rather one driven by love and care for the other. Sasha grabbed the soft sponge and rubbed it gently along your back, the newly formed bruises on you aching a bit, causing you to give a soft groan of pain.

"Apologies моя любовь" (my love)

You looked up at him, shaking your head softly

"It's alright Sasha... just hurts a bit.."

Sasha could tell that it wasn't just physical hurt, after all, Sage may have healed physical wounds but she couldn't heal mental wounds.

"Want to tell me about it when we get into bed?"

He asked, inviting you to speak your strife. To this you nodded, accepting his invitation, endlessly grateful one was extended to begin with. You honestly didn't know how he put up with you.

After you showered you pulled on one of Sasha's t-shirts and some panties before crawling into bed with your loved one. The moment of silence was broken by you beginning to speak to what was bothering you.

"...I just.. when does it end?... I'm so tired all the time, tired of fighting, I just want us to be normal. Is that so hard to ask?"

Your voice began to break, tears pricking your eyes and a empathetic look was in your boyfriends eyes.

"Oh my love... It's gonna get worse before it gets better.. and when this is all said and done, I swear to you we will have the life of your dreams..."

His voice trailed off, allowing room for your quiet sobs to fill the room, you cried for a good ten minutes before Sasha broke the silence.

"Rest now my dove.. I love to hear your voice, but not like this, don't waste your energy on tears. Rest, so you may be strong again tomorrow."

You sniffled, your tears beginning to dry as you nestled your head under his chin. A small 'I love you..' could be made out from the murmurs that escaped you.

#valorant fluff #valorant fic #valorant #valorant x reader #valorant sova #valorant fanfiction #valorant chamber #valorant yoru #valorant x you #valorant x y/n #sova x you #sova x reader #valorant sova x reader #chamber x you #chamber x reader #valorant chamber x reader #yoru x reader #yoru x you #valorant yoru x reader

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canonicallysoulmates · 1 year

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Jensen and JDM Main Panel NJCon 2023

Jeffrey does the beginning of the panel jump with Jensen! As a bonus treat, there was a video posted on twitter of Jensen coaching Jeffrey on how to do the jump: 💌

What is their favorite backstage memory from one of the cons? For JDM it’s when he spilled the beans and ended up telling everyone he was having a daughter. For Jensen, he says, he’ll never forget the moment at the last comic-con they did for SPN, before he and Jared walked out to a crowd of 7k people he turned to Jared and told him to take it in cause that was it and they went out there and put their arms around each other and he thinks they both got a little emotional. It’s a moment he’ll never forget and he’s glad he took that moment cause usually you walk out and sit down and they announce the other person but he walked out and stood there waiting for Jared to join him and it was pretty memorable. Aww, Jensen 😭

And JDM, actually, watched the boys last SPN comic-con panel backstage because there was a live feed of the panel in the green room. x

The next fan shows some love for John saying he did the best he could with the tools he had, and the only reason I bring it up is that I love how much JDM loves the character of John. And, once again, Jensen is asked about that project that he had teased. He says he’s still waiting to be able to say something about it and that he got in trouble in the last con for saying something so he’s gonna keep his mouth shut. That it’s not hard to figure out but as soon as he’s allowed to talk about it he will and he can’t wait to share it. It’s all good things and there’s supposed to be an official press release but he doesn’t control that, and he was hoping he’d be able to talk about something today but no. He’ll let us know when he can. x

What is an important milestone in their career that they feel helped push them forward? Jensen says that much like all of us there’s a series of forks in the road that we have either chosen where to go or the path has been chosen for us, that when he was in High School, he would eat, drink, sleep baseball for like 3 years. Then in his senior year- he had been doing drama as an elective but his extracurriculars was sports - his drama teacher went and spoke to his baseball coach and told him that they knew they were in season and it was playoffs but they wanted Jensen to try out for the Spring musical. And Jensen only knows about that conversation because his coach told him about it, and at first Jensen was like ‘but we have playoffs’ and his coach was really encouraging, he let him know in a very nice way that he was a good ball player but he wasn’t getting scouted, he wasn’t gonna get a college scholarship from playing and told him that he’s only in High School once so he should try to get as much out of it as he could and promised he’d be in the front row, and for a Texan coach in the 90’s that was not heard of; so Jensen did the play and there happened to be a talent scout there who watched it and afterward went up to Jensen and told him he should go to LA cause he could have a future in this and Jensen told them to take a hike but they went and talked to Jensen’s parents and his parents told him that if he wanted to give it a shot to do it so he thought about it for a few months and went to LA instead of going to college. That was a moment in his life that changed his direction. And for those curious, the play was West Side Story and he played Tony.

He says he had never sang in his life in front of anybody, he was terrified, and the girl who played Maria, she was like an all state soloist choir person who could sing like Adele but she hadn’t done theater so she was nervous about the acting part, he was nervous about he singing part so they helped each other out. And his whole baseball team was in the first two rows shocked, and when he noticed them he thought there was no turning back he would get beat up after that but instead they all went up to him and very awkwardly said that he was good.

Jeffrey says he doesn’t have anything that compares to that story but for him in all honesty it was the year he did both SPN and Grey’s Anatomy. He had been working for 20yrs doing pilots and guest star spots trying to keep a roof over his head and get a foot through the door but it really wasn’t until SPN and Grey’s Anatomy that he got to do that and it thankfully hasn’t stopped.

Jensen mentions that they both know people who are greatly talented and never got the opportunity, and he thinks success in this industry is largely being in the right place at the right time. JDM says he knows people who are his age who still haven’t got that break and are pounding the pavement, hoping and praying, and it’s hard. Jensen comments that he thinks it’s harder now to get in that back when they were younger because now, especially with covid everything has gone remote so you don't have to live in Hollywood anymore to get into the industry.

They both say they wouldn’t even know how to find an agent nowadays; it’s all zoom, you don't get into a room and read for people face to face like they used to have to do. JDM says that was the worst, that he was horrible at it, that he would lie and tell stories trying to charm them before his reading. Jensen adds that you would try to charm because that would usually get you if not that role then another role in the project. Jeffrey also says some people are really good at auditioning and then you put them on a set and they can’t act their way out of a paper bag and some of them are still working today. Jensen says they’ve worked with a few of them 👀

What was Jensen’s favorite thing about the Soldier Boy suit? Jeffrey immediately says codpiece at the same time that Jensen goes to say it 😂

Jensen shares that, no word of a lie, he had to fly to LA 6 different times for them to build that costume for him and you just have to stand there like a mannequin cause those are costume-made suits that are worth a couple hundred thousand dollars and are works of art and that LJ, the designer, and her team are just incredible. But he remembers JDM texting him one time when he was at one of his fittings and he replied that he couldn’t talk because he was in a Soldier Boy fitting and JDM immediately replied saying he needed a picture of the codpiece, and Jensen was like ‘I’m glad you asked that cause they're asking me to pick it right now’ and he had some lined up and he sent JDM the picture asking which one. Jeffrey told him to go with the biggest one but LJ told him no.

There were so many parts he didn’t like about the suit, probably more than he did like, but his honest answer would be the boots because they were the same boots Dean wore for 15yrs. LJ had told him they were doing a military-style boot and she sent him a few options to his house in Austin, he noticed they were very similar to the ones Dean wore so he messaged her and let her know those could work but that he knew of a company that makes a boot that he’s never gotten sick off in 15yrs and that he knows he can stay on his feet for 14hrs a day and his feet won’t hurt at the end of it, she asked what they were, he told her they’re called Carolina’s and she told him that’s what they would get so he loves that because of the connection there.

Jeffrey asks him if he could go to the bathroom in the suit, Jensen answers that he could and that was a conversation that was had, some of the suits were not made with access panels luckily his did, it went together like pants it was a top and a bottom and it would zip together and then there would be the big utility belt, he says there’s a whole group of people it takes to get out of that thing and like the chest piece is solid so he couldn’t really move, he was doing fight scenes feeling like an idiot but it looked cool. x

Back in 2020, Jensen told a story at Vegascon about a fan he met called Kirby from South Carolina the reason I’m bringing it up is because the next fan tries to make a joke about it by introducing themselves as Kirby from South Carolina but Jensen doesn’t remember this story at all and there’s even the implication that he might have just made it all up but Jensen then says he doesn’t lie *snort* suuuure. Could he have forgotten this crazy story he told? 100%. Do I think him capable of making up a funny story just for shits and giggles? Also, 100%.

Back to the question, if Jensen had to do a booze and cheap tattoos collab what would he pick to represent his new Radio Company album? He replies that he luckily has both those answers sitting next to him. He would pick JDM’s smoky rye whiskey, and a couple of thumb tattoos that they got done very quickly and cheaply. So cheaply that they did not pay for them, they got them for free, he and Jeffrey tell the story about how they were on their scooters looking for a tattoo shop and Jeffrey told him they had to recognize them or they would bail it so they go into the first one and the guy behind the desk asked if he could help them, and they told him they wanted to get a couple small, quick tattoos and the guy replied he could fit them in about an hour so they walked out the door and went to the next shop. In the next one when they walked in the owner, who was doing a big leg piece, saw them and went ‘holy shit! get out of my chair!’ so they knew that was the place and they didn’t know what they were going to get, Jeffrey was thinking of getting like 70 on each finger, and Jensen was so ready to go and then went ‘well, maybe just one’. Also, the guy was like ‘I can’t believe it I'm tattooing Negan and Soldier Boy’ so it wasn't even from SPN that they got recognized from 😂

The next fan has a statement and a question, they would like them to please let Kripke know they want him at a con. Jensen says that he would be either really good or really boring because he’s so careful about what comes out of his mouth so he might just say no comment to everything or if he was able to he could give the dissected version of every question and answer, that it would be awesome. Jensen says that attending a con has actually been on Kripke’s radar, he has commented to Jensen that he’s interested in it but he’s so busy that things would have to slow down in his world for that to happen and Jensen hopes it does for Kripke’s sake. JDM asks if there’s only one more year of The Boys to which Jensen replies that there are a lot of rumors but nothing official and that he hopes Kripke gets a break sometime soon and during that break, he gets to attend a con.

And the question is, are there hopes for a tour in the future? No. Obviously, they were very thrilled with the success of the show, that it was incredibly nerve-wracking cause there were so many moving pieces to get that done. They had 13 people on that stage that night and just the thought of like their drummer calling the night before that they have a family emergency and having to bail like anything could have happened so Jensen was really nervous and he was putting a lot of pressure on himself and he remembers at the end of it Steve was like ‘pretty badass wasn’t it?’ and Jensen’s reply was that he never wanted to do that again but then after he settled down he was like ‘maybe we should talk about doing that again’ but touring might be aggressive. But anything’s on the table he would have to talk to his partner about that; JDM says he saw the concert online and then texted Jensen telling him it was really good, that he remembers the first con he ever did was in Vegas and that was the first time Jensen ever got up on stage and sang- he sounds like such a proud dad, it's so cute.

Jensen says the really shitty part of it was that they had to follow probably one of the best performances they’d ever seen out of Louden Swain. x

The next fan wants to let Jensen know that TW’s portrayal of John made them love the character and they hope it’s something they get to see more of in TW and SPN. Jensen says that he, Robbie, and Drake had an at-length conversation about what this John pre-Mary’s death would be like and they really wanted to make him a more approachable character because it would have been an obvious choice to make him the same, there’s no shift, and he thinks that’s a beautiful thing in storytelling when a character goes through something so traumatic that it changes them sometimes for good sometimes for bad. That it’s arguable whether John was changed for bad or good because he set out to do good even though it was a vengeful mission he was setting out to right a wrong because he had gotten wronged and his wife and his family had gotten wronged so he was setting out to right that wrong, now the debate is whether he did that the right way or the wrong way but nonetheless it changed John so he wanted there to be a different type of John in TW so we could see a glimpse prior to that and he thinks that Drake did a great job. x

What’s their favorite format to play in? Jeffrey says the one with the best writing. So probably not the 23 episodic series one because that’s really hard to keep up that level of writing, that lately there’s so much kinda good stuff out there, streaming has kind of changed the game but it also has kind of put a dent in the business because not everyone can be Netflix or Amazon so a lot of shows that we watch are in trouble right now because they don’t have the money because everybody gave up on commercial tv which is crazy; but you follow the best script. You get the best script, you get the best people to work with but as they’ve said a lot of it is luck you don't know half the time if it’s good.

He mentions the SPN pilot and Jensen says the Pilot was good writing and that it still holds up today, and Jeffrey says he knew SPN was good when he saw the soundtrack was in the script. Jeffrey, once again with the honesty, adds that there are also good scripts that get screwed up. So he does like more streaming and a condensed season he thinks it’s easier to keep the quality level.

Jensen answers that he tends to gravitate towards tv over film because with film it’s all there, the beginning, the middle and the end, but with a series it’s a journey and you don’t know where that journey is going to go for the character, the story, or the relationships, and he tends to enjoy that more. JDM mentions that he also thinks they’re not making the quality of movies they were 20yrs ago and the best writing, directing and acting is on television.

Jensen adds that doing a 23-episode network tv show is a grind but with as much as they were doing they did turn out some really great stuff and he thinks that's a testament to the people involved in the show, that they were really invested and loved the show, that being said he’s also done daytime soaps which was brutal, his record is 24 pages of dialogue in one day. This makes them share a mini story about how one time when Jeffrey was filming both SPN and Grey’s Anatomy he had gotten off a 14hr day at Grey’s, hopped on a plane, and got straight to work on SPN so his brain was mush so the way around that was to put his dialogue on post-it notes and stick them everywhere including the boys, they had Jeffrey’s dialogue on post-it notes on their chest 😂

Jensen says that if he had his choice he would do a half hour multicam because schedule wise it is unbelievable, when he thinks about Friends they worked 8hrs a week, three weeks on one week off, they were making a million per episode- that one of his first gigs was a multi cam half hour, JDM says it was the same for him that he did a half hour with Jason Bateman called Black Sheep and he played Joey and he tested for Joey from Friends but he didn’t get it and he’s still mad about it.

Jensen continues and says that it’s also like doing live theater, every week you get an audience of 200-250 people, on a small soundstage and you put on a show for them for 2-3 hours, it’s great energy and you’re workshopping the material all week at a difference when you do a series you block a scene, you might run it one time then go to camera. He thinks guys like he and JDM, you can pretty much throw them at any situation and they’ll be alright cause they’ve been doing it for so long they'll figure it out but multi-cam that’s where it’s at but they don’t make as much of those shows anymore. x

If they played pro baseball what would their walkup song be? Jensen says it’d be the theme song that used to play in his high school games which is the theme song from The Natural which is a baseball movie. Apologies to Jensen cause I’ve never seen it. Also, there’s a hilarious moment where Jensen does a bit of the melody and Jeffrey just goes “the theme from Star Wars?” 🤣

It is time for the last question and Jeffrey is very confused and surprised about the last question process.

What are their favorite karaoke songs? JDM has never done karaoke before and he wants to say Jensen has asked him to before and he’s said goodnight. Jensen hasn’t done karaoke in quite some time and he meant to say he’ll never forget but instead, he said he’ll always forget 😂

Anyways, what he was trying to share is that when he was shooting Dawson’s Creek they went to a little karaoke place and he was just getting to know the cast, they didn’t him that well and it was his first time hanging out with them, and he was playing pool and somebody asked if he was gonna do a song so he reluctantly went up thinking it was either going to go horribly wrong and they would laugh him off the stage or he’d do something different and he sang El Paso by Marty Robbins. x

Jensen and JDM Main Panel NJCon 2023

#jeffrey dean morgan #jensen ackles #if you get the opportunity I suggest checking out the panels for yourself #as i said in the tags for gold this post is streamlined #noniwtv #mine

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eisforeidolon · 1 year

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Question: Are there any important milestones or successes in your career or even life that you felt really helped push you forward or put you on the right track and what they are? It's a weird question, but I couldn't come up with anything else.

JDM: Solid question.

Jensen: I'll tell you one, give him time to think.

JDM: It's a girl!

Jensen: That bit's got legs. It's got legs. Look, I think he, much like all of us, are in a bit of a series of forks in the road and we have either chosen which way to go or the path has been chosen for us. I was talking about this at dinner last night. When I was in high school, I was like eat, drink, sleep, baseball for, like, three years. And finally my senior year, the drama department teacher comes and I'd been doing drama as an elective during school, but then all extracurricular stuff was sports. And so the teacher comes to my baseball coach and says, 'Hey, I know it's in season right now, and playoffs are coming up, but I really want one of your players to try out for - or to be in the spring musical. And coach is like, [incredulous voice] 'Who?' So it was me, and I only knew about that conversation cause I got called into the coach's office and he said, 'Hey, listen, I got, uh, had Ms. Kaiser come and talk to me and said she really wants you to do this spring musical, spring play. And I was like, 'Well, yeah, but coach, we have playoffs coming up'. He's like, 'I know. But you've given me about three solid years of good baseball.' He said this, not so bluntly, but in an actually nice way, but he's like 'You're not good enough, you're not getting scouted by any - you're not gonna get a ride to college, and you're probably not going pro. He's like, but you're a good ball player, that said -

JDM: You're really good looking.

Jensen: [laughs] He says, 'You're only in high school once. You should try to get as much out of it as you possibly can. Go give this a shot, I promise we'll be sitting front row.' And for a Texas coach, back and this was in the 90s? That was not heard of. So I went and I did the play, and there happened to be a talent scout that came and watched the play. Came up to me afterwards and said, 'I think you got it, kid. Think you should move to LA.' And I was like, 'Yeah, take a hike.' But he went and talked to my dad and my mom and told them and they said, 'Well, if you want to give it a shot, give it a shot.' And so I thought about it for a few months and instead of going to college, I went to LA. Never turned back. That was certainly a moment in my life that really kind of changed its direction.

Question: What was the part?

Jensen: Tony in West Side Story.

JDM: [sings] Maria.

Jensen: That was it, and I'd never sang in my life in front of anybody. I was terrified. And they put me - the girl who played Maria, her name was Kendra Ware, Kendra, if you're out there somewhere I hope you're well. And she was like a all state soloist choir person. Like could sing like Adele, and here I am, never sang in my life. But she hadn't done theater. So she was nervous about the acting parts, and I was nervous about the singing parts, so we helped each other out.

JDM: Nice.

Jensen: But first solo, I come out and it's that song [sings a few lines] there's this part of the scene at the front of the stage [sings a little more] and just the front two rows are my whole baseball team going like this [mimes staring upwards, mouth open]. I was like, well, there's no turning back now. I'm either gonna get beat up after this - but I didn't, they all came up and very awkwardly said [slaps JDM on the arm, mimes looking everywhere but directly at him], 'That was good, man.' [laughs] And that was that.

JDM: That's a good story. I like that story. I don't have anything that compares to that. No baseball team or nice people. No coach told me you can't do this anymore. You know what, for me, in all honesty, it was that year that I was doing Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy. It just changed - yeah, and I've told the story a million fuckin' times, but that's the truth. That's when it all kinda happened. I'd been kicking around for twenty years, doing pilots that didn't get picked up and [Fan: Sliders!] Sliders, thank you, woo Sliders. Guest star spots, Sliders. Anything to keep a roof over my head, just trying to keep a foot in the door, but it really wasn't until Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural same time. And thankfully, I haven't stopped, it's been going since then, which is, that's seventeen years ago now.

Jensen: It's been a good ride.

JDM: It's been a decent ride, and no really huge complaints.

Jensen: And there's a lot of folks, and he knows a lot and I know a lot that were grinding it out back in the day in the early two thousands just trying to get a foot in that door, been trying - greatly talented people -

JDM: Hugely talented people.

Jensen: And just couldn't - never cracked the code or just never was at the right place at the right time. I think it's largely that, too, success in this industry is really largely being at the right place at the right time and it's been really good to us, man.

JDM: I know people that are my age and still haven't got that break, that are still out there pounding the pavement, and hoping and praying. Man, it's rough. It's hard.

Jensen: It's harder now, I think -

JDM: I think way harder now.

Jensen: to get in than it was when we were. Because now, especially with COVID, everything has gone remote. So you don't have to live in Hollywood anymore to get into the industry. He and I -

JDM: I mean, I don't even know how to get an agent or anything these days. I don't even know how that works. No, no, it used to be -

Jensen: I wouldn't know how - don't ask us for advice!

JDM: How do you get in today? It's so different now that I wouldn't know what to say.

Jensen: But we did it on Supernatural we'd get a guest star to come in and be like, 'Oh are you local or did you come up from LA?' 'No, I'm from Cleveland'. Like [throws one hand up].

JDM: Really?

Jensen: Yeah, sent in a tape, got the call back and then they sent them. Especially now, it's all Zooms it's all tests - you don't go into a room and reading for people face to face, the way he and I did. Man, auditioning was the worst.

JDM: Horrible. I was horrible at it.

Jensen: It's the worst.

JDM: It's a rough way to go. So you'd just spin yarns. I would just lie and tell stories in the room. Trying to get people to like me, because I hated the auditions. Everybody does the same fuckin' audition, there's -

Jensen: Yeah, try to charm the pants off in the first few seconds before they want you to read.

JDM: That's it.

Jensen: And that usually will get you, if not that role, another role in the project.

JDM: That's right. And then some people are really good at auditioning? And then you put them on a set? And they can't act their way out of a paper bag.

Jensen: Oh yeah.

JDM: Some of them are still working today. [Jensen cracks up] I'm not gonna name any names.

Jensen: And we've worked with a few of them. [someone in the audience brings up Misha] Yeah, is Misha still here?

JDM: That's horrible! I think he's still on his jog(?). [both laughing]

#njcon 2023 #main panel #long post

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rleonemusic · 1 year

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A New Year - Could be. Who knows…

Here we are… a new year! So much to look forward to. To change. To make better. A time for new beginnings… a time for hope! Yeah, I know. A lot of pressure. No one keeps resolutions. No one can live up to the idea of reinventing oneself on a yearly basis. No one transforms into The Rock (well…) or becomes vegan into February when there is barbeque at the Super Bowl party. And Dry January? Right… And while there are lots of songs about new beginnings (I Can See Clearly Now, Here Comes the Sun, Brand New Day) and about hope (Don’t Stop, Imagine, Man in the Mirror), maybe sometimes we just have to embrace the unknown. Embrace what may be coming--whatever that may be. So, my song as I prep for 2023 is Something’s Coming (West Side Story).

How did I get here? How did I get to the idea of embracing the unknown? Let me tell you about Maria*. Maria is one of the last patients I visited this year and shared music with at the hospital where I work as a music therapist. Maria is quite ill, but she had this interesting air about her. She wasn’t fully down. She wasn’t really “hopeful” or showing an ‘I’ll fight to the end’ attitude. She was a little gruff but not in a bad way. She just seemed to embrace the unknown. When I asked her how she was doing she said, “Right now… good. I’m sitting here talking to you.” When I asked her how she was handling things she matter-of-factly said, “It is what it is. Maybe I’ll live to be 100 or maybe I’ll die tomorrow. One thing I do know is, something will happen. I don’t know what. And whatever it is… is what it is.” She wasn’t too up and she wasn’t too down. And for right now, just like she said, she seemed… good. There was a unique, unpretentious calm about her that I immediately admired. After some silence, she said, “Well, you brought a guitar. It won’t play itself now will it.” (Did I mention, a little gruff?) So, I asked her about music. What she liked, or better yet, what she was feeling right now in this moment. She thought for a moment and then she said, “You know that song from ‘West Side Story’ about who knows? Could be? I thought for a moment… “Something’s Coming?” She pointed at me and said, “That’s what I’m feeling.” I pulled it up and gave her perhaps the first acoustic rock version of Tony’s soliloquy:

Could be, who knows? There's something due any day I will know right away, soon as it shows It may come cannonballing down through the sky Gleam in its eye, bright as a rose

Who knows? It's only just out of reach Down the block, on a beach, under a tree I got a feeling there's a miracle due Gonna come true, coming to me

Could it be? Yes, it could Something’s coming, something good, if I can wait Something’s coming, I don't know what it is But it is gonna be great

With a click, with a shock Phone'll jingle, door'll knock, open the latch Something’s coming, don't know when But it's soon, catch the moon, one-handed catch

Around the corner Or whistling down the river Come on, deliver to me Will it be? Yes, it will Maybe just by holding still, it'll be there

Come on, something, come on in, don't be shy Meet a guy, pull up a chair, the air is humming And something great is coming Who knows? It's only just out of reach Down the block, on a beach, maybe tonight

Maybe tonight, maybe tonight

After I finished, she looked like she was in thought, or pondering something. Finally, I asked, “What are you thinking about?” She immediately said… “You.” With surprise I said, “Me? What about me?” “That’s your song too. That is your song for the new year coming. I sense something about you. Seems like you need… something. Something’s coming for you. I don’t know what it is but… then she sang the first line – “Could be. Who knows?” and smiled. I think it was the first time that she smiled. I was, admittedly a little thrown (It’s no real secret that I’ve had some challenges in my life recently) and didn’t really know what to say. It usually takes a lot to throw me off my game when working with patients in the hospital. So, after a long pause I finally just said. “You okay?” This time she smiled a very nurturing smile when she said, “Right now… good. I’m sitting here talking to you.”

There’s no doubt that I connect with people on another level when sharing music with them in the hospital. And even take on some of their feelings, sorrow and joy. Everything is ‘heightened’ in the music--the emotion of the moment. Music does that, it connects us as we share on another level. But this was… different. This was her, perhaps, ‘reading’ me on some other level? I’m not one to embrace fate of ‘meeting someone’ or being ‘put in a place at the right time’ when needed, but her words stuck with me. And still do as I’m sitting here writing this. And now I just cannot get this song, these lyrics, out of my head. If someone would have asked me a few days ago, “What is your song for the new year?” there would have been about a thousand that I would have said before this one. But here I am…

No resolutions for me this year. No radical changes. (I’m not becoming vegan until the Super Bowl.) I’m just embracing what may be coming. Whatever that may be. Okay 2023, I’m ready to see what you’ve got for me! Could be. Who knows? There’s something due any day, I will know right away, soon as it shows…

Happy New Year!! Will you simply embrace the unknown when the clock strikes midnight? Whatever it may be? What is your song for 2023?

The healing power of music…

(*the stories presented in this blog are based on accounts and experiences and are not actual accounts or experiences.)

Raymond Leone, MMT, MT-BC is director of Medical Music Therapy at A Place To Be and the Inova Health System

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loveinstreams · 5 years

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its really funny to me that Singin In The Rain is a movie about a singer giving her voice to an actress and not being recognised, and that the actual singer who dubbed Debbie Reynolds (aka Marnie Nixon) is also living in the shadow of a movie star and not being credited enough for her dubbing!!!!

#she is also the one who sang the voice of Audrey Hepburn and Maria in West side story #oh sweet irony #debbie reynolds #marnie nixon #singin in the rain

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weclassybouquetfun · 2 years

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The BAFTA released their longlist of films that will potentially end up on the final ballot. I find the releasing of longlists unnecessary timewasting. Just give us the final ballot because as Brandy sang; "Almost doesn't count." One body that released the pin is SAG-AFTRA who announced their nominees for this year's SAG Awards. The only shocker on this list is that Kristen Stewart who is most awarded female actor this season didn't garner a nomination. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Caitriona Balfe (Belfast) Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) Ruth Negga (Passing)

*Actor/director Rebecca Hall

was drawn to adapt the novel "Passing" because of the parallels of the story with her life as Hall suspected her mother,, opera singer Maria Ewing, was biracial with African American heritage, something her mother danced around and would always say she didn't know definitively.

Making the film and appearing on PBS' "Finding Your Roots" provided Hall with many answers. Her mother told her that by making the film Rebecca gave Ewing and her late father (who also passed for white) "liberation". It's a great thing because Hall's mother passed away yesterday. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, I'm Your Man) honoured her. Stevens first break came by way of Ewing's husband, theatre director Peter Hall. Stevens was also classmates with Rebecca and her costar in a play and in film.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar) Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza) Troy Kotsur (CODA) Jared Leto (House of Gucci) Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) Jennifer Hudson (Respect) Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos) Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos) Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!) Will Smith (King Richard) Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Belfast CODA Don’t Look Up House of Gucci King Richard

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) Oscar Isaac (Scenes from a Marriage) Michael Keaton (Dopesick) Ewan McGregor (Halston) Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus) Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha) Margaret Qualley (Maid) Jean Smart (Mare of Easttown) Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building) Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Elle Fanning (The Great) Sandra Oh (The Chair) Jean Smart (Hacks) Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Great Hacks The Kominsky Method Only Murders in the Building Ted Lasso Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Brian Cox (Succession) Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) Kieran Culkin (Succession) Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) Jeremy Strong (Succession)

*This category needs Supporting because I can't believe Matthew MacFadyen got locked out.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show) Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game) Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) Sarah Snook (Succession) Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Handmaid’s Tale The Morning Show Squid Game Succession Yellowstone Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series Cobra Kai The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Loki Mare of Easttown Squid Game Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Black Widow Dune The Matrix: Resurrections No Time to Die Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

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geekthefreakout · 2 years

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Garashir Watch West Side Story (Part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Julian was not crying. He refused to cry over an ancient film in front of Garak, no matter how high the quality of said film.

"If he truly believes Chino has killed Maria, would not the appropriate course of action be to plan Chino's demise, rather than his own?" Garak murmured as Tony ran desperately through the streets of New York, begging for Chino to kill him too.

"...Not now, Garak." Julian forced out. He would happily debate Garak on the merits of decisions made by broken-hearted men once the movie was over, and he was certain he wouldn't sniffle through his arguments... Not that he was crying.

On the screen, Tony caught sight of Maria, not dead. Maria smiled and called out to him.

"Hope," Garak murmured as the pair ran towards each other, only for the fateful gunshot to ring out as they met, "is an awful thing to give someone."

"No." Julian said, blinking to clear his blurry vision. "It's the only thing."

In the film, cradled in Maria's arms, Tony apologized for not believing hard enough. Maria assured him that loving is enough. Tony lamented that the world wouldn't let them be. Maria told him that they would get away. Tony smiled.

In Julian's mind, quite unbidden, came the vision of a Garak who never was. Garak from the Dominion simulation, reaching out to him. Apologizing for having to miss lunch as the light left his eyes.

*Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there. Somehow, someday, some...*

Julian surrendered, allowing a sob to escape him. Garak, to his credit, said nothing. Nothing about what he no doubt considered to be a foolish action on Chino's part (giving the gun to Maria) nor what he might have called a better reaction on Maria's part as she pointed the gun at Chino and then at the members of both gangs.

*You all killed him! Not with bullets and guns. But with hate. Well, I can kill too, because now I have hate! So how many bullets, Chino? How many can I kill, and still have one left for me?*

Julian hadn't wanted to leave Garak in the simulation. He'd clung to his arms, to his hands, and Sisko had had to pull him away. He'd wanted to stay with Garak-- or better yet, to carry him away with them, even though his heart had stopped pumping.

*DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!* Maria cried, stopping Officer Krupke (as culpable as any of them) from moving Tony's body.

Julian was aware now that he was shaking. He was also aware of Garak's arm sliding around his back, of Garak's hand covering his on his knee. They stayed that way as the Jets and Sharks carried Tony off together, as Maria followed the odd funeral procession. By the time the credits began rolling, Julian felt more in control of himself.

"So." Julian rolled his shoulders, silently lamenting that the gesture prompted Garak to pull his arm back. "West Side Story."

"It wasn't the most subtle of works." Garak said thoughtfully. "Though I will credit its characters with being generally more intelligent than those in Romeo and Juliet-- not that that is a great leap to make."

"I agree with you there. I think the whole story and world feels more realistic as well. What did you think of the music?"

"Some of it was too saccharine for my tastes, particularly any time Maria sang. However, the composer did an excellent job of carrying the themes through, even as the music was unaccompanied by lyrics. I think, given that the viewer is willing to suspend a great amount of disbelief, there may be some... merit... to your musicals."

Julian blinked-- this was kinder than Garak had ever been to a piece of Earth media.

"At any rate, the creators of this film achieved their desired effect, with you." Garak lifted a hand and touched the tear tracks left on Julian's cheek. "You cried, even though you knew the ending."

"Yes, well... a thing doesn't stop being effective or important just because you know how it ends." Julian willed himself not to blush at the mention of his emotional display. "And don't pretend you disagree. Not when you read 'The Never Ending Sacrifice' every year."

"I wasn't going to disagree." Garak insisted. "Rather, I was going to remark on something else entirely- the character of Anita. Standing in for the role of the Nurse."

"She is an interesting character, isn't she? In a way, I think she's the most important character besides Maria and Tony."

"Indeed. Without her, the ending may not have been so tragic for our heroes." Garak said.

"It's hard to blame her for saying Maria was dead, though. After the Jets assaulted her like that, for no reason besides their blind hate, when she had come to help!" Julian leaned forward, warming to the topic. "That's the message, don't you see? It was the senseless hate that infected all their lives that is the real driving force behind the tragedy. The cycle of pain. Tony killed Bernardo, because Bernardo killed Riff. And then, when Maria convinced Anita to help her and Tony elope anyway, she is repaid by that vile treatment at the hands of the Jets. So she decided to inflict the same pain on Tony that was inflicted on her-- without, of course, actually killing anyone herself."

"Not with her own hands, at any rate." Garak tilted his head. "But Doctor, I was referring to an earlier point in the film, when Anita caught Maria and Tony in the bridal shop. That is the scene where I find she makes her mistakes."

"Wha-- surely you cannot mean that she should have turned Tony in to the Sharks?"

"But of course, Doctor! Or found some other way to remove Tony from the equation. Ah, but I see that is too harsh for your sensibilities. Perhaps instead she should have given Maria a proper education about cleaving to one's family."

"But they were in love!" Julian cried. "They were in love and they wanted to escape the cycle of hate and violence together."

"And in doing so, turn their backs on their people." Garak said seriously. "The height of shortsighted selfishness."

"They didn't want to turn their backs." Julian said. "It's why Maria sent Tony to try and stop the fighting."

"The vapid idealism of the young. Nothing could have stopped that fight. Certainly not Tony alone. They were determined-- you yourself pointed out, Doctor, that the Jets and Sharks only worked well together in the interests of furthering their feud, not stopping it. If Maria had perhaps gone with her paramour... the sight of his sister may have given Bernardo pause, if only for a few moments. But she did not. And then, when Tony has killed Bernardo (fulfilling, at least, his duty to his fallen comrade), it is the duty of both Anita AND Maria to turn him in. But they do not."

"Maria could never have turned Tony over to be slaughtered. Even if he'd done something awful." Julian said quietly. "It would have only been another death. And Maria would have been left alone."

"She would have Anita. And her intended, Chino." Garak replied just as quietly, his bright blue eyes searching Julian's face. Julian felt his mouth go dry under such scrutiny.

"She didn't want Chino. She wanted Tony. She loved Tony, and he loved her. When they were together, the conflict between their two peoples faded away, because there was nothing but their love for each other."

"Ah, but Doctor, you make my point for me. As much as they wished it so, their love-- and I struggle to call it that, with their entire relationship only occurring over a few days!-- is not enough. Love on it's own never is, as Maria learned." Garak twitched a brow ridge. "If their sentimental feelings for each other didn't, as you say, make everything else fade away, perhaps Tony could have seen Chino coming. Perhaps he could have seen the broader scope of the situation at the dance, and known he should not pursue Maria further. Perhaps Maria would have been content among her own kind, as Anita said she should."

"But once their connection was made, it would have grieved them both to lose it. And in a way, isn't their relationship proof that their two peoples don't have to be at odds? That their COULD be a resolution to the conflict, if only the Jets and the Sharks could let go of their hate?" Julian bit his lip, eyes flickering away for a moment before turning back to Garak. "Aren't... aren't WE proof that it's possible?"

Garak gave an exaggerated blink as though surprised.

"But of course, we aren't talking about us, my dear. We have time yet, before our peoples, ah, rumble again."

"That's not a forgone conclusion."

"Ever the optimist. I hope you're right, but one can never tell. These are uncertain times. And should it come to pass..."

"Yes?" Julian found himself leaning closer again. There were barely two inches between them now.

"I enjoy our time together- very much. More, perhaps, than is wise." Garak says softly. "But after all this time, I hope you would know... my loyalty must--"

"Be to Cardassia. To the State." Julian pulled away again, though there knees still touched, their hands less than a hair's breadth apart. "Whether you think it's right or not."

"I cannot think in such broad terms as universal rightness, my dear." Garak's voice had taken on an odd tone. If he were anyone else, Julian would call it pleading. "I can only consider what is right for Cardassia, and hope that it will be right for you as well, or at the very least safe. For a Cardassian, loyalty must be first to the State, second to the family, and last to himself. Something," And here Garak pulled back as well, "Maria and Tony would have done well to consider."

"I think they considered it. Well, the family part, not the state. And they tried for their own happiness anyway. I think because they hoped they could break the cycle. That one day their peoples could unite under a common banner." Julian looked down at his lap. "It took decades. Centuries, even. But they did, Garak. Resolution was possible after all. Their relationship didn't have to be doomed."

"Perhaps, then, the real tragedy is that they fell in love at the wrong time." Garak mused.

"Perhaps." Julian said, and fell quiet. The holoscreen had lapsed into a menu screen, giving options for various translations and iterations of the film. Bits of the score played over top.

*There's a time for us... Some day a time for us....*

END

#garashir #elim garak #julian bashir #ds9 #sam writes stuff #honestly there is so much more i wanted them to talk about #but it threw off the flow #inasmuch as there is a flow in this #i started this for the one hand one heart scene #i finished it for these idiots talking about musicals instead of their own feelings #starcrossed lovers indeed #i'll cross post this to ao3 eventually #gotta go add the links on to the others now

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love-little-lotte · 4 years

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15 Musical Theatre Duets That Make Me Believe In Love Again

Hi! This is a follow-up on my other list: 15 Musical Theatre Female Solos That Make Me Feel Things. This time, I’m going to talk about 15 musical theatre duets that make me believe in love again (obviously, as the title suggests). Love songs are beautiful and special, and I always love listening to them. You don’t even have to be in a relationship to really enjoy them. You just have to listen and feel the music and lyrics.

Musical theatre love songs are a whole different story. I find them more meaningful because they’re part of a story. They help the story progress, as well as provide insight to the characters’ personality. And probably most importantly, these songs help make the audience understand the love these characters feel for each other.

The following songs are my favorite romantic duets in musical theatre. Romantic duets are love songs sung by two people — usually, it’s sung when they profess their love for each other. I love them to bits, and I love how they made me feel. They’re also fun to sing along to! These songs are, in my opinion, incredibly romantic. They transcend me to a different place, and yes, they do make me believe in love again. Also, let me just remind you, that this is my personal list, so if you don’t agree, well then, you can always make a list of your own.

(Disclaimer: I arranged these songs randomly to avoid favoritism, so this is not exactly a “ranking” list.)

1. Sun and Moon - Miss Saigon

I was initially confused which song I would choose from Miss Saigon — this one or “The Last Night of the World.” I eventually chose this one because I liked the lyrics more. They’re so simple, but you can definitely feel the love between Kim and Chris with each word.

This song is sung early on the show, where everything was going perfectly for the both of them. After spending the night, Kim and Chris fell in love unexpectedly while there is an ongoing war. He’s a soldier; she’s a prostitute. They come from a different world, but they found each other. It’s the perfect love song for them.

Most memorable lyrics: How in the light of one night / Did we come so far?

2. Tonight - West Side Story

Just like Kim and Chris from Miss Saigon, Tony and Maria from West Side Story come from a different world. He’s a Jet; she’s a, well... Shark by relation? Anyway, this song is also an absolute favorite of mine. The music, the lyrics... are oh-so gorgeous. Even though they’ve only met one time prior to this song, they fell in love at first sight — and they fell hard. Both Tony and Maria were ready to risk their relationship with family and friends to be with each other.

But before the story went into chaos, this song perfectly described the love they feel for each other. It’s a delightful song, and I love it to bits. I look forward to the day I sing this to a special someone who’s ready to defy everyone just to be with me!

Most memorable lyrics: But here you are / And what was just a world is a star / Tonight

3. Ten Minutes Ago - Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Ever wondered what it feels like to fall in love at first sight? Well, Ella and Prince Topher can tell you — or rather, sing it for you. This song is just as beautiful as the costumes of this Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella production. Seriously, this is unrelated, but you really need to check out the costumes for this show. It’s to die for!

Anyway, this song is the first duet of Ella and Prince Topher. The music is soaring; the lyrics are romantic; and the choreography is memorable. This song is absolutely marvelous and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of falling in love at first sight (one of my favorite musical theatre tropes). Also, you need to check out the Tony Awards performance of this song!

Most memorable lyrics: In the arms of my love I’m flying / Over mountain and meadow and glen

4. Take Me As I Am - Jekyll & Hyde

Unlike most of the songs in this list, I haven’t delved into this musical as much as I want to. Nevertheless, I fell in love with this gorgeous song. I have a weakness for sopranos, so of course, this song caught my attention. Christiane Noll, who played Emma in the OBC recording, sounded so, so heavenly.

Through this song, I got to know Emma and Jekyll’s love for each other. They’re professing their love for each other, promising that they would be on each other’s side no matter what happens. It’s a song that teaches us acceptance and love really go together. Truly one of my favorite romantic song ever.

Most memorable lyrics: And when despair / Tears me in two / Who can I turn to but you?

5. I’ll Cover You - Rent

This particular song is more carefree and upbeat compared to most of the songs in this list. But that doesn’t make it any less romantic. This song sung by my favorite couple in Rent is the absolute best. When all the other couples are fighting, Angel and Collins just continued loving each other and enjoying the little time they have. They are so sweet, and I totally love their relationship. And this song is a huge testament why.

It’s a song that tells the audience that Angel and Collins just love being together and that they truly love one another. They were together through thick and thin, through Angel’s sickness until the very end. They weren’t kidding when they sang “I’ll be there and I’ll cover you.” And yes, the reprise version of this song is the definition of pain and sadness.

Most memorable lyrics: But sweet kisses I’ve got to spare / I’ll be there and I’ll cover you

6. As Long As You’re Mine - Wicked

Whenever I listen to this song, I always describe it as “sensual and intimate.” This song may not be promiscuous or anything like that, but it’s so passionate and sexy in an innocent way. It’s a beautiful love song, and when performed right, truly make me fall in love. The lyrics are perfect for what Elphaba and Fiyero are going through, and the music is beyond catchy.

When they do release the movie version of Wicked — which is probably never at this point — I hope they cast actors who have amazing, off the roof chemistry. This song is one of my favorites, and I would love to see it done well on the big screen. Elphaba’s cheeky last line “For the first time, I feel... wicked” is probably my favorite line in the show.

Most memorable lyrics: Borrow the moonlight / Until it is through / And know I’ll be here / Holding you / As long as you’re mine

7. Only Us - Dear Evan Hansen

One of the purest romantic songs ever. Though Evan may not be your ideal perfect guy, you can’t deny that this song is plain sweet. This duet between Evan and Zoe is cute and relatable — anyone who fell in love before can identify with the lyrics. And even though you’re not a fan of musical theatre, I’m pretty sure you’re still going to like this fan favorite.

This song is one of my favorite song in “new” musicals. It’s sung by teenagers in the show, but the lyrics and music are perfect to attract younger audiences. It’s a good song to sing along to, and probably a good dedication song for your significant other.

Most memorable lyrics: You and me / That’s all that we need it to be / And the rest of the world falls away

8. Seven Wonders - Catch Me If You Can

The first time I listened to the musical, I was in high school. I didn’t know it was based on a movie. I didn’t know who Frank Abagnale even is! The reason why I even cared about this musical is because of Aaron Tveit, which made me listen to the cast recording, then watch the movie (which is really good). I fell in love with this song the first moment I listened to it. It’s catchy and pure and beautiful.

The duet is sung by Frank and Brenda in the musical. The lyrics (and Aaron Tveit) are probably the highlights of the song for me. It’s hilarious and, at the same time, really sweet. Imagine having a guy you like say that you couldn’t compare to all the beautiful places in the world because you’re perfect! And then imagine Aaron Tveit singing that to you. But seriously speaking, this song is goshdarn cute and romantic.

Most memorable lyrics: I’ve been a lot of places / Yes, I’ve traveled near and far / But now I know that home is where you are

9. Happiness - Passion

This is the first song of the musical, and from there, I’m already in love. Giorgio and Clara’s song is simply enchanting. It tells the story of two people just being happy in each other’s arms. We don’t know who they are — as the musical only started — but we just know that they’re completely in love with each other, satisfied and contented.

Indeed, this is one of my favorite love songs ever. It’s warm, delightful, and deeply sensual. Giorgio and Clara’s love story may not be perfect (as we realize later on the show), but this song is perfect for their relationship in the beginning.

Most memorable lyrics: Some say happiness / Comes and goes / Then this happiness / Is a kind of happiness / No one really knows

10. Say It Somehow - The Light in the Piazza

This musical has one of the best scores ever. It’s astonishingly pleasant to the ears. This particular song, on the other hand, is one of the best love songs I’ve ever heard. In this song, this is when Fabrizio (spoiler alert?) professes his love and proposes to Clara (a different one from the previously mentioned musical).

Who does not want a declaration of love with a song like this? It’s everyone’s dream — or rather, my dream. It’s a gorgeous song with flawless music and lyrics. And I know you’re getting tired of hearing it but yes, this is one of my favorite songs.

Most memorable lyrics: Say it somehow / Anyway you can / You know me / You are good

11. Something to Believe In - Newsies

The first few notes of this song is already set to make me fall in love, and it succeeds. This love song is amazing and fun to sing along to. It’s catchy (especially the chorus) and above all, romantic. Jack and Katherine are not only friends, but they also know how to work together and that’s important in any relationship.

Needless to say, this song is the perfect for the both of them. Jack and Katherine truly believed in each other. They’re one of my favorite couples in musicals, so I’m pretty happy that they got a really good song. It’s also one of those songs that you can play for your friends who don’t often listen to musicals.

Most memorable lyrics: And if I’m gone tomorrow / What was ours still will be / I have something to believe in / Now that I know you believed in me

12. One Second and a Million Miles - The Bridges of Madison County

Honestly, I’m not sure if this is an “actual” love song, but what the hell, I love this song and I’m making the list so I’m going to include it. The entire musical is heartbreaking, but oh-so romantic and beautiful. The songs are exquisite and gorgeous, especially this big song in the second act wherein Robert tells Francesca to leave everything and run away with him.

It’s a song of reassurance, that whatever the risks they’re going to take, it’s enough because they love one another and they’re going to be there for each other. It’s an incredible song and no matter how many times I listen to the cast recording, Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale’s vocals give me chills every time.

Most memorable lyrics: And you and I are just one second / Spinning by in just one second / You and I have just one second / And a million miles to go

13. All I Ask of You - The Phantom of the Opera

My. Favorite. Duet. Of. All. Time. I mean, I think most of my followers here are from the “Phandom” so you just know that I have to include a song from this musical. This song is the absolute best, which of course, truly made me believe in love again. It’s beautiful. Raoul and Christine’s relationship is the best, as the both of them love each other very much.

In this song, Raoul promises Christine to be there for her all the time no matter what. He promises his love for her and more. It’s a wonderful and romantic song that has been covered endless times by popular artists outside musical theatre (my favorite would’ve been Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson’s version). And I swear, if I ever get married in the future, this will be the song that I would play on my first dance with my husband.

Most memorable lyrics: Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime / Say the word and I will follow you / Share each day with me, each night, each morning / Say you love me / You know I do

14. All I’ve Ever Known - Hadestown

Anaïs Mitchell originally wanted this to be a solo for Eurydice, but I thank the gods everyday that she turned it into a duet. It’s my favorite song in the musical, and it’s absolutely wonderful. For a really long time, Eurydice was on her own and very independent. She didn’t trust anyone. But now, she was ready to open up and love Orpheus with all her heart.

Furthermore, the choreography in this song is absolutely amazing. It showed the intimacy of Eurydice and Orpheus’ relationship through their dance. It went perfectly well along with the song as well! I love this song very much, and it’s on repeat.

Most memorable lyrics: All I know is you’re someone I have always known / And I don’t even know you / Now I wanna hold you, hold you close / I don’t wanna ever have to let you go

15. I Have Dreamed - The King and I

Tuptim and Lun Tha are only supporting characters in their musical, but their songs are my absolute favorites. This and “We Kiss in a Shadow” are two of my favorite songs in the musical. Their songs, especially this one in particular, left a long-lasting impression to me. Even though I’m not in love, this song makes me feel like I am.

My first version of this song is Lea Salonga and Peabo Bryon’s version (which you should really check out if you haven’t!) Their rendition of this song is super good — it’s like you’ve died and gone to heaven. The lyrics are amazing and perfectly written. To top it all of, this song is very romantic, and I love it so much.

Most memorable lyrics: In these dreams, I’ve loved you so / That by now I think, I know / What it’s like to be loved by you / I will love being loved by you

_________________________

And that brings us to the end of this list. These 15 songs truly made me believe in love again, and I suggest you give them a listen! Who knows, maybe you’d like them as well.

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socialdegenerate · 4 years

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West Side Story at Stage Around

I don’t like West Side Story.

This isn’t a particularly new opinion of mine: I’ve always generally considered it to be one of the more unfortunately heterosexual of musicals (the Ultimate Gay Artform), the songs are hit and miss, and I’ve never managed to sit through the whole movie.

But I just spent almost three hours utterly transfixed as Miyano Mamoru sang and danced and died on stage as Tony.

It definitely helped that it was staged in a new theatre with a 360 degree stage all around the audience, and that had a seating bank that spun around to face different parts of the stage depending on which set they needed for each scene. They made the most of that rather unique setup, and at the end when Mamo was running through the city, the audience rotated as he circled around and it really added a sense of distance to the scene (...he was also screeching the whole time lmao). They also had a few scenes where blokes on actual motorbikes would ride around the stage, and hearing the motors going behind the seats was a great touch.

However, for me the whole thing was made by Mamo. I might have snickered through his serious scenes and his fan service shirtless (and pantsless) scene, but he’s just so goddamned charming that I love watching him do literally anything. I’ve also never noticed how bloody broad old mate is???? Dude’s got shoulders to match his legs for days. Yes I am a lesbian, why do you ask?

Anyway.

The rest of the cast were all super good as well: Maria hit some wild high notes and the dancers were amazing, and the dresses were absolutely *chef’s kiss*. I feel like a lot of the racial aspect got lost (...because entirely Japanese cast) and the very end shot of all the names and dates of major scenes of real life gun violence (Christchurch, Sandy Hook, Charleston etc) felt a little confused in its actual message, but they tried and they put on a damn good show.

But for real. That goddamn tall motherfucker is so charming that nothing else even matters, because he stole the show and had me intently watching a musical that I don’t even like. I also like Aoi Shouta (who is sharing the role with Mamo) but I just don’t think he could have quite the same effect on me.

Kaji Yuki was right: Miyano Mamoru isn’t just an entertainer, he is THE entertainer.

And he put on a damn good show tonight.

#this fuckin’ dude i swear to god #Miyano Mamoru #long post #no read more bc on mobile sorry!!

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keepingupwithlinmanuel · 5 years

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The Mixed Reception of the Hamilton Premiere in Puerto Rico

When Miranda went to the island in 2010 as the star of his Caribbean diaspora hip-hop musical, In the Heights, he received a joyous welcome. One festive number included a Spanish-language call to raise the Puerto Rican flag; the audience members pulled 500 banderas from their pockets, the producer Jeffrey Seller told me over lunch at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, in San Juan. Although Miranda was born in New York, he spent childhood summers in Puerto Rico in his family’s hometown of Vega Alta, where his grandfather ran the local credit union. Lacking fluent Spanish, Miranda passed many days alone making home movies. To be cheered by a Puerto Rican audience, he told Oprah last spring, “closed something in me I didn’t even know was open.”

Hamilton—another hip-hop story of a man born in the Caribbean who comes to New York to reinvent himself and his nation—opened on Broadway to rave reviews in 2015. Miranda then called Seller and said he wanted to take his second show to Puerto Rico. (Broadway tours seldom visit San Juan because of the time and cost of shipping sets from the mainland, the producer explained.) Then, in 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island. “The hurricane changed our mission,” Seller recalled. Instead of a simple homecoming, Hamilton in Puerto Rico would become a fundraising venture, a tourism lure, and a declaration of support for the island’s recovery. Miranda had already helped to raise $43 million through his father’s Hispanic Federation for immediate relief. Revenue from Hamilton in Puerto Rico, which runs until January 27, with Miranda returning to the title role, is expected to bring in $15 million to benefit arts organizations on the island.

At the center of the discord over the show was the fact that UPR, like much of the island’s education and economic system, is in crisis. Puerto Rico owes a reported $72 billion in municipal bonds, accumulated over the past two decades to pay for social services as businesses and residents left for the mainland. promesa, a financial oversight board appointed in 2016 by President Barack Obama, had imposed unpopular austerity measures: hundreds of school closures, along with tuition hikes and budget cuts at UPR.

Miranda initially supported promesa, invoking Hamilton’s plea for governmental relief after a hurricane hit the Caribbean in 1772, and implored Congress to pass a debt-restructuring bill. (“I write about Puerto Rico today just as Hamilton wrote about St. Croix in his time,” he said in a New York Times op-ed.) As the star and creator of a musical that champions America’s first Treasury secretary, and that was famously hatched and hallowed in Obama’s White House, Miranda appeared closely linked to the federal authority that had taken away Puerto Rico’s control over its own economy. When Miranda gave a talk at UPR in 2017 to announce a Hamilton production on the island, a group of students marched onstage with a sign that read, in Spanish, “Lin-Manuel, our lives are not your theater.” (According to Carmen Haydée Rivera, a UPR English professor who interviewed Miranda during the talk, he listened thoughtfully to the protest and explained afterward that his views on promesa had changed.)

More obstacles arose as hurricane restoration work continued at the UPR theater and Hamilton began rehearsing there in December 2018. A university-employee association, facing slashed benefits, sent Miranda a letter last November stating that demonstrations might occur if Hamilton were performed on campus. Seller worried about security; police routinely patrolled Hamilton events in New York, but they are restricted on the UPR campus (and recently clashed violently with university protesters). Another option emerged: Ricardo Rosselló, the governor of Puerto Rico, offered Hamilton the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, a government theater with more seating and no obstacles to police protection. Only a few weeks before opening night, the producers decided to cancel the UPR engagement and move to Bellas Artes, the same theater where In the Heights had played in 2010.

Instead of quelling controversy, the change of venue fueled it. Now Hamilton was officially associated with a pro-statehood governor whose administration had drawn ire for suppressing Puerto Rican cultural celebrations in the school curriculum. In a post on 80grados, a left-leaning journal, the activist Amárilis Pagán Jiménez asked in Spanish why San Juan should welcome a show that chronicles “the history of the same damn country that has us under an unworthy colonial state and that ended us with PROMESA.” The musical that had been celebrated for the revolutionary diversity of its cast was now being aligned with the American political establishment that Hamilton had tried to reimagine.

These criticisms were compounded by disputes over whether a Nuyorican like Miranda had the authority to speak for Puerto Rico, and whether the arts were a luxury amid crippling austerity. Rivera, the UPR professor, wrote to me that “while many people in Puerto Rico appreciate Lin-Manuel’s efforts and support, these are, at times, eclipsed by the climate of uncertainty brought about by the current fiscal crisis and politically tense relationships between the island and the U.S.,” especially after the hurricane.

...

The performance itself brought three indelible moments. The first came when Miranda entered as Hamilton. There’s often applause for his entrance, but arguably nothing like this time at Bellas Artes, where the entire audience rose, as one, for an ovation that lasted more than a minute and seemed like an epoch. It was as though all the tension of the preceding months was being released in a collective exhalation; the people in the theater, at least, wanted Miranda to know they wanted him there. (“It was the first time I felt a cheer,” Miranda recalled at a press conference after the show. “I felt my hair move.”)

The second moment came when Hamilton, enmeshed in a political scandal, thought back to the hurricane that destroyed his childhood island. “In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet,” Miranda sang, with an emotional depth that belied his customary ebullience. The hall was hushed. (“I feel like I’m going back to Maria when I sing it,” he later explained.) The show had become about the island’s trauma after the disaster. “Hurricane” sounded like an echo of the West Side Story lyric from “Maria” that Miranda had remixed for a benefit single: “Say it soft, and it’s almost like praying.”

The final moment came at the curtain call, after Miranda had thanked his co-creators and invited his father onstage. “Lin-Manuel always said, and I take that to heart, that it was not only to experience Hamilton in its artistic value, but also to leave Puerto Rico a little better than we found it,” Luis said, speaking of their fundraising efforts. Then his son reached into the breast of his Hamilton costume and whipped out a giant Puerto Rican flag. The crowd erupted. Miranda appeared to be in tears. Where 500 flags had greeted In the Heights, what looked like thousands of cellphones came out to capture Miranda waving la bandera puertorriqueña. I showed my cellphone video to my Airbnb host the next day, and she started crying. “We’re a colony,” she said. “We’re treated as American, but we speak Spanish. When Lin-Manuel takes out the flag, it’s like, Yes, we exist.” Did it matter that Hamilton was a show about America’s Founders? “Not at all. It’s a great story!”

This is a great article for providing full context. You can read the rest here.

(Re Lin and the debt restructure, you can read about what he was actually fighting for at the time here.)

#lin manuel miranda #puerto rico #politics and advocacy #hamilton #hamiltonpr #the atlantic #articles

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amer-ainu · 5 years

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In 1973, three young activists in New York City recorded A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America. Singing of their direct lineage to immigrant workers as well as their affinity with freedom fighters everywhere, Chris Kando Iijima, Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto, and William “Charlie” Chin recorded the experiences of the first generation to identify with the term and concept Asian American—a pan-ethnic association formulated upon a shared history of discrimination. They sought a connection to their cultural heritage; to claim their historical presence in the United States; to resist their marginalization; and to mobilize solidarity across class, ethnic, racial, and national differences. Music provided a powerful means for expressing their aspiration to reshape a society reeling from a prolonged war, ongoing struggles against racial inequity, and revelations of the Watergate cover-up. As writer and activist Phil Tajitsu Nash would state many decades later, A Grain of Sand was “more than just grooves on a piece of vinyl,” it was “the soundtrack for the political and personal awareness taking place in their lives.” Equal parts political manifesto, collaborative art project, and organizing tool, it is widely recognized as the first album of Asian American music.

A Grain of Sand was produced by Paredon Records. Over the course of 15 years, Paredon founders Irwin Silber and Barbara Dane amassed a catalog of 50 titles reflecting their commitment to the music of peace and social justice movements. In 1991, to ensure its ongoing accessibility, Silber and Dane donated the Paredon catalog to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, through which these recordings and their original liner notes remain available to the public.

THE MUSIC While the message of the album was by no means mainstream, the music through which Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie expressed their political and social convictions was reflective of the popular genres of the period. The 12 songs on A Grain of Sand were shaped by the American folk music revival, blues, soul, and jazz. For instance, “The Wandering Chinaman” is in the form of a traditional ballad. “We Are the Children” is more of a folk-rock anthem. “Divide and Conquer” and “Free the Land,” with their bass and percussion lines, are driven by a soul groove. “Something About Me Today” and “War of the Flea,” are instrumentally stark, emphasizing Nobuko’s voice against the counterpoint of Chris and Charlie’s guitar lines. All of their songs are notably written in the first person and directly encourage the listener to action: “Hold the banner high...”; “Will you answer...”; “Take a stand....”

Intending to take their music on the road, they kept their instrumentation simple—two guitars and three voices. For the album and in some performances, they were backed by conga and bass, and other instruments such as the di zi, a Chinese transverse flute that Charlie played.

A Grain of Sand was mostly compiled over a two-day period from first or second takes. Charlie compares their 4-track recording process to more technically sophisticated commercial productions as the difference between “a folding chair and a Maserati.” And perhaps because of these conditions, the recording is animated by the spontaneity and energy of a live performance. Arlan Huang, who created the artwork for the album jacket, remembers, “It was fresh as can be. There was nothing else like it. The power of their lyrics was aimed at people like me. They were saying things that I had thought about but hadn’t put into words or painting. And they were GOOD. It wasn’t like seeing your buddies at the neighborhood hootenanny strumming a guitar. Nobuko could actually sing.”

THE ARTISTS Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie, who were in their twenties and thirties in the early 1970s, arrived at their collaboration via routes that reflect the legacies of migration and exclusion.

Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto (b. 1939). Nobuko’s mother was born in the United States, the daughter of Japanese immigrants; her father was the son of a Japanese immigrant father and a White Mormon mother from Idaho. The family was living in Los Angeles when World War II broke out and all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast were forcibly removed from their communities. To get his family out of the Santa Anita racetrack where they were initially confined, Nobuko’s father volunteered to harvest sugar beets in Montana. From there the family moved to Idaho and then to Utah before they were allowed to return to Los Angeles after the war. Despite this instability, Nobuko was encouraged by both parents in her study of music and dance. By the 1960s, she had been a scholarship student at the American School of Dance in Hollywood; performed with Alicia Alonso’s ballet company; and performed in the original Broadway production of Flower Drum Song, as well as in the film adaptation of West Side Story, where she was cast as one of Maria’s Puerto Rican dress-shop companions. She had also discovered the limitations of being an Asian in the mainstream entertainment industry. In 1968, she helped Italian filmmaker Antonello Branca to document the Black Panther Party for his film Seize the Time. Through this project, she met Yuri Kochiyama, a Harlem community activist and friend of the late Malcolm X, who subsequently introduced Nobuko to civil rights organizing in the local Asian and African American communities.

Chris Kando Iijima (1948–2005). Both of Chris’s parents, Americans of Japanese ancestry, were originally from California but raised their family in New York City, where they resettled after their World War II incarceration. Their example and consciousness significantly contributed to A Grain of Sand. Chris’s father was a musician and choirmaster, who took his children to the 1963 March on Washington. His mother—inspired by the educational and cultural activities integral to the Black Power movement—co-founded the organization Asian Americans for Action (Triple A) in 1969 to instill the same kind of pride in local Asian American youth. Chris attended the High School of Music and Art in Harlem, where he studied French horn, though he also played guitar.

Chris and Nobuko met in Triple A; and they wrote their first song and performed together in 1969 at a conference of the Japanese American Citizens League, where they joined other young people in urging the organization to oppose the war in Vietnam. Nobuko recalls, “We sang a song that was the collective expression of our Asian brothers and sisters to stop the killing of people who looked like us. The electricity of that moment, the realization that, until then, we had never heard songs about us, set the course of my journey.” When they returned to New York, Chris and Nobuko wrote more songs and began to perform locally and in California. A year later they met Charlie Chin.

William “Charlie” Chin (b. 1944). Charlie’s father came to New York City from Toisan, China; his mother, who was of mixed Chinese, Carib, and Venezuelan ancestry, was born in New York but raised in Trinidad. Growing up in Queens, Charlie’s musical upbringing was comprised of the Trinidadian forms played by his mother’s relatives and those emanating from the American folk music revival. Inspired by Pete Seeger, Charlie took up the banjo, but he also played cuatro, auto harp, and guitar. In the late 1960s, he toured the country with Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys. After he left the group, he returned to New York, where he worked as a bartender. In 1970, he ended up backing Chris and Nobuko by chance at a performance for a conference of new Asian American community groups, student organizations, and activists at Pace College. He recalls, “I’m at the conference, and all the things they are talking about—Asian Americans, how history impacts us, how we have been apologetic about being Asian. And there’s been this hanging question for me, ever since I had taught Appalachian 5-string banjo at a folk music camp, ‘Where is my history? Where is my culture?’ So I go on with them. And I’m listening—I have never heard this stuff before. This is amazing. So the first time I ever hear them play, I’m playing with them.”

For the next three years, the trio performed at Buddhist temples, churches, colleges, community centers, coffeehouses, rallies, prisons, and parks in New York and across the country. “We became like griots,” Nobuko says, “Moving like troubadours from community to community—we’d say, ‘This is what is going on in New York…and we have this Chinatown health program going on,’ and we would carry this news to Sacramento and L.A. and Stockton and San Francisco. And then we’d gather stories from there and carry it back to New York. We were like the YouTube of the times—spreading the news.”

THE MOVEMENT Coming of age during the civil rights and anti-war movements, the children and grandchildren of Asian immigrants unleashed a whirlwind of grassroots activism beginning in the late 1960s. Around the country, they protested the war. They demanded ethnic studies curricula. They organized against urban renewal projects that displaced the residents of old Chinatowns and Japantowns. They formed literary workshops, art collectives, and social service centers. A Grain of Sand was a direct extension of Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie’s collaboration in the Asian American Movement.

One important community that provided support and inspiration for A Grain of Sand was Basement Workshop, an Asian American collective in New York’s Chinatown. Formed in 1970, they ran a creative arts program, a resource center for community documentation, and a youth employment program; produced a magazine; and offered language and citizenship classes. In 1971, Basement Workshop undertook a project to illustrate and publish the music of Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie. Titled Yellow Pearl, after one of their songs, it grew into a larger compilation of writing, art, and music. Public artist Tomie Arai emphasizes the importance of Basement and A Grain of Sand during this period: “You have to understand. There wasn’t anything at all out there. There was no music. No published poetry, music, recordings. Nothing. It was through Basement that people began to refer to themselves as artists. I didn’t know any artists. I wanted to be one—but I didn’t know what that meant.”

Fay Chiang, who served as director of Basement for 12 years, recalls that for their programs and direct actions, they also looked to the examples of other communities: “We were influenced by what was happening in the Black and Puerto Rican communities. Why not us? Who are we? It was very basic: Who are we? There was a hunger, a need to figure that out, where we felt like it was a matter life and death. The second and third generation Japanese Americans had come from the camps—and this feeling of not belonging in the society, racism, and displacement was visceral.”

Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie’s association with activists in other communities was reflected in their music. For example, “Somos Asiaticos” was inspired by their involvement with squatters’ organizations Operation Move In and El Comité. These activists opened a coffee shop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the Dot, which was regularly visited by singers, performers, and poets from Cuba, Chile, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The Asian Americans who had taken over a storefront for a drop-in center down the street also congregated here. Nobuko recalled, “We were all there—artists and poets—listening to and influencing each other. We had a whole set, five songs, that we did in Spanish. One year, I think it was 1973–1974, we did more gigs for Latino groups than for Asian groups.” In fact, their first recording was done for a Puerto Rican company, Discos Coqui. Invited by two Puerto Rican Movement singers, Pepe y Flora, they recorded “Venceremos” and “Somos Asiaticos,” which were released as a 45 disc in Puerto Rico. Later, they were invited to perform at Madison Square Garden for Puerto Rican Liberation Day.

“Free the Land,” another song on A Grain of Sand, was written by Chris for the Republic of New Africa. This organization, established by a group of Malcolm X’s associates after his 1965 assassination, was the first group to call for slavery reparations—in particular in the form of an all-Black homeland in the southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Atallah Muhammad Ayubbi and Dr. Mutulu Shakur, both Republic of New Africa members, performed on A Grain of Sand. Atallah worked in the Black and Puerto Rican communities in the Bronx where he grew up. He was also a conguero and sometimes accompanied the group in live performances. Dr. Mutulu Shakur, who is the godfather of Nobuko and Atallah’s son, provided background vocals on the album. He often played the album at home, and his stepson, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, grew up listening and singing along to it.

Of this time in the early 1970s, Nobuko recalls, “It was like jumping into the pool of revolution…. Every day there was organizing going on at many different levels. It was powerful. You see something wrong, you have an idea how to fix it, you put it into practice.” And about this period living on the Upper West Side, she says, “that was the first time I ever felt like I was part of a community. You would walk down the street and see people you knew, and they would ask if you were going to be at such-and-such event and could you bring food or perform. It was a dynamic moment. We were crossing borderlines, and the music helped us to do that.”

THE LEGACY The intensity of purpose and activity during this period succeed in reshaping academic, cultural, and political institutions. It also gave rise to ideological conflicts and violence that sometimes destabilized organizations and efforts. For instance, Basement Workshop was shaken internally by the accusations and criticisms of members of the Communist Workers Party. And several months after A Grain of Sand was recorded, Atallah was killed in an ambush at a Brooklyn mosque.

Charlie remembers, “We were all moving so rapidly…. Everyone believed that things could be changed if you worked on it. We in our very young innocence thought that there actually would be a revolution in this country. I assured people it would happen. And when it didn’t, I felt bad: ‘Sorry, man’, ‘Sorry, dude.’”

By late 1973 when A Grain of Sand was released, Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie were beginning to hone their sense of purpose in ways that drew them in different directions. And the album marks, in effect, one of the group’s final collective efforts, though each in their own way continued the work they had started together.

Nobuko returned to southern California. In 1978, she established the organization Great Leap, Inc., through which she initiates multicultural community performing arts collaborations in Los Angeles, as well as nationally and internationally. She continues to perform, lecture, and provide workshops based on her new music as well as on reinterpretations of the songs from A Grain of Sand. In recent years her residencies and special projects have focused on facilitating dialog across spiritual differences and on environmental issues. Active in the Senshin Buddhist Temple, she has composed music and dances that are now a regular part of the annual Buddhist observance of obon (Festival of Lanterns) in temples from California’s Central Valley to San Diego and nationally.

Charlie focused his attention in New York’s Chinatown, becoming involved in the Chinatown History Project, which became the Museum of Chinese in the Americas. He later apprenticed to a master Chinese storyteller, learning the traditional teahouse style, which he has adapted and continues to perform throughout the country. In 1991, he moved to northern California, and he now works for the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco, driven by the conviction that “we know that people can be whipped into hysteria and xenophobia—we’ve seen it happen before, and it could happen again. And the only thing you can do is be vigilant and educate, educate, educate.”

Chris directed his energies to New York’s Upper West Side, where he had grown up. After 10 years of classroom teaching at Manhattan Country School, he studied and practiced law, and later became a professor in Hawai`i, where he fought for Native Hawaiian rights and mentored a generation of social justice–minded law students. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 57.

In the years just before Chris’s passing, Tadashi Nakamura, a young fourth-generation Japanese American filmmaker, began producing a documentary about him, A Song for Ourselves: A Personal Journey into the Life and Music of Asian American Movement Troubadour Chris Iijima. His film is an inspiring and melancholy portrait of Chris, covering his participation in A Grain of Sand, his reflection on his life as he confronted terminal illness, and the impact he had on others. For the film’s premiere in 2009, Nakamura invited Nobuko and Charlie to perform—and he also enlisted several young hip-hop artists. He explains: “Grain of Sand paved the way for many progressive Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders [API] to not only become musicians but cultural workers—artists who use their creativity to further a political movement. I feel very much a part of a present-day movement of API artists that are trying to document, articulate, and tell the stories of their people through their work. A talented new set of artists—such as Geologic and Sabzi of Blue Scholars, Kiwi, Bambu and DJ Phatrick—are creating the soundtrack to my generation’s movement. They are continuing the work that Chris, Nobuko, and Charlie started back in the 1960s. So when I premiered my film, I invited them to perform. I wanted to show that the legacy of A Grain of Sand is very much alive today.”

#A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America #Asian American #Chris Kando Iijima #Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto #William “Charlie” Chin

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notoriouspkp · 5 years

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Lee Mead’s singing on Holby

Okay, I’ll be honest too (wish I could reblog the earlier Anonymous post and replies) . . . but I’ll try to be a bit more diplomatic since I know some of you are younger and happy to be all judgy based on the slightest of evidence without doing a smidgen bit more of research. (Forgive me if I then judge YOU based on the slightest bit of evidence).

If you’re referring to his singing on the recent Holby City ep where he sang a bit of “Only You”, I think you’d have to be remarkably naive to think that a WE star for the last 10+ years cannot sing and has a mediocre voice. This is almost hilarious. So, let’s shoot some fish in a barrel, shall we?

He’s an actor. He’s singing in character as Lofty, duh. Lofty is not a singer, there’s no reason for him to sound like a professional singer, is there? Also, there’s context and subtext in spades which shouldn’t be ignored, but that’s another discussion. He’s not been allowed to sing as himself because the BBC has explicit rules about not allowing performers to promote themselves in outside projects or other professional capacities (Lee’s music & stage work, the other actors who do stage & film work regularly, like Hugh, Jemma, Guy, etc.).

BTW, you can hear a snippet of that song done in Lee’s “real” voice in a show that he did with his friend Stephen Rahman-Hughes in a small cabaret/jazz club setting earlier this year, here (it’s the second song):

https://youtu.be/0nszjB7Or8A

Granted, his voice might not be to your taste. You might not enjoy it, everyone has their own taste, but the guy has a vocal range that very few can match, for any genre of singing (not just WE/musicals).

Gary Barlow gave him a pop song “When I Need You The Most” for his debut album.

"I wrote this song with Wayne Hector and Jorgen Elofsson in 2003 at Delamere studios. Since then I've been searching for an artist to do it justice. Every Saturday night my kids would tune in to watch Joseph. As you all know Lee won and when I heard he was making an album I sent this song to him. He loved it and a few weeks later I heard the finished record. - Super!" (Source: www.garybarlow.com)

If you hear the song, you’ll understand why Barlow wouldn’t let just anybody sing this song. The vocal range needed would be a challenge for most pop singers. Yes, there are a lot of pop singers who can’t sing for shit and are superstars anyway because their voices are manufactured in the studio. With proper singers, it’s often the opposite. His studio albums don’t even do justice to his live singing voice. From his debut album, All That You Know is probably better to show his range.

Or one of the songs he did for the indie movie Three and Out soundtrack, Somebody Help Me (the Spencer Davis Group rock number) or You’ve Got a Friend (the James Taylor classic). You might find them on Spotify. The latter is the backing track for this fanvid. It was done with a gospel choir and his range & power are pretty evident here (even though he didn’t do the falsetto parts):

https://youtu.be/cVDI7VhkPiM

But that was over 10 years ago -- surely he can’t sing as well now? Actually, his tessitura has an even wider range now. His falsetto is insane. When he did an impromptu version of Bring Him Home with Blake on Gaby Roslin’s BBC radio programme a few years ago, they gave him the big falsetto finish. He sings it solo, of course, and it’s been on his set lists for a few years.

He covered “From Now On” on the Jane McDonald & Friends show earlier this year. It’s not on YT, but one of his fansites might still have it. He smashed it. One of Jane’s backing musicians even mentioned it in on Insta and if you know musicians, you know they are notoriously stingy with their praise for singers. Now, I love me some Hugh Jackman, but HJ doesn’t have a trained singing voice and you can hear the strain when he sings. With Lee, there’s no strain -- from a whisper to belting, he makes it seem effortless.

He doesn’t grandstand like a lot of WE singers either, because that tends to take you out of the storytelling arc of the song, flatten the expressiveness (light and shade) emotionally, and makes the song about you instead of the song itself. So, if you prefer power ballads where somebody’s shouting the entire song, then he’s not your guy. Just because you can blow the roof off doesn’t mean you should do it for the whole frickin’ song. Listen to this, even though it’s not the whole song, it’s from the Glamis Proms 2017, singing Maria from West Side Story:

https://youtu.be/C89Y5ehJ5a8

Well, I could go on for days and days about his voice, but that’s enough for today. Feel free to jump in, but ya better bring your A game because yes, I do have all the receipts.

#dofty #lofty chiltern #HolbyCity #lee mead #thanks for coming to my Mead Talk

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miasswier · 5 years

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miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: no 36

36: The First Time

Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Directed by: Bradley Buecker

Overall Thoughts: This is one of those episodes where the Klaine of it all kind of blinds me a little. Listen, I know it’s not actually that great of an episode, but I love it. I’ve watched it a thousand times and I know I’ll watch it a thousand more. It’s basically the first good episode of season three, and considering what it follows, it really shines. As always, there are definitely things I don’t like about it, but the Klaine of it all really outranks everything I dislike; plus, there’s a few other little details that I enjoy.

What I Like:

Sebastian is hereeeeeee. He’s an asshole, but I love him.

Karofsky is back! I’m glad they didn’t just ship him off into oblivion after “Prom Queen”, and I like his scene with Kurt here.

When Kurt is done talking to Karofsky and looks over at Blaine, who is staring at him and literally begging him to come dance with him, and then Kurt gets between him and Sebastian, and the fucking face he makes at Sebastian when he keeps trying to get on Blaine’s other side fuck.

The scene in Blaine’s bedroom. We so, so rarely got to see what Kurt and Blaine’s relationship was like behind closed doors. In fact, we so rarely got to see what any relationship was like behind closed doors, seeing as most scenes, even between couples, on this show take place either at McKinley or Breadstix. So it’s really cool to see them just goofing off and being the giant fucking dorks that they are.

“That’s why they invented masturbation”

Listen, I have as many mixed feelings about that backseat of the car scene as anybody, but can we all just agree that at least it gave us Blaine looking into Kurt’s eyes and saying, in a raspy voice, “I want you. I want you so bad.”

“I just want to live here and make art and help people.”

I LOVE when Tina is telling Rachel about how she lost her virginity to Mike. It’s such a sweet moment, and I think it’s one of the only times a girl on this show actually talks about the fact that she had a good first time and really enjoyed the sex.

Also, speaking of Tina, her outfit for West Side Story is just… damn. I actually have a very specific memory of watching this episode for the first time and literally getting a full body shiver when I saw her. I think that’s the first time my body visibly reacted to the sight of a beautiful woman. Fuck me.

Mike’s mom coming to see him in the play!

Coach Beiste being so fucking oblivious to Cooter’s romantic attempts. Because literally me.

The cute moment when everyone gives Artie flowers and thanks him for all he’s done. I don’t know why they don’t show boys getting flowers on TV more often? Look how fucking happy he is.

I do like the scene in the auditorium between Kurt and Blaine after the show. It’s nice to actually hear them talking out the argument they had, and hear Blaine apologize for how he behaved. I wish they could have done this more often throughout the show.

Also, Kurt’s breathy “I want to go to your house” and Blaine’s eyes all wide and excited, “Okay”

Finn freaking out because he thinks it’s all over for him. Fuck, that’s such an amazing scene. Probably one of the best Finn scenes ever. He absolutely kills it, and it always brings a tear to my eye because it’s so raw and real. The most relatable Finn moment, actually.

What I Don’t Like:

Artie getting involved in Beiste’s love life, literally going as far as to ask if Beiste has ever had sex. What the fuck. He’s a student? That’s so goddamn inappropriate.

Actually, the fact that Artie told Blaine and Rachel they needed to have sex to really understand the roles of Maria and Tony is kind of gross too. Just, not good advice, at all. And super inappropriate, and also highkey none of his business.

I always seem to forget about that awful rape joke about Brittany. Ugh.

The fact that they cut that mash-up of You Spin Me Right Round/Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me that Klaine was going to sing. That would have been awesome and I’m sad.

They kind of do the same thing they do in “The Break-Up” here, where they set it up for Finchel and Klaine to equally be the A plot, but it’s really obvious that Finchel is the A plot and Klaine is the B plot. It just feels like they didn’t know how to do a single episode of this show that involved a gay couple in any way without shoving Finchel in particular down our collective throats.

The way they go about the set-up for the Finchel sex makes me really angry and uncomfortable. They try and talk their way out of it, but they can’t, they’ve already said it: Rachel is giving Finn her virginity to make him feel better about not getting recruited. AND, before she was planning on doing it to be a better actress. Like, I don’t get what was so hard about “Hey Finn, I love you and am ready to have sex with you,” like why couldn’t that be the reason? Why did they have to do it in such a way that it’s literally just a pity fuck to make Finn feel better. Considering they made such a huge stink about Rachel saving it for the right guy and “for a girl it’s a big deal” they really fucked her over.

I’m not as annoyed about Klaine, but it does sort of frustrate me that, again, the reason for their having sex wasn’t just “I love you and am ready”. They had a fight, and now they made up, and while they both made it clear earlier in the episode that they are ready to have sex, I still think it kind of feels weird that they basically did it as a way to make up. I have nothing against make-up sex, trust me, but for your first time? I don’t know.

When this episode first came out, I loved the Cooter/Beiste storyline. Now that we’ve seen how it plays out, I want to claw my eyes out every time he is on screen. Especially watching Artie push Cooter to ask Beiste out again.

Okay, look, there were not enough Latinx characters on this show to pull off West Side Story. They pulled a few out of their ass for the “America” number, but really, they still had a lot of non-Latinx characters as Sharks. Honestly, they didn’t even have enough people of colour to pull off an “ethnic Sharks vs white Jets” deal. I am entirely convinced that this entire plot was just an excuse for Lea Michele to play Maria, since she was so heartbroken back in like, 2008 or 2009 when she auditioned for Maria and they cast a Latinx actress for the role instead. Cause god forbid they not white wash the role for once.

I don’t really know why they wanted to include the Jets in “America”? It just makes them even more obviously racist than they already are.

Once again a major Kurt Hummel episode where he doesn’t get to sing (made even worse by the fact that he was supposed to sing but it got cut)

Songs:

Tonight: Eh. Tina sang it better in season one. Also, what’s with Rachel still looking down at her sheet music? This is the girl who supposedly was off-script for Shakespeare within 10 minutes yet somehow still doesn’t know all the words to a song she demanded be her solo two years ago?

Uptown Girl: Cute and fun! I missed the Warblers.

A Boy Like That/I Have a Love: I like how they weaved these songs into the narrative of the show. I particularly like the intercutting of “A Boy Like That” with Blaine and Sebastian having coffee.

America: Again, I don’t know about the whole adding in the Jets. I think Puck and Santana sound good, though.

One Hand, One Heart: It’s still funny to me that they had Blaine and Rachel sing this song instead of making it a Finchel/Klaine number. I’m also 90% sure that they spend more time on Blaine and Rachel on stage than on the couples having sex.

Final Thoughts: Yeah, I’ll admit it, I have my Klaine goggles on for this one. There’s a few other things I really like, but there’s also stuff I don’t. Still, nothing will ever be bad enough to make me not watch this episode a thousand times over. Especially the Klaine scenes.

#ultimate glee ranking

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pancaspe · 7 years

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Talks Puerto Rico Benefit Song 'Almost Like Praying'

Interview in Rolling Stone

"The way music comes out of ... every molecule of the place [is] something we share," playwright says of track featuring Jennifer Lopez and Luis Fonsi

It's been two weeks since Hurricane Maria first raged across the island of Puerto Rico, and the crisis has only grown more complex. What first seemed like a natural disaster has also proven to be a long-standing infrastructural one; most of the island remains without electricity and water, putting its residents at a heightened risk of disease and famine. Yet with Puerto Ricans' pleas meeting inadequate responses from the White House, Tony-winning Hamilton playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda has taken matters into his own hands – and with the help of many friends. Recorded alongside an all-star cast of Latin artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Gina Rodriguez, Fat Joe, Gloria Esterfan, Camila Cabello and Marc Anthony, Miranda's new song "Almost Like Praying" is a love song to Puerto Rico as much as it is a fight song. The song's proceeds will benefit the Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief Fund.

"You know how we always tell artists 'stay in your lane' anytime they say something remotely political? I'm trying to use what I do in service of this challenge," Miranda tells Rolling Stone. "We're facing a humanitarian crisis right now. And the response from our federal government is not commensurate with the previous two hurricanes, much less up to the unprecedented danger of this disaster itself."

Miranda began work on the song, an adaptation of "Maria" from 1961 musical West Side Story, two days after the hurricane first made landfall. "I knew the name Maria was forever going to have a destructive connotation to this island," says Miranda. "It's also the name of my favorite song from West Side Story. So my brain was already looking for a sample to flip … And that's what we do in hip-hop, right? We take a sample, we flip it and change the meaning. And so the hook of the song is, 'Say it soft, and it's almost like praying.'"

But first, he sought clearance from Stephen Sondheim and the estate of Leonard Bernstein. "They gave their blessing within a day," says Miranda. "When there's a crisis, you call in all the favors – call the gods of musical theater! I have the great fortune to count Sondheim as a mentor and a friend. I worked with him and Bernstein on the 2009 revival of West Side Story and its Spanish translations. Sondheim wrote back immediately and said 'Yes – and what else can I do?'"

Miranda infused the number with a warm blend of dancehall, reggaeton and steel drum sounds; the result is an incendiary and highly danceable clarion call. ("If you're gonna write a song for Puerto Rico and you can't dance to it," says Miranda, "you fucked up.") Most moving is how many of Miranda's childhood heroes, including original West Side Story cast member Rita Moreno, take turns shouting out each of the island's 78 towns – a move Miranda says was inspired by Puerto Ricans' heartbreaking calls across social media to find their relatives in the wake of the storm.

"There was a terrible silence," says Miranda. "For some people days, for some people weeks. My Twitter and my Facebook were filled with friends and family listing the names of their towns. 'My grandmother is in Vega Alta, my father lives in San Juan, has anyone heard from Isabela?' I began thinking about the towns as lyrics. What unites us in this tiny island that is 100 miles across and 35 miles north to south … Is that we're from these towns. We ask, 'Where are you from?' It is our link to our roots and our families."

While enlisting collaborators for the track, Miranda says he made new friends in the process. "I broke my Rolodex and called every Latino artist I know," he says. "And when I didn't know them, I got on Twitter. I caused a minor uproar with Camila Cabello's fans when I tweeted her, 'Hey I have an idea!' I also sent a private message to Luis Fonsi, who I never met before. I cold-called and every single person said yes, without even hearing the song."

Within a dizzying 72 hours, Miranda flew from New York to Miami and Los Angeles to be present while the artists recorded their respective verses. Yet some were still recovering in the Caribbean, where resources were scarce and internet access was spotty. "The rapper PJ Sin Suela recorded at home," says Miranda. "But he didn't have the bandwidth to email his verse. So he gave a memory stick to Estefan, who was there on a relief mission – she then flew it back to us. When I say 'all hands on deck,' I'm really not fucking around!"

Riggs Morales, the executive producer behind the Hamilton Mixtape, mixed and mastered the song in the days that followed. Meanwhile, Miranda harvested stories of Puerto Rico from his collaborators, evoking tears and laughter inside the studios. This behind-the-scenes footage will air as part of a televised benefit, airing commercial-free on Telemundo Saturday, October 7th.

"I asked everyone, 'What are your favorite memories from Puerto Rico?'" says Miranda. "I will never forget seeing Rubén Blades breaking down about meeting Hector LaVoe for the first time. I'll never forget Marc Anthony talking about wearing suits before getting on a plane [to the United States] so they'd look white when they landed … And Gilberto Santa Rosa, who sang at my wedding. He was a salsero, but grew up in the same part of town as Daddy Yankee. They could not make two more different genres, but music saved their lives.

"The way music comes out of every frog, every tree, every molecule of the place," reflects Miranda, "That's something we share."

Almost like praying

#lin manuel miranda #rolling stone magazine #interview #almost like praying #puerto rico relief #dates and times are in italian

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thequeensfan1117 · 6 years

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Unexpected Beauty (Draft 1)

Fandom: Glee Summary: Adam finds a side of Kurt that he’s never seen before. Characters: Adam Crawford, Kurt Hummel Note: Written for Kadam Week 2017. Day 2 Prompt: “Adam witnesses Kurt fixing/working on a car for the first time. He is singing something unexpected, completely oblivious to his audience.”

Living in New York City meant that Adam didn’t usually use a car to get from Point A to Point B. Instead, the subway was his preferred method of transport over the city unless there was a breakdown or an emergency that prevented him from using it. But he still owned a car in the event that he needed to leave the state for Apples business or anything pertaining to his remaining year at NYADA. As it had been a while since he’d had it serviced by a professional (and at the suggestion of his friend Jeremiah), he took his small Volkswagen to Model A as soon as he had the chance.

He was waiting for a diagnostic on his car when he first heard it.

Could it be? Yes, it could. Something’s coming, something good.

Adam’s first instinct was to look for the source of the song. The voice was unmistakably Kurt Hummel’s, after all. There had been no other student at NYADA – or in any part of Adam’s life for that matter – who had that much talent in such a unique voice. And due to the fact that Kurt was still a freshman, the two of them never had much time to spend together aside from Apples practice. So he was eager to catch, at the very least, a glimpse of the younger man before they had to go their separate ways.

When he finally spotted Kurt, Adam was surprised to see him clad in a navy blue jumpsuit and cream-colored gloves matching that of the mechanic that had received his car for the once-over, a bit of motor oil smeared on his cheek. There was also a red Chevy Impala in between the two of them, so Kurt did not notice him standing in front on him and working on its underside (Adam wasn’t sure what exactly he was doing).

With a click, with a shock, Phone’ll jingle, door’ll knock. Open the latch!

Adam was fully aware that Kurt had needed another way to pay his share of the loft’s rent now that Isabelle Wright had let up a bit on his Vogue internship and he’d lost out on a job opening at the Spotlight Diner. Furthermore, he’d never struck Adam as one to fit into a box of “stereotypical” behavior just because of his sexuality or the way he looked. However, if Kurt had ever shown an interest in cars, Adam hadn’t been there to witness it, which was a shame.

The choice of song was a mini-surprise in and of itself. West Side Story wasn’t a musical often brought up whenever the two of them mentioned love stories or musicals in general. In fact, Adam had not an inkling of how Kurt felt about it. For the first time, he dared wonder why that was. Kurt’s seemingly-impromptu performance of the song proved that the depth and range of Tony was well within his reach. And he was certainly dashing enough to sweep any prospective Maria off her feet.

Perhaps it was something they needed to discuss whenever he felt that Kurt would be amenable to the idea.

Around the corner, Or whistling down the river, Come on, deliver To me!

Kurt still sang as he finished whatever business he had with the underside of the car and began to lower it. Adam wasn’t sure how much time he had left to continue watching Kurt without either one of them being disturbed, but he hoped it would be forever one day. If Kurt had been breathtaking at Winter Showcase, this little ditty was something else.

God, this man was amazing, and Adam once again considered himself lucky to be a part of his life.

“Adam Crawford?”

He turned around and faced the portly mechanic who had taken in his car for servicing. As much as he wished he could stay and listen to Kurt sing and work on the Impala some more, he had important business to attend to.

“I’m Adam.”

The man nodded at his confirmation. “Right this way, sir.”

As he followed the man away from the main area of the shop, Adam took one last look at Kurt. Thankfully, the small conversation didn’t seem to tip him off to the Englishman’s presence. He decided not to push the issue and pressure Kurt into telling him about this new job. After all, if he’d wanted to let Adam into that part of his world, he would have done so by now.

#glee fic #kadam fic

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