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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 11 months

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Matt Davies

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“Climate change has become such a familiar term that we tend to read past it- it's part of our mental furniture, like urban sprawl or gun violence.” ― Bill McKibben, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

#Matt Davies #political cartoon #climate change #migration #insurance #climate emergency #quotes #Bill McKibben

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tomorrowusa · 1 year

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It says a lot that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Trump Republicans sound so similar. They are both intent on destroying personal liberty and empowering oligarch allies.

#trump republicans #vladimir putin #personal freedom #western democracy #radical extremists #authoritarianism #donald trump #midterm elections #election 2022 #register and vote #matt davies

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icklewolfiekins · 1 year

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you ever learn something you wish you didn't? I, for example, just learned that between 2008 and 2015 not a single episode of Doctor Who aired that was written by a woman. Between The Sontaran Stratagem, a story with David Tennant as the Doctor, and The Woman Who Lived, a Peter Capaldi story, not a single episode was written by a woman.

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denimbex1986 · 4 months

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'...“It’s fun playing bad, but actually he’s not,” the actor says, smiling as he reflects on his character, Crowley. “He’s a villain with a heart. The amount of really evil things he does are vanishingly small.”

...As it always has, “Good Omens” dissects the view of good and evil as absolutes, showing viewers that they are not as separate as we were led to believe growing up. Aziraphale and Crowley’s long-standing union is proof of this. The show also urges people to look at what defines our own humanity. For Tennant — who opted to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Leave trans kids alone you absolute freaks” during a photocall for Season 2 — these themes are more important now than ever before.

“In this society that we’re currently living in, where polarization seems ever more present, fierce and difficult to navigate. Negotiation feels like a dirty word at times,” he says, earnestly. “This is a show about negotiation. Two extremes finding common ground and making their world a better place through it. Making life easier, kinder and better. If that’s the sort of super objective of the show, then I can’t think of anything more timely, relevant or apt for the rather fractious times we’re living in.”

“Good Omens” is back by popular demand for another season. How does it feel?

It’s lovely. Whenever you send something out into the world, you never quite know how it will land. Especially with this, because it was this beloved book that existed, and that creates an extra tension that you might break some dreams. But it really exploded. I guess we were helped by the fact that we had Neil Gaiman with us, so you couldn’t really quibble too much with the decisions that were being made. The reception was, and continues to be, overwhelming.

Now that you’re no longer bound by the original material that people did, perhaps, feel a sense of ownership over, does the new content for Season 2 come with a sense of freedom for you? This is uncharted territory, of sorts.

That’s an interesting point. I didn’t know the book when I got the script. It was only after that I discovered the worlds of passion that this book had incited. Because I came to it that way, perhaps it was easier. I found liberation from that, to an extent. For me, it was always a character that existed in a script. At first, I didn’t have that extra baggage of expectation, but I acquired it in the run-up to Season 1 being released… the sense that suddenly we were carrying a ming vase across a minefield.

In Season 2, we still have Neil and we also have some of the ideas that he and Terry had discussed. During the filming of the first one, Neil would drop little hints about the notions they had for a prospective sequel, the title of which would have been “668: The Neighbour of the Beast,” which is a pretty solid gag to base a book around. Indeed there were elements like Gabriel and the Angels, who don’t feature in the book, that were going to feature in a sequel. They were brought forward into Season 1. So, even in the new episodes, we’re not entirely leaving behind the Terry Pratchett-ness of it all.

It’s great to see yourself and Michael Sheen reunited on screen as these characters. Fans will have also watched you pair up for Season 3 of “Staged.” You’re quite the dynamic duo. What do you think is the magic ingredient that makes the two of you such a good match?

It’s a slightly alchemical thing. We knew each other in passing before, but not well. We were in a film together [“Bright Young Things,” 1993] but we’d never shared a scene. It was a bit of a roll of the dice when we turned up at the read-through for “Good Omens.” I think a lot comes from the writing, as we were both given some pretty juicy material to work with. Those characters are beloved for a reason because there’s something magical about them and the way they complete each other. Also, I think we’re quite similar actors in the way we like to work and how we bounce off each other.

Does the shorthand and trust the two of you have built up now enable you to take more risks on-screen?

Yes, probably. I suppose the more you know someone, the more you trust someone. You don’t have to worry about how an idea might be received and you can help each other out with a more honest opinion than might be the case if you were, you know, dancing around each other’s nervous egos. Enjoying being in someone’s orbit and company is a positive experience. It makes going to work feel pleasant, productive, and creative. The more creative you can be, the better the work is. I don’t think it’s necessarily a given that an off-screen relationship will feed into an on-screen one in a positive or negative way. You can play some very intimate moments with someone you barely know. Acting is a peculiar little contract, in that respect. But it’s disproportionately pleasurable going to work when it’s with a mate.

Fans have long discussed the nature of Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship. In Season 2, we see several of the characters debate whether the two are an item, prompting them to look at their union and decipher what it is. How would you describe their relationship?

They are utterly co-dependent. There’s no one else having the experience that they are having and they’ve only got each other to empathize with. It’s a very specific set of circumstances they’ve been dealt. In this season, we see them way back at the creation of everything. They’ve known each other a long time and they’ve had to rely on each other more and more. They can’t really exist one without the other and are bound together through eternity. Crowley and Aziraphale definitely come at the relationship with different perspectives, in terms of what they’re willing to admit to the relationship being. I don’t think we can entirely interpret it in human terms, I think that’s fair to say.

Yet fans are trying to do just that. Do you view it as beyond romantic or any other labels, in the sense that it’s an eternal force?

It’s lovely [that fans discuss it] but you think, be careful what you wish for. If you’re willing for a relationship to go in a certain way or for characters to end up in some sort of utopian future, then the story is over. Remember what happened to “Moonlighting,” that’s all I’m saying! [Laughs]

Your father-in-law, Peter Davison, and your son, Ty Tennant, play biblical father-and-son duo Job and Ennon in Episode 2. In a Tumblr Q&A, Neil Gaiman said that he didn’t know who Ty’s family was when he cast him. When did you become aware that Ty had auditioned?

I don’t know how that happened. I do a bunch of self-tapes with Ty, but I don’t think I did this one with him because I was out of town filming “Good Omens.” He certainly wasn’t cast before we started shooting. There were two moments during filming where Neil bowled up to me and said, “Guess, who we’ve cast?” Ty definitely auditioned and, as I understand it, they would tell me, he was the best. I certainly imagine he could only possibly have been the best person for the job. He is really good in it, so I don’t doubt that’s true. And then my father-in-law showed up, as well, which was another delicious treat. In the same episode and the same family! It was pretty weird. I have worked with both of them on other projects, but never altogether.

There’s a “Doctor Who” cameo, of sorts, in Episode 5, when Aziraphale uses a rare annual about the series as a bartering tool. In reality, you’ll be reprising your Time Lord role on screen later this year in three special episodes to mark the 60th anniversary. Did you always feel you’d return to “Doctor Who” at some point?

There’s a precedent for people who have been in the series to return for a multi-doctor show, which is lovely. I did it myself for the 50th anniversary in 2013, and I had a wonderful time with Matt [Smith]. Then, to have John Hurt with us, as well, was a little treat. But I certainly would never have imagined that I’d be back in “Doctor Who” full-time, as it were, and sort of back doing the same job I did all those years ago. It was like being given this delightful, surprise present. Russell T Davies was back as showrunner, Catherine Tate [former on-screen companion] was back, and it was sort of like the last decade and a half hadn’t happened.

Going forward, Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over as the new Doctor. Have you given him any advice while passing the baton?

Oh God, what a force of nature. I’ve caught a little bit of him at work and it’s pretty exciting. I mean, what advice would you give someone? You can see Ncuti has so much talent and energy. He’s so inspired and charismatic. The thing about something like this is: it’s the peripherals, it’s not the job. It’s the other stuff that comes with it, that I didn’t see coming. It’s a show that has so much focus and enthusiasm on it. It’s not like Ncuti hasn’t been in a massive Netflix series [“Sex Education,”] but “Doctor Who” is on a slightly different level. It’s cross-generational, international, and has so much history, that it feels like it belongs to everyone.

To be at the center of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn’t come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to if that’s not been your life up to that point. I was very lucky that when I joined, Billie Piper [who portrayed on-screen companion, Rose] was still there. She’d lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live life under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie.

Your characters are revered by a few different fandoms. Sci-fi fandoms are especially passionate and loyal. What is it like being on the end of that? I imagine it’s a lot to hold.

Yes, certainly. Having been a fan of “Doctor Who” since I was a tiny kid, you’re aware of how much it means because you’re aware of how much it meant to you. My now father-in-law [who portrayed Doctor Who in the 80s] is someone I used to draw in comic strips when I was a kid. That’s quite peculiar! It’s a difficult balance because on one end, you have to protect your own space, and there aren’t really any lessons in that. That does take a bit of trial and error, to an extent, and it’s something that you’re sometimes having to do quite publicly. But, it is an honor and a privilege, without a doubt. As you’ve said, it means so much to people and you want to be worthy of that. You have to acknowledge that and be careful with it. Some days that’s tough, if you’re not in the mood.

I know you’re returning to the stage later this year to portray Macbeth. You’ve previously voiced the role for BBC Sounds, but how are you feeling about taking on the character in the theater?

I’m really excited about it. It’s been a while since I’ve done Shakespeare. It’s very thrilling but equally — and this analogy probably doesn’t stretch — it’s like when someone prepares for an Olympic event. It does feel like a bit of a mountain and, yeah, you’re daring to set yourself up against some fairly worthy competition from down the years. That’s both the challenge and the horror of doing these types of things. We’ve got a great director, Max Webster, who recently did “Life of Pi.” He’s full of big ideas. It’s going to be exciting, thrilling, and a little bit scary. I’m just going to take a deep breath.

Before we part ways, let’s discuss the future of “Good Omens.” Gaiman has said that he already has ideas for Season 3, should it happen. If you were to do another season, is there anyone in particular you’d love to work with next time around or anything specific you’d like to see happen for Crowley?

Oh, Neil Gaiman knows exactly where he wants to take it. If you’re working with people like Gaiman, I wouldn’t try to tamper with that creative void. Were he to ask my opinion, that would be a different thing, but I can’t imagine he would. He’s known these characters longer than me and what’s interesting is what he does with them. That’s the bit that I’m desperate to know. I do know where Crowley might end up next, but it would be very wrong if I told you.

[At this point, Tennant picks up a pencil and starts writing on a hotel pad of paper.]

I thought you were going to write it down for me then. Perhaps like a clandestine meeting on a bench in St James’ Park, but instead you’d write the information down and slide it across the table…

I should have done! I was drawing a line, which obviously, psychologically, I was thinking, “Say no more. You’re too tempted to reveal a secret!” It was my subconscious going “Shut the fuck up!”

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proxythe · 8 months

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honestly, with everything that’s happened, it almost feels like the universe has been playing pranks on us.

#my art #until dawn #mike munroe #ashley brown #jessica riley #chris hartley #hannah washington #beth washington #josh washington #sam giddings #emily davis #matt taylor

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brekkerholmes · 4 months

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sometimes a marriage is you, your husband and your emotional support time-travelling alien

(i'm on episode 9 season 5, so no spoilers pls!)

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months

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Matt Davies

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Biden delivers 2025 budget; House GOP hasn’t passed 2024 budget.

March 12, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

On Monday, President Biden delivered his 2025 budget proposal to Congress. The 2025 budget highlights important priorities in an election year and deserves attention from every American and news outlet. As expected, news outlets and headline writers began tussling over the “takeaways” from the budget proposal in an effort to “spin” the priorities in the budget. Don’t fall for the disinformation.

Instead, read the budget for yourself (or at least parts of it): Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2025 (whitehouse.gov).

President Biden included a summary letter (pages 1-3) and an “executive summary” (pages 5-14). If you merely scroll through those two resources, you will inform and educate yourself about the actual proposals by President Biden. Importantly, the introductory pages to the 2025 budget outline the Biden administration’s accomplishments to date. Keep it handy for future discussions with persuadable friends and neighbors.

The proposed budget, if adopted, would:

Reduce the deficit by $3 trillion over the next ten years

Increase taxes on corporations, millionaires, and billionaires

Protect Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid

Protect and expand the Affordable Healthcare Act

Invest in women’s health research

Defend and protect reproductive rights and healthcare

Ensure access to mental healthcare

Provide funding to fight the overdose epidemic

Support K-12 education

Support veterans, their families,

And much more . . .

The Republican response was bizarre and delusional. Trump chose Monday to promise (again) that Republicans would “cut” Social Security and Medicare. (“[T]here’s a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in terms of the theft and the bad management of entitlements.”)

Although Trump tried to “walk back” that statement, Trump has repeatedly advocated cutting Social Security and Medicare. See this montage of video clips of Trump calling for cutting Social Security and Medicare. See also Philip Bump in WaPo, Donald Trump stumbles onto the third rail: Social Security reform

The Republican congressional caucus released a “fantasy budget” as an alternative to Biden’s budget. The NYTimes described the GOP fantasy budget as follows:

House Republicans released a budget last week that seeks to reduce deficits much faster — balancing the budget by the end of the decade. Their savings relied on economic growth forecasts that are well above mainstream forecasters’ expectations, along with steep and often unspecified spending cuts.

Got that? The Republican “fantasy budget” is based on unrealistic growth projections and unspecified spending cuts. It’s easy to come up with a balanced budget if you rely on unspecified cuts and imaginary revenue from unrealistic economic assumptions. President Biden has delivered a real budget protecting the heard-earned benefits due to the American people while cutting deficits.

Do not allow anyone to tell you that Republicans have proposed an alternative budget that delivers tax cuts and a balanced budget. They have not! They are engaged in a con game—and you are their mark!

Indeed, the GOP-controlled house has not yet passed the 2024 budget, so it is hypocritical for them to be proposing a 2025 fantasy budget when they have forced the nation to lurch from crisis to crisis. The GOP’s inability to perform the most fundamental task assigned to Congress by the Constitution is inexcusable.

For additional background and detail, see The Guardian, Biden denounces Trump for $2tn tax cuts as he unveils budget plan.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

#TFG #grifter #con man #Matt Davies #political cartoon #Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #Budget #fantasy budget

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tomorrowusa · 1 year

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The most unsurprising news item of the week: Trump announces he’s running again in 2024.

The announcement has been something of a foregone conclusion. Whole swaths of Republican voters still treat Trump as their de facto leader, including powerful GOP lawmakers who have embraced his election lies. Reports indicate Trump has radical plans, including a potential evisceration of the federal bureaucracy if he were to win again.

After months of teasing and tortured predictions over when Trump would finally release the American public from this unique purgatory, the defeated president’s announcement couldn’t have landed at a more precarious moment for him. A murder’s row of extremist candidates that he endorsed just lost their elections, often, catastrophically. Some of the losers: Mehmet Oz, Blake Masters, Joe Kent, Kari Lake, Jim Marchant, and Tudor Dixon.

There are some pundits writing him off. They cite polls showing Ron DeSantis leading Trump for the nomination in some states. And others point to members of the GOP who say it’s time to move on from Trump.

But polls have not had a great year in 2022 and are not exactly the barometer of public opinion they often claim to be. And there was a significant number of GOP office holders back in 2016 who opposed Trump and are now sycophants on the Trump bandwagon. Remember former Never-Trumpers like Lindsey Graham, “Li’l Marco” Rubio, and “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz?

The GOP presidential nominee will be chosen in primaries. And it’s usually the most enthusiastic and fanatical people in each party who disproportionately vote in primaries. So many Republicans may like DeSantis but far more of them are willing to go all out for Trump and turn out for him.

So I still think Trump has the edge for the GOP nomination – regardless of what the Murdochs have to say on the matter.

But ultimately, there’s a direct line from Trump’s announcement to this scenario.

#donald trump #announcement of candidacy #gop presidential nomination #election 2024 #ron desantis #ron desanctimonious #trump republicans #matt davies

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ecoamerica · 24 days

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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!