#anyway i love the nbc gang <3 that's it

[linawritesocs]

oh boy we're really doing this it's rollo's vp

listen, i know it's january 2023, but i'm still obsessed with the masquerade event and i want to make more content with that event and nbc students the urge to write masquerade vignettes is so strong.

so! sol adopted rollo's assistant and i adopted his vp. they are our sons now. and here's a profile i made for my boy!

also i should mention that this is how i personally see him and he doesn't belong to me BUT. we got no canon info so I CAN DO WHAT I WANT

name: cole rayne [コール- ・レイン]

age: 18 y/o

gender: male

species: human

birth date: july 29

zodiac sign: leo

height: 174 cm

hair color: his hair is more brown in canon, but tbh i see his hair being a bit more pink? i prefer to use "faded pink" for him, but it looks more "pale violet red" here.

eye color: his eyes are the same color as his hair and again, they look more pale violet red here.

homeland: ???

family: father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, three younger sisters

school: noble bell college

dorm: ??? (do i look like i'm good at coming up with dorm names)

school year: third year

occupation: student

club: none, just like sebastian, he prefers to check up on other clubs with rollo.

best subject: astrology

dominant hand: right-handed

favorite food: junk food and anything that you don't have to cook yourself and can easily buy anywhere.

least favorite food: his spicy food tolerance is extremely low, so yeah, he hates food like that.

hobbies: surfing the net, gaming, online shopping

talent: none. he's not particularly good at anything and he's not really trying to get better at anything.

unique magic: "disobeying the order". whenever cole misbehaves, forgets/refuses to do something or simply does something stupid, he can easily make anyone forget about it and he can get away with it that way. it sounds very useful, however, it has its weaknesses: cole can wipe someone's memory only if cole let that person down or "disobeyed their order", so it's not like he can always do that, he must do something bad before he's able to use his magic. and also, his magic has its limits and he can use it only three times a day. he accumulates blot very quickly as well, so he must be careful with it, he actually has almost overblotted once.. but no one remembers it. and if he uses his magic too often on a specific person, that person will start slowly losing their memories and if cole doesn't stop, they can end up forgetting even their own name. that person may also start feeling very tired most of the time and lose the ability to sleep.

dislikes: working, studying

personality: cole is a very easygoing and carefree person, who loves having fun and hanging out with other people. he's also very interested in romance and dating, so you can often see him flirting with someone.. and failing. he's actually very awkward, even though he doesn't seem like that type of person. though he claims that being awkward makes him even cuter and someone will definitely fall in love with him one day. he's very serious about it and if someone makes fun of him for being single, he will literally fight them. even though most people would describe cole as "energetic", he's a lot more lazy than they think and he refuses to do anything that he sees as "pointless" or "meaningless", which is pretty much.. everything. he tends to use his unique magic very often, so that he doesn't have to do any work and he can make other people do his job. but again, his magic does have its limits, so he makes sure to behave when he's not able to use it. also, even though he hates paper work and other "boring" tasks, he's very good at things that require talking to people and making connections, so yeah, there's a reason why he's still the vice president. he also often offers rollo his help with more personal stuff, like simply listening to him talk or helping with his problems that are not related to the student council's work even though rollo doesn't trust him enough to ask for his help and cole just appears out of nowhere and goes "hey, you need anything? :D" he's also the guy who makes tea whenever the student council is having a meeting and yes, he has to force himself to make it sometimes because of how lazy he is, but there is a reason why he doesn't let anyone else do it. and yes, that reason is "maybe if he shows that he can do at least something useful, he won't get kicked out". he also has a 13 year old boy's sense of humor, which means that he has the same password he uses for everything and it's "coleisthebest69420lolol"

notable relationships:

when cole just became the vice president, he thought rollo was a bit scary and he didn't know how to act around him. however, he quickly got used to his company and like two weeks later he already was like "HEYYYY WHAT'S UP BUDDY HOW ARE YOU FE- okay. okay, sorry, president. sorry, it won't happen again. sorry." he actually tries to get to know rollo better and he often asks him about his hobbies, interests, friends, family- oh, okay, it's a touchy subject, okay. now that he's a third-year and has more experience, cole claims that he knows how to talk to rollo now and he's proud of being his vice president.. but he became one not because of being good at his job, but because of his luck. he's also the type to randomly give rollo dating advice even though he did tell him muiltiple times that he doesn't need it. but cole thinks he does.

cole likes to call sebastian his best friend, though their relationship wasn't that good when they just met. cole kept annoying him and he didn't respect his personal space at all, trying to become closer with him. their relationship eventually got better, mostly thanks to sebastian enjoying doing the work that cole was supposed to do. LIKE HELLO HE CAN JUST MAKE THIS GUY DO EVERYTHING FOR HIM AND HE WON'T MIND, LET'S GO. and cole is the one who does most of the talking, if sebastian doesn't feel confident or comfortable enough. cole is secretly jealous of him though, because he thinks and knows that sebastian is much more talented than him and he's also jealous of his looks. it's not like cole is not pretty, it's just.. he thinks the assistant boy is more beautiful than him. but even though he's jealous of him, he's actually very protective of him and if sebastian gets bullied by someone, he's already here and he's ready to beat that person up.

cole met merrill during nrc students' visit to nbc and he thought he was interesting right when he saw him. he had a lot of fun talking to him and he jokingly tried to flirt with him once and he did not expect merrill to flirt back. so he ran away and hid behind sebastian because he is not strong enough for this. their dynamic is actually kinda funny because of how 😄😆😜🤣 cole usually is, but when it comes to merrill, he immediately goes 😳👉👈 they kept talking online after merrill had to go back to nrc and they're very close now.. but cole is still too scared to make the first move. he will punch anyone who makes fun of him for that.

fun facts:

he's actually not from the city of flowers and he lived in a small village before moving there, so he's kind of.. you know. he's a country boy, even though he absolutely loves the internet and knows all the latest trends. his family thought he should go to nrc at first and they thought he would feel right at home there, however, they realized that if he goes to a school like nrc, his behavior will most likely get worse, so they sent him to nbc, hoping that he will become more responsible there. his mom also comes from the city of flowers, so she knew a lot about it and she told cole everything he needed to know.

his sisters are much younger than him, the oldest one is 10 years old and the youngest one was born when he already started attending nbc and he was able to finally meet her only after coming back home for the summer break. he's not the best older brother though and his little sisters are much more hardworking than him.

his nrc dorm would most likely be heartslabyul and his phone case design is a reference to that.

even though the original npcs don't really have a height difference, cole is much shorter than sebastian and rollo. he's also the same height as avery.

if sebastian is inspired by snowball, it can be said that cole's disney counterpart is phoebus and his unique magic is a reference to phoebus being the captain of frollo's guard and going against him. however, cole's magic somehow manages to be a much darker, but also funnier version of it, because if his disney counterpart stopped following his boss's orders because he realized that he's been working for an evil and cruel man.. cole just uses his magic because he's lazy and he doesn't want to work. the dark part is that he mostly uses his magic on rollo, so it means he's been brainwashing the student council president for like.. a year or two. y-yeah.

no one knows about cole's unique magic because they obviously wouldn't remember him using it on them/in front of them and he also hasn't told anyone either. he also doesn't see a reason why he should talk about his unique magic, if their president's mood gets worse whenever magic is mentioned.

just like sebastian, he likes romance media a lot, though he doesn't really have a cute reason for it. it's just that romance media is one of the things that actually makes him feel something. for example, other student council members have noticed that cole is usually more interested in romance movies and comedies, but he's mostly emotionless when he watches something else, even horror movies.

according to molly, malleus's cousin who goes to nbc and hangs out with rollo, cole and sebastian, cole most likely has depression because they used their unique magic on him which allows them to understand other people's feelings better and they found nothing but emptiness inside of him, which explains why he finds everything tiring and he doesn't have any motivation.

cole becoming rollo's vp was the only moment in his life when he actually tried to achieve something. he tried to get the vice president position just because it sounded fun and he had nothing to do, also his mom said that he should try "doing something great" so that his life feels more meaningful. he got it mostly thanks to his luck, because most people were too scared to work with rollo and thought they didn't deserve it. cole was scared of him as well but he managed to get over his fear and rollo thought the student council could use a sociable and extroverted person like cole. also cole's grades were surprisingly good for a guy like him.. totally not because of his unique magic. totally. so it's actually kind of wholesome, cole doesn't want to get kicked out and he even agrees to do the work he finds boring so that rollo won't get mad at him, but only because being a part of the council is the only thing that makes his life more interesting and fun.

he also secretly works for seth's sister, luna, who ended up in twisted wonderland after trying to find her brother. the reason? uh.. she's pretty. that's it, really. he does start questioning her motives when he ends up getting attached to rollo and seth and realizes that luna is actually not a good person.

#ohhh he would definitely get along with vance i just know he would #vance wasn't allowed to come with others to nbc only because he would make too many fire puns #one day i will show how luna looks now. one day #anyway i love the nbc gang <3 that's it #lina draws ocs

[aion-rsa]

The Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes

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Halloween and Christmas are objectively the two best American holidays. One allows for us all to indulge in our gothic, spooky side, while the other comes along with family and cheer (forced or otherwise). There’s another holiday between them, however, that is at constant risk of being overlooked.

Thanksgiving doesn’t have candy like Halloween or presents like Christmas. What it does have, thankfully, is television. Just like its Halloween counterpart, Thanksgiving comes along in the fall at an important time in the TV schedule. Traditionally, the last week of November is when many network TV shows are looking for a quick boost of creative and commercial energy to get through the Christmas break. And what better way than to do so than with a Thanksgiving episode, where all characters are basically culturally required to get together?

Though Halloween and Christmas specials often get the most attention, there are many fascinating Thanksgiving-themed episodes of popular TV shows. Here are just some of our favorites. 

Bob’s Burgers

Season 3 Episode 5 – “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” 

Fox’s beloved animated series has staked its claim to Thanksgiving as its holiday of choice, which makes sense given that the Belcher clan takes their food quite seriously. Of the many Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving specials, season 3’s “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” is likely the best.

This episode finds Bob reluctantly agreeing to “rent out” his family to landlord Calvin Fischoeder (voiced by Kevin Kline) to pose as his family for Thanksgiving dinner while Bob poses as the family chef. While this is a strong enough set up to begin with, the episode excels at escalation and goes to some wild places – even indulging one of the series’ favorite recurring gags of Bob losing his mind and befriending an inanimate object. Of course the inanimate object this time around is none other than a Thanksgiving turkey.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Season 5 Episode 7 – “Two Turkeys”

“Two Turkeys” is a prime example of what makes Thanksgiving such a creatively rich holiday for sitcoms and other serialized TV endeavors to exploit. Brooklyn Nine-Nine had already long established that both Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy’s (Melissa Fumero) respective parents were crazy. All that was left to do was to get them in the same room together.

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That’s just what “Two Turkeys” does. The whole family, including Jake’s dad Roger (Bradley Whitford), Amy’s dad Victor (Jimmy Smits), and Amy’s mom Camila (Bertila Dama), decides to have Thanksgiving at Jake’s mom Karen’s (Katey Sagal) house. Quickly, dueling Thanksgiving turkeys are set up, competitive juices start flowing, and a thumb or two is lost. “Two Turkeys” is Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s best Thanksgiving episode but “Mr. Santiago” in which Boyle intends to behead a live turkey certainly gives it a run for its money. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Season 4 Episode 8 – “Pangs”

Most TV Thanksgiving specials ignore the complicated origins of the holiday…and perhaps wisely so. For a long time, most sitcoms and network dramas lacked a real capacity to carefully discuss Thanksgiving myth-making while also addressing Native American genocide. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, however, had no such misgivings and dives right in. “Pangs” is technically the beginning of a Buffy/Angel two-hour Thanksgiving event. It’s got all the usual Thanksgiving episode trappings: food, friends, and family. It also has an army of Chumash Indian Warriors coming back from the grave to punish Sunnydale for its colonial sins. 

Chuck

Season 4 Episode 10 – “Chuck Versus the Leftovers”

This is cheating a bit as “Chuck Versus the Leftovers” technically takes place on the day after Thanksgiving. But Black Friday shopping and turkey leftovers are certainly a part of the Thanksgiving experience. 

This episode finds Chuck’s mom Mary (Linda Hamilton) and international arms dealer Alexei Volkoff (Timothy Dalton) coming over to Chuck’s place for a day-after-Thanksgiving leftover feast. Meanwhile Chuck’s friends at Buy More have to contend with the Black Friday shopping crowd. This is the definitive Chuck Thanksgiving episode as it highlights what the show does well. It balances the high-octane drama of Chuck’s spy life with his supposedly tranquil home life. Getting to enjoy Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton going head to head is just icing on the Jell-O salad. 

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Season 1 Episode 12 – “Talking Turkey”

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air features a few Thanksgiving episodes over its six season run but its first attempt remains the best. Will’s mom Viola makes one of her rare series appearances here when she joins the Banks’ household for Thanksgiving. 

After the parents see how the kids mistreat everyone’s beloved butler Geoffrey, the gang is forced to cook a Thanksgiving meal on their own. Predictably it doesn’t go well. This is a big episode for all involved but for Viola and Aunt Viv in particular. It’s fascinating to watch through a modern lens, given original Aunt Viv actress Janet Hubert’s steadfast lack of involvement in all future Fresh Prince reboots and reunions. 

Friday Night Lights

Season 4 Episode 13 – “Thanksgiving”

So many of the best moments in Friday Night Lights happen at the Taylor family dinner table. How then could the show pass up an opportunity for a good-old fashioned Thanksgiving episode?

“Thanksgiving” is an excellent episode that also serves as its respective season’s finale. This hour concludes Coach Taylor’s first year with the East Dillon Lions in truly satisfying fashion. Before that there’s still plenty of time for a heart-to-heart with QB Vince Howard and Buddy Garrity’s attempts at frying a turkey. 

Friends

Season 5 Episode 8 – “The One With All the Thanksgivings”

Perhaps no series on television took the responsibility of Thanksgiving episodes more seriously than Friends. Friends has so many Thanksgiving-themed episodes that the entire list could essentially be made up of them. And that makes sense given the show’s premise of friends as a found family in the big city.

For the purposes of this list, however, let’s go with the aptly-named “The One With All the Thanksgivings.” In this fifth season episode, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Joey, and Chandler flashback to all of the Thanksgivings they’ve shared together. Consider this a Canterbury Tales of Thanksgiving … that just happens to feature Monica with a turkey on her head.

Gilmore Girls

Season 3 Episode 9 – “A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving”

Stars Hollow, Connecticut on Gilmore Girls just looks like a town itching for a good fall holiday. The New England hamlet is the kind of place that absolutely lights up with some fallen leaves and the warm aroma of turkey in the oven. Thankfully, the show agreed and rolled out a Thanksgiving-centric episode in its third season.

“A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving” adopts the tried and true “accepted too many dates to the ball” trope as Lorelai and Rory are pulled among four competing Thanksgiving dinners: Lorelai’s parents, Sookie, Luke, and Lane. It’s a jam-packed (and tofurkey-packed) episode that still somehow finds the time to introduce the beloved Cat Kirk.

How I Met Your Mother

Season 3 Episode 9 – “Slapsgiving”

In many ways, How I Met Your Mother was the natural sitcom successor to Friends. Like its NBC forefather CBS’s comedy followed a group of friends living their best lives in New York City. Another area in which HIMYM picks up the Friends ball and runs with it is with its appropriately respectful treatment of Thanksgiving.

How I Met Your Mother loves itself a good Thanksgiving episode. None of them, however, are better than the season 3 installment “Slapsgiving.” This episode finds the gang gathering at Marshall and Lily’s house for their first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Meanwhile, Barney is living in mortal fear of the third slap Marshall owes him due to losing a “slap bet.” That countdown to The Slap imbues an already excellent episode with a real fun sense of urgency. 

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Season 9 Episode 10 – “The Gang Squashes Their Beefs”

Dennis, Dee, Charlie, Mac, and Frank have made a lot of enemies during It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s very long, very creatively lucrative run. That’s why for the show’s ninth season finale, the gang decided to gather several of the folks they wronged together and get to squashing some beefs. And what better way to do so than with a nice Thanksgiving dinner?

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This installment is a one big setup to a dinner table with the gang’s rogue’s gallery at the end and it is all well worth the wait. Some dry turkey and even dryer conservation is nowhere near enough to make nice with the McPoyles, Hwang, Cricket, Gail the Snail, or Bill Ponderosa, but bless the gang for trying anyway.

Mad Men

Season 1 Episode 13 – “The Wheel”

Not many Thanksgiving episodes can lay claim to being their respective series best hours, but then again AMC’s all-time classic Mad Men isn’t just any other series. Season 1 finale “The Wheel” is certainly among the best Mad Men installments ever and it just so happens to take place during the week of Thanksgiving 1960.

The Thanksgiving timeframe serves as an elegiac backdrop and Mad Men viewers are forced to confront what kind of man Don Draper really is. Don delivers the pitch of his lifetime to Kodak executives as he urges them to imagine their latest photo wheel creation not as a sleek, dispassionate time machine, but a carousel that can bring families back home to all the most important times of their lives. Then when Don returns home for Thanksgiving, he discovers what he probably already knew – those times are gone and no carousel can bring them back.

Master of None

Season 2 Episode 8 – “Thanksgiving”

OK, we know we just said that not many Thanksgiving episodes can lay claim to being their respective series’ best but here is another contender. “Thanksgiving” is the eighth episode of Master of None’s second (and thus far, final) season and it’s a perfect example of everything the show does well.

This episode takes a break from Dev’s (Aziz Ansari) storyline in the present to delve into the past of his friend Denise (Lena Waithe). Over several Thanksgiving meals throughout the years, Denise comes to realize her attraction to women, processes it, and does her best to communicate her identity to her mom (Angela Bassett). It’s a touching saga made possible by the Thanksgiving season. It also serves as many viewers’ introduction to the storytelling dynamo that is Lena Waithe. 

This episode takes a break from Dev’s (Aziz Ansari) storyline in the present to delve into the past of his friend Denise (Lena Waithe). Over several Thanksgiving meals throughout the years, Denise comes to realize her attraction to women, processes it, and does her best to communicate her identity to her mom (Angela Bassett). It’s a touching saga made possible by the Thanksgiving season. It also serves as many viewers’ introduction to the storytelling dynamo that is Lena Waithe. 

The O.C.

Season 1 Episode 11 – “The Homecoming”

Mid-2000s teen drama The O.C. always paid proper respect to holidays. Who could forget the Cohen family’s dutiful observation of “Chrismukkah?” But the series’ first Thanksgiving installment in season 1 might just be its best holiday offering ever. 

“The Homecoming” is a wonderful example of everything that The O.C. does well. The plot splits itself in two with Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Marissa (Mischa Barton) heading back to Ryan’s hometown of Chino to meet Ryan’s brother in prison. That sets up a ludicrous crime arc that would make even the Riggins brothers of Friday Night Lights jealous. Meanwhile, back at the Cohen household, Seth’s (Adam Brody) inelegant juggling of the two women in his life comes to a chaotic head.

Orange is the New Black

Season 1 Episode 9 – “Fucksgiving”

Orange is the New Black’s Thanksgiving episode debuted all the way back in 2013, when Netflix was just proving itself to be a spot for original content. So imagine viewers’ surprise that in the streaming world, you can include the F-word in episode titles.

As is the case in every OITNB episode, a lot happens in this hour-long installment. But with Thanksgiving as the backdrop, there’s a real festive air to the proceedings. Perhaps it helps that Taystee (Danielle Brooks) is set to be released and returned to the real world or that Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) is praying for the rightful end of said real world. In any case, “Fucksgiving” passionate conclusion makes a convincing case that Thanksgiving is among the sexiest of holidays.

Riverdale

Season 4 Episode 7 – “The Ice Storm”

Riverdale’s Thanksgiving episode is about just as insane as one would imagine a Riverdale Thanksgiving episode would be. “The Ice Storm” (which borrows its name and concept from Rick Moody’s 1994 novel of the same name) finds Jughead and Betty stranded at Stonewall Prep due to an ice storm on Thanksgiving while Archie hosts a Thanksgiving dinner at the community center.

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Of course this episode features cartoonish levels of scheming, but it also takes the responsibility of the holiday seriously. Riverdale spends the episode’s opening once again addressing the tragic death of Luke Perry and his character, Fred Andrews. Amid all the plot twists, the show still excels at putting family first. 

Seinfeld

Season 6 Episode 8 – “The Mom and Pop Store”

Many episodes of Seinfeld feature dense plotting, but even by those standards “The Mom and Pop Store” is a very busy episode of television. These 22 minutes feature Jerry getting tricked by a mom and pop shoe store, George trying to find Jon Voight, and Kramer having some major nosebleed problems.

But the Thanksgiving portion of the episode is what stands out as Elaine gets the invite to Jerry’s dentist’s (played by none other than Bryan Cranston, beginning his fruitful arc of Seinfeld guest appearances) Thanksgiving. Jerry is unsure if he himself is invited, but when dental issues begin to pop up, he decides that a Thanksgiving dinner full of dentists might be a useful place to stop by.

Smallville

Season 6 Episode 7 – “Rage”

While it was cruel for Smallville to wait until after the Jonathan Kent era to hold its first Thanksgiving episode, it’s nice that it got around to it all the same. Granted, Thanksgiving doesn’t factor much into “Rage.” Instead much of the hour deals with Clark assisting his good friend Oliver Queen with his mysterious addiction.

But when the Thanksgiving table moment finally does arrive, it’s a real winner. In terms of pre-Arrowverse WB/CW warm and fuzzies, it’s hard to top a dinner featuring Clark Kent, Martha Kent, Lionel Luther, and Green-freaking-Arrow. And of course the presence of NXIVM’s own Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan just adds a strange glow over all.

The Sopranos

Season 3 Episode 8 – “He Is Risen”

Many classic Sopranos scenes take place around the Sopranos family dinner table (mostly so Tony can yell at the insufferable A.J.). It’s only natural then that the show would feature a Thanksgiving episode at some point during its classic six-season run.

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That moment comes midway through the excellent season 3. Granted, Thanksgiving doesn’t play a major role in this hour, aside from Janice’s creepy elderly boyfriend muttering “he is risen” during dinner. But this episode is filled with classic Sopranos moments all the same: the introduction of Gloria Trillo, the death of Gigi Cestone on the toilet, and Ralph’s continued seasons-long efforts to dig his own grave. All of those events will factor heavily in the episodes to come, for now, however, The Sopranos is happy to just pass the gravy (actual gravy, not red sauce).

South Park

Season 15 Episode 13 – “A History Channel Thanksgiving”

Over the span of its staggering 23 seasons (plus one Pandemic Special), South Park has revealed a real affinity for holiday episodes, particularly the Christmas ones in which the show can feature longtime characters Santa Claus and Jesus Christ.

In this season 15 episode, however, South Park turns its satirical eye to Thanksgiving…or the History Channel version of it more accurately and weirdly. After the boys are assigned a paper on the history of Thanksgiving, they watch the History Channel to discover that the holiday’s origins are far more extraterrestrial than expected. Soon, Stan and company are involved in an interdimensional Thanksgiving adventure involving wormholes and Natalie Portman.

The West Wing

Season 2 Episode 8 – “Shibboleth”

A “Shibboleth” is a long-standing tradition or custom (often a phrasing or even a single word) that distinguishes one group of people from another. The best episodes of The West Wing seek to understand what the shibboleths of this strange country are…and “Shibboleth” is undoubtedly one of the series’ best episodes.

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It’s the night before Thanksgiving at the White House and the West Wing staff are all facing decisions. CJ has been tasked with choosing between two turkeys to pardon; Toby, Josh, and Sam must figure out how to watch football on Thanksgiving day; and most seriously: President Bartlett has to decide what to do with a boat of persecuted Chinese evangelical Christians seeking asylum. It’s a typically hectic day in the West’s most powerful executive office, but the show explores how one holiday can bring all the chaos to a halt. For a little bit at least.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[a-random-fandom-friend]

So, Netflix/BBC Dracula review : Part1, from an adaptation standpoint.

It’s a bad adaptation.  I’m just gonna warn you right ahead. I would even say as far as saying it’s not an adaptation.

First of all, the serie only follow the story of about HALF the book. The story ends at the Lucy’s deal. And it’s over, like, big end of the story, it’s not like they are waiting for season 2. At little more than HALF the book. but hey, if it’s well paced, good characters...

Secondly : the episode decision. It makes no sens.

Episode 1 follow Jonathan’s adventure at the castle of Dracula (which is now a maze contructed by a mythical architect which may have had a vampire wife, for whatever reason) and then his recruitement in the Sister’s covenant. In my edition that is 546 pages long, the first takes 77 pages and the latter is only metionned through two letters of 1 page, after it happened.

Episode 2 follows the Demeter, a boat that, in the book, arrived in Lucy’s town with no crew except for a dead captain tied to the wheen by crucifix; a black dog, implied to be Dracula, jumps out of it as soon as it touches land (and all the town search for it becasue they wanna adopt the doggo). A journal is found, that narrates its voyage, with crew memebers dissappearing one after the other with no visible reason or body. That whole story is 15 pages long. again, out of the 546 pages of that book. (fun fact: in the book he spent all the trip in a crate with soil in it, only going out to kill the crew of the boat. Here, Dracula is a passenger, because somehow now there are passengers, and when someone is like “what, you didn’t even hide yourself?” he answered “what, you really think i would spent all this trip in a crate? come on, that’s ridiculous!”. The adaptation calls the book it’s based on... ridiculous? it spends 1h30 on something that specifically didn’t happen?  that’s just... bad from an adaptation standpoint.

Episode 3 is... a mess. the first part is pure improvisation, then there’s a “three month later” elipsis and for the second part there’s element of Lucy’s story? which is about 250 pages in the book, so, about half of it ? and they crammed it all into the second half of the third episode.

Thirdly, and most important for me : the characters are not respected. 

Character they changed : I get that there is room for interpretation, and more room for adaptation.  But Mina is useless and naive, Lucy is a narcissic hedonistic party girl, (btw Mina lives in the 18-something century while Lucy lives in 2019, so they don’t even met) Sister Agatha (yeah, from the covenant) becomes Sister Agatha Van Helsing, Quincey is a fuckboy and Jack is an Nice Guy(TM), Arthur Homswood diseappeared so now she agrees to marry Quincey...

Character they made up : they a modern time relative of Sister Agatha van Helsing called Zoe Van Helsing, and also litterally ALL OF EPISODE 2: On the previously desert demeter, there’s now a captain with ptsd, a cook missing a hand, a south asian doctor and his deaf daughter, a pretty young lady, his dashing fiancé and said fiancé secret boyfriend, a young sailot, an old sailor, an adventourous guy, an old duchess... it’s actually a pretty interesting crew of characters, but NONE OF THEM COME FROM THE BOOK. There’s also Lucy’s gay best friend (who dresses kinda like Bobby from queer eye). Still not in the book.

 Dracula has powers he had not in the book (he can read people’s thoughts, and he can absorbes people memory through their blood (including their knowledge of an eintier language), and it becomes such a big plot device), and inversly, some things that worked against him in the book now don’t work at all (garlic isn’t even mentionned, he can see his reflection in mirror) or new things can hurt him (he can’t touch the sunlight, and dead or dying people’s blood is deadly to him...) and all the explanation given is “that’s how vampires work, actually.”

The thing that bother me is that... yes, nowaday if you create a vampire you can decide what power you give them, what you want for your story. The problem is,  this story was already written : this particular vampire already had a set of rules. No, Dracula cannot gain the memory of his victim by drinking their blood!  No he cannot... walk in the floor of the ocean ! that just doesn’t happen ! I’m mad!

Oh, and also he had big Moffat’s Jekill vibes, is familiar, crack jokes à la nbc Hannibal, uses emojis... not saying those are good of bad, just that they are not Dracula. (He misses the moustache and the hairs in the hand but those are super hand to adapt so i let it slide). And also, i guess he was supposed to be presented in a sympathetic light, cracking joke, missing the sun, kind of a loner bur wisecrack smug dude, but he’s doing horrible things ! he helds a woman at gun point just because he wants her to smile to him ! that’s nightmare scenario ! And it’s the guy that i’m supposed to feel SORRY for ? fuck this guy !  

That an adaptation asked me to be sorry for dracula is bad enough, but that i’m supposed to like him... And not even ONCE get a found family group... not even a scooby gang trying to solve a mystery... I’m mad. Lucy and Mina live two centuries apart, Quincey and Stewart hate eachother and Arthur is absent, the first Van Helsing interracted with mina for a grand total of 2 lines and the second is friend with Steward even before the events of the story... No one gets together to be against Dracula. The power of love and friendship and solidarity isn’t even MENTIONNED in this serie. I’m mad.

BAD ADAPTATION. 2/10 FOR THE EFFORT.

Anyway, rant to follow about of it’s a bad original story.

#bbc dracula #netflix dracula #anti bbc dracula #actually there a bbc2 dracula made in 1977 that is the best adaptation ive ever seen #tho it takes away the very few gay moments #and arthur and quincey are still merged into one character named quincey #why you all dont like arthur :c #anti mofftiss

[sammysreelreviews]

Here’s A List Of 6 Random Shows I’ve Been Watching Recently And 2 Shows I Love Coming Back

Hey y’all I know its been a long fucking time since I’ve posted and I was gonna post a review about Once Upon A Time in Hollywood but honestly all I was gonna say about it was that It’s overrated and I don’t get why people are obsessed with it. I was also gonna add the newest season of Sabrina on here but my god that season was such a mess this sentence is all it’s getting. Now that that’s out the way here are some shows I’ve watched recently that I’ve been loving and some shows I’ve always watched that I just never wrote about so here they are and I hope you enjoy this list! I don’t know when my next post will be up but I always post on my story on my Sammy’s Reel Reviews instagram. Thanks for still sticking with me!

1. American Housewife (2016 - )

I’m not a big sitcom person but my god Hulu just played this show randomly and I didn’t stop. The show about a middle class family living in A upper class neighborhood never fails to put a smile on my face. I’m so thankful Hulu forced me to watch this.

Where to watch: All episodes are streaming on Hulu

2. Good Girls (2018 - )

I’ve had multiple people tell me to watch Good Girls but I just never got around to it. I was in between shows so I finally watched it when my friend Sydney told me it was like an episode story. I’m actually hooked and I really need these ladies to get their finances right cause their lives stress ME out. Also Rio is so SEXY. 

Where to watch: Sundays on NBC at 10pm and streaming on Hulu the next day

3. Single Parents (2018 - )

I mean how I’ve never mentioned this show before is a crime. The kids are the best part of Single Parents and who doesn’t love Leighton Meester?! If you need a good comedy to watch this is the one. 

Where to watch: Wednesday’s on ABC at 9:30 pm and streaming on Hulu the next day

4. Legacies (2018 - )

If you know me or have followed this blog you know I’m a big old slut for The Vampire Diaries. The show started when I was in high school and ended when I was literally graduated out of college. Yes I am aware of how old that makes me. Anyways, obviously when I heard zaddy Alaric (Matthew Davis) was getting his own spinoff I had to partake! First season was all fighting monsters and building the characters but the latest episode of season two really changed the game. I mean they brought back Kai Fucking Parker (Chris Wood)!!! If you love The Vampire Diaries and The Originals you gotta watch Legacies like now. 

Where to watch: Thursday’s on The CW at 9pm

5. The Stranger (2020 - )

The Stranger is a Netflix original about a girl (Hannah John-Kamen) who tells people’s deepest darkest secrets but the question is how the fuck does she know?! This bitch literally sets an entire town on fire with her hot gossip and I love the messiness. I don’t think it was the best show but it’s so entertaining it’s worth the watch just to have something to talk about.

Where to watch: Netflix

6. Marvel’s Runaways (2017 - 2019)

If you read my blog you know I’m not a big Marvel person but I was curious about this show and Gregg Sulkin is just hot but now I’m genuinely so invested in this show idk what happened. I’m currently on season 3 and i’m sad it’s the last one. If you like teen superhero shows where there are more questions raised with every answer given this is the one for you y’all.

Where to watch: Hulu

7. On My Block (2018 - )

Ok so I’m gonna keep this short cause y’all know how I love this show! It’s back this week and I’m so excited to see what the gang get up to this time. I’m also just very excited to see Spooky (Julio Macias) in some more tight tank tops.

Where to watch: Season 3 streaming March 11th on Netflix

8. Elite

We also know I love this goddamn show coming back this week and I just have a few things to say ***SPOILERS COMING***. Ok first of all fuck Polo (Álvaro Rico)!!! I’m glad he’s dead and I really have no idea who would’ve killed him. I don’t care if they’re problematic Nadia (Mina El Hammani) and Guzmán (Miguel Bernardeau) are my endgame ok!!! Also Ander (Arón Piper) and Omar (Omar Ayuso) better be peachy fucking keen this whole god damn season or I will RAGE! I’m also gonna need Lu (Danna Paola) to stop fucking her half brother!

Where to watch: Season 3 streaming March 13th on Netflix

#netflix #netflix suggestions #netflix recommendations #elite netflix #elite #omander #american housewife #good girls nbc #marvel runaways #gregg sulkin #single parents #legacies #kai parker #the stranger #skins #on my block #spooky

[kiradurbin]

Super Short Reviews: Fall & Winter catch up Part 3

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform) – If you can get past the very odd and off-putting voice of lead actor / show creator Josh Thomas, you’re in for a delightful surprise with fresh story perspective and spot on performances by Kayla Cromer and Maeve Press who actually resemble REAL teenagers.   Well played, Freeform.  

Outmatched (Fox) –  Who owns a 3-D printer?  Is this a thing now?  And is it really still a thing in 2020 to have a white family with the funny black sidekick friends? UGH.  On the plus side the kids are pretty fun… makes me miss the Jenna Fischer show with the droll sarcastic kids.  Where did that show go???

Looking for Alaska (Hulu) – Adapted from the book by John Green (he really went to a school like this  in Alabama).  I cant say enough good things.  The cast is genius – especially Denny Love, who I hope to see a lot more of.. Beautiful direction and camerawork.  Huge thumbs up.

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central) – This is the Awkwafina you WANTED in The Farewell... which turned out to be not at all funny for a ‘comedy,’ and instead made everybody cry.   This version of  ‘Nai Nai’ – Grandma – is played by Lori Tan Chinn, who deserves an award just for being. Nora is somewhat annoying in the first two episodes, but when she starts making choices instead of just baking in bed, the comedy really kicks in.  Plus Bowen Yang is hilarious.        

Living with Yourself (Netflix) – Paul Rudd is as awkward and funny as ever, but the real reason to watch this is the very clever storytelling and the fantastic Aisling Bee as the wife of now two husbands.  (If you think she’s funny here go back and watch This Way Up on Hulu.  I REALLY hope there’s a second season.)

The Birch (Facebook) – The perfect gift for the deranged teenager in your life. Don’t play with the occult, kids!!  It never ends well.   Binge watch – you’ll want to see how everyone dies.

Miracle Workers: Dark Ages (TBS) – Same cast, zero resemblance to the first season so it may as well be a whole new show.  Sort of black comedy but really more parody. Steve Buscemi leads a smart and funny cast.  

Indebted (NBC) –   I sort of like Fran Derscher... but  I really can’t stand Adam Paley.  So, not for me.

Tommy (CBS) – A show about LA cops that shoots in New York.  Ha!  Those exterior shots really selll it, don’t they!  But isn’t it freezing half the year in NY In L.A  it just rains and rains… Anyway we all LOVE Edie Falco, and the writers have done a really good job of tacking real issues that the police chief, the mayor, and city council are dealing with in L.A. right now.  (pre Virus of course) This is definitely the best show i’ve seen on CBS in a loooooooooooooong time.  

Cherish the Day (OWN) – Don’t let the silky smooth Sade theme song fool you – there will be plenty of bumps in the road for this beautiful mis-matched couple (played expertly by Xosha Roquemore and Alano Miller.)  Always a treat to see the legendary Cicely Tyson, and whoever is tasked with picking the music is knocking it out of the park.  

Katy Keane (CW) – Semi spin off from Riverdale: Josie from the Pussycats is not the main attraction (as you probably guessed from the title.)  There’s no gangs or murder in New York the way there are in Riverdale, but social and racial problems are served up like a pink double frosted cupcake for the YA watchers. Oh and sometimes they sing, which is actually enjoyable when its Jonny Beauchamp (the real star for me.)     

For Life (ABC) – Trying to fill the Shondra Rhimes, absence, ABC gives us a really heavy show about really heavy issues.   Are you in the mood for that? Then you’re all set.  Don’t expect a happy ending anytime soon.  

Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC) – I admit I tuned in just to see Jason Segel, but this is one of the most creative, clever, and inspiring shows i’ve seen in a long while. Eve Lindley is darling.  And hello Sally Field, Richard E. Grant and Andre Benjamin!!  Is it a game?  Is it a conspiracy?  Is it real?  No spoilers. Have fun!!  Divine Nonchalance.  

NOT REVIEWED:

The Prince of Tennis (Netflix) – China.

Wisting (Sundance Now)

Brotherhood (Netflix) – Brazil.

Mythomaniac (Netflix) – France.

Nowhere Man (Netflix) – Taiwan.

Hache (Netflix) – Spain.

The Stranded (Netflix) – Thailand.  

The Club (Netflix) – Mexico.  

Astronomy Club (Netflix) – sketch show.  

Crash Landing on You (Netflix) – Korea.

The Outsider (HBO)

Little America (AppleTV)

Avenue 5 (HBO)

Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)

#kayla cromer #maevepress #dennylove #lookingforalaska #johngreen #awkwafina #lori tan chinn #bowenyang #aisling bea #ediefalco #cherishtheday #johnnybeauchamp #dispatches from elsewhere #divine nonchalance

[reynoldsnbauer]

The full blown film major analysis of why AP Bio won’t last you didn’t ask for below the cut

I want to preface this by saying I’m not an expert and there is really no way to know how this will turn out. All of this my opinion based on what I’ve learned and researched. I could be totally wrong and again I am not an expert.

1. Location and Star Power

Outside of SNL, NBC is not a place where comedies prosper. Right now it mainly has The Good Place (with Kristen Bell, a critical and aduience darling) and Superstore (which has roughly 3.9 million viewers on average, which is in the same ballparks as Emerald City, Powerless and The Blacklist: Redemption, all of which have been cancelled.) Parks and Rec was a rare case, and that had a lot of things going for it that AP Bio doesn’t. For example, it was staring and produced by Amy Poehler, who already had a large fanbase from SNL- meaning she had a large fanbase at NBC. Now I know what you’re thinking, Glenn has a large fanbase! And the show is being written/produced by SNL creators! 

So let me explain the difference. First of all, yes, It’s Always Sunny is on route to become one of the longest running TV comedies of all time. Which means, yeah, a lot of people watch it. But it is not as well known and infamous as SNL- a show that’s been on since the ‘70s and is known for launching careers. Not to mention that to the average viewer of Sunny, Glenn is likely just “the guy who plays Dennis”. His track record without the rest of the gang is mainly Coffee Town, a film produced by CollegeHumor that was only released on streaming platforms and select theaters. (Side note: Because it didn’t have a box office release I was unable to find how much money it made.) Pretty much everything else Glenn has done has been guest appearances, and it has never been such a big deal that his particular episodes have significantly raised ratings. 

Outside of Glenn, we have Patton Oswalt. While most people know his face, not all know his name. He’s what the industry would call a “working actor”. He has many guest appearances and small roles but is rarely the star or a main character. His biggest role in recent years it probably Remy in Ratatouille. This movie made about $620 million at the box office. Which is pretty good- but that money was likely coming from the fact that it was a Disney movie. His most recent films are Keeping Up with the Jonesses, coming in at only $30 million, and The Circle, which is still in theaters but so far is absolutely bombing (for what the large cast was expected to bring in) with less than $22 million. 

So based on the numbers, and his lack of leading roles, Patton Oswalt just isn’t going to bring in the viewership AP Bio needs to last. In my opinion, what AP Bio really has going for it is Lorne Michaels- an absolute genius. Unlike most producers, his name means something to nearly everyone who hears it. While having an SNL writer as head writer is good, Lorne is really what matters. TV production is what he does best: SNL, 30 Rock, Conan, Fallon, Meyers. But again, all of these shows had a star power. Both Tina Fey and Seth Meyers were regulars and writers on SNL.

And Lorne Michaels hasn’t always been successful in producing new shows. He headed production on multiple shows that only lasted a year at most: Up All Night (2011-2012), Mulaney (2013-2014), and Documentary Now! (2015-2016). So what makes these shows different? Two things: star power/name recognition and quality. Which leads me to my next point. 

2. Quality

The first half of this analysis has been based solely on numbers and data. I literally did not factor in the quality of any shows or films I referenced. That’s mainly because, to me, quality is subjective. And Hollywood agrees. At the end of the day filmmaking is a business, so I think looking at the numbers is most helpful in a case like this. 

However, as someone who wants to make television, quality is important to me. And it is important to whether or not a show stays on the air. Shows like Community and Crazy Ex Girlfriend (two of my favorites, actually) struggled to be renewed every season because of their low ratings. What kept/keeps them afloat is their critical acclaim and vocal fanbase. So yes, quality matters. 

So let’s talk about the quality of the new promo, as that’s all we have to go off. I personally liked it, but I’ve seen a lot of you saying you didn’t. I can see both sides and again quality is subjective so this is all personal opinion and inferences based on viewership trends. 

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that Glenn is essentially playing a less nuanced Dennis Reynolds. Really, it is too early on to tell. But based on the trailer I’m inclined to agree. But is this a good or bad thing? An argument could be made that The Mick’s success came from the initial belief that the show would be similar to Sunny, and Kaitlin Olsen would likely be playing the same character. This turned out not to be true of course, but I think it helped boost initial interest. However, Kaitlin has the backing of FOX, which is tied to FXX, where Sunny lives (and earns bank for the network). Sorry, I got a little into the business side there. 

Anyway, the show mimicking the dark, “unlikable” humor of Sunny could actually be a good thing for mainstream audiences. Critics however? Probably not. I can see the reviews now: “Howerton plays dry, uninteresting version of previous characters”. 

As for the quality of the show as a whole, I think there’s definitely potential. It’s a fresh premise but still familiar enough that it won’t alienate average viewers. The subject of teachers is an interesting one that many have tried to capture and few have succeeded. 

What worries me about the premise is that it’s sort of short sighted. Where can the show really go? Either Glenn’s character accepts his new role and learns to like it or he leaves/gets fired. There are obviously some interesting routes they can take after that (I may make a post about ideas for them) but unfortunatly popular comedy shows aren’t usually ones with twists, turns and story development. The most popular/long running sitcoms are usually the ones that have a contained premise, ie a group of friends live across the hall from each other and struggle with career and personal issues. Or a group of friends own a bar together and get into crazy schemes. Comedy is typically a formulaic genre. 

I do want to point out though that recently shows are trying to branch out from this structure. Crazy Ex Girfriend, The Good Place and possibly The Mick are examples. But again, these shows are not mainstream or “popular” by any means. For these shows to work the writing has to be really good.

Finally, I don’t think the promo did a great job of showing the writing, which again, has to be good. The few jokes featured in the trailer were good but nothing spectacular and sort of unoriginal, in my opinion. Some were even a little too crude for me personally. (And I’m a Sunny fan). I’m not sure a wholesome family network like NBC will be appreciated for having humor such as a teenager reading an explicit letter that has to be mostly censored to a teacher who says he “sees a lot of [himself]” in her. Especially after the recent scandal at FOX, where parents complained about a seventeen year old talking to her guardian about boobs.

I can’t say much else about the quality because we have such little to go on and, honestly, I don’t trust NBC’s marketing skills what so ever. 

3. Glenn

This final thought is purely a matter of opinion. And a naive one at that. I don’t know Glenn personally, but I’ve always felt connected to RCG for this reason: they’re living my dream. Literally. My biggest fantasy in life is to write, produce and star in my own tv comedy. Literally, that’s all I want from life. Unfortunately the starring part probably won’t happen cause I’m a terrible actress but that’s beside the point. 

I have only been studying media for a few years. And only one of those years has been fiction/film production, the rest was news. And already I am in love with it. The behind the scenes is my happy place. Acting is glamorous, sure, but for me, the creative genius really takes place in the writing and direction. So I personally can not imagine going from a show where you have almost complete creative control to one where you only act the lines someone else has written.

In fact that’s what perplexes me the most. I get wanting to grow outside of Sunny, as it can’t last forever. But to consider leaving a show where you and your best friends have complete control to write, produce, improvise, ect? It almost makes me angry. Glenn literally has the one thing in life I want and he’s going to give it up to play a “less nuanced version of the same character”? I don’t know. I just don’t see how he could be happy with that.

Anyway, these have been my personal thoughts about AP Bio’s future. If you read all the way through, I’m sorry. What’s wrong with you? But thanks. 

#ap bio #glenn howerton #iasip #it's always sunny in philadelphia #mallory the film major #this isn't proofread or anything special it's just my thoughts

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/07/14/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-71417/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 7/14/17

So, I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming. Unlike most of you, I didn’t love it. I really liked it, but didn’t love it. Part of the issue stems from the legacy of Spider-Man films. I kinda hate how every star has delivered a great performance as Spider-Man, yet the minute the roll is recast, fans with short memories start saying the last guy was “shit”. People love ragging on Tobey Maguire, especially after Spider-Man 3, but he was really good in those first two movies. There’s a Spider-Man for every generation, and he was the Spider-Man we needed in 2002. Sure, he wouldn’t work so well now, but to compare his movies to Homecoming is basically apples to oranges. I also kinda hate when people say “They finally got Spider-Man right!” Um, Tobey already got him right. Andrew Garfield, in his own way, got him right. And Holland is getting him right. For now. They’ve all brought something special and unique to the table, and I think it’s unfair to discount that because there’s some new, shiny thing to take your attention.

All that’s to say that I liked Homecoming, but it didn’t really offer anything new to me. I felt the same wide-eyed wonder seeing Holland do the ferry rescue as I did when Maguire did the same thing with the train in Spider-Man 2. Some might call that an homage, but it just felt…familiar.

What did I love? I loved Tony being there. I felt like there was just enough Tony Stark without the film becoming Iron Man 3.5. It’s always good to see Happy, and this movie did more with him than most of the Iron Man films ever did. I especially love movie Happy since comic Happy is no longer with us (sad trombone). I loved sexy, younger Aunt May, but I’ve loved Marisa Tomei ever since she filled out her college application wrong and ended up at that Black college. I loved the running joke of all the guys commenting on how hot she was. It’s a new concept for May, but it works. I loved the Miles Morales Easter egg (I won’t spoil it here if you didn’t catch it). I loved Not-Ganke (For those not in the know, Ganke is the name of Miles Morales Spider-Man’s best friend, who looks EXACTLY like actor Jacob Batalon), even if I don’t know why they insisted on calling him “Ned Leeds”. I loved that Damage Control was officially revealed. Keaton was great, even if he’s not an Adrian Toomes that I recognize. The Liz Allen swerve was cool, ’cause I really didn’t see that coming.

OK, now for the things I didn’t like. They introduced a good swath of Spidey’s rogue (Mac Gargan, Shocker), all at once as Vulture’s gang, only to be relegated to ancillary characters and henchmen. I know the MCU has a “Villain Problem” of wasting their villains, but this just takes the cake.

Now, this is gonna sound stupid, but I spent a good amount of time trying to reconcile the MCU timeline in my head. The movie starts immediately after Avengers, jumps 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, and then to the present day, which is shortly after the airport battle where Spidey debuted. Now, a big part of Act 3 is the fact that Vulture wants to steal a bunch of Avengers/Stark Tech on Moving Day – when everything was being moved from Avengers Tower to the upstate facility. Now, Tony’s rich, so it’s not like he can’t own multiple properties, but why is Moving Day happening NOW? I mean, the upstate facility debuted at the end of Age of Ultron, we saw it again in Ant-Man, and everyone seemed to be pretty moved in by Civil War. So, why the delay in moving everything up there? Does Homecoming maybe not take place when we think it does? Well, we know it’s post-Civil War because Cap’s hilariously referred to as a war criminal by gym teacher Hannibal Buress. If it were just a thrown away reference, I wouldn’t care, but the whole final action piece is based on this Moving Day concept. Anyway, I think it’s fair to say I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for this movie if that’s where my brain was going.

Oh, and the thing I hated most: that effing MJ reveal! First of all, it accomplished nothing. It was corny, and it was executed just as poorly as when The Dark Knight Rises did it. Secondly, at the end of the day, her name is MICHELLE, not MARY. You can call her “MJ”, but that does not make her Mary Jane. And to be honest, the movie would’ve been fine without her character. While she was funny, it seems like she was woven into the movie solely to make that hamfisted name reveal at the end.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll watch this movie a bunch more once it hits the premium channels, but I just didn’t fall in love with it as much as a lot of you did. I’m really sorry about that, too, ’cause I really wanted to love it. Something just didn’t work for me entirely, and I can’t put my finger on it exactly.

Things were heating up in the news world this week. Back when NBC announced they had hired Megyn Kelly from Fox News, Today co-anchor Tamron Hall abruptly quit, reportedly because her contract was about to expire. Industry insiders, however, believe it was because it was rumored that Kelly would be given the third hour of Today – where Hall was currently the co-anchor of Today’s Take. Well, that’s somewhat true, as this week it was revealed that Kelly’s show will premiere September 25th, and will feature a live studio audience, like a traditional talk show. It will, in fact, occupy the third hour of Today, sandwiched between the regular Today and the Kathie Lee & Hoda hour of Today. Not to be outdone, it was also announced that Tamron Hall is developing a daytime talk show with Weinstein Television. It’s also believed that, in several major markets, this talk show will go head to head with Kelly’s daytime show. Now the race is on to see which one of them earns the coveted “Fake News” label first!

In other television news, CBS announced an upcoming animated special called Michael Jackson’s Halloween, which sounds kinda sketchy. Apparently, it’s about two Millennials (there’s THAT buzzword), which is basically to say “two shits too young to appreciate the King of Pop’s music”. Anyway, they meet at a party, end up at a weird hotel, and crazy stuff happens – all capped off by a dance number by an animated Michael. If you ask me, he already contributed his greatest gift to the Halloween industry: “Thriller”! Unless this is just a one-hour animated version of “Thriller”, I don’t think the world needs this. Somebody tell his mama to stop letting his estate make crap like this.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

John Cho joins Fox’s The Exorcist next season. While some are all, “Yay, representation!”, I’m like “Why the F is Sulu doing television?!” Well, I guess since Kumar’s already doing television…

In a move that’s somewhat baffling to me, Lucy Liu will direct the season 2 premiere of Netflix’s Luke Cage

Speaking of Netflix, Bojack Horseman season 4 will premiere on September 8th.

Fresh of the Boat dad Randall Park has been cast as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man & The Wasp

Netflix has also renewed the Castlevania animated series for a second season

Jeremy Renner essentially broke both arms while filming the movie Tag, though it’s not expected to affect production on Avengers: Infinity War.

Smallville‘s Lois Lane, Erica Durance, is taking over the role of Alura from Laura Benanti on Supergirl.

Despite flopping in North America, the Baywatch film is on track to make $100 million overseas

Showtime is planning a sequel to the hit lesbian series The L Word. If it were up to me, it’d be called The K Word, and it would be about non-binary gender Millennials as they make their way through NYC, but nobody pays me for these ideas, so…

After 27 years of voicing Kermit the Frog, it was revealed that Steve Whitmire was fired back in October, and it currently lobbying to get his job back. Apparently, it’s not east being Steve.

In probably the biggest TV news this week (at least for the geek set), it was announced that AT&T Lily herself, Milana Vayntrub, has been cast as Squirrel Girl in Marvel’s New Warriors on Freeform. I cared NOTHING about this show until that announcement. It still doesn’t really inspire any confidence for me, as I don’t know if the superhero comedy genre works on television (see Powerless), but I’m definitely more inclined to check it out than I had been prior to the announcement. I mean, who doesn’t love that chick?! I love her in the commercials, I loved her in Other Space, and I even loved her as a bitchy ex-girlfriend in Love. Here’s hoping this leads to the big break she deserves. It was a slow entertainment news week so, ya know what, Milana Vayntrub had the Breas…I mean West Week Ever.

#Batman #DC #Marvel #Movies #Music #Politics #Pop #Race #Star Trek #Television #West Week Ever

[newagesispage]

                                                                        SEPTEMBER     2020

PAGE   RIB

 The Rolling Stones have released an old unreleased track they did with Jimmy Page. Scarlet also has a brand new video starring Paul Mescal.** The Rolling Stones will open a store on Carnaby St. in London, Rolling Stones #9 on Sept.9.

*****

Where the hell is Matthew Gray Gubler??

*****

Africa had been declared polio free.

*****

Check out Dream Hustle Code!! It is a worthy cause.

*****

Iowa has lifted the ban on felons voting. Hooray!!

*****

They have discovered the longest living vertebrate, a 400 year old shark.

*****

Hey Clockface is the new album coming in October from Elvis Costello.

*****

Drunk History has been cancelled. NO!!!!!!!!! Netflix??

*****

Michigan will pay $600 million to the victims of the water crisis.

*****

They are remaking The Thing.

*****

Fresh Prince will reunite for their 30th.

*****

Scary Clown applied for help to get a sea wall to protect his golf course due to climate change.

*****

Micky Dolenz is said to be recording Dolenz sings Nesmith, an album of songs written by Mike Nesmith.

*****

PEAD or the Presidents Emergency Action Documents are periodically revised and nobody seems to know a thing about them. Word is the rules are being revised right now but how will we know?? These are the most secret documents in the government. Congress is not even privy to them. Does that seem right??

*****

Wendell Pierce will star in The Thrill is On where he will play B.B. King.

*****

Quibi has brought us the Mapleworth murders with John Lutz, Paula Pell, JB Smoove and Tina Fey.

*****

Kutcher and Leno have been sticking up for Ellen. Watch your back, girl!!

*****

The West Wing is reuniting,

*****

Roman Polanski sued the Academy in 2019 for reinstatement but he has now lost that bid.

*****

The California Supreme court has reversed the death penalty for Scott Peterson.

*****

From Beirut to Florida to Belarus to Russia, our leaders never stop letting us down. The state of the world with the anger, the rebellion shows us just how selfish those in power are. ** The military budget: $732 billion, $ needed to bail out the Post office: $25 billion. This one we have to fight for and bring back our mailboxes for goodness sake!!** There are 3 republican Senators who are very uncomfortable with the President’s bashing of the Post Office. **UPS gives mountains of money to McConnell and Trump.

*****

This is an administration more interested in suppressing the vote than the virus. -President Obama ** Brookings.edu will tell you how well your state runs the vote.

*****

Sam Jay has a great stand up special to see called 3 in the morning.

*****

If your religion makes or keeps you stupid, it’s not a good religion. –Michael Mckean

*****

There are calls to dissolve the NRA because of massive fraud.

*****

Rep. David Schweikert was reprimanded and ordered to pay a $50 thousand fine for misuse of funds.

*****

Days alert: Gabi is right about one thing: Gwen seems like a skank.** What must it feel like for Ari Zucker to keep getting dragged back into Trump’s dirty laundry??**So good to see Paige and Eddie again!!!! **Phillip is back!** I wish they would give Eve something better to do and like last month, I wish Jack and Jen could really do something . Perhaps they could hustle stories like back in the day.

*****

Jerry Falwell Jr. has been asked by Liberty University to take an indefinite leave of absence as President and chancellor. He has now resigned. As I wrote about months ago, the torrid story of the pool boy has finally come full circle. It’s about time!!

*****

Face the Nation: When asked if he supported the tweet from that seemed to suggest he was ok with Kyle Rittenhouse, the attorney General of Ky. Daniel Cameron Said, “I condone violence on all it’s forms.” So he was of course asked if he meant CONDEMN and he agreed but I am not so sure. The first response seemed closer to the truth.

*****

Alabama legislator Will Dismukes who was spotted at a celebration for the KKK Grand Wizard, is charged with stealing thousands from a floor company he worked at.

*****

How many Trump friends own pay day loan places?? They must be making a mint on all the desperate poor.** The Trump administration is scaling back protections for over 1,000 species of birds. ** It seems MAGA hats are made in China and Joe’s hats are made in the U.S. by union members.** A Judge has rejected Trump’s latest bid to hide his tax records.

*****

Is this true? Cops make $150 thousand in Chicago to police schools. That is about half of what teachers make. Mind you, officers also still make their regular pay. The school district voted that even if a school decides not to use police in their school, that $ is still allotted for the cops and cannot be used for other things.** Baron Trump’s school is under orders to stay closed.** It is a blessing that the WH, the NBA and some companies can quarantine and test often. How about spreading some of that around to the food vendors or people at the bottom of your food chain?? It isn’t fair that so many small businesses are going under because they have nowhere to turn.

*****

Louis Dejoy was raked over the coals. He claims to have stopped taking mailboxes and sorting machines but the damage is done. He seemed to say ,”no” a lot in the hearing. He does not seem to know much about his post office. Why are the rules different for the Post Office as opposed to other government agencies?? ** Washington postal workers have reinstalled mail sorting machines. Fingers crossed that they keep their jobs.

*****

Arizona Senator McSally told supporters they might come up with more campaign cash for them if they do a bit of fasting.

****

I always get a tear when I see John McCain give the thumbs down that day or when he defended Obama from that awful woman during their campaigns.

*****

The DNC went off without much of a hitch. Everybody looked and sounded good. Tammy Duckworth was especially noteworthy.  Bloomberg seemed to have bought himself a prime spot and lashed out at Trump from the business side of things.** Jon Favreau had a good take that the RNC’s message was that if you’re rich and white, you can do anything.** At the RNC: Tom Cotton just said America is safer now than 4 years ago, but one of the themes of this convention is that America’s cities are more violent than ever, -John Avlon** Pence: Make America great again again! WTF?** The last night of the RNC  did not have to compete with sports but the DNC still won the ratings race, if that matters to U.

*****

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has resigned.

*****

What if we just put confederate General hats on all the mailboxes? –Conan** Hurricane Laura knocked down a confederate monument that they had voted to keep.

*****

Claudia Conway is seeking emancipation.  Her parents Kellyanne and George are stepping away from their respective opposing political roles.

*****

The Senate intel committee informed the DOJ in mid 2019 that it believed Trump Jr., Kushner, Eric Prince, Manafort, Bannon, Sam Clovis and Hope Hicks all committed crimes.** Bannon was arrested as well as Brian Kolfage, for pocketing funds from the We build the wall fund that Mexico was supposed to pay for.  Bannon was arrested by the postal service on a yacht belonging to another alleged criminal.

*****

Loved the Colbert show talking about “prayers in the air” and Trevor Noah calling out the ‘militia members’ for what they are: ‘gang members.’

*****

The Nazi brownshirts, or Sturmabteilung were born of unemployed veterans and thugs that the party reached out to act as security for their meetings. –Mike Stuchbery

*****

A former FBI agent has documented white supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across the U.S.

*****

It’s silly to believe an illness can stem from having sex with a demon, but just to be safe I’m giving it up anyway. – Emo Phillips

*****

Kamala Harris means more Maya Rudolph!!!!

*****

So Seth Meyers had a poll about his sea captain and NBC would not let them use their site?? It didn’t matter for it does not seem they took it seriously anyway. The duck, who was not part of the poll is a nice touch though as is the fish. Long live the sea captain!! That is Forte, Armisen and Samberg, right??

*****

Sturgis? Smashmouth ??really??

*****

Sen Penn married Leila George.

*****

If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you. –LBJ

*****

What if we’re the weird ones ya’ll , and he’s just Al Yankovic. –George Wallace

*****

Before Fox news, you actually had to drive to a Klan rally. –LOLGOP

*****

Larry Wilmore will host a late night show on Peacock.

*****

So, the Black*ish episode that wasn’t, will finally air, now how about letting us see the Gary Cole episode of SVU??

*****

I can’t wait for Ratched, the origin story of Nurse Ratched. Sept. 18 will bring us Sarah Paulson, Judy Davis, Finn Wittrock, Sharon Stone, Amanda Plummer, Vincent D’onofrio and Cynthia Nixon.

*****

Jim Belushi stars in Growing Belushi about his new pot farm.

*****

Why is it so hard for humans to open their minds? From law enforcement rehab to using home grown drugs for pain or listening to different cultures and religions, it should be ez to just listen. Doctors are touting psilocybin for everything from quitting cigarettes to depression.  The effects can be lifesaving and science can save us all. This is not the dark ages but on some days, we would never know that.

*****

Fire-Nado?  Double hurricanes?? Whoa!

***

Many sports teams went on strike.

*****

R.I.P. Reni Santoni, David Rossi, Wilforn Brimley, Gary Knopp, Pete Hamill, John Hume, Daisy Coleman, Helen Jones Woods, Brent Carver, Beirut victims, Brent Scrowcroft, Leon Fleischer, Trini Lopez, Raymond Allen, Sumner Redstone, covid victims, Robert Trump, Matt Heron, Linda Manz, Ash Christian, Robert Ryland, Justin Townes Earle, Allan Rich, Gail Sheehy, Reni Santoni, Jacob Blake, hurricane victims, Kenosha victims and Chadwick Boseman.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Thumbnails 8/28/18

Thumbnails is a roundup of brief excerpts to introduce you to articles from other websites that we found interesting and exciting. We provide links to the original sources for you to read in their entirety.—Chaz Ebert

1. 

"Miranda Harcourt on 'The Changeover' and Whānau Values in New Zealand": At Indie Outlook, I interview the acclaimed actress and acting coach about her terrific new feature that she directed with her husband, Stuart McKenzie. We also discuss her ingenious coaching techniques, clients such as Melanie Lynskey and Nicole Kidman, and her daughter, "Leave No Trace" star Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.

“I was coaching a few actors via Skype for the role that Thomasin ended up playing in ‘Consent,’ and she was reading a book while listening to our session. After I hung up, Thomasin said in her little voice, ‘I’d like to audition for that role,’ and I went, ‘What? But you hate acting.’ She replied, ‘No, it sounds like a really great story to tell,’ so we did a little read-through of the script right here, exactly where I am sitting right now. I was like, ‘Oh my god, you are amazing.’ It was a great performance, and when she went in for the audition, she got the role. The film was directed by Robert Sarkies, who also made another great New Zealand movie, ‘Out of the Blue.’ Even now, I don’t think Thomasin has seen all of ‘Consent,’ because she wasn’t even allowed to see the bits that she was in. She’s only in the first 17 minutes, but it’s a very intense journey. It took a lot of courage for her to portray a girl who is raped. Francis Biggs, one of my students I taught at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, portrayed the rapist with whom Thomasin had to play that scene in ‘Consent.’ We’re both really grateful to Francis because he and Thomasin did ‘hug to connect’ before they played that scene. It enabled Francis and Thomasin to play quite an intense rape scene together so that they are in the flow of telling that story together. They weren’t in opposition, which would’ve been very psychologically damaging, not only to Thomasin, who was 13 at the time, but also to poor old Francis, because it was not a happy job for him. I’ve got a collection of great photographs chronicling the interactions that Thomasin and Francis had in order to build that relationship over a couple of weeks while preparing for the scene. Over the couple of weeks after they did that scene, Thomasin would consistently check in with him and say, ‘Hey Francis! I’m really proud of the work we did together, and I hope you feel good about it too. Just remember—it’s only acting!’”

2. 

"Call it a Comeback: The Inside Story of Elvis Presley's Iconic 1968 Special": As remembered by our contributor Donald Liebenson at Vanity Fair.

“Elvis looms large in the singer’s legend. The live-wire special is featured prominently in two 2018 documentaries, Eugene Jarecki’s ‘The King’ (now in theaters) and Thom Zimny’s ‘The Searcher’ (on HBO). It capped a decade in which Elvis could mostly be seen only in the movies, and, increasingly, not very good movies at that. Taped in June and broadcast on December 3, 1968, it was his first television appearance since 1960, when he guest-starred on ‘Frank Sinatra’s Welcome Home Party for Elvis.’ At the time, he hadn’t performed in front of a live audience in seven years. But Presley and Binder’s creative team delivered. [Steve] Binder, a self-professed ‘West Coast guy into surf music,’ finished the special feeling in awe of Presley. ‘For me, the ‘68 special is seeing a man re-discover himself,’ Binder said. ‘I saw it on his face and in his body language as we progressed.’ Susan Doll, author of Elvis for Dummies, agreed. ‘I think it’s the peak of his career,’ she said. Col. Tom Parker, Presley’s infamously controlling manager, had promised NBC a one-hour special if the network financed Presley’s next film—‘Change of Habit,’ Presley’s screen swan song, released in 1969. He never told Presley about the deal, with good reason: ‘Elvis didn’t want to do television,’ Binder said. ‘He felt he had been burned by it.’ Even Steve Allen, the talk-show host hip enough to give Lenny Bruce a shot on prime time, forced cheese on Presley, putting him in a tuxedo to sing ‘Hound Dog’ to an actual hound dog.”

3.

"'It Was No Gang, It Was One Guy, And He Wasn't Really a Killer': Producer and Star Edward James Olmos on 'The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez": In conversation with Jim Hemphill of Filmmaker Magazine.

“When Bob [Young] agreed to do the picture and rewrite the screenplay from scratch, he and I went to the real locations where it all happened. We went to Gonzales, Texas, where they captured and imprisoned Gregorio Cortez, and we found the exact prison. We found his cell. The jail and the courthouse were exactly how they were in 1901, it gave us an authenticity unlike anything I had ever experienced before in film. We had to talk the district court judge in Gonzales into letting us use the courthouse, and when he asked us what kind of movie we were doing, Bob kept speaking in general terms of how important our subject was to Mexican-American people and to the Latino culture, but he wouldn’t say the name because at that time no one knew who Gregorio Cortez was. The judge kept asking, ‘What’s his name?’ and finally Bob says, ‘His name is Gregorio Cortez, but he’s a really important—‘ and this guy says, ‘Stop, stop. I’ve been waiting for you guys for 35 years.’ He opens his filing cabinets, and in these cabinets is every single piece of testimony and every single newspaper article from around the country related to the trial. This judge was the foremost authority on the case in the world, bar none. He felt it was one of the most important cases in U.S. history because it was the first time a Latino had been tried in an American court of law, and with an interpreter, which was unheard of in 1901. This guy had filing cabinets filled with material, because the case was followed all over the country – it involved something like 600 Texas Rangers in hot pursuit of what they thought was a Mexican gang of killers. And it was no gang, it was one guy, and he wasn’t really a killer – it was self-defense. Anyway, discovering all that material was just unbelievable. It was magical. And it allowed us to make what the United States Historical Society claimed to be the most authentic Western ever made in American film, ever.”

4. 

"John McCain, War Hero, Senator, Presidential Contender, Dies at 81": Robert D. McFadden of The New York Times reflects on the honorable legacy of the late politician.

“In a 2018 memoir, ‘The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations,’ he defended Ms. Palin’s campaign performance, but expressed regret that he had not instead chosen Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent. At some McCain rallies, vitriolic crowds disparaged black people and Muslims, and when a woman said she did not trust Mr. Obama because ‘he’s an Arab,’ Mr. McCain, in one of the most lauded moments of his campaign, replied: ‘No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.’ Analysts later said that Mr. Obama had engineered a nearly perfect campaign. And Mr. McCain confronted a hostile political environment for Republicans, who were dragged down by President George W. Bush’s dismal approval ratings amid the economic crisis and an unpopular war in Iraq. On Election Day, Mr. McCain lost most of the battleground states and some that were traditionally Republican. Mr. Obama won with 53 percent of the popular vote to Mr. McCain’s 46 percent, and 365 Electoral College votes to Mr. McCain’s 173. ‘Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did,’ Mr. Obama said Saturday. ‘But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John’s best, he showed us what that means.’”

5. 

"Inside Patricia Clarkson's brutal 'Sharp Objects' performance: 'It's dark and nasty and twisted and beautiful'": The actress chats with The Washington Post's Jessica M. Goldstein about her role in HBO's excellent miniseries. 

“In Wind Gap, poison is poured down the throats of unsuspecting children. Baby teeth are pried from little girls’ gums, and skin is sliced until it scars. Yet the most transgressive act of violence in town is the low, almost-whispered delivery of four small words. Over a drink, by candlelight, a mother tells her daughter: ‘I never loved you.’ There’s no shortage of cruelty in ‘Sharp Objects,’ the eight-part HBO miniseries based on Gillian Flynn’s 2006 debut novel, whose women pass trauma from generation to generation like a haunted heirloom. But no one cuts quite like Adora, played by Patricia Clarkson. She’s a matriarch [...] who coolly tells her wayward eldest daughter, Camille (Amy Adams), that she feels nothing for her, save for disappointment and disgust. Clarkson, the 58-year-old New Orleanian actress who sees glimmers of her own grandmother in the best parts of Adora, knows these scenes appear brutal. ‘But I think why they have the impact they do is that I don’t think Adora ever thinks of them as brutal,’ she said by phone from her apartment in New York. ‘I think that was what was essential. When I tell her I never loved her, I think it’s just Adora feeling connected to her for a moment to be as honest as she can be. … Sometimes she was just openly cruel. But other times, I think, when she speaks, she’s actually revealing the truth.’ ‘This is the most violent line in the series,’ said director Jean-Marc Vallée. ‘It’s not something you say to your child. … You just destroyed her! And she’s not realizing that. Or maybe she does, and she’s that cruel, that evil. But we’re not sure. And that’s what’s great about the character: that you try to understand, and you’re not sure.’”

Image of the Day

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda starred in "Barefoot in the Park," the 1967 screen adaptation of the 1963 play, one of four works by the late Neil Simon selected by Vox's Aja Romano to illustrate why he was one of America's greatest playwrights.

Video of the Day

Stella McCartney's profile of David Lynch is a stirring ode to the role intuition plays in one's creative process. Look for cameos by "Moonlight"'s Ashton Sanders and "American Honey"'s Sasha Lane.

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